The Light One (OUAT) (2)

Magic Will Lead You Astray if You Let It

–[Fairy Tale World]–

—Regina POV—

I was riding away from the castle, trying to get my freedom. "We're almost free!" I yelled out as I was so close to finally getting away and hopefully when I was free I could find my daughter.

My plans were foiled though as a bunch of vines grabbed me right off my horse and held me in the air. My mother walked up to me with her magic book in her hands, "And I thought we were done with all this nonsense."

"Hello, Mother. What evil have you conjured?" I asked her bitterly.

"Not evil, darling. A barrier spell." She blew across the pages of her book which caused a black dust to lift off the pages and travel to the vines, which then released me. "Designed to keep you where you belong."

I could feel defeat taking over my body. I was tired of fighting my mother, it was getting harder and harder especially after what she did. "I can't leave?"

"Not alone. Not without the King. We've been through this. In two days, you'll be married – you'll be Queen. We've been able to push the wedding off for a couple months now to make sure you actually fit in your dress so we can no longer delay it. After that, you're free to go – whenever you're with him."

"Mama, I don't want to marry the King. I don't want this life!"

"You're just frightened of having all that power."

"I don't want power. I want to be free and I want to find my daughter."

"Power is freedom and love is weakness. Don't worry. I'm here to show you."

———–

I snuck into my mother's chambers and took her magic book for myself so that I could find the man who taught her magic, who made her like this. I need his help to not only gain the upper hand on her but to find my daughter.

I rushed back to my room once I got the book from under her pillow. I opened to the front page to find the name of the magic man.

"Rumpelshtil- Rumpelshtilshin, I summon thee," I call out into the night from my spot on my balcony.

"That's not how you say it, dearie," a voice suddenly said from behind me. I turned and found a man, if you could call him that, sitting on one of the chairs in my room. "But then, you didn't have to say anything."

"What are you?" I asked him as I walked over to get a better look at him.

"What, what, what. My, my. What a rude question. I am not a 'what'." He turned towards me from where he sat.

"I'm sorry. I... I don't really know what I'm doing."

He stood up from the chair he was sitting in. "That much is clear. Allow me to introduce myself – Rumpelstiltskin." He bowed towards me in welcome.

"And I'm-" I began to say as I got ready to curtsy until he cut me off.

"Regina. I know."

"You do?" I asked surprised.

"But of course."

"Because of my mother, Cora. You taught her?"

He stood up straight, "My legend precedes me."

"People say I look like her when she was younger."

"Really?" He stepped closer to get a good look at me. "I don't see it." He started walking past me. "No, that's not how I know you."

"Oh? How then?"