Author's Note: Marvelous, another update! I already have the rest of the plot structure written out; just having a tad bit of writer's block.
I praise my Beta-reader: Luna4816.
She has been a dear looking over my chapters and correcting any nasty grammatical errors; for which I dedicate this chapter to her. :)
I am also getting input from other authors of Alice in Wonderland fanfiction, authors who's skills far outreach my own, and this will hopefully help move things along.
In this chapter: The famous Mad Hatter appears!
Next Chapter: Expect the White Queen, Camellia's father and Absolem. (Oh, my!)
The early hours of the morning had already approached when the pair finally reached the edge of the castle's walls. An iridescent glow from the cream-colored bricks of the walls illuminated the surrounding area creating an unearthly picture. Situated directly next to the wall, in its own little niche, was a small house with a diminutive wooden fence and thatched roof.
They continued towards the house before Camellia quickly grabbed the mans' arm in front of her and yanked him back. Revelry Caubeen turned around quickly, curious about the gesture, looking down at her smooth petite hand grasping his jacket sleeve. Hastily, she removed her hand from his person and took a settling breath before asking;
"Is this Hatter, this Mr. Tarrant Hightop as my mother called him, really a mad man?" Camellia thought her inquiry would surely receive a laugh; but instead he just rolled his eyes and continued onward.
She followed him, thinking of all sorts of unladylike profanities she could scream at him for not answering her question. It was a rightly justified question, she believed. Never before had she met a 'mad' person, well except for the man leading her into the house and that pair of blasted beasts she had met at the tea.
Mr. Caubeen fiddled around in his pockets for the keys, continuing the whistling from earlier while doing so. Camellia took this time to run a quick hand through her tangled tresses and fix her petticoats into a more seemly shape. She surveyed the damage done to them and gave up hope quickly before straightening the shawl made from her earlier dress. The door was soon unlocked as Revelry walked through first, setting his cane down on an end table to the left of the doorway.
With a calming breath, Camellia walked through the doorway as well, standing there for a moment surveying the scene. It was a lovely home with warm interior and nicely colored furniture. However, a tad bit too messy, the room smelled of scones and various teas. Multiple wax lamps gave the room light, with the major source of heat coming from a charming brick fireplace in the center of the room. To the right was a curtained off area that she assumed was either the bedrooms or kitchen, and towards the back there was a corridor leading off to the rest of the house. The coziness of the room made her feel a tad drowsy as she swayed a little in place.
The sound of a voice from the back of the house awoke her from her daze; and, Mr. Caubeen began to yell back;
"Evenin' sir, sorry I'm late I got held up with somethin'." Camellia could not make-out the response, but apparently, Revelry had heard it.
"No sir, it's a rather interesting somethin'. The somethin' followed me here. You can say that it is like a present for yeah." Color rose to her cheeks at the mention of this 'present' which she was assuming was herself. Mr. Caubeen turned around and offered her a seat on a small loveseat; he smirked and then went off through the curtained area mumbling something about meats and cheeses.
So she was left alone, a feeling of anxiety began to come forth as a shadow of a looming figure walking down the hallway became visible. Squirming in her chair, she stood up immediately when a man with vibrant red hair, with a few wisps of silver, came through the hallway corridor.
He was a very tall man, nearly reaching the ceiling, wearing a workman's apron and absurdly colored clothing as Mr. Caubeen. His face was pale with purple patches and his eyes, a startling green, which were framed by matching red lashes and bushy eyebrows. There was a look of confusion on his face as he came forward, watching the young lady stand there in the middle of his room in front of his favorite loveseat no less.
Wide blue eyes watched him like a cat, and for a second he recognized those eyes. The image of the person who these eyes conjured up was quickly swept away. Improper thinking; it was only the eyes that conjured up this image, because the rest of her was too different. Her curls were a light brown and not the blonde locks he had dreamed of, and her skin was a light olive tone and not the fair cream of his memories. However, the look about her, the look those eyes gave her face reminded him so much of his special someone. The haughty assurance in those eyes was undoubtedly his Alice.
A grin was placed on his face, trying to ease the obviously very startled and nervous young woman.
This grin procured a small smile as well, Camellia did not speak though; her tongue was a muddle of confusion and she was afraid whatever she would say was wrong. This, assuredly, was the man she was looking for; the description her mother gave her matched this man perfectly.
Ending the awkward silence, the Hatter was the first to speak.
"Well hello…are you perhaps in need of a hat?"
Camellia looked at him, puzzled. Shaking her head, she responded;
"No, no, I was sent here by the Cheshire cat. He said that you would want to be seeing me."
The Hatter smiled and shook his head as well, "Seeing you; why ever would I need to do that? I do not know you."
Her cheeks turned pink and she began to laugh a little. The tone of his voice reminded her of a child, an innocent and naïve child.
Oh, everything was going horribly wrong.
"No, you see I think he wanted me to see you because we have an acquaintance in common. You see I am the daughter of Alice Saigal, you probably know her as Alice Kingsleigh."
With this, the Hatter turned a shade paler than before and a look of lost helplessness settled over him. His eyes had turned dark and sad; he looked down, at the floor then at her. No wonder her image appeared before him; his Alice had a daughter…and presumably a husband.
Camellia saw the pain that her rehearsed speech had caused him, and was not unaware of the reason. Her mother had often talked very fondly of this man, in a manner overly loving when describing a good or dear friend. Obviously, her mother had loved this man at a point, and it was only presumed that he had loved her too.
She only imagined what it would be like to be separated from your one love for more than 20 years, and then have her daughter thrust upon you. Her cheeks turned a darker shade of pink as she cursed the fact that her mother had not come down to this word herself. No, she sent her daughter, who wanted no part in this masquerade, in her stead to make a fool out of herself.
The two stood there soaking in the scene that had just occurred. The Hatter was the first to speak, again.
"Would you like a cup of tea?" Surprisingly the voice was soft, kind, tinged with remorse and not the anger she had expected. His eyes.
"Yes that sounds lovely."
He motioned for her to sit back down, and Camellia took the offer while he went towards the curtained entrance. Revelry appeared and stopped him from entering by pushing a large tea cart full of various confections and foods in front o him. The two men exchanged a glance before the Hatter turned back around and took a seat on the armchair across from her. The younger man was busying himself by pouring tea from a black Chinese teapot into a cup, he looked over his shoulder down at her and inquired;
"So Cam, how do yeah take your tea."
The sound of the pet name irritated to her, but she brushed it off and forced a smile, "My name is not Cam it's Camellia, and I take it with one sugar cube, no cream."
A chuckle could be heard from the Hatter as both of the younger people looked at him, perplexed. With a small gesture of the hand, he explained his sudden outburst, "Sorry, your mother takes her tea the same…or at least she used to."
Camellia smiled, her hand grasping the proffered cup and sipped the tea slowly, a mix of mint and rosemary greeted her, and the warmth of the liquid ran down her throat warming her through and through. Revelry then handed a cup to his employer and began to make a plate full of food, which Camellia guessed was for her. Sipping her tea, she listened as the Hatter rambled on, speaking on a multitude of different subjects.
"It has been a while since your mother was last here, but she had a tendency to be away for awhile and reappear. Now you are here, and rather late if I do say so, and she is not here. Very much, like Alice indeed, but then again not like Alice because she does not break her promises; yet, apparently she did because she is not here and you are…She must be with her husband….that bloody 'usband."
The last statement had been said oddly, Camellia swore that she heard a bit of a Scottish accent break through, and she looked at him wide eyed. His eyes had gone from a dark green almost black, to bright amber. Dare she even tell him that her father died? No, she was not her mother's matchmaker. She doubted that she had been put through this much trouble only to quell the heartache of a lunatic. Still, the small bit of romanticism she held within her broke through and she found herself quickly saying the statement,
"My father is dead."
The Hatter began to choke on the tea he had been sipping and a crash was heard as the plate of food Revelry had been holding fell onto the rest of the cart. It would have been comical if Camellia had not been there, and had maybe heard the story at some assembly or get together. She looked immediately at her teacup and then at the fireplace, concentrating on a loose brick as if it was a dog with two heads.
Quickly the Hatter got up and began to aid his assistant in the cleaning of such a mess. He whispered something heatedly into the ear of the young boy, who then turned around with an abnormal smile.
"Um, I believe it's time we be takin' yeah to the White Queen. She'll know what to do with yeah. Come on Cam."
Camellia stood up as Revelry moved towards the door, a look of surprise at the sudden declaration was apparent on her face as she began to argue,
"The castle? I thought I was supposed to come here, meet the Hatter, and then leave! I will not be staying the night in this insanity. No I am not leaving, I am sorry if I was wrong to bring up my mother and all of her stupid mistakes-"
Another crash occurred as Camellia was wrenched away towards the front door. She did not look back as she was harshly led out of the house.
Camellia began to swear and curse at him, all while hitting at his hand. How dare this despicable man touch her, let alone grab her and pull her out of a house. Had she missed something? Yes, she had mentioned her father's death, but what pain it caused the Hatter was beyond her. He should be the one apologizing. Damn all of them!
As soon as they were out of the vicinity, Mr. Caubeen let go of her arm and she pulled it away seething with anger. Before she could calm herself or hold her tongue she began to rant,
"How dare you take hold of me and force me out like some wild beast! Do not every lay a single hand on me again or so help me, I will remove whatever body part touches me. You are the vilest young man I have ever met and I hope I never have to lays eyes on you again!"
With that, she stomped off past him, nose in the air, following the cream-colored road up towards the castle gate opening. After a while, she looked over shoulder, and saw no trace of the hatter's assistant.