Regina set the baskets of apples down at the edge of the forest. She knew it wasn't Emma's fault that some of the people were still going hungry, but she wanted to do something to help them. It had taken her a while to figure out a way.

She was careful not to use her magic around Emma, worried that she might be scared about her using it. But she had her apple trees and there were always so many apples…

The children's voices sounded happy as their little feet ran towards her. She cast the spell to change her appearance and sat down to wait. They always came in their little groups, friends and neighbours from the villages closest to the forest. She walked around the perimeter once a week, meeting children from the different villages of the kingdom and exchanging apples for bits of news and whatever they could afford to give her in return. She liked to make this her first stop. Little Adam had promised to show her his first whittled piece of wood. His father was teaching him how and he had sounded so proud last week when he told her about it.

They thought she was just a woodsman's daughter, permitted to travel the dangerous forest by the White Queen. She had to tell them that because Hans, one of the older children, had been suspicious. He knew the Evil Queen lived in the forest. The children were all forbidden to enter, their parents afraid of her and the magic that caused all who entered to become lost forever. She had told them the White Queen had given her father a magic talisman that protected him and helped his find his way home each day, and that she had been given one so that she could help him. The first time she had offered them an apple, they had started to run away so she had to step out of the forest to show them that she was 'just an ordinary girl' and not the Evil Queen in disguise. The rumours stated Snow White had banished her to the forest and she wasn't able to step outside the boundary. Then she took a bite of an apple to prove they weren't cursed or poisoned and offered them once more. The children were so hungry. They had come to the forest hoping to hunt for wild berries or small animals to trap, but Hans insisted the others wait until he had taken a bite from the apple, warning them to run if it turned out to be a trick. Regina waited patiently as he took a small bite and declared them safe after a few minutes. The other children had eagerly come forward to eat the remaining apples, not thinking to ask what she wanted for them in return.

"We can't pay you." Hans told her. "Our families are poor."

"I didn't ask for money."

"But you had all those apples… weren't you going to sell them at the market?"

"No. I have a lot of apple trees at home and I was going give some of them to a friend as a present, but you looked so hungry…"

"Times are hard."

"Look, I have plenty more apples, if you like I could come back next week and give you some more."

"Don't you want to sell them?"

Regina shrugged. "I don't need the money."

"You must have one of the only families who don't."

"Is it that bad?"

Hans looked surprised. "Where are you living? Everyone knows the harvest suffered last year and the price of food is going up..."

"Then I insist that you take the rest of these apples, put them in your pockets, and take them home for your friends. There should be about two or three each, I think."

Hans stopped the others from rushing forward at her offer. "We can't just take them for nothing. It isn't right."

"Then there's something you can bring me in exchange."

"What?"

"News, about the kingdom and the harvest, little bits of gossip. I get lonely sometimes and it's a long walk to this part of the forest, to come and see my friend."

"That doesn't seem fair."

One of the smaller children nudged him. "I'm still hungry."

"Hush, Adam."

"But…"

Regina waited patiently. Eventually he gave in and nodded, Adam tugging on his jacket impatient for another apple. As they walked away, she sent a suggestion into their minds, that if their families asked, they were to tell them they found the apples at the edge of the forest. They would want to keep the location a secret to stop others from coming and stealing the apples, but at least their families would have a little extra food and no-one would dare to venture inside the border to carry out a search.

Now she had a dozen different groups of children to share her apples with and each village had a similar tale. She wondered if she should bring it up to Emma, but surely as the Queen she knew what was happening in the kingdom? They had so little time together as it was that mentioning the problems would only upset her.

"Hello!" Adam ran ahead of the others to meet her, waving his little wooden carving.

Regina smiled and held out her hands to examine his work when he reached her.

"Hans said I made so many mistakes there isn't enough wood left for it to be more than a toothpick."

"It isn't nice to tell tales." She said absentmindedly, turning it over. "But he's wrong. It's a… whistle?"

"Yes." Adam beamed up at her.

Regina was relieved that she was right. "May I…?"

"Go ahead, it's only got the two holes so you can't play music on it…"

Regina brought it to her lips and blew gently. The whistle gave a funny sort of sound, as though the wood inside wasn't straight but she smiled as she offered it back to him.

"It's very good Adam."

"You can have it. For the apples."

"It's your first attempt at whittling, you should keep it."

His hands closed around hers, pushing the object towards her. "No. I want you to have it. Hans said we were giving you news and things for the apples, but no-one ever tells me anything so I'm giving this to you instead."

"Thank you."

She passed him an apple and looked towards the others. Hans stepped forward and began telling her what he had heard about a recent incident in a neighbouring kingdom. A flood had damaged a number of homes and some of the villages were worried the homeless would become desperate enough to steal from them. Regina thanked him and handed out the apples, intending to ask Emma about the trouble during her next visit. She couldn't do anything from within the forest and she didn't dare to use her magic more than she had been. Of course, whenever Emma visited her, such thoughts escaped her memory and her good intentions were wasted.