A mass array of hysteria broke throughout the crowds. People began shouting, gasping, and yelling things that sounded all too scattered to be harmonious. All music and dancing had ceased, and even the smallest of murmurs sounded like glass-shattering shrieks. And when Minjeong turned to look around at everyone, her pulse skyrocketed off the charts when she suddenly realized that all eyes had fallen on her. Her whole body went numb, an uneasy tingling spreading from her head to her toes. Surely, they did not think she had kidnapped the queen in her own castle? Did she look that stupid? Honestly, was this what they thought of their new hero?

 

But as Minjeong scanned the people more thoroughly, she realized they were not eyes of judgement or suspicion.

 

They were eyes of dependency.

 

Minjeong gaped, a nervous hand reaching to smooth out her dress. Even her group members had turned to face her, waiting patiently for direction. The March Hare had her sword out, Dearie and Bear were seconds away from handing out orders to the Oysters. Yertle and Chickadee had one eyebrow raised each, and the White Rabbit was giving her a small, supportive smile. But even with all of this, it amounted to nothing as Minjeong stood there in silence, her head spinning with nausea and anxiety.

 

“Minjeong,” a soft voice beckoned in her ear. Her eyes averted away from the crowd, and the budding warmth from Hatter's body suddenly became acutely present. She stared down at her and gave her a slight nod. You know what to do, her face read. There was no smile or gentleness in her eyes, just the clear look of expectancy.

 

In an instant, Minjeong knew what she had to say. With a small gulp and a tight face, she turned towards the crowds and formed the best 'hero' face she could muster. "People of Kwangya," she began loudly. She stepped away from the Hatter and closer towards the center of everything. "The White Queen has been captured. It is my duty to your land and to you as a people that I should rescue her." She turned back towards her group, faces of awe and respect gazing back. Minjeong took a deep breath and continued. "I have formed an army. An army to take back Kwangya from the Queen of Hurt and the Red Queen. And whoever kidnapped the White Queen, whether it be the Queen of Hurt or some other unforeseen villain, will receive the full brunt of this army!" The crowd burst into unexpected cheer, and Minjeong nearly fell to the floor from the sudden uproar.

 

In that moment, she remembered Ms. Dodo's words, and even more, she remembered clearly how she said them. "We are going to take back Kwangya, and we are going to return it to its glorious, original state." The clapping grew louder, more joyous, and little beads of sweat traced her forehead. "We have to," she trailed off, speaking only to herself. "I have to."

 

And what if she didn't?

 

What if she failed miserably, putting lives and dignity in jeopardy? What if she ruined everything? What if she made everything worse? What if she lost? What if she died?

 

“You heard her,” Hatter yelled and interrupted her thoughts. She was pointing towards their comrades, who suddenly began assembling themselves together. 

“We need to leave as soon as possible. Get yourselves together and meet at the courtyard right away.”

 

The orders were met with swift nods. They all scrambled to carry out their individual preparations while the rest of the castle moved out of their way. Dearie and Bear were counting Oysters, barking out orders while they did so. Yertle and Chickadee were stretching out in a corner, and March Hare was briefly teaching Cheshire Cat and Caterpillar basic fighting techniques. Minjeong’s stomach started to churn as she took a step back, only to feel a familiar warm hand on her back.

 

“You all right?” Hatter asked briskly, her eyes fixed straight ahead.

 

Minjeong gave her a look before nodding. "Yeah." There was a beat, and she shifted her weight off of her. "What should I do?"

 

“Get changed. You can't trek through the woods in that dress, as appealing to the eyes as it may be.”

 

“I meant about all of this," Minjeong breathed. "What should I do... about all of this?”

 

“One step at a time, Winter,” Hatter smirked. "You handled the speech like a pro. Just focus on getting yourself ready and meet everyone at the courtyard." She released her hand and took a step away from her. Minjeong wanted to say something else, but Hatter had already disappeared into the crowds, and she could not find her anymore.

 

 

Breathe in, Minjeong instructed herself. Breathe out.

 

She had never held a sword in her life before. Breathe in. Even while traveling with March Hare, she had not asked once to hold it or teach her how to use it. Breathe out. What a waste that seemed now.

 

How was it that she had to be the one to lead everyone? Her record so far was far from spotless. Breathe in. She had fallen down a rabbit hole, shrunken to the size of a strip of bacon, grown to the size of lamp post, been attacked by wild animals, and gotten stuck in quicksand. All the while, her friends hardly had any issues and remained perfectly content with fighting whatever battles faced them.

 

She was clearly the most accident-prone. Why did she have to be the hero? Breathe out.

 

Minjeong stood in front of the full length mirror and stared back at the disaster in front of her. She had been in her room for a good half hour, yet she was still fully dressed in her ball gown. Her make up had remained intact and her hair was still up, and all she was capable of doing was telling herself to breathe in and breathe out.

 

God, she was pathetic. She was never like this before! She used to face every obstacle with courage. Enthusiasm, even!

 

But perhaps the difference was that then, she wasn't the hero, and now, she had to be. Breathe in, breathe out.

 

There was a knock on the door. "Minjeong?" a gentle voice called out. "May I come in?"

 

She recognized it instantly as Cheshire's voice, and as she opened to say no, the door quickly swung open. "Oh my!" Cheshire gasped, her eyes wide. “What are you doing still in your gown? You can't go out like that! I know you're one of the girls who are used to pulling off every look, and quite frankly, you do, but this is really not suitable attire for what we're about to do."

 

“Do you ever shut up?” Minjeong snapped. Though her back was turned, she heard Cheshire stop dead in her tracks, and while she really felt no need to be sorry, a small pang of guilt was rising in her chest.

 

“I'm sorry,” Cheshire said suddenly. "I didn't mean to... offend you. I should have understood that you are under a lot of stress right now, and you don't need visitors. Please, excuse me." Minjeong could not hear any indications of movement, and she knew Cheshire hadn't moved from her spot. With an aggravated sigh, Minjeong bit her lip and turned around.

 

“I could use some help with my dress,” she sighed finally, and Cheshire looked up. "The zipper," Minjeong added. “I can't reach it.”

 

Cheshire Cat's signature smile sprang on her face, and she bounced over to Minjeong with a hearty pep in her stride. "Of course! Leave it to me." Minjeong turned back around and allowed the girl to the gown, and the sudden breeze from the lack of constriction made her feel just a bit more free. "This is a very pretty dress," Cheshire was rambling with small talk. "Light blue really is your color."

 

Stepping out of the gown, Minjeong stood back in front of the mirror in her delicate white underwear. Cheshire retreated back to her closet, hanging up the dress and pulling out her old one. "Now this is beautiful," Cheshire beamed, and she marched back to Minjeong with the dress in hand. “I've always liked it on you.”

 

Slipping it on, she allowed Cheshire to fasten all the buttons and zip up all the zippers. "You shouldn't be frightened, you know," she added nonchalantly.

 

Minjeong shot her a look. "I'm not frightened." There was no response as she adjusted the top and stared straight into the mirror. "I don't get frightened."

 

“Surely, you must be a little nervous. Leading a whole army and such. I mean, not only do you have to take back Kwangya, but now you also have to rescue the White Queen!” Cheshire's laugh was like tinkling bells. "Silly, silly predicaments after the other."

 

“It can't be that hard,” Minjeong countered. "Who else would kidnap the White Queen but the Queen of Hurt or the Red Queen? And since we're going there anyway, it's like killing two birds with one stone. Plus, I have you guys."

 

Cheshire's eyes softened as she fastened the last ribbon. "Yes, Minjeong," she spoke dearly. "You have us. You are not alone in this."

 

“Exactly. So there is nothing I should really be nervous about. I mean, it's all just anxiety. It's everyone else who's nervous, not me!"

 

“Minjeong,” Cheshire began again, and she moved so that she could face her and not the mirror. “It's okay to be a little afraid. No one will judge you for it.”

 

“Of course they'll judge me for it,” Minjeong hissed back. 

"What will they think of me? Their supposed fearless leader... nervous? I'll be a j