2.1 | Alice ✔

The Witch From Hell

It was time.

She stood at her vanity, the vial of rainbow medicine trapped in her long, manicured claws, twinkling in the sinister light.

It was finally time.

She was sick of waiting. She had waited for centuries, honing her skills, biding her time, awaiting the perfect opportunity-or at the very least, a perfect puppet. All of her efforts had failed, and now she was finally fed up with waiting. After all, if you wanted something done right, you had to do it yourself.

She glowered at her reflection a while, her amber eyes narrowing on the woman before her. Strong, beautiful, cunning. Underestimated, mistreated, cast aside. No longer. It was time to make Wonderland-all of it-bow to her mighty prowress. There would be none that could stop her. She smiled wickedly as she pulled the giant fur hood over her head and slipped out of her bedroom.

Jeremiah was fast asleep in his own room on the other side of the castle. Not that it mattered, but it helped that he didn't involve himself in her affairs. He kept to his pathetic routines while she got into all sorts of diabolic trouble. He would regret sleeping on her all these centuries, starting today. She descended the steps, all of her guards coming to attention when she reached the landing.

"Unleash the beasts. Today is the day," she commanded, and they all rushed off to do her bidding. She grinned wickedly as she walked out into the courtyard. Yes, those pesky hunters of Rose Estate thought they had this kingdom all figured out, capturing those pathetic monsters she had set loose and profiting from her generosity. Little did they know, she was sizing them up from the shadows, conjuring new and improved beasts that possessed powers well beyond their imaginations. And she had been saving them especially for this day.

As she reached the gates at the edge of the courtyard, she froze in her tracks as the ground started to rumble. Right on cue, the Bandersnatch lept from the trees and kneeled at her feet, panting and wagging its stub of a tail before unleashing a thunderous bark in her face.

"Quiet, you insolent peasant," she snapped, removing a glass bottle from her cloak and throwing it hard. The glass shattered against the beast's nose, a barrage of powder enveloping its nostrils. At first, it whimpered in pain from the impact, but once it inhaled the mysterious substance, its entire demeanor change.

The once playful, yellow eyes turned blood red with murderous intent. Its snarl was more threatening, jaws dripping with bloodlust. It reared up like a true alpha, howling its song of death to the red skies.

"That's more like it," Ophelia grinned, hopping up on its hide. "To the portal!" she ordered, and the beast spun on its heel and galloped forward.

Her beautiful monsters were running rampant in the wilderness, making her feel all the more empowered. The wind blew around inside her hood, and the rush was heady; she'd never felt such euphoria in her entire life! Once the wall of thorns was in her sights, she fetched yet another glass bottle and threw it forward.

The glass burst on the mirage, and the powder immediately dispelled the image, opening the path to Veloren. The unsuspecting Red Alice had her back turned toward them, and at her command, the Bandersnatch sailed over her head and charged on into the fog.

"STOP! OUTLAW!" Zhenya called, drawing her bow. Ophelia turned around and conjured a ball of darkness, hurling it at the huntress. Zhenya shot her arrow, striking the attack, but it exploded outward, the remnants landing hits to her armor. She was knocked cold effortlessly, and Ophelia cackled evilly. She was unstoppable.

The Bandersnatch began to slow as they reached their destination, and the fog slowly started to thin, revealing just the person she wanted to see.

The blue caterpillar looked wary, blowing smoke from her lips as the witch slipped from the back of her steed. She slowly approached, and the caterpillar grew increasingly unnerved, to her amusement. The expression she wore when she finally removed her hood was the icing on the cake.