hi :) i was feeling inspired for this one, so happy sunday! please review and let me know what you think. also, i'm convinced some of you can read my mind ;) xxx ps, this is angsty as hell xxx
David stared out into the dark cover of night as he stood on the castle steps where the guards had escorted him out. Regina had disappeared from underneath him as quickly as she had appeared that night, leaving nothing but purple smoke between him and the warm spot on the bed where she'd just writhed. He'd been caught off guard at first by her sudden sadness and the removal of the magic that kept him confined within the castle grounds, but soon came to his senses and attempted to follow her.
He'd rolled out of his bed and threw on his pants, not taking time to bother with a shirt before he bolted from his room and down the corridor to her own, "Regina!" He pounded on her bed chamber door a few solid times, thought it never opened, "Regina, just talk to me!" He yelled through the solid oak. No response. A few more pounds of his fist. Nothing.
He refused to relent, resting his forehead against the door and pounding his fist every couple of minutes. What had come over her? For a month now they'd been sleeping in the same bed every night. Waking up in each other's arms arms every morning. Sharing meals together every day. Now she'd suddenly released him and he wasn't prepared for it.
The incessant pounding on her door brought guards marching down the corridor towards him. They grabbed his arms as he began to try and fight them off, but he was outnumbered, "Regina!"
"Come on, prisoner," One guard said in a gruff voice as he and the other one began to drag a kicking and struggling David down the corridor, "You're to leave. Queen's orders."
Queen's orders. Regina had instructed them to physically remove him from her home. His stomach had turned and he stopped struggling with the knowledge, allowing them to drag him down the main staircase. When they shoved him out of the front doors, freshly folded clothing, shoes, a satchel and his sword were awaiting him. He could only stand and stare at the items in shock for a few moments as he processed what had happened.
He should feel relieved. He was free to go find his fiance and free her of the curse she was under. He was no longer a prisoner to the Queen and could move on with his life. Strangely, none of it seemed to matter to him as much as the fact that he may never seen Regina again. His future didn't seem as appealing if it didn't include her. It wasn't how he should feel, but his heart ached nonetheless.
David had managed to dress fully and put on his boots, tying his sword sheath around his hips for travel. He kept wondering what had prompted the Queen to send him away so suddenly. What had changed between them? Had she meant what she said when she told him he was just a play thing? It didn't feel that way when she came to him and apologized to him tonight. When she gave herself to him so fully with her body.
Perhaps it had all been a mind game she'd played on him. He tried every logical explanation to make it right in his mind but nothing seemed to work. All he knew was that his feelings for her ran deep and she'd just discarded him like he was nothing to her. How was he supposed to go back to his life before? After he'd gotten to know this woman and everything that made her who she was. After she'd let him in like he was sure she hadn't let anyone else. After he'd shared a connection with her that he hadn't felt before.
He let out a deep breath at the ache in his chest with each reluctant step he took down the castle steps. The feeling of someone watching him caused him to stop and turn slowly, looking up towards Regina's tower. She stood in one of the bay windows, too far away to see anything but her silhouette...but he knew her shape. He knew that body, knew her form better than she did. His gut twisted as he made it a point to stand stoically as he gazed up in her direction.
His jaw clenched as he silently willed her to come to him and bring him back in. To tell him she didn't mean it and wanted him to stay. Her silhouette remained still in the window of her tower for a few moments before she turned and walked away from it. Away from him. Bitterness deflated his heart when she turned her back on him, causing him to swallow hard at the knot that formed in his throat.
Just like that, the Queen that had blown into his life and stirred feelings within him he'd not yet felt was gone as quickly as she came. He knew her history with heartbreak. He knew she'd had love taken from her. He knew the horror and abuse she'd suffered at the hands of the king. He knew what life had dealt her and he refused to be another person that forced their own agenda on her life. He respected her...and her wishes. With that, he turned to leave the Queen's castle as reluctantly as he came.
Two Weeks Later
Regina sat up with a gasp in the middle of her bed, tears welling instantly in her eyes as she clutched her chest. She'd cried herself to sleep as she usually did, but the pain that gripped her could not be ignored by sleep, nor what it meant. A sob escaped her lips at the realization that David had found Snow. When he kissed her, Regina felt physical pain pierce through her heart like betrayal.
How had she ever been so foolish as to let him under her skin? Life had shown her that love was pain and weakness. She'd acted like such a fool, allowing herself to believe that he had been genuine. That anyone could love the monster she'd become. Like she deserved love after the crimes she'd committed. She was nothing. She belonged to no one and no one belonged to her. And she only had herself to blame.
She fell back into her pillows, staring up at the ceiling as tears spilled from the corners of her eyes and the coldness crept back into her heart. He was gone from her for good and she would never allow herself to let someone see her so vulnerable again. He'd gained the upper hand by simply being kind to her, by lying to her and saying she was beautiful and deserving. Her stomach rolled with the humiliation of how easy she'd been for him to play as he wormed his way into her trust with pillow talk and a gentle touch.
Sleep overcame her once more, emotional exhaustion tiring her physically as well. Tears dried on her cheeks and her eyes swelled slightly from crying. She slept for hours that turned into days. Each time she would wake she had no motivation to leave her bed. She shut down her bodily functions with magic, numbing her hunger so that she would not have to be seen by her staff. She simply stay curled in the middle of her cold bed, holding herself and waiting for the pain to end.
"Your Majesty," Graham's voice brought her from her sleepy haze, his hand on her shoulder trying to shake her awake. The urgent look in his eyes made her blink her own to get a clear vision of him, brows drawing down when she sensed his panic.
"What do you want?" She grit out, voice hoarse from not being used, "How did you even get in here?!"
"That's not important," He muttered, kneeling down beside of the bed, "We just got word from the nearby villages. The Princess' shepherd could not wake her with his kiss. The people are blaming you, saying you killed her. They're organizing a rebellion against the kingdom."
"So?" She ground out bitterly though she felt vindicated in the fact that her sleeping potion seemed to be a bit more potent than she'd intended. Good, Snow deserved to die. Her mind was still cloudy from sleep and she did not care what was going to happen. "What are a few idiotic peasants going to do to me?"
"It's not just a few, Regina," His voice was firm and he pulled her into a sitting position, "It's multiple villages, hundreds of angry people who have lost loved ones because of you. They're coming to kill you."
"I will never die at their hands," She pushed her hand against his chest, throwing him backwards with her magic for putting his hands on her in such a fashion, "Now get out!"
"David? David is that you?" His mother dropped the basket of garden vegetables she carried to open her arms as he strode towards them. He pulled her into a bear hug, tears welling in his own eyes at how much he'd missed her. It'd been ages since he'd been here and the farm was overgrown, yet the rest remained the same, especially her.
"Mother," He whispered into her hair, kissing the side of her head before pulling back to see her face.
She cupped his instantly with a watery smile, "My god, I can't believe it's you. Are you hurt? What has been done to you?!"
"I'm fine," He gave her a weak smile, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as he led her towards the small home that was just as he remembered. "I've been at the Queen's castle. I was traded as a prisoner between George and the Queen."
"So it was true," Ruth's brows furrowed as they sat down at the crude kitchen table, reaching out to clasp his hands with her own, "My poor boy. I've felt so helpless through this all. I heard so many stories about what had happened to you and to Snow. Your Snow, is she?"
"No, she's alive," He swallowed hard and glanced down at their intertwined hands, "She's still under the sleeping curse."
"You must go to her and give her true loves kiss!" Ruth started to stand abruptly but David held her hands to keep her sat down, "Son, what is it? What's going on?" She frowned and watched him intently, seeing the struggle in his blue eyes even though he wouldn't meet her gaze. His mother had a way of reading his eyes, just as he'd been able to read Regina's.
"I have already tried to wake Snow White with a kiss," He admitted, feeling his shoulders sag with the weight of what he'd done, "It did not work."
"That evil wench!" Ruth growled under her breath about the Queen. She'd only met Snow once but he knew his mother was unaware of everything that had happened and still thought Snow would make him happy. "I had heard she was evil but..."
"It isn't Regina's fault," David replied quietly, keeping his gaze fixed on their hands.
He saw Ruth turn her head towards him quietly from his peripheral vision, "David...look at me. What did you just say?"
"I said," He tilted his head to gaze at her, eyes glistening, "It is not the Queen's fault that my kiss did not work on Snow. I do not love Snow anymore. I don't know that I ever loved her the way I should have," He bit his bottom lip guiltily. It was not an honorable thing to do, falling in love with someone while you were promised to another, but he couldn't say he regretted it. However, his mother had always taught him to do the right thing and telling her this was hard.
"What are you saying?" His mother looked back at him with worried eyes, "Did the Queen spell you?" She whispered, running a hand up the side of his face and over his hair. He saw she was trying desperately to understand what was going on and he decided it was best if he were entirely honest with her.
"No," He looked back at her fully now, "My kiss didn't wake Snow because I'm in love with the Queen."
"Oh..." Ruth's face paled noticeably as she stared in shock, "David are you...are you sure? How could you...love someone like...like that?"
"Because I got to know her," He replied, his voice a bit firmer than the tone he'd usually speak to his mother in, "She has suffered much heartbreak at the hands of others...the Evil Queen is not her true nature. All she needs is love. If you know how to approach her she is an entirely different person. A person I care about, deeply."
"If that's true then why did you leave her?" She shook her head in confusion.
"She told me to go," He swallowed hard and glanced down, "She set me free so I could go find Snow and be with her. She even gave me her personal maps so I could find my way. And now that word has spread I couldn't wake Snow with true love's kiss, the people are angrier than ever. They think Regina has killed her and they're organizing to rebel and go after her. I can't let her get hurt, I-"
Ruth's worried eyes turned a bit more sympathetic as she reached up to cup the back of his neck to pull their foreheads together, "I can't say that I agree with this or condone it, but I can tell by the love in your eyes that I am not going to change your mind. So please just promise me that you'll keep yourself alive."
"Your Majesty we must go, now!" The Huntsman yelled at her as she watched the castle scramble from her tower balcony. Regina smiled bitterly at the maids and knights running with their belongings in tow, scattering like ants from the grounds in all directions. She tilted her chin up to gaze upon the horizon and took a deep breath as the wind rustled through the fabric of her gown and hair.
In the distance she saw the glow of torch lights spread across the land like wildfire, moving in closer at a slow but steady pace by the mob carrying them. Her skin prickled at the malicious energy she felt vibrating through the air tonight from the combination of the weather and the army of citizens coming for her. She welcomed it.
"I will not give them the satisfaction of running," She replied, her voice cold and clipping.
"Damn it, woman," Graham strode up behind her and grabbed her arms, sending fury through her in an instant, "I'll haul you out if I have to."
She screamed viciously, flinging him off of her with magic and causing him to hit the stone wall behind with a thud, "Get out of my sight. Save yourself. Everyone else has," She motioned towards her castle staff and guards already fleeing into the forest, "You mean no more to me than they do."
Graham's eyes glittered angrily, "You deserve what's coming for you," He growled as he stood up slowly, dusting himself off with a defiant glare before turning to storm out through her chamber.
The dark clouds above her comforted her in a way as she silently watched the last of her servants leave, followed by Graham's broad figure stalking towards the forest. She smirked at the irony of her maids and knights evening abandoning her. Despite her sometimes harsh moods, she had provided shelter over their heads, food, ale and medicine. As long as they did what was asked of them they were treated well, but they ran given the first chance.
The silence of her castle and the land surrounding it could have been eerie had she not known she was the only evil lurking in the quiet darkness to be feared. She smiled to herself before taking another sip of her wine as she walked from the balcony into her room. This was it. Tonight.
She had nothing to lose. Nothing to fear. Her own father hadn't even come back to check on her. Her lovers were gone. Her kingdom was lost to her. Her child was dead. She had gotten revenge on her enemy and there was nothing else to live for now. The wind blew through trees outside, making a low howling sound that made her eyes close momentarily. She was at peace with this.
Regina walked over to her dressing table, running her fingers lightly over her items before they settled on a small vial. Her end may be near but she refused to abandon her castle, to run from these people. She'd leave this world in her own way, with her dignity still intact. She tilted her head to the side as she realized the mob was getting close enough to the castle she could faintly hear their angry voices carried in by the wind.
Clenching the vial in her palm, she took one last assessing look over her form in the mirror. She was dressed in an all black gown with a matching corset. Her hair was halfway pulled back on the top, cascading down her shoulders. This was how she'd rest in eternity and it satisfied her. The layers of fabric on the dress hid just how deathly thin she was. Though she doubted when the angry mob was done with her body that she'd still look the same. What would it matter? She wouldn't be here to know.
She took one last glance around her bed chamber before slipping out the door and walking silently down the hall. Her footsteps echoed throughout the palace and shiver crept up her spine at just how empty and quiet it was. Symbolic of her life. Symbolic of her body. A shell that had been used to carry out evil and now had nothing left. Serving no purpose to anyone. Abandoned by all that had been inside of it.
Regina made her way outside onto the adjoining patio and down the steps to the back courtyard. Her heart began to beat a little faster, half in fear and half in excitement when she heard the mob getting closer, nearing the parameter of her castle land now. This was it. Soon her pain would be over. The struggle she'd known as her life would finally end.
A smile graced her lips when she saw her baby boy's headstone in the darkness, kneeling onto the wet grass beside of him, "Hello baby," She whispered, feeling comforted by being near him.
"I know that if the afterlife is real, I will not rest in the same place as you, sweet one," She said quietly, feeling a tear trickle down her cheek despite the smile, "But I still wanted to spend my last moments with you. I know Daddy is taking care of you wherever you are. I'm sorry I can't be with you...that I wasn't a better person. I'm sorry that you had to have me as your mother, but I do love you."
She swallowed a sob as she looked up towards the darkness, seeing their torch lights closing in as the mobs trudged their way through the castle fields towards her. The darkness made it a little more difficult to open the vial with shaking hands, but the moon provided enough illumination that she managed to get it. Her heart thumped dangerously hard in her chest as she pulled a long pin from the top of her hair and slipped it into the sleeping curse, seeing it light up with magic briefly.
Regina dropped the empty vial and brought the index finger of her left hand up, the needle in her right. She smiled through blurred vision as she brought the pin prick to the skin of her finger and began to push the sharp end into the top layer of her skin, gasping at the feeling of the magic beginning to interact with her.
"Regina, no!" A man's voice called out to her as her vision faded, followed by the pin being knocked out of her hands. Her head swam as the bit of sleeping potion she did received coursed her veins, making her lose consciousness quickly. The last thing she felt was a falling sensation, entirely unaware of the arms that caught her.
