Honestly, I had no idea how I was going to get myself out of this one. I was literally backed into a corner, but my lips were still resolutely zipped as to the ring's whereabouts when I felt something sharp piercing through the skin of my arm. Wheeling my head around as fast as I could, I saw one of the "doctors" (I seriously doubted that either of them had ever been admitted to a university, let alone obtained a doctorate in something) brandishing a large emptied hypodermic needle and smirking sardonically.
"Nothing like a shot of Honesty to speed up an interrogation, eh Dee?" he chuckled, but his eyes stayed fixed on my every movement. I was frightened, but I returned his gaze, though I couldn't keep my hands from shaking. The man's laughter stopped abruptly and his voice was cold as steel as he asked, "Where is the ring, Alice?"
I thought of the forest, the fortress, and the king. I opened my mouth, but whether the honesty infiltrating my blood stream proved true or false, all words but one were dashed from my lips as the door opened and a familiar face appeared. "Hatter!" I cried out joyfully, thinking I'd never seen anything more beautiful in my life. "Alice, jump!" he called back, holding out his arms. I took a deep breath and a flying leap as I swung from the chandelier into the safety of Hatter's warm embrace.
Ever since the shot, I'd been feeling a little light-headed, and the sensation had steadily intensified so that by the time we'd rejoined Charlie in the hall, my head was spinning. "Alice of legend!" he exclaimed cheerily. "I think I'm going to be sick," I said. Hatter looked at me, his forehead creased in concern. "We have to get out of here – now. D'you think you can last a little longer?" "No," I answered truthfully, finding myself unable to make any other response. I could feel sweat forming on my brow, and the corners of my vision went hazy as my eyes slipped closed. I felt myself being lifted and carried, but before I could speak or even think, my mind had succumbed to the drug and I slipped into unconsciousness.
I fell in and out of the state, never really able to get my bearings, only getting glimpses of what was happening around me. Running, shouting, and once the sickening sensation that I was airborne, with Hatter as the only constant. No matter what I saw or heard, I slipped back to blackness feeling safe and secure in his arms.
When I finally awoke, I was lying on the soft sand next to a blazing fire. I could hear Charlie crooning softly and sat up to have a look around. He gave me a brilliant smile when I caught his eye and laughed delightedly. "About time you got up, can't save Wonderland without Alice, now can we?" I returned the smile a bit sleepily. "Besides, your young man has been worried sick," he added, with a knowing look. "Hatter?" I asked, looking around and only seeing an empty expanse of beach surrounding us. "Where is he?"
Just then, a figure emerged from the dense forest at the far end of the beach. My body stiffened instinctually until I saw that it was the very man I'd been searching for. Arms full of what appeared to be firewood, it wasn't until he'd advanced a few paces that he saw us, and the change in his body language was immediate. "Alice!" he shouted, and started to run. A hand up from Charlie had me on my feet to meet him, and the wood was haphazardly thrown aside as he spun me around in his arms. "Glad you're OK," he said finally, close to my ear.
"Thank you for taking care of me," I said shyly. "I would've been a goner if it hadn't been for you two. Who would've thought you could die of honesty?" I added, laughing a little. "Not as uncommon as you might think, actually," said Hatter, setting me down on the ground. "Emotional overdoses are never pretty. And I'd know, seen a lot, me." He shook his head, looking suddenly very tired. "Poor Hatter," I said, reaching up to brush his cheek with my fingertips, and he leaned into the touch.
Charlie, who had been up to that point resolutely building up the fire, cleared his throat loudly, reminding us that we were, unfortunately, not alone. "Alice of legend," he began, and Hatter smirked at me conspiratorially. "The question remains: What now are we to do?" I shrugged. "I'm open to suggestions."
"Well, for starters, we need the ring," said Hatter, looking at me with a question in his eyes. "Can't do any bargaining without it, and more importantly, can't open the Looking Glass." "It's on the hand of the Red King's skeleton," I said, "Which reminds me – Hatter, why can't I lie? I don't feel sick anymore, so shouldn't the Honesty have worn off by now?" He sucked in a breath. "Funny thing about that… ah, well…" he said, hemming and hawing until I couldn't take another second. "Just spit it out, Hatter!" I exclaimed, exasperated. "It's not going to wear off," he finished quickly.
"WHAT?" I shouted, absolute disbelief coursing through my veins. "You mean… do you mean I'm stuck like this for the rest of my life?" "Sorry, but… yeah. Sorry…" said Hatter, and to his credit, he did look apologetic, although I saw the tiniest of smiles tugging at the corner of his mouth. I sat down hard on the sand, speechless in horror. "I think I'm going to need a minute." Charlie patted my back a bit absently, saying "There there, it's not so bad…."
"Easy for you to say, Charlie!" I huffed. Looking back up at Hatter in desperation, I asked "Are you absolutely sure it's not temporary?" He sighed. "Look Alice, after being injected with so much undiluted emotion, it's a wonder you're not dead. Besides, you should be glad it was Honesty they gave you, and not, I dunno, Desire. Can you imagine? Always wanting everything you saw… and everyone," he added with a smirk. "If you're trying to make me feel better, it's not working," I grumbled. "And none of this is helping us save Wonderland."
Hatter shrugged, but his tone was gentle as he said, "First thing we have to do is get to the fortress. After that, I know we'll think of something. It'll be all right, you'll see." I shook my head, but I couldn't help being a little cheered by Hatter's assurances. For some reason, everything looked just a bit brighter when he was around. "OK," I said finally, looking from him to Charlie and back again. "Let's go get the ring."