Chapter 6- Bitter memories, a picnic, and a discovery
That morning, Alice wasn't at breakfast, leaving an uneasy Hatter to eat with her mother. He knew she didn't like him, so a silence continued between them for a long time.
"Did you enjoy the ball, Mrs. Kingsley?" Tarrant tried to make pleasant conversation.
"It was tolerable. I know you enjoyed yourself," she mumbled under her breath.
Tarrant coughed a bit as he ate his muffin, attempting to pretend as if he hadn't heard her. "Mrs. Kingsley, I'd like to thank you."
"For what?" She scoffed.
"You hospitality. I know I may seem like a rather odd character, coming to visit your daughter in the middle of the night, without plans or a place to say, and I'd like to offer my apologizes to you, and thank you for all you hospitality." Tarrant gave her a friendly smile, surprised when she smiled a bit back at him.
"Your welcome Mr. Hightopp. How long do you plan on staying anyway?"
"I'm not sure…" He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
Mrs. Kingsley raised an eyebrow at his answer.
"Well, you are welcome here as long as you need." Alice's mother daintily patted her mouth with her napkin.
"Thank you." The Hatter said, pushing back his chair, still sensing the tension in the room.
Alice's mother just nodded and the Hatter hurried to escape.
Searching around with his eyes, the Hatter began to wonder where Alice might be. He needed to see her, especially this morning.
They had kissed. His heart raced at the though, thinking back to his dream that when wrong, to what he had been dreaming about becoming reality.
Alice had kissed him. The thought made him smile, and made him remember where she might be.
"I thought you might be here."
Alice turned the swing in a circle to see who had addressed her. It was Tarrant.
The corners of Alice's mouth flickered into a soft smile, staring at the man in front of her.
"I'm glad to see you have your hat again." Alice glanced up at the large top hat that sat in its usual place, on top of the Hatter's vibrant curls.
"Yes, well, you see, though I rather enjoyed changing things up a bit, It's best, as I always say, to stick to you tried and try standards." He lisped, adjusting the hat on top of his head so that it sat peculiarly shifted slightly to the right.
"I most heartily agree." Alice stated.
"So what has Miss Alice been up to this fine morning?" The Hatter was in a very chipper mood, and decided to skip over to where Alice still sat on the swing.
"Avoiding my very conceited, annoying mother…." Alice mumbled, letting go of her feet on the ground so that she began to spin in a circle.
"She's not that bad Alice really…" He defended, holding out a hand so that it stopped the rope of the swing, and Alice in turn stopped spinning.
"Your too nice. You don't need to defend her…"
"She just cares about you Alice, you know that… She doesn't want you to waste away your life for a mad, tea-drinking hatter." He sighed, sitting down on the grass in front of Alice.
"Oh, Hatter, you heard that? No wonder you looked so upset when you can here last night…I'm sure she didn't mean it, she was just upset…" Alice comforted him, reaching out a hand to rest it n his shoulder.
"She has a point Alice… I am mad… I know that, and so does everyone else!" He said with a giggle, and then his face drooped back into a serious expression.
"But that's why your you! No one should want to change that about you! That's what I lov…" Alice's voice broke off, causing Tarrant's eyes to dart to her own.
Had she just almost said…? No…it couldn't possibly…
"I wasn't always like this you know Alice…I wasn't always 'The Mad Hatter.' I used to just be plain Tarrant. Tarrant Hightopp, just a normal hatter. " He explained, his voice barely above a whisper, his eyes changing once more to the sad, bluish gray color.
"Hatter… What happened?" Alice got of the swing, and knelt down in front of him.
"I'm not hardly sure…. I was away a lot of the time, working at the white queen's castle. But every once in a while I would be invited to visit by my family. It just so happens that the day of my planned visit, also happened to be the day of Queen Mirana's annual ball, and I was working around the clock that making hats for her majesty and all the ladies in the court. So, because of this, I canceled my visit in order to have more time to prepare the day of. It was only during the Queen's ball, and the Red Queen invaded that I began to start to worry. If they had made it all the way to the castle, they must have passed through my hometown…"
"After getting the Queen to safety, I quickly took one of the horses and rode in the direction of my house as fast as I could. But when I arrived, I was too late…"
The Hatter looked up to see a burning building, the place he had once called home. Though everything was now in ruins and there seemed be no survivors, Tarrant felt like he could still hear them calling out to him, his mother, his father, his brothers and sisters, calling for help….
Tarrant dropped to his knees in despair, holding his head in his hands, witnessing all the death and destruction around him.
He had been to late. All his family was gone; he was the only Hightopp left.
He kept felling like he could have done something. He could have stopped them!! If only he had gotten there sooner! If only he had come to begin with, like they wanted him too, no of this would have ever happened.
And with those thoughts, Tarrant remained there, kneeling in tears in front of his destroyed home.
Tarrant opened his eyes, the painful images flashing back to him.
"Shh…"
Tarrant then realized that he had cried out in sorrow and now Alice was attempting to comfort him, rocking him in her arms.
"I'm fine…" He insisted, trying to hold himself together.
"Shh…" Alice kissed him on the temple sweetly, "It's ok to be upset. Thank you for telling me…"
He looked deeply into her eyes. "I've never told anyone that before, you know?"
Alice smiled softly." Thank you."
The Hatter kissed her sweetly, before getting up and then helping Alice stand as well.
"So, what should we do today?" He asked.
"How about a picnic?"
"Sounds magnificent…" the Hatter smiled, lighting the mood, and wrapping his arm around her waist as Alice lean them off towards a more secluded part of the woods.
"I set it all up this morning," Alice said triumphantly, showing off a large picnic basket, and blanket.
Next to the blanket was a very large teapot with at least ten cups around it.
"I thought we might start checking off things on your list. Let's see what was it…drink tea all day, play hide and go peek, and, well, we can't see the White Queen, March or Chesssur, so I'm afraid we will have to do those later… But what do you say about making me a hat?" Alice chuckled, sitting down on the blanket, and tapping the place next to her for the Hatter to sit as well.
The Hatter chuckled, "I don't see any problem with that except I don't have the proper tools or material…."
"Well, we shall just have to get you some then, won't we?"
"What shall it be, my dear? A bowler, beret, bonnet, cap, fez, top hat, tri…" the Hatter rambled, before Alice cut him off.
"A top hat please!" She shouted excitedly, flopping down on her back.
"Excellent choice, my dear!" He brought down his own topped hat into his hands the tossed it over on the grass next to him, "Now what color?"
"I'm not sure," Alice said as the Hatter laid down next to her, "What do you thing would look best on me?" She flirted almost, scooting forward towards him.
"Personally, I think you'd look beautiful in anything…" The Hatter admitted shyly.
Alice brushed her hand on his cheek lightly.
"You pick then. I know I'll love anything you make."
Tarrant pulled her closer to him, kissing her on the cheek several times.
"Now what about that list…" lice sat up when he finally stopped, glancing over at tea set.
"Well, let us have tea!" The Hatter squeaked, raising a glass high above his head, causing it to spill a bit on Alice.
"Ugh!" Alice exclaimed in fake horror, taking a bit of sugar in her hand, and flicking it at him.
"Ah!" Tarrant yelped when the sugar hit his nose. He then reached over and spotted a tray of cupcakes next to the tea. He took on in his hand and shoved it towards Alice, hitting her squarely on the cheek.
Alice stood up angrily.
"Oh, Alice… I'm sorry…" The Hatter apologized, as Alice began to walk.
Swiftly, a Cupcake hit the Hatter in the face.
"Hahahaha!" Alice toppled over laughing as the hatter whipped the frosting away from his eyes.
He crawled over towards her and brushed off some frosting from her face, licking it off his finger.
"Mmm…Yummy…" He said with a full mouth of frosting, causing lice to laugh even harder. She sat up to face him, and took some of the frosting off his nose and ate it as well.
"Delicious…" She giggled.
Tarrant laughed heartily along with her as they both continued to toss frosting at each other.
"Would you like some tea with that, Mr. Hightopp?" Alice pranced over towards the tea set, holding up the pot towards him.
"How about some cream, Miss Kingsley?" He threatened playfully, holding up the large pitcher of cream.
Alice just tossed the teapot onto the floor and the Hatter did the same as Alice rushed towards him and they enclosed into a tight embraced, Alice accidentally knocking them both over.
The both laughed as they toppled onto the frosting from their fight, both of their appearance's now totally a mess.
Tarrant stroked Alice's cheek, brushed away some of the frosting before puling her into a passionate kiss, his mouth seeking her own desperately.
Absorbed in the kiss, Alice pulling the Hatter tightly against her, their mouths working quickly together.
Then, Tarrant began to plant light kisses all over her face, taking in some of the frosting as he did this.
Alice giggled when she noticed this, and then pulled his mouth back to her own.
Some, they broke, because of lack of air, and the both got up, only then realizing the extremity of their appearances.
They were both covered head to toe with frosting, their hair matted with the sugary substance, they clothes coated, and their hands and faces covered.
It was then that the Hatter noticed his hat nearby.
"Made it though, without even a scratch…" He teased, Alice giving him a large grin.
It was then that they heard a rustle in the bushes.
"Maybe its Nivens…can't imagine why he would be here, but who knows… Come on out Nivens!" the Hatter hollered towards the large bushes.
"The White Rabbit?" Alice asked and the Hatter nodded.
"Nivens come on out!!" He yelled again, though the shaking in the bushes had stopped shaking, "Maybe he's playing hide and go peek!"
Alice smiled until a very familiar man stepped out of the bushed, some of his clothing missing, and some of it in disarray. On his cheek, Alice noticed lipstick markings.
"What on earth is going on here?" Lowell asked, glancing down at the young couple and their appearances.
"I could ask you the same thing…" Alice insinuated.