Returning Home
The Queen stood blinking at the sight before her. All three seemed frozen in surprise. Mirana cleared her throat and looked up to the sky, away from the two shocked figures.
"Quite lovely to see you again Alice dear"
Alice could feel the heat from her face as it turned the most alarming color of red. She sat up quickly with a struggle, accidentally knocking Tarrant off her and onto the floor.
"Oh!" he landed with a grunt on his back.
"My lady, I- the Hatter, well he fell atop of me, fixing to open the door for me- such a surprise when you got to it first" Alice racked her brain for a quick lie, fixing her new hat.
"Oh this is so utterly humiliating"
Mirana stood patiently while Tarrant righted himself back into the seat, dusting himself off.
"Must've looked completely inappropriate…" Alice trailed away, avoiding eye contact.
But when she looked up she was met with an amusing smile.
"Alice dear, whatever you and the esteemed Hatter wish to do in your private time is your own business, but please do remember to mind the seats of the carriage, mome rath fur is very valuable".
Now it was Alice's turn to stare wide eyed. She wanted to argue with the Queen further but she suddenly remembered her fear.
"Pleasepleasepleaseplease, please no crowds".
Peeking around Mirana she breathed a sigh of relief at the empty courtyard.
Mirana took Alice by the hand laughing, reading her thoughts, "I know you better than that Alice. I had no plans of bombarding you with unneeded attention". She helped her out of the carriage, and held her at arms length.
"You are more beautiful than ever, it is so wonderful to have you back, my dear friend".
"It's good to be back" Alice hugged her.
"My Queen", the Hatter spoke for the first time, bowing. A trace of a blush still on his cheeks.
"Hello Tarrant", Mirana replied curtseying, "it is good to see you in good health again".
There was something in Mirana's words that made Alice's stomach turn with guilt again.
The Queen took Alice by the arm and headed towards the shining castle, Hatter trailing behind them, "Now due to this blistering weather and your happy return, we have a treat for us waiting in the dining hall, its very cool there. Now tell me all about your adventures, Tarrant told me you were traveling".
Alice filled the Queen in with as much information she could recall. She gasped as Alice retold the tale of the pirates who boarded their ship off the Chinese coast. Alice had been the one who saved the day in the end, negotiating with an alarmingly tall captain, "who enjoyed her spirit". The night ended in a card game, instead of blood shed.
They walked through the garden and came upon a shaded dining hall, with silver walls made of draped, open arches. To Alice's great delight, the long glass table was laden with different kinds of ice creams, and toppings.
"This is lovely Mirana, thank you!" Alice shouted.
"Alice?", the March Hare poked his head around the doorway leading into the castle. Alice smiled and waved.
"ALICE!", he came bounding toward her, arms full of delicate looking bowls and silverware. Alice braced herself for impact.
Stopping short he threw a spoon at her forehead, which she avoided, ducking.
"He's been more prone to throwing lately" the Queen comment serenely.
"Good to see you too" Alice said bemusedly.
The March Hare abruptly ran for her legs, hugging them, all of the bowls and utensils crashing to the floor in the process, forgotten. The Queen stepped over the mess, lifting her dress, "Shall we?"
Alice pried the March Hare's arms from around her legs and went to the table. Tarrant scrambled across the debris and reached for her chair, pulling it out for her. Alice stifled a giggle, "Thank you Tarrant", out of the corner of her eye she could see Mirana grinning down at her lap.
"My Queen, are we to have more company? There are eight place settings here," Tarrant inquired, counting the bowls.
"Yes, we are in fact waiting on a few more guests. Ah here come two of them".
Alice craned her neck around the Hatter's tall hat to see two squat figures bumbling towards the hall from the garden.
"Hello tweedle dum, hello tweedle dee!" Alice called. They both looked at each other at the sound of her voice and then began to jog toward the archways.
"Hello Alice!" they cried in unison.
"I missed you Alice"
"Not as much as I did he's sure"
"I aint sure of nothin"
"Then how can you be sure of being sure of nothin?"
Mally and Cheshire, the last of the guests, arrived only moments later. Alice smiled to herself as she looked around the dinging hall; she had all she ever needed, right in this room.
The Queen clapped her hands together, getting everyone's attention, "Alright everyone, indulge yourselves!" she said warmly. Alice clinked spoons with the Hatter and she began building an enormous sundae, with fruits that looked unfamiliar and toppings that tasted like caramel, chocolate and cotton candy.
In her hurried attempt, Alice accidentally flicked a small amount of ice cream onto the March Hare's nose, who was sitting directly across from her, next to the Queen's left. No one had noticed the sudden change, but all Alice could do was watch in horror as the March Hare began to twitch and tick all over the place. She witnessed in slow motion as he scooped up a large handful of ice cream, and in one jerky motion sent it flying to his right.
Directly towards the Queen's face.
Alice covered her face in time to hear, but not see, the dessert make a splattering contact with Mirana's face.
The room was suddenly quiet, all eyes on the Queen. Alice peeked through her fingers, the March Hare's ears were flat to his head, looking terribly upset with himself and twiddling his thumbs. The Queen's entire head was covered in purple ice cream, which was beginning to slide down the side of her face and plop onto her gown. She turned her head slowly towards the Hare. There was a small intake of breath around the room, Alice couldn't recall ever seeing Mirana becoming angry, and wasn't sure if she was even capable of it.
The Hare was beginning to shake, stuttering out an apology. But a ball of ice cream slapping the side of his face cut off his words. Mirana was grinning at him, her own hand dripping with the ice cream that now rested on his cheek. Alice let out a laugh of relief, and would have continued if a large cherry shaped fruit hadn't bounced off the top of her head. She looked over at Tarrant who was whistling innocently, staring at the ceiling.
Before Alice knew it, there was a full out war. The twins were on top of the table, launching ice cream from behind a golden tray, Mally sat atop Cheshire's head, who floated above them dropping bombs of toppings that exploded on impact, Alice had never seen the March Hare move so fast, pelting food from every direction, Tarrant was shielding his hat in his waistcoat, using one hand to defend himself and Mirana and Alice were a team against the whole lot. The food fight ended as the last scoop of ice cream slid down the palace wall. They were all in stitches; Alice clutched at her stomach, gasping in between laughter, ice cream dripping from her hair.
"I've been wanting to do that for ages" Mirana said breathless, lying next to her, equally drenched.
"I love this world", Alice replied, licking the ice cream off her fingers.
With a sound that sounded like a suction cup, the Queen peeled herself off the dining room floor and called down the hall for assistance. One of her ladies of the court appeared around the corner with a soft looking, white robe, and wrapped the Queen in it. Everyone began to shake as much food off themselves as possible. Alice walked through one of the archways and retrieved her hat from the grass; she had tossed it outside for protection.
"Since were wearing our food rather than digesting it, we'll have a large dinner tonight, I'll be sending someone up to fetch you. And now let me show you to your rooms, I think we all need a bath, I'll have one drawn in your rooms, but feel free to stay comfortable in your fruit and cream if you wish", Mirana floated down the hall, leading the way.
Tweedle dum and tweedle dee's rooms were situated on the first floor. Alice had a funny feeling that Mirana did this so they wouldn't lose themselves in the palace. Cheshire, however, was not going to be staying in the castle, and evaporated before them with a wide grin. The rest if the group was led up to the east wing. With a little flutter of the heart, Alice noticed that Hatter's room was the closest, situated kitty corner from hers. Alice gave out a cry of surprise when Mirana showed her the room.
"I wanted to give you one with the best view, since you've been away for so long".
The back walls were made of tall windows, which led out into a balcony. The view was beautifully, breathtaking. She could see Underland for miles, and miles. The sun was beginning to set over the forests and lakes, setting about an orange glow to the land.
"Really Mirana, you're spoiling me. Thank you so much, it's amazing".
The Queen left her to her privacy. Alice lingered a little while on the balcony, taking in Underland's beauty. She could see how much it had changed, it seemed healthier, greener. Alice sighed in contentment and headed towards the bathroom.
The clawed bathtub was full and steaming already. There was a large cabinet against the wall, which held dozens of different colored bottles. Alice picked up a soft-purple bottle and examined it. The name was unfamiliar, but when she uncorked it, the smell was instantly recognizable. She inhaled with pleasure.
Lilacs.
She poured the contents into the water and watched as it swirled, then begin to foam slightly. Alice closed the door and undressed. She let out another sigh as her skin met the hot water. Being careful not to slip, she submerged herself, and began scrubbing off the dried, sticky substances. After Alice was satisfied that there were no remnants of the food fight left on her body, she sat back and closed her eyes.
"Tarrant seemed strangely distant after the carriage ride. He did sit beside me in the dinging hall though…I wonder…"
Images of Tarrant's burgundy eyes began to flash in her thoughts. It had felt so good to be that close to him, so very right. Her body had ignited when they kissed; Alice never had experienced anything quite like it. She now knew, with glorious relief, that the goodnight kiss she received the previous night was no misunderstanding.
"Definitely not a misunderstanding", she thought aloud, smiling widely. Alice covered her face and sank lower into the water as a giggle escaped her, feeling like a silly schoolgirl, but she couldn't help but be overjoyed. Everything seemed to be falling into place perfectly, almost too perfectly. She was sure that at any moment everything could come tumbling down on her. Though their interruption from the Queen was an embarrassing experience, Alice knew that Mirana would be happy to see them together. She noticed the way Mirana was constantly watching them interact.
But there was still one lingering question.
"What exactly does he feel for me?"
She wasn't sure if she is quite prepared for the answer. She would be a fool not to know that he felt some kind of attraction towards her…but did he love her?
Alice realized back in the carriage, when she caught Tarrant watching her, that she wanted him to look at her like that forever. All she ever really needed was him. All of the silly suitors who had tried to win her heart had always made her feel so lonely, not special; she didn't care for their fancy jewelry or boasted fortune. Tarrant was everything she ever wanted, he was kind, brave and wise, it made her heart swell with pride from just the thought of being his friend. He was beautiful, and she wanted him to love her…because she loved him.
But now what? How was she to act? Should she pursue him, or wait? And if he didn't love her, there would be no need to pursue him…
Alice felt slightly sick to her stomach, and thought it would be best to leave the tub, which was cooling anyway. She stepped out of the bath and looked around until she spotted what she hoped for. There over by a tall, golden mirror hanging behind her, was a long, black, satin robe. She reminded herself to compliment Mirana on her taste as she tied it around her. Alice noticed it had gotten significantly darker outside, and the glowing, romantic lamps around the room calmed her nerves. The trunks had been delivered to the palace as promised, and lay beside her bed. Alice sat upon the black and gold sheets and began to sift through her clothes, looking for something to wear for dinner.
Suddenly there was a soft knock.
Alice dropped her clothes, padded over to the door and opened it, curious.
Standing before her, was a very nervous looking Tarrant Hightopp.
