Heyyyy. I hope you enjoy this story. I've been working on this for a while now. This is AU. I don't own OUAT sadly. Same yada yada don't sue me for writing with someone else's characters spiel. RowArk betas this story as well. For those new in this town, go check out her work. It's all amazing!
Anyways, here's what you need to know:
Cora was the Evil Queen in this story. She turned Henry's kingdom into the Dark Kingdom. Think Queen of Hearts + Evil Queen as Regina combined to make Cora's Evil Queen.
The "villains" are no longer evil. Well most of them aren't anyways.
Regina is known as the Assassin or the Dark Knight. She was basically an evil for hire. Yes, she's killed people.
Evil Charmings. Be prepared for this in later chapters. I do mean truly evil Snow and her puppet David. Their band of loyal idiots is also pretty evil.
Redemption and second chances are entirely what this story is about and the potential happiness they can bring for those who take it.
This is NOT a charming family feels story. Not even sorry.
Regina didn't know what she had expected when she stepped through the portal to the new world. It certainly wasn't people not fearing her. It wasn't befriending Kathryn Gold, who was Princess Abigail, daughter of King Midas in the Enchanted Forest. It certainly wasn't the captivating blonde woman sitting at the head of the corporation that deals with all things fairytale and magic here.
Kathryn had found her wandering the street in front of the head office in this city. She knew the brunette was new here by smell alone. Forest wasn't an easy smell to remove. Emma was busy for a few days, so Kat had gotten her a new wardrobe and set her up with a place to stay.
When Emma returned, Kathryn informed her new friend that it was time for her initiation. Regina wouldn't have been as nervous if she had her magic here. Magic existed here, which meant the cuff that Snow had managed to get on her worked too. Kat promised to be there for her afterwards.
Regina had spent a few days at the office with Kathryn and had heard rumors about the boss here. They'd called her a bitch and an ice queen. Surely they hadn't meant the young woman sitting at the desk. The girl barely looked an adult. She was sorely mistaken when hard green eyes raised to meet her.
"I didn't say to send you in. Who told you to come in here? Who are you?" the blonde questioned before jabbing a button on her phone. "Olivia! Olivia who is in my office and why?"
Regina read the name on the desk, E. Swan. The girl had light blonde hair that hung in princess curls to the middle of her back. She had the brightest green eyes she'd ever seen and pale pink lips. The emerald green blouse unbuttoned enough to give her hints at ample cleavage.
"Uh, I-I don't know, Ms. Swan. Kathryn brought her in and said the woman was here for initiation. Didn't she run it by you?" a woman stammered, sounding incredibly nervous.
Emma sighed. "Obviously not, Liv, if I'm asking you what the hell I'm supposed to do with her. Bring me an initiation packet then and a lemon iced tea please. Hold my calls unless it's an emergency," she replied before releasing her intercom.
Emma sat back and ran a hand through her hair before studying the woman before her. She had short dark brown hair that flipped and curled just barely reaching her jaw bone, chocolate colored eyes, and full red lips. Standing by the door, Emma got to see the curves showcased in the tight black pencil skirt and silvery blue blouse. The heels looked like murder but showed off her legs well.
Olivia fumbled through the door, nearly toppling Regina over before rushing to give Emma her drink and a folder. "Did you want anything to drink?" the redhead asked Regina.
"A bottled water would be nice. Thank you…." Regina trailed off, not knowing the woman's name.
"Olivia, and it's my job," the woman replied.
"Today, Ms. Lee. This isn't the time for socializing," Emma warned causing the woman to disappear and reappear with a bottle of water. The woman shut the door upon her latest departure, leaving the two to stare at each other.
Emma took a few sips from her tea before flipping the folder open. "Who are you and which land do you hail from?" she asked.
Regina hesitated. Kathryn had told her this place was for second chances. Here she could retire her title of assassin or dark knight and start anew, where she could just be Regina and figure out who that was.
Emma sighed, realizing why the woman was pausing. "Look, I don't care what you did wherever you're from. Obviously you're magic or from another realm that's dying out which is why you're here. My mother worked in a brothel and used to be evil. So long as you want it, we give you the opportunity to change here and start over. Who are you?" she asked.
Regina bit her bottom lip and looked away before turning back to stare into deep emerald pools. "I am Regina. I come from the Enchanted Forest," she admitted, waiting for recognition. Instead she got boredom and disinterest.
"Fascinating. Do you have a last name Regina? Where in the forest did you live? What did you do?" Emma asked, finding nothing particularly hard about answering her simple questions.
"Really? You don't know me?" Regina wondered.
Emma looked up from the packet and sighed. "Do you know how many new people come through? Do you know how many falsehoods I hear about people, about myself? If you need pictures to comprehend the questions, that can be arranged, but I don't believe you're a common peasant, so please just let's get through this," she snapped.
Regina's gaze narrowed. "I come from royalty," she informed, raising her chin.
Emma laughed. "So do I. The only difference is that here I am still a princess. This corporation is partly mine. You can consider my parents the king and queen of all the magic cities, since without them they wouldn't exist. Now, what did you do in the forest and what is your surname?"
"I'll answer you if you let me ask my own questions," Regina offered.
Emma sighed in annoyance. "I don't have time for this. You can ask, but I probably will not answer," she informed.
"Fair enough, Princess. I have no surname. I renounced my parents, well my mother, when I came of age. I laid no claim to anyone else's land. I resided in No Man's Land. For a while I trained with evil sorcerers. I became the dark knight. People also referred to me as the assassin. Who are your parents?" Regina asked.
"No Man's Land is a dangerous place to be. I've studied it intensely in my magic studies. I'm impressed you lived there. Did the land lay claim to you?" Emma questioned.
Regina's eyes widened. Very few knew that in order to live in No Man's Land, it either had to claim you or be given continuous offerings. If you took care of the land though, the land took care of you. It was perfect for Regina, who had just run away from Cora and didn't have anywhere else to go. The closest land was the White Kingdom, and Regina refused to run to the spoiled princess Snow.
"I sought asylum from it. The land claimed me and I gave it offerings to stay. We had a mutual stake going. Who is your teacher that you know such things?" Regina asked.
"My family is made up of the most powerful sorcerers of all time, myself included. With magic comes knowledge of magic. The lands revealed themselves to me. It gave me a rather large novel on the land. So, you are the assassin. Does that mean you're the one who tried to kill the Dark One?" Emma asked.
Regina shrugged and nodded. "He was one of my teachers. He tricked me many times. When the chance came that he was wanted dead, I offered my services. The imp jumped portal. A shattered dagger came back through. Do you know his whereabouts?" she asked.
"Here, he isn't the Dark One. Like you, he got a second chance and he fully embraced it. He has his son back and a family. If you try and go after him, make no mistake that my family will destroy you. The residents will destroy you. He is much loved now by most," Emma warned. She'd be damned if this newcomer went after her family.
"Message received, but I can't promise some form of revenge that doesn't involve death," Regina replied.
"No! There is no revenge on him. This corporation allows magic beings and those from other realms sanctuary. He already faced his jury and did his retribution. When you're given your travel clearance, you may go talk to him, but you're not allowed to hurt him. There are rules here. You break them and there are consequences," Emma explained.
Regina frowned. Why was this girl fighting so hard to protect the Dark One's honor?
"Okay, what are these so called rules?" Regina asked.
"First, I'm your boss. This flippant attitude you have towards me needs to change. Regardless of where you end up, so long as you're in one of our magic towns you're working for my family. My parents wouldn't tolerate your behavior at all," Emma informed.
"Respect is a two way street, Princess," Regina replied.
"I am the Princess here, Regina. You'd do well to remember that. I am the one who holds court most often. You still have your introduction meeting and airing. It's not going to go well without a mediator if you are indeed the dark knight," Emma stated.
Regina frowned in confusion. "Introduction meeting? Airing?"
Emma nodded. "Once we've finished this paperwork, I file it. You're given until the next court meeting to get acclimated. We have a potion to help instantly give you knowledge of the functions of this world. It'll instill all the rules in your head. At the next court meeting you'll be introduced as your identity. People will be given the opportunity to air grievances towards you. Community service is usually given out to act as redemption. Then you're introduced as your new identity," she explained.
Regina shook her head. "People will call for my execution," she objected.
"Executions are not performed here, except in rare occurrences, and certainly not for past crimes. Like I said, this world is about second chances. You do community service to be determined by the group, and then you get a clean start. Do you want to pick our surname or should I?" Emma asked.
Regina honestly didn't know. She didn't know or trust Emma enough to give her a decent name. She certainly didn't know enough to give herself a proper name here.
"I'm not about to ruin you with the worst name possible. You mentioned that you were a knight of sorts. Would you like Knight as your last name?" Emma asked.
Regina shook her head no. "I don't want any connection to that if I'm getting a fresh start," she decided.
Emma nodded, understanding completely. She produced a blue vial and handed it to Regina. "Drink that. It'll ingrain all knowledge required to function in this world and the rules of SSC," she stated.
Regina eyed it skeptically, but she slowly uncapped it and drank it. Things no longer felt strange and confusing to her. She knew all about Silver Swan Corporation.
"What town are you in?" Emma asked.
"Glen Haven, fourth magic town created in SSC. You are Princess Emma," Regina answered.
Emma nodded. "Indeed, so your surname…." she questioned.
Regina paused. "Give me a few days to research?"
Emma nodded and set about asking common get to know you questions from colors to skills and hobbies or absolute dislikes.
"Princess, you know so much about me now. How about I get to know you more intimately?" Regina husked, her voice lower than before.
Emma's stomach flipped and her heart started beating faster. This wasn't something she was used to. No one dared ask out the daughter of the Evil Queen and the Dark One. No one dared a lot of things because of who she was. It was sort of thrilling having this newcomer challenge her.
"I don't have time for dating, Knight," Emma replied. Her parents would kill this woman if they knew. Well, not kill anymore, but threaten seriously. The last time anyone looked at her wrong they found themselves outside the magic barrier for two weeks.
Regina laughed. "So the Princess is a chicken. I am respecting a chicken," she teased.
Green eyes flashed dangerously. Regina noticed the slightly off colored swirl starting to appear in them. Magic! This girl had magic. She could feel it calling out to hers, trying to connect. She gasped audibly. The last time that happened was when she was trying to steal Snow's baby. She'd never checked what the child was. Surely this couldn't be her. The baby had died after being sent through the tree. Right?
Emma's emotions were growing stronger. Her magic seemed to be reacting to this woman, but why? It'd never reacted to anyone before. She noticed violet taking over Regina's eyes. This woman had magic, but it was somehow tampered with, shut off from reach.
Kathryn felt the air change, almost like electricity was running through it. It'd never happened before. Cora and Rupert had told her it would happen one day, when Emma first met her soulmate. She knew the girl was literally made of magic. It didn't feel as strong as she'd been expecting, but she raced into the main office nonetheless.
Neither Emma nor Regina turned to look at who entered the office. Their staring contest game too strong. They both had one hand out, extended towards the other. Their palms connected and both were zapped abruptly, causing them both to jump back.
"What is going on in here?" Kathryn asked. She hoped one of them knew.
"The princess here just agreed to go on a date with me so I can get to know her better," Regina smirked. It instantly left her face when she saw Kathryn's glare.
"Oh really? What are your intentions with Emmalin? Where do you plan on taking her? She has a curfew you know. She's also allergic to things, so you should tell me what you have planned and when. You're not allowed to try anything inappropriate or sexual until she's ready. That'll be when she's forty, by the way," Kathryn informed.
Regina blinked a few times. "Really? You're giving me the parental first date 'you're not good enough for my daughter' speech?"
Kathryn crossed her arms over her chest. "This isn't a game, Regina. What are your intentions with Emma?" she demanded to know.
Regina held her hands up in surrender. "Calm down. I merely want to get to know her better right now. You cannot decide to be officially dating without a few hangout dates first apparently. That is the custom here according to the potion. I would never force her to do anything she didn't want or wasn't ready for," she assured.
Emma didn't know what to do. Regina had just conned her into a date. She wanted to be mad, but she was also excited! Her first real date. "Abbie, please don't be mad. It's just a harmless date. Please wait and let me tell my parents until I've decided if this is something to tell them or not," she pleaded.
Kathryn looked between the two. Their eyes were starting to return to normal, but the energy was crazy. She knew there was no way Cora, Rupert, and Zelena didn't know what was going on.
"Abbie, she's your responsibility. She wants to try out a few different career options before choosing. I doubt what I do will interest her. I trust you can find people once the airing is over to be willing to hold a career fair for her. Until then she's your assistant. Business was something she's interested in. You can pay her when you see fit. I don't want to have any problems," Emma warned.
Kat nodded. Regina misbehaving here would mean Emma would have to dole out punishment. With the girl's obvious feelings, it would create a conflict of interest. She didn't want to be responsible for that. Kat wouldn't let Emma have to face that challenge.
Emma dismissed them both. Reality of what just happened sunk in slowly. It took her twenty minutes of staring blankly at the closed file folder to realize "holy crap, I've got a date! A date I know nothing about!"
Olivia had walked in to find the girl talking to herself. That wasn't unusual, but the words were. "You have a date? I'm very happy for you Em! Who with?" she asked her friend.
"Regina of No Man's Land," Emma murmured.
Meanwhile, Kat took Regina back to her office. "I hope you know what you're doing. If you break her heart, the entire population of Silver Swan will come after you for your head," Kat warned.
"I don't want to hurt her. I don't know how to date, but the princess intrigues me. Something about her calls to me. It feels right," Regina informed. And it did feel right. Since her mother had killed Daniel, it'd felt like she carried a void in her heart, that something was missing. Being around Emmalin for that short time made her feel complete again.
"Would you like a crash course in Emma?" Kat asked. Her eyes went wide when she realized how that sounded. "I mean would you like to know a few things about her?" she clarified.
Regina laughed and nodded. "Oh gods, she is legal to date right? This won't be some cradle robbing date right?" she asked.
"Technically you're supposed to be in your forties. We know time froze there in the forest. You're legally twenty three. Emma is eighteen. She's just never dated, at least not with the potential to be serious and not just her and her date. She hates the business end of business, but she's really good at it. Emma prefers the creative side of life a lot more. The problem with a town full of artistic, free spirited souls is getting them to cooperate and focus on actual work. You've probably heard she's uptight. In the office she has to be," Kat informed.
Regina frowned. The potion had given her knowledge of the functioning magic towns of Silver Swan. Glen Haven attracted the artsy people. The ones who still crafted things by hand. The ones who lived in art, poetry, and music. It was probably the last place Regina would have picked. Business seemed like something Regina wanted to do. Something drew her to Emma though. She was away from the girl now and all she wanted to do was go find her and be in the same room.
"Why don't people listen to her and do their jobs? She is the princess after all," Regina commented.
Kat scoffed. "Emma hates being called princess. Emma knows how hard it is to abide by rules and deadlines when it comes to expressing creativity, but work is work. She's the only one who can order them around and get the quality in the results. Her reputation suffers a bit for that here. Now, this date, do you have any ideas for it? You have to make it spectacular."
Regina shrugged. She honestly hadn't thought Emma would say yes. Now she had to plan a date for a few hours time. "I honestly don't know. I don't have any money, and surely she is incredibly familiar with Glen Haven," she sighed.
Kat just smiled at her new friend before handing her a card. "Give this to the places you go. It will debit you and as you get paychecks, the amount will be taken from there. Don't go crazy though. You're not getting paid a lot. Emma likes seafood for special occasions. She's allergic to pineapple and coconut. She's also really allergic to stinging insects like bees and wasps. Her curfew is eleven as it's still a weekday. Bring her aunt some flowers. Just tell Moe you need a bouquet of for Malina. You'll earn points with Emma," she advised.
"Her aunt? I thought you were like that role," Regina admitted.
Kat just shook her head no. "Emma is a great girl. I've known her since I've been here. She was about five then. Her mom put me in charge of her well being when she came to live in Glen Haven to go to school a few years ago. I'm the one who has to drag her out of parties and away from things she wants to do to keep her safe. She has a very love-hate relationship with me. Her aunt is her best friend, which is why her parents require me, Graham, and Ruby to keep an eye on her."
"She called you Abbie though," Regina pointed out.
"Emma, my sister Isla, and my father are the only people allowed to call me Abbie. Emma reminds me a lot of Isla. You'll also hear Emma and I call each other Kit. Now, what else do you have planned for this date?"
"I don't want it to be just a typical date here. I noticed an art studio a few blocks over that has things where you can paint murals on a giant canvas. Would she enjoy that?" Regina asked.
Kathryn smiled. Regina had been paying more attention than she appeared. "Emma would love that. You'd better tell her to bring a change of clothes because I'm sure she's going to want to dress nicely for dinner."
"I-I don't have any way to contact her," Regina panicked.
Kat laughed and pulled out a new iPhone from the desk and called to activate it before putting in a few numbers. She handed it to Regina. "Get yourself a case. Those shits are easy to break and expensive to replace. My contact is in there along with Emma's. Granny's number is in there in case you have problems with the apartment and need her," she informed.
Regina just stared at the phone. "Is Emma going to be okay that you gave me her number?" she asked.
Kat smirked. "Don't give it to anyone else or she'll kill us both. She's bound to give it to you anyways."
Regina was already texting Emma. Hello. It's Regina. Kat gave me your number. I need to know where to pick you up tonight. Also, bring a change of clothes you don't mind getting dirty in.
She laughed at the response. Tell Abbie that she's revoked from being free wheeling with my number. Dirty? Sounds fun, but don't mention that to my aunt. She lives in the house next to the gardens on Willow Street. See you at 5:45. My aunt may roast you if you're late :)
Regina was smiling at her phone, completely forgetting about Kathryn or work as she up and left the office, the floral shop in mind.
I promise I don't bite hard. I'm more than curious for your thoughts and feedback. This is a pretty slow chapter but it'll pick up soon. Promise.