At the Beginning

by ofarrogant

A prelude to Careful the Spell You Cast. Regina and Valeria meet for the first time as children both still under the thumbs of their controlling mothers.

Disclaimer: I am neither Adam nor Eddy and I am certainly no Stephen Sondheim or James Lapine

"Are we there, Mommy?" Regina asked, peeping out the window as their carriage came to a stop. Where 'there' was remained a mystery to the eight-year-old and she could only tell that they were on the outlying edge of a village. Directly in front of them was a thatched cottage at that first glance didn't appear any different from any other. But when she allowed the scope of her vision to widen, she was surprised by the stone wall that surrounded the cottage on three of the four sides and was taller than the building itself.

Cora remained seated calmly on the other side of the carriage, her gloved hands folded in her lap. Her expression, when Regina glanced back at her, was as unreadable as usual, but the child noted a glint appearing in her mother's eyes as she took in the sight of the cottage. A glint that made her stomach twist in a knot. "Yes, Regina," her mother responded mildly, "as a matter of fact we are."

The footman who had accompanied them opened the door to the carriage, then, holding out a hand. "My lady," he murmured to Cora, acknowledging with a nod that she was meant to take it. Regina watched as her mother accepted the offered hand, descending the steps without even a nod to the man.

Once her feet were firmly on the ground and the hand released, it remained outstretched. "Miss," he said, this time the words directed at Regina, and she took his hand gaily, beaming up at him as she skipped down the steps. "Thank you, William," she acknowledged with a curtsy when she, too, was on the ground. He only inclined his head in wordless response and Regina couldn't be sure whether or not she imagined the slight smile flickering across his face beneath the shadow his hat cast on his face.

"Come, Regina," Cora ordered with an impatient flick of her fingers from where she was already halfway down the pathway to the cottage door. Hurrying, Regina quickly caught up, clutching at her mother's hand, silently accompanying her down the rest of the walk.

Before they could even reach the threshold, however, the door flung open to reveal a woman standing there with an expectant look on her face. She was of middling height, probably only an inch or two taller than Cora, but had such an overpowering presence that she seemed to tower over them. Gray eyes watched them shrewdly from beneath arched brows and thick hair that had perhaps once been gold was now tawny and streaked with white. "I was wondering when you were going to come," the woman said by way of greeting, her voice smoky but set with an edge that made a shiver of apprehension shoot down Regina's spine.

"So you know who I am and why I've come," Cora responded calmly while Regina shrank back a little behind her mother, intimidated.

The woman only smirked a little. "The Dark One isn't the only one among us with the gift of foresight," was all she said. Taking a step back, she gestured inside. "Won't you come in?"

Cora glided inside without another word, her head held as high as ever, always the regal figure that left Regina awed. Her daughter, in contrast, hesitated before following, sticking close to Cora's side.

The woman's sharp gaze fell on Regina as she closed the door behind them. "Your daughter?" She sought to clarify, her eyes turning to Cora again just briefly enough to catch her nod of confirmation, and then they were on Regina again. Seeing. Knowing. "She has a great future ahead of her."

The haughty tilt of Cora's chin and the cold pride in her voice were not lost on Regina as she answered simply, "I know."

The woman smiled in response, but not in a way that left Regina feeling self-assured. "My own daughter is out back in the garden," she said after a moment, "perhaps yours would like to join her."

It didn't take her mother's "Regina would be delighted" for Regina to understand that it was not a suggestion, but a command. They didn't want a child present for their conversation. Curtsying to both, she made her way over to the wooden door that the woman had gestured to, stepping out into the sunlight.

The garden she saw was large and lush, filled with all sorts of plants that Regina had never seen before. Kneeling in the dirt with her back to the door was a girl about twelve years of age with hair that was a deep, deep red; darker than any of the rubies Cora favored and standing out in sharp contrast to the pallor of her freckled skin.

Although she was facing away from the house, she must have heard the door and a stranger's step, for her head sharply whipped to one side just as Regina was about to open her mouth. "Who are you?" The girl demanded, eyes like her mother's boring right through the younger girl. There, too, was a hint of the husky edge that her mother's voice possessed, but it was greatly softened by youth.

Startled by the suddenness of it all, Regina could only blink and stammer, "I'm-I'm Regina."

"Well, Regina," the girl said, climbing to her feet and brushing dirt off her skirts. "My mother doesn't like strangers in her garden. Bad things happen to them."

"B-but your mother told me to come out here," she replied with a gulp for courage, her fingers clenching together at her sides. "My-my mommy's inside talking to her."

"Oh," was the girl's response, punctuated by a timely batting of her eyes. "Well, you're alright, then."

Regina opened her mouth and then closed it, unsure of how to respond to that, just standing there in complete silence.

"I'm Valeria," the older girl offered after a moment, pushing stray tendrils of hair out of her eyes.

Automatically, Regina curtsied, as she had done to Valeria's mother. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she murmured, trying, and failing, to mimic the smooth courtly tone she knew Cora would have adopted.

Valeria gave a huff of laughter in response to the curtsy, pressing a hand to her mouth in an attempt to muffle it, her shoulders shaking.

"What?" Regina demanded, automatically on the defensive, as she straightened up. "What's so funny?"

"You," Valeria answered, letting her hand drop, a wide smile of ridiculing amusement gracing her round face. "And your manners. Where do you think you are: the royal palace?"

She gave her own huff, then but it was a petulantly indignant one. "Mommy is raising me to be a true lady," she said, arching her neck a little, once again, in imitation of Cora. "She says one day I'll be a queen."

The older girl laughed again, mockingly. "You will not!"

"I will too!" Regina insisted, her hands balling into fists again. "My father is a prince!"

"Not prince of this kingdom," Valeria shot back, folding her arms across her chest.

The younger girl faltered momentarily at that, a blush rising to her face beneath the light bronze of her skin. "Yes, well, but he is of another kingdom!"

"Oh really?" Valeria wanted to know, taking a step forward, reveling in her assumed superiority. "Then which one?"

Regina bit down on her lower lip. "I-I don't remember the name…"

"Ha!" She crowed victoriously. "Then you're no more a princess than I am!"

Regina's face blushed even more furiously as she retorted, "I AM TOO!"

"Wait," Valeria said after a moment, slowly shaking a pointing finger. "I know who you are. Your mother is the one who rips out hearts!"

Dark eyes grew as wide as saucers as horror thrummed through Regina's veins, quickly followed by rage that this no-good peasant would say such things about her mother. "You're a liar!" She retorted sharply, striding forward to look right up into Valeria's face. "My mommy does no such thing!"

"I overheard my mother talking to someone," Valeria persisted with gleeful, childish malice. "She says your mother has a whole cellar full of hearts beneath your house!"

"Liar!" Regina said again, this time nearly shouting it, her lower lip trembling furiously. She would have started pummeling Valeria with her little fists, but her mother had taught her to use words to express her anger.

"Oh, don't get so upset, you big baby," the girl dismissed with a wave of her hand. "My mother's a witch and she doesn't care what people say about her. I'm sure yours is the same way."

Regina's eyes widened again and her anger slowly faded, being replaced by curiosity. "Your mother's a witch?" She asked, the last word coming out in near whisper, so awed was she.

Valeria nodded proudly with a toss of her head. "She is. Everyone in the village and the surrounding area comes to her when they need help and she gives them spells." She gestured to the garden around them. "See these plants? She uses them as ingredients in her potions and salves and things. That's why the garden's so important to her." There was the briefest flicker of pain in her eyes as she added, "More important than anything."

Still sulking a little, Regina could not help but latch onto that pain and spitefully retort, "More important even than you?"

Instead of responding, the older girl only averted her gaze abruptly, her jaw clenching. Cora would have been proud of her daughter in that moment, hitting her opponent where it hurt the most, but Regina was suddenly full of guilt. Biting down on her lower lip, she tentatively reached out for Valeria's hand, giving it an apologetic squeeze.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, her own gaze now downcast. "That was mean of me. I know what it feels like when you think your mommy doesn't really love you."

Valeria had startled a little at the feeling of Regina's hand on hers and looked at her in surprise. "It doesn't matter," she managed to say, clearing her throat and wiping at her eyes. "You only said what I was thinking."

"That doesn't make it right," Regina replied softly, brown eyes locking with gray as she lifted her head again.

The older girl found it somewhere within herself to smile a little at the younger. "Would you like me to show you around the garden, Regina?" She asked finally, releasing her hand.

Regina nodded immediately, saying, "Yes, please."

Without another word being said about either of their mothers, Valeria took Regina around the garden, pointing out the different plants as they moved along. "Those are the arugula, they're my mother's favorite," she remarked at one point.

"What's yours?" Regina wanted to know, genuinely interested, doing her best to remember all the names that were being rambled off.

"Rampion," Valeria answered with a real smile, gesturing to the plant over in the far left corner of the garden. "It's absolutely delicious. You can either cut up the flowers or chop up the roots or both!"

The younger girl nodded thoughtfully at this, and then admitted, "I've never had any. I'll have to ask our cook about making some."

"You should," she responded approvingly. As they moved onto another part of the garden, she inquired, "What's your favorite?"

"I don't really like many vegetables," Regina admitted. "I'd rather have fruit. Especially apples. I love apples!"

"You know what?" Valeria said, a slow smile creeping across her face. "We just happen to have an apple tree. Want to see?"

Regina's eyes lit up with excitement and she actually started to bounce a little on her feet. "Oh, yes! Yes, yes, yes!"

Valeria couldn't help but smile in response to the younger girl's enthusiasm. "Come on, then," she said laughingly, picking up her skirts so that she could run to the other side of the garden.

"Valeria, wait up!" Regina called after her, picking up her own skirts and hurrying after the older girl as best she could, following her down the narrow pathway that snaked through the plants and to where a large, sturdy apple tree stood shading a good quarter of the garden.

"It's so big," she murmured, reaching out to brush her fingers against the bark, enjoying the rough texture against her skin, not caring if it scraped her.

"It's a honey crisp tree," Valeria told her, leaning against the tree trunk and reaching up to pluck a ripe apple from the branches. "My mother says the honey crisp is the most hearty and vigorous of all the apple trees."

"Honey crisp," Regina repeated, accepting the apple when Valeria offered it to her. "Huh. I've never had one of these before."

"Try it," the older girl urged her. "You'll love it."

She held the apple in her hand for a moment, studying the golden red skin, before biting into it with zeal. "Oh," she said after chewing and swallowing that first mouthful. "Oh, it's so good!"

Valeria was smiling again, looking quite smug. "I told you you'd love it, silly."

Instead of replying, Regina only bit into the apple again, clearly intent on devouring it right there in the garden. Juices were dripping onto the collar of her cape and on her hands, but she didn't care, no matter what her mother might have to say about the mess later.

"Slow down a little," Valeria laughed, reaching out to place a hand over the remainder of the apple once it was a quarter of the way gone.

"Why?" The younger girl wanted to know, her voice at a pitch nearing the level of a whine.

"Because," Valeria said, "if you save the seeds, you can plant a tree of your own."

"My own apple tree?" Regina clarified and let out a happy squeal at the older girl's nod. "Will you help me do it?"

She hesitated, then, saying, "Well, I'm sure your family has to have a gardener. They'll know what to do."

The younger girl's lower lip started to tremble again, like it had earlier during their argument. "But-but I thought we were friends…"

It was time for Valeria's eyes to widen, visibly taken aback. "I," she started to say, clearing her throat. "Yes. Yes, of course we are.

"Then you'll help?" Regina persisted, grabbing Valeria's hand and looking up at her pleadingly. "Please? Please?"

"Regina," the voice of Valeria's mother sounded from behind them before the older girl could respond, prompting both to spin in her direction. The woman stood there, her arms folded across her chest, studying them with a hint of amusement. "Your mother is waiting in the carriage," she continued. "It's time for you to leave."

There was no hiding the disappointment that Regina felt at those words and she exchanged a look with Valeria that indicated it was a mutual feeling. "I guess this is goodbye, then," the younger girl said softly, curtsying automatically and heading towards the door that led into the house.

"Regina, wait," Valeria called out after a couple of beats, moving past her mother and towards the younger girl. On the way, she snatched up a burlap pouch from her mother's worktable, catching Regina at the front door. "Here," she said, pressing it into Regina's free hand. "It's for the seeds. Keep them in this and I will come when the time is right for planting to help you with it."

The girl's eyes lit up again. "You promise?"

"I promise."