A/N: Good morning :) I don't often write one shots (I think I've only written one before!) but this is an idea that I had several months ago, and I've been meaning to do it for a while. I recently finished a longer fic which has given me the opportunity to write this. As always, any advice/comments/criticism is greatly appreciated, and will help me to improve. I'm a little out of my comfort zone with one shots, and this is unlike my previous Once fic, so I'm not quite sure if I've got it right, or if it seems realistic. If you think it's okay please let me know, I think I'd quite like to write some more one shots.
Thank you for reading J
- HQ21
The morning sun flooded through the windows and into the already well-lit room, sending strobes of light dancing across Regina's fitted deep-purple dress, which she smoothed down as she turned towards her full-length mirror and admired her reflection. She was wearing a fitted dress which would be suitable for the day's travel, whilst maintaining her current image. She wore her hair up in a neatly arranged and intricate design, which complemented her outfit, and was highlighted by her pale skin and enhancing make-up. Regina applied a final layer of lipstick before putting in her pearl earrings and matching necklace, which felt cold against her warm, bare skin. Regina allowed her fingertips to linger up the pearls which adorned her neck, as she stared into the mirror at her reflection, finding herself met with her own weary and frustrated expression.
That morning she and Snow White were due to travel to the Summer Palace, where the King would meet them in a couple of days' time, once his meeting with members of neighbouring royalty was concluded. A meeting which, to Regina's disdain, she was apparently not permitted to attend; instead, her husband had relegated her to the position of babysitter, and ordered that she remain with his precious daughter and accompany her to the Summer Palace, where he was intending on spending the final month of summer with his family. Regina inhaled deeply in annoyance at the memory, at his complete thoughtlessness of taking them to the palace which had belonged to his first wife. It was a place she had been forced to visit several times before since they married almost a year ago, despite politely asking to stay elsewhere, even suggesting a few properties owned by her own family. The King was resolute in his dismissal of her suggestions (as always), and insisted they attend the Summer Palace. "My daughter adores it there" he would argue, "why should we go anywhere else?".
The palace was significantly smaller than their normal residence and with notably fewer staff, meaning that it was almost impossible for the Queen to spend any significant period of time away from his unbearable child. As was their custom when visiting the palace, the King would make arrangements for the family, including balls and dinners and excursions, which would mean that Regina would have to spend large periods of time in Snow White's company, and was expected to be her primary care giver on many of those occasions. The prospect infuriated her and filled her with an anger which she felt would consume her, had she not been able to distract herself by taking increased lessons from Rumplestiltskin in the King's absence. She was progressing well, although there were still a few of his teachings she was yet to master. As she straightened her necklace upon her chest she considered whether she would be able to find some time away from the King's incorrigible brat in order to practice her craft; perhaps she could take solitary rides into the land surrounding the palace in the early hours of the morning and practice? She sighed in annoyance as this option crumbled in her mind: Snow White was a very early riser, and would almost certainly insist on accompanying her.
The girl truly was infuriating. Although she had been able to spend relatively little time with her since the King's departure several weeks ago, and had bestowed all motherly duties upon the child's governess, she was forced to endure small periods of time with her, mainly during mealtimes. During these times Snow White would often talk to an infuriating degree, attempting to engage Regina in conversation she thought would interest her and prompt a discussion. The Queen would always respond politely and briefly to her initial statements before making it clear that she had no intention or desire of continuing, and by the time the main course was served Snow White would sit at the table in almost perfect silence, which Regina relished. It was only on the previous evening that Snow White had departed from her usual tradition of posing semi-interesting questions in an attempt to begin a conversation; instead, she sat in perfect silence, her head down, moving her food around the plate for ten minutes before quietly asking to be excused. Normally Regina would refuse the request and order her to remain seated and eat her dinner, but the thought of their twelve hour long carriage journey was playing heavily on her mind, and she was grateful for the opportunity to spend ever a second less with the child than was absolutely necessary, even forgoing breakfast that morning to do so, and so she granted her request. Snow had looked up at her nervously and scuttled from the room without another word. Regina had relished this too.
As the thought of spending such a long time in the royal carriage with her stepdaughter and her inane conversation topics returned to Regina, she inhaled deeply and her features tensed, her eyes darkening as a tight-lipped frown formed upon her beautiful face. She closed her eyes in apprehension before inhaling deeply in an attempt to calm herself. She opened her eyes wearily and stared at her reflection in the mirror before her, noticing the tiredness and weariness of her expression; merely thinking about the child seemed to be aging her. She exhaled sharply and then walked briskly from her bed chamber.
Regina stalked down the corridor, past several servants who nodded politely to her and bade her good morning, before disappearing into various rooms which they were tidying ahead of Regina and Snow White's departure. Although the Palace would be attended to by the remaining staff in the absence of the royal family, certain rooms were being closed up entirely until the beginning of the new season. White sheets were being carried up the stairs to protect furniture and artwork, and floors and bannisters were being cleaned and polished as Regina's thick heels clacked rhythmically down the corridor and towards the grand staircase, which she descended with apprehension, her eyes befalling the wooden trunks and carriers containing their belongings which would be transported to the Summer Palace. The doors of the palace creaked open and allowed the bright light from outside to come flooding in, dancing upon the freshly-polished floor as a small army of servants began to carry the royal family's possessions to the waiting carriage.
A large grandfather clock chimed to announce the hour, and Regina's eyes flickered towards it as she reached the bottom of the stairs; they had less than thirty minutes before they needed to leave. The staff turned towards her as she appeared upon the ground floor and bowed in a combination of respect and fear, as the Queen scanned the sea of servants quickly, her annoyance growing at the very notable absence of Snow White and her governess. The child was a very early riser, and Regina knew from experience that she rose even earlier on days when they were due to travel. The girl would often be waiting downstairs, speaking happily to the servants and bidding them goodbye, wishing them well in her absence, before bounding up to Regina like a yappy spaniel, stopping dead in her tracks as Regina gave her a single warning look. But that was not the case this morning. They were on a very tight schedule, and as Regina scanned the room again, her annoyance rose; the princess was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Snow White?" the Queen demanded, her eyes drafting across the faces of the servants, who looked up at her apprehensively.
Her question was initially met with silence, until one of the footmen took a step forward and bowed his head towards Regina, before answering her question.
"Your majesty, the princess has not yet arrived downstairs. Miss Johanna has gone to collect her from her chamber."
"What?" the Queen asked, aghast. "She should be up, dressed and down here right now" she continued. "Why was she not encouraged to get dressed at breakfast?"
"I beg your pardon, your majesty" the footman continued in a slightly apprehensive tone, "but the princess did not attend breakfast this morning. Miss Johanna asked if she would be coming to breakfast, or if she would prefer a tray in her room, but she declined both options and assured Miss Johanna that she would prepare herself for the morning's travel" he explained. "Miss Johanna went upstairs to see if she could assist the princess a short while ago" he added.
Regina exhaled sharply in annoyance, her dark eyes widening as she took in this information. The child had one simple task, to be ready on time for them to leave, and it appeared that even that was too difficult for her. She knew that time was of the essence that morning, due to the anticipation of a thunder storm later that night, and yet she was not ready at the necessary time. And the damned servants encouraged her disobedience. And yet despite her anger, she felt a slight knot forming at the pit of her stomach at Snow's absence; it was most unlike her, as she had been trying too hard to impress and befriend her in recent months. What was the child up to? She didn't have time for this.
"Prepare the carriage" she commanded, a slight edge to her tone, as she turned on the spot and headed back up the staircase. "I'll deal with Snow White" she added in a hissed whisper.
Regina quickly reached the top of the staircase and stormed down the corridor as she headed to her step daughter's bed chamber. Her body was tense and her eyes were ablaze, her body practically permeating with anger, as she desperately tried to suppress that nervous pang of concern which was battling for dominance in her mind. As Regina turned left at the end of the corridor and headed towards Snow White's chamber, the sight of Johanna knocking upon the door and saying something inaudible from Regina's stance, as she the governess looked nervously at the door and tried the handle, which appeared to be locked. Regina frowned in confusion, as the tiny spark of concern which she had pushed down within her ignited, causing her shoulders to slump and her eyes to widen, as she walked briskly down the corridor. Upon hearing the Queen's approaching steps Johanna turned on the spot and faced her with that same nervous look on her face, offering her a hasty and rather clumsy curtsey, before rushing into a speech before Regina had a chance to utter a word.
"Your majesty, thank goodness" she stated desperately, her tone and her countenance only causing Regina's confusion and growing nervousness to heighten, making her feel sick with anticipation. "Snow White refused to allow me to enter her room earlier when I asked her about breakfast, telling me she'd get herself ready and meet me downstairs" she continued, watching as the Queen started at her with dark eyes, her impatient gaze imploring her to continue. "But when she had not appeared by five minutes to seven, well, naturally I came back up to see if she needed assistance" she stated, turning back towards the door as she spoke. Regina followed her actions with her eyes, staring at the woman with hard eyes, as she turned back towards her. "But the door is locked, your majesty, and Snow White will not permit me to enter" she stated. "And I think I… that is, I'm sure that I heard her crying…"
Regina listened carefully to the governess's words, and found herself feeling conflicted over what annoyed her more; Snow White's behaviour this morning or the fact that it was causing her to feel nervous and almost concerned for her. Regina inhaled deeply and tried to push this feeling down once more, but it was growing within her, and concern for her step daughter's well-being was inexplicably spreading throughout her body, causing her to feel slightly nauseous with fear. And this infuriated her, her own weakness infuriated her. She took a few steps forward and Johanna moved out of her way, as the Queen stared hard at the wooden door, before tuning her attending to the iron handle, which she reached for with her pale hand.
"The door is locked, your majesty, I have tried-"
Regina ignored the worrying woman beside her and curved her fingers around the cold handle, pressing it down forcefully as she unlocked it with her magic, before swinging the door open wide and stepping inside. The confused governess stared from the handle to the Queen, who she followed quickly into the room, eager to see her young charge.
Regina threw the door open and took several steps inside and quickly scanned the room for her stepdaughter, who she spotted in moments, the sight of her causing her to become frozen on the spot. Regina's eyes widened and she felt her heart clench in her chest at the sight of the child before her.
Snow White was sitting on the floor in a half-leaning position, her dark hair hanging loose down her back, her arm wrapped tightly across her stomach as she leaned forward and cried out in pain. She was pale and clammy and visibly shaking, and as she looked up towards the two people who had just entered her room Regina noticed the dark circles beneath the child's bloodshot eyes, which were encircled by dark shadows. Regina felt fear grip her at the sight before her, her limbs feeling heavy and her mind racing in confusion, as Johanna rushed towards the clearly seriously ill child.
"Oh, Snow White!" she whispered desperately, as she threw herself on the ground beside the child and drew her close, her eyes scanning her nervously for sign of injury. "What is it, child? What's wrong?"
Regina stared at the princess for a few moments, whose white night dress seemed to highlight the paleness of her, as she leaned into Johanna and continued to tremble. As Regina stared at the governess trying to comfort the crying child, her eyes befell the navy blue dress and matching cloak that she had begrudgingly had made for Snow in anticipation of the journey; the clothes were upon the ground a few inches from where Snow sat. As Regina glanced from the clothing to Snow White, she noticed that the child appeared to be wearing a pair of white tights which went with the outfit. She frowned in confusion as her feelings of concern continued to paralyse her and making her feel physically sick. The child was clearly severely unwell, why was she trying to get dressed? And why would she not summon help?
Before Regina could ask either question Snow White gripped her side and threw herself forward violently, crying out in pain and then erupting into a fresh fit of sobs. As soon as Snow had cried out Regina found herself torn from her fearful stupor, and her shaking legs carried her instinctively towards the fallen child, who was being held closely in Johanna's arms. Regina crouched beside Snow White, the corset of her purple dress attempting to forbid such a movement, as she reached out towards Snow White's hand which was clamped to her side. Regina gently but firmly removed her hand from her side and placed her own warm hand upon Snow's abdomen which, as she suspected, felt warm and distended.
"It's her appendix" Regina muttered, embarrassed by the degree of fear which was present in her tone. She recognised this particular ailment immediately, as it claimed the life of a friend of hers during her childhood. Johanna looked up at her with a fearful expression which mirrored her own. "Send for a doctor immediately" Regina commanded.
Johanna looked from the Queen to Snow White, who lay weak and trembling in her arms. When she did not obey the Queen's command immediately, Regina felt anger and concern for the child's wellbeing meld into a single, overpowering emotion, which rendered her completely and utterly out of control.
"Now!" Regina screamed, her voice strong and commanding but with an undeniably worried and almost desperate edge.
Johanna nodded in agreement, and as she tried to find something for the weak princess to lean upon in her absence, she was surprised to find the Queen edging closer to her. The Queen's eyes were wide and glistening, and her expression was tense and indescribable; but she reached her right arm across Snow White's back and drew her tenderly towards her, cradling the trembling child to her chest and thus allowing Johanna to stand.
"Hurry" Regina commanded, her voice slightly choked as she spoke. Johanna nodded in agreement and ran from the room.
Regina's eyes had not left the ailing princess, and she held her close to her chest as she stared at her in concern. Snow White was trembling in her arms and crying in pain, pressing her clammy forehead to Regina's exquisite dress, and marring it with tears. And Regina could not care less about the garment; but she was both frightened and bewildered by the fact that, at that moment, it was not possible for her to care more about Snow White.
Regina stroked Snow White's hair tenderly, drawing several strands from her clammy forehead and gently tilting the girl's head up to face her. Regina stared down at her with nervous eyes as the frail princess slowly opened her eyes and looked up at her with a blank and almost absent expression. Within a couple of moments Snow White's languid eyes widened slightly, and her crying stopped, as she gazed up at her stepmother.
"I'm sorry" she stated weakly, her eyes becoming tearful and adopting a frightened expression.
"Sorry?" Regina repeated, confused. "Why are you sorry?" she asked, her voice lower and gentler than either of them realised was possible.
"I…" she began, inhaling sharply and clenching her jaw as she attempted to breathe through the pain. Regina's nervous eyes darted across her face, which was contorted in pain, as she instinctively drew the girl closer to her, cradling her like an infant. "I didn't want to make us late, I…" Snow began, causing Regina to frown in confusion as she glanced at the trembling child. "I know you wanted to leave on time and I didn't want to make us late" she stated, opening her languid eyes and staring into Regina's dark eyes. "I didn't want to disappoint you" she explained meekly.
Regina's mouth went dry and she felt herself feeling faint with guilt and fear; if she hadn't been sitting on the ground she felt certain that she would have collapsed.
"How long have you been feeling unwell?" she asked, trying to sound more confident and authoritative than she felt. She failed on both counts.
"Since… since yesterday" she explained weakly, her words slightly slurred. "I felt much worse at dinner time, and I thought if I just went to sleep I would feel better in the morning, but…" she continued, as Regina's eyes widened at the memories of the princess's uncharacteristic conduct the night before. "But I felt worse, and I… I'm sorry" she continued, hot tears streaming down her pale cheeks. "We haven't talked in so long and I… I wanted to talk to you in the carriage and I hoped we could… we could talk and we… and we could be friends."
Regina's own eyes glistened with tears, and she forced herself to turn away from her stepdaughter for a moment as she tried to compose herself, before turning back towards her with a faux-confident expression. As she glanced at the sick child in her arms, she felt an indescribable amount of guilt and pure terror wash over her, which was so strong an overwhelming that it was rivalled only by the emotions she battled following Daniel's death. As she thought of Daniel she looked down upon the sickly girl in her arms, who was responsible for the death of the man she loved. But as she felt her trembling in her arms, biting her lip to prevent herself from crying out in pain, and growing paler and weaker with each passing second, she found all the anger and blame she felt towards this child disappear entirely as she looked down upon her. And her mind raced and her heart ached at this, as she simply could not fathom why the child's illness would cause her to react so. Regina's thoughts were distracted by the weak voice of her stepdaughter.
"I'm sorry" she cried, her voice low and pleading, her skin turning paler as she continued to tremble more violently. "I'm sorry".
"Stop apologising" the Queen commanded gently, causing Snow White to look towards her with a confused expression.
"You're not mad at me?" she asked meekly, shocked at how tender her stepmother was being with her. She didn't seem angry at all. She looked sad.
"No" Regina breathed, pursing her lips together and exhaling sharply through her nose as she attempted to calm herself, forbidding the tears which were welling in her eyes to fall. "No, I am not mad at you."
Snow White sniffled, before smiling weakly at her step mother, which seemed almost frightening due to how pale and chapped her lips were. Before Regina could respond, she felt Snow White's entire body tense, before she turned to the side and was violently sick, covering Regina's purple dress in dark vomit.
Regina's eyes widened in shock and she adjusted her hold on the child, holding her closely to her before reaching towards the bed and pulling a blanket from it, which she used to clean the girl's face, as she continued to sob and mutter words of weak apology. Regina uttered some words of comfort and reassurance as she cradled the girl tenderly to her chest, watching as her eyes began to drift shut.
"Snow?" she asked, her voice weak and trembling. "Snow?" she repeated, louder and more commanding, as she stroked her stepdaughter's face and drew it towards her as she attempted to encourage her to open her eyes. She stared at the fragile and still girl, panicked, as the sound of hurried footsteps caused her to turn towards the door.
"Your majesty, the nearest doctor was called into a neighbouring village a few hours ago to deal with a difficult labour" began Johanna breathlessly as she rushed into the room, her eyes widening in horror at the sight of Snow White unconscious. "The village is an hour's ride away" she stated weakly, her face horror-struck.
Regina turned from Johanna and back towards Snow, whose eyes were opening weakly, light green meeting her own dark eyes. In that moment she felt an indescribable yet powerful connection to this child, a child whose demise she should rightfully relish. If the girl was to die now it would be through no fault of her own, and she would be free from the burden and pain of her existence. And yet, as she looked down upon the trembling girl in her arms, who was beginning to cry once more as she writhed in agony, she realised that seeing her in this amount of pain and suffering from such a serious and potentially mortal illness would not provide her with an ounce of the comfort she felt certain it would, in all the times she had thought about it before; instead, for some unknown reason it caused her to feel the exact opposite. Regina's mind was racing and her thoughts and feelings were confused and entwined and ablaze and distorted; nothing made sense and nothing was clear. The only thing that she knew at that moment was that she would not allow this child to die.
"Help me get her onto the bed" the Queen commanded, her voice low but authoritative. Johanna complied, lifting Snow White's legs and adjusting Regina's hold of her as the Queen stood up, cradling the girl in her arms, and placing her tenderly upon her bed.
Regina arranged the pillows and blankets to make her comfortable, before removing some of her matted hair from her face and stroking her cheek tenderly. Her skin was burning, she was losing consciousness and she was in agony, there was no time left. Even if the doctor was in the courtyard, Regina felt certain that he would not be able to save her, as Snow White had waited too long before making someone aware of how ill she was. Regina's lip trembled slightly and she bit it to calm herself with such force that she drew blood, causing the taste of copper to mingle with the fear and nausea she was currently battling in this unforeseen, indescribable and infuriating situation, which was entirely her fault. Mortal remedies and knowledge would not save this child. Only one thing would.
"Wait outside" Regina commanded in a low voice, her eyes darting over her stepdaughter, whose eyes slowly closed once more.
"But… but your majesty…"
"Get out!" Regina screamed, in a pained and anguished tone she recognised from that fateful night at the barn when she begged her mother to stop. She was so engaged in this thought that she barely registered Johanna rushing from the room and closing the heavy door firmly behind her.
Regina's eyes widened in fear and confusion, as the confusion over her feelings for this weak and sickly child caused her head to spin. But throughout the confusion and the uncertainty and the memories of what Snow White had done, that small degree of maternal concern for her had already been ignited, and was causing fear to permeate throughout her body. An indescribable, all-consuming and overwhelming sense of fear which would only be sated by a single accomplishment; the saving of Snow White's life.
It was clear that the girl's illness was too far advanced to be cured by medicine, and even if a doctor were present at this very moment, Regina doubted very much that he would be able to save her. Regina inhaled sharply and took a step closer to the bed, staring down at her stepdaughter, whose weak and pale body lay swamped beneath the blankets.
As Regina gazed down upon her fragile body, she found herself thinking of the lessons she had been undertaking with Rumplestiltskin. Out of all of the spells he had taught her, she had mastered the majority, almost all, in fact, except one; one which, ironically, was the only one that could save Snow White at this moment. Rumplestiltskin had taught Regina of a spell which could heal even the most gravest of wounds and illnesses. He used a small blade to cut her forearm and would try to encourage her to feel the magic, to concentrate, and to heal herself. It was the one and only recent spell which she failed at every single time. Regina felt her heart sink at the knowledge of her failure, but it had to work here. It had to work now.
Regina inhaled a deep and shaky breath before drawing her hands into the air and placing them a few inches above Snow White's abdomen, as Rumplestiltskin's words echoed in her mind. In order for the spell to work you had to feel the magic, the healing, the illness or injury fixing itself in your mind's eye; you had to place every ounce of physical and emotional strength into the spell, willing it to work more than anything in the world. Regina inhaled sharply and closed her eyes, remembering her master's words and attempting to summon the magic, a powerful and potent magic which she had never yet succeeded at summoning. Which is why, a few seconds later, Regina was surprised to feel warm light radiating from her hands.
Regina's eyes snapped open and she looked down, watching in a combination of awe and relief as the golden magical light flooded from her fingertips and onto Snow White's abdomen. Regina felt her lip tremble and she made no attempt to prevent the tears of relief from spilling down her cheeks, smearing her freshly-applied make-up slightly, as her stepdaughter's pale cheeks adopted a rosier hue, and her eyes slowly drifted open.
The light stopped emanating from Regina's hands, and she turned towards Snow White with a relieved smile. The young girl, apparently imbued with a renewed sense of energy and hope, smiled in relief and pushed herself up into a sitting position, before launching herself at her stepmother and wrapping her arms around her tightly. Regina was surprised at this action and unprepared for it, and was more than a little shocked when she felt her arms wrapping themselves instinctively across Snow White's back, drawing her closer to her. They remained still and silent for several moments, the Queen's hand entangled in the young girl's dark hair, as she held her tenderly to her chest, the young girl's heart beating strongly against her own chest. After a few moments she felt Snow pull back from the hug, and she released her hold slightly, leaning back and staring at the girl before her.
"You saved my life" Snow smiled breathlessly, her eyes bright and her face beaming.
Regina's smile fell slightly, as the words her stepdaughter uttered echoed the ones she had spoken to her just over a year ago, after she had saved her from the hexed horse. In mere seconds all the memories of Daniel and what had happened to him after that fateful moment came flooding back to her, striking her with an almost physical force and rendering her breathless, bereft and in a renewed state of mourning. Regina's life was destroyed when she saved the life of that tiresome girl, and as she glanced upon the now healthy, smiling and alert face of Snow White, she realised that she had just repeated the same mistake due to her own weakness.
Snow White watched as Regina's smile fell and her bright and glassy eyes darkened. Her features tensed and her lips formed into a thin frown, as she released the child from her grip and eased herself off the bed, her trembling body making her steps weak and unsteady.
"What is it?" Snow White asked, causing Regina's dark eyes to turn towards her, her face awash with shock and confusion, a pained express dancing in her dark eyes. "Please" Snow continued, easing herself off the bed and standing before her stepmother. "You saved my life, Regina" she stated in a happy tone, her face falling slightly at her stepmother's expression. "You saved me again" she added, watching as Regina looked down at her in shock, as tears danced in her dark eyes.
"It's your majesty" Regina corrected, raising her hand in the air and placing it inches from Snow's face, staring at the girl as a single hot tear fell down the Queen's cheek. "And no, I didn't" she stated, drawing her hand before the child and causing her to forget her illness and everything that happened.
Regina watched as Snow White turned towards her with a confused expression, staring up at her with nervous eyes. The girl was so dazed and confused that she didn't even notice Regina's stained dress, streaked make up or uncharacteristically unnerved appearance.
"You're running late" Regina stated in a low, authoritative tone, which was very slightly choked. "We leave in fifteen minutes. Johanna will help you to dress" she added, before turning on the spot and walking towards the door, hot tears burning in her eyes.
"I'm sorry" Snow offered weakly, causing the Queen to stand still for a moment as her trembling hand reached for the door.
"Me too" she whispered, before closing her eyes tightly and throwing open the door, stepping into the corridor and closing it firmly behind her.
"Your majesty!" cried Johanna. "Please, how is she?"
Regina sighed angrily as she turned towards Johanna, drawing her hand before her and causing her too to forget the events of the past thirty minutes.
"She is running very late and I intent on leaving in fifteen minutes. Make sure she is suitably dressed" Regina stated, turning on the spot and walking quickly down the corridor with unsteady steps.
Regina walked quickly down the corridor, shielding herself from the view of the few servants she passed, before throwing open the door to her bedchamber and slamming it shut behind her and leaning heavily against it. The emotional turmoil and confusion she had experienced in the past half an hour caused Regina's legs to give way beneath her, and she slid down the heavy door until she was sat upon the ground, her lip trembling as hot tears spilled down her cheeks. Regina rose her hand to her mouth in order to stifle her crying, her whole body shaking as she attempted to calm herself. As she did so she felt a warm wet patch upon her chest, causing her to inhale deeply and remove her hand from her mouth, before gazing down at her skin, and immediately identifying what was upon it; the remnants of her stepdaughter's frightened, pained and desperate tears.
Regina's lip trembled once more as fresh hot tears spilled down her cheeks. Her shoulders rose as she cries, placing her hand to her mouth as choked sobs escaped her lips. After a few more moments, she felt her confusion and conflict at recent events overwhelm her completely, and she rubbed the remnants of Snow's tears violently from her skin, before wrenching the pearls from her neck and hurling them across the room, crossing her arms before her and leaning into her arms. It was not until a short while later when a footman knocked tentatively on her door that Regina was roused from her distress, forced to stand and use magic to correct the issues with her dress and make-up, which she checked once more in the mirror as she smoothed down her deep purple dress for the second time that day. She inhaled deeply and looked at her reflection one more, finding dark yet hollow eyes staring back at her.
Her carriage awaits.