Chapter 15
Victory
(Regina's POV)
*Flashback, 15 years ago
I shivered in my thin dress as I sat at the dining table. I was facing Snow since Leopold sat at the end of the table. Snow and I were on either side of him as usual. Despite my wishes, Leopold insisted that I was to wear this dress as it showed off my curves. However, it was definitely not designed for the cold weather. I hugged my body and looked down, trying to avoid Snow's gaze even though I wanted her to see the pain that was surging through me. She suddenly looked up from her meal and asked her father innocently, "surely magic could have saved Daniella?"
My back stiffened as I held in a tear. She never died to begin with, you brat! Your father ordered for her to be taken away!
I pretended to keep eating as Leopold answered softly to his spoiled daughter, "I'm sorry my dear Snow but Daniella is gone. You mustn't feel sad though; its normal for young children to fail to make it over the age of five."
I inhaled sharply and Snow must have heard me for she turned towards me. I looked down onto my meal, feeling Snow's gaze waver over me. Then, she asked rather rudely, "Regina, what's wrong with your face?"
I desperately wanted to glare at the girl but catching Leopold's gaze, I managed to suppress my emotions as I lied, "must have overdone my makeup a little."
In reality, I've gotten a bruise on my face two days ago when Leopold slapped me after finding out that he wasn't the father of Daniella. Despite my efforts to cover the patch of purple, there was still a glimmer of it under the thick layer of powder on my face.
Thankfully, Snow was satisfied with my answer since she nodded and continued to eat her dinner. After she finished, Leopold decided to excuse her from the table. "Snow, you may leave now. Go and play with your maids."
Immediately, Johanna came to the Princess and pushed back her chair. Then, she lead Snow off to her chambers. Although I hated that girl, I didn't feel comfortable with her absence either. I was left alone in the room with Leopold and I already felt him observing me as if I was prey. I set down my half eaten pudding when the King stood up and walked over towards me. Holding my breath, I forced my body to not flinch when he creeped up behind me. His hand brushed my exposed chest as he bent down and whispered, "I've given you two days to grieve for your daughter but now its time for you to learn who you belong to, little whore."
My mind screamed with fury at the accusation but at the same time, I nervously nodded.
Then, Leopold commanded, "go to my bedchambers now. I'll see you there."
Shakily, I got up and nearly ran out of the room just to get away from the king. However, I soon slowed down my pace for I was walking closer to his chambers. The guards at his bedroom parted, letting me into the room when I got to the doorway. After shuffling hesitantly across the carpet, I sat on the bed and rested my palms on my face. Tears streamed down my cheek as I thought about Daniel and our daughter. As the time ticked by, my body started to shake on its own accord for I knew what was to happen when the King arrived. To my horror, Leopold's footsteps were already padding towards the doorway.
The King waltzed into the room and headed towards me. "It's time you learn to be obedient, Regina."
Without a second thought, his lips started exploring the nape of my bare neck. Whilst he did so, his hands tugged at the back of my dress. I whimpered as he untied my corset. Pulling it off, he ripped down my dress and I immediately felt the cold winter air seize my naked breasts. My heart froze inside my body.
Leopold looked at me with lust and he grinned, pushing me down onto the bed.
*End of flashback
(Regina's POV, in the present)
My heart pounded faster against my chest as the carriage rolled into the gravel driveway of my childhood home. As it came to a stop near the path that lead to the stables, I took off Daniel's ring from the chain around my neck and put it onto my finger. Daniella slid towards the carriage door but before she got out, I stopped her with my arm.
"Sorry firefly, but I want to speak to Snow alone. Afterall, this is my vendetta..."
Daniella pouted and replied, "but then what do I do?"
"Just wait here, I won't take long I promise." Then, I kissed Daniella on her forehead and climbed out of the carriage to make my way to the stables. My guards started to follow me but I waved them away.
Slowly, they fell back and I used my magic to take me into the stables instead. When I arrived, my mind immediately cast itself back to my teenage years. As I carefully tread into the abandoned space, I felt as if Daniel was following me. Everything in the stables was so familiar, the small enclosed stalls, the crunch of hay below my feet, the smell of wet wood. I brushed my hand over the stalls, grimacing at the decay. Then, I got to the middle of the stables and stopped. Immediately, my fingers reached for the ring that Daniel had given me. There, I stood, rooted on the spot. I sniffled. Even though years had passed, I could still remember the night of Daniel's death so vividly. His heart was crushed right here, his body had lay right here, I had kissed his cold dead face right here on this spot. Tears threatened to fall but I heard footsteps comb through the grass outside of the stables.
There was silence save for the rustling of the grass but it was broken when a wavering voice greeted me. "Hello Regina."
I turned around, trying to keep a neutral expression on my face. Snow had her hands held up, proving to me that she was approaching without any weapons. As I walked past Snow, I stated simply, "follow me."
I must admit, treking through the long blades of grass in a full ornate gown wasn't easy but I knew that I needed to show Snow who I was; the Queen. Surprisingly, she panted a little as she tried to keep up with my pace. I've always tended to walk faster when I was nervous. I decided to break the awkward silence of our walk when we neared Daniel's grave. I slowed down and asked, "Do you remember when I ran down your runaway horse Snow? Do you remember when I saved your life?"
Stuttering a little, Snow answered softly, "of course." Then, she exhaled as she added, "it all looks the same."
By now, I have reached Daniel's tombstone. Circulating it, I continued, "not quite. This is new."
"Is that..."
In a quiet broken whisper, I replied, "A grave. Daniel's grave."
I turned to Snow as she said, "Daniel? I thought he..."
"Ran away?" I scoffed. "I told you that to spare your feelings out of kindness. But he died because of you."
I glared at Snow, watching her like a hawk until she managed to finally utter those futile words I've been wanting to hear for so long. "uh, I'm sorry Regina."
"I'm sorry too. But nothing can change what happened. What you did." Then, I started to raise my voice. "You promised, Snow. You promised that you would keep my secret. You promised but you lied."
The girl tried to defend herself. "I was very young and your mother..."
"She ripped his heart out because of you! Because you failed to listen to me! And after that, I was forced to marry out of my will!"
"Not all marriages start with true love. My parents' marriage was arranged, you know that! But my parents learnt to love each other...and inside of trying to love him, you killed my father! Haven't we both suffered enough? My father's done nothing to y..."
I cut her off as I screamed, "yes Snow! Yes he did!"
Snow was taken aback by that burst but I continued to seethe, "everything you've ever heard, seen or experienced are lies! Your father was a monster!"
"How dare you insult my father!"
"I have every right to! He forced me to be your mother. He forced me to be his vision of a queen; he wanted me to be Eva and when I couldn't, he disregarded me like a piece of trash. I wasn't a wife to him. I was a servant, forced to take care of you even though I was only eighteen!"
I paused only to continue again in a harsher tone, "now, tell me what you told him on the night of your 12th birthday."
"Excuse me?"
"Tell me, you brat!" I yelled.
Shaking, Snow answered, "I told him that you weren't letting me play with Daniella."
"And do you know what he did next, Snow? He figured out that Daniella wasn't his and he tore her away from my arms. Gone. Just like that."
"But you both told me that..."
"He told you that she had died; but could I have said anything otherwise?!"
"But couldn't you have told him that Daniella was conceived before your marriage?"
"Do you think I wouldn't have told him? If he had believed me, his court wouldn't have called me a whore!"
"Regina! This was between you and my father, how am I involved in all this now?"
My mind exploded at Snow's stupidity. "You started it all, you brat! Watching the kingdom pawn over you every day was sickening. You were so naive to the pain you've caused. Naive to what your own father did to his wife. Naive to how your family had ripped my true love and my daughter away from me."
This time, Snow didn't reply. She couldn't. She was guilty and now she knew that. As I watched Snow struggle with her speech, I got out my velvet bag and reached into it. I took out the apple and it gleamed sharply in the sunlight.
"Regina, I..."
I cut Snow off as I waved the apple around, "did you know that apples stand for health and wisdom?"
The reply came fast, "so why do I get the feeling that this one might kill me?"
I taunted, "it won't kill you. No, what it will do is far worse. Your body will be your tomb and you'll be in there with nothing but dreams formed out of your own regrets."
Sighing, Snow asked, "so you're going to force me to eat it."
I scoffed. "Of course not, it won't work anyway. The choice is yours and it must be taken willingly."
"And why on earth would I want to do that?"
Glaring at Snow, I answered, "because if you refuse to eat the apple, your Prince? Your Charming...will be killed."
"No..."
I grinned maliciously, "as I said, the choice is yours."
"I take that and he lives. That's the deal you want to make?"
"With all my heart."
Then, Snow took the apple from my fingertips and looked at it frowning. Locking eyes with me, she uttered softly, "then congratulations. You've won."
I held my breath and my mouth pulled itself into a smile as I watched Snow bite into the apple. After chewing for a few moments, she suddenly lurched forward as if she was choking from something lodged inside her throat. She took one last glance at me with a defeated expression before falling onto the grass with a thud.
For the first time in almost twenty years, my heart felt as if it was fluttering out of my chest. Snow is dead.
(Daniella's POV)
The eternal slumber of Snow definitely brightened my mother's day. When she came back into the carriage after poisoning the Princess, she was grinning as if she had just won a battle and defeated another kingdom.
"Did it work?"
"It did, my little firefly...I did it!"
When mother sat down onto the carriage seats, I reached around her waist to give her a hug. Even though the carriage started to move in order to take us back home, I didn't let go. Mother stroked my hair and whispered, "thank you Daniella. You helped me retrieve that apple. You helped me with my revenge."
I smiled back up at my mother. Then, I untangled myself from her and looked out of the carriage window. Keeping my head faced away from mother, I asked, "How do you think the people will respond?"
"To the death of Snow?"
"Yeah."
There was a sigh before mother answered, "Whatever they say doesn't matter. The kingdom is running smoothly; now that's all that matters."
"What do you mean?"
Mother snorted before saying, "Those peasants may not want me as their Queen but they can't deny that I've done a much better job providing to their needs than Snow's father did."
I turned back towards my mother and put my head onto her shoulder as the carriage rattled along the road. We fell into silence until we approached a village, my village. When we passed, I heard joyous music resonate through the forest. Wait a second...
"Mother, what day is it?"
"The 20th of March. Why?"
I squinted past the trees before exclaiming, "Its the Spring Equinox! There must be a festival going on right now in the town square. Can't you hear the music?"
Mother looked out of the window on her side of the carriage. "I must have forgotten about such novelties but I think you're right. Its the Spring Equinox today."
When mother turned back to me, she saw that I was looking at her with pleading eyes. Raising an eyebrow, she questioned, "Yes, Daniella? What do you want?"
I held on to my mother's arm and grinned as I replied, "Can I go to the festival? Everyone seems to have gone to the square before; villagers alike..." Then, my voice dropped to a quiet tone as I continued, "But is royalty not allowed to go?"
Mother frowned, "How did you come to that conclusion, Daniella? Of course royalty can go; I haven't been to any of those festivals in a very long time but I was forced to go with the King and Snow until that girl got bored of the festivities."
I pasted a wide grin on my face as I prompted, "So can I go, mama? Please?"
I held my stare until mother sighed and nodded. I gave her a quick hug. "Thank youuuuu."
"Have you never been to the festival before?"
Quietly, I replied, "I've gone...but I was helping the orphanage sell goods instead of having fun."
I knew that mother didn't like it when I mentioned my past life so I grimaced a little when I watched her look away. Then, she tapped the carriage walls and shouted, "Andrea, take us to the Spring festival."
"Yes, your majesty," the driver replied. After the carriage changed its course, mother turned back to me and said, "Well, my little firefly, I'll make sure that you get to enjoy every festival from now."
I smiled as my mother took my hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Soon, the music from the festival grew louder and louder. I looked out of the window, seeing that we were approaching the square. My heart leapt with excitement as the carriage stopped, making the gravel grind below our feet. I pushed open the door and a guard helped me step out. When my mother had gotten out of the carriage too, she put her hand on my back and we started walking towards the town square. I glanced subtly behind me and saw that four guards were trudging closely behind us.
My heart started to thump faster against my chest when we approached the festivities. As soon as I glimpsed the stalls, the market stands and the carts, I was struck by an array of wonderful smells. Before I walked any further however, I felt that the atmosphere had suddenly gone a little quiet than normal. I diverted my gaze away from the stalls and realised that everyone was looking our direction. I instantly reached for my mother's hand as I felt uncomfortable under the people's gazes. "Ignore them and enjoy yourself, Daniella" my mother said to me.
I inhaled and focused on exploring the festivities instead. A stage had been set up in the middle of the square, with stalls surrounding it in a huge circle. Around the stage, there was also a performance of maypole dancing. I smiled, watching the dancers spin streamers as they danced. Luckily, they were too engrossed in their dancing to realise that I had stopped near them to watch their performance. A man with a fiddle was accompanying the dance and in front of him, there was a floppy hat. I glanced at my mother and she nodded, giving me permission to approach. I shuffled towards him and tossed a silver coin into his hat. When it hit the bottom, it made a faint clink and the man looked up from his fiddle. When he saw my face, there was a moment of confusion before his eyes widened. Then, he hastily bowed whilst he continued to play without missing a note. I smiled back and retreated back to where my mother was standing.
"Can we walk along the stalls now?"
Mother nodded her head. After walking for a minute or so, I approached a stand that sold beautiful dried preserved flowers. As I started to admire the flowers, the young woman behind the stand stood up. When I saw her face, I gasped. "Charlotte!"
"Daniella?" Charlotte breathed. Charlotte was a friend of Teagan and she would sometimes come to the orphanage to help out. "Daniella I haven't seen you for so long and..." she paused as she observed me. She looked up and down, no doubt looking at the glimmery, expensive dress that I was wearing. Then, she looked behind me and quickly uttered in realisation, "uh, your majesty, your highness..."
When my mother walked around and stood next to me, she peered at the flower crowns that lay on the stand. Charlotte nervously spoke, "Your Majesty, may I help you with anything?"
Picking up a crown woven out of daisies and roses, my mother answered, "How much would this cost?"
"2 coppers."
"Hold out your hand."
A second after Charlotte did so, two pieces of copper appeared in her hand. As Charlotte uttered a quiet thank you, mother turned towards me. Then, she arranged the flower crown atop my head, carefully putting it around my tiara.
As I touched the delicate crown, I asked, "How do I look?"
Before my mother could answer, Charlotte cleared her throat and held out a mirror towards me. I took it and admired the flower crown on my head. "Thanks, Mama."
Kissing me on the head, my mother whispered, "I'm glad you like it, little firefly."
As we turned to leave, I was about to wave goodbye to Charlotte when I realised that she probably knew where Teagan was. "Have you seen Teagan, Charlotte?"
Charlotte's face paled suddenly. "Umm, Charlotte?"
"I'm not sure where Teagan is..."
I frowned. "Then can you tell me where you think she is? I just want to see her." Teagan's angry face on the day of the assassination attempt had scared me and I needed to know why she felt that way.
"Sorry, Dani- your highness, I really have no idea where Teagan is."
I sighed. "How about the orphans?
Quietly, Charlotte answered, "They're at the orphanage."
I frowned. "Why aren't they here, at the festivities?"
"Because Teagan won't be supervising them."
"Daniella!" I turned around towards my mother's direction. "I'm coming, mother...wait." Then, I faced Charlotte and whispered, "Alright. I have no idea what's going on but you're hiding something; and I'm going to find out whats wrong with Teagan."
Quietly, Charlotte uttered back, "You shouldn't be worrying about Teagan. She's fine."
Without another word, Charlotte sat back down behind the stall and continued working on a flower crown. I turned around to meet my mother's questioning gaze.
"Mother, I want to visit the orphanage."
My mother raised an eyebrow but didn't object or ask me why.
I stepped up to the porch of the orphanage cabin and knocked. Then, I heard footsteps walk towards me and when it stopped, the door swung slowly open to reveal..."Eliza!"
Eliza stood there with her mouth agape. She was two years older than me and I was closest with her, compared to the other orphans. In the awkward silence that hung in the air, she surveyed me, from the tiara in my hair down to the sparkling lace at the hem of my dress. "Daniella, I...um, you've been missing for the whole winter! What happened? And...your arm, wait that's you right?" Eliza stuttered in a jumbled whisper.
Behind her, I heard voices shout, "Eliza who is it? Is Teagan back?"
Eliza came out onto the porch and shut the door behind her. As soon as she did so, she caught my mother's glance. She opened her mouth out in shock for she realised that the Queen was standing so close to her. Smiling, I put my hand on Eliza's shoulder and said, "Don't mind my mother. You're not in trouble or anything. I just came to see how you and Teagan are going."
"T..T..Teagan?"
I exhaled in frustration, "Why does everyone become so nervous when I ask about her?"
I watched Eliza take a cautious glance between my mother and I. Then, I understood; Teagan's angry glares, her story about how the Queen had killed her father, her loyalty to Snow White and how she wanted to help Snow take back the throne. I mentally slapped myself. How had I not realised this before? This must have been the reason why Teagan looked so angry that day.
Quickly, I took Eliza's shoulders into my hands and shook her whilst saying, "Is Teagan with Snow White? Is that the reason why you all refuse to tell me where she is?"
Eliza began to sweat so she gently brushed my hands off her shoulders and averted my gaze. Then, she subtely nodded.
I sighed. "And has Teagan said anything...bad about me?"
I saw Eliza through quick glances towards my mother so I turned around and said, "Mama, I'll be at the carriage in a few minutes after I talk to my friend. Maybe...um, can you start making your way back?"
Smirking, my mother answered loud enough for Eliza to hear, "Why? Is your friend afraid of me?"
"Mama!"
"Alright, fine Daniella." Then, in a puff of purple smoke my mother left me alone. However, two guards remained with me.
"So, Eliza. Did Teagan say anything about me?"
After a brief moment of silence, Eliza answered, "Well, to start at the beginning...it was a little confusing and strange for us all. I mean, you've just gone missing and a few weeks later there was the announcement that there is an heir to the throne named Daniella. It couldn't be a coincidence right? When some of the orphans, including me, thought about it, we came to the conclusion that you were indeed the Queen's daughter. I mean, you look exactly like your mother...but Teagan was unconvinced. To be honest, I think she knew the truth as well but she didn't want to admit it yet."
"But why wouldn't she want to admit that I am the Princess?"
"Look, we all know that Teagan liked you...except after finding out that you were the Queen's daughter, I don't think Teagan could face the fact that the mother of one of her favourites had, um, killed her father."
There was a pause which I decided to break. "Yeah, Teagan hates my mother doesn't she?"
Eliza nodded carefully and lowered her voice as she whispered, "Teagan is with Snow. I don't know where they went but..."
"Snow is dead."
There was silence. Then, Eliza's eyes widened as she breathed out, "Wait, what?! Daniella, what do you mean? Did..."
I bite my lip and looked into Eliza's eyes whispering, "Are you going to hate me too?"
Eliza shook her head slowly but before she could reply in words, there was a shout that made my skin jump off my body.
"Eliza! Go back into the cabin!"
I whipped my head around to see Teagan run across the clearing. Eliza however didn't move an inch. I held onto her arm as I observed Teagan's red, splotchy face. When I locked eyes with her, Teagan stopped running and carefully strode towards us. I glanced briefly at my guards and saw that they had put their hands on the hilt of their swords. Teagan strode right past my guards as if they weren't there. "What are you doing here, Daniella? Have you come to gloat?"
Even though I was shaken to the core, I managed to say calmly, "What do you mean?"
Teagan snarled but her expression contradicted the tears in her eyes. "Oh, are you not aware that the Evil Queen has killed Snow?"
I frowned. "Of course I'm aware, and please don't call my mother that."
"Well why don't you run back to your mother then...you're not welcome here."
Right after Teagan said this, the two guards beside me seized her and grunted, "Show some respect for the princess."
I put my hand up into the air, telling the guards to not jump to any conclusions...yet. "No, let her say what she wants to say."
Teagan however didn't speak. She simply gave me a glare. Tears threatened to fall from my face as I stuttered softly, "I thought that you were on my side...do you not love me anymore? Do you hate me?"
"I've never loved you." Teagan spat.
"But you said that you loved every one of us..."
"What else was I meant to say to a group of orphans?"
There was silence.
"Why, Teagan? Why?" I croaked.
"Because you've chosen your side and I've chosen mine. You have decided to choose evil but I choose good. And good will always win in the end for evil will suffer."
The first tear fell from my eyes as I fought back, "Teagan, I know what my mother did to you wasn't exactly fair but I'm not her! I'm Daniella, I'm not evil. I'm the same girl who went to you for help one year ago because I didn't have a place to go."
"No! I can see underneath your sweet facade. Tell me, have you harmed anyone?"
"Leyton and the boys had harmed m..."
"Have you harmed anyone? Killed anyone?" Teagan shouted. Then, she continued, "They say that you've killed, crushed the heart of the blind witch. Is that true? If it isn't, then maybe I can face you and apologise for all that I've just said. But if it's true...well..."
My heart hammered. I glanced at the guards who held Teagan tightly by her arms. I couldn't see what their expressions were like since their faces were concealed under the black netting. However, looking at them reminded me of strength. Of the fact that I mustn't appear weak or broken.
I narrowed my eyes and cleared my throat, changing my tone of voice as I answered clearly, "Yes Teagan. I crushed the heart of the blind witch and I don't regret it at all."
There was a blank look on Teagan's face before she seethed, "I should have never taken you into the orphanage. The boys have told me what you've done to them. You've made a branch fall onto Leyton right? They say you're a freak but I think you're something worse. A monster, just like your mother."
I curled my hands into fists. Suddenly, I felt the warm burning sensation of dark magic channel through my body. However, I kept it under control as I whispered, "Guards."
"Yes, your highness?"
I paused. I didn't know what to say next. Did I really want to punish Teagan? Technically I could...but, does she really deserve it? I mean, her father was killed because of mother, of course she'll be angry. But what she said just then...
Quietly, I ordered, "Do whatever you want with her, just don't kill her. She still needs to look after the orphanage."
The guard standing closest to me nodded and muttered in a excited tone, "We'll make sure she gets what she deserves, Princess."
I gave him a quick smile and turned away. Then, I surrounded myself in purple smoke which lead me straight into the comfortable embrace of my mother.
