I met Mirana in her throne room, as she addressed several guards. "This could mean," she was saying. "A civil war. My sister and Stayne are gathering forces. We have to stop them now, not before."
I cleared my throat, and Mirana's eyes came to rest on me. "I want permission for myself and Alice to leave Underland."
A shocked silence. I pressed on. "It's our best chance. They'll have taken Tarrant above ground, and Alice and I will have the best chance of cathcing them the sooner we go."
"You and Alice?" One of her eyebrows raised. "Just you two?"
"Well..."
Minutes later, Alice and I were hurrying through the forest, Alice struggling slightly to keep up, as I pushed my pace faster and faster. "Where- are- we go-ing?" she panted.
I kept going, twisting through the trees, until we came to our destination. I frowned. "You've met Tarrant." I had stopped outside a large house shaped like a pair of scissors, the handles the twin doors. "Now it's time for you to meet his irresponsible twin."
Alice
Alice and Nirvana stopped outside the strangest house Alice had ever seen, shaped like a giant pair of scissors. Normally, Alice would be staring at the house, but now she had her gaze fixed on Nirvana. "Are you joking?"
"I am very afraid not," Nirvana said, swinging open a small gate, painted pink and orange. "Tarrant and I are but two of a large, squabbling family. We like to keep out of family politics, though. Tarrant was-" she paused. "Tarrant was disowned. As far as the family is concerned, he no longer exists."
Alice tried to absorb this. "What about you? Are you- disowned?"
"No." Nirvana said sharply. "I disowned them."
Alice nodded slowly as they cut through the garden, which seemed to consist solely of mushrooms. "Are all of your family... like you?"
"Insane, you mean?" Nirvana stopped and considered. "Not really. I'm the sanest."
She turned the corner around the house, and Alice's eyes came to rest on a long table with tea set everywhere. There was a lone figure at the head of the table, who, as Alice looked closer, had orange hair, green eyes, and a wide smile. "Tarrant." she whispered.
Nirvana shook her head, and when Alice looked, her face was grim. "Not Tarrant."
The figure at the head of the table stood up, and, much like the first time Alice had met the Hatter, walked along the table. As he came closer, Alice couldn't help but note the similarities between this man and the Hatter. The same white skin, orange hair, and green eyes, but this man wore no hat. Instead, he wore a perfect suit, and his hair was smoothed down more. He stopped at the edge of the table, and peered down. "Who is this?" His voice was nearly identical to the Hatters.
"Cut the act, Tay." Nirvana snapped, her voice suddenly cold.
"Oh no, Nirvana dear. I meant her." The man smiled warmly at Alice. "Taylor the Tailor at your service, spelt with an i or a y as you please."
"Quit it, Taylor." Nirvana told her brother. "Tarrant's been taken."
Taylor jumped off the table, and inspected his nails, leaning against the table. "How devastating- for you, I mean. Why should it bother me?" His now-red eyes met Nirvana's steadily blackening ones. "I have no brother, remember?"
"You," Nirvana snarled, a change coming over her face suddenly. "Are a weak willed, cowardly brat of Hightopp, you-" Her voice was gaining a thicker Scottish accent, until Taylor snapped his fingers in front of her face.
"Relax, my dear." Taylor sighed, and turned to Alice. "Would you like some tea?"
"Taylor." Nirvana interrupted, her voice now tired. "Please."
"Please what?" Taylor asked, his gaze still on Alice. "Please help me save my brother? Or please may I have some tea?"
Nirvana sighed, and turned away, pulling out her sword and walking away from the table, swinging her blade in patterns around her. "Alice is coming with me."
"Is she?" Taylor said, suddenly interested. "In that case, count me in." He smiled one last time, and then turned. "Just let me finish my tea."
Nirvana sighed. "Alice and I will wait outside." She seized Alice's arm, and dragged her out the gate again. "I hate him so much."
"Your brother? But why?"
Nirvana's eyes, now green, met Alice's eyes. "You saw how he acted. He doesn't care about Tarrant. And he never will."
Taylor appeared beside them, a battered top hat now on his head. "Ready?"
"As we'll ever be," Nirvana snapped, tossing a vial of blood at him, and walking a bit away. "Alice," she called back. "Come over here for a moment." Her voice was insistent, like she didn't want Alice alone with her brother.
Alice looked bewildered between the two siblings. "Go ahead," Taylor said in a bored tone. "Go see what she wants. I'll be okay."
He smiled at her, and she hurried to catch up with Nirvana. "Yes?"
Nirvana gave her a bottle as well. "Don't do anything that might hurt Tarrant, okay?"
Before Alice could ask her what she meant, Nirvana swallowed the blood and vanished.
