If the one were to rise
Only when the raven cries
Does one soul die...
The water. Donna splashed down into it. She gasped as she spotted the glass box surrounding her. She got up onto her feet and pressed her fingers against the glass. There was no use punching it, she knew that for sure. Her heart was pounding in her chest when the water was beginning to pool. Her breath quickened as it got up to her knees. She tried with all of her might to punch the glass, but it didn't work.
Soon it was up to her neck. Her breaths reflected off the top of the box before she took one last one. She went down under, squeezing her eyes tight for a moment. Donna pressed both of her hands on each side of the box. She hadn't opened her eyes but tried her best to concentrate. Magic was gathering in the middle of her palms. When she heard the crack her violet eyes popped open.
She saw her reflection in the glass. Donna looked so weak and helpless. The sight sickened her. The glass suddenly shattered and then reformed before her. She was no longer covered in water. She wasn't even wet anymore. Donna now gazed upon her reflection again. A mirror had formed in front of her eyes. She took a sharp intake of breath. Her eyes were...lit up.
"It's your destiny...Donna," the Evil Queen said behind her. Donna looked at her from the reflection of the mirror. She froze. This couldn't be real. She turned towards her grandmother.
"Why would you do this?" Donna asked. "You already tried taking over Ever After many times. It led you to your death."
"But it also led to my legacy," the Evil Queen grinned. "Now, I have you. You were born with my eyes. Not your mother's...mine."
"So what?" Donna muttered.
"So, it shows that you are valuable," the Evil Queen strode towards her. "If a soul as dedicated as yours, we can rule together. Side by side. We can change the plan. And kill those other three." Donna couldn't believe what she was hearing. This couldn't be Laura tricking her, this had to be real somehow. In a way that she didn't know about.
That was when she recognized the room around her. Donna was back into her own mind. She slightly grinned. "You think I'm stupid, don't you?" The Evil Queen pondered this for a moment, but she then smiled.
"Yes, I suppose I do," the Evil Queen cackled. "Just like your mother. She doesn't realize that she has been the cause of all of this."
"What? No. I am," Donna narrowed her brows. "I touched your old trap."
"That trap wasn't old. You see, my soul had been preserved in the skull. But, without a magic source, it was inactive. For years my grave rested in peace until the first day of school this year. Your mother conjured a single white rose from magic and placed it upon my grave. She was the one that gave me what I needed. With that little magic, I had been able to set a trap for one fateful student."
Donna put a hand on her head. Raven was the cause of all of this? Donna couldn't believe it. "There, there, child," the Evil Queen soothed, "It's not your fault. All that's happened to you. It's all your mother's fault. Let's get revenge on her...together." She held out a hand.
All of this time, Donna had been blaming herself, but it was all Raven's fault. She could've had a normal year if it wasn't for her mother. She thought about all of the pain she had been through. The possession, loss of friends, loss of Matt. Wait. Matt. Without the possession, she would've never fallen in love with him. Donna almost let herself lift her arm, but then she stiffened. "No." Donna shook her head. "Never."
"Your mistake," the Evil Queen scowled.
"Get out of my head," Donna commanded. The Evil Queen laughed. Donna lifted her hands. "I said 'GET OUT OF MY HEAD!'" She threw her hands forward, and the mirror shard followed her lead. They trusted themselves at the Evil Queen. All the woman did was laugh before Donna's vision went black.
The dragon had been slain. Lizzie felt weakness pulling her body down. Daring, being the tentative Prince Charming he was, had come to her rescue. He placed a supporting arm around her waist, steadying her. She leaned her head against his shoulder for only a moment, until she heard her son cry out. "Lily!" She had forgotten about her daughter's presence for a moment. She had ordered the Beauty-Croakington boy to protect her.
They both turned to see Derek lifting Lily off the ground as they hugged. Brandon and Ally both smiling near them. Once Lily was placed down, her bright blue eyes settled on Lizzie. Overwhelmed with the joy of her safety, Lizzie ran to her. Lily threw her arms around her mother. She was so glad her beloved daughter was safe. Lizzie always had worried about her little girl getting hurt. The only thing was, she wasn't so little anymore.
Daring put his arms around both of them and laughed. "So glad you're safe, my little flower." Daring kissed the top of Lily's head. Lizzie looked to Brandon, who was watching close by.
"Thank you," Lizzie mouthed. He nodded. Lily seemed to watch him as he rejoined his brother, Derek, Cassidy, and Ally. Lily went to join them. Lizzie and daring both turned to see Apple run into Humphrey's arms.
"I"m so glad you're safe!" Apple smiled brighter than Lizzie had ever seen before. Once they separated from a quick and small kiss, Apple looked him up and down. "And in one piece!"
"I got lucky," Humphrey shrugged. Cerise was embracing Apple Lizzie's view adjusted to see where they were. It was the dungeon. There, curled up in a cell, was Lizzie's mother.
"Mom!" Lizzie called. She ran before anyone else could turn their heads.
"Lizzie?! Is that you?" the Queen of Hearts came out of her hiding. Her place hands laced around the bars in front of her. Lizzie put her gloved hands over her mother's. It was real. She was really here.
"You're safe now, mom," Lizzie smiled. Tears fell from her eyes, smearing the red heart she had painted over her eye that morning. Lizzie didn't give the slightest care about it.
"For a moment, I thought it was going to be off with my head!" the Queen of Hearts chuckled. "That purple-eyed girl is the new target I suppose."
"Donna?!" Ally said with hope. Everyone was gathering around the cell now.
"Maybe I...well, what's everybody standing around for? Get me out of here!" barked the queen. Lizzie couldn't help but smile a little. Even in dire times like this, her mother was still commanding orders.
Daring simply raised his sword and broke the chain. It was a talent of his. The Queen of Hearts picked up her skirts as Darling opened the gate and walked out. She looked to Daring and tapped his cheek lightly. "Son, you've finally got some sense and shaved off that caterpillar you call a beard." Daring looked to Lizzie, who just shrugged. She wasn't sure if it was a compliment or a diss either.
"Good to see you too, dearest Queen of Hearts," Daring bowed.
"Such a charming one," she batted her eyelashes. The Queen of Heart's eyes turned to see Lily. "Ah! You let the little one come into this hell hall?! I thought you would have at least some brains considering your heritage!" She then hit Daring in the back of the head. "If I had my guards with me, it would be OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!"
"Mom," Lizzie took her mother's arm. "Don't blame Daring. We wanted to keep her close to us. Besides, she has her own set of guards." Lizzie looked up to Brandon, Hyde, and Derek. "Right, boys?"
"Uh...yes," Derek drew his sword. "We have been training for months."
"Wait what no we-" Hyde was cut off by the swift elbow to the gut from Cassidy. "I mean yes! We're bound to protect the um..."
"Princess of Wonder," Brandon filled in. They all tried to pose heroically. Lizzie was hoping her mother would buy it. She really didn't want her to be angry at a time like this. And the Queen of Hearts was very protective of Lily.
"Hmph," the Queen of Hearts nodded. "I suppose they'll have to do." Lizzie let out the breath she was holding. Daring winked at her, making her smile. At last, all of her family was safe. For now.
"Wait," Hyde stopped Brandon as they walked. "How did you turn back?" They were on their way to find Donna. The Queen of Hearts had told them as much as she knew. For sure, all of this was a trap for Donna. They had to find the skull before they did and destroy it.
"I uh..." Brandon didn't know what to say. Lily was accompanying her mother and grandmother. She stole occasional glances back at him. Her cheeks would turn a light pink and then she would quickly turn away. Derek, Ally, and Cassidy were also listening in on the conversation, so Brandon knew he couldn't share the truth. Before he could open his mouth, there was a screech.
Everyone turned their attention to the Queen of Hearts. "Can't you hear that?!" the queen looked around. Everyone looked confused. There was no noise, but the queen gasped. "Someone has broken my glass bowls! That's it. Once I get my hands on one of those little brats it'll be OFF WITH THEIR HEAD!"
"Mom!" Lizzie called as the Queen of Hearts ran off.
"Wait. Lizzie," Daring grabbed her arm. "We can't follow her."
"We should!" Darling protested. "There could be one of those girls down there." Everyone agreed and followed Darling as they chased the Queen of Hearts. Brandon was just hoping this wasn't another trap. He kept his eye on Lily, making sure that she would be safe.
Raven was running out of steam. Fighting Eliza alone was hard-she had been very skilled with magic- but with Fauna and her occasional magic blasts, she had to stay alert. Dexter had tried to intervene, but Raven protested against it. She couldn't afford the chance of him getting hurt, especially with her mother's magic. "Just give it up already," Eliza pushed, "We know your moves."
Raven grunted as she threw three balls of magic at her, then she did the same to Fauna. Raven hadn't used her magic like this since she had to fight Donna. But even that wasn't this extreme. She was suddenly caught in a standstill. Both girls pressed their magic to Raven. She was holding them off on both sides. She could feel her magic receding, making her feel weak.
Each of them stepped forward, making their magic stronger. Raven could feel the flames wrap around her arms. She was failing. "You're just as pathetic as Donna. She resisted too."
"Don't taunt me with her," Raven yelled. She looked to Eliza. Her eyes were the same as the Evil Queen's. Raven tried to fight all of the flashbacks that came to mind. The way her mother had gazed upon her before the life drained from her eyes.
"You know this is all your fault, Raven," Eliza smiled- it wasn't her smile, though, but the Evil Queen's. "You know it is true." Raven did know it. Her mother had spiraled out of control once raven didn't sign the book it was what lead to Donna's possession. Which lead to all of this.
"Eliza stop!" Matt called, "You can walk away from this!" The smile had faded away at Matt's voice. It was enough to distract her. Raven ducked as Fauna's magic went beyond and hit Eliza. She became stunned again.
Raven was about to finish off Fauna, but someone got to her first. A burst of purple-blue magic had dropped her to the ground. Raven looked up to see Ryder standing in the doorway, his bandaged right arm was holding an old spellbook, and his left hand was outstretched. Raven's jaw dropped. Ryder's did too as he gazed down at Fauna. "I didn't just kill her, did I?" Just then did Fauna breathe, and Ryder sighed with relief. "That was a close one."
"You have magic?" Raven whispered. Ryder straightened and fixed his glasses. Everyone stared at the Queen-Charming boy.
"Uh...I guess so," Ryder shrugged his one good shoulder. "I only found out this morning. Please don't be mad." Raven was shocked, but also...proud. Raven had been so afraid of her children having magic before, but now, she realized it could be a wonderful thing. He had just saved her life. She slowly smiled as she walked over to her son and hugged him.
"That's wonderful!" Raven cheered. Ryder laughed a little and he hugged back. Dexter wrapped his arms around the two. A small weight had been lifted off of Raven's shoulders. Two of her loved ones were safe.
"Ow, please watch the arm," Ryder suddenly backed away from them. Raven looked at his shoulder where a bloody bandage was doing a poor job of stopping the bleeding.
"Oh, Ryder, what happened?" Dexter reached out a shaky hand to touch the wound, but he retracted it.
"He saved Catherine's life," Hopper said. Raven hadn't even noticed him standing there. He looked like he had been crying. Raven turned her attention back to her son. She ripped off the bandage skirt that was tied around her waist. She wrapped it over the old bandage for extra protection. She would try a healing spell, but she felt so drained at the moment. Raven would need another minute before she could use a spell again.
"Really?" Dexter asked.
"I pushed her out of the way," Ryder explained. "Wade's guards were swinging their weapons about in the tunnel of briars."
"Huh, they shouldn't have been so careless," Wade crossed his arms.
"Well, where is she now?" Matt asked. Raven looked past the doorway, there wasn't anyone else present.
"She..." Ryder swallowed, "She and Briar were both put under a sleeping spell caused by a magical spinning wheel."
"Oh, Hopper," Maddie sighed. Her voice had dropped down from its usual high tone. Raven felt terrible. Hopper had feared Briar's sleeping spell from the very beginning. "That's..."
"I know," Hopper mumbled. "But, we're going to stop all of this. As soon as we find the skull."
"Well, we already have it!" Maddie jumped up and down. She pulled out her top and gave Wade it to hold. She put most of her arm down into the hat. Rummaging noises came from the small hat. Matt watched with wonder as she pulled out an old croquet stick, a rubber duck, and a teacup-which she took a sip of and cringed. "Oh, old tea," Maddie threw back the teacup. "Here it is!" Maddie pulled out the raven skull. Hope rose within Raven.
Before Maddie could hand it to Raven it was struck from her hand. Only this time, Raven didn't see Eliza or Fauna, but Luara herself. She held the skull and gently ran her fingers over it. She laughed just like the Evil Queen. "You are so easily tricked, just like your daughter. She thinks that when the queen returns with her help, will let all of you go, but of course, you won't be alive by then."
Laura walked over to Matt and ran her finger under his chin. Everyone was too stunned to do anything. Matt looked at her with a cold stare. "Of course, perhaps will let your watch yours." Matt swiftly slapped her across the face. Raven seized the opportunity to stick, but when she threw her magic, it stopped in mid-air. She felt frozen. Laura stood perfectly still. Her eyes were still on Matt's.
"That was the worst mistake by far," Laura narrowed her brows. "Now, you'll all have to pay. Once, the Queen of all Evil is back, there will be no hope for you."
"Go to hell," Matt said sternly.
Laura laughed again, "I plan to."
"Get away from my glass bowls, or it's OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!" the Queen of Hearts bursts into the room, followed by Lizzie, Daring, Apple, Humphrey, Ally, Darling, Chase, Lily, Brandon, Hyde, Cassidy, Cerise, and Derek. They all had their weapons drawn, except for the Queen of Hearts, who just stood with her hands on her hips.
"Isn't this just lovely," Laura tilted her head. "You all found your way back to each other. Now, the final quest can begin. Come along sisters, my raven's calling." Matt suddenly fell to his knees. His hands were clamped over his ears. She looked to Matt. "Can you hear it? The call of the raven? It means, she's woken from her trance."
Laura then turned to Raven. "I can hear your screaming too, the raven of the white rose. Never the matter, I have what I need." Eliza and Fauna both came to her sides. Eliza looked down to the wincing Matt with a slightly worried expression before all three of them vanished into pink flames. Everyone stayed in a moment of shock before Raven could feel her muscles move again.
Maddie and Wade helped Matt stand upright as his breathing slowed. "She's going to kill Donna. As a sacrifice," Ryder said between breaths. Raven looked behind her to see Ryder had fallen to his knees too. "Only when the raven cries does one soul die. That's what it means."
"What does what mean?" Dexter asked.
"The notebook markings, Catherine figured them out on her own," Ryder explained as Hopper and Dexter helped him to his feet. "The markings were a limerick. About where the skull was, and what would happen if we rebelled her coming back. Donna is the rising one, and she'll die if the Evil Queen comes back." Raven could feel tears beginning to form in her eyes. This whole time it was a trap to give her mother exactly what she wanted. She knew about it too. That there was a chance that donna could die.
"We're not letting that happen," Ally protested. "We can still do this!"
"We're all together now," Apple agreed with her. "We can face them all together."
"Besides, what else could they do anyway," Daring shrugged, "Nothing could surprise us at this point."
That was when they heard the soldiers marching.
Donna felt her tears flying off her cheeks with the wind. She was tied to the base of the top spindle of the Card Castle. This was where she woke up from her trance and after the small chat with her mind's Evil Queen. First, she had caught her breath and tried to steady her heart as she looked at the drop below. The roof was very wide, but over the edge, there was at least a 200-foot drop.
She mustered up all of her strength she had to try to burn the ropes, but pain laced around her wrists. What had they done to her? She screamed, hoping something would happen, but nothing did. She looked out into the poisonous sky. Was this what she would see last before the girls decided to finally kill her? Donna didn't really mind if they did at this point. She couldn't begin to fathom what they had done to Ally, or Ryder, or her mother, or father, or Matt. ANd the rest of them too. They must all be in danger now, because of her.
Pink flames appeared about ten feet in front of her, and Eliza, Fauna, and Laura had all appeared. As Laura laughed, Fauna looked slightly scared, and Eliza looked concerned. "Oh, girls, wasn't that just...perfect?!" Laura looked up to Donna. "Oh, Donna dear, I almost forgot you were here. We just saw your little dumb boyfriend and all of your family and friends. Don't worry, he's still in one piece... but not for long of course. I had all of the White King's guards sent after him."
"You little prick," Donna muttered, "You no-good, fairy bi-"
"No need to get flustered," Luara cut her off. "The main event had yet to occur. Have you given any thought to where your allegiance lies?"
"Yes," Donna grinned. "I want you to release me from these ropes so I can strangle you with my bare hands."
"Funny, funny," Luara set the skull down on the ground. There was a symbol she had drawn with chalk. Donna thought it was perhaps the magic mirror. Though she wasn't exactly sure. "Did you each get the offerings?"
"Yes," Eliza snapped from her daze and took out a small back. "The red ribbon of her enemy, the tea leaves of the hatter, and the violet feathers of the raven." She placed each thing around the skull.
"And I have the single white rose," Laura pulled it out from her coat. "There was only one in the garden. Who would've thought."
"I collected the fallen as well," Fauna pointed up. Donna looked straight up to see a pink bubble. There were two silhouettes of women Donna could only identify as Briar and Catherine. She could tell by the crown glasses atop of Briar's head and the perfect low ponytail of Catherine's hair. She gasped.
"Absolute perfection," Luara smiled. The purple veins crawled up her neck a little more. "Now, ladies let us begin."
The soldiers had obviously been brainwashed because they were using different fighting tactics than Matt had seen them do before. Darling, Chase, and Danielle were crushing most of them. Matt was quite impressed by the display. His father had even teamed up with Daring Charming to take down a few soldiers. Matt was never really good at fighting, only evading an attack. That was why he was so good at bookball back in the day.
Raven, Ryder, Apple, Lizzie, Lily, Maddie, and Ally were all next to him. They were figuring out a way to find Donna before it was too late. Lizzie was mapping out the castle on a deck of cards she had been carrying in her pocket. The others were protecting them so no soldier could hurt them. Matt's mind was overwhelmed. His thoughts from last night were suddenly becoming a reality as he lived and breathed. It was ultimately terrifying.
"Matt," Ally bumped his shoulder. "It'll be alright." He looked down at her and nodded. He could feel the color leaving his face. The color was mostly gone from Ally's too. Although there wasn't much there, to begin with, Ally was always pale.
"They would have to do a ritual to bring her back," Raven was looking down the spellbook Ryder had. "Is there any place significant that would be perfect for a magical ritual?"
"Besides the Headless Courtyard, I wouldn't know where the Evil Queen would want to be," Lizzie shrugged. Even Lily seemed puzzled. Matt looked to his mother, who was gain searching through her top hat. She pulled out year another teacup and kettle. Maddie poured the hot tea into the cup. She sipped it and nodded.
"Much better than that last batch, wouldn't you say, Earl?" Maddie looked down at the hat. Earl Grey, a mouse older than the hills themselves, emerged and nodded his head. The old mouse then hid away back into the comforts of the hat. Maddie reached in there and pulled out another cup and poured again. This time, she handed the cup to Matt. "For the mouse who creeps without tea, the foolish one is he."
In other words, she was trying to tell him to drink the tea to calm his nerves. Matt hesitated, but then drank the steaming liquid. Jasmine tea always cleared his head. It suddenly brought a memory to his mind. When he was in the mind with Donna and Ally the first time. He watched the Evil Queen get captured by Snow White and the Grimm brothers.
"Wait," Matt suddenly said. "It's where she was captured all of those years ago. At the top of the castle, where she first conducted her poisonous spell."
"That's a long way from here," Lizzie shook her head. "With all of those obstacles, it could take all day to get there."
"We're lucky if we have ten minutes," Ryder ran his finger through his hair. Raven's eyes were distant. Matt watched her closely as she rose to her feet.
"Raven?" Apple called, but she didn't answer. Raven turned to the fighting. Many guards were down.
"Get back!" Raven called to everyone else. They did as she asked. Raven turned on her heel and launched herself into the air. A loud whistling noise echoed across the hall before Raven slammed her fist down to the floor. The ground shook as a purple fire waved across the top of the soldiers. They all fell once the spell disappeared. But then, the ground shook once more.
A large purple dragon burst through the brick. "OH! MY WALL!" the Queen of Heart put a hand on her heart and leaned against the stable wall. It roared before sticking its nuzzle under the limp Raven. Weakly, she patted the dragon's head.
"Nevermore's still alive?!" Apple raised an eyebrow at Dexter.
"Magic," Dexter shrugged before rushing to help his wife. Matt had never seen a real dragon before. Nevermore's purple scales were truly ravishing. Maddie jumped up and down and clapped her hands repeatedly.
"I forgot about Nevermore!" Maddie exclaimed. This was the answer. They could get to Donna, but would there be enough room for all of them?
"What about the younglings?" the Queen of Hearts asked. "I'm not looking after them all."
"We're coming," Ally put her hands on her hips.
"This is serious," Apple shook her head. "This could be life or death."
"We need power anyway," Daring added. "Derek and Danielle, come with us." Ally looked absolutely frustrated. Derek hugged her goodbye before climbing onto the dragon with Danielle. All of the adults had climbed onto the dragon except for the Queen of Hearts and Maddie.
"I'm going," Matt walked forward.
"No, Matt," Maddie put a hand on his shoulder. "You're needed for the second wave." Before Matt could say anything in protest, the dragon flew off. Matt felt his heart sink.
"Wait. Second wave?" Matt looked to his mom. She was bouncing on her heels with a small smile.
Donna was release from the pillar. She fell to her knees from the weakness she felt inside. Eliza and Fauna carried her upright to her position around the skull. They were each in the main direction. Laura was nearest to the edge. If Donna had any more power within herself, she would just simply push Luara over the edge. But, that wasn't an option, due to the fact Eliza and Fauna were guarding Luara and that she was handcuffed.
She wondered if they were truly under the trance the way Laura was, she could tell they were going back and forth. Eliza would seem uncertain about some of her movements. As Laura began to chant in Riddlish, Donna found words slowly coming to her own mouth. In translation, they were chanting, "Come to us, our queen. Reborn your soul and finish what you've started. Call upon your power. Tie it with a bow, predict the future, and soar on raven's wings."
They continued this chant as the feather, ribbon, and tea leaves began to float. They swirled around the other in a counter-clockwise motion. Donna resisted her word, but they kept coming. She could feel her eyes begin to glow. The possession was starting to leave her body. Then there was a distant roar. The chanting stopped when Laura was knocked from the circle by a ball of magic.
Donna looked up to see her mother riding her pet dragon, Nevermore. Daring, Darling, Chase, Humphrey, and Dexter all dropped from the dragon's wings and drew their swords. Luara yelled in anger as she conjured card soldiers to fight them off. She then summoned a dragon made of thorns. It challenged Nevermore, and the purple dragon roared as it dropped off Raven, Cerise, Apple, Lizzie, and Hopper.
Fauna used her magic to conjure another pack of invisible wolves. She could hear the screeching and howls. "Give me back my wife!" Hopper demanded. Fauna drew a sword of her own from magic. Donna noticed her tucking the rose necklace under her shirt. That's what must've been kept Briar and Catherine locked up in their bubble.
"Changed your mind, Raven?" Laura asked. Raven had gotten past the invisible wolves. Donna looked up briefly as the dragons began to attack each other. This ledge suddenly got a whole lot smaller.
"Never," Raven threw her hands down, and flames ignited at her side.
"Eliza! Keep the chant!" Laura commanded, "I'll deal with the traitor." She threw a ball of magic at Raven, which she easily deflected. Donna watched as Eliza kept her head straight as she chanted. There was nothing Donna could do but watch.
"Try it again!" Maddie commanded.
"I can't!" Ryder grunted. "I've already tired the spell four times. There's no way this going to work." Matt had been watching Ryder fail at the transportation spell for about ten minutes now. They were running out of time.
"We just need to get to Donna!" Ally suddenly exploded.
"Whoa Ally," Hyde said next to her. "They'll handle it."
"They just want to protect us," Brandon added. He was leaning against the wall. Lily was sitting at his feet. He glanced down to her as he said this.
"No they won't," Ally pointed at her bracelet. "That's the only way to win. This strange magic repellent within the bracelet. Or it'll help. We're not powerless either. We don't need to be protected."
"That's it!" Ryder said suddenly. He was transported to the end of the hall. If I can see it, I can transport myself there. I'll have to be in range."
"I can get you close enough," Cassidy said before she changed into a black wolf. Matt was scared for a moment. He didn't know she could do that, but Derek, Ally, Hyde, Brandon, and Lily seemed unphased by it. With her wolf size, Cassidy could carry only two of them.
"Who's going?" Hyde asked. "I mean, for the plus one." Ryder already sat on Cassidy's back.
"I am," Matt and Ally said at the same time. They looked at each other.
"I'm her best friend," Ally crossed her arms and furrowed her brows.
"I'm her boyfriend," Matt defended. The anger was rising in both of them.
"I've known her longer!"
"I love her!" Matt snapped. Ally shrunk back. The anger flooded from him as a single tear fell from her eye. They both caught their breath. She then nodded. He knew how much Donna meant to her, but he needed to go.
Silently, Matt hugged his mother before climbing onto Cassidy's back. The others offered their luck for him. "Matt!" Ally called before they left. He turned to her. Her face was serious. "Please tell her that...she needs to hear it." Matt nodded before Cassidy lept from the hole in the wall. They were on their way to save Donna. He was on his way to tell her that he loved her.
"Stop, Eliza!" Donna screamed at the girl. "You can stop this!" The skull was beginning to rise into the air. It was almost done. The Evil Queen would return soon. She was running out of time. "Matt wanted you to stop last year because he wanted to protect you! You may not have listened to him then, but you can at least listen now!" There was no response.
Everyone was fighting around her. Donna felt too overwhelmed. There was nothing she could do as long as these cuffs restrained her. The dragons above were shooting fire at one another until Nevermore was smashed into the pillar behind Donna. It fell forward, tempting to crush Donna, but she was pulled out of the way. Eliza was on top of her, Donna struggled against her hold.
"Stop squirming," Eliza pinned Donna with her face to the ground. Donna thought she was about to die, but then she felt the cuffs released from her wrists. Eliza was helping her. The pillar crashed onto the platform. Everything shook. Everyone tried to keep their balance, but Donna was just trying to find the raven skull, but everything was moving.
Everyone who had been fighting moved down to the lower platforms. The only ones on the top were Donna, Eliza, Laura, and Raven. It cracked under the weight of the fallen pillar. The skull was falling towards the edge. No, it wouldn't break, it would complete its transformation. "NO!" Laura seemed to have noticed the skull dropping. She tried to use magic, but it only hit the pillar between them.
Donna dodged the debris, but Eliza wasn't so lucky. She got hit and thrown from the higher platform. Donna tried to grab for her, but she fell onto the lower roof where the card soldiers were fighting. Donna didn't have time to check if she had survived as she focused her attention back on the skull. She heard a growl and yelling, but she assumed it was the invisible wolves.
The skull was on the edge, surrounded by cracks in the cement. She couldn't use magic to summon it, then it would complete the spell. She would have to get it herself. With one lunge, Donna lept up to her feet and dove for the skull. As she wrapped her hand around the skull, the platform beneath her broke. She was going to go over, and fall to her death. She wouldn't even have a chance to destroy the skull.
As her body began its downward descent, a hand grabbed her free one. Donna gasped before looking up to see her rescuer. Matt's frightened blue eyes met hers. His expression, however, was calm. "Matt!" Donna managed to grin. She thought about how she had grabbed his hand before he was taken by the briar. Only this time, she wouldn't let go. Or she hoped she wouldn't.
"Is this a bad time to tell you that I love you?" Matt asked calmly. Donna let a tear of joy run down her cheek. All of this time, she knew he loved her. But it was a whole different feeling to hear the words escape his lips. Her cheeks heated up and her heart beat faster in her chest.
"That depends... if it's a bad time to tell you that I love you," Donna answered with a half-laugh. He smiled. Tears were forming in his own eyes. Her arm slipped from his grip, but their hands were still holding on tight to the other.
"I don't know if I can hold on much longer," Matt admitted. His arm was shaking. He couldn't pull her up.
"Then don't," Donna said suddenly. Her heart skipped a beat. The thought barely crossed her mind. If she died now, so would the piece of the Evil Queen inside her. She could save them all right now. Everyone that mattered in her life could live happily ever after if she was willing to sacrifice her own.
"You know I won't let go," Matt let a tear fall down his cheek. The sight broke her heart. "Everything's going to be okay." It would be, she knew that. She grasped the skull firmly in her hand as brought herself to something she thought she would never do.
"I know," Donna let more tears fall. She had managed to squeeze his hand. "You were my destiny, Matthew Hatter-White. I love you." She didn't have time to look at Matt's expression as she said this, because she closed her eyes and turned her head down. Her heart pounded in her ears.
"Donna, don-"
She let go of his hand.