Authors Note: PLEASE READ!
This is a fic that I have been working on for a few months, and it is nowhere near finished. I thought that I would post it anyway because, why not? For those of you who are reading this I would like to warn you that this is a Swan Queen story with extreme Snowing bashing. If you are not into this then please spare yourself the trouble and turn back now.
TRIGGER WARNING ALERT: Mentions and possible acts of Rape, Torture, and the Murders of women, children, and babies!
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the sick and twisted imagination that brought on this fic!
Prologue:
In the Enchanted Forest lived thousands of people divided by many kingdoms. Of these kingdoms there are two who are struggling to maintain peace between one another. The kingdom of Roshan, once fondly known to its people as the "light kingdom", ruled by Queen Snow White and King James has been feuding with Senka, known as the "shadow kingdom" and ruled with an iron fist by Queen Regina. It is known by the people of all kingdoms that the feud began when Queen Snow and Queen Regina were only small children. Queen Regina's mother, the late former Queen Cora, had murdered Queen Snow's mother in cold blood using her dark magic, leaving the two young women bitter and angry toward one another. Although Cora had been executed immediately after the murder, when Snow White was old enough, she had vowed to make Regina pay for her mother's crime.
Queen Regina detested Snow White, but saw no need to slaughter innocent soldiers over a crime her mother committed (and paid for with her life) when she was only a child. Unfortunately, Queen Snow was determined and cared nothing of the lives of her many guardsman. Twenty years ago, the two kingdoms had prepared themselves for war. The other kingdoms saw no real point in depleting their resources to aid in an unnecessary war, so they refused to help. There was only one kingdom brave enough to stop the war, and that was the kingdom of Muriel or the "sea kingdom". Muriel was the kingdom that divided Roshan and Senka. King Triton and Queen Ursula of Muriel created a magical peace treaty which forbade the other two kingdoms to harm one another in any way. Anyone to cross Muriel borders intending harm on either of the three kingdoms would be magically prevented from entering that kingdom. This treaty had been written to protect Muriel and stop a war, not quite ending the feud, but keeping the two kingdoms Senka and Roshan from harming each other.
Twenty years later, the two Queens still despise one another, but have agreed to coexist for the sake of their people and the treaty. Though the Roshan monarchs like to paint the perfect picture of purity and righteousness, their hearts had been darkened by the decades long feud that has been going on between their kingdom and the kingdom of Senka. All born with magic with the exception of fairies, pixies and other divine creatures, are mercilessly tortured and slaughtered under the Roshan monarchs orders. So much money went towards new weaponry and torture devices, that the peasants were left cold and starving in the village below the grand Roshan palace. Things were getting to be so bad that many villagers left the supposed 'light kingdom', settling in Muriel or Senka instead.
Chapter 1:
In the kingdom of Roshan, the sun streamed through the color stained glass of the palace windows, causing messy blonde curls to shimmer in its light. The blonde girl was bundled in silk sheets, sleeping peacefully when she heard a loud banging. The noise stopped only when a red cloaked brunette came storming into the room. The brunette snatched the silk sheets away and began shaking the blonde awake.
"Come on Princess, it is time to wake." said Red, Queen Snow's best friend and princess Emma's God Mother.
"Aunt Red?" Emma mumbled as she sat up in her bed, attempting to clear her sleep addled mind.
"Yes Emma, now get up, we have an emergency." Red scolded lightly, before exiting Emma's bed chambers, leaving the blonde to bathe and dress in private.
Moments passed since Emma had begun her bath. The blonde sat in the bathtub deep in her thoughts while magically manipulating the water, causing it to swirl around in the air above her.
"You know you shouldn't be doing that here." a tiny voice said from somewhere in the room.
Emma opened her eyes, turning toward the sound, watching as a very tiny fairy grew into her human sized form. It was Emma's birth fairy Periwinkle. For as long as anyone can remember, all princesses are assigned a birth fairy that is there to guide their charge and keep them on the right path. Emma's mother was assigned Blue, a brunette fairy dressed in blue, who was secretly a dark fairy, though no one knew it but the princess and a few fairies. Emma's fairy, Periwinkle had white hair and wore all white clothing. Peri was a gentle, kind hearted soul who had been guiding Emma by teaching her how to harness her magical abilities in secret.
"I know I should be more careful Peri, I know." Emma grumbled.
"Emma, magic is forbidden in your kingdom, if your parents found out that you possess it they could hurt you, flesh and blood be damned." argued Peri.
"I know that Peri, I just don't understand why." started Emma. "I am a child of their true love, a child born of that kind of love possesses magic, why is that so awful?" the blonde finished with a sigh.
"it isn't awful, your parents are just ignorant Emma." Peri tries to reassure her.
Emma just shrugs and stands in the bath, reaching for a towel to dry herself off with. The blonde knew that Peri was right. Emma's mother hated magic because her mother was killed by a magic wielder. That was a terrible event in Queen Snow's life but that did not justify the vast number of executions and public floggings her mother and father sanctioned. It was terrible what the Roshan monarchs had been doing to those who possessed magic. Even worse, if the magic wielders were traveling from another kingdom, especially Senka, they were killed on sight. Emma and Peri often had to escape to Senka in order to practice their magic freely.
"Let's get you dressed princess." Peri said as she waved her wand over Emma's body until a light blue dress covered the girls form. It was elegant enough for the dining hall, but loose enough for Emma to be able to walk and breathe properly.
"I just don't understand why my parents murder countless individuals for so much as possessing magic, when they practically use fairy magic for everything." Emma said as she looked herself over in her full length mirror.
"Yes, it is rather sick." Peri agreed.
"Not to mention hypocritical." the blonde added.
"come now princess, breakfast and your parents await your arrival." Peri said as she magicked the heavy oak doors to Emma's bedchamber open.
Emma stood in the dining hall with Peri at her side, staring at the empty table. Just as the blonde was about to comment, Red appeared in front of them.
"Emma, we need to hurry..." Red began
"Where are my parents and Blue?" Emma asked, cutting Red off.
"Away visiting King George, now follow me, we don't have much time!" Red yelled as she ran ahead.
Emma and Peri followed Red down to the castle dungeons where the screams of a hundred magic users could be heard over the clanking and clonking of iron chains and the merciless taunting of royal guards. Peri used a cloaking spell to hide herself, the princess, and Red as they ran deeper into the dark place. The three stopped dead in their tracks at the very end of the dungeons and what they saw made all three of their stomachs roll with disgust. One guard had a badly beaten man chained to the cold stone wall pleading for mercy as another guard was advancing on what appeared to be the man's very pregnant wife. Just as the guard began unbuckling his pants, Emma stepped forward and placed both hands on the woman's shoulders. The guards couldn't see or hear them so Emma used that to her advantage.
"Peri, take the man and Red hold on to me, we're taking these people back to their homeland." Emma said before enveloping the woman, herself, and Red in white smoke.
They had all arrived at the very edge of Senka, the shadow kingdom. Emma knew that the couple was from this particular kingdom and wanted to do the honorable thing by bringing them home.
"I'm so excited to see my sister again, I just wish it was under better circumstances" Peri said as she and Emma were nearing the stables.
"Yes, I've missed Tink as well." replied the blonde absent mindedly.
As they arrived in the stables, Emma waved her hand and a beautiful white horse with a long blonde mane appeared. It was Emma's prized stallion Nemesis. Emma lead the horse out of the stables after instructing that Red and the battered couple mount her. They were heading towards the Senkan palace.
"You're nervous." said Peri.
"I just feel that perhaps this wasn't a good idea." Emma said as they made their way to the secret passage that lead into the palace.
"Perhaps, but I am certain Tink will vouch for us should her majesty become aware of our presence." Peri said with a shrug.
"Peri!"
"Tink!"
Emma watched as the fairy sisters embraced one another. Tinker Bell was Queen Regina's birth fairy, and Per's twin sister. The two fairies had been forced apart due to the feud and Emma's parents forbidding Peri to go anywhere near Regina's palace. Emma's parents honestly didn't have the right to order around a divine magical creature. Fairies took orders from no one but Fate herself, and Fate wanted the twin fairies working together in order to bring together two great hearts destined for one another. Not that anyone knew this.
"I hate to interrupt, but Tink, Where is her majesty?" asked Emma.
"Her majesty is currently resting in her royal chambers princess." answered the green clad fairy.
"Good. let's get started on the healing then shall we?" said Emma.
Regina was indeed resting, lying in her bed under black satin sheets. The Queen was sleep deprived and it was beginning to show through the bags under her eyes. It had been two long weeks since she had last seen two of her favorite farmers, The O' Hanley's, and it was beginning to take a toll on the way Regina ran her kingdom. The farmers were a young healthy couple that came from a long line of magic practitioners. They were responsible for the growth of many medicinal herbs throughout Senka. The couple was also expecting a child, the woman, Starla, was at the end of her last trimester. Suddenly the brunette felt the pull of light magic. Magic that smelt of cinnamon and cocoa on a cold winter night. There was not one person whose magic was light that she did not recognize and gave off that signature scent. Intruders. thought Regina as she began sitting up in her bed.
The queen waved a hand over her body, transforming into her most regal attire before transporting herself to the pull of the unfamiliar magic in a puff of black smoke.
"What is the meaning of this?!" The queen demanded.
Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing to look up at Regina, that is, everyone except princess Emma who was still busy healing the badly beaten man.
"Your majesty we can all explain..." Tink began.
"What happened?!" Regina demanded again, cutting the fairy off.
"Perhaps if you allow her highness to finish healing the O' Hanley's we can all talk in private?" Peri offered.
"And who might you be?" Regina asked.
"My apologies your majesty, I am Periwinkle, Tinker Bell's sister." said Peri, giving Regina a bow out of respect.
"I see, and her highness is from what kingdom?" Regina asked, dark eyes now focusing in on blonde curls and soft curves.
"I believe my God daughter would prefer it if that information was spoken privately." Red spoke up from beside Emma.
"Very well, will you all at least explain to me how my two best farmers have fallen into such a state?" Regina asked, her patience waning.
"We were brutally and mercilessly attacked." Starla O' Hanley murmured, tears running like hot rivers down her cheeks.
"Attacked by whom?!" Regina demanded.
"The Roshan monarchs, Queen Snow and King James." The husband croaked.
Once Emma finished healing the couple, the queen had her maids prepare a guest room for the couple before escorting her guests to her royal chambers. Once inside the tension in the room was so thick, Excalibur couldn't have sliced through it. The queen paced angrily back and forth before spinning on her heal, eyes boring into Emma's as she spoke.
"Who are you?!" Regina growled.
"My name is Emma Evelyn Swan White and I am the daughter of Queen Snow and King James White, heir to the Roshan throne." said Emma.
Regina growled fiercely at the blonde, reaching out and unleashing her magic. Emma blocked the attack by shielding herself with her own magic.
"My queen, let us please explain." said Starla.
"Do you not understand who she is?!" hissed the queen.
"Your majesty, with all due respect, it is you who misunderstands." said Starla's husband.
The queens eyebrows shot up to her hairline, "Fine, you may explain." She said, feeling a bit intrigued by the angering situation at hand.
"We were simply passing through the Roshan kingdom in order to make our way back home when our carriage was halted by the Roshan palace guards," Starla began. "We had no idea, but they told us that the fairy enchantments throughout the land had picked up on our magical abilities, and that such abilities were against the law in their kingdom." Starla began sobbing uncontrollably, leaning on her husband for comfort.
"Princess Emma and her two friends rescued us your majesty. The princess saved my wife from being violated , thus saving me from having to watch, in addition to saving the lives of both us and our baby." said the farmer.
"We truly owe her our thanks, and we will be forever in her highnesses debt." Starla whimpered.
"You two wonderful people do not owe me a single thing, I only wish I could save every single life my mother has stolen away." Emma said.
Regina had no idea what to say, the brunette just stood in front if the group staring at them in complete shock.
Red was keeping an eye on the O' Hanley's in their guest chambers, while Emma, Tink, Peri, and the queen sat in Regina's chambers filling Regina in on what has been going on.
"It has been quite devastating your majesty." Peri said solemnly.
"Has no one tried to stop this?" asked the queen.
"Emma and I try to safely guide magic users out of the kingdom before they get captured, and sometimes we manage, but not always, and when we don't the risk of getting caught becomes too high." the fairy explained.
"It's truly awful your majesty, and we strongly advise that you warn your people about how dangerous my parents kingdom is." Emma spoke up.
Queen Regina turned to glare at Emma as she spoke, "Spare me the act of sincerity Princess, after all this was your parents doing,"
"I find it funny how they condemn and murder all magic users but their own daughter."
Emma scowled at that. "I'll have you know your majesty, that my parents are unaware of my magical abilities, and if they were aware I would be tortured, raped and killed just like any other sorceress, so please do not speak of things you know nothing about!"
A few teardrops had escaped from the corners of the blondes eyes and she quickly wiped them away, silently cursing herself for showing such weakness.
Queen Regina just stared at the Princess, mouth agape, watching as she brushed away her tears and schooled her features into an emotionless mask.
"Your mother actually condones rape within palace walls?" Regina asked, disbelief coloring her tone.
"That and the killing of babies. If we had not gotten there in time, the guards would have raped Mrs. O' Hanley while her half dead husband watched, then they would have gut her like a pig, pulling her newborn from her stomach just before snapping its neck." Emma explained.
Regina was horrified by what she was hearing. Sure the Queen ruled with an iron fist, but she did not believe in such depraved methods of torture. The older woman failed to understand why Snow White would be so discriminatory towards all magic users, and in the most inhumane of ways. Looking into stormy green orbs, the Queen saw the pain and fear swirling in the blonde's soul and knew she had to help.
