Authors note: Thank you all for all of the wonderful reviews! I'm sorry for the long wait, but my schedule has been pretty hectic. Also I forgot to make a disclaimer on the first chapter so I will do that now. I do not own Alice in Wonderland or any of the characters for if I did Alice would have never left the Hatter.

Enjoy!

Tarrant Hightop woke up distinctly different from the way he normally awakened. Ordinarily when the hatter woke up one minute he was a sleep and the next he was awake and ready to do all the wonderful and interesting things that the day had planned for him. Today was very different to be sure. The hatter first noticed he was awake, because instead of the sweet sound of silence from dreamland he could hear the sounds of the castle in the morning. It was very odd, because his eyes were most certainly closed and he was still so very tired. In the spirit of doing something new he rolled onto his side and tried to go back to sleep. Although he wasn't certain he had actually gone to sleep. He couldn't remember if he had, and if he had wouldn't he be back at the door of rooms and not in his very warm and comfortable bed.

Tarrant's eyes shot open and stared at the ceiling. Yes, he most certainly was back in his room at the queens castle. How he had gotten to be there he wasn't quite sure. He scrunched up his face trying to remember. He had been in the room of doors miserable, Chess showed up with a message, he was heading back to his horse and then, nothing. After that it was all blank. The obvious conclusion was that he must have lost consciousness. Which was understandable considering how much pain he had been in, correction, was still in. His chest had given a very painfully throb, throwing him out of his contemplations and back to the real world. He took in a sharp breath and moved a hand to rub the spot where it hurt. If this kept up something was going to have to be removed he decided.

The hatter turned to look at the door as he heard voices outside it and the knob turn as the voices tried to enter. -Who could that be- he wondered - trying to enter my rooms so early in the morning without even knocking?- He didn't have to wait long to find out. The door was open and he was greeted by the sight of the white queen and the Cheshire cat.

"…But that isn't the only problem." Chessur finished quietly. " Ah look who has finally decided to return to us from dreamland."

The white queens grave expression turns to a joyful one.

"Tarrant you've finally woken up. You don't know how relieved I am." Mirana said as she glided to his bedside.

" I am quite sorry I am not properly dressed to receive you but as you can see I have just woken up." He replied sitting up. The hatters face took on a confused appearance. " May I ask why exactly you are relieved that I am awake? How long have I been asleep?"

"Three and a half days." The floating cat replied. " We were starting to think that you would never wake up."

"Three and a half days…" Tarrant repeated quietly. So it wasn't quite as early as he thought, he decided actually looking out his window. Three and a half days was an awful long time to be asleep. He could rightly understand their concern. " That is exceedingly odd that I slept for so long. Have you any idea why that might be?" He asked the queen.

Mirana and Chessur exchanged looks. " We think It has something to do with the pain you are experiencing in your chest." She said gently.

Tarrant suddenly realized that he had been rubbing the area above his heart. "Yes I was wondering about that. I'm afraid something is going to have to be removed. It hurts quite a lot."

" Well It's not…that is to say we cannot remove what is it that is ailing you because that would cause death." The queen replied.

" It's your heart that is hurting you Tarrant." Chess added settling on the hatters feet. "It's breaking."

The milliner thought for a moment. "Yes that's what it feels like." Tarrant looked hopefully at the white queen. " But certainly there is something you can do."

Mirana gazed sadly at her royal hatter. " I'm afraid not my friend. The only one that can is…currently unavailable."

"And who might that…Ah!" he remembered. The pain in his chest increased causing him to double over in pain. The only one who could help heal him was the one that was indirectly hurting him. "Shea saed shea wud be back b'for Ai knew it." He managed to gasp out his accent showing up once more. " Shea'el be back soon."

"I'm afraid we can not wait for her to return to us." Chess said lazily. " There have been some disturbances in the outlands."

" Disturbances?" The hatter questioned a bit muffled. His head was currently resting on his knees causing the blankets covering him to cover his mouth. His left hand clutched at his chest and his right at the quilt.

" Tarrant let us discuss this later when your feeling better." Mirana remarked, concern for the hatter radiating from her voice.

He turned his head a little to look at her. " Ai donnae think I'll be feelin' better anaetium soon."

" Which is why I brought this." She said holding a small vial out for him. " It's a sleeping draft. I know you just woke up but a little more sleep in this case wouldn't be a bad idea."

Tarrant looked at her for a moment before nodding and taking the vial from her. He popped the top opened and downed the sweet scented draft. He wondered briefly how long it would take to work, before he felt a strong tug at his consciousness. He barely had time to lay his head back down before sleep over took him.

Mirana took the vial from her friends hand and pulled the brightly colored tatter quilts up over the hatters shoulders. " Come Chess we have much to discuss." she said quietly as she headed for the door.

The White queen and the Cheshire cat walked through the halls of the castle in silence until they reached her study. Memoreal had since become too quiet as of late. Mirana had tried to keep the recent news of the disturbances in the outlands quite but news travels so fast in Underland. They were all worried and rightly so. This news event was nothing to be trifled with.

" Why did you not tell him?" Chessur asked his customary smile currently absent.

" I don't want to upset him in this state." She replied taking a seat behind her desk. " His heart is very fragile and putting too much stress on it might kill him sooner!"

" Yes but the oraculum…" The cat insisted.

" I know what it shows." She snapped. She immediately shot Chess an apologetic glance. " I'm sorry Chessur. It's just this whole situation is very taxing. I know what it shows and I know what it means. We need Alice. We can't wait for her to return on her own."

"It'll take weeks for Nivens to find her again." The Cheshire cat replied annoyed. "It's been four years since she was last here, and Absolum has lost track of her. Last he said she was somewhere in India. Wherever that is, it certainly isn't England."

" He said that almost two years ago." Mirana answered. " I'm sure that she should be where she's suppose to be…wherever that is."

" She should be here and yet she is not." He said firmly. " We do not have time for Nivens to take weeks to find her again."

Mirana smiled and it made Chess nervous. It had a hint of mischievousness that most certainly shouldn't have been there.

"Which is why we I said we have much to discuss." She replied. She withdrew a small key from around her neck and used it to unlock a draw in her desk. It held only one thing which she withdrew and spread out on her desk. " I consulted the Oraculum just this morning, and it showed a very interesting development. Take a look."

Chess floated over and gazed down and the sage paper. " Oh dear." He said as he looked at the scene that was displayed before him. The cat had the pleasure of looking down upon a picture that depicted him ascending the rabbit hole in which he could only assume was a quest to find Alice. " Me? You want to send me to find her?" He questioned stunned.

"The Oraculum has foretold it." She replied her smile stretching from ear to ear. Chessur rolled his eyes. There was no way he was getting out of this, if it was foretold it would happen. He glanced back down at the paper.

" It seems I am to leave today as well. That doesn't seem to give me much time to prepare for the uplands." he rolled so he was floating on his back. " What is that thing around my neck?"

" Ah! That would be this." she said holding up a small ornate mirror attached to a strap of leather, it's mate lying on the desk. " It will help you keep in touch with me while you're in the Uplands."

He floated close to Mirana's hands so she could fasten it around his neck. " And how am I suppose to find her?" he asked floating away.

Mirana replaced the Oraculum back in the drawer and relocked it before she stood and wander over to the suit of armor that Alice had worn on the Frabjous day. She examined it for a moment before making a small triumphant " ah!" and gliding over to The Cheshire cat. " With this!" she said holding up a single blonde hair.

"That?" He said annoyed. "I am not a blood hound Mirana! My sense of smell isn't that good!"

"Nor does it have to be!" she said happily. " With this hair I can make a locating potion. Once you get to the Uplands you'll take it and you'll be inexplicably drawn to Alice. Which makes you're evaporating skills very usefully in this instant." Taking in Chess's expression she quickly added. " Not that they aren't always useful!"

"Fine. How long do I have to prepare?" he inquired.

Mirana glanced at the grandfather clock that took up the left corner of her office. " Two-three hours at the most." She glided over to the door, intending to head straight to the kitchen and her alchemy lab. Opening the door she paused and turned to look back at the cat. " I would spend most if not all of it talking to Nivens. He knows quite a lot about the uplands." She smiled and left, walking with great haste.

Chess glared at Alice's champion armor. " Why did you leave in the first place?" He wondered aloud before departing to go find a certain white rabbit.

" …And animals don't talk so I wouldn't even try to ask them for directions." The white rabbit continued in his warnings about the Uplands. Chess sighed, he had been hear for two hours listening to tales about how horrid the Uplands were, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could take. Chessur avoid Nivens on most occasions. The twitchy rabbit could, without provocation, launch into a very lengthy tale about one of his hair raising adventures, even if it just concluded in him going to the kitchen. The cat was sure he had fallen asleep a few times during this explanation. He knew he needed to listen to this, some of it could be vitally important, but the rabbit was just such a dull story teller it made it hard for him to want to listen.

" Last but certainly not lest DO NOT talk to the Uplanders. As I just stated animals do not talk, and they are there for un accustomed to us speaking." Nivens said very seriously. " I remember the time I tried to and let me tell you…"

" Thank you McTwisp. I think I have enough information on the Uplands to make it through this one and only journey up there." Chess interrupted before the rabbit could go on.

" Yes well do be careful. The Uplands are not like Underland." The white rabbit replied a little put off.

"I'll keep that in mind." The Cheshire cat smiled as he evaporated away. Chess appeared in a hallway far away from the talkative rabbit. He felt the need to drift aimlessly for a while so that what he did. He closed his eyes and let fate take him to where he needed to go. That place turned out to be the kitchens. He could hear Thackery's chaos of cooking, burbling soups, clanging pots, how the Queen could stand to have her alchemy lab in something so noise the cat would never know.

Floating carefully through the door Chess could see The Hare hard at work chopping vegetables for one of his many interesting concoction, and the White Queen talking to the door mouse. The cat assumed that if the Queen had time to chat her potion must be ready.

"Is the potion done brewing yet my Queen?" he asked settling down on the counter.

" Yes quite done." She replied. " I was just about to have Mally go and find you."

"No ye wer…" The queen gave Mallymkun a look and the mouse trailed off.

" Mally would you go and check on Tarrant?" Mirana asked, wanting to get the mouse away before she got her in trouble.

The mouse nodded and jumped down onto the floor and ran to the door. She squeaked and dodged a ladle that Thackery threw at her.

"Thackery tha' could 'ave killed me!" She shouted angrily at her friend. The mad hare merely laughed and continued his reckless chopping.

Mallymkun threw the Queen a sour look. "Honestly Ay don't know why ye let 'im cook." She said before quickly making her way out.

"Yes why do you let him cook?" The cat asked in genuine wonder.

" I like his soups." She replied amused. Taking out a small bottle she filled it with the liquid that was simmering in a small pot to her right. " Now take this and off to the rabbit hole you go. Make sure to drink it right away when you get to the surface. I'm not entirely sure how long it will keep."

" That's it? No ceremony, no farewell party?" he asked a touch gloomy.

"We want to keep this quite from the outlands." she answered very seriously. "If they knew it could cause problems for your return."

The cat sighed. He did love a good party, but " I suppose you're right. If that's all then I guess I'll be on my way."

She nodded. " Be sure to contact me if there are any complications. Fairfarren Chessur." She said giving the cat an affectionate scratch behind the ears.

"Fairfarren Mirana." He replied evaporating.