Regina's fingers curl around the cool metal of the railing and she leans forward, her breathing uneven and her heart pounding. She closes her eyes (she knows what she's doing, but that doesn't mean she has to watch) and slams her hands against the railing, channeling every last drop of her desperation and loneliness and heartbreak into the movement.
She wants this. (Life has been nothing but cruel to her; perhaps death will be kinder.)
The railing gives a little the first time, and a little more the second, so she doesn't give herself a chance to doubt before bringing her hands down a third time. This is it, she thinks, and then she's falling and her last moment in this life is one of complete agony, but it's only a moment (and for the few before that, she could almost imagine she was flying, and she dies with a trace of a smile on her face).
-–—–-–—–-–—–-
When Tinkerbell finds the body, it's still warm and the blood pooling around it, staining Regina's pale gown, is still crimson and wet in the moonlight. She shifts to her human form as her feet touch the ground, but finds her legs can't support her and falls to her knees.
It's a tragic scene and all she knows is that it's all her fault—if only she had been quicker by even a few minutes, she could have saved this poor, broken woman (little more than a girl, really). The novice fairy kneels beside the young queen and weeps silently, full of guilt and grief, until she hears footsteps. With a little gasp, she lifts her head, returns to her natural fairy state, and hides herself in one of the manicured plants lining the courtyard.
The footsteps belong to a maid carrying a basket of laundry. It hits the ground and its contents scatter as the woman begins screaming hysterically. Within minutes, the courtyard is flooded with various knights, guards, palace staff, and members of the royal court. No one seems to know quite what to do, but everyone has a lot to say on the subject and it's complete pandemonium for a while. Finally, one of Leopold's advisors regains some semblance of control and hushes the assemblage.
Tink watches everything, until all that is left are a couple of maids scrubbing blood from the courtyard tiles, and then even they are gone.
Only then does Tink finally, finally fly home, perfectly aware of the scolding she's sure to receive from Blue (it's almost dawn and she was expected home before twilight) and for once not caring about the punishment she'll receive.
She will fix this, no matter the cost.