Falling
One: Red Queen Rising
A/N: Hello my faithful minions. Apologies for not updating my other stories and hello to anyone who doesn't know who I am (if that is you then you have most probably been residing under a carpet). I do not own AIW yet but I'm working on it.
This is my first AIW fanfic but I've written for Sweeney Todd and Pokémon (which you would know if you hadn't been living under that carpet!) Enjoy the story and don't be afraid to give constructive criticism, after all, it makes me a better writer. Oh, and as with all my other fics italics represent the person's thoughts.
Tarrant tried to focus on the red knave with whom he was locked in battle but his emerald gaze kept flickering up to Alice, who was losing frightfully to the imposing jabberwocky.
Stayne brought the blade of his sword up and it crashed with Tarrant's, instinctively the latter mirrored the move quickly giving himself the upper hand…but he wasn't worried about Stayne, it was the jabberwock he feared.
With a sneer Ilosovic smoothly swung his weapon, aiming for Tarrant's chest. The hatter blocked the manoeuvre but still his heart wasn't in it and his mind was somewhere else.
His mind was on HER.
He stole a quick glance, still continuing the fight without looking.
She was atop the crumbling staircase with the jabberwocky fearfully close. He watched her golden hair fly around her face as she swung the vorpal sword to kill the jabberwocky.
Despite its massive size the beast was surprisingly nimble and managed to dodge each of her swings.
A clang shook the hatter back to reality as the knave's sword glided through the air and collided with Tarrant's left arm, shredding his jacket and slicing through the skin.
Tarrant looked down at ruby-like blood oozing from the deep gash in his arm but ignored it and kept fighting, getting the knave in the shoulder.
It seemed everyone had turned up to participate in what would be the most important day of Underland's history, All around he could hear the smashing of weapons as the red queen's enslaved army worked against the white queen's noble servants.
Even his friends were fighting for the freedom of Underland. Except Mc Twisp who had, of course, fainted.
Alice was still locked in the battle which would decide the fate of Underland. The lumbering yet somehow graceful creature snapped at her, each time getting a little closer.
The hatter blocked another of Stayne's moves without taking his eyes from Alice. She brought the vorpal sword up, trying to relieve the Jabberwocky of its head from below…but it wasn't good enough.
Tarrant could plainly see that the sword had barely pierced the Jabberwocky's scaly armoured skin.
Although…perhaps Alice may still have a chance…
He hoped and grimaced at the idea of her losing.
The jabberwocky knocked over the blonde heroin with its giant talons. The Hatter flinched as Stayne's sword swiped through his side tearing open the clothing and skin, sliding through the flesh, just as it had on his, now throbbing, arm.
He looked down to his side at crimson blood soaking into his faded jacket.
If he'd looked, Tarrant would've seen that Alice had pulled herself back up and was fighting again.
She was shaken and scared but kept an insistent grip on the vorpal sword, saying to herself over and over again, "Six impossible things, six impossible things…"
The jabberwocky lashed out but Alice managed to dodge it, buying herself a little more time, time that could be the difference between the Red Queen continuing her treacherous rain and the White Queen saving Underland from destruction.
Alice looked down, worriedly. Both armies were falling fast, two teams stuck in a battle that only one would win…and there would be no second best…no consolation prize.
She noticed that the jabberwocky was no-where to be found. Where is it? Maybe it gave up…No, it wouldn't. Still, I can't see it anywhe—
With a thundering roar the Jabberwocky swooped down over Alice. It turned and landed in front of her.
The hatter almost lost grip of his sword when the infamous monster above the battle field screeched, releasing an amazing stream of electric, purple breath, that practically shook the earth.
He swallowed back his worry and let the glowing fire return to his eyes. With a little too much enthusiasm he laughed in a voice that wasn't his own and watched as his sword flicked quickly around the knave's with a 'clack'.
Alice had only just managed to jump behind an ancient pillar after the jabberwocky's last stream of deadly breath. She steadied herself and brandished the vorpal sword, slashing it through the dense air.
Alice closed her eyes as she felt the silvery blade slip through flesh. She opened her eyes in triumph but the sword had only gone through one of the jabberwocky's legs…and it had no effect other than making the creature just a little more annoyed. It roared and knocked her down with its gnarled claws.
Tarrant's eyes shot up and he saw the vorpal sword fly from Alice's grip and land with a clatter at least 10metres away from her.
Stayne snorted something about incapable children and the hatter felt his opponent's sword slash through the snowy skin of his neck. Tarrant whipped his sword around and forced the knave to the ground.
He put his hand to his neck. Blood. It wasn't deep though, not threatening…just painful.
Above them Alice cried out in fear as the jabberwocky snarled and snapped in her general direction. Tarrant shifted the grip on his sword and prepared to force it through the, now shivering, Ilosovic Stayne.
The knave whimpered when he saw that the hatter's usually emotionless face had turned to a canvas for vengeance. Tarrant shakily sucked in a breath of dusty air through his gritted teeth and prepared to kill.
His eyes turned from clouded amber marbles and back to cool glassy green pools when he heard her scream.
That scream…of pain and disbelief
The scream that would haunt him for ever more…
The scream he knew he'd hear echoing through the back of his mind for the rest of his life.
Without moving he watched her fall to the ground.
He heard nothing but the crash as she hit the dirt.
He let his sword fall to the ground when a look of triumph came over the Red Queen's pointy face.
He didn't see the armies drop their weapons, he didn't see the little Tweedles burst into tears, he didn't Mallymkun finally give in or the hare become silenced by realisation.
He didn't see Mirana fall to the ground, devastated and in defeat.
All he saw was her, an Alice shaped heap wrapped in silvery armour, with her corn silk hair framing her face, at the other side of the battle field.
Leaving Stayne where he was, The Mad Hatter ran to Alice's side.
An ecstatic smile came over his face when he saw she was somehow still alive.
"ALICE!" He yelled half crying, half laughing.
"Hatter?" She looked up, eyes blurry.
Tarrant's eyes grew wide when he saw a thick trickle of scarlet blood escaping from between her armour.
He knelt beside her and gently wiped blood from the side of her cool mouth.
Somewhere behind him the Red Queen squealed in delight, "I WON! I WON! I WON!" Tarrant certainly didn't look when she grabbed Stayne and started dancing around in manic circles with him still giggling madly, "I WON! SHE LOST!"
Alice blinked, it was a difficult task…her eyelids felt heavy, like lead, "Hatter…I'm sorry…"
Tarrant didn't hesitate, "Alice…you were perfect…we couldn't ask for a better saviour."
"But I didn't save you…I failed." She croaked, softly.
"Still, you tried your hardest…we can't complain about that,"
Alice barely felt the hatter's hand take her numb one and slip its fingers through hers.
"I'll miss you, and everyone…" she put her free hand to her stomach, she probably didn't have much time left.
"I'll miss you too Alice," Tarrant understated, already missing her.
"Oh…Hatter…it hur—" She coughed up blood and let a few tears escape her eyes.
Tarrant, too, felt a tear trickle down his gaunt, white face at the sight of his Alice hurt.
"Please, don't go…" He murmured, "I waited so long for you…"
She trembled as he tucked her hair away from her pale face.
"You found your muchness Alice," Hatter smiled.
"Huh?" She frowned, still clutching her wound.
"You'd lost it, remember? Sometime, when you were up there in battle your found it again…your much muchier now…than you were before…because you believed in yourself and gave your everything for Underland."
Alice giggled, "Promise me, you won't forget me,"
Tarrant's face turned sombre, "I could never forget you Alice…never."
Alice stayed silent for what seemed like an age and Tarrant could vaguely hear the Red Queen saying to The White Queen, "Now, little sister, I believe you've been put to your place, the one beneath me, where you were before…"
Mirana opened her mouth to reply but nothing came out.
"Hatter..." Alice found it a chore to just utter his name.
The hatter bent his head, "It wasn't meant to be like this…I wanted you to stay in Underland with me…forever…it just wasn't meant to end like this. WE weren't meant to end like this…"
"I'll never forget you, Hatter," She let her hands go limp as the bloods flow eased.
"Fairfarren, Alice," He kissed her cold lips and watched the life flicker away from her eyes.
He stroked her cheek, softly, neatened her hair a little and closed her eyelids.
"Fairfarren, Alice," He repeatedly, shakily, trying to realise that she was gone, his Alice was gone.
His Alice Kingsleigh was dead.
A/N: I hope you liked it. Just so you know, I have a habit of threatening to not upload until I get a certain number of reviews, watch out for that. If you listen to Last Day on Earth while reading this then you'll probably cry, try it, tell me if it worked :D
Read and Review please.