A Thief and a Queen

The Marriage Test (Part I)

A/N: This went through a few incarnations. First, it started as a straight up OQ version of "Once Upon a Mattress." Then it slowly morphed into this, still inspired by "Once Upon a Mattress" but a bit different.

It also was a lot longer than I realized—almost 20,000 words. So I've split it up into three parts. Check back tomorrow for part 2!

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful queen named Regina who appeared to have it all. She had a natural beauty other women at court envied her for: long dark hair that feel down to her mid-back when not up in elaborate styles, deep brown eyes and a beautiful figure enhanced by the magnificent gowns she was able to afford as queen. Like all the women in her family, she possessed magic and had been trained to use it. Many considered her the most powerful sorceress in all the lands.

She was a good leader, fair but shrewd. Despite living in a male-dominated world, Regina was able to negotiate and form strong allegiances with the neighboring kingdoms. She appointed knowledgeable overseers, who made certain their trade, agriculture and goods were of the finest quality and worth a pretty coin. In turn, her land was prosperous and her people happy.

Yet Regina was not happy and hadn't been for some time. Her mother, Queen Cora, had been a cold and exacting woman who demanded nothing less than perfection from her only daughter and heir. And so she had crushed Regina's first love, squashing those feelings underfoot as she told her daughter that love was weakness. "When you marry, you're going to do so for the security of the kingdom and to produce an heir to secure the throne," she had told Regina.

Regina vowed to never marry.

After Queen Cora died and Regina ascended the throne, she realized she had advanced her country just fine without a king. But she still needed an heir, to assure the continuation of her bloodline and kingdom. Her advisers and the nobles grew more and more concerned about the line of succession with each passing year until they confronted her about it.

"I am not just a baby maker!" she yelled at them, letting loose a fireball.

They ducked just in time and one brave soul ventured forward. "Of course not, Your Majesty. But you are an intelligent, capable ruler and have to know this is something that's important."

Regina growled as she stalked over to the window. Taking a few deep breaths, she composed herself in her mirror before turning back to him. "Fine. If I decide to marry and have a child, it will happen on my terms. Understand?"

They all nodded before Regina left the room, her long and voluminous black gown trailing after her.

*****

She returned to her room where her beloved father Henry greeted her, sighing as she threw the glass of wine he offered her at the wall. "Your meeting didn't go well, my dear?" he asked.

"No. They're still on about me having an heir," she said, teeth gritted. "As if that's all I should have a child for."

Henry softened. "You do want a child, don't you?"

"Of course, I do," she admitted, her voice soft. "But I want a child for the right reasons and with someone I love. We both know the only man I'll ever love is dead."

Nodding, Henry grew pensive. "What about your magic?"

"Useless." She pushed a mountain of books off her desk, letting them topple to the floor. "I've scoured every one of these. Nothing. I have no choice but to do it the old-fashioned way."

"Then would it be so horrible to love again?"

"Who would love me?" she asked, allowing her mask to slip. "And how will I know they love me and not my throne?"