Disclaimer, I do not own The Land of Stories. This magical tale was written by Chris Colfer.
A/N:
Hi guys!
Here is chapter two. Meet the new Alex. Warm wishes to you all.
Chapter Two: A Potion, and a Prophecy
Deep in the heart of the Dwarf Forests, lived an enchantress, a dwarf, and a young girl with extraordinary power, cunning, and skill. With a snap of her fingers, or a clap of her hands, or just by the slightest twitch of a finger, she could destroy, disrupt, and produce devastating results. Almost everything she touched crumbled into dust, burned into ashes or shattered into a million pieces. The Dwarf Forests consisted of a variety of living beings both humans and non-humans. There were witches, ogres, bears, wolves, foxes and many more. It was where all the outlaws and outcasts of the Fairy Tale World lived and took refuge. Emilia opened her eyes to see the sun just beginning its ascent into the sky. The birds in the forest chirped and squawked in the trees overhead, and sounds of rustling within the thick bushes could be heard as the forest animals foraged for food within the undergrowth. Emilia rose from her bed of stiff straw, walked out of the rundown cottage where she lived, into the cool morning. She wore a plain black knee-length dress with a pair of tall black leather boots to match. Her eyes were the colour of the ocean, and her long black braided hair rippled down her back like a waterfall. All around her were trees of different kinds, oak, maple, pine, birch, and berry trees all of which were covered in thick layers of moss. Emilia stopped in front of a tall oak tree and sat down on a stump. In the distance, she could hear the sound of a gurgling stream. She closed her eyes and laid her head against the smooth bark of the tree, breathing deeply. In her mind, a mantra began,
"I'll prove to you that you should have chosen me. You'll regret it. I'll prove to you that you should have chosen me. You'll regret it." With each time she repeated the phrase in her mind, she imagined her birth mother's face contorted in unbearable agony. She envisioned her brother, a young boy her age lying on the ground and pleading with her to stop while she stood over him his life at her disposition. The feeling of familiar savage pleasure seeped into her bones, invigorating her drive to finish the work her Mother Ezmia had started. They would have it all. They didn't want just a bite or a slice, they wanted the whole pie.
Just Then, the sound of clattering hooves echoed through the trees. She looked around and in the distance, glimpsed a cream-coloured horse cantering in the shadows. On its back was a slender woman with golden curls that tumbled in shimmering curtains down her back.
"The fugitive," Emilia snarled. She made her way through the trees in swift, soundless strides. Crouching between two tall maple trees, Emilia flicked a finger towards the horse and its rider. Two small but lethal daggers soared towards the horse and the woman. Emilia's precise aim hit their targets just so. One dagger lodged itself into the horse's hoof, and the other was wedged firmly into Goldilocks' right arm. With a sneer of pleasure, Emilia watched as blood poured from the wounds she had inflicted, staining the forest floor in a dark crimson. A coy smile played on her lips as Goldilocks attempted to stem the bleeding in her arm slipping sideways and almost falling in the process. This was how she wanted to see her mother, and more, in a heap of pain and excruciating agony. Pleased with her handy work, she stood up, alert and ready to begin a new day that would lead them closer to success.
The heat was almost unbearable inside the small cottage. Billowing smoke and steam rose from a simmering cauldron. Emilia mixed the solution steadily as Ezmia added ingredient after ingredient. The potion had gone from clear, to the colour of tar, to acid green, and now, it was a deep red.
"Mother," Emilia asked determinedly,
"What kind of potion is this?"
"Ah my dear," Ezmia said in her cold voice.
"This potion will be a great asset and will aid us in our quest. It ensnares the mind to think unbearable thoughts. It ensnares the heart into a web of inescapable nightmares. When the liquid flows through your blood, you will see the worst versions of everything and everyone in front of you. Every friend will become an enemy. Every angel will become a demon. Love will turn into hatred. Joys will turn into sorrows. Courage will become cowardice. Resilience will be drained away leaving the drinker an empty hollow shell of misery with no desire to live. The potion will suck the life out of someone like a mosquito until there is nothing left."
Ezmia wore black flowing robes, her magenta hair rippled around her head like a flame. As she spoke, Ezmia's violet eyes flashed with malice. Emilia's grip tightened as she stirred the potion, her blood rushing with adrenalin.
"But can the potion work in reverse? Fill someone up with good things? If it can be reversed, we need to use it carefully. Whoever we use the potion on, if they discover what we've done, we need to make sure all possible sources where they can learn about the potion is rid of. Burn books or scrolls about the potion. What about the fairies? Those pests would surely know about this."
"You are very insightful my daughter," Ezmia finally said, her eyes boring into Emilia.
"I will handle the fairies and the witches. Rumpy!"
A small dwarf came into view carrying a dried and withered daisy in a bowl. He walked with his shoulders slumped and heavy bags could be seen under his eyes.
"Yes Ezmi."
"Get all my books and burn them. I no longer need them."
"Of course."
Without another word, Rumpelstiltskin turned away to do as she asked.
Finally, Ezmia added the last ingredient, 2 cups of ogre's blood into the potion. As Emilia stirred, the colour changed from scarlett to a clear white just as it was at the beginning of the procedure. With a snap of her fingers, Ezmia conjured several glass bottles into which she began carefully pouring potion into. Eventually, the cauldron was empty of potion and twelve glass bottles full of clear liquid stood on the small wooden table before them.
"What is the potion called mother?"
"The potion is called the Heart's Parasite."
Just then, a loud cackling sound came from just outside the cottage. Outside, stood three witches, women with sinister appearances.
"It's the witches mother."
"Leave them."
The witches outside were growing louder and louder every second they were ignored. They began to bang hard on the cottage door making the room shake.
"Let us in. We have information that is crucial for you to have."
Losing her temper, Ezmia flung the door open and pointed a finger at the witches. At that moment, vines covered their whole bodies binding them in place.
"Get out now before I kill you. You know what I'm capable of."
"Mother, it couldn't hurt to listen to what they have to say. If it is of some use, all the more benefit for us, if not, it will be to their detriment and downfall."
Ezmia stood still, considering Emilia's words.
"Very well."
She removed the vines from the witches' mouths, and together, they began to chant.
"We see oncoming trouble,
As nearer comes a double.
Shadows from the past,
Are surely approaching fast.
Two from different worlds,
Whose lives will soon unfurl.
The boy you will meet as he roams,
On a quest to make his way home.
Aid him on his journey,
Gaining trust and empathy.
A war will begin,
A war fought from within.
Feeling things unfelt,
As the heart begins to melt.
Throughout their chant, the witches looked at Emilia alone. She gazed steadily at them, showing no expression, her face a smooth mask of unreadable calm.
"Nonsense! Utter nonsense! Do not make the mistake of provoking me again!"
Ezmia swiped the air, and with screams of outrage, the witches were flung out the door into the distant trees.
Later that night, Emilia sat outside the cottage a warm cup of tea held in her hands. Rumpelstiltskin sat beside her with his own cup as they gazed at the night sky with its ceiling of bright stars.
"Have you ever made a wish Emilia?"
"Huh," she scoffed derisively.
"Wishes are for fools."
"What makes you say that?"
"My own mother didn't want me. She dumped me on the street like a sack of rubbish. She chose my brother over me."
Rumpelstiltskin winced at her harsh tone, but did his best not to show it. His heart tore in two as he forced down the secret he was forced to keep from spilling from his lips.
"But surely you can find something good in the world."
"Good," Emilia said flatly.
She lifted her dress slightly revealing deep long scars that ran down her shins. To Emilia, these scars were concrete proof that good in the world was non-existent. Those scars were souvenirs of her mother's punishment against disobedience and failure.
"This is good Rumpy. There's no other good. Everyone who helps another person wants something in return. Mother only took me in so she could use me and my magic to help her conquer this world and the other world. There's always strings and conditions attached. That's a fact Rumpy."
"I never ask for anything," Rumpelstiltskin whispered.
"No you don't. You're different and stupid," Emilia said her lips twitching upwards slightly.
Without thinking, she touched his hand briefly and they looked up, their eyes meeting. In that moment, Emilia experienced a tingle of warmth go through her body. It began at the tips of her toes, slowly making its way up her body until it lodged itself into her chest. She shuddered at the foreign intruder invading her body's usual senses. The two sat there for a while sipping their tea and looking out at the still forest. They didn't talk any more as they drank, and when the cups were empty at last, Rumpelstiltskin took them and went back inside.
Alone, Emilia pushed away the unbidden thoughts creeping into her head.
"Feeling things unfelt,
As the heart begins to melt."
The words drummed steadily in her head like a bass drum no matter how hard she pushed them away.
"No," she said firmly.
"I am Emilia. I will finish the work my mother started and get my revenge on the mother that didn't want me. I will show them."