Painting Flowers

The first thing Danielle did when they reached the Castle of Hearts was clear all the decapitated heads out of the water which surrounded the castle. Secondly, she let all the workers have Sundays off and their familys could live in the castle. She was pleased with herself because all the workers seemed happy.

"I'm going to make your dress." Hatter whispered in her ear.

"It's bad luck to see the dress before the wedding."

"Not if I make it myself!"

Danielle smiled as she kissed his lips. She then headed through the castle to look around. She found a large room that had a balcony. She wanted this to be her and Tarrants room. While cleaning it up there was a soft knock on the door. Danielle turned around to see Mallymkun standing in the doorway.

"Could I talk to you Danielle?" she asked.

"Of course you can."

Danielle sat on a small couch. She watched as Mally took her place on the arm rest.

"Mally, before you begin I know that you love Tarrant and I just want you to know that i love him too. When I followed McTwisp down the rabbit hole I never thought any of this would happen. Tarrant means the world to me and if you love him then you should be happy for him."

Mally softly smiled. "I know you love him and I just want you to know that I'm happy for you both. You are a great girl Danielle. I'm just sorry that I couldn't see that."

Danielle smiled. "Thank you Mally. Are you hungry?"

"I'm starving actually."

"Let's go get something to eat."

Danielle and Mally headed through the castle and into the kitchen. Dinner was already waiting for them. After they ate Danielle was shunned back to her room. No one wanted her to see the decorations for the wedding which would be in the morning. She went ahead and took a shower then changed into her pajamas. Once she slid under the covers she fell fast asleep.

A startling noise woke Danielle up nearly two hours later. She sat up in bed and glanced around the room to see what was making that noise. She turned to see that the doors to the balcony were open. She spotted a sparkling white figure waiting outside for her. Danielle's eyes widened when she realized who the figure was.

"Mom?" she said as she got out of bed.

She slowly made her way over to the balcony. Alice's ghostly figure turned around to smile at her daughter.

"Danielle, I'm so proud of you." her voice echoed. "Tarrant loves you with all his heart. I just wanted you to know that I will be at your wedding and so will your father. We both love you so much."

"I love you too." replied Danielle with tears rolling down her face.

She watched as her beautiful mother vanished right in front of her eyes. She stared at that same spot for nearly ten minutes until she felt someone wrap their hands around her waist. She slowly turned around to see Hatter's emerald eyes staring into her blue ones. She pulled his lips against hers.

"Show me the Futterwacken!" she said when he pulled away.

Hatter smiled widely. "When we get married I will."

"I killed Blaze and Andromeda. You promised."

"That I did!"

At once Hatter began to dance a joyous dance. Danielle watched in awe as he did this funny little dance. He finished it up with a bow. Danielle clapped loudly. She stepped forward and reached up to remove his hat. She placed it on top of her head. Hatter smiled down at her. He softly pushed her against the wall. Danielle wrapped her legs around his waist. She knew what was coming and she wasn't ready for this.

"I want to wait until we're married."

Hatter nodded. He wanted to respect his future wife's wishes. He grabbed her hand and led her into the bedroom. Danielle laid down on the bed. She watched as Hatter removed his clothing. This was the first time she had seen him without his shirt. He wasn't buff but he wasn't weak either. He slid into the bed next to her. She laid her head on his bare chest. As she listened to his heart beat it began to soothe her.

"I saw my mother's ghost tonight." she told him.

"You did?"

"Yes. She said she was proud of me and that you really love me."

"I do." he said reaching down to kiss her cheek. "Now get some sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow."

Danielle sighed as she snuggled underneath the covers. It didn't take her very long to fall asleep.