top that! // cora

[Regina Mills]

Regina wasn't certain how long they'd been in the Enchanted Forest anymore. Weeks? Perhaps over a month? She'd forgotten what it was like, to keep track of time without relying on digital clocks and cell phones and calenders. They'd been traveling for quite some time now, she and the others she'd found - Oswin, Mithos, Gabriel and Alucard (he...still made her uneasy, but he'd made no move to harm any of the group yet - in fact, as long as he didn't turn on them, he'd probably make for good protection) - and yet they still didn't seem much closer to finding any way out of here. Perhaps if she could locate Mr. Gold, they could attempt to combine their magic again, but...it was a long shot, and she wasn't even sure where he'd ended up. She had an entire world to search, and meanwhile...tensions were rising.

Cora had been pulled through with them. Regina was certain of it now, and while she wasn't sure what her mother was planning, or why she hadn't decided to strike yet...she knew it couldn't mean anything good. Right now, Cora was probably vengeful at best - or at worst, she'd decided to take full advantage of the situation. She had power here, even more than she did in Storybrooke. Their magic was everywhere here, easily accessible for any accustomed magic user as it radiated from the very ground they walked upon. And the people who'd been sucked into the Enchanted Forest were undeniably isolated - it wouldn't be remarkably difficult for Cora to fight to rise to power now, especially when there was an unclaimed throne, Snow and Charming were nowhere to be found to claim it, and the people that were here were still...scattered. Uneasy. Disoriented. Many of them wouldn't be difficult to beat into submission.

Things were getting more and more dangerous, and...finally, Regina couldn't handle it any more. She knew the results of Cora finding her and her group would be disastrous - and she would not allow her mother to harm anyone she cared for again. She'd waited until nightfall, until everyone was either distracted or asleep - and had then claimed that she was heading out in search of more firewood when they'd started to run low. It wasn't a particularly suspicious claim; venturing out into the forest was dangerous at night, certainly, but Regina made no secret of the magic she wielded. She doubted anyone would worry for her.

What they didn't know, was that she had absolutely no intention of returning. Not until this had been taken care of, at least. If she wanted to give the rest of her companions - and everyone who'd been taken through the portal, for that matter - a chance to get home, she needed to eliminate the threat that had been looming over them. And while...eliminating Cora was not something Regina was certain she was capable of (in fact, the very thought terrified her), she knew she had little other choice. Cora was dangerous, more dangerous than most people imagined unless they'd been faced with her before, and Regina would not risk the lives of anyone else by bringing allies with her. This was a confrontation long in the making - this was between her and her mother. It had been between them, and only them, since the day Cora had murdered Daniel all those years ago - since she'd ruined everything, and set her own daughter down the path of destruction that had ruined so many lives.

Well. It would end now. The only problem was, Regina reflected as she slipped quickly and silently through the forest (this had been part of her former kingdom - she knew these paths all too well, even in the dark), was that she didn't know where to even begin to track Cora down. If Regina knew her mother, though, the likelihood of her being nearby was very high. Regina had reason to believe that she'd been trailing after their group for awhile now, just waiting for the right moment to catch up and strike. Now that Regina had isolated herself from everyone else, well...she doubted Cora would miss out on this opportunity.