Hey there everyone!
After receiving the most amazing reviews and lots of author follows I just want to say I'm very honoured first and foremost. I'm glad everyone enjoyed reading "And Then My World's Collided".
I've had this idea for a while and I surprisingly had some free time before my exams start up and I decided to write this one shot after seeing the most amazing gifset on tumblr by "frivolouswhim"! Seriously, if you don't follow that account you should, or at least go check out the gifset that inspired this piece of writing ( post/46076673555). Also, I needed something to tie me over while we wait yet another week and a bit for a new episode of OUAT!
I've always wanted to know more about Snow's and Regina's relationship and what things were like before everything went bad. There are times that I think even now that Regina still cares for Snow and Snow for Regina way deep down, and I think the gifset really shows some of those moments. This is just an AU one shot about Regina and Snow back in the first scene of the pilot and just delves into an idea about Regina seeing more than the girl who ruined her life getting her happy ending.
I do not own OUAT or have any affiliation. All characters are property of ABC Disney. I have however used a few lines from the pilot and "The Stable Boy". Any italics are either character's thoughts or flashbacks. I know it's a bit long, but I needed to make sure everyone's emotions fully came across correctly.
Enough of an AN-Enjoy reading!
"And do you, Snow White, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?" the Archbishop's voice sounded through the large doors of the hall, to the ears of the woman pressed against said door. Taking a step back, the woman dressed in a black form fitted lace dress took a shaky breath.
This was it. The moment she had been waiting for for years and years: she would finally destroy Snow White's happiness once and for all. With this curse, she could finally have her own happy ending, the one she should have had with Daniel. All she had to do was go in there and the people would scream in fright, perhaps even run away; she seemed to have that sort of effect on others. Still, Regina couldn't shake this odd feeling she was having. It almost felt like remorse? No, Snow White deserved what was coming, she deserved to suffer.
"Go in, curse them, ruin the wedding, and get out." Regina thought as she flexed her hands feeling the current of magic rippling through them. Yes, she was nervous, very nervous in fact, but she would not show it. She was the Evil Queen, dubbed so by the girl she had once been mother to, the girl who was getting married at that very moment.
BOOM! Throwing the doors open, Regina revealed herself to the hundreds of guests who had showed up to witness the happy occasion. All eyes were on her as she took a few steps into the circular ball room, but her eyes only looked at Snow White.
For a moment, Regina doesn't see the woman who ruined her life; instead, she sees the young girl whom she saved that day on Firefly Hill, now grown up and in a beautiful wedding dress.
She felt like she was being groomed like a prize winning steed. The ladies who were fitting the dress were so busy putting on the final details in time for the voyage King Leopold's kingdom that they didn't notice her puffy red eyes. She had cried herself to sleep the night before, and awoken multiples times after having the same nightmare over and over. Unfortunately, her nightmare was more of a recollection of the previous kept seeing her mother crushing Daniel's heart; kept feeling Daniel's lips against hers; kept seeing him fall over in pain after having his heart ripped from his chest, with Regina unable to do anything to stop it.
"Wow, you truly are the fairest of them all!" Snow White exclaimed as she walked into the main hall.
"Hmm, thank you dear." Regina replied with a level tone.
"I hope on my wedding day I look as beautiful as you."
Giving a slight smile to the little girl, Regina simply replied, "I'm sure you will be."
She had been right. Snow White did look beautiful in her dress, just as she had predicted that day. Wait! Why did she care what she looked like? That day...that was the day she had found out about Snow White's betrayal! Snapping out of her reverie, Regina shoved the memory out of her mind and regained her focus.
"Sorry I'm late." She smirked as a couple of guards rushed towards her, only to be thrown across the room with a flick of her hand. Making purposeful strides towards the altar, Regina hears one of those pesky dwarfs tell Snow to run but is pleasantly surprised when she doesn't. Stepping up towards the couple so that she was only a few meters from them, Regina came to a halt.
"She's not a Queen anymore, she's nothing more than an evil witch!" Snow shouts with disdain as she grabs for Charming's sword, pointing it defiantly towards the older woman. Both women stare back at each other, almost in a battle of wills.
Tilting her head giving more of a sinister glare, Regina curled her lips into a thin smile and inhaled to spit back with a retort, but something catches her eye and stops her before she can speak: the flowers in Snow's hair.
Momentarily stunned, Regina breaks the shared gaze and diverts her eyes, taking a better look at her surroundings. Looking at the altar poles more carefully, her suspicions are correct. Each of the 8 marble poles that support the altar are adorned with the same white flowers, wrapped so they are entirely covered from top to bottom and giving off the familiar sweet perfumed aroma. Each flower bunch is in fullest bloom and brighter than she knew possible. She looks back at the girl dressed in white with a look of shock across her face.
"Wisteria..." Regina thought as her eyes softened. Regina was experiencing a conflict of emotions. First seeing Snow White in her wedding dress, and now the flowers.
Though none of the other guests seemed to take notice of the Queen's sudden change in behaviour, Snow White knew something was off. She knew Regina better than anyone else in the hall, and she recognized the sudden lack of pure hatred in those dark brown eyes.
Realizing Snow White was now looking at her quizzically with the tip of sword still pointed at her throat, Regina remembers where she is, and quickly straightens her stance, ridding her face of the emotion that had previously been there, hoping Snow White hadn't noticed. If she had, surely she wouldn't know what had caught her off guard; it had been many years ago.
"No, no, don't stoop to her level. There's no need." Charming said as he calmly stepped forward placing his hand over his wife's to lower the sword. Turning to face the Evil Queen, his calmness vanishes and is replaced with a stern expression.
"I will not let you ruin this wedding!" Too many times this woman had come between he and Snow, and David was sick of it. He would not let her hurt his wife anymore.
"Oh, I'm not here to ruin anything dear." Regina sang in an eerily sweet tone, addressing the "Prince". "On the contrary, I'm here to give you a gift."
"We want nothing from you," Snow answered as David moved in front of her in a protective stance. There was no way that Regina would be presenting them with something like a pair of candlesticks, or perhaps a throw rug for the armory. Any gift from Regina would surely have some dark magic attached to it.
"But you shall have it!" Regina snapped back forcefully. Turning to look at the guests Regina walked back along the path she came and then looked back towards the royal couple. She could feel those emotions coming to the surface once again. This wasn't the plan. She was here to ruin things...so why was she feeling so guilty? She was going to say the gift was the curse, that their happiness would be gone by the end of today, but that's not what came out of her mouth.
"My gift to you," her eyes locked with Snow's once again, "...is this happy, happy day..."
Regina's voice remained cold and dark, but her eyes were softer than when she had begun. Last one, Snow White. Just today. Just take today.
Once again, a puzzled expression came over Snow White. Had she heard wrong?
"...for tomorrow my real work begins!" Regina quickly added with a confident air before taking turning on her heels.
Striding back up the hall to the doors she had crashed through mere minutes ago, Regina knew she needed to get out of there. Things were not going as planned, and she only had herself to blame. She needed to leave, and quickly, before her emotions surfaced again.
"HEY!" Charming shouted, startling everyone including Regina who turned around to address the call. Rearing his hands behind his head, David threw the sword with all of his might, hoping he could put an end to Regina's tyranny. Just as the sword came dangerously close to her however, a purple cloud appeared and engulfed the woman, leaving nothing in it's trace and Regina with only a final view of the couple holding onto one another.
THWACK! The sword sounded as it clattered into the stone wall of the castle. Realizing she was shaking, Regina moved to sit down at her vanity table. She didn't know what had come over her; why should she care about seeing Snow White or some stupid flowers? That was in the past, and so much had happened since that night.
But something had come over her, and though Regina tried to deny it, she couldn't. She truly meant what she had said in the ball room: her gift was this happy day, for tomorrow would be different. She momentarily wondered if Snow White had understood what her gift really meant. Her gift was not intended for the Snow White she knew today, her gift was to the young girl whom she had saved from the wild horse when they had both been young and innocent. She would give that little girl one last day. Tomorrow, her battle would begin and nothing would hold her back from winning this time. Taking a deep breath, the brunette thought about what had just happened. The whole ordeal had affected her in a way she hadn't been expecting. Remembering the flowers, Regina thought back to memory of that night years ago with a sad smile.
Standing out on the balcony of their bedchambers, Snow looked out as the full moon's reflection bounced brightly off the water. Still in her wedding gown, she tore off the white satin gloves that encased her delicate hands and threw them behind her, not caring where they landed. With a exhaustive sigh, she let her head fall into her hands and stayed like that until the sound of horses and anxious chatter turned her attention to the front entrance below to see guests piling into various carriages as fast as they could.
She didn't blame her guests for wanting to leave as soon as they could. If the unexpected arrival of Regina at the ceremony hadn't scared them, surely the threat of having everything you loved being taken away would. After Regina vanished, there had been a moment of silence before chaos had erupted. Guards had swarmed her and David looking for instructions on what to do next, and their first priority had been making sure the guests were safely taken care of. While Snow had wanted to stay and reassure her friends that everything would be ok, Charming had insisted on her going to their room. Normally she would have fought back and been angry with him for suggesting such a thing, but seeing the overwhelming fear in her husband's eyes made her realize he needed to make sure she was out of harm's way.
Watching the last of the carriages leave the now heavily guarded gate entrance of the royal grounds, Snow closed her eyes and began to thinking over the day's events.
She remembered saying her vows in front of her friends and pledging her love for her husband just before Regina had stormed in. She remembered how her temper and fear had gotten the better of her, causing her to draw Charming's sword from it's holder. She could feel the heavy weight of the metal, the point of the sword mere inches from Regina's neck. Staring into those dark brown eyes, she had seen pure hatred glaring right back at her until suddenly, like the flip of a switch, Regina's expression had changed. It was if someone had dropped a bucket of ice cold water over the former Queen. It had caused her to divert her gaze and the hatred to vanish from her eyes, to be replaced with something completely the opposite. As quick as it had occurred, Regina had snapped back to her regal self before anyone could really take notice.
Something had caused Regina's demeanor to change, and though the threat of something horrible should be taking priority, Snow couldn't stop wondering what it had been.
"Your Majesty?" A gentle voice sounded as Snow White whipped around in shock.
"Oh! I'm so sorry your Highness, please forgive me! I didn't mean to startle you! I knocked a few times and got worried" Johanna rushed, noting how the younger woman had jumped in surprise.
Realizing that the sudden interruption was nothing to be scared of, Snow quickly relaxed. "Johanna! No it's quite alright. I didn't hear you, I'm the one who should be sorry." Placing her arm on the shorter woman, she continued, "And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Snow?"
Looking at the woman who she had watched grow up, Johanna chuckled, "It will have to be a few more times I'm afraid."
Hearing a shout from what sounded like the Captain of the Guard, both woman peered down below to see 4 long lines of knights aboard horses begin what looked to be a taking off for battle. Picking up her dress, Snow turned to walk back into her bedroom as Johanna maneuvered to help her.
"I take it James has ordered a fleet to try and find the Queen?" Snow asked, though she already knew the answer. Johanna helped the brunette out of the gown, as she then changed into a comfier, more casual night gown.
Picking up the satin gloves off the floor, Johanna brought them over with a sad smile and a nod. "He knew you wouldn't like it, but he's just being careful. He asked me to make sure you were all right and tell you that he'll be up shortly."
"Oh Johanna, I know he is." Taking a seat at her vanity table, she wasn't all that surprised at David's decision. He was always one to be on the edge of caution. "And you don't have to worry about me. I'm alright, just a little tired. It's been quite a day. I guess it was foolish to think we could get married without a disaster happening." Moving to undo her hair from the fancy up-do, Johanna came up behind her and looked in the mirror, gently swatting her hands away. Grateful for the help, Snow simply smiled at the older woman in the mirror.
"Now, now, it was a lovely ceremony! Don't let what happened make you think otherwise. I've never seen such a happy couple in all my years. Prince James looked very handsome in his attire." Johanna encouraged, trying to lift Snow's spirits.
"He did indeed." Snow replied.
"And you my dear! Well, my goodness, you looked beautiful as well! Of course you've always been beautiful, but today! Oh my, with the dress and these flowers in your hair? You looked absolutely gorgeous my dear. " Johanna continued excitedly, but sincerely as she plucked the last flower from Snow's hair and passed it to her.
Giving a slight chuckle, Snow blushed. "Thank you, Johanna." she said as she got up and gave the motherly woman a warm hug. Picking up the wedding dress, Johanna then wished her goodnight and made her way out of the bedroom.
Sitting back down, Snow realized she was still holding the white flower. Lifting it to her nose, she sniffed the delicate floral scent. Wisteria. She had asked for the entire hall to be filled with them; they were her favourite. They had been ever since she had first seen them back when...
Snow gasped in blinding realization: the flowers. They had been in her hair, and all over the altar. That's what had caught Regina off guard! That's what had caused her demeanor to change, and Snow White knew why. How could she have forgotten?
"Snow? What are you doing out here?" Regina asked as she walked out into the garden having spotted the young girl all by herself.
Jumping from being startled, Snow scrambled around before composing herself as a princess should be. "Oh Regina, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-I just wanted to see these flowers. I've never seen anything like it!"
Smiling at the young girl, Regina walked towards Snow and knelt down in front of her, "You don't have to be sorry Snow, it's alright. I just wanted to make sure you weren't cold out here." Standing back up, Regina looked at the tree that was covered in clusters of white flowers. "They're called Wisteria. My mother planted the tree a long time ago, and every year they seem to bloom whiter and whiter...I'm not exactly sure how." The white had always reminded her of innocence, the innocence of when she had been a young girl.
"Perhaps it's magic." Snow replied with a small smile that Regina returned right back.
"Perhaps it is." Regina chuckled, not putting it past her mother. "They've always been my favourite flower. It's a shame that the tree will have to be cut down."
"Why?" Snow asked, rather startled. The tree seemed healthy and in full bloom.
Regina's eyes began to water. "Mother wants to use the flowers for the wedding..."
"Oh." Snow knew Regina was still pretending to marry her father as she planned her getaway with Daniel. Though she was young, she understood the world enough to know that Regina loved Daniel and not her father, but a part of her still wished things could be different. "When are you and Daniel leaving?"
"Tomorrow night, when everyone is asleep. I can't risk my mother finding us. It's too dangerous. It's the only way we'll be safe." There wasn't a doubt in Regina's mind about what horrible thing her mother would do if they were caught. She loved her mother, she truly did, but she knew Cora Mills would never approve of Daniel, and Regina was not willing to give him up. A single tear escaped and cascaded down her cheek.
Suddenly, Regina felt a little hand slip into hers and give a comforting squeeze.
"Regina?" Snow asked tentatively, not wanting to upset her more.
"Yes, Snow?"
"I think I would have really liked having you as a step-mother."
Gasping softly at the revelation, Regina looked down at the young girl whose brown locks encircled her face and made her green eyes shine impossibly brighter. Though she had only known Snow White for a few days, Regina had to admit she felt a strong connection to the little girl that she couldn't explain. She had been so worried about getting away safely, Regina hadn't realized what her leaving meant for Snow. She was losing a chance at having a mother. She was a wonderful child, and Regina couldn't help but wish that some day when she and Daniel were blessed enough, perhaps they would have a daughter that would grow up to be like Snow.
"And I think I would have really liked having you as a step-daughter." Regina replied as she put her finger under Snow's chin.
Not letting go of Snow's hand, Regina reached up and plucked one of the flower bunches off the tree before kneeling down so brown eyes met green. "Snow, I want you to have this. If you take these seeds from the flowers and plant them, you can grow your own tree at your palace."
Eagerly taking the flowers from the older woman, Snow grinned widely at the idea. "You should take some of them too Regina. That way you can have them when you and Daniel get married!"
Regina laughed lightheartedly, "I don't know when we'll be getting married Snow. We'll have to wait until we get things settled. Maybe by the time your tree blooms, you can use them at your very own wedding." She lightly tapped the girl's nose in a playful manner as Snow White giggled.
"When I do get married, will you come to my wedding? Then you'll get to see just how beautiful the flowers are."
Once again, Regina was shocked by the little girl. Logistically, Regina knew that if she succeeded in running away with Daniel, she would never be able to return, but looking at Snow's innocent eyes, Regina found herself unable to let her down. Though she couldn't be her step-mother, she hoped that Snow would have one to watch her get married some day. Wrapping Snow into a tight hug, Regina felt a few more tears run down her cheeks.
"I'll try my best to be there, I promise."
Pulling out of her long forgotten memory, Snow tried to calm her breathing as she dropped the flower next to the others on the table.
To see the flowers that should have been her own at the wedding where she would have married her true love, now adorning the wedding of the girl responsible for ruining her life, for taking away said true love? It was no wonder Regina had acted strangely! But perhaps the flowers had not reminded her of that fact, but instead the same memory as Snow had just remembered as well. Perhaps for Regina, that memory had reminded her of the last time she had truly been happy.
Regina had said her gift to them was "this happy day". True, Regina had threatened their happiness and love immediately following, but for some reason Snow White now knew the Queen had been sincere. She hadn't imagined it; though Regina's voice had stayed strong and menacing, her eyes had softened in what Snow White now recognized as sincerity. While guests, and perhaps even Charming took Regina's words as nothing more than sarcasm and a threat, Snow understood what the woman had truly meant.
For that one moment, Regina had not been the Evil Queen crashing her nemesis' wedding; for that one moment, Regina was the young girl who had saved her life. She was giving her this one last day to enjoy before Regina would forever leave the girl she had once been behind. Any part of Regina that had ever cared for her would be gone, and tomorrow would be a different day. Perhaps if she hadn't told Cora about Daniel, Regina would have been at her wedding with him-been there as her friend, but it was too late to wonder now. Though it hadn't been in the way Snow had originally hoped for, Regina had kept her promise after all these years: she had shown at her wedding...just in a twisted sort of way.
Grasping one of the flower bunches, the brunette woman decided to accept the Queen's gift. If Regina was willing to give her this day, Snow would take it. One last day to remember those moments when the two of them had genuinely cared for one another before everything had gone to hell.
"Snow, are you alright?" David called as he came through the doors of their bedroom. He was thoroughly exhausted from the day's events. After things had seemingly calmed down, his first order of business (after making sure Snow was looked after) was to strategize with the guards.
"I'm sorry I took so long. Don't worry, I've ordered an extra fleet to guard the castle both inside and out, and tomorrow we will assemble the war council to figure out what to do." he continued as he began to take off his dress armor. Seeing Snow on the balcony, he walked out to join her just as a dove flew away from her finger with something in it's grasp.
"Snow? Wha-"
Placing her finger on his lips, Snow just shook her head. "It's nothing important, don't worry." Wrapping her arms around his waist, she gave him a soft kiss on the lips.
"Alright..." he trailed, deciding there were more important things to attend to, "Well as I said, I've instructed the Captain to ready the troops. We're not going to let her win. We will figh-"
Once again, Charming was cut off with a kiss, but this time it was longer. Confused, he pulled back and opened his mouth to speak.
"Tomorrow." Snow stated simply. "Can we talk about this tomorrow? Let's just...enjoy the day while we can okay? Just today."
Wrapping her hands in his and giving them a kiss, he whispered, "Are you sure that's a good idea? Can we afford to wait? Do you really think she's not planning something right this minute?"
"Just today, Charming. Please," she begged.
Staring into her soft green eyes, David was about to protest when he realized Snow was being sincere. Those eyes. She could always get him to agree to anything with just a look, and both of them knew it. She was his everything, and though he knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself (he had the scar on his chin to prove it), he would never stop wanting to protect her. He would do whatever was in his power to make sure she was always safe and they remained together.
With a deep sigh signaling his defeat in the matter, a smile broke out on the Prince's face. "I guess one day wouldn't hurt. I don't think it's possible for us to have a bigger target on our backs anyway." Wrapping his wife in a hug, Snow leaned her head on his broad shoulder as he leaned his atop hers. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised at how today turned out...things have never been easy with us have they?" He added with a chuckle.
"Not in the slightest." Snow chuckled in return. No, things hadn't been easy for the couple, and she doubted if what lay ahead would be any easier. Snow White had more than enough experience with Regina to know that whatever she was planning, it would be big and life altering for sure...but all that worrying could wait for one day. This one last happy day.
The sudden sound of fluttering wings and cooing broke the Evil Queen out of her thoughts. When the calls didn't stop, she walked out onto the stone balcony, intending to shoo the white bird away when she noticed what was attached to it's leg. Untying the object, Regina noticed a piece of parchment as well and removed it from the dove before it flew off into the night sky. She didn't need to read it to know who it was from, but curiosity got the best of her as she unfolded the small bit of paper and read the words that looked as if they had been written in a rush:
"They're my favourite flower too."
Bringing the white flower bunch to her nose, Regina inhaled the scent that made her imagine she was back in her mother's garden.
"I guess I kept my promise after all. Told you, you'd look beautiful." Regina thought sadly as she crumpled the parchment harshly in one hand, while looking at the flower she held with a contrasting delicateness in the other. "Happy wedding day, Snow White."
I hope you enjoyed reading! These two just make the show so interesting and I really hope that we get to see some more of this sort of angst in episode 2x20 "The Evil Queen". I love seeing how Regina can have so many emotional conflicts going on at one time, just like she does when she is dealing with magic and Henry.
Please, please, please leave a review/comment/suggestion! They mean so much to me and I swear I read every single one and try to reply to them all. Thanks again for reading! Hopefully I will have another oneshot up before the end of the month :)
-onceuponacriminalmind