herroyaldarkness:

      She really had no idea what she’d been expecting.

Now that she saw the room, it practically SCREAMED of Maleficent’s touch. Something about it sent a shiver down her spine; some sort of ominous omen, she considered, while some other part of her thought it only the evidence of a thrill. She wondered how many people had seen the inside of these bed chambers, and how many lived to tell about it. While her eye immediately was drawn to the large canopy bed, littered with countless plush pillows, and dark black curtains hung, she couldn’t help but also notice how… untouched the rest of it seemed. Every dimly lit corner seemed to be filled with cobwebs, and an infinite potential for consuming darkness. Swallowing a dry lump in her throat, she took a small, hesitant step further inside, feeling Maleficent’s presence behind her, gaze hot upon her back, and eager to rid herself of this absurdly undoing feeling. Maleficent was her friend, there was no reason she should feel so…. much like prey.

Clearing her throat now, as swallowing away the dryness had done nothing, Regina turned slowly to face Maleficent with a soft smile. She had no regrets or doubts about the offer she’d made. Maleficent made it clear she needed no care, but had accepted the company. And Regina was convinced that the other woman would find slumber much easier to come by if she wasn’t alone. “I see you have an affinity for BLACK even in here,” she offered in awkward jest, a small laugh falling from between faintly rouged lips. She didn’t quite see the appeal of an entirely black wardrobe. While it certainly was an imposing image to see her clad from head to toe in it, and it screamed of power and ruthlessness, Regina still favored a splash of color here and there. She couldn’t imagine a day when she herself would opt to wear all black anything.

Standing awkwardly, and truthfully, a little uncertainly in the spot her feet had chosen to plant themselves, Regina simply stared at Maleficent. This was not her home, nor her private chambers. She had no intention of overstepping her bounds or exhausting Maleficent’s grace. If she was going to explore the chambers further, or allow her curiosity to touch and hold the many dust covered trinkets and gowns that had already caught her eye, she wouldn’t do so without permission. She might not know that much about friendships, but she knew enough to know that one didn’t foster a friendship by being recklessly bold and intrusive.

Well this was certainly not how she’d expected to see the girl queen’s first night in her bed.

They’d been tiptoeing around the attraction they shared — or rather Regina had, Maleficent had no time or taste for subtleties. She’d made her intentions clear, in her eyes, and been met with a litany of reasons why the queen just couldn’t. Despite her marriage meaning nothing she did have someone she pledged her heart to, and while he may have been gone more often than he was here she did not wish to commit any betrayals against him. Maleficent could only laugh. There was no telling what he was doing on all his trips to other realms, but Regina believed with all of her hopeful little heart that he was loyal and so she too would remain the same. A pity really. But not enough to have her driven out of the castle. She was after all, Maleficent’s only friend.

A friend that, when she’d spoken of her inability to sleep, irony at its best, Regina had immediately offered to stay with her. Insisting that somehow her presence alone might change that. And while the notion was ridiculous, she saw no real reason to crush her for it. She agreed, and received one of the girl’s blinding smiles in return. If for nothing else she thought it might be nice to have her to talk to, as for so many years she’d only had herself as company. The nights somehow seemed longer now with her magic returned, and her potion eradicated from her home. She was tormented by dreams she couldn’t explain. They left her restless and edgier than normal, which was saying something, and it took nearly all her strength not to simply set her bed aflame and write off sleep altogether. Of course she hadn’t disclosed everything in her confession, and didn’t plan to, but what harm would it really do to let her stay?

“I would have offered you one of the other rooms but I haven’t set foot in them in…years.” The realization seemed to dawn on her just as she said it. How long she’d laid here wasting away with barely a clue as to how long it actually was. Days bled together, weeks months years, there were no clear edges so long as she stayed under her own curse, which even in its most diluted state could wreak havoc on the mind, body and spirit. But that’s what she’d wanted. She wanted it to destroy her, slowly and completely. To fill in all the cracks the fire had left open inside her, where cold winds snuck in without the flames there to protect her.

She moved past Regina when she froze just barely beyond the entryway. As if she needed more permission to enter than she’d already been given. While her gracious behavior was just one thing Maleficent did like about her, there were times it needn’t dictate her every move.

“Are you planning to sleep right there or will you be coming all the way in?” She asked with a knowing smirk. She only meant to tease her, thinking perhaps she wouldn’t feel quite so overwhelmed if Maleficent were the one making light. Her smirk turned to something almost like a smile as she stepped toward a large and dusty mirror she hadn’t bothered to clean, staring at her murky reflection as she began to unlace the tight waist corset she wore. She let out a sigh of relief once unbinded, setting the garment atop a pile of equally exquisite clothes, then turned to see if Regina was following her suggestion.

“I usually have a bath before bed,” she offered freely, her hands sitting on her hips as she took survey of the room. It was filthy by any standard, everything in disarray but, it was a calming chaos to her mind. Aside from the spiderwebs it was unlikely she would change much, even if Regina’s presence became a regular thing. “You may look around if you wish. But if you touch anything do see that it’s back in its rightful place by the time I return.” Raising both eyebrows to indicate she was entirely serious, she then turned to take her leave into the adjoining room. Two huge doors opened to reveal the rather opulent bathing room, still with cobwebs cluttering its corners, and candles everywhere, unlit for longer than this girl had been alive and only recently finding their spark once again. Much like the woman herself.

herroyaldarkness:

“I don’t mind sharing yours,” Regina offered quietly, hoping she hadn’t somehow made Maleficent believe otherwise. The entire purpose of all of this was to HELP Maleficent, not be separated by walls and who knew what else.  She had to admit, at least to herself, she was feeling slightly more apprehensive about this than she had when the offer had come tumbling out of her lips. She would not rescind it. She would never go back on her word, and especially not with someone whose approval meant so much to her already. But —- it wasn’t easy to forget that there were more complicated things between them. For instance, the way Maleficent had made it quite clear she had an interest in Regina that was far more than platonic. An interest Regina couldn’t allow herself to reciprocate in action, though there was some, impossibly unnerving reflection of it all, deep within Regina’s mind. Something she had no idea what to do with. After all, not only was she MARRIED to a king, and in love with a man who was not him ——— Maleficent was a woman. And Regina had never felt anything at all for another woman except for admiration, jealousy, and hatred. So this… attraction, that stirred in her gut was something she couldn’t understand, and thus desperately wanted to ignore. 

Perhaps that quest was easier said than done, however, Regina realized, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink as she watched Maleficent unlacing her corset. She tried to look away, feeling as if she owed the woman some measure of privacy to do something so innocent, and yet, she remained distracted enough to forget that she’d been meaning to speak. Clearing her throat as her gaze cast to the floor, Regina slowly wandered further into the room, hands staying clasped together in front of herself. “I didn’t want to assume…” she gave in way of an apologetic explanation, not wanting to admit the reasons behind her hesitancy. To tell of how she’d never been free to enter rooms as she liked. Not as a girl, and certainly not now as queen. Her reign was a FARCE. But the burden of such complaints were not Maleficent’s to bear. Not now. Not when Regina was here to be the help and not the problem.

Her gaze snapped up when Maleficent spoke again, lips parting to speak, but the words were held back as she simply gave a smile and small nod. Maleficent was so… different, from anyone she knew. So commanding. Aggressive. She found it thrilling how simply she could speak her mind and her opinions. How she seemed nearly fearless in the face of reproachful scorn. She would give anything to be like the woman, in more ways than just the one. She watched as Maleficent disappeared into the adjoining room, curiosity leading her feet forward, positioning herself so that she could peek into the other room as well, without seeming like she was doing so. Idly, and without looking, her hand reached out to pick up an item from the dresser just near her, all while her gaze swept over the bathing room. It was larger even than her own at the palace, and twice as exotic. 

Leaning more weight on her right foot, so she could crane and see even more into the room, Regina continued on in her gawking, not yet having allowed her gaze to settle on the woman inside, nor to be certain she hadn’t been caught in her staring. She somehow foolishly assumed the bauble in her hands would pose reasonable enough doubt as to her intent, and that if Maleficent were to see her, she would only assume Regina was doing just as she’d been told she was allowed. 

After heating her bath to something just below a boiling temperature, almost like a means of making up for all the years she’d been left in the cold, Maleficent moved about the room bringing candles to life, forgetting herself for a moment as a smile eased across her lips at each new flicker-flame. She wasn’t taking it for granted these days, the impact her magic made was significant, and though she claimed no real care for anyone, she was more than thankful of this girl having walked in her to life, and helping to return what was hers. It was a piece of her so long missing she sometimes wondered if it was fitting properly. But every warming fire and every lighted candle seem to speak for themselves. And though her nights may have grown somehow more tormented than before, she wouldn’t trade back her power for anything. Not a thousand night’s sleep. She was nothing without her magic. Thin and frail and only her past deeds struck fear. She could spit threats but they were no replacement of fire, nothing was, and nothing would be. She would never love but she had this, and it was all she needed.

She felt eyes on her without even looking. Curious girl you would be dead by now if I wished it, she thought. But she did not wish it. Despite the rejection she’d unexpectedly faced she wished the girl no harm at all. It was a strange circumstance, a strange feeling to wish anyone no harm. There was always something, but not with her. And though Maleficent had no idea what she found so damn special about the girl, the feeling didn’t change. Without caring whether the eyes would stay on her or not, she began to remove her dress, leaving a billowing mound of fabric pooling on the floor before it was tossed atop a chaise. She moved to a vanity to pin up her hair, the locks having tamed just slightly with her magic’s return though she still didn’t put much effort in to what had once been a stunning appearance. Even now with her magic she was still not all she once was. Her skin lacked color, her full lips left parched and unkissed. All her mirrors were left in their murky state, for she did not want to see in a clear reflection just all she had lost in those years. She was no longer the beautiful young maiden with a dragon beneath her lovely bones. Whatever she now was, she would remain unaware.

Once she’d removed the rest of her clothes, her frayed lace and silks, she moved back to the bath, stepping in to the hot water until she was submerged up to the chest. “Is staring your way of saying you’d like to come in?” She called out suddenly, her gaze shooting to the doors that stayed cracked open, a smirk sitting on chapped lips.

herroyaldarkness:

Regina jumped the moment the voice cut through what had otherwise been near silence.The bauble in her hand tumbled down, striking the dresser’s top with a deafening crack, and she quickly grabbed at it and tried to place it back before her clumsiness could be noticed. Clearing her throat, she fought back the apprehension pounding in her chest, and pushed open the doors enough to be properly seen. She’d looked away while Maleficent had undressed, in no way eager to violate the woman’s privacy, and much more so she — certainly should not be interested in seeing her in such a state. However, now the water served to obscure any indecencies, though Regina’s cheeks still were tinged with a blush.

“I —- I suppose it does, yes.” She said lightly, a small smile forming in place of her uncertainty. “After all, staying here to avoid either of us being alone is hardly helped by separation.” She attempted a small laugh, trying not to think about how awkward she felt, standing here watching while her friend bathed. But perhaps it didn’t need to be so. Just because Maleficent had… made her offer, and Regina had refused it, didn’t mean she need now treat the woman as something to be feared.

Moving into the room more, Regina glanced around again, having a better view, until at last her feet had carried her near the water’s edge. Smiling yet again at Maleficent, Regina hoisted her skirts enough to allow herself to comfortably sit there on the stone floor, so as not to sit atop the fine fabrics. Once she was comfortable she reached out to splash her fingers through the water, withdrawing them nearly instantly with a small hiss.

“It’s so hot!” she exclaimed, looking surprised, as if she’d been bitten by something. Clutching her hand into a fist, she furrowed her brow as she gawked at her friend. “Aren’t you burning?”

The water warmed her far deeper than just to her skin. She sighed faintly as she sunk a little lower, not at all phased when she heard the telltale sound of a trinket clattering from the young queen’s hand. Her eyes shut for a moment, allowing herself to focus on only the scorching temperature she stayed submerged in. To anyone else it would be enough to burn irreparably, but Maleficent had grown accustomed to fire long ago, and her magic withstood most heat with ease. The blisters on her hand had healed, and now she could easily sit here until the water ran cold only to be warmed again at her wish, and come out with a mere pink tinge across her skin. She needed the heat. It made things simpler, more clear. It was like it righted what laid wrong inside her, funneling all her focus and power into one thing; protecting herself. There was more threat to fear inside these walls, inside her head than any man could pose. Or any woman.

Her gaze was drawn when she heard the doors open further, eyes springing open out of their reverie to take in the state of the timid girl tiptoeing her way in to the room. She didn’t speak yet as she watched her come close and take a seat by the tub, instead of on the chaise just across the room. Before she could warn her she’d already dipped a hand in to the water, withdrawing it quickly and fortunately no worse for the wear, though her expression had crumpled from one of her prettiest smiles into something concerned. Maleficent was not a woman she need be concerned for, and yet she never seemed to stop.

“I can take the heat,” she replied offhandedly, more concerned herself with the state of the girl’s hand. “Are you alright?” She asked as she turned in the water just enough to lean an arm over the side of the tub, water dripping down just off her fingers before they reached out to tenderly brush the back of the girl’s hand, her expression turning uncommonly kind as she looked to her for a sign that no real damage had been done. She was all but desensitized to the heat the water offered, unaware of how badly it could harm such young and delicate skin.

herroyaldarkness:

Regina glanced down at her hand, slowly unfurling the tightly clutched fist. The skin was blistered, evidence of how hot the water had to be for how quickly she’d pulled it out. She found herself transfixed by it, barely moved by the pain, but sickly fascinated with the way it turned red and angry. The last time she’d been injured to her memory was when she’d fallen from Rocinante, leaving a scar cutting through her upper lip. There was something about it she couldn’t put name to. Something wrong that felt almost right. A breath stilled in her chest as her pulse beat loudly in her ears, all the while her gaze fixated upon her hnad.

Her reverie was shattered when the dull echoing sounds of Maleficent’s voice rang back into clarity at the brush of fingers against her hand. Looking up at her, Regina hissed as she pulled her hand back into a fist on instinct. “I —- will be fine,” she tried to reassure her with a smile, one that shone brightly on her lips but didn’t quite reach her eyes. Clearing her throat, hoping to not need make a fuss over her own foolish mistake, Regina nodded toward the water which steamed enough now to give her ample warning not to touch. Funny then how she hadn’t quite seen it before.

“Is it —- because of the dragon’s fire?” She asked, her unaffected hand gripping the burnt one in a subtle move, applying pressure to dull the pain. “Is that why you don’t burn?”

It was curious the way the girl stared at her burn like it were something captivating. It was a morbid fascination she knew well too, as she’d stared and pricked at her own blistered hand just days ago. But somehow she didn’t much care for seeing it within her friend too. She frowned when she pulled away, her hand sinking back in the water, just perceptibly more aware of the heat.

“Yes dear it is, and if I’d known you were going to do that I would have stopped you,” she said in some sort of defense of herself, not finding the guilt that rose in her throat to be all that enjoyable. Normally causing harm and terror brought nothing but a wicked sort of joy to her, but now it tasted bitter, unsettling, to think she’d hurt this girl. Even when in reality she’d done nothing of the kind. Her expression eased somewhat, as she remembered herself, her power, and the book that Regina carried with her nearly everywhere she went.

“If you’ll bring my book in here I can heal that for you,” she told her in what was probably her most compassionate tone. One so unused it sounded almost brittle on her tongue. “I haven’t done a healing spell in…a very long time, but I’m sure I can see that fixed for you.” She finished with a small smile, her eyes clearly reflecting a bizarre sort of gentleness behind their icy blue veil.

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“I wasn’t — accusing you… “ Regina trailed off meekly, fearful that Maleficent might have misinterpreted her question. She was the one who had acted foolishly, there was no cause for her to have laid her hand anywhere near the water. “I simply… learned my lesson the hard way I suppose.” She gave a half laugh, one completely devoid of any real humor and that mellowed into a sigh as she glanced at her hand. “Again.”

Her gaze lifted, surprised and with widened eyes when the offer was extended. She seemed almost as if she thought she’d imagined the words for a moment; gawking at Maleficent as if she were witnessing some fantasy come to life rather than her own reality. Slowly a smile formed as she nodded, stumbling over her words until they merged into a single sound. “Of course. I’ll just — “ she managed to get out, as she pulled to her feet and vanished just outside the door, reemerging moments later with the silver book held in her good hand, the other held protectively against her chest. As she approached back where she had just been sitting, she gave a bashful sort of smile at the obvious wear she’d left on its pages, and how visible it was even without opening the book.

“I suppose I ought to… officially give this back to you now,” she said lightly, sitting back where she had been upon the floor, and setting the book just at the edge of the pool’s steaming water. “After all, I doubt my mother came by it through honest means, and I stole it from her as well…” she laughed a little, almost sounding nervous as she resumed holding her injured hand with the good one, unable to feign the lack of pain now, but the smile she wore was decidedly more genuine. For so long she had obsessed over the pages of this book, and what the woman who penned them must be like. And now she knew the woman, and even better yet, she was going to get to witness her using the very magic Regina aspired to.

Even when she’d broken in to her castle those weeks ago, even when she’d come back day after day, week after week, with the book glued to her side, all those times and Maleficent had still made no attempt to even flip through its pages. It was a time long gone by to her, that she had found it to be something of worth. Worthy to hold her words, her magic, right in its pages. She’d forgotten about it all but entirely until that day the girl came in, clutching it to her chest, all of Maleficent’s knowledge and memory in worn out binding, like it was something she’d been protecting.

Knowing her now as she did, Maleficent believed she actually had been. When it had fallen into the hands of the girl’s mother she put up little fight. It didn’t matter to her any longer, and she doubted it would do much for that woman either. When it came into Regina’s possession however, it suddenly held power anew. It led her here, and here they were.

“If I wanted it back I would have taken it by now,” she told her pointedly, an eyebrow raising as if that should have been obvious to her already. But then she was near-smiling again, and sitting up just enough in the bath to see Regina where she sat. Her gaze landed on the book, the image on the cover depicting herself, but she couldn’t have felt more distant from who that woman was. They were no longer one in the same, hadn’t been for some time. Magic or not she didn’t share in that woman’s unyeilding strength and character. She’d fallen too far to ever be her again, but truthfully, she didn’t really care to be. That woman had lost much and never cared for anyone, the woman she was now, while still cruel and cold held a different sort of power. The power to rise from the ashes in which she once was, and burn one more time.

“I will need your help. These spells are all but foreign to me now.” It wasn’t like her to admit faults of any kind, and though she knew no further harm would come to the girl even if she did fail, the added security of another sorceress, no matter how inexperienced she may have thought herself, was a help. Swallowing thickly she instructed the book to open, its pages flying as if a breeze had come in, all from the simple wave of a hand. They stopped suddenly, on a two part spell, the pages all stilling, and Maleficent squinted to read them upside down, and somewhere in the back of her mind the spell read back to her as though it had never left all. Her hand reached out for Regina’s, palm flat.

“This won’t hurt you. I promise.”

herroyaldarkness:

Regina’s gaze fell somewhat at the sharp scolding, no matter the intention, she took the words to be a reprimand. Much the same she took Rumpelstiltskin’s to be as such.A reminder of when she was being foolish. Of course Maleficent would have taken her book by now had she desired it. Regina doubted there was anything at all she could have done to stop the woman, had that been her aim. Why then did she have to make such a fool of herself in the offering of it back? Maleficent was so difficult to please, and impress; but not even these minor set backs were going to stop Regina from her pursuit. Clearing her throat and pushing back her own disappointment, Regina found herself smiling once more.

“Me?” She asked, disbelieving of the offer. Her smile grew a little more excited as she leaned forward, peering at the page as Maleficent read it. She knew the spell well. At least, the procedure. She must have read this one a dozen times. Granted, putting all her learning into practice hadn’t quite yet proved very successful. “What should I —- “ she trailed off, voice far too meek for a woman meant to be queen, but the extended hand silenced her. Even before the assurances, Regina was slowly reaching hers out in offering, glad to have anything at all to do with Maleficent’s magic. She doubted there were many who could boast of the same.

“I’m not frightened,” she assured the woman, though her eyes seemed to betray her confidence, only just slightly. It was the pain that did it, contradicting her trust with a glimmering apprehension. Widening her smile to compensate for the tremble in her fingertips, Regina swallowed thickly. “I trust you.”

She wasn’t sure why Regina’s expression fell the way it did, nor how she seemed to cling to her every word with a look of such — hope. Maleficent was not something to aspire to, even in the days of her utmost power she would not have wanted to see a young girl clamoring to be like her. If it was power Regina wanted she would come into her own, in her own way and her own time. Maleficent could share knowledge, could guide her on her path in a way much more productive than how Rumpelstiltskin handled his protege, but the world didn’t need another like her. She only hoped that soon her friend might realize that for herself, and that her powers were very much their own, and all waiting to be unleashed.

Drawing in a slow, deep breath, Maleficent was careful not to harm Regina’s hand further once was it was laid atop her own. This spell was not one she’d performed all that often, why would she need to when healing was hardly her calling? Luckily there were no repercussions to be had should it fail. No visible ones at least.

“You won’t like the sound of it —” she said as she sat up a little higher, her arm reaching out of the tub, her skin showing the obvious signs of pink from how warm the water remained. She locked eyes with Regina for a moment, weighing her words and finding no easy way to say them. She would just have to be blunt, and hope the girl’s trust would not wane.

“I have to burn you, or, make it appear like I am. And you have to counteract it. You only need to concentrate, hard, don’t let the fire touch you.” She tried for something akin to a reassuring smile but it didn’t come out quite right. Reassurance wasn’t her strongsuit, just as healing spells were not. But despite her reputation being one of utterly opposing what she was about to do, there was no one she thought more deserving of it.

“Tell me when you’re ready.”

herroyaldarkness:

The shift in the air was palpable, at least to her when her hand met the hot and clammy skin of Maleficent’s hand. She was so warm. Regina still found it baffling how it could be normal. Yet, many of her thoughts were cut short when Maleficent moved, the water receding as she stretched, revealing more of her nakedness to Regina’s gaze. For but a moment she found herself staring, but it was only that. Barely a moment before her cheeks tinged pink and she quickly snapped it back up to meet Maleficent’s and focus on her instruction. Try to, at any rate. She didn’t understand what it was about this woman. She’d seen other women in such states of undress, and never cared at all. Yet the mere glimpse of Maleficent’s bare form and she felt as if she’d just committed some truly forbidden sin, and only wanted to do it again.

Words. She reminded herself in a scold, focus on her words. And focus she did, enough that her expression fell, fingers twitching with the desire to pull back to the safety of her own clutch. “More burns?” She repeated, sounding almost saddened that this was to be her solution. “What if  I —- what if I can’t do it? Won’t I be hurt further?”

She did still trust Maleficent, but the knotting in her stomach made it difficult to trust herself. She could barely summon a fireball of her own, how was she supposed to be the one responsible for this? “Can’t you just…” she scrunched her face, using her good hand to mimic what she’d seen Rumpelstiltskin do countless times to heal with his magic. “ —- Make it better?” Looking to the woman earnestly, with pain and trepidation clear in her eyes, Regina held onto the last shred of hope she had that it might be different. That everything might not, for once, boil down to her inadequacy with magic. After all, what good was she really if she couldn’t even heal her own self?

“No, it won’t —” It was difficult not to become frustrated, but she knew that now was one of the times she shouldn’t. That she should try to have patience, understanding, things she otherwise wholly lacked. Drawing in a breath to calm herself, both her anger and frankly her nerves over facing the potential for inadequacies to all come rearing forward. That despite having her power back she didn’t truly have it. Not like she had.

“I won’t hurt you.” Her words were certain, a forcefulness in their assurance. And she hoped that it was enough to allay the fear that rose in those large brown eyes that threatened to bore through her were she not successful. “It won’t be actual fire, this spell it, it takes what was used to harm you and it counteracts it. You repell the heat and you heal.” It was difficult to explain when even she couldn’t recall exactly what circumstance had led her to creating the spell in the first place. But she trusted her words, that it was in the book at all meant it had worked on someone. And it would work again. She would make it work again.

“I can’t heal the way Rumpelstiltskin does, I’ve never needed to. I found my own ways and this is what I can offer you. You don’t have to be afraid.” It sounded so foreign to hear in her own voice. Even more to feel that it was true. Nothing in this castle was to be feared, not by her. Not now and likely not ever again.

The water she sat in began to cool as she focused her energy on bringing heat to her hand, just barely at first, and with only Regina’s fingertips and heel of her palm rested atop her own it would likely not be felt at all. “Don’t look at your hand, just look at me.” She told her, her own gaze staying locked forward.

herroyaldarkness:

All of the information felt overwhelming. She nodded along, trying to force the pieces to make sense in her mind, which truly they didn’t, but she didn’t want to say so out loud. She knew that this was how the spell was meant to be carried out; she’d read it so many times, but somehow now that it was her who needed its healing, she felt that it was simply too… unsimplified.

Her eyes stayed wide as she stared at Maleficent, listening to all her words, feigning a confidence she didn’t feel or know how to summon. Yet, she did believe that she wouldn’t be hurt. At least no more than she already was at any rate. Attempting a small smile to indicate to Maleficent that she believed her, Regina’s gaze fell to their hands, where they sat one atop the other, imagining the magic as it should happen. If she were capable this would be…amazing, but she still doubted herself.

“I’m not,” Regina replied in a whisper to the reassurances that she need not fear, amazed how easily the lie fell from her lips. Widening her own smile to be more convincing, she shifted where she sat, leaning towards Maleficent a touch more. Her heart was pounding in her ears, making thought difficult the closer the time drew for her to perform the magic. She felt a wave of nausea sloshing in her stomach, but bit back the the bile. She could do this. She had to. Otherwise she would be forced to return home not only explaining why she’d spent an entire night away from the palace, but also had blistering burns all along her hand.

When her gaze met and held Maleficent’s, she felt a different sort of uncertainty take her. A creeping tingle that began from the base of her spine, and slowly crawled its way up. There was something in her eyes. Something hypnotic, Regina thought. Her cheeks tinged pink from the sensation, even as her brow furrowed in pained concentration, her teeth gritting as she tried to force the magic to work.

“It’s not working,” she breathed out in a sighed whine, though she did not break the eye contact, nor did she cease her trying just yet.

The spell came back to her the further they slipped into it. Its origin. Why it was needed in the first place. And the reality of all it entailed. She worried that it would frighten her and the bond their magic was creating would sever before any healing would be done. But she couldn’t just tell her that. It was almost like a trance she slipped into. Her expression turning soft, and her voice softer.

“Can you close your eyes for me,” she posed it more like instruction than inquiry. The words sounding like they could lull her to sleep if she wouldn’t follow through on her own. “Picture the spell in your mind,” she went on, as she allowed her palm to hold nearly all her power at once. “The fire coming close….and receding. It can’t hurt you. You won’t let it.”

Magic can be a powerful thing if you let it. Far beyond what power you can wield. Magic can mend empty holes when it’s the right kind, seal up wounds the eyes can’t see, that only the heart can feel. That book held so much of her magic, things she’d more than long forgotten or cared for, and yet in one spell she began to feel connected to it again. Connected to a past she’d stopped longing for, when she stopped believing she could ever meet it again.

“The wound heals as you repel the heat,” she sounded almost soothing with every line. Her hand still gently cradling the wounded one, raging heat spitting out of her palm. “It stops hurting. It stops burning.” A large flame burst forth from Maleficent’s hand, engulfing the one that laid atop hers. It burned bright and hot, yet caused no damage, no pain. She couldn’t see if the spell were working, not even in Regina’s face, but this was how the spell worked. It would work. It had to.

herroyaldarkness:

A sharp breath was drawn as Regina reluctantly allowed her eyes to close. She wanted desperately to keep them open, to watch every aspect of this spell unfold, and be certain of her own safety. While she was one to trust without abandon, that did not mean she wasn’t afraid. And to an already burnt hand, being told it was to be burned again was not exactly that bolstering to her confidence. Swallowing thickly, she tried to steady her breathing, focusing solely on Maleficent’s words. After all, she had asked the woman to teach her, and though the request had initially been rejected, she was beginning to HOPE for something more substantial than a single potion to curse a single horse to eternal slumber. 

A deep line formed in her brow as she tried to focus on the instructions, concentration typically her only ally in succeeding at magic. She could feel the heat – curiously it did not burn, as Maleficent had sworn, but she felt it all the same. It engulfed her hand, and creeped its way to her chest, sprawling out in bright red patches until it had stained her cheeks a rosy shade of pink. Her breathing became more labored, and when a flash of light ignited bright enough to be seen from behind closed eyes, Regina’s eyes flew open, staring in awe. She was —– doing it. A wide grin began to form, and as it did, the flame changed color, a pulse emanating out from her own palm, forcing the fire back away from herself. 

The pain was ebbing away, and Regina’s smile was turned on Maleficent. An eager stare set upon the woman in her bath, still bare, and soaked, not all as modest as she likely meant to be, but this time Regina’s gaze did not stray. “It’s working,” she breathed out, voice shaking with disbelief as the pain was nearly all but gone. 

The spell was taxing on her, more than she remembered or would have bargained it would be. But then that simply spoke to her state of being itself. Weaker than she would have ever admitted. Despite her every bit of pride that kept her trembling from being obvious to Regina, the trembling was there. Deep in her bones she was quivering, pushing out more strength than she truly possessed, all to force the spell to do as much as it possibly could to help her friend. Her eyes stayed fixated on their almost joined hands, brows furrowed deep in concentration, willing herself not to falter. Despite Regina’s voice breaking through her gaze only drifted up to the girl’s for a moment, quick and then it returned back to its former place, as though staring hard enough would fill the spaces where her magic was feeling horribly inadequate. Deep breaths were drawn in through her nose, trying to settle the wave of nausea that seemed to come on, as she pushed for more from herself.

The spell was growing, light and flickering fire illuminating the otherwise darkened room, and her strength was waning far more than she was easily able to conceal. Her hand clung suddenly to the one above, as the last shreds of magic fought against Regina’s, fire desperate to consume flesh and blister her all the more, as fire had few other desires than to decimate and burn, but the contact of her hand, her magic, quickly snuffed out Maleficent’s flame. The spell had worked, and when she slowly slipped back down into the water her hand still stayed clenched to the one just healed, tugging her close enough until her forehead laid atop it. Her eyes closed, as she pulled and willed some strength back to herself, her chest heaving slightly in and out of the water.

“You did it,” she spoke in a breathless but proud tone. And truly she was proud. Not of herself, not at all of herself, for such a lackluster performance of a low level spell, but of Regina’s strength of heart. She could feel the moment their hands met, the power she held was strong, much stronger than she would likely believe, and all originating from her heart’s will to survive. Resilient. That was the word. She could think of no other more befitting. While Maleficent herself had fallen into a state of despair and apathy at her loss, Regina was something special. Resilient in the face of pain, so many kinds of it. The girl’s magic could easily be a match for her own former glory with the right encouragement. Perhaps even more impressive. But it was a fragile power, hidden deep within an also timid heart, locked away even from herself. All it took was the right sort of approach to draw it out, but it was one that there was no way Rumpelstiltskin was capable of or interested in employing. Perhaps she should give the girl’s desperate request more consideration, but there would be time for such decision’s later. the spell was still taking a toll on her, leaving her weak and feeble even in the water that had been heated by her flame. “Can you get that for me?” She asked softly, lifting her head to look in the direction of her robe, hoping that alone would be enough indication to what she meant. She had not the strength to explain any further.

herroyaldarkness:

“Maleficent?” The word rolled off her tongue in alarm, hushed and afraid. Her entire body moved forward as her hand was pulled tightly in the woman’s grasp. Something was wrong – she was… hurt? Regina couldn’t tell more than what she sensed, and none of it felt promising. Immediately thoughts that this was somehow her fault flooded her mind, twisting her gut until she felt sick, and pricking at her heart painfully. All concern for herself vanished. Her pain, her victory, the glory of having finally done something right. All of it was overshadowed by whatever might be wrong with her friend. 

Gripping tighter against the hand that now had the woman’s forehead pressed to it, Regina frowned deeply. “What’s wrong?” She quietly inquired, almost afraid to hear the answer. What if this had been her doing? Perhaps she’d – don the spell wrong. Or in the selfishness of her pain, she’d forced Maleficent to do something she was unable. All of the possibilities tormented her, making a tremble of apprehension set out through every limb, shaking visibly before the one person she admired above all others.

Not even her words of pride could sate the shame and fear Regina was consumed by. She tried to offer a weak smile, but it was overcome by a constricting heart. And when the request came, she wasted no time bolting to her feet and hurrying over to take up the robe. Returning to the pool’s side, she held it open in offering, turning her head away to grant Maleficent the privacy she deserved. “I’m – sorry.” She whispered, voice cracking with emotion. “If this was me… if I did this to you… I’ll take the burns back.” The decisiveness of her tone surprised even her. She had once been quite selfless, eager to see others thrive and flourish. Made happy by the smile of a boy and wind whipping past her face as she rode her prized stallion through the open fields. But lately she had been so consumed by hatred, fear, and hurt that she forgot she was capable of caring for another in this way. Of course she loved Jefferson, but once he was gone, the darkness was all she had. It was easy to forget….

Regina’s voice was distant, somehow delayed when it met her ears, like it had taken its time fighting through the dull throb she heard somewhere deep and dark when her eyes closed. She swallowed thickly against nothing, the burn of fire having risen into her throat, or perhaps it was only the nausea. Whatever it was it, hurt, and fire was not something that hurt her anymore.

“No—”, she rasped hoarsely, throwing all her strength into the single word, moved suddenly to make certain that she knew this wasn’t her fault. Though in some sense it may have been, but her new role as a magical mentor seemed to instill some need to encourage her protege, not knock her down after one spell had a harmful affect back on its creator.

“This wasn’t you, I’m just — tired.” She rose out of the bath, scalding water still dripping off of her as she guided one hand and then the other into the arms of the robe, wrapping the fabric tight around herself with a silken knot as she stepped out entirely. Her legs seemed more than enough to hold her, which she was thankful for. It was not a purely physical weakness she felt, it was something deeper, a weakness in her soul, as if she had one, a deficiency far below the surface, that had little at all to do with her body. It was her magic that was still weak, the source found in flame and yet when it mattered most she still found it difficult to draw out at will. She herself needed encouragement, and even then it wasn’t enough to change the often feeble outcome.

“You will do no such thing,” she answered late, turning a harsh gaze at the girl, one that lacked almost all harshness. The care she felt for her was deeper than even she knew, showing itself in strange ways and unexpected places. Glancing back at the still filled tub she couldn’t bear to see to it. It had grown nearly unbearable before she’d stepped out, as though the fire in her was receding, and were she to touch it now who knows what harm it could do. She had been right about one thing, she was tired, and rest seemed like the smartest step to take.

Turning to leave her bathing room, she knew Regina would be right on her heels, could hear her speaking but it was still far off, slow to reach her through the thick cloud of weakness she wore. She reached the bed and climbed atop it, sighing deeply and then exhaling softly once her back met the mattress. All at once sound seemed to pick back up again, rushing in quick and loud.