The Princess and The Hatter

Chapter Sixteen

Once Upon a Time in the Enchanted Forest . . . . 

Shortly after your escape from Camelot and your escapades with Jefferson, you return home upon receiving a letter form Cora that you father was ill. You wonder to the fields in which your sister is practicing her horseback riding. She jumps over several barricades, and then comes to a stop near you, she gets off and hugs you. 

"That was beautiful, Regina . .  truly."

"Thank you, oh Y/N! Where have you been I can't believe . . ." But she's interrupted by the sound of Cora, her mother, your step mother coming, while Daniel, holding a saddle, trails behind her.

"Beautiful? I'd hardly call that beautiful."

 "You didn't like it, step-mother?" You ask, almost spitefully as the happiness drains from Regina's face. 

"She rides like a man. A lady should be graceful." She glares at you before looking at Regina "you should use a saddle."

"I was just having fun." Regina protested sadly. 

"Well, you're getting a little old for fun. Who's going to want to marry you when you behave like a commoner?"

"Cora! Leave her alone."

"Oh don't you start, you're already causing enough trouble!" She scolds " You're both becoming an old maids. All the other girls your ages are married or planning too. I had such high hopes for you both." She tilts her head.

"I came to see father, then I shall leave." 

"You're not going anywhere" 

"Milady, perhaps this saddle. . ." Daniel tries to talk to Regina to calm the situation and rising tensions but Regina keeps up appearances to hide their secret love affair and hands her horse dismissively to Daniel who leads it away.  

"I'm done riding for the day. And don't ever interrupt me, my sister and my mother again." Once he was gone Regina frowns sadly. 

"Why do you always have to criticise me, us?"

"I'm not criticizing you,  I'm helping you." You scoff at her reply. 

"Come Regina, let's go" but as you turn to leave, Cora gets angry. 

"Don't you walk away from me!"  Cora uses her magic to lift the Regina off of the ground and bring her closer. 

"Cora!" You shout as Regina protests her hatred for her mothers use of magic. 

"And I don't like insolence. I'll stop using magic, when you start being an obedient set of  daughters."

"Why can't we  just be ourselves?" You use your own magic to retract Cora's spell, placing Regina gently on the ground. 

"Oh" Cora says almost proudly at you "because you can both be so much more. If you'd just let me help you" she tries to reach out. 

"I don't care about status. I just want to be . . ." Cora quickly recreates her spell and magically wraps the reins around the Evil Queen, cutting off her air supply

"Cora, please!" You get ready to fight her off again when you hear Regina breath out

"Please.  . . I'll be good."

"That's all I wanted to hear." She drops her magic, you and Regina walk quickly back to the palace. 

"I'm leaving, as soon as I know he's ok. . " 

"Who's ok?" Regina frowned. 

"Father?" You both holt in the hallway. 

"She told you he was ill?"