Warning: This chapter is filled with gore and intense scenes. Readers beware!

*.*.*

Frodo looked around Parker's throne room in shock. Blood dripped off the stone walls, while on the stone floor and red rugs were scores of dead bodies, beat up and bloody, with bruises and red stains all over their clothes, arms, legs, heads, and feet. The entire scene made Frodo sick. He looked down at the sprout, which was still green and young, growing slowly by the second.

"What the? What happened to my house?" Parker asked, shocked beyond belief.

Frodo gasped. He stared at Parker, shocked to see Parker was in his light red dragonoid form. "Oh no! You look like a light red dragonoid."

"What? No!" Parker groaned, noticing he had shapeshifted into his light red dragonoid form while traveling via portal to the Dragonoid Castle. He asked, while staring at his dragonoid form, "Why did I shapeshift, while traveling via portal? That makes no sense!" He growled, staring up and around the area.

Frodo sighed, shaking his head. Somehow, Parker was still angry. He wouldn't calm down. Frodo wondered if Parker would ever calm down. Then again, it wasn't the light red dragonoid's fault. He'd been through a lot, and now they were going through turbulent times. Parker had a reason to be angry, as Frodo concluded in that moment.

Parker stared at his throne room, his temper and bewilderment over the top as he observed the dead bodies. "What the? What happened to my castle? My home? Oh!" He sighed, his temper dissipating, turning into sorrow. "This was not meant to be!" he cried, his anger boiling. "Someone's gotta pay for this!"

"Parker, you need to calm down. Control your temper. Do something!" Frodo said, trying to calm him. Parker didn't pay attention, his mind too focused on the situation. Frodo inquired, "Listen, we need to do something. We need to find Eliza and Elijah, and get to the bottom of this."

"Eliza's not here?" Parker asked, frightened. "She was supposed to be here. Where is she?"

Frodo approached Parker, grabbing his arm. "Listen, we're not going to do anything standing around. We need a plan. We need to get out of here as soon as possible. Do you think you can stand?"

"This wasn't meant to be. Life would go on. All would be peaceful," Parker said, horrified. He pointed out the dead bodies. "These are my servants. The cooks and chefs. They had family, friends. And there, Mistress Halide, she had someone to love, who loved her." He grimaced at the thought of seeing more dead bodies in the castle. He rushed from the scene, jerking away from Frodo as he ran out of throne room. "I need to find Eliza! Eliza, where are you?"

Frodo shook his head, patting his legs in dismay. "This wasn't supposed to happen!" He told Ronnie, who observed the dead bodies. "We were meant to come here. And now, this. Do you think something happened, while we were gone?"

"I don't know. There's so many dead bodies," Ronnie said, gulping. He looked at Frodo, telling him, "We can't stay here. Blackburg Castle is a safe refuge. We could go there. It'll be safe. Safe from all these dead bodies. Why are we talking in here?"

"Ronnie, take me out of here," Frodo said, feeling like he would faint.

Ronnie approached him, grabbed his hand, and leading him away from the throne room. "We'll be fine. Just as long as no one summons the dead, we'll be fine."

"That's what I'm afraid of—" Frodo's ears perked up at an unfamiliar sound. As soon as he and Ronnie reached the door to the throne room, a low moaning sound came from somewhere in the crowd of dead bodies. He looked back at the throne room at the same time as Ronnie, stunned and horrified by what he saw.

A dead arm rose, followed by other arms creaking and cracking as they were joined by other limbs, chests, heads, and other body parts. Frodo screamed as one dead hand grabbed his ankle. He pulled away, with help from Ronnie, who backed him up against a wall in the hallway. Frodo and Ronnie stared by the scene, petrified by what they saw. The zombies were awake and staring them down. They weren't moving, only staring hungrily at them.

Frodo didn't know what to do. The dead… rose. There was Mistress Halide, a woman with silvery-white hair tied back into a ponytail. She wore a tattered dark brown dress with a white apron attached, stained with dried and wet red blood. She looked at him in a hungry way. She let out a deathly scream, as did the other zombies, all cackling, all wanting something to eat. Something alive. Frodo couldn't stand this. He gulped, unsure what to do. Should he run? He didn't know. He was frozen, unable to move. Hot sweat beaded down his forehead, neck, and chest. He didn't know if he could take all these zombies.

"Come on," Ronnie said, getting his attention, "Frodo, we have to go. We have to find Parker Dooley."

Frodo nodded, following Ronnie at a run down the hallway. Frodo looked back at the throne room, in time to see the zombies move quickly towards him. He tumbled, falling to the floor in due time. He looked around, meeting Mistress Halide's gaze. Her eyes screamed red with fury, while she screamed at him, leaving him horror-stricken and afraid.

"Come on!" Ronnie cried, getting Frodo on his feet. They kept running, searching for Parker Dooley, in hopes of getting out of the castle in one piece. But where was Parker when they needed him? Where could they go from here?

.

Parker looked around the second floor, searching for his beloved Eliza. She must be here! Surely, she wouldn't leave him, not when they were so close to finding a way to stop this curse?

Oh, why did he become so angry? Well, his beloved home was now filled with dead bodies, the walls red with blood, and his best friend, Frodo Baggins, had returned to his life. Maranguan was back and made him feel worse just knowing he was back… so yeah, Parker had a reason to be angry, especially with Maleficent's curse coming.

He opened a door, checking his and Eliza's bedroom. Eliza wasn't in there. Where—Where did she go?

"Eliza, you in here?" Parker called, checking to make sure she wasn't hiding. No. She was gone. And Frodo and Ronnie… had he forgotten them? Oh dear!

Go check on them. They need you! Maranguan said, in Parker's mind, encouraging him to look for his friends.

"I know," Parker said, hissing. "Damn it. Where are they?"

"Parker!" Frodo rushed towards the light red dragonoid, grabbing his arms. "I'm glad I found you. Zombies… are everywhere. We barely escaped." He looked around, right as Ronnie showed up behind him.

Frodo remembered learning about zombies from teaching his history class, only at the time when he believed them to be a myth. That was his old life. In the life he remembered, he and Parker had an encounter with zombies before this time.

.

Back in the Second Age, in the Land of Hobbits and Dwarves, Frodo was busy teaching ten-year-old Andalas how to fish. Andalas resembled Frodo and Parker in Parker's human/hobbit form, even when Andalas was a hobbit lad. Frodo looked up, upon seeing Parker arrive on his speeder bike, before the Dwarf Mines. It was clear from Parker's expression that something was up.

"Frodo, I found a cave. It's near the Dwarf Mines. We should be back in time for lunch," Parker said, intriguing him.

Frodo looked at Andalas, saying, "Stay with your foster parents. I'll be back."

"You will?" Andalas asked, as his foster parents approached.

Frodo nodded, "I will. Don't worry. You'll be safe."

"Okay," Andalas said, as his foster father patted him on the shoulder.

"Right," Frodo said, mounting Parker's speeder bike, sitting just behind the light red dragonoid.

"Hang on. This could get rough," Parker said, driving his speeder bike away from the Dwarf Mines. It took a few hours before he and Frodo reached the yawning cave. The cave looked uninhabited. As far as Parker knew, anything could lurk inside this cave.

He dismounted from the bike, at the same time as Frodo, who stumbled on his way towards the cave. At last, he and Parker stopped in front of the cave's entrance, surprised to see a winding tunnel leading into a wide chasm, filled with brown stalactites and stalagmites. The water was green, slimy, and ran in parallel lines inside the cave. Frodo gulped, unsure what to say.

"Come on. We'd better explore, while we can. I've heard there's a zipline that connects this tunnel to the rest of the chasm," Parker said, making his way inside.

"Don't wait up," Frodo said, following Parker inside the cave. Upon reaching the chasm, Frodo saw a long rope, with two wooden handlebars, near a ledge on the other side of the cave. He sighed, wondering what the zipline was used for. "So, this is a zipline."

"That's right," Parker stated. "It's been a long time since I saw one used. I didn't expect to find one here. I wonder what's its use is."

"Just hope we don't run into anything dangerous," Frodo said, worriedly.

Parker laughed. "Oh please! What could possibly be lurking in here?" He shook his head, wondering when he would ever get enough of this place.

A low groan sent shivers up Parker's spine. They weren't alone. Something was moving towards them. More than one, for there was a whole crowd of people with glazed eyes and covered in blood. Parker jumped in shock. They were zombies! They had to be! What else could they be?

"Frodo, we need to move!" Parker cried, grabbing Frodo's collar for a second, as the light red dragonoid made his way towards the stairs, heading to the ledge, where the zipline was.

"What?" Frodo asked, shocked to see the zombies. He heard of wights in this land, zombies they were called here, but he didn't expect to see them until now. It made his blood run cold. He had to escape! He had to! But how? "Parker! Oh Parker, where are you?" He looked around, searching for the light red dragonoid.

"I'm here! This way!" Parker cried from the ledge, getting the poor hobbit's attention.

Frodo looked up, right as a zombie reached him. Frodo let out a piercing scream, darting past the zombies and heading towards the stairs. He wasted no time climbing up the stairs, before the zombies got to him. By the time he reached the ledge, Parker changed form. He became a human/hobbit, resembling Frodo in every way, except for personality.

"You look good," Frodo said, answering the human/hobbit's question.

"Yes," Parker's thoughts were interrupted by a zombie's groan. He looked at Frodo, telling him, hastily, "We have no time! Grab on!" Parker grabbed one of the zipline's wooden handlebars and passed it to Frodo. "Frodo, when I say go, you jump. Ready?"

Frodo got a good grip of the handlebar, holding on. He nodded, ready to jump. "I'm ready."

"Go!" Parker shouted, right as Frodo winced.

Frodo leapt down from the ledge, holding onto the handlebar as he swung low, heading towards the zombies. Frodo move his legs up towards his chest, keeping the zombies off him as he neared the cave tunnel. One zombie attempted to grab his ankle, making Frodo jump, nearly losing his grip on the handlebar. At last! Frodo made it to the end, his feet dangling a few inches from the ground.

Frodo released his grip on the handlebar, jumping down long enough to check how bruised his fingers were. They were fine. Just sore. He sucked his fingers, in an attempt to ease the pain, as he heard moans coming from the zombies.

Frodo looked back, stunned to see the zombies weren't following him, but were staring him down, hungrily at him. Frodo chuckled, petrified that he wouldn't be safe from the zombies, if they reached out to grab him. Frodo looked up, right as Parker slid down the zipline, holding onto the second wooden handlebar and careening towards the gentle-hobbit. Frodo jumped when Parker reached him, watching him as he neared the end of the zipline and jumped down, on wobbly feet, towards the dark brown, dirt ground.

Parker transformed back into a light red dragonoid as he leapt down from the handlebar, his mind dizzy from the experience. "Whoo! Yeah!" He looked at Frodo, saying, "Let's not do that again!"

Frodo nodded. "Agreed. Let's leave." He stared at zombies, who moaned at him to stay put, so they could grab him. He had enough. It was time to move on.

As he and Parker climbed out of the cave, back to civilization and to the sunlight, Frodo said, "Frankly, those wights were scary. I hope we don't have to see those creatures again."

He was sorely mistaken, for the Third Age would present its own problems for him, Parker, and Frodo's ancestor, Ronnie Baggins.

.

Frodo's mind returned to the present, as a low groaning sound pierced his ears. He wasn't the only one who heard it. Parker's long, furry, red ears picked up on the sound. They and Ronnie stared at the hallway. Something was coming.

"They're close," Parker said, gruffly, not liking this. He turned to Frodo and Ronnie, telling them, "Get inside. I'll barricade the door with a shield. It should keep the zombies out for a while."

"And if it doesn't work?" Ronnie asked, alarmed.

"We run," Parker said, gesturing for them to head inside his and Eliza's bedroom. Frodo nodded, pulling Ronnie inside the bedroom, while Parker made his way inside. Parker closed the doors, locking them in an instant. He waved his hands at the door. A blue light rippled across the door, forming a shield, keeping the zombies from entering the room. It wasn't the best plan, but it was worth it.

"How did the zombies get here? Do you know?" Parker asked Frodo and Ronnie, facing them with worried eyes. "This wasn't supposed to happen!"

"We know," Ronnie said, trying to calm him.

"I mean, zombies in my castle," Parker huffed, taking a seat on the bed stool, while he tried to relax. It wasn't working. His mind had a surge of questions to ask, with no real answers.

Frodo gulped, telling Parker, "We saw Mistress Halide. She's a zombie. I'm sorry. I don't know what else to do."

"All right, who's responsible for this? There has to be a reason," Parker said, getting up and pacing the room. The doors banged. Parker jumped at the sound, thinking that the zombies were by the door. Bright light emitted from the door, sending the zombies hurtling on the other side. He didn't know what else to do. There wasn't much time to spare.

"We have to do something! We—of course," Parker turned his gaze to an oval-shaped mirror. It showed a woman with her hair in a bun. She was dressed in a black dress, informing the zombies to move towards the Dragonoid Castle. She had their hearts. Parker wanted to break the mirror and attack her, only as he smacked the glass, the image went away. He knew that woman from the stories. "Cora. She lives in the Enchanted Forest, in another dimension. The Queen of Hearts is responsible."

"The Queen of Hearts?" Frodo asked, hearing about her.

"She's from the stories. 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Through the Looking-Glass'. There's two Queen of Hearts, and this one doesn't come from this dimension," Parker said, worriedly.

"What can we do?" Ronnie asked. "If she comes from an alternate dimension, then that would spell doom for us."

Parker shook his head, saying, "No, we need to leave. This mirror may give us the answers we need." He faced the mirror, asking, "Show me Eliza Bowler-Dooley and Elijah Molvaro." The mirror's image changed, revealing Eliza and Elijah in Parker and Eliza's bedroom. They were by the same mirror that Parker and his descendants were at. Eliza and Elijah looked back, warningly. They knew it was hard, but they had to go. Elijah coaxed Parker's wife to go.

"They'll find us at Blackburg Castle. Trust me," Elijah told Eliza in the mirror's image, referring to Parker, Maranguan, Ronnie, and Frodo.

"I know. I hope Parker finds us soon," Eliza said, in her brunette-haired, green-eyed, pale-skinned human form. She was dressed in a dark blue royal dress and looked elegant. She looked back, as Elijah made his way through the mirror first. He extended his hand out to her, hoping she would take it. Eliza sighed, taking one final look at the room, before taking Elijah's hand and stepping through the mirror.

The mirror's image faded, leaving Parker's reflection in the mirror's glass. Parker slammed his fist into the mirror, nearly breaking it as he thought back to how he wanted the mirror repaired. To his relief, the mirror repaired itself, leaving him wondering why he asked such a thing.

He sighed, watching the mirror show him Blackburg Castle, with its black stone walls and open foyer. He nodded, looking at Frodo and Ronnie as he said, "Then that's where we'll go. Blackburg Castle, here we come."

Bang! Parker jumped back at the same time as Frodo and Ronnie. The zombies wanted to come through. They had no more time. Parker looked at Frodo and Ronnie, telling them, "You go first. I'll follow."

"Right," Ronnie said, making his way through the mirror first.

Frodo looked at Parker, telling him, "Hurry. Okay?"

Parker nodded. "I will. Go. Go!"

Frodo nodded, making his way through the mirror's portal. Parker took one final look at his and Eliza's bedroom, sad to see it go. He would miss it. He would miss Dragonoid Castle and the Dragonoid Realm. Still, it was time to leave. He took one last look at the doors, as they opened, before heading through the mirror's portal, vanishing from the realm and the castle, as Cora made her way through the doorway, with her zombies staying in the hallway for safe keeping.

By the time she was in the room, the mirror's portal vanished, leaving it in the same place it was when Parker first looked into the mirror. "Damn," Cora hissed, not enjoying this. She smirked, telling the mirror, "wherever you are, I will find you. Mark my words, I will find you both," she said, referring to Parker Dooley and Frodo Baggins, "Wait and see."

.

Parker didn't know how long he'd been through the mirror's portal. The next thing he knew, he was inside Blackburg Castle, with nowhere else to go but up.

*.*.*

References:

Cora is the Queen of Hearts in ABC's television shows, "Once Upon a Time" and "Once Upon a Time in Wonderland".