Of Legend
Prologue
"So what made you choose the name 'David'?"
"Well I always fancied the name 'Jack', but I wasn't about to call myself that, now was I?"
She slaps his arm, but the smile pulling across her face tells him that he's not in trouble for the jab. It's a Friday night, two weeks after his entrance into her normal life. She had insisted upon taking him to a local bar to further educate him about her world, even though he had assured her over and over again that Wonderland had bars of its own, and that he was known for holding his liquor better than anyone. She had challenged him to two drinking games before admitting defeat.
Now they're walking down the sidewalk back to his apartment, and she's grasping onto his arm to help her slightly inebriated body balance in her high heeled boots.
"Come on, Hatter, I'm being serious," she scolds. She gives his arm a gentle squeeze, and he knows that he's putty in her hands, so he tells her, even though he doesn't like where the conversation will inevitably lead.
"David's my real name, luv."
He takes two more steps before he realizes that she's no longer grasping his arm. He turns and sees her standing dumbstruck on the sidewalk, her mouth open slightly in shock.
"Your real name?" she asks in a hushed whisper.
He draws closer to her and feels the corner of his mouth pull upward in a smirk despite the nervous pounding in his chest. "Did you really think my parents named me Mad Hatter?" he asks. "That's just a nickname I was given when I was a kid. My real name is David Hatter." He brushes a lock of her hair behind her ear, wishing that she'd say something, and when she does speak, it's not what he expects:
"But it's such a normal name for someone in Wonderland!"
He laughs and throws an arm around her shoulders, leading her back to his apartment building. "I hate to break it to you, luv, but most of us in Wonderland have normal names. Or do you not remember Jack and Charlie?"
She doesn't answer him, and when he looks down, he sees her deep in thought, her bottom lip being dragged into her mouth by her teeth.
"You had parents?" she asks after a few moments of silence.
"Yep," he replies simply, the 'p' sound making a popping noise. He doesn't elaborate.
They finally reach his apartment building, and he leads her inside and up a flight of stairs. He has to jiggle the key in the lock for a moment before the door to his apartment opens, and when it does, they walk inside. Neither of them bother to turn on the light as they make their way to his bedroom.
He takes off his hat and puts it on a rack with the rest of his collection. It's not until he's shrugging out of his jacket that she asks the question he's been dreading:
"So are you him? Are you the Mad Hatter?"
He stares at her for what feels like an eternity before nodding slowly. She remains silent as he crosses his bedroom and turns on the small lamp that sits on his bedside table. He collapses into bed, and she follows slowly, hesitantly. He feels the mattress dip with her weight as she draws closer to him, her hair cascading around them as she looks down into his eyes.
"So you met her? The other Alice?"
He sighs. "Yes."
"At a tea party?"
"Well it was definitely a party."
Her brow knits in confusion, and he sighs once again. He sits up, his back against the headboard as he wraps one arm around Alice, holding her close, while his other hand gently strokes her cheek.
"One hundred and fifty years ago, a young girl named Alice came from your world and entered mine. We met at a tea party, and I testified at her trial, but that's about all that your version of the story got right."
She's biting her lower lip again. "Tell me? Please."
He knows that he'll have to tell her eventually. And tonight's as good a night as any.
"It was 150 years ago. I was 50 in your years, but only 15 in Wonderland years. I was still a kid, and I was actually at my parent's place on the morning of the day that I met her…"
