Villains

Surprises

"My Queen." The knight said, announcing his entrance as bowed in an exaggerated reverence. "I finally found it, your majesty." He added, smirking slightly.

Cora diverted her attention from the papers in her hand, her eyes shining in anticipation. "Do you have it with you?" She questioned, standing from the library's chair, eager to put her hands in the potion she was looking for. The Queen of Hearts smiled in satisfaction as the knight replied with a positive nod. "Where was it?" She asked, demanding answers for why she had not been able to get it herself.

"Absolen had it, of course. I passed through quite some trouble to put my hands on it." The men explained proudly, stepping closer to give Cora what she desperately wanted.

The queen took the bottle from the knight's hand and looked at him with lifted eyebrows, her excitement growing at every second.

"Leave." She commanded, waving her hand in dismiss. Reluctantly, the men bowed again a turned to leave, closing the door behind him. "Finally, my dear, I'll be able to see you again. You banished me from Enchanted Forest, but it turned out to be quite enjoyable here in Wonderland. You do not know this yet, but I became a queen myself. However, that is not important right now. I have what I need to find that stone, and no one will stop me from having it. Not you, Regina, and specially not the Dark One." Cora said firmly to her reflection in a small mirror on top of the table she was sitting around before.

Smirking in satisfaction, the Queen of Hearts looked down to examine the note on the flask in her hands.

'Drink me'

Humming in approval, the queen walked towards the small door on the floor she kept hidden from everyone and drank the potion with a single sip. Seconds later, she had the size of a pen, perfectly fitted to pass through the smallest door she had ever seen.

-- |¥| --

The night had fallen for several hours now. It was way past bedtime, but Granny stood up from the chair beside the queen's bed to check on her again. The cut on her arm was still deep and Regina looked far too pale, and her body was slightly stiff. Fortunately, after Robin came by to stitch her wounds, the bleeding stopped, and a proper bandage was made.

"You scared me tonight, girl." The old woman murmured to herself absently, hoping the sorceress would listen, wake up and tell her to stop being so sentimental. To Granny's frustration, nothing as such happened.

The only sound in the room was Regina's steady breathing and the crack of the fire here and there from the queen's fireplace. Not able to stay awake for much longer, the Granny shifted in the chair, adjusting herself into a more comfortable position. In a matter of minutes, Widow Lucas was asleep, hopping that in the morning the queen would finally wake up.

-- |¥| --

Regina moved a little and slowly fluttered her eyes open. The images of her mother pursuing the Thunder Stone still echoed in her head, but Regina tried her best to figure out if she was still dreaming or not. Looking around to make sure of her surroundings, the queen frowned in puzzlement. How in hell did she got back to her chambers? Had it all really happened?

"Welcome to the living world. Seriously, Regina, couldn't you be more careful?" Granny said in a nervous tone but could not help a smile when the queen shot her an annoyed scow.

"Good morning to you too. If you are here to give me a lesson, the door is right there." Regina murmured, letting out a yawn as she sat in bed. In the moment, the queen supported her weight on her hands, a burning pain invaded her left forearm, making her hiss and glare at her arm.