[This takes place at the very end of the Alice in Wonderland, 2010 movie. This has Alice in Wonderland characters. Leilani, Elizabeth, and their brother are created by me]
Alice took the vile of putrid liquid. The blood from the beast she had slain was a purple color and smelled of rotten fruit along with smoke. Alice lifted her sword and struck the beast yet again, slicing him right in the middle of his head. Her Queen looked at her, wondering why she did such a thing when the beast had already been defeated. She already decapitated him, what more did she want? Alice turned to her and smirked, embarrassed at her behavior in front of the Queen.
"Anger, I suppose." She spoke. The Queen smiled her beautiful smile, her hands in midair as though they were levitating on their own. She twirled around and hummed softly to herself.
"You do know what this is for, do you not?" The Queen asked. Alice thought about it. She was about to devour the blood of this beast without even knowing what it would and could possibly do to her.
"I don't." She admitted. The Queen chuckled softly and sighed.
"If you wish to go home, you may drink this. If you wish to stay, then you can toss it away." She explained. Alice looked around at everyone. She saw the Tweedles, who were frowning, unable to decide whether she was going to stay or leave. It seemed like everyone was revolving around her, waiting for her decision as though it would change the kingdom forever on end. And then she saw him, Tarrant. He was frowning at her. His usual lime green eyes were a dull gray. She took two steps towards him.
"You don't have to go." He spoke. She stared at him, a slight smile curving upon her lips. As she saw his smile, his cute, adorable gap-toothed smile, she chuckled a little, a tear rolling from her eye. His smile faded slowly.
"I possibly can't. My family…I have family back home." She spoke softly, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"You'll forget me completely." He assured her. Alice blinked at his accusation.
"Me? Forget you? Why would I? Hatter, you're my dearest friend." She said, placing both hands to his cheeks, looking into his eyes. Hatter's cheeks grew an odd rosy color and she smiled. Looking at the vile, she knew what she had to do. She unraveled the top and sniffed the liquid another time.
"Alice?" Asked Hatter. The blonde girl turned to him and nodded.
"Yes? What is it?"
"Have you any idea why a raven is like a writing desk?" He asked. That same "riddle", if you wish to call it that, tampered with her all along her journey in Wonderland. She chuckled a little and shook her head, her blue eyes twinkling as the day was nearing its end. Her blonde curls flowed with her at her head movement, making Hatter look deeper into her soul than ever before. He blushed ever so slightly and cleared his throat.
"I haven't a clue," She spoke in a whisper, as though she were ashamed of not knowing. "Why, do you?"
Hatter leaned in, grinning his toothy grin. "Neither do I," He said. They stared at each other for a few moments. Alice felt her cheeks grow hot. She didn't want to leave him, nor Underland. She wanted to stay, but she just couldn't. She made a distasteful facial expression and downed all of the blood, shaking her head at the awful taste. Tarrant hesitated. He knew that this was his chance…his only chance. He leaned forward to give her a quick kiss but the only action coming from his mouth were the Scottish words: "fairfarren, Alice." Before it seemed like she dissolved into a cloudy black smoke. He sighed heavily, lowering his head and turning to his friends.
"Now, now, Tarrant, need not fret, she'll come again. I can assure you that." The White Queen spoke. Tarrant nodded his head slowly and feigned a smile.
"I suppose you are right." Said the hatter as his fingers touched the brim of his overly large top hat. The only thought crossing his mind- "Alice".
-2 years later-
Alice stared down upon her engagement ring as it shined on her finger. She sighed heavily, a sense of pain in her stomach. She didn't want this. She did not wish to be married. Marriage was just a bunch of nonsense to her. She didn't believe in love in that manner. She loved music, and nature, and people, but she certainly didn't love Hamish, the one man she was forced to marry…by her dearest mother. She sat on the bench in the large garden of Hamish's house. Her two "friends" trailed behind her and sat across from her. They looked at nothing except the ring dazzling on her slim finger.
"That certainly is a beautiful ring." Said Frances. Frances was married, and for such a young age, she had four kids already. She got married when she was fifteen.
"Thank you, Frances." Alice nodded.
"How many carats? George got about 14 carats on this bad boy, right here. Says it's made in Italy. He knows how much I'd love to go to Italy. I do say, Alice, have you ever been to Italy?" Asked Lillian. It was very hard for Alice to keep track of her words. Lillian was a fast-talking little thing, with long red hair and blue eyes as cold as the winter. They were full of jealously.
"I'm not sure on the carats, and no, I have not been. I do know that our honeymoon is definitely out of the question. Mother just wants me to be his wife, get things over and done with, and that's it. No happiness, just marriage for the extra land. I don't want to be held with someone I don't care one lick about! Do you know what it feels like to be married to someone you don't love at all?" Alice asked them both. The two young women just grinned at her and nodded. They both picked out things they loved about their husband, and took it from there. Nothing more, nothing less. Frances only liked her husband's silky black hair, and Lillian? Well, Alice was not sure if there's anything she liked about Lawrence.
"You know you must have children, right? If not, then there will not be an heir nor an heiress." Lillian spoke up.
Alice blinked and blushed. The thought of her and Hamish making love just did not add up right. It's like having chocolate cake with three types of chocolate and having the sweetest drink afterwards. Normally, what would happen to most, would be an aching stomach. Just like her and Hamish having children…it's bound to go wrong, probably.
"What if I don't want kids?" Alice asked. Lillian and Frances looked at each other and then back to her.
"Oh you will," Frances said, toying with her hair. "There's not a doubt on that."
Alice, having heard enough, wanted to leave the gardens to go inside. She was taking a break from her whole wedding issue, but she sat, looking off, utterly bored. She saw some rustling in the bushes and sat up quickly.
"Did you see that?" She asked, pointing to the bush. The two girls looked at her.
"See what?"
"Something's in the bushes." She said.
They stared, trying to see what she saw, but it had stopped.
"Alice! Come in now! We have to measure you!" Called Hamish's mother. Alice sighed and shook her head slowly. Frances and Lillian stood, but Alice heard the rustling more than ever now.
"Aren't you coming?" Lillian asked.
"I'm waiting for the rabbit." Alice spoke. The two girls looked confused.
"Do you wish to catch it? Is it of disturbance?" Asked Frances. Alice shook her head quickly.
"What would you say if I told you this rabbit has a coat and a pocket watch?" She asked.
"Have you gone mad? That's completely deranged, what you said." Lillian spoke up.
Alice rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying. You two go on. I'm staying." She shoved them off.
The two girls shuffled off to the house and as soon as they left, the rabbit appeared.
"Alice! Hurry, now." Said the rabbit. Alice stood up, trying to recognize where she's seen him from. He tapped his pocket watch and hopped off.
Alice frowned. "Who's to say that I must go?" She asked.
"Underland is in DANGER. Surely you must know this? Since two years ago, the Red Queen escaped and now she's causing destruction amongst all of the White Queen's nation!" He said, hopping around. Clearly he was antsy.
"Alice! Where are you, child?" Called Hamish's mother.
"I'm coming! I just lost my necklace," She lied. The rabbit grinned and the name popped into her head. "Aha, you're the White Rabbit, aren't you?"
He looked appalled. "Don't tell me you forgot about us!"
"I didn't." Alice lied through her teeth. She forgot everyone, everything…well, almost everyone.
"Come now." He said.
"I refuse!"
He hopped to her, took one good jump, and snatched her ring off her finger.
"If you want this beauty back, you need to follow me." He trailed off.
"Come back!" Alice said, tears forming in her eyes. She hated losing valuable possessions. She dashed after the rabbit, hoping to pounce on him and retrieve it back. She didn't realize it until she came to a tree trunk, falling into the large gaping rabbit hole beneath it.
She screamed, falling for what seemed like hours. She hit a bed on the way down, making her bounce off and start falling more. She hit the "floor", falling what seemed like upward and hitting the actual floor once more. Now it started getting familiar to her.
She walked around in the small house-like structure, drinking liquids and eating cake. She trotted from place to place, finally seeing the rabbit and chasing after him for a good while. She grew tired and appeared at a large black dilapidated house, but there were clearly still residents. The rabbit slowly stopped and she picked him up, retrieving her ring. She placed it on her finger and walked towards the table, seeing a rabbit, a small mouse, and a man sitting at the head of the table, his arms crossed in front of him as he hung his head down low. It grew quiet once the mouse recognized her.
"Alice?" he asked.
The man slowly raised his head, revealing green lively eyes, wild orange hair, and odd, but creative clothes. He stood up and ran towards her.
"Alice? You've come back to help Underland defeat the Queen yet again?" he asked, taking her in his arms, hugging her tightly and spinning her around. She patted his shoulders.
"Put me down." She ordered. He stopped and did as he was told.
"So are you?"
"Am I what?"
"Silently planning a way to defeat her?"
"Why is this so important?" She asked. His eyes grew aquamarine.
"Because without your help, we could all die." He spoke. She stared at them all.
"Uhm, Mr. Hatter, I'm sure you'll do fine without me. Honestly, I don' think-" she started, until Tarrant stopped her.
"Mr. Hatter? It's as if you do not know me. Have you forgotten me?" He asked her.
She stared into his eyes, unable to be nice and lie or tell him the flat truth.
"Of course not, Terrance…Tarrant." She corrected herself. His eyes grew red.
"You said you wouldn't forget me, and you have. You shouldn't make promises that you can't keep, Alice. It'll come back to haunt you in the future, surely you understand that? Me nation is being destroyed by the bloody big head and all you can do is ignore us?" His thick Scottish accent made her remember everything.
"I swear I didn't forget anyone." She said, trying to calm him down. But it was too late. He noticed the band on her finger, and grabbed her wrist tightly, studying it.
"Aye, but that's the beauty of it all, isn't it, love? Especially this ring, you got there. Married? Children, too, I suppose?" He asked.
"Hatter, you're hurting me." She said, trying to break free of his grip.
"Hurting YOU? Me, hurting you? Why would I do such a thing like that when just by the show of this ring, you're happily living your dream life, and I'm here thinking about you, waiting for you to come back so that maybe one day I could be this lucky man? Tell me now, who's really hurt?" He asked, his grip getting tighter. She let out a yelp of pain.
"Tarrant!" She said, breaking free. She studied it, and looked up at Tarrant who's eyes were red.
"Care to join us for some tea?" He asked, walking to the table, picking up a tea cup and throwing it in her direction. She dodged it and ran, being hit by teacups.
-22 years later-
I could hear mother and father arguing yet again. I didn't know how they did it, staying together all these years. They didn't love each other, and father had around three mistresses. He'd come home, intoxicated from parties, and claim that mother was the only woman in his life. Though we all knew that was a lie, she was still flattered and still stayed with him. She couldn't leave, anyhow. Only he could say where the marriage was going, and she couldn't put her word in it, unless he asked, which was NEVER.
"We need to move!" Mother shouted.
"Jacob needs to find a suitable wife! We shall not leave." Father spoke up. Their consistent arguing would always invade in my privacy and personal studies.
"But we must! I told you about the dreams I've had. They're coming back! Something's going to happen near the rabbit hole in the backyard." She warned. I heard two smacks, and it was quiet.
"Now you listen to me, I told you we are not moving until Jacob finds a wife, is that clear?" he asked.
"Yes, sir." Mother spoke softly. I shook my head slowly. 'yes, sir'. Ha! No one will dare hear me say those words to my husband, no matter if he's good to me or not.
"That's what I thought." He said. I sighed, burying my face into my pillow and looking out the window.
Why must we never go into our backyard? There was something mother didn't want us to see. I opened my window, with the full intention of jumping out and investigating. Yet, when I opened my window, I saw a rabbit, pointing at his pocket watch.
I gasped, blinking a few times to see if this was really happening. Rabbits don't wear coats, nor do they have pocket watches. It was still there, hopping towards me. I closed the window quickly, laying on my bed, trying to convince myself that that wasn't possible.