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My entire life, my mother used to tell me that love is weakness.
Then again, Cora was never one for sentimentality. The only emotion she considered useful was vengefulness. Why? Because she believed it to be one of the strongest sentiments a person could have, that it was able to ignite the true colours within someone.
Almost like a fire .
And I must admit, as twisted as my mother was, she had a point. However, she wasn’t a simple woman, I knew that firsthand. Every awful thing Cora did, she claimed, was for me, and there was a time where I truly believed that. I mean, had it not been for my mother, I wouldn’t have become one of the most formidable mistresses of dark magic. I wouldn’t have clawed my way to becoming infamously feared throughout the land.
However, it took Cora dying for myself to realise the true intent behind her actions. You would think that watching as she ripped away my true love in front of my very eyes with no remorse would’ve given me quite the hint, but it wouldn't be until years later that the truth finally hit me, becoming painstakingly clear.
It wasn’t about me, it was never about me. Everything my mother did was for herself, and herself only.
I was merely a pawn in Cora’s game; I just hadn’t known I’d been playing.
Crying over Daniel’s lifeless body with my mother glaring down at me and smirking, was a day I would never forget, no matter how strong a forgetting potion I could force down my throat.
That was the day I first felt it, the fire .
And if I had known what it would end up doing to me, I never would have given in to it. Because something my mother failed to mention all those years ago was that while a hunger for vengeance does make you strong, it's also addicting. It’s the gateway drug to a dark path that consumes every waking moment of your life. And as the hatred builds and builds, there’s a sliver of love buried deep inside that clutches onto the tiniest shard of goodness left in your darkened heart.
But in most cases, it’s of no use. There’s no going back. Once you blacken your heart, it only grows darker… and darker. That is, until it all explodes in your face. The anger, the vengeance, the hurt, the remorse, the good, the bad, all of it. Once it resurfaces, you’re left with a numbness, and no amount of rage can ever refill that empty void inside.
Not even a seething desire for revenge upon the Charmings.
The Evil Queen was a name that served me well, acting as a constant reminder of the sorceress I had become, and the young woman I left behind. The naïve young girl, in love with a stable boy.
Maybe Mother was right, and love is weakness. But vengeance? It’s a poison.
My heart once succumbed to the desire for revenge, and all it left me with was a hollowness. I thought I'd never feel anything again. And for a long time, I didn't.
Until, along came Henry, my little Prince.
My life forever changed, for the better. He managed to do what no one else could. He found that lost fragment of love hidden deep inside of me, and he grabbed onto it. He grabbed on, and I didn’t let go; that was the best decision I ever made.
And that's when it struck me.
Love isn’t weakness, not unless you allow your feelings to be manipulated. And if there’s one thing Cora did best, it was exploit emotion. She was the one who would turn it into weakness.
But when used for good, love can be some of the strongest magic in all the realms. Henry taught me that; he taught me to love again. And he will never know how eternally grateful I am that he did.
I love him more than I can ever say.
And now, because of my precious Prince, the Evil Queen is dead.