Shelter from the Storm

Author: Ranguvar27

Prompt: Shelter

Fandom: Alice in Wonderland

Characters: Ilosovic Stayne/Tarrant Hightopp

Genre: Friendship

Ratings/Warnings Low T for drunk Hatter and Knave

Word Count: 1,213

Summary: Stayne and Tarrant seek shelter from an Underland storm in the old Windmill.

Ilosovic looked over at Tarrant, a slight smile of exasperation on his face. Somehow, he wasn't quite sure how, Alice and Alannah had convinced their husbands to spend a day together. While it was true that he and Tarrant got along quite well these days, what with their children being married to each other, Stayne still felt slightly uneasy around the madman. But he was willing to spend time with him, if that was what Alice wanted.

So he and Tarrant had put their heads together and decided that the best way for them to spend time together was to go to one of the ponds that dotted Marmoreal and fish. It would be quiet, and give them time to talk. As a bonus, it would put some food on the table. Ilosovic loved fish, but he didn't get to eat it too often.

Fishing poles and bait were gathered up, and the two men set off for a pond, Tarrant humming a song off key. Ilosovic groaned. "Tarrant, do you know any songs besides 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Bat?'"

Tarrant gave him a mad grin. "Course I do. But this is my Travel Song. Whenever I travel, I sing it! Why, I'm not murdering Time, am I?"

Ilosovic sighed. "No, but you're driving me potty. If you must sing that, at least try to be in tune."

Tarrant huffed and was about to say something when a fat drop of rain fell onto his hat with a plop. He looked up at the sky, which had rapidly turned from blue to pitch black with clouds. At the same moment, an icy wind sprang up, buffeting and bending the trees.

Ilosovic groaned, looking around for shelter. The wind was picking up, and he had to plant his feet on the ground to keep from keeling over. A stinging sheet of rain lashed across his face, and he winced, then turned and shouted to Tarrant. "How far is the Windmill?"

Tarrant pointed behind him, also shouting. "About a mile back! But why, this is just a bit of rain!"

Ilosovic rolled his eye. "You've never been caught in an Underland storm, have you?" Tarrant looked thoughtful, and then shook his head, and Ilosovic gave a humorless laugh. "I thought not. We've got maybe ten minutes before we drown, and I'm sure our wives would be quite upset."

Tarrant goggled at him. "Well, what do we do? !"

Ilosovic smiled grimly. "Run."

Tarrant nodded, then dropped his fishing pole, turned around, and ran as though an army of Bandersnatches was following him. Ilosovic followed, running as fast as he could, his long legs pumping.

Tarrant yelped as he tripped over a tree root and went sprawling, and Ilosovic doubled back, pulling him to his feet and dragging him along. "Come on!"

Tarrant panted in exertion. "I…see the Windmill!"

"Great! Let's hope we make it!"

The storm was starting to pick up, and Ilosovic shivered as the ice cold rain slapped against his face and arms. The wind had reached a fever pitch, and lightning was dancing across the sky.

They yelped in shock as lightning hit a tree not three feet away, causing it to burst into flames. Tarrant cursed, and Ilosovic stared dumfounded at the heap of smoldering ash that had once been a thirty foot elm.

A titanic clap of thunder roused them, and they ran as fast as they could to the Windmill.

Tarrant yanked the door open, and he and Ilosovic ran in, slammed the door and shot the bolt. At the same moment, the storm broke over Underland in all its fury.

Ilosovic found a chair, stood it upright, swept some dust off it, and sat, looking at Tarrant. "We're going to be here a few hours, you might as well relax."

Tarrant righted another chair, then sat and stared out the window. "I've never seen so much rain in me life! The road will be flooded!"

Ilosovic shrugged. "It will dry pretty quickly. Is there anything to drink around here?"

Tarrant left the room, and then retuned moments later with a triumphant grin on his face and a dusty bottle in his hand. "Found this in the cupboard. Not sure what it is." He blew the dust off the bottle, and then whistled. "Twenty year old apple brandy! Time be praised!" He pulled the cork out of the bottle, straining with effort, and then took a small sip. His eyes went wide and he coughed. "Potent."

Ilosovic took the bottle, raised it to his lips, and then drank, sputtering and coughing as the fiery liquid poured down his throat and his eye streamed with tears. It felt as though he had swallowed liquid fire. He took a second, longer drink, pleased to discover that it went down much easier the second time. He held the bottle out to Tarrant. "It's easier the second time."

Tarrant gave him a skeptical frown, but accepted the bottle, taking a long sip. "You're right, it is easier."

They passed the bottle back and forth, talking, and then singing bawdy songs at the top of their lungs, both of them drunk as lords.

"And it's all for me grog, me jolly, jolly grog
All for me beer and tobacco
Well I spent all me tin on the lassies drinking gin
Across the western ocean I must wander

Where are me boots, me noggin, noggin boots
they're all gone for beer and tobacco
For the heels they are worn out and the toes are kicked about
And the soles are looking for better weather!"

Their song was interrupted when the door to the Windmill banged open and two very irate wives came storming in. Alice and Alannah glared at their husbands, who had the decency to look somewhat abashed. Alannah spoke first, her brogue coloring her words.

"So here you two are! Alice and I thought maybe you were in trouble, but naow I see tha' everything is fine and dandy!"

Tarrant and Ilosovic exchanged glances, and Tarrant held up his hand, trying to speak between hiccups. "We...HIC…almos' dinnit…HIC…makeit. Coul…of…dr…dr…drowned. Shoul…be…'appy…we…not…dead." With those words, the Mad Hatter's head dropped down onto his chest and he began to snore.

Alannah marched over to her husband and handed him a small vial. "Drink that, and if you speak one word on the way home I am locking you out of the bedroom. Alice, do you want to try to rouse your man?"

Alice laughed. "No, I don't mind staying here. It figures, we send them to bond and they end up getting drunk. Fairfarren, Alannah."

"Fairfarren. Well, come on you great useless lump, time to go home." She hauled Ilosovic to his feet and led him away, smiling to herself. He drove her nuts, but she couldn't help but love him.

And at the Windmill, Alice found a blanket and covered Tarrant, giving him a kiss on the cheek, and then snuggled up to him, sighing.

The four of them had found shelter in each other.