The Gift of a Prince and a Thief
Chapter 21
Regina didn't know how to feel that morning. She could have said she almost felt nervous, not that she would tell anyone that. Today was the day that some sense of normality returned to her life.
The routine was eerily familiar. She awoke in her large king-size bed in her grey silk pyjamas which were starting to get a little too tight around the middle, then she knocked at Henry's room to wake him before attending to the littlest boy in the house for his first day of school.
Around the breakfast table, the boys enjoyed their cereal with a degree of silence, which Regina was used to, as she organised packing their lunches around them. She then sent them upstairs to get washed and dressed as she did the same. An aggravated growl escaped her lips as she realised one of her favourite blue dresses wouldn't zip up at the back, and so she settled for one of her many pantsuits instead. She was just thankful that she could still slip into her black stilettos.
"Boys, we're leaving in five!" she called out her bedroom door before applying a shade of red lipstick to her lips. The final touch.
Standing in front of the mirror, her breath hitched slightly. It was as if she had stepped back in time thirty-three years, back to the time of curses and evil queens, when everyone was under her control and she was utterly miserable.
She closed her eyes and it was the refreshing sound of Roland asking Henry a hundred questions about school as her son tried to style his hair to impress his girlfriend, and the faint cries of a teething baby and the soft shushes of her exhausted sister that shook her out of her daze. Regina Mills was not the woman she was thirty-three years ago, far from it in fact. She was now a mother, a sister and a friend, and she had been a partner and lover if only for a short time. Her heart was full, and there was only more love to come from the birth of her child.
"R'gina!" Roland suddenly burst through her bedroom door. "I'm ready!" he announced proudly, standing in his slightly too big new school uniform. She smiled and shook her head slightly at the fact that some of his buttons weren't done properly, causing his shirt to bunch together in the middle.
"You look so smart, sweetheart," she told him as with practised fingers she fixed his mistake quickly. "Let me take a picture of you on your first day of school to show your Uncle John."
On cue, the little boy straightened up and gave a toothy grin which showed his oh so adorable dimples. A tear formed in Regina's eye as she thought about how proud Robin would have been of his son, it was just another moment of many that where he would be absent.
"Perfect," she stated after she had taken several shots of them together too. "There's just one last thing we have to do before we leave." Gently, she took him by the hand and led him to a doorway with lots of markings on them.
Roland frowned, as he couldn't read very well yet, the notes and dates in Regina's handwriting meant nothing to him. "What's this?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.
Regina ran her index finger over each marking and smiled. "Every year since Henry was as small as you, I have measured how tall he was on his first day of school. Now, because it's the middle of the year I won't do his until August, but I can start one for you." She turned to the other side of the doorway which was clean of such scribbles.
"What do I have to do?" he asked with an excited smile.
Moving him by the shoulders, Regina put his back against the doorway. "Hold your head still." Obediently, Roland didn't move a muscle while she drew a pencil line above his head.
At the sound of the commotion, Henry finally left the confines of the bathroom to see what was going on. "Ah, Roland is getting his own school wall. These are great, and when you get to be as old as me you'll be this tall!"
The little boy gasped and stood next to Henry. "How long do I has to go to school to be that tall?"
Henry laughed and ruffled his curls, "oh a few more years yet, but you'll get there."
Regina's heart was warmed by the sight, Henry had always been like an older brother to Roland, but she had been unsure what life would be like having him around all the time. It seemed she had nothing to worry about, it was if nothing had changed, or if anything, they were closer, and her son was much more responsible now he was older.
"Ok boys, time to go," she told them, ushering them down the stairs. "Bye sis!" she then called to Zelena who was yet to emerge from her slumber after Robyn keeping her up most of the night with her teething pains.
Regina had offered to take Henry in her car as she would be ensuring Roland settled in on his first day, but as a teenager with his own friends and a girlfriend, he didn't want to be dropped off by his mom. She understood, she was just glad she got to have all these experiences with Roland again.
When the school appeared through the trees, Regina could see the little boy begin to fidget in the backseat. After parking her shining black car just outside the gates, she turned around to see the worried look on his face.
"Sweetheart, I promise you everything will be fine," she reassured him softly. "You're only going for half the day today anyway to get used to everything, remember? Your Uncle John will get you at lunchtime, that's not long at all."
Roland nodded slowly. "Okay, I'm just scared."
"I know you are, it is a scary thing but you're my brave boy and I know you can do this and maybe even have some fun too."
Roland was not filled with confidence even after Regina got him out of the car and gave him a tight hug. "You're going to have an adventure, just like you and your Papa used to have. Just this time there will be lots of kids your age."
"I like having adventures!"
"I'm sure the other kids will like having adventures too."
Hand in hand, Regina and Roland walked towards the playground where there were other children and their parents were waiting for school to commence. Regina smiled at them politely, as mayor, she had come across some of them in the past but having neglected her duties of late she wasn't acquainted with all the new arrivals from the land of untold stories.
At the door stood Harriet Webster, in the Enchanted Forest she had been a servant in Snow's castle, thus, Regina had not gifted her a great life during the curse. She seems to have enjoyed being the first-grade teacher, but the former evil queen did not claim to know whether her quality of life had improved.
When she saw Regina approach, her smile became forced and a slight look of worry crossed her eyes. Although she had been reformed for years, not everyone had seen this transformation in action and had stayed away from the town drama so there was still age-old fear in their hearts. She hasn't exactly been nice to her when Henry had been in her class either, or to any of the teachers in fact.
"Madame Mayor," she greeted her quietly, "who do we have here?"
"This is Roland Locksley, he will be starting your class today, but he is a little nervous so he's only staying until lunchtime when his uncle will pick him up."
Harriet stuck her hand out and smiled a bright, genuine smile to the little boy. "Hello Roland, I'm so excited to have you in my class. Why don't you come in and I'll give you a tour before all the other children come in?"
Roland looked back at Regina, who nodded at him encouragingly and squeezed his hand. "It's okay, I'll see you after work and your Uncle John will get you at lunchtime."
Suddenly, he threw his arms around her middle, "I love you R'gina!"
"I love you too, Roland. Now go and have fun!"
As Roland tentatively took his teacher's hand, Regina knew it was time to go and let him face his fears. Though she was certain that he would enjoy his first day of school, the only part that worried her was how he interacted with other children having only ever being surrounded by adults. He was a strong and confident young boy in most respects, so she had no doubt that he would settle quickly.
The sound of her black heels clicking along the wooden floor and the thumping of her heartbeat in her ears suddenly caused her to stop thinking about Roland. Without realising it, she had moved in autopilot and made her way to work. She stood in front of the glass doors of her office where the words Regina Mills, Queen had been so kindly inscribed by the dwarves. Of course, she had been back to work since the turmoil with the Black Fairy but not for an extended period and she was both excited and nervous to return.
With a sigh, she unlocked the door with a movement of her hand. Regina stepped into the black and white office and realised nothing was different. It was still the place where she could feel in control and content in running the town how she saw best. Though, how she saw best was a lot different to her selfish motives from five years ago. Now she just wanted to provide stability and happiness to all her residents.
Regina sat in her leather chair and looked at the paperwork on her desk. The number of letters didn't surprise her, she knew she was behind on correspondence and general town maintenance, but she knew that since the sheriff and the new deputy had returned from their honeymoon, that part of the town had been running smoothly.
What confused the mayor was the number of coloured envelopes that were mixed in with the letters, each one addressed to her. Regina cautiously opened the first and soon understood. Each one was a 'Congratulations' card from a resident, she knew that as soon as the news was out, it wouldn't be long until Snow had circulated it around the whole town. Regina would never admit it aloud, but the gestures warmed her heart. These people didn't owe her anything and still, they took the time to send their congratulations on her pregnancy. This truly was a sign that times were indeed changing.
She wasn't quite sure how many hours had passed when the phone rang. Not even having made a dent in her paperwork, Regina sighed irritably and placed the receiver to her ear.
"The mayor's office, Regina Mills speaking."
"Oh, hi Regina, it's John here. I'm glad I got this phone thing working again!"
She glanced up at the clock and it was past midday. Amongst all her work she had forgotten about how Roland may have gotten on during his first morning of school. "John, how did Roland get on?"
"That's why I'm calling, he wants to stay all day," John told her with a gleeful tone." I went to the school like you said and his teacher said he was so settled that she had offered to get him some lunch and asked him if he wanted to stay until the day finished. Apparently, he's found his own band of merry men."
Tears formed in Regina's eyes as John spoke, Roland was alright. The little boy who had lost so much was at school and he was making friends and he was no longer afraid. She couldn't have asked for any more. "That's wonderful John, I'll go and get him from school with you to surprise him. I'll see you at three then, okay bye."
A sigh of relief was soon followed by a laugh. Regina couldn't remember the last time she laughed in that office, perhaps when Robin had last been there. It was a good feeling, and it made her all the more positive for the future.
"You hear that thief?" she said aloud, with her head back, looking at the ceiling. "He's doing well." She then gasped as she felt a jolt coming from the inside of her abdomen. Looking down, she grinned at the first sign of life coming from inside her and placed her hand upon her slightly rounded stomach. "We're doing well. I think we're going to be alright. Life is normal."