*Hook's POV*
This crap again? Imitating Saleen, I turn around in midair and storm into the room.
"Look at you two, looking all conspiratorial," I say, striding up to Regina and Saleen. Saleen turns around and I dodge her slap.
"Slow reflexes darling," I say. She lifts up her hand but I use my hook to bodily throw her across the room. Regina uses magic to protect her niece from slamming into the floor.
"Well look who's the protective Auntie of the year," I sneer. She snarls at me and pins me up against a wall, and pins me there. "Oh I like this," I say seductively, "This.....this is quite the view." She, unlike her niece, manages to slap me in the face.
"Ouch. That hurt, love," I say. Regina sneers at me. "Did the wittle pirate not have his rum this morning?" she asks in a mock baby voice, raising her eyebrows and adopting a I'm-not-killing-you-because-there-are-children-present-but-I-will-outwit-you look on her face. I shove her off of me. Regina glares at me. "Saleen?" she calls. Saleen looks up at her aunt from her black chair. "Yes? Am I allowed to be persuasive now?" she asks insolently. Regina looks at her.
"Just because we're inflicting pain does not mean you can forget your manners," she says.
Saleen gives her a look. "I don't need you to help me. I can do this without adult supervision," she says coldly. Regina looks slightly hurt but walks away from me. Saleen walks slowly up to me and opens her mouth. Then she looks to Regina.
"Go," she says commandingly. Regina takes a step back.
"Excuse me?"
Saleen sighs and says sarcastically, "Auntie can you please occupy yourself elsewhere while I have a little chat with him?"
"No," says Regina. "I am going to stand here and make sure you don't screw this up."
Saleen smirks and crosses her arms, loosening them slightly so that she doesn't look cross, just in charge. "Out of the two of us, Auntie, you are the most likely to screw up. Or has Daniel become a distant memory?"
*Regina's POV*
She might as well have just slapped me in the face. She knows about Daniel. She knows she should never talk about what happened. But ever since I confided to her the tale of lost love after her parents died, she uses it as leverage to throw me off so I'll just agree with her instead of argue because of my haze of pain. With rather unfortunate timing, a lanky servant boy enters. "Madam, sir" he says, bowing slightly to Saleen and Hook. "You are needed in the stables, my Queen," he says politely, bowing to me. Saleen suddenly looks inspired. "What's your name boy?" she asks.
The boy stands up straight. "Daniel, ma'am. Daniel Stabil. I am eighteen years old." My heart nearly breaks. Saleen looks triumphant.
"Daniel, you say? Do you, per chance, work in the stables?"
