When Regina roused from her restful sleep, she was surprised she was alone. She sat up and peered over the edge of the bed, the pale shivering blonde knelt where she left her before retiring.
Had it been a figment of your imagination?
No, the queen thought definitively, she could still feel the cool flesh of the blonde's touch against her scalp. She got up out of bed and used her magic to light the fireplace which had gone out at some point during the night.
She snapped her fingers and pointed to a spot on the carpet in front of the fire and commanded, "Girl!"
Emma stood slowly, her muscles ached from her stationary position and hours of non-stop shivering. She looked every bit as exhausted as she felt. She knelt on the plush carpet and groaned as the heat from the fire melted her chilly exterior.
She watched as Regina walked over to her vanity and picked through various vials, then scooched a little closer to the fire and sat back on her heels mindful of her sore bottom. She held out her fingertips to thaw them out. When Regina returned, she stood behind Emma and traced the deep purple bruises along the girl's shoulder blades then commanded her to lift her arms.
Emma complied slowly stretching out her stiff, sore muscles and Regina lowered a thick cotton sleep shirt over her head. Emma shivered as the warm fabric encased her and she whispered her gratitude.
"You will sleep in this garment henceforth," came her curt reply.
"Yes, Majesty," Emma's hoarse voice choked out.
"Kneel up and bow forward," Regina snapped her fingers to hurry the blonde along. She gently lifted the hem of Emma's shirt up over her lower back displaying the lacerations across her buttocks and thighs. Regina had a small bowl filled with hot water and a soft cotton cloth. She used them to clean the blood out of the wounds and Emma hissed at the rough pressure the queen was applying.
"Don't be such a child!" Regina scolded.
"It hurts!" Emma whined into her folded arm pillow which got her a spine straightening swat to her untouched outer thigh. Emma chuckled lightly feeling a little bit of the back and forth dynamic she had with the Mayor, once upon a time. Regina dipped her fingers into a gel and began to rub it into the blonde's wounds. Emma tensed up expecting it to burn. "It is simply Aloe. It is a natural sap that promotes healing, dear."
"Oh Aloe Vera, right. Thank you, Majesty." Emma relaxed and leaned into the gentle caresses as the thick fluid was massaged into her skin.
Regina slowed her caresses and eyed her pet with scrutiny. The girl knew of healing techniques. Was she educated perhaps? Regina wondered silently who this girl was.
"Sit up, pet," Regina commanded once she was done and Emma complied quickly. She felt the gentle tugging at the bottom of her hair as Regina worked a comb through her knotted mess. She worked silently, sectioning off pieces as she went. Once the chaos was tamed Regina pulled her hair back and braided it in a single thick braid down the center of her back, tying it off with a thin strip of leather.
Once Regina was finished with her task she handed Emma a pair of leggings and magically removed her leg irons. "Dress. It is time for breakfast."
The mention of food made Emma's stomach grumble low in her abdomen. She remained in the place Regina had originally beckoned her to and quickly pulled on the pants she was given.
Regina magicked herself ready, a full flowing royal blue gown with a high deep purple collar, thick makeup and hair pulled into an up-do affixed with a black jeweled tiara.
Regina strolled back over, standing in front of the blonde and demanded her hands. With her eyes lowered to the Queen's bosom, which was pushed harshly together by the constraint of the corset, she held out her hands.
Regina magicked a pair of thin leather bracelets held closed around her wrists with tiny padlocks. The light, thin metal that wrapped over the soft thicker leather was embossed with the Mills family crest. Emma smiled when she recognized it and traced the tree design lovingly with her thumb.
"What are you smiling at stupid girl?" Regina snapped, annoyed at this impossible girl's reaction to her imprisonment.
"Your crest…" Emma whispered with reverence. It felt significant, this claim.
She was shocked for a moment the peasant recognized it; it hadn't been something that she used politically, or even publicly for that matter. "You are my property! That is nothing to be pleased about!" Regina sniped.
"I'm yours," Emma said quietly without dropping her dimpled smile. She knew she shouldn't feel good about being barely more than a body slave to an evil queen hell-bent on killing her mother, but she couldn't help it. It felt like she had passed some sort of test with the woman and the care she had been shown that morning attested to the fact that perhaps Regina felt something for her. Even if it was possession or ownership, it felt so good to belong to the Queen.
Regina rolled her eyes at the confusing girl, she turned on her heels and marched out of the room. She snapped her fingers and called over her shoulder "Girl!" Emma scurried quickly behind the queen and followed her to the dining area.
The table staff was vast and yet not one person turned to greet the Queen as she entered the room. Regina sat at the head of a long table and pointed to a place on the floor next to her. Emma quickly sat down silently thanking any higher power that was listening that there was a rug. The room was still quite cold, but at least her poor knees would get a break.
Regina handed her a metal tankard full of water, and without hesitation, Emma drank it down greedily. She hadn't had liquid since her supper the night before, and her punishment had left her in desperate need of hydration.
Regina snapped her fingers, and a young man came over to the blonde and stood expectantly.
"Refill it pet," the Queen commanded.
Emma held up the cup, and he filled it again and as she did before upended it down her throat. The fresh water soothed her sore, dry throat. The second refill she took her time with and set the cup down on the floor in front of her.
An older woman brought out a plate of fruits, cheeses, and dried meats and placed it in front of the Queen with a curtsy. Regina took a bite of the fruit and palmed the remainder and held it up to Emma's mouth. There was no mistaking what the Queen desired, for Emma to literally eat out of the palm of her hand. With her hesitation, the Queen clucked her tongue with impatience, and Emma swallowed her pride and took the offered fruit. She willed herself past the indignity of it all and settled into the pattern of it. Regina always took the first bite of whatever she chose, the rest she hand-fed to Emma.
Despite being well full, she took everything that was offered to her. The weeks of captivity must have shrunk her stomach, but she remembered the food rule and didn't want to put the good rapport she had going with Regina in jeopardy.
Once the plate was empty Regina rested her hand on Emma's crown and pushed her fingers against her scalp, gently kneading it as if she were a dog. They sat there in silence for several moments before Regina suddenly withdrew her hand and got up from the table.
She snapped her fingers, and Emma stood and followed her. They walked past the door that led to Regina's bedroom, and the brunette deposited the girl in what only can be described as a bathroom.
"Someone will be with you shortly to assist you with your needs," Regina said with a seductive hiss.
Emma was hoping that meant a toilet because she suddenly had to go quite urgently. When Regina turned to leave Emma panicked a little and lost her submissive footing by reaching out for the brunette. "Where are you going?" she asked in more of a whine than a demand which got a questioning eyebrow lift from Regina. The Queen looked down at where Emma had hold of her forearm and Emma instinctively pulled her hand back.
"Dear as much as I'd love to watch my servants service you, I do have an empire to run."
"Right. Um, but, when will you… I mean…"
"Do spit it out, dear."
"Can't I come with you?" Emma asked almost instantly regretting how needy she sounded.
Regina gently cupped Emma's cheek and lifted her head to meet those big green eyes, searching for the truth within them. The longing sincerity she saw gazing back at her confused her, and she shook her head and replied, "You may not. You will be attended to then returned to my personal quarters."
Emma's emotions boiled to the surface and mixed with her exhaustion she let out a ragged sigh and resigned to the instruction of her Queen. "Yes, Majesty."
Emma was provided a chamber pot to relieve herself into and then was bathed. She was offered new clothes but insisted on putting the outfit she had on before. As she was arguing with the insistent girl, she felt the familiar crackle of her magic bubble up to the surface which surprised her. She steeled her jaw and said, "I was told by MY Queen that she would provide my clothing!" She tugged on the cotton shirt she had already put on during the disagreement, "This is what she provided me. This is what I am wearing!" Her eyes cooled and darkened the green of her irises, and the girl huffed away through the servant's door.
The two young girls who had bathed her left as well and Emma was alone once more. A guard knocked briefly before entering and escorted her to the queen's bedroom.
"Her Grace permitted you to rest girl."
Emma eyed him suspiciously then looked around the room. There was a two-foot by three-foot square, thick pillow next to the fireplace paired with a folded fleece blanket. A white parchment with neat, delicate writing sat on top of the blanket. Emma's heart quickened, and she smiled at the offer of comfort. She lifted the note and couldn't stop the tears from brimming over her lashes as she instantly recognized the cursive handwriting of the Mayor. Her Mayor. Her Regina.
My pet,
You've been such a good girl today. Rest up dear, knowing you have pleased your Queen.
~R
Emma paid no attention to the guard who had yet to leave the room, she crawled onto the little bed with a wide smile and covered herself with the blanket. She reread the note several more times before finally succumbing to unconsciousness still clutching the paper in her hand.
Regina paced the wide open space of one of her many meeting rooms. Her Huntsman stood silently waiting for her to continue.
"Bring me the guard who captured her. I wish to speak with him," the Queen demanded.
"I'm sorry Your Grace, Perkins was mortally wounded in the pursuit of Snow White. I can summon his replacement if that will help," the Huntsman offered in his thick baroque accent.
"Unless his replacement was there during her capture," she hissed, "he, like yourself, are of no use to me!"
"Yes your Majesty," his reply was emotionless and audibly an automatic response. It is what she is accustomed to from her subjects. The offer of title out of fear, not respect. Not at all the way that girl addressed her. That girl, there was emotion behind her words. Affection. She had said she wanted to be there. Why? It didn't make sense.
She vocalized the bizarre question to the man in the room with her, "What the hell is her angle?"
"Whatever do you mean my Queen?" Graham asked puzzled.
"Why does she… look like… she feels affection for me?" she stammered out, angry at her own weak thoughts.
"Perhaps she feels affection for you my Queen," Graham replied flatly.
Annoyed, she growled, "But why?"
"Your Majesty has many appealing qualities…" he started, but the empty tone in his voice angered her further, so she cut him off with a wave of her hand and went back to pacing in silent self-reflection.
Queen Regina returned to her bedchamber several hours later to find the guard who was left to watch over her pet slouching against the wall next to the door. He straightened himself rigid at the sight of her, and she scoffed.
Idiocy even within my ranks.
She walked past the man, who was really a mere boy and her eyes landed on the mess of blonde sticking out from beneath a green fleece blanket next to a dimming fire. She turned her attention back to the guard who flinched at her sudden gaze. "Guard, has she slept this whole time?"
"Yes, Your Grace," the guard replied stiffly.
She dismissed the man with a wave of her hand and sneered at the unmasked flash of relief on his face as she did so. The girl did not wake, and Regina decided instead of playing with her toy she should get some potion magic done. She strolled through the archway that led to Her Majesty's personal library.
After about 45 minutes of uninterrupted work, and three failed attempts at what should have been a simple concoction to create, the irritation of the Queen was palpable. She threw in the towel for the day and went to go wake up her sleeping beauty.
The first thing she noticed as she approached the girl was that she had the parchment clasped tightly in her hand, even unconscious the girl's grip on the paper was tight. The second thing was the peace the girl's face held as she slept. The Queen crouched down next to her pet and just watched her. She felt compelled to reach out her hand and touch the girl's relaxed face. Peace she has never possessed herself, asleep or otherwise. Regina gently pushed a curled blonde strand from her pet's forehead, tucking it back with the others away from her face.
A sleepy smile crossed the thin pink lips of her pet, and the Queen assumed the girl had forgotten where she was and awaited the inevitable fear to pass her features when reality crashed down upon her. Green eyes fluttered open and focused on the dark woman before her and the smile inexplicably widened.
"Hi!" The girl greeted her jovially in a thick, sleepy voice, "You're back! How was your day?"
The question startled the brunette, and she stammered before unwittingly answering the girl with honesty, "Unproductive."
That got a chuckled hum in response. The Queen stood and commanded the blonde to do the same. The soreness of Emma's muscles was completely gone with the several hours of rest she got, and she stood up and stretched. Regina noticed the ankle restraints were not attached and the girl was still in her night clothes.
"What is the meaning of this?" The Queen demanded. A worried look crossed Emma's face, not fear, Regina noted, it was concern.
"What's wrong?" the girl asked.
"Where shall I start?" Regina asked rhetorically.
"The most distressing part of whatever is the matter," Emma answered perplexed.
"The guard did not restrain you," Regina hissed, her fury written in her eyes. The girl could have run. She could have escaped so easily!
Emma looked over to the door where the kid had been standing then back at Regina who was obviously upset. "No, he didn't. I kind of got your note and crashed. It's not like I'm going anywhere… so..." she trailed off with a half smile.
"Make no mistake, girl. You are a prisoner."
"Oh, I know. Still though…" Emma's eyes flicked down to where she was absently rubbing the pattern on her bracelets. Her eyes came back up and saw the utter confusion in Regina's face and decided to apologize. "I'm sorry, I didn't think about it, I should have done it myself, I…"
"You are mad, aren't you pet?"
"Um… no?" Emma's face was pulled up into a curious questioning pinch.
"Did my incompetent staff not provide you with attire for the day?" Regina motioned her hand toward the fact Emma was still in her night clothing.
"Um, well, they tried…" Emma winced. "I, um, wanted to follow the rules." The questioning look in Regina's face prompted Emma to explain her reasoning further, "You said if you wanted me clothed, you'd provide my clothing. You provided this. So I kind of told the girl to get bent."
Emma's modern vernacular was lost on the Queen, and she could see the wheels turning behind the woman's dark eyes so she explained further, "I told her that I would wear this until you told me otherwise. I'm… I'm sorry I just wanted to please you by following your rules." Emma smiled shyly, looking deep into the dark brown complexity of the Queen.
Regina's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "If you were so keen on following my rules, girl, you wouldn't keep forgetting rule number two, now would you?"
Emma's eyes grew large with panic and suddenly pinned to the ceiling, then the wall, tracing the stone to the floor, looking everywhere but the Queen's face. "I'm sorry, I'm not used to not being able to look at you," she mumbled quietly.
"Well we'll just have to add to your punishment for last nights lapse in judgment, won't we?" the Queen smiled coolly.
Emma closed her eyes and nodded, her head bowed, "Yes, Majesty."
Regina turned from the girl and stoked the fire with her magic. Emma stood where she was, still put off by the fact that she screwed up. She wanted to prove to Regina that she could follow her rules, she wanted, no craved, the praise she felt in the Queen's note that morning. So she stood perfectly still and watched Regina walk around the room. The Queen retrieved the Aloe container she had that morning and returned to her pet commanding her to remove her leggings and to assume a kneeling position. She smiled when the girl did so without hesitation.
Regina lifted the nightshirt and dragged her fingers over the welts that seemed to no longer cause pain, admiring her work. "Your fair skin marks beautifully pet," she hummed as she noticed the girl's glistening center. Her fingers slid down grazing Emma's swollen lips; She chuckled as the blonde's breath caught in her chest. "You are wet for your Queen?" Regina asked masking her surprise.
"Y-yes Majesty," Emma answered quietly. Regina hummed again as she dragged her fingers through her pet's wet folds. Emma's desire overtook her senses, and she pushed back against the offered caress. Regina smirked and removed her hand. She lifted her fingers to her mouth and tasted her pet for the first time, humming the pleasure of the girl's desire. She swatted at her pet's wet center with her open hand, causing the girl to jump in surprise.
She applied the aloe as she had done before, rubbing the sticky gel over the healing marks on Emma's cheeks then magicked the container back to its station.
She stood and walked over to her wardrobe glancing back at the blonde who hadn't moved an inch. She chose a dark black bodice with a royal blue paisley decor and matching blue cotton leggings and magicked them onto herself. She walked back over to her pet, heels clicking with purpose and demanded her to rise.
Emma did so immediately, turning to face her Queen and was unable to mask her awe at what the woman has chosen to wear. Regina cocked her eyebrow up as her pet took in her form, not entirely displeased at the show of admiration. Emma swallowed thickly before she spoke, "You are so… wow," she cringed at her lack of vocabulary to compliment the woman before her properly.
"Come pet," Regina turned on her heel and led the girl out of her bedchamber and down the hall to her punishment.
