I don't own OUAT
Her sheets were destroyed. The servants would have to replace them later. Though, she supposed, it didn't much matter to her. This day was her last in the Palace. Through no fault of her own, she had been banished from the Palace, stripped of her title and crown. She had done nothing they ought to have known about, nothing that any woman with a weak husband wouldn't have done. She strayed from him, producing the child of another man, a better man. There ought to have been no way to know of her infidelity, but the child, born mere hours before, had been born with stunning blue eyes. She swore that she too had been born with blue eyes, but they would not believe her. It had been decided that her youngest son must die, but Henry had saved him. The man had attached quickly to her son, taking care of him whilst she rested. The muffled sound of a wail began to grow louder as the child was brought closer to her, hungry, no doubt.
"Cora, our- your- he needs you." She nodded silently, holding out her arms to claim the boy. Looking almost numbly at the boy in her arms, she was struck by how much he looked like his father. There was a small tuft of dark hair on his head, bright blue eyes that shined with delight, and a silly little grin that captured the boy's face in place of his earlier cries; he had been calmed once he was in his mother's arms. He had her pale skin, a characteristic that was shocking against the darkness of his hair now, but would be quite attractive in the future. Her boy would be quite a desirable one by looks, though perhaps less so socially as the bastard of the disgraced princess. She thought of the date of his conception, her thoughts, her reasons. Horror filed her as the truth soaked in. Her reasoning was threadbare, her thoughts non-existent. The feelings that had taken hold of her were things she hadn't felt in over five years, stronger for their absence. The truth was that she had not thought. She had felt.
"I have heard much about you, milady. I'd doubt you want your husband to know most of it." It was not the first attempt at blackmail she had received; she was well prepared for it.
"I have kept no secrets from him. Say what you will." The man seemed startled by her swift denial, but it was not enough to completely stop him.
"Very well. Your beauty is well known across the realms, but do all of your people know of you cleverness as well? I know of it and think, with your past, we may be beneficial to each other... with Rumplestiltskin." This was something she never could have seen coming, thinking that she, with luck, would never have to hear the fiend's name spoken again, much less in such context. Henry, noticing how stiff his wife had become, glared down at the kneeling man.
"Who is it you speak of, and why do you think my wife knows him?" The man opened his mouth to speak, but Henry's question had broken Cora from her trance, allowing her to think clearly once more.
"I will meet you at the gates of the palace. Leave your weapon here," her eyes flickered to the sharp blade that rested in place of the man's left hand, "and I shall leave my guards." The man nodded, dropping the metal appliance to the floor as he stood, starting towards the door. She stood as well, making it only one step before Henry's hand caught her wrist.
"Don't go with him." She shook him off, glaring back at him.
"I'll do what I want." The fire in her eyes silenced him. She stormed out of the room, the slam of the large doors echoing in her wake. A brief silence filled the room before a peasant worked up the courage to bow before the Prince, continuing the proceedings.
He waited by the gates, tapping his foot and humming a song that would no doubt be scandalous if he were to sing it. Moments later, a hand was pressed to his throat, shoving him against the cold gate, a wave of heat countering it as the Princess became visible once more, a large ball of fire flaming in her hand frightfully close to his face.
"What do you know of myself and Rumplestiltskin?"The look terror in his eyes was humorous for the brief moment it was there before he regained his composure.
"I have searched through many lands to find you, Your Majesty. Well worth the wait." If at all possible, she moved the flames closer to his face, at just the right position where it was all she could see in his eyes.
"Do not waste my time, pirate. I have no qualms in ending the lives of nobles, much less scum of the sea such as you."
"Of course, milady. If you release me, I will, of course, tell you all I know." She released him, keeping the flame alight, while gesturing for him to continue. "The Dark One has spoken of a woman, one who was cruel to him. There were several months, supposedly whilst he was with this woman, that he had no dealings at all. Once he returned to his dealing, they were weak. Then, almost a year later, his dealings were harsh once again, but in a more bitter way. Rumors have spread of the woman who caused his defeat. These rumors all point to you." She stalked closer to him, extinguishing the flame. A lethal grin began to make its way across her face.
"It would seem my reputation precedes me. I'm afraid I broke the man's fragile heart. He was wary of women before, but he seems to hate them now. Because of me." At the mention of his prior cautiousness, the man froze.
"And how did you do that?" In place of an answer, she placed his hand on her chest. Confusion was evident on his face as he tried desperately not to feel more than she intended him to, but then it hit him. There was no beating inside her chest. Either this woman was dead and somehow revived, or... or Rumplestiltskin had done the same to this woman as he had done to Milah. Yet, somehow, this woman still lived. "How are you alive?"
"Magic, of course. It was too hard for him to accept that his favourite apprentice had far surpassed him." Of course. The Princess, possessor of great magics, had been his pupil.
"And as such, he must have told you a bit about himself." She tossed her head back, laughing at the thought. Then, fluffing her hair gently, she continued.
"'A bit'? He told me everything. About his weaknesses, his wife, the..." her voice trailed off as she worked out who he was. When she found her voice again, it was hollow. "The pirate who stole her from him."
"He killed her! He has no right to speak of her!" He was filled with anger, but forced himself to focus again. "What was that first one you mentioned?"
"Oh, so now it has become time for me to share my knowledge? I am no fool. It comes with a price." He glared at the woman in front of him for a moment, shaking his head.
"It is terrifying how much you are like your teacher." She smiled, running a finger down the pirate's cheek.
"I like it that way. Back to the little matter of cost. If I give you the information, what will you give me in return?" He pulled her to him, kissing her swiftly. She was shocked, though not displeased, by this turning of events. It was almost worrying, the feeling, quite like the ghost pains in a lost arm, of something in the cavity of her chest where no such feelings had been stirred in many years. She would have been concerned by it had her mind not grown foggy at the kiss. She pulled away, biting her lip as she tried to regain control over her thoughts. "That is not exactly... That won't be nearly enough to afford my knowledge."
The man had dragged her away to his ship, paying her for her knowledge in pleasure. Though a dreadful deal in the long run, it had seemed so nice at the time. She had begun to miss the emotions she had once had, craving them again. She had no idea why she had felt them for him, but she had, something that ought to have been impossible. Such a powerful thing had been priceless at the time, but now it had cost her everything she had worked so hard for. Love was weakness, one she had worked so hard to avoid with her first love, only to succumb to it with a pirate. It would not do for word to get out to the others of who the father of this child was.
They were given a small manor in the countryside, not an ungenerous fate for a disgrace such as she, but, though she had made him a cuckold, Henry was still Prince. Had it not been for his devotion to her, she would be exiled or killed. She was thankful, but still did not truly care for this man. As they entered her new home, she ran to write a letter to the one she had thought of each and every day since their encounter.
Killian.
You have a son. His name is Brendon, because for a brief moment he was Prince. Your blood did not allow him to stay as such for long. I will raise him with Regina. Please visit.
Cora.