Written for Spooky OQ Day 1: Black cat

All in the Enchanted Forest feared the Evil Queen. She chased their beloved Snow White across the country, hellbent on destroying the fair princess. Most believed it was because she was jealous of how beautiful the girl had become and her vanity demanded she be considered the fairest in the land. So she would not stop until her only competition was dead.

It was also well known that the Evil Queen was a witch and used magic to make sure she stayed young and beautiful forever, no matter how dark the spell was. Some whispered she needed the blood of young virgins, which was another reason why she massacred whole villages in her quest to defeat Snow White. The Queen would then take all the virgins back and drain their blood so she could bathe in it.

The people had a warning that she was coming. As a witch, she had a familiar—a midnight black cat that would be spotted in the village. They knew the tom was hers from the bright blue eyes he possessed and his odd behaviors. He appeared to be listening to their conversations and gathering intel. Everyone tried not to speak too loud in his presence but he was stealthy, able to hide in places they didn't think to check for a cat.

Not long after the cat appeared, the Queen's foreboding black carriage would be spotted on the roads. Shouts would rise up in the village. Mothers would scoop up their children, racing into the woods to hide amongst the trees while the men would take up arms. They knew it wouldn't protect them from the Queen's magic but they refused to go down without a fight.

Guards in black armor and with helmets covering their entire faces marched alongside the carriage, dispersing to gather up the villagers who weren't hiding so that they were all together when the Queen left her carriage. She flung the door open, blood red curtains swishing from the movement, and smiled coldly at them. "My beloved subjects," she said, climbing down from the carriage. Her black cat followed, sitting at her feet.

"Snow White ain't here," a man called out, feeling braver than he was. "We're not hiding her so you can go on your way."

The Queen paused for a moment before turning her smile on the man. People swore the temperature around them dropped several degrees and they started to shiver as she approached the group. "I'm sorry. Were you ordering me?"

"I was just telling the truth," the man said, voice shaking though he managed to hold her eye contact. "Snow White isn't here. So you can just leave."

She tilted her head and slowly raised her hand. With a flick of her wrist, they watched his head turn in an unnatural way as the crack of his neck echoed around the quiet village. The man's lifeless body crumpled to the ground, his eyes staring unseeing at the sky.

Keeping her hand raised, the Queen walked along the perimeter of the crowd. The other men backed away, averting their eyes and she smirked. "I trust no one else will be ordering me around?"

A murmur rose up from the crowd, one that sounded like: "No, Your Majesty."

"Good," she said. "Now, my guards are going to search for Snow White. Anyone who tries to stop them or make a run to warn her joins your unfortunate neighbor in the afterlife. Understood?"

They all nodded.

Her smile morphed into a smirk. "Guards, leave no nook and cranny unchecked if you value your own lives."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" they chanted. They then marched into town, pushing past the men to get to their cabins and huts.

The Queen retreated to stand next to her carriage, scooping up her black cat. He purred in her arms as she scratched behind his ear, both watching the guards tear the village apart in hopes of finding the princess that had fled from the place a week prior. She was far away by that point and they wished that the Queen would go bother someone else.

She moved from scratching behind his ear to scratching under his neck, the cat's purring growing louder as his black tail wrapped around her arm. The Queen smiled at him, unnerving the men for it was genuine and almost…fond.

It was disarming.

The guards returned to stand in front of her. "No sign of Snow White in this village, Your Majesty. She's long gone."

Scowling, the Queen pushed past them and glared at the villagers. "Where did she go?"

"We don't know," one of the village elders said. "She left us last week. We're not hiding her, Your Majesty."

She nodded. "I see. But you were hiding her."

The man shook his head. "She just passed through. We gave her no quarter, Your Majesty. We promise."

"But you didn't tell my guards that she was here or that she had passed this way," the Queen pointed out.

"We didn't want any trouble," the elder protested. "Please, Your Majesty, we promise not to make the same mistake."

She smirked. "You would betray your princess?"

"You are our queen," he said, kneeling before her though he grimaced as she heard his knees crack.

Her chest puffed out and she looked pleased, brown eyes surveying the whole village. "You all agree?"

There was some silent as the men shifted awkwardly. It appeared to her that the smartest person in the whole village may have been their elder—he knew the way to get her to leave them alone was to swear loyalty. And she could tell he would keep his vow, even if the others just paid her lip service.

It was a start, at least. Just as soon as the others followed their leader's example.

"I don't care who you are. You're just a vain bitch who can't stand that some princess might be prettier than her. You know why that is? Because Snow White is beautiful inside and out. You might be beautiful on the outside but you are the ugliest creature ever on the inside," a fool yelled from the back of the crowd.

She frowned, fire coursing through her as her cat hissed. "Who said that? Show yourself!"

The man was clearly hoping to stay hidden from her sight, judging by the shocked and betrayed look in his eyes when his neighbors all stood aside, leaving a clear path to him for the Queen. She took slow, deliberate steps toward him, delighting in the way his knees knocked together and the color drained from his face. Fear filled his eyes and she could hear his silent prayers for his immortal soul.

"Dare to say that again?" she asked, lip curling into an evil smirk.

He swallowed and the fool held his head high. "You heard me. You're nothing but a dark witch and so your soul is black and shriveled, an ugly thing. No wonder no one loves you."

With a wild howl, the cat leaped from her arms and his teeth sunk into the man's neck. His eyes widened as he fell to the ground, blood spattering the ground as the cat tore his neck open. It swiped at the wound, deepening it and making certain the man bled out.

Its work done, the cat leaped back into the pleased queen's arms. "Good boy," she told him, scratching behind his ear again.

She turned back to the villagers, her black cape swirling around her. "Well, I'm still waiting for an answer. Do you all pledge your loyalty to me…or to Snow White?"

All fell to their knees, supplicating her with adulation. She walked through them, smiling, and returned to her carriage. "Good. Then you all shall live. But I promise you that I will not be as merciful if I learn you have harbored or aided Snow White again. Understood?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," they all chanted.

The elder prostrated himself before her. "Thank you for your mercy, My Queen."

"You're welcome," she said before snapping at a nearby teen: "Make sure to help him up."

"I will," the boy said, eyes wide.

She nodded and let her cat climb into the carriage first before taking the hand of a guard as she climbed into the carriage. The Queen gave them all one last chilling smile before closing the door. Her carriage rolled away and the men stayed on their knees long after it was gone.

They were spared unspeakable horrors.

For now.

The carriage shook from side to side as it went over bumps and rocks. Regina scowled as she bounced around, the velvet cushions not enough to keep her comfortable during such a rough ride. "There has to be a way to make roads smooth," she muttered.

Besides her, her loyal cat meowed and pawed at her. She smirked at him, scratching the scruff of his neck. "Do you want free from this form, pet?"

"MEOW." The cat sounded quite indignant, which only amused her more.

She raised her hand, engulfing the cat in the purple smoke that accompanied her magic. It grew larger and when it died away, it left behind a naked man. He had thick blond hair that matched the scruff on his chin as well as the coarse curls on his chest. Amused blue eyes watched her and he smiled, revealing two dimples. "You really don't like putting clothes on me, milady," he said.

"Why bother?" she asked. "They're just going to come off."

He chuckled, leaning closer to rest his forehead against hers. "You let them live."

"I did," she confirmed before smirking. "But don't worry. I'm not getting soft, pet."

"I didn't think that."

Regina smirked. "Good. I let them live because they agreed to betray Snow. And I know they will. The people are weakening, realizing that supporting her is not the wise choice. She will be mine soon."

"Very wise, milady. I eagerly await your victory."

She hummed, resting her hand against his cheek and wiping her thumb against his lips. "You have some blood still on your lips."

"I see. Did you wipe it all off?" he asked, hot breath hitting her.

"No," Regina said. "Do you want me to?"

He smirked. "Depends. How do you propose to do that?"

"Like this." She slid her hand behind his neck and closed the gap between them, kissing him passionately. Her tongue darted out, tasting a coppery substance on his lips and lapping it up as he laid her down on the cushioned seat.

She slipped her tongue inside his mouth, still tasting blood and feeling herself grow wetter between her legs. Pulling away, she panted as she hitched up her skirts. "I need you, pet."

"Say my name first," he told her, the only one who could get away with giving her an order.

Regina gasped as she closed her eyes, feeling his fingers brush against her clit. "Robin…"

"I love it when you say my name." He pushed up her skirts before opening her legs more. "Just lay back and I'll do all the work, my queen."

She moaned as his tongue gave a broad lick at her clit, grateful for the day a desperate thief who wanted to escape the hangman's noose offered to be her servant. He had turned into a most faithful companion, a useful spy and the best lover she had ever had.

Who said black cats were bad luck?