Maybe it's All About Timing

Innocent to Evil Ch1-Part3

Just moments before Tinker Bell's arrival, the raven-haired young woman was utterly exhausted after yet another episode of vomiting up the last few morsels of her meager dinner. She washed her face in the washbasin, brushed her teeth, and rinsed her mouth with the mint leaf water provided by Rainy to rid her breath of the foul taste. She placed her palm on her taut stomach, cooing softly, "I know you're feeling angry about Snow White too, aren't you, my little one?" She heaved a heavy sigh, as she grabbed her hand-held mirror and stared into it. The young woman she saw in the reflection was a stranger to her; her sorrows had taken their toll, leaving her with no more tears to shed. She felt like she was losing a part of herself with each passing day.

Suddenly.

She heard the distinct sound of shuffling and rambling coming from her bed chamber. She cautiously stepped out of the washroom, her heart pounding in her chest as she spotted a hooded figure standing by her four-poster canopy bed, its silhouette eerily illuminated by the faint flickering candlelight on the nightstand. They frantically rummaged through her childhood jewelry box; her heart was pounding in fear. 'A thief!' she thought, unsure of what to do. She considered calling the guard. No, no she wouldn't. This was her bed chamber, and she refused to be intimidated by a petty thief. With confident strides, she approached the thief with a newfound authority she didn't know she possessed. Taking a deep breath, she put the meaning of her name to use and asserted her power.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

The Thief jolted, taken aback by the sound of the voice coming from behind him. "Bloody hell!" he exclaimed as the jewelry box he was stealing from tumbled to the ground and its contents clinked as they hit the floor.

Regina gasped at the sight.

The Thief slowly whirled around, his hood still securely in place. In the dimly lit chamber, illuminated by a single flickering candle behind him, he could just make out the young woman's face. He was paralyzed, for he had never been caught before - not once - He successfully managed to evade capture after carrying out several heists.

"Did you not hear me?!" Regina demanded imperiously, her voice echoing in the chambers. "What do you think you are doing in my chambers? Shall I call the guards and have you beheaded? Speak, thief!" She could feel the thief's fear radiating from him as she spoke, and a strange, exhilarating feeling ran through her as her regal demeanor came so naturally to her.

"Forgive me, M'lady. I had heard a tale about a witch named Cora, and I mistakenly thought this was her chamber. But you do not appear to be an evil witch; I humbly apologize for my error," he said breathlessly, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender, hoping she would let him go peacefully.

Regina sneered contemptuously at the thief, her voice dripping with disdain. "Do you honestly believe this is the chamber of an evil witch? How utterly foolish of you!"

The thief smirked at the young woman's audacity. He could tell she was a few years younger than him. "Pardon me, M'lady, but as you so stated, I'm a foolish thief. I'm not here to take a grand tour of the chambers; rather, my plan is to commit theft."

Just as Regina opened her mouth to retort about the thief's foolishness, she noticed a glimmer near the thief's boot. Her heart sank with recognition of the dull sparkle of her beloved engagement ring - 'Daniel'. She sprinted towards the thief with incredible velocity, rapidly crouching down and seized the ring, securing it firmly back to its rightful position on her finger.

He was perplexed as to why a noble young woman would treasure something as humble as the piece of jewelry she now wore on her finger, as if a scoundrel such as he would ever steal such an item.

"That trinket must mean an awful lot to you, M'-

"It's none of your concern," standing and striding away towards her open balcony, sick of the thief's pre-emptive intrusion. "Now please leave my chambers at once, before I call the guards. Take whatever you want - I don't care - I'll be gone first thing in the morning anyhow."