AN: This story came from a request from the-4th-Queen-of-Darkness, who requested that I have a drunk Sidney harass Regina. This got a bit darker than I expected, but it was fitting.
I have another idea for my color series, Verde (Green), but I will admit I'm a slow poster. But if you have an idea, let me know and I'll try to do it justice. I am definitely starting to think of it as separate from my longer story, What's Been Sundered and Undone
As always, OUAT does not belong to me. Disney/ABC/their writers, etc. I just send the characters weird letters in my mind.
CRIMSON
Some nights, strong wine helped Regina cope. A single glass of potent red wine, darker than blood, would give her a pounding headache when she awoke the next morning, but at least there was a chance it would also grant her the lovely bliss of almost forgetting.
Tonight was not such a night.
She tossed and turned on her feather bed, a rich brocaded coverlet draped over her form, and ached. Henry. The loss was almost a physical pain, pulsing through the raw mess that was her black heart. Despite Snow White's affirmation that they were in this together, she had found no one she could confide in.
Unbidden and definitely unwanted, a memory of the forest bandit flitted through Regina's mind. She snorted, the sound quiet in the overlarge chamber.
No, all Regina needed was Henry, her little prince and the one who believed in her. And she could not return to her son until she first found a way to rid herself of her supposed sister. To think that walking compost heap dared to wander through my castle, touch my things... My...things...
Regina sprang upright in her bed, eyes widening. Her gaze oriented on the large mirror at her dressing table, a dark smile curving her lips. She doesn't have something I do. She pushed aside the covers and slid out of bed, plucking a silken robe from a hook and donning the garment.
With silent steps, she headed toward the dungeons.
Robin of Locksley still found it difficult to sleep in the castle. Far too used to the open air of Sherwood, the archer felt trapped in the dark fortress, especially at night. And so, for the tenth night in a row, he wandered the corridors to exhaust himself. Besides, these explorations may prove useful in the future.
He tread down the hallway, staying to the shadows, searching for trouble he was certain would come, sooner or later. The Enchanted Forest had become a dangerous place in the absence of Snow White and Prince David. Monsters that had once been scarce now roamed freely through the land, and he and his men had spent a great deal of time trying to protect the land and its folk from those who would cause them harm.
And now we have a new ally, who seems to dislike me in particular. Yet still I want to trust her. The thought cast an image in Robin's mind of the regal -and very tempting- woman. He shook his head to clear it. He had vowed to himself that he would not think about the Queen, but his thoughts often ignored that edict and his mind would conjure her face in his occasional daydream.
Which is why, at first, when Robin saw the flutter of black cloth floating around a shapely figure, he did not recognize that it truly was the Queen. He had thought she was merely a figment of his imagination.
She seemed unaware of him, crossing the corridor to descend a staircase, a single-minded expression on her face. Her light robe fluttered about her like the wings of a raven.
Where is the Queen going at this hour? Robin frowned from within the shadows, then followed her, keeping enough distance between the two of them to keep from drawing attention to himself.
The walls changed as they traveled downward into the lower parts of the castle. Tapestries became less elaborate, before vanishing all together. The exposed granite was thick enough to muffle sounds so the upper floors could not hear anything that transpired in the rooms below. Soon, dampness clung to the bricks, causing mildew and mold to creep over the stones, the smell musty. It was darker here, no windows or even embrasures let moonlight inside to illuminate the hall. Torches, long unlit, lined one side of the passageway. They burst into flame as the Queen waved a hand. The flickering flames sent both shadows and light dancing along the thick doors ran along the other side of the corridor. Each had a heavy lock -probably magical- and a small grate that would allow someone to peer into the room beyond.
Regina checked each door as she progressed. Her expression, almost hopeful at the start, changed to one of frustration. Her dark eyes were practically black and her cheeks had turned ashen.
Robin lingered at the end of the corridor, watching her. The dungeons? But who does she expect will be in here? I thought the castle had been abandoned for the decades they were gone. Or is there something that she hid here all those years ago that she has just remembered? Is she planning to take up her feud with Snow White once more? He discounted the last thought immediately. He remembered that brief time they had spent in her chamber when they had first arrived at the castle as she had plotted to send herself into a cursed slumber to wait for her son who might never come. No. Only two things drive her now. Destroying the witch and returning to her son. Though right now the two are intertwined.
The Queen's hope was once again dying, and he was here to watch it gasp its last breath. It disturbed him, and he searched his thoughts and feelings for some measure of comfort he could offer her.
Regina had come to the last door and lifted a hand -was it shaking?- to open the small viewing slat. A burst of laughter, low and velvety, escaped her lips. With a triumphant smile, chin lifted high, the Queen waved her hand to unlock the final prison door and enter the cell.
Robin held his breath and waited, listening. What is in that room?
Regina had almost surrendered to despair when she came to the last door. If he is not here... As she peered into the last of the cells, she saw a gleam of light, the torchlight behind her reflecting back from a large mirror.
Her relief emerged as laughter, and with a wave of her hand, the magical lock on the door released. She stepped into the small chamber, feeling her heart beat faster in anticipation. Finally. Now I have the upper hand. She waited. Her presence summoned a face to its surface, ghostly green and rippling.
Her Magic Mirror, known as Sidney Glass in Storybrooke, smiled with that lovesick expression that she knew all too well. "My Queen. You have returned."
"I need my mirror." She spoke with confidence, but deep in her soul, it scared her how true the statement was. She held her poise, like her mother had drilled into her so many times before, despite her current dress. I should have put on something more appropriate.
Sidney's eyes were lit with delight. "What is your bidding, my mistress?" His voice had the distinct echoing tone it possessed when he was trapped in the mirror.
"Do you know where the witch who intruded upon my castle is located?"
Sidney's image blurred, his gaze turning toward all the mirrors he could access, searching for the witch.
Regina tapped her foot, her toes turning numb and her nose crinkling from the rank air, as she waited. So close. I find her, I stop her, and perhaps in her belongings I can find a way to return to Henry. She must have magical items.
Sidney cleared his throat.
Regina refocused her attention on the mirror.
"She spoke to me once." His eyes raked over her form, not quite leering at her nighttime ensemble.
"And what did that green bean say?" The queen arched a brow.
"That you would need my help." Sidney smiled with an edge to the expression that Regina did not like. "That eventually you would remember that I was here, waiting for you, and come to see me."
"Did she now?" Regina mimed a yawn. This is different from his usual fawning self.
"Yes, Regina." Sidney stepped out of the mirror, as easily as going through a doorway, red ribbons of light slithering like snakes behind him. "She did."
The fireball formed in her hand without a conscious thought.
Sidney tutted. With the sound, one of the ribbons struck her wrist, curling around it with the speed of a viper. Once she was bound, the fireball was snuffed out. "Be with me, Regina. Stay by my side." He reached for her, his fingers ghosting against a stray curl by her cheek. "Be mine and I will give you anything. All you have to do is be mine."
Regina stood still despite the urge to shudder at the genie's touch. "And this is how you plan to start our new relationship? How are you even doing this?" The last word escaped her mouth in a hiss.
"Only at the beginning, my dear. But I know we could be content with each other." The confidence in Sidney's voice was a strange thing to hear. It was a shadow of what she remembered from their relationship long ago, when she had first become queen. "And does it really matter how I am able to do this?"
"Could we?" Regina let the sarcasm drip from her words like venom. She tugged at the tie, but the ribbon merely stretched rather than breaking. "That witch gave you something."
"She did. But my loyalty is not to her, but to you, My Queen. All I want is to make you happy. I can keep you safe from her. I would give you anything you could possibly want. Anything you could imagine. I could even give you a happy ending." Sidney gestured and brought the cask of wine -Regina recognized it as the one from her bedroom from the label- along with two glasses to his hand in a swirl of smoke. He poured the rich crimson liquid, then offered her one of the glasses.
Regina took the wine with her free hand, eyeing the red glowing ribbons, and sipped it to wash away the sudden taste of ash in her mouth at his words. A happy ending... Once again, Regina found herself thinking of sharp eyes, dimpled cheeks, and an accented voice. But that image was washed away by a younger, earnest face, one framed by brown hair. "I can imagine quite a lot." She took another tiny sip. The wine was as sweet as ever, hiding its strength. Perhaps.
Sidney laughed, and drank more of his wine. "You always were direct, my dear queen."
Regina shivered, the chill of the dungeons was starting to creep over her body. Or perhaps it was the lust in his eyes. Careful. I must be careful. Let him drink himself into a stupor. "I see no point in playing games."
"Then name it, and I will give it to you. It seems a good way to build your faith in me." Sidney stood before her, now only scant inches separated them. He stroked the ribbon, fingers teasing her inner wrist.
"Even if it was the witch's head on a silver platter?" She glanced at his glass, already nearly empty.
"Of course." He took her hand, kissing the back of it.
"And what if I also wanted Henry here, with me?" She half turned away, looking at the genie with seductive eyes.
Sidney slipped an arm about her waist, pulling her flush against him, as he took another long swallow of his wine. "How I've missed the taste of wine." He waved a hand. The cask tilted and poured more wine into his empty glass. He then drained it. "A pleasant vintage."
"Just admit you can't do it, Sidney." Regina shook her head.
"I might be able to find a way to bring your son here." His whisper stirred a lock of hair near her ear.
"Only might? Even with your new tricks?" Regina shifted, trying to maintain a small space between them. She brought her own cup up to her lips once again to hide her face.
"It is not as straightforward as waving my hand to summon him here." Sidney's voice had a faint slur. He rubbed his hand against her abdomen.
"Then what can you do?" Keep drinking that wine, Sidney.
"I could help you forget about him."
Regina's blood froze. "I would never want to forget about him."
"You would be happier, my dear queen." He nuzzled her neck. "What do you say?" Sidney's fingers trailed against her side, now tugging at the thin nightgown.
"I think you're drunk." And not in the way I was hoping for. She gripped his fingers, trying once again to summon magic.
But the glowing ribbon tightened around her wrist again, and the fire she tried to conjure fizzled out. "I think I have a better notion." Sidney pulled at her dressing gown again. "I could keep you bound until you learn to love me. It seemed to work for the Dark One and his little wife."
"I'm not that type of woman, you piece of cracked glass." She yanked her arm, now desperate to snap the magical cord binding her. Her wineglass fell before it was wrapped in smoke.
"With a bit of time, far away from this place, you might find that you are exactly that kind of girl." He started to drag her toward the mirror, transporting the bottle and glasses on the ledge that held the mirror so that he could use both hands.
No. NoNoNo...
Salvation came in the unlikely form of an arrow piercing the glowing ribbon.
It's been too quiet.
He could hear voices in conversation, the volume too low to make out the exact words. Regina's tone started confident, brash, exactly how he had come to recognize it. He could, in a crowded room, pick out her voice among many with ease. The other voice was male, and he had not heard it before. Not surprising if he was trapped in a dungeon. But why doesn't he sound furious?
He had to know. He snuck down the hall, slowly, still listening to the two.
It sounds like... flirting. The realization struck him like an arrow to the heart. I should depart. They probably meet nightly, down here away from prying eyes, and I just happened to catch this particular tryst. He started to back away, but the words started to penetrate the daze he had been in.
"I'm not that kind of woman, you piece of cracked glass."
Regina's voice. Regina's fear.
He drew an arrow without thinking, unsurprised to note it was the arrow that would never miss its mark. He would not fail her. He picked out his target in half a second after he had stepped in the doorway: the cord of glowing red fastened to Regina's wrist. The magic exploded as the arrow sliced through it, fragments of glowing red dissolving into mist.
That had been all Regina needed. The Queen waved both hands and magically shoved her attacker toward a mirror.
The dark-skinned man blinked, a befuddled expression on his face he gaped at Robin and Regina. "But how...?" The question died on his lips as the mirror flashed and pulled him through the glass surface.
"Back where you came from, Sidney, you drunken fool." Regina fixed her robe about her, hugging herself as she crossed her arms. Her cheeks were scarlet, either with anger or embarrassment, he wasn't certain.
"Are you alright, milady?"
She glared at him. "Spying on me, bandit?"
Robin felt his body stiffen. "A simple thank you would suffice."
Regina was staring at the mirror again, which only showed their reflection, and not the man who had been accosting her. "I thought he might be able to bring my son to me." She spoke softly, but he knew every word was a leaden weight to her heart.
"Could he have?"
Regina paused, then shook her head. "It's doubtful. If he had, he would have started with that, thinking it would have cemented my affection." She plucked a bottle from the stone ledge and pushed it against his chest. "Here. I've lost my taste for wine." She strode out, the vulnerable woman just a memory.
But the vision of her with crimson cheeks would remain with him for as long as he lived.
AN: Hope you liked it! Until next time... I'm finally past some of the hold ups to Sundered and Undone, so I should be posting the next chapter soon.