Damaged People: The Last Waltz

Chapter Six:

Hope and Faith Are Lost

Hatter led Alice back out through his house's defenses on autopilot, saying nothing. She knew he must be worried about the Queen of Hearts' soldiers arriving to catch them… or worse, so she let him stew. But as they came into the open air, the synchronized footsteps of the card-army shook the ground, and the Hatter finally spoke to her, telling her to run,

"Fly Alice, as fast as you can!"

"No!" she yelled, her stubbornness showing through. "It's my world! I won't let them hurt us!"

"Alice, they may not be able to kill you… but they can still inflict unimaginable pain, like you couldn't believe… and without death to allow you to escape it! Believe me, please! Now, Alice… Run!"

And she did, under the storm clouds that were growing above the treetops she sought shelter in. The wind was behind her, pushing her along as she ran with the occasional tear making its way down her face. Alice didn't look behind her, she couldn't! What if the Hatter wasn't there? What if he was holding them off? Alice kept running, feet flying just as he asked her. Branches and thorns grabbed her dress and stockings and tore them in places, but she paid it no mind; there were bigger problems now than her dress being ruined!

All too soon the inevitable happened- she ran out of breath, slowing down considerably even as she prayed her hardest not to.

-†-

The White Rabbit was seeking out that girl, that simpleton Alice, in order to get back into the Queen of Hearts' good graces again. While Alice often had trouble finding him, the rabbit had no trouble finding her. She was running through the woods, tears dried on her face and many tears in her dress. She still was a bothersome girl, and even a slovenly one, letting her clothes go like that… He hopped quickly out to intercept Alice in her path, hoping to trick her into coming to the queen's palace with him.

"Alice!" he shouted, as he appeared in front of her, "Thank goodness I've found you!" Alice looked wary, that damned insane Hatter had probably told her things about him. "Come quickly, the cards will be here soon!"

"You work for the Queen of Hearts." Alice said bluntly.

"You believe everything he tells you?" Alice nodded. Alright, change of tactic…. "What about the things he won't tell you, those secrets he keeps hidden deep within his cracked mind?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked, still obviously distrusting.

"He's only using you! His internal clock is ticking down, and only you can stop it. If it isn't stopped… he dies. He's the most irrational of us all, besides the queen. He hardly has anything left in him to love, let alone enough to keep you safe." He paused, letting his words sink in before he continued, "I see he's left you behind… probably telling the cards all about you no doubt!"

"Stop it! He's- He's not like that!"

"And how do you know, Alice. How do you know for sure?" Alice couldn't say anything to that. "Now come with me, those cards have probably started to catch up to us!"

Alice followed the devious White Rabbit, not questioning about where he was taking her, because she was too wrapped up in her own doubts about the only person to truly show her love…

-†-

In the meantime, the Hatter allowed himself to be caught by her army without as much as a complaint about their roughness about it. He needed a safe ticket into the queen's castle, and what better way to do so? He just hoped Alice was okay… He had hoped she wouldn't run into that worthless White Rabbit- who knows what he'd tell her. But at least he wouldn't hurt her physically, he needed her trust. The Hatter sighed as he was led along with his hands tied behind his back. He would have to set things right again…

When they reached the Queen of Hearts' castle, it was almost as dark as night, and rain was starting to fall. The Hatter didn't mind, but he knew the storm was a reflection of Wonderland's turmoil. It wasn't going to let up anytime soon. The large, pretentious gates were opened by no less than six cards, three for each door. Good, it wouldn't be easy for anyone to get out, even him.

The self-appointed Queen of Wonderland was scowling more than usual, and that was saying something.

"Hatter! You miserable cur of a traitor! …Well, I have the upper hand now!" she cackled, "We'll have your little whore soon, don't think I don't have the power! The Cheshire Cat is on my side. Power buys loyalty don't you see! Everyone in my court knows I have the most power here! Alice… she thinks we need her to live but we don't!"

"You call this living? Look at yourselves... bowing to a tyrant who cares as much for you as the Jabberwocky cares for the bugs it crushes beneath its feet!"

"Off with his head!" the queen automatically shouted, before reconsidering, "No, wait, I want him to see me take off Alice's ugly little head first!" she laughed again sounding like nails on a chalkboard… but then again, maybe worse. "Where is Alice?" she yelled, "I need her now, so I can kill her before you, Hatter!" He snorted at that.

"You know you can't kill anybody, you bumbling fool of a 'queen'. And though I can, I won't… that is true power. To hold back that which may harm another…" The Hatter glared at her with dark eyes, even as she laughed him off as insignificant.

"Where is Alice?" she screamed, getting annoyed that she couldn't fulfill her plot yet.

"Right here, your Majesty." If looks could kill, the Hatter would have done so to the White Rabbit, who was dragging a still resisting, but dead-eyed Alice behind him. Hatter's angry heart broke to see her so.

"Oh, White Rabbit… What a gift!" the queen simpered.

The Hatter turned his angry eyes towards the state Alice was in; she was clearly upset and her blue dress was as torn as Wonderland's sky was currently rent. He softened his gaze and gave a smile that he hoped was more reassuring than remorseful. However… Alice didn't- she couldn't look at him. With every step she had taken closer to this place, her confusion and inner turmoil grew rapidly. Hatter could sense now, that something was terribly, terribly amiss with Alice. And his smile faded quickly, just as the rain now poured onto the once talkative, now long-silent flowers of Wonderland.

Hatter longed to just break free from the cards' hold on him, and rush over to save Alice… but he had to wait for two reasons. He knew not if Alice's trust was enough at the moment to endure their escape, and he needed to stick to his plans… or else his capture, all his efforts, and their separation...would have been for naught. And while the Queen of Hearts couldn't kill anything outright, she could inflict pain and suffering on the two of them.

As far as the queen herself, at the present she was cackling with demonic glee. It looked like she would be having a bit of fun with Alice first- she could 'keep her head' for the time being.

-†-

Alice was steadily looking down, or anywhere else but in the Hatter's direction. She knew that meddling rabbit's wanting to help her was all a ruse, but that didn't change the fact that her doubts were very real…

"I think a little cutting-down is in order... Alice! You think 'created' Wonderland, that you 'own' us? We are going to be free from you, now! We will take your head- we will steal what little power you have!" The Queen of Hearts continued on in this vein for quite some time, to cheers after every sentence. But soon enough, she turned her barbed words towards Alice's relationship with the Hatter. "Your so-called beau... why, his mind is a mess! He may not have burst into wrath before you yet, but you will see! This dirty old man- he must be twenty years your senior!" The queen went closer to Alice, making her shudder and the Hatter struggle. "Or is the culprit you? Lecherous little girl, seducing him... well that's no hard feat." She looked up at the Hatter finally, and spoke again, this time with a sickly-sweet nuance to her words. "Or didn't he tell you? He's the worst kind of sex addict there ever was! He and that March Hare- Do you want to know how he died?" Instead of yelling and calling her on her lies, or doing much of anything... the Hatter's struggles ceased because of overwhelming guilt. Alice looked about ready to cry, so the queen continued, to push her over the edge. "He and that freak Hatter were fuck-buddies! One day Hatter lost it- well, more than usual- and killed him in the heat of passion." she hissed, "Perhaps you were flirting with death... literally!" The Queen of Hearts laughed at her own pathetic joke, and the rest of the court joined in, hundreds of voices mocking his utter dejection.

By this point, the Hatter was a broken man, hanging limply in his captor cards' arms. Alice could bear the truth no longer; she sank to her knees and sobbed heavily. The sound of Alice's crying broke the spell of remorsefulness that had settled over the Hatter. He looked up, determination burning in his eyes.

"I don't know what he-" the Hatter started over here, blaming this on the White Rabbit was not going to make this right, "I don't know what of this you'll believe… I don't even know what you must be thinking- but hear me out!" he paused, steeling his nerves for his next words, "It's true that I'm mad... that I crave intercourse like the Jabberwock craves blood and death..." he choked off his own small sob, "and I killed the March Hare like that..." The queen was smiling darkly. "But what this false queen says is wrong. You are Wonderland!" he shouted, before continuing softly, "You will always be my Wonderland..."

Alice finally looked, and saw how stricken he was, and she knew in that instant, that she didn't- she shouldn't!- care what anyone said, and let his actions take center stage in her mind. "Who cares if you're mad? I must be mad, or else I wouldn't have come here... A madness shared by two!" She loved him, and said as much over the roar of the crowd and the queen's brash voice. It made his heart swell with feeling, and both their minds now turned to one thing… revenge!