Chapter 2: meeting the Mad Hatter

Mad Hatter's POV:

It hadn't been the same here in Underland since Alice had left for the second time years ago. I was happy that my family is back but I missed my friend. I sighed as I walked around trying to clear my mind. Everywhere I went I heard people talking about a visitor in Underland and that she knew everything about it. I couldn't help but wonder if Alice had returned after all this time. Just as that thought crossed my mind, Nivens hopped over to me.

"Nivens, what brings you here?" I asked curious.

"The white Queen requests you at her castle." he said as he hopped away probably to get the others. If Mirana was requesting us could that mean…. I didn't even let myself finish that thought and ran to the castle. I kept running until I got to Mirana's castle and ran inside heading to the throne room. Once I got there, I saw a girl standing there that wasn't Alice. She slowly turned to face me and that's when I got a good look at her. She has long black hair that's parted on the side, a heart shaped face, light blue eyes surrounded by long black eye lashes, full pink lips. She wore a black silk short dress with a red petticoat underneath, a gold band around her waist, a golden border trim and black flats. Her facial features reminded me a lot like Alice but she wasn't Alice.

"Mirana, my queen, you requested me?" I asked and she nodded.

"Yes I did Tarrant, this is Anna she has requested to talk to you, the Cheshire cat, and Mellymku. We are just waiting for Nivens to get back with them." she said and I nodded.

"Alright, I'll wait then to ask questions." I sat down and waited for them.

Anna's POV:

I couldn't believe it when the Mad Hatter himself,Tarrant Hightopp, came into the throne room. He looked more amazing that mother said he did. He wore a wide-brimmed dark brown hat with an accented blue ribbon, high lighting crimped orange curls that stick out at the ends. A trailing brown button-up coat over a floral undershirt with a huge bow appearing from the collar. Short capri-style pants with dark black stripes. One striped and one solid sock, with light brown lace-up loafers. He had pale white hands and a pale face with accented pink eye makeup that brought out his beautiful bright green eyes and streaked orange furrows for eyebrows. I couldn't help but blush slightly and look away from him to compose myself. After a few minutes Nivens came back with the others and I knew I'd have to tell my story now.

"Alright dear one, everyone is here what is it you wanted to tell us." Queen Mirana said and I took a deep breath holding onto the book mother wrote.

"Well it's sorta complicated and I wanted to tell you my story and how I know about Underland, but there is no happy ending." I said and they all nodded.

"Why not start at who wrote the book." Nivens said. I sighed and looked down at the book in my hand.

"My mother wrote this book shortly after I was born, she would always tell me she wrote it so she would have bedtime stories to tell me. It became my favorite book. It became our book that we would always read together. Or at least it was until she died when I was fourteen years old. That was five years ago today." I took a deep breath trying to compose myself so they didn't see me break down.

"What happened to your mother?" Cheshire asked and I looked up at them.

"She was on her way home from China, there was a storm and her ship went down. They never found her but they said its more than likely she drowned."

Mad Hatter's POV:

I froze when she said her mother was in China. That's where Alice had always gone for business, but Anna looked like she was about nineteen years old. If Alice had a child wouldn't she have mentioned it the last time she was here? None of this was making any sense but Alice was the only one who would know all about Underland.

"Who was your mother exactly?" Mirana asked what we were all wanting to know.

"My full name is Anastasia Kingsley. My mother was Alice Kingsley." Anna said and I gasped as I felt my heart break. My dear friend was gone and she was never coming back. I stood up and walked over to Anna looking at her again and I could see a little bit of her mother in her features.

"You look a lot like your mother. And you have her muchniss." I said with a sad smile.

"Mother always said I looked like my father. I wouldn't know though. I've never met my father." She said looking down.

"She never took you to see him?"

"She said he was someone she met while she was in China the first time. She came back to London with me when I was four. She didn't really talk about him much." She said looking down.

"I know mother said I have his eyes and that my hair color is almost exactly like his but that's all I know." she looked at me and smiled a little.

"She always talked about you, she said you were her best friend and she hoped you and I would meet one day. I guess she knew something would cause me to come here at some point." I smiled a little at that.

"Yes, Alice always had a knack at knowing things like that. And I'm glad we have met Anna." I said and sighed.

Anna's POV:

I looked down as he sighed knowing he's disappointed that I'm not my mother. I looked over at Mirana.

"If it's alright i'd like to stay for a little while, I know i'm not my mother but I can't go back and have everyone look at me with pity and look at me like i'm about to fall apart. If it's not ok then i'll go back to my world and suck it up like i always do and throw my pain into my music."

"You sing?" Mirana asked and I smiled a little.

"Yes, I do. I've been doing it since I was thirteen, back home I'm kinda famous. I'm not bragging, just not used to people not knowing I sing."

"It's alright Anna, we understand," she said with a smile.

"You can stay as long as you would like." I smiled gratefully.