Regina could not wrap her head around what had occurred that night, the only thing she knew was that she had been somehow spiritually drawn to him that day. She could not have that, she had to keep her distance from that man. He was affecting her too much, now that she had her heart back she felt too much and was still terrified of the idea that anybody – worst of all him – had managed to notice her feeling.
Regina herself did not understand completely what she felt for him, for at times she would loathe him with all the strength she had, other times she would desire him fiercely. Most of the time he managed to annoy her to no end and at rare moments, she would feel a shy affection towards him whenever she thought back at the few brief tender moments they had had together.
It was distracting, it was enraging and yet Regina could not bring herself to simply tell him to leave.
She had to find the underlying cause of her temporary spiritual detachment, the fact that her spiritual self had chosen to pay him of all people a nightly visit – as opposed to someone useful like Snow White so she could learn where the damned girl was hiding – was but one of the things that worried her. Regina had never experienced such a thing before in her life, she was quite aware that it was possible, having read about it once or twice during her long years of magical study, but she did not know that it could simply happen out of the blue, without warning, and turn her head upside down.
There was also the matter of his chest. Regina was quite aware that the magic that she had used on him that night had had the only and simple purpose of transporting him back to the castle and not healing him. And yet, upon looking at him sleeping that day, Regina was able to confirm that there was indeed no wound on the man's chest.
One day she had been far too irritated and used her fingers in order to make pressure on the presumably wounded area but he had shown no discomfort then. The only reaction she got was his questioning gaze and a hint of a smirk, but Regina knew too well she was to keep away from those lips before they ended up attached to the most intimate parts of her anatomy.
So she chose to seclude herself again and research, and found that the spiritual wondering could be quite a useful tool in finding Snow if only she was able to control it, but alas, the next night, Regina's spirit remained attached to her body the entire time.
It was on the third day that she discovered, rummaging through a book that focused on magical hearts alone, that one's heart, at times, could act like a shield, a barrier if one's soul was too powerful or too filled with magic or in the presence of its twin.
Regina kicked herself for not realizing how foolish she had been about the whole thing, she could not stop thinking about him, of how much he angered her and how much she wanted him regardless, that must have been the reason why her spirit was drawn to him.
She told herself she hated him, and yet, she could not see him gone. Even while ignoring him, she watched him when she knew he was not looking, observed him from afar whilst he gave instructions to the patrols that went out in search of Snow. She never let him leave, evil parts of her told her she did that because she knew he loved to hunt, but other, more selfish parts of her, said that she did not want to part with him, that she was afraid that he might leave for good, even without his heart.
That thought haunted Regina more than she cared to admit, and yet, with each passing day she was more distant to him. Denying the infuriating pull they had was downright idiotic but she was resolute in ignoring it – and him - as much as she could.
And even though she had managed to find a plausible explanation for her spirit wandering that night, his healed chest still remained very much a mystery, and Regina would be damned if she were ever to ask him how he had managed to heal so fast. Using magic no doubt, but whose magic? Certainly not hers, although the idea that her magic had been slightly rebellious and acted on its own accord did seem possible. But at the end of the day, she was in the dark.
…
Almost an entire month passed before the Sun chose to make another appearance in Regina's part of the land. She planned to take Rocinante out and simply ride with absolutely no destination in mind, just to feel the wind hit her face and the adrenaline of riding – and of her hard-earned freedom - course through her veins.
But of course, Regina could not overlook her obligations and it seemed as if it was some sick twist of fate that she had to speak to him of all people about this matter. She had important orders to deliver and they had to be to him, she had made him the sodding captain after all, there was no one above him except her – not exactly the way she wanted to be above him at the moment, but that was beside the point.
But it was obvious that he was going to act like the smug bastard that he was, he was not even listening to what she was saying, too busy trying to pop the first button of her coat with his piercing gaze. The banter came in almost naturally, as if they had been talking back at each other for hours already, each tongue sharper than the other, the closeness of his body doing things to her own she did not care to feel right now.
And yet she felt more alive then than she had in weeks. His words were taking a more daring tone than usual and Regina could not help but start to feel weak at his remarks.
Did he think she was merciful? Did he really think he could get away with saying anything he wanted without fatal consequences? The more dreadful of all of the questions was a soft whisper that asked; Could he indeed?
Something dark inside Regina - some might call it self-preservation, others define it plainly as fear – ignited her magic, and she could feel the warmth of a familiar fireball start to build up on the palm of her hand, her eyes getting slightly glassy with blinding rage. She was going to fry him and-
"YOUR MAJESTY!"
Regina did not know if it was the sharp scream calling out to her or the ridiculous pain she felt on her nose when it bumped forcibly with the outlaw's that broke the spell, but the fire she was creating died and her attention completely diverged.
At first, the only thing the young man she'd paid handsomely to keep an eye on George managed to ignite in her was more annoyance as his statements brought on that irritating jealous disposition the thief seemed to be keen on displaying lately.
But as soon as Snow's name was mentioned, everything else simply went up in smoke. Regina's heart pumped fast on her chest imagining just how she was going to march into George's castle, grab Snow by the throat and drag her back to her own castle, so she could give her the 'royal' treatment she deserved.
The glorious sensation was short-lived, however, because upon hearing that George himself had set the sodding girl free – when he knew Regina looked for her day and night – her vision had been dominated by red once more. She did not care who she harmed, she had to release her anger somehow, and it was due to the informant's lack of good fortune that his throat happened to be in her field of vision.
She was adamant in killing the man for the mere fact that she was discontented with the news he'd just delivered. It made no sense even in her twisted mind to go through with this, but regardless, her hands still squeezed hard, death was the objective.
When the outlaw's hand came in contact with her shoulder lightly, it seemed as if she was being jolted back to reason. An odd sensation flowed about her body and Regina felt easy, not as haunted, not as mad, and as a result, her hand released the man's neck, his death sentence being put to a stop.
The man gasped for air but Regina could barely register him, all she felt was that hand on her shoulder sending the most appeasing sensations about her body. She did not know when she closed her eyes, but then all she saw was black, she took one deep breath and could swear that in the dark canvas she could see thin light stripes that danced before her and relaxed her even more. They were green but then would shift to blue, then green again. Regina was dizzy, his touch was good, it made her calm, it made her-
Weak, the impish voice whispered in her ear
Her eyes shot open and she was surprised to discover they were moist with tears. Regina quickly tried to brush them away, and turned around to bark at him with wrongly directed loathing for touching her.
To her utter shock, he did not seem to have a witty comeback to her unpleasant words, but rather stood his ground looking at her.
There were more important issues at hand, and so with a dash of magic, Regina and her ever so annoying outlaw, disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke, leaving behind a dumbfounded and yet extremely grateful spy, for still being alive and for the gold pieces that appeared out of thin air.
Regina had never warmed up to any royal, - except for the ones she had taken to her bed, but that was a completely different matter – but she had always particularly disliked George. She had only kept business with his kingdom for the sake of his son, but now James was gone, substituted with a perfect forgery.
Regina tried to pay as little mind as possible to the thief she had brought along – she still did not know why she had done so – looking out of the tall windows, trying to clear her head, thinking of the best kind of strategy in order to deal with George. Even though Regina had been Queen for ten years, she had very little experience in imposing herself in royal dealings; the best way for her to negotiate was still in the making. While she could frighten most into submission with her magic, royals – mostly Kings— were another breed of people, they all had dipped their toes into magical waters for some reason or another. All of them had magical connections of their own – Regina was almost sure there was some sort of alliance between George and the Dark One, or at least someone with magical properties, maybe that disgusting Blue bug.
When the king finally 'graced' Regina with his presence, his false, welcoming tone –that reminded her painfully of how Leopold spoke to others of the same class– made it quite easy for her to make up a strategy. She would show him she was not to be toyed with, that she was not Leopold and she did not forgive, diplomacy would be saved for the monarchs who deserved it.
It was fairly easy for him to drop his courteous mask after a few of her responses. Regina felt a strong pang of anger towards him when the man tried to order her outlaw around. But of course, the man in question did not even finch, as she expected, but then a strange sense of possession took over her and the words, you do not get to order my own around, George slipped from her mouth and Regina paused for a moment thinking about the depth of that statement. Something George would never dream of knowing but deep inside, Regina knew only too well what truly meant.
They got to business, she wanted answers and Snow White, and she would be damned if she did not leave that castle with at least one of the two. And even though Regina's threat was masterfully delivered, nothing could have prepared her for the response George would give her.
Snow was in love
How was that possible? Was that old man even telling her the truth? Regina felt her heart shrink at the thought of Snow's happy, beaming, lovesick face as she locked eyes with the prince – and how ironic it was that she should fall for a false prince when Regina remembered a young Snow telling her about dreams of marrying a real one.
She needed more, and Regina made sure never to drop her mask of hatred as George told her the oddest story she had ever heard. It did not seem to fit, especially since she had briefly met James' twin brother, and while James himself would have done as the King had retold, Regina did not quite believe his meek and shy brother would do the same.
Regina had to admit she liked the idea that Snow had lost her innocence to some blue eyed, handsome prince who tossed her to the side when he was done with her, when he had gotten what he desired, and she had been left with nothing but her unrequited love and bloody underclothes.
But this story did not fit with the one her spy had told her, that the King himself had ordered the guard. George assured her he was away, but there was something amiss, definitely more than one thing. Regina opened her mouth to retort but to her utter surprise, the outlaw's voice rang loud and clear, accusing the King of being a liar.
Regina had to admit that what transpired after that was nothing short of entertaining. George's face turning crimson whilst he found out that the thief had encouraged the naïve, make-believe prince to 'follow his heart' – what an utter full of bullshit, but still rather entertaining to watch. How the prince of thieves really showed no intimidation to being toe to toe with an actual King and almost spat at his wrinkled, royal face. How George lunged himself at him and most pathetically tried to choke the younger and fairly more able man.
All that entertainment and mocking words at George's hot head were actually only a cover to keep Regina's own head at low temperatures. She heard the thief quite well, the fake prince loved Snow, he wanted to leave the kingdom, the crown, the gold, the power, everything for her, and the mere thought of Snow getting true love when Regina's was ripped away because of that damned girl made her sick to her stomach.
For a split second, Regina's head was taken to the past and her brown eyes met stunned blue orbs, wide and a moment later, dead.
Snow was not- Regina felt her heart hammer on her chest when Daniel's dead eyes disappeared from her reality.
Regina would be DEAD before that brat ever got a chance to- She felt her head light and her forehead grow cold at the mere thought of Snow locking lips with a man which Regina had technically had.
Daniel was dead because of her, and so that girl did not have the right to love, let alone true love. If Regina had it taken away from her, Snow would never have the chance to even know it-
Regina's magic was at the tip of her fingers, buzzing with purple hatred, she only had to think of the command and George's figure was shoved away from the outlaw's. With all the venom her almost delirious loathing created, she delivered her final threats and decisions to the pathetic king, but not before assuring him that her thief would only meet his end at her hands, which Regina knew was yet another bag of utter crap, because she had not come to terms with the fact that she was unable to kill him, but that secret was hers to keep.
Once she was done informing George that his country would go to ruin, Regina did not care to spend another second in that castle – some parts of her were actually afraid that she might give into her instincts and simply kill George as he had suggested - and so she poofed herself, along with the outlaw, back to her own castle.
The library on the west wing, a not so spacious but oddly tall room that had had its entrance blocked for as long as Regina had lived in this castle. She'd found out some years into her marriage that it had been Eva's favorite place to spend time alone and so the grieving King Leopold had sealed the entrance, for the memories of the place were far too painful.
Regina could almost vomit at the thought; she had far more painful memories thanks to his highness. She had broken into the place with her magic, making sure to leave no traces behind, and made the place her own, just to spite the King, who never had the chance to find out about her rebellion until the very end. She had burned every last book belonging to Eva, along with the light colored carpets and curtains. She filled the room with her own things, painted the room crimson with heavy velvet curtains and matching Persian rugs in dark colors. With a dash of magic, she turned the light colored wood of all the furniture dark and substituted the many tables for reading with three comfortable sofas and a chaise, keeping only one solitary table.
She could see specks of dust in the air, lightened by the thin streaks of light coming from the half concealed windows, but most importantly she could see the vibrancy of the outlaw's blue eyes looking back at her in awe as she had transported them to land toe to toe, their faces a mere breath away from one another.
There was a huge lump on Regina's throat, a million questions she wanted to ask him about the encounter he'd had with David, the make-believe prince, but not a word left her lips. Instead Regina stared him down, and he met her piercing gaze with the same intensity, which both excited and annoyed her to no end.
The bursting anger at fate for having given Snow the opportunity to know true love finally won over, so Regina questioned him about the intensity of the prince's affection. The outlaw's response only managed to anger Regina further and also brought a strange melancholy feeling to her chest when he spoke of this supposed connection Snow shared with the man.
A strange connection the outlaw quite clearly knew more about but was unwilling to disclose to her, a type of connection Regina never got to have because of Snow. Everything in her world had been dipped in misery thanks to that girl, there was not a day that went by in which Regina did not imagine what her life would have been like if that meddling girl had not crossed her path.
And now, Snow had had a taste of it, a taste of sweet kisses, warm embraces and Gods knew what else while Regina was left with nothing, alone to rot in darkness while that girl basked in the light of true love.
Regina was half listening to the words the outlaw was saying, they hurt too much, for even though she wanted to know, at the same time she didn't, suddenly wanting to revel in the sad, false happiness her prior ignorance had given her. She felt alone, unloved, - and unlovable - irrelevant and pushed to the side.
She needed to feel something, anything, anything at all that resembled the warmth of being loved, anything that showed that someone cared. But she would never have that, because no one cared, not truly.
And yet there he was. He was still speaking but all Regina saw was his mouth, all she suddenly could think about was that buzz, that thrilling chill that went up her spine whenever he touched her.
It was time for him to shut up.
She kissed him, long and hard, fast and bruising, she kissed him with such intensity Regina herself had not expected her body to act with so much ardor. It had indeed been a long time since they had last had something like this. He kissed her back and for the first time in weeks things fell into place, she felt warm and lightheaded and extremely horny. He was grabbing as much as he could, as if enjoying every single moment as if it might be their last. She had only her bitchy attitude to thank for that, Regina reasoned.
When his mighty grip on her behind brought their frames to collide, Regina broke the kiss, being jolted to reality once more. She looked him all over, analyzed him whilst still gripping his jaw and contemplated on how much she wanted him - she had never craved anyone so much in her entire life - and whether he could indeed be trusted. The bulge pressing against her thigh showcased that he at least wanted her just as badly, but she had to admit that his attitude in George's castle had been... Surprising, and yet astoundingly pleasing. Could she trust him?
"One could mistake what you did for loyalty," she tested him and broke the contact between their bodies while speaking, half resting her weight on the surface of the lone table that decorated the room. He took a beat to respond, which Regina regarded with suspicion, but of course he had a smart remark to throw her way eventually.
But Regina was done with narrowing her eyes and pushing him away, he was in very many ways as entertaining as he was annoying, so why not bask in the least upsetting of the two? Plus he had demonstrated he could be trusted, at least a little.
So Regina threw her head back and laughed, she laughed as she hadn't for many, many weeks, feeling a strong pang on her chest that she refused to acknowledge as happiness but sure felt very much like it. Their banter restarted but this time in a lighter tone, although his eyes did betray to be wary at times, he was mostly relaxed and most definitely cocky about the fact that he had made her gasp.
When he spoke so openly of his actual cock, something warm and dark started bubbling on the pit of her stomach, and Regina could not resist but palm him right there. She had forgotten how much she enjoyed his complete helplessness when it came to her touch, her sudden unexpected touches had always rendered him speechless and she found she rather liked him like that, with his cock hard and his mouth shut.
Regina decided to take her time in this, let him cook for a while, tease him a little bit more, she was positively sure that they were going to end up having sex in every single bangable surface in that room, so why rush?
Then he managed to surprise her. First, by being able to find his words at all (his face was rather comical, with red lip coloring smeared all over his lips plus the same coloring in a lighter tone adorned his cheeks). Second, for actually trying to strike a deal with her, a simple thank you in exchange for Snow White was quite a deal, although Regina knew pretty well that if he ever managed to capture the damned girl, she would probably let him ride her to exhaustion.
With the thought of being fucked until she passed out, Regina shook hands with him, and quickly pulled him to her, growing tired of his voice and far too wet for their own good.
She could get lost in those heated kisses, their mouths moved with such passion, such eagerness and again, his hands seemed to be everywhere, he seemed to want to rip off every single artifact of clothing she wore all at the same time. She knew he was very particular about magic - obviously since most of the times she had used it on him had been to transport him to hostile places - so Regina humored herself in taking his own clothing off with a dash, or maybe a lot of magic. When pushing down his pants had made very little effect in getting him naked, Regina decided to burn down his trousers, boots and everything else not made of skin below his waist.
Although he had looked a little uncomfortable at first, as soon as he realized her intentions were only in getting him more naked, he relaxed and attacked her neck with his expert lips, leaving for sure purple and red marks behind.
When the trousers were gone, she pushed at him a little and beheld him with heated eyes, her gaze met by his with the same intense lust filled stare. During such an intense exchange she had to wonder how on earth she had been able to stay away from him for weeks, he was undeniably handsome, so toned, so pleasing to the eye, add to that the multiple orgasms and the intense feeling, the crazy chemistry between them… she was shocked she had not attacked him in the hallways.
Regina held his gaze while using only her nails to tease him, holding him captive with her intense stare, or was she the one who was being held by his? Her hand went up his muscled front and Regina wanted to eat him alive, she wanted him hot and naked above her, behind her, beneath her and every single other position she could think of.
The remains of his shirt hung about his shoulders when he made a comment that had her pausing altogether.
"Missed me all that much?"
Regina was beginning to believe this man might be as mentally ill as herself. She had to confess he fascinated her in an odd way, she still could not discern if he was indeed that brave, that confident, or had the thrills for danger. She hoped it was the latter, for what she had planned for him was the furthest thing from safe, she had always thought that bedding her alone was already a dangerous sport in itself – and she was right, one wrong move, one wrong word and there were no second chances.
He met her distasteful words with a set of teasing ones and Regina was literally bursting with desire, and all that talk of button pulling and clothing ripping was making her even wetter. Their banter soon turned hot again as he was leaning on her, her legs, spread wide, welcoming his frame in between them, and as he spoke Regina could not help but anticipate everything she was going to do to that man against that table, on the sofa, against the bookcase, on the floor, pressed against-
Her heart stopped.
He was so fast and she was so, so, so, very stupid. How could she have ever trusted him?
Regina felt her blood grow cold, life drained from her features, as he slashed the knife towards her, she could do nothing to help it but gasp in utter surprise. She felt like crying at her stupidity, at her pathetic loneliness, her ridiculous cravings and her unnecessary feelings towards him. They had blinded her and now she was going to pay for her naivetés just like Daniel's life had paid for her trusting her mother.
She had had a dream about this, a dream that she now knew had happened in order to warn her, but Regina had thrown caution to the wind and listened to the half-naked Queen inside her head instead of paying attention to the heartless Queen who knew better.
She felt her whole body go limp, the desire that had been practically bursting from her was quickly substituted by nausea and Regina swallowed, waiting for the sharp pain. Was that what it felt like to be stabbed? She wondered how long it would take for her to die.
But no pain came, nothing whatsoever, her glassy, unblinking eyes regarded him and he looked as smug as always whilst he threw the shiny, pointy knife back blindly.
Regina was not capable of coherent thought, she was sure she was not breathing and almost certain she was about to pass out.
She could not understand, what had he done? Why wasn't she in agonizing pain? Why hadn't the taste of copper hit her senses? And why on earth was he looking at her as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred?
It took her long moments to realize that her cape had been cut open and in that period of time the expression on the person responsible for it morphed to confused and to Regina's surprise, slightly worried.
He-
He had not attacked her.
He had attacked her coat but, not her.
He-
He had cut off her coat like she had ripped all his clothes to shreds.
He was not trying to kill her, he was trying to get her naked.
"You-" Regina drew in her first breath in what seemed to be a long time, she noticed that when she spoke, so did he, he also seemed to be holding his breath, staring at her, a look in his eyes she did not want to acknowledge as concern.
"You could have-" killed me, stabbed me, ended me, bruised me, slit my throat-
And yet he didn't, she could hardly believe that he had not used this opportunity to harm his jailor – was she really his jailor at this point? – or to at least threaten her to gain his heart and freedom back, but no. He slashed the red, velvet cape open and disposed of the weapon that could have ended Regina's very existence as if it was nothing.
"You didn't-" the emotions rushing through her body were almost too intense for Regina to take; relief, gratitude, doubt, apprehension and lust.
Maybe he was trustworthy after all, maybe she did not have to push him away so much. She could recall the beginning of his time in her castle being most pleasing, in which she got what she wanted and he was not complaining.
Regina took one deep inhale of air through her nose and felt color return to her features as her body seemed to regain life, waking up from the shock it had just suffered.
"I-" he started, but upon hearing his voice, it was as if he had reignited all of the feelings she had been basking in before he decided to juggle a knife without warning in front of her.
She would have him, but she would have him like the old times, she would be in absolute control, and he better obey her or else- She spun them around, banged his behind – and how she had missed that meaty asset of his - against the wooden surface of the table and after he situated himself there, climbed on top of him in a way that would make her mother cringe.
Regina, that is utterly unacceptable, he's a filthy- she tried, that heartless Queen always tried to dissuade her from being with him.
But her cries were muffled by the excited voice coming from a half clad version of herself, Finally! I was about to do something terribly foolish if you did not get that man in between your legs!
Regina could only laugh internally at the fact that he also got creative when it came to removing her clothes. Upon looking at that man yanking off button by button with his bare teeth, something yet more feral started to bubble inside her. The feeling only increased when his lips started giving her nipples the best of treatments, his hand always making sure the opposing hardened end of her breast did not feel unappreciated.
But Regina's insides really caught on fire when he spanked her, it was sudden and most natural, right after she was almost sure she had moaned his name, something she did not remember ever doing before.
Oh yes, the slight slap sent a shiver up her spine and she could not help but press her sex against him further and moan. She quickly got rid of what remained of her clothing with magic, making her wet core come in contact with his hard cock – and oh, it had been such a long since she had felt him like this, and to hell with him if this did not feel like home – he slapped her arse again, but this time Regina felt a jolt of incredible electricity about herself now that his bare hand met her bare bum.
Gods, he would be the death of her. She was delirious, wanted him now, inside her, fucking her good and proper, then long and hard, then fast and loud. And although Regina could barely hold her excitement, she decided to make her descent unto him a slow one, not resisting the urge to torture him just a little bit more.
Little did she know that her fun was just about to end.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important,"
Regina stopped dead, ceased her descent and her movements completely when the familiar voice reached her ears.
Maleficent
Regina's eyes had snapped open and she found herself looking at a frowning outlaw who had a slight pout on his lips. Her palms rested upon the surface of the wooden table and whilst taking a deep breath in a fruitless attempt to calm herself, Regina's nails scratched the surface with enough force to leave marks. She growled just as the outlaw opened his mouth to say something and pushed her body away from his, lifting one knee in order to dismount him – and consequently disconnecting their half engaged sexes – and sat on the table next to his figure in order to face her old friend.
Maleficent was right there, standing by the bolted door – had most certainly used magic to enter the room – wearing a smirk Regina wanted to punch away. Her blond hair, the usual mess of gold curls, which housed some of her strange headpieces, her dress was made of a flowy fabric tainted in a deep, plum color, her waist was firmly tightened by an exquisite corset, and she carried her usual staff.
Regina prided herself in finding her voice rather quickly, although it was slightly raspy, "Why do I get the feeling-" she crossed her legs and felt the outlaw rise from his previous position to see who the intruder was, "-that you have been standing there for quite a while?"
She could see the outlaw's brows shoot up when he laid his irritated eyes on the person who had interrupted their more than intimate moment. When Regina was done speaking, she noticed he turned to look at her with a questioning gaze she did not want to meet at the moment.
It wasn't surprising at all to Regina that before Maleficent gave her any sort of explanation, her eyes feasted upon the very nearly naked man sitting next to her. The she-dragon's eyes widened a bit at the sight and Regina felt a strange pang of anger at her for more reasons than simply interrupting her near coitus.
Maleficent's lip curled into the smallest of grins before she replied, her eyes still on the outlaw, "Not really," she replied diverging her eyes back to Regina and continued arching one eyebrow, "-just enough to see you still like to get spanked,"
Regina's mouth snapped open at Maleficent's words, for all she had lived, why had her past come to bite her in the ass at this precise moment? She heard a small muffed snort coming from the man sitting beside her and her head snapped at his direction quickly, her eyes wide with anger. He had the nerve to have amusement dancing about his eyes and a blush on his cheeks that betrayed the fact that he was holding back a laugh. Before she could reprimand him or castrate him, Maleficent spoke again.
"I see you have a new toy" she took a couple of leisurely steps towards them but the distance between them was still significant. Her eyes were shamelessly ogling the thief and Regina felt her face grow hot, "I'd just be careful with the silver dear." Her eyes were back at Regina, "This one is in the habit of taking which that does not belong to him," she arched a brow at him before looking back at Regina.
Regina felt ridiculous that her heart was hammering so hard inside her chest, true she was very much naked, – but then again, this was not the first nor the second time Maleficent had seen her like this. Plus there wasn't just her bare flesh on display but the outlaw's and Regina simply could not get over the fact that Maleficent's eyes seemed to be enjoying the view way too much-
But wait, no, how?
"You know each other?" Regina's voice came out a little higher than she planned.
"Why yes," Maleficent looked slightly bored whilst she spoke, "He and his merry band of bandits stole some gold from me a couple of years ago, and-" her voice rose when uttering 'and' as if remembering something of importance that made her angry, "-a looking glass," her stare had diverged from interested to angered while still looking at the man, "The likes of which I am yet to see again."
Regina was slightly startled to hear him speak, "I don't have it-" he shrugged his shoulders and Regina noticed for the first time that he seemed to be very unaffected by her presence, which struck her as odd, for it looked like he knew exactly who Maleficent was.
"Is that not your standard reply?" Maleficent threw back at him squinting a little.
"It is-" he responded on the same beat then clicked his tongue - Regina was feeling way too uncomfortable in having him be so bare in front of any other, especially since Maleficent's eyes shone with a dangerous, far too interested glint, "But it's the truth." He adjusted his position on the table and Regina felt her hands close in angry fists when Maleficent's eyes shot down to his crotch, "I have not seen the thief who stole it in years."
"But as you are the leader-" Maleficent started but he corrected her with an incisive 'was' before she could finish, and her eyes widened at his little outburst as she continued, "-were the leader, I'm sure you can make it up to me."
Regina did not have time to think, let alone react, when Maleficent flicked her wrist and in two seconds, the outlaw disappeared from the spot where he had just sat, only to reappear right in front of the damned she-dragon herself. She could not see his face, only his arse, as he was now facing away from her, but the smile on Maleficent's lips told Regina everything she needed to know about the woman's intentions.
Regina's hands had a death grip on the table she forced herself to remain sitting on, "I'm sure you can make it up for me one way or another," the she-dragon slurred to him, ignoring Regina's presence altogether.
Maleficent brought one hand up to touch the man's torso and that was when Regina snapped. Before she knew what she was saying the words fell from her lips, "No, he most certainly cannot." Her magic was instantly ignited and before Maleficent had a chance to touch the outlaw, he was pulled back by an invisible force and violently thrown back to Regina's side.
The woman arched an amused brow, seeming a little surprised at her attitude, "Dear, are you jealous?"
"Territorial, that's all," Regina brushed her comment away, trying to mask her evident jealousy as best she could.
Maleficent gave her a slight laugh and waved her hands whilst she explained nonchalantly, "Never fret dear, I'm most certainly not claiming anything." she smiled a wicked smile back at Regina, "I just want to borrow your delectable toy for a few hours," Regina could see from the corner of her eye that the use of the word 'toy' was not pleasing the man in any way, "-maybe even a few days?" she shrugged her shoulders and with a wave of her hand the man was being pulled back towards her, coming to stand in front of her once more.
Regina took a deep breath, she had to cool down, but her head felt as if it was going to explode, her rage almost making her blind to the words Maleficent was uttering when she was finally able to trace her fingers about the outlaw's chest. She had to remind herself she could not let her true feelings show; she could not let anyone know, much less the man in question, that she had any sort of sentiment towards him. But damned Maleficent was making things exceedingly difficult for her by putting her hands where they did not belong, for that man belonged to Regina and no one else.
"That is-" she had the nerve to pull off the shreds that remained of his shirt from his shoulders, baring him completely to her eager eyes. She bit her lower lip, looking down and giving him an appreciative nod and completed, "-if he wants to come back to you after I'm done with him." She looked at Regina over his shoulder and smiled.
Regina felt her teeth clench and got up from the table unable to control her limbs very well, her jealousy acting on its own, she was quickly being overtaken by her strong emotions, and she knew only disasters occurred when those came to play. When Maleficent's hand, which was still resting on his chest, started a dangerous journey south, Regina used her magic and the thief disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke before she was able to get her flimsy hands where they were not welcome.
The man reappeared not next to her, as Regina had commanded, but several feet away from the floor, floating just above both sorcerers with both his butt cheeks glued to the ceiling looking rather startled but others parts of his anatomy told Regina he was rather keen on the ideas that had been suggested by the blonde so far.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Regina demanded to know, looking with fury at Maleficent, who seemed quite annoyed by Regina's reluctance of giving up her new toy.
That, she would never do, that man was hers and he had the marks to prove it.
"Stop being such a spoilsport, little dove" Maleficent had the nerve to call her by that pathetic pet name and Regina felt like strangling her.
At the sound of that annoying name, Regina's hand started to burn, she was so angry she could set fire to the entire castle at this point. It was all the distraction Maleficent had needed, she used her own magic again and made the bandit come down from this hoisted position and stand in between the both of them.
"I'm surprised at you dear," Maleficent was looking back at her with a puzzled expression, "I can recall we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly in the company of that big, copper haired, young man-"
"Must we speak of him?" the outlaw had the audacity to whine.
Regina still held up a fireball but this time looked at him with furious eyes and huffed out, indicating his nether parts by motioning her chin forward, her face twisted in distaste, "How dare you-?"
Maleficent's voice now, for the first time ever since her arrival, had truly sounded serious, "Dear, are you truly jealous?"
Her eyes snapped at the woman but before she could give a negative response, the outlaw's voice sounded, bringing both the women's attention to his naked self.
"My ladies," he clasped both his hands on his back and swayed a little on his heels, "There's enough Robin for everyone," he had the nerve to smirk at both of them, first at Regina, then at Maleficent to whom he sent the most indiscreet wink Regina had ever witnessed.
Regina did not know how her eyes did not pop out of her skull, for she felt them ache from the force she was using to widen them. Maleficent roared out a crackle and managed to utter along the lines of I like this one, but Regina had had it.
In a cloud of purple smoke he disappeared, and Regina made sure to listen hard so she could hear his hot and bothered body hit the lake's icy water, the splash brought a smile to her lips. His absence and misfortune bringing an odd sense of calmness about her body.
He was indeed going to be the death of her.
When Maleficent noticed that the man had not been poofed to another location within the confines of the room, her laughter ceased and she questioned Regina truly, "What's wrong?"
Regina decided to ignore her question and went straight to her point, "What do you want?"
"Whatever do you mean by that?" The she-dragon sounded a little confused.
"Why are you here, Maleficent?" Regina tried again.
"You summoned me, little dove-" Maleficent gave back to her.
"Stop calling me that!" Regina was starting to hate that name, she was not a little dove anymore, she might have been, a long, long time ago, when she first met the woman in front of her, but not anymore, a lot had happened ever since that day, everything had happened.
She breathed through her nose, trying to bring down the enraged haze of jealousy and was reminded that indeed she had sent for Maleficent.
"But that was weeks ago," Regina threw back at her.
"I have been busy," Maleficent told her, and Regina knew only too well that she was lying, "Getting cold dear?" she gestured towards Regina's chest and she then noticed she had gooseflesh all over her torso and her nipples were rather alert, "Want me to warm you up?" Maleficent joked.
Regina liberated an irritated groan and with a wave of her hand had her fair skin covered with a heavy, dark robe that reached her feet, "I was pretty warm before you decided to storm in," she complained under her breath.
"Speaking of which," Maleficent moved and sat on one of the large sofas about the room, making herself at home, this was not the first time she had been here anyway, "What was all that about?" She truly did sound rather puzzled about the idea, "How come you had an outlaw who is wanted dead by practically every noble in the realm in between your legs?"
Regina prayed she had not flushed a little at the question, she felt ridiculous and childish, why should she blush anyway?
"I think you know how Maleficent," she tried to escape the questions sitting on the chaise that faced the sofa Maleficent had chosen to lounge in.
"Of course dear," she gave her a knowing look and continued, "But you stand for everything his kind abhors, why would he ever even be here? Let alone naked with you?"
Regina chuckled a little at her choice of words and delivered them to her old friend, "He's had a change of heart,"
Maleficent regarded her with curiosity for a beat but said nothing, maybe she had understood the meaning behind her words and maybe she hadn't, all Regina knew was that now she felt much more like herself in the man's absence, and she could not help but take a deep breath that finally managed to relax her body a little.
"I did not call you here so you could make unnecessary inquiries about my staff nor try to abduct them," Regina spoke again with a hint of venom in her voice, she knew she had to be tough in order to convince Maleficent, she gave the woman a grave look and continued, "I need something from you."
"Of course you do," the woman gave her, clearly unsurprised at Regina's words, "You never call on me unless you want something Regina."
Regina huffed and nodded once at her friend because, yes, that was true. She decided to cut to the point.
"I need your sleeping curse."
Her words were met with the exact reaction Regina had expected, laughter. Regina could only sneer at her friend and wait for her outburst to subside before adding, "I fail to see the humor behind my request," with an arched brow.
"Just one question Regina, what will you be giving me in return?" Maleficent asked once the smile had left her lips.
Regina's mind automatically went for the outlaw, of how Maleficent had been more than interested in him, but could she? No, it was out of the question, she could never give him up, she could barely stand the sight of another looking at him that way let alone allow, trade, him-
"And no," Maleficent spoke again as if reading her mind, "I will not be accepting your toy as payment," Regina could just stare back at her while she continued, "Since it's a curse you want, I can only accept another curse as payment."
Fantastic
There was a small part of Regina that breathed with a little bit more ease knowing that she would not have to whore out her- whatever he was, to obtain the curse. But the majority of her trembled, for what on earth could she offer Maleficent now? She did not have any curse that Maleficent herself could not procure, the she-dragon was – as Regina was reluctant to admit – much more powerful than she was, and had decades of more experience than Regina.
Regina swallowed, she could not, in any circumstances, show Maleficent she had literally nothing of true value to trade for the damned curse.
"You could help yourself to my collection-" Regina thanked her lucky stars for her and her mother's conjoined collection of enchanted hearts, maybe one or five hearts would be sufficient, "-I'm sure there is one or another you could use."
"You forget, I have the same ability Regina dear, I could just as easily rip your heart out if I wanted to." Maleficent told her and the only moving part of her body being her arching eyebrow.
She was right, and Regina was royally fucked. She hated feeling this powerless, she should not have even called on that damned woman in the first place, she had thought that their history might give Regina some credit when getting what she wanted, but apparently, Maleficent was a far cry from Jamie.
"I don't suppose you even have a vessel, do you?" Maleficent continued.
Regina's lips became a thin line and she aid nothing in reply, this was stupid, what had possessed her to make her think this was in any way a good idea? She felt foolish and incompetent, she could almost hear her mother's voice mocking her, such a disappointment Regina, can't even negotiate properly.
Maleficent, however, surprised Regina by not being a completely heartless bitch and continued to speak, "You know I can't part with that needle, it's complicated, plus it's part of the sleeping enchantment, if you use it on someone else, the curse on Aurora will be broken, and I simply cannot have that." She told her truly, Regina believed her, she knew too well how Maleficent felt, she nodded, silently telling the woman sitting across from her to continue.
"As for the curse,-" she bit her lower lip for a beat before she continued, "It's utterly useless without a vessel." She adjusted her position on the sofa, "You would need an object that can either be injected or consumed but that has been thoroughly corrupted with dark magic, so it can actually house the curse, otherwise it will just destroy it." Maleficent swallowed and made a displeased face, adding in a completely different tone, "Regina, you are the worst host I've ever come across, how come you have business with so many people when you haven't even offered me a glass of wine?"
Regina had to smirk at her old friend, she did not even have to move, her magic worked of its own accord, and before Maleficent could take another breath to complain, a goblet appeared in her grasp.
"I normally just threaten to burn their entire kingdoms to the ground," Regina stated simply, as if she was talking about the weather.
"You and I both know you're not that powerful" Maleficent shot back at her and sipped her wine.
"They don't know that, now, do they?" Regina's smirk widened.
"I'd be careful with the threats you make dear, not everybody is as nice as me," the other woman told her.
"I know what I am doing," Regina shot back at her, but truly, she had no idea of what she was doing, she had to ask herself again and again if offense was the best defense, making her allies scared enough to not even dream of turning against her the best plan of action. She brushed the thoughts away, having more pressing matters to discuss.
"Where can I find such an object?"
"You can make one, but that would take a lot of work and sacrifice-" Maleficent told her, her eyes bore a seriousness that made Regina want to cross out having to corrupt an object herself, "I corrupted the needle myself and its toll on me, the sacrifice I made to achieve it, cost me dearly-" she was not looking at Regina but at the heavy velvet curtains.
"Someone like the Dark One most certainly possesses something like it-" Regina asked, not resisting wondering what it was that Maleficent had to sacrifice in order to have her revenge.
"Oh yes-" she took another gulp of wine, "-the man itself could be one, he's pure viciousness," she added with distaste.
"You're right," Regina agreed but she could not help but think of the blue-eyed dove she had locked up in one of her prison towers, one that had seen more to the Dark One than pure viciousness. She quickly brushed the notion away, thinking back to her training and what that man, that thing, had done to her.
"You could try sending your thief there to steal it-" Maleficent suggested, bringing Regina's attention back to her, she had been staring at a goblet of wine she had conjured for herself.
"Oh?" both Regina's eyebrows shot up with interest, considering the idea.
"Although, if he gets caught-" Maleficent added, "-you might want to start looking for a new pet."
"He's not-" Regina started, but stopped when she realized what she was about to say, and quickly added, "There must be another way."
Maleficent brought her goblet to her lips and regarded Regina for a beat before sipping from it once more, she then placed it on the floor next to her feet, and brought her gaze back to Regina.
"There is," she stated simply.
"Yes?"
"You know about the blind witch?" the blonde asked.
"Of course, why would that have anything to do with it?" Regina's patience was starting to run thin, maybe she needed more wine. She refilled her goblet.
"What do you know about her?" Maleficent's question sounded serious.
"That she is a crazy person who uses her powers in order to eat children" Regina replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "It rather amazes me that with someone like her in our forest people dare and call me evil. I don't eat children for breakfast."
"Just the captain of your personal guard," Maleficent added with a grin.
"Do not be daft Maleficent-" Regina tried to brush her friend's comment off, "He's the only one doing any work."
"Right," Maleficent wiggled her eyebrows, clearly unconvinced.
Regina groaned, she wanted to get off the stupid subject that was him, "What about that crazy bat?"
"She wasn't always crazy, you know?" Maleficent gave her, "Even had a name too-"
"Oh? What happened then?" Regina asked half interested.
"What else?" Maleficent huffed, "She fell in love,"
Love is weakness Regina, she could hear the woman who had ruined her life speak.
"Tell me" Regina spoke simply.
"Well, a long, long time ago, she was neither a witch nor blind, she was just an ordinary young woman named Rapunzel. Her mother however, now, she was a witch alright, the Blue Witch, you might have heard of her?"
"Yes," Regina confirmed, "But she died such-"
"Indeed, this blind witch has a much more complicated story than you think, dear," Maleficent told her, "Now, the Blue Witch, was rather overprotective, she thought her daughter far too fragile for the evils of this world, so she kept her locked away in a tall tower, the only way in was through a window high above, there was no other entrance.
"But the little girl grew up to become a beautiful, young woman and for some reason had stopped cutting her hair, in no time her mother did not need to transport herself with magic to their home but simply climb her daughter's long blonde hair." She stopped when Regina let out a yawn.
"Oh I'm sorry, but this is getting truly dull dear, is there a point in this?" Regina complained, unimpressed with the story.
"One day, someone else decided to climb the girl's hair," Maleficent continued, ignoring Regina's comment, "It was a Prince and well, they fell in love and all that nonsense."
"And?" Regina adjusted her position in the chaise feeling a little uneasy all of the sudden.
"The Blue Witch caught them one day, and was not in any way pleased. She did not ask any questions before she sent the young man flying out of the window, even though her daughter screamed that she loved him."
It feels real now, at the start it always does, but it's an illusion, it fades, Cora's voice hit her senses once more as if she was in the room with them.
"I guess something flipped in the girl's mind because in her despair she threw herself out of the window after her clearly dead lover." Maleficent's voice continued, "But she didn't die, her mother was able to pull her hair at the last minute, making her fall not as deadly as her Prince's. When she started pulling Rapunzel back up again, that was when the first flicker of her magic manifested, she was able to cut off her hair and free herself from her mother." Regina was now listening to the tale attentively, finding it oddly similar to her own story somehow, "She yelled back at her mother that she never wanted to see her again, that she hated her, and well, the Blue Witch had a temper."
"What did she do?" Regina found herself asking.
"She screamed back that if the girl never wanted to see her again, she would never see anything ever again and made the rose bushes grow into some manner of monster and blind Rapunzel with the thorns." Maleficent told her in a monotone, "Not only that but she also banished her to a horrendous swamp, not knowing that Rapunzel was with child." Maleficent had tried to keep her voice unfeeling but it broke at the very last word.
Regina could only gasp in response thinking of the awful things that had happened to her because of love.
"At first she persevered," Maleficent continued, "Probably because of the growing life inside her, it gave her strength to make do with what she had and make the closest thing to a home she could manage in her condition at the swamp. But in her blind condition and solitude, Rapunzel was not able to carry through until the end of the pregnancy." The woman's words were grave and heavy, "The baby came too soon, it was too little, too frail and could not withstand the venomous atmosphere of the swap, the baby died in Rapunzel's arms."
"I-" Regina could not find her words, she felt awful, little did she know that the tale was only bound to get worse.
Regardless of her attempts to hide her emotions, Regina could see Maleficent was affected by the tale she was telling. Indeed, one would truly need to be heartless in order to take in such a story coldly.
Bet mother would have said she very well deserved what she got, Regina mussed bitterly.
There was a grave moment of silence before Maleficent continued, "The devastation and loneliness took over Rapunzel's sanity and after being exposed to magic for so long because of her witch mother, she started developing powers of her own. With that she managed to crawl out of the swamp and into the daylight, but never would she see it again."
The blonde took a long intake of breath and went on, "The price to that power, however, was her sanity." She had been staring at her lap for some time and now brought her eyes back to Regina, "She went raving mad," Maleficent licked her lips, "-her maddest belief being that if she ate children, they would grow to become her baby inside her belly and she could finally have her child back, the only thing that remained from her dead love."
And then you're left with nothing but power, true power endures and then you don't have to rely on anyone to get what you want. Her mother's speech sounded as vile and cruel as ever, but it hit a truthful note in this particular tale, Regina could not help but nod and close her eyes when the words died out.
"So that's why-" she found her voice, "-she has that ridiculous gingerbread house in the middle of my forest?" it was all Regina could ask.
"Yes" Maleficent whispered, "She wants to be reunited with her child,"
I've saved you my love. Her mother's voice rang one last time.
Regina swallowed hard and met Maleficent's gaze, she tried to pull back all her emotions, she had had enough of feeling diminished and fragile around that woman, "I hope you did not tell me all this in order to make me feel nauseated."
"Of course not," the blonde responded, "She has a vessel,"
"That mad woman managed to make a vessel?" Regina inquired, managing to keep her emotions at bay.
"Her mother did," Maleficent informed her, "She actually managed to grow a tree of vessels, it was unfortunately destroyed long ago by a giant, but one fruit remains."
"And it's inside her sticky house?" Regina inquired, suddenly feeling excited.
"Yes, inside a satchel."
"What is it?"
"An apple."