Chapter One
Cora's Wonderland
"But mother, I don't want to be you…" she said, turning towards you with a sudden rage. You restrained her with magic, but that didn't stop the fury in her eyes. What is she doing you thought? You quickly recomposed, telling her you weren't that easy to get rid of... but she broke through and with a cry of terror flung you into the looking glass. You grasped the edges of the mirror as it pulled you through, taking one last look at your beautiful daughter... Regina...
Cora awoke from her slumber, remembering everything. It was not a dream, but a memory. It was the last time she had seen her daughter, the day before her wedding to the king. Though she regretted how they parted, she felt no remorse. She had made her daughter queen, taught her to be a lady. Given her the regal and royal upbringing she herself had not had. She should have been grateful.
Perhaps this was all because of Daniel... All those years she had spent training her daughter to be a lady at the House and Stables, all the lessons and practices given... and she wanted to leave it all for a stable boy? Cora had gotten them too far in life to allow that, gotten herself too far in life to allow her daughter, on the epitome of success, to throw it all away for one of the servants. She regretted nothing.
Despite it all, she still missed her daughter. She still loved Regina, well, as close as anyone can come to loving without a heart. "Love is weakness," she always said, but she couldn't help but feel an affection for her daughter, even after all these years in Wonderland.
It was early, well, as early as Cora could tell. In Wonderland, time was a bit... off. Since some days lasted longer than others, it was often difficult to keep track of time. To help her keep the time, she had a large grandfather clock at the side of her bedroom, a treasure of her marriage to Prince Henry. It was entirely of solid gold, having been commissioned by Prince Xavier himself (the old kook, Cora thought).
Cora always rose early, a habit she had learned as a young child. As the daughter of a poor miller, she had to get up early every morning to deliver flour to the castle, her only means of food. Her father was usually passed out drunk somewhere, and her mother had died in childbirth. Not long after her marriage to Prince Henry, she had ordered her father's mill burned to the ground.
Rising out from underneath the red satin covers of her bed, she glided across the stone floors of her bedroom and rang for the Knave. The Knave of Hearts was a stout man, who acted as Cora's official speaker while in court. He was the only man allowed to see Cora without a mask, although he himself didn't even know her name. Cora insisted that her subjects address her instead as the Queen of Hearts.
There was a soft knock on the door as the Knave entered. He himself was already dressed in his official court attire, carrying with him his heart scepter. Cora could hear the small pat of his shoes as he entered her bedroom.
"Your majesty, you rang," spoke the Knave.
"Knave, I am ready to dress, fetch my corset."
"Yes your majesty."
Ever eager to please his queen, he hurriedly scuffled to the Queen of Heart's wardrobe room, which was located nearby off her bedroom. He returned, carrying with him her corset and a pair of black stockings.
"Will this do your highness?" He asked.
"Yes it will Knave," she coolly responded.
Knot by knot, the Knave helped her into her corset. Row by row, he tied it together. He could smell the sweet aroma of her perfume... roses. The Knave closed his eyes in devouring pleasure. As he reached the top, he bent down and gently kissed the side of her neck. She titled her head, allowing him to continue.
Cora was an exceptional beauty, especially for her age. Even behind the guise of her masks, she could be incredibly alluring. That, combined with her almost flirtatious attitude, led to the desire of most men in her court to wish she ripped their hearts out, something she had pretty much already done. She reveled at having so many men at the tip of her fingers, answering her every beck and call. One day she would get back to her daughter, however. These men, her court, they were only temporary. Once they had served their purpose, once she found a way to get back to her daughter, she would no longer have any need for them.
The Knave continued to kiss her neck. She never allowed it to go any farther than that, for any of her men. These little kisses and such weren't necessary to maintain the will, and affection, of the men in her court. They were simply just entertainment to Cora. They would serve her faithfully, and dutifully, whether she appeased their attractions or not. Cora was too irresistible not to. And besides, she controlled all of their hearts anyway.
Once the Knave had finished tying her corset, Cora dismissed him.
"That will be all, Knave." She turned away suddenly, brushing her fingers through her hair. Cora always addressed her servants by the title of their duty.
"Of course, your majesty," the Knave bowed, turned, and walked out, the tail of his red coat flying behind him. Cora could hear the small pats of his feet against the stone floors as he walked through the halls.
With a twirl of her hand, a cloud of purple smoke encircled the queen, disappearing as quickly as it came. She emerged wearing a formal red, white and black gown, with a white collar and cuffs, red silk gloves and slippers. Her dark red hair was coiffed in her usual bun, with a single curl of hair dangling to the side. The bright shade of red decorating her lips nicely contrasted with her porcelain skin.
Walking over to a nearby table, she lifted up to her head one of her most prized possessions: the Queen of Hearts tiara, composed entirely of diamonds. At the center of the tiara's arches, stood a single ruby, cut in the shape of a heart. This task could have easily been performed using magic, though Cora enjoyed it. It was, in a way, a self-coronation of power, something she had always longed for, ever since she was young girl. She examined herself in the mirror. She made a magnificent queen; a beautiful queen; a regal queen. She was the perfect queen. Donning one of her masks, she made her way out of bedroom and down to her court.
Cora sat ensconced on her golden throne, underneath a white canopy and placed on a dais in the center of the courtyard, which united the three wings of her palace. On either side was a set of white banners, each depicting a single red heart. Raised to her face, Cora held her mask, separating her from her people. Before her stood her court.
The Queen of Heart's court was made up of ten subjects, each given a title from a suit of hearts in cards: the Ten of Hearts, Nine of Hearts, Eight of Hearts... etc, with the final one being the Ace of Hearts. Cora had ripped each of their hearts out long ago, as she had also done with the Knave of Hearts and all her guards, known as "Heartsmen," who were also present. She kept all their hearts nicely filed in a white vault at the center of her rose maze, separate from her other collection of hearts, which she kept in a hidden room inside her palace.
Since she herself wore a mask, Cora insisted that all the subjects in her court also where masks. She rarely spoke to them directly, speaking instead through a long tube to the Knave, who spoke to them on her stead. This, multiplied with her mask and the disguise of her real name, added a bit of mystery to the Queen of Hearts from her subjects. Cora, again, reveled at her mysterious air, using it to her advantage.
They were all summoned there because the Knave had caught a prisoner for his queen. One of the heartsmen had found a stranger trespassing in the queen's maze of roses, dragging a dead body along with him. The Knave, ever eager to please the queen, had insisted he personally deliver the prisoner to the queen's court. And now, Cora could see the Knave marching triumphantly past the gates to her palace with an army of guards, dragging the prisoner, and the dead body, along behind them.