Alice Undercover
By Rurple101
Chapter 7: Confessions of A Broken Heart
Jesse smiled a weak smile as she saw Tarrant pass out into his memories in front of her. She felt guilty for slipping a remembering concoction into his tea, but that would only speed up his senses. He must be very confused with himself.
She gazed at his unconscious face, which now resembled the weak and vulnerable hatter.
Unable to resist as she might never get the chance, she leaned down and kissed him on the cheek, she got back up and there were tears in her eyes.
This is my entire fault, she spat at herself. This is my fault it all fell into dis-repair, poor Hatter.
She quickly grabbed her travelling cloak and set off out of the castle. She had to be at Marmoreal before lunchtime came and be back here sooner than the late afternoon.
She arrived in Marmoreal ahead of her schedule but that still didn't mean that Iracebeth wouldn't come searching for her at any moment.
She dismounted her horse, thanked it and walked causally up to the gates.
"Halt! Who comes here?" called a guard.
She softly but quickly read out "I am Champion, champion for the White Queen who once slain the Jabberwocky."
The guard gasped and quickly opened the gates for her. Jesse nodded her head in thanks and continued up the main pathway to the palace.
Mirana had somehow been able to send a message to her whilst in Upperland via Absolem, the wisest caterpillar (who was now a fully grown butterfly), which led to her arranging to meet with the Queen. The entire support she was getting from people inside Marmoreal was for total secrecy, because if anyone found out Jesse Wayton's true identity, then she might find her head floating around in the moat of Salazar Grum.
Mirana met her in the entrance hall and hugged her so tightly that Jesse could hardly breathe.
"Oh Alice! It's so good to see you again!" cried Mirana.
"Mirana, cannot…breathe!" gasped the Champion.
The White Queen released the Champion, still beaming at her.
"Cup of tea?" she asked.
Jesse got a vision of Tarrant asleep on her sofa and nodded sadly.
"Iracebeth has no idea that it's me!" Alice said."But Hatter-" she sighed and put her face in her hands." -poor Hatter."
Mirana sighed as well. "I know he went insane when you left. I'm not trying to blame you Alice dear, but that was the only thing he wanted for months on end afterwards. You."
"How did he go mad?" Alice asked warily.
"He just stood there, staring at the air where you'd vanished and remained there for days, only muttering your name and then afterwards, he started yelling; screaming, pulling his hair…we had to restrain him as he once threatened to take his own life" Mirana said bluntly, not realising the full effects this held on Alice.
The champion closed her eyes, putting her tea down and wiled herself not to cry. "I'm sorry" she croaked.
"Alice dear, it's nothing now. Tarrant might feel in his own head that you betrayed him. But remember how Tarrant overreacts sometimes, we have to admit it. He snuck out of the palace and practically crawled back to Iracebeth and begged her to kill him. She, instead, offered a chance of a new life, so if you ever came along, you would be destroyed…by him." Mirana said, trying to comfort and understand the situation.
"Tarrant would never kill me" Alice said in a forced voice, trying to make herself believe the words.
"What makes you so certain, dear?" Mirana asked, putting aside her tea and leaning towards the champion.
"Because when I get the chance near the end, or if it all fails and I'm caught out, then I will confess everything to him and because that will spur him to reconsider and maybe even regret his past actions."
"What would you confess to him?" Mirana asked in a confused voice.
The champion looked disbelieving at the Queen. "Why else do you think I agreed to come back here and save Underland again? Why else do you think I would immediately return because Hatter was in trouble, or being brainwashed?"
She didn't realise that she'd now risen to her feet and was pacing back and forth as she questioned Mirana.
Mirana raised a hand to her mouth, her eyes watering with the emotion. "You're in love with Tarrant."
The tears that Alice had been holding back for over a week raced down her cheeks. All the loss and hurt that she hadn't had time to waste but things in her old world had gone so slowly. The constant nightmares of waking up, hoping to find herself in Wonderland...and woke up in a sweat when she wasn't. The loss of realising that she'd left behind the only man she'd ever had strong romantic feelings for…
"He hinted before he I left that he had deeper feelings for me, that's probably why he reacted so badly." Alice sobbed, collapsing on her knees as Mirana knelt down next to her and hugged her.
"It'll be ok Alice" Mirana soothed the champion.
Alice shook her head "He's being brainwashed and Iracebeth used him for two reasons. The first being that he is the strongest and fiercest solider when in battle and secondly because she knew me and Hatter were close. Now I see him every day and not to see his eyes light green with happiness breaks my heart all over again!" She wiped her tears away angrily.
Mirana sighed again as the Champion got up quickly and checked her watch. "I gave him the remembering concoction before I left. How long will be under?"
"Well until lunchtime probably. It's only half past ten now." Mirana said, going back and pouring herself another cup of tea.
"Can I ask you something Mirana?" Alice asked hesitantly.
"What is it Alice?"
Alice fidgeted. "Can I see Hatter's room?"
Alice opened the door warily and gazed inside, feeling the memories of Tarrant's hat-making room in Salaza Grum. She walked in and closed the door gently behind her.
The smell of freshly made hats was drowned out by the mess that littered the room's contents. Tables were over-turned; a copper coloured liquid was creating a strong and unmovable stain on the carpet and several hats were fallen from their high shelves. Alice walked over to one hat in particular and smiled at the familiarity.
His hat, the top hat she had been thrown across a lake with, when he'd sacrificed himself to save her, was sat atop a manikin. She approached it slowly, inhaling the smell of a long deserted workroom and imagined him in the situation, smiling and spinning her around from a break to see she'd returned.
Will anything be the same again? Alice thought, even if it did and he didn't want her…she'd leave quietly, and forever lock her warm glowing heart away.
She picked the hat up gently and carefully skimmed her soft fingers over the rim and the long salmon pink sash. She closed her eyes again and breathed in the scent that lingered off the hat. There was a very slight wisp of the scent that Alice had remembered when she'd shared hugs with the Hatter. She allowed a few tears to release from her eyelids and she leaned forward to kiss the front centre side of the brim of the hat.
"I will rescue you Tarrant" she whispered intently to the stillness of the room the only thing in the room which might be listening. "I will save you, I hope you will love me back, my darling."
She debated on taking the hat with her, back to the castle but then decided against it. He'd only destroy it before she'd be able to explain.
With a final loving glance towards the beloved hat of her love, she turned and crept out the door, closing it slowly behind her.
I apologise for the long delay guys, a new chapter may be out soon :) Thanks for reading and reviewing xx