Hey, all you wonderful readers!
Thank you to all readers (especially Evil Regals) that have decided to check out this collection! This is my dumping ground for all Regina-centered short stories that are not OutlawQueen (a.k.a. what I write when I should be working on my long fics but am stumped or don't feel like it). If you have a burning idea, suggestion, or prompt, don't hesitate to message me!
Also, please review! Every comment, question, and critique is valued and considered. Your interest in the OUaT world and my writing makes it much easier for me to follow my passion and be creative. I send a special shout-out to all returning readers for their support and faithfulness.
I hope you have fun experiencing these adventures with Regina as she attempts to find her happiness – even if you don't care for a particular pairing found in a one-shot. Buckle up for the ride! ENJOY!
DISCLAIMER: I claim no ownership over Once Upon a Time or its characters. I write fanfiction purely for entertainment purposes, exercising creative license by taking liberties with details found in canon. Also, I have no beta or assistance of any kind, so any mistakes or clumsy writing is my own.
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She was special. She was Regina.
Her mother told her she was destined to be queen. Her father told her she was destined to beautiful and to be loved. Her mentor told her she was destined to be the greatest sorceress ever seen – the caster of the Dark Curse. Her fairy friend told her she was destined to be with her fated soul mate, the man with the lion tattoo. Her son told her she was destined to find happiness. Her own fairy tale ending.
No matter how many people told her of the future she was supposed to have, Regina wallowed in despair. For every encouragement and each bit of hope, she was rewarded with pain and suffering. Life would not relent in its vicious attack. There she still stood. Broken and bleeding. Always kicked in the teeth. Never happy. Never loved.
But there was always tomorrow. That was what she told herself right before she went to sleep. Then she dreamed. Of a better day. One in which happiness and true love was possible and real in her life.
In a blink of an eye, she awoke. The dream was a dream and no more than that. None of those fantasies were reality. She got out of bed and procured herself a cup of coffee. Sitting ramrod straight at the dining room table, she sipped from her mug and silently mourned what was not to be.
That was her daily ritual … except for that one day. Henry wearily sat up in bed and looked at his alarm clock. He was late to school! Why hadn't his alarm gone off? Why hadn't his mom roused him long ago? When he entered his mother's room, he found her still lying in bed, facedown. He murmured her name. When she rolled over, he saw tear tracks marring her reddened cheeks. He prodded her mercilessly until she told him what was wrong. 'I don't think I'll ever be happy.'
Henry knew it wasn't just a bad morning for her. When he looked into her eyes, he saw a deep seated sadness that haunted her. He was correct; Regina had dreamed of another lifetime she might have spent with Daniel and their children. It shattered her. She had dreamt beautiful delusions of this nature before, but this time, she was tired and out of hope. She knew that she would keep having these idealistic, surreal visions of a life spent with her love, and then she would forever wake up to her real life. The one that never granted her a reprieve and always stayed the same. Fate was a cruel-hearted devil!
On her next birthday, Henry presented her with THE gift. Unwrapping the shimmery paper, the disheartened former queen found a book – much like Henry's storybook.
'The Queen's Codex'
When she opened the front cover, she found an inscription in perfect script.
'Our present story is not the full story. Believe in the future, because destiny always finds a way. Destiny is creative even when Fate is not.'
At this moment, Regina found the optimistic sentiment hard to believe, but she was still curious about why. Why this? What did it mean for her?
She flipped through the thick tome, glance quickly at the occasional page. In the same fashion as Henry's 'Once Upon a Time' book, story after story covered littered the pages, periodically divided by a glossy, lifelike illustration.
"What is this Henry? 'The Queen's Codex'?"
"It's your happy beginning. Before you say it, happy endings do exist. So do happy beginnings, which are even more important and more exciting. Happy endings are boring. Happy beginnings are the start of something special and great. I know you may think that a story from a book is just entertainment and a fakery, but I believe for you. I believed in the Curse even when you tried to stop me from breaking it. I just went about it the wrong way. I hurt you and pushed you away. This time, I will help you believe and not leave you behind. I have the heart of the Truest Believer! I know we can work on your happy beginning! Until then, you can rebuild your hope with this. Maybe one of them will come true!"
Regina found her son's speech endearing but a bit naïve. Regardless of her doubts, she put on a smile for her son. She didn't want to hurt his feelings. More than that, she decided that having even false hope could only give her happiness. She stopped caring whether that joy would only be temporary or based on a lie. She lived in a world of magic, for goodness sake! If she was magic herself, then why couldn't she start being open to loving again?
That night, before she went to sleep, she cracked open the codex and read a story. The next night, she did the same. Then the next. And the next. Those stories were true. They were magic.
And they went like this…
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TABLE OF CONTENTS - to be updated
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Separation Makes the Heart Grow Stronger (2) – GoldenQueen
