1. The first time she meets him, his soldiers have caught her off-guard in the middle of the forest. She is mid-way between cursing her distractedness, and contemplating how much fun she can have toying with them before she poofs herself away, when he rides up behind the circle of soldiers, every inch the Royal he has clearly been raised to be. Her heart stutters in her chest, and she forgets the swords pointed in her direction as she sees the face of her son again.
2. She had been warned of the circumstances in this land – the great Evil Queen defeated by her foes, the song-trilling Princess Emma, the death of the Charmings by Regina’s hand, and of course Prince Henry. No words could have prepared her for the deep hatred shining out of Henry’s eyes, however, and the disturbing twist of his mouth. ‘I vowed to make you pay for my grandparents’ deaths, witch,’ he snarls. ‘And now I shall.’ He nods his head imperiously in the direction of a guard.
3. She sees out the corner of her eyes the man grasp hold of a leather bracelet, and so before he can lunge forward to ensnare her, she flings her arm out angrily. The soldiers sprawl across the ground in the face of her magic. Henry slips slightly in the saddle, caught in the tail-end of the blast, and she has to restrain herself from running to help. ‘I am not the woman who killed your grandparents,’ she tells Prince Henry truthfully. ‘And I will not allow you to take me prisoner.’
4. Her words are stronger than she feels. She tells herself that this is not her son – this is a creation of a wretched wish, which has now become her reality (but it is a lie – there could be thousands of realms with a version of Henry, and each one would be her son in some way). Prince Henry urges his horse forward, ignoring the fact that his soldiers are no longer in a position to protect him. She wants to order him not to be so reckless, even when the person he is facing down is herself.
5. ‘Tell me what you’ve done with my mother,’ he half-shouts, hands clenching tightly to the reins of his horse. ‘Where is she?’ Rage surges through her, sharp and painful as a stab wound - not at him (never him), but at Regina (the other Regina? Is she still The Queen? Are they both Regina? She doesn’t know who she is any more). Regina in the real world is likely waving Henry off to school at this very instant, or having coffee with Snow, or discussing the villain-du-jour with Emma.
6. Pretty words were spoken about second chances, yet here she is, in a land where the majority of her family is dead or missing, or simply do not exist, and her son-who-is-not-her-son wants her dead due to actions done by the other version of herself. Regina shared her heart and her love, but she doesn’t want it – not when she then has to be separated from those who reminded her how to love in the first place. It would have been easier to have kept the hole in her heart.
7. ‘Emma went back to her own realm,’ she manages to choke out. ‘The real world. She isn’t coming back.’ Henry’s face turns white, and he rears back in his seat. ‘If you’ve harmed her in any way, I will make you suffer before I end you,’ he promises, such terrible words dripping from his lips. She wonders whether she should hand herself over – let him take vengeance. Perhaps if it ends here today, he can move on with his life, and learn to become a good ruler.
8. She remembers herself, however, and knows that no amount of vengeance against Snow White would have saved her from the downwards spiral at that point in her life. Revenge is never the solution – she has only recently understood that, thanks to Regina. Learning to love yourself, and love others, is the only way to move forwards. She desperately hopes Prince Henry will realize the same thing. And in the meantime, she will love him from afar.
9. ‘Emma isn’t hurt,’ she promises sadly. ‘She’s back with her real family - not even looking for a way to return.’ The words are cruel, but he needs to hear them, even if he doesn’t believe them. Henry’s face crumples slightly, and she can tell he is trying to hold back tears (she remembers Henry at six years old, grazed knees and hands, and the exact same expression, reaching out for a hug). He is a Prince, about to become a King now his family is gone, but in reality, he is a teenage boy.
10. She wishes she could give him a hug, tell him to go to school and not worry about running a kingdom. But the soldiers are regaining consciousness, so all she can do is step back and remove herself from the situation. The last thing she sees as she poofs away is his facial expression, half-angry and half-lost. When she reappears in another part of the forest, she slumps down next to a tree, pulling her knees up. Her hands cover her face as she tries to stifle her sobs.
Thank you Satan... that was ... wow.
