Prologue

Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave

With a groan she awoke, forcing sandbag weighted eyes to open. Where was she? Slowly her hand rubbed the last bit of sleep from her eyes. Her brown locks of hair covered her hazel eyes as she tried to remember everything that had happened.

Regina. The name echoed in her head causing memories to scream important information into her conscious state forcing her to stand. Her black pant clad legs were shaky as they held her causing her to lean against the table that was beside the chair she had just awoken in. The clumsy movements caused a crystal glass of red wine, almost the color of the cape she was wearing, to shatter upon the tile floor. She was in the castle.

But why?

Why had Red come here? Looking at her hands a part of her prayed they would give her some clue as she was in Regina's castle. The pale hands revealed nothing other than calluses from using a bow and arrows along with swords and daggers from hunting in the woods. Searching her brain she remembered receiving a message from the supposedly evil queen and then…Her brain sent the image of a kiss between the two, desperation on her end and something Red was unable to yet identify from the Queen's lips. She remembered begging in between another kiss, whispering for the older woman to stay.

Why?

Why was the huntress so desperate for the Queen to stay with her? Other than how she felt, the thought of Regina sending her heart thudding against her rib cage while something in her stomach began to dance. Red kept the secret of her feelings from everyone (the hardest were Snow and Cinderella, the two she was closest to in this realm, always wondering why she was roaming the forest trying to tell her how dangerous it was) in the realm except the one who her heart seemed to beat for. Last night she told that Regina how she felt. But why in the realms had she done that? She knew that she was in love with the Queen, since the other found her after surviving the wolf attack, nursing her back to health. But she never told anyone of that incident or the meetings in the forest afterwards. After shaking her head, the missing piece fell into place as she noticed a dark cloud gather on the horizon.

The curse.

Regina was going to doom the land to a curse. Red wouldn't let that happen, wouldn't let the one she loved fall further into darkness. Running she scooped up her weapons that she had left by the door, throwing them onto her body as she ran through the hall. The fabric of her red tunic shirt billowed as she ran while a red bodice held it in place.

As she continued through the halls, men charged towards her, screaming for her to stop. They never stood a chance as she drew her bow, launching arrows rapidly and sending the first few to the floor. Ducking under a sword, her hand clutched an arrow pushing it upwards through the armor into the unprotected chest underneath. Dodging another sword strike she pulled out a short dagger and sword, slicing the man in two. Finally after a few minutes of this, it was hard to tell if her clothes were naturally dyed the blood red they had become. Sheathing her weapons Red continued her run through the halls until she reached the stable. Knocking out a protesting stable boy, she threw herself onto a black horse, no reins or saddle and clutched tightly to the mane as it reared.

Turning its head she guided the horse out of the barn and onto the path, spurring it into a gallop. Leaning against the horse's body, she prayed that she would make it to the Charming's castle knowing that's where Regina would head. The red cape fluttered behind her as they sped through the forest as the hunter hoped she'd catch her prey in time and be able to stop this.

Riding the horse into near death she leapt from it the moment that it's hooves hit the Charming's court yard. Red ran noticing the dark cloud that had gathered over head. She was too late a part of her screamed as her booted feet carried her through the hallways, past the dead guards and the dying wounded. The sound of windows breaking behind her forced her to run faster as she could feel the darkness moving behind her, trying to nip at her heels as she ran.

Finally her hands pushed open the door to where Regina stood triumphantly over the fallen Charming and Snow as darkness swirled around them, wind howling and cutting off any sound but the Queen's laughter.

"No." Red whispered as she watched the world around them began to change, the colors shifting, spinning into something different. Screaming over the win, she called out a single name.

"REGINA!" Her voice was full of pain and love wanting to stop whatever was happening, reaching out towards the other woman. She watched as the deep brown eyes met her own, the only thing she was able to read was confusion and shame. The world groaned as it's fabric was torn apart at the seams and she screamed again, trying to let the other know everything that was running through her head.

"I love you! I'll love you where ever you send us and I'll find you!" Red screamed reaching out towards Regina as the world was covered in darkness as it ripped apart with a scream.