For The Best

(Daniella's POV)

The silence in the room tore me apart. All I wanted was to disappear, preferably back to a time where Rhys hadn't asked my mother whether or not he had her permission to court me. Sir Headley looked absolutely shocked and was unable to school his expression. His eyebrows shot to the top of his forehead and his mouth hung open as if it was a venus flytrap plant. On the other hand, mother's lips parted ever so slightly to indicate that it wasn't what she was expecting to hear, but I could tell that the events that happened in the castle hadn't escaped her mind entirely. Afterall, they had been an introduction to the possibility that we knew each other. Although, the extent to which we knew each other was a completely different story.

The silence got to a point where it was unbearable. In a small quivering voice, I pushed, "Mother?"

She cleared her throat, which was a dangerous sign in itself. Finally, she breathed, "Daniella, will you come outside with me for a moment?"

I spared Rhys a nervous glance as I left the room behind her. When I closed the door, I prepared myself for the worst but all she did was embrace me in a hug. I froze, unsure how to respond to the gesture. "Mama, you're scaring me," I said.

When we parted, there was a sort of glittering glint in her eyes. She then reached up to tuck a strand of hair past my ear. "Is he telling the truth? Are your feelings the same towards him?"

I nodded, but I knew I couldn't hide my doubts from my mother. In fact, before I could speak, she said blatantly, "There's something."

I shook my head and tried to hide my worries, but she gripped my shoulder firmly and said with eyes bearing into mine, "No one is forcing you, Firefly. If you're unsure or if you don't feel ready, you can walk away at any time, including now."

I blushed as I murmured quietly without meeting her gaze, "But I do like him."

She cupped my face into her hands and said softly, "Alright, you don't have to tell me what's holding you back if you don't wish to, but know that there is some truth to your grandmother's words; that love is weakness. Love sometimes does make people blind to what's in front of them-"

"Mama-" I groaned, making her place her hands back by her side. She chuckled as a response and continued, "Sometimes our emotions and our rational conscience doesn't communicate quite the way we want. Whilst the logical part of our mind may tell us to walk away, the emotional part of our hearts draws us close. In the end, only you know which one you should listen to."

I bit my lip and mulled over her words.

"You don't have to decide now if you're not ready, firefly. I can go in and tell the boy that you need some time if you want."

I hugged myself and looked down, reducing my thoughts to the simple confession, "What if I make the wrong choice? What if it doesn't go well?" I lowered my voice and added quietly, "What if one of us gets hurt?"

Mother exhaled and questioned with a frown, "Oh, firefly...you're not thinking about your own parents are you?" I didn't reply so she suggested, "Spend some time with him as a friend and get to know him. Then, you'll know more clearly whether he's the right one for you."

After a moment of silence, I looked up shyly and asked sheepishly, "So do you approve?" She gave me a smile and sniffed with a nod.

"No one will ever be good enough for you under my standards but I know Sir Headley is a dutiful man and he had been diligent in overseeing the education of his stepson. I haven't heard any reports about bad behaviour from Rhys when he was a young boy in the palace either."

Without looking at her in the eye, I wrapped my arms around her and whispered, "Thank you!"

She chuckled, but as she put her fingers through my hair, she whispered, "I know you probably don't feel like you need me now, but I'll always be your mother. If you need to talk or tell me about anything, you must come to me. I'll always be here for you, my little firefly." Before I could reply, she straightened up and decided, "Well, I think it would be best if we went back into the room. I have no doubt that a rather awkward stand off is going on between father and son right now." I nodded in agreement and she led me back into the room with her hand gripping mine tightly.

Indeed, Rhys and Sir Headley seemed to be in the midst of some kind of heated conversation, as both of their faces were bright red. Whilst Headley's face showed every emotion possible to mankind, Rhys never looked more uncomfortable and stressed. When he caught my gaze upon turning around however, I made sure to give him a reassuring smile. Headley anxiously gave mother and nod and immediately started, "Your Majesty, please, Rhys didn't mean to interfere. I apologize if-"

Mother cut him off rather comically and said in a calm tone, "What in the heavens are you talking about?"

Headley paused and if it wasn't for the fact that the nervousness in my chest hadn't faded away, I would be laughing at his confused expression. "Majesty?"

She questioned with a carefully raised eyebrow, "Are you worried my daughter is not good enough for your son?"

Headley's jaw fell to the floor as he tried to backtrack what he said. Meanwhile, Rhys was starting to understand what my mother meant. He dipped his head and held back a snigger which paralleled my own. Finally, Headley managed to stutter, "Oh, I...I didn't think...no, not at all. Rhys is humbled to be able to court Her Royal Highness."

Mother turned around with a slight smirk on her face upon hearing Headley's reaction. Facing Rhys and I with slightly narrowed eyes, she said, "You two lovebirds go and spend some time together. There are some things I wish to discuss with Headley."

I averted my line of sight to hide the smile on my face and when Rhys shut the door behind him, we both immediately let out the breaths we had been holding. Then, I sniggered a little unfashionably, prompting him to do the same. "Your stepfather, he-"

"Thank goodness you and your mother came in. I thought I was going to be roasted alive."

I chuckled and leaned up to meet the kiss he placed at the side of my cheek.

(Regina's POV)

When I was winding up my brief conversation with Headley about what the relationship meant from himself and Rhys, there was suddenly an overwhelming amount of noise coming from below us. When I arrived downstairs, I interrupted by a gathering of everyone who had accompanied Emma on this trip to Camelot.

"What's going on?" I questioned as I placed my hands on my hips. My gaze fell naturally upon Snow's and she sighed before explaining, "Arthur is now controlling Merlin which means that we cannot return to the castle. It's a good thing that you got out early with Daniella and Rhys. I take it that you were successful in rescuing Rhys' stepfather?"

I nodded and quickly did a sweep of the room. Though I didn't spend time lingering on them, I made a note that Daniel's family was here and not stuck in the castle. After Snow's explanation, chatter immediately recommenced amongst everyone and I specifically tried not to look in his direction again, when I was looking for a spot where I could join a conversation. Yet, it merely took a couple of seconds before my head turned towards him. My pulse quickened when he gave me a smile and though I was biting the insides of my cheeks, I felt myself return one.

(Hilda's POV)

A couple of hours later...

After helping my brother's family settle into their room, I ventured out to collect some food from the kitchens for Lena and Aurelie who had both decided to spend the night away from the fuss. I sighed when I realised that Daniel was leaving his daughter and wife too, but my heartbeats pounded upon seeing who was first to greet him when he got down to the ground level of the tavern. Though I busied myself with collecting food from the self-serve platters that were laid out by Granny, I found myself glancing in their direction. I nearly dropped the ceramic jug in my hand when my brother placed a hand on that woman's shoulder and squeezed it. She looked like she wanted to return the gesture but she glanced around and forced me to look away. At the corner of my eye though, I could see her shrug away discreetly from his touch.

"Hilda."

I jumped and turned around at the sound of the male voice that had called out my name. There in front of me, was Rhys, the squire who Lena and I had dragged into the mess to fulfil our plans. I tried to conceal my shock but luckily, suspicion was not present in his voice when he commented cordially, "So you're the one who suggested that I was responsible for the attempted poisoning of Her Majesty."

I resisted my urge to dip my head and reminded myself that like myself, we were both of equal status, being former servants of King Arthur's court. I schooled my expression and said, "I'm sorry for that. I just said what came to mind. I truly never meant to doubt you in any way."

He gave me a smile and walked around me to approach the table. As he scooped some roast potatoes onto his plate, he replied, "That's alright. I suppose I have to thank you for placing your concerns on me though."

"I'm sorry?"

"Well, thanks to you, I'm reunited with my father and finally, I am freed from that wretched place."

"Wretched? Rhys, you-" I paused upon seeing his expression. He seemed to realise his mistake and corrected after a cough, "Oh that's right. You were a handmaiden to Queen Guinevere weren't you? I'm sure your experiences were much better than mine. Sorry for my rash comment."

In actual fact, my experiences wasn't at all pleasant due to the gossip that travels around the court, but it still shocked me to see how quickly Rhys was able to put the past behind and even talk about Camelot with such contempt. Quietly, I attempted to correct him lightly and said, "Even if you're not serving under Arthur's banners now, you shouldn't say such things, my boy."

A moment of silence fell between us but a frown settled on his strong youthful face. "Wait a minute, you weren't in the room when it happened were you? You left to look for Princess Daniella."

"When what happened?" I questioned.

"When the Queen removed the curse from my heart."

"What?!"

He chuckled and said, "Like you, I was never from Camelot. My stepfather and I came to this land five years ago but we were captured by Arthur and kept as leverage against Queen Regina."

"Why would he do that?" I found myself asking, as I set down the jug in my hands carefully.

Rhys replied, "Oh, I thought you knew."

The mystery was digging into my skin with every passing second. "Knew what?"

He raised his eyebrows and replied, "My stepfather was a former Black Knight. That's why Arthur imprisoned us; so that if Her Majesty ever threatened him or his kingdom, he would have some leverage against her and a potential source of information."

My blood froze and I found myself unable to react other than let an "oh," escape my lips. Rhys continued speaking, "So thanks to you bringing me into the incident, the Queen figured that I was cursed from speaking about this and removed the spell that had been sealing my mouth shut. I owe it to you."

I stammered, "Well...I am glad you're here with us now."

He gave me a warm smile and left but as I was recovering from knowledge of Rhys' actual identity, I was hit with another unfortunate surprise. My eyes traced his movement as he crossed the room and went into a quiet corner of the tavern where the sorceress' daughter was seated alone. Upon arriving there, she moved over and allowed him to sit next to her. Before eating, he gave her a quick kiss and proceeded to give her some of the roast potatoes that was on his plate. It wasn't her unusual choice of food that concerned me, though I knew that the nobility rarely touched the same sort of foods that the peasantry ate. Rather, it was the closeness between the boy and her. Oh hell no...

I quickly placed the plates of food that I had collected onto a tray and returned back to the room where Lena and Aurelie were. I set it down on the table and before anyone could speak, I said, "Lena, I need to talk to you outside."

"Now?"

I nodded and pulled her out. I made sure to shut the door behind me before whispering, "I swear, I didn't know."

"Didn't know what?"

I took a deep breath before saying quickly in a low voice, "That Rhys, the squire we framed? That he is affiliated with them."

Lena did a double take. "What do you mean?"

I could feel my heartbeats quicken as I explained with my hands flailing in the air, "Rhys' stepfather was a Black Knight. He had never been loyal to Arthur...he's loyal to her!" Before Lena could respond, I cringed and continued, "And not only that. I think he is in love with the Princess! What if the Queen finds out about this? About our involvement in the poison?"

Lena's eyes snapped onto mine. With a frown, she took a breath and replied, "Don't worry, it was perfectly natural for you to suggest that he may have been responsible for poisoning that monster."

Shakily, I said, "But what if this whole thing is uncovered? Lena, it'll get traced back to me!"

"No, it won't! Look, even if it does, you're doing something good for your brother aren't you? You can just say that uh...that you intended to make him pay attention to his real family." After a pause, Lena added, "Isn't it a good thing that the boy likes that demon's daughter? You said that she ripped his heart out right? She could have enchanted him or controlled him for all we know. Just exactly how her mother is controlling MY husband."

I bit my lip and stammered, "And in the meantime, how about you?"

"What do you mean?"

I froze, realizing a sudden change in her composure. Then, she gave me a strong look and said, "Trust me. This is what's best." Then, she opened the door and disappeared back into the room where my niece was resting. I took a step forward to follow her but for whatever reason, my legs were paralyzed and I couldn't continue. Then, it hit me. Lena had always intended that if anything went south, I would be the one to blame. Afterall, I slipped the poison in the monarch's tea and also run after Aurelie, guiding her to the Princess.

I gasped. Under Lena's instructions, I completed both of these tasks, but there was no proof that my actions were from her orders.

(Rhys' POV) *The next day

Early in the morning, Emma left the tavern with Merlin to retrieve the Promethean flame, which was the source of power that could unite the broken Excalibur with the Dark One's dagger. After her departure, everyone was either downstairs on the ground level of the tavern or had dispersed to survey the area in case Arthur mounted an attack. I had just finished contacting my friends through a mirror and to my surprise, the King hadn't told them of my supposed treachery yet. I didn't want to tell them the truth, in case they found themselves in more trouble by swaying from staying true to Camelot so I only mentioned that an emergency was forcing me to journey back to the Enchanted Forest. I could tell that they didn't believe me, but it was the best I could do. I turned the dainty compact mirror over in my hands before pocketing it carefully. I certainly didn't want to dent or scratch something so personal of the Queen's.

I was about to return to the room that stepfather was resting in, when I felt a presence in the room with me. I placed my hand on the hilt of my sword immediately but froze when an all too familiar deep female voice said silkily, "You won't be needing that."

I turned around and nodded, "Apologies, Your Majesty. I just thought you might have been one of Arthur's tricks."

"It is never a crime to be too cautious," she replied, ending her statement with a smile. I fished out the mirror and held it out to her, saying, "I'm finished with this now. Thank you for lending it to me." She took it and pocketed it in the folds of her dress but she didn't reply, not even when she looked back up at me. My heart pounded, as I knew I was being assessed at the very moment. It took all my willpower to stand up straight and level my voice to ask simply, "Is there anything you would like me to do, my Queen?"

After circling me for a moment with her wine coloured dress trailing the floor behind her, she went over to the edge of the bed in the room and sat down upon it. Finally, she said, "I think we should have a little chat. I want to know a bit more about you."

"Of course, it's only natural," I stammered.

"So how did you meet her?"

Sure, I had been in the presence of the Queen multiple times, but never alone and not like this. Whilst Daniella was almost an identical copy of her mother, there was no doubt who held more power and control. The Queen's gaze said it all. It would be a grave mistake to lie in front of her...not that I intended to, anyway.

I squared my shoulders and replied, "We met in the forest, when I was taking a break from my duties for the day."

"The forest? What were you doing there?"

"Oh, well, I find nature quite calming sometimes. In my free time, I often go there to hunt."

"You hunt?" the Queen questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Occasionally. Though I don't do it more often than I need to. Afterall, Camelot's court has their own huntsman who accompanies King Arthur when they're looking for a stag to add to the collection."

The Queen chuckled and replied, "Have you accompanied your stepfather on his hunting trips before?"

I nodded, though I tried to push aside the unpleasant parts of those memories. Afterall, he had been the one who introduced me to the slaughter of innocent animals. After a while, I became more accustomed to it, though I would tell myself that if I had to kill an animal, it must be put to use; either consumed or its fur used in garments. Realising that I hadn't verbally answered the Queen's question, I began, "Yes, but I was a young boy at the time so his colleagues were more involved in the action than I was. Nonetheless, it offered me a valuable taster to the experience."

"Hmm," the Queen murmured, still surveying me. Then, she directed us back to her original question, "Did you met Daniella in the forest, or ventured into it afterwards?"

I cringed but replied truthfully in a slightly lowered voice, "I stumbled across the Princess. She uh, she seemed a little upset."

The Queen's eyes darkened as her brows furrowed in worry but she didn't go further into the matter, which made me suspect that she already knew something or rather about Daniella's mood that day. "Relax, I won't ask you details of what has happened between my daughter and yourself to get you here," she said before inhaling. I felt my shoulders relax and drop, but I still made sure to be careful with anything that came out of my mouth.

"So although you weren't entirely loyal to Camelot, you nonetheless trained as one for the past five years."

I nodded and explained, "Yes. I picked up where I left off, from my training in the Enchanted Forest. Everything here is very similar to the system in your kingdom. I had a close knitted group of friends who were part of the same unit as me. Though, a lesser important knight oversaw our training. He certainly wasn't in King Arthur's personal circle."

"Things would have been the same if your stepfather hadn't been so adamant that he would assume responsibility over your upbringing."

I nodded as I thought about the past. It was silly how I've always wished he wasn't my stepfather, until Arthur separated us and made me realise that he was all I had left in the world after mother passed away. Yet, I could never forget what he had put me through to be the person he wanted me to be. What I had to sacrifice.

The Queen's next statement surprised me. "Rhys, your stepfather is proud of you."

Nothing about that sentence made sense. Not the fact that it was coming from the Queen. Not the fact the he was proud. I was left to reply after a nervous chuckle with, "That's a lovely thing to hear but I believe he always wants me to do better."

"We all have our strengths and weaknesses, though you should know that he is very proud for the young man you are today."

This time, I couldn't help but ask with an unsure smile, "Forgive me, but how-"

"I have known Headley for quite some time. Even before he fell head over heels in love with your mother. He was one of the first knights I had hired whose allegiance was sworn only to me. Over the years, he would occasionally, if the situation allowed it, talk a little about you."

"I...I was a child then," I replied, still in shock.

"Well it does interest me to learn how you and your former acquaintances were faring. Training can be tough, and I could imagine you were drawn away from innocence at a very young age. Though I suppose that might be courtesy to the way I oversaw things a long time ago."

"It seems like you know a lot about me already then," I joked.

"Not all, but I know your training was quite adequate and confronting from an early age."

"It's good preparation for the future, I suppose. Though I'm sure the kingdom is blessed with peace and prosperity under your rule, Your Majesty."

The Queen gave me a hint of a smile and directed the topic to Daniella once more. "When the time comes, I have no doubt that Daniella's reign will be very different from my own. She's doing a good job already. I can tell that the people are more tolerant towards her than myself." After a sigh, she continued, "Though I regret that my shadow will always linger over her as a burden."

"I'm sure the Princess understands. I can tell that you mean a lot to her, my Queen."

A small smile settled on the monarch's face though it turned serious when she looked at me in the eye and said firmly, but not in an overly harsh nor loud voice, "Daniella might behave or look every bit like myself, but she's only sixteen and a child to me. I understand its unrealistic to expect that everything in a relationship will be smooth, and I accept that at times, both of you may have to step back. However, I will not tolerate if impatience, rudeness or an unwillingness to communicate is the cause of any dissatisfaction that my daughter may feel, understood?"

I nodded and immediately answered tightly, "Yes."

"Good." Then, she narrowed her eyes and continued, "Also, remember who you're courting and what Daniella represents. Though she is every bit her own person, she will one day inherit the throne. There is no chance to slip up, or make careless decisions."

I nodded again as she said, "Don't rush into things, no matter how much you or even the two of you are tempted to." I had a feeling I knew what she was talking about and it was only confirmed when she asked whilst baring her strong gaze right into mine, "Have you been with anyone else?"

I shook my head and answered, "No, Princess Daniella is...Well, I've only ever felt this way towards her."

The Queen raised an eyebrow and replied, "Oh, since when?"

I could feel my cheeks redden, but I answered as I dipped my head in embarrassment, "I've always found the Princess beautiful, ever since I was quite young."

The Queen chuckled and then without looking at me, said quickly under her breath, "Just don't make me a grandmother quite yet."

"I-"

"Ok, I think that concludes what I have to speak to you about. I'm sure we don't need to spend any more time upon the matter."

I breathed a sigh of relief, when I saw that the Queen also seemed to be glad that this part of the conversation was over. After controlling a nervous laughter that erupted from my lips, I schooled my expression and said more seriously, "I understand, Your Majesty."

"Perfect. Now-"

Before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly evaporated into thin air after I blinked. Alarmed, I stepped back and felt a stone weigh down my stomach. "Your Majesty?" I shouted, glancing around the room. Something wasn't right, she wouldn't have just vanished like that. With my hand on the hilt of my sword, I flung open the door and immediately went to my stepfather's room. "Have you seen her?" I asked upon swinging my head around the corner.

He gave me a baffled expression and replied, "Who?"

"The Queen?"

"No, what happened?" he asked as he sat up. He was still in a fragile state despite the healed wounds so I held my hand out to tell him to rest and said, "No, it's alright. I've got this."

I ran down to the ground level after that and to my surprise, Granny wasn't there either. In fact, the whole place looked deserted. When I headed outside, no one was outside the tavern either. I didn't need to think twice to know that magic was at play and from the only possibility that came to mind, I concluded that it was Arthur's doing. Hang on...that means he must be controlling Merlin! Realising how catastrophic this could be, I ran through the forest, scouring left and right with my head to look out for any abnormalities. Maybe he took the Queen and the others into the castle? No, surely Arthur wouldn't want to harm them in front of everyone's eyes.

He must have taken her to a spot in the forest. It overwhelmed me to think of all of the clearings and areas that he could have chosen as a spot to harbour the group. I felt my chest tighten and though I felt a panic set in, something else was beating alongside that feeling. Something slightly warm and familiar. I started jogging and in some inexplicable way, I felt pulled towards one direction in particular. As the feeling in my chest grew stronger, I placed a greater trust in it and started running. This was the right direction, this had to be the right direction.

After what seemed like an eternity of searching, I heard voices and angry shouts. I kept myself hidden but as I approached the scene, I gasped upon seeing everyone tied up against trees, including the Queen. My line of sight panned, and I felt blood rush to my ears when I saw Daniella struggling against the rope that was wrapped tightly across her waist. I squared my jaw as I observed the situation.

Emma was fighting against Merlin but it only took a few seconds for him to overpower her magic by directing a strong blast of energy which made her fall over. As she groaned, I grimaced and moved closer to them but I stopped when Arthur pointed the broken sword at Snow White and commanded in a low voice, "Merlin! Kill her mother."

As Merlin started choking her, I could see everyone writhe in agony in an attempt to free themselves from the chains that bound them but as soon as I caught sight of Daniella's petrified expression again, I leaped out from behind my hiding spot without a second thought. I took advantage of the surprise in Arthur's eyes and managed to direct my sword at him at an advantageous angle. However, he was a good swordsman, and soon, we were in a rather heated duel.

"You dare attack your King?" he exclaimed in between breaths.

"You're not my King!" I replied behind gritted teeth as I blocked off an attack. There was a moment of confusion in his eyes but our gazes were only on each other as we fought. Something clicked in his mind. He exclaimed, "They set you free-"

"Yes," I seethed. "So you have no control over me anymore."

"Oh really? Well then, tell me, why am I still more powerful than you?"

Though I was just about to nick Arthur with my sword, I felt him kick my foot and I was thrown off balance before I could realise I had made a mistake in the way I delivered my attack. As I fell, I heard Daniella's voice yell in a high pitch, "Rhys!", though I never had the chance to spare her a glance as Arthur's foot came down upon my hand and knocked the sword out of my grip. I felt pain shoot up my arm as a crack sounded. However, I have had enough training in the past to prevent me from crying out in pain. I glared at the King as he sneered, "No wonder why your stepfather never thought you were enough. Look at you. Thinking you could save the day and-"

I gasped when Captain Hook suddenly came over and knocked Arthur over with his fist. Though I suspected that the bones in my hand were broken, I ignored the agonising feeling and picked up my sword as I stood up. I went over to help the pirate and in no time, it was clear that the King was overpowered. Hook kicked Excalibur out of his hands as he mouthed, "Someone else needs that."

Seeing us stand triumphantly over him, the fallen King stepped back like a cowering weasel and after looking around for a moment, he fled from the scene. "You alright, lass?" the pirate asked. Still catching my breath from that encounter, I panted and nodded. Once the pirate gave me a reassuring nod, I turned around and immediately ran over to where Daniella was bound. I ignored her questions of concern and with my sword, I hacked off the rope around her waist. Upon seeing the cuff on her wrist, I tore it off too. She waved her hand in the air and immediately, the chains disappeared from everyone else.

"Rhys, you found us- how?!" she stammered as she embraced me. I shrugged and was about to reply when my hand started throbbing. I grunted from the pain and she immediately let go as I grimaced, "My hand-"

She took it gently and looked into my eyes, saying, "This might hurt a bit, but bear with me." I nodded, holding my breath as she hovered her free hand over it. Then, her eyebrows knitted together in sync with the lilac coloured light that started to flow from her fingertips. I felt a warm tingling feeling in my bones, and when it subsided, I flexed and curled my fingers to find that the pain was gone. "Thank you," I murmured.

Then, I realised that I should be the saviour in the context, not her. I placed my hands on the sides of her arms and asked, "You're not hurt are you?" Thankfully, she shook her head and answered, "No, only Snow was affected." Upon looking over to her line of sight, she continued, "But I think she's ok now."

David then spoke up and said aloud, "Thank you, Hook. And Rhys? How did you know we were here?"

I gave Daniella's mother a quick glance and said, "Actually I was just having a conversation with the Queen on the second floor of the tavern when she vanished. When I came down, I noticed that you were all gone. By intuition I suppose, I ended up here after running around the forest in search for everyone."

"Intuition?" the Queen questioned with a strange sort of frown on her face. I looked down at Daniella and noticed that her cheeks had slightly reddened. That's when I realised that everyone had just seen everything between us and probably noticed how Daniella shouted out my name. With a slightly amused expression, Snow White looked between the two of us and began, "Wait are you two..."

I was sure that Daniella and I were both thinking of how to respond but a sarcastic deep feminine voice behind us said, "Yes, that was yesterday's news. Honestly Snowflake, do you keep up?"

Though there was a sea of chuckling around us, it was Daniella's shy snigger that was the loudest to my ears. She looked up and the sides of her eyes crinkled a little as she whispered, "Thank you."

(Regina's POV)

Emma had been gone for some time since we got back to the tavern to recuperate and discuss our next plan of action. When the meeting was beginning to divert from the topic, Snow began to show interest in the newest addition to our 'team'. I warned her to let the boy breathe but she retorted that I should do the same. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would have let a comment like that go, but for whatever reason, I felt a smirk creep up my face. Of course, I was quick to suppress it and not give Snow the satisfaction of seeing it in full fruition.

Seeing that everyone was preoccupied, I left the tavern to check up on Emma. We were in great need of uniting the two halves of Excalibur together soon so that we can return to the Enchanted Forest. As of the current moment, neither of our kingdoms had a head of state in the land and though I trusted my ministers to not let the place fall into chaos, there was only a certain amount of time before the neighbouring kingdoms will start to take advantage of our absence.

I ultimately found Emma at the stone well. As I neared, I could see that there was a frown on her face. She had placed the Dark One's dagger and the Promethean flame in front of her. "Need a light?" I asked.

"Regina," Emma breathed as she came out of her trance and gave me a tired look.

"I thought you could use a friend," I replied with a shrug.

She refused to meet my gaze even when she replied, "He's playing with me. He says I can't light the flame because I'm not ready to let go of the darkness."

"Are you?"

"Regina."

"No one knows the lure of darkness better than I do," I replied naturally. "You can lie to your parents, you can lie to yourself, but you can't lie to me."

"I don't know," she said with a kind of look on her face that told me that she did know. I decided to vocalise what was in her mind. "It feels good, doesn't it? Indulging every impulse. Wielding great power. Doing whatever you want."

Looking down, Emma's lips barely moved as she murmured, "Yes, yes it does." Finally, she turned to me and asked, "Is it wrong?"

I tilted my head side to side in pretend contemplation before saying, "Of course it is." Upon seeing her expression, I added, "But it's also human. Look, I know you Emma, and you're not as weak as I once was. So if you're clinging to the darkness, you have good reason. And it's beyond temptation so what is it?"

With a frown, she replied blatantly, "I don't know."

I could feel frustration latch its roots in my chest at her hesitancy. I uncurled my arms and stated, "There's a difference between not knowing something and not wanting to admit it." At the corner of my eye, I spied the dagger and upon seeing it, I immediately knew what I had to do. I pushed back the long sleeves of my dress and said, "Those walls you've put up, it's time they come down." When I picked up the dagger, Emma questioned worriedly, "What are you doing?"

I shrugged and felt a smirk tug on the corners of my mouth as I replied, "Helping you break those walls." In a deeper and more serious tone, I continued with the dagger outstretched in front of her face, "Now, as your friend, I command you, Dark One, tell me; why are you so afraid to give up the darkness?"

Quickly, she said with eyes bearing into mine, "Once I let it go, I won't be able to protect my family."

I narrowed my eyes. "It's another wall Emma. Now, the truth."

"Regina, I am telling you the truth."

"No you're not!" I exclaimed, my voice slightly raised. "You just have to be brave enough to knock down those walls you're hiding behind. The dagger can make you look, but you have to choose to see. Come on, Emma."

I saw her dip her head and before I knew it, I was yelling, "Tell me what you're really afraid of!"

Emma didn't get her chance to reply as another voice pierced through the air. "What are you doing?!"

I jumped, and had to resist my urge to roll my eyes or snarl when I saw that creature walking towards me with Aurelie tagging by her heel. "None of your business," I replied behind gritted teeth.

"I would say it is all of our businesses. What are you doing to Princess Emma?" Lena repeated as she visibly shoved Aurelie behind her. "I'm getting answers," I replied in a throaty snarl, unbothered to explain my every move to the gnat.

"By controlling her? I'll tell Queen Snow-"

"You will not," I spat before I could control myself. Then, I huffed and said with a glare, "Leave us. I'm doing what's best for Emma and for everyone."

"Then why should I not tell Snow about this?"

I turned back to Emma and kept my gaze levelled upon the glare she thrust at me as Lena continued, "You can't make us keep our mouths shut."

"Actually, with a memory spell, I can, and nobody would know about it."

"Witch," the creature breathed. I whipped around, seeing fire, but before I could reply, Lena already hissed, "You think you're doing what's best by being cruel? By controlling others?"

I leaned over and held my head up to show her that the comment didn't affect me the slightest as I replied, "I've been cruel, and trust me you'd know it. Though I suppose to you, I'll always be cruel no matter what I say or do." I was about to continue spitting at Lena but I caught Aurelie's fearful gaze and was immediately reminded of Daniella. I knew how much my daughter wanted to have a relationship with her sister and after everything that had happened recently, things weren't going well. It took all my strength not to continue bickering and with a violent sigh, I turned around and placed the dagger back onto the edge of the well. The metal blade made a sharp clanging noise as it met the stone violently. No sooner had I let it go, Emma snatched it up and stormed away.

When we returned back to the tavern, all gazes were naturally on me. Ironically, it was Snow who questioned, "So? What happened?" I knew Lena would find a way to tell Emma's parents what I had done so I gave that woman a glare and walked off, letting the creature to savour her moment in telling Snow White what the Evil Queen had done. I was going to climb up the stairs to check on Headley when Daniel walked down. "Regina, what is it?"

"What is what?" I replied bluntly, but not with hostility.

He stopped at the bottom of the flight of steps and said candidly, "You've got your angry face on."

I sighed and looked around the tavern. Daniel must have realised where I was looking for he said carefully, "Did something escalate between you and Lena?"

I crossed my arms and wanted to say nothing, but I knew that if I kept silent, Daniel would probably only hear from Lena. He put a hand on my arm and said, "Regina, if our conversation in Merlin's workroom meant anything, you must tell me."

I sighed and finally replied, "Emma was unwilling to admit to anyone, including herself what was holding her back from using the flame so I gave her a hand."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

I felt my heart pound as I swallowed and explained, "Emma had once given me the Dark One's dagger so that I could do what's necessary if it ever comes down to that point. Perhaps I was agitated with the events that happened today, or I was reminded that my kingdom is without a head of state, but I used the dagger to try and get Emma to talk." I huffed. "That's when..."

"When Lena saw you," Daniel finished.

Though Lena's back was facing me, I caught Snow's expression and knew immediately that she had probably been told the worst version of what had happened. As I saw Snow start to cross the tavern and come towards me, I turned to Daniel and said quickly, "Please believe me. I never intended to control Emma or hurt her. I only wanted to help us, all of us, get out of here."

I didn't get the chance to hear Daniel's reply as Snow rounded up on us and said, "Regina I think we need to talk about what happened." I knew that showing hostility was not the answer in front of an angry mother so I schooled my expression and calmly questioned, "Well?"

She stepped up to me, forcing me to tilt my head upwards to show that I was unfazed by her stance. "You are not to control my daughter again to give you answers. When Emma's ready, she will speak. You will not force her hand. I know you think what you're doing is best, but believe me, this is not the way."

I felt my stomach turn at the accusation which prompted me to explain in a low voice, "Emma entrusted the dagger to me for a reason. She knew that I would be the only one who would do what was necessary."

"Yes, but now Emma has just stormed off and may be even more unwilling to admit what is holding her back. You can't force people into doing your bidding, Regina. I thought you learned that lesson."

I felt my lips twitch but before I could give my own reply, Daniel surprised the both of us and spoke up. In a soft voice, he stepped forward a little and said, "Please. Regina's just trying to help." Using Snow's silence to my advantage, I sighed and promised. "It won't happen again." Afterall, I suppose I would have been just as angry if someone had tried to control Daniella into doing something against her will. I could tell that Snow wasn't entirely satisfied but she gave me a nod before walking off. As I was turning back to Daniel, my eyes caught Lena's gaze momentarily. Yet, I pretended I hadn't seen her and murmured a word of thanks to Daniel. I could see that he was about to come closer to me but I took a step back.

A mutual sharp intake of breath hung between us. Then, I dipped my head and walked past, ignoring him as he said my name twice.

Author's Note:

Sorry if Regina's reaction to Dani having a special someone isn't quite as dramatic as many of you might have envisioned. In case you haven't picked up already, I wanted to write this fanfic within a setting more akin to traditional fairy tales (i.e. earlier marriages, arranged marriages between nobility...). So basically, Regina was probably aware that Daniella was nearing 'that age', and it was likely that there would have been talks amongst other kingdoms about possible alliances/marriage etc.

Thanks for keeping up with my fic and until next time! :D

Coming up next: 'The Darkness'