A/N
Here is chapter 29!
A soft nudge shook her shoulder. She had just fallen asleep and it seemed as though only a few seconds had passed. She peeled her eyelids back to glare up at her disturber.
It was Zim.
"It's time," he whispered.
Immediately, she was awake. What was it that frightened her most? Was it the urgency in his tone, or the fact that she knew where they were leaving to? She had a feeling it was both. She certainly had more confidence now that she knew Zim was serious about remaining by her side, but there was still the true problem at hand; they were going to face the Red Queen and end it all, once and for all.
They did not have much time to organize their troops, so they gathered a committee and centered a meeting in the main lobby. Zim attended to the details while he suggested that Gaz rest for as long as she could. It was not long, she found, as only a half hour had passed in the meantime of her slumber.
She swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Not fretting with her messy hair, she slipped on her boots and trudged to the door. Exhaustion was no longer present in her tense, tight body.
She and Zim ran down the stairs to join the others at the front of the castle. They pushed the doors open and Gaz immediately spotted the White Queen standing wait by the edge of the garden.
"We have a plan for strategy and defense," the Hatter explained. "I'll explain it to you on the way. Tweedledee, Tweedledum?" The TweedleDibs saluted him respectively. "Present," he marked off in his head. "Cheshire?" Cheshire Dog vaporized into view, sword in hand. He offered it to Gaz who took hold of it firmly.
"Can't forget that now, can we?" he smiled, his teeth reflecting the moonlight. "We're here for you, Alice." He placed his paws on Tweedledee and Tweedledum's shoulders. "We all are."
She nodded and they departed to join up with Tak. She smiled gingerly and ran a hand behind Cheshire's ears.
Hatter stepped into view, adjusting his trademark hat. "Nervous?"
"Not as much as I was before, but yeah," she admitted, "a little. You?"
"Ah, what's there to be nervous about? Just because we have a power-hungry queen right on our tails who wants to behead us doesn't concern me one bit," he laughed a little too forcefully. She crossed her arms and lifted her eyebrows accusingly. He shrugged innocently. "What?" he squeaked.
"All right," Tak called out. "Everyone gather around."
Alice, the Mad Hatter, Cheshire, Tweedledee, Tweedledum, and the White knights circled around. She crossed over and stepped up the stairs leading up to the palace. Her eyes scanned the faces of each individual.
"The time we have for so long dreaded has finally arrived. My sister is coming and she is more powerful than ever," she began.
Everyone fidgeted in some way; they shifted their weight to the other foot, they adjusted their bows and arrows, or they situated their armor.
"There is a rumor going around that she has finally acquired the Blood Diamond, which would mean she has the complete set of the four jewels. I am here to confirm this rumor. It is indeed true."
Murmurs and gasps fluttered about as each person faced one another in frenzied contemplation. "She is unstoppable with that diamond! Surely we will all perish! What will we do now? We need to hide, save the women and the children first!" The panicked statements were endless.
"There is no need for worry," Tak hushed.
"But, your majesty," one knight stepped forward. "Everyone knows that the Red Queen's power grows greatly with the possession of all four jewels."
"This is true, she will be more powerful," she nodded, "but that does not mean we shall fail. We can triumph and we can beat down this threat. They may strike fear into our hearts, but they can never take away our determination. "
A child stepped forward and tugged on her gleaming white dress. She peered down and smiled, but it quickly faded when the little boy said, "Daddy isn't coming home again, is he?"
She looked up into the crowd and saw a man holding his wife which cried in his arms. His frown was solemn, broken, but his eyes were strong and knew what was to come.
Her voice lowered tremendously. She nodded slowly, regrettably and said, "Not all of you will return. There will be losses, on both sides. You all have more courage than any other could hope for and with your sacrifice, you secure the future for our children."
Gaz glanced into the crowd at each person. Looking into their eyes, she found it difficult to accept that most of these men and women would not return. Each one had a life and a family of their own, yet because of the evil found in life, they were forced to put that all on the line just to protect the possible future they hoped to have.
"We thank you for your strength, loyalty, and the surrender you are giving us today. No matter what happens, the memory of this day will never be forgotten."
"My queen?"
She looked up at a man who stepped forward. He frowned and allowed the bitter tear to slide down his face, but stood tall and held his sword out proudly. "I am willing to sacrifice my life if it means that there is a chance for a better tomorrow."
Gaz and Zim watched as each person, one by one, withdrew their sword and held it to the sky, the blade gleaming. Tak sighed, shaking her head.
"I am just sorry that it had to come to this," she whispered.
"Tak?"
The White Queen had grown used to Gaz calling her by this odd name and nodded. Gaz stepped forward, still unfamiliar with the suit of armor she had been given. She squinted and stared back at Zim who blinked confusedly. She smiled at him before unsheathing her sword. Turquoise gems lined the border of the blade while the handle itself was made entirely from gold.
"I, too, am willing to die if it means that Wonderland is kept safe," she breathed. "We are going to end this tonight."
She did not expect the applause that broke out in thunderous waves. Tak grabbed her hand and led her to the top of the stairs where all could see.
"Our hero has come," she said to Gaz. To the crowd, she stated, "Violence is never the answer and I wish that there was a way that it did not have to come to this, but we must defend our kingdom."
Everyone chanted, raising their determination and voices above their doubts.
"We must defend our rights! We must protect the ones we love!"
Gaz was startled by the courage she felt radiating from the great crowd. Had she not been there herself, she would keep on believing that this courage only existed in fairytales. Though Wonderland was that of a fictional façade, the people and characters were still living, breathing beings. They could experience the joy of happiness, the burden of regret, and the agony of death.
"We will prevail!" Tak yelled finally.
The soldiers clapped and cheered. In the wild frenzy of fortitude, Gaz made her way through the crowd. She was about to make it to the Hatter when Tweedledee and Tweedledum jumped onto her. They hugged her warmly, encouraging her over and over again. They released her and followed the White Queen who was now seated on the back of a horse.
Gaz laughed and turned back to Zim who frowned, broken. She, too, grimaced. She walked over to him and took up his hands.
"Hatter?" she asked.
"I-I think it's finally setting in," he stuttered. He stared into her eyes with agony. "I may lose you, Gaz."
"Zim, you knew I had to do this. You said the only way to end this is to finish the story."
"I guess it just felt like it would never actually come. Now that it's here, though…"
The White Queen stepped off of her horse and retreated back to Alice and the Hatter to alert them that they were leaving. She stopped, though, and decided to leave them alone when she found Zim tightly embracing Gaz; for all she knew, this was the last chance they would get to be together.
Some things happened for the first time that night. One, Alice realized just how much courage she could actually have. And two, she had never before seen Zim cry like he did that night.
A/N
Whew, sorry if this was not a good chapter. I am so tired right now, it isn't even funny. Hopefully it was good though.
I know this may be random, but I was wondering if I had any Danny Phantom fans out there? If so, you should check out a story I wrote a while ago called Second Chance. I was going through my stories and decided to reread that one and I don't know why, but I just thought I would share it with those of you who didn't have the chance to read it. Not trying to brag or anything, though XD!
Chapter 30 will be up shortly!
