A/N: Thanks to darksage11, AndromedaEBlack, Skullgauddess and CoccinelleMenthol for reviewing/favouriting. It really does mean a lot, and if you could just drop me a review, it really cheers me up!
Also, I'm going on holiday for two weeks on Saturday so I won't be updating then as I'm not taking my laptop, so I apologise.
Time passed quickly and soon little Talulla was two years old. Yet, nothing had changed. Regina was still married to King Leopold, it was still a loveless marriage, Snow was still the King's favourite. In fact, he barely took any notice of Talulla, leaving her mother to dote on her instead. They were near inseparable, wherever Regina was, you could be sure that Talulla wouldn't be very far behind. That was all apart from once a week when Regina would ride out alone into the woods, leaving Talulla in the care of Abigail and Snow.
Snow was always curious as to what her step-mother got up to during that time alone and one day, when Abigail was ill and she was alone with Talulla, she suggested to the toddler that they follow her mother. Of course, Talulla couldn't really say no and didn't quite understand her older sister, but was quite happy to sit with Snow on her horse and silently follow after her mother.
"Your mother can't know that we're here," the ten year old told Talulla when she saw Regina stop and dismount, tying her horse to the tree. "You have to be quiet and do as I say, do you understand?"
The little toddler looked round at her. "I want see mama," she said in a sad voice.
"You can't. We're not supposed to be here. This is a secret, you can't tell her we were here," Snow said seriously. "It's very important that you don't tell her."
"Okay." The young girl's shoulders slumped.
"Now, come on, follow me." She dismounted the horse and lifted Talulla off, setting her gently on the ground before tying up her horse. "She went this way."
Keeping a fair distance behind the Queen, Snow followed her with Talulla tottering after her, occasionally pulling the young toddler behind a tree when Regina checked behind her. Eventually, Talulla began to tire, slowing down and Snow had to stop as the little girl sat down on the floor and refused to go any further.
"Tallie, come on, I'll carry you for a bit if you want, it's can't be much further from here. But if we lose your mother then we won't be able to find our way home again and we'll be stuck in this forest when it gets cold and dark."
"Carry?" was all Talulla asked.
"Yes, of course I will. I said I would. Now come on, quickly." She bent down and let the little one climb onto her back. "Make sure you hold on tight, alright?"
They followed Regina until they reached a clearing. Snow let Talulla slide off her and they crouched down behind a tree, watching as the Queen looked around, clearly waiting for someone.
The elder princess was more than surprised when the person Regina was meeting turned up with a jet black unicorn in tow. It seemed even the Queen was alarmed.
"Rumpel, what are you doing with a unicorn?" she asked.
The man turned from tying the unicorn to the tree, grinning at her. "Continuing with your studies, of course. What else?"
Studies? Snow thought to herself, what kind of studies? However, she didn't have to long to ponder it for the strange man spoke again.
"Now show me what you've learned. Immobilise it," he ordered her.
The Queen immediately raised a hand and a blue haze surrounded the unicorn, startling it into rearing up on its hind legs. Yet, to Snow's utter horror, the beast never came down, frozen with its front hooves in mid-air. The man let out an excited giggle and Regina's face lit up.
"There," she announced. "I did it!"
"Pwetty horse," Talulla commented, standing up and toddling forward and bringing Snow's attention from the scene in front of her to her younger sister.
"No, Tallie. You can't, you must stay here, that man could be dangerous. They're using magic." She reached forward and plucked the toddler back.
"But pwetty horse!" the young girl protested, pointing at the unicorn and struggling against her sister's arms.
"It's not a horse, it's a unicorn. Father told me that they're dangerous so I can't allow you to go anywhere near it. Anyway, do you remember what I told you? We have to stay out of sight."
The young girl sat down abruptly, her arms folded in a sulk, letting Snow turn back to Regina and the unicorn.
"Excellent work, my apprentice," the strange man continued. "Now there's just one tiny, tiny, teeny little detail." His eyes hardened. "Take its heart."
Snow's hand flew to her mouth to stop her gasp. Would Regina really take the heart out of such a beautiful thing? She was glad when the Queen's expression fell.
"Like what my mother did–" The man didn't let her finish.
"Ah, to your true love, indeed," he said, making Snow frown. Was he referring to Daniel? But he had run away, left her. She pushed it from her mind. Perhaps he was talking of another love. "Then you already know how it's done."
Snow continued to watch in horror as Regina hesitated, but eventually walked over to the beautiful beast. She reached out a hand slowly, her nerves showing in her expression. Her fingers hovered above where the unicorn's heart was lying in its chest, beating regularly. The young princess reached forward and brought Talulla onto her lap, covering her eyes as realising that the young one should not be watching such a horrible act.
"Gentle…" her teacher called to her. "If you do it right, no harm will befall it. Unless of course, you will it." He grinned mischievously.
Regina hand dropped and Snow let out the breath she didn't even know she had been holding.
"I can't," the young Queen said, sounding slightly disappointed with herself. "It's innocent."
"Nothing is innocent!" the man retorted, his odd demeanour changing into one of anger for a brief second before changing back.
He reached forward and plunged his hand into the beast's chest. Snow saw that even Regina looked away before she too averted her gaze, glad that she still had the little toddler's eyes covered. She heard it whiney before she looked back to see a red, beating heart in the man's fist. She felt sick just looking at it.
The young girl in her lap squirmed and pulled her sister's hand from her eyes before Snow could stop her.
"What that man got?" she asked, frowning.
"We shouldn't watch anymore," Snow said. "We should leave, you're too young to see this."
"No," Talulla said stubbornly, folding her arms and letting out a wail when Snow lifted her up to carry her away. The elder princess froze, her eyes widening in panic. There was no doubt that Regina and her teacher had heard that, yet she couldn't allow them to be caught. There was no telling what the strange man would do if he found them, and he seemed that powerful that even Regina wouldn't be able to stop him.