I really hope you guys liked the first chapter, I promise as you read on further in the chapters, it gets much more interesting. There is like a really cute relationship between the two, as you will tell (: REVIEW! Please, and thank you! -insert xoxo here-
By the way, I'm kind of dragging out the beginning (By beginning I mean the first few chapters) because I want you guys to get a feel of who the characters are and such!Like their relationships and stuff! :D Review for a cookie!
Turn Back Time
Chapter 2 - Rerouted
The Mad Hatter looked up from the table, hearing Mally and the Hare making a quiet fuss. The Hatter's face was completely filled with disbelief as he saw what had upset the two, but he was also both hopeful and joyful. It barely showed, seeing as the both the boy and the Hatter stared back in forth at each other, meeting eye to eye. The Hatter summoned enough strength to speak, and it only added to the tension. "Elliot, is that you?"
"...Tarrant?" Elliot asked in disbelief. For a moment, he thought maybe he had hit his head when running from the Bandersnatch, this couldn't be real- The Hatter was dead.. So was the Hare.. and Mally.. right? He had to be dreaming, though what a wonderful dream it was- to see his friend he had been longing for, for the longest time.
A few seconds later, the Mad Hatter jumped up on the table and briskly made his way to Elliot, avoiding the tea cups, utensils and pots. He hopped off the table and ran right to the boy, standing there for a moment, as if there was some catch he hadn't seen yet. He bent down to Elliot's height and looked him up and down, scanning every inch of his body. "Is it really you?" The hatter interrogated.
"Who else might I be?" Elliot asked, giving the Mad Hatter a soft, but rather confused look.
Tarrant couldn't take much more, so he embraced Elliot just as Mally and Thackery ran over to them. "Elliot!" Mally exclaimed with Joy, pinching onto Elliot's pant leg and making her way up to the boys shoulder. "I can't believe it's you, I thought you were dead!"
"As you can see, I'm not.. I thought all of you were dead!" Elliot admitted, looking rather distressed at the situation. The Hare hugged onto Elliot's leg for a moment, then quickly hopped back, laughing as he did.
"Why would you think we were dead?" Mally questioned as Elliot turned to face her.
"I thought the Jabberwocky had gotten you, all of you," He said, an obviously false statement.
"No, we're all very much alive, thank you," The small mouse said a bit sarcastically.
"..Elliot," The Hatter began to speak again, and Elliot turned his attention to him. "If you're alive, then what about the others?"
"..." Elliot could feel his heart drop at the hatter's question. The hatter should know the answer to that.. why would he make Elliot tell him? "The others.. all of the Hightopp Clan, th.. they.." He trailed off, thinking back to that dreaded day. He felt in pain in his gut, remembering all his friends being attacked by the Jabberwocky and the Red Queen's soldiers. The hatter managed to get a small group of kids, though he would rather look at them as friends. The whole group would look up to the hatter, find him to be a mentor, even a brother. Elliot was the closest to the hatter, but the rest were definitely in the race. How ever, everyone who knew the Mad Hatter knew how negatively the event had affected him. Witzend was destroyed that day. Horunvendush Day.. Be damned the bloody Red Queen.
"They what?" Hatter looked hopeful, Elliot could see how badly he wanted the rest to be here with them now but it would never happen.
"I'm sorry, Tarrant," Elliot told him, and the Hatter's face fell disappointed.
The Hare twitched and fidgeted at the awkwardness, and Mally jumped down from Elliot's shoulder as the Hatter grabbed onto his hand. "Well, you're still here, so let's go on and have tea," He dragged Elliot around the table and set him in a chair next to his own. "You're terribly late, you know- naughty!" He finished as he sat in his own slightly bigger chair. Elliot was a little thrown off by the hatter's sudden change in mood, but he barely minded it.
Mally and Thackery giggled. The Hare banged on one of the cups, spilling a bit of tea on the table cloth. The Hatter scolded him for a moment, then turned to Elliot. "We've been having our little party for awhile now, you should have came earlier.." He announced, taking the tea pot in one hand. He gave it a cold look and turned back to Elliot with a weary face. "I bet you it's gotten cold."
"Tarrant, I can't stay," Elliot said, not wanting to look the Hatter in the eye.
"And why not?" The Hatter asked, setting the pot down.
Elliot thought for a moment, not sure of how to explain what was happening. He couldn't tell the hatter what had happened, it was too much.. too soon. "I just can't. I'd explain but, it's much too early for you to give me the cold shoulder, don't you think?"
"Why would we ever turn our back on you? My dear, Elliot, that sort of thing could never happen. What ever you feel you can't tell us, you know you can," He explained, feeling Elliot's uncertainty.
"But I can't," Elliot refused, giving the hatter a look begging to drop the subject. He rubbed his hat's seem between his two fingers, feeling a bit uneasy.
No matter, the Mad Hatter granted his friend's request and stood, holding up the tea pot once more. "Tea, anyone?"
Something like an explosion sounded, and the ground beneath them jerked a bit, making the hatter drop the pot. He frowned and looked around, trying to listen.
"Hatter, what was that?" Mally asked, frightened.
"Shh," The Mad Hatter shushed her, and walked around the tea pot shards. Elliot grew quiet, his muscles starting to tense as a light roar was heard. "Bandersnatch."
Mally and Thackery stared at the hatter, afraid at just the mere mention of it's name. "Why is it out here?" Mally asked quietly, the hare shaking with anxiety.
"I don't know," The Mad Hatter answered, his voice deepening as he looked over at Elliot. They had eye contact for a second, but Elliot quickly removed his gaze from the Hatter.
"It has to be out here for a reason, the Red Queen rarely let's it out- and that would mean Stayne is here, too," Mally thought aloud, noticing the hatter's gravely face. "Right, Hatter?"
"Right," He whispered. "Well, we have to avoid it one way or another, let's split up. Mally, you and Thackery go back to his home and hide out, I'm taking Elliot."
Mally nodded at the hatter's orders, but felt slightly confused at the last part. "Elliot? Where to?"
The Mad Hatter ignored Mally's questioning, and took Elliot's hand once again, leading him back into the woods. Elliot put his hat back on, using his free hand, and looked up at the hatter, who was barely paying attention to him. The deeper they walked into the woods, the darker and duller it became. It matched the mood, how ever.
Elliot didn't like the silence between them, but he'd rather have them silent then talking. He truly was happy about his friends being alive, but would he not have to explain his situation? He couldn't keep putting it off and running away from it, could he? It was the impossible he was shooting for, here. He watched the twigs and leaves crunch beneath his feet as they walked on, listening to the cracks as if it were music.
"`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe.. All mimsy were the borogoves, and the mome raths outgrabe.." The Mad Hatter's voice petrified every part of Elliot's body, he could barely walk straight. Though he was used to his mood swings, the hatter's low, deeply accented voice made him want to run and hide. "..The Jabberwock with eyes of flame, teeth that bite and claws that catch. Beware the Jabberwock my son, the frumious Bandersnatch."
Elliot looked at the hatter out of the corner of his eye and listened as he spoke some more. "He took his vorpal sword in hand, the vorpal blade went snicker-snack.."
"He left it dead, and with its head, he went galumphing back," The Hatter's eyes moved to see what voice had echoed along with the end. He turned to see Elliot, giving him a very light heartened look. The hatter's face softened a bit, knowing his darker side was showing itself to Elliot. He couldn't stop what he was feeling. He was usually the life of the party, the joyous one. But ever since the Red Queen took over, just as Chessur had said many times before, the hatter really hasn't been himself.
"Downal wyth bluddy behg hid," Whispered Elliot, showing the hatter his trust.
"So where have you been hiding all these years?" The hatter asked, looking straight forward.
"The out lands," Elliot answered.
The Mad Hatter nodded in approval, knowing barely anyone or anything is back there. "Would you at least do me the honor of telling me what happened back then? I can't seem to understand how you haven't run into any of us before.."
"I guess I owe you that much," Elliot began. "It's hard to explain, really. When the Jabberwock, the Red Knight.. they were attacking everyone, even the Hightopp Clan, being my cowardly-self I ran. I ran as far away as possible, and hid. I was being quite selfish, I wasn't thinking. I hoped everyone would be okay, and be safe but there was no hope, I couldn't do anything, and I didn't know what I could even try. Maybe a few days later, I went on a fairly short trip to look for any of you, but I found nothing. The Red Queen had taken over, and it was much too traumatizing to go back anywhere near there.. I couldn't bare to face the White Queen nor the Red Queen, I couldn't even bare to think about any of you.. so I stayed in the out lands of Underland."
"You ran and hid, just like Chessur," He frowned, remembering the Chesire Cat running out from them. He didn't mind as much for Elliot, how ever. At least someone from his clan survived, besides himself. He didn't feel so alone anymore. "For three years, as well," The Mad Hatter shook his head, not being able to believe staying in such a part of the woods for that long of a time. "But that doesn't explain why the Bandersnatch and Stayne are after you."
Elliot looked at the hatter, wide-eyed. "How did you know?"
The hatter smirked. "I didn't."
The boy frowned, seeing the tricks he was playing with him. "I can't explain to you, Tarrant."
"And why not? You should be able to tell me anything, I stood by you since you were a child."
"I know, I'm sorry.." He trailed off, seeing the Mad Hatter's face grow cold. Abruptly, he stopped in his tracks, and being bound together by hand Elliot was forced to quit walking as well. He stared at the hatter for a moment, before speaking. "Are you angry with me?" Elliot asked as the hatter gave him a look.
"Shh," The hatter hushed Elliot, and turned his eyes forward. Elliot listened for a few seconds but heard nothing.
"What is it?"
"..Nothing," He said, shrugging what ever was bothering him off. "How ever, you'll have to trust me some time to tell me, soon I hope."
Elliot gave him a slight grin, but it faded into a frown as he heard a man's voice. He guessed it was Stayne's as he turned towards the hatter, who once again looked quite upset. "He sounds close, Tarrant."
"I.. think we should run now," The hatter suggested, and Elliot quickly obliged. They ran to the right, just the opposite of where Stayne's voice was heard. The hatter was a bit faster than Elliot, which threw him a bit off balance since they wouldn't let their hands part. It's as if they were too afraid to let go of each other again, it had hit them both very hard thinking that each other was dead all these years. Now that they were together once again, they never wanted to part.
Elliot drew in a breath, hearing what he guessed was a tree cracking and falling to the ground. There were some familiar vibrations and his stomach started to turn at the thought of being face to face with the Bandersnatch again.
"Keep running," The Mad Hatter told Elliot, and the boy pushed himself to run at the hatter's speed. He was sure he was going to hate running after today. Elliot was rather surprised his hat was staying on the whole run. "I think we're losing them.."
"I think so, too," Elliot panted, agreeing with the hatter only hoping to stop running at this rate. He read Elliot's thoughts, and began to slow down until he fully stopped. Elliot watched him as he caught his breath, noticing he was looking a bit troubled as he scanned the woods around him. Something didn't seem right to him, and that was the part that scared Elliot the most.
"Why, look, it's young Elliot.."
Elliot and the hatter turned to the voice behind them, relieved to find out it wasn't Stayne.
"Chessur, what are you doing here?" The Mad Hatter asked, bewildered at his appearance.
"I was just around, and I happen to see two very familiar people running.." The Cheshire Cat floated over to Elliot, smiling unnaturally widely. "I thought you were dead."
"You thought wrong, Ches," Elliot gave the cat a small smile.
"That's good news... would you like to explain what the rush might be, Tarrant?" The cat turned to the hatter, whom looked quite disturbed at this point.
"Bandersnatch," He told him. "And Stayne, not a very good combo.. look, we have no time for chatting, Chessur, they should be catching up to us any second now."
"I could.." The cat paused, then turned away. "Oh, never mind."
"What?" Elliot asked, his curiosity kicking in.
The Cheshire Cat answered in a slow manner. "It would never work in the shape I'm in."
"What would never work?" The hatter asked, interested in what the cat had to offer.
"Well, I have enough strength to 'poof' someone to safety, using my evaporating skills, but only one person.."
"Good, take Elliot and get to the White Queen's palace, he should be safe there," The Mad Hatter ordered the cat, not wanting any lip about it, and let Elliot's hand go.
"What? No! I'm not leaving you," Elliot argued.
"I'm a fast runner, I know what I'm doing, you don't have to worry about me," The hatter reassured him.
"You can't be serious," Elliot said in disbelief. He turned to Ches, looking for a way out, but nothing came from it.
"If I don't do what the hatter tells me to, he'll be on me about it for awhile.. I'd hate to be a burden, but it's time to go, I think your friends are here.." The cat said, placing his paw on Elliot's shoulder.
Elliot and The Mad Hatter glanced behind them, seeing a few soldiers heading their way. They hadn't seemed to notice them yet, but if that was the case they had to move quick.
Elliot frowned, seeing his hands started to fade, then his whole body. He grabbed the hatter's hand hoping it would help bring him to safety as well.. "Tarrant, I-"
"Go, Elliot. I'll do my best to be with you before the sun sets," The hatter told him, giving his hands a squeeze.
"No, make me a promise, Tarrant," Elliot demanded.
"I promise, then."
Elliot gave him one last look before he and Chessur fully disappeared. The hatter waited a minute or so before he started to look for the enemy again. At first, he found the soldiers had gone, but as he turned to look behind him he found himself face to face with Stayne and his sword.
