Before I get started, I just want to thank you guys so much!! I can't believe all the support/reviews/feedback I received for the prologue of this fic! 21 reviews in two days?! You guys are awesome!

So, as promised, here is the official first chapter of this story :D I hope you all enjoy it!

Oh, one last thing, because I know someone is going to mention it sooner or later: When I write, I use four ellipses (....) rather than three (...). Why? I have obsessive-compulsive disorder. Nuff said.

If there were any sort of word to describe the life of a sailor—out of all the thousands of words one could possibly imagine—dreary would be the very least likely to suspect. And yet it was precisely that word that was floating around in Alice Kingsley's mind as she gazed out into the open ocean; the wind whipping her hair, stray salty droplets occasionally splashing against her cheek and forehead. Oh, how she longed for adventure; it was, truthfully, more than half the reason she had agreed upon becoming Lord Ascot's apprentice, after all. And why she had willingly broken away from her mother's eagle eye and joined her master and his crew on their voyage overseas.

It had been quite exciting at first; to be free of one's mother—and all of her incessant complaints—was an elative feeling indeed. No more "Alice, where are you stockings?" Or "Alice, put on your corset!" and—her mother's personal favorite "Why can't you just act like a lady?" It was all rather tiresome, and Alice was more than glad to be rid of it.

Yet, while the freedom remained, her ecstasy of finally being her own woman—for she was now twenty and more than old enough to be considered as such—had gradually begun to crumble, until all that remained was a faint flicker in her chest each time she thought of the numerous quibbles her mother had had with her choice of dress and behavior, dating back to her childhood.

"Oh Alice," she muttered to herself, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "You're being absolutely ridiculous. Is traveling to China not an adventure?" Indeed, it was….

….supposed to be, anyway. But the further she traveled, the less certain she became. If this were truly the adventure she longed for so dearly, surely her excitement was supposed to last? For goodness sake, the ship itself was named 'Wonder.' That in itself should have….

She shook her head, as if to banish the thought from her mind. You're doing it again, she scolded, her arm dropping to her side after the failed attempt to tame her hair, You really must stop comparing everything to…. Again her train of thought broke, a pained expression flickering momentarily in her chestnut colored eyes….that place. You can never go back there, even if you wanted to.

Well, that was only half-true. It was not so much she could not go back; rather, she had not the slightest idea how….

"And anyway," Alice finished aloud, ignoring the twinge in her heart as she spoke, "Why would you want to go back to….to go back there? You've got so much in store for your future, Alice! Just look at where you're headed!"

Complying to her oral thoughts, the blond-haired girl raised her head, soaking in her surrounding area; watching the grey-blue waves rise and fall against the ship's hull, its dark colors contrasting—yet matching perfectly—with the faded gray sky above. The smell of sea-salt tickled her nostrils, the ocean air caressing the sides of her face. Every bit of her surroundings possessed a serene air of beauty; the type of beauty one rarely if ever experienced in one's lifetime.

Alice, however, was not such a person. She had seen beauty quite like this before—twice, actually—the last time being mere months ago….

Stop that this instant! Her thoughts cried again, earning a grimace from the blond-haired girl, think what your father would say! At the inner mention of her father, Alice's eyes clouded over, pulling her pale blue overcoat closer to her body. Indeed….what would her father say? Had he not worked his entire life to be in the very position Alice was currently in?

Of course he had….

At the same time….he also happened to be the biggest supporter and fan of her wild 'dreams'—memories, actually, but back then, she was unaware of that. "Follow your heart, Alice." He had told her, smiling with both his mouth and eyes, "Never let anything or anyone deter you from being you."

Thinking back on his words, a feeling of uncertainty washed over the young girl. She had tried so hard to live by her father's lessons—to keep his memory alive, if only by acting upon his advice. Nevertheless, since she had hopped aboard the 'Wonder' and began her journey, Alice could not help but wonder if she had, in fact, strayed from his words.

Had her identity been muddled upon this expedition?

Was she really acting on her heart's desires?

The answer was not an easy one.

Releasing a breath, Alice bent forward, propping her elbows up against the ship's railing. "Oh bloody hell."

"My my! How frightfully unladylike, to curse like that!"

Despite her troubled thoughts, Alice allowed a small smile to grace her lips. "I hardly think anything about me screams 'ladylike', lord Ascot." She replied, turning around to face her master and future business partner, "especially at the present moment. If I am to live like a sailor, then I should naturally be allowed to curse like one, wouldn't you agree?" She had cocked her head to the side, crossing her arms over her bosom as if to prove a point.

Lord Ascot merely shook his head; what remained of his graying hair flopping about. "So much like her father." He murmured, chuckling softly.

Alice's smile broadened, her cheeks slightly pink in color. However grateful she was for her resemblance to the late Charles Kingsley, she always felt a twinge of embarrassment every time someone brought it up. Why? She could not say.

"Lord Ascot!" She started, once his musings had passed, "Have you come out here simply to fill in my mother's duties for her while I'm away?"

"Not at all, Alice—I just came to inform you of the time. It's getting rather late, and by the looks of the clouds ahead"—and here he tilted his gaze towards the sky—"we may in fact be due for a storm."

Mimicking his actions, Alice herself turned to better examine the graying clouds, her lips pursing into a tight line when she noticed their darkening hue in the distance. "It appears the weather is reading my thoughts." She muttered, slipping back into a somber mood.

Noticing this, lord Ascot stepped forward, concern flickering in his grey-blue eyes. "Are you alright?" He asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. They had grown quite close during their time at sea, and, as the eldest member of the crew, Alice had begun to see him as a sort of foster father. Though he would never replace Charles, lord Ascot had learned quickly to pick up on her emotions, and rather than scold her for them—as her mother would have done—he developed what he liked to call his 'Alice sense.' Like a shark to blood, the older man had a knack for zeroing in on her troubled emotions, no matter how well she managed to hide them.

Still, it never hurt to try.

"I'm fine, I suppose—"

"You suppose?"

"—I'm just tired. A lot of things on my mind." She finished coolly, a bit put off at having been interrupted.

If it were anyone other than lord Ascot, Alice's tone would have earned her a reprimanding. However, the older man merely nodded, flashing his apprentice a knowing smile. "Then perhaps you should retire for the evening."

Not quite understanding the reason for his smile, Alice merely accepted his suggestion, bid him goodnight, and headed down to the living quarters below.

"Alice!" Ascot called, halting her in her tracks. Distracted though she was, Alice turned her head. Her master's previous expression softened, and his grin doubled in size. "Your father would be proud."

She had made her way down to the living quarters, biting the insides of her cheeks to keep from crying out. While lord Ascot had meant well, his words had yet to relieve her of her troubles. If anything, they made them worse.

Would father be proud of me? Alice thought, the mental words tainted in a subtle misery that left a dull ache in her chest. She did not know. Sure, she may be traveling to the other side of the world, expanding both his name and his lifelong dream….but something….something felt wrong.

If only she knew what.

Throwing up her hands in frustration, Alice sauntered over to her bed, stripping off her overcoat and tossing it in a heap to the floor. Exhausted and confused, she plopped down upon its welcoming surface, leaning back against the wall—as the bed was shoved up against it—and closing her eyes. Oh how she wished someone—or something, it mattered very little—would come along and clear up this mess for her. Perhaps then she could finally have her questions answered, and her identity established.

Hold on, that was not quite right. It was not that she did not know who she was….but rather, what she should be doing with herself. Her father had said to follow her heart….but where, exactly did it lie? Slumping further against the wall, the exhausted blond released an elongated breath. What good does it do to follow one's heart when one doesn't even have a map?

"Yet another question without an answer." The girl alleged dryly, drawing her legs towards her chest. "Why can't I just make a decision?"

She knew the answer even before the words left her lips. Despite her wild imagination and unrestrained tongue, Alice Kingsley had always had difficulty when it came to being decisive. Not with trivial things, of course—such as the endless fashion spats with her mother—but when it came to dire, life-changing decisions. Such as….such as her ghastly proposal from Hamish. Or how and if she could slay the….

"The Jabberwocky." Alice finished aloud, her voice dropping to a whisper. She had nearly forgotten the struggle she had faced upon making that decision. Everything had always seemed so much simpler in Under….when she visited there. Anything that was not remotely ridiculous and half-mad seemed out of place in that world—twice as much as any sort of seriousness one could conjure up in the 'real world.'

Oh, but it….they….were real as well. She reminded herself, despite the unsettling feeling creeping into her chest. Despite how often she tried not to think about it, there was no denying that world existed. The three white scars coiled around her arm served as a constant reminder.

Besides, there was a certain, red-haired, wild-eyed madman she needed to prove wrong.

"You won't remember me." He had said, that flattened tone laced with a hundred percent certainty. It irked her, really—after all they had been through, after she had proved to be a champion—that he would dare to think she would forget him and the rest of Under….

Say it, Alice.

….Underland.

It was precisely then a rather loud CRASH coming from the opposite side of her room jerked Alice from her thoughts. Startled, Alice opened her eyes, scanning the area for her uninvited intruder. It had to be an intruder, as the sea rarely caused her possessions to fall from their place, even when on the verge of a storm. Sure enough, her caramel pupils came to rest at the base of her door, where a rather petite figure stood—somewhat shaken—struggling to erect an unusually colored object about half its size. At first glance, it resembled one of the rats she occasionally roaming the length of the 'Wonder' for scraps of food. Yet, as she studied it, she noticed several qualities about this furry creature a typical rat seemed to lack. For one, this one had no trouble at all standing on its hind legs, nor did it have any difficulty maneuvering its front paws like human hands. However, the most prominent feature this rodent-esque—for it was a rodent of sorts, what with its lanky tail and rounded ears—creature, was the clothing draped over its body: a raspberry colored dress, with a frilly white scarf, and a leathery sword's sheath.

Alice gasped, her eyes widening in disbelief. "M….Mallymkun?" The words were whispered—the shock and confusion holding the volume of her voice hostage—but the mouse's ears were keen, and, stiffening ever so slightly, she spun around.

"'Ello, Alice."

The first thought that passed through Alice's mind came in the form of a question: Why aren't you happy to see her? But it was one for which she had not the answer. She should have been thrilled at the Dormouse's unexpected arrival; had she not just spent the last several minutes brooding about Underland? Of course she should have. The visits she spent down the rabbit hole were the most exciting moments of her….well, they were the most memorable, anyway. But somehow….something seemed out of place. Off. Wrong. Maybe it was the tone in which she was addressed. Maybe it was way Mallymkun nibbled her bottom lip. Or maybe it was the overwhelming sadness shining in each of the Dormouse's scarlet irises.

"Mally…." She asked hesitantly, removing herself from her bed to better speak to her visitor "….What is it? What's happened?" Kneeling down, she noticed the object Mallymkun had been struggling with earlier was in fact a glass vial half-filled with a shimmering violet liquid. Her stomach churned.

Jabberwocky blood.

"Alice…." The Dormouse began, one curled around the hilt of her sword "….you've got t' return to Underland."

It was a foolish answer, she knew, but it was all Alice could conjure up after hearing such a proposition. "W….why?"

The silver-furred mouse paused, and the sorrow behind her eyes increased tenfold as she squeaked: "….because the 'atter's dying."

So now we know what happened to Alice. I love the way I wrote this chapter (it was quite fun, trying to get into that 'proper' style) but I'm not really sure much happens. Either way, I hope you all liked it! I'm finishing up chapter two and working on chapter three, so hopefully I can update again soon!