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It had been three long years since Alice had left Underland behind for the third time. The big difference was that this time, she hadn’t forgotten about it, unlike the first time when she had thought it had all been a dream. In the time since she left Underland, she had done a lot of exciting things while sailing with her ship, the Wonder. However, it had never totally been able to help her cope with the hollow feeling that came with leaving her friends behind. There was one person in particular she just couldn’t get out of her head, the Hatter. During her stay in Underland she seemed to have caught feelings for the wonderfully strange man that exceeded just friendship. She kept seeing him in her dreams, if she slept at all. Sometimes she wondered if the feelings had been mutual, he had looked so heartbroken when she left.
The more time passed since Alice left, the sadder the Hatter started to appear to be. The grief had been bearable for a while, he had just gotten his family back after all. They had had so much to talk about, so many stories to tell. After some time,things started to settle back into a normal routine, or at least as normal as life in Underland could be. This was when Hatter had really started to feel the emptiness that had been in his heart ever since Alice left. As time progressed, he became more and more withdrawn. He hadn’t made a hat in ages and he wouldn’t even go to tea parties anymore. His friends would visit him but it was to no avail. They saw how he slowly started to get dull, his hair wasn’t as orange as it used to be, his pale skin seemed a little gray. Finally his parents had decided to step in, but not in the way one would expect. They had arranged a marriage for the Hatter, to the daughter of a distant family friend.
Their theory was that it would distract him from the girl that had been plaguing his mind. Many were appalled by this decision, it was a practise that had not been ordinary for a long time. That didn’t seem to stop them, they genuinely thought it would help their son. When his parents enthusiastically announced the news to Hatter, he didn’t even seem to register it. He was just staring in front of him, face totally blank, his mind somewhere in another place.
Alice startles awake from her dream, sitting up straight in her bed, she doesn’t know where she is for a moment. She had had such a curious dream, it had been about the Hatter, and he seemed to be standing by an altar. She had been an onlooker from somewhere behind some curtains, that obscured her vision of where the bride should be. Hatter looked so sad. He had glanced in her direction, and that was when she had woken up.
She looks around her bedroom,until something in the mirror caught her eye. What she sees, scares her at first, but quickly her fright is replaced by relief. In the mirror are two glowing green eyes and an impossibly wide grin. “Chessur”, she says, “is it really you?”. Around the features in the mirror the visage of her old friend starts to form. “Yes, my girl, but I don’t have much time”, he says. The tone in his voice immediately makes Alice’s heart sink. “What is it?”, she asks. “It’s the hatter, he is in trouble, he-”, the cat is cut off mid-sentence when his image blinks out of existence.
Alice stares into the now empty mirror as she feels all blood drain from her face. The Hatter is in trouble, she has to go and help him. She gets up and immediately starts dressing herself. Before she knows it, she is out the door, on her way to the rabbit hole. When she reaches it she practically dives into it.
She rushes through the actions in the room with the doors and before she knows it she is through the small door. Only to find find Chessur waiting for her on the other side. She almost bumps into him.
“Ah, there you are”, he purrs, “you should quickly get back to your right size, the ceremony is about to start”.
She chokes on the piece of Upelkuchen she already had in her mouth, she coughs while growing to her right size again.
“What do you mean ceremony, you said that the Hatter was in trouble”, she says, now confused. Suddenly her dream of last night comes back to her.
“Hatter is getting married”, she says quietly. Chessur’s grin falters and he nods, “he is, but against his will. His parents thought it would help him forget his sorrows”.
“They arranged a marriage!? To who?”, she exclaims, her eyes now wide in disbelief, “And what sorrows did he have to forget?”
“Oh you foolish girl, you really didn’t notice, did you”, the cat sighs, desperately. “The Hatter was heartbroken when you left. I thought you would’ve noticed he feels more than friendship for you. Despite the sad news, Alice felt her heart jump a little at this explanation, so the feelings were mutual after all. “Really?” she asks, as if she almost can’t believe him.
“Yes, but now his parents want him to marry a family friend, so he could forget about you. But I know it won’t work, he’s so heartbroken and so sad, he is losing his madness and his colours.”, Chessur looks worried, not wanting his friend to suffer anymore. “Now hurry girl, we have a ceremony to get to”.
Alice quickly put on her dress again, luckily her undergarments and bloomers shrank and grew with her. She starts making her way to the Queen’s castle as fast as she can, following behind Chessur. When they arrive the Cat points to a door that leads to a small corridor, “go through here, this way you can enter the hall without being seen. The curtains will keep you out of sight from everyone in the room. Wait until they ask if someone has objections, only then you should show yourself.” Alice quickly makes her way down the corridor and into her hiding spot between the curtains.
The Hatter is standing in front of the altar, his gaze fixed on nothing, he is deeply in thought. How could this have happened, why did his parents do this to him. He didn’t want to get married, at least not to Eve, the woman his parents selected for him. She was kind, and her family was well off, but she wasn’t who he wanted. She wasn’t muchy enough, not wonderful enough, she just wasn’t Alice. Oh, Alice, how he misses her, how sad he has been since she said she would never see him again. He didn’t even have the courage to tell her how he felt. He sees her every night in his dreams but it’s not the same. It doesn’t feel right.
Alice takes a peek through the curtains, the hall is crowded, all her friends are there, and she sees the Hightopps sitting on the first row. They seem happy and cheery about the entire occasion, unlike her friends who seem nervous and unhappy. She sees the Hatter standing at the altar. He looks terrible, his hair is dull instead of the usual fiery orange. His skin is gaunt and he has dark circles around his eyes, which seem almost gray, with just a tiny hint of green. Even his clothes suffer under his condition, they are dusty and dirty. Oh, my poor Hatter, what have I done to you , she thought.
The Queen is behind the altar, as she will perform the ceremony. She seems nervous about something, she is constantly scanning the hall with her eyes. Her gaze drifting to an empty seat in between Thackery and McTwisp. Suddenly Chessur appears in the seat, or rather, drifting above it, and he seems to give the queen a little nod. She relaxes and straightens her back.
Music starts playing, and the bride comes waltzing in over the aisle, she seems delighted. Of course, Alice thinks, it’s her wedding day after all . When she arrives at the altar, she looks back and smiles at her family and the Hightopps on the first row.
The Queen starts speaking, “we have all gathered here today, to share with Eve Nightgale and Tarrant Hightopp an important moment in their lives. They will after this ceremony spend the rest of their lives together. We hope it will be filled with love and joy. ”
The bride is beaming, Hatter however still has that blank expression, as if he’s not really there in the moment. The whole scene makes Alice a little sick to the stomach for some reason.
“But before we allow them to say their vows, I have to ask. Does anyone have any objection to this wedding, if so, speak now or forever how your peace.”
Alice is still standing behind the curtains, when she hears a voice in her ear, “now!”. Simultaneously she feels two paws with sharp nails push her forward out of the curtains.
“I object”, she says, a little overwhelmed by Chess’s action. Everyone’s head snaps toward Alice, her friends are delighted, the Queen is relieved, but the families of the bride and groom look confused, some even furious. Hatter, however lifts his head slightly, somewhere far away from his thoughts he had heard a familiar voice, a very muchy voice. “Alice”, he whispers, hoarse and confused.
Alice rushed to the front of the hall, grabbing his hand. “Hatter, it’s me”, she says softly. He slowly lifts his head to look at her, as if he is afraid to look. His eyes looked so sad, Alice felt her throat close up. “Is it really you?”, he asks quietly, now looking her in the eye. “Yes it’s really me, I couldn’t let you do this.” His face seems to light up, the green of his eyes gets a little brighter, he smiles. Then he pulls her into a tight hug, “I don’t want to do this either.”
When they pull away, Hatter says, “I missed you so much, I thought you were never coming back”. The way he says it, he sounds so heartbroken. “I am so sorry, I missed you too”, Alice says with a soft smile. “This whole situation is my fault, if I had just told you how I felt none of this would’ve happened”.
Behind them she heard the bride sob, followed by footsteps running away from them.They looked back and saw the bride running out of the hall, followed by her family. Hatter’s father stands up, and belts, “Tarrant, what is going on here? And who is she?”.
“Father, this is Alice, she is the girl who saved you from the Red Queen.”, Hatter says, a little taken aback by the volume of his father’s voice. “I thought I had lost her forever after she stepped through the looking glass, but she came back”.
“Mister Hightopp, I am sorry for interrupting this ceremony, but I had to tell something very important to Tarrant”, Alice says. She looks up at Hatter, “I should have said this a long time ago, but rather late than never I suppose”. She takes a deep breath, “I love you, you’re mad and bonkers and totally off your head, but I love you.”
A large smile spread on the Hatter’s face, his eyes glowed their usual green again, “there is that muchiness again, I love you too, Alice, my dear Alice”. She smiles, and brings her hand up to softly touch his cheek. Then she slides her hand behind his head, to pull him in for a soft kiss, something they had both waited on for way too long.
Everyone of their friends in the halls went ecstatic, cheering and laughing. Thackery started throwing things around, the twins were clapping their hands. Chessur and the Queen gave each other a satisfactory look, they had managed to pull their little scheme off.
When Alice and Hatter pull away from each other they look around and laugh. “Our friends are the strangest bunch, aren’t they?” Alice says. Hatter nods his head with a grin, “but then again, we’re all mad here” and with those words he kisses her again.