"Mail!"
The Hatter looked over to his dearest friend, who was calling out and waving his furry paws above his head, standing at the front gate. Just the outline of his bizarre shape suggested chaos. The Hatter sighed.
"She is female, not male." After all the fuss the Hare had made on the subject, the Hatter couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"No, I mean we have mail!"
"We are male, my dear friend. We are not in possession of our manliness; it is our being."
The Hare was slightly distracted by this comment and snorted superiorly. "Your manliness? My dear fellow, the two words do not exist in the same sentence," he chuckled at the Hatter's venomous glare, "no, I was speaking of our attainment of a letter."
"Why didn't you just say so?" The Hatter's voice was irritated, but his eyes shone with excitement. It was a rare thing; for him to receive a letter. When the rare occasion did come, though, it usually consisted of a parking fine (he had the awful habit of leaving his teapots in public parking, then forgetting about them) or a riddle from the dormouse (which was exceptionally rare, considering the poor critter had been eaten weeks ago by the Queen's cats). He considered these possibilities, then prayed it was a riddle. His thoughts drifted: Why is a raven like a writing desk...
The Hare threw the small envelope at the Hatter, his clumsy throw meeting an even clumsier catch, as the Hatter dived to save the letter from the cream puffs on the tea party table. He licked off the cream.
"I love letters," he stated simply, cream smudged on the edges of his mouth.
The Hare raised an eyebrow; an increasingly common characteristic. "I can see that."
The envelope was opened with a butter knife; revealing an impressive note sealed with the Queen's personal stamp of red wax. The Hatter looked up at his friend, concerned.
"This doesn't look good."
"Just read it."
The Hatter obeyed. His eyes darted down to the beautifully written note, and read the words aloud:
Her Majesty the Queen of Hearts requests an audience with the
Mad Hatter
on the subject of a large, misplaced hat.
Note: It is court order that all invited for an interview with her Majesty are expected to be punctual, presentable and behaved, or due punishment will be performed.
Thank you.
-----------------------
Alice looked over the note laid out courteously in front of her, reviewing it with a skeptic air. She sat at the head of the table, as always, but now the table seemed to be located within the house, in a dark, empty room. We don't want to be watched, the Hare had explained to her mysteriously as he and the Hatter had escorted her inside the house. The two madmen watched her, their expressions torn between anxiety and curiosity as they waited for her to speak. The note had numerous tea-stains, the circles overlapping each other and dotting the paper, as if it had been examined and re-examined constantly. Alice finally looked up, meeting their gazes.
"You must go, obviously," Alice addressed the Hatter, who just nodded solemnly. He had known that, and didn't need some blonde non-impostor to point that out for him. "The question is whether I go with you."
"Oh, okay," the Hare cut in in a dead-pan voice, "would you like your funeral with or without flowers?"
Alice sighed impatiently. "Look, I've got to see this woman. Either way, by going there, I'll get what's coming to me one way or another. Better get it done sooner than later, besides, who's to say it's suicide? It could all easily be one big misunderstanding."
The two friends just looked at her.
"Unlikely, I know," she said defensively, "but it's worth a shot," she looked directly at the Hatter now, noting the way he looked slightly uncomfortable whenever it happened, "I'm coming with you."
"I'm going this afternoon."
The Hare shook his head, still persistent. "You sure you want to die? And so young? And this afternoon, no less!"
Alice rolled her eyes affectionately. "I'll be fine."
"She'll be fine," the Hatter backed her up.
"You'll be fine," the Hare agreed, who seemed momentarily brainwashed by all their assuring. Alice and the Hatter looked at him, concerned.
"If you say so," the Hatter shrugged, disregarding his friend's strange ways. It's not like sudden outbursts of insanity didn't come from him. He now turned to Alice, a new thought in his mishapped mind. "They won't be expecting you there, you know. You may not be even able to get past the front gate."
"They don't have a gate," the Hare corrected him.
"My point is illustrated, anyway."
Alice disagreed though, her thoughts turning glum. "No, they want me there. They're expecting me." She sighed heavily.
She received a warm smile from the Hare, who was undoubtedly concerned with Alice's wellbeing. He knew the best place for her was back in the real world – her life was too endangered down here, this place that had turned from a mystifying escape to a prison under the stern rule of a tyrant. It was getting Alice back, and how, that was the problem.
So Alice and the Hatter set off a little while later, combing their way toward the general direction of the palace, as neither had any idea of where it was. They were too nervous, and the Hatter too uncomfortable to keep up any form of conversation, so they just pushed on quietly, lost in their own thoughts.
Just as Alice began to suspect they were lost, their destination was seen in the distance. Alice had been expected a beautiful, pearl white castle. Or even a dark, enchanted hideaway to house someone as powerful and as secretive as the Queen. Instead, they had stumble upon an average, yet humongous house. It could have held hundreds of rooms inside of it, and the only thing to make it attractive was the wide, green lawn that surrounded it, spotted with flowers and strangely shaped hedges. And there were roses, of course. Hundreds of roses.
-------------------------
Alice and the Mad Hatter waited anxiously in the main hall. Tapestries and wide windows surrounded them, making Alice feel claustrophobic, although the hall was grand and spacious. The floor had been laid with expensive looking carpets – hundreds of them overlapping in luxury, but ones footsteps still could be heard clearly, tapping away lightly. The design seemed Middle Eastern – everything richly provided and in abundance, even the windows were framed by lace-like gold, covered with heavy satin fabric. Nothing matched, but everything in the room brought strength and elegance. Most of all, it was intimidating.
They counted their breaths to keep track of time. It seemed inappropriate to move, so all they did was stand ram-rod straight – never slackening – and stared nervously at the two grand doors on the opposite side of the room. Several times Alice could have sworn she saw the handle twitch, but perhaps her imagination was driving her literally insane. The Hatter saw it too, but he, of course, was already far past insane.
Then, finally, as if an answer to their prayers and worst fears, the doors were pushed open with authority, and Alice did not need to look up to know it was her. Her presence was almost palatable.
Dressed in nothing short than the magnificent and eccentric, she glided toward them, first a small figure you could pinch between your fingers, till she grew into a full-bodied woman as she came closer. Her beetroot purple and bloody red robes trailed behind her as she seemed to float over the floor, hovering inches above the rich carpets. Her burgundy locks were combed up onto the top of her head severely, pinned down by strings of pearls that seemed far too pretty for her stern, vehement, yet overall handsome face. Layer upon layer of cloth draped over her every which-way, making her skirts pool around her feet like the end layer of mist at a waterfall. Authority and severity followed her around like an aura, and even the smallest hint of blood-thirsty insanity was buried deep behind her black irises.
She was not alone, either. Four men trailed on either side of her, their faces and figures distorted by the thick, gray cloaks that covered them entirely. As they moved closer, out of the shadows, Alice saw their faces, too, had been stitched over by the nauseating masks that were permanently attached to their skin. These eight cloaked figures followed their leader in a 'V' formation, the party stretching out as the more emerged through the double doors. Behind her immediate protectors, was something Alice had not planned on, let alone expected. Past the four men on the either side of her, were another four men, split into two – two on each side. Their cloaks were black, but beneath their layers was the obvious presence of hard muscle. The men were huge. Even with the heavy clothing, and the masks, it was obvious they were the strongest. And Alice saw why. These guards clutched onto their own thick, leather rope – a leash that twister and groaned from the strain that was being pulled at the other end. On that other end, were the cats.
They hissed furiously at the sight of Alice and the Hatter, their claws springing forward, their positions braced for an attack. Their teeth glittered in the light the wide windows poured into the room. The men flexed their muscles and pulled back, breaking out into an ocean of sweat, trying to restrain the wild animals. They tried to shout words of calm at them, tried to let the lead slacken, all in vain. Then she whispered something to the animals, and they fell obedient, forgetting their prey in an instant. One of the cats made it's way over to the her, rubbing itself against her robes as she walked, purring affectionately. At her command, they had turned from ravenous beasts to playful house-cats.
Then, after what seemed an age, she came and stood face-to-face with Alice and the Hatter, a small smirk playing on her unnaturally red lips, eyeing them both with the up-most satisfaction.
"Your majesty," Alice mumbled, then blushed a little at the child-like quality in her voice. She had promised herself she would be confident, undaunted no matter who or what this woman was. Alice felt all her confidence drain from her at the sight of this woman. She guessed as it drained, it must have been absorbed by the Queen, whose smirk grew more pronounced as her victims shrunk before her.
"I already have the pleasure of knowing the Mad Hatter, but you, must be Alice. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Alice," the silken voice replied. Alice now realized the note was never once intended for the Hatter, it was just a way to secure Alice coming to the palace, as the Queen never looked at the Hatter once. Her eyes were fixed on Alice. Butterflies fluttered wildly in her stomach.
Alice was not sure how to respond to this, she was stumped, yet at the same time puzzled. Had they not met before? It seemed odd a woman so obsessed with her should forget their prior acquaintance. Alice's indecision seemed to amuse the woman in front of her even more. "I must inform you though, of something that may disappoint you," her red lips pulled out further into her cheeks.
Alice darted a quick look at the Hatter next to her, who seemed unsurprised by the odd statement. He kept his eyes on the floor, shaking his head and sighing ever so slightly. He caught Alice's eye, then looked down at the floor quickly again, an almost guilty expression crossing his face.
Okay, Alice thought to herself irritably, so I'm the only one that is going to be informed on something they don't know. Thanks.
The woman looked down at Alice with a pitiful expression, which angered and ashamed Alice at the same time. When she spoke, the words were soft and patient; like she was explaining something to a small child. The words seemed ironically obvious, though.
"I am not the Queen."
Alice looked up, startled, feeling ludicrous to have been speaking to this woman as if she were the ruler. Alice's eyes roamed over the woman's regal face, her expensive robes, to even the small gold tiara that sat amongst her curls. The guards expressions – if they were visible – were unchanging as Alice stared at them too, in confusion.
"I am," Alice paused, searching for the right word, "confused." Yes, that was right; she was confused. Now came the difficult part; elaboration. "I had assumed from, well – er, your attire, and your security...You seem like the Queen." Alice blushed wildly.
The woman pondered this, acting as if she were taking the conversation seriously, all the while a menacing smile on her lips. "That could be a compliment, I suppose. And in a way, you are right. It is my job to look like the Queen. I get paid for it."
"Oh, I see," Alice said, not quite seeing at all.
"To be a Queen; so unique, so independent; literally one of a kind, comes at a price. To protect her monarchy from possible life-endangering situations, the Queen has a double. This woman before you, is the double," the Hatter's clear voice was unnaturally muted, a softness in his voice that was unnerving. He seemed to be ashamed of already having this knowledge, and not sharing it with Alice, but Alice just couldn't see the big deal.
"But surely you don't think us to be a danger to the Queen," Alice now addressed the double. How ironic it was; that they perhaps supposed that she was a danger to the Queen, when quite literally it was the other way around. "Why do we see you then, and not her Majesty? We need to see the Queen. The real Queen."
The double looked down at Alice with sad eyes, her compassionate black irises contrasting with the faintest hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth, "I'm afraid that is impossible."
"What?" Impossible to see the Queen? It was maddening to have come all this way, gone through all the emotional trauma, just to learn the visiting hours were up. Alice continued to stare at the woman in disbelief, "how on earth can it be impossible?"
"No one has seen the Queen in person for the last five years," the woman told her.
Alice blinked. "What?"
The woman-double sighed, repeating herself, "no one has seen the Queen for the last five years. Not you, not me; not anybody."
"How is that possible? Do you mean to tell me that no one – absolutely no one – has seen the Queen for that long? No servants have seen her? No family, no friends, no civilians, not even you? For five years? Where is she? How do you know she is still alive? Are you sure she isn't dead? How is that even possible?" The questions couldn't seem to stop from rushing out between Alice's lips. She felt betrayed, tricked, left out in the cold by this woman who wanted her gone. Could that even make sense?
"She is quite alive, Alice," the woman said, only bothering to answer one of Alice's last questions; she dismissed the others with a regal flick of the hand, "we hear from her every now and again, and we receive letters that are completely authentic. It is only that no one has seen her."
It still seemed highly unlikely to Alice, who was of a stubborn, questioning nature. How hard is it to knock someone's door down and see them, Alice thought critically, how do you manage to lose a Queen?
"Can't you just force your way up into the tower or wherever it is she is hiding and check that she is alive?" Alice addressed the woman.
Alice's question was met with a bleak laugh from the double, whose bark-like humour was short and ridiculing. "We have no idea where she is, Alice. If we did, don't you think we would have found her already?"
"Why would she want to hide herself in the first place?" Alice mused, addressing no one in particular but herself.
At this airy, passing query the woman's features turned cold. In one reflex action, her face stiffened and her posture struggled to hide some flaring emotion; was it, possibly....rage? And then the second passed, and it was all over. She collected herself, the change of aura had been subtle to Alice, and was completely missed by the Hatter. Alice felt increasingly uncomfortable – there was something about this woman that unsettled her.
"Oh," the woman smiled nonchalantly, as if nothing had happened, "I almost forgot," the woman turned to the Hatter with a sheepish grin, "this is yours."
Out of what seemed nowhere, she pulled out the Hatter's hat, and handed the prized possession back to the rightful owner. Alice watched on at the exchange, mystified.
She had never quite noticed before; the looks of the Hatter. She tried to think of why that may have been – perhaps she had to know a little about him first, or perhaps she had just paid no mind to it. Now, as he accepted the ridiculous looking hat, she was forced to inspect his appearance. It could not be said he was handsome, or even good-looking, because it was not true. To say he was ugly would be another lie. His features were caught in the middle between the two extremes; being extremely standard and nondescript. He was bland in features, true; his nose, his eyes, his mouth – it was all regular, nothing extraordinary. But his snow-white hair, and expressions filled him with life and colour. What he lacked he made up for; mannerisms and quirks creating a lively character that withstood the time and age of beauty. Even as he accepted his hat back now; the joy filling his eyes gave them a bright sparkle, and his expression of absurd delight gave him a handsomeness that had not been there before. Alice watched on, puzzled at this new small, but sweet revelation.
Alice came back to reality just in time to hear the end on the Hatter's sentence.
"...but we will come back another time. I'm sure we still have many questions," he cast a meaningful glance down at Alice, who was, once again, confused. "But we will come again."
The woman smiled at this, a smile that Alice still thought was not quite right. "I'm counting on that," she now nodded to the two of them in dismissal, "Hatter.....Alice."
The two were escorted out of the room by two of the guards, stumbling slightly over the eccentric carpets. They moved through a narrower corridor, with glass panels providing a view into the surrounding rooms. The guards followed behind them, though not being pushy. They trailed a good deal behind. As Alice was looking into the glimpses of the surrounding rooms, she stopped short at one, her face turning pale.
"What – what's that?" She asked, her voice quivering.
The Hatter came back to her, and leaned in to get a better look through the thick glass.
"That is an excellent question," he responded airily.
Before them, in a small, dark room, a creature was bound down with a sea of heavy chains, it's back hunched forward, and it's head tucked in between the knees. It bared a strong resemblance to the Queen's cats, but at the same time did not. Hidden under the muscles that seemed to be literally growing slowly over it's body like a disease, was the physique of a man. As they watched the miserable creature, it changed. A small shift in it's appearance was subtle, as it looked more animalistic than it had a mere second ago. It groaned out at this small change in pain – the voice still clearly a mans.
"What is it? What's happening to it?" Alice asked the Hatter at first, then realizing he hadn't the faintest idea, she turned to face the covered faces of the guards.
At first they seemed reluctant to speak, as if wondering whether they were aloud to. They hastily checked around them – the quick, undecided movement being the first independent action they had done – and asserted that the Queen double was truly gone.
They spoke, their muted voices dull yet secretive.
"That is the effect of the disease taking control. Once a man, who had opposed her majesty's rule, she ordered for his execution to be that of fully exposing him to her disease. Now you see what it has done to him; to all of them. Whoever is fully exposed transforms into the beasts that belong to the Queen; that is, the Queen's cats."
"This disease she is using is also creating her army?" Alice looked back at the transforming man in horror.
"It is a long process, ma'am. This man here was brought in this morning, and after being in the disease chamber, he was brought to this heavily guarded room, for his transformation to take place. As you see, he is not yet completed the transformation," the guard told her.
"Does he know what's happening to him?" The Hatter asked.
In response to this, though not having heard a word, the chained man-cat looked up at them slowly, his eyes full of sorrow and disgust. A snarl ripped through his teeth. Alice jumped back from the window.
"Yes; he is perfectly aware. Only in the final stage on the transformation will he adapt the blind obedience of the cat. Till then, he must live with the new life approaching him."
"That's terrible," Alice managed to choke out.
"If you do not like the sound of it, ma'am, I suggest you try your best to be in the Queen's good grace. For Wonderland, there is no other punishment but to be exposed to the disease. Very few know of the actual consequences of the act, though," the guard told her dryly.
There was the sound of approaching footsteps, as a new set of guards came to guard the cell. They gave Alice, the Hatter and their companions a sharp nod, and Alice and the Hatter continued to walk down the corridor quickly. As they approached the final exit, where another two masked guards holding leashes to two of the Queen's cats patrolled, Alice turned to the Hatter.
"It explains, at least, the masks. If the Queen has such a temper to expose anybody, she must protect her own regiment from the disease, so she doesn't end up killing her whole palace off," Alice told him.
The Hatter looked down at Alice. "And you just figured that out?"
She snorted at him, irritated at their inability to get along.
They passed through the final doors, which were the biggest and most extravagant Alice had ever seen, and out into the open air. Just as the guards were about to close the doors behind them Alice heard a faint growling from one of the cats.
"Steady, Cheshire," the guard warned it.
Alice felt like she was going to be ill.