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manniness“Have we forgotten anything?” Fenruffle demands of the harried frogs and fish.
“I certainly hope so,” Alice grumbles, eyeing the pile of luggage and pitying the low-ranking pawns-turned-pack mules.
At her side, Mirana just smiles serenely. “There’s no use in protesting. Just let Fenruffle prepare whatever he thinks will be necessary. Otherwise he’ll give himself a stress-injury.”
Alice sighs. She knows it’s the gryphon’s job to ensure that the queen’s household – no matter where that might be – runs smoothly, guaranteeing her comfort. Mirana’s safety, however, is a responsibility that falls to the Queen’s Champion and, as such, where the White Queen goes, so does Alice.
She resists scanning the drive for her Hatter. They’ve already said their good-byes (and rather spectacularly, too!) and she won’t be gone long. Only sixteen days.
SIXTEEN DAYS!
Alice winces at the internal scream of desperation. Since her return to Underland, she’s hasn’t once been away from him for so long.
This is going to be very... trying.
Despite the month of bliss that had followed the finalization of the Thrice a-Vow, Alice can’t help but wish for more time. Just one more lazy, warm afternoon... Just one more moonlit night... Just one more rosy-hued morning...
Alice has to admit: it’s just as well she and Tarrant aren’t of the same species or she might have to have a bit of... small talk with him. Or possibly nominate someone else to protect the queen in her stead for the next year or so... But they’d stayed away from bringing any other rites into the bedroom, so...
Nothing to worry about, Alice tells herself.
Nothing... except sixteen days without his touch, his infectious giggle, his ever-changing eyes: teasing emerald, affectionate blue, impassioned violet.
She shivers despite the warm morning.
Right – stop this, Alice! You are working!
After another furious roll call of the prepared and packed supplies, the pawns move forward, gathering the trunks and cases. In that moment of activity – as the queen moves toward her mount – Alice glimpses a flash of dark color. She doesn’t tense when a hand grasps her arm and pulls her behind the cherry tree she’d been standing beneath.
She doesn’t reach for her knife as she stumbles against a warm body. Tarrant leans back against the tree, pulls her against him, and kisses her. Alice lets herself forget about the preparations on the castle drive, the time, the travel itinerary...
His arms are almost bruisingly tight around her. Her hands clutch his vibrant hair with abandon. Their mouths seek, devour...
Let this moment never end... Let Time and the queen and Underland leave us here...
Bit by bit, the kiss gentles to soft touches and sighs. Tarrant’s arms loosen as do her fingers. When his hands are resting on her hips and hers on his shoulders, Tarrant leans his forehead against hers and smiles.
“Ye f’rgot yer Pain Paste,” he whispers.
“And what did you forget?” she asks knowingly.
He giggles. And then: “Alice,” he sighs contentedly, “Why is a raven like a writing desk?”
Alice closes her eyes and inhales the scents clinging to his jacket. She whispers, “I don’t know, Hatter. Why is a raven like a writing desk?”
His voice is husky and low, his breath a caress against her ear. “I haven’t the slightest idea...”
Alice’s entire being suffuses with warmth. Tarrant’s warmth, his concern, his love. As declarations of love go, perhaps it’s unconventional, but then, so are they. Unconventional, but in complete accord.
Leaning away, she grasps his left hand with hers and raises them up so she can see his dark red heart line twisting, twining over his pale skin, so he can see her equally dark blue one.
“Be back before you know it,” she tells him.
His eyes, awash with so many colors she can barely discern them all, focus on hers and he waits.
Relenting, Alice gives him what he seeks, what he needs: “I promise.”
A long breath escapes him. His eyes nearly close and his lips find hers again. This kiss is their farewell, sweet and sad and so sensual she would give anything for one more afternoon, evening, morning spent in bed together...
And then he gently straightens both of them away from the tree and, retrieving something from his jacket pocket, offers it to her on the palm of his hand. Alice chuckles and reaches for the container of healing ointment.
“When ye ge’back, I’ll be checkin’ teh be sure ‘twasn’ needful,” he warns her.
“Then I’d better not get in any fights.”
Tarrant smiles and gently combs his bruised, bandaged, be-thimbled fingers through her once-again-shorter hair.
Letting go of his hand – separating their heart lines – and walking away from him seems like the hardest thing she’s ever done. She can remember doing nothing so utterly contrary to her nature. But she does it: she lets him go; she returns to the procession waiting in drive; she mounts the Bandersnatch.
“Shall we be off?” Mirana asks cheerfully.
“Yes, let’s,” Alice replies, tucking the jar into her bag.
It’s only sixteen days, she thinks.
“Be back before you know it!”
And because she has to believe in that promise, Alice doesn’t look back... even though she knows he’s standing beneath the boughs of the cherry tree, watching, once again waiting for the moment when his Alice will arrive.
*~*~*~* The End *~*~*~*
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no subject
Date: 2010-05-14 04:52 am (UTC)One of the things I loved about this whole fic was how you managed to maintain a large cast of supporting characters without having them bog down your story from its main voice and objective--which is v. difficult to do. (Something of which I am guilty myself. I'm a bit like a toddler in writing. I rush off after different characters, shouting, "SHINY!") You didn't do that, and the story flowed much better for it.
The addition of the Lion and the Unicorn as Mirana's suitors during the Wooing Rites was inspired. I believe you drew your inspiration for how the would look from the Tenniel drawing in 'Through the Looking Glass'?
The Jabberwocky and Stayne as the main baddies made great sense in your verse, as well. They were each the ones to inflict the most emotional trauma to your main characters (through their actions, anyways, not by an event beyond control, like the storm at sea) and therefore as Big Bads they were excellent.
This fic made me laugh, it made me cry (yes, actually tears, when Alice said good-bye to her mother. It was when she touched her mother's hair--that reversal of their roles, of Alice being the one looking over her as she slept, as her mother must have done to her as a little girl, really got to me.) and even cheer.
I would love to see you continue this, being the greedy little troll that I am, but either way have added this to my Memories here on LJ and will definietly recommend it to anyone who asks for a good Alice story!!
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Date: 2010-05-14 06:45 am (UTC)And, yes, after I saw the film, I ran out to the library and borrowed Carroll's books and read them. The lion and the unicorn are, indeed, from Through the Looking Glass.
I actually wish I had your talent at capturing the essence of minor characters with a single line. From your most recent fiction "Longing Glances" I LOVED LOVED LOVED Mirana sing-songing: "I'll just go away and be... away!" And, of course, you know I ADORED Thackery's licking of the tree. ROTFL!
I also wish Tarrant had turned out a bit nuttier in my story, but I kept reminding myself that here was a man who's conspired for years against the Red Queen and had gotten himself captured by the Red Guard to distract them from finding Alice and... So, not as nutty as I'd hoped! (Whenever I was stuck on a particular part, I'd hop over to your fics and read "Stockings" for inspiration! I love your Hatter!)
Thank you so much for reading and letting me know your thoughts! And THANK YOU for writing such inspiring fan fiction!
no subject
Date: 2010-05-14 03:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-14 03:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-14 04:01 pm (UTC)You need to post your story to fanfiction.net. you will get alot of raving reviews!
We need more smexy Tarrant stories.
lol
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Date: 2010-05-14 05:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-14 07:50 pm (UTC)or so it appears to me at this moment
I'm only stunned by this!
And I couldn't stop reading it (I think it took me 6 hours or so o.O)
The only breaks I had where when I was wandering around my room to release some of my excitement about what will happen in the next chapter! (Or for mumbling around: OMG poor Hatter or, poor Alice^^)
Yeah as I said at the beginning: I'm stunned, it's amazing, I love it!
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Date: 2010-05-15 02:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-15 02:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-15 11:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-15 12:18 pm (UTC)I'm sorry reading kept you up all night - I hope you'll be able to function tomorrow and get back on schedule soon!
And you have no idea how utterly THRILLED I am to see you noticed (and liked!) the gender role reversal! I actually didn't intend that when I started writing this story, but my take on Tim Burton's characters seemed to lead them in those directions. The whole "he waits for her" and "she arrives" just sort of spiraled into that role reversal.
I'm currently working through the plot details for a sequel. I hope to finish it because I think it'll be a great conclusion to their story, which doesn't feel "finished" to me... not that it ought to be FINISHED because, in real life, there is no "happily ever after" - there's "and now we keep working to keep things good each and every day"...
Thanks again for reading! Your comments have been an inspiration!
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Date: 2010-05-15 07:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-15 08:45 pm (UTC)I think Tarrant's lack of madness throughout much of this story was explained in a very logical way, with the Thrice-A-Vow, so you didn't really need to make him totally crazy. And, as you said, he was less sticking-his-tongue-out crazy and more thought disorder crazy in the film. (I had a discussion once with a reviewer where I described my idea of the Hatter's madness to be a bit like those Bing commercials...I see that as how his mind functions, in a lot of ways...seemingly disconnected bits really aren't.)
I will admit, I've already re-read this story. Still great the second time around!
no subject
Date: 2010-05-15 08:53 pm (UTC)I thought the love scene was realistic and actually a bit sweet. (I mean, really, have any of us ever been with a man who, um...you know...and then can *immediately* do so once again afterwards? There is usually a *little* bit of a wait in between, lol! And it does get longer with age.) Oh, snap. I just doubled my entendre. I'm shutting up, before something else inappropriate comes out!!!!
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Date: 2010-05-15 11:44 pm (UTC)I'm on page 6 of the sequel... hopefully it comes to fruition! *crosses fingers*
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Date: 2010-05-15 11:45 pm (UTC)Entendres are always best in pairs!! LOL!!
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Date: 2010-05-16 05:37 am (UTC)yes the role reversal was a nice change that i hadn't seen before.
so very true. but i also feel like it wasn't "finished" so YAY! keep us updated please.
your welcome. :)
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Date: 2010-05-17 05:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-17 06:00 am (UTC)Status: The Sequel
Date: 2010-05-17 02:01 pm (UTC)I've finished two chapters (out of about ten or twelve, I think) and I'm on page 24! So far so good!
(^__^)b
Re: Status: The Sequel
Date: 2010-05-17 09:55 pm (UTC)(o_O)
no subject
Date: 2010-05-19 05:38 pm (UTC)oh and the switched roles of the two were very funny. I only remembered Alice from the movie when she was thinking about how it would be that all women would wear trousers and the man wear skirts/kilts *g*
Ah I wish I could persuade some people to read your story, but most of my friends aren't good enough to read fanfictions in english *sigh* too bad, your story really deserves so much more readers!
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Date: 2010-05-19 09:08 pm (UTC)Thank you for the nice introduction to Alice/Hatter ficdom I'm off to find more but I can't wait for the squeal!
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Date: 2010-05-19 11:41 pm (UTC)I'm glad you enjoyed the gender role switch. Someone suggested I write the sequel about Alice and Hatter raising a family and my first thought was "Oh, my goodness... How would THAT work?" But now I can totally imagine Tarrant changing diapers, cooking breakfast, taking the kids to school - being Mr. Mom! (Too cute! But, alas, I don't have any plans to put parenthood in the sequel.)
I dearly wish I could write in several languages! I'm studying Japanese, but I don't know if I'll every be able to translate my own stories...
What languages do you speak?
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Date: 2010-05-19 11:52 pm (UTC)I'm so honored that this was your first A/H fanfic! (It's poetic that we were both AiW firsties - you for reading and me for writing!) I hope you'll find several other excellent fics! Recently, I've really enjoyed work by these LJ users: irisbleufic & wanderamaranth.