hahahaha why do I do this to myself and you lovely readers. I apologize again for the wait but I really just didn't want to write this chapter because I knew it was going to be hard to write as I am a horse person and have been around them since I was just a little girl at the age of four. Doesn't help the fact that my own mare very much resembles Rocinante. Please let me know what you think! I will try to get the next chapter up soon :)


"I hate them," Maleficent spoke under her breath with a half hearted attempt at pulling her top lip back as she watched the twins play with the retired hunting hounds. Her friend simply laughed quietly as she read from her book.

"Auntie Mal! Look at his teeth!"

Maleficent forced a smile as William laughed and pulled back the older hound's mouth to reveal its teeth. Much to his and Gwen's amusement. "And I hate that you have them call me that," she growled when the children became once again enthralled with the dogs.

Regina laughed happily as she shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes around playfully before focusing on Maleficent with a wide grin, "I find it a perfectly amusing title, dear."

"I can see that," she snapped and Regina merely laughed through her teeth.

With another shrug of her shoulders, Regina softened the mocking tone of her voice and it adopted a softer but still serious tone that came from her smile, "I do not believe you are leaving any time before Cora is dealt with and who knows how long that will take. You've been adopted in to this family now."

"You are revolting," she shook her head and Regina let out a good hearty laugh, "you used to be so much fun."

"Mmm yes. Causing mass chaos and fear," she smirked as she leaned back in her chair, one leg still crossed over the other.

"And at such a young age," she congratulated playfully and Regina laughed quietly, "I was always envious of the power you held."

"Really?" Regina raised an eyebrow with her smile.

"Indeed. I am merely a witch living lavishly on her own and I am not to be crossed. You on the other hand have an entire kingdom to your disposal and a band of guards so loyal it is positively sickening."

"Yes my black guard is indeed a force to be reckoned with," Regina chuckled with a small nonchalant shrug of her shoulders.

"And at your prime you turn around and marry this fool and everything went downhill," she smiled and hummed in mock displeasure as James walked up to her and Regina having returned from his hunt.

"Always nice to see you too, Maleficent," he laughed under his breath as he stopped in front of Regina and bent at the waist, catching his weight with his hands on either armrest of the chair Regina sat in. Regina beamed up at him, dark eyes glinting happily as their faces were kept a few inches apart.

"How was your hunt?"

"Splendid," he smiled and she hummed happily, "you should come next time. You were missed."

"Hmmm maybe I will," she smiled and he grinned back at her, causing her smile to grow wider before he dropped his head and kissed her. Slow and hard as James lifted his hands from the chair and held her head still. At the sound of Maleficent groaning quietly in displeasure, Regina smiled a little more with James and made a point of uncrossing her legs and slowly hooking one of her around the back of his knee and took a grip of his coat over his stomach.

Rolling her eyes, Maleficent looked away from the pair and flicked her hand at them and then listened to the laughter that followed her tossed magic.

Suddenly James found himself sitting in Regina's chair and she was sitting sideways on his lap. He was confused at first until Regina's laughter had him laughing as well and she extended her leg and nudged at Maleficent's shoulder with the toe of her black boot. He couldn't help but smile a little wider when he caught the faintest curve of Maleficent's mouth in a smile she tried so expertly to hide.

"You know what I think?" James started with a smile as he rubbed his hand affectionately up and down Regina's side.

"You mean to tell me that brain of yours holds the capacity for self thought?"

"On rare occasions," James quipped back nonchalantly, earning himself a pleasant smile half hidden beneath the blonde's smirk.

"And what, on this rare occasion, has your brain felt the desire to instruct your mouth to speak?"

"I think you like it here," he smiled and Maleficent raised an eyebrow, "you enjoy the company," he cocked his head and Maleficent rolled her eyes and Regina smiled happily down at him for a moment before looking back at her friend.

"From this moment on I believe you should keep your horrendous thoughts to yourself."

"As you wish, m'lady," he smiled with a bow of his head and kept it from growing to wide when she bit back another smile.

"Charming."

"So I've been told," he smirked and Regina breathed out a soft laugh and ran her soft fingertips over his cheek while Maleficent kept her gaze down at her hands, feigning disinterest.

...

"Hello my darling," she whispered through a tight throat as she lowered herself down in to the straw so she was kneeling next to her old mare's head. "You're tired aren't you," she whispered and felt tears burning in her eyes as she trailed her fingertips around her large brown eye, "that's okay. It is okay to be tired."

She nodded and swallowed down her cries but did nothing to stop her tears from rolling down her cheeks as she ran her fingers through Rocinante's mane and played with her ears. "I love you, Rocinante," she whispered and nodded as tears dropped on to copper fur. "You have done so much for me. You have always been there for me, you have always loved me, you have always listened to my griefs as well as my joys.

"You took me away when I needed it. You always knew when I needed to get away. You took me to James. You memorized the path through the trees to get me to him. You took me to my happiness and, Rocinante, I will never be able to show you how much I love you for that," she whimpered and lovingly scratched the mare's cheek and let out a small cry through her teeth as she listened to Rocinante's rather laboured breathing. But her ears were fixed on her voice.

"You made it possible for me to escape. You trusted me, you cared for me, you are my most treasured friend and it is okay that you are tired. It is okay for you to go," she nodded and a cry forced it's way through her teeth. "You have given me so much and you have never let me down. We have been together for decades. Thick as thieves," she tried a quiet chuckle but it came as such a miserable sound, "you have been at my side through everything. Every loss, every heartache, every tantrum, every rage, every tear shed, every joy, every love, you have been there.

"You have even stayed to meet my children, you have taught them what a horse can do for a person just by being. You have taught them how to be gentle and how to be kind and how to be patient just as you taught me all those years ago," she shook her head and another sob shook her body as she ran her hand down Rocinante's neck. "You have been here for every step in my life and I am not going to leave you alone for your last step," she cried quietly and shook her head when Rocinante groaned with the effort it took for her to move up off her side and lay instead with her legs tucked underneath her.

"Don't waste yourself, my love," Regina shook her head as her tears dropped quickly in to the straw at her knees. She fell in to a fit of helpless sobs when Rocinante curled her neck around her small body and rested her large head in her lap with a small and soft nicked that vibrated her velvety nostrils. "Rocinante," she cried and wrapped her arms around her large head and held on tight as she bent over and buried her face in to her cheek until her hacking sobs quieted a little.

Slowly she lifted her head and tried to wipe away the tears that soaked her soft fur, "you are so important to me," she whispered and blew out a shaky breath. Her shaking hand continued to stroke her damp fur over her cheek and it only paused when a larger hand gently placed itself over hers. She let out a small startled gasp and looked up only to meet teary blue eyes and that had her crying all the more.

James offered her a smile but she simply lowered her head and cried in to Rocinante once again. It broke his heart. "Hey old girl," he greeted quietly and ran his hand down the front of her face, "I just wanted to come down here and say thank you one last time. I know you hear it from me often and when no one is around but I want to make sure you know how grateful I am of you and your place in Regina's heart."

He sniffed a little as his own tears rolled down his cheeks and Regina's quiet crying tore apart his heart, "you saved her. You brought her back from the edge whenever she was so close to falling completely in to darkness. With one nicker, one nudge, one gallop, you had her remembering how to smile and how to live. I made the mistake of losing her but you kept her as safe as you could for me until I came back. You kept her safe and you kept her loved when no one else could and I don't know if you understand how huge that is."

He shook his head and combed his fingers through her forelock, "you carried her to me. That alone...I have no words. I hold you in such high esteem, Rocinante, and while others may say you are just a horse I know that you are so much more. You are a part of this family and we are all going to miss you. Thank you, Rocinante, you darling girl, for loving your Regina more than any horse should be capable," he whispered and felt a sob growing in his throat as his tears rolled down his cheeks and his finger traced the white marking down her face.

She tried to take deep breaths but it was a hopeless fight and she lifted her head and Rocinante blinked her soft eye open, "it's okay," she nodded and choked out a sob when Rocinante lipped gently at her fingertips just as she always did, "it's okay," she nodded again and bit back another sob and tried a smile, "I am going to be okay, Rocinante," she whispered her reassurance and then let out another sob through her teeth, "you have done enough, my sweet sweet mare. You have done enough. I am going to be okay."

She nodded and cried through her clenched teeth and closed her eyes. James' hand on her shoulder gave her very little comfort as she felt her dearest friend start to fade from the world, "you are my sunshine, my only sunshine," she sang slowly and miserably and felt Rocinante's ear flick toward her voice as she rested her forehead along the side of her large head beneath her ear.

"You make me happy when skies are grey," she cried quietly and felt her head grow heavier in her arms so she wrapped her arms tighter and felt her tears fall faster. She felt James move closer so he could drop his head on to her shoulder but it only made the pain worse, "you never know, dear, how much I love you," she sang through her shaking body and James' tears dampening her shirt. With one last long exhale she felt Rocinante's life slip away and she sobbed helplessly in to her and her body convulsed violently as she forced out the rest.

"Please don't take my sunshine away."