The Hatter ran as the town bells tolled, running from building to building and placing both hands on them, frosting them with his ice and providing invisible protection from the fires, choosing them seemingly at random. He knew he wouldn't be able to get them all, but if he could stop the fire from spreading, he would be saving much more of the town. The townspeople, roused by the bells, were shouting and running about, tossing bits of armor to each other and herding the women and children into underground cellars.
"Hatter!" Lumiere called, shining in his armor. "Why aren't you in your battle gear?"
Reginald lifted the edge of his orange coat, exposing the light armor and sword underneath. "I'm ready, Lumiere, don't you worry about me." He called back.
Lumiere looked relieved. Reginald gave him a grim smile and went back to fortifying this side of the town as the skinny man tossed him a respectful salute and ran off to the town's edge, where the militia was preparing for the imminent attack.
He heard Ears' voice ring loudly in the air, calling out the all clear at a belowground shelter, closing the doors to hide the terrified women and children inside. Reginald ran to coat the outside with ice, nodding at the grateful Hare.
"I think that's the last of them." Ears said, panic shaking in his voice.
"Run back and make sure. I have to get to Alice's house and make sure its protected."
Ears nodded and dashed off. Reginald looked to the sky in the distance, hoping that the darker-than-night patch that he saw was a figment of his imagination and not a great jabberwocky circling its prey.
….
Mary Anne flew over the town on the back of her jabberwocky, causing terror and panic in her wake. Almost a month of strategic planning was coming together beautifully. Despite the losses and challenges, she was pleased. After all, no reward is worth more than one you work to obtain. She leaned over, looking for the Hatter's home in the town, gleefully watching as the people scrambled, like ants in a great, disturbed ant pile.
Her revenge was almost complete. With the destruction of the Hatter's hometown, one of the biggest in Wonderland, she could pick off the rest of the smaller towns at leisure. Soon, Wonderland will fall and she will have solidified her grasp on permanence in this fantastic world. She would never have to go back to that miserable place she left behind.
She felt the old sting come back into her heart. She felt the insult at the Hatter's rejection and the rage at being thrown out. That day he was supposed to make her a permanent member of Wonderland. Instead, she was replaced by a snotty, privileged little child, who would take this paradise for granted, leave it, and then have the gall to return when she wanted, stealing Mary Anne's Hatter in the process.
Before Wonderland, she lived a miserable existence. Her mother was a gutter maid, crawling in the filth of the streets for scraps of bread, or offering her body for a night in a warm, clean bed, while her father, a thief, was executed for his crimes when she was small. There was no hope for her to be found, and the few measly coins that she could gather for food by selling roots and mushrooms from the woods barely bought her a loaf of bread to last a day. Often, she survived by eating her wares, throwing up into the same gutters she slept in when she ate a bad mushroom.
Life was bleak then, and when she slipped and fell into an open basement and tumbled into a Looking-Glass, it had finally looked up. This world she found herself in was blissfully free of the coldness and neglect of the world she left behind. She settled into a life of comparative luxury, managing to get herself her first decent job as a maid in the White Rabbit's residence. It was there that she heard the rumor that all Visitors, such as herself, were only temporary, and that eventually she would have to go back.
She grabbed every book she could, searching for any clue on how to stay in Wonderland, but found nothing. Her obsession and desperation turned into a worm inside her, eating away at her soul, bit by bit, until it consumed her. She became possessed by it. It was then she met the Cheshire Cat, and the Cat nurtured her obsession, feeding her hints and tricks that she was quick to follow. She learned about the bond that could give her permanence, and thus, she set out to snare a groom.
That was when she met The Mad Hatter.
He was rumored to be a heartbreaker by women who still sighed whenever they said his name. He was untamable, wooing women with the skills of a Casanova, then leaving them in the middle of the night, forgetting their names by the morning. If she were to snare him, she would be considered a powerful woman: one who could tame a wild, albeit insane, horse.
If that didn't cement her permanence, nothing would.
She planned her seduction carefully, 'accidently' crossing paths with him, snubbing him to get his attention. She touted herself as "unobtainable", and spread rumors of broken-hearted, would-be suitors that she left trailing in her wake. He blithely accepted the challenge and they took to the streets as a brand-new couple. She did everything to keep him dazzled, telling stories and dressing to advantage, not realizing that he had already lost interest. He had been disappointed with how easy it was to obtain her, and grew bored the moment she dropped the act, thinking his love was secure. She preened and showed him off, as if he was a jewel at her throat, but turned a blind eye at the signs that things were falling apart. In fact, she refused to see them. At every moment she felt him start to move away, all she had to do was tear up, pouting with her sweet, raspberry lips, until he gave in, resigned. She was sure she had him completely under her control.
He broke their courtship off in a party full of friends and acquaintances. In front of everybody, He sung to her his rejection in a way that she could not deny. Then, he failed to fall back under her spell. She was spurned and furious.
Humiliated, she went to his home, stole his precious orange coat out of sheer spite, and retreated to her secret hiding place: the Looking-glass Parlor. It was there as she was pacing and scheming that the looking-glass pulled her out.
When she was thrown out, she had landed on the streets of a strange city, a full hundred years after the time she entered. It was 1890 and her family was long gone. Not that it mattered to Mary Anne, but now she was completely alone.
Not willing to part with the pilfered orange coat, she instead sold her dress, shoes and jewelry for just enough to get her a more conventional set of clothes than her flattering party-dress, and secure a job as a servant to a wealthy family. She was able to survive, but she was bitter and cynical, hating the world that she deemed inferior to Wonderland. She swore that she would get back somehow.
She was cleaning the floors of the library when a book caught her eye: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. She snuck it to her room in her skirts and hungrily read about the girl who blundered around HER paradise, only to wake up back home. She came to the grim conclusion that this girl was her replacement, and a failed one at that. She read the second book, the one that described the Looking-glass, and her convictions were confirmed. On a trip to the market, she saw a faded poster with a picture of a beautiful blonde woman. It was Alice Liddell, the same Alice from the books, and she had been missing since 1876. Mary Anne burned with fury, knowing beyond the shadow of a doubt, that the woman had gone back to Wonderland.
How dare she.
She met Alistair in a pub. He was a young man, hopelessly besotted with her. More importantly, he was a Wonderlander. He had passed into this world from Wonderland, and, because he could move through freely, was able to bring her valuable information. She nearly choked with rage when she heard that her Hatter was so ardently pursuing this woman who had replaced her. Mary Anne convinced Alistair to let her into Wonderland. In exchange, she promised that together they would rule Wonderland as King and Queen.
He brought her to the Looking-glass, but when they both tried to get in, it only allowed Alistair to pass, sealing her out. She realized that, as long as Alice was in there, she was trapped out in this miserable world. Alistair would have to bring the dratted woman to the glass and find a way to seal it after the exchange was made.
But something went horribly wrong. The exchange occurred, her beloved Hatter breaking the glass, but Alistair wasn't there and the world started falling apart. She could only conclude that their plans had gone wrong somehow. She had to improvise.
She was knocked out of her thoughts when the jabberwocky flew down closer to the town and she spotted a familiar orange coat and oversized hat running up an avenue, heading towards a dainty little home on the outskirts of town. Was that he and Alice's little love nest? Her lips split into a delighted grin. She couldn't allow it to remain standing.
The Jabberwocky inhaled, his massive chest expanding beneath her. With an earsplitting shriek, the flames shot out of his mouth and lanced towards the home, hot enough to melt stone.
The pillar of fire hit its mark, uncannily accurate. She leaned back, a sigh of satisfaction leaving her lips. They arced back around to watch the flames consume the offending home.
To her surprise, the home was untouched. The Jabberwocky must have missed.
The Jabberwocky needed a moment to recharge his breath. It flew in a circle while she inspected the area, noting that there was no evidence of the flame, even in the garden around the cottage. She furrowed her brow in confusion.
The jabberwocky inhaled again after a few minutes, releasing the pillar of fire once more. She leaned down to make sure that it hit its mark.
It did, but had absolutely no effect. How curious.
They landed on the road next to the cottage and Mary Anne slid down the Jabberwocky, eyeing the house suspiciously.
She placed a hand on the small gate, recoiling as the wrought iron burned her hand with icy cold. She leaned over and saw a thin layer of ice, hovering over the ground and covering the entire house, rendering it untouchable to the Jabberwocky's flame.
She felt the ice beneath her feet melt with her rage. Looking down, she eyed the pooling liquid, a slow smile forming on her face. She looked up at the house and held her hand up, willing a lime green flame to form in her palm, growing in size and intensity. She pulled her arm back to launch her fireball.
A beam of ice collided with her hand, fizzling out the fireball. Her shriek of pain and outrage echoed in the night. Her hand was white and steaming, with painful blisters blooming on the skin. She snarled and turned to the Hatter, hate dripping from her eyes.
Reginald regarded his old paramour, his face an expressionless, pale mask; as empty as an ice sculpture. Mary Anne felt her heart slow in fear. She had never seen her Love look so hateful and condemning. She reflexively pulled her mouth into a pout, not realizing that it was a horrible parody of her beautiful, sensual self.
The Hatter's lips curled in disgust. He raised a hand, shards of ice swirling in his palm.
Mary Anne dropped the pout, her face darkening with contempt as she hissed. "How dare you."
"I dare a great deal, Mary Anne." He said, his unconcerned tone a slap in her face.
She stiffened, hands clenched at her sides. "You humiliated me, destroying my heart. You broke an innocent girl, tossing her away like a cheap hand kerchief!" She wailed.
"INNOCENT?" Reginald roared, his eyes blazing in fury.
Mary Anne stepped back, stumbling over her suddenly frozen boots.
"You are FAR from innocent, you worthless little tart." He seethed, stepping up to her. "You were going to use me, to trap me into a contract to secure your own ticket to permanence."
Mary Anne saw herself reflected, small and frightened, in his glassy, frost-lined eyes. She hated seeing herself so weak. Her hatred gave her something to hold on to.
"Eat me!" She howled, her voice quivering with rage and pain.
At that moment, His face softened, filling with regret.
"Its not too late, Mary Anne," He said, finally. "We can fix all this without anyone getting hurt."
He saw her freeze, a brief hesitation at his words. A glimmer of hope flickered though his mind, then a fireball she prepared collided with his stomach. His breath rushed out with a whoosh, sending his hat tumbling off into the darkness. She was on him in an instant, kicking and punching him, screaming shrilly. She amplified her blows with fire that sapped his strength and stole his breath. She straddled him, grabbed him by the collar, and lifted his face to meet hers.
"Hurt, damn you. Hurt like I did." She snarled.
"I have," He murmured weakly, "The day I was standing here at this house with my heart in my hands." He opened his eyes, pain pouring out. "And she closed the door in my face."
She found herself flung backwards, hitting the ground before she realized that he had hit her, ice shards growing from her stomach.
Reginald stumbled to his feet, staggering upright. He held up a fist, snow spiraling around it. He looked down at the woman where she cowered, blood flowing down his face, obscuring one glacial eye. He hesitated once more.
"Please, Mary Anne," he pleaded, "Stop this and come with me." He reached out, the snow evaporating as his hand extended towards her.
That was all the opening she needed.
The jabberwocky's tail whipped out.
The Hatter's world plunged into darkness.
….
The army had been driven back, dispersing not long after the jabberwocky flew away. Shang's militia had been trained well for the fight, and their helmets, enchanted with the Hatter's touch, protected them from being turned into fire soldiers for the enemy's army. The next morning, she sun rose to reveal a battered, but still intact town. The women and children emerged from the shelters, blinking at the light of day.
Shang praised his men for the victory, rousing a great cheer from the men. The celebration was short lived, however, as the March Hare walked into their midst, eyes hollow with grief, and a crushed, oversized hat in his trembling paws.
….
Alice walked into the parlor, dressed in her mauve, long sleeved dress. She was quiet, watching figures that weren't there, following them around the room with her eyes. Had a tourist wandered in, they would have thought she was a ghost from a time long past.
In that regard, she was, she supposed.
She walked up to the mantle and reached up to take down her father's sword. The absence of dust on the ancient sheath told of the meticulous care that was given to her old home. She was grateful.
"Take it, Aunt Alice." Regina said from the door. "Its yours, after all."
Alice admired the young woman, whose face, so similar to her own at first glance, had blended with other features from other people: People whose stories and lives were part of the fabric that combined to create this person standing before her.
She was proud to be one of them. She was happy to have seen all her descendents, and to see that her old home was well maintained after all those years, but grief at the loss of her parents and sister once again threated to choke her.
Alice pulled the sword out of the sheath a few inches and saw her eyes reflected back from the steel. The eyes were pained, dull and hollow, but something deep inside was still very much alive.
She turned and strode to the room where her family gathered. It was almost time to leave. Their grim, determined faces looked at her, proud and encouraging. Belle and Mulan had already packed what they needed and were standing by.
Alice knelt to consider Marcus's dear face. He looked so brave, with only the slightest tremble of his lips betraying how he felt. She smiled sadly, running her hand over his brown skin.
"Take care of yourself, dear Marcus. Give Grandma my love."
The boy stood taller, his voice clear and strong. "I will, Miss Alice, I promise."
She hugged the boy close, swallowing her tears for his benefit. Rising to her feet, she looked at the gathered people and said her goodbyes.
Alice's Rabbit Hole had become a shrine after the books became popular. What was once a child-sized hole at the base of a tree had been turned into an actual doorway, fancifully constructed to look as garishly wonderland-ish as possible. As strange as it looked, Alice was relieved. She had such a time wriggling through it as an adult the second time she passed through it.
"Are you ready?" Mulan asked. Belle nodded and adjusted her pack.
Suddenly, Alice felt the blade edge rest on her neck. Fear skittered down her spine as someone's hot, fetid breath panted in her ear.
"Don't you move." A low, seething voice barked in her ear, causing her to flinch.
Belle gasped, eyes wide.
The hooded man from the Looking-glass parlor tightened his grip on the dagger, pulling Alice's hair back and exposing more of her pale neck to his blade. Mulan and Belle cried out in fear and protest.
"Wait… Alistair?" Belle whispered. "What are you doing?"
The man glared at the brunette, hate in his eyes. "I'm making sure you don't screw up all of our careful planning."
Mulan looked back and forth, eyes wide. "Who is he, Belle?"
"He lived near the shop, always skulking about, asking questions." She whispered, horrified. "You were spying on us? Working with Mary Anne?"
"Mary Anne is my princess, and soon to be my Queen." The man snarled. "You will NOT ruin our plans." He sucked in a breath, hissing. "I will end this right now!" The dagger lifted from Alice's neck and moved to the side, preparing to rip across.
Alice moved quickly, snapping her head back and hearing the satisfying crunch as his nose broke from the impact with her head. She ducked down low and swept out a leg, kicking his feet out from under him. He hit the ground with a painful yelp. She drew her sword and wasted no time holding him in place with the tip resting on his neck.
He whimpered, holding his broken nose, blood pouring out from behind his hand. He eyed the sword blade, then began to laugh.
"For a second, I thought you had found the vorpal sword!" He laughed, his voice tinny with his pain. "I see I had nothing to worry about after all!"
"Vorpal?" Alice whispered.
"The vorpal sword to kill the jabberwocky." Mulan said, rushing forward to bind the man's hands. "I had hoped that would be it."
Alice turned the ordinary blade in her hand as Belle and Mulan dragged the bound, laughing man to his feet, with Mulan hissing threats into his ear.
"Alice, it will have to do. We don't have time to search for it. We'll have to figure out another way to deal with the Jabberwocky."
Alice grimly sheathed the sword and nodded, following them to the Rabbit Hole.
Alistair cackled wildly, a touch of madness in his voice.
"Shut UP!" Mulan snarled, slapping the man across his bloody face.
"Oh nononono!" The man shrieked, his voice bubbling with mirth. "You filthy tramps think that this would be that easy?" He howled with laughter.
Belle paused, her eyes darkening with anger. "What do you mean, Alistair?"
"Ever hear of the One-for-one rule?"
Belle gasped, her hand flying to her mouth in horror. "Oh NO!"
Mulan elbowed the man in the stomach, folding him. "What the HELL do you mean?" She snarled.
Belle's eyes were unnaturally wide. She went ashen, barely able to speak. "Alice… as long as Mary Anne is in there…"
"Another Otherlander can't get in…" Mulan murmured, her face becoming slack with comprehension.
Alice felt the coldness grip her heart as the realization dawned on her.
The man was still howling his laughter. "Snotty, privileged little whore has no TETHER! You won't ever get through" He bellowed into the night.
Fire started in her heart, a small ember being blown into flames. She raised her chin, her entire body slowly screaming her defiance. She walked to the fantastical door and ripped it open, the impact of the slamming door breaking it at its hinges. An invisible barrier filled the dark gap, unseen, but she could feel it there like static electricity. Her wrist glowed, almost imperceptibly, in response.
Alice turned, looking over her shoulder, her face a cold, righteous mask of fury.
"Watch me." She said, the words whistling sharply through the air.
She stepped through the barrier into Wonderland as if through a sheer curtain, the familiar, welcoming joy filling her as the magic returned.
She closed her eyes with relief, heart glowing. Then snapped them back open as an outraged roar filled the hollow space.
"HOW DID YOU—?" Alistair shrieked, "WHO DID YOU BOND WITH? WHEN?" He was foaming at the mouth in terror and wrath.
Mulan roughly twisted him forward and grinned. "That's not all, you dishonorable little rat."
Belle lifted Alice's hand, still holding the sheathed sword. The sword slipped out just enough to display the magical edge, shining dangerously.
It was too much for the man, who choked in his apoplectic fit and gagged, eyes furious and bitter.
Mulan shoved him forward and he fell, like a sack of potatoes, down the rabbit hole. With a salute, the lovely woman followed.
Belle hugged Alice tightly, hope glowing in her sparkling brown eyes. "We can do this!" She whispered fiercely. "We're going home!"
Alice watched her leap into the Rabbit Hole, feet first. She took a deep breath, a smile curving her lips. She felt the touch of the Cheshire Cat on her mind, saw the half-moon grin. She fell forward, eyes glowing with battle fire as she arrowed down, headlong into Wonderland.
Wait for me, Reginald. I'm on my way.