Hey, guys! Sorry for another late update! I was busy fixing the bios of all my OCs in my DeviantArt Account! Photoshop has really made a difference; I love how most of the pics turned out. I also needed some time to think about what to put down for this chapter; it was difficult at first. But now I have something and I love how this chapter turned out. And it's long too; hopefully that'll make up the lost time. Some suggestions for future chapters would be appreciated!
Enjoy the chappie! :)
Alice in Wonderland II: Underland's Champion
Chapter 7: Is This Love?
Tarrant is walking down the dark path of a large forest. Autumn leaves casually fall down from the trees as he continues walking. He hums a cheerful tune and smiles brightly as he walks upon a small town.
His hometown.
Singing, laughter, and dancing is everywhere as he walks through the crowd. He greets every person with a wide smile and nod before he continues his way. His smile widens when he sees a magnificent white stallion standing before a performer. He sees the White Queen laughing and clapping her hands with the beat of the music as she enjoys herself.
"My Queen…" The Hatter walks beside the horse and removes his hat as he bows before the queen. Mirana turns to give him a smile.
The Hatter stands up and is about to say more before the queen is suddenly engulfed by flames. The Hatter blinks before he sees a silver crowd lying upon a pile of ash. His confusion turns into horror when the sound of screams echo in the town. He looks around in fret as the town is being engulfed into flames and the townsfolk run around in different directions out of fear and panic. A loud roar startles the Hatter and he looks up with horrified eyes to see the Jabberwocky tearing up his very own home.
He rushes forward and picks up a dropped sword to deal with the dragon when a cry catches his attention. He looks aside and suddenly feels everything within his body freeze.
Stayne was holding Alice close to himself. The beaten blonde was whimpering as the Knave holds a dagger over her neck and holds her arms tightly behind her. He sneers at the Hatter.
"Surrender yourself, Hatter. Otherwise your precious Champion's head will be put in a platter for the Red Queen. Only Heaven knows how much Her Highness wishes to see the Champion dead." The Knave says smoothly.
The Hatter's eyes turn red as he holds up his sword and points it at the duo. "Le' 'er go, Stayne. She is no concern of ye."
"She concerns me plenty." The Knave draws his knife down to Alice's chest and teasingly points the tip between her breasts. Alice shivers. "If you surrender, then she will serve as my prisoner. The Red Queen will not know of her survival; not as long as Alice is mine." Stayne nuzzles against Alice's neck tenderly and Alice grimaces.
The Hatter's eyes widen before they narrow. "You wouldn't dare…" He growls.
"What's this? The Mad Hatter is jealous that his Alice is in the arms of another man?" Stayne smirks at the fuming milliner. "Oh, this is just so sweet." He draws the dagger back over Alice's neck as he grins maliciously. "But it is your choice, Madman. Will you let Alice live and let her be mine, or watch her die under my hold?"
Furious, the Hatter says nothing. He couldn't think straight. His anger was slowly overwhelming his thoughts and his logic was dimming quickly. He has to act quickly otherwise he would lose his Alice forever.
Wait a moment… HisAlice? Where in the world did that come from?
The Hatter blinks. Alice is his dearest friend. Of course he loves her as such, but does he harbor feelings that might be more? Was it possible?
"Very well." Stayne's voice shatters the Hatter's confused thoughts. The Hatter looks up and his eyes widen when flames engulf Stayne and Alice. An extremely overwhelming panic strikes the milliner as he reaches forward and tries to pull Alice away from the flames.
"ALICE!"
:)(:
"No!" The Hatter cries as he sits up with cold sweat running down his forehead. He breathes heavily as he looks around and realizes that he is in his bedroom. His eyes remain wide before he sighs in relief and takes deep breathes to calm himself.
He runs a hand through his frizzy hair and sighs as he sits back against his pillows. Then he shivers when he feels a cool breeze from the window and covers himself with the blanket. He has chosen to wear only shorts for the night but didn't think that it would be so cold in the next morning.
The Hatter groans in irritation. This is the fourth time in the last month that he has gotten nightmares concerning death, fires, the Red Queen, and Stayne. But it is the first nightmare he ever had that concerns Alice.
Alice…
The Hatter pauses as he thinks about the blonde. What in the world happened in that nightmare? All he knows is that he was afraid and angry for Alice's safety, but a new sense of protection overwhelmed him. He feels his heart beating heavily against his chest and frowns. Ever since Alice returned from the night before, he has felt strange every time he saw her. He noticed the obvious changes in the Champion; her body is more defined and her hair has grown longer and is slightly wavy. And when he saw her eyes, he could see some changes. She looked more confident, proud, and happy compared to four years ago.
Then Tarrant remembers their tender moment during the walk towards their rooms. He could feel his heart grow warm at the thought of their hands touching and the way Alice's eyes glistened in the dark. Such beautiful, deep, innocent-
The Hatter snapped out of his thoughts and shakes his head in disbelief. Is he admitting that he might be… Harboring romantic feelings for the Champion?
Preposterous! The Hatter tries to deny this belief. Yes, he loves Alice as one would love his sister, but it was impossible. There was no way he could have fallen for her in one night. He probably just missed her terribly, that's all. After all, they haven't seen each other in four years. They have so much to catch up on starting tomorrow. Besides, they are too different to even consider being together. Apart from growing up in different worlds, they have a great age difference.
But then the Hatter thinks again. If that were such the case, then why was he feeling so warm and at ease around Alice? It was much different than what he would feel for Mirana, Mallymkun, and his other close friends. These feelings have started the moment he met Alice again in her second return. He dismissed the feelings as fondness for the girl during their travels that eventually blossomed into a brother/sister friendship. But when they had their talk on the night before the battle against the Red Queen, something sparked in the Hatter. It grew when Alice decided to fulfill her destiny as Underland's Champion. Her confidence in herself has improved and her bravery outmatched most of the White Queen's army. The Hatter felt great sadness when Alice decides to go back to her world, even sadder than when he lost his hometown to the Jabberwocky. Just thinking of starting everything over pained the milliner since he believed that Alice would forget about Wonderland again. However, she promised to be back. That promise gave the Hatter hope for four years and he anxiously waited for her to return. But in the last two years, his hope began to dim when he realizes that nothing would change. He could feel his heart breaking at the thought of never seeing Alice again and he never knew why such a loss had affected him. But when Alice returned, it was as if a light was turned on in an eternal darkness. The Hatter had never felt so relieved and happy in his entire lifetime.
The Hatter lets out a sharp intake as realization overwhelms him. No matter how much he tries to deny it, it is true. He is in love with Alice. Why else would the nightmare have such a heavy toll on him? Mirana said that all dreams and nightmares have a hint of foreshadow and truth in them. He supposes that this nightmare is no different.
The Hatter lets out a shuddery breath and covers his face with his bandaged hands. Dear God, why did this have to happen to him? He has suffered losing his entire clan and family, and now he has to suffer with loving a person that might not even harbor the same feelings for him? The pain of losing Alice again in any way will certainly destroy Tarrant, especially if they are together.
No, he can't risk it. No matter how much he might love Alice, he will make sure that they won't be anything other than friends. They were perfectly fine with being friends for four years, so now won't be any different. Tarrant will just have to watch over Alice and make sure that she is safe and happy during her stay.
It is for his own good. The milliner cannot go through another heartbreak by losing another loved one, so he will simply stand back and watch…
:)(:
"You want to do what?" Alice gapes at Mirana with the most comical horrified expression that the White Queen has ever seen. Mirana places a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle.
The women are eating a late breakfast in the dining room with all of their friends. The White Queen had quickly finished her morning meeting with her Council with the decision to finalize the trade route plans by the end of the month. She has decided to seek Alice for help with the situation; Alice would surely know what to do since she is specialized with her father's business for four years. After the blonde was summoned, Mirana requested for Alice's assistance with the plans and the blonde agreed. They have talked about Alice's experiences with her trade business over breakfast while everyone else slowly joins in the meal. Everyone chats with each other about random topics while only one person remains silent.
Tarrant occasionally sips his tea and listens to Mirana and Alice talk. He smiles slightly when he hears the pride in Alice's voice. After hearing about her many accomplishments, Tarrant knows that Alice should be proud of herself. His eyes glow emerald as he hums and sips his tea again.
After about ten minutes of talking, Mirana is pleased to know that Alice has enough experience to help plan out the trade routes of her kingdom throughout Wonderland. The queen smiles when an idea pops into her mind. Alice has done so much to save her kingdom four years ago and she would improve its government very soon. After quietly eating and thinking for a few minutes, Mirana decides that there is only way to thank Alice properly.
Throw a ball for Alice's honor as Champion.
After giving Alice the suggestion, the blonde was stricken speechless.
Alice's outburst has silenced everyone. Everyone glances at Alice curiously as she stares at the queen as if she has just pulled off a dirty joke.
Mirana smiles innocently. "Throw a ball in your honor." She puts down her fork and places a hand on Alice's arm gently. "Alice, you have no idea how much good you have done for us all. The least I can do is reward you with your very own party."
"A ball?" Alice says the name as if it is a disease. Mirana removes her hand from Alice's arm and frowns worriedly. "Do you not accept this reward, Alice?"
Alice blinks before she shakes her head rapidly. "No, no, no! It's not that! It's just… Well…" Alice hesitates. "… I have had some bad experiences with parties…"
"How do you mean?" Tarrant asks softly. He places a hand on her shoulder as the protective urge rises again. "Surely all the parties that you went to were fun!"
Alice sighs. He has no idea; none of them do (with the exception of McTwisp; Alice is certain that the reminder of being shot at during a tea party will always scar the poor rabbit for life).
And so the blonde decides to tell her friends about everything. She has told them about her not-so-secretive engagement party from four years ago and how it ended with the Ascots and her family on a sour note. Then she told them about how the most recent tea party had gone wrong with her, McTwisp, and Lady Ascot. When she finished, she wiped a tear from her eye at remembering Lady Ascot's hurtful words.
"Oh Alice…" Mirana holds a sympathetic look as she holds the blonde's hand and squeezes it gently. "I'm so sorry…"
"Why, that old hag!" Mallymkun jumps up from her seat and angrily shakes her fists as she paces around the table. "I oughta-"
Tarrant could feel extreme guilt and sadness lurking into his heart. Without thinking, he wraps an arm around Alice's shoulders and gives her a squeeze. Alice glances at him and smiles weakly before she nods.
"It's OK… I'm mostly over it…" Alice shakes her head. "The point is that I just don't have a good time at any party whether they be dances or even for tea."
"I understand…" Mirana nods before she sighs. "I should have asked for your approval first. I'm afraid that my messengers are sending out the invitations as we speak…"
Alice's expression falls. After a moment of silence, she lets out a sigh. "It's fine. I'll go to the ball. Hopefully this one won't turn out so bad."
The Hatter suddenly grins and his eyes change from blue into green. "That's the spirit, Alice."
Mirana's smile brightens. "In that case, be ready to leave at about six tomorrow night."
"Leave?" Alice blinks in confusion. "But isn't the ball going to be here?"
"Oh, no." Mirana smiles and shakes her head. "No, it will take place in a place far more grand than here. A place where no matter what room or hall you go into, there will be wonderful surprises behind every door. It is such a beautiful place to explore; I still remember all the fine details that were built in and around it."
"You mean the Crystal Castle?" Tarrant looks just as surprised as the other guests do.
"Indeed." When Mirana sees Alice's look, she explains better. "That castle is my birthplace and is the best place to grow up in. It is where everything in Wonderland has started; my mother and father were the rulers of that castle. But after they passed on, my sister and I have separated and started our own kingdoms. The Crystal Castle has never been used for over thirty years."
Mirana looks thoughtful and places a finger over her lips. "I do hope that everything is still intact. This is to be the best ball that Wonderland will ever see."
"Everyone is coming?" Mallymkun looks excited and delighted as she jumps up and down on the table. Her anger from before has diminished.
"As far as my messengers can go." Mirana smiles.
Alice's eyes widen. "Oh, my… This is going to be a big party …" Anxiety overwhelms her as she sits back on her seat. Tarrant gives her a worried look while Mirana smiles brightly at Alice.
"Do not worry, Alice. The Crystal Castle is enchanted; the spell puts everyone at ease. The castle has so many wonders that will keep everyone busy. Guards will be at every exit and entrance. Nothing terrible will happen as long as you are in the castle's perimeters." Her smile widens. "And besides, you have us to be there for you. You have nothing to fear, my dear. All that I ask is that you have a wonderful and memorable night."
Alice stares at Mirana before she looks around the table at her smiling friends. Her uncertainty diminishes when she realizes that the closest friends she has will be by her side no matter what happens. She smiles and nods to the White Queen. "I'll try, Mirana."
Mirana smiles brightly.
:)(:
After breakfast, everyone decides to go their separate ways. Mirana leaves early with McTwisp to go see the final touches for the Crystal Castle and decides to stay there until the ball starts. That way she has enough time to get ready and greet her guests afterwards. Tarrant goes to his room to start working on some orders of dresses and suits that are requested by Mirana's Council. The task is fairly easy since the Council is so small and all the members mainly wear white, silver, and sometimes gold.
That leaves Alice to the others. Bayard suggests taking her out for a walk to see how much Wonderland has changed. Alice is hesitant about the idea until the Tweedles, Thackery, Uilleum, Chessur, and even Mallymkun agree and insist on going. Alice then decides that a short walk wouldn't hurt and leaves while chatting happily with her friends.
Through his window, Tarrant watches them race with Alice as she rides on the Bandersnatch out of the castle gates. He holds his curtains aside and watches them leave before they disappear over the distance. He smiles and shakes his head before he turns back to his work.
Suddenly the sun shines on something bright and Tarrant turns to look at his closet. He pauses when he sees blue silk hanging from the door. He walks over to the closet and opens it to stare at a blue gown.
The dress is magnificent. The blue silk shines with tiny sparkles and gracefully ripples like sea waves as Tarrant carefully holds up the dress and stares down at it. The texture was silky inside and out and the design was smooth. The sleeves are loose and are a lighter shade of blue as they join with the top V-shaped helm of the dress. The dress comes with a long pair of matching light blue gloves and a sparkling headband.
Tarrant's eyes soften as he smiles at the dress. He has made it two years ago… For his Alice.
Yes, it was a long time since he has made such a fine gown for anyone. He had hoped that it would be a welcome back gift for his dearest friend. Inspiration has hit him when he was working on his orders one day. He remembered making a tiny dress for Alice during her second visit and realized that when she returned, the White Queen would give her her own assortment of clothing. Although the dresses are nice and quite elegant, Tarrant wanted to make something special for Alice upon her return. He wanted his gift to have a meaning. He wanted it to have the best quality and to show how much precious time he put on for working on it. He wanted it to be his best work of all.
He has finished working on the dress just a week ago after hearing that Alice has returned from her trip. His hope has increased drastically and he put more fine detail into the dress. Once it was finished, he smiled in pride. Mirana had accidentally walked in upon seeing him finishing the dress and admitted that she was jealous of such a thoughtful and magnificent gift. She was kind enough to give Tarrant the gloves and headband as extra accessories for the dress.
He is sure that Alice would love the dress. He could feel it in his heart.
Tarrant grins widely and his heart flutters. He ignores his affectionate feelings for the blonde as he takes the dress and leaves his room. He walks down the hallway and bumps into the last person that he wants to see.
"Hightopp, what a surprise." Stefan sneers as he walks up to the Hatter. He pauses and raises an eyebrow when he sees the dress. "Wherever are you going with that? Surely you don't intend to wear it to the ball yourself?"
The Hatter's happiness begins to dim as his eyes slowly turn orange. "Don't flatter yerself, Blake. It's for Alice."
"Alice?" Stefan blinks before he looks down at the dress. Suddenly realization hits him and he smirks. "I must admit that that is quite a magnificent gift for her. You made it yourself?"
"From scratch." Tarrant couldn't help but be smug. Stefan smirks. "Well, well, well. It certainly seems that there is something between you and Alice. There must be if you put in so much effort to making that gown. Might I ask about what you think of Alice?"
Tarrant is not going to admit his secret feelings for the blonde, especially to someone that he doesn't like. Tarrant narrows his eyes and abruptly pushes Stefan aside as he resumes walking. He doesn't take five steps before Stefan calls out to him.
"Hightopp, you better finalize your feelings quickly. Because if you don't claim her soon, somebody will…"
Furious by the advisor's words, Tarrant turns to give him an ugly lecture. However, he pauses when he realizes that he is alone. He stares at the empty hallway before he shakes his head and turns to Alice's room a few feet away.
He frowns darkly as he enters Alice's room. As he gently places Alice's dress onto her bed, he couldn't help but think about Stefan's last statement. Just what in Wonderland had that man implied on? Could he be… Interested in Alice himself?
Tarrant feels a sharp pain in his heart as sudden rage overwhelms him. Never! That bloody bastard is not going to take Alice away from him! He will try to persuade Alice into thinking that Tarrant is bad and she would hate him forever! Not only that, but the Hatter knows what the sneaky advisor is capable of. He will not let Alice be used or get hurt! His Alice deserves someone much better…
… His Alice.
The Hatter groans and runs a hand through his face. He needs to stop obsessing over Alice. She doesn't belong to him. Simple and easy like that.
The Hatter then glances at the dress sprawled neatly on the bed. He couldn't help but smile softly as he caresses the soft silk. After touching the dress tenderly for a few moments, he turns and leaves back to his room.
:)(:
"So, how do you like it?" Chessur asks as he floats beside Alice. The group has spent three long hours of exploring the forests, plateaus, and the remains of the Red Queen's castle's ruins. It is now dusk as the sun sets over the horizon and tiny stars appear in the violet sky. It has taken Alice a lot longer than she has intended to look around, but she couldn't help but be fascinated by all the changes. The plants are more colorful and lively and everything was surprisingly clean. The scent of random flowers and fruit filled Alice's nose and she felt so relaxed at being back in her world.
Her true home.
Alice smiles widely. "I love it. Wonderland has truly changed for the better. Mirana has done a wonderful job with fixing everything."
"It's all thanks to you, Alice." Bayard smiles at Alice. "You defeated the Red Queen and her Jabberwocky. It wouldn't have been possible without your help."
Alice flushes a bit as she scratches Bayard's ears. "Thanks, Bayard."
The rest of the walk is silent as the group leads Alice inside the throne room. They decide to clean themselves up before they meet back in the dining room for dinner. While everyone else heads towards their rooms, Alice walks down her hallway to look at the castle decorations. She sees various portraits of Mirana, Iracebeth, and an old couple that she assumes to be the first king and queen. The king has white hair and kind eyes that strangely remind Alice of her father while the queen has flowing red hair, a beautiful smile, and dark eyes that match the Red and White Queens' eyes.
As Alice quietly looks around, she turns at a corner and bumps right into a strong chest. She squeaks as a pair of strong arms grabs her to steady their balance.
"Oh, Champion Alice." A deep voice says smoothly. "My apologies. I thought that this hallway was empty and I didn't hear anyone approaching."
Alice grips the man's upper arms and breathes deeply as she stands up straight. She blinks before she says, "I also didn't hear anyone coming by. I just returned from a trip with my friends."
Stefan smiles crookedly as he slowly lets go of Alice. "Yes, I heard about that. Was the trip to your liking?"
"It was." Alice smiles and nods.
There is silence as the duo stare at each other for a very long time in the dimly lighted hallway. Alice notices that the man is at least a head taller than her and smelled heavily of a strong masculine aroma that made her uncomfortable. For some reason, he looks menacing in the dark even though he is wearing white…
One of his eyes catches her attention and she frowns as she squints. "Is there something wrong with one of your eyes?"
Stefan blinks before he smiles a bit. "I had an accident a while ago. My left eye was cut during an attack. It doesn't do much other than just move around; I would consider it as a lazy eye." His smile widens. "Not many people recognize my condition, though. I'm impressed. How did you know?"
Alice flushes a bit. "While I was out for my business trip, I had to learn a thing or two about some medical conditions that several sailors on my ship suffered. Damaged eyesight and terminal viruses were common so I had to look for certain symptoms. I noticed because one of your eye's pupils enlarges as a reaction to the light while the other held no reaction."
Stefan blinks and looks incredulous. "And you can see that even in dim light?"
"Yes."
Stefan stares at Alice before he chuckles. Alice looks a bit startled since his laugh sounds so deep and dark; it almost sounded cruel and it made her uncomfortable. "You truly are something, Alice. Her Highness is lucky to have such a resourceful and brilliant Champion." He smiles as he takes her hands into his own. Alice suddenly feels cold as he caresses her hands with tender strokes. "And such a beautiful one, at that."
His voice suddenly changes and Alice feels even colder than before. She could have sworn that she has heard that voice from somewhere before. The dark desire in his eyes is another thing that makes her suspicious. Just where had she seen those eyes…?
Alice is a bit surprised when Stefan chuckles again and steps back after he lets go of her. He wraps his cape around him and bows low before the blonde. "Adieu, my dear Alice. I will look forward to seeing you again at the Crystal Ball." He smirks as he walks past her. "I just know that your dress will look as beautiful as you do."
Alice blinks as she watches the vizier disappear over the corner. Sudden realization hits her and her eyes widen. She hasn't gotten a dress ready for the ball!
Without another moment to waste, she holds the helm of her green dress and rushes towards the Mad Hatter's room with haste. She knocks on his door three times and waits. When there is no response, she knocks again. After about five minutes of waiting, Alice boldly decides to walk inside. She slowly creaks the door open and looks around.
The room is bright with random colors and looks exactly how Alice has envisioned the Mad Hatter's room to look. A large bed with hundreds of different colors is at one corner while the rest of the room seems to be a workspace of some sort. A large table with a sewing machine and various materials is placed in the middle of the room while a large stand holding various beautiful suits and gowns stands near the door that leads to the bathroom. The room looks messy but Alice figures that this is how Tarrant wishes to keep his orders organized.
Alice frowns when she realizes that the Hatter is in neither the bedroom nor the bathroom. She walks around the large table to walk towards the stand holding the finished products. Alice smiles in awe as she marvels the texture of mainly the silver and white dresses. Tarrant really has outdone himself with his work. Alice then wonders where Tarrant is; she hopes that he has prepared a dress for her. But she isn't sure which of these lovely dresses belongs to her…
Suddenly Alice hears loud shouts coming from the open window. She blinks as she walks towards it and stares outside for the source. She looks down at the courtyard and sees two white knights sparring with a dark figure. Alice squints at the slight darkness to see what is going on and her heart leaps when she realizes that the dark figure is Tarrant.
The Hatter is in a black skin-tight outfit that has a tunic, a pair of gloves, and boots. He is expertly fighting off the two knights as they advance towards him with incredible velocity and strength. The milliner breathes heavily as he knocks one knight down and blocks a strike from the other soldier. He advances towards the other soldier and strikes just as the other soldier jumps up to his feet. He sneaks behind the Hatter and sprints forward until the milliner steps aside and the two knights crash against each other. They shout in pain as they rub their faces and Tarrant laughs heartily as he proudly twirls his sword.
"Damn it, Hightopp…" One of the knights grumble as he stands up and helps the other knight onto his feet. They brush their arms as they glare at the smirking milliner. "You're getting too good at this; you probably should find someone else that is at your level."
"Is that a compliment?" Tarrant inquires. The second knight scoffs. "Don't flatter yourself, Hatter. What my brother means is that you are getting too strong for even the both of us to handle. The last four years have improved your strength and you'll never improve if you continue sparring with us. You know our techniques too well already; it's time to try a different opponent. Why not fight Stefan?"
The Hatter's smile is instantly gone. He narrows his eyes as they begin to glow orange. The duo look startled before the second knight holds his hands up in defense. "Just think about it; you're good enough to take him on. I'm not saying that Stefan is better than you; he's good, but only heaven knows how good. We know that you hate the guy so this could be your chance to beat him each night and rub it in his face every day. And you'll learn new techniques in the process."
The Hatter suddenly looks very thoughtful as his eyes turn back into green. He grins widely at the two brothers. "Well, when you put it that way… It doesn't sound so bad after all." Then he frowns and looks at the duo worriedly. "But what about you two?"
"We'll still keep in touch. The White Queen won't send us away just because we stopped training with you. We'll just be amongst the other guards." The first knight laughs heartily as he wraps an arm around Tarrant's shoulder. Then the trio begin to walk towards the castle. "And we'll train with you if Stefan is too much to handle."
"Not likely." Tarrant snorts as they enter the castle. Alice hears no more when the door closes. She stares down at the courtyard for a few moments as her mind is reeling different thoughts.
She noticed something different in Tarrant as he fought. He looked confident, brave, and strong as he sparred with his two friends. His new attire displayed his figure more accurately and Alice realizes that the Hatter is physically toned, possibly from the last four years of sparring and fighting. Alice realizes that she was staring at every muscle on Tarrant's body until she heard the trio speaking. She found herself flushing as she listens to the trio. She couldn't help but be curious as to why he and Stefan have a strained relationship; did something happen between them?
Alice sighs as she heads to her bedroom. Tarrant will be cleaning himself up before dinner so she'll ask him about her dress during the meal. She needs to clean herself up as well and figures that a nice warm bath would soothe her suddenly pounding heart. Alice found herself thinking about the Hatter as she walks down the hallway towards her bedroom, particularly his eyes, hair, and physique. She felt a strange warmth when his eyes change color and at the memory of their hands touching from the night before. What is this feeling and why is she feeling it?
Alice sighs again as she opens her door and enters her room. She stops abruptly when she sees a surprise on her bed and gasps softly as she places her hands over her mouth. The most beautiful blue gown is sprawled gracefully over her sheets with a pair of light blue gloves and a headband beside it. The sunset makes the dress sparkle and it seems to glow in the dark.
With trembling hands, Alice gently holds the dress up and feels the smooth silky texture. Her eyes begin to water when she realizes that it has the same texture and design that Tarrant made with the other dresses.
Tarrant has made it just for her.
Alice smiles and sniffles as she walks over to a mirror and looks at herself with the dress before her body. She realizes that it would hug her body snugly but it was a perfect fit. How Tarrant knows of her size, Alice can only guess.
What touches Alice so deeply is the fact that the dress was made with absolute care. All the designs were perfectly aligned and none of the other dresses that she saw earlier could compare to this beautiful gown. Tarrant must have put in so much effort to make the dress so perfect. Alice wonders how long Tarrant has been making the dress and why he would give her such a wonderful gift. She knows that he cares for her deeply, but even friends wouldn't go this far into making such perfection.
Alice's heart flutters at the thought of Tarrant caring for her happiness. He has done nothing but good for her all the time, even during her last two stays. He has protected her as if he was her guardian and has always comforted her whenever she was sad. He always has interesting things to say and Alice found herself enjoying his company more than ever.
Alice smiles dreamily as she hugs the dress closely to her chest. Could this warm feeling that she has for Tarrant be… Love?
Sooo? How is it? Leave a comment, please! And some suggestions for the future chapters would be appreciated. I'll give a hint at the end of each chapter to give you guys some ideas.
The next chapter is the night of the ball and Absolem confronts Tarrant and Mirana beforehand with news that regards the Oraculum. The Oraculum displays two split fates for Alice, but she must choose only one path to follow. There is a catch; either outcome will determine her death or the death of other innocent lives.
That is all I have to say. Send me suggestions or just leave a comment please!