Ok. So I was talking to Celtic aka Hattie about ideas. And as I told her, this one hit my on the way to the restroom at work. And I REALLY want to know who decides to throw epiphanies around. I mean, c'mon! you should warn a lady!
For those of you finding this on Alice In Wonderland's genre and having no idea who I am, I normally write in Alice, 2009 (tv). I LOVE Alice in Wonderland. In fact I tried Fan Fiction once for Twilight and gave up on it. Then I came here and read two absolutely wonderful authors… DairaSilver (Alice in Underland The Return, which kept me up for an entire day and then some, which actually led me to Alice, 2009. Long story.) and Manniness (The Promise). Of course I cannot forget my wonderful friend, Niphuria, who doesn't know it, but she talked me into smut with her wonderful stories. LOL. I watched AiW so many times it is not even funny. Then I found Alice, and my first thought? I can SO see one movie leading into the other! So, after reading Brumeier's Waking Up, I tempted my first story ever, Alice and Hatter. No one knew I was combining the movies until later, then they were floored. I finished that story, retelling Alice with my twist. Now I am in the sequel and loving the fun I am having with it.
So you are asking, the epiphany? I always wanted to write in the genre that started me in Fan Fiction, and I also wanted to write the back story on my story. What really happened with Tarrant and Alice. So, I am now writing it. I am including the history Hatter told my Alice on the world and his family. I want to get everyone on board with my story. Which made me laugh when a lot of people were telling other's that watched Alice In Wonderland for the first time that this IS the history of it.
And I will let you guys let me know how you want this to start afterwards. I can do the same thing as I did for Alice and Hatter, write the movie version with how I imagine it went, or start at the end of the movie. Up to you guys. Leave me a review!
Now, for the first chapter, there is not a song choice. Shocking I know for those that know me! But it is a retell of a previous chapter in Revelations, Champions and Legends (The sequel). I also will be updating this one as I feel like it. No set thing, I want this to be fun for me. I do have Tea Shoppe, which will be finished hopefully, What If, my Twilight retell with a new leading man, and Revelations which is my favorite. Plus the plethora of one shots and Songs for Alice. So yeah, full plate. But I do keep up with all of them!
Disclaimer: I do not own any rights whatsoever to Alice in Wonderland. I only own my ideas.
As I stated, this chapter is from Revelations: Hatter is the son of Tarrant and Alice K. The Alice here at the beginning is Alice Hamilton, Wonderland's newest Alice. The movie is Syfy's version of Alice, but for this one, you don't need to know about it. This is for those of us who love Tim Burton's version of Alice in Wonderland or for those who wondered how my version came about.
Dedication: To Hattie, for being so onboard to start sending me pics. Of course, she is wanting me to do Haigha (Shirtless, fencing Haigha!) and Hatter (Shirtless, even though no shirtless pics yet of him!) on the next chapter of Revelations. But still, she listened to me at work and told to go for it. Love ya Hattie, and thanks for all the support. It means everything that you have supported me from the VERY beginning and it has just gotten better!
Song I listened to for this chapter: My playlist of Friday. I think… either Friday or Fun…
It has been a long road, and Hatter is happy to be alone with Alice. They had defeated the Queen of Hearts and this should be their happy ending, but the feeling he is getting from Wonderland is telling him that this is the beginning. He decides that to take this moment in time to be with Alice.
Hatter settles with his Alice, it is time to tell her his secrets, the reasoning behind them, and a history of Wonderland and his parents. He looked down at his love, and softly tells her, "Alice, I promised to tell you all my secrets. Now that we have got this far, well, I am frankly worried on how you are going to take most of the information I need to tell you to give all my secrets away to you. I need you to understand this IS Wonderland. And it may try to go back to a kid's story if it can. But, I love you, and if you cannot accept this, well we will find out a way around it." Hatter stares steadily into her eyes letting her know his worries, and that he wouldn't, no, couldn't lose her.
Alice's eyes widen, and she replies softly, "In your own words, start at the beginning and tell me."
Hatter chuckles, remembering the night she references. He then thinks for a moment and asks her if they could get a little more comfortable, since this will take awhile. They both sit up and he pulls to him and sits there with her resting on him, and his arms around her. He takes a deep breath, taking in the unique scent that is her, and to prepare his thoughts for the history lesson he learned centuries ago.
Once Hatter is ready, he begins the history lesson. "This is hard trying to decide the beginning. But, I will start a little back story on Wonderland and my parents. Wonderland is alive, Alice. And she seems to have a strange affection for you Alices. No one is quite sure if there were other Alices but we have always seemed to know that there was an Alice everything was waiting on. In fact, Wonderland was in a holding pattern waiting on her. That Alice was my mother. And she first came when she was six and turned the world on its axis. Then she left. The world was somewhat better but still in that holding pattern. No one could figure out why but everyone went on with their lives except my father, he waited on her. She later came back for her was just 6 months of time away and was a lot longer for Wonderland. That's when the third Kingdom, the Kingdom of Knights, was formed for her. She won the Kingdom in a game of Chess, but she had to leave and grow up, where she couldn't do that here, being an outsider. The Red King had agreed to watch over the Kingdom until she came back."
Hatter takes a breath. He smiles as he looks down at his dark haired Alice. She is being called the new Alice of Legend, and he mildly wonders if she is aware of this, or if his mum knows? Wryly grinning and mentally bringing himself back to his story, he acknowledges he has quite a bit of his father in him.
With this in mind, Hatter quickly continues his history lesson to his love, "But Time is finicky. Especially after Fa and him got in a fight and Fa killed him so that he could wait for Alice. Which no one understood why, but by then the Red Queen, the Queen of Hearts, Iracebeth, decided that she wanted the Crown of Wonderland and Time was the least of their worries."
"Hatter, I thought she was the Queen, why would she want the Crown of Wonderland?" Alice interrupts but she remembers this question from earlier today. Hatter had mentioned something about it when he was introducing Mirana to him. It made no sense to her that there were three Queens of Wonderland and only one Crown.
Hatter blinks and then answers, he had forgotten she didn't understand everything. That is why you are telling this, isn't it? Hatter realizes that she will need some clarification. "Well…" He frowns as he tries to think of a way to tell her what they all just seem to know. With some help from Wonderland, he tells her, "The land used to be ruled by the King and Queen. You may know them as Oberon and Tatiana. They had Mirana and Iracebeth and then they just… lost interest in Wonderland. Wonderland spoke with them and they decided to split the land between the two sisters. Wonderland agreed with that, but told them while both will have the title Queen and all the responsibilities, only one could wear the Crown of Wonderland, or as it was called in those days, Underland. The reason is whomever wears the Crown of Wonderland affects the land. Tatiana and Oberon decided that even though Iracebeth was the elder, she was too temperamental, and that Mirana should wear the crown." Hatter looks down at his mate in his arms and asks softly, "Any other questions, luv? And please ask. Otherwise I think I have covered everything."
Alice promptly asks, "Underland to Wonderland?"
Hatter laughs as he answers her, "Absolem is still upset about that. It is all me mum's fault of course. She misheard everyone when she was six, and called it Wonderland. One of the people she met here eventually left, and wanting to honor her wrote her story in Aboveland, and called it Wonderland. Wonderland was fascinated by the name, and decided to change her name." Alice gasps softly and when Hatter asks her why, she waives him to continue after a comment of she will tell him later.
Hatter smiles and asks, "Now, if I may continue?" He is teasing her, and is enjoying her reactions to him.
Alice nods enjoying the time to get to know this Hatter, this carefree and happy man that she is in love with. She had seen glimpses of him before, but this Hatter is relaxed. She smiles up at him, getting comfortable again and watching the water next to them reflecting the stars above.
Nuzzling her neck as they took the second to relax, Hatter remembers their last time in this oasis of theirs. He ruefully continues with the lesson, knowing that the sooner he completes this, the sooner they may repeat it. "So, Iracebeth attacked the White Queen on Horunvendush Day when she was at Witzend celebrating with the entire Hightopp clan. The Jabberwocky attacked and destroyed the village, killing all the Hightopps except for Fa who had been the Royal Hatter and when the attack commenced, took the White Queen to safety. That attack gained the Red Queen the Crown and the only weapon that can destroy the Jabberwocky, the Vorpal Sword" Hatter stops for a second and says quietly, "That was when Fa first started to go Mad. He became the leader of the Resistance then."
Alice can hear the sadness in Hatter's voice. A tear slips down her cheek for the Mad Hatter. She hesitantly asks, "Hatter, the Jaberwocky? The thing that chased us in the woods?"
Hatter looks down and wipes the tear from Alice's cheek touched as always by her caring feelings for others. He is reminded of her in the Great Library asking about the refugees. He had admitted to himself to having feelings for her before then, mostly lust and then some pity when she had been scared on the ledge. But when he really acknowledged his feelings for her, started to fall for her? When she showed such sympathy and compassion for the poor souls he had worked to feed.
Hatter instructs her on the large difference between the two creatures, "The jabberwocks were a lesser breed. There have only been two Jabberwockies. And mum destroyed both, once when she won this kingdom and later when she came back, but you're getting ahead in the story, luv." He smiles down at her.
"Where was I?" Hatter kisses the top of her head absently and leans his head on hers in thought. "Oh yes, my Fa headed up the Resistance. They used Outlandish to distinguish who was part of it and who were spies. One of the Passphrases was Downal wyth Bluddy Behg Hid, which means luv, before you ask, Down with Bloody Big Head since Iracabeth has a very large head. There were other pass phrases also." Hatter stops for just a second remembering the one Mad March had unknowingly used on the son of the man who invented it, and how that had snapped him out of his Madness in the torture rooms in the Casino… Jerking his mind away from those thoughts, he resumes, "There is a scroll that shows everyday of Wonderland's past and future. Absolem is the keeper of it and it only shows what it wants to. Due to the pure misery that Iracebeth's rule had upon the residents of Wonderland, he looked at the scroll, and for the first time in Wonderland's history showed it to others. What it showed was Alice coming back and slaying the Jabberwock on Frabjous Day. Fa saw it, immediately put the Resistance on hold to be ready when she comes, and he waited for her at the Tea Table. When it came close to Gribling Day, the day of Alice's return, Nivens returned to your world, and retrieved her. She didn't remember Wonderland, thinking it was her dream that has been recurring for the past 12-14 years. She hadn't realized until much later how much time had passed in Wonderland also. She had some adventures running from the Bandersnatch, and having all the people who welcomed her to Wonderland captured, or barely escaping. The Oraculum was lost in the confusion, and no one thought they had the right Alice, since she had grown up since she was six."
Hatter shifts, and lays his head back on her shoulder. "Chess finally saw her, and though he knew that she was the Alice, him also being one of the beings that seem to know more than he should but he never tells. He helped bandage her wound from the Bandersnatch and took her to Fa, which of course recognized her immediately. He worked to hide her from Stayne, the Red Knave, to protect her, and help her regain her muchness. He gave himself up to the Red Knave to save her, and she came after him to rescue him to Crims. She retrieved the Vorpal sword, tried to rescue Fa, but the Red Knave found out who she was, and went after her. She escaped on the Bandersnatch who had befriended her, and made her way to Mirana. She was still denying that she was the Champion of Wonderland, and that Alice. Fa had come back with the Oraculum, Chess helping the prisoners and all the creatures free themselves from the Red Queen, she continued to deny who she was. The following day, Fa, already in love with her, stepped forth to be the Champion. Chess and others also stepped forward, and tried to protect what they really believed to be Alice, the little girl they all loved. They consulted the Oraculum, and it showed Alice had to be Champion. She ran off, and found Absolem who helped her remember who she was. She acknowledged the debt to Wonderland, and donned the armor you had seen her in when she appeared in the Red Kingdom. With some help from my Fa, she slayed the Jabberwocky. She then left, even though Fa asked her to stay. She told him she had some things to finish, and that she would be back soon, but again, she had no idea of how Time was tricky and how it ran different in Aboveland and here."
Alice is confused again and needed to stop Hatter. "Time, you act like it is a real person and what do you mean time runs different here?"
Hatter looks at Alice. He asks her, "How long since the story of Alice in Wonderland was written?"
Alice thinks on his question and answers him, knowing the information very well, "149 years."
Hatter blanches. "Well, here it was 500 years since it was written. And a total of over 6,000 years since the events happened. I am sorry luv, thought it had been longer than that."
Alice whitens and asks shakily "How… How is Alice, your Fa and everyone alive, Hatter?"
He sighs, not having to need to get into this with her yet, but he knows that he needs to address it. "No one dies in Wonderland unless they are killed, or wants to let go of life, Alice. For those of us born here, we age to what age either we want, or Wonderland wants us at. For those of you from Aboveland, it is all up to Wonderland. Most of the time you are frozen at the age you come here. Some of you continue to age. Alice and you are Champions of Wonderland, so you would be treated as though you were born here."
Alice thinks and then quietly asks... "How old are you Hatter?"
Hatter thinks on how he can answer this without scaring her away. He tells her, "First Alice, let me explain Unbirthdays to you. Once a Wonderlander has reached his age that he is frozen at, he doesn't have birthdays. They are called Unbirthday's since they are not aging, but well Wonderlanders like to celebrate."
Alice looks at him with a bad feeling starting "Hatter…"
Hatter sighs as he answers, "I am 25, Alice, in Wonderland years. But, in the way an Abovelander counts the years, I am over 5,000 years old. But, this does not mean the same as you think, Alice." He pleads with her to understand.
Alice stares at Hatter, trying to wrap her mind around it. The Kingdom and Wonderland cautiously show her what Hatter is saying. Time is truly fickle in Wonderland. That is why years didn't matter. One year can be a day or 4 years as she would count it. A day can last an hour or it can forty two hours. Since Time is so fickle in her land, Wonderland gave the gift of aging to her residents.
These two entities showing her what Hatter meant is easier for her to understand in a few seconds what it would take hours for Hatter to make her understand. Age really did not matter in this land and Hatter was really 25, the same age as she was. She looked up at Hatter and smiled. "Hmm… well this connection, bond or whatever you call it, is going to help some, Wonderland and the Kingdom showed me what you mean."
Hatter slumps in relief and says a silent thank you to both of them for helping. They send a wordless feeling of welcome and that they are trying to help.
Hatter hugs Alice to him in relief that she understands. He murmurs to her softly, "Thank you Alice. Just...thank you" She realizes she had worried him and assures him, "I am not leaving you, Hatter. I may need some time to understand some things, but I am not ever leaving you."
She smiles and raises her head for a kiss which Hatter happily gives her. She relaxes in his arms and enjoys this kiss that is pure love.
Hatter raises his head and tells her softly, "I need to finish the story, Alice. There is something happening to us that you need to know…" Alice nods trusting that it is not something to hurt her, he has saved her and loves her so many times already.
"Hmm…" Hatter thinks and then remembering where he left off, continues the story, "My mum left Wonderland and my Fa. Devastated him really, but he went back to table to sit and wait for her, believing in her when she said she would be back. He knew that time flowed differently, but he also knew that she had made a promise that Wonderland accepted, that she would be back." Hatter pauses thinking of the pain his Fa had to have gone through, "He also knew one other important thing, that Alice and him had started the Bonding process."
Alice frowns and opens her mouth to ask a question and Hatter puts a finger on her lips and quietly asks, "Before you ask a question, let me finish Alice, or else I may not be able to get through this part."
Alice nods, feeling that it is very important to them both that he continues.
Seeing this, Hatter takes up the story again, "You have probably heard someone refer to either of my parents as the mate of the other. This is a mark of the Bonding Ritual and it means more than husband and wife. They are married, but the title of mate is of high honor, and they both go by that title than the other. The Bonding process is an ancient right that was meant for rulers, and for those in true love. It binds the souls, and in times of need; it will help to join the two closer so they will act in concert for the better of everyone. Iracebeth abolished it, thinking her decree will make it disappear, since she didn't want her king to know her true feelings. Mirana never married, and the last Royal, didn't remember she is one. But, it was a rite in Outland, where my Fa and the March Hare are from. A common rite since it was a matter of necessity in that rough land. So it didn't disappear, just became easily ignored for the later Royals." Hatter sighs softly and then continues, "The Bonding process had started with my parents because they were in true love. When my mother left, it hurt them both badly. You see the process needs them in close contact to each other when it is Bonding. Wonderland is not cruel, and in addition, neither had acknowledged it, so it was painful but not life threatening. However, it feels like your soul is torn in half, and it doesn't end until you join with the other. The short of it was my mum completed what she needed to in your world, and came back. My parents had more adventures, both before she acknowledged that she loved my Fa, and then afterwards, since this is Wonderland." Hatter is smiling at Alice as they both remember their own recent adventure.
Hatter holds his love in his arms and feeling her tiredness, he tells her, "I will tell you the rest later. For now, we will get some rest."
Alice nods and they get confortable, talking softly with each other, sharing more of their past with each other before they retire for the night, Wonderland watching carefully over her new Champions.
Before those of you from Alice start anything, remember I am posting this elsewhere, and they do not have the history behind these characters. This is to be Tarrant's and Alice K's story, but Hatter's explanation serves to start this all off.
So where you guys want me to start? In the movie or afterwards? This is a brief rundown of the story in my head, but it serves to combine the books and the movie. But it is just a BRIEF rundown. Let me know, and yes there is about 5,000 years of history I am skipping over. A lot of it is to deal with Hatter and probably won't be here unless you guys ask for it once I get there. I just want to tell the story that is in my head for Tarrant and Alice… I REALLY love Tarrant, just to warn you guys.
Let me know what you think!
Fairfarren~Wendy