A Song Named Alice

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The Mad Hatter groans, squinting his eyes at the light of the world. He struggles to lift both of his hands to set them on each of the two fretting boys. They smile. Pulling them closer, they keep their ears close to his mouth. The Mad Hatter attempts to say something, but his words are silent. He tries again. The pain sounds raw with every word he speaks. "It's going to be fine, I'm doing okay... don't look so disheartened. You two..." He pauses a long while to catch his breath. "Need to focus on other things... right now. Asgard is... here. Valkyries." 

They turn around and find about ten people staring at them with murderous intent in their eyes, wishing to kill the Mad Hatter. Valkyries, an elite group of those who are not yet skilled enough to have their own names, but destructive enough to be put into groups designed to create havoc. Trained by Freya, the head of the militia, they force their way through Wonderland or anyone else who get in their way. As few of them as there are here right now, they could easily overwhelm the Mad Hatter and the boys. 

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum gets to his feet, his legs trembling, and stands in front of the Mad Hatter. Both of their hands shake as they try to reach for a weapon. "Bring it on." They try to psyche themselves up. 

"No." The Mad Hatter rasps. "You two need to run. I'll...hold them off until...you get...the Knave and White Rabbit here." 

"We'll protect you, Hatter!" Tweedle Dee refutes. 

"Yeah! There's only ten of them." Tweedle Dum agrees. 

"I told you no. You're...not strong enough to hold them...off. There's no...need for you two...to get...yourselves...killed over this. Please...leave." The Mad Hatter attempts to stand up. He wobbles and everywhere in his body fires up with pain, but he manages to get up. 

The Valkyries slowly come closer. Tweedle Dum rushes back to the Mad Hatter. "Hatter, no, please rest. You're bleeding again." 

"You two won't...be able to hold them...on your own. I'll...help." 

A Valkyrie strikes at Tweedle Dee with a short sword. He blocks with his small knives. "Dee!" Tweedle Dum yells out. 

Another Valkyrie makes a move, grabbing Tweedle Dum as he runs to help his brother. He struggles to break free, but nothing he does works. "Move back to the lamp post if you want these two to live." The Valkyrie says while he watches the Valkyrie fighting Tweedle Dee over power him and bind him like his brother. 

The Mad Hatter slowly makes his way to the lamp post. "I'm here." He groans. "Now... let them go." 

"Not quite yet." The Valkyrie grins. "If you don't move from that spot, we'll let them go." 

"I'm not moving...am I? So, let...them go." His strength weakens. 

"Wait, I told you." The Valkyrie turns to the rest in his group. "Get him. He's too weak to stop any of you, especially not all of us." All the Valkyries laugh while smirking. They run at the Mad Hatter. He pulls out a sword with a teacup emblem on it. 

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum yell out in sync. "No! Hatter!" They thrash wildly to get to him before the Valkyries do. 

A sword comes flying out of nowhere and sticks fast into the ground, not far from the Mad Hatter. On the hilt of the sword is a deep crimson heart, a spot cut out in the rusty-colored metallic hilt. The sword's blade shines wickedly. 

The Valkyries hesitate to continue their advance, wary the sword and of its possible owner. When the figure they fear lands next to the sword they disperse, leaving the twins behind. They run faster than rabbits being hunted by a wolf. 

"That's it? How boring, they didn't want to play." The White Rabbit holds his pocket watch, connected to the inside of his jacket by a long golden chain while he approaches from behind the trees. 

The Knave of Hearts, tailored in a long red coat yanks his gleaming sword out of the rough pavement, shutting the sword's light off by locking it away in its hilt at his hip. He joins the twins, holding their hands awkwardly while he brings them over to the Mad Hatter. The White Rabbit keeps by another lamp post a few feet away. 

Tweedle Dee takes his anger out on the White Rabbit. "Took you long enough White Rabbit." He faces the Knave of Hearts. "I thought you'd be worried about chipping your sword." 

The White Rabbit smiles, looking at the time on his pocket watch. "Yeah, sorry we're late. I got lost and the Knave had trouble buying something to eat, so it took us some time." 

"You get lost every single time." Tweedle Dum he giggles. 

The Knave of Hearts watches the Mad Hatter coldly, yet strangely like he wants to say something. Sympathetically, the White Rabbit lays a hand on the Knave's shoulder. "Really now, speaking isn't that difficult. How about you start with a 'hello' or something like that?" 

"H- Hello... sorry we are... late?" The Knave of Hearts struggles. 

The White Rabbit shakes his head while the Knave of Hearts betrays no emotions. "No, no. Don't question it, put a statement to it. It's a statement. Oh, you can't hold a single conversation can you?!" 

"S- Sorry?" The Knave of Hearts tries to say. 

"For crying out loud!" He yells. "You never learn." 

The Knave of Hearts thinks, furrowing his brow while he uses his brain to its fullest extent. But he gives up in the end and nods once to say that he gets it, though he really doesn't understand. 

"So," The Mad Hatter says through his pained voice. "What brings... you here? Is there... something that you're... after in this area?" 

The Knave of Hearts nods "Heard that you were..." He gives some time to himself to think. "Injured and needed to be taken b- back?" 

The White Rabbit raises the white flag. He mumbles under his breath with a hint of antipathy, "You didn't learn, hopeless case." 

The Knave of Hearts bends down to get a better look at Tweedle Dum. As he does, Tweedle Dum panics, his thoughts racing with fright at the Knave's looming face. Gently wrapping his fingers around Tweedle Dum's arm, the Knave of Hearts avoids the bandage, and eyes them without changing his expression. Then he rummages through one of his dangling pockets and brings out a package that's carefully folded, holding out to Tweedle Dum. He takes the cold package and opens it, instantly recognizing the pastry inside. "Cream puffs!" He cheers. 

Then the Knave of Hearts hands one to Tweedle Dee and he takes it gladly, both of them munching through their treat quickly. 

"So you wanted those for the two boys." The White Rabbit smiles. "You are way too soft-hearted sometimes." 

"Left behind for a little bread." The Mad Hatter observes dejectedly. 

The twins exchange glances and nod at each other. Sliding closer to the Mad Hatter, who sits down to keep himself conscious, they kiss his cheeks. "We love you, Hatter. We love you the most." They giggle. 

"You two are silly." The Mad Hatter says as he tries to laugh, but the pain provides to be too much. "Come sit next to me my Tweedles." 

As Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum rest on the Mad Hatter's shoulders, the Knave of Hearts provide the boys one last thought. "G- Good." 

"Oh, you hopeless and entirely useless, wishing-to-be-a-conservationist, that was a question! Agh!" The White Rabbit barks. 

The Knave of Hearts gazes blankly at the White Rabbit in a muddled thought. The results are the same as before though. 

Approaching the happy trio, the White Rabbit slowly picks up the Mad Hatter and rests him on his back. "We should be going back; knowing that the Valkyries came to deal with you is bad enough, without it being someone else." 

The Mad Hatter groans again, "Do you have to carry me? I'll walk on my own." 

The White Rabbit pays no attention to the Mad Hatter's plea. Instead, the Knave of Hearts voices the White Rabbit's thoughts. "No? You are not fit to walk on your own, too injured? You need to go to...the hospital?"