Sherwood Manor, 2016
"Lookout!" Henry noticed that Emma was about to fall and grabbed a hold of her jacket, pulling her back onto the landing.
"Thanks, kid."
"What just happened?" Henry was staring at the broken piece of railing like it was possessed.
"I'm not sure, but this house clearly doesn't want us uncovering all its secrets."
"Not all its secrets- we still don't know what happened to Regina." Emma groaned- she really, really wanted to go back to the hotel and take a nap.
"Can't we just get out of here? I'm sure we can find her obituary in an old newspaper or something." Henry looked disappointed, but he wasn't going to argue with her: he was lucky his mother even agreed to come on this ghost hunt.
As they began to walk downstairs, about to leave, they felt a presence behind them. A third set of footsteps intermingled with theirs for a brief moment before turning around and heading in the opposite direction, towards the third floor. Once Emma and Henry realized what was happening, they froze in their tracks. No one dared to breathe as the heavy footsteps stomped their way up the attic stairs, and then stopped. A tense, lingering silence followed until it was broken by the sound of a key turning in a lock, a doorknob twisting, and a door slowly creaking open.
"What was that?" Emma whispered, her blood running cold once again. She didn't know what just happened, and she didn't want to find out. Henry, however, was of the opposing mindset and fearlessly turned to look.
"Uh mom…the attic door's open. Wasn't it shut earlier?"
"Yeah." Emma sighed, knowing what Henry was going to suggest. "You want to go investigate, don't you?" At his enthusiastic grin, the pair found themselves prolonging their stay.
"Is that…blood?" Henry leaned down to get a closer look, noticing smears of blood staining the wood.
"Probably." Emma smacked his hand away before he made contact. "Don't touch it, gross!"
"Look- it leads right to the attic!" As Henry followed the trail to its end destination, it was the origin that caught Emma's eye. The novice sleuth then tracked the smears of blood down to one of the second floor bedrooms.
"Found the starting point!" Emma yelled, getting Henry's attention. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say someone dragged a body from the guest bedroom to the attic." Henry came running back downstairs, wanting to see for himself.
"Think it was Regina's body?"
"It's possible. I bet our answer's in the attic."
Before the duo got the chance to move, a rhythmic dull thud made itself known. It was quiet, barely noticeable, but there nonetheless.
"I don't want to know what that is, but I guess we'll find out." It was inevitable, really, given Emma and Henry's ascent to the final room in the manor. The floorboards groaned under their feet as they shortened the distance between them and the attic, and the temperature suddenly dropped to a chill.
"We'll live happily ever after!" The dull thud echoing in their ears became louder and more pronounced, turning into a steady heartbeat.
"Robin? Where are you?" The panicked and distraught voice of a young woman was unmistakable. The pair stepped through the attic doorway, taking slower and slower steps.
"Till death do us part, remember?" As the voice's distress grew, so did the disembodied pulse.
"Oh my god!" Emma shouted, hand flying to cover her mouth: the bride had made her appearance.
Covered in decades of cobwebs, the loft of the manor was a fitting haunt for tormented souls. Old furniture was scattered throughout the room, almost blending into the dark chestnut walls. Multiple framed portraits were among the mix, as well as an ornately detailed harp. As Emma and Henry traversed through piles of tables, dressers, mirrors, and chairs, they paused to take a look at a particular trunk.
"More blood." Emma stated, squatting down so that the rusted lock was on eye level.
"Should we open it?" Henry was tentative- Halloween decorations were one thing, but seeing the real thing…terrifying.
"What do we have to lose?" The blonde yanked the lock from its resting place, and then lifted the lid. She wished she didn't.
"I'm going to vomit." Jerking away faster than a frightened animal, Emma leaned over one of the tables and focused on the building nausea. Henry decided to approach the trunk to see what had disturbed his mother.
"It can't be that bad." He was very, very wrong. Lying inside the trunk was a carved box, which was open, revealing a live human heart beating away within it.
Henry screamed, stumbling backward. There was only one explanation for this- the supernatural.
A chill filled the air, followed by Regina's angry cries.
"Oh my god!" Emma had gone stark white: Regina had made herself known, and she was out for revenge.
This was the first time the pair had laid eyes on the ghostly bride, and she was striking. Her delicate and pointed features were accentuated by ebony tresses and wide, chocolate colored eyes. Full lips were stained red, which contrasted light olive skin. She was petite yet curvy, assets complimented by her dress. The white and lacy bridal gown was masterfully crafted, covered in pearls and crystals. There was a veil to match, held in place by an ivory comb. However, given the circumstances of her death, the dress was no longer pristine. The fabric was ripped and torn where Regina had been stabbed and dragged, blood staining the cream material. There was a hole in her chest from her missing heart, now occupying the box. Regina's expression was a mix between anger and pain as she gazed upon the horrified intruders, moving to grab Emma by the shirt.
"If you won't tell me where Robin is, I'll force it out of you!"
Sherwood Manor, 1880
"Wake up Regina, today's the day!" Zelena chirped, drawing the curtains in the guest bedroom, causing the morning sunlight to pour in. Regina groaned, pulling the blanket up over her eyes in retaliation.
"It must be six in the morning! Can't I have a lie in? The ceremony isn't scheduled until half past three!" Zelena ignored the bride-to-be's protest and practically yanked her from the bed.
"There's no time: Robin is still with John and Will, so that leaves just us girls." Zelena paused her speech to guide the drowsy young woman to the bathroom. "I have taken it upon myself to get you ready to walk down the aisle, so rise and shine!"
Once Regina finished her bath, Zelena sat her down at the vanity and began the process of styling her hair. The bride's long ebony tresses were curled and twisted into a bun, held in place by an ivory comb that belonged to Regina's mother. Face powdered and lips crimson, Lady Mills stepped into her floor length lace bridal gown, laced into it by Zelena. Her cream colored heeled boots completed the ensemble.
"I believe I'm ready now." Regina exhaled, smoothing the layers of her dress nervously. She was about to marry the love of her life, her soul mate, and it was terrifying. Zelena smiled, about to escort the woman downstairs, when the voices in her head had other ideas.
"Kill her! She's stealing the man you love! Get rid of her like you did Marian!" They whispered, egging her on. It seemed the longer she continued to live here, the worse the spirits got: preying on her vulnerability so she would succumb to their will. Zelena rubbed her temples, trying desperately to ignore them. Maybe this time they would leave her alone.
"Are you alright Zelena? You look a bit pale." Regina observed her friend worryingly, noting that the previously cheery woman had taken a turn in the opposite direction.
"Never better." Satisfied, Regina turned back to the mirror for one final glance at her appearance- she wanted to look perfect for Robin.
"Now's your chance! End her!" The voices persisted, driving Zelena closer and closer to the brink of insanity. The redhead blinked a few times, choosing instead to take a few calming breaths. She wasn't giving in that easily.
"Do it, or we take over." Zelena didn't like the implications of that threat, nor its authoritative tone. However, she knew better than to disobey- she received quite the tongue lashing over her hesitance to kill Marian.
Zelena impulsively grabbed the knife off the table, placed there from breakfast (taken upstairs that day out of convenience), and plunged it straight into Regina's back.
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid there won't be a wedding today." Zelena whispered into Regina's ear, the knife now deeply embedded into the skin.
Regina cried out as she felt the blade slice through tender muscle and surrounding tissue, gasping for breath. With a satisfied smirk on her assailant's face, the knife was then removed, causing blood to pour out and stain the pristine fabric of her dress. Before Regina could register what transpired, the knife found its way into her body three more times- once in her abdomen, once in her neck, and once just above her heart.
And just like that it was finished: Regina hit the floor with a thud, narrowly avoiding catching the edge of the vanity. Zelena stood over the newly created corpse, bloody knife in her hand, breathing heavily. It was done, she had succeeded. But now she had the task of hiding the body.
Zelena weighed her options: she could bury her in the backyard like Robin did Marian, but that would take too long. Robin would surely notice his missing bride and would return to the manor looking for her. But what else could she do?
"The attic." The voices chanted. "Put her in the attic." A vision of the attic flashed before her eyes, showcasing the large trunk at the back of the room. It was perfectly hidden by the rest of the clutter and large enough for a human body. Excellent.
Mind made up, Zelena grasped Regina's hands (which were rapidly losing their warm temperature) and dragged her out of the bedroom and up the second floor staircase, leaving a trail of blood behind her. She would have been more careful about hiding all the evidence, but she was focused on the most important piece: the murder victim.
Panting from exertion, Zelena managed to heave all one hundred and ten pounds of dead weight up and into the trunk. She was about to close the lid when she received another message from the great beyond.
"Her heart. We need her heart for the ritual." Zelena didn't bother to question the demons- that only made things worse. And besides, she was already dead: what harm could it do?
Grimacing, the redhead carved out the intact organ from the chest cavity and found a small box to keep it in. Closing the lid, for good this time, she went back downstairs to quickly wash away the blood on the floor. If she played her cards right, she wouldn't be blamed for Regina's death.
