Call me your evil, nasty names. I shan't deny my deserving of them. Next up is the much-too-long-awaited chapter to Alice's Turn! Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Alice in Wonderland. Lewis Carroll, Disney, and Tim Burton do!
Inspirational Song: "Demons" – Imagine Dragons
. . . . .
The Underlanian sky was exploding with flashes of lightning, momentarily blinding the Hatter. He quickly ducked his head to avoid the tumbling debris from the tower ezel him, hat in hand and gleaming sword in the other. He tightened his grip; this blasted rain had made everything all slippery. He was glad to have given his thimble to Mallymkun earlier (she truly needed a helmet). The March Hare had scuttled off to help Bill the Lizard, who'd been having trouble with two gruesome-looking canines that kept laughing at him. And of course, Mally couldn't have let him go off on his own, no matter how much she wanted to stay with Hatter.
Hatter was now racing along the outer walls of Marmoreal, sprinting past the startled White archers, eyes skirting all around for a lock of golden blonde hair, or the fierce gaze of a hazel eye. So far, he admitted with a sense of maddening desperation, he hadn't seen either.
The Champion could very well take care of herself, of course. That wasn't the matter worrying the Hatter. He was more concerned of where his mind would be if he never found her. The thought of him keeping his head, unknowing of his Alice's physical state, was delirious.
Absentmindedly, he checked his coat pocket for that precious item of his. He was too distracted to see the gloved hand reach out from the stormy mist and clamp itself on Hatter's shoulder. His eyes narrowed, hold on the sword tightening, before he heard its voice.
"Tarrant Hightopp!" A man with low tone and a silver eye patch stood before him, dark hair whipping back in the wind.
Hatter nodded respectively. "Lieutenant Blaze." That wasn't his real name, of course. He'd earned the nickname for his talent with flaming arrows. Hatter was already itching to break free, to keep searching. He heard the snap of a hundred chords as another volley of arrows flew down into the enemy's abyss.
The Lieutenant only held harder onto Hatter's shoulder. "Shouldn't you be down there?" he asked, jerking his head towards the battle down below. "I spotted you earlier-what a technique that was with the JubJub Bird, I'll say-"
"Have you seen the Champion?" Hatter interrupted.
The Lieutenant grunted. "Yes, actually. She-" Here, a powerful blast from their right shook the castle wall. Hatter and the Lieutenant covered their eyes, clinging onto the wall's ledge for balance. Hatter heard several Archers stumble to the ground and curse "those slithy scuts."
He stood up, fighting the great gusts of wind and only stumbling a little. His wet hair whipped his cheek. "Lieutenant! You said you'd seen Alice-"
"Help! Lieutenant! Nathaniel's leg's all blistered up!"
Hatter looked over at Nathaniel, lying on the ground, and winced. That leg did not look like a leg.
The Lieutenant began to rush over, seemingly pulling a salve out of nowhere, when Hatter grabbed his arm. "Sir, you must understand," he lisped. "I need to find the Champion."
The Lieutenant's eyes were on the moaning Nathaniel as he spoke. "The last time I saw your Champion, she was running through the castle's main entrance with Her Majesty. Now, Tarrant, I must go help my Archers."
Hatter dropped his hand and nodded. The Lieutenant ran over to Nathaniel, who'd stopped moaning. He looked away and tried peering through the mist towards the door of Marmoreal. He could just barely make it out when the lightning flashed. It was his only lead, but it was a lead that could possibly guide him towards Alice.
He sprinted down to the end of the wall, where it connected with one of the many towers of Marmoreal. Around the ivy-covered tower, Hatter could see the marble balconies lined all the way across the castle until the next tower. The center balcony, like the one he had once stood on with Alice so long ago discussing the matter of his reality, was conveniently positioned right above the Door. Beyond the Door was the courtyard, right up against the wall. Past that, where much of the fighting was taking place, was the pathway to the Door, lined up with pink trees. Several were aflame, along with the far towers. He vaguely hoped that Her Majesty would not have to see the tragedy.
Hatter's eyes shined a bright green as he went over his plan. He could see himself going through the actions, him succeeding-and before he knew it, Hatter was already sheathing his sword and pinning his precious hat against his lapel for safe keeping. The gusts of wind were already threatening to whisk it away from him, anyhow. If Chess couldn't have it, neither could the Winds.
Without another matter's thought, he jumped onto the ledge of the outer wall and leapt onto the tower, bandaged fingers clinging onto the ivy. With a sound of disgust, he spat a white flower from his mouth and grimaced. Nicely done, Tarrant.
He hastily made the decision to not look down, just as he did exactly that. No one seemed to notice him, thankfully. The wind and rain was troubling him enough already. The ivy was wet and slippery, and the wind attempting to pull him away from the wall, the fiend. If Time could just help him across as swiftly as possible, he would be forever grateful.
He'd shimmied his way over to the other side of the tower when his left hand reached for ivy that tore away from the tower at once. He yelped – in a very manly manner, of course- and swung away from the tower, grabbing hold of whatever came to his fingertips. He was surprised to feel cold marble underneath his bandaged fingers. He was now, however, not turned safely towards the wall, but to the great, blundering sky before him. He took a long, deep breath, and took a leap of faith. Quite literally.
He landed uncomfortably on the railing of the first balcony, slipping on the wet marble and falling forward onto stone. He lay there for a moment, idly pondering why his life was as hard as the stone floor that his cheek lay against. That thought was cut short as an arrow sliced through the air above his head. Hatter quickly covered his head with his hands, and with widened eyes, turned his head to peer between two columns holding the railing.
Evidently, he'd been spotted by a beast that vaguely resembled the shukm of the Bandersnatch. It was grinning at him, as green as a rath, and began to notch another arrow.
Hatter jumped up and climbed onto the railing. He was mad, truly, but he was about to put on quite the show.
. . . . .
xX-MIRANA'S POV-Xx
Alice's sword was unsheathed once more as she marched about Marmoreal, the Queen trailing a bit behind, trying to keep up without losing her grace. Mirana admired her Champion's determination. She'd quickly transformed her grief into something else entirely, something to benefit from. She now strutted about the castle, chin held high, searching for Her Majesty's safety.
Mirana, however, was feeling weak and shaken. All the events of the past week or so seemed to catch up to her in frequent bursts of emotion. She held her hand up to her head, trying to steady herself. Her breath came out in short wisps. "Alice," she said.
She didn't seem to hear her. "Champion," she said a bit louder.
Alice turned to her, brow furrowed in concern. Perhaps there had been something in her tone to frighten the girl, for she came hustling forward. "Your Majesty," she said. "You look white. Er, whiter. Pale. How are you feeling?"
"I have no potions with me," she said, light voice quavering. Her knees felt weak. The room began to spin and Alice transformed into a three-headed maiden. Her arms dropped to her sides and she stumbled.
She heard Alice gasp, and suddenly there was warm pressure on her shoulders. Mirana looked up to see the three-headed maiden looking into her eyes. Mirana did not know which of the six eyes to look into, so she closed her own.
"Mirana," she heard a gentle voice say. "You don't need those potions."
It certainly felt like she did.
"Your kingdom needs you more than you need those medicines. You're becoming dependent on them, Your Majesty," she added hesitantly. "They are taking away from your strength, not adding to it."
Mirana sighed. There were two heads now. "I've feared that. It's simply. . . Since the death of my sister, I've felt responsible-"
"And you were wrong to." The voice had become stern. "What you said in the Throne Room to Stayne was the absolute truth. Not even Absolem could have said it better. At that point in Iracebeth's life, it was up to Stayne to make things right. My apologies, Your Majesty, for being so blunt, but you carry no fault."
Finally, Mirana could find Alice-the one-headed Alice-and lock eyes with her. She placed one hand on top of Alice's, still on her shoulder. "Thank you, Champion. You are correct." She looked away and took a deep breath. "I did not fail my sister."
There was a moment's pause where Mirana fully took in the background noise that had been present during the lapse of their conversation. She heard sections of her castle crumble to the ground. Earlier, she and Alice had rushed passed an open doorway. Mirana had peeked in; it was what was left of the nursery she'd been born in. She heard a muffled shout and the sound of arrows soaring through the air, followed by an assortment of thumps to the ground. So many stained glass windows featuring the history of her people had been shattered by arrows. Whole towers were aflame. The children missing from their wing. All was chaos.
Mirana met Alice's questioning eyes. "I wish to be with my people."
Alice frowned. "I mean no offense, but I'm not sure how well you could fight, Your Majesty. And what about your vows?"
Mirana laughed lightly at her expression. "I wish to heal them, and treat their injuries, Alice. Believe me, I know I am no fighter." Her jaw suddenly dropped. "I will have to renew them, Alice! I treated Stayne with violence and aggression!"
Alice seemed to be fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "I will go find a Guard to bring the injured to you. You will not be leaving this castle. Agreed?"
Mirana nodded. "Thank you, Alice. For so much more than you will ever know. I will be in the emergency ward, down below. Now go and serve your duty." She turned and glided down the nearest entrance to the Silver Staircase, her eminent glow back in place, exactly where it belonged.
Alice nodded to herself once Mirana was out of sight and ran off throughout Marmoreal. Every once in a while, she would find a monster lurking the halls of the castle, but they were taken care of quickly by the hand of the Vorpal Blade. Alice had suspected there would be more than she'd encountered; perhaps it had only been Stayne who'd burst through the Door earlier. Wherever he was now, she did not know. She planned to find out.
Finally, she faced the open Door. She began to run out into the destruction when she suddenly came to an awkward halt in the courtyard. Her jaw dropped as she stared at the horror before her.
. . . . .
xX-HATTER'S POV-Xx
Hatter gulped down any fear and jumped.
He felt like a buffoon (a term he had learned from Alice), leaping from railing to railing, soaring over whole balconies. His long legs reached the next railing with no inch to spare. He felt arrows, more now that he had drawn attention to himself, missing him by just the same measurement. The wind threatened to pull him over, but he was already almost to the center balcony.
With one more leap left, Hatter realized he would not be able to sit still for a moment. Surely, an arrow would lodge itself somewhere on his person. Thinking quickly, he pulled some fabric out from one of his many pockets in midair, muttering to himself about planning ahead. Clutching that fabric, he landed with a thud on the center balcony. He turned to the side to look noge below the balcony and then went to tighten his laces, but quickly looked back down with wide eyes.
It was the shining hair that had alerted him. Finally, he had found the blasted girl in blue. Although, she wore no blue today. She was fully decked out in silver armor, blade held in hand. She held it with both hands, slowly walking ahead.
Hatter's eyes paled, along with his skin. Possibly, his clothes, as well.
A troll the size of three Bandersnatches standing upon one another loomed before Alice. It was an ill-looking color, an abstract mixture of pink and green. (Hatter would never use it on one of his own creations. It was revolting.) It had two large eyes that seemed to be covered in a sort of film, and its nose was dripping something awful. Thick, black chains were criss-crossed all around its body, as if it had escaped capture. It wore both a dirty loincloth and a permanent scowl. Hatter imagined the odor was horrendous, as well.
Hatter gasped in pain, brought back to his own reality. He looked down at his left arm with distaste. An arrow had grazed him just below the shoulder. It burned, but the wound was shallow. Hatter kneeled down behind the column the telescope sat on. He pulled out a cloth and quickly tied it around his injured arm with fumbling fingers. Then, he took the fabric he'd pulled out earlier, still hanging from his pocket. He pulled it out. And kept pulling. And pulled some more.
He pulled on said fabric until he had a good-sized length of material in his hand. He tied it to the base of the column and yanked. Hard. Hatter smiled his signature gap-toothed grin. He held tight to the one end of the material and skirted up real close to the edge of the balcony, looking down below as Alice fought the troll. This time, there was no hesitation.
And for what seemed like the trillionth time that night, he jumped.
. . . . .
xX-ALICE'S POV-Xx
Alice said a certain word under her breath that her mother surely would have scolded her for, but she couldn't think about that now.
She yelled a ferocious battle cry-the troll had clearly already targeted her, anyways-and charged. Only as she got closer could Alice see how enormous the troll truly was. It towered over her. Nonetheless, her mind traveled back to all those lessons with Sir Lawrence as she went in for the attack. This one would die for him, as he had died for Wonderland.
The troll's hand, the size of a small carriage, reached down for her. Alice feinted right and rolled left, jabbing it in what she assumed was its ankle. It roared with rage, but seemed more angry than injured. Alice went to double back, but the same leg that she had stabbed suddenly kicked her away, sprawling her out on the ground fifteen feet away. She lay there for a moment, wheezing, waiting for the feeling of the wind being knocked out of her to fade.
A shadow crossed her vision during a lightning flash and she raised her sword straight into the air. The troll howled as it rubbed its foot in pain, glaring at her.
Alice stood up and stared right back. "That was for my friend," she said in a voice as chilled as ice. The rain continued to fall down her face. "The White Knight."
The thing seemed confused. Alice took the moment to charge, but it had recovered faster than Alice had anticipated. It swung its fist and connected with her stomach, knocking her farther away this time. Alice's body hit the center of the column near the Door and slid down until she landed roughly on the ground. She moaned. That one had truly hurt.
She felt for her sword, but it was a good ten feet away to her left. The troll was slowly advancing, grinning like a daft fool. It went to raise its fist once more, but then-
A figure swung down from a multi-colored material from above, landing between the beast and Alice. The material hung from somewhere above. The figure's landing sent up a splashing of rainwater; Alice rubbed her eyes and looked again.
The Mad Hatter stood facing the creature, hair still fiery despite the pouring rain, looking back over his shoulder at Alice. His eyes were a mysterious dark shade of violet. He flashed her his famous gap-toothed grin, hat pinned to his lapel. "Missed yae there, love."
It was as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, despite everything she had recently encountered. "Hatter," she breathed.
He nodded, still wearing that smile, before turning back to the beast. It had advanced towards them. He ran at the creature, screaming a stream of Outlandish. Alice took the opportunity to lunge for the Vorpal Sword. She grasped it and ran to join the Hatter, who'd been ducking between the troll's legs and jabbing it as he could. The beast seemed very angry now, indeed.
Alice caught up to the skirmish, blocking the troll from kicking Hatter where he wasn't looking. Hatter glanced behind him and witnessed Alice stab the troll in the back of its thick knee. "Oh, thank you," he said.
"Of course." Alice pulled out her sword and jumped back, side by side, with Hatter.
"Tell me," he lisped, ducking underneath the troll's leg, "Where have you been all this time, Champion?"
"Where have I been?" Alice shrieked. She jumped away from a fist, breathing heavily. "I believe I should be asking you that."
Hatter blocked a blow for Alice, smacking the troll away with the butt of his blade. Alice had been too preoccupied with staring agape at Hatter, who grinned at her. "I believe I asked first."
Alice flushed red. "Well, after I finished searching the entire castle for you and coming up with absolutely nothing, I had to sprint all the way to the Checkerboard Field, for I also could not find the Bandersnatch-"
"That's because I called him-"
"-and then I did my duty as Champion to bring Mirana to safety, and then-" Alice's eyes widened. "You had my Bandersnatch? I swear, in a moment this blade will be on you-"
His eyes widened. "Noge!"
Alice's brow furrowed at him. If she had recalled that 'noge' had meant 'duck!' in time, she would not have been lifted up by the odorous troll and thrown to the far side of the courtyard. Her head hit the ground with a thud. Alice winced, trying to sit back up.
Hatter was at her side, hand on her back, helping her stand. "Are you alright, love?" She nodded. "Despite our efforts, I'm beginning to think we're not making much progress," he lisped.
She nodded, hand on her head. "I absolutely agree."
"I have a plan."
Alice smiled softly. Of course he did. "Tell me."
The troll had grown impatient of their exchange. It blundered over to the couple, hands reaching out to grab them both about their waists. Just as it reached them, however, they'd nodded to each other and ran off in opposite directions. The troll stood baffled there for a moment, looking in both directions and wondering which way it should go, when one of the chains across its chest tightened painfully. The troll yelped and looked down.
The Hatter had climbed up the chain, swinging off one end and grinning up at the foolish monster. The troll yelped once more as another chain snapped against its skin. Alice had just run up his leg, clutching onto the end of the other chain. The troll roared, beating its fists against its chest.
Alice and Hatter locked eyes and pushed off against the troll's back simultaneously. They swung past each other; Alice's hair billowing in the breeze, Hatter with a strange expression on his face as he stared at Alice, at her determined expression and beautiful, brave appearance.
They'd wrapped the chain around the troll's neck, who was trying to tear the chains away from his body.
"Again!" Alice yelled.
They pushed off once more, flying past each other, but Hatter suddenly grabbed her chain as he flew by, yelling. "Marry me, Alice!"
The troll tried to shake them off; the couple was forced to push away from each other and swing around the troll once more. Alice thumped against its back. "I already know you are completely mad, but come again?" she yelled back, heart pounding in her ears. Had she heard him correctly?
The chain was fully wrapped around its arms; it struggled still, but at least its arms were pinned down. Hatter swung around to meet Alice at the monster's back. He clung onto his chain, violet eyes completely open to her. In them, she saw hope, love, and a nervousness that Alice found endearing. She watched as his fingers fumbled for his pocket and his hold on the chain nearly slipped off from the pelting rain. He pulled a small item out from his coat pocket, delicately holding it up for her to see. It was beautiful; a silver ring with one large dark green ruby in the center, with two small purple rubies on its sides, silver leaves traveling along the whole of the ring.
"This was my mother's," he said quietly. "It was one of the few things I was able to recover from the attack. I've kept this ring near the Tea Party for the perfect opportunity, but-"
The troll lurched forward. Unbalanced, Alice tumbled down the side of it, bringing her legs up and around the thing's head. She kicked it once, earning a grunt from it. She slid back down, still clinging onto the chain. "Obviously, there's no better time than the present, I know!" she called sarcastically.
"We must rid ourselves of this unwelcome gentleman," he lisped. He pushed off against the troll and spun around not once more, but twice. Alice let go of her chain, fearing that if she hadn't, she'd be tied up to the side of the troll. She slid down its leg and rolled onto the ground, watching Hatter finish off the thing.
Hatter's chain ended at its knee, where Hatter kicked off and flew backwards, sending the troll tumbling onto its back where it struggled, tied up in its own chains. It would be going nowhere. Hatter stuffed a thick cloth in its bellowing mouth.
He turned to Alice, finally, and marched over to her with a sense of his own determination. His eyes were a soft shade of violet, despite the struggle he'd just been through. At last, he stood before her. Without taking those eyes off her, he undid the pin on his lapel and placed his sopping wet hat upon his head. Alice smiled softly. Hatter gave a small smile back, taking her delicate hands in his marred ones.
"Alice Kingsley," he lisped softly.
She could not hear the rain hit the ground. There was no army behind her back. No towers were aflame, no gusts of wind threatening to pull her down with each and every blow, no death or destruction. Only Hatter and herself, and the air that separated them from each other.
"Alice," he said again. "If I am not mad, I'm not yours. You remembered me, and I will never forget you. I've lived a long time, and if you truly do intend to stay here, then you will, too." He ducked his head, his cheeks beginning to burn. "I- I need you, Alice. I can't really- Well, I'm not sure how to say this, actually- Didn't have much time to prepare, you see-"
Hatter was cut off by lips crushing against his. His surprise melted away into delight, his hands moving to Alice's waist to hold her there, though he knew he never could for as long as he liked. (For Time would never give him an eternity.)
Though he did not like it, Alice broke away, leaving only a mere space between them. He watched with wonder as this wonderful, beautiful, brave, daring, whimsical lass that made him go gallymoggers smiled up into his eyes.
"Hatter, the day I say no to you will be the day I finally figure out why a raven is like a writing desk. Which, needless to say, will never happen." She raised her brow.
She could feel his breath and feel his heart beat quickly along with hers, see his eyes widen. "So, that would be a. . .?"
She laughed. "Yes! Of course, Tarrant Hightopp!"
He still hadn't moved. If possible (and considering this was Wonderland, it ought to be), his eyes only got bigger, and a tad brighter. "Truly?"
She grabbed his arms, laughing more. "Yes! I will marry you! Wherever, whenever, and however it is done in Underland."
Well, she'd hardly finished the sentence when his arms were around her, twirling her around, shouting out "Callooh!" and "Callay!" Alice danced with him in the rain until he had to detach himself in order to not harm Alice during the most enthusiastic Futterwacken she'd ever seen.
He'd only finished half the dance before he came to a halt, torso facing the opposite direction, staring in Alice's direction and crying "Fiend!"
"Pardon?" Alice's brow furrowed as Hatter's body spun around whilst unsheathing his sword. She watched him run past her and understood. "Ah. . ."
Hater swiftly finished off the nomad monster that had wandered over to them. He wiped the blade clean on his coat, foot still tapping to an absent tune. He glanced at the slightly-amused Alice and shrugged. However, Alice realized with a sense of realization, the attack of this monster had only helped bring Alice back to a harsh reality. The need for peace and protection had only strengthened now.
Hatter looked up and witnessed the change in Alice's expression. He nodded and jogged back over to her.
"You must go back into the castle, Hatter," she said. "Find Mirana. Stay with her. She'll be in the emergency ward, assisting the injured."
His eyes narrowed. "I daenae like tha' idea, lassie." He looked on at her, studying her beautiful features. He sighed, shoulders sagging. "But I know that look." He took her hand in his. "I will find her for you, love," he lisped.
She smiled. "Thank you."
She went to pull away, but found herself rooted to the spot by Hatter's hold. She tilted her head to the side questioningly. He smiled wryly at her. "But Ah believe you're forgettin' somethin'." She felt an unfamiliar sensation on her hand and looked down; he'd slid the wedding ring on her finger. Alice smiled down at it.
"It's beautiful," she said. The lightning flashed; the colors of the rubies danced.
"Nae a quarter as beautiful as yae." He kissed her check and slid his hand out of hers. "Go. Be Champion. An' above all else," he added hesitantly, "be safe."
She smiled. "Of course." She watched him trudge up the stairs, only looking back at the top of the steps. His hair, no matter how wet, still stood out from underneath his hat. He gave her a wink and was gone.
Alice turned back to face the destruction. Now, she had so much more to fight for. Hatter, Mirana, Sir Lawrence's name, Marmoreal itself: Wonderland all in all. This new place she had come to love and call home. Each day, she was still learning something new. Until the day she finally knew it all, the land was hers to protect.
Yet no one (excluding Absolem) knew everything, so that day would never come.
Which meant that she would face all foes to protect it until her last breath was drawn.
Alice slowly walked into the ocean of evils beyond the courtyard, but there was only one man she was searching for. And she would find him. And she would end him.
For Wonderland.
. . . . .
Rachel: Alice Kingsley, back with a vengeance, everyone.
Insanity: Alice Kingsley – a fiancé! Her mother would be so proud.
Rachel: Not if she saw the guy.
~ Thanks for checking out this next chapter! The following ones will definitely be a LOT shorter. I just couldn't really find a right place to cut this without having too many mini-chapters. The next one will be up soon. See ya then! ~