Author's Note: This is my first fanfic for the swan queen fandom and it's been awhile since I've written anything, let alone published. Constructive criticism is always welcome and please leave a comment if you liked it!

Disclaimer: None of the characters that appear on ABC's Once Upon a Time are mine, despite how much I want them to be, I'll put them back when I'm done.

Chapter One

Growing up in the castle was not all together unpleasant for the child, Emma Swan. While being raised by her mother, the servant Snow White, she wanted for nothing and every "peasant" loved and doted on her. Little peals of laughter could be heard floating down from the usually cold castle walls as a small child, no older than five years old, came rushing around the corner, golden curls bouncing wildly with a huge smile plastered on her face. She was racing towards the kitchen as if an invisible monster chased her. Stopping only to open a heavy wooden door, she quickly escaped inside and shut the door behind her, breathing heavily as she finally allowed herself a moments rest. The kitchen was darkened, lit only by the candles that threw shadows on the quiet cooks working there. The little body crept underneath a table, not noticing the sly looks the adults were giving her.

The cooks ignored Emma, figuring it was alright for her to be there as long as she didn't cause a ruckus. It wasn't often that Emma Swan went unnoticed and sure enough, not five minutes later, the door opened again and another small body stepped into the darkness. This child was distinctly different from the one hiding under the table. While Emma had bouncing light curls, this child had darkened locks, held together in a single messy braid that went down her back. Dark brown eyes searched the room, looking for something.

"Emma!" cried out the dark haired girl. "Come out! I know you're in here!" The girl looked no more than a year older than her hiding companion. She crossed her arms over her tiny body, making her appear older than she really was. A small snicker was heard across the room and the girl ran towards that sound. Tables littered that area, the girl hardly able to peer over them but she knew she'd find her friend amongst them.

"Emma, come out this instant!" This time no noise was heard and the girl gave a small "humph" before darting underneath one of the tables. Unfortunately, the little blond was not hidden under that particular table and the dark haired girl continued her search.

Realizing that the girl was coming towards her, Emma tried to make a break for it, crouching low on hands and knees, shuffled out from her hiding spot. Little did she know, a small stool had been placed nearby and she unceremoniously knocked into the fiend. The sound reverberated around the room and the dark haired girl instantly moved towards her target. She found Emma sitting on the floor, holding her aching head.

"Emma, are you okay?" asked her worried friend. "Does your head hurt?" She knelt down and removed Emma's hand from her head to take a closer look. A small trickle of blood fell down her forehead, revealing a small scrape. "You're bleeding!" yelled the little girl. Hearing the girl cry out, one of the cooks came over to check on the children.

"I'm fine Regina," said Emma, indignantly. "It's just a scratch." Nevertheless, the cook cleaned off the blood with a rag that had been hanging from her apron and confirmed that she would be fine. Not even bothering with a patch of cloth to protect it. The cook sent the two girls away, insisting that they let the adults get back to work without the interruptions of childish antics.

Once back out into the large hallway, Regina grabbed Emma's hand and led her away. The halls were silent except for the pitter-patter of tiny feet against the marble floor. The two friends continued on their journey, not caring about where they wandered, as long as they were together. While, Emma was only the child of a lowly servant, she had grown up around Regina and they became fast friends. There were no other children in the castle and that left them with only each other. While Emma didn't mind growing up within the stone walls, Regina hated it. Her mother profusely forbade allowing her outside the castle walls, other than to attend her daily riding lesson in the stables. With the active imagination of any six year old, Regina wanted to explore. There was only so many times hide-and-seek or tag remained exciting.

Emma let go of Regina's hand to pull sweaty curls away from her neck to help cool her down after running for so long. "Mother's not going to be happy I got hurt," whispered Emma. "She hates when I run around so much."

"Don't worry, Emma. I'm sure she won't be too angry," smiled her dark haired companion. After a short time had passed, Regina raced ahead and turned back to her friend. "Come on! I'll race you out to the gardens!" Without waiting for a response, the little girl darted further down the hall and around the corner.

Emma took off with a huff to chase after her. "Regina, wait—" The words died on her lips as soon as she turned the corner her friend had gone down. She stopped, holding a breath. Standing there was Regina's mother, Cora, looking none too pleased. Her hands were on her hips, glaring at her child. Emma shrunk back to avoid being seen and waited.

"Regina," Cora spoke the name as if she were looking at a piece of dried, rotting meat. "What do you think you're doing?" Without bothering to wait for a response, she grabbed Regina's arm in a vice like grip and started dragging her away. Regina appeared to collapse into herself, allowing herself to be taken away. She chanced a glance back towards Emma, hurt obvious in her eyes, even to a child. Emma wanted to go after her, but she knew nothing could deter the wrath of an angry Cora Mills.

"I'm sorry, Mother" cried Regina, the words only reaching Emma's ears because of the echoing walls. "I was only playing with, Emma." At hearing that name, Cora turned around and spotting the blond who was still partially hidden around the corner. The look she gave the little girl could only be explained as an icy loathing.

"Emma, return to your quarters. I'm sure your mother has plenty of work for you. Just because you're a child doesn't mean you can't pull your own weight around here." While Emma wasn't sure exactly what "pulling one's weight" meant, she came out from hiding and slinked away down another hallway, saddened that she couldn't help her friend.

Emma knew when Cora gets in a rage, it's never good. Her thoughts are plagued with what's surely happening to Regina. Even only being a child, she's no stranger to what happens when mother and daughter are alone together. Being small can have its advantages; no one seems to notice when a small body sneaks into a room to listen to a hushed conversation. Countless times, servants have gathered around the tables in the mess hall to talk about the marks that grace Regina's small frame that she tries so desperately to hide. Emma can't fully comprehend what the adults talk about but she knows it isn't normal for Regina to be covered in so many marks. Emma herself may be clumsy and gotten her fair share of cuts and bruises, but never has she seen Regina act in a way that would cover her body with such extensive dark splotches.

Growing up in the servants' quarters has forced Emma to grow up quickly and often acts twice her age, despite only being five years old, and she has since lost all modesty when regarding the well-being of her friend. Whenever Emma tried to ask about them, Regina would insist that they were from "accidents"; whether from falling off her pony or bumping into a table. Regina has an excuse for everything, but Emma can tell her friend is lying. She always casts her head downward and can't look Emma in the eye. More than once, Emma has thought about escaping with Regina into the night and living in the forest, just to escape her mother's hand. Even if this sounds ideal, Emma knows Regina would never consider it. Regina is too close to her mother and desperately wants her love, no matter the cost.


Having become so lost in thought thinking about her friend, Emma doesn't realize she's already standing outside her room that she shares with her parents. Walking in, she's instantly engulfed in a hug.

"Emma, honey," Emma curls into the body and inhales, instantly recognizing the calming woodsy scent of her mother. "Where have you been?"

"With Regina," came the muffled reply. Emma had buried her head in her mother's chest. "Cora came for Regina again, Mother. She found us playing in the hall near the kitchens. I'm afraid for her, is she going to be alright?"

Unseen by Emma, Snow shares a look with her husband, Charming, concern clear in her eyes. "Oh, honey, I'm sure she's fine…" Not knowing what else to say, Snow hugs her daughter closer. How does once console a child when they both know something bad is happening that can't be stopped?

"But, Mother, Regina looked so sad. I want to help her! What can I do?" Emma sound so downtrodden, it hurt Snow's heart. No child should have to go through what Regina does.

"Just be there for her, honey. Play with her and let her know you're her friend. She loves you very much." Snow plants a kiss on Emma's forehead. She just now notices the cut on her daughter's head. "Emma! How did you get hurt? Have you been messing around again?" Chastises Snow.

"Me and Regina were just playing, Mother. I hit my head on a stool playing hide and seek." Explains the child, completely unconcerned.

"Honey, you could have been seriously hurt! Are you feeling alright? Do you have a headache? Are you-?"

"Darling, I'm sure she's fine. It's just a scratch." Charming, who had been silent up to this point, finally stepped in, coming over to put a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Right, honey bunch?"

"Yes, Daddy, I'm fine. It doesn't hurt at all." Snow gives a sigh of defeat and lets it go. The older woman stands up from her position on the floor and pulls Emma up to rest against her hip and moves towards the door.

"Charming, can you grab our princess's sword?" asks Snow and without waiting for a response, steps out the door. Charming follows close behind now holding the tiny play thing in his hand. Emma reaches around her mother and motions for the sword. Charming gives a small laugh and hands it over to his eager daughter. Emma's small fist wraps around the hilt of the sword and starts brandishing it in front of her mother, attacking invisible invaders. Snow and Charming walk down the hallway towards one of the prominent walkways to start their afternoon of cleaning.

Despite what Cora had claimed earlier, there was no way Snow was going to make her child help with the chores. Instead, Emma had free reign of the chamber to explore. While the adults went about cleaning paintings, coats of armor and other delicate trinkets, Emma weaved in and around bodies of adults engaging in an imaginary battle against foes. Whether it was pirates, ogres, or giants, the adults will never know; nothing could compete with this child's imagination. Before long, she grew bored with having no one to play with and decided she'd rather help her parents. She'd seen them clean countless times before and figured there wasn't much too it. Her little legs brought her over to her mother and asked for a rag to help with the statue her mother was currently polishing. Not really sure why a statue needed to be brushed with a rag in the first place, her shoulders shrugged and proceeded to work on the lower half of the statues legs.

After what seemed like an eternity and five statues later, Emma gave up helping and searched the room for something else to occupy her mind. That was when she noticed the chair directly beneath the window. Pulling her body up on the chair was no easy feat when one is so small. She hoisted up on her belly and managed to get her feet under her until she was able to fully stand and stare out of the glass. The world outside was much more interesting than a drab old room. Not to mention, the figure that was standing in her view. Several stories down and no way to make herself known, Emma caught sight of her only play mate walking towards the royal stables. From so high up, Emma wasn't able to pick apart many details of her friend but she noticed that she was holding herself differently; more stiffly, as if pretending to be a tree. Gone was the care free child that had played with her this morning. This was the child of a royal.

She was dressed in her riding outfit that must have cost a fortune. Tan leggings under black boots that went up to her knees, complete with a dark purple riding jacket, tailored just for her small frame. As she neared the stable, she perked up slightly. Emma knew how much Regina enjoyed getting to spend time in the stables. It was a wonder Cora allowed it at all. It had been her father's insistence, stating that it was good for Regina to learn proper horsemanship skills in case there was ever a time she had to escape the castle quickly.

All too soon, her friend disappeared inside the stable and Emma went back to gazing out over the land. It was a beautiful day without a cloud in the sky. However, within the castle walls, all was silent. Cora didn't approve of letting mere peasants into her castle so the gates remained steadfastly shut except on special occasions. The only thing that could be seen was the royal guards standing watch over the city gates. Outside the barrier, lies the real action. Just barely visible to Emma, are a group of market stalls with villagers haggling for goods. It was a rare treat for Emma to be able to venture outside the walls. She had only gone outside once with her mother to help collect a special type of herb for a dish Cora had requested. There was what appeared to be hundreds of tents lined up in rows and Emma could only imagine how good it smelled with all the food samples.

A little ways beyond the village, loomed the darkened forest. Emma had never travelled that far, even though it was less than a ten minute ride on horseback. However, she's heard tales of the fearsome beasts that reside further in its shadows. Even though it was feared by many a servant, Emma can't help but wonder about what explorations she could have in such a vast land.

Before long, Regina came back out of the stables, this time holding onto the reins of a midnight black pony. If Emma remembered correctly, his name was Champ and he was Regina's pride and joy. Even from here, Emma could see the giant smile on Regina's face as she moved to the riding pen and gracefully mounted her trusty steed. She signaled the pony to start walking circles around the ring, her riding master directing her from the middle. After warming up both herself and her pony, she brought up the speed a bit into a trot and eventually a graceful canter. Even though she was only on a pony, it looked like she was sitting high atop a giant mount. Only Regina could pull off such a position. Seeing her so thoroughly happy brought a sincere smile to Emma's face. It was moments like these that made her love her friend even more. It wasn't often Regina looked so carefree, not a burden occupying her mind. Emma wished she could stay like this all the time and longed to be the one that brought that smile out of her.

A hand on her shoulder brought Emma out of her reverie. Snow was calling her, telling her they were done for the day and it was time to go to dinner. Emma scrambled down from her place on the chair and ran towards Charming, silently asking for her favorite ride. Charming smiled and got down on one knee; Emma quickly climbed onto her father's back and he whisked her out of the chamber.

Dinner passed without event and Emma only slightly covered herself in bread crumbs. Before she knew it, it was time to start getting ready for bed. Emma was snuggled up in bed, waiting for dream land to claim her, and was once again wondering what her friend was doing. She was probably already tucked into bed. Did Cora tuck her in at night? More than likely, it was probably a servant. Emma wished she was also snuggled into her bed with Regina. It'd be fun to spend the night together, telling stories and laughing quietly in the dark. Unfortunately, that never happened between royalty and servants. It was improper.


The next morning came and at the crack of dawn Emma was up and ready to start her day. Right after a breakfast of some kind of porridge and bread, Emma took to wandering the halls, waiting for a chance to meet her friend again. She knew it would most likely be awhile until she had someone to play with. Regina was most often in some form of lesson until later on in the day. To keep herself occupied, she wandered out to the gardens that were usually deserted except for the few gardeners. For such an empty castle, the gardens were truly magnificent. There were hundreds of varieties of trees and plants and at the center of it lay a huge hedge maze. True to their nature, Emma's parents had warned her not to enter the maze without a guardian because it was so large she would undoubtedly get lost. So, naturally, Emma disregarded that request and has since wandered around many times.

There was a certain part in the maze, past the two dead ends, three turns to the right and once to the left, that created a secret little alcove that no one seemed to know about except the two girls. Of course that wasn't the case, someone had to tend to the plants, but the girls didn't notice that. To them, this was their secret garden, a home away from home. Emma was content to just lay back and stare at the sky until Regina was able to slip away from her duties.

As time passed, Emma drifted into a nap, her body not yet accustomed to staying up long periods of time. She was eventually woken by a small hand on her shoulder, shaking her awake.

"Emma, wake up. I don't have a lot of time today." Regina was leaning over her, her face mere inches from hers. Big brown eyes stared down at her and Emma instantly had a smile on her face. It took a moment, but Regina smiled back and at that, Emma pulled her dearest friend into a hug, squeezing what life out of her she could. She didn't notice the quick wince of pain that flashed across those large eyes. Regina collapsed against her and let out a short laugh, content to stay in her friend's arms for a moment, even if it did hurt just a little.

Eventually, Regina rolled off her friend and joined her in looking up at the sky. "Mother doesn't know I'm out here. I had a little time between my lessons and wanted to come visit you. I knew you'd be here."

"I wish we could play every day, it's lonely not having anyone else in the castle to talk to. Why do you always have to be busy, 'Gina?" Emma had come up with that nickname as soon as she could talk. She used to have a hard time pronouncing her 'R's and it was easier to just stick to calling her that, even if Regina despised it.

"You know why I can't, Em. Mother would never allow it," sighed her friend. She raised her head to look down at Emma, and sought out her hand, latching their fingers together. "She's raising me to be a queen."

"But you're just a kid! You can be a queen later, when you're old. You should be out playing in the sun and riding Champ, not doing lessons and dressing all fancy." No matter how Regina told her what was expected, Emma would never really understand. Their lives were drastically different and it would take another few years before Emma could fully grasp that concept.

"Mother says I must start when I'm young so I can be prepared." Those words came from practiced lips, Regina didn't even believe them herself but mother knows best.

"Okay, 'Gina, if you say so." There was no point arguing for her cause. Regina never put up a fight when it came to her mother.

The sun had been out for a while now and it was starting to heat up. Unconsciously, Regina went to remove her shawl that covered her shoulders from the chill of the castle. That was when Emma saw them; four lines across her upper arm, the perfect shape for fingers.

Emma looked horrified. "'Gina!"

Regina looked towards her friend to see why she sounded so scared and noticed where her friend was looking. She looked down at her own arm, saw the marks and instantly put the shawl back on, covering her arms from sight. Regina sat up and scooted a ways from her friend and curled her legs up, resting her head on her knees, trying to appear smaller than she already was. She took a deep breath and averted her eyes, unwilling to look at her closest friend.

"It's okay, Em. I was about to fall off Champ and my teacher caught me by the arm to keep me on him, it was an accident," mumbled Regina, still unwilling to look at her.

"'Gina, I know that's not right. You never fall off Champ. You're the best person there is at riding horses." Emma gave Regina as stern a glare a five year old can give, refusing to look away.

This time Regina did look at her. "Just stop it, Emma. It was an accident. It'll be better in a few days." Regina only called her 'Emma' when she was serious about something, or wanted the appearance of being upset.

"She shouldn't be doing this, 'Gina," whispered Emma. "It's not what mothers do." Unable to just let it go, once again, Emma had to at least try to comfort her friend. She scooted closer to her and wrapped her in a hug, careful to avoid her arms. Regina's small body tensed for a minute before eventually relaxing into her hold.

"Mother loves me, Em." Unable to say anything more, the two girls fall into silence yet again. Having to live the lives they have, it's no shock they've grown up faster than most children, even if they're still young themselves. Emma may not have realized all that happened to her friend but she knew it wasn't good and shouldn't be happening but she was powerless to stop it. Even the other adults couldn't do anything. And if they couldn't, what could one child do to help.

Emma finally let the conversation drop; instead, focusing on what her own mother had said and was now determined to do whatever it took to get that smile back on Regina's face. "Look, 'Gina! Do you see that rabbit?!" Emma pointed up to the sky and Regina followed her finger.

Regina looked at her like she had just grown two heads. "What rabbit, Em? Those are just clouds."

"No, silly! Don't you see the ears up there and the round, bushy tail at the bottom?" Emma tried to trace out the pattern of the cloud for her friend.

A small smile appeared on Regina's face. "Okay, Em, whatever you say."

Taking this as a good sign, Emma continued. "And that one there! It looks like a heart, doesn't it?"

Regina again followed the finger, this time a large smile broke out. "Yeah that one does look like a heart, doesn't it, Em."

Emma looked away from the heart shaped cloud, instead choosing to gaze at her friend. "I love you, 'Gina. You're my best friend."

Regina glanced back at her, finally looking away from the blue sky, a huge smile still plastered on her face. "I love you too, Emma. You'll be my friend forever."

The girls spent the remainder of their time staring up at the clouds telling goofy stories about the creatures they saw in them until one of the servants came searching for Regina, telling her she had to get back to her lessons. Regina morosely got up from her spot on the grass and sent one last look to her friend, silently wishing she could stay. One second later, she was gone and Emma was once again by herself.


A/N: I hope you all enjoyed it! The second chapter should be up shortly if people are interested!