"We were holding the future in hand

A place to fly, and a place to land."

Chapter 9

"Well, what about this one? 'There are four turtle-ducks swimming in a pond; two are startled and run away. How many are left, my dear?" Tarrant, not looking up from his work, asked the little girl next to him. Mia was currently perched atop one of the many tables in his hat-making room, her swinging feet dangling off the edge, and she seemed to focus solely on the project in her hands. That was, however, not the case, as she looked up from the little fabric doll and cocked her head at the madman.

After it had been declared – nay, decreed – by Mia that there was fun to be had, both the Hatter and the little redheaded girl had gotten right to it. However, after a rather loud objection from her stomach, it was decided that a visit to the kitchens – and, inevitably, Thackery – was in order. When they had arrived, it became apparent that no, the March Hare wasn't cooking at the moment, and no, he wasn't likely to be hiding somewhere, either; (they had looked). His absence had only given fuel to their mischief-making, though, and by the time they left, all the labels had been switched on the jars inside the poor Hare's spice cabinet. (The conversation that had preceded this event consisted of Mia insisting they do it, the Hatter objecting with the excuse that Thackery would be angry with them, the little girl countering with 'How do you know; have you ever done it before?', and Tarrant's inevitable defeat; because, really, who could deny that little girl anything?).

That had been only the first dose of chaos the duo had gone about the castle causing, before they were practically chased – giggling the whole way, mind you – back into Tarrant's hat workshop by a group of very peeved fish-butlers. (Poor Hopsin, the head frog, had nearly suffered from a heart attack during his daily inspection of the West Wing when he discovered that not only were there muddy tracks all along the marble floors, but up on the walls, as well!). With nothing better to do – and their plans thoroughly thwarted (lovely 'T' words!) – they decided to stay there so that the Hatter could get some work done.

This had proved in vain, however, as Mia was soon running around the room with bolts of fabric flowing after her like a cape of an extremely impractical length. Only when Tarrant had whipped up a quick cloth-made little girl and promised to show her several basic sewing stitches so that Alice's daughter could make clothes for her new toy did she calm down enough. And that saw them to where they were now; both working diligently, and – because neither were never very fond of the quiet – exchanging riddles of the finest sort.

There was a pause as Mia's brain mulled over the new challenge. "…Two?"

"Is that your final answer, love?" Again, he never once looked up from his work, though a grin spread its way across his face. Oh, goodness; there was that annoying little word, again!

"No, no! Let me think a little more!" There was another, longer pause, before she began giggling.

"Have you figured it out?"

"They were all left! They couldn't have run away, because they were in the water!" she squealed, her giggles turning into full-blown laughter. The jovial mood was just too much, and the madman found himself chuckling along with her, as well. "You're good at these, Mr. Hatter!"

"Likewise, my dear." He grinned and refocused on the hat before him as they elapsed once more into a comfortable silence. It was Mia's turn to think up a riddle, and he was content to wait as long as she needed. As the quiet progressed, though, he felt himself look up out of slight concern that there had been no sound from the little girl's corner of the room. The sight his eyes met, though, caused him to falter in his work. Mia had stopped her simple sewing (she was becoming quite good at it for only having learned an hour previously, he noted), and was scrutinizing him most thoroughly, head tilted to the side and curly orange hair falling off to the side. He raised an eyebrow at her, and, as soon as she realized she was caught, the little girl blinked and shook her head. "What has captured your attention so, love?" Why did that word insist on verbalizing itself so often?

"Your name is silly." She stated simply, before seamlessly redirecting her attention back to the little piece of blue fabric in her hands. Well, that was not what he had been expecting… at all.

"And what's wrong with my name?" the Hatter asked, physically putting down his work and turning to face her fully. She, however, didn't look up again.

"It's silly."

"Care to clarify…?"

"I might."

"What if I asked nicely?"

"Then I would." There was a pause as Tarrant waited for her to continue.

"…Please?"

"Much better," Mia grinned, still not stopping her crooked stitches, and he resisted the urge to huff indignantly. "It doesn't make sense; why would your Mummy and Papa name you 'Hatter', even if they didn't know you would grow up to make hats? It's a good bit of luck that you did, though, or else it would be very strange for you to go walking around with a name like that but working at something else. Like, being a… physician, or a merchant, or a shop owner, or a tailor. Although they're all boring jobs, if you ask me. Except for being a tailor; that would be fun. Or being a merchant, because you could travel and see the world and—" the Hatter tried (and failed) to hide his laugh in a cough at the girl's ramble. Maybe she was spending too much time with him…

"Well, in response to your original statement – the one about my name, that is – 'Hatter' is not my right birth-name; just a nickname that everyone sees fit to call me. The Mad Hatter, that's the whole of it." He quirked an eyebrow at her surprised expression, and grinned. Of course it would seem perfectly normal (or silly-but-still-normal) to a six-year-old to be named after a profession.

"Well, then what's your real name? It seems rather strange that no one calls you it, if you even have one." She teased, kicking her feet and smiling, her eyes alight with curiosity. At this, the Hatter stood and bowed to her, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Tarrant Hightopp, Royal Hatter the White Queen of Marmoreal, at your service, milady." He grinned. In response, though, he had expected a giggle, a smile, maybe even vocalized words – but a silence fell over the room. The Hatter looked up, worried, and saw that Mia was off in her own little world, lost in thought.

There was a tense pause as he stood back upright and returned to work, still keeping an eye on the girl. She only hummed, shook her head, and refocused on her own project. "My mummy used to tell me stories about someone with your name," she said quietly after a moment. Once again, the Hatter faltered in his stitching. "Well, it was only one story, but it was always too long to tell in one time-before-bed. She would stop, and then pick it back up the next night."

His mind buzzed with questions. Alice told tales about me? That means she remembered! What were the tales about? Her trips to Underland? Or were they something she had made up? The only inquiry that made it out of his mouth, though, was a simple, "Used to? She no longer regales you?"

Mia sighed. "Not since Aunt Rea started coming into our – me and Mummy's – room before bed. Sometimes she would take Mummy away, and I wouldn't see her again until morning. Others, she would tell Mummy it wasn't healthy to stay up so late, and that she should go to bed." The little girl wrinkled her nose. "It wasn't fair."

Strange, the Hatter thought. Why would it make a difference whether Alice told her daughter stories? Maybe she was just like every other Abovelander (besides Alice and her daughter, of course), and she thought that it was utter tomfoolery to be talking of their mad world. "Do you still remember them?"

Mia refocused her gaze on him, eyes alight, "Oh, yes, very much so; I could never forget them," she assured the Hatter, grinning. "They always had the best characters, and they were in the most fantastical of places!" Her smile faltered slightly, and her expression turned thoughtful once more.

"What is it, my dear?"

"Lady Mirana is just like another one of her characters… and Miss Mally... and Mr. Thackery…" she trailed off. Only then did Tarrant realize that the little girl had never once been the slightest bit shocked by the fact that the animals in Underland talked, as Andrea and Alice had been (albeit discreetly, but it was still obvious that they were startled by that fact).

"Would you mind terribly if you told me one of these wonderful yarns?" he asked. There; finally he asked the question that was just bursting to get out. The redhead only giggled in reply, however. "What?"

"I'm truthfully not very sure how to tell you a yarn," she laughed, holding up some of the thick string that she was attempting to sew with.

He rolled his eyes and smirked, "One of the stories, love." In attempt to appear cross, he folded his arms across his chest… which only made the little girl laugh harder. "Please?"

Once her fits calmed, the Champion's daughter nodded, her curls bouncing playfully as she did so. "Where to start, though…? There were always so many beginnings."

"The introduction is always a good place," he answered to her rhetorical question. "After all, what's a good tale without an opening?"

"That seems as good a place as any." She nodded, before setting her piece of fabric aside, swinging her legs up on the table, and shifting to a more comfortable position. Tarrant did the same; he quickly slid over one of the chairs from around his worktable, positioned it toward the little storyteller, and took a seat. The madman gave a nod for her to continue, and she did. "Now, you may not believe what I'm about to tell you; many people don't, but it's the one-hundred-percent, absolute Truth. There's a special place in the world, where everything that's backwards is forwards, and everything that's left is right. Impossible things happen there, but – considering the vastness of the world and the very nature of life – anything is possible…"

Hamish Ascott had always considered himself a tolerant man. He had endured countless criticism not only during his 'engagement' party with Alice for proving that he would put up with her nonsense, but also before and after. He had endured the heartbreak when said-damsel had rejected him, and he had stood by and watched her sail away on her grand adventure. He had stomached the urge to scream and yell and have an all-around break-down when he heard of her death. But this was something that he would simply not to have the patience for.

Yes, he had been the second – aside from Mirana, of course – to greet Alice upon her arrival at Marmoreal. He was the one who had been there with her Majesty to explain, calmly and collectedly, to the Champion where she was, what was happening, and to ask his own questions. He had been the one to suggest they take a walk in the gardens to look for Mia and Andrea, after the Queen had dismissed them.

And he had been the one who was left by himself for the remainder of the day. That, to say the least, was not sitting well with him.

After the others had departed from the gardens, he had stood there a moment, unsure of what to do. Following several moments of deliberation, however, he had opted to wander throughout the flora and fauna, just to pass the time. He eventually became resigned to the fact that the others were likely not to come back for a while. Hamish had ended up inadvertently entering the forest at one point, and had gotten lost fairly quickly due to his lack of familiarity with his surroundings. By the time the Englishman managed to find his way back to the White Castle, the sun had moved across the sky.

The moment he had reentered the grounds, his path was crossed by a little orange blur. Hamish soon realized that it was Mia, and he looked up just in time to see the Hatter and Alice walking up to an awaiting Mirana. He had been prepared to step into their line of view, but something stopped him; this was a chance to see just how the two acted while around each other. He had had little time to properly observe either of them together, as his presence seemed to cause unease in the madman.

Their interaction was brief, and soon Hamish found himself alone once again. He had been enlightened, though, he realized as he watched Tarrant and Mia head back toward the castle. Not only did it seem that the Hatter was pining after the adventurous blonde, but she seemed to return his feelings, as well. Satisfied that with his findings, the lord had made his way back into the grandeur of Marmoreal.

Now, however, as he wandered the large, empty halls by himself, he found the annoyance welling back up inside of him. Surely everyone had been given enough time to get far enough along in what they were doing that they wouldn't mind his presence. With that thought in mind, Hamish picked up his steps once more, and headed in the general direction of Alice's quarters, sure that either she or Mirana would have some task or another for him to complete. It was no use for him to simply wander about any more than he already had been.

When he reached the grand, white-and-gold encrusted doorframe that entranced the Champion's chambers, he hesitated before knocking. He felt slightly nervous about seeing Mirana again after their somewhat awkward conversation earlier that day, but figured that there was nothing that could be dome now. After a few moments, a twitchy brown hare opened the door. It took Hamish a few moments to remember that this was Thackery, the cook in the palace. "Late, late! Always late!" he grumped in his thick accent, before pushing past Hamish and exiting the room. After shooting a glare at the rude creature, he turned back toward the room, where – sure enough – he found Alice and Mirana chatting amiably on one of the loveseats in the sitting chamber.

"Ah, Hamish!" Mirana exclaimed when she noticed him standing uncomfortably in the doorway. "Do come sit! Thackery just brought us tray; would you care to join us?" She beamed at him and motioned to the tray piled with tea and cakes sitting precariously on the little coffee table. With a suddenly-shy smile, he made his way over to one of the large plush chairs that stood empty on the opposite side of the table.

"Thank you, Mirana. And good evening to you to, Alice." He turned his smile towards her, which she returned.

"Hello, Hamish. What brings you to us this evening?" she asked, sipping her teacup simultaneously with Mirana. He could have laughed at the sight of both women giving him the same inquisitive look over porcelain cups, but thought better of it.

"I was simply down this way, and decided to stop by. How is your hand, Alice?" he asked nonchalantly, forgetting for a moment that he had been watching them unawares in the gardens. Mirana raised her eyebrows at him, but Alice answered his question before she could ask.

"Lovely, thank you." She replied, pausing for a moment to examine the white wrappings over her palm. "Mirana is quite the healer." With a small smile, she sat down her teacup and reached for one of the small cakes on the platter.

"How did you find out about that, Hamish?" the Queen asked, her expression more amused than anything.

"Uhm, well, I happened to see you both earlier in the halls, and…" he trailed off, blushing furiously. He had always been a terrible liar, and now seemed no exception. Seeing him so flustered, the white-haired beauty couldn't help but let loose a slight giggle, which she quickly suppressed. This, however, only caused Hamish's face to heat more.

The pair's antics were brought to an abrupt halt, however, when Alice began violently choking on the cake she had been munching on. "Alice?" Mirana asked her friend worriedly. In response, the Champion collapsed on the floor, convulsing, eyes wide and fearful.

AN: I'm so, so, so, so, so sorry for the long and unnecessary wait! I hope you guys can forgive me!

I had a ton of fun writing the first part with Mia and Tarrant, and then the second half - with Hamish - nearly killed me. The main conflict, however, is beginning to take shape. YAY!

I promise I'm not abandoning this story. I WILL FINISH IT. It just may take me a little while... *sigh*

Thanks to all those who reviewed the last chapter, and thank you to all those who have added this story to their favorites and alerts! You guys are awesome!

As always, please review!