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Probably the most dangerous structure in Wonderland, unless of course you are loyal to The Black King. The inside is just as menacing as the outside. If I were you I would not step one foot or paw into this place. Then again you are not me so do as you like, I don't really care. Don't come crying to me if you loose your life. I gave you a fair warning, for free I might add.



This is the back entrance to the Palace, it's falling apart in some places and completely destroyed in others. The over all castle is made from bits and pieces of wonderland; odds and ends that were stitched together and out of place, and yet everything still fits neatly like a completed puzzle.

In order to get to the Palace you need to have a token from The Black King, otherwise the outer gardens will take you as it's victim.
-Cheshire

|~| Nithis Soth, The Black King |~|

Nithis had spent the night as he always had, perched atop the pinnacle of the castle; the tower keep opened up to a flat roof, where Nithis had a throne installed even before he took power. He much enjoyed seating himself upon the chair, leaning back with both arms firmly seated on the rests and one leg idly hanging over the other; the chilling night's air reinvigorated him as he surveyed and coveted his kingdom below. His thoughts were blank and, though his eyes remained open, this was the closest form of sleep he could muster; his trust for others ever wavering and when combined with a lack of rest, explained most of his madness.

A scowl crossed Nithis's visage and a growl followed from his gullet as he saw an all too familiar and hated object. The sun began to creep up from the horizon, stinging his dry eyes and stirring him from his slumber. A dark cloud quickly obliged the flick of the Black King's wrist, rising to blot the object from Nithis's sight. As with every morning, Nithis considered doing away entirely with the ball of flame, but respected its destructive power and the schedule it kept his minions adhering to. With a slow grind, Nithis slid from the throne and began his descent into the keep.

The seemingly endless stone steps clanked against the iron of his boots and the path grew both warmer and lighter, causing Nithis an unsettling discomfort. The faint and echoing sounds of life brought another scowl to the king's face... or perhaps the first had never left? Regaurdless, Nithis humored the notion of a world devoid of life and would have executed such a realm long ago if not for the finality of the idea; there could be no correction if a dead world proved unpleasant. Finally, Nithis reached his quarters, looking upon his immaculate beddings and seeing a visible layer of dust. The feeling in the chamber could only be described as confined; there were walls, which he had not seen for hours and his vision was limited in range, features that arose a certain dull terror from within his chest. Throwing various locks aside, Nithis pressed firmly at the ornate door to his sanctum. It took some time and effort, but eventually the nickel monstrosity, with half wreath embellishments of gold, creaked and pushed to the side.

Through the twists and passageways of the castle, Nithis finally came upon the first sign of life, and one of the sources of that sound he hated so. It was the royal mess hall and it took little effort to discern the creature as William, who the king proceeded to sneak upon silently. From the corner of William's vision, a scaled and taloned black hand that seemed to belong to a dragon more than a man, crept forth and wrapped itself gently around his lower jaw. The claws stung when they pressed, yet did not puncture his flesh as he was pulled back softly; it was an intentional and harsh reminder from the king that William no longer had his scales and was vulnerable, something the Black King had made him. Symbolically it meant that William's life was literally in Nithis's hands and that he existed, now, only to serve his king. Promptly looking him eye to eye, although in an awkward position for William, the king smiled sweetly at the lizard.

"My dearest William..."

The words slithered from his tongue like a serpent and likely stung as such.

"... I was thinking we would break the chain of the daily routine... and take a little trip..."

Nithis's lips instantly curled to a crooked smile, one which revealed a maw of jagged-dagger like teeth.

"...how would you like to visit your old master?"

|~| Nithis Soth, The Black King |~|

William seemed to be at battle with his own senses, a personality flaw Nithis had come to expect; as with all times that William struggled, he would meet the Black King's silent-stern stare until the lizard had worked things out for himself. It seemedthat William needed a bit more than time to straighten himself, however, and the king frowned slightly as his claws pierced the lizard. Nithis waited until after William had obliged and pulled his hand back, catching the few drops of blood that trickled from his fingertips. He watched the lizard's face carefully, attempting to gauge his reaction as the thick liquid became visible to him. The Black King knew, of course, of William's nightly cravings and took from it an almost sickly sense of pride. Suddenly, Nithis snapped his hand shut and cast it to the side, sending the blood away from him, and speaking in a hasty tone.

"Good. I suspect that the rabbit is up to something, though I'm not sure what. You may be welcome in his home yet and I suspect you clever enough to find out. Otherwise... we shall have to pay the caterpillar a visit. Remember, however, that you will be doing this of your own accord and not as a servant of the Black King... at least to those naive enough to believe such; you'll find the reasons to expression that much, I am certain. Now, come, we shall depart immediately."

Turning about face with a flutter of his cape, Nithis approached those endless stairs once again, beckoning William to follow. It would have been an effort for the lizard to follow, had he not used his gifts, for the Black King moved with an unnatural haste; Nithis sought the comfort of the open sky once again, as well as the comfort of knowledge... the only thing that wore on the king's mind more than the claustrophobic walls of the castle, was the nagging feeling in his gut that White was up to something. Nithis paused at the door to his quarters and threw it open, motioning the lizard to take the next flight of stairs up to the roof of the tower keep. The Black King would follow after he had thrown the various locks and bolts to seal the door behind them.

William followed his majesty out of the dining room and through the hallways of the castle, easily keeping up with his fast pace. Though feeding was a horrible experience he was forced to go through at least once a month, once it was over his abilities were heightened for the first few days. An easy example of this was the cut he had sustained from his momentary loss of sanity while in the king's hands. It was already covered in a scab, and the blood shed from it dried. Some might of been happy to have such abilities, but William would gladly trade it so he wouldn't have to suffer through feedings. The only times when he felt differently was when the king praised him on his abilities. For those few moments he felt pride too, and happiness in being able to make his master feel proud.

William nodded as he listened to his master tell him his plans for William, shuddering slightly when he threatened him with the caterpillar. Neviah, or the caterpillar as many knew her as, had always made William feel uneasy in her presence. She was always smoking, a pipe, a cigerette, a cigar, it didn't seem to matter to her what she smoked, but she was always smoking. And those glass eyes, they seemed to reflect everything she saw, and when she looked at William, it seemed as though she was staring into his soul. A chill went down his spine simply thinking about it. He would play the spy towards his old traitor master over visiting the caterpillar any day. There was a slight twinge of anticipation as the king said that they'd leave immediately though. "I wonder if he's changed much. I didn't have my scales when he left, so he should still recognise me. I don't think I've changed much..." he thought, thiking of his old master. His mind dived into the many different possibilities of what the rabbitcould be doing as he followed his current master towards the ink palace's tallest spire.

William's thoughts were interupted though when a familiar voice called out to them. He stopped suddenly and turned to see Demio, who was oddly without his brother. They were an odd pair, Demio and Doomiel. They were twin brothers, both vampires but neither the one that had attack William in a blood lust. They were rarely seen apart, and spent most of the time with each other. Often more like lovers than brothers though. Now and again William would catch Demio looking at him from across the table, but he didn't think much about it. William was an odd looking character after all, he had turned into a mix of many of the creatures that inhabited wonder land while at the castle. His blood lust, pale skin, heightened abilities, and ears all obvious signs of this. Demio occasionally spoke up for him, and asked how he was more often than others, but that simply meant that he was a nice person, right?

William smiled at Demio, "Good morning Demio." he called out in a merry tone, his mood lighter while in the pressence of his king. He quickly glanced back at his master though, to make sure he wouldn't be left behind. He then returned his gaze to Demio. He noticed that the man's shirt was open, reveling the vampire's carefully sculpted muscles. "I wonder if he and his brother are playing another one of their games." he thought in mild curiousity. It wasn't often that Demio walked around with his shirt open when he wasn't with his brother, though he was with his brother so much it was hard to make assumptions. At Demio's other questions, William looked back to their King. He wasn't sure if their departure was to be a secret or not, so waited for him to answer before saying anything more. He would hate to make his master upset before they left.

William's face went blank with a small ammount of fear as he saw his master's gaze shift to him after greeting the vampire. "Oh no! I was so afraid that I'd upset him by reveling too much information that I didn't follow like he told me to. I'm such an imbecile! How could I forget such simple orders so quickly? At least he doesn't seem to be too upset. The king is so kind to let someone as hopelessly incompetent stay here... but wait! Maybe thats why he's sending me on this mission! He's giving me back to White because of how worthless I am, it'd only be a disadvantage to have someone like me on their side..." he thought, the heartbreak clearly on his face as tears began to well in his eyes.

William listened to his master explain the situation to Demio, and with the last sentence his master spoke he seemed to collect himself. As his master uttered those words, "get some actual work done." a smile spread across his face as a new hope entered his mind. The majesty had chosen him to get some actual work done! This wasn't a punishment, it was a sign of his king's trust in him! There were still a number of people in the castle that had been friends with the rabbit, but it was he that the king had chosen for this mission. This new hope gave life to happiness and a swell of pride. "I am useful. This is a reward, not a punishment." he thought a smile now on his face.

While the King was busy examining Demio's hip to make sure that Doomiel wasn't there, William brushed the few tears that had swelling in his eyes away. He didn't want his master to change his mind thinking that he had had another mental breakdown. It had only been a week since the last one, and it might make him unfit for the mission. William listened as his master gave Demio orders to leave the castle, but didn't tell him to follow. For a moment William wondered why they'd be leaving separately, but didn't dwell on it. His master was waiting for him to catch up! William gave a final smile to Demio, "Good bye then, I hope your mission goes well." he said, giving the vampire a small nod before chasing after his master.

William walked into his master's chambers just before his master slammed the door behind them. His master motioned for him to ascend the stairs, and William did so in a rush, almost flying he was moving so fast. He had already wasted enough of his master's time making mistakes, and didn't want to risk his master's patience again. Seeing his master walk off the side of the tower made William's jaw drop and his heart beat faster in fear. No matter how many times he had seen his master do that, he still never got used to it. Seeing his master in his dragon form relieved his tension and he let out a sigh of relief. His master had returned, as he always did. The ease was short lived as his master hurried him along to climb onto his back. William nodded and quickly, though careful not to loose his footing or hurt his king, climbed onto the black dragon's back. He gripped the king's long neck, knowing that they'd be going very fast, very soon.

➲abdLin-Lin opened her eyes, and looked around her with a blank expression. She was in the castle, laying on top of her bed. Her hands were gently clasped together over her stomach, and she was wearing the same outfit she had the day before. When Lin-Lin slept she returned to an inanimate state, it was a defense mechanism to protect her while she rested. The only thing that could wake her was her internal clock, or the castle in danger. This time it had been the usual 'time' she woke at. Slowly the doll sat up, "There was something special about today I was supposed to remember. What was it though?" she thought with a small frown, and got out of bed. Her awareness was beginning to return to her as she stood there, staring at the wall. After a few minutes she was awake enough to remember what was so special about that day. "That's right, I have to go to breakfast to meet with everyone." she thought. It wasn't that special, it was a custom that their king had made, and one of the reasons Lin-Lin had chosen to sleep in her room that night, instead of spending the night trimming the maze. She had to leave early and return to the castle so she could attend breakfast on time. "I don't even need to eat. I'd be of more use out trimming those uneven hedges in the maze." she thought, shaking her head slightly.

➲abdLin-Lin had taken care of the castle grounds before Lord Nithis came to the throne, let alone was born. But she had found the need to keep the grounds looking perfect growing more important with each passing day. The differences in the hedge's height became more noticeable, the weeds poking through the ruins in the back of the castle more grotesque. It felt as though every imperfection was gnawing away at her, and all she could do was fix it. It wasn't that much of an issue that she spent her time gardening, no one would dare attack the fortress while the black king still ruled. Though is someone was foolish enough to try Lin-Lin was usually at an entrance to the castle, her weapons engaged in killed the importance of some plants, though they were always willing to take a break if it meant a taste of flesh from an intruder. Lin-Lin was only hardened clay given a soul and chance to live, her weapons were sometimes disappointed that they had no warmth to hold them, but only cold, hollow fingers. The least she could do was feed them a bit of that lovely red liquid now and then. They were tools for killing those of flesh and blood after all.

➲abdLin-Lin, now fully aware of her surrounding's and the events of yesterday, walked to her wardrobe to change into something fresh. It would be disgraceful to go to the king dressed in the dirty clothes she wore yesterday. She took a white ru, a red qun, and a black sash and dressed. After she was finished she combed her hair and made a a small pony tail near the top of her head, but in the back, and tied it with a red ribbon. She put her silver earrings in and smiled. She wore the earrings because every time she walked they would hit against each other and make a chiming noise like a bell, and Lin-Lin did love that chiming noise bells made. Pleased with her appearance Lin-Lin slipped on a pair of sandals and walked out of her room and into the hallways, headed towards the dining hall.

➲abdLin-Lin heard someone call out her name and stopped, looking around. The source of the sound didn't seem too far away, maybe just around the corner? There was no harm in checking, so she turned the corner. Lin-Lin smiled as she saw that her skills hadn't failed her yet. There was one of the vampire twins, oddly enough there was only one of them. Lin-Lin tilted her head to the side in curiosity. "He must of left while I was still asleep." she thought. It was odd for them to be apart, but she could question him about that later. Now that she had a better view of the twin though, she could tell that it was Demio. He tended to be a bit more talkative when separated from his brother than when Doomiel was soloed out. "You called Demio?" she asked, taking another step towards the vampire. He was a lieutenant in the King's army, and one of the few people in the castle that hadn't forgotten to use manners when dealing with people other than the king. It was his practice of etique that made her have a respect for the young vampire.

Nithis and William Exit: Cloud Cottage

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