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Ten Plus Trips Through Wonderland (Trips 86-90)
Ten Plus Trips Through Wonderland (Trips 86-90)
Author: AkaiNagi
Rating: G
Pairing: Alice/Tarrant
Summary: Prompts 5-10/10 Table 9 from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
10_prompts. This Set is dedicated to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kitsune17 who gave me the idea for Tarrant's gift. Thanks!
Prompt: Double
Thackery was never so flattered as when Alice had told him that he made the best tea in two worlds.
Most people, he knew, wrote him off as the mad cook. Thrower of pots and pans and tea trays. Just the shortsighted attitude he would expect out of people who were late for tea.
But Alice, bless her heart, was always on time, sometimes with little Lara toddling in tow. He had been known to slip the wee bairn a treat or two when the watchful eye of her mother wandered elsewhere.
Thackery was the one who noticed, when no one else save her husband had noticed, that she had lost weight during her absence from Marmoreal to the other world. So he made sure that she had extra cakes on her tea tray each day.
It would not do to see his oldest friend’s wife waste away, he thought. Not after witnessing the miracle she had practiced on the Hatter; turning him from a mad, angry, volatile and solitary soul to a still half-mad, but content and companionable one.
He was grateful to her for the change she had wrought in the Hatter, for the peace she had brought him.
Such a thing was worth a thousand teacakes.
Prompt: Carry you
She was Alice. He would recognize that tangled mass of curls anywhere. On the outside, she was unquestionably Alice.
But on the inside, she was not quite.
He could tell by the way she shrank away from all talk of jabberwockies and slaying, adamant that she was not the Alice of legend. No matter that she looked exactly like the figure in the Oraculum, no matter that she carried the same name as their champion. She remained steadfastly obtuse in her mindset.
No, she was not quite the right Alice, not quite the Alice of his memory, not quite the Alice she needed to be.
But as he carried her, perched on the brim of his hat, away from the Outlands and towards Marmoreal, he reminded himself that all things were possible. She may not have her muchness, she might not believe in slaying or jabberwockies, she may believe she was travelling through a land of dreams.
She might not be the right Alice.
But perhaps, with help, she could become her.
Prompt: Blindsided
Alice remembered the exact moment she realized she was in love with Tarrant Hightopp.
I had hit her like a terrible revelation, during her flight from Salazen Grum. She was clutching to the back of the bandersnatch, racing towards Marmoreal, a maddening litany repeating itself in her head:
I left him. I left him. I left him. I left him …
He was going to die. He was going to be executed. And she had just left him.
He had protected her from the very start. Perhaps he was doing it because he still thought her to be Underland’s champion. She didn’t care why. The point was, he had. He had entrusted her with the story of his past, and now he entrusted her with saving his world.
Earlier this very same day she had been with him. Had held his face in her hands; had looked deep into his eyes and saw the pain there. She wanted to see his pain eased; his suffering ended. It wasn’t until now that she realized that she wanted to be the one to bring him that peace. Herself and no one else. Because she loved him. Was in love with him.
But she would never get the chance to try and bring him that peace. Because he would likely not live past the morrow. Her love would die. And he would never know.
Her tears blew away with the wind, as she raced towards Marmoreal, and away from Salazen Grum.
Prompt: Never Again
All Alice could think in the immediate moments following the slaying of the Jabberwocky was that she had done the impossible. Her sixth impossible thing. Her blood raced through her veins and her heart pounded with exhilaration.
She descended the stairs in time to see the crown being placed on its rightful head, courtesy of the Cheshire Cat. Alice’s heart was glad. From what little she had seen of Mirana, it was clear that she was the very soul of kindness. She would be good to Underland and its denizens. Unlike her vile sister.
The very last of Alice’s high drained out of her at the thought of the former Red Queen. What was to be done with her? Was there any punishment severe enough for what she had done? Alice remembered Salazen Grum’s lake of bloody heads and wondered.
The newly crowned White Queen drew herself up, her bearing regal and confident. And for the first time Alice heard the woman speak not in her gentle dulcet tones, but rather in a voice that was hard and cold.
“Iracebeth of Crims, your crimes against Underland are worthy of death,” she said, advancing on her now powerless sister. “However, that is against my vows. Therefore you are banished to the Outlands. No one is to show you any kindness or speak a word to you. You will have not a friend in the world.”
Alice was impressed. The Queen had devised a fitting punishment for her sister who lived of the toadying and suffering of others. To be alone in the world would be hell for one such as her.
Alice watched Stayne’s pathetic attempt to curry favor with the new queen. The man was without shame, to be sure. Alice remembered the way she had accosted her in the halls of the Red Queen’s Palace. How he had tried to touch her, kiss her. She remembered the revulsion she had felt. She remembered, through the retelling of it, his part in the slaughter of the Hightopp clan, the Hatters family. He deserved punishment just as much as his former queen.
She watched with satisfaction as judgment was passed on him also: banishment. He would spend the rest of his days chained to the woman he formerly served. Also a truly fitting punishment.
It was with shock and, to her infinite surprise, a twinge of pity that she witnessed Stayne try to kill Iracebeth, an attempt foiled by the Hatter. She watched him beg for the mercy of a quick death, rather than a life chained to a woman that it was now clear he felt nothing but revulsion for. To be chained for the rest of your days to someone who hated you enough to kill you. In the end, perhaps death would have been more merciful for the both of them.
She watched as they were dragged away, the former Red Queen’s screams still echoing as they were taken, no doubt, to be deposited in the outlands.
It was over. The crown was in its rightful place, the slaying was accomplished, and never again would the Tyrant Red Queen visit her wrath down on the creatures of Underland. And never again would Alice have to see the pair that had hunted her, would have killed her, had nearly killed those dear to her. The pair that had caused her friends so much suffering.
She would never lay eyes on them again.
Prompt: Commit
Tarrant Hightop was having commitment issues.
Every time he set to making his wife an anniversary gift, he came down with a case of chronic indecisiveness. He had given her gifts of hats; he had given her gifts of dresses. Last year he had even made her a special suit for riding, complete with trousers so she could swan about the countryside unhindered by troublesome skirts.
He had set to making her gift several times, only to decide partway through that it just wasn’t right, so he would scrap it and start over again. When it came to his trade, and when it came to gifts for his wife, he was the very soul of perfectionism. And he was rapidly running out of time.
He was almost on the verge of giving up in despair, when a comment from Alice lit the fires of his inspiration. She had come in, not flush with her usual post-ride exhilaration, but rather distressed and sad. She explained that Lady Ascot had cut her paw on a sharp rock and Alice, being her dear sensitive self, felt horribly guilty and was quite at a loss. Tarrant suggested she go to Queen Mirana. Surely the queen, being so accomplished in the healing arts, could do something for the bandersnatch’s discomfort.
Alice immediately pronounced him brilliant, kissed him soundly, and went to seek out the Queen, totally unaware that she had solved both her own and her husband’s dilemma in a single stroke.
That’s how Alice’s anniversary gift came to not really be for Alice at all.
Come the anniversary, proudly but with little fanfare, Tarrant presented his wife with a finely worked, intricately embroidered bandersnatch collar. It was quite large, of course, being made for a fully-grown bandersnatch neck. It was embroidered with dozens of little hats, so she would think of him during her rides about the countryside. And in great letters, in fine silver thread was wrought the name:
Lady Ascot
Author: AkaiNagi
Rating: G
Pairing: Alice/Tarrant
Summary: Prompts 5-10/10 Table 9 from
10_prompts. This Set is dedicated to kitsune17 who gave me the idea for Tarrant's gift. Thanks!Prompt: Double
Thackery was never so flattered as when Alice had told him that he made the best tea in two worlds.
Most people, he knew, wrote him off as the mad cook. Thrower of pots and pans and tea trays. Just the shortsighted attitude he would expect out of people who were late for tea.
But Alice, bless her heart, was always on time, sometimes with little Lara toddling in tow. He had been known to slip the wee bairn a treat or two when the watchful eye of her mother wandered elsewhere.
Thackery was the one who noticed, when no one else save her husband had noticed, that she had lost weight during her absence from Marmoreal to the other world. So he made sure that she had extra cakes on her tea tray each day.
It would not do to see his oldest friend’s wife waste away, he thought. Not after witnessing the miracle she had practiced on the Hatter; turning him from a mad, angry, volatile and solitary soul to a still half-mad, but content and companionable one.
He was grateful to her for the change she had wrought in the Hatter, for the peace she had brought him.
Such a thing was worth a thousand teacakes.
Prompt: Carry you
She was Alice. He would recognize that tangled mass of curls anywhere. On the outside, she was unquestionably Alice.
But on the inside, she was not quite.
He could tell by the way she shrank away from all talk of jabberwockies and slaying, adamant that she was not the Alice of legend. No matter that she looked exactly like the figure in the Oraculum, no matter that she carried the same name as their champion. She remained steadfastly obtuse in her mindset.
No, she was not quite the right Alice, not quite the Alice of his memory, not quite the Alice she needed to be.
But as he carried her, perched on the brim of his hat, away from the Outlands and towards Marmoreal, he reminded himself that all things were possible. She may not have her muchness, she might not believe in slaying or jabberwockies, she may believe she was travelling through a land of dreams.
She might not be the right Alice.
But perhaps, with help, she could become her.
Prompt: Blindsided
Alice remembered the exact moment she realized she was in love with Tarrant Hightopp.
I had hit her like a terrible revelation, during her flight from Salazen Grum. She was clutching to the back of the bandersnatch, racing towards Marmoreal, a maddening litany repeating itself in her head:
I left him. I left him. I left him. I left him …
He was going to die. He was going to be executed. And she had just left him.
He had protected her from the very start. Perhaps he was doing it because he still thought her to be Underland’s champion. She didn’t care why. The point was, he had. He had entrusted her with the story of his past, and now he entrusted her with saving his world.
Earlier this very same day she had been with him. Had held his face in her hands; had looked deep into his eyes and saw the pain there. She wanted to see his pain eased; his suffering ended. It wasn’t until now that she realized that she wanted to be the one to bring him that peace. Herself and no one else. Because she loved him. Was in love with him.
But she would never get the chance to try and bring him that peace. Because he would likely not live past the morrow. Her love would die. And he would never know.
Her tears blew away with the wind, as she raced towards Marmoreal, and away from Salazen Grum.
Prompt: Never Again
All Alice could think in the immediate moments following the slaying of the Jabberwocky was that she had done the impossible. Her sixth impossible thing. Her blood raced through her veins and her heart pounded with exhilaration.
She descended the stairs in time to see the crown being placed on its rightful head, courtesy of the Cheshire Cat. Alice’s heart was glad. From what little she had seen of Mirana, it was clear that she was the very soul of kindness. She would be good to Underland and its denizens. Unlike her vile sister.
The very last of Alice’s high drained out of her at the thought of the former Red Queen. What was to be done with her? Was there any punishment severe enough for what she had done? Alice remembered Salazen Grum’s lake of bloody heads and wondered.
The newly crowned White Queen drew herself up, her bearing regal and confident. And for the first time Alice heard the woman speak not in her gentle dulcet tones, but rather in a voice that was hard and cold.
“Iracebeth of Crims, your crimes against Underland are worthy of death,” she said, advancing on her now powerless sister. “However, that is against my vows. Therefore you are banished to the Outlands. No one is to show you any kindness or speak a word to you. You will have not a friend in the world.”
Alice was impressed. The Queen had devised a fitting punishment for her sister who lived of the toadying and suffering of others. To be alone in the world would be hell for one such as her.
Alice watched Stayne’s pathetic attempt to curry favor with the new queen. The man was without shame, to be sure. Alice remembered the way she had accosted her in the halls of the Red Queen’s Palace. How he had tried to touch her, kiss her. She remembered the revulsion she had felt. She remembered, through the retelling of it, his part in the slaughter of the Hightopp clan, the Hatters family. He deserved punishment just as much as his former queen.
She watched with satisfaction as judgment was passed on him also: banishment. He would spend the rest of his days chained to the woman he formerly served. Also a truly fitting punishment.
It was with shock and, to her infinite surprise, a twinge of pity that she witnessed Stayne try to kill Iracebeth, an attempt foiled by the Hatter. She watched him beg for the mercy of a quick death, rather than a life chained to a woman that it was now clear he felt nothing but revulsion for. To be chained for the rest of your days to someone who hated you enough to kill you. In the end, perhaps death would have been more merciful for the both of them.
She watched as they were dragged away, the former Red Queen’s screams still echoing as they were taken, no doubt, to be deposited in the outlands.
It was over. The crown was in its rightful place, the slaying was accomplished, and never again would the Tyrant Red Queen visit her wrath down on the creatures of Underland. And never again would Alice have to see the pair that had hunted her, would have killed her, had nearly killed those dear to her. The pair that had caused her friends so much suffering.
She would never lay eyes on them again.
Prompt: Commit
Tarrant Hightop was having commitment issues.
Every time he set to making his wife an anniversary gift, he came down with a case of chronic indecisiveness. He had given her gifts of hats; he had given her gifts of dresses. Last year he had even made her a special suit for riding, complete with trousers so she could swan about the countryside unhindered by troublesome skirts.
He had set to making her gift several times, only to decide partway through that it just wasn’t right, so he would scrap it and start over again. When it came to his trade, and when it came to gifts for his wife, he was the very soul of perfectionism. And he was rapidly running out of time.
He was almost on the verge of giving up in despair, when a comment from Alice lit the fires of his inspiration. She had come in, not flush with her usual post-ride exhilaration, but rather distressed and sad. She explained that Lady Ascot had cut her paw on a sharp rock and Alice, being her dear sensitive self, felt horribly guilty and was quite at a loss. Tarrant suggested she go to Queen Mirana. Surely the queen, being so accomplished in the healing arts, could do something for the bandersnatch’s discomfort.
Alice immediately pronounced him brilliant, kissed him soundly, and went to seek out the Queen, totally unaware that she had solved both her own and her husband’s dilemma in a single stroke.
That’s how Alice’s anniversary gift came to not really be for Alice at all.
Come the anniversary, proudly but with little fanfare, Tarrant presented his wife with a finely worked, intricately embroidered bandersnatch collar. It was quite large, of course, being made for a fully-grown bandersnatch neck. It was embroidered with dozens of little hats, so she would think of him during her rides about the countryside. And in great letters, in fine silver thread was wrought the name:
Lady Ascot
no subject
I also really liked the Thackery centric piece.
Lovely stories, as always. Thanks for sharing, darlink. <3
no subject
I just love Thackery. All my plotbunnies are named after him ^_^
no subject
That is a very good practice. ;)
I would love to see a story from the Bandersnatch's point of view. I'm assuming since she's from Underland that she can think just as well as any other creature, even if she can't speak. Or maybe she can, she just chooses not to.
no subject
Yes!
Re: Yes!
Re: Yes!