This fic was inspired by Phoenix_Shine Prompt Party- OQ/DOQ wedding and orchidfeathers' Phantom of the Opera manip from Spooky OQ, found here. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!
Regina sat in the room that had been designated to be her dressing room, combing out her long curls so that they cascaded down her back, only the edges pulled back and held in place by an intricate barrette. She was in a long white gown that in another musical would be a wedding gown, the top fitted and glittering with gems, the bottom half flaring out behind her in a full skirt.
Instead of a bride, tonight she would be a phantom, the musical they were performing the tale of a ghost that was said to haunt the castle where they were performing the musical. Few if any knew the phantom's true backstory, but one thing was certain: the phantom had been haunting the castle for as long as anyone could remember. Regina's role was one that she had never imagined she'd play, but she was told she was perfect for it.
And truthfully, she was. What she kept hidden from everyone was just why she remained removed from the world, a phantom in her own right. Her past had left her a shadow of her former self, and all for the loss of one man, the only happiness she had ever known.
Thinking of her childhood friend who for too short a time had turned into more, tears came to her eyes. He had been lost to her so suddenly, and her mother hadn't even had the decency to allow her to mourn him, instead keeping her under lock and key until she was able to adhere to every one of Cora's demands. As a result, she had been told more than once by her father, who worries for her, that she was a shell of her former self.
He had divorced his wife long ago, and had tried to take her with him when he left, but Cora had threatened Regina before the court hearing, nails digging in her arms so hard that they left marks for months afterwards, that if she didn't choose her, she would ensure that she would no longer have Henry in her life at all, much less for the court-mandated visitations. So when twelve-year-old Regina had to stand behind the podium and choose which parent she would spend the majority of the next six years or more with, she had fought back the lump in her throat before responding that she would spend those years with her mother.
Now, even though she's almost graduated from the best performing arts school in the country, she is still under her mother's shadow. Her mother has pushed her since she was little to be the best dancer she could be, but all Regina ever wanted to do was sing. There were so many times growing up that singing had helped her either remove herself from the situation at hand or vent her emotions through song. But Cora had always told her that singing would get her nowhere, that there was no future for her in music, as many of the artists she listened to faded with time, just as she would if she chose that as her career. Regina always found it ironic that her mother pushed for dancing instead, given that that was also a performing art, but Cora had insisted that it would keep her in shape and be better for her, and while it did, to Regina, it just wasn't the same.
She was dying to get out from under her mother's shadow, but she didn't know how. She had been practicing her singing in secret, hoping that one day she would be able to use her talent for a musical. However, her mother was always telling her that she wasn't as good as she thought, so she doubted she was good enough to go to New York and perform with the likes of Broadway stars such as Ariel Mertle. Ursula Seava, the main star of the evening, had a beautiful voice that Regina could listen to all day. She was always mentoring her and her friend Malena, telling them not to give up on their dreams, which Regina was always appreciative of, given that her mother had never encouraged her passion, instead shifting it to a different art form.
Regina sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror. This performance couldn't be over soon enough. The dance school that her mother ran was world-renowned, so the company had been invited to a castle that one of her wealthier patrons helped oversee in England. Because the castle was said to be haunted by a phantom, Cora had chosen this particular musical to have her students perform at the castle. Regina wasn't sure if she believed in ghosts, but she did know that if she had to hear another girl express her fear of the phantom, she would immediately leave the room and seek refuge somewhere where there weren't simpletons who believed in ghosts that didn't exist. And even if they did, Regina knew that there were far worse things in life than ghosts, so she wasn't afraid of them. If anyone ever showed her a ghost, she would simply introduce them to her mother. Cora could frighten anyone worse than any ghost.
Regina heard the rustle of a skirt before the door opened without even a knock and her mother entered unannounced, which immediately irked Regina. "Mother, don't you think it would've been appropriate to knock first?" she asked, her vexed tone alerting her mother to the thoughts on her actions in case her words weren't telling enough.
"Nonsense, dear," Cora scoffed. "I raised you, and got you to where you are today, about to perform in an English castle. Surely a mother can wish her daughter luck?"
Regina sighed. One must always tread carefully with Cora Mills, and she knew she would regret it if she did or said anything out of line. "Yes. But I also need time to myself to prepare before the show."
"Nonsense, you'll be perfect," Cora declared. "Haven't I taught you everything I know? Now come along so you'll be ready when you'll be needed on set."
"Just give me one more minute," Regina requested, and Cora obliged. She looked at herself one last time in the mirror, the perfect depiction of a phantom, and wished that somehow she could make herself free from this life. But she knew her mother would never let her out from under her thumb.
With that thought, she thought she heard something in the ceiling overhead, and she imagined that she saw a fleeting shadow, but in a second, it was gone. She shook her head, knowing that the castle's legends must've been getting to her, She glanced in the mirror one last time, tucked a hair back into place, and hurried off.
Bright stage lights illuminated the space in front of her. She was still hidden in the wings, waiting for her cue to go onstage. As the music crescendoed and her moment arrived, she danced onto the stage, her pointe shoes killing her feet from the moment she started dancing, but she knew she couldn't do anything about it now, so she danced through the pain, remembering the exact timing of each arabesque and pirouette, performing each choreographed move to perfection.
Suddenly, she glanced up and could have sworn she saw Daniel's familiar features watching her. Her heart stopped just as she stepped on a spot on the stage that was more slick than it should be. She fell, hitting her head on the hard dance floor, hearing gasps all around her before she started to lose consciousness.
Just before she did, she saw a man standing over her. She suspected it to be Daniel, but this man didn't have Daniel's familiar green eyes and brown hair. This man's hair was a lighter shade of brown, more of a dark blonde, and while part of his face was obscured by a mask, there's something in his deep blue eyes that she instinctively knew she could trust.
"Rest now, I've got you, you're safe," a soothing English accent told her. And she did, resting her head on the man's chest when he picked her up and drifting off, knowing instinctively that her life is about to change forever.