Chapter Text
Maddox sat in that chandelier, listening to everyone around him celebrating his defeat with a tea party, oh how he despised tea parties. Waiting to hear his fate was absolutely torture. He knew Bridget better than anyone and knew she would not take kindly to him putting her precious daughters in harms way, especially Princess Red. He understood her anger and he couldn’t really say it was misplaced, he had tried to kill a group of high schoolers, it was pretty despicable of him and he couldn’t deny the gnawing guilt he is currently feeling. Watching all these kids having fun and bonding is just making that guilt worse, knowing he could’ve stole that from him. Stole their happiness from them like his was stolen from him.
He watched as his son smiled and danced with new found friends and he couldn’t help the small pang for jealousy, feeling like he should be out there, spending time with people that should be his friends, like Bridget and Ella. He missed his school days before he had seen those two girls time traveling.
The party was just dragging now and he was getting frustrated. He just wanted to know what would happen to him. He knew his head was safe and so was his life, but he was terrified of being sent back to the wretched isle. His thoughts started to spiral as he remembered what happened to him there, the hands all over him. The hands places they shouldn’t, forced touching and other things. He was spiraling deeper and deeper until he heard a distant voice.
“Maddox-“ Bridget’s voice cut through the haze of Maddox’s mind.
“Maddox, are you listening to me? The party is over and I want your attention for your sentencing” Bridget’s voice was cold, devoid of any empathy for the man that’s trapped and it made a chill run up Maddox’s spine.
Maddox took a deep breath to calm his mind before responding to Bridget. “Of course your Majesty, I’m listening and I’m ready to accept any sentence you deem fit for such a mad man like myself. Maybe another stent on the isle would do me some good.” He let a cruel chuckle escape him as he thought of how cruel she was the night it casted him out the first time.
He could still remember her words to him, how they lacked empathy, just like right now. He still remembered how she did not care that he had a young child with him, she casted the boy out too. Everyone praised her as this kind and loving Queen, but she couldn’t even spare a child from the horrors that await on that garbage heap of an island.
“I’m not in the mood for one of your half baked jokes, Maddox. You tried to kill my childre-“
“I did not try to kill anyone, I was trying to discourage them. I wanted to get them to give up their little mission.” Maddox interrupted with a roll of his eyes. He wasn’t a monster, he would never kill children, that was nonsense, he just needed them to give up. Obviously that didn’t work out in his favor.
“Maddox Hatter!” The queen yelled in a voice so rarely heard by others, one only used when she had been pushed past her tipping point.
Maddox flinched back from the yell, shielding himself with his arms. The last time she had used that voice on him he was carted off to the isle. He shook a little when the realization dawned on him, he pushed her this far. He egged her on and probably just made his fate a lot worse than it originally was.
After the yell, all the kids had made their way back into the throne room. Mostly out of curiosity about the yellow, however for two individuals, they were more worried about the Hatter’s fate.
Max stood completely still in silence, terrified he might lose his dad. He wanted nothing more than to build an actual father son relationship with his dad and he couldn’t do that if Maddox was dead now could he?
Red was the other kid who was more concerned for Maddox’s fate. She felt such a crushing guilt because of everything that had happened. Everything had been her fault and Maddox didn’t deserve anything that was happening right now. She was frozen in fear when she heard her mother’s raised voice. It was a weakness and she hated showing so much weakness in front of everyone.
Ella walked over to Bridget, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Bridget, take a couple deep breaths alright? You need to calm down before announcing such a big decision. Being in the right headspace is very important, especially when dealing with Maddox. If he senses something he can manipulate, he will.”
“That is not true! I’m not like that, and you know it Ella… I just did what I had to do to survive that wretched island. The one you agreed to put me and my infant child on!” Maddox yelled in frustration, he hated how everyone only saw the version of him they created. They never saw the real him, the one they used to love, the one they broke. How could they not see what they did wrong here?
“Oh it very much is true, Maddox. You’ve always been a master manipulator. Always been good at gaslighting people into believing like they did something wrong. Like you’re trying to do with me. We all know you deserved to be on the isle, more than anyone.” Ella snapped in a venomous tone.
Maddox took a step back from the bars of the chandelier, hurt by Ella’s words. He looked at this woman who used to be one of his best friends. She was glaring at him with a hatred that could only be described as a mama bear whose cub got hurt. He didn’t even realize his eyes had started to tear up at the thought of all the people who should be his friends, hating him.
“Oh don’t start with the water works Maddox, that won’t work here. You did this to yourself.” Bridget had finally spoken up again. Her eyes were void of any emotions, a look Maddox had never seen before and it terrified him.
Bridget took a deep breath before speaking again, Ella was correct, she needed a clear mind for this. Her decision had been made since Red asked her not to behead him. She had a nice dungeon cell that was just waiting for a mad little hatter.
“For your crimes against the crown of Wonderland, and putting the princesses of Wonderland in harms way, I, The Queen Of Hearts, sentence you, Maddox Hatter, to imprisonment in the Wonderland dungeons, until I deem fit.” Bridget declared in a powerful voice that made reality come crashing down for Maddox.
Maddox just stared off, not at anyone or anything, just stared. He should be thankful he was alive and not sent back to the isle, but he could tell just by Bridget’s voice, he wasn’t actually safe. The wonderland dungeons are also widely known to be a terrible place, almost as bad as the Isle of The Lost.
Bridget signaled for a few of her guards to come over, two to restrain Maddox and one to pull the lever and release him from the chandelier. “Be quick with it, I want him out of my throne room immediately.
Max was watching in silence. He was thankful his dad was somewhere he’d be able to visit him, however the boy wasn’t dumb, he could tell by his fathers reaction that the dungeons weren’t the outcome he was looking for and that made him terrified. He didn’t want his father to be hurt or to possibly even lose him again, but not to insanity this time.
“Red…” Max whispered over to her, motioning for her to come over to him. He needed to talk to someone and he felt Red would know the answers best.
Red quietly walked over to Max, walking the guards manhandle Maddox. “What’s up Max?” She had asked quietly to avoid bringing attention to them.
“What are the wonderland dungeons like?” Max asked her and the question hung between them, thick and awkward.