So... My first multichapter story! I'm really excited about this but I'll shut up now... Enjoy!
The picnic blanket had been lying on the couch for days, it mocked her every time she looked over at it but she couldn't bring herself to put it away, it was a reminder that the past month hadn't been a dream, that she had actually shared a passionate romance with Robin Hood.
Henry had been at her side trying to cheer her up but Emma had claimed him back for the day, he was supposed to come back a few hours later, Regina already missed him.
Several people had went to see how she was doing after the whole Marian fiasco that had ended up with Regina disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke; the truth was, she wasn't okay, she had been moping around and feeling sorry for herself for a week now but she put a brave front when she wasn't alone, everything seemed painful and shallow without Robin at her side.
She grabbed the piece of clothing he had left behind and buried her face in it, the scarf still smelled like him even though the smell was slowly fading away.
She felt like crying but her eyes were already swollen and her cheeks were tear-stained, instead she rubbed her eyes and accommodated herself in a more comfortable position, her head was resting on a pillow and the scarf was securely held in her hands, that's the only way she could reconcile sleep lately, with his smell surrounding her. She quickly slipped into unconsciousness.
…What are you burying?...
…Nothing that concerns you…
…It's your heart, isn't it?...
…No matter how much pain you may feel you can't just bury it in the woods…
…You won't feel anything!...
…That's the point!...
…Happiness…
…I can't be happy without him…
…Find a way…
She jolted awake, the memory still fresh in her mind, Snow White had left it clear that burying her heart away wasn't the answer, after all she didn't want to become her mother but she needed to find a way to forget about her worries, her troubles, her fears… The answer suddenly came to her, she knew what she needed to do, the queen was surprised she hadn't thought about it before.
She went to take a shower and make herself presentable, she didn't remember when was the last time she had even cared to put on some decent clothes. She left her face make up free and went to grab her car keys.
She drove all the way to her father's tomb and did the same procedure she had done a million times before, when she was finally safe inside her Heart Vault, she grabbed all of the ingredients she needed:
4 petals of Forget-Me-Nots (one for each week they spent together)
2 Valerian sprigs
Some water from lake Nostos,
1 hair from the person that wants to forget (every love story is different).
She mixed all of the ingredients with grace, she had made tons of different potions and this was a fairly easy one. When a white smoke came out of her small cauldron, she smiled melancholically, this was it, she poured the mix in a cup and brought it to her lips, she tried to remember all of her happy memories with her supposed true love, after all it would be her last chance.
Hundreds of memories hit her all at once, his deep caring blue eyes seemed bogus to her now. She tilted the cup to drink from it till the harsh smell reached her nostrils.
The vibration of her cellphone stopped her, she was about to ignore it when she saw that it was Henry, she poured the liquid in a vial and saved it in her purse.
"Hello?"
"Hi, mom, I'm sorry I left you today. I'll be back in your house in 5 minutes, okay?" The voice of his son soothed her, she smiled and made an affirmative noise.
"That's fine, Henry… I love you, my prince."
"Love you, too, mom. Bye!"
"Goodbye."
As soon as the phone call ended, she decided to transport herself back to her house with magic, a dense purple smoke surrounded her and the next thing she saw were the antique paintings of her living room. The doorbell rang.
"Hi, mom!"
"Hello, Henry." She noticed the small frame standing behind her son. "Snow."
"Hi, Regina." She said shamefully. "I brought Henry here and decided to see how you were."
"I told grandma you were okay, but she insisted." Henry explained as he entered the house.
"Well… You saw me, I guess you can leave now." Regina stated icily.
Snow seemed to be containing herself but at the end she spluttered out the question Regina was dreading to be asked. "Are you okay? You seem tired." Snow gave her an apologetic look.
"Just leave, Snow," The former thief wasn't leaving without knowing how she really was and Regina knew it, it was better to just tell her. "Fine, you want the truth? I'm done! I'm tired of putting a brave front for everyone, I- I'm exhausted." Her voice broke at the last statement, Regina hated how weak she sounded.
"I know you're tired, I can see that you're physically and emotionally drained… But you have to keep going." She said fiercely, with that hint of optimism that always seemed to dye her voice. "Things will work out at the end, if things aren't okay, it's not the end."
Regina let a tear fall down her cheek, she wanted to believe her but things didn't seem to work that way for her, instead of letting her know that, she nodded.
"Take care of yourself and Henry, okay?" She touched her shoulder supportively. "I'll come by later."
"Goodbye, Snow."
"By the way, Emma feels terrible about everything, she didn't think it would be helpful to come but she really feels bad. Goodbye, Regina."
She wiped her tear-stained cheek and closed the door.
I hope you liked it, I'll try to post a chapter every week, if you want to ask me anything you can come to my tumblr and leave a message!
Btw, the dream Regina has is a scene from 3b, I think it was on the first chapter, just before Regina met Robin.
The story is also being published on and on my tumblr, my username is strawberryblondelocks in both.