Magnificently Mad

Heavens Evangel

Rated: M

Pairing: AlicexHatter/Tarrant, Mirana/OC

Disclaimer: Alice in Wonderland does not belong to me, only OC's do!

Sorry this took so long! I'm finally on break!

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"Hmm..." An idea formed in her head and she smiled. "I think I know how we can lose them." She grabbed his hand without a second thought and grabbed one side of her skirt with the other. She smiled and ran off. "I hope you can keep up with me Blake!" She called out behind her.

He flushed at the contact of their hands, but followed her closely. This isn't awkward...

Mally noticed them running off further and deeper into the gardens and right into the maze, she tried her best to run after them as fast as her little legs could but tripped over a rock which caused her to lose all track of them. Oh dear! I have to report to Chess about this! With that the little dormouse stood up, dusted herself off and went in search of the disappearing cat.

Chapter Eight: Maze

They ran the whole way into the lush green maze; white roses peeked through the spaces. The sun light filtered in through the leaves as they walked through the maze, still hand in hand. Blake looked at her and felt his heart make its way up his throat. He forced it back down, confused by his sudden attraction to the woman in his company. The sunlight hit her just right and just made her sparkle; she practically illuminated the whole area.

Mirana had forgotten entirely about their joined hands, just enjoying his presence in the most innocent of ways. Well this is nice; I don't feel him judging me at all like I do with the others in my court. I feel... at ease. I like this.

She looks like an angel in this light... I feel like I'm tainting her just being here in her presence. "Mirana?"

"Yes?" She looked back at him and gave him a warm smile.

His face colored. "I was wondering..."

"Yes?" She raised a brow and tilted her head to the side with a questioning look on her face.

"You do know your way around this maze... right?" He looked at her with nervousness; he seemed a little jittery about being in this place with her, more so because he was alone with her.

She blinked and looked around. "More or less, but what's the fun of knowing it well?"

"Ugh..." He sighed, this queen was going to be a handful, but deep down he enjoyed it. He smiled a little. "Alright then..."

"How about we make this a little game?" She let go of his hand, a mischievous smile on her face. "You try to find me and if you find me I'll give you a prize."

"A... prize? Well that's tempting, but I'm not sure."

She gasped and turned to him. "Are you scared?" She taunted with a quirk of her blood red lips.

He blinked and gaped at her. "Scared? Me? No I'm a proper English gentleman... I have no time to be scared." But had it been just a few hours before then yes, yes he would have been scared, this whole place scared the daylights out of him. But he wasn't going to let this queen call him a coward.

"Then you'll play? I'll give you an hour to find me in the center of the maze. Get there in time and I'll give you a prize." She smiled; her heart was pounding in her chest, oh how this game enticed her. Blake was still a complete stranger and Mirana knew she should be more careful, but, something about him made her want to play these dangerous games. It was very dangerous to toy with a man she hardly knew, perhaps as she worked on the potion to take him home she would get to know him, and perhaps he'd forget about going to that dreadful... Londun. The way Alice had described it to her once reminded her of Iracabeth and her kingdom of hearts. She shuddered inwardly, only to feel Blake place his hands on her shoulder. She looked up at him with a twinge of pink coloring her cheeks.

"Something the matter?" He asked his voice full of concern.

"No, just remembering something. Well shall we play? I'll leave you clues along the way, but you will have to find them. Remember one hour!" She smiled then trotted off, practically skipping away from him before disappearing around a corner.

Blake chuckled. She's quite playful; I rather enjoy that in a woman. He felt a smile touch his lips as he gave her a head start before beginning to walk in the direction that she had gone. He smiled the whole way, keeping mindful of his surroundings and the way the white roses sparkled in the sunlight that filtered in. It was like this maze was a whole other world. He stopped to admire it. He looked above him, at how the bluish green foliage covered the maze, leaving few open patches for sunlight to peek through. Perhaps to stop people overlooking the garden from the castle from peeking in... or to stop those in the maze from climbing up and trying to find the next passage. A particularly perfect maze that stops onlookers and cheaters, a perfect place to hide away. As he walked on, he found a dainty white lace glove handing from a rose stem. His face colored. When she said clues I didn't imagine she'd leave these kinds of things... He took the glove, taking note of how it was positioned and followed it. He made turns and twists and made sure that he didn't accidently double back. Blake soon found the other glove and lifted it up, now holding both he began to imagine just how soft Mirana's bare hands might feel. His face colored and he walked on. Those are terribly impure thoughts to be having about a monarch Mr. Adler. Very dangerous as well, for all you know she may have a suitor or a knight of some sort or perhaps a king. Although if she had a king or anything like that I doubt she'd be playing such... games with a complete and total stranger. How curious.

A certain mischievous apparating cat was watching him go on through the maze. His mouth curved up into an insanely large smile. The plan is working on its own without a push from us. Oh Mirana I didn't know you had this in you, what a naughty Queen you are. He chuckled to himself. But let's give our suitor a little help shall we? He noticed Blake turn in the wrong direction and nodded, deciding to leave more clues to help him get back on track and go straight to the center of the maze, where Mirana was nervously waiting. He found one of Mirana's shoes and raised a brow. He moved it in the direction that Blake had to go and smirked. Leaving clothing clues, Mirana you must like this one.

Mirana paced. She had removed her gloves, her shoes... even her silk stockings, leaving them behind as clues. Her heart was racing a mile a minute. I can't believe I would leave such clues. She sat down on the white stone bench and blushed terribly. This... Blake... has stirred something in me that I never thought would be stirred in me before. Could I have a... what is it that Mally called it... a crush? She remained sitting there, flushed. The center of the maze had the most opened space. A large open circle above that gave a clear view of the sky, but the foliage around it had overgrown and created a dome above it. Even if one tried to see the center from the castle they would only see the dome and would not be able to peek in. No prying eyes... I could and can be myself... one with both the light... and the dark. She brought her legs up and hugged them close to her. More myself, no one watching me for mistakes, no one ready to steal the throne from me at the first sight of weakness. I guess that is partly why I have never married or found a suitor. I'm afraid of it... afraid of my own court. Even though I know they're loyal to me, I still fear that one could turn around and be like my sister. That overwhelming darkness in her heart that turned her to do only evil...

Blake frowned when he reached a dead end and turned back the way he came. When he reached the place he had been last he noticed the shoe. Did she... His face went beet red at the thought of Mirana leaving behind all of her clothes and undergarments. She's... flirting. In her own way she's flirting with me. I don't think she's realized it. He went to the shoe and lifted it up, he examined it, then began to wonder how much time was left. I mustn't waste time... I wonder... just what kind of prize would I get. He chuckled to himself as he imagined her leaning to him and pressing those soft crimson lips against his. He shook it off. Mustn't think like that, she hardly knows me and I hardly know her. He started to run now, eager to find her and return her belongings. He rounded a corner, it wasn't long before he found the other shoe, which soon led him to one stocking, which led him quickly to the other. He felt his body heating up as he reached an opening. He stood there before finally walking towards it. Once there he saw her, sitting on the bench, bathed in the sunlight that reflected off of her pure white hair. The wind blew through it, revealing a patch of black underneath all that white. Well that's odd... He smiled as he snuck up on her and reached out to touch it, his fingers caressed the soft patch of black hair, the patch that represented Mirana's darkness.

She jumped up and turned towards him. "You made it!" She flushed then realized what he had been touching. "..."

He stopped and shook his head, removing his hand from her hair. "Ah... yes... you left... rather interesting clues..." He set her things down on the bench before silently asking permission to sit beside her.

She nodded to him and scooted over, giving him plenty of room. A... the... the prize, what should I give him as a prize?

He sat down and felt his whole body relax into the seat. "It's warm here, like a place you could run to to think of what's important, or to forget about things." He said softly as he closed his eyes, leaning back into the bench seat. "There's so much light here, while up there, as close as we are to the sun, there is so much darkness."

She turned her head to look at him with her big brown eyes. "Darkness..." The sun had suddenly disappeared at it quickly turned to night, the moon hung overhead and illuminated him. He looked so soft and rugged at the same time, it left her wanting to touch him as her eyes drifted down to his lips.

He blinked at the change and sat up. "That was strange, the sun didn't even set..."

"Wonderland's weather and time of day varies, the sun may be out for just a few minutes or it could be out for hours, well into the night. It's fickle that way."

"Like a lonely heart."

She turned towards him more. "A lonely heart?"

"In love one moment and out of love the next, never able to decide what it feels." He answered, enjoying the sudden cool. He had been running since the first shoe, desperate to be in her presence again. "Mirana."

"Ah yes?"

"Don't bother trying to find a way back for me."

"What but... why?"

"I think I like this place." He said with a smile as he glanced her way. "I always felt out of place up there, but now... now I feel rather... at home. For the first time in all of my life I feel like I may have a place somewhere."

Mirana felt her heart skip happily. "Alright... I won't look then."

"Mirana?"

"Yes?"

"Is it possible that I could perhaps have a job? Since I'm staying and all. I'm rather skilled at fighting and I have tons of survival experience."

"Well... Mamoreal is a very peaceful place, as is most of Underland now."

He nodded. "I'll take anything. I just don't want to be here doing nothing."

"That would be rather boring. Give me some time, I'll think of something to give you. I'm sure Alice will ask me the same thing."

He nodded. "Alright." He closed his eyes and remained there, enjoying the cool air that hit him.

"About your prize..."

He raised a hand to stop her, placing it over hers. "Don't worry about that. Just being able to stay here and have a job that I can work at is prize enough."

She looked down at the hand that was over hers. It was so warm and had a gentle roughness to it, her heart was doing summersaults at this point.

"Shall we get going? I don't want people to worry about you." He stood up and offered her her things.

"Ah... right." She said as he turned away. She pulled her articles of clothing back on and looked up at him. He could have taken advantage of me, but he didn't. She stood and smiled to him. "Well let's go." She took his hand and led him away to the shortcut out of the maze.

A certain feline appeared as they left, a disappointed look on his face. So close. Darn you human, you should have made a move. This may be more difficult than I expected... He sighed a little and shook his head. Mirana you're just as nervous as Nivens... it's very amusing to watch. He chuckled and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Alice sat with Tarrant, enjoying the night air as they sat in the field of singing flowers. They listened to the soft melody of the flowers as they moved close to one another to keep warm. Alice could hear his soft gentle breathing, soothing her soul and her very insides, it made her feel delicious all over, just as delicious as when Tarrant had first been within her and shared his seed. She felt strange about it, yet there was nothing wrong with it, not in her mind. Had her mother known that she had had sex before marriage she would be beyond livid with her and would probably disown her, not that it mattered now since she was now a permanent resident of Underland.

Tarrant glanced at her and noticed how her brow knit on one side. He raised a brow. "Is something wrong dearest?"

She snapped out of it and leaned up from her position of leaning against his arm. "Yes, wait no... no nothing's wrong."

"Alice."

"Well... no nothing."

"Alice..." His voice became a little sterner.

"I... well if you must know I was thinking about how my mother would react to us."

"To us? Why would that matter if it is what you want not what she wants."

She looked at him and nodded. "You're right, it shouldn't matter, but I would like for one day to go back and visit her and tell her about all the wonders of Underland and its people and of course oodles more about you."

"You've told your mother about me?" He raised a brow in surprise; it seemed to disappear in that wild mess of bright orange hair as his emerald eyes stared down at her with curiosity. She's told her mother of me? I would have never expected that.

"Of course I've told her." She smiled a little. "I came home to visit two years ago and she tried to set me up with Hamish again. I was absolutely livid!" She closed her eyes recalling the distant memory.

Years

Alice paced back and forth in what was her father's study and had become her own when she started working for the company. She was contemplating a slew of things at the moment, unsure of how to tell her mother what she felt. She was sighing constantly, and her mother had caught that while at the table. She remembered clearly what her mother had asked but had no answer at all.

"Alice that is the hundredth time you've sighed at the table. It's not very lady like. It's no wonder why you still go without a suitor. What is the matter with you child?" Her mother had paused, then came to a (what she thought) brilliant explanation for it. "Oh I know what it is! You're in love! Oh thinking of Hamish? I'll have him called upon right away and he can ask for your hand again!" Her mother had given Alice no time to stop her as she just stood up abruptly and rushed out of the room.

Now Alice was stuck in her study, her ears burning red with anger, unsure of how to explain to her mother that she was in love, but not with a pompous noble like Hamish. The very thought of being in love with such a sniveling brat caused her skin to pale to paper white and her stomach to churn in disgust. I mean really? Hamish and his stomach problems and all that talk about blockages with his mother was a real ...I wouldn't know what to call it except a rude awakening. I could never live nor love a person like that. Not when my heart belongs somewhere else... with someone else. The problem is telling her that my heart belongs in a place she thinks is make believe. She sighed and finally sat down on the desk, beginning to pick under her nails, deep in thought. There was a soft knocking at the door, but Alice had failed to hear it, or the door opening, with her mother peeking in with a wide smile on her face.

Hey guys sorry it took so long to get out! I'll bring out the next one as soon as I can.

Alice is going to be asking for a job, but I just can't think of what she and Blake would do while living in Underland... suggestions please!