(Guys... We only have a few chapters left- I'm going to cry-)

"He's rebuilding the bridge, do you have a plan?" Sahira demanded, going over to Hannah, who was treating an unconscious CJ's leg.

Hannah shot her a small frown. "Excuse me, I'm trying to make sure nothing bad happens to my friend." She said simply. "So give me a second." She looked back to CJ, the handle of the arrow in her hand.

With a swift tug, she wrenched it out of his leg, earning a stir from CJ. Hannah mumbled some comforting words as she took out some sort of magic... thing (Sahira had no idea) and placed it over to wound.

"There, that should keep it clean. He'll be alright." She seemed to be talking more to herself than anything.

Gracie helped prop CJ up against a wall. "Alright, Hannah, we have to do something." She pointed to the smoke slowly forming a new bridge.

Hannah crossed her arms, squinting her eyes as she observed the scene. "He's weak. It'll take him a while. Gives us enough time for that army to get here." She stepped closer to the edge of Auradon, waves lapping at the cliffside. "The Cauldron gives the deathless warriors the power. Get to the Cauldron, stop the warriors. And get him." Her voice was filled with a venom completely unfamiliar to Gracie.

Sahira looked at Ray. "You good to fight?" She eyed the bandages on their shoulder.

Ray shrugged. "Probably." He guessed. Really, they both knew Ray would fight either way.

"You're crazy." Sahira smirked.

"I'm flattered." Ray nodded at her. "Now, go get ready for a fight. An army should be on the shores any minute."

~~~

"Really, I don't know if we can trust her." The guard said.

Mal's fingers tightened around her dresser.

"Do we have any other choice?" Ben asked, shaking his head.

"I don't know, Ben." Mal admitted, shutting her eyes tightly.

Ben looked at her. He would've been in disbelief if this hadn't happened before.

"Mal, I know you're worried, but this is his daughter. She's turned against him, what does she have to gain by going against him and going to Auradon?" Ben said. "I know this is risky- I know it could be a horrible idea, but if we don't take this chance, we might not get another."

His hands went to hers.

"Give her a chance. She's made some bad decisions, but she just needs a chance..." He whispered.

Mal looked away.

"Isn't that what you needed?"

~~~

"The cards have come, the cards have come...!" Embry smiled, clapping their hands excitedly.

Twyla sighed, rubbing her sockets. "What are you talking about this time-" She saw the soldiers marching towards them. "Ah."

Sahira squinted her eyes and looked out back to the Isle, watching the smog draw closer and closer to Auradon. It was slow, but continuous, and it felt like torture to watch.

Embry grabbed Sahira's arm and gave it a small squeeze. "Don't worry." They whispered. "We know what to do, and heads will roll in time." Maybe that was supposed to be assuring, but Sahira's hand went to her neck and rubbed it anxiously. But it got a small laugh from her, even if it was born from nervousness. Embry sighed. "Not helpful?" They asked.

She gave Embry a faint smile. "I think it's helping. In a way." She decided, which made Embry light up just a little.

Hannah was pacing around the edge of the shoreline, muttering plans under her breath as she tried to focus. They had to get past the bridge, get to the Cauldron, and get rid of the warriors.

Gracie carefully approached the anxious demoness. "Hey... We're all good, right?" She asked gently. Hannah shook her head.

"I know what we have to do, Gracie... I know what needs to happen to stop my father, but I don't think we can do it." She admitted.

The skeleton smiled worriedly. "How hard can it be, Hanny? Just get past and destroy that stupid Cauldron. And that's it." She offered.

Quietly, Hannah shook her head.

"What..." Gracie hesitated.

"The Cauldron isn't destroyed. It demands a body for what we want." She took a deep breath. "If we want it to take away the deathless warriors, then we need to..." Hannah gestured vaguely to the side.

Gracie paused. "It'll want a body from us..." She realized, heart stopping in her ribcage.

Hannah nodded and sat down, legs dangling off the cliffside. "I think I should do it." She said. Gracie's eyes widened. "I helped cause this whole mess... I'm his creation. Maybe this is penance." Her voice was shaky, as if not truly at peace with the idea.

"I don't want you to... do that." Gracie shook her head, sitting next to Hannah. "We'll figure something out. Something that doesn't involve you sacrificing yourself to some freaky cauldron. Okay?"

There was a sense of uncertainty in the air. But Hannah nodded anyway.

"But if the worst comes to worst..." Hannah looked back over to where CJ was, just starting to wake up and slowly turn his head to the side.

"Nevermind." She shook her head. Gracie had a sense she knew what Hannah was thinking about. Hannah stood up and went back over to CJ.

"Hey." CJ nodded at Hannah, who nodded back and sat down in front of him.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

He gave her a shrug. "Better than how I was expecting. Did I pass out long?" He asked.

"A concerning amount, but the magic should keep you going. But after this is all over, you're going to a doctor." Hannah explained, smiling and shaking her head. "You worried me."

CJ cracked a smile. "Sorry about that..." He apologized.

"Now, don't apologize. We've got plenty to worry about already. You feeling sorry shouldn't be on that list right now." For a moment, Hannah considered telling CJ about what she told Gracie. But he was already going through too much with his injuries. She didn't want to worry him.

Besides, she knew he'd never let her.

She looked back to the Isle, watching the fog get closer.

He was almost there- the skeletal warriors were clawing and stumbling, recklessly throwing themselves forward in a mindless attempt to march forward. It was mortifying.

The Auradon soldiers marched on themselves, lining the shore until they created a golden-armored barrier. Spear ends dug themselves into the ground, and swords were studied before their wielders.

Finally, the magic bridge's end hit its target, burying itself into the cliffside, rocks and debris rumbling and falling off. Dust billowed from the impact and rose up, creating a cloud between the two armies for just a moment.

Twyla's hand went to her charm necklace for a moment, the magic in it coursing slowly through it. Her other hand went to her flare gun at her side, noting the flammability of the rags the deathless warriors wore. Ray's eyes narrowed, his mind channeling all the anger he had into the dagger in his belt. It wasn't simply a matter of freedom now for them. It was a matter of survival. For them. For him. For all of the Guardians around him that he might consider... friends. Stupid, he knew. Sahira's attention was drawn as a soldier suddenly handed her a spear. She wasn't exactly trained, but the slow nod she got assured her that she could do it. Embry fiddled with their knife, eyes darting everywhere all at once. For once - just maybe - the fog was clearing in their head.

Gracie's gaze shot back over to Hannah and CJ. She knew what was going to happen the minute they got to that Cauldron. She wouldn't let Hannah do anything stupid. She wasn't going to lose the first friends she found in the longest time. She was going to prove her father wrong for everything.

CJ made himself stand up, despite Hannah shooting him a look of concern. He shook his head, trying to tell her that he'd be fine. Hannah didn't look all that convinced, but her gaze softened.

One more fight.

Then, the dust cleared.

The warriors charge, jaws agape and weapons slashing mindlessly. Mercilessly, they tried to tear through the soldiers, who managed to flank around the group, blocking them from going to the sides or forwards towards Auradon. Some flung themselves backwards and off the bridge, then started clawing at the cliffside, pulling themselves up in a new way to get around.

A spark lit up in one part, blasting some of the warriors and cracking part of the bridge. Twyla fumbled in the pockets of her patchwork dress, reaching for another flare.

Sahira noticed the warriors trying to climb up the cliff and used the spear to knock them back, stalling them for a moment more. When one tried to attack her from behind, having broken away from its brethren, she spun around and let the blade slice across its neck.

The head toppled off and the skeleton collapsed for a moment. Then, the bones came back together and the warrior got up again.

Deathless.

Even when one was "killed," it got back up in a matter of seconds.

Hannah resorted to using bones to shoot up and tangle in their ribs, pinning them up or against the wall. She had realized too late that she didn't have her hatchet. But she was stressed, so the bones were coming up quicker than they ever had before. Without a weapon himself, CJ would distract small groups, using his wings to hover slightly over them so Hannah could get a better shot.

Her eyes lulled for a moment, but CJ held her up. "Not now." He whispered, almost a plea. Hannah set her jaw and nodded.

Ray managed to get his way into the midst of Auradon soldiers, using his dagger to get at their legs and keep them down for a while longer. He felt that rush he'd long-since forgotten (maybe a part of them wanted to forget it), watching his dagger go against bone and cause a fall. In the excitement of it, he got up further and slashed one across the face, breaking jaw and bones. He didn't even know how he used that much strength.

But it felt satisfying to watch these things fall.

Gracie backed into Embry, who was muttering some nonsense under their breath. "Drink me', then through the door." Gracie gritted her teeth, trying to decipher what this one meant. She racked her skull through Alice's story and looked at Embry.

Embry pointed. In the crowd of deathless warriors, there was a tiny opening.

It struck Gracie. "Drink me." The drink that let Alice shrink and get to the size of the door in the early part of her story. Then through the door.

The opening was the door. If someone could get small enough and get through the opening, it could lead to a full enclosing of the warriors, holding them back enough to get to

She smiled and looked at Embry. "Cover me."

Embry cracked a smile. "Of course, Dore Mouse."

Louder than they'd ever spoken before, Embry screamed, "OVER HERE, YOU STUPID PAWNS!"

It startled everyone, making them pause and look at them. They were smiling wildly, waving at the warriors, who snarled as their gazes locked on them. Ray almost laughed and Sahira smiled, covering her mouth in surprise- good for them.

In tandem, the warriors made a slow lunge for Embry, and the opening became clearer.

Turned out, Gracie's late-night parkour and rooftop acrobatics hadn't been for nothing. She made a run for the opening, going down to the ground and back-rolled through the hole. A smile trick, but it worked.

She got back to her feet behind the group and kicked one of the warriors in the back. It fell, startled, and domino-ed into a few others. The warriors looked back to Gracie and shuffled, trying to remake their formation to get to her. Taking the opportunity, the Auradon soldiers surrounded the warriors, blocking them off from Auradon and the bridge.

The bridge was open.

Seeing this, the Guardians and Thieves ran for the bridge. CJ still stumbled, his leg flushed with pain. Hannah grabbed his hand and pulled him along, refusing to let him fall back.

The Isle became clear again, and everyone felt a sense of dread crawl up their spines.

"Alright... Home then." Hannah whispered, going to the front. Despite that, CJ's grip didn't loosen. Hand-in-hand, the two led the group along. Hannah looked back over to him, her heart sinking.

Her dearest friend, standing by her side until the end.

He looked back at her. They shared the same expression. The same sort of realization that felt all the more tragic in a situation like this.

She cared about him more than she had even realized. CJ always had... somewhat known. And he did as well.

The group stopped in the streets for a small breather before they got to the Cauldron. Sahira found a bench and slumped down. Tired, Embry followed in suit, their head resting against her shoulder.

Ray glanced over to CJ and Hannah, letting out a long breath as he realized what was going on. CJ's gaze went over to him as he tried to avoid Hannah's rueful eyes. Ray mouthed something to him.

'Tell her.'

CJ looked back over to Hannah and whispered to her.

"I love you."

Hannah felt her throat close up.

"I love you, too... I'm sorry..."

(Haha, makes the ship sail right before tragedy X3)