Agony (Wanda Maximoff)

Chapter 50

When she opened her eyes again, she could see her reflection on the glass, and her eyes were glowing scarlet. 

"Follow me, Wanda," she heard Emma say, and in that second, the world around shifted. Everything around Wanda grew hot, and she could see gold flames surrounding her, protecting her. "The moment we enter her head, you're going to want to step out, but hold on, so we can figure out how to give her the control she needs."

Because she couldn't find the words to respond, all Wanda could do was squeeze Emma's hand. 

Then, the flames disappeared, and Wanda saw a young girl, running around a large garden. Wanda turned her head and saw Emma standing beside her, watching the girl. "Where are we?" Wanda asked Emma. 

"We're in Katarina's memories." 

The garden expanded far enough to blur out in the distance, and the young Katarina ran through the hedges and bushes, jumping over flower beds and swerving around bird feeders. Wanda and Emma followed along, watching her as she giggled and pranced around the maze of lilies and sunflowers. 

But then she tripped, and Wanda stopped, looking anxiously at Emma. 

Katarina sat up, wiping the dirt and grass that covered her bare knees. She had gotten a small cut just above her knee cap, and when Katarina touched the blood that began to drop down, her hand sparked. Judging from the fearful expression on her face, Wanda guessed this was the first time Katarina's mutation showed itself. 

Out of pure curiosity, Katarina touched her cut one more time, and instead of a spark, there was a flame. It was gold, like the color of her earrings, and the flame just danced on her finger, breathing air for the first time. Wanda just watched the little girl, unsure of what would happen next. 

"Katarina," a melodic voice rang through the garden, and a women dressed in blue stepped out from behind a hedge. The fire on Katarina's finger vanished, and the little girl stared at her hand, confused, but intrigued. 

"Momma! I can do magic!" the little girl sang, pushing herself off of the ground. The lady dressed in blue knelt down to meet with her daughter, and Wanda and Emma followed. "Look," Katarina pushed her finger back down on her bleeding knee, and a spark ignited another flame. The woman beamed, bringing her daughter in for a tight hug. 

"My princess of gold, one day, you will be the queen that I never could be." When the woman in blue opened her eyes, blue flames danced in her irises, and it took Wanda a second to put the pieces together. "Never let this hide, my princess, not even from Papa." 

"Am I a monster?" Katarina asked, and the woman gave her daughter a warm smile that only mother's had the ability to posses. 

"No, my princess, you are Gold. When you are afraid, your flames will protect you; in the dark, when you are alone, your light will guide you; in battle, when you have no one, your embers will spark beside you. This my love," the woman held up her hand, and sapphire flames weaved through her fingers, "is our armor. The only person who can dictate how you use it, is you." Young Katarina touched her mother's hand, and her golden flames danced with her mother's sapphire ones. 

"You are... blue!" Katarina chimed, and her mother laughed. 

"My princess, I am Sapphire." Wanda looked over at Emma, who was smiling fondly at Sapphire, and Wanda was sure she saw tears in Emma's eyes. "And you--you will be..." Sapphire looked down at the ground, where her blue embers piled beside Katarina's gold ones. "You will be Gold Ember--daughter of Sapphire--Queen of Fire."

"Do I get a crown?" Katarina asked. 

"You will one day, my princess." 

As if tugged out of a dream, Wanda's mind went blank, and when she opened her eyes, she was back in the hall, the thick glass in front of her. Katarina was still sitting down, though her flames had ceased, and the only thing left were the gold embers piled around her. They flickered against each other, and Wanda gave Emma a slight smile.