A/N: WOO-HOO! IT'S THE THIRD CHAPPY! Sorry, still no Mad Hatter. . . . Perhaps in the next chappy I'll introduce him if you all think I should. LOL! And sorry, if you like fast romances. I don't like them. . . at all. I mean, I read an amazing fanfiction and the romance is just so fast that it makes me bored and I stop reading it. Oh, yeah, and if it's WAY too dramatic. XD! Well, ENJOY!

Chapter Three

Who's The Enemy?

After arriving at the castle, and luckily no one else there to see Lacie's, erm, attire, Ilosovic had one of his maids make her a new dress. It had been finished in less than ten minutes, much to Lacie's surprise, and she soon had it on. Like her previous dress, it had very thin straps, but it wasn't so ripped at the end. You could tell that it was professionally made. Also, it was lavender and felt as though a glove was on her, rather than a dress. It flowed right down to her knees. Oh, and she was given a pair of new shoes that would fit her more comfortably than her previous ones. A pair of what people would call flats in her world, which were also lavender. This man she had just barely met was sure to keep his manners and kindness, but she couldn't help but wonder where the white rabbit was now.

Feeling awfully tired, Lacie thought right then would be a good time to go to sleep. So, she went to go and find the kind man, who's name she still was not aware of, and ask him where she would be sleeping that night. As she looked around for him, she couldn't help but wonder how long it took to build a kingdom this magnificent and huge! Seriously! While trying to find him, she got lost at least five times, and once more just because she tripped down a flight of stairs! The other few times were just because she happened to be very interested in the pictures on the walls, some showing a lady with a rather huge head that was ten times the size of her own head. They all made her feel as though she were missing out on something big or whatnot. Was she? Well, this world did have to do with her mother's stories that she had told her as a young girl.

With that said, or rather thought, Lacie decided that right then would be the best time to go ahead and figure out who was who. That way, if she ran into anyone evil in her mother's stories, she could get as far away from them as possible. Let's see. . . There's Nivens McTwisp. . . By the way, where in the world is he? Well, never mind that. There was a Dodo bird. . . the Tweedles. A hatter named Tarrant Hightopp. A dormouse named Mallymkun. A hare named Thackery Earwicket. A bloodhound named Bayard. A Cheshire cat named Chessur. A white queen named Mirana. A red queen named Iracebeth. And a knave named Ilosovic Stayn. And so. . . who is that man? He couldn't possibly be any of the above. If anybody he'd be Ilosovic Stayn, but he's far too pleasant and definitely not evil. Plus, Stayn was sentenced to exile with Iracebeth, correct? However. . . he did seem quite menacing when he thought I was mother. . . . And who in the world is ''Um''? Oh, right, the woman mother pretended to be when she visited Underland and was found by Iracebeth. How odd. . . .

"Are you looking for someone, my dear?" a man's voice asked from behind, startling Lacie to the point she gasped and turned around quickly, only to fall backwards. However. A strong pair of arms caught her before she fell down and they helped her sit upright again. When she was nearly down, though, she met a pair of extremely dark eyes that sent chills twirling down her spine. She blushed lightly, fixing herself straight in her dress so that she'd look presentable. Finally, she had found the man she was looking all around for. "Are you looking for someone?" he repeated, looking the utmost concerned with her well being right then. That also made her blush a bit.

"For you, actually," Lacie nodded once with her response. The man nodded in return, his smile gleaming ever so brightly. "You see, I was wondering where I will be sleeping for tonight. Or, if it's at all possible, when I shall be going home tonight or tomorrow. You see, as much as I'd love to stay," alright, she lied there, "I really must be getting back. I do not wish for my mother nor my father to become worried about me for my long period of absence. You say you know my mother, Alice, right? Well, then you should know how much she frets when someone she cares about goes missing," she forced a smile at the odd man that she found somewhat charming.

"Ah, yes. About your return to your own world. . . I don't think that shall be possible for the time being," the man said, giving her a pitiful look (that only he knew was fake and only trying to lead her on so she would be on his side). When Lacie looked downright confused and looked as thought she wanted to know what he was talking about, he supplied her an explanation. "You see, in order to go back home, you would need a certain potion from the White Queen, Mirana, to send you back. But, you see, Mirana is an evil woman," he said, giving her a shake of the head and a pair of narrow eyes. "She wouldn't do it to save her kingdom. That is why it is best if you stay here. Her evil forces are out to kill you, Lacie. Once we capture Mirana, the first thing we'll do is force her to make you a potion to go home straight away. I swear it," he smiled pleasantly at her, seeming genuinely.

Lacie thought it strange for a moment that he would suddenly mention that she needed to stay at the kingdom when she did not say anything against it otherwise, but quickly dismissed the thought thinking that he thought she was implying it. She smiled back at him. "Where shall I be staying then for the night?" she asked him, repeating her first question to him since their conversation started. Instantly, he offered his left hand to her in a gentleman sort of way, causing her to giggle lightly and be led away to her bedroom for the night. Little did she know how she had been fed a bunch of lies and she had eaten them all without a care. It was as though she had drunk a glass of poison and had forgotten to read the label.

The next morning was going pretty darn well with her sleeping. That is, until she heard someone screaming in her head. RUN! RUN! LACIE! RUN! Lacie's eyes tightened together until she went upright in one swift motion, giving her a slight whiplash since she had been sleeping on her side and was now facing forward. She emitted a tiny groan and rubbed the back of her neck, before taking a look around to see if she could possibly see where in the world that voice had come from. But, it was to no prevail. She had obviously imagined the whole thing.

My imagination seems to be going pretty horrid lately. . . When I get back to my world, I'll ask mother if I could possibly get someone to check it out for me. Then, she let out a small yawn from still being a bit sleepy. I should probably just take a walk around the kingdom so I can get to know it better. . . . I don't think anyone is still awake, anyways. It's pretty dark outside. Yeah. . . . Snooping doesn't hurt if you're not caught. Then, with a grin that could rival a Cheshire cat's grin, she hopped out of bed and slowly and quietly made her way out of the door.

The hall was a bit bigger than she remembered it from the previous night. . . and there were far more pictures up now. All of them seemed to represent a different time. It was either that this odd man had a lot of time on his hands or he was just going on a million years old! Well, this was a totally different world so maybe their time was different as well. Perhaps, they only aged once every million years. That would sure be an interesting thing to see. Or, perhaps, maybe their years were far longer than Lacie's were back at her world and home. Then, something caught her eye.

Oh, look. . . . Another picture. It has that lady with the huge head again. . . . Maybe these will tell me who in the world she is. Lacie looked down at the end of the picture, in golden letters against the wooden panel that held up the picture. "It says Ilosovic Stayn and Iracebeth, the Red Queen. . . . Hm. . . ." she stared at the picture for a while longer. Then, something in her brain just seemed to click. She looked at said Ilosovic Stayn and realized that it was the man she was currently staying with. Oh dear lord!

"Is something troubling you, Lacie? Are you looking around for someone?" a sudden male's voice came up from behind her. Lacie twirled around instantly, fear spiking up as she saw it was none other than Ilosovic Stayn him. Oh, the irony! Now, as if everything were fitting together like puzzle pieces, she could somehow see that his concerned face was just an act.

Fine. . . . Two can play at that game, she thought and forced a smile that she had learned with years and years of practicing with William Ascot around. Thinking back now, I think I miss the boy. I wonder if anyone realizes I'm gone. . . . Mother and father, surely, though. "No, sir. I was just taking a small stroll throughout the kingdom," she said a little too quickly to be convincing. Oh dear.

"Alright then, Little Lacie," he smiled and reached out to touch her, but she flinched and took a step back. His fake concern came back onto his face. "Is something the matter, Lacie?" he asked her, his voice filled with the same fake expression he had on his face. Lacie hated fakes. . . . And to think she had actually trusted this man for a few hours! Well, he did give her a nice dress, but still!

"W-Where's Mr. McTwisp? Nivens McTwisp?" she asked him, hoping that she could find him and get out of this kingdom before he decided to kill them. That is. . . if Nivens wasn't already dead. Lacie! Stop thinking this! You're beginning to hyperventilate! Calm. Down. She took in a deep breath and let it out calmly. The breathing helped calm her down a bit, but she was still worried about the white rabbit. "I. . . I want to see him. He's my friend. . . and I'm a bit troubled. I wish to speak with him," she lied evenly.

Stayn could obviously see that something odd was going on here, and he obviously didn't like it. This was beginning to worry Lacie even more again. What if he found out and killed her? Nobody else would be able to stop him right now, and nobody else would even care enough that she was gone since no one around here even knew her! "Do you not think that you could talk to me about your problems, Lacie?" he asked her, obviously trying to convince her to forget about Nivens.

"N-No. Just Mr. McTwisp. I'll only be talking to Mr. McTwisp," she said, stuttering at first but then she had managed to gain some confidence in herself. The last thing she needed right then was for him to get her scared out of her mind and start doing everything he said. Was that how he convinced people to join him? Well, she could tell his ''knights'' were definitely creations, but why the others? Were they all evil and couldn't be trusted as well? The thought of it made her want to just run for it.

Stayn eyed her for the longest moment in her entire life, with seat beginning to prickle down her neck. Hey! She never claimed to be the best actress there was in this world! "Alright. I'll send for Mr. McTwisp. Go back to your bedroom and he shall be there shortly," he told her. With a sigh of relief, she walked away and obeyed him.

*~*~* *~*~*

Something was wrong with the picture here, and Ilosovic could only wonder what was going on. She had said her mother was Alice. . . so perhaps she had heard stories of Underland? Then, she must've known that he was the knave of hearts and had tried to seduce and kill her mother. To this very day, he wouldn't mind getting a little bit out of her mother and then stabbing her heart through with his blade. It was, after all, her fault he had been stuck with that lady's fat head for quite a few years. However, he managed to escape and leave her there to rot and still he couldn't get rid of her because of all of these pictures his servants insist on putting up. Weren't they servants?

Still, something was a little off with Lacie. She was far too innocent to try and plot against him. That was as much as he had known about her. Yet, she was Alice's daughter and if she were anything like her mother then she would definitely have a strong will and enough brains to figure out how to get out of here. He took one final glance at the photo she had been looking at and walked away, hoping that she hadn't heard any stories about him from her mother. If she had then he would have to become the best liar in the world and convince her that he was only doing the greater good, or he would have to kill the young girl. Such a waste, he thought. She's such a pretty girl, too. And then, he was off to find that stupid white rabbit that went by the name of ''Nivens McTwisp''.

*~*~* *~*~*

Lacie sat on her bed, waiting slightly impatiently for the white rabbit to show up already. She was so anxious to see if he was alright then escape as fast as the two of them could. She wanted to help Nivens not out of getting something in return, but because she truly thought of him as her first friend in Underland so far. Ilosovic Stayn did not come close to counting. He tricked her for god's sake! Then, knocking her out of her thoughts was the creaking opening of a door. She turned her head quickly to see who it was, only to get whiplash again, and she rubbed the back of her neck. It was Nivens McTwisp!

"Mr. McTwisp!" she squealed, jumping up to her feet and forgetting the pain in the back of her neck and tackled him with one of the tightest hugs she could manage to give to the poor rabbit. "You're alright! I have been so worried about you!" she told him, squeezing him even tighter. When she didn't get a response, she pulled away to look him in the face. "Mr. McTwisp?"

Nivens took in the deepest breath he could manage once the mad girl had finally released him. She could kill somebody with hugs as tight as those! Was she made with man's steel or was she always fighting people to earn muscle?! He wouldn't know, and didn't dare ask. "H-Hello, Lacie," he managed, a smile finding it's way onto his face. She was about to hug him again but he waved it off. "No, no, no, no! One is good enough! Yes, I am alive and well. As are you. Now, if you want to keep it that way, restrain from hugging me like that ever again!" he told her hurriedly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you or whatnot," Lacie apologized, her smiling face curling down into a small frown.

Nivens couldn't stand to see such a pathetic face on Lacie, resembling her mother quite a bit for some time. "No, no, no. It's alright, dear. Now. . . I'm supposing you wish to find a way out of here, correct?" he asked her.

"Yes," Lacie nodded, happy that they had gotten to the point now. "You and I need to get out of here. That man is Ilosovic Stayn, am I right? He used to work for the Red Queen, according to what mother told me. He's evil, right?" her questions seemed to never cease forming in her head.

"Yes," Nivens nodded once, "A very evil man. You shouldn't believe anything he says. I heard from a servant that he had tried to convince you that the White Queen, Mirana, was evil. She's the total opposite. It would go against her vows to harm any living creature, as much as merely teasing them," he told her in a rushed voice.

"Alright, then. Perhaps once we escape we can head over to her straight away? Wouldn't that be the best option?" she asked him, inclining her head to the right side.

"The safest option, if you call that the best," Nivens told her in a correcting sort of tone.

"I think that the best option we have. Why? Is there another place we need to go to? Because, if there is, then perhaps we should just go there first or on the way to the, what's it called? I think she lives at Memorial. . . correct?" Lacie asked, looking a bit puzzled.

"Perhaps it will be the best option. I'm not sure, but—" he was cut off by a sudden yell.

"Arrest that woman and white rabbit immediately for traitorous scams!" It was Ilosovic Stayn's voice.

"Oh no!" Lacie was beginning to panic now as the door burst open, and instinctively, she grabbed hold of Nivens, despite him telling her to jump out the window and go on without him. As if you stupid rabbit!

"Now, now, Little Lacie," Stayn's voice came into the room, along with his figure. Every step he took towards Lacie and Nivens, she took a step back with Nivens still in her arms. "Do you really wish to leave? I thought you and I were really going to become friends," he sounded a bit whiny, according to Lacie. However, according to Nivens, he sounded absolutely deadly.

"That's nice. . . . Lovely," Lacie said, not really wishing to do any heroine talk right then. After all, she was definitely no heroine.

Stayn chuckled. "Where else can you go?"

"Um. . . . I'm sure with how fast information passes around here, you'll figure that out in an hour or two," she said right before she turned on her heel and managed to dodge the spears thrown at her by Stayn's command and jumped out of the window.

She had landed on the ground with a small 'oof' and felt something in her leg twist around. She was pretty sure that it was her bone, but right then she wasn't so worried about her bones being broken. She was more interested in getting out of here as fast as possible.

"Lacie! Are you alright?!" Nivens asked worriedly.

"Yes!" Lacie said as she got back up to her feet and began to follow him as fast as she could. However, once they had reached the gates, she couldn't take the pain in her leg anymore. Stopping her limping, she fell forwards on her face while clutching hold tightly on the middle of her leg. I only fell from the third story, though! And, from the excruciating pain, she found her eyes falling into an inviting darkness.

o.o Okay, ending sucks. XD! Next chappy will be up as soon as possible, I guess. LOL! REVIEW! I have a feeling that some of my reviewers are not reviewing all of my chapters and it makes me sad. If you're going to review, then review ALL chapters.!!!!!! REVIEW PWEASE!