The Witch in Wonderland
The Queen of Hearts receives an unexpected visitor from Oz.
Characters:
Cora, The Queen of Hearts
Zelena, The Wicked Witch of the West
Will Scarlett, The Knave of Hearts
The Caterpillar sat contentedly upon his giant, roadside mushroom. It was another wondrous day in Wonderland. The sun shone down on him as he blew a few smoke rings.
Suddenly, a column of green smoke came swirling down the road with a vengeance. It careened past the enlarged insect, knocking him clean off his perch.
"Your Majesty," the soldier said, bowing. "What appears to be a green cyclone is flying across your kingdom, ravaging all in its path."
"Sounds like the Queen when she decides to behead someone," Will Scarlett quipped.
"Silence!" Cora commanded. Her throne sat on a dais, elevating her above her court so she could see all. "Captain, you will prepare an escort for my carriage."
The soldier bowed again. "As you command, my Queen."
"And you," Cora turned herself towards Will, "are going to stop speaking out of turn in my court, or-"
"You'll crush my heart into dust," Will said, bored. "Apologies, Your Majesty."
Cora rolled her eyes. "Sometimes I wonder why I keep you around. You're undoubtedly the worst servant I've ever had."
Will looked bemusedly at his sovereign. "Cheer up, Your Majesty. It's not like you pay me. And besides that, your court would be completely boring."
"Perhaps," Cora said. "Now fetch my carriage. We have a cyclone to deal with."
The Queen of Hearts' escort comprised fifty mounted swordsmen clad in black and red. They surrounded Cora's carriage as it sped across the land.
"Stop!" Will Scarlett ordered from helm of the carriage.
The soldiers stopped their gallop in unison.
Cora disembarked from her carriage, a coat of red fur over her gown. "It's coming," she said.
Sure enough, a thin column of green appeared on the horizon.
With a cry, her soldiers drew their blades and prepared to advance against the cyclone.
"Don't be foolish!" Cora ordered. "This will require more subtlety." She turned to the commander of her soldiers. "Send a party to the Red Queen's palace. Tell her that I have the situation under control."
The commander signaled to his troops to stand down, and they did. Five rode northwards towards the Red Queen's palace.
"Now," Cora said dramatically, "I shall handle this threat." She stepped forward as the cyclone drew nearer.
The cyclone surged forwards as if it was aiming for Cora.
With a cry, Cora released a tremendous wave of magic, causing the ground around her to shake. Some of the horses reared up in fright, but the soldiers stood fast.
The cyclone spun faster than before, but it was rooted to the spot. Green energy crackled around it.
"Enough!" Cora shouted, sending another, more powerful wave at the twister. Her soldiers were knocked off their feet, and Will Scarlet fell from the carriage, swearing.
The cyclone gradually slowed to a halt, the green smoke receding downwards until it revealed a curious figure. The woman standing in its place had green skin and long, reddish hair. She wore a black dress with a black pointed hat and held a broomstick in her hand.
The soldiers drew their swords and advanced towards the woman.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the stranger said. "I take it I'm facing the Queen of Hearts?"
"How dare you!" the commander of the soldiers cried. "You are addressing the ruler of Wonderland, goblin! Show some respect."
Cora laughed to herself. "She's not a goblin, and I'd be careful with her. She's the ruler of another land. I am the Queen of Hearts, and I suspect, judging by your attire and skin condition, that you are none other than the Wicked Witch of the West."
The Witch narrowed her eyes. "Is that all?"
Cora sneered down at her. "Yes, that is all. I've heard of you. You came to the Emerald City and removed that foppish figurehead. After that you overthrew the ruling coven of witches and became the sole monarch. It's rather boring, if you ask me."
The Witch scowled. "Really? And how was your takeover of Wonderland any different, Cora?"
Cora's eyes went wide. "How do you know my name?"
"Don't you know?"
Cora was very wary at this point. "I'm afraid I don't. Perhaps we can continue this conversation back at my palace. You may join me in my carriage."
The Witch smirked and followed the older woman back to the carriage. Once they were inside, Will signaled the riders to begin their gallop.
The Wicked Witch surveyed Cora's private chambers from the elegant armchair she had been provided. "Nice place," she remarked.
"Thank you," Cora replied. "I don't often entertain in here, but I have a feeling that my court doesn't need to join in on our conversation, one ruler to another." She had changed into a jeweled red gown, though her tiara still rested above her curls. "You seem to know my name, but I don't know yours." She sat in an armchair across from her fellow tyrant.
"It's Zelena," the Witch said.
"I'm afraid that does not sound familiar," Cora said. "With such impressive magical abilities, I'm surprised I've never heard of you before."
"Oh, I'm certain you have," Zelena chuckled.
Cora glared at her guest. "I really haven't. We both seem to be self-made women, and I do respect that."
"We're not completely self-made, are we, Cora?" Zelena asked. "The same man trained us in our ways."
"Rumplestiltskin?!" Cora gasped. "Why did he never mention you to me?"
"I'm after your time, dear," Zelena laughed in a sassy manner. "Rumple trained me after you came to Wonderland. I had to compete for his attention thanks to another pupil of his."
"Who?!" Cora demanded. She didn't like being out of the loop when it came to anything regarding her former master.
Zelena leaned forward. "The same person who sent you here," she taunted.
"Regina!" Cora whispered to herself. "So Rumple trained her to get rid of me! I've always found Regina to be a disappointment, but I never thought she'd conspire to get rid of me!"
"Regina?! Ha! She doesn't have the brains for that sort of operation," Zelena cackled. "But don't fret, Your Majesty. Not all of your offspring was wasted." She smiled villainously.
An idea formed in the back of Cora's mind. Impossible, she thought. It simply can't be. Besides, she comes from Oz, not the Enchanted Forest. Setting her jaw, Cora drew herself up in her chair. "Who are you?!"
"You know who I am," Zelena purred. "It really is a shame you abandoned me. I turned out so much better than Regina. Don't you think so, Mother?"
Cora lost her icy composure and nearly fainted. "You?! How is that possible?! I left you-"
"In the woods?" Zelena shot. "Yes, I know. Remember the cyclone I used to come here? One of those brought me to Oz."
"You can travel between worlds?" Cora asked, intrigued.
"I can," she responded smiling to herself.
Cora leaned forward, smiling her best smile at her long-lost daughter. "Then you could potentially take me back to the Enchanted Forest?"
Zelena looked angrily at her mother. "Potentially," she said. "But why? You're the ruler of this world! You've achieved everything you ever wanted. There's nothing left for either of us in the Enchanted Forest."
Cora's face was impassive.
Zelena stared at her mother long and hard. "You can't be serious," she finally said. "She's not worth your time, Mother! Can't you see! I am more worthy! I've seen how hard you've tried to get Regina to accept your vision for her life, and she never will! She's weak! I can be the daughter you want me to be!" Tears began to form in Zelena's eyes.
Cora laughed heartlessly. "I understand why you're so green now. You're green with envy! Perhaps you would have been better suited to Regina's position, but you can't change the past. Regina will be a Queen, and with Rumplestiltskin's help, she'll become more powerful than either of us can imagine."
Zelena got to her feet. "You know, after everything I've heard about you, you're quite a disappointment. The all-powerful Queen of Hearts, the woman who ripped out her own heart so love wouldn't be able to stand in the way of power? Ha! You may not be able to love, but your sentimentality will be your undoing."
Cora stood as well. "I wasn't sentimental enough to keep you, the daughter of a worthless gardener!"
Zelena bared her teeth. "Let's not forget that my mother was the desperate tavern wench who took him."
"Enough!" Cora bellowed. "I don't know what you hoped to accomplish by coming to Wonderland, but you be here, or in any realm much longer." She conjured a fireball in her hand.
"Let's see if you're as powerful as the tales tell," Zelena taunted.
Cora threw the fireball at Zelena, but she disappeared in a cloud of green smoke, reappearing behind her mother. Zelena shattered a large mirror on the wall and sent the shard flying towards Cora, but Cora turned them to dust. Zelena raised her arms to strike, but found herself immobilized.
Cora laughed. "Not bad, my dear, but not good enough. I suppose you've heard of my specialty?"
Zelena's eyes widened. "No!"
"Oh, yes!" Cora smiled evilly. Stretching out her hand, she pulled Zelena's heart from her chest. The heart was darkened, but a green light still emanated from it. "Rotten to the core," Cora said. "Now, you're going to do as I say." She lifted the immobilizing spell from her firstborn.
Zelena smiled, drawing a wrapped object from her cloak.
"What is that?!" Cora gasped.
"I told you, Mother," Zelena laughed. "I'm far superior to Regina. I do my homework." She unraveled the green cloth revealing Cora's heart.
"How did you get that?" Cora demanded.
"I flew by your vault on my brief tour of your little land. Now give me my heart!"
Cora was compelled to obey, and she placed Zelena's heart back in her chest.
"Now kneel," Zelena ordered, laughing wickedly as her mother replied, looking up at her with deepest loathing.
"If you're going to kill me, then do it," Cora snarled.
"Matricide isn't on my To-Do List," Zelena teased. "Death is too good for you. No, I'm going to let you experience what my life was like. I'm going to give you this and leave you here in Wonderland while I go back to Oz. I'm going to let you watch Regina grow more and more powerful, gaining everything I ever wanted. Then, once she thinks she's won, I'm going to take it from her. And once you see the ruination of every scheme you've ever made, I'm going to change the past."
"You can't change the past!" Cora yelled. "It's against the Laws of Magic!"
"Only because no one has ever accomplished it," Zelena grinned. "I will be the one to break that rule. And once I've changed the past, you will choose me, and we'll be unstoppable."
Cora looked at her daughter in wonder. "If you succeed in changing the past, then I suppose this conversation will never take place. But until then, you will stay out of the way. After all, we rulers have enough to occupy our time."
Zelena rolled her eyes. "I'm not your protégé, Mother, so don't talk to me like I am. You can take this." She tossed Cora's heart in the air, and the Queen of Hearts lunged forward to grab it.
"Very well then, Zelena. Do as you please. But the next time you come to Wonderland and try to overpower me, I will kill you."
Zelena's eyes darkened. "Next time? No, I don't think there's going to be a next time. I've learned all I need to from this visit. I doubt we'll meet again in this timeline."
"Then goodbye, Zelena," Cora said coldly.
"Goodbye, Mother," Zelena sneered, mounting her broomstick and flying out through the open window.
Cora materialized in her vault in a cloud of purple smoke. She grabbed the chest where she generally concealed her heart and placed the organ inside. Removing a stone from the floor, she gently placed the chest deep in the depression and magicked the stone over top of it. She then enchanted it so the only person who could disturb the hiding place would be her. Finally, she snatched a dark bottle from one of her cabinets.
Will Scarlett entered Cora's chambers, feeling her summons dragging him there. He saw Cora looking rather disheveled on one of her chairs.
"Your Majesty? You've seen better days."
Cora pursed her lips. "I have a task for you, Knave."
"I didn't think you summoned me for tea and light conversation," Will quipped.
Cora held up the bottle she had taken from her vault. "This is a Forgetting Potion. You will pour this into a barrel of mead and gather all of the soldiers who escorted my carriage today. You will propose a toast to me, and make sure that everyone, including you, drinks at the same time."
"Does this have anything to do with our bewitching guest?" Will asked impertinently.
"Yes," Cora growled. "We're all going to forget that this ever happened."
Will surveyed the destruction surrounding Cora's room. "Either you just threw a tantrum for the ages, or that Witch is even worse than you."
Cora glared at her servant. "Get out of here and do as I say!"
Will chuckled to himself, bowed, and left.
Cora watched the soldiers gather from her balcony, holding Will's heart in her left hand. She had a cup of tea containing the potion resting on the railing. Her ears perked up when she heard Will, who had climbed onto a table, begin to speak.
"We are here today to honor our Queen of Hearts, the finest ruler of Wonderland in history. She has ruled with nobility, gentility-" he began to shake with laughter.
Cora tightened her grip on the heart. "Say it!" she commanded.
"And kindness. Let us join in a toast to our great sovereign. To the Queen!" He raised his flagon.
"To the Queen!" the soldiers cheered.
Cora watched as the soldiers drained their mugs, knowing the potion had worked.
Placing Will's heart back in its wooden chest, she grasped the saucer holding the teacup.
Goodbye, Zelena, she thought. You're definitely the daughter I wanted, but you're not the daughter I chose, and I will stand my decision.
Cora sipped her tea.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed my story. Please review!