Title: Vengeance, Sacrifice, and Forgiveness
Author: AoN
Word Count: 4,800
Genre: Drama, Adventure
Rating: PG-13
Feedback: Please and thank you! Let me know what I'm doing right or doing wrong.
Summary: With the Evil Queen's curse weakening and Regina struggling to keep Storybrooke under control, hidden secrets and lies from long ago are beginning to surface – and they want their happily ever after.
Chapter Sixteen
The Queen had lingered with the young princesses in their shared bedroom to help arrange for the tea party which appeared to distract Lily from the missing Mr. Bear in the meantime. His lack of attendance at the small play table was not noticed – his usual seat was even replaced by another stuffed animal, Snow's white tiger. Or, even if Lily did notice, which Regina was certain she did, she did not say anything. That seat was always reserved for the brown teddy bear; Lily had always made that point rather clear. The last time Snow had tried to put another toy in that particular place; Lily had thrown it clear across the room in a temper tantrum. No, Regina knew the little girl very well – Lily was not saying anything. She was still upset, otherwise that tiger would have been thrown long ago. Lily kept to herself when she was upset. Regina had to fix it, had to make her happy again.
Regina had said it time and time again: her own happiness depended on Lily's. Her lingering, however, had been the result of the woman she found Lily playing with this afternoon. In the presence of her grandchild, Cora retained a loving demeanor – as loving as the woman was capable of being. Regina had not wanted to risk running into her alone in that open field, not after their previous conversation. Regina had crossed a line; she barely avoided that dangerous question. The only reason she did at all was due to Lily, Lily conjuring up forces that Regina herself despised.
Regina could not imagine her mother staying outside in that field for that long and, fortunately, Regina had been right. The field was now empty, completely void. Cora came here for Lily's amusement and her amusement only, Regina was almost certain. Why else would she come out here? Lily rarely was able to venture beyond the castle walls, the little girl would have jumped at the opportunity – Cora was well aware of that. She knew the child would not turn down time away from the castle. She was attempting to manipulate her granddaughter – a four year old child! And lacing the temptation of magic to the form of a stuffed animal…
Spotting the familiar medium sized boulder off the marked path, Regina gently pulled on the horse's reigns before swinging herself off in one swift and easy movement, the result of years of practice. She dragged herself through the tall unkept grass, just a couple strides past the boulder. This was where Regina had found the two of them, playing. Lily had taken a few steps away from them while they conversed, with the bear. Regina retraced her little girl's possible path, one she knew to be correct upon discovering pieces of white fluff – cotton – sticking to the dry blades of grass. Her heart fell immediately at the sight found nearby.
Mr. Bear was lying in a pile of his own stuffing. Regina knelt down and picked up the brown bear which was still mostly intact. The only damage was the tear, a fairly large one, running diagonally down its front. It was too clean of a rip to have been done by a wild animal. The thought of the only person capable to do such a thing to her daughter's favorite toy made her shake her head, bitterly laughing silently. She would be able to fix it, but the tear would be noticeable, especially in the manner it had been torn. Without a doubt, that was the ripper's intention – to make sure the damage could not be fully hidden. Lily would not mind, not if Regina accompanied the tear with an adventurous, daring story that shown Mr. Bear as a hero – maybe then Lily would rethink his dungeon sentence.
She began to collect the white fluff that had been spread around the small area and restuffed the bear as best as she could, considering she was out in the middle of field. She would get one of the maids to help her, to make sure the bear would be fixed as just as new. Lily would be devastated to lose this teddy bear. It had been gifted to her when she was born by a close friend. Jefferson had taken time away from his work to visit her after he received word of Lily's birth.
Jefferson had been so happy for her, Regina remembered him saying as he cooed over the little baby who had been sleeping until his arrival. Leave it to Jefferson to cause even a minimal amount of trouble, but he had quickly calmed her with this bear. He had been a natural. The bear use to be so much bigger than Lily who had been such a tiny baby. Regina could recall the days where Lily had trouble pulling and dragging the bear along throughout the castle. Now, there really was no issue at all and Regina would ensure there would continue to be no issues – she would fix the bear. She was determined. After that, Cora would see Lily running around the castle with it once more, and whatever plan she had formulated would have failed.
Yes, her plan. Regina's last fist full was a little rough at the thought. Her plan to take away everything in her life that she loved. That was her plan, that was why she was showing the girl magic – she wanted to take Lily away from her, make her out to be a terrible mother. No, she would fix this toy, she would prove to be a better mother – she would give Lily everything, allow her to live her life as she saw fit and this damn bear would be with her every step of the way if that was what Lily truly wanted.
This damn bear, Regina caught herself thinking. She was overreacting. She could already hear her father telling her to calm down, to relax – that they all had the little princess' best interest in mind. They just all had different definition of 'best interest.'
With a heavy sigh, Regina stood up, the bear in her hands. She headed back to her horse that was waiting patiently for her return. Regina kept her eyes down, locked on the stuffed animal. She shook her head. No, the only definition of 'best interest' that mattered should solely be her own.
xxxx
Currently, it was in Lucy's best interest to stay calm and keep her mind clear – a statement the young woman had been telling herself a lot lately. Life seemed so much simpler as a wolf where her only worry had been finding her next meal, no connection to human kind. Instead, she was sitting in this padded room, knees curled up to her chest, waiting for the mayor – the Evil Queen, her mother, no less – to make an appearance. She was trapped in a room, trapped somewhere unknown to her, and she was about to have an audience with one of the most fearful beings in all the lands. To make matters even more frightening, Lucy knew that the act was up.
As much as Lucy did not want to accept it, this probably was how her story was going to end. The Queen would not let her go and what would prevent her from ridding her own flesh and blood? She had done it before. Grandpa Henry.
Lucy closed her eyes tightly and buried her face into her knees. But the curse would still be broken, Lucy reassured herself. It would be. Red knew everything, everything that Lucy had told her. Red, in turn, would awaken Snow and, then, Emma would believe. Emma would bring back the happy endings and everyone would live happily ever after. The plan was extremely simplified, but maybe it really was that simple. Lucy convinced herself, it offered a small sense of peace. There was no need for her. There had not been for the last twenty eight years, or the eighteen she had been considered dead in her father's kingdom.
The final thing she could do was not tell the Queen about Emma's true identity. The daughter of Snow White and Prince James, the Savior. On some level, the Queen must have known, have been at least a little bit suspicious, but Lucy would not confirm it. She would find out eventually, during a time perhaps when even Emma herself would accept who she really was. For now, Lucy would keep the secret – probably the last honorable act she would do. She was an honorable creature.
The sharp metal sound of the door unlocking made Lucy's head immediately snap up. Unlike the last time, Lucy did not budge from her sitting position on the bed. Her heart began to race uncomfortably, painfully against her chest as the door slowly swung open, revealing someone so much more than a mayor – a cold hardened regal void of emotion. A far cry from the woman she had once known so extremely well. Little did Lucy know that Regina was staring back with the similar thoughts running through her own mind. This rundown hoodlum with the tendency to break into homes could not possibly be the sickly little girl with serve attachment issues to a teddy bear.
Regina took a step inside, closing the door behind herself. She kept her eyes on the young woman who still did not budge. The only thing Lucy could do was return that hard glare.
"I don't like being lied to," Regina stated, breaking the deafening silence. Lucy did not say anything in return. Every fiber of her being refused to move, she was impressed that she could actually breathe. Regina understood the lack of acknowledgment as an invite to continue speaking. "I was never involved in a car accident. Perhaps you were raised by a government fearing old couple, but I sincerely doubt that as well."
Her sentence was followed by more silence. No defense to offer. No smart comebacks. The girl was cornered and choosing her battles. Lucy was not going to defend those lies any longer.
"I refuse to play these games for much longer," Regina continued. "There was no accident and, by extension, you, at least who you claim to be, did not wander away from your trapped, injured mother. Considering the technicalities, had your story been at all remotely true, you have forgotten one fact of the upmost importance: I never mothered a child – a daughter – of my own here in Storybrooke."
Regina's last statement lingered in the air filled with tension. Lucy still did not reply. The air had been sucked out of her lungs and fright kept her silent. Regina had picked a part, torn to shreds, her entire falsified story, a story she knew to be a lie from the very beginning. Lucy had been nothing short of an idiot to think she could have fooled the Queen.
"Now, there is one reason why silver would affect you in the manner that it did," Regina pointed out. "And the cut under your eye, I can conclude, only proves my theory."
The jagged cut under Lucy's eye suddenly became itchy, but she did not dare move to call attention to it. The small wound had been dealt by the Wolf. Lucy had tried to dodge a swipe from those claws; she clearly had not been entirely successful to say the least. The Queen must have taken note during their scuffle.
"Tell me your name," Regina demanded.
"Lu-" she began.
"Your name," Regina interjected.
Lucy sat up a little straighter, lowering her knees. She placed her feet against the ground, her hands grasped the edge of the bed – an attempt to brace herself. "Lillian," she stated, her voice shaking a bit more than she cared to admit. Anyone could have given that name. The entire kingdom knew her as Princess Lillian. There was another name she went by, one used exclusively by the royal family. "Lily."
The deafening silence from before was nothing compared to this torturous one. For a split second, Lucy saw her – the gentle, overcautious woman who took her riding on her prized steed, who taught her to care for the apple tree in the courtyard, and who attended countless of pretend tea parties. For that short moment, Lucy inverted to her five year old self who wanted nothing more than to hug her mother, to be in her embrace.
But that woman quickly disappeared as soon as she had appeared. Regina's exterior and expression grew hard once more, but her voice betrayed her stance. "All that time, you could have returned," she said.
"I tried," Lucy responded honestly. "In a time of war where food was running low, it was nearly impossible to get near the castle without having to flee a hunter's arrow." Their kingdom had been rich, yes, but what good was gold when there simply had not been enough food? The fear that had kept her quiet only moments before was disappearing, turning into the adrenaline that was now empowering her words. The Queen fed off fear, the hushed whispers of the common people would say after the king's passing. Lucy could not give the Queen that power over her. "But then it were the tumors – no, the truths – that kept me away."
Lucy stood up, bringing herself to Regina's eye level. She would not be looked down upon. "The Queen – the Evil Queen," Lucy corrected herself. "Who did not treat her people with kindness. Whose terrible ways tore apart families, murdered so many innocent people. Who tried countless times to kill the beloved Princess Snow Wh-"
"I never would have lost my daughter had it not been for Snow White!" Regina snapped, her wild eyes narrowing dangerously. "She deserved to be punished," she hissed.
"You make it sound like not only did Snow White push your daughter in, but held her head under the cold water," Lucy observed. "It is so much easier to blame someone when in reality it was all an accident – that's what it was. An accident. I tripped. I fell. I drowned. It was my entire fault. Snow had nothing to do with it."
As Regina took a step forward, Lucy scooted back slightly. The young woman did not have much room to move about in. This was a conversation Regina never thought would be plausible – the matter of her princess' death with… an adult Lillian. The realization had yet to settle in, this was all too surreal. Lily was a five year old little girl, not this twenty three year old woman.
"You fixed Mr. Bear when I forgot him in the field," Lucy spoke up, sensing Regina's doubt. "Brought him back at bed time to tuck me in, saying he went off to slay a furious dragon. He fought valiantly."
"He did," Regina found herself agreeing in a soft mumbled. It would be the last tender moment of the conversation. Lily was standing here, defending that flake of Snow. Snow had been the cause of everything – sneaking out of the castle, growing up before her eyes instead of Lily. Lily would have never had drowned had it not been for Snow White. At least, mother never would have been separated from daughter. "How did you survive?"
The softness Lucy had heard in her voice quickly disappeared, not that it ever had a reason to be there to begin with. Regina had no reason to be kind to her, Lucy betrayed her. Left her. She had been the source of happiness Regina had been desperately clinging onto through a loveless marriage, among other things.
"I don't know," Lucy admitted. "I woke up, trapped in the body of a wolf. A fairy granted –"
"Fairies don't possess that sort of power," Regina interrupted. "Their magic is limited."
"Pardon me, I was preoccupied with dying at the tender age of five," Lucy snided, glaring. What occurred next happened too fast for Lucy to completely register. One moment, she was standing her ground against the Evil Queen. The next, her arms snapped against her sides and she had been hurled up into the air.
Her own hand held up, Regina approached the hovering young woman. Lucy frowned, trying to fight off the invisible force, but her struggling was all for naught. Lucy frowned, even growled in frustration. "Guess it's a step up from heart snatching," Lucy snapped, eyes narrowing, teeth bearing. "How could youd o such a thing? To your own flesh and blood?"
"I didn't," Regina stated, matching the young woman's angry tone. Without warning, Regina lowered her hand. The force holding Lucy suspended in air disappeared, she came tumbling down against the ground.
Wincing, Lucy pulled herself back up. "And why should I even believe you?" she questioned, shaking her head in disbelief. "Why should I believe that you're above doing such a thing to family? I know about Grandpa Henry." She could feel herself trembling again, but this time it was not due to fear. It was pent up anger. "And to the Huntsman – he was the only reason why I wasn't mauled to death by the other-"
"I did what I must to ensure my happiness," Regina stated, cold voice resonating throughout the room. "There were sacrifices – "
"Sacrifices?" Lucy scoffed, biting back a short bitter laugh. "For taking away people's true happiness?"
Regina's nostrils flared at the young woman's mockery. "Yes," she hissed. "Nothing gave me a greater sense of joy than seeing that wretched girl so miserable and I will do everything in my power to reassure she continues to be."
That wretched girl. Snow.
The Queen was setting Snow up. Mary Margaret was being accused of murder and would soon be charged for it. Neither Snow nor Mary Margaret were capable of such a crime, but the Queen would make sure she suffered for it. And why? Because Snow had only tried to be helpful when she and Lily had been children? No amount of will power could keep the anger and temper at bay. Lucy snapped, lunged.
Mistake.
In an instant, her trajectory changed its course. Nearly as soon as Lucy's feet had left the floor, Regina flicked her wrist. The woman flung across the room, colliding against the padded wall which softened the initial blow until she fell onto the ground. From her side, Lucy rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself onto her knees. She planted her left foot against the ground as Regina drew closer. Lucy attempted to stand back up, feeling her anger coursing through her veins. Her right eye shown a bright red color; she could sense the transformation, sense the wolf begging to come through and fight.
Noting the red iris, the very one Regina had previously seen on the runt wolf near the playground, she did not move. Regina did not have to in order to evade Lucy's second attempt of an attack. In mid-pounce, the long dark haired woman collapsed to the ground in front of Regina's feet. She rolled over onto her back, tears streaming down her cheeks from tightly closed eyes as her teeth grinded together. The silver shone brightly, radiating from the necklace that was burning the flesh it rested upon.
Arms folded over her chest, Regina stood over the whimpering figure that curled up into a ball. She shook her head slightly. The woman's decision had been made and she clearly showed where her loyalties were. She had no idea what was best for herself, what she had been capable of becoming, Regina caught herself thinking, causing her expression to become very dark.
Love was weakness, Regina quickly reminded herself. It was nothing but an illusion. True power had the capability to endure, to get her what she wanted. Currently, she was getting just that – keeping Lill- this woman locked away and far from Mary Margaret. Here, the woman posed no threat, giving Regina the opportunity to rid Storybrooke of that home wrecker, who was still taking away aspects of her happiness, once and for all.
xxxx
The stinging, searing pain throbbing violently from her right arm was crippling. Red leaned up against the nearest tree in the middle of the dense forest of which she was slowly making her way out. Panting, she closed her eyes for a moment and tried to catch her breath.
"Ah!" she winced, doubling over from a sudden sharp pain. Red grasped her injured arm that she had covered with her cloak to try to stop the bleeding. Her teeth began to chatter from the cold – she had to get back to the village. Wandering away from the hunting group had been a terrible idea.
A distant howl caused her eyes to snap open. Red pushed herself off the tree and dragged her feet through the snow, leaving droplets of blood behind as a trail unknowingly. She would be home soon and explaining to Granny why her arm was covered by bites from the same beast that nearly clawed hers to shreds. After Granny's own attack only days prior, Red swore she would stay put, stay with her at home while the hunters of the village took care of the Wolf.
But Red was not one to stay put, not when she was capable of joining the hunting group. She was a better tracker than anyone in the group, not that they would openly admit it and pride had lead them astray from the beast's trail. It was the same sense of pride that caused Red to venture away from the hunting group to follow her instincts. The same sense that led her straight to that damn Wolf's sharp, yellowing teeth.
She hissed and pulled her arm closer to her chest as another sharp pain caused her to stumble onto her knees. Teeth grinding together, Red curled up around her injured arm, hoping the extra pressure would help subside the pain. When it finally did, Red sat back up, breath shaking.
The village was close, she reminded herself. It was…
The parting clouds revealed the full, bright moon which shone its light down upon the forest, calling Red's attention. She arched her head back, casting her gaze up towards the night sky. Her once hazel eyes began to glow a bright golden yellow.
xxxx
Emma had said to trust her. Trust her. Where did that trust get her? In a jail cell with piling evidence mounted against her for a crime she did not nor would not ever commit. The trust was set to start tomorrow and so far Emma had not come through with anything. Mary Margaret leaned forward, resting her elbows against her lap as she buried her face into her hands. Her shoulders shook with each sob.
The finger prints on the jewelry box that contained Kathryn's heart. The hunting knife, the murder weapon, found in the heating vent. Her behavior during the arraignment. Everything was mounted against her – what was Emma going to do? What could Emma do?
"Having a bad day?"
With a sharp inhale, Mary Margaret looked up and sat up straight. The voice belonged to the mayor and upon seeing the most frightful woman walking towards her cell, in the middle of the night no less, brought Mary Margaret quickly to her feet. "What are you doing here?" she asked as Regina drew closer.
A small taunting smile appeared on Regina's face. She was enjoying the sight – the wretched girl behind bars, emotionally distraught. "I wanted to see you while I can," she admitted.
Slowly, Mary Margaret shook her head, eyebrows narrowing in confusion. "What does that mean?" she questioned as Regina came to a stop directly in front of the green bars that caged her and kept her from the freedom Mary Margaret knew she should not be denied.
"Simply that the trial starts tomorrow and it won't be a long one," Regina answered, her subtle smile growing steadily more wicked with every word that parted from her lips. "You'll be sent out of Storybrooke for good and I will never have to see you again. I want to enjoy this while I still can," she explained, grinning. The sight of Snow White, about to pay for everything she had done – it was a sight Regina had spent countless years yearning for.
"Enjoy what?" Mary Margaret could feel herself trembling. She did not know what was going on or why the mayor would even be here taunting her the night before the trial. She had never done anything wrong, nothing to her – perhaps she had not voted a couple times, but did that matter with no running opponent? She was being accused of murder, something she had not done and the mayor was pleased?
"Justice," Regina said confidently.
"Justice?" Mary Margaret repeated in disbelief, her voice whimpering. Her lips quivered as she shifted on her feet. She wanted to start crying again. Nothing was making any sense. "Watching an innocent suffer?"
Regina's eyebrows narrowed slightly. "You've always seen yourself that way, haven't you?" Regina asked. Mary Margaret could only return a perplexed stare as a single tear rolled down her right cheek. "Innocent," Regina hissed, her voice dangerously low.
How vividly she could recall that morning, one that continually plagued her nightmares when she least expected, expanding on the void in her life she had never truly gotten back. The guards had bursted into the war council, a frantic Snow in tow yelling that Lily had fallen into the river – how it had been a frantic Regina who found her lifeless daughter's body. How it had been Regina who had to forcefully watch Snow White lead a life that she had robbed from Lily. The Princess, Snow White, loved by all. The Princess, Snow White, the apple of her father's eye who could do no wrong.
The Princess, Snow White, finally locked away behind bars to pay long overdue dues.
Mary Margaret quickly walked up to the bars of the cell, grasping them tightly in her hands. "I am innocent!" she proclaimed. Her shaking voice only fueled Regina's smile. "I don't know what this is about! I don't know what I ever did to you, but whatever it was, Regina," Mary Margaret sobbed, dam breaking. "I'm sorry… I truly am…"
So heart wrenching. Just as Snow had been. Whereas then Regina had to reassure the young girl, in the presence of the king, that it had been an accident, now she was granted the opportunity to say the three words she had originally intended for the princess. Regina raised her head, her dark eyes partially gleaming at the devastated woman.
"Apology not accepted," she stated.
"Please, don't do this to me," Mary Margaret begged in between sobs. "I don't deserve this – I did not kill Kathryn!"
"Oh, I know," Regina said gently, soothingly almost, as she slipped her hand between the bars to softly stroke Mary Margaret's cheek in reassurance. Her sudden confession brought the woman's crying to a halt. Regina was well aware that the school teacher did not murder Kathryn Nolan, but she had committed other crimes against the Queen and her latest only confirmed the fact that Regina had to get rid of Snow White for good.
She had turned Lily against Regina. Lily had shown that she would rather give her life to this woman, the half-sister that lead her to her demise, than show loyalty to the one who had given her everything. It was not enough that Snow White had taken away the only being in her life that had given her happiness, sanity, and love – a safe haven from her own mother's wicked ways and her Daniels' tragic death. It was not enough to leave her trapped in a marriage that had been nothing more than a business arrangement with no outlet to turn to – no more senseless mindless stupid tea parties, afternoon horseback riding so far away from the castle they could go, or apple pickings.
In mid-caress, Regina roughly grabbed Mary Margaret's cheeks and leaned in slightly. "But you do deserve this," she hissed before letting her face go. Regina took a step back, her glare lingering for a second more, and turned, leaving Mary Margaret to watch in stunned silence as the mayor left the sheriff's office.
To be continued.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me what you think!