"Are you sure this is the best idea?" Charming asked, placing a protective arm around his wife. "I told you, this is something I need to do. Besides, it's about time my stepmother and I had a little chat. We need to put our past behind us. You can't convince me otherwise, you know that." Snow smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before heading towards the bedroom door. "Just, be careful."
"You know I will be." And with that, she shut the door behind her and headed for Regina's chambers.
It was just how she remembered it. Elegant, clean, cold. Even with the roaring fire burning in the corner, there was still an unexplainable chill to the room. Snow suddenly realised how hard it must have been for the Queen, staying in a castle where she felt unloved by everyone around her. How wrong she had been. For most of her life, the princess had wondered why her stepmother never seemed to enjoy her company as much as she did Regina's.
But what she did remember was the one time she fell sick with influenza. It was a cold winter's day, and she hadn't really felt like eating anything, which was unusual for the young princess, who usually enjoyed cakes and biscuits at teatime. Her temperature had been very high and she'd had to be on bed rest for over a week. Unfortunately, her father was away on a diplomatic mission at the time, and so the only company available was that of her stepmother, or of Johanna.
The first few nights had been alright, but her fever only worsened as the days went on. Snow remembered how helpless she'd felt, tied up in bed, not able to even step outside for a breath of fresh air. But the princess also remembered that Regina had stayed with her all through the night, waking up every hour to check if she was okay. Even after everything that had happened, along with the fact that the Queen would probably have preferred her dead, she still tended to her as if she was her own daughter.
It was the second time Regina had saved her life, and probably the one that was most overlooked. It was then that Snow knew, there was a lot more to the Evil Queen than what meets the eye. She'd been willing to spare the life of a child she'd had forced upon her, a child who derailed her life and caused her so much pain and sorrow. A child who, for the most of her childhood, had never realised the consequences of something she'd done many years ago.
"What are you doing here?" Regina asked flatly. She was sitting on her window seat, gazing out to the view of the orchard. Snow walked over cautiously, not thinking it would be in her best interest to be turned into any sort of creature. "You always did like apples." The princess laughed, although it somehow came out as more of a nervous chuckle. "Yes, I did."
"I was thinking that maybe we should talk?"
"What is there to talk about? And if you've come to give me a pep talk-" The Queen turned her head around sharply, "I'm not interested."
Snow smiled, she easily could've guessed Regina would say that. "No, I'm not. I just wanted to see how you were doing." She glanced over to the window, wondering what it was that had caught her stepmother's attention. The view was, no doubt, a lovely one, but it couldn't just be the beauty of the trees that had Regina so captivated. There had to be something else.
Leaning further forward, the princess noticed a faint outline of a ball being kicked around by a small-looking boy, a young girl and an older man. She sighed. Snow hadn't really stopped to think about this side of things, like how much the Queen must miss her son, and how much she missed the family she seemed to have acquired during their time back here.
If she was being honest, the princess felt something other than dislike for her stepmother at that moment. Maybe not love, but something closer to sympathy.
Unfortunately, Regina seemed to notice this, and shut the curtains before anything else could be said. "You regret your decision, don't you?" She raised an eyebrow in response and regained her almost perfect posture. "I don't know what you're talking about." Classic Regina, always avoiding speaking her true feelings. "Yes, you do." Snow said, taking a seat at the window next to her stepmother, "About the proposal?"
The Queen sighed, still not willing to accept the fact that the wretched child she'd grown up hating was now as old and wise as she was. Not that she was old, of course. "Why is it any concern of yours?" She asked, avoiding all forms of eye contact.
"Because, as much as you hate to admit it, Regina, we're family. Whether you like it or not, we are tied together for the rest of our lives." It was true, they were family.
Although, she didn't quite understand how the princess could ever forgive her, let alone think of her as family after all the terrible things she'd done to Snow in the past. How could she sit there, feeling sorry for herself about losing Henry, when it was exactly what she'd done to her stepdaughter? "You think we're family?" Regina almost scoffed in response. They may be forced to spend time together now, but they certainly weren't family.
"Do you remember when I was sick with the flu?" Snow asked, frowning slightly at the memory. The Queen stayed silent. "Do you remember when I was ill in bed, without my father by my side? Do you remember how I cried myself to sleep every night because all I wanted was someone to look after me, to make me feel better?" Still, there was no response. "Do you remember when you came into my room, dressed in all your finery, even when the servants told you not to, that you would be at risk of catching it too?"
Regina almost smiled; she did remember. "You looked after me, you helped me get better. You saved my life, again! And I can't quite remember thanking you for that. So, thank you." The Queen turned to face her stepdaughter, "You're welcome. Although, things would've been a lot easier for me if you hadn't survived. Maybe I wouldn't have spent so much time trying to get my revenge." She watched as Snow opened her mouth to say something in contradiction, but continued before anything could be said. "But, I know that if I had killed you, I wouldn't have Henry. So, maybe your miserable existence was worth continuing after all."
Snow White smiled, "Yes, maybe it was." She paused for a moment, taking in the fact that her and her stepmother were having the first civil conversation they'd had since before the first curse. "I think today's the day we put our past behind us, don't you think?"
The Queen nodded in agreement before hesitantly murmuring, "I think, occasionally, you're right." She sat there in shock as Snow pulled her into a tight embrace. Regina was totally mortified. "I knew you could be good. It was inside of you the whole time."
"Careful," she chuckled, "You're starting to sound like Belle."
The Princess simply laughed, "I need a drink." She headed over to the cabinet to the right of Regina's vanity. It was made of a dark-coloured wood and looked very elegant. "You know, I could have just used my magic to get the glasses?"
"What's the fun in that?" Snow replied, "And anyways, I prefer doing things the normal way."
Her stepmother scoffed at the girl's ignorance and fetched a bottle of apple cider from another shelf.
The princess opened the door to the cabinet and scanned each compartment, looking for two of the best crystal glasses. Never in her life had she imagined she'd be back in her old home, drinking with the woman who'd spent half her life trying to murder her. But, no matter how strange, it was nice to have some company other than her husband. Who, in their last few years together, she'd found had the capacity to be a tad annoying at times.
As she reached in to grab the chalices, the princess noticed a small, blue bottle. She didn't quite know what about it drew her in, but something inside made her feel the urge to examine it. Looking at it closely, she observed some faint writing on its neck. Her face grew pale as she established what was written. But that wasn't the only thing that scared the princess. No, what scared the princess was the fact the bottle was half full.
"Regina?" Snow said in a nervous voice, "Why have you got a love potion in your cabinet?"
*AUTHOR'S NOTE - Don't want to say anything that might ruin the cliffhanger 😂 Anyway, if you enjoyed please leave a vote or comment below ❤️
Sarah xxx
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The Evil Queen's Daughter - SEQUEL
Fanfiction"Nila, no matter what anyone tells you, you are a Mills, and no one can take that from you. You may not have grown up with me, but you are my daughter. It's in your blood, it always has been. And I love you so much. Whatever comment my mother may ma...
