prologue

I shook my head. Hatter stop with these stupid fantasies! You're getting worse by the day! Sooner or later your going to be fantasizing and you'll fall off a cliff! And then you'll never be with her- Oh! There I go again! Why wouldn't it stop?

I banged my head on the table quite suddenly, startling everyone else at the perfectly white table. Everything was such a blinding shade of white. The walls, the floor, the ceiling ( that seemed quite far away), the table, the tablecloth, the china, the frosting on the (also white) cake, and even the people. I was the only one who was out of the dress code of pure white. even Thackery had dressed in a perfect white coat.

"Tarrant! What's wrong?" The queen asked. I looked up at her with my head still firmly planted next to my plate. My head was next to her hand because I was sitting directly on her right, an empty seat on her left. That seat was reserved for someone who was not present.

"It's happening again!" I screamed as I lifted my head up and clutched it on both sides. Everyone was watching me with confusion and worry. The queen stood.

"Excuse me everyone, I shall return in a moment." She then roughly grabbed my arm and dragged me away. She shoved me through the door to her rooms and slammed them behind her. She then turned back to me and shot daggers out of her black eyes that were burning with embarrassment.

"Hatter! This is the third time this week you've interrupted royal tea! If you continue to act in this manner I'll stop inviting you! Even Thackery is behaving himself. I am throughly ashamed of you. I demand you tell me what is wrong in your head lately! I took off my hat and fiddled with the rim, also drawing circles in the fluffy white carpet with my toe. She waited but I didn't say anything.

"Nothing." I whispered.

"Don't lie to me Tarrant Hightopp. I am your queen and I expect the truth when I ask you a question. I hung my head and stopped drawing imaginary circles.

"A-..." I didn't want to say that blasted girls name, why did it have to hurt so much? I faltered, hoping she would understand I gave her a look that told her she knew what was wrong, and she returned one that said, 'I know, I just want to hear you say it.' She wanted me to confess. Why did everyone have to hurt me so?

"Alice." I choked out. A look of satisfaction crossed her face, and then she smiled a sad smile, and wrapped me in her arms in an attempt of comfort.

"I understand. We all miss her, but you can't let her take over your life. She's just a girl." My brain erupted in anger and I watched helplessly from the corner in my mind as words spilled form my mouth, words none should ever say to royalty.

" Tha' ain't tru' an' ye' know it! Take it back! NOW!" I gripped her wrists until my knuckles turned white. She looked into my amber eyes that were rimmed in black with horror. I shouted somethings in outlandish at her as her hands turned red, then maroon, then purple.

" Alice ain't jus' an ordinary girl! She's a but'iful champion! Don't ye' ever call 'er jus' A girl ever again!" Suddenly, both our heads turned as The doors swung open and I was instantly seized by knights. I flailed and fought, but I was hopelessly outnumbered. A few people rushed over to the queen to help her. Suddenly, Cheshire appered next to the queen and said:

"Good thing I was watching you, who knows ho far he might have gone." I was going to kill that cat once I freed myself, oh right I forgot to keep struggling. I flailed my leg out and kicked a knight in the shins, he let go of my arm, but before I could twist away from the others, I was seized by another, pushed onto a chair, and held down. I screamed in rage at being held still. The queen regained her royal composer and walked cautiously over to me.

"What happened your majesty?" Nevins asked from my side. The queen looked at me with sorrow and hesitated, other than my grunts of effort to free myself, the room fell into silence. She finally opened her mouth and spoke.

" Tarrant Hightopp of Witzend, and royal hatter, of Mamorial, has just gone completely mad."

Well? This is a story I've just been dying to write, I like having a few stories going so that I can work on whatever I want. I've decided to do something different with this though, the more you review, the sooner I'll try to get the next chapter up. If you hated this chapter flame me, and if you liked it, tell me what I could do to improve on. Finally if you loved it tell me so because that just warms my heart. I really love you guys who put me on Author alert so that you could come and check this out before I advertised it in Memories And Dreams or Blood And Water. Thank's for reading! the next chapter will be up soon if not immediately.

Tarrant H.