The sky was as black as night with dark puffs covering the once starry sky. The hidden moon left a dark shadow over the navy sea, leaving our voyagers blind to what lie ahead of them. They couldn't see the rocky shore ahead, but they knew they needed to get there. For what laid behind them, following them as silent as the night gust was a much worse fate than the doom they were sure to face by the spiky rocks ahead.

Canons soared through the air like birds and rocked the boat viciously. Our sailor was sure he were to be capsized at any moment, yet he pushed through. For a great captain would always go down with his ship. No surrender.

"Sir, shoals ahead!" His trusty crewman called from the wheel.

"Shallow water," A wicked grin took over our Captains lips as he turned back to the one and only man who accompanied him on this suicidal journey. "Ha-ha! Full sail Mr. Jones. Full sail!" He ran across the sopping deck to the edge. The rain pelted against his pale face, and left his charcoal locks sticking to his forehead.

Mr. Jones never questioned his captains orders, no matter how mad they seemed. He abandoned his post at the wheel and climbed to the top of the sail. If his captain wanted full sails, then it shall be full sails.

"Hard Port, Mr. Jones!"

"But, sir," Mr. Jones called over the roaring wind with wide eyes. Surely he didn't mean that. "We will surely capsize, sir."

His raven feathered hair wiped in the racing winds, and his emerald iris' were swirling with the Devil. "Exactly, Mr. Jones."

He heaved out a great laugh, running around the far end as the ship turned hard, the side dipping into the water like an apple into a bath of Caramel. He launched himself onto the rope and climbed his way to the top. The ship rocked with every wave that hurdled against it. A trio of vessels followed close behind, riding the monstrous waves to catch the duo sailing in front of them.

Like a flutter of wings from a thousand birds the sails dropped and the ship was nearly parallel with the horizon. His free hand gripped the rough rope, the only thing keeping him from falling into the rocky seas. He could feel his vessel scrap the bottom of the sea floor as it weaved through the threats of sharp edges that surrounded them.

With a hearty laugh he released his sword from it's prison on his hip and cut the rope he held onto so dearly. He could hear the wind whip around him like a mighty roar, and as his feet landed safely on the wooden boards the tarp of his sail fluttered off into wind. That swirl in his eyes could only ever mean trouble. The mast nearly touched the heaven's above safe, it was much more than he could say for the trio that once road his tail end.

They crashed and crumbled into the shoals leaving Mr. Jones to cheer in victory. He came up beside his captain, patting his chest with a mighty laugh. "You did it!"

"Of course, I did. For I am-"

"I am Captain Rugby!"

She finished for her storyteller, giggling madly like any 8 year old girl would. She swirled her foam sword out at the invisible threat she dreamed up in her wild imagination. "I sailed the Seven Seas and beyond. I am the Impossible, yet, Mr. Jones, I am very possible." She broke off into mocking the sound of clashing swords, bouncing on her queen sized bed. A bed for the future heir to Wonderland.

"Hush now Arty, if you waken your mother, she will be furious."

The one telling her the stories of the swashbuckling pirate owned the name Cheney Cat. He barely held a few years above her, adorning golden curls and swirling purple eyes. But, that was his human form. For when he was a Cat like his father he had a grey coat that resembled a pipe billowing smoke and a Cheshire grin that took up his whole face. 

The girl dropped into a seat on her bed, her legs crossed and her blonde hair tumbling down her back to touch the covers. She giggled quietly, "you think she'll cut off my head?" She asked, merely as a joke.

"I should hope not," He hooked a finger under her chin. "I would hate to see those pretty brown eyes go." She merely giggled again.

"Read me another story Cheney," she begged.

"I can't it is passed your bed time, look, the moon is out." He pointed to the window. Through the glass panes the moon shone brightly above, not a cloud in the sky to hide the decorating stars. It was beautiful, it was always beautiful in Wonderland.

She puffed out her bottom lip, grabbing onto his purple clad arm, "Oh, please. I just adore pirates. One more."

He could never say no to those big brown eyes. They reminded him of bowls of freshly melted chocolate when she looked up at him pleadingly. "Alright, fine," he caved and a wide, child-like grin took it's place upon her face. "Only one more."

She gave a firm nod, letting him know she understood. She sat back, a pillow in her lap, and an excited look adorning her pale features. "Once upon a time there was a great pirate by the name-"

"Captain Rugby." She said with him, scrunching up her face and raising a finger like a hook as she added her own, "argh."

A rapping of knuckles on the bedroom door, pulled them both from their own world and two sets of wide eyes turned to the white wood. "Artemis," her mother's voice came from the other side. "Are you awake?"

"Oh, no." Artemis whispered, she was sure she'd be in trouble for staying up to such a late hour. It drove her father mad.

A Cheshire like grin cracked across Cheney's lips as he brought a small finger up, silently telling her to be quiet. She nodded, making a motion like she was zipping her lips.

A purple hue took to Cheney's pale skin and Artemis watched with fascinated eyes as he curled back up into her small cat. She giggled. She slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide, remembering what Cheney had told her.

"Arty," her wide chocolate eyes turned to the door once more as it slowly creaked open, white light shining into the dark room.

She expected to find her daughter up late once more, like she always seemed to do as of recent. Instead, she found the young blonde lying sweetly in her bed, in a deep slumber. The red covers draped over her and her young kitten like the sea when the sun just began to rise and the light gave the water the color of blood.

She sighed softly, leaning against the archway. "Goodnight, my princess."

Present Day

He felt like each bone in his body was trembling with a different type of fear. He hadn't meant to, he'd merely been practicing his fencing with a couple of his fellow soldiers. But, he knew when it came to his majesty's flowers she showed no mercy.

He held the hat that every solider wore, including himself, against his chest as he bowed his head to his Queen. She sat there in her thrown, her head held high and that same dark look swirling in her eyes. They once seemed like Chocolate, now as they stared down at him, he couldn't held but feel as though they resembled charcoal. Filled with such anger, he didn't think anyone was capable of such Anger.

That was until he heard the door behind him open and close heavily. A silence fell over the crowd like a thick blanket as no one dared to look the the Queen's right hand man in his purple eyes. No one except that who stood before her majesty, in shame.

The blonde curls that came from his head seems like it was woven from Gold, and his eyes resembled an Amethyst. He held his head high, like he was better than anyone else in the room. He bowed to Queen Heart as the same charming smile took over his lips. "Cheney Cat, your majesty. May I approach?"

And for the first time since the court was brought together that afternoon, her royal Highness smiled a genuine smile. "Of course you may, Cheney."

He spun on his Van covered feet to address the gathered crowd, and the one man who stood before him. Guilty. "Your majesty," he tilted his head to her once more, and she waved her fingers at him. "Members of the jury," He held a hand out to the group of people in the court box and they all bowed in response. "Loyal subjects," his purple iris' returned to the gathered and he let the scroll in his hands unravel until it hit the cold floor.

"The man who stands before us is accused of trampling the royal flower garden, do you object?" He challenged the guilty party.

"No," hushed whispers filled the crowd as did the sound of the Queen impatiently tapping her blood red nails against the arm of her chair. "B-b-but, sire, if you will just listen-"

"Listen!" Queen Heart echoed, her voice echoing through the room and officially pulling it's guest back to their original silence. "No, you listen to me. I am your Queen, and you will respect me!" She stood elegantly from her chair, yet stomping her foot against the tile. The perfect combination of elegance and childishness that only their young Queen seemed to posses.

"But, your majesty..."

"Silence!"

He froze in fear. Unable to do anything but watch as the Queen stood before him with two of her guards women on either side of her. She pointed a finger at the man before her, a menacing look in her Charcoal eyes.

"I am a Queen, and you will respect me," She raised her arm across her face, a single finger rose like a warning. She waggled the digit at him. "I will not stay while you say all those things to me." She spun as did the two woman at her side with a wave of hair whipping at the action.

"Yes, I am a Queen. It's time that you finally see; you will regret what you did to me," She swayed out her right hip, her hands following the action, just before the music picked up.

"I am a Queen, and you can't resist me," She gestured out to the crowd with a finger, an evil smirk pulling at her glossy lips. "Everything we had, boy you know you'll be missing me." She flipping her bangs out of her face.

"Yes, I am a Queen. It's time that you finally see," She dropped to one knee, her other leg extended out to the tips of her toes. "You will regret what you did to me."

She spun around so her back was to them, her legs delicately draped in front of her as she held up a single finger once more, "First, let me clear up everything. I am only going to say this once." She was back to her feet, tapping the digit to her temple.

"You say, 'no, I didn't do the things, that you all accuse me of'," of course, they all knew that he did. The evidence laid at her front gate. No one tarnished the royal garden, and anyone who did no longer had a mouth to say otherwise. "Before you start to talk to me, and you start defending, make sure those hands of yours are clean." She spun on the tips of her toes with her arms extended like wings on a bird.

"Cause you don't know, who you are messing with," She fanned herself, bouncing her weight from one foot to the next. "I am the one, yes I am the queen." She spun, dragging her red nails up her other arm.

"I am a Queen, and you will respect me," She turned to her right, fluffing up the skirt of her dress with both her hands. "I will not stay, while you say all those things to me."

"I am a Queen, it's time that you finally see," She played with a single, curly strand that hung loose from the neat bun beneath her crown. One leg in front of the other, she strutted forward. "You will regret what you did to me."

"I am a Queen, and you can't resist me," She made her right side face the court, her hands hovering over her as they rose and she swirled her right leg and swayed her hips. "Everything we had boy, you know you'll be missing me."

"Cause I am a Queen, it's time that you finally see," She leaned back, her hands half raised in the air. "You will regret what you did to me." She backed up, her head swiveling from left to right to share a look with the woman whole held the position of her guards women and now her dance partners.

"Now, let me break this down for you," Her right hand came up and pointed out at the crowd with her fingers curled into a fist. She twisted to her right. "I'm not done, so please listen up." The back of her hand rested just beneath her chin and she tilted her head with an innocent smile. They all knew she was anything but.

"You say, 'I'm sorry for the way I dealt with you, and how I brought another close'," She elegantly laid across the floor. One leg crossed over the other with her back to the crowd. "But, now I am above you all. Cause I will never sink that low, to go an hurt somebody's soul."

"You will see, who I will be," She slid across the floor on her cherry red heels, and her arms threw out in a ta-da manner. "I will succeed, yes, I am the Queen."

"I know I did, things to hurt you babe," She shimmied forward, one foot at a time, ruffling the skirt of her dress. "But, what you did... I will never forgive." She thrusted her hips forward, baring her teeth.

"So, stop coming back. Cause I am done with that," She turned half way, peeking over her shoulder at the man still knelt before her. "I'm moving on." Her and her two guards women slid to the side, making room for the other three.

Those being Cheney cat with two of the other guardsmen on either side of him. A smirk pulled back on his lips at the look of fear in the guilty's eyes. "No, need to analyze everything that you see," he turned to his side, throwing his arm out with him. "Just realize all the things in life that you need," he spun, ending with his hands on his knees.

"Another one with a conscious mentality," he turned his back to them, waves his arms behind his back. "That's how the love last long time guarantee."

"Caught up in the moment," he bounced on the tips of his toes, swiveling his hips. "It's called a routine." He through his right arm out to the left, and gesture out to the court with a single digit.

"Still gotta focus, no need to be obscene," He pivoted forward with his left foot in front of his right and his arms thrown out to his sides. "It's about the empress, and what she needs." Queen Heart smiled at him, waving cutely. He winked.

"Can't stop, cause you are the Queen," He dropped to the floor, rolling back as Queen Heart stepped over him with the skirt of her dress bundled up in her hands.

"I am a Queen and you will respect me," She brought her right arm across her chest, and waggled her finger as she brought it back. "I will not stay while you say all those things to me."

"Yes, I am a Queen. It's time that you finally see," She rolled her shoulder, stepping to her right. "You will regret what you did to me." The guilty guardsmen, knelled before her, gulped in anticipation.

"I am a Queen, and you can't resist me," She gestured to the crowd who was clapping along. "Everything we had, boy you know you'll be missing me."

"Cause I am a Queen, it's time that you finally see," She dropped her chin on the back of her hand and smiled a winning smile as she tilted her head. "You will regret what you did to me."

"Yes, I am a Queen, and you will respect me," Back on the floor, she waggled a finger at the man, her legs curling up into her. "I will not stay while you say all those things to me."

"I am a Queen, it's time that you finally see," She placed her hand flat up against her chest and dragged it up to her neck. "You will regret what you did to me."

"I am a Queen, and you can't resist me," She smiled brightly, holding out her hands like she was weighing something in them, and swaying her hips. "Everything we had, boy you know you'll be missing me.

She spun around, a hand on her hip, "Cause I am a Queen, and you will respect me. It's time that you finally see," She raised two fingers to point at her Charcoal Iris'. "You will regret what you did to me." She dragged out the last note as she swirled her body to right, her blonde curls whipping at the action. She shook a single finger as she straightened back out.

Her face was blank, void of any emotion like an empty page, as her hand came up to grip his chin roughly. A snarl pulled back onto her lips, "off with his head." She whispered, shoving him away from her. She turned on her heel covered toes and left the court room, the only sound being the click against the tiles as she left and the man's cries.

"No, no, please!" He shrilled, two Guardsmen grabbing each of his arms and dragging him to the two double doors that held his destruction. "No, please. Your majesty, please. I am sorry. I will be more careful next time. I'll redo your Garden myself. NO!" The last syllable dragged out into nothing more than an echo as he disappeared behind the large double doors.

Something in Queen Hearts eye's shifted as she stared after where the man was taken to. Cheney must of sensed it to, because in a moments time he was at her sighed. His fingers gently touched her chin, turning her face to look at him.

He smiled his Cheshire smile, "he ruined your garden, my Queen. It's what he deserved."

"Yes," Her voice seemed distant as a shine of purple swirled through her brown eyes. Before anyone could notice it was gone. "It's what he deserved."