I am living a lie. I have been ever since the moment that I first saw her. That had been the only perfect moment of my life. She has the face of an angle, I don't care what anyone else says. On that day, I had sworn to myself that, although I didn't even know her, I would find a way for the two of us to be together.
Then destiny got in the way.
I was meant to fall in love with Alice, not her alter ego. I was meant to save her marriage, to seem like only a reflection of her husband. In truth, I didn't want any of that. I didn't want my life to be centered around a girl that I would only know for a day. I didn't want to be Alice's stepping stone. But, alas and alack, I couldn't control my own destiny.
For years I had to hide everything that I really thought. I became obsessed with being a hero, because all of the hero's that I had heard of had control over their own lives. I thought that, if I pretended that I was someone like that for long enough, it would become my reality.
I soon discovered that life wasn't like fairytales. I realized how dark Wonderland really was. This was a world that I wished I didn't have to be a part of.
The worst part was that I was still in love with The Mad Hatter. There wasn't a day that went by where I didn't think of her. I knew that she knew who I was, although we had never really talked to one another. It seemed her life ambition was to over throw The Queen of Heart, and she was quickly rising to the top of society to do so.
Like me, she was also waiting for Alice to come to Wonderland. The difference was that I was waiting to help Alice, and she was waiting to be her undoing. I wished with all of my heart that things could be different.
When I first met Alice, it wasn't hard to look like I was falling for her. She was a nice girl, and it seemed like the only thing that she wanted was to get back to her daughter. I was her guide, she needed a hero and I was the only one around. I was surprised that she hadn't realized the resemblance that I bared to her husband.
Sitting at the tea party had been unbearable. This hadn't been the first time that I had been to one of these events. I wasn't a supporter of this undercover rebellion, but Hatter was the leader and I took every chance that I had to see her.
Alice had been surprised that Hatter was a girl, and it seemed that Alice had been a bit of a surprise to Hatter. I watched the two of them talk, I could tell by their expressions that Hatter had already begun her attack on Alice's self-esteem.
I stood up for Alice when this attack became public. The sneer that Hatter gave me cut like a knife. She looked like she could tell my life's story in that one instant. That was insane. The one thing that she needed to know about me was something that I knew would never cross her mind.
"See how the mighty stupid have fallen!" I didn't want to have to meet Hatter's gaze, but if I knew that if I didn't she would think that I was a coward. "Most of my prisoners get their brains turned into tapioca, but for you three I'll reduce your collar size. By a good sixteen inches!"
"You don't frighten us!" I was surprised how strong my voice sounded, when, in reality, I was dying inside. I hated the way that she was looking at me.
For the whole conversation, I wished that I could just shut up, but words wouldn't stop pouring out of my mouth. I'm sure I looked confident or at least brave, but I felt like I was on the verge of tears.
As we were being led away, I turned my head to say one more thing. "Cowards die many times, Hatter, the valiant die but once."
"You'll find, White Knight, that once will be enough." She twisted her beautiful face into a smirked as she said this.
The next few hours went by in a blur. I was surprised that we had been able to escape so easily. We had used The White Hare's watch to turn back time and free Hatter's slaves. Now The March Hare was defenseless and out numbered.
"Where is Chole?" I demanded. Maybe we could just get Chole and get out. Maybe we wouldn't have to encounter Hatter again.
He told us where she was, and warned us that we were still in danger from Hatter. "Here", he handed me a scroll of paper. "You can use this against her, if you just let me go free. I've learned my lesson, honest." It seems that this hare's loyalty was easily bought. I told myself not show the anger that I felt towards him. How could he just betray Hatter like that?
"Very well." I opened the scroll and skimmed over it's contents. It was an execution list, and the bottom name was The Queen's. That was when I realized that only the only way for us to win was to expose Hatter to The Queen. I couldn't do that. The Queen would surely kill her.
I heard a shout and looked up, tucking the paper in my jacket pocket. Hatter was coming.
"We'll go get Chole, you protect Alice." The Whit Rabbit said to me as he and the other two ran in out of the door.
"Hatter I want my daughter!" Alice shouted as Hatter entered the room.
"First, the final riddle, Alice", Hatter said coolly. I pulled Alice back.
"I can protect you", I said.
"No Jack", she said calmly. "This is between me and The Hatter. Alright tell me your riddle!"
"Though eyes I have they have no sight. I can't be seen in black of night. If I move left than you move right. In a looking glass I come to light. Who am I?" Alice thought for a moment before she answered.
"You're my reflection."
"Very good, Alice. I'm your alter ego." Hatter smirked as she said this. She thought she was winning. "You were meant to come here years ago, but when real life interrupted your childhood I came into being. Since then, every time someones ever broken a promise to you or broken your heart it has become a part of me."
"Then I'm sorry for you", Alice said in an emotionless voice.
"Don't be, I'm all you wish you were." Hatter voice was cold when she spoke this.
"No, through all my ups and downs I'm glad I'm who I am." Alice said proudly. It looked like Hatter had a retort ready, but was interrupted by the sound of trumpets.
The Queen had arrived.
"Have you gone mad Hatter?" The doors of the Queen's carriage were flung open. "Why have you started the ceremony without me? I thought I was to condemn the first trader to death."
"I'm not a trader Your Majesty, she is!" Alice looked at me, and I knew what she was waiting for. Maybe I could prove that Alice was innocent, and then I could get Hatter out of here before The Queen could execute her. The Queen didn't have any guards with her so it wouldn't be hard.
"Check the execution list Your Highness, she's filled in your name last." I pulled the scroll for my pocket and gave it to The Queen. I told myself not to look, but my gaze fell upon Hatter's face. I expected to see rage and fury, but I saw only shock and hurt. That instant she realized that she had been betrayed by the only one that she had trusted. These were emotions that she would normally hide, but she had been caught off guard, at the moment she had abandoned her facade. Reality was crashing down on her, and it broke my heart to watch.
"Hatter, I must banish you to that land beneath from which the is no return!" The Queen said as she looked up from the list.
What? No, she couldn't do that, right? She never banished people, I thought that she enjoyed cutting of their heads too much to even consider it.
"Your Highness wait!" Alice said quickly. "Hatter you don't have to be a bully. Come home to me."
"Yes", Hatter said in a small voice. "Yes, Alice I want that. Take my hand." I saw the trap, but apparently Alice didn't, and I was too late for my to stop her. The moment Alice took Hatter's hand, Hatter pulled her towards her and unsheathed a dagger.
"If I have to live in eternal torment then so must you. We'll be together forever." She said in an eerie voice.
I noticed The Caterpillar and The Cheshire Cat in the doorway, they looked at me and I realized what they were thinking. I realized what I was expected to do, what I had to do.
"Hatter!" They shouted. Hatter automatically turned at the sound of her own name, and I quickly pulled Alice away from her. I caught hold of her arm that had the dagger, knowing that her first thought would be to stab me.
"Banish her now!" I shouted, my heart sinking as I said this. She struggled for a moment, anger filling her eyes, as we were pulled downward at a fast speed.
When we reached the bottom I would tell her the truth, I would find a way to get her to listen to me, and a way to get her to believe me. If she was going to be banished for eternity, I didn't want her to have to spend it alone. If she did I knew that she would slowly go insane. I wouldn't let that happen.
I knew that I had ruined her life, and would do everything in my power to make it up to her. I would do everything I could to prove to her and to myself that our story didn't have to end like this. That we could actually be happy.
Because, in the end love isn't a curse.