~Stories of the Past~
PLEASE READ AUTHOR`S NOTE FIRST
Disclaimer: I don't claim any rights to the characters in this story. I don't own them (except for Sebastian and Nicholas) All rights belong to ABC Studios and the creators of Once upon a Time (Kitsis /Horowitz Production).
Author's Note: As promised here it is: The Story of how Cora became heartless. I have to say that I´m really looking forward to "The Miller's daughter", I can´t wait to see Rumpel and Cora's first encounter. I have no idea how it will look but I have a feeling that something changed in Cora after this special meeting. So here is my interpretation. I hope you will have fun.
Thanks to: Everyone who will read this story, even if you don't leave a comment I´m grateful for every visitor! Thank you Littlepeaches, Anna, Mar, Kelly, DoomedGirl, SwanQueen 4055, Rosa Cooper Stan and kissfromarose2 for being interested in my previous Chapters.
Dedicated: Like all of my stories this story is dedicated to my dearest darling Aloysious. Thank you for your never ending support darling!
O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O
"Mommy, Mommy will you tell me a story?" Five year old Henry was sitting on his bed and watching his mother getting ready for a town-hall meeting. A very late one but some things had to be sorted out, his mother had told him.
"But Henry, I don't have much time," she answered softly. The little boy was so delicate and oh so wise already.
"Just a short-one! Please? Mommy, I promise that I won't get up and sneak about again if you tell me one little story." With this big baby eyes staring at her she couldn't resist his pleading.
"You won't get out of bed until tomorrow morning without me telling you a story or not, do you hear me? But you're right a little one won't harm... I still have 20 minutes left so it will work. Hop on my leg little cricket." She was so kind and she smelled so good, like fresh juicy apples. Henry had always loved that about her.
"Will you tell me the story of the two siblings again?" he whispered as he snuggled up against her.
"Are you sure?" she asked him suspiciously.
"I like the story of Regina and Sebastian, it reminds me of you somehow... even though the end is a bit sad," Henry closed his eyes and Regina listened to his heart beat for some time.
Then she began to tell their story.
"Once upon a Time... many years ago.." and the world around them started to reflect the pictures of the past.
.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.o.O.o.o.O.o.O
The Fairytale World somewhere in the early past of Regina.
"Hey Gina, that's not fair! I was supposed to ride today!" seven year old Sebastian began pouting when his five year old sister was getting ready for her first ride.
"Sebastian my dear, don't be so selfish. It's her first time and you already had a chance to ride some earlier today," his mother said softly when she saw the sad face of her eldest child.
"Mommy is right, you are too slow Basty-Boy," Regina giggled and stroked the fur of the little Shetland Pony.
"Stop calling me that!" now Sebastian pouted even more. Until his mother came and kissed him on the cheek.
"I will ask the stableman if he is willing to prepare another horse for you my dear, O.K?" she only needed to smile and her boy laughed again. He flung his arms around her waist and she lifted him up into the air.
"Thank you! I love you Mommy!" Sebastian squeaked as Cora whirled around with him.
"I love you too my angel. But please promise me that you will never be jealous of your sister again! You have to take care for her, you're her older brother! You will have to protect her from every kind of evilness in this World, do you hear me Sebastian?" she let him down to the ground again and the boy stared at her with wide eyes.
"Of course I will protect her! Everything you wish mother." Now he stood there building himself up to show her what a strong man he was.
"Oh my brave knight! I'm so proud of you! Just wait here and I will see if I can find a noble horse for you Milord!" And then Cora left the two kids alone and ran to the Stables.
o.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.O
"You will really take care of me?" Regina asked him when both kids were waiting for their Mom to return.
"Yup. Why shouldn't I?" he asked her back and now Regina furrowed her brow.
"Because you always tease me!" she yelled at him.
"But that's what siblings do. Don't pretend like you're not teasing me as well!" Sebastian's voice was even more high-pitched than it already was when he was annoyed with something.
"Prove it!" Gina looked at him with her mocking face again.
"Like only a few minutes ago: You always call me Basty-Boy, I hate that nickname!" Regina giggled.
"Well what do you want me to call you instead?" Sebastian thought for a moment than he spoke again.
"Mommy is the only one who's allowed to call me her Knight... Could you just call me Sebastian? I know it´s boring but Basty sounds stupid." For a moment Regina didn't want to agree but then she nodded.
"Deal. May you always be my guardian angel brave Sebastian." And now both laughed louder than the horses could whinny.
O.o.O.o.O.O.o.O.O.o.O.O.o.o
"Ferdinand? Ferdinand where are you? I changed my mind I want you to saddle Sebastian's horse as well." Cora found the stable empty, where could that lazy bum Ferdinand be again? She was about to turn around and go back to her children when she heard a familiar voice speaking with her.
"Nice to see you again, dearie!" She didn´t like to hear that voice. It never meant anything good.
"Rumpelstiltskin," Cora turned around slowly just to look in that frightening, shimmering face again.
"Don't say that you didn't miss me. How long has it been since our first encounter?" The imp asked and came closer. Cora felt uncomfortable, the fear crawling up in her. She had to call for Henry. Her beloved husband would know what to do. He was always so caring and protective, her true love.
"Seven years," she whispered under her breath... she could tell because her son was a constant reminder of her first encounter with this monster.
"Oh yes now I remember! And do you remember what you´ve promised me once?" Rumpelstiltskin's laugh was wicked but reminded her of a young boy as well.
"What do you want? You know that I found a way out of your contract. There is nothing you can ask for because I owe you nothing!" she yelled at him, not showing her fear.
"I helped you to get a better life! I turned your life – the life of a Miller's daughter into a happy one with a caring husband and wealth. Didn't you always dream of that?" he asked her mischievously.
"
Yes and I have a happy life, but I won't have one without my children so please don´t take them away from me!" she now whimpered. "I found out your name, like you wanted me to... The deal is broken," she then added with more confidence.
"Dearie, magic always comes with a price and you're going to pay for it." And there it was again, this childish laughter filled with joy and wickedness.
"You won't get my kids! I won´t allow it!" her hands were shaking and now Rumpelstiltskin was getting even closer, nearly touching her.
"I don't want to have your children," he whispered into her ear and for a short moment Cora was relieved.
"But what do you want instead?" she then asked and suddenly her body was traversed by a horrible pain. She looked down to her chest and saw that the imp had broken through her chest and was now holding her beating heart in his hands.
Cora wanted to scream but not a single tone left her lips. Rumpelstiltskin looked at her with black, hollow eyes and she closed her mouth again. It didn't kill her, his action didn't kill her.
"Now listen, dearie. I ripped out your heart, because you are the one who betrayed me. Seven years ago I wanted that boy of yours but you tricked me. That wasn't a wise decision! I´ve changed my plans. Now I want you to pay me a visit once a week to be my apprentice. I want to teach you magic, believe me it will be helpful one day." Cora listened to the imp's every word and strangely she wasn't frightened of the man in front of her anymore. There was something mysterious but also interesting about him. Soon she couldn't even remember why she had hated him in the first place.
"As you wish master," Cora bowed in front of him, but then Rumpelstiltskin cupped her face in his hands. His lips touched Cora's and they shared a passionate kiss with each other.
"It´s sealed now, meet me in two days you know where to find me." And then the mysterious imp was gone and Cora was left behind.
O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O
"Did you find Ferdinand mommy?" Sebastian jumped to his mother with joy but the face that met him wasn't her usual face, she looked angry somehow and frightening.
"Sebastian don´t you think it's time to grow up? A boy shouldn´t spend his time riding horses. That's what ladies do, like your sister. Tomorrow we will get you a sword and then someone will teach you how to fight, what about that?" his mother said to him forcefully.
Her voice was so cold, what had happened to her? Sebastian stopped in his tracks and tears started to build in his eyes .
"But Mommy, I love riding why won't you allow me to ride anymore? I don´t want to learn how to use a sword!" he tried to hold back the tears longer.
Then suddenly his mother turned around and looked at him with dark eyes.
"I don't want to hear anything of it Sebastian! You are going to learn how to fight, like boys do and you, young lady, will spend your time riding and learning how to behave at a ball." Her children were shocked to see her scream at them, but oddly enough she felt good.
"That's not fair!" And now Sebastian began to cry. Regina ran to him and tried to comfort her brother.
"Life isn´t fair, better you learn it now, son." With this words Cora left to the estate. There were some things she had to sort out with her husband.
"That wasn't our mother, something must have happened to her in the stables," Regina whispered to her brother, but the little boy was much too hurt to answer.
This was the last day they had seen their mother being the kind and lovely woman they knew. From now on life really stopped to be fair.
O.o.O.o.O.o.O. .o.o.O.o.O.o
After Regina had finished her story, she laid the sleeping Henry into his bed. She kissed him on the forehead and covered him with his blanket. He looked so sweet and innocent when he was sleeping.
She was glad that he did, because now he couldn't see the tears streaming down her face.
"I hope that you will never think of me as I did that day when my mother changed into a murderer and stranger," she whispered and kissed her sleeping son again.
"No matter what may happen in the future," with these sad words she closed the door of his bedroom and went to another date with Graham.
The End?
A.N : I know there is a lots of heart-ripping in my stories but wasn't that a clever idea of mine? (Sorry I´m a bit too proud of my idea ^^) And yes the Stables are a nice place for everything: First encounters, second encounters, secret kisses, heart-ripping. It's a special place and I love to use it. Reviews are always appreciated. Thanks for reading
