5 years later in the Enchanted Forest...
I start to pace back and forth in front of my mirror, this is it. I am finally going to win and ruin their happy ending. I turn to the mirror "Show him to me" I see Rumpelstiltskin he is in the forest, I smirk. Huh out in the open today Dark one. I grab my mother's Grimoire as I see my father in the mirror walking into my room. I turn to him and guilt slams into my chest knowing what I am going to do. I hide my pain and smile at him.
"Father, is everything alright? I thought you would be out today?" His eyes sad seeing through my facade.
"Regina you must stop this. You cannot keep living your life this way. Vengeance is not the answer, nothing good can come of this."
I clench my jaw and look at him knowing I will lose the last thing I love to attain my revenge. He doesn't know, doesn't understand the pain."I told you I am not discussing this with you anymore. You either support me or you don't but stay out of my way … please"
He puts his hand on his head, I know I am breaking his heart. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I need for him to hate me. If he doesn't how can I go through with this? How could I kill my own father? I open my eyes and fix them apathetically on his face. "This is the only way for me to be happy". He goes to say something and I raise my hand silencing him.
"Did you hear what I said to you? I am DONE talking about this." I turn walking out on the balcony as I hear my father cry I disappear in a cloud of smoke and end up in the Forest.
I walk towards the river where I saw the Dark One would be and I search for him. I suppress my sadness…my guilt as I have become so good at doing and yell out for him. Nothing, not a sound. Where could he have gone? He was just here. I place my hands on my hips in frustration my anger taking over. "Dark One show yourself! I know you are here, are you that afraid of me that you have to hide?" I try to draw him out and see movement in my peripheral vision, I turn quickly hands up a fireball forming. He stands there smiling that Devil grin at me.
"I need your help. I need you to make good on our deal.
"Oh I know Dearie but I think I might need something else from you first. I am not done with you yet. You see…
I cut him off mid-sentence in dismay. Is he delusional? This has to be a joke, another test perhaps. I look at him and his face shows no hint of humor. My heart starts to race, I flex my hands feeling magic feed off the rage coursing through me. He can't do this, he can't go back on our deal. I have done it all for him … I have killed for him and this is how he repays me? With another "favor", no not this time. This stops now.
"Rumpelstiltskin you will help me! I have done everything you have asked of me!" I cried
"Oh but Dearie you are mistaken, I will do no such thing. This curse you want to enact...the dark curse it does nothing for me so why would I want that?" Rumple laughed and sat on a tree stump.
I pace back and forth as my blood boils, the magic flows through me. I have done everything deceived, stolen, killed for him and he won't do this for was part of our deal, he was supposed to keep his end of the bargain. How was I supposed to get my revenge on Snow white and her pathetic Prince Charming? My stomach goes in knots at the very thought of them. I turn to him infuriated.
"I need that potion you don't understand, without it I cannot get my happy ending!" I stand there watching him look at me as if he has heard nothing that I have been saying to him over the past 5 years. He knows everything about me, he knows what this means to me. How could he just sit there and have no reaction, no emotion.
"You are the darkest soul I have ever had the displeasure of encountering. You use people for your own agenda and make deals, but you always find a loophole out of them that benefits only you!" I watch him get up slowly and walk around me, like a hunter watching its prey. He makes me skin crawl, I feel the darkness rise inside of me that I have been trying so hard to control. I reach my hand out unsuspectingly and he grips my fist and squeezes hard. Tears form in my eyes from the pain and I scowl at him.
"You will help me or I will come after you every single day for the rest of your life. Do you understand? You will have no peace, always looking over your shoulder. Dark one or not do you really want that?"
I look at him questioningly waiting for any sign he may falter. We stand off against each other for what seems to be like an eternity but I don't back down, I can't not when I am so close. He releases my hands and backs up laughing manically. I shake my head at him and this is nothing new. Sometimes he is completely brilliant and others well it is almost as if he forget who he is, he eyes go black. "Rumpelstiltskin" I say my voice shaky. I slowly approach him as he watches my every move. He won't kill me ... he can't ... right? I nervously await his response my face blank of any emotion. If there is one thing I learned it is to never show any signs of weakness otherwise you have already lost. I grow tired of his games
"I am the Evil Queen, have you forgotten I will make your life Hell and lock you back in the dungeon" I pull out a vile of squid ink and smirk at him, recognition flashes across his face as his head shakes slightly.
"Dearie there is no need for that, a deal is a deal. I will tell you where to find what you need."
I breathe in deeply relief floods over me. This is it I am about to get everything I want ... what I need to avenge Daniel. I turn away as the thought of him crosses my mind. I look into the forest trying to remember more, it happens every time. Blackness...I can't remember, I try but always fail. How could I forget him, part of my life? It doesn't make sense. I have tried spells and potions nothing brings back the years I have lost. I compose myself and turn around smiling.
"Well, that was easy wasn't it? What do I need to do?" He hands me a map, I look at him incredulously. This has to be a joke. I have to see HER, last I heard Maleficent was in some black hole of a depression. I look at him waiting for him to tell me what I really have to do, where to really find the curse. He looks at me with that twisted smirk I have grown so accustomed to seeing. He will tell me the truth, even if I have to make him. I see the dagger by the tree and lunge for it but he is faster. He is gone and I turn the dagger at my throat I gasp as the blade touches my skin.
"Now what did you think you were going to do with this ... Dearie?" His eyes look through me. What have I done, he is going to kill me. I hear a rustle in the brush behind me and see Rumpelstiltskin get distracted and I see an opportunity. With everything I have I plunge my hand into his chest taking a grip on his heart.
A look of disbelief crosses his face and I smile "No DEARIE what were YOU going to do?"
I grab the dagger and release his heart slowly backing up. Holding the dagger at arm's length I yell out "You WILL tell me what I want to know. Where do I find the Dark Curse?!"
I notice the confusion on Rumpelstiltskin's face. That is when I hear it. A man he is yelling my name from the forest behind me. It is a trick I know it, he has done this before trying to distract me. I feel the breeze from behind me as an arm wraps around my waist tossing me to side and grabbing the dagger from my hand. The squid ink slips from my tips and lands on Rumpelstiltskin, he can't move. I fall to the ground and hit my head, as I look up everything is foggy I can't make out who this Hooded stranger is. I believe him to be crazy as I see him approaching what he knows to be the Dark One. I can't balance myself to get up fast enough to stop him. I try to yell to him to stop, if the squid ink fades he will die.
"Dark One, I have watched you torment her for too long" he says enraged holding the dagger out in front of him. "You will never taint her with your darkness again!"
"I pull myself up onto my feet using the tree for support. I move to the left trying to get a closer look at the stranger. He lunges for the Dark One and I fear for his life, he has no idea what he is about to do.
"Nooooooooo" I yell as I watch the dagger plunge into his heart.
The darkness seeps from the wound. I see it rise and encase the stranger. It is too powerful he can't escape, he sealed his fate. He turns to me slowly, we make eye contact and every word he speaks cuts me deeply.
"Regina … I am sorry I couldn't save you sooner… I had to do this. It was the only way.
Visions dance through my mind trying to break free. I close my eyes and am flooded with years of hidden memories, lost emotion. I know him, this man was Daniel's best friend. The one who taught me to love again after I lost myself when Daniel died. He was everything, I loved him deeply with every fiber of my being …. My one weakness.
"I speak softly "Robin….no…." I watch the darkness consume him.
His eyes sad he speaks to me "I couldn't let you go through with this. I knew the price and I didn't care. I would give my life for you every single day for you to remember who you really are.
Tears fill my eyes as he collapses to the ground the last fragments of darkness taking him. I run to him and kneel down taking his face in my hands. Tears fall down my face as guilt fills my heart. This is my fault. I did this to him. I made myself forget him, forget us and all he wanted to do was save me from myself.
"I will save you I promise, Robin I love you"
He looks at me with cold empty eyes "I don't need your help"
He pulls away from me and stands up, he picks up the dagger he steps back. I look up at him seeing the emptiness in his eyes. He laughs … it doesn't sound like him, not anymore. The sound pierces through me shattering my heart. He disappears and I collapse in on myself sobbing feeling my heart break all over again.
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter - Be Easy this is my first FF Post - Flashback scenes to be posted soon to fill in the backstory XX - EvilRegalHood
