Chapter 15

Regina

I 've never felt more trapped in my life. I feel like I'm going out of my damn mind. It's been two weeks. Two fucking weeks and I have no idea if Snow is okay. No idea if she made it out of the forest.

The thought of her hurt, or worse, makes me physically sick. I've only managed to get off the palace grounds once since she left. I went back to see Mrs. Bark and filled her in on what happened. She said that Snow never came to see her and was unsure where she would go.

Hearing that and having to leave to go back to the palace was hard. But I knew if I didn't get back and the king noticed me gone, it would create more problems.

There are too many eyes on me now. After Snow escaped through the tunnel, I did the only thing I could think of. Kill the man who saw her leave. He couldn't alert the king if he was dead.

Taking a life isn't easy, it isn't something I thought I'd ever do. But in that moment, the only thing that mattered was Snow. Snow needed to leave. She needed to run.

Because if that man got his hands on her, her father would have locked her up until he executes his plan. All eyes would have been on her, and there would have been no way to get her free and far away from this place. That was our one and only opening, and we took it.

Of course, hiding a dead body wasn't something I'd have been able to do on my own. So I had to think fast. To give the king a reason why I killed one of his men. I lied and told the king that the guard tried to force himself on me.

It made me feel dirty; that's not something I'd just accuse someone of doing. But it worked; the king was pissed that one of his men dared to try to touch what was his.

I'm not his; I'll never be his. But I went along with it. I said what I had to say to save not only my own ass but Snow's.

It also helped keep the king's mind off Snow. He hasn't asked about her once, too busy making sure his other guards keep their hands off me.

I'd do it all again. For Snow, I think I'd do just about anything to keep her safe. That's why I've been going crazy with worry since she left.

Doesn't help that the maids have been following me around, by the king's orders to keep an eye on me. He says it's for my safety, but I don't think he actually cares.

Too many eyes, too much attention. Thankfully, everyone seems to be busy today, getting ready for some charity ball that's happening later tonight.

I'm honestly surprised he hasn't asked about Snow. Something like this would be a requirement to attend. Have the maids not noticed? They must have. The princess might not be someone who likes to make her presence known, but she's not someone who could just disappear within her own home and be forgotten about. She's a princess, she's always on someone's radar.

Something has to be going on. And that has me worried. Did he find her and kill her already? Is that why he hasn't bothered asking anyone about her, because she's no longer an issue for him?

The thought makes a wave of nausea hit me hard.

I'm sitting on the bench in front of my bedroom window, looking out at the forest with Snow on my mind.

"Fuck it." I get to my feet. Grabbing a bag I have hidden under my bed, I head for the door to see if the coast is clear. With everyone busy getting ready for the party tonight, this is my only chance to get back into town and hopefully find out some news on Snow.

The hall is empty, so I slip out of my room and carefully make my way to the part of the castle where the hidden door to the tunnels is, making sure no one is following this time.

Once I'm in, I click on my flashlight and start heading down the narrow tunnel. Everything is fine until I get to the part where the path breaks off. "Shit," I hiss. Which way do I go? Apart from the time I went into the village to see Mrs. Bark to see if she had any idea where Snow might be and it was by sheer luck I took the right path in and out of here. I've only been in here one other time, the first time with Snow.

I should have paid more attention to directions, but it was kind of hard when all I could think about was the gorgeous girl in front of me who smelled amazing. Snow tends to have this way of making everything else disappear when she's around you.

Unsure what way to take, I pick one and go left, praying it's the right one. If not, I'll just turn around.

I follow the path, but it's not long until I realize that this isn't the right way. I don't remember there being another break-off in the path. The one that leads to the woods is a straight shot. But as I stop, I find four different directions I could go. Not wanting to end up getting lost down here, I turn around, ready to leave.

Then I hear voices. Pausing, I try to listen. My spine stiffens when I recognize the king's voice.

I should turn around and leave, do what I'm supposed to be doing. Every second that passes is time lost.

But there's something inside me that screams that I need to go; I need to follow this voice.

So, I do. I take the path to my immediate left and head down it. It's smaller, not going very far off the path. At first, I think it's a dead end. Lifting the flashlight up, I search every inch of the space, but I don't see anything that could open a door like the lever to the entrance down here.

"There has to be a way," I murmur to myself. Would they have wasted time making a path only for it to be a dead end?

My hand grazes over the cold stone before I give it a little push.

The wall moves a little bit, a small crack of light spilling into the dark space. I pull my hand back, not wanting to push it open too much with no way to close it.

Squinting, I try to peek through the crack. I can't see anything, really, but I can hear the voices a lot louder now.

"I can't believe it's done," the king chuckles. "Now, no one will be able to get in my way. This kingdom is mine. I am the rightful ruler. Her mother was a fool to think she could rule. She was just a girl. A silly little girl who knew nothing. Just like her mother. Both of them, stupid women."

"I agree, your highness," a voice I recognize as Max, the man who I saw with the king in the magic mirror. "But now, she is no longer a threat. You are free with no worries that she will come for your throne."

My eyes widen. What does he mean? No. No, he can't be saying what I think he's saying.

"Are you sure she's gone? You've dealt with her body."

"I've seen to it myself, sir. I can assure you my plan has worked. The princess is gone. She will not be an issue any longer."

"Good." The king nods.

"What will you tell the people when they ask where she's gone?"

"I'll tell them she's traveling the world. She's young, and life is short. She's enjoying herself before she marries and settles down. They all know she likes nature. It wouldn't be hard to believe."

"And when she never comes back?" Max asks.

I can hear the sinister tone in his voice and can imagine the cruel grin on his face at his next words. "Accidents happen all the time when a young one travels." He chuckles. "Even princesses aren't an exception."

I don't realize there are tears spilling down my cheeks until I try to take a breath but find myself unable to.

No. She can't be dead. I refuse to believe it.

Slowly, I step back before spinning around and taking off down the path. I keep going, running until I get back to the first break. Instead of taking the way that leads to the woods, I head back towards the palace.

Once I'm back inside, I keep going all the way to the stairwell that leads up to the room with the magic mirror.

Until I see her with my own eyes, no longer breathing, no longer with us, my mind won't accept she's gone. Not my Snow, not my sweet, kind-hearted princess.

Ignoring the pain in my chest, I take the stairs two at a time, numb to everything around me. I bust into the room and stumble my way over to the mirror.

My eyes flick over it, trying to find out how to get the damn thing to work. "Hello!" I scream at it, tears blurring my eyes. "Turn on," I plead. "Tell me where she is. Please," I sob. "Work, damn it, work!" I run my hand along it before giving it a few bangs. "Turn on. Please, tell me where she is." Closing my eyes, I press my forehead to the mirror. "Please. Tell me where the princess is. I need her. I need Snow. She can't be gone. She just can't!" I scream as droplets roll off my cheeks, landing on the glass.

I gasp as it starts to glow. Taking a step back, I see it swirl white. A second later, an image appears.

"Snow?" my voice is a broken sob. I reach out, running my fingers over her face. "My sweet Snow."

The image zooms out, and panic fills me when I see she's not alone. Six massive beasts stand around the bed she's lying in.

"It's okay, princess," the white one says, running a massive hand over her head to smooth her hair back. "We're going to fix this. We're going to find a way to save you."

"If Dallas couldn't find out what poison it was, then how the fuck do we get her to wake up?" the black one growls.

Wake up? So, she's not dead. If she's not dead, then... she must be sleeping.

"She can't sleep forever, can she?" the white one asks.

Sleep. So she is sleeping. She's not dead.

I let out a sob of relief before laughing hysterically in shock. The king, the stupid king, will pay for this. I will have his fucking head myself if it comes to it.

But right now, I need to find Snow.

"Where is she?" I ask the mirror. "Show me where she is."

Then Snow and the beasts disappear for a second before the mirror shows me a cottage nestled somewhere in the woods.

"That doesn't fucking help me," I snarl.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, I take off again. This time, I take the path that leads to the village. I don't stop running, not even when my lungs beg me to, my heart ready to explode. Not until I'm bursting into Mrs. Bark's pub, chest heaving, eyes wild.

I probably look like a mad woman and by the shocked looks I'm getting from the people around me, I'd say it's confirmed.

"What on earth?" Mrs. Bark hisses, making her way around the bar. "Come with me." She grabs my arm and pulls me through a door that leads into the bakery attached. She closes the door and swings concerned eyes my way. "What's wrong? Why did you bust into here like a bat out of hell?"

I grab her shoulders. "It's Snow," I pant. "She's in danger."

Her eyes widened in fear. "No," she whispers.

"Don't ask me how I know, but I saw her in a cottage with these big hairy beasts."

"Lycan monsters," she says.

"What?" My brows furrow.

"She's with the lycan monsters."

"So you know where she is?"

"Yes." Mrs. Bark nods. "She's been staying with a pack of lycans in the woods. They've been keeping her safe and protected. She came to see me just the day after you did."

"Not very well," I snarl. "Because the king just tried to kill her."

"What!" she shouts. "How!?"

"I don't know exactly. Look, it's hard to explain. I saw it in a magic mirror."

"Magic mirror?"

I shake my head. "Doesn't matter. I don't have time for this. Can you tell me how to get to this cottage?"

Mrs. Bark is hardly done giving me directions before I'm running out of the bakery and taking off down the street.

With only one thought in my mind, getting to Snow, I take off through the forest. Every second feels like an hour, and I think for a moment that I might have remembered the directions wrong and went the wrong way. But then I see it in the distance, a cottage.

It gives me the extra burst of energy I need to get me to her faster.

My fist pounds furiously on the wooden door. "Open up!" I shout. "Open this fucking door."

The door flies open, and my fist is met with a hard, furry chest.

"Who the fuck are you?" It's the black beast from the mirror. Not beast, monster. Lycan? Whatever the fuck he is. He looks like a walking, talking wolf if you ask me.

"Your worst nightmare if you don't let me see her," I snarl right back, eyes blazing with fury. I don't care who he is, what he is, just that he's standing between me and my princess.

"Regina?" someone asks behind him.

I freeze. How do they know my name?

"How the fuck do you know my name?" I ask warily.

"Gabe, move out of the girl's way. Let her in."

Gabe, the big grumpy fucker huffs harshly through his nose but takes a step back, letting me in.

When I step in, I'm met with the other five. "Well, you're a lot of big fuckers, aren't you?" I mutter.

"I like her," a grey one, a different one from the one in the mirror, says. "Snow was right about her."

"Snow." My eyes widen. "Where is she?"

"This way," the tall grey wolf says from behind them. He's the one from the mirror.

I don't care if I'm being rude as I storm through their house and follow him down the hall to a bedroom. There she lies in the bed, the white wolf standing next to her.

"Snow!" my voice comes out broken as I rush over to her. I climb up and cup her sleeping face between my hands. "Oh, baby," I sob. "I'm so sorry. I tried. I tried so hard to help protect you. I should have come with you. I should have done more." Tears are spilling down my cheeks now. I don't care how I look in front of these men, how much of a mess I must be right now. "Wake up, Snow. Please. There's so much I should have told you, so much I want to. Please, baby, wake up."

Leaning forward, I press my lips to her forehead, putting all my feelings for her into that kiss.

"Regina?" a soft, sleepy voice sounds below me, and I pull back with a gasp because clearly I'm hearing things, right? "What's going on?"