Chapter 1: Laugh of the Mad Queen.
Time would drift, ticking in place.
It would run on an hourglass, the sands of time slipping by the second, and it fell down to meet with the pile.
A God was bored while looming over the city with a darkened face, nothing was keeping him interested. Not even the plague, wars started by other Gods and even the newest soul he took in possession to play with was not fully grown so he is not able to mess with the Ice Empress' life.
The Dark Queen's voice echoed suddenly as he stood.
"If only I could go back to the past-" The voice started, the God of trickery snickers thinking which soul is it this time? He leans in over to find a place- another world where magic existed in a medieval setting.
Those types of worlds he never gets bored of.
He decided to confide and see what the soul wishes.
"I want to kill... KILL!"
The voice echoes even louder, by the mention of a murder he suddenly smirked, standing straight he went to see the soul's life and observed its past.
He blinks, feeling a bit bored watching the soul's past, so the Dark Queen had fallen for a leech. "Ah the classic romance trope being betrayed by your own husband for the throne, how tragic but fun to see..."
He stared at the soul's spiritual state, where its color grew red of anger.
"Mortal being you wish for a second life?" The god of trickery mutters holding a bundle of cards in his hands. The cards of fate which he possesses, to guide the humans or play with them until he's satisfied he uses them for his own entertainment.
"What would be your fate? My cards would decide." He smiles, snapping his finger. All the cards begin to flutter out, it flies and hovers over facing their back to God.
He pulls out a finger pointing at each card humming a tune.
"Iny mini miny moe~" He happily hums, the cards begin to shuffle so fast no human would be able to keep up.
"Stop right there, little card." He commanded happily and the card did follow. The card separated from the deck and to the hands of God, it went. "Let's see what we have over here- oh?"
The card revealed it was empty, be it so.
Only once in a century will it unfold.
He was impressed and gained interest towards the mortal, such luck it may be for her to grant this wish.
Now she can go ahead, build her rage and go on to fulfill her revenge.
"How lucky this mortal is, for Celestia has heard its wish. A second life she craves, a second life she shall have." The God began to yawn and with the flick of his hand, the card burst into flames as he grinned in pleasure at the results.
"May you have what you want little one, you'll take the same path as your old life but let's see... if you can change that." He wishes the little soul its best in claiming what's rightfully hers, revenge is not easy to get after all.
It seems there are already versions of her that have failed in other realities and none so far have succeeded.
Perhaps she'll be her first version of herself to succeed.
.-.-.-.-.
A day just like any other, a dream takes its place.
A wedding, the throne, and the guillotine.
The Dark Queen walked into the place of her death, she was held down by the neck and forced to wear a sack on her whole head with only small holes for her eyes to see.
"Death to the Queen!"
"May give rise to our King!"
"Send her to the Guillotine!"
The Dark Queen could hear voices from the nobility's support of her dethroning. They all wanted death to climb for power, if she dies a new system would be born- one that's controlled by his husband.
A greedy man that never settled for one thing in his life.
The dream motions to the altar where the Dark Queen sees himself in front of her young self and her consort where they promise each other they will love one another by placing a ring on their finger.
"Till death... do us part."
The Dark Queen enraged, wanted to stop the wedding, she grits her teeth holding her dirty dress that was worn when she was still imprisoned in the dungeon.
"STOP! DO NOT MARRY THAT MAN!" She ran, reaching out to her old self that was smiling so widely, the Dark Queen realized how naïve she was at love.
It cost her everything.
"Hah...! Hah...! Agh!"
She snapped awake from her dream, turning cold. Panting out of breath, her heart felt heavy and her hands were shaking from what she had seen.
"Hah- urgh..." The Dark Queen felt a sting on the neck, she held it feeling her soft skin- realizing she was still alive... she continued to breathe hard- wheezing, calming herself down. "Hah..."
Mirror...
A mirror...
She turned to the side where her vanity rested in place, dark black coal hair- a beauty unmatched. Gold eyes you can never take for granted, and soft plump lips- she had looked years younger.
"Why... do I look so- young?" she mutters the hand on her neck slowly slithers to her face. Indeed her youth has come back- what happened to make this come true?
She looks around her bedroom empty, it was not her master's bedroom which she has built for her husband.
"Where is Cedric?!" she asks, eyes turning into a fit of rage she stands up looking for her husband but there was no one there. "He's not here..."
Her shoulder relaxes and realizes something.
The way the mirror vanity was placed, a single bed with soft full sheets, and the old things she kept as a princess. She walks over to the vanity and checked all of her jewelry.
"My mother's... necklace but I thought-" Her eyes glimmered in tears, picking up such a prized possession she cradled it in her hands not wanting to be a part of it.
The former Queen's necklace where she thought she had lost it- her mother who died years ago before she was crowned the new ruler of her kingdom.
Slowly everything was making sense.
The old bedroom, things she kept before- her body looking so young.
"Did I... travel back into the past?"
Knock! Knock! Knock!
The sudden knock on her chamber's doors made her stop. She puts on her necklace before straightening her posture preparing for the unknown guest. "Come in."
"Your highness! Finally, you're awake!" Yelled at an old maid who opened the door with a towel in her hands. The Dark Queen was familiar with her old nanna, her heart grew warm remembering all the memories they had before she was sent away.
"Nanna Bella!" she runs happily, forgetting her anger from a few moments ago.
"Oh!" (Nanna Bella) was surprised to see the ever-so-quiet princess be so cheery and forgetful of her manners, the princess hugged the servant who dearly missed her- but Nanna Bella was confused.
"Your highness, what's with the sudden hug? Did you miss Nanna Bella already hohoho... we only did see each other a few hours ago."
The princess smiles sadly, letting go of her servant.
It might have been a few hours for her but- it's been years for the Dark Queen.
"Oh dear look at the time! Go now! It's finally your coming of age!" She rushes the princess to go the bathroom where the Dark Queen grows concerned. "My heart will not calm down if you'll be late for your big day!"
The Dark Queen blinks in confusion while being pushed by Nanna Bella and slowly she finds herself naked by the end of the bathtub not knowing what was happening.
"Coming... of age?"
The maid places a hand on her arm and escorts the princess down to give her a quick wash.
"My, don't you remember? It's your eighteenth birthday today." (Nanna Bella) pats her head before grabbing a bar of soap, and washing the princess' back. "You were excited last night and I even bought you a little gift to congratulate her highness."
Nanna Bella puffs her chest proudly telling the princess of her surprise gift.
The Dark Queen wanders through the birthday memories she's had. Nanna Bella's gift was a journal she could pour all of her writings into, yet she didn't have time in her past life so the lovely gift was forgotten.
"Coming of age... eighteen." she places a hand under her chin being in deep thought.
Princess Eleanor Rose Alberich has realized she has gone far back in her younger years, back when she was still growing in the position of power. "Five years..."
The Queen realized she needed to call herself to her past title for now.
"Hahaha! Five years!" (Princess Eleanor) laughed loudly, earning a confused look from Nanna Bella.
"Your highness? Is there something good happening in five years? Why the sudden random number of years? Are you looking forward to your twenty-third birthday too?" (Nanna Bella) asked innocently, earning another chuckle from the former Queen Eleanor.
Oh, how she missed her old nanna.
The top of the throne was so lonely without someone genuine by her side.
"Nanna Bella, never leave my side." (Princess Eleanor) requested and it earned a smile from the servant who continues to wash her body with rose-scented soap.
Once they were done inside the bathroom, Princess Eleanor went and acted the same but it was clear something was different.
"Alright your highness, you'll be needing to dry up." (Nanna Bella) grabs a towel and gives it to the princess while she walks over to the door. " I'll be fetching your gown that was in need of ironing, I'll be back in a moment."
Nanna Bella waves her hand slightly goodbye and Princess Eleanor nods looking at the soft cotton towel seeing that Nanna Bella was gone, no more footsteps could be heard.
The princess started laughing looking at the vanity mirror. "Hahaha..."
Groggily she walks over while clutching a part of her face with force. "HAHAHA!"
Laughter filled her room and soon she threw the cotton towel at the mirror.
"Oh how the tables have turned." (Princess Eleanor) held her neck, trying to feel any scars. "I'm in the past... another life- I'm actually alive. I'm not dreaming- this is all real."
She had to double-check, she takes a sharp pen from the drawer and presses the tip to her skin.
Once it has pierced deeply the blood dripped and now she was satisfied.
"Everyone who wronged me... I know every last one of you." (Princess Eleanor) holds the sharp tip of her pen before grinning. "I'll start with you."
Princess Eleanor takes a paper that was lying around her room, she was a girl gifted with a great memory and excelled at the arts.
"Remember... that face." (Princess Eleanor) mutters while sketching out the face of the woman that stole her husband away from her.
"Daughter of a fallen noble house, it won't be long till I have you as my own personal slave."