Chapter Text
Desdemona lingered into one of her mirrors, rubbing the back of her hand, where the skin looked aged and wrinkled. She was getting older and older with each day, and there were very few young maidens left in the kingdom for her to steal youth and beauty from. Taking the life of her stepdaughter was her only chance, otherwise she would be stuck like this forever, her powers vulnerable, as long as Princess Charlotte lives.
When Striker reported to Desdemona that their plan with the poisoned comb had failed and that Charlotte was still alive, she went into a rage worse than the last one. She ranted and raved, she could barely breathe. She felt the walls closing in on her, and the weed of envy strangling her from the inside. It seemed impossible for her to know any peace until the young princess was dead.
"Why?!" She demanded to know from her mirror. "Why will she not die?! The laces should have suffocated her and the comb should have stopped her heart! Yet she still lives! How?!
"If you really want to know." The spirit replied. "It is because she is pure, innocent, and good. Such goodness is too strong for witchcraft. Even dark magic has its limits and it's not strong enough to kill anyone truly innocent and good."
"You choose now, to tell me that?!"
"You never asked."
"Well if I can't kill her with witchcraft, can't I just have Striker hunt her down and rip out her heart?!"
"No good, he'd never get close enough to do her in. She's too well-protected, she's never left alone."
"So a stranger wouldn't be able to get close to her?"
"Correct."
"But what if it wasn't a stranger? What if it was one of those filthy alps?" The wicked woman started to think of a new and especially horrible plan. "I'm sure one of them could be bribed to do the deed."
"Not likely. They've fallen victim to Charlotte's beauty and goodness, like all the others. Even the alp Blitzo who utterly despises human beings and is completely ruled by greed, cannot bring himself to harm her for any reason."
"Then I'll bewitch one of them to do it! I'll use the same spell I cast on her father."
"That spell only works on humans. Mythical creatures like them have stronger will power and can easily see through deceptive charms. Also two of them are in a happy, seduction-proof marriage."
"Then is there a human I can use it on? A human who's close to her?"
"Only one at the time being. The cursed prince who helped her escape from Striker.”
"You mean that nasty beast is still human?"
"He doesn't look it, but yes technically he is still a human being."
"So the spell would work on him?"
"Yes, but I'd advise against it. With this human, the spell might not be as full proof as you would expect."
"And why is that?"
"His heart yearns for Charlotte, he loves her above everything and everyone in his life. She is his one and only weakness, there's nothing he wouldn't do for her. He would die a thousand deaths before he ever harmed her."
"But he's a man and every man has needs. And if he can't have his way with Charlotte, I'm certain he'd be more than willing to succumb to my charms."
"I'm afraid that you won't be able to charm this one. At least not in the lustful, seductive manner. In matters of the heart and desire, this man has blinded himself to every other woman. Except for lovely, beautiful Charlotte."
"Well everyone has their temptations, and if it's not lust for him then it's got to be something else." She thought long and hard, putting together all the information she had recently obtained on this potential pawn. After several minutes, an idea came to her. "You told me that curse crossed him with that of a bear, yes?"
"And a stag."
"Still he has a predatory beast in him, which means he has the natural instinct to hunt and kill."
"It's not a very strong instinct. He's kept it under control for all these years."
"But anyone can lose control, especially if they're exposed to a little dark magic."
"Once again, I feel the need to warn you that you are playing with fire. Manipulating the free will of man is taboo enough, but to do so in order to take an innocent life, you will pay a high price for this."
"What is this price you're always going on about? Do you have to be so cryptic? I just want her dead!"
"No matter the cost?"
"No matter the cost!"
The spirit gave her a disapproving look.
"Do you as please then. But remember, the misery you spread, on your own head falls."
But Desdemona just ignored the spirit's warning and was once again using her spell book to create something dark that would be used against her stepdaughter. She first mixed blackthorn, mandragora, and wolfsbane with melted wax from a black-flame candle. Next she poured in the saliva of a rabid dog, the stomach of a starved boar, and the bloodied tongue of a wild cat. Lastly, she took a lock of Charlotte's hair from a brush she had used at the castle, cut her own hand with a knife, and added both the hair and her blood into the brew. Stirring it all together, she started to chant the dark words written on the page of the spell she had chosen to make.
"Spirits of darkness, spirits of pestilence and pain, spirits of predators and prey, hear me now. Cloud the human mind and quiet the human heart, let the instincts of the beast takeover. Turn this devoted, love sick gentleman into my obedient and blood-thirsty mutt. And turn his most desired love into the prey he hungers for most."
With those words said, smoke rose up from the brew and then it cleared away. Desdemona took an empty vial and filled it with the potion. After that, she summoned Striker back to the castle to give him the potion and the instructions on how to use it.
"The good thing about this potion is that he doesn't have to drink it, he has to inhale it. Just one little sniff is all it takes, then he'll become a savage, ravenous, mindless, predator who will serve me and hunger only for Charlotte. He'll want nothing to drink but her blood and he'll want nothing to eat but her flesh."
"Really?" Striker looked at the bottle skeptically and his hand reached to unscrew the top.
"Don't do that you fool!" She screamed at him.
"But I thought you said this would only work on humans."
"Yes but there are plenty of humans around here in the castle and as I said, just one smell will cause them to lose any and all form of human reasoning, turning animalistic. You think I want all my servants and guards to suddenly start acting like a pack of mangy, slobbering, flea-bitten, wolves?!"
"Hey!"
"Oh, no offense."
"Yeah right."
She dismissed Striker with the potion and after that she made ready for a meeting with the king and queen of Poland. She once again donned her gloves and veil, entering the throne room to meet the Polish monarchs. She gave them the usual, polite greeting and requested that she and the king go somewhere privately to talk.
"Now tell me, what was the meaning of that message you sent me?!" Vincent demanded to know.
"I think you know what it means." She smirked from underneath her black veil. "It means that the prince, the true prince of Poland is alive."
"But that's impossible! Striker told me that he ate him twelve years ago!"
"Striker lied. The boy escaped and he's been living here in the Black Forest all this time. Alive and well, and twenty-one years of age. The perfect age for ascending a throne. What a pity it would be for you, if my magic mirror, who always speaks the truth was to reveal such information."
"Alright, what do you want?"
"I propose an alliance between our two nations. Germany is ceasing to provide me with certain resources I need to sustain myself and my work. With your armies working alongside mine, I would be able to get what I needed from everywhere in Europe. Join my kingdom with yours and not only will ensure no one learns the truth of your family history, but I'll personally finish what Striker started."
"How?"
"I've created a potion that will bewitch the prince to kill my stepdaughter. With him as the scapegoat for her demise, I can easily have him executed and you will never have to worry about anyone else taking the throne from you."
"Alright." Vincent grinned vindictively. "You have my full attention. Tell me more.”
