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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟓
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐎 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐄

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After the two of them managed to trek down the mountain, Indigo found a familiar trail that would take them where they needed to go. The only problem was what lay between them and their destination. Despite her fears, the Lark girl continued to lead Alice through the forest and toward Jafar's tower. She just hoped they'd be able to handle the danger when they finally reached it. The duo continued to walk along the path until they found two men sitting around a fire. Indigo and Alice were planning on simply walking past them when one of them got to his feet and blocked their route.

"Where do you think you're headed?" he questioned while the two women stared at him with a hint of annoyance in their eyes.

"We're heading west. We need to find someone, and you're blocking our way," Alice stated matter-of-factly as the other man got to his feet to stand next to his companion.

"If you keep heading west, you'll end up in the Black Forest, love," the man standing in front of them told them, "you won't find anyone there."

"They say it's so dark you can't even find your own nose," the other man said with a large grin on his face.

"We'll take our chances. Thank you," Indigo responded before she and Alice attempted to walk past them, only for the man in front of them to sidestep and block them once again.

"That seems awfully dangerous, doesn't it?" the shorter man continued while taking a few steps closer to Indigo and Alice, "two little girls traveling alone. They might not know the rules."

"See, this here's a toll road. You need to pay the toll," the taller man told them, completely unaware of the Lark girl reaching for her dagger in her cloak.

"Now, be good girls," the shorter one said as he pointed toward Alice's pendant and Indigo's necklace, "and give us those necklaces."

"You even touch this necklace and you'll use your hand," Alice threatened while unsheathing her sword at the same moment Indigo brought out her dagger.

"Careful who you threaten, love," the taller man warned as he and his companion took out their club and ax, "no bauble's worth losing your life."

"This one is."

As soon as those words left her mouth, Alice lunged at the shorter man while Indigo kicked his ally in the stomach, sending him tumbling to the ground. The Lark girl then turned around to help the Kingsleigh woman throw the other man into a tree. With one of the men unconscious, both women spun back around to face the taller man before Alice slammed the hilt of her sword into the side of his head. Before the man had a chance to regain his bearings, Indigo grabbed his arm and ducked down to throw the man over her back. After he landed on the ground, the Lark girl held her dagger against the man's neck.

"Be careful who you threaten, love," Indigo mocked before she reached down and picked up a torch from the fire, "thanks for the light."

While Indigo placed her dagger back on her belt, Alice sheathed her sword before the two of them continued down the path. It wasn't long after that when the forest that surrounded them grew noticeably darker. The air seemed harder to breathe in as they continued down the path that led to their destination. When they finally reached the starting point of a part of Wonderland that not even Indigo traveled, the Lark girl felt a wave of dread wash over her.

Just as she was about to speak to Alice about turning around, they spotted a sign nailed to the trunk of a tree. Chills formed on every inch of Indigo's body as her eyes scanned over the sign. It wasn't long after that when the Kingsleigh woman broke the silence by reading the words aloud.

"'Abandon all hope ye who enter,'" the blonde woman recited before she continued walking as if the words hadn't phased her, "I'm not going to abandon anything, certainly not hope."

Indigo continued to follow after her in silence as they passed more signs telling them that their decision to proceed was a terrible one. When they passed by another sign that read "Black Forest. Beware," Alice let out a long sigh before looking over at the Lark girl. "Seems like an awful waste of wood, when one sign would do."

"Maybe some people can't take the hint," Indigo responded, only for the blonde woman to shrug before they continued down the path to see a sign that read "endless night awaits."

"I mean, is it really that bad?"

Before the Lark girl had a chance to respond, the two of them stopped in front of what seemed like an endless void. Neither of them moved from their spot as they stared into the darkness. That lasted for another long moment before Alice reached forward and stuck her hand through the darkness, only for it to disappear. The Kingsleigh woman immediately pulled her hand out and cautiously placed it back into the void. A sound that sent chills up Indigo's spine filled the air as Alice moved her arm deeper into the darkness before pulling it out with a gasp.

Indigo and Alice just stood in silence for a moment longer as their eyes scanned over the portal into the darkness. It wasn't long after that when the curious traveler cleared her throat and turned to look down at the curly-haired girl.

"A little bit of darkness won't hurt anybody," the blonde woman told her while trying to hide the fear in her voice.

"Honestly, I'm more scared of what's in the darkness," the Ace of Spades retaliated before they both turned to face the void and stepped through.

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What felt like an eternity passed of Indigo following behind Alice through the Black Forest. The only thing either of them were able to see was what was lit up by the torch in the Lark girl's hand. The only sound was the crunching of leaves under their feet. If it wasn't for her hand wrapped tightly around her dagger, Indigo would've been gripping Alice's arm for dear life.

"Keep walking in a straight line," the Kingsleigh woman muttered under her breath after they heard a growl in the distance, "keep walking west."

"How do we even know this is west?" the Lark girl retaliated while trying her best to ignore the intimidating animal sounds that surrounded them.

Alice didn't respond as the two of them kept walking in a straight line through the darkness. It wasn't long before they noticed the flame of their torch growing fainter and fainter. Both of them began to panic as they did everything they could to save their only source of light, just to fail. As the light grew dim, the intimidating animal noises seemed to grow. Terror continued to course through their veins as Indigo and Alice shared one last look before the world around them faded into darkness.

It wasn't long after their world vanished when a blinding white light appeared in front of them. Indigo just stared at it with a hint of uncertainty running through her veins. Her eyes stayed glued to the light for a moment longer before she looked up at Alice. The hesitation the Lark girl was feeling only grew when she found the woman staring straight ahead with a smile on her face.

"We made it through. I knew we were close," the Kingsleigh woman announced before rushing toward the light.

The Lark girl hesitated for another moment then she let out a sigh and followed after her. When the two of them finally broke through the light, they found themselves standing in the middle of a field full of strange-looking flowers. Alice looked around at the world in awe while a wave of skepticism washed over Indigo. Despite wanting to be happy about escaping the Black Forest, the Lark girl couldn't help but feel like she wanted to be anywhere but there.

After letting out a long sigh, Indigo looked back over at Alice just in time to see a flower spray her with purple mist. Panic instantly replaced the uncertainty the Spade was feeling as she rushed over to see if her traveling companion was okay. When she reached the Kingsleigh woman, Indigo found her looking at the plant with a giant grin on her face.

"That feels so wonderful," Alice declared as she continued to look around, completely unaware of Indigo pulling her cloak over her nose and mouth in an attempt to protect herself.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" a new voice said, causing both women to jump before Alice unsheathed her sword and Indigo took out her dagger as they turned to face the man, "makes you feel quite mimsy."

"Who are you?" Indigo questioned the man as her grip around her dagger tightened.

"I'm the Carpenter. Who are you?"

"I'm not sure we want to give you our names," Alice told him while the Lark girl's eyes fell on the saw in the man's hand, "do you know where we are? We've been trying to find our bearings."

"We are in the Boro Grove, the most beautiful place in the world," the Carpenter responded after watching Indigo readjust her makeshift mask before his attention fell back on Alice, "why don't you put down your sword and stay awhile?"

"Boro Grove?" the Lark girl muttered under her breath as she tried to recall a place in Wonderland by that name while the Kingsleigh woman continued their conversation with the stranger.

"Is that where you are right now?" Jefferson asked, only to receive a quiet "yes" from Indigo in response before he proceeded to speak, "you need to get out of there, Iggie. It's not safe there. And, whatever you do, don't breathe in the flowers' mist."

"And how do you suppose we leave?" the curly-haired girl questioned as she continued to watch Alice and the Carpenter converse, "it wasn't necessarily easy to get here to begin with."

"That's up to you to figure out," the Mad Hatter declared before he let out a long sigh, "just make sure you get out before it's too late."

When Indigo finally tuned back into their conversation, she found the Carpenter staring at Alice with a creepy smile on his face. Chills ran throughout the Lark girl's body as she turned to face the Kingsleigh woman, only to find her looking around in awe once again. Just as the Ace of Spades was about to speak, Alice let her sword fall to the ground as another spurt of purple mist greeted her.

"Maybe I will stay awhile," the curious traveler announced as a somewhat forced smile appeared on her face.

Getting out of there was going to be a lot harder than Indigo thought.

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Indigo sat against a tree for what felt like an eternity as she watched Alice frolic around the meadow. After trying to convince the blonde woman they needed to leave countless times, the Lark girl finally gave up. She hoped that the effects of the flowers would eventually wear off so Indigo decided to wait until that happened. She just wished that the creepy Carpenter wasn't standing there watching them.

It wasn't long after that when Indigo's ears picked up on a familiar voice calling out her name. The Spades' eyebrows instantly crunched together in confusion as she got to her feet. Just as she thought her mind was playing tricks on her, the curly-haired girl heard the voice once again before Alice sprinted past her.

"You're here!" the Kingsleigh woman shouted right as Indigo looked in the direction she was running to see Will Scarlet standing on the other side of the clearing.

"Found ya. And you're both in one piece," the Knave of Hearts said with a smile after Alice pulled him into a tight hug before his eyes landed on the Lark girl, "you two had me worried for a bit. I guess we're all okay."

"I wouldn't say that," Indigo sighed, causing Will to send her a confused look as he and Alice ended their hug. However, before the Lark girl had a chance to explain, the Kingsleigh woman drew their attention to her after she let out a loud gasp.

"Don't worry about anything. Everything is wonderful here," the blonde woman told the Scarlet man while the smile on her face continued to grow, "you've got to see this!"

Will sent Indigo another confused look before Alice grabbed his wrist and pulled him across the clearing. After readjusting her cloak to cover the bottom half of her face, Indigo followed them at a much slower pace. When they finally reached the other side, the Kingsleigh woman gestured toward a circle of flowers with a large smile on her face. In the center of the ring, her sword was pushed into the ground with her pendant wrapped around the hilt surrounded by flowers.

The Scarlet man just stared at his friend's creation for a long moment before he turned his attention toward Alice. "What is that?"

"I made it. Isn't it pretty?" the Kingsleigh woman responded while Indigo let out a long sigh.

"What the bloody h*ll is going on here?" Will questioned as his eyes fell on the Lark girl before he looked over at the man standing behind them, "who's that?!"

"Oh, that's just the Carpenter. Don't worry about him," Alice told him without a care in the world after standing back up to her full height.

"Right. Don't worry about the man with the saw and the scary grin," Will muttered under his breath while Indigo continued to watch their interactions with an unamused look on her face.

"Exactly!"

In any other situation, the Lark girl would've laughed at the confusion plastered onto Will's face. But at that moment, Indigo just wanted to be anywhere but there. She was just hoping the Knave would be the key to that.

"Um, how long have the two of you been here?" the Knave of Hearts questioned after watching Alice mess around with the daisy in her hand.

"I don't remember. A while," the Kingsleigh woman told him at the same time Indigo uttered, "maybe half a day."

Will looked over at the Lark girl with a concerned look on his face before his attention fell back on Alice's sword and pendant. The Scarlet man stared at the two objects for a long moment then glanced back at Indigo. Knowing he was looking to her for answers, the Ace of Spades sent him a simple shrug before they turned their attention back to the Kingsleigh woman. "And you took the necklace off and just stopped everything to pick flowers...with Cyrus still a prisoner?"

The Knave's question caused Alice to slowly lower the flower in her hand as she stared at the man in front of her. "Yes?"

"Why would you do that?" Will questioned while Indigo waited for the Kingsleigh woman to give him the same answer she received a few hours ago.

"Because it makes me happy!" Alice exclaimed before she started walking around the clearing.

Will and Indigo just watched her until the former turned his attention toward the curly-haired girl. "Why haven't you gotten her out of here yet?"

"I've tried to convince her multiple times, but she just won't leave," the Lark girl responded before pulling her cloak off her face, annoyed with how constricted it made her feel, "these woods are turning her into someone she isn't and I don't know how to stop it."

The two of them just stared at each other for a long moment before they made their way over to where Alice was. They watched the woman as ran her hands down the side of the trees with a large smile on her face. Indigo instantly quirked an eyebrow at the blonde woman while Will stared at her with wide eyes and slightly parted lips. Both of them soon snapped out of their confused trance before the Scarlet man opened his mouth to break the silence. "Come on, Alice. We've got to find Cyrus."

"Maybe in a little while," the Kingsleigh woman told them as the smile on her face grew before she ran her hand down another tree and looked over at the two of them, "have you felt the bark on this tree? It's lovely."

"I don't want to feel the bloody bark! I want you to snap out of it!"

"Snap out of what?"

"Alice, what's wrong with you?" Will questioned while Indigo ran her hands down the sides of her face.

"Nothing. For the first time in my life, nothing's wrong! I'm happy. He's happy," Alice said as she gestured toward the Carpenter, causing the Lark girl to glance back at the man, "why aren't either of you?"

While the Scarlet man continued to try and snap Alice out of her trance, Indigo turned around and made her way over to the Carpenter. The Lark girl stopped a few feet in front of him and just stared at the grinning man. Her eyes studied every inch of his face before they moved down to the saw in his hand, causing her to take a small step back. When her eyes moved up to meet his, she couldn't help but give in to the small amount of annoyance she had been feeling since she arrived.

"What did you do to Alice?" the Ace of Spades questioned, only to be greeted by silence from the man, "listen, I really don't like fighting...usually, but if you don't talk, there's another way to get an answer out of you."

When she finished speaking, Indigo's eyes landed on something near the man's neck. She just stared at it for a long moment before taking a step forward to get a closer look. As soon as she discovered a leaf growing out of the man's neck, a faint crackling sound filled the air. The Lark girl's eyebrows instantly scrunched together before she looked down to see the man's legs transforming into a tree trunk.

Indigo couldn't fight the scream that escaped her as she jumped back and hit the tree behind her. Her breathing quickened as she stared at the Carpenter before she looked up at the tree. The fear within her instantly doubled at the sight of the human face sticking out of it. When she looked around at the other trees, she was greeted by the exact same thing.

"It makes you want to stay," the Carpenter said out of nowhere, making the Lark girl jump then she looked over at him.

The curly-haired girl just stared at him for another moment before she turned around and sprinted through the clearing. As she raced in the direction she saw her friends go, Indigo shouted Will's name as loud as she could. The panic within her continued to grow when she couldn't find them until she spun around and ran straight into the Knave of Hearts.

"Easy, Indie," the Scarlet man told her as his eyes scanned every inch of her terrified face, "what has you so spooked?"

"We need to get out here right now, Will! It's not safe! We need to leave!" the Lark girl shouted while she continued to breathe at an abnormally fast rate. When the Scarlet man didn't respond, Indigo let out a shaky breath before yelling, "it's the trees! Look at the trees!"

The Knave of Hearts just stared at his usually calm friend for another moment before he glanced around at the trees. As soon as he saw what she was referring to, his eyes widened to the size of small planets. When the two of them turned to the Kingsleigh woman, they found her looking up at them with a blank expression on her face.

"Come on, Alice, we need to find a way out of here," the brunette man said as he crouched down in front of the emotionless woman, "Alice?"

"Who's Alice?"

"Alright, that's enough. You don't remember Cyrus. You don't remember yourself," Will stated while Indigo continued to look around at the trees with fear in her eyes, "well, no more arguments. We're going."

The Lark girl snapped out of her daze when the Knave of Hearts forced Alice to her feet. While the Scarlet man dragged his blonde friend through the forest, Indigo followed close behind them in silence. The Ace of Spades did her best to keep up with the two of them while simultaneously keeping her eyes glued to the ground beneath her feet.

"Go where?" the Kingsleigh woman questioned as she let the brunette man continue to take her down the path.

"The h*ll outta here. Look, Alice!" Will shouted while gesturing around at the trees that surrounded them, "you see all these trees? They all used to be people! That's what's gonna happen to you if you stay, so we're getting you out!"

"No! I don't want to go!" the Kingsleigh woman shouted before she ripped her arm out of the Knave's grasp. She instantly rushed to grab her sword and started swinging it at her friends. "I'm not leaving! Stay away from me!"

"Easy! Easy!" the Scarlet Man yelled as he forced Indigo out of the way while he avoided Alice's attacks.

"I won't go! You can't make me go!" the blonde woman screamed before she swung the sword at Will's head, only for the man to duck and avoid the attack, "just leave me alone! Let me stay!"

"I don't wanna hurt you, Alice, but you're not yourself," Will told her while holding his hands out in front of him.

"I'm better! I'm the person I've always wanted to be! I'm happy!"

"This place is making you happy! It's not real happiness!" the Knave of Hearts stated while the blonde woman continued to stare at him with hatred in her eyes, "believe me, I know the difference when I see it."

"And why is that?!"

The Scarlet man hesitated before he glanced over at Indigo, who was standing near him and Alice in case she needed to step in. They just stared at each other for a long moment then Will turned his attention back to the Kingsleigh woman.

"Listen. There's something I never told you before," the Knave of Hearts spoke while the blonde woman glared daggers at him, "when my heart was ripped from me, I mean, literally taken from my chest, I thought that hole could never be filled. And then you got it back for me. Since then, I didn't really use it properly. I always felt guilty about that. Like you gave me something more than I deserved. Like I owe you something...maybe that's why I can't let this happen."

The next thing anyone knew, Will lunged forward and grabbed the hilt of Alice's sword. Indigo just watched as the two of them fought over the object while their shouts cut through the air. Despite wanting nothing more than to get involved so they could leave, the Lark girl didn't move any closer. Their struggle continued for another moment before Alice managed to push Will to the ground. Terror filled every inch of Indigo's body when she saw the Kingsleigh woman standing over him, ready to strike.

"No!" the Ace of Spades screamed at the top of her lungs before she raced forward without a second thought. The world around her seemed to slow as she placed herself in front of Will. Despite knowing it wouldn't do much, Indigo raised her hand into the air in an attempt to block the blow. But no one expected what happened next.

Instead of feeling the metal of the sword against her palm, the Lark girl felt a warm sensation traveling through her body. It wasn't long before the feeling reached her hand then a bright blue light radiated from her fingers. Will's eyes widened at the sight of what looked like a shield emitting from Indigo's hand. As soon as the sword greeted the blue barrier, a force sent both women to opposite sides of the clearing. While Alice landed on a soft patch of grass, Indigo landed on a pile of rocks. The second her head met the stones, the world around her plunged into darkness.

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When the Lark girl finally came around, she was greeted by an entirely different clearing. The sound of running water filled her ears as Indigo sat up with a gasp, causing a painful sensation to return to her head. Her hand immediately flew to the back of her head as she looked around the clearing until her eyes landed on Alice fast asleep against a tree.

"You should really take it easy," a voice said, making Indigo jump out of her skin before she turned to face a smirking Will, "you took a nasty fall back there."

"What happened?" the Lark girl questioned after letting out a groan at the pulsing pain.

"You hit your head on a rock after saving my life," the Scarlet man explained as he crossed his arms over his chest and quirked an eyebrow at her, "which leads to the question of how long have you had magic for?"

The Ace of Spades hesitated for a second before letting out a sigh and pulling out the red knight chess piece from her pocket. She just stared at it for a long moment then began untwisting the top of it and pulling out the letter. "I had no idea I had it until I got this note...from Kaden."

Will didn't waste a second as he snatched the scroll from Indigo. The Lark girl just watched in silence while the Scarlett man's eyes scanned over it multiple times. When he finally looked back up at the girl sitting in front of him, the Ace of Spades spotted a look in his eyes that she simply couldn't read.

"How long have you had this for?" the Knave of Hearts questioned after handing the curly-haired girl the small piece of parchment.

"Since the Mad Hatter's house," Indigo responded before letting out a hiss when the pain in the back of her head continued to grow.

"You're gonna be fine," Will said as soon as he saw the tears forming in his friend's eyes, "I mean, I felt like h*ll when I got out of that statue, but look at me now. Good as new. Thank you for that."

"For what?"

"For turning me back."

Indigo's entire body tensed before she looked up to meet the Scarlet man's gaze. "That wasn't us."

"Wasn't you?" the Knave questioned as all the amusement on his face slowly faded away, "then who was it?"

"Well, uh...Anastasia had a bit of magic dust."

"Bloody h*ll."

"What? You wanna remain a statue?" Indigo retaliated with a hint of annoyance in her eyes.

"I want nothing to do with her," Will groaned before rubbing his hands down the sides of his face.

"Perhaps she's still in love with you, Willie," the Lark girl somewhat teased with a smile on her face while trying to ignore the pain in the back of her head.

"Well, not only don't I love her back, I can't," the Knave of Hearts explained, causing the small smile to fade from the Ace of Spades' face before he continued, "I made sure of that a long time ago."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Indigo questioned, only for Will to turn his attention away from her with a somewhat ashamed look on his face, "is there something you're keeping from us?"

"Look, Alice went through a lot of trouble to get my heart back but...that place back there can't possibly affect it."

The Lark girl just stared at the Scarlet man for a long moment then a wave of realization washed over her. Will let out a long sigh as he watched the girl's eyes widen before Indigo broke the silence that began to surround them.

"Because you never put it back in," the curly-haired girl whispered just loud enough for him to hear, only for the brunette man to slowly shake his head before she continued, "what were you thinking?"

"Anastasia broke my heart...I knew the minute I put it back in my chest, I'd feel all that again. So I thought, why not put off the misery until tomorrow? Then the next tomorrow, then the next."

"That's no way to live, Willie."

"I know, but after a while, I kinda got used to it, the emptiness...and I'm not ready to lose that just yet."

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