Before the hatter was mad, and Grace was more than a word..
"Where are we going?" asked Alice, exasperated.
"I need to have a... chat, with the White Queen." said the cat, floating down the pathway.
"But I thought you were looking to speak with the hatter?"
"I've already told you, I say what I mean, nothing else. I never said I wanted to speak with the hatter, I have business with the Hare, who has business with the hatter. And my business with the Hare happens to involve their business, but I by no means wish to speak with the hatter. I now must speak with the White Queen."
"Why?"
"To warn her. The hatter has been making deals with the Queen of Hearts, which involve the Hare. He's already been to see the Hare once, which means he's farther along in her plans than I once thought. I must inform the White Queen at once."
"Oh dear, is this dangerous?" asked Alice, intrigued.
"It involves the Queen of Hearts." replied the cat, which was really all the explanation needed.
Alice walked as the cat floated, and together they followed the lonely winding path through the forest until daylight began to break along the midnight sky. In the far horizon, Alice could see a glittering white castle. It shone like diamonds, bouncing with light and beauty. And eventually, as all remainders of night were banished, they reached the White Queen's court.
Guards dressed in white and glinting silver greeted them with a grand bow as they walked through the gates into the castle. The doors t the white castle with high, and opened swiftly as they approached. And from them came a woman with unearthly beauty, her hair a long and glossy white, her gown was full and white as her hair, and moved with her as fluidly as if it were water. She greeted them with a perfect curtsy, a lovely smile gracing blood red lips.
"Cheshire, I wasn't expecting you until the feast." said the Queen serenely.
"Yes, well I bring news of the hatter my Queen." responded the cat. The Queen's eyes went to Alice and she smiled warmly.
"And you've brought Alice," she said, reaching out and grasping her hands in hers. "Welcome back."
"Thank you," she curtsied, "Your Majesty."
"Please, come inside. Both of you. I'd like to here all about our hatter Cheshire, but breakfast is almost ready. Best not to waste it." They followed the Queen through the doors of the castle, which was just as beautiful as its Queen. Inside was white, clean and perfect, everything within it radiated warmth and love.
They came into a long room, with a long narrow table at its very center, covered in an array of foods. Alice took a seat and filled her plate, eager for sustenance.
"Now, Cheshire, you've come with news of the hatter?" asked the Queen, sipping a cup of hot tea.
"Yes my Queen, he has already been to see the March Hare, he'll be back in no less than a few hours for the rest of their deal, before he is due to report back the heartless hag."
"Now Cheshire, that is not very kind. Though she has made many mistakes, there could be good in her yet. We must give her a chance to redeem herself, and name calling will not make anything better."
"Pardon me, Your Majesty, but it would make me feel better." said the cat, grinning widely. Alice saw as the Queens lips itched in a smile, but she hid it with grace.
"There is no need to fret of the hatter, dear Cheshire. The deal is not what it appears to be, all he requires is information, which the Queen of Hearts thinks she needs. I trust in my people to give her nothing of importance, but even if they did, there is nothing she can learn of our lands that will harm us. I hope, one day, that she will believe that. We are not the enemy. I've only ever wanted peace." said the Queen, sipping at her tea once more. "I do think, however, that we should warn this hatter, for he if he continues to do his dealings with danger, he might find himself in an unpleasant situation."
"But my Queen, he is working for her. Surely he understands what the implications of-" said the cat, but the Queen raised a delicate hand in polite silence.
"No, everyone, even strangers to our lands, deserve our protection. The Queen of Hearts is better at deception than anyone I have ever known, perhaps our hatter has been misguided." She stood from the table and whispered into a servants ear. The girl, clad in a white uniform, smiled and curtsied to her Queen, before leaving the room. She returned quickly, and in her hand she held a roll of parchment, which she handed to the Queen. "Thank you Marietta," said the Queen kindly.
"What are we to do now, my Queen?" asked the cat curiously, eyeing the parchment with wondering eyes.
"I will have to ask a favor of you Cheshire, I worry that by sending my guards, it will alarm him, or worse yet, put thoughts into the Queen of Hearts head. Take this map, it will guide you on your quest. And then," the Queen pulled a small crisp white envelope from a pocket in her dress, and waved a hand over it, and Alice watched in amazement as black writing scrawled itself over the back. "give him this. It will explain everything, and if all goes well, he will get away from the Queen of Hearts with his head on his shoulders." The cat nodded and took both papers in one large paw, before they both shrunk to the width of Walnuts and he tucked them into a pocket of his fur.
"I will do as you ask of me, my Queen." The cat did a sort of bow, which Alice found odd, considering he was hovering in mid air, but he completed it with the same grace he carried himself with, easy and swift.
"Thank you, now please, feel free to take whatever you'll need for you journey. The castle is at your beck and call my dear friends." said the Queen, before gliding away.
"Ready for an adventure?" asked the Cheshire cat, grinning wider than ever.
Alice and the cat walked on a mile or so, Alice on the horseback of one of the Queens steeds and the cat gliding along beside her.
"I think it's time to check the map." the cat told her.
She pulled the scroll of parchment from the saddle and rolled in out in front of her, balancing herself as the horse clambered on down the narrow path.
"It says that the hatter is exactly where he should be, and exactly where we won't want to be." Her brow furrowed in confusion, "What does that mean?" she asked.
"It means what it says." replied the cat lazily. "You must stop assuming everything is not as it is, it's when you think everything is as it should be, that it is not."
"Cheshire," said Alice impatiently.
"The hatter will be in a place we can't get to. Most likely in the Heart's court. Which means we'll have to find him once he's on his way out." said the cat, rolling his eyes, though still grinning.
"Well if he's already gone to the Queen, we've lost haven't we? We were supposed to warn him before he got there." said Alice, ever so confused.
"Just because the hatter is there does not mean he's there to tell her anything. He couldn't possibly have all the Queen has asked for, not yet."
"Why is the Queen using a hatter to do her dealings? He's just a hatter."
"How do you think he came to be in Wonderland if he was just an ordinary hatter?" asked the cat.
"You told me most hatters find themselves here because most of them are mad."
"Ah, yes, but this hatter is not. Not yet at least." replied the cat.
"Then how has he come to be in Wonderland?" asked Alice.
"You ask so many questions, what would you do with the answers?" asked the cat. Alice shot him a glare and he grinned ever wider, "As I said, he is no ordinary hatter. He does not dwell from your land. But from another, one of magic."
"Like Wonderland?" asked Alice excitedly.
"Fortunately and Unfortunately, no. Nothing like Wonderland."
"Why must you always be so cryptic?" Alice asked. But the cat simply grinned, before floating ahead of her.
Their journey was long, but Alice hardly noticed. She was too happy to be free to bother with boredom. Wonderland was such a wonderful place, Alice couldn't believe she had forgotten the talking flowers.
"We shall wait here." said the cat, coming to a stop. Alice pulled the reins of her horse. "The Hearts castle is just over that ridge, the hatter will pass through here, and when he does, we'll give him our message and be on our way."
"How do you know he will come through here?" asked Alice, but the cat just looked at her, grinning, and she knew she shouldn't have bothered.
They waited and waited, and sure enough they soon heard the sound of feet hitting the the pathway. Cheshire looked and her and brought a paw to his mouth, motioning her to be quiet, before he disappeared before her eyes.
"Ah, good." she heard the cat say as the walking stopped abruptly.
"Who in the he-" Alice slid off her horses back and dropped to her feet, before peeking around the bushes. Sure enough, she saw a man with his back turned to her, wearing a tall, smart hat.
"Alice I think he'd listen better if I had a human with me, unfortunately some are ignorant to the genius of a cat." The man followed the cats eyes and spun around. He was young, older than her, but still young. His face was handsome, his jaw dusted in brown stubble, his hair a dark mess disappearing into his hat. His clothes were dark and business like, and his eyes were as pale blue as Alice's dress and looking between her and the cat curiously.
"Hello," said Alice awkwardly. The cat rolled his eyes rudely and motioned for her to hurry up, already growing bored. "Um, we need to talk to you."
"I don't have time to chat I've got important busine-" The hatter started, starting to plow past her, but Alice held her ground firmly.
"No, please," she said, pudhing him back. She straightened her dress and tried to look official, "We've been sent by the White Queen," she reached a hand out to the cat, who placed the envelope in her palm. "This is a message directly from Her Majesty the White Queen," she handed him the letter, "Our Queen urges you to sever all ties you may have with the Queen of Hearts and return to your own land."
"And why does your Queen care what happens to me?" asked the hatter incredulously.
"She believes in goodness and kindness, the Queen of Hearts believes in selfishness and hate. Our Queen wishes to see no one hurt, including you." Alice urged him, "Wonderland is a beautiful place, but also a dangerous one. You're not safe here."
"I appreciate your concern but I must say, if I'm not safe here then neither are you." replied the hatter, sizing her up and smirking.
The girl simply shrugged and shot the cat a knowing grin, "I'm Alice, Wonderland is more dangerous to me than anyone. But I've never felt safer." The hatter looked at her strangely and asked in a puzzled tone,
"Are you mad?"
The girl laughed, blond hair shaking in golden waves, "You're in Wonderland." She said, as if that answered his question.
And it had.
The cat, the hatter and Alice continued down the winding path through the forest. Alice, on her white horses back, and the hatter walking along side her horse as the cat floated gracefully ahead of them.
"Why are you here, in Wonderland?" the hatter asked the girl.
"My mother and father wished me to marry, I didn't want to." she said.
"So you came here, of all places?" he asked.
"Wonderland was the basis of my entire life, I was never happier than those few short days I spent in Wonderland. And when I went back home, all I dreamed of, all I ever wished for, was to go back." She answered as she ran her thin fingers through her horses pale mane.
"And here you are."
A small smile appeared on her face, "And here I am." she sighed and looked out into the forest, a sea of dark green and mysteries, strange creatures lurking as they strode past. "I could ask you the same question." stated Alice.
"Business." he muttered, adjusting the hat on his head.
"You seem quite young to be involved in such dangerous business." said Alice, frowning slightly.
"I could tell you the same thing." stated the hatter, smirking once more.
"Don't be stupid." she said. He looked at her and laughed loudly, to which she folded her arms across her chest and huffed, wiping her head away from him. "I liked the old hatter much better than you." muttered Alice bitterly.
"Oh, was he mad too?" he asked sarcastically.
"He might have been mad, but he made excellent tea." said Alice indignantly.
"I make quite the cup myself." he boasted. She just rolled her eyes. "Well if he was so wonderfully mad, then where is he?" he asked.
"Cheshire said hatters come and go."
"If they're anything like me, than I suppose that's right. I'm not staying."
"Where are you from?" asked Alice, "Cheshire said you're not from my world."
"If you're not from my world, then where are you from?" asked the hatter.
"London." she said, looking at him curiously.
"The Enchanted Forest." she snorted in a most unladylike way, and clapped a hand over her mouth.
"That doesn't sound real in the slightest." she accused with a laugh.
"Nor does Wonderland, or your London."
She laughed again, "Yet here we walk, towards the White Queens castle."
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-Clary x