Author's Note: Hello everyone. This is very different from my usual stories, but after the incredibly disappointing way that Henry treated Regina in the winter finale, I needed to write some loving, happy fluff about them. Of course, my fluff ends up emotionally charged, but I hope that it is still good. It's a bit different from what you may be used to,I can't really say more than that without giving away the plot, but I hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimers: I do not own Once Upon a Time or any publicly recognizable aspects of my story.
"Okay Henry, are you all comfortable and ready to go to sleep?" Regina asked as she lovingly fussed over his blankets, tucking him in and sitting next to him on the bed.
"I'm comfortable, but I don't want to go to sleep yet." Her eight year old looked at her, his eyes gleaming with a newfound idea. "Tell me a story, mama."
"A story?" She asked laughing, as she raised her eyebrows playfully. "You've heard every story in the book a million times. Maybe you should tell me a story." She teased, poking him in the tummy. He succumbed to a fit of the giggles, but soon recovered and caught his breath.
"Nuh-uh mama, you're the mom, you should tell the story." Henry argued petulantly. "If I've heard all the ones in the book, then tell me a new one. Make it up if you have to."
Their eyes locked in a staring contest, neither willing to back down. Green and brown fought for victory, and finally, Regina caved and smiled. She could never resist Henry's puppy dog eyes for long. He wanted to hear a story that wasn't in the book? She could do that. She would tell him a story that wasn't in any book, a story that nobody could even remember anymore.
"Once upon a time, there lived a fair maiden of but eighteen" she began, speaking clearly and smiling at Henry, a twinkle dancing in her eyes.
"And her beauty was renowned throughout the land" Henry interrupted. "That's Snow White, mom. I know this story by heart."
Regina rolled her eyes as she cringed internally. No, it most certainly was not Snow White. Her smile never wavering, she replied warmly, "It's not Snow White, Henry. I promised you a new story, didn't I? Well, this is one you've never heard before. Just listen. Now where was I?"
"Once upon a time, there lived a fair maiden of but eighteen. She lived in a faraway land where fairies frolicked, and valiant knights in shining armor slew fire-breathing dragons for their lovely princesses." A sparkle played in her eyes as she laid it on thick for her son. His eyes grew wide in fascination, and he sat up straight, leaning forward to catch every word.
"Was she a princess, mama?" He asked, genuinely curious.
Regina laughed softly and said "No, honey. She was merely a young maiden of no special standing, save the position of her parents." As Henry opened his mouth to question further, she put one finger on his lips and reprimanded him gently, saying "Ah ah. If you keep on interrupting, you will never find out the tale of the fair maiden." This piqued his curiosity enough to render him silent and expectantly awaiting the rest of the story.
"She lived in a stately manor with her parents. Her father, the lord of the manor, was a kind and gentle man. Her mother, the lady, was a powerful and wicked witch."
"Her mom was a witch?" Henry asked in awe.
"Yes, indeed, my dear boy. Not only was she a witch, but she was the wickedest witch in all the land." Regina said dramatically. Henry, enjoying the theatrics, moved even closer to her, drinking in every word.
"Is she going to hurt anyone?" Henry asked, worried. He didn't want the fair maiden to get hurt. Although he didn't know anything else about her, he could tell she was one of the good guys.
"You know I can't tell you that. It would give away the ending." Regina said mysteriously, and Henry immediately grew quiet, wanting to hear the rest of the tale.
"The maiden had grown from a delightful little girl to a beautiful young woman. Her dark curls flowed down her back like a river of chocolate, and her lips were full and red as rubies."
"And you're still saying it's not Snow White?" Henry asked skeptically. When Regina nodded her head, he shrugged and continued listening.
"Her beauty was a source of pride for her parents, but the fair maiden herself had more substantial concerns."
"Huh?" Henry was puzzled.
"It means that she had more important things on her mind than her appearance." Regina explained warmly.
"Oh, okay." Henry smiled brightly and looked at his mom, waiting for her to continue.
"Whereas all the other fair maidens of the land had begun taking etiquette lessons and worked to polish their grace and charm in order to catch the eye of a suitor for marriage, the maiden of our tale had clung to the joys of childhood. She indulged herself frequently in her biggest passion: horseback riding."
"Horseback riding? Seriously?" Henry asked in disbelief. "She lives in a magical kingdom! Why not play around with the fairies, or, I don't know, ride some unicorns at least!"
Regina let a throaty chuckle cascade from her mouth. "Oh, Henry. You can't ride unicorns. They would never let you. And even fairies lose their appeal after all that time."
"How do you know?" Henry's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Trust me. I am very familiar with this particular story. I know that this maiden wouldn't want to entertain herself with fairies." Regina said firmly, but kindly.
"When she was on her prized steed, the maiden felt free, like a bird in flight. Her chestnut hair flew behind her as she rode, closing her eyes and pretending she was escaping the clutches of the wicked witch."
"So she does hurt the maiden!" Henry exclaimed triumphantly.
"What did I say about interrupting?" Regina reminded him gently.
"Not to do it." Henry hung his head like a puppy that had just been scolded. "Sorry."
"That's my boy." Regina smiled at him proudly.
"Now the wicked witch was not at all happy with her daughter. She felt that her attention should be directed toward matters more appropriate for a young lady of her stature. She declared that the maiden should be allowed to ride her prized steed but one time a week, under her supervision, to ensure that her enjoyment did not exceed the level deemed suitable for a proper lady. She also began grooming her daughter in the arts of elegance and flirtation, in the hopes that combined with her natural beauty, this would be enough to marry her off to a wealthy and successful suitor."
"Blech! That doesn't sound fun at all!" Henry cried out in disgust. His face scrunched up as he pictured the poor girl having the things she loved taken away from her by the witch.
"Being a maiden in a fairytale never is, dear. They never got to do what they wanted. They always had to sit around, waiting for the prince to save them, or marry someone against their wishes." Regina grew distant as she gazed off into space. Quickly coming back to earth, she tried to lighten the mood by joking "Not to mention those awful dresses!"
"I thought the princesses liked the dresses, mama. They always looked so pretty and happy in them." Henry said, genuinely confused.
"That's what they want you to think." Regina said conspiratorially. "Those dresses have ten layers underneath them that make it all but impossible to breathe, forget eat! And it's even worse in the summer when it's hot!"
"How do you know so much about fairytale dresses mom?" Henry asked, growing even more suspicious. Regina cursed herself for the outburst. Her momentary lapse in judgment had almost ruined everything.
"Who do you think taught you everything you know about fairytales?" She teased lightly. "Now don't you think that there could still be some things I know that you don't?"
"I guess you're right." Henry agreed uneasily, still not fully convinced, but he let the matter drop.
"The maiden was distraught at the prospect of marrying a man who was not her true love, but she could not go against her mother's wishes. She took solace in the fact that she could at least spend time with her beloved horse once a week, and groom him afterwards in the stables. And that is where she met him." Regina's entire countenance grew lighter as the happiness literally reflected off of her.
"Who did she meet?" Henry asked quickly, excited to find out about this mystery man.
"The stable boy. He was a handsome and caring man who treated the young maiden not like the worthless, insolent girl her mother made her believe she was, but as the princess he saw inside. He held her tenderly, as if she were made of porcelain, and whenever they could, they stole moments from under the watchful eye of the witch to devote themselves wholly to each other. They would take midnight walks through the estate, careful to be seen by no one."
"Was he her true love?" Henry asked reverently. True love was the most important part of every fairytale, and if this man was the maiden's true love, then he would have to pay attention.
"Yes, Henry. He was the maiden's true love." The light in Regina's eyes shone even brighter, its intensity blinding if not softened by her fondness for the recollection.
"While the witch's back was turned, they would meet in the stables, embracing each other deeply and affectionately. The first time they kissed was like a spell had been broken for the maiden. She instantly felt lighter, as if some terrible burden had been removed from her shoulders and she could finally be free."
"Because true love's kiss breaks any spell." Henry couldn't contain his excitement at the fact that he knew what was going on. Or so he thought. Regina was just about to scold him for interrupting yet again, but she couldn't bring herself to do it after seeing his enthusiasm. She smiled and continued.
"Yes, there was no question that the stable boy was the fair maiden's true love. She loved him with all her heart, with a love that was more than love-true love. Their love grew stronger by the day, with each new daybreak convincing them that they could not love each other more than they did at that very moment, and each sunset proving them wrong."
"Wow…" was all Henry could say. His eyes were wide as saucers as he clung to every word coming out of Regina's mouth. She smiled warmly, basking in the glow of her former happiness.
"Yet love never comes so easily in fairytales. Their bliss endured for two summers, in which they shared countless precious moments. They would steal away for moonlit picnics at Firefly Hill, enjoying the sense of adventure that came with a clandestine love affair. It only made their passion grow all the stronger. "
"What does clandestine mean?" Henry asked, puzzled.
"It means secret, honey."
"Oh. So why couldn't you just say that instead?" Henry grumbled under his breath, but Regina had heard him.
"Where's the fun in that? If you want me to tell you a fairytale, I'm going to use fairytale language. Isn't that what you wanted?" Regina challenged, observing the mild internal conflict unfolding inside her son. Finally, his imaginative side took over as he surrendered.
"Okay. But try not to use so many big words, they make my head hurt." Laughing at his honest confession, Regina took a breath and continued telling her tale.
"For those two years, they had managed to keep their love secret from the wicked witch. However, as the maiden's twentieth name day approached, the wicked witch grew anxious. Her daughter was still without prospects for marriage, none that she knew about anyway. She began to scour the land frantically for suitable husbands for her beautiful daughter, while restricting her freedoms all the more. She was no longer to ride her horse, but instead spend the time learning how to please her future husband with her domestic talents and how to be hospitable when receiving company."
"Poor maiden." Henry sympathized with the maiden in the story, not knowing that she sat beside him, and Regina wholeheartedly agreed.
"With her riding privileges taken away, it grew almost impossible for the maiden to meet with her love. But, true love always finds a way. During the day, she acted the part of a dutiful daughter, but at night, she would leave her bed, climbing soundlessly through her window in order to meet her stable boy in the meadow. Every kiss was treasured, every caress cherished, for they did not know when it would be their last." Regina felt the tears welling up deep inside her. She knew what was coming. She hated this part, but it was part of the story, and so she must tell it.
"The maiden managed to keep up this act for six months. Six months of meticulous deception. Six months of stolen happiness. But, all things come at a price. She grew careless, emboldened by her own successes in hiding the romance, and finally the night came when she was found out." It was all Regina could do to keep herself from starting to weep at that very moment.
"Oh no! What happened? Does the wicked witch catch her?" Henry fired off his questions in rapid-fire succession. Regina regarded him sadly, trying to fight back the tears, but this went unnoticed in his excitement.
"A young princess from a different kingdom had come to visit the maiden's land. Her mother, ever the gracious host, offered to let her spend the night in the manor. The fair maiden had worried at first, for she thought she would not be able to meet her love that night, but in the end, her passion overwhelmed her and convinced her to go anyways." A small tear traveled dangerously close to the corner of Regina's eye and threatened to fall at any further provocation. Henry was too enthralled by the tale's passion and impending tragedy to notice.
"In her zeal, she had forgotten to close her window after climbing out. She ran to her stable boy in the stables, kissing him with an unprecedented fervor, a frantic urgency present as if they were afraid it would be their last. Little did they know, it was." Regina kept her voice soft, level, to keep it from breaking.
"The young princess had felt a chill come over her while she was sleeping, as if from a draft. She rose from her bed to investigate and quickly found the window in the fair maiden's room thrown wide open, and her bed empty." Regina cursed herself at her stupidity? How could she be so stupid? Was she that blinded by love?
"It did not take long for the young princess to discover her in the stables, trapped in the arms of her love. Her eyes grew wide in shock, and the maiden begged her not to tell her mother about the romance, for she knew the unspeakable evil that the witch could unleash. But the girl, foolish little thing that she was, ran straight off for the wicked witch and immediately spilled the secret that the maiden had so painstakingly kept for almost three years. The wicked witch praised the young princess for her forthcoming confession, and headed straight for the stables."
"No! Does she hurt the maiden?" Henry's fixation with the maiden made it impossible for him to see the truth about what would happen. Regina laughed hollowly.
"No. Not physically, at any rate."
"When the witch reached the stables, she found the maiden still wrapped up in the stable boy's arms. She refused to betray him, like the princess had betrayed her, because she was honorable. The witch, seeing that it would be useless to try and fight with her daughter, pretended to accept the maiden's wishes. She gave them her blessing to marry, and at this, the maiden flew out of the stable boy's arms, not knowing it would be for the last time, and hugged her mother. Tears of gratitude flowed down her face. She was so happy that her mother had understood. Finally, the lies could end and she could rest." Tears of sadness now made a silent descent down Regina's face, but they were few in number and went undetected by Henry.
"But she was lying. The very next moment, the witch stepped in front of the stable boy and plunged her arm into his chest. She pulled out his still beating heart, much to his and the maiden's shock, and began squeezing it slowly, savoring the agony it caused the young lovers. It finally crumbled into dust, falling to the floor and hitting it right before the stable boy, who collapsed dead within the second. The young maiden ran to her love's side, kissing his lips frantically, trying to revive the stable boy that had brought her love and happiness. But it was for naught. She met only cold, unresponsive lips, proof that he was indeed gone." Regina's voice choked at this point, the emotions coiling into a ball lodged in her throat.
"Is that it?" Henry asked, sadly. "Is her story over? And with no happy ending?"
"No" Regina said emptily. "Her story is not over. After that, she married a wealthy and successful suitor, just as her mother wished, but never found happiness again. To this day, she is still looking."
"Oh" Henry said simply. "Well I hope she finds it. Good night mom." He lay back down and rolled to his side, falling fast asleep in an instant.
Regina was finally able to let the tears fall free, the hot salty drops stinging her face as a reminder of all the agony she had suffered.
"So do I, Henry." She whispered softly. "So do I."