Regina Mills gazed out of the window at the woman washing her clothes out of their front yard in the White Kingdom. The woman was dressed in black from head to toe, the new king's castle was situated slightly on a hill overlooking several dwellings and an ocean. Most of them were seized by the Evil Queen's militias. A name they named my mother, Cora for she rose taxes, and slaughtered the people for power and greed. My hatred for her increases every day and worse she forces her marriage to the king.
Regina was the daughter of Cora Mills, she was once poor and stole the crown then rose in power. Regina was a tall, dark-haired young woman. She glanced at her cane, which was leaning against the wall, and shook her head slightly at her predicament. She watched the woman freely moving about and envied the villagers' freedom.
Here, I'm a prison, my mother's prison, and the bastard, King Leopold. My mother stripped my legs, so I couldn't walk properly and run. I tried to run away but she stopped me. King Leopold's daughter, Snow White ran away successfully, I might add when Cora tried to have her killed by a hunter, but the hunter failed and helped her to run away and hide. Day by day, he became eviler, affected by Evil Queen's magic and charmed.
Regina turned at the sound of her bedroom door opening, expecting a nurse to walk through. A smile spread across her face when she saw a friendly face instead. Nurse Tink, the middle-aged woman with blond hair and sparkling eyes, walked in wearing a fairy uniform.
"Tink!" Regina exclaimed as she grabbed her cane and walked the short distance to her former nurse.
"Well, there you are!" Tink replied and opened her arms to Regina. "They told me you were up here. My goodness, why did they put you up the stairs?"
"My husband's idea was to strengthen my legs and back. What are you doing here?"
"Sit and I'll tell you," Tink put her arms around Regina as they walked over to the bed. "Now, how are you?" She asked and took Regina's hand.
"I'm all right."
"You don't look all right to me," Tink replied and gently tipped Regina's face towards the light. "You haven't been sleeping."
"That hasn't changed since you last saw me. I can't sleep," controlling her anger.
"Have you been taking your medications; that's why you can't sleep."
"It must be the new air," Regina replied with a shrug.
"Yes, people wanting to kill you wouldn't be all that healthy."
Regina doesn't care but they wouldn't dare to try anyways, "what are you doing in this backwater?"
"I'm on my way back to Neverland and decided to stop to see you."
"Are you staying long?"
"No, I'm leaving tonight because Hook wants to be in Neverland tomorrow," Tink replied. "Did you get my letter?"
"I did," Regina nodded. "It was nice to get it."
"I'm glad. I missed you so much," Tink tenderly patted Regina on the cheek. "I have brought some presents for you."
"You have?" Regina was surprised when no one brings her anything, not even the bastard except wanting sex.
"I went home to visit Cora, your mother and while there, I dropped in to see Ruby."
Regina smile widened at the mention of Ruby, "how's she?"
"Oh, she's well. She's missing you and wants to give you this." Tink leaned over and tenderly kissed Regina on the cheek. "She also sends me some letters for you and a special letter from Graham."
"Is he well? Is he home? Where is he stationed?"
"Slow down," Tink held up her hand and laughed lightly at Regina's questioning. "He is well, he's not home and he was stationed somewhere in the Northern Kingdom but has moved out. I'll let you know when I find out more."
Regina has a heart for Graham and deeply cares for him. Regina's face creased into a small smile on hearing her friend's name, "I miss him so much."
Ruby gave me some photographs and …" Tink stopped and took a handkerchief out of her pocket. She laid the material on her lap and opened it up to reveal a silver ring and gold gross. She looked up to see Regina's eyes glisten, a smile creasing her face.
Regina took the ring in the palm of her hand and gazed at it for a long moment. "My father's ring," she said in wonder and looked up to Tink in amazement, not understanding how's that possible. "Where did you get this? Where … Where did you find this?" Regina felt her stomach clench at the memory of how that gold cross had been ripped from her neck. The silver ring in her hand was far more important to her than the memories, of her father.
Tink didn't answer but held her hands in earnest, Regina looked up, "I don't want to be here, Tink. Leopold …" Regina couldn't complete the sentence.
'"We had this discussion before, Regina. The King places you in a good home, there's more walking distance for you around here."
Regina scuffed, "in this hellhole?"
"Your husband's wish for you is to be well and to be with him. He didn't leave you with Cora's throne."
Okay, one thing is true, the bastard brought her out of Cora's dark throne. "I wouldn't be in this condition if it wasn't for him and mother! I wouldn't be in this condition if there wasn't a fire in my room!"
"I know you think they don't care, but they do … in their own way."
"No," Regina shook her head. "Are you sure you have to leave?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Before I forget, I left instructions with your new nurse."
"Nurse Blue," Regina said with more venom than she intended.
"Your doctor has reviewed her recent notes about your progress. He wants you to walk–"
"Does he know where I am?!"
"He does."
"He knows that I'm in the middle of a war zone? In the middle of … with the opportunity to kill me?" We took the White Kingdom's home from them. Now they are fighting to get it back.
"No one is going to kill you."
"I'm in a war zone! King Leopold is ordering some guards and troops as we speak!"
"I know you are, but you are also a civilian."
"Right," Regina nodded, "so, all the people we saw lying dead in the fields as we were coming in were soldiers?!" The militias and killed them trying to free this Kingdom.
Tink sighed heavily, "darling, you must stop talking like this. This is the talk that will get you killed, but not by them!" Regina secretly hates Cora and her power over Enchanted Forest. She wishes to kill them all.
"I know," Regina mumbled. "I'm more than likely to get sliced by my own husband and my mother!"
"Regina!"
Regina merely stared at Tink. "I can't run anymore. You know how much I love riding horses, and running and they took it from me so I wouldn't …"
"I am not going around like a demented cripple!"
"I know, but that's in the past now. You have made a remarkable recovery from your injuries, and you must focus on that now. Besides, you can walk and soon, you'll be able to ride. I promise, Regina."
"With the help of my cane, which my mother or even Blue Fairy wouldn't heal me."
"You do not use wheelchair like we thought you going to be. You can walk, and the more you can walk, the faster your recovery will be. You'll be out of here before you know it. You are fortunate that the fire didn't kill you."
"Yes, fortunate," Regina muttered under her breath.
"One day, soon you'll learn how to heal and then you would be able to heal people. For now, be patient."
"I don't think I had a choice."
"Yes you do, you choose to live rather than die. There's a reason you're still alive, Regina. One day, you will find that reason."
Tink knows that she'll be the one who will free Enchanted Forest with help of someone else. Tink tries so hard to keep her Darkness at bay, she knows she's capable of killing Leopold then she'll be the second Dark Queen. She wanted to give her a reason to keep on fighting.
"I have a lot of time to heal here."
"Yes you do and you need to get out of this castle. Your doctor wants you walking."
"Great, let him come here and walk through this village," Regina replied sarcastically. "What does he want me to do?"
"He wants you to walk every day beyond this castle."
"Where to?"
"I don't know, Gina," she thought about Henry, her biological father, a respected person in this community. "I saw a house, it's a beautiful small house, colored red door on the way here. Why don't you make it a goal to walk a bit further from the house and eventually to that home and back?"
"Where is it?"
"Just out of the town, you can easily spot it."
"So I walk to the church?"
"Yes, and you have to go in, have a bit of rest. Talk to anyone then come home."
"Hm."
"It will help."
"Hmmm," doesn't really want to nor believe her.
"I'll have to talk to your husband about that when I go downstairs and also about hiring a maid to help you."
"Good luck in finding one of those in this village. I think they would rather kill me than help me."
"There you go again with the talk about killing you."
Regina stared up at the ceiling in exasperation. "I know they want to, Tink. It's not in my head. We are the enemy, and I am the daughter of their enemy. Who is going to help the enemy?"
"You are far too pessimistic. It's not that bad and you will have your guards with you."
"Regina shook her head, "to the church and back?"
"Yes," Tink replied with a triumphant smile. "It will help your legs and back. If you can find a swimming pool–"
"Tink, this place is lucky to have running water," there's no way in hell I'm bathing in any pond.
"Alright, no swimming. You stick to the walking for now."
"Can I have my letters?" Regina asked with a slight smile.
"I have something else for you as well."
"What's that?"
Tink took out a small package from her pocket, and Regina exclaimed, "chocolate!"
"Chocolate," Tink laughed as she watched Regina's face beam with delight. Regina stuffed one square of chocolate into her mouth and munched happily. Chocolate is the only thing that makes her happy in this prison.