Notes:

Hi, it took me a while to come back, but here I am. I hope you will like it!

In the previous chapter

Din!

The woman, whose tension had awakened her every muscle, sat upright in her chair as if she had swallowed a stick.

She pushed open the cap of the pen between her fingers, which she couldn't remember when she had placed it there, then closed it back with a small click.

She was carefully reading the news on her computer screen from behind her black-boned glasses that rested on her nose.

"Did Queen Regina deceive King Leopold?" While voicing the headline of the news, she could not hide the hatred reflected in each of her tones.

"I specifically said I didn't cheat, didn't I?" She squinted her eyes and grumbled, as if the reporter were in front of her.

"The kingdom has a new heir!" She looked disgustedly at the captioned title.

"My son is not a pawn in power games and has a name!"

Deciding not to read any further so as not to get on her nerves further, she took off her glasses and threw them on the table. She wrapped her manicured fingers around her computer, stopping as she prepared to push the screen down.

Din!

The computer gave the news of a persistent person with a different tone than the notification sound from her e-mail, which she used in her official works. What could be so important as to overwrite it twice? Except for a statement that would turn the country upside down, of course...

She pushed the screen back up halfway and put her glasses back on. She clicked on the blue letter sign, frowning the expanding chocolate spheres as she opened the top e-mail.

The brunette woman, who had come across similar texts many times before, learned over time not to lose her composure and not to panic. But as she hit the back button and scrolled down her mailing list and found what she was looking for, her hands were cold and shaking as if she had been terminally ill.

"Stay still, Regina, and tell me if there's anything I need to know."

"We must go to the palace." She said, ignoring her doubts.

She didn't know how to explain that she had been receiving threatening notes from her private e-mail address for months, that after her last statement, the seriousness grew and the other party went so far as to threaten her family, that but how she didn't care about.

"We have to go at least twenty kilometers this way to return to the palace, there is no way back."

"I don't understand. How could there not be a way back?"

"We had to take an inter-city road. I'm starting to think that the accident on the main road wasn't a coincidence."

She pulled her phone out of her bag to call Graham and tell him to pick them up from a safe place, but the phone hung up without a single short ringing. That's when worried eyes met the 'no signal' text at the top of the screen.

"There is no signal."

If the main road was intentionally blocked, if they were taken down this nonsense road, and if the networks were intentionally disabled, this stalking should not be just for fear. Were they really going to kill her, so she wouldn't sign a goddamn agreement?!

Trying only to dodge the three cars behind them, Robin fell into silence, ignoring the honking of the horns as he sped past the surrounding cars.

He was so focused on getting them out of this situation that he couldn't even think about why they were being followed.

"Henry…" Regina's lips parted, and she let out her son's name on a sigh.

Six Days Ago

Robin, who left his son in the house where he lived with his stepmother after being almost expelled from the palace by Regina, had returned to his own home.

It was not easy for the woman, whose her skin color turned white after the statement, to convince her son and her son's father that she was fine, but with years of experience, she had managed to impress even the lawyer and convinced that she needed to be alone.

Now she was sitting slumped in the armchair in his suit still on, sipping his beer while he evaluated the day.

He was sure that they owed the explanation, which didn't go as badly as they thought, to Regina's unique improvisational talent and emotions. As he was sure from the previous day, she had meticulously crafted her explanation as if it had been made by a master architect and impressed everyone.

He was eagerly awaiting their lives that would change from now on. Finally, without hiding, they can freely continue to restore their families...

His phone vibrating on the table interrupted his thoughts. A swear escaped his lips as he saw the name on the glowing screen, he tapped the green button, knowing he had to answer no matter how much he wanted to avoid it.

When a scream was heard causing him to quickly remove the device he was holding in his ear, his eyes closed and his face crumpled, showing all the lines of his age.

"Robin Locksley, give me an explanation now!"

"You looked like a real gentleman today." The blond woman's proud smile lit up her face.

"I acted like a fool, mom."

"When exactly did it happen? I watched the entire broadcast, but all I saw was a brave young man."

Henry replied with a smile, dipping his fork into his pasta.

"How do you feel?"

"I am not entirely sure. I know I have a different life now, but I'm a little afraid of how it will feel while I'm living."

"You know we're going to protect you."

"I know. I was armored by three parents." He said.

Although she had been preparing herself for this moment for years,

every time she heard Henry calling someone else family, Emma still couldn't help tearing apart inside her.

Her son saw her feelings again as a boy who was adept at reading her. "How do you feel about it?" He asked.

"Your feelings are much more important than mine."

"They are important to me and I know that you're upset."

"I'm not upset, kid. When Regina and I made this decision, we both knew this day would come. She was always your mother in her heart and I accepted that. I just want you to be happy. That's all the three of us want."

"I love them, and we're on the way to forgiveness, there's no use in lying, you know." They laughed. "I want them to be a part of my life, they are my mom and dad... I will never love them more than you. I don't want to put the blame of others on them, so I can't love them any less than you."

He set his fork down on his plate and walked over to his mother, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "But you will always remain the woman who taught me how to ride a bike, soothed my fears, bandaged my wounds when I fell, and filled the gaps in my life alone. I love you so much, mom!"

"I'm proud of you, Henry, I wouldn't expect less." She murmured against her son's shoulder, her teary-eyed voice narrowed.

In the rest of that day, three people who had opened a new page in their lives wanted to give place to each other. All of them had a different struggle anyway, they just weren't aware that each of them would cause a different event.

Having to report to Regina about the conversation he had made the day before, Robin interrupted the intervening time and grabbed his phone.

"My mom called yesterday." The British man said.

"Oh..."

"Remember when I told you they were coming for Thanksgiving?"

"Yes."

"I don't know if we're ready for another war, but they'll be here tomorrow."

"I'd better order an armor for myself." To help ease the tense situation, her joke found its place, getting a chuckle from Robin.

"Mine should be ready by tomorrow, you have a little more time."

"I'm afraid to ask, but… What did she say, Robin?"

"I did not tell the details, she said she wanted to talk when she came. She was like a grandmother who learned from the news that she had a grandson."

"They deserve the truth, Robin, I owe them that. Please, don't lie."

"Do you want to tell them?"

"I don't think they're going to want to see me."

"They always want to see you."

"Past tense. They used to want to see me."

"Let's talk about according to the situation again, okay? I'm sure they'll understand."

She wanted to believe Robin and be sure too, but she knew from bitter experience that a few soothing words wouldn't work things out.

The Katherine Locksley she remembers had the potential to destroy anything that hurt her children, unlike Cora Mills, and this time it was Regina herself. She began to wonder if she really needed an armor.

When he saw his parents through the airport inbound gate, Robin felt as if all his anxiety had evaporated, longing overcame his nervousness.

The love of both elderly parents for their son rose above their anger. They both wrapped their arms around their children, whom they had not seen for months.

But... The show of affection was short-lived, as the blond man received a slap on his arm from his mother.

"Ah! Mom!"

"If you don't want me to beat you up in front of all these people, you'd better take us home right away."

"Hello to you too mom, I'm fine too. How are you dad?"

"This is not the time to be kidding, Robin." His evaporating worry felt like hailstones descended on his body as he received an angry expression from his always smiling father.

Regina hasn't been able to pay attention to anything she's done since her big day started. During the meeting she attended to agreement, her mind was constantly wandering to the Locksleys' house. How does Robin explain the situation, how much was his family's hatred for her growing? Were they pitying her or getting angry?

She thought of the moment when she would eventually have to stop hiding and talk to people she respected greatly, apologize. Maybe she shouldn't have delayed the inevitable and listened to Robin, stood by him and told them everything herself, but she understood that the man didn't want to expose her to his family's behavior before they learned the truth. This time, she accepted to come under the protection of the man she loved, and hid in her palace which caused all this.

'One day,' She said. 'Just one more day.' Then in the end, nothing would stand in their way.

Her mind voiced her own fears in her mother's voice again. "You are the biggest obstacle in front of you, Regina!"

She kept smashing all the last people she wanted to break their hearts with, unable to tidy up her mess. With every step she took, she was disrupting the life of someone else she cared about. She was tired of finding her own broken heart for the answer every time she asked why.

She reminded herself that Robin had always told her to stop blaming herself, to end the war inside her. The culprit in this story was Cora, Leopold, Gold maybe, but not Regina.

'I am not guilty! The strings of my will were not in me! I can fight for my family, I can mend my heart, I can mend the hearts of my loved ones! I am no longer doomed to this life! Power is mine, I am the power!'

In the evening, when there was still no word from Robin, a certain red-haired woman appeared a few seconds after the knock on the study room's door.

"Zel! You're back! I thought you'd be back next week." The brunette woman jumped up from her seat and took quick steps towards the arms that were open to her.

"Surprise little sis! I'm done early."

"I wish you could stay a little longer and rest, you are very tired these days." She took her sister by the hand and pulled her to the seats by the window.

Regina felt the absence of her sister, who was the only port she took refuge during the years she spent in this palace, as if she lacked her basic needs such as food and drink.

Growing up with a mother between existence and non-existence, the two sisters were mothers to each other, under the roof where they could not even call home, where they lived.

After the turning point in her life, Zelena had completely become Regina's mother. Most of the time, Leopold ignored his queen, and the woman, unable to breathe, would calm down in her older sister's arms.

When architect Zelena Mills had to travel abroad for her project, she didn't want to leave her sister alone as she fought for her life, but Regina was determined not to let her personal problems overshadow her sister's career. With great difficulty, she managed to convince her that she needed to put her own life first.

"I missed my sister, I'm back, but I guess my sister didn't miss me?"

"I'm sure what you're saying is not possible unless we're in a fantasy fiction."

Her broad smile made Zelena smile too. After a long time, looking into her sister's eyes, which reflected the old sincere smile that she had lost hope of seeing again, gave the woman with fiery hair a world.

"How was France?"

"I can't say it was fun as I worked my fingers to the bone. But..."

"But what?"

"I met someone."

"Oh my god Zel! Tell me what kind of person!"

"I'll tell you, be patient, first let's welcome our guests -sorry, our family's joy-."

The queen stared at her with a few lines formed by a frown on her smooth face.

"I called Henry and Emma. I haven't met my nephew, I remind."

Zelena had chosen that particular day to meet her nephew, knowing that her sister would spend the whole day in curiosity, so she took the necessary steps before returning. Everything went smoothly in her perfect plan, the aunt-nephew merger took Regina's nervousness off her. Her sister and son had many points of similarity, she could see Henry laughing often, and she was more at ease in the final hours of her really hard day.

The thoughts about Robin invaded her mind again as she went to bed. She considered texting, but chose to remain silent, respecting that he needed time with his family.

When the book she was excitedly turning over was almost finished, the sound of her phone on the nightstand came up. She put her book down on the bed and picked up the phone, the image of her wavy hair falling over her shoulders appeared on the screen. She swiped the screen as she wondered if she should answer the video call in her nightgown. After all, there was nothing he couldn't see. Hey, they have a kid together, and they are trying to build a future together. There is no problem in picking up.

The image on her screen changed to Robin, who was wearing a comfortable T-shirt.

The man's blue eyes widened when he saw the woman. For a moment he thought the blood in his body was flaming, and his heart pounding as if he had run a marathon.

"I-I, Regina... Sorry, I thought you weren't in bed. I'm sorry, we can hang up."

"I wasn't sleeping, Robin, I was reading a book."

She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling at her ex's almost speechless tongue, glad that she still had such a big impact on him.

If the calendar leaf showed sixteen years ago, she would have made a provocative comment, as she often does. Instead, she gave an innocent smile that said it was okay.

Her mind was split in two as Robin told that he had told the truth to his family and that their initial anger had passed. Her one side interpreting the seriousness of the current situation and the other continuing to think about how much she missed her boyfriend. She wished they could sort things out soon and go back to their old ways.

"Would you like to come to dinner with us tomorrow?"

"Do you think they are ready to see me?"

"They understand the situations you have to go through, honey, my dad has already forgiven you."

"Your mom?"

"Why don't you come and see for yourself? I'm sure they miss you."

"I missed them too."

"Then I'll pick you up after work, okay?"

"I will be ready."

The next evening, as they had agreed, Robin picked up Regina from the palace. He hadn't even counted how many rounds the woman had made on the ring on her finger since they were on the way of home.

The woman, whose eyes were staring at the shining stones which turning around her finger, was deep in thought again.

Her encounter with Katherine Locksley very soon dragged her into her past.

17 Years Ago

Happy enough to fly to the skies with the news she received, Regina almost ran out of the school building. She was imagining the reaction she would get from her parents when they heard the news she was about to deliver with a silly grin on her face as she drove her car to the family home. She would finally be able to make her mother proud, and for Cora Mills, who was dissatisfied with everything she had done, Regina would be a good enough daughter at the end of the news.

Her heart fluttered with excitement as the white mansion entered her field of vision. She parked her car in front of the house and almost skipped to door 108.

As she waited for the door to open after the ringing, she tapped the heel of her foot on the ground.

"Regina! Welcome, dear!" The woman who has been working in their house for years, whom the girls call granny, opened the door. Regina immediately slipped into her arms.

"Are mother and daddy at home?"

"They are in the living room."

The young woman dropped her purse and coat and ran inside. Hearing the sound of heels, her parents had already turned towards the door.

"Regina! How many times have I told you running is not good for a young woman!"

She ignored her mother's classic rebukes. She couldn't be upset today.

"Is something wrong, honey? You look excited." Her father got up and came over to her.

"I'm coming from school. I stopped by for graduation. Guess what I learned?"

Cora casually turned to her newspaper, but Regina didn't mind, after all she was about to turn her proud gaze to her daughter any time soon.

"Must be good news." Henry said, smiling too

"I am the first one! I finished school in first place!"

"Oh my God! I'm proud of you, dear!" Henry immediately pulled his daughter into his arms and shared in her joy.

When the voice she expected from her mother did not come, Regina broke up with her father. "Mother, aren't you going to say anything?"

"What do you expect me to say, Regina? Congratulate you for the time you wasted?"

"Cora!"

"Where will this school take her, Henry? First or last, she won't be able to get the life she deserves by spending hours in front of the computer anyway."

"This is the life I want, mother!"

"The life you want is nothing, Regina, I've been trying to tell you this for four years!" She stood up angrily.

Although the young woman, whose eyes were filled with tears, told herself how much she wanted and preferred this life, she realized that while she was constantly trying to do the best all her life, she never actually did it for herself, she always struggled to hear a pride sentence from her mother. Because when she saw that she couldn't please her mother once again, all her joy vanished in an instant.

Regina stopped trying to please Cora Mills that day, learning bitterly that she would never be enough for her unless she had the power in her hands.

Notes:

This chapter is very long, so I divided it into two parts. Mom 2 is coming soon. Until then, take care!

Thanks for reading, let me know what you think.