A/N: Sorry for the wait again. I curently have exams on so I haven't had much time lately! Just a warning. This chapter is a little darker than what has come previously!
A few days later, Talulla was wandering through the dark corridors of the castle, searching for her mother. She had had yet another nightmare and sought Regina's comfort, but of course, the Queen was nowhere to be found. The darkness closed around her like a fist and she was starting to feel very afraid as she continued to walk aimlessly down endless passageways.
Before she noticed where she was, she turned down a particularly dark corridor with mirrors lining all down one wall. She had no idea where she was. She didn't think she'd ever been down that way before for she felt sure she would have remembered all the mirrors. Seeing a faint orange glow in the distance, she headed down, praying to find someone that could help her.
She was nearly there when she heard her mother's voice, coming from the room at the end of the passageway. However, it was a voice that stopped Talulla in her tracks; it sounded so cold and harsh that she nearly couldn't be sure it was her mother.
"You think you can fool me with the heart of a stag?" she heard Regina scream. Then there was a loud bang that clearly signalled that a pair of doors had just slammed.
Two guards were standing at the point where the corridor widened into a circle, a single set of double doors leading off. She knew that was where her mother was, but what she had just heard made her hesitate in whether to ask the guard where she was or whether she should sneak round and find her mother. But she was too curious, so slipping into the dark shadows, she found her way to the door and peaked in through the keyhole as her mother spoke again.
"That's not up to you," she was saying, her eyes cold and cruel and bearing no emotion other than anger, pure anger as she sauntered up to a man pressed against the door. "I wanted a heart, and a heart I shall have!"
The young girl watched in horror as her mother punched her hand into the man's chest, making him cry out in agony as she slowly brought out a glowing, red heart, beating rapidly in her grip.
"You're mine now, my pet." And with that, she crushed her lips to his, making Talulla jump back from the keyhole in shock. Her mother still loved her father, didn't she? But why was she kissing another man?
Hesitantly, she peered back through the keyhole, only to see the sweep of her mother's dress as she stalked over to a wall of small drawers, the heart still in her grip. Using magic, a drawer slid out as she held the heart up to it and Talulla watched as Regina opened the chest inside and held the heart just above it before looking back at her captive, an ugly, malicious smile on her face.
"This is your cage," she purred. "And if you ever disobey me, if you ever try to run away, then all I have to is squeeze…" Her eyes lit up as she closed her fist tighter around the heart, smirking as the man fell to the floor in agony, writhing on the floor.
Tears started to trek down the girl's face as she watched her mother torturing her captive. This wasn't the woman she knew. She'd never seen her mother in this way before. That was when she glimpsed the man's face. It was the Huntsman.
"No!" she cried quietly before she could stop herself, and then ducked out of view as her mother glanced at where she was hiding, having heard her. With her breathing ragged, she didn't dare move from where she was crouched, terrified that her mother would find her.
Then Talulla heard her mother call for her guards and she couldn't get into the shadows quick enough.
"There's someone here," one of them called to the other and grabbed her arm, making Talulla let out a frightened squeak. "It's a girl."
It suddenly dawned on Talulla that these guards had probably never seen her before. She had never been down this end of the castle and therefore they wouldn't know what she looked like. However, by the time she could get her tongue to work, she was too late.
"Nobody should be spying on the Queen. Take her in," the other responded as he pushed open the doors.
The young girl was thrown unceremoniously at her mother's feet.
"We found her spying on you, your highness," one of the guards told her.
"Talulla?" The young girl didn't dare look up. "Take him to my bedchambers, I'll deal with this one," she ordered the two guards, who dragged the huntsman away as Regina put his heart into the casket and closed the drawer.
How could you do that?" Talulla whispered finally. Her mother span round, looking at her as though she was surprised.
"He disobeyed me," she replied simply, acting as though it was completely normal and making Talulla wonder how much her mother had actually kept from her.
"But he's my friend! And I saw you kiss him and hurt him. I don't understand!"
"Talulla, this is nothing of your concern. In fact, you shouldn't be over this side of the castle. I have told you countless times not to come here. You should be in bed."
"I couldn't sleep. You said I could come and find you when I had a nightmare."
Regina closed her eyes, trying to think straight. Her daughter had just witnessed her in a way she had never wanted her to see, when she'd let her emotions get the better of her, when she was at her worst, and The Queen knew that Talulla was never going to forget that moment. All because she didn't do as she was told. Anger flared inside of her again. No one disobeyed her.
"Yet I specifically told you not to come to this end of the castle. Ever."
"But–!" The young girl was feeling shaken from witnessing her mother being so harsh to someone she had always thought of as a friend, and now it seemed as though she was getting it first-hand.
"No buts! You disobeyed me, Talulla." Her voice had gone flat, her eyes cold and hard.
The young girl didn't know what to do. This wasn't her mother, this was someone else, someone meaner, crueller, and before she realised what she was doing, she had picked herself up and started to run.
This was as bad as her nightmare, she thought to herself as she sprinted back down the corridor, tears cascading down her cheeks once more. No worse, for in her nightmare, she knew it was a dream. This wasn't. This was real life. There was no escape by waking up. Yet, she had to get away. Maybe her mother would be back to her usual self by morning?
However, she never reached the end of the corridor, having been carried off the floor suddenly as she neared the door, making her cry out in fear and shock.
"Where do you think you're going, Talulla?" Regina's cold voice carried down the passageway.
"Mama, let me down, please, let me down!" The young girl called out desperately. However, all that could be heard was the click of her mother's heels on the stone floor as she stalked towards her. "Mother please!"
Regina let her daughter drop to the floor, certain that she was no longer able to escape.
"You are eight years old, Talulla, this is pathetic," she told the young girl, who was curled up on the floor, crying her heart out. "Look at me, girl!"
Unfortunately, this only made her daughter cry harder, horrified of what her mother was capable of in this mood.
Eventually, the Queen lost her temper and crouching down, roughly grabbed Talulla's chin, yanking it upwards and looking into wild, terrified eyes.
"You need to learn to obey me, Talulla, it would certainly result in less punishment."
That was when Talulla plucked up the courage to speak, heart break clear in her voice. "Why are you doing this? You've never been so… so…" The words wouldn't come, making Regina smirk, mirth in her eyes.
"So what, darling? So cruel? So evil?" She laughed nastily and watched as her daughter's eyes glistened with tears again, forcing down the part of her that was tempted to reach out and comfort the young girl.
"Do you know how much it hurts?" Talulla wasn't finished yet. Disgust was starting to worm its way through her fear. What her mother had done sickened her.
"Yes, I do know how much it hurts," Regina snapped as her daughter's eyes widened. "But you do not, and therefore, you don't have the right to lecture me on the matter, do you understand me?"
Talulla said nothing, too shocked for words. Who had done that to her mother? And when? Was that what had changed her into such a monster?
"I said, do you understand me?" the Queen repeated, her grip on the young girl's chin tightening.
"Yes, mother," came the shaky reply.
"Well, I don't think you do. I think you need to be taught a lesson." She pushed her daughter away from her and rose to her feet. "Stand up."
Talulla silently obeyed, trembling all over. She was no match for her mother.
"You want to know how much it hurts to have your heart ripped out? Well, I'll show you!" And with that, she pushed Talulla against the wall with one hand and drove her other into her daughter's chest. The young girl immediately cried out in agony, held in place by her mother's unrelenting grip.
"Please stop, mother, it hurts, please!" The Queen didn't listen, causing further pain as she closed her fist around Talulla's heart.
"Regina, your majesty, what are you doing? She's your daughter, you must stop this!" Henry came rushing down the corridor as fast as his frail body could carry him.
The Queen recoiled at the sound of her father's voice, letting her sobbing daughter slip to the floor clutching her chest. Her father's voice had brought her back, but she knew that she'd already gone too far. Her mind was screaming at her. What had she let herself do?
"No," she whispered to herself in horror. "No!"
Her father rushed to Talulla's side, picking her up and holding her close. "Hush, it's alright, you're safe now, dear. Shh, I've got you," he soothed, not even looking at his daughter, who had backed up against the wall, her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide and filled with regret.
"What have I done? Oh God, what have I done?" she cried. "Talulla… Talulla, I'm so sorry, please forgive me. I vowed I would never… I would never…" she trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.
Talulla looked at her mother, not sure whether to believe her or not. That was when she saw her eyes. They were no longer the cold, black orbs they had been, no, they were back to their usual chocolate brown colour and they were pleading with her, begging for forgiveness nearly.
"Can you tuck me in, Grandfather? I… I'm tired." And with that she turned away and looked up at Henry.
"Yes, of course, my dear, come on."
Regina looked pained as she watched her daughter and father walk back up the corridor, even more so when Talulla looked back for a moment with tear-filled eyes.
When they were out of sight, she slumped against the wall and slid down to the floor, not caring that her gown was getting creased. A single tear crawled slowly down her cheek. She was the Evil Queen, yes, but that didn't mean that she didn't have a heart.