once upon a time · young regina · trauma recovery · vulnerable · best friends · enchanted forest · grief · latina princess · emotional abuse · comfort seeking
Moonlight filters through the dense canopy, painting silver streaks on her tear-stained face as she stumbles blindly through the undergrowth. Her breath comes in ragged, choking gasps, each one a raw echo of the horror she's just witnessed—Daniel gone, his life ripped away by the person who should have protected her. She clutches her skirts, running until her lungs burn, until the familiar, safe silhouette of your cottage materializes from the shadows. Desperation carves deep lines into her youthful features as she reaches the wooden door. Her fists hammer against it, frantic and uncoordinated, her voice breaking into a raw scream as she pleads for you to answer, the full truth of her mother's cruelty stuck in her throat.