Disclaimer: Yeah I don't own any of the Characters in this story.
Small Fluff Alert
~Chapter 9~
The sleeping occupants of the boat were jolted awake by the sudden bumping of their craft into a sandbar.
"Sorry about that, folks. It's a little hard to see," said Chess smoothly. A moment later the boat began to move again. Alice shifted from the rather comfortable position that she had been in to get a better look around. However, there was really nothing to look at; their small craft was completely surrounded by mist.
"Where are we?" Alice asked.
Sophie was also awake by now and moving towards the bow of the boat.
"The Oyster Canal or the Alekhine Lake, either way we are almost where we need to be." replied Chess.
"Which is where?" prompted Alice.
"Castle Alekhine, of course." Stated Mallymkun "The first home of the Queens of Underland."
"So then that is…" began Alice
"Yes, the childhood home of the Red and White Queens." finished Tarrant.
"Mummy, I can see something!" called Sophie from the bow of the boat.
"Land-ho!" stated Chess.
The mist had started to burn off in the early morning sunlight, and through the thinning haze the end of a wooden dock appeared. The wood was gray and weathered with age, yet still looked usable. There were two other boats docked at it. The closer they came to the dock, the faster the mist receded. The pier led to an overgrown path that vanished into a thicket of trees. The shore was small and rocky but there were signs of a small beach running further along. A short distance away, rising above the trees were two towers in the shape of rooks. One was red and one was white and they guarded the main structure of the castle, which was in the shape of a golden Queen.
The boat docked and everyone jostled out. Alice looked back over the lake and was surprised to find that only the mist around the castle had cleared. The lake remained completely covered in the white blanket.
Sophie ran right towards the gap in the trees leading to the castle and disappeared, leaving everyone else behind to carry the bags.
"That's why I always dress her in bright colors." said Alice off-handedly, answering the questioning quirk of the Hatter's eyebrows.
Alice and the Hatter walked side by side towards the tree line, bags and cake in hand.
"It isn't very far," he said.
"Out of my way, slow poke!" said Mallymkun. She then ran between the two and also disappeared. "Some of us have work to do!"
Alice glanced sideways at the Hatter but his face told her he was a long way off, thinking of something else. Alice assumed it was worry for the White Queen.
"Don't worry Tarrant," she said gently placing her hand on his shoulder "Everything will be all right"
"Will it?" He turned to face her "We can't really know, we don't have the Oraculum, and even if we rescue the White Queen, I don't know if we can get her back to the way she was… or even to a point where she can even talk! Alice, so many people have died! So unnecessarily!" The Hatter was starting to get worked up into a hysterical state. Alice pulled him into her arms and held him as she would her own daughter to sooth his incessant ranting. A moment later his arms found there way around her and they held one another, his head resting on her shoulder. Alice started to pull away but the Hatter refused let her go, and for a moment they stood face to face, neither moved. The air felt heavy, and Alice could hear her heart beating loudly in her ears. Then slowly Tarrant started to move his face closer, and Alice's heart started to beat faster. Her face felt warm as she felt her lips grow hot, and part ever so slightly.
"Move it, you great lump!" screamed a very agitated Dormouse. She had exited the tree line and had found the two humans standing back to back. The Hatter stood with his arms at his side and Alice had her arms crossed over her chest. Something told her she had interrupted something. Good, she thought, there was no time for any of thatsort of thing anyway.
Alice hurried towards the steps leading to Alekhine with the Hatter trotting at her heels. She was still red and flushed from the moment before. We almost kissed, she thought over and over. Every time she thought it she felt a little redder. This is crazy!
Behind her, the Hatter was thinking almost the exact same thing: I almost kissed her, what was I thinking? It's just that she looked so beautiful and she felt so good in my arms.
He smiled goofily at the memory. It had been nice until Mally had interrupted. Alice had been the one to turn away first.
The Dormouse had been right about them having too many things to do. There would be time for all these personal matters later. Still, it was a pity.
Sophie was already in the courtyard introducing herself to everyone. It seems that, like the Hatter, they all thought she was Alice returned to childhood through the good grace of Time. McTwisp was the only one who had seemed to guess that she was Alice's daughter.
"Alice!" he said happily as she entered the yard. He hopped over to her. She knelt down and greeted him.
"I must say I am surprised to see you, and you, Hatter. We feared that you were trapped in the Otherworld "
"Almost, but luckily Alice's mother doesn't throw anything away" Alice turned red when he said this, out of embarrassment for her mother. This will not do, she thought. I can't keep blushing like this when I am around him, now you stop this silliness, Alice, right now! She told herself. She only hoped she would take her own advice.
"We have much to do" McTwisp was saying, taking out his watch "Oh my! And we had best do it quickly!"
"How can you know that we are late if you don't have the Oraculum?" Alice inquired.
"I don't know that we are late, but I figure that the sooner we get the White Queen back, the better. Now hurry!" He hopped off towards the base of the White Rook Tower. The rest of the group in the yard started to follow rabbit; that is, all except for Sophie, as she stayed behind and was talking to one of the Tweedles, only one.
"Tarrant, where is TweedleDee?" Asked Alice in concern. The Hatter didn't say anything. He just looked sadly over at the boy.
"Dee is at Marmoreal, and we don't know if he is alive." Alice started to feel very sick and nearly was. She ran over to Dum and Sophie.
"Mummy, are you all right? You look very pale." inquired Sophie. Alice knelt next to the pair and hugged the lone Tweedle. He seemed startled at first but then he softly started to sob. Alice took out her handkerchief and wiped away Dum's tears.
"Sophie, I need you to stay with Tweedledum, and keep him company while I talk with the other grown ups."
"What other grown ups? You, Mr Hatter, and Tweedledum are the only people I've seen today." Sophie said bluntly. She obviously didn't count the animals as being persons.
"Yes, but how old are you Sophie?" Asked Alice
"Six-and-a-half." replied the child
"Yes, well all the others here are older than I am, so they all count as grown ups, do you understand?"
"Even the Dodo?" Sophie asked in surprise
"Yes dear, especially the Dodo"
"No worries, Alice," said Tweedledum, he had finished blowing his nose and looked much better. "Sophie and I will find lots of things to do; you know that there is a nursery in the White Tower? Yeah, you have to go through the Queen Tower and over that bridge way up there to get to it." He paused for a moment, waiting for his brother's contrary answer, though it never came. Alice looked up to see the bridge that he had spoken of. It was long and very skinny. The fact that it was able to span the distance was unbelievable. But then again this was Underland where almost nothing was impossible.
"Alright." She said. "Off you go, then" Tweedledum took Sophie's hand and they trotted off in the direction of the golden Queen.
Alice walked back towards the Hatter. Trying to keep her face as neutral as possible, but it was very hard, because the Hatter was wearing the biggest grin that Alice had ever seen. Despite of her own good advice she blushed and smiled back at him.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed my last Chapter, you all made me so happy.
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