9: Plans for Tomorrow
Author's Note: Thank you to all readers and reviewers! Please review, it helps me!
And a very special thank you to those who found the hidden reference in the last chapter!
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Alice had little to do but dwell on the indignity of her situation. If she worried anymore, she feared giving herself an attack.
The incompetent guards, or perhaps, just those that were loyal to monarchs only in their right minds, dragged Alice and Tarrant to Salazen Grum. Despite her cry for the others to 'run,' the guards had not attempted to investigate just who she had been speaking to. Further more, they had been rather careful with the Hatter, even after having knocked him about the head.
He finally came to as they were at the gates of the castle. With half-opened eyes, he gazed up at the red building, "Alice? Have I gone mad? This looks awfully familiar."
"No, I'm afraid we've been captured."
Letting his head roll back, he sighed, "I'm terribly sorry."
"It's not your fault."
"Where are the others?"
"I don't know."
The doors to the throne room creaked loudly as it complained of neglect. They were unceremoniously pushed into the hall.
It was an unusually slow march to the throne, or maybe it just seemed that way. Hatter wanted desperately to take Alice's hand in his own, but was restricted by the bonds placed on both of them.
Mirana's form gazed down upon them. It was clear that Iracebeth had taken complete control. Her bright and loving eyes had grown dull and hateful, indeed her entire being seethed with anger.
"Alice!" She had a false enthusiasm to her that was sickening to behold, "And – " Iracebeth paused, unable to remember him at first, "The Hatter?"
"A milliner actually." He laughed at her.
"Silence!" It was a shriek that rang about the hall.
The young woman and her Hatter looked at one another.
"Why have you come back?"
"I didn't, I was brought here."
"By whom?"
"I don't know."
The queen's eyes narrowed and she turned to him, "Did you bring her back?"
He shrugged and rolled his eyes, "If I had that kind of power, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now."
There was malice in him that matched her own. That damned man was always, had always been, defiant of her. She would be sure to destroy him on this go around.
"Where is the White King?"
Alice shook her head, "We don't know that either, he left us."
She knew she was persisting in a fruitless line of questioning, "What about your daughter?"
Hatter could not remain silent, "Even if we knew where she was, we'd never tell you."
"What kind of parents don't know there whereabouts of their own child? Pretty poor indeed!"
His eyes flickered, enraged, "You're nothing but some frumious usurper! Useless, lying, murdering, scurvish – "
Two of the Red Guards stepped in to restrain him, pulling him back as he shouted a string of Outlandish curses as the imposter queen.
For one of a few times in her life, she was trying to hold her temper in. It was effective for only a few minutes before she shook Mirana's white scepter at the man. Her own red one had gone with her physical body into the Outlands.
"Both of you! Tomorrow, off with your heads!"
Alice raised her eyes, a tad fearful and yelled towards him, "Hatter!"
It took him a bit longer than usual, but he came back to his senses.
Iracebeth turned Mirana got up from her throne, her tiny body trembling with rage, "And just so you don't think that the Cheshire cat is going to save you again, either of you, you both will be executed at the same time. Guards! Take them to the prisoner's tower!"
With two guards apiece to them, they were hauled bodily and roughly out of the throne room.
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"Put me down!" Margaret was most certainly, not pleased. Valoren had insisted upon carrying her as the entire group ran out from the garden of Crims and back into another forest, "We have to go back and save my parents!"
"It's a little late to do that." He practically skidded to a halt and finally set her down.
"If you won't do it, then I will!" She turned on her heel and began to run back to the garden. Bayard caught her by her dress with his teeth and hauled her from the path.
"I promised your parents that I wouldn't put you in harm's way," He was pacing, "And so did you, I might add."
"I did not."
"You lied to your mother?"
"I never promised."
Out of breath from the run, Thackey had barely enough energy to throw himself on the ground and laugh uncontrollably.
Mally smirked, "She's their daughter alright."
"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Margaret threw up her hands, "Of course I am!"
"Stop it!" Valoren waved his hand, "We need a plan and we need weapons."
"I've got my sword!" Mally waved the shiny little instrument.
"You have a hatpin." The White King raised an eyebrow at her.
"I'll have you know that this sword has cut out the eye of the Bandersnatch."
"Alright, you have a sword then. We still don't have a plan."
"We must bring the White Queen back to her senses." McTwisp spoke up, "Only she can control the armies."
"Very true. How long until the Red Queen Perspective wears off?"
They all gazed at one another, uncertain. No one had ever taken so much of it, nor been as open to others as Mirana was. It was quite an unpredictable and volatile combination.
Sighing, the White King sat down on a fallen tree. Dusk was setting in, bringing with it the knowledge that would either have to rest, or fall prey to their own failings tomorrow.
"Let's hide in the forest tonight, we'll agree on a plan, and tomorrow, we will save Tarrant and Alice."
Margaret was not satisfied with this, but she had no other options at this point. Underneath the watchful eye of everyone else, she helped the others set up a hidden camp.
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It had become clear to Alice and the Hatter that the White Guards were obedient to their ruler; they were not in agreement with her entirely. Did not trust that she was who she said she was, and the constant references to Iracebeth did not help her with them.
The original order had been to place Alice in a cell and the put the Hatter in another cell, far across the room from one another. Knowing that the queen would never appear to verify that her orders had been followed, the guard had allowed them to be placed in the same area of confinement.
With not a bench, nor table, nor any type of furniture available, the pair sat upon the cobblestone ground. It chilled them, but gave them the opportunity to be in one another's arms.
She sighed, "At least Margaret isn't here." There was a pause as they took comfort in that fact, "My mother once told me that I should try to find the good in every situation."
"Good doesn't come to places like this," He held her close, "She hates them. They're far too cold and damp."
"Oh." Alice looked at his face as best she could. Something in him reminded her of when he had been brought into the throne room where she had been posing as Um from Umbridge. Hatter was entirely dejected; the color practically dripped away from him form as if someone has thrown water on a fresh painting. Realization swept over her. He had only known Margaret for a day or so, she had been given several years with her daughter. For all these years, he had been alone, without her, and she had lived with the company of their daughter in relative peace. How could she even reasonably expect him to have any hope when he was staring death in the eye only having just met his last living kin?
Having been deprived of everything to do with them, he was now to be deprived of his own life. It was unfair.
"Only things that begin with the letter 'D' come here."
"Hmm?" She was caught off-guard.
"Despair, desolation, darkness, dejection, dire."
Alice could have taken up crying if she had not been so strong a person, "Determination?"
"I don't remember him very well, you know, he might not be able to come and save us."
She understood he was speaking of Valoren, "He may, and if he doesn't," A rather odd thought entered her head, but in his current state, she hoped he might find some disturbing comfort in it, "How many other couples get to die on the same day? We won't have to watch, or be alone, knowing that the other one has died and we did not save them."
He actually chuckled a bit, "Depressing thoughts, Alice, that's naughty of you."
"I feel a bit cheated."
"Why is that, love?"
Leaning her head back slightly, she kissed his chin, and traced the line of his jaw with her delicate lips. They next kissed upon his cheek before she brought them close to his ear, "As much as I have to thank Mirana for Margaret," She kissed the small lobe, "I wish she had let us come to a more, natural, outcome."
Tarrant blinked his green eyes, once, twice, before he gave a quick shake of his head, "I'm afraid I haven't heard you correctly."
"Have you ever thought about it? Dreamt of it?"
"A million times over, lass." Again with the brogue, but this time, she readily welcomed it.
"Ever since I found out about our daughter, I've been a bit, put out, that you weren't there when she was born, or created. It hurts all the more, being that I've been in love with you for so long."
He held her close, bringing her in front of him, "I love you too, Alice, more then I can possibly say."
They regarded each other for a moment. Her mind was clouded, she only knew what her body wanted and she was entirely ready to give into it. Kissing him hungrily, greedily, her hands grasped the collar of his jacket and pulled him flush against her body.
The Hatter was not a foolish man, mad of course, but he knew a good thing.
His own hands gripped her waist, holding her so tightly that she could not even entertain the idea of getting away from him. Everything in him wanted to possess her, lay her down on the floor and show her what he'd been dreaming of for the past seven years.
"Ahem."
Tarrant groaned out in frustration, looking up from where he and Alice were so entwined. Across the room, he noticed a Bishop-headed white guard, "Yes?"
"While I do not object to your actions," The guard was clearly flustered, "I am unable to leave the room."
"You cannot step out in the hall?"
"There are red guards in the hall. If they find a reason to come in here, they may separate you." It seemed as though the guard bowed to Alice, even in such a compromised position, "My Champion, I can only do so much for you."
Alice looked up at the stuttering man, and she thought that if he had eyes in the traditional sense, they would probably be averted from her form. She looked at the Hatter, whose own eyes seemed to have softened in understanding.
"I would rather just be able to sleep in your arms, than risk being taken away."
He smiled, resigned but content, "I agree."
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"What is troubling you, your majesty?" The Duchess watched as the White Queen wandered around her old throne room, apparently deep in thought.
"I want to capture that Margaret," She raised and brought the scepter down on the soft part of her palm, "Control the daughter, control the parents."
Considering, the Duchess had very little to offer, "The guards will be of no help, as we have already seen."
"Yes, we must bring her to us then."
"Valoren will not allow her to come on her own, your, I mean, your sister's husband is an honorable man. I would not be surprised if he had already sent her back to the Otherland."
"Hold your tongue!" Hissed Iracebeth.
Once again, the court was silent, the only other person in the room that would dare speak, would not.
"Wait!" Iracebeth halted, "I want a proclamation issued. I want bills posted all other the Tulgey forest and the garden of Crims, I want them posted as far as the eye can see!"
Eiron understood that it would be him doing the writing, posting, and ultimately proclaiming, so he stepped forward, "Yes, my lady?"
"Post that the traitors to the crown, Alice of Otherland and Tarrant the Mad Hatter, are to be executed tomorrow in the afternoon. I want them all posted before dawn!"
Trying to muffle his sighs, the manservant left to make up the large paper bills.
"Excellent plan, your majesty, but why not tomorrow morning?"
"Because," Iracebeth spun around, "It gives them time to see the bills and to get into the castle on some foolish rescue attempt."
"And if they don't?"
"Then I can take my afternoon tea while my two least favorites lose their heads!"
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