Chapter 3

19 Years Later

If there was only one thing Regina found comforting in this world, it was that today was the day Snow White and Prince Charming would be thrown into the same despair she was. She had been planning this day since she had returned from the Silver Castle and, if everything went according to plan as she knew it would, the two lovebirds would never be able to forgive themselves.

As she was beginning to run her brush through her long, black hair, a knock came at her door. It opened quietly and slid shut behind the guest.

"Your Majesty," said the man in a thick accent. His beard was cleanly trimmed and his black armor fit nicely around his body showing off many of his assets.

"Yes?" the Queen asked coyly. She turned to look at him and ran her eyes over his torso. The Huntsman was also her Captain of the Guard and often gave her reports in the morning hours to prepare her for court.

"I have canceled all meetings for the day as you requested," he said. He approached her and handed a few rolls of parchment to the Queen. "According to the report, our coffers are practically overflowing."

Regina unrolled the parchment and quickly ran her eyes over the figures and nodded slightly. Everything was in order just as it had been since she had taken the throne.

"The guest bedroom has been readied as you requested," he added.

"And the dungeon?"

"That as well."

Regina smiled to herself and dismissed the captain. As she turned back to the mirror, she looked at her face and sent a sarcastic "thank you" to her mother. After she had wed the horrible king, her mother cast a terribly painful spell upon her to keep her from aging. There were no wrinkles or silver hairs. And, while the memory of the feeling of millions of magical knives doused in fire still made her cringe, she could not help but accept all the good the spell had done her. It certainly made politics much easier.

Her thoughts strayed to the "Charming" family and how she had watched all of them age. Silver was forming at James's temples and Snow had small crow's feet around her eyes. But, even with their years beginning to show, she still noted they were attractive. Something that had, thankfully, been passed on to their daughter.

Emma had been in her dreams often lately, though she had never met her. Regina had watched her grow, be sheltered so much the Queen felt sorry for her, and begin to rebel. Neither Snow or James had allows Emma to learn swordplay, how to ride a horse, or even sit in the court while it was being held. While most children were allowed to wander the woods or roam the village, Emma was forced to sit in her room and learn music and politics. When princes from the other realms came to meet the princess, her parents would send them away as quickly as they came.

It was a shame, in Regina's mind, that so few had laid eyes on Emma for she was a sight to behold. In her early years, she was gangly and almost awkward. But soon, she began to fill out, gaining curves in all the right places. Her green eyes became darker and her golden hair was halfway down her back. Unfortunately, Snow insisted in having her wear loose clothing as to not attract as much attention as she would normally on the rare occasions she was allowed out.

Regina saw Emma become more stubborn as time went on, sneaking out at night to roam the village and standing up to her parents. On one occasion when Emma had been out about the town, she ventured too close to the local tavern. As one man threw her into the alley, another snickered and watched. The princess swiftly brought her fist up to the man's nose and ran off. Since then, she had not had any trouble.

"Thinking about the young princess again?" said a voice. Regina's eyes snapped back into focus to see a blue face swirling in mist in front of her. She raised an eyebrow and leaned forward.

"What I am thinking about is of no concern to you," she said in a low voice. She leaned back in her chair and studied him for a moment before continuing. "Have the festivities begun?"

"Oh, yes! There's a huge feast being held in her honor and nearly everyone is in attendance. Cinderella, Aurora, Alice, even Ja-"

"I did not ask for a guest list. Where is Emma?"

The mirror's face fell as if he were disappointed that he could not continue with his report of the party. "Locked in her room and guarded by two knights."

"Show me."

The mirror faded to black and showed a large room gilded in gold and white. Near the window was Emma, her hair falling around her shoulders and waving softly in the wind. She turned towards the mirror and Regina could see the slight downturn of her lips which made the Queen smirk.

"I must say, it is rather strange that they are celebrating on such a day," the mirror said.

"They think they have won already," the Queen said. "When will they get her to be presented?"

"In a few hours. Her maids haven't even come in to put her in her dress."

Regina stood quickly and walked out the door. This would be far easier than she could have ever hoped for. She could hear the mirror asking her what she was doing, but she ignored him as she did most of the time.

When she came to the door at the end of the hall, she opened it briskly and stepped inside. She turned toward a mirror which had been enchanted so none could watch her, and began concentrating on changing her appearance. There were sharp pains as her nose became longer and her face wrinkled. She felt her back begin to arch and hair turn to small tufts of white. When her transformation was complete, she magically changed into a loose-fitting black robe. She walked toward a table and conjured a small, apple pastry which she placed on a circular, silver tray. With a smile, she disappeared in a cloud of black mist.

A/N: Gah! I'm so sorry I haven't updated! I just started back to college so I've been trying to not fail any of my classes already but I do have a plan! I will try as hard as I can to update on both Sunday's and Saturday's. I hope that's agreeable! I hope everyone enjoyed this and remember to review. I love reading all of them; it's a total confidence boost.