The crack reverberated through the room. A splash of red covered the floor.

The corner of Scarlet’s mouth tugged up as she took her eyes off the man sprawled across the floor holding his nose and looked at his two friends. She could see the repulsion in their eyes. Being the daughter of the Red Queen, she was used to it.

“Are we done here?” She smirked, throwing her dark red hair over her shoulder, “I have more important issues to deal with than bloodying up some White trash talkers.”

“She’s a psycho,” The guy with the bloody nose stumbled as he pulled himself off the ground.

Scarlet gave him a sneer before he rushed out the door, his friends close behind him. The others in the tavern were staring at her but they weren’t making a move.

Scarlet pulled her coat back on, the fur on the hood brushing against her cheek. She could feel everyone staring at her back as she walked out of the Blue Caterpillar. Instead of having fun, the tavern had just been a waste of her time.

The Blue Caterpillar was a newly opened establishment within Wonderland. It was said to have the best drinks and smokes in Fiore and the sign outside invited everyone. Everyone except Scarlet, it seemed. Less than five minutes inside, Scarlet had been approached by three men who demanded she leave. They said the tavern would not serve the daughter of the Red Queen. Scarlet quickly showed them what she thought of that but left anyway.

It was always the same no matter where she traveled in Wonderland. The Whites would always tell her to leave and go back to the outskirts. Others were not as kind. They would try to hurt her but she wouldn’t let them put a hand on her. She learned a long time ago not to hold back when defending herself.

Scarlett made her way into the forest. The trees stretched toward the sky, their branches twirling so they made a canopy over the forest floor. Small cracks of light could shine through in some places, but it didn’t do much to help light the way. Scarlet liked the darkness. It was there no one could see her. No one could judge her or try to shoo her away. She spent a lot of time walking through the forest, memorizing every tree and plant. It kept her busy and away from people. It also allowed her to spend time away from her mother. That woman could drive her crazy.

Scarlet followed the worn dirt path until she took a smaller path going east. The forest got thicker as she walked. There were less people living on the outskirts of Wonderland. Most lived in small villages close to the castle where the White King and Queen resided. No one wanted to be near the Grim River, where the Red Queen was banished.

The sound of water rushing hinted that Scarlet was close. She pushed a bush aside and stepped out into the small clearing. A small cottage sat on the edge of the rushing river. Scarlett watched as the water flowed over rocks and went downstream. The water was crystal clear and clean. Scarlet was almost tempted to get a drink of it, except she knew whoever drank of the water of the Grim River was prone to extreme hallucinations, and sometimes death.

Scarlet opened the cottage door without knocking.

“Scarlet? Is that you?”

Scarlet rolled her eyes as she slipped her coat off and hung it on the nook by the door. “Who else would it be, Mother?”

Scarlet exited the foyer and entered the small living room. Her mother sat in front of the fireplace in a large dark velvet chair, one of her old and favorite possessions from the old Wonderland Castle. As Scarlet rounded around the chair she saw her mother staring into the lapping flames of the fireplace, staring as if in deep thought.

Immediately the thought was gone as she lifted her eyes towards her daughter.

“Where were you?”

“Walking the forest,” Scarlet sat down on the stool beside the chair, “What are you doing?”

Her mother gestured toward the fire with the slight movement of her chin.

Scarlet looked toward the fire. At first she didn’t see anything but slowly the flames started to take form.

King Stephen was sitting on his large white throne looking regal in his royal attire and large gold crown. He was a handsome man, tall and large with graying black hair and a beard to match. Much wisdom could be seen in his dark brown eyes. If he had been younger Scarlet’s heart might have skipped a beat but his image did nothing but make her want to disrupt the flames. It seemed he was listening to the requests of the citizens of Wonderland with the nod of his head as they came one by one to the throne.

Scarlet glanced at her mother, whose eyes longed after the king. Even after all the years of being banished to the Grim River, Rose would still long after the man who put her there.

Scarlet stood up, finished with watching but her mother’s hand rose, making her stop.

“Watch.”

Scarlet looked back into the flames. A young lady around Scarlett’s age approached the king in reverence with the slight bow of her head and a large smile on her face. Her long white hair flowed down her back in waves and her light blue eyes reminded Scarlet of the Wonderland sky on clear days. The only resemblance she had to her father was the long shape to her face and her soft round eyes. If she had not had these features she would have looked like the mirror image of her mother, who stood beside her.

The White Queen’s face was shaped much like a heart and her white hair was pulled into a high bun where her golden crown sat. Her eyes were shaped like almonds and her skin was flawless. She was the definition of a perfect queen for a perfect kingdom, at least that is what the Whites liked to think. Scarlet, on the other hand, had a different opinion of the woman.

The Queen and the King exchanged some words briefly before the princess excitedly talked to him. Scarlet wished for a moment they could tell what they were saying but that was one of the effects of the curse on the area. Her mother could only use so much magic and it was limited. They could see what was happening in the castle but never hear.

“Aurora’s coronation is in two weeks,” Rose glanced at her daughter, “She is only two years younger than yourself now and yet she is about to take the crown to be the next heir.”

Scarlet knew that much. Aurora had a tendency to write letters to her as much as she was allowed. Her letters were always scanned before they landed in Scarlet’s hands so she only got so much information. Among the information she was allowed to read was Aurora’s age and accomplishments. Her hobbies, favorite teas and pastries, and other minuscule information were included. For the past few weeks, Aurora had been writing about her upcoming coronation. She was excited and was planning a large ball. The coronation was to be the night of the ball to mark her as the next heir to the Wonderland throne. Scarlet already knew about the color schemes, who were invited, and how much food there would be. There was nothing of interest to her. She wouldn’t be attending the ball anyway, the White Queen would never allow.

Rose went back to watching the flames, her attention mostly on the king.

Scarlet left the room without a word and went to her own room down the hall. She did not like how her mother would watch the king all day. It infuriated her but there was nothing she could say or do. Her mother was in love and nothing could destroy that.

Scarlet hated that. She hated love and swore she would never fall in love. It was love that led to them being banished to the outskirts of Wonderland and to become so hated by the Whites. It was love that destroyed the bonds of sisterhood between Rose and her sister. Falling in love with the same man proved to be the end of their relationship. Rose became wroth when King Stephen chose her sister Victoria instead of herself to marry.

Both Queens were fit to marry. Rose, known as the Red Queen, was brilliant with her vast knowledge and wisdom. She was powerful with her magic and not afraid to use it. Tall with dark red hair, the Red Queen brought color among Wonderland. But it was her sister the White Queen who won the King’s heart. Her beauty and elegance was something her sister did not possess. While the Red Queen could be harsh and rash with her words, the White Queen was softer but still firm.

Soon after King Stephen married the White Queen, Rose became intent on destroying their marriage but could not find anything to unravel it. Burning with anger and jealousy, Rose devised a plan to kill her own sister. But the White Queen had many loyal servants and one learned of the Red Queen’s plan. When the Red Queen went to kill her sister with poison in her goblet of wine, the White Queen, in turn, had her captured for trying to murder her. She was sentenced to death but King Stephen believed it would be better for Rose to be sentenced to life on the outskirts of Wonderland by the Grim River. She was to be kept a prisoner by a magical barrier that would only affect her and her magic would be limited. That sentence was put into place twenty years prior.

Scarlet thought poorly of the situation. Her mother’s claims of King Stephen having feelings for her rang false in her ears. Not even her own father had stuck around after she was born and Scarlet knew why. It was a loveless union. Why should the product of a loveless union believe in love at all? There was no proof of its existence to be found in her life. Her mother believed it existed, as he spared her life while her own sister wanted her dead. Scarlet believed this was absurd. To Scarlet, there was no such thing as love, at least not when it concerned herself or her mother. Not even her unknown father.