A/N: So I'm finally posting this, sorry for those who were waiting. For everyone else this is part two to my first fic "One and Two and Through and Through" it's probably better that you read the first fic first to understand what's happening in the second one. This one looks to be shaping up to be a lot longer then the first so it's going to be a long haul. Anyway, on with the show.
Reviews are much appreciated.
Summary: Alice's son Charlie is alive one more but the business is Stayne had brought on a whole new set of problems. The Gryphon has lost his abilities to shapeshift and is awaiting trail for interfering with mortal affairs and gifting life and his powers to the young boy. Alice is struggling with her new abilities and is finding it near impossible to negotiate being the new Dark Lord of Underland while trying to be a mother and lover. Tarrant is at a loss at how to deal with his son and Alice. While the two Queens are simply trying to negotiate their own relationship and the continued existence of all Underland people while it's high lords war with one another for sadly, Time has returned with a vengeance.
To the Looking Glass World
The First One
The Castle of Marmoreal had been previously been known for it's unassailable beauty and almost ethereal appearance; in truth it still was. The torrents had not changed a great deal over the last few years and they still shone brightly in the sunlight; their chess like visages reflected upon the checkerboard landscape with an aire of authority unmatched in Underland. The gardens were as lovely as they had ever been, dotted with cherry, apple, oak, maple and birch and the trees always happy, secure and friendly. Even the people of Marmoreal were a very pleasant bunch; civil, polite and dressed to the nines, always ready with a kind word, a charming smile and an understanding ear. The members of the White Queen's court were moreso. As per Queen Mirana's request they were temperate, delicate and always congenial. In short they were the perfect companions for a woman who was renown for her beauty, majesty and kindness. All in all not much had changed in the kingdom of Marmoreal in terms of its appearance and how it was run. Even a war could not create negativity and resentment in its serene borders.
However, as of late, the nature of Underland itself seemed to be changing and while Marmoreal had always been a central point of interest for all the residents it was now the sole place of interest. Subjects of Underland, large and small, stalked to Marmoreal (going as far as to camp upon it's grasses and sleep in its serene woods) just to witness the strange events that were occurring there. At that very moment the capital city and seat of the only monarchy left in Underland housed not only the White Queen but three other persons of great interest. The First was the Red Queen, Iracebeth of Crims (recuperating from her exile and physical traumas in the safety of her sister's berth) the second was the White Lord Gryphon (a creature who had once been set and stone in the form of a Griffen now walked the grounds as a man) and the third was perhaps the most infamous, the once Champion Alice Kingsliegh, much changed since her last ordeal in Underland.
All these personas and more made for an intriguing drama the likes of which the people of Underland had not seen in a great long while. Even moreso their combined presences made for a hectic brunch.
"Tea?"
The proffered pot was paused for only a moment as scone came flying towards her head at an unbelievable speed but the recovery seemed to be just as speedy and the pastry attack forgotten as quickly as it was launched. In fact, the Hatter seemed totally unfazed by the projectile, dropping gracefully at the knees and gently but firmly pressing Alice's head down as well so as to avoid impact and a rather sticky situation. The pastry hit the far wall with a low thud, dropping to the floor and rolling a few inches before coming to a full stop nearly five feet from the table. She sighed, shaking her head at the March Hare and Dormouse who seemed rather over eager in their serving duties. A rather common situation which caused Alice to idly wonder why on earth Mirana would place those two in charge after the last three tea parties they had been forced to sit through when their idea of proper manners was to blitzkrieg the guests with airborne baked goods. She took a moment to give them a sharp look and cocked her head to the side to indicate the rapt attention the young boy to her left was paying them both before she turned her eyes back to Tarrant.
"Please, some tea would be lovely." she smiled encouragingly.
His grin was enough to warm her as the sweetness of her words seeped into his brilliant green eyes. He nodded softly as he gently poured the amber coloured liquid into her delicate black china cup before he turned his attention to the boy at her side. Her own attention was drawn to the potential interaction and she brought the tea cup to her lips while still keep a closer watch on the pair. She observed carefully as Tarrant stepped around the back of her chair to position himself between them in as friendly a manner as he could muster. Alice felt her own sense of nervousness rise as she watched her son lower his small sketchbook from the table to his lap, looking at his unacknowledged father with two very critical golden eyes.
She bit her lip, waiting to see Charlie's reaction. Her son could be a hard nut to crack. He was sweet and loving with those he chose to favour but to others (those he decided he disliked) he could be indecipherable. A thick skin was already set in place after years of harsh treatment and misunderstanding at the hands of those who feared his differences and it was certainly in place now as he watched Tarrant. She swallowed the sense of guilt that settled into the pit of her stomach. The recent events with Stayne had only served to reinforce his distrust of those he did not know personally and it seemed her boy felt very disinclined to know the Mad Hatter in any way. Tarrant, for his part in this new little ritual, looked as hopeful as their son did indifferent. He held the teapot to his chest as a shield, his face radiating a sort of desperate friendliness that set even Alice's own teeth on edge. His eyes wide with hope and more then a bit of longing as he looked at their son.
It was so odd that despite their matching hair and eerily similar faces the two were completely opposite when the notion of speaking to one another arose. Then again she could hardly blame them. So much had changed and so quickly that they all seemed to be struggling to catch up. No one under the palace roof had the luxury of peace at the moment and the entire group assembled was in a constant state of flux; repairing old unacknowledged relationships was not a priority when confronted with the new and immediate dangers they were in. Living in Marmoreal had provided her with a fine opportunity to allow Charlie to acclimatize himself to the Hatter and Underland as well as his new abilities and life. Sadly, all those things were going less successfully then she would have liked.
Her eyes gazed around the table, taking a moment to acknowledge everyone present and note their moods. The table had been rather tense as of late, with all the new arrivals to Marmoreal coming and going, not the least of which were Alice herself and Charlie. Near the head of the table, just to the right of her sister, the Red Queen sat in a wicker wheelchair sipping on her tea. Her appearance was merely a shadow of the proud monarch she had once been. She still looked weak and fragile even months after the incident, a testament to the sheer brutality of the near death experience she had endured at the hands of Illosovic Stayne. Her clothing was new and lovely (a gift from the Hatter when he learned of her role in saving their son) and her head appeared to be just a little bit smaller then Alice remembered it being, it would make sense considering she had fallen off an exceptionally high horse as of late. Yet, she was still very, very weak and technically still exiled to the Outlands. Alice did note that the first seven years of exile seemed to have done her some good and her personality was much changed for the better. In all their time together Alice had never seen her once revert to violence, in fact she seemed more matronly and was exceptionally good with Charlie. In Alice's mind she owed her once enemy a debt of gratitude for the roles she played in keeping her son safe. She knew that many of Iracebeth's trials at the hands of Stayne were a direct result of her refusal to allow the young boy to come to harm. In Alice's mind any woman who was willing to endure the violation she nearly endure at the hand's of Lowell Manchester was worthy of her loyalty and respect.
"Mummy?" a small voice drew her attention from the conversing Queens.
Alice turned her head to see that Tarrant had not moved at all, to offer tea, or pour or anything of the like. Instead he was just sitting there smiling at Charlie. It made Alice want to scream in frustration. Her son looked rather uncomfortable and kept his gaze tightly locked on the Hatter as he edged closer to her and managed to get onto her lap.
"Yes love," she answered softly, easing his body up and noting that soon he would be far too big to sit on her lap.
"May I go see Miss Iracebeth now?" he asked her, his eyes suspicious and never leaving the Hatter's face, as if he were scared the latter would soon attack.
Realizing that it would be much better for Tarrant to concede defeat she nodded her head at the boy's request.
"Of course but remember Miss Iracebeth is still healing and if she and her sister are having a private talk you must come right back to me, is that understood?" Alice smiled, turning her son's face to look into her own while running her free hand through his riotous red curls.
"Yes," he grinned happily.
In a flash he had jumped off her lap and was hurtling towards the front of the table. She watched with a pleasure as both Queens saw him coming and opened their arms wide with excitement for him. He hovered at the Red Queen's feet, motioning something with his hands before she called to the card shaped attendant who wheeled her around and had him hoist Charlie into her lap. While there he began explaining something with his hands, drawing both of the women into his web as he giggled and smiled and shone with all the joy a seven year old who was well loved should have. Alice felt her own pang of sadness rise at the sight, she had never been able to truly give him that. Not alone in the Aboveworld anyway. There Charlie had been ostracized, rejected and treated as a pariah and she had allowed it. She had done what she could to make him feel at home and welcomed in the land of his birth but in the end it had amounted to nothing and he had been willing to go into Underland with a man who claimed to be his father merely because it seemed to him no one else really wanted him.
"Alice?"
This was Tarrant and she felt his hand snake into hers as he took Charlie's vacated seat next to her, she turned to him, dashing the tears in her eyes with a smile. His own face was a mask of concern and as he came closer she took his face between her hands and ran her fingers along his brow, smoothing out the worry lines. For his part he closed his eyes at her touch, leaning into her palm and placing a kiss at her wrist. It was rare that they were able to have moments like this and she felt a little odd doing it at the White Queen's long white table however it didn't take long before someone to notice them. She reacted to the cup flying at her head instantly, unable to duck in time she turned to face the thing head one and was shocked when it exploded in the air, shattering into dust and then flying out as if it had been torn apart from inside.
She could only stare, her eyes narrowing at the action. Then, without warning, Alice shoved herself free of her chair, moving swiftly she ran from the table, her eyes weeping and her heart a mess of confusing emotions.
She stormed over the white tiles, noting that her feet seemed to be leaving black footprints again. The observation did nothing but further incite her frustration and her fast pace morphed into a light jog and then a full out run. She followed the calling, letting her feet guide her forward, through the twisting hallways and then out into the cherry blossom gardens. She moved between the trees surely, a complete contrast to the beauty and serenity of the place. She spotted him sitting upon a short plinth, his one leg crossed over his knee, his ankle resting upon the edge of his leg. His long white hair hung down to his waist, twisted into an intermingling plait that glittering iridescent in the sunlight. His skin was a tanned hue, once a glowing gold but now more natural. He was looking at his hands with the most intense concentration; his black eyes were fixed, endless in their depth and turned towards her with a wealth of emotion. His arms opened easily for her, catching her and stopping her forward motion in one quick movement. He held her tightly to his chest and Alice felt her own heartbeat slowing, the panic in her body subsiding at his nearness. For his part the Gryphon merely held her, using his own sense of calmness to seep into her body, completely the circle of her frantic emotions and letting them just disappear into the ether.
Since the entire ordeal with Stayne and the return to Underland things had not been going as well as she hoped. Her reunion was bittersweet, tainted with the lies and power they had all been forced to bear yolk under. Being forced to take on the Jabberwocky's power and his responsibility as Lord over the Darkness of Underland had seemed a fair trade for her son's life at the time but in the end it had hurt both her and Gryphon; tying them to one another and forcing them into unwanted symbiosis. Of course it was not as if she didn't like Gryphon but the dependence she felt she had on him due to her own inability to control her feelings and her new found powers, was more then damaging to her sense of self then even forced engagement to Hamish had been. Throughout her entire adult life she had been totally independent of others. It had been a long hard fight but in the end she had established herself as a successful businesswoman and single mother in her own right with no need for others to define her life. Now it seemed that everything she was relied on others, Tarrant, Gryphon, Charlie even Mirana. Her existence was dependent on the presence of those beings around her who had taken her in and were teaching her the rules of a world she should have commanded. And of all those Charlie was the only person she was comfortable with relying on.
She looked up at the Gryphon as guilt washed over her again. Simply put her son was the reason for his predicament. She had made him promise that he would save her son in exchange for her taking up his twin's lost power and retorting the balance to Underland. This meant that when Stayne had dashed the boy on the rocks in the Outland Mountains the Gryphon as honour bound to grant her boy his life back. She was grateful for Charlie but in the end she still felt the guilt at his sacrifice; in returning her son's life he had broken his oath of non-interference with mortal affairs and as punishment for the violation he was now bound in a human form. She could not imagine how horrible it must be for him. A creature who had been little less then a god was now a mortal man, still able to control some aspects of his old self but, for the most part, trapped in his own skin. However, her own guilt aside the simple matter was that still she needed him as intently as he seemed to need her. Her own part in his punishment did not seem to enter his mind as he held her tightly and calmed her. His own powers (such as they now were) still enough to overcome her fledging ones, after all the one thing he still did have in abundance was the ability to control himself. And her.
"What happened?" he asked after a moment, gently pulling her back and looking at her with sweetness in his eyes.
She smiled sheepishly. Others complained he was arrogant, selfishness and self absorbed. She had never seen it. He had been nothing but kind and supportive to both herself and Charlie since he had come to stay in Marmoreal and over the last few weeks was helping her to learn her abilities and gain some control over them, lest she become another Stayne.
"I was with taking brunch with the Queen and our friends," she replied gently, looking into his face, "The March Hare threw a teacup at me. It exploded before it hit me. When I say that I mean it disintegrated, into nothing more then dust swirling about and I found myself thinking, I could do that to a person if I wasn't careful. I could to that to Charlie, or to Tarrant..." she let the thought drift, she could feel her own eyes blackening with the painful thoughts before his hands cupped her face the way she had cupped the Hatter's not long ago, "I just can't do this Gryphon, it's too much... I just can't..."
"Come now," he stated gently, "Calm yourself, close your eyes and take a deep breath."
She obeyed, breathing in and out as he had taught her. She took two breaths, then three and by the fourth she could hear her pounding heart fade in her ears. The sound of the breeze, the small cry of birds flitting through the air. All things soft and good. She opened her eyes, looking at him with a confident smile.
"There's my girl," he stated happily, letting his hands drop, "Now you must remember that in those situations you must remain in control. Our emotions are powerful, contagious and elusive. They come and go like quicksilver and it is important to maintain them. Your mind and body are adjusting, changing to their new circumstances, your emotions are growing more powerful as well, soon you will be able to project them out with mere thought rather then touch. This is why control is most essential."
She nodded, lowering her head, "I just wish it was easier. Every time I see Charlie I feel as though I have failed him. Every time I hold Tarrant I feel as if he does not trust me."
The Gryphon shook his head, jumping off the plinth to stand next to her. His eyes sought hers out and he let his hand stroke her hair affectionately before taking her arm and walking her through the grove back towards the castle. His own appearance was her polar contrast, her black slip dress focusing on his long white linen pants. He moved with an angelic grace, as smoothly as if his bare feet were not touching the ground.
"Your focus is the negative emotions you feel and others feel towards you." he stated almost conversationally, "If Tarrant feels even the slightest sense of betrayal you will sense it a thousand times stronger then it actually is. If you feel guilty about your son then it will amplify within you, folding over itself and building up higher and higher. Touch makes it easier to transmit those feelings so when you touch those you care for you feel an amplified negative version of what they are really feeling. What you must remember is that it is in your own mind. My brother, the Jabberwocky allowed himself to be poisoned with such thoughts and look where he ended up, at the end of my blade."
Alice nodded, discretely looking to see if his human form was missing a fingernail the way his Gryphon form was missing a talon. She noted that indeed he was, a constant reminder that the vorpal blade had once been a part of this creature.
"I know." she answered, "I simply wish it was easier. That I could go back to the way I was before."
"You are much greater then the woman you were before," Gryphon answered easily, "Those days are gone and you should not mourn them. I do not think I will ever understand your desire to be so close to these creatures. To love them and have them love you. It seems so tedious."
She took no offence at the statement since he meant it in earnest. He had no idea why she did the things she did. He had no concept of love or intimacy or even emotions, in fact the only person he seemed to be able to connect with on any level was herself and maybe Charlie. The boy did appeal to him and Alice surmised that it was because, developmentally, they were at the same stage. Charlie was a boy, learning how to interact with those around him and Gryphon was doing the same since he had never had to interact before. She couldn't imagine how lonely his existence had been. Deciding it was best not to be drawn into this particular argument she allowed herself to be led towards the castle where she was certain her son was already looking for her.
Tarrant was sure it was supposed to be easier then this. When he had learned he had a son he assumed winning Alice over would be the only problem to solve in the puzzle of assembling a family, he had never imagined that the child would be wary of him. But no, it seemed that Charlie was a great deal more like this mother then previously advertised and the Hatter himself was struggling with the implications of that reality. Not that Charlie was not a wonderful child; no he appeared to be the perfect little boy. Everyone in Marmoreal seemed to be hopelessly in love with him and Tarrant could admit that he himself was no exception. Through his daily observations of the child he had regarded how magical the boy seemed in the most ordinary of ways.
His own strange features had been merged with Alice's to create a rather handsome little creature who was full of wonder, affection and adventure. He grinned to think of Charlie, the boy's face so like a young Alice's but with the Hightopp colouring and wonder. He had to admit, it was a bit of a shock and at the same time an immense sense of relief seeing those curls and that hair and those eyes for the first time. So like his nephews, his sisters' sons that it made him grin like a fool every time he tried to speak to the boy. The boy's personality was also a wonder, he was full of muchness and enchanted by everything he saw. Just not for his father. He would never blame the boy for the problems, oh no, it was not the boy's fault at all. Charlie was just a child and he acted like a child with just as much innocence and caution. He couldn't even blame Alice, although he felt there was a whole new set of problems to be dealt with there. The day she had come to his workroom and thrown her arms around his neck, pressing a perfect kiss to his lips, that might have been one of the happiest days he could recall. Everything after that, well it was a long ride.
He reached out for another block.
Making hats seemed to make things marginally better. He could work with hats. He could appreciate hats. He could understand hats. He could not understand Alice. He could not understand Charlie.
He had always felt himself something of an Alice expert, a master in most things having do with Alice, however he was learning things had very much changed since they had had their time together in this very palace. In this very room. The Alice of his dreams had gone and in her place had left behind a different kind of Alice. Just as exciting and lovely and caring but also a mother and a Queen (even if she would not admit to it) This new Alice could not just traipse with him through Queast in search of a certain sort of flower that might fit nicely in a hat he was making or decide to hold a tea party that would last for days on end. No, this Alice worried about other things. About bedtimes and lessons and whether or not people had finished their dinners. This Alice gave baths and read nighttime stories and chased away nightmares. This Alice's muchness was very much in tact but it seemed to be disposed elsewhere. He wondered if things would have been different if he had been there when Charlie was born. Maybe then he would know what to say to the boy and how to understand Alice as a mother, but since he hadn't been it was hard trying to talk to the person who had replaced you as the first person in your beloved's heart, even if it was his own son.
He spread out the cloth, holding it to the light to get a better look before throwing it to the ground angrily when he realized it was the colour he deemed to be Alice blue.
He had seen her in the gardens after their breakfast. He had seen her and the Gryphon speaking to one another. He had seen the stupid Gryphon hugging her as she wept in fear, the golden man dispelling her terror in a way he knew he couldn't. He tried to hold back the anger but it was near impossible. Seeing her vulnerable and knowing she had gone to someone else, someone not him, it made him want to scream in outrage.
She had told him that Gryphon was the only one able to temper the moods running through her and when he had seen the cup shatter he had been shaken himself. The power she must have at her disposal, it boggled the mind (he was usually an excellent source of information about mind boggling) and he knew he couldn't understand it. The things he couldn't understand as of late were numbering in the thousands.
He shook his head, picking up the bolt and dropping it upon his worktable. He would not give up. He was certain of that. He had not given up on the White Queen or defeating the read, laying down and dying was just not something he knew how to do. Charlie might be rather unwelcoming now but Tarrant was sure as time passed he would becoming more affectionate to his paternal advances. He heard the telltale sounds of someone entering his workroom and he steeled himself for a new day. He was, after all, still a Hatter and still very, very good at his trade. Customers needed to be tended, hats needed to be made and gaining his families love and trust but be easier the leading an upraising against a homicidal matriarch.
"Hatter?,"
He whirled around on his heels to answer a call, a huge false smile on his face.
It faltered.
"Are you feeling better?" Charlie asked, looking up from his book to Miss Iracebeth, sitting in her ochre coloured chair.
Since they had come to live in the white palace Miss Iracebeth had been very, very quiet. He still wasn't sure what had happened after Mr. Stayne had dropped him but he was certain it was bad and she did not wish to speak about it. He remembered seeing his mother calling for him and then just darkness. It had felt like he had fallen asleep without ever trying to. When he had woken up from his dream the pretty lady dressed in white had been standing over him, eager to find out where he was hurt. He didn't really care. His mother was in this new place and Mr. Stayne was not. Miss Iracebeth had told him to start calling her Aunt Racie and he had made a new friend named Gryphon. That was all the important stuff. Everything else he felt he could forget about or ignore. Ignoring everything made it easier to forget.
"Yes much," Miss Iracebeth replied easily, as he motioned for her card attendant to wheel her closer to the bed where he was sprawled out, "And you? Tell me boy, what have you been doing with yourself?"
Charlie placed the pen upon the paper, stopping its movement as he looked at Miss Iracebeth. She had asked him to call her Aunt Racie but it would always be Miss Iracebeth in his head. He liked being around her, no matter what the other people in the castle said. He had heard the people gossiping as they walked together and he could remember what Mr. Stayne had said about Miss Iracebeth killing children. He had heard the courtiers whispering about how she had killed "his father's people" and how it was very bad that she was seen strolling through the halls with him. He had no feelings about it either way. His father was a scary man who stared at him for a long time and said the oddest things. He wasn't sure how to feel about that man specifically, not to mention fathers in general. Mr. Hamish and Mr. Stayne were both bad people and they had wanted to be his fathers, he felt that taking on another one was just asking for trouble. And he was certain there was no need to go out and find trouble, it seemed to find him well enough on it's own.
"I draw a lot. Miss Mirana teaches me magics and alchemy, Gryphon teaches me about Underland and Mummy teaches me about history and language and maths. All the boring stuff. And I sit with you and we have tea," Charlie grinned at her.
Miss Iracebeth nodded at this list before a small frown formed on her lips.
"What of your father boy?" she asked seriously, "What is he like to you?"
Charlie looked down, not wanting to meet her dark eyes. Everyone asked that stupid question. Everyone but his mother. He fixed her with a resolute glare and cross his arms as he rolled onto his back.
"I don't have a father." he replied in a voice he had heard his mother use when she was telling him he had to take his bath. It was a serious voice, that voice meant business.
Miss Iracebeth stared at him for another moment, her own expression matching his. She had a very good serious look.
"Now that's just silly. Of course you have a father. You'd have had to." she replied before looking at her nails, as if the entire conversation were a bore to her.
"No," Charlie snapped back as he pulled himself up onto his elbows while trying to look as stern as possible "I never had one when we lived in London!"
"Of course you did. You just didn't know his name." she answered, "Just because you did not know him does not believe he did not exist. His name is Tarrant Hightopp and he is your father, just as surely as Alice Kingsliegh is your mother."
"I hate his name!" was Charlie's reply, rolling to his side s he wouldn't have to look at her before deciding it was much better to jump to his feet. The bed was hard to balance on but he managed.
"Hightopp is a fine name." Miss Iracebeth commented primly, not even looking at him, "The Hightopp clan has always served the royal families of Underland. Tailors, cobblers, seamstresses but mostly Hatters. The leader of the clan is always a Hatter. Tarrant was to be next in line you know. That would make you the heir after him. Not that it matters now, they're all dead you know."
Charlie continued to glare. Miss Iracebeth's blunt way of talking usually upset people but not him. He was used to her statements and tried not to be hurt of surprised by them however when they were about him it was harder. Charlie's mind reeled until he came up with a response that sounded convincing enough in his own head.
"Well, I am horrible at making things like that." he stated authoritatively, "I cannot sew, I do not want to make shoes and I hate wearing hats. So he cannot be my father. Besides, my last name is Kingsleigh. Not Highrock."
"Hightopp," Miss Iracebeth corrected easily, "And I did not say that those were things you must be boy, I said they were things the clan Hightopp usually are. For example I should be a Queen, everyone in my family is royalty, but it turns out I am exceptionally bad at it. I was responsible for killing a lot of people."
Charlie stopped his glare and dropped to his knees. She always looked so sad when they talked about being a Queen. The killing was something he didn't understand, he had never killed anyone. He had been killed before and people whispered about that as if he had some sort of control over it. People were obsessed with killing and dying, more so then they should be in his opinion. Nothing good ever came of killing people.
"Why not ask Gryphon to bring them back?" he asked more gently, reaching out and taking the Red Queen's hand, "He brought me back for my mother and she's not even a Queen. I bet if you asked he would help. He's very, very nice."
She smiled at him, pulling on his hand and he bounded over the bed to crawl onto her lap. She liked it when they sat like this and so did he. His mother was different now, he could feel it in his bones and sometimes it scared him. He didn't know what she could do and Gryphon had told him that his mother was powerful, and that one day he would be powerful as well. Things in his head were already changing and he didn't know how to feel about that added onto all the other things he had experienced since coming here with Mr. Styane. Charlie found that when he felt totally overwhelmed it was better to just crawl into the Queen's lap and hide there. When he was there he could pretend nothing else was happening, that his mother was still looking for him and that they were just sitting together waiting. He liked waiting. Waiting meant that he didn't know the ending of the story and sadly Charlie was discovering he was only too aware of endings. Not all of them were happy ones.
"He gave that gift to you because you are so special," Iracebeth whispered, running her hands through his hair, "He would not give it to anyone else."
"What about the other man?" Charlie asked softly, playing with the small red bobbles on her dress, "He's strong, he might be able to help you when he gets here."
"What other man?" Iracebeth asked.
Charlie opened his mouth to answer but was immediately stopped when the doors burst open and the White Queen moved into the room. Charlie felt his mouth grow dry and he clung a little tighter to Miss Iracebeth. Miss Iracebeth's sister, Miss Mirana was the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. She was nearly as pretty as his mother and she was very, very nice. He liked how she moved as if every movement was a dance. He could watch her all day but he did get nervous when he saw her and sometimes it embarrassed him. After all, he was just a little boy and she was a Queen.
"Charlie, Racie, How wonderful to see you?" she smiled, gliding towards them.
"Mirana," the Red Queen replied with a soft smile, "What bring you here so soon after breakfast?"
The White Queen moved to the bed, settling herself on the edge so she could relax and speak to her sister. Charlie watched as she graced him with her dark smile before grinning at her sister again. He thought the people here smiled all too much and it bothered him. The bullies at school would smile like that just before they hit him. He tensed and stilled himself, listening while pretending to doze.
"Oh don't worry he's worn out," Miss Iracebeth lied smoothly and he had to stop himself from giggling, "Little scamp is practically asleep already. Been out on the lawns again, you do know how quickly children tire."
He snuggled deeper into her lap and tried to make it look like he was napping. Miss Mirana (who had told him before she knew absolutely nothing about children) simply nodded her head and made noises of understanding before she continued to speak to her sister in a low voice.
"I've come to tell you there will be a ball," she announced with barely suppressed glee, "There has been far too many gloomy faces around this palace and we must do something to remedy this problem. "
"A ball?" the red Queen echoed, "Do you think that's the best idea little sister, There is a great deal of upset at this moment. Lady Alice had yet to learn her powers and I do believe she is self -conscious about them. The Lord Gryphon has lost a great many aspects of his abilities and likewise is not certain where his place is."
There was silence for a moment before Miss Mirana spoke again, her voice barely audible, "We must throw the ball. Gryphon has informed me that his actions must be judged and their judge is going to arrive very soon."
"Judged?" Miss Iracebeth gasped incredulously, "By his actions I assume we mean his bringing this young child back to life? And who is to judge him? You? I? Who in all of Underland is fit to judge a god?"
Mirana was silent but Charlie guess whatever her look was gave Miss Iracebeth her answer because she tensed up. He could feel it in her.
"He is coming then?" she replied to her sister's unspoken statement, "There is no debate then, he is coming?"
There was silence again and Charlie felt his own heart beat quicken. Whatever was going on was dangerous, he could feel it. After a few more moments Miss Mirana rose to her feet.
"I would suggest you take the boy to the Hatter to be hatted," she stated softly, "Or perhaps the to the tailor before the Hatter. I imagine it might take Tarrant sometime to work his trade on your Charlie here. I will send Alice to the Hatter's to collect the child this afternoon. I will speak to you again at the earliest convenience sister."
As soon as the door closed Charlie gave up the ruse. Eyes shooting open and twisting so he could look at Miss Iracebeth's face. Her features were odd, her eyes were looking at him sadly and her mouth was pulled into a tight line. He felt nervous for her.
"Come on now," she whispered gently, "We must see the tailor and then the Hatter, you must look your best for the ball."
Well first one up and posted. Sorry for any grammar errors that may arise. It went through it but something always pops up.