Chapter 2- Secret
Mallymkin had a secret. She had been keeping it for years, waiting for him to figure it out. She never really expected he would, but couldn't stop herself from dreaming. There's certainly no way she could tell him- not in a million years.
He was human, after all, and she was a dormouse- the basic laws of nature forbade them from ever being together. She just couldn't help falling for him. He was simply perfect- his beautiful eyes that betrayed his emotions, his gentle, childlike nature, and that hint of madness she couldn't help adoring.
Mallymkin loved the Hatter dearly- she always had. Of course, she couldn't ever admit it to anyone- she didn't even admit it to herself. She was Mallymkin, after all. The small, fiery dormouse fiercely loyal to her friends, always looking for a fight.
But in love? And with the Hatter, of all people? Never. Not her. It was just so out of character, and she knew if anyone found out they wouldn't be able to take her seriously. It was laughable, really- a mouse in love with the Hatter! If there was one truly impossible thing in Underland, she was sure that was it.
But she couldn't change her heart. And even if it was an impossible relationship, it still felt good to be in love. Even from a distance, having tea every day with him, watching him enjoy himself, still brought her pleasure.
And though she knew it would never happen, she dreamed that one day he would notice her, and they could be happy together. She had accepted her life would be like that; always wishing, and she was content with it- until Alice returned.
Mallymkin knew it was the wrong Alice. It had to be- she didn't even remember Underland! When they were attacked by the bandersnatch, she saved Alice anyway- she wasn't about to let some innocent girl die, no matter who it was.
Then when she showed up at the tea party, Hatter jumped up and walked over the tables on top of the tea sets to see her, and believed in her from the very beginning.
Mallymkin was only slightly irritated- what was the big deal anyway? Why should he be so excited even if it was the right Alice? No one else had given her that kind of reception.
She dismissed the matter quickly, but took it up again when he invited Alice to travel by hat, but refused to let her tag along. Her irritation turned to hot anger when she heard he had been captured by Red Queen, and on Alice's behalf, at that!
She stormed off to Red Queen's palace immediately, and heaven help anyone who stood in her way. When she finally infiltrated the palace, Alice was already there. Her initial reaction was shock, followed quickly by anger. Hatter had given himself up to keep Alice away from this place. So what was she thinking coming back on her own?
"What are you doing here?" She snapped. Alice replied,
"Rescuing the Hatter." Mallymkin was about ready to kill her for that. He had forfeit his freedom to make sure she wasn't taken here- he wanted her as far away as possible- and now she had come back on her own expecting to do him a favor? What was she thinking?
Even more importantly, rescuing him was Mallymkin's job. She was the one who really cared for him, and she would be the one to save him. Every day of her life for the past several years she had spent watching him at his everlasting tea party, because Time had trapped him at 6 O'clock.
Watching, always watching, but she had never been able to do anything for him, never been able to show how much she cared. And now, Alice wanted to take that opportunity for herself? She didn't have the right!
"I'm rescuing the Hatter!" She snapped at Alice again, more fiery this time. "Tarrant is mine to save!" she thought to herself. But Alice carried on anyway. Not for the first time, she wished she wasn't so small; maybe if she was a decent size people would think her worth listening to.
Then Alice took the bandersnatch eye to exchange for the vorpal sword. She didn't mind that so much- it was her destiny, after all. And Alice was a good friend- it wasn't that Mallymkin didn't like her.
The only problem was the Hatter. Alice had not come back just for the sword- she had come for him as well. And although she talked big, Mallymkin was simply too small to stop her.
Reluctantly she pushed her doubts aside, her heart still twisted with angst. She had to get him away from Red Queen's palace before he lost his head for real- and she had to do it before Alice did.
Mally found him making hats in his room, and despite the circumstances, he did seem to feel some joy at being back in his trade. Once she got his attention, she quickly began to pick the lock on his chains with the small pin she used as a sword. When the lock was nearly ready to give in, Alice threw the door open and approached, the vorpal sword in hand.
"How's this for muchness?" she exclaimed, raising it above her head, positioned to bring it down upon Hatter's chains. So it was to be Alice to the rescue again- Mally had failed to stop her. And now the situation was even worse- if the vorpal sword touched those chains, it would lose its hunger for jabberwocky blood.
"No, no! It mustn't be used for anything other than-" Hatter's warning was cut short by the arrival of the Red Knight. There's no chance Mally could win against him- though she would gladly die trying. But their first priority was to make sure Alice could escape.
Mixed emotions and doubts swirled in her mind, clouding her judgment- a fatal mistake. In her desperation to see her friends safe, she carelessly blurted out,
"Run, Alice!" Immediately, she covered her mouth with both hands, as if that could erase what she had done. But it was too late- the dormouse had doomed them all.
"Way to go, Mallymkin," she scolded herself, "Not only did you fail to rescue your precious Hatter, now you'll have to watch them both die." She would have gladly continued along this train of thought, but the hesitation caused by her cry to Alice only lasted a moment.
"Run," Hatter added quietly as all eyes trained on Alice, and she turned on her heels and fled, leaving no more room for thought. Mallymkin, despite how much she wanted to hate herself, pulled herself together quickly and pulled Hatter's chains out from under the table.
Even if she didn't have a chance against Stayne, and Hatter couldn't finish him without a sword, he could at least buy enough time for Alice to escape. Tarrant didn't have any real weapons, but Mally was amazed at how well he could fight using only his work materials.
She pulled out the pin he had given her to use as a sword and continued to marvel at his skill- she had trained her whole life to wield it just as well as any expert swordsman, but without it she was helpless. And even with her pin, she was far too small to kill unless she could somehow reach the major arteries in their neck. The only thing she could really do was prick peoples' feet.
In her eyes, she would never be as good as she wanted to be on the battlefield. She would never be good enough to save a friend's life. She wasn't even good enough to keep Alice's identity a secret, and that was something even a mouse should be easily capable of!
Naturally, they couldn't beat Stayne. Alice, thankfully, escaped on the bandersnatch, still in possession of the vorpal sword. But Mally and Hatter were captured, and sentenced to execution. To be perfectly honest, Mally believed she deserved it. Losing her head would be her payment for failing to protect Hatter, and then betraying Alice.
Hatter, on the other hand, had every right to live, and for that reason alone, she kept her wits about her in her cell. She paced all night long, wracking her brain to come up with a way to save him.
By the time the execution came the next morning, she still didn't have a solution. She and the Hatter were brought before the queen. Hatter bowed his head below a fierce looking axe with a surprisingly rough edge. Mallymkin had wanted to go first- she couldn't stand to see Hatter die before her eyes while she did nothing- but there was nothing for her to do. She offered the only condolence she had for him, and herself-
"I'm right behind you." At least, if he had to die, she would die alongside him. The axe was raised and she flinched as it came down- unwilling to watch but too terrified to drag her eyes away.
She was astounded to see his body disappear, before his floating head morphed back into its original shape- that of the Cheshire Cat.
"Good morning, everyone," He brightly addressed the court. Mallymkin thought she might just die of shock and overwhelming relief. Hatter would live!
"Chess," she thanked him fondly, "You dog." He gave her a wink, and then all turned to watch as Hatter emerged unharmed from behind the Queen's throne, and began an uprising right in her own court! Mally couldn't have been more delighted.
Red Queen reacted quickly with her most powerful weapon- fear. The jubjub bird was released to wreak havoc onto those rebelling against her. At that, Mally had to admit, she was afraid; mice were naturally the prey of carnivorous birds, and she had changed her mind about something.
She didn't want to die. She wouldn't give up so easily. Yes, she had badly messed things up, but in the end it had brought them closer to their goal. And she wanted to live to make up for it- she would keep fighting, both against the Queen and for the sake of her own heart.
Despite the fact that she was a mouse, if she could love the Hatter, there was still a chance he could love her back, and she wouldn't let Alice take that away.
She called out to him as the Queen's court scattered into disarray, and ran into his open hands. As they began their journey to White Queen's palace, she wanted to stay like that forever- crawling into the warmth of his gentle, worn-out hands, and traveling on the soft brim of his hat.
Eventually the final battle came around, and after Alice defeated the jabberwocky, she made the decision to go home. Mally knew the Hatter cared for her, knew he would be sad to see her go. She didn't know how much of an understatement that was.
They resumed their normal tea parties when they could- March Hare mostly kept to cooking in White Queen's palace, and Hatter mostly kept to destroying things in his home. His eyes were always the fierce gold that came with intense anger and frustration. Mallymkin tried to calm him down, she really did- but she was nearly killed by a flying vase in the process.
She decided the best thing she could do was set the table and wait for him to come outside and take his normal place at its head. She was sure he would come around eventually.
When he finally did come back out to the tea table, she realized how wrong she was. He wouldn't speak or react to anything, like his mind was numb and he had left this world. And his irises were a color she had never seen before- blank white. She would have cried if she had the strength.
Author's Note: How's the story so far? What do you guys think of Mallymkin? This is my first fanfic, so any feedback is appreciated. My next chapter will be about Alice, so stay tuned. Thanks for your time. Fairfarren all! -Scrylethia