AN: Dark chapter...you've been warned.
Emma knelt beside the unconscious brunette as she watched Mulan close the hatch above their heads. They were imprisoned in a hole in the ground, literally, and Regina hadn't woken up from the sleeping powder yet.
She was about to tuck a lock of hair behind the fallen woman's ear when the sound of footfalls caused her to jump up and take a defensive stance.
"Who's there?" Emma called out.
"Don't fret child; I mean you no harm," A rich voice answered as an older woman appeared before her from the shadows.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Cora," The woman greeted.
"Why are you down here?" Emma questioned as she eyed the woman suspiciously.
"I'm afraid I'm being punished for my daughter's actions. You see, she is the one who brought the dark curse upon this land," Cora enlightened before she peeked around Emma's form and down at the slumbering woman. "My dear, sweet Regina."
The savior gasped before she shielded the mayor from Cora's point of view.
"So protective of someone who is the very reason you had to grow up in a foreign world without your parents," The older woman stated and she chuckled at Emma's stunned expression. "Yes, I know who you are…Emma. Tell me, what hold does my daughter have on you to cause such loyalty?"
"My son Henry, well Regina's son too…it's complicated," Emma stuttered before she sighed. "Anyway, he made me promise to protect her."
"You two share a son," Cora mused as a smile tugged at her lips. "I have a grandson…"
"Miss Swan?"
Ignoring the older woman for the moment, the savior knelt down by Regina's side and helped her to sit up.
"Who were you talking to?" the mayor questioned as she looked behind the blonde.
The sheriff turned to where she last saw Cora but was shocked to find the older woman was missing. Leaving Regina's side, she searched the entire pit only to discover that they were the only two down there.
"I don't understand…where did she go?" Emma muttered in confusion.
"Where did who go?" Regina inquired as she got to her feet.
Emma opened her mouth to answer but the hatch door above them swung open before two armored men jumped in and roughly grabbed Regina by the arms.
"Unhand me!" the mayor raged as they quickly hoisted her up the ladder and handed her off to a few other men that were waiting above.
"Hey!" Emma shouted as she latched onto one of the men and yanked hard. "Where the hell are you taking her?!"
The guard reacted by shoving her backwards and she tumbled to the ground. "Lancelot requests an audience with her," he offered as an answer before he followed his partner up the ladder.
Emma scrambled for the wooden ladder but they snatched it up before she could reach it and closed the hatch above her, leaving the stunned sheriff alone in the pit.
With the sleeping agent out of her system, Regina was fully alert when she was shoved against a wall and shackled. She tried to use her magic but it was useless; it had yet again abandoned her in a time of need. She was left in the empty room waiting until a dark silhouette loomed in the doorway.
"Well what do we have here? The Evil Queen herself if I'm not mistaken," Lancelot spat as he stepped into view.
Regina looked upon the steely knight and felt a shiver run down her spine. The only time she had ever felt that coldness run through her system was whenever her mother was nearby.
It couldn't be her. Regina thought to herself as she observed the tall dark man before her.
The sudden impact of a fist connecting with her face took her by surprise and she felt her teeth cut into her cheek before the blood started to pool in her mouth.
"How did you get here? How can I access the land from which you came?" Lancelot questioned before he struck her again. "Answer me!"
Regina rolled her neck to loosen the taunt muscles caused by the snap of her head before she glared at the knight before her. "Do you really think I will tell you anything?"
A punch to her gut caused the air to rush out from her lungs before she clenched her teeth and composed herself. "If you think torturing me will get you the answers you seek then you are a sadly misguided fool."
Another hard strike landed on her side and the mayor coughed out harshly as blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. Her ribs protested as she tried to inhale a lungful of air and she realized a few of them were probably broken.
"Maybe if I bring your son Henry into the conversation you would reconsider. I wouldn't want anything to happen to him because his mother couldn't protect him," Lancelot threatened. "Or maybe I'll kill Emma and you can explain to Henry that you're the reason she's dead. I'm sure he would never forgive you for that."
Regina's eyes flickered, showing a glimpse of her weakness before she schooled her features and grinned. "Henry is safe and as long as I remain quiet, you will have no way to reach him. As far as Emma is concerned, go ahead and kill her. You'd be doing me a favor."
A strong hand grasped her neck in a tight hold before squeezing. The brunette gasped as she struggled to breathe, watching as Lancelot leaned in close and sneered. "Make no mistake, I will find a way to your land with or without your help and when I do, I will find your precious son and take him away from you. You might have been an Evil Queen to the people of the Enchanted Forest, but all you will ever be to me is a foolish girl."
Regina's eyes widened as memories from her childhood flashed through her mind from those last two simple words. You are a foolish girl Regina. Love is weakness. Such a foolish girl, when will you ever learn that mother knows best? Who would ever want to marry such a foolish girl like you?
The hand disappeared from her throat and she coughed as she drew in several ragged breaths. Lancelot stood before her with a smirk, waiting for Regina to piece together the puzzle that was laid out before her.
"It was you, wasn't it? You were the one speaking to Emma in the pit?" Regina rasped out. "Always meddling in my life, Mother."
Lancelot chuckled as blue smoke swirled around him before he transformed into Cora. "I have only done what was best for you, darling."
"You will never get anywhere near my son," Regina warned in a menacing tone.
"Maybe Emma would be more willing to bargain. He is her son too, is he not?"
"And that reason alone is why Emma won't fall for your tricks," the younger woman quipped.
"I guess I will have to give her a reason then," Cora replied before she slammed her hand into her daughter's chest and ripped out her heart. "This should do."
Regina gaped in shock as her mother held her glowing organ in her hands. "How is my heart…going to persuade her?"
Cora laughed as she gave the heart a small squeeze, watching in delight as her daughter cried out in pain.
"Apparently Emma made a promise to your shared son that no harm shall come to you," the older woman explained.
"Damn you to hell!" Regina suddenly roared. "You will stay out of my life and away from my son, you malicious bitch!"
"How dare you disrespect me with your insolence! You may not be a child anymore but you are still my child and for that, you need to be reminded how to behave as such!" Cora lectured as she waved her hands towards her daughter.
Regina's body was forcibly spun around to face the wall while the metal shackles were quickly replaced with magical ones. The mayor was taken completely off guard when she felt the first lash of the old familiar leather strap strike her hard across her back, tearing into the blazer and dress shirt she wore. Tears sprang to Regina's eyes when she felt the whip cut deeper on the second strike and she bit down hard onto her bottom lip to keep from crying out.
"This reminds me of your younger days. As a matter of fact, this is the same leather strap I had used back then," Cora enlightened before she thrashed out again. "Remember dear, you are never too old to be taught a lesson; after all, mother knows best."
It took every ounce of strength Regina had within her not to scream out in pain as her mother continued to whip her senseless. She knew her mother was using magic to enhance the blows in order to cut through her clothing and draw blood. The mayor lost count on how lashes had cut into her skin before her mother finally announced, "That will do," before she released the magical hold on her daughter and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Regina slumped to the ground and curled up on her side, allowing the tears to seep from her eyes as she tried to reign in her fear, fear that would've been unbearable at the moment if her heart had still been in her chest. Only her mother had the ability to turn the once strong and powerful woman into a quivering mess.
She could feel the blood oozing out of the ribbon of wounds that crisscrossed along her spine as the cool air licked at her exposed skin, her clothes nothing more than tattered strips of useless material hanging loosely across her back. She knew she had to get up and find Emma, but her mind had locked down into protection mode, preventing her from making any rational decisions at the moment.
Emma had tried for the umpteenth time to scale the walls of her current prison when a sudden tingle of laughter caused her to tumble down.
"Your attempts at escaping are fruitless my dear. The only way out is by ladder or by magic," Cora explained as she approached the fallen blonde.
"Doesn't hurt to try," Emma countered as she got to her feet. "Where is Regina?"
"Oh I'm sure she's sealed up in a tight ball right about now; at least that's how she used to respond years ago," Cora mused.
"What the hell did you do to her?" the sheriff snapped.
"I wondered where my daughter had picked up such vulgar language, but that is not why I am here."
"What do you want?"
"Answers. Tell me what I need to know and I will allow you to keep your promise to your son," Cora offered before she held up Regina's glowing heart. "By keeping my daughter alive."
"Is that what I think it is?"
"If you think it's Regina's heart then yes."
Emma gawked at the blackened organ in astonishment. "I can't believe you ripped out your own daughter's heart. What the fuck kind of monster are you?!"
"Tsk, tsk young Emma," Cora reprimanded as she waggled her index finger. "I have been kind to you up until now but I will not stand for your crass obscenities much longer. Tread carefully with how you answer me next; how did you get here and where is the portal to get to your land?"
"Why would I tell you that?"
"All it takes is a squeeze of my hand to grind her heart into dust and she will die. If you are able to tell Henry that you allowed his mother to perish while you stood idly by, well then I have no qualms to just simply…" Cora paused as she squeezed the organ tightly in her grasp until small fissures started to appear.
"Stop, stop! Alright, I'll tell you whatever you want just please stop!" Emma begged.
The older woman released her grip and let the heart relax in her palm. "Well, on with it then."
"We came through the Mad Hatter's hat which dropped us off in Aurora's kingdom. The portal closed behind us though so as of right now, there is no way back. Regina and I are stuck here."
"Now was that so difficult," Cora chastised before she carelessly tossed the heart to Emma, who clumsily caught the organ before it hit the ground. "Do what you want with it."
The sheriff cradled the heart in her hands as she watched the older woman vanish. She knew she should be disgusted with holding the mayor's dark beating heart, but instead she felt nothing but remorse.
"If you can hear me Regina, just hang in there. I'll be coming for you soon," Emma murmured towards the heart, not realizing that the brunette could in fact actually hear her.
Emma's soft words penetrated Regina's fragile state of mind and she suddenly felt alive again. She could sense that the savior was in possession of her heart which meant her mother no longer held her fate. Forcing herself into a sitting position, she stifled a cry as the wounds on her back ripped open again. Suddenly screams from outside pierced the air and she halted her movements as she listened to what sounded like a horrible nightmare of agonizing pain.
"Mother," Regina whispered, knowing that she was most likely responsible for the tortured chaos happening outside the hut.