Lost, Then Home: The Third Book in the A Tale of Two Sisters Series

Part Two: A Gilded Cage

AN: Early upload because it's Reagan's birthday! Enjoy!

Crown Princess Reagan thought that her future was set back in Storybrooke. She would graduate high school, go to The University of Michigan and graduate with a Bachelor's Degree in English. From there she didn't know what she would do exactly but she knew she wanted it to do with books or possibly education, she didn't know for sure. One thing she did know though was that she would be free to do whatever she wished.

That wasn't the case anymore.

As soon as she had gotten settled in Western, things started to go back to normal. She was once again a future queen, and everyone's eyes were on her. It didn't help that she was also The Savior—let alone the only one now that Emma was gone. Her future was now set for her the way other people wanted it to play out, not her. It was important that she married not long after she turned eighteen, and provided an heir to strengthen her family's claim to the throne. Well, her mother didn't seem concerned about that, but she knew the men in the gray suits, a term she had now coined for them after growing up in the world that the late Diana, Princess of Wales once lived in, would want it. Yes, her mother was in charge, and someday she would be, but she couldn't go against her kingdom's traditions or protocols. Things may have changed a little after living so long in a more modern world, but things weren't going to go away because of that.

It had been about a month or so since they had returned to The Enchanted Forest, and Reagan was exhausted by it all. She came stumbling into her room to find Elphaba reading on the chaise.

The green girl looked up and quickly stood, "I didn't think you would be back this early."

The Crown Princess raised one of her eyebrows, "Early? It's ten at night."

Elphaba looked over at the doors that lead to the princess's balcony, looking at the night sky, 

"Oh, I guess you're right. I'll call for your bath to be drawn—"

"I need to rant right now," Reagan said, closing her bedchamber's door.

"And you just sounded a lot like your sister," Elphaba said, smiling to herself a little as she and Reagan sat down on the chaise.

The older girl sighed, "It's just . . . All of this, it's a lot."

"Of course it is. You have just been thrown back here, and had Henry and Serenity torn from you. People are expecting you to move on quickly and get on with how your life was before . . . Minus Serenity being here and your mom being evil."

"Well I guess there is some of that. But my mom, it's like . . . Whatever I think or say or do doesn't matter. She's caught up in her own little world."

"What makes you think that?"

"I try to tell her about my day, or what I'm reading, or just try to joke with her and she quickly changes the subject or she can't take a joke and gets mad at me. And I thought she wanted to mend our relationship."

"Are you sure you aren't just overthinking? I mean, I get it, but your mom just lost two of her children."

"But she acts like I'm not enough for her. It's like she forgets the life that she had imagined for the two us and my dad."

Elphaba's eyes widened, "Someone sounds a little selfish."

Reagan put her head in her hands, "Don't get me wrong, I love Henry and Serenity, even though they no longer remember me. But my mom—"

"I think the both of you don't know what to say to one another. Think about it, the two of you have been at each other's throats mostly ever since you were eleven. The both of you have just started getting back on track and it doesn't help that this has been thrown in on top of it," Elphaba sighed. "I think you need to give your mom a chance. Give her time. And remember, I am here for a reason. I have sworn to help you whenever you need it, and to be one of your closest confidants. And you also have that thief."