The Dark Princess {OUAT AU}

Chapter 31

"Come on mom!" He says, and she laughs before joining him. He grabs her hand and leads her downstairs. Valerie wonders why she was ever concerned, Mason is perfectly fine. 

~~~

 Almost every day for the next five years Valerie teaches Mason magic and magic lore. Some days she's worried that he will delve into the dark arts like she did, but Mason is an angel. She is amazed at his ability to pick up on magic. Valerie would be jealous of him if she wasn't so proud. Today she's teaching him more about potions, and she can sense his excitement all through-out lunch. 

"Mason, you need to eat something." She scolds him as he pokes through his food and doesn't really put anything in his mouth.

"I can't eat. I'm too anxious." He whines.

"I will not be teaching you your magic lesson unless you finish what is on your plate." Valerie threatens. Mason rolls his big blue eyes and then scarfs down the rest of his meal. With a full mouth he looks to her and says, "Is that better?"

"Oh my god! Mason!" She groans, trying to hold back a laugh. She may be disgusted but he does enjoy making her laugh. He swallows the mass of chewed up food and then gives her a goofy grin.

"Sorry." He says, and she mock-glares at him.

"You are not sorry. Go wash up and then I'll meet you in the tower." She's barely finished her sentence when he's out of his chair. Valerie grabs his arm as he tries to run past and he looks down at his mother. "And do not-"

"Touch a thing without permission." He finishes with an eye-roll, having heard this one sentence multiple times. 

"Don't sass me." She says, raising her eyebrows. He gives her a toothy, charming grin, and then kisses her on the cheek.

"Okay, okay." He says, and then she lets go of his arm and watches him race of the the dining hall. She finishes her meal, taking her sweet time and then poofs into the tower unexpectedly. Luckily for Mason he's just sitting there reading a book.

"Good boy." She says, and brings him a cookie from thin air. He munches on it happily with a muffled "thank you".

"Okay. Today we're going to learn about potions and potion ingredients. Not only will we learn of what to do with them, we will discuss where to find them. Tomorrow, we can go on a field trip to look for ingredients."

"Cool." Mason mumbles, his eyes bright with curiosity. 

"Precisely." She says, and then begins, opening the closet with all of the ingredients stacked on neat shelves. Every jar and bottle is labeled and she brings out a bunch of them. She talks to Mason of both the good and the bad of each and then goes through every potion in her book.  Valerie can see how Mason absorbs everything she says and it warms her heart having a son who loves magic as much as she does. 

"And that's all for today. Can you help me clean up Mason?" She asks, closing her potions book. 

"Yeah, of course." He says, and uses his powers to put the jars and containers back onto the shelves and into their correct spots. Valerie is impressed with how far along he's come with his young age. Once he's done he kisses Valerie on the cheek and then rushes off to his horse-riding lesson. It's his second favourite part of the day and Valerie takes pride in how he's so much like her. The only characteristics he got from his father was his looks and his charm. With his jet-black hair and blue eyes, Mason is the spitting image of Killian. Sometimes it haunts Valerie to look upon him and realize that she's the reason that he's growing up without a father. He is her reminder of what she did. But she doesn't regret what her actions.