Sardonic Break: Chapter VII


Both Queens stood as regal as ever with Elizabeth between them. Weary they were with the seemingly endless war. It wrecked havoc on more than just their people and lands. It wrecked havoc on their souls.

Snow raised her chin defiantly with a severe glare on her normal cherubic face.

"You have no idea what you have done Regina. You have ruined everything! Just as you have always done!"

The words broke Regina from her internal stirrings and the gumption seemed to leave her almost instantly. She appeared defeated and rather small. Those words were uttered by her mother constantly as she grew. Her mindset was so far away from the present battle as she began drowning in torturous memories.

The abrupt change in demeanor did not go unnoticed by Snow nor Elizabeth. Snow could not help the malicious smile that etched its way onto her lips. She could not believe her words had changed the ever-present sneer on THE Evil Queen's face.

"Please do enlighten me on why the WHITE Queen is enjoying belittling."

Snow's focus snapped to her Knight, the look she pierced her with was one of almost repressed hatred.

Lightening flashed and thunder rumbled in the distance. Snow could not tell if it was from magic or if the weather was just changing course. There was something drastically off about this whole meeting, this whole endeavor. Though, what it was, she could not put her finger on.

"Elizabeth, you do not understand. You have no idea what all she has done. Her title is rightly given. Evil. She deserves nothing even remotely resembling niceties or kindness, ever."

The Knight could not avoid the protective stance she had taken in front of Regina the longer that Snow babbled. Her patience was wearing very thin, however she needed answers.

"If Evil deserves nothing good, if that is truly the belief of which you stand by, then how was I different? Surely you must realize the hypocrisy of that which you speak?"

"Cora…"

Regina's glare at the mention of her mother nearly stopped Snow's heart. The air displaced around them and grew colder. Snow shivered but continued on, regardless of the warning clearly aforementioned silently.

"Cora bound you, blood and soul to serve Evil. Surely that was not of your own choosing? If anything, you should be grateful. I saved you from damnation."

Elizabeth could not believe what she was hearing. The White Queen, Snow White, the one whom she had served for many moons now, was completely foreign to her. Almost painfully so.

"That may be your justification to yourself, but you knew nothing of that previous life. Absolutely nothing. I am tainted, just as much, if not moreso, that Regina. And yet you stand here claiming inviolable damnation for her, but you 'saved' me? Forgive me, but you gave the order for every Dark Solider to be slain, even her mother. Pray tell why was I so different?"

Elizabeth chanced a glance at Regina, seeing Snow struggle with processing the information given. In all the years that she had known Regina, she had never known her to be this silent. The Dark Queen met the questioning eyes of Elizabeth and merely shrugged. She too wanted to know the answers to what she had asked. Curiosity outweighed every emotion on the ever stoic face. Regina wanted to know why she had been fighting all this time, especially now that it was hypocrisy that led Snow White.