As soon as Regina walked out of the loud and crowded main hall and into the corridor she felt instantly calmer and more at ease; and with the clarity of thinking that such a state allowed her, she remembered her conduct with Robin. She'd been so shocked by the incident and his sudden presence that she had spent several seconds unable to speak, simply allowing him to help her, to touch her, to tend to her injured wound like an injured kitten. She closed her eyes and exhaled sharply in annoyance at her own weakness and she walked briskly down the marble corridor, her footsteps echoing as she did so, her injured hand cupped with her other one. She was far from delicate and in need of rescue, and she did not want to be seen as a vulnerable woman in need of saving; she was far from it.
As Regina made her way down the dimly lit corridor, which was bathed in the moonlight which shone through the tall glass windows lining her route, Zelena slowly pushed open the door to the grand hall, her eyes fixed upon the principal's departing figure. A sinister smile played on her lips as she turned and headed back into the room, noticing Robin and Hook heading into one of the back rooms with a large brush and several bin liners. She watched them curiously until they disappeared from her sight, before making her way back towards Henry and Hansel, who had both been engaged in conversation with her during the night. From her subtle questions and pleasant demeanour, Zelena had been able to learn much about Henry Mills, all of which she would be able to use to her advantage. But first, she would have to deal with an obstacle which was in her way, and which threatened the success of her task and the containment of it. But considering the fact that this particular person had just made her way covertly from the room whilst deftly shielding those who approached her from a rather nasty looking injury, Zelena considered that the woman's clumsiness would be very much to her advantage, limiting any suspicion which may befall her in the event of the principal's demise. She smiled at the thought, walking towards Henry with a warm expression, her bright eyes meeting his.
Regina headed down the corridor and quickly ascended the stairs, making her way towards her apartment. She unlocked the door (with some difficulty due to her injured and currently bleeding hand), before pushing it open with her shoulder and heading to her bedroom. She flicked on the light switched as she walked through her room and into her ensuite bathroom, pulling a medical kit out from one of the cupboards beneath her sink and placing it on top of a nearby shelf. She searched the bag for a few moments and gathered the things she needed, before slowly removing Robin's carefully tied handkerchief, which was completely saturated in her blood, the once white fabric now a bright crimson, and completely unsalvageable. She dropped the handkerchief into the wicker bin beside her sink before tending to her injury, cleaning it and applying some steri-strips before covering her palm with a large plaster. For a moment she considered bandaging the injury, but did not wish to attract attention to it, and she certainly didn't want to worry her son. A few minutes later Regina left her apartment and headed back towards the party, exuding confidence and authority as she entered the room, her return attracting the attention of both Robin and Zelena.
Regina remained with Tink for the rest of the night, continuing to supervise the party until the students left shortly after 11pm. She remained assisting with some of the necessary clean up, concealing her injury from the others as she did so, but finding that Robin Locksley covertly picking up the heavier objects and undertaking the more arduous tasks. Despite believing that such a gesture was unnecessary as her injury was very minor, Regina felt herself touched by his conduct, and grateful that he had not mentioned the incident to anyone. She looked up at him appreciatively and offered him a polite smile, before wishing him goodnight and hugging Tink goodbye, her heels clicking upon the marble floor as she made her way tiredly towards the exit.
As soon as Regina returned to her apartment she peered down the corridor towards her son's bedroom door, which was closed and apparently in darkness. Satisfying herself that he was asleep, Regina headed into her own bedroom, leaving the door half open as she walked towards her ensuite. She turned the light above the sink on and turned her left hand over, frowning as she gazed upon the plaster in the centre of her palm, which was beginning to become saturated with blood. She sighed in mild annoyance, before tearing off the recently applied plaster and dropping it into the bin beside her, running her hand under the tap as the steri-strips remained in place. It had been a very long week and she was exhausted, she didn't have the time or the energy to be dealing with such a stubborn injury; she just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep. The sound of the running water was soothing, calming Regina as the bleeding began to subside, the once red water now turning clear. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, letting out a long breath gradually, as the sound of the running water echoed throughout the bathroom.
"Mom?" came a confused and tired voice, causing Regina's eyes to snap open as she closed her hand instinctively. "What's going on?" Henry continued as he stepped into the ensuite, his eyes drifting from her hand to the bin, which contained the very bloodied handkerchief which Robin had used to dress her wound. "Mom, are you hurt?" he asked, stepping closer to her and looking up at her with wide eyes.
"No, dear, I'm fine" Regina smiled, placing her uninjured hand gently upon his shoulder as she stepped towards him. She could tell from his eyes that he didn't believe her, and after seeing her hand and the bloody handkerchief, she couldn't blame him. "I cut myself when I was cleaning up the broken punch bowl earlier" she stated simply, watching as Henry's eyes drifted down to her hand.
"Can I see?" he asked gently.
"That really won't be necessary, doctor" she returned lightly. "I'm just gonna redress it and then head to bed. Which is precisely where you should be."
"Mom, please" Henry persisted, looking up at her with his bright, dark eyes. "Let me see."
Regina sighed, knowing that her son would not be placated until he saw that she really was fine. She put her hand out towards him and turned it over, revealing a two inch cut across her palm, as well as a cluster of smaller cuts surrounding it.
"It looks deep" Henry commented, his small fingers exploring the edge of her hand cautiously.
"It's not" Regina stated with conviction. "It's already stopped bleeding, see?" she added, her voice adopting a gentler tone. "Cuts always look much worse than they are, but it's fine, sweetheart" she stated, watching as Henry looked up at her, his hands falling from hers. "Go and get some sleep, and I'll wake you at half six as usual, okay?" she asked, a tired smile playing upon her lips. Henry frowned and shook his head.
"We can't go riding tomorrow, mom" he stated, causing Regina to frown in confusion.
"Why's that?" she asked gently.
"Your hand" he stated, gesturing towards it. Regina sighed and shook her head.
"Sweetheart, it is a tiny cut, and it is not bleeding anymore. I just need to dress it and then it will be fine" she stated, speaking slowly and calmly to reassure her son. "It'll probably be mostly healed by morning" she stated, despite knowing that, based on the depth of the wound, it would not be.
"You can't ride with an injured hand, mom, it's dangerous. You won't be able to grip the reigns" Henry stated gently, his tone polite and respectful. "You said so yourself" he continued, watching as his mom's look of confusion clarified and she closed her eyes in mild annoyance. "Remember that time when I broke my finger and you said I couldn't ride until-"
"Yes, I remember" Regina interceded, the memory of her son's accident in gym class causing her stomach to churn. "But sweetheart, that was different."
"No, it's not" Henry stated, shaking his head. He watched as his mom looked down upon him with tired eyes. He knew she'd had a busy week and she was exhausted. She'd even fallen asleep on the couch a few times, which she never did. He walked towards her and wrapped his arms around her waist, feeling her return the gesture instinctively, holding him to her. "It's exactly the same, mom" he mumbled into her dress, before tilting his head up and meeting her gaze. "You were looking out for me, and now I'm looking out for you" he declared, his kind tone causing Regina's eyes to soften and a small smile to play upon her lips. "Because that's what we do" he added simply. "We look out for each other." Regina smiled, running her hand through her son's hair and nodding.
"Yes, we do" she confirmed, her voice low and weary, as she acceded defeat. "Fine" she sighed, causing Henry to smile up at her. "But only on one condition" she stated, her voice adopting a fake authoritative tone.
"Name it" Henry replied, a smile lighting up his face.
"You have to think of something even more fun for us to do together" she stated, returning his smile with one of her own. "Deal?"
"Deal" he agreed, hugging her once more before leaning back slightly. "So you hurt yourself on the same glass you wouldn't let me touch, cos you thought I'd get hurt?" he asked. Regina rose her eyebrows and pursed her lips in response.
"The irony isn't lost on me either" she replied in a low tone, running her hand through her son's hair and down his cheek. "Go and get some sleep, dear" she stated gently, pressing a kiss upon his forehead before leaning back and smiling at him reassuringly.
"Okay" he agreed, his eyes remaining upon her as he walked from the ensuite. As he reached the door he turned around and looked back towards her. "You too" he stated, earning a nod from his mother, as he closed the door gently behind him.
Zelena, who was sitting in her own living area before the glare of a computer screen, listened to the conversation through her earphones and responded with an angry growl. Scowling, Zelena tore the headphones from her ears and threw them to the ground. She took several deep breaths as she closed her eyes and attempted to calm herself, her anger at having to wait at least another week causing her entire body to tense with pure rage. After a few moments she opened her eyes, staring at the screen before her, before closing the laptop and resting her hand upon it. It would be worth it, she reasoned, before rising from her seating position and reaching for her phone, as she considered the pictures from Henry's file she had taken several days earlier. She perused the documents with interest, considering their contents alongside the conversation she had with Henry during the party; it truly was amazing how much personal information a person unwittingly reveals. She snorted slightly, her mind now at ease and her temper calming, as she smiled broadly at the flickering screen before her. A week was a very small price to pay.
The weekend passed quickly, and Regina spent the majority of it with her son. On Saturday morning they went for a walk to see the horses, before returning to their apartment and spending the day watching movies. Sunday was spent very much the same, with mother and son preparing lunch together and making some of her famous apple turnovers for dessert. After they ate they watched one of Henry's favourite films together, and Regina fell asleep on the couch (again) and awoke sometime in the early evening, the sound of a knock at her door rousing her from her rest. She watched as Henry opened the door to Hansel, who appeared to be inviting him to hang out. Henry was in the process of declining when Regina eased herself off the couch and headed towards her son, placing her hand on his back and offering him a kind smile, before encouraging him to spend time with his friend and enjoy himself. Henry agreed, and Regina spent the rest of the evening catching up on some paperwork, before allowing rest to claim her once more.
Monday morning came all too quickly, and Regina found herself sat in her office hosting another staff meeting, listening attentively to Mr Hook's suggestions for a class trip for the humanities department. As she faced the geography teacher and nodded as he spoke, Robin found his eyes drifting from her face to her hand, which no longer bore any kind of bandage or dressing. Principal Mills appeared as she always did, calm and authoritative, intelligent and wise, making some amendments and suggestions to the ideas being raised by Mr Hook, before leaning back in her seat and looking across the faces of her staff with her wide, dark eyes. As her eyes meet Robin's face she watched as his calming blue eyes slowly rise to meet her gaze, and she finds herself transfixed once more. Her lips slightly part and her eyelids flicker, before she exhales slowly and turns to the side, grateful for the distraction of Tink's voice. She tried to avoid his gaze for the rest of the meeting, and was successful until the very end. As the teachers began to leave the room, engaged in conversation with one another as they walked, Robin lingered behind for a moment as Regina tidied her papers.
Zelena watched with interest as Robin slowly rose from his seat, tucked it under the large table and began to tidy some of the papers on the desk, neatly stacking them as he offered them to Regina. A few other teachers remained in the room, speaking to each other in hushed tones, all out of earshot.
"How's your hand?" he asked quietly, his voice soft and his words barely audible, as Regina's eyes flickered towards him, before looking back down at her papers. In truth, she was quite embarrassed by the whole situation.
"Fine" she stated, accepting the papers with her injured hand, which was already beginning to heal. "Thank you" she added, her gentle and kind, as her dark eyes met his and a small smile befell her red lips. Despite her genuine smile, Robin could tell that the subject was not one which she wished to discuss.
"You are quite welcome" he returned, his lips pressed into a small smile as he placed one hand in his pocket and turned to leave the room.
Zelena's eyes narrowed with interest as she watched Robin leave, casting a single look back towards Regina, who tidying her desk and chairs. Just as Robin left the room Regina turned towards the doorway, her eyes lingering upon his departing figure, as the few remaining teachers also began to leave. A small smile played on Zelena's lips as she considered the exchanges between Regina and Robin the subtle glances, covert looks and tender expressions. She had noticed it once or twice before, and despite the subtlety of their conduct, it was clear that something was developing between them. Even if they both appeared to be trying to fight it. Zelena smirked in satisfaction at the thought, as her eyes befell the figure of the principal, who continued to tidy her desk, unaware that she was being watched so closely. Zelena considered how the normally calm and composed expression of Regina Mills altered slightly when she spoke with Robin Locksley; her eyes softened and her shoulders fell, her whole body relaxing beneath his gaze. Her pale cheeks occasionally adopted a light pink hue, and her entire being practically radiated with warmth, almost as if she was glowing. The signs were subtle, but present; Zelena believed that Regina's friend, the art teacher, had picked up on them, but no one else. Zelena exhaled sharply and turned from the room, smiling as she considered how little time Regina would have to explore her reluctant feelings for the dashing new teacher, before her time on this earth came to an abrupt and eternal end.
The week passed as quickly as Regina had anticipated it would, with the majority of her time being occupied by the usual start of term issues. The week was busy and extremely hectic, and she was very grateful for it, as it provided her with an excuse to keep herself separated from everyone else for a short while. Since the incident at the party, Regina found herself remembering the feeling of Robin's hands upon her body, his delicate ministrations, his kind voice. She could almost feel his warm breath grazing her neck as she recalled the incident, before shaking the image forcibly from her mind and continuing her work. She found her feelings for him both confusing and unsettling, mainly because she simply tried to block them as soon as they arose, refusing to give them any deep thought or consideration; but also because they frightened her. The thought of caring for someone in that way terrified her completely. Last week she had found herself almost willing to consider the affect he was having upon her, until the incident at the party made her feel vulnerable and weak, and Regina Mills was neither of those things. She felt strong and confident, capable and in control, but every time she passed him in the corridor or saw him in the staffroom her heart would beat just that little bit faster, before aching with the knowledge that it would never be. The thought of being dependant on a person for anything terrified her, and the idea of being cared for by someone confused and frightened her even more. Thankfully she managed to avoid him for most of the week, and she found herself feeling calm and relaxed on Friday evening as she prepared dinner for herself and her son. The weekend was due to be warm and bright, and she was very much looking forward to their riding trip the next morning. As she plated up the lasagne and called Henry from his room, she was blissfully unaware that she was not the only person thinking of her riding excursion the next morning; but those being made by another were far more sinister.
Just as dawn was breaking on Saturday morning Zelena Gardner made her way towards the stables, branches breaking beneath her boots, which disturbed the crisp leaves which lay scattered upon the ground. The air was cool and refreshing, and birds were chirping as the sun slowly began to rise; it was a beautiful day for such a wicked plan. Zelena walked confidently into the stable, lowering the large white bucket she held in her hand, as she looked up at the glorious creature who rose upon her entrance.
"Rocinante" she breathed, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the beast. "What a name" she returned, walking towards the horse, which backed away in its stall and huffed in response. "Come, dear, don't be so rude" Zelena chided, as she mixed the nightshade she had collected with some of the horse's food, concealing the toxic herb completely. "It's time for breakfast" she grinned, lifting the bucket and carrying it towards the horse.
Rocinante huffed a few more times at Zelena's approach, backing away a few places, before the scent of the food she was offering drew him closer. After a few moments of hesitance, the creature bent its head towards the container, eating heartily as Zelena watched on with a cruel smile. She had used enough of the plant to cause the desired effect which would lead to the tragedy, but certainly not enough to harm the animal; she had to be above suspicion, it had to look like an accident.
"That's it, my dear" she smiled. "That's it."
Rocinante finished eating and backed away suspiciously in his stall, exhaling loudly at Zelena until she slowly backed away, the wicked smile still plastered across her face. She glanced around the stables curiously, before heading towards a large cupboard containing riding equipment. She quickly located Regina's personal affects, and removed her equestrian helmet, turning it over in her hands. She ran her slender fingers across the material of the helmet, before considering the strap which went beneath the rider's chin. She removed a knife from her pocket and ran it along both sides of the strap which were attached to the helmet itself, fraying the fibres ever so slightly, the damage almost imperceptible, but present; the helmet was compromised, as was the horse. Zelena smiled.
"And now all we need is the rider" she laughed, before placing the helmet and closing the cupboard door behind her, as she made her way hastily back towards the school. She couldn't risk being seen, not now, and certainly not near the stables. Not when such a perfect plan was about to be enacted, with the most devastating of consequences. For Regina, at least, and her brat.
The grooms arrived just under an hour later, and began tending to the horses and preparing Rocinante and Cobra for Regina and Henry's riding session. Whilst Cobra was as alert and boisterous as ever, the principal's horse seemed to be oscillating between weariness and excitement. They managed to calm him, and were surprised to find that he was not very hungry, but clearly quite keen to ride. Geppetto suspected his excitement was due to the fact that he knew he was going to be ridden that day. Despite his confidence in the reason behind the horse's odd behaviour, the creature's mistress noticed something was amiss as soon as she arrived at the stables, and spent almost ten minutes tending to her horse.
"Are you sure he's alright?" Regina asked, her eyes narrowing in confusion as she stroked the excitable horse.
"I'm sure he is, ma'am" Geppetto confirmed. "He has missed you" he explained. Regina turned towards Geppetto and smiled, before turning her attention back to her horse.
After spending another couple of minutes with Rocinante, Regina judged that the groom was almost certainly correct. He was always an excitable creature, especially after he had missed a riding session. He had always been very attached to Regina, and she hadn't had a chance to visit him in the week as she normally would, as the start of the new term had meant that she had been incredibly busy.
"I'm sorry, my dear" Regina stated, planting a kiss upon her horse's face. "I missed our session last week and couldn't spend time with you before now" she continued, her voice low and tender, as she stroked the horse's neck. "But we'll ride for longer today, okay?" she continued, stroking the horse's face gently as she led him by the reigns.
Pinocchio was helping Henry onto his horse after having secured his helmet, which Regina insisted he wore. Regina made her way towards the cupboard and removed her own helmet, placing it on and securing it quickly. Her hair was arranged in an intricate plaited design, held in place with several clips which kept it from her face, with the exception of her fringe. She wore light brown leggings and a white blouse, with a fitted black riding jacket and matching boots. She smoothed down her blouse as she got onto her horse, stroking his neck as he turned back towards her, beating his feet impatiently upon the ground. Regina smiled in response; he was always so happy to see her.
"Alright, alright" she soothed, rubbing the horse's neck tenderly as she grabbed his reigns, before turning back towards her son.
"Are you ready, dear?" she asked, as Cobra began trotting towards her.
"Absolutely" he smiled, his horse following Rocinante and Regina out of the stable and onto the path through the woods, where he soon joined her side.
Regina and Henry always rode the same route on Saturday mornings: through the woods, across the fields and towards the lake, where they would stop and enjoy a modest picnic, allowing the horses to graze, before plucking some ripe apples as a treat for the faithful creatures, and heading back towards the stables. Regina said they could stay out a little longer today to make up for lost time last week; despite having a considerable amount of work waiting for her when she returned, she wanted to ensure that she made it up to Henry first.
The horses cantered contently through the woods, upon the earthen path which was littered with autumnal leaves, and lined with tall trees which bowed slightly over them. For the first few minutes both horses behaved as usual and appeared fine, but it quickly became apparent to Regina that something with Rocinante was not quite right. The horse seemed to want to gallop, which he knew was not their custom whilst heading through the woods; they ran whilst on the fields. Despite her efforts to calm the horse, much to the initial amusement of herself and her son, the horse quickly became demanding, almost angry, before he refused to listen to her commands any longer and bolted, galloping along the path at an alarming speed.
Regina's eyes widened in shock as she pulled on the reigns, commanding her horse to stop, yelling his name as his speed increased. She could hear her son's worried voice in the distance, but it quickly became nothing more than an echo of a sound above her own rising voice.
"Rocinante, stop!" she yelled, pulling on the reigns once more. The defiant creature responded to Regina's command and actions by rearing up suddenly, almost throwing her from him, as she increased her hold upon his reigns and called his name once more. As she returned to an upright position she could hear the sound of her son's approaching voice, and the fast-paced hooves of his horse beating hastily upon the ground.
"Roci!" she yelled, attempting to get him to turn around, in the hope that a change in direction would calm him, or at least slow him down. "Roci, stop!" she yelled, tugging his reigns to the right and attempting to manoeuvre him.
As Regina did so the horse became agitated, rearing up once more and neighing loudly, acting so suddenly that Regina was not quite prepared. Her grip on the horse's reigns lessened as she struggled to maintain her hold. The horse bucked once more, his legs rising high in the air as Regina called his name once more, her head dizzy from the action and distracted by the frantic calling of her son's voice. Her mind and her hands were so affected that, on the third time that the horse bucked, an occasion which happened to be more violent and sudden than the others, Regina's fingers fell from the reigns and she was cast through the air, her body flying off the horse before slamming down hard upon the ground in front of her horrified son.
"Mom!" Henry yelled, his voice filled with panic, as he leapt from his horse and ran towards her.
Regina's horse bolted as soon as she was cast off, continuing to run forward, and leaving a heavy dust cloud of dirt in the air, briefly concealing Regina for a few moments. As Henry ran forward and the dust cloud descended and the air became clear, his eyes widened at the sight before him, his body tense and trembling by what he saw. His mother was lying on her side, her helmet discarded and her legs entwined, one arm over her waist and the other outstretched by her side. She was still, silent and completely unmoving, causing Henry to run towards her and scream her name. He threw himself on the ground beside her and stared at her with tear-stained and panicked eyes, which widened as he considered her face. Her eyes were firmly closed and her cheeks were pale, with the only colour on her face being the dark red blood which was flowing from a deep gash on the side of her head.