I do not own Alice in Wonderland- the book or the movie version- and I do not claim any of the characters invloved except for the ones that I might add.


Prologue

Alice found herself climbing out of a strange rabbit hole wearing the same worn dress and shoes that she had only minutes before at her engagement party…

She looked around, seeing the white stones of the Ascot Mansion in the distance behind the tree and the rabbit hole.

I must have fallen down that hole and hit my head.

She peered down at her muddy dress and pulled a few twigs from her long golden hair.

I must look a fright… Mother will not be happy about this.

Mother! Hamish! The Party! I wonder how long that I've been gone!

Quickly as she could she brushed off her dress and began walking back towards the mansion, all the while clutching a strange smooth object between her fingers.

When she arrived everybody looked up.

"Alice?" Hamish asked, his voice sounding both hopeful and puzzled as he looked over to her, taking in her bedraggled clothing and loose hair. Her mother and Mr Ascot both shared the same comical expression of concern and confusion while her sister Margaret just looked worried. Mrs Ascot looked annoyed.

"Good Lord…" Started Mr Ascot and Alice felt like grinning at the expression on his face, "Are you all right?"

"What happened to you?" Her mother asked, quickly.

"I fell down a hole and hit my head," Alice said without thinking, telling them all what she believed had happened to her.

She looked towards Hamish, sighing at the hopeful expression on his face.

No doubt he thinks I'm back to accept his "proposal."

A part of Alice didn't understand. They had never been friends and Alice had no doubt in mind that Hamish had only proposed to her because of her high social standing and her pretty face rather than for any feelings he could've felt for her.

He thinks I'm an airhead… who spends her time thinking crazy and impossible things.

Mad things. For just a second a pale face and intense green eyes flashed to her mind, twirling around her like spirals from the dreams she used to have when she was just six years old but as soon as the thoughts came they disappeared.

She looked back at the crowd and shook her head slightly. Minutes before she had seriously been considering his "proposal". Her family wanted her too… He was a Lord and she never did want to become a burden on her mother… But now Alice knew that she could never accept him.

She didn't know when that had changed but It just had.

Finally she spoke, letting the words that had come so strongly to her mind when she woke up find meaning through her voice.

"I'm sorry, Hamish," she said slowly, "I can't marry you."

Everybody in the crowd looked surprised and a few shared the same disapproving expression. Hamish's face was a mixture of confusion and sorrow.

Alice forced herself to continue, finally allowing the small inner voice inside her to be heard, "You're not the right man for me," she paused to glance at Lady Ascot's scowling face and added, "Plus, I'd have trouble with your digestion."

She walked down the steps of the gazebo and took the hands of her sister, Margaret.

"I love you, Margaret. But this is my life and I'll decide what to do with it."

He sister smiled warmly at her and the expression on her face almost reminded Alice of someone she had met before. A woman with white hair and the kindest eyes…

Somebody I met in a dream…

Alice shook her head and turned to glare at Lowell- her sisters lowly husband- "You're lucky to have my sister for you wife, Lowell."

She walked a single step, delivering her message, "You be good to her and I'll be watching very closely."

She walked on to the next person, taking the white gloved hands in her own, "There's no prince, Aunt Imogen. You need to talk to someone about these delusions."

She walked on quickly, not wanting to see the heartbroken expression on the older woman's face. The next woman that she happened to walk past was glaring at Alice with contempt.

"I happen to love rabbits. Especially white ones."

She walked past the Ascot's without stopping and took her mother's hands.

Her voice was soft, "Don't worry, Mother. I'll find something useful to do with my life."

Then she glanced up at the Chattaway sisters, taking in their identical faces and striped gowns. A picture of two boys wearing identical shirts and arguing consistently came to mind but Alice pushed it away and she said, cryptically, "You two remind me of some funny boys I met in a dream."

Everyone was silent for a moment before Lord Ascot stepped forward. "You've left me out."

"No, I haven't Sir," Alice intoned, smiling slightly with the prospect of fulfilling her father's dream," You and I have business to discuss."

Lord Ascot looked curious for a minute before he glanced at the guests. Alice could only guess how he must have felt at that moment. Everyone was staring at them!

Amazingly he kept his cool and asked calmly, "Shall we speak in the study?"

Alice smiled again and turned to walk away; heading for the Ascot mansion with business ventures fresh in her mind. At the last moment a brilliant memory flashed though her mind of a strange man in bizarre clothing doing an outlandish, unbelievable dance.

The maddest man I'd ever meet. She thought to herself, instantly recognising him, and probably the best.

She shook her head and grinned as she turned back to the crowd, letting go of the urge. She pulled up her dress slightly so that they could all see the bottom of her legs- along with her lack of stockings- and she mimicked the dance that she could remember so clearly in her mind.

Futterwacken.

She clutched the vial in her hand and turned to walk off.

It was only a dream, right? As much as she tried to convince herself of that something nagged at the back of her mind.

It couldn't have been more than a dream, Alice. Even if you wanted it to be…

She walked silently towards the mansion but as soon as she was out of view from the eyes of the prying guests she stopped to glance down at the small, smooth object in her palm.

It was a vial- no bigger than her index finger to be sure- half filled with a strange purple liquid.

Blood of the Jabberwocky.

Alice shook her head, confusion filling her mind. She didn't know where she got it and she didn't know what it did.

But I promised to go back one day…


So that's it for the Prologue. The next chapter will be when all the action starts. Don't forget to review. Thank you for reading.