Did he just call her a child? Wait… she was indeed actually a child considering her current predicament of being Alice Hartziene and not herself, Alice.
"I don't have one, she is very far away mister?" She asked hoping he would give her his name but he only shook his head.
He gripped her wrists and took her to a back room. "You mustn't be here alone!" He said in a shushed tone as his eyes wavered.
With a sigh he gently took her hand. "Pretend I am your father and wear this mask. If the duchess returns and sees a child by theirselves it never ends well." He rubbed his temples.
All of a sudden she found herself wearing a mask of a frog, and him a fish as he maneuvered his way through the crowd.
Midway through the hallway she heard a gaudy shout. "Darling where are you?" Which rung loud against the halls.
"Whatever you do, never respond. I can't believe a child wandered here." He said while trying to lead her off into a separate room.
The halls turned into puzzles of varying degrees from walking to full out jumping. When they finally entered the fifteenth room he stopped to take a breath. "You're not lying, that's simple to tell. The issue is how you got in here."
She tilted her head in confusion. "I'm sorry, my map I followed…" as soon as she said it his demeanor changed ever so slightly
She barely noticed how he seemed more intrigued. "May I see this map? The Mad Hatter's Faction does not permit them." He questioned.
No maps? How would anyone get anywhere if they didn't know where they were going in the very first place she wondered as she shook her head
"Please? We believe in perfection, and those who have achieved it don't need things weighing them down." He insisted further.
This made her gut squeeze in fear. He was no longer a stranger but an enemy. "Are you by chance a roleholder? Such as the Cheshire Cat?"
He blinked but laughed. hard. "I'm not so important, just a footman." He insisted taking his mask off. He ripped her's right off now that they were alone and bound her wrists.
It was swift and untouchable as it was made from water. The pressure was enormous and felt like she was genuinely trapped. As she looked behind she could see what like fish begin to try and eat them.
She wanted to shout but he covered her mouth and plugged her nose. Footman? She never recalled any such character in the original alice, but then she never paid much attention to minor characters.
With her last breath she tried to use a spell so long as she could touch her staff with her ankles. "Create a barrier!" She gasped but she found the darkness consuming her first.
By the time she woke up she was stripped of her bag and staff, all her belongings gone in an instant. She found herself on a large bed with her vision blurred. All the shapes and objects of the room were distorted and her ears rang.
There on the floor sat the man reading her assigned notes, the map, and her items sprawled. "Good evening," he said flipping a page. "You've been asleep for two days and yet no one has come to rescue you, how tragic, Alice." He said closing it.
She didn't even know there was a notebook! She really should of been thorough. "Sorry but as the footman to her lady, it's my job to serve the guests. The thing you'll be receiving tonight will be a three layered cake of deceit." He smiled, throwing it.
As she moved she found her legs bound by a chain, and when he got close he put a collar around her neck. "You can come to dinner but unfortunately no one else will be there, only if you pinky promise not to run." He said, sadistically.
"Wh?" She could barely think as she found a wall in front of her eyes and her head bashed against it and when she awoke her surroundings changed.
A formal dining area was in front of her and a very luxurious meal she could never afford. "You see the minute you ran into me your luck ended. Anyone from the Red territory is forbidden, including the white rabbit. I lack interest in peace for you see maybe I truly was born to be mad."
His tangent continued. "Do you agree to be the Great Magician? Was it to be able to harm anyone you'd like under the guise of our white queen?" He asked with his eyes showing a great gleam.
As he bent to her level she heard a scream. "Let me out!" But he paid no mind. It was the exact same scream of the woman from earlier.
Oh no. She remembered him, the scrapped character who never appeared in the main novel but of course the side novel! the footman fish who wanted nothing but madness that tries to fight her while she's teaching her pupil, a crazed maniac.
He solely existed as a villain and right now she wished he failed to make an appearance in her life and the novel instead of just being put on hold!
All she knew was there wasn't enough time. If he were introduced it would be now on cue. He's her sadistic culprit behind telling the prince where his lover were located.
Panic arose on high alert and only grew as he continued this long speech about how he didn't really like the people in red stained lives.
It all added up if he knew her true identity. The lover Lisabeth being Lexia- and how he wanted war. Originally supposed to care and lock up the duchess his character expanded due to his sadistic nature.
He despised boredom and took that out on others while starting trouble whenever he could. Her staff was nowhere in reach and it breached trouble.
He may stop her right then and there, with no chance to ever go back to the castle, try to scheme and run away, or even save her helper Ulex
If the people in the Red Territory really couldn't save her this may be… "Don't you want chaos?" She asked.
He stopped to listen. "How about the chaos the Mad Hatter would cause seeing his beloved sis." before finishing her release statement he laughed.
So much so his insides hurt as he fell down to the floor. "The Mad Hatter dies with the White Queen." he huffed.
"The entire White Queen faction would," he finally calmed down as her eyes rose with fear. "The entire?" She almost yelled.
"That's right," he grinned maliciously but all of a sudden the plates went flying. "That's enough playing, Mars. If things were that simple the joker would never exist."
Spinning her head she saw a man wearing a mask and an extremely long scarf. The colours varied purple to gold, even some turquoise.
He walked through the air all the way over. "Little Alice little jester will you take my hand out of this place? You sure are a late-nester. Normally my role-holders already accept their fate." He hummed.
She knew not to trust this man but in the moment she saw no escape. Clutching his hand tightly he yanked at her up into the air.
"Hold tight or you'll be filled with fright. You really were a waste of a pretty face to be kidnapped and hidden so quickly." With that said the air blew and windows shattered as the elevation made it harder to breathe she found her grip loosening.
He shook his head. "You're not good at directions, as we all can see." He said as he landed far up into the mountains somewhere.
The true enemy, the joker. "You were told not to talk to the joker, to not let go, and to not reveal your weakness." He said while kissing her finger with the shining blue core which turned purple-like.
"The joker is a role to cause mayhem amongst the streets and to both queens yet it's troublesome." He huffed.
"The queens have been in a stalemate for such a long time that I should use you hostage! The white rabbit already knows, so let's see how you truly enjoy Carneline?" He asked.
All of a sudden she found her items shoved into her hands as he sat midair with her still standing utterly confused by what was unfolding.
Wasn't this her big escape scene through a fight and suddenly survive with him by her side inside of being kidnapped? Just how many times;;
Hearing a strangled shout she saw the eyes which scared her terribly during their first encounter due to her current condition, but they somehow felt familiar in the moment as they approached.
"Release The Great Magician!" The mysterious rabbit shouted clearly this time with an enraged face, he meant war.