Change everything you are
And everything you were
Your number has been called
Fights and battles have begun
Revenge will surely come
Your hard times are ahead

Aboard the merchant ship 'Wonder' Alice stood, her hands upon railing, her eyes on the horizon and a smile upon her lips. China had been a success. More so than that she should say. Rich in culture, abundant in in fine goods that England had only heard of, and more than hospitable to their arrival, some of their new business partners had even begged for them to stay longer but Lord Ascot longed for the English shore, as did most of the crew members.

Alice was in no rush to get home, though it'd been a good while since she had a decent cup of tea. She was torn at the fact that there was still so much the Orients had to offer that they did not yet experience or see, but she could not wait to tell her mother and sister of the incredible journey she had been on.

She knew they would be impressed, but not so much of the adventurous side, no, they were more than content with their mid afternoon tea before seeing friends only to gossip about silly little things. They would take their interests in the gifts that she would bring back. It was her father who would take pleasure in hearing of the journey.

"You are Charles's child, there is no doubt about that." Came Lord Ascot's voice. Alice could only widen her grin at hearing the comment and turned to her Master.

"There was one point in time where everyone doubted that I had the name I have. Even I began to believe them. What makes you so sure that I am who you think I am, Sir?" She asked tilting her head the side, now wearing a teasing sort of smile. The lord could only chuckle in response.

"It pains me sometimes, Alice that I cannot call you my daughter in law, but it's certain either you would drive Hamish mad, or he would you." He spoke clasping his hands behind his back. "But to answer your question, your father, may he rest in peace, was the most wonderful, brilliant and daring man I had ever met, and dear Alice, you are all of those things, and yet there is so much more. I even worry that you may be too much for yourself!"

"I have much muchness, this is true." She began turning her eyes back to the horizon. "But I am by no means not myself." She spoke softly.

"It is not a bad thing, nothing to be ashamed of." Lord Ascot began again. "Most women, even those with titles, act like such frail and timid things, but you? No! No, you walk with a certain sort of grace and strength. Like an officer of the Royal Navy." He paused before smiling, placing a gentle hand onto her shoulder, pulling her gaze away from the sea and to him.

"Your Father would be so very proud of you." She blushed, not much but enough to notice.

"Thank you Sir." She replied lifting her chin up. He replied with a curt nod before patting her shoulder and turned away to see to the preparations to make way for home.

It would be six months before they saw London again, and it had already been more than twice that time since they had seen Big Ben. How long had it been since she left Underland? She couldn't say for sure. Some days she would be convinced it was all in her head, and others she knew in her heart that it was all true.

She recalled about a month ago that she had seen the Cheshire grinning at her from ear to ear, but it had only been ordinary cat. Another day, long before that one, she mistook a courtesan for the Red Queen herself, but the woman's head had been four sizes too small to be her.

She told the Hatter she would be back before he knew it, but she wasn't even sure if she could go back to that backwards land. Would it be possible for him to come here? The Rabbit in the waist coat could come and go, so why couldn't he?

She couldn't say why, but as of late the man with bright green eyes had plagued her mind. It was true that she missed his company, but it was so short lived even when she was there. How could she long for something she hadn't really had to begin with?

She wrote a letter to her sister when the first ship with goods left for England, and only two weeks ago she had received a response. Alice told her of the wonders of this strange new land of course, but she also told her of the illness she felt of this lost friend.

Margaret's response was that what she was feeling was love. She of course assumed that Alice was speaking of Hamish given the how little the letter contained of the man of mystery. She explained she could be feeling regret, for not exploring the opportunity he had given her, to not take his hand in marriage.

Although her sister had the wrong idea, she had the right answer. She did regret not taking Hatter's offer on staying, though she was glad to of been able to do the things she needed to do and say the things that had to be said, but all those things were done now. Was it possible to be able to go back now?

To her it had only been close to two years, hardly any time at all considering the last time she left that land and came back was a decade apart. But how long was it for her friends in Underland? Time was not the same there as it was here. How very curious was time there, but she could recall that time was not a what but a who there, so it all revolved around a person.

Could she ask this 'Time' fellow of how to go about getting back to the world that freighted her as a child but helped her become a woman? Or would 'Time' call upon her for when she could go to the place that once haunted her but not she dreamt of? She couldn't say for sure.

She also couldn't afford to waste time on thinking of it now. Even if Time was a person or a thing, she had much to do and not enough time to do them. She was to go back to London, to her family and to help the company expand its growth. She was a business woman now, no time to question on child hood notions, at least not for now.

Best,
You've got to be the best
You've got to change the world
And use this chance to be heard
Your time is now

It had been four months since the Wonder left the port of Hong Kong, and they were reaching the final stretch of their trek. The Wonder had been lucky thus far, not a single sighting of a black flag, nor a storm that was too much for the ship to handle. The wind was on their side and the crew was making good time.

The thing about luck though- was that it had a nasty habit of running out.

Alice ran out onto the deck to help the crew with keeping the sails intact, despite Lord Ascot's wishes to stay in the Captain's quarters with him. She could not. The Captain had threatened to start throwing the goods over board if they couldn't keep the ship from swaying to waves.

Drenched from the waves and the rain, Alice's hair stuck to her face and her clothes to her form, the deck was slippery, and her shoes were worn, the winds were strong, and the waves full of might, it was clear the crew was losing this fight.

Caught in the hurricane, the Wonder's boards began to shake, and the masts in suit would quake. Nothing however could match the look of horror on Lord Ascot's face. Time seemed to stand still just for a moment, making Alice question, what would make the Lord's face pale?

Before she could have the answer to the question the ship was violently knocked, another burst of water was breached on the deck, the ship remained to keep together, but poor Alice was sent into the Sea.

Her screams were muffled by the water, attempting to find its way into her lungs. Half the crew was still trying to keep afloat, the rest tried to find a way to get Alice back on the boat. This was when the look of horror was answered to the maiden thrown overboard.

A maelstrom had formed not far from the Wonder, who was steadily escaping the hole's grasp, but her ship was leaving her to face the swirling wrath. Alice heard the men shout and cry, but could not make out the words due to the thundering in the sky. No matter how hard she tried the maelstrom kept pulling her to its swirling mass.

The cries began to die for it looked that hope was now more than a white lie. She wasn't sure if she should pray or if she should let ocean have its way. Closing her eyes, she could have sworn she had seen a butterfly. Alice, holding her breath, let the current take her away.

The Sea dragged her under. Down and down she went. She knew she should have felt the water crushing her chest, but instead she felt the ability to take breath.

Air in the water? Was she part fish, or was this not water at all? Why she felt like she was falling more so then drowning! Where was she going? If she had to guess she would say Underland, but not ever hole leads to a setting somewhere under, sometimes, they lead someone out.

Don't let yourself down
Don't let yourself go
Your last chance has arrived

So ends the first Chapter! I'm going to try my best to keep all the characters in character. I don't know if I'm going to do song lyrics for all the chapters but I was listening to Butterflies & Hurricanes by Muse on repeat while writing up this chapter. As a reminder, I do not own any of the Alice in Wonderland's written or produced, but if Tim Burton wants to steal this to make an installment, that is fine by me.