Much More Muchier
By Detafo

Chapter One:
Return To Underland

"Excuse me, Miss Kingsley, but you have a telegram." The young man stood at the doorway of Alice Kingsley's study, proffering a piece of paper. "I was told it was urgent."

Alice took the piece of paper delicately. Skimming her eyes over the sparse words, she stood up suddenly.

"Joseph, ready my carriage. I must make haste to Ascot Manner."

"Certainly, ma'am." Joseph turned smartly on his heel and hurried to follow his orders.

Alice Kingsley, now twenty-three-and-a-half exactly, ran down the stairs in a most un-ladylike manner.

"Alice! Where are you going in such a hurry?" Her mother called as the woman raced past her.

"To Ascot Manner, mother. Lord Ascot has been injured and is asking for me."

"Oh, my!" Helen Kingsley gasped, a hand flying to her mouth. "I do hope he's all right."

"I shall find out, mother!" Alice replied, running out of the front door, toward the carriage that had just pulled up at the foot of the stairs. "Ascot Manner, Andrew! As fast as you can!" She said, giving the order to the coach man as she slammed the carriage door shut. The horses whinnied as they were whipped to speed. Alice held her hands together tightly. She hoped her old friend and master was all right.

333

Upon her arrival at Ascot Manner, Alice was met at the front door by the head butler, Charles.
"They are waiting for you upstairs, Miss." Charles said, as she stepped into the foyer. Alice nodded her thanks and headed up the stairs and into the house. Once at the top of the main staircase, she was directed to the master living suite, where she found the Ascots – Lady Marilla, Hamish and his wife, Honoria. Marilla had tears in her eyes, her usual hard expression, softened with grief.

"He's in there, Alice…" She gestured to the door, raising her handkerchief to her eyes and dabbing them. Alice nodded and knocked softly on the door.

"Come in…" The voice was almost as soft as her knock. She entered the room, making her way over to the bed. "Ah… Alice…" Lord Henry Ascot smiled weakly from his pillows. "Please forgive an old man like me for not meeting you at the door."

"You're not old, sir." Alice said, taking one of his hands in both of hers. "What have you gone and done to yourself?"

"I haven't done anything." Henry sighed. "That blasted new horse is what did it. The stable hands told me he was broken in and the damned thing bucked me off."

"Oh, dear…" Shocked, Alice pressed her fingers to her lips. "Are you going to be all right?"

"No, dear Alice… the doctor says that the fall has broken my back. I cannot move from the chest downwards. Unfortunately, this is how I will remain until the end of my days."

"No!" Alice looked shocked. "But we have the company to think of, sir…"

"You have proved that you are more than capable of handling the company, Alice, which is what I wanted to talk to you about."

Alice tightened her hold around the old man's hand. "Me? Handling the company?"

"You're the only logical choice I can think of." Henry smiled. "You have your father's vision, Alice. You were the one who convinced me that we must take advantage of our foothold in China. And look where that has gotten us? A dozen footholds all around the world!"

"Well, I can say that I've gained my muchness over the years…" Murmured Alice.

"You muchness?"

"Oh, just something an old friend told me a long time ago." Alice looked up at the man and smiled. "Will you give me time to think about it, sir? I need to give it some proper thought."

"Alice? Giving something thought? Not rushing in with all swords held aloft?" Henry chuckled sightly. "All right, I'll grant you time to think it over. After all, this has become rather a shock. I need to get my affairs in order. Take as much time as you need."

Alice nodded and leant down to kiss the man's cheek. He'd been like a secondary father-figure to her since she was nine years old. She knew that he'd understand. Getting up from her seat, she smiled at the man, before leaving him be.

Exiting the room, she smiled at the questioning looks that Marilla, Hamish and Honoria were giving her. "I need to think things through." She said. With a farewell nod, she turned down the stairs and made her way to the gardens. Passing by her carriage, she looked up at the coachman. "Andrew, return home. Tell mother that I have been given a business opportunity that I need to think about. I will come home when I've thought it through."

"Yes, ma'am." Andrew answered, knowing well enough when his mistress wanted to be left on her own. Urging the horses on, he headed back toward Kingsley Manner on the other side of the lake. Alice watched him disappear around the corner before heading in the opposite direction toward the maze. Strolling leisurely through the hedged walls, she let her memory guide her out the opposite side, up the hill and toward the old, dead tree where she knew the rabbit-hole was situated. Walking around the opposite side of the tree, she knelt down beside the rabbit-hole and looked down. The crumbling dirt tunnel led down into the darkness, just as she had remembered. Situating herself so that her legs dangled over the edge, Alice looked around to make sure no gardeners or staff were around and pushed off from the side, letting herself fall into the blackness.

Wind rushed upward passed her face, blowing her skirt up around her. Passing dozens of books – many of which she remembered reading as a child – a bed, a piano that played her a welcoming tune, a tea set that was pouring itself for no one, several articles of clothing floated from here to there, and many dolls and soft toys danced about as though they were puppets on invisible strings. Alice braced herself for the impact she knew was coming. Sure enough, she crashed through the floor-ceiling of the rotating room. She noted in the back of her mind that her previous entry way had been fixed. Managing to crawl toward the wall before the room righted itself, Alice slid down the wall and landed on the original floor with much less force than she had on her previous visit to Underland.

Her heels clicking on the marbled floor, she walked toward the little table. There upon the glass surface was a tiny key, and a bottle of Pishsalver. Taking the key on one hand and swallowing a mouthful of the potion with the other, she coughed at the bitter taste. The world grew rapidly around her as her dress billowed around her. Tying her undergarments around herself with a length of ribbon, she made her way to the small door behind the curtain. Unlocking it, she smiled as it opened up on the beautiful garden.

There was a mighty squawk on surprise as the Dodo was knocked off the steps and into a protesting clump of Daisies. Alice looked down sheepishly at the struggling bird.

"I'm terribly sorry, Uilleam!" She cried, racing down the stairs to help him up with the help of the Daisies. "I did not even realise you were there!"

"Quite alright, my dear girl." The Dodo exclaimed, grasping her hand between his wings. "So wonderful to see you have returned! To what do we owe this pleasure?"

"A mad person is allowed to visit her mad friends every once in a while, can she not?" Alice asked with a smile.

"By all means!" The Dodo replied. "You do remember the way to Thackery's house, I imagine? You do not need an escort?"

"I believe I know, Uilleam… if I get lost, I daresay Chessur will find and escort me."

"Quite right, my dear girl… when you are finished with taking tea and visiting the whos and whys and wheres, would you be so kind as to join me in a Caucus-race? I haven't enjoyed such finery since before the Red Queen began her tyrannical reign."

"I would be honoured." Alice agreed, curtseying as much as her tied up undergarments would allow. "You will of course make sure that everyone is there to participate?"

"Of course." The Dodo smiled. "Now hurry along, or you will be late for tea!"

Alice returned the smile, nodded and began down the beaten path – past Absolem's den, toward the signpost, into the forest and through the overgrown vines.

"You've returned, then?" A disembodied voice asked from Alice's left. She turned toward the source and smiled at the gap-toothed grin that was hanging in midair.

"Hello, Chess." She said softly, raising a hand to scratch the area when the cat's large forehead would be. A loud purr erupted from the grinning mouth and a pair of aqua-blue-green eyes appeared above it, lulled in a sated expression. "How have things been since I left?"

"As well as can be expected, I suppose…" The Cat replied as his body appeared lazily. "Tarrant and Thackery still take their tea at every hour of the day. "Mallymkun has edited the tale of Champion Alice to include herself being your second… nothing quite out of the extraordinary, if I do say so myself."

Alice chuckled. "Well in that case, I feel right at home." She smiled. "Would you care to escort me to the tea party, Chess?"

"My dear, I would be absolutely delighted." Chessur grinned widely, before taking to floating along side the girl. "Really, Alice… how long has it been?"

"It will be four years next week, I do believe." Alice said, knowing exactly what he was talking about without the need for clarification. "How is Mirana? And Bayard and Bandy and the Tweedles?"

"They are all quite well, so I'm told." The Cat replied evenly. He ran a paw across the old Bandersnatch scars on her arm. "How did you explain away this to those dull people up there?"

"I told them a half-truth." Alice chuckled. "I told everybody that I fell down a hole and hit my head."

"Really…" The Cat grinned once again. "Four years, you say? My, time does fly up there…"

"How long has it been down here, Chess?"

"Well, since Tarrant and Time have yet to make amends… I'd say it's been about a year and a half since graced us all with your Jabberwocky-slaying skills. Though, of course, I have been known to be wrong."

Alice laughed. "Well, at least you've learned to embrace that."

333

They came out into a clearing where a marvellous, multicoloured windmill stood. A tea table, set for at least two dozen people, was set out just beyond the front gate. At the head of the table sat a man with garish orange hair, an odd collection of colourful clothes and an enormous top hat.

"Hello, Hatter." Alice said as she came to the other end of the table. The head that held the hat bounced up from its position on the man's chest. The yellow-green eyes took a moment to focus on the figure in front of him and he jumped up, upsetting the teapot to his right as he leapt up on the table and hurriedly strode to the other end. The sudden movement disrupted the sleeping March Hare, who screamed in fright and grabbed at his ladle for protection.

"I found her wandering through the Tulgey Woods and thought you might like to see her." Chessur appeared to one side of the tea table and sat, drinking daintily from a cup.

"I told you I'd come back before you knew it, Hatter." Alice said with a smile.

"Aye, that you did, Lass." Tarrant Hightopp said with a gaily insane laugh – one that Alice had missed. "And you've come back on an absolutely splendid day!"

"I have?" Alice asked, her eyebrows raising in amusement.

"Why, yes! Don't think I have forgotten, my dear girl! Today is your half-birthday!"

"It is indeed." Alice agreed, after thinking for a moment. "I am exactly twenty-three and a half today."

"And your hair still wants cutting." Tarrant countered with a cheeky smile, before hopping off the table and patting his pockets to find a crumb Upelkuchen so that she'd be the right size once again. Handing it to her, he waited until she stopped growing before throwing his arms around her and giving her a hug that he'd been wanting to do for some time. "Welcome back, Alice."
Returning the hug, Alice chuckled into his hair. "Thank you, Hatter." She murmured.