Paint Me Mad (Mad Hatter love story, Book 1)

Chapter 16: Floating Hats

"And just where do you think your going?"

I near jumped out of my boots as I barely made it off the castle grounds, to hear my best friends accusing voice behind me. I turned around to see her standing there arms crossed.

"If I hurry now I'll make it on foot by morning. Surely that's all the time they'll have left before my bloody aunt takes off their heads."

I started walking again but she grabbed my arm

"Annie there is no way you are going back there!"

"Alice I won't abandon the people who've risked everything to keep specifically you safe."

"Or it's something else."

I crossed my arms giving her an annoyed looked

"And what is that suppose to mean?"

She's scoffed "Oh come on Andromeda. Do you think I don't know?"

She calmly rested a hand on my shoulder
"You love him don't you?"

I held her gaze for a few moments before sighing
"I don't..." I was going to protest but who was I fooling at this point?

"Yes." I spoke confidently "I do. More then I think someone could love a person. That's crazy right? To fall so in love with someone to the point you'll risk you life, having only known them for a few days?"

Alice chuckled
"You falling in love? No I certainly did not expect that. But you falling for someone half as mad as you in the maddest of ways? No, that does not surprise me. You two... you two belong together. I felt it the moment I saw you both together in the red queens castle."

I felt my cheeks heat up and I looked away from her
"You know then that I can't just leave him for dead."

"And I also know I won't be able to stop you no matter how much I want to."

I looked at her smiling.
"You know me to well at this point."

"Well your certainly not going in your night gown." A new voice broke our conversation.

We turned to see the white queen standing there with none other then Chessur the floating smiling cat, floating next to her.

"And you certainly can't get there by morning on foot. However remembering your mother, she often had the same determination." He mused.  "Lucky for you, I have a plan."

________________

I stood hiding behind some trees looking on at the red queens castle. Chess was right, if I made it here on foot it surely would of been too late, because the sun was just starting to rise. My horse I tik here was safely tied to a tree.
It felt weird wearing an outfit that once belonged to my mother.

It was the outfit she wore in the painting I saw hanging in the halls. (Photo up top)

It was like a tunic, but with leather brown pants. My cloaked hood was up concealing my face. The bow tightly secured on my back.

"I presume you remember how to get to the dungeon?"

Chess appeared next to me giving me a large grin

"I think so. Meet you there I guess?"

He nodded and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Sighed to myself

"Alright Annie, you got into this castle once, and you can do it again."