Hatter and Alice Journey into the Netherworlds

By Ldynwaitin

Chapter Twenty Nine – Past Ghost's

Allric was furious, Knorthrop was not in control of the lost battalion, it was the bumbling squire for the White Knight. He and his men quickly began to step back, the twins pulled out their knives, keeping their sharp blades on Alice and Hatter. "You think you've won?" Allric screeched.

Charlie softly chuckled. "I'm sorry, let me see if I counted correctly, I have," he pointed to himself and his companions, "One, two three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine," he spun around and spread his arms out at the spelled Knights, "Aaaaand, one thousand." Turning back, his eyes twinkled, "I have one thousand and nine, I do believe that is the case."

"Well done, Charlie," Hatter shouted, he gasped in pain as Tynan jerked her knife tighter. Charlie's face took on a stern look, "You cannot threaten us that way, I know that you need Hatter alive to complete your evil plan. So in answer to your question, yes, I do believe that we've won. Now be a good chap and release my friends before I tell my new friends to take them back."

Allric slowly shook his head, "I did not get this far without having a trick or two."

He opened the bag that hung on his shoulder and pulled out a small swirling ball. "Get back!" he screamed at his guards. Once Pitney saw what Allric was holding, he shouted the same to the others, but it was to late, Allric threw the ball at them. It shattered in front of them, a thick blue mist poured out of the ball and engulfed them. They all tried to avoid breathing it in, but it just seemed to cling on them.

"What was that?" Jack coughed.

"Strong magic," Pitney replied.

Allric stood just a few feet away from the blue gas. It slowly settled on the ground, only to be pooled around each human or animal's feet. "Poor Pitney, it's a shame your life will end here, but you did force my hand. I can see right now that I've lost this battle, but the war wages on."

"Sorry Hatter," Pitney cried. In front of him the blue mist began to grow until it formed into a blue replica of the original Hatter. He stood wavering before Pitney, his hollow eyes accusing him for all the mistakes made. "This all my fault, all mine. I sorry Hatter, I sorry." He began to cry uncontrollably. "I not good leader, never was, just stoopid wannabe wizard."

"I failed you, father," Culver whined. In front of him formed a large blue bear, it loomed over him. "I'm useless, no good, you were right father, I should have been drowned as a cub."

Daisy sat down hard, the ground in the chamber shook. In front of her two people appeared, a man and a woman. Their eyes were full of anger and hate. "Mother, father, it's all my fault you died. I'm a jinx, Everyone I'm near dies, I was responsible for your deaths." She dug her face in her hands and began to cry.

"Grypht!" Moxie cried out. Before her stood Grypht, more angrier with her than ever. "Oh honey, what did I do wrong now? Please don't hit me."

Even the white rabbits were affected, each man had a man or a woman appear in front of them, someone that made them fall to their knees in shame.

"What is wrong with all of you?" Charlie shouted. Everyone that was touched by the gas were emotional wrecks but him. The gas just stayed pooled at his feet.

Allric gave him his answer. "The gas in that crystal brings out a heavy burden carried by them. Kept hidden for years the gas brings it out, makes it so large, so paramount that nothing else matters. It appears that you have already purged your past ghost, a pity. Oh well, you won't be able to send the soldiers after me, for you will have your hands full keeping your despondent friends from ending their poor miserable lives."

"You were right mother," Jack bawled. The Queen glared at him, her hands planted on her hips. "I'm useless, I should have let you execute me."

Charles shook his fist at Allric. "This isn't over, I promise you."

Tynan pulled Hatter back with her. "So true, the fun is just beginning." She wickedly smiled as she pulled her blade against Hatter's arm, he fought to keep from screaming as the blade cut through his jacket and into his arm.

"Tynan!" Allric shouted, "I warned you about your sick pleasures. He is not to be harmed."

Tynan squeezed the wound on Hatters arm, "Don't worry Allric, I didn't hurt him to bad, he'll be fine."

Alice fought to be released from Tynell's hold, her eyes turned dark as she saw the ferret torturing Hatter.

"Don't", Tynell whispered into her ear. "If you show how angry you are with her, she'll only make it worse."

Alice could see he was right. Once Tynan saw how angry Alice was she squeezed the wound on Hatter harder. Then she saw it, hanging on Tynan's belt Alice saw a familiar hook. The only way Tynan could have gotten that hook was if Lefty was dead. This female ferret was a cold-blooded killer. Alice didn't want anything of Hatter next to hang on her belt, she bit her lip to keep from showing any emotion, but she promised. She would show Tynan that no one messes with her Hatter.

Allric suddenly loomed before her. He rummaged in his bag and pulled out a small wooden box. "Put it in," he ordered her.

"Put what in?" she innocently asked. She knew what he meant, but she would not give him the satisfaction.

"As I said, Locke told me everything. Take Pitney's stake out of your boot and put it in the box." He opened the top of the box, Alice saw an inky darkness swirling in the box. She glanced back at her friends, then at Hatter.

"Do it now, or I will rescind my order to Tynan. Believe me she could torture a man for hours, she can keep him alive for a very long time." He saw her staring at the hook hanging from Tynan's belt. "I hear that after hours with her, Lefty begged for Tynan to end his life." He shoved the box in front of her, "Now do it!"

Alice looked to Hatter, he mouthed, 'Go ahead', to her. Slowly she reached down and pulled the stake out of her boot. Allric's eyes grew wide in appreciation as he saw the glowing stake held in her hands.

"This will complete my collection," he whispered. He wiggled the box, Alice placed the flat end of the stake in the box, immediately she saw it disappear in the inky darkness. She shoved the stake slowly in the box, it was as if the box was swallowing it, its long shape easily fit inside the small box. Once the sharp tip fell into the box Allric snapped it shut. He reverently placed it back in his bag. "Thank you, we can go now."

"Allric," Sir Knorthrop howled. "Don't leave me here." He struggled to stand up, but it was too late, he had already taken a whiff of the gas. He saw the faces of hundreds of knights accusing him, accusing him of ending their lives. Knorthrop began to wipe his eyes. "Wait, it was my fault all those soldiers died." His eyes filled with tears, "You didn't betrayed me Allric, it was all my fault."

"Yes Knorthrop," Allric sung. "It was all your fault, you wanted revenge and you got it. You're useless to me now, you are no longer a part of my plan to destroy Wonderland. I have what I need right here," he pointed his beak towards Hatter. "And to keep him in line, I even have some insurance." He tapped his feathers on Alice. "You can keep your army." He began to turn around, but then stopped. "Just a word of warning, enjoy them while you can. For when I get back to Red Phoenix I will be using my hollow pearls to bring Wonderland down upon the Netherworlds." The sides of his beak frowned.

"Sorry, but I imagine it may be hard to use a knight that's flat as a pancake. Oh well, I'm off, have a kingdom to create, havoc to ensue. Such a wonderful day! Twins, bring them."

Charlie sadly shook his head. "You're completely daft."

"It's not necessary when destroying a world but it helps." With a wave of his wing he walked out of the catacombs. The twins dragged Hatter and Alice with them. The Bull-guards left last, realizing that the others were no longer a threat. Charlie was left alone with his spelled companions. He wanted to order the Knights to follow Allric, but he had to find a way to help his friends first. They were all so deeply disconsolate with the appearance of their greatest fears that he feared they would try to kill themselves.

"What am I to do?" Charlie cried. "I'm not a wizard, I don't know how to break their spell." Tears flowed down his face as he watched his friends grow madder each minute.

"That's it, I cannot stand and do nothing anymore," Cayto declared.

"Fine," a floating smile said. "You can help your friend if you like, I'm following Allric. He's going to be so much more fun than your old friend." The smile disappeared, but the moustache remained.

Charlie heard a slight tapping noise. He began to wipe the tears that stained his face with the back of his hand, for there standing before him was one of his dearest friend. "Cayto," he sighed. "It is good to see you."

Cayto slowly walked to Charlie, his cane clicked on the cavern's floor with each step. "Charles, do not cry, I hate to see you cry."

Charlie sniffled a few times and held his head up high. "My companions," he choked. "My friends, an evil spell has been placed upon them and I have no idea how to help them. I must make them whole again, so that we can save Hatter and Alice and stop Allric."

Cayto proudly smiled. "So much for you to do, Charles, I am so very proud of the man that you've become."

"Cayto," Charlie begged him. "Please, can you help me cure my companions from Allric's spell?"

Cayto tapped Charlie's head with his cane, "Why Charles, the answer lies within you. It's very simple, all you have to do is purge their past ghosts. Make them realize as you did, that what happened in the past is just that, in the past. They must look forward to a future, a future paved by their past ghosts. For they are what they are today, because of them."

"Cayto," Charlie wanted to ask him more, but once again as he always did in the past, he was gone. Sighing heavily, he approached Daisy first. She was sitting on the floor of the cavern, her eyes red from the tears she shed. As he came closer to her Charlie saw a giant of a man and woman standing in front of her, both were bathed in a brilliant blue. Daisy could barely look at them.

"It's all my fault," she sobbed. "I should have let you use the box, not me. Everyone around me dies, it has to be me…has to be me."

The woman apparition nodded her head, "Daisy, you should have joined us that day. We miss you so much, join us my daughter, come to me and we will forever be together. You will no longer have to wake up screaming in the nights. Your nightmares will be gone and you will finally have peace. Come to me my daughter, and sleep in peace."

"Come to me my daughter," the man droned. Both spirits called to her. Daisy closed her eyes, "I should have died with you," she sobbed. "I'm so lonely, I have no one, no family, no one who loves me."

"We love you," her mother's spirit sighed. "Come to me my daughter, my beautiful daughter."

Wiping her eyes dry, Daisy knew she was right. She searched around her for something she could use to join her parents. She saw the whistle that Pitney was blowing lying close to her. The oyster Eric was able to flip out a knife with it, she could use that. She reached out her hand to grab it, until another snatched it up. Charlie stood in front of her. Sitting down she was able to look at him eye to eye.

"No my dear Daisy, you are not unloved." He heard what she said, and realized the spirits played on their deepest fears. He had to show her that they were wrong.

"Daisy, they are wrong, you are loved. I saw Moxie risk her life to save you from the Bazards. She went back for you, what do you call that my dear?"

Daisy wrung her hands in worry, "She came for me?"

"Yes my dear, remember when you told us your story of what happened in Scarlet's Shelter. We all waited for you, waited until you were ready to go. Tell me Daisy, what is that called but not love."

Daisy looked up at her parents, or were they? Charlie saw her staring at the apparitions, he heard them chanting for her to join them. "Daisy, if they truly did love you, if they cared for you so deeply, then would they ask you to end your life?"

As soon as Charlie finished his question the apparitions stopped chanting, for Daisy had heard his words, and knew deep inside they were true. "You're right, Charlie. My mother put me in that box to save me, they both died so that I would live. I would waste their sacrifices if I did not want to live." She pulled out her locket, opening it she saw two dear faces smiling at her. Daisy stood up to her full ten feet, she glared at the apparitions.

They were nothing like her parents, two people that gladly sacrificed their lives so that she could live. She tightly held the locket in her hands. "You're nothing like my mother and father. They died so that I could live. And I am loved," she sobbed. "By Moxie, and the others in the club. By all around me that have accepted me for who I am." Her tears stopped flowing, replaced by anger. "You are not my parents, I now no longer look at what happened as a bad time. I recall if fondly, for it was a time my parents gave the ultimate sacrifice, for their daughter. Their sacrifice would be in vain, if I was to end my life now." She swung her arm through the apparitions as she cried out, "Go away! Let me live my life the way I was supposed to, thanks to my mother and father!"

As her arm flew through the blue smoke her mother and father's image swirled away, the blue smoke settled at Daisy's feet. She saw a happy Charlie grinning at her. "Very good Daisy, you were able to purge your past ghost. I believe this was something you needed to do for some time now."

Daisy knew he was right, she had clung to long on the bad memories, she needed to remember the good parts. Not that her mother and father was murdered, but that they died so that she could live. Charlie stepped up to her, "Now then, if you are quite ready, we still have a lot of work ahead of us, we need to do the same for our companions." He pointed to the others. They were all in just as an emotional state as Daisy was.

"Don't worry Charlie, we can help them, after all they're our friends."

"Yes, dear Daisy, and a friend is hard to come by, especially a best one." He anxiously rubbed his hands together, "Shall we?"

They each took on one companion after another. They first watched what was happening, and would help them purge their past ghosts. It was nearly an hour later when the last spelled human was left, Sir Knorthrop. They left the last one for Charlie. He sadly stared at his oldest friend. The Red Knight sat on the floor of the cavern, his head buried in his hands. His back jerked with each heart-rending sob.

"Why did I do it?" he hoarsely cried. "So many men died because of me, my selfness, I should join them. Yes, I hear you, I should join you."

He looked up, in his eyes he saw hundreds of faces, their accusing glares burning into him, like a hot poker. He was in such pain, such agony. There was only one way to ease his pain, only one way out. He had to join them. Slowly standing he searched for some kind of weapon to use to end his life, he saw it standing before him, Charles.

"Charles," Sir Knorthrop sighed. "Please end my misery, it is fitting that you'd be the one." He held his hands out to the side and dropped his head back. "Do it Charlie, do it now."

Charlie glared at Sir Knorthrop, when he first heard that he was the reason so many men were killed he did want to instill revenge upon his old friend. But seeing how Allric treated him, how he coldly turned his back to him he realized that it was not all his old friend's fault. Allric used a frightened boy's vanity to help him with his plans to destroy Wonderland.

"No, Reggie, no one is dying today, I think there's been enough of that, don't you?"

Sir Knorthrop ran to Charlie, his hands gripped his armor tightly. "Charlie, please, take away my pain, I cannot live with it for so long."

Charlie gently took Knorthrop's hands, he stared deep into his eyes. "Yes you can Reggie. For I know how it feels to live with a guilt so large it forces you to exile yourself. The day of the battle I hid, instead of helping my Knight I squatted in a hole, as the sounds of death echoed in my ears. I didn't come out until the sounds long died away." Charlie's fingers gripped Knorthrop's, "For over a hundred years I've lived with that guilt. A guilt so heavy it weighed upon my soul, drove me mad. But I had a chance to redeem myself. With the appearance of the Legendary Alice, and with her someone that showed me what bravery was, Hatter. I saw him take on twenty suits to save his lady love, while I ran away with my tail promptly placed between my legs."

Charlie stared deep into Knorthrop's teary eyes. "But I found my courage, Reggie. Thanks to Hatter and Alice. A courage I never knew existed, I pushed my fears back into a room and locked the door tightly shut. I saved my friends that day, and fought the Queens army alone! Thanks' to my friends my fear's remains locked firmly away."

Charlie motioned his head to his left, "These are my friends, Reggie. When I feel down, or lost I get my courage from them," he smiled so tenderly Knorthrop felt a warm glow deep in his heart. "That's what friends are for. Reggie I am, and always will be your friend. Now buck up, and as a good friend once told me, what happened in the past is just that, in the past. You must look forward to a bright future. A future that was paved by your past ghosts. Reggie, you are what you are today, because of them."

Knorthrop listened to Charlie's words, they somehow hit a nerve with him. He was right. Charlie made a mistake and made up for it. He made a huge mistake, thanks to Allric. He pledged that he too would have his chance to make up for his past indiscretions. As he thought this, he saw the spirits of the felled knights begin to disappear. He had conquered his fears for now, and pushed back his past ghost.

Wiping his nose with his sleeve he stood at attention. "What do we do now, Charles."

Charlie searched out at the thousand spelled knights. "We rescue Hatter and Alice and stop Allric's plan to destroy the Netherworlds and Wonderland."