Summary: The day of Lord Asccot and Alice's Departure party has arrived. As soon as The White Queen and her friends turn to the looking glass to see what Alice is up to, McTwisp realizes that this party looks familiar to the Engagement Party and panics before telling everyone else what he knows. Ron decides to take the stage at the party and make a Special Announcement. What will Hatter think of this announcement? What will Alice think of her friend's surprise?
In which McTwisp "tattles"
Disclaimer: I don't own Alice in Wonderland or any of the characters (except Ron maybe LOL)
Did I ever mention that I got the idea of Ron from my own GBF (gay best friend lol i'm such a Hag) yeah some of the Alice/Ron interactions were from personal experience lol.
It was a beautiful day in Underland. The birds were chirping, bread-and-butter-flies drifting from one flower to another, the skies were clear and blue, such a beautiful day indeed. The Hatter was once again standing in a balcony in The White Queen's castle just like he did before with Alice. He was smiling widely as he looked over the gardens at the pink blossoms fluttering in the breeze. He watched as a few guards were lugging a huge rectangular object covered in a white curtain towards the Tea Table by the fountain. He sighed as his smile slowly disappeared from his lips.
"I'm assuming McTwisp has reported on the time to Mirana" he said to himself with a small lisp. "This means we shall see Alice again today!" he clapped his hands in excitement. "But… do I want to see her? Of course I want to see her! What I don't want to see is this Rooon fellow! Ugh! I don't like him! I don't like seeing her with him when she should be here with ME!" he bellowed in his thundering accent. He gasped as he heard his last statement. He slapped his own hand as if to scold himself, "We mustn't say such things now" he giggled. His smile faded once again as he thought about Alice and Ron together. "They are always so very close, then there's all this touching! And laughing, and talks of his hat! Why is she staring at his hat so longingly! I'm sure my Hat is better than his! Then she started talking about hats all of a sudden! Psshh! Why? Does she like his hat so much that she wants to see his hat everywhere?" he takes off his hat and stares at it. "Mines better!" he puffed. He shook his head realizing that he had lost his train of thought. "Why, why, why Alice? Have you willingly given this man your heart? Will you stay with him if he asked you to? You didn't stay when I asked… Do you feel for him like I feel for you?" his mind raced through many thoughts before hearing a tap on the door.
"Come in!" He called turning to look at his new workspace in the castle. The door opens slightly as a little head poked in.
"Hello Tarrant! The Queen wishes to inform you that we will once again be having tea with Alice this afternoon! Don't be late!" Mctwisp called, pointing at his gold pocket watch. The Hatter nodded and waved as The Rabbit closed the door.
"Well I better get back to work! I wouldn't want to disappoint Mirana now that she has given me back my old position as Royal Hatter!" he said while wiping his hands on the sides of his pants. "I wonder how many hats I can finish before Tea Time"
The day for Lord Ascot's Departure party has finally come. The servants at the Ascot estate have been bustling around making preparations since the night before and have gotten no sleep. Lady Ascot wanted to have the perfect party and have spared no expense. A sigh escaped Alice's lips as she heard a small knock on her door. She sat up her bed just before a maid walked in the room with a small basin and a towel.
"Good Morning miss!" she greeted.
"Good Morning" Alice smiled weakly. The departure party was today which gave her and Ron another week to figure out what to do with their situation. She has become very good friends with Ron and the thought of him being miserable with his family's plans made her heart ache. They still haven't thought of what to do to prevent him from dealing with courting woman after woman all over again and time was running out. Alice sighed as she washed her face and dried it with the towel. She made her way to the bath the maid has run up for her and let her thoughts fill her head while she bathed.
"You will look beautiful in this dress that your mother brought for you miss!" The maid said as she helped her with her skirts. "And your hair will be quite lovely when I'm done with it." Alice just smiled as the maid fussed over her talking excitedly about how she will look during the party. "Lord Scott will definitely be pleased with how lovely you look, if it isn't too bold to say" she whispered. Alice smiled and shook her head lightly. She stood up to look at herself in the mirror. Her dress was beautiful indeed! It was a light blue silk ball gown adorned with pearls, lace and silver thread. The neckline swooped just below her collarbone off her shoulder with short lace sleeves adorned with silver ribbons. She smiled as she admired the beautiful silver belt that tied into a long bow down the back of the skirt. She turned slightly to look at the pearls and silver lace flowers beautifully placed in the neck line. She looked at the maid who stood admiring her and gave her an approving smile.
Alice walked closer to the mirror to inspect her hair. She was happy to see that the maid didn't pin her hair as tightly as before, and let some of her long curls hang over one side. She giggled as she remembered seeing Ron speaking with the same maid the day prior. 'I assume he told her about my headache from last time' she thought to herself.
"Oh I almost forgot miss!" The maid exclaimed as she dug through a pocket in her apron. She gently pulled out a beautifully adorned hairpin. It had a few small silver feathers and one slightly larger peacock feather in the center. The silver and the blue in the peacock feather matched her dress beautifully as the maid gently placed it in her hair. "Wonderful!" she said clasping her hands to her chest, "Lord Scott gave it to me yesterday and told me that it was imperative that I incorporate it with your hair" she giggled. "He said he wanted to dress to match you miss!" she whispered.
Alice once again looked at herself in the mirror, touching the peacock feather lightly before turning around to leave.
"Don't worry Silly Boy, I'll think of something" She whispered to herself as she sat in the carriage.
"Did you say something?" Her mother asked? Alice shook her head dreamily whilst staring out the window. "Well it's a good thing we aren't late this time. Her mother said patting her knee.
McTwisp nervously checked his pocket watch for the fifth time since arriving at the garden tea party. Mally was standing on a tea cup hatpin in hand, practicing sword fight, and Chess was lying lazily on a tree branch with his tail swinging below him. Tarrant paced around under Chessur muttering to himself occasionally swiping at The Cat's tail which seemed to be whipping at his hat every second.
"You're LATE!"March exclaimed before throwing a teacup at Mirana who swiftly dodged it. She just gave a small laugh before apologizing. "I'm sorry for being late My Friends, but seeing as this is my Tea Party, it should start when I get here, so I'm not late you are just merely early" she justified before smiling brightly at her guests. She motioned for everyone to have a seat while she quickly pulled on the curtain covering her mirror. She went through her ritual rather quickly and almost floated to her chair before finally seeing the hazy picture form. "Our Champion please," She commanded as they were once again traveling through the grass and trees and a hedge maze. "I don't remember there being a hedge maze before?" she whispered.
"Ah that is because Alice is closer to us today than usual" McTwisp proudly answered. "She is once again at the same place I found her the last time, at the Ascot's Estate" He said as the guests all nodded to accept his explanation. They all become quiet once more as they scanned the big group of people dancing and talking with one another in the garden. There were a great deal of people in this party and Alice was nowhere in sight.
"Show us our Champion please" Mirana requested once more but the view on the mirror stayed the same. They scanned through all the guests looking for Alice when they finally hear the voice of a man. They look to see an older Gentleman standing on the steps over the crowd with a big smile on his face.
"I would like to thank you all for coming to this gloriously beautiful party my wife has prepared. As you all know, our company has decided to venture off into trading with China, and we will be departing in 6 days time" he continued. "I would like to thank everyone for wishing Young Miss Kingsley and I good travels" He said as people clapped politely. He extended his hand to his left where a beautiful young woman walked up to him and curtsied to the guests.
There was a small gasp in the table and the sound of clinking glass. Chessur turned only to find Tarrant wide eyed, mouth open with one hand shakily grasping a teacup.
"Oh Tarrant do keep your mouth closed, you look mad" he rolled his eyes.
"She will be joining us in place of her father, my business partner Charles" he said as the guests once again clapped. The man thanked his guests and nodded at Alice as she slowly walked away towards two other women. The older of the two grabbed at Alice's hand while the younger fussed with Alice's hair and fluffed her sleeve. Alice was too preoccupied looking into the crowd to hear the women talking.
"Alice! Are you listening?" The younger woman asked. Alice looked at her confused. "I asked you where you got this hair pin?" she said pointing to the feathers in Alice's hair.
"Oh Ron gave it to me" she answered distractedly, still looking through the crowd. "He wanted to dress to match" she added. The two women contained a squeal as they grabbed each other's hands and looked at Alice happily.
"He's here, He's here!" The younger of the two said as she pinched Alice's cheeks. Alice pulled her head back, annoyed at the sudden pinch. "What? You need a bit of color!" she said fluffing Alice's sleeves one more time. The older woman turned Alice around and pushed her slightly forward as a young man came to stop in front of them. He bowed to the women before turning to Alice. He gave her a smile before he took her hand and bowed once more. He nodded to the other women before leading Alice away, her hand tucked firmly under his arm.
Subconsciously, Mirana glanced in The Hater's direction when this occurred. Seeing as he was doing fine, she turned back to watch Alice once more.
Alice and Ron took a walk in the garden away from the festivities. This was not her garden so they did not have their own secret area to get away from it all. Finally after a few minutes they reached a secluded area next to a small pond. He took off his Jacket and handed Alice his hat while he looked for a suitable spot for them to sit. Finally finding a good enough area he gently placed his hand on her back as they sat on the grass. He put his arm around her shoulder and she leaned onto him with his hat on her lap. She gave out a huge sigh and stared at the hat on her lap.
"Thank you for the hairpin" she said turning her head to show him. "Its beautiful Ron"
"Yes I figured you would like it, And I do like matching" he laughed pointing at the silver feathers on his own hat.
"Well I see the silver, but you don't have the peacock feather?" she asked him.
"Well that, matches another hat I have heard you speak of. Doesn't hurt to match both" he smiled. Alice reached her hand to her hair and lightly touched the feathers.
"I should remember to bring this with me when I get back" she whispered to herself. She turned her eyes to the pond for a while before turning to face her friend. "Ron I've been thinking and…"
"Yes I haven't been able to figure anything out myself either" he finished.
"What are we to do? We have six days left"
"Alice, let's not talk about this at the moment" he sighs "We'll think of something. For now, let's just enjoy this magnificent view" He pointed to the water. Alice looked over to the pond and smiled.
"It's lovely." He said "I can barely see the trees in the distance" he pointed to a spot past the bank. "The world is so vast… Oh how I wish I can go and see the world! See everything it has to offer, travel, and go on my own adventures…"he trailed. His eyes moved quickly for a moment and he muttered something to himself and grabbed Alice's hand. "See the World…" he whispered to himself as he quickly jumped up from his position excitedly! He pulled Alice up to her feet and gave her a look. Her confusion seemed to disappear as she saw a genuine smile on his face. "I've got it!" he exclaimed right before he pulled Alice close and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He then rushed off leaving her started. She ran after him calling out his name but he seemed to run faster and faster.
"WHAT. WAS. THAT!" The Hatter roared pounding his fists on the table. His accent was clear as he screamed in outlandish with his eyes red. Mirana gently put her hand on her friend's arm and looked him in the eyes. The red slowly faded and was replaced by a soft grey before he stood up to leave. "I think I have hats to work on" he said.
"Tarrant please sit" The Queen said. "I know it might hurt now, but you will look back on this one day and just laugh" she said "I can guarantee it Hatter, I told you once before, I know a thing or two about matters of the heart" she smiled "you just have to trust and be patient" she said before turning her eyes back to the mirror. The Hatter slowly took his seat next to The Queen once again. It took all his strength but he once again set his eyes back to the image of Alice.
Alice found herself running through the trees swatting a branch once in a while with Ron's hat. She was wearing a bigger dress than before and she found herself quite breathless once she got to the clearing. She clutched at her chest and paused for a minute only to see Ron making his way on to the gazebo and calling out to the guests. Alice slowly made her way closer to the crowd that had now formed around Ron.
"Ladies and Gentlemen" Ron started. He turned slightly to Lord Ascot as if to ask for approval to speak. Lord Ascot nodded and gave him a smile. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I have an announcement" he said as Alice walked through the crowd.
"OH NO, OH NO, O DEAR!" Exclaimed McTwisp nervously. He tugged on his ears furiously as his eyes shifted around the guests on the table.
"What is the matter Mctwisp?" Mirana asked.
"I would like to make a big announcement, but first where is Ms Alice Kingsley? Alice my dear?" Ron called, scanning the crowd. "There you are Ms Kingsley" he said as he extended her a hand leading her to the gazebo. She stood next to him and turned to the crowd nervously.
"No, no! This is terrible, how could I forget! Oh my!" McTwisp rambled anxiously.
"Please Nivens, tell us what's wrong?" Mirana calmly asked.
"Well you see… the first time…. Alice was well… "He squeaked.
"Out with it!" Chessur yawned.
"Well Alice… when I found her, she was there. In a party just like this… and well…. It was an enga… enga…" he looked at The Hatter who was now standing up from his seat, He took quick breaths and nervously fixed his coat "They were standing under the same gazebo you see… and he asked her…"
"Come out with it McTwisp! They are about to talk and I don't want to miss it!" Mally scolded.
"IT was an engagement party! And a man asked for Alice's hand in that same spot right before she followed me!" McTwisp finally yelled out.
"Uh Oh! Bad!" March sputtered as he took two tea cups to cover his eyes.
"WHHATTT!" Tarrant roared in the deepest voice any one has heard. He towered over the poor shaking rabbit. He threw his hat on the table and was about to give McTwisp an earful when he heard Alice's sweet voice.
"Put your hat back on" she said. The Hatter's eyes lit up and quickly faced the mirror only to see her handing Ron his hat. He sat back down defeated and returned his hat to his head as Mirana gently pat him on the back.
"I'm sure this isn't the same thing" she reassured The Hatter.
"Mother, Father, Lady Kingsley, Lord Ascot" Ron started standing next to Alice who was still holding on to the hat Ron refused to take from her. "I have thought long and hard about this, and I'm sure Ms Kingsley would be very happy if…" he took a deep breath and cleared his throat "If you would allow me to join her in her trip to China" he said. Alice let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Lord Ascot clapped his hand and nodded at the young man as he collected Ron's parents and Alice's mother to a private table. He then gestured for the pair to follow suit.
"I don't know if that is better or worse" Chessur said looking at the Queen for an answer. She simply put a finger to her lip and glanced at The Hatter who was now slumped on his seat.
"Are you asking for her hand?" An older woman asked
"Mother please, I simply wish to join my dear Alice on her journey. I wish to keep an eye on her and keep her safe"
"Surely you know this looks very inappropriate son? You, off in a boat for months at a time alone with someone who is not your wife?"
"Father we will not be alone, we will definitely not be sharing quarters; Lord Ascot will be there to see over everything." He looked at Lord Ascot who nodded understandingly.
"Alice, we haven't heard from you, do tell Young Lord Scott here that this is quite a peculiar proposal" Alice's mother said.
"Well Mother, I wouldn't mind the company" Alice said as her mother gasped.
"It's not anything inappropriate, I have grown very fond of Young Ms Kingsley and would be a shame if she were to leave for too long," Ron pleaded.
"Does this mean that you two will be getting married upon return?" Ron's Father asked. Alice and Ron both tensed up at the sound of the question.
The Hatter leaned closer to the table waiting for an answer. If she says yes, then it's over. She will get married and never come back. This Ron would have won. His eyebrows twitched as he leaned closer, his breath shaking as he watched Alice intently.
Alice shook her head at Ron. "Father, I do not have an answer for that at the moment. All I know is that I have grown fond of Alice, and I want to go with her so I can protect her and watch over her. If somewhere along the way I decide to ask for her hand then I will, but for now please get this idea of marriage out of your head." He spat "And…"he smiled charmingly a little to lighten the tension "I want to make sure no man from China tries to take Alice away" This finally brought a laugh from the small group.
"Oh Ronald what would we do with you?" his mother giggled taking Mrs. Kingsley's hand on her own. "What do we think?" she asked the other woman.
"Oh Alice, I could never stop you from doing whatever you wanted to do, just like your father."
Alice and Ron smiled brightly at each other before bidding the table goodbye. They quickly made their way back to the pond and laughed madly at their new found freedom.
They hugged each other tightly before sitting back down on the grass.
"This is wonderful Ron! You will finally see the world! And we would be free from out parents telling us what's proper, dictating our lives!" Alice gave a sigh of relief.
"Yes, I'm so happy I thought of that… no thanks to you Stupid Girl!" he teased.
"I can't wait" Alice said as she lay on the grass.
"For what" Ron asked.
"To finish everything I have to do. The sooner we leave for China, the sooner I can get back to Underland" she sighed.
"Oh yes, yes!" Ron said "Once you're done with this China business, you can get back to this fellow with the colorful hat!" He teased.
The Hatter's eyes turned a shade of bright pink as he watched Alice blush shyly. For a moment of clarity he realized that they were talking of him. A grin that could put Chessur to shame crept up on his lips before he brought his hand to his chest and pat the item hidden in his breast pocket.
"Be quiet Ron!" she shushed him, looking around her surroundings. "The White Rabbit could be here watching and he might tattle" She whispered.
"Oh! so you will not deny it then?" Ron said laughing. "Alice why are you blushing?" he teased some more.
"That's enough Ron" Alice said firmly after crossing her arms.
"Alright, alright" Ron chuckled. "Of course I did tell my father that I was fond of you, and that I didn't want any man in China to take you away" he giggled again "So I might have to do something about this Man with a curious Hat" he said raising an eyebrow at Alice.
"You can't." Alice blushed. "You said no man from China… Underland isn't anywhere near China…" she said taking Ron's hat from him and placing it on her chest as if to hug it. "So as far as I'm concerned he can take me away and you can't do anything about it Silly Boy" she said blushing madly. Ron gave a hearty laugh as he moved closer to her.
"I wouldn't even dare try My Silly Girl" he said placing his arm under her neck and draping it over her arm.
"I sure hope McTiwisp wasn't around to hear that" she whispered as she hugged the hat tightly.
The mirror was once again nothing but a mirror and everyone at the table couldn't help but giggle. Chessur twisted and turned right above The Hatter's head before finally landing on his hat.
"Well, well, what an interesting… yet confusing set of events" he said his tail wagging slowly behind him.
"Hmph! Silly Girl doesn't know what she wants!" Mally said in an annoyed tone trying to hide a smile.
"I think we should leave our Hatter some time to think… Quietly might I add" Chessur said before evaporating. "Thanks for the lovely time My Queen" he said, his voice already further away. Mally shook her head at The Hatter and chuckled before she grabbed March by the ear and pulled him away. McTwisp followed sluggishly behind them still feeling nervous about the screaming Mad Hatter towering over him a few moments before.
"I'm terribly sorry Nivens" The Hatter called out. The Rabbit turned and gave him a smile and finally hopped away.
"So… it looks like Our Champion has mentioned wanting to come back" Mirana smiled. "Are you happy about this?" she inquired.
"Oh Yes My Queen I am quite delighted! But I still don't understand half of what is going on. She may have mentioned the last time that she missed me, but I assumed that she was missing all her friends, but now… I don't know. I saw something in her today, something in her eyes but I can't quite put it! It's another riddle for me to mull over" he said in one breath.
"Hatter you were very angry today" Mirana said quietly, "I don't think you quite understand what is going on between Alice and her friend. You just said it yourself; you don't understand half of what is going on. So I've decided that it's not a good idea for you to keep watching like this. You get so very angry and…"
"No Please don't do this. I'll control myself Mirana I promise" he said with a lisp. "I enjoy seeing her so much, even though I can only watch and we can't talk. I would still rather do this than not see her at all"
"You didn't let me finish Tarrant… I was going to say that we shouldn't watch her as often. I will send McTwisp up every once in a while to see how time has passed in her world. We shall watch her once thirty of her days have passed. Is this fair?" she asked her friend.
"Thirty days is a long time!" he said
"That will give you time to make more hats Tarrant, I did not give you back your old position as Hatter to sit and mope around about Alice did I? You have a job to do. Don't worry, I will keep you busy and before you know it, it will be time to see Alice once again" she said happily.
"Mirana, you said I don't understand what is going on between Alice and him, is there something that I am missing?"
"Yes Hatter, you let your jealousy get in the way of seeing what is really there, but don't worry I understand it perfectly, and I told you to trust me. You just have to trust and be patient" she said.
"I should get back to work on those hats" The Hatter says as he gets up. "By your leave My Queen" He bows, and heads back to his work space in the castle.
"I will see you again in thirty days Alice" he whispered. "I wonder how many hats I can make in thirty days?"
Thanks for reading! Please review.
