Recap: Eileen's in front of the Jabberwocky. Enough said.
Oh, and I still don't own.
"Holy shit," Mallymkun said awed as she gaped as well.
"This is impossible," Eileen murmured.
"Only if you believe it is," Hatter murmured in her ear.
"We meet again, my old foe," the Jabberwocky said in a dark voice that sent shivers down the Hatter's spine so he shuddered.
"Never met," Eileen growled. It came out a lot more confident than she was, to her releif.
"Not you, insignificant wielder!" the dragon snapped, "My arch-enemy, The Vorpal sword!"
"Enough talk," Eileen snapped as she cut off his tongue.
He spat fire and lightning angrily at her and she threw her shield up to protect herself, letting out a squeal of surprise.
"Six impossible things, count them, Eileen," Eileen began coaching herself as she ducked and dodged. "One, there's a world underneath ours that you go through a rabbit hole to get through."
She dodged another attack from the Jabberwocky.
"Two, Caterpillars and animals can talk. Three, there's a cat that can smile and disappear into nothingness. Four, you slept for a few years and woke up like nothing happened. Five, the bandersnatch is your familiar."
As she said each one, she dodged another blow from the Jabberwocky, who was furious, and growing more so by every second.
"Six," she finished, "I can slay the Jabberwocky."
There was only one tight spot that she thought it would kill her, but it jerked its head to reveal that the hatter had stabbed him in the tail. As soon as interference was called – or rather screamed – by the Red Queen, the two armies surged forwards to battle.
Eileen began ducking and dodging, and finally raced up a castle tower and stood firmly just before dodging yet another blow. She jumped on its tail just before it flicked it up angrily before it realized what it had just done.
"OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!" Eileen screamed with a mad smile as she jerked the sword downwards, thrusting it down as much as she could, and she felt it absorb her magic to help impact the blow and make a nice clean cut in the Jabberwocky's neck.
The jabberwocky's head went galumphing down the tower stairs as its body fell to the ground flailing like a headless chicken. It staggered for a few more moments as it landed and then collapsed dead, with a nauseated Eileen trying desperately not to faint.
"What are you waiting for?! Kill her!" the Red Queen screamed angrily and pointing at Eileen.
"We don't take orders from you anymore," on soldier said throwing down his weapon.
The rest followed wordlessly in suit as the victorious army cheered just before Eileen fainted clean away onto the ground in a heap. Hatter ran to her immediately, and lifted her chest up and began trying to check for a pulse.
"She's only fainted, Tarrant," Mirana said gently, "Let her rest."
Tarrant and the others were startled by the Queen's crown floating over from the Red to the White Queens' head, with Cheshire appearing to place it gently on his queen's head. The white Queen then proceeded to banish the Red Queen and Stayne, with the Hatter stopping the latter from killing the former with a small needle for a knife.
"He tried to kill me," the Red Queen said stunned. "He tried to kill me!"
She would repeat this phrase all the way to the outlands where she was banished to, while Hatter turned his attention back to Eileen, who was faintly stirring.
"Here," Mirana said lifting Eileen's upper body and placing the bandersnatch underneath it.
The hatter smiled gently as he moved a lock out of Eileen's face before going off on a small raised hill to go and Fudderwacken in front of all the others, who were laughing and smiling with glee. Eileen remained unconscious, and Hatter helped lift her back onto the back of the bandersnatch, and then kept his hand on Eileen's back and the other on the bandersnatch's chain just before leading it back to Mamareal.
"What now?" the hatter asked worried as he looked at Eileen's pale and sleeping form. "She must go back above, but what will we do?"
"We will go with her, the three of us," Mirana said wisely, "Each world of the prophecy that she is in above will send a leader, a ruler, a familiar, and a champion. A few may send more than one ruler if that is what their world's prophecy requires."
"If I may, I wish to go," Hatter said tightly, "I cannot bear to leave her alone."
"I understand," Mirana smiled, "You love her, don't you, Tarrant?"
"Yes, very much," he replied as he moved another strand of hair from Eileen's face. "I want to stay with her always."
"Even if it meant leaving your home and mother?" Mirana asked, and he looked up sadly and nodded again. "I will give the two of you the gift to come and go to and from Underland as you please once all of this is over, my General."
Hatter beamed as they went back through the castle gates to the welcome home and victory party that the citizens of Mamareal and Salazen Grum, who had recently escaped from the Red Queen, erupted into loud cheers of victory as they saw their queen smiling widely alongside their general. They all knew that their queen would never smile if her champion had lost their life, so that led them to assume that Eileen had collapsed from exhaustion.
The party lasted long into the night and well into the next night as well. Eileen never stirred, and one worried Tarrant Hightopp never left her side. Mirana was proud that the two had finally realized their love for each other, and knew that the trials and troubles ahead for the two were only the beginning.
Yes, he finally puts two and two together. I can't wait for the next chapter! It's the introduction (like at the end of all the Deathly Heroes series) that will lead into the next (or rather, seventh) Crossover.
Please review, my lovelies!
