So I think my theory that Snow and Cora are connected more than through the death of Daniel, grows more with every episode. Cora apparently shares the same bird communication skill that Snow has, Cora also claims to know a lot about Snow and her motives, even though it seems like that they have not really had a lot of interaction since her childhood.
If you are curious as to my start prompt, go to ouattheories, the tumbler site and put in this post number below.
post/35231757828/and-of-course-the-only-way-to-destroy-her-mother
So this follows the canon of 2x8, but has a few of my own theories thrown in during Regina internal thoughts during the episode.
"That's not how she tells it."
***
Regina flared her nostrils as she tried to have a private conversation, that was now going to be town gossip. Rumpelstiltskin was likely the most irritating man to work with or against. Her mother had hated the Dark One too. All the dramatics and the games, it wasn't hard to see her mother hating someone like that. While her mother always seemed to know how to get exactly what she wanted, it was seldom from her words or some sort of playing pretend, as Rumplestiltskin did.
Cora was more of an actions speak louder than words, kind of person. Just like Regina...and Snow. She shook her head, to clear such a thought from her mind. Normally, she would have relished an additional thing to hate about Snow, all the things that she and her mother shared, things she had no idea about, but she was trying to win Henry's affections and succumbing to an old demon, would only make matters worse. Cora was the real issue right now. Not Snow. Snow was sturdy and level headed like her mother, bouncing back over and over again, from what Regina had long ago stopped assuming would be final blows. Cora was the monster, not Snow, no matter what Cora's story had implied. Snow's death was merely a satisfying solution, albeit an unsuccessful one, to a much bigger problem.
Rumpelstiltskin was posturing, so smug about his victory over Cora. Regina grit her teeth. "That's not how she tells it." She wants to punch him, when he practically proclaims that Regina was his victory prize in front of everyone, but she had promised a civil conversation to the unfortunate crowd. And Regina kept her promises. It was something everyone could depend on.
Regina enjoyed the fear on Belle's face during their conversation. She grinned when Rumpelstiltskin side-lined her question about who Cora was, after he had just made a big show about letting her know everything, in front of everyone in the diner.
She let this small satisfaction fill her, instead of thinking about Snow. But then as she turned and left knowing that Rumple was getting up and following her just as she expected, instead of finishing his meal with her, she frowned. This didn't make her any better, the enjoyment of Belle's emotional suffering.
Why was this the only thing that Henry wanted? To give up magic. Couldn't he see how hard this was for her? That he was practically asking for the impossible. It was her one stronghold in a lifetime of fear and uncertainty. Why couldn't he have asked for normal things, like bikes, ponies, video games, as sign of affection and love?
As they entered Mr. Gold's shop, Regina smiled as tenderly as she could manage at Henry. Henry flashed her a tentative smile. Progress...maybe.
Regina sat annoyed as Mr. Gold talked of bedtime stories, like this was just another goodnight, just another nightmare. Her son, her brave son, wanted to be a hero so badly, and Regina couldn't help but wonder, if that, like her own similar childhood fantasy of being a knight, instead of a lady, of riding off and saving people, daring sword fights, and such, was going to screw him over the same as it had screwed her over.
Her mother had known about that fantasy. And she had sent Snow White's horse into a frenzy, knowing full well, that she would jump at a chance to embrace that foolish idea.
Regina sat nervously as Henry slept. She hated being nervous, it implied a lack of control. And she hated not being in control.
Henry awoke much quicker than expected, mission unaccomplished and more hurt than before. Regina steamed when Rumplestiltskin just calmly acted like it was no big deal, that his stupid magic would fix everything and that Henry would going right back. Magic didn't take away the painful memory of the burn. So worried was she that, she didn't even enjoy the bitter irony of her jinks with David, over Henry's safety.
She weakly protested David's stupidest idea to date, to rescue Snow and Emma. It didn't matter. He would either succeed somehow, just like the other million times, but only briefly of course, and Snow's anger at him would sate her later, or he would fail and be stuck forever, just like Snow and Emma, and she would finally be free of everyone that irked her. Except for Mr. Gold. And except for Cora.
She was never free of Cora. And she never would be. When you devote your life to the destruction of another human being, especially family, well, either you died with them, or you'd wished you had. And everyone else would wish that you had too.
So it was with Cora and so it would be with her. Cora had died the night she bested Rumplestiltskin, the first soul to succeed in finding a loophole, and she had paid the price. Heartless bitch, that she then became, had then proceeded to ruin her whole life, that very thing she professed to be trying to save on that fateful night.
"Oh the things I did for you...Oh, the sacrifices that I had to make... Oh the life I wished for you..." Regina never so much as hated these words, as she did the night she thought she had killed her mother, that she had finally succeeded. The night her mother first attempted to explain herself, the moment Regina truly understood her relationship with Rumplestiltskin.
Cora, the miller's daughter who gave everything she had to protect herself from death and an abusive home life, even a future unborn child. Who was clever enough to try and prevent this and took a potion to prevent children to screw Rumplestiltskin over. But who managed to find true love, which broke the curse. And Regina had been born, much to her dismay. That what she feared would finally come true, that her heart would feel like it was being ripped from her at her departure. Loss after loss, her hope finally destroyed from a life of suffering. That which she swore her daughter would never know. And she began to learn magic. With that, she could have everything... because she would take it.
But Cora was also woman who sacrificed the greatest thing she had to offer, her heart, to a dark fairy to learn the Dark One's name, so as to keep Regina from his clutches. Who then spent the rest of her life looking for where the fairy had stored it. Ripping hearts out left and right, until she no longer seemed human and no longer cared who she hurt, and who even eventually lost sight of her task, according to her father. That which merely looked like the wife he loved, became the brains for Rumplestiltskin's magical brawn. Who invented dozens of magical items and ideas, including the apple, and if Regina lets herself admit it, likely the Dark Curse as well. Now that she knew the story, which had then been reaffirmed by her father, it made hating her harder, it made her angry and sad. But mostly it made her crazier. Especially since she knew now where her heart resided. She was sure of it.
At first she had secretly enjoyed the grimace on Emma's face when Snow proclaimed very similar words, about her trip through the wardrobe, about sacrifice and best options. But then it also pained her, along with all the other annoying and depressing similarities between Emma and herself, each one serving only to further prove that Cora's love had once again succeeded in destroying another child. Even if this one too, was unintentional and had also perhaps been not without good motives. Regina had after all become the new monster to protect her daughter from. And now it was up to Emma, Emma would have to do what needed to be done to save a whole world from Cora.
Regina set about making a sleeping curse, it would be of course crude and simple, unlike her mother's apple that she had studied extensively before approaching Snow with it. Nothing that she did would ever match the skill and grace of her mother's magic. Rumpelstiltskin was right, Regina had potential, but Cora had talent.
She suddenly became aware of Henry watching her, half curious and half afraid. His words about Mr. Gold having everything she needed, did not go unnoticed. Rumplestiltskin, always was prepared. Cora had taught him that. To beat an enemy, you must be several steps ahead of them. And never take little girls as simple minded fools.
Henry's tremble as he asked about her using magic, caught her off guard. He wanted to love her, he did. He was just afraid, afraid however, not of her, or even her magic it seemed. He was afraid of an Evil Queen being so close to his heart. Just as she had been afraid of loving a mother so cold and calloused, for fear of what that would mean about her. The way that Belle, still flinched, still worried and fretted. Loving a beast was dangerous. Sometimes it fixed them, sometimes it made you a beast too.
She turned slowly and reassured him, yet was honest. She was trying, she was. His simple honest reply however, made Regina's blood freeze. Regina forced a smile. She assured Henry, that despite everything, that David would awaken, that Snow and he always found each other, their stupid little cliche phrase. It was like they had some sort of magical magnetism, where they kept coming back together, no matter how big the explosion that separated them. And of course, he believed her, who better would know then his mother, the Evil Queen, who had failed so miserably time and time again to destroy them. Ironic now, that she was the one restoring his faith in love and happiness.
But internally she was crumbling. Her childlike self, so carefully guarded that she often forgot it was still there, deep inside her, was starting to panic. Nothing put the fear of God in her, like her mother. Loveable, idiot David was going to fail. Her mother was coming to Storybrooke, and she had once again failed to protect herself. She had a damn weakness too. She had loved once again, no matter how inadequately, and they were both going down in flames. Her love for Henry would cost him.
She didn't even gloat or chastise Rumple for his horrible jab at her having the honors of pricking David's finger. As her fingers trembled slightly as she placed the needle in place, a rash desire to take his place came over her. Not out of any noble notion, but as a method of protecting herself. Even there, where she would never wake, she would not be free of her mother, however, so the moment passed.
As soon as she saw David collapse, no satisfaction followed it, as Henry shoulders sank with his fallen frame. When David did not awake after several hours, Henry began to despair. He was starting to doubt, to stop believing that happiness could come to him and those he cared about. And Regina wanted so badly to protect him from that, like her father had tried and failed. She knew that the loss of hope led to one of two things, depression or darkness and sometimes both.
Just like her. Just like her mother.
But of course, not the way that she tells it. In her version, she is powerful and in control. In her version, Cora has won.
