There was a long, tense pause as the battling stopped all around the clearing. The nearest Red Knight tossed his sword onto the ground.
"We follow you no more," He said to the Red Queen, "Bloody Big Head..."
"How dare you!!" Shrieked Angelina. "Off with his head!!!!!"
Another Red Knight threw down his sword, then another, and another, and gradually, every single Knight in the clearing disarmed himself, staring defiantly at the Red Queen. She stamped her feet furiously, and then her shrieks of rage grew even louder as the crown lifted off her head, and started to float through the air. Angelina grabbed for it, but it wafted out of her reach and over to Rachel, where it settled gently on the White Queen's head, a look of relief on her beautiful face.
"Angelina of Crims." Said the White Queen. "Your crimes against Underland are worthy of death. However... That isn't against my vows... Therefore, you are banished to the Outlands. No one is to show you any kindness or ever speak a word to you. You will not have a friend in the world..."
The Knave of hearts sidled up to the White Queen and bowed unctuously.
"M-Majesty~" He said in his best seductive voice. "I hope you bear me no ill will?"
"Only one." Rachel said, pointing without looking at him. "Aleister Druitt, you will join Angelina in banishment from this day until the end of Underland." The Knave went very pale. Knights seized his arms and chained him to Angelina. The former Red Queen leaned towards him,. batting her giant red, eyes.
"At least we have each other~" She said, smiling softly.
In a panic, Aleister pulled out a knife and tried to stab Angelina. She screamed as Sebastian smirked and threw a piece of his cutlery, knocking the knife out of his hand. The Knave of Hearts dropped to his knees before the White Queen, and groveled.
"MAJESTY! PLEASE, KILL ME!!!" He begged. "PLEASE!! SWEET ROBIN!!! PLEASE!!" He glanced over at Ciel, then back to the Queen.
"But I do not owe you a kindness." The White Queen said, looking down at him with no pity in her eyes.
"TAKE OFF MY HEAD!!!" He pleaded. The Knights dragged the unfortunate pair away. As they were taken away, The Red Queen's eyes were widened with fear, and screaming.
"Y-You tried to kill me...HE TRIED TO KILL ME!! HE TRIED TO KILL MEEEE!!!!" Her voice faded into the distance, and a soft breeze seemed to send a sigh of relief through everyone in the clearing. Sebastian stepped forward, and took off his hat, his crimson eyes sparkling as he burst into an enthusiastic dance.
"Oh, the Frabjous day!" He sang out happily. "Calloo!!! Callay!!"
"What is he doing?" Asked Ciel, slightly unamused at his former butler's actions. He had taken off some pieces of his heavy armor and was breathing a bit easier now.
"Futterwacken~" Grell answered him, grinning, as he watched. Sebastian continued his dance, as everyone clapped and watched him, before he ended it with a bow. The Tweedles smiled widely and clapped frantically.
"That was good!" The chimed together, as the White Queen clasped her hands together gently and giggled quietly. She then knelt beside the body of the Jabberwocky, and caught some drops of its purple blood in a vial, trying not to balk. She stood up and handed the vial to Ciel, as Sebastian put his hat back on.
"And, the blood of the Jabberwocky." Said the Queen. "You have our everlasting gratitude. And for the efforts on our behalf, I give you this."
"Will this take me home?" Asked Ciel, looking at the purple blood.
"If that is what you choose~" Said the Queen. She walked over to the group of strange creatures of Wonderland as they all smiled at him. As Ciel went to lift the vial to his lips, Sebastian gently placed his hand on his, pushing his hand back down along with the vial.
"You could stay..." He said, his gaze warm and full of promise. He didn't look as mad anymore. Almost like the real Sebastian, Ciel knew from the real world.
Almost. That was just it though. He was ALMOST Sebastian. But not THE Sebastian.
“What an idea….a crazy, mad wonderful idea.” He mumbled, a slight smile on his lips as he watched the demon, before his eyes trailed over to the rest of the strange and wonderful creatures in this strange and wonderful place.
Though his thoughts were interrupted, being replaced by those of the real people he knew, his real life, and the real demon who awaited him. It made his gaze fall back to the Hatter.
He wasn’t the demon butler who aided him in ways no one else could or would. There was slight melancholy in his eyes. The normally glowing contract within his right eye had grown dull and grey over this whole adventure. This had been going on for far too long. This wasn’t Sebastian. Nor would it ever be. And frankly, he was certain that his reason for living wasn’t in this world. His dedication lay in the real world. Not some fantasy. And he still fully intended to abide by their contract. He had be intention of leaving it be to stay in such a place.
“But I can’t…” he trailed off, gently pushing the others hands away from his own.
The demon’s expression fell, depression looming over him at the thought of his lost lov-eh, master.
“There are things I must do” with that, the boy gulped down the blood, it’s metallic taste sliding down his throat.
He shivered a bit, the feeling leaving much to be desired. He looked back to the still heart-broken Hatter.
“I’ll be back again before you know it.” Ciel reassured, certain this wouldn’t be the last time he would have a nightmare/dream such as this.
“…You won’t remember me...” Sebastian murmured, with a small sad smile.
His hands had remained clutching the youngers, his fingers toying with the others gently.
“Of course I will.” The earl assured. After all, there was a Sebastian in the right world as well, so there wasn’t really a way for him to forget.
The area around them began to shift, evaporating into puffs of silvery smoke that enveloped them. First the distance. The closer. Then the battlefield. That those around them. Then the group of the Rabbit, Queen, Mouse, Twins. Until it was simply the two of them alone in the mist.
“Fairfarren, Ciel...” came the whispered voice of the demon.
In one last attempt of desperation, the twos noses had barely touched, before the Hatter evaporated into thin air, the only remainder of him that ever got to touch his lips being the smoke of his once-whole self.
The fog faded, and dissolved, the dark world disappearing…fading…fading into…
Grass.
Ciel found himself face down in the long overgrown field, his fingers clenched tightly to the edge of a Rabbit hole, his legs dangling precariously. The boy tugged himself up, glancing around the meadow that was just as overgrown and managed as the day he left. Or rather, the time he fell.
Not a trace of the past time spent in Underland remained in his mind. Not a single shred of memory stayed. The Red Queen, the Jabberwoky, not even the Hatter was recalled.
He glanced down at his ruined clothing, his attire that had been befitting for an earl and lacked a corset being ragged, torn and filthy. His eyes fell to the hole behind him.
“….Must have fallen in…”
With the obvious reason for his messed up clothing discovered, he ran back towards the gathering of people beneath the gazebo, a burst of unwavering confidence and self-awareness surging through him.
The part he had left remained in their confused and subdued state, mutters about Ciel and his not-yet fiancé fluttering about its inhabitants.
