Chapter Text
Timeline 1
…
Red shouldn’t be surprised- about a variety of things, really. Her mom using the invitation meant for her to take over Auradon, for one, her own weak will always bending to her mother’s demands (no matter how much she internally fights it). But mostly, she shouldn't be surprised that when she gets up the courage to try and fix it, her way out doesn’t work.
Red stares at the gleaming watch in her hand, thumb turning white from how hard she pressed the button in. But nothing happens. No flash or spinning world, no redo as Maddox had promised. Nothing to mark that anything has changed or could ever change.
The blue girl she insulted, Chloe Charming, is still shouting about how it’s not fair, and each word is like razors in her ears. It makes a flame of irritation lick to life, and it grows hotter in her chest the longer she doesn’t shut up about it the more it sinks in that Red can’t fix it.
It’s not fair? Sure. Nothing is fair. Why does she have to scream her head off about it?
Red lets her hand drop to her side, lets the bitter disappointment wash over her and settle in her bones, and then she resigns herself to whatever life means now. There is no redo as Maddox promised. The time machine doesn’t work.
As the Ella woman is dragged onto the stage and her knees kicked out, forced to kneel since her pride wouldn’t allow it, her daughter goes batshit. It’s not uncommon for this to happen. And not for the first time during an execution, she silently wishes someone would just shut the screaming up. It makes acid turn in her stomach, and her fists clench tight.
Red takes a few, angry, quick steps toward the girl just as the ax lifts- and then something unusual does happen. Because it’s not just tears and begging and trying to reach their oh-so-valued loved one. Red reaches her just as the blue girl manages to slip past the card soldier holding her back- and just as she’s drawing her sword (who gave this girl a sword?) to swing at the falling executioner’s ax.
Red doesn’t know who is more surprised- Chloe Charming, who’s eyes widen as blood splatters across her face, or Red, who finds herself falling back in slow motion, clutching at the cut splitting open her throat.
At first she doesn’t feel anything. Then she’s burning. Choking. Bleeding out on the steps at her mother’s feet as the blue princess is tackled from every side by her mother’s soldiers.
Red shouldn’t be surprised about how this day ends. But she is. She always assumed it would be her mother who ordered her death. And she never could have imagined that she'd die because of a perky, goody-two-glass-shoes Auradon princess who probably hadn’t even meant to kill her.
Timeline 2
…
Red sits up in bed, hand immediately reaching for her throat. It’s not an unfamiliar movement. She often wakes up from nightmares reaching for her neck, but it’s usually to make sure her head is still attached. In her dreams, it’s usually her mother who is her killer, her screams echoing always in her ears ‘Off with her head!’
She drops her hand with a heavy sigh, and looks down at Maddox’s invention that she fell asleep clutching. Of course she would dream of it failing her in a critical moment, though to dream of Auradon… She should have known it was a dream the moment opening the rabbit hole became a possibility. It just felt so real in the moment.
Red rolls her eyes, letting the watch fall to the mattress as she climbs out of bed. Even in her dreams, she’s never escaping Wonderland.
Red gets dressed with unhurried movements, knowing her mother will be upset with Red for being late, but when is she ever not upset with Red for something or another? Red has made it her mission to be as inconvenient and irritating as possible without actually pushing her over the edge into one of her fits of rage.
It’s all about reading her moods. Of course, sometimes she miscalculates. Her moods are famously fickle.
This time she doesn’t, because her mother merely rolls her eyes and offers a snide comment about her late arrival. Predictably, she’s much more concerned with the state of the royal plaza that Red took all her anger out on last night. Not that she knows it was Red. Or at least has any proof.
Things have gotten much too monotonous and predictable, because it plays out almost eerily like her dream.
“Get it right, or I’ll show you punishment!” Red jumps, every hair standing on end. This is the edge she has to be weary of, and it’s immediately apparent that she’s standing right on it. There is no more room for inconvenience or hemming and hawing. Only obedience- giving in to her mother’s expectations or receiving her own very real consequences.
Her mother’s legendarily thin patience only extends fractionally for her daughter.
So Red swallows. She knew this (her mother pushing her to give her own sentencing to people who fail the crown) would happen eventually. Soon (her mother has been hinting at it for weeks now). It’s freaky her subconscious predicted that it would be today. For this. For her own actions.
It’s not surprising that her dream got Jack’s expressions so accurately. Everyone gets that look when faced with the queen’s bloodthirsty ire. Except reprieve isn’t coming to help him in the form of Maddox with a letter. There is no-
“I beg your pardon!” Red freezes, turning in disbelief to see her teacher rushing forward. He hardly looks around or even passes his eyes in her direction. A glance would hint at far too much familiarity for someone of his station to have with the Crown Princess. Even as her tutor. “Apologies for interrupting court, Your Majesty. Royal delivery.”
Red doesn’t pay attention to her mentor drifting over and trying to whisper to her. It’s like everything is behind a wall and her head is underwater. Bleeding. Choking. Her hand lifts to touch the smooth uninterrupted skin of her neck.
She doesn’t need to hear her mother’s response. Doesn’t need to question the validity of it. Her voice is far down a ringing tunnel as she says, “Pack your bags. And put on something respectable, for once.”
Red hurries to her room, ignoring the guards trailing her, ever acting as her shadows. She immediately lunges for her bed, scooping up the watch to cradle in her hands. Its metal surface is warm to the touch, as if it’s been sitting against her skin for hours. She runs her fingers over the intricate gold etchings of its surface, before fumbling the cover open.
Red stares. The last time she opened it, it looked like an ordinary clock-face behind the glass, but now there is a spiraling swirl of numbers that get smaller the closer it gets to the center point. The previously ticking hands are frozen.
“It worked,” she breathes. It fucking worked. Red laughs sharply, running her hand through her hair in disbelief.
She can stop her mom and then live a life outside of Wonderland.
Red snaps the cover closed and rushes to her vanity to shuffle through her drawers. She quickly finds a thick gold chain she’s never actually worn before, shaking off the other too-large jewels that scatter freely into her drawer, before looping the watch through the chain and fixing it around her neck.
She kisses Maddox’s gift before tucking it into her shirt and rushing through packing her bag. She just has to get her mother’s deck of cards. Then her mother can’t throw her coup and everything will be fine.
…………..
Actually getting a chance to swipe her mom’s cards becomes more precarious than she thought. It’s not like she can steal them like she had Maddox’s watch. Getting close on a normal day is already impossible, because the Queen always keeps everyone at arm's length, including Red. Hugging is not an option. Just the thought of attempting to hug her mother has sweat breaking out on the back of her neck.
Red keeps her eyes locked on her mother the moment she joins her at the car. She should have noticed the suspicious lack of guards the first time around, with only the frog butlers loading their bags. Her mother has never driven herself anywhere before, or left the castle without an entire suit from her deck surrounding her.
When they reach the check in table for the second time in Red’s life, and the Ella woman pulls her mother’s ire, Red steps closer and reaches for the folds of her mother’s skirts.
“Hi, I’m Chloe Charming!” A bright, loud, voice breaks through her single minded focus. Red flinches, yanking her hand back toward herself and turning to the blue girl in question. “You must be Princess Red of Wonderland. I’ve always wondered what it was like over there.”
Red stares at the girl blankly- the girl who slit her throat the first time around. She’s grinning brightly at Red, as if Red hadn’t nearly gotten her dear mother killed. (She has no idea that Red nearly got her mother killed.)
She forgot about this interaction in the wake of all the more important parts, and she feels lost in how to respond. She thinks she might have threatened her with the Jabberwock the first time.
She sees her mother start walking away from the corner of her eye. “Um, yeah,” she mutters to the other girl, distractedly, and turns to follow her mother’s flowing skirts.
She catches up to the woman at the snack table as she looks across them with an unimpressed sneer. Red’s mouth waters at the sight and smell, but she knows that she can’t partake while her mother is here. Maybe once she gets the card army. She reaches again, fingers glancing along stiff fabric, finding the right fold to slip in-
The queen turns, and Red shoves her hands into her pockets as her mother’s narrowed, disgusted look passes over her to take in the masses of parents and students. “This place makes me itch. Their insolence is astounding,” she mutters, before her critical look lands on her. “Everyone here is two faced and fake. Remember that.” Then she turns and walks away, and Red is left helplessly following.
“Hey, wait up!” a voice calls, but Red doesn’t pay it any mind until her sleeve is caught and she turns to find Chloe Charming again. “Hey, I was hoping we could talk? I don’t know if you knew, but we’re going to be roommates this year?”
Red frowns at the other girl looking expectantly at her, and it’s different. Not just different from last time, but different also in that people didn’t tend to want to talk with her except for Maddox. Even then, his talks were always along the lines of ‘you’re being reckless,’ and ‘you have to be more careful,’ and ‘things won’t always be this way.’
She can’t imagine what the blue princess has to say to her, and she can’t imagine that it could possibly be as important as her current mission. So she tugs her arm away and steps back.
“Yeah, I don’t really have the time. Maybe tomorrow, if we’re both still alive.” Without waiting for a response, Red continues pushing through the crowd, searching for her mom. She finds her standing by a pillar, watching the people moving about with the same disgust as she looked at the desserts with, and with her attention caught, Red once again reaches out.
She slides her hand quickly into the dress pocket, using two fingers to snag the deck of cards, and hurriedly withdraws them before she can be interrupted a third time.
She thought she had done it perfectly. But as the pack leaves the pocket, a hand slams down against the top of Red’s wrist, knocking the cards from her loose hold, and Red looks up to meet her mother’s furious gaze with wide eyes. The hand gripping her tightens, nails cutting into her skin, and she winces.
“What do you think you’re doing?” the queen hisses.
“Sorry- I’m sorry,” Red gasps out, trying to tug her hand away, but it only makes her mother’s nails cut deeper. “I was just-”
“Trying to steal from me? To stop me?”
“Mom, please-” Her mother finally releases her wrist, but it’s only to wind her other hand back and strike her across the face. It’s with so much force that fireworks explode across her vision and she hits the ground hard. It hurts. Her head spins. Her ears ring, blocking out the cry of shock that goes up through a couple people in the crowd nearby.
“Don’t beg,” her mother scowls, “you sound pathetic. Now get up, before I lose my temper and-”
“Hey, leave her alone,” a new voice breaks in. Shiny shoes step between Red and her towering mother, and blue swims across her vision. Chloe fucking Charming stands, feet angled and sword drawn and pointed at the Queen of Heart’s neck.
Again, who gave this girl a sword?
Red gapes at the stupidity of the princess.
Her mother’s scowl deepens, and Red scrambles to her feet under her furious glare. “Now look what you’ve done. You’ve gone and gotten everyone riled up.” She huffs, taking a deep breath and smoothing her skirts, before reaching her hand out. The cards leap from the ground, eagerly into her hand. “No matter. Now that we already have everyone’s attention, we might as well get started.”
The queen throws the cards into the air, and chaos ensues, just as it had last time.
Red’s stomach sinks as card soldiers fall out of the sky, rounding people up and pushing them back. Soon, Red and the younger Charming are surrounded. She stares at the blue princess turning in circles and circles. She keeps grabbing at Red, tugging her around and shoving her behind her.
It confuses her. This didn’t happen last time, why is this happening? She has said all of two sentences to the girl, and it was nothing but dismissive.
“Enough of this,” her mother clicks her tongue as the soldiers keep a weary distance from the sharp end of the princess’s sword. “Red, come up here,” she snaps.
Red hesitates, half of her brain wanting to instantly leap and obey at the tone, the other part wanting to shy away and stay hiding behind this stupid girl who seems to want to protect her. Red hesitates too long, because her mother’s eyes narrow at her dangerously, her spark of fury becoming palpable through the air. It lights along her skin like static, raising every hair on her body. “Now.”
Red starts to take a step forward, but her arm is caught by Chloe Charming, again, looking at her with big, pleading eyes. The card soldier nearest takes advantage of her distraction, yanking the sword from her grip and pulling her into a hold she has no hope of getting out of. She yelps as her shoulder is wrenched behind her-
“Stop it Bridget!” a voice snaps over the shocked gasps of the crowd. The blue queen from before once more steps forward, eyes locked on Red’s mother.
The Queen of Hearts examines her through a narrow gaze, more fury burning behind it than last time. How is this time worse?
“This your daughter?” her mother questions.
The other queen doesn’t even glance at the struggling girl. “Yes. And this one is yours,” she gestures to Red, and Red instinctively shies away. “Look at her. Even she’s scared. You’ve gone too far.”
“Are you scared, Red?” her mother asks, eyes turning to her in challenge. She is, because this is happening differently than before. And somehow exactly the same. She doesn’t know how she can change the outcome. “Is this too far?”
She won’t die this time, probably. Since Chloe Charming is already de-armed. But that’s not… that’s not the part that she wanted to fix. That’s not the part that drove her to go back. And Red is likely the only person who could ever stand up to her mother. The only one her mother hasn’t outright killed in all her rebellions and disappointment.
“Yes,” she croaks. She’s the only one who can. She didn’t listen last time, but maybe this time can be different. If she can just find the right words to convince her. “Mom, please. Just let me have this. Just go home.”
Her mother’s eyes widen in indignation, and then harden. “Red,” she says, voice even more steely, “come up here.”
Red’s fists clench, shaking at her sides. Her mom won’t really hurt her, she reminds herself. The nights in the dungeon aren’t so bad that’s a lie, at least not as bad as the feeling of her mother’s pride. “No,” she utters in defiance. If she could just see how strongly Red feels about this… Maybe she'd even be proud of her strength of her standing her ground. Maybe, maybe, maybe...
Her mother stares back, madness swirling behind her eyes. But last time, Red gave in. This time will be different, it has to be different, and her mother won’t- “Treason,” she whispers, making Red’s heart stop. She soldier beside her shifts in confusion. Then she says louder, “Treason! Treason! I won’t have blatant disobedience in my daughter- off with her head!”
“Bridget,” Ella Charming gasps, “you can’t be serious-”
“Off with their heads, off with all their heads!” she shrieks, the madness swirling even closer to the surface and reflected even in her movements that are no longer regal and perfect, but in one of her perfect fits of rage complete with red face, bulging veins in her neck, and stomping heels.
Red is grasped harshly from behind and shoved forward onto the step. Pain shoots up from her knees to her shoulders, and her ears are ringing in shock. She watches, numb as a second pair of knees hit beside her, and then on her opposite side. Blue surrounds her. The younger girl on her right seems to be hyperventilating, struggling and gasping for breath as the card soldier holds her down. The woman on Red’s left seems to be trying to talk to her. To calm her, but Red can’t hear the words.
Her mother had warned her. She said love wasn’t it. But she still thought, at least a little, that at least her mother loved her, and that was why she got more breaks than the other people of Wonderland.
An ax swings. There is the familiar wet thwack of a head, but the sound of metal hitting against stone is different. It makes the hairs stand up on her neck as it scrapes and lifts back into the air.
Red stares at the blood that quickly pools and spreads toward her. It reaches her in moments, dripping from the step at her cheek and seeping into the knees of her pants as it shapes around her. She stares at others being thrown onto the steps, all lined up. Everyone. She just wanted to fix things. But she ended up making it so much worse.
Red lets out a sob and squeezes her eyes shut so she doesn't have to see the ax cut through the air toward her next.