I'll Take a Stand Until the End
Chapter Two
The death of Alice Kingsleigh spread quickly throughout the world, newspapers immediately covering it and many already beginning to mourn. The Wonder, or the remains of it, arrive in crates from an Italian merchant ship that pulls into the docks. Alice had been placed in a simple coffin temporarily for her mother and sister to make funeral arrangements.
The Italian merchant ship had witnessed the destruction of The Wonder and waited for a few other ships before taking over the band of pirates. The captain of the pirates was unaware that the woman took her own life and claimed that he wasn't a participant. Ironically enough, the Italians, a trading partner of Alice, didn't believe them, convinced that they took her life. Consequently, the crew was arrested and will face trial once arriving in England.
The crew of The Wonder walks off, four carrying the coffin whilst the others stayed at the side, saluting out of respect to their fallen captain, several with tears rolling down their cheeks. Alice had taken the Time upon getting to know each individual crew member, deeming them all equally important and ensuring that their needs are met whenever possible. She has always put their health and happiness first and took their advice, for the majority of them have been sailing for the entirety of their careers and it's the personal connection, the going out of her way to show she cares, that has made the biggest impact.
On any given date, she'd have letters from sailors around the world inquiring about a position on her ship. She would have accepted them all happily but she simply did not have enough room. She worried not about income and paid each person to their personal needs. Any surplus she'd send off back home to England which was enough for her mother to live comfortably and even her sister and family, if needed, though she knows her sister refuses to accept it.
Helen is barely able to comprehend what exactly is occurring, leaning against her older daughter for support. She has read the newspapers, heard the rumours, yet she refuses to believe any of it, wishing to see for herself. Her heart stops upon seeing the coffin, grasping Margaret's hand. "Mother, sit down before-…"
"Open it," she says sternly to the crew. "Open the cover. Let me see if it's her!"
They ignore her rudeness, seeing her worry as any mother would be in the situation. Margaret turns her head away, truly not wanting to know. It's Helen's pained cry that causes her heart to break before she gives in, looking inside the coffin. Still. Still. Far too still.
The four crew mates carefully se the coffin down upon finding a sturdy table. Helen's hands shake as she places them on Alice's cheeks, hating how cold they are. She's always been so bright, so full of life. Just like her father… Just like him… That's why she rejected the idea of her sailing for year, because she lost her husband to it… and now her youngest. "Not you too," she whispers, her voice barely audible. "Please, Alice. Not you, too."
She searches her body, opening her jacket and lifting her shirt, becoming faint upon seeing the wound. It was neatly sewn by the crew doctor. That was the least he could do for when he got to her, he said that it was too late to do anything, that she was already gone and that the wound was too extensive to attempt to fix. He didn't feel right, however, to leave it a gap.
"How did she die?" Helen inquires, her voice filled with sorrow.
"We don't know," a crewmate replies, his voice thick with regret. "We found 'er dead, lyin' in 'er own blood… Metal stake in 'er side. None of us think that she'd off 'erself. Bravest lass we've e'er met. She'd probly stare the Devil 'imself down if it e'er came to it. There were two bastards on the ship she was in. Said 'ey didn't know. Liars, the both of 'em… But we didn't kill 'em… Capt'n wouldn't want that." He sniffs, cleaning his cheeks with the back of a rough hand, yet more tears followed. "She shouldn't 'ave went like this… No sir… She had more to do. So much more…"
"Do you know if…?" Helen leaves the question hanging.
"They didn't touch 'er. They'd be dead if they did… 'ave a wife and daughter at home. I treasure this woman as if she's family… Kindest soul I've met and I've been sailin' for three decades. Last five on this crew 'ere the best."
The woman nods, turning back to Alice. Her heart sinks once again and she feels sick to her stomach. "Mum?" Margaret inquires, gently holding her. "Do you feel faint?"
She shakes her head. "Just like Charles," she whispers. "Just like him." She stops, anger forming. "He wasn't killed by cowards though. Nature took him. Bastards stole her life… Where are they being held?"
"Being loaded in jail as we speak, ma'am."
"What city?"
"Right in Lond'n, I believe."
Helen nods, staring at her youngest daughter. She sucks in a shuddery breath. "Arrange something with the police there. I wish to see the bastards. Have Alice brought home; it's only proper before she gets buried."
"'nd the funeral?" the sailor inquires. "Will it be public?"
"A private affair. Of course her crew will be able to attend. You have been her family for the past years. I'm certain that you want to give her a proper goodbye…"
Margaret isn't listening to anything they say, watching her sister as if certain that she will wake any moment and laugh it off as a joke. They were so close as children… But when she got older, she pulled away from Alice, wanting to prove… something. Of what, she didn't know. Then she got married… and that seemed to be the end of it… She never talked to Alice and she felt guilty that she never made Time for her. She received letters, a week before Alice went sailing. Even after that, she got letters from her mother, letting her know when Alice is expected to be back, that Alice told her mother to tell her just in case she wants to meet up. Still, she never made the Time. Honestly, she never knew why… But after her father passed, she disconnected. Alice was heartbroken, she knew that. She could tell from the dried tears on the letters she received, Sure, she wrote plenty back… And the last thing she told her sister in person… You don't want to be a burden to Mother, do you?
Her heart aches in her chest as she looks at her. A burden to Mother. Why the fuck did she say that? Did she think it true? To a certain extent, she had to, right? Otherwise she wouldn't have said anything. But surely, she was only looking out for her… Her husband thought she was doing a good job. Then again, he doesn't have any siblings.
"Mother?" Margaret inquires softly, barely able to even speak without her voice cracking,
"Yes?"
"… Did… Alice ask for me? In her last letter home?"
"Yes, of course. She has always done so. Why?"
Her throat closes at her words, tears welling up before she sinks to her knees against the coffin, grasping her sister's hand as she starts to cry, the lack of warmth merely making her cry harder. "I'm sorry, Alice," she whimpers, clutching her hand even tighter. "I never thought… I… I never even imagined you dying… Especially not before me… Before I… Ever got to see you." She leans her forehead on the wooden edge, crying more. "Mother, please. Please tell me she isn't gone. This is just a cruel joke, r-right? She… I- I… Mother…!" She searches her eyes for any form of cruel mirth, wanting to see even the slightest hint of a lie. But there's none and she feels a crushing weight she's never felt before.
She turns her head, slowly standing as she takes her baby sister in her arms, hating how rigid and cold she is. "Wake up…" she rasps out, placing her forehead on hers. "Alice, come on. Wake up. This isn't funny anymore. I-I know you're upset with me for never contacting you. I know you're mad that I've never visited… I-… I'm sorry. Just wake up and we'll spend as much Time as you want together. A week, a month, a year. It doesn't matter.
"We can explore and get lost like we did when we were young. I'll read bedtime stories to you if you can't fall asleep or if you had a nightmare. I'll hold you when it storms since the thunder is too loud. We'll go in the market and buy whatever catches our eyes. We'll get distracted by anything and everything. But we can't do that if you're asleep. You gotta wake up. We can't do it if you just lay there, Alice… You gotta get up."
She waits. She waits for a movement, a stifled laugh, a quick flutter of her eyelids, for her to wake up laughing. She waits for something, anything, yet receives nothing.
"Alice… Come on. You can't do this! You can't leave! Not like Father! You can't! You're too young! You're not supposed to. You have to carry on the Kingsleigh merchant name! You have to fight! You're so stubborn about everything else; why would this be any different?! You gotta fight! You're just like Father, Alice! You've always been like Father and that's the great compliment anyone could ever achieve! Alice, please! Look! Look at your crewmates! They don't want you leaving! They love you! Mother loves you! I love you! And I know why you would be wary! I know! And I'm sorry! I'll be better! Don't give up! If you want to give up on yourself, fine… But don't give up on me, on us. You never did before! Now is not the Time to start!"
She waits for several minutes, just standing there as she holds her. "Mother… Do something!" she whimpers, "Please. Please… She can't be gone! Please!"
Helen doesn't respond, having expected Margaret to keep herself composed. Her vision blurs and she shakes her head. "I… I have nothing to say," she whispers. "I never would have expected… For this to happen. Not a second Time at least." Her voice trails off and the sight of her daughter holding her younger one grows too much.
A crewmate sees her pale and he rushes over, catching her before she falls. "Easy, easy. Come sit down."
"When… What even happen?" she demands. "You… She never let this happen before! I don't understand!"
"None o' us do," he answers. "We didn't e'en see the ship. Dead of night, the bastards. We kept a newbie on lookout. The gunpowder didn't work since it was rainin'. All of it was shit luck, shit timing… Perfect storm, we call it. We didn't e'en see her get captured. But she did… Didn't 'ear her scream. Fucking found her with a goddamn stake covered in blood, metal an' dirty, too… Fucking bastards…"
"Do you think she did it to herself?" a younger crewmate inquires, several of the elders bursting with laughter.
"Not a fucking chance in Hell!" the man replies. "You didn't get to meet 'er fully. Heart of a drag'n, more balls than any other sailor ya meet, 'specially those fuckers who killed her." He becomes quiet when he received several glares from the people walking past. "Sorry… Still used to being able to say whate'er without being judge. Ya forgive me, ya?"
The two nod, Margaret still holding Alice. She's hesitant to let go, truly not knowing why, know that she's gone. "… when is…?" she starts, refusing to look away.
"I… I don't know," Helen answers. "I never thought that I would have to do this a second Time around. They already made the coffin. We… just need to set a date and Time."
"You're not allowing Lord Ascot to come, right?"
Helen lets out a sarcastic laugh, shaking her head. "He is no lord and the title he holds is disrespectful to his father and the companionship he had with Alice and Charles."
xxxXxxx
Mirana almost immediately loses her footing, Tarrant catching her. The entire table had went quiet and a deep feeling of dismay settled around. "D-dead?" McTwisp rasps out. "H-how do you know? You watch only Underland."
Time sets down the pocket watch, everyone staring at it. "I fixed it when she gave it to me and I accidentally made her a citizen here… I got the feeling someone dies and I couldn't figure out who it was. Then I felt it… The weight of it in my pocket."
Tarrant's heart sinks and he feels a pain that is foreign to him, even differing from the day that he thought his family was killed. "No. Not my Alice. She's not dead," he attempts. "She's Alice. She has too much muchness! It doesn't make sense!" His skin grows pallid, his eyes turning gold, the skin around them darkening. "My Alice is not dead!"
"She's mortal, I'm afraid," Time responds sadly. "… her body can only take so much."
"There must be a way to get her back, certainly," Mally insists. "She can't just… just die."
"I-I need to go inside," Mirana whispers, feeling sick. "I-I can't…" Her throat constricts and she can't seem to breathe, tears forming at the thought of Alice being dead. Tarrant is right. Dead? Alice dead? It's an oxymoron. The two don't go together hand in hand.
She barely makes it into the castle before she passes out, crumbling to the marble floor. Yet she's aware of her thoughts once she fell unconscious. She's unaware of the outside world, but not of her own. It's filled with memories, regrets, fears and worries. Now there's something else entirely new- the realization that her suspicions of any form of love towards her champion are true. She's been wondering for the longest Time if it was or just the simple fact that she's grateful for all that she's done. To be fair though, Mirana has never been in love so she isn't even sure if what she feels is it but it's definitely new, unlike anything she has felt, even towards her good friends or those who have proposed to her. None of them sparked her interest. But Alice… She did just that and more. She threw herself into the fray twice out of the goodness of her heart ad didn't want anything in return except the safety of her friends. She was kind, thoughtful, stubborn. So, so very stubborn. She knew nothing of the world, didn't know a soul, yet she risked her life for them. Mirana was fond of Alice and she remembered being terrified right before Alice went to face the Jabberwocky. She had pulled her aside from the march, wanting only her champion to hear.
"Please promise me that you'll be careful, Alice. I don't want… I… I'm sorry that you even have to do this but for you to die because of me… Alice, I knew you when you were a child and you grew up to be such a remarkable young woman. You have a family back home and it wouldn't be fair to them for us to take you. But people here also care about you. Tarrant does. I've never seen him so close to anyone before and… well, it's not my place to say. All I'm saying is to be careful. For I also care about you… More so than you know."
Alice nods, just listening. She's worried, terrified. Mirana feels even worse and she's silent as she pulls the blonde into a hug, holding onto her as a tear escapes, unable to help it. "It's unfair that you came back under such awful circumstances, truly." Her heart seems to break when Alice doesn't hug back. She doesn't remember her and that's what hurts the most.
"You must hate me for this," she whispers when she parts.
"No," Alice answers truthfully. "I'm not one to hate. My father told me that there's no point. It just exhausts you and the person you hate more than likely doesn't care about the fact that you hate them. There's no point." She sighs, shaking her head. "All of this has been draining and part of me wants to go. I miss my family. My mother… Sister… And I want to take up sailing… Like my father…" She pulls away and goes back on the Bandersnatch and Mirana can see her exhaustion.
She wonders now how she was treated in the Abovelands. Even when she first saw her again in the castle, she looked exhausted. Part of her playfulness was gone and she seemed careful, if cautious. She wonders if they were cruel to her. She certainly hopes not or she might have to head to the Abovelands and have some coarse words with a few people.
"Alice! Please, wait for a second!" She doesn't listen as she goes ahead of her and that was it for that visit.
When she came back, it seemed that things had patched up a bit. Their talks were natural and she seemed happy to be back, although her focus was mostly on ensuring that Tarrant will be okay.
And that brought up another concern. Mirana found herself jealous of Hatter's relationship with Alice. They are extraordinarily close and with how fond Hatter is of Alice, she was waiting for them to announce that they became a couple. Alice ran into the fire without any hesitation whatsoever and she can't help btu fear if she, herself, were in danger if Alice would do the same. Part of her believes that she would because that's the person she is but other than that, it more than likely wouldn't mean much to her other than helping a friend.
"I didn't get to thank her," Mirana whispers as she walks to her castle, Tarrant on one side, Iracebeth on the other.
"I'm sure she knows that you're thankful." Mally runs up, climbing up Tarrant's leg and resting on his hat.
"I know but it still doesn't feel right, you know? I mean, I should have given her something and who knows the next Time we'll see her. Hopefully under much better circumstances but… I owe her a lot. We could all be frozen solid. I might never have gotten my sister back… I owe her much more than I realize."
Iracebeth stops and the small group turns around, confused as they watched her. "You know how to get to the Abovelands, right? Why not leave something there for her?"
"Yeah! McTwisp knows where she lives! He can drop it off!" Mally exclaims, looking rather happy with that idea. "I'm going with him though," she adds to herself. "What should we give her? It has to be sentimental and something special. And something that suits her, too."
"We'll think of something. Good gifts must be thought through. Alice has done a lot. It'll be unfair to her to just do something hastily."
Mirana shifts in bed when she wakes, seeing her friends and sister watching her. "I heard the news," Iracebeth says and Mirana tries to read her expression yet is incapable of doing so.
"You don't know how to feel," Mirana whispers.
"No," she responds. "… she was sweet as child. Then she killed the Jabberwocky, stole the Bandersnatch and reunited us… I don't know what to feel… I haven't spoken to her before she left. Yet you seem to care for her so I'm here for you regardless of what I think. I didn't think that you'd take it so hard though." Iracebeth pauses. "Did you tell the others yet?"
Mirana shakes her head. "No. Not yet. It's not important."
"Here." Tarrant hands her a cup of tea, gently helping her sit up.
"No. No, I don't think I can keep it down. I feel sick," she whispers. She still can't quite wrap her head around Alice being dead. "Time. Where's Time? I must speak to him."
"He's in Witzend at the moment, asking around for… something. What, I'm unsure," Tarrant answers. "He seemed to be in a hurry though. Something about an Eon of Sadness."
"…Father talked about it," Iracebeth says. "It was one of the most devastating things to occur in Underland. The deaths were up to millions and we ran out of cemetery space. Time said that it was exhausting going back and forth. Mother said it was heartbreaking to watch and people were begging for them to do something. They couldn't do anything. Father said that Mother almost took her own life which… with how sensitive she was, it isn't unlikely. I don't remember what Father did to stop her but it must have worked. The Eon of Sadness ended with the birth of the Queen of Spades and the death of the King of Diamonds. It needs a death and a birth of a leader to end. Both have to be of significant importance."
Mirana takes in a deep breath. "We don't even know if the Eon will begin with Alice's death. It-."
"My Queen!" A servant rushes inside of the room. "My Queen! Two people have been spotted outside of the castle hanging from the large cherry blossom tree!"
Tarrant seems to pale at that statement as the room falls silent. So it begins…
A/N: I'm not too sure how many of you create fanart but if you do, might you please base some on this story or just Malice in general? Please email me at theperidotwriter57 gmail . com. Thank you so much and I truly appreciate it. None of your work will be republished or posted without any form of credit to you if at all posted.