A single forget-me-not lying on her bed. A confused Regina looked around the empty room before picking it up. In the peak of bloom it emitted an intoxicating scent. Who could have left it? Who would have bothered? And most importantly, how did they get into her chambers without her knowledge?
The next night, a white carnation. She placed the new flower next to the prior, in a vase on her dressing table. She coated them both with a preservation spell. She wanted them whole and perfect until she determined who had left them.
A month later and her table was overflowing with a variety of blooms. Hydrangeas, calla lilies, white and purple tulips, sunflowers, and more roses in a variety of colors. A veritable garden picked just for her. In her lap, a book she'd retrieved from the castle library. The more she read, she realized they had not been chosen at random. In fact, the very order in which they had been left conveyed a progression of emotion. Whether it was hers or the person who'd left them was unclear.
Forget-me-not – eternal remembrance
White Carnation - remembrance
Poppy - consolation
Hydrangea - perseverance
Calla Lily - regal
Purple Tulip - royalty
Freesia - spirited
White Tulip – forgiveness
Peony - healing
Red Rose - respect
Yellow Rose - friendship and caring
Sunflower - adoration
Apple Blossom - promise
Yellow Chrysanthemum - secret admirer
Someone wanted her to look at these flowers and remember the best parts of herself. Not a one meant revenge or destruction or despair. She had been focusing on Zelena in order to forget her pain. A secret admirer saw more in her than complete dejection or complete evil. A myriad of colors, cast like a rainbow, like light through a multi-faceted gem. How could they see what she herself could not? The blossoms that surrounded her reflected more than the looking glass they enshrouded, and they brought tears to her eyes. It no longer mattered who had left them – simply that someone had.
From a room far on the other side of the castle, Robin and Snow smiled at one another over an enchanted hand-held mirror. Regina had not one admirer, but two, and they knew from the tears in the queen's eyes that their mission had been a success.