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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟒
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐏𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑

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Hours had passed and the two women still found themselves in the maze with the statue of Will Scarlet. Indigo sat with her back against the stone pawn while she watched Alice put a blanket over Will's head. A million thoughts ran through the Lark girl's head as her fingers clenched into fists underneath her crossed arms. Despite wanting nothing more than to forget about her conversation with the Red Queen, Indigo couldn't shake the feeling she would get when she replayed Anastasia's words in her head.

Normally the Queen was a cynic who taunted her enemies and didn't care who she hurt to get what she wanted. But there was something about the way she said her final words and how she looked at Indigo that made the latter want to dig deeper. It was like she was begging her to wish for Kaden's heart back. Indigo replayed her conversation with Anastasia in her head one last time before she thought back to the letter Kaden sent her. The three words that made Indigo's body tense and her blood run cold. You have magic.

"There you go. In case of rain or snow or anything that might fall from the sky," Alice said, derailing Indigo's train of thought as the Ace of Spades focused her attention on the woman, "I'm so sorry, Will. If I hadn't bribed you with that wish, you would have never...Cyrus always said they had consequences. Now I understand."

"Stop with the negative thoughts, Alice," the Lark girl sighed, drawing the blonde woman's attention toward her before she let out a sigh and continued, "we'll get him out of this. If we find Cyrus, then we can-"

"Who are we fooling? We don't even know where he is," the Kingsleigh woman interrupted with a hint of irritation in her voice.

"Then it's a good thing I do, darling," a new voice said, causing Alice to spin around while Indigo jumped to her feet to face the Red Queen as she took a few steps toward them, "perhaps we can help one another."

"Why would we do anything to help you?" Indigo questioned while the Kingsleigh woman unsheathed her sword and pointed it at Anastasia.

"You'd be surprised what people are willing to do when the right circumstances present themselves."

"There's not a circumstance you could present that would ever-"

"Not even finding out where your precious genie is being held?" the Queen interrupted the curious traveler, only for all the emotion in Alice's face to fade away before the former continued speaking, "so, why don't you get down off your high horse, and we can make a deal?"

"What sort of deal?" the Kingsleigh woman asked without lowering her sword while Indigo continued to watch their exchange with skepticism in her eyes.

"The sort of deal to handle the one problem we both share...Jafar."

"You're working together. How is he a problem for you?"

"Well, he's simply a means to an end, darling. But when that end comes, I need to ensure I have the power to protect myself," the Red Queen responded in a somewhat bored tone before she gestured over toward Will, "wouldn't want to end up like your friend here, now, would we?"

"He was your friend, too, once," Indigo stated, causing the smug smirk on Anastasia's face to fall as she stared down at the younger girl, "more than a friend, from what he told me. Or was he just a means to an end as well?"

"Both of you have the same problem," the woman in red stated as she took a few steps toward the girls across from her, only for them to match her steps backward, "always dwelling on the past, when really you should be thinking about the future."

"What exactly is it you want us to do?" Alice questioned the Red Queen without even trying to hide the anger in her voice.

"Help me procure something. Just a little bit of magic in the form of dust," Anastasia explained as the smirk on her face slowly returned, "it's about a day's journey away. And it's going to protect me against dark magic such as Jafar's"

"If you want it so badly, get it yourself."

"I would, darlings, but there's a reason something so powerful sits untouched," the Red Queen responded after her small smirk fell, "retrieving it, for most, is a death sentence."

"And you think we'll just agree to risk our lives?" Indigo scoffed while Alice continued to glare at the woman in front of them.

"No. No, not unless you're properly compensated. Which is why I propose a trade," the woman in red stated as her smirk reappeared on her face, "you get me the dust, and I'll help you find your genie."

"I'll find him myself, thank you," Alice responded before she and Indigo turned their backs to Anastasia and began walking toward the exit of the maze.

"Not if you don't know where you're looking," the Red Queen called out, making them both stop in their tracks while keeping their backs toward the royal before Anastasia continued speaking, "Jafar's tower is hidden, enshrouded by magic. You could be standing right in front of it, not knowing it's there, without my help."

Alice turned around to face the blonde woman as Indigo continued to stand in her place and take in all the information. When the Lark girl finally spun around, she found Anastasia much closer than she was before while Alice pointed her sword at the former's chest.

"If you want to find Cyrus, then I am your best bet. Your only bet, actually," the Red Queen stated then her eyes fell on the younger girl standing behind Alice, "and if you want your knight back, this is your only chance."

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The last place Indigo ever thought she'd be was in the Red Queen's royal carriage. But that's where she was, sitting next to Alice and across from Anastasia in the horse-drawn vehicle. The only sound that cut through the tension was the horses' hooves against the dirt path. As they traveled through Wonderland toward their unknown destination, the only thing on Indigo's mind was Kaden, who happened to be the one driving the carriage.

Indigo would be the first to admit that she lost all hope of success when Will got turned into stone. But all that changed the moment she saw Kaden. Just seeing the Scarlet boy made the skepticism she felt toward Anastasia fade. It brought back the Lark girl's hope of saving him. She just hoped she wasn't let down again.

"Can you please silence your thoughts? They're giving me a headache," Jefferson said, causing Indigo to jump at the sudden break of silence before letting out a long sigh.

"Maybe you should've thought of that before making that tea," the Lark girl muttered under her breath, completely unaware of the confused looks she was getting from the women. That only lasted for a short moment before the Kingsleigh woman turned her attention toward the Red Queen.

"Where is this dust?" Alice questioned, dragging Indigo out of her thoughts.

"The other side of the Great Divide," Anastasia stated matter-of-factly without taking her eyes away from the window.

"I've heard of that place," Indigo announced, making the Red Queen meet her gaze for the first time since they entered her carriage, "there's a darkness there."

"There's a darkness everywhere when the sun goes down," the woman in red responded with a smirk.

"Just so we're clear," Alice said, drawing Anastasia's attention toward her, "I'll get you your magic dust. But when this is all over, Jafar will be the least of your problems."

"Let me guess, you're both going to make me suffer for what I did to your loved ones?" the Red Queen replied with a hint of boredom in her voice, only to receive a blank stare from Indigo and a glare from Alice before she continued, "I'm not the monster either of you takes me for. I didn't kill either of them."

"No, but you ripped out Kaden's heart and forced him to do your bidding. Which is much worse," Indigo hissed while clenching her fists under her crossed arms.

"Being a prisoner again is the same as death to Cyrus," Alice stated before the Lark girl noticed her death grip around the hilt of her sword.

"But not to you. Which is what got you back to Wonderland," Anastasia told the Kingsleigh girl, making all the emotion fade from the latter's face as she fell silent.

"What exactly do you hope to gain from all this?" Indigo asked the one question that had been on her mind since their earlier conversation, "you have power, wealth...what more could you possibly need?"

"There are some things that all the wealth and power cannot get you."

"Like what?"

"We all come to Wonderland looking for something more, darling. I seem to remember a girl wanting to find somewhere she belongs," Anastasia told her before her attention moved toward the blonde woman sitting next to Indigo, "and a little girl in a blue dress wanting her father's love."

"You are nothing like us," Alice hissed while the Lark girl continued to stare at the Red Queen in silence.

"We all want something we don't have, Alice," the woman in red stated before the smirk reappeared on her face, "it's just a matter of what we're willing to do to get it."

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An eternity passed before they finally reached their destination. The Red Queen was the first to step out of the carriage before Indigo and Alice hesitantly followed after her. The three of them walked through a mountain pass with nothing but the crunching of leaves under their feet to fill the silence. That continued until they reached a cliff that overlooked a dead forest and the Great Divide.

"I've been all over Wonderland but I've never seen this place," Indigo stated as she looked around at the world in front of her.

"Few have and lived to tell the tale," Anastasia stated before looking over at Alice and Indigo with a small grin on her face.

"Comforting," the Kingsleigh woman sighed as her eyes continued to take in everything around her, "well, then. Where exactly is this magic dust?"

"Over there," the woman in red stated while keeping her gaze glued to the distance.

"Across the ravine?" Indigo questioned after taking in the distance of the gorge in front of them before her attention fell back on the Red Queen, "how exactly do you expect us to get over there?"

"I don't suppose there's a bridge or..."

"Afraid not," Anastasia told Alice as the three of them took a few steps closer to the cliff.

"And your magic?" the Kingsleigh woman questioned, drawing the woman in red's attention away from the Great Divide for the first time since they arrived.

"Darling, if I could have gotten it myself, don't you think I would have by now?"

"Maybe it's impossible," the curious traveler muttered under her breath as she took a few steps forward to look over the edge.

"Not for everyone," Anastasia stated before she used her foot to kick away some dead leaves to reveal a plaque.

"'The pure of heart shall make the leap,'" Indigo read while Alice walked over to see what she was looking at before both of them looked back up at the Red Queen.

"It appears to be some sort of test," the blonde woman said with her eyes glued to the Kingsleigh woman, who continued to stare at the woman in red with disbelief in her eyes.

"How do you know I'll pass?" Alice questioned as she turned her attention back to the canyon in front of her.

"I don't," Anastasia admitted before she took a few steps closer to Alice and Indigo, "but between the three of us, I like your chances the best. I am many things, darling, but pure of heart is not one of them. And Indigo has taken out a few of my guards in order to survive."

"How do I know this isn't a trick? That you intend for me to fall?" Alice questioned, only for the Red Queen to roll her eyes before the former continued speaking, "then I'll have to use one of my wishes to save my life."

"If I wanted you to fall off the cliff, I'd push you," the woman in red stated with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"'The pure of heart shall make the leap,'" the Kingsleigh woman repeated before her attention turned back toward the other side of the Great Divide, "no one could leap over that, no matter how pure their heart was."

"Do you really think that saying is literal?" Jefferson's voice rang through Indigo's ears, "come on, Iggie. I taught you riddles on a daily basis. It's what you're best at."

Indigo took in the Mad Hatter's words as silence surrounded them once again. It wasn't long after that when the Lark girl finally decided to go with what Jefferson told her. He was probably right, after all. "Unless that's the point."

"What do you mean?" Anastasia questioned after she and Alice turned their attention toward the young girl.

"There's no way you can do it. It's a riddle," the curly-haired girl stated before her eyes moved to meet the two blondes next to her, "it could be a figurative leap."

"Like a leap of faith," Alice concluded before casting her gaze back toward the ravine in front of them.

"Faith in what?" the Red Queen asked as Indigo silently tried to decipher the answer to the riddle.

"I don't know."

"I had such high hopes for you," Anastasia told Alice with annoyance in her voice before she turned and began walking back the way they came, "both of you can say goodbye to seeing your true loves again."

"Wait," the Kingsleigh woman called out to the woman in red, causing the latter to turn and walk back toward them before Alice continued speaking, "'the pure of heart shall make the leap.' Maybe I just need to have faith in the purest thing in my heart, my love for Cyrus. My faith in him will carry me across."

"You're quite sure?" the Red Queen questioned while Indigo stared at Alice with a hint of disbelief running through her veins.

"When two people love each other, there's nothing they can't accomplish together," Alice stated without taking her eyes off of her destination.

"If only that were true," Anastasia responded in a monotone before following the curious traveler's gaze to the other side of the gorge.

The Lark girl stayed silent as she listened to the Kingsleigh woman mutter something under her breath. Alice then reached up to wrap her hand around her pendant before stepping off the cliff. Indigo prepared herself for the worst, but it never came. Instead, the curious traveler was walking on air. Smiles appeared on all of the women's faces as they watched Alice trek further away from the cliff. However, just as they all thought the Kingsleigh woman was going to make it, the worst finally came.

"Alice!" Indigo shouted as she raced toward the cliff, but she was too late. All she could do was watch as her last ally in all of Wonderland fell to the bottom of the Great Divide.

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An unknown amount of time passed since Alice disappeared into the ravine. Indigo just stood near the plaque in silence, going over every possible solution of how they could get Alice back in her head. While she did that, the Red Queen stood at the edge of the cliff and stared down into the darkness. Neither of them wanted to say what they both knew was true. Alice was lost to them forever.

Even though Indigo barely knew the woman, all she felt was despair. The Lark girl knew she wouldn't be able to complete their quest without Alice. Besides that, falling into the Great Divide certainly wasn't the ideal way to go. It wasn't long before the sadness she was feeling transformed into anger as she turned to face Anastasia.

"This is all your fault," the Ace of Spades hissed with venom in her voice, making the woman in red stare at her with wide eyes, "if you weren't so selfish, none of this would be happening!"

"I'm selfish? What about you?" the Red Queen fired back, only for Indigo to stare at her with a hint of confusion in her eyes before the former continued speaking, "you have magic and you are choosing not to use it."

"Seriously? I don't know where that idea came from but I don't have magic!"

As soon as those words left her mouth, the world around them began to shake. All previous emotions Indigo was feeling faded as she and Anastasia stared at each other with terror in their eyes. The trembling did nothing but grow before the rocks beneath the Red Queen's feet gave out. The Lark girl ran forward to grab the woman in red's hand, but just like with Alice, she was too late. Indigo stood on the edge and watched Anastasia fall into the ravine.

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Indigo paced back and forth on top of the cliff for what felt like an eternity. With every step she took, the nerves within her grew. She didn't want to admit it aloud but she had no idea how she was going to save Alice and Anastasia. On top of that, she had no idea what to do from there. If she walked back to the carriage without the Red Queen, she would most likely be accused of pushing her off the cliff. And she definitely didn't want to leave Alice down there.

Just as she thought she was about to go as mad as the Hatter, the sound of footsteps approaching greeted her. Indigo instantly turned toward the source of the noise to find Alice and Anastasia walking toward her. Joy flooded through every inch of the Lark girl's veins before she raced forward and pulled the Kingsleigh woman in for a hug. The blonde woman stumbled back a bit due to the force as she looked down at the younger girl. A small smile instantly formed on Alice's face as she wrapped her arms around Indigo to return the gesture.

"I'm sorry to break up this touching reunion," the Red Queen said, causing Indigo and Alice to pull away from each other before turning toward Anastasia, "hand it over."

The Kingsleigh woman just stared at the woman in red for a long moment before she took a few steps forward to stand directly in front of her. "First, tell me where I can find Cyrus and give Indigo Kaden's heart back."

"Oh, Alice, isn't being such a good person reward enough?" Anastasia asked in a mocking tone as the familiar smirk returned to her face.

Before the Kingsleigh woman had a chance to respond, the Red Queen used her magic to bring the bag Alice's hand into her own. The curious traveler just stared at the blonde woman for a long moment before an infuriated look appeared on her face. "You lied."

"Indeed," the Red Queen said through her laughter before the smile on her face grew, "lest we forget...one of us is pure of heart."

"I gave you your life," Alice hissed, causing the smile on the woman in red's face to fade away.

"No! Nobody ever gave me anything," Anastasia stated with a hint of determination in her voice before she took a few steps closer to Alice and Indigo, "everything I have, I had to take."

"What about everything you lost?" the Lark girl questioned, drawing the Red Queen's attention to her, "like Will?"

The woman in red just stared at the curly-haired girl as her grip around the bag in her hand tightened. That lasted for another moment before the Red Queen broke the silence.

"Take care. I'm sure I'll see you both again soon," she hissed before her attention fell on the blonde woman standing beside the young girl, "can't hold onto those wishes forever, or the hope of seeing Cyrus and Kaden again."

As soon as she finished speaking, the Red Queen turned and walked away with Tweedledum on her tail. Indigo and Alice just watched her until she was out of sight before the former turned her attention toward her ally. The Lark girl was expecting to see anger on the Kingsleigh woman's face, but instead, there was a smile. Confusion flowed through Indigo's veins as Alice opened her clenched fist to reveal a small pile of white sand in the palm of her hand.

"We will see them again," the curious traveler told her before she turned her attention back to where Anastasia disappeared.

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After they left the Great Divine behind, Indigo and Alice found themselves standing on another cliff that overlooked a green forest. A smile formed on the Lark girl's face as she took in the world around her before she looked over at the Kingsleigh woman. The blonde stood with her hands in front of her chest with her share of the dust held within them. The other half was safely tucked away in a pouch in Indigo's cloak.

"Alright, Cyrus. I know you're out there somewhere," Alice said as she looked down at the white sand in her hand before her attention went back to the horizon, "now show me."

As soon as those three words left her mouth, the Kingsleigh woman blew her dust into the air. The two of them watched as it traveled through the atmosphere until it revealed a large tower in the distance. The two of them let out sighs of relief before Indigo reached into her pocket and wrapped her hand around the pouch.

"All we have to do is follow the sun west, and we'll find him," the curious traveler stated as her pendant shined brighter than ever before she looked over at Indigo, "then the three of us will work together to save Kaden and Will."

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