Poison Reveals All

(Daniella's POV)

It surprised me that we were still allowed to use the guest dining hall for breakfast despite angering King Arthur following Merlin's release last night. I assumed he didn't say a word to anyone other than his trust knights because he was too proud to admit to his own people that he had welcomed a 'threat' into his kingdom. However, there was undeniably a tension building up between him and our companions. Accordingly, Granny had been notified to start preparing for us to live and gather in the tavern during the remainder of our time in Camelot. In the brief visit to the tavern yesterday, Merlin also unfroze Snow and David who had come into a confrontation with Arthur and Guinevere while retrieving the sword, Excalibur.

With Merlin amongst us and on our side, it was doubtful that Arthur would mount an attack. The question on everyone's minds was whether the great wizard could free Emma from the darkness and quite ambiguously, he told us that it was as much his decision as Emma's. After breakfast, he would have a private chat with Emma. Though this sounded manageable, as it happens, there would always be something wrong at one given time. Snow suddenly exclaimed, "Regina, are you ok?"

I whipped around and noticed how mother had suddenly gone very still. Then, with her hand covering her mouth, she spat out her tea back into the teacup in her hand. "Wolfsbane," she muttered.

"What?" Snow exclaimed.

Without answering her or giving her a glance, mother got up and checked every tea on the table. David spoke up worriedly in the midst of her strange behaviour, "Isn't it a poison?" Mother replied heatedly, "Yes. A commoner's poison. Though this one tastes slightly different. Perhaps it's because this particular type had been collected from the forests of Camelot." After setting down the last cup, she assured everyone, "Don't worry, only my drink contained the poison."

Snow's incredulous expression opposed mother's statement completely. "Oh I'm worried. It's the second time someone's tried to kill you since we arrived. We need to get out of here." Mother merely rolled her eyes and snipped back, "Didn't you try to kill me twice? Believe me, I'm quite used to that kind of sentiment by now, though I appreciate your concern and I'm rather eager to find out who was responsible for this."

The remainder of breakfast was ruined by this scandal as efforts were made to interrogate the kitchen staff. During this process, Merlin and Emma disappeared to talk about the dilemma surrounding the Darkness. It was mainly David and Hook who did the interrogation, as everyone knew that mother's ways of extracting information might get out of hand quickly. We stood in the background and watched as the kitchen staff gave us blank and confused expressions. That was when Hilda spoke up and mentioned, "I'm not sure if this is related, but I know of a squire who sometimes collect herbs for the healers in the castle when he's out for a hunt in the forest."

Mother replied, "He wouldn't have been able to harvest this particular type of Wolfsbane unless he was in the presence of somebody with magic. Wolfsbane normally appears when it senses dark magic. Unless the boy you're thinking of possesses magic, he cannot be the culprit."

As soon as mother said this, I felt my insides shift. As I balled my fists together uncomfortably, Snow asked, "Well perhaps he was with a witch, or even near Emma's magic at that moment. What's his name?"

Hilda scrunched up her face whilst reaching into her memory and finally, she said the one syllable that I dreaded, "Rhys."

Before anyone could respond, I swallowed and felt my voice go up an octave as I asked shakily, "Where is he?"

"Probably in the combat room fencing with the other trainees."

My blood ran cold and as I attempted to take deep breaths to steady my palpitating pulse, I swallowed. I didn't dare meet anyone's gaze as I muttered, "I'll go look for him." Then, I left everyone's baffled expressions and teleported to the ground level of the castle in search for him. As all castles followed a similar layout, I made it to the combat room in no time. Nervousness, disappointment and anger all simmered like an explosive potion in my blood. Knowing that everyone knew I had magic by this point, I used it without hesitation to open the doors. They slammed violently behind me when I walked in, making the boys inside freeze and glance at each other, not knowing what they should do. Even though they were technically loyal to Arthur, I was the one with magic. Though I suppose it would have been evident that I was upset, I schooled my expression and asked calmly, "Is Rhys here?"

The masked figure at the other end of the room took off his metal helmet and came over to me with a confused frown. Before he could approach me, I waved my hand, surrounded just the two of us in purple smoke. When we reappeared in a quiet part of the castle in some musty corridor, I took one look at him and snarled, "I know what you did."

"I don't understand, what happened?"

"You were down at the kitchens this morning, making a special delivery, am I correct?" As his mouth dropped open, I merely took it as a confirmation and shouted, "So it wasn't a coincidence that you just happened to find me in the forest! It wasn't a coincidence that you...that you kissed me the other night?"

"Your Highness, what-"

"You used me didn't you?" I snapped, cutting him off.

No sooner had he said the first syllable of my name, I extended my hand and thrusted him against the wall with my magic. I could feel fire at the tip of my tongue as I seethed, "You used me just so that you can find some Wolfsbane in an effort to poison my mother and try and get out of it by convincing me that it wasn't what happened because you 'loved' me!"

His eyes widened but other than that, all I could see was red. I threw my hand into his chest and pulled out his heart with no hesitation. As I took it out with such force, he fell onto his knees. Using it to prevent him from speaking, I spat, "And I thought I trusted you. How dare you use me like this?" The memory of our conversation replayed itself in my mind. My grip on his heart only tightened when I thought about how I had shared so much with him. I could feel a vicious snarl decorate my expression as I heard his coughs. "Never thought I would find out did you?" I taunted with a low chuckle in an attempt to conceal the hurt that was building up in my abdomen. The look of pain on his face only helped to alleviate the pain numbing my heart.

Though I intended to tighten my grip on his heart, I felt something fight against my magic. I frowned, but I was unable to squeeze his heart further. Finally, I paid attention to his ragged pleas. "Please...wait...listen to me...I can explain."

"That you played on my vulnerability, and pretended to love me?" I replied with flames in my chest.

"No, Princess, I do love you-"

I loosened my grip only slightly so that he could speak. His bloodless face looked back up at me and he said between coughs, "It wasn't me. Yes, I was responsible for bringing back some herbs from the forest, but they're only medicinal. I deliver them to the castle's physicians. This morning, I went down to the kitchen because it was one of my mate's birthdays and I intended to ask a cook I knew personally if he could make something special for him, but I found out that he was not working today so I left after that. I swear; I had nothing to do with the poison. I would never do something like that to hurt you or the Queen."

With the adrenaline and anger still running its course through my blood, I spat, "Prove it."

Rhys looked right into my eyes and said, "You know what to do."

I was caught off guard for a second before I realised that he was urging me to control him using his heart. I maintained a strong glare and raised the organ to my lips. "Are you lying to me? Were you using me?"

My own heart thumped in sync with the glowing organ in my hand as he replied, "No. What I've just said is the truth." He looked like he wanted to continue speaking, but he immediately clutched at his chest and erupted into violent coughs. I looked down at the organ in my hand in alarm and noticed that I wasn't even squeezing it. Between pained breaths, he pleaded, "Please. I meant no harm."

I took a step back as I knew that whatever was happening now had nothing to do with my control over his heart, nor the fact that he was withholding any information willingly from me. I felt my lips twitch as I loosened my grip on his heart. I watched him lie against a pillar as he recovered and regulated his breathing. At first, all I could feel was the anger imbedded in the dark magic that still crawled just beneath my skin. As the seconds ticked by however, a new feeling overtook my body. It only felt worse when Rhys slid down the pillar and onto the floor where he crouched down with his hand over his chest like a wounded animal rather than a composed squire upon the threshold of knighthood.

Shamefully, I approached him and knelt down whilst averting my line of sight from his gaze. Yet, I unintentionally managed to caught a glimpse of the beads of perspiration that decorated his forehead. When I put my free hand onto his shoulders, he flinched. Upon seeing his reaction, a stinging sensation rested uncomfortably behind my eyelids. I angled my hand carefully when I returned the heart to his chest. Once it was lodged back into place, I withdrew as quickly as I could. I bit the inside of my lips and kept my head dipped down as I felt tears roll down my cheeks. I wanted to hide, but where would I go? The small whimper escaped my lips when I sniffled; betraying my intention to keep my emotions at bay. For whatever reason, I could never keep them to myself when I was around him. I recoiled a little when I his strong arms pulled me into him. I didn't have to strength to fight it, and I merely balled myself up whilst murmuring in a cracked voice, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."

I didn't know how to respond when Rhys whispered into my hair, "Hey, it's ok. I'm not hurt."

After letting a few seconds tick by, I finally faced him, knowing full well that the makeup around my eyes was smudged. I tried to set aside the thought that I not only looked like a lunatic, but behaved like one as I murmured small voice, "I could have killed you."

"But you didn't."

"I ripped your heart out," I whispered guiltily.

"Princess, I'm fine. Besides, you have my heart anyway."

I looked up instantaneously with parted lips and scanned his eyes. He touched my cheek gently with the back of his hand and said, "I wasn't lying. I do care about you."

I hesitated for a moment, but slowly let myself lean into his chest in silence. For a few minutes, I let myself be cradled in his arms. I was only pulled out of my circling thoughts when he cleared his throat and asked, "Is she hurt?"

"Who?"

"Your mother."

I was surprised that he would ask such a thing, given that we both knew that my actions were a copy of what my mother would do. "What?" I breathed.

"You mentioned a poison..."

I sucked in a breath and replied, "There was wolfsbane in her tea at breakfast. They interrogated the kitchen staff but none of them revealed anything useful. Someone mentioned that you were responsible for collecting magic herbs and since wolfsbane only appears when there is dark magic I thought..."

"That I had collected it when I first met you in the forest," Rhys finished.

I diverted my line of sight and said quickly, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed, it's just...Arthur wants us out of here, and then with everything-"

Rhys stopped my spiral and said, "It's alright, you don't have to explain. I understand. If something was to happen to someone I care about, I would have done the same. Though I might have ended up sticking a sword through someone instead, as I don't possess magic."

I lifted myself from Rhys' embrace and joked lightly, "Hard to imagine you playing it rough like that."

A dark mischievous glint flickered in his eyes as he replied with a smirk, "What can I say? My stepfather was a former Black Knight."

"Point taken."

After a moment, Rhys then spoke up and said, "Well, I assume they're looking for me. I guess you should take me to your acquaintances so that I can prove I wasn't behind the poison."

In a small voice, I asked, "Are you going to tell them what just happened?"

A confused frown decorated his expression. "Why would I?"

"I don't want them to know what happened just now."

"They won't need to as long as they believe me."

I disguised my guilt behind a stern gaze and said definitively, "I'll make sure that they believe you." Then, I put my hand on Rhys' arm but before I could teleport us away, he said again, "Daniella, don't feel guilty about what happened. I'm fine."

I gave him a nod and schooled my expression after a sniff to hide the remaining remnants of emotion. Then, I surrounded us in my signature pinkish lilac smoke. When we appeared in the dining room, there a moment of shock on everyone's faces. Hilda exclaimed, "Oh, yes, that's him."

I avoided mother's questioning gaze as Rhys went up before her and bowed. Amongst those with royal blood in the room, Snow was the last the receive any acknowledgement. Was this deliberate? Or a mere attempt to save his skin?

As David made his way over to interrogate him, I was only alerted of the fact that I was still holding onto his arm when the Shephard prince gave me a look. Quickly, I dropped my grip and crossed my arms whilst standing back a little. To my disappointment, Hook suggested without much consideration, "Why not take out his heart? By the looks of it, he's got thicker skin than those servants from the kitchen." With a wink gilded in eyeliner, the pirate added, "In fact, since he's a squire loyal to Camelot, he might even give us more information."

"No!" It took me a second to realise that I was the one who had made that exclamation. A puzzled expression decorated Hook's face as he asked, "Why not? You can do the honour if you would like, or we'll let your mother do it."

When I looked over to where mother was standing, her expression was unreadable. I automatically glanced over to where father was standing but to my surprise, Aurelie and Lena weren't there. Well, I suppose its a good thing that they aren't. I swallowed and accepted Hook's suggestion with a nod as I walked closer to Rhys. When David stepped over to one side, I put one hand on Rhys' shoulder and gulped. Realising that if I hesitated for longer, the questions arising in everyone's minds will only multiply, I closed my eyes and winced as I threw my hand into his chest again. He breathed in quickly which made the corners of my mouth twitch. When I took out the organ, I made sure to cradle it gently in my palm and exert as little force as possible. Without meeting anyone else's line of sight, I asked calmly, "Did you poison my mother's tea?"

"No."

"Were you assigned with the task of collecting poisonous herbs from Camelot forest for the purpose of harming anyone?"

"No."

I thought for a moment and continued, "What explanation could you give for the fact that you were in the kitchens this morning?"

"It was my friend's birthday and I wanted to ask the kitchens if they could prepare something special, but I left upon realising that the cook who I was more familiar with had a day off today."

I turned around to everyone and said plainly, "See? He's not responsible." Before I could put the heart back into his chest however, a hand swiped for it and it was already out of my palm before I could turn my body away from the culprit. I gasped and whipped around to glare at Hook. "What are you doing?" I warned.

"He might give us clues on Arthur. We might as well use him to our advantage. To learn what-"

I crossed my arms and interrupted, "His heart is not yours to use. Besides, he's not likely to give us any information."

Before anyone could object, Hook whispered into the heart, "Tell us what you know about the dagger. Any secrets he doesn't want us to know."

I bit my lip as Rhys replied, "I do not know anything about the dagger."

"No, you must know something; you're a squire, a boy training to be a knight for King Arthur. Tell us a secret, anything!"

My eyes widened, as I knew that even if he wasn't going to spill secrets about Camelot, there was one he could spill. I lunged for the heart and must have caught Hook by surprise as he retreated when he dropped it in my hands. Though, I wasn't quick enough to counteract Hook's commands as Rhys said ever so quietly, "I'm a prisoner of this court."

There was silence in the room, but it was broken when mother's voice asked behind me, "What's your surname?"

"Headley."

A flicker of recognition crossed her face and she stated, "You're Sir Headley stepson, aren't you? That's why I seem to have seen you before. Where is your stepfather?"

"He's-" suddenly, he was overcome with some kind of repulsion, a strange seizure of sorts that prevented him from speaking. He then coughed for a while, making noises that felt so familiar to my ears. Hang on, the other night when he kissed me, I had asked him what was wrong, but then he entered into a coughing fit. And just a few moments ago when I took his heart, he wanted to say something when I asked him whether or not he was using me and he erupted into coughs again. I eyed mother's response with worry and saw that something was on her mind. She turned to me and reached out her hand. "Daniella, the heart."

Carefully, I gave the beating organ to her, but when I saw that she was doing something to it with her magic, I exclaimed fearfully, "What are you doing?" She merely ignored me and continued infusing his heart with magic. Suddenly, there was a flash of light from the heart and at the very moment when black wisps started to disperse from his heart, Rhys collapsed on the floor. Confused, I immediately crouched down to see if he was alright. "Mother, what did you do?" My voice trembled more than I would have liked.

Whether or not she noted the nervousness in my tone was unclear as she replied simply, "I removed a curse from his heart. It seems like he had been tethered to Arthur's command." After a quick pause, she added, "Daniella, help him up." When we stood up again, mother returned his heart to his chest and repeated, "Now, your stepfather; where is he?"

With his hand massaging his chest, Rhys looked hesitant to speak, but when he found that his speech was no longer restricted, he squared his shoulders and replied, "In the dungeons." I watched carefully as mother's confused expression settled into a frown. "Why?" she growled.

"King Arthur figured out who my stepfather was. He was afraid that if Camelot would ever be in a war against the Enchanted Forest and more specifically your kingdom, he would have leverage. He knows that my stepfather had led countless military operations in your name, and organised most of your uh...more successful searches." When he mentioned this, he gave Snow an awkward look, which prompted David to immediately take a step in front of his wife.

In reply, mother huffed and declared, "Well it seems like I'll have pay a visit to the dungeons."

David objected in a loud voice before Rhys could say anything. "Hang on a second, Regina. We're rescuing one of your former black knights?" In fact, David's expression did parallel the others in the room but mother replied firmly, "Not we, me. He was one of my most trusted knights. In any case, I was responsible for anything he did, so if you're going to whine like children about the past, you may as well save that energy for when we face Arthur's fury." No one wanted to object mother's decision after she made this statement so the Charmings retreated. However, Snow spoke up and said to Rhys, "Well then, I suppose you'll have to be one of us. Welcome to the team."

Rhys gave a quick nod of thanks and proposed, "I could work as an undercover agent." Before any of the adults could reply, I immediately countered, "That's too dangerous. Besides, it seems like there eyes everywhere in this castle."

Mother cut in after my statement and suggested instead, "You can tell us how to get to the dungeons, and what we need to look out for." Rhys nodded and explained, "I found out recently that there are underground tunnels here, similar to the ones in your palace in the Enchanted Forest. I suspect they're not sealed by blood magic as I've heard that it isn't very commonly used in Camelot. Those should lead down to the dungeons. As for my stepfather..." Rhys paused for a moment before stating quietly, "His prison cell is next to the torture chamber. For uh, security reasons and convenience."

Mother visibly flinched at that detail. Then, she gritted her teeth and growled, "What did Arthur do to him?"

Rhys glanced uncomfortably around the room as he revealed, "The King wanted information about everyone here."

I found myself replying, "And did he give Arthur any information?"

Rhys shook his head but upon realising that it probably didn't look entirely convincing, he continued, "No, I don't think so. I was allowed to visit him after it happened. I don't think he gave in."

"Is he alright?" I breathed worriedly.

"He's..." Rhys' voice trailed off after that.

Mother stepped up to him and said, "My dear, I'll break him out of prison if it's the last thing I do."

I had to look away to hide the smile that painted my face.

(Aurelie's POV)

Twenty minutes prior...

It surprised me when mum suggested that I should look for my sister. I knew something was wrong, given the way she reacted to my aunt's hypothesis that the squire may have been responsible for the poisoning of Regina's tea. I was already out the door before I realised that I still didn't really know my way around the castle. Thankfully, my aunt came running after me and accompanied me as we searched for Daniella. Peculiarly, it didn't take too long to locate her. Although the voice that echoed from the end of the hallway undoubtedly belonged to my sister, it didn't sound right. We approached the direction of the voices slowly, moving against the walls of the corridor and stopping just before we could turn around the corner. Luckily, there was a suit of armour standing at the corner where I was able to poke my head around.

My breath immediately left my body upon seeing what was going on. A boy was pinned up against the wall by some invisible force, and he was struggling to speak. My sister's low and venomous bark sent a chill down my spine. I winced as she spat at the boy though I was frozen to the spot and unable to do anything. Just as I plucked up my courage to emerge from the shadows, she suddenly thrust her hand right into the boy's chest and when it came out again, she was holding something that glowed red.

I gasped. A heart. Suddenly, I could feel my own palpitations quicken as thoughts arose in my mind. From hearing whispers between my mum and aunt, I knew that they were convinced Daniella had poisoned me and torn my heart out, but I didn't want to believe them. She had been nice to me; talked to me when I was alone and sick in bed. And yet...

I stood rooted to my spot once again as the boy bent over in pain and fell to his knees in front of her. He appeared to be begging her to stop, but his cries of agony only continued. Soon, something other than angry words flew out from her lips. Laughter.

I stepped back in horror. I found myself backing off slowly, shaking as I turned around to face my aunt who didn't look well herself. Silently, we headed back to the dining hall but before we could join the others, mum came out through the double doors. I failed to comprehend the words she spoke into my ear as she hugged me. All I could think of was what I had just witnessed. Rather, of who I just witnessed.

I knew that everyone was a fairy tale character here, but it had never occurred to me what it actually meant. I felt another ice cold wave course through my lungs. If this was what my sister was capable of...then what more could the Evil Queen have done?

I shrugged off my mum's touch and ran to the doors of the dining room, peering inside.

The first thing I spotted was my dad talking to her. I knew there was a complicated history between my parents and the Queen but seeing the way that they were interacting now suddenly brought new feelings into my chest. Ones that made me sick and nauseous.

(Daniella's POV)

Although I now understood why Rhys had been holding back on my questions that night when we kissed and earlier today when I ripped his heart out, an uncomfortable feeling settled in my stomach. What if Rhys only approached me because he saw me as someone who could potentially help him and his father? What if he didn't actually love me?

I sighed and shook those thoughts from my head as I walked a little faster to catch up with him and mother. In the darkness of the dungeons, the prisoners looked on curiously which made me wonder whether they knew who we were. Indeed, Sir Headley was kept in a separate cell. The very one where where prisoners were placed prior to and after their torture. I held my breath, when mother blasted the lock open.

I stood in the doorway to keep watch but whilst the cell was small and Headley was covered up by everyone inside, the amount of blood on his body was immediately noticeable. Headley attempted to stand up before mother but she quickly ushered him to stay put, saying, "Please, we're getting you out of here. Don't worry about that twit of a King." She gave me a nod, and I closed the door to the cell as a means of buying time so that someone would have to come in to figure out that he was gone. Then, she surrounded us in purple smoke that took us to one of the guest bedrooms in Granny's tavern.

Rhys helped Headley onto the bed but he refused to lie down. As soon as he gained his breath, he managed to thank my mother but she stopped him before he could say anything more. My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth as I observed how the knight who had once been second in command, bend over in pain and collapse onto the bed. Mother turned to me and said, "Red's grandmother should be downstairs. Tell her what happened and ask her to bring Headley some food. Oh, and perhaps bring something to clean his wounds so that I can see what I'm doing when I heal them."

As I left, I accidentally brushed my hand against Rhys which encouraged a blush to creep up my cheek. It only made me more eager to escape from the room. Granny surprised to see me but it wasn't in a way that I had expected. As soon as I set foot at the bottom of the stairs, she had her crossbow pointed right at my chest. I faltered a little in shock, and she too, stopped in her tracks.

As she lowered the weapon, she exclaimed, "Princess! What are you doing here? I heard noises and I thought a spy had broken in!"

Once I regained my voice, I said, "Sorry for not giving you notice, but as a matter of fact, we are on a run. We uh...we just broke out a prisoner that Arthur had been holding as leverage."

"A prisoner?"

"A former black knight. He's with my mother in one of the guest rooms upstairs. She told me to come down to ask you if you have some food for him and something to clean his wounds with?"

Granny nodded with a frown and started moving to fetch me the items. "Yes of course, I'll cut up some bread and preserved meat for him. Just wait here for a moment, I'll wet some towels for you."

I sat on one of the counters at the bar and watched as Granny disappeared behind the kitchen door, which I presumed lead to the laundry. When she came back a minute later, she was holding a basket with some linens and towels. Nestled in the middle was a ceramic basin with water inside. As she slid it towards me over the counter, she said, "Careful with the water. I'll come up with the food when it's done."

I nodded and mouthed a word of thanks as I took the basket in my hands. When I came back into the room, Headley was lying on his side whilst mother hovered her hand over his back. She looked up and exclaimed, "Oh good, you're back. I couldn't really make much progress unless I wiped off the blood first." As she reached for the basket that I had set down at the foot of the bed, Rhys stood up and offered, "Let me do it, Your Majesty."

Mother regarded him for a moment before vacating her spot. Then, she took the other chair in the room and set it in front of Headley in silence. Once his wounds were healed, I could tell that he was in less pain. As he and mother got into a conversation, I eyed Rhys to catch his attention. It didn't take much effort as I figured his eyes hadn't left my direction after he was assured that his step-father was alright. I tilted my head towards the door and he nodded in understanding. When I started heading out however, mother called out, "Where are you going?"

"To return the basket," I quickly said, until I realised that it wasn't actually in my hands. Luckily, Rhys picked it up and smiled. I ignored the strange look on mother's face and made a run for it. When we got downstairs, Granny came up to us and said, "Oh, you're done with that. Just place it on the counter there. I'll put it away after I bring up food and drink."

When she had disappeared up the wooden stairwell, Rhys looked at me in the eye and said in a convinced tone, "I think they know."

I sighed and bit my lip nervously, "Was it really that obvious?"

"You hesitated when you had to tear my heart out the second time. Besides, you seemed pretty anxious to not let anyone take my heart...though I suppose the latter could come in handy."

I snorted at the joke he made, but still looked away ashamed as his words reminded me of what I had done earlier that afternoon. "Rhys, I'm really sorry about the first time...I wasn't thinking straight and..."

He came up to me and put both his hands around my shoulders, "Hey, it's ok. I told you multiple times already, I'm fine." Then, he added, "Alright, in all honesty, I'm a little shaken, but my stepfather is now freed and if it means all of this somehow spirals to that, I'm glad you lost your temper at me."

"For something you didn't do."

"Don't worry about it, Princess." Then, after a brief moment of silence, he added, "But what we have to worry about, is whether or not we should let our parents know now, or at the same time as everyone else...and I'm sure you'll agree with me that the best way to go about things is to be straight-forward and honest."

I bit my lip and was unable to give a reply.

"We should let your mother know."

I exhaled heavily and attempted to swerve from his suggestion. "Shouldn't we allow your step-father to rest first? What if he takes it badly? You told me that he didn't want you around me when we were young."

"Yes, when we were young. Things are different now, aren't they?"

I nervously twisted my hands together but he took them gently and said, "It's the right thing to do. And I suppose there is an advantage to having you there with me. Firstly, because of rank and respect, my stepfather can't actually say anything in opposition blatantly."

"But my mother could."

Rhys gave me an amused look and questioned, "Weren't you the one who assured me that she wouldn't disapprove of our relationship?"

I clamped my mouth shut. Indeed, that had been my response to his question on the night we kissed. But now, I wasn't sure. Rhys' voice interrupted my thoughts as he said in a low voice, "It's up to you of course, but if you'd prefer that I spoke to her first in private, I can do that-"

"No! Rhys, I-" I paused and let out a puff of air before nodding. "Ok. I'll come with you."

No sooner had a smile graced his grateful expression, footsteps alerted us of an incoming presence. I immediately shrugged his hands off me and took a step back. Luckily, it was just Granny who came back down. Rhys whispered, "I'll do the talking." I nodded along as he started up the stairs and beckoned me to follow him. Every step of the way back to the room felt long and by the time I got there, I was feeling as if I had just been running whilst wearing a tight corset. I reached down, but it was all a figment of my imagination. I prodded at the boning of the loose stays underneath my Camelot style dress and reminded myself that the breathlessness was from my anxiety.

By the time I walked in, mother and Headley were looking up at us. I completely avoided their gazes, and settled my line of sight towards the platter of food on his lap instead. Rhys firstly went to his stepfather's side and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Better, my boy. Now, I'm sure you would have figured out what all of this means. We need to travel back to the Enchanted Forest with the Queen and her acquaintances."

Rhys nodded and a small grin tugged at the corners of his mouth as he murmured, "Yes, that would be best."

Headley didn't seem to notice his subtle smile as he continued, "I'm sorry we've had to move so much recently. I know you have made some friends here. Perhaps you could write them a note? I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to go back to the castle." Mother then added, "I'm certain we will be back in the Enchanted Forest soon. Your stepfather and I agreed that you should stay here with him until then. Oh, and as for your friends, I can link the mirror here in this room with one they would use so that you can say your farewells."

Rhys was quick to thank my mother but slower to raise up what we had both agreed to discuss. I was afraid he would miss the chance when Sir Headley opened his mouth to speak but luckily, Rhys was first to speak. Though his voice came out sure and steady, I noticed that it was slightly higher pitched than normal when he asked, "Your Majesty, may I speak to you about something?"

"Here, or privately?" mother questioned with a frown.

"Here would be perfect."

A thick silence hung in the room but mother broke it by prompting with a raised eyebrow, "I'm all ears."

To help alleviate his nervousness and show some support, I came up to Rhys' side and stood within a few respectable inches from him. I had to fight my urge to run out of the room when he spoke. Despite the anxiety that tightened his voice, he managed to articulate each word confidently. "Recently, Princess Daniella and I came to realise that we both have feelings for each other. I know it has only been a few days since we met, but we've shown sincere support to one another."

A brief pause. "Your Majesty, am I permitted to court your daughter?"

Author's note:

I was contemplating whether Regina should find out about Daniella and Rhys' relationship by herself or be told. I settled on the second option, as I figured Rhys probably didn't want to get on the bad side of either Dani or Regina. With his upbringing, he would be aware that holding secrets like this from Regina is not exactly a good idea. Also, my version of Regina is slightly different from the version in the TV show as her personality is a lot more similar to the time before the curse. (With the exception that she's no longer seeking vengeance against Snow).

In case you haven't picked up on it already, I wanted to write this fanfic within a setting more akin to traditional fairy tales. This might apply to practices, language etc...Of course, I don't want my characters to be 'old fashioned', but I just thought that as my story took everyone back to the Enchanted Forest pretty much as soon as the curse broke, their way of thinking would still be tuned to their past lives rather than the time spent in our modern world...I hope this makes sense!

Please leave a review if you've enjoyed this update. Until next time! :D

Coming up next: 'For The Best'