For those who are reading you might want to go back and read chapter one again, I changed something's.

Chapter.2

Meeting

"Ah!" Alistair screamed causing the floating cat to do the same. They both screamed till Alis' throat started to hurt. She coughed and the cat's screams became chuckles.

"Well hello to you too." The striped blue and purple cat started to rotate and Alis followed with her eyes. "Now what are you doing here? You certainly don't look like The Alice they speak of." Alistair's eyebrows rose.

"'The Alice'?" Her voice was a squeak. "Um…I know you have the wrong person. H-how can you talk?" Alis cautiously moved around the cat.

"Every, and anyone can talk here, or so I think." The cat tapped her head for a moment as if thinking. "Yes I am quite sure. So if you aren't The Alice then who are you my dear? You certainly look a little like her but not by much." The cut disappeared then reappeared next to her head. "No blonde hair hmm….Your eyes are the right blue however. Who is your mother?" Alis didn't know which question to answer first.

"I-I'm Alistair Jade King, my mother is Alice Marlette King. Who are you? Where am I? And where is that blasted white rabbit?" The cat smiled again.

"My name, dear Alistair, is Cassandra. Daughter of Cheshire Cat, loyal servants of the White Queen. As for the white rabbit….I am not sure. I saw him scamper away. Do you know where you are to go?" Alis shook her head. "Well dear follow me." Alis took a step and looked around the jungle like place. "You are in Underland." Underland? The place her mother had told her so much about.

"I….thought this was all made up." Cassandra laughed. "Then it is all real? Or did I hit my head when I fell? Yes, that's it. This is all a messed up dream." She mumbled to herself as Cassandra led her down a pathway. A jungle and tangle of blues and greens, vines and flowers, it was all so exotic and beautiful. And just as she was told it would be. This was a dream, a figment of her imagination gone wrong. "Where are you taking me?" Alis was being poked by branches and vines on the ground. Her bare feet started to throb and ache.

"To the Hatter of course." The Hatter? "My dear, it may have been years for you in Overland but here I'd say it's only been…Oh how old am I? 25 years here." Cassandra's look made Alis' wide eyed. "Alistair you honestly don't think time is the same everywhere do you?" Alis shook her head. They remained quiet the rest of the way. Alis took mental notes of everything. The color, the feel, even the smell of it all. She was taking it all in for when she woke up. Finally they made it to a rickety place. A beat up table was set in the middle of nothing and had what looked like the ruins of a tea party set up. Broken dishes were set along with teapot remains scattered about. Alis didn't know what to make of it all. A tea party gone haywire? Or a madman not visiting his home?

"Where is everyone?" Alis heard herself say.

"I am not sure. Hatter should still be here." Cassandra drifted towards the table and a clatter was heard below the table.

"Oh Cass. Your father was looking for you." A voice said. It wasn't that of a man, but of someone younger. A boy, who looked about Alistair's age, stepped out from under the table. "Where have you bee-" He looked at Alis. Her dress/shirt covered everything so there wasn't a need to stare. "You didn't, Cass." His voice was quiet.

"I did. Now where is your master? Oh and sorry Alistair, this is the Hatter's apprentice, Alek." The boy stood erect stretching his body. He was taller than most guys that Alistair had seen and his unruly blonde hair strayed in different directions. His eyes were a translucent green and Alis couldn't help but get lost.

"Hatter left about an hour ago for Marmoreal." Alek watched Alis warily. "Cass," he sighed, "Why did 'ou bring 'er here?" An accent, maybe Scottish or Irish, started to overpower his voice. "Your name is Alistair is it?" He demanded and she nodded.

"Okay introductions are enough, can you lead her Marmoreal?" Cass interjected sounding annoyed.

"I guess." He reached back under the table retrieving a top hat. It was blue, unlike the green one her mother had mentioned was the Hatters'. Pins stuck out from it but no ribbon. Alek caught her starring. "Can I help ye with something'?" She shook her head quickly. "Well then, are you planning on wearing that the whole time you are here?" He motioned to her shirt/dress. She shrugged. "For sakes, lass, can you speak?"

Alistair sighed. "Of course I can." Just as she spoke he started to move. He picked at the fabric she wore and produced a pair of scissors. He started cutting and soon she was in a flurry of fabric. "There, it's nice. Not to revealing but suitable for someone your age if you ask me, what is your age by the way? Oh that won't matter at the moment. Now just to find you something for your feet. Hmm…I wonder if the Hatter has some material around here. If I do say so, Alistair, what an odd name for a girl, you look nice, but what are you doing here? And how did you get here an-"

"Alek!" Cassandra cut him off.

"I'm fine." He squeaked out of his rambling. Alis wanted to laugh. She looked down at her outfit. He had cut it quickly so it was about half an inch above her knee. With the fabric that had fallen somehow he had managed to stitch some of it back to make it ruffle like a tutu. The top part had been cut sleeveless, like tank top. Not bad, Alis thought. As Alek looked around the table for something Alis started to make mental notes again. It was all so lively, so real…but it wasn't. It was a dream, she kept reminding herself.

"You can forget the shoes," Alis said quietly, "I just want to go back home." Alek stopped at her words.

"Home, lass? Where is home? Ever since Alice left…." He shook his head. "Never mind. You will be 'right. Now come on if you want to make it to the White Queen's castle before night." He started walking down another path and Alis walked after him hesitantly. Cass pushed her forward a few times before disappearing. They walked in awkward silence and Alistair fidgeted with her dress. Her feet had stopped aching but she didn't want to rush anything. A few times Alek looked back before he stopped and sighed.

"What?" She asked.

"Are you going to trail behind me the whole time, or am I going to have to carry you, woman?" Alis huffed at him and started to walk ahead of him. "You don'na know the way I assume." She stopped.

"No, I don't." She waited for him to catch up. The silence started again and they walked more. Alis wanted terribly to go home, or to wake up. Whichever it was. "Who is 'The Alice' that you are all talking about?" She said to pass time.

"Ah. Well I assume you know something's about Underland am I right?" She nodded. "Then you know of Alice, the Champion to the White Queen."

"Yes, but not much. My mother never elaborated on her." Alek nodded listening. "She came here often when she was young, and when she was about my age, she came back not remembering anything thinking this was all a dream. But it was all real and it took her a while to realize it. She defeated the Jabberwocky and the Red Queen."

"So you know the basics. But that my dear was not the whole story. We have a long walk ahead of us so would you like to hear it?" Alistair nodded, not knowing what she was getting herself into. "Known to little Alice and the Hatter were in love." Alis' eyebrows went up. "Yes very true. Some still don't know, and some barely finding out like you. It is odd, if you ask me. An Underlandian and an Overlandian but that's how it went. They fell, married after she returned from her trip above, which took two years here. They then had a daughter Ally. And so forth. Until Ally stumbled upon the door that led to Over. She went right through and was never seen. Only five years the poor thing. Alice and Tarrant went insane, funny as it sounds, looking for her. Alice found the door and went. Tarrant wasn't able to go through and remained here, waiting for Alice like she promised. But she never came back." He had a grim look. "It has been 25 years for Underland since she and Ally left. Time has been kind to us. I don't know how long it has been for Over but from your appearance, it has been a long long time." He couldn't possibly mean what I think, Alis thought. "It would explain your hair my dear, if your father had brown hair."

Alis bit her lip. "I never knew my father." Alek nodded in apology. "So you are saying that Alice is my…Great great something?"

"It would seem so." They made it to the Tulgey Wood. "Marmoreal is just on the other side of here. We should make it through before dark. If we hurry anyhow." He started to speed up to a jog then a run. Alis tried to hurry after but he was quick.

"Why do we," she panted, "Have to make it before dark?" She looked up quickly and saw a moon, one of them, start to rise.

"Because not everyone agrees with the White Queen. Who by the way will be pleased to hear you are here, Alistair." His voice curled her name and she missed a step and stumbled. "Can't run either?" Her dress flew around her legs as she ran and made it almost impossible to. "Oh bloody hell." He muttered and quickly scooped her up. His arms were strong around her and his calloused hands felt oddly smooth. "Almost there." He breathed and she looked ahead. Brilliant white lay ahead almost blinding. His pace quickened as noises started to fill the air.

"I can un Y'know." She said when they had reached a smooth path. He slowly put her down but kept her running. "We aren't in the Wood anymore. Why do we need to keep running?"

"Just don't question it!" He was so breathless she barely heard. They ran until the gates of the Castle were within steps. "Stop." Alek whispered. Two chess pieces guarded the gates and watched them wearily.

"Who are thy?" One spoke in a gruff voice. Alis gulped and stepped back.

"Tarrant Hightopp's apprentice and Alistair Kingsleigh." Alis' eyes went wider. It was a nervous habit and she needed to stop doing it.

"Kingsleigh?" Alek nodded. The knights exchanged glances and then opened the gates. Alek pulled Alis through, his gloves barely covering his hands. Alis' legs were hurting now and she wanted to collapse. Too much running. How did Alek do it? They walked up the massive path and through the wooden doors. With a creak they budged. Alek pulled her along again and didn't bother to stop. Alis had to keep from gasping as they rushed past animals and people. She tried to look at them and say something but Alek rushed her ahead.

"Alistair go in there while I look for Hatter." He pushed her towards two grand doors and they opened without her even touching them. A dazzling white room showed and Alis had to narrow her eyes from the gleam. They closed once she stepped in and she turned with a gasp.

"Alice?" She turned to the harmonic voice. A woman with white hair, a white dress and plush lips starred at her. "No it couldn't be. If you were her then you'd have young Ally with you." The woman stepped forward, her hands in a courteous fashion. "Who are you child?"

Alistair starred at the woman almost gaping. This couldn't be her, not the white queen. "Uh, um, I'm Alistair King." The woman looked taken back and blinked a few times.

"My dear, you've come back finally." The woman put her hands on Alis' shoulders. Alis' didn't move as the White Queen touched her face and smiled down at her. "Do you not remember?" Mirana started to frown.

"Remember what?" Alis could see the disappointment in Mirana's eyes…

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