Among the hundreds of civilians piled into Heart Palace's massive dining room, among the suit families and White Imaginationists, among the skilled inventors and adept warriors – among all the people waiting with eager anticipation stood the queendom's most intellectual and powerful group of leaders. Hatter Madigan, his deadly top hat absent for once, still managed to look intimidating even at such a festive time. His daughter Molly, at his side, couldn't resist a smile while taking in the sheer amount of people in the brilliantly decorated room. Bibwit Harte, always so pale and flustered, seemed to have some color in his wrinkled face and outwardly expressed his excitement of the event. Finally, General Doppelgänger stood beside the tutor with a wide grin and patted his back, reminding himself of the tutor's former worried remarks on inviting this many people.
The guests, who had been feasting on the multitude of tasty wondercrumpets and tarty tarts for who knows how long, were beginning to wonder when this "announcement" was finally going to be, well, announced. The younger and less experienced Wonderlanders started conjuring up things to pass the time, and once Bibwit noticed the talking whales and acrobatic beavers, he deemed it necessary to initiate the occasion. He moved to the front of the platform.
"Excuse me," he started, loud enough for half of the room to hear. Whatever the civilians had imagined now vanished with a poof. "As you may already know, I am Bibwit Harte, tutor of your benevolent Queen Alyss, and I'm happy to say it's time for her announcement." His large ears flapped up and down: a nod.
Some cheered, and Bibwit quickly turned to shoot a nervous glance at his queen, whom he didn't know was ready or not. She remained seated in her throne, speaking quietly with her king. His scarred face showed hesitant excitement as he interlocked his fingers with hers, looking down and mumbling his uncertainties to his wife. It seemed as though they weren't quite ready.
Bibwit sighed – even the most patient tutor can feel a little agitated at times – and turned to bare the bad news to the audience: they'd have to wait a little longer. But he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, and Queen Alyss moved next to him.
"We're ready," she said. "Just a little uneasy." She motioned toward Dodge, her perpetually anxious husband. She held out her hand, and she smiled lovingly when he took hold of it.
"Honestly, though." Dodge spoke to her as if continuing from their hushed conversation just moments before.
"I think they'll be fine. Really." Alyss stepped up to the front of the pedestal, lifting her arms to gently silence the people around her.
The loud conversations, the eating of sugary treats, the rampant conjurings of outlandish things, the crying and wailing of small children, the snobbish remarks of suit families about the lower class – everything and everyone stopped. The room fell silent, and every civilian turned to their queen, whose arms now slowly came down to rest at her sides.
"Citizens of Wonderland, Boarderland, and every land in between. I have a very important, and very fantastic, announcement to make."
Even with his large, all-hearing ears, Bibwit couldn't hear a single noise.
"I never thought that anything could make me happier than I am now." Once again she reached for his hand, and once again he obliged, but this time with much more enthusiasm. "The years I've spent with my husband have been the greatest, the most fulfilling years of my life."
"Alyss," Dodge chided, uncharacteristically self-conscious.
Alyss continued. "I couldn't ask for a better husband. . .or father." She let the word permeate the crowd, let the word sink in. She could already hear the sudden gasps of realization. Molly, who hadn't been told beforehand what Her Majesty was going to say, stared in disbelief.
Alyss let her eyes roam over the crowd, smiling warmly at the happy faces. "I think you've all guessed it: We're having a baby."
The room exploded in cheers and laughter, in joyous shouts and cries of delight. Some of the younger Wonderlanders imagined tiny rockets in their eager hands and shot load after load of streamers and confetti, nearly blinding the rest of the crowd with bits of paper and string. Glasses filled with flugel berry juice were clanged, older citizens began to sing, and the Diamond suit family even clapped, despite their bitter feelings and initial shock.
After all the years of wondering, preparing, and the occasional gossip, the queen was finally having a child!
Hatter Madigan and General Doppelgänger, who had split into Generals Doppel and Gänger, clapped and each congratulated the soon-to-be parents. Molly pushed aside formalities and jumped into Alyss's arms, and Bibwit simply rested a hand on Dodge's shoulder, having already expressed his happiness early in the form of shamelessly crying while hugging the young queen and king very tightly.
But Bibwit's ears twitched, and he reluctantly pulled Alyss away from her exuberant bodyguard. "Mustn't keep your loyal civilians in the dark," he whispered. Upon hearing this, Alyss took note of some Wonderlanders expressing their joy of a new princess.
That was bad.
"Um, just a moment," she said, immediately causing a cease to the celebration. "I should have, but I didn't realize that you'd automatically assume I was having a girl." Alyss saw their shoulders slump, their expressions of happiness turn to looks of confusion. "Your princess is actually a prince."
Complete and utter silence. Dodge had known this was coming, and he put his arm around his wife's shoulder, preparing them both for the swarm of angry and opposing outbursts. The momentary silence ended when a lone Wonderlander stepped forward. "Your Majesty, what shall Wonderland do when you cease to be queen?"
Alyss thought for a moment, but didn't have a chance to speak. A gentleman from Boarderland moved forward.
"I don't know," he said in a surprisingly annoying voice, "I kind of like the thought of Wonderland's queen finally getting her act together. This place has been run by women for far too long. Bring a strong, capable man into the picture, and there wouldn't be so many problems."
The queen and king remained motionless, allowing not one insult to change their current dispositions. Wonderlanders from all over the room and Boarderlanders too came to either oppose or defend the offending guest, loudly arguing for everyone to hear. This continued much longer than anyone expected, as the queen and king were discussing with their counsel on what to do next. Bibwit was flustered (as usual), and Molly offered up her tendency to be violent with people who perturbed the queen. Alyss, disappointed and aggravated (and not just with the current predicament), decided to take a different course of action and for the final time stood facing the audience. Even the citizens participating in the near-brawl stopped to give their attention.
"What difference does it make," she said quietly. "What difference does it make what gender your next ruler is?"
"But this is a queendom!"
With a hard smack the Boarderlander was silenced.
Alyss ignored this. "I know that my mother Genevieve and grandmother Issa ruled Wonderland as a queendom, and I believe that with their hard work and determination, they made this a truly wonderful place to call home." She smiled, remembering the strong women she had the privilege to call "family". "But honestly, I think it's time to put aside our prejudices over a certain land's ruler and instead focus on what good they do for their people. I'm sure that's something the previous queens would have wanted, and I'm sure it's something that we could all grow accustomed to."
The fighting died down, the arguing dissipating completely within a couple of lunar minutes. There seemed to be a calm, thoughtful surge of approval gradually, yet reluctantly, making its way through the room, affecting each person differently. There'd always be bitterness toward the person in charge and even the children who'd eventually inherit the throne, and Alyss was aware of that. As she ruled a queendom, she received more than enough criticism and outright hatred toward her way of governing her people. She faced ignorant bigotry every day, and what, all because she was a woman? Well that was no more.
"From this day forward," she proclaimed, "the queendom of Wonderland no longer exists. However, that does not mean a kingdom shall arise. I declare Wonderland a joint sovereignty between a king and a queen, who shall have an equal say on every issue, whether it be a serious or completely frivolous matter."
No one uttered a word, but behind Alyss came the sound of clapping. Bibwit and the Generals, Hatter and Molly, and King Dodge all joined in applauding their queen. And soon enough, Wonderlander and Boarderlander came together to also show appreciation by doing the same, albeit still with disinclination.
People were still applauding when Dodge came up beside Alyss and took her hand. "I doubted you, and I'm sorry."
"No need," she said, smiling gleefully. "I just want our little Justice Nolan to feel welcomed once he enters the world."
Dodge, who'd smiled with his wife, now stood wide-eyed and completely taken by surprise. "Th-That name!"
"Do you like it?" There was the tiniest hint of uncertainty in her voice, something Dodge didn't always have the opportunity to hear.
His temporary shock faded as quickly as it had appeared and he smiled, wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace, and said with the greatest sincerity, "It's perfect. Absolutely perfect. Thank you." He leaned forward and kissed her, in front of a wild crowd full of Wonderlanders and Boarderlanders alike.