sorry for the wait. the usual busy holiday season left me with little time for fiction. hope you enjoy. please let me know if you're still reading! i've noticed the reviews have kind of dropped off slightly. hope i'm not boring you with this. do i need to drop some angst on you to hear your thoughts? i'll do it, you know i'm a savage ;) xoxo
"Quit nodding off girl, it's impossible to do your hair," Granny's knowing smirk met her when she opened her eyes to the reflection in her vanity mirror, the old wolf standing behind her brushing her long black tresses out.
She yawned and gave an apologetic smile to the woman, "Sorry, Granny."
"Please, something tells me you aren't very sorry for the reason you didn't get enough sleep last night," The bold woman retorted, making Regina's neck flush red and an embarrassed chuckle escape her lips, "The first clue might have been the King's bare arse when I came in here to start your bath this mornin'."
The heat crept up her face but all she could do was laugh at the bawdy gray haired woman behind her, muttering and tugging and brushing at her hair to put it into an elegant updo for the day. Granny gave them their privacy but she also wasn't phased to walk into her chamber and see David sleeping on his stomach, sheets halfway down his legs like he had been earlier. She only muttered something along the lines of used to diaper that arse it's nothing I haven't seen before and went on into the bath chamber to heat Regina's water. She appreciated that Granny had taken it upon herself to be her personal maid though, for she couldn't envision trusting any of the other women on the staff to do it.
"Thank you for everything you do around here, Granny," Regina said out of the blue, looking up from where her eyes had diverted to her lap when she was blanching from her prior comment, "I don't think we tell you enough how important you are to us." She meant what she said, feeling the maternal nature with every brush stroke Granny gave and every smart comment she made. The woman had been more motherly to her than Cora ever had in nineteen years.
"Don't mention it, Girl," The wolf gave her an appreciative smirk and wink in the mirror before refocusing on fixing the Queen's hair, "I'm just glad you and the King get along the way you do. It isn't often you find love in an arranged marriage, and for you two to come together so naturally and make each other so happy...well, it's special."
Regina's heart warmed at the thought of her husband sleeping in the connecting room, completely unaware of their presence and conversation, "I know..I came into this thinking it would be a nightmare. It's what my mother wanted for me, so I was convinced it would be torture as everything she wanted for me had been...But David is so different to anyone I've met. My father...I love him but..he's not as strong as David... and Daniel...he could not stand up to my mother, he didn't stand a chance," She swallowed the guilt that rose in her throat at the realization, her train of though coming to a fiery halt and running off of the tracks.
Granny's eyes peered over the rim of her glasses, peeking at Regina's reflection as she bowed her head slightly and fidgeted with her dress, "What has you trailing off into your thoughts, Your Majesty?"
"I.." Regina contemplated just shutting down, putting up her carefully plastered brick wall that she was so good at raising to deflect from her feelings. Alas, this was Granny she was talking to, a woman who could see right through her it seemed. "I was the reason Daniel died...This life I lead...this is what my mother wanted for me and the reason she killed Daniel, so I would end up here...he died because he loved me and now...I live the life he died for, the one my mother forced me into, and I do so happily," She looked up at Granny, face contorted in anguish, "My mother got what she always wanted and I live happily in love with the King after I cost Daniel his life. It's not fair."
Granny paused the brushing for a moment, bringing a hand up to the top of Regina's hair and running it down over it in a soothing motion as she gazed at the girl in the mirror. The young woman held so much weight on her shoulders for someone who should be nothing but carefree and in love. "Do you think Daniel would've wanted you to be miserable? To stop living your life because of what your mother did to him? Did to you?"
Regina swallowed hard but kept her plump lips pressed together as a tear streamed down the apple of her cheek, "...No.." She replied but her voice was barely above a whisper. She knew Granny was right, but the pain was something she had to live with and process. Daniel would always have a place in her heart and she would never fully let go of his memory, no matter how painful.
"There you have it," The older woman stated, her voice much softer and motherly than her usual sassy tone, "You can't control what happens to you but you can control how you react to it. You didn't want this life, but you've made the best of it. Your mother can piss off for all I care, what she did to you was unforgivable. But how you move forward, well that was up to you, and look what you've made of it. David is happier than I've seen him in years, and look at the woman you've become," She ran a hand over the young woman's shoulder and squeezed.
"A Queen?" She smiled halfheartedly, shoulders sagging softly under Granny's touch, "What my mother wanted me to be, yet still not enough for her to approve of."
"To hell with your mother," Granny gripped her shoulder firmly but gently, making her look up at her in the reflection, "I mean look at the woman you are despite how cruel she was to you. You've got a kind heart, a loving heart. You found a place in it for the Princess, you give yourself fully to the King. You opened yourself up again despite losing someone you cared about. That takes a strong person, much stronger than Cora ever could be. To go through what you have and remain good, that's true character. That's more than enough."
"I haven't always been good, Granny, I was in a dark place when I came here. I dealt with people I shouldn't, I let my mind entertain thoughts I shouldn't," Regina admitted, "I'm not sure I deserve any of this..."
"Nonsense," The woman shook her head letting out a deep breath, "If you don't start thinking more of yourself I'm going to lose my mind, girl. I hope the King gets it through that pretty, thick skull of yours soon. There's never been a more qualified woman to be queen. You have just enough fire and just enough heart. I'm proud of you, Girl...Now, don't go tellin' everyone though," She smirked at the end in a way that was so typical of Granny, lightening the mood sufficiently.
"Who do you think you are leaving bed without-" David began as he sauntered into the bathroom stark naked with a cocky smirk on his face that turned into one of horror when he saw Granny standing behind the vanity where his wife was, "Gods!" He cupped himself with two hands as he frowned at the women who burst into laughter at his shock, turning quickly and darting out of the chamber, "Some warning would be nice!" He called out behind him in frustration.
"No kidding!" Granny yelled back before cackling again, shaking her head as she resumed doing the hair of the Queen whose sad tears had now turned into ones of laughter.
"You're getting better, kid," Ruby acknowledged breathlessly as she jumped back on her heels, smiling at Emma who was just as flushed in the cheeks as she was, "It's been a long winter, I think we're out of shape."
Emma laughed, digging her sword in the ground of the yards behind the castle where they practice sword fighting, leaning on it with her elbow to catch her breath, "Not to mention that anything that would keep us in shape is unladylike," Her voice dripped with mimicked disdain at the last word.
"Who cares?" Red shrugged and twirled the sword in her hand, looking up at the point. She saw a lot of herself in young Emma, but the girl had far many more obstacles to overcome seeing as she was born a noble. "So you like sword fighting and war plans? You're not the typical Princess, so what?"
"The Kingdom will think me improper, my Dad will probably agree," Emma replied and poised into her fighting stance when Ruby initiated a second round of fencing.
"Does he know I'm giving you lessons?" Ruby smirked before bringing her sword against Emma's, both of them stepping to the sides and blocking their next moves. They continued for a few moments, laughing and yelping when one of them almost got the other.
"He didn't know," A man's voice made them both come to a halt, swords crossed and both of their heads flipping behind them to see the King standing with a frown, "What's the meaning of this?"
"Emma wanted to learn how to sword fight," Red attempted to diffuse his concern by playing it off casually, shrugging her shoulders and smiling back at him, "No big deal."
"I think it is, she could be hurt," David frowned as he scanned his eyes over Emma's crude outfit of men's pants and a vest, "I don't know about this, Emma. It won't be accepted for a Princess to partake in such activities. You'll be putting yourself in danger and I cannot allow that."
"Dad, I'm only learning!" Her eyes widened as she dropped the weapon in her hand with a thud on the cold ground, "You said you'd think about it. I don't want to be some helpless, pathetic princess who gets married off and forced to sit and serve tea to guests. I want to be out where the action is. Why can't I? Just because I'm a girl?"
"Yes," Her father frowned, a frustrated grimace behind his features at his lack of a better answer, "What am I supposed to do Emma? Watch you dress like a boy? Ruin your chance for suitors? Let you ride into battle with me and get overpowered by warriors three times your size? I want a safe and happy life for you, why can't you understand that? Sticking to what you were born for is the best life for you."
"David, maybe that's not what she wants," Red interjected hesitantly, eyes darting between the heated father and daughter.
"What would you know about raising a kid, Ruby?" David's eyes widened, "You went behind my back and taught her something you know I wouldn't approve of. You encourage her to defy me and the expectations of our Kingdom."
Emma frowned, seeing the way her father's word stung his friend. She wasn't to blame for any of this and it made her feel guilty for asking Ruby to teach her in the first place.
"You know who you sound like right now?" She shouted at him, getting his attention back. Tears streamed down her face as they often did when she got this angry, but she didn't care, "You sound just like Grand-..Leopold right now! He always told mother what she couldn't do and look where she ended up! Pretending to be a bandit in the forest and that's how she met you! And you were happy, if she hadn't followed her heart I would't be here. Or does that even matter to you?"
"I am nothing like Leopold!" David bellowed with a frown, stepping towards his daughter, "I am doing my best to keep you safe and happy, all of you! Do you know how much work goes into that? And yet you're complaining, claiming I'm some sort of monster because I won't let you get yourself hurt doing a man's role?!" His brows raised in frustration.
"You aren't even trying to understand!" Emma screamed, "I hate you!"
David trudged up the stairs, feet heavy on the steps as he made his way into the tower. He'd searched everywhere for Regina, just wanting to talk to her, to vent to her, for her to tell him it would be okay. He finally made it to the top, letting out a breath as he saw her perched up on the table in the middle of the room, a beautiful smile spreading across her features when she noticed him.
Her brows furrowed slightly when she saw his expression, knowing he was frustrated or upset about something by the crease of his forehead. She put a marker in her book, closing it and setting it to the side, her eyes watching him as he crossed the room towards her silently, "What's the matter?" She smiled unsurely at him, uncrossing her legs and pulling him to stand in between them with a tug on his shirt sleeve.
He frowned deeply, stepping in between his wife's thighs that dangled over the edge of the table, feeling her hands run up and down his arms soothingly, "Do you think I'm a poor father?" He asked with a sincerity in his tone, wanting to know her thoughts. There wasn't anyone he trusted more than his wife, she'd suddenly become his companion in all aspects and he wanted her opinion more than anyone else's.
"What?" She pursed her lips, threading her fingers through his and pressing their palms together as she looked up at him, "Where is this coming from? Did you and Emma argue?"
"I caught her sword fighting with Ruby," He frowned, biting down on his bottom lip, "I may have overreacted. She expressed an interest in things such as that and I told her I'd think it over, but she went behind my back."
"And what did you say to her?" Regina asked, her tone curious and non-judgmental. Her husband was an excellent father, though she felt he needed her to listen to him and reassure him. He was troubled and she wanted to fix him, to comfort and soothe him. How had this man's happiness come to mean more to her than her own?
"I explained that the people would never approve of a Princess who partook in a man's role," He frowned, glancing down towards his boots as his hands fell to rest on her thighs and her own came up to wrap around his waist loosely, "And that I was trying to do was best for her in the long run. Then she accused me of being like Leopold."
"Oh," She murmured, knowing the chord that must have struck within him. The angriest she'd ever seen him was when she found him pinning his ex-father-in-law against a wall over harassing her and she knew it must've hit hard to be compared to that man. "David, she was upset, you are nothing like him."
"But Leopold, he told Snow that she couldn't scout or hunt or do archery, all of the things that interested her," He kept his head bowed, finding it hard to look at his wife when he felt like such a failure, "He was a pig, he treated women like they were nothing but pretty objects. And what have I done? Told my daughter she could not do something she was interested in because it was not proper, and advised her that the best life for her was to essentially be a pretty, royal object. I am like Leopold."
"David," Regina frowned firmly, reaching in to cup his squared chin and tilting it up so his gaze was level with her own, "You're nothing like him. If you were, you would've taken me on our wedding night with no regard to my feelings. You'd have mistresses in the palace and I'd still be intimidated by you. You wouldn't care if your daughter was angry with you when you told her no over something. She was just upset, you're an amazing father," She tightened her arms around his waist, "In fact I've already envisioned what you'll be like with our own children."
That caught his attention, making an interested half smile tug at the corner of his lips, "Really?"
"Mhm. You see my own father, while he was gentle and kind, he never was strong enough to stand up for me to my mother," She explained, running her hands up under his vest, between it and his cotton shirt, "But you...you're gentle and loving, but you're also protective and strong...you would love our children and protect them, just like you do Emma."
He gave a small smile at the thought of their children, his hands running down the sides of her arms and over her shoulders as he gazed down at her, "I just...I just worry...my father, he was not a nice man. He was a poor man's Leopold. A drunk and a womanizer, like many men out in this world who my daughter would encounter should she approach it in such a way. Hell, she'd probably be even more of target because she's of noble blood. How can I, in good conscious, let her pursue this?"
"Teach her how to defend herself," Regina looked up at him honestly, "Let her explore her interest while keeping her safe. You have the ability to do it, keep a small army of knights with her, allow her to have some independence while also known she's being protected. The more you hold her back, the more she will try to do it behind your back and end up getting herself hurt. And she will resent you if you do not support her, though I know it's coming from a good place," She said, running one of her hands up over his chest where his heart beat steadily.
He smiled absentmindedly at his wife and her wisdom that was much too old for her biological age, "Why do you make so much sense to me?" He asked, not only in relation to their conversation but to his life in general. She was a beautiful breath of fresh air, a soft warm heart, a sensible mind, the epitome of femininity that made him feel at home whenever he was near her.
"I love you," She smiled back at the dumb grin he gave her, seeing a weight visibly lift from his broad shoulders. It was warming to see that the man who ran an entire kingdom could still be so troubled by a teenage girl's opinion of him. He was strong in every sense of the word, but tender where it mattered.
"Hmm," David reached up to cup her face, leaning down to kiss her for a long moment, "I love you," He half groaned into her mouth, feeling the tip of her tongue run across his lips before finding his own. She gave a needy little moan from deep in her throat when he massaged her tongue with his own in a way he'd found she liked and he instantly stepped in closer to her.
"Sorry about this morning," She grinned against his lips, running the tips of her fingers down his lower back to the edge of his trousers, starting to inch his shirt from where they were tucked, "I didn't want to wake you when Granny started my bath, you looked so peaceful and..." She slipped a hand under the band of his pants, fingers caressing over his ass, "..content, naked in our bed, taking up all of the space."
She giggled then and he broke, shaking his head with a grin before leaning down to kiss her hungrily, with purpose this time, "Says the woman who falls asleep ontop of me," He grinned, hands gripping her dress and bunching it up and up her legs.
"I can't help it you exhaust me," Her forehead pressed against his then as she grinned, their lips ghosting over one another's as she brought her hands to work on the buttons of his vest, "Besides, you don't seem to mind."
"You practically fall asleep while I'm still inside of you," He chuckled, hands finally finding her shift, groaning when he pushed it up enough to find her bare thighs and ass.
"What can I say?" She grinned and yelped when he gripped her thigh with one hand and cupped the back of her head with the other, quickly laying her down on her back, "I like the feeling," She gazed up at him with a seductive smirk, keeping her thighs pressed together as she laid against the table, bare from the waist down.
He groaned under his breath and grinned, running his hands up the side of her thighs, gripping her knees gently, "Yet you try to be modest in moments like this," He teased at the flush of her cheeks and the way she kept her legs closed until absolutely necessary to open them, "I want to see you glisten for me. Open them."
She moaned under her breath the way he talked to her, knew what pleasure his mouth was about to bring to her. Everything they did to each other she'd been taught was tantric. Every moan she let out, every buck of her hips, it was all explained to her as being wanton. When he requested things that felt erotic or intimate, she second guessed herself because of how she was raised, but he quickly extinguished her doubt.
"Regina, I want to taste you," He elaborated when he saw her hesitate and bite her lip. They'd never done this in the broad daylight before, it had always been by candlelight in their bedroom that he'd gone down on her. She wanted it desperately, that much he knew, but there was a shy and self conscious side of her that her mother had beaten into her that reared it's head every now and then, but he knew how to snuff it out, "If I am to make you tremble with my mouth, if you want me to lick you until you cry out, then I suggest you show me how much you want it."
Her breath quickened, seeing the lust in his eyes and hearing the deep rasp to his voice as he spoke, waiting patiently where he stood at the edge of the table, hands resting on her knees. She caved, wanting to feel his lips and soft tongue lapping against her sex, spreading her legs widely for him and hearing the guttural groan that ripped from his throat. Sunlight streamed through the windows of the tower, no way to hide the flush to her cheeks or to shy away from the intimacy of it all.
He bent quickly, pressing her thighs towards her as he swiped his tongue across her folds. Her hand shot down to his hair instantly after watching him make his place between her thighs, coming down on his knees to eat her at the edge of the table. This wasn't making love in the private quarter of their bedchambers, this was raw. She was embracing how her husband could make her feel, the fact that she liked to feel this way and that he enjoyed making her feel this way. There was a freedom to the act as she let her head fall back against the table with a moan, eyes clamping shut and relaxing into the feeling.
"My god, Regina," David groaned against her swollen lips, biceps wrapped around her thighs, forearms curled over the top. "You are delicious," He murmured and continued to tease her nub in firm strokes. Her hands carded through his hair, nails scratching his scalp and combining with the soft moans and squeals coming from he to make him stiff in his pants.
"Dav-oh-guh-" Her words ran together now, hips squirming under his grip, keeping his mouth against her with her grip of his hair, "I'm..yes!" She gasped, working her hips harder, panting now, whimpering as her abdomen coiled and burned sweetly, "Like that!"
He suppressed a smirk at how easily he could make her relax, at how she could go from shy and hesitant to riding his tongue in a matter of minutes with his gentle encouragement, "Mmm," He groaned as he felt her become wetter, coating his mouth and chin, but he sucked at her clit in earnest, hearing a yelp sound from her throat. Her nails dug into his scalp, back arched from the table and a string of sweet expletives he'd never heard her say before escaped her as her thighs clamped the sides of his head and she tensed and trembled and moaned through her orgasm.
"My my my, such language," He whispered as he slowly ran his tongue over her sex one last time, straightening up slowly. A smirk graced his lips at the sight of her, breasts spilling out of the corset at how hard she'd squirmed, dress rucked up around her waist, hair mussed, sweat beading at her brow, sex glistening. She was biting her lip, breathing heavily with eyes that here so heavy lidded they were almost closed, seemingly unaware of the words that had just came out of her.
David stepped in between her legs, taking his time unlacing his trousers for her to recover before feeling her thighs lift and hook over his hips, "I learned from the best," She grinned up at him, "You teach me a new word every time you come."
He smirked heatedly as he freed himself from his trousers, gripping his throbbing cock and rubbing his tip over her entrance firmly enough to make them both groan, "It's your fault."
Regina ran her hands up his forearms, gripping his biceps and marveling at how hard and thick they felt under her touch, "Mmm!" She gasped when he took her in one thrust, filling her entirely, stretching her deliciously. "You weren't kidding when you said every room in this castle, were you?" She asked with a breathless smile.
He smirked, pressing his hands against the table beside her head as he leaned over her, feeling her legs wrap around him in preparation of finding that perfect rhythm together, "No, I wasn't."