Fire and Gold

Old Flames

    Mills do not faint. Queens do not faint. Mayors do not faint. Regina Mills, hit her head hard on the pavement as she fell into a dead faint to the ground. No one was around. She had been walking home from a celebration at granny's. No one wanted her there. Maid Marian had just come back. Her thief had been stolen from her. This was because of the Charmings, whom always manage to find a way to mess up her life.
    Snow White had gotten Daniel killed. She had told her secret and gotten Regina's love killed. She would never be forgiven. Now it's as if the cycle were to repeat itself. Snow White's daughter, Emma freakin Swan brought back her true loves first wife, one of whom was previously supposed to be dead. She ruined her second chance at happiness. Maybe the stupid book was right, maybe villains don't get happy endings. She hung her head low, but she wasn't a villain anymore. She saved the town more times than anyone else. Sure she cursed everyone in the enchanted forest, sure she murdered whole villages, sure she ripped out her father's heart to... maybe she didn't deserve a happy ending. She walked along the narrow sidewalk, the dark had brought its chilly breeze and she pulled her coat closer together to savor the warmth it provided. Then she heard it, footsteps. She looked up and gasped, not quite believing what she saw, in the middle of the street, was her ex husband, king Leopold. Fuck.
    He looked at her, and before she had any time to react he smiled at her, the same sick twisted smile he wore on their wedding night, and every night after when they were in his bed chamber.
    The same haunting smile that plagued her nightmares and sent chills down her spine. The darkness clouded her vision, her breathing rapid, she couldn't move, her feet anchored to the ground, she couldn't run. So she did the only thing her body could think to do. She fainted.
   
    King Leopold was many things, to his daughter he was a kindly man, do his people he was a saint, but to Regina, he was an absolute monster. A demented monster. When the kingdom was stressing him out he would go to her. She was his outlet, his punching bag. When the people pissed him off he didn't take it out on him, no he didn't punish them, he went to his bedchamber and there, he sat and wait for the servants to bring him his wife. The thought nothing of it, just a loving husband and wife doing what married people should do. But no. That is not what they were doing at all.
    The thing the kingdom didn't know about their beloved king was that he loved torture. He was a psychopath. He got off on inflicting pain on his wife. Mostly because she was so damned stubborn, years of marriage and he had never broken her. Every night he would call her to his room, he had a new array of tools and whips and canes etc. every time she came there. Contrary to what he thought, she couldn't be broken by him. You can't break something that was already broken. Her mother had beaten him to it. Though she would never tell him that for fear he would kill her. She gave him exactly what he wanted, she gave him screams and pleas, but she also gave him stubborn remarks, to keep things fresh.
    One night he beat her so blue and black she had to be seen by a doctor. She still doesn't know the story Leopold had came up with to keep them quiet. Her back was raw the whole room reeked of blood and sweat. She was covered with burns in every place that could be covered by a dress. Leopold never once touched her face or shoulders. He had to make sure the kingdom never knew about his dirty little secret. But he slipped up one time. He had been working her over all night and finally he was so pissed that he threw a glass cup at her face. Her lip had been torn and he swore to himself that he would never do that again.
    On the day that he died Regina had had absolutely enough. She couldn't take anymore. But one of the big reasons she killed him when she did is because of what the next day was going to be. Every year King Leopold and his guards, the ones who knew about his sick desires, would make her play a game of hide and seek. The game was simple, Regina goes into the woods, they give her 3 hours to hide and then they find her, and when they find her, it's not pretty.
    Regina couldn't go through another hide and seek game. She still wasn't fully recovered from the last one, so she had her husband killed. Then she beheaded the guards that participated in the game of hide and seek with her husband. After that she felt relatively safe. She still had to deal with Snow, for putting her through it in the first place. She knew that Snow was just a child, but she couldn't help but blame her. If it wasn't for her telling her secret she would never be in this mess in the first place. So Regina held on to her anger.

    King Leopold looked down at his ex wife. The one who had him killed. This would be fun he thought. He picked up Regina and put her in the back of his car that he "Borrowed"  and drove off.
    At his hideout he chained the queen to the wall and left. He hobbled up the basement stairs and made way to go find Snow, his beloved daughter. God how he had missed her. She had grown up so much. He couldn't believe it when he saw her. Holding a newborn and standing next to an older blonde woman and a teenage boy. He wondered how much exactly he had missed. He crossed the threshold of his new house and went on his merry way to go see his daughter. His queen would have to wait.

    Meanwhile at Granny's Robin had noticed his true love's disappearance. "Maid Marian, I know that you just got back and everything, but I'm not in love with you anymore." "What? Robin!" "I'm sorry, you were gone for a very long time and I had a lot of time, and I got over you. I met someone else." "Robin, I, I love you." She had tears in her eyes. "Yes and I loved you, very much, but, I'm not in love with you anymore." Marian looked down tears welling in her eyes daring her to blink and send them cascading down her face. She looked up at Robins baby blues, "Robin, I'm happy for you. I would love to meet her." She looked at him with loving eyes. Understanding that this was the future. She had died in his past and that's where he left her. In the past. And as much as it hurt, she still had to respect that. She gazed at him as he looked around, trying to find his soulmate, but he was unsuccessful. "She must've saw you and thought I would go back to you. We have to find her."
    At this point snow stepped up. "Robin? What's the matter?" She had seen his look of distress from across the room and as a charming she was going to save him, whether he wanted her too or not. "Regina's gone." He said looking around in a panic. "We have to find her and talk to her." He kept looking around in a frenzy. His true love was probably heartbroken and he couldn't bear to live with himself if he had caused it. Snow looked at him, "We'll find her, don't worry Robin, she can't be too far." Just when they were about to leave someone unexpected approached. "Snow?" She turned and looked into the bright eyes of her father. "Father?" They embraced. "Oh how I missed you Snow." He stated. "But how? You were dead." "When Zelena opened a portal it left it open to ghosts as well. I went far back into the past and helped myself escape and then came back into the future. To here. To now. God how I missed you." They embraced again. David who was standing next to Snow the entire time put out his hand. "Hello your Highness. I am Prince David, Snow's husband." Leopold looked at his outstretched hand and then looked at his daughter for confirmation. All she could offer was a smile.
    He again looked at David. He had hate inside him because his daughter was married, but he saw the love in her eyes and knew he couldn't show his rage. So he put a smile on his face and embraced the man lucky enough to call his daughter his wife. That's when Henry stepped up, "Grandma, where's mom?" Henry questioned with pleading eyes. King Leopold looked shocked at the boy who stood in front of him. "Did he just call you grandma?" He asked. Snow giggled at him and said "Yes, Father, this is Henry, my grandson, and that" She pointed to Emma. "Is Emma, my daughter, and that." She pointed to the baby that Emma was holding and said, "Is my son Neal." Leopold could hardly contain his excitement. His daughter had done such a fine job, picking out a prince, and having a son. He even had a great grandson. "Wow, my boy." He took Henry's face in his hands and kissed his forehead. "Thanks, nice to meet you too pops." Henry then turned to Snow. "Where's mom." Leopold was shocked. "Isn't that your mother right there?" he pointed to Emma and looked at Snow confused. "Yes, father Emma is his mother, but it's a long story. Emma gave him up for adoption and Regina adopted him." "MY WIFE ADOPTED MY GREAT GRANDSON?!? MY GRANDDAUGHTER GAVE UP HER PRINCE?!? WHY?!?" He seathed. Never before had Snow seen this side of her father. "Daddy, it's a long story. Regina cursed our old land and we had to come here. I didn't know Emma was my daughter, the curse made me forget. Emma grew up away from castle life. She didn't know she was a princess. She couldn't keep Henry so she gave him up and at the same time Regina was looking for a baby, she got Henry and adopted him. He came looking for Emma to break the curse so we would all get our memories back. And she did. Both Emma and Regina are Henry's mothers." Snow finished. Leopold was pissed. "That little wench." Snow was shocked again. Her father was always a kind hearted man and to hear him speak of her step mother that way brought doubts into her mind about whether she wanted him in her life anymore.
    Robin Hood who had watched the exchange wasn't about to wait anymore. "Regina isn't a wench. She is a loving, kind hearted, woman and you should be ashamed of yourself!" He said. He had stayed with Regina many a night, calming her down from nightmares of what Leopold had done to her. Robin had always assured her that he would never come back, but he was so wrong. "What have you done with Regina." Leopold knew this was the best time to lie. "I haven't done anything, yet, but when I find her, she's dead." And with that he walked out. Leaving everyone stunned in his wake.