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.
Alice in Underland
Chapter Forty Nine
Day Eight
The next morning Alice was awakened by Cora who told her that the Queen was asking to see her. Alice got up and washed then quickly had Cora help her dress. Once she was ready Cora escorted her to Mirana's chambers.
Giselle answered the door and told her the Queen was out on the terrace.
When Alice went outside, Mirana took one look at her and smiled. "You're positively glowing!" she said.
Alice laughed, feeling giddy, and sat down. "So are you! Thinking about tonight's rendezvous with Étienne?"
Mirana grinned. "Of course! I can't think of much else. I'm so excited! But...I'm also really nervous." She gazed at Alice worriedly. "What if he reacts badly when I tell him the truth?"
Alice gave her a reassuring look and said, "I honestly don't think that will be the case. He's not like most people in the Otherworld. You've heard him talk. He's a romantic. And he's artistic. That means he's more open-minded and accepting of the unusual. He'll be thrilled."
Mirana nodded. "Yes, I think he'll be accepting and even excited about Underland. But I can't help but worry."
"I understand. I'd be like that too." Alice smiled. "But I know it will all turn out fine. Étienne will be delighted to learn that such a fantastical world exists, and he'll come back with us tonight and it will be wonderful!"
Mirana giggled. "You're rather chirpy this morning." She grinned then leaned forward to whisper conspiratorially, "Nice time in the workshop last night?"
Alice blushed fiercely which made her friend laugh out loud.
"What did you do that's making you blush so?" Mirana whispered.
Alice glanced at the open doors to the balcony and whispered, "Can we speak privately?"
Mirana grinned then nodded. "Come, we'll go to my bedroom."
They got up and Alice followed Mirana to the Queen's bedroom. After Mirana shut the door they both went and sat down on the bed.
"Alright...talk," Mirana said.
"Er...the thing is...I shouldn't tell you this as obviously it's something that's private between me and Tarrant...but I need someone to talk to, and I can't talk about it with Mother."
"Oh my!" Mirana giggled. "What did you do?"
Alice blushed. "I'm still a maiden," she said hastily. "But...er...well..."
Mirana laughed. "Your face is bright red. Honestly!" She reached out and took Alice's hand reassuringly. "You know you can tell me anything, don't you? I wouldn't bat an eye even if you told me you weren't a maiden."
Alice gazed at her. "Alright. It's just a bit...embarrassing." She moved closer and whispered, "Things went rather far last night which has brought up some questions."
"What questions?"
"How far did you go with..." she trailed off, not sure if it would upset Mirana to speak of the man she once loved and lost.
Mirana seemed to understand. "I imagine as far as it's gone with you and Tarrant," the Queen whispered. "I'm still a maiden too but things were very...passionate...between us."
"So...there was...er...touching?" Alice whispered shyly.
Mirana giggled at Alice's discomfiture. "Yes...a lot of touching." She looked at her friend and said, "You don't need to be bashful, Alice. It's all perfectly natural to be that way with the person you love."
Alice nodded, trying to relax. She knew Mirana would be understanding and wouldn't judge her...but still. It was so...personal. "Well...you see...things have been very passionate but not quite as passionate as it got last night. After we left the ball we went to the hat-making room and in the course of things...I touched him...there."
"Yes," Mirana nodded, waiting for her to continue.
"The thing is...er...I don't know what's...normal. I've seen statues and sculptures of nude men before and...oh...it's so embarrassing!"
"Alice," Mirana said gently. "What do you want to know? When you say normal, what do you mean?"
"Size," Alice whispered, her eyes wide.
Mirana couldn't help but giggle.
"On the statues I've seen, the men all have..er...much smaller..." She broke off, flushing.
"I haven't seen any statues but I can tell you what I know from my own experience. When a man isn't aroused, the genitalia is much smaller. When a man is aroused it gets bigger."
Alice gaped at her. "Does it?"
Mirana went on to explain the male anatomy and how it worked, then told her everything she knew about sexual intercourse, in much more detail than Margaret did when she told Alice what happens between a man and woman after they're married and become intimate.
Alice smiled afterwards and said, "Thank you. It's all so new. I don't really know what I'm doing or quite what to expect. I'm not sure Tarrant does either."
"My mother is the one who told me about physical relations and intercourse," Mirana said, grimacing. "Imagine that! A most uncomfortable conversation."
Alice laughed.
"So...is it...good...with you and Tarrant?" Mirana whispered scandalously.
Alice blushed. "Very."
They both giggled.
"Tarrant is coming for breakfast on my balcony in a bit. Should I ask Mother to come too, do you think? Tarrant told me he'd be afraid to look her in the eye if we didn't wait. And we will wait...but...well...things did go quite far last night."
"I'll invite your mother to have breakfast with me," Mirana said. "You don't want to overwhelm the poor man. And if he's anything like you, it would be quite obvious that something physical occured between you two...with all your blushing and stammering. It's hard to miss."
"Oh dear," Alice said. "Is it that bad?"
Mirana laughed. "Don't worry. I'll distract your mother if I see either of you acting all flushed and guilty."
Alice smiled. "We want to get married as soon as possible, you know. Tarrant's coming for breakfast, as I said, but then he plans to spend the day working on my wedding dress. I imagine he'll want to get married as soon as it's done."
Mirana sighed dreamily. "It's so romantic."
"We talked last night about what kind of wedding we want, and we both agree. We only want you and Mother there. Neither of us wants a big public wedding."
The Queen's eyes sparkled. "It's going to be so lovely. Have you thought of where you want to have the ceremony?"
"No, not yet. But we do wonder who's going to marry us."
Mirana gazed at her thoughtfully. "It's been a long time since anyone's gotten married here." She frowned. "The last wedding was my sister's...and she beheaded the man who performed the ceremony."
"Oh! That's terrible!" Alice gasped. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories. You must hate talking about it."
"No...it's alright. I told you, I'm looking forward now, not backwards. And now...well...there's Étienne..."
Alice smiled. "I'm so very glad you've found him. He must be the one. Think of it. It's got to be Fate. Your first meeting, he rescued you from certain harm, if not death. It's like something right out of a novel! And I've seen the two of you, how you interact with each other," Alice said. "Tarrant and I have talked about how much the two of you remind us of how we are. And look how fast everything's gone with us." She gazed at Mirana. "Mother was right, you know. When you've met your match, it all happens very quickly. And I can see that's exactly what's happening with you and Étienne." She leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, "Don't think I didn't see how he was holding and caressing your hand at the Zoo."
Mirana blushed and smiled.
"So...back to the subject of the wedding. Who do you think can marry us?"
"I'm not sure. I suppose it would have to be me...or maybe Kendrew."
Alice looked aghast. "God! Not him. I'm happy to see he's becoming more human now, thanks to Freda...but I don't want him to be the one to perform such a sacred ceremony." She looked at her friend and said softly, "And I would be happy for you to be the one to marry us, but I want you to be my maid of honour. You're my best friend, my sister. I want you by my side when I marry Tarrant, not in front of us, in an official, formal capacity, but as my best friend."
Mirana got misty-eyed at that, which made Alice misty-eyed too. They smiled at each other. "How emotional we are!" Mirana said, laughing and wiping her eyes.
"Wait!" Alice said suddenly, struck with inspiration. "What about Absolem performing the ceremony? He'd be perfect!"
Mirana nodded, her eyes shining. "Yes! You're right. He would be perfect. Besides me, Absolem is the other caretaker of Underland. That's why he and I are the only ones who can jump people between the two worlds. And he and I are the only ones who can actually get to the Otherworld on our own."
Alice remembered something suddenly. "Oh! Of course! You know, that day Hamish proposed to me, during the party, before the proposal, I kept seeing the White Rabbit running around in the Ascot's bushes. But when Hamish was actually proposing to me, just before he asked me to marry him, I saw Absolem on his shoulder. He was still a caterpillar then. I suppose he must have jumped McTwisp up to look for me...but then, during the proposal Absolem was right there on Hamish's shoulder, perhaps to stop me...or warn me. It was like an omen. Hamish was squeamish about a caterpillar being on him and told me to get it off him, so I picked Absolem up and set him down on the rail of the gazebo." Alice smiled, thinking fondly of her dear Absolem. "How odd! I only just remembered that."
Mirana gazed at her, listening to the tale, rapt. "I know you told me a bit about that day but you didn't go into much detail. What happened next?"
"Well, after Hamish proposed I didn't know what to do. I was terrified by the whole thing. Everyone was staring at us and waiting for me to accept. But then I suddenly saw the White Rabbit again, tapping his pocket watch urgently, then he ran away as if he wanted me to follow. I looked at the crowd of people gathered and I felt utterly panicked because I didn't want to marry Hamish but I didn't know how to say no in front of all those people. So I ran off, after McTwisp. And that's when I fell down the rabbit hole and got to Underland."
Mirana smiled at the memory of the Alice who came to Underland two years previous. Then she said, "Er...what exactly did Hamish say to you yesterday at the Park? We never had a chance to talk about it yet."
"It was terrible. He had noticed the ring Tarrant made me, the first ring. He saw it was on my left hand and when he pulled me aside, he asked if I was engaged to Tarrant. When I told him I was, he got upset, which surprised me. Then he told me he cared for me and that he thought because I hadn't married anyone else, he believed he still had a chance with me. I had no idea he actually cared for me, nor that he was hoping and waiting for me to change my mind, so it was quite a shock." She looked sad for a moment. "He was so hurt. It was awful."
"Oh dear," Mirana said, her eyes wide. "Yes, he did look rather...distressed. And then you came back and you were upset. I was dying to talk to you, wanting to know what had happened, but with all the excitement yesterday we never had a chance to talk about it until now."
Alice grimaced. "I suppose we should pop back to London after my breakfast with Tarrant. There will probably be a message from Lord Ascot, Hamish's father." She sighed heavily.
"I know you don't like to hurt anyone but you can't help that you didn't love Hamish," Mirana said. "Tarrant is your match, your true love. It's Fate. So you musn't let it upset you."
Alice nodded. "I know. I'll try not to. But it's more than that," she said. "Now everyone in London will know about him. How am I supposed to explain it all? God! And my sister, Margaret. She's going to be so shocked. And I'm sure she'll be quite judgemental about how different Tarrant looks." She frowned, feeling angry on Tarrant's behalf. "She better not say anything," Alice said fiercely. "And she better be nice to him."
Mirana smiled, her eyes soft. "You're so sweet. So protective. Just like he is with you. Last night...when you went for your walk and heard the noise in the bushes, didn't you say he drew his sword immediately and went a bit mad?"
Alice nodded. "I was so scared something was going to happen. I'm convinced it was Stayne, spying on us. I have a feeling about it and my feelings are rarely wrong." She gazed at Mirana anxiously. "Did the guards have any luck?"
"I'm afraid not," Mirana said, frowning. "Perhaps I shouldn't tell you, as I don't want to upset or worry you..."
"What? You must tell me, now that you brought it up."
"Well...the guards said they found footprints around the area where the bushes are, and the footprints were large, as if they belonged to a very tall man."
"So it was Stayne. I knew it!" Alice sighed. "Thank God I pulled Tarrant away. If they'd had a confrontation, Tarrant would most certainly have tried to kill him. And I know he's bested Stayne every time they've fought, at least when I've been present, but what if Tarrant finds him and they fight and this time, Tarrant loses?" She wrung her hands together, getting upset by the thought.
"Shhhh," Mirana soothed, patting her shoulder. "If Tarrant is the one to catch him, I have no doubt he'll best him again. But we won't let it get to that. My Knights will find him. I've been sending the Red Knights to search, as they know Stayne better than the White Knights. They're out there right now, looking for him as we speak."
Alice nodded. "I hope they find him. He's a menace."
Mirana took Alice's hand and squeezed it. "Forget about him right now. Think of Tarrant. You're betrothed! And now you're going to have a lovely romantic breakfast on your balcony." She smiled. "Why don't you go now and send for him? I'll have Giselle pop over to your mother's chambers and invite her to have breakfast with me, so you two can have your privacy."
Alice smiled at her friend gratefully. "Thank you. And thank you for last night. The ball was so very beautiful. You made it so special."
Mirana returned her smile then said, "After you've had breakfast and Tarrant goes to work on your wedding dress, come back here to my chambers and we'll pop back to London to see if any messages were sent."
Alice nodded. "Alright. I'll see you in a bit then."
When Alice got back to her chambers she asked Cora to send word to Tarrant that she was ready for him to come up. "We're having breakfast on the balcony so can you act as chaperone?"
Cora nodded, her eyes twinkling. "I'd be happy to," she said, giving her a wink.
When Tarrant arrived, he and Alice immediately went out to the balcony and Tarrant pulled her into his arms. "Is Cora looking?" he whispered.
Alice smiled. "No. She's getting our breakfast ready."
Tarrant grinned then kissed her hungrily. "Mmmmm," he murmured. "I'd rather have you for breakfast."
Alice giggled. "Behave yourself! Cora will be coming out here any second."
"I can't help it. Can we go to the hat-making room after this?" he asked, his brogue deepening and his eyes turning emerald.
She nodded, her heart racing suddenly.
Moments later, Cora came out with their breakfast and they went to sit down.
As they ate, Alice told Tarrant she'd spoken to Mirana about their wedding and that she'd come up with the idea of Absolem performing the ceremony. "It's either him or Kendrew, the Knave. I want Mirana to be my maid of honour."
Tarrant nodded. "Absolem would be the best choice. He's the one who's responsible for keeping us in touch, as you said, so if it weren't for him we wouldn't be together now." He smiled, then frowned suddenly. "Should I have someone too?"
"Perhaps Mr. Gaillard could act as your best man. I like him and I wouldn't mind him being part of our wedding."
"Yes. I'll ask him then, when I go to his workshop to get started on your dress."
Alice's eyes sparkled. "What will it look like?"
"I was hoping we could design it together," he said softly. "We designed Mirana's hat together so I know we work well as a team...and it's your wedding dress, after all. I want you to have a say."
Alice reached out and took his hand. "I love you," she said, gazing at him adoringly. "You're so very sweet."
When they finished breakfast they went straight to the hat-making room.
"We haven't much time, I'm afraid," Alice said. "I have to go back to London with Mother, Mirana and Freda to see if any messages have been delivered."
Tarrant grabbed hold of her and said, "Then we'll have to be quick, won't we?" He pulled her tightly against him and started kissing her voraciously. "We'll keep most of our clothes on..." he whispered into her ear, making her shiver.
"What shall we take off?" Alice whispered heatedly.
He picked her up and carried her to the chaise. "You can stay in everything...but I'll take off my hat, my sword...and...?"
"Your trousers," she said, her eyes darkening with desire.
"My naughty little vixen," he whispered, taking off his hat and unfastening his sword then putting them on the table. He turned back around and shed his jacket, his waistcoat and his ascot, then he quickly took off his trousers, laying them over the chair.
"Come here," she said urgently.
He went to her and sat down on the chaise. "What do you want to do?" he said, his brogue deepening as his eyes turned emerald and gold.
"I want us to do what we did last night," she whispered in his ear.
His eyes flashed, burning into hers, making her feel dizzy with excitement. "Lay down then," he whispered.
Alice did so, her heart pounding, and Tarrant got down next to her, turning onto his side to face her. He started to pull up her skirt and she grabbed hold of him, pulling him close, and began kissing him passionately.
Tarrant kissed her back ardently as his hand pulled up the skirt of her dress, then her chemise.
"Touch me," she said breathlessly.
He slowly and provocatively slid his hand down inside the front of her bloomers and she moaned softly, her breath quickening. He began to stroke her, the way he did the night before, kissing and nibbling his way up her neck at the same time, then he whispered seductively into her ear with that devastating brogue of his, "Is this what you want?"
"God...yes!" she gasped. She was so aroused she felt like she was on fire.
He continued to stroke and pet her, and his hand started to move more deliberately as he cupped the back of her neck with his other hand and pulled her mouth to his, kissing her quite lasciviously, making her moan at the utterly erotic pleasure his ministrations were coaxing from her body.
"Tarrant!" she gasped. "Don't stop!" He began to stroke her more boldly by changing and increasing the rhythm and cadence, intensifying the sensual pleasure that was building and spreading thoughout her, driving her closer to the peak. She writhed against his hand unrestrainedly, completely swept away.
He grew bolder, getting more and more aroused by the way she was responding, and his strokes became more urgent and provocative, bringing her closer and closer to the edge, and when he began kissing her wildly, his tongue plundering her mouth suggestively, she plunged over, bucking and shivering against him, moaning in ecstasy.
He kissed her fervidly, his hand thrust aggressively down her bloomers as he continued stroking her. When she stopped shivering, his hand slowed down and began to pet her softly.
She moaned and threw her head back, revelling in the way he was caressing her, then finally she whispered, "My turn. I want to touch you now."
They switched positions and when Alice slipped her hand inside Tarrant's drawers and wrapped it around him, he gasped.
"Oh God!" he moaned as she began to stroke him.
Her talk with Mirana had taught her a few things, so she experimented, stroking him in different ways until she found the one that made him most responsive. "Do you like this?" she asked heatedly in his ear as she moved her hand in a way that had him clutching onto her and moaning deliriously. She smiled wickedly. She was discovering that she was quite a sensual person herself and she loved the way she was touching him and the way he was responding to it, just as much as she loved it when he was doing it to her.
Tarrant was so aroused, he couldn't hold back, and within seconds he reached the brink and went over the edge. He gasped sharply and his body began to shudder as his seed spilled out in warm gushes all over her hand, making her shiver in delight at how utterly erotic and arousing it was. "Alice!" he gasped, grabbing her head and pulling it down to his so he could kiss her.
Alice kissed him back fiercely, consumed by a fire that burned inside her, the fire Tarrant had awakened in her, that only got hotter with each encounter. She explored his mouth eagerly and he moaned at her fervour, and suddenly his hand was yanking up her skirt and chemise and slipping down inside her bloomers again. "Oh!" she gasped breathlessly.
He began to stroke her again, as if he had gone almost mad with lust and desire. "My wicked, wicked Alice," he whispered salaciously in her ear as he stroked her more pruriently, making her gasp at his aggressiveness. "So very naughty...so tempting," he whispered, his hand getting even bolder. "I want to ravish you...completely."
"Oh God!" she moaned, gasping and writhing with wanton abandon, as she fell deeper and deeper under the spell of his relentless sensual assault. Her hand was still down his drawers, wrapped around him, and she accidentally squeezed him in her delirium, making him groan. She wasn't sure if she'd hurt him, as the sound he'd made was hard to read, so she began to pull her hand up to let go, but Tarrant grabbed it with his other hand and kept it there.
"No. Keep touching me...don't let go," he whispered commandingly as he continued stroking and petting her, making Alice writhe against his hand feverishly.
"Tarrant!" she gasped, feeling the fire build, hotter than it had ever been before.
He kissed her neck amorously then moved back to her ear and whispered, "You feel so good...I want you, I want to be inside you...I want to rip your dress off and take you right now."
That pushed her over the edge and she cried out as wave after wave wracked her body and his mouth found hers and began to plunder it relentlessly. When the shivers stopped he pulled back to look at her, and she stared at him, completely shattered. "Tarrant," she gasped breathlessly. "That was...so...intense..."
He grinned wickedly and pulled his hand out from her bloomers, then pulled her hand out from his drawers, wiping it against the fabric. He wasn't shy or blushing like he was the night before, but instead quite rakish and bold. "Good intense or bad intense?"
"Good," she whispered. "Very very good..."
He grabbed her and kissed her fiercely, pulling her body tightly against his. "Mmmm...I can't get enough of you," he murmured. "My Alice...I want you so much..."
She drew her head back to look at him. "Do you not want to wait?"
He gazed at her and suddenly his eyes began to change, softening and turning back to their usual lime-green colour. "Oh God! Yes...of course I do. I want to wait." He reached out and caressed her cheek tenderly. "I'm sorry. I got...carried away..."
Alice snuggled closer and kissed him lovingly. "It's alright. I got carried away too."
"We'll have to marry soon, angel. As soon as possible."
"I know. And I'm glad," she said softly. "I can't wait to be your wife."
He cradled her in his arms and kissed her gently. "I love you."
"I love you too," she said, smiling.
"Come, let's get cleaned up," he said, pulling her off the chaise and leading her to the washroom. "Oh!" he said suddenly. "You're going to see your mother now. How can I look her in the eye after what we just did?"
Alice laughed. "Just escort me to my chambers and then you can sneak off down to Mr. Gaillard's workshop. You don't have to see her until later."
They cleaned up and Tarrant put his clothes back on and fastened his sword to his belt then Alice took his hat and placed it on his head, as she loved to do.
Tarrant stood back to scrutinise her. "I hope your mother doesn't suspect..."
"Come on, silly," she said, smiling, taking him by the hand and leading him to the door. "She won't know a thing. Escort me to my chambers then go get started on my wedding dress so we can get married as soon as possible."
After Tarrant dropped her off at the door to her chambers then hastily left before Mrs. Kingsley could see him, Alice went inside to wash up. She looked at herself in the mirror and laughed softly to herself. How utterly mad she and Tarrant were for each other! The way he just ravished her was quite...arresting. She flushed, remembering the salacious things he whispered in her ear when he ravished her that second time. God! He was so...sensual. She took a deep breath. If she kept thinking about it her mother might notice how flushed she was, and would no doubt become suspicious that something had happened between them, just as Tarrant feared.
Alice had Cora escort her to the Mirana's chambers then told her maid she'd be back later.
Giselle answered the door and ushered her inside. "They're in the Queen's dressing room," she told Alice with a smile.
Alice went back and found Mirana and her mother looking through Mirana's closets for something to wear that evening to the opera.
"This one is just lovely, dear," Mrs. Kingsley said, pulling out a rather beautiful dress and showing it to Mirana. "I think you should wear this. It's quite flattering for your colouring and it's perfect for going to the opera."
"What do you think, Alice?" Mirana said, looking anxious.
"I think you worry too much," Alice said with a smile. "It's all going to turn out wonderfully. I just know it!" She gave Mirana a reassuring pat on the arm. "As for the dress, it's perfect, like Mother said. You'll look so beautiful. Étienne will be speechless."
Mirana smiled.
"So now that we've picked out your dress, perhaps we should get Freda and pop back to London to see if there are any messages," Alice said. She grinned at Mirana. "And maybe there's one for you from Étienne..."
The Queen's eyes sparkled. "Yes, let's get going. I'll have Giselle get Freda."
They all went out to the sitting room and Giselle went to get the Kingsley's maid.
Once Freda arrived, they all got into place and took each other's hands, then Alice wished them to the Kingsley's house.
