Queen of Hearts

Twenty

Lizzie had not acknowledged the weight of the responsibility on her shoulders until Attacus's voice cut through the sounds of bloodbath. "Lizzie?" he shouted, and there were tones of every emotion Lizzie could think of packed tight into the one small word.

It took everything she had not to turn and run to him, to explain everything the way he needed to hear directly from her, the way he would understand. But there was blood on her hands and their lives on the line, and no feelings of friendship, camaraderie or more could stand between Lizzie and her dedication to Wonderland. She'd die for her friends, her people-- that she'd known for quite some time-- but not now. Not when the both of them and every one of their allies were struggling to take down the army of card soldiers now advancing toward the place that had been her fortress, her sanctuary, since her return to her home.

Lizzie continued her attack, commanding her soaked deck of cards with impressive calmness. The Queen of Hearts had always been known to be ruthless in one way or another. She had figured out how it manifested in her years ago- hiding behind a facade of apathy was the end result of reaching her breaking point. All that was left was pride and sympathy and a pinch of fear for Sterling as she watched the small white figure dash between soldiers falling to the ground around her, risking her life for her Princess. Her rightful Queen. It became hard for Lizzie to focus on where she was sending her cards, but it didn't much matter to her so long as they made their marks fatal.

She had lost track of Ace, but Attacus was still nearby. Among the adrenaline flowing through her, she could sense his disappointment lurking close, although he continued to cut as quickly as possible through the lines of card soldiers. She'd seen him work faster in training... she'd become a distraction.

In an endless sea around her, card soldiers filled the gap where the fallen ones had stood after mere seconds. They'd made progress, but none too distinct. There were far more enemies than allies on the front, and Lizzie could no longer see most of them. She hadn't seen Jack at all, but it was very possible that Attacus had gone wherever he was.

Atop the myriad of overwhelming thoughts warring for her attention, Lizzie's focus shifted toward the prospect of her cards becoming less and less effective with each use. Their sharpened edges had dulled after just a few Courtly casualties. She tightened her hands into fists, securing half her deck around one enemy's neck, and the second half around another's. Lizzie prayed to whoever may be listening or watching over her that her magical gift would be strong enough to make the cards' softening obsolete and ensuring their continued usefulness. She'd need a new deck, should she make it out of this.

A shriek rang out on Lizzie's right, where Ace stood fighting another soldier a few yards away. The blood splattered across her drab clothes and aged her by many years, sending a fresh wave of guilt through Lizzie's already-shocked system, further sickening her stomach.

There were intense screams all around her. To know exactly where they originated was impossible. Sterling flung into view, darting directly in Ace's direction. Ace slid to the side just as Sterling slammed into the card soldiers that had ganged up on Ace. The soldiers were destroyed with no more than a tap by the young girl. Her power was so breathtaking that Lizzie hadn't registered the deep gash in Ace's shoulder that had torn through her clothes and skin like scissors on paper.

Sterling now stood guard over Ace's crumpled figure on the ground. Blood stained the grass around them red. A shout came from seemingly nowhere calling Jack Cards' name. Attacus, bringing his best friend's attention to his sister's injury. Lizzie kept working, trying hard to keep focused so she too would not become injured, but she caught a sharp intake of breath followed by the beginning of a sob from Ace's direction. Surely, it was Jack.

A brother's blood-curdling roar cut through the din and the cries, stopping all the surrounding fighters dead in their tracks, herself included. The pause lasted barely more than a second, but in that second the whole Resistance had become more charged, more determined to win.

Jack had come from seemingly nowhere to take up young Sterling's place guarding Ace, who still was in a ball on the grass, clutching her arm. Sterling was by Lizzie's side an instant later. Her pale skin and hair were marred by the blood, hopefully not her own or Ace's.

"Hearts," Sterling said, without turning to face her or looking up at her. She dug her tiny hand into the large pockets of the women's-sized black sweatshirt she was wearing, a common wardrobe staple of a female member of the Resistance. The particular one Sterling wore now had belonged to Lizzie until recently. After a moment, Sterling retrieved her own deck of cards and tossed it up to Lizzie. "Here!"

Tears almost welled in Lizzie's eyes. Rounding up the remaining cards of her original deck, she clenched her jaw shut to keep from hurling her breakfast. The cards dripped enemy blood, but resources were limited, and she may need them later. She dropped the black and red remnants of her deck in her pocket as she busted open the paper flaps on the new box as fast as she could. Fear and adrenaline pumping through her nearly caused her to drop the entire deck to the wet grass. She readied the new cards, lining them up in a semicircle around them. Focusing her power, she sent them hurdling at the next wave of soldiers. As they flew through the air, then drew blood as they buried themselves in all the most fatal places, Lizzie prayed that this would be the last bloodbath Sterling would witness.

♥ ♥ ♥

Years passed as Lizzie's thudding heartbeat kept the time. The battlefield had cleared out a bit, and she could now see her companions, but there were still too many soldiers left. The Resistance couldn't possibly fight them off.

"She needs medical attention," Attacus's voice sounded from somewhere behind Lizzie, "she's losing too much blood."

"I know," Jack rasped, his voice cracking, "I think we should retreat." He was broken. Their leader was broken.

Lizzie kept fighting, though she wanted to sigh of relief that they might get even a moment to recharge. Her feet ached, and her eyes were heavy.

"We can't. Not yet. We don't know where we're going, and we don't need any of them tracking us as we search," Attacus shouted back.

Blood sprayed onto Lizzie's pale cheek. She gagged and swiped at it with her sleeve. Her swipes were slowing, and her strength dwindled. It wouldn't be long before her second deck of cards was rendered useless.

"But Ace..." Jack said, quieter now.

"Have someone bring her to get help... send Hearts. Have her bring the kid with her."

Lizzie admired the kind of friendship Jack and Attacus had, the kind in which one friend was a voice of reason while the other spiraled into a momentary madness. However, she still grimaced at the sound of her fake name. Her pulse quickened as she considered the weight of the responsibility this task entailed. The valuable lives of two of her fellow fighters, supporters, and friends, in her hands.

She was seconds from attacking a card soldier who had approached her from behind when his image morphed into Attacus. He simply said, "I'll make a distraction. You know what you have to do," and nodded in Ace and Jack's direction.

Sterling's little hand wrapped around hers.

She knew what she had to do.

****

Hi hi, It's Zoey. I was missing this story recently so I decided to give it a reread, I believe for the first time since I published each chapter. I noticed upon finishing Chapter Nineteen that I never posted Chapter Twenty, which was completed, as you can see. So I know it is nearly two years too late, and doesn't provide much closure, but this is all that remains of Queen of Hearts that you have not already read. It hurts me to inform you that no further chapters were written. Unfortunately I don't have contact with my co-writer anymore because her wattpad profile was deleted. I hope she is doing well and following her writing dreams! Thanks for your readership, it really does mean the world. This is perhaps my favorite story I've ever gotten to be a part of writing. I'd be lying if I said I don't still think of these characters from time to time, and of how things could have ended. I've thought about continuing on myself before but it doesn't feel right. If anyone's still out there reading this, feel free to inquire if you've got any burning questions, and I might be able to answer them. Thanks so much for reading Queen of Hearts.
Zoey ❤️