Lord Starchbottom entered the biggest room in the castle: the front entrance. There stood the Queen's elegant throne with flags on the side and back walls. The floors were still glittering and everything seemed normal, but Bashful and Lord Starchbottom were trying to be sly so that Hilda wouldn't catch them.
"So this is the throne room, aka the entrance room... there's a lot of name's for this room. This is where the Queen would sit and eat pickles with Sir Yipsalot..." Lord Starchbottom started reminiscing of all the good times as he smiled sadly at the golden throne with red puffy cushions. "She would read the royal mail... we would... would stand tall and strong together by this chair."
Bashful stood next to Lord Starchbottom and laid a hand on his jacket sleeve. They continued staring at the throne, thinking of all the great times they had with the Queen and just with each other.
"You know Starchy..." Bashful continued, "...this is weird to say out loud, but it's important and it's been digging up inside me for some time now... so... I'm jealous of you..."
Lord Starchbottom turned to face Bashful. "H-w- what?"
"Well... Yeah. You get to spend your entire life with Queen Delightful. She really really values you. I only get to see her when she rings the Bing-Bong Bell, and even then it's not really a lot of times..." Bashful sighs.
"...it just seems like... Well, since I'm so timid and easily freaks out by things... it seems like Queen Delightful doesn't like me the same way I do for her... And since you practically live with her... She probably...-"
Lord Starchbottom cut him off. "Are you joking? The Queen LOVES you! She is constantly wondering what you're doing in the mornings and then later in the day, when she rings the Bing-Bong Bell, she hopes you'll be there. She values you even MORE than me." Lord Starchbottom paused. "So... I guess... you could say I'm jealous of you too." He admitted as well.
Bashful and Starchy just stood in silence.
Bashful was impressed Lord Starchbottom was this honest. He always thought that Lord Starchbottom was hiding things from him and the rest of the 7D, so seeing this sudden change of tone calmed Bashful. Bashful smiled tenderly at Starchy.
"I've always had mixed emotions about you Starchy... But now that I've gotten to know you... you really aren't that bad of a guy." Bashful told Starchbottom. Starchbottom smiled down at Bashful with hopeful eyes, happy and proud that one of the 7D trusted him.
"Same goes for you, Bash."
Suddenly, loud and very arupt clanking sounds echoed through the halls. Bashful and Lord Starchbottom peeked behind their shoulder to see an irritated Hilda stomping her way over to the throne room.
"We gotta hide!" Bashful squeaked and ran away from Lord Starchbottom, finding a place to hide.
Starchbottom, however, was transfixed, confused on where to go. Eventually, right as Hildy entered the room, Bashful pushed Starchbottom into a hiding place, leaving him out in the open.
"YOU!" Hilda pointed a finger at Bashful. She rushed up to him and effortlessly picked him up. He squeaked in discomfort and started kicking her, but Hilda wouldn't let him go. Starchbottom watched in horror as Bashful was taken out of his sight.
"No, no, Let me go!" Bashful screeched.
Lord Starchbottom peeked out from his hiding spot to notice Hilda trapping Bashful in the dungeon below them only to hear... was that Queen Delightful's voice?
"Stay there with little Bo Beenie Delightful!" Starchbottom heard Hilda say, and that's when he knew exactly where they were hidden.
I HAVE to find Doc and the 6D. They'll know how to help me!
And with that final thought, Lord Starchbottom scurried off to find Doc.
Sneezy ambled cautiously around the hallway, walking close to Sleepy. "S-Sleepy..." Sneezy sniffled. "I-I I'm nervous... what if we never find Queen Delightful in time? Hilda will take over the castle for good..."
Sleepy shuffled slowly. He was getting tired, as he normally was, but that wouldn't stop him from his mission. Sleepy wouldn't stand to listen to his companion's worried cries. He cut him off. "Don't even say that." Sleepy yawned. "We WILL save the Queen and Jollywood right before Christmas! We need to."
Sneezy nodded. "I know."
They then heard a noise from behind them, and in worry, both Sneezy and Sleepy twisted around only to see Doc and Dopey.
"DOC! DOPEY!" Sneezy exclaimed in unison, rushing over to them with excitement.
"Hey fellas!" Doc whisper-shouted. "Have you seen the Queen?"
"Unfortunately, no..." Sleepy answered sadly.
Dopey whistled, telling them Doc and him haven't had any luck either.
"Neither have we." A disheartened voice floated behind them. They turned around to see their gleeful and crabby companions.
"HAPPY! GRUMPY!" Everyone shouted like before, rushing their way to talk to them.
"Wait... where's Bashful?" Doc broke their little family reunion.
Lord Starchbottom suddenly ran the corner, entering the hall they all were chatting in. "DOC! BASHFUL! HILDA! THE QUEEN! AHHH!"
Grumpy scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "What did he say?"
"He said: DOC! BASHFUL! HILDA! THE QUEEN! AHHH!" Happy mimicked Starchbottom completely.
Grumpy sighed. "It's gonna be a LOOOONG chapter..."
"I'll show you!" Starchbottom quickly regained posture as he lead all the 6D to the throne room. They all followed close behind, until Starchy slowed to a stop. He pointed at Hilda and then pointed at the dungeon entrance.
"So that's where Hilda's been hiding her..." Doc whispered to no one in particular. "...in the dungeon we only used one time!"
"When was that again?" Happy asked.
"It was when Hilda got her replication wand." Grumpy remembered. "Another frightening time Hilda ALMOST became Queen."
"We have used that dungeon before a few times... but it always gave Queen Delightful the chills, so she didn't like going in it a lot." Starchbottom told them. "But that shouldn't matter right now. We need to save Queen Delightful. What are we gonna do?"
"Hmm.." Doc thought for a while, rubbing his short, puffy beard. "I guess this only means one thing fellas." He said with determination. "We have to use our special talents."
Happy smiled widely. He grabbed his guitar, getting ready to sing his most obnoxious, yet adorable, song. Sneezy smiled smugly as he took his feather off his hat, ready to blast Hilda and Grim out of the castle with his powerful sneezes. Doc's mechanical hands popped out of his multi-colored hat. Dopey growled angrily like a ferocious wolf. Sleepy decided to help them with... moral support... or something... and Grumpy cracked his knuckles threateningly.
"Wait... what do I do?" Lord Starchbottom stammered.
"While we cause a distraction, you're going to get Queen Delightful and Bashful outta there!" Doc demanded. He glanced at all his friends. They smiled at him, giving him a slight nod, and Doc returned the gesture. All six of them then jumped out of their hiding spots, bringing Hilda and Grim with immense surprise and shock.
Bashful took at look at the ex-Queen's beautiful face. He then glanced down at Sir. Yipsalot and Squire Peckington, all three of them containing no energy nor happiness. Bashful sighed deeply, looking away at the ex-Queen's sad facial expression. "I'm sorry I couldn't fight Hilda. I'm just a... a weak lil' shy nobody."
ex-Queen Delightful took a glimpse at Bashful. "No... you aren't. Hildy is 3x your size. It's totally ok." She tried to reassure him, but the hope was nonexistent in the darkened dungeon.
Bashful then felt something softly touch his arm. It was a sudden poke, so it startled Bashful. His heart pounded so much he could feel it popping out his chest. "Queen Delightful... is there something behind me?" Bashful tried to say but was stopped short when someone cupped his mouth. Bashful tried to scream because he thought he was in danger. He kicked around until he heard a groan and the person behind him finally exclaimed, "Bashful, stop that, you're hurting me!"
Bashful turned around, still shaken, but smiled with relief to see Lord Starchbottom saving him and ex-Queen Delightful. "Starchy!" The ex-Queen and Bashful gleamed happily in unison.
Starchbottom gritted his teeth into a frightened smile, but quickly stopped as he helped Bashful by unlocking the chains and then Bashful proceeded doing the same with the ex-Queen. "How will we get back up?" Bashful asked.
"Duh." Lord Starchbottom said, pointing to a coincidental ladder laying on the side of the dungeon wall.
"Oh wow. How'd that get here?" Bashful questioned as he helped The ex-Queen and Starchbottom set it up to escape.
"Well when we got trapped down her last time, we thought the best thing to do would be keeping a ladder down here!" ex-Queen Delightful answered, "That way we'd never get stuck here again! Putting the chains here wasn't the brightest idea though..."
Bashful, Starchy and Delightful made sure the ladder was 100% secure and began climbing it to the top.
"What?" Hilda shouted. Dopey spat his tongue out at Hilda. She narrowed her eyes as she angrily ran over to him, about to throw him in the dungeon as well until she stopped straight in her tracks with the sight of Happy, Grumpy, Sneezy, Doc, and Sleepy. "GRIMWOLD!" Hilda screamed annoyingly.
Grim rushed over to her with their wands clutched in his hands. He threw Hilda's wand over to her and she caught it midair. The 6D separated quickly, right as Hilda starting blasting blue streaks of magic. Happy bounced happily around with his guitar in his hands. He began strumming loudly. "THIS IS THE SONG THAT GETS ON EVERYBODY'S NERVES AND THIS IS HOW IT GOOOOOOOOOEEES!" Doc began throwing bananas out of his hat and handed them to Dopey who scarfed them down and threw the peels by Hilda's feet as she ran. Hilda and Grim slipped over them and slammed right into each other.
"Ouch GRIMWOLD!"
"I'm sorry my monstrous sweetheart!" Grim apologized as he helped his love up. She growled angrily as the 6D were getting on her nerves. Grumpy pointed along and laughed at the humiliated Hilda. Hilda's eyes sparkled with rage and she twisted around madly, zapping a bright blue ray of magic right at Happy's chest. Happy flung backward, dropping his guitar and holding his chest with a hurt expression.
"NO!" Grumpy yelled, racing over to unconscious Happy. The rest of the 5D glanced around in dismay, their mouths hung agaped in shock. Hilda trudged over to a fallen Happy, Grumpy knelt over his body, and looked up at Hilda with enraged eyes as she walked over. "Why would you DO THIS!?"
"Why do you think?" Hilda shot back. She took a peek at the 5D's solemn looks before returning her attention to Grumpy. She waved her wand at Grumpy's nose. "NOW MOVE OVER SO I CAN FINISH HIM OFF!"
Grumpy didn't budge. He knelt his head at Happy's unconscious body and stood ground. Holding Happy's cold hand, Grumpy shook his head at Hilda's anger and warning. He wouldn't let anyone hurt Happy, not anymore. Hilda growled.
"Alright. If you won't move, I'll kill you both!" Hilda yelled, aiming her wand straight at them, ready to zap until she heard a strident shout.
"Queen Hildy!" The voice boomed, and Hilda turned to be face-to-face with a well handled Delightful.
"Delightful? What!"
"Hildy... put down the wand and give back the crown! I will not allow you to cause more chaos!" Delightful completely ignored Hilda's bewilderment. Delightful slowly dragged her feet, gaining her way towards Queen Hilda, extending her arm out to snatch the crown off of Hilda's head. Hilda quickly regained composure and zapped a small shock of light, hitting the tip of Delightful's finger. "Ouch!" Delightful jumped, sucking on her burn mark laying on the tip of her thumb.
"Stay away! As Queen, I command you to do as I say!" Hilda said.
Delightful didn't listen. She began slowly walking towards Hilda once again, trying to calm her down and get on her good side. "Hildy... why are you so aggressive? If you were nicer... we all would like you more."
Hilda rolled her eyes. "YOU don't have to worry about anything! You're Mrs. Queenie-Bo-Beenie. And once ONE good thing happens to me, you have to come back and ruin my life! Let me enjoy myself for once! Nothing ever goes right for me."
Delightful reached her hand for Hilda's arm, laying a tranquil hand on her arm. "There has to be another reason why you're so mean. What is it really about, Hildy?"
Queen Hilda stared into Delightful's soothing eyes, getting stuck in a trance. She stared for a while, feeling tears build in her eyes, but tried not to show it. Delightful noticed the tears almost automatically, so she began rubbing Hilda's arm in a rhythmic motion, bringing immediate peace. Hilda stared a while more before glancing down at the shimmery floor. She sniffled and peered back up at Delightful.
"I'M the bad guy. I never get the townsfolk attention. I never get any presents, or nice jewels. I never get a slither of kindness... and you... Queenie-Bo-Beenie... you sit here and act pretty and yet EVERYONE smothers you with gifts and love. And it's all because you're royalty. So I thought that I could get anything I wanted if I became royalty. Obviously the few times that's actually happened... it still didn't work because I'm still the BAD GUY! I wanted a life without the 7D and without you.."
"But... Hildy... if the townsfolk would still treat like trash for you being you... why'd you still go with this plan?" Delightful asked.
Hilda shook her head as she turned away from the watching eyes. "That's kind of why I took away their joy. This town is Jollywood. If they aren't Jolly, then they're useless, therefore they'd do anything I command. Which is why I finally felt love from someone other than my husband when they handed me gems and prizes." Hilda rubbed her crossed arms in vulnerability. Everyone in the castle was stuck in silence for a moment until Hilda turned to face Delightful once again. "How do you do it? How does everyone treat you like a superstar?"
Delightful smiled tenderly. "I treat people with respect no matter who they are. When I seem nice, people are nice to me."
"You've never been nice to me..." Hilda muttered beneath her breath.
"Well now I think it's time to stop this childish feud." Delightful stated. She reached in her pocket and took out a small purple box embedded with white jewels that sparkled in just the right light. Delightful kept the sweetest smile as she placed the box in Hilda's hand. Hilda gaped in shock that she was given a present from someone who hated her.
"Don't open that until tomorrow: Christmas." Delightful said. "I know you'll like it."
Hilda touched the small box, rubbing it as if it were a genie lamp. "This is... odd..."
Delightful nodded, almost like a bow, and looked up at the crown on Hilda's head. "Hildy..." Delightful trailed off.
Hilda sighed tiredly. Still clutching the box, she takes off the crown with one hand, and gently hands Queen Delightful the crown. Queen Delightful smiled once again, and placed the crown on her soft head. The 5D, (Doc, Dopey, Bashful, Sleepy, Sneezy) burst with joy, and Lord Starchbottom sighs with relief. After their small burst of celebration, Lord Starchbottom runs over to Happy's aid. Starchy carries him into the guest room to lay him on a bed and the rest of the 7D follow. Queen Delightful also helps as she runs to fetch an ice pack and whatever else Happy will need for his healing.
Grim walks over to Hilda with a dumbfounded expression. "Hildy... What are you doing?"
Hilda stares at the box, only halfway listening she mutters with tears in her eyes, "Just thinking..."
((Yay I FINALLY finished this chapter after not being able to work on it on account of being sick for an entire week. ;-;
I'm almost done with this story! I still have I think maybe three more chapters to write and then I'll be done. :) ))