Pushing Through

Chapter One: Through the Hat.

The bleak sunlight hurt her eyes when she fluttered them open that she winced, turning her head only to groan at the pain the movement made. She felt someone pull at her wrist and struggled to focus her eyes as they adjusted to the light. Her head felt as if it was imploding, her muscles ached, her chest tight as she took a deep breath. She felt her arms being pulled and she groaned at the movement, ignoring the muffled voices she could hear as she tried to focus her vision again. She grimaced as she swallowed her nausea before finally being able to open her eyes. She looked around, seeing overgrown branches, rocks and trees overtaking ruins of once was. She turned her head to see two faces watching her with suspicion and curiosity, one face was with fear, the other with ire, the latter pointing a sword.

"What the fu.." she winces as the sword prods just under her chin and immediately quietens down.

"Miss Swan… just do as they ask…"

Emma turns her head to see Regina standing, her wrists bound together in turn to the back of a horse. Despite her torn jacket, her messy dark hair, and the dried blood streaming from a healing cut on her forehead, the brunette still maintained her regal stance. Emma stood up, or rather was pulled up by the sword-wielding young woman who then tied her to another horse. Emma looked over at Regina and could see that despite the older woman's best efforts she was as afraid as her.

"Regina… what the hell happened?"

"Miss Swan… please shut up!"

"I thought it was her majesty," the young warrior spoke against. "I was unsure from the strange costume, but it is her…"

The horse was yanked to a halt by the other woman who had yet to speak. She jumped down from the saddle and pushed the brunette back, watching her as she fell to the ground before pulling out a dagger to her throat.

"Aurora! No!" The warrior shouted. "We will let Leviathan deal with her…"

"But she condemned everyone we loved… she destroyed everything we loved…"

"I see you finally awoke then…"

"My true love is dead because of you," Aurora pushed the dagger into the skin, watching as blood began to seep from the fresh cut.

"No, my dear… I had nothing to do with you or your love," Regina gasped out, struggling to catch a breath and refusing to cry out in pain. "That was Maleficent who Miss Swan over there just slayed."

The two women looked over at Emma who just watched the conversation in confusion.

"And your love… I don't even know who that is…"

"Prince Philip!"

Regina smirked slightly, feeling the dagger relax against her throat, "I don't know him…"

"A wraith," the warrior spoke. "Came through the same portal as you and this swan…"

Regina took a breath, her eyes flashing with fear before Emma spoke, "Is the wraith gone?"

"Yes," the dark eyes of the warrior burned into Regina's. "Do you remember me, your Majesty?"

Regina frowned.

"No, of course not… for I am one of many who you caused suffer to. You will remember me now… Mulan is my name."

Regina was pulled back to her feet by the armoured young woman, and roughly pushed forward. Mulan moved to the front of the horses, and waited for Aurora to mount one of them before she led the others, dragging the strange women behind them.

They reached the camp within a couple of hours, all four women fatigued by their journey, all four women suffering from a broken heart from their loss, a prince and a son.

"Regina," Emma called out. The brunette looked over her, fear and arrogance fighting for dominance in her dark eyes. "Regina, we need to get back to Henry…"

"I know," The brunette hissed.

"Can't you, you know, magic us back?"

"Miss Swan, something stopped my curse from touching this piece of land, and until I know what that something is I will not magic us anywhere…"

"I can't believe you did this to us…" Emma grumbled.

"I never asked for you to push me out of the way…"

"No, our son did…" Emma snapped back. "For what good it did!"

Regina was about to speak when she felt pain as a stone hit her in the back. She turned to see people crowding around behind her, their memories intact of the damage she had done to them. Another stone hit her in the head, opening up the healing wound again, causing blood to seep into her eyes. She bit her lip as another stone hit her back and another at her chest. She could hear Emma shouting at them to stop.

"Stop! You people are as crazy as she is but what you're doing to her is no better than what she did to you… do you people not do trials or something?"

Regina slumped to the ground as another rock hits her in the head, she fell forward, her wrists still tied, no longer conscious.

"Stop!"

Emma turned to the deep voice, its owner a handsome man in a suit of armour, skin smooth and dark, eyes devoid of emotion.

"Put them in the pit… we will deal with them later once we find out whether there is more of a threat."

Emma fell into the pit, Regina almost landing on top of her, her body showing no signs of consciousness. Emma laid the older woman down gently, using the sleeve of her jacket to wipe away the blood from the cuts to the face.

"Come on Regina… wake up. I hate that I need you…"

"She should be fine my dear…"

Emma jumped at the voice and turned to see an older woman step out of the shadows. She watched as the older woman kneeled over Regina, stroking her cheek gently before turning back to the blonde.

"Will she be alright?"

The older woman looked back at the sleeping woman and nodded, smiling softly, "Yes, she will be…"

She raised her hand, an ethereal blue glow spring from it. She let her hand hover over Regina's limp form and Emma could do nothing but watch as colour returned to the smooth olive skin and shallow breaths stabilised. Regina was now just sleeping.

"This is so insane… yesterday was a good day…"

The older woman chuckled at the blonde's mumbles, "I am Cora and you, my dear are not from this land…"

"I am not… I am from Storybrooke and our son Henry is there…"

"Our?" Cora asked with a curious eyebrow, studying the brunette.

"Regina and I… we share a son… it's a long story… you have a magic…"

"Miss Swan!" Regina murmured.

"You can help us get back, can't you?"

"Miss Swan! Please shut up!" Regina snapped, standing up and stepping between the two women. "This woman cannot be trusted…"

"Why not?"

Cora laughed and Regina smirked, stepping closer to her, "Hello mother, it's been a long time…"

"Mother?" Emma asked, knowing neither woman was paying her any attention.

"I thought you were dead," Regina asked, surprise lacing her tone.

"At the hands, or rather hand of your Hook?"

Regina smirked before remembering a time long past, "You weren't dead when…"

Cora smiled almost viciously, "When you told me that you loved me… no I was very much alive."

"Okay, it's great that you're having some sadistic reunion with your mother Regina, but Henry is waiting for us…"

Regina turned to the blonde and saw fear in green eyes before turning back to her mother. Cora raised a brow as Regina raised her hands, allowing magic seep from them.

"You choose her over me," Cora whispered, knowing what her daughter was preparing to do.

"No, I choose my son over you," Regina answered, her words barely heard.

Cora vanished before Regina could touch her. Regina fell forward, losing her balance as she struggled to calm the magic in her veins. She took in a deep breath, a sob threatening to fall from her lips.

"Regina?" Emma whispered, afraid of this woman. She reached forward to touch the older woman on the back only for dark eyes to turn on her.

"Miss Swan, we need to get back to Storybrooke before she does…"

"Why?"

"Because she will hurt Henry in the same way she hurts everything I love…"

"Can't you just use your…"

"Magic?" Regina asked with a smirk before taking Emma's hand with one and waving her other, transporting them easily out of their prison.

Emma stood back and took in her surroundings as her stomach settled from the sudden transportation. She looked over to Regina, who was struggling to compose herself.

"Regina, where are we?"

"Welcome to my home… and I guess your home too… The Enchanted Forest."

Emma looked around and saw nothing but trees for miles, tall trees of heights she could not see, the depths of woodland she could not see an end to, nothing to be heard but leaves moving in the breeze. But there was no colour, no green leaves, blue skies or sounds of birdsongs; this wasn't the enchanted forest of fairy tales. These were foliage of black hues, grey clouds carrying threats of storms and songs of silence. This was darkness. She fell to her knees and let herself be frightened before looking at the brunette who looked almost as scared as she was.