Queen Regina and Princess Emma felt as if they were dancing on clouds. Both were quite experienced in ballroom dancing, since it was required of all decent royalty to know how to ballroom dance. The two of them were off in their own world, without any recollection of what was about to happen around them.
"This feels so right, so complete, so perfect. Thank you," Emma whispers into the nape of Regina's neck. The older woman doesn't get a chance to respond before trouble via Snow White undoubtedly ruins the moment.
That was when the guards burst through the balcony doors, forcing Regina and Emma to jump apart at the sudden and abrupt interruption.
The two females instantly transformed into their combative stances without a second thought. The ageless queen, who had all the time in the land to practice and the rebel princess, who snuck out of the castle as often as she could to the dangerous forest and villages.
The guards still held the upper hand though, with the element of surprise on their side, and they eventually managed to knock their heir unconscious.
"EMMA," Regina calls out after her love, causing her to be caught off guard and take a hard blow to her left shoulder.
Regina continued to fight using her magic, but with the anti-magical wards in place, and her being outnumbered, she succumbed to her exhaustion. Queen Regina used her final touch of magic to vanish back to her castle, where she passed out. She kept one thought on her mind throughout her fitful sleep and that was 'I'll be more use to Emma out here, not locked up in Snow's dungeons. Must. Save. Emma.'
Back in the White kingdom, their princess was ungracefully dragged to her chambers with her head lolling from side to side in her dormant state. Emma was then locked up like a bandit, where she would soon be known as the traitor in the tallest tower.
Meanwhile, Snow holds a top-secret meeting in search of the magic that will take commands through someone, from her. After confidentially scouring all the kingdoms for the perfect magic maker, the White Queen decides on an elderly woman who seems at least okay.
"You must acknowledge that you need to be trustworthy and loyal to me and only me. I want you to show Emma every image of the destruction that the Evil Queen has caused. Slowly. I want to punish her so she will never look at Regina with anything but disgust," Snow informs the old lady, dressed in what probably used to be nice, forest green robes but were now worse for wear from the years of wear and tear.
The sorceress fiends her acceptance with a sweet smile and nod towards the queen, whom wore a floor-length gown with a dark to light blue ombré. 'Snow White is just too oblivious for her own good, and that boy toy she keeps around is worse,' the witch thought smugly to herself.
Emma woke up from her 'sleep' feeling groggy and damn her head was killing her! She was about to get up and ask a maid for medicine when she sensed another's presence in the room. The princess tried to relax again and pretend she was asleep, in hopes that the intruder would realize she was resting and simply leave, but they didn't.
"There's no point in acting, dear Emma," an elderly voice said behind her. "I know you've woke, now rise and change your clothes. We have quite the day ahead of us."
The young woman was startled by the aged woman by her bedside but reluctantly did as she was told. Emma exited her chambers to her wardrobe room without a word, grabbed the closest comfy outfit she could find, and switched to the powder room to prepare herself for the upcoming day.
As the blonde changed her clothes, styled her hair, and put on her makeup, she couldn't help but think of Regina. Emma had no idea what happened after she was, presumably, knocked out. She could only hope that her Queen made it out of the kingdom alive. Emma also wondered why the strange lady was in her chambers, for she had never met her before. The princess couldn't help but feel a sense of darkness surrounding that woman.
Before she could further think on why the lady felt off, said woman called through the door in a much harsher tone than before. "Get out here faster, girl, or you'll be in for the punishment of a lifetime!"
Emma reentered her chambers in a pair of tan riding pants, a loose, cream coloured blouse, a chocolate brown vest, and a pair a boots to match. The woman, whom say by the unlit fireplace on the other end of the room didn't even glance at her before ordering her to sit across from her.
"Your mother," the woman said, "Hired me to punish you, to change you. She demanded that I engrain every ounce of destruction Regina caused into your brain, seared into your memory forever. The White Queen, however, is very foolish. She forgot to tell me how I may do this, how I may turn you against your 'true love.'
"Therefore I will make you suffer through this in the worst way imaginable," she continued. Her eyes that seemed so kind and forgiving at first now showed pure resentment, no mercy. "You must only refer to me as Lady Tremaine, madam or ma'am. No exceptions."
The young princess sat in her chair, appalled at the sudden forcefulness of the woman before her, Lady Tremaine, she reminded herself. "May I inquire a question, madam?" she asked. She decided it best to go the polite and accepting route, better safe then sorry. When Lady Tremaine discarded her pointed look and nodded, Emma took that as a sign to continue. "What do you plan to do to me?"
"Ah straight to the point I see, much more clever than your heritage suggests," Lady Tremaine replied. "I plan to tie you to your bed frame and burn the evil wrath the Dark Queen caused into your mind. I will torture your mind until the only thing left in the head of yours it the desperate need to end the one you once called your 'true love'"
A/N: sorry I took months to finally update this story! I promise the next one won't take near as long, I already have most of it mapped out! Feedback is much appreciated!
