This story is AU after the events of "The Stable Boy" in the Enchanted Forest. Thank you so much to my Beta, Mere-Brennan.

Regina pulled her coat tightly around her against the bitter chill of the night air. As she walked towards the stables, her heart was full of both dread and excitement. The chance of beginning a new life with the man she loved was the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to her, but she knew how desperate her mother was for her to marry the king. She was terrified that, as carefully constructed as their plan was, something was going to go wrong.

Shaking off her doubts, she slipped into the stables. Her horse gave a soft whinny of affection as he saw her. Regina reached out a hand and ran it through the horse's mane.

"Hey Rocinante," she whispered softly as she got out the saddle. "We're going on a trip, okay? We're going far, far away from here to somewhere where we can be happy."

Riding had always been her passion. It was her one opportunity to escape her mother, if only for a few hours, and she was almost as skilled as Daniel in caring for horses, so she made quick work of tacking up Rocinante. She had just finished fastening the girth when she heard footsteps behind her.

Regina's stomach dropped. It was all she could do not to shake in fear as she anticipated the magic vines that she was sure would soon bind her tightly, and what Cora would surely do to Daniel.

"Regina?"

To her surprise, the voice that spoke her name was not that of her mother, so she turned slowly. Keeping a tight grip on Rocinante's reigns, she saw King Leopold stood before her, dressed in a brown hooded cloak with a concerned look in his eyes.

"Regina?" he asked again, looking her over as she stood in terror. There was no way to deny what she was so obviously doing in the stables in the middle of the night. "You are going somewhere?"

"I. . . well. . . I. . ." Regina stuttered, tears forming in her eyes and threatening to spill down her cheeks. She felt all of her dreams and hope for the future come crashing down around her.

"Regina," the king sighed sadly. "It's alright. You are a young woman and I could tell that you were never as enthusiastic about my proposal as your mother was. I hoped that you could maybe change your mind, but I suspected that something like this might happen."

"I am sorry, Your Highness," Regina whispered, bowing her head. "I do not love you and I can't marry someone I don't love."

Leopold nodded. "It's alright," he said again. "I wished desperately, above all, for a good mother for my daughter and I truly believe that you would be a wonderful mother. However, I would rather you go and be happy with the man you love than that you should be miserable with Snow and I."

"I never. . .never said. . ."

"You didn't have to. It is the stable boy, correct? I could see it in your eyes when you looked at him. It is the same look that Eva and I held for each other. As wonderful a wife and mother as you would make, you deserve to have someone look at you like that, and I fear I would never be able to. Go Regina. Go and good luck to you."

Regina impulsively threw her arms around the king's neck, allowing a few tears to spill in her relief. "Oh thank you, Your Majesty!" She whispered. "Thank you so much! You will be a great husband for someone one day and I hope that you find a good mother for Snow."

Any reply that Leopold may have intended to make was lost in a guttural choking noise. Regina gasped as she pulled back to see a pained look on the king's face and her mother stood behind him, a pulsing heart in her hand. As the king fell to the floor, Regina dropped to her knees beside him.

"Mother!"

"I will not allow you to throw your life away like this, Regina. You are better than this, you are above this stable boy," Cora hissed as she squeezed the heart that she held.

"Mother, wait!" Regina's cries fell on deaf ears. She watched in horror as the king's heart was turned to ash.

Regina turned back to Leopold just in time to watch the life leave his eyes as his body went limp in her arms.

"Mother," Regina said softly in disbelief. "What have you done?"

Closing his eyes gently with her fingertips and saying a silent blessing for his soul, Regina lay the king's lifeless body down and stood up, allowing Cora to see his face for the first time.

Cora gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "That's. . .that's. . .you tricked me!" Cora screeched, pointing an accusing finger at Regina.

"No Mother! No, I didn't!" Regina insisted, backing toward the stable door and bringing Rocinante with her.

"I was supposed to kill that lowlife stable boy! You were supposed to be Queen!"

Cora was still staring in shock and disbelief at the king's lifeless body. Regina realised that this was absolutely her last chance of escape. Taking advantage of her mother's distraction, she threw herself into the saddle and gave Rocinante a kick that made him fly out of the stable. Her first intention was to gallop through the grounds as fast as she could to her agreed meeting place with Daniel, and to get away from here as fast as possible. However, as she approached the main house, her thoughts turned to Snow White. The poor child, barely eight years old, was now an orphan and Regina realised, with a sinking heart, that there was no way she could leave the little girl here alone.

Pulling Rocinante to a halt, she ran inside the house. Terror pulsed through her as the already small chance of escape grew slimmer every second that she wasn't running. Bursting into Snow's chambers, she shook the child awake.

"Snow! Snow!" She cried frantically. "Get up! We've got to go!"

Snow's eyes snapped open and she looked up at Regina in fear and confusion. "Regina? What's going on?"

"I can't explain now, but we have to get away from here," Regina insisted desperately, gripping Snow's arm and helping her out of the bed. "Come on! It's not safe."

"Where's my father?" Snow asked, looking at Regina through bleary eyes.

"I can't explain, yet. Please Snow! Come on!"

Every moment that they spent inside the manor, was another moment that she expected her mother to come through the door. She couldn't bear to imagine what she would do to her.

"Rosella!" Snow cried out as Regina pulled her towards the door, reaching fiercely towards her bed to the doll that lay on the covers.

Regina snatched up the doll before she ran back through the halls to the main door, holding Snow's hand tightly.

Snow was in hysterics and Regina couldn't blame her. At that moment, all she felt like doing was crying, too. There was no sign of her mother as they left the house, but this only put Regina more on edge, as she feared a trap may have been set.

"I'm not getting on that horse," Snow sobbed.

"I know you're scared Snow," Regina said, trying to hide the terror in her voice. "But you have to get on the horse. Rocinante is lovely and he won't hurt you. I won't let you get hurt, okay? I promise."

Snow nodded, though her tears continued to fall as Regina helped her onto the saddle. She swung herself up behind the small girl and smiled weakly as she set Rocinante moving.

"Everything will be okay," she said, though she wasn't sure if she was trying to reassure Snow or herself.

"Regina!" Daniel cried as they rode up to the path leading away from the Mills' House. "I thought. . ." He trailed off as he noticed the teary child sat on the saddle in front of her.

"Daniel! Run!" Regina yelled, barely slowing down as they approached him.

It was clear that something had gone very wrong, so Daniel turned his own horse and flew after Regina. At every moment, they both expected Cora to appear. Regina could almost feel the binds that she was sure would wrap tightly around her at any second, but none came. Regina could scarcely believe that her mother hadn't caught them, but she had far too much on her mind to question their good fortune as they finally broke past the boundaries of the grounds and raced away to their freedom.

Behind a tree, along the path, Rumpelstiltskin watched them go, a beaming smile on his face. He turned around to see Cora searching, becoming increasingly frantic and confused, as she was unable to perceive the presence of the escapees. This widened Rumpelstiltskin's grin. The power of his magic never ceased to thrill him and it renewed his confidence that his plan would work.

"I told you I'd have that child, Cora darling," he whispered gleefully. "And now I have her just where I want her. I'm going to get my son back."