The Wrong Alice
Chapter: 4/5
Characters: Alice/Tarrant
Rating: M
Summary: What if Alice had made the trip to Underland more than she remembers while growing up? Of course there would have to be someone in Underland who remembered every single time she stumbled in…
It was so much easier to push aside the pesky dreams and memories of a certain champion when he had begun working at his trade again. He even eventually seemed to mend his relationship with time since it seemed so happily to speed forward, not getting under foot and causing him to have long moments to ponder melancholy thoughts. A huge gathering of Underland had been planned to celebrate a prosperous year under the rule of the white queen and Tarrant's days became joyfully full of designing and creating, mending and sewing. His reputation for being the finest Hatter in all of Underland did cause him to blush and stammer, but he also felt proud that so many considered him so accomplished.
It was a week before the day of the celebration when Tarrant told his kind patrons that he would be taking no more orders. He needed the last moments to focus on hats for his closest friends and, of course, her majesty. Mallymkun was perched on his shoulder as they made their way through a busy market day. The rows of merchants were longer than usual due to the many guests that had already made their way to Marmoreal for the one year anniversary. There were many new fabrics to look at and silk ribbon seemed to flow in rare hues.
"That one Hatter…" Mally tugged on his hair gently to turn his head towards a new table of supplies waiting to be browsed. "The yellow. It is such a perfect golden shade!"
"Yes, yes of course Mally." Hatter hummed happily as his fingers brushed over the many choices. "Whatever color you wish. I promise." There was a perfect plum shade of lace that he decided to purchase and a lovely coral colored feather. Some black buttons and soft suede, delicate pearls and…Tarrant paused, sure he had heard a voice…shaking his head he chuckled to himself, forcing his attention back to the materials he would be purchasing. This was no time for his imagination to become distracted with thoughts that were not to be.
Mally had slid down his jacket sleeve with ease and was making her way through rolls of ribbon when he heard the sound again…but it was not a voice…it was a song. Turning, telling the merchant to hold his supplies but a moment and he would return, Tarrant made his way to a small booth, tucked in the far corner of the market. An old woman sat with jewelry and trinkets that looked hand carved, but the melody that had caught his interest came from a small box that sat on the far back corner. It was playing a soft melody that tugged on a faint memory, one he had pushed far, far back to avoid a distraction such as this.
"Where ever did you get that music box Madam?" Tarrant barely was able to form the question, his mind was befuddled with the music.
"Traded it off of a rabbit years back. He needed a new pocket watch, his had been running a bit slow…" the old woman smiled gently.
"A rabbit you say?"
"Yes! A rabbit! Hatter, are you listening to me at all?" Alice giggled and placed her small hand in his as they walked through the flower beds. Tarrant smiled down at the little girl, amazed at how quickly they had become old friends. If only she would stop insisting she needed to leave. It was only her third trip to Underland and she had only been here a matter of hours…
"Of course I am listening my dear. But McTwisp would never take such a trinket from you. He truly does not like going into your world. You must have just misplaced the box Alice."
She pouted slightly at his assessment of her story of the lost music box and he sighed, searching for a way to make her smile again.
"What kind of music did it play? Perhaps if you could sing some of the melody to me I could keep a keen ear out for it." Her smile returned as she began to hum for him. A sweet soft melody that repeated itself simply.
"My father gave it to me when he returned from a long trip. I am going to go on many adventures when I grow up."
"I am sure you will. Perhaps we will go on some together."
"Maybe you will come to my world someday!"
"I am sorry to say, there are only certain creatures who can cross over…I am not one of them…"
"Well then I will just have to keep coming back." The small girl nodded her head resolutely and released his hand, running ahead along the path, chasing after some bread and butterflies.
"Please keep coming back…" Tarrant whispered as he heard Alice, the right one for that particular moment, hum the soft melody over and over again.
"Do you want to trade for it?" The old woman was waving her hand in front of Tarrant's eyes, her kind voice having turned exasperated. He blinked his eyes several times as the memory receded back into the corner of his mind and he shook his head no at the woman.
"Sorry Madam. It's just not the right one."
Returning to the palace with less enthusiasm than he had left with, Tarrant just wanted to return to his workshop. The materials he and Mally had gathered would keep him quite busy and he would be able to push all of the wrong Alice's to the back of his mind. Yet, as he was passing the throne room he heard his queen call out for him.
"Tarrant, you've returned! Could you please join me for a moment?"
Sighing heavily, yet always wanting to please his queen, Tarrant placed a wide smile on his face and turned towards the slightly open door. His arms full of fabric, he used his foot to open the door further.
"I have found some lovely fabric for your hat my queen, and Mally has…" Tarrant paused as he turned and looked towards Mirana. He hadn't been aware that they were not alone. Instantly he recognized a small blue butterfly fluttering on her majesty's shoulder. Absalom had been one of the queen's closest advisors over the past year and was constantly fluttering around Marmoreal. But the young woman standing to the right of Mirana stopped him cold.
The dress she wore was tattered and muddy at the hem, her boots covered with dirt. She was slim and petit but nothing about her seemed fragile. Her skin seemed to glow with a warm tan and as his eyes moved further up his breath caught in his throat. The woman's hair was cut short, bobbing at her chin, the golden blond curls a messy halo around her bright face. Realizing he was staring, Tarrant cleared his throat quietly and began to move towards the trio.
"Forgive me, your majesty. I did not know you had company." He tried to take his eyes away from the blue orbs of the strange woman but could not find the strength. Impossibly her smile grew wider as he approached and he found himself grinning back.
"Tarrant? Tarrant are you quite all right?" Mirana laughed as she watched him move closer slowly. She heard Absalom sigh heavily and shushed the butterfly. "Surely no introductions are needed?"
Tarrant looked at his queen, confused. Of course an introduction would be needed, he had never seen someone with so much…muchness…
"Hatter? Do you truly not recognize me?"
Dropping all of the fabric on the floor Tarrant jumped back a step as the his vision cleared and suddenly Alice was in front of him. Alice. The right Alice. Without hesitation he rushed forward and embraced Alice tightly.
"It's you!" Tarrant murmurs excitedly into her ear "And I thought I would know you anywhere…"
