The Lost Son Chapter 1 We're Not Alone Here, an alice in wonderland, 2010 fanfic

The last person he had expected to see brought to his hut was Ilosovich Stayne. He should be monarch by now. Ackley and Brinley, two of his best hunters and closest advisers, had come to him saying they had caught Ilosovic Stayn, and he could scarcely believe it.

What was even harder to believe, however, was the story Ilosovic told him, as they sat inside a clay hut that Thibault used for all of his official actions. "No, you're lying! That can't be true. It's been ten years since we got word from Underland!"

"Yes, well," Ilosovic played scraped the dirt from beneath his fingers absentmindedly, "You best believe it. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for that damned girl."

"What girl?" Thibault demanded. His eyes were shifting colors rapidly – from red, to orange, and sometimes flickering to a deep blue. Thibault saw this as his biggest weakness, anyone who paid attention could tell exactly what he was thinking at anytime, so long as they knew what the colors meant. Green for happiness, blue for affection, purple for confusion, orange for anger, yellow for surprise, and red for rage. A trait he inherited from his father, no doubt, and the only visual trait that gave away his parentage. Aside from that, he was simply the male replica of his mother.

"Alice. Mirana's champion and the Hatter's sweetheart." Thibault felt his heart start to race at the mention of his mother. His sweet, sweet mother. He fought a string of memories and re-focused, staring back at Stayn. Stayn looked up at him and rolled his eyes. "I guess you want to hear the whole story, now then. Don't you? Well sit down boy and wait for story time."

He scowled, but did what Stayn asked of him. It was then that Stayn regaled the entire tale of Underland's capture – and recapture – to the outcast. When he finished, Thibault's angry façade had melted into pure shock, his eyes a bright yellow. "Well, that is all. Can I go now?"

"Wait! How do I know you're not lying?"

"Please, kid." Stayn scoffed. "Why would I waste my time wandering around the Outlands just to capture a group of renegades?"

Thibault said nothing, and Stayn left the tent. "Ackley! Brinley! Get in here!" The two men stood at attention in front of him. "How long will it take you to get to Marmoreal?"

The two men looked perplexed. "Marmoreal? Sir, we haven't been to Marmoreal since the Horunvendish Day. Why are we going back to Marmoreal?"

"It doesn't matter how long it's been, you need to go now. You need to go to the castle and see my mother. Tell her I am alive. Tell her of our existence." His voice cracked, and he paused and tried to regain his composure. "How fast can you get there?"

Brinley stepped forward and unrolled his map onto the table. "Well sir, a trip to the Outlandan Mountains will take three days on horseback. To cross the mountains, that's another matter entirely."

Thibault shook his head. "How did we do it the first time?"

The two looked at each other, neither able to recall just how they had arrived 14 years ago. "There was a passageway, I believe. Somewhere towards the south. A canyon. If I remember, yes, there. Between the two tallest peaks, there is a canyon. In theory, we can travel safely through the canyon. This would put us close to the Grumpus Bluffs. Then all we need to do is pass through Snud, which would lead us straight to Marmoreal."

"How long!" Thibault demanded. The two men jumped back into attention.

"If all travel goes smoothly? Two weeks. If not… it could take months."

"We don't have months!" He shouted. "Two weeks. You have two days to collect what you need for your journey, at my expense. Take who you need and what you need. Make the journey. See what has happened. Demand to see the queen. Tell her -" His voice cracked again slightly, and he cleared his throat, standing up straighter. "Tell her of the colony – and request an official meeting."

The two bowed. "Yes, Sir."

"You may go." The two men exited the tent. Thibault's mind raced, and he grabbed a chair to steady himself. What had just happened? Marmoreal? His parents alive? What would this mean for the camp? Would they enter Wonderlandian society again, after so long? They had just gotten settled – or so it seemed. They had just reached the point where life was stable. They knew they would have food, they knew who was in charge of what, they had just reached a point where everything didn't break down at the slightest crack in the system. And now what? The sheer effort it would take to move everyone to Marmoreal was almost too risky to even attempt. They had grown to nearly three hundred. There were children here now, babies, pregnant women. How would they be able to make the journey? Thibault slammed his fists on the table in frustration.

Ackley and Brinley spent the afternoon plotting their trail to Marmoreal, and by the end of the day, the entire camp was abuzz with the news. A meeting with Marmoreal, Mirana the White Queen back in power, the Red Queen defeated and now killed. Years had passed, and most had assumed that they would live in the colony forever. The hope of return was far too dangerous to harbor.