Thanks again to my beta: Another-shipper
The next day, Saturday, Regina's shop was full. Weekends always brought in more customers and Regina viewed them as a necessary evil. Honestly, she preferred an empty store. She was free to practice magic, talk with her plants, and read as much as she'd like. Most importantly, the bookstore was quiet. On busy days, like today, the store was screaming with clamor.
Regina gave a tight smile to an older man who'd bought an old novel, by Notker of St Gall. It was one of Regina's favorite historic books. She was sure this man would read it incorrectly. Regina handed him the wrapped book over the counter. "Have a good day."
The man nodded and exited. Regina turned to lean against the counter and looked over her store. There was a woman looking at her palm tree. Regina knew this woman was thinking it was fake. It was hard enough getting a palm tree to stay alive on the journey across America, but it was even more impossible to keep it alive indoors. Regina loved hearing the stories of its travels.
Regina heard the front door creak open. She turned to greet the newcomer, but stopped when she saw who it was. Emma had returned, wearing Regina's cloak. Emma looked up at the potted plants again before turning to see Regina. They smiled at each other.
Emma pulled the hood down as she stepped toward the counter. "I brought your cloak back."
Regina looked her over and shook her head, smiling. "Yes, but you didn't bring a coat to wear when you leave." She watched Emma look herself over. "It's alright, you can just keep the cloak."
Emma looked shocked. "No, that's impossible. This cloak is too nice! I could never accept it."
"I insist. I never wear it anyway. I have a similar one in black that I much prefer."
Emma looked skeptical, but agreed. "Okay, but black cloaks aren't always in season."
"I honestly always wear black," Regina said wryly, gesturing to her simple dress. "I'm happy with my cloak being black, too. White looks nice on you."
Emma blushed. "Well, I'll have to buy a book from you, then, as payment."
Regina laughed loudly. "I hope you'd buy a book regardless! I do own a bookstore."
Emma threw her hands in the air. "You win! I accept your gift." She saw that Regina wasn't looking at her. "What?"
Regina's eyes were fixed on the plants hanging above them. When Emma threw her hands up, they had begun to gently swing. Emma followed Regina's eyes and saw the moving plants. She tensed and began removing her cloak. She hung the cloak on an empty hook by the door and headed into the shop.
"I'm going to find a few books to buy." She turned away and hurried into the stacks, pretending not to feel Regina's eyes boring into her back.
Emma relaxed as she headed to the back of the store. She wasn't particularly academic, but she needed books now more than ever.
She had recently had a scare. Her current suitor was far less interesting and far more persistent than her previous ones. Killian arrived at her home every morning and refused to leave until supper time. Emma's mother was sure it was true love, but Emma knew Killian's reputation and it was not love he was interested in.
Yesterday, she'd woken early, even earlier than she always did, hoping to avoid him altogether, but when she walked out of the gate, he was already on the bridge waiting. The frustration of the past few weeks finally became too much to contain and Emma had screamed at Killian to leave and never come back. When she was done, a storm had gathered above them. She wished, really wished, for a bolt of lightning to strike Killian where he stood and it had. It had split the sky with incredible accuracy and hit him.
Scared, she ran. She'd made it halfway across town before she'd stopped, exhausted. Emma was still so angry at Killian for not respecting her wishes. Out of breath, she threw her head back, cursing her corset and trying to get some air and saw that the storm clouds were trailing behind her. It was as if they'd followed her.
This was not Emma's first mysterious thunderstorm. She often found herself in a sudden rainstorm when she was upset. She'd heard her parents talking about magic, but no one had had magic for centuries. Humans had evolved past it; her tutors had told her.
She'd spent the whole day wandering, trying to avoid the rain. At some point, she'd decided to learn a little about magic and started searching for bookstores. Store after store, she'd found nothing, until she was so frustrated she could scream.
That's when she'd seen Regina's store, The Apple Tree. Her storm had gotten so out of control that she hadn't made it inside before the downpour started. The second she'd ran in, she'd known this was the place. The plants, the books, the smell, the beautiful sorceress.
Emma stopped walking. She'd realized that she'd been so lost in thought that she'd walked into another room. This room was smaller than the main store. It had large bookshelves lining the walls. Emma looked around and tried to read the book titles, but only some of them had names. So Regina really is a witch, Emma thought, nervously.
"I knew something was different about you," a voice said behind Emma.
Emma spun around startled. It was Regina, leaning against a bookshelf close to the…door? Emma looked past Regina to where the door should be, but there was just a wall. She began to feel trapped. "What?"
Regina pushed herself from the shelf and sauntered into the room, gesturing regally. "This is my personal study. Only friends with magic can enter."
"Magic?" Emma asked, wary. "You really have magic?"
"I don't have magic, my dear. I am magic."
Not sure what to make of that, Emma frowned. The only thing she was sure of right now was that she was trapped in a secret room with a witch. This witch who had been friendly so far, but what if it was a trick? What if she had lulled Emma into a false state of security and now was going to, what? Torture her? Attack her? Would she take Emma's heart? That's what witches do, right?
Regina recognized the look on Emma's face. It was one she saw often. Even people with magic feared Regina. She's not sure what it was that made her so destined to be alone. She stepped to the side and motioned to the empty length of wall.
"You're free to go. I'm not holding you here."
"I'm free to go?" Emma parroted, tense.
"Yes," Regina sighed, "I would never keep a lady trapped."
Emma nodded, relaxing. She could tell Regina wasn't lying. "Alright." She headed for the wall, but stopped before she walked through. She looked over her shoulder. "We should talk. Privately."
Regina laughed, humorlessly, and followed Emma back into the store. "I'm not sure what's more private than a secret room, but we can go back to my side of the building, sure."
Emma headed for the staircase and saw that the store was empty. "Where did everyone go?"
"I closed the shop early," Regina explained, as they headed up the stairs, "I took a guess that you might need to talk." The arrived at Regina's rooms and she waved her hand, unlocking and opening the doors. There was no point in hiding herself now.
Emma's mouth dropped open as she entered the room. Where yesterday, the room was still, today it moved with action.
Regina's fireplace roared into life, the flame danced from candle to candle until the room was lit. Emma noticed this time that there were no lightbulbs in this building; Regina hadn't converted to electricity.
The beautiful glass decanter that held Regina's cider poured two glasses on its own. Emma looked to Regina who was walking through the room like all of this was normal. Regina pulled a light sweater from her closet and slipped her arms into it.
Emma finally got her voice back. "What? How?"
"This is magic. You could do this, and more, if you practiced." Regina casually plucked her glass of cider from the air as she settled onto her couch.
Emma felt a nudge on her arm and looked down. The second glass of cider floated beside her. She cautiously took it, feeling it grow heavier as the spell faded and gravity took hold. She stomped over to the Divan and sat heavily, taking a long drink from her glass. She couldn't quite decide how she felt.
"I thought," Emma started, "I thought that magic was…love potions and thunderstorms and evil, heart eating sacrifice."
Regina scoffed and adjusted her skirt. "Yes, well, it has been misrepresented." She thought for a moment. "Well, it hasn't been fully represented."
Emma snorted into her glass.
"Magic is partly turning people into frogs and stone, but it's also small things. Magic is what you make of it."
"Magic is what you make of it." Emma repeated, taking it in. "Can I use magic to make men leave me alone? I have no interest in a husband."
Regina laughed, surprised. "I'm sure that there is a spell to make you unattractive to the coarser sex, but you might not want to use it."
"Why not?" Emma questioned. "I could always undo it when I was ready for marriage."
Regina's face grew somber. "I warn you now, all magic has a price."
"What does that mean?"
"When you do magic, you're using some of yourself, too. It's not always a lot." She gestured around the room. "All this didn't do much, this magic affects no one. The true trouble comes when you influence others. Good magic, selfless magic, helps you. Bad magic, dark magic, that can put holes in your heart. It can ruin your life."
"Making men dislike me is dark magic?" Emma asked. "Is that because it affects them?"
Regina didn't respond for a moment, trying to organize her thoughts. "Magic that creates negativity is dark magic. Obviously, Murder, deceit, theft, are all actions that create negativity, but there are also more subtle negative acts. Things like," Regina gestured vaguely with her glass, uncertain of the right words, "making an academic rival forget the answers to a test or using magic to win a bet create negativity and lead to larger consequences."
Emma nodded, seriously. "Scale matters, but negativity is negativity"
Regina nodded, approvingly. "Exactly. Making men dislike you doesn't hurt anyone, really, but it causes them to feel negativity every time they see you and all men in the world hating you," Regina scoffed, "It adds up. There are far too many of them."
Emma laughed as Regina rolled her eyes and take a sip of cider. "You don't like men either?"
Regina glanced up at Emma, not sure what Emma had meant by that. Emma took a sip of cider, seemingly unaware of the weight of her question. "I don't dislike men. I enjoy them on occasion. I have always been drawn to women, though."
Emma nodded, understandingly. "I have no problem with men as friends. It's when they look at me wanting more that I get uncomfortable."
"Interesting." Regina shrugged, delicately. "As I was saying, beware magic born from negativity. It can lead to chaos and darkness. It is possible to lose everything you love. Even your ability to love."
Emma watched Regina carefully. "How do you know that?"
Regina said nothing, just stared into her glass. Finally, she blinked. "Books."
Emma laughed derisively. "Of course." She shifted on the couch, tucking her legs up and spreading her skirt out. "Regina, I may not have a trade skill, but I have perfected the art of knowing when someone lies. You are lying. I could tell from 50 paces that you have a tragic past. You don't have to tell me now, we're not that close, but I hope you can tell me eventually."
Regina blinked, smiling tightly. "Maybe." She coughed and pulled herself together. "I honestly have a hard time remembering."
Emma opened her mouth to speak, but decided against it. She'd drop it for now, sure Regina would tell her later. She drank the last of her cider and set it down on the table between them.
Emma nervously picked at a loose thread in her cotton skirt. It was new, but she'd spotted a pickpocket on a walk a few weeks ago and chased him down. Her mother was furious, but immediately deemed it houseware only and ordered a new one made. Emma loved its lightweight fabric and refused to get rid of it until absolutely necessary. It was one of the few dresses she had that weren't too formal or restricting.
She flicked her eyes to Regina, who was staring out the window, her glass forgotten in her hand. Emma couldn't help but admire her eye color in the setting sun. Her mother had agreed to let her stay out past dark, so long as she checked in the moment she returned. Emma let her eyes flit over Regina's face.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't stare at me, Miss Swan." Regina turned her focus back to Emma.
"I'm sorry," Emma blushed. "You just look so majestic."
Regina smiled sadly. "I may look majestic, but in this life I am the furthest thing from royalty."
"In this life maybe, but you were definitely royalty in a past life," Emma joked. "You're too regal to never have been royalty."
Regina smiled. "You believe in past lives?"
Emma shrugged. "Well, it seems ridiculous to think that we only live the one life. I'm not sure I believe in soul mates or true loves, but I do think we are drawn to people over and over again."
"A romantic."
Emma frowned. "I just said that I don't believe in true love."
"But you believe in souls being drawn together across lifetimes. That's still romantic."
Emma shifted uncomfortably. She'd never been called a romantic before. Honestly, she was a cynic. "I believe in fate, sure, and past lives. Do you believe in past lives?"
Regina hesitated before nodding. "I do. I actually remember all of my past lives. Some more than others, but still."
Emma leaned forward, eyes wide. "Really? So, you know if you were actually royalty?"
Regina laughed. "Yes, I do know."
"And?"
"I have been royalty many times."
Emma grinned. "I knew it! I called it. I'm sorry you're not royalty in this life."
Regina smiled. "It's alright. I'm fine with not being royalty. You, however, are the very definition of royalty. Princess."
Emma turned a dark red. "Oh. You know."
Regina raised an eyebrow. "I can smell royalty from 100 paces. Don't worry, I'll continue calling you Miss Swan; I wouldn't want someone to overhear."
"You could also call me Emma." Emma said, hopefully. "That's my name."
Regina took a sip from her glass. "I wonder how their majesties are dealing with a magical daughter."
Emma rolled her eyes. "They aren't. We've never spoken about it. They love me very much, but I know they love each other more. They talk amongst themselves and with their advisors. I…take walks and avoid suitors."
"Hence the spell to keep men away."
Emma nodded, scowling. "Yes, I'm a grown woman, nearly 30, and it's time for me to get married and start producing heirs. Well passed time, actually, but I've managed to keep my parents off my back."
Regina nodded sympathetically. She set her glass down. "I've decided."
"Decided what?"
"I will take you on as a student."
Emma leapt to her feet. "Really?"
"Yes, on one condition."
"What is it?"
"No one can know."
