Chapter Three
A Red Rose
"Anything for you, your majesty," he said breathily, their lips nearly touching, her's tormenting him by just barely grazing against his.
"That's just what I want to hear," she whispered into his ear. Her eyes moved back to his as she took full control over him.
Suddenly, their lips met hungrily and passionately as Will Scarlett took Cora into a deep, juicy kiss, wrapping his hands around the back of her head and neck. Will wasn't sure how it'd happened. An urge had overcome him in that moment, and he couldn't hold himself back anymore. It was as if something else had forced him to.
The queen was intoxicating for him. She was seductive, tempting, and beautiful, all the things that attracted a man like him.
He wanted all of her majesty.
They kissed for a moment, tongues in and out, as Will's hands found their way down from her upper body and to her hips. He clutched them tightly, pressing his hands through the thick cloth of her gown and taking in what he was feeling, before Cora pulled back instantly, leaving Will still wanting more of the seductive mistress.
He stood there with his mouth gaping at her, surprised at her sudden action. She smiled at him and took a step back, taunting him. She clutched her hands together tightly.
Cora couldn't give him too much; no, then she wouldn't have nearly as much power as she had at that moment. Make them want more, she had always told herself even as a young girl. Back when she was just the miller's daughter, beauty was all she had had, that and her ambitions. She learned soon enough that the only way she would climb up in the world was by using both.
She had to leave them wanting more of was the only way she could hold complete and utter control over them. By keeping them at the tips of her gracefully gloved fingers.
That's how she'd get them to do anything she wanted.
"I find myself in need of a new Knave of Hearts," she admitted to him, turning away from him and walking back towards her golden throne. She pointed back to him."I would like you to fill that position, Will Scarlett."
"O-of course, your majesty," Will stuttered, bowing before Cora, "I will do anything for you, your majesty."
She smiled at him again as she took a seat on her throne, swiping her dress underneath her.
"Good," Cora said cooly, "Your first order as Knave is to hunt down the thief who tried to steal from my garden one of my weeping willows. She escaped from my heartsmen and is on the run. She is to be declared an outlaw and murderess and must be tracked down immediately."
He nodded, mentally noting her request.
"Her name is Alice. Find her and bring her back to me. Alive. I want to kill her myself."
It was a week later that Cora and Anastasia again had a lesson, at the Wonderland Palace, the Red King and Queen's home in the Red Kingdom. The Red King was away on an official trip, so Anastasia offered to have their lesson there. Since none of the servants would dare say anything to him once he returned about the Queen of Hearts, fearing she would kill them in their sleep or something, Cora strode through the front door of the palace without any hesitation.
She was, after all, The Queen of Hearts. She practically ruled Wonderland.
Her heels clicked regally as she strutted down the great hall of the palace, her gown flapping behind her, as each servant bowed with her passing passing by. She walked determinedly until she slowed to a stop before the small table that sat at the cent of the vast room. Atop it was placed a gilded, bright red vase filled with pure white roses, the favorite flower of the Red King.
The color of red had already been taken, you see…
The Queen of Hearts smiled at the flower faintly, very much enjoying what she was about to do, before twirling her right hand swiftly above the flowers. Life and color drained out of the plants instantly, turning black as coal as they fell over alongside the vase. Dead.
Holding her hand out, a single red rose appeared in Cora's palm. She held it up to her nose for a moment, taking a whiff of the sweet flower, before setting it gently down on the table beside the now-dead white roses.
Red roses were the Queen of Heart's calling card, and the Red King knew that.
Turning away from the plant, she once more proceeded through the hall and further on into the palace, where her student awaited patiently for her.
Cora grinned as she walked away, very much knowing what she had just done.
"Your majesty!" Anastasia chirped as she looked up at the regal queen walking into the large room.
The Red Queen had been hard at work, practicing an object shape-shifting spell on a pot of flowers, before Cora had come into the room. In fact, Anastasia had been practicing several times that week in preparation for her next lesson with Cora. She wanted to prove to the The Queen of Hearts that she would be a worthy, just and powerful ruler just like Cora was.
In many ways, she wanted to impress Cora. She looked up to the queen as a mother, and she hoped that all her practices would pay off.
She desperately wanted to please the queen.
As Cora entered the room, a sudden splurge of emotions ran through Anastasia, causing magic to shoot from her hands and transform the pot of flowers into a cloud of smoke, fading away to reveal a bright, white bunny.
The Queen of Hearts smiled at her. "You've been practicing." Cora walked up to the beautiful bunny and started to pet it warmly.
Anastasia nodded eagerly. "Yes, I have, your majesty. I practice whenever I can. I want to become a powerful ruler, just like you said"
Cora smiled at her. "Good. It's that kind of determination that will make you a powerful queen, one that can hold complete sway over her kingdom." She paused for a moment, looked down at the bunny, and then back at the Red Queen.
"Good job, Anastasia."
