Summary: After two years, Alice returns to Underland, to face a destiny far greater than she could ever have imagined.
Genre: Romance/Adventure
Pairing: Alice Kingsley & The Mad Hatter/Tarrant Hightopp
Rating: M
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters or locations from Lewis Carroll's novels Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, nor do I own any characters or locations from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. All rights go to Lewis Carroll, Tim Burton, Linda Woolverton, Disney, etc.
** A/N: Please read the Author's Notes at the end of the chapter for further clarity and understanding on why things were written a particular way.
Alice in Underland
Chapter Thirty Six
Day Six
"So...how do we do this then?" Alice asked, looking at Mirana. "Do I stand in the middle holding both your hands or do you stand in the middle?"
"You stand in the middle, Alice. Tarrant, take her hand and I'll take the other."
They all got into place.
"Are you both ready?" Mirana asked.
"Yes," Alice and Tarrant said in unison.
Mirana giggled. "Everyone close your eyes. Alice, hold onto our hands tightly and wish us to your mother's house."
Alice held both their hands tightly and closed her eyes and wished them to her bedroom, and with a woosh, they were off.
Alice felt it the moment they arrived. "Open your eyes now," she whispered, feeling quite breathless suddenly.
The three of them opened their eyes at the same time and they all gasped in unison.
"Are we here?" Mirana whispered excitedly, looking around the room.
"Yes," Alice said quietly, smiling. "This is my bedroom in the house where I grew up, and this is indeed London." She squeezed Tarrant's hand and looked at him. He gazed back at her, his eyes wide with wonder.
"Oh! I can't believe it!" Mirana whispered. "We're really here!" She clasped her hands to her heart, looking as if she were about to burst with excitement.
Alice went to the bedside table to take a look at the clock and check the time. "We have about an hour before we're expected. Perhaps we should discuss how we're going to do this," she whispered. She sat on the bed and beckoned for them both to come over to her.
Mirana sat down on the bed, her eyes eagerly taking everything in.
Alice reached out her hand to Tarrant and he took it, smiling at her. "Sit down, love," she whispered, pulling him closer and patting the spot next to her.
Tarrant sat down, keeping hold of her hand.
"Wait!" Alice said suddenly. "Perhaps I should lock the door while we figure this out." She got up and went to the door, putting her ear against it, and she could hear the sounds of activity going on downstairs. Trying to be quiet, she gingerly locked the door then went back to the bed and sat down.
Tarrant immediately reached for her hand and she gazed at him to see if he was alright. He smiled and she relaxed.
"Mirana?" Alice said. "Would you like to see what it looks like outside?" She pointed to one of the windows and Mirana nodded enthusiastically and got up to take a peek.
"Oh!" Mirana gasped softly, looking out at the back gardens of the Kingsley house. "Tarrant! We're actually here. Can you believe it? This is the Otherworld!"
Tarrant grinned. Mirana's mood was contagious. He looked at Alice happily. "This is where you grew up?"
Alice nodded. She pointed to her writing desk and whispered, "That's where I wrote all my letters when I was here in London, and where I put them to wish them to Underland."
He got up and went to investigate. He gazed down at the writing desk as if it were a sacred relic then looked at Alice and smiled elatedly, his eyes shining.
Alice smiled back at him. "Look around, love. Take it all in."
He turned and went to the other window and peeked out, just like Mirana, who was still at her window gazing outside.
Alice sat back, watching them both. They were so filled with wonder and curiousity and awe. It made her heart swell with pure happiness to see them so excited.
Mirana gasped suddenly. "That rabbit isn't wearing any clothes!" she whispered in amazement.
Alice laughed softly and whispered, "It must seem so odd to you...indecent, even. But when I saw the White Rabbit, McTwisp, I felt just as shocked to see him dressed in a waistcoat."
"The grass is so green here," Tarrant said softly.
Alice got up and went over to him. "Like your eyes," she whispered.
He smiled and took hold of her hand then kissed her palm.
"Look at all the beautiful flowers, Tarrant," Mirana whispered. "They're so different from the ones we have in Underland. And did Alice tell you? None of the flowers here talk. Nor do the animals."
Tarrant gazed at Alice, his eyes soft. "This is like a dream."
"Do you like it?" Alice asked.
"Very much," he whispered, squeezing her hand.
"Would you like to see some maps of the Otherworld?" she asked them both. "That way you can see it from a fuller vantage point."
Mirana turned around and said, "Oh...yes! I should love that!"
Tarrant nodded, looking just as eager as Mirana.
Alice went to one of her bookcases and took out an atlas then opened it and spread it out on her writing desk. Tarrant and Mirana came over, standing on either side of her, and gazed down at it, their eyes both wide at the sight of it.
"What is this a map of?" Mirana whispered.
"This is England," Alice said pointing to the left page. She touched it and drew her finger up then said, "And this is Scotland. Tarrant, this is where I imagine you would be from if you had grown up here. Your accent is exactly like a Scottish man's at times. It sounds very Outlandish though the language they speak is English mostly. They speak another language there too, called Gaelic."
"It's absolutely fascinating!" Mirana whispered. "And it's all surrounded by water."
"Alice told me the seas here in the Otherworld are blue and sometimes green or grey, depending on the weather," Tarrant whispered. "Not red or white."
"Well...there is actually a sea in the other side of this world called the Red Sea, which I travelled though during my second trip with the Company, but really it's blue," Alice told them.
"Oh? How peculiar! I've never seen a blue sea," Mirana said, then she gestured to the other page. "What's this?"
"That's a map of Europe. See?" Alice asked, pointing. "Here's England, Scotland and Ireland. And this is France," she said, moving her finger down. "That's where Paris is. You'd love Paris, Mirana. Your castle and the design of things...the architecture, the clothes worn at Court, the decorations...they're all very French in style."
"How I should love to see it!" Mirana exclaimed. "Paris," she whispered. "It sounds lovely."
"It's an amazing city. We'll have to go there one day," Alice said with a smile. "And, as they speak French there, I'll teach you a bit of the language if you like."
"Oh! Say something in French, Alice!" Mirana whispered.
"Tu as l'air belle aujourd'hui," she said. "That means, 'You look beautiful today.' Or how about...'Merci pour tout, ma chère amie - that means, 'Thank you for everything, my dear friend.' It's a pretty language, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is...so very pretty!" Mirana said, her eyes wide. "And you speak it so well!" she said, looking quite impressed.
Alice smiled then turned to gaze at Tarrant, who was staring at her as if mesmerised. "Je t'aime beaucoup, mon chéri," she whispered, taking his hand. "Je ne peux pas attendre me marier avec toi et être ta femme."
He squeezed her hand, his eyes flashing and turning a deeper and deeper shade of emerald as she spoke, and she smiled.
"Mon Tarrant...Lorsque tu me regardes avec tes yeux, ça me donne envie de t'embrasser. Je voudrais t'embrasser en ce moment, mon amour," Alice whispered, gazing at his mouth.
"What did you say?" Mirana whispered.
Alice looked at her and blushed. "Er...well..."
Mirana giggled. "Never mind."
"The Otherworld is very, very large," Alice said, changing the subject. "You wouldn't believe how big it is. Here, let me show you a map of all of the Otherworld." She flipped through the pages of the atlas until she found it and both Mirana and Tarrant gasped when she pointed to the tiny spot that was England and told them what it was so they could see the comparison.
"You're right! Good heavens! It's absolutely enormous!" Mirana breathed. "Show us where you've been, Alice!"
Alice first pointed out France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy, telling them a bit about the trips she took with her family to those countries as a child and describing what they were like.
Both Tarrant and Mirana listened, enthralled.
Then Alice showed them the places and ports she'd stopped at with the Company: Madeira and Lisbon in Portugal, Tenerife, Cape Town in South Africa, Tangier, Malta, Alexandria and Cairo and Giza in Egypt, Suez, Aden, Athens, Rome, Marseilles, Barcelona, Bombay and other parts of India, Ceylon, Rangoon, Sumatra, Borneo, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
"It's amazing, Alice," Tarrant whispered, looking at her in awe. "I remember hearing about all these places from your letters but seeing it like this...it's astounding!"
She smiled. "It's where I was these past two years, travelling much of the time with the Company."
They both stared at her, with identical looks of astonishment on their faces, and she giggled softly.
"How I admire you!" Mirana said. "It must take a lot of courage to travel so far. And you travelled mostly by sea? It looks as if there's more sea than land here in the Otherworld. The seas are so very big! I wonder if I'd be frightened being on such large bodies of water in just a small ship. I think I might feel as if the seas would swallow me up. You're really very brave...and so adventurous! I had no idea how utterly huge the Otherworld is but now that I see it, I'm quite shocked."
Tarrant placed his finger on the map. "Borneo," he murmured. "That's where that pirate kidnapped you and Absolem helped you escape from their dungeon."
Alice nodded then pointed to Singapore. "And this is where I got kidnapped by those British pirates, and that other pirate, the one who looked a bit like you, came to my rescue and helped me get away."
"Oh! I remember you mentioning all that in your letters!" Mirana exclaimed in an excited whisper. "I had to ask Absolem what pirates were and then I was so terrified for you when he explained. But then he told me you'd be fine and that he was looking after you and wouldn't allow you to come to any harm."
Tarrant grinned at Mirana and said, "Yes, Absolem told me the same thing. I was out of my head with worry but Absolem knew what the Fates had in store for Alice all along and he was protecting her the whole time she was away in the Otherworld. I remember several times when I was upset about the things that Alice was going through and he told me to stop trying to interfere and let Fate unfold as it was meant to do and trust that it knew what it was doing." He reached out and took Alice's hand and gazed at her. "And he was right, of course. As hard as it was to be apart from you, in the end it all happened as it was meant to."
"Fate is a funny thing, isn't it?" Mirana said softly. "All that time you were away, Fate intended for you to return exactly when you did, just as the Oraculum foretold. And now here we all are, the three of us together in the Otherworld. Look at how quickly our plans changed. First it was just going to be me and Alice coming here for a visit. Then the plan evolved that we would come back again with Tarrant next time. But then it came to me suddenly that Tarrant had to come with us today and I just knew that it was the right time to make him a Lord. It felt like I was being led by a higher force and everything just fell into place to bring us here, as we are now. I'm certain all of this must be Fated too."
The trio looked at each other and nodded reverently in acknowledgment of such a profound truth.
"It's quite humbling," Mirana whispered after a moment. She looked down at the map. "And seeing how big this world is...well, it's quite humbling too, in a different way. Underland is just a tiny speck in comparison. The Otherworld is so much more than I ever dreamed. I should love to see as much as I can of it."
Alice smiled. "You'd be stunned to know how much there is to see, and how different every place is. In most countries the cultures are very different from England, which in a lot of ways is like Underland. They speak other languages in almost every country in Europe, for example. And the further you go away from Europe the more strange and exotic everything is. I have some pictures of some of the places I've been. Would you like to see them?"
They both nodded enthusiastically.
She opened the drawer of her writing desk and took out her collection of photographs.
"Oh! What kind of pictures are these?" Mirana gasped as Alice began to spread them out over the atlas. "They're so...unusual! So real!"
"They're called photographs. They're taken with an instrument called a camera. They're actual images of things, unlike drawings and paintings," Alice told them.
"My God! Tarrant, isn't this unbelievable!" Mirana breathed. "Have you ever seen such a thing? And the photographs themselves. The places...the way they look...so different! They're just amazing!"
"It's...extraordinary," he whispered. "I've never seen anything like this. I never could have imagined..." He turned and looked at Alice. "And you left all this to come to us in Underland?"
Alice smiled at him, her eyes shining with love. "Of course. There's nowhere I'd rather be."
He took her hand and squeezed it, looking quite emotional.
Alice could tell he needed a private moment with her so she handed Mirana the rest of the photographs and told her she and Tarrant would be right back, then she took Tarrant's hand and led him to her dressing room. "Are you alright, love?" she whispered.
He nodded. "I just can't believe you'd want me when you could have this whole world and anything in it."
Alice put her arms around him and hugged him then drew back slightly to look at him. "I've seen enough of this world and I know with absolute certainty that there's nothing I want more than the life we're planning to have together in Underland," she whispered. "I love you. Nothing is more important to me than you, Tarrant. You know that, don't you?" she said, reaching up to stroke his cheek.
He pulled her close and kissed her in response. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I suppose I'm a bit...overwhelmed."
"I know. It's a lot to take in all at once. But you mustn't forget what's between us." She gazed at him. "Are you sure you can handle meeting my mother today? If you don't think so you can tell me, you know. Really. I'd understand."
Tarrant smiled, his eyes soft. "I'm fine, angel. And I want this. I want to meet your mother. I want to ask her for your hand. And when we get back to Underland, I'm going to propose to you properly, the way I've been planning." He pulled her tightly against him. "And then, if you say yes, I'm going to marry you," he whispered into her ear.
Alice's heart swelled with joy. "You already know my answer," she whispered.
He hugged her, and kissed her adoringly, his hands cupping her face, and Alice kissed him back, feeling quite emotional.
After a moment, Tarrant pulled back to smile at her. "Come, let's go back out to Mirana," he whispered, caressing her face tenderly then taking hold of her hand. "And perhaps you should probably start thinking about what you're going to say to your mother."
They left the dressing room and found Mirana sitting on Alice's bed staring at the atlas in wonder. "This is incredible! Can we bring this back with us?" Mirana whispered.
"Of course!" Alice said softly. "Why don't you two take a look around the room and gather up things you want to bring back...books, the atlas, the photographs...anything. And while you do that, I'm going to go down and talk to my mother. Then once I've prepared her, I'll come back up and we can decide how to proceed; if you want to meet her together, or separately, for example." She looked at them both. "Does that sound alright?"
Tarrant nodded and Mirana smiled. "Are you nervous, Alice?" Mirana asked.
"Only a little. Are you?"
"Absolutely!" Mirana whispered. "I'm just glad Tarrant is here too. Thank the Fates! I would be even more nervous if he wasn't." She looked at Tarrant and smiled. "Are you nervous?" she asked.
He nodded. "Even more than you are, I suspect."
Mirana giggled. "Yes...well...let's just look around the room and gather things to bring back to Underland and try to stop thinking about it." She smiled. "Honestly! I should have brought a calming draught! One for each of us."
Alice laughed softly. "Don't worry, you two. I know my mother. Everything is going to be fine. I promise." She took a deep breath. "Alright. I'm going down now." She waved at them then unlocked the door. "See you soon," she whispered then she opened the door and went out into the hall, shutting the door softly behind her.
Alice snuck downstairs and once she got there she began to search for her mother. She found her in the parlour. "Mother!" she cried.
Mrs. Kingsley gasped. "Alice! When did you get in? And where's your friend?"
Alice went to her and gave her a hug. "There's a lot to tell you," Alice said. "So much to explain." She stopped as a thought came to her suddenly. "Wait! Margaret isn't here, is she?"
"No, it's just me today." Mrs. Kingsley peered at Alice closely. "Are you alright, darling? You look quite flushed. Are you unwell?" She put a hand to Alice's forehead. "Hmmm. No fever." She gazed at her daughter, concern in her eyes. "Why don't we sit down and you can tell me what's going on?"
Alice nodded, and they went to the sofa and sat down.
"I assume you got my letter that I left on my bed?" Alice began.
"Yes. And I was quite distressed, as you might imagine," Mrs. Kingsley said softly, her voice admonishing. "Are you really eloping with some man you think I won't approve of and going to America? Who is he? And who's this Duchess who was supposed to come?"
"I...oh...I don't know where to start. What I have to tell you is something you'll find quite hard to believe at first...but trust me, everything I'm about to say is the complete and utter truth. And after I tell you everything I shall prove it to you, so keep that in mind as I tell you my story."
Her mother nodded, frowning. "Of course, darling. You know I always try to keep an open mind."
Alice smiled. "Yes. I know that now." She gazed at her mother earnestly. "Let me start by saying how sorry I am for writing that letter and worrying you like that. I love you, Mother. I'm sorry if I made you believe you might never see me again. I was so caught up in things, I was being very selfish...and I didn't think."
"Alice, what's going on?"
"There are things you don't know about me, things no one knows, because they're so fantastical, people would certainly think me mad. But I'm going to trust you with the truth and hope you'll listen before jumping to that very conclusion. Everything I'm going to tell you will be proven, remember that."
"Alright...tell me then. What is it that you've been keeping from everyone?"
"Do you remember those dreams I had all throughout my childhood? The ones with the blue caterpillar, the Dodo bird, the smiling cat, and the White Rabbit? It all took place in a strange and magical world. Do you remember?"
"Yes, of course I do, darling. You dreamed about that all the time. How could I forget?"
"Well...you see...about two years ago, on the day of that dreadful engagement party for me and Hamish, something extraordinary happened. Do you remember how I ran off after Hamish proposed to me and then came back all dishevelled and I said I'd fallen down a hole and hit my head?"
Her mother nodded and smiled affectionately. "Yes. I remember that very clearly. But before you go on, let me say one thing. You were quite right to decline Hamish's proposal. I realise that now. After reading your letter I realised just how much I've been pushing you to marry. I thought it was important for you to marry well because I wanted to make sure you would be taken care of. But I was wrong to urge you to do so when you hadn't found anyone worthy of such a huge lifelong commitment," she said. "You should only marry for love, darling. Just as I did."
Alice smiled and took her mother's hand. "I know that. And that's exactly what I'm going to do. But Mother, let me continue on with my story, for it is quite long and involved."
Mrs. Kingsley nodded. "Go on, dear."
"The thing is...and this is going to sound unbelievable, I know...when I ran off, I was following the White Rabbit I had seen from my dreams. It was the oddest thing. I had seen the rabbit running around the Ascot's lawn before Hamish proposed and I was quite bewildered, wondering if I was imagining things. But then I saw him just before I ran off and when I did run off, I followed him. He led me to a tree not far from the Ascot's house and there was a huge rabbit hole there. I knelt down to look inside and I lost my balance and ended up falling down the hole. But it wasn't an ordinary rabbit hole, I discovered. It seemed bottomless...and I kept falling and falling...until finally, I landed, and found myself in a very strange room. There were several doors in it and a table with a key on it. When I realised there was no other way out, I tried the key in every door but none of them would open. Then I found a tiny door behind a curtain, and the key fit...but the door was so small I could only poke my head through."
Alice looked at her mother and said, "This is where my story gets even more unbelievable...but I assure you, it's real."
Mrs. Kingsley raised her eyebrows at that, but told her to continue.
"I looked around the room and noticed there was also a bottle on the table and it had a tag around it which said, 'Drink Me'. Thinking I was dreaming, I put down the key and picked up the bottle and took a sip. And suddenly I began to shrink. I kept shrinking and shrinking, until I was small enough to get through that tiny door, but I had left the key on the table and now I was too small to reach it. Then I noticed there was a small cake on a plate under the table. There was writing on the cake; it said 'Eat Me'. Still thinking it was all a dream, I took a bite...and suddenly I began to grow, bigger and bigger, until my head hit the ceiling." Alice gazed at her mother. "I realise this sounds mad...but please believe me, this all really happened."
"I'm listening, darling. And I told you, I'm trying to keep an open mind. I know there's more to the world than what people can see. Your father always told me that and I agreed with him," she said softly. "Though, this all sounds like a very vivid dream, I have to tell you. However, I can see that you seem to believe it was real."
Alice smiled. "I know. But it truly is real. It really did happen. And I'll prove it to you after I've told you the whole story. So, let me continue."
Mrs. Kingsley nodded, frowning. "Alright. Go on."
"After eating the cake I had grown so big I could barely fit in the room. I grabbed the key and drank the rest of what was in the bottle and then I shrank again, back to the size that was small enough to get through the little door. When I got outside, you wouldn't believe what I saw! It was the world from my dreams. It's quite amazing and filled with magic and all sorts of fantastical things. The animals talk there and even some of the flowers do as well. I started to walk down a path and suddenly I came across the Dodo bird, a Dormouse, two twin boys, the White Rabbit, and some talking flowers that were with them. Everyone kept asking me if I was The Alice. It was very confusing. We were arguing about whether or not I was The Alice and they brought out a scroll called the Oraculum, which was an oracle that foretold everything that would happen in that world. The creatures unrolled the Oraculum and showed me a picture of myself with a sword fighting a monstrous dragon-type creature called the Jabberwocky, then they told me I was the one meant to slay it, that it was my destiny. I refused to believe it and we argued some more, so they decided to take me to see Absolem, the blue caterpillar. The debate was still going on about whether or not I was the Alice they were all looking for, and they all said Absolem would tell them if I was the right one."
Mrs. Kingsley stared at her daughter. "And you're saying this wasn't a dream?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Alice said softly. "But let me go on and tell you what happened next."
Her mother nodded, but the look on her face was skeptical. And a bit worried.
"When we got there, Absolem was being contrary and he made my status about being the right Alice even more confusing so no one believed I was the right one. We left Absolem and kept on arguing about who I really was then suddenly this enormous creature came out of nowhere, along with a huge army of red playing cards that seemed half human, and they began to chase after us. We ran but then suddenly I stopped because I thought, this is just a dream so nothing could really hurt me. The creature, called the Bandersnatch, came at me and swiped at my arm with its claws and I realised I could get hurt, for it slashed three very deep, very painful claw marks across my arm."
"Do you remember those gashes on my arm?" Alice asked. "When you saw them after we got home from the Ascot's, I told you I got them somehow when I fell and hit my head, but really they were from the Bandersnatch."
"Yes, I remember them," Mrs. Kingsley said quietly, a strange expression coming over her face. "We kept trying to heal them but they took forever to go away."
Alice nodded. "The Dormouse saved me from further harm by poking out the Bandersnatch's eye. It was then that I realised, dream or not, I was in danger as this world was quite violent and I now knew I could actually get hurt there. The creatures were all gone, having been either captured by the army or chased away by them, and I was left with the two twin boys, who began to lead me somewhere. Then suddenly this huge bird came down from the sky and snatched the boys up with its talons and flew off with them. Because I was so small, not much bigger than the White Rabbit, I ducked and managed not to get snatched up too."
Her mother gazed at her with wide eyes and an expression that looked more concerned by the second. "This is quite a story, Alice. But I'm listening."
"So there I was, all alone, and I was quite terrified. I began walking through a forest, hoping I'd find a way out of there, or that I'd wake up. I kept walking then suddenly that smiling cat, whose name is Chessur, appeared in front of me, and he told me he would take me to someone he thought could help me." Alice smiled, remembering her first glimpse of Tarrant. "There was a man, a Hatter, and he was having tea outside at this great big table with the Dormouse and the March Hare, and when Chessur brought me to him, the man seemed to recognise me. He said I was the Alice that everyone was talking about, he was certain of it. He pulled me up and sat me down so I could join their tea party and I was confused so I just sat there listening to them talk. Then suddenly the army of red cards appeared, led by a man called the Red Knave, but before they could see me, the Hatter gave me some more of the shrinking potion to drink, and he hid me in a teapot."
Mrs. Kingsley's eyebrows shot up but she remained silent.
"You see, the Knave and the red cards, who were Knights from the Red Queen's army, were all looking for me. The Red Queen wanted me dead, but the Hatter and his friends were on the side of the White Queen...and the Oraculum showed me to be on her side as well, so they protected me. The Hatter convinced the Knave that they hadn't seen me and finally, after the Knave and the army left, the Hatter told me he would take me to the White Queen's castle, where I would be safe. So he and I set off, and he told me about the war between the two Queens, who were sisters. He also explained more about the Jabberwocky, who was the Red Queen's Champion, and he told me that I was the one destined to be the Champion for the White Queen, and that I would have to slay the Jabberwocky in order to restore the crown to her. The White Queen was the true Queen of that world but her sister had stolen the crown from her."
"Darling, I'm not sure what to say about this. How can you believe this to have been real? It sounds like a dream, a very graphic and memorable dream...but just a dream, nevertheless."
Alice sighed. Her mother wouldn't believe her unless she had proof...now. Alice thought for a moment, considering whether she should just go up and get Tarrant and Mirana, but then a revelation came to her. Absolem! He could prove it, even more than the appearance of Tarrant and Mirana would, for they were human. "Mother, I think it would be best if I prove it to you now. You need to understand that everything I'm telling you really did happen, that it wasn't a dream. I'm going to call someone and you'll probably find it quite shocking, so prepare yourself. Remember the blue caterpillar I mentioned? The one called Absolem?"
Mrs. Kingsley nodded.
"Well, he's no longer a caterpillar anymore. He's a butterfly...a magical butterfly. And I'm going to call him so you can see for yourself and talk to him."
Alice's mother stared at her, looking even more concerned about her daughter's state of mind. "Darling...perhaps we should take a trip to the doctor's. Have you hurt yourself? Did you hit your head?"
Alice smiled. "Absolem..." she called.
Seconds later, he appeared and fluttered over to perch on Alice's shoulder.
Mrs. Kingsley gasped. "Oh my! How very odd!" she exclaimed. "That butterfly appeared out of nowhere. What a strange coincidence!"
Absolem looked at Alice questioningly and when he saw her expression, he realised what it was that she wanted. He turned to look at Mrs. Kingsley.
"Hello," he said, fluttering over to her. "I'm Absolem. And you're Alice's mother, Mrs. Kingsley."
Mrs. Kingsley looked as if she were about to faint. "This can't be real," she whispered, her eyes wide.
"It is quite real, madam, I assure you. You've seen me before, have you not? I've been popping up to see Alice many times over the past two years," Absolem said, perching himself on her shoulder so she could get a closer look at him.
Mrs. Kingsley stared at him mutely, appearing to be rather shocked and overwhelmed.
"Do you remember seeing me before?" he asked.
She nodded, her eyes getting wider.
"That's because I've been looking after Alice all this time," he said. He gazed at her. "I believe Alice is trying to tell you all that happened two years ago when she fell down the rabbit hole and came to the world from which I come?"
"Yes," Mrs. Kingsley said. She turned to look at Alice. "This is really happening, isn't it?" she asked her daughter. "Or have I gone mad?"
"It really is happening, Mother," Alice said gently. "But don't be afraid. It's really quite wonderful. You'll see!"
"I'll be off then," Absolem said softly. "Listen to your daughter. Everything she's telling you is the truth." He gave Alice a smile then fluttered off and disappeared.
"Mother?" Alice said. "I know that was probably quite...shocking. But it was the only way I knew how to prove to you that what I'm saying is true. It all really happened. It wasn't a dream. Do you believe me now?"
Mrs. Kingsley stared at Alice, looking quite dazed. "Well...after seeing that, I suppose I have to, don't I?"
"I know how incredible this all is. I didn't believe it was real either at the time - I thought it was all a dream, but one I couldn't seem to wake up from," Alice said. "So much happened, Mother."
"Tell me about it then. I can assure you, I'll now listen with a much more open mind. How could I not, after that?"
Alice smiled. "Alright, I'll continue. Where was I?" She thought for a moment, then remembered where she'd left off. "So...no one believed in me but the Hatter. He was bringing me to the White Queen to keep me safe. Suddenly, as we were heading for the White Queen's castle, the Red Queen's army came again. And the Hatter gave himself up to them, so I could escape. It was so very brave and noble of him, for he knew he would most certainly be beheaded for it. You see, there was a dog called Bayard that had been hunting for me with the Red Queen's army, but really Bayard was on the side of the White Queen, so he didn't give me up at the tea party. But then he led the Red Queen's army to the Hatter afterwards! I couldn't believe it! After the Hatter was captured, Bayard came to me later and I got angry with him and asked him how he could betray the Hatter like that. He told me he'd done it because he had no choice, as the Red Queen was holding his wife and pups prisoner at her castle. I demanded that he take me to the Red Queen's castle at once so I could rescue the Hatter. He had given himself up for me...and was to be executed for it, Mother! It was awful. And I couldn't let that happen!"
Her mother still looked quite bemused but she nodded understandingly. "No...of course you couldn't," she murmured. "Something like that would weigh on your conscience for the rest of your life. I would have done the same as you."
"A lot went on after I got to the castle but to make it short, I'll try and summarise. I ate some of the cake that makes you grow and accidentally ate a bit too much so I grew and grew until I was taller than everyone. I made up a story that convinced the Red Queen to take me in, telling her I was a girl called Um from Umbrage, and suddenly I was installed in her Court as her new favourite. The Red Knave, whose name is Stayne, met me for the first time, and not knowing my true identity, took a liking to me. Then they brought the Hatter in, after torturing him for information about me. But he never gave me up. He pretended not to know me when he saw me there, even though they'd tortured him and he knew he would surely be executed if they found out the truth - that I was really Alice and not the girl called Um, who I was pretending to be."
Mrs. Kingsley gazed at her. "Darling, if this really happened, then it sounds like you were in a very dangerous situation, as was this Hatter."
"Yes, it was," Alice said. "But you see, the Hatter very cleverly convinced the Red Queen to let him make hats for her, appealing to her vanity. So she didn't behead him, but instead kept him as a prisoner so he could make the hats for her. As I had free rein at the castle then, I visited him later in his hat-making room. He told me I needed to get the Vorpal Sword, which was there at the castle, for it was the only sword that could slay the Jabberwocky. He said I was to go to the White Queen as soon as I got the sword but I told him I wasn't leaving without him."
Mrs. Kingsley smiled. "I see," she said softly.
"I went to find the sword but it turned out it was being guarded by the Bandersnatch. So I went and got the Bandersnatch his eye back from the Dormouse, who was also at the castle, and when I gave the eye back to him, he let me take the Sword. Once I had it, I went back to rescue the Hatter, and while I was trying to set him free, the Red Knave came in suddenly. He had made an advance on me earlier and I rejected him, but the Queen found out about it somehow and he convinced her that I was to blame. So when Stayne found me with the Hatter, he tried to arrest me. The Hatter fought him off so I could escape, and while they were fighting the Dormouse accidentally gave me away by calling me Alice. That made Stayne more determined than ever to capture me, now that he knew who I really was. But the Hatter held him off so I could escape and told me to run and go to the White Queen's castle. At that point I had no choice but to listen to him, so I managed to get outside, though before I could go any further, the Red Queen's army appeared and surrounded me. I was sure I was going to be killed. But out of nowhere and quite unexpectedly, the Bandersnatch came to my rescue and he took me to Marmoreal, where the White Queen's castle was."
Alice's mother gazed at her and said, "You seem as if you were quite taken with this Hatter, darling. And no wonder! He sounds like a most admirable man."
"Yes. He was very brave. He saved me more times than I can count," Alice said with a soft smile. "In any case, when I got to the White Queen's castle, I gave her the Sword and she made me the shrinking potion, and after I drank it, I was finally back to my normal size, for the first time since I'd gotten out of the room of doors. She was very kind and generous but all I could think about was the Hatter. I was so scared that the Red Queen was going to execute him for not giving me up, and on top of that, I was expected to slay the Jabberwocky the next day."
"How frightful! I can't even imagine what that must have felt like!" Mrs. Kingsley said.
"I was desperately unhappy and so confused. But suddenly, while the White Queen and I were on the balcony and she was looking through her spyglass to keep watch, she saw the Hatter approaching and gave me the spyglass so I could see. He had escaped, and not only that, he had helped the twin boys escape, as well as the Dormouse, and the White Rabbit, and Bayard and his family. I was so happy! But I had the next day to worry about, as that was the day of the battle. The next day, when the time came, the Hatter stepped forward to be the Champion for the Queen because I was afraid and still refusing to do it. A few others stepped forward too but the Oraculum showed quite clearly that only I could be the Champion. I was terrified so I ran off to think and I came upon Absolem and we talked. He told me I was the true Alice and that it wasn't a dream and that I would have to slay the Jabberwocky. And that's when I remembered, Mother. It wasn't a dream! It was real and I had really been there as a child. It's a whole world that exists just beneath this one, called Underland."
"It's amazing," Mrs. Kingsley murmured.
"Somehow knowing the truth gave me the courage I needed, and I went back and stepped forward to be the White Queen's Champion. And at the battlefield, the Hatter stood by my side as we faced the Red Queen and her army and the Jabberwocky. You wouldn't believe how frightening that creature was. But the Hatter told me I could do it, and suddenly, I remembered Father telling me how he sometimes believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."
Mrs. Kingsley smiled. "I remember your father saying that too."
"As I faced the Jabberwocky I counted out six impossible things, the last being that I could slay the Jabberwocky. As I fought it, it almost got me at one point but the Hatter distracted it by stabbing at its tail and I was able to get away and get my bearings again. The Red Queen called the Hatter on interference then he and Stayne began to battle. As they fought, I continued to battle the Jabberwocky. And then I did it, Mother. I killed it, by cutting off its head."
"Good heavens, Alice!"
"I know. It's incredible, isn't it? Sometimes I look back and can't believe it myself. But I did it. I slayed the Jabberwocky. And the Hatter defeated Stayne, but he didn't kill him, for he's far too noble to do such a thing. The White Queen got her crown back and she banished the Red Queen and Stayne to a place called the Outlands, for she'd taken a vow to never harm a living creature. And then she gave me a vial filled with some of the Jabberwocky's blood and said if I drank it I would go home, if that was what I wished. I was about to drink it, but then the Hatter came up behind me and asked me to stay."
Mrs. Kingsley looked at Alice and smiled, her eyes soft.
"I did want to stay...but I couldn't, for I knew I had to come back home and give this world a chance. I wanted to fulfill Father's dream and I had some dreams of my own that I wanted to accomplish. So I told the Hatter I had to go but I promised him that I'd be back again one day. I drank the Jabberwocky blood from the vial, and the last thing I saw was the Hatter staring at me with the saddest eyes I've ever seen. And then suddenly I was back in this world, climbing out of the rabbit hole by the Ascot house. It was as if only a few minutes had passed but really, I had been gone for a few days at least. So I returned to the party and declined Hamish's proposal. You know what happened from there."
Mrs. Kingsley nodded.
"But, you see, it wasn't over. I've been living with these secrets for the past two years. As you just learned, Absolem came to me after I left Underland, once he had turned into a butterfly, to look after me. He told me how I could write to the Hatter and to the White Queen in Underland. And I did. I wrote to the Hatter almost every day, putting the letters I wrote on my writing desk, whether it was my writing desk from home or the one I used when I was at sea or ones I used while travelling. I would write the letters then put them on my desk at night and wish them to Underland, then in the morning they'd be gone. And Absolem told me he got them. I also wrote to the Queen but not quite as much." Alice blushed. "But, you see, six days ago I found out from Absolem that the Hatter was in a bad state, and I knew I had to go back. I had always known that I wanted Underland to be my home and it was suddenly clear that the time had come for me to return. I wrote that letter to you and left it on my bed then Absolem helped me get to Underland. That's where I've been since I left. I know it seems that I've only been gone for three days, today being the fourth, but time moves differently in Underland. And in Underland I'm now a titled Lady in the White Queen's Court and the Hatter is now a Lord and he wants to marry me. I love him, Mother, so don't you dare say no when he asks you for my hand."
Mrs. Kingsley stared at Alice. "What are you saying, Alice?"
"I'm saying...they're both here, right now, in my bedroom upstairs, waiting to meet you. Tarrant and Mirana. Tarrant is my intended. His name is Lord Tarrant Hightopp. See this ring?" she said, displaying her left hand and showing it to her mother. "He gave it to me this morning. But he wants to court me properly and he wants to ask you for my hand and get your blessing. You must give it to him, Mother! I love him more than anything and if you hurt him I shall never forgive you," Alice said vehemently, getting all worked up at the thought of it.
"Alice!" she said. "Darling, calm down."
"I'm going to get them in a moment. Trust me, Mother. They really are upstairs. But Mirana is the Queen of Underland, the White Queen. She's not a Duchess as I wrote in my note. And she's my very best friend. And Tarrant is my intended. He's so worried that you won't like him and that you'll not give your blessing. But Mother, he's the only man I've ever loved and I think I'd die without him. Promise me, when you meet him, you'll accept him with open arms."
Mrs. Kingsley remained silent, as if she wasn't quite sure what to say.
"So...shall I go get them then?"
Her mother gazed at her uncertainly. "Yes. Go get them."
"Remember, Mother, Mirana is a true Queen. I wrote you that note saying she was a Duchess but she's a Queen so you must treat her as such. And be nice to Tarrant or I shan't ever forgive you!"
"Go get them, Alice," Mrs. Kingsley said. "And if they're really here, I give you my word that I'll do as you ask."
Alice smiled as she rushed off to get them. She raced up to her bedroom and opened the door. Mirana was sitting on the bed reading something, a stack of books and papers all around her, and Tarrant was looking out the window.
"I told my mother everything," Alice said breathlessly. "I had to call for Absolem while I was telling her because she was having a hard time believing me but once she met him and heard him talk, she had no choice but to believe me. So, she wants to meet you both...er...now," she said. "Will you come?"
Mirana jumped up excitedly. "Of course! I can't wait to meet her."
Tarrant smiled at Alice and nodded.
Alice beamed. "I can't wait to see the look on her face when she meets you and sees that you're really here! Come, let's go!"
Tarrant and Mirana followed her outside into the hall and Alice took Tarrant's hand. They walked down the stairs and Alice brought them to the parlour.
Alice entered with Mirana on one side and Tarrant on the other. "Mother," Alice said. "This is Queen Mirana of Marmoreal."
Mirana stepped forward and smiled graciously. "How do you do, Mrs. Kingsley? I've heard so much about you from Lady Alice."
Alice giggled at that last bit and squeezed Tarrant's hand.
Her mother looked as if she were about to swoon.
"And Mother, this is Lord Tarrant Hightopp," Alice said, smiling happily.
Tarrant stepped forward and took off his hat and bowed gallantly. "I'm very happy to meet you," he said softly.
"Oh my!" Mrs. Kingsley exclaimed, looking quite faint.
**A/N: It might seem to some readers that there's too much dialogue and too much of a rehash when Alice relates certain events to her mother in this chapter, and to Mirana and Tarrant in other chapters, but there's a reason for it. When Alice told her mother the truth about Underland I wanted the readers to know exactly what she told her, as well as what she left out. This story is being written from Alice's point of view, not the reader's, so if she's telling someone a story, that's how it will be written - in real time, exactly as she tells it. I wasn't going to write, "Alice went downstairs and told her mother everything." That would be a shortcut and would ignore the important details that show the development of the characters and their interactions. It's all in the details when it comes to this story. When she tells her mother about Underland, we get to hear Alice's version of what happened; and I also wanted the readers to know exactly what was said.
In Chapter 23, when Alice told Mirana the whole story behind her coming back to Underland and what made her return when she did, it was important for her to tell Mirana everything in detail, because that's what a lot of women do in real life, and the focus of the scene was to show her developing a deeper bond with Mirana by being really open and honest with her, and to show her confiding in her. Also, in that chapter we were getting a few bits of information that Alice had only just begun to see and understand, which came to light for her as she was telling Mirana her story.
Alice has never been truly close to anyone before, but suddenly she's gotten close to Tarrant, more intimately than she's ever been with anyone, and she's gotten close to Mirana, her first real friend. And now she's wanting to bond and get closer to her mother, after realising she'd shut her mother out and underestimated her for much of her life. Alice was an introvert who kept herself apart from people because she didn't relate to them and they didn't relate to her, and the dialogue is one way of showing how she's changing and reaching out to connect with people. It's meant to show how she's finally coming outside of her shell, reaching out and connecting with others, especially Tarrant, Mirana and now, her mother.