Time seemed to stand still when their eyes locked.
Regina felt a clenching sensation at the empty spot on the left side of her chest when brown met blue.
It was impossible
This whole thing was utterly impossible.
She had been feeling an uneasy sensation ever since Jamie had decided to take them to this part of the gardens whilst they talked. She had had a niggling feeling she was being watched, intensively so. She had dismissed the thought, even though she had felt eyes burning on her back. They were in a royal ball after all; every last person was watching the other, praying they would fall on their faces.
But this was no royal at all.
Him
It had to be him.
It seemed as if Regina was not to be given a moment of peace from that man.
She told herself this had been the reason why she had not summoned him to escort her to this pathetic façade of a party. His meddling, his following her to the seaside kingdom, his sharp comebacks and his complete lack of respect towards her authority. Those were the logic explanations for wanting to have that infuriating – and yet so very delicious – man at arm's length, instead of with his length up her-
But deep inside Regina's reason lashed out at her for her utter stupidity that wild day his meddling had saved her life. It had been the first time in a really long time in which she had been completely powerless, defenseless and vulnerable. And yet, Regina still did not know for sure what had possessed her to call after him and expose her helplessness. There must have been something quite queer in that rain water to make Regina act the way she did. And if that had not been enough, she had allowed herself multiple orgasms and near death experiences even though she had no means of defending herself.
She had gone to bed that night fuming, her head a tangle of contradictory voices, but sleep had claimed her as soon as her head hit the pillow for the exhaustion was overwhelming. But it had not been a peaceful night's sleep, for she had to eventually give up counting the number of times she had woken up drenched in sweat and with her sex moist. That infernal man insisted on pestering her dreams with his warm tongue on her neck, his sturdy hands on her breasts and his perfectly sized manhood inside her.
But Regina's real wakeup call took place when she had finally had it with the wet dreams and gulped down a dreamless sleep potion and closed her eyes.
Regina found herself standing in the middle of a narrow road in the woods in broad daylight. She knew something was terribly wrong, she looked down and was perplexed at what she saw, her feet were bare, her soles touched the earthy floor. Plus she was wearing a white virginal dress, much like the ones she used to wear when she had first married the King, very much like the one Snow had been wearing that fateful day when-
Her attention was drawn from her bizarre choice of attire by a grunt that sounded just behind her. She turned on her heel only to be witness to something most would not be able to stomach, finding it brutal and gruesome. She just arched an eyebrow and brought one hand to rest at her hip as she watched her pet outlaw sink Daniel's blade over and over again onto the middle of poor defenseless and very much already dead Johanna.
Regina was not at all surprised by the way he stabbed the round woman with gusto, her blood prickling on his face, painting the blade as well as his hand completely.
All of sudden his intense gaze turned to her, but Regina was not one to be shaken by a mere set of eyes, especially not his deep blue pools.
She questioned in all her royal manner, "Are you quite done?"
He stood, blade dripping with blood still clutched in his right hand and looked at her with a hungry odd expression and responded, "Not quite."
Regina had had no time to react, no time to scream, no time to use her magic to defend herself. A split second passed and he had covered the distance between them and shoved Daniel's blade right up her gut. The whole blade remained inside Regina, only the handle was visible, his clutch on it mighty, making her unable to even try to remove it. Regina could feel the copper taste of blood reach her senses as it started gathering inside her mouth. All she managed to do was raise her hand to touch the one which held on tightly to the bladeless side of the dagger.
When the contact was made another voice sounded from her attacker's mouth and told her, "Now I've been avenged."
Regina's heart felt like it had frozen and cracked into a million pieces when the voice reached her ears. She immediately raised her head to find it was no longer the outlaw who impaled the blade inside her but Daniel, her sweet stable boy who held on to his own knife and kept it shoved inside her.
He had betrayed her.
Her true love had betrayed her.
He had killed her.
Her stable boy, her sweet, caring Daniel, her fiancé she never got to wed was gone.
The thief had stabbed her. He had betrayed her.
But all she saw were Daniel's blue eyes. Or were they Robin's?
The blue was so similar and yet so different, Regina's lifeline was hanging by a thread, she was drowning in a sea of blue-
Regina woke up with a start and immediately brought her hands to her middle, where the knife had been plunged by the outlaw, or had it been Daniel? Both?
Her breathing was erratic as she took in her surroundings, her chambers, her new sleeping chambers, because she would be damned if she ever slept in the room Leopold had picked out for his pet wife. As consciousness came back to her Regina felt sweat prickle on her forehead where a pounding headache throbbed with nauseating intensity.
What the fuck had that been all about?
Regina could still taste the faint taste of copper in her mouth, tears tracks ran about the sides of her eyes and she felt the area that had been stabbed tingle as if she had somehow been marked there.
Dreamless my arse
She had given up sleep after that particular horrifying dream and tried to figure out what exactly it was that her psychic was trying to tell her through it.
Had it been about her search for revenge? Was she going about the right means to avenge Daniel's death? She knew deep inside her that had Snow not interfered, she would be laying in a very different bed and in the company of one long gone. So Snow had to pay.
Or was it about the man who seemed to be everywhere she went? Even right now, even after taking a potion NOT to dream about him, he managed to snake his way into her unconscious mind and perturb her sleep.
That man - He was not to be trusted. Regina could not believe she let herself be so utterly vulnerable in his presence. To call out for his help when it was clear that she was defenseless.
He could have killed you so easily then.
But he didn't, a young woman whispered in the back of her mind.
But he might have, came the impish voice followed by a giggle that made Regina's head throb even more.
How could she have trusted him for a second? He was her prisoner, her boy toy, her-
Regina could not deny she had sympathized with the little she knew of his story. What she could not believe was that she had thought was like her, he had lost his true love and drowned himself in darkness and misery, just like her.
That thief is nothing like you! The heartless queen told her, He is a thief, a commoner!
He knows nothing of your pain! The half-naked Queen spat at her.
Nobody has gone through what you had to endure, the young woman agreed with the other two females for the very first time.
Regina could trust nobody, for nobody truly cared.
All Regina had been left with was her revenge, and she would get it, even if it resulted in her own destruction. She would drag Snow White by the hairs to the pits of hell.
The wee hours of the morning made themselves known to her through thin strips of orange which invaded her bedchambers shyly. After some time pacing about, her headache having only worsened by this point, Regina finally decided that what she needed was space.
And although her night had been restless, the little sleep she got gave her at least enough energy to transport herself with dignity to the summer palace, where she remained for the next three days secluded.
After Leopold's death, not only did the main castle undergo renovations, but all of the estates owned by the crown. The summer palace had been the first place those infernal nobles she shooed away from her castle had run to. But Regina made sure to cast a powerful spell upon the place, it was a new curse she had been recently learning which kept unwanted visitors away.
The ghosts that now haunted the place did not bother Regina; after all, she had been the one to put them there. It was an ancient and dangerous curse to cast but as Regina saw it, the souls needed a place to stay and Regina wanted the castle clear of living things. One hand washes the other.
As it turned out, a haunted castle was much more protected than a heavily guarded one, so Regina chose to store most of her darkest artifacts and spell books in its confinements.
The ghosts knew better than to stand in her way, they were quite aware of the fact Regina had been the one to give them shelter and could just as easily take it away. So she hardly came by any of them, they had a whole castle to haunt.
But it was quite frequent that the oblivious spirits of children would cross her way, hardly taking notice of her, playing innocently. But she did not mind seeing the children, they did not know who she was – unlike the older spirits – which meant that they did not fear her and did not pretend to be something they were not to please her. The other spirits knew, her servants knew, her knights and guards knew, they all put up a show for her; no one was true but the children. The eternal ghost children and Ro-
No!
The reason why she had secluded herself in this haunted place was that she could get that infernal man out of her head.
True, he had always been honest with her, in his way, never sucked up to her, actually, he did not bother to be anything but his rude, unkept self whenever in her presence but that was simply because he was an animal. He did not care-
He did save your life from the wolves, a young voice spoke.
He did it out of duty, it is his job to protect you, there is no merit in it, the heartless Queen told her.
That man has no sense of honor, he probably did it so he could ask for another favor, the half-dressed Queen's voice rang.
Three days went by fast, Regina managed to occupy her time in her restless search of a way to find Snow White.
She was, at the end of the day, grateful she had not managed to end the girl's pathetic existence when she had been in half-fish form. Regina had let her emotions get the best of her that day, had been letting them rule her head, her thirst for the girl's blood had been clouding her reason for some time now. It would not happen again.
Regina did not want to kill Snow White. No, she wanted to make her suffer. She had forgotten that along the way after killing the brat's father, the rush of having Leopold's blood dripping from her fingers had ignited something nearly irrational in her. Having sent the thief –ugh, there he was again – to kill her had been an impulsive move, her longing to drench her hands in royal blood once more had made her forget about her original objective.
It was only when she came upon a book on a special brand of objects that could carry the most powerful of curses that she was painfully reminded of her original plan.
Make her agonize, ache and writhe
Death was too good for Snow White.
Regina needed to trap her in a never-ending wheel of torture. Fortunately for her, she knew exactly what she could use to imprison Snow in said eternal agony, all she needed was a vessel and Maleficent's powerful sleeping curse.
Regina did not know which one was going to be the trickiest to acquire. The old dusty book told her there were several artifacts she could use in order to house the curse she had in mind for Snow.
But most of them could only be found in other realms and the very idea of reaching out to Jefferson for anything made Regina sick to her stomach.
There was quite the selection of objects she could use that only existed in Wonderland. Regina laughed at the idea altogether, there was no way on earth that she was setting foot on the land to which she had banished her awful mother to.
There was also another segment, which spoke of strange creatures who inhabited the Land of Oz, they were able to carry curses without being affected by them. It was said they were mammals with wings, who could, with a single bite or a scratch of their paws, transmit the curse to another. These creatures intrigued Regina, but then she would have to have control over them, plus getting to Oz would require a certain hat whose owner Regina happened to despise.
When it came to the Enchanted Forest, there were no objects nor animals she could use.
Of course, she could always get Mal's needle as well as her curse, but getting that blasted object she seemed to adore was far more complicated than creating a curse of her own. She had been using it on herself ever since King Stephan had woken his wife from her sleeping curse and had also used it to poison the sweet Aurora with the same damnation. It was far too precious to Maleficent, she would never part with it, of that, Regina was absolutely sure.
When Regina had been ready to throw the damned book inside the fireplace, frustrated that the world seemed to be conspiring against her revenge, she noticed something in the back inside page of the book's cover. There was a picture-like drawing of a tree, but the branches were all blackened, twisted and dry, there was not a leaf in sight, no green whatsoever on the drawing. The tree looked unhealthy and desiccated but the fruits were all plump and colorful, the contrast between the bright color of red used to paint them with the rest of the picture was astounding.
The inscriptions around the picture told her the seed of this tree had been thoroughly corrupted with dark magic whilst creating a special brand of fruits. The tree was a tempting one, for even if it did not lure with its looks, it seduced with its fruits, which, if consumed, killed the poor hungry soul instantly.
Regina then remembered that Blue witch's garden, which was said to be the most prosperous and extensive in all the land, had been the only place in the Enchanted Forest to house that type of tree. All that ventured to climb it's high enchanted walls never lived to tell the tale. But the witch was long gone, along with her garden, it had taken a lady giant and some unfortunate mother laid curses, but eventually the witch had met her demise.
She felt as if she was hitting dead end after dead end, flames almost erupting from her fingers as she ran them about the drawing. As if to save the book from destruction, Regina's attention was drawn from incinerating it by a tapping noise on a nearby window.
Effortlessly opening said window with her magic, Regina observed a crow as it flew about the dimly lit room and landed right beside her, resting it's paws upon the arm of her chair. She knew this creature, had enchanted it herself, she knew there was only one person who would be able to have access to it. A small piece of rolled parchment was tied to the animal's leg and she read its contents twice. Regina then decided it was time to step out of the shadows and go back to her castle and to her duty. Even if it meant being in the tempting presence of that thief. After three days, Regina had forgotten why she found it so awful to share oxygen with him.
…
The feeling of relief, however, was short-lived for only five minutes after she had transported herself back to her castle and there he was. Robin of fucking Locksley full of questions and squinty eyes and Regina felt like screaming her face off at him. Mainly because she could feel that damned pull, that inexplicable desire to be touched everywhere by him, even if her reason told her to incinerate him. She felt her heart clench on her chest, something she had very little memory of feeling towards any other and that terrified the life out of her.
She then, did what she did best, dressed her true colors with a mask of disdain and mistreated him. As she puffed him out of her sight and to the farthest room from where she had stood at the time, her father sighed heavily beside her. Bringing her full attention back to him once the spell was cast.
"Regina-" he started in a small voice, he only called her by her given name when they were alone.
"Father,"
"Regina," he spoke again and this time Regina simply took a deep breath and waited for him to continue, "What is the purpose of that man being here?" his voice sounded tired, it always did.
"He's the captain of my personal guard, father-" Regina explained, feeling that her cheeks had betrayed her by heating up, "We have been through this already father."
"Regina, my dear-" he took her right hand in his and Regina found it odd how the small gesture of affection made her heart feel so much lighter. "I'm certain you can find a better man for the job. He clearly does not have any military training and knows near to nothing about the ways-" he stuttered a little to make his point, Regina noted that even though she was still his only daughter, he was quite intimidated by her, "I can see how uneasy he makes you my dear, is it really worth-?"
"Daddy," she placed her other hand on his, squeezing it with care, "He-" but Regina could not find her words; she did not even know where she stood on the subject.
Her father was right. The thief did make her uneasy. Uneasy and infuriated, horny and so utterly perplexed.
She should get rid of him.
And yet-
Then do it already, the imp spoke out.
NO! The young woman and the half-naked Queen shrieked in unison.
"Father-" Regina was able to recollect herself from all the shouting inside her head, "He is the best man for the job because he has no military training. Father, he has no scruples, no code, no honor and will kill instantly at my command, that is the kind of man I need as my protective shadow. And trust me when I say I won't be getting any more distressed over him."
"My dear, I simply worry that-" he started again but Regina cut him off before he could continue.
"End of discussion father," she said in a final commanding tone. She took a deep breath and wondered when it was that she had started treating her father the same way her mother had.
"Are you attending Prince James' engagement celebration my dear?" her father's timid voice snapped her out of her musings.
Regina had to laugh at his question, "Prince James? As in King George's son?"
"Yes," her father wore a confused frown.
"Would not miss it for the world" she smirked, her spirits all of a sudden lifting in an astonishing speed.
…
It was the most ridiculous affair Regina had ever heard of and she had been married to the King of ridicule himself. Prince 'James' – who Regina knew far too well was nowhere near being the actual – was to be wed to none other than Princess Abigail, daughter of King Midas. Looked like George made good on his promise to sell off his son to the highest bidder after all.
James had never been very preoccupied with whom he was to wed, having never really lingered on tender feelings, he had been much more worried about when it was that he was to become King. Regina knew James would not have been displeased at the prospect of taking a young, pretty bride like Princess Abigail.
But the man who used his name and wore his face was not James, and Regina had to wonder if his righteous and shy brother had objected to marrying someone he hardly knew. Especially when that somebody was known for being the frost Princess herself, managing to be more irritable than anybody Regina had ever met in court. She could not help but feel a streak of pity for him; she had been in a similar situation and knew it was not pleasant at all.
But Regina could do nothing to aid the young man, and even if she could, she was not going to. She had far more important issues to worry about and could care less for anybody's happiness but her own. And her happiness depended solemnly in the misery of one particular individual she could not seem to get her hands on.
She had kept her distance from the outlaw, scorning at him and bellowing orders as much as she could but always keeping the man at arm's length. Any kind of forward advance he would make resulted in him being transported as far away from her as she could muster; sometimes, for her amusement and his misfortune, she would purposefully send him splashing into the river she had watched him bathe in a few months ago.
She could not have somebody who made her feel so odd perform any kind of control over her, even if it was only sex – and deep inside she knew there was more than just sex between the pair of them, but refused to acknowledge it - even if he had been the best she had ever had.
No!
He was supposed to be an entertaining distraction; she had always preferred a rough calloused touch driving her to ecstasy, a firmer sturdy hand as opposed to those soft fingers nobility possessed. Yet now, it had turned into something else, it made Regina's chest feel as if it was housing a fully-grown dragon.
And that she would not withstand.
…
On her third day back at the castle, Regina's spirits had risen when word that Snow White had been spotted near the northern Kingdoms reached her. The approximate location was a good five days ride from her castle, but even so that information surprised Regina for it showed Snow was much bolder – or stupid, she was probably just stupid – to be so near after what had happened on their last encounter.
Foolish girl
She had been particularly delighted with the prospect of Snow being in that particular region. For Regina's alliances with the Lords of the Kingdoms further to the north were tight, one in particular stood out from the crowd, for she had nurtured her 'ties' with him for a little more than a year.
Regina had smirked at the prospect of seeing one of her former lovers again in a certain royal engagement ball that was to happen in a few days. A certain someone who also despised Snow, always thought her foolish, spoiled and childish, and most importantly, that was certain to aid in Regina's pursuit. A man that ruled over his late father's estate and whom Regina knew just how to persuade to do her bidding.
She was surprised to feel yet another alien sensation on the left side of her chest as she pondered on which advance she would make use of in order to convince Jamie to hunt down Snow for her. She would most certainly have to-
It ached, pinched at her heart, making her chest heavy with sentiment, something she had almost no memory of feeling at all. It took Regina a while to identify the feeling, but as she tried to come up with a plan to talk Jamie into siding with her, guilt crept up her spine like venom.
This was ridiculous! Impossible!
She had slept with men to get what she wanted all of the time. Why should this be any different? She might even enjoy the exchange since she remembers Jamie was a thoroughly dedicated student when it came to the art of pleasing her.
And yet, that niggling irritating feeling would not leave her be, it plagued her thoughts and clouded her judgement.
It came as an utter shock to Regina that imagining herself with another made her feel remorse because of undefined feelings for none other than that irritatingly handsome thief, who had apparently a bigger grip on her heart than she-
No
That was it. Her heart, that was the problem, it had been the problem all along. It had been tricking her into making the stupidest decisions she had ever made. Her heart clouded her judgement, her skin deceived her, her senses betrayed her every time that DAMNED man was around. That irresistible chemistry she shared with the outlaw was standing in the way of her revenge.
But luckily for Regina, she had just the remedy for it.
…
When the day of the engagement party had finally arrived, after much consideration, Regina was ready to make a sacrifice – if only for one night – for the sake of her revenge.
She looked back at her naked reflection on the full-length mirror, the only reflective surface which had remained inside her sleeping chambers. As she studied her bare body with lips hanging slightly parted, face devoid of any paint, and limbs still dotted with droplets of scented water, long raven hair cascading down her back, Regina reassured herself she was more than capable of carrying out her plan.
A shiver brought goosebumps to her moist skin when a soft wind invaded her rooms through the opened windows of her balcony, snapping her out of her thoughts. Ever so slowly, Regina flexed the fingers of her right hand as if testing them out, not trusting them to do their duty correctly.
Could she really do this?
She must, if she is ever to see the end of her revenge, she must.
She had done this countless times before, had been anything but gentle and had found even pleasure in the deed, drinking in the characteristic glow of the organ drugging herself on the fact she had total control.
But she had never removed her own.
She could do this. She had to do this.
The hand found its rest in the middle of her sternum, fingers spread, just waiting for her command.
She would do this, but only for this one night alone. She would rip out her own heart in order to carry on with her plans, in order to not be distracted by him and the storm of feelings he brought to her chest, in order not to go insane with guilt once she-
Pain
Her hand was inside her chest, her fingers closing about her heart, she could feel the thumping as it pulsated hot blood about her body. The heart that made her feel guilt, regret, doubt and fear over everything she was about to do. If the heart were not there anymore to cloud her head with these weak feelings, then she would be free. Free to let hatred fill her soul and do what needed to be done.
The pain was almost overwhelming. Regina had thought the owners of the hearts she had ripped out in the past had been pathetic for they screeched in agonizing pain when she had performed the deed. And yet now Regina was fighting with her very last string of will power not to bellow in ache.
She did not know when her eyes had closed, but as she pulled the pulsating organ out of her chest, they were screwed shut; tears tracks moistened the patch of skin beside both her eyes. Regina took a huge intake of breath and released, her heart still securely clenched in her hand.
Nothing
She opened her eyes and a sense of absolute numbness reigned about her whole being. Regina took another tentative breath, relieved and yet not quite so, but only empty, she looked down at the fisted palm that held her heart tightly.
Regina turned her hand and ever so slowly moved her fingers in order to get a better look at her life force. It was dark, there was no surprise there, blackened in a way that seemed beyond repair. There were several streaks of vivid red all around it, but they were nothing but mere decorations in the face of the true color of her soul, black, withered, rotten to the core.
A small smile crept about her face as she was no longer met with shaking amounts of sentiment over every single thing she pondered upon, it was peaceful, almost comforting, maybe it was best if she-
No, absolutely not.
For as long as Regina could remember, she had always felt her mother's heart had never been kept where it had truly belonged. A few years back, Rumple had revealed how Cora had ripped it off herself in order to marry Regina's father, never to put it back inside her chest again. Regina had lived the consequences of having a heartless mother who sought for nothing but excellence from her, never showing a hint of sentiment.
Now Regina knew painfully well why. Because she could not feel a thing, not anger at everything her mother had done to her, nor disgust at all the ten torturous years of her marriage, she could feel a trace of her simmering anger towards Snow White but it was not nearly as intense as it always was. And most importantly, her chest felt free and unbothered whilst she pondered upon the several positions she would bend herself into in order to get Jamie's help.
Regina closed her fingers about her heart again and took a few strides until she reached her dresser and opened an empty box which rested upon it. She placed her still beating heart inside the wooden confinements and closed the lid, making sure to cast every protective spell known to her over the small object that now housed her lifeline.
She took a pointy hairpin from the dresser and proceeded to prickle one of her fingers in order to draw a droplet of blood. She placed the reddened finger upon the box and focused on her blood magic, sealing the box with that last powerful spell. Rumpelstiltskin, after all, had a nasty habit of trespassing in her castle and Regina had to make sure he was not able to get his filthy claws on her heart. Blood magic would ensure that.
She cured her finger with a simple air blow from her enchanted lips turning around to face the mirror once more, her body still devoid of my cloth. Regina smirked, this was going to be too easy, with a swift movement of her hand, she was dressed from head to toe in black – she was a widow after all – her usual darkened paint adorned her eyes and a vivid red color dominated her lips, her hair pinned high as a long ponytail feel to the empty side of her chest.
…
Regina was the spoken image of grace and poise herself; her head was clear and her objective even more so. When she walked past the entourage of knights she had assembled to escort her to the ball, they parted like the red sea. Regina smirked and strode with conviction to her carriage, not having anybody open the door for her but doing it herself and slipping inside with grace whilst shutting the door with-
Her body was drawn back outside by a strange force, which pulled the door open.
Who would dare?
The question was answered right away when her eyes landed on the source of the eerie pull.
Robin of fucking Locksley
Regina had no time to react – only managing to send him a glare that could kill - as a smirk worked its way on his dimpled face and he entered the carriage quickly, closing the door behind him.
He sat in front of her wearing a smug expression upon his face Regina wanted to punch away. The peace and numbness that had reigned upon her head until now, disappeared altogether. She was angry, angry at him and Regina found it odd how she could actually feel it simmering on the pit of her stomach, something she had not felt ever since she had pulled out her heart.
She could not let it show, so she placed her hands neatly upon her lap and straightened up her posture as much as it was humanly possible, giving him the best scorn she could muster.
Just breathe
"Forgive me your majesty, I'm late-" he said with a conceited air as he slumped, like the savage he was, on his seat, "-but I think my invitation must have gotten lost in between messengers" he completed.
Regina gave him no answer whatsoever hoping that the silence might make him go away. She was so engrossed in keeping a straight cold façade; Regina only came to realize he had given the command for their departure when their vehicle started to move.
As if awoken by the movement Regina set her eyes back on the smug looking man and fought back as the emotions towards him seemed to simmer from all her pores. No longer making her heart ache – for it was not there – but still made her react.
Pulling herself together, she asked gravely, trying not to move a muscle "What the hell do you think you are doing?"
The outlaw was pulling up an act that had Regina furious, acting in a fake innocent matter that made her want to scratch his eyes out, "Why, my job of course! As captain of your personal guard I must make sure you are safe." He brought his hand over the hollow space that once contained his heart for more dramatic effect and Regina felt like screaming.
"I do not remember summoning you for this particular journey." She retorted, not really looking at him.
"And I don't remember telling you I would answer to your every summons." he fought back; he was trying to make her snap, to draw something from her.
But Regina was resolute that she would not be giving into her emotions this time. Even though they were not supposed to be there at all, and yet, with every passing moment, they would inch closer to the surface.
She narrowed her eyes and bit back, "I do not want you here"
He got closer, too close, with every nearing inch Regina could feel more clearly the fire and desire she felt for the man. What on earth was happening? She should not have been feeling any of this!
All she could do was take in a deep breath in order to calm her nerves.
Fuck, he was so close.
"Now, now, we both know that's just, not true." His voice rang and Regina could feel the temperature on her cheeks rise.
"Don't try my patience outlaw, or else-" she started fuelled with her Queen bravado but the outlaw cut her.
"Or else what?" his small shout startled her and she gave an involuntary jump at his sudden outburst. This was all wrong, all wrong, she should be numb, not enraged!
"I am done with this conversation-"
Why had she not thought of this before? This had been the way she had found to rid herself of his presence for more than a week now. Just send him away, probably splashing into the river and far, far away from her.
Regina brought her right hand from her lap and raised it, the enchantment already ready to be cast. She could feel the magic slip through her fingers and for a couple of seconds already felt at peace that she was to be left alone once again.
She felt a firm grip pressing her wrist only a second after, "But I'm not done your majesty" he said in a warning tone in between gritted teeth.
Regina could not believe her eyes, the outlaw had grabbed her wrist in a fruitless attempt to stop her.
But it was not fruitless at all. The whole exchange shocked her to no end, Regina felt her magic subside inside her as the waves of electricity that usually came with their skin to skin contact took over.
It was all wrong! Everything about this was absurdly wrong, completely out of place. He still had a hold of her wrist and all Regina could do was stare back at him with puzzled eyes, her mask of indifference slipping as shock and slight despair took over. What had he done to her magic? Why wasn't she able to use it?
His gaze burned, it scorched her soul and even though Regina opened her mouth twice to try to snap at him, she was unable to speak, the words got caught on her throat.
He was suddenly so close, so much closer than before, the waves of energy his intense glare was sending her made shivers run down her spine. He let go of her hand, and the action made it drop unceremoniously on her lap, she had not realized this whole exchange had made her arm limp.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he asked in a different way, half-whispering, as if he was indeed troubled by the way she had been acting.
She took in a generous amount of air through her nose and closed her eyes in order to get herself together and respond with dignity, "I have no idea what you are talking about."
"Oh, I think you do-" he retorted, seeming to know better.
Gods, what if he knew?
He did not, he could not know of his true effect upon her.
She had been so careful after all, "Well, not everybody is like you and can hardly keep their desires at bay." because that was the most plausible explanation, he was a man and she had not let him touch her in more than a week.
"That is not what I meant-" he tried but she beat him to it, the idea already formulated inside her head, it was a good justification and she would talk herself into believing it if she had to.
"Of course it is, what else could it possibly be? You're petty and grumpy because I haven't let you touch me ever since-" but she was unable to finish, the man's words overlapping her own.
"Do you think that I-" he raised his voice to cut her but she was already overlapping his remarks herself.
"I do not think of you, outlaw. At all!" Regina threw as much venom as she could muster into her words. In doing so her voice was raised and she was near to screaming at his face, which was so close, so drowsily close to her own.
"Liar!" he shouted right at her face, so much sentiment filled his widened blue orbs Regina felt her chest tighten.
That had been the last straw. Regina did not even register the motion of her hand – everything seemed so unreal by this point, she could swear there was an alarming amount of frustration and anger cooking up on the pit of her stomach - until a stinging hot feeling dominated her palm when it met his left cheek.
The contact was brief and yet Regina felt as if a lightning bolt had struck her when her flesh met his. Her palm burned, her pulse had quickened to a speed almost unnatural, and an intense feeling washed over her like a gigantic wave, swallowing Regina completely, dominating her will.
She quickly withdrew back to sit straight on her bench, trying to put some distance between them, hoping that it might ease the overwhelming emotions that took over. Her hand had fallen to her lap once more and Regina could not seem to take her eyes off it, regarding it with puzzlement, silently questioning it for its actions.
Regina did not know which feeling dominated the most; – since she should not have been able to feel any – the rage and anger she felt towards him for being so disobedient and making her heart – which was not even present at the moment – stutter with wanton; the fury she felt towards herself for letting it come to this point. The absurd curiosity to understand why it was only in his presence that she was able to feel at all when deprived of her heart, or the complete dread that made every single hair on her body stand straight because she was fully aware she was not meant to feel at all.
As her breathing eased, Regina's eyes darted from her reddened palm to the man in question to discover he was not staring back at her anymore but looking intently at her palm. She became aware of a flush on her skin and as if studying an unknown creature, raised her hand ever so slowly – his gaze dutifully following its journey – completely entranced by her actions alone.
Their eyes met when the hand reached a certain height and she was on the receiving end of a very annoyed outlaw, his expression severe and firm. Regardless of his stare, Regina's actions were being guided by a strong force inside her, a force drew her to him. So any face he could pull did not frighten away Regina's will as she moved on her seat again, but this time to get closer to him and placed her still warm hand upon the cheek she had just struck violently, using so much delicacy even Regina herself was surprised.
The buzz was back instantly and it drew a small gasp from her lips before she could stop herself. She knew that she was to expect their odd connection, that pleasurable and yet mystic sensation she felt when they touched, and yet with this new exchange everything seemed to slow down, her senses being treated by some mysterious balm came from the contact. This time it did not burn but appease, the cutting sensation the slap had left on her palm being miraculously taken away by the contact.
"But, how-?" the words were out without her permission so soft she hardly recognized it.
Regina inspected the man's cheek as if she had never seen the likes of him ever before in her life, only with the pads of her fingers she could sense how every string of her skin pulsated alongside with his.
Regina was surprised to see the outlaw closed his eyes under her soft touch, which encouraged her to bring her other hand to tentatively touch at his other cheek. The sensation was buzzing and wonderful, it felt so good it seemed as if it was some manner of drug, she could feel him relax under her touch and tears started prickling on her eyes – Regina had no idea why.
"How is this possible?" she whispered again to herself but the words came to life from between her lips.
She had unconsciously gotten even closer to him during this tender exchange. She could feel the hot breath from his breathing as he exhaled through his mouth licking his lips when he was done. That deed alone awoke something inside her she had not touched in a long while, he was so vulnerable, so trusting letting her touch him with so much liberty after everything she had done to push him away.
She went for his lips with so much fear it was almost tangible, the voices in her head for once were quiet but this particular distress came from somewhere deep within her. Regardless of her hesitations, Regina's lips closed about the man's bottom lip and she closed her eyes at the warm, comforting sensation they gave her.
It felt right, even if his lips were non responding, the contact felt true, as if it was meant to be. Regina's blood started running a tad faster in her veins when she placed a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth, it felt so familiar and yet completely different. He had quite noticeably relaxed under her touch and Regina sighed at the sensations that washed over her. For that moment, there was nothing else in the world but them and their joined lips and Regina sighed at the peace she felt. She was about to nuzzle her nose of his cheek as he moaned at her contact when a loud knock on the door snapped them back into reality.
Going back to complete consciousness, the weight of what she had just done overwhelmed Regina, who drew back from him completely, praying he did not notice her cheeks burned with awkwardness.
When the contact was broken, she missed his warmth immediately and that feeling terrified her. This could not stand. So Regina straightened up her dress and gave him a cold unfeeling look and commanded, "Do not dare and follow me."
…
Creating as much distance as she could from the outlaw assisted Regina immensely in getting her head back in place for the evening. She managed to make an entrance fit to impress and terrify the nobles that infested the party – Regina was pleased to notice that none of the ones which she had shooed away from her castle had attended, probably still running for their dear lives.
Spotting the man she so eagerly sought was not at all difficult, for Dukes, Counts, Princesses, Queens and Kings alike would take a couple of steps back and bow as Regina passed them by, opening up more than necessary space for her to parade on. She had made a reputation.
He had been the only one who had not retreated from her – and had Regina had her heart where it belonged, getting to experience firsthand as people of so much power cowered back in fear of her, would have sent a thrilling shiver of pleasure about her body – as she approached him with her usual royal stride.
Jamie bowed his head respectfully towards her but did not move otherwise, not back nor forward. When he lifted it back to face her, Regina took the opportunity to study the lad from head to toe and did very little to hide that very fact. He had grown, a couple of years had passed since their last encounter and it seemed the young man had only changed for the better. His once clean face now carried just the right amount of stubble, his eyes still a vibrant green, his jaw seemed to be more defined, more masculine and he had a smirk on his lips to match his physical evolution.
From what was visible through his traditional Northern garments his body was just as well kept as it had been when they had first met. When Regina was satisfied with eating the young man's appearance up with her eyes, she simply uttered, "Come" and walked past him not looking behind to see if he had followed, she knew he would, she had trained him well.
She led him away from the ruckus of the celebration, toward one of the many rooms in the ground floor of the castle which were emptied of guests. There was very little illumination in the room she had randomly chosen, but it suited Regina just fine. There were big French windows that led to a grand garden, which was decorated with living plants as well as golden ones.
Regina gathered the view was quite spectacular, the garden being so well kept and planned, illuminated by a few solitary torches and the moonlight. But she did not feel anything about it whatsoever, the hole on her chest had started to feel heavy. She felt like she was missing out on so much by removing it, the notion hit her for a split second but then she brushed it away, slapping herself internally and thinking of how weak that train of thought was.
The lad had indeed followed her, but no longer was he in her shadow, as he chose to lean against one of the only bare walls the room possessed, both his arms and legs crossed, he looked back at her with a grin tugged on the corner of his lips. She returned the gesture by giving him a small malicious show of teeth before breaking the silence, "Long time, no see."
"Indeed" he responded without moving.
There was a moment of silence in which Regina chose to study him once more, he was different. She could see it more clearly now, that they were alone. His posture was much less relaxed, his shoulders were held with pride but she could see that now he carried a great weight in them.
"I am sorry about your father Jamie," Regina broke the silence once more with as much sympathy in her voice as she could muster in her current condition.
He nodded and replied, "Thank you Regina, I appreciate your sentiment," he gave her a tight smile and Regina knew that it was still a raw wound in his heart.
She understood, were she to lose her father she would probably lose her mind completely.
After a beat, he continued in a completely different air, "I am not sorry for your husband."
At that, Regina cracked up a small smile and gave him, "Neither am I dear."
"I gather that you were able to do as you had planned then?" he asked her.
"Yes," she licked her lips, the smallest amount of excitement bubbling on the pit of her stomach at the memory of her husband's passing, "Yes I did."
"I'm glad to hear it then," he said, pushing himself off the wall and striding close to a small table close to where he had been, it contained a golden tray with several golden goblets filled with wine – Regina knew Midas had the touch of gold but all that metallic yellow was starting to give her a headache, the man had no taste – and took one goblet in each hand, offering one to her. He lifted the golden chalice, and his and Regina's clicked together as he said, "May he rot in hell."
"Yes," Regina nearly hissed, clicking her chalice in his, she quickly sniffed the contents of her goblet and being satisfied in not finding any trace of poison, took a large gulp from it.
There were several minutes of silence, in which both took sips of their drinks and studied each other – there was a familiarity between the pair, they had been intimate for far too long for such a thing not to exist. He was probably cataloguing all the changes she had gone through, which were, not few.
Feeling this was the right moment, Regina bit her lower lip looking down at his own, he drew his gaze toward her mouth then, doing this dance they knew so well.
She was relieved to register her mind felt at ease and her soul did not tremble with a single feeling – let alone guilt – over the fact that they were close now malice pooled inside her eyes.
She finished her wine and turned the chalice to dust with her magic, Jamie's eyes looking at her display of magic with wonderment and lust. She grinned and started undoing the buttons that held the black cape she was wearing together. Jamie looked at her inventively, eating her with his eyes but did not make any moves as to touch her, he remembered her rules, she was glad.
She had picked out a dress she knew would drive him crazy, tightly corseted, sleeveless, revealing black velvet. As each button became undone, she could hear Jamie's breathing get a little more agitated, his grip tight around his own chalice. Regina did her handy work blindly, more concerned about catching his every reaction, looking at him with hunger and desire, playing her part perfectly.
This would be worth it.
When all the bindings that kept the coat strapped tightly to her body had been undone, Regina pushed the heavy black garment off herself with grace and speed. The effect of what lay underneath was almost instant as Jamie dropped his own goblet on the floor, wine spilled on the ground, as he had been too busy watching her instead of drinking it's contents.
"Regina-" his voice was lower.
"Hum?" she hummed, lifting an eyebrow.
"I-" he was having a hard time voicing his request.
It amused Regina but she decided to make things a little bit easier for him, she took one step closer to him and her lips ghosted the shell of his ear and whispered, "You may."
His hands went to her hips and Regina inhaled as he closed the distance between them, pressing hard against her, letting her feel his manhood was already quite aware of her beauty.
They were lucky Regina's mind was so completely empty of emotion, so completely blanked from all the good sexual tension she should have been feeling, that she was able to register voices that once were distant become more and more loud and clear.
Regina placed her hands on his burly chest and pushed him away, the look he gave her was one of complete puzzlement, until she placed one finger to her mouth gesturing for him to keep quiet, then the man was able to understand this place was not to be as private as they desired in a few seconds.
He took two steps back taking a deep inhale of air whilst his eyes looked to the ground. His head snapped just as the voices were outside the door, extending his hand to her, he asked, "Care for a stroll about the gardens, your majesty?"
…
The scene outside was truly spectacular, the sky was dark, not a star in sight but the moon was nearly full and it's light mixed with warm tones of gold and orange in the garden painted quite the picture.
Jamie took her to a more secluded part of the garden, the trees there towered over some of the pillars, making a perfect cover for what she had in mind.
Perfect scenery for a perfect seduction scene. Because Regina was again reminded by an annoying voice inside her head that this was an act, this was necessary, this might be pleasurable but it was not true. The only source of true pleasure for her was that insufferable thief-
"This is much better." Jamie's voice snapped her out of her irritating thoughts.
"Indeed." she gave him.
"Did you get a look at the groom?" his tone had changed.
"Prince James?" she questioned, smiling inwardly at her little private joke, Prince James my arse.
"Yes, he looked miserable."
"Well, he is marrying princess frost. No wonder-"
"Yes-" he frowned and continued, "The sight of him reminded me of her. Strangely enough." he took a breath, looking up at the tree tops "How I almost ended up like him, caged by a loveless marriage." his eyes found hers again, "If it wasn't for you Regina, I-"
"Don't go there Jamie-" Regina warned, not knowing how to feel about his words. Her lack of heart did not aid in this situation.
"No, I mean it-" he took one step towards her, "I don't think I ever got the chance to thank you for-" he shook his head. "Everything."
She managed to give him a tight sincere smile, "No need, we helped each other-"
"And yet you were still trapped there," he told her.
"Out of my own will Jamie, don't forget that. I was very capable of simply disappearing if I wanted to-" she reminded him, "-but I needed to end him." She could tell she was supposed to be feeling flaming anger, it burned a little inside her chest "-and I did." she smirked, remembering Leopold's last moments.
"But how?" he asked, he seemed truly curious and Regina had to remind herself that he had also despised the King. "How did you manage to have him killed and get his whole army on your side?"
"Through my unparalleled powers of persuasion, of course." She smiled a truly evil smile remembering how she had fooled the Genie, how she had the army at the palm of her hand.
"Well, you have never looked better," his eyes raked her figure for a beat, "Regina, you look quite fetching tonight. I must say black does become you."
She hummed, preferring the direction the conversation had taken before responding, "Aren't you full of flattery tonight?"
"I cannot help but speak my mind when I come upon the most beautiful woman in all the realms." Jamie said simply.
"Ever the charmer," she chuckled, as she fabricated a small smile, "Don't forget it was me who taught you all those nasty tricks, boy."
"You know I don't like it when you call me that" he was irritated, how cute.
"And since when have I cared about your feelings Jamie?" Regina lifted one of her perfect eyebrows, because she had cared, but now she could not afford to care about anyone, and still - "Plus, that's how I will always see you dear."
"I'm not a lad anymore" he reasoned.
"Oh really?" she moved from her spot facing him to walk towards a golden pillar.
She leaned her back against a large cold golden pillar, both her palms resting against its surface.
Jamie's gaze ravaged her, his hands clenched on his sides. "A lot has happened since you last saw me," he said, trying to prove a point that was really irrelevant to Regina.
"Indeed" she purred, "But I bet none of your wee lassies have been able to do justice to your prior experiences in my castle," she was smiling, broadly, this little game was rather fun.
The man walked toward her as she spoke. When she stopped speaking, he was suddenly half pressed against her frame, one of his hands placed at her hip bone. He brought his lips to the shell of her ear and whispered "It was such a long time ago, I may need a reminder." He bit softly on her earlobe just the way she liked it.
Regina could not hold back a wince and replied with a slurry voice, "Are you trying to seduce me with my own tricks boy?"
"Is it working?"
"It will take a lot more than that to seduce me dear," her voice was low and sensual.
"You know I'm always up for the challenge."
"Oh that I know dear" she bit her lower lip.
This is going very well, this is what is supposed to happen, no heavy heart, just heavy breathing- Regina told herself repeatedly, and yet, there was something off, a burning feeling, strange...
Jamie brought his other hand to her chin and stroked it, running his thumb on the lip. "Was that a yes?" He asked gripping her waist a little bit harder.
"Give me your best shot." She replied with a raised eyebrow, but there was something wrong. The nasty green feeling was spreading, pulsating from where her heart was supposed to be.
Her feelings had not been betrayed by her features as she felt Jamie's hand felt up the side of her stomach, her ribcage and finally palmed her breast through the fabric of her dress. She managed to give him a questioning hum in response as he squeezed her sensitive breast.
Jamie brought that hand to the column just beside her head, the other hand on her chin guiding her face, leaning forward for a kiss, but Regina felt eyes burn on her, the odd feeling spreading with every second.
The next moment was played in slow motion as his voice reached her ears. "Mine!" It was more like an animalistic growl but she knew who it was. Her head snapped to the side to catch the sight of him up on a tree, bow and arrow ready to shoot, aiming straight at her head.
She gasped when he released the arrow, dread filling her, their eyes locked.
The arrow met it's destination and Regina blinked twice as she looked at it, impaled right in the middle of Jamie's hand, the one that had been resting on the golden column just beside her head.
Her senses were filled with a loud grunt coming from Jamie, "Fucking hell-" he bellowed, the arrow had gone through his hand and trapped it to the column.
Maleficent was the dragon in the realm, but Regina felt her insides burn upon looking at the scene.
How dare he?
There was a beat when their eye contact was intense and then she was moving, using her magic to remove the arrow from Jamie's hand, he winced, but she only had eyes for one man at that moment. Her hand rose again, commanding her magic to grab him by the throat pulling the thief towards her from the tree top until he was hoisted up in front of her.
Her rage was such that she could not voice anything, only use her magic to squeeze his neck, squeeze like she wanted to squeeze his heart, turn him into dust. Her lack of heart was almost laughable at the moment for the feelings that ran through her veins were very clear, rage, anger, dread, exhaustion.
Their connection buzzed, mocking her.
Had he meant to kill her?
Traitor! The half naked Queen screamed.
That should teach you not to get involved with the help again Regina. The heartless Queen's voice rang.
He never misses his target, came that timid young voice.
He had turned pale when Regina loosened her deathgrip on his throat, freeing him from her magic, making him fall on his face in front of her, the bloody arrow still held tightly in her hand.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" her voice came out low, it felt as if she had screamed her lungs out, her throat burned.
He was coughing, on his knees, trying to catch his breath.
"Who is he?" a voice from behind her asked and she remembered Jamie was there. Jamie who had been touching her just as the thief-
Was it jealousy?
Was it the reason behind his imbecile behavior?
She turned a little to look at Jamie, trying to mask how much the outlaw got to her.
"Captain of my personal guard." Her voice was emotionless.
Both his eyebrows shot up, "Very adamant in honoring your mourning period."
"Hardly," she got back at him, noticing he was clutching his wounded hand. She waved her hand and his pierced flesh was cured as if nothing had happened, her magic did not even leave behind a scar, his skin was as it had been before the attack.
"And who the fuck is that?" The thief's strong accent made her turn her gaze back to him.
For a moment Regina looked at him, grip on the arrow intensifying.
"None of your fucking bussiness." she bit back. Her chest was bursting, "What's this supposed to be? Were you trying to kill me, thief?"
He was on his feet by this point, his brow knitted, his breathing still a little ragged.
"Kill you?" he asked as if it was the most absurd thing she had ever said.
"Or were you looking to mark me?" she turned her head to the side, studying him, a maniac feeling building up inside her chest. She remembered when her mother had slapped her, drawn blood from her upper lip, it had marked her, the scar had never disappeared. That night when she and Daniel-
"Mark you?" his voice snapped her out.
"Do you think that I'm yours?" She took two steps towards him.
She was nobody's. She belonged to nobody. She was her own master.
The last person who had trapped her, called her his own, got what he deserved.
She looked at the tip of the arrow, Jamie's blood still painted red, as an idea dawned on her, something that would put that thief back where he belonged.
She brought the blood soaked arrow near her lips and licked it slowly, not breaking their eye contact. Her slow movement distracted the outlaw and before he could react properly she closed the distance between them plunging the arrow on his chest using her magic to sink it deep, where his heart had once beaten.
And there it was, clear as the day, that strange connection they shared throbbing through the hand that was tightly closed around the arrow. It started to spread along her body, seeming to drain it's force from the thief and transfer it to her.
His strangled scream brought her eyes back to him, and to the resolute task at hand. He would pay for being- For thinking that- How dare he? He was nothing to her and she was nobody's.
Their connection mocked her with it's intensity but still, Regina gripped the arrow harder and spoke in between gritted teeth, "I am not your cattle." She twisted the arrow making him grunt in pain again. "You, on the other hand, are mine!"
There was a beat when their eyes locked, his filled with unshed tears looking at her and then looking around as if something else had happened. When his eyes went back to hers they were different, they held so much- She could not handle it, could not face those blue pools full of -
She engulfed him in a cloud of purple smoke, praying to high forces that the distance would bring back the feeling of numbness to her chest.
For even without her heart she felt, she felt him, deeply, as if he had indeed marked her.