Chapter 3

As much as I tried over the years, I could not escape from the past. Somehow I always came back to the pool of tears. I never exactly planned to get here, but somehow I managed to. And whenever I did I would have to sit down silently and mourn what once was. Of course this meant my father and Alyss. The water lapped as the light breeze moved it. I sighed inwardly. It seemed so long ago since I and Alyss had reached this pool on her birthday, on the day that everything had changed. I tried hard to think of something else; because I knew I was on the verge of picturing my father's death yet again. Somehow a tear had slid down my cheek.

I shivered though it was not really cold. I had to stop this behaviour; I got up planning to leave quickly when out of the corner of my eye I saw something. Turning I saw that it was a person, swimming in the pool of tears to my surprise. And even more to my shock I realised that I knew him. I quickly dashed down the rocky slope to the bottom of the pool as the shrubs and flowers chatted excitedly amongst themselves.

'You're Hatter Madigan,' I stated, of course I knew this man, apart from my father he had always seemed rather heroic in my child eyes.

'Yes', he answered; his voice was nearly even expect for the little pant.

I helped pull him out of the pool and Hatter winced slightly. He was injured in his right shoulder, he'd been shot, and a crumpled bone was showing. I told him who I was and Hatter told me that he remembered me. Was I still reminiscent of the boy I once was? I hadn't felt like him since that night of Alyss' birthday.

'We were told that you were dead, that The Cat-.'

'It makes no difference if I am alive or dead except as it concerns the Princess. I shall not completely fail to fulfil my promise to Queen Genevieve. Princess Alyss is alive-.' He continued to speak but something had happened to my hearing. He was blurring into the background. Alyss was alive. My heart was thumping slowly and painfully. She had never died; she had been alive all along.

'It's been a long time since anything good happened,' I said. And I got us moving so that I could take him to safety.

I helped Hatter along, I was vaguely aware that I was talking to him, but I wasn't really sure what I was saying. Part of my mind was trailing behind me, fighting to keep up. I was defiantly in shock. Alyss had been resurrected from the grave, except that she had never died. All this time that I had longed to see her, for so long I had mourned her, and yet she was never really dead. I told the Generals to get the Surgeon.

As everyone gathered around Hatter and as the Surgeon attended to him I could barely think. My chest felt strange, both heavy and light. I heard them talking. 'I'm telling you that Alyss Heart is alive and she is old enough to return and claim her rightful place as Queen.' He stood up, 'I'm going back to get her.'

'No. Let me go,' I said coming sharply back to the present.

Hatter tried to say that he'd go but I knew I would win the argument, and that no-one would stop me. Alyss had had my heart for so long. It was time that I got it back.

Hatter handed me the newspaper that he had been holding. 'To find the return portal, look for water where no water would be.'

I nodded already leaving and told him that the generals would update him.

As I hurriedly sped through the woods I glanced down at the sobbing paper. My heart felt as though it was going to drop through to my stomach. I was staring at words that didn't make sense, 'Alice in Wonderland Weds. Lewis Carroll's Muse Alice Liddell to Marry Prince Leopold.' Alyss was getting married?