22
Chapter Four: The Witch Trials
The morning of Regina's trial had finally arrived and there was a mixture of excitement and trepidation as the residents of Storybrooke had never experienced such an event. They came close when Mary Margaret was accused of having murdered Katherine Nolan, but at the last minute Katherine had turned up as if by magic, setting Mary Margaret free. Everyone hoped and doubted Regina would get off as easily.
She sat on the stone slab of the small cell in the police station, having not slept in days, with her hands in between her knees. Her normally perfectly groomed hair was in tangles and she had several strands out of place.
She stared moodily at the ground beneath her heels. "How the hell did I get to this point? The damned curse was supposed to make Snow and everyone else's lives miserable, not ruin mine," she said to herself.
"There's no way in hell I'm going to win this case, even with Spencer as my lawyer. Rumple is far too clever, and whole damned town wants to see me burn like they did to witches in this world. How can I have an objective jury with them having that opinion?! If mother were here she could take care of this for me, but no she's dead, besides, I don't need her help anyway." Regina, tired of sitting stood up, and began to pace the floor.
As if just thinking of her mother caused this, Regina heard Cora's sickeningly sweet voice in her head. "You let that brat of Snow's ruin everything, because you got careless! If you had been clever enough to think ahead in first place then you wouldn't have failed. You also should have known you couldn't trust Rumplestiltskin. You were too focused on the less important things like punishing Snow and having your own brat. Look where you are now, in jail, and waiting to be convicted."
Regina could just picture Cora's face with her disapproving stare and fresh tears streaked down her face. Not only was she probably going to die, but she would die with Henry never forgiving her. Henry seeing her this way broke Regina's heart and she wanted more than anything to get back to the way things were before that stupid bitch Emma showed up. Not only would the curse still be active but she would still have Henry's love.
"It wasn't just Emma's fault or Snow's, because it was also Rumple's fault as well. If he had not left that loophole and if he had just helped me in the first place, Emma wouldn't have been able to break the curse," she muttered, bitterly.
"You can't just keep blaming everyone else, Regina. You have to take responsibility for your actions and accept those consequences," Emma said, coming into the station, putting her keys down on the desk.
"Did you take responsibility for your own actions?" Regina sneered, looking at Emma, as the younger woman sat down at her desk. The trial wouldn't be for another hour so Emma was able to relax for now.
She rolled her eyes at Regina's question, knowing what she meant by it. "Yeah I did, remember. I let someone else raise, giving him a better life. Whatever Mary Margaret did to you, couldn't you have just talked her like a normal person, nor could you at least not have taken it out on the whole town?"
"They chose to side with Snow White and Charming, but if they hadn't and been more respectful to me then I wouldn't have had to punish them as well," Regina snapped.
"Whatever, Regina," Emma said, too tired to argue with such a stubborn woman. Besides, it was too late for Regina to take it all back or apologize. They were up against Mr. Gold and the whole town, Emma knew Regina wasn't going to stand a chance. She would burn like those accused women in Salem, but Regina was clearly guilty, unlike those women, who might have actually been innocent.
~Page Break~
Belle stared inside her closest of clothes that Rumple provided for her with her brow furrowed she stared at the clothes hung up in her closest. She had no idea what she should wear to the trial. What was appropriate for her to wear at the type of event like this? This isn't a celebration or a date, but the passing of a judgment on Regina. She would be taking the stand and she had to wear the appropriate clothing. Would it be okay to wear a dress or should she wear slacks? The slacks were much more comfortable than a dress and maybe the dress she had were too cute and she should wear something more somber. Rumple had it easy; all he had to do put on was a nice suit tie, but she had so many choices.
As if her thoughts could summon him, Rumple appeared leaning on his cane as he stood within the door frame of her room. "Darling, you look troubled," he said, frowning.
"Oh its nothing, it's silly," she said. "Well not nothing exactly. I don't know what to wear. What would be appropriate," she admitted, blushing, "I've never been to a trial before."
"Not even in your father's court?" Rumple asked, coming into the room.
"No, actually no one has ever been on trial in our kingdom," she said.
"Weel, let me see," Rumple said approaching her closest and examining the clothes he had conjured up for her. "Nothing to cheery dearie, but you don't have to wear something somber either."
Rumple pulled out a dark red blouse and a khaki skirt with red flats and presented it to her. "This could work. Do you like it?"
"Perfect," Belle said, accepting the clothes he brought out of her closest. She kissed his cheek and said, "Thank you, Rumple."
"Ye're welcome. I'm going to cook breakfast, any special requests?" Rumple asked.
"I'm too nervous to eat anything heavy. I'll probably just have cereal or a muffin," Belle answered.
"Alright," he said nodding and left her to finish getting ready.
~Page Break~
The wafting scent of Rumple's homemade blueberry scones reached Belle as she entered the kitchen and the plate was set out on the table. He was pouring cereal into a bowl when she entered and another empty bowl was waiting to be filled with cereal. Belle poured her own cereal, Captain Crunch—she liked the flavor-, before Rumple could pour it for her. He had a habit of doing every little thing for her, and she had a feeling it was because he was overcompensating for how he had dismissed her from the Dark Castle all those years ago. Belle had already forgiven him and knew it would take a long time before he let her fully in. She wanted to be enough for him to do that and expecting him to be a "hero" or "prince charming" wasn't proving she was enough.
Breakfast was quiet, because both were focused only on what was about to happen today. Regina would be put on trial and Belle would be testifying before their peers against the queen, she was terrified. She had to do it and Rumple would protect her from Regina no matter what.
"This is going tae probably be a stupid question, but are you ready?" Rumple asked, taking Belle's hand and stroking it. "You don't have tae go on the stand."
"I know, but I need to do this," Belle said.
"Alright, but if you change yer mind, then let me ken," Rumple said.
~Page Break~
They left for the courthouse early, because Rumple needed to make some final preparations before the actual trial and giving Belle a chance to calm her raging nerves. Rumple's pen scratched vigorously along the paper as he made a few more notes on his pad, while Belle, her knuckles pressed on her mouth resting her elbow on the table, stared at the a spot on table trying to tell herself it would be okay. Rumple kept glancing at Belle worriedly and began to rub her back while he continued to write.
He finally finished and returned his attention to her. "I ken there's no point in me telling ye tae relax, so I'll remind you what to expect." He said this with tone that was a combination of warning and concern. Belle had to know what to expect, but he hated putting her in this position.
"Spencer will try to corner you and twist yer words, so ye need to be careful," Rumple warned.
She nodded. "Okay. Do you know what kind of questions he'll ask me?"
"I honestly cannae tell ye, exactly, but I have an idea. He'll probably ask ye about yer encounter with Regina and um…what happened after," he said, his cheeks flushing as he recalled how he had kicked her out.
In truth, it hadn't just been about his fears of intimacy with a woman, who could love him or not wanting to lose his powers, but seeing if Belle truly could love him as he was. Could he trust her not to break his heart? He knew she did truly love him now, but he kept thinking she was going to leave until something—someone-changed her mind. He hoped he could be enough for her to stay with him for good. So far, the answer seemed to be yes, but voice in the back of his mind that sounded suspiciously like Milah, kept asking 'why would Belle want to love a coward? It's only out of pity she stays with you.'
"How would he know about that?" Belle asked cringing as she realized this personal experience would become so public.
"Regina, I'm sure, revealed everything," he said, a bitter edge in his tone, "but he does have to ken and she has to tell if it will help her case."
Belle sighed. "I know, but I still don't like the idea of him knowing about what happened." An involuntary shiver crawled up her spine as she considered how her father and everyone else would react to her decisions.
Everyone back in her father's fiefdom called her the devil's whore, insane, and cruel for abandoning Gaston like this. It was true she had only agreed to escape marriage to Gaston, but she hadn't expected to fallen in love with Rumple. It had terrified her.
She had felt such shame that she was going to run away, because she couldn't handle loving Rumple, and that she had to be convinced she could be a hero and 'save' Rumple from his curse. Now, she was determined to prove that it wasn't just about that and that she did truly love Rumple, because then, she had come to realize she hadn't as her desire to be a heroic got in the way.
Looking into her eyes, Rumple caressed her cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I promise, nothing that could hurt ye will be said in this courtroom."
"Rumple you can't stop him from asking these questions, as much as I don't want him to ask those questions. I don't want you to do anything that will get you in trouble and cause us to lose," she said.
"Aye, yer not wrong about that," he said, sighing.
~Page Break~
Regina's heart began to pound rabidly against her chest as Emma unlocked her cell and she came face to face with Spencer. He held no expression, but she detected a slight sneer on his lips as he led her to the courthouse, followed by Emma, who would testify, most likely against her. Small droplets of water particles glittered Regina's face as they walked to the courthouse with Spencer not bothering to offer her cover with his umbrella, but, surprisingly, Emma held her own over Regina's already damp head. It wouldn't prevent her hair from looking frizzy once she entered the courtroom.
A sense of Deja vu came upon her, as Regina recalled a memory of being sentenced before, but she doubted this time that saintly Snow White could save her. She would be hated just as much as Regina herself. Oh, who was she kidding? Even if Snow didn't testify against her she would still be loved by everyone and they would just say she 'made a mistake, everyone makes those'. The good town's folk wanted to see Regina crucified, though. Burned like the witches in Salem.
Again her mother's voice, "Don't start feeling sorry for yourself, you stupid girl! Just find a way out of this mess and make sure these fools know never to cross the women in our family ever again."
~Page Break~
The town's folk slowly trickled into the courtroom, everyone wanting to get close to the front so they could easily see the trial, but it was impossible for everyone to sit close enough. The twelve jurors were the last to enter and take their places. They were placed in a section off to the side to view the trial in its full state.
Mary Margaret and David sat in the audience seats in middle of the courtroom with Henry in between while Emma had to stand up front to monitor the trial until she was called to testify. Sometimes she hated being the only law enforcement in this town, and she had a feeling it was only going to get worse now that curse was broken. They had magic and fought dragons, she had only had done it once and had no control over her dormant magic.
Mary Margaret glanced at around the room to see who was going to be here and it looked like the whole town. She didn't want to admit it but she guessed that the whole town couldn't wait to see Regina convicted. Her eyes roamed in the direction of where the jury would be sitting, Emma had told her that trials here in this world have a special group that will make the decision to convict or not, and she spotted Ruby and Granny. The three waved and smiled at each other. Granny and Ruby had jumped at the chance to make this decision as neither really understood Snow's decision to let Regina go the first time, because the Evil Queen had proven time and again she felt no remorse, but they respected Snow's decision.
Most of the dwarves, Leroy was another eager participant, were on the jury, and Katherine, who was also personally betrayed by Regina, was also on the jury. Mary Margaret was starting to think she had been waiting for far too long for the Regina she met as a child, but a part of her couldn't let go of that hope. Looking down at her grandson, she remembered she wasn't the only one who felt this way. Henry was angry with Regina but a part of him wished he could see Regina as his mom the way he did as a child, before he found out the truth. She felt sorry that Henry was caught in middle of all this and she kissed his forehead.
"You ready, because Mr. Spencer and Mr. Gold are going to call you to the stand?" She asked him.
He shrugged. "I think so," he said, hesitantly.
"You shouldn't feel guilty Henry. None of this is your fault, just be honest," David said.
"I know, I guess I'm just confused. She wasn't the worse mother in the world and raised me for ten years, but she did all these horrible things to you guys, at least she didn't ignore me." Henry replied.
"I know it's not a fair situation, but unfortunately, life isn't always fair. The best you can do is to be honest with what you do and say," Snow said, trying her best to ease Henry's broken heart.
~Page Break~
Once everyone was in the courtroom, Regina came in, wearing handcuffs, escorted by Spencer and Emma. She was led to a table up front with her head held high, so as not to give them the satisfaction that they had brought her so low, but she spared a brief, pleading glance at Henry. He only looked down at his hands, but when he did look there was a flicker of disappoint, which hurt Regina more than anything. As she sat down the only other looks she received were of anger and fear.
~Page Break~
"All rise for honorable Judge Daniel Aesop," Emma stated and everyone stood waiting for the judge to arrive.
Her brow furrowed as she said the name for the first time and mouthed to her mother 'as in Aesop's fables'? Snow mouthed back 'we'll talk after' and Emma shrugged. An old man balding man with hair the color of dust bunnies, entered from one of the side doors, and took the makeshift judge's seat in front of everyone.
He wore a dark blue robe instead of the traditional black and bowed his head to Emma, who tried to hide the blush that colored her cheeks. She recalled one of her foster mom's reading Aesop's Fables to her before she fell asleep. She never imagined meeting Aesop himself. Though, Emma had never imagined that her parents were Snow White and Prince Charming, that she would battling the Evil Queen herself, and would be allying with Rumplestiltskin's, whose true love happened to be Belle from Beauty and the Beast. She was still getting used to accepting that, but she kept herself from losing it for Henry's sake.
Once he adjusted himself to a comfortable position, Judge Aesop told the trial attendees, "You may sit."
All at once everyone, except Emma, Mr. Gold, and Spencer sat down. "Shall we get started, ladies and gentlemen," he said, rubbing his hands together. "Gentlemen, please recite your opening statements."
Rumple took the center of the room and faced the people of Storybrooke. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I have come before you today as the people's defender. Regina has wronged many of you with this curse taking you away from your homes, some even have been taken from their loved ones, and this curse has also ruined many lives. With this evidence, that you will be presented today, I intend to make sure Regina's crimes against you are put to justice."
Rumple looked at everyone in the room making sure they heard him and having full confidence it wouldn't be a difficult case to win since everyone in here was ready to see justice served.
Albert Spencer addressed the audience and briefly glanced Rumple's way smirking. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I understand full well what Regina has done to us, bringing us here to this unfamiliar place, but I'm here to prove everyone deserves a second chance, including Regina. While you all listen to evidence presented to you, I request you consider the fact that Regina was not only a victim of her own curse, but that this curse is also a blessing in disguise."
Rumple was tempted to roll his eyes, but he kept it professional in case the judge was watching.
"Mr. Gold, would you please proceed with your first witness?" Judge Aesop requested.
"Yes your honor," Rumple said, shuffling his papers. "For my first witness the persecution calls, Ms. Mary Margaret Blanchard to the stand."
Snow swallowed as she got up out of her seat, easing passed the other people in their row. Rumplestiltskin had been told she would be called first to the stand. Once again Regina's fate would be in her hands, but she wouldn't be making the decision, all the residents of Storybrooke would be. They would be expecting Snow to be honest, but not letting her pity or let her desire for Regina to be the woman who saved her life, to reveal herself. It was probably best that the decision wasn't in her hands this time.
She made her way up through the aisle, staring straight ahead of her. She placed herself on the witness chair. Shifting in her seat, Snow laid her hands in her lap and made eye contact with Mr. Gold.
Rumple knew that during trials in this world, the witness' would place their hand on a book that held the rules of their religious beliefs, but in the old world they had their own religious beliefs. They had the book written by King Arthur and Merlin, as Camelot was the first kingdom in the old world, and that was the book Snow White would swear on.
Emma presented the leather bound text to her mother and Snow placed her right hand on it. "Ms. Blanchard, do you swear to tell the whole truth and nothing, but the truth?"
"I do," she said.
Emma put the book aside and stepped back. With his hands behind his back Rumple paced the floor. Belle tried not to smile with giddy anticipation as she would get to see Rumple in action. She had often pressed her ear against the door of his office, listening to him rehearse what he was going to say during the trial. Unfortunately, for now, she would have to hide her pride and focus on the trial. She was so glad that Rumple wasn't calling her first, but cringed at the subtle shifty movements of Mary Margaret.
"Ms. Blanchard, when did you meet the defendant?" Rumple posed his first question, once he faced her.
"I was about ten years old. I had lost control of my horse and Regina had rescued me," Mary Margaret began. "We became fast friends."
"And then what happened, Ms. Blanchard?" Rumple asked.
"My father was looking for a new mother for me, because my own mother had died, and when he found out Regina had saved my life he offered her marriage," she continued.
"Did Regina accept?" He asked.
"Yes, but I know she loved another," Snow replied.
"Now, before we continue, I know this is a hard thing to talk, but it is an important bit of information." He spoke kindly to Snow and for a brief moment she saw a flicker of understanding in Rumple's eyes, but when she blinked he was back to business. He had warned her he would have to ask her about this, in case it helped.
"I understand Mr. Gold, go ahead," she encouraged.
"How did your mother pass away?" he questioned.
"I didn't find out until many years later, but she was poisoned, by Lady Cora," Mary Margaret replied.
"Regina's mother?" He asked, despite knowing the answer.
Snow nodded.
"Interesting that Regina's own mother had poisoned Snow White's own mother," Rumple said.
"Objection, what proof is there that Regina's mother had killed Ms. Blanchard," Spencer called out angrily.
Before Rumple could answer Snow said, "The physician found evidence of poison and Regina told me herself." Tears slid down her cheeks and at the corner of her eye she watched Regina's expression, but Regina's expression was a sneer.
Spencer sat down, and glared at his client as he crossed his arms, his mouth in a straight line.
"I am sorry Ms. Blanchard, and this will be the only time you'll have to talk about this," Mr. Gold said in a soft kind voice that surprised Snow.
"Now, Ms. Blanchard, when did you find out about Regina's relationship with Daniel?" Rumple asked, looking at Regina as his lips twitch downward for a brief moment.
Regina cringed as soon as she heard him say Daniel and she held back the tears that threatened to leak out of the creases of her eyes. Hearing Daniel's name still brought tears to her eyes and made her heart sick.
"It was the night she agreed to marry my father," Snow answered. "I decided to try riding again and had caught them kissing." Her cheeks turned bright red as she recalled witnessing such a private moment between lovers.
"And then?"
"Regina admitted she didn't love my father and wanted to marry Daniel," Snow said. "She had made me promise not tell anyone."
"Did she tell you why?" He asked. Maybe he was reaching by asking if Regina shared specifically why, but every piece of information counted.
"She said her mother wouldn't allow it," Snow said.
"Before I continue, I would like remind everyone, this young woman was only ten years old when Regina asked her to keep her secret." When Rumple reminded everyone how old Snow had been at the time he made eye contact with each of the jury members.
"Of course, we know what happened next, but what did Cora tell you exactly to get you to tell her about Regina and Daniel," Rumple then asked.
Mary Margaret, taking a deep breath told them how Cora had played on her own heartbreak of losing her own mother, by telling Snow how she wanted her and Regina to become close again.
Mr. Gold, in a smug tone, reminded everyone again what Cora herself did to Snow's mother. "Cora, the same woman who poisoned you mother, told you she wished to be closer to her daughter, convincing you tell her about Regina and Daniel?"
Snow nodded. "Did you know Cora had killed Daniel?"
Snow replied, "I didn't know until Regina told me."
Rumple asked, "How has Regina treated you since then?"
"At first, before my father died and she had me on the run, she was kind to me, treating me as any stepmother would. Not too long after, I was on the run and she had wanted posters placed all over the kingdoms." A fresh wave of anger filled her as Snow recalled all that Regina had done to her, not realizing she had felt this way.
She felt such pity for Regina that she had ignored the anger inside of her, and had been blind to all of Regina's cruelty. She didn't agree with killing Regina, but for once she realized Regina needed to be punished, something Snow had chosen not to do before. She had let Regina off easy for far too long.
"What specifically did she do to you?" Rumple questioned.
"She had sent soldiers to hunt me down and kill me, she had kidnapped David, poisoned me with the sleeping curse, took over my parents kingdom." Snow listed everything off, but refused to look at Regina.
"Was she successful?" Rumple asked.
"For a time, yes, but eventually we captured her," Snow replied
"And when you had her answer for her crimes what happened?"
"We were going to put her to death, but we-I gave her a second chance. She didn't take it though, and said she regretted nothing she had done, she felt no remorse."
Regina kept herself under controlled, but was struggling to resist defending herself against Snow's accusations. If Snow had kept her mouth shut and minded her own business none of this would have happened, but the girl had to be oh so helpful. She shouldn't have told the brat, but Snow had caught her and Daniel all those years ago and what else she could she say to her. She had felt so sorry for Snow then, but now she hated Snow. The princess deserved to be cursed for ruining her life taking away her happiness all those years ago.
"Your witness, Mr. Spencer," Rumple said, stepping aside.
Spencer examined his notes and approached Mary Margaret. "Ms. Blanchard, you swore you would never reveal Regina's secret, but you broke that promise, because you wanted to help bring her closer to her mother. Is that correct?"
Snow nodded. "As I said before, I had loss my own mother so I understood the value of that relationship."
With a sneer Spence continued. "Of course, and then you betray your step-mother by revealing that she wasn't in love with your father resulting in the death of the young man that Regina was going to run away with. You also claim you didn't know he was dead, but as a daughter of a king I'm sure you were well aware that marrying someone beneath your station would not please a mother trying to provide for her child."
"I was a child, I was 10 years old, and I was trying to make my friend happy," Mary Margaret spoke, defensively.
"Yes, trying to impress her I'm sure, especially since you got up in the middle night, intending to improve your riding. I find that a bit strange that a child would risk such a quest," he said.
Rumple rolled his eyes watching as Spencer pulled the strings, weaving the words in a way that made every action suspicious. The former king was just as clever with words as Rumple was and he cringed as he briefly imagined Spencer winning the case.
"And one could also argue that you revealed a secret, Regina warned you explicitly not to share, that you wanted to keep her, but you were a selfish child," Spencer said.
Rumple stood up and abruptly called out, "Objection! The council is making assumptions about that witness based on his own biases!"
"Are you Spencer?" Judge Aesop inquired his brow rose in suspicion. He didn't like George any more than the rest, but he remained as neutral as possible.
"I am merely suggesting the witness' motives were impure," Spencer said.
"Alright, but please Mr. Spencer, do not let your own biases cloud your judgment when questioning the witness," Judge Aesop requested.
Spencer nodded and returned his attention to Mary Margaret.
"I shouldn't have betrayed Regina like that, but I was 10 years old! I was trying to help her and Cora took advantage of my naivety. Her mother killed Daniel, just as she killed my mother, because, as you pointed out, Cora couldn't let her daughter marry below her station. Cora was the one responsible for Daniel's death, not me! I wanted her and Daniel to have happiness together," Snow's words grew desperate as spoke.
She set her eyes finally on Regina, holding eye contact with her, as if she was only speaking to Regina, and everyone else had disappeared. Regina just turned away from Snow, but looked at her with a disgusted glare before Regina turned away. Snow sighed, frowning at Regina's gesture that lacked forgiveness and understanding.
"No further questions," Spencer said, in a huff and sat down.
"Mr. Gold?" Judge Aesop looked at Gold.
Rumple replied, "No, your honor, no further questions."
"You may step down Ms. Blanchard," Judge Aesop said, offering Snow a kind smile as she left the witness stand.
"Alright then, please call your next witness, Mr. Gold," the judge ordered.
Rumple nodded. "For my next witness, I would like to call Dr. Archibald Hopper?"
Archie took the stand with his head held high. Regina used to be terrifying him by reminding him she could squash him like bug, but knowing he wasn't the only one fighting back gave him the confidence to be up there right now.
Rumple made the same request he did of Mary Margaret that Archie swear to tell the whole truth. Once he was sworn in Rumple began his questioning.
"Dr. Hopper, how did you know the defendant?"
"I was treating her son, Henry," Archie replied.
"Treating him of what exactly?"
"She said her son was having delusions," Archie answered.
"What kind of delusions?"
"He said we were all characters from fairytales and that Snow and David's daughter was destined to save us," Archie replied.
Behind him Emma tried to hold back the red that colored her cheeks as they talked about her and how she was the savior. She recalled how many times Henry tried to tell her this and tried to get her to believe, but it had sounded too crazy for it to be true. He had to sacrifice himself to prove he was telling the truth and she had almost lost him. Even now, though, she still wasn't sure if she believed; Emma kept thinking any minute now she was going to wake up like Alice or Dorothy finding out it was all a dream. So far it hadn't happened.
Rumple smiled. "How strange that the very thing that Regina told Henry, he was crazy for believing was true after all. Tell me Doctor, what did Regina say if you didn't suppress Henry's beliefs?"
"She threatened to fire me if I didn't squash his belief," he answered.
"Do you remember what exactly did she say?" Rumple then asked.
"I don't remember everything, but basically she said 'she could squash me like a bug' if I didn't cooperate," Archie said, shivering as he remembered their conversation.
"Sounds like a desperate woman with quite a temper. She claims to love her son, yet to protect herself she makes it seem like he's crazy. Does that sound like a stable loving woman?" He looked pointedly at the jury.
"I have no more questions your honor," Rumple said.
Judge Aesop turned his attention to Spencer. "Mr. Spencer, do you have any questions for the witness?"
Spencer nodded. "Yes. Doctor Hopper, how long had you been treating Henry?"
"Six months," Archie answered.
"During those six months, how would you describe Henry's behavior?" Spencer questioned the witness.
Henry snuck down in his seat, swallowing nervously as waited to hear what Dr. Hopper would say about his behavior. Henry knew he had made things difficult by putting his life in danger as he would try to prove the curse was real and Emma was the savior. He had almost got Archie killed too, but he had been desperate, and if Emma hadn't broken the curse they would still be cursed.
"He wasn't always happy with going to therapy, but who would be happy at being diagnosed in that way, especially when you know it's real. Continuously being told you're crazy can be traumatic for someone Henry's age," Archie answered with determination his tone.
"Right, quite traumatic indeed and how did he express his trauma?" Spencer asked.
"He tried to prove he wasn't crazy," Archie replied, adjusting his spectacles, looking Spencer in the eye.
"Yes, he did. Didn't he steal Ms. Blanchard's credit card, took a bus to Boston, and tracked down his biological mother, who had asked for a closed adoption, and did it without my client being aware her son had gone, until it was too late?" Spencer questioned.
"Yes, he did go to find his biological mother and did it without telling anyone," Archie admitted, through gritted teeth.
"Ms. Swan didn't want her son and Henry raised by Regina for ten years, but all the sudden Ms. Swan wants to be part of his life?" Spencer questioned, making sure the jury heard his words.
"I wouldn't say that she didn't want him. She just couldn't take responsibility for a child at such a young age," Archie tried to protest, but Spencer asked another question.
"How did Henry behave once Emma was in his life?"
"How did he behave?" Archie repeated the question. "Well he was pleased to have his biological mother back in his life and he naturally wanted to spend time with her, get to know her."
"Didn't he escape into the mines to prove there was something down there, getting you both trapped down there, and almost getting you both killed? That was a bit reckless wouldn't you say, and stealing a credit card, that's thievery, just like his biological mother. Wasn't stealing a car how she met his biological," Spencer said.
"How the hell did you know about that?!" Emma cried out in protest at the same time as Mr. Gold protested, "Objection! This case isn't about Miss Swan! This case is about Ms. Mills!"
Judge Aesop sighed, rubbing his temples, as he glared at the two lawyers.
"Isn't it, in a way? Emma is the supposed to be the savior of everyone from Regina, and that is what this case is about," Spencer reasoned..
"Spencer, this case isn't about Henry's actions, so bringing up Emma's background is not necessary," Aesop said, warningly.
Spencer returned his attention to Archie. "Henry made some questionable decisions, but he is only ten years old and he learned from his mistakes. He was afraid of his adoptive mother."
Swallowing he glanced at Regina and if looks could kill he would be on the floor right now. "In my professional opinion, Regina was a very controlling and intimidating woman and mother. She tried to control and intimidates Henry out of desperation to protect herself, and request for me to destroy his belief system proves that. I do believe she also in her own way loved her son, but she just struggled showing it, which is putting it in a nice way. "
His mouth in a thin line and his lips pressed together, Spencer muttered, "no further questions."
"You may step down Doctor," the judge said.
Archie returned to his seat, the tightness in stomach finally gone now that his turn on the stand was done, but he could feel Regina's eyes boring down on him and his relief faded. Whether Regina was proven guilty or by some chance she was proven innocent, no chance of that, she would not let this go. Everyone that took that stand would suffer Regina's wrath and the look she gave him made Archie nauseous.
"Mr. Gold, could you please call your next witness?" the judge said, his tone exasperated.
Rumple nodded. "For my next witness I would like to call Miss Emma Swan to the stand."
Emma gulped as all eyes turned to her and she felt like a spotlight was shining on her. She had never expected to be afraid to testify against Regina, but now that they moment had come she was little nervous.