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Tarrant believed that, Time being Time, would always take Little of himself when making decisions about matters that weren't related to the Chronosphere or Underland's flow of time and reality.
Time wouldn't bother thinking for too long about the trivial matters of the mortals. It wasn't in his nature to do so.
Tarrant was sure of it, and so he had expected an immediate answer to his petition.
His judgement however, only showed how little Tarrant knew of Time, and all he got from him was silence.
Grimly, Time sat down on the leather chair in front of the chimney and contemplated the fire for many minutes, brushing his moustache with his fingers.
"So…" Tarrant ventured.
Time glowered at him.
Scared, Tarrant bit his tongue. It was probably best to leave Time in peace.
The deeper Time was in thought, the stronger the gears on his heads clinked and sparkled, exhaling numerous puffs of steam.
Wilkins snapped his fingers at the Favorite Second, and it soon was sitting on one of Time's shoulder pads. It continuously poured oil in the engines behind its Mater's head.
"Too much overheating disturbs his thinking." Explained Wilkins to Tarrant, after the butler noticed the hatter's curiosity. He was standing next to him, with his hands behind his back.
"Yes, of course. One should always keep a cool head when making decisions!" Said Tarrant.
Wilkins sighed and pretended he hadn't heard.
"It could also cause him great harm." Wilkins continued. "If only one of his gears or cogs was to melt down…"
"What would happen then?"
"You don't want to know." Stated Wilkins, giving a definite end to the banter.
That was a shame for Tarrant, who soon found the waiting too boring to continue standing still. He decided to walk around the room quietly in search for something to distract himself with, thought there wasn't much to look at after his Favorite Second had destroyed most of Time's decorations and trinkets.
The books on the shelves didn't entertain Tarrant for long either, except for one with several poems written in a weird language.
It was a curious piece.
"Please, can you not touch what remains of Time's book collection?" Wilkins asked with curtsey but little patience. "That Second already destroyed half of it, and you needn't add to its squander."
"Don't worry so much, Wilkins." Grunted Tarrant, putting the book back in its place. "So much stress is making a grump out of you."
"It's part of my job, sir. I'm just doing what I must." Wilkins said, with equal resignation and seriousness.
Tarrant was tempted to ask him why, not out of interest, just for the sake of having a conversation. Instead, he saw something that finally caught his attention.
It was Time's hat. Tarrant picked it up and dusted it off.
Though out fashioned and not too comfortable, it was a clearly the job of a master hatter. Resistant and perfectly tailored.
A marble of his trade, Tarrant had to admit, even if his tastes of design and composition were different.
It was antique, but maybe with just a few modifications and upgrades….
"I know you don't like me very much and you think I'm a clumsy clown." Tarrant said to Wilkins, as he helped him pick up the many metal pieces from the floor.
The butler laughed and nodded.
"Sir, trust me, my thoughts are not so simple. That's not half of what I truly think about you."
"But anyway, can I use some of this spare pieces and Time's tools for a moment?" Tarrant asked, not hearing to what the butler had said. "I won't take long, I promise."
Wilkins looked at him with his eyes half closed, holding a bunch of cogs in his arms.
"What for?" He inquired with a suspicious tone.
"It's a surprise." Whispered Tarrant while pointing at Time, who was still deeply lost in thought.
Wilkins' answer, unlike Time's, was immediate.
"Absolutely not." He spoke with all the authority his squeaky voice allowed. "This metal is not the same you mortals use to build your vulgar creations. It is one of a kind, only used to keep Grand Clock in good shape and many other important matters you wouldn't understand. You can't just use it to adorn a hat! What an idea."
"Think it about it this way, Wilkins. Time is the Grand Clock and the Grand Clock is Time, right?" Asked Tarrant, to which Wilkins agreed. "They are one and the same. Now, if Time is out fashioned, then so is the Grand Clock. And this would mean Time has become obsolete. A rather dangerous concept, isn't it? It could render Time as irrelevant!"
Wilkins had no words.
For such a stupid reasoning, it made sense.
Or maybe for something so senseless, it actually wasn't all that stupid.
"Just be quick about it." Wilkins conceded, starting to think that he was getting too old for that job and wishing he could have his own doses of oil soon. "And no more shouting!"
Tarrant had to cover his mouth. The excitement he always felt when crafting a hat was always encouraging, but now it overwhelmed him. The fact he was about to use all the knowledge of his trade on the hat that belonged to none other but Time himself was a highlight on the history of his profession, and especially of the Hightopp clan.
His heart sunk at the memory of his family.
It was better he started working at once.
Tarrant quickly became immersed in his job. The seconds and the minutes no longer made sense to him, and all the he cared about for a brief moment were the cogs and chains he sewed, the mechanisms he attached, the silk he cut and the borders he warped.
It made him feel like he was home.
He finished modifying the hat at the same time the echo of a striking pendulum resonated in all the castle. It was a low and chilling sound.
It pulled Time out of his meditations, and he left the room without explaining where he was going or when he would return.
"I swear; they have the worst timing to stop ticking. I can't have a moment of peace, I just can't." Complained Time as he went to attend to the call.
The Favorite Second dutifully remained on his shoulder, much to Tarrant's dismay.
Now he would have to wait in the chamber until Time came back, and that could take from a couple of minutes to a couple of days.
"Wait right here, and don't open the wardrobe. Getting the dodo and all those birds back inside is not as easy as it seems."
Of course, he still had Wilkins to guide him!
The leader of the Seconds could be intelligent, but he certainly wasn't fast, and so he could only try to outrun Tarrant as the hatter followed right behind him, regardless of his complaints and threats.
Wilkins hoped the Hour would stop the hatter, but it was the Hour's time for a nap.
"No wonder no one respect us." Wilkins whimpered.
"I do." Answered Tarrant. He was literally stepping on Wilkins' heels.
Wilkins sulked and started to walk, knowing there was no way he could get rid of the Hatter for the moment.
"Please don't talk to me."
"That's rude."
"I don't care."
"That's ruder."
Wilkins sighed.
It was the longest walk he'd ever had.
It didn't take long before they catch up with Time. They found him in the His-shaped corridor, lying on the floor after one of his shoulder pads got stuck along the way again.
"Why does he even have a corridor with his shape?" Tarrant questioned as Time got up, with the Favorite Second jumping back to his shoulder and soothing his master with a doses of oil.
"So he can fit in." Explained Wilkins, shrugging. "He thinks it makes sense."
"It does. A lot." Nodded Tarrant, satisfied with the explanation.
"Why do I even bother?" Said Wilkins, putting a hand on his forehead.
Eventually, they reached the opposite chambers of the Living and Deceased Underlandians. The Minutes guarding the entrance of the Living chamber bowed their heads to Time and stepped aside.
Time entered with a solemn look on his face, and caught a glimpse of Tarrant as he was about to be attacked by the Minutes.
He thought Wilkins would call off the attack, but he had to intervene when one of the Minutes seized Tarrant by ankle and put him upside down.
"Cease with it, imbecile!" He snapped. Tarrant didn't know if Time was referring to him or the Minute, though it could well be both.
The Minute whimpered and was reduced to a docile pup in a heartbeat. It let go of Tarrant without worrying about the hatter hitting his head.
Time didn't worry either. Another small hit wouldn't make the Hatter any crazier than he already was.
Meanwhile, Tarrant got back on his feet while Wilkins tried, rather uncaringly, to keep the Minutes appeased.
"Tell them they can stand down. I have no interest in knowing what happens there." Tarrant explained.
"A few precautions never harmed anybody." Wilkins smirked with condescendence. "I hope you weren't hurt, sir. It was a nasty fall."
"Ah, it was! But nothing can hurt me while wearing this." Tarrant took off his Gyre hat and revealed another hat under it. Wilkins' jaw dropped at the sight of his master's hat.
"You were rendered speechless by its greatness, weren't you?" Asked Tarrant , not without cockiness. "It's isn't perfect, but it's not so bad either, just like Time himself. I'm sure he'll like it."
Wilkins stuttered and blabbered incomprehensible things.
"He doesn't need another gift, you fool!" Wilkins exclaimed at last.
"I've been called that a lot lately, and it's starting to annoy me." Tarrant said. "I have a name for a reason."
"Besides, you covered the spot that served as ventilation!" Continued Wilkins, pointing at the part where there once had been a free space, but was now covered by one of the Hatter's improvised mechanisms. "Didn't you hear me when I told you how important is to keep his head from overheating? Nobody listens to me!"
Tarrant patted Wilkins' head as if he was a dog.
"But I did. You just add some oil right here." Explained Tarrant, opening a tiny valve on top of the hat. He whistled as he followed with his finger a small tube that went down to the mechanism he had added. "And Ta-da! It will automatically spray some oil on Time's engines whenever he starts steaming. Genius, isn't it?... Or at least I thought so."
Wilkins own temperature was reaching critical levels, but he cooled down.
The hatter had actually listened to him.
He couldn't remember the last time someone had.
With a gentler disposition, he calmed the Minutes down and put his hands behind his back.
"It is very thoughtful of you." Wilkins gave a weak smile to the hatter. "I'm sure he'd appreciate it, but please sir, I must ask you not to give it to him."
"Why not?" asked Tarrant, checking the hat from all angles, trying to find a flaw.
"Trust me." Insisted Wilkins. It was more of a plea than an explanation. "Just don't."
Confused and a little worried for Wilkins, Tarrant put the two hats on and patted the butler's head again.
"Don't feel bad, I can make you a hat too." He offered with a gleeful smile. "Yes, I can! Just tell me what you want on it and I'll take care of the rest. I can even make hats for the Minutes and Seconds too. Each one personalized, of course."
Wilkins opened his eyes widely.
"That offer is not necessary." He said. "But it is appreciated."
Tarrant, though a bit disappointed, was happy to finally see Wilkins dropping his defensive façade.
A second later, Time returned.
He was holding a closed pocket watch on his hand.
Tarrant looked away, knowing it was the sleeping soul from someone. He wondered how Time could hold it with so much indifference.
Perhaps habit had dulled all sentimentality.
"Hatter." Time's voice was too authoritative for Tarrant to ignore.
He looked at him, trying his best to keep his eyes away from the pocket watch.
It was difficult for him to decipher Time's expression. At first glance, he appeared to be angry, but if one looked at him long enough, something resembling sadness would color his features.
"Yes?" A confused Tarrant asked.
The Second on his shoulder poured oil one last time before jumping down. It rubbed itself softly against Tarrant's leg and went to Wilkin's side.
Its eyes never departed from the floor.
Time went to the entrance of the opposite chamber, where Underlandians could find their eternal rest. The Minutes opened the gates for him and he entered.
"Come with me."
Tarrant and Wilkins were equally surprised and against the idea.
Tarrant knew nothing good waited for him in that chamber.
Wilkins despised the idea of mortals having access to them.
The girl, Alice, had reminded him why.
Wilkins wasn't going to forget it anytime soon.
Yet, he couldn't do a thing when the Hatter decided to follow Time inside the chamber of the deceased. The idea of ordering the Minutes to attack him was tempting, but Wilkins couldn't bring himself to do it.
"Honestly." Sighed Wilkins as the Minutes closed the gates behind the Hatter. The Second leaned against his arm. Fondly, Wilkins patted its head. "I'm getting too old for this job."
Tarrant knew the true meaning of cold and darkness the moment he took his first step inside the chamber. It felt as if his life slipped away with every breath he took.
The pocket watches hanging from the nothingness above were like silent graves doomed to oblivion. And he was right.
Many of those names were already forgotten by everyone in Underland.
Only Time remembered them.
It was hardly a solace.
Being remembered by nobody was hardly any different than being remembered by someone who didn't care.
"Don't fall too far behind." Time said.
Tarrant closed his eyes and quickened his pace.
Abruptly, Time stopped. Tarrant did the same after he ceased hearing his footsteps.
With fear, he opened his eyes.
He could see how Time watched him with pity, and extended his hand to him.
He tried to avoid that sight and looked up, only to find a pendulum with an encrypted letter H. Behind it, there was an empty chain hungry for a watch to hold for all eternity.
Tarrant gasped and closed his eyes again until his eyelids hurt, thinking that if he took even the smallest glance at the watch on Time's hand, he would collapse.
It was only inches away. Tarrant had never desired to run away in his life as much as he did in that moment.
"Don't see the name, don't hear the name…" Tarrant hummed as he covered his ears.
"Hatter, you know what must be done." Insisted Time.
"I don't belong here. Why did you bring me here?" Asked Tarrant in despair. "It's cruel."
Time hesitated and lost some of his sympathy at the undeserved accusation.
"The last words this soul will ever hear before departing will be either my usual speech, or the farewell of its relative. Your choice." He declared sternly.
Tarrant knew Time wouldn't wait too long for him to decide.
With his remaining courage, Tarrant opened his eyes.
He was sure the watch's cover would show him his father's name.
It did not.
The relief he felt lasted nothing, and pain invaded his heart.
Poomally Hightopp
He took the watch from Time's hands, who barely gave him a moment to grief.
"Put it in its rightful place." Time said, thinking his guidance would lessen the hatter's pain.
Tarrant couldn't move. Instead, he stared with a soulless eyes at the broken watch that once had been his aunt.
Now she was nothing, only a memory.
Time realized he had made a mistake.
Now he knew that the task of putting their dead to rest was too unbearable for mortals.
Willingly or not, he had been cruel.
Regretting his ignorance, he attempted to take the watch back and hang it himself, like he had done for countless millenniums.
"Forgive me, it wasn't my intention- "
"No." Tarrant muttered, swallowing the lump in his throat. "It's… it's alright. I'll do it."
With a gentleness Time thought inexistent in someone as clumsy as the hatter, Tarrant joined the watch to chain.
"My dear aunt, you never understood me." Tarrant said as he caressed the watch with his thumb. "But you always loved me, and I won't forget that. Don't worry about Bim; he's a restless lad, but he'll turn into a good man. He loves you, like we all did. I promise our family will take care of him. Rest peacefully, you deserve it and so much more. Fairfarren."
The watch lost all of its weight. Tarrant felt as if he was holding nothing.
Poomally was gone.
He let go of the empty watch and remained in the same position for a while. His sight was blurred, but he didn't cry. Maybe he would once the pain sunk deeper, but for the moment, it was still too fresh and dull.
"Do you know where her body is?" Asked Tarrant with a sour voice.
The question took Time off guard.
"Your family doesn't know?"
"After I rescued her from the Ant Farm, Aunt Poomally started wandering on her own, digging holes night and day. Sometimes, she would wander too far away and we'd have to go and search for her. Her son, my nephew Bim, was usually the one who brought her back home." Tarrant remembered those times with fondness and bitterness alike. "But one day, we couldn't find her. We search everywhere, but it was in vain. Bim still goes and looks for her every day."
Time remained quiet.
Tarrant was still staring at her aunt's watch.
"Dig ,dig ,dig. Work ,work ,work. EARTHQUAKE!" Tarrant chanted. "That's all she could said, not a word more. She wasn't the same person she used to be, no one in my family is. The Bloody Big Head did that to them, and yet I'm expected to forgive her."
Tarrant anger's mixed with his grief, but the second overcame the former, and so he managed to keep his composure.
The mention of the Red Queen brought back bad memories to Time's mind. He hadn't been the only one that had suffered under Iracebeth's cruel hand. At times, that was easy to forget.
"There's nothing I can do, hatter." Said Time as respectfully as he could. "To me, you are all nothing but pocket watches. I can sense when you are alive, but I'm blind about how you spend your time, or where your bodies are put to rest in Underland."
"I see." Said Tarrant. "Did she died peacefully?"
"I do not know."
"I see."
"Hatter, there's something else I can't do." Time knew it wasn't the best moment, but he had no choice. The sooner he got on with it, the better it would be for everyone. "I won't help you find Alice. I understand you miss her, but that isn't of my concern. You are on your own."
"I see. Let's go back, please."
Time nodded. The Hatter said nothing in their way to the entrance.
Wilkins, the Favorite Second and the Minutes were there to welcome them. The Second tried to catch Tarrant's attention, but he ignored it.
All he wanted to do was to leave that castle and everyone in it behind.
"Time, thank you for letting me stay for so long and for considering my petition." Tarrant bowed his head. "Fairfarren. Wilkins, will you guide me back to the red room?"
"Of course, sir." The Leader of the Seconds agreed instantly, and one could swear he was smiling.
Time watched him go. The sad Second snuggled against his Master's leg, too affected by the Hatter's indifference.
"Hatter." Said Time before Tarrant was gone. "You think I'm cruel, but try to understand that my responsibilities don't allow me to do things for others. That's how it must be."
"I understand." Tarrant sadly smiled at Time. "And I don't think you're cruel. Oh, and by the way…"
The loss of his aunt almost made him forget. He took off both hats and handed Time his own.
Time inspected it carefully, not completely pleased with its new design.
He then glared at Tarrant with contained reproach.
"Bribes won't make me change my mind, Hatter." He stated firmly.
"It isn't a bribe, my friend." Tarrant said as he finished bidding farewell to his Favorite Second. "It's a gift."
Time didn't answer, not even to thank him. Tarrant hadn't expected him to do so, and he returned to Wilkins' side.
The butler didn't stop praising Tarrant for his good judgement, expressing how happy he was to see he had finally understood that Time didn't want to have visitors in his castle ever again. Wilkins hadn't been in a better mood in ages.
Soon, he and the hatter stood in front of the grandfather clock.
"You know the way, sir." Wilkins opened the clock's door.
With heavy steps and looking down, Tarrant entered he clock.
It was true he was only a clumsy clown, but Wilkins couldn't help but to take pity on the Hatter.
"Sir, you have to overcome this. You still have time, don't waste it on impossible dreams. Just be happy, that's all you are meant to do." He said to him, but Tarrant kept walking. "Auf Wiedersehen."
He closed the door, and this time, it was for good.
Only then, everything could finally go back to normal, to the way it was supposed to be, with no greedy interlopers disturbing Time ever again.
Wilkins would make sure of that.
That was the sole reason of his existence.
Tarrant mourned for days.
He wasn't the only one.
The Schnozzless' sprout never bloomed, and had succumbed to the Outlands unforgiving conditions soon after Tarrant departed to Time's castle.
As much as he regretted his friend's loss, Tarrant had little space in his mind and his heart for anyone besides his Aunt and his family.
Above all, he thought of his nephew Bim. He deserved to know.
Tarrant had to go back home and tell him, but he was unable to return to Witzend anymore.
It was mostly because of his longing for Alice, but also for the fear of putting his family through another experience as horrible as their imprisonment in the Ant Farm.
He couldn't act as if nothing had happened when there were reminders everywhere of the mark the Red Queen had branded in the Hightopp clan.
Not even his loyalty for Mirana would be able to keep him in check if the Red Queen crossed his way again.
It was only a matter of time before he lost control and did something, and his family would pay the consequences.
No, as long as the queens went on with their delusional truce charade, there was no place in Witzend for Tarrant.
Maybe his aunt Poomally had felt the same way.
He wished he had known her better, before the Iracebeth had scarred her mind beyond recognition.
It was a regret that whispered in his ear in the days to come.
Tarrant slowly went back to his daily life in the Outlands.
Routine and work silenced the regretful voice eventually, and Tarrant's inspiration to go to Upperland returned with more intensity than before.
Alice was the only home he could go back to, and he wouldn't give up on the hope of seeing her again.
He wouldn't add it to his many regrets in life.
With renewed spirits, Tarrant began with his attempts to go to Upperland, in spite of the lack of Time's help. It wasn't the first occasion Time wasn't on his side, and yet, Tarrant had managed to overcome them all.
There was no reason to think this would be the exception.
"Alice, wait for me. We'll be together soon." He promised, holding his Gyre Hat in his hand.
With all the strength he had gained in the Outlands, Tarrant launched it upwards to the sky. It took him higher than he thought possible, and as he pierced thorough the gray clouds, he believed he would succeed.
But the hat was no machine, and so Tarrant fell down.
He tried again the next day, and the day after.
Whenever he felt discouraged, he looked at the new sprout his friend had planted.
She hadn't given up, so why should he?
His body endured the crashes, but it started to take its toll after the first week.
Tarrant bandaged his wounds and sew the holes in his clothes with the red creepers. He soon became a red presence that soared the sky only to go back to the ground.
One day, he ate a generous ration of the red creepers and decided to climb up to the highest part of the hear-shaped castle and throw his Gyre Hat stronger than ever before .
"Look at you. Stubborn as a mule and as foolish as only mortals can be."
Tarrant almost lost his balance. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.
Wearing the hat he had modified for him, and with a bag full of metallic spare parts by his side, Time looked at Tarrant with his arms on his hips.
"Do you think that stupid hat of yours will take you to the kindergartner? Learn your limits!"
"Time!"
Tarrant threw himself at Time with his arms wide open. Time stepped aside before he could hug him, and Tarrant face planted on the floor.
"What is wrong with you? Control yourself!"
Compared to his most recent falls, that was just a tiny scratch, and he couldn't stop laughing as he laid like a plank next to Time's feet.
"You are here…" Tarant said with tears of happiness blurring his sight.
"But I never said I came to help you, you fool. I just came to find that stupid Second that is so fond of you. Then I'll go back to my castle and you shall never see me again."
"But it is standing right there." Tarrant pointed at his Favorite Second, who was sitting on Time's left shoulder pad.
"Oh. Well, my job here is done. Goodbye." Time then acted as if he suddenly had become offended. "What? It's not as if this was an excuse to come here, not all. Why do you think that? Your imagination is wild and crazy. I brought enough pieces to build a flying prototype, though that doesn't mean I will give it to you. Stop asking me to do it, hatter!"
"I didn't say anything."
"Oh, but you thought about it, I know it. You think Time is an old, selfish fool who never does anything for others, don't you? Well, you are wrong and I'll prove it to you. And no, I didn't cry when the kirdergartner gave me her father's pocket watch! Time never cries, so stop spreading that rumor."
"Time, I have no bloody idea what you are talking about." Tarrant got up and hugged him. Time struggled to get him off. "But thank you."
"If you stain my coat with your tears I'll age back into nonexistence, I swear." Threatened Time. "Then we'll see how much you thank me. Now seriously, get off or I'll tell the Second to attack you."
"I guess that means it would be …your watch dog."
"I have made a terrible mistake." Lamented Time as the Hatter let go of him and the Second on his shoulder jumped happily on his shoulder.
He saw a green figure holding a flower pot watching them from the other side. Time knew who she was.
She had always been by Iracebeth's side. For what Time remembered, she and her fellow fruit people always trembled whenever he got too close, and it seemed her feelings were unchanged, for she tried to run away and warn the guards about the intruder.
It was Tarrant who stopped her, and though she kept her distance, she managed to accept Time's presence with the curtsey he deserved.
It was a tiny gesture, but it felt good.
Maybe, Time thought, things would be different this time around.
Only He would tell.
Tick, tock…
Tick, tock…
Wilkins watched the hours pass by, waiting for his Master to return.
He had to take care of the Grand Clock.
As long as Time was absent, it was his job to do so with more diligence than before.
"Sir." He whispered to himself, with the Hour, Minutes and Seconds gathering around him. "Come back soon."
Together, they watched the Grand Clock's hands move around.
Tick ,tock…
Tick, tock…