(Daniella's POV)
*3 days later....
Grandmother was placed in the crypt next to grandfather's coffin but Zelena's body was buried somewhere in the palace cemetery, away from the prominent royal tombs.
Mother put her arm around me and pulled me in close when we stood beside grandma's casket. She placed a single red rose on top in silence. I added another, feeling a sense of vacancy in my chest for I had no idea how to react or feel. The past couple of days had been difficult for mother, considering that her relationship with Cora was just starting to improve. Thankfully, I didn't have to answer too many concerned questions asking if I was alright after the confrontation with the witch as mother had magically sealed off the entrance to our wing of the palace. Snow had been rather persistent in trying to get mother's attention but for the most part, she was ignored.
I traced my finger on the carvings on grandmother's stone casket. I heard mother's sniffles behind me but they were cut short when footsteps approached. I looked up in surprise to see Rumple walk into the crypt with a rose in hand. He too, put it on top of the casket and said, "Black always was your colour, your majesty."
She seethed, "I'm here to bury my mother. So if you've come to gloat-"
"I came to pay my respects. We had our differences, but Cora will always have a place in my heart."
Mother growled dangerously, "She wouldn't have died if you had agreed to help us defeat Zelena. You're the Dark One, yet you've refused to help."
"Yes, I'm the Dark One but that doesn't mean I have to interfere with every little family drama that occurs in this land."
"Little? Little?! That witch has done more than upset the natural balance of power. She threatened the kingdom's security, in case you haven't noticed. I wasn't the only one concerned about her game of charades."
Rumple quipped, "I believe the real reason why you're so upset is because of your Stable-boy. It's a shame that you had to pay more attention to defeating your sister than realizing that someone so dear to you wasn't happy."
I held my breath as mother replied in a low voice, "I have no idea what you want right now, but I suggest you drop your act and leave. If you planned on rubbing salt into the wound, you'll be disappointed to hear that my scars have already healed."
"Oh really? You know, for the once great and mighty Evil Queen, I'm surprised to learn that you haven't killed that woman and erased your boyfriend's memories. After all, he'll never know what really happened."
I was growing more uncomfortable by the second as they mentioned father in their conversation. Mother answered in a low determined voice, "I'm not that person anymore. That person darkened my heart and I refuse to let evil rule my life when I have two people to live for now. Henry and Daniella."
Rumple didn't reply so mother took my hand and dragged me away. Once we were out of his earshot, I decided to change the topic. "Mama, what will happen to Wonderland now? Will the revolutionaries take over the land there?"
She replied, "Snow and I have written to the foreign correspondence there. I do not think it's best if you were to inherit the throne of Wonderland. It wouldn't be safe, nor practical. Besides, the power of Wonderland doesn't legitimately belong to your grandmother. Unlike myself, she didn't gain her power through marriage. But in any case, what happens to Wonderland will not affect the Enchanted Forest; and right now, we are in discussion over the division power. As you've heard me discuss with the council, much has changed since the time before the curse so there is much work to be done to ensure that no messy fighting would break out. Representatives from all the royal families will come here this evening. I imagine it will be interesting to see everyone here at the same time. Allies and enemies alike. I suspect that allegiances have changed, but I would be too hopeful to say it's for the better."
I frowned, "So we've lost some alliances?"
Mother put her hand on my back and murmured, "I'm not certain, but we may have. However, I'll do my best to convince them to be on our side."
"How?"
Mother held out her hand and Zelena's necklace appeared there on her palm. "My sister's pendant still contains a lot of dark magic and potential power. If I used this to repair the land and reverse the path of destruction that the curse had caused, it would save physical labour and time. The affected kingdoms can conserve their wealth. With a price of course, being that should I help them out, they'll maintain their alliance with us."
"That sounds complicated," I murmured to myself as I pressed my palm on the cold stone of the casket.
Mother chuckled in a low tone before putting her hand on my shoulder. "You needn't worry. You still have many years to learn."
........................
*Evening
I sat on the chaise before the fireplace and waited as mother got dressed for the ball. Yvette had already helped me into my gown. Since my own purple skirts were so voluminous, I had been twirling around admiring how the mesh sparkled, until mother told me to sit down before I made myself dizzy and tripped. She wanted to do my hair herself, so I was instructed to wait for her to finish dressing up first. My mind was lost into thoughts about father as I hugged a pillow from the chaise. Would he be alright? Would he ever regret leaving mother? I felt a tear threaten to drop from the corner of my eye. "Daniella, darling. Come here."
I looked up to see mother watching me from the floor length mirror before her. She dismissed the handmaiden helping her so I got up and went over. "Are you thinking about your father again?"
I shrugged but it was obviously not enough to hide the truth. Mother sighed and as she fixed my dress, she said, "You have to promise me that you'll enjoy tonight alright? We're celebrating because of Zelena's defeat, and the creation of a new Enchanted Forest. You have such a prosperous future to look forward to. You mustn't waste tears on what is past."
It was these words that made me cry harder. I felt mother put her arms around me. As I breathed in her sweet perfume, I tried to calm myself down. However, that just made unwanted thoughts enter my head. Why do I always have to be so weak? Mother's not even crying and yet I'm already a mess.
I hastily wiped my tears away, but that smudged the light makeup around my eyes. I caught my reflection and felt a grin lift on my face. Mother saw me and reacted in the same way. "Oh dear, let's clean that up, shall we?" When she guided me towards her vanity and forced me to sit down, I asked quietly, "Mama, aren't you...angry?"
She softly wiped away the makeup on my wet face and reapplied a bit of the sparkly nude eye shadow on my eyelids. As she did so, she murmured, "Yes."
"But?"
She sighed, and stated plainly, "Alright, you have to promise me that we'll never talk about him again after this, agreed?"
I nodded so she continued, "You'll soon learn that if you truly love someone, at some point you would have to let them go. For their happiness. Even if it-" She swallowed back a sob. Sighing, she started to style my hair before finishing, "Even if it pains you to see them happy."
I looked up at her reflection in the mirror and in a quiet voice, I whispered, "So do you still love my father?"
Her gaze dropped. "You know I do."
Then, she magicked a crown into her hands, which she placed carefully on my head. Shaking off the emotion, she remarked, "There, all done." I was confused. I recognised the detailing on this crown, and even though it was rarely worn, I knew that it belonged to mother.
"Mama, this is yours. Why am I wearing it tonight?"
As she nestled the heavy piece of jewellery into my hair, she replied, "So that others can see that no matter what happens, or has happened, I love you, my little firefly. Besides, this ball is important, as almost all the kingdoms in the Enchanted Forest will be there. And my dear, I want you to outshine the Charmings."
"I doubt that will happen..."
"We shall see," she replied with a wink as she helped me stand up. Then, she whispered, "Ready?"
I nodded and at that moment, she surrounded us with purple smoke to take us to the doors that opened to the balcony above the ball room. Mother took my hand and gave it a squeeze. Then, she nodded to the pair of guards beside the door and one of them knocked on the wood. Seconds later, we heard the announcer inside the ballroom say in a clear voice, "Presenting, Her Majesty, Queen Regina and Her Royal Highness, Princess Daniella."
As the door opened, we walked out to be met with a sea of bowed heads. Genuine or not, I felt a smile tug at the edges of my lips.
.......................
After the feast, everyone proceeded to migrate back to the ballroom. That's when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see Maria dressed up nicely in a coral pink gown. She even wore a jewelled flower accessory in her hair. "Maria!" I immediately reached to hug her. She laughed and said, "Gosh, you look so nice!"
As we parted, I gave her a smile and said, "You too! Wait, but where have you been for all this time?!"
"Sorry, I wanted to visit you earlier, but my father was busy making sure that the village was open to trade with others again. I wasn't really allowed out because of the chaos. I did hear about things here though. I'm so sorry, Dani..."
I shrugged and tried to steer the conversation away from that. "It's ok, but I was worried about you!"
"I'm fine. I wanted to see you, and I asked my parents whether it was possible but they didn't want to bother you."
I frowned, "That's stupid. We were friends in Storybrooke and nothing can change that. I actually got pretty bored here. Henry's always with his friends."
Maria laughed, "I can imagine..." Then, her eyes seemed to have spotted something in the background behind me. I was just about to ask what it was when her voice dropped to allow her to whisper quietly, "There's three people looking at you. It seems like they want to talk to you."
I held my breath and thought for a moment before replying, "You can leave me. I'll go up to them by myself."
"Are you sure?"
I faced Maria and nodded as I bit my lip. She gave me a reassuring squeeze on my arm before saying, "Ok well, I'll be right by the desserts". My heart started pounding but I ignored the shaking in my body as I made my way over to Lyra, Linota and Irene. They regarded me for a moment before sliding into a bow. It made me uncomfortable to see them like this so I said quietly, "Please don't have to do that."
Linota was the first to speak besides being normally the one who didn't give much of an opinion. "Your highness....we, we wanted to-"
I looked down as I was unable to meet their gaze.
"Just let us explain, your highness-" Lyra said.
"It's Daniella," I cut in quickly. This interaction was all too unnerving. Lyra seemed to test my name on her lips carefully as she started her sentence again, "Daniella, I'm so, so sorry. I know my apology cannot fix anything, but I should have never put you through all that, when you were just a child. I mean even now, you...you must have endured so much trauma in your lifetime and I know that I was one of the reasons behind that."
I couldn't exactly disagree so I simply looked down and twisted my hands together. Lyra continued, "I'm not asking you to accept my apology but I just want you to know that it has taken me many years, but I understand if you never want to see me again. Or any of us. In fact, I beg of you not to think about the past. You've....clearly blossomed into a strong girl, and no doubt will you make a very capable queen one day."
At the mention of my future, I looked up and swallowed as I regarded the expression of the three spinsters. Then, I asked quietly, "Has my mother talked with you?"
"Goodness no..."
I regarded their expressions carefully and said, "No, she has, in some form or another. I told her to leave you be, but it's uncharacteristic of her to do nothing."
Linota sighed and said, "Alright then, we did receive a letter, but that was that."
"There must have been more to the letter."
This time Irene told me the truth, "We had a brief meeting."
I raised my eyebrows and tried to give them a sympathetic smile. "Well, what did she do?"
The spinsters looked unwilling to answer but I gave them a pointed stare so eventually, Linota gave in. I have to admit, her experience was quite different to what I had in mind in my head.
....................
Flashback
(4 days ago, Lyra's POV)
There was a heavy knock on the door to our room, and a tall black knight walked in. Our hearts immediately started hammering out of fear, for we had been waiting for the Evil Queen's response for several days now. The shock of seeing Daniella again was already a blow, but learning that she is in fact, the Queen's daughter just added to the terror in our hearts. My companions had spent the last couple of days assuring me that we were under the protection of Queen Snow, so nothing could be done to us. However, I wasn't sure. From what I've heard, the Evil Queen knows everything; the truth down to the minute detail. Besides, I doubt Daniella would have refrained from telling her mother about what I did to her.
The black knight spoke in a matter-of-fact tone as he held out an envelope, "I was instructed to deliver this to you. I will be back in around half an hour to bring you to Her Majesty." When Linota took the piece of paper from him, he turned around a exited the room. With shaky hands, she tore it open, leaving the envelope to float to the ground. "Well, what does it say?" Irene asked quickly.
With shaky hands, Linota read,"Alas, much to my disappointment, we find ourselves in the same kingdom, and in none other than my palace. It has come to my attention that you were the three spinsters who provided my daughter with a roof over her head for almost a decade of her childhood. Given that Daniella has refused to speak to me in detail about the incident a couple of days ago, I see fit that I should address you personally. You need not prepare, hence you will be receiving this letter shortly before you are required to be in my presence. Rest assured, I am looking forward to our interaction as much as you are. However, it would be absurd should I fail to meet the women who have taken care of my daughter in my absence. I would advise you to be prompt. Queen Regina."
I stood up and snatched the letter into my hands and scanned over the elegant handwritten script. Under my breath, I swore. Irene commented, "It is rather passive aggressive."
Linota said, "Come on, we can't change what we did. We may as well get this over with."
I whipped around and said shakily, "You seriously believe that we will emerge safe and sound on the other side?!"
"No, I wasn't implying that. But..." she trailed off. It was true that none of us wanted to think about the consequences. It wasn't long before the guard came back and motioned us to follow him. We did so, huddled against each other as we walked. We exited the part of the palace in which Queen Snow and her family resided, into a much quieter wing. Here, there were less people, and only the occasional servant or guard could be spotted. When we entered a hallway, Linota nudged me and pointed subtly to the walls. I looked up and my mouth hung open a little. There was a huge portrait of Daniella, holding an apple. She seemed to be standing next to the infamous apple tree that we all hear stories about. She was dressed in a beautiful navy blue gown, with long ruffled sleeves made of black lace. There was a tiara on her head, and her cheeks were rosy which complimented the glimmer in her eyes. I looked away but along the hallway, there were other portraits that I couldn't help but marvel at.
Just before the hallway ended with an abrupt turn, there was a portrait of Daniella and the Queen. She was standing next to her mother and looking up admiringly whilst the Queen smiled. Seeing this image of her in all regalia made a tingle go down my spine. In the background, the artist had painted the typical images of the royal power; a crown resting on a small table, a sceptre, jewels and a set of curtains bearing the royal crest. Almost as if I was betraying the Resistance, of which I am still an avid member, I couldn't help but note how the pair looked stunning.
A cough from the guard drew me out of my thoughts. I hurried after my companions who were a few paces in front of me. Irene whispered to be under her breath, "She's really pretty, isn't she?"
"Who?"
"Like mother, like daughter I suppose."
The hall that we now walked through was dark but on the right, it overlooked the kingdom. On the left, there hung many mirrors of different sizes, all elaborate and beautifully wrought out of iron. At the end of the corridor however, was a pair of large black doors. I already knew where this lead to. The guards standing on each side nodded when the one escorting us came up and explained who we were. Then, he knocked on the door. A silky voice called out, "Enter."
The door was opened and the guard bowed before gesturing for us to come in. "The three spinsters you've requested to see, Your Majesty."
Before the fireplace, the Queen was reclining on a chaise draped with furs. We dropped into a deep curtsy. At the top of my eyes, I saw that she raised her head up ever so slightly and in a chilling tone, replied, "Thank you, Michael." The guard retreated and the door slammed shut. "That's enough. You may sit," she commanded as she gestured to the long couch that was positioned opposite her. We shuffled across shakily and sat down. She shifted slightly, so that she wasn't lounging on the the chaise as she had been. She looked at us for a few seconds and when her piercing dark brown orbs met mine, I dropped my gaze immediately. However, I focused on the peculiar scar that rested above her lip. Surely she would have done something to mask it, if the stories about her vanity were true. Eventually, she spoke, "What shall I call you?"
Linota introduced us. She must have known that I would probably have stumbled over something as simple as my name. The Queen spoke very delicately yet in a voice that resembled the slithering of a snake. "So you are Lyra," she directed towards me. I looked up in fear. To say that my hands were clammy and sweaty was an understatement. However, I noticed how she didn't seem to be calm either. Her chest rose quickly and heavily, making the diamond necklace nestled between her cleavage glimmer. "My daughter seemed to be rather unwilling to describe what exactly had happened that day. In fact, she refuses to explain her nightmares either, only hinting that they reminded her of the past. As a mother, I respect her wishes and will not pry into her memories but I will not stand by idly either."
She paused before continuing, "Now, I have not summoned you here to...inflict the same amount of misery you have cast upon my flesh and blood. However, I will nonetheless warn you that if you were to so much as invade my child's thoughts again, I show you personally, why they call me the Evil Queen."
Linota, Irene and I looked at each other in surprise. We were still trying to comprehend the fact that we had been spared when she spoke again. "In case you were wondering why I have displayed such mercy, there are two reasons. The first being; that it was Daniella who practically forbade me from enacting my vengeance against your poor misjudgements. Second being; if I had killed you right now, I would never find out what my daughter looked like when she was a young child."
The wheels were literally turning at the back of my mind to make sense of the Queen's words, but just like my companions, we were too afraid to ask. Then, she stood up and walked over to her vanity, the heels of her shoes clicking elegantly on the stone floor. Sliding out a drawer, she retrieved a wooden box and opened it carefully to take out a dream catcher. "I will use this to extract a snippet of your memories. You will not lose them, but I will be able to safeguard them to view at whatever time pleases me. As I pass this over your heads, you need only think of your fondest memories of Daniella. Understood?"
We nodded and the Queen stood up, gesturing for us to do the same. Surprisingly, she wasn't very tall in person. She waved her hand over the dream catcher and it glowed yellow. Then, she passed it over our heads. Once she had collected our memories, she waved her hand and an ornate handheld mirror appeared. She somehow made the mirror absorb the yellow glow before sitting down, which indicated for us to do the same. I watched her reaction as an image of baby Daniella came up. The Queen's eyes immediately started to well up, but I was clear that since we were there, she withheld from showing more emotion. Irene cleared her throat and said quietly, "That was the day when we found her on our doorstep. It was just the crack of dawn, when I heard the sound of a young toddler's cries. I had once been a midwife, so I was able to tell that she was already nearly a year old."
Linota added, "We still have the blanket that she was swaddled in, it's in our home in Wonderland. Perhaps we can bring it to you."
The Queen merely replied by commenting, "I embroidered that blanket for her. The others were burned."
"Burned?"I whispered. Irene immediately nudged me and gave me a sharp look. My cheeks flared, as I realised that I shouldn't have commented unless I was spoken to. I faced the Queen and expected a look of fury on her face but what I saw was pain etched in her eyes instead. For a split second, I actually felt sorry for her, as it was clear that whatever happened, was out of her control. Indeed, her explanation confirmed my thoughts.
She avoided our gazes and replied as she observed the image in the mirror, "Daniella was conceived before my marriage to the King. I had no choice but to pretend that she was his, but he found out and told me that he had her executed. I was powerless to stop it. The King then ordered for all her belongings to be burnt. Other than these memories you have just given me, I have nothing of the first ten years of her childhood."
"I'm sorry," was all I could muster. She gave me a pointed stare and bit out, "I'm sorry too."
I was almost drawn deeper into my thoughts but then the scene on the mirror changed. There, three year old Daniella was playing with a little wooden horse. I remember that, for the horse was something that I had found nestled in the dirt when I was shopping at a nearby marketplace. A child must have dropped it by accident. The next vignette showed Daniella slightly older, learning to sew. I saw the Queen initially frown at this image, but she relaxed a bit when Daniella's laughter echoed softly from the mirror. We were so engrossed in those memories ourselves, that the Queen's voice made us jump when she asked, "Was she happy, back then?"
Irene replied, "We were all happy, until...the rapid tax increases took a toll on our village."
"To which I presume, sparked a revolution against the Queen of Hearts?"
We nodded cautiously but the Queen continued, "Well at least people were out for my head because of Snow White, rather than my ability to govern a kingdom."
We didn't reply, as we knew all too well that to mention anything of Snow White before the Queen was a death sentence. The memories on the mirror now progressed to Daniella holding out a bunch of wildflowers that she had picked.
"What were those flowers for?"
"It was Mother's Day in Wonderland," Linota explained softly. Then, she added quickly, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but it was what came to my mind as one of the moments in which the Princess smiled."
Whilst the Queen didn't verbally respond, the way which she clutched the mirror tightly indicated her hurt and discomfort. Thankfully, the memories changed once again to depict the girl taking out an apple pie from the oven. "So she already knew how to bake?" the Queen remarked.
I responded quietly, "We didn't get many chances to make apple pies, as the ingredients were expensive, but I believe she would have remembered the recipe well."
After the baking scene, the memories faded away from the mirror, leaving behind a yellow glow on the reflective surface. The Queen uncorked a vial from the table next to her chaise and directed those memories into the tiny bottle. After putting the stopper over the opening, she held it in one hand and looked at each of us, eyes sweeping over our expressions. Then she said, "I trust you will stay away from her in the future."
We nodded, eager to be dismissed. Her next words were hollowing. "I know what you people are doing. I am quite aware of the motives of 'The Resistance'. Although I am not in the position to influence you to think in a certain way, I sincerely hope that you will give your clause a considerable amount of thought. Daniella has had a turbulent childhood, and I implore you to consider the fact that by adhering to the mission of the Resistance to bring down my dynasty, you'll be very much threatening Daniella's wellbeing once more. The kingdom will be rid of me in a couple of decades or so, but I would like my daughter to assume her place on the throne. Or at least, achieve some level of respect that she had been denied in her childhood."
The Queen then flicked her hand, and the doors to the chambers opened. That's when I saw how difficult it must have been for her, as a mother, to face the three women who had essentially put her child through something that should have never occurred. Beneath the jewels, the regal gown and intimidating makeup, was actually a woman, perhaps even younger than us, who was filled with such bitterness and pain, because of a void that had been missing ever since her daughter was sentenced to death.
Whilst Linota and Irene said nothing after we stood up and bowed, I plucked up my courage and murmured, "Thank you for showing mercy, Your Majesty."
The Queen replied in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. "Daniella deserves much more than what my shadow has cast upon her life." Then, she gestured for us to leave. However, my stubborn mouth opened and spoke before my mind could register how risky it was.
"Snow White had something to do with what happened to Daniella, doesn't she?"
I could tell that the Queen was caught off guard. I immediately regretted asking that question. However, I absolutely did not anticipate her reaction. Without taking her piercing eyes off me, she said to Irene and Linota, "Leave us." They quickly scurried away. Then, she flicked her hand and the doors to her chambers closed. My heart started pumping hard and with my fists curled, I braced myself for what I assumed to be certain death. Yet, the Queen just walked over to her vanity and stood by her chair, with both her hands resting on the backing. I could see her reflection in the mirror, which meant that she was able to see me too. With her head angled up slightly, she simply stated, "You lost a child once."
My jaw almost dropped to the ground, but the immediate hollowing effects from her words distracted me. How did she-
"I see it in your eyes." Then, she turned around, forcing me to nod. I looked away slightly, not realizing how much this would bring out feelings that I have squashed down for so long.
Then, she continued in a factual tone, "You loathed Daniella's existence because she reminded you of the life you could have lived with your own flesh and blood. Whilst you were essentially forced to raise a child that wasn't yours, you were still grieving for your own."
I have no idea what compelled me to be so honest in front of this woman, but I quietly murmured, "After my fiance left me, I had a miscarriage. Everything was going so well. I thought I would be happy."
I looked up to see the Queen twisting a plain golden ring around her finger.
She replied, "So did we all."
........................
Author's Note:
How are you all? I hope you're staying safe in these times. Sending all my love your way. Thank you for reading another chapter of my fanfic! This is the second last chapter so there is only one more installment of Forest of Fireflies!
...but there's a sequel, and I will upload the first chapter on the day that I upload the ending to this story.
Thank you so so much for supporting my work. What did you think of the little chat between Regina and the three spinsters? Please leave any comments down below and give this chapter a vote! :)