Alice, Hatter and Francis hit the floor with a large thud, they remained unharmed other than Hatter's damage he had taken from The Gentleman. Francis extended its wing to cover the three of them. Three wooden soldiers riding Page Dragons flew above them all scouting the tainted war ground below them. Francis peeked his eye out from cover and slowly began to reveal Hatter and Alice. "Page Dragons are native to these lands, they are made up of one book and only require one book to be summoned, once summoned they cut any foes with their razor page edges and float in the breeze." Alice looked at Francis and then immediately back at Hatter who was barely alive. Francis began to walk around and stretch his feline legs, "Just remember Alice that anything is possible in this realm."
She nodded and looked back to the bleeding man that had been responsible for her ending up in all of this. “Oh Hatter, I just wished I could have done something to prevent all of this.” She sighed and began to stroke his face and slowly the blood began to seep back into their wounds when she touched him. It was like she had some sort of healing property and she began to stroke his cut arms and his mangled leg. Hatter's eyes shot open like he had just awaken from a bad dream. “Alice, oh Alice you have saved my life...thank you.” Hatter extended his arm and opened his palm, a long black cane filled the air and he grasped it tightly. Hatter used the cane to push himself up, he did it with such force that he vaulted into the air and onto a ledge above Alice and Francis and just perched there. “Well comrades what seems to be the plan next them hm?” Francis shook his head “It would seem that a new power has come into reign and everyone is just following along, this is the end of Horrorland...face it.”
Alice stood up and began to pace, she got this from her father who used to pace nervously across the kitchen floor when he and Alice's mother had argued. Hatter jumped down from his perch and took Alice's hand, he began to reach something in his blazer pocket, it was a white chalk, he drew out what looked like a door on the ground. He grabbed the line he had just drawn and pulled it up from the ground to create a doorway, “Let us continue shall we?” Upon opening the door it was very dark and very damp, it just seemed to be stairs that led down into a white room below. Francis began to trot his way through the doorway and the descent into the darkness began. Alice was very sceptical, she didn't know an awful lot about Hatter or Francis for that matter.
After all it was Hatter that led her to Horrorland but that didn't explain the compassion she felt for him deep down. Hatter began to run down the stairwell like an excited child would the stairs at Christmas time, with bounding leaps he was soon at the bottom “You should try this, it's fun!” Alice shook her head, she never had been the biggest fan of heights and she certainly wasn't now of all times. Hatter reached the bottom and clapped his hands, the stairwell sunk into itself and created a long slide for the rest of the way down. Alice fell on her behind and received a sharp pain in her spine, but she was more concerned about the long drop she would face if she couldn't stay against the way.
Further and further down, Alice's and Francis's field of vision began to dim and bright stars began to fill the darkness, the stars then morphed into clowns whose heads exploded and served as plant pots for flowers. The flowers then began to wilt and die and morphed into multiple graves of which the undead jumped out with party hats on. Then Alice found herself in a bubble, as did Francis and they floated down to Hatter who had prepared a long table and a banquet upon it. The bubble popped and formed a chair for Alice to sit upon, Francis just fell to the floor when his bubble popped. Hatter offered a tub of butter and began to plaster his cup of tea in butter, Alice was confused and amazed as Hatter took a bite out of his cup and proceeded to chew. “Come now Alice, a gentleman doesn't leave anything to waste now does he?” Alice shrugged and decided not to partake in the banquet but, instead just watched as Hatter stuffed his face with a buttered cup. Francis stood up on his hind legs and began to roam the white room, “It's awfully clean in here isn't it Hatter?” The butter faced man turned around, “Why yes I suppose it is, it would be a shame if something were to dirty it up?” He clapped his hands and coal lumps began to rain down and cover the untarnished white floor in little black marks, he began a manic laugh as he hid himself beneath a Panda decorated umbrella. Hatter led the way into a large white door with two knockers on it, he had clearly been here before as he seemed certain in which knocker to use on the large oak door.
The three of them were greeted with a crystal labyrinth that spanned on what seemed for miles. Hatter took off his top hat and dusted it slightly before placing it upon his head. "This is the Reflection Room, some say that whole armies have died in here just trying to find their way across it. Apparently this mirrored labyrinth was constructed to keep Horrorland's prisoners inside and locked away, and King Coffee decided to give them a chance and declared if they could find their way out of the mirrors they were allowed their freedom.” Alice raised an eyebrow “What are we even doing here? What's on the other side?” Francis stepped forth “The grand witch is on the other side of this thing, with her magic I am sure we could defeat The Gentleman and bring justice back to Horrorland again.” Alice stepped forward and looked down at her tattered dress, she looked back up and took a deep breath before setting foot into the first turn of the labyrinth. Hatter smiled and began to follow after her closely with Francis trailing behind. Leaves began to fill the floor like a cold Autumn's night, a cold breeze began to roll in from the twists and turns, it made Alice wonder what else the labyrinth would throw their way. Then all of a sudden the opening to the labyrinth was no longer to be seen, just the three of them staring into a mirror. Francis sighed “I suppose now would be a bad time to mention I’m claustrophobic and hate mirrors?” Alice and Hatter both nodded and continued to walk the mirrored pathways.
As the trio ventured deeper into the labyrinth, it was Alice that noticed the way behind them was replaced by mirrors every time they took a step. She kept walking and in a hushed tone explained “The way behind is constantly replaced by mirrors, I don't think somebody wants us to leave.” Hatter nodded “It's not as though prisoners still exist in here because this place was closed shortly after King Coffee's reign.” Francis scooped up the two on his back and began to sprint this way and that, turning the complex corners of the labyrinth and on occasion smashing through the mirrored walls that blocked his path. Blood began to run down his face but as he panicked, he lost control of his pain and continued to smash his way through. “You know, somebody is watching us...I noticed an eye in a few of the mirrors as we have gone past them.” Alice knew they were being watched...they all did but then their sprint had come to an end. “Hello everyone, my I am impressed at how far you got through here.” It was The Gentleman but he appeared all around them, they were trapped in a mirrored prison with not their reflection but his. “Hatter, your wounds have healed I see...maybe I need to do a better job next time when bashing your head in?” Hatter looked down upon this comment and continued to look at the floor, Alice knew he was ashamed for being beaten. But then the reflections came alive and grabbed one of them, pulling them separate ways and giving their sense of direction a serious jolt.
