Happy Holidays, Swen!
- xichooseyoux
...
"What are you doing in here?"
The wide smile that stretched across her face instantly morphed into a frown. The light laughter that had escaped her lips fizzled out with a soft sigh, echoing in the silence that followed. Frozen in place, she blinked once. Twice. Her grip on her doll intensified to the point that her knuckles were as white as the snow that blanketed the ground outside. Her heart was pounding so wildly she was certain it was going to rip from her chest.
"Regina, what are you doing?"
Glancing between her doll and her mother, as if the doll would offer some sort of explanation, she gulped before she stammered, "Isabelle and I were just playing dress up. Wanna play with us?" It was Christmas Day. Regina had found the elegantly dressed doll sitting beneath the tree that morning and it had not left her arms since. The giddy smile was plastered on her pale face once again. Thrusting Isabelle forward, the young girl waited anxiously for a response, though her mother seemed to be paying her no mind.
Cora, utterly consumed in whatever it was that she was rifling through the desk for barely acknowledged the offer with a hum. "I'm sorry, my darling, I can't. I have too much work to attend to."
"...but you never have time to play."
As Cora turned to her, ominously quick, brow knitted together, Regina tightened her grip on her newly acquired best friend. It wasn't until her mother leaned back against the desk with a sigh did she relax. "Do you remember when I told you about when I was a child?"
She crinkled her nose in thought. "You mean what it was like to be the miller's daughter?" Inching forward, eager for more information, her eyes went wide as her mother continued to speak.
"Yes. I had to work in the mill all day, wearing nothing but rags, but it taught me something important. The only person I could depend on... was me—and once I learned that lesson, everything changed."
Despite the chill in her mother's tone, Regina merely smiled at her mother, toying with the hem of Isabelle's dress. "I'm happy you don't have to wear rags anymore." Satisfied that conversation was over, Cora started to turn away, back toward her desk, until her daughter piped in again, a bit quieter this time. "M—maybe you can play with me later?"
Cora's eyes jutted up and down, taking in Regina's stature before landing on the doll, a tight-lipped smile on her face. "Hm. You'll have your doll until then." She was halfway out the door as she called over her shoulder. "I'll see you at supper."
…
It wasn't until her vision started to blur did she realize how long she had been staring at the paperwork in her hand. The edges of the paper started to blur together, all of the wording on the page morphing into one large, illegible blob. Accepting defeat with a sigh, she sat back, rubbing at her tired eyes with a pale hand, before pinching the bridge of her nose. Her darkened gaze wafted toward the window opposite her desk.
Snow was drifting about in a wistful breeze, painting the landscape in a joyous winter wonderland. White-tipped evergreen trees were dotted about the rolling hills.
Casting her paperwork aside, deciding that the imbecilic complaints could hold off for another day, she threw her coat over her shoulders. Forgoing her typical carriage, the mistress slipped out the door.
People countlessly referred to Regina Mills' heart as stone cold. An evil queen in her prime. Those that said so had never truly felt the wrath of snow and ice, did not know the true definition of evil, she thought as her boots crunched underneath the blanket of snow under her feet. Stone cold was when the ice bit at your skin to the point that your entire body felt numb. Everything inside of you felt rigid and stiff. Flexing, she watched mindlessly as her gloved fingers curled inward. She relaxed her hands with a shaky exhale, a crystalized cloud materializing as her hot breath met the cold air. Those dim-witted folks haven't a clue about how cold and evil she could truly be.
Crossing her arms over her chest, her regal and composed demeanor momentarily forgotten as she trudged down the cold streets, a scowl formed on her ruby lips as she watched the scenery pass her by. The same downtrodden cobblestone streets, day in and day out, highlighted dimly by the shabby streetlights. In the dead of night, not a single light shone inside the numerous homes that lined the roadway of main street Storybrooke. Everyone was nestled in their warm beds, sound asleep. She envied those people.
Met by a cold blast of wind, Regina ducked her head, shielding herself from the onslaught of snow plaguing her.
In hindsight, stepping outside for a breath of fresh air wasn't the sharpest of ideas. Steeling her expression, she concluded that she would still rather be facing the elements that facing that tremendous pile of paperwork invading her desk.
'Tis the season... she thought with another exasperated sigh.
Clenching and unclenching her fists, she felt a familiar boil well up in the pit of her stomach, her throat started to burn. She chalked up the tears welling in her eyes to wind lashing at her face. She wanted to set something on fire. Baring her teeth, she let out a howl that would but a wolf to shame. A violet sob ripped from her throat. The wind slashed at her face, the blasts of cold air threatening to freeze the tears streaming down her cheeks. She wasn't sure how long she stood there crying out into the night, the wind and snow whipping around her, chilling her to the bone. All that she knew was, when a light from a nearby home flickered in the darkness, she bolted.
If anyone were to see her like this her firm reputation was ruined.
Ducking into a nearby alleyway, she hastily wiped at her tears.
At first, she assumed the sniffling, the shifting in the still of the night, was her own doing; what caused the woman to lift a quizzical brow was when a whimper sounded from the darkened alleyway.
"...what the hell?"
Despite her better judgement, she trudged toward the unsettling noise. "Hello?" Her voice echoed in the streets, sounding far more ominous than even she intended it to be. Though, had anyone followed her, she would have their head. "Is anyone there?" She exhaled, glancing around. With a roll of her eyes, she was about to conclude that all of the commotion was caused by a mere critter mucking around in the night, until a shifting to her right caught her attention. Narrowed eyes eventually settled on a pile of trash—a moving pile of trash.
The moving ceased but a whimper sounded again.
Regina cocked her head to the side, a shiver to running down her spine. With a scoff, she debated on leaving whatever the hell it was to its own devices. She had enough problems of her own to deal with, after all. Just as she started to turn on her heel a cough echoed in the still of the night. "Damn it." Rolling her eyes, she settled back into she mounds of snow. She couldn't exactly leave a person behind now, could she?
Could she...?
People may assume she's the evil queen, but even she wasn't that harsh. Besides, there were potential witnesses.
To say she was surprised by what she saw was the understatement of the century. A young woman lifted her head. Hooded emerald eyes met a confused gaze with odd intensity. The shivering woman offered Regina a sheepish smile. "Hi."
Furrowing her brow, she shook her head. "Who are you?" Not a hello in return. No longer concerned if the woman inside the box was okay. Her demeanor was off-putting and she did not like it. Regina was now utterly confused and wanted answers. "What are you doing here?"
The strange unsettling composure was shaken as she coughed violently. "Emma," she managed between rasps. "Emma Swan." Taking in a shaky breath, she unsteadily challenged Regina, "I could ask you the same question. You're in my home."
"In your—what?" Dark eyes raked the woman up and down and she swore she thought she saw the woman smirk at the action. Perhaps it was a trick of the light. It was incredibly dark and the lights were weak, after all. "You live," her eyes surveyed her surroundings, "here?"
Crawling forward so that she was sitting cross-legged in the snow beside Regina, not at all bothered by it seeping through her clothing, Emma shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah. Not like I really have any place else to go."
Now, more than ever, Regina wished she had remained inside, surrounded by her piles and piles of paperwork. Instead, she was shivering, stuck in the snow with some woman that was clearly deranged—Emma was sent into another coughing fit, causing Regina to arch her brow—and dying by the sound of it.
"Uh... you okay over there?"
"Oh that?" Emma waved her hand nonchalantly, flashing Regina another aggravating smirk, "totally nothing. I'm fine. Just a bit of a cold from, you know, the cold."
Another uncomfortable chill ran down Regina's spine. "Yes, well, I can certainly see how. I'm freezing, my fingers are numb, I can no longer feel my nose-"
Her rant was cut short by Emma interjection. "- your cheeks are flushed."
Blinking once—twice—Regina regained her composure by waving her hand in the air. "Hm." She clicked her tongue. "I wouldn't know. I believe my face is frost-bitten."
Rolling her eyes, Emma rose somewhat unsteadily to her feet, dusting the snow off of her with a quick shake. She cocked her head to the side studying the other woman from her newfound vantage point. Mimicking Regina's click of the tongue, she countered, "Hm. Yes, well, you don't have to sit here, ya know? ...what are you still doing here, anyway?" There was a hint of amusement in her eyes as she extended her hand. "You don't seem very fond of me."
Ignoring Emma's extended hand Regina crossed her arms over her chest. "You're right. I'm not." She had every intention of snarling at the other woman, the vicious growl was on the tip of her tongue, except when she opened her mouth, a laugh was what escaped her lips. One side of her mouth upturned a bit in a lop-sided smile. "But, you sounded like you were dying—except despite the fact that you sound horrible you seem fine to me." Her gaze searched Emma from head to toe. Clothing was worn and soaked in snow and ice. She looked filthy to put it gently. "...on second thought... when was the last time you had a shower?"
Emma opened her mouth to rebut, but an oddly loud grumbling cut her off. Reddened cheeks were tinted even more so as the blonde averted her gaze.
"Either that was another shabby, annoying creature or your stomach." Quirking her brow, she eyed Swan. "...when was the last time you had a decent meal?"
Scrunching her nose Emma appeared to be in deep thought.
That alone was enough of an answer for Regina. "Don't hurt yourself, dear."
"You know, you're awfully vicious for someone I just found crying in an alleyway in the middle of the night." Regina's eyes widened, any resemblance of a smile instantly wiped from her features. A small smirk tugged at the corners of Emma's lips. Mirroring her new acquaintance's posture, Emma crossed her arms. "Yeah, I saw and I don't know why, but it appears that you want to keep any proof that you are an actual human with emotions to yourself. Hell, I thought I had problems..."
"If you speak one word of anything you saw tonight to anyone in this town, I will personally make sure that you will never get off of these streets."
"I'll survive. What's in it for me? Tis the season for giving, after all."
The woman unnerved her for reasons she could not put her finger on. She was cocky and extremely unsettling. A common street rat by the looks of it, and for the time being, it looked like Regina was stuck with her. A faux smile was plastered across her face as she spoke, "...how would you like a warm meal and a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted? After that I won't feel quite so bad about throwing you back on the streets."
Seeming to ignore Regina's final sentence, Emma sighed, though there was a slight quirk to her lips. "Got anything stronger?"
...
Whatcha think? Just in case, I feel the need to say that I cannot take full credit for the opening scene. I merely narrated a scene from 5x19! Also: my tumblr is linked on my profile. Feel free to follow me there for the occasional story update and other random nonsense!