The Wrong Princess

7.

Regina waited for Robin after her mother had left.  She couldn't wait to spent more time with him and she hoped that she could one day leave the tower with his help.

When he arrived she quickly let her hair down and hugged him tightly when he entered.

They both had no idea that Cora had followed them to the tower and was fuming with anger as she saw Robin climb up with Regina's hair. So Regina was the one he loved. It all made sense now why Regina had been so happy lately. She needed to stop this. Robin needed to marry Zelena.

She went back to the castle and paced in her study as she tried to think of ways to put an end to Regina's and Robin's relationship. The cronation was in two days.

Zelena entered the room and frowned as she saw Cora pacing. "Is something wrong?" She asked curiously.

"Yes, everything is. You knew about Robin and Regina didn't you?" She demanded angrily as she faced her daughter with a glare on her face.

The red head gulped. This wouldn't end well. She knew Regina was in danger now. She needed to warn her. "What are you going to do now?" She asked, a little scared of what Cora would do to Regina now.

Cora looked at Zelena and then an idea crossed her mind. "Oh, you will marry Robin. As for Regina..." she trailed off slightly and smirked at Zelena. "A little trim will do nicely. Don't you think?" She asked her, really enjoying her own evil idea.

Zelena gulped. She was sure by 'trim' Cora meant something else entirely. She really needed to warn her and talk to Leopold before it was too late.

"And you won't see Regina again. Not before the wedding." Cora added as she sensed what Zelena was planning. She waved her hand and Zelena was engulfed in purple smoke.

"What are you doing?" Zelena demanded and frowned as the smoke cleared and nothing seemed to have happened.

Cora smirked. "Oh I just made sure you wouldn't be able to leave this castle until the cronation. " She explained to Zelena and walked out of the room. She had to deal with Regina now.

Zelena growled. She needed to warn Robin at least. Maybe he could stop Cora before it was too late.

---------------------------------------------------

Robin was still with Regina and kissed her happily. It was the next morning. The morning before the cronation and the two days before the wedding.

"Do you really have to leave?" Regina asked sadly. She didn't want him to go. 

He sighed as he stroked her hair carefully. "I do. But I will be back tonight. With a rope. I'm taking you out of this tower." He told her softly and kissed her again before he climbed down her hair and left.

As Cora saw that Robin had left she poofed into the tower immediatly. "Hello, Regina " she said.

Regina was startled as her mother suddenly poofed into the tower and gasped,  holding a hand to her chest. "God, Mother, you scared me." She said softly and took a deep breath. "What are you doing here so early?" She asked confused and hoped her mother hadn't seen Robin leave.

"I just wanted to pay you a quick visit. " she answered and looked around the room. She noticed a red rose laying on Regina's vanity table. That girl was so stupid.

Regina nodded slowly though she felt as though something was off with her mother. She didn't like this one bit. She looked around nervously and noticed what her mother was looking at and gulped.

Cora walked over to the vanity and picked the rose up. "Such a beautiful flower. Looks like one from my rose bushes in the castle gardens. Did Zelena give it to you?" She asked though of course she knew that it wasn't a gift from Zelena but from Robin. She looked at Regina pointly.

"Uhm...yes. Zelena gave it to me. It's beautiful isn't it?" She answered nervously and played slightly with her hair which she hadn't braided yet.

"It is beautiful indeed but we both know you are lying to me. Where did you really get it from?" The older woman demanded, raising her voice slightly in anger.

Regina gulped at her mother's angry tone. Her eyes watered with tears but she didn't say anything.  She was too scared to answer.

"Tell me!" Cora shouted and grabbed Regina by the wrist,  holding her tightly. She raised her other hand and slapped her hard across the face.

Regina struggled slightly against her mother's grip but she was just too weak. She flinched in pain when her mother slapped her and looked up at her mother. "R...Robin. His name is Robin. " she finally answered.

Cora let go of Regina's wrist finally and threw the rose into the fireplace. "You will never see him again. You won't ruin this for me. Or your cousin." She said in a low voice and glared at Regina. "Now sit down" she demanded and pointed to the chair in front of the vanity table.

The young girl wasn't sure what her mother would do next but she knew it couldn't be good. She shoke her head as more tears gathered in her eyes. Robin had promised to get her out of the tower. He promised her a future. She wouldn't let her mother ruin her only chance at happiness.

When Regina didn't make a move Cora snapped. She grabbed a strand of Regina's beautiful long hair and made a pair of scissors appear in her other hand and chopped the strand off.

Regina gasped and began to sob. Robin loved her long hair and it was the only way for him to get in. If it was gone she would never be free.

"I said, sit down" Cora repeated angrily.

Regina sat down and watched in horror as her mother grabbed another piece of her hair and continued to chop it. She sobbed violently and tears were flowing from her eyes while Cora kept cutting.

"You won't stand in the way of the wedding. You won't ruin this." Cora growled and kept cutting until all of Regina's hair was cut to just below her chin and the floor was covered in a carpet of  dark brown locks.

Regina was horrified as she looked down. She couldn't believe this was happening.

Cora smirked and made the hair disappear. "Now he won't be able to see you again." She said, satisfied with her work as she ran a hand through Regina's now much shorter hair. She disappeared in a puff of purple smoke and left Regina in her misery.