(Daniella's POV)

Mother pushed me onto the ground and I collided into a tree root. I'm sure I earned a small bruise from that collision, but the real worry was the screeching and whoosh of air that made my heart skip a beat. We looked up as the creature cried out in a shrill tone whilst dodging to one side. Then, it flapped its large wings, sending a gust of strong wind towards us. I squinted at the sun to watch it turn away and flee. Of course, we were still quite shaken and alarmed when a deep male voice spoke from behind us. "Milady?"

The voice belonged to a strong tall figure who held a bow and arrow. He was leading a small group of other men dressed in a similar way. With a concerned expression, he held out his hand towards mother who said simply, "I'm fine," as she stood up. Then, she helped me up. The man retracted his hand and quipped, "A simple 'thank you' would suffice." When he had noticed my bloody arm however, he remarked, "You're injured."

"There is no need to narrate the obvious," mother replied as she took my arm. Despite my best efforts to ignore the pain, I whimpered as she inspected it. Then, she hovered her spare hand over it, willing magic into the wound. After the fog of purple smoke had disappeared, the stinging in my hand diminished to a soft sore feeling. Mother's magic got rid of most of the blood and pain but there was still a faint scar from where the claw made its deepest indentation. After inspecting my arm by prodding it gently and checking for my reaction, she waved her hand again and my sleeve repaired itself. Upon seeing this, the man commented, "I was going to suggest a healer we have at camp, but it seems like it has been taken care of."

Mother raised her eyebrow, "You doubted me? Anyway, what the hell was that thing?"

The man replied, "I have no idea. We've never encountered the likes of it before." Right after his reply, my heart jumped with paranoia as another shriek rung through the forest from a distance. That naturally prompted someone standing behind the man to suggest, "Hey Robin, we should warn the travellers-"

"Travellers? You've been spying on us...thief?" Mother exclaimed indignantly. Upon hearing her words, I connected the clues together. I knew the man was oddly familiar! He was Robin Hood; the criminal wanted by pretty much every noble or royal in the kingdom. His reputation proceeds him as he was renowned for stealing from the rich to give to the poor. Robin wittily replied, "Just some payback, for the black knights you sent after us."

Mother scoffed, "Well, I'm sure you deserved it. But as you mentioned, I must leave to warn the others."

As she turned around and started walking away, dragging me alone with her, she noticed that they were following us. I could sense that her patience was running thin. I suppose it wasn't a great thing to admit that we had been saved by a couple of thieves. She whipped her head around and growled, "What's the meaning of this?"

"Should the beast come back for an attack, we might be able to help. Besides, we know this area better than anyone amongst the travellers, we-"

"Yes alright fine. Stop talking and follow us. I'll take you to Snow White so that she can deal with you."

I briefly glanced at the group to observe their reactions. Whilst Robin's 'merry men' were regarding us with disdainful expressions, their leader seemed to be more or less amused.

Mother's softened voice distracted me from the group of men. "Daniella, is your arm ok?" I turned to her and nodded, "Yeah, it's not hurting. Just a bit numb, that's all."

With a growl, mother said softly, "I hope nothing else happens to that arm. Once we're back in the palace, I'm going to find a way to destroy that infernal beast, whatever it may be. It clearly hasn't seen the full might of the Evil Queen."

I rolled my eyes but secretly smiled at the determination that mother showed. It didn't take long for a feeling of awkwardness to sit in the air. It certainly felt really strange, to be walking with a wanted group of thieves behind us. However, it took us several minutes before we reached the back of the travelling group. When they noticed our presence, their faces showed both a mixture of shock and confusion. Then, someone came forth and addressed mother, "Your Majesty, I believe Snow White is looking for you."

"Is that so? Where is she now?"

"She left us a minute ago. I'm guessing that she'd be in the middle of the group."

With a nod, mother took my hand and pulled me through the crowd. They dispersed upon seeing that it was us. That got us quickly to Snow. As soon as she saw us, she called for David and Emma. The Swan was the first to speak, "Regina, where in the world were you? We thought you had-"

"Abandoned you?" Mother chuckled. Then, she added, "Oh please, I wouldn't spend so much of my own time parading around to simply disappear and leave you all stranded in the wilderness."

"We were getting worried and...you've brought company," Snow noted as she glanced at the group of Merry Men behind us. Mother rolled her eyes, "They're not company. But they've volunteered to come along because believe it or not, Daniella and I were attacked by a flying beast."

"A flying beast?! Are there more? What happened to it?" David inquired. Mother didn't get a chance to reply as Robin came forth and explained, "We're not sure what it is. We've never seen a creature by the likes of it terrorise Sherwood forest."

Naturally, David displayed a look of confusion on his face. It seemed as if he was struggling to recognise the thief so he eventually asked, "Umm, who are you exactly?"

"Robin Hood, and these are my Merry Men."

Snow gave him a nod and said, "I'm Snow White, and this is David, my husband, Emma my daughter, and Henry my grandson is off somewhere."

Robin looked at Emma with curiosity, "You're...you both look like you're the same age."

"Call it an effect of a curse that's even more effective than anti-aging facial creams," Emma replied in a matter of fact tone.

The thief chuckled before turning to Snow to remark, "At last we meet. You know, there was a time when our faces graced wanted posters side by side." All the heads seem to have turned towards mother's direction which prompted her to change the topic after an annoyed huff. "Alright, so are we continuing on this journey or not? The sun is setting soon. I don't know about you, but I have no interest in walking under the moonlight."

With that, she gave me an inclination of her head and we walked off. Father found us soon after. I was glad that he came to us alone. Worry was plastered over his face as he spoke, "They told me that you haven't been seen for the past half an hour! They assumed that you two were with me."

Mother smiled and gave father's hand a squeeze. "I'm alright dear. Daniella and I just had a little encounter with a winged beast."

"What?!"

"It's nothing, Mama healed up the wound," I said quickly.

"You were wounded? Where?"

When I pointed to my arm, he asked whether I could show him, in which I simply replied that it'll be a hassle. That's when he realised that we were both wearing different clothes to before. He took a step back and tilted his head as he said slowly, "You two have changed outfits..."

"The dirt got on our clothes," I said with a shrug. I was a little taken back when father laughed. Luckily, that earned him a playful smack from mother to which he muttered as he shook his head, "Royals. Always so self-conscious about their looks."

Before mother could answer, someone shouted out, "There it is! The palace!" We all looked in the direction that a man was pointing and indeed, in the faraway distance, stood home. I suppose we were closer to the destination than we thought. The Charmings however, were the first to notice something strange about the air surrounding the castle. David looked towards Snow and shouted, "Look!"

"What happened?" his wife answered.

By now, mother had already moved quickly towards the green aura that radiated in the air. She stated as she walked past them briskly, "That's exactly what I'm about to find out." When she got up to the crossroad, she touched the air and a crackle erupted from the aura. Everyone took a step back for they feared the magic that was clearly hindering our advance into the palace grounds. However, my curiosity made me run towards where she was standing. Mother quickly put her hand in front of me, to stop me from colliding with the strange aura. Then, she turned around and answered the question on everyone's tongue. "A protection spell, the entire castle is encircled by it."

Emma stubbornly replied, "Didn't you do this? Undo it."

There was a hint of annoyance in mother's voice as she taunted, "Well Miss Swan, don't you think if I could, I'd be half way home by now? No, someone hijacked it."

Snow came forth with a frown. "Who? Who's in there?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out whoever's eating my porridge. Nobody sits in my chair. Nobody takes my palace-"

"Technically, ours." David interrupted.

With that, mother rolled her eyes and muttered, "Fine, for now. I trust that you'll move back into your own castle once it has been repaired."

"Oh, well that entirely depends on you Regina."

Mother snapped her head up in shock. "What?"

"You broke it, you fix it."

She growled something inaudible but David simply chuckled. Then, he changed the subject and noted, "We've got a lot of people looking to us. They're scared and rightfully so. Let's get them to safety first." Mother crossed her arms and said, "Yes, they're scared because they still have no idea why the curse was reverted all of a sudden. Yet, you unCharmings refuse to tell them the truth. I wonder why that might be..."

Emma argued decisively, "Now's not the time, Regina."

"Oh, but isn't this what you've always wanted? The curse to be broken so that you'd be reunited with your family?" After a brief pause, she added in nonchalant tone, "And now, I'm rather offended that you're not giving credit where credit is due."

"Excuse me? You cursed my fa-"

Snow put her hand firmly on Emma's shoulder and said, "Emma, leave it."

Mother smirked and said to the Uncharmings, "Indeed. But sooner or later, you will tell them that it was Daniel, Daniella and I who broke the curse."

Emma didn't cease to press upon the matter for she growled, "Trying to redeem ourselves are we?"

Mother let a moment fall between them before she seethed, "And you're trying to hold onto the adoration of the people are you? My my, it seems like being the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming just isn't enough."

"At least I'm better than a manipulative woman who stole the right to reign, and in the meantime, cursed everyone to live miserable lives!" Emma yelled.

From that second onward, I know that she had overstepped the line. Mother wouldn't ever let anyone insult her but since father had now come up to her side, she refrained from using her magic. Instead, she slapped Emma so hard that she stumbled and fell onto the ground.

As father shouted mother's name in shock, David demanded, "What the hell?!"

Father put a hand on mother's shoulder to pull her away but she shrugged him off violently. Bent over Emma she spat, "At least I've improved since last time."

Swan quickly got up and before anyone could stop her, she returned the favour. By now, the travelling party had stopped and were paying attention to the drama. Everyone was too dumbfounded to react save father, who put himself between the quarreling women. David and Snow tried to drag Emma away as father did the same. I surveyed the conflict with worry. Caught in the crossfire, I had the Charmings glaring at me, whilst my father also gave me a disapproving glance. I knew he wasn't directing it towards me but I couldn't bear to see him upset at mother. However, Emma continued shouting, "No you haven't! You're lucky you have someone restraining you, you monster. But wait, you could be manipulating him too; just like you manipulated Graham!"

When father sensed that it meant him, he gave Swan a look and said sternly, "You will stay away from my fiancee."

Emma snorted but she did walk away, pushing past the crowd with Snow following. Once she had left hearing range, father turned to mother and put his hand to the cheek which had been struck. "Hey, Regina, you ok?"

She nodded and straightened herself. Then, as if nothing had happened, she turned to David and said, "So where to from here?"

With a frown, David answered, "I will talk to you later about striking my daughter, but for now, the people needs us. We have to take them to a safe place as we can't just rush into the palace without weapons, without knowing what's waiting for us." As soon as he had finished his sentence, a familiar voice spoke from behind us, "I can offer safe harbour in Sherwood Forest. Our camp is not far. We can offer food, shelter, and a thick canopy no creature will spy you under."

We all turned around to reply to the thief's generous suggestion. David was the one who posed the first question. "Do you have weapons?"

He murmured with an honest shrug, "We're lousy with them." Mother sighed, "Fine. Lead the way. But we're coming back, and whoever this this is going to suffer."

With that, Robin proceeded to the front of the group and assumed the role of leader. Before leaving us, David directed a stern warning towards mother. "Don't hit my daughter again."

She rolled her eyes as a response to the Prince's threat. When we were left alone as a trio, father inquired about the first time it happened. Mother left out the ugly details but before she got to the end of the story, a shriek was heard from the skies. I tensed up, realising that it was another flying beast. From a distance, I saw Charming draw his sword as Snow readied an arrow on the quiver of her bow. There, in the middle of a little break in the group, was a young boy by himself. Mother's eyes followed my trail of sight and she immediately rushed over, picking up the boy gently and placing him away from the creature. As he ran over to the group of thieves, I created a fireball in my hands and launched it at the creature. It roared as my flames touched its furry body. However, it still circled the air above us, screeching loudly like a deranged banshee.

An arrow from Snow's bow was sent into the air but it missed. I gritted my teeth and launched another fireball towards the creature. This time, it hit it on its wings, making the creature howl as it lost balance. Mother took this opportunity and used her magic, transforming the beast into a stuffed animal. I panted as the creature became no more, right in front of my eyes. I ran over to the toy and picked it up. When I looked up, mother inclined her head towards the boy who she had saved. I understood her message and went over to him with the toy in hand. Given that Robin was his father, I suppose we had returned his favour of saving us from the first flying monkey. I gave the toy to the boy and said, "Not so scary hmm? Here; now you have a new toy."

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I heard mother's voice say, "So, thief, now we're even."

Robin gave us a nod as he muttered a quiet, "Thank you." When the others arrived at the scene, she announced, "That was the same kind of monster that attacked Daniella and I."

One of the Merry Men behind Robin commented, "If I didn't know better, I'd say it looked an awful lot like a monkey."

"A monkey with wings?" David confirmed with an unbelieving face.

Mother replied, "Yes, that's exactly what it is. If our simian friend is any indication, then I think we know exactly who's taken up residence in my castle. The Wicked Witch."

Comically, Leroy, or the dwarf who embodies the very essence of grumpiness said after a moment of silence, "Are we talking East or West?"

Emma had now turned up and as mother glared at her, she replied, "Does it matter? Neither one sounds good."

"Well one you drop a house on, the other you toss a bucket of water at-"

Mother rolled her eyes, muttering sarcastically, "Do you really think that'll work? Try pushing me off a cliff, binding me with iron cuffs, forcing a pair of scathing hot shoes onto my feet. I'm not that easy to kill, Miss Swan."

Emma didn't reply for I could sense that she wasn't exactly willing to poke the bear any further. Amidst the cold atmosphere, it was father who managed to warm up the air around us. "Who's Disney?" I held back a laugh just like the others as father obviously wasn't aware of Disney nor the concept of movies and television. Mother simply replied, "It's nothing, its just a brand of sorts from the land without magic. They have transformed us all into fairytales. Unfortunately, their interpretation is the furthest from reality. Any peasant child in the Enchanted Forest would have a better understanding of our world than Disney."

"And which story were you in?"

"Nothing, it's not important," she replied quickly. Then, David cut into the conversation to discuss more important matters. "So Regina, what exactly are we up against besides green skin and a pointy hat? What did you do to her?"

"This time nothing! Never met her," she replied with an indignant expression.

"This isn't a personal vendetta? Shocking. Ok then, Oz aside, we stick to the original plan. Arm up, then attack. Assuming you Regina, can get the shield down."

Snow quickly said, "I'm coming with you." However, the princess was turned down for mother replied firmly, "No, this is a one-woman job."

"What? Against the Wicked Witch? She has flying monkeys, who knows what else!" Snow rebutted.

Mother huffed and said, "I don't care if the Lollipop Guild is protecting her. I can lower that shield on my own. Your help is not needed nor wanted."

Snow gave her a tight nod and said, "Alright, then we'll be waiting for you on the other side."

Mother huffed and started walking away with father and I by her side. When we were a considerable distance from the others, she whispered to father, "Daniel, take our daughter and go with the others-"

I crossed my arms. Why should I stand by the sidelines! "But mama, I want to help!" I protested loudly.

My father frowned at the idea too, as he said, "Regina, I'll come with you. I'm sure Daniella's in capable hands here-" Ok, I suppose it doesn't help that both my parents are adamant that I'd be left behind.

"No, you're not coming. Besides, I need you to take care of Daniella-"Mother began before I cut into her speech.

"Oh, why can't we all go then," I whined. That however, just earned me looks from both of my parents. "We cannot because it's too dangerous; especially for you, Firefly. I'm not doubting your powers dear, but we know nothing about this Wicked Witch. And Daniel, please, just trust me. Take Daniella and go with the others. I'll be safe." Father didn't protest and I was in no position to do so either, so we simply watched as mother sighed and made up her mind. I've always known that changing her mind was not an easy feat. After giving him a kiss, she left and vanished into the forest. I leaned into father and suggested, "You should go with her! Maybe you can talk about things."

Father chuckled, "That's what I was thinking. Regina's always been stubborn but I have yet to experience her anger. I should have been there for her but I suspect that she's been devoid of love for a long time." After a brief pause, he added, "I guess I'll have to make it up now."

I grinned and gestured to the woods, "Go quietly after her. If you don't appear in front of her until it's too late, she won't send you back."

He put his hands on my shoulders and asked with a concerned frown, "Are you alright to be by yourself with the others? Don't take my word seriously, but the other royals don't seem to be particularly friendly. If you're comfortable with my idea, I'll take you to my friend. I've explained everything to him and although he told me to ask your mother about most of the subjects I've inquired about, I believe he'll be welcoming enough to take care of you whilst we're gone."

As we set off to find the family of his friend, I asked him how they had come into acquaintance. "He is a family friend. They worked in a vineyard not far away from your mother's estate. Elias, their second son was the same age as me so we got along pretty well. He had an inkling that I met an untimely death from Cora's hands. Everyone had always suspected of the lady's magic of course. What Elias didn't know, was that I was in love with your mother. It seemed to have shocked him terribly, but I suppose I would have a better understanding of that once Regina agrees to explain everything."

I laughed, "Yeah, so he didn't say anything about mother or...I?"

"Not really. He knows who you both are of course, but I assume the whole kingdom does."

"The whole of the Enchanted Forest and maybe even other realms do," I murmured. As I thought about my father's words before, my mind wondered to questions concerning his family. That's when I suddenly remembered the woman back in the village who had given me the jar of fireflies. "Wait, the woman in the village...Wilma! She was your mother right?"

"Wilma? Yes, she's my mother. She's alive?!" father responded with wide eyes.

"I uh, I'm not sure. I'm sorry but I think I forgot all about her after mother took me in."

"Oh, well I'll have to ask Regina about it then," father said as he took my arm and weaved me around groups of people. Soon, he spotted Elias and pulled me over.

"Elias."

"Daniel! Is everything alright?" the man replied as he glanced between father and I with a confused expression.

"Well, as you might know, my fiancee's going into the castle to lower the protection shield. I'm going with her, to make sure she's safe. Would you mind looking after our daughter for us?"

"Oh, uh sure. How long will you be gone for?"

"I cannot tell, but you wouldn't mind accept this favour would you? Daniella's promised me that she won't be a hassle," he said as he winked at me.

I gave my father a smile as Elias nodded. I knew he must still be feeling a little wary about me, so I hoped that father is indeed good friends with this man. I reached around father for a hug before he left and when he pulled away, I whispered, "Stay safe, daddy."

"You too, my daughter. I'll see you soon but if I don't go now, I'll never catch your mother."

I chuckled and gave him a little shove, "Yeah. Go!" With that, he left me with Elias, his wife and their children. He nodded his head and started, "Well, your highness, it's nice to meet you."

I nodded, "And you too. But umm, please call me Daniella, or Dani."

Elias laughed it off, "Noted. I must say that this is absolutely crazy; I thought Daniel was dead, and I was right, until he turns up an hour ago and tells me that he had been killed after he proposed to his girlfriend-"

"-Who is my mother," I stated, as I nervously looked between the couple. Elias' wife spoke for the first time and luckily, there wasn't too much judgement in her voice. "I cannot pretend that it didn't surprise me."

As the group started moving again, I noticed that one of Elias' sons was holding onto a horse with the supplies loaded for this particular section of the travelling group. He seemed to be struggling with the stallion a little so I gave his parents a glance before walking to him. He let go immediately with a nod of his head. I took the reins and put my hand against the horse's neck. As I stroked it, it seemed to calm the animal down. I caught the boy's glance and realized that he was someone from the school in Storybrooke. I don't believe I've had the chance to talk to him. Besides, I wasn't really comfortable talking to anyone back in Storybooke, unless it was necessary. He commented, "You're good with horses, Princess."

I shrugged and replied, "It's hereditary I guess." Since father was friends with this family, I added, "As you might know from your Papa, my father's a stableboy and...mother has always liked riding."

The boy glanced around before commenting, "I've heard that the Queen is a better rider than Snow White."

I laughed, "I might be biased, but that rumour is correct. Afterall, Snow nearly died on a horse when she was 10 years old."

"What?! Really?" One of Elias' daughters exclaimed. Her face told us that she was thinking hard. Then, she added, "Oh yeah, father told us how the King had married your mother because she had saved Snow from a runaway horse."

I raised my eyebrow, "You know about that?"

They nodded, "I suppose people have forgotten about it but yeah."

I shrugged, "Of course they have." After that, we didn't really speak for a while until something happened at the front of the travelling group, which made the whole travelling squad halt. I turned to Elias and asked him, "What's happening?"

"I'm not sure, I'll go and check," he replied as he left. When he did, Elias' wife asked me, "So what exactly is Daniel helping your mother with?"

I looked in the direction of the palace, which had now become an even smaller speck amongst the mountains in the distance. "There are tunnels that run under the palace; secret passageways that were barely used. They were sealed for security reasons and mother thinks that if she can get through them into the interior of the palace, she can find the source which powers the protection spell that currently surrounds the castle. Once she lowers it, we can go in, and attack the witch," I explained.

"A witch? There's a witch in the palace?"

"Mother thinks its the Wicked Witch of the West, because of the flying monkeys."

After a moment of consideration Veronica replied, "I wonder what the Witch wants."

I shrugged, "Mother's never met her, and neither have I. I hope that witch isn't too dangerous."

"Well my dear, I doubt that witch can outsmart your mother, unless she's some kind of older sibling or something."

I laughed, "No, mother's an only child. Like me."

I had no idea how much irony was laced in that remark.

(Regina's POV)

I smirked as I removed the boulder that covered the entrance of the tunnels. However, that feeling of satisfaction was interrupted as I jumped at the snap of a twig behind me. I turned around with fright and a fireball in my hand, only to find the orange glow settle on my handsome lover. "Daniel! You're-"

"Yes, I couldn't possibly leave you to sneak into the castle alone."

When he approached me, I put my hand on his face and whispered, "There's a witch inside, and you've nothing to protect yourself with!"

"I couldn't just leave my fiancee walk in."

"Daniel, that witch can't take me down I've-"

"Yes, from what I've observed you seem to hold quite the power amongst the citizens of the kingdom but you can't deny that you like me being here."

He caught my breath again with that sweet smile of his, so I had no choice but to smile back giddily like a teenager and whisper, "Fine. But don't get in my way."

"Oh come on, Regina. What happened to the adventures we had as teenagers? You seem more...closed off now." I frowned and murmured worriedly, "Really? Is that what you think, darling?" Daniel grabbed my hand softly in his and said, "You know you can tell me anything. Remember that time when your mother punished me for speaking out to you and forgetting my place? Remember how you had made me promise to not say anything about where I actually took our lessons?"

I breathed heavily as that painful memory of watching mother punish Daniel replayed in my head. "Of course I do-"

"So you do trust me, Regina, don't you?"

I bit my lip before turning away to hide my watery eyes. I then went to the port hole and bent over to tug at the lever. Daniel immediately came to my aid as he pulled at the handle. He got it open immediately, which made me smirk. Once inside the tunnels, I lit a fireball in my hand and answered his question, "Of course I trust you. I'm just...I'm so sorry for what you'll have to go through. Of what you have, because of me."

"But that doesn't matter, Regina darling. I'm here for you, and I'll always be. I don't care what anyone else says or thinks. I fell in love with a beautiful carefree girl who loved horses and I can still see her in you."

I smiled sadly, "You know, I've tried to squish that part of me into hiding for so many years."

"Why? It's the most genuine part of you." Daniel responded with undeniable sadness.

"But its also the most vulnerable. I, I couldn't let that girl become queen, because she'd be disregarded!" I looked down and as we began walking through the tunnel, I continued quietly in confession, "That girl was gone Daniel, from the moment you died. I...I became so cold, so distant without you that I promised myself that I'll never love anyone as much as I loved you."

Daniel took my free hand and gave it a squeeze. "Regina, how about our daughter? Don't you love her?"

"Yes, with all my heart." Then, I took a shuddering breath and added, "But I failed as a parent."

"What do you mean? Daniella adores you-"

"And yet, I was too weak to save her from the King's verdict. He found out, Daniel. He found out that she wasn't his and he ordered her to be killed-"

"What?! Where is that man right now?"

Although I was admitting one of my biggest sins in front of my innocent boyfriend, I was hopeful that he would approve of the circumstances so I replied quickly, "I killed him."

"You killed the king?!"

"Well, I orchestrated his assassination. But by then, I thought Daniella had already died." My voice shook as I added, "I'm so sorry, but I let you down. I was and I'm no longer that innocent girl you fell in love with. I was only surrounded by anger towards the King and his daughter." I softened my tone and explained, "All I wanted was your embrace, for you to hold me and tell me that everything was going to be alright. I figured it was a fantasy so I tried to be accepted by the King, but no one, not him, nor the servants or even the peasants of the kingdom wanted me to be their Queen. All the King desired was a son, and...and I had to make sure that I didn't give him that happiness. Daniel, I tried to bring you back to life multiple times, I tried everything but when I realised that I couldn't, that last sliver of hope inside me was crushed. I became...I..."

By now, sobs had taken over my regular breathing and since the fireball in my hand was threatening to extinguish, I quickly lit up the torches along the tunnel. Daniel saw my struggle and embraced me tightly, "Hey, hey, it's ok. You were hurt, and I'm...well, I'm glad that the King met whatever end Fate had planned for him."

I cried harder as I tried to continue my story. However, Daniel's words did nothing but shake me and remind me of my horrible actions. "Regina, listen to me. Anyone would have reacted badly to that situation, if they were thrown into your shoes-"

I shook my head, "No, they wouldn't have, because unlike them, I...I used my magic. I became," my chest heaved heavily as I whispered, "I became, and I am still the Evil Queen."

Daniel didn't speak for a second. So, I quickly added in a shaky voice, "So walk. Walk away, hate me like the others. I understand if you want nothing to do with this monster. This pathetic woman who hurt others because of her own pain. You wanted to know the truth?" Daniel didn't reply but nonetheless, I revealed, "Here it is. You're attempting to love a woman who has ripped countless hearts out, burnt villages and killed anybody who supported Snow White."

By this point, I was breathing in such irregular intervals that I became light headed. My cheeks burned as I regarded Daniel's frowning expression with worry. Finally, he responded with doubt in his voice. "Regina, you really did all that?"

I sighed, and hastily wiped away tears that was blurring my vision. "Think about the looks people give you should they see you with me. Think about your friend's reluctance to talk about me." Then, I lowered my voice and added guiltily, "Think about Daniella. I've completely destroyed my family with my actions. Daniel, you're not and you were never the monster. I am."

There was a thick silence that hung between us. I could almost hear my heart as it pounded against my chest with such violence that I thought it would burst out of its cage at any minute. When I thought I could not handle it any longer, Daniel tentatively took a step towards me. He let me lean into his chest and as he gripped me tightly, he said, "You were hurt, and you reacted in the only way you could. Regina, your heart is still capable of love, and I don't think your past could have really shown who you are."

I gaped in shock at his words and shook my head. "No, you haven't seen it, Daniel. If you saw the way I terrorized...even killed, you'd leave me. You'd pronounce me as a monster!"

Daniel took a deep breath and replied softly, "Love, I won't ever leave you, or our daughter. But...show me that you can change. Show me that whoever did those things is not the real you."

I gave him a worried gaze, "It's too late. It won't change anything, everyone already-"

"It's never too late. I assume you wanted Snow White dead am I correct?"

"That's an understatement," I murmured.

"Well, maybe you could start by letting go."

That notion didn't sit well with the deep roots of vengeance I had carved into my heart for decades. "What?! I can't just let go of the girl who had nearly taken my daughter's life several times! Don't you realize? Your death was the consequence of that brat's actions!" Daniel seemed to have ignored everything that I had just said. "Well, at least make amends with her. Regina, I'm not telling you to forgive right now, because I think the amount of history you have between each other will take a lifetime to sort out. But please, if not for everyone's sake, then for mine; let her go."

"Daniel-"

"Regina, it'll make you feel better about the past. If you don't talk with her about it, these burdens will continue weighing you down. I can be there to support you, but ultimately, you're the only person who can save yourself."

I initially looked up at Daniel with a conflicted frown. However, as my teary eyes locked with his, I slowly absorbed the concern and love etched across his face. It awakened something well hidden within me for years. Although my conscience was punishing me for giving into my weakness, I gave him a sad smile. Then, after a shaky unsure breath, I murmured, "I'll try."

"That's my queen," he replied.

I gave him a tired chuckle in which he responded with a kiss on my cheek. Then, he said, "Alright, are you ready to take down that protection spell, your majesty?"

I nodded and whispered, "I'm ready when you are, Stableboy."