There was a commotion in the camp when Emma came limping weakly into the circle of tents, recognizing her parents' royal crest on the horses' saddlebags as they idled at the edge of the ring. Shouts of 'the princess!' and 'we've found her!' brought conflicting emotions to the surface, joy that she would soon be home, and sour fear that crept up her throat. Her task was clear, and the clothing that had appeared on her body the moment she exited the dark Queen's castle grounds was emblazoned with the symbol of the enemy kingdom. With some effort, and prodding from her hallucination of a guide, Emma managed to summon a cloak, wrapping the pale cream garment around her shoulders gratefully to cover the mark she bore. When the fabric draped over her body however, the color seemed to wash away, melting into a devilishly deep crimson that Emma instantly noted was the same shade in which she had first seen her Queen adorned.
Again, conflicting feelings and the reference to the Queen as being something of her own.
The soldiers insisted that she ride with one of them, and eventually Emma assented. She did notice that the soldier with whom she was riding seemed to run into an unfortunate amount of greenery, always directly at the level of his head. It was amusing in its way, as Emma could feel in some otherworldly manner that there was magic manipulating the trees, and she was certain she knew the identity of the culprit.
Emma remained fairly silent for the majority of the ride, deflecting all attempts to make conversation to allow herself time to formulate exactly what she was to say to her parents. It wasn't going to be easy. In contrast to the message she had to deliver to them, the escape from the Queen's castle had been relatively simple.
Once Emma had made her way down the long corridor leading from the dungeons, a rumbling had caught her by surprise, shaking the earth beneath her feet violently enough that she feared the tunnel would cave in. It wasn't to be, as the walls themselves came alive. Rumplestiltskin shouted at her to use magic like a proper Dark One, which she had ignored for the most part. However, the golems that sprouted from the earthy walls continued to emerge in greater and greater numbers, forcing Emma to turn to a strength that wasn't physical. Her unreal guide had demanded she lift her hands and will the things out of existence.
And she had done it. It took a toll on her, straining that part of her heart that still rebelled against magic and introducing to her a temptation the likes of which she had never before experienced.
After she had vanished the wall creatures, nothing more bothered her, aside from the snarky remarks from her invisible mentor that consisted almost entirely of 'I told you so' in regards to the power she had just proven that she possessed.
Along with the garments that appeared on her body as she stepped a foot off of the castle grounds, a form fitting squire's uniform, tunic shirt with the Queen's crest and leggings with a belt cinched tightly around her hips, there was a sheet of parchment that repeated the message she was to carry. As the horse trotted at an easy pace, bouncing his riders, Emma could feel the words burning into her flesh.
As of now, I owe my fealty to Queen Regina, and shall serve her in any capacity that she requires. This is due to the foolishness of my mother, and the promise she broke.
The words were easy, but what they meant for Emma's future was dire. There would be no ruling of the White Kingdom, at least that's what Emma assumed. And there would be no arranged marriage. Granted, Emma hadn't been very keen on the idea in the first place, but it remained that it was a command that Regina had handed down. With the dagger in the hands of that woman, Emma stood no chance.
Fanfare rang through the kingdom as the word spread that the princess had been found alive and well, if a little worse for wear. Reaching the castle was a blessing, as the crowds in the streets had made travel slow going and Emma wanted nothing more than for this day to be over.
Snow and David rushed to their daughter the moment she entered the castle, ignoring any protocol and capturing Emma in a group hug that brought tears to her eyes with thoughts of what was to come. She was going to break their hearts, and there was nothing she could do about it.
"Mother, Father.." Emma gave them a tight squeeze before pulling away enough to bow her head in shame for her own actions, however unwillingly she might have committed them. "We need to talk."
Concern had faded when their eyes had found their daughter safe and sound and in one piece, but it returned with a vengeance when she refused to meet their gaze. Adjourning to the war room, just the three of them, Emma stalled as her parents took their seats at the head of the long table that filled most of the room, waiting anxiously for their unusually quiet daughter to speak.
"I was tasked.. to deliver a message." Emma tried, more than once, to force the words out. But they refused to form on her tongue. After several long moments of silence, Emma reached into the pouch beneath her cloak and passed it to her father, who read it aloud in a monotonous tone.
In an instant, Snow was on her feet and grasping her daughter tightly, tears coming unbidden and rolling down her flushed cheeks.
Far off, the Evil Queen watched the breakdown in one of many enchanted mirrors, the gleeful expression on her face lighting every feature with a sadistic glow. The dagger lay nearby, as it had from the second she came into possession of it. Regina reached for the magical weapon and took it into her hands, stroking the hilt eagerly.
To her surprise, the princess shuddered in her mother's arms as her fingers traveled the expanse of the dagger's hilt. Experimentally, she dragged a nail over the blade, tracing the curve of the metal slowly. Again, Emma shuddered, drawing a whole new kind of smile over the Queen's face, devious and eager to find out just how very connected the new Dark One was to her dagger.
Emma's body was alight despite the fact that she was in her mother's arms, and instinct told her that it was her dagger, the key to her power, being toyed with. The idea that the Queen was watching from her own castle, touching the dagger in such an intimate fashion that it would draw such… sensations from her body, Emma's pulse raced, thoughts twisting down dark paths.
"You don't have to do this, Emma", Snow murmured in her attempt to comfort her only daughter. "We'll find a way, I promise." As yet another pleasurable shudder wracked her body, Emma pulled away, shaking her head as she came to the decision that she would divulge the whole truth. Right now.
"There's no way, mother. I.. ", she stumbled under the wave that passed over her next, swallowing thickly as she tried again, "I did something bad. Something terrible. I killed the Dark One without being aware of the consequences.. and now.." Snow's tears fell as David held her tight. "I'm the Dark One."
Emma vanished on the spot, reappearing only a half second later, cloak gone and wearing something more resembling that which Regina was famed for, dark and clinging. Her hair, formerly falling free in golden ringlets, had grown wild, half up and down with curls sprouting from every angle in an ordered frenzy that lent her an air of untamable power. Regina licked her lips as she drank in every inch of the transformed princess, who knew that a mere spoken acceptance of her lot in life would spark this change? The Queen approved mightily, tapping a finger against the tip of the dagger, her distraction bringing her to tap just a bit too hard, a droplet of blood falling on the blade.
The marble floor cracked beneath Emma's feet when she vanished once more, her parents holding their breaths as they awaited her return. When the passing of time produced no princess, Snow cried out and buried her face in David's chest for an agonizing few seconds. When those had passed, she drew herself up and stormed from the room with all the fury and power of a mother out to rescue her child.
The air turned thick and heated when Emma came into being with a pillar of gray smoke beside the Queen, her appearance coinciding with Regina's insertion of her bloodied finger into her own mouth to lick away the crimson that had trickled from the miniscule wound.
"Your blood. My blood. You don't know what you've done." Emma stalked forward, her entire bearing seeming to expand with each motion. Eyes fixed to Regina's finger, Emma stopped short of touching the Queen, her burning gaze dragging down the woman's body without shame. "Be prepared to be dethroned, Your Majesty." Emma was daring, the transformation having gone seemingly deeper than merely her appearance. Regina quite liked the change, eyes flashing at the challenge.
Drawing the dagger near and lifting it before Emma's eyes, Regina laughed in her throat. "I don't think you'll be doing anything of the sort, Dark One. Not unless..", she paused to lick her own crimson droplets from the dagger's dangerous curving blade, eliciting a shudder and a low sound from Emma that made Regina's blood boil, "…I command it."
Blinking suddenly, uncertain, Emma looked at the blade, brows furrowing in apparent confusion. "I…uh.." Regina quirked a brow as she leaned in, tracing Emma's firm jaw with the tip of the dagger.
"Have you lost your fighting spirit already?" The Queen made as if to pout, the mocking expression swiftly flourishing into a grin. "I haven't." Raising the dagger to tap Emma's nose, Regina murmured her first true command in the face of her Dark One. "On your knees."
Emma dropped, much as she had in the dungeons, though holding far more grace in this movement. The dark was smooth sin, wrapped in velvet luxury and silken temptation, topped with ribbons of indulgence that begged to be touched. Each move Emma made was calculated, though whether by her or another she couldn't be sure. What she was absolutely certain about however, was the way her breathing shallowed out, pulse racing as she remained on her knees like a supplicant before a goddess. In Emma's eyes, Regina may well have been so, her hips shifting seductively from side to side as she circled the kneeling princess. A hand drifted over her hair, the elegant fingers plucking at a curl or two that emerged rebelliously from wherever it pleased, a hum of consideration and approval lingering on her scarlet painted lips.
Danger caressed Emma's senses, giving her the joy of feeling more alive than she had since the very first day she picked up a sword. Regina was danger personified, with the glint of something hidden in her darkened gaze. Emma wanted to discover her secrets, learn all those little things that a Queen would hide from the world, map each perfection and each flaw, if the latter even existed. Fascination had taken a hold of her that very first moment she had laid eyes on the dark Queen, and Emma had fallen victim to it every moment spent in the Queen's company since.
"Tell me, princess", Regina began in a luxuriously low tone, the answer already apparent to her with the way Emma's body practically screamed for the Queen to draw near, "How would you like to spend some more time in my company? Tell me the truth." Were Regina's hand not on the dagger, Emma might have been afforded a minute longer to consider how to answer the query. Certainly, yes, fascination and temptation had woven a lovely web, but did she desire to stay rather than return home? As it was, however, the Queen gave the dagger a sensuous stroke as she asked, leaving no chance for the princess to answer with anything but the absolute truth.
"Yes", Emma responded instantly, her mouth clamping shut as she registered the speed and eagerness with which she had answered, cheeks flushing as she found she couldn't stop the words from spilling, "I would love to spend more time in your company, Your Majesty."
Regina's expression only grew more predatory as she approached the young girl once more, bending so that their faces were level. Brushing her fingers under Emma's chin, the Queen breathed out, "Then follow me."
As the Queen turned to leave, she expected the princess to follow without question even without using the dagger to command her. When the sound of rushed footsteps echoed behind, dashing to catch up, Regina suppressed a laugh.
And so the game had begun.
