• Prolouge~Ever After

    Oxford, England 1864

    The sky that day was a heavy ash, clouds slowly stewing like thick molten lead. The air was veild, icy and damp as iron bells tolled the age of the dead.

    Hatter was once so intrigued by this new world. A world where the sun shone so bright, where laughter chimed so loud and where everything had reason...

    But no longer.

    He watched as silent tears trailed down Alice's face, her big, sad eyes locked on the the passing casket of her elder brother. Black stained cherry wood, draped with both the union jack and the white and black flag of the spades, the ongoing resistance against the red queen. Lillies in bunches where showered over the top, waving slightly as the pall bearers continued their march forward.

    A solom-faced man followed the end of the procession, icy blue eyes emotionless and graying blond hair limp. Seeing Alice's father like this made Hatter unconfortable, even though he knew the man held no grudge against him, like many of the Liddell family did. He didn't blame them, it did seem rather suspicous that the death of Damen Liddell followed so closely to Hatter's arrival with Alice into the human world.

    "I'm in debt to you," Duke Liddell had said, "Because of you, my Alice is still with us. Shade of the Queen's court or not, you saved her."

    As the clergy began his blessings, Hatter felt a tug on his coat.

    He looked down, a pang of guilt hitting him as he gazed down at little Alice.

    "Do you want to leave?" He spoke with a hushed voice, gentle. The church yard was no place for a child, that even he knew, and he was prepared to lead her away if it all became too much for her.

    Alice shook her head, "No, I'm fine. I was just..." She glanced back at the grave, looking as if she was about to burst back into tears again. But she bit them back, attempting to keep what little composure she had. Always so strong, even for such a young girl, "Is death always like this?"

    The question shocked him. He tore his gaze away from her, biting his lip, Is it? Sure, he has seen his fair share of death. In fact, blood was as common as paint in the red court. But executions there were quick, informal in their maddend frequency.

    But this... Hatter looked over the scattered few who had come to pay their respects to Damen. Fog had set in, the mist paling against the black dawned for the occasion. There was no wind, but the air seemed to cut through cold anyway, sucking away any warmth and making everything look as pale and waxy as the corpse being buried.

    "It's hard to say," he muttered, realizing he knew no more of death than little Alice did.

    The rest of the service streached on for ages, air becoming dense with the words of well-wishers. Until, finally, the last flower was offered and funeral was over.

    Hatter followed Alice to the coach, not wanting to leave her alone and vunerable any longer than he had to. She hopped into back seat, but when Hatter didn't follow, she poked her head out the door, confused. "Aren't you coming with us?"

    He gave her a gentle smile and shook his head, "Alice, you know I can't. It's time for you go back to your home and me to mine."

    Alice pouted, "If you're going to a home, you're going to ours."

    "Alice-"

    She grabbed his arm, tugging at the sleeve, "You're coming home with us. You're my big brother now."

    He could only stare. As the little girl looked determinedly up at him, his ears rang with those words- big brother. Pity washed over him, Poor girl, he thought, She simply can't stand to go without him. "Alice," He placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'm not Damen-"

    "I know you're not Damen, he's over there." She jabbed a finger over his shoulder, over where her father was still hovering around his son's grave with the clergy. She then stuck her finger at him, digging it into his black overcoat, "You're Lewis. You protected me where he couldn't. That makes you my second brother."

    Hatter didn't have the heart to go against her childish logic, or correct her on that silly nickname she had given him, She's been through so much... "Alright, I'll go home with you, but not now. I have to... take care of something first."

    Alice folded her arms, trying to look imposing, even with her fluffy blond hair and just a smidge too-big dress, "But you will come home, right?"

    "Of course."

    "By tea time?"

    He gave her a hug, "By tea time."

    Her father had come by then, and thanked Hatter for coming with a brave good-bye and a firm hand-shake. And before he knew it, they where already riding away.

    As he waved after them, there was still one thought that troubled his mind.

    This might be the first thing I can't do for you, Miss Alice...