The Evil Queen's daughter.

Chapter 12

If there was one thing for sure, it was that the last few days had felt different than Nila's first. The incident in the great hall had changed much, and now people seemed to be wary around her, taking caution as they led their children away or in another direction. The queen had been extra busy over the last few days, dealing with implications of the Charmings' pregnancy. It seemed they weren't the only people who were keen on having this baby, and Regina wasn't about to let her wicked sister get the better of them.

So the girl did what she was good at, and kept herself company. Mostly spending time in the library with Belle, where she proved to be very useful, or at the stables with Rose. There was nothing more comforting than horses. They were these gentle creatures that didn't judge whether you had magic, they just loved you. That's where Nila was that very morning. She'd fed the horse before brushing its long mane, talking to it as she did so.

Regina hadn't ridden a horse since casting the dark curse, but wasn't nervous of doing so. No, she was more frightened of having to face Daniel again. Although she'd seen him in storybrooke when Dr Whale had managed to bring him back, she'd had to destroy him to save Henry. How could she look at his resting place knowing she had caused his second demise? The queen remembered what he had told her, "love again."

For the longest time, she felt that was impossible. Until she met Robin. But like most of her attempts at love, they'd backfired, leaving her alone with nothing more than her son. Only this time, she didn't even have Henry.

Regina approached the stables, not at all surprised to see the small girl alone with her mare. It reminded her of her own childhood: no friends, no real family apart from her father and her steed. She blinked away the tears, she was certainly not going to break down at this time in the morning.

"She's beautiful." Nila turned around, shocked. She hadn't realised she had company, and usually preferred to be alone when with her beloved Rose. But realising it was the queen, she let it slide. Regina walked towards the horse and reached out her hand to stroke its back. "May I?" she asked, creating eye contact with the small girl. She knew...she remembered how important Rocinante had been to her. She also remembered how mad she'd been when people had uninvitedly fondled her own steed.

The girl nodded; she trusted Regina, and was impressed she'd known to ask her first. The evil queen had been pretty well known for taking what she wanted without a word of warning. Nila watched as the woman gracefully stroked the horse, a smile forming on her face. "You weren't lying when you said you loved horses." The girl commented, watching as Regina looked at her questioningly. "Rose likes you. Is what I meant."

The queen stared at the small girl before chuckling softly, "Well, I didn't have any other friends growing up. Rocinante was... everything."

"Do you still remember how to ride?" Nila asked, glancing towards the saddles in the corner of the room. She watched as a mischievous smile appeared on Regina's face. "They say it's like riding a bike..."

The queen was right, it was like riding a bike. The moment she'd mounted her horse, all of the memories had come rushing back. The painful ones too, of course. Like the day she saved Snow at the stables.

She gently kicked the horse's stomach twice with her ankles, instructing it to go into a trot. Nila was not far behind, and was clearly an experienced rider. The wind blew in their faces, causing their long, wavy hair to obstruct their vision. But even still, they continued. Hillside after hillside, not needing to vocalise their love for the view, or for each other's company.

Soon, they reached firefly hill. Nila had suggested it would be a good place to stop, and the queen didn't argue. It was one of the only places unaffected by the curse, and purposely so. Everything looked the same, even the arrangement of flowers around the bench. As Nila jumped from the horse and fetched an apple from her satchel, Regina dismounted quietly and walked towards the flowerbed. This was the first time she'd been here since Daniel and it wasn't easy. She felt her heart thumping inside her chest, her love for him overcome with guilt. Guilt that she was having these similar feelings for another man. Nila noticed her despondency.

"Are you ok?" She asked, placing a gentle hand on her palm. The queen nodded but didn't look up. It was then that Nila noticed the inscription on the bench. It read:

In loving memory of Daniel Colter. Forever loved, and will be forever missed.

She wasn't stupid. She knew who Daniel was. A few days ago, the girl had found the famous storybook in her wardrobe, and had since been reading it every night before bed. Her favourite chapter so far was Regina and Daniel's love story. Their forbidden romance and the heartbreak that came after just reminded her that the queen may not be as strong as she made herself out to be. She just needed love.

"I don't think he'd mind, you know." Nila said, nodding at the inscription on the bench. "I think he'd be happy you've found love again." The queen shot her a glance.

"You don't know what you're talking about." She replied. "You didn't know him. And I don't know what you mean by that. As I said, the kiss meant nothing and I'm not meant for happiness."

"But you haven't even tried to find it! If you had, maybe I could see where you were coming from. But from here, it just looks like you are your own worst enemy. I can tell that the kiss wasn't nothing. If it were nothing, you wouldn't have been so heartbroken when you ended it. Maybe you should take a chance, a leap of faith. What about hope?"

Regina looked up, her breathing shaky. Since when did this child have the right to question her decisions? She certainly didn't bring her up to Daniel's resting place to hear a hope speech from someone who barely knew her.

"And what would you know about love?" She retorted, "You were abandoned by your own mother. I doubt she would've done that if she'd loved you."

Nila opened her mouth in astonishment, wondering if the queen had said what she thought she'd said. Although it was true, she had been abandoned by her mother. The girl felt her heart drop to her feet. She thought that her and the queen had become closer, maybe even good friends. But apparently not. Apparently Regina didn't feel the way she did. The girl swallowed slowly, taking in her surroundings before grabbing Rose by the reins and galloping off into the distance. 

* Author's note - Well, that escalated quickly 😂 Hopefully they can reconcile in the next chapter. Does anyone have any ideas about what should happen next? Let me know in the comments! And thank you so much for 250 reads! It honestly means the world and so do your votes and comments ❤️ Sarah xxx