Oncie glanced about as he heard the guards heading towards them again. He spun on his heels and made a dash for the main door, dragging Rapunzel along with him. Fear coursed through his whole body when a guard came close to snagging his coat tails. He dove into the stunned crowd, not letting go of Rapunzel's hand for a second. He heard the guards bellowing for the crowd to move aside, for someone to stop them.
He saw an opening ahead and pushed through the remaining mass of people. A wave of relief washed over him. But it was short lived. He felt Rapunzel pull hard on his arm as she went crashing to the ground.
Oncie turned and saw that her feet were tangled in her hair. He cursed under his breath. "Are you alright?"
She looked up, breathless, and gave him a nod. She tugged on her hair, trying to gather it up in her arms.
He glanced behind them and saw the guards making headway through the crowd. Then a hand from one of the courtiers tried to grab Rapunzel. Oncie shot past Rapunzel, gathering what was left of her loose hair. He scooped her up as well, making a second dash for the door... The door which had three guards blocking it.
He searched for another exit but knew there was none on this side of the court.
Crash!
One of the huge red drapes came crashing to the ground, billowing out over the guards. Oncie risked a glance up and saw Mund near the top giving him a roguish wink. Oncie gave him a quick nod and then bolted through the door, stepping on the floundering guards as he went.
He felt Rapunzel's arm grip his neck as he raced through the castle corridors, looking for a way of escape.
He turned a corner and groaned. "No!"
"What is it!" Rapunzel clung tight to him.
He turned and ran back the way they came. "I made a wrong turn." He could hear the guards coming from behind them now.
Oncie came to another intersecting hall and froze. He couldn't remember which hall led to the side gate.
"Psst! Hatter, over here!" The White Rabbit appeared from the shadows and beckoned them to a doorway.
Oncie was unsure. Could the Rabbit really be trusted?
"Check down that Hall, men!" The guards' shouts reverberated from every direction.
Oncie had no choice. He followed the White Rabbit to the door and down a set of steep stone stairs.
"I can get you out." The White Rabbit called over his shoulder. "We must hurry to the woods and then- Ooff."
Oncie came to a halt on the stairs as the Rabbit buckled from being hit in the stomach with the blunt end of a sword.
The head guard faced them. "Oh no you don't! There's nowhere to go now, Hatter."
Oncie felt the blood drained from his face and his arms begin to slacken. Then Rapunzel leapt away from him, heading straight towards the guard.
"Rapunzel!" He made a grab for her but before he could snag her arm she was in the air jumping over the guard, looping her hair over the man's neck and sending them both crashing to the ground.
Oncie stared for a moment- shocked. Then he ran down the remaining steps. "Rapunzel! Rapunzel, are you alright?" He grabbed the soldier's fallen sword as he went and kneeled beside Rapunzel.
Rapunzel was on her knees, eyes wide. "I can't believe that worked." She peered at the guard who was groaning and holding his head.
Oncie glanced from the guard to Rapunzel, then searched for the White Rabbit. The White Rabbit was also just beginning to stand.
Oncie heard the guards reach the top of the stair, and he made a split second decision. "White Rabbit. Take her and get out of here!" He stood and gripped the sword with both hands. "Leave. Now! I'll hold them off."
"WHAT! No! We're both leaving." Rapunzel jumped to her feet and gripped his arm. "We're getting out!"
He glanced down and met her gaze. "No. We're not but you are. Rapunzel, I already told you… my fate is sealed here, but yours isn't. I'm not going to sit back and watch you die. Please, go. Go and live the beautiful life you deserve…" He paused, searching her eyes, memorizing them, holding onto every detail of this beautiful girl. He reached out and cupped the side of her face. He started to say more, but he heard the guards getting closer. "Go on! Hurry!"
The Rabbit grabbed her hand and pulled her away.
"No!"
"Come on, girl! You're our only chance! Hurry! This way."
Oncie risked one last glance as Rapunzel and the White Rabbit disappeared down the hall. "Good-bye… Rapunzel."
He grit his teeth, grasped the sword in both hands, and then charged up the stairs, facing the guards head on.
Rapunzel tried to pull away from the White Rabbit as he tugged her further away from Oncie.
"We can't just leave him!" She couldn't give up on him now, not when they were so close.
She started to protest again when the White Rabbit faced her. "Listen girl," he said, peering at her over his spectacles. "You are the only one who can make a difference to the Hatter now, but to do this you need to get to safety first. Now, are you going to trust that we know what's best or are you going to go back and get us all killed?"
She bit her lower lip, trying to collect her thoughts. God, what should I do. She closed her eyes, trying to make a decision. The decision was made for her when an arrow clanged against the stone wall next to her head.
"Ah!" She stumbled to the side and gawked at the arrow buried in a crack in the stone. "Alright! Let's go, Mr. Rabbit." She gathered up her hair and ran.
She threw up silent questions to God as she hurried from the castle. God, why!? Why, do I have to leave him behind? Please, don't let him die! I don't want him to die. She felt tears brimming and tried to blink them away. She couldn't cry now.
As she ran, she her heart calmed as Gran's wisdom came to mind. "Rapunzel, God doesn't always do things the way we want them, but He always does what is best- for us and for others. Trust that HE is God."
Gran was right, this whole situation wasn't in her control. That gave her hope. She didn't get to decide what happens next but no matter what God still cared, for her… and for Oncie.
Her attention focused on the White Rabbit as she realized he'd been speaking to her. "The Queen's book is one of great evil! That is why the Hatter has been trapped here for so long… but you see it's not too late for him as long as he has you."
The reached the edge of the woods now, and the Rabbit hurried into it's depths. The moon barely gave enough light to see in the thick woods but she tried her best to follow the Rabbit.
"What do you mean, 'As long as he has me?'" She brushed a low hanging limb from her path.
"You must find him in your world! You MUST wake him up."
"Wake him up…" She paused "Wait- You mean he's still asleep in my world!?" Her mouth opened in shock at the news.
"Yes! He most definitely is from your world." The White Rabbit turned and gestured for her to follow faster. "Time works differently here than in your world. You and he are from the same world and the same time, he's been here for a year in our time but not even a full night in yours." He hopped past a fallen log, glancing behind them. "I can't explain it all right now, but you can still get out since it's your first full Wonderlyian day. You have until Midnight on my watch!" He tugged her along again.
"You must find and free the Hatter before then! Find him and wake him up! If he is still alive here he will still be alive there, but this all must happen before Midnight- er, well, and before the Queen finds him and has him beheaded. That too."
Rapunzel felt her head swimming with all the information as she realized how impossible this task would be. "But, how…" She shook her head, "Nevermind. How much time do I have?" She frowned in concentration as the White Rabbit glanced at his large pocket watch.
"You have five minutes by my watch." He came to a sudden halt in the center of a clearing in the woods. The White Rabbit turned and faced her. "It has been a pleasure to know you, Rapunzel. I hope you will fare well in your world. The both of you." He took a step back and opened the face of his watch. It began to glow with a bright yellow light.
The White Rabbit pushed something on the side and then re-wound the hands of the watch. "Hurry, Rapunzel, you don't have much time. Farewell, dear girl!" He pushed one last button and the light circled around her.
"No! Wait!" She reached out but was too late as the light engulfed her. Images from her time in Wonderland whirled past her in all directions.
She saw herself and Oncie being brought to the castle, their time in the library- another scene skipped by of the tea party with March & Mund. A close up image of her meeting with Oncie. She felt her heart skip a beat as she met his eyes, then a new scene, her meeting with The Cat, the scenes flew by faster now, she was meeting the White Rabbit. She felt the yellow light begin to fade and spin into the colors of Wonderland, faster and faster to the point she couldn't tell if she was standing or falling. She then saw herself asleep under a thick oak tree.
"There it is!"
For an instant she saw him, saw where he lay asleep near a wagon beside a dying fire. Then… the world went black.
Author's Notes:
Greetings Again, Everyone! Thank you so much for your reviews and encouragement of the previous chapter! 3 God has been and is doing amazing things with this story! I just want to say thank you for your support and patience for this story.
Again, a HUGE thank you to Rohans Daughter for critiquing and editing this story! Honestly, you're edits have been a huge blessing to me, and I can't express my gratitude to you enough! Please, everyone, I beg of you to check out her YT channel, and her Wattpad! She is not only an amazing editor but an amazing person as well!
And to quote a favorite author of mine, because God deserves SO much praise for this story and it's progress! "And to God Almighty, who has for now, blessed me with these!" 3
~Vi~