Disclaimer: Don't own anything except original characters. All material (c) to respective owners. I write these for fun and make no profit. They're just random plot bunnies that live within my strange mind.
A/N: Back with some new chapters. I have more in the works, thanks for all those out there reading this for your patience and for keeping up with me.
Chapter 4: Living for Borrowed Time
"Is this her true height Mctwisp?" Questioned Mirana before indicating Alysia standing barely past her knee.
"No your majesty." She smiled warmly offering her hand to Alysia, oddly enough she felt much safer with this mad queen more than the others.
A slight exception may have been the white rabbit she now knew to be Mctwisp. She accepted the offering finding herself slowly led down the winding path of white, past flowering trees, gardens and fountains on into a side door into the palace.
She did not fail to notice she was now alone with the Queen and wisely kept her worries to herself. She slowly gathered the intricate turns and twists of the castle were very confusing to her, before she followed Mirana into a door and ducked a flying thing of food. She saw the source feeling her lips quirk seeing the March Hare was busily in his kitchen. Her attention went to the lab like setting where she was guided to a cushion and saw the queen quickly moving about mixing something.
"I apologize for the way he acted." Mirana tried to make pleasant conversation uncertain why Absolem would send this woman instead of Alice.
"The one that scared me?" She nodded noting the girls discomfort at the memory.
"He wasn't always violently mad, just simply mad…like most of us. That is Underland and since, Alice left he has not been right. He's…complicated." She offered mixing something, while Alysia watched a cloud poof around the queen and saw her blow slowly on a clear liquid. "Here, just a tiny sip or you'll be several feet too tall." She cautioned.
Alysia taking her advice took the smallest of sips and made a face, the odd feeling of expanding was no better than shrinking and she could have sworn the growing potion tasted much worse. Making a face, she quickly gathered a blanket besides her wrapping herself feeling her face flush. She had forgotten that she would grow out of her clothing.
"Come with me."
Again, she was following Mirana, the woman walked with her hands delicately in the air like a dancer. The woman made Alysia think of a dancer prancing around constantly before she found herself guided into a room full of balconies and a large canopied bed off to her left. She found herself distracted taking in the night with the full moon and soft winds swaying the gardens in front of her.
"It's very pretty." Alysia offered softly hearing Mirana hum in agreement before the queen returned to her side offering her an outfit that reminded her of the orient where she had seen pictures of the great grandmother several times over Alice.
"These should fit." She offered watching Alysia disappear behind the dressing blind and emerge later in the white satin pants with the dojo style shirt tied securely around her. "What is your name?"
"Alysia Bradburn."
"I am not sure why you were brought to us Alysia, but there has to be-
"Pardon my interruption your highness; it could very well be because my great grandmother many times over was Alice Kingsley." She finally got it out before the 'you're not Alice' somehow was brought back up. "I've heard many stories and have been shown her journals many times. It has been a very long time from where I come from. At least three centuries, like I stated great many times ago." Slowly the queen much to her alarm faltered swaying as she fell to a seated position on the edge of the canopied bed. "Queen Mirana?"
Alysia went to her side worried about the strange woman's health before seeing tears pool in her soft brown eyes. "That long?" she breathed seeing Alysia nod sadly gathering for a fact time was very different in this world. "Oh I can't bear to tell him." She managed sparing a glance out into the night.
"Tell who?" Alysia questioned feeling again lost in the world she had been thrown into yet again.
Mirana dabbing her eyes sighed meeting the ancestor of Alice's gaze with a sad smile. "The man that was outraged during your arrival," Alysia nodded following Mirana trying to gather what she was missing to the massive puzzle around her. "He is the Mad Hatter, Tarrant Hightopp, the last of his kind and the one who Alice left behind to settle her world. The potion, rather the jabberwocky's blood was too potent…she must have forgotten."
"She did, she wrote the story down in one of her journals. She remembered too late and was with her family. Her journals grew so sad after she remembered," Alysia felt her mouth gape before meeting the queen's eyes. "He's the man my ancestor Alice loved?"
"I believe so; he very much cared for her."
Alysia put all the pieces together and with a dark feeling realized where this would go if Mirana told the Hatter about Alice, she would be safer hidden under a rock than where he could see her.
"Do I have to be with you?" She squeaked weakly seeing Mirana watch her with concern before her dark eyes clouded in understanding.
"I don't wish to leave you here alone; it seems you are the only descendent of Alice's that has the knowledge and belief to help us. He will just have to understand that even if it's too painful for him."
MallyMkun had been listening after locating the queen and sniffled, her friend would be crushed and she was not so sure the girls' safety would be of her concern but she had seen Alysia watching during his arrival. The woman had been clearly contemplating coming to her aid.
"Mirana," Both turned to the soft voice belonging to the mouse.
"Mally," she smiled warmly offering her hand to the small mouse. "What is it MallyMkun?"
Alysia saw the mouse give her that slight unpleasant look before she faltered shrugging. "Hatter is unstable, not like we are but dangerous…I don't know what he can do. Alice has been his only reason for focusing so long, he might die inside and never come back or go seeking, them for a quick death." She winced seeing Mirana process her words before she covered her mouth in dainty horror.
"Time is different…err…MallyMkun. At least in my world and Alice was afraid of hurting him so stayed away, when she remembered she was an eighty-year-old woman with many grandchildren. It would have destroyed him,"
"It still will when he learns she's gone." Mirana intervened seeing MallyMkun was getting very angry with Alysia.
"Crap." Alysia murmured seeing both women eyeing her closely. "What?"
"You're her ancestor, he might understand enough to help us again."
MallyMkun laughed hysterically, rather madly before shaking her small head. The queen shrugged ignoring the mouse before placing her gently to the floor and standing. She pulled Alysia to her feet and out down the familiar winding halls of the castle. It was not long before she was being dragged back to the courtyard and saw that everyone was still there including the Mad Hatter who was delicately brushing at the Bandersnatch's fur his hard eyes finding hers.
Alysia swallowed hard, she did not want to be there and was sure that the madness that ran abundant in the land would be her undoing. Mirana stopped releasing Alysia's hand and gently pushed her toward the man staring at her with that light tinge of red in his hard emerald gaze.
"Me?" she managed weakly seeing Mirana offer an encouraging smile and nod.
"Is she the one Mirana?" Hatter's venom like gaze forced Mctwisp to wince under the look before the white rabbit moved silently around behind the queen.
"I'm afraid it's very complicated Mctwisp. Alysia Bradburn is indeed our champion because of circumstances in the above world." Hatter turned sharply stepping forward ready to fire his protests before seeing Alysia block his path with a nervous look.
"Yes?" He inquired clearly ready to let loose, she understood his clothing and eyes showed his emotions, judging by the darkening of his clothes and the slow reddening of his eyes he was getting ticked right off.
"Alice was my ancestor, a grandmother three centuries ago. She didn't come back because whatever happened made her forget and now she's gone, I'm the only one of her decedents that I guess can do whatever her majesty and the rest of you need me to do."
MallyMkun dove for the Hatter, while everyone in the court stared on with fear for Alysia's safety. Alysia had seen many horror movies and knew why the characters died, she didn't stay still long enough to be the victim either and went to run freezing when the Bandersnatch moved between her and the now incensed Mad Hatter, mad being operative. She was positive he had the ability to do major harm to her wellbeing.
Everyone in the court all froze at the warning howl from the animal, the Hatter so startled by the Bandersnatch saving Alysia he stopped dead in his rage breathing hard and eyeing the animal closely. Betrayal was the only emotion he had never felt from the Bandersnatch, now the animal was protecting the woman that told him of the only girl he loved dying, how the blood had been so potent it had erased what he needed most and now here was a descendent, nothing like her being protected by his last remaining friend.
"No." He managed seeing the animal bristle in warning as he approached.
Alysia uncovered her body long enough to note the animal was guarding her from the Hatter. Gently she stroked the coarse fur, feeling the animal relax under her touch before she just caught sight of the horrified and betrayed look in the Hatter's expression. Feeling strangely at this she slowly walked around finding the animal herding her behind him for safety.
"Easy Bandersnatch," She cooed easing her hand gently stroking behind his ear her gaze meeting the oddly dull yellow of the Hatter. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone; I thought it was part of-
"Tarrant?" She stopped in her apology seeing Mirana had glided around them and in between their standoff. "She doesn't lie, I mixed in truth…it will last a while yet." She offered out her hand, ignoring the indignant sort of sound Alysia offered at realizing she could not lie if she chose to.
She saw him glance around before he moved swiftly off another path and appeared to get lost in the mass of white gardens surrounding them. Nightfall a good cover if she guessed correctly, when the friends disbanded leaving Alysia with Mirana, the Bandersnatch and a very confused looking Mctwisp.
"Truth?" Mirana smiled sadly before again sweeping Alysia off to the castle, she had much to discuss with the girl and a quick history lesson would probably be very helpful.
Alysia found herself at the top of the towers, staring out at the various felids of muted colors, the nighttime giving it a fairy glow affect that stole her breath. During her time in the palace, she had noticed subtleties of pale colors, dominating blue for one and found herself easing into the place. She felt comfortable now that she was with the white queen. Mirana had told her of her ancestors' adventures, the last one that sealed the fate that day when Hatter had become lost.
She listened her questions answered fairly well despite the over acted way Mirana held herself and her gestures. She felt a sort of calm before the storm, that being the case she found herself becoming tense wondering why now she was in Underland and what need she had to fill for the world her predecessor had lost hold of.
"Your majesty,"
"Mirana please Alysia, you are part of Underland and I consider you a friend." She nodded trying to word her question carefully; she had felt a great deal of foreboding when arriving and was sure it was not just the Hatter causing it, the feeling had yet to leave.
"Mirana, why am I here now? Why did you send Absolem to find…well I guess me now that things have been sorted?"
Alysia saw the worried look in the queens' expression and internally cringed. She was not Alice; there was no way she felt she could do half of what her antecedent had done. She barely could handle her mother and had learned quickly to avoid that which did disrupt her internal balance.
"We need your help, I misjudged what exactly banishment was able to do. In numbers especially," Mirana's frightened voice made Alysia want to face the Hatter again; at least she knew what was coming in his case. "Iracebeth and her faithful Knave of hearts have attempted a revolt. I do not know of her plans all I know is that he has been seen and not within the Outlands. I fear my leadership is at stake once again, I need a champion and you are the only one left to fill Alice's shoes." She saw Alysia's eyes go wide and smiled halfheartedly.
"She isn't Alice; she doesn't have any of her attributes. How can she face them?" Alysia nearly jumped over the balcony behind her hearing that hard tone, she had not even heard him come back and that scared her most of all.
"She is a descendent." Mirana soothed noting Hatter's eyes had the faintest tints of red in them but it was not the anger, they were emerald and were red from previous grief.
"He's right." Alysia managed shocked she would agree with him, he terrified her and she was not about to admit that to anyone but herself. "I don't know how to fight; I've always been fairly good at avoiding…that sort." She finished wincing under his observation and wishing to sink into the ground at her feet.
Mirana her eyes hardening seeing the slight smile at his mouth shook her head. This Hatter regardless of any vow was trying her patience; she missed the Tarrant that was soft and caring. The one that was happy knowing Alice was coming back, the one that had been whimsical and just mad, not frightening or if she dared to admit it, arrogantly smug.
"Very well Alysia, we will have to teach you methods of fighting." Mirana offered seeing the slight smirk disappear and noting the Hatter meet her gaze with his eyes changing to a warning amber color.
Alysia saw the change and saw the change in Mirana, she internally begged to be imagining what she was sure was coming and considered the distance from the roof to the ground. It equaled sure death, even the drop to the next balcony was suicide.
"Why couldn't Alice just have come back?" she realized it was stupid to ask that, she would not have existed if that had been the case. If the Hatter had his way, she was sure he would have liked that option.
"Due to my vow I cannot harm anything or one; you will need to learn from the best." She indicated Hatter and Alysia felt her stomach churn noting the very dark look in his eyes, his clothing going darker than ever and a sneer curling his mouth.
"I won't teach her Mirana," His hard gaze found hers, distinctly red and violent. "I refuse,"
"Hatter, she is all we have left." MallyMkun was at Mirana's feet trying to decide how much her closest friend would hate her after that one sentence.
"Mally?" he breathed feeling like each of his friends were turning slowly against him.
"Hold on!" Alysia interrupted the obvious issue around her, she noted with her own guilt he looked letdown tremendously and she did not like it. "Can someone else teach me? He's been through enough." She ignored the gaze turning to her still yellowed with hurt.
"MallyMkun?" Mirana offered with uncertainty seeing the mouse bow in acceptance before eyeing Alysia with a strange sort of respect.
"Certainly," The small mouse offered her ears tucking when she heard his distinct muttering before he left silently in the darkness of the castle.
"So be it, lessons tomorrow…come with me to your chamber." Alysia nodded following the queen, MallyMkun's soft thank you did not go unnoticed on her way past.