Hello dear readers, here it is, chapter 4! I hope you will like it :)
One last thing that I need to tell you before you start reading. I know, that in the past chapters the grammar was a bit off. It might have to do with the following reasons -
• English isn't my mother tounge, even though I am very good at it, I might still do some mistakes and I excuse myself for that. I try my best :)
• The other one is the stupid autocorrector from my writing programm. I try to overwork the chapters one by one and get rid of the mistakes. Nevertheless I hope its not too bad and you can still enjoy it!
On with the story :)
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Flustered and totally shaken up, Alice hurried through the corridors. Her mind was spinning and her heart was hammering up to her throat. The blood whooshed in her ears and made no effort to leave her head. She felt hot, almost as if she'd caught a fever. Finally she arrived at the door to the room, Mirana had put her in. Quickly and without a second glance, Alice opened up the door and scurried inside. Closing the door behind her as soon as she stood in the room. A deep but quiet sigh escaped her lips and she closed her eyes. Her hands were still on the door handle. Her whole body was trembling. What just happened? Why did she even run away?
Slowly Alice let her hands slip from the handle and turned to let herself down at the wall next to the door. Softly the blonde pressed her hands on her cheeks and covered her face. It still felt hot. In fact, she was glowing but she didn't feel sick at all. Maybe she was indeed about to catch a cold from all the rain. After all, she had been walking about an hour to Miranas castle. Cold and wet and even dropped unconscious.
Leaning her head against the wall, she started recalling what had happened a few minutes ago. She tried hard to think of a proper answer but couldn't find one.
There had been many moments, in which she had been alone with the hatter. Alone and close but never like that. They were best friends after all, or at least that's what Alice always thought. Alice couldn't understand it. All this time, it was him, she missed the most, and now that she was back, she became a nervous wrack around him.
A light knock on the door, made her lift her head. Her heart beat that just calmed a bit, sped up immediately again. What if he was behind the door now? What should she tell him? She didn't even know an answer herself.
,,Alice"? A small but soft female voice called and the blonde breathed out, relieved. It wasn't the hatter. ,,It's me, Mallymkun, are you in there"? Alice blinked at he sound of the voice. The dormouse? ,,Yes" she answered. ,,Can I come in please"? Mallymkun asked and Alice thought for a moment. She couldn't avoid all who wanted to ask her questions. Mallymkun, after all, saw them together and deserved an answer. The small white mouse was, after all, the hatters best friend as well. ,,Come in"! Alice allowed her inside, stood up, opened the door, let the dormouse in and sat down on the bed.
,,Thank you"! Mallymkun walked in and quickly scurried over to the blonde. ,,How are you doing"? Alice didn't look at her ,,I don't know..." she answered honestly. Mallymkun blinked at her ,,I wanted to apologize about...uhm..us watching". ,,It's ok" Alice answered ,,You were curious and nothing happened anyway". Mallymkun tilted her head at that statement ,,What do you mean? Nothing happened"? Alice blushed in a bright red, as she realized ,,I uh...I mean nothing bad...we...we just talked". No matter how hard Alice tried to make it sound normal, in her head it all sounded weird. Mallymkun chuckled and hopped on Alice lap ,,I understand what you mean". ,,It's so weird Mally" Alice mumbled ,,It was never like that". ,,Hm"? Mallymkun continued to look at her questioning. ,,Me and Hatter...we could always talk about anything and now..". ,,Not anymore"? Mallymkun asked. ,,No" Alice aspirated ,,It's not like that...it's more...I feel weird..I get nervous...". The dormouse already knew what Alice was about to figure out, but Mallymkun knew how to keep that knowledge to herself and help Alice at the same time. ,,You like the hatter don't you"? ,,Of course I do"! Alice blurted out as if she got offended ,,He means a lot to me" and quickly added ,,you all do"! Mallymkun smiled at the blonde ,,Don't worry about it. We all loose our nerves sometimes. I've known Tarrant for a very long time Alice, he knows better than that, he will understand. You've been gone long enough, it's ok if your feelings are a bit confused". Alice sighed ,,Mally"? ,,Yes"? ,,Can I ask you something"? Alice looked away as she spoke ,,What'd happened after I went home..."? Mallymkuns face fell as she heard the question. They all tried to avoid to tell Alice. She'd promised the white queen to not tell Alice unless Tarrant himself would tell her. Now she had to tell around it. ,,Well, we were all very sad. We never stopped missing you. I for my part, as you might already know, I was so very very proud of you". Alice smiled and swiped her Finger across the dormouses head. ,,Thank you Mallymkun, but Mirana already told me that, yes. I don't know why, but I got a feeling there's more. If you know more, you can tell me". Mallymkun gave her a serious look. It was no use. She had to be honest with her. Mallymkun liked Alice far too much. ,,Alice" she took a deep breath ,,If you really want to know what happened to the hatter after you left...I suppose you ask him personally". Alice widened her eyes for a second but then understood. The gripping pain came back to her as she thought about the question that was burning in her heart. That must be the reason, everybody was hiding how the hatter was doing after she left. How much had she hurt the hatter really? ,,Alice"? Mallymkuns nose twitched, ready to rise her voice again but stopped as suddenly another knock made both jerk their heads to the door. Alice flinched so bad that Mallymkun jumped from her lap. Startled at the sudden reaction from the blonde.
,,Hello? Alice darling, are you in there"? It was Miranas voice and once more Alice let out a relieved sigh. Why was she so scared to face the hatter? This was not good, definitely not. ,,May I come in"? The queen joyfully asked. ,,Uhm...yeah, yes sure, come in"! Alice went to the door and let Mirana in. ,,Oh, I see you've got company"! The queen smiled at the dormouse. ,,Your highness"! Mallymkun curtsied in a funny way, making the queen laugh. ,,Now" she turned to Alice ,,I wanted to talk to you about a few things". The queens smile faded, as she saw Alice troubled expression. Mirana cleared her throat ,,Mallymkun dear, would you mind, leaving me and Alice alone for a bit"? Quickly the white mouse shook her head, jumping from the bed. ,,Of course not"! As she passed them, she gave Alice a last glance ,,You'll be alright Alice"! And then left. Mirana waited until the dormouse was gone entirely and then turned back to the blonde.
,,Alice...I've seen that face before, only that there's no dragon to slay this time". Alice swallowed, she was kind of angry with herself for feeling so confused and troubled. She had no idea why that was all of the sudden and all she wanted was to feel normal again.
,,What's troubling you Alice"? The queen asked. ,,I embarrassed myself..." the blonde started ,,Me and hatter, we were talking and...I don't know...something was different. And the twins, Bayard, Mc Twistp, they all...all of the sudden they fell out of the bushes and I got nervous". Mirana listened to her calmly ,,And then"? ,,I lost it and I ran away" Alice looked at her hands. Her cheeks started to burn again, which didn't pass the queen unnoticed. ,,And that's what troubles you so much? That they spied on you or that you ran away"? Mirana tilted her head and Alice pressed her lips together. ,,No...yes...maybe...I ..." she turned to face the queen ,,It's..more what would have happened if they didn't fell out of the bushes". Mirana gave her a puzzled expression, trying to stay serious. The queen already guessed what Alice was about to tell her and it was no surprise to her. Mirana had played with the thought of her and the hatter getting closer to each other and that's exactly why she'd installed them to be alone in her gardens for a while. ,,If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to my dear" she smiled again. ,,No.." Alice blinked ,,I want to talk about it...it's better ...I think..". ,,So what do you think would have happened"? Mirana continued to look at her. ,,I think we might ...we might have..." Alice started to blush even darker as her fingers fumbled the fabric of her dress ,,I think we might have kissed...". Mirana couldn't hide her smile anymore, so she grinned toothy at her. ,,And that's a bad thing"?
Alice whipped her head around in surprise ,,ah..." she blinked again, thinking about the queens words. Something in her stomach felt funny again. It was a warm tingle, a flutter. Could it be possible? Was it possible that the hatter had become more than just a best friend to her? Alice swallowed once more and looked Mirana in the eyes. ,,I don't know...I am confused...". ,,But you like him a lot, don't you"? Mirana continued to smirk at the blonde. ,,Yes I do..why does everybody keep asking me that"? Mirana put her hand on Alice shoulder. ,,Alice dear, don't burden yourself with too much thinking. Things will become clear in time". Smiling the white queen led Alice out of the room and walked with her up the corridor. ,,For now" she turned swiftly ,,Let me show you your dress for tonight". ,,My dress? For tonight? What is tonight"? Alice asked curiously, as she followed the queen. ,,The ball of course"! The white queen cheered. ,,The ball"? Alice blurted out. ,,Why yes"! Mirana chuckled and clapped her hands together ,,It's your 'welcome back' ball. Of course we will celebrate your return and you staying for a while". Alice smiled again. It felt good to get her thoughts off for a while. ,,When did you plan all this"? Alice hurried at the queens side. ,,Just earlier" Mirana answered simply and they went to another room. ,,Ready for your surprise"? The white queen asked and Alice looked at her questioning. ,,Surprise"? ,,Oh, you'll see" Mirana added quickly and opened the door. As soon as they entered, Alice eyes went wide and a deep gasp escaped her lips. In front of them, at a mannequin, hang a light blue ball gown. It had a lot of ruffles at the right side and a flower with small ribbons at the waist that reminded Alice a lot of the dress the hatter had done for her when she was as small as a lizard. The top was a tight corsage with a heart shaped neckline. Short, poofy sleeves made they dress look even prettier. It looked crazy and wild but fancy and subtle at the same time. ,,It's incredible Mirana, did you pick that one for me"? Alice smiled overjoyed at her but the queen shook her head. ,,It's a present, like I said. Tarrant made the dress for you". ,,The hatter"? Alice called out, a bit louder than she'd expected, causing Mirana to laugh. ,,B-but how...when? When did he do that? And how did he know about the ball when he was with me just about an hour ago"? Mirana gave Alice an amused look ,,Have you forgotten how fast he works"? Alice thought back to the moment when the hatter had sown her teeny tiny dress within seconds and a bunch of hats for the red queen within a short time. ,,No...I think I remember" Alice responded still amazed by the dress. ,,Want to try it on"? Mirana suggested. ,,Sure" Alice went up to the mannequin and took the dress off of it. ,,You can change behind there"! The white queen pointed to a room divider. A few moments passed until Alice came back out in the dress. Miranas mouth dropped open at the sight of her friend. The dress was absolutely perfectly made for Alice. It hugged her body and complimented her immensely.
,,How do I look"? The blonde asked a bit shyly. ,,You look wonderful Alice" the queen aspirated gleefully ,,It's just perfect for you". Alice smiled happily. ,,When will the ball start"? Mirana thought for a second ,,Soon. I will sent a few of my maiden to you to make your hair, we will see each other later then". Alice blinked in surprise. So quick? How fast did time pass when she was around her friends? The blonde sighed. How would he react, if he saw her? Alice wondered how he was about to look like, what he was about wear at the ball.
Sooner than expected Alice found herself ready and all dressed up in front of a huge mirror. ,,My lady looks absolutely marvelous in that dress" one of the maiden complimented her. ,,You'll be the attention of the whole evening" another one stated. ,,Thank you" Alice responded, still looking at her reflection. She looked so beautiful, she didn't even recognize herself. Her bangs were braided out of her face, while the rest of her hair fell in open curls over her back. Alice didn't wear much make up, besides a soft rose colored lipstick. ,,Here, this will make your look complete" the oldest of the maiden said as she put a small flower into Alice hair. ,,How do I find the ballroom"? The blonde asked the maiden around her. ,,We will escort you" the oldest answered. ,,Ready"? Alice swallowed. Her nervousness grew each second. ,,Yeah.." she turned and walked to the door, followed by the maiden.
In the meanwhile, the ballroom filled up with people from Underland and servants of both queens. Mirana was standing at the throne side, together with her sister, which looked a bit uncomfortable. ,,You'll get used to it Racie" her sister tried to encourage her ,,It's not that hard to be nice". ,,It's not me being nice to them, it's them looking at me like I'm some circus attraction" Iracabeth grumbled. ,,You look fine" Mirana assured her ,,It's still unfamiliar to them. Give them some time and they will surely forgive you". The red haired let out a snort and crossed her arms. Not quiet believing her sisters enthusiasmn. Not far away from the queens, stood the whole hightopp family. Tarrant, however, had walked over to the march hare, Mallymkun and the others. He wore his dark blue coat with suiting pants, a noble cyan colored waistcoat and of course his hat. For the last minutes he had been pacing nervously up and down in front of his friends like a tiger.
,,Tarrant, really, all this pacing won't make time pass by any faster" Mallymkun stated as she shook her head. ,,What if I chased her off? What if she changed her mind and left again"? Tarrants expression fell into a panicking one. ,,Calm yourself Tarrant. If that was the case, then this ball wouldn't go on still" Chessur purred as he floated above the hatters shoulder. ,,You haven't, by pure chance, considered to lend me your hat while you dance"? His grin grew wide as he turned upside down in the air. ,,I have not"! Tarrant quickly put his hands on each side of his hat. Holding it tightly, so the cheshire cat wont snatch it off. ,,Get your own hat" he added, glaring at him. ,,To bad" Chessur meowed ironically and vanished. ,,Oh look, there is Alice"! Mallymkun suddenly called and the hatters head whipped around instantly. As his eyes caught sight of the blonde, walking down the stairs, his heart skipped a beat and his mouth dropped open. Never had he seen her that pretty. Especially not in one of his own dresses. She was absolutely beautiful. Hypnotized by the sight, he walked towards her, stopping in the middle of the ballroom, waiting for her.
Slowly Alice went down the stairs. Her eyes immediately scanned the room for a certain someone. It was full of people. She instantly recognized the white queen, standing with her sister. Not far from them the hatters family and her friends. Finally her eyes fell on the hatter and her heart seemed to stop. He had his deep blue coat on that fitted him just perfectly. It made his hair look like flames. He looked her, dazzled and overwhelmed. For some reason, all the fear that Alice had had a few hours before vanished and all she wanted now was to run back in his arms and tell him she's sorry. But since everybody was watching, she decided to keep herself calm.
Both met in the middle. For a second both just looked at each other. ,,Alice" he then whispered, still amazed by her looks. ,,Tarrant" she spoke his name. The hatters eyes started to gleam at the sound of his own name. It was different when she called him by his real name. Her voice was soft but concrete. ,,You look breathtaking" he complimented her and she chuckled. ,,Thank you...I mean you do too. Thank you for the dress". ,,You're welcome my dear" Tarrant smiled at her. ,,Tarrant..." Alice called him again as she lowered her gaze as well as her voice. ,,Yes" he answered, also low toned. ,,I am sorry for what happened earlier" the blonde began ,,I've lost my nerves...I don't know why I did that...It was not not ok to just leave you standing there with no answer". Tarrants smile went even wider as he listened ,,Don't worry about it Alice". Quickly the blonde looked at him ,,Really"? ,,Really"! He assured her and then bowed slightly ,,For now, my lady, would you take this dance"? Alice beamed ,,Glady" and she put her hand in his and they started to dance.
,,Aaaaw, look at them" Paloo raved ,,They are so adorable together". ,,Is that her? Is that Alice"? Bim, the youngest hurtled at his sisters side. ,,Of course that's her" Paloo declared ,,It has to be her! Have you seen the way he had looked at her when she came down the stairs"? ,,spaced out"? ,,No, with love"! Paloo blinked. ,,Oh, and you are so sure because you were right in front of his face"? Bim frowned at her. ,,Don't be silly"! Paloo countered ,,I know Tarrant and I am not stupid! I know how people act when they're in love". ,,Urgh, don't even start" Bill rolled his eyes and sneaked back to flee from his sisters speech. ,,You are just jealous"! Paloo called after him. ,,As if" he countered. ,,Stop it" Tyva hissed at them and they stopped.
As Alice danced, hand in hand, in the hatters arms, she couldn't feel happier. It was a warm comforting feeling. It felt so welcoming and familiar. Both didn't even talk much, they just starred in each others eyes, smiling at each other. Since a long time, Tarrant found himself lost for words again. Normally he would get more words than he could handle, which would cause him to ramble but this time he was absolutely speechless. He felt more than happy, to have Alice back and it seemed like a dream to him, to have her so close, in his arms, dancing with her. If it was a dream, he wanted to never wake from it. He didn't know it, but Alice at that time, thought the same thing.
It didn't take long and all the others in the room, joined in the waltz. Mirana had grabbed her sisters wrist and pulled her onto the dance floor. ,,Come on Racie, a little dance won't hurt you". ,,I... don't... dance"! the red queen pressed through her teeth while she tried to get away from her sisters grip. ,,Yes you do"! The white queen gave it a last strong pull, causing her sister to stumble backwards. ,,Ok, ok, FINE" the red head stomped her feed ,,No need to drag me across the floor"! Mirana clapped her hand gleefully ,,Wonderful, have fun then"! ,,What"? The red queen blinked in shock ,,What do you mean"? Mirana didn't respond, she just pointed behind her sister with one of her mischievous grins. Stardled her sister turned, only to find one of Miranas servants holding a hand out for her. Completely dumbfounded, Iracabeth starred at the man in the white coat in front of her. It was so weird to her that someone greeted her with a nice gesture, let alone, having the nerve to even wanting to dance with her. After all that she's done? After she'd been so evil? And this man still wanted to dance with her? ,,Care for a dance my queen"? He smiled at her. A hint of pink sneaked upon the red queens cheeks and she blinked. ,,Err..uhm..". ,,I take that as a yes" and sooner than she could react, she was being swiped over the dance floor. Iracabeth knew very well how to dance, but right now, she was so shocked and overwhelmed, that she just stumbled around. Clumsy and awkwardly as if she never danced before. As the dancing pair, passed her sister, she glanced over to her with a expression that said ,,I'm going to kill you". Mirana, thereupon, started laughing heartily. Everything had changed since both sisters shared their reign. Iracabeth wondered, if her sisters servants really meant it, when they were being nice to her, or if they just put an act on. After all, it was Miranas attitude to be nice most of the time, so her servants.
Moments passed in which everybody just danced and enjoyed their time. Alice and Tarrant stopped. ,,Wow, can we take a break" Alice huffed, still smiling. ,,Of course my dear Alice, whatever you want" Tarrant responded. Both sneaked through the dancing people to the edge of the room, close to the stairs. ,,How come you're not exhausted from all that dancing"? The blonde asked. ,,Hmm, I guess I'm well practiced" the hatter grinned. ,,Oh, yes of course" Alice rolled her eyes jokingly ,,How was it again? Best futterwacken-dancer of all time? Now it's the best waltz-dancer as well huh"? Tarrant laughed at that, he never really experienced Alice being humorous, but now that he did, he loved it. ,,But you're also very talented, you know" he complimented her. ,,Compared to you? Pft" Alice shook her head ,,Everything about my dancing skills is just because I needed to learn it. It's a society thing up there, everybody needs to master the most common dances". ,,Oh how interesting"! Tarrant cheered. ,,I think it's tiring" Alice responded and Tarrants smile fell into a pout. ,,Why's that"? Alice looked back at the hatter ,,Dancing up there is not like it's down here. It's stiff and boring. The music is boring. The upper class people like it, but I never did". ,,So you don't like dancing"? Tarrant asked her sounding disappointed ,,Oh no, no" Alice quickly waved her hands ,,Not here, not this dance, not with you...er I mean...I love dancing with you...I mean..." Alice blushed as she realized how bad she was rambling. Wasn't this the hatters part usually? Tarrants smile came back on his lips as he watched her with adoring eyes. ,,Sorry" Alice fumbled her fingers as she frowned ,,That was embarrassing". ,,I think it's cute" the hatter blurted out without thinking and almost instantly widened his eyes in shock over what he just said. Alice starred at him, no less surprised, as he covered his mouth. He thought it was cute? Did that mean he thought she was cute? Both looked away from each other for a second, clearing their throats. Then he turned back to her ,,Alice"? ,,Hatter"? And there it was again, this awkward feeling, this awkward tension between them. This funny feeling, that made their bodies tingle as if a colony of ants was living in theirs veins. ,,Do you want to drink something"? He suggested to change the subject. ,,Yes, that's a good idea" the blonde agreed and together they went to the buffet to grab some water. ,,So.." Alice started ,,How's your family"? Tarrants expression lit up again ,,Oh good you remind me Alice, I've wanted to introduce you to them all the time. You will love them, they're all very nice" His usual happy lisp returned and Alice chuckled. The tension lifted and it felt nonchalant again. ,,I've got three siblings, my older brother, my younger brother and my younger sister. My aunt, my uncle from my mothers side, my aunt and uncle form my fathers side, my grandparents from both sides, my cousin and cousins..". Alice listened to him with amusement as she followed him towards his family. Her excitement grew, the closer they came. Alice instantly recognized the hatters parents first. She remembered their faces, since she'd seen them in the past because of the chronosphere.
,,Mother, father"! Tarrant stepped forward, grinning proudly ,,May I introduce to you" he pulled Alice next to him ,,Alice"! Alice smiled a bit nervously as his parents eyed her joyfully. ,,Oh how wonderful to finally meet you" Tyva cheered ,,Tarrant told us so much about you". ,,Did he"? Alice still smiled. ,,So you're Alice" Zanik moved next to his wife and reached his hand out to shake Alice hers. ,,Pleased to meet you sir" Alice tried hard to stay serious and act as if she'd seen them for the first time. ,,I wanna greet her too"! Paloo hurried through her family members and squeezed herself to the front. ,,Oh" she squeaked ,,Alice" she chuckled and stroked a few strands of hair behind her ears. ,,I've always wanted to meet you and oh wow you're so pretty"! Alice blinked at the hatters younger sister ,,Thank you, uh..". ,,I'm Paloo, Paloma actually" she laughed ,,I'm his younger sister". ,,I know" Alice tilted her lips. This girl was the most bubbly and exuberant one she'd ever met. She didn't even know how to handle her. ,,We definitely need to talk alone soon, I have a lot to ask you and oh, I can show you our house and my room and we can go buy dresses together, and...". ,,Paloo"! her mother hissed and stumped her lightly. ,,Oh...sorry...I was rambling again was I"? the ginger haired snickered. Alice had to hide her laugh. So it ran in the family. Only that the hatters rambling was somewhat special. One by one the whole family introduced themselves to Alice until a trumped call made them turn their heads.
The white queen was back on the throne platform and clapped her hands. The waltz had also stopped by now. ,,May I please ask for your attention for a moment please"? She called as she moved her fingers swiftly. ,,As you might already know, our champion has returned"! Loud applause broke loose. Alice pressed her lips together. It felt good but also overwhelming to get so much praise and attention. ,,Alice came back to Underland and she's planning to stay for a while". Another round of applause. ,,This ball is a celebration for her. Let us all have a wonderful time and say, Welcome back Alice"! With that, she smiled towards Alice.
Cheerful callings mixed with Alice name were dinning through the palace. Tarrant, who recognized Alice uncomfortable face, wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned in to whisper in her ear. ,,Maybe we should go somewhere, where it's more quiet"! A shower of goosebumps ran over her body, as she felt his breath brush against her ear. ,,yeah..." she agreed silently and together they sneaked through the crowd. Away from the turmoil.
Paloo, who had turned her head, caught eye of her brother, just sneaking away with Alice at his hand. ,,Bim"! She whispered ,,Bim...come here quick"! She waved her brother over to her. ,,What"? He looked at her questioning. ,,There, look, they're sneaking off together"! She pointed into the direction, where their brother was disappearing with Alice. ,,And"? He shook his shoulders ,,What did you call me for"? ,,We're going after them"! Paloo decided determined. ,,Are you nuts? We're not doing that"! Bim argued. ,,Why not"? Paloo pouted at her younger brother. ,,Have you ever heard something about privacy"? ,,Oh c'mon, don't be such a spoilsport". ,,I'm just not after to catch them kissing"! Bim declared. Paloo gasped and her eyes went even bigger ,,Exactly". ,,No! I'm not going" Bim shook his head and waved his hands ,,go alone if you want to go so bad". Now Paloo narrowed her eyes at her brother ,,You're scared"! ,,I'm not" he responded. ,,You're a coward". ,,I am not a coward" Bim crossed his arms offended. ,,If you come with me I wont tell Pim that you ate his favorite candy". ,,Urgh you're outrageous" he groaned and Paloo grinned in triumph. ,,Come on, I think I know where they went" Paloo whispered and sneaked forward. Bim right behind her. ,,I promise, If they catch us, I will kill you Paloo". ,,Yeah, yeah" she ignored him. At the staircase she looked around to make sure nobody watched them. ,,I'm not comfortable with this" Bim complained but followed his sister upstairs.
After a while of sneaking around, they finally heard quiet voices talk. ,,There" Paloo waved her brother over to her ,,I knew it, they're at one of the balconies". ,,Can't we just go back and leave them alone"? Bim begged but his sister did not give in. ,,I want to know if they have something going on" she explained. Both sneaked closer until they reached the wall that led around the corner to the balcony where Alice and Tarrant were standing. ,,Shht" Paloo put her finger on her lips to signalize her brother to be silent now.
Alice took a deep breath, as she looked over the balcony. It was the same one, they had stood on six years ago. ,,Weird isn't it? I feel as if it was yesterday. Me standing here, scared to slay the jabberwocky". ,,You thought it was a dream" Tarrant added. ,,Oh yeah" Alice smiled at the memory. ,,And you comforted me. ,,I'm glad I could" he looked at her. ,,Do you know, why a raven's like writing desk"? Alice laughed lightly at his question. ,,You don't even know that yourself". Her smile faded a bit and her expression got serious. ,,Tarrant"? She lifted her eyes to his ,,I am really thankful you were there. I don't think I would have had the strength if you hadn't been with me that night". Tarrant moved closer and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. ,,Everything for you my dear Alice". Closing her eyes, the blonde rested her head against his chest. ,,I really thought I would never see you again Alice" the hatter murmured quietly, as he rested his chin on the top of her head. Suddenly Alice shifted herself free from the embrace to look at him again with pure sadness in her eyes. ,,Hatter..." she aspirated sorrowful ,,I want you to know, that if it wasn't for my mother and my sister, I would have stayed. I did not want to leave you...not three years ago, not six years ago". Tarrant looked at her touched. It made him incredibly happy to know how Alice really felt about her leaving. ,,Why don't you bring them here then"? He asked her. Suddenly tears welled up in Alice eyes ,,Oh Tarrant, I can't...they wouldn't be happy here". ,,How can you be sure"? Tarrant didn't want their conversation to go down hill again, so he decided to drop the topic for now. ,,It's ok" he quickly added, before Alice could respond and wrapped her into a tight hug. ,,You know I would always come back to you" Alice whispered as she laid her head back on his chest. ,,I know" he aspirated back to her. He knew he couldn't hold her, if she wanted to go back to her family but he now knew one thing for sure and it filled him with enough happiness to endure whatever might come his way. Alice would always return to him. All he wanted now, was to stay like that as long as possible, holding his Alice. Suddenly a not so new desire welled up in his chest and he carefully placed his Fingers under Alice chin to lift it a bit. Alice from the sudden action, blushed again but kept her eyes locked on his. Slowley they leaned closer. Alice wasn't able to think straight anymore, somehow all she wanted tondo now was let herself fall into whatever was about to happen. It felt right.
A small sound, coming from the corridors, made them snap out of their trance. Realizing what they were about to do, they stepped a few steps away from each other. Clearly flustered. ,,Did you hear that"? He asked her. ,,Yes" Alice tilted her head a bit, feeling hot and dizzy again. ,,I think we should go back" she said ,,They might wonder where we are". Tarrant watched her for a few seconds with a light pout but then smiled again to make her feel comfortable. ,,Lead the way my dear". He couldn't help but feel a bit sad, that they didn't stay a bit longer on the balcony. Mostly about the missed chance. What was he thinking?
,,You fool, they've heard us" Bim hissed at his sister, who was covering her mouth wide eyed. She'd almost screamed when her older brother had pulled Alice into that tight hug. ,,Did you see that"? Paloo squeaked under her breath ,,They almost...". ,,Quick, they're coming" Bim broke his sister off and pushed her, to make her move. Together they hurried down the corridor as fast as they could. Each one of them hid themselves behind a different corridor road.
,,Paloo"? Tarrant frowned in surprise as he and Alice went around the corner and spotted his sister there. The ginger haired squeaked in shock but quickly recovered. ,,Tarrant"! She called out, trying to act normal ,,Oh I didn't know you where here, I was just uh...looking for Bim...you see, we...". Alice and Tarrant shared confused expressions, while they listened to Paloos hyper nervous speech. ,,Paloo, there you are"! Bim walked out from the corner he had hidden himself at and walked towards his sister as if his act was real. ,,I have found the toilets"! He grinned at her forcefully. ,,Oooh, yeah you did"? Paloo responded gushingly ,,Great! Haha, ok good, uhm, yeah, the toilets, he found them, so...I'm going, uh, have fun, see ya"! Both watched, how Paloo rushed over to Bim and they hurried away. ,,Is your sister always like that"? Alice asked. ,,Sometimes..." The hatter answered but wondered about his sisters behavior himself. Together, Alice and Tarrant walked up to where the white queen was standing. The red queen next to her.
,,Alice, Tarrant" Mirana walked towards them, while she looked as if she'd float across the floor. ,,How are you liking the ball so far"? ,,Its nice" Alice smiled and for a second she and the hatter shared amused gazes. ,,I am glad you enjoy it" Mirana smirked at them. Alice gaze fell on the red queen, who was looking at her. ,,Greetings, Alice" she spoke and the blonde nodded her head. ,,Greetings". Tarrant didn't say anything, his expression was rather stern. No smile on his lips. Alice was surprised to find the red queen in a slightly different appearance than she last saw her. Her hair was now half open in the back. Her make up didn't change much, besides she wore her natural eyebrows now. She also wore a new dress. Altogether, she looked much more friendly than ever. And did her head shrink a bit? Mirana cleared her throat slightly and gave her sister a demanding look. The red queen blinked at her sister, as she understood and turned her attention back to Alice. ,,I wanted to apologize..." she started a bit insecure ,,For what I did in the past...I understand know and...I also know that I can't take the things back that I did...but...if it's not too late...would you forgive me"? She looked at Alice and Tarrant. ,,I forgive you" Alice smiled at the red queen. For a second Iracabeth looked shocked at her. that she actually forgave her but then smiled as well. Tarrant on the other hand didn't. ,,Hatter"? Alice turned back to him but it didn't change anything. ,,I will think about it" he muttered in a very low voice. His eyes were a light yellow. It didn't take Alice long to understand that he was getting angry. ,,Tarrant"! Softly she placed her hand on his arm. At the sound of his name coming from her lips, he instantly shook himself out of his upcoming anger and turned to look at her. ,,I'm fine. Thank you". His eyes went back to his usual green and he smiled at her thankfully. Iracabeth understood that the hatter wouldn't forgive her that easily. After all, she had taken his family away for years.
,,Let's go over to the others" Alice suggested and took Tarrant with her. She gave the queens a excusing glance over the shoulder, while she left the platform. As soon as they reached the bottom, they got greeted by their friends. Happy to finally talk to Alice without getting disturbed. Nobody guessed that the joyful atmosphere was about to change in a few moments.
A tall figure made its way down the corridors. Determined he stomped forward. His steps heavy and strong. Ignoring the gasping and scared servants as he passed them. Coming closer and closer to the ballroom. Without even giving the poor servants the slightest chance to stop him, the black haired man marched to the huge doors and opened them up with a strong pull. Irritated the people that were in the room, turned their heads. Mirana too lifted her head. Her mouth opened up, while her sisters eyes became as big as marbles. The people shifted to the right and the left, letting the mysterious man in dark armor through to the thrones. As soon as he stood near enough, Iracabeth let out a high pitched scream. ,,Stayne"?!