Waiting for the Rain to Fall (Prologue)
Spoilers for episode 1x18, Stable Boy.
"Daniel?!... Daniel?!" Regina cried as she frantically threw open the stable doors.
Agonizing seconds passed in painful heartbeats before her love rushed from one of the stalls, confusion and worry marring his handsome features as he took in the distressed tears streaming from forlorn eyes and over flushed cheeks.
"What is it?" He asked as their swift strides closed the remaining distance between them.
Falling into his secure embrace, Regina felt a calmness settle around her, easing her aching heart and drying her soft weeping. Reassured now that the spontaneous decision she'd come to less than a candlemark prior was their only hope, she pulled back and whispered, "Marry me."
"Regina, what are you doing?" Daniel asked with a note of disbelief in his gentle tone.
She didn't blame him for being skeptical about her sudden change of heart; not after all the excuses she'd fed him as to why she would never be able to leave her doting father behind or how her cruel mother would surely hunt them down if she ever dare try to go against her wishes. At the time, she'd been naïve enough to believe that eventually her mother would relent or, failing that, she'd never force her daughter into something to which she was truly opposed. That hope had been dashed quite thoroughly mere hours before and now staying was no longer an option. If they had any hope of being happy together, they would have to leave tonight.
He must have recognized her sincerity on some level, because he quickly asked, "What's happened? Did you tell your mother?"
"No!" she exclaimed, shaking her head rapidly, "and now I can never tell her. She won't understand."
"We must try, Regina," he attempted to reason.
"She is sending me away," she choked out, her voice thick with fresh tears and desperation, "to care for the King's ailing wife with the intention that I shall take her place once she's gone. I'm not sure how she plans to achieve such a feat, but I know my mother and what she wants she shall have, even this."
Grey eyes widened in realization as she continued, "The only way out is to run. For us to leave this place, for us to marry, for us to never come back."
"Regina," Daniel breathed, drawing her close again. "Do you understand what that would mean? Life with a stable boy is a far cry from life as a queen."
"Being Queen means nothing, Daniel," she reassured as she cupped his jaw within her graceful hands. "All I care about is you."
Wrapping his work-roughened fingers gently around delicate wrists, he placed a light kiss against her wandering thumb before placing their joined hands against his chest.
"Then if I am to marry you, we must do this properly."
Her confusion lasted but a moment as he walked purposefully over to a black leather saddle and pulled a small, brass ring from its rigging. Gasping in realization, Regina did not bother to reign in this fresh upwelling of tears- these now of joy and not sorrow- as he returned to tenderly slip the cool metal on to her left hand, signifying their joining spiritually, in not yet legally.
A delighted laugh bubbled up from deep inside and escaped into the cool evening air as unshackled joy set her soul alight.
The kiss they shared, full of love and promise, sealed commitment to each other and after and eternity, but still far too soon, Regina pulled back and whispered, "I must return before I am missed. I'll come to you tonight after the others have gone to bed and we can leave this place."
"I'll be ready," Daniel assured as she made her way towards the still open doors.
Turning back one last time, she met his adoring gaze, "I love you."
"And I, you," he responded. "Now go."
With quick footsteps and a light heart, Regina made her way back to the manor as twilight set in.
Dinner that night was an excruciatingly long affair as Regina did her best to swallow her revulsion as her mother sang the King's praises and planned her wedding to man that had not yet even buried his wife. Thoughts of her future with Daniel bolstered her resolve and she was careful to respond with the necessary enthusiasm to appease her mother and ensure that she would not be dealt any punishments that might hinder her plans for escape.
As soon as it was properly polite, she excused herself from the table and all but ran back to her chambers. Once there, she changed into a simple cotton dress that would not draw undue attention and hastily packed a few of her more common outfits along with her jewelry, in case they should need to sell it, into a small, worn bag.
Restlessly pacing until the hour neared midnight, Regina stole through the manor, certain in the knowledge that both of her parents and the staff were safely ensconced in their rooms, before slipping out into the moonless night.
Racing through the open doors as her cloak billowed out behind her, she excitedly scanned the stable for Daniel. Large smiles broke out across both their faces simultaneously as brown eyes met shining grey in a small alcove set to her right.
Finishing his preparations, Daniel dashed over to meet her asking, "Are you ready?" and pulling her into a deep kiss before she could even respond.
"Let's go," she enthused when they broke apart, wrapping her gloved hand around his and dragging him out into the darkness.
They made it no more than five steps before her mother suddenly appeared before them. Regina gasped as they came to a halt, but refused to release her hold on Daniel despite her mother's disapproving glare.
"You could have at least left a note," Cora intoned evenly before thrusting both hands in front of her.
A silvery blue light flowed from her fingertips, knocking the duo through the air where they landed harshly on the straw covered ground. Before either could draw a proper breath into their bruised lungs, the older brunette was inside and had the doors magically shut and locked.
"Mother, I…" Regina started, though she had no idea how she planned to finish that sentence.
"Don't," her mother sneered, a look of pure disgust curling her thin lips. "You sneak out of my house and think I won't notice? How dare you?
Scrambling to their feet without ever breaking eye contact, Regina replied, "You're impossible to talk to. Stop with the magic and listen to me."
She's quite surprised how calm and steady her voice is despite her pleading and some small part of her realizes that she'd never be to defend herself against mother in such a way if not for Daniel standing a half step behind her.
Pulling him closer, she unflinchingly stared into brown eyes much like her own as she said, "I want to be with Daniel."
"Oh, you don't know what you want," Cora scoffed, "but I do. I didn't make the sacrifices I did in life to get you to the cusp of greatness so that you could end up the wife of a stable boy."
"It's my life," Regina argued.
"Oh!" her mother laughed. "You foolish girl… It's mine. After what I had to do, the deals I had to make to get us out of poverty, to get us this life and you just want to toss it away?"
"Stay strong, Regina," Daniel whispered in her ear, reinforcing her determination.
"Your magic can't keep us apart; I love him…"
"And I love her," Daniel broke in.
"And I love her, too," Cora countered.
"If you loved me you wouldn't try to keep us apart," Regina argued, not understanding how her own mother could equate being held prisoner and forced into an unwanted marriage with love.
"And if you loved me, you wouldn't try to run away," the older woman replied.
"I'm sorry, but this is my happiness. We're going," she stated firmly, stepping forward to emphasize her point.
"No," Cora said, raising a glowing hand in warning, "you're not."
"So what's your plan?" the young brunette demanded defiantly. "You're going to keep us here forever? Cause, that's what you'll have to do."
Regina realized the moment her mother finally snapped and before she could retreat, a ringed hand was flying through the air to land a powerful backhand across her face. Dropping to the floor under the force of the blow, Daniel fell to his knees to help her sit up as she tried to staunch the blood flowing from her upper lip.
"You insolent brat," Cora spat as she stood over her prone form. "You have no idea what it means to be a parent. You alwayshave to do what's best for your children and I refuse to let you throw your life away for him."
After helping Regina back to her feet, Daniel stepped forward no longer willing to be a mere bystander.
"Madame Mills, I love your daughter and by some miracle she loves me back. I cannot promise a fancy castle with hundreds of servants, but what I can promise is that she will always be loved, she will always have a roof over her head, and she will always be happy. If you're being honest when you say that's all you want for her as well, then let us be married."
"Such courage you show, dear boy," Cora's voice dripped sheer disdain as with a quick jerk of her arm she reached in and wrenched his still beating heart out.
"Daniel!" Regina cried out, but neither heard it as pain wracked one person and the other was too enraptured by power to pay attention.
A subtle clench was all it took to bring him to his knees as she brought her face within inches of his own. "A shame you wasted it on such a worthless cause."
"No! Mother, please," Regina rushed forward in an effort to stop the older woman from crushing her love's heart. "Please don't! Whatever you say… I'll do whatever you want, just please stop hurting him."
"Very well," Cora relents dispassionately, easing the pressure on the heart in her hand. "The boy shall live, but you are to end this ridiculous fantasy and never set eyes upon him again."
"Of course, Mother. Never again, I swear," Regina quickly vowed unable to bear the thought of Daniel being gone for good. As hard as it would be to live without him, at least she'd know he was still out there somewhere. She'd have hope that they could be together one day.
"Oh dear daughter, if only it were so simple. No, this time I will ensure that I am obeyed."
With that, Cora squeezed his heart again until he passed out from the pain. Dumping the heart into a nearby sack for safekeeping, the older woman gripped Regina's arm and they disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.
When they reappeared, they were in a circular room Regina did not recognize. The dark stone walls were uninterrupted by any windows with a blazing fire and the candles scattered throughout offering up the only light. Several table were topped with unusual instruments and jars filled with unknown substances. Three wide bookshelves dominated the wall to her left where her mother was currently searching for something with great intent.
"Mother?" she question hesitantly.
"Ah, here we go," the other woman exclaimed as she pulled a worn, dusty book from the multitude of similar looking tomes.
"Do sit, dear. This won't take long," Cora said with a negligent flick of her wrist.
Before Regina could respond, she found herself seated in high-backed, wooden chair restrained by leather straps.
"Mother!" she cried out in indignation and not a little panic as she tried to wriggle free.
Each attempt was met with ever tightening bonds until she feared circulation to her fingers and toes had been cut off completely. Meanwhile, her mother serenely flipped through the book in her hands, ignoring her daughter's struggle until she found the page she needed.
"You see, my child, I have grown weary of your willful disobedience and have decided to do something about it."
"Mother, please…" Regina begged as tears cascaded down her face.
"No, no," Cora interrupted. "I've heard it all before. 'I'll be good, mommy', 'I promise I'll do better', 'It won't happen again, I swear'," She mocked in a childish voice. "Seeing as I cannot trust you to do right by your family, I really have no more use for you. That being said, you are still my flesh and blood, so your punishment will not be quite as… mortal as it otherwise would be. Well, not right away at any rate."
Dread coursed through Regina's veins. She might live, but her mother would ensure that she suffer every waking moment for the duration of her natural life.
"Since you obviously cannot remain here and killing you is not an option, that leaves me but one choice."
Holding the open book before her, Cora read in a smooth, lilting gate.
(A/N: I'm embarrassed to say that I don't have the curse written yet. I suck at rhyming and poetry and all that. BUT, by the time I'm ready to actually post, I will have it all worked out and will be good to go. SORRY again, cause I know it's kinda lame without it. Now back to the story.)
As the words faded, Cora took a deep breath and blew across the page. Black, swirling vapor coiled and twisted its way across the short distance separating mother and child, enveloping the young woman in an ever-growing miasma. Raging wind drowned out the frantic beating of her heart as the whirling cloud stole the very air from her lungs.
When the maelstrom finally abated, Regina was left standing at the edge of a dense forest with only the clothes on her back protecting her from the cold autumn air. Turning slowly in order to take in her new surroundings, the brunette realized she was standing in the middle of strangely covered road.
A faint light emanated in the darkness further ahead and she set off to investigate it in the hopes that she could figure out where she'd landed and how to return home. As she neared, a rush of air and the familiar tingle of magic washed over her before dissipating as quickly as it appeared and she was left more confused than ever as she read the wooden sign, "Welcome to Storybrooke Maine."
Chapter One (rough draft)
A/N2: So yeah that's the prologue. Title comes from and Evanescence song (again) called Good enough. Though it was not inspiration for the story so it doesn't really have anything to do with the fic. I just really like the lines,And I'm still waiting for the rain to fall/ pouring life down on me.To me it fits. What I had before as prologue will now be revamped and made into the first chapter. So if you read the other one, you know a little of what happens, but it also needs to be changed some so don't get too attached. This one still needs some work as well, as evidenced by my author's note in the middle of the story. That will come with time and hopefully, better spelling and grammar. (I posted without reading over it again, so please forgive any mistakes. They will be taken care of eventually.) This is, obviously, highly AU. There will be the same Storybrooke characters, but they will NOT have FTL counterparts. So Regina doesn't hate Mary Margaret and Ruby isn't a wolf, etc, etc. anyways... Let me know what you think. Between this and Lost Before the Dawn, I'm really excited about my next stories. Now if only I could get my ass in gear on the one i'm currently working on. ;)