The soft rapping on the door pulled Regina from a fitful sleep, and she woke with a start, momentarily panicked as to why she found herself in such an unfamiliar place. "Enter," she called out as her breathing returned to normal. She must appear calm and collected in front of her visitor, especially if it was her mother, although she highly doubter her mother would bother to knock before entering.

Her suspicions were proved correct; it wasn't Cora that entered her chambers but a young servant girl carrying a shining blue gown. The girl quickly gave a curtsy and kept her eyes trained on the floor; stories of the Evil Queen must have already spread throughout Cora's castle. "M…my lady, her majesty has requested you join her for court today." Regina frowned momentarily at being called lady, not a title meant for someone of her stature, but then remembered that in this castle her royal status dangled precariously. She noticed the girl begin to quiver when she saw Regina's frown. Perhaps it would be in her best interest to ease the servant's fears – an ally in this palace could prove convenient later.

"Of course, thank you, dear," she offered giving one of her most dazzling smiles as she rose from the bed. The girl immediately returned her smile and visibly relaxed. "Help me to dress?" Regina decided to phrase it as a question so as to seem friendlier and less demanding.

"Yes, my lady," the girl replied, all trace of a stutter gone as she retrieved Regina's underclothes from her closet and began to lace the corset around Regina's form.

"What is your name, my dear?"

"Kara."

"Ah, that name means 'friend' in the Northern kingdom, does it not?"

"Yes, my lady," Kara replied shyly as she pulled the blue silky dress over Regina's outstretched arms. It did not escape Regina's notice that the dress was the exact same shade as the one she had worn when Leopold proposed, and she had no doubt her mother had chosen it to remind her of her place.

"Well, Kara, I hope that in my time here we can become friends," Regina replied sweetly. She hoped her voice sounded friendly but not overly saccharine. She didn't want the girl to become suspicious of her. That wouldn't do if she was to get any information out of her.

"Yes my lady, of course, I hope so as well." Kara raised her eyes to meet Regina's for the first time she had entered her presence, and while normally Regina would reprimand a servant for being so bold she took this as a sign of trust.

The two were interrupted by another knock at the chamber door, and one of Cora's guards called from the corridor, "Lady Regina, the Queen has requested your presence in her private dining room prior to court."

"Yes of course, one moment," Regina replied as she gazed at herself in the mirror. Kara had begun to gather up her nightclothes and tidy the room, leaving Regina to gather up her thoughts. As she gazed at her reflection she realized she looked more like her young self without the dark clothing and heavy makeup. The realization made her feel vulnerable, naked even. She had clothed her doubts and self-loathing underneath a thick coat of black, but with all that stripped away was she still the powerful Queen or simply a heartbroken child playing with magic?

Regina shook her head to clear her thoughts and exited her chambers quickly to follow the guard. She knew how her mother hated to be kept waiting.

Regina couldn't help but be somewhat repulsed by the gaudy decorations her mother had chosen to decorate her palace. Whereas Regina's palace was coated in black, instilling fear in all who entered it, Cora's castle was brightly colored and decorated. Insignias of hearts appeared to be omnipresent and ornate gold trim adorned practically every surface. At least Regina's castle provided honesty, even if it was a dark truth.

The guard leading Regina came to a halt in front of a pair of double mahogany doors. Regina straightened her back and lifted her chin confidently as she rapped her knuckles on the wooden entryway.

.

"Enter." Cora's voice resounded clearly through the barrier, and Regina took in a deep breath and with a final composure pushed the door aside and stepped into her mother's chambers. Like the rest of the castle Cora's outer chambers were decorated with various shades of pink and red. Ornately woven tapestries hung from the walls, each decorated with different scenes Regina tried to make out. In one she spotted a woman who looked very much like her mother wandering through an expanse of woods. In another she recognized the exotic plant life of Wonderland and the strange creatures that inhabited it including caterpillars the size of bears and a strangely colored cat with a psychotic smile.

Cora sat at a large table in the center of the room. Large smooth pillars stood as guards around her, reminding Regina of the pillars that decorated her childhood home. Cora was busily scratching a pen across a large role of parchment and didn't glance up at Regina until she had completed her letter, rolled up the parchment, and sealed it with a stamp of red wax – in the shape of a heart, of course.

"Good morning, my dear, I trust you slept well?" Cora greeted her with a coy smile. She undoubtedly knew of the nightmares that had haunted Regina's sleep.

"Yes Mother, thank you for your concern," Regina replied evenly, boldly meeting Cora's eyes. Don't back down. Don't let her win. You may be captured by her but you are not owned by her. Regina told herself.

"Wonderful," Cora replied dryly, clearly perturbed by Regina's continued show of defiance. "Come. Sit."

Regina obeyed, moving to sit directly across from her mother and folding her hands neatly in her lap. She still carried herself with grace, a lesson Cora had painfully taught her as a child. Back straight. Hands folded. Chin up.

"Regina, my dear, you must be curious as to why I have brought you here." Cora began while reaching for the gilded teapot that rested in the center of the table and pouring a cup for her daughter.

Oh just for some mild torture and revenge. Regina thought sarcastically but bit her lip before the words came tumbling out. Instead she graciously accepted the matching gold teacup from her mother and took a small sip before replying. "Your reasons are unimportant to me, Mother. I am simply gratefully that you have allowed me back into your good graces, and I am most eager to serve you."

"Naturally." Cora replied, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "But my hope, Regina, is that you will pledge yourself and your magic to my service. As you may know, my kingdom here is threatened by the power of the White Queen. My magic has been suitable to keep her forces at bay, but her kingdom is an annoyance I wish to rid myself of. With our combined power, it is unequivocal that we would destroy her."

"So you would give me back the use of my magic, mother?" Regina asked eagerly. Too eagerly, she realized only a moment later when Cora's face flushed with anger and she moved to Regina's side, yanking her to her feet. "Mother, please! I only meant…" she protested in vain. But it was too late.

"I now see I was foolish to believe you acted with honesty. You only wish to regain your magic and finally finish the task of killing me!"

"No mother!" Regina cried out desperately. She must find a way to appease Cora or else find herself once again in the dungeon's depth. "Please!" Regina fell to her knees and reached upward to grasp her mother's hands. "I'll be good," she finally whispered. "Mother please, I'll be good."

Cora was unable to conceal her smirk at Regina's wanton desperation. But it was essential she teach her daughter her place, and obviously a few nights in the dungeon and sporadic promises of affection were not effective. "It is obvious that I can no longer trust you," the Queen stated, ignoring her daughter's whimper of protest. "You will be allowed to remain in my castle, with the status of a servant. You will hence address me with the appropriate respect. There will be duties expected of you, and if you carry them out to my satisfaction I may consider allowing you back into my favor. Understood?"

"Yes, Mother."

"Good. Do not disappoint me again, Regina. I rarely give second chances."

Cora frantically gripped at the frame of the mirror. She could see her daughter, her Regina, standing before her, her face clouded with disbelief. Cora reached forward to pull herself back through, but her strength gave out and she fell backwards into the mirror's cool grip.

Like she was swimming. That's what the journey through the mirror felt like. Cora felt panic begin to grip her throat as her lungs began to burn from lack of oxygen. She pumped her arms and feet, trying desperately to reach the surface of this strange, thick river. Just as soon as black began to invade the corners of her vision, Cora felt hard surface beneath her feet.

She gasped, hunching forward on her knees and gripping at the grass she knelt on. Still gasping, she fell onto her sides and curled herself into a ball, feeling tears pouring down her face. Tears from being denied oxygen of course. She would not cry over her daughter. Such a betrayal called for anger, not tears.

"Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear." Cora sat up and looked around curiously attempting to find the source of the nervous pattering.

"Hello?" she called out. "Hello, who's there?"

"Oh dear, oh dear. Late. I am dreadfully late. Late for a very important date." A white rabbit leapt from behind a nearby tree and ran past Cora into a dark forest. The rabbit, it appeared, was wearing a suit and tie and carrying a pocket watch. What kind of place was this?

"Stop," Cora cried out in the most demanding voice she could muster, her lungs were still quite sore from her fall through the mirror. "Wait. Where am I?"

Quickly, Cora rose to her feet and chased after the rabbit. She followed it through the forest, occasionally catching a glimpse of its tail or hearing its cries "Late, oh so dreadfully late." But eventually, Cora found herself lost in a strange forest, in the middle of the night.

She managed to fight her way through the thick tree branches, tearing her dress and cutting her arms in more than a few places, until she stumbled onto a pathway. Following the path, she soon arrived at a fork in the road.

Glancing into one of the branches, Cora noticed a Chesire cat perched in the tree. "What road do I take?" Cora inquired, feeling utterly ridiculous addressing an animal, but after all if rabbits spoke in this God forsaken land why wouldn't cats?

"Where do you want to go?" the cat responded, its lips spreading wide to reveal a glowing smile.

Cora considered before she spoke, "somewhere I can be powerful," she finally responded.

"Well then," the cat responded with a knowing look, "it doesn't really matter, does it? From what I know of you, any road will get you there." And then the cat began to fade into the darkness, leaving only its smile behind until that too disappeared.

What the hell was this place? Cora thought incredulously. Oh, she would make her daughter pay for this. She had been so close to power she could taste and now she had to start at the bottom of the ladder once again. But no matter, she had risen to power before, this would be no different.

"I won't stop," she promised herself. "I won't stop until they are on their knees."