Forest of Fireflies

Chapter 68

(Flashback, Enchanted Forest, During the reign of King Leopold)

Regina stared at the frothy bubbles of the fountain as she tried to calm her breathing. Her chest heaved up and down dramatically in frantic attempts to hold back her tears. Her arms ached to hold her baby girl again. She yearned to feel the familiar weight of Daniella's tiny body against her own. 

She tilted her head up towards the sky and closed her eyes. As the breeze blew through the wisps of her hair, she took a gulp, feeling an isolated tear drip down her cheeks. Her hands flew to her face as she sobbed, unable to control her emotions anymore. 

Regina wasn't aware of the distraught noises she made, or that Snow had stopped playing with her nanny. 

....

The young princess knew something was wrong when she heard strange noises behind the garden hedge. When she got up to investigate, Johanna quickly called her back. 

"Snow, where are you going?"

The princess looked unsurely at the direction of the noise and replied, "I'll be back."

Before she could run off, Johanna grabbed Snow's arm and pulled her away, saying gently, "What is it? Please tell me."

Snow turned her head back towards the hedge and said, "I think someone's crying."

"No one is crying, your highness. Come, let's go back into the palace."

Snow shook her head defiantly, "No! I want to know what's going on if someone is crying."

"Your highness-"

At that moment, the king appeared in the gardens. He came up to the young princess and gave her a hug. Snow giggled with happiness as this was her father's free day that they always spent together. 

Leopold kissed his daughter on the cheeks and teased, "How's my little princess?"

Snow replied, "Good! What will we do today?"

The king shrugged and suggested, "Maybe we can picnic near the River Oars. Remember how we used to go there with your mother?"

Snow nodded. Then, she asked innocently, "Where's stepmother?"

The king's expression changed but it didn't go unnoticed by Snow. He replied nonchalantly, "She's probably still feeling unwell due to her daughter's death."

"But I want to see her!" the princess whined. 

The king sighed and said towards Johanna, "Take Snow back to her chambers, I'll be there soon."

Snow was confused at why her father avoided her request so she repeated, "Where's Regina? I want to see her! I want to see if she's alright-"

"Your stepmother is fine."

Under the unusually stern expression of the king, the princess took a step back towards Johanna's arms. Then, the nanny turned Snow around slowly and guided her away to the palace.

...

"Regina."

The queen jumped and hastily wiped away her tears. Her heart pounded as she stood up reluctantly to greet her husband. Regina took one glance at the look on Leopold's face before she crumbled again. This time, she managed to keep it internally hidden away. However, that did not stop the king from demanding, "Why haven't you been looking after Snow?"

Regina took a second to understand the question and what it meant. Then, she bit out in shaky voice, "Am I not allowed to grieve for my child?"

Leopold stepped up to Regina and replied firmly, "No, I do not find it appropriate that you grieve for the product of your sin."