"What are you talking about?" Emma asked breathily, jerking on the chains that bound her wrists.
"She sends half her heart to the moon each night, praying you'll look up at the sky and see her love," the witch cackled.
Stunned, Emma stared at the witch in disbelief and wondered at the truth of her words. The witch simply laughed and watched the blonde's expression turn from genuine surprise and shock to pure, unadulterated hatred.
"Let me see her!" the savior screamed, glaring harshly with bright, fiery eyes.
"Not a chance, sweetheart! You will never see her again. In fact, the only people you'll be seeing from now on are me and my guards. You can forget about your pathetic little family."
The shimmer of the witch's green skin was illuminated by the moonlight pouring in from the tiny window of the cell, making her appearance more menacing and her features far more alarming. Those stark features were accentuated by the light, emphasizing her wickedness. As soon as Emma opened her mouth to speak, she was silenced.
"Ah, ah, ah. I think not, Miss Swan. This is not a discussion. I'll not entertain your snide remarks. In fact, I intend to leave you alone to rot in here, with nothing but your bitter memories to keep you company."
"You bitch," Emma spat, fighting her chains once more.
The witch shot a blast of magic that wrapped itself around Emma's wrists and electrified her veins, making her howl in pain. The witch screamed with laughter as she locked the cell and turned away.
Heart ablaze, Emma looked toward the sky, but couldn't find the moon.
In a cell on the other side of the castle's massive dungeon, the queen also sat bound in chains.
"She doesn't love you, you know," the witch cackled, staring as she waited to see the queen's broken expression.
Sinking inside, Regina sadly whispered, "I know," and shut her eyes. "When can I see my son?"
"He's safe, Regina, with Robin."
"Henry's here?" she exclaimed, then gasped, "Robin!? What about Emma? Neal? The Charmings?"
"Neal and the Charmings are dead."
More bellowing laughter filled the cell, shaking Regina's heart, exaggerating the cracks that were already there.
"And Emma?"
"Oh, I can assure you, she is just as trapped as you are, my dear. She broke like a weak stallion as soon as I bound her, and I can promise you, she will never leave or see your son again."
"Why can't you just kill me?" the queen groaned softly under her breath, leaving her gaze stuck on the straw-covered stone floor.
"Oh, I can. I simply won't. Don't you see? That's too easy. I don't want to end your suffering. Instead, I'm going to take away your happiness."
"I have no happiness for you to take."
"I've taken your son. I've taken Emma!"
"I didn't have him before you brought me here, and I never had her."
"That's true," the witch laughed, "and you never will."
"I know."
"Well, you certainly are easy to break, too. No fun at all. Actually, it's sort of pathetic."
"Without Henry, I'm nothing."
"I don't think that's quite true, Regina. Before you knew you'd never have Emma, you were determined to beat me. Now, you're just a pile of weakness. The definition of weakness."
"I know."
"Are you admitting that your unattainable love is your weakness?"
"No!" Regina finally snapped, denying what she knew was true.
The insincerity of the exclamation was obvious to the witch, and she picked up on it instantly.
"Deny it if you wish, but I think you know the truth. Emma is your weakness! How heartbreaking. The woman you want would never look at you twice."
She cares for me. Doesn't she? Regina asked herself, praying her words were true. After all, Emma had defended her numerous times. If nothing else, Emma trusted her. That alone was worth something, even if that was all it was. Now that she was thinking about it, she was sure that it was simply a matter of Emma being a good person. She wanted to do the right thing, and that was why she'd stuck up for Regina - simply to do what was right. Knowing this inside, nothing else seemed to matter, except for her son.
"Well," the witch started with a grin, "I'll leave you alone with your broken, pathetic heart now. I look forward to taunting you later."
"It doesn't matter, you know," Regina told her. "I have nothing left."
"I know," her green-faced tormentor giggled. "That's exactly what makes this so much fun."
And with that, she did exactly as promised and left the queen alone with her broken heart.