DISCLAIMER: I do not own Alice in Wonderland

General POV~

It was quite late but of course there seemed to be no end to the work that poor Tarrant had to do to complete all the hats for the residents of the Red Queen's kingdom in Salazen Grum. The whole Kingdom as well as its occupants seemed a bit over-rated. Sure she was the Queen of Hearts but everything there was heart shaped. It seemed that no one was allowed to wear anything of light color since just about everyone had on black, red or both. But now back to poor Hatter.

There Tarrant was. Working his ivory fingers to the bone. And for what?! The Bloody Big Head! He had given his freedom away just so his Alice could escape in hopes of her finding the Vorpal Sword and slaying the Jabberwocky. He knew that all would be well in Underland as long as she killing the dreaded creature, even if it meant his life would not be sparred. Surely the Red Queen would kill him for refusing to tell her where his precious Alice was off to but of course being the noble man he is he would not tell a soul. Even when his head was on the chopping board; He would not give up her intentions.

Tarrant was lost in thought before there was a quick knock at his door followed by the door clicking open to reveal The Knave of Hearts. He pretended to ignore the sudden intrusion although he was wondering why the Bloody Red Queen would send anyone to check on him now. At this time everyone should have been asleep. Just because he's mad doesn't mean he's nocturnal.

Tarrant's POV~

I'm still working. I didn't know it could take so long to make 100 hats. I doubt that there were only a hundred people in this kingdom but I guess it's better than two hundred. I'm a prisoner here though. What else is there to do but make hats for the Queen? I considered myself lucky that she still had a use for me or else I would have been off to the chopping block weeks ago. I still haven't given up my dear Alice's

Whereabouts and I don't plan to. I believe that I have quite some time left to live peacefully without interrogation for a while. Iracabeth (Red Queen) seems quite engrossed in the thought of a ball. So engrossed that she forgot all about Alice for the most part. No one else in the kingdom seems to remember either but then again they're just a bunch of dim-witted fools trying to impress the Queen any way they can. I'm sure that everyone is obsessed with the ball, everyone except the Knave. He seems to watch me quite often and I wonder if he's trying to read my thoughts. A funny thing to wonder is it not? Oooh, I've made a rhyme!

While I was silently rejoicing in my involuntary poetic skills; I saw out the corner of my eye, the doorknob twisting. In came Ilosovic Stayne. I quickly tried to hide my shock by averting my eyes back towards my current hat-in-progress but I seemed to have failed.

"Have I startled you, Fair Maiden?" He smirked, apparently enjoying it when I nearly jumped out of my skin.

I just ignore him, knowing that sooner or later he'll give up and leave me alone.

He closed the door behind him and locked it. I tensed up a little. I'm perfectly aware of what Stayne could do, so it's only obvious why I scooted my chair back a bit. Not that I'd be able to run or actually attack due to the chain that bound me to the floor. My fear may have been visible because of the sudden change in my eye color. I didn't even need a mirror to know what color they were. Whenever I'm nervous they become a lighter shade of green and start to turn orange around the edges. Also because scooting my chair back had apparently made a very loud screech on the hard floor. He laughed. He knew he was making me uncomfortable and he found it humorous. He carefully relocated the hat I was working on and set the rest of my materials aside, clearing off the table. Then he spoke.

"I've always found you quite appealing, you know that right?"

I finally spoke up. "I'm not sure you'd call someone a lunatic if you find them appealing" "Oh, so you can talk? I thought you were only in the mood to chatter after a good cup of tea" "Alice liked tea" I know that something was telling me not to mention my Alice but I had to and now if he wasn't already thinking of torture methods to use on me if I refused to tell them where she was then he certainly was now.

His eyes grew wide. "So even when you've been captured, Alice is the only thought in your mind?" he asked. I was uncertain of what to say so I simply answered "I suppose." I should have seen it coming but I didn't. "If she's on your mind so much then how come she isn't here with you? I bet she's gone to ask Miranda to help her get back to Overland. She sure didn't come to rescue you. She left you at the mercy of the woman who destroyed your life. Or did you not tell her about what the "Bloody Red Queen" has done to your whole village. Your friends and family are all dead because of her. Where's your precious Alice now?! She's not here! She's not coming to save you

I was shocked to say the least. Why he decided to lash out all of a sudden when I mention Alice is just unthinkable.. Something hateful flashed in his eye before he blinked it away just as quickly as it came. Even though his eye happens to be blue, it was still green with envy. He was jealous of my Alice. What did he have to be jealous of? A whole kingdom wanted my poor Alice dead. MY poor Alice has to slay a Jabberwocky. MY poor Alice lives an unhappy life back in overland. I suppose my Alice has a few good things in her life. Such as her friends. Her freedom, that is as long as she isn't captured. And both of her eyes, but best of all, as I'd like to think…. she has me. I doubt that was what Stayne was jealous of though.

"You don't have to be jealous of my Alice," I said. Even though what he'd said hurt me deeply, I knew that my Alice was coming for me. I'd told her what the Queen had done and that she needed to be stopped. She was coming for me. I knew it. I was wondering why I had so much time to think but soon realized it was because Stayne hadn't responded. Instead he was looking at me like I'd stabbed him. He just turned around, Unlocked the door and before he left. He said: " She was never Your Alice"