Her blood rushed through her ears as her carriage approached the forest, a maliceful excitement sparkling in her eyes, only dulled by pained grief. It had finally arrived; the day she would cast her curse. She had gone to Rumplestiltskin after her first attempt had failed, demanding answers from the imprisoned imp. The damn thing had giggled at her, rejoicing in her original failure. It had given him the opportunity to cut a deal, the brunette desperate for answers when only he held all the cards.

In the main scheme of things, a cushy life for her former mentor had been a bargain for the information she had received, as difficult as it was to hear. Even more painful to commit, she had ripped her Father's heart out, the still-beating organ trapped within the box that shook in her hands as her carriage jolted. Tears of anguish had streamed down her face as she stared at her Daddy's heart, using the last bit of kindness within her to order the man to sleep; to never wake up. The least she could do was give him a painless death.

The guards opened the door to her compartment, silent as their Queen stepped down from the carriage, head held high. A Queen, until the very end. She was alone, this time. She supposed it was fate's idea of mirth; she would be the only one to witness her victory, as she would be the only one to remember. Besides a handful of others, written into the curse to be believed insane. A moment of quiet triumph before she rode to the White Kingdom to put an end to the only threat her curse had; the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. She had heard that they were naming the child 'Emma'. Charming.

She walked into the forest, her father's heart tucked beneath her cloak, not even the birds disturbing her solace with their inspid chirping. She soon came upon the site of her first attempt; her failure. The fire had burned down to the embers, a complication soon remedied by a fireball from her skilled hands. Once more, she added the ingredients, focusing all of her energy into casting the curse. She imagined the life she would create, every aspect of the cursed town as she dropped each ingredient into the fire. What it would look like, who would live where, her painted nails gleaming in the firelight as she reached for the box that contained the very last ingredient. The heart of the one she loved the most.

"Goodbye, Daddy." She whispered, holding the organ over the flames, closing her eyes as her Father's heart slipped from her grip and into the burning inferno. The air around her thickened, magic pouring from the center of the fire and into the atmosphere. She inhaled the cloying smoke as it surrounded her, chocolate orbs glowing purple as her latent magic reacted to the magic that cloaked her. That would soon cloak an entire realm. She had done it. She had won.

She emerged from the forest with a triumphant smile upon her face, finding her Black Knights cowering by her carriage as they watched her curse begin to engulf the only home they had known. "GET UP!" She snarled, her cloak billowing around her frame as she approached her vehicle. All trace of the regret that had been etched upon her face as she had entered the forest had been masked, hidden beneath the victory that shone from her every orifice. Stepping into her compartment, she smirked, looking over her shoulder to the guard that would lead her carriage through hell and high water across the realm. "We have a child to attend to."