Disclaimer: Don't own anything except original characters. All material (c) to respective owners. I write these for fun and make no profit. They're just random plot bunnies that live within my strange mind.

A/N:

Chapter 9: Eyes Wide Open

The next morning Mallymunkin was kind enough to again wake her; Alysia felt every bone in her body protesting any sort of movement. She could have sworn her hair hurt and as slowly as she could she got out of bed and went about trying to dress for her clear battle ahead of her. By the time, she was ready, she was not quite so stiff but she had yet to feel better.

"It will get easier." Mallymunkin tried too cheerfully for her taste.

"Ha, before or after I no longer can move due to pain?"

"It's better than being on the end of the enemies' sword." Stated Cheshire joining them and catching her off guard, "You might fare better today, Hatter is sore also…he hasn't trained anyone in an age." He grinned that mad grin before he vanished appearing ahead of them a few minutes later.

Alysia did not believe the feline for one minute, Miranna had shared a brief greeting before vanishing from sight looking worried and flush from her quick pace. She did not want to ask, she was afraid of the answer the kind white queen would offer her. Slowly she walked down the forever winding paths of the gardens, her senses were much more alert than they had been in the past and she had her sword ready in case of a surprise from Hatter.

She did not expect him to let up and this would be a time she would figure he would attack, hearing a sound to her right she froze readying herself. Instead, all she got was a startled Mctwisp eyeing her and greeting Mallymunkin.

Apologizing Alysia listened to the two of them chat as they walked, her mind for some reason could not focus and instead she was wound tight. An attack never far from her thoughts, halfway around another turn before even getting near to the practice field she lifted her sword catching Hatter's ambush and met his gaze, that day he appeared brighter than usual and his clothing reflected he was in a fair mood. His eyes shown a leafy colored green, she was not sure but she had a feeling he might be impressed by her caution.

"I told you she would get it." Cheshire muttered lazily from his perch above them, his tail swishing in a perfect curl before he started down the rows of hedges.

Hatter did not much like the felines' conceited tone or the swagger he had successfully pulled off, but even he admitted he had expected Alysia to let her guard down. Walking in silence with her companions Alysia kept a wary eye on Hatter, she did not understand the odd changes in him or the strange confrontation he appeared to be having with himself and his emotions.

What she did know was he would be constantly testing her, clearly he was not letting up anytime soon and she had a distinct impression when it was all done, she may have some piece of her ancestor buried in her somewhere.

Hours later, she lay puffing on the ground cursing Hatter for ever attempting to teach her. Mallymunkin had chosen to let her coaching ease up, which left Alysia much of the time on her own facing him. Realization came to her the last dozen or so times she fell to the ground because the small mouse had given her false direction. She was fed up with the tests, but they did point out it was because the bad people did not fight fair ever.

Painfully she climbs to her feet seeing his gaze falter in his next move when he saw blood appear on her old wound from the day before. Following his gaze as his eyes yellowed and the colors to his brightly patterned clothing faded, she saw the problem and sighed.

She ignored the concern and moved in proving that she had been learning very well. Hatter instinctively caught her blows and smiled slightly seeing she was getting the idea finally. She did notice the cheer from the small mouse who seemed pleased with herself. She kept up the pace and finally after a few minutes Hatter caught her last attack moving swiftly taking her sword. This move threw her completely, it was new and she never saw it coming.

"Hey!" she managed before stumbling forward and catching herself. "What was that?"

"His hat trick," Answered Mctwisp with a small smile, clearly he had not seen the move in a while.

"Oh." Feeling her ego deflate a bit at nearly catching the Hatter at his own game, she took her sword back from him; he offered the handle gently to her indicating they should continue.

"It isn't a move I use unless I need to protect something I care about." Hatter put his sword away watching her surrender against the tree behind her. "It's a valuable move and I have used it in times when they were very bleak." She saw his eyes dull to a gray yellow and realized it was a move he must have used with her predecessor; she had hoped Alice would not be brought up that day.

"You saved her?" She did not need to say the name; his look between sad and sarcastic was not missed by her now heightened observational skills.

"I distracted the enemy for her. She saved herself." Alysia regretted her next question greatly seeing this would lead into very painful territory for him, taking a breath she tried again.

"Am I close to having anything of…Alice's muchness?" She saw the slight signs of tension, but his eyes remained that light yellow color and his clothing only dulled a bit.

"Be honest Hatter." Mallymunkin saw he was contemplating his answer very carefully.

"No, but you are trying." Alysia internally groaned, there was no way she was going to be able to help Underland if this kept up. "Start again?"

She did not want to, she was tired and ached all over and it provided a very cranky individual trying to be taught things she did not quite get. Shrugging she took a breath and started all over again.

Miranna watched on silently from the sidelines, Hatter was very nearly the Tarrant she remembered now and she hoped the change would continue for the better. Alysia may not have been the champion they had in the past, but she was determined and that was all they could hope for in their situation. So far, her spies indicated no one knew of her, the buzz was Alice had returned to clean up the new mess.

She hoped they would believe that, she prayed they would believe that.

"Alice is the only cloak Alysia has right now, if they knew-" her thoughts were interrupted by Alysia managing to just miss Hatter in an attempt to learn another of his more creative moves. She smiled noting him scowl at the sword sticking out of the ground between his feet and saw Alysia staring on in horror, before his look made her cover a round of stifled giggles.

"This is not amusing." He glanced down again seeing how close it had come to his body and winced, if he hadn't known better he would have suggested she was aiming for a part of his anatomy he would have rather not been attacked.

"I didn't mean it; besides you know my skill…it was your move." He lifted her sword offering it back to her, before she got it; he had it with his own and had a scissor like move around her neck. "Oiy!" she remarked shocked at his reflexes.

"This is also a common move used by the red courts, be wise to keep your weapon on you and if your opponent offers a fair fight-

"Stab him with a hidden knife?" Suggested Alysia seeing an eerie sort of smile lift his lips before he nodded his approval. "I need to learn to use a knife too then?"

"It would be a good idea." Mallymunkin stated seeing her eyes move to her before the small mouse pointed to the white handled dagger Mctwisp offered to her.

It was silver and engraved with a fine ivy pattern along the blade, a single pearl in the handle glowed like a full moon. "I feel like I'm training to kill." Alysia winced at her voice, the words biting into her dislike for violence.

Hatter noting how disenchanted she was by the idea hated himself for what he was going to tell her. "You are being trained to kill…otherwise they will execute you."

On that less than pleasant note all of them made their way back to the palace, Alysia was silent like the death that would be very real if she did not keep up her training. In reality, she was not sure if she was glad the Hatter finally decided to help her or if she was still more afraid of him than the enemy was.

The thing she was sure of was that she was scared and nothing they said would change that.