Best Intentions, Chapter Twelve

[wanderamaranth]

"Underland, as you well know, Alice, is not always the peaceable place you find yourself in now." Two lumps of sugar crawled into the newcomer's tea cup, while her spoon stirred itself. Tea splashed over the side of the porcelain, but the Lady was calmness itself in the face of this, and thanked both the sugar and the spoon for their services. "Often times, the land and its inhabitants will reflect the very nature of the one who rules them. That is why when my sister ruled, much of the land you traveled through was dark, sickly, and the ones who lived there violent and suspicious. They simply couldn't help themselves, you see: it was all the result of how the Red Queen ruled and her...mental state."

"If you'll excuse my saying so, Mirana, I fail to see what this has to do with myself and Tarrant," Alice said, after the white woman lapsed into expectant silence. Hamish, surprisingly, (He was simply full of surprises today! Why, if Alice counted each one of his actions as an impossible thing, he'd have already used up her daily allotment! He hoped Alice had made him as a whole an impossible thing, rather than compartmentalizing his current behaviors...otherwise she'd be fresh out of designations for the entirety of a week at the current rate he was maintaining!) was the one who connected what the faerie queen had said with the Hatter's earlier statement.

"It's because he felt protective of her. That's it, isn't it?"

A pleased smile softened Mirana's (that was what Alice had called her, was it not? A very pretty name, Hamish thought) features. "Indeed it is, Sir...I'm sorry, but I don't believe I've had the honor of your name."

"Oh! I beg your pardon. Sir Hamish Ascot, madam." He extended his hand, brows raised in a friendly manner.

"She is no ordinary woman, Ascot," Tarrant butted in, before she could respond in kind. "You'll do well to use her title when addressing her Majesty, aye?"

"Hatter!" Alice reproached, when an awkward silence descended upon the table. "How could he possibly use her title when they are just now being introduced? I'm very sorry." Alice turned her attention to Hamish, who was suffering from an acute case of everything seeming very surreal. "I should have made introductions from the start, and then we would not be...yes, well, I can remedy this! Hamish, lower your hand. We'll just start again."

Diverted, Hamish did so. Alice's friends (for despite the fact that Helen told him that Alice had been brought here against her will, she seemed very comfortable and at ease with these two creatures, and thus, he could think of no other title that would fit them other than 'friend'...even if they had been discussing the ginger's other title in regards to Alice) did not appear to be off-put by her strange request; in fact, they seemed to enjoy it as much as Hamish had. The woman in glimmering white hummed in acceptance, while the madman to Alice's left grunted in reluctant agreement, a twinkle of something that could have been amusement in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, this is Sir Hamish Ascot, of London, England, in Above; Hamish, this is her Royal Majesty the White Queen Mirana of Marmoreal, in Underland. We just call her Mirana most times, though," Alice added in an aside whisper, causing both the Queen and Tarrant to chuckle.

"The...Queen Mirana?" Hamish sputtered. This was the Pretender Queen? She didn't look like someone that would encourage and foster the idea of Revolution, but then again, he'd never met a Rebel before, either, so whom was he to judge? He'd expected someone fiercer when imagining the White Queen, despite how her subjects lovingly described her. "Well, yes, I suppose, then the crown would make much sense, wouldn't it? And I thought you did seem rather regal, and...well, it matters not what else I thought! I beg your pardon, madam!"

Perhaps the creatures had overthrown her sister for her, and she'd had nothing directly to do with it whatsoever. Perhaps she was a victim of circumstance, forced to don a heavy crown by the demands of her people. Looking into her chocolate liquor colored eyes, he could not imagine this Queen doing a single purposefully manipulative thing. Then something flickered behind her eyes, and Hamish shifted in his seat, reconsidering both of his hastily-developed stances on the Queen, uncomfortably recognizing that this particular woman was an Alice sort of woman—one that would not be easily categorized or happy with a stereotypical role of femininity, one that was made of sterner stuff than one initially would suspect when first looking upon them.

"No begging is necessary, Sir Hamish," Mirana said gracefully. She picked up her tea and sipped it, regarding him over the rim with those unsettling dark eyes. "I believe you were most distracted by a matter of some import, were you not?"

"Erhm. Yes, quite," Hamish agreed, embarrassed. Was a pair of dark, mysterious eyes and a veritable cloud of gossamer and glitter all it really took for him to forget his mission as Alice's rescuer?

"Yes!" he exclaimed as he stood. Extending his hand towards Alice, he said imperiously, "Come, Alice. I'm here to rescue you! We'll away from this place!"

"We'll away from this place?" Alice snorted. "Oh, Hamish. Sit back down. The time for you to throw me over your shoulder and hie back to London passed about a quarter of a hour ago, wouldn't you say?" Turning to the Hatter, she said, "Would you pass me those scones there?"

"Which, the cheese or the fruit?"

"Fruit, please."

"Alice, you act as though you don't even wish to go back to London!" Hamish protested, sitting down nonetheless. Mirana beckoned a slice of quiche towards her plate, and with a flick of her fingers, directed one to find its way to Hamish's as well.

"Of course I want to go back to London!" Alice asserted. All movement from the Underlandian inhabitants of the table ceased. The Queen looked from the woman she called her Champion to her Hatter, saw that he was almost ready to slip into a bout of madness. Luckily, Alice continued speaking, and her words staved off such an attack. "Mother must be desperately worried about me by now, even with the letters I've sent along."

"She is," Hamish agreed. "She is whom sent me, you know." Pausing, he said, "Letters? Mrs. Kingsleigh never mentioned that you'd written her!"

"I hadn't, until very recently." She explained, with a wave of her fingers. It seemed the Queen's mannerisms were contagious. "How could Mother send you, though?" Alice asked. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

Hamish looked down, saw the quiche upon his plate, and shrank back involuntarily. If he ate that, he'd be ill for the next two days! The quiche looked very insulted by this reaction, and sulkily slunk off his plate only to be replaced by a danish and a fruit compote.

Seeing his food walk and form expressions did not help Hamish's stomach in the slightest, and he shoved his plate away. An expression almost like disappointment flickered across the Queen's face, and Hamish supposed he was being rude, but it was either be rude or suffer from his delicate digestion's violent protests, and he knew very well which he'd rather deal with the consequences of.

"There was some sort of ridiculousness with apples and kitchen spices and me sitting in water while wishing very stridently to be here," Hamish answered Alice. "But then she pulled me out, and I met a wolverine in a dumbwaiter in one of your upstairs hallways."

"Ah!" Mirana said, nodding her head. "She was thinking of sending you by the causeways! How very clever! Alice, your mother must be a sanguistane woman, to know of that pathway to Underland. I've sealed most of the others—for safety reasons, which I'm sure you can appreciate—but have not gotten to brewing anything for our waterways yet. Tell me, Sir Hamish, how did you plan to avoid the Old Man of the Sea?" 1

"Erm..." Hamish wasn't certain how to answer that. "I had not taken his presence into account, your Majesty."

"Really? It is most fortunate that Ferdinand brought you to Underland, instead, then," Mirana said, sounding amused.

"Erm. Yes. Fortunate. Although I did end up in the sea, anyways. Well, from what I remember of it. It all happened so very fast. One moment I'm in the waiter shaft, with Ferdie blathering on," (Alice and Mirana looked tickled at his use of the wolverine's nickname; the Hatter simply sat and glowered at him) "and the next, he's telling me he'd forgotten about the Sea of Tears. We were swept up into it, and the next thing I knew, I'm on the beach, with the gulls snickering at me. It was a terrible way to get here, but must say, in the end, it was infinitely preferable to Mrs. Kingsleigh's bathtub."

A sound that suspiciously resembled choked laughter came from Alice's side of the table, and Hamish looked to see the Hatter holding his hand to his mouth, shoulders shaking.

"Bathtub?" Alice confirmed, sounding as if laughter was threatening her, as well.

Hamish nodded.

"Yes, she said the cold iron would protect me while I was traveling."

At the word 'protect', all amusement fled the table, as the four were forcibly reminded of that which had been mentioned earlier; that the Hatter's protectiveness of Alice was what caused their marriage. For Hamish, it was sobering indeed to realize that not only actions had consequences, here: thoughts and ideas did, too.

"Yes, Alice, your mother is sanguisntane indeed..." Mirana murmured. "To know not only how to travel here, but to know that the iron would protect one on their journey...even if that is not eventually how you came to be here, Sir Hamish."

"She told me," Hamish put in awkwardly, "that she'd much time to study the subject, as she'd always suspected that...there may be a need for someone to come and retrieve Alice. Someday."

"Something she would not have had to have done so, if she'd only spoken to me of it as I grew," Alice said, shaking her head.

"I'm sure she only had the best intentions, Alice."

It was Tarrant who said this, his hand cautiously reaching out to meet Alice's own. She allowed it to find hers, and they laced their fingers together.

"Well, you know what they say about good intentions," Alice mused. "You've had some of those yourself, Hatta, and look where it has apparently gotten us." She looked down at the bands of gold, a slight frown tugging down the corners of her mouth.

The Hatter's chin jerked to the side, away from Alice. "I never meant my concern for you to cause this between us, Alice, but I can not say that I regret it, now." The words were punctuated by Tarrant rubbing his thumb over the ring on her finger.

"Yes, about that..."

"Ah, yes," Mirana said. "I was telling you of that, wasn't I?" Clearing her throat delicately, she said, "You see, Alice, Sir Hamish...Underland is a very transitory place...except for certain elements that have been woven into the very fabric of what Underland is. What all of those things are is unimportant for the time being. The one that concerns us here today is how those from Above are accepted into this, the land Below. Since Underland was formed, Uplanders have had an unfortunate habit of..." Here she snorted a bit (in a very ladylike way, of course) at her own pun "dropping in. Because of that, certain...protective elements, shall we say? Are in place. Because of that, certain... protective elements, shall we say? … are in place. One being that any unmated Abovegroundian, upon discovery of an Underlandian whom is... sympathetic to their plight? … and is compatible and also unmated, will be Bound together."

"But that's...that's..." Hamish protested.

"Barbaric? Outdated? Of course it is. Do not think that I would not change that particular aspect of Underland if I could, Sir Ascot. But Underland is stubborn on this issue, and refuses. I've cited cases such as this when communing with Underland, where the Uplander in question is far too young when they are Bound, but the only answer I've ever received on that matter is this: Time will fix that."

"How is it that you're able to speak to Underland?" Alice asked, seeming more fascinated than disturbed. "In London, we can not speak to the city, or to the country of England, or any of the land, for that matter. And it certainly never concerns itself with who marries whom or why!"

"That is because London, England, and all of the Above, were formed atop preexisting land. Underland was created. There was a time, before, when those that lived in Underland and those that reside in the Above all lived Above. But War, Famine, and Greed separated them, and eventually those that would come to be called Underlandians knew that, to ever know Peace again, they would have to abdicate from the soils of Above. So they created a new place to live, and placed it under the Earth. It took many powerful Imaginations to kindle this place, to place within it the basic tenants of what it should be; thereafter, however, Underland was supported by those who lived here, and most especially influenced by those who rule it."

Tarrant sat silently, still stroking Alice's fingers with his thumb. She turned towards him, sorrow in her hazel eyes.

"That was why you never argued with me. When I told you I'd dreamed you up," she said. "Because you thought it possible I really might have."

"It...was not outside the realm of possibility. Although my feelings seemed to be stronger than Imagination would normally provide, I could not say that it was not possible, no."

"Your feelings?"

The Hatter flinched, seemingly reminded that he and Alice were not alone at the table by Hamish's outburst. Yellow-orange eyes reopened to glare once at the young man.

"If ye're desirious o' keepin' all of yer appendages ye entered mae home wit', laddie, ye'd best be learnin' to keep yer trap clappered!"

"Tarrant, please. Please," Alice soothed, her hand reaching up to cradle the side of the creature's face closest to her. Closing his eyes, he nuzzled against her touch, and Hamish quashed the jealousy he felt rise within him at the sight. Emotions such as that were obviously not helpful, if entertaining them required Alice to consistently put herself forward to soothe the Hatter afterwords. "Hamish," Alice added in a warning tone to him, not that it was needed.

"Apologies, Alice."

"Now then," Mirana said, "with that all settled, who wants more tea?" A cheerfully patterened tea pot was held aloft. Alice's hand snuck into the Hatter's hair, where she began to scritch him, like one would a cat.

"I will, please, your Majesty," Alice said. "And while things may be settled to your satisfaction, they are still not to mine." Hamish watched as the Hatter's now green eyes slid open, as he gently untangled her fingers from his hair and laid a kiss on her open palm. Alice blushed slightly, causing Hamish to struggle with the jealous urge to wrench her across the tabletop towards him once more.

"What is there left to settle, Alice?" Mirana asked, pouring her a fresh cup.

"Well...when did this happen? When did Tarrant and I..." Her nervous hazel gaze flickered to Hamish, and he sighed.

"You can say it, Alice. When were you...married."

"Yes. When did we...marry?"

Tarrant visibly tightened his grip on Alice's hand, resettling it into his lap. "When you very first came to Underland, Alice. At Thack's tea table," he told her, and held his breath as a man preparing for a blow will.

"When I first...but Hatter, I was six years old!"

Hamish choked a bit on his own tongue. Six years old?

"Aye, and I knew it very well then, too! Don't think that I was well-pleased when I first realized what had happened, lass!"

"No...I don't suppose you would have been, would you?" Eyes alighting with a new understanding, she said, "That's why you were so cross, wasn't it? You realized what had happened! Oh, Hatter...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I've been awful to you, and..."

"Here, have a bit of cake," Mirana said at Hamish's elbow, distracting him from the veritable outpouring of hearts occurring across the way by shoving a small frosted confectionery in his hand.

"There's nothing to apologize for, Alice, nothing at all! It is I who should apologize to you...I never said anything, when you were in Underland this past time, because I wanted you to love me for whom I am, not due to the machinations this land, and..."

Rolling his eyes at the woman's insistence at plying him with delectables, and miserable by the growing-more-likely-by-the-second prospect that he'd lost Alice long before he'd ever had a chance to have her, (or had known he'd wanted her for himself) he accepted the cake, and went to place it in his mouth.

"Love you? Does that mean that you-"

"Yes, Alice! I have since I told you the Jabberwocky Prophecy in the Woods, likely longer! I do so completely and utterly and consumingly lo-"

"Gander's saucing 'er Goose!"

A scruffy, bulging eyed, twitching, screeching Hare hopped up to the table, breaking the moment between the couple across the way, and interrupting Hamish's impeding introduction to Underlandian treats. A large Mouse sat on his shoulder, wearing a crinkled pinafore and scowling magnificently.

"Mir-a-na! Hamish, stop!"

Startled at Alice's strong admonishment, (as just seconds before he'd been determined to drown out the sounds of her imminent Declarations to the creature beside her with frosting, as alcohol didn't seem to be directly available) Hamish lowered the cake while the Queen started in a guilty manner. Then she smiled, an unapologetic grin that was at odds with the look in her eyes. The blonde raised a brow in warning at the monarch, (and just how Alice was able to boss about a Queen, Hamish was very interested in) then turned her attention back to her childhood companion.

"Put that down, Hamish."

"Unless ye've grown fonder of Underland than ye've been acting, Sir Ascot, I wouldn't recommend eating that, if I were you," the Hatter advised, reinforcing Alice's warning.

Setting down the cake hastily, he looked over at the Queen inquiringly. Her hands fluttered in the air. "Oops?" she said.

Dropping all pretense of innocence, Mirana then waggled her fingers, and said, "Well, it seemed to have turned out so well for my Hatter, I simply thought...and it has been a long time since the King's passing, and Sir Hamish is handsome enough...and if it made you feel more at ease to have another Abovegroundian here with you, Alice, that could not be a negative thing, could it?"

"I...beg your pardon?" Hamish stuttered.

"Handsome?" The Mouse that had ridden in on the Hare's shoulder piped in. "Well, to each their own, I suppose, your Majesty, but he's not the sort that would tempt me!"

"Mirana, you haven't...that is, you don't feel particularly protective of Hamish, do you?" Alice asked, eyes wide.

"No," the Queen admitted. "But I easily could. Sir Hamish, would you please set about doing something that would require my saving you? That should stir my protective instincts up very nicely!"

"Are you saying...?" Hamish stood, and began backing away from the table. "You're all mad! Barmy! Completely bonkers! Alice-" he turned to his old friend, sure that desperation was writ across his face, and not caring. "Please. Allow me back to escort you to London. We've idled here in insanity long enough."

"You'll not be escorting my wife anywhere!" the Hatter stood as well. They were of an equal height, but the hat atop the man's head made him seem taller, and Hamish could feel something low in his belly start to quail.

"That should do it," Mirana said, cheerfully. "Good show, Sir Hamish! I wasn't sure if you were going to be a sport about this or not!"

"Alice-!" Hamish said, urgently, as the Queen rose from her seat.

"Hatter..." Alice began, turning to the frizzy-haired being, her face reflecting an inner turmoil, "I need to go with Hamish."

"What?" Multiple voices, none of which belonged to the Hatter, echoed through the clearing. The Dormouse recovered first.

"After all the 'atter has done for you, you're just going to up and leave with toggle-toes here? You don't deserve him, you slurvish girl! Why I oughta go over there right now and..."

"She's right, Mallymkun."

Tarrant's voice stopped the Mouse in her tracks. Hamish turned to him, surprise etched on his features. Mirana wilted, a pout on her dark lips. She must not have been feeling quite protective enough to activate whatever-it-was that made Underland marry folk, much to Hamish's relief.

"You willna be able to stay long, though, Alice. I told your mother true; three months per year of Above's time is what Underland will minimally require to sustain you, but I was being greedy, and...it need not be all at once." This admission was given with a wince; he must be as familiar with Alice's temper as what Hamish was. Hurriedly, he continued with, "I do not think it has been so long as all that, though?" he asked Hamish, to which the man shook his head.

"No. Mrs. Helen said it had been about two fortnights."

"Hatter, if I haven't fulfilled..."

"You're healthy enough now, lass," the Hatter interrupted her. "If you do not delay your return when you start feeling poorly again, all should be well. I'll not be selfish again and keep you here when you so obviously wish to go."

"Tarrant, you can't still think that I was entirely unwilling to be here. I could have left at any time. I could have fought you, or demanded a way back to London, or snuck away...but I didn't. Don't you want to know why?"

"Alice, you don't have to-"

"I think I love you."

*~*~*~*

Author's Notes:

1The Old Man of the Sea is a creature that was encountered by Sinbad during his 5th voyage. This creature crawled upon his back and refused to leave; the only way that Sinbad was able to remove him from his back was to get him drunk, at which point he fell off on his own, and was afterwards slain.

Previous Chapter                                                                     Next Chapter