[u](Collaboration between Major Ursa's Night, Huntress' Belle, and YoshiSkittlez's Regina and Red)[/u]

The light of day shone down upon him, and though it served to remind him of why Night was glad protection was as easy as conjuring a set of gnarly armour, it still couldn’t do anything to remove the shroud of darkness swirling and pulsing in the large area around him. At least, there were no people or animals in the general area (from lack of bird call, he knew this to be true), in case the cursed woman transformed again. Thinking about the beast that had caused such harm to a strong werewolf, he didn’t want to dwell on such an issue for too long, seeing as much of this business really didn’t/shouldn’t involve him. And so, he took some time to scrutinize a portion of his own armour...

The articulations of the gauntlets were unnatural in comparison to actual human forged metal gnarled armour, which ground noisily with each moment. They moved as deftly as his own bare hands and, like earlier indicated, having tried human armour in the past, he knew they were much much better than real gauntlets. Still, he couldn’t help but both take some time to examine the shadow gnarled armour, and appreciate it for its protection.

Regina made no hesitation in her step as she neared the barn, able to spot the man in black a ways away. At first she was tempted to scream and shout at the man, to make him return to his post back by her carriage on the road; but as she got closer she realized that he wasn't one of her men. Was there someone else out there having their men dressing the same as hers? This question put a frown on Regina's face and felt her blood beginning to boil. Everyone knew that Regina was the main threat in the Enchanted Forest...well, aside from her mentor Rumpelstiltskin, but he didn't have 'men' at his beckoning call.

Shifting the weight of the basket of apples on her hip, Regina continued forward until she was at a comfortable speaking distance between herself and the shade, and smiled a warm greeting.

"Good morning! I hear that I might find Miss Belle here, is that correct? The woman in the red cloak told me as such."

Regina wanted to vomit. She absolutely detested the sweet, innocent voice that came out of her throat. The quicker she got this over with, the better. She figured that by adding on the woman in the red cloak would grant her some sort of unspoken trust, since she had indeed seen her coming from this direction. If she was wrong...well...she always had her magic to rely on, and was really looking forward to it.

Night didn’t respond immediately, instead taking a moment to examine a particular joint of his shadow armour before lifting his head, tilting it ‘curiously’ at this person before him. A normal enough peasant woman…this was worrying. Did she not see his aura of darkness, which licked the areas around him in angry, pulsing tendrils. A thief? Abusive mother? Practitioner of dark arts?! Internally, he was practically banging his head against the wall for his crazy paranoid ideas and delusions. For all Night knew, this could be another werewolf, or a cursed individual…but such things were few and far between, and yet, just as few as some of his crazier ideas.

Leaning back against the barn, his armour articulating soundlessly with his movements and postures, he crossed his arms over his chest and queried stiffly, “What do they call you, and what is your business here…” Trailing off, he took note of the basket of apples she brought with her…huh, apples. Somehow, they seemed odd, apples and the odd tone of voice she used. 

"Oh! Where are my manners? I deeply apologize sir! You may call me Cora if you would like. All with what happened last night I can't blame you for being on edge."

Why the first female name Regina could think of to go by belonged to her mother she would never know, but she didn't even so much as hesitate as the words came out of her mouth. Lying, deceiving and outright catching someone off-guard; well, she had been well learned in that department for years now.

“If you’ve brought provisions, you can leave them with me…I can bring them to the lady when she wants them.” Assuming, all she had to offer were apples. A tailor...wouldn’t be crazy, but he was highly doubtful that Red would bring a doctor, if she herself needed one much, much more.

It was then that he regretted not following Red. Two choices, stay with the cursed woman, or help Red along…which would bring him to directly mingle with the other villagers. At the time, Night wanted to avoid the other, and he was sure Red was strong. But, seeing all the other women with lesser to no injury, and she seemed in a much more dire situation. Shifting uncomfortably on his feet, and thinking of his wolfish companion more than he admittedly should, Night spoke down quietly to the woman, “…you have seen the red cloak. Tell me, was she…still holding her left side painfully? Was she having a hard time limping around…?”

"Oh yes! Such a poor girl, a shame really. I passed her by along the way and pointed her in the direction of a healer. I've seen worse though, much worse. She'll be fine provided she gets enough rest." Regina internally grit her teeth, this man's questions were trying her patience, but she continued on. "She told me I could find Belle here; you see, I'm related to her late husband and have been worried sick about her ever since the wedding. If you please, sir, I would like to speak with her...I only wish to help."

Hmmm…he had ‘carefully’ worded that. ‘Passed along’? Pointed her in the right direction? Unlikely. Night may not have been the closest to the werewolf, but he knew that for such a jarring injury, it should have been easy for any mortal to remember that Red’s injury was holding onto her right side. As well, how would a relative of Belle just happen to know to contact Red, when the two women happened to only get better acquainted just yesterday?

Wait, no, the two of them could have discussed this inside, once he had left. Who to find, what to ask for…internally, he scolded himself for not staying inside when they were having their discussions. Then part of him was telling him that this was paranoid as hell, and the rest reminded him that he shouldn’t even care. What did this matter to him? Deciding that she had just been mistaken, for now, he proceeded. Well, there was only one thing to do at present…

The armoured shade turned and opened the door ever so slightly, looking over his shoulder at the peasant woman; he spoke loud enough for Belle to hear from inside the barn, “As the woman’s relative, it will be up to her whether she will see you. She has…been afflicted by something rather unknown to any of us, and it will be up to her whether she shall risk triggering this affliction and potentially harming you.” The aura of darkness pulsed and swirled gently around him, like black, inky smoke in the air...as he waited for a response from either women present.

"You mean the curse?" Regina said knowingly, though this wasn't by accident. "Oh I know all about that dear; in fact, that's why I'm here; well, partially."

Regina moved past the shade and into the barn where she spotted Belle in the corner and greeted her with a warm smile.

"And at last we meet!" Regina adjusted the basket of apples on her hip and proceeded forward towards the woman covered in the red cloak to hide her nakedness.

Hearing the man’s voice, Belle grew curious as she had caught parts of the conversation but not truly paying much attention. When the woman stepped in Belle looked up. She seemed excited but it felt like there was much more to the woman. Her gut told her to be cautious. Belle chose to ignore the warning. She remained sitting in the same position, her body covered by Red’s cloak.

“Do I know you?” She asked eyebrow slightly rose in question.

"We haven't met officially, no, but I know you." Regina replied with a warm tone to her voice and squatted down in front of Belle, taking an apple from her basket and offering it to her. 

"Gaston has told me much about you, Belle. What a treat it is to have someone as kind and beautiful as yourself in our family! I sincerely send my condolences for my nephew. A day hasn't gone by since your wedding that I haven't thought of him..." Regina feigned a small sniffle, using her deep amount of willpower to keep herself from busting out into laughter.

"Now, I can't imagine that Gaston hasn't mentioned his dear Aunt Cora to you, however I wouldn't be too surprised. The two of you only had a short time together before the wedding from what I understand; that you had been held prisoner by that [i]monstrous[/i] beast, Rumpelstiltksin, and had only just escaped..."

The girl grew confused at the mention of Gaston’s name. Any family that had been important to Gaston, Belle knew about. She couldn’t recall any Aunt Cora’s. She clenched her jaw as she looked at the woman. The mention of Rumpelstiltskin hurt her. It hadn’t been that long but it felt like years. He wasn’t a monster, not to her. Others didn’t know him like she did. The memories started coming back, shaking her head the brunette tried to push the memories back. Blinking a few times she soon met the eyes opposite her. “I’m sorry, is there a reason you’re here? How did you find me?” She asked, that feeling in the pit of her stomach slowly returned, something warned her not to trust this woman. 

Belle wasn’t one to judge so early on but something about this woman was starting to seem odd, even without her instinct telling her so.

Regina could sense the hesitation, and this caused her to begin to worry. Perhaps this...Belle deserved more credit that she had initially given her credit for, but Regina knew that once she gained Belle's trust, it would be smooth sailing from then on.

"I came here for the wedding, you see." Regina began, formulating a plausible lie in her head as she went, making sure to take into account everything she had learned from the villagers here and even Rumpelstiltskin himself during her brief visits to the Dark Castle to learn as much about Belle's situation as she could. 

"I was to take you and Gaston to your Honeymoon in my carriage after the wedding, but in light of what had...happened..." She paused for a moment; a moment that could easily be passed off as 'Cora' taking a moment of silence for her departed nephew. However Regina's motive was far more sinister than that. She [i]wanted[/i] the memories of what Belle had done to Gaston to come back, to eat away at her the same way Regina was sure it had already done a thousand or so times.

Regina took the extended apple that Belle hadn't moved to take and placed it back in the basket where she then just set the basket of apples down on the barn floor next to the brunette beauty.

"It seems that fate had something else in store for me Belle, I am here to help you."

Regina reached into the apron pocket she had adorned while taking on the false identity of a noblewoman and pulled out a golden hair pin in the shape of a rose. The gold in itself looked to be in immaculate condition, but even aside from that there was a faint, glittering glow that encompassed the hair pin entirely that made it look all the more dazzling.

"You were right to come and hide in here dear, the villagers...they don't understand what you have been put through, what has been done to you. Your own father; he's in shambles with what happened last night. I tried reasoning with him, but as far as he is concerned, the real Belle died in the forest; he just can't cope with...well, you know..." Regina paused again to let that sink in, even if it were an outright lie. 

"It took some doing, but after the incident at the wedding, I managed to come up with this..." Regina held out the hair pin for Belle to take and examine.

"I'm not the greatest with enchantments, but I did what I could..."

Belle clenched her jaw once more at the mention of Gaston’s name. She looked away briefly, his screams echoing in her ears. She tightly shut her eyes and let out a shaky breath. Belle listened but her expression showed how cautious she was. She watched the woman’s hands, seeing the hair pin Belle was intrigued, its shimmer somehow drawing her in. It was a gorgeous piece of jewellery and it continued to entrance her with its shimmer. Cora’s voice was what snapped Belle out of it.

Her father? He was safe? Alive? Belle smiled lightly at the news, her memory flashing back, reminding her of what had almost happened to Maurice. She looked up at the woman then to the hair pin once again. Swallowing hard she clenched her jaw slightly. Reaching out she took hold of the jewellery, it was very light. There was a shimmer followed by a bright glow. The magic from the hair piece seemed to flow from it and through Belle’s body. A few short moments after she felt relieved. As if a big weight had been torn off her back. She was happy. 

Belle’s amber eyes met Cora’s. “Is it gone? Did this take it away?” Belle asked. That’s what it felt like but she wanted to be sure. “Can I touch the roses again? Smell them?” Her voice was hopeful. If this had truly taken away her curse she would be forever grateful to this Cora, Gaston’s aunt.

"As long as you have that enchanted hair pin, my dear, you will be free of the curse. You can be yourself again!" Regina feigned a smile, pretending to be happy with the news in order to help Belle feel more comfortable, but that's all it was; a well-practiced, perfected fake smile.

"However..." Regina's smile fell. "I fear that it is no longer safe for you here Belle, at least for now. That is why I want you to return home with me; to the cottage Gaston had intended for the two of you to stay in for your Honeymoon."

She grew excited to hear the news. She didn’t have to stay away from the roses, she could be herself…the beast was gone! Belle never had an issue with keeping things safe, she wasn’t at all worried that she would lose the hair pin. It would practically always be in her hair. Slowly, although her hair was a mess she fixed it and put the hair pin on. It fit perfectly, meant for her. Her expression grew slightly worried. But as Cora’s word’s continued she wasn’t as worried. Belle didn’t really have anywhere to go, her father wouldn’t want her back after she almost killed him. What was there to lose? Nothing. She would be with someone who finally seemed to care, someone who was willing to help her, who had helped her. Taking a few moments Belle slowly nodded. “I’ll go with you Cora, I don’t have anything left here. But we cannot leave just yet. I have to wait for Red to return.”

Regina threw her arms around Belle lightly in a hug once she had agreed to go with her, a gesture that could easily be taken as happiness, relief even that Belle had agreed, and as Regina hugged Belle tightly, she couldn't help but to smile genuinely. She was going to get her revenge on Rumpelstiltskin; finally. However, the smile dropped immediately when Belle requested to wait for Red. She wanted to ask 'who the hell is red?' but stopped herself as she pulled away from Belle and looked at the red cloak she had been wearing. There was a slight boot shuffling sound behind her, reminding Regina that the man dressed in black armour was still there, thus making Regina remember the injured female she had passed on the way here.

Regina wanted to scoff. Friends, why were there always friends? She kept her composure though and nodded to Belle in understanding.

"Why don't we go and look for her? She was in pretty bad shape, I can't imagine she would have gone far..."

[i]And then I will have you alone at last![/i]

Regina got up from the floor and dusted off her dress, figuring she'd have her servants back home clean it even though she knew she'd never wear it again. She quickly glanced over to the man in black armour and then back to Belle.

"Your friend can stay here in case she comes back, that way we don't waste the afternoon on a wild goose chase." She offered.

Belle hugged the woman back with excitement. Watching her stand and dust herself off Belle shook her head. “I wouldn’t feel comfortable going out just yet. Red shouldn’t be long, be patient. She’ll return shortly.” Mentioning that she was wearing no clothes was something Belle was trying to avoid. Besides, she had to give Red her cloak back, she needed it.

Internally, Regina sighed; but she hadn't given up; not yet. Once more, she turned to the man in black and gave him a smile.

"Would you be so kind as to hunt our friend down for us? It [i]would[/i] be so nice for Belle to at least say goodbye before she leaves this place..."

The shade listened in quietly, till he was surprised with the woman addressing him this time. The peasant woman wanted him to find Red, but as he was not her keeper...he eyed the red cloak covering the cursed young woman, and it was clear that she intended to make a return.

"If you have business with the red cloak, it is your duty to close it. I can come with you, but you should most certainly be there." Shuffling uneasily on his feet, "I believe you should save your farewells for when you meet up, face to face."

As if on cue, the door to the barn slowly creaked open and Red came through the threshold, using her hand to grip the door frame tightly in an effort to keep from falling over. In her other hand was a rather large bundle of clean clothes, clenched tightly to keep any of the articles from falling. It took her a bit, but eventually Red managed to get inside of the barn and shut the door behind her, lest any intruders thought of following her inside, however one had already seemed to make herself at home already.

"Uhm..."

Regina and Red made eye contact, and though Red's remained confused and surprised, Regina's narrowed.

"You know what? I can't do this anymore. I've had it up to here with your pathetic little friends." Regina said almost immediately, dropping the sweet and warm tone in her voice to match her very own, however it wasn't until Regina ran her hand downwards that the spell keeping her identity concealed did she truly have her own voice back.

It was Red's turn for her eyes to narrow. The moment Regina's cloaking spell came off; she knew they were in danger.

"RUN! IT'S THE QUEEN!" Red shouted, in an effort to warn her friends.

The werewolf girl was screaming and the peasant woman turned into...another woman? He supposed this was what happened when he travelled out of country for such a length of time, not being able to identify certain key people. Still, his reaction was great, and though there were two women he could protect...it was automatic, jumping in front of the companion he spent more time with.

"...!" Materialising a blade out of swirling shadow and pointing it at the woman, his aura spiked before forming several reaching defensive tendrils, awaiting any offensive movements. "..."

Belle stumbled backwards in shock and confusion. The Queen?! What did she want from her? Why had she been so kind to her? The brunette heavily debated on removing the hair pin and tossing it aside. For all she knew the queen could’ve made her situation worse. Possibly even cursed the beauty again. She gripped the cloak tightly as she slowly got up, Making her way around the queen Belle grew scared. Something didn’t feel right but she ignored it, it was an eerie feeling, crawling across her skin. Moving closer to the other two she stepped in front of Red and behind the man. Red was injured and the knight would probably do a better job at protecting them.

Regina aptly tossed her head back and laughed, flashing her brilliant whites. One arm extended out towards Belle while the other extended towards Red and Night. The hand which was closest to Belle began to illuminate a few shades brighter, as if a light were inside her palm and trying to get out. With a slight jerk with her hand, Regina pushed out the magic that had been building up inside her, sending a small stream of light between her hand and Belle until the light hit Belle, and then encompassing Belle's entire body. 

Regina had her stuck in a statuesque pose, and no matter how much Belle tried, she was unable to move. Looking away from Belle after ensuring her magic hold on Belle had took; she glanced back over to Night and Red.

"Night...is it?" Regina asked after she had finished laughing, cocking her head to the side in curiosity as she looked the man over with genuine interest. Without even so much as waiting for a reply, Regina raised the hand that had been previously pointed towards the duo straight above her. Then, as if a crate of cannonballs had been dropped onto the roof, a hole blew out letting the bright fingers of the sun filter in, landing directly on Night and Red.

In an instant, the darkness of the barn was swapped with the endless light of day, straight from the bright blue sky. Not great, the quick change, while mildly harsh on the eyes for normal humans...greatly blinding, even with his helm hanging over his face. Letting out a hiss of discomfort, he turned his head ever so slightly away from where the light poured over.

"Oh don't look too surprised, I know who you are...what you're capable of..." Regina trailed off and smirked a knowing grin. Her eyes left Night for a moment to look past him at Red. The look on Red's face almost caused Regina to begin laughing once more, but she just smiled.

"You! You killed Snow! It was you! You took her from me!" Red screamed out at Regina, keeping the tears at bay the best she could, trying to push past Night in the process to have a go at Regina herself. This, of course, caused Regina to laugh once more.

"You stupid girl! I had as much to do with Snow White's death as I did your helpless little boyfriend's." Regina replied. "Snow [i]chose[/i] to die, a pathetic effort to keep me from terrorizing my people. Well...it is a bit difficult to make sure I held up my end of the deal now that she's dead..." An evil smirk crossed Regina's red lips, causing Red to try to push past Night once more as she let out a hiss of anger.

"Oh that’s right! Your pathetic little boyfriend didn't choose to die did he? No, [i]YOU[/i] convinced him to tie himself up to a tree so you could enjoy him as a midnight snack. What was his name again? Rupert? John?" Regina went on, enjoying watching the way that Red squirmed.

Blinking quite a number of times as his eyes adjusted slowly to the light, having never been great with it, he wasn’t sure about what he was hearing. In the current situation, though his eyes were adjusting and he couldn’t help but hear all this, he remained focused on the task at hand. Reaching out his free hand, he grabbed at where Red stood once she pushed passed him, trying for an arm. Somehow, his gnarled gauntlet found a wrist...and he pulled her to stand closer behind him.

No doubt, the Queen hadn’t moved. With his slightly faded tendrils of darkness surging forward and criss-crossing over where he remembered she stood, they solidified just as he took his blade and drove it forward.

Night had assumed correctly, Regina hadn't moved and watched with amusement as Red was pulled back like a dog on a leash to keep from getting harmed. Regina held out her hand, her palm facing outwards all the while keeping Belle as stiff as a board with her other hand. The shadowed sword stopped just inches from Regina's soft, unarmoured skin and her red lips split into a white grin.

"Oh, you [i]really[/i] shouldn't have done that. And here I was, going to be nice and let you and your pet wolf off the hook..." Regina deftly shook her head no and raised her hand, forcing the sword to fly straight up until the point embedded in one of the overhead rafters.

"It won't matter what happens to you next I suppose; in fact, none of you will even remotely remember this happening by the time I unleash my curse..." Regina said, almost as if just having a pleasant conversation with her.

"No matter...can't take any chances now can we?" Regina flicked her free wrist once more, and snapped her fingers. A cloud of purple smoke completely encased both Red and Night, and with the blink of an eye the smoke cleared, and they were gone.

"Now..." Regina turned her full attention to Belle and smiled once again, so glad to have things going her way once more.

"Rumpel really was a fool to drive you away; as if I'd pass up the chance to trap him like the rat he is." Regina ran two of her fingers through the ends of Belle's hair gently, as if she were made of glass, and gave Belle a thoughtful smile, knowing full well that Belle was unable to move, let alone speak.

"Come now, we have an Imp to destroy..." Regina wiggled one of the fingers on her hand that kept Belle in her control, forcing Belle's body to do her will and walked out of the barn with Regina. They didn't stop walking until Regina came upon her carriage and handful of men she had left behind on the outskirts of town, pleased to see that a small cage-like carriage had been hooked up to the two horses that hadn't been pulling Regina's carriage, no doubt stolen from the very village she had been in not moments ago.

Belle was quickly shoved inside the cage where the door was tightly shut and locked, only then did Regina let up on the curse keeping her body bound.

"Are you going to harm her?" The Huntsman asked, coming around to stand next to Regina as she looked into the cage at Belle as if she were some sort of exotic animal on display.

"I'm going to destroy Rumpel's heart. Unfortunately for him, Belle is where he keeps it..."