Ahh the time has finally come for me to post the first chapter of my Practical Magic/OUAT crossover story and I have to first of all give a huge thanks to my inspiration and beta who can be found on Tumblr under the name talkswithherhands or on Fanfiction as silentmuse24.
She has inspired me to no end and without her patience and understanding in the way I wanted this story to go it would not be on here right now. We've bounced ideas off one another for the past few hours and this is what we came up with, I hope you enjoy and please review :D
Her dark braid trailed down over her shoulders and tickled her small fingers that were gripping onto the worn wooden banister as she listened in on the conversation taking place in the kitchen. Her mother had finally agreed to begin teaching her magic after months of the young girl pleading and insisting that she needed to know how to look after herself in such a treacherous world.
"When did my daughter become so clever?" Cora had laughed softly whilst trailing a hand through her daughter's dark curls one night by the fire; they often sat like this – just enjoying one another's company. "I will teach you on one condition young lady," Regina had sat up straight on this command, ready to accept whatever her mother stipulated. On her nod Cora had continued, "You will only learn the magic that I deem necessary for you is that understood?" Regina had accepted quickly knowing she would never disobey her mother, even at a young age she still understood why her Cora had created that particular condition. All across their land children had been taught the tale of the Tremaine Sisters, Regina could still recall the night on which her mother had decided she was mature enough to handle the tale.
"Legend states that all are born with pure hearts unmarked by the evils that roam our land, a pure heart can be of great value and interest to many whose own hearts are weighed down with the blackness of their souls, for once you darken your heart it only continues to spread until it has consumed you." Regina was hanging on Cora's every word, the girl wasn't ignorant of the dangers that magic and their land contained and she couldn't help her morbid fascination at the darkness of it all. She knew herself that darkness wouldn't touch her heart and nor would she let it but it interested her to no end as she listened to stories of those poor souls who had fallen under the weight of their desires.
"A pure heart is very desirable to those who have fallen into their darkness, if a person is able to steal a heart of lightness then they are able to bend the laws of nature in order to create the elixir of life." Regina's deep brown eyes had widened at this, she was in awe of the things one could do with magic, it truly was amazing. "There were once two sisters, Abhorra and Griselda Tremaine." "Cinderella's step-sisters?" Regina had questioned in her innocence recognising the names instantly, she had memorized the tale upon finding the book in their family library.
Cora nodded as she smiled down upon her child so small in her bed, "yes my darling, 'the ugly step-sisters' I believe they were dubbed? At Regina's nod she chuckled lightly tucking a strand of hair behind the young girl's ear. The moon's light was falling onto her small face causing her usually tanned skin to appear luminescent in the glow; she looked so young in that moment, much younger than her 10 years. "There is a reason for their ghastly appearances."
"Long ago the women had grown tired of their creaking bones and aching backs, their time was coming and they had yet to find someone to love them, someone to spend their lives with. They were furious that life had allowed them to be forgotten and so had set out in search of a heart." "Now in order to take a heart you must either possess a great deal of dark magic for it is in fact a very dark deed, in having someone's heart, be they good or evil, you are able to control them completely. You are able to bend them to your will and can even control their speech having them mimic the words you are speaking without any other person suspecting. Neither women had this kind of magic or any at all and so had only one other option – to make the victim fall in love with them, to trust them so completely that they would willingly give their heart away to them." Regina had furrowed her brow at this, confused at how two women could make one person fall in love with both of them, Cora had caught onto her daughter's confusion and at the same time realized just how innocent she still was, it warmed her heart that she still had a few years left in which Regina could remain pure and kind, then on her eighteenth name day her true test would come. "No, my dear sweet child, the women agreed to separate ways and carry out their tasks alone, they had agreed in a contract bound by magic that the heart of the lover would be shared between the two. With the contract signed they both parted and began their search for a victim."
"Upon finding someone Abhorra, disguised by magic in order to appear physically attractive to any man of her choosing, began the process of making the person fall in love with her but along the way she found herself to be falling for him too." Regina gasped as she took in her mother's words, she had been tired upon coming to bed and was looking for any excuse to prolong her bedtime but now she was wide awake and giving Cora her full attention, "now Griselda knew better than to just let her sister disappear and so had placed a tracking spell on her before her departure. Every night she would gaze into her mother's ornate mirror intent on viewing Abhorra's progress. She didn't like what she saw. Not only had her sister found a potential victim, she was gaining the love for which both had longed for so long."
"In a spell of blind jealousy Griselda found the man who's love was sustaining her sister and proceeded to rip his heart from his body using the darkest of magic to match her ever-darkening soul, Abhorra was devastated upon losing him but could not go back on her word, there was no way around the contract and so she had to drink the blood from the heart of the only man who had ever shown her an ounce of kindness in all of her wretched life." Tears were beginning to pour from Regina's eyes as she couldn't imagine the kind of person who could kill their own families loved one and in doing so end their happiness, it disgusted and saddened her.
"Over time, locked forever within her eternal youth and therefore being unable to ever reunite with her lost love, Abhorra's devastation grew to rage, then to anger and finally to a deep resentment for her sister. She had sought out the help of the one person most would shrink back in fear from – the Dark One." The name sounded familiar to Regina as she let it float around her subconscious as her mother continued to speak, "he was said to be able to make any curse asked of him with a favour in return." Regina felt uneasy as her mother talked about this man, her face connoted disgust but the brown eyes that matched the young girls showed a glimmer of desire – no, her mother would never give herself over to such things. "After creating the curse the sister had asked of him he promised to settle her debt with him at a later date."
"What was the curse Momma?" Regina enquired starting to regret requesting the story, as her mother's interest was unsettling.
"Abhorra had asked that any man who deigned to fall for her sister and make her fall in love in return would inevitably die before the year had ended." Regina gasped audibly at this. "The Dark One had given her specific instructions in order to cast the curse but the woman's need for revenge had clouded her judgement meaning her actions were to cause a lot more damage than just one person. She lost control of her magic and in doing so cursed any woman with magic in our land to the same fate as she had intended her sister." The young girl's eyes widened as she took in Cora's words, "is it true Momma? Is that why Daddy left?" Regina had never actually met her father but had listened intently to every small mention of him, to every passing comment about the man who had died mere months before she was born. She would often sit in her room staring intently at the old picture her mother had gifted her and imagining all of the lost conversations she may have had with him, the stolen adventures they could've had – it would've been wonderful she was sure but she couldn't really mourn the life of someone whom she had never known.
"He didn't leave my darling; he was taken but…no I don't think that is the reason." Cora soothed her young daughter but she couldn't help feeling guilty for the fear she had instilled in the girl, maybe she really was too young to be hearing any of this.
She hadn't realized a tear had escaped from her eye until a small thumb came to wipe it away from her cheek, she turned and smiled in thanks at the precious being that was her daughter – she truly was very special.
Her mother's words had stuck with the young girl and try as she might she couldn't push the story from her mind, she was frightened of becoming like those women – bitter and twisted with only their misery for company and now she was listening to the whimpers of desperation coming from one of her mother's clients in the kitchen area. Was this what her life was to become upon reaching the age of maturity? Never, she refused to let her life take that direction, she was frightened of falling in love – something had to be done.
Cora was known around their village for her magic abilities and while the family was shunned from the community they were quick to utilise her talents for their own will. Her particular area of expertise was in that of love, potions, lotions and all sorts of other things had been passed on from Cora to those souls desperate to be loved but all held the same message, "Be careful what you wish for." Regina had stolen glances at her mother's notebook many times and recently only one spell caught the young girl's eye. It was called Amas Veritas, a true love spell. Regina, being extremely clever for her age, had realized the potential of such a spell, she could create a person with such specific traits that it would be impossible for them to exist…and if they didn't exist she would never have her heart broken.
It had taken a little longer than usual for Cora to deal with her customer and so Regina had waited patiently in her spot on the stairway. It was always routine that after a meeting, Cora would retire to her bedroom to take a power nap – magic always took it out of her and so this gave the young girl the chance to enact her plan.
"I'll be down in around an hour sweetheart, will you be okay?" Cora had called to Regina from the first floor landing; her child's heart was racing as she spotted the book lying open on the wooden kitchen table.
"Yes mother, I'll be fine." She called back as steadily as she could even though her nerves were on fire, what if she was caught? Her mother wasn't known for her bad temper but recently Regina had noticed that little things were starting to get with her more and her 'power naps' had grown longer. It had bothered the girl to no end but she didn't feel as though it was something she could discuss with her mother, it unsettled her greatly.
The ornate notebook lay discarded on the table, her mother's neat script could be seen making a slight indent within each thin page. It was worn indicating either it's age or use, Regina had decided to make a quick copy of the spell she needed in order to have more time to create the right combination of words and to ensure she could use it whenever she felt she needed to without having to wait for another opportunity like this. She pulled out her own notebook, one her mother had purchased for the girl upon agreeing to teach her magic, she needed to be able to record and remember each spell.
She wrote quickly afraid that her mother would be able to sense her wrongdoings, Cora had specifically stated that Regina would only learn the spells she deemed necessary and while this wasn't exactly a dangerous spell it wasn't one which her mother thought she needed to know.
Her heart rate calmed as she reached the end of the seemingly simple spell, all of the ingredients she would need were in their greenhouse and the only thing she would need to do would be to speak aloud the traits of her love whilst adding the mix to a wooden bowl – that would be easy enough.
It hadn't been until three days later when Cora had been required for assistance by a member of their community and so Regina saw her opportunity, she had quickly made her way into their gardens and through the glass door leading to the greenhouse as soon as her mother's bedroom door had closed.
It really was a spectacular site, the area was filled with many different varieties of potted plants that had been tended to lovingly by Cora, she had taken great care in the development of her flowers and herbs as they were predominantly the base of every one of her spells but she also enjoyed the peace and tranquility that the aromas and scenery gave her. Regina moved around the area extremely carefully as she pulled petals and leaves gently from various plants as she spoke aloud:
"They will hear my call a mile away,
They will whistle my favourite song.
They can ride a pony backwards,"
She smiled as she went, the innocence of her soft voice and childish requests in a person were endearing to say the least.
"They can…flip pancakes in the air,
They will be marvelously kind.
They're favourite shape will be a star,
They'll have one green eye…and one blue."
This was it, she stared down at the bowl grasped within her small hands, this was really it. She stepped out from the confines of the greenhouse and into the night air, the warm breeze picked up as she grew closer to the centre of the garden. Her dark hair floated around her body as she lifted the bowl above her head. A soft gasp escaped her lips as she watched the ingredients float out into the night and up towards the moon, it truly was beautiful. She watched until her eyes grew sore from dryness, blinking them she stepped back towards the house smiling. She could never die of a broken heart.
"What was that?" she stopped abruptly when the voice sounded from behind her, she recognised it but it wasn't the same as she had known it.
"Mother?" she turned slowly to find Cora moving out from the shadows of the nearby oak trees, malice was shining within her usually soft eyes. The change shook Regina to her core, this wasn't the mother she knew and loved…the woman who had raised and cared deeply for her, this was someone different altogether. "Mother…what's wrong?" the young girl was afraid now, her body shaking not from the cold night air but from sheer fear. She could almost feel the older woman's rage burning her youthful skin.
"What's wrong my dear," she flinched as Cora stepped right into her personal space; her face was only inches from her daughter's now as she clenched her teeth. The muscles in her tense jaw seemed to be working overtime now. "is that I have raised an insolent, ungrateful, spoilt little child."
The slap resounded through the surrounding area as Regina fell back onto the ground, a jolt of pain shot through her back as her coccyx bone connected with the cold hard floor and so she couldn't help the cry that escaped from her lips. Her mother had never struck her before and she definitely hadn't laughed at her pain like she was doing at that moment whilst staring down at her. "I did not raise my daughter to be weak, to believe in such things as love…love is weakness Regina. You will do well to remember that."
That had been the first time Regina had sobbed herself to sleep, too afraid to move from her position on the ground for fear of another blow to her cheek and so she had slept in the open air, trembling and fearing what morning would bring. She couldn't understand what had happened to her mother, her best friend and the one person she trusted more than anything in the world. Where had that woman gone and who was this new being?
It may have been Regina's first form of physical punishment at the hands of her mother but it certainly wouldn't be the last.
Earlier that night
"I'll be down in around an hour sweetheart, will you be okay?" Cora had called to Regina from the first floor landing; her child's heart was racing as she spotted the book lying open on the wooden kitchen table.
"Yes mother, I'll be fine."
Cora smirked at the underlying annoyance in her daughter's tone, she was old before her time that one but Cora planned to keep her at such a tender age for as long as possible. She knew all too well of Regina's fascination with the world of magic and while it scared her slightly, Cora had complete faith in her child's good heart, she wouldn't fall prey to darkness so easily.
She stifled a yawn as she moved across the small corridor to her room, these days her magic was drawing more and more energy from her each time she used it, must be her increasing age she mused as she pushed open the heavy wooden door.
"You." She gasped as the imp came into sight, he had the nerve to plant himself firmly on top of her vanity table grinning wildly as he did so. "What do you want Rumple?"
"Well hello Dearie," he chimed as he hopped down into a regal stance on the carpeted floor, "would I like a drink? Oh no thank you but thank you kindly for your hospitality." The glint in his eye made her nervous, he was excited about something and that only meant bad things for any within sight.
"You will receive nothing from me." She jumped back as he was suddenly within her personal space, his hot breath tickled her ear as he spoke. Bile rose in her throat as she tried to ignore his proximity to her. She cringed when he began drawling into her ear.
"Oh no Dearie, see…" he paused for dramatic effect, ever the showman. "You haven't yet settled your debt to me and now…well, now I'm here to collect."
Cora didn't miss the finality of his words as her stomach dropped painfully, "No!" she practically screamed as she jumped further into her room to move away from him, her hand came to cover her gaping mouth as her heart pounded relentlessly against her heaving chest. "No! You cannot have her!"
With a flourish of his hand he produced a lengthy piece of parchment, it was slightly curled at the end where he wasn't clutching it in his scaled fingers, "Oh, I think I can."
Her mind swam as her signature began to glow at the bottom of the page, she was so young when she had made that deal…how was she to know how she would come to feel? No, he couldn't take her daughter, she was the only thing worth anything in her life…she was everything to Cora and she simply couldn't bear the thought of Regina in that evil imp's clutches, what would he do with her? Her stomach churned at the possibilities that ran through her mind. "No."
He laughed at her audacity, was she forgetting he was the Dark One? He wasn't requesting Regina, he was simply allowing the older woman the chance to say goodbye out of the kindness of his heart. Silly girl. "You offend me woman."
She was filled with rage at the amusement in his tone, how dare he mock her at such a time? "How did you get like this you twisted little imp?!"
"Do you forget it was I that helped you find your one twue wove?" he feigned sympathetic sobs as he took in the woman before him, she'd had so much potential, he could still feel the power radiating from her small frame even now, even threw her despair and exhaustion she was still a supernova of magical energy – it is what had drawn him to her in the first place, that was until she requested his help in finding her soul mate, sickening.
"No I do not Rumple, and I also do not forget your cloaked form hanging back when I found my poor love bleeding in the alley. You gave him to me but took him just as fast, I was left alone, penniless and with child and you took my only form of support – that was not in our deal."
"Our deal dear Cora," he was in her face once again, she had pushed a button. Deals were very important to the imp and so when questioned about their sincerity he flew into rages just as she did when threatened with the life of her child. "Our deal was that I find you your soulmate which I did," their erratic breathing was almost in sync now as they stared each other down, "and you promised me your first born child. I am here to collect."
"Take me." It came out so fast he almost didn't catch it and from the look on her face she hadn't meant to say it out loud either but now she wasn't going to take it back, not when she knew it was the right thing to do. "Take me instead."
He merely laughed in her face, how dare she try to back out of their deal…although…it was an idea to think on…she was incredibly powerful, if he could somehow harness it…then it hit him. The answer to his problem, she could be used. The bond of a mother and daughter would prove extremely useful…especially when broken.
Cora's eyes widened as she felt his hand plunge into her chest and clutch her heart, she doubled over in pain appearing as though she was bowing to him, after all he was going to be her new master…
"Oh I'll take you my dear," he whispered maliciously into her hair as his grip tightened around her heart, he smiled at the sound of her strangled cry, "I'll take every last bit of you and your precious little girl." With that he pulled the heart from her chest and was surprised to see the numerous dark spots beginning to taint it, "tsk tsk Dearie, seems as though someone isn't as pure as they claim. This will do nicely."
As he waved his hand over the organ, a shimmer seemed to fall upon Cora's still form almost like a cloak. He sliced a long nailed finger upwards through the air and watched as she snapped upwards, her eyes blank and emotionless…now the real fun could begin. He smirked as he spotted a small form in the garden walking towards what appeared to be a green house, he could practically smell her excitement and the new spell waiting to be used.
"Yes," he drawled as he caressed the heart in his hands before sending it to his private stock with a wave of his hand, "young Regina is going to prove very useful indeed."