Check out this next installment of Alice's Turn! For those steady readers who haven't yet left me, I both thank and apologize to you. I had lost all my online documents when my computer crashed during a long writers' block period. I had forgotten everything.
But here I am again, back to updating.
Inspirational Song: "Some Night" - F.U.N.
. . . . .
After the house carried the appearance of clearly being robbed, Alice and Hatter made to leave the Ascot manor. Alice followed Hatter out the door of the ransacked bedroom, glancing once behind her shoulder at the unconscious Hamish. He lay on the bed with one arm sprawled out off the edge and his mouth hanging wide open. Alice sighed with feelings of both regret and relief.
Hatter glimpsed back at her, frowning. Alice gave him a sorry excuse for a smile, only deepening Hatter's frown. "You've paled even more now," he said, his own expression darkening. "Let's hurry." He grabbed hold of her hand and led the pair down the Ascots' winding staircase, taking Alice back to the dining room.
Alice tugged on his hand, but he didn't seem to notice. She could feel her strength draining away. The bleeding hadn't ceased. "Hatter," she said. He turned back to her. "We should leave out the foyer, through the main door," she managed. "If we leave the door a crack open, they'll already be. . . suspicious."
Hatter nodded. "Alright, if you say so, Alice." He continued to seem more and more anxious the longer he looked at her. Now that the shock of battle with Stayne had worn off, or partly, at the least, Alice was beginning to truly feel her injuries. She held a hand up to her scalp and withdrew it, gazing at her red-coated fingers with vague curiosity.
Hatter quickly grabbed hold of her arm. The intensity of his bright, green eyes pierced her hazel ones. "We're leaving. Now. You may or may have not noticed, but you are standing in your own, little puddle of blood." She didn't look down. She feared she would fall in it if she did so. "Time to go."
They ran the length of the dining table, Hatter's strong arms pulling Alice along. She continued to slip and stumble, often times having to use the wall to support herself. "Hatter..." she whispered.
Hatter glanced back at her expression again and nervously bit his lip. He hurried on and flung the front door open, pushing Alice forward. He barely remembered to look to make sure the door was still open a crack before he had him and Alice running on again. She stumbled down the steps of the porch after him.
The sun was beginning to set, Alice was able to tell. The way the mystifying rays of orange light shone through the cracks of the trees amazed her now more than it ever had. She looked all around her, with her glassy eyes, and found Hatter leading her away and into a glorious forest of green brush. She peeked down and noticed her hand in his. He looked so beautiful in this light. His hair was burning orange, like the subsiding sun. Yet, how could his hair be orange? Or his eyes green? He was Hatter, but he did not look like Hatter.
It struck her how odd it was for everything to be shimmering so, for she was in the Otherworld, and nothing was beautiful in the Otherworld. After she'd seen Wonderland, her world had changed forever.
Alice fell. The blood was in her eyes. "Alice?" she heard the Hatter call. "You have to get up now, dear, no time for a nap!" When she remained where she was in the grass, eyes closed, Hatter slid his arms underneath her and lifted her against his chest. "Open your eyes now, yes, that's it-look at me."
She could feel the world swinging. They were traveling through the woods.
"Stay here, Alice. Yae're the Champion, are yae not?" True. That was true. "Yae 'ave slain the frumious Jabberwock and brought peace back to yer home. Yae will stay with me," he growled. She opened her eyes once more. They were near the Rabbit Hole.
"Hold on tightly." Hatter jumped straight into the hole, feet-first. His luminous eyes were strictly trained only on her sallow face even as books, shelves, dishes, the grand piano, and other forms of debris all cascaded down around them in the darkness. The enticing melody of the piano pulled Alice in.
Hatter's hold on her tightened. Alice was curled up comfortably in a little ball against his chest, so she could easily hear his frantic heart's steady rhythm. She laid her head against his heart and listened to its beating. Hatter leaned down to gently kiss her head. When he leaned back again, his lips held a smear of red.
As Alice rested against him, she could feel his features turning back to their original state. The man's hair brightened drastically and grew into curls. His face showed the colors of the way he was feeling: bleak gray. Alice could feel the muscles of the body hardening. The Mad Hatter was back.
They bounced off the bed and broke cleanly through the barrier to the Round Hall. Hatter cautiously set Alice on her feet and held her against his side as he sped over to one of the larger doors. "I had Chessur ask that Lawrence fellow to have someone unlock the door above the Mushroom Forest before we left." He twisted the doorknob and pushed the door aside. New light streamed in. "Looks like the bloke cared to listen for once!"
"Hatter, how... How are we-"
"Just like before," he cut her off, "the butterflies will keep us safe. They will carry us down." He took her hands in his. "We'll go down together, alright? Here we are!" Hatter lifted Alice again and leapt through the doorway.
There was not a single butterfly in sight.
The pair of them plummeted down, Alice mumbling into Hatter's chest and Hatter frantically searching the air all around him for a way to save them. He looked down and with dismay, witnessed the sight of Stayne's nomad army awaiting below. Lines of trolls and beasts and creatures coated with slime and grime wound through the thickets of bright, red mushrooms. One of the beasts cried a warning, and soon all weapons were in hands and all eyes on the couple plummeting down.
Hatter closed his eyes. Alice could feel him swallow thickly and take a deep breath. "I'm so sorry, love."
Alice felt the brush of air washing against her ankles, an axe getting too near, when she suddenly wasn't flying anymore. She picked up speed quickly, but wasn't falling. The yelling and snorting of the monsters slowly died away. She heard Hatter yell with glee. She opened her eyes.
At the last moment, the Bandersnatch had leapt up and caught both Hatter and her, soaring right above their enemies and leaving them in the dust. Alice smiled softly, leaning forward to bury her face in his soft fur. Hatter's arms formed a cage around her. She felt so safe, so warm, so sleepy. Alice finally dozed off and gave into welcoming unconsciousness.
Hatter shook Alice's shoulder when she did not sit back up. "Alice?" She remained still. "Alice! Champion, open those eyes now!" She did not move.
Hatter's eyes burned with urgency. He knew he was flying on the Bandersnatch, but could not remember to be afraid. All that mattered was Alice and that Hatter kept Alice safe. It was his fault she was in this condition, so it was only right, and his responsibility, to bring her back to health. He clenched his hands into fists and hurried the Bandersnatch on.
Up ahead, a figure swerved onto the trail. Hatter did not give the man a chance to impede him. Eventually, the rider slowed so their rides were parallel to the other's. Hatter glared at Sir Lawrence, astride an elegant, white stallion. Sir Lawrence nodded at Alice's immobile form, then went glaring back to Hatter. Hatter shook his head at the brute. He was definitely not in the state to let the brute welcome Madness for him. Already, he wanted to burn down anything that dared to cross his path with his own fiery eyes. The very thought of losing Alice, with no chance of a return, drove Hatter's sanity away.
The Bandersnatch instinctively slowed as it reached the entryway into Marmoreal. A pearly path bordered by pink trees signaled their arrival. Hatter drove the Bandersnatch forward until they could halt at the very edge of the entry to the castle. Bandy finally stopped and rested.
Before Hatter could do anything, Sir Lawrence jumped off his horse and lifted Alice's body off of the beast. He swung Alice's legs up and sprinted away into the castle. "Your feet better be right on the back of mine, milliner!" he called back.
Hatter didn't even care to argue, his thoughts were so far gone. He ran along beside the Guard and thrust the doors to the Throne Room open.
The White Queen had been holding her head in her hands and looking weary, but upon the trio's entry sat up in her throne, caught off guard, at the sight of Alice's still and bloody body. The red liquid was very prominent in the room of whites and light blues. The white cloak Mirana had given to Alice only two days before was now coated in Alice's sticky, red residue.
"What has happened?" Mirana stood and immediately led them all into the infirmary around the corner. She glided across the floor and began pulling certain tools and supplies out of drawers. The room was empty and orderly, as always.
"Ask the criminal," Sir Lawrence growled. He laid Alice's body on the brass bed nearest the door.
Mirana shot an apprehending look at him, but glanced into Hatter's eyes. Hatter swallowed thickly. "Stayne. We found him in the home of Hamish Ascot."
Sir Lawrence's eyes shot to Hatter's face. Mirana's hands, which had been removing Alice's cloak, stilled for a moment. Hatter went on. "Alice believed he had been planning revenge. A certain plan involving the Otherworlder. She was right." He frowned.
"Did you interrogate Hamish? Did you find him?" Sir Lawrence asked quickly. Mirana was tying Alice's hair back and washing her wounds, but Hatter knew she was listening.
"Did I interrogate him, then?" Hatter repeated, enraged. "Nae, my apologies sir, but I believe I was a bit preoccupied wi' the Knave of Hearts attempting to slit mine an' Alice's throats. And, if yae haven't noticed, he nearly got tae hers!"
"And whose fault is that?" he countered. "There was a reason no one thought it right you accompany her to the Otherworld! You are useless to the mission. A danger, obviously. Even Alice herself had seen that," he said coldly.
"I will gut yae slurvish skin away from yae bones-"
A groan from the bed brought the two men back to the scene. Mirana studied Alice's face, completely absorbed with her work. Alice began to shiver. "Bandy- Bandy can't be in London," she murmured.
Hatter shot forward and kneeled near the edge of Alice's bed, holding her hand. Sweat collected on Alice's lips and collarbone. Her eyes were still not open. "Alice, love, you're back home now. No need to worry."
"If you don't have the sense to worry, that is," he heard Sir Lawrence mutter. Hatter ignored him.
"Hatter," Alice whispered. She opened her eyes to see Hatter's face inches from hers. Mirana was a few feet away, assembling something on a paper sheet. Sir Lawrence stood with his arms folded at the end of her bed, looking at her with the most curious expression on his face.
I'm in a bed, Alice thought again. She vaguely took in her surroundings. Infirmary. She was in the infirmary. At first, she had to search through her memories and find what had happened to her, why she was there, and why Hatter looked so distressed.
It all came rushing back.
She groaned again, more from pain than light-headedness. "It hurts," she moaned. "Please, stop it. Make it go away!" She felt so weak, from both the pain and from being at the low point of begging, but the pain was too much. Her head rolled around on the pillow, trying to shake off the weight that had settled in her brain. Alice winced as the movement brought sharper stabs.
"Majesty," she heard Hatter utter. "Please, do something for her. Please, quickly, quickly!"
"She won't feel anything in just a moment, Tarrant," she head a wispy voice say. There was a shuffling sound, and the noise of something being shaken. "Hold her arm there," the same voice said. Alice thought she felt a light pressure on her arm.
A slight prick sent a sliver of pain up her arm. It was quick work, the injection. Alice could already feel her bones turning to honey, the sensation slowly muddling her mind even further. Her thrashing stilled. She tried to open her eyes one, last time.
"Stay still, love. Don't worry now."
"I don't want to wake up," she mumbled. "I'll miss you all so, so much." She could see the bright light streaming in through the window fading away.
"This isn't a dream, remember. We'll all still be here when you wake up."
The last thing Alice caught a glimpse of before drifting off into absolute darkness was the flame of a red lock of hair.
. . . . .
Rachel: Not bad for not posting in about a year, am I right?
Insanity: Not bad for a lady whose love life only consists of fictional characters and celebrities, no, not at all!
Rachel: Hey. That's my personal life. Shushh.