#ooc: ardenzana demanded this happen

[asktheheartsprincess]

Solo Para: “Do You Regret It?”

OOC Mun note:  I recommend listening to the instrumental version of Zack Hemsey’s “See What I’ve Become” while reading this:

Fairy Godmother looked at her expectantly as they sat in the Rehabilitation Center. Ardenzana, Queen of Hearts, balanced a cup of tea before her, looking at the eyes of the so-called “villains” around her. Many were cowed and embarrassed, staring at their laps in shame that they had come to this. Fairy Godmother had these sessions with them, sessions in which she asked them to confess to their manifold wickedness with one another. It was so she could keep tabs on their “progress” in the program, and decide which of them was fit to be released back into the public. As though they were diseased, quarantined until they were healthy enough not to infect the general population.

And infect them with what? Ardenzana wondered.  Respect? Pride? Self-esteem? Perhaps this world would not need fairy godmothers if people were allowed to believe in themselves and their work and not shamed.

Ardenzana gave a barely perceptible shake of the head as she took a sip of her tea. She knew what Fairy Godmother expected her to say:

“Yes. I’m terribly sorry. I’ve done awful things. I’ve killed hundreds of people. I could never hope to earn the forgiveness of King Ben. I’m not responsible enough to rule. I give up my crown to him.”

But oh, how *wrong* the fairy was. How *naive.* The pathetic look in her eyes- almost pleading -did she forget who she was dealing with? Ardenzana’s green eyes fixed on the fairy’s, and fire blazed in them.

Fairy Godmother may have forgotten, but Ardenzana never would.

Ardenzana, newly crowned Queen of Hearts, sat in her throne room, making her proclamation to the astounded members of the court before her:

“Any who defy the laws of Wonderland will pay the ultimate price. They will lose their heads and their lives, and it will be done publicly so others may see the cost of breaking the law.” She drummed her fingers on the golden armrest, waiting for their reaction. She’d carefully considered her options before making this decision, but she’d known that the queendom could not remain in the state it was at her own mother’s death. The three noble houses had members who, instead of taking charge of their duties as they had vowed to do, were becoming corrupt, profiting off others’ pain. It wasn’t that Ardenzana believed criminals should have luxuries- she didn’t, and they didn’t deserve them. However, neither should nobles be lining their pockets with gold from families trying to give their loved ones what little benefits they could receive in prison.

That would not do, and since her mother’s warnings had not put a stop to the practice, Ardenzana would scare them into it if she had to. And unlike her mother, Ardenzana was not a woman of words only.

It was a fine spring day, not long after the queen had made her announcement, that she’d first had to put it into practice. Ardenzana’s spies had identified a count running a side operation to provide prisoners with blankets, and he was charging 5,000 Wonderlandian crowns to ensure their delivery. The blankets themselves barely cost 20 crowns. Wonderlanders weren’t starving by any means, but this was practically extortion. 5,000 crowns could buy someone a house.

No, no- this wouldn’t do.

So when the count was dragged before her, whimpering and pleading for his life, barely able to get her honorific out in the correct order, she held up a hand.

“Stop. Just stop. You do yourself a disservice, blubbering in this way,” the queen gazed at the man without an ounce of sympathy, “and you’ve done the people of Wonderland a disservice with your actions. I warned you- as I warned everyone -of the changes to the law. You ignored them. You ignored me. And as I warned everyone that day, I am not to be ignored. Neither are my laws,” she nodded to her guards, and said carelessly, “Off with his head.” The words weren’t shouted, as later descriptions would claim- not the first time. The first time, they were said calmly, simply, and the only screaming in the room was that of the now sobbing count as her guards dragged him outside into a courtyard.

Abruptly, the screaming went silent.

Turning to the nobles around her, Ardenzana smiled, “Now, I believe we were scheduled for tea?” The stunned onlookers could only nod, pasting smiles on their faces.

Now, Ardenzana thought with a glimmer of satisfaction, now this will stop.

No one was more surprised than the Queen of Hearts herself when she had to order it again. She’d really thought she’d only have to do it once before people understood she wasn’t joking, that law and order were priorities for her, and she would ensure they were respected. Apparently, that was not the case.

This time, when two men were dragged before her, Ardenzana rose from her throne and backhanded them across the face, “You deserve far worse than what you’ll get for what you’ve done,” she snarled, hoping she’d managed to break a few bones.

“Y-y-your Majesty,” the first man entreated, “We didn’t know-” the second man merely howled in pain from her backhand, and she switched her gaze back to the first:

“You didn’t know? How could you not understand? Are you not just monsters, but tulgey idiots as well? Do you not comprehend the meaning of the word ‘no?’ I doubt such a thing is true. And the last thing you need to add to your charges is ‘lying to the monarch,’” disdainfully, she looked down at the pair, who were murmuring apologies to her, “Stop. I am the last person you should be apologizing to. You will apologize to the girl whose innocence you stole,” it was this time that she did shout, her face red with rage, “OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!”

And Ardenzana made sure it was the last thing they did before the axe fell.

Some people in Wonderland were happy with the changes, as crime rates plummeted in general. Though others, Ardenzana’s spies whispered to her, were not. This perplexed the queen. She was finally putting the queendom in order, finally obtaining the peace that had so eluded her mother. What did people have to be displeased about? Still, the queen mused, people were entitled to their opinions. So long as they didn’t break the law, she wouldn’t bar people from speaking their minds.

A herald bowed to her as he entered the room, “Your Imperial Highness, Your Grace, Your Excellency, Your Royal Majesty. This month’s list of execution orders, awaiting your approval.”

“Thank you, Rabbit,” Ardenzana nodded regally before accepting the parchment, reviewing the names and list of associated crimes. She’d presided over the trials herself, of course, so none of this came as a surprise, but she wouldn’t forgive herself for any mistakes, so she always reviewed final lists before commanding a sentence be carried out.

“Ardenzana,” a soft voice called to her, and the queen turned, a genuine smile creeping across her face as her husband entered the room and kissed her. She missed the way his eyes grew a shade darker at seeing what she held in her hands.

“Rhombus,” the Queen of Hearts kissed him back, “You’re back early.” The king had been off to visit some old military friends, and while she always loved seeing her husband, she hadn’t expected him to return for another day or so.

“I know,” Rhombus said, running a hand through his hair and trying to figure out how best to explain, “Darling, I heard some rumors-”

“Rumors?”

“Yes,” Rhombus gulped, “that other monarchs are not as...understanding of our policies. That they might be considering,” he chose his words carefully, “interfering.”

Ardenzana practically crushed the pen in her hands, because she knew exactly which monarch her husband was referring to. Taking deep breaths, she suppressed the rage spiraling up within her and said:

“I do not interfere in that man’s realm, however horrendously acquired it was. I expect him to give me the same courtesy.”

With that, the queen signed her name to the parchment and called to the herald, “Off with their heads.”

There had been no mistakes.

Shaking her head as she returned to the present, Ardenzana took another sip of tea. It had been a full two minutes since Fairy Godmother had asked her the question, and the tension in the room was so thick it could be cut with one of her daggers (if only they’d let her have them, she fumed). The queen supposed she could lie to the loathsome fairy, but what would that gain her, in the end? What freedom was it, if her realm remained under the rule of Auradon? Despite the mermaid’s song, walking in the streets was not worth the price of her queendom. No, Ardenzana would gain nothing from lying- though Corazana might.

Setting down her teacup, Ardenzana said slowly and distinctly, “I know what you wish me to say. I know what you people wish I would forget. But I do not forget. I do not forgive. I was born the eldest daughter of Incenzana, Queen of Hearts, and I had 1,892 unbirthdays until my accession, at which point I became- and I remain -Her Imperial Highness, Her Grace, Her Excellency, Her Royal Majesty, Ardenzana of Wonderland, Queen of Hearts,” her voice growing more and more passionate, Ardenzana continued, “I vowed I would do what my mother could only dream of. I have kept that promise. So, to answer your question, while I have three regrets in my life, no, I do not regret my rule in Wonderland. It is the greatest honor anyone could have, and it is not something that I will give up, ever,” rising to her feet, she could barely hide the glee that filled her at Fairy Godmother’s look of outraged shock, “so you can stop asking me. You are asking me to lie, while preaching to me I should never lie. So here is the truth,” she bent close to Fairy Godmother, “if we were in Wonderland right now, what you and your old king have done would be defined as war crimes. And I don’t like criminals,” leaning so close the fairy could feel Ardenzana’s breath on her face, the Queen of Hearts practically hissed, “And you know what that means: ‘Off. With. Their. Heads.’”

Then she swept out of the room.