This is my submittion to 's Couples and Duos Contest. You may want to keep your eye on it for about ten seconds.

I can't seem to figure out how to get a stamp in here, so here's a link to the contest instead: [link]

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Alice sat on her new found throne, quite taken aback by the recent turn of events.

The Cheshire Cat purred lazily in her lap. "That was quite a game you played. I don't think anyone has ever defeated the Queen in a game of croquet before."

"Why yes!" Alice said, " I couldn't believe it either!" Then, upon noticing that the Cheshire Cat's grin was slightly wider than usual, "You didn't have anything to do with that did you?"

The Cheshire Cat raised his eyes with what it probably thought was a look of innocence. "Who... me? Such a simple creature as myself couldn't even imagine altering such a profoundly important event." With that, he closed his eyes and rested his head on Alice's lap. But the grin, as always, maintained its presence.

Alice rolled her eyes with a slight smirk. She was quite used to his sarcasm by now, and trying to get a confession out of him would simply be a tiring and fruitless exercise. The Cheshire Cat's wit could run a conversation in circles, upside down, and inside out until whoever he was talking to quite forgot what they were talking about at all. Or, for that matter, who they were talking with, where they were, and what their own name was. And, besides, she was beginning to believe that turning invisible and creating riddles were not the extent of his powers by far.

But still, she couldn't suppress a thin smile as she petted him while he rested in her lap. The purring sounds he made sounded just like a normal cat, and for a brief moment reminded her of Dinah. She was almost startled when the cat suddenly started to lift his head.

The Cheshire Cat lazily opened one eye. "You know, you could probably remain queen here for as long as you want."

Alice was slightly taken aback. "How?" She put a finger to her lips and looked upward, as if trying to recall a memory. "The contest rules were stated quite specifically I believe. The winner would remain 'Queen for a Day'. So, when the sun sets I'm going to have to give this crown back I'm afraid." Then, another more disheartening thought entered her mind. "I suggest we leave quickly after that. The Queen did not appear very happy to give up her authority. Even for a second!"

Then, the Cheshire Cat looked up and stared Alice directly in the eyes with a grin that seemed even more devilish than usual. (If that was possible.) "What if there were no Queen to return the crown to?"

Alice's eyes grew wide. "Whatever do you mean? Even if that were true, wouldn't the King take the throne? Or, at the very least, the Queen's court would squabble over it for.. well.. ever!"

The Cheshire Cat's grew slim as he gazed over the court and all the various characters it contained. The people were still rejoicing over the raising of their new Queen. Even if it was just for a day, it was as if a heavy weight had been lifted from the conciseness of the community. They laughed and sang freely. For some of them, it was probably the first time they had done so in their lives. The Queen herself, was sulking in her room somewhere. No doubt, counting the remaining hours that the sun would remain in the sky. "Don't worry about them. The King is a spineless coward, and the nobles truly do have the mental capacity no greater than a deck of cards. I can handle them all easily."

"But, all this talk is quite irrelevant." thought Alice, "The Queen will never leave. I don't think she's even been beyond the castle walls!"

"Who said anything about leaving the castle? You could remove her from this world all together, and quite easily I might add."

"How?"

The Cheshire Cat raised his paw in an odd imitation of a human raising their fingers. "Four little words."

Alice cocked an eyebrow, "And, what words would that be?"

The Cheshire Cat turned his head, closed his eyes, and once again rested his head on Alice's lap. "Why, what four little words is the Queen saying all the time?"

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I consider myself to be a pretty big fan of these books. In the second book Alice actually does become a queen for a short while, but that was due to entirely different circumstances. (My version is more like an alternate ending, or continuation, to the first book.) I actually had the title of this piece picked out before I read it. Which is why I found it an interesting surprise for the chapter to be titled, of course, "Queen Alice".

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Done in Graphite.
H - 6B standard
F, B, 3B 0.5mm

PS and Flash to combine the two characters.

Time: lots and lots