Let down your dark hair

10.

Enchanted Forest:

It had been a few weeks and Cora was still searching for the thief Robin Hood. The queen would stop at nothing to get him in the dungeons. 

at the tower ....

Regina and Robin met every night and they feelings for eachother got stronger with each passing day but still there was the problem of the queen. Regina feared that her mother would find out and nothing could ease her worries.

"We could run away! I could get a rope long enough to get you out of here." the young thief suggested hopefully but the brunette knew that it wouldn't work. Her mother would never stop chasing him and when she found out about their relationship it would get even worse.

"Robin, we can't. My mother would give everything to see in the dungeon and if she found out about us she wouldn't hesitate to kill you." she was frustrated and sad at the same time. She really wanted to go with him and get her Happy Ending but she knew Cora would never let her escape. Tears ran down her smooth cheeks and Robin wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug to sooth his love.

"We'll find a way. I'll stop at nothing to get you out of this prison. I love you!" he said and Regina slowly began to relax at his words.

"I love you too." she said and they kissed eachother passionately.

When Robin left the tower that day he had no idea that he had been watched the whole time.

at the Dark Palace...

Cora was striding through her chambers impatiently all the while throwing asults at servants and guards until two of her most trusted men entered her chamber.

"Did you find him?" she spook up quickly and both guards nodded.

"We saw him entering a tower in the middle of the woods. We think that this is his hiding place. A young woman was there as well. His wife, maybe." one of them explained and Cora couldn't believe this.

She only knew one tower in the woods and that was where she hid her daughter. This couldn't be! Had her daughter really betrayed her like that?

"Thank you. You may leave now. I'll personally take him down." again both of them nodded and bowed before leaving their queen alone.

Cora was furious but didn't let it show in front of her staff. The old woman vanished in a cloud of purple smoke and reappeared in her daughter's room.

Regina jumped as she saw her mother. "Mother, I didn't expect your visit until later." she said nervously. Already sensing that something went terribly wrong.

"Shut up! How could you, you foolish child?!" she screamed and slapped her daughter hard across the face.

Regina was shocked. Had her mother found out about their relationship?

She didn't reply so Cora slapped her again. "How long have you lied to me? How long?!" the old woman shouted and her young daughter shrunk back in fear.

"A few months. But please don't hurt him, Mama. I love him!" Regina begged but her mother didn't listen. Her daughter had lied to her for months and now she would pay.

"You foolish child! Love is weakness. Let's see if he'll still love you when I'm finished with you, you stupid girl." she grabbed her daughter's arm voilently and pulled her over to her vanity.

She waved her hand and a pair of big scissors appeared.

"No. Please don't do this, Mother. I'll never see him again, I promise. Just please don't do this." Regina cried as she saw the scissors.

"Too late." Cora said simply and grabbed a lock of her daughter's beautiful dark hair and cut it as close to the scalp as possible. The young girl closed her big brown eyes  while tears ran down her cheeks.

"Please." she whispered over and over again through voilent sobs as she felt her mother cutting her hair. With every curl that fell she felt her head getting lighter and lighter while the floor and her golden dress got covered with hair.

"This is your own fault. You brought this all on yourself." Cora shouted while tears ran down her own face. She loved her daughter even without her heart and seeing her suffer made her really sad but it had to be done. Regina had to be punished.

She loved her daughter's long dark hair but she had to take it away in order to keep the thief away. It was the only way he could enter the tower.

More and more hair fell to the stone floor and the shorter her hair got the more she cried.

Suddenly the cutting stopped and the girl slowly opened her eyes. Loud sobs escaped her mouth when she caught her reflection in the mirror. She looked like a boy now. Her hair was even shorter than Robin's. Only stubs covered her head now. Everything was buzzed off.

Cora grabbed her arm again and pushed her down on the floor. "Now let's see how much he'll love you when he sees you like this. However he won't see you like this." she smirked and magic shot from her hands.

When the purple smoke cleared Regina was confused. Nothing seemed to have happened. She slowly stood up and wanted to go to the window but she couldn't. An invisble wall was stopping her. Her mother laughed wickedly while Regina tried to get free.

"Don't tire yourself out, dear. You won't escape me. You see, this wall is very special. I'll be able to see and hear everything you do or say and you'll be able to do so as well but he won't be able to hear or see you." she explained and Regina sank to the floor, crying and pulled her cut off locks close to her.

"Do you think he'll like me?" her mother asked and transformed into Regina. Her daughter was shocked and confused at the same time. What was her mother going to do to Robin?

"Please don't! Please don't hurt him!" again Regina begged but Cora only laughed and went over to the window where she waited for the thief.