Golden Angel

Part 3

James marched up to the entrance of the queen's castle.
"Halt!" shouted the guard, drawing his sword.
James drew his own sword and swung it at the guard's neck, but was met with the loud clang of metal against metal as his sword met the sword of the guard. He quickly disarmed the queen's guard and killed him. After cleaning and
re-sheathing his sword, he continued on inside. He was surprised when he didn't encounter more guards inside. He opened the first door he came to and let himself inside. There he saw Regina laying on a small, red velvet couch. She appeared to be asleep. This was perfect! He approached her and raised his sword, ready to remove her head. He swung the sword downward, but before it reached her throat, her eyes shot open and it was as if his sword got stuck in the air. She flicked her wrist and James' sword was flung from his hand and clattered to the floor across the room. Then Regina got up off of the couch. "So," she said. "come to kill me, have you?"
James said nothing, but stood there glaring at her. He tried to take a step forward, but he couldn't move.
"I figured you would eventually."
"If you hurt her, I swear,-"
"I would never hurt her." Regina said. She walked up to him until she was so close that their noses almost touched. "But you, on the other hand. . . Well, that's another story." She stepped back and pulled a small dagger out from behind the belt around her waist. As she was about to plunge the dagger into his heart, she noticed a corner of the letter sticking out of his pocket. "What's this?" she asked as she reached out and took it. She unfolded it. "From Rapunzel. How cute!" she said sarcastically. As she read further, here eyes widened and the dagger fell from her hand. She looked up at James, and there were tears in her eyes. "She sent you to. . .to kill me." she choked.
"As long as you're alive, we can never be together!" James spat.
"You're right about that!" With that, Regina released the spell holding James in place and vanished.

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Rapunzel lay sleeping in her bed. She had grown tired while waiting for James to return. She was having a wonderful dream about marrying her prince and living happily ever after when she was awoken by a hard slap to the face. She cupped her cheek and shot up, surprised to see Regina standing before her.
"Mother!" she gasped.
"Surprised to see me? Wait, let me rephrase that; are you surprised to see me alive?"
"What are you talk-"
Regina pulled out the letter and shook it in Rapunzel's face.
"Oh."
"Yes, I know all about your little plan to have me killed."
"Mother, I'm sorry!"
"Save it! I warned you."
"What's going to happen to me?" Rapunzel asked timidly.
"You're about to find out."
"Please, Mother! Don't! I'm really sorry! I promise it'll never happen again."
"You're right. Because there won't be a chance for it to happen again."
Tears streamed down Rapunzel's face. "Mother. . . Please." she whispered.
A tear made it's way down Regina's cheek. "Goodbye, Rapunzel." She waved her hand, and Rapunzel vanished in a cloud of purple smoke. After the smoke cleared, Regina let out a heart wrenching wail and crumpled into a heap on the floor where she stayed for hours, sobbing until she ran out of tears to cry.

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Little did Regina know that the place she had banished Rapunzel to was the part of the Forest protected by her mother, Cora. So Rapunzel didn't get sent to Storybrooke when the Dark Curse hit.
And to deal with James, Regina created a creature to kill him. When he fought it, it seemed that James had defeated it. But when he turned his back on the creature, it used its last bit of strength to kill the prince.