6
Regina was present at her father's beheading. No one asked for evidence of her father's guilt and none was given. The king's word is law. King Leopold had ordered her to be present to the execution of her mother's murderer. He stood by to ensure that she watched as the axe fell. And he smiled victoriously at the silent tears that fell from her face. He witnessed all of that, but there was one thing that he missed. He did not see the determined set of her jaw. Or the new thirst for revenge that settled in her heart.
When Daniel woke the next morning or evening, he had lost track of the days, after watching Regina witness the beheading of her father, he found that his shackles had been loosened. With a tug of his wrist he freed one of his hands and then managed to free the other. He rubbed his hands together as he dropped to the floor.
He looked around warily through his now cold eyes and stepped toward the mirror. It seemed that the magic was spent and the mirror had returned to being just a normal mirror. He looked at his reflection and no longer noticed the man staring back at him. A dark beard had settled on his once smooth chin and icy blue eyes were cold and hooded. He found that he was rather handsome with this dark new expression that haunted his features. But he found that the clothes of a stable boy were unsuited to his tastes.
At this thought the mirror glowed and Daniel felt new fabric brush his skin. He was clad in black leather breeches and wore a black leather shirt to cover his black tunic. As he examined his new look in the mirror he noticed something reflected behind him in the mirror.
He turned and saw a sword of black metal resting on a table in the center of the room. He picked up the sword and gazed at it in wonder. On the hilt was a sigil. It was an apple with a majestic horse in the center of it. His love, Regina had a beautiful apple tree that they visited after their riding lessons. He instantly knew that this was a symbol of their love and the rage enveloped his heart once more.
As if sensing this rage, sword in his hands erupted in black fire that was intense but without heat. He put the flaming sword into the scabbard that was on his hip and walked out of the door to his right. As he walked out into the night, he saw a black horse waiting for him. He mounted his steed with revenge consuming his mind and headed for the castle to kill the king and rescue his love.
Since the death of her father, Regina had not been herself. She had felt the coldness creep over her and known what it was. She wanted revenge for all that she had suffered and she was determined to get it. The king had not visited her. He was still reveling in the victory of his latest torture. So instead she thought of all of the things she would do when he came to her chambers again.
She had retrieved her mother's things after her death, among them her spell books. She studied them and she now knew several ways to pay back the king for all he had given her. It was these thoughts that were engulfing her mind as she was completing her nightly routine when a soft knock startled her from her daze. She opened the door to once again reveal, Snow White.
Snow stepped into her chambers and began her usual chatter. Regina did not pay much attention until Snow mentioned her father.
"Regina, I'm so sorry about your father" Snow said sadly. Regina replied, "Yes, well I suppose the king had no other choice."
Snow looked down at her hands and said, "His nightly disappearances were too obvious for him not to be guilty. I still can't understand how my father didn't notice at first."
Realization washed over Regina's face as she realized Snow's hand in this cruelty. How else would the king notice anything that didn't concern him unless someone brought it to his attention? Snow White and her childish ways had caused the death of the only family she had left. Her father was dead because of Snow. Regina managed to quell the rage inside of her before she acted rashly and even managed to sing Snow to sleep as she had done so many nights before.