And just like that, she was fourteen again. She was struggling with the balance of becoming a proper woman, all the while, still acting like the childish little kid she was a heart. All of the servants in the house would always say that Regina was the smartest and most beautiful child in all the land; her long black hair flowing so perfectly over her shoulders. She had bright eyes. They were always so full of happiness and hope. She was sweet, always wanting to help everyone. She even sometimes helped the servants with their jobs, no matter how much it upset her mother.
Cora had a particularly firm hold on the little girl. She would always get her attention one way or another, be it with a gentle croon of her voice or the fast action of magic that pulled her daughter to her. Regina was positively scared of her mother. She always tried to maintain her distance, finding ways out of the room as soon as Cora had entered. Regina's father never helped much as soon as her mother's hands had gotten around her. He didn't like any of what Cora did, but he couldn't stop her. He didn't know how. His wife was mad. Sometimes he even wished he never brought a child into this situation.
Regina had been slacking on her school. She had always been skipping all of the etiquette classes and the ballroom dancing lessons. She felt like she didn't have to learn any of that stuff to be a proper woman.. or as her mother put it a 'future queen'. Regina didn't want to be queen; she didn't want to rule a land of people she didn't even know. Every time she would stray from her classes, she would hide in one of the servant girl's rooms, reading. She thought it was so silly to learn about forks and knives and the proper way to use your feet while dancing when all she wanted to do was read. She wanted to learn about other things. Much more enjoyable things.
She had the book in her hand, skimming her eyes over the pages when it was ripped from her hands, flying across the room in a single swish. Regina sat up, quickly, looking over her shoulder to see her mother & her expression told the girl that she was not happy one bit.
"I thought you had dancing lessons," Cora growled, angry over the very thought of her daughter not growing up the way she wanted her to. She wanted her daughter to succeed. She wanted her to be of the most absolute royalty, but Regina never tried, and that's what angered her the most.
"I don't want to do it," the young girl stood up quickly, assuming her position of the little injured puppy dog, looking up at Cora with big eyes. It was no use. Cora had raise her hand up, a swirl of white gathering strength in her palm. Regina held her hands up, "Please, Mama, no magic.." She wanted to say it stronger, but it only came out as a whisper.
Cora smirked at the girls request, "No magic? We'll see what I can do with no magic." She grabbed the girl's arm the hardest she could, digging her nails into the fair skin underneath. Regina let out a cry as her mother pulled her out of the room & down the hall. She knew what was coming next. She should've just kept her mouth shut about her mother's powers. Regina had tried to move, tried to escape out of Cora's firm grip, but it was too hard. She knew she wouldn't be able to get away to hide behind her father.
"Mama, I'm sorry," Regina was swallowing her tears as she stood in her place. She wanted to be strong. She wanted to just take her punishment and maybe if she didn't cry, her mother would keep it short. "I will go to my lessons. I will.." She pleaded as her mother pulled the leather belt off the hook by the armoire. Regina watched as Cora curled that belt into the perfect 'U' shape she had mostly seen it in.
"Mama, no!"
The first slap of the hard leather against her back was unexpected. She lurched forward, trying not to fall over after the blow. The sting was instant. She was hitting old scars and Regina could feel that the worst. The second crack didn't feel any better. It retraced all of the past marks, causing a loud cry to come out of the young girl's mouth. She couldn't hold it in any longer. Her mother was getting her way once again.
Regina had sat up rather quickly, jolting the bed in a way that shifted Emma Swan out of a deep sleep. The blonde lifted her head, her eyes squinting as she tried to adjust them to the light. Emma had taken to sometimes waking up like this, watching her girlfriend sitting silent in the middle of the night, beads of sweat travelling down the sides of her face & neck.
"Did you have another nightmare again?" Emma asked, reaching over and trying to touch the mayor's hand, but Regina pulled away as a reflex. She didn't want to be touched. Not after all of those times her mother had turned those loving caresses into bruising marks. Emma sat up when she felt the bed slowly beginning to shake. She watched Regina's shoulders bob perfectly to the silent cries that racked her body.
"Honey..," Emma whispered, wrapping an arm around the black-haired woman, who didn't protest this time, "You're safe here. Nothing's going to happen. You're okay. I'm here to protect you." She whispered the words she always did when Regina had her night terrors. The words were always so soothing in the older woman's ear.
Sometimes Regina was so glad that Emma never asked about how she had gotten those criss-crossed scars on her back.