Madder than a Hatter (Descendants)

The Mad Hatter (Edited)

I started across the bridge, walking right in the middle of it to avoid even the potential of falling off into the water. Uma may have been a sea witch, but I had a hard enough time on dry land.

"My dad is still on the Isle, I think. Either that or he's missing. If I find him, I've already gotten permission from King Ben to escort him back to his rightful home in Wonderland. If he wants to leave."

"Right. Sometimes I forget that you're also from Wonderland."

"I'm really not. I was born on the Isle. Down in the dirt, just like the rest of us. Nothing better than the spawn of a mercury-drinking madman. And also my mom, but she's largely irrelevant."

Uma tilted her head slightly, and some of her braids fell off her shoulder. "Do you know who your mom is?"

"Yeah, but she's past tense, so it doesn't really matter. Wow, the Isle has really changed since I was here last. Was this courtyard always here? Wait, no, it was here the last time I was here. Where is my father? Hello, father, where did you go?"

I wandered up and down the streets of the Isle, panicking internally at the fact that I had forgotten where my own house was.

"Something wrong?" Uma asked.

"I FORGOT WHERE MY HOUSE IS," I said loudly, frantically looking around and spinning in circles.

Uma reached out and stopped me from spinning. Then she pushed me forward. "It's literally right there. You're standing right in front of it. That's your house, right there."

As if to prove her point, a bouquet of rotting flowers hit the ground right in front of me.

"Hey," I shouted.

"Ho, stranger," my dad shouted back from the second story window, after throwing a second and third bouquet at me, each one slightly less rotten than the last.

"I'll burn your house down," I threatened.

"This is your house, too."

"Not anymore. Get out here and give your favorite daughter a hug."

"You're not my favorite daughter," he shouted, and vanished from the window.

I looked over at Uma. "I told you I had a sister, right?"

"You absolutely did not tell me that."

"Well, I do. A paternal half-sister. Her name's Ally. She's somewhere in Auradon. We never really talked much. We're not close. I guess she's his favorite daughter. I'm not really surprised."

"That sucks. I never had to deal with a sibling."

"I don't recommend it."

Dad came marching out the front door and stood a few feet away from me, arms awkwardly hanging at his side. I couldn't tell if he wanted to hit me or hug me, since he'd done both a couple of times.

"Why are you here, Madison? I'm perfectly content to live on my own. I don't need you leaving your life in Auradon to come take care of me. You and Ally left. You deserve good things."

"Dad," I said cautiously, "you are aware that the barrier is gone, right?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"The barrier around the Isle. It's gone. You can leave now. I came here to ask you if you wanted to go back to Wonderland."

He blinked slowly, still processing the first statement. "The barrier...is gone?"

"Yes, Dad. You're not a prisoner anymore. You can leave now. I can take you home."

"They made the Isle my home," Dad said, almost deliriously, mostly to himself.

I shook my head and reached forward to take his hands. "No, they made it your prison. Do you remember your real home? Do you remember Wonderland? You can go back there now. No one is keeping you here. Dad? Dad, look at me."

He was even more out of it than normal. On a good day, his mental faculties were out of whack, and on bad days, he didn't even remember he had daughters.

His eyes unfocused and refocused on me. "Maddie?"

"Yeah?"

"When did you get here? Is it my unbirthday?"

I had to hold back tears. "Yeah, Dad. It's your unbirthday. And I have a present for you, but you have to come with me."

"Oh? You got me a present? You always have the best presents for me."

I began to guide him away from our home, back towards the bridge. "Yeah. I don't know how much you'll like this one, but it'll certainly get quite the reaction from you, I think."

"If you say so, darling," the Mad Hatter mumbled.

I was having a very hard time not crying.