A/N Well well well, what do we have here? Another Alice in Wonderland fic to add to the ongoing pile here?
I saw the movie and, well - like many adored it. Except - the ending. I'll never understand why Alice did as she did, but then again I guess it's the Wizard of Oz all over for me again. Anyway, of course - the ending then spun my own mind to make a web of thinking and well, her is the fic.
Spoilers for the movie, don't read if you haven't watched (but honestly, if you haven't watched, why are we finding this now, hummm? : ) )
Anyway yes, let us continue with the story.
Beginnings
All this time, she was sure – no convinced it was nothing but a dream. A fantasy world she'd thought up in her mind. An effect of bumping her head after falling down that rabbit hole, something she would soon enough awaken from when the time was right and everything was over.
But now, everything was over. Everything was over, and Alice now knew that the place she had known as 'Wonderland' since she was a young child was in fact, part of the reality. It existed, as much as she herself existed, and that very fact made her ever more curious about the place. She wanted to continue to explore, to know more, to learn more. About the world itself, about the people, about those who she'd known to become her friends. She wanted to know as much as she could about Wonderland – or Underland as was it's real name – as she possibly could.
But she couldn't.
Because no matter how much she wanted to, how much in her heart of hearts she wished she could remain in the beautiful, dream like place – she had unfinished business to attend to in London. Back home.
Although within her, London didn't feel much like home to her anymore. For no one understood her, and Alice felt like she didn't fit in with those around her. Of course, she loved her family, but no matter how much she loved them, she wasn't – what was the word she was searching for? Satisfied? No, that wasn't right. She knew she loved them, and loved being with them even if they didn't understand her most of the time in the same way her Father did. No, that wasn't it. It was something ... simpler. Something she felt in Underland that she didn't feel back home.
And then it came to her.
She wasn't happy.
Alice understood now. She was tired of the restrictions laid upon her in her world. How, people we're expected to act a certain way, expected to dress to a certain code. None of it made sense to her. Why couldn't people be what they were inside, and not be constricted to what was deemed 'acceptable'? After all, what even was deemed acceptable? Who made the decisions on how people should behave, how they should conform? Alice wasn't sure, and she was pretty sure even her Mother didn't have the answer to such a question.
But those very constraints that binded a person in invisible chains, they were the very reason why she had to return home. She was expected to marry – or at least to accept a marriage proposal, and she had left Hamish at the gazebo due to her own fear and disgust at the reality of such an idea where her future was decided for her, just like that. She had just left him there, standing by himself – waiting for an answer. An answer the both of them knew the moment she ran away. As much as she never wanted to see his face again, she had to. At least to set the record straight, to not leave him waiting.
How long had she even been in Underland for anyway? Had a lot of time passed? Were her family looking for her? Alice wasn't sure how quickly time passed in her world compared to the one she was in now. For all she knew, she could have been gone for far longer than she thought she had. Her family could be searching for her, could be worried for her.
So with the vial in her hand handed to her from the White Queen herself, she pulled it closer to her. Anything she desired? Was it true the contents of the vial could give her that? What was it she desired?
Alice took the stopper out of the vial, raising it slightly as she admired its colour. If she returned to London, would she ever be able to return to the land she was in now? Would she remember it? She hoped so. No, she knew she would. She'd thought it a dream before, but now she knew it was real. She knew it existed. Of course she'd return.
She brought the vial to her mouth, preparing to drink the contents, when she heard a quiet voice behind her. A voice she knew all too well.
"You could ... stay."
Alice stopped midway, still not having drunk the contents of the vial. She turned her head, bringing herself face to face with the person who had spoken. The Hatter, someone who had managed to become her best and most loyal friend upon her adventures. She looked at his expression, full of hope, hesitance – and sadness at the same time. She felt something within her break slightly as she watched his face, noting that she'd never seen this side of him before. These emotions he was showing, they were new to her, - perhaps even new to himself, she wasn't sure – and Alice knew she didn't like him wearing them.
And when their eyes met, that's when she realised it. What she really desired.
Her family did not only live in London. No, not any more. Alice realised that now, she had a family her as well. All her friends, all those she had met and those that had helped her along the way on her adventure, they were her family too. And it would hurt her to leave them, especially now everything had become clear to her, as the realisation sunk into her mind.
And so she smiled sadly as she turned fully to face the Hatter. A small voice inside her was telling her to stay, if only for a little while. Why did she have to leave now, just when she was beginning to have fun?
"What an idea- A ridiculous, mad, wonderful idea", she replied, her smile stretching slightly.
Who said she had to leave for London right away? She was already here now; why not just stay for a while longer? After all, there was time to celebrate now that she had performed her role as their Champion, and there was still – in a way, much for her to do in Underland itself. London would always be there for her, whenever she felt it would be the right time for her to return.
"Okay, I'll stay. For a while at least."
She watched her friend's expression, first filled with shock – as if he couldn't believe what she had just said. He blinked, and then blinked again, before a smile broke over his own face when the reality of what she had said finally sunk in. If Alice was correct, she was sure she had never seen such a large smile appear on his face before, and witnessing such a thing made her own smile grow as well.
And to her shock, he closed the gap between the two of them and hugged her tightly. It was then Alice's time to blink in surprise, but she soon got over it, and decided to hug the Hatter back. At that he picked her up off the ground and span her around, obviously ecstatic with her decision in staying with them, with him. Alice couldn't help but laugh joyfully at her friend's actions, inside feeling happy that she was the one that brought him such joy with her decision.
She'd stay, for a while.
Or at least; that was her original plan.
Few, well, that's that bit done.
Humm, another chapter could perhaps be up? Possibly? It depends, on how many of you like this. So what do you think? Does it lack in muchness, or does it have some muchness? (Potential muchness is good too) :D
