A Queen's Nightmare

((Interested in the villain showcased here? Go check her out at @LadyBlackVeil!))

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“Yeah, I’m out the door now.” Wanda’s phone was pressed between her shoulder and ear as she locked the door and put the house key into her purse. “I’ll see you soon. Love you, Don.”

She hung up the phone and slid it into her pocket. Fishing her car keys from where they crept to the bottom of her bag, she unlocked it and got in. The first thing she did was crank up the air; it was a particularly hot summer day and while it didn't bother her too much, she wanted the car cool for when she’d pick up her husband on his lunch break.

She pulled out of the driveway and started towards his office. The traffic was clear until she reached the freeway when the car in front of her came to a sudden stop, causing her to slam on the brakes and swerve out of the way.

Taking a deep breath, she placed a hand on her forehead, leaning her head back against the headrest. Her heart was racing. She then looked at the pile-up in front of her, trying to peer between the cars to see what was wrong. Reaching for her phone, she sent Donovan a text saying there was an accident, she’d be late and to go ahead and have lunch without her.

People were stepping out of their cars. She reached down and slipped an ID from out of her boot before getting out, as well. Pushing through the growing crowd, she reached where there was police tape. She frowned, showing her Avengers credentials to a SHIELD officer that tried to come to shoo everyone away. Ducking under the tape, she stepped forward.

There were /skeletons/ in the road, bones scattered across all lanes of traffic. They had a mystic aura to them. A necromancer, obviously, but was this magical user also a witch? It felt like that.

“Wanda?” Rose came up to her. “What are you doing here?”

“I was going to pick up Don from work, take him to the shop so he could get the Cadillac back. Came across this.” Wanda turned to her friend. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, this is the fifth call this week of bones being found in a state like this. But this time we had witness reports; they were moving. So a necromancer.”

“Makes sense.” She looked at a skull, kneeling in front of it. “You could sense the magic from a mile away. But I’m not aware of any necromancers in the area.”

“There’s one who’s been getting bolder with her actions as of late. She’s been giving DEFEND a hell of a headache.” Rose sighed. “Heard of the legend of Lady Black Veil?”

“Queen of Mina Tansmar, I know of her. Thought it was just that: a legend.” She stood back up. “If this is her, why?”

“Who knows? I was talking with Cecil about wanting to draw someone out in the open. Nothing to pr-”

Wanda didn’t hear the rest of what Rose said; all she saw was a blur and was airborne before hitting the ground several feet away. She groaned as she pushed herself to her knees before seeing blue again and was on the ground again.

No, it couldn’t be. How could-?

“Constance,” she growled, scrambling to her feet. She pushed her hands in front of her to form a shield around her, just in time to see the blue blur ricochet off of it and fall back.

His skin was pale, eyes glowing a deeper blue than usual, dirt and scratches covering his body. Their eyes met for a moment and while he looked like Pietro Maximoff, his eyes told a different story.

“Pietro…” she whispered, holding back tears. It had almost been a decade since his death. She felt a dull ache in her heart, tearing at her, starting to travel through her entire body. Pain caused her body to shake. All she could think was how it felt to have his mind ripped from hers, hearing her name faintly before everything was silent.

Pietro rose to his feet, glaring at his younger sister.

Rose shot out an arm as the SHIELD agents in the area pulled out their guns, taking a step forward. “Hold fire! Hold fire. This has just shifted from SHIELD to Avenger business.”

“I thought he was dead,” Cecil whispered to her.

“He /was/,” responded Rose. “This is the necromancer.”

Wanda held her hands in front of her, a hex bolt glowing in her hands. “Pietro, please. Whatever spell this is, fight it!”

He didn’t respond as he sped past her, knocking her to the ground. As she rolled onto her back, he got on top of her, a hand gripping her neck.

“P-Pietro!” she gasped, grabbing his wrist, trying to pull him away.

“Let go of her!” Rose ran forward, a sidekick slamming into his chest and causing him to stagger back. She stood in front of Wanda as she recovered, gasping in air. “I don’t know what the hell kind of spell Constance put you under but you need to snap out of it. Or I’ll make you.”

“I’m under no spell.” It was the first time Pietro spoke, his tone bitter. “Where were you when I died? Where was my sister? I called out to her, and that call was left unanswered. Because she didn’t /care./”

“I was trying to help you. And Wanda? She was nowhere near you. She couldn’t reach you in time.” She walked forward, grabbing his arm. “What she did instead? While her heart grieved and her mind was left empty? She went after Ultron. The person that had killed you. Ripped his heart from his chest. And she was ready to let death take her as Sokovia fell had Vision not saved her! To be with /you/, Pietro. To be with her brother.”

Wanda shrugged away Cecil’s help as he reached for her arm to help her to her feet. She coughed a couple of times, her neck sore. “I mourned for you for months, dear brother. I had /nightmares/ of you dying over and over again every single night. Sometimes more than once a night. And I still do from time to time. Don’t /ever/ say I didn’t care about you.” She stepped forward. “This isn’t you. I know it isn’t. This is Constance’s words coloring yours.”

“Constance /saved/ me,” Pietro growled.

“She’s poisoning you! Listen to yourself!” Rose glared at him.

“He won’t listen, Rosalina,” Wanda responded. Her next sentence was sent mentally to Rose and her partner. /“Hold him still.”/

Rose glanced at Cecil and nodded her head. When he returned her nod, they sprang forward only for Pietro to have sped off again.

The three formed a circle going back-to-back-to-back.

“How do we hit something that moves faster than we can hit?” Cecil asked.

“We freeze time.” Rose snapped her fingers twice and then placed a hand on the others’ shoulders as time froze. A bird was caught in mid-flap above them, a SHIELD agent was in frozen in the middle of falling, and Pietro was solid after knocking him down. She could already feel the strain of stopping the whole world, giving her labored breathing.

She and Cecil darted forward, looping their arms around him and grabbing his shoulders to hold him in place. She waited until they had him before letting time move again. “Hurry, Wanda!”

Wanda was a step behind them, raising a hand and flicking her wrist. “I’m sorry, Pietro. I need to do this.” Red tendrils shot from her fingers, seeping into his temples and causing his eyes to glow red for a moment. She grew still as she closed her eyes, entering his mind.

When she opened them, she was in a field. Her brother’s mental palace was the same as it had been before he died: someplace open where he could run as fast and as far as he’d want. Only thing was it wasn’t Pietro standing in front of her.

Constance shot a punch out, striking her face and causing her to stumble back. “You think you can compete against /me/, Witch? Your decade’s worth of study of the mystic arts compares to nothing of my millennium!”

Wanda slid into a fighting stance, holding her hands up in front of her. “Who do I think I am?” Her eyes and hands glowed red. “I am the Scarlet Witch!” She sent a hex bolt at the other woman.

She crossed her arms in front of her, a shield springing up to take most of the blast. The force still caused her to skid back a few feet. Breaking the cross, she sent an energy wave at the younger witch, throwing her back. She approached her as she struggled to regain her balance. “Even your chaos magic is nothing compared to /my/ witchcraft.” Her foot connected with Wanda’s side, sprawling her out on her back while coughing. She stepped on her chest, leaning over her. “Seems you’re in quite a predicament, darling. Your pathetic plan to save your brother, while very noble, has you under me. Quite literally.”

She gasped as the witch’s heel dug into her chest, gritting her teeth. “I’m not done fighting yet. You want to play this game? Let’s see what nightmares keep you up at night, /your highness./” She pushed herself up and grabbed Constance’s head, red tendrils snaking through her skull and into her mind.

Constance in a large stone courtyard. There were cobwebs and ruins scattering the edges, an aged castle with crumbling towers behind her.

Gasping, the Dark Queen stumbled back, clutching her head. After a moment, she raised her head, breath catching as she saw the state of her courtyard. Hearing cracking stone, she turned just in time to see the tallest of the spirals crashing down with a deafening crash.

“My kingdom,” she whispered. “My beautiful kingdom!”

“Constance Hecate!” a male voice boomed.

Constance flinched, her entire demeanor crumpled. Tears were glistening in her eyes as she turned to face the ghostly figure of the Awakener of the Dead, Cyrus Hecate, his eyes glowing red. “F-Father, I-”

“I left you Mina Tansmar with the knowledge that you would cause it to prosper and grow! Not be its demise! Have my teachings proven inadequate? Or have you lied and cheated your way through my studies!”

The queen retreated a step. “I-I just wanted to talk to you and Mother one last time. I wanted to make you proud.”

“Proud? You wanted to make me /proud/? You have done nothing but disappoint me! I hereby strip you of your crown and title and banish you from what remains of my once beautiful nation.” Cyrus' voice was stone-cold. “Effective immediately.”

The color drained from her face. She sucked in air, the whole world spinning around her. Dread’s icy claws tore her aged heart to ribbons. “Banished,” she breathed, knees buckling under her. Around her, the castle and courtyard started to crumble. The cobblestone below her gave way and she started to free fall.

Speaking in an archaic tongue, she pushed her hands out in front of her. There was a moment where they glowed blue before it shattered, doing nothing to stop her descent. She passed through corrupted memories: wielding a sword for the first time before facing a band of pirates, practicing magic and putting a curse on her mother, her coronation where everyone was skeletons. Every single person she saw had glowing red eyes.

The empty field came up all too quickly, her body slamming against the hard ground. Gasping for breath, she raised her head to where Wanda stood. “You witch,” she growled. “What did you do to me?”

Wanda took a step forward, lifting her head. “I just showed you your nightmares, /witch./ And if you don’t leave my brother alone, I’ll make them a reality.”

“Your mind games won’t work on me.” Constance pushed herself up, glaring daggers.

“Seems like they already did, /your highness./” Pulling back from Pietro’s mind, Wanda returned to reality with a gasp. She stumbled against a car.

“Wanda!” Rose exclaimed, rushing to her side. “Are you alright?”

Cecil turned to Pietro as he dropped to the ground with a groan. “Is he okay?”

“Let me...look at him,” Wanda answered, pushing herself upright. She walked over to her brother, kneeling in front of him. Cupping his face with a hand, she lifted his head to look at his eyes. “Brother?” Her voice was soft.

“Sis...ter,” he mumbled, his eyes turning back to normal. He reached his hand to her before collapsing.

Her heart sank by the way he dropped, shaking him. “Pietro! Wake up! Please!”

The android agent bolted to Pietro’s side, placing two fingers on his neck for a pulse. Her breath hitched as she shook her head. Looking over at her friend, she said, “Wanda. I’m sorry. He’s gone.”

Swallowing hard, Wanda’s heart felt like it was shattering all over again. Blinking away tears, she nodded. “I knew it was too good to be true.” She sniffed, squeezing his hand. “For once I just thought the nightmare was over. That I could have my brother around to be the uncle he always talked about being. But I guess that was wishful thinking.”

She doubled over, her forehead pressed on his back. “I just want my brother.” A sob shook her body, one that impacted Rose and Cecil.

Rose felt the sting of tears as she rubbed her back comfortingly. With her free hand, she wiped her eyes before placing it on her arm. Behind her, Cecil reached into his pocket to pull out a flask. He took a heavy swig of it before stoppering it and hiding it back away.

Wanda refused to be pulled away from Pietro. Last time, she couldn’t see the body before it disappeared. If she left this time, what would happen?

Despite how she showed Constance her greatest nightmare, the Dark Queen had made hers a reality yet again.

And she wasn’t going to forgive her for that.