a/n Cover made by the amazing spoonofevil on tumblr.

A pint of information

The air in the inn was heavy with smoke and alcohol and the stench of meat beginning to rot from the two big chunks of pork meat the elderly inn-keeper displayer behind the old wooden counter made Emma make a face as she finished her beer, her right hand bleeding slightly all over the table she was seated at, completely alone even though the rest of the place was completely booked.

Leaving the beer with a thud and stretching her arms at her sides, she looked at the blade of her silver sword; the slowly drying oil that permitted her to kill ghosts and wraiths more easily beginning to stench as powerfully as the meat the men gathered around the counter didn't seem to have problems asking for.

Sighing and touching the sword, mentally calculating how much oil she still had, she clenched her free hand, noticing how the wound was already beginning to cure itself, the potion she had drunk before the confrontation doing its work. "Unlike me" She thought somberly, grabbing the beer and gulping down the remains of the beverage, the warmed liquid sloshing for a second on her mouth before she swallowed it, its taste no better than the odor that seem to infest the place.

As she looked at the men in front of her, her right hand still closed, blood also starting to dry and her last gold on the table, a man locked eyes with her, brown eyes widening in fear before the stranger muttered something to the man seated at his side, his back already turning, trying to look away from Emma as fast as possible.

"I think she has cursed me" Emma heard him say and a tired smile curled her lips, her eyes going back already to its last Oren. She had grown accustomed to such words long ago but it still hurt in a way and so she let the world fade away, her witcher senses focusing solely on the little piece of metal that kept jumping from one knuckle to another with the aid of her fingers.

She had been in the path for almost a year now, walking and taking as many contracts as possible, fighting monsters, lifting curses and trying not to die in the process. She had accumulated quite a bit of gold during those jobs but not there she was, not moving an inch from a village's inn just in case something happened.

Sighing and blinking away her thoughts she grabbed her mug and made a face as she looked at the its lack of content, her eyes sifting and glinting slowly under the torches that illuminated the place, the beginning of dusk outside the inn dimming everything considerably, making the ones inside the inn blurry enough to make them invisible. For human eyes at least.

Grabbing her sword she swathed it carefully, the sound of the guard clinking on the scabbard making a few ones turns their head, nastily muttering between them as Emma remained seated, unblinking.

It was the sound of the door opening at her right alongside with a tall and lanky figure that entered through the opened door the thing that made Emma look away, one brow arching as her eyes recognized the newcomer, the purples and reds in the doublet she was wearing looking brown for the humans that were in the inn but a completely splash of color for the keener eyes of the witcher.

"Give me some vodka, girl" She heard the newcomer say to one young blonde girl who had served him earlier, shaking and mumbling the price of the mead as she did so. Humming, Emma leaned back on the chair and crossed her arms, waiting for the moment where Ruby would see her if that hadn't happened yet.

The bard tilted her head to one side and smirked, grabbing the mug and turning already towards Emma was seated, her own browns arching as she noticed the empty circle of chairs that surrounded the albino's table.

"Already making friends?" She asked, vodka overflowing the mud when she put down the recipient with a thud, the liquid painting lines on the already over-used table. "You not look very popular among them"

Her voice, modulated and always with an accent that looked like the bard was in the verge of making a joke from whoever she was talking to in that moment, filled the space between her and the albino, the rest of the patrons turning for a second to look at the two of them before going back to their own drinks, the chit chat of the inn soon returning back to normal. It was then when Emma sat as straight as she was able to, a warning on her eyes.

"Have I ever been popular Rubes?"

The bard smirked at that at as she lifted the mug to her lips, the liquid sloshing and falling as she put it back on the table, a single drop staining the collar of the doublet. Emma looked at it with feigned indifference, her own mug laying at one side, abandoned.

"I think I can remember a few times in where you were quite popular, friend"

Emma didn't answer at that although the two of them had known each other long enough to know that Ruby was telling the truth. Having known Emma for almost two decades now the bard was the closest thing to a real friend the witcher had and the two were aware of it.

Grabbing Ruby's mug and taking a healthy drink from it, Emma looked back at the dark-haired woman in front of her, noticing the ink below Ruby's nails and the glazed look the woman always had whenever she had been writing for long periods of time.

"How is that you are here? Last time we talked you told me that you were going to try to work for the south"

The south was governed by the emperor, a man who was as intelligent as was cruel and Emma still remembered how she had snickered to herself when she had heard Ruby's letter a few months ago knowing that the brunette was going to have problems in the rigid environment of the Empire, much less relaxed than in the North.

"That didn't go well" The bard said with a shrug "At first everything was fine but then I happen to met a beautiful woman there and…"

"You bedded the incorrect woman once again?" Emma finished, a small smile curling the corners of her lips, her eyes glinting with amusement.

The bard shrugged and laughed herself; if her fame as bard was good her fame for her appetite for beautiful women and men alike was even more known. Emma was the only one who knew her sad stories about lovers though and as the two of them smiled at each other the bard tapped her fingers against the drying wood, tilting her head towards Emma's swords. Wrinkling her nose when she smelt the oil floating around Emma in a thick cloud the witcher could felt too she pointed at it with one long finger.

"Wraiths?" The bard asked, narrowing her eyes. She had always show an incredible ability to memorize absolutely everything Emma confide her about the job, details and stories that, little by little, were starting to transform themselves into the bards largest compendium of tales.

"One of them in a well near here" Emma replied, her armor clanking when she shrugged, every traces of a smile disappearing.

Ruby hummed at that, looking back and forth between the mug and Emma, coldness shinning on her eyes for a second making Emma think that even if Ruby, or Red as she was frequently called, normally appeared harmless she had been a spy, teacher and bard extraordinaire for too long to not have a few tricks up her sleeve.

"How long have you already been here Emma? Close than a month? Last time I checked you took care of a ghoul contract, there was nothing else here"

Her voice, echoing once again but this time laced worry made Emma look at her long-time friend; her brown eyes, the Cupid 's bow on her upper lip, the white skin. Everything about Ruby screamed something that she wasn't, a sort of beauty encased in something else that wasn't quite her package. Just like Regina.

Wishing she had something more to drink Emma looked at one side, avoiding Ruby's words and eyes and looking straightly to the young blonde girl from before, the teenager, not old enough maybe to even marry yet, swallowed nervously and scurried away, the dress she was wearing fluttering around her body before she was swallowed by the mass of people gathered around the counter.

"Emma" Ruby said, and even if the albino knew that she wasn't being scolded it certainly felt like she actually was when Ruby shook her head once as she turned to look at her.

"You haven't told me what are you doing here yet" Emma replied, eluding the brunette's words, snatching Ruby's drink and finishing it in one last gulp in the process, the strong taste of the drink burning her insides for a second. Her left hand put down the coin she had been keeping until now, the sound of metal against wood strangely strong between the two of them.

"For the royal family and their boy" Ruby replied swiftly, looking at the mug for a second before dismissing it, her elbows now on the table, the sleeves of her doublet shining purple against the light of the torches. "Probably the same reason I've found Regina here, talking to a few nobles up in the castle… looking as gorgeous as ever"

Emma didn't bat an eyelash but knew that she had long ago been caught by her friend, a resigned sigh escaping her lips, her armor clanking once again softly as she moved, the cold reflection of fire against metal blinding Ruby for a second as Emma moved again, her swords titillating against the torches.

"Fine, have it your way" Ruby said after a few more moments of silence, Emma refusing to speak "But if this is going to finish like the first time you and her met I beg you to tell me beforehand, I still have marks for what happened that night"

Emma smiled at the memories Ruby's words brought but she didn't reply at the banter, knowing full well that that was the reason why Ruby had brought up that particular memory.

"Besides" Ruby continued "When was the last time you saw each other?"

The night was cold but the room was almost suffocating as Emma took a bath, a quiet sound emerging from her lips, her body completely relaxed in the tub a frightened servant had brought in earlier.

Regina, perched in a chaise lounge at her right, read a book, her naked body still displaying marks of teeth from before, a smirk growing on her lips as she muttered something in the air, the atmosphere of the room changing slightly for a second.

Seconds after that a sigh was heard and Emma emerged from the bath, completely naked and holding was looked like a crab that shimmered for a second before turning back into dust, the blonde looking at Regina with a brow arched, an amused look on her face.

"I told you that I wasn't into that" She murmured, making Regina leave the book on the chaise and standing as tall as she was, the raven of her hair framing her eyes that shone purple for a second, the penchant she had at her neck, the one that helped her canalizing her magic, titillating softly between her breasts.

"Maybe I am" She replied with an amused smirk, her right hand touching the albino's stomach, tracing the lean muscle she found there. Emma, who still had her feet on the tub, groaned at that, bending forward and trying to capture the woman's lips with hers. "We should get dressed" Regina said instead, ducking Emma's attempts and going to the bed they had so thoroughly used a few hours before, the pants and doublet she had been wearing before already waiting for her, a dark and white ensemble, like always. "I have a meeting with Robin in less than an hour"

"A long time ago" Emma replied finally, blinking and coming back from her memories. The crab had left a scar on her inner thigh and she still could remember the throbbing pain she had felt in that second, still surrounded by warm water.

The bard hummed noncommittally at that before continuing, her intelligent eyes locking with Emma's for a second.

"She came the night I took care of the ghoul" Emma finally replied "Invited me to the coronation"

"Why?" Ruby asked, frowning. Emma shrugged and grabbed the penchant she always wore on her neck, the symbol of the witcher's, the wolf's head, tingling for a second even though she couldn't feel power near her.

"A residual spell?" "Or just a warning?"

"I don't know, I've been here ever since, fighting against trolls and a couple of rabid dogs that threatened to kill the idiots who thought that penetrating the forest was a good idea but I still don't have a clue"

"If Regina wants you here it must be for something" Ruby said forcefully "When I saw her I supposed she was here in representation of the Council, maybe even the Lodge if we aren't careful, but asking you to be near…"

"She is waiting something" Emma finished for the bard "I gathered as much"

Ruby hummed, almost wanting to have another drink to accompany the first one Emma had already drunk, her mind swirling with all the information she had been listening all over the castle up in the hill from where the sovereigns were able to see and control the piece of land they owned.

"The Emperor has been quiet this past year, no big battles up north nor west" She provided dutifully. Emma rarely listened to anyone but Regina also rarely asked for help.

"I'm thinking something less complicated, this coronation… the family has something that either the council of sorceress or some other kingdom would want to know or possess?"

The question, asked in a whisper, made Ruby blink, trying to remember any kind of rmors or a barely heard conversation that could lead to what apparently the albino was already suspecting; problems.

"Well, apart from the obvious" She finally answered, shrugging "The coronation itself is a farce and everyone knows that"

"Except me" The witcher deadpanned, shaking her head when Ruby eyed at her, unsure if the other woman was pulling her leg.

"The prince is not blood related with the actual monarchs" She finally informed "He was found abandoned by the Queen as she tried to hunt some deer, they decided to adopt him"

"And then why the coronation?" Emma asked, intrigued

Ruby, shrugging and playing with the hem of her embossed doublet, answered Emma, eyeing suspiciously at the men at her back, knowing full well how every inch of a kingdom may have their spies, waiting for one idiot to say what they weren't supposed to.

"They want to make him eligible once the occasion arises, it's more like a formalization that a real coronation, the boy is barely fifteen, young enough to not still be needed"

"So the Lodge or the Council may be interested in him" Emma said, starting to try to picture Regina's puzzle, one that had started with the invitation and apparently was going to keep unfolding in front of her.

"Guess so, Storybrooke is near the west border of the empire, a quite interesting place for a teenager to reign if something ever happened to the actual monarchs"

Emma hummed, processing the information.

"However" Ruby said "The reasons behind the council or the lodge's actions are never what they look like. Besides, there is the fact that as a witcher you can't take sides in all of this"

"If Regina wants me here is for something" Emma replied back, a cold tone on her voice.

"Last time I think it was because she needed you almost dead, wasn't it?" Ruby retorted, her voice high enough to make a few tables look at the two of them, the inn's cacophony dimming for a second.

After a few more moments Ruby sighed, closing her eyes as Emma eyed the table, her hands grabbing her Oren once again and starting twirling on her hand.

"Just keep in mind that Regina is very intelligent Emma, for all we know she may be working for herself or just wanting to prove something to you."

"I know that" Emma muttered and the bard nodded, knowing that Emma was going to do whatever she felt was necessary to do.

Witchers, as bards and sorceress, had the questionable power of not needing to choose a side or king to answer to. Whereas bards came and went witchers didn't need political knowledge in order to kill monsters. Trained to not feel anything and having as little empathy as possible, witchers were both adored and hated for what they were, addressed as something no more than pure animals in some places of the continent. Sorceress were a different brand, the brand who, unlike bards and witchers, were able to control and actually shape the political reality if it was needed for their purposes. Something that Ruby suspected was the case this time. After all the secret Lodge of Sorceress had been gaining power by trading goods with the isles near the continent, the tribes that lived there starting to form ruckus from time to time.

Humming, she narrowed her eyes, noticing the vacant look on the eyes of her friend.

"When was the last time you slept something?" She asked, raising a brow when her question was unanswered.

"I'm not going to start now, don't you think?" The witcher answered, unamused. Ruby sighed and leaned on her chair, still too many things swirling inside her mind.

"For what I know Regina is staying at the city but not in the castle, you could go and visit her" She suggested. Storybrooke's city was a short walk from where they were after all. "In some noble's house"

Emma nodded, knowing full well Regina's preferences. Albeit she liked the court and the power she knew that were there she also preferred to have independence. Something that wasn't always possible in a castle full of greedy nobles.

"She is staying with a duke?" She asked somberly, eliciting a frown for her friend who shook her head, her long hair moving as well in thick tresses.

"As far as I know is some lesser noble, a widow, but I don't know what kind of power she holds on court"

Murmuring some old curses the witcher stood, nodding briefly at the young blonde and exiting the inn, closing her eyes when the nightly breeze caressed her skin, the smell of manure and burned wood floating in the air. The sun was already settled and for where she was the moon has yet to raise a little more in order to be visible, the trees from the forest near the village whispering old tales of monsters and wolves and as she waited for the bard to come out she heard the howling of something that didn't exactly look animal.

A werewolf perhaps?

Hearing the tell-tale crack of the door of the inn she turned, staring at the bard who was eyeing her, a frown on her eyes.

"I don't like being left with my words on my mouth" She said, making Emma smile a little, thinking again on Regina's own wit.

She really needed to talk to the sorceress.

"I didn't want the whole inn to know exactly what kind of people you know" She said back "Nobles are not exactly loved here"

"They are loved somewhere?" The bard asked back, standing herself near the witcher, her eyes looking at the woods in where the same howling was heard once again. "You are going to visit her, don't you?"

Emma nodded at that, a low growl as a unique response, her mind already elsewhere.

Her medallion tingled, the eyes of the silver wolf's head shining brightly with magic and as she was about to turn and grab her sword she saw a crow, black as night, its eyes shining brightly even in the still young hours of the night.

The bird fled away, leaving behind the city, her eyes not leaving it until it was nothing but a dot on the dark sky, black on black.

"Be careful" Ruby said, pointing at her right, where the road to Storybrooke was visible, the silver rays of the moon already starting to make everything glow softly to Emma's eyes. She knew she should say something to Ruby, perhaps easing her worries, but she didn't.

"Take care"

And with that she walked into the night, a whistle echoing on the village seconds later, the clip-clop of a horse following the sound soon after.

Ruby stood outside the inn, shaking her head softly, a small smile on her lips even though her insides were already worrying. Perhaps it was time for another tale of Emma, a new epic story involving the witcher. Perhaps, she thought, putting her hands inside one of her many pockets and finding there the oren Emma had been playing with before, it was time to have eyes and ears focused on the albino, something was definitely not adding up.


At the other side of the mountains that circled the reign of the monarchs of Storybrooke a single crow fell to the forest floor, its beak broken as well as its neck, the magic that had been guiding it disappearing with one final glow. A stutter went over the trees around it, as if they could sense the same presence that had been killed the animal.

A hand covered in thick leather grabbed the animal, fine lips parting in what looked like a mock of a smile.

The howling echoed in the woods once again.