AUTHORS NOTE:
Sorry for the late post! I could give you a tone of good truthful excuses as to why I have not been able to update until now….but I don't expect any of you would be too interested in that.
I was watching Alice in Wonderland 2010 over and over again as I was working on this. I do believe, since I have a muse now, I can continue on!
Love you all. Chu chu!
…...
Chapter 5: Midnight Tea parties…
It was a bit odd.
Really, Alice had expected it from Tarrant, the March hare and even quite possibly, Mallymkun…but to see everyone else attend was a bit bizarre.
It was earlier on amid the excitements of that day that she realized it was evening. She had fully expected to not gain the presence of the White Queen until the very next day. Imagine the girls surprise when she had just slipped into her night gown, compliments of a quick fixing Hatter, to suddenly be bombarded by a gleeful little dormouse and two Tweedles.
Of course they left no room for argument, not that she really would protest, while they fiddled their way into pushing her out the door and off throughout the castle where she was pulled past a large pair of ivory doors to sit promptly at an oversized dining room table.
Alice was then left to wonder, with a very heavy suspicion, what was next; which wasn't such a hard thing to do with the clothed surface of the table endowed so heavily with all sorts of tea sets and tasty garnishes. The girl was about to speak up and demand an explanation when suddenly the doors flew open once more to show a gliding white heap of lace and curlers.
"Ah. The Champion of Underland has returned once more!" A delicately light smile graced none other than the White Queens dark stained lips. "Darling, Alice…such a pleasant surprise."
"Your majesty." Alice stood as the ruler of Wonderland came closer. As did everyone else until she insisted they sat.
"Come come. We are not strangers. Tell us how you came to stumble upon our path once more, Alice?"
"Not to be rude, my lady. But could our meeting not have waited until the morning?"
"Well of course not, silly girl. It's a custom to have midnight tea time every full moon. Your timing was positively peachy perfect."
The blonde glanced across from her to find the mad hatter in his own pajamas while looking gleefully mad at the prospect of having midnight teatime. She cracked a smile and nodded in understanding. Why not? It was Wonderland.
"Of course, pardon. I am not quite sure myself." She watched Tarrant Hightopp serve the queen some tea and then she herself with a wink. Alice gave a momentary shy smile before clearing her throat. "About why I came here, that is. There was no rabbit hole to speak of the moment of my descending within it. I was simply paying my respects…."
"Respects? Did you not want to come back here, Alice?"
Everyone gave a look of surprise and curiosity. Hatter was pouring so much tea into her cup that it was beginning to overflow and create a moat on its saucer. She reached out and gently pressed her hands to his to tilt the teapot upwards.
"Oh, very much so… I missed Wonderland whole heartedly. It's been my greatest adventure."
Hatters lost look seemed to almost completely clear up.
"Then that must have been it, Darling. You wanted to be here and that is what you have gotten."
"Do you think I have enough muchness to create a rabbit hole out of thin air?"
"Oh, I've seen stranger. Anything is possible, darling child, if you have the nerve to dream it to be so." the Queen gave a smile before raising her cup to her lips and gave a light sip. "Hmmm….delicious…Hatter, what is this called?"
"Oh, its new…I only thought of it this afternoon, my Queen." Gulps a hearty amount and gives a glazed sort of stare. Alice snorted into her tea and kept her sight down to act as though nothing had happened. "I call it 'Alice'"
"How simply jovial!" The Queen clasped her hands together and gave a brilliant smile. Alice simply kept the cup pressed to her lips so that half her face could be hidden while a blush flushed her cheeks and ears. "Alice, you seem to be enjoying yourself as much as Hatter is." She dared raise her sight to catch a glimpse of the male across from her who was trying desperately to simmer the look of rapture on his features. It seemed he was even blushing a bit himself.
"Well it is a very good cup of Alice- I mean tea!"
The small throng of Wonderland dwellers, which had followed respectfully behind the Queen earlier, erupted into small hushed whispers or snickers.
Alice couldn't take much toward being humiliated outwardly although she was use to such response towards her character. Normally she would have raised her chin and ignored the frivolous ignorance on her behalf but by seeing her orange haired friend blushing bashfully in embarrassment by the outburst around them only seemed to rekindle her infamous temper. She leaned in and promptly gave a thin lipped look down the table. When she was satisfied with the quieting reaction she tossed her hair as she brought her attention back to the white clad female before her.
"Hatter tells me of odd things happening…"
The Queen danced her fingers about in the air pleasingly before pausing suddenly and grasping at a powdered tea cake. Alice was watching the older female curiously, wondering how she could keep so composed all of the time. Even in curlers!
"Yes…even more odd than usual." She gave a quirk of the lip before nibbling on her tea cake. "Ever since your dramatic second re-entry and then quite sudden departure, things have not boded well in Underland. Oh the lands began to flourish once more about my…..She-who-was-banished's, castle…the entire structure has been completely overgrown by vegetation. Its quite suitable for all the deaths that had been ordered throughout the years, really— a peaceful grave for our fallen Underland kin." Everyone nodded and murmured condolences. "Even all the towns that had been destroyed all those years ago by the Jabberwocky's flame are now almost completely rebuilt. Families are reunited with their loved ones…no one may live in fear any longer because of you, Alice."
"Where is the catch?" There was one. Anyone who knew anything about it around the table was easily to be noticed, for they were wearing weary looks.
"The catch is, we have no more dreamers coming to our land…..and something very queer moves within the shadows of the night."
"Does this have to do with the activity going on in the marshes in the Outer lands? Hatter spoke briefly of the subject. But it could just be a false alarm, could it not? Perhaps someone is simply immune to its sleeping affects and has decided to take refuge amongst its foliage." She seemed a bit doubtful herself but, it was Wonderland, any sort of anyone or anything was possible.
"That is another question unanswered…." Alice believed the Queen did not like to go unknowing. Who would with a whole kingdom to look over?
"There is a reason for her coming back… there must be!" Little Mallymkun sat up from his miniature seating arrangement that had been comprised on the tabletop. "Alice always comes back to us when we need her most!"
Alice looked strait ahead and wondered what was going on in that mad head of Hatters. Did he agree? Was it more than just the mortals' wishful thinking that brought her there?
"I think…" The Queen began with a fluttering of her lashes and a clap of her hands, "That we should put all seriousness behind us and enjoy this teatime we have together!"
"Someone should recite a poem," Tweedle Dee called out.
"Someone should sing a song!" Tweedle Dum countered.
"Poem!"
"Song!"
"Poem!"
"Song!"
"Now boys…" The ruler interrupted, "Let us not be hasty. We can have both and so much more!"
Alice smiled and leaned forward in earnest and watched as Wonderland dwellers volunteered their talents to entertain the rest of the party-goers. She observed as others juggled teacups and hid entire teapots of tea behind their backs, only to recover them underneath night caps. Others tapped danced or recited ridiculous poems that made no sense what so ever to the blonde savior. She was relaxed and content until the Queen suddenly called upon her to do something interesting for the rest of them to witness.
"Oh I couldn't…" Alice squirmed and unconsciously grabbed the arms of her seat incase anyone tried pushing her up by force, much like the Tweedles had done earlier. "I don't have any sort of special talent." She remembered when she had joined in to sing with the flowers during her first visit, only to be laughed at because she wasn't up to par. She began blushing when she noticed Hatter staring at her hopefully, who had given an entertaining show of hat tricks earlier. "I…don't have anything special like that about me. No talents to entertain." She forgot the answers to the riddles she told, the punch line to any joke. She wasn't particularly skilled with her hands and was slightly clumsy on the feet.
"Sing us a song." The white royal suggested and smiled. She was someone that you could not refuse, with such a dainty and imploring look. Alice looked away from the other female and rose onto her chair, like all the rest, she stepped onto the table.
"Alright….but you mustn't laugh…." When she quickly scanned her memory she finally came upon a song her sister use to sing to herself when she thought no one was listening. No matter how practical Margaret wished others to think she was, Alice knew her sister was quite the romantic. Too bad she married such a tart. "It is called 'Meet me by the moonlight'…." Alice cleared her throat meekly and gave a whisper of a hum in tune. She kept her eyes upwards, "Meet me by the moonlight alone.
And then, I will tell you a tale.
Must be told by the moonlight alone,
in the grove at the end of the vale.
You must propose to come for I said,
I will show the night flowers their Queen.
Nay turn not away thy sweet head…
'Tis the loveliest ever was seen." She paused, trying very hard not to turn her face too awfully red, although she had a large suspicion it was the color of tomatoes.
"Oh! Meet me by the moonlight alone,
Meet me by the moonlight alone.
Daylight may do for the thoughtless and free,
But there's something about the moon's sky
That is sweeter to you and to me.
Oh! Remember and be sure to be there,
For tho' dearly a moonlight I prize…
I care not for all in the air if I want the sweet light of your eyes.
So meet me by the moonlight alone…meet me by the moonlight alone." Alice practically sprang back into her seat when she was finished. What was she, five? When the room remained silent she peeked up to see that all of the men had taken off their hats and put them either on their laps or their hearts. The Queen clapped and then quickly the rest joined in.
Tarrant was staring deeply at Alice as usual which she could feel boring into her like a hot poker jabbing at her forehead. She kept her glance on her tea then, drinking deeply while paying the tea leaves a great deal of attention.
On went the festivities until the blue eyed mortal could stand it no more. She finally leaned over and bid a goodnight to the Queen of Wonderland before rising to return to her bed. She hadn't made it two steps out the door when Hatter was suddenly walking silently besides her. She fell into step alongside him and allowed him to lead her back safely to her room.
"Good morning Alice." He said cheekily while tipping of his hat and giving her his most gallant of bows.
"Good morning Tarrant."
…
End note:
"Meet Me By Moonlight" (1812) A Ballad. Written and Composed By J. Augustine Wade, Esqr. I messed around a bit with some of the lyrics because the translation was either spelt wrong or sounded really wonky. No I didn't come up with the song. I hope none of you mind! The words sounded sweet and it reminded me of the night Hatter and Alice had in the movie where they spoke on the balcony. No I have no clue what the tune is….its a really old ballad! lol
COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED AND VERY MUCH WELCOME! 333