Alice: Wonderland is My Home?

Part 7: Reawakening

It took a while to get my head around what Rabbit had told me. I was supposedly the Princess, a long-lost daughter of Wonderland. No wonder my life didn't make any sense. The deep feeling of not belonging in my own world finally made sense.

Hatter started recovering quickly; his fever had gone down and I'd spent the last hour by his side. Watching him from the doorway, and after a while he woke up. He sat up rubbing his eyes, placed his elbows on his knees and looked up to face me, as I leaned against the door frame.

"I'm not dead then" He smiled, his sarcasm certainly had not been affected in any way. I walked towards the end of the bed and sat a few centimetres away from him.

"It's a good job we got here when we did. Rabbit patched you up." My enthusiasm could have used some work. He lifted his hand to reach for my arm, noticing the scar. He was stunned.

"I see he fixed you up too. It looks better. You look better." His eyes fixated on mine, hand still caressing my arm. He lowered it and intertwined his fingers in mine, "Thank you for saving me. I'm pretty sure I'd be a dead man if it wasn't for you." For the first time, I heard gratitude come from the man who first appeared full of sarcasm and arrogance. The venom and near-death experience must have affected his personality slightly. For that one moment, he was staring deep into my soul, and I felt my heart melt. Out of nowhere our silence was broken by Rabbit. His slight cough gave us both a fright.

"Aah! Hatter my boy, I see death didn't want you then." We both giggled, Hatter shrugged his shoulders and began to get out of bed. "Alice tells me that you're helping her save her friend Jonathan, Hatter you know the Red Princess won't have a warm welcome waiting for either of you. She'll have guards left right and centre surrounding the palace." My heart sank, I knew I'd have to face my sister sooner than later. Hatter stood and reached for the compress to wipe his face.

"She's certainly a piece of work, but she's no match for Alice. She saved me from the Jabberwocky, I think it's only fair to return the favour and help her." Hatter made me smile, it had been a long time since anyone had done anything for me. 'Thank You" I mouthed to him. He nodded and cleared his throat walking across the room to the bathroom, "Well, I'm going to get the smell of blood and mud off my skin and freshen up. Alice, you should get some sleep." He gestured to the bed he'd slept in, I nodded.

"Okay." I replied. Hatter went into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. I turned to look at Rabbit, who came and sat beside me placing his hand on mine. Comforting me.

"Hatter needs to know who you are Alice, you can't keep this a secret. He could help you." His words were right but I couldn't risk anyone else's life. Jonathan was already an innocent victim because of me. I knew she'd use Hatter against me too.

"What if he gets killed because of me? What if she kills them both? I couldn't live with myself if anything would happen to them because of who I am." Hatter was right about Rabbit, he was wise and caring.

"It's your choice, my child. Just don't trust anyone out there. The Princess must have chosen Jonathan for a reason. To lure you out maybe but just promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise" he smiled, wiping the tears from my eyes.

"Come on, rest up, you've got a long journey ahead of you tomorrow. You must be exhausted."

Rabbit left and closed the bedroom door, just as Hatter emerged from the bathroom. Shirtless and still dripping wet. My eyes were fixated on him. He could see the fear in my eyes as he came closer to me. "You alright? " he sat beside me on the bed. "Something bothering you?" I didn't answer. "Alice what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just... it's been an eventful day." I pulled my hair back into a ponytail wrapping it with my mother's blue ribbon. "You look better." I tried to change the attention from me to him. Feeling the guilt flooding inside me. (It didn't exactly work.)

"I'm fine, but it's you I'm more concerned about. You look tired. I'll take the floor tonight, since I've spent the past 12 hours in that bed, it's the least I can do." He began to set his bed for the night. I was grateful for his concern, but after everything he's done for me. He hardly knew me, yet deep down I felt like I had known him my whole life.

"Goodnight Alice" I smiled as he leaned back into the pillow.

"Sweet dreams Hatter" I softly said as I began to drift to sleep.