Alright, the lovely Gizela requested that I write a Stable Queen fic, so here's a fluffy little one shot for you!
Regina ran into the stables excitedly. She'd been careful not to run whilst in view of the house, for as Cora always said, "A lady never runs," but once she knew Cora couldn't see, she flew to a sprint.
Her heart pounded against her chest when she arrived at the stables, but it was only partly because of the physical exertion. She knew the true reason behind her heart's fluttering was the man standing in front of her. The man she'd quickly grown to love.
Daniel stood almost a foot taller than Regina, and he was beautiful. He stood, brushing his horse's mane, still not aware of the young woman standing in the door of the stables, trying to catch her breath. He was no prince, as her mother would have preferred, but he made Regina blissfully happy. As far as the seventeen-year-old was concerned, that made him a prince.
It truly had been love at first sight, though neither of them had said it aloud.
He finally looked over at Regina, and she had to remind herself to breathe when he flashed a wide smile. He put the brush down and walked toward her. "Hi," she offered sheepishly.
His smile grew, and he wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her into a passionate kiss. Her hands moved up to hold the back of his neck, trying to pull him closer to her. After a moment, they pulled away, arms still wrapped around each other. "Hello, beautiful," he responded, giving her another kiss. She blushed at the compliment.
She reluctantly moved from his embrace, but she laced her fingers together with his as she walked toward Rocinante's stall. He stepped inside with her and watched as she brushed her stallion. He was always amazed at how great she was with horses. She had learned to ride incredibly quickly, and every day she was getting better.
He leaned against the wall as he watched his girlfriend tend to Rocinante. "So," he said. "Have you talked to your mother?"
The young girl froze. "No," she said, barely looking over her shoulder. "I can't do that."
"Regina, she has to find out sometime," he said. He wrapped his strong arms around her waist and hugged her, placing a kiss on her shoulder.
"She can't know," Regina said.
"Why?" He asked, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Would it really be so awful if she knew?"
"Daniel, you have no idea what she's capable of," Regina insisted. She turned her head and gave him a kiss on his temple. "She would be furious if I told her about us."
He squeezed her a little harder before turning her in his arms and placing another slow kiss to her lips. Her heart always skipped a beat at his touch, and when he kissed her, she thought it wouldn't ever start back up again. He pulled away and she smiled. "We'll keep quiet, then," he said.
Daniel wanted nothing more than to have a relationship with Regina where they could be completely open with the world about their feelings. But according to Regina, Cora would never allow such a union. Daniel shrugged it off for the time being and waited for Regina to finish grooming Rocinante.
They rode in comfortable silence, stealing glances at each other every once in a while. They'd been together for several months, but Regina still found herself blushing every time their glances met, and it made a grin appear on Daniel's face. Regina was undeniably beautiful, but she was a bit insecure, and Daniel thought it was adorable when he'd find her blushing of smiling when their gazes met.
They stopped at their favorite spot in the woods. It was a grassy clearing with a large Oak tree. It was a warm day, but the pair still refused to pull away from each other. He sat with his back against the tree and she sat between his legs, leaning her back against his torso, her head resting in the crook of his neck. His arms were wrapped around her waist protectively.
She absentmindedly played with his fingers. "Regina," he said. "What exactly would your mother do if she found out about us?"
Regina tensed slightly in his arms. "Well, she has magic. I suppose anything is possible," she said softly. After a moment of silence, she broke from his embrace, moving to her knees and turning around to face him. She took his face in her hands. "I don't want to risk it," she said. "My mother has done horrible things in her life. I don't want anything like that to happen to you, Daniel." Tears were starting to fall down her cheeks. "You're too important to me."
He reached for her face, caressing it as he brushed a tear away with the pad of his thumb. He pulled her closer, placing a light, slow kiss on pink lips. She allowed herself to get lost in his kiss for a moment, and as soon as it broke, she felt her heart swell, and she knew she had to tell him. "Daniel," she whispered. "I love you."
He smiled widely, and as if it was the most natural thing in the world, he said, "I love you, too."
She leaned in and kissed him again, happiness consuming them both. As she deepened the kiss, she remembered something her nanny had told her back when she was a little girl, and it gave her hope that maybe, just maybe, they would be able to withstand anything that came their way:
True love is the most powerful magic of all.