A Mad Wonderful World

Chapter Seven A Life Most Mad

When Corporal Blanchard and Stayne found out the fate that Lowell Manchester had suffered, they both laughed with wicked glee. Alannah had gone to the Barracks to inform Blanchard what had happened, and he had been slightly disappointed that he hadn't been there to witness the transformation.

Stayne looked over at Alannah, who had a very triumphant grin on her face. "I must say, love, I have never heard of a more appropriate punishment for anyone. But where did you learn how to brew a changing potion?"

Alannah chuckled. "I found the Duchess's old potion books in the Library. She had written down the formula she used to turn her son into a pig. I just tweaked it a bit so Manchester would turn into a rat. The Duchess had written down how to adjust the potion for all different transformations. There was even one for ducks." She said mischievously, and Stayne chuckled.

"Lady Ellen seems to have forgotten her infatuation with me. But I feel sorry for Lord Hartigan. From what I hear, Lady Ellen is quite materialistic. She's depleting Hartigan's pocketbook quite quickly."

Blanchard grinned, and then looked over at Alannah. "Does this mean that I am free to continue courting Meggie without having to worry about her husband coming after her?"

Alannah smiled. "That is exactly what it means, Thomas. You may court to your heart's consent, and we both wish you much luck." Blanchard grinned elatedly and ran out of the Barracks, ready to go and meet his Lady love. Stayne walked over to Alannah and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her gently. She responded by clutching him tightly and kissing him until his head was spinning. He pulled back, a goofy grin on his face. "Wow. Now I remember why I fell in love with you. You are a damn good kisser."

Alannah laughed. "I hope that's not the only reason why." She sighed, and placed her head against his chest, listening to his heart. "Ilosivic? Do you ever wish you could have had the chance to court me properly?"

Stayne laughed. "No. To tell you the truth, I would have been quite horrible at it. Alannah, I wanted you…physically the moment I saw you at the Masquerade, and I….well, I hadn't had much experience in courtship rituals. The majority of the time, the 'ritual' consisted of either haggling over a price with the newest courtesan, or steeling myself to enter Iracebeth's bed. But even then, I never really felt much of anything. My body reacted, that was it. It was all rote, and I'd leave their company feeling cold. Iracebeth inspired a different feeling in me, though. I'd leave her chambers, and head straight for the baths to scrub the slime off my skin. I'd sometimes scrub so hard I would bleed, and the next night I would be forced to repeat the whole sordid, disgusting mess all over again." He led Alannah over to a nearby bench, and pulled her down, kissing her.

"But with you, it was different. I dreamt about you that night, you know."

Stayne lay in his bed, mind racing with thoughts of Lady Sullivan. He laughed quietly to himself. 'Why can't I stop thinking about her?' He knew the answer-because he had never seen or known anyone like her. He was well acquainted with all the Ladies of the Red Court-some more intimately than others, and all of them were scheming social climbers. Stayne knew about their poor attempts at disguise, the fake noses, ears, breasts, and other items they paraded in order to seem as freakish as the Queen. He had been shocked when he found out Iracebeth had no idea about the deception, and merely shaken his head at her obtuseness.

When he saw Lady Sullivan, his first instinct was to try and spot which part of her body she had enhanced, and he was quite shocked to find that everything appeared natural. He felt his heart speed up, and his mouth became dry. As she approached the throne, he gave an involuntary gasp. She was real, and Oh Time…incredibly beautiful. The blue mask she wore couldn't hide the piercing green of her eyes, and her costume-a simple dress of deep blue-enhanced her rather lovely curves.

Stayne sighed, and shut his eye, attempting to get to sleep, and Lady Sullivan appeared before him, smiling gently. He reached out, and gently stroked her face, marveling at how soft her skin felt. He grasped her face, and pulled her down into a kiss. At first, it was tentative, slightly hesitant, but he quickly grew bold and deepened the kiss. She responded, and Stayne felt himself trembling in desire. He kissed her slowly, savoring her taste (strawberries and spice), and began to untie her mask. He wanted to see her face more than anything. He had to see if she was as beautiful as he hoped.

He had the mask untied, and was about to pull it off when…

"STAYNE!"

His eye snapped open, and he began to curse Iracebeth violently.

Alannah chuckled. "You didn't get very far in your dream, love."

Stayne smirked wickedly at her. "Not in that dream. But I had lots of others." He grinned at the blush on his wife's face. "But none of the dreams compared to the reality. The reality is infinitely more appealing."

Alannah smiled, and then kissed him. "I agree."

Blanchard walked through Marmoreal, searching for Alice. He had been ecstatic when he found that he could court Margaret without fear of repercussion, and he wanted to learn all about the Courtship Rituals of Overland so he could properly woo his lovely Meggie.

He found Alice in the Hat Shop, helping Tarrant model his newest creations. She smiled when she saw him. "Thomas, so good to see you. If you're looking for Meggie, she's in the Library going through the history books. She wants to learn about Underland, and my visits here, and my slaying of the Jabberwock, and Alannah and Ilosivic slaying the Boojum, and I think she wants to have a glance at the Oraculum, and…"

"Alice!"

Blanchard laughed. "I was actually looking for you. I want to ask you some questions about Courtship Rituals in Overland. Is there a certain way of doing things?"

Alice laughed. "There is, and it is all incredibly boring and pointless. In Overland, you and Meggie would not be allowed to spend any time alone. You would have chaperones, and most likely would be attending very boring parties and listening to sleep inducing conversations." She sighed, and looked at Blanchard with a sad expression on her face. "Of course, there would also be the very good chance that you would not even be allowed to speak to Meggie, much less court her. You see, Meggie and I come from 'Society'. You would not be considered worthy of our affections, since you are only a 'common soldier'. So my advice to you is to court Meggie in the style of Underland. Take her out on picnics; riding-she's a very good horsewoman-anything you can think of. She'll appreciate that much more than any silly Overland ritual."

Blanchard beamed, and kissed Alice on the cheek before running to find Margaret. Alice turned to Tarrant, who had a big grin on his face. "What are you so happy about?"

Tarrant pulled her into his arms, kissing her gently. "I'm just very glad that we didn't go through all the nonsense of courting, either. We both would have been quite bored with the whole routine. However, I am very happy that you allowed me to make an honest woman out of you," he finished wickedly.

Alice smirked at him. "Well, if I recall, you seemed quite insistent, and when I said yes you Futterwackened quite vigorously." She smiled softly. "Our wedding was so wonderful. I don't think I've ever seen you happier."

Tarrant kissed her. "Are you forgetting when Arianna and Josiah were born? I nearly knocked Alannah down in my haste to get to you."

Alice smiled. "My Mad Hatter."

"My Alice."

Margaret blushed deeply as Blanchard led her down the path towards the White Sea. He had told her he had something very special planned for her. When she asked, he had merely smiled and kissed her, saying that was a surprise. She had now been living in Underland for a month, and had fallen quite deeply in love with Blanchard. She found herself quite enjoying the extremely lax rules of Underland courtship-propriety was quite unknown here. The first time she had been intimate with Thomas had been a week after Lowell's arrival. She had been very nervous-Lowell had not been the most exemplary lover. He saw it as her duty. She was expected to satisfy his needs, and that was all. He had cared little for her needs. But Thomas had been wonderful-very gentle, yet passionate. Later, as she lay in his arms and listened to his heart, she reflected on how lucky she had been. She wondered if perhaps she had been meant to catch Lowell cheating on her.

Blanchard led her to the end of the path, and she gasped in delight. Spread out on the beach was a beautiful blue blanket with a deep green picnic basket on top. "Oh, Thomas, this is wonderful."

He smiled. "This is only the first half of the surprise, Meggie." He led her over to the blanket, and they sat down. Margaret watched the sea, and sighed. "I always loved going to the Sea. It's such a calming presence for me. This Sea, though-it makes me almost happy."

Blanchard smiled. "The White Sea has always had that effect." He opened the basket, and unpacked plates and cups before pulling out the food-sandwiches, scones, and a tray of strawberries. Then, with a grin on his face, he pulled out a bottle of wine. "This occasion calls for wine."

Margaret laughed as he uncorked the bottle and poured her a glass. "What is the occasion, Thomas?"

"All in good Time, Meggie. Why don't we have something to eat first, and then all your questions will be answered." He laughed at her mock pout, then leaned over and kissed her. "I promise, you will be most happy with the surprise."

Margaret frowned, but decided not to push the issue. She selected a sandwich, and gazed at the White Sea as she ate. She was soon so caught up in the rhythm of the waves that she wasn't aware that Thomas had taken her hand until she felt something sliding onto her finger. She looked, and gasped in delight. On her finger was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. It was gold, with a deep blue gem set in the top. She felt tears prick her eyes. "Thomas, this is beautiful."

He smiled. "It goes with your lovely blue eyes. Meggie, I have something to ask you." He grasped her hands in his, and looked into her eyes. "Margaret Kingsley, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Margaret threw her arms around him and kissed him passionately. He pulled away, and looked at her, eyes sparkling in amusement. "I would imagine that means yes?"

Margaret laughed. "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! I love you, Thomas!"

"Oh, Meggie, I'm so happy for you!" Margaret had just finished telling Alice the wonderful news and she beamed as she showed off her ring. "That ring is so beautiful! You will be most happy with Thomas, I know."

Margaret sighed dreamily. "We want to get married as soon as possible. Oh Alice, I never thought I could fall down a hole and end up in Heaven."

Alice laughed. "Quite the mad paradise, but I know what you mean. I couldn't stay away. This place has a way of winning you over. And of course, I was pining away for a mad Hatter."

"This Mad Hatter was pining away for you too, my love." Tarrant walked up to the sisters, and smiled at Margaret. "My congratulations, Meggie. I hope that this marriage is infinitely better than your first one."

Margaret smiled. "Thank you."

Tarrant kissed her on the cheek. "You deserve this, Meggie."

"She said yes! She said yes! She said yes!" Blanchard came pelting into the Barracks, shrieking in joy, and skidded to a halt in front of Alannah. "She said yes!"

Alannah laughed. "Settle down, Thomas. Who said…" her eyes widened at the grin on his face. "Thomas did you…?"

He nodded, grin wider, and she whooped in joy and pulled him into a hug. "Congratulations! Oh, I am so happy for both of you! When's the wedding?"

He smiled. "We want to get married in the spring. I'm so excited, Alannah. I've never felt this way about anyone. She makes me feel…wonderful. Oh, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. I only hope that we'll be as happy as you and the Captain."

Alannah smiled. "I'm sure you will be."

"So another Underlander has succumbed to the charms of a Kingsley, I hear." Stayne entered the room, and grinned at Thomas. "Congratulations, Corporal. However, it occurs to me that a mere Corporal's salary may not be enough to raise a family on. So, I have something for you." He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out an envelope. "Here. Consider it an early wedding present."

Blanchard took it, a slight frown on his face. "Captain, if you are giving me money, then I thank you for the gesture, but it is not necessary."

Stayne laughed. "It's not money."

Blanchard opened the envelope, and gaped in happy shock at the contents. "Captain…I…"

Stayne clapped him on the shoulder. "Congratulations, Lieutenant Blanchard."

Blanchard grinned happily. "Thank you so much, Captain!"

Time had flown by, and soon spring arrived. The day of the wedding of Margaret Kingsley to Lieutenant Thomas Blanchard dawned bright and beautiful. It was held in the large main garden.

Margaret, dressed in a deep blue gown, stood at the end of the aisle, nervously adjusting the bouquet of flowers she held in her hands. Alice and Alannah, who were both serving as her Matrons of Honor, laughed. Alice reached out and steadied her hands. "Meggie, calm down. You'll end up tearing the bouquet you keep twisting it like that. And before you ask, you look absolutely beautiful."

Alannah nodded in agreement. "She's right, you know. Now, take a deep breath. Here comes Thomas."

Margaret turned and watched as Thomas walked up the aisle, and her heartbeat quickened when she saw how handsome he looked in his uniform. He stopped in front of her.

"Ready?"

She nodded, and they turned to face Mirana. She smiled at them. "We are gathered here today to join this man and woman in the bonds of matrimony, bonds that will never be broken. If there as anyone here who can give good cause as to why these two cannot be wed, let him speak now or forever hold his peace."

No response and Mirana continued. "Thomas Blanchard, will you take Margaret Kingsley to be your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold, to love and honor, until death do you part?"

Thomas nodded. "I will."

"Margaret Kingsley, will you take Thomas Blanchard to be your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold, to love, honor, and obey, until death do you part?"

Margaret couldn't stop the tears of happiness from her eyes as she answered. "I will."

Mirana smiled. "Then by the power vested in me as Queen of Underland, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride."

Thomas beamed, and pulled Margaret into a passionate kiss. As she kissed him back, she reflected on the wonderfully mad world she had fallen into, and the wonderfully mad life she was looking forward to living.

THE END.