Almost 30 followers over night?! You guys are awesome :)
I forgot to say couple of things on the previous chapter like the fact that I don't own the OAUT characters. Also, I'm in college, currently in one week pause, but next monday I'll start a new semester and I won't be able to upload as frequent as I'd want to, nevertheless, I'll do my best to keep you entertained!
Hugs, and have a great week! - 6 days till OUAT premier!
M.
Regina's POV
The fact that I had woken up in my room and not in a prison cell and that everyone had been nice to me during breakfast had shocked me. Of course Emma had not being present to eat with us, otherwise they environment had not been as amicable as it had been.
I was also surprised when a guard told me that a horse had been fetched for my morning ride. Apparently those had been the Queen's orders. It has strange addressing to her as Queen, that had been my title, she was in my place. Only the thought of me getting it back someday made my feelings ease.
Everyone around me was behaving like I hadn't threaten to kill the whole royal family during yesterday's dinner. Maybe I hand fallen into a bizarre place where memories were erased during night and mornings were literally a fresh start. Wouldn't that be a nice place to live.
I dressed with proper clothes for horseback riding and walked towards the stables. The morning weather was chilly and kind of wet, I loved it. The smell of a lightly drizzly grass was one of my favorite childhood smells.
When I got to the stables a boy was waiting with a white horse, white as snow. Of all the colors a horse could have, I was given a white one.
"Would you mind to fetch me another horse?" I asked, trying to sound polite.
"This is the fastest one, your majesty," he said.
"I don't just like white stuff." I explained. "Any other horse will do." He nodded and left to bring me another horse too scared to question my wishes. As least somethings didn't change while I wasn't around.
I loved horses, always had and always will. They were such honest and loyal creatures. I'd rather be surrounded by them than by humans. The stables had beautiful horses of different colors and sizes.
A horse's whinny caught my attention.
I turned around to see a brown haired kid trying to place a riding chair on a black pony's back. The pony was being stubborn, not allowing the kid to achieve his goal. The kid was talking to the pony, I could notice he was losing his patience with the animal. After a while he gave up and let the chair fall from his hands.
"You're doing it wrong, kid," I said. He turned to face me. "You have to show them respect,"
"They are just animals," the kid shrugged.
"A horse is not just an animal," I explained as I walked towards him. "They understand much more than any other creature. And they can also express somethings to us."
"Really?" The kid asked with curiosity.
I nodded. "See that horse over there," I pointed a gray horse next to his pony, "See how his ears are splayed out to the sides? it means he's relaxed. That one over there," I pointed at a brown horse, "It has his ears pricked forwards, it means that he's paying attention to what we talk,"
"You know all that from the ears?" A spark of excitement in his voice tone.
I smiled at him. "You can also know stuff from looking into their eyes or noticing the head position, tail, leg movements..."
"That is so cool," he let out.
"Horses are majestic creatures," I when on saying. "But you have to respect and trust them, specially your horse." I added. "The bond between a horse and its owner is very strong."
"Where did you learn all this?" This kid sure was curios.
"My dad taught me all I know about horses," I replied proudly, I had spend very good years with my father. Until I had to rip his heart out for a curse that didn't even work, and living in the result of my failed curse only made me feel worse.
"You are lucky," the kid's voice brought me back to reality. "My dad died when I was a baby, I can't remember much of him."
My heart sinked in my chest. It was a sensation I hadn't feel it in a quite long time; as a matter of fact, it has been so many years ago that I had almost forgotten I could feel it.
"I'm sorry," I said with empathy, "What about your mother?" I asked. "Does she ride?"
He shook his head. "Not after what happened to my dad."
I understood the unspoken message behind that statement, this kid's father had fell from a horse and died. Instinctively I placed my hand on his shoulder "If you want I can show you somethings," I didn't know where that came from, but this kid had touched my heart in ways no one else had managed, not in years. I couldn't bear with his suffering.
"Really?"
I nodded. "Just ask your mother for permission first."
"Like hell I'll let you ride with my son," I heard a voice behind me.
I turned to see no other person than Emma. I could see flames of anger dancing in her eyes. She looked hot when she got angry.
"Henry," She extended a hand, calling him to come over.
"But mom," he started but was abruptly interrupted by Emma.
"I don't want to hear it, kid." She said. "You know I don't want you near horses."
I was sitting on a window sill when I heard Snow's voice "Mother," I made a face of disgust.
"It's been a while since the last time you Mother-ed me," I pointed out and she laughed
"It's been a while since you tried to killed me,"
"That's not true," I turned my head to face her. "I treated you two days ago."
She smiled at me. "You didn't try it, though."
"Because I don't have my magic."
"So, you still hate me?" She asked.
I nodded. "Especially when I see that Eva girl of yours, she looks so alike you."
"Emma told me about your encounter with Henry," Snow changed topics
I stood up from the sill and started walking, she walked next to me. "I wanted to do something nice for him, I didn't know he was your grandson." She nodded. "He's a nice kid," That statement took her by surprise. Snow stared at me with both eyebrows raised. "For being your grandson."
She pursed her lips in a half-smiled, as if she had been expecting a witty comment about it
"What happened to his father? Did he fall for real or did someone, you know, gave him a push?" I asked. She studied my face, I bet she was trying to figure out if I was really interested in Henry or if I just wanted more information about her family. Both of them were correct.
"After you disappeared some of your friends came seeking for revenge, they thought we had banished you." She sighed, I bet Emma would probably kill her mother if she knew that Snow told me these details about her life.
She waited for me to make a facetious comment, but I just stared at her with a unreadable facial expression.
"Maleficent was the most eager to avenge you," she continued. "One day when Charming and John, Emma's late husband, were coming back home, she intercepted them and John fell from the horse."
I stayed in silence for a while. Maleficent had killed Emma's husband and Henry's father to take vengeance for my so-called-exile. At least Maleficent's alliances still laid with me, but how didn't that make me feel better about myself?. Sure I wanted to torture Emma, but I didn't want to make the kid suffer. How could that be even possible? My mind was set on killing Snow and Charming, that would of course affect him. Maybe I could erase his memories. I could even spare Emma's life and erase her memories too.
Stop. What's it's happening to you? You will kill Snow, Charming and all her kids, end of story.
"I don't understand, though." I said after a moment of silence "Why Emma? Why her husband?" I asked. "If she wanted to avenge me she could have killed Charming,"
"But then Charming wouldn't have suffer, this way we saw our daughter to struggle to all kinds of -"
"Besides," I interrupted, I was not really into listening all this rubbish of how Snow's life had been miserable, "Why wait so long to avenge me? Why not do it exactly when I left?"
I had been on the revenge business to know exactly what a fake motive looked like. And killing Emma's husband to avenge me was one of the most fakes excuses I had ever encountered.
"I don't know," The usurper queen admitted. "What I'm telling you was the message Maleficent sent after John's funeral, just after Emma looked though the whole kingdom, searching for her and - " Snow trailed off.
We both realized Snow was sharing too much information about her daughter's personal life, as much as I wanted to push and try to get more information about Emma and the kid; my mission here was to get close to Snow and then kill her, not to know about Emma's love life.
"I still think she had a hidden agenda," I pointed out, why else would Maleficent kill Emma's husband?. I shrugged, not giving more importance to the topic.
The main thing I had discovered with this conversation was that Maleficent was still in these lands and that maybe, maybe, she could help me getting my powers back.
"Just give Emma some time," Snow told me. "She'll come around eventually."
"Not if she's like her father." I stated. It was no secret that Charming would have killed me if Snow allowed him to do so.
Besides, Maleficent had killed her husband to revenge the fact that I was not around anymore; or at least that had been the excuse. I was sure Emma would not come around.
By the third dinner I ate at the castle I was already getting used to the utterly disgustingly perfect family the Charmings were, just as anyone would get used to a fetid smell after a while. Even Ruby, who was a werewolf, looked like a role-model for any little werewolf girl. I had made peace with the fact and my stomach had stopped revolving every time Henry and Charming did something cute or when Eva smiled at me.
I was not getting weaker, I was just becoming immune to their charm.
"So, Henry," Charming addressed to his only grandson. "Did you learn something new today?"
The kid nodded. "Regina taught me about horses." He said excited.
I felt everyone's eyes on me but I didn't stop from cutting my meat into fine pieces and eating them. It was not after the staring became uncomfortable that I addressed the topic. "It was not like I forced him into the stables," I said coldly. Emma darted a sight at me. I raised an eyebrow at looked at her, not saying another word I took a piece of meat to my mouth and chewed it. Our gazes didn't unlock for a while.
The blonde was a fierce fighter, I'll give her that. Much better to mess around than with her pathetic parents for sure.
