Disclaimer: The characters that appear in this story and the setting of Underland do not belong to me. They are the intellectual property of Linda Woolverton, Tim Burton, Lewis Caroll, and all other parties associated with Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass. I do not earn any profit from this story. It is written solely for entertainment purposes.
Author's Notes: Hi, dear reader! I am x Cliched Oxymoron x and if you are acquainted with Our-Madness-Hides-Within then you have surely heard about me before. She is a close friend of mine and for several reasons had to shut down her account, but she gave me a few stories she had written and/or planned and asked me to post them for her in this account instead. It is such the case with this story, which is actually a multichapter fic based on her one-shot Cups Aren't Just for Tea - which she decided to extend into a longer arc. Hope you enjoy this little tale, and please read and review!
By the way, if there are any fans of Helen Through the Looking Glass reading this author's notes, please stay tuned. I will be posting the first (and revised) chapter of the story sometime this week.
Chapter One: I Need to See Her
Tarrant Hightopp sat upon his usual dark green throne, overlooking the dilapidated and empty tea table with darting eyes, waiting anxiously. He was at the edge of his seat, the crescent moon not doing much to help him see if what he was waiting for had arrived, praying for no one else to come upon the clearing except he that was late. For carrying a pocket watch around, he sure had terrible management of time. Time. Hm, Tarrant wondered if Time wouldn't mind him dropping by one last him to his castle, seeing as how Nivens hadn't arrived and the milliner had waited a whole thirty minutes. He shook his head, throwing the thought out. No, no, bad idea, he thought. That was just asking for trouble, and for Mirana to find him. Nivens could keep a secret. Time, on the other hand, couldn't - and much less from her.
Tarrant tapped his foot restlessly, fingering his leather suitcase with a week's worth of belongings he had placed to the right of the chair at the head of the table. Goodness, it had been nearly impossible to escape his family's house with the cargo. His father had almost awoken - and Tarrant knew he would have been killed had he found him running away again. The man shuddered, willing the thought away. Can't think of that, he reminded himself. I can't loose my head, not right now. To distract himself he let go of the suitcase and instead poured a cup of tea, placing three sugar cubes before beginning to sip. It was lukewarm, which didn't surprise him, but it was also calming. He drank, feeling a soothing sensation flow through him and place a small grin on his face.
It was in that moment that the haberdasher heard movement beyond the table, by the woods. He placed the cup down tentatively, and moved forward even more without leaving the chair. Tarrant couldn't quite tell who the figure was, so he quickly removed his hat and held it in his lap, to make his shadow (outlined by the moon that resembled tremendously that blasted cat's grin) less recognizable. Rustling, rustling, and then a short figure came closer to the table, until it stopped at the edge across from him. The shadow panted, and Tarrant heard the sound of metal clinking, and then a gasp.
"Tarrant! Tarrant, are you still here?" the hushed voice of Nivens McTwisp asked as the sound of clinking was once again heard and the rabbit's shadow remained unmoving except for his head, looking about. The haberdasher sighed in relief, placing his hat back in its spot above his head.
"I've been here the past half hour, McTwisp," he replied, jumping to the top of his chair before proceeding to walk on the table towards the other side, where Nivens was waiting. The rabbit looked down in what the milliner guessed was shame, or at least embarrassment.
"I apologize. But have you any idea how light the guards at Marmoreal sleep? I couldn't take my chances, so I took my time."
Tarrant landed with a soft thump on the ground beside Nivens, quickly brushed dust away from his coat, and kneeled at his side. He placed his suitcase on the cushion, not wanting to get it dirty. It was his father's, after all. "Fine, then. Do you have what we agreed on?"
To reply, the White Page quickly reached into his waistcoat and removed a thin glass vial, with a small amount of purple liquid within it that shone in the moonlight. The milliner reached for it eagerly almost immediately, but the rabbit drew back and stored it in the inside pocket of his waistcoat. He tisked.
"You can't, Tarrant. You're too far away. You need to get closer to the entrance."
The haberdasher sighed, raising his gaze and looking about hurriedly before returning his gaze to the White Page. "Could you take me?"
Nivens shook his head, panic slowly settling into his features. "N - no! Stealing the vial is enough for me to lose my job. Getting you out is enough for me to lose my head! T - Tarrant, this is treason, I can't - "
"I need to see her, Nivens!" Tarrant whispered, desperation seeping into his tone. One hand flew to take hold of the rabbit, gripping tightly. The Page, in turn, winced, his eyes turning away from the milliner's now yellow gaze. Tarrant faced his hand, letting go as soon as the sound escaped Nivens, blinking and his vision clearing. He backed away.
The rabbit did the same, a look of fear and pity taking over his face. He gasped, looking at him with wide eyes and his mouth open. "T - Tarrant...?" he whispered.
"Nivens," the haberdasher begun, looking at his trembling hand - no, not the madness it can't be she had cured it how could it be back? - "I'm... Sorry. I - I don't - "
Nivens hopped toward him, a sympathetic (although still fearful) look in his eyes. He placed one paw on the milliner's hand, which caused the man to turn to face him, green eyes meeting brown.
"Follow me."
The White Page and Royal Hatter scurried in the shadows across Underland, making their way progressively past mushrooms and castles all the way to a small little garden. The rabbit led the way for all of the travel, stopping at every fidget or rustle - which was the reason behind why it took so long to reach the tiny light blue door floating on air. Tarrant guessed where the door led - it must be one of those portals, then, he thought - and approached it eagerly only to find it measured about the height of his hand. He was considerably too tall. But at least that explained the Champion's diminutive stature upon first arriving to the strange land a few years before.
"Is this it?" the milliner asked the rabbit, who nodded as he stopped beside a bush and yanked a bright purple flower, proceeding to crumble t up in his right paw after examining it. He hopped towards the man, and looked up at him. Tarrant looked back, clueless.
"Well, what are you waiting for? The pishalver," Nivens said, signaling the door with a nod of his head.
The haberdasher sighed, reaching into one of his many pockets. "Oh! Of course... It's somewhere in here..." he whispered absentmindedly as he searched, finding the small bottle in the third pocket he dipped his hand into. There was only enough of the yellow liquid for one person, though, he quickly realized. He turned to tell McTwisp the news when he stopped, seeing the relief in the rabbit's face at the sight of the bottle.
"It's all right, you can drink all of it," Nivens told him with a reassuring smile, which lasted only a moment before his brow furrowed. "Now, Tarrant, listen up. There is no reason for this to be complicated, just follow my instructions," the White Page said, looking not at the man he was addressing; rather, he dedicated his attention to their surroundings. Tarrant nodded, kneeling beside the rabbit but not opening the bottle yet.
"This is what you're going to do. Drink the pishalver, all of it if you need to, and make sure to pour some over the suitcase, too. But tuck in the blood first. Then, walk inside the Room of Doors, but don't touch anything. There, you'll drink the blood and think of her - her image, her voice, anything will do. But think of her and nothing else, all right? It should take you past the rabbit hole and as close as it can to her with the small amount of liquid there's left. But don't drink all of the blood - you need some in order to get back."
"Is there any other but's you want to add, Nivens?" Tarrant joked with feeble laughter.
"You only have a week - I can't cover any longer for you than that," the rabbit replied, his tone nothing short of serious, and some couls even call it a threat. "So use it well."
Tarrant grinned. "I promise, McTwisp." The man chuckled, adding, "it's the one instruction you've given I am sure I can do."
The rabbit didn't laugh along; he took out from his waistcoat the vial containing the blood of the Jabberwocky and handed it to the haberdasher. He, subsequently, took it and proceeder to tuck it into his own pocket. Upon turning around to thank his friend, the White Page threw some purple dust he had in his fist - the remains of the flower he had picked - which caused both to cough.
"What the - ?"
"You'll thank me later. Now move!" Nivens whispered, pushing Tarrant in the direction of the door. The man tripped but didn't fall. He kept coughing, yet somehow managed to follow the rabbit's instructions, uncapping the pishalver and consuming it, pouring a few drops remaining on the leather suitcase. Before McTwisp's eyes, the man shrunk along with his suitcase, and became a little smaller than the door in front of him. He opened the light blue gateway and walked in, dazed still by the dust.
Nivens McTwisp - the White Page and now traitor of Marmoreal - winced worriedly at the sight of his wobbling friend, hopping away back towards the castle and his home almost immediately. Yet after a few steps, he felt compelled to turn around and did so, his eyes wide as he looked at the closed blue door. He grimaced.
"One week, Tarrant Hightopp," he whispered. "It better be worth it."