As she gazed down the line of peasants in front of her, a smirk appeared on her perfectly red lips. "Finally," she thought to herself, "I've found her." She strutted over to the blonde woman with wild hair and bright green eyes. "You, what is your name?" The blonde stepped forward, meeting the Queen's dark eyes. "Emma, your majesty. Emma Swan."
"Well Miss Swan, I have been looking for you for quite a while. You see, I do not take lightly to people slandering my name, especially people like yourself." The Queen sneered.
"I beg your pardon, but I would never do such a thing." Emma responded, not trying to hide the sarcasm from her voice.
"Silence!" The Queen demanded, using her infamous magic to quell Emma's voice. "You have voiced your opinion too frequently for my liking, so you will come with me, where my guards have a special fate awaiting you."
Emma tried to protest, but the Queen still had a hold of her voice.
The Queen dragged Emma along her at her side, tossing her into the royal carriage.
As the carriage made its way back to the palace, the Queen released her hold on Emma's voice. "So Miss Swan, care to indulge me as to why you desire to tarnish my name?" Emma snorted back a laugh, "Because my opinion is the only thing to hurt your reputation? You've never done anything to earn the title Evil Queen?" The sarcasm oozed from her accusations.
The Queen cast a sly smile, knowing that her reputation preceded her wherever she went. "Well," she sighed "I must confess I did not detain you simply because you were spreading rumors about me." Her eyes fluttered down for a brief moment. Her voice faltered. "I have a task for you to complete, and it can only be completed by you."
Emma perked up instantly, wondering what the mysterious Queen could want from her. "You see, I heard about your abilities to weave dream catchers. Many people in the village talk about your talented hands, and I desire a special dream catcher woven by only the most skilled artist." Emma was taken aback. She did love to make dream catchers, but it was mostly for her friends and family. She loved spending time alone, working with her hands, and feeling her worries slip away as she crafted the beautiful works.
Curious as to why the Queen wanted one of her dream catchers, she asked, "You couldn't have simply asked at the village? You had to drag me all the way to your castle? And what do you want one of my dream catchers for anyway?"
The Queen met Emma's eyes, and Emma saw something that looked almost like sadness. Something that humanized the Queen more than Emma had ever thought possible. Before the Queen could respond, the carriage came to a halt and one of the guards opened the door. The Queen's expression changed, and she scoffed "That is none of your business Miss Swan."
"Emma." The Queen stopped in her tracks. "Please, call me Emma." The Queen gave her a quick, quizzical glance before stepping out into the dusk.
"The guards will show you to your room," The Queen said sharply, "and I will call on you later to give you your instructions." Emma nodded, taken aback by the enormity of the castle. "Oh and Miss Swan, please be so kind as to bathe yourself before we meet again." Emma rolled her eyes and followed the guard to her temporary home for the foreseeable future.
Emma's eyes widened as she entered her chamber, and though by royal standards it wasn't much, to Emma it was the most grandiose place she had ever seen. Intricate tapestries covered the walls, a massive four-post bed sat in the center of the room, and there was a large fireplace where a soft rug and a blazing fire called her name. She started taking off the layers of clothes she was wearing until she was in nothing but a long cream tunic. She started pumping the water for her bath, surprised to find it already hot. "This Queen has everything she could ever want." Emma thought to herself. As she climbed into the scalding bath, her whole body quivered. Rarely had she taken a full bath, and never in water so gloriously warm. It felt like heaven to sink deeper into the tub, and she quickly ducked her head under. She held her breath under water to experience the fullness of warmth, and she stayed there until she thought her lungs would burst. Gasping for air, she broke the surface and wiped her eyes, only to find the Queen staring at her from the doorway.
Startled, but unmoving from her bath, Emma yelped, "Do you knock in this castle?"
The Queen blinked a few times, still adjusting to what she was seeing, and said "I.. I did knock, but you didn't answer, so I.. I just came in. It is my castle after all, dear." She attempted to regain her composure. "Well, I apologize your majesty, but I was preoccupied, so if you give me a few moments I will make myself more presentable."
"Thank you, that would be fine. And…" She paused. "You may call me Regina. We are clearly much more acquainted now, so first name basis should be acceptable… Emma." She smiled a soft smile that Emma had not seen before. In fact, the woman before her hardly looked like the Queen she had ridden in the carriage with. Her makeup was mostly gone, her hair was down and flowed to her back, and she was in a simple, yet stunning purple dressing gown that hugged her waist then flowed gracefully to the ground.
It was Emma's turn to regain composure, stammering "Yes, that would be nice your majest— I mean Regina." She watched the woman walk away, stunned by her beauty and effortless elegance. Emma quickly got out of her bath, grabbed the nearest towel, dried off, then realized she only had her tunic to wear out of the bathroom. She pulled it on quickly, and went back into the attached bedroom where Regina was waiting. "I.. I don't really have anything else to wear besides this tunic for right now, and my clothes seem to have disappeared." She stated as she looked around for her discarded garments, glancing quizzically at the beautiful queen. "Oh, I had the servant take them down to be washed and dried," Regina said casually, "I couldn't stand the smell." Emma blushed, embarrassed by what she imagined was a very unpleasant odor that came from her clothes. "I'm sorry, I don't have many options in the village, and I had to clean the stables, and—" Regina held up her hands. "Don't be ashamed, I know the smell of stables and hay very well. But since I have the means, I figured the least I could do was send your clothes to be washed." Emma sighed a thank you, then realized she was still standing in her undergarments in front of the Queen.
"Well, what do I do about this situation?" She asked, pulling her shirt down as far as it could go, barely covering her lower half. "Well dear I don't mind if you don't, but there is a nightgown in the dresser next to the bed if you desire that instead."
Regina could tell Emma was confused by what she just said, she didn't really know why she said it herself. It simply rolled off of her tongue, and she couldn't take it back. Emma kept looking at Regina with an odd, half-cocked smile, her emerald eyes sparkling, then walked over to the dresser and opened the drawer. She pulled out a floor length green nightgown, and with one swoop, removed her shirt, and tossed the gown on. Regina couldn't help but glance at the woman's perfect physique, tanned and toned from working in her village. The way her damp hair caressed the small of her back as she pulled the gown over her head and past her perfectly round—
Regina shook her head and realized she had been staring at this girl for an inappropriate amount of time. Emma realized it as well, and asked "Do you see something you like?" Regina gaped in awe of the question she was just asked, words stumbling out of her mouth uncontrollably. "You.. I.. But…" She cleared her throat and shook off Emma's words. "Miss Swan, I only visited your chambers to discuss your impending project, not to fraternize with you." Emma laughed, "Suit your self your majesty, but you seem to be interested in other things besides just discussion."
Again, Regina found herself incapable of words after what Emma said, enamored by her beauty and her honesty.
Emma enjoyed teasing the clearly nervous Queen, but as she looked at her longer, she saw a veil of sadness that seemed to come over the Queen.
"I need to forget something," Regina bluntly stated. "I need a memory removed and you can help me. I've seen your elaborate dream catchers and I need a special one woven so I can extract a memory from myself and destroy it."
Emma couldn't hide her shocked expression. This was a woman who had crushed countless people's hearts, enslaved entire villages, yet she wanted one single memory erased? What horrible event could she have perpetrated to desire one moment gone?
"I will help you," Emma said carefully, "But I want you to tell me what you want removed." Regina, who had crossed to the other side of the chamber, suddenly spun around, anger flaring in her amber eyes. "Miss Swan, I do not want to discuss the nature of my past and the reasons I desire to have the memory removed." She turned and was about to walk out before Emma said, "I just want to know you more."
Regina stopped in her tracks, her back to Emma. Why would this woman want to know her? Emma knew of all the heinous acts she committed, so what would be the motive for knowing more of her? She slowly turned around, her eyes not meeting Emma's. "Why on earth do you want to know me?" Emma walked over to her, cupping Regina's cheek in her hand. "Because I believe there is so much more to you than the Evil Queen." Regina's eyes watered at Emma's words, and she tried to turn away but Emma gently held her face, gazing into the mysterious eyes of the Queen.
How could this peasant, this girl she had only known for a day, connect with her so intensely?
Regina sighed, and reluctantly guided Emma over to the chaise beside the fire. After several moments of unsteady gazes and deep breaths, Regain finally said, "I will tell you, but you must swear to never tell a soul." Emma nodded, knowing that she would keep her word even if she heard the dastardliest story. There was something about the Queen that she couldn't shake. It was a sadness, almost an emptiness in her voice that intrigued Emma more by the minute. This woman ruled the kingdom, yet sometimes she seemed more vulnerable than a child who had become lost in the village.
Regina proceeded to tell her about her first love, Daniel, who was a stable boy many years ago. They had plans to run away together, but once her mother found out, she tried persuading Regina to walk away from the relationship in order to pursue the throne. When Regina refused, her mother killed Daniel in front of her, ripping out his heart and crushing it before her very eyes. At this point, Regina was speaking through sobs, tears clouding her vision and inhibiting her speech. Emma couldn't bear to see this strong, powerful woman so broken down. She pulled her into an embrace, hugging the Queen against her shoulders. Regina quietly sobbed while Emma comforted her. She felt horrible making Regain relive this experience; she never expected to hear a memory like this one.
Emma could not come up with words, so she sat there, cradling the fragile Queen in her arms, letting her cry as much as she needed. She gently kissed the top of her raven hair, "I'm so sorry, Regina. If I had known how much pain it would cause you I would not have asked you to tell me…" She drifted off, as Regina looked up at her, eyes red and swollen from crying. "It's okay," she said. Emma was surprised by this answer, expecting the queen to be angry with her for making her revisit such a traumatic experience. "But now you know why I want it removed. That time plagues my mind, and it needs to be removed. My relationship with Daniel caused nothing but pain, I don't want to relieve that every day." She wiped the tears from her eyes, but was still leaning on Emma's shoulder.
Emma looked at the woman next to her for what seemed like quite a while. As the Queen started to collect herself, Emma blurted out, "I don't think you should remove that memory." Regina turned her head towards the blonde, tears reforming in her eyes. "Why should I want to remember the worst thing that happened to me?" Emma searched for a simple answer, but couldn't come up with one in time before Regina sharply stood up and said, "I see…, you wanted to know my secrets but now you won't help me. You exploited my weakness. I should have known not to trust a peasant." Regina stormed towards the door, angry tears stinging her eyes. Emma bolted after her, grabbed her wrist and spun her around. The two were mere inches away, green eyes gazing into pools of brown.
"I don't think you should remove those memories because I don't think you should forget what love feels like." Emma whispered. In one quick motion, she grabbed Regina's tear-stained cheek and kissed her with a fire hotter than the one burning behind them. The kiss seemed to last forever, and both women would have been fine with that. It was Regina who broke away first, however, gasping for air. They had clearly been too focused on the kiss to remember how to breathe because both women were panting.
Emma looked at Regina, eyes wildly searching to see how the Queen was reacting. Regina looked back at her, unsure at first, but then slowly pulled the blonde into another long kiss. There was something between them that was undeniable from the beginning. Regina had never felt so close to someone in such a short period of time. The simple kiss soon became heated, both women grasping at the others' hair, attempting to become even closer than they were. Regina started guiding Emma toward the large bed in the chamber, even as they were still tangling tongues. Emma's back hit the bed, and her eyes flew open. She broke the heated kiss, trying to catch her breath. "Regina," she stammered, "I don't want to push you to do anything. You were so honest with me and I hope you know I would never take advantage of you." Regina stared into the other woman's eyes, knowing her words were true. "I think the issue was I never found anyone else I genuinely wanted to let in. So in that action I assumed I could never feel love again." Her eyes flickered down to Emma's heaving chest. "But, my dear, I may have just found that in you."
With those words, Regina pushed Emma onto the soft bed, climbing on top of the woman whose eyes were wild with anticipation and excitement. Regina leaned over her to kiss her once more as they made their way to the center of the large, downy mattress. Regina started trailing kisses down Emma's freshly washed skin, stopping when she got to the fabric of her dress. Regina tangled one hand in Emma's hair and continued to passionately kiss her as her other hand found its way to Emma's breast. Gently squeezing it, Emma let out a small moan. "We must remove this dress if you really want to enjoy this," Regina said with a mischievous smile. Regina helped Emma sit up and pull the dress over her head, her blonde hair cascading down her now naked body. Regina fully took in the beauty of the woman in front of her. "I'm not going to sit here naked while you are still fully clothed!" Emma stated, snapping Regina out of her trance. "Very well, but I will you're your assistance," she teased. Now it was Emma's to pull the silky material up and over the Queen's head, tossing the garment to the floor.
Both women simply looked at each other for a moment. It was the first time either of them had been with a woman in this way, and they were both equally nervous and excited. There was a clear attraction in the short time they had known each other. Their differing personalities complimented each other well, and their combined beauty was unparalleled. This time it was Emma who made the first move, grasping the back of Regina's neck and changing positions so Regina lay down on the bed. Regina started to protest, but Emma said, "I want to show you how to love again," and Regina fell silent, basking in the happiness she felt knowing those words were true.
Emma started at the base of Regina's neck, sucking and kissing down to her magnificent breasts. She took Regina's hard nipple in her mouth and gently sucked, rolling her tongue along the tip. She played with her other nipple with her free hand, gently twisting and pinching it. Regina could hardly contain herself, writhing and moaning with Emma's every motion. "Oh Emma that feels incredible," she gasped, clutching the bed beneath her. Her hips were moving up and down, and Emma quickly took notice. She removed her free hand while her mouth was still toying with Regina's breast, and trailed it down to the Queen's hipbone. She dragged her fingers gently down and could feel the heat radiating off her pussy. She teased Regina, touching her outer lips and inner thigh, but did not go further.
"Emma, please," Regina gasped, "I can't take it. I need you inside me." Hearing her Queen utter those words, Emma plunged two fingers immediately into her soaking pussy. Regina screamed with pleasure, feeling herself tighten around Emma's fingers. Two fingers pumped in Regina while one found her clit and ferociously fondled it. Emma finally let Regina's nipple out of her mouth and looked up to see the Queen's eyes shut and her head tilted back, concentrating on the pleasure she was receiving. Emma continued pleasuring Regina, but only for a minute longer. She stopped quickly, and Regina looked shocked and disappointed. Before she could voice her disappointment, Emma spread her legs apart and lowered her own head down, licking her pussy softly. She reinserted her two fingers and Regina let out an even more satisfied moan, her hips bucking in attempt to quicken Emma's pace. Emma found Regina's clit with her mouth and lightly sucked, causing Regina to cry out. "Emma don't stop, please." After what felt like only seconds, Regina cried out again "Emma, I'm coming!" Her whole body shook with an intense orgasm, and Emma continued to softly lick her Queen's soaking pussy.
Both women lay drenched in sweat, eyes closed, fully taking in what just happened. Between labored breathing, Regina simply said, "Amazing," She moved her body toward Emma's, and curled up in the nook of the blonde woman's shoulder. She sighed, happier than she had been in years. "But you haven't had your turn yet." She purred into her lover's ear.