Disclaimer: I do not own Alice in Wonderland.

Six

"No, no, no!" Alice exclaimed looking at the hat. "You were supposed to make it exactly like I said!"

"I'm an artist!" Mr. Hammlish scoffed. "Such an ugly hat like Tarrant Hightopp's does not belong on a beautiful young woman's head. This is better!"

Better was a large floppy white sunhat with a thick baby blue ribbon wrapped around it and a hideous large white and light blue feather coming out of the ribbon. Alice's stomach felt her stomach churn. Now what was she going to do? She couldn't give that monstrosity to Chessur. She closed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair.

"I'm not paying for that." Alice finally said. "I said I'd pay for an exact replica of the Mad Hatter's hat, not for some tacky sunhat."

"Tacky!" Mr. Hammlish became vivid. "Then why don't you just leave, madam. I do not need to lower my standards for…common trash." He lovingly placed the hat on the counter and stormed off.

Alice slowly returned home feeling defeated. She had absolutely no options left. She would either have to break her promise with Chessur or go against her morals and steal Hatter's hat. She began regretting saying yes so quickly to the cat when she was about to drown in the dungeon. Maybe she should have just drowned. Then, guilt wouldn't kill her.

"Hello, Alice." Hatter said when she walked in. Alice was mildly surprised. Usually, Hatter didn't work on their full day off (Sunday, she reminded herself in her mind). Then, his eyes became a very soft blue. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Alice lied. She had forgotten how easily Hatter could tell if someone close to him was upset. She remembered Mirana referring to him as an "emotional sponge", soaking up people's happiness or sadness with ease.

"You're lying." Hatter insisted. Alice sighed, then looked at the hat in his hands and got an idea. Maybe it was about time she told him.

"Hatter," she began, "how easily would it be to make a copy of a hat?"

"A copy?" Hatter looked confused, then chuckled. His eyes turned back to a bright jade green. "Dear Alice, you can't make a copy of a hat. That would be if someone tried to make another Alice. It wouldn't be the same."

"Oh." Alice said. "Well, what if you were to let Chessur borrow your hat?"

"Absolutely not," he replied, his eyes yellowing and darkening. "The last time, it smelt like a wet animal and it had fleas. It took me three months to get rid of those nasty creatures."

"Oh," Alice said again. All hope was lost now.

"Why?" Hatter suddenly asked.

Alice came clean and told him about when Minerva had thrown her into the dreaded cell and tried to drown her. Then, she explained about how she had promised Chessur Hatter's hat. Alice had expected anger from Hatter, but instead he was silent. He finished up a stitch and then walked out of the shop. Alice knew he wasn't angry because the color of his eyes was green. However, he never came back. He didn't even come down for dinner that night.

The next morning, Hatter didn't say anything and stayed in his workshop the entire day. Alice was lucky that the first days of the week were usually slow and no one wanted a hat that had to be made or that was stored in the now locked workshop. At the end of the day, she saw Chessur sitting outside the store on a stump. Dread filled her. She didn't know what to do. Then, someone put a hat in front of her. But it wasn't just any hat. It was Hatter's hat, minus the pins and the card. She looked up at Hatter, now hatless.

"Give this to him." Hatter said. Alice thanked him and grabbed the hat. Once the hat was in her hands, she ran outside as fast as she could. She presented the hat with Chessur and asked him if it settled her debt to him.

"My, I didn't think he would let me have it." Chessur said in surprise. "Then again, it was you that asked him this time instead of me. Yes, this settles everything." Chessur picked up his new hat and disappeared smiling widely.

Alice felt as if a huge burden had been lifted off her shoulders. She ran back inside the hat shop and couldn't believe what she saw. Hatter had given up his hat to Chessur…but when she did a double take, she saw that his had was on his head. She tried to ask him how it was possible, but the question couldn't come out right.

"Dear Alice," Hatter chuckled. "I'm disappointed. You didn't notice any differences?"

"No!" Alice gasped. "That was a perfect copy! It was so much better than the one Mr. Hammlish tried to…" Alice suddenly clasped her hands over her mouth. Yellow eyes bared at her.

"Hammlish?" Hatter said in his Scottish accent. "That filthy, sneaky, guddler's scut...!"

"Hatter!" Alice said snapping him out of his rage. His eyes reverted back to normal.

"I'm fine."

"I take it you don't like…him." Alice replied.

"He's been trying to steal away all my business. I can't believe you would go to him first…" Hatter then looked sad.

"I'm sorry," she replied. "I didn't want to burden you. I wish I had never bothered going to him. It was nothing but a waste of time. I asked for a copy of your hat and he gave me an ugly sunhat. What was different about the copy you made?"

"The stitching wasn't quite right." Hatter said, visibly thankful they weren't talking about Mr. Hammlish any longer. "Though I guess only a hatter can tell."

Alice threw her arms around the Hatter's neck and thanked him again. Surprised, the hatter hugged her back.

The next day was slow. Mallymkun was arranging the hats in the display windows while Alice was sweeping the floor and Hatter was counting the money in the cash register. Alice couldn't help but think about what happened the day before. Chessur had realized after seeing Hatter that the hat had been a copy, but he was pleased enough with the hat he had gotten. Hatter had not mentioned their hug the day before and Alice decided not to mention it either. Suddenly, Dita and Ailia ran inside the store.

"You tell her," Ailia told Dita.

"No, you tell her!" Dita told Ailia.

"Tell me what?" Alice asked exasperatedly. Every time she talked to the two twins, she was reminded more and more of the Chataway twins she knew back in London.

"Next month is the Billiwangle festival." They said together. Hatter raised his head.

"Already? Time flies," he said.

"What's…" Alice began. Mallymkun jumped down from the display window.

"It's a weeklong celebration we have every year. It's the anniversary of when the White Queen won the throne from her father, the Black King."

"Won?"

Hatter closed the register and explained that a long time ago, before Alice had ever come to "Wonderland", the Black King and the first White Queen ruled the kingdom. Iracebeth of Crims was their eldest daughter and was their heir to the throne of Underland while Mirana of Marmoreal was their youngest and only other daughter was destined to become a healer using the skills she had learned from her mother. However, she knew that if Iracebeth got the throne, she would destroy everything that their parents had worked for. So, one day she told her father she wanted the throne. She was only nineteen, the same age Alice was when she slain the Jabberwocky. Her father laughed and told her no. The next day, she told her father she wanted the throne. Her father laughed and told her no again. This continued on for five more days. Finally, on the seventh day, he smiled and gave her the army of white chess pieces that Alice remembered from her last visit to Underland. Then, he summoned his own army of black chess pieces and took Mirana to the black and white chess board battlefield in Tugley Wood . He told her that if she wanted to take the throne from him and Iracebeth then she would have to beat him in a game of chess using the soldiers. The White Soldiers were already very loyal to Mirana so they were more than willing to lay down their lives for her. The battle was lasted four hours when finally Mirana beat her father. He was not angry. Instead, he was happy. She had much more muchness than Iracebeth did. So she became Queen of Underland.

"So that's why we celebrate," Hatter concluded. "We didn't get to celebrate much after the Red Queen took over. We started celebrating all over again after you killed the Jabberwocky."

"This will be our first celebration since forever." Dita said. "The last two years Minerva wouldn't let us go. Everyone goes to the celebration."

"People from all of Underland come. All the businesses lets the workers go and there's great shopping, wonderful food, and the ball!" Ailia said.

"It's the most important holiday we have," Mallymkun added, "second only to the Frabjous Day Anniversary."

"What's the ball?" Alice asked the twins

"Queen Mirana has a ball every night of the festival," Ailia said. "Everyone wears their very best formal gowns and suits and they wear masks. No one unmasks themselves until the seventh night at the witching hour."

"You'll be there, right?" Dita asked.

"I'll be there. When is it?"

"The middle of next month." Ailia replied. She and her sister promised that they would all go gown shopping that "Saturday" and ran out of the store. Hatter asked her if they were related to the Tweedle twins. Alice only laughed and began sweeping once more.

Alice looked at what she had laid out on the counter and smiled. Gowns in Underland near the Billiwangle Festival were disgustingly expensive. She and Mallymkun could not buy seven new gowns for the festival on their salaries. So, Alice had cut up her old gown and using the fabric she had bought and made seven little gowns for Mallymkun, who was having enough trouble getting gowns that were even in her size anyway. She couldn't wait to see the little dormouse's face when she saw them. Alice herself had decided to make her own gowns for the festival. She had already bought the fabric for them. One bolt was blue and twinkled like the stars, another bolt was dark jade that looked like morning dew on grass, and another one was orange like fire while yet another one was red like glistening rubies. She found a bolt that was sparkling purple like amethysts and a bolt that was a shining yellow like the sun. However, Alice's absolute favorite was a white and grey bolt of fabric that glowed shimmered like the moon. She was amazed to see that all the fabric had masks that matched them. She worked hard to get the dresses ready before the festival.

A knock alerted her. She saw Kaden's face through the window. He looked unusually excited. Alice looked at the clock on the corner of the counter. It was late. Kaden shouldn't be here. She got up and let him in.

"I've got an idea for the festival," he said as soon as he was inside, "but it's going to sound really mad."

"I work for the Mad Hatter," Alice assured him, "Around here, madness is expected."

"I'm going to be a lord."

"A lor…never mind. You're madder than I thought." Alice said slowly. "Why a lord?"

"Lords are noble. I could talk to Queen Mirana."

Alice tried to smile. It was no secret among the servants and ex-servants of the White Queen's castle that Kaden fancied Mirana. However, he was a firm believer of the "nobles marry nobles, servants marry servants" rule. He knew that it was hopeless for him to ever be with her. Alice felt so sorry for him. Kaden couldn't even speak to Mirana. Not even the years when he had been the one who had cleaned her bedroom and washed her knickers.

"Alright," Alice said. "Why tell me? Why not just surprise everyone?"

"I don't want to do it…alone." Kaden said slowly.

"What does that…" Alice paused. Her mouth turned into a small O and her eyes widened. She turned to Kaden. "Absolutely not."

"Alice…" Kaden went around the counter and dropped to his knees. "Alice, Alice, Alice! Please! You're my best friend. I can't do this without you! Please, Alice. Please! Just imagine it! We'll be brother and sister! Lord and Lady from some far away land. We won't be Kaden and Alice. We'll be completely different people. We can do whatever we want to do, say whatever we want to say. You could flirt with the hatter and you won't have to worry about what he would think because it wouldn't be Alice that would be doing it! Please, pretty please!" Kaden begged.

"Is this that important to you?" Alice asked. "Because if it is, I can always lie and say I had to do something. Hatter is closing down the shop for the week and everyone is staying at the castle so they won't know if I stayed here or not."

"Thanks, Alice!" Kaden threw his arms around her. "You are the best friend I've ever had! You won't regret this, I promise." Alice had to admit, she had never seen him so happy.

"I'll meet you this weekend and we can come up with a plan." Alice promised with a small smile, "It'll be just like the old days, the two of us plotting."

"You're the best, Alice." Kaden said. "I gotta get back. Meet me by the stables after you get off work this weekend."

Kaden thanked her once more and he disappeared into the darkness of the night. Alice locked the door again and went back to her room. It was only two weeks until the big festival. She had gotten three of the seven dresses done, leaving her "moon" dress for last. She wanted that dress to look perfect. She pulled out her purple dress and began to finish work on it. She looked at the clock on her nightstand and sighed. She had a lot of work to do in two weeks.

A/N: Um, this is kind of a good news/ bad news deal. Good news: there are some fan-girls that are going to be very happy in the not so distant future. Bad news: A certain someone that many of you guys don't like is going to come back.