Thank you all for being so patient with me, I know it's been a while, but now the mysterious Nexus Vitae will be revealed!
Alice was pacing around her bedroom nervously. Tarrant had told her she didn't have to wear anything special for the ceremony, but she wanted to look nice. This was the closest she was ever likely to get to a wedding, so she wanted to look good, but she was also afraid that she would look a fool if she came in overdressed. In an attempt to put an end to her internal ravings, Alice opened her wardrobe and tried to find something suitable. After several minutes of deliberation, she finally settled upon a deep green dress that had a single strap that would wrap around her neck. It was tight around the chest and torso she realized as she pulled it on. It flared out around her hips and went down to the floor. There was a floral pattern starting just below her bosom that reached down to about mid-thigh. All in all, it was simple, yet elegant at the same time. Just as she finished adjusting the dress, someone knocked at the door.
"Come in," she called.
The door opened an in walked Mirana. She was garbed in her usual white from head to toe. "Beautiful dress. Are you ready?" she asked in her lilting tone. Alice nodded silently, suddenly unable to find her voice. "Do you know what to do?" the queen asked. Alice shook her head. "When we get to the throne room, everyone should already be assembled. You will walk down the center aisle, just as you did the first time you were here. Tarrant will be waiting for you, and Absolem will be standing on a pedestal at eye level. Just repeat after him when he tells you too. You won't likely understand what he says: it will all be in Outlandish." Alice nodded again and followed the Queen out of her room. They quickly made their way to the throne room. They paused outside and Mirana hugged Alice. "Good luck," she whispered.
"Thank you," Alice said thickly.
Mirana gave her a little push toward the door. "Go on then," she said cheerfully.
Alice took a deep breath and pushed open the doors easily. Inside, there were relatively few people. She recognized every single face there to varying degrees. The Tweedles, McTwisp, Mally, Chessur, Uilleam, Thackery, among others. Last but certainly not least, was Tarrant Hightopp. He was dressed in a bright amethyst suit, one that actually fit him, instead of leaving his brightly colored socks in plain view. As always, his precious hat was sitting atop his head. The last thing Alice looked at were his eyes. They were the brightest green she had ever seen them.
Alice registered all of this in the moments she stood in the doorway. Just a few short moments before she started walking toward her destiny.
A/N: Wouldn't it be so mean if I stopped right here? Would you all hate me?
Well, while we are here, how are you doing? Good? Bad? Terrible? Come on, don't be shy! Speak up! No? Well fine then.
Will you at least tell me how I'm doing so far? No? Fine then! Gosh you are so rude!
For those of you who didn't simply scroll right past this, Uilleam is the dodo bird from the movie. Yeah I thought you should know.
Please continue and enjoy!
Alice reached Tarrant in what she knew could not be more than a few moments, but it felt like it took an eternity to reach him. When she finally did reach him, Absolem spoke to them. "Join hands," he said in his low voice. They complied and intertwined their fingers. "Tarrant, repeat after me," he ordered. Tarrant nodded and Absolem started the ceremony. "Alice, das verspreche ich, dort zu sein, wenn Sie michbrauchen, loyal zu sein, ehrlich, treu und wahr. Ich möchteden Rest der Ewigkeit mit dir verbringen, und wird alles tun, um ypu sicher zu halten. Ich liebe dich, jetzt und immerdar."
"Alice, das verspreche ich, dort zu sein, wenn Sie michbrauchen, loyal zu sein, ehrlich, treu und wahr. Ich möchteden Rest der Ewigkeit mit dir verbringen, und wird alles tun, um ypu sicher zu halten. Ich liebe dich, jetzt und immerdar," Tarrant said, sounding serious.
'He understands every word of what he is saying,' Alice realized.
"Alice, repeat after me," the blue butterfly told her. "Tarrant, das verspreche ich, dort zu sein, wenn Sie michbrauchen, loyal zu sein, ehrlich, treu und wahr. Ich möchteden Rest der Ewigkeit mit dir verbringen, und wird alles tun, um ypu sicher zu halten. Ich liebe dich, jetzt und immerdar."
"Tarrant, das verspreche ich, dort zu sein, wenn Sie michbrauchen, loyal zu sein, ehrlich, treu und wahr. Ich möchteden Rest der Ewigkeit mit dir verbringen, und wird alles tun, um ypu sicher zu halten. Ich liebe dich, jetzt und immerdar," she said, trying not to stumble over the unfamiliar words. When the incantation was finished, Alice felt an odd sensation creeping across her shoulders and upper back. It took all of her self control not to let go of Tarrants hands and scratch furiously at the uncomfortable feeling. She could tell by the look on his face that Tarrant felt it too. When finally the sensation faded, the entire congregation behind her gasped. Alice started at the noise. She had forgotten they were there.
"Look at her beautiful Mark," Mally gasped. Only then did Alice remember that the dress left her back bare. Also she remembered what Tarrant had told her about the mark appearing on them after the ceremony. Hers must be on her shoulders and back. She wondered if Tarrants was in the same place.
"That is the most exquisite Mark I have ever seen," Chessur purred in delight.
Slowly Tarrant turned her around so he could see the Mark on her back. She heard his quiet gasp and felt his finger trace the symbol on her back. "So beautiful," he murmured.
"Someone fetch a mirror," Absolem said, trying to act nonchalant about it, but everyone could hear the delight in his voice.
Alice heard footsteps leave the room. A few minutes later, the person came back with two mirrors in her hands. She handed one to Alice and the other to Tarrant. When they were positioned so she could see her Mark, Alice could not help but gasp.
The Mark was light blue, and matched her eyes perfectly. It was a swirling pattern the covered her shoulders and most of her back. Some of the tendrils went below the dress, but most of it was above where she could see it. It swirled all over her back, in a pattern so complex, it was impossible to follow one strand to its end before you started following another one. It looked like it could be a floral pattern, but not quite. It was different somehow and Alice loved it. It was exotic, yet familiar all at the same time. In between the swirls were alien symbols that she had no idea what they could possibly mean. The only thing she could tell for sure was that the tendrils spelled out all of her love for Tarrant, even if they said nothing. Her Mark was her love for her hatter personified. She could not love it more.
Alice was filled to the brim with an overwhelming amount of love for the man she had just tied herself to. As her emotions shifted from wonder to passion, the Mark on her back shifted from blue to purple. "It changed colors!" she yelped.
"It will change colors with you mood," Absolem said lazily.
"It will?" she asked.
"I just said it would," he snapped.
"Change…" she trailed off, lowering the mirror.
"You do know what purple means, right?" Tarrant whispered in her ear so only she could hear, then ever softer, he answered his own question. "Love," he said huskily.
"Love," she whispered. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back. "Love."
~Fifteen Minutes Later~
Everyone had filed outside for the Underland equivalent of a wedding reception. There was food, drink, dancing, singing, and plenty of fun. As was the custom in Underland and in Overland, Alice and Tarrant had the first dance. The song was unfamiliar to Alice, but she still enjoyed it. Well, she mostly enjoyed being close to her- for lack of a better term- husband. She made a mental note to ask about that later.
When the song was over, Tarrant captured her lips in a gentle kiss, and everyone cheered. They broke apart after a moment and moved away from where they had been dancing. Before they could sit down, Thackery hurled himself at Alice with a wild cry of "Congratulations!" He made contact with her stomach and Alice doubled over in agony. The pain caused her vision to start blacking out, and the last thing she saw before she lost her vision and consciousness was Tarrant's terrified face.
What did that crazy hare do this time? Review and I'll tell you! And the incantation for the Nexus Vitae was German for "I promise to be there when you need me to be loyal, honest, faithful and true. I'd spend the rest of eternity with you and will do everything to keep you safe. I love you, now and forever." I used an online translator, so it might be a bit off, but that was the general idea.