A/N: Things are crazy around here, but I've somehow managed to get this finished. The world seems pretty determined to make sure I don't get this done – even my own father is berating me for how much time I've spent writing! Regardless, this thing is (somehow) still going, and I hope to keep it that way.

Also, thank you for all your reviews so far. You wouldn't believe how helpful they are. Please let me know how you like this next installment!

And finally: enjoy!

The Hatter didn't come.

She waited until the sun had all but set for him to arrive. When it finally did, she began to pelt herself with worrisome questions: Did she hear him correctly about meeting at sundown? Did the sun operate differently in Underland? Or…perhaps he changed his mind?

Alice stood in front of the palace gates, unsure if she should go back inside and look for him or continue waiting. She didn't know how much time had passed – not that Time passes down here, of course, she thought, her mind wandering for a millisecond – when she saw the White Queen scurrying her way. It wasn't until then that she could tell that Mirana, who only appeared to be floating in mid-air most of the time, actually had feet.

"Alice, my dear," said the lady with a pant, resting her dainty hand on Alice's shoulder for support. It was the first time the queen had actually come in physical contact with her. Most of the time, Mirana seemed almost Godlike, strong and capable, never needing the support of others. It was apparent now that she was distressed, and she looked much more vulnerable than usual. Her whole body hung limp, but her eyes had a strange, wild glint in them that Alice had never seen before. She did not look like the airy White Queen Alice had met a few days prior – it unnerved her.

"What is it?" Alice asked cautiously. Mirana took her wrist and lead her back inside the castle, the other hand lifting her skirts as she seemed to fly on her feet. The queen's hand felt like ice on Alice's skin; she started and almost pulled away at the feel of it. Humans shouldn't be able to live with such a body temperature, that much she knew. But then, Alice also knew that some things in this place were best not to be explained

"We have…a slight problem," said the queen, her voice rising with unusual anticipation. Once they reached inside the castle, the woman spun Alice around, hardly giving the girl a moment to breathe as she began to bombard her with questions.

"Have you seen the Hatter?"

"Well…yes, but -"

"Where did you see him?"

"At the royal millinery. Chess –"

"When did you last see him?"

"I can't tell you, time doesn't exist here!" said Alice exasperatedly, finally pulling her hand away from Mirana's tight grasp (it only got colder the harder she clenched it). "He arranged to meet at sundown, at the castle's entrance, but he didn't show."

Mirana's started to pace frantically, figures over her lips and murmured words spewing out from them. Alice tried to get her attention more than once, but it was as if she was in a trace – nothing could break her attention. Alice started to worry. Was Hatter lost? Without a second thought, she ripped up the stairs and made her way to the millinery as fast as she could (hoping she wouldn't get terribly lost along the way). Hatter wasn't in some sort of trouble, was he?

She managed to retrace her steps correctly, but when she opened the massive doors to the millinery this time, there was no Hatter to be found. Everything was dead still. And dead quiet. Without the Hatter's presence, the enormous room seemed to weigh down on her, and she felt like every hat from every corner of the room was watching her. She scurried over to the man's work desk. Materials were neatly put away, all the scattered fabrics from before neatly rolled up. There was just one item that was strangely out of place…

"He left his hat."

When Alice returned to the main hallway where she had left the queen, she found a small army had arrived in her absence. Mally, McTwisp, and a hoard of unrecognizable animals huddled around the White Queen, loudly squawking, stuttering and conversing amongst themselves. But when Alice spoke, everyone froze.

Silence thickened the air. Everyone traded worried looks and knowing glances. Not a single sound slipped from their lips, beaks and muzzles. Then, it was Mally who finally said what everyone was thinking.

"He never goes anywhere without his hat…"

Alice sat on the marble staircase, where she was standing when she re-entered. She thumbed the leather-bound cap in her hands, unsure of what all this meant. The others were quite obviously distraught at the Hatter's disappearance. Alice couldn't help but wonder if perhaps she had something to do with it.

"It wasn't you," said Mirana, again having that impossible ability to read the girl's every thought. "It's something else. Something I was hoping Hatter wouldn't find out about yet…"

"But, obviously, he has," said Mally, with as close to a growl a dormouse could get in its voice.

"And there's no stopping him now," said the Dodo bird dejectedly.

"I'm sick of everyone speaking in riddles all around me!" said Alice as she jumped up from her stair, looking like she was really to pounce on the others, burning up with frustration and anger at her own ignorance. Most of the creatures looked shocked at her behavior. Alice wasn't the type to lose her temper, but even she had her limits. But she could tell that it was getting the better of her, so she took a deep breath, tried her best to compose herself, and said in the calmest voice she could manage: "Please, I just want to know: what's going on?"

The others exchanged looks, silently debating over the young woman's demand. Alice was about ready to either lash out or leave the scene when McTwisp finally spoke. "Y-you remember the Oraculum I told you about the other day, Alice?"

Alice nodded, mentally deciding that rabbits were wonderful creatures, especially white ones.

"I am the Keeper of it. A long time ago – the first time you were here – the Oraculum had a different Keeper. His name was Absolum. But shortly after you left, he moved onto another life, and thus another world, leaving me behind to be the Keeper of the Oraculum instead."

"You're the Keeper of quite a few important things, aren't you?" said Alice with a warm smile. Since she arrived, that white rabbit was the only one who was kind enough to explain this bizarre world to her, as well as constantly show compassion and chivalry towards the young woman every time they've met. Perhaps it was just the way he was raised, but Alice was grateful to him for it all the same. Besides, she had a feeling that the poor creature didn't get nearly enough credit that he deserved.

The rabbit's cheeks turned a bit red with bashful pleasure at her compliment, Alice guessing (probably correctly) that he didn't receive them very often. "W-well, a-any way…no one is supposed to read the Oraculum but me. And I'm not supposed to tell anyone of the Oraculum's readings, except for the Queen. It's only proper that the Queen would know about the future of her kingdom, but if everyone knew what the Oraculum had to say, things could…g-get out of hand."

Alice frowned, connecting the dots to the current situation. "Hatter got a hold of the Oraculum, didn't he?"

"I'm afraid so," said Mirana with a sigh. "It's partly my fault, I suppose. I refused to tell him any of its readings, including those involving you, which he was most concerned about. It was the law that I couldn't. But unfortunately, it must've driven him to take desperate measures…"

"H-He m-managed to find it…while I wasn't guarding it," explained McTwisp miserably, starring down at is feet with lowered ears. Alice gave him a sympathetic look, wishing she was the proper size to give him a hug. The poor rabbit really did need a vacation.

"Hatter is mad, but he isn't a fool," said Mally with a huff. "He wouldn't've run off without a word unless he saw something bad." She gave the White Queen a piercing, accusatory look, waiting for an explanation.

Everyone was now starring at Mirana, including Alice. McTwisp and his queen exchanged glances. All was silent for a few seconds. The White Queen sighed, finally giving in.

"The Oraculum hasn't given us all the details," started Mirana slowly, "But this much we can confirm is true…"

"Majesty?" squeaked the white rabbit nervously, unsure the decision she was making was the right one. But Mirana continued, with all the calmness and grace that a regal could possess. She didn't even blink when she uttered her next fateful words:

"Stayne has returned to Underland."

The effect was immediate. The Dodo bird squawked indignantly, the March Hare screamed and threw the spoon in his hand in a random direction with exuberant force (hitting a White Knight nearby, grateful the creature hadn't been holding a fork), and Mally screeched Outlandish curses from the top of her tiny lungs, swishing her sword pin this way and that.

Alice was the only one who didn't say a word. She sat down on the marble staircase, hat still in hand. Par usual, she had no idea what was going on.

She turned the hat in her fingers, staring at its details in silence. Everyone else was barraging the White Queen with questions. The only one who wasn't, apart from her, was Chess, who had disappeared once again. Alice had the impression that the cat didn't care much for conflict. Not that she embraced it herself; at the moment, she was rather wishing she had the ability to evaporate.

Alice wasn't sure if she was supposed to stay or if she could go. She tried slipping out of the room, but when she did, Mirana gave her a look that could stop an angry moose in its path, and Alice was quickly sitting on the staircase once again. Obviously, Mirana's business with her was not through.

She sighed, gazing down at the strange-looking hat in her possession. It had the oddest patterns and ornamentation. Two green peacock feathers, as well as various colored pins, stuck out from the pink satin ribbon laced around the rim of the hat. Also tucked into the ribbon was a card. It was as small as a playing card, with the numbers 10/6 printed on it. Its shape and size stuck out amongst the other oddities on the hat; curious, Alice took the card out to study it closer. Its edges were frayed, bordered in a dirty grey tint, like a picture that was partly scorched by a ravenous fire. Alice pondered over this, as well as the significance of the numbers written on it.

She turned the card over. On it was a badly-scribbled drawing of some kind of bird. It was colored in completely black, the handiwork obviously of a child.

A raven for remembering…

Alice dropped the card and the hat along with it. Her heart pounded as those words reverberated in her eardrums. She frantically looked this way and that for the source. Over everyone else's constant bickering, that childish voice broke through as clearly as daylight and rose above all the others. Alice trembled, and reached down for the card.

She stared at the distorted drawing. And the voice came again.

A raven for remembering…it's for you…

This time there was no mistake. The stranger's voice had not come from anyone around her. It had come from her own mind.

She squinted her eyes and stared at the raven with all the effort she could muster. She wasn't just looking at the picture – she was trying to look beyond it, into it. If Alice's eyes could do wonders, such an intense look would burn a hole through the paper or cause the creature to fly off the page. Her mind turned clocks and screws, painfully trying to start up a rusted part of her memory. In a few moments (to what Alice felt like eternities – though they could've been for her, who knows what Time was thinking at the moment), a blurred image straightened out in her mental eye…

A long table is set out, china disorderly set all around. Forks are balancing on teacups, scones are swimming in the gravy picture and teapots are stacked up at least five feet high. Vibrant colors burst from every angle of the table, colors that would make the world's most renowned painters bow their heads in shame. The sun is shining strongly, though the surrounding trees offer the partygoers comforting shade. Seated at the table is a Dormouse (a smile plastered on her face, a rare commodity) a March Hare (who was tossing the sugar bowl up in the air repeatedly), and a man with long, red, frizzed hair, glowing green eyes and a wide smile – the Hatter.

But there is an unfamiliar guest at the table as well. A little girl with long, blonde hair, wearing a blue dress with a white apron. She's smiling as the Hatter talks, laughing as the March Hare performs his antics, trying her best to sip her tea in a ladylike fashion (but this is proving more and more difficult, what with the Hatter always making her move down one seat for some reason). All are joyful and content.

But as the sun sets, the young girl rises from her seat, saying she must go. Unhappy faces are all around, but none as sad as the Hatter's.

"Your hair needs cutting," is his only mumbled response as the girl says tells him goodbye. The girl smiles, telling him she perfectly likes her hair its current length; if anything, he was the one who needed to give his orange mess of hair a trim. She succeeds in getting him to crackle a little with laughter. The two of them share a smile. He kneels down, presumably to hug her goodbye, but the little girl swipes the hat off the man's head before he gets a chance.

She runs with it into the woods, laughing all the way. She can hear him calling after her in his Scottish brogue, though he can be heard laughing as well. She plops herself behind a large tree and, thinking the man is far enough behind him, she takes out a piece of charcoal from her apron pocket, and starts to draw on his 10 shillings 6 pence card.

"I found ye!" says the Hatter, smiling but obviously out of breath. Before he even has a chance to demand for his hat to be returned, she hands it back. The Hatter frowns, noticing instantly that something is missing. Then the girl reaches out and puts the card in his hand. His eyebrows furrow in confusion for a moment, but then he chuckles.

"It's a raven," the girl explains, "A raven for remembering. Like your riddle. It's for you to remember me by."

"Dear girl," says the Hatter, "I don't see how remembering has anything to do with ravens. It's all quite absurd."

"Of course it is. That's how it's supposed to be, silly." They smile at each other knowingly, and the Hatter proudly tucks the card back into his hat. The girl curtsies, the Hatter bows, and the girl runs off into the forest, waving her hand as she goes.

"Fairfarren, Alice…"

Alice gasped as the scene faded away in her mind. She hadn't left her spot on the marble staircase the entire time, yet she sweat and shook like someone who had just ran all the way to the tea-table in the forest and back. Her mind suddenly felt like it was about to explode, pressure mounting higher and higher with questions begging for answers, more than she had every dreamed of thinking of before. Everything was jumbled and upside-down, but at the same time, things were finally coming together in Alice's mind.

Because now, looking back on that scene that has been filled with strangers, it all suddenly made sense. They weren't strangers at all. And that little girl…that little girl was her. It was her first memory – her first memory of Underland.

But nothing else. No other memories came to mind – they were once again locked tightly behind the vaults of her mind. But this time, Alice had a hint as to where to find the key.

She repeated that simple word over and over in her mind. Raven, raven…rrrrr….that single sound was important, familiar, a tiny piece of a very big picture. It wasn't just the word, it wasn't just the raven. It was something said, something said a long time ago that she had to remember. She paced back and forth, the buzzing around her nothing compared to the words bouncing back and forth in her mind.

Rrrr…raven…what other words start with 'R'?...ramble, ruin, riddle…

Riddle! That was it, a riddle. But what riddle? pondered Alice, pacing like a hound dog hot on the trail. She looked back on the scene that she had just re-witnessed in her mind. Who was with them? The March Hare, the Dormouse….

"Mally!" Alice nearly screamed. Everyone else spun around in place, not having noticed her discontentment until that moment. Alice ran over to the dormouse and got on her knees right in front of her, who (for once) looked taken aback and quite uncomfortable.

"Mallymkun," said Alice, "What was the riddle?"

"I…I don't know what you're talking about, girl," said the dormouse with a hopeless shrug.

"The riddle Mally, the riddle," Alice said with such urgency, she would've shaken the dormouse's shoulders if they had been of equal size. Mally began to back away, the next closest thing to fear in her eyes. Alice could imagine that she looked quite mad at that moment, but for once she didn't care.

"I…ah…the riddle?" asked Mally nervously, "What riddle?"

"Hatter's riddle!" said Alice aloud just as the realization came to her. She didn't know where it came from or how, but when she remembered it just seemed to fit for some reason – of course the riddle would belong to Hatter. She was so close now, she knew she was…and if she wasn't, Alice didn't think her mind would be able to stand the spinning and the pressure for moment longer.

But then, Mally's eared perked up, remembering something and understanding Alice for the first time.

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?"

Then, it all came back. Like a tidal wave breaking against the sand, all her memories of Underland came back in one giant, all-powerful swoop. She remembered falling down the rabbit hole, being chased by the Bandersnatch, the Tea Party where time has frozen over…infiltrating the Red Queen's castle at Salazen Grum, fleeing with the Vorpal Sword to Marmoreal, running from her responsibility as Champion…and then embracing it, and slaying the dreaded Jabberwocky once and for all. The feel of the creature's violet blood running down her throat…a voice whispering in her ear…a man's eyes fading into the mist…

"Fairfarren, Alice…"

In just a blink of an eye, it was all there. Nothing of before or after, of her time spent in Upperland, but all of her life in-between. Being hit with such a wide array of memories at once nearly knocked her to the floor. But there was one thing in particular that was clearest in her mind. A name she had forgotten, a promise she had lost. But she had remembered again, and it rung out in her mind over and over again, until she had to yell it aloud –

"Tarrant Hightopp!"