"There's not much left, I promise," the seamstress/dresser, Joanna, assured me.
"I hope not," I replied, "because I don't know how much longer I can stand here with you tugging away."
"No need to get snarky," she said under her breath. I chose to ignore her. I wasn't going to let her spoil this day for me.
Suddenly I heard something behind me. There was a brief pause, then I felt the pressure around my waist lessen for just a split second.
"Joanna, what's..."
"Sssh," a new voice shushed. "It's okay, Regina."
"Mary Margaret?"
"I thought you might like a little help from someone you know," she said. I smiled; it was rather nice.
"Are you nervous?" she asked.
I was so nervous. Why should I be? I'd been through this before. The same preparations, the same routine...ish. Being in a different world did lend itself some differences. The lack of a castle, for example. But, still, it was also much the same. Even so, I was still nervous.
I was nervous because today was the day I was going to marry Emma Swan.
"Yeah, a bit."
"I know the feeling," she said.
"You?" I scoffed. "You, Snow White, were nervous about marrying Prince Charming?"
"Done!" She finished tying the last of the ribbons on my back. "Now let me look at you." I turned around so she could see my face. "Absolutely beautiful. But...oh!" She exclaimed.
"What is it?"
"Your hair got a little messed up," she remarked. "Here. Sit down so I can fix it."
I obeyed, carefully stepping down from the platform where I had been standing and sat down in the chair in front of the full length mirror.
"To answer your question," she continued, I was very nervous at my wedding. Yes, it was supposed to be my happily ever after, but there's always the thought of what if something goes wrong?" She chuckled. "In my case, however, that feeling was very appropriate."
I smiled. I'm glad she could joke now about me crashing her wedding and threatening her entire kingdom.
"The point is, it's natural to feel nervous, even if you're not exactly sure what it is that's making you nervous. It's your wedding day. Just don't let it spoil your day, okay?"
"Okay." By then she had finished doing my hair, so I stood. My black hair was put up on some kind of intricate up-do that I couldn't begin to comprehend, and contrasted with my off-white dress. Around my neck I wore a simple diamond necklace; about the only simple thing my mother owned before she died.
My makeup was simple and elegant, with my customary red lips and subtle blush. However, my mascara was threatened by the tears welling up in my eyes. I turned and took her hands.
"Thank you, Mary Margaret."
"Oh, no problem. It's only hair."
"No, I mean...thank you for believing in me. Despite everything that I've done to you, to your people, to your family, you never gave up on me for a moment." My voice began to crack. "You became my stepdaughter by force, my friend by your efforts. And now, with your blessing, I will become your daughter."
She chuckled. "We've come full circle, haven't we?" We laughed at that for a bit.
"Indeed." Then I became serious. "I'm so happy that we can finally truly become a family. I think...I think we were always meant to be."
I could see tears starting to well in her eyes, too. Oh, God, this was not helping my attempts to save my makeup. She let my hands go and took a step forward so hat she could give me a giant hug. I hesitated for a moment, but quickly returned the favor. It felt warm and inviting and maternal. I hadn't had a hug like that in...well, a very long time.
"You will always be family," she whispered, "no matter what."
We were interrupted by a knock on the door. Reluctantly, we let go of each other. "Come in!" we said in unison.
The door opened and I was surprised to see Henry walk into the room. He looked so handsome in his little black tuxedo. He wore his favorite dark red tie, and he had put just a bit of gel in his hair to tame his sometimes-wild locks. He looked so dashing...and so grown up.
"It's almost time," he said. Then he really looked at me. "Mom, you look...beautiful!"
"Don't sound so surprised," Mary Margaret said jokingly.
"Thank you, Henry," I replied.
"Well, if better go find my seat," Mary Margaret said. "I'll see you out there, okay?
"Okay." She squeezed my hand quickly before she left. Henry hadn't moved.
"Did you need something else, Henry?"
"Nope," he replied.
"Then...what are you doing here?"
He looked down a bit sheepishly. "Well...David is giving Emma away today, but you don't have a dad or anything to give you away, so I was wondering if, maybe...you'd let me step in."
I couldn't speak for a moment; I was touched beyond words. My hand flew over my heart, which was overflowing with pride and joy. I fought more tears; honestly, the wedding hadn't even started yet, and already there were way too many tears.
"Nothing would make me happier," I said.
Henry beamed. He quickly came to stand by me and extended his arm out to me. I smiled back at him, and took his arm. We didn't have to walk very far before we reached the doorway.
"Wait for the music," Henry whispered, "then we start in the right foot."
"I know," I whispered back. My heart was pounding. This was really happening. I took a deep breath. You can do this, I told myself. Then the music started playing.
As we walked through the thin curtain, I could see the bright sunlight reflecting off the beautiful green leaves and grass, the striking white chairs, and the faces of the audience. There were so many people here. What if I tripped? What if I hit off beat? What if something went wrong? My mind swam with every terrible outcome possible...and some that were completely impossible.
Then I saw her.
She was walking towards me from the opposite side of the clearing with her father. Her dress was simpler than mine, but suited her far better than mine ever could; the layered skirt cascades down around her toes, and the long sleeves draped down to her waist from her wrists. The flowers around her head looked like a halo to me, and she seemed to literally glow in the sunlight.
In the same moment as I saw her, her eyes met mine, and she beamed. That smile made me feel more alive and beautiful than I ever had in my life. The other faces in the crowd just melted away; there was only me and her. It took everything I had not to let go of Henry and run over to her. The music now seemed agonizingly slow. How could it take so long just to get to the center?
Finally, we made it. The boys looked at each other, nodded solemnly, and each took our hands. Then Henry put my hand on top of Emma's, and David put his hand on top of Henry's. I had been accepted into the Charming family long ago, but never had I felt as much so as I did in that moment. Never had I felt this level of love and acceptance and pride directed towards me in my life. It was simply beautiful.
Then the boys each went their separate ways, and left Emma and I with our hands still together. We met each other's gaze again, and I was again struck by her beautiful green eyes, that shine emerald in the sunlight. She smiled, and turned to lead me down the rest of the aisle. I followed her lead; I would have followed her to the moon.
Finally, we made it to the altar, where Mother Superior was waiting for us. She did the usual speech about love and commitment that was customary in the Enchanted Forest, but I wasn't listening; I was looking at Emma. Then it was time to recite our vows. We had decided to write them ourselves. Mother Superior asked me to go first. I was nervous, and my voice quivered, but I still made it through.
"Emma Swan," I said, "When you first came to this town, I didn't know what to make of you. You were brave and kind and bold and you weren't afraid of me. At the time, these were unacceptable to me. Over the years, however, the things that made me despise you became the reasons I fell in love with you. Both you and our son helped me remember to love again. I've done some horrible things in my life, especially to your family, yet you still chose me. And I promise that I will love you more than anyone could dream; I will help and care for you always, and I will never desert you for as long as I live. To this I swear."
Emma was tearing up after my vows. Oh, no; if she cried, then there was no hope for me. Then she started.
"Regina Mills, you and I have both been through many hardships; our lives were never perfect. I dealt with my pain by shutting love out of my heart and building a wall around it to protect me. However, as my mother told me long ago, it was never worth it to keep love out of my heart. You were the one that helped me to tear down the wall and allow love to enter my life, and I quickly fell in love with you completely. Regina, I promise to love and care for you, to never stray, to always cherish you, and to never break your heart. You found me once, and I will never let you lose me again. And if we are ever apart, I will take a page out of my family's book: I will always find you. "
I was definitely crying now. Through my tears I could see that Emma was crying, too. I couldn't believe this was happening; I couldn't believe that in a few moments, this goddess of a woman would be mine.
"Emma Swan," Mother Superior said, "do you take this woman to be your wife and promise to love her for all eternity?"
"I do." Hearing her say those words made my heart leap with joy.
"And do you, Regina Mills, promise to take this woman as your wife and love her for all eternity?"
I straightened up a bit. My heart was pounding in my chest, but as I looked again into Emma's emerald-green eyes, I had never been so sure of anything in my whole life.
"I do."