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akainagiTen Plus Trips Through Wonderland (Trips 81-85)
Author:AkaiNagi
Rating: G
Pairing: Alice/Tarrant
Summary: Prompts 1-5/10 (Table 9) from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
10_prompts.
Prompt: Haven
The first time Alice caught sight of the Palace at Marmoreal, she thought it had a divine presence about it. The shining white spires, after the dark and blood-red presence of the Red Queen’s Palace, made it seem like a veritable haven. And for the creatures of Underland, she supposed it was a haven. One where they could be treated with love and respect instead of as croquet mallets and footstools.
The night before the Frabjous day, she felt it to be a prison. A beautiful prison, a prison without bars, but a prison nonetheless. She could not leave. And on the morrow she would be asked to perhaps forfeit her life. It would be for a grand cause, but the result would be the same. She could never win a fight against as great a beast as the Jabberwocky. She was no champion.
Returning from the Tulgey wood, after defeating the Jabberwocky, hailed as a champion, the Palace seemed to Alice to be warm and welcoming. A place for her to rest her weary body and overwhelmed mind. And as she retired that night, in the rooms directly next to Tarrant’s (she would have to question the Queen about that), she thought about the choice she had made that day. As she lay in her bed, her covers wrapped snugly around her, she shed tears for the mother and sister she would not see again.
It took time. It took many cups of tea with Tarrant, it took many lessons with McTwisp, it took many arguments with Mallymkun, it took many conversations with the flowers. It took many bandersnatch rides until one day, returning from one such ride, she realized she was not returning to the Palace.
She was returning home.
Prompt: Lessons
Alice could tell that McTwisp did not relish his role as tutor, especially to one as easily distracted as she. But the Queen had ordered that her newest advisor be instructed in the history and laws of Underland, and in her great wisdom the Queen had picked him to do it.
Alice, for one, did not relish her role as student. It was not that she didn’t want to learn about her new home, but it was so hard to sit there and listen to boring lectures when there was a whole world out there to explore. She remembered saying much the same thing to her governess when she had been ten years old. She had earned herself a rap on the knuckles with a ruler. She had always been one who wanted to go out and experience her own life, rather than sit at a desk and learn about other people’s, most of whom died long before she was born.
Poor McTwisp was so frustrated at her inattentiveness that one day he threw up his paws and assigned her to simply read the material on her own, because certainly no amount of teaching on his part was doing a whit of good.
The newly liberated Alice promptly took her books outside and attempted to study there. But when the warmth of the sun and peacefulness of the landscape caused her to nearly fall asleep, she relocated herself to Tarrant’s workshop.
Did he mind, she asked, if she studied while he plied his trade? The Hatter replied that he would be rather delighted with the company. And so Alice read while he worked, once in a while asking him about something she read in her books. Tarrant, despite his mad streak, proved to be well versed in Underland’s history and proved a font of insight.
The next day McTwisp was so impressed by her progress that he proposed to continue in this fashion; allowing her to engage in self-study with periodic check-ins by himself. Alice was relieved beyond measure.
She told Tarrant as much when she went to his workshop that day.
“If I had to endure one more day of lecture, I should have gone half-mad,” she said vehemently.
“I thought you already were half-mad?” Tarrant asked with a knowing smile.
“Well the other half then.”
Prompt: Hold
His instinct had been to hold on to her, to grab on with both hands and to never let go.
It had been hard to let her go back to her own world. Tarrant didn’t think Alice would ever comprehend how hard it had been. But he had let her go, knowing that to hold her back would cause resentment to fester between them. And how could he chain her down, when her fire and free spirit were two of the things he loved most about her?
When she returned so belatedly, and after much suffering on his part, his instinct again was to hold her close. But again, he knew he mustn’t impinge on her freedom. So he waited patiently as she gallivanted around the countryside on Lady Ascot, re-familiarizing herself with her world, even though every time he watched her leave the palace grounds it caused him a twinge of anxiety.
She had come back to him, he reminded himself every time he felt the urge to wrap her in cotton wool to keep her safe and never let go. She had crossed worlds to come back to him and their life together. He reminded himself of how she had looked at him upon her return; like she had been dying of thirst and he was the water. And at the end of every day, when she was with him again, a little piece of his heart healed from the hurt of her absence.
Prompt: Rebirth
She sought out the Palace’s head gardener, a mole named, aptly, Greenwick. He was a pleasant, nearly blind fellow clad in overalls. His impairment did not adversely affect his livelihood, obviously, as Marmoreal’s gardens were an aesthetic splendor.
She came to him humbly, respectfully, telling him of her plight and her most fervent hope that he, among all creatures, could help her. Alice told him how highly the queen had spoken of his skill. The gardener fell easily before such flattery. It would be an easy thing to procure, he told her. He could even plant it for her in any part of the grounds she liked.
Alice thanked him profusely, but assured him that bringing her the item was enough. She would plant it herself.
And so it was that the next morning, wearing a pair of her husband’s old trousers, rolled up at the cuff and cinched at the waist, and an old shirt, she took herself to plant a tree. Greenwick had the sapling ready as promised, and, aghast at her attire, offered again to do the honors. Alice again thanked him, but declined. This, if it were to have any meaning at all, should be done by her hands.
It took her most of the morning to dig the hole, push and pull and twist the sapling until it fell into place, and then cover the base again with dirt. By the time she was done she was panting and sweating in the summer heat. Not content yet, she then took several bucketfuls of water and poured it around the tree, just in case it was thirsty in its new home.
She sat on the ground for a while, resting and taking in the sight of her handiwork. A fledgling willow tree now stood where once there was nothing.
Willows had been her mother’s favorite. She had loved the gracefulness of their hanging branches, the melancholy nature with which they wafted in a gentle breeze.
She would never see her mother’s grave again. Of this she was certain. But now she had somewhere to remember her. Somewhere she could bring Lara to tell her about her grandmother and grandfather from the other side. New life would grow, to commemorate the old.
Prompt: Perception
Of all those at Marmoreal, excepting her husband and child, probably the creature most elated at Alice’s return was Lady Ascot the Bandersnatch. When the creature first caught sight of her mistress, Lady let out a great bellow and proceeded to cover Alice with wet, slobbery kisses. She left her mistress slightly moist, thoroughly disheveled and laughing with delight. Lady thought her heart would burst with love for her mistress when Alice threw her arms around the animal’s furry neck and hugged for all she was worth. Lady had hoped Alice would take her for a run right then and there, but she did not, leaving the bandersnatch slightly disappointed, but still happy.
The next morning, however, Alice arrived, as was her custom, and the two went for a grand run. They ran through woods and fields, upsetting the flowers and sending all manner of creatures scrambling in their wake.
It was on the edge of the Tulgey wood that, amid all the other smells, Lady singled one out that was particularly odious. It was an old smell, a mean smell, a bloody smell, one that Lady could not quite put her paw on. But it clearly was not one that she wanted herself or her Alice exposed to, so she steered clear, giving the smell a wide berth. To the bandersnatch’s relief, the smell faded into the distance, replaced by other, far more pleasant smells.
She hoped she never smelt that particular smell again.
Author:AkaiNagi
Rating: G
Pairing: Alice/Tarrant
Summary: Prompts 1-5/10 (Table 9) from
10_prompts.Prompt: Haven
The first time Alice caught sight of the Palace at Marmoreal, she thought it had a divine presence about it. The shining white spires, after the dark and blood-red presence of the Red Queen’s Palace, made it seem like a veritable haven. And for the creatures of Underland, she supposed it was a haven. One where they could be treated with love and respect instead of as croquet mallets and footstools.
The night before the Frabjous day, she felt it to be a prison. A beautiful prison, a prison without bars, but a prison nonetheless. She could not leave. And on the morrow she would be asked to perhaps forfeit her life. It would be for a grand cause, but the result would be the same. She could never win a fight against as great a beast as the Jabberwocky. She was no champion.
Returning from the Tulgey wood, after defeating the Jabberwocky, hailed as a champion, the Palace seemed to Alice to be warm and welcoming. A place for her to rest her weary body and overwhelmed mind. And as she retired that night, in the rooms directly next to Tarrant’s (she would have to question the Queen about that), she thought about the choice she had made that day. As she lay in her bed, her covers wrapped snugly around her, she shed tears for the mother and sister she would not see again.
It took time. It took many cups of tea with Tarrant, it took many lessons with McTwisp, it took many arguments with Mallymkun, it took many conversations with the flowers. It took many bandersnatch rides until one day, returning from one such ride, she realized she was not returning to the Palace.
She was returning home.
Prompt: Lessons
Alice could tell that McTwisp did not relish his role as tutor, especially to one as easily distracted as she. But the Queen had ordered that her newest advisor be instructed in the history and laws of Underland, and in her great wisdom the Queen had picked him to do it.
Alice, for one, did not relish her role as student. It was not that she didn’t want to learn about her new home, but it was so hard to sit there and listen to boring lectures when there was a whole world out there to explore. She remembered saying much the same thing to her governess when she had been ten years old. She had earned herself a rap on the knuckles with a ruler. She had always been one who wanted to go out and experience her own life, rather than sit at a desk and learn about other people’s, most of whom died long before she was born.
Poor McTwisp was so frustrated at her inattentiveness that one day he threw up his paws and assigned her to simply read the material on her own, because certainly no amount of teaching on his part was doing a whit of good.
The newly liberated Alice promptly took her books outside and attempted to study there. But when the warmth of the sun and peacefulness of the landscape caused her to nearly fall asleep, she relocated herself to Tarrant’s workshop.
Did he mind, she asked, if she studied while he plied his trade? The Hatter replied that he would be rather delighted with the company. And so Alice read while he worked, once in a while asking him about something she read in her books. Tarrant, despite his mad streak, proved to be well versed in Underland’s history and proved a font of insight.
The next day McTwisp was so impressed by her progress that he proposed to continue in this fashion; allowing her to engage in self-study with periodic check-ins by himself. Alice was relieved beyond measure.
She told Tarrant as much when she went to his workshop that day.
“If I had to endure one more day of lecture, I should have gone half-mad,” she said vehemently.
“I thought you already were half-mad?” Tarrant asked with a knowing smile.
“Well the other half then.”
Prompt: Hold
His instinct had been to hold on to her, to grab on with both hands and to never let go.
It had been hard to let her go back to her own world. Tarrant didn’t think Alice would ever comprehend how hard it had been. But he had let her go, knowing that to hold her back would cause resentment to fester between them. And how could he chain her down, when her fire and free spirit were two of the things he loved most about her?
When she returned so belatedly, and after much suffering on his part, his instinct again was to hold her close. But again, he knew he mustn’t impinge on her freedom. So he waited patiently as she gallivanted around the countryside on Lady Ascot, re-familiarizing herself with her world, even though every time he watched her leave the palace grounds it caused him a twinge of anxiety.
She had come back to him, he reminded himself every time he felt the urge to wrap her in cotton wool to keep her safe and never let go. She had crossed worlds to come back to him and their life together. He reminded himself of how she had looked at him upon her return; like she had been dying of thirst and he was the water. And at the end of every day, when she was with him again, a little piece of his heart healed from the hurt of her absence.
Prompt: Rebirth
She sought out the Palace’s head gardener, a mole named, aptly, Greenwick. He was a pleasant, nearly blind fellow clad in overalls. His impairment did not adversely affect his livelihood, obviously, as Marmoreal’s gardens were an aesthetic splendor.
She came to him humbly, respectfully, telling him of her plight and her most fervent hope that he, among all creatures, could help her. Alice told him how highly the queen had spoken of his skill. The gardener fell easily before such flattery. It would be an easy thing to procure, he told her. He could even plant it for her in any part of the grounds she liked.
Alice thanked him profusely, but assured him that bringing her the item was enough. She would plant it herself.
And so it was that the next morning, wearing a pair of her husband’s old trousers, rolled up at the cuff and cinched at the waist, and an old shirt, she took herself to plant a tree. Greenwick had the sapling ready as promised, and, aghast at her attire, offered again to do the honors. Alice again thanked him, but declined. This, if it were to have any meaning at all, should be done by her hands.
It took her most of the morning to dig the hole, push and pull and twist the sapling until it fell into place, and then cover the base again with dirt. By the time she was done she was panting and sweating in the summer heat. Not content yet, she then took several bucketfuls of water and poured it around the tree, just in case it was thirsty in its new home.
She sat on the ground for a while, resting and taking in the sight of her handiwork. A fledgling willow tree now stood where once there was nothing.
Willows had been her mother’s favorite. She had loved the gracefulness of their hanging branches, the melancholy nature with which they wafted in a gentle breeze.
She would never see her mother’s grave again. Of this she was certain. But now she had somewhere to remember her. Somewhere she could bring Lara to tell her about her grandmother and grandfather from the other side. New life would grow, to commemorate the old.
Prompt: Perception
Of all those at Marmoreal, excepting her husband and child, probably the creature most elated at Alice’s return was Lady Ascot the Bandersnatch. When the creature first caught sight of her mistress, Lady let out a great bellow and proceeded to cover Alice with wet, slobbery kisses. She left her mistress slightly moist, thoroughly disheveled and laughing with delight. Lady thought her heart would burst with love for her mistress when Alice threw her arms around the animal’s furry neck and hugged for all she was worth. Lady had hoped Alice would take her for a run right then and there, but she did not, leaving the bandersnatch slightly disappointed, but still happy.
The next morning, however, Alice arrived, as was her custom, and the two went for a grand run. They ran through woods and fields, upsetting the flowers and sending all manner of creatures scrambling in their wake.
It was on the edge of the Tulgey wood that, amid all the other smells, Lady singled one out that was particularly odious. It was an old smell, a mean smell, a bloody smell, one that Lady could not quite put her paw on. But it clearly was not one that she wanted herself or her Alice exposed to, so she steered clear, giving the smell a wide berth. To the bandersnatch’s relief, the smell faded into the distance, replaced by other, far more pleasant smells.
She hoped she never smelt that particular smell again.
