Kind of AU but not completely. Hope ya'll enjoy!
It had been a day of torment and distress. Being forced to spend hours in the company of self-righteous snobs, only aiming to grab hold of a suitable partner, is enough to tire anyone. Even Regina. She'd initially contemplated feigning illness to avoid attending this ball entirely, not that her mother would have made that easy. But once informed that she was going to be there, Regina knew she would subject herself to even the most insufferable boredom just to gain a glimpse of this beauty that plagued her dreams. Her beauty.
Her beauty, whom Regina now watched from a distance, could only be described as breathtaking. Her golden hair was pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck but strands of her shining curls had escaped, framing her porcelain face and accentuating her vibrant green eyes. She didn't walk; her slight form glided across the floor with unconsciously graceful movements. And when she turned to face Regina from across the room, her lush lashes rose to reveal an intensity in her gaze and her blood-red lips curved into what can only be described as a suggestive smile.
Regina groaned at the implications of that smile.
Startled glances from immediate company were what finally drew her from her thoughts. She coughed, covering her mouth with her hand in hope to disguise the noises that had just escaped her lips. She didn't miss her mother's disapproving sneer. A lady must never allow herself to be anything less than poised and perfect when in the company of others.
She straightened her back and sucked in as much of a breath as her tight corset would allow. When her mother's eyes drifted back to the lady beside her she allowed herself to find her beauty in the crowd once more. There she stood, befitting of her name, a swan amongst mere ducks. Lady Emma.
How did she ever let things get this far? Stolen glances in her Emma's direction is what she had to settle for in the public eye, but her mind constantly reels with possibilities of what may occur if she were able to steel the other woman away from the crowds for just a short half hour. She'd let her physical needs possess her one too many times and now she was addicted.
"He is so handsome," young Snow White said, wonderment evident in her tone. Regina followed the gaze of her companion until she was met with the sight of Lord Robin of Locksley.
"Yes, and the son of an Earl. A very eligible bachelor indeed." Regina's mother concluded, eyeing her daughter.
Regina almost scoffed at the thought. When had eligible come only to mean single and wealthy? How could this womaniser be more worthy of her affection than a woman whom she adored with her entire being? A woman who cherished her unconditionally?
She watched, bitterness on her tongue, as he smiled at one of the young girls in his company; the girl then swooned appropriately at the gesture. Regina was in the midst of rolling her eyes when she saw him lift his head and glance in her direction. She ducked from his sight but when she noticed Snow straightening her skirts she knew she had been too late.
"My Lady," Lord Robin greeted in a sultry tone, taking Regina's hand in his and planting a lingering kiss on the back of it. The sight of his lips upon her flesh was enough to make her skin crawl, yet her mother and Snow seemed to glow in his mere presence alone.
She swallowed her pride and listened to his jabbering for what felt like hours. When the sound of the waltz eventually flittered through the air she sighed in relief thinking he would finally depart from their company. Instead, he turned, a confident smile in place, and asked Regina to join him in the first dance.
No. The word lodged itself in the back of her throat and she gulped it down, blanching at the foul taste it left in her mouth. There was no sidestepping this time, not with her mother's eyes boring into her.
She allowed herself to be lead to the dancefloor where she dutifully followed his lead. She kept her head to the left as he made numerous sweeping turns in response to the flourishes of the music. Her skirts danced around her legs, their baby blue colour gracing the ballroom floor.
She'd danced in Emma's arms like this once, in the dimly lit room at the back of the palace. Emma had kissed her lips tenderly before pulling Regina into her arms and swaying them to non-existent music.
"If only I could have you in my arms like this forever," Emma had whispered, "If only I could tell the world that you are mine."
But it was not to be. She was a young unaccounted for lady with beauty and good breeding on her side, to anyone else she and Robin appeared to be perfect pairing.
But how she longed for the one whose mere touch made her knees falter and whose whispered words set fire to her insides.
Her Emma sat in the corner of the ballroom, a melancholy smile playing across parted lips. Her sad eyes following Regina's every movement, every turn and every dip. How could people not see the adoration in her longing gaze? For Regina it was as clear as the moon in the night sky.
But people never cared enough to look. Only she could read the emotions in her Emma's eyes, and only Emma could see the sadness hidden beneath Regina's regal exterior. Only Emma looked past the jewels and the gown, the lifted chin and the quiet disposition… and just saw her in her entirety.
But the love they share is forbidden. And though they knew that their time spent in one another's arms will soon come to a sorrowful end, Regina knew that their scandalous romance would never be forgotten.
SQ
"Regina, we're in the book!" Emma cried, slamming Henry's beloved 'Once Upon a Time' book on the Mayor's marble table. Dust puffed from its pages and Regina coughed as she fanned away the cloud of filth before her.
"Miss Swan! What is the meaning of this?" The Mayor screeched. But Emma's only response was to place a shaking finger on the coloured picture that sat in front of Regina.
Regina's gaze fell to the pages and she gasped.
In the image stood a brunette, clothed in a pale blue dress, wrapped in the arms of a man. Her gaze was set firmly on a blonde with rose red lips, who stood alone in the corner of the ballroom.
No one could deny the resemblance. It was Regina. And it was Emma.
With her heart pounding in her chest she read aloud the title of the chapter.
"The Lady and her Swan."
Silence enveloped them for mere moments before Emma breathed a heavy sigh.
"What. The. Fuck."
Thanks for reading :) Comments always appreciated :D