When all was said and done, Regina could be a downright barrel of surprises. The second he'd sent Theseus along, he'd vowed to let Regina play out her game and then let her come to him. He expected an adolescent response to it all. No matter the outcome, he expected her to be angry about stripping away her transportation abilities and stranding her with Maleficent. Frankly, he expected her to be so mad that he wouldn't hear from her for some time. After the dragon returned, he expected she'd hang around Maleficent for a while, trying to get her to act as teacher and guide and only return to him when Maleficent proved to be too interested in her own future to worry about Regina's. However, he was shocked to find, later that night, a summoning tug at his conscious and pull him back to Regina.
They were in the stables again. When he found her, she was in a stall kneeling beside Snow White's prized horse. The beast lay on the ground and Regina was stroking its cheek tenderly. Her back was to him, but she knew that he was there, she'd summoned him, of course, she knew! But her anger was checked. Her actions were calm and collected. This was a glimpse at Regina he hadn't expected to see for years down the road. Was this a chance encounter, he wondered, or had Maleficent done a job he hadn't expected. Perhaps seeing the sleeping curse dosed dragon had done her some good.
Behind her, he stood up on the wooden stall to better see into it. The wood creaked beneath his feet, but she didn't flinch.
"You took my ability to transport," she commented with barely a glance at him.
Oh, he shivered at those words. There was anger in her voice, but it wasn't hot and tempered as she'd been before, like a child. This anger was contained. It was cool and cold. It didn't need volume to fill the space between them, just insinuation. It was the kind of anger he was always envious of, for it could lead to truly beautiful action. It was the kind of anger that if left to simmer, could become a boil with only a single action. It was the kind of anger he'd been waiting for her to possess—the anger of a woman, not a girl.
"Only for a short period of time. That spell will wear off in a day or so…how did you get here so soon?" he questioned, looking down at her.
"On the back of a dragon. How else?"
He smiled. "You mean Maleficent?"
That was a lie. Though he knew the Dragon was back as Theseus had returned to tell him that his message was delivered and the wedding never happened because Maleficent was successful, he also knew that in her dragon form, that beast couldn't tell the difference between friend and foe. She wasn't likely to be offering rides at least none that were survivable. But…if she wanted to play this little game, to keep him in the dark, then that was fine. So long as all was as he expected.
"I was certain she'd lost that power."
"Well…it's more like forgotten...until I helped her remember who she was."
He fought back a smile and instead shook his head, happy to play an idiot. After all, if she was to become what he wanted her to, one day, he might find her opposite him, not as a student but as an enemy. He had to remember not to get too close, no matter how tempting she was at times.
"I thought it was you that was seeking a teacher, not the other way around?"
"I was…" she stated, rising her gaze off the horse just in time to meet his own before getting to her feet. "But then I realized...I already had a teacher!" she smiled at him. "One who was doing quite well with me."
"Glad to hear it," he muttered in triumph before glancing down at the animal she'd been stroking, who hadn't moved since she'd risen. That was not typical horse behavior and in the air…he smelled a sleeping curse. Perhaps she had learned a thing or two on her journey. "I can see you're doing quite well, too. And why do I get the feeling that that pony's not just taking a nap?"
"Well, of course, he is..." she commented looking over at the beast before pulling something long and sharp from her pocket. It was a needle to a spinning wheel, an object he was familiar with for he had given it to Maleficent in the first place. "For another 100 years or so." He laughed as Regina stepped forward and pushed open the door he was standing upon, all so she could stand back and admire her work. "Maleficent helped me see death is too good for Snow White. I need to take away what she loves."
Finally…something they could agree on. Finally, she'd arrived at the place that he needed her to be in most. Now all he had to do was develop it further.
"A lesson I've been trying to teach," he whispered in her ear before stepping off the door.
"Well...I'm finally ready to learn," Regina stated, a spark in her eye for all the right reasons. "No matter how long it takes, I can do it. I can get my revenge. I can get my happiness! And how do you intend to do that, praytell? Still planning on killing the girl?"
"Oh, no!" she smiled. "No…death would be far too simple for her. I want to make her suffer," she stated calmly with her eyes closed as if she was dreaming of a day in paradise. "I want for her to feel the pain that she made me feel, the pain that I still feel every day of my life. All because she has everything she's ever wanted, and I have nothing I've ever wanted."
"Sounds to me like you just need something new to want."
"This. I want this. I want to make her squirm. When I'm don't with her, I want her to beg for death. But, even I know, that's going to take a delicate touch. They call you a villain, can you teach me? Can you show me how to do this right? How to end Snow White's happiness, end her life the way she ended mine?"
He felt his grin stretch ear to ear. "Indeed, I can. Trust me, in due time, I'll grant to you the perfect magic you need to get yourself out of this mess."
He just hoped he had the right magic so that he could get himself out of that mess when the time came.
We're not quite to the end of the Regina section yet. Remember I tacked a chapter on to the end because Regina is not quite as ruthless as I'd like her to be yet. There is still something she has to do for that. She needs to get her hands dirty before her transformation can be complete. The next chapter isn't one that was seen, but we've certainly heard a lot about it and even watched it in some sense.
Thank you Grace5231973, Jennifer Baratta, and Alarda for your reviews on the last chapter. I know this has been a long section (and the longest is yet to come but for Rumbellers it'll be a lot easier), I know it's sort of been choppy at times, but I really appreciate your willingness to stay with me in this endeavor. I hope that I've done it justice and made you proud. I hope even the simple things, like the end of this conversation, have kept in line with the story and been exactly what you were hoping for! Peace and Happy Reading!
