The Evil Queen's Daughter - SEQUEL

Chapter 20

"I'm so proud of you, sweetie." Cora whispered to her daughter, amongst the shuffling feet and chatters of other people in the great hall. "You're finally learning what it takes to be a parent." Pulling out a chair, they took a seat at the table closest to the back, not wanting to be noticed. After what had gone down with Marian the last time they'd been here, the queen wasn't exactly excited to attend dinner with her perfect family. But with the abundance of her heart, she wasn't so sensitive to this kind of thing anymore.

Her mother had told her that it would ease the pain, and she was right. Regina no longer felt the hurt Robin had left her with, or the emptiness she'd experienced waking up alone with no children still asleep in the room next door. What she felt was... nothing. It was almost how she'd been during her curse, but before she'd found Henry, and without the sense of victory she'd initially carried after its success.

"Thank you." She replied, before glancing over to the door where she saw her daughter walk in. If Regina was being honest, she sympathised with the girl, knowing how she clung to her magic as if it were a crutch. As Nila went to put her bag in her room, the queen noticed Roland bounding up to her. Clearly Marian's arrival hadn't shaken him too badly; he still seemed to be his bright, usual self. Although the boy wasn't hers in any way at all, she truly cared for him, and loved the way he reminded her of a younger Henry.

Regina found that girls were much more difficult to raise, and had more complex personalities and emotions. She'd had experience with both now, and while Henry could usually be left alone, finding peace in his own company and the storybook, her daughter seemed to need a lot more care and attention. But of course, this could all be down to her abandonment issues, and the fact that she hadn't had the simplest upbringing.

"Hi, Regina." His smile never failed to brighten her mood, especially with his loving eyes and dimples. "Hello." The queen replied, putting her arms around him, and letting her face rest on his head of curls. Roland pulled away quite suddenly and his smile vanished. "My mum doesn't want me to be with you." She should've seen that coming. Of course Marian didn't want her precious son spending time with the evil queen.

"Roland?" The boy was quickly scooped up by his mother, who instantly backed away from Regina. "What did I tell you?" She hissed, looking at him in a concerned manner. "Come on, let's go and find your father. I think your supper's ready now." But he easily squirmed out of her arms and sat at the chair next to the queen, folding his arms. "Mama, it's not fair. Dad said I could sit with 'Gina if I was good?" It hurt Regina to hear him call Marian his mother. Although she knew he was her son, she couldn't help but feel jealous that she wasn't the only mother figure in the boy's life anymore. It was like the Emma Swan situation all over again.

"Daddy also said it was up to me." She continued, "And I'm not really comfortable leaving you in their care." Roland looked into the queen's eyes, sensing the underlying hurt. It seemed ripping your own heart out wasn't as effective a plan as she'd once thought; all she could feel right now was pain.

"But she's looked after me plenty of times before, and I don't want her to be lonely." The boy whined, tugging on his mother's shirt.

It was then that Regina noticed they had company. She swallowed as she saw Robin and her daughter approach the table, curious as to what was going on. As soon as the small boy saw his father, he simply latched onto him like a limpet and begged for him to change his mind. "Please. You did say we could spend some more time with 'Gina. How come mama won't let me?" Robin glanced over to where the queen was sitting. He wondered how she could look so effortlessly gorgeous.

She was wearing a dark blue dress with a diamond necklace and a belt that seemed to be fashioned entirely out of jewels. As for the back, it was pretty bare except for some silver chains that hung over her pale skin. Just looking at her made the thief wonder why he had given that up. If one thing was for certain, it was that Robin still had intense feelings for the queen, longing to be with her again. But, alas, he had made his choice. He'd chosen family over true love.

The man turned to Marian, looking at her pleadingly. "Maybe we could have dinner together, as a family? I'm sure that it would make Roland happy, and that way you'd be able to still be with him. And of course, Nila could spend some time with her mother." The small boy seemed overjoyed at the prospect and immediately took a seat next to Regina.

Nila nodded, avoiding her mother's gaze. She hadn't yet had a chance to tell her father about her new circumstance, not being able to use her magic, and wasn't entirely sure how he'd react. The queen noticed her change of outfit since they'd last seen her, and admired her daughter's outfit she'd clearly pilfered from someone else's closet. But Regina wasn't going to say anything; she knew better than to spill secrets like that, and so did the girl. It was probably best to keep her new arrangement private, she didn't want it hindering the chance of Robin and her mother reconciling.

"I think, maybe, it's best if I sit somewhere else." Marian determined, turning to walk away before feeling a gentle hand around her waist. "Come on," Robin said, "It'll be good to spend some time as a family." He led her back to the table, pulling out the seat from next to Roland. "I agree. Like it or not, we're all a family now, and there's nothing we can do about it." Cora agreed, smiling in the direction of Marian, who almost scowled at the idea.

"Me too." Roland smiled, taking a long sip of apple juice. "I'm the luckiest, because I have two mums." The table froze, not really knowing how to react. "What?" He asked innocently, looking confused. Regina wasn't sure what to say, but she knew she should be flattered. Marian, however, seemed pretty shaken. Her son saw the evil queen as his mother?! She didn't know whether she felt more angry, or disgusted.

"You think she's your mother? I raised you, I'm your mother. Whatever they had -" She glared at her husband and the queen, "Well, it's over. So you may as well just say goodbye, because I'm going to make it so that you never see her again." Regina rolled her eyes, she'd had enough of these empty threats, and she certainly wasn't going to let this peasant talk to her in this way.

She conjured up a fireball in her hand, standing up so she was at the same height as the boy's mother. "Marian, please." Robin intervened, not wanting his children to have to see this.

"No. I'm fed up with her ruining my life." The woman spat, pushing her chair into the table. "I knew this was a bad idea, but you didn't listen to me, you never do." And with that, she stormed out of the room, leaving the unconventional family to have a very strange dinner. 

*AUTHOR'S NOTE - I'm actually kind of proud of this chapter, even if I did write it at 11pm at night! Hope you enjoyed and I'll see you in an hour or so for the next one, something tells me you'll enjoy chapter 21..... 

Feel free to vote and comment! ly all <333 

Sarah xxx