Audrina

Chapter 02: The Curse Has Come

A Few Months Later: In a Land Created by a Wish

Her eyes stared up at the starry, twilit sky, the bracelet inlaid with runes still tightly clasped around her wrist. It was such a beautiful night, the celestial expanse above her glowed with such perfection, yet she barely registered it. Its beauty wasn't important. Nor its perfection.

The only thing that mattered was that those beneath that sky, those people chattering and celebrating throughout the kingdom, were paying it no mind. Each and every one of those blithering fools, those spineless simpletons, were celebrating the execution. It didn't matter to them that the woman they'd just executed had loved and raised her from birth; none of them cared either that the woman - the Evil Queen as they called her - was innocent of the crime they killed her for.

It mattered to none of them, such simpletons on magic, that it was impossible for her mum, the Evil Queen, to have done what they claimed. Even the fairies had failed to see the truth - that their magics had made it impossible for her mum to return to the Enchanted Forest. No, they too, rather believed that the Evil Queen had somehow found a way to escape their magic and return to kill King David and Queen Snow.

Though her mum's 'confession' hadn't helped matters.

But unlike those simpletons of the Enchanted Forest, who were eager to believe the worst of the woman, Audrina knew that that confession was a lie.

"Hey. I know...I understand you're upset. That you're angry, but..." Pinocchio stammered, struggling against the ropes tied around his arms.

"...they refused to allow me to give her a proper burial. Did you know that?" Audrina interrupted, her remark silencing the other's planned argument. "They're supposed to be good? To be heroes? Hm? Yet they refuse rest to my mum even in death, just to stand as an example to other – villains?"

"I...that is pretty...really horrible. Really." Pinocchio paused, taking in a breath as he deliberated his next words. "Everyone deserves a proper burial. And their loved ones deserve freedom to grieve. And I...I'll be more than happy to talk with the Prince and convince him to allow the Evil Queen..."

"She wasn't the Evil Queen anymore." Audrina growled, her dark eyes livid. "She hadn't used magic in years. Not since I…." She swallowed slowly to calm herself, the memory flashing crystal clear in her thoughts. "Mum only used magic in recent years when needed to control mine."

"That...that's not what the Ev...what your mom told the Prince. I was there, she confessed to everything in front of the whole kingdom, before she was executed." Pinocchio said, his voice trailing off towards the end. It was evident that he was hiding something, though he made every effort to not lie.

"I know. I was there too." Audrina replied, her voice even and cold. It frightened Pinocchio more than if the young woman had raged and shouted. "I wasn't released until after."

"I'm...sorry." Pinocchio swallowed, silently berating himself for remembering that fact too late. This woman before him, this Audrina, had been surrounded by guards beside the execution platform that day. Her identity and reason for being there hadn't been mentioned, so he hadn't remembered her. Not until she sought him out afterwards. "But whatever you have planned...revenge...dark magic...none of that will undo what happened. None of it will make you happy or give you what you want. It…no curse will ever be worth…."

"Curse? Dark magic?" Audrina scoffed, giving a wry chuckle. "Don't presume I need either for vengeance. It's quite the folly."

"I...I don't understand. When you captured me, you said you were going to use me for revenge. And you mentioned using magic. I…." He studied the woman before him, confused.

"You assumed revenge equaled curse." Audrina's lips twitched, her irises reflecting the light from the night sky. "But did it ever occur to you that, under the right circumstances, a blessing can be more of a burden than any curse?"

"...what?"

"Those people celebrating down there, they treasure their happy endings so dearly." Audrina paused, leering down at the celebrations underway. "I think...that I'll give them nothing but happy endings."

Pinocchio stared at the young woman, confusion knitted in his brow. "That...that's nice…I guess..."

"Not really." Audrina whispered, taking out a crystal bracelet identical to the one her mother had worn. It was, unknown to anyone but her, the very one her mother had worn the day of her execution. It had been the one memento she'd been able to retrieve before anyone noticed. "Mum confessed and allowed herself to be killed, to protect me. It was the condition for my freedom. And…."

Audrina held out the bracelet beneath the starry light of the sky, the crystalline gems sparkling. It seemed, from what Pinocchio could see, that the bracelet was absorbing the starlight.

"Au...Audrina….what are you…."

"...I think I'll use that. That sacrifice, to secure happy endings for this entire realm."

"What...? But..." Pinocchio stared at Audrina, more confused. "How is giving your enemies happy endings getting your revenge?"

"Enemies? Who said they're my enemies? Sure, I despise them, but..." Audrina's lip twitched, her dark eyes leering at the night sky, then at the bracelet. It glowed beneath the starlight. "I've always saw an enemy as something one chooses, and I'd never choose inferiors such as they. Not worth it. Besides, with this spell - I'll have a win-win situation." She smirked after the bracelet glowed brighter, filled with magic and starlight. Her eyes studied it closely, reflecting its glow, before shifting to Pinocchio with a cold smile. "Those people down there. They'll forever know that their happiness is because of their enemy - the Evil Queen - my mum, and they'll have to live with that knowledge."

"That's...how will they know...?"

"Because you're going to tell them. Pinocchio." Audrina knelt before the man, cupping his chin in her palm. "If you lie, you'll turn back into wood. And if you deign to keep it secret, they'll lose all chance at happiness. Because..." She whispered just inches from Pinocchio, her eyes delving into his. "This spell requires heartfelt emotion towards the catalyst - my mum, Regina - to work, and what that emotion is, determines what ending is received. Negative emotions equal bad ending. Positive equals good. And neutral means...well, I'm not sure."

"That...that's...you can't cast that. The cost besides...your magic is not..."

"It's not mine." Audrina smirked, holding out the bracelet in the man's view. "It's a karma spell that mum was working on for years, decades. I'm merely intensifying it with celestial magics, magics said to have originated from a specific sect of elves. Ones which created this bracelet."

Pinocchio shook his head, his eyes widened and locked on the bracelet. "Magic that powerful..."

"Comes with a terrible price. I won't get a happy ending. But really, who cares? Happy endings are overrated." Audrina smiled coldly and stood up, holding out the bracelet in front of her. Her mirthless grin deepened as the magic in the bracelet activated, spilling out from the crystalline gems. It burned and her palm felt like it was being scorched through, but she held onto it as the spell was cast.

Its magic, enhanced by the stars, filled the night sky, while below the celebratory cohort continued their jubilee. Too enthralled in their celebration to notice the change, the residents of the Enchanted Forest paid no heed to the stars above. Only far off, in a darkened castle, did a pair of eyes notice.

"Heh. Heh." The Dark One cackled, his darkened gaze watching as the stars stopped twinkling. Each bright ball dimming and freezing into static fixtures in the heavily darkened sky. "Now that, dearie, is impressive."

He cackled again and averted his gaze towards his right, while fiddling with a small object in his hand. A brief flicker from the candelabra revealed what it was: a magic bean, one of two he'd secured over a year ago when that Former-Evil-Queen Regina released him from his prison.

"Let's see if this other realm has what I seek." He muttered and stepped towards an elegantly engraved chest laid upon a table. His eyes lingered on the chest, then on the portrait hanging above it. The corner of his lip twitched, hinting at just the shadow of a wistful smile.

He tossed the bean and jumped through its portal just seconds before Audrina's spell reached his castle.