Sorry this took so long but here is the chapter! I really don't have much to say...I pretty much forgotten most of what I wanted to say.
The Outlands Fortress
Their feet dragged across the desert as the defeated party traveled away from Salazen Grum, hearts sinking with each passing step. They simply could not face the fact that they had lost against Stayne and the White Queen still remained within his clutches. No one wished to speak, no one dared to speak nor did anyone bother to look ahead but instead concentrated on the ground below. Although no one spoke to one another, each member of the group could not help but to think "what do we do now?".
There was hope, to be sure. Alice had destroyed the Oraculum and now Stayne was completely unaware of their next moves. He also had no knowledge that the group was clearly aware of the opened looking glasses. Yet, despite these advantages, the group could only focus on the negative, their minds refusing to ease. Even Alice could not help but to concentrate on the less rewarding moments of the battle.
"Why didn't he listen to me?" Alice wondered as she dragged her Vorpal Sword across the sand. It had been bothering her from the very beginning. Tarrant had the perfect opportunity to rescue the White Queen and yet he took no action. He was always a man of action in Alice's mind. It was he who took Alice to safety after they had first met, he who stayed behind so Alice could escape the Red Queen despite her protests. And yet, he had done nothing to save the White Queen. Moreover, he had frightened her. While she ought to be used to his sudden outbursts, this time had been different. He had acted like a...like a... "Like a complete and utter madman," Alice thought miserably.
Without realizing it, Alice had instinctively moved away from Tarrant as though she were afraid he may once again turn into that uncontrollable, dark person. However, a part of her wanted to believe that Tarrant had not completely lost it considering he was able to rescue her. But still, they had only been in that mess because he would not listen for some reason unknown to her.
"Do we have a Plan B?" a voice questioned and soon enough Chess was completely visible. He continued to lick his wound however, quite surprisingly, it was nearly healed.
"Not yet," Tarrant answered quietly, his kilt having transformed to his usual pants by this time as if to enhance their defeat. While he tried not to show it, he was still shaken from his "episode" during the fight with Stayne. Only Mallymkun, who sat on his shoulder due to her leg, was able to pick up a hint of fear in his voice, the fear that his darker side may return.
"Well, we've got to think of something," Mallymkun said, her voice rising with each word. "Did you see the White Queen?" Alice cringed at Mallymkun's comment. It was yet another topic she did not particularly wish to address. The blood stained white dress in combination with the White Queen's horrifying expression was enough to send chills up her spine. She had only seen the White Queen in that condition for a moment and yet she could not lift the image out of her mind at the mention of it. What could Stayne have possibly done to that woman? More importantly, whose blood covered her beautiful dress?
"We've got to get her out of there, that much is certain," Nivens was saying. Yet, this was not enough to bring Alice back to the same world her friends were currently residing in. Back to her thoughts she went, to the entire battle she had witnessed against Stayne. Would she be able to save the White Queen during their next encounter? Alice very much doubted this and she convinced herself there could only be one more encounter otherwise the White Queen would be doomed. They may have already doomed her for all Alice knew.
"Can we take a break, it feels like we've been walking for hours," one of the Tweedles complained. Before anyone could agree or disagree with them, they both dropped to the ground, refusing to take "no" for an answer. Alice gazed behind them in order to see how much distance they had covered. The palace looked to be the size of a chess piece; they had managed to travel much farther than she thought. Convinced, Alice sat down along with the Tweedles. Nivens, Chess, and Thackery were quick to follow her example while Tarrant chose to stand for a bit longer as if punishing himself.
"I don't mean to be rude but perhaps we should come up with a decent plan while we're resting," Chess suggested as he floated nearby.
"We have a good amount of time to come up with a plan," Alice said even though she only half believed her words. "Now that the Oraculum is gone, we can easily surprise Stayne."
"What do you mean the Oraculum is gone?" Nivens inquired, a hint of worry present in his voice. Everyone except Tarrant appeared to be equally confused. For, no one had managed to see the Oraculum being destroyed. Nivens, Mallymkun, and Chess had already fled by the time Alice plunged the Vorpal Sword into it and the Tweedles had been too preoccupied with Thackery to even see so much as a flame. The Oraculum's demise had simply happened too quickly for anyone but Alice, Tarrant, Stayne, and perhaps the White Queen to notice.
"I...destroyed it...," Alice replied, now feeling very uncertain of her actions. She had felt so confident when it had happened but now that she saw everyone's reaction to this news, her confidence quickly slipped. Alice desperately looked towards Tarrant but he offered no help as he appeared to be in another place, away from the current conversation.
"You did what?" Mallymkun exclaimed, unable to contain herself.
"This is absolutely terrible!" Nivens added.
"I don't understand what the problem is," Chess chimed in, keeping his voice as cool and collective as possible. However, even he seemed to be slightly worried at this knowledge.
"But-," Alice began, desperately trying to defend herself. The others, however, were in complete chaos as they began to talk amongst themselves and chaos was exactly what Thackery needed as an excuse to slip into more fits of laughter. Alice felt overwhelmed and Tarrant's absence in the ordeal did not help. What on earth was she to do? Tarrant always stood by her and ultimately convinced the others to believe in her. Yet, now that he was silent, she did not know what she should do. Perhaps it was a mistake to destroy the Oraculum.
"No," Alice said to herself firmly. "It wasn't a mistake. I'm sure of it." She had felt the Vorpal Sword's will to destroy it; she was certain that was what it had wanted her to do. Of course, by this time she was merely convincing herself such facts were true as a way to regain her confidence and there is no actual method of proving Alice's statements correct. Alice stood up once again and looked at each member of the group. "The Oraculum needed to be destroyed," she said firmly, causing everyone to remain silent. "Don't you see? The Oraculum was telling you what would happen if you continued your current course of action. And it changed based on the decisions everyone made. That's not how life works in my world. In my world, you have to make decisions without knowing all the consequences."
"This isn't your world Alice," Nivens said quietly. For, who knew what sort of consequences would befall Underland now that the Oraculum had been destroyed, now that the rules of the world had been altered.
"No, it's not," Alice admitted. "But if people in my world can do it, you can too. You can make your own decisions for Underland. And you're free to make those choices without worrying someone else might know exactly what you are going to do."
"Alice is right," Tarrant interjected, having heard a majority of her reasoning. "We can take care of Underland ourselves. And no one like Stayne can ever have the upper hand that just defeated us ever again."
While Tarrant wasn't particularly fond of the Oraculum being destroyed, Alice believed they could handle things on their own without the Oraculum. And, in a way, he believed it too. He had waited a long time for Alice to return to defeat the Jabberwock. Yet, when she finally arrived, he never expected her to lose her muchness, sneak into Iracebeth's palace for him rather than the Vorpal Sword, and refuse to be their champion against the Red Queen. Even after all this, Alice still managed to become their champion. She was right (he now convinced himself): they didn't need to know their destinies; they just needed to believe their destinies existed and they would all be fulfilled in the end.
A part of Tarrant wished he could share these new feelings with everyone but by the time the thoughts had passed through him, everyone else was convinced that all would be well in the end even if the Oraculum was destroyed. No matter, he reasoned, perhaps they would figure it out for themselves or perhaps they had already done so.
Rather than continuing to worry about the Oraculum, the group discussed what their next move would be. Everyone was throwing out ideas (even Thackery); some were completely idiotic, others were decent, and a few were rather good plans. Tarrant, however, felt it difficult to concentrate. He tried to keep his mind in a decent place so that his clothes would not change for all to see. Yet, Tarrant did not know that the colors of his clothes would not change no matter what Tarrant did for the simple reason that Tarrant was feeling too many emotions at once. His clothes did not know which colors to change to. He felt disappointed, disappointed that he had allowed the darker half of himself to be released at such a critical moment. He felt angry that Alice had even suggested he leave her behind. He felt sad because he knew there was no way for Alice to know what had happened to him in the past. He would have liked nothing more than to merely explain to her his feelings yet he did not have the heart to share such horrible, painstaking memories.
"Some of these plans are promising but what are we going to do about the White Queen?" Alice was inquiring. "We should have someone attempt to rescue her at the same time."
"But that didn't work last time," Mallymkun protested.
"But what if this plan doesn't work? Then we would have fought Stayne for nothing," Alice countered. The group was silent for a moment and pondered their current dilemma.
"Even if we did go to her during the battle, there's no telling how she will respond. Who knows what Stayne did to her," Tarrant managed to interject despite the current thoughts filling his head. While he had been able to withstand most of Stayne's abuse there was no telling how Mirana responded. He was already very mad to begin with while she was only slightly mad.
"There must be someone who can get through to her," Alice replied.
"How about her sister?" one of the Tweedles suggested rather suddenly.
"Iracebeth?" Nivens questioned, confused as to why anyone would suggest receiving her help and thinking perhaps he did not understand the suggestion.
"Yeah, that's the one," the other Tweedle replied. While many were thinking this was a very ridiculous idea, their faces remained blank as if they were seriously considering the Tweedles' suggestion.
"If I was going over the deep end, I'd want someone I care about to be there," the first Tweedle added.
"But the White Queen and the Red Queen don't exactly see eye to eye," Chess interjected coolly.
"Just because they argue all the time...," one Tweedle began.
"...doesn't mean they don't care about one another," the other Tweedle finished. After all, if anyone knew about sibling relationships, it was the Tweedles. Although they bickered constantly, sometimes at inopportune times such as during the battle with Stayne, they still cared for one another deeply. Those in the group that had siblings swayed their opinions a bit but were still not completely convinced. Iracabeth was the Red Queen after all which must have been entirely different than having a normal sibling.
"Maybe we should go to the Red Queen anyway," Alice said after some time. "She may be able to help with Stayne. Or give us useful information."
"If she helps us," Nivens pointed out.
"It can't hurt to try...," Mallymkun added. While she normally would protest such an action, traveling to the Outlands would give her more time to heal as now she was nearly useless in battle.
"We can use a looking glass in the Outlands Fortress as well," Chess added even though he had no intention of using the dreadful method of transportation. Since the majority of the group had clearly been more in favor of at least paying a visit to the former queen of Underland, it was decided this would be the best course of action for now.
OoOoOo
The Outland Fortress was an unwelcoming place. Unlike the Red Queen's palace which had shown signs of once being a lavish place, the fortress showed no such signs. Even though the guards were clearly that of the White Queens, the group could not help but to be intimidated by them. Their helmets gave the appearance that none of the soldiers possessed faces nor unique personalities. They were simply there to do the job assigned to them.
Alice was not entirely sure why the fortress was so large when only Iracebeth and Stayne were meant to be contained there. She thought perhaps the fortress was meant to contain any persons who were believed to be a serious threat to Underland however she did not want to linger on that subject.
Iracebeth's current room was quite small. She was covered in more chains than usual and the absence of furniture suggested she was being punished for Stayne's actions. However, she surprisingly did not seem to mind; her expression was elegant as ever as though she expected her guests the entire time.
"Iracebeth," Alice said calmly upon facing the Red Queen.
"Stayne giving you trouble is he?" Iracebeth replied. The group exchanged wary glances, embarrassed that the fight had come to this. "Before I decide whether or not to help you, I would like some tarts." Everyone looked at one another, confused by this odd request. "Now!" she shouted as though she were still the queen of Underland.
"Downal wyth Bluddy Behg Hid," the citizens of Underland growled instinctively at her command. While they needed her help, they would not allow her control. Iracebeth was taken aback by this but managed to regain composure.
"Ask the guard to get some tarts," Alice said after the small exchange, her eyes remaining focused on Iracebeth. Upon Alice's orders, the request was passed along to provide Iracebeth with the tarts she desired. "Why do you want tarts?" Alice asked curiously immediately after she had requested them.
"Because as soon as Stayne left, they've refused to give me any decent food, that's why," Iracebeth replied tartly.
"Prisoners don't deserve decent food," Tarrant interjected. Iracebeth winced at his comment, slightly hurt that she was considered a prisoner.
"Will you help us, Iracebeth?" Alice threw in even though the tarts had yet to arrive.
"Of course I will," Iracebeth answered impatiently as though it were obvious from the beginning.
"But...why?" Mallymkun could not help but to ask even though it was best to keep the number of people involved in the conversation as little as possible to avoid chaos and confusion.
"Because as much as I hate my sister and as much as I hate all of you, I hate Stayne even more," Iracebeth responded, her voice rising as she reached Stayne's name. "It was his fault that all this happened to me!"
"Really, because I could have sworn beheading people and the massacre on Horunvendush Day was your idea," Tarrant interjected once more, his eyes on the verge of becoming darker. While Tarrant felt as though he partially understood Iracebeth, he could not allow her to become the complete victim. It was true her court members purposely uglified themselves for the sake of being accepted by her, merely using her for power. He was sure Stayne was not much different from them. However, that still did not give her the right to completely blame Stayne for Underland's previous state.
"Don't get angry at me Hatter! Stayne was the one who convinced me my husband was in love with my sister, what caused the King's beheading! He made me think he loved me and I listened to him because of that!" Iracebeth shrieked, the words running out of her mouth so quickly it was hard to tell whether or not Iracebeth actually knew what she was saying. Her face became red with anger as though her balloon for a head was about to explode.
"And that's your fault for listening to him!" Tarrant growled back. Chess flinched at Tarrant's gesture, recalling Tarrant having done nearly the same thing to him. Alice was quickly realizing the argument was getting out of hand. But neither side could be blamed. Iracebeth was suffering from a broken heart while Tarrant could never completely forgive Iracebeth for what happened to the Hightop Clan. Both were suffering from deep wounds the 'war' had caused.
"Tarrant," Alice said sternly as she grabbed onto his arm in an attempt to bring him out of the current state his mind was in.
"I changed my mind, I refuse to help you!" Iracebeth said while Tarrant began to calm down. Alice's mind went blank. What was she to do now that Iracebeth refused to at least provide information? Could they fight Stayne without her? Alice looked dismayed and she made sure Iracebeth and Tarrant saw this before she left the room.
OoOoOoO
Alice stood in one of the halls by herself. The Red Queen was undoubtedly eating her tarts by this time. She wasn't entirely sure where the others were and at this point, she did not care. She did not want to see anyone at the moment.
What had happened to Tarrant? The question kept haunting her mind. Her memories told her he had been so much kinder. Why couldn't she spend time with the old Tarrant, the one who told her perhaps she was in his dream and when he woke up she would go out like a candle? What was upsetting him so?
Unfortunately for Alice's wishes, Tarrant had been searching for Alice after she had left Iracebeth. Like a lost puppy, his eyes desperately searched the halls and yet, there was also a small gesture in his face that suggested a part of him did not want to find her. Mallymkun, who was still on Tarrant's shoulder, pointed Alice out for him. His steps towards Alice were slow as though he did not want her to see him coming.
No matter how quiet Tarrant attempted to be, Alice eventually heard his footsteps. When she came face to face with him, she did not say anything right away. The air felt thicker than usual as she stared at him. A part of her was almost afraid to address the issue. They had never really addressed anything in such a manner before, not like this.
"Why were you so angry before?" Alice questioned. Tarrant's lips closed instantly as though he were a child attempting to lock his mouth shut. He thought for a moment about the best way to answer her question without directly answering it.
"It's best if you don't know Alice," Tarrant said softly. There was no reason for her to know the details of Horunvendush Day.
"Does it have to do with why you didn't rescue the White Queen?" Alice asked as gently as she could possibly allow herself to without sounding forced. A part of her wanted answers desperately but she knew it was best not to press Tarrant for them but instead approach gently.
"Partially," Tarrant answered, his tone a bit more relaxed as he thought he just might get away without directly answering Alice's questions.
"What's she talking about with the White Queen, Tarrant?" Mallymkun inquired. Even though this was clearly a moment between Tarrant and Alice (one Mallymkun was completely and utterly jealous of) she could not help but to wonder just what they were talking about. Not to mention, she didn't mind breaking up the moment.
"It's nothing Mally," Tarrant replied briskly though Mallymkun could tell from his tone of voice that it was really something important.
"Why can't you just tell me what's going on?" Alice inquired of Tarrant, ignoring Mallymkun's comment for the time being. Mallymkun's beady eyes began to show a hint of anger. She did not like being ignored.
"Trust me, Alice," Tarrant replied urgently.
Now Mallymkun was beginning to feel like a child who was watching two adults argue. It was, Mallymkun concluded, absolutely ridiculous. However, she quickly decided that if the two were to part and if Mallymkun was to learn what happened with the White Queen, she had a better chance of finding out from Alice than Tarrant. With this being decided, she slowly (even though she was doing this somewhat quickly from the perspective of a human) climbed down Tarrant.
"Tarrant," Alice said after being silent for a few moments, "please?"
But Tarrant still refused to tell Alice anything. Yet, her plea made him feel as though he should tell her. But still, he imagined telling Alice about that day was similar to if he were to tell a child a very scary story. And it really isn't very nice to tell a child a scary story when you know they're going to be scared from the beginning. Yet, Alice was not the child he remembered from the old days and perhaps she really could handle all the horrors of that day. But, even still, did he want to put himself through such torment? Having to deal with Stayne's mental games on the subject was enough for any mad man.
This was becoming dreadfully confusing. Tarrant swallowed hard at the thought of it all.
"I need some tea," he concluded. Tea always made everything better and perhaps after a nice cup, his head would be clear. He nodded to Alice to assure her that all would be well. Alice, however, was still very much confused and thought perhaps Tarrant was on the verge of becoming a Thackery. Before Alice could stop him, Tarrant was off to drink some tea.
"What happened with the White Queen," Mallymkun stated after Tarrant had left, knowing that he would be all right in the end. She was not one for shifting the conversation slyly into what she wanted to talk about; if she wanted to speak of something, she just spoke about it.
"What?" Alice inquired, still rather confused by what had just happened.
"You said something about the White Queen," Mallymkun replied. It was then that Alice realized perhaps Mallymkun could help her with figuring out what was wrong with Tarrant especially since Mallymkun was so eager to know about the ordeal with the White Queen.
"After you left, Tarrant had an opening to get to the White Queen while I held off Stayne. I told him to save the White Queen but he didn't listen. He just shouted at me and—"
"You did what?" Mallymkun practically shouted suddenly. With a swift motion, she withdrew her hatpin and stabbed it hard into Alice's foot. Alice was not expecting the blow and cried out in pain, moving her foot away from the mouse.
"What was that for?" Alice inquired.
"I told you not to hurt Tarrant!" Mallymkun exclaimed.
"How did I hurt Tarrant? If anything, I was almost hurt by Stayne!" Alice replied, her foot still hurting and very confused about the whole situation.
"Don't you get it, Alice?" Mallymkun said as she pointed her hatpin up towards her. "Tarrant didn't want to save the White Queen because he didn't want you to get hurt!" She then lowered her hatpin and placed it back at her side.
"I could have held him off long enough," Alice replied defensively.
"Long enough for Tarrant to get the White Queen and then help her escape with you still left behind?" Alice stopped for a moment and realized he was pretty far away from her. Not to mention, he'd have to leave Alice just to get the White Queen to safety. Mallymkun was right. "When I said 'don't hurt Tarrant' I also meant to keep yourself safe." Mallymkun continued to stare at Alice however it was clear that Alice still did not fully understand. "Tarrant loves you Alice and if you get yourself killed, you'll break his heart!"
The words shocked Alice for a moment. Was it really true? That all this was due to...to love? Hadn't she recently become an independent woman who did not need a man just yet? Yet, oddly, she did not loathe the idea of spending time with Tarrant as she had when Hamish proposed to her. She did love Tarrant but she was not entirely sure if she loved Tarrant the way he potentially loved her.
And here she was, wondering her own feelings immediately after hearing this news rather than wondering if what Mallymkun had said was true. But now that she thought back, it almost seemed obvious that it were true. He most definitely felt close to her, that much was certain. She and Mallymun were the only ones who could calm Tarrant down after all.
Mallymkun...
Alice focused on Mallymkun, a certain sadness present in the mouse's eyes. It was almost as if it had pained her to admit that Tarrant loved Alice. And it suddenly occurred to Alice that perhaps Mallymkun had feelings for Tarrant. Now Mallymkun's insistence to be the one to rescue Tarrant and her confrontations with Alice about Tarrant were suddenly making a good deal more sense. Perhaps Mallymkun loved Tarrant...
Before Alice could say anything that was on her mind, Mallymkun was leaving.
"Where are you going?" Alice inquired.
"To fix what you broke," Mallymkun said. Alice was not entirely sure what to say to this and was forced to watch yet another member of the group walk away from her.
"How interesting," Chess' voice echoed from behind her. Alice turned around not surprised to find the cat already becoming visible.
"How long have you been here?" Alice inquired, slightly annoyed that he had been eavesdropping.
"Long enough," Chess replied. "You can relax though; I'm on your side." There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice as though it were ridiculous enough that such drama was occurring.
"That's comforting," Alice responded.
"Isn't it?" his voice rose with this remark, his grin becoming wider as he began to purr. However, his expression became serious shortly after. "I think it would be a lot easier if you knew what happened on Horunvendush Day."
"Is it that bad?" Alice inquired. Chess floated closely to her, no longer purring. A small sigh escaped from him.
"The Hightop Clan was in celebration of the White Queen when the Jabberwock attacked. I left as soon as I saw the White Knight defeated," Chess began. It was something he was not very proud of.
"That was why Tarrant was angry with you when you brought me to the tea party for the first time," Alice said. She recalled Tarrant mentioning "that" day however it had been unclear as to what day he was talking about. Chess nodded solemnly.
"The White Queen was clearly in danger and it was Tarrant who brought her to safety. Or so I found out afterwards..." Chess resumed. "By the time he got back, everything was destroyed."
"So that's why Tarrant was so upset when I told him to save the White Queen!" Alice exclaimed. "I was reminding him of Horunvendush Day..." she added more quietly, feeling guilty now for what she had said. All this time she had thought Tarrant had seen the massacre on Horunvendush Day but, in reality, he had missed it. He was unable to protect anyone he cared about and Chess had the opportunity to help him but fled. Now things were making a lot more sense.
"There was one survivor of the massacre," Chess said. Alice looked up, puzzled now. "Thackery was there too. He saw the whole thing."
"That was why Tarrant and Mallymkun didn't want Thackery to come..." Alice thought. Poor Thackery. There was no doubt his madness was due to whatever he saw on that day. She was embarrassed to say any of this out loud as she was now feeling a bit foolish. Yet, if someone had just told her this from the beginning, she could have saved everyone a lot of trouble.
"So now you know," Chess concluded. "I suggest you use this information wisely." Before Alice had a chance to ask further, Chess was all ready disappearing making this the third Underland citizen to leave her behind. However, she should have expected as much from Chess. Soon, she was alone once more, wondering what she should do next.
OoOoOoOo
Alice inhaled deeply before opening the door to Iracebeth's chamber (if it could even be called a chamber). The tarts were nearly gone by this time with only two remaining. Upon entry, Iracebeth gazed towards her, her eyes showing no emotion. Alice reasoned that Iracebeth seemed to have calmed down but this could easily have been wishful thinking.
"Iracebeth," Alice said calmly, managing a small nod as though Iracebeth still held authority over Underland.
"So you've come back alone I see," Iracebeth replied. Alice merely nodded. "Well you had your chance. I won't help you anymore." Her answer sounded definitive but Alice remained hopeful that there was still a chance to convince Iracebeth otherwise.
"I think what Stayne did to you was wrong and you aren't completely at fault," Alice said. Whether or not she actually believed her own words, Alice was not sure.
"Exactly," Iracebeth interjected. "Imagine if that mad Hatter suddenly betrayed you." Alice paused for a moment. She had never really thought of it like that. In a way, Alice did trust Tarrant rather blindly last time and for all she knew, he could have been another Stayne.
Of course, Iracebeth had only been referring to the moment where Alice had managed to calm Tarrant down and had no knowledge of other events between the two. Still, she knew she must have struck some sort of chord due to Alice's expression.
"If you help us save your sister, I will make sure you go free," Alice said knowing it was an offer Iracebeth could not refuse.
"I also want the fat boys to be my personal guards."
"Their names are Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum," Alice replied sharply.
"Yes, of course," Iracebeth remarked though there was a hint of annoyance present in her voice.
"I will make sure they guard you as you try to get to Mirana out. And you will be freed once she is rescued," Alice remarked.
"Very well."
Alice's mind froze for a minute. Had the conversation really gone so smoothly? For some reason, Alice was certain she would be speaking with Iracebeth much longer. Yet, here she was, completely finished with what needed to be done. Satisfied, Alice turned to leave.
"If you don't mind my asking," Alice could not help but to remark before she departed, "you don't seem to be concerned for your sister. Why?"
"Would you be concerned for your sister if she banished you to a place where it was impossible to have any friends?" Iracebeth replied tartly.
"Yes," Alice remarked almost immediately. Iracebeth was surprised by the sudden reply, so much so she did not say anymore. Alice left the former Red Queen to her two remaining tarts.
OoOoO
This was the third time Alice had found the unusual trio seated around a table enjoying the simple pleasure of tea. There was only one table rather than the multiple tables crammed together but it still managed to get the job done. The three were as cheery as ever, shouting for no particular reason, asking one another riddles, and sipping large quantities of tea. It was as though Alice had stumbled upon Tearty day all over again and she was very glad of this. However, at the same time, she could not help but to wonder if they should stop consuming so much tea since it appeared as though the tea made them rather madder than usual.
Upon seeing them this happy, Alice wondered if she should intrude upon the gathering. Would her presence send a sour note amongst the group?
Before she could talk herself out of it, Alice sat amongst them.
"No room, no room!" Thackery shouted suddenly. Alice shifted uncomfortably. Perhaps it was not such a good idea to sit down. "You don't have an invitation!" Thackery continued. Just as Alice was about to leave the table feeling rather upset, Thackery burst out into a fit of laughter. The others joined in quickly after.
"You got her good Thackery," Mallymkun said, still laughing as a snort escaped Tarrant. Tarrant's laughter forced Alice to remember why she approached the three in the first place.
"Tarrant," Alice began. Tarrant was still laughing and it took him some time to calm down. "I'm sorry about..." Alice continued once Tarrant had calmed down however she found it difficult to speak about Horunvendush Day. Tarrant frowned a little at her faltering.
"So I take it someone told you about Horunvendush Day," Tarrant said quietly. Alice merely nodded, watching carefully to see if his clothes would change. "Well, what's done is done I suppose," Tarrant added as he sighed.
"There's something else too," Alice added. "I convinced Iracebeth to help us." Tarrant did not say anything for a moment. Normally, there was a good chance of him going into another fit of rage or his clothes changing colors. However, his cup of tea had soothed him enough to prevent either from happening.
"In that case," Tarrant said, "we need to form a plan."
Thackery's 'side story' comes from the original script. Just so you know.