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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟗
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐑'𝐒 𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐑

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"The Caterpillar has the Forget Me Knot?! That's not a solution! That's another problem!" Alice exclaimed after listening to Indigo's explanation as they continued down the brick path.

"It'll be okay," Will responded, causing both females to look at him as if he sprouted a second head before the entrance to the Caterpillar's club came into view, "wait here. I'll pop in and get it."

"You'll 'pop in?'" the Lark girl scoffed then moved to stand in front of the Scarlet man to stop him in his tracks, "to the creature who has all of Wonderland hunting you? You think he'll just hand over the knot?"

"You and I both know he likes to make deals, and I have a deal for him."

"And you think he'll take it and not just kill you on sight?"

"There's always an element of risk," the Knave of Hearts stated, only to receive a blank stare from the girl in front of him before Alice moved to stand by Indigo's side.

"You're willing to do this for me?" the Kingsleigh woman asked with a hint of joy in her voice while the Ace of Spades continued to stare at them as if they lost their minds.

"Don't get all mushy, Alice. I'm doing this for me. This thief's gonna clear his name," the Scarlet man told her while ignoring the irritated look he was getting from Indigo.

Will sent the two of them one last smirk then he pushed past them and made his way toward the entrance. The two women watched him walk away for another moment before Alice stepped up and said something that made the Spade regret her decision about telling the woman about the Forget Me Knot. "How about we go in together?"

The Scarlet man instantly stopped in his tracks and turned around to stare at the blonde woman. His eyes stayed glued to her for what felt like an eternity before they landed on the younger girl next to her. Will studied the mixed emotions on Indigo's face while the latter watched his confidence slowly fade to uncertainty. To Alice, their exchange seemed like they were having a silent conversation.

It wasn't long before Indigo let out a long sigh and pulled her hood over her head. Once her curly hair was hidden, the Ace of Spades sent the Knave a small nod, which he returned with a smile. The youngest of the trio suppressed a sigh as she followed her two allies through the door. The three of them were silent as they walked down an old-looking staircase that led into the main room of the club. Indigo clutched the dagger on her belt as she looked around at all the men and women glaring at the newcomers.

"It's a lot bigger than it looks from the outside," Alice said while her eyes continued to scan the dimly lit room, completely ignoring the hatred that radiated from the Wonderlandians.

"You're used to Wonderland, Alice. Welcome to the Underland," Will told her as a small smile appeared on his face before he leaned in closer to the two women and whispered, "follow my lead. This is my world, let me handle things."

Right as he finished speaking, a man came out of nowhere and pinned the Scarlet man to the wall behind him. Indigo jumped at the stranger's sudden actions as her grip on her dagger tightened. Her eyes stayed glued to Will's panicked expression while completely ignoring a determined Alice taking a few steps toward the two men.

"Nazim! Pleasure to see you again," the Knave of Hearts greeted with a fake smile on his face.

"Don't 'pleasure' me," the man grunted before adjusting his grip on the Scarlet man's jacket, "you owe me money. You owe everyone money!"

Just as Nazim pulled his fist back to strike the knave, the Kingsleigh woman unsheathed her sword and held it against the man's neck. Indigo was as still as a statue while she watched her companions and tried to ignore the crowd forming around them. When she felt they were too close for comfort, the Spade pulled out her dagger and pointed it at the person closest to her.

"Let's all keep our heads now, shall we?" Alice told the man with a mock smile on her face before she and Indigo heard Will let out a long sigh.

"I said, let me handle it," the Knave of Hearts stated as the crowd that surrounded them unsheathed their swords and slowly walked toward the trio, "okay, maybe I could use a little help."

The Ace of Spades only hesitated for a moment as her grip around her dagger tightened. Indigo and the woman in front of her had a long staredown as the crowd got closer and closer to the trio. Just as the Lark girl thought there was no avoiding a battle with the Underlandians, a loud booming voice cut through the tension and turned everyone into statues.

"Stop! Let him go," the new voice demanded, causing Nazim to release his grasp on the Knave of Hearts before the latter grabbed Indigo's arm and forced her to walk forward with Alice following behind them, "let them through."

The crowd parted without an ounce of hesitation until the three travelers found themselves in front of the Caterpillar. Indigo kept her head down to hide her face as she stood between Will and Alice. The Spade knew that if she wanted to get out of this place alive, she had to keep a low profile.

"The Knave of Hearts. I've missed you," the blue insect greeted Will before letting a puff of smoke pass over his lips and hit the trio's faces.

"The feeling is certainly not mutual," the Scarlet man responded as he and Alice fanned the smoke away while Indigo kept her eyes glued to her feet.

"Or rather, I've missed the money you owe me. I take it you've brought it to me," the Caterpillar continued as if Will never said a word before his attention landed on the two women standing next to the Knave, "or are the girls your form of payment?"

"Actually, I came here hoping to make a deal...for the Forget Me Knot," the brunette man explained after Alice shouted in protest while Indigo got a disgusted look on her face.

The Caterpillar's laughter cut through the tension that surrounded the four of them before he settled down enough to continue their conversation. "You want to go deeper into my debt."

"Not me first choice. But one day, with that knot, I'll be able to pay everything back and then double."

"I don't believe you," the blue insect told the Knave, which caused an uneasiness to settle over Indigo as she felt his attention move back to herself and Alice, "now, shall we talk about other forms of payment?"

A long silent moment passed between the four of them before the Ace of Spades finally glanced up to look at the Caterpillar. She studied every inch of his face and took in his mannerisms as she replayed their conversation over in her head. Even if she couldn't read the insect like an open book, the Caterpillar's forced smile gave everything away.

"He doesn't have it," Indigo stated, drawing everyone's attention to her for the first time since their conversation started.

"What?" Will questioned his friend in disbelief as she continued to stare at the Caterpillar.

"The Knot. He's greedy. He would've taken double," the curly-haired girl continued after looking over at the man next to her before her eyes landed back on the blue insect once again, "you don't have it, do you, Caterpillar?"

"Indigo. Still so smart. No wonder the Queen and her Knight are still after you," the bug responded in a degrading tone that caused the girl to roll her eyes and Will to stare down at her with a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"But you know where it is," Alice stated, drawing Indigo's and the Caterpillar's attention back to her while the Knave's eyes continued to scan over the Spade as if he was trying to solve an unsolvable puzzle.

"Indeed."

"New deal," Will declared after finally breaking his gaze away from Indigo to look back at the blue insect, "tell us, we'll get it for you, and my debt is erased."

"The deal is accepted."

"Cheers, mate. Now, where is it?"

"With the Grendel."

"The Grendel?" the Ace of Spades repeated the name as a wave of fear washed over her.

"What kinda trouble did you get yourself into this time, Iggie?" Jefferson mocked and Indigo could practically hear his smirk all the way from Storybrooke.

"I believe he still lives and eats in the Whispering Woods," the Caterpillar continued before his attention fell back on the Lark girl, "still know how to navigate through that part of Wonderland?"

"You want me to fail?" the Knave of Hearts questioned, drawing the blue insect's eyes back to him before a giant grin appeared on the latter's face.

"I don't care. All outcomes favor me. Either you achieve what none before you have and get the Knot from the Grendel, or you die trying. Or you get the Knot and try to keep it for yourself."

"How does the last one favor you?"

"Because then I get to exact the revenge on you I've been waiting so long for. And when I am through, I will not only possess the Knot, I will possess you."

"Possess me?" Will questioned with a quirked eyebrow after the smirking bug gestured towards him, "I thought you wanted me dead."

"There are fates worse than death," the smirking Caterpillar responded as he leaned forward and lifted the lid from an object sitting on the table in front of him.

What Indigo saw next would give her nightmares that would last a lifetime. The screams from the head on the table cut through the air as the Spade took a small step away from the group. Her eyes stayed glued to the former man while the Caterpillar continued speaking through the head's cries. "I can always use another pretty face on my desks."

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Back in the vizier's dungeon, Kaden continued to stand near the doorway and watch Anastasia and Jafar taunt the caged genie. Silence filled the air as they watched the curly-haired man flip through the pages of the book in his hands. A wave of anxiety washed over the Knight as his head filled with thoughts of Indigo and what the vizier's plans would get her involved in. Unknown to him, the Red Queen was studying him with an eyebrow quirked and curiosity in her eyes.

"Alice is a brave girl. That much is clear," Jafar stated, drawing everyone's attention back to him as he continued to look through the book, "so the question we have to answer is, what will force her to make her first wish?"

"Do you honestly think that I will tell you?" the genie questioned while he stared at the powerful duo with a hint of boredom in his eyes.

"If I honestly thought you knew, you'd have no choice but to tell me," the vizier retaliated, making the disinterest in Cyrus' eyes fade away and be replaced by curiosity.

Kaden silently observed the two men as they had their staredown before his eyes drifted toward Anastasia. The Scarlet boy watched as she flipped through the pages while Jafar was preoccupied. Chills ran up the Knight's spine as he watched a sinister smirk appear on her face. It wasn't long after that when her eyes landed back on the man sitting next to her.

"I think I found something," the Red Queen stated, causing the vizier's attention to land back on her, "the Mome Rath. Its mouth is so filled with fangs, it's like being pressed together between two beds of nails."

"We don't want to kill her, your Majesty. Not until we're done with her."

"Jafar, I know this girl. Fear. Fear of losing her Cyrus is the only thing that will make her wish."

"Go on."

A wave of terror washed over Kaden as he watched the powerful pair share a smirk before Anastasia flipped to the next page.

"Ah, yes. The Sarlacc," the blonde woman said with a grin as her eyes scanned over the information in front of her, "this will digest her over a millennia. Plenty of time to make a wish."

"Keep going," Jafar declared while keeping his gaze glued to the caged genie.

"Here's one. Something she faced here when she was a child, something that almost killed her. And according to my large-eared friend, is the source of endless nightmares," Anastasia told the man next to her as Cyrus and Kaden watched her with a hint of fear in their eyes, "the Bandersnatch."

"That's it. That's the one," Jafar declared while pointing toward the trapped genie after watching the latter's facial expression change.

"Are you certain?"

"Look at him," the vizier stated as he gestured towards Cyrus once again before Anastasia turned her attention toward the caged man, "do you see the concern on his face?"

The next thing the Scarlet boy knew, the powerful pair turned their attention to him. Even though he was forced to not show emotions per the Queen's request, Kaden was terrified. If they knew what he knew about the Bandersnatch, it was all over. The Red Knight stood as still as a stone while the duo continued to study him as if he held all the solutions to their problems. Kaden silently prayed that his expressionless face was enough to answer all their questions. Just as he thought his prayers were answered, the Red Queen pulled out the one object that would force him to share his thoughts. His heart.

"How will your precious Spade react to the Bandersnatch?" Anastasia questioned with her lips inches away from the glowing red object.

Kaden clenched his jaw in an attempt to keep his answer locked away. But no matter how hard he tried, it was no use. He had no choice but to reveal the one secret he promised Indigo he'd keep. He just hoped she forgave them when they were reunited...if they were ever reunited. "The Bandersnatch is one of the only creatures in Wonderland that Indigo truly fears."

"The Bandersnatch it is," Jafar declared as their smirks slowly returned to their faces.

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