Regina stared at the child in her arms. Her daughter-no-Leopold's daughter, not hers. She never wanted this child. She won't allow this child to call her Mother. She was grateful when the nurse came to take the child away. She laid against the pillows and closed her eyes. She wanted to slap the smile off Leopold's face when she saw him.
"She's perfect Regina."
"Yes, she is. I'd like to rest now, dear. That was very tiring." Regina told her husband to get rid of him.
"Of course. Rest up my queen." He left the room and Regina lay against the pillows quickly falling asleep. Hours later, Regina awoke to a terrible noise coming from outside her door. She tried to listen to the noise trying to figure out what it was. It was only when the door opened that she realized it was her daughter that was born only hours earlier. She closed to her eyes hoping to fool the nursemaid that she was still sleeping. When she heard a sigh and the door close again, she knew she had fooled her. She had to figure out how she was going to keep that child from her. Perhaps her lessons with Rumplestiltskin and riding lessons would help with that. She'll just have to make sure she was out of the castle more and more. As the years went by, Regina's daughter, Mira as Leopold had named her, grew like a weed.
"Mama, mama, I gots you flowers." Mira said running up to Regina. Unfortunately, she tripped and ended up hitting Regina's dark dress with the flowers making pollen end up on her dress.
"Mira, you insolent girl! Look what you did to my dress!"
"I'm sorry Mama." The four year old said. She hated when she made her mother angry because then she yelled a lot.
"Just go find your sister and bother her for a little while and leave me alone!" The four year old ran away with tears blurring her vision. She found Snow sitting outside picking some fruits.
"Snow." Snow turned around and saw Mira. She put her basket down and knelt down opening her arms. Mira ran to her and wrapped her arms around her neck.
"Shh, it's okay. Regina's just in bad mood today."
"She always in a bad mood when she sees me. Mama doesn't love me."
"Oh sweetheart that's not true. She loves you." Mira shook her head.
"She told Papa, she doesn't love me. I heard her." Mira insisted. Snow ran a hand down Mira's hair.
"Well, I know that Father loves you very much and so do I. If Regina doesn't that she's just silly to not love you." Mira smiled and hugged Snow tighter. Snow stood up with her sister still her arms and grabbed her basket. Even though it wasn't even half full, she went back inside the palace. With Mira on her hip, she walked toward Leopold's study. She knocked before entering. Leopold looked up and smiled when he saw his daughters. "We may have a problem, Father." Leopold got up and took Mira from Snow and kissed both their foreheads.
"What would that be?" Leopold asked as Mira put her head on his shoulder and put her thumb in her mouth. Leopold sighed. He knew what that meant. "She had a confrontation with Regina again didn't she?" Snow nodded. Mira only ever sucked her thumb after Regina yells at her. "What happened my pretty princess?"
"I was bringing Mama some flowers and tripped. Some of the yellow stuffs gots on her dress." Leopold sighed. "It was a accident. I didn't mean to Papa."
"I know sweetheart. I know. Here, you stay with Snow I'm going to go talk to Mama." Mira sighed but allowed her to be moved to Snow's arms.
"Come on, I'll get you dressed for dinner." Mira nodded and took her thumb out of her mouth. Snow took her into her room. "Let's see what pretty dress should we put you in?"
"I want purple." Mira stated. Snow smiled and got out a purple dress. Snow looked at her sister and sadly knew that only her and her father loved her. Years passed quickly for Mira. She had been through a lot. When she was ten, her mother killed her father. In that same year, she drove Snow from the kingdom and tried to kill her. Mira had watched everything plotting ways to get back at Regina. That was when she found Rumplestiltskin.
"Let me get this straight. You want to learn magic to get back at your mother Regina."
"Exactly. She killed my father and drove away my sister. The only two people who loved me she got rid of. She almost took the Huntsman's heart and rapes him repeatedly every night! She turned the kingdom against Snow. She needs to pay!" Rumple smiled and giggled.
"Well well dearie, where would you like to begin?" Mira smiled and evil smile. "I must warn you though, all magic comes with a price make sure you're willing to pay it."
"I'm more than willing."
"How far are you willing to go to get what you want?" He asked coming closer to her. She smirked and grabbed his lapels of his dragonhide coat and pull him almost flush against her.
"Take where you'd go and go farther." She whispered with a glint in her eye he had never seen on anyone before. He giggled and grabbed her wrists.
"Then let's begin." She roughly released him. "Let's start with something easy. Magic is about emotion summon that moment that made you so angry, you would've killed if you could. To keep from succumbing to the darkness think of the happiest moment of your life. So summon you're angry moment and make a fireball." Mira closed her eyes and a huge fireball popped into her hand. Rumple actually jumped at how fast it happened and the intense heat coming from it. He was standing a reasonable distance from her and he felt it. She opened her eyes and smiled at her. She put the flame out.
"Okay now that you know I can do your little magic. Give me something harder." Rumple smiled and summoned a horse from his stable into the dining hall of his castle.
"Immobilize it." Mira looked at the horse and held her hands invisibly sending out a spell. Rumple was very impressed. She was using magic as if she had been doing so her whole life. He decided it had been because Regina had continued her lessons while she was pregnant. He watched Mira looked to him.
"I know what you want me to do now." She walked over to it and plunged her hand into its chest and pulled out the heart. Rumple smiled and walked over to her.
"You certainly are powerful and that will take you far. Show me you know what to do with that power." Mira smirked and crushed the heart without a second thought. Rumple giggled happily and looked at her. "Oh yes, I have high hopes for you." Mira walked closer to him and was mere inches from his face.
"Then teach me everything, dear teacher." Rumple smiled and backed up. He knew what Mira was doing and he wasn't going to fall for it. He allowed Mira to stay with him instead with her mother and maybe that's how he got into the mess he was in right now. He was sitting at his spinning wheel pretending to spin when he sent Belle to get straw and let her free and she had unexpectedly returned. He heard her scream and jumped up. He found Belle held against a wall with Mira covering her mouth and holding a blade to her throat. He could see the fear in Belle's eyes. "Let this serve as warning dear Belle. You talk to my mother again and I'll slit your throat. You kiss Rumple like I know you're planning, I won't hesitate to rip your heart out and crush it in front of your eyes. Do you understand me princess?" Belle nodded quickly and Mira released her.
"Mira, a word!" Rumple said looking at Belle the whole time. "Go in the grand hall, I'll meet you there in a minute." Mira went where she was told. Rumple went over to Belle. "Are you alright my dear?" Belle nodded and rubbed her neck where Mira had held the blade hard enough so Belle would have a hard time breathing but not enough to leave a mark. Rumple rubbed her arms and Belle felt her heart go back to original speed. She leaned down and grabbed the basket of straw she had gotten. Rumple sighed and took it. "Go rest. Take one of the rooms upstairs. I'm not letting you stay in the dungeon anymore. You deserve better." Belle smiled grateful but didn't say anything. As soon as she was out of sight, Rumple stormed into the grand hall. "What the bloody hell what that?! You could've killed her!"
"If I wanted her dead, she would be. She was going to kiss you and take away your powers because you've fallen for the little wench."
"Don't talk about her like that and if she tried I would have cast her out and she knows it."
"She doesn't really love you. Not the way you want her to. Not the way you think she does. She only wants to defeat the beast."
"You have no idea what you're talking about. I think you need to cool down. Go to bed. Now Mira! Go to bed!" Mira scowled and disappeared in a puff of blue smoke. Rumple sat down at his wheel and sighed. What was he going to do with Mira?
