New chapter up,

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The first signs of Cora noticing anything off with Regina were when she had the baby with her when she went out. The day was sunny and she felt like talking a walk and so had instructed the maid to ready the little tot as they made their way out from the chambers and out into the palace gardens. Henry was out again and so it left her with an entire day in which she could plan on how to find out if her new batch of potions had worked.

She would have to see if there was a passing maid nearby.

She glanced down at her feet to the baby that was resting on a small pillow. The nanny had said it would do her good and she didn't want the child covered in dirt so had nodded her for to place the girl on the soft cushion before shooing her away, she watched as the raven haired girl reached for a small toy that had lain at the side of her, for a baby of little over a week old, she was already curious about the things around her and so Cora slightly feared that inquisitive nature when she was able to walk.

She would have to double lock her brewing dungeon.

A small giggle had her looking back down again on coming out of her musings to see her holding something in her hand; she bent slightly to find it was her rattle and was about to get back to her work thinking nothing more of it but stopped on seeing small parts of the tiny instrument break in her fist.

Cora watched in silence as Regina flung the rattle within her tiny fist delighting in how it crumbled under her clenched hand. The older woman looked on her confusion growing with each second as finally Regina used up all her strength to throw away the now broken toy.

The older woman looked on as it left her hand and landed a few feet away from her and her eyes widened uncharacteristically on seeing the solid silver item, now bent and twisted lying uselessly on the grass. Her eyes took in the mangled pile of metal as another small peal of giggles had her dragging her gaze away and back to the girl who had caused the damage as she lay back on the pillow looking around.

She stared wordlessly at the tiny tot her speech failing her as she tried to take in what had just occurred. Finally she looked back to the defunct rattle and picked it up, normally she wouldn't dare touch anything from the floor but this she had to, as she inspected the small rattle.

The entire handle had been bent. She took in the small indents were the little girl had been holding it and could see tiny finger marks were her grip had tightened. The little ball at the top had been completely crushed in, nothing remained but half that hadn't been caved in as she let the toy fall back to the floor. Her confusion giving way to slight panic which, giving she hadn't a heart to feel such an emotion was something to worry about.

She sat back in her seat. She had overheard the senior nanny talking to a few of the younger staff who either had children or their family had and heard them talking about the babies… she had vaguely heard in passing that new-born's did have an extraordinarily strong grip and so on looking back down to the oblivious baby, she didn't know whether to put it down to that… or.

Her mind immediately went to the second more terrifying prospect and on letting her mind wander slightly. Her mood soured and she found she no longer wanted to be outside in the garden. So abandoning her work she hauled Regina from her blissful chewing of the pillow and hurried back into the castle. She ignored everyone she passed on her way back to her chambers as she flicked her hand at the shut door pushing it open before slamming it shut behind her once she was in.

She placed Regina on her bed and took a step back now fully staring at the small tot on the bed who seemed to have taken the sudden change in surroundings in her stride and was once more looking around the room. She didn't notice her Mother who was standing in front of her, and who was now looking at her like she was some kind of strange animal that no one had seen before, and so didn't know whether to approach or not.

Her mind was working overtime. Her magic was pulsing. She tried to feel for foreign magic as she let her own wash over the small child but couldn't sense nothing apart from hers and the familiar one that was Regina's mixed with a slight tinge of her own. She frowned and pulled back before continuing her observation of the dark-haired baby. Nothing seemed out of place but with Rumple one could never tell, that was what made him so tricky to deal with and almost impossible to refuse.

It was another five minutes before she decided that she was being ridiculous. After passing the girl another toy and waiting, it was clear that her fears had been nothing when Regina didn't destroy the second toy, happy to have been given something else the tiny baby merely fell back and fumbled with the tiny toy horse leaving Cora with a great sense of relief. She inwardly scoffed at her own irrational moment of thought before deciding once and for all that nothing was wrong with Regina.

Rumple hadn't got her and that he never would. But she stood nonetheless and moved back over to her bed where Regina was kicking her little feet up and waved her hand over her, it was better to be safe than sorry in her mind and so waited for her protection ward to cast over the little girl as her magic washed over before settling down again.

Regina chose that moment to let out an ear-piercing wail causing Cora to step back. Her nose pulled up in distaste as the small baby kept up her wails. Why, she did not know it was as if her magic had suddenly harmed her, caused her pain which resulted in an eye roll from the older woman. Stupid baby, if she wanted to hurt her she would have cast something a lot more potent than a protection ward and so leaving her to cry on the bed, she made her way to the window and repeated the spell.

Satisfied with her work she returned to her bed with Regina still crying. She stood above the wailing tot and sneered. What was wrong with her? She was acting as if she had been burned or something. The baby's face was pinched and her lungs working powerfully as she screamed and cried. Cora shook her head and went to call for the nanny to come take her away as she was getting the beginnings of a migraine unbeknownst to her that due to the curse that had already halfway taken over, her protection spell that had been recast was working to fight the second spell as the two magic's mixed, pulling at the tiny child's own causing her to cry in pain

A knock on the door five minutes later had the older woman sighing as she called them to enter, the arrival of the nanny who had turned to the lady of the castle who nodded in the direction of the screaming baby's direction.

"Take her away, I have work to do and she's ruining my focus" The older woman silently nodded and made for the small child, Cora watching her interaction's as the older woman gently scooped the teary eyed baby before bowing to Cora and taking her leave. She was about to go through the door when Cora called her back.

"Wait!"

Stopping, she turned and gazed at the other woman silently waiting for her to speak. Cora moved across to the crib and picked up the horse that Regina loved she passed it to the older woman to take as she did so slowly.

"Might make her sleep better, seems to be fond of the silly thing." She shrugged before dismissing them again this time letting them leave uninterrupted as the door shut leaving her in silence. She closed her eyes allowing the peace to wash over her before returning to her desk and journal, never realizing that she had just helped Rumples cures further along its path.

She doesn't see the baby again properly until the next day. Only once more when she passed her room going to the dining hall, having instructed the nanny to take her back to her own room for the night … she had stopped crying but Cora didn't fancy taking the chance she might do again and cause her to lose sleep and so she waves off the other woman who asks if she would like her to return her to her crib.

Her thoughts about the tricky imp completely fallen from her mind on the return of her husband who she greets more out of propriety than actual want. He smiles at her earning a mild gesture in return as he looks around for any sign of the baby.

"Where's Regina?" She shakes her head a little before replying.

"She fell tired from the fresh air on our walk in the gardens so I had the nanny place her in her room for a sleep." Henry nods slowly, a silent questioning look on his face one which must have been easily read as she carried on.

"I thought the peace might help her to sleep more and so told the nanny to take her back to her room for tonight." Her explanation must have had the desired effect as his smile widens and he nods happily before asking if she would like to dine with him she accepts his offer much to his surprise as she normally would stay in her room as he escorts her to the hall on the other side of the room.

With the build up to the oncoming ceremony, and with so much to do, Cora didn't think anything else of the incident as she hastily made plans – ordering people around, everything so that the event went off without a problem, all the while never knowing that the curse was nearing its completion.

Regina meanwhile having been left in the care of the minders and other help Cora had hired to look after her, slowly, had started to show more signs of the curses effects. Each time one of the minders would put her down for a nap, would return a few hours later only to find the blanket they had wrapped her up in shredded, with little scratches and tears ripped into the sheets.

Each time it confused the minders but would replace it with a new sheet only to find that to, had been torn. It baffled them, and as they didn't think a small baby could be responsible for such damage to her bedding, they didn't know what to do. They dared go near Cora and tell her out of fear she retaliated about the level they kept her child's care at. It hadn't gone unnoticed that the lady of the castle didn't enjoy spending time with her child, most times not even being in the same vicinity, but she did however make sure she had the best of everything.

Whether that was her way of affection or simply because she could order it they didn't know. But either way they didn't let her know and so just kept replacing them. Next was the shrieks, each time Regina screamed out – either in discomfort or another reason. The nurses, nannies or simply people passing by, had to cover their ears as the tiny girls screams soon turned shrill, to shrill for a normal child and it showed when the senior nanny went to open the window only to find it cracked right down the middle right after Regina's latest tantrum.

Soon the whispers started among the staff of the castle. They muttered lowly to each other about the little girl, and how she didn't seem quite right. Most, if not a fair majority of the help knew that their lady had magic, it was that which had them fearing of her as she wasn't averse to letting them know just exactly what awaited them should they fail in their duties… they didn't have to be magical to sense the power coming off her in waves and so it was by that they all did their very best to ensure both their lady and prince were happy.

But what did say about Regina?

It stood to reason that having a magical parent. That any offspring they had would to share some sort of magical talent… like a gene, it was hereditary. Whether they would be good at it they couldn't say as they really didn't know all that much about magic… only that those who had it were powerful. But even if the little baby had inherited those genes did that mean that all magical babies acted this way?

Did they all scream until windows cracked… did they tear their bedding like some had come to suspect she had given the news about the almost inhuman shrieks… and did all babies manage to bend solid silver when in their grasp? That was the latest and possibly the last thing that broke the proverbial Camel's back so to speak. The maid that had been instructed to feed the little child all but ran from the room on letting go of the spoon for a few seconds, only to find it in the hands of the tiny tot who laughed as she bent it as easily as if it was made of nothing but hard clay.

That was when Cora became aware once more. On hearing about how the young maid had fled the room in fear, she were enraged that Regina had been left on her own. And so on tracking down the terrified girl, she punished her to all but an inch of her life before managing to get her to speak above the sobs and the stammers, she listened as the young girl told her about how she placed the spoon she was using to feed the baby with down whilst she got a cloth only to see that Regina had gotten a hold of it and twisted it like it was nothing.

The information suddenly brought back the incident from days ago to her mind. How she had broken her rattle. To say it had her worrying was putting it lightly, and so once she had sweetly persuaded the naïve girl into calming down. She flicked her wrist and watched her crumble to the ground before leaving her body where she had found her in the ally.

Making her way back to the castle and through its halls it was then she came to learn about the other incident regarding her child. Stopping she hunk in the shadows and listened to one of the washers chatting to one or two of the new recruits that had come to fill in for the servant she had gotten rid of the month before… how it had taken this long to replace him she didn't know but didn't care as she leaned in closer.

Once more her fears came back to her. This time hitting like a riptide, like her chest was… as it was, an empty cavern that had just been smashed in and the pieces had been swallowed up by the darkness… she felt all of that and she didn't even have a heart.

She listened to them talk of how the little baby would scream – only it wasn't really screaming, more of an ear-splitting cry that sounded more creature than human… sounds that only a trapped beast would make. It was enough to crack the windows at any rate and she heard them wondering if their prince knew.

Quickly turning, she fled the hall and ignoring her lady like status – nearly ran to the nursery where Regina occupied and burst through the door ignoring the startled gasps and looks that the maids and nanny were giving her. She moved closer to the small girl who looked over to the new addition to the room and gave her a gummy smile.

Still not taking notice of the other woman she picked the little child up, Regina looked at her Mother before smiling again as Cora turned and left the room. She moved back through the halls with the others on the hall jumping out of her way she was going that fast until at last she came to her chambers, she locked the door behind her and moved to place the baby on the bed, not noticing the little rips to her dress on pulling the baby from her shoulder as she placed her down.

She back away again and repeating what she had done the first time around, she watched the raven haired baby with her sharp eyes. She was waiting for a sign… for anything that could prove her ever-increasing fears weren't true… that Rumple hadn't gotten to Regina like he promised, like he hadn't done something to her that she couldn't be able to undo.

She waited. She waited for what seemed like hours just sitting and watching the little child across from her. On the surface it seemed Regina was fine. Nothing to suggest anything was wrong, no weird features or something hideous that would ruin her plans… but it wasn't the external part of her she were worried about.

The servants had all been whispering about her crying. Her screams of unhappiness or when babies just tended to scream. They said it was almost inhuman… like a creature… but what could that mean?

As much as she would have liked to, she couldn't attest to it being a cold, nor anything along the lines she could claim her being sick as she made sure personally Regina never did, it wouldn't do for a royal baby to be struck down with something as trivial as a bout of flu and so always made sure she was well on that front. It was starting to annoy her that she couldn't figure it out.

She spent the rest of the night locked in her room with her daughter, never picking her up just standing across from her, sometimes pacing other times cursing. She had read what books she had on animals… magical ones to as she scoured the pages trying to find anything that might tell her just what made window cracking screams. She exhausted every book she owned which on animals, was not many before throwing them away in a fit of rage.

It was nearing close to midnight and she looked over to see the baby fast asleep. She had slumped down on the cover and was now snuffling away which prompted Cora to retire to sleep herself. She had no luck this night but she would not be resting until she found out what was wrong with Regina as she moved and picked the sleeping baby up from her bed, and depositing her down in her crib and covering her up.

In an act unlike her, for the second time that night, she forewent her nightly ritual. She waved her hand over her body as her dress vanished in a plume of purple smoke as her nightgown had taken its place. She reached up and undid her elaborate hairstyle groaning a little as the tension went on releasing her hair from its confines and made her way over to her bed.

Sometime during the night Cora woke once more. She didn't know what had roused her from her seemingly undisturbed sleep, but something had, looking around she narrowed her eyes at the empty chamber. She felt oddly flustered, like something was pressing on her body and it had her fidgeting slightly, she didn't like what she didn't know and so threw back her covers.

She stood and took another look around her room. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Everything was where it should be and yet she still felt… out of sorts… like she could feel something was there but she couldn't see what. A small noise from behind her made her turn to find that Regina to had woken. She watched as the small baby fussed about a bit under quilt before using her feet to kick it off.

She wriggled about a little before succeeding in turning over and was now squirming on her side. Her little leg flailing as she made a move to grab at her stuffed horse she loved so much. Ignoring the unsettling feeling for a moment Cora moved to the crib, it would do no good for Regina to start crying if she couldn't reach it and if what the staff had said was true, than she was dreading to hear it for herself.

She reached in and picked the toy from where it sat as Regina grabbed at the empty space. Small whimpers erupted from her tiny mouth as she struggled now on her stomach from where she had rolled over. The older woman waited a moment watching her struggle as the whimpers soon turned to grunts of effort which then led to them getting a little louder.

She bent back down before the cries could get any higher and grasped hold of the baby's sides, turning her so she was facing the right way and almost stumbled back in shock. A un-Cora like gasp falling from her lips as she dropped the horse as it landed on the little girl who grabbed it squealing in delight before pulling it to her, Cora licked her dry lips and very carefully forced her feet to move back so she was standing above the tiny cot.

She held back another gasp as she stared into the eyes of the little girl who was shaking the toy in her hands, oblivious to what was happening around her, but it was painfully clear to Cora,

She had been too late.

"Like the new look, Dearie."

She spun around at the sound of the new voice and looked in the direction it had come from as her anger instantly rose at the sight of the imp sitting calmly in her chair by the window, his legs crossed calmly as he smiled at her.

"What have you done?"

His face changed from gleeful to feigned ignorance. He frowned before throwing out his arms in a questioning manner before shrugging. "Have no idea what you mean"

"DO NOT… mess with me Rumple" She glared at the glittery man across from her as his mocking demeanour slid slightly at her tone. "Change her back… now."

He slowly stood from his place and made his way forwards a bit as she stood up straighter. Her eyes never leaving his own, loathing met mirth as he smiled again in spite of his own growing annoyance.

"As much as I would love to help you out dear, I first have to know what it is I have done." His eyes flickered down to her hand which twitched a little making him smile again as his eyes went back to her own.

"…Whatever it is, you have to undo" He slowed to a stop at looked at one of the books she had read. "Animals of the enchanted forest? Never had you down as a naturist… unless you're destroying it that is," He giggled at his little joke as her jaw clenched.

"How"

To this he looked up from his exploration of her desk. His brow creased slightly at the sudden turnabout from her initial anger, before realizing what she meant and his cheerful manner returned.

"My dear Cora. Did you really think a few protection spells would stop me? Your powerful yes, but do not forget it was I who brought it out of you… you could no more keep me out than you could the wind."

"So you cursed her… to what? To make her life a misery?" He shook his head at that. "No dearie, I did it to teach you a lesson."

He put down the little glass bottle before facing her again. "I'm sorry that it had to cause her such grievances but don't forget, if you hadn't of tried to cheat me she would have been mine anyway… far worse things than a curse to be had."

Whilst that was true he didn't necessarily mean that he would do that to her. Truth was he had no idea what he would have done should she have kept to the deal, on learning she was his child his plans for what he did have in mind went out the window… there was no way he would have subjected her to any of that.

"So you would willingly ruin a child's life… just to get back at me?" He was silent for a moment before shrugging. "Like I said collateral… sad but nonetheless true. I don't take kindly to people who try to double cross me… when people think of this then they will know better."

Unbridled rage coursed through her body. She stood across from him her hands shaking from her rage. A small giggle had Rumple turning to look behind her as his eyes laid on the baby that had managed to lift herself up and was now looking at him. He saw her eyes and his smirk grew twisted, a childlike laugh of his own filling the room as Regina mimicked him.

"I think this look suits her far better." Cora took a step back so she was next to the baby, her eyes never leaving him as she wasn't as stupid as to turn away and glanced down at the small dark-haired babe who was clutching her toy, her eyes glowing bright gold in the darkness of the room – her pupils narrowed until they were diagonal and barely slits. It made her shudder with disgust.

"Is that a hint of revulsion I detect? Come now, surely you can't be ashamed of your child…" Her gaze snapped back to him and on seeing his knowing smirk it had her anger ebbing over and she threw a fireball at him.

Of course it never hit as he dissolved it with a wave of his hand before he vanished in a puff of smoke and reappearing back in front of her, she found herself pushed up against the wall, his hands tired around her forearms as Regina cried out in alarm.

"I would recommend you not to try that again"

She glared at him in spite of the situation. It was a good thing she no longer had her heart for it would be hammering in her chest as he glanced down to where Regina was looking at them.

"You were right you know."

His attention turned back to the woman in front of him as she was watching his actions. "Right?"

"About her being yours… your right." He didn't respond, clearly she was banking on him to undo his work at her admittance. Having known about his son before his time as the dark one she knew that he was the love of his world along with his wife.

But that was a long time ago.

He may have had another kid now. One that he did feel for, maybe not as much as he would have liked given she was all he had shared DNA with within the realm… but he was human back when Bea was around, now his darkness clouded over his capacity for much else.

"And that makes me what?" He asked finally looking at her; he saw a flicker of confusion in her eye and inwardly smiled at his plan having gone like he wanted. "You think just because she is my child I will remove the curse." He laughed at her silence and moved away.

"Oh you really do amuse me… long time since I laughed like that." His condescending tone had her anger spiking again but she knew it would be futile to try to attack him again. He may have warned her this time but the next….

"So what you're going to leave her like this" She threw out her hand to the little girl whose eyes still hadn't changed back. It seemed they lit up the most when she was showing highs amounts of emotion. Rumple looked back to her and shrugged,

"I don't see the problem" His indifferent tone had her furious and with all the calmness she could muster, spoke. "I can't have a child who… who"

"What? Dear? Looks like that" She nodded sharply.

"Exactly"

"The problem is not the child, it's you." She turned to look at him. "You caused this…"

"Do you think for a second that I would embarrass myself with… with this? This is all you Rumple now take it off."

For the first time in a long time did he truly feel like he wanted to hurt this woman, before he wouldn't have bothered with her… after their last night he chose to stick to his deals and contracts, but now… now that she was calling his child something less than what she was. It made his skin tingle with hate. If he wasn't so determined to teach her how wrong she had been to try to cross him. He would have taken the curse off her.

As it was it was a tricky curse he enacted, and very hard to remove and so wasn't going to try to waste his energy on something he had no intentions of removing.

"Can't"

She blinked stupidly for a moment as his one word answer had her stunned, "What?"

"I said I can't remove it… it was one of my more complex curses and as it was the ingredient's used where rather… arduous to come by." She stared at him in livid silence before changing tactic.

"Fine… if you won't then I will." She sneered at his standing form. "Always knew you were weak when it came to your children Rumple. First with your Son and now with Regina… and here I was thinking I was the heartless one"

He clenched his first at his side. It would do no good to kill her now much as he wants to, it would be easy but he wants to see her lifelong plans fall around her and so with a deep breath. He ignores her so clear taunt and opens his eyes again.

"Feel free to try… but I assure you that you will fail." He picked up the last book on magical creatures she had and idly flipped through it and smirking when he found not a page regarding the truth and threw it back on the desk.

"But all you will achieve is failure and most likely an upset baby." He glanced back over to her to still see her wide reptilian like eyes observing them and tutted.

"Have you heard her cry yet? Such a loud noise… though from what I've seen you haven't been a very attentive mummy have you? Servants have heard… servants have started talking."

"You've been watching" She questioned incredulously on realizing what he had said as he lifted his hand to his mouth and responded to her statement with a fake look of guilt.

"But of course… you didn't think I was going to miss you discovering the truth did you? The look on your face… almost enough to make me forget for a moment that you tried to cheat me"

"You will undo this or-"

"Or what… Cora" He said turning back to look at her, his face no longer jesting. "You can do nothing against me and as I said try all you like but you will never be able to break that curse… no one can"

She stayed silent at that. Her mind furiously working on what choices she had. She was counting on his love for his children to be the key to getting him to comply, if he was right about the curse – which he usually was. Then she had no chance of reversing it by herself and she wasn't about to exert her energy to try. But what could she do? If she couldn't return Regina to her normal state then that was it for her plans.

There was no way she could reach what had been her overall goal with a child who… well she still didn't know what the hell was wrong with her, but if inhuman screeching and strength enough to bend metal were factors, she really didn't want to know what came next.

She really didn't have a lot of choices. If she couldn't hide this then it would continue until finally… like she said, she really didn't want to know.

She closed her eyes picturing the shame. The idea of her perfect future queen being… unnatural, she could almost see the faces of the other royals from the different kingdoms. Scorning and mocking them.

The freak of a princess

It wouldn't just be her they would ridicule. They would also blame her, Henry knew of her magic and if it got out and the rest found out they would think her being the reason for Regina's condition.

That was something she couldn't have.

Rumple had been watching her and how her face changed from anger, to pondering, to realization and then finally his most favorite one of all – fear.

"Not a lot you can do is there dearie" He said breaking her out of her thoughts. She looked over to his knowing smile and snarled, she couldn't kill him… but she would get even.

"I think the answer will come to you soon. Just have to wait for it…. in that time you can decide on what to do." He turned and made his way back to the window his deed done for the night and his expectations more than filled at seeing the bitter woman start her descent downhill.

"But I think we both know what your only choice will be." He finished his visit with once last meaningful glance at the shallow woman near the crib who lifted her eyes to meet his and with one final surge of anger she threw another fireball at him but missed as it hit the wall casing Regina to start crying as the imp laughed his way out of her chamber, leaving both woman and child alone.

Cora stands in the middle her chest heaving with the heavy breaths she is trying hard to calm her raging anger that is fueling her body. Her thoughts are too clouded to rationalize properly and the startled cries are proving to be no help. She turns her head to look at the upset baby who is flailing and for the first time since she heard the rumors, the beginnings of the bone chilling shrieks that soon accompany her.

Still staring at the crying baby, Cora is silent but even with her muddled head and anger driven body, one thought above all pushes its way through and sits firmly at the top.

Rumple was right.

There really only was one choice she could make.