Naturally I don't own anything, just the bits you don't recognize.
Anywho, here's the next chapter!
Alice found Hatter leaning in a doorway, staring off into the cloudy horizon. The grey day had turned even colder after a light mist settled over the landscape. The dismal weather reflected his mood perfectly. He didn't even bother acknowledging her as she walked up behind him and wrapped an arm around his waist. His gaze stayed firmly directed away from her.
"Hatter? You ok?" she asked tentatively. He didn't respond for a few minutes, but he did squeeze her gently. After waiting, Alice kissed his cheek then went to walk back to the kitchen. If he wasn't going to talk willingly, she wasn't going to wait around to pull it out of him. Right before she left the room though, he spoke.
"He didn't even care." Alice looked back at him as he turned to face her, his shoulder pivoting on the doorframe. "Not that he left us, not that my mother died, not that I was stuck with Dodo for years… he didn't seem to feel badly at all. I didn't even recognize that man in there. Whoever he used to be, he isn't my father. For all intents and purpose, my da' is dead." On the last sentence his voice cracked, and a tear slipped out from his eye.
Alice stepped forward and reached towards him. "Oh, Hatter… I'm not sure what to say." He pulled her to him as he began quietly crying. "I can't tell you anything to make it ok, but I can understand. I'm here for you." She stroked the back of his head as he continued holding her, not saying a word.
Finally Hatter stepped back, pulling himself together. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to spring that on you," he said. "I was attempting to hold that in, but… guess that didn't really work."
Alice laughed. "It's ok. You needed it."
"We seem to be getting a lot of our emotional baggage out early on, aren't we, love?"
"Mmm I guess so." She smiled and turned around, going back to join the kitchen. Hatter glanced back outside before following her. He was determined this was the last time she would see him like this for a while. He was supposed to be strong. This was the last time his father would make him cry.
Everyone was seated around the fireplace. Duchess perched on the edge of an uncomfortable-looking chair, looking for all the world like a queen. Charlie attempted to settle on the hearth while several of the Resistance's higher ranked agents lounged on the floor. Hatter and Alice had managed to snag a place on a small, ornate couch, and Alice was now sleepily leaning her head against his shoulder, attempting to stay awake.
Caterpillar walked in, causing everyone to snap to attention. Hatter tensed, but otherwise didn't acknowledge that his father had just walked in. Alice watched the man closely, trying to see if there was any resemblance between father and son. She couldn't see any connection between the two – Hatter must have taken after his mother. The more she looked, the less she saw that could possibly connect them. She wondered what Caterpillar had looked like as a younger man…
She snapped back to attention as she realized that he'd begun to talk. "… and so it's of critical importance that we get him back before further damage is done to Wonderland. I'm certain that if we get him away from Scarlett that he'll return to himself. The woman likely has him under some kind of spell or enchantment."
"Spell? Really?" The words had slipped out before Alice could stop herself. Everyone's eyes swung to look at her.
Caterpillar nodded. "Yes, my dear, a spell. Wonderland may have been held by the tea for years, but science isn't the only master here. Some have always possessed abilities beyond the norm, what you would call magic. It's really a kind of gift, but that is the simplest analogy. And the only way that Scarlett could have possibly taken control so easily and quickly is if she is quite a powerful gifted one. But moving back to the King – we have to rescue him soon or I fear it may be too late."
At that Duchess jerked up. "Too late? What on earth do you mean, too late?" Fear was evident in her voice.
"I mean that if Jack Heart remains under her power for much longer, he may not be able to recover full consciousness. If you thought that it was difficult to get the effects of long-term tea use out of a system, it would take even longer to get a firmly entrenched enchantment out. And in some cases it would be quite impossible. Wonderland would essentially lose it's king." Duchess' light skin went even paler as she realized the full ramifications of what Caterpillar was saying. She couldn't bear to lose Jack, especially not now. Everyone else in the room suddenly seemed alarmed as well now, with Hatter's eyes even widening.
Alice frowned as she tried to understand what was making everyone so anxious. "I'm missing something. Aside from the obvious, what would be the consequences of that?"
"Wonderland would… change," Hatter replied haltingly. There was obviously more to it.
"One of the many quirks about this wonderful world of ours is that it must always have a king," Caterpillar explained. "It's never right except for when a king is on the throne. The same family has ruled for ages. The Red King of the Kingdom of the Knights was one of their descendents. Luckily Jack and his father were directly related to him, or else Wonderland could have suffered the consequences then."
"And what happens if there is no king?" Alice asked.
"If a king were to die, and there was no heir to replace him, then Wonderland would become something else entirely. The king is the embodiment of everything that this place is – he and his descendents are tied to it in every way. If they all died, the heart of Wonderland itself would die. The land would sicken, the sun would disappear, the beasts would turn evil, and the hearts of all Wonderlanders would turn black. In essence, this place would become a living hell, the stuff of nightmares. I believe my dear, you saw what it was like when Jack's mother attempted to usurp control from her husband's family?"
Alice nodded her head.
"The greed, the hopelessness, the violence that pervaded this city – they would be ten thousand times worse, and they would spread to every corner of this world."
Well. That certainly sobered everyone.
One of the members of the Resistance, a young man with bright red hair, broke the silence and asked, "So what's the plan to break him out? That place has ridiculous security right now, and she's definitely not going to let the King wander about by himself."
"It's simple enough. We'll cause a large enough distraction that Scarlett won't be able to do anything but come out to see what the problem is. That's when one agent will grab the king and get out."
"And how do you propose to do that, exactly? Walking out the front door of the palace with Jack Heart in tow won't exactly be the easiest thing to accomplish."
Caterpillar smiled enigmatically. "That will be the easy part. Nothing a few mushrooms won't be able to solve. Getting in, I think, will prove to be exponentially more difficult. Only someone whom I can trust completely will be sent in. We'll discuss the details another evening." With a sideways glance at his son, Caterpillar exited just as suddenly as he'd come in.
Duchess watched him leave through narrowed eyes, then huffed. "Is that how he always is?"
The red-haired man chuckled. "Yeah, you get used to him. But we all best be getting some sleep now. I can guarantee that tomorrow will be a busy day. G'night, everyone."
Everyone dispersed fairly quickly. Alice and Hatter headed for a room that had been graciously provided by one of the women for them. She had insisted that Lady Alice would sleep on no floors while she had anything to do with it. The room was small, but it was warm and had a bed. Everything else didn't seem to matter – several days on Guinevere and the forest floor made this place feel like a palace.
Both of them fell into the bed, barely pausing to take of their shoes. Alice was surprised by how comfortable she felt sleeping next to Hatter, alone. There was no Charlie or Duchess or anyone here, nothing to give her even a slight mental barrier between her mind and the fact that she was alone in a room with Hatter. But she didn't feel awkward or afraid at all. She really had come to trust this man, as improbable as it was.
However, exhausted as she was, Alice had to check on something.
"You don't have to go, you know. You shouldn't feel obligated."
Hatter shifted to look at her. "What are you talking about, Alice?"
"To rescue Jack. You don't owe him or anyone anything. I would completely understand if you didn't want to risk your life rescuing him."
Several emotions played across his face. "I'm confused," he finally admitted. "What are you trying to say? I'm not scared to go, if that's what you're saying."
Alice sat up, alarmed. "Of course not. You're one of the bravest people I've ever met. It's just – well, I know you've never gotten along exactly with Jack. I just didn't want you to go just because you thought I might want you to…" She let her voice drift off, feeling awkward.
Hatter smiled crookedly. "Trust me, that wouldn't convince me to go on a hare-brained rescue if I really didn't want to. No, if I go, it's because I want to protect Wonderland. I could never risk letting that happen to this place."
"Oh. Right." They both fell silent. "I wasn't trying to insult you…" she started, but let the sentence fall off.
"I know, love. I know what you're trying to say, and I understand." He rolled over and kissed her softly on the lips. "Now we really should get some sleep," he mumbled, clearly close to passing out himself.
Alice smiled, beaming in the dark. "Goodnight, then."
"Goodnight, love."
A single scream alerted them that something was wrong.
Alice shot up in bed, completely alert in seconds. Hatter was already throwing his shoes on.
"What's happening?" she whispered.
"No idea. I'll go find out," he breathed, but before he could even stand up, the door burst open. The woman whose house they were staying stood there with panicked eyes.
"They've found us. Scarlett's men. No idea how, but they're here. We have to leave, now. Just take what you're wearing and get out as quickly as possible." She left abruptly, clearly focused on getting herself out.
Hatter swallowed and turned to Alice. "You might want to hurry." She nodded, pulling her boots on. Throwing on a jacket, she followed Hatter out the door and into the night.
The small village had erupted in chaos. A house was on fire near the southern edge of the town. People were screaming, running everywhere, trying to make sure they had their loved ones with them. Others were running towards the fire, eager to catch whoever was responsible. Alice wasn't one to run from a fight, but she had the feeling these were people she didn't want to meet at the moment.
They made it to the building where Guinevere was stabled without meeting anyone hostile. Hatter was getting increasingly nervous. The amount of the people they'd seen was decreasingly rapidly, and the periodic screaming seemed to be coming from different areas of village. Whoever was here, they certainly weren't suits. He wanted to be out of here as soon as possible. He found Guinevere and began to saddle her. He noted that Charlie's horse was gone. Good, he thought, hopefully he and Duchess are both gone by now.
While Hatter was occupied, Alice looked out the door carefully. She was surprised to see someone still in the house across the street – it was the same house they'd eaten at earlier. Surely they should be leaving by now.
"Hatter, I see someone across the road. I'm going to make sure they're ok," she called out behind her.
"Be careful, for god's sake."
She was already across the street. Alice stepped carefully inside. "Hello?"
A frantic young woman popped into the hallway. "Oh, thank heavens! My mother's sick and can't get up and I've been trying to get her to move but she's so tired and weak and – "
Alice grabbed her hands. "It's ok, I've got someone who can help you. Sit tight for a second. I'll be right back." In moments she was across the street, where Hatter had Guinevere waiting. "Hatter! There are people who need our help! A woman can't run out of here on her own, and her daughter is panicking. We have to do something."
His mind told him to leave the two to fend for themselves, but his heart wouldn't even consider it. "Alright, the old woman can ride with us."
Minutes later Hatter was helping the woman outside, and the crying daughter was hanging from Alice's neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. I don't know what I would have done without you."
Alice pushed her back. "Right now we need to run. Do you think you can do that for me, honey?" The tearful girl nodded.
Hatter touched Alice's shoulder. "Go, now. Don't wait for me. I promise I'll be fine, but you two need to get a head start. I looked about – you can catch up to Charlie and Duchess and everyone in minutes if you run. But you have to leave."
"Hatter…" A knot of worry began in Alice's stomach.
"No, I'm insisting on this one. You have to. For me, please, I can't risk this." He sounded so earnest and worried that Alice couldn't deny him. She kissed him quickly and turned to run, but Hatter grabbed her hand and whirled her back around. He crushed his body against her, kissing her for all she was worth. They broke apart, both of them gasping, and Hatter pushed her forward. "Go."
She nodded.
They'd just made it to the edge of the village when Alice heard a piercing cry. She stopped and looked around. She saw a small girl round a corner, crying and terrified. The girl next to her paused, but Alice shook her head. "No, go, I'll catch up." There was no argument with that order. Alice sprinted to the girl, who fell into Alice's arms. Alice tried to get some sense out of her, but the girl couldn't stop sobbing. She just kept motioning behind her. Alice looked up, trying to understand.
That's when she saw them. Two wild-looking men were ambling towards them. One was tall and obviously strong, his wheat-colored hair sticking out in all directions, a strange glow in his eyes. The other was smaller and darker. Both were covered in blood. Both of them looked absolutely lethal.
Alice shoved the girl behind her. "Run, now." She couldn't live with herself if she let them come after the child. Her brain was telling her that she would get herself killed, but she ignored it. It was too late to backtrack now, anyway.
She tried to best, but the two men proved to be too much for her. She got one or two kicks in, but within moments they had her on her knees, her arms held behind her.
The shorter one smiled humorlessly. "She's the one Scarlett wants. Remember, we can't touch a hair on her pretty little head."
The taller man frowned. "Not a hair? Well, that's unfortunate. I guess we've had enough fun for one night though, eh, haven't we?"
"Get off me!" Alice shouted, struggling against them. But the only thing she accomplished was having her arm twisted viciously. She cried out, eliciting delighted giggles from the second man. The first one grunted.
"Stop, before you get us in trouble with the hag."
Alice realized exactly how much trouble she was in. Sorry, Hatter, she thought, just before she felt a sharp pain in the back of her skull and fell into black.
Alice was going to get herself into trouble sooner or later. Let me know your thoughts!