Thank you for all of the reviews, everyone! I think that was the most reviews I got in a long time, so I highly appreciate it. :)

Please, do the same again and give me some feedback! Not much is happening now, but more adventure is to come…

~Mistro~

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The sun did not help to bring a smile to the exiled Queen's face. She could not find strength within her to take the pout off of her droopy, red lips. Her anger, she was told, was her loveliest asset. Certainly, it would have to be worn with the utmost dignity.

"It's cold," she snapped towards her weary companion. He only glared at her before returning his gaze back towards the horizon. "I said it's cold."

"Did you expect me to do something about it?" An audible gasp escaped Iracebeth's scowl. She raised her pale hand to smack her insulter's face, but he snatched her wrist before she got the best of him. "You're not a Queen anymore, are you?" He retorted with a bit of spit tossed her way. "I'm not going to give you my cape, or whatever it is that you want. Go burrow yourself a hole in the sand if you want to keep warm. You certainly wouldn't raise any argument from me."

Iracebeth said nothing. It was not unlike the Knave to defy her, but she tried to demean him in any way she could. Ever since she had lost her throne, he had been nothing but horrid to her. Secretly, she loved their little bickerments. It thrilled her that he was so headstrong. Though she did not show it, her admiration for him only grew with her flushed face.

Despite all this, her skinny arms hugged her bodice for warmth. "My clothes are all cut up since I've been here," she pouted. "That idiot of a sister won't send me any new ones."

"That's because you've been banished," he hissed. "She's not going to send you clothes. She's not going to send you anything!"

Iracebeth flung herself up from the ground in a fury. Her large head instantly turned the color of her hair as she stomped her bare feet around the island. "You told me they were coming soon! You said that he would be on his way! Make it happen, or I'll kill you when we escape!"

"He is on his way," the Knave said calmly as his eyes flickered shut in exasperation. He hated every inch of Iracebeth and he always had. Now that they were forever sealed together, he often wished for the warmth of a bloody sword. Through either of their chests. "It will take time. They will be here soon."

"Yes, but how soon?"

"Sooner than you can wrap your thick skull around, apparently."

Iracebeth was past her handling of his insensitivity. Like a child, she trudged her way into the forest. He had no idea where she was headed. She could have gone to get more fruit to toss at him. She might have gone to the other side of the island, or perhaps the top of the trees, if she wasn't afraid of getting her hands dirty. He didn't care a wink of where the deranged woman took herself. His upper lip twitched in repulse at the very thought of her. When he spoke, he was thankful that she was not there to hear his hostile words.

"I may be helping you off of this island now, but don't think for a second that your life won't go back to hell when we return."

~.~.~.~.~.~

Waking up the next morning was no easy feat. I hadn't seen a clock once since my trip to Underland, and there weren't any roosters there to open my bloodshot eyes. My mind and body was tired and terribly so. My pale body curled itself under feathered blankets and did not intend on coming out. If I hadn't been a hermit already, I certainly was one then.

The sunlight played hide and seek behind the few objects in the room. It was there one second, before it disappeared behind the arms of a nearby tree. When the sunlight hit the chair beside me, it looked like a soaring, lopsided creature of Underland. Though my eyes were watching the scene, my body had no intention to thrust itself into the warmth.

The only sounds that could be heard were the low breaths escaping my lips. I couldn't help but notice that my hut was the most similar place to home so far, and my heart began to ache because of it.

"Home…" I whispered against the cotton pillow. "What a funny word."

A few thoughts trickled through my mind, but they did not linger. There was the smell of pumpkin pie at Christmas and the rabbit chocolates at Easter. Thinking of how sweet McTwisp was when made of chocolate made me feel awful inside for all of the ears I had happily swallowed.

An image of my mother also came, albeit briefly. Her hair was more golden in my memories, but her stressed smile stayed the same. I hadn't ever seen her truly smile. Till the day I died, I figured that I would not see those pink lips hold a genuine grin.

That's enough thinking for one day, Maggie.

I found myself crawling out of bed, as an attempt to pull myself away from the unsolicited memories. Lazily, my feet shuffled against the wooden floorboards and over to my rucksack. An orange dress smiled back at me, bitterly reminding me of the pumpkin pie I had just been trying to forget.

Things were still outside and I wondered if the village had abandoned itself. Hatter had certainly been generous about not waking me, perhaps because he knew of my late night. A smile crossed my face as I briefly recalled his two knocks. He did not know how much they were appreciated.

Then again, he might have known. He was a funny man in that respect.

The door was urging me to open it, and with hesitancy, I did its biding. The bright sun sprinkled down upon the green grass outside of my door; the same warmth finding its way over my pale skin.

"Good morning, Miss March," a familiar voice called out beside me. I turned my head to greet my speaker, but could not form an instant smile upon seeing his face.

"August. Did you need something?" My coldness was not without reason. The handsome boy was a condemnatory being, and I was not one to readily forgive. I believe he sensed the tension on my face and quickly rushed to relieve his faults.

"I do hope that you did not take my words last night too seriously." He approached the bottom of my staircase as he pleaded. "I must confess that we're honest creatures here, but we mean no harm. I rather like you, Miss March." He offered me his gloved hand, still decorated in the purple that he wore so well. "You must accept my apology."

"I might accept it, but you must know that it does not always come so easily." Though I had often tried to get rid of my inner bitterness, it was a characteristic that did not easily leave my side. Holding grudges was one of my fortes. Surely, that must have been worth something? "Have you seen Tarrant?"

"He's gone to the store to fetch some supplies for your trip." August dropped my hand gently. "Then he will certainly be getting ready for the festival."

Festival?

The very word was a token for illness. I could feel my face scrunching up into something ugly as I forced myself to get the dreaded words out. "Does this festival involve… dancing?" The toothy grin on August's face couldn't have displeased me more. Reader, you could stick a spear through my leg and have me cry less than if someone asked me to be their partner for the quadrille. "I'm afraid we'll have to be missing that. Surely, we have to be on our way."

August's face sunk to the ground. He was about to intercept when Tarrant displayed himself at the perfect moment. "The early raven gets the bird, doesn't she? You've been sleeping for five hours, Miss Maggie. You might not want to get into that sort of habit!"

"Five hours?" I smiled widely. "That seems far too short of a time. How long has it been, actually?"

"Well, it's been five hours since you knocked on my wall." The Hatter's words were slow. He was clearly confused by my confusion, but his words didn't help my distress. Time was apparently irrelevant in Underland.

"Oh, don't bother trying to explain. I've decided that asking questions might just make me more bewildered than if I hadn't. The word why is one that must be scratched from my dictionary for the time being."

He placed his hand on my shoulder with a definite nod. "I might have to agree with you on that."

We began to walk towards the center of the village in silence, leaving August to his own thoughts. My toes scuffed lazily against the long grass and it began to curl around my ankles like a snake. I knew I had to ask about the fête sooner or later. "Hatter, are we staying for a party? August informed me that there was to be a festival today and that you wished to attend it."

"There is a festival every day!" He shook his head as if that were common knowledge. I felt my cheeks beginning to burn. Of course there was a festival every day. How silly of me not to realize. "I suppose I wouldn't mind staying for it, now that you've mentioned the possibility…"

I cursed my curiosity. Life was always simpler when my pink lips were sealed.

"There is no argument from me if you do wish to leave," I encouraged. "I'm afraid I cannot dance and would possibly cause harm to many of my partners."

Hatter sat on a bench to let his lips purse a bit longer. He eyed me curiously from his seat, as though something on my face was out of order. "You danced the first day I met you."

"I danced alone," I corrected. "Dancing with a partner is completely different."

"I'm afraid we don't have much time," he said softly. Something about his hushed words made me fearful, and I took a step closer in alarm. "You see… The band is already warming up."

He was right. The nauseating sound of instruments tuning up began to fill my head. I was positive they had placed themselves directly behind me as a form of mockery. My shoulders crunched to my ears with distaste as the last, squeaky note rang out. It would only be seconds until they started playing. I was either going to stand there, or make a run for the woods.

I decided to go for the latter. My feet were beginning to slowly creep away from the scene, but Hatter's arms were much quicker. He began to shove me backwards and into the center of the grassy square. Before I knew it, thirty colorful people were forming two lines for their dance to begin. "Where did everyone come from?" No one could hear me over the quick fiddle tune that suddenly rang out.

A couple at the end began to spin quickly around one another. Their movements were too fast for me to keep up with, despite their beauty. The next couple soon followed, and it was then that I realized the opposite person was to be my partner. Knowing that Hatter was mine somehow did not calm me. All he could focus on was his own pure joy. His hands eagerly reached out to me as our turn drew closer.

I couldn't reject him, could I?

Despite my resilient nature, I could not turn down those alarmingly green eyes. He had given me too much comfort to just toss him aside. So, I took his hands in mine and focused on the tempo. Focus only on the tempo, Maggie. If you trip, your embarrassment will be the death of you.

I didn't even notice when my body was tugged down the aisle of people. Tarrant was pulling me, spinning me, and tapping his feet seemingly all at one time. No one's judging eyes were on us. They were all lost with their own partners. I felt laughter beginning to escape my lips, though I wasn't sure where it was coming from. It must be something in the air, I presumed. Or just my nerves.

Tarrant was an excellent dancer, although their dance was much more energetic than anything I had ever witnessed. I tried my hardest to mimic his moves, but just when I was getting better, my body was pulled away. Tarrant disappeared behind a crowd of people, as my own body was carried off its feet. With a shriek, I suddenly found myself spinning in a circle with one of the pink-lipped men from the night before. "We change partners?" I screamed above the music.

All he did was tilt his head back and laugh. Though the mood was cheery, I could not stop myself from frowning at his response.

He was just as easy to follow as Tarrant. Perhaps my childhood ballet had done me some good. If anything, it made me feel more confident with the lightness of my feet.

Just as I was getting used to my new partner, I was thrown into the mix again. This time to end up with… "August." My voice held resentment. "How lovely to see you."

"I could easily say the same about you." Something about his tone told me he wasn't being sarcastic like I was. Was he sincerely delighted to see me? His hands held mine tightly, and I'll admit that his eyes drew me in. What was it about him? There was something, but I was moving too quickly for my mind to properly think.

The song ended just as I was beginning to think it never would. Everyone jumped and clapped with joy, as though it was the finest thing they had ever witnessed. I couldn't even stand up straight, let alone clasp my hands together in appreciation. Tarrant must have noticed my fumbling, because he was quickly at my side to haul me up. He let my body stumble to his side as he carried all of my weight. "Haven't danced in a while, have you?"

"Not since I was a little girl." The numerous balls that were held each year were always skipped for the solitude of my bare canvas. My mother didn't even try to make me go after the first year. "There are many balls where I come from, but I just…" My head was beginning to ache. I did not know if it was from the memories, or the dance I had just finished.

"Don't overwhelm yourself," he instructed. "Lean on me if you need support."

I did as I was ordered. His jacket was soft against my bare arms. My head began to slide away from me and onto the crook of his chest. "Do you dance like this every day?" I asked as my eyes began to flicker shut.

"Every day that I can!"

"With all of your energy, it's difficult to believe that there's a day you cannot."

"Someone looks out of breath, doesn't she?" A soft voice snickered in my ear. Margot was standing beside me with cheeks equally as pink. "You're not used to dancing like this. By the looks of it, you're not used to dancing at all."

"Where I come from, we certainly don't dance like that. We might hop around a bit, but certainly not with so much… fire." The word was the only one that seemed fitting.

"So, it's nothing like the Frabjous day dance." Margot's smooth lips curled into a smile. Her light eyes flickered to Tarrant with excitement as mine did so in confusion.

"Frabjous day…?" The word sounded like candy on my tongue, though it had been mentioned once before with Bayard.

"I shouldn't be the one to tell you about that dance," Margot laughed. "You'll have to ask Mister Hightopp. Surely, he would give you a much better demonstration than I."

She left me dumbfounded and lost in another pool of possibilities. My eyes slowly craned up towards Tarrant. "Do I really want to know about this Frabjous day dance?"

"You might. Eventually." Excitement oozed from every strand of his orange hair. I could see thousand of stories behind the glossiness of his eyes, waiting to spill over like a waterfall. All I could do was smile in return. My arm mechanically wrapped itself around his to give it a friendly squeeze.

"Thanks for that."

~.~.~.~.~

Iracebeth's bare feet made it to the edge of the forest, but stopped before the wet soil hit her toes. She winced back in fear of the gooey Earth. Her entire life, she'd been treated like a Queen. Even when she was a little girl she was doted upon. Of course, her sister had been much lovelier and more prized, but her lack of affection did not mean a lack of wealth.

Those days were over. She was now going to walk barefoot through the woods. Bugs and birds had pecked away at the remains of her tattered slippers, and her pasty skin was all she had left. It was enough to make anyone who knew of life's pleasures shudder.

Her eyes scanned behind her to catch one last glimpse of the Knave. It didn't matter what he said. He was hers. He had worked for her, loved her, and obeyed her. Though he was beginning to find a mind of his own, that only sparked her attraction. But she wasn't going to succumb to his anger. She would go marching off and he would come find her. Bare feet and all.

With her head held up firmly, she began to step into dark terrains of the fruit trees. The bananas smiled down at her with their curved, yellow teeth. It was a place of solitude for her, though the golden peels made her feel sick. Yellow. It had never looked good in her hair. It never looked lovely against her pale skin.

Yellow.

Yellow was almost like white and white was a nauseating remembrance of her sister. Of course she hated yellow.

It didn't matter. Soon, they would both be off the island. He was coming to set them free. He was coming very soon.

She pouted her lips a bit more, though no one was there to place a fat-bellied pig beneath her sore feet. She just wanted out. And soon, her wish would be granted.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Hatter and I had stopped amongst the many stalls being set up for the Festival. Shopkeepers of all kinds were offering their goods in return for others. There were book-keepers, shoemakers, tailors and toymakers. Every stand was unique and full of desirable goods.

"Did you used to have a hat stand here?" I asked Tarrant as I stopped near an animal stall. A lazy-eyed cat stared up at me; it's grey fur rubbing happily against my arm. I let its soft body slid beneath my fingers until she hopped from the table and away from my sight.

"Yes, of course." He replied as a curious bird wandered onto his shoulder. "One should never make hats unless they wish to sell them. Most of the time, my fingers just can't stop and I end up having thirty hats lying around to give away for free!"

My eyes trailed over his tattered top hat. I had looked at it many times, but there was still something new that caught my eye at every chance. This time, I noticed a small needle sticking out from the side. "It's clear that you enjoy making hats, and you certainly make them finely."

"The Queen commissioned me to be her royal Hat maker after the village had fallen. When the town started re-building itself, I couldn't seem to leave the Queen's side." His eyes scanned the little huts with adoration. Any man looking upon his face could see the longing for home. He leisurely inhaled every scent he could catch, as smoke curled up soundlessly from the nearby chimneys. "Perhaps I will return here in the future."

"Perhaps you ought to," I said, offering a small pat on the arm. His face had not shown anger or distress for a long time and I enjoyed his company when he seemed sane.

The reminiscing had ended, and we began to wander towards the bakery section. Tarrant exchanged a few threads and needles for some loaves, obviously for our trip. I could smell the pumpernickel from a few feet away, the longing for food desperately showing by the growls of my stomach. "Underland is a strange place," I started. "But I must admit that I very much like your village."

I watched as the Hatter stopped in his tracks. His whole body reeled around to get a better look at me, as though what I said wasn't honest. All I could do was smile to prove that I was being truthful. "Thank you, Maggie. That's so kind." His minor lisp peeked through at the 'so' and I found myself smiling once again. "You know, you've been doing that a lot lately."

"Doing what?"

"Smiling. When I first met you, you didn't seem to have the knack for it."

My head began to droop a bit in disgrace. He knew nothing about my pitiful lifestyle back home, but did that mean I could be a burden? Did that give me any right to take my frustration out on my hosts? "Forgive me," I whispered. "My lips are not used to the gesture. I'll admit that I cannot easily wear a smile."

"That's a shame." He leaned in towards me as if a secret was being passed. His words had been quiet and my stomach began to flutter, despite my strong urgency for it not to. Every inch of me froze as he stopped just short of my ear. "You're exquisite when you wear one."

No words managed to find their way into the air. I watched in silence as he made his way across the stalls, shopping for all of our vital supplies. It was like he did not know the effect his words had on me. Surely, he didn't. He did not know how much they meant.

The bird remained on his shoulder until it took its homeward bound leave. It's brown wings spread out widely as it dashed across the sky and out of sight.

"Go on," I whispered. "Fly back home."

~.~.~.~.~

Once again, thanks for all of the reviews last time. I'm actually having trouble getting into this story, but I promise I won't abandon you. And yes, I know it's slow, but things will get more exciting later on. I just have to establish some relationships first. :)

Please review! xx