Kingdom Keepers: Once Upon a Dream

Chapter 35

A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry for the sporadic updating again. Big thanks to everyone who has left such kind reviews recently. It means the world.

"I don't get it," Charlene stuttered, "How is this possible?"

The four keepers stared in awe at their ex-mentor staring back at them. Wanda was at his side, her face a mess of tears, and Casey, Finn, Amanda and Jess were all close-by, the two sisters hugging each other and crying.

"It was you," Willa said tearily, too emotional to acknowledge Charlene or anyone else's comments. "Helping us into the park, getting the monorail...you were here tonight all this time and we didn't even know it was you."

Philby, whose arm was already around her shoulders, pulled her close to his side, and she cuddled her head into the crook of his neck. Even in comforting her though, he couldn't help but get teary himself. Wayne had taught him so much, changed his life; losing him had been absolutely heartbreaking, though he never admitted it to anyone but Willa. Seeing him here again...it was all he could do not to rush up and hug him.

"I expect you're all very confused, and it is wonderful to see you again, but I must insist you come inside before we talk further," Wayne explained. "The storm is getting stronger and I'm still not quite sure exactly what it is we're up against."

"I thought we said it was just like last time," Jess said, yelling to be heard over the crashing of the heavy rain. "That this was the storm the Overtakers were using to charge up their powers."

"Maybe not," Finn said. "When the Evil Queen attacked us at the Cinema she very much had her magic and she knew everything...past and present."

"The Evil Queen?" Willa repeated, fear evident in her voice, and Finn nodded, his mouth a straight line. Similar looks of shock crossed the faces of the other Keepers, whose stances were growing smaller and smaller as time went on.

"Whatever the hell happened," Maybeck interjected. "We need to get back! I don't care what this world is or how we got here: my Aunt's dying in it; I'm not staying."

Charlene pressed closer to his side, rubbing her hand up and down his arm. He pressed his chin to her head and closed his eyes. Watching him, Finn was frozen: he'd never seen his friend–usually so undyingly tough– look this broken.

"Please," Wayne insisted, his voice growing more forceful. "You all need to get inside! We can talk about all of this once we're there!"

There is a kind of special language that only exists between close friends. It has no spoken or signed words, and it is communicated only in the most stilling silence. This language however, despite its lack of vocabulary, is often the language in which the richest, deepest messages between friends are spoken. The Keepers, in the years which they'd known each other–years that felt like decades in their memory–had developed a swift fluency in this language. When they looked at each other after Wayne's words, eyes wide and bodies trembling, they spoke it slowly, but with ease.

They'd been through plenty of scary things together: had their lives threatened, had their friendships threatened, been thrown into places and situations that tested everything they knew about the world. Through all of it though, they'd always come out on top, and there was one reason why: they had each other. So, as they all stared into each other's eyes, they knew the truth: no matter what this was, or where they were, or how terrified they all felt, they were going to get through it–whatever that turned out to mean. With their memories back, they had each other, and that was all they could ever need.

All eyes eventually landed on Finn, who froze for a moment, but–like it was now instinct–quickly fell into his often overwhelming role as their unspoken leader. He waited a moment as he considered everything he'd seen in the past two weeks, but after a moment, he nodded, and speaking their private language again, his friends understood. They were going to get through this like they got through all things: together.