𝐒𝐇𝐄  𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐓  𝐀  𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐆  𝐎𝐅  𝐆𝐔𝐈𝐋𝐓  𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐄  𝐁𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇  𝐇𝐄𝐑  𝐑𝐈𝐁𝐒,  at  the  reaction  that  her  words  had  on  her  mother.  for  the  LAST  thing  the  blue  haired  princess  wished  to  do  was  cause  her  anymore  PAIN,  anymore  suffering  by  having  to  retell  her  story.  however,  she  KNEW  that  if  it  was  told  by  the  victors,  the HEROES,  she  knew  that  compared  to  the  story  her  mother  would  tell  her  would  DIFFER  entirely  &  evie  was  far  more  INCLINED  to  believe  the  woman  who’d  raised  her.  villain  or  not.  ❝  it’s  okay,  you  don’t  have  to  tell  me  ALL  of  it,  ❞   &  voice  was  soft,  for  UPSETTING  her  mother  had  been  the  last  thing  that  she’d  wanted  to  do.  for  her  mother,  well,  she’d  done  as  BEST  as  she  could  for  her  given  the  circumstances  they’d  found  themselves  in  &  she  would  never  not  be  GRATEFUL  for  that.

                            &  whilst  evie  wasn’t  naive  enough  to  BELIEVE  that  both  sides  of  the  story  wouldn’t  be  BIASED,  her  mother  had  little  to  LOSE  by  telling  her  the  truth.  or  telling  her  as  much  as  she  could  bear  to.  so  it  was  a  seat  taken  before  her,  knees  tucked  beneath her  as  she  crouched  beside  her,  gentle  grip  taking  the  QUEEN’S  hands  in  her  own.  &  the  gesture  was  intended  to  be  COMFORTING,  to  reassure  the  other  that  nothing  she  could  ever  say  would  ever  make  her  love  her  LESS.  she  was  her  mother,  after  all,  &  in  this  whole  wide  world,  there  would  never  be  anyone  that  she  LOVED  more  than  her.  ❝  just  –––  tell  me  what  you  remember,  but  you  can  be  assured  that  NOTHING  you  say,  nothing  you’ve  done  will  ever  change  how  i  feel  about,  you’re  my  mom,  &  that  means  more  to  me  than  anything  else,  the  person  you  are  NOW,  not  the  person  that  you  were  then,  ❞  the  younger  PROMISED,  squeezing  her  hand  ever  so  slightly.    

she could sense the guilt that radiated off of her daughter. she may have been fairly good at putting on a good face, but regina knew her better than anyone else, and such feelings could not be hidden from her. she wasn’t unwarranted in wanting to know what really happened, the truth that the rumors and whispers always left out. even if telling the story felt like climbing a mountain, she would make it all the way to the top for evie. she would do anything for evie.

it wasn’t until regina heard her reassuring words that it truly dawned on her how grown up she was. it felt like yesterday she was still a babbling child, looking at the world with such wonder and innocence. hope fills up in her chest at the thought that she will have that same wonder flood back when she goes to auradon.

‘   i know.   ’  hand tightens slightly, returning her gesture as she tries to figure out where to begin.   ‘   i  …  i was married, a very long time ago, to a very good man.   ’   a slow inhale, eyes flickering up to gauge her daughter’s reaction.   ‘   we took snow white in after her parents died. she was my niece - in - law, i suppose.    ’   her tone is well trained, almost void of any feeling. she wasn’t even sure how she felt about snow white anymore. it had been so long since the two had seen each other and it wasn’t like she had personally banished her to this island. if anything, she imagined they would be strangers had they ever met again.   ‘   my husband passed away a short time later. it was then that a royal family from a neighboring kingdom gifted me the magic mirror.   ’   some gift.