Table of Content
Breathing heavily she leaned back, allowing herself the briefest of pauses before she threw herself against the ward again, this time with the collective anger she'd accumulated inside. Regina sat up with a jump, the momentum almost carrying her over the edge and on the floor. The guard didn't react, didn't even turn to look at Regina, whose fingers turned white as she fought to stay conscious despite her aggression. She had to tell Snow about Neal, had to make sure Emma's parents knew how to save her when Regina wasn't around to do so any longer. Snow White threw her hands up, annoyance radiating off her in heavy waves, filling the room with thick dislike.
"I can alter the spoons if you want them to have another form, you know," Regina cautiously addressed Emma towards the end of the meal. "You spied on me?" Regina asked, although this shock was one of the smallest today. The irony though, all the fuss about Golden spies, and right here she had a White spy, in her bed.
Chickens coming home to roost
Or maybe that was still the wine's fault, combined with the snorting laugh that escaped Emma at the question. "I didn't, actually," Emma replied, subjecting Regina to a scrutinizing stare. Regina did her best to answer with a glare of her own, but relief was still swirling in the pit of her stomach, making it hard for her not to smile at Emma and her uncommon display of gullibility. "Damn," she swore, jerking back with a start, hands drifting all over Regina's dress in search for purchase and hip bone digging in Regina's waist. In spite of herself, Regina chuckled - ticklish, of course.
She was used to the insult, in fact there had been a time when she had taken great pride in the title, and neither did she regret what she had done. No Regina didn't regret being the witch, but Emma looked shaken, a nervous figure in the middle of it all. She needed to get the girl out of there before the people noticed that Emma was just as surprised by the magic as they were.
(your/the) chickens come home to ˈroost
"No!" Snow White and the Prince both exclaimed, rushing forward, sword pointed at the Queen's chest once more. However, the Queen only laughed; one graceful step to the side and she crushed the vial right over Snow's head. The dust seemed to freeze in the air for one second, like a hound trying to pick up a trail, until it recognized its mark, sinking down in a flurry of purple. The tiny grains clung to Snow White's hair, her golden dress, settled in her lashes and on her lips, dotting her cheeks and brow with colour. If the curse hadn't been broken already, it would have faltered now, as their lips melted together in a kiss that was simultaneously familiar and new, secure from habit and exciting with rediscovery.
"And then there's the fact that I’m not really asking for your permission." Now that Emma was secured, she allowed her attention to wander to the Golden workers for a moment. A few of them had stopped their tasks and were watching the forest beyond the stream. One was pointing towards Emma’s general direction, another was shielding his eyes from the setting sun to see better.
Chapter 14: in which a queen has been captured
Of course Regina knew that the relief was only temporary, that proper healing would take time and rest, two things she didn't have. "Let me talk to Snow White," she demanded from the guard when the storm had passed and light was cautiously peeking through the clouds again. "It is a matter of utmost importance." She had dreamed of Emma again the night before, of Emma the Princess, shrinking in front of Regina's eyes until the frilly dress she had worn lay flatly on the ballroom floor.
The dwarves had apparently reported Emma’s absence to their queen by now, for the kingdom was in turmoil. Even if she spent the next three years travelling, for a lifetime of revenge, it was a price she would pay willingly. Regina had felt nervous and on the edge for days, the feeling that something major was about to happen lurking in the back of her mind, wearing out her patience and making her even more irritable than usual. Her guards had noticed, her consultants had noticed, and consequently the whole castle was plunged into a collective unease.
"Royalty is in such demand these days, I have had quite a few calls to make." "I have been meaning to speak to you for some time now, but you always seem to be off-site." There was a lilt like a question in his words and Regina inclined her head. Poor timing, I have this thing." Geez, her head was swimming, and she shakily climbed off Emma. Without having to look down, she knew that Emma's entire pyjamas were dyed purple. "Well, you are developing an inclination for blanket-hogging," she murmured, Prince Neal slowly but surely gliding into the back of her mind when Emma grinned cheekily. "Aww, are you cold?" She murmured against Regina's lips, nipping teasingly at the sensitive skin.
Emma's muscles tensed, she had clearly heard Regina even if she didn't reply. Regina hesitated, just now remembering the argument her mirror persona had with Emma some weeks before she had run away. Emma's crestfallen expression when Regina had denied her help in finding her parents was still imprinted on her retina and she cursed herself for not reacting more sensitively. Reaching out for Emma had just become considerably harder, but she had to try. "Whatever," Regina snorted and Emma actually shoved her, causing Regina to grunt in surprise and the girl to freeze and then flush in embarrassment. Her hands flew to her bow, fiddling with the string as she avoided Regina's eyes.
The need for vengeance had driven her, the presence of an enemy, a person to blame, had made it easier. "Careful," Rumple weighed in, an amused smirk playing on his lips. "Your feelings are showing." And with that said, he vanished in a plume of red smoke. "Ideally, the wedding will be over before the Princess tragically leaves us. And if not, well," he snapped his fingers, "all curses can be broken. Until then, time will be frozen, nothing to worry about." Only this time, her teeth lacked bite, the external pain too weak to drown out the one inside her, deriving from the realization that she was failing. Of course Regina had known about the danger of ground dragon tongue.
For a moment Regina considered blowing the call off, but the consequences of that could prove fatal; implying weakness and unreliability. Besides, she couldn't afford making enemies in both neighbouring kingdoms. "Not fair," Emma protested, just like Regina knew she would. A brilliant smile spread on the Queen's lips, only marred by the frequent puffs of breath as she fought to calm her heart rate. The next stroke Emma attempted, Regina didn't block to the side as she'd done before, but held in the air above their heads, her arms shaking under the force of the blow but standing firm.
Mending a heart ought to be easier the second time around. Except that she hadn't mended it the first time either. Daniel had stayed with her throughout the years, a memory she'd clung to, a reminder of why she was fighting.
Right on cue, her hands, outstretched in her attempt to focus her magic, flushed with purple, a stain like bruises covering her skin for the shortest of seconds before it escaped and clouded the air. Regina swore under her breath, certain that the ward would jump at the plum, suck it in like it had before, but nothing happened. Instead, the shimmer settled on Regina's dress, becoming a darker patch on the coarse grey material. During the four months that she had spent without Emma, she had stayed away from mirrors, avoiding the temptation but also the pain they offered. The smooth surfaces reminded her of Emma, the countless times she had watched the girl, later the woman, through the glass.
Regina was watching her subtly, the way the sunlight teased out the freckles on her cheeks, the pale red so soft in comparison to the blatantly black lines staining her wrist as she reached up to scratch her nose. The petals in the tattoo were delicate but their meaning ugly, a death sentence scrawled across fair skin and nausea came over Regina just when Emma turned her head. Her eyes were closed so she didn't catch Regina staring, and by the time they opened, the queen had already sorted her features into a neutral frown.
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