Yup, another chapter! And we get to see EXACTLY why Retta doesn't like the Blue King!

O.O

Look out for the (#) and the *'s!

I don't own Alice In Wonderland

12 Behind Blue Walls

Hatter strode next to Retta, lost in his thoughts, as the soldiers surrounded them and the tall man led them down the blue halls. He kept glancing over at Retta, but she kept her eyes downcast.

Why were they not clad in chains? Why are the guards not poking and stabbing at them? Why is Retta not struggling when it was so easy to rush past the soldiers? Who was the tall man? Why were they not taking us to the prison cells?

Hatter parted his lips to ask one of these questions but Retta quickly shut him up. "Shush." After that she said nothing.

The group stopped before a large door and it opened to let them it. What Hatter saw was akin to the Red Queen's throne room, yet draped in blue. Without all the hearts, as well. Sitting on the throne was a large man, with different shades of blue robes covering him from head to toe.

The tall man went to stand beside the Blue King. Retta and Hatter were told to stand at the foot of the steps that the throne was set on.

"Your majesty, Tanara has returned." The Blue Knave muttered and the King stood to stand level with Retta and Hatter.

"My dear!" The King brushed a plump hand across her face to brush away her long hair. Retta cringed and faked a smile. "I knew you would return to me."

Hatter shook his head back and forth from Retta to the King, and occasionally to the Knave. The Knave's icy eyes held a wide smirk. Retta seemed disgusted, yet wore a face of happiness as she spoke to the King.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I was called away on important family business." Hatter stepped up to the King and girl and interrupted.

"Retta, what is—" She shushed him once again and the King turned to him.

"My love, who is this not?*" The King asked, his beady eyes glaring daggers at Hatter.

"My cousin." She nearly shouted before Hatter had time to say anything. "And he is new to Topland, may I please have a word with him, my lord?"

The King nodded swiftly and Retta pulled Hatter by the arm off to the side of the throne room. The King returned to his throne and was commanding that he be brought more carrots. Then he added that a dinner be prepared for Retta and Hatter.

"What is going on?" Hatter lisped in his confusion. Retta looked down and didn't stop shifting.

"W—When I said I was held here prisoner…I wasn't kept in a cell."

"What do you mean? Why does he call you 'my love' and say that you've come back to him?" Hatter watched the King and Knave as he spoke. The King chewed on a looped carrot and the Knave was smirking at them.

"The King he…I suppose I infatuated him. He took me away from my family and forced me to live here with him." Hatter looked at her then. He saw the utter disgust on her face and the way her colors were dimming.

"Did…Do you work for him?" Hatter mumbled and she nodded her head in protest.

"I was always on the Black King's side. But he seems to think that I love him and we are courting. Though this never happened. I eventually escaped from here and I never wanted to return."

Hatter looked down, he felt overwhelmed by guilt. He had told her that this wouldn't go wrong, why had he been so confident? Yet now she is back in her imprisonment.

"Darling?" Retta turned her head and smiled at the King.

"Coming, my lord!" And she looked back at Hatter. She placed both her hands on his arms, and met his eyes…pleading. "We must get out of here as soon as possible. And when we do we must go right to the Anarim or else he will send guards out for me."

"We'll get out of here together." He lisped, and his oath was true. He felt himself bursting with muchness when she smiled at him, her electric blue eyes growing deeper near the outside. Was this uplifting feeling what Alice felt?

She turned and accompanied the King, Hatter following behind them. She walked with her arm linked with the King's and she looked so small and fragile beside such a large man. Her colors were all bright and happy yet his was entirely of blue.

The King stopped at a room and Retta spoke for him, turning to Hatter. "Your Majesty wishes to allow you to have time to prepare yourself for dinner."

"This is your room." The King stated. He turned and started down the hall again. Retta stayed and gave Hatter a saddened look.

"Dinner is in a few minutes. I'll see you again then." She reluctantly took her steps back to follow the King.

"Tanara, come along." She looked over at the Blue King before she gazed at Hatter as she left him. Hatter watched her leave and felt his stomach sink at the thought of her being in…technically being in torture. He entered his room, surrounded by blue.

The room held the same style quality as the Red Queen's castle. Hatter found a mirror hanging on one wall and stood before it. He smiled his common-mad grin but then let it deflate. He adjusted his hat and straightened his over coat. And mere seconds after that he was interrupted by a servant girl telling him that she is there to lead him to dinner with the King.

When Hatter was seated to a chair at a long, large table he found that he was alone. There was no King, Knave, or Retta. Hatter then took the time to realize that this is the first time—other than sleeping of course—where he was apart from Retta since he met her. It was now night time on his third day in Topland.

The large doors opened and Retta stepped in, accompanied by the Blue Knave. He held an eerie resemblance to Ilosovic Stayne, the Red Queen's Knave. She was wearing a long, beautiful dress of the brightest blue. It held a certain glowing color, to make the fabric match her eyes.

Yet she still wore her colorful gloves over her mercury-stained fingers. Her orange hair hung straight and long down her back and brushed over her shoulder as she sat down.

"Retta, you look…" Hatter thought over his choice of words, trying to find the right one. Retta looked down nervously as Hatter then thought of a perfect word. An M word. "Marvelous."

The pink lining her cheek bones deepened lightly and she smiled widely at him. "Thank you." She lisped softly, only after she translated his words to truly be positive.

The King burst into the room and sat down. "It's so nice to have you back my love!" The Blue King placed his hand over Retta's. "I have missed you so. You always looked so charming in blue."

Hatter and Retta shared glances of awkwardness mixed with disgust. Well…at least for Retta, Hatter on the other hand was listening to what the King had said and was looking at Retta. Not just looking at her…looking at her. The King was right…she did look smashing in that particular color. But the artist in him mentally changed the color of her dress, trying to find one that fit better. For the blue did truly compliment her, he searched for a color that made her look as lovely as blue made Alice look. Her color…so to speak. But Hatter was stumped. He couldn't find the right one.

"Hatter!" He shook his head and blinked at the Blue King and Retta.

"I'm fine." He cleared his throat and Retta's orange brows met in concern as the King scoffed.

"Your cousin seems to have misplaced his senses today, my dear." Retta looked at the King and resisted a glare.

"Family trait." She defended and Hatter gave her a grin which she returned. When the meal came Hatter noted that the meal was surrounded by row upon row of chopped carrots. He watched Retta as she stabbed a carrot with loathing and brought it to her lips, only to eat it with a sickening look. Hatter giggled loudly, confusing everyone in the room, and wondered to himself...How did she ever survive living here when she hates carrots?

Not much to explain in this one either…

Except the color thing. My mom, and a few others, and myself believe in colors. Kinda like auras but different too. We believe there is a certain one color that fits a person. A color that they should wear, a color that expresses themselves but also is true.

Like my favorite color is red and black… But my mom says that blue is my color. A bright blue. That and dark purple. And during my childhood my color was deep green, actually the same as my dad's.

So that's what Hatter means by her color. Obviously blue is Alice's and green is Ecilan's. We have yet to find Retta's.