Hello everyone! Here is the next chapter for you all. I am looking for some opinions. I am about to finish one of my other stories and I am thinking about starting another story. I have three ideas that I cannot decide from and was wondering if you would help me decide. My ideas are...I have an Evil Charming story idea in the form of Cinderella, An Outlaw Queen AU where Regina and Robin know one another from college, go their separate ways and come together years later only to find Regina is engaged to be married and Robin wants her back or I have a AU story that has been whizzing around my head for so so sooo long of a Regina raising Emma sort of story line going along the lines of the curse still but taking things in a different direction. I swear that idea has gone through my head since at least the second season of OUAT and I have yet to write the story haha! SO...yes please let me know what idea you would like to see next! :-)
Anyway enjoy this chapter.
Cora finally finished cutting Regina's long brunette locks. Her hair now reached a couple of inches below her chin. Regina had not stopped crying throughout the whole punishment an Zelena had not let go of her hand. Once Cora had finished she threw the scissors letting them clatter on the table near them making both Regina and Zelena jump at the sound.
"Oh stop your crying Regina. You know you deserved this punishment." Cora snapped as she walked around Regina and went to sit in her usual chair.
"I'm sorry mother…" Regina said in more of a whisper not quite finding her voice just yet. She looked down to the floor to see her long hair there and it made tears well up in her eyes once more. She didn't want to cry again. She knew her mother would get angry at her for doing so but she couldn't help it. Her mother knew how much she loved her hair. Regina sniffed a little and pulled her hand away from Zelena's to wipe at her eyes.
Zelena sighed and stood up, wrapping her arms around Regina and hugging her tightly. "Shh Regina. It's alright." Zelena whispered comfortingly and ran her fingers through Regina's now much shorter hair. It felt weird to her but she didn't mention it. All she wanted to do was comfort her little sister just now. She couldn't believe her mother. Doing all this to Regina just because she had fallen in love. Zelena crouched down a little and cupped Regina's face in her hands. "Come on, stop crying…It will only make things worse." Zelena said quietly using her thumbs to wipe the stray tears from Regina's face.
"I…I'm trying to…I-I can't…" Regina hiccupped out through her tears.
"I would listen to your sister if I were you Regina. I will give you two minutes to stop crying…" Cora said firmly. "Zelena will you stop coddling her! This was a punishment and I will not have you coddling her for it."
Zelena sighed and she moved away from Regina knowing it was the best thing to do for herself and Regina. She knew if she didn't her mother would punish them in some way for ignoring her. Regina wiped at her eyes and took a deep breath to try and stop herself from crying. She knew if she didn't it would make more trouble for her. She could tell by her mother's tone.
Cora looked over to Regina to see her still sat on the chair but no longer crying. "Now see…" Cora started as she stood up and walked over to Regina. She placed her hand on Regina's cheek which Regina flinched at but she ignored that. "Was it so hard to stop crying?"
"No mother." Regina replied quickly.
"Now Regina I want you to listen to me…" Cora said placing a finger under Regina's chin and pulling her face up to look at her. "I do not want you to see that man again, do you hear me?" Regina just nodded her head but that was not good enough for Cora. "Answer me Regina!" Cora shouted making Regina jump.
"Yes mother I understand." Regina said. She could feel the tears start to well up in her eyes again but she swallowed them down. She didn't want to stop seeing Robin. She needed to be with him. She loved him.
Later on that day Regina received a surprise visit from her step-father King Leopold. Her step-father, because he was very busy ruling the kingdom did not visit her often but when he did it always made Regina feel better. She never knew her really father, he having died when she was only a few months old. So she had grown with knowing the King as her father and had quickly developed a close bond with the King.
So when King Leopold walked through the door of the tower Regina was quick to run over to him and throw her arms around him, tears flowing down her face. "Father." Regina cried a little.
Leopold wrapped his arms around the young girl and held onto her tightly as she began to cry a little more. "Regina, my girl, what has happened?" Leopold asked softly as he rubbed a hand up and down her back comfortingly.
M-m-mother…" Regina hiccupped out through her tears.
Leopold sighed and wondered what his wife had done this time. He rarely agreed with her ways of dealing with things, especially when it came to Regina. He had been very against Regina living in this tower but had lost out on the fight with his wife. Many may see him as the ruler of this kingdom and many may think he would also be the boss in his marriage but people never saw how things were behind closed doors. Leopold pulled away slightly and cupped Regina's face softly in his hands. "Did she do this to your hair my child?" he asked.
Regina nodded her head. "Yes. She said it was my punishment."
Leopold sighed once again and he guided Regina over to the chair by the fire place. He sat down and Regina knelt down by the chair and rested her arms on his legs. "Why did she punish you Regina?"
"I…I have fallen in love…" Regina replied quietly.
"You have? But how? You are never out of this tower and it is only myself, your mother and your sisters who know you are here." Leopold said with confusion written all over his face.
"A young man…he heard me singing one day and saw me sat at the window. He found the entrance to the tower and came up here." Regina explained. "Oh father he is wonderful. We talk all the time and I think I fell in love with him as soon as I saw him." Regina said sitting on up her knees a little more. "But mother must have saw us and she punished me for not telling her and for loving him. She doesn't approve of him."
Leopold couldn't help but smile at how excited Regina had sounded when she talked about this young man that she had fallen in love with. The love in her eyes told Leopold how she felt. "Your mother doesn't approve you say? Why would she not approve?"
"Well…you see he is not a prince…or a royal in any sense of the word…" Regina hesitated in her explanation. She had a feeling her father would probably not approve of Robin either. Everyone who had plenty money had heard of Robin Hood and how he stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Anyone who was rich did not like Robin Hood. "His name is Robin…He is honestly such a nice young man father and he really does love me."
"Robin. That name sounds familiar. Would I have met him before?" Leopold said.
"If you had met him I'm sure you would know…" Regina muttered. "He is Robin Hood father…"
"Robin Hood? The thief?" Leopold asked with widened eyes. His young daughter had fallen in love with the famous thief. He now understood when she said Cora did not approve. Of course Cora would not approve of such a man. She would never want a man like that anywhere near one of her daughters.
Regina nodded her head. "But it's not like you think father. Robin has explained to me why he does what he does. He just wants to help the less fortunate. He keeps nothing of what he takes. He gives it all to those who have nothing. Surely that is a good thing?"
"Regina whatever the reason it is still not the right thing to do. He steals from people." Leopold replied.
"I know father but…even with all that I still love him, with all my heart but mother has forbid me to ever see him again." Regina said her face looking so sad that it broke Leopold's heart slightly. "I can't imagine never seeing him again father. Do you think you could talk to mother for me? Convince her to let me see Robin again?"
"Oh Regina…" Leopold said softly. He opened his arms to her and Regina stood up and sat on his knee and cuddled into him while he wrapped his arms around her. "I wish I could do that for you my sweet girl but you know as well as I do that your mother will never listen to me. She won't take anything I say into account."
Regina sighed. "I guess you're right." She then pulled away and tucked a strand of her short hair behind her ear. "Do you think I suit having short hair?" Regina asked. "I miss my long hair."
"You were beautiful with your long hair Regina and you are beautiful with your short hair. I think you could pull off anything." Leopold said making Regina smile. "Now why don't you show me what your new art is? I am sure you will have been busy painting."
"Okay father." Regina said slipping off his knee and quickly going to the other room in her tower to get her knew pieces of art to show her father.
Cora paced up and down her bedchambers as she read the scroll she had gotten from Rumplestiltskin. He wanted her to cast a curse. A curse to send them to a new land. He had told her the curse would benefit her. Would help her to split Regina and her thief up. She had tried to think of another way. A way in which she would not be helping Rumplestiltskin but she could not think of one. So here she was looking it over and seeing what she needed to enact the curse.
She had collected most of the items and had decided on a time to cast the curse. She had also made sure that there was no way the little thief would ever be able to visit Regina. She had placed a barrier spell around the tower. The barrier would restrict only Robin from being able to enter the tower or go anywhere near it. He could see Regina if she were sat at the window but Regina would not be able to see or hear him. Cora smirked as she thought of it. It was a punishment. She liked her punishments.
Leopold entered her bedchambers and Cora quickly rolled the scroll back up and placed it in the drawer of her vanity. "What can I do for you your majesty?" Cora asked as she turned to face him. She could see the anger on his face and almost rolled her eyes. He would try and be firm and strong but she would win whatever argument they were going to have. She always did.
"I cannot believe what you have done to Regina. Cutting off her hair just because she has fallen in love with someone you do not approve of." Leopold said angrily.
"Oh so you finally went to visit Regina did you? How long has it been? Two months? Only act her father when it suits you it seems." Cora smirked as she knew she hit a nerve. "And did dear Regina manage to tell you exactly who she had fallen in love with?"
"Yes she did tell me. Either way Cora what you done to her was unacceptable. She is a young girl. She knows nothing of the world or who is out there because you keep her locked away in that tower!" Leopold snapped.
"I keep her up there to keep her safe and well I thought to keep this sort of thing from happening." Cora said. "Regina has no idea what is going on. She has no idea how she really feels."
"Regina knows exactly how she feels. That girl loves with everything she has, with her whole soul and you know that. She loves that young man and you have told her she cannot see him anymore." Leopold said.
"I have not only told her that but I have made sure she won't ever see or hear that thief anymore."
"What have you done Cora?" Leopold asked angrily.
"Nothing for you to be concerned about Leopold." Cora said turning her back on him.
"I have every right to be concerned!" Leopold snapped.
"No you do not. Regina is not your daughter Leopold. You have no right!" Cora snapped back. "Now I wish for you to leave me. I have things to be getting on with and I am sure you have to. Perhaps try not leave it as long next time to visit Regina and you might be more clued up in her life and what mess she has gotten herself into."
Leopold could feel the anger rising and rising in him but he swallowed it down. He quickly turned on his heel and stormed out of his wives bedchamber, slamming the door behind him. Cora smirked. She had won the fight once again and she had hit any nerve she could with Leopold. It was the little things that kept her going. So walked back over to her vanity and took the scroll back out. Unrolling it she looked over it again and went back to plotting her casting of the curse.