Hatter's Point of View Part19

Hatter sighed. I was hoping that she wouldn't catch that. He thought. They stared at each other for a moment. "I can't leave, Alice." He said. "Wonderland's my home. I can't just abandon it, despite what I said." He hadn't realized it before, but it almost seemed like a slow tide of change was creeping over him. He was getting tired of hiding. He wanted to get out and actually make a difference. The Kingdom of the Knights had made an impact, but, he had a feeling that Mad March was the catalyst for his change. "I have to stay and fight."

"What?" Alice sounded flabbergasted.

"Seeing all this… look! This great kingdom," He motioned around with his arms, "and what's become of it. It's a wake-up call to be honest." He was fibbing slightly. The Kingdom wasn't his only reason, but Alice didn't need to know that. "My people," he began to circle back around the fire towards Alice. "I mean the hundreds of refugees that are all hiding underground, they're all counting on me."

"But, didn't that Dodo guy say that he was going to have you hunted down and killed?" Alice reminded him. Yeah, well, there is that…

"Yep." He conceded. "But, I'm thinking if I turn  up with the ring, he might forgive me." He turned away, unable to look her in the eye.

"So that's what this is about." She said after a moment's silence. The disappointment and betrayal that saturated her voice tore through Hatter like a knife.

"Don't worry, I'll get you home safe and sound first." He tried to reassure her, taking a half step closer.

"And Jack?" She held her ground.

That name… It almost stung worse than Alice's disappointment. He took a step backwards again, then turned away, pacing a little bit. He turned back to her. "You have to forget about Jack," He urged her. "we'll never get him out of the casino alive, and trying is only going to set off alarm bells." Alice shook her head, a look of disbelief and anger on her face. She walked away from him. "It will make your escape impossible!" Don't turn your back on me… his heart cried out.

"Okay, so you were just leading me on back there?" She turned back towards him, her face now full of anger.

Hatter scoffed. "Just believe me. It will be suicide." Alice sat down, now fully ignoring him. She stared into the fire.

Hatter had imagined this conversation going better. He had hoped against hope that Alice would follow his lead and decide to stay as well, and help with the eminent war. Then, when it was over, she would have fallen as hard for him as he had for her, and she would stay in Wonderland forever, with him.