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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟐
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐇 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐒

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It had been a few days since Indigo, Will, and Alice destroyed the Forget Me Knot. In the Ace of Spades' opinion, it was a boring few days. Not much had happened other than the three of them trekking aimlessly through the Wonderlandian forest. Or at least Indigo and Will thought it was aimlessly. Alice led her two clueless traveling companions without telling her allies where or what their next destination was. It bothered the curly-haired girl to no end but the Scarlet man was used to it.

It wasn't until they passed a few familiar landmarks that the Lark girl figured out where they were headed. If it weren't for the landmarks, Indigo could've deciphered their destination by how well-maintained the trees were in this area. They were getting closer to the Red Queen's castle. Indigo tried to keep her feelings at bay as they continued to walk through the woods, only for her walls to crumble when she glanced over at Will. The Scarlet man was already looking back at her with a hint of worry in his eyes which told the Lark girl he was thinking the exact same thing as her.

Before the Spade had a chance to open her mouth to talk to the Knave, the latter picked up his pace so that he was walking beside Alice. Indigo instantly copied his actions to hear the conversation that was about to take place. "Going after the Red Queen is a bad idea, Alice."

"She stole Cyrus' bottle. It only stands to reason that she has Cyrus as well," the curious adventurer countered without even looking back at her two traveling companions.

"So, you're gonna go after the entire Red Army by yourself?" the Scarlet man questioned after managing to get in front of the Kingsleigh woman to stop her in her tracks.

"If that's what it takes," Alice declared without an ounce of wariness in her voice, making Indigo let out a slightly irritated sigh before she moved to stand next to Will.

"There's a smarter way to do this," the Lark girl stated, drawing the blonde woman's look over at her with a hint of irritation in her eyes before Indigo continued, "play the hand you've been dealt, Alice."

"I've seen both your cards and they're quite lacking," the Kingsleigh woman responded, only for Indigo to roll her eyes before looking up at Will to help her convince their ally.

"Which is exactly the time to start bluffing," the Knave of Hearts said while Alice kept staring at both of them with annoyance in her eyes, "look, the White Rabbit, he has no idea we know he's working for the Queen. We need to use that to our advantage, fool him into telling us where Cyrus is."

"Or we could just pick him up by the feet, dangle him over a cliff until he tells us everything he knows," Alice countered, causing Indigo and Will to exchange a concerned look before their eyes fell back on Alice.

"In what way is that a better idea?" Indigo questioned while she proceeded to stare at the Kingsleigh woman with a hint of worry in her eyes.

Alice opened her mouth to respond, only for her words to get cut off by shouting in the distance. The trio instantly looked around at the surrounding forest before they heard the shouts once more. The Kingsleigh woman didn't hesitate to pull her companions down behind a large shrub. They kept their eyes glued to the direction the sound was coming from in hopes of spotting their pursuers but were only greeted by greenery.

"Someone's been following us," Indigo muttered under her breath as her hand wrapped around the dagger on her belt.

"By the sounds of things, I'd say several someones," Will corrected the Lark girl while keeping his eyes glued to the distance.

"Do you recognize them?" Alice questioned after a small group of dark-clothed Wonderlandians became visible in the distance.

"They work for the Caterpillar," the Scarlet man told them before letting out a long sigh, "they're collectors."

"What are our options?" the curious traveler asked while the three of them continued to scan over the approaching group.

"Well, basically, we could die, or we could run."

"I'm not very fond of that first one," Indigo responded to the Knave as her grip around her dagger tightened.

"Me, neither," Will responded before looking over at the two women crouching down next to him, "left or right?"

"Left."

"Okay."

It wasn't long after the trio fled from the clearing did the collectors' shouts cut through the air once again. Indigo, Will, and Alice didn't make it very far when they heard the sound of footsteps chasing after them.  The Ace of Spades ran behind Alice and in front of Will as they jumped over logs and ducked under branches. She debated a few times about turning and running away from everything that was happening, but Indigo knew she'd lose if she faced one of the collectors on her own.

When the three of them made it into the next clearing, they ran toward a tree stump that sat in the center. The collectors' shouts continued to fill the air as Indigo, Will, and Alice squeezed together in the hollow stump and out of sight of their pursuers.

"I'm the one they want. We should split up," Will stated after they watched the Caterpillar's men enter the clearing.

"We should stay and fight," Alice countered, causing Indigo to let out another sigh and look up at the blonde woman.

"You do realize we're hopelessly outnumbered right?" the Ace of Spades questioned, gaining a small glare from Alice while Indigo turned her attention back to the collectors, "we should keep running down this path. There are some tunnels up ahead we can duck into."

"Those were supposed to be a secret, Iggie," Jefferson hissed, only for the Lark girl to roll her eyes as she imagined the annoyed look on the Mad Hatter's face.

"Now's not the time, Jay," Indigo muttered, earning confused looks from her allies that she chose to ignore.

"Oh, better idea, you two stay, I go," the Knave of Hearts declared before getting out of their hiding spot without waiting for a response and shouting, "oi! Over here!"

"Will, no! Are you crazy?!" Indigo called after him, only for the Scarlet man to send the younger girl a small smirk.

"It's nice to know you still worry about me, Indie, but I'll be fine. I know these woods like the back of my-" Will cut himself off when he tripped over a log and face planted into the forest floor. The two women instantly shared a concerned look as the Knave jumped up and yelled, "I'm fine! Meet you back in Tulgey!"

Despite his allies calling after him, the Scarlet man continued sprinting down the path with the collectors on his trail. Indigo kept her eyes glued to the man until he was out of sight. It wasn't long after that when she slouched against the tree trunk and let out a defeated sigh. When she looked back over at Alice, the Spade found her clutching her necklace while staring at the small bush in front of her.

"It's okay, Cyrus. This is just a detour. I'll be with you soon," the Kingsligh woman muttered just loud enough for Indigo to hear her.

The Lark girl continued to stare at the curious traveler as her mind filled with her time spent with Kaden. She just hoped that their little adventure would pay off and they would be reunited soon.

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Kaden walked through the halls of the Red Queen's castle after being summoned to the dungeon. Confusion coursed through the Scarlet boy's veins as walked down the concrete steps. In all the time he spent trapped by Anastasia, she never once made him come down here. That stone prison was the one place she liked to be alone for reasons Kaden would never know, not that he wanted to know. It wasn't long before he made it down the last set of steps of the main staircase before the Red Knight climbed up another small fight.

At the top, Anastasia stood in front of someone who Kaden never thought he would see again. His blood ran cold as he stared at the person he blamed for being the Red Queen's prisoner. Trapped behind the cell doors was Will Scarlet.

"You should never have come back to Wonderland, Will," Anastasia stated as the two brothers continued to stare at each other with blank expressions on their faces before the Knave turned his attention toward the Red Queen, "so, what did your girlfriend, Alice, offer you that was enticing enough for you to overcome your survival instincts?"

"She's not me girlfriend," the Scarlet man responded while keeping an expressionless look plastered on his face, "I'm clearly not attracted to nice, normal women."

"What have you been up to all these years, Will? Still begging, borrowing, and stealing?" the blonde woman snapped before casting her gaze down to the stone beneath her feet.

"Bloody h*ll," Will whispered just loud enough for the two in front of him to hear before a small smirk appeared on his face, "maybe you've fooled all these people into believing you're some kind of queen...but I know who you really are...Indigo and Kaden know who you really are...Anastasia."

"You never did know when to stop fighting, did you, Will?" the Red Queen hissed before turning her back to the man behind bars as Kaden continued to watch his brother with a longing feeling in his chest.

"How long are you gonna keep me in here?" the Knave of Hearts questioned, causing the blonde woman to stop in her tracks while keeping her back to the Scarlet man, "and how long are you gonna keep Kaden's heart? You and I both know he doesn't deserve any of this."

The Red Queen turned around so fast that Kaden would've jumped back if he wasn't forced to stay where he stood. The Scarlet boy just watched the two former lovers stare at each other before a wicked smile appeared on Anastasia's face.

"How about we start with forever and work our way back from there?" the blonde woman responded before moving to face her Red Knight, "keep guard for me, would you? Maybe the two of you can catch up."

Kaden sent Anastasia a small nod in response then watched as she turned and walked down the steps that led to the exit. His eyes stayed glued to the woman in red until she was out of sight before stationing himself perfectly in front of his brother's cell. Silence surrounded the siblings as the Scarlet boy stared at the empty prisons in front of him until the stillness was finally broken by Will clearing his throat.

"I'm sorry for everything, Kade. I shouldn't have left you and Indie all those years ago," the Knave of Hearts said in a tone just above a whisper while Kaden kept his eyes glued to the space in front of him, "I promise to get you out of this. I won't leave you behind again."

Kaden wanted nothing more than to respond to his brother, but he knew the Red Queen would snuff out any sign of hope before he could even think. So instead, the Red Knight kept his back to Will while slowly nodding his head as a single tear slowly slid down his cheek.

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On the other side of Wonderland, Indigo and Alice hid behind a large boulder just outside the Caterpillar's lair. No matter how much or how hard the Lark girl tried to convince the blonde woman not to confront the Caterpillar, Alice wouldn't listen. The Ace of Spades thought about letting the curious adventurer go alone, but she knew Will would kill her if she did. So here she was hiding with Alice outside the home of a being in Wonderland she never wanted to face again.

The two women stayed in their hiding spot after they heard the door of the Caterpillar's lair open and close. Only their breathing could be heard as they watched one of the collectors walk past them and back into the Wonderlandian forest. As soon as they were out of sight, Indigo took out her dagger at the same moment Alice unsheathed her sword. Not even a second after that passed when the two of them walked toward the entrance of the underground club.

"He's not in there," a female voice called out to them, causing Indigo and Alice to spin around to face a woman with a mask over the lower half of her face.

"Who's not in there?" Alice questioned while Indigo's grip around her dagger tightened.

"You're looking for the Knave, right?" the stranger questioned after crossing her arms over her chest, "he ain't in there."

"How do you know?" Indigo questioned while her eyes continued to scan over the brunette woman.

The woman didn't hesitate to pull down her mask and reveal a face Indigo knew but hardly trusted. The former let out a somewhat irritated sigh before opening her mouth to respond. "Because if he was, I'd be inside collecting a reward.

"You're one of those collectors that were chasing him," Alice stated as she approached the woman and pointed her sword at the collector's chest.

"And, unfortunately, not the one catching him," the brunette woman responded while Indigo took a few steps forward to stand next to the Kingsleigh woman.

"Wait. Did someone catch him?" the Lark girl questioned as Alice kept her sword up and eyes locked with the female collector.

"I could tell ya," the woman told them before her full attention landed on the blonde woman, "but you see I got this thing where it's hard for me to be straight with people pointing swords at me."

Alice just stared at the female collector for a moment longer before slowly lowering her sword. Silence surrounded the three women for a short moment before the brunette woman finally decided to continue her explanation. "The Red Queen got him."

"The Red Queen? Are you sure?" Indigo questioned as she stepped around Alice to stand directly in front of the collector.

"Oh, yeah. I got the bruises to prove it."

"Well, I know what I have to do," Alice declared with a hint of confidence in her voice before she sent a small smile the woman's way, "thank you, miss..."

"Lizard," Indigo finished for her companion as she watched a flash of recognition go across the collector's features.

"You're the one that the Caterpillar sent us out to collect like a year ago. Violet, right?"

"Sure," the Lark girl responded before she turned around to face Alice, "if you wanna go through with your plan, we should probably go now."

The Kingsleigh woman sent her a small nod in response. It wasn't long after that when the two of them walked past Lizard and in the direction they had just come from. However, they didn't make it very far when they heard Lizard calling out after them.

"You two are going after him?" the female collector questioned after Indigo and Alice turned back around to face her.

"No, I'm going after her," the curious traveler responded while the Ace of Spades forced herself not to roll her eyes at the woman's words.

"The Red Queen?" Lizard scoffed as the condescending smile on her face grew, "you two can't go in there by yourself."

"Why does everyone keep telling me that?" Alice scoffed, causing Indigo to look up at her with a hint of annoyance in her eyes.

"Maybe because it's true," the female collector told the blonde woman before the Spade had a chance to before Lizard let out another scoff followed by a shrug, "fine. I'm coming with you."

"I'm pretty sure we didn't ask for your help," the Ace of Spades told the brunette woman without even trying to hide the venom in her voice.

"Whatever. The Knave owes me and dead men can't pay debts," Lizard responded before she pushed past the Lark girl to start walking down the path. Indigo and Alice shared an irritated look before they let out long sighs and followed the female collector towards the Red Queen's castle.

Silence surrounded the trio as they walked along the brick path. Indigo kept her hand wrapped around her dagger and she'd glance over at Lizard every now and then. The Spade only trusted Alice because of Will, but there was no way she'd trust the female collector. Not when Lizard almost brought Indigo to her death last year when the Caterpillar wanted her head.

Another eternity passed before the Ace of Spades could sense the Kingsleigh woman's patience running thin. When Indigo glanced over at Alice, she found the woman staring straight at Lizard with a hint of curiosity in her eyes. That instantly told the Lark girl that the silence wouldn't last much longer...and she was right.

"The Queen's palace is a tricky place," the curious traveler stated while keeping her steady pace along the stone path.

"I know. I, uh, pickpocket the Tweedles every six months or so," Lizard responded as a small smile slowly formed on her face.

"And you never got caught?"

"Learned from the best!"

That simple sentence made all the anger Indigo was feeling toward the female collector vanish before she found herself looking over at the brunette. "Will?"

"Of course," Lizard responded as if it was the most obvious this in the world while a wave of realization washed over the Spade.

"You're not doing this to get your money back, are you?" Indigo stated, causing the smirk on the female collector's face to fade away before the three of them came to a stop on the path.

"I was on the streets" Lizard began after moving to stand in front of her traveling companions and taking off her hat, "he took me in, gave me a place to sleep. Taught me everything I know."

"Well, sorry to hear that," Alice responded, earning a playful scoff from the brunette woman while Indigo continued to stare at the latter with a blank expression on her face.

"Come on, I know he can be difficult, but his heart's in the right place, thanks to the two of you."

"Sounds like you two were close friends," the Kingsleigh woman said with a small smile before she watched Lizard's eyes land on the younger girl standing next to her while Alice continued to speak, "unless...wait, were you two..."

"No. Uh, no. I mean...we were close but not as close as he was with his brother and Indigo," Lizard explained as Alice glanced down at the Spade before both of their attention went back to the speaker, "Will and I, we just ran together. You know, stealing. Sometimes for the Caterpillar and sometimes just for fun."

"You'd rob people for fun?" Alice questioned while Indigo's hatred towards the collector began to slowly fade.

"Will kinda went through a dark period after the whole Anastasia thing," Lizard explained before she and the Spade watched the joy on the Kingsleigh woman's face vanish.

"There's that name again...Anastasia," Alice scoffed while Indigo did her best to keep a straight face, "who is this girl?"

"Never met her, but whoever she is, she completely wrecked him," the brunette woman responded as the Ace of Spades looked away from the two and down at the stone path beneath her feet, "everyone says Will left Wonderland because of his debts, but I don't think so."

"You're right, he didn't leave because of that," Indigo said, drawing both women's attention toward her before she walked past them to proceed down the path. It wasn't long after that when she heard them race to keep up with her so she continued her tale. "This place reminded him of Anastasia and he couldn't take it anymore."

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