Prompted by soIkoroIeva_: Set in canon, young Regina tells baby snow a scary story Hugging face preferably as lighthearted as possible, but I won't be (too) upset if you take it in the opposite direction
Regina would be lying if she said she totally hated having to handle Snow's bedtime ritual. After the handmaiden in charge of it quit to start a family of her own, Leopold had demanded the job go to Regina.
"It's a job for a mother, and that's what you are after all."
Ah yes, the reason he claimed he chose to marry Regina. It wasn't that she was young and vulnerable, someone that he could take advantage of. Nor did it have anything to do with the rumors that he preferred his women younger. Queen Eva had been 20 years his junior. Whether she consented to the marriage or not, Regina found the whole thing creepy. Leopold could tell everyone that he just wanted a mother for his daughter. She's not sure how many actually believed it. Not that anyone would dare question him.
Regina certainly doesn't feel like a step-mother, much less a mother. She's 19 years old, caring for an 11-year-old. If they looked alike, she could pass for her sister. Snow certainly grates her nerves the way a younger sister would, even when Regina forgets about the secret she spilled. She's annoying, spoiled and insistent on making every situation about her. Raised as an only child, Regina has no patience for it.
She supposes there are times the child isn't completely annoying. Like when she beams in the mirror after Regina braids her rat's nest every morning and says "Thank you! I love it!". Or when she brings Regina flowers back from the field. Snow will stick by her side at balls, sneaking her chocolates until Leopold whisks his daughter off to dance. It's in those moments that Regina watches her husband with his daughter and has to do a double take. Regina's father has always been affectionate and loving. He still brushes her own hair and calls her things like "mi princesa". Leopold and Snow seem to have a different relationship. The way her husband gazes at his daughter unsettles her.
And so, no matter how much she hates Snow White, she won't let Leopold into her chambers at night. She may resent her, wish that stupid horse would throw her off and kill her for good. But she's not going to let her be hurt by the king. It's the very least she can do.
One particular night, Snow fidgets more than usual as Regina removes the ribbons from her hair. She's already in her white nightgown covered with flowers, her feet slid into slippers made from the finest cloth.
"I'm not tired, Regina," she whines.
Regina resists the urge to roll her eyes. "It's getting late and you have lessons to attend to in the morning."
"You don't have to go to bed."
"Because I'm older than you."
She never refers to herself as Snow's mother. She expected Snow to cross boundaries and call address her as such, but to Regina's surprise, she never has. Regina has come to realize that Snow may consider her family, but she'll never think of her as her mother. That place goes specifically to Eva. Regina is pleased for a moment when she sees that but then goes back to wondering why she's here in the first place. She's a toy to the king and basically a handmaiden to Snow.
"Come on," Snow continues to whine and Regina cringes. Her mother would've smacked her the second her voice reached that syllable. What annoying monster did Leopold and Eva create? "Can't we do something fun? Like go riding?"
"It's too dark to ride, Snow." She takes out the last ribbon and grabs hold of the porcelain brush, carefully running it through Snow's curls. "The horses are sleeping."
"We could go sneak pastries from the kitchen."
"Your father will catch us."
The last thing she needs is for Leopold to "remind her" of what being a "good mother entails". Snow is too young, too naïve to understand the bruises that line Regina's arms are from her father.
Snow lets out an overdramatic sigh, which makes Regina giggle slightly. "Then tell me a story," she demands. No please, just, do it.
Regina arches an eyebrow. "How old are you? I thought bedtime stories were for babies."
"I want a story," Snow says, a bite of finality in her voice. This child is too spoiled for her own good.
"Fine." Regina sets the brush onto the vanity. "Go lay down in bed and I'll be right there."
Snow scrambles from her padded stool and over to her canopy bed. She practically dives under the covers, already partially undoing Regina's handiwork on her hair. Regina sighs and smooths down her gown, following her over to the bed. She sits on the edge, playing with the ear of Snow's favorite teddy bear. She wasn't allowed stuffed animals or any toy after age 10. It's one of the few things she won't deny Snow. Sometimes she wonders what happened to Isabelle. One morning she was there and the next, she was gone.
"Story," Snow demands.
Regina snaps out of it, resuming her hard demeanor. "Okay." She searches her mind for one. At first, she thinks she'll just repeat one of the many mythologies her own father told her growing up but then gets an idea. "Do you want a dumb baby story or a special grown-up scary story?"
Snow's eyes light up with glee. "Grown up story!"
"Are you sure? It's pretty scary…"
"I wanna hear it, I can handle it. I'm not a baby."
"I know you're not, dear," Regina gives her a pitiful smile. "Well, once upon a time there was a young girl who loved a boy very much. They would do everything together. From riding horses to picnics in the meadows. They planned on getting married."
Snow frowns. "This doesn't sound like a scary story."
"Patience. They were so very happy until one day, the boy died." The smile falls from Regina's face at the memory of Daniel dropping to the ground, his heart falling like ash from her mother's fingertips. "The girl was so sad. She would've done anything to have her lover in her arms once more."
She catches a glimpse at Snow's face, looking for any evidence that she's cottoned onto the true origins of the story. Her wide green eyes remain innocent, pure. Anger boils in Regina's stomach. There have been so many times she's wanted to tell Snow the truth, let it haunt her as much as it haunts Regina. Yet, she also knows that this little girl would not fully grasp the gravity of the situation. She'd be sad for a bit but would the guilt truly eat her alive? No. Regina's mother once told her that children cannot begin to understand the seriousness of situations. That's why it's up to the adults in their life to punish them for it.
"And so, the girl tried," Regina continues. "She sought out every way to bring him back. Eventually, two men approached her. One, an expert portal hopper. The other, a mad scientist." Her skin crawls at the mere thought of Frankenstein and Jefferson. "They told her that they could help. The scientist was perfecting a way to resurrect the dead. It was a rainy, windy night as they made their way to the field. The young girl had carefully preserved her lover all this time. When the glass coffin was lifted, she stroked his cheek and followed the portal hopper out so the scientist could do what he needed. She prayed to the Gods for it to work."
Snow's frowning now, clutching her heavy duvet to her chin.
"Then what happened?" she asks.
Regina is quiet for a moment. She debates telling the truth. Victor played the awfully cruel trick of pretending to resurrect Daniel, but it failed. She sobbed in Jefferson's arms for eons, further traumatized by the attempt. Two grown men decided it'd be great fun to hurt the psyche of an already broken girl. They probably laughed at her foolish naiveite over drinks.
But alas, that's not a very scary story. Just a sad one. There's only one way to make Snow nearly as traumatized as she.
"There were volts of electricity that went flying," Regina says, a mad smile going across her face. "The scientist cackled with great laughter as he proclaimed "It's alive!" Oh, the young girl was so thrilled to see her lover leap from the cot. She rushed to the tent, ready to kiss him all over. When she opened the flap, however, what stood before her was not her fiancé." Snow tilts her head. "Oh, it was his body, but his eyes weren't the same. They were red and filled with fury. He growled like a hideous beast in her direction. He turned to the scientist and before anyone could stop him, ripped the poor man limb from limb."
Snow's already wide eyes are nearly bugging out of her head, her mouth dropped open. Regina lets out an evil cackle at the thought of what Frankenstein definitely deserves.
"The young girl tried her best to stop her lover, but he went after the portal hopper next." She faux tsks. "Such a shame, she never knew a heart could be eaten in such a fashion before." Snow's pearly white complexion is as pale as a ghost. "Then he turned to her."
"B…but he loves her," Snow whimpers, sounding so much younger. "He wouldn't hurt her, would he?"
"Ah, but remember my dear Snow, it wasn't him anymore. He was a zombie. He had no memories of the love they once shared. At first, he walked closer as if he was going to kiss her. She got so excited…and then he wrapped his strong, firm hands around her neck, choking the light out of her."
Daniel would never hurt her. Never lay a hand on her. But there are days Regina wishes he would take her to where he is. Death has to be better than this hallow feeling she's had since his murder in the stables.
"What happened to him after?" Snow asks, her voice filled with fear.
Regina shrugs. "No one knows. Someone discovered the massacre and put out a hunt for him. They found more bodies over time but he was always one step ahead of them. The scientist made sure he was intelligent and that was his ultimate undoing. Some people say sometimes they hear him, his heavy footsteps, the grumbling. He never speaks, he just wraps his hand around their throats and…" Regina mimes doing the same to her own neck, tilting her head to the side and sticking out her tongue.
Snow is breathing heavily. Regina simply smirks, patting the top of her head.
"Sleep well, my dear Snow," she coos, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
Regina blows out the candles that light the room before exiting. She goes through her own evening ritual, putting on some creams and taking out her braids. She changes into her lavender nightgown, ready to settle into her bed. She's grateful that the king is too drunk to pay her a visit tonight. Regina's just about to turn out her own lanterns when the doors to her chambers burst open. She raises a hand, ready to use the magic she's learned a little about…until she sees it's Snow.
Tears stream down her beet red cheeks, her arms clutching her favorite teddy bear. "Regina, I think he's here!"
Regina sighs, rubbing her eyes. "Who?"
"The monster!"
Dammit. "Snow, it's just a story. It's not real."
"No, I heard him! He's here!" She sniffles, rubbing her nightgown against her nose. Regina slightly flinches. "I need to sleep in here."
"No," Regina instantly replies. "You're 11-years-old, you need to sleep in your own bed."
"Please, Regina," the young girl pleads. One of the few times she's used her manners since Regina met her. "I don't want to get Daddy. He'll tell me I'm being silly."
Regina feels her pulse quicken at the mention of her husband. Leopold can never know she told his precious snowflake a story like that. She won't survive that beating.
"Just for tonight," Regina says. "If you promise not to tell your father."
She doesn't believe Snow when she nods vigorously and swears she won't tell a soul. Snow did that once before and look where that landed her. But she needs to pick her battles. If anyone questions it, she'll say the young girl had a nightmare related to her own mother's death.
Snow clambers under the covers, Regina taking the far edge of the bed. The young girl rolls over until she's snuggled up against Regina, shutting her eyes.
"You won't let the monster do anything to me, right, Regina?"
Regina runs her fingers through her hair. "Trust me, sweetheart," she whispers. "No one outside this palace will ever lay a finger on your little head."