Catherine and Alice stumbled through the hallways, hastily jumping into a room when they heard someone coming, then making up and excuse for barging into the room.

Eventually, Catherine had taken a turn at a fork in the path and found herself at another door. Alice had shoved it open to reveal stairs leading down into the earth.

They had slowly walked down the slippery steps, holding to the railing for dear life.

Now, they stand in a vary large room, rows and rows and rows of cells stretching in an endless labyrinth.

Cath shivers, her traitorous mind jumping to the times they had wandered through the maze, on their way to see the Three Sisters. 

Alice's grip tightens around Cath's hand. Everything in Alice's mind was screaming at her to turn back, but the need to find Spade drove her onwards.

Alice is the first to make her way down one of the rows, jumping at small noises. The bars of the cells are crusted with rust and woven with spiderwebs. Cath and Alice stand in the middle of the path, staying as far away from the cells as they can.

Yellow eyes of dangerous animals glow in the shadows of the cells, and as the two girls continue to walk, growls and whimpers meet them with every section they pass.

After walking through two more rows, they finally get to the place where the people are kept. 

Catherine chokes down a sob, covering her mouth at the sight of an elderly man huddled in a corner. The air stinks of urine and sweat, mixing with the smell of ground water that slowly drips from the ceiling, leaving silvery puddles on the concrete floor.

The girls pass a few more cells, Alice covering her nose and taking shallow breaths. Catherine follows behind her, holding her skirt so she doesn't trip. Catherine's attention gets caught on a small child pressing his small cheeks against the bars, his dirt covered fingers turning white from gripping the rusty metal. Cath bends down, murmuring soothing words to the child, tears gathering in her green eyes.

Her pale fingers gingerly brush the boy's hand, and he reaches a bony arm through the gap in the bars. His fingers hover over the tips of her dark hair, his eyes full of a faraway look, as if remembering the hair of his mother.

Catherine's heart clenches, and in a moment of desperation and utter sadness, she reaches into her dress's pocket and pulls out a hair ribbon. She rubs her thumb over the smooth, pink satin, and places it in the child's hand.

"Cath!" Alice hisses, her voice magnified but still far. Catherine wipes away the tears on her cheeks, squeezes the child's hand gently, and turns away from the brown eyes that suddenly have a hopeful light in them.

Catherine walks quickly to catch up to Alice. She didn't think she was with the boy for that long.

Alice's body is pressed against the bars of one of the cells, and there are thin, tanned hands clinging to her dress.

For a moment, Cath's heart seems to stop. The urge to run towards her and pull the hands of a prisoner off of her overwhelm her, but as she hurries towards the girl, she sees the the tears of joy on Alice's cheeks.

"Spade! Oh Spade, I'm so glad you're okay." Cath hears Alice whisper.

Catherine exhales a breath she didn't fully know she was holding. She finds a smile slip onto her lips as she watches Alice reach her small hand between the bars, her fingers hovering over Spade's cheeks.

Catherine hears Spade whisper Alice's name. Alice gently pulls away, hastily wiping at her cheeks and turning towards Cath.

She gestures towards the cell. "How do we get him out?"

"You don't." A loud voice shouts behind them.

Cath spins around, her eyes landing on Mary Anne's cold expression of hate. She gasps, her heart restricting at the sight of the queen.

The queen raises her hand and flicks her wrist towards them. The 2, 3, 7, and 9 of clubs come out of the shadows, walking towards the girls. The three of clubs grabs Catherine's wrists, pinning her arms behind her back. The two of clubs secures Alice, with some difficulty.

Catherine and Alice watch as the seven and nine of clubs unlock the cell and pull Spade out. His usually tan complexion is now tinted with dirt, making his skin darker than normal. His eyes are full of hatred, but small tendrils of hope entwine the hatred, forming a sort of lace.

It reminds Cath of the latticework on the top of her pies, the peaks warmed with the sun and dusted with powdered sugar.

The guard holding her yanks on her wrists, jerking her from her fantasy of a sweet and sour world.

The queen regards Cath with her cold, dark eyes. She takes a few steps towards the helpless girl. Mary Anne puts two fingers under Cath's chin, forcing her head towards the queen. The merciless eyes of Mary Anne trace over Catherine's lips, eyelashes, cheekbones, the blush on her pale face.

She makes a sound in the back of her throat, dropping her hand. "You shouldn't have come back here." she says, her voice devoid of emotion. But her eyes betray her.

"Did you think we would leave?" Alice says, her tone confident. Cath barely hears her, immersed in examining the queens eyes, finding hatred and sadness, and Cath finds comfort in the familiarity of her friend's features.

Before anyone can say anything else, the queen starts walking away. The guards shove the girls forward, and Cath stumbles, almost falling to the floor if the card soldier wasn't holding her.

The smell of the dungeon seems to get worse as the guards drag them towards the way they came in. The queen stands in front of them, her dress just above the wet floor.

Caterine finds herself thinking of Jest. I'll never see him again. She thinks, sincerely hoping that it won't be true.

They ascend the stairs, walking back through the many hallways. Eventually, two double doors come into view.

The queen shoves them open, revealing the throne room. Seats on the left and right are filled with various creatures and cards. Mary Anne walks to her throne, gently taking a seat with a motion that was not normal for the girl Cath used to know.

Catherine and Alice watch as the queen raises her chin, her eyes regarding the three prisoners.

"My my." Comes her cold and hard voice. "What on earth shall we do with you three?"

A high, nasally voice floats through the silence. "We could let them go and have a peaceful life-"

"Oh shut up." the queen sneers, staring at the fish that had just spoken. He quickly nods his head, cowering in his seat.

The queen turns her head again. "I know. EXECUTIONER!"

Out of the shadows, a hooded figure holding an axe, the blade shaped in a silver heart, walks into the light.  The hood is made from feathers, the black like silk. When he moves, the hood ripples like ink.

Catherine gasps, some part of her brain remembering Raven, whom she had left in Chess.

The queen smiles smugly. "Yes. That would do nicely." she raises her arm, her finger pointing at Cath. "Kill her first. And bring me their heads on silver platters."

The executioner stalks towards Cath. The guard pushes her to her knees, bending her head towards the marble. Catherine gulps and squeezes her eyes shut, trying not to think about the red stained floor.

"Any last words?" The queen asks.

Catherine looks up, staring at the queen, then moving her gaze towards the executioner.

He moves, and slightly, so very slightly, the hood shifts. And Cath glimpses yellow, the color of lemons.

"Jest." she whispers.

I thought I would finish this and post it yesterday, but my stupid brain forgot that I wouldn't be able to. Anyways, I know...I'm so mean. Hope you enjoyed it.

Also, I have a psychiatrist appointment soon and I'm kinda freaking out cause I don't want to be weighed and I don't want to talk about my problems.

Love you all!