Born one of 37 siblings in a hovel by a farm, Regina was a mere white-footed rabbit had risen to greatness when a prince had been captivated by her. She'd become queen when he'd married her. She'd become powerful when he'd died. The world thought that there would be an uprising, but she had captured the country's heart with her story of perseverance and love.

Regina. It was in her name. She wasn't born a queen, but she was born to be a queen.

The room she generally claimed for audiences was far from the throne room, both in distance and in formality. It was an office by the front of the castle with a large desk across which any number of people could sit. The Queen said that she liked being close to those with whom she was speaking, though she did acquiesce to having a guard in the room with her. Safety was still a concern, especially with such a soft-hearted monarch.

Said soft heart was why her guard was quite confused watching her chief of staff relay the news that some of her siblings had cropped up across country lines again. The fox was very firm in saying that he would never insinuate that the queen's family would have anything to do with the information that had been spreading at an alarming rate, and definitely didn't have anything to do with the missing supplies.

For her part, the queen nodded sagely and even gave him a small smile.

"I see." Two words, quiet and thoughtful. "I'll be sure to have the matter researched further. You are dismissed. Gerald, please see him out."

"Yes, your majesty," came in unison, though one much more relieved than the other.

"And could you please tell the captain to fetch my gardener?" she added, specifically to the guard. The fox kept his gaze carefully to the ground. "Tell him that it may be the season for some pruning."

"Yes, your majesty," Gerald said again. With a bow, both men turned and left. The quiet sound of her humming followed her out of the room, and the guard, a stag who had been at her side for some years, noticed that the fox's fur stood on end.

"What is bothering you?" Gerald asked suspiciously as the door closed behind them. The fox peeked over his shoulder and took several paces before daring to speak.

"You do know that she has staff to take care of the garden, yes?" Now that he thought about it, it did occur to the guard that she had more important things to do than discuss the castle grounds. There was staff from the front gates to the tallest tower that made sure that everything ran smoothly without her having to interrupt important political duties.

"And do you know what you do when you prune a flower?"

You take off its head.

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Not all flowers are pruned the same way, but whateverrrrr!
I wanted someone pretty and delicate, but with her own type of "off with her head!"