The statue always seemed bigger than life, the woman looking up at the sky, victorious. Emma imagines dark blue eyes when she looks at the grey stone caricature, bright and matching the happy quirk of her lips.
"You should stay away from the Evil Queen, Princess," Grumpy says, muttering, "Who knows, your magic just might wake her up by accident, for all the training you've been getting."
Emma glances over at her loyal guard, solemn. "Why was she happy when they froze her?"
Grumpy briefly looks to the statue, obviously still uneasy after eight years of the Evil Queen being a stone husk. "They say that a dragon was flying overhead. She looked up and the Wicked Witch took her chance. The Evil Queen didn't even know what was happening until it was already done. Distracted."
"She must have been friends with the dragon," Emma looks back to the statue, "Maybe it was Aunt Mal – do you think Lily was with her?"
"Probably, Princess. Dragons don't just leave their hatchlings behind and Maleficent's never had any other kids to protect."
Emma stares at the once-queen a few moments longer, wondering. What would have happened if Lady Zelena hadn't frozen the Evil Queen? Would I still be a princess? Would we all be in the Most Horrible Realm? The Evil Queen just smiles up at the sky and Emma feels a familiar brush of cold along her neck. Shivering, she twists, looking around for the culprit, a brilliant smile appearing on her face as she spies them.
"Elsa!"
The Queen of Arendelle grins as Emma rushes up to her, jumping into her arms. Elsa swings her around, hugging her tightly.
"Oh, my Emma! How are you?"
"I'm good, how are you and Arendelle?"
"We're cold, as usual," Elsa grins at Emma, hitching her up onto her hip before looking around the small garden. "I've never been in here before."
"It's the Apple Garden," Emma explains, before pointing over to the statue, pressing her head against Elsa's. "The Evil Queen is made of stone, over there, see! Grumpy says I shouldn't go near her, because I might wake her up by accident."
"With your magic, it's highly likely," Elsa frowns, glancing at Grumpy. "Shall we vacate the area?" Grumpy grunts and the three go inside, to Emma's complaints.
"But I want to stay longer."
"Don't you have lessons at this time?" Elsa deviates, "Are your magic lessons not on right now?"
"They're after morning meal. I'm supposed to be learning how to sew right now, but Her Majesty's busy."
Elsa hums sadly, "A shame. Would you like to have a little magic lesson from me?"
"Yes! Yes please, Elsa!"
Once upon a time, Rumplestiltskin had a child. His name was Baelfire and he was lost to his father, known as the Dark One and the Spinner. Baelfire travelled through the realms, making a place for himself on the cursed isle of Neverland for hundreds of years, where his grandfather ran amuck as Peter Pan, stealing children, creating nightmares and polluting Neverland with his ideal of immortality.
Eventually, Baelfire found himself in the Enchanted Forest again, returning with the dastardly, murderous Captain Hook, eventually running into a good woman by the name of Belle.
This would be a chance, a coincidence that…well, would shake the fate of the realms.
Baelfire would travel with Belle, silent and steady as she explains her circumstances – being a maid for the Dark One, for his father, Rumplestiltskin – walking along the road with her and being captured with her, the Evil Queen taking them and imprisoning them in a tall tower. Maybe, perhaps, had Belle been alone, she would have never escaped, but Baelfire was with her and in nearly three hundred years, he'd not lived that long without learning a little magic.
They found their way back to Rumplestiltskin's manor, but by then, he'd already been trapped in Snow White's dungeon. Only by yet another stroke of luck was Rumplestiltskin made aware, when Zelena of Oz snuck into the caves and told the scaled magic-user of their fates, having been spying on her sister, Regina, the Evil Queen, for so very long.
Rumplestiltskin told Zelena how to trap the Evil Queen before she enacted the Dark Curs, using a woven enchantment that can only be broken by True Love's kiss.
"But this is…this is wonderful! The whole point of using the Dark Curse is so Regina can find her happiness! She has no True Love!" Zelena exclaimed, to the Dark One's pleasure.
"Exactly, dearie."
Twists of fate like that of Baelfire finding his way to the Enchanted Forest ripple, but they never ripple enough to demolish an entire timeline. Yes, Rumplestiltskin realises the Dark Curse shouldn't be used as his son isn't in another realm anymore and acts to stop Regina – but Baelfire and Zelena's actions are that of two persons and the magical rule of three rules.
So, to make a third, to change the future and rewrite Once Upon a Time, Maleficent doesn't ever leave her cave and so, the dragon Lilith is hatched and raised in the Enchanted Forest and Princess Emma's potential for darkness remains.
"I finally mastered freehand horseback riding today," the young princess says, toying with strands of grass as she sits at the feet of the Evil Queen's statue. "I know that might not sound so impressive to you…Mother- Her Majesty, sorry. She says that you were a genius with horses, that you could outride any in the White Kingdom. It matters to me, though. I want to be able to use my bow or my sword or my magic – when I'm riding, I mean."
Emma glances upwards, eyes tracing the shadow of the statue's jaw as she lays gangly arms over her knees. "Some of the soldiers say I shouldn't ride like I do, that I should ride side-saddle, but side-saddle's boring. You would know about that – Mother said you complained well enough in the privacy of your own quarters to her, when she was young. Not that that's any better. It's ridiculous, how Grandfather acted, marrying you. Mother gets upset every time I bring it up though, always blaming you and you alone. Your actions were your own. I understand that, I- well, I just understand it. You acted of your own accord. I just think that sometimes, Mother forgets that evil isn't born, it's made."
The statue is silent, as ever.
Emma sighs, looking down.
"Sorry I talk to you all the time. They say Lady Zelena cursed you in such a way that only True Love's kiss will wake you, but the way you've been cursed is strange, so the people make up stories about how you can hear, feel, see everything…I wonder if you can. If you do, well, I'm the only one really dumb enough to fall for a statue," Emma grins to herself, glancing up at the statue before standing up, patting the Evil Queen's stone arm. "Here's a bet – if I manage to wake you with True Love's kiss, Regina, then I'll gladly defend you against my parents and get you out of here. Elsa'll put us up. Ana's a sucker for a good love-story and Elsa, despite being the responsible adult type-"
Emma pauses there, grimacing. "Actually, no, not Elsa. Elsa is the responsible adult type. She'd totally sell me out to my parents. I've got to think of someone else to hide us for our grand escape." Emma rests her hand in the Evil Queen's, feeling the warm stone beneath and sighing, quickly being reminded at how the statue is really an actual, living person. "I'll come by tonight again, if I can. I really don't want to have to put up with Leonard and Scarlet and James and Ruthie and Zulia screaming and running rings around me. To think, there's another on the way."
She stands there for a long few moments, holding onto the stone hand. If she really feels and hears and sees, Emma thinks, then I'm all she's got.
Bells ring loud and clear, soldiers rushing through the castle as King David calls them to arms. Emma, for her part, climbs out of her window, lowering herself past the wards keeping her from magically teleporting herself away…and then magically teleporting herself away.
Appearing in the Apple Garden, Emma hides behind a pillar, looking around the Garden before hurrying forwards and taking the Evil Queen's stone hand firmly.
"Okay, sorry, you're about to be uprooted very abruptly, but Rumplestiltskin's been released and I really don't want you to be destroyed or something." Emma holds on tight, squeezing her eyes shut and magically teleporting them both to her favourite secret hideout in the forest. Immediately, she drops to the ground, rolling onto her back, panting. "Too far. Too…far. Never done that…far, before."
After taking a minute to regain her normal heartbeat, Emma sits up, looking up at the statue – who now looks up at the inside of a tree-trunk with her usual smile, when she should be staring at the sky, as if there's a dragon roaring and swooping above her head.
"Sorry for the view. Got to keep my favourite statue safe, though." Emma takes a second longer, shutting her eyes before hauling herself to her feet, unsteady briefly before she regains her balance, swallowing nervously. "Alright. Back home, then. I'll come visit you soon, hopefully. I won't bother warding this place – it would attract a bit more attention than you need. Just don't magically burst out of your cocoon or something, okay?"
Emma goes to teleport home, awaiting the imminent energy drain, but she looks at the statue, at the woman who she has told her most treasured secrets and has potentially saved from being obliterates – and Emma hesitates.
She's in danger. There's no harm in trying.
Impulsively, Emma leans over, pressing her lips against a warm, stone cheek.
"-obviously been moved! She was there last time we checked, Dark One, don't blame us for someone else's loyalty to their Queen!" King David shouts.
"Well, if you had kept an actual guard on her-" Rumplestiltskin begins, before being interrupted.
"Why don't you just ask Emma?"
Everyone in the court looks to the visiting dragon, Lilith unconcerned with their gazes as she picks at her nails. Hair up in her usual messy bun, she's a sight for sore eyes in the White Kingdom.
"Lily, I didn't realise you were back," Snow smiles tiredly at her. "Why would we ask Emma, sweetie?"
Lilith spares Snow a small smile before glancing at Rumplestiltskin. "Princess Emma, in case you didn't get the memo, oldest and stupidest of the White Royals. First female heir after her brothers, Leonard, James and Arthur."
"I know who she is, you little fire-breathing wretch," Rumplestiltskin grumbles, "Not to repeat the Queen, but why would we ask Emma?"
"You missed out 'sweetie'," Lilith points out, before replying properly. "Emma visits her all the time. Like, literally, once she visited her four times over the course of twelve hours. She spills her proverbial guts to that statue."
"And where is the darling princess?" the Dark One looks around, eyeing the six White children in attendance but looking away as the court starts to murmur to themselves. "Queen Snow, where is your wayward daughter? Missing too?"
In an instant, Emma is backing away, because she hears a crack. Eyes wide, Emma stares as the statue cracks and cracks and cracks, line after line appearing before the statue is completely covered.
"Regina…"
The statue moves and then grey dust bursts off her, falling to the ground as she does with a loud, rasping gasp.
"Oh my god," Emma hurries to her knees, eyes wide as she reaches out. "You're awake, you're awake. I can't believe this is happening-"
"Emma, do me a favour and be quiet for once in your damn life," she's interrupted, the Evil Queen's low, croaking voice silencing her far faster than any reprimand ever has. Emma watches, waiting as the Evil Queen breathes in and out, thin pale hands that she's held as stone coming to clutch the end of her knee-length leather riding coat.
After seemingly forever, the woman finally looks up and Emma is taken away by just how beautiful she is.
"Hi," she breathes.
"Hello, Emma," Regina greets roughly, eyes dark but so very visibly relieved. "I'd like to cache in on that bet, please. I hope you've come up with a better relation since then."