A/N: I apologise for the long wait again! Everything is just so busy! Anyway, here's the next chapter, and I just want to thank AndromedaEBlack, celticank, impureevilregal, VampWolf92 and xxxMadameMysteryxxx for reviewing the last chapter as well as to those who followed and favourited! It means so much and really spurs me on to write the next chapter! So thanks again! :)

It was on her way up to say goodnight to her mother that Talulla first heard the shouting. She stopped. It sounded to her as though it was coming from her mother's chambers. Panic caused her chest to restrict as she suddenly realised that she hadn't seen the King downstairs in the ballroom before she'd left. He hadn't caught her with the genie, had he?

"I read your diary, Regina! Who is this man? Who gave you the mirror?" Talulla had never heard Leopold sound so angry.

"It is none of your business," Regina's voice told the King strongly.

"None of my business? You are my wife. Of course it is my business! You need to stop trying me, Regina, I already allowed that child to stay, I have treated you both extremely well, acted as though she was my own daughter–"

"Except you don't love us, do you? All I wanted was to marry for love, to raise my child with a husband who cared for us the way Daniel would have done. You don't love Talulla and I, we're just here for convenience, for status. You still love Eva, and Snow will always be above my child in your eyes. Can't you see why we are unhappy here?"

There was a loud crack before the King started to shout again. The young girl clapped a hand over her mouth to stop the gasp. He had just hit her mother!

"I have had enough of this. You are to stay locked in this room until you tell me who this man is, or until I find out. You are forbidden to see your father and Talulla as they cannot be trusted to not help you."

At those words, the young girl fled towards her mother's room. There was no way she was going to allow anyone to take her away from Regina! However, as she rounded the corner, she nearly ran straight into the two guards posted outside the door.

"Hey, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in your own chambers by now?" one of them said, gently grabbing her shoulders as she tried to run past them and into the room.

Talulla stood for none of it. "I wanted to see her! Let me see her; let me see my mother! You can't keep her away from me!"

"I'm afraid we're under orders to not let anyone in, my lady, I'm sorry."

"But–"

Before the young girl could say anymore, the doors to the chamber burst open and the King stormed out, firmly locking the door behind him. He turned round, only for his gaze to become even more enraged when he saw who was stood there.

"What is she doing here?" he demanded, turning to the guards. "You shouldn't have allowed her to be here!"

Rage consumed Talulla and she fought against the guard's tightened hold on her shoulders, however, before anything more could happen, the King smoothly interrupted once more.

"Take her to her chambers," he ordered. "And lock the doors. I don't want everyone knowing about this, you will both keep it to yourselves. I need two guards stationed at each room. No visitors allowed unless they have my permission." And with that, he strode away, leaving Talulla to be dragged, kicking and screaming back to her room.

It had been several days since Talulla had first been shut in her room and now she was bored. She was sick of reading, of playing chess with herself and of drawing. She wanted her mother, but the only person she had seen was Abigail, who knew nothing and was only allowed to stay to help her dress and bathe and to bring her meals.

"Abigail, when will I be able to see Mama again?" the young girl asked one evening whilst the maid was plaiting Taulla's hair ready for bed.

Abigail sighed. She felt sorry for the young girl, yet there was nothing she could do to help her. "I don't know, sweetheart, I don't know."

"Will the King let me out of my room soon?" she continued to question. "I'm bored. I just want everything to go back to how it was!"

"I know you do, Tallie, I know, but you must realise that there is nothing I can do. I've tried to do all in my power. I got you the books, the utensils to draw with, the games. I can't do anything else, I can't promise you anything, and for that, I'm truly sorry." She placed a gentle hand on the young princess' shoulder.

Talulla looked at her maid through the mirror, smiling sadly as they made eye contact. "I do appreciate what you've done for me, Abigail, I do, I just wish Mama was here with me."

"Of course you do, that's natural–" A loud knock on the door signalled that the guards thought she had been in the room too long. "Look, I must go, Tallie, but I'll be back tomorrow morning, alright?" she told the young girl before patting her shoulder. "Come on, to bed with you."

The young girl slipped off the stool and trudged over to the bed, sliding under the covers as Abigail tucked her in.

"Goodnight, Talulla," she whispered.

"Goodnight, Abigail," came the reply before the girl rolled over, getting herself comfortable for what she knew was to be another restless night.

When the young princess woke up the following morning, the sun was high in the sky and yet there was no sign that Abigail had been in to visit. Normally she would come and wake the girl up just as it was getting light, but to Talulla, it looked like she was several hours late. And Abigail was never late.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Talulla banged on her door.

"Be quiet!" The sharp reprimand was the only response she received. So, defeated, she turned and went to sit back on her bed. It was at that moment her stomach chose to rumble loudly, reminding her that she hadn't eaten that morning.

Curling up on the bed, she tried to list the possibilities as to why Abigail hadn't come to see her. Part of her hoped that she was just late and would walk in at any second, but another part of her was whispering that it was possible she had forgotten about her. Then she had another thought. What if something had happened? Something terrible?

Sighing, Talulla reached for her pillow and pulled it over her head, attempting to block out the room around her. She was sick of it all. She knew every inch of every wall, having studied them religiously over the last few days, looking for some kind of secret passage like in the stories her mother read to her constantly as a toddler. There had been nothing, not even a loose stone.

At that point there was the sound of the key turning in the lock and Talulla didn't even have the time to lift the pillow off her head before the door opened and someone rushed into the room.

"Tallie? Tallie? Are you alright?" The voice was not that of Abigail.

"Mother?" Throwing the pillow to the side, the girl jumped off the bed and ran into the embrace of the Queen. "What happened? How did you get out?"

"Oh, Tallie, I was so worried about you! The King… the King… he's dead."

"What?" Talulla stepped back, not sure what to feel. "He's dead? But… Snow?"

This was her father, the young girl realised. She couldn't bear it if she lost her mother, and now Snow had lost not only her mother, but her father too.

"Snow is being told as we speak, you don't need to worry about her, alright?" Regina comforted the young girl, despite her mild irritation that her daughter had brought Snow into the conversation so quickly.

However, at that point Talulla's stomach growled loudly again, shaking the Queen from her thoughts and making her look at her daughter as though suddenly realising she was still in her nightwear.

"You're still in your nightgown. Has no one been in to help you this morning?" she asked, frowning.

The young girl shook her head. "No," she murmured softly. "I thought maybe Abigail had forgotten…"

"Oh." The Queen felt the guilt sink in. She had sent Abigail on a particularly important task that morning, not thinking that the maid would have any other duties to attend to. "I'm afraid to say I think that might be my fault," she replied. When Talulla said nothing, Regina was immediately alarmed. "Sweetheart, are you alright?"

"I… I think it's just a bit of a shock. I mean, I know he didn't care for me, Mama, but I just…" She trailed off, feeling the tears start to gather in the corner of her eyes.

"Listen to me, Tallie, I promise that everything will be alright. The man who hurt the King has been dealt with. There's nothing for you to fear, okay?"

Talulla only nodded as she buried herself further into her mother's embrace.

"Come on, let's get you into your gown and go get something for you to eat," she smiled as she steered the young girl towards the dressing table.

If only they were to stay so close.