Hatter

DOUBLE CROSSED

The hallway loomed ahead of him, the shadows of the tapestries on the walls amalgamating into darkness to form a yawning void of pitch black. Hatter swallowed. Faint light streamed through windows, but the blizzard raging outside choked it to strained flickers. On another night, perhaps, the castle would have seemed less frightening, though Hatter believed most of the terror that coursed through his veins was owing to the aura of mystery surrounding the castle's unexplored halls. But alongside the fear of the unknown was a thrill of excitement too; the excitement that often accompanied him whenever he went on any mission. He walked along the lonely hallway, lost in thought as his mind kept rewinding to the discussion they had with Absolem before the mission began.
"Tweedledum and Tweedledee, you know the drill," Absolem said, pacing back and forth. "Before Cat removes her illusion, it's your job to go and hide. As soon as White Rabbit begins to direct the rest of us to the possible locations of where the Queen keeps her staff, the two of you make sure to hurry off in the opposite direction without being seen. You both are short enough anyways, so that'll work to your advantage. Get a full report of the castle. If you encounter any unexpected enemies, deal with them quickly and hide all traces of physical fighting; remember, though, that violence should be your last resort. We don't want to attract unnecessary attention." Absolem paused. "We'll regroup after half an hour at the entrance to the main building. The two of you will share your map of the castle and we'll make a calculated assumption of where the staff is kept, then follow the formation we practised before to acquire the staff and return to camp safely. If you don't see us after half an hour passes, assume we're dead and initiate the second version of the plan."
Hatter's eyebrows shot up. "The second version of the plan?"
"We still can't be sure whether White Rabbit's a traitor or not. White Queen trusts him, but I don't- and since I'm the leader for this mission I'm going to do things my way. In the second version of the plan, the twins will automatically assume White Rabbit is a traitor who betrayed us and led to our group's death. They will then return to camp-"
"Return?" Tweedledum said incredulously.
"It's far too dangerous for the two of you to attempt to steal the staff on your own, so yes, you'll return. When you come back to the base, you'll inform White Queen of the failed mission and you'll present your map of the inside of the castle. White Queen will then, I'm sure, come up with a stronger plan based on this information, and the rebels will acquire the staff at a future date."
Tweedledee scratched his head. "And what if we're the ones who don't return within half an hour?"
"We then initiate the third version of the plan, in which we assume you're dead. We'll judge what sort of defenses the Queen of Hearts has kept around her staff and whether it's worth the risk to continue with the mission without two members, otherwise we'll retreat."
Everyone nodded, and Absolem stared into Hatter's eyes in seriousness.
"And remember the most important rule," he said firmly. "Don't deviate from the plan under any circumstances."
Hatter sighed. Well, he hadn't had much luck with that; he was sure to be scolded when they went back to camp. He clenched his fists, knuckles growing white. Absolem this, Absolem that, yadda yadda yadda. Hatter would get the staff before the rest of them had a chance to even blink, and then his brother would be forced to sit back and let Hatter deal with everything. Maybe then he wouldn't be treated like a baby anymore.
Hatter continued along the deserted hallway soundlessly, his boots treading lightly on the blood-red carpet and his fingers resting on the hilt of the sword attached to his belt. His eyes darted warily, straining to make out shapes in the darkness. Funny how there were no card soldiers anywhere.
Funny.
A feeling of dread seeped through his body. What if Absolem was right- White Rabbit was a traitor luring them into a trap? What if Hatter leaving on his own had distracted the rest of them, leading to everyone's deaths? Hatter drew a shaky breath, rounding a corner and gripping the railing lining the spiral staircase. He was surprised to find that his hands were trembling.
Calm down, he told himself. It'll be fine. This is just like our other missions; no big deal.
There was a hiss behind him.
He whirled around, his sword drawn and poised at the enemy's throat. He blinked. It was Cat.
"That's the twenty third time you've almost chopped my head off," she scowled.
He lowered his sword. "What are you doing?"
"I'd like to ask you the same question." She folded her arms and gazed at him in irritation. "This is the most important night of our lives, and you're busy running off on your own to botch up our entire mission-"
"Why are you following me? Did Absolem tell you to?"
"Keep your voice down," muttered Cat, her eyes scanning the surroundings. "Absolem wanted me to make sure you didn't do anything stupid. I'm the only one you ever listen to."
Hatter's cheeks grew red; he was thankful the darkness hid his countenance. He scratched his head, stammering: "It's not like-"
She grabbed his hand and yanked him down the stairs, muffling Hatter's yelping sound. "Come on."
He wrung his hand free. "No," he said defiantly.
Cat rolled her eyes. "What do you mean, no?"
"No means no. I don't want to follow Absolem's plan."
"What's left of the plan, you mean, considering it's half ruined already."
"I'm going to go get the staff myself and wave it in his face-"
Cat's eyebrows shot up, and a grin broke on her face. "Oh, so that's what this is all about? You want to prove to your brother you're not useless?" She grabbed Hatter's ear and pulled it teasingly. "Aw, the little baby's growing up-"
"Stop that," he hissed, his face flushed. He turned away from her and started walking up the stairs.
Cat let out a sniff. "And where do you think you're going?"
"I told you; I'm going to get the staff."
"Do you have any idea where it is?"
"I'll just keep searching till I find it."
Cat rubbed her throbbing forehead. She already had a headache from overusing her illusion powers, and now she had a bigger headache to take care of. She began to walk with Hatter.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked in suspicion.
"Making sure you don't die."
Hatter let out a derisive snort. Silence reigned over the two, save for the sound of their uneven breathing as they climbed up and up and up the never ending staircase. This was always how they did things; Hatter always rushed into every situation blindly, and Cat always tailed behind him trying to make him see sense. They made a good duo, that was what everyone said- Hatter, the impatient emotional one, and Cat, calm and level headed. Hatter clenched his fists.
"I don't need you to take care of me. First there's Absolem, then there's you. I can handle things on my own," he said, gritting his teeth.
Cat sighed. "Alright. We take care of each other equally, then. Deal?"
He hesitated. "Deal."
They reached the second floor. Hatter stopped, and the two of them stared at the seemingly endless expanse of doors that stretched into the gloom.
Cat whistled under her breath. "Well. Old Queen of Hearts is pretty rich, eh?"
Hatter made a shushing motion, then slowly moved forward. All the doors looked exactly the same; polished white with red door knobs emblazoned with small black hearts.
Cat nudged him. "Look over there." She gestured to a door on their far left. "It looks open."
The duo edged closer, peering inside. The first thing that Hatter noticed was the strong scent of medicine mixed with pungent perfume rolling off the room's walls. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. His eyes then fell to the hat lying on the ground. It was a dark crimson, matching the carpet below, and was resplendent with black feathers and shimmering beads ornately tucked into its sides. He felt as if he had seen it somewhere before, and the very sight of it filled him with an unexplainable burst of loathing. Cat let out a short squeak. Her fingers dug into Hatter's arm like claws; he was about to hiss at her to stop, but then his eyes travelled to where Cat's were fixated.
"You two just can't stay out of trouble, can you?" said a voice from inside the room. The figure's footsteps grew louder, and it turned out there was not one person but two.
"Hello again." March Hare gave a devilish smirk,he stood beside the Queen of Hearts. "What a lovely reunion."