The Melancholy of Wonderland

The Beginning of a Revolution

"Father, Mother, I am going to the City of Aces and neither of you can stop me!" Emilio said defiantly.

He didn't care if his parents disapproved. His friend needed help, and he was going to aid in her rebellion. He was done with being told what he could and couldn't do all because of a rulebook set by a lying queen.

"Emilio, by the order of the Code I order you to stop. The Outer Book of the Code of the Heart states that children must always obey their parents until they become of age," Anthony said authoritatively.

"I am going," Emilio said. "This is what I believe in, Father. My convictions are stronger than the queen's law. I will fight for what I think is right. Try to stop me." Emilio turned to leave, slinging his pack over his shoulder.

"Will you really disobey the Code!?" his mother gasped.

"If that is what it comes down to, then yes," Emilio said solemnly. He started walking out of the village and never looked back. "Many other people are leaving as well," he called. "Rebellion is within our grasp. It is no longer merely a distant dream. And do not worry. Once this is all over, we will be the ones emerging victorious."

"What am I forgetting? Pocketwatch, check. Carrots, check. Jacket, check. Looks like I have everything! Do not worry, Taylor, I will not forget where I am supposed to go!" Whitney sucked in a breath and placed her teacup down on the table. Not on a saucer. "Okay, time to go help Anya!"

Whitney shifted into her rabbit form and dashed out of her cottage. Along the way to the City of Aces, she saw many signs of rebellion. Vandalized posters of the queen. Graffiti reading DOWN WITH THE QUEEN OF HEARTS. Scattered remains of the queen's soldiers. They all served as reminders of what she had to do and where she was going. Whitney wasn't going to forget any time soon. She even saw small skirmishes in poorer areas. Looks like Anya was making her moves already.

"What an interesting turn of events." Fiona yawned and purred. "I might as well see how things are going to turn out and help little Anya while I am at it." Her eyes narrowed and she disappeared into the trees. She plucked an apple-like fruit off a tree and bit into, pointed white kitty teeth flashing as she dove into darkness.

"Set sail for the City of Aces," Alex told his first mate. "See? The kids were not bad after all."

"You always did have good intuition," Ray noted. "Let us go help her out, shall we?"

Anya hummed happily, stirring sugar into her rueberry tea. Her plan had worked perfectly; almost too perfectly. After the first few fights, she had advertised all around Wonderland for people to join her side. To go against the queen. Speaking of the Queen of Hearts, she had acted just as Anya expected her to, and now people were flocking to the City of Aces. Word had spread about the coming rebellion and the final battle Anya planned to wage. They were coming on foot over the rolling violet hills or by ship in the wide blue-green rivers. The people were mostly residing in the outskirts or in the slums. The queen's guards couldn't reach them there. Anya and her close friends had been taking note of everyone's interests and individual prowess. She had reunited with Alex, Ray, Fiona, Whitney, and Emilio but the Mad Hatter and the March Hare were nowhere to be found. It was unfortunate and Anya was a bit disappointed. Their magic would undoubtedly make a great asset in the coming battle.

There were still some areas where the queen's soldiers were trying to squash the rebellion and make people obey the Code of the Heart. Anya had sent small squads over to those places to test out their combat prowess and to give them experience. The best way to get better at something was to experience it over and over again. Experience was the same as knowledge. Right now, Anya's people needed the knowledge to be able to overcome any ordeal. Eventually, the queen stopped wasting her soldiers on trivial matters like small rebellions in suburban areas. She was focusing on protecting her stronghold, the Ruby Palace. A smart move on her part, but a predictable one.

Anya and the Queen of Hearts were biding their time, gathering their forces strategically. Anya was having various weapons being forged, but mostly catapults and other long-ranged weapons. She needed to be able to break through the queen's formations or even smash right through to the palace if necessary. With their strength and range, catapults were the perfect way to do that. They were pretty standard, just able to launch large boulders. Anya had to conserve resources and people power.

From what she had heard about the queen's soldiers, they were mostly meant to bulldoze through their foes. In other words, they relied on overwhelming strength and power to get the job done. The queen would have to rely on that simple brawn to win. Anya was relying on individual strengths to achieve victory. She also had maybe a couple hundred more people than the queen did with more coming. It was clear as to who had the upper hand.

But even if they won, it wasn't over. They had to force the queen to un-sync her soul with Wonderland. That's why Anya wanted Taylor and Ruth to be here, as they'd make the job much easier. There was also the problem of who would take over after the Queen of Hearts was defeated. Wonderland would need a strong person to help it recover from all the damage it took from the Queen of Heart's reign. Anya was sure most people were hoping she'd take over the role of queen, but after this battle, it would be time for her to go home. Another reason why she wanted Taylor here. As someone who was still unfamiliar with the way Wonderland worked, Anya thought that the Mad Hatter would do a perfect job as the next ruler.

Now, they could go on forever at this standstill, but either Anya or the Queen of Hearts needed to make a move. Anya was willing to wait all day but the queen probably wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. The queen couldn't reach Anya just yet, so she couldn't make a move no matter how impatient she was. Not to mention that charging in recklessly would undoubtedly be the queen's loss. Anya's main problem revolved around the queen's stronghold. The Ruby Palace was probably armed to its tallest spire, making Anya's previous tactics useless, despite knowing all of the soldiers' weak points. Anya had the advantage but she was being wary. The Queen of Hearts had the power to sync her soul with Wonderland. Who was to say she wouldn't do something crazy like that again to ensure her victory? Anya didn't have spies in the palace, so she didn't know what the queen was plotting. Either way, she had everyone grouped into categories and made troops. Several days later, their army was complete.

"Alright, people, listen up!" Anya yelled into a megaphone. Her supporters excitedly pointed their fingers and paid attention with eager anticipation. "Thank you all for coming here and going through the hassle of getting interviewed. We've sorted everyone into squads and we're all ready to move out." Cheers issued from the crowd.

"Tonight, we're storming the Ruby Palace in one final battle. Remember the plan, and be as unpredictable as you can. Go by your instincts. Trust yourselves and each other, and everything will be fine! No one is gonna die tonight. Not on my watch. Tonight, the Queen of Hearts is going down!" Everyone roared into screams of encouragement, grabbing their weapons and running at full speed towards the City of Aces.

"That certainly went well," Raven said.

"Yep, it did. C'mon. You and I have a job to do."