She first met him in a dream, where he was simply a figment of her imagination. Little did she know that as her dreams reoccurred, she would always be led back to him.
Alice woke in a sweat, sitting up in bed. The ship she was aboard was rocking with the sea, the salty, warm air lingering in her room.
The hatter told her she wouldn't remember him, but he was the only thing she could think about as she sailed to China, on a business trip for her father's company.
She'd made up the hatter to be someone quite like her. Mad, crazy, completely out of their mind. In her dreams, he was her first friend, the only one who understood and went along with her wacky ideas. They had tea parties, wandered in the forest, and explored all of wonderland.
That was when she was seven. Seven and completely clueless, not knowing what she wanted to do with her life, nor worrying about it. She was now twenty, and still had no idea where her life was taking her. The only thing she knew was that she needed the hatter almost as much as she knew he needed her.
Lying in bed, she clasped the vial of blood around her neck and held the blood of the Jabberwocky. The blood was magical. It glowed a bright purple, illuminating her face in the dark. Without thinking, she immediately drank what was left of the blood and made her wish.
"Wonderland," she said aloud in the dark.
The room spun in a blur, and instantly she knew what was happening. She was swept up into a whirl and was suddenly freefalling until she hit the ground.
As she lifted her head from the ground, she immediately knew what was happening. She knew her wish had come true as she saw the White Rabbit hopping towards her.
"Alice!" he screamed, hopping faster toward her.
"Why, hello," she said, glancing around. "By any chance have you seen the hatter?"
"H-h-hatter?" the rabbit stuttered.
"Why do you sound so afraid?" she asked. "The hatter was a friend of yours if I remember correctly."
"The hatter is no friend of mine!" the rabbit screamed, preparing to take off.
"Wait!" Alice shouted. "What happened?"
"You left," he mumbled softly, avoiding her stare.
"Yes, I did. But what does that have to do with why you're so scared of the hatter?" she asked, curiosity sparking in her voice.
"When you left, tatter became…different."
"How?" she asked.
"The hatter didn't really have any friends. You were the first of his kind he actually found in a place like Wonderland. When he finally found you and thought you were his, you just left and he had to let go. You broke his heart, Alice. And now he feels like he has nothing at all, that he's alone. That's how he wants to keep it. So he sits down by the river all day, speaking his mad thoughts aloud to himself. He welcomes no one, and shuns those who try to help. It's like he's not even the hatter anymore. Just some loony that's better left with his thoughts."
Alice couldn't help but feel shock, pain. She didn't mean to hurt the hatter. It was completely unintentional. She had been lost in herself, and thought going home would be best for everyone, no attachments. Turns out, he did need her as much as she needed him.
The rabbit was hopping off she called, "Rabbit! Where can I find the hatter?"
"Yonder! Past the woods. Find Cheshire and he'll lead you to him," he said, before hopping off.
Alice walked hurriedly through the woods, searching for Cheshire as she sped through the trees.
"Why hello, Alice my dear. Long time, no see." Cheshire whispered in her ear, evaporating into thin air and reappearing on her other side.
"Hello, Cheshire. By any chance do you know where I could find the hatter?"
"The hatter," he purred. "Now what would you want with the hatter? He's not quite friendly these days."
"So I've heard," Alice huffed. "It's my fault. That's why I need to find him. To make things right."
"Well, if you insist," he purred again. "I must warn you he's not himself anymore."
"I know you already told me that," she snapped.
"Fine, follow me," he told her, before evaporating and reappearing up the trail.
Alice walked a long time, flowing Cheshire, feeling as if she was being led nowhere. Cheshire continued talking to her, heeding her warning that the hatter was no longer friendly, that he didn't welcome any company. Going on and on.
Just when Alice felt as if she'd never get there, she saw a clearing up ahead, and heard a familiar rambling.
"Ahhh, there he is," whispered Cheshire.
Cheshire evaporated, appearing in front of the hatter.
"Hello, hatter," he purred, a grin spreading across his face.
"Cheshire, how many times do I have to tell you, I do not wish to have company. I just want to be alone."
"Okay Hatter, if you insist." He turned toward Alice, "I told you he wasn't looking for any company."
The hatter turned around and began, "Who are you-" but then stopped in his tracks. "A-a-Alice?"
"Hatter."
"What are you doing here?" he snapped, as if any bit of him had been erased.
"Well, I came back to Wonderland for you. And I can't go home this time. So I guess I wasted my time. Maybe is should go visit the White Queen and find some Jabberwocky blood. No point in staying here if you want to be alone," she exhaled.
She began walking away and the hatter felt the pain from the last time she left. It was as if his chest was being torn in two, and he didn't want to relive this moment again.
"Alice. Wait." He stuttered.
"What?' She yelled at him, anger rising in her tone.
"Please stay," he begged.
"I thought you didn't want company? The way people have been telling me about you, it seems impossible to get through to you."
"I sometimes believe in six impossible things before breakfast," he began. "Someone I used to know did as well."
Through anger, Alice couldn't help but smile.
"I do," she stated proudly.
"Then stay," he begged her.