Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/3837724.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Fandom:
      Once_Upon_a_Time_(TV)
  Relationship:
      Queen_of_Hearts_|_Cora/Widow_Lucas_|_Granny, King_Leopold/Evil_Queen_|
      Regina_Mills
  Character:
      Evil_Queen_|_Regina_Mills, Widow_Lucas_|_Granny
  Stats:
      Published: 2015-04-28 Words: 2485
****** Granny's Lament ******
by jd4941
Summary
     AU in FTL.
     Just some ruminations on Granny's and Regina's relationship. A quick
     one shot. This is an accompaniment to all of my stories. Most
     especially My Tourniquet and Love Makes a Family. Don't have to read
     them but it wouldn't hurt. This is how I feel about how things went
     down between the two of them. Trigger Warnings: Rape, abuse, violence
Notes
     I do not own OUaT nor any of its characters.
“They’re here! They’re here!” Snow yelled as she and Ruby stared out the
window. She looked over to Granny who was sitting with Johanna, her wet nurse,
“My new mother’s here.”
Granny and Johanna smiled at one another. The child had been so upset after
losing her mother. So Granny had thought having Ruby around would be a great
distraction for her. And the fact that she got to be around her granddaughter
was also a bonus.
Then, tragedy almost took the child away from them. Her horse had runaway and
Snow could’ve easily been thrown or crushed by the beast. She had insisted on
going riding because she loved animals so. Ruby was a different story. Animals
didn’t seem to like her at all. So she had stayed and Snow had ridden alone.
Then, this new angel that Snow couldn’t stop talking about had arrived and
rescued the young Princess. After Snow’s gushing over the new woman the King
had had her brought to him. Granny was shocked to see she was a young beautiful
girl.
The entire kingdom had been surprised when King Leopold had dropped to one knee
and asked for her hand in marriage. The girl had stood in shock while her
Mother reached out and grabbed the ring and put it onto her daughter’s finger.
Granny instantly got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Preparations had instantly been made. The wedding was to commence tomorrow. The
entire kingdom plus many important people from neighboring kingdoms were all
invited. And so the new Queen and her family were moving into the castle.
Everyone lined up and went outside to await the arrival of their new Queen
Consort.
They bowed and made introductions. When the family stopped in front of Granny,
she did a customary bow while taking a look at the girl in front of her. She
had expected her to be young even though the King himself was quite old. Why,
he was even older than Granny herself. But, she gasped to find that his bride-
to-be was merely a child. The child had given her a shy smile before she
continued the processional.
Then Granny looked up into the dead eyes of the child’s Mother. Although she
had a smile plastered to her face, it didn’t go farther than her lips. And
while holding her hand, Granny felt a chill run through her even on this hot
summer day.
Granny smiled and brought the family up to their living quarters. She showed
them all their rooms while Snow bounced around everyone intent on having all of
Regina’s attention on herself. Granny gave Johanna a look and she thankfully
took the hint and diverted the child’s attention to something away from the
family.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
That night had been the quietest night of Granny’s life since working in the
castle. Since she was Regina’s personal handmaid it was her duty to keep her
mistress happy. But, it seemed there was no happiness to be found for her. She
wasn’t hungry and yet couldn’t sleep. Finally, Granny settled for just telling
her stories that she knew the child wasn’t listening to as the two of the
stared into the fire in her room.
Granny tried not to think of how the child looked like she wanted to leap
outside the window and instead focused on the ceremony tomorrow. Hopefully,
things would be better in the morning.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
“Please Mother,” the child cried. “I’ll do anything you want. I promise you
I’ll be good. Just please don’t make me do this.” The child stood shaking in
her wedding gown.
The horror of the situation wasn’t lost on Granny. A child in a wedding gown.
It was shameful. And since knowing Regina she had been made acutely aware that
though she was extremely beautiful and anyone could see why men would be
interested in her, the girl was still nothing but a child. A mere slip of a
girl whose beauty was her sin.
Cora had dismissed the other staff but Granny had remained steadfast by
Regina’s side. Granny looked over at her and watched her just eye her daughter
up and down with a detached stare as she straightened her gown here and there.
“Mother – “ the child tried again.
Her Mother rose from her ministrations, drew back her hand and slapped her so
hard she wobbled on her feet. Granny’s head reared back and she worried her
hands in the corner. She looked over at Henry, Regina’s father and he was doing
the same.
Cora stared at her daughter coldly, “You will do this. And you will not
embarrass me any further with your incessant whining. I worked my entire life
to get you to this place. And you will go through with it you ungrateful brat.”
Regina held her cool hand over where her Mother had slapped her. “Yes, Mother,”
she whimpered.
Her mother drew back her other hand and slapped Regina once again on the other
side. “Now you match,” Cora stormed out the room to see to getting herself
ready for the royal occasion.
As they began to hear music playing Regina gave it one last try. She ran over
to her Father and put her arms on his shoulders. “Father, Father, please I beg
you.”
Her father just patted her back and pulled away, “It will be over soon honey.
And then your Mother will be happy. It won’t be so bad. You get to be Queen.”
“I DON’T WANT TO BE QUEEN!   I wanted Daniel and she took him from me. I want
to be married and I want Mother to be happy. But Father please not like this!”
Regina’s voice was becoming desperate as she heard people coming towards her
room.
The door was opened and a guard poked his head in. “It’s time.”
Cora came into sight in the doorway and Regina stood with her head lowered. She
stiffened her back and her father took her arm in his.
As they passed her Mother, Granny saw her reach out and put her nails into
Regina’s back. Regina whimpered and held her head up with her back straight.
She walked down the aisle resigned to her fate.
As they stood watching Ruby turned to her and asked, “Why is no one helping
her? She doesn’t want to be here.”
“Shhh,” Granny quieted her. “It’s an honor to marry a King,” as she said it she
noted the way Regina trembled and the pallor on her face. Since Granny had been
looking out for her she had noted that she didn’t seem to eat nor sleep well.
It wasn’t for the first time that she saw that being a royal wasn’t all
princesses in dresses and elaborate balls.
RQQRQRQRQRQRQ
Regina had gotten through the ceremony without embarrassing herself. Then, she
had sat next to the King ignoring his eyes trailing over her body as they sat
at the reception hall. A few of the more drunken and crass royals made jokes
about how much fun the King was going to have tonight and hoped she’d gotten
enough sleep because she wouldn’t be getting anymore if they had been lucky
enough to marry her.
The King laughed at their jokes. Regina kept her head down and everyone
believed it was modesty. It wasn’t. It was to stop herself from puking.
After the reception, the King ordered Granny and the other handmaids to get
Regina ready for his bedchambers. In his previous marriage, he had shared a bed
with his Queen. In this one, the Queen was to come to him at night while still
maintaining her own separate quarters next to Snow’s so that she could be
available to her.
Granny watched as Regina’s face drained of color. It struck her again at how
young she was. She looked at Red. The two girls weren’t far apart in age at
all. She thanked the heavens it wasn’t her granddaughter who had caught the
King’s eye.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
After getting Regina bathed and into a nightgown and a robe that had been made
especially for this night, Granny was putting the finishing touches on her when
her Mother came into the room.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Regina had been crying since entering the room. Again the shaking and tears
were on the verge of hysteria. But once Cora walked into the room, she quieted.
Cora sent Granny to wait outside. Regina looked at her with such pain in her
eyes that Granny had to conjure up every bit of strength she had not to take
the child and run. She waited outside the door.
Ruby stood outside in the hallway looking over at her Granny. Granny assured
her everything was fine and shooed her away. She had already given Ruby some
earplugs and made her wear them. She knew her granddaughter had a special
condition that made her highly sensitive to smells, light, dark, and sounds.
She also knew she didn’t want to scar her for life of what she knew was about
to come.
Granny heard crying and begging from the child. Then, her mother answering her
in a cold voice. Then there was silence. Followed by the sound of something
hitting skin followed by cries of pain. 1, 2, 3 – it went on and on until
Granny stopped bothering to count. After a few minutes, the door opened and
Cora strode out with her daughter following stiffly behind her.
Cora and Granny walked the child to the King’s quarters. Cora stood outside the
door while Granny and Regina stood inside of it. Regina looked over at her
Mother as if she was still sure that she would be saved.
The King strode in with a glass of wine in his hand. He downed it and stared at
the young girl in such a way that Granny lowered her eyes in shame. “Take those
clothes off of her and leave.”
Granny began to take the robe off of Regina. She felt the child trembling and
saw the tears starting up once again. She rubbed her hand along her arm trying
to impart as much comfort into her as she could.
Granny walked into the hallway with Cora. The two of them stood there while
they listened to sounds that leaked from the door. They heard Regina scream,
beg, and cry. They heard the King laugh and moan and grunt.
Finally, Regina came out of the room. Her hair and clothes were a mess. Granny
looked over at Cora and saw her smile. Granny’s blood ran cold.
Regina was clutching her arms around her middle. She was bent over and as they
walked back towards her rooms Granny saw drips of blood falling.
Granny ordered water to be brought up for the Queen to have a bath. She sat the
child in a chair before she fell over. Her eyes were blank and her face was
etched in pain and her crying had once again returned to the verge of hysteria.
Cora beamed and smiled down at the child. Granny wished she would go. Hadn’t
she made her child suffer enough without standing and gloating above her?
After her bath was drawn, Cora finally left. Granny helped Regina into the
bath. At first Regina sat there crying while Granny washed her. Then, she
grabbed the soap and scrubber away from Granny and began to dig it frantically
into her flesh. She scrubbed until she was raw.
Granny got her out of the bath and into a clean nightgown. She put the child
into bed. Her tears never stopped flowing.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The following nights all began and ended the same. Regina being literally sick
to her stomach before being marched to the King’s bed. And afterward, the child
would be nothing more than a walking corpse.
Granny looked her over. She had lost so much weight and had shrunken inside
herself.
Unfortunately for her, the King’s appetites had also increased over time. It
wasn’t just the nights Regina was called for to service him. Sometimes it was
multiple times a day. Granny ordered a second bathtub be placed near the first.
That way Regina could wash in one and then soak in the other.
The only good thing to come out of all of this was that wretched horror of a
Mother of hers was no longer around. Granny hated to see the way that even as
her daughter was now officially a Queen it was her Mother who pulled her
strings. Hers and everyone else’s around her. Granny could see straight through
her though to the black heart she had to have inside.
Unfortunately, that didn’t stop Princess Snow from wanting her to be her
mother/playmate. Granny tried to run interference as much as possible but the
child just wouldn’t quit. She would insist on being in Regina’s company when it
was completely obvious that Regina wanted nothing but the opposite.
One day Granny overheard Snow complaining to her Father of not having enough
time with Regina because she was always in the stables. And when she tried
riding with her Regina went too fast and she couldn’t keep up. Granny’s blood
ran cold knowing that Regina was going to pay a price for Snow’s obliviousness.
The next morning, Granny watched near the stables as the King waited for Regina
to return from her ride. He grabbed her as she came down off the horse and
ordered her horse to be tied down. He slit the horse’s neck while he held onto
a handful of Regina’s hair forcing her to watch. The horse cried out as Regina
let out a scream. The King forced her into the stables and all you heard was
his grunting and the rhythmic staccato of something beating against the walls.
Afterward the King came out and strolled back into the castle. Regina walked
out barely able to stand upright but still clutching at her skirts. She pleaded
with the Guards to help him but they had gotten orders from the King not to.
Granny held onto Regina as she held onto her horse. After the horse took his
final wheezing wetly gasping breath, Regina had to be torn away from him.
Granny walked her back into the castle and put her to bed with a compress.
“I’m going to kill them,” Regina growled under her breath before falling into a
deep sleep.
Granny watched her with her hands clenched worrying at one another. She sent up
a prayer for someone to please watch over this child.
Regina changed after that day. Everyday she became more and more like Cora.
Granny tried talking to her. Reminding Regina of who she was and that she had
people who loved her.
She dismissed Granny from her employ shortly thereafter. Granny left with Red
and tears in her eyes.
She knew there was no going back for either of them.
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