Blue Skies Prompt 28: AiW
Title: Ashes and Smoke
Author: Ranguvar42
Prompt: Blue Skies Prompt 28: Tis the last rose of summer/Left blooming alone;/All her lovely companions/Are faded and gone;/No flower of her kindred,/No rosebud is nigh,/To reflect back her blushes,/To give sigh for sigh.
(The Last Rose of Summer by Thomas Moore)
Fandom: Alice in Wonderland, 2010
Character(s): Tarrant Hightopp
Genre: Tragedy
Rating: K+ for a grieving Hatter
Word Count: 281
Summary: 'All that is left is ashes and smoke.' Tarrant returns to the burning Witzend during the Horrendevush Day.
He stared around the blackened and blasted heath that had once been a thriving village, feeling the gears that held his already tentative sanity in place starting to slip. All that was left of his home, family, and friends was ashes and smoke.
Tarrant took a step forward, his unfocused eyes a kaleidoscope of colors as his emotions ranged wildly from anger to grief to shame and finally settling on despair so deep it was nearly overwhelming. His eyes turned a deep black with hopelessness as he surveyed the damage, still fully unable to comprehend the true extent of the destruction.
He spotted his hat lying next to a pile of ashes. He didn't want to think too hard about what-or who-the ashes were, so he quickly scooped up his hat, brushing a small ember off the brim and placing it on his head.
Tarrant's eyes turned red with rage as he gazed towards Salazen Grum. "Ye will pay fer this, Bluhdy Behg Hid. I swear it."
After one last glance around at where he had spent so many happy years, he turned and headed for the Windmill, determined to wait for the opportune moment.