Chapter 8 – Frabjous Day

POV change – Tean

Next morning, I woke up when the first sunshine just touched my eye. Sleeping two hours more that morning made me feel in heaven! It was 7.00a.m. It was the Frabjous Day.

I tried to move, but I discovered that I was tightly held by Tarrant from behind. Poor dear, that nightmare the night before had to be really scary!

I delicately moved his arm behind him as he turned on the other side.

I slid off the bed for don't wake him up. I walked in front of the wardrobe and opened it: enormous white gowns with pearls everywhere and corsets!? I quickly closed it, wiped that little bit of dust off of my barn clothes. I got dressed after I braided my hair in the usual two long braids. I also wore my gloves and boots.

Then I attempted to wake my brother: "Hey? Hatter? It's quite… seven-thirty in the morning of the Frabjous Day!" I said kneeling on the bed right behind him.

"Five minutes…" he muttered back. Then he gasped: "The Frabjous Day! The Queen is waiting for us!"

"I know…" I told him. I sat on a chair waiting for him to get ready.

He quickly put his clothes on: I looked at him and my gaze stopped on his jacket: "Do you really have to bring your ribbons, pins and bobbins with you?".

He stared at me like he was angry and surprised mixed up: "Am I the Mad Hatter?" he asked.

"Aye… so?"

"So I have to bring them with me!" he affirmed, pressing his hat on his head, snorting.

I rose from the chair, reached for him and started to caress his arm.

"What's on your mind, Tarrant?" I asked quietly.

"Well, it's just… I don't think Alice will be our Champion today…" he answered, slowly walking to the door.

"So… what will we do?" I prayed that he wasn't going to say what I thought he was going to say.

"I'll be Champion for the Queen, then!" he affirmed.

"No! Tarrant, please: you do remember the Oracolum, don't you? No Alice means no death, that creature will kill you for sure!" he didn't answered, just opened the door of our chamber. I followed him out and we walked down to the courtyard. The Queen, followed by Alice and McTwisp were walking toward the crowd of Ladies, Lords and talking animals too.

He stopped before we could reach them: "I'll take my risks…" he slowly told me.

What could I told him back? 'No' surely not, I wasn't mum! I moved in front of him, sighing I adjusted his bow-tie: "Just… think about it, yes? I risked to remain the last Hightopp once, don't do silly things!" I finished with a sad smile curving my lips.

Then McTwisp blew his trumpet: "Who will step forward to be Champion for the White Queen?"

The Hatter stepped in front of the crowd: "That would be I!" he said. Then Chess appeared near his shoulder: "You have very poor evaporating skills, I should be the one!" he said with his usual calm and sleepy tone. Tarrant's face at what he had just said was priceless and it made me smile!

Then Mally offered and even the Twiddles (with wooden swords!).

"Your Majesty!" I said stepping out of the crowd "I would be honored to be Your Champion today!".

The Queen looked at us then made a light sign with the left hand to McTwisp, who unrolled the Oracolum. The Twiddles read it for us all and told us what we already knew: "If it ain't Alice, it ain't dead!" Twiddledum said.

The White Queen shook her finger 'no' and turned to Alice, quietly calling her: "You don't live to please others, the choice must be yours. Because when you'll step out to face that creature… you'll step out alone…" she finished in a whisper.

Alice seemed to faint in any moment: she quickly stared at us one by one, before run away.

The courtiers started to whisper, some got away, while the Queen walked down the stairs in front of me and Tarrant: "Hatter, will you please fight beside me as my Champion during the battle today, if Alice won't change idea?" she asked, hope clearly hearable in her queenly quiet voice.

"Anything, my Queen!" the Hatter answered, bowing a little at her.

"Thank you, Hatter… Tean, go and check Alice out. Just ask how is she…"

The Hatter seemed about to say something, but apparently he refused. Maybe he wanted to reassure Alice.

"Yes Highness!" I bowed too "Hope your Majesty won't mind if I change in some white clothes: those ones remind me of your sister"

"Of course! I'd be happy to have another white fighter in my army!" she agreed.

"Thank you" I greeted and left to go after Alice.

I found her in the East Courtyard, the one with a beautiful marble gazebo full of light-colored flowers and a splendid view of the Magical Waterfalls.

Alice was sit under it and she seemed thinking about something. I slowly reached and sat beside her: as she saw me, she quickly wiped some tears away from her cheeks.

"Just know that I'm not here to force you to kill that bloody Jabberwocky!" I said through a smile, which infect her too "How are you feeling?" I continued.

"Better, I think. Would you mind to help me enter in the armor?" she asked.

I stared at her like a fool for a pair of seconds while her smile got wide, maybe because of the face I had made.

"Why, yes of course!" I held her wrist and led her in the throne room, where I knew the armor was "But, you have to borrow me those clothes in return: in the wardrobe of my room there are just gowns and pearls…"

"Without doubt!" we started giggle as we arrived.

POV change – Hatter

I was getting nervous: Alice and Tean were somewhere I didn't know and that was annoying me, the Queen was beside me adjusting her horse's tacks, the White Army was right behind us, annoyingly silent and static, all I could hear were the annoying breaths of the March Hare. All in an 'A' word: I was Annoyed! The only thing that helped me controlling my mad-moods, was staring at the peach trees at the end of white path in front of me. All so annoyingly white… . And I've had even forced myself to let my bobbins behind!

There was just a particular that was giving me shivers: a giant draft horse that Mr. Edwards had prepared for my sister to ride. He was there too, holding the reins. That one seemed quieter than Diablo, actually, but his dimension were terrific! It was totally white with pink skin on the nose and around the light blue eyes. The mane was short while the tail was so long that nearly touched the ground. The curious thing was that it had a thick black erring on the left ear.

The Queen looked back one last time, before brushing a stoke on her white stead's nose.

We were both about to give up, when we heard: "HEY!"

Everyone turned back to see Tean opening wide the last gate of the castle entrance, followed by Alice on the Bandersnatch.

They all ran to us, Tean bringing a step stool to the Queen: "How was your Majesty supposed to mount? Jumping?" she said giggling a little. As an answer, the White Queen smiled lovingly and sat on the saddle.

Then she arrived next to Mr. Edwards: "How am I supposed to mount?!" she asked to Edwards impressed.

He chuckled: "Don't worry! Abel is tall, stubborn, but not evil at all! Contrariwise, he's very brave" he helped Tean up.

"Shire horse: the gentle giant. I feel tall…" she muttered.

We left for the battle.

I could tell that my sister was making deductions about her new stead: thoughtful look, whispers and vigorous nods from him. I will never understand how she could do that! Ride, I mean.

That was the only thing that we didn't have in common: I've never been so attracted by horses; it wasn't fear, just I've never wanted to have affairs with them.

For Tean, instead, they were her world: she had books, drawings, sketches hanged on her part of the bedroom wall. She had studied them all, she knew all about their body, skeleton, even the eventual imperfections and if possible how to correct them: that was what she wanted to do and what she did. Stubborn creature. She didn't mind all the rumors behind her back from our peers, she had a great patience and I admired her so much.

But she couldn't suffer anything on her head, so, no hats: it was a great sacrifice for her to wear one. I didn't mind: the only one I made for her was a little black dressage hat with a black ribbon behind it and a precious silver pendent hanged in the centre of it: a horseshoe. She loved that, she wore it very proudly at every competition she did and I was happy that way.

I was so deeply buried in my own thoughts that I quite didn't notice that we were practically on the chessboard or soon-to-be battlefield, the Jubjub Bird's recall woke me up.