This one is a teeny bit shorter than the last, given that I found a sooner appropriate stopping point. But, I have to say, I want to really really really thank you all for the lovely reviews. Now, it seems, we'll have a nice foundation for our story finally! Hoorah! I always like to pull my ideas from Carroll's books, as you will see. More specifically, the things Burton didn't use in his film.
Questions now mostly answered. :) And is it just me, or does the Panic at the Disco song "She Had the World" song remind you of Alice and the Hatter? I've been jamming to that album recently while writing, along with some Elfman and whatnot.
I own nothing of Alice in Wonderland.
The Hatter thus removed his ship captain's hat, revealing the familiar mess of curly, fiery-orange hair underneath. It was almost comical how his hair fell out of its confines in that stout cap, as if it were a surprise. A small smile wanted to tug at the corners of her mouth. The Hatter scratched his head a bit, perhaps deciding where to begin.
"I will answer your question with two questions." This caused Alice to raise a brow in confusion. She nearly had forgotten he was a Wonderland inhabitant. He went on, "Would you prefer first to hear how I came? Or rather, why I came?"
Her stomach churned slightly. She hadn't put as much thought into his second inquiry at all. The last time someone from Wonderland came to the surface… Hadn't provisions been made to prevent any more harm from being done, though? That answer would perhaps be the most difficult, she concluded. After this debate within her mind, she returned her focus to the Hatter.
"I would like to know first how you got here. I'm very confused." She drew the jacket tighter since warmth was slow in its arrival. She noticed that it smelled very much like him with its aromas of leather, tea, and pastries. The smell lingered in her nose, easing her tension.
He nodded at this, formulating another response for her. She remarked that he seemed surprisingly lucid at the moment. Alice waited patiently.
"Shortly after you returned home, the battlefield began to be cleared. People went home and whatnot. I asked the queen, our beloved White Queen, if I could dispose of the Jabberwocky's remains." The Hatter's low Scottish brogue had settled in, causing Alice to lean forward slightly. He paused for a moment to go back to the helm. He fiddled the wheel a bit, there continuing his story. "All that was left was the head. The corpse had fallen deep into a ravine to where no one could retrieve it."
Alice decided to stand, walking softly over to where he stood. He seemed not to notice her at all. The Hatter's eyes gazed only forward at sea, or perhaps, through it and at nothing. She remained still as he resumed speaking.
"Very, very quietly and quickly I took out small little bottles…very much like the one in your possession." She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. How was it that he knew…? "I then collected all the blood that would drip from its severed head. When it ran dry, I was left with four portions. I tucked them away and did my duty; I drug the head to the cliff and pushed it over. The Queen invited me back to her home and I refused."
She found herself softly speaking aloud her thoughts . "You drank one to come here." Oddly enough, it wasn't a question.
He was pulled from his low emotions and met her gaze with a peculiar smile. "Quite." The strange colors he had had around his eyes began to slowly seep back in. He must have kept them hidden, she concluded.
Alice shifted her weight on her feet, deciding to look down at them briefly. They were getting a somewhat healthier hue in them. She remained still, moving neither forward or away from him. Rain pelted the windows, permeating the silence along with the soft sounds of the wheel turning. She noticed now, being in the middle, it was not quite as easy for her to be tossed about on the rocking ship.
She took notice that now he simply waited for her to speak again, having nothing more to say on the matter. A feral strike of lightning struck uncomfortably close to the ship. Her eyes darted to it and she involuntarily held her breath.
"We're fine at the moment, Alice. No need to worry." The Hatter still held darkness in his voice. Thunder rumbled low in the background.
She shivered, but finally spoke. "For what reason did you come here, Hatter?"
His body now held some tension but his hands still deftly were at work at the wheel. "A fine inquiry, indeed. Really, it's the core of all this, the meat, the buried treasure, the ace in the hole, the-"
"Hatter." Alice took a slow step towards him, but spoke firmly.
"…thank you," he replied in a bit of a strained voice. He took a small moment to compose himself, narrating once more in his low, gravelly tone. "The White Queen, as kind as she was, was a bloody fool. Yes, she did send the Knave and her sister far off with escorts, but…"
"But what?" Alice asked, becoming more and more anxious.
"She should have known better than to leave those two alone. She would have been better off having them separated, each in a different corner of Underland. Her sister, the Red Queen, quickly grew bitter with the facts of the Knave's loss of amity towards her. She killed the worthless mongrel in his sleep." The Hatter said this with a small degree of satisfaction, but his eyes lost their green and were now a piercing golden yellow. The lightning reflected in them gave her chills. "No one is certain how, but she did."
A sailor outside that was in Alice's line of vision was struggling with some sort of rope. With the elements against him, he became ensnared and soon found himself within the tumultuous waters. He was not given a passing glance. All others were focused on keeping their own hides and the ship right-side up. Alice turned away, no longer caring to peer out.
"She traveled for perhaps a month, looking for anyone to join her once more. In the northernmost parts of the land, she certainly did find someone. A very particular someone, in fact. Someone who had been a plague to the land quite some time ago, when you were a wee little girl. Well, not just a single person, as 'someone' can be used as a plural as well, you see…" The Hatter turned the helm roughly to the left, causing Alice to stumble slightly. She caught herself by grabbing onto his arm, looking up into his far-off eyes.
"She enlisted the help of the armies of both the Lion and the Unicorn. She has dangled what they desire just out of reach, so they do follow her. Everyone in the land was too busy celebrating victory still to realize this impending uprising. She seized power again quite easily and effectively…" He eased the ship to be level again, not noticing her grip. The Hatter's frown deepened a bit, now thoroughly peeved. "The White Queen was run out of her own home. She didn't fight back, not wanting to break her ridiculous vows. She fled, and we haven't a clue if she even is alive."
Alice drew her hand away and held the jacket firmly again. A sense of dread was growing in the pit of her stomach. "What do you expect me to do?" Her voice was small and rather weak, as if she were but a mouse.
He turned his gaze back towards her, smiling. With his molten eyes and the darkness around them, it made her a bit more uneasy. "That was something I was hoping you'd know, my dear."
She drew another breath, about to make another utterance. She was cut short, however, as another swift bolt of lightning struck the mast of the ship. Alice, due to this quick, violent act, yelped slightly and threw her arms around the Hatter. A great crack of wood pierced the air, but was muffled in the steering room. The sail became aflame shortly afterward, black smoke lifting up into the sky. The malignant flames would creep elsewhere, but for now it greedily ate away at the cloth of the sails. They were incredibly lucky that the mast had not fallen down upon them, causing the glass of the windows to shatter and shoot every other way.
"Bloody Red Queen…" the Hatter growled.
"W-w-what do you mean?" Alice choked out.
The Hatter's grip tightened on the wheel. "She's trying to do away with you before you get the chance to return. I thought there would be more time…"
"Before I return?" Alice drew away, peeved now."You never once asked if I wanted to! Three times I've been pulled down to fix things, and not once have I gone on my own volition!"
His darkness began to fade away and it turned to confusion, mixed with a growing fear. "I only assumed you would…" It was as if Alice had eaten a large bite of growing teacake, as he began to feel absurdly small.
The fire was of no concern to her at all. Her fists went to her sides. "That's right! You assumed! I was just about to go to China and begin trading, something the West hasn't accomplished! It was something my father had only dreamed of! And here you barge in, and assume-"
"I'll make you a bargain," he cut in suddenly. He was the uneasy one now.
Alice crossed her arms, becoming quite tired of her sequence of events. She looked at the floorboards. "Fine. Tell me what you've to offer."
"If you remember…I have enough Jabberwocky blood for three more trips. One for you and I, to Underland…" He paused, speaking in a smaller voice, "and one more for you to use to return home."
She turned her gaze back to him, his tone causing her to become curious. She froze, not quite expecting his hurt expression. 'I'll miss you when I wake up.' A lump settled in her throat. What an idiot she was! Had she forgotten completely of what this man had sacrificed for her? She felt like an awfully rotten person now and she let her arms drop weakly. Then smoke filled her nostrils.
Alice looked around in alarm, looking for the source. Black smoke was slipping in through the cracks around the door, making her heart beat fiercely once more. If she weren't in such peril, she would have quite laughed at her situation. She had two choices now, you see. Die in the burning sea vessel, or go to fight to save Underland yet again. Her mind raked for options. They hadn't any lifeboats, and the ship was so dreadfully far off from shore. Before she could debate it any longer, she looked into the Hatter's eyes again. It nearly broke her heart, how helpless he looked. It was exactly like the last thing she had seen of him when she had left.
"You have the Jabberwocky blood with you?" she asked, now quite firm and determined.
His face began to light up. "Yes, yes of course." He dug around in his pants pockets, procuring two tiny bottles. The Hatter quickly handed one over to her, taking the cork stopper out of his hastily.
Alice coughed a bit. The fire was becoming far too close for comfort, she noted. The blood within was a familiar, dark purple serum. It moved around its container slowly like syrup, though was undoubtedly not quite as sweet. She had a ride home promised to her. "Me first?"
"Clever girl!" He grinned, now quite relieved.
"Well…" she said to herself, "here goes nothing. I suppose I'll meet you at the tea table, then?" He nodded, jumpy now. She took in a deep breath, only to have it foiled by more smoke. Alice hacked for a brief moment before forcing herself to pour the purple liquid down her throat. The fit just continued, wracking her body. She then made her wish.