The Green Caterpillar puffed languidly on his hookah at the edge of the Pool of Tears. Despite his carefree pose, he was obviously waiting for something. And had, in fact, been waiting for some hours for this particular something. A small cat, a cat which seemed to be a strangely normal grey tabby, snoozed primly in a sunbeam by his side. This cat however, if one were to look very closely, might have more truly been a sickeningly sweet, cotton candy shade of pink.<br/><br/>Then the surface of the water was broken with a SPLASH! And the tabby catâ€™s stripes all fled in different directions, the rest of the cat following soon after.<br/><br/>The Green Caterpillar only took one last drag from his pipe and laughed at the cowardly catâ€™s actions. It was just a girl, a young human, struggling to the surface and weighted down by her clothes. He waded into the water, careful not to get too deep, and reached out one long arm to grab hold of her hand. â€œYou must be Alyss. Iâ€™ve been waiting for you. Youâ€™re late, you know.â€<br/><br/>There was a soft towel drapedâ€¦ no, growing from the branch of a tree. Others grew from other branches, but this was the most mature that the Caterpillar pulled off and draped around her shoulders. â€œThe funeral has already started. And you wouldnâ€™t want to miss the King. Or your traveling companion.â€<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">--------</div><br/><br/>In the courtyard of the Heart Palace, the brilliant reds had all gone dark; the color of drying blood. Most of the guests had adopted this color as well, and those who hadnâ€™t were in black. Unlike the raucous parties that the Queen had been known to throw, this was a most decidedly somber occasion.<br/><br/>But, the doors were thrown wide open and everyone in both Wonderland and the Chessboard had been invited to come and pay their respects to the late Queen of Hearts. It seemed that most of the Kingdom and Queendom had.<br/><br/>The Queen of Hearts had been a kind, benevolent ruler during the Age of Hearts. And the kangaroos harrumphed loudly, hopping about and spilling their tea onto other, more solemn grievers whom they hoped would listen to their talk about Honor and Justice.