Howl~ Ruby Lucas x OC

Chapter 3

I sat out in the garden, trailing my fingers over the pretty flowers growing there, giggling as a white butterfly landed on my finger, watching its tiny wings flap, before it flew off again. "Pretty.." I waved my tiny hand at the butterfly, only five years old, but used to being by myself, my parents always too busy to play with me, though Daddy would try to at least say hello once in awhile. I stood up, and slowly walked up to the giant tree in the middle of the garden, looking up at the apples on it, catching one as it fell right into my hands, a bright smile on my face. I wasn't supposed to go near the tree, let alone touch the apples, but surely, if one had fallen right into my tiny grip, who was I to be blamed? I lifted the apple to my lips to take a small bite, when the apple was slapped roughly out of my hand, a stinging slap echoing across my little face next, as I gazed up into the face of the Evil Queen, her eyes cold with fury. "Have I not expressed my wishes clearly? Is there a brain inside that tiny skull?"

I held my stinging cheek, hot tears welling in my eyes, sliding down my chubby cheeks, and whimpered. "But- But Mama, I only wanted a snack. It fell into my hand.. I did not steal it, I swear!" A cruel smile spread across her face, as she bent down to my height. "And why, exactly, should I believe a filthy brat like you, hm? And I have told you many times, but I shall repeat myself once more.. Never call me that word again. I am your Queen, regardless of the fact that you spawned from my own body or not. I shall never see you as my child, or love you, or coddle you. You are merely an annoyance, and I allow you to remain in my castle simply because your father's loyalty to me depends on that, among other things. I cannot lose my trusted Huntsman, now can I? However, one more incident like this, or one more intolerable little infuriating sniffle, and that will be the last time you see these castle walls." With that, she turned and began to walk away, and I couldn't hold back my words. "I hate you! No wonder everyone loves Snow White! You're cruel, and hateful, and I wish you weren't my Mama!"

I knew I had made a terrible mistake, as she whirled on me, her hand wrapping around my tiny throat, her eyes glaring into mine, no kindness or remorse in them, only cruel satisfaction. "So you believe Snow White to be a better fit for Queen, then? That sounds like treason to me- What about you, Huntsman? What have you to say of her actions? She is of your blood, after all." I glanced at my father, terrified as he appeared behind her, sadness in his eyes, and he looked away from me, before replying, "Yes, Your Majesty. She has uttered traitorous words, and should be punished." My little five year old brain couldn't understand why he was saying those things. "Papa? Papa, please, I'm sorry.." The Queen tossed me to her soldiers, and the last thing I saw as I was dragged off to the dungeon was her wicked smile, and my father's broken expression. I was chained to a wall by both my hands and my feet, and felt terror flood my body. "I think a dozen lashes for every pesky year that you have existed should suffice, don't you?" *The Queen stepped into the flickering torch light , and motioned to the guard watching me.

I flinched, as the guard reached over to a table nearby, and retrieved something made of rawhide, before I felt my shirt torn, the guard whispering in my ear, "I am truly sorry for this, Princess, but for the sake of my own children, I must, even if you are a child." The next thing I heard and felt was the sharp crack of a whip, and the burning slice of rawhide across my flesh, and it continued, over and over again, faster than I could count, the coppery scent of my blood in the air. As my body went limp, and I fell unconscious, I faintly heard the Queen whisper in my ear, "I curse you, you little demon.. I curse you to suffer. Since your father loves wolves so much, perhaps his own daughter becoming one every full moon will motivate him to keep me happy, unless he wishes you to be hunted by the villagers. You will become the monster that Snow White, who you seem to deem a hero, thinks that I am, only worse. You will kill to eat, and you will feel great pain and terror, as your body becomes one of a beast. You will be alone, in the forest, with no friends, no family, and no one to love or save you. That is your true punishment.." With that, I was put on a horse with a knight, and carried into the woods, left for dead.

I sat on my bed, looking at the burn on my hand, the flesh starting to mend itself already, though slowly, and sighed, as Regina walked into the room. "I really did forget about the whole.. Silver thing. It won't happen again. Please come finish your dinner, Bella.. You need to eat something." I snickered quietly, and looked at her. "How convenient. You're the one who cursed me, but you forgot about what silver does to me, then hand me silverware? You and I both know that I've already eaten something, maybe human, maybe not. I wouldn't know.. I prefer that to anything you made." She looked down, and I could see her clench her jaw and take a deep breath, and saw the Evil Queen I remembered for a second. "There you are. Your true self.. You can fool the town, and your precious son, but not me. I'll always know what you are. You didn't come up here just to check on me. So what the hell is it that you really wanted? The moon's going to be out soon, so hurry it up."

I saw a wry smile on her face at my words, and flinched, as she sat beside me on the bed, grabbing the locket from under my shirt, yanking me forward, and opened it. "I want to know why? Why did you keep these painful memories? After everything I did to you, why keep reminders of it with you at all times? I also want to know how you escaped the curse.." I yanked the locket away from her, and held it close. "Just because you're a monster, and you did things to me that shouldn't ever be done to anyone, especially a kid, it doesn't mean that I- I guess a part of me still has the tiniest sliver of love for you, though I don't know why, and I miss Papa, even though he threw me away." She seemed completely speechless at my response, tears in her eyes, as she looked at me with the same broken expression my father had worn that day. "What?" I shrugged, and looked away. "I hated you for awhile, and I'll never forget what you did to me, ever.. But hate is worse than being cursed. So I'm trying to move on, and let it go, even if it still hurts. As for the curse- I'm already cursed, so I guess you can't curse someone who's already been cursed." I went quiet after that, and climbed out the window after I heard her leave silently, without another word, not seeing Henry sneak into my room..