Her Glass Heart [SwanQueen]

Chapter Six: Sept 27, 2017 - Regina

"What do you mean I need to get married?" Regina questioned the other members gathered in front of her at the round table. She stood before them, poised and regal, yet with nostrils slightly flared as she took in the law her advisor laid out for her. She understood it perfectly but refused to accept it for herself. "My father ruled without my mother for many months without it being an issue, isn't that a bit unfair?" She shook her head in disappointment, but she wasn't surprised this was the way things were.

"I'm sorry, my queen. The realm's order dictates that in order for you to keep your title, you must be betrothed within the next 90 days. It's not about having a man in power to accompany you, it's that you need to be married in order to ensure successors to the throne in the future."

Regina groaned softly and shook her head, not bothering to listen to what the council was saying. Her blood was boiling, knowing this was the least of her problems at the moment. Her father had passed only one month ago, and she still was left with just as many questions as she had that day he told her she was unable to love.

As each day passed, she began to believe that statement to be true more and more. She thought of the way she had felt toward men she'd ran into on her escapades venturing through her realm, and she realized not a single one had ever thrilled her, let alone caused her to feel anything that remotely resembled the emotion people wrote poems and sang songs about.

Her insatiable curiosity caused her to spend hours consuming the pages of romance novels, violently highlighting paragraphs and dog-earring pages that explained the way women were supposed to feel when they experienced romance and fell in love. With each new highlight she made, she came closer to admitting to herself that her father's confession must be true.

"Alright, I understand." Regina finally said, breaking the silence of the room, and quieting the thoughts rattling around in her head. She knew everyone in the land admired her, but she didn't particularly feel anything toward them, either. Not even a love for the people who revered and looked up to her was within her capacities.

"May I make a suggestion, Your Majesty?" A member of the round table began to speak, pushing himself up out of his chair. "Perhaps a trip to the northern realm would do you some good?"

"And how would that be of any benefit to this situation?" Regina questioned.

Another advisor stood up, eager to back up the other man. "Well, if you found a potential suitor in the northern realm, the marriage would unite the kingdoms. Think of it as killing two birds with one stone..."

Regina scoffed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "Fine." She shook her head but knew her advisors were making a valid point. "I'll phone the king and queen of the northern realm and arrange for a trip later this week."

The court nodded and exited after she formally adjourned the meeting.

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Regina stood on the balcony outside her bedroom. The air was still warm, despite the late hours of the night. The guards and attendants were all asleep and she was left alone with her turbulent thoughts.

In a desperate attempt to understand more about her magic and regain a sense of control of some aspect of her life, she whipped out her small pocket mirror.

Her ability to manipulate glass came as second nature to her at this point, and she broke the mirror with just the touch of her finger pressing against it.

She held the broken glass in her hand, then squeezed it tightly. Blood trickled down her palm and then dripped onto the ground directly in front of her.

She squeezed harder, producing a few more drops of blood, knowing this would trigger her magic immediately, then opened her palm, dropping the glass to the floor on top of the small puddle of blood.

She sat, legs crossed, then closed her eyes, her thoughts focusing solely on the blood and glass pooled in front of her and her mind wandered.

She thought of how she needed to find a man to marry. But how would she ever find someone to love her when she wasn't able to love them in return? How could she subject a future husband to the fate of a loveless marriage? Was all she was destined for merely a marriage of convenience, of duty?

A tear of frustration escaped from her eyes that were squeezed shut, and when she opened them, a few stray tears dropped and merged with the mix of blood and glass.

She blinked, and her lips parted as the glass began to lift into the air on its own and she cocked her head, watching intensely with uncertainty of what exactly it was that she was doing now.

New pieces of glass appeared out of thin air, piecing together intricately like a jigsaw puzzle forming in front of her dark, disbelieving eyes.

Regina shook her head and stood up when she realized what she created, her jaw dropped and her mouth suddenly dry as her knees threatened to collapse.

"Are you... are you real?" She reached out, touching the man standing in front of her now. Had she just created a human being out of glass?

The man blinked, looking at Regina. "I am real. You created me. What would you like to name me?"

Regina shook her head. "I created you?" She asked in disbelief, as though she hadn't just witnessed herself doing just that.

"You did. And for that, I am eternally grateful. What is your name?"

"My name is Regina. I'm the queen of this realm," She held a hand out, seeing if he'd shake it, wondering if he was capable of just a gesture.

But instead, he bowed. "Queen Regina, I am indebted to you."

Regina cocked her head and her right eyebrow rose upward, studying him again. His eyes were dark yet shimmered like a glass reflection when light hit it. His jaw was sharp, with stubble coating the lower portion of his face. His skin made him look human, but the glass shimmer in his eyes were what gave his unnatural origin away. With his broad shoulders and tall stature, though, he was very handsome, Regina could not deny that.

"I'll call you Graham. That name seems like it suits you," she paused once again. "And if you're indebted to me, then I know what I need of you."

"Anything, my queen."

"I need you to love me."