#gloriouscurse

Cora sat in the living room of Regina's manor, a book in her lap and mug of tea in her hands. It was a quiet, and even though it was 5 AM and raining, Cora felt rather cozy. Dawn was her favorite time of day- she rarely slept past 4. 

Whether it was because of the dreams that tormented her or simply a habit from her days spent heartless when she had considered excessive sleep a weakness, Cora did not know. She didn't particularly care either- she liked this time to herself while she waited for Regina to wake. It gave her time to think. Or, in the case of this morning, to read one of the books she'd found on Regina's shelf that she thought might be interesting. 

    "Your Majesty----"

                 [ gothel stood in the doorway of                    the queen's office, looking over                    the patterns in the black & white                    color scheme of the large room.                    the sorceress hid the rage behind                    her tone perfectly as it built within                    her upon laying her eyes on the                    royal woman. the woman who                    ruined her life -- at least in                    gothel's eyes. ]

                             "----or do you simply go by Regina in this land?"

It was another month, and another ball. Regina had been officially introduced to court life, and as such was now expected to attend all the grande parties thrown by the nobility. This particular ball was in honor of Cora's husband, Henry, on his birthday. As the hostess, Cora was determined everything would be perfect. She did loathe having to appear as though she cared at all for her husband, but it was expected of her.

More importantly, there were always visiting Kings and Princes. After Regina's rather unsucessful appearance at the last ball, Cora was determined that this time no such mistakes would be made. She went over several demands with her daughter. 

Cora smiled to herself, glancing at her reflection in the vanity mirror. Not a hair out of place- perfect, as everything tonight must be. Tonight would be her daughter's very first presentation at a royal ball. It was perhaps the most important coming-of-age ceremony in a young noblewoman's life, and Regina would be no exception. Cora had prepared for this moment carefully, raising Regina from a young age. 

Cora did not truly believe that she would have her daughter married off to a prince by the end of the night- Regina was still quite young, only fourteen years of age, and truth be told Cora had her eyes set on a particular King that was not yet widowed. But even so this first impression at court was extremely important. The more connections Regina made, the better off she would be when she someday wore a crown on her head.

Patting her hair into place, Cora stood, sweeping down the hall to where she knew Regina was preparing with her handmaidens. She knocked on the door once before opening it, inviting herself in. She smiled.

          Regina had searched her entire house and vault for her mother's spell book. She knew there had to be something in it that would help her figure out how to defeat Zelena. The only way she could find to get back to the Enchanted Forest to find it was Jefferson's hat, which was still in her possession. She spun the hat and the portal opened, allowing her to jump in.

          Upon exiting the hat, she arrived on soft grass, greeted by a blue sky on a warm spring day. She breathed in the air and immediately was struck with memories of the past - memories of her childhood. She looked around, and sure enough, there was her childhood home. Regina shook her head. She had to be hallucinating. It wasn't possible. That house hadn't been inhabited since she moved to the castle. But when she opened brown eyes, it was still there, smoke coming out of the chimney. And when she looked toward the stables, tears caught in her throat.

                          Daniel.

          He was there. Alive. He was bringing a horse back in after a ride. The Queen wanted nothing more than to run to him. To see him again. But she couldn't. She knew that if he saw her—Daniel hated magic. He hated when Cora would use it. He hated how it made Regina feel... How appropriate that it would be what killed him in the end. 

          Swallowing thickly, Regina looked around to be sure no one was around before moving quickly to the stables and sneaking around the back where he wouldn't be able to see her. It was difficult; she wanted to see him so badly. But she forced herself to keep moving.

          Regina realized that Cora would probably be home, so she conjured up a mirror to peer into the house. After looking at the house, Regina disappeared into a cloud of purple smoke and arrived in her childhood bedroom. She looked around and there she found it: the dress she'd been wearing when the King proposed. A hand flew to her mouth and she choked back a sob.

//in case anyone's curious, this is the song that Cora sings in my thread with gloriouscurse. 

This comes from a musical, and is an ealier version of a reprise that is later sung by a different character- which can be found in its entirety here. (It's a wonderful song I highly recommend giving it a listen.)

Random Starters - Love Related

He'd never told Regina the full truth about his wife, his lost love; she hadn't been killed, but rather, taken from him and presumed to be dead. Robin had never given up searching for her, though after years, it seemed his efforts would remain inefficacious. Holding onto his love for her, Robin nonetheless tried to move forward, to seek happiness again. 

Never quite believing that he would ever see Marian again, it didn't feel at all like a betrayal when he allowed his heart to know the touch of love again with Regina. They were happy and content, until one infelicitous day when Robin had found a half-starved woman tossed aside in a meadow like common refuse. His heart nearly stopped when he realized it was Marian. His love. 

Robin didn't hesitate in carrying her back to camp, making sure she was seen by a doctor, and never once leaving her side. His heart was divided between his two loves, but he made a vow to Marian all those years ago, and with her returned to him, he couldn't be the one to destroy her heart again. Yet, it was no easier ruining the heart of this woman - Regina - whom he'd grown to love with every fiber of his being.