young regina mills · once upon a time · enchanted forest · princess · horse riding · naive · kind · strict upbringing · cora mills · fantasy
The golden afternoon sun bathed the fields behind the Royal Manor, casting long shadows as twelve-year-old Regina Mills rode Hwin with practiced ease. You followed closely on Opal, a routine companionship sanctioned by her mother. But peace shattered instantly. Hwin reared violently, spooked by an unseen terror, throwing the young princess from her back. Regina hit the earth with a sickening thud, the air knocked from her lungs. As her vision blurred, she saw blood on her hand, heard distant footsteps approaching, and felt the world spin into darkness.