,,Stayne.." the red queen huffed out, as she stared at the man in front of her and her sister. Shock and Horror in her features. ,,T-this can't be...y-you're dead! I saw it! How can you be alive"? Absolutely unmoved by the red queen's hysterical act of panic, the dark-haired removed his gloves from his hands. An amused smirk shoot across his lips and he snickered. ,, Hold your breath there majesty. I did not arise from the dead. Simply, because I'm not who you assume me to be". The people that were gathered in the room, shared confused expressions, ass well as Mirana and the others. Iracabeth however, still stared at the dark-haired man in front of her. No less confused than the rest around her. Probably even more.
,,Who are you then"? She asked him, sounding croaky. ,,My name is Yarmoir Staye" with a slight movement of his hand, he swiped his bangs over his forehead and revealed two eyes and a face without a scar. Everyone could see, that Yaromir had indeed plenty similarities to Ilosovic but didn't look like him anyway. ,,Ilosovic is, or better was my brother" he explained and again, shocked gasps echoed through the room.
,,What brought you here"? Mirana now asked in her graceful voice. ,,Unfortunately I got the news of my brother being dead. I wondered how it came to pass that he died, so I took some research. Only to find him being an ally of your sister". He tilted his head smiling ironically. Iracabeth flinched on her seat. ,,Her reputation in Underland is...well, not the best I would say" his voice lowered down. ,,My sister has changed" Mirana insisted ,,She's truly sorry for all she's done, so please don't condemn her". ,,Mirana, stop it" her sister snapped at her but went quiet instantly again. Her eyes lowered down and her expression fell into sadness. ,,He's right. There is no excuse for what I did and there never will be one. I alone have to take responsibility for my crimes and not you Mirana. Not you, nor anyone here". The red queen swallowed ,,I deserve this...". ,,No...Racie" Mirana turned to her sister, about to reach her hand out to her but stopped in the process.
,,I know my brother was a bit...err...wayward" Yaromir rose his voice again ,,But did he really deserve to die"? ,,I did not kill him"! Was the instant response of the red queen and she stood. ,,Oh really"? Yaromir glared at her ,,How come"? Iracabeth seemed to think for a moment, but the she turned her face away from him. ,,I...I loved him". For that statement, she caught herself a snort and a unbelieving laughter. Iracabeth began to feel more uncomfortable than she had in a long way. She knew he didn't trust her. Nobody her sister and maybe now Alice did. ,,So you loved my brother"? Yaromir started pacing a little ,,Like you loved the king? I doubt it, because, if I heard it correctly, you were ready to chop his head off just like you did to all the others because he tried to seduce her"! He pointed at Alice who widened her eyes.
Tarrants face fell and he turned to face Alice in shock. ,,Alice"? He asked her ,,What..."? ,,Please" Alice interrupted him before he could finish his sentence ,,Not here, I will explain everything to you later. I promise"! Tarrant gulped but nodded eventually. Trying to keep his anger down he turned a bit away.
Iracabeths mouth stood open ,,Wha...b-but he told me"? Yaromir sighed ,,Yes, probably to save his neck from the ax". The red queen swallowed. A big lump forming in her throat, as tears gleamed in her eyes. She should have known it but it still hurt. ,,So this makes a good motive to kill him anyway am I right"? He turned to face her again. ,,I told you I did not kill him" Iracabeth insisted. ,,Who killed him then"? Yaromir opened his arms. ,,Well..." the red queen stared, while her expression fell into a mixture of pain and horror. She clearly dreaded that memory. ,,After we came to the outlands, I build myself a new castle. We both wanted to get off our chains, so we got into a fight. He wanted to kill me, so I was upset about it. I told him to tear the chains apart with a sword. He did but then...I turned away from him because I didn't want to look at him and then he tried to stab me again". Mirana gave it a shocked gasp. ,,I tried to defend myself. I tried to get away from him". The red queen's eyes starred to the ground while she talked and Mirana for once saw to lies in them. Her sister was clearly shaken up by recalling these memories. ,,At some point, I managed to turn the sword around. I wanted to push it away, sideways, but the pressure was to big, we stumbled and the sword went through his chest". Yaromir starred at the red queen as she spoke. ,,He stumbled backward on my new throne and...and died...". There was silence in the room. Nobody dared to say something.
,,So you killed him" Yaromir aspirated. ,,No" Iracabeth cried ,,It was an accident"! ,,As if I would believe you" he hissed at her ,,If anyone here besides your sister would" he turned around and opened his arms again. ,,Nobody here...believes you". Right at that moment, Alice felt anger grow in her chest. Yes, the red queen deserved punishment for her wrongdoing but she was about to change and she deserved a chance. Everybody deserved a second chance. She actually felt sorry for the red queen now. ,,Stop it"! She suddenly rose her voice, making the heads turn to her. The blonde stopped for a moment but then continued to speak ,,I know and everybody here knows, that she's been bad and unfair and horrible, but she actually wants to change. Why is that so hard to believe? Everybody deserves a second chance"! Alice looked around ,,Just because someone had a bad past doesn't mean that person has to stick to it forever! Isn't the good supposed to be the stronger power? So why then stick to the evil? You all wanted to have equity and now that she's wanting to change you don't want to let her? What's the fairness there"?
Tarrant had his eyes fixed on Alice. One part of him was deeply moved by her words and he knew she was right but the other part, the part that remembered his past and the pain, was getting furious. He still hadn't forgiven the red queen yet and Alice protecting her made his anger boil in his veins.
Yaromir closed his mouth in defeat. A moment of silence passed until he rose his eyes back to the queens. ,,I might take my time to see how serious you are about it" he declared ,,For now, my judgment over you will have to wait". Iracabeth sat back down on her throne, while her sister smiled at her encouraging. ,,I excuse myself for disturbing this ball" he bowed ,,I will leave now. We'll see each other again" and with that, he straightened himself, turned and left.
As soon as he was gone, the crowd broke out in wild discussions. Mirana let out a relieved sigh and then turned to her sister. ,,Racie...you never told me..." her voice was comforting and emotional. ,,Why..." Iracabeth didn't look at her ,,Why should I? I didn't want to think about it anymore...I didn't even think you would take me back home ever". ,,Of course I would have" Mirana declared ,,You're my sister and I love you. What I did back then was necessary. I had no choice". ,,I know" Iracabeth blinked ,,I would have locked myself away as well back then". Both sisters chuckled silently.
During that time, Alice turned around to face Tarrant, but he was gone. ,,Hatter"? She called in confusion. ,,Where did he go"? She asked her friends. ,,He just left"! Mc Twisp pointed to the huge doors where the hatter was walking to. ,,This is my fault" Alice hissed under her breath ,,Stay here, I'm going to fix this"! And with that she hurried after the hatter. ,,Alice wait"! Mallymkun called after her but couldn't stop her.
Alice jogged through the room, squeezed herself through the people with plenty ,,Excuse me"s and finally reached the doors that were about to close. ,,Hatter"! She called after him but he was already through the doors. Groaning Alice opened the heavy doors and pushed herself through. ,,Hatter wait"! She called again, desperately as she ran to catch up to him. ,,Please let me explain it to you". Tarrant stopped abruptly and turned. Alice closed her mouth in shock, as she found his eyes being orange and his skin color around his eyes dark. ,,I've trusted you"! He barked at her and she flinched. ,,I've thought we could talk about everything"! ,,And we can"! Alice responded. ,,I see you don't trust me enough to tell me somebody harassed you" Tarrant hissed. ,,I trust you" Alice assured ,,I wanted to tell you. I simply forgot about it. I had other things in my mind at that time"! ,,What about now"? Tarrant furrowed his brows ,,You had enough time to tell me". ,,I am sorry that I just didn't think about bad things that happened in the past". ,,Speaking of bad things" the hatter countered ,,How come you are on the ropey big heads side now"? Alice blinked ,,Because she's sorry! She wants to change" Alice now got louder herself ,,It's not fair to not give her a second chance. Everybody deserves that"! Tarrants range had already blinded his senses so his brain didn't catch the truth that Alice spoke. ,,She'd destroyed my home! Burned it to bits and pieces. Everything fell into ash. Took ma family from me and left me thinking they were dead! Do you know how that feels"?! Alice gulped, tears already burning in her eyes. Alice remembered how mad Tarrant could get, but the last time was different. He wasn't himself back then. This time he wasn't depressed. Just terribly in range and it hurt Alice to see him like that. It tore her heart. It hurt her to fight with him.
,,I thought so.." Tarrant uttered as he got no response from the blonde and turned. ,,Tarrant"! Alice yelled at him ,,Don't you walk away on me"! On that, he turned again ,,I shouldn't walk away on you"? He stepped closer to her ,,Like you did on me twice? Leaving
me alone"? ,,I told you why I had to leave. And I told you how I felt about it" Alice blinked, tears running down her cheeks. ,,You will leave me again. Why should I trust you now"? the hatter grunted. His words cut her like knives. She knew he didn't mean what he was saying but it still hurt. Again he turned to leave. ,,Tarrant stop"! she cried as she tried to run after him ,,This is not fair"! ,,No, it's not"! he agreed bitter without turning. ,,Enough of that"! Alice finally got a hold of his sleeve and grabbed it tightly. She had to make him snap out of his anger. ,,Look at me"! She yelled at him and he turned. As his gaze fell upon her tear-streaked face he finally snapped out of his range and his eyes widened in shock. The fog that had clouded his mind lifted and his eyes went back to their normal green. ,,Alice..."? He muttered in an insecure lisp. Alice swallowed again, still holding his hand. ,,I...I'm.." he stuttered ,,What have I done"? ,,It's ok.." Alice assured but it didn't help. ,,You didn't say anything to bad to me" she explained. ,,I am so sorry" he freed himself from her touch and stepped a bit away from her ,,I am so sorry Alice..." utterly shaken up, he turned once more and left Alice standing alone in the corridor.
Alice stood frozen as she watched him leave. Still teary eyed. Behind her stood all her friends, looking awfully emotional and swept up in the moment. ,,Wheew" the march hare lowered his ears. ,,Oh dear" Mallymkun aspirated and rose her paw to her mouth. Mirana for once, didn't say anything. She just looked at the blonde, feeling deeply sorry. Suddenly Alice turned around. As she saw her friends, she looked at them for a few seconds but then hurried away as well. Out of the palace.
,,Poor Alice" Mc Twisp murmured. ,,Poor Hatter" Mallymkun added. ,,They never argued that bad" Mc Twisps nose twitched. ,,I didn't think they would face the past issue like that" the white mouse stated. ,,We need to do something" Mc Twisp declared. ,,I will go and talk to the hatter"! Mallymkun decided. ,,And I will talk to Alice" Mirana sighed. ,,And we"? The twins asked. ,,You go back into the throne room and help clear up the case". ,,I think I'll accompany these two" the Chessur suggested. ,,What about me eh"? Thackery rose his hand up. ,,Tha hatter is ma friend as well ya know" he pointed at Mallymkun. ,,Yes I know" she shook her head ,,But this isn't just a small talk Thackery! He's hurt and he just had a fight with Alice. We all know how they feel about each other and unless they don't get it right we need to take action and be careful"! Mirana clapped her hands. ,,Very wise words Mallymkun"! ,,Thank you" the dormouse smiled. ,,So it's set then"? The white queen looked around. Everybody nodded and then left into different directions.
During that time, the red queen tried to calm the confused guest and told them that the ball is finished for tonight. Bim and Paloo had just come back to the ballroom, only to find everyone leaving. Dumbfounded and irritated they walked to their parents. They had lost their way and had to walk all through the castle to come back at least. Not even the Hightopps had a clue what happened besides the brother of the knave of hearts making an appearance. And just then, they realized Tarrant was gone and so Alice and their friends.
~Tarrant~
Lonely and feeling miserable, Tarrant sat under one of Miranas trees deep in her Gardens. His head circled all around Alice teary face and how he had yelled at her. He felt so angry with himself for letting his anger towards the red queen get to him so much, that he lost himself that much, that he even yelled at Alice. His Alice. And he never wanted to go mad in front of her ever again. He had never made her cry before and this fact alone drove him insane. He'd hurt her. He'd hurt her feelings and he'd probably scared her. Alice was a strong and independent woman but he just couldn't help but think that way.
So he sat there, under that huge oak tree, scolding himself and drowning in guilt and shame. How could he apologize for that? What if she thought different of him now? What if he'd scared her off for good now? They'd gotten so close and now he had to ruin it again.
His orbs had lost their gleam and now seemed dull and almost grayish green. Saddened he starred at the ground, plucked out a clum and ripped it in his hands. ,,Hatter"! That's when he heard a voice call his name. Hopefully, he stretched his head to see if it was Alice. As he spotted Mallymkun, he dropped his shoulders discouraged and laid back on the oak. ,,Hatter, finally, I've searched you everywhere" the white dormouse huffed as she came to halt. ,,Hello Mally.." he greeted her, his voice so sad it broke her heart. ,,So you've witnessed our argument I assume" his eyes lifted to face her. Mallymkun nodded and hopped onto his right thigh. ,,Hatter, everybody argues sometimes, you'll see. You'll apologize and it will be fine again". ,,What if I go mad again? What if I hurt her Mally"? Tarrant asked her panicking. ,,You would never harm her Tarrant" Mallymkun assured him ,,We all know that, and you know that too". He lowered his gaze ,,I hope so Mally...I hope so. What am I supposed to do now"? ,,Apologize of course" Mallymkun gestured with her little hand. ,,And what if she won't forgive me"? He blurted. ,,Don't be silly" Mallymkun furrowed her brows ,,You don't believe that yourself! She's not like that". ,,Right...Alice is not like that" he repeated after her. ,,Well then get up and do something, go to her, excuse yourself and fix things"! The dormouse roused him. ,,Ye, I'm going, I'm going" Tarrant jumped to his feet and dusted himself down. He gave his little friend a thankful smile before he turned. ,,Thank you Mally"! ,,You're welcome" she blinked ,,And now hurry"!
With that, the hatter made his way back to search for Alice. He couldn't wait to find her and tell her how sorry he was.
~Alice ~
Alice had settled herself at the white bench on the balcony with the view to the waterfalls. She remembered that place. It had been the place she ran off to, as she got scared of the Jabberwocky and the pressure got to high. She had been crying back then as well. But this time, she was actually crying because of a man. Men never made her cry. The only time she cried for a man, was at her fathers funeral.
Alice pushed those memories away. ,,Tears again"? A low voice reached her ears and she turned to find Absolem fluttering next to her. ,,Absolem" the blonde aspirated ,,There you are! I wondered where you went. Funny coincidence we meet here again huh"? ,,I suppose the reason that made you cry is certainly not funny" the wise butterfly stated. ,,No" Alice agreed sadly ,,The hatter got mad...and it's my fault..". Absolem listened to her but turned before he could say something about it. ,,I would like to stay and talk but there is someone wanting to talk to you" he declared instead and flew off. Hopefully Alice rose from her sitting position, but as she recognized Mirana, she sat back down in disappointment. For a moment she had hoped it would be the hatter.
,,Alice.." the white queen walked up to her. Her face was serious and concerned at the same time. ,,I thought I would find you here". Alice looked at her, not smiling. ,,I am so sorry Alice" Mirana began ,,Do you want to talk to me about it"? Alice turned to face the queen ,,The hatter got upset and it was all my fault" Alice sniffed. ,,Oh Alice dear" Mirana stroked her cheek ,,No, no, it wasn't. What Stayne did back then wasn't you fault. And that the hatter got upset because of my sister wasn't your fault either. The past is a very painful part for him". Alice lowered her gaze ,,I know...he'd told me what had happened at the Horovendoush day. And I've seen it, back then when I had the Chronosphere. I forgot to tell him about the Stayne issue. I had enough worries at that time and I didn't want to upset him even further. But I guess it was the cherry on top, me defending your sister. I should have been more careful from the start". Mirana gave her an understanding look. ,,Alice, don't blame yourself! Tarrant would have become upset anyway. If I had been protecting my sister like you did or anyone of us". ,,I need to talk to him" Alice sniffed once more, wiped her teas and rose from the bench. ,,I need to tell him I am sorry"! Mirana followed Alice with a smile ,,Go my dear Alice, he might be on his way to you". Alice returned the smile, turned and hurried away to find the hatter.
Tarrant hurried through the gardens, turning left, right. His heart was hammering in his chest. His mind focused on finding Alice. At the same time, Alice came from the other direction, running, searching for him. Eventually, they both spotted each other and hurried their steps until they stood inches close.
,,Alice" ,,Hatter"! They both called at the same time, breathless. ,,I've searched for you"! He said. ,,So have I". Both smiled at each other. ,,I've wanted to talk to you"! And again their words synchronized. Alice let out a chuckle ,,You go first". ,,No, no, you go first, you're the lady. Ladys first"! The hatter demanded and Alice laughed. ,,Alright". The blonde took a deep breath. ,,I wanted to apologize...That I didn't tell you earlier...about what had happened. I wasn't thinking of that at that time. I was scared. Of the Jabberwocky...of the fight...of losing you...". Tarrants eyes widened at her words. ,,I didn't want to leave without you...I was scared remember"? Tarrant nodded quietly. ,,And when I came back the second time...all I was thinking of, was to save you. And now..that I'm back a fourth time, I didn't even think about all the bad things that happened. Simply because I was...happy" She looked at him ,,But please, believe me, I would have told you...I would tell you anything". Tarrant smiled again.
,,I know" he whispered. ,,I wanted to apologize as well" his voice lowered down. ,,I am sorry for going mad...I...it wasn't right to let my anger out on you...I never wanted to do that...I've lost it...and I'm so sorry...so terribly sorry, I made you cry and I've hurt you and I scared you...and I really...". ,,Hatter"! Alice stopped his rambling. ,,You did not scare me neither did you hurt me. The only thing that hurt me was seeing you hurt. I understand your anger and your pain and you have all the rights to be angry and sad. Look, I didn't protect the red queen to hurt you or anger you Tarrant, it was the right thing to do. Everybody deserves love, don't you think"? Tarrant gave her a warm smile ,,You're absolutely right Alice. You've been right about it all. I'm sorry I didn't tell you that. Maybe I'll be able to forgive her someday". Alice returned his smile. ,,So, we're good"? ,,Have we not been"? He joked as he pretended to be confused. ,,I don't remember" Alice took one step closer and wrapped her arms around him to hug him. For a second, Tarrant froze but returned her gesture soon enough and pulled her even tighter.
A thought shot through Tarrant's mind and he opened his eyes. ,,Alice"? He asked her. ,,Hmn"? She lifted her head, still smiling. ,,Do you...uhm, do you want to...I would be glad if you would, I mean only if you want to...spent the day with me tomorrow"? Alice looked at him, her face frozen. ,,Oh, I'm sorry" he blurted ,,It's ok I shouldn't have...". ,,No" she stopped him ,,I...I was just...I would love to"! Tarrants face lit up instantly again and he took her hands ,,Wonderful"! At the sudden gesture, Alice cheeks turned into a bright pink and she flinched a bit. ,,Yeah...I'm happy too..." but she didn't pull her hands away this time. As Tarrant realized he still held her hands, he let them go. Flustered himself. Clearing his throat he straightened himself. It was already getting dark. ,,Shall I accompany you to your room"? Alice nodded and smiled at him. ,,That's very kind of you". Smiling, he led her his arm and she tucked hers under his. Together the walked back into the castle.
Mirana and the others stood at her big balcony, watching. ,,Aww" Mallymkun clapped her hands ,,isn't that wonderful"? Mirana smiled at the dormouse ,,We did our job". ,,We want to accompany Alice too" the tweedles said. ,,You stay where you are"! The dormouse glared at them ,,Leave them alone for once. We're not doing that again". Bayard lowered his tail while Mc Twisp wiped over his face in shame. ,,That was bad...". ,,They pushed me"! Thackery pointed at the twins. Mirana looked at them frowning. ,,At least they made up" Chessure purred with his big grin ,,It's about time". ,,What's about time"? The tweedles asked, looking confused. ,,You'll see" Mirana assured them with a promising smile while Chessur just kept on grinning.
Hello, my dear readers :) yay, we've made it to chapter 5 and things are taking a shape! I hope you enjoyed it.
Christmas is coming and I am really, REALLY, in the romantic mood! I hope you're enjoying your Christmas time also :)
Until Chapter 6! Fairfarren you all!