The Chance Encounter

part five

Chapter 5

In the days to come, we’ve buried the King. Snow has been tethered to my side day in and day out in mourning of her father. My heart does break for her. She absolutely admired the man.

Even though I am Queen, and hold all the power, Cora somehow swiveled it all and now runs the show. This is what she’s wanted. I escaped one purgatory and traded it in for another.

After hearing that the King is now dead, and I have a semblance of freedom, Tink has returned. As much as I wanted to be mad at her for abandoning me, I couldn’t. I know it wasn’t her fault. The circumstances never allowed her to sneak in and come see me.

4 weeks have passed since the King’s death.

“Regina, you can’t give up on love. This is what will set you free. Love will get you out of this slump that you’re in. You’ll have your freedom. Your heart will no longer be in shambles.”

“Tink, I want to. But how? I can’t leave this place. If we find him, it’s not like I can run away. I’ve tried that and look at what happened! Cora will never allow me the freedom. Not when I hold the title of Queen. She is the one with all the power.”

“What if I told you I can help you find them tonight?”

“It doesn’t change anything I’ve said before.”

“You’re not even slightly curious about who they may be?”

“Of course I want to know, Tink. I just don’t want to put his life at risk.”

“What if I can help you escape?”

“You would do that for me?”

“Without a doubt, Reg. You’re my best friend. I want you to have your happiness. I couldn’t help you before, but I can now.”

“Let’s do it then. Only if you can assure me we’ll all be safe.”

“I promise. We just can’t tell anyone about this Reg. It’s against the fairy rules for me to use our magic like this.”

“I won’t tell a soul, I promise.”

Tinkerbell takes the opportunity to sprinkle some pixie dust in the air. She says the dust will lead us to my True Love. “No one but us will be able to see the dust as it flows to the person you’re supposed to meet.”

The pixie dust leads us to the local Tavern. We stop outside the Tavern as the dust is still flowing in. “Ready to go in, Reg?”

“I’m a bit nervous.”

“Take a deep breath, and just walk in. You’ve wanted this forever. Now’s your chance. I’ll be right here by your side.”

I take a deep breath and I walk in with Tink following behind me closely. At first, the dust lingered in the air nearby a handsome looking man. He’s drinking a cup of Ale, and has a lion tattoo on his wrist. “I guess I should go say hello” I say. As I begin to walk toward the table, Tink gently grabs my wrist. “Give it a second Reg.”

When the man takes a step backwards to speak to one of his acquaintances, the dust begins flowing through the air again. The pixie dust begins to move wildly around a table where a young woman is sitting. The first thing I notice is her beautiful golden wavy locks. There’s no one accompanying her. The pixie dust circles around her and then disappears. It’s at that moment, the stunning young woman locks eyes with me. Never have I seen such gorgeous emerald green eyes. I quickly turned to Tink, embarrassed that she caught me staring at her. “You never told me that my True Love would be a woman, Tink.”

“I didn’t think it was relevant, Reg. Now’s your chance to approach her.”

I glance over at the woman once more, then I look back at the man with the lion tattoo. “I can't do this just yet” I say softly before running out of the Tavern, making my way back home.