AUTHOR'S NOTE: Utter Drabble. I ended up writing this down on a slow day and finally decided to get an account and post it. I always wanted to see more of Regina and Rocinante on the show. Please forgive any grammatical/spelling errors. Guess I picture it taking place sometime after after season 3 (no Missing Year or Robin).
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.
"Four things greater than all things are,
Women and Horses and Power and War."
-Rudyard Kipling
Regina stopped and took a deep breath before reaching out and placing a hand on the worn wood of the stable door. The paint had long since begun to fade and peel, the texture rough on her fingertips. Finally, having managed to collect her thoughts, she quickly pushed the heavy door open, wincing slightly as the hinges groaned and then squealed their protest. Soft nickers could be heard as the beasts inside noticed the door swing open and poked their heads out curiously in hopes for a treat or two. Regina felt a small wave of panic overcome as she recalled the last time she had been inside these doors.
When she had last been here, it had been because of Daniel. Her first love's brief return from the grave had awakened so many emotions for her, all once thought dead and buried alongside her beloved stable boy. First, there had been the chest clenching feeling of hope; hope that her loneliness had finally ended and she could live the life she had always believed she should have had. Then came the helplessness as she had quickly come to realize that the life before her was nothing more than a farce. A cruel, painful joke for both her and Daniel, though his pain had been quite physical and hers emotional. Then came the anger, the warm and near comforting rage that settled in the pit of her stomach and made her magic sing in her blood.
That anger had faded though, faster than it ever had before, as she devoted herself to saving the one speck of light left in her life. Her need to keep her son beside her had blotted out her need for revenge so completely that, over the past years, she barely resembled the cruel, manipulative ruler she had once been. She had slowly learned to forgive, if not forget. She had learned to love again, and love deeply. Those around her had grown to see her as Regina, no longer the Evil Queen, and she had reveled in her new life. For a while, at least.
She wasn't sure when the need had arose, but she knew that it had taken her a while to decipher it. It had begun as a simple lack of attention at the office on sunny days. Where she had once been focused on her duties as Mayor of Storybrooke, she had found herself gazing out of the nearest window, not really taking in the view, but looking past it as something within her begged to be let out. The feeling had only grown, until her son Henry, Emma and even Snow had commented on her apparent daydreaming. She had brushed their concern away, in varying manners, internally embarrassed that she had been caught without her normal composure. It wasn't until she had been listening to a conversation between Henry and David during a family lunch at Granny's that the realization had finally hit her.
"So, when do I get to ride again? It's been forever since you've taken me to the stables." asked Henry.
"Like I said," chuckled David,"When the horse tells you to."
"Grandpa," said Henry, his eyebrow rising in a near perfect imitation of his brunette mother, "You do realize that its been nearly four years since you first told me that, right?"
David had just laughed and pointed out that they hadn't exactly been sitting idle these past years and that they had barely had time to sit and catch their breath much less adequately care for the painted pony that occupied the end stall of the Storybrooke Stable.
Regina had long since stopped listening to their banter, her mind having honed in on the nagging feeling that had been plaguing her in recent weeks. It was Emma, the ever observant Savior and hopeless busybody, that had noticed her faraway expression first. Bless her light hearted soul, she chose not to make a big deal of it. Instead, she simply nudged Regina's foot with her own from under the table. As soon as dark eyes flashed a warning in her direction to cease and desist, the blonde mouthed "you okay?". The Mayor stared at her momentarily, before nodding and allowing her mask to settle more firmly back in place.
It had been years since she had ridden, even though at one point in time it had been one of her singular joys in life. Even at the height of her reign as Evil Queen, Regina had always spared the time to ride. Taking Rocinante to the fields to run freely, unburdened by crowns and magic and bloodshed, had been one thing that had kept her from completely losing herself in her growing insanity. His gentle eyes and listening ears could calm even her worst rages. Despite this, after casting the curse and the creation of her life in Storybrooke, Regina had never stepped foot into a stirrup. With the exception of Daniel's resurrection, she had never even been to the stables.
Perhaps it was guilt that kept her from going. Though her other crimes had overshadowed it, killing Rocinante by taking his heart for her curse had hurt her more than she could have anticipated. She told herself the feeling was foolish; after all, just as Rumplestiltskin had said, he was just a horse. In reality, he had been one of her oldest and dearest friends.
It was several more weeks before Regina was given the opportunity to sneak away. If Emma and Henry had been surprised at her quick agreement to let her son go camping overnight with his grandparents so they could impart their survival skills onto him and his blond mother, they hadn't questioned it in fear she change her mind. So, not long after the yellow, metal death trap chugged its way down the road and out of sight, the Mayor found herself standing next to one of the unclaimed mounts at the stable, saddle and bridle in hand.
Regina had pushed aside the temptation to forgo a saddle. While she had been familiar enough with Rocinante that she could clear jumps astride him with only a halter, she knew it was foolhardy to think she could accomplish that on an unfamiliar beast. It took a level of comfort and trust between rider and mount to do such a thing safely. Even then, it had its risks. Instead, she gently placed the tack on the bay mare she had brought from her stall. The young thing was tall and lithe, built for speed and her muscles seemed to ripple beneath a beautifully groomed, dark red coat. Regina ran her fingers through the long black mane several time in appreciation, breathing in deeply the once familiar smell of horse and hay.
She had spent nearly an hour with the mare prior to saddling up. She had attempted to familiarize herself with the horse first, working with her on the ground and getting a gauge on her reactions to the world around her. She was young, and she was flighty when it came to unexpected sights and sounds; Regina stayed calm when she startled, past experience coming forth to guide her actions when it came to handling a spooked horse. A flash of doubt hit her at one point, making her wonder is she would be better off with an older, calmer mount. She'd pushed the notion aside however, knowing it was just nerves making her think that way, and the anticipation of being back in the saddle crushed any lingering hesitation she may have had left.
After saddling and bridling the mare, Regina made sure to double check her work. The English riding gear she had pulled from the nearby tack room was slightly different than the tack she had used back in the Enchanted Forest and the last thing she needed was for her saddle to slip off mid ride. Satisfied with her handiwork, she gave the mare one last rub between the eyes before leading her out to the arena. The mare was nearly prancing by her side as Regina led her through the gate and the former queen couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips. Rocinante had always done the same thing, always eagerly anticipating the chance to be outside of his stall. It took her a minute to get the mare to stand as she moved to her left. When the horse was at last standing still, though impatiently, Regina placed the reins in her left hand and reached up to grasp the cantle with her right. She hesitated momentarily, before breathing deeply and placing her foot in the stirrup. Regina felt the mare shift at the feel of her weight and reflexively pulled herself up before the horse could move away and swung her right leg over the saddle. Her mount pranced sideways and Regina let herself settle into the saddle while she calmed the mare down. Moving with the beast was nearly instinctive and Regina felt her smile widen as she began to realize that maybe time hadn't robbed her of all her horsemanship skills. Adjusting her feet in the stirrups and the reins in her hands, she set the mare off at a walk, intent on running through basic exercises to see how well her mount handled under saddle.
Regina lost track of time as she went through the paces, first at a walk, then a trot. She found that the mare responded well to her legs and left very little need for the reins. She did however, have a tendency to test her rider and try to pick up the pace. Regina could practically feel her impatient energy. She wanted to run. Having grown relaxed in the saddle, Regina decided to allow the increase in pace. The mare tossed her head as she moved into a brisk canter. The length of the arena checked their pace; it was too short to allow a drastic increase in speed before having to circle back around. Nevertheless, it felt wonderful. The mare had an exceptionally smooth gate, and Regina easily relaxed into the stride. She began to work with the mare, using her seat and legs to guide her in various circles and asking her to switch directions and leads.
The morning passed too quickly for Regina, but as the sun began to reach its peak she knew it was time to cool the mare down and return her to the stable. The coat on the horse's neck, chest and flank were damp and darkened with sweat, but the Mayor knew she could have gone much longer. Her bright eyes and alert ears screamed of energy to spare. As they neared the stable door, the horse balked, tossing her head. Regina chuckled and gently rubbed around her ears. The mare's head tilted toward her hand in delight.
"Patience, pretty one," murmured Regina. "I'll be back again. Maybe next time we will try the fields." The 'pretty one' snorted, not completely satisfied; however, she behaved as she was led to the tack and thoroughly enjoyed the brushing down and apple she received in reward.
Regina left the stables with a sense of freedom that she hadn't felt in far too long. Already, she was looking forward to her next visit.
Emma silently cursed to herself as her yellow Bug pulled to the side of the street next to 108 Mifflin Street. She wasted no time in climbing out of the driver's seat and as she slammed the door shut, she risked a glance at her watch.
"Ah crap," she hissed. Louder, "Kid, hurry it up."
Henry giggled as he climbed out of the car. The tips of his nose and ears were pink from the sun and the seat of his jeans still had tra_ces of dirt on them from when he had unceremoniously plopped down to sit on the riverbank when David had decided to teach them to fish. Emma was pretty sure they both still stank of fish as well. Emma sighed, as not only was she bringing Henry home over an hour late, she was bringing him home in a state that would most likely send his brunette mother into cleaning frenzy once she caught sight of him.
"She's not gonna kill you, you know?" said Henry. His shit-eating grin was reminiscent of the smirk Regina often wore when teasing the blonde woman.
"You don't think?" questioned Emma as they made their way up to the pork.
"Nah," the boy shrugged. "She expects you to be late by this point. She just likes your reaction when you thinks she's angry with you."
"Hey, what?" Emma's tone held mock offense as she turned to face him. "I am not always late. I am perfectly capable of showing up somewhere on time."
"History would suggest otherwise, Ms. Swan."
The Savior gave a very unheroic squeak at the low spoken words. Whirling around, she saw the Mayor leaning against the mansion's open door, obviously having seen them making their way toward the house and decided to greet them. Henry giggled again at his birthmother's guilty look and darted around her to quickly hug his adopted mother.
"Hey, Mom!" he greeted. Regina smiled down at him, a gentleness in her eyes that was for him and him alone.
"Hello, Henry," she said. "Did you enjoy yourself today?"
"Yeah, it was awesome! I caught a huge fish and Grandpa even showed me how gut it and then we cooked it after Grandma started a fire."
One perfectly shaped eyebrow rose at this and the Mayor threw a quick glance at Emma, who shrugged and smirked at the boy's enthusiasm. "That sounds lovely dear. Now why don't you go clean up? Dinner will be ready in half an hour." Her dry tone suggested that she thought gutting and cooking fish over a camp fire was anything but 'lovely'.
"Okay!" The boy bounded inside the house, throwing a "Bye, Ma!" over his shoulder as he made it to the stairs.
"I'm serious, Henry," called Regina, her voice stern. "Don't you dare sit on the furniture without changing." The only response she got was laughter that faded as her son reached the second floor.
"Honestly, Emma," she said as she turned back to the Sheriff. "How do you expect to set a good example for our son if you can't even manage to get him home in time ? You were supposed to be back hours ago! And did you see the state of his clothes? You were supposed to be camping in the woods, not in a pig pen."
"Gimme a break, Regina," snapped the blonde, "He's home, he's safe and he had a blast. What more_" Emma cut herself off as she caught sight of the mischievous light in the Mayor's dark brown eyes. A smirk was pulling at the corner of perfectly shaped lips and Emma couldn't help but pout. "He was right!" she accused, stepping into the doorway to mock glare at the brunette. "You're just trying to make me angry. You think it's funny!"
"Ms. Swan," sighed Regina, looking exasperated and completely ignoring the other woman's look at the use of her last name. "I have no idea what you're insinuating. I am merely concerned about him learning undesirable behavior. Children are very impressionable."
"It's Emma," retorted the blond. "My name is Emma."
"As I am well aware. Your point?"
The blonde threw her arms up in exasperation, but she couldn't help her smile. Though she would never admit it, she loved their banter. Regina's wit and sarcasm was a constant, if nothing else was.
"Whatever," she said as she moved back down the steps. "Tell the kid I'll see him after school on Monday."
"Emma, wait." The soft tone halted the Savior in her tracks and she looked over her shoulder to stare at the Mayor.
Regina's gaze had softened almost imperceptibly, and the tiny smile on her face was still there. "If you have no other plans, why don't you join us for dinner?" she asked in a rare gesture of kindness. As if realizing the out of character offer, quickly she added, "I'm sure Henry would love for you to stay."
Emma was momentarily silent, the offer completely unexpected. She felt warmth rush through her at the prospect of dinner with the two of them; not to mention, Regina's cooking was worth it in and of itself.
"Yeah, sure," she said. "I'd like that."
Regina nodded, stepping back to allow Emma to enter. Looking closer at the woman, Emma realized that the small smile still hadn't left the normally stern Mayor's face. As she followed her into the kitchen, she asked
"So Regina, what did you get up to while we were out learning the art of banditry?"
Regina chuckled at her apparent distaste for the outdoors. It was one of the few things they had in common. "Nothing much, dear. I just caught up on some work I brought home from the office."
The lie sent Emma's 'superpower' off and she stared hard at the brunette as she moved easily about the kitchen. The softness in her eyes and smile remained, and Emma decided not to press the woman. Whatever the former queen had actually done with her day, it had put her in a rare good mood. Emma wasn't going to ruin in with questions. When Henry walked in, freshly showered and clean clothed, he looked over at his smiling mother before shooting Emma a questioning glance. Emma shrugged slightly but grinned to herself.
It had been a long time since she and her son had an ongoing operation. Thinking about what could possibly make Regina so relaxed and happy, she wondered if maybe it was time for a new one.
: To, hopefully, be continued.