The pain finally subsided into a dull throb. When I opened my eyes, everything was towering above me. The bottle was in fragments that were as big as me, scattered around the edge of the table. I looked around.

"This is new…" I muttered.

"Oh, my fur and whiskers!" A familiar voice said. I glanced behind me. The girl that I saw earlier was running towards a small archway. I began to run after her, maneuvering around the broken glass.

"Hey! Wait!" I called. She glanced over her shoulder. Her red eyes widened, her gait increased.

"I'm late!" She said. "No time to say hello or goodbye!" Her long legs carried her through the arch, leaving me alone. I slowed to a walk, and then stopped completely. I could see another forest through the arch. I moaned and slumped to the ground.

"No. This is insane. I'm going to stop, right now." I told myself sternly. A quick glance told me that the forest held beautiful flowers, and a path. Against my own advice, I stood back up. I forced myself to walk through the arch, focusing on the forest beyond.

I had no idea how long I had been walking. Strange birds and creatures sung and chattered, while flowers held conversations about me. There was no draining moon, like there had been outside of the house. Instead, a sun shone high in the sky, giving the forest wonderful color.

Eventually, the path branched off in several different directions. I blinked and examined the signs. One read 'Caterpillar', while the others said 'Tea Party' and 'Castle of Hearts'. They all had a little picture to go along with it.

"Man, why do I get stuck with the decisions?"

"You decided to follow." Shire replied, appearing on a branch above my head.

"You!"

"Me!" He mocked, rolling his eyes. "I'll give you a riddle."

"No." I cut the word off quickly, shocking him. "I don't want any more of your riddles. I just want to get a straight answer for once." Shire flushed. His jaw began to work, like he was trying to form words, but couldn't.

"Cat got your tongue?" I asked, getting fed up.

"If advice is what you want, head to the west. A good time what you need? Keep going straight." He replied, glaring at me. "If you've got a very important date, which I doubt, head east, to the most important place here. If a straight answer is what you want, then ask again."

"Ugh!" I groaned and kicked the tree. "Why? Why me?" I yelled, tears blinding me. "I could never get someone to challenge me back in reality, why do I get people that won't help me here?" Shire blinked, shocked at my sudden change. "Just take me away from here! It makes me feel so-"

"Baby, baby, here we all are crazy. So, follow me." He dropped down from his branch. "Just, no tears…" He murmured, wiping one away. He wore fingerless gloves that clashed with his outfit. We began to walk down the path to the tea party, when Shire heard something I didn't.

"Quick! Go to Caterpillar!" He said, pushing me off of the path. "Just do it!" I stumbled, looking at him. "Run!" He ordered. I glanced behind me, making sure that there was a path there. I stepped onto it and began to run, wondering why I was doing it.

The trees draped down around the path, making a tunnel. At the end, a curtain of vines hung down. I pushed past them, bursting out into a clearing. Lots of mushrooms grew around me, ranging in size. Sitting on the largest one, in the middle, was a tall woman, smoking a large pipe. Haze distorted the view surrounding her.

"Excuse me, are you Caterpillar?" I asked, timid. I had a bad instinct against smokers.

"Who are you?" She asked, her voice languid and throaty.

"Ashton." I replied, taking a cautious step forward. "Shire said to come meet you." At the mention of his name, she straightened and leaned forward, through the smog.

Caterpillar was pretty. She had curling blue hair and pale skin, with green eyes. She was extremely tall, and wore what a harem girl from the Middle East would wear. It looked good on her.

"Oh, really now?" She looked me over, her green eyes peering at me over the edge of her pipe. "So it is true…" She murmured.

"Look, all I know is that Shire told me to come here. It would be nice to just get straight answers for once, but I doubt that's going to happen." Caterpillar nodded.

"Shire sent you…" She murmured. I nodded.

"Yeah. Now, will you please answer my questions, so I can get home?" Caterpillar looked at me like I was high.

"Home? You're already there." I let out a long groan.

"No, I'm not."

"Then where are you?"

"In-" I started. I sighed and slumped. "I don't know…"

"Then you must be home." She stated, lounging on the large mushroom. "But if you doubt me, speak with the Queens, they rule everything here. And you, my child, are just a pawn."

"How can there be more than one queen?" I asked, confused.

"Red and white, and Queen of Cards, all rule in peace. Personalities are balanced, but none of them give a lease." She took a long drag on her pipe, giving me a look. "One controls the looking glass, from which you did pass. Two control the fields and forests beyond this part." Another long draw, and she looked away from me. Silence filled the air between us.

"Is that all?" I asked, after a few minutes. She looked at me as if I was new.

"All that there is? No." She closed her eyes and inhaled. "I smell Shire. Time for you to go." Caterpillar leaned forward and blew a large cloud of smoke in my face. I started to cough, closing my eyes and looking away. After I had my lungs cleared, I looked to find that she was gone.

"Ashton!" Shire yelled, bursting through the forest. "There you are." His face looked grim.

"Shire? What's wrong?" He looked at me, realized that he was distraught, and placed the wide smile on his face again.

"Nothing. I just got summoned to court, that's all. I asked Hatter to keep an eye on you, while I'm gone." His tail swished at the name. "Try not to drink anything while you're there. Or eat anything… He heard a rumor that you had arrived, and has been preparing ever since."

"Shire, can I ask you something?" He blinked, his smile dropping for a second. "You've been real nice and everything, but you keep eluding to a fact that I'm a chosen one or something. Can you just tell me about that?" His mouth began to work again, like it had before I had met Caterpillar. He grimaced.

"The answers that you seek can't be found by looking for them. Look around, observe the surroundings. Talk to people and see what they think… Hatter should be able to give you some answers." He spat the name out, as if it was poisoned. I cringed at his tone.

"You can't give straight answers. You try to, but something stops you…" Shire blushed and looked away.

"I've said more than enough to answer your question. Any additional information will have to cost you." There was a sudden change in him. I couldn't tell what it was, but it was there.

"Shire… Just what would it cost me…?" I asked, glancing up at him. His green eyes looked into mine, and he bit his lip.

"Cannot say…. The Queen has made it so." His face paled as one hand flew up to his mouth.

"Which Queen?"

"Red, White, and Queen of Cards, all rulers of the land, I did land into their bad hand. A curse upon me they did throw, until true love doth grow." The rhymes flew from his mouth, challenging me to keep up with them. "A girl from the Other, and a kiss that could smother. A hate from Hell itself, and the girl torn between two. She will be a savior, for one or more kingdoms, but she might leave too soon. 'Keep her here until the battle is done,' my orders were, and upon them I did swore. Now the orders are gone, but I am still a pawn." He finished, looking at the ground.

"I'm the girl from the Other, aren't I?"

"Ashton, I have to go… The Queens shall off my head if I am late." His eyes were down cast. "Stay on the trail, and head straight to Hatter's Tea Party… Try not to drink or eat anything." He began to disappear.

"Wait!" I cried. He began to disappear faster. "Shire, hold on!" But he didn't. With one sad look, he disappeared completely. I screamed, confused and frustrated. "WHY?" I yelled, kicking one of the mushrooms. "Why me? Why do I have to be this girl from the Other, the one that will break Shire's curse? Why are people that I don't even know fighting over me?" Tears blinded me once again. "I'm sick of crying, sick of trying! On the outside, I'm not smiling, and on the inside, I'm dying…" I muttered as hot tears ran down my cheeks.

"Some advice would be nice…" I murmured, kicking branches out of my way as I stepped back on to the path. "Be patient is very good advice… But the more I wait, the curiouser I get…" I continued to talk to myself as I reached the cross roads. I turned onto the road that pointed North, and heard lilting music. It sounded nice, as if someone was playing a flute and tapping a glass. It was almost entrancing.

I reached a small wooden gate and a large bush fence. I leaned over the edge of the gate, trying to take in the view of the large table. A lot of chairs were set up around it, but I could only see three people. There was a girl that looked quite a bit like the White Rabbit, but this one looked a bit more crazed. A small sleepy boy with mouse ears leaned on the table, and a tall good looking man poured tea. The lilting music continued to play from everywhere.

"Excuse me," I said, cautiously. The man pouring the tea looked up. His face was slightly angular, and he had shaggy white blonde hair.

"Welcome!" He said happily. "You must be Ashton. Shire told me you were coming." He put the tea pot down and made his way to the gate. His light brown eyes were shining with some sort of mischief. He opened the gate. "I'm Hatter, as many people fondly call me." With a gracious bow, he motioned me inside. "I see that you didn't RSVP, but that's okay. Don't expect to be a VIP, though." I felt comfortable around him. I found myself grinning right along with him.

"My friend there is March, and the sleeping one is Dormouse." The small boy muttered in his sleep, and March waved at me.

"Have some tea?" She asked, offering me a cup.

"That's okay… I'm not really that thirsty." Hatter offered me a plate.

"Then how about some sweets, for a very sweet girl?" I shook my head.

"No thanks..." He looked slightly hurt.

"Shire told you not to eat anything, didn't he?" Hatter sniffled a little, but I knew that it was probably crocodile tears.

"Actually, he did…" Hatter scowled at the news.

"Of course. That little kitten has always been trying to stop me from breaking my curse."

"What's with all of the curses?" I asked, curious about it. Hatter grinned and pulled out a chair for me.

"Sit, and I'll tell you the tale." I took the seat hesitantly. Hatter lounged in the head chair, sipping from a dainty tea cup.

"Shire and I used to be best friends. We came from the same kingdom, you know. We traveled here together, but our arrival wasn't approved by the Queens." Another sip. "Shire was cursed to never tell a straight answer, until he found true love with a girl from the Other. After a passionate smooch, he would be free of his curse." Hatter's brown eyes darkened. "The Queens cursed me to challenge him to everything, eternally separating our friendship. They also cursed me to fall in love with, or at least lust after, any girl from the Other that happened to find this realm."

"So, what about the savior for one or more kingdoms? I don't get that part." I admitted. March spoke up.

"There's a war going on, between the kingdoms of Wonderland." She stated, stirring a lot of sugar into her tea. "To start, you have this section, Cardly Forest. It's part of the Queen of Cards domain. Then you have Chessboard Meadow, where the Red and White Queens rule. Those are the main two parts."

"And…then…you…have…mhslfweds…" Dormouse murmured.

"What he means is, then you have the minor areas." March translated.

"Shire and I came from Rhymier, where he was of noble blood." Hatter chimed in. "I was just a lowly servant boy, serving his family the best tea in that part." He shrugged, a dainty gesture.

"Shire said something about him keeping me here until the battle was over…What does that mean?" Hatter and March glanced at each other.

"Well…" She started. Hatter picked it up.

"A war is going on, as you know. It is said that a girl from the Other, like Alice, would be the key to that battle. Shire, after he was cursed, became a pawn to the Queens, which is why he's so damn angsty. They told him that the next girl that stumbled down here, he was to distract and lure into the battle." Hatter placed his tea cup down. "But after a while, the Queens lost their faith in him."

"They withdrew the orders, but kept him as a pawn. Now, the Queen of Cards is throwing a fit, because someone stole her tarts." March rolled her eyes. "She always does this when there's something important going on. I'm waiting for us to get called to court. Hopefully, the cat won't have our tongues."

"CAT?" Dormouse screamed, bolting up right. Hatter sighed.

"Good going, March. Get the jam." He murmured. March lunged across the table for a jar that was sitting by me. She grabbed it while Hatter held Dormouse still.

"Come on, old buddy, hold still." Hatter growled, pinning him to the table. March spooned out a glob of jam and shoved the spoon into his mouth. After a moment of struggling, Dormouse settled and fell back into a peaceful sleep.

"What was that all about?" I asked, confused even more.

"You can't use the 'c' word around him. It upsets him terribly." March explained, putting the jam down. "We don't know why jam calms him down, but it does."

"Don't question things that work." Hatter stated, slumping into a chair. March looked at the sky.

"It's getting late… I should be getting home now… I'll take Dormouse with me. Until tomorrow, Hatter." She gave a little curtsy and picked the sleeping boy up. She made her way out of the yard, heading down the path. Hatter smiled and leaned back in his chair.

"And now it is down to me, and down to you." He laced his fingers over his stomach. "Are you sure you don't want anything to drink?" I nodded.

"Quite sure." Hatter pouted.

"I have some black spice chai that won't take long to brew." He tempted. My stomach growled, and I blushed.

"Well…maybe…" He nodded.

"Wait here, I'll get it steeping and bring out some fresh goodies." I nodded, looking around. Hatter slipped into his house while I took in the view.

Although it seemed impossible, you could see a large meadow with different shaded squares past his house. Small rivers crisscrossed, dividing the meadow up.

"That must be where the Red and White Queen rule…" I said, scanning the rest of the area. Out on the horizon, I could see a large castle. "And that must be where they all live. I hope Shire's okay." My brow furrowed with worry. The sun was setting behind the castle, making the sky become a beautiful red.

"The sun sets red for the Red Queen. When it rises, the sky becomes a creamy white, for the White Queen. It's hard to notice, but the clouds are in the shapes of the card suites, for the Queen of Cards." Hatter said, placing fresh tea and desserts on the table.

"So, it's a balance?" I asked. Hatter nodded and sat next to me. My mind wandered back to what Hatter had told me earlier, about the curses that were given to him and Shire.

"Yeah, something like that." He murmured. His eyes slid over my body, finally ending at my eyes. His light brown eyes reminded me of a cup of tea.

"Hatter…" I murmured. Behind his mischievous eyes hid the pain of betrayal and longing. I reached a hand out and cupped his cheek. "I'll break both of your curses, and I'll stop this war." I promised.

"There's only one way to break both curses and get a happy ending for both of us. And I don't even know what that is." He whispered. He nuzzled my hand, tears shining in his eyes. I felt really sorry, and I don't know whether or not it was due to the tea or his sad story.

"Hatter, look at me." I whispered. He glanced at me, his light brown eyes full of hurt. "Please don't tell Shire." I murmured, leaning in a little. He seemed to take the hint, and our lips gently met. His lips were slightly chapped, but only enough to add texture. He drew me closer to him. His hands wrapped around my waist and neck, pressing his lips against mine in a primal fashion. A voice in my head screamed to stop, that it was wrong and that I shouldn't be doing it. Another voice told me to keep going, that this was right and that it needed to be finished.

Finally, Hatter broke for air.

"Ashton…" He murmured. His face was flushed, and I could tell that he was pretty turned on.

"I'm sorry, Hatter… I led you on… I don't know how I fit into any of this prophecy thingy of yours, or how to break your curse. God, I'm such a horrible person…" I muttered, hanging my head.

"No, you're not. Ashton, I have never been kissed like that. I know you're the girl from the prophecy, and that you'll stop this war and break both of the curses." The way he looked into my eyes told me that he really believed it. "You'll save the Queens' Domain, and all of the minor areas from the outbreak of violence." His hand found mine, and gripped it tightly. "Shire will understand, if he finds out. But for now, let's just keep that between us." I nodded, glancing up at the sky.

"Hatter, it's late. Do you mind if I stay here for the night?" He blushed, but nodded.

"I have a spare room that you can use. Come on in." He opened the door and motioned me inside.

The house was a lot warmer than the night outside. A large fire crackled and popped, making shadows jump and move. His house was small, but warm and cozy. There was an underlying hint of sadness, and it was creepy.

"Right this way." He stated, moving into a small hallway. Several rooms branched off of it. He slipped into it and grinned at me. "This is the extra room. Bathroom is right down the hall, on the right. My room is just across the hall." Hatter added. "I'll be in there if you need anything. Feel free to make yourself at home, I don't mind."

His voice was a little sad. He was doubting that I would be able to break both curses and get a happy ending for both him and Shire. I smiled at him as I closed the door to the bed room, tired beyond belief.

As I laid in the bed, I thought about the impossible that had happened to me. I had gone through a mirror, and found myself swimming in a pool of tears. A bunch of dead, or mostly dead, people had sung to me. I had been shrunken, told about two curses that I was supposed to break, given weird advice, and insulted. I kissed a guy that I didn't really know.

"This has been one long ride." I murmured, rolling onto my side and closing my eyes. "Maybe some sleep will help…"