Let down your dark hair

16.

Fairytale Land, Regina at 13:

Today was the day, she decided. Today she would finally leave the tower and run away from her mother. Regina had packed some food and a spare dress if the one she was wearing got dirty. Her other dresses were tied together into a rope and tied to a hook at the window.

The young girl looked around the big room and sighed. She was unsure for just a moment. She was only thirteen and had never done any work in her life other than singing and drawing. She sat on her bed and took her teddy bear in her arms and stuffed it into the bag as well. Regina took a deep breath and then made her way over to the window and checked if the rope was save enough once more before finally getting the courage to climb down.

She was ready! She had been ever since she was 8 years old and she realized how ruthless her mother was.

Flashback, Regina at 8 :

Little Regina didn't feel well as she woke up that day. Her voice was hoarse and her throat was sore. And it was so terribly hot. Her nanny had made her a herb tea and gave the little girl a cold wash cloth for her head. She had a high fever and slept most of the day. Her hair knee long hair had been pulled up into a braid to keep it out of her face and her teddy bear was tugged safely under her arm. "Mama!" she whispered over and over again while in her feverish dace until Cora finally showed up.

"Why is she still in bed?" the queen demanded as she appeared in the tower room.

The nanny bowed her head and led the queen over to the bed. "She has a high fever, your majesty." the maid explained and Cora scoffed and grabbed her daughter's arm voilently.

"What have I told you about whining?" the witch shouted and shook her daughter's little body forcefully. Regina sniffed and tried to fight of her fever.

"That it's weakness. But, Mama, I'm sick." the loud slap echoed through the woods and made the child cry out in pain.

"Being sick is weakness! I don't want to hear your whining, you foolish child. Now get up and dress!" she screamed and all the young girl could do was nod and do as her mother told her.

"Your highness, please! She is really si-" her nanny tried to say but was cut off by the queen.

"I don't care! She is eight years old and needs to learn to not depend on others all the time. Stop cuddling her or you'll lose your job." Cora threatened and left in a cloud of purple smoke.

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Regina at 13:

She shook at the memory but kept climbing until her toes touched the ground. Regina smiled in victory until someone destroyed her happy moment.

"Regina!" her mother screamed as she dismounted her black stallion and strode over to the disobedient child. "How dare you! What did you think you are doing?" Regina's whole body trembled as her mother grabbed her arm and transported them into the tower.

"Explain yourself. NOW!!! You know that it isn't save out there. Think about your father." her mother scolded her as she pulled the robe of dresses back into the tower and sat down in the armchair by the fireplace.

"I'm sorry, Mother! Please forgive me. It will never happen again." she lowered her head in shame and kneeled down in front of her mother. Cora was fuming and Regina knew what awaited her.

"Oh yes it will never happen again! And to make myself clear I'll have to punish you. Open your dress!" the girl winced at her mother's request but she had no choice. She slowly opened her purple silk gown and turned around, pulling her braid over her shoulder.

Just a moment later she could feel the whip lash collide with her soft skin and she cried out in pain. Cora smiled at her daughter's pain and gave her another slap, much harder than the first one. Eleven slaps later Regina's dress was soaking with blood and Cora undressed her fully and burned the dress. She knew it was her daughter's favourite and she did it just to make the lesson stick.

The queen put some salve on the wounds after she had cleaned them and helped Regina into a new dress.

"I hope you learned your lesson now, Regina. Never do something like that ever again or the consequences will be much worse." she whispered into her daughter's ear which gave the girl goose bumps all over her body.

"I'll never do it again. I promise, Mama." the teenager said softly and bowed her head.

"Good. Now turn around so that I can do your hair. Clearly you need more practise with taking care of your hair. Sometimes I think it would be best if we just cut it off but then I wouldn't be able to visit you. Using magic all the time is so very tiresome." she spoke softly as she brushed through the tangled mess of curls.

"Mother? May I ask you something?"

"You may." Cora sighed and continued to work on her daughter's hair.

"You always say that I should remember what happened to Daddy but I can't remember what happened. Would you tell me?" the brunette asked with wide innocent eyes. Her mother stopped in her tracks and almost let the brush fall from her hands. Her daughter was right. Of course she didn't know about what happened to Henry.

She couldn't tell her the thruth of course. Because the thruth was that she held ripped her husband's heart out as he discovered his very much alive daughter in the tower and buried him next to the stone prison in all her anger.

She had to think about a lie rather quickly.

"Uhm...well you see your father was killed by a band of thief's when you were only a baby. They robbed us and your father tried to protect you."