Firstly, I'd like to give a proper 'Hello!' to all of you reading this. I know that my updating of this story has been rather erratic since it began last year, but a few things have happened that caused that haha. There was periods of one episode or more a week, then for a month or more nothing, and now you're getting five or six in succession. I'd like to apologize for the inconstancy, but I'm sure you all understand =P
The second thing is that I've already written this story up to a few chapters from the end (I won't say how many though), which has allowed me to be liberal with the updating. But once I reach a certain point, I'll update once a week so I have time to write and check through the chapter before its posted.
Third is a 'Thank you!' for all of you who take the time out to not only read this story, but to comment on it and provide criticism. Though I may not reply, I do read it and it gives me a fuzzy feeling inside ^^
So without further adieu, let us rejoin the Hatter as he attempts to save Alice from Madness...
Nigel leapt off the boat and landed on the shore with Alice in his arms, his Hat askew on his head and his breathing ragged.
The Queen stepped daintily off of her boat with Bill and the Twins following close behind her with their stubbly, rotten legs creaking under their weight.
The sand crunched underfoot as Nigel raced as far as he could away from the accursed Pool of Tears and the Madness contained therein. His heart pounded in his throat as his fingers scrabbled for the young ladies neck while his feet flitted over the loose gravel rocks. Nigel came skidding to a stop and dropped down to one knee to allow Alice to be lowered daintily to the ground. His hand was still pressed to the warm skin of her neck as he struggled to find a pulse in her body.
The Queen leaned over him with her face pale. "Nigel, be sensible, she couldn't have died from Madness..."
Nigel sighed with relief. "It's not that, it's..."
"It's what? The fact you conked her on the back of the head with one of your blasted gadgets?"
Nigel nodded a little too enthusiastically. "I don't know why she looked so panicked! I was wearing a long coat and was looking very chivalrous, if I do say so myself."
The Queen rolled her eyes at him. "That's all well and good, but what do we do? She's as insane as you or I!"
"I dislike the term 'insane'." Replied the Hatter, placing air quotes around the word 'insane'. "I much prefer to be referred as 'mentally hilarious'."
The Mentally Hilarious Hatter was forcibly lifted up by his elbows by the Tweedles - one on each arm – and was moved away from the sedentary Alice. They inspected her in silence, poking and prodding her with their fingers and looking under her eyelids at the glowing ring of orange that was still encircling her iris. Clucking their tongues, they removed their heads and placed them on each other's bodies, stroked the others chin and then put their heads back on the right way. "She can still be saved." Was all they could say. "We must go to Gryffin immediately though. This way." They lifted the girl up and placed her on their shoulders as they marched off in the direction of a small plume of smoke that rose through the trees a few hundred meters away.
Ahead of the Queen, the Tweedles continued to step purposefully through a worn track on the forest floor, the large trees giving way to low ferns and shrubs till there was nearly enough room to see the grey sky. All around her were signs that Wonderland was certainly lacking in imagination. Nearly every single fern around her was brown and rotten, its own life detracted as Wonderlands was. The Queen looked down at her hands and furrowed her brow, praying that she wouldn't find signs of decay on herself. Wrinkles at her age would be disastrous and would require fortnightly injections of Basilisk venom if this were to keep up...
Through a gap in the bushes ahead, she saw where the Tweedles were leading them. In a small, clearly artificial clearing and surrounded by fruit trees and flowers of every kind imaginable was a small cottage covered completely in vines and flowers. Perched atop of the trees, the Queen noticed, was Mrs. Shire - who had been noticeably absent since they stepped off of the boats.
Nigel raced past the Tweedles to swing open a gate made from twisted vines and tangled branches. As she passed through it the Queen noticed that it was indeed made from the very forest its self; she made a note to see if the house was made in the same fashion.
Once the troupe had entered the property, a door in the cottage crinkled outward with the sound of leaves being crunched during a crisp autumn day. From within stepped out Gryffin, her normally superior stance having been replaced with a more hunched over and humbled appearance. A look of curiosity crossed her face when she saw the collection of people outside her doorstop, which was quickly replaced with fear when she saw Alice. "Oh no... She crossed the Pool, didn't she?"
The Tweedles nodded, never taking their eyes off of the Gryphon. "Well, bring her in then and I'll make some tea."
"Marvellous!" Yelled the Hatter. "Out of the way, old girl, there's tea to be had!" He shoved past the Queen and bolted directly passed the Tweedles, Alice and Gryffin to begin destroying the inside of the cottage in his desperate search for tea.
Nigel wandered around aimlessly, inspecting everything that wasn't nailed down and un-hinging everything that was. Plates were over-turned, tables were stuck to the roof and all the while he mumbled incoherently about being unable to find the tea pot.
The Queen covered her mouth with one gloved hand and looked up with sorrow at Gryffin. "Oh Mrs. Gryffin, I'm so sorry! He just gets out of hand some times and he just can't be controlled… I'm dreadfully sorry."
Gryffin winked slyly at the Queen. "Not to worry, my dear. I'll get my own back soon enough."
The Queen cocked her head warily at the creature. "What are you going to do?"
She laughed and mocked offense. "Me! Why, I'm not going to do anything! It's my toaster that will do all the work."
On cue, Nigel walked up to the shiny, silver toaster in awe. "It's so… Warm, mesmerising, shiny and… It's just so… There!" He proceeded to stand over it, never blinking, just watching and waiting.
Gryffin checked her watch and mumbled to the Queen. "Life long fear of bread in three… two… one…"
The toast popped out of the toaster and flew in to the air, followed close behind by a screaming and blubbering Hatter who clung to the chandelier above, shouting about demons and possessions while firing wildly at the contraption.
The Queen laughed raucously at the spectacle, delighting in seeing the Hatter so terrified of something so plain and unassuming.
On the couch nearby, Alice stirred slightly and scrunched her face.
"The nightmares are beginning." Sighed Gryffin. "Quickly, fetch me the teapot while I get the ingredients."
The Queen began to ask where the teapot was, when one wall of the house – which was indeed made purely of vines – swished open to reveal an indentation which held a chipped teapot and several old mugs. The Queen lifted the teapot and a mug out and set them up on a table which had grown out of the ground while Gryphon coaxed some flowers hanging from the walls and ceiling to grow out a bit more till she could pull leaves off of them, before they retreated back in to the wall.
"Hatter?" Questioned the Gryffin to the man who was still hanging on to the chandelier for dear life. "You wouldn't have a portable stove or anything on you, would you?"
Nigel reached one severely trembling hand in to his coat and pulled out a shiny metal square. He gave it a shake – which wasn't too hard considering how badly he was quivering – and it unfolded to become a stove about a half meter in diameter.
"Thank you darling." Cooed Gryffin. She set it up next to the table and placed the kettle on top, which was filled with water from vines that snaked down from the roof and formed a small funnel.
The Queen marvelled at Gryffins living home, and before long the kettle whistled cheerily.
Gryphon poured the boiling water in to the mug and crushed the leaves she had collected in to it.
Nigel swung upside down from the chandelier with his legs wrapped around it. "Aren't you going to put any sugar in it? Any milk?"
Gryphon shook her head. "No. It would dilute the effect. She must take it immediately. Tweedle Dum, Tweedle Dee? If you would be so kind as to hold her down for me?"
The Twins saluted by pressing their fists to the side of their heads and leapt on to Alice, pinning her down with their combined weight.
From the walls stretched two thin vines that coiled in to Alice's mouth and prised it open. Gryffin stroked the girls blonde hair and stared in to the girls mouth. "Open up wide, and down the rabbit hole..." Quick as a flash she emptied the entire contents of the mug in to Alice's mouth. The vines let go and began to wind themselves around the girls head to lock her mouth shut and stop her from spitting out the concoction, which suddenly became a very viable option as the girl shuddered and shook violently. Her eyes flew open and rolled back in to her head as orange mist steamed from her nostrils and ears and leaked from the corners of her mouth.
Nigel watched in astonishment at the spectacle. His eyes followed the orange steam up to the roof, which parted and allowed the steam to float up in to the sky. "I've got to try some of that..." He murmured.
Alice's tremors began to subside and the grip that the vines had on her head loosened. The Tweedles took this as a cue to release their grip as well and slinked off of the girl to stand beside the Queen. "I say, what do you think the odds are that she'll be all cooked up in the brain-pan just from all this shaking type business?" Dum whispered to Dee.
"I'll gladly hand over my left ear, if that be the case." Dee whispered back. The two sealed the deal with a handshake.
The Queen ignored the two and turned her head to Gryffin, who was still standing over Alice with the utmost attention. "Well? Now what?"
Gryffin never took her eyes from Alice. "Now we wait, and pray that we aren't too late."
