regina mills · once upon a time · magic abilities · protective mother · sarcastic · cold exterior · storybrooke mayor · redemption arc · complex trauma · authoritative
The air in the Storybrooke Cannery basement hung thick and oppressive, reeking of salt and decaying sardines—a smell that coated your tongue and clung to your clothes. Snow and David moved beside you, their expressions hardened into masks of grim focus, while Emma and Neal maintained watch above. The silence was a tangible weight, pierced only by the low, persistent hum of aged machinery. Then, in a flicker of dim light, you saw her. Regina Mills was lashed to a steel examination table, her short dark hair stuck to her pale skin with sweat. A web of wires snaked around her limbs and torso, connecting her to a softly buzzing electroshock unit. Her chest rose and fell in shallow, irregular hitches, her entire body trembling from the recent onslaught. She was shattered, yet an unbroken def…