Disclaimer: I do not own Alice in Wonderland or any of the characters in it. I do not own The Looking Glass Wars either, which this fic is based on. All of the characters in this fic belong to Frank Beddor except the ones I created.

Rating: M, just to be safe. i have no idea how dirty this may get.

Summary: Hatter Madigan is infected with a disease from the other side of the Pool of Tears. He gives this disease to Alyss Heart unintentionally, and the new Queen of Wonderland is driven mad by it. Will have Alyss/Dodge fluff.

Timeline: A year after the book Looking Glass Wars finishes off

The air was cold in the graveyard, but not quite as cold as a certain Wonderlandian's heart. Former Milinery man, Alyssian, and protector of the previous Queen, Hatter Madigan wept.

"As we gather here today for a sad, sad reason, for Meryat Madigan, who has passed on, as many others have during the Redd Years. Long live Queen Alyss. She was beloved wife, friend, and dutiful citizen, as many we are mourning today were," the minister paused, letting his words sink in. "She lived a full life, until she was sent to the Crystal Mines and suffered a heart attack. Let us have a minute of silence to respect her death."

All was quiet, the two friends, the vendor who stopped by, the minister, and a few unknowns... All except Hatter's wracked sobs, mourning his soulmate, his wife. Soon, they all left, one by one, murmuring condolences and bowing out in respect for the dead.

Hatter was left all alone, in the dark, to cry without shame. He was unaware of all except that his wife was gone…

"My beloved..." he choked out, sobbing silently. "How I miss you so. Now I have no one for comfort, for anchor, for sanity... hee hee…" The sobs soon turned into maniacal laughter that filled the night air.

"Oh how I hate you so, Meryat. You kept me from my real love, the Queen," He sighed, talking to the gravestone. "You hated her, didn't you? Yes, you certainly did. My devotion to her drove you crazy... Crazy? I remember being locked in a chamber for days, maybe months, just to find that my own spouse had locked me inside. You didn't seem to care that I went deprived of food, of drink, of..." he paused, eyes wild from his thoughts. "Of her!"

After that, he seemed to speak gibberish, pointing at the gravestone, yelling nonsensical words, even in Wonderland terms. As the minutes passed, he became more and more agitated, blowing rasberries and making childish gestures at the grave. He spat on the ground, and then stomped on the spot repeatedly, yelling, "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!..."

Then Hatter seemed to come back to himself, regaining the composure of a Milinery leader. He silently walked away at that point, not looking back upon his wife's grave on which he'd made a mockery of himself.

Apologizing for the shortness of the chapter. But it is my first fic and you all must forgive me for it. Don't worry, the fluff is on its way. Just making sure there's actually a plot to the fic. Reviews would be appreciated!