Wonderland

It seemed like years had passed by, but in reality it had only been a few days. I was forced to walk for hours at a time, stopping only when he deemed necessary. When I could no longer carry myself, he would scoop me off of my feet and carry me the rest of the way. When I regained my strength, he would let me go and usher me along.

I was full of dirt and sweat poured down my face under the hot sun. I had no idea where he was leading me, but my surroundings were unfamiliar and I began to grow restless. Somehow I felt that we were walking further from the castle then I had anticipated.

My throat was dry and my lips had begun to crack. With a heavy sigh, I dropped to my knees feeling weak and helpless. A heavy shadow rested upon my shoulders and I felt my eyes burn with tears that I didn't have.

The stranger stopped walking and turned to gaze down at me, midnight black hair sweeping about his face in the warm breeze. Not a drop of sweat could be found, nor could any emotions or feelings. I looked up at him with exhaustion.

"Please," I rasped, my throat tight and dry. "Can we stop and rest?"

He was still as a statue for a moment before he moved slowly, his hand reaching for the sword at his side. Panic filled with my chest while adrenaline I didn't know I possessed filled my veins. He was going to kill me.

He must have noticed my rising fear because he paused in his movement, a strange flicker of confusing passing over his rather stiff features before it disappeared as quickly as it had come. He moved more slowly, reaching into his coat pocket to withdraw a canister. The sound of water could be heard inside and I sighed with longing, unthinking.

Much to my surprise, he knelt down beside me and removed the cork. His free hand snaked out, capturing me in his grip as he jerked me toward him. I stumbled with a gasp into his lap as his fingers filtered into my hair, fisting and tugging my head back. My eyes locked on his as he lifted the container and literally poured water down my throat. I choked, precious water spilling as he poured. I swallowed as much as I could until he thrust me away.

The coolness of the water that had missed my awaiting lips was refreshing and I closed my eyes on a sigh. I felt clean and rejuvenated as I turned my attention to him. He had pulled out a piece of crumpled bread and cheese. I lifted an eyebrow. The water I would take, but I wasn't going to allow him to force feed me.

I looked at him with defiance and a flicker of a challenge flashed in his eyes, brightening them with interest. He was obviously a man who enjoyed a good challenge and I realized that I was going to end up with him feeding me.

I struggled as best as I could, fought back; however, as I predicted, I had ended up in his lap with my hands tied behind my back with a rough piece of rope. I glared at him through my lashes as he pulled pieces of bread apart and folded it over pieces of cheese. He lifted it to my mouth and regarded me stonily.

I firmly kept my lips closed, and continued to glare at him in response. His eyes darkened in reply, although somehow it seemed that he was slightly beginning to enjoy himself. He grabbed my chin with his free hand and pried my mouth open for me. I whimpered and shook my head as much as I could from side to side to free myself, but he had an iron grip on my jaw.

He jerked my head once in warning, those eyes locked onto mine. My breathing was heavy as I glared at him. The longer we stared at each other, I knew that if I didn't allow him to feed me I wouldn't be fed at all. On a sigh, I relaxed in his hold but eyed him with annoyance.

The corner of his lips tugged slightly in the corner, his eyes seeming to deepen as if he was saying 'Good girl'. His touch softened on my chin as he released me. The tips of his fingers brushed gently across the bruising flesh as if in apology. He reaffirmed his hold on the food and held it out once more, his eyes now on my lips.

Hesitantly I opened slightly for him and he slipped the food inside with surprising care. As soon as it touched my tongue, I began to chew hurriedly on a groan. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until I tasted the little tidbit and closed my eyes. It had been days since I had last eaten anything.

I opened my mouth for more and a rumble vibrant in his chest in reply. He prepared more and lifted it as I waited eagerly, but this time he slipped it past his own lips. I stared at him in horror as he chewed and he lifted a brow. Though my stomach grumbled, I knew that I was being selfish. He needed to eat as well, because even though he acted like one, he was not a robot that didn't need sustenance.

The next piece he gathered together he fed to me, and the next he would feed himself. It went like this until the bread ran out and he packaged up the rest of the cheese for a later meal.

Feeling better and no longer hungry, I could focus on our surroundings. I frowned as I scanned the barren area ahead of us, a tall, intimidating mountain looming in the shadows in the distance. Upon closer inspection, the land was slowly beginning to change and instead of the mushrooms I was used to seeing dotting the landscape, clocks of different shapes and sizes began to appear.

"Where are we?" I asked carefully, my eyes staring at the mountain with hesitation. Somehow I knew that he was going to take me there.

He said nothing in response, only followed my gaze in silence as he packed the rest of his bag. He rose to his feet, assembling himself before looking down at me, back to his usual self. With a sigh of disappointment, I followed suit and began our trek toward the sinister mountain.

For hours we walked, the mountain slowly getting bigger and taller as we closed in on our destination. I touched some of the clocks along the way, unsurprised that none of them ticked or moved; however, the closer we came to the mountain, a ticking sound could be heard that echoed from inside.

A rocky path came into view that led up the side of the mountain where an entrance sat. Ace led the way with ease, moving over the rocks as if it was nothing. I stumbled on the other hand, taking my time over the rocky terrain in fear of falling. Whenever I fell too far behind, he would stop and wait for me to catch up before continuing on.

By nightfall, we finally reached the entrance of the cave inside the mountain. The ticking echoed hollowly like a bell inside the cavern, a sound I had become all too familiar with. A boom of thunder startled me as Ace stepped inside. I gazed up at the sky, watching the black clouds rolling in. Seconds later, fat rain droplets fell down onto my face. I blinked and touched the droplets, revealing in the cool effect. I used this opportunity to rub the dirt and sweat from my face.

Ace watched in silence from just inside away from the rain. His expression was unreadable. When I joined him moments later, he led me to a spot he had set up camp and had a small fire already going.

My clothes were soaked from the rain so I sat close to the flames to keep warm. He had set out the little blankets that he had packed away for me, since he remained on guard throughout the night. I was just about to fall asleep in front of the fire with my knees curled up against my chest when I was jerked back. I gave a startled gasp, my eyes flying open as I once again ended up in his grasp. His hand reached behind me and I felt him unbuttoning the back of my dress.

A crimson wave of heat passed over my face and in an automatic reaction, I smacked his hand away and stared up at him with pure mortification. With all my courage, I hugged the front of my dress against my chest when the garment threatened to drop. He did nothing for a moment, a flicker of passion lighting up his eyes before they returned to their vacant state. He used brute strength to tear the garment from my shivering body. I curled up to protect myself from the biting chill of the mountain and his gaze.

A blush burned over my flesh in horror. No one, not even my companions had ever seen me like this and I felt dirty and unclean at such exposure. I felt naked and I was, wearing nothing but a handmade bustier and bloomers. Tears filled my eyes as he took my dress and draped it over a piece of wood that he had set up near the fire for it to dry. He returned just as the first tear escaped. In his grasp was one of the blankets and with all the care he possessed, he draped the tattered garment around my shoulders to cover me. His arms slid under my legs and he lifted me from the cold stone floor to carry me to the second blanket close to the warm fire. He set me down upon it gently and took his place near the entrance, gazing out into the night to keep watch.

I gazed back at him, wondering how a man like him became the way he was. The sky had now cleared to reveal the perfect starry night, his form bathed in the gentle glow. He had seemed as though he had held no humanity left, but when he stood there gazing up at the stars he resembled a god.

The longer I looked at him in the soft light, the more I realized how handsome and young he was. He could be no older then myself and yet he contained such a personality or lack thereof. I recalled what White had said about him, how Red and destroyed his home and his family. How she had turned him into an assassin at such a young age. I felt sorrow for the boy he never was able to be. My heart went out to him, the feeling so strong that I hadn't seen the tendrils of magic, a transparent trickle, leave my form like curls of smoke that formed around him like a barrier.

His brow furrowed slightly as he removed his gaze from the stars to glance down at the faint distortion that had encircled his frame. His entire being seemed to stiffen and his eyes filled with the first sign of emotion I had seen; rage. He cast that heated gaze in my direction, our eyes locking and I inhaled sharply in surprise. An icy chill of fear trickled down my spine in response to the hatred I saw there. He was a man of little or no emotion, but when he did cast his mask away, the emotion there was raw and powerful.

The blood drained from my face and I felt lightheaded as he stalked his way toward me with a predatory glare. I curled my legs as close to my form as possible until he shadowed me. The emotions that radiated from him were so strong that my magic shriveled inside of me against the sheer force of it.

He reached out and fist his hand in my hair. A cried out when he pulled me to my feet, the blanket falling unforgotten to the cave floor. I grasped his hands, trying to loosen his hold as he glared at me eye to eye.

"I don't need your damn pity, witch."

I stopped struggling and simply stared at him in utter shock. His voice was rough around the edges, but deep enough for me to acknowledge that he was a man.

"I'm sorry," I breathed, "I can't help how I feel."

His features distorted with pain before he dropped me to my knees and moved away angrily. I curled my hands into the blanket and watched with intrigue as he returned to his place at the entrance, clearly agitated.

"Don't feel anything for me. I don't need your sympathy," he said gruffly, shaking his head as he turned his back to me.

I rose unsteadily to my feet and took a hesitant step toward him. His head snapped around so quickly, that I froze in place mid-step. The muscles in his jaw stood out as he clenched his teeth together.

"Go to sleep, witch," he said quietly with deadly intent. "before you really make me angry."

That familiar trickle of fear shivered down my spine and I took a step back in response; however, I still couldn't help how I felt. I turned away from him, feeling disappointed as I laid down on the blanket by the fire and drew the other around me.

I closed my eyes and listened to the crackling flames of the fire, hoping I would fall asleep soon. Ever so often I would feel his gaze on me until the sounds faded away and peaceful silence greeted me.