Alice was awakened from her sleep by high pitched screaming coming from down stairs. Groggily she wrapped her green velvet robe around her body and walked slowly down the stairs.
"Ma'am please lower your voice, you'll wake the ladies of the house." The butler said, he was dressed in his night clothes with only a candle to provide the light that came from down the stairs.
"Then let them wake, I need to speak with Alice. Now you go and wake her or I'll run up those stairs and get her myself!" The voice demanded.
Alice hurried down the steps, "Benjamin, who is it that wishes to see me at this time of night?" She said as she finished making her way down the stairs.
"She won't say Ms. Kingsleigh," Alice finished descending the stairs.
Before the butler was a woman with short bright blond-white hair and dark brown eyes. "Alice," She shouted and ran to her sobbing. "Oh Alice it's horrible, the worst thing imaginable, oh Alice." She sobbed into her shoulder. Alice froze in confusion.
"Who are…"
"It's me, Mallymkun." She said desperately. Alice, upon recognition, hugged her friend tightly.
"Mally, what is wrong please you must tell me!" She said as she directed her over to the love seat.
"Alice, what on Earth is going on down here?" Her mother said as she reached the bottom of the stairs.
"He's dead," Mally sobbed.
Alice froze, a single flame of hope burning in her heart that she wasn't speaking of whom she thought she was, "Who Mally? Who is dead, please tell me?" She whispered numbly. Then her worst fears were confirmed.
"Tarrant Hightopp, the Hatter!" Tears pricked Alice's eyes.
"How," was her next whispered question to Mally.
"He was driven by fear," She said, Alice's brows crinkled in confusion even as the tears rolled slowly down her cheeks to land on her hands joined with Mally's. "The Red Queen and her Knave were coming back, they were going to attempt another take over. The Hatter was afraid of what that meant, so he went off in search of them without the help of the Queen's guards. The Red Queen and Stayne are dead, but so is The Hatter." She sobbed.
"When did this happen?" Alice's lips barely moved as she asked the question.
"Nearly a week ago, it took two days to decide who would tell and when it was finally decided an entire day was spent on how to…" she wisely trailed off. "He isn't buried yet, but he will be soon. He'll be in the catacombs with his family, wearin' 'is kilt an' all with 'is claymore. Alice, please come back and say your final goodbyes? Please, come for Thackery and I, he was our closest friend, and now he's…" She trailed off again. Alice absently stroked her short hair and stared at her mother.
Helen nodded her consent with a frown of sorrow. "I'll go, I'll return with you Mally."