The Evil Queen's Daughter - SEQUEL

Chapter 21

"I need to go." Regina said, extinguishing the fireball and excusing herself from the room. She needed a bit of air, and so she went to the only place where she could feel safe: the orchard. Apples had always meant a lot to this woman, and few people knew the real reason why. While most envied the queen's childhood, growing up in a palace where she was treated like royalty, they did not know what the reality really was.

Cora was never the most loving mother, and rarely ever spent time with her daughter. Most of the time, it seemed she would rather be practising her dark magic than playing with Regina. But no matter how often it was, whenever the girl was lonely or wanted a friend, prince Henry never failed to keep her occupied. And when she grew too old for games, her father would take her riding through the mountains, embracing her free spiritedness.

It was how she learned to love horses, going on those rides, wasting the days away. Sooner or later, the prince grew too old for long rides, and so she had to make do with being by herself. Fortunately, this was around the time that Cora hired Daniel to be the palace's stable boy. With her father growing more fragile each day, the pair spent most of their time together in the orchard, discussing the day's events. On each of Regina's birthdays, they planted a new apple tree, and the young girl had loved watching herself grow up with the nature around her.

She wished her father was here now, he'd be able to help her through this. What would he say if he could see her now? Listening to her mother, and ripping her own heart out? The queen smiled; she knew exactly what he'd say. "I know things look bleak now, but you need to stay strong. You found happiness even after you thought you never could. I just want you to know that I couldn't be prouder of you." That's exactly what he'd say.

Regina sat down on a stone bench, sighing as she leant into the bark of the tree behind her. How had she let herself believe she could be happy after the life she'd had? It had clearly been a ridiculous idea to even imagine someone could love her. No matter what she did, or how hard she tried to change, she'd always be making up for the mistakes of her past.

Meanwhile, Robin had decided it was best to go after his wife, leaving the children in the care of Cora. He knew Marian would be rather annoyed with him for doing so, but he needed to do something. His first thought was to talk this through with his wife, to explain that they were co-parenting, and that she didn't really have the rights to control Regina's time spent with her son. But as he walked through the hall's doors, something drew him to the orchard. Maybe it was instinct, maybe it was that he too found peace there, or maybe it was the idea that the queen would be there too.

The thief wandered through the maze of trees, admiring the way each of them had their own design. It was no wonder that Regina found peace here, the site really was a calming one. As he approached the centre, he spotted someone sitting on the bench, leaning against the bark. Robin was sure that he was the last person the queen wanted to see, but he couldn't help but be drawn closer towards her.

"What do you want? Here to lecture me on how to parent your children?" Regina asked sarcastically, keeping her gaze on the horizon intact. The thief sighed, she always expected the worst. "No. I just thought you could use some company." It wasn't entirely a lie; he knew she must be quite upset. "Really?" She scoffed, "Are you sure our daughter didn't send you?"

"I left her in the company of your mother. I hope that's alright." Changing the subject, a beginner's move. "That's not what I asked, and yes, that is unless your wife has a problem with it?" Regina raised an eyebrow, still staring into the distance, not wanting to make eye contact with him, not wanting to fall for those sapphire-blue eyes all over again.

"Marian may be his mother, but I'm his father. She doesn't get to make all the calls. Besides, I think it's good for Roland to spend time with you."

The queen's heart almost stopped. Disobeying her first thoughts, she turned to look at Robin. "You do? Even though I'm the evil queen? Even though I'm no one to him?"

"You're not no one, Regina." The thief replied, gazing back into her eyes. She was so beautiful, especially now. "Then who am I?" She whispered, dropping her chin and looking down at the floor.

Suddenly, she felt Robin's hands on her skin, and her chin being lifted so that her gaze was directed back to him. "You're... my queen." He whispered in response, leaning closer towards her. And just for a moment, everything was as it was supposed to be. 

*AUTHOR'S NOTE - Ahhhhhh so cute! I mean, he's kinda cheating on Marian but let's ignore that for a while..... Hope you enjoy, and if you did feel free to vote and comment! Next chapter is already out! 3 chapters in one day? How lucky are you?

Sarah xxx