9 years later
The wind rushed through her hair and she could feel the rushing tingle of adrenaline as she neared the jump. Without any hesitation, the horse leapt over the fence, gliding through the air and landing smoothly on the other side.
Regina laughed as she slowed down her horse and guided it back, making her way around the fence this time and back toward the stables. There was nothing more the young woman loved more than riding her horse. It made her feel free and powerful, like she could do anything she wanted. She loved her home in the palace, but she often felt bored and trapped, especially since she wasn't allowed into town. She could hardly move around the castle grounds outside without an escort.
However, it would be a mistake to say that she was unhappy. Regina loved living with the royal family. She spent most of her days with the Princess Emma, roaming around the castle and helping her run errands. Whenever Emma left, she spent time with the King and Queen, and Henry was always willing to spend time with her when he could. Regina's life at the castle was peaceful and she was very happy, if not a little sheltered.
Today, Emma kept her company. The princess had no interest in horses, claiming that she preferred an easier way of getting around. What that way was, Regina didn't know.
Emma sat on a bale of hay, reading a small book and looking bored. "How was your ride?" the princess asked from her cozy spot, not looking up from her interesting novel.
"It was wonderful," Regina breathed as she slid smoothly off the saddle.
"Hm…" Emma replied, obviously not paying attention. Regina grinned as she put away her riding gear and smoothed a soft hand over her horse's mane.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Gill," Regina told him with a pat. "Princess Emma, do you want me to leave you to your book? I can walk back to the castle by myself," she offered.
Emma's book shut with a soft 'thud'. "Nice try, kid," she said with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. "You're not getting away from me today. I need your help planning Henry's wedding, remember?"
Regina groaned. Henry's wedding. "But, Emma…"
"No buts! If I have to be miserable, I'm dragging you down with me," Emma said, getting up and throwing an arm around Regina's shoulders. "Let's get marching. We have to try on dresses this afternoon."
Regina groaned again.
"Believe me, I know," Emma said flatly, guiding her younger charge across the grassy field back to the palace.
"But you're a princess, you're used to it," Regina protested. "I'm just your lady-in-waiting, so they almost never shove me into party dresses."
"Not as used to it as you'd think," Emma laughed. "You know, I thought you'd be more excited."
Regina shrugged. She liked Henry's bride-to-be; everyone in the whole kingdom did. She was a kind, sweet girl by the name of Jill. She grew up as a commoner, but she'd known Henry since they were children. Everyone in the White Kingdom absolutely loved their sweet story of True Love.
"I'm excited," Regina replied with very little enthusiasm. Emma smiled down at the younger girl.
She may not know why, but she feels the exact same way as I do about Henry getting married. "I can hear how thrilled you are," Emma said sarcastically, shaking away thoughts of the Regina of the past.
Every day, though, Regina began to look more and more like the woman who had once terrorized the kingdom—the woman who'd possessed a cold, hard, black heart. But Emma knew better; this Regina, the Regina who'd been born anew, was completely different. She was kind and sweet and even funny. Sometimes, hints of the old Regina were visible—when she was angry, she looked just like she used to when she lived in Storybrooke, making everyone's lives hell.
Now, Regina's happiness seemed inexplicably tied to Henry's—when he was sad, she was miserable, and when he was happy, she was full of joy.
"Emma?"
"Yeah?"
"You're staring… again," Regina said slowly, an amused quirk on her lips. Emma laughed a little and continued onward toward the palace.
"Sorry, kid. You're just growing up fast, I guess."
Regina laughed and kept pace with the princess. Emma seemed to stare into space a lot these days, but she supposed that it was only because her only son was getting married and she just couldn't believe how fast he was growing.
To be honest, it didn't amaze Regina at all. Henry had always seemed so big to her, larger than life. He was like an older brother to her, really. She just hoped that he'd be happy with Jill.
"Mom! Regina!" a voice called, and the two women looked to their left to see Henry and another young man riding toward them on horses.
"Oh, there he is," Emma said, waving her arm at Henry. It took almost no time for the large steeds to meet them.
Henry gave them both a large smile, and the other young man greeted them with a polite nod of his head. "Hey guys! Did you just finish riding, too?"
"Regina rode," Emma said with a nod toward the younger girl.
"Wanna ride back to the castle?"
"Um, I think we're good, Henry," Emma replied, eyeing the horse with a frown.
"Oh, come on, Mom. Don't be a wimp. You can ride with me and Regina can ride with Jack."
"Oh, this is Jack? Jill's brother?" Emma asked, her lip curving upward into a smirk. "Jack and Jill. Huh."
"Yes, m'lady," Jack said from way up on his horse. "It's an honor to meet you officially, Princess," he said, his voice deep and smooth. Regina looked up to study his handsome face. His hair was jet black and his eyes were as blue as the ocean. His cheekbones looked like they were cut from marble, and his muscles were strong from what she assumed were years of hard work.
Emma rolled her eyes at the formality, like she almost always did. "Fine, we'll hitch a ride with you two. Just don't… jostle me around too much, alright, kid?"
"Sure thing, Mom," Henry said, holding his hand out to help Emma up into the saddle behind him. "You don't mind, do you, Jack?"
Jack studied Regina for a second. "No, I don't mind at all. My lady?" He held his own hand out to her and she pulled herself effortlessly behind him on the horse.
"Hey, Jack, let's race!" Henry said suddenly.
"Henry, don't you dare!" Emma said, gripping tightly to Henry's coat.
"Last one to the castle is a rotten egg!" he cried before racing off toward the castle with a shrieking Emma in tow.
Jack looked very annoyed for a moment, but he regained his polite indifference before turning to address her, "I guess we'll be racing, so you'll want to hold on tight," he said with a smile.
With a little bit of awkwardness, she wrapped her arms around his torso before he kicked his horse into gear to take off. They rode fast, but not faster than Regina was already used to. His soft hair tickled her face a little and she felt herself grinning.
Maybe having Jack and Jill around the palace wouldn't be so bad, after all.
"Oh, Emma!" Snow White exclaimed at the sight of her ruffled daughter. "What happened to you?"
Emma's hair was wild, her clothes were rumpled and her face looked far from pleased. "Henry happened."
Regina stifled a giggle and the queen grinned. "Well, whatever it was, we need to get you fitted for your dresses. Oh, Regina," Snow gasped suddenly, facing the young girl. "This is going to be your first ballroom gown, isn't it? How special," she exclaimed, clasping her hands together.
"Yeah, I guess it is," Regina said with a shrug. The queen looked deflated.
"Why can't one of the girls around here be excited about this kind of stuff?" she huffed, looking pointedly at Emma. The princess followed Regina's example and shrugged. "Well, it doesn't matter," Snow sighed. "Jill is the bride, after all. "She says that she doesn't care what colors you wear, but the wedding colors are peach and teal so I suggest you choose something along those lines," she said, her words coming out in an excited rush.
Emma raised an eyebrow. "Mary Margaret. Chill. It's just a wedding."
"Well, it's the only one I get to plan, so I'm just a little excited," Snow said with a sigh. "When you get married, my dear Emma, I'll be just as frazzled."
The princess rolled her eyes. "Let's just get fitted for these dresses and get outta here."
Finally, the fitting was over and Regina was able to wander the palace halls by herself. She made her way toward the ballroom, curious to see what progress the servants had made in their preperations. With the wedding in only one week, the castle had been in an uproar—servants were working overtime to ensure that the already pristine palace was spotless.
Henry was well-loved, and Jill was practically an angel, so people from different countries were coming from all over to watch the couple wed. Flowers and gifts were being sent and songs were being written about the prince and his bride.
Everything these days seemed to have a rosy shine around them. The air was sweeter, the people seemed happier. Regina even overheard people around the castle say that they were entering a new era, an era of peace and happiness.
Regina finally made it to the ballroom, and she stood in awe of the shining, brilliant room. She rarely had the opportunity to see it before a party, since she'd never been allowed to go until now. The large room was spotless, the floors were shining and the lights were softly glowing. She imagined how it would looked decked out in the wedding colors, how everyone would look wonderful dancing on the floor.
She wondered if maybe she, too, would have someone to dance with. She was at the age where most young women began to think of those things, after all.
"Hey, Regina." She jumped at the voice and looked around to see Henry standing behind her.
"Oh, hi, Henry," she breathed. He stood beside her and admired the room along with her.
He took a breath. "I can't believe this is how I'm getting married. It's such a big deal," he said, gazing off into the other corner of the room.
"Are you excited?" she asked, looking up at the man who was, for all intents and purposes, an older brother to her.
"I am," he said, looking down at her with a smile. "Jill is great. I just can't believe that this is turning out to be such a big deal."
"Well, you are going to be king eventually, so people are going to be exited." She swelled with pride at the thought of Henry becoming King.
"Yeah, I guess," he said with a slight frown. "So how's Mom?"
"Not happy, after that race," Regina said with a grin. "I think she's okay."
"Good," he said with a smile. "How did you like Jack?"
She felt her face flush. "Oh, he was okay," she said. "He didn't talk very much."
"Oh, that's odd," Henry said. He shrugged. "Did you get fitted for your dress?"
"Yes, I did."
"Did you see Jill in her wedding dress? What did it look like?" he asked, eyes shining with curiosity. She shook her head.
"No, I haven't seen her all day. I'd ask Emma, though; I think they get along pretty well." In truth, Regina had a feeling that Jill didn't like her very much. Then again… it seemed that she was largely ignored by most people that associated with the royal family. She chalked it up to being a lowly lady-in-waiting.
"Alright, I'll do that," Henry said. "I've got to go and see Gramps, he's gonna teach me some dance moves."
"Okay, I'll see you later, Henry!"
He left her in the ballroom, and she stood, thinking for a moment. Speaking of dance moves… did she even know how to dance? She turned around to follow the young prince, "Henry, wait!"
The next morning, the sun was shining bright in the sky. The birds sang and the woodland animals chattered away happily, as if even they were excited for the happy days to come.
But what's this? A storm cloud in the royal ballroom?
Regina stood just a few feet from Jack, who was staring at her with an intelligent, appraising eye. She shifted nervously under his gaze, thinking about the 'coincidence' that Jack happened to be the only one in the whole castle who had the time to teach her how to dance. And of course, Henry had told them that he wouldn't be able to join them... leaving them alone together.
She smelled a conspiracy.
"I can see from your posture alone that you're not used to dancing," Jack said with a frown.
"I haven't ever really needed to dance," she said nervously, unable to stop her cheeks from flushing when he was looking at her so carefully.
"Alright," he sighed, stepping toward her, "let's start with the basics. Stand up straight, but not rigid. I'll take you by the waist, like so," his right hand gently rested on her hip. "Now, you rest your hand right there on my arm. Now, I'll hold your hand, like this…" Soon enough, she was standing closer to a boy than she'd ever been in her whole life, and she was sure her heart was beating loud enough for him to hear.
He continued instructing her, and he proved to be a very good teacher. By the end of the hour, she was able to follow him in a basic waltz without tripping over her own feet. Even he seemed pleased with her progress.
"Alright, I think that's enough for today. You're a quick learner, my lady."
"Oh, can we just do the last move one more time?" she asked quickly, not wanting her lesson to end. "I… I think I just need to try it one more time, and I'll remember it for sure."
"Of course," he replied, impressing her with his unfailing courtesy. He stepped toward her one last time and took her hand. "What part was it you were having trouble with?"
"Oh, um, just the basic steps," she lied, feeling like she was about to float away from the ground. "And you can call me Regina."
"Pardon me?" he asked.
"You keep calling me, 'my lady'. You can call me Regina," she felt her cheeks grow hot again. "I mean, only if you want to…"
He stopped mid-step, a strange look on his face. "I, uh, I think I forgot something I had to do for my sister," he said quickly, releasing her hand and stepping away from her. "We can meet here again tomorrow, same time. Is that alright with you, my lady?" She blinked, feeling her heart sink into her stomach. Had she done something wrong? "I mean, Regina," he said, giving her a crooked smile. "Sorry, it really is important. Jill has a lot to worry about, since it's only four days to the wedding."
"Oh, okay," Regina replied, relieved. He was so kind, helping out his sister on the week of her wedding. Who was she to keep him from doing that? "I'll see you tomorrow, Jack."
He gave her a short wave and raced out of the ballroom, leaving her with a sigh on her lips and a smile on her face.
"Such a strapping lad, wouldn't you agree?"
Regina felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight up. It was impossible for another person to be in the ballroom with her. She turned around slowly, knowing deep in her gut who was behind her.
It was the man that she'd seen all those years ago, the man who she'd thought was a figment of her imagination—a child's dream.
The fairy godmother.
"Ah yes, the young Regina finds love," he sighed, his skin glittering gold in the light of the room. He was just as she remembered.
"Y-you," she exclaimed, stumbling back. "Rumpled—Rumblestrip…"
"Rumplestiltskin," he said, crossing his arms. "Of course, I can't blame you for forgetting. It's been years… and my, how you've grown."
She crossed her arms, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze. She wondered if there was anyone near the ballroom that could save her if she was in real danger. "You… I thought you were a dream," she said suspiciously, trying to seem braver than she felt.
"Not a dream, dearie!" he replied with a grin. "I'm in town for a wedding, and I thought I'd check up on my very favorite queen-lady-in-waiting."
"I'm not a queen," she said, eyeing him mistrustfully.
"If you say so," he replied.
"You're here for the wedding? Henry's wedding?"
"Why, of course! Who else is getting married?"
"You know Henry?"
"You have no idea," he said with a dark grin. "You could almost say that he's like family to me."
She had nothing to say to that. "I have to get going," she said slowly. "I guess… I'll see you at the wedding."
"Oh, you will," he said, rubbing his hands together. "But first, dearie… why don't you make a wish? I am your fairy godmother, after all. And you never did make that wish all those years ago. You wanted to go to the ball back then, and now you wish…"
"I don't wish anything," she said quickly, getting a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"You wish you knew how to dance, don't you?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows. "Or… wait, no. You have the gallant Jack to teach you that. I know! You wish that Jack would love you, don't you?"
Her eyes went wide. "I do not wish that!"
"Oh, yes you doooo!" he sang. "I can do that for you. Granted, it won't be real love. But he'll think he's in love, and that's good enough, isn't it?"
"No!" she cried, turning around to storm out of the room.
"Ah, I see," he said, the tone of his voice stopping her in her tracks. "It used to be good enough, but people change, don't they, your highness?"
She turned around to ask him what he meant by that, but he had completely disappeared.
"Rumplestiltskin?" she asked, and her voice echoed throughout the empty room.
A/N:
Alright, one more chapter churned out for you all! I think that now would be a good time to start taking a poll. This story is all about Regina getting her chance at being a hero, which also might mean that true love is in the cards! I have a few ideas for a pairing, but nothing solid yet. All of the regulars on the show are a little too old for her at this point, and to be honest I'm not feeling a Regina/Rumple pairing.
Does anyone have any ideas or preferences? I'm thinking I'll probably just take a character out of a fairytale that hasn't been covered yet. Review or PM if you have any suggestions!
-Deena