A dance, is it enough ?

We all know that Cora never loved Henry.

First, because she never really had the time to do this, and especially because she loved Rumplestiltskin more than him.

Oh no, it's sure, she never could love him.

Not after she ripped out her own heart, as she did, not after they were just together for some hours.

But what about the prince himself ?

He liked her the moment he saw her, it's true, and even though he didn't know who she was.

But, despite this, did he love her then ?

It's not sure.

They didn't really get so many time together, after all, just some moments of talk, a dance.

And then ?

The prince had been interested by her, for her elegance, her beauty, her impertinence, for this and all the rest.

He wished he was able to learn to know her better, to have some time with her, because obviously, it hadn't been enough.

Not for him, at least.

Or for her, according to him.

Well, it was before his father interfered in what should have been his story.

§§§§

Henry didn't care about who she was.

Miller's daughter or princess, did it really matter ?

He wouldn't be the one who would have to reign, or to give an heir to the throne, he wasn't the one who had to.

So, why couldn't he choose freely his wife ?

But his father clearly wasn't going to do this, and so, he organized this ball in his honor.

And it had been so boring, before this strange woman came out of nowhere, and began to talk with him, without knowing who he was.

He had been happy they had masks, so, no one would see each other' face.

Paradoxically, under the masks, none of them faked.

And then, the prince lived one of the best evenings of his life.

Well, for a while.

Then, his father recognized Cora for what she was, and this last one refused to be humiliated a new time, and there had been this lie which left her lips, a lie she couldn't retain.

Everyone just saw a lie in it.

Henry did too.

But he wanted to believe.

(There was no love, not yet, and maybe there would never be any love, but it was just a new step to it.

It was trust.)

And she did.

She had been able to make gold, and at this moment, it just appeared to him as extraordinary, and he admired her for this.

(It's just later, really later that his point of view would change about it.)

And then, a strange light, full of greed appeared in his father's look.

Henry wasn't an idiot, he knew that with such a witch in their family, their kingdom would never lack of anything, and their prosperity would be almost eternal.

So, it didn't matter that she had no royal blood in her veins, it didn't matter she was the miller's daughter.

It wasn't what was disturbing him in this situation.

But yet, there was still something bitter in it.

Cora wasn't wrong.

They were selling him.

And even if he liked Cora, and was interested in her, well, it was going too fast for him. He wished he had more time, to learn to know her.

(Maybe he would have been able to see all the darkness around his future wife.)

But he doesn't let it leave him, and he does as his father wants him to act, even if this is not really what he wants.

"Cora, will you marry me ?"

She says yes, of course.

§§§§

All of this is good for him, it's sure, but again, it's too fast.

Even before he realized what was happening, they are already married, time passes, and Cora gives birth to a little girl.

And this child, Henry loves her the second he sees her for the first time, maybe in order to deal with the fact his wife doesn't love him.

He perfectly knows Cora doesn't love him, he finally understood it. She changed since their wedding, she is completely different from the one she seemed to be the first time he saw her at the ball.

And with a certain fear, he remembers he asked her how she learned to make gold.

"Well... I had a really good teacher."

He doesn't understand what she means, he doesn't know what is hidden in his wife's sentence, and it's normal he doesn't, because Cora knows how to hid things.

His wife's coldness toward him finally clearly appears to him as their little girl grows up.

Magic changed her, he knows it now, and he does see the darkness around her.

But what about him ?

The fact is that he did try to love her.

In vain.

Was this dance enough ?

No, obviously not.

Not after Cora loved Rumplestiltskin. Not after she ripped out her heart.

Her, she couldn't love him, because she wasn't able to.

But him, he did not love her too, that's sure.

Some hours together weren't enough to let them be closer to each other.

He would have loved it, but it wasn't the case.

Not at all.

Just after Regina's birth, she walked away from him, and he couldn't stop her.

So, he became close to his daughter, left alone or almost by Cora, and tried to comfort himself from his wife's coldness thanks to his daughter.

His wife was an ice statue, and it made him feel desperate, not only for him, but also for his daughter, who suffered from this.

Just as he did.

Time passed, and again, his wife did everything to destroy all possibility of happiness their daughter could have had. Well, the type of happiness she wanted.

Cora was a heartless monster, without any love for him or for Regina.

This is the reason why, the day where the young woman banished her mother, he didn't even feel hurt.

He felt nothing, just... a feeling of deep relief.

Because he never was close to her, except during this dance and this talk, where for a time, there was a connection between them.

To loose her just made him regret the beginning of their common past, and this dance which was not enough.

Too bad.

The thing is that, he couldn't love her.

He would have, if he had the right to do it.

She didn't let her do it...

THE END.