Chapter Four

The city was burning below her and Emma watched dispassionately as her soldiers moved in and out of the filthy housing, throwing the residents into the streets. Word had reached her that the low born inhabitants were secretly talking against her, and she had moved quickly and decisively against the traitors. Her adviser had cautioned for trials or at least more proof, but Emma had determined that traitors did not deserve the benefits given to loyal citizens.

"They fear you," her mother's voice said from her side and Emma noted the satisfaction buried within the cultured tone.

"Fear is not respect, my Queen," Graham spoke from her other side and Emma felt more than heard Cora's snarl as she turned on the Huntsman.

"Why do you tolerate such insolence, Emma?"

"It is important to understand how the people think, mother, and Graham provides that insight for me." She turned to face the man beside her, her gaze traveling over his handsome features. His face displayed no emotion, but Emma saw the worry and sorrow burrowed in his gaze. She had discovered his secret and she was assured of his loyalty as he would never risk the annihilation she promised the wolves if he betrayed her. "He is too intelligent to ever betray me, Mother, but I encourage his honesty as it helps me understand my next course of action."

They stood in silence listening to the screams of agony and rage from below. Emma would completely uproot the people from her kingdom and kill the roots if necessary to plant a new citizenry that understood her goals: equality, culture, working as one for the same goal. Her goals had always been for the betterment of her people, and she would never apologize for the means she used to achieve it.

"Sorry to interrupt, dearies," a cackle sounded behind them and Emma's back stiffened as she felt her magic respond to her teacher. Cora turned with a smile and Emma felt a large measure of disgust rush through her, although her face remained impassive and unmoving.

"You were summoned hours ago," Emma said quietly, inwardly seething at his audacity.

"You do not command me, your Majesty," Rumpelstiltskin sneered, her hands curling into crooked claws as he gestured to the city below. "Will you burn me as you do those in your charge?" His words tickled at the edge of Emma's conscience, and she quickly shoved the feeling aside. She did this for the good of all her people. One day she would make the wizened imp eat his words.

"Have you made progress with the curse?" Emma asked, her eyes narrowing as Cora and Rumple shared a long look.

"The curse is not viable," Cora said, and Emma turned to her in surprise. "It requires the sacrifice of the thing you love most, and I am quite certain that I have raised you to not be a slave to such weakness."

The words jarred Emma, but she could not deny the truthfulness. She loved nothing. She felt a sense of duty to her people, and she wished to make her mother proud. But she felt nothing. No friendship. No lovers. No confidants. She was never moved to tears. Her heart may as well have existed outside of her body. She sighed and turned back to the window, her thoughts racing.

"Then we must find someone foolish and powerful enough to cast the curse for us. I wish to wipe the memory of every man, woman, and child of that wretched Snow White and her Charming."

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Emma sighed as the night air blew gently against her, causing blonde curls to dance lightly against her face. Her eyes were on the full moon as she listened to the cries of distant wolves, wondering momentarily if Graham's voice rose among them. She had seen no progress in her search for someone powerful, but naive enough to use. Emma felt like a failure and she had allowed herself to be subjected to Cora's scathing insults. She deserved them. For a moment she allowed herself to feel the full weight of her failure and the suffocating intensity felt like it would crush her.

"Hey now, a pretty girl like you can't look so sad under a moon like that," a mellow voice said from beside her and Emma turned with a start. Her eyes widened at the beautiful, green fairy who was perched on a low tree branch beside her, her luminescent wings fluttering lightly in the moonlight sending shimmers of light across Emma's stunned features.

"Wha.. who are you?" Emma stammered, wincing at the uncertainty that laced her voice.

"My name is Tinkerbell, and I'm a green fairy. I shouldn't be here, but your sadness called to me and I couldn't not come."

A fairy. Emma had seen many magical creatures, beasts, and humans, but she had never met a fairy. When she was younger she used to wish fervently for the fairies to rescue her from her mother but her belief in them lapsed as no one had ever come even to comfort her.

"You're real?" Emma breathed, the fairy mistaking the breathlessness of her voice for wonder and not the crushing anger and betrayal Emma felt. They were real and they'd never answered. She didn't move as Tinkerbell alighted from the tree and landed gently in front of her.

"Yes," her voice was soft and sad and Emma realized that Tinkerbell did understand. "I finally received my wings and I was able to fly to finally fly to you when I felt your sadness."

"You felt me?" Emma asked, trying to understand. She didn't feel threatened by the fairy and knew her magic could crush the fragile creature in front of her. She debated calling the guard but her mind was already working towards a plan to use the fairy's magic to cast her curse. She swallowed her impatience and was glad of her mother's lessons as her racing thoughts showed nothing on her face.

"I used to hear your cries when you were a child, and then when you were older," Tinkerbell said quietly, kneeling carefully in front of Emma as though Emma would spook if she moved suddenly. "I wanted so badly to come to you. But I could not and no one would listen to me. I am not like them," Tinkerbell said bitterly, her eyes falling away from Emma's as her cheeks flushed with shame.

The fairy was truly beautiful as the moon danced through the clouds and cast playful, shimmering shadows across her skin. She was wearing a low-cut green dress whose hem reached high on her thigh. Her bare feet looked so small and soft, and Emma felt her fascination growing as the lovely wings fluttered shyly under her careful scrutiny. She felt a sliver of unknown emotion rock through her and she realized with a start that she felt desire for the beautiful creature before her. Her own magic began to respond to the magic in the air around her and Tinkerbell's eyes widened slightly as Emma's own skin began to glow a light blue that reflected the glow of the moonlight.

"You have magic," Tinkerbell said wonderingly before nodding to herself. "I wondered why I could no longer hear or feel you and now I understand." The fairy glanced sadly at the ground and Emma wondered what her thoughts were.

"I learned how to survive," Emma said, surprising herself with the words.

"You learned how to hide, Emma," Tinkerbell said sadly, her words washing through Emma with a ring of truth she could not deny. "You were a duckling that grew to be a beautiful swan; elegant, beautiful, vicious in its ferocity."

"You speak to me like no one else," Emma said as anger flared through her at the fairy's words.

"I think you need someone to truly talk to you," Tinkerbell said, a smile impishly lighting her face and causing Emma's anger to die instantly. "And even if you don't," the fairy continued, "perhaps you can humor me and talk with me?"

The words were filled with loneliness and peaked Emma's curiosity. She found herself sliding from the bench and onto the ground with the fairy, who looked up at her with pleased surprise painting her features.

"You sound lonely," Emma said, shoving down the feeling inside her that resonated with the fairy's feelings.

"It is lonely in my world," Tinkerbell admitted as she plucked at the grass. Emma listened as the fairy explained her low role in her society and how she was always viewed as the screw-up while she felt the fairies were backwards and living in a society that no longer was viable in today's world. Emma was fascinated and gradually found her eyes watching the fairy's lips as they spoke instead of listening to the words that poured from between them.

"The morning light comes," Tinkerbell said quietly after speaking at length and Emma looked up as the first rays reached pink fingers across the midnight blue sky.

"I wish the night would never end," Emma said quietly, her eyes finding the fairy's. Tinkerbell flushed prettily and Emma felt her heart pounding. "Will you come again tomorrow night? Well, tonight," she amended with a crooked smile. Tinkerbell's answering smile vied with the approaching sunrise for the most beautiful thing in Emma's sight.

"I will, Emma. Until then, know that you are in my thoughts." The fairy leaned forward and kissed her cheek, both their cheeks flushing shyly as she then quickly flapped her wings and disappeared into the sunrise.

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The next few weeks Emma saw Tinkerbell almost every night. They would talk for hours, often walking through the woods. Emma spotted Graham sometimes through the trees, his canine head watching her almost in wonder as she allowed herself to relax and just be a person around the fairy. She was no longer the Red Queen, but rather she was simply Emma, a woman who quickly found herself wondering if she were falling in love. Emma kept wondering when her mother would ask why she had begun to sleep so late in the morning, but Cora remained refreshingly quiet, and Emma chose to ignore the secrets hidden in her mother's eyes.

The citizens of her kingdom had calmed and it appeared as though she had squelched all uprisings. The people were prosperous and trade had increased with the surrounding kingdoms. Emma felt proud of her people's accomplishments and declared a day of feasting and revelry. She was even more proud as the people controlled themselves and debauchery was limited to a mere handful and not the uprising her mother had warned such days caused. It appeared that everything was falling into place and as such the need for the cursed began to slip from her mind.

"Emma?" Tinkerbell's voice beside her brought her back to the present and Emma turned to look at the woman beside her. Emma had removed her boots and rolled her trousers to her knees, joining the fairy with her feet in a bubbling stream. Emma felt a crooked smile cross her face and was once again lost in wonderment that the gorgeous fairy could cause her to feel so at ease and content.

"Yes?" she answered, her voice huskier than she intended causing Tinkerbell's eyebrow to raise. Emma and Tink had never discussed their mutual attraction, but Emma knew the fairy felt it as strongly as she.

"I looked into your eyes and lost my words," Tinkerbell breathed. Emma felt her breath catch in her throat as Tinkerbell leaned towards her. Her eyes widened as she almost panicked. She had never truly shared a kiss with someone and the depths of her naivety felt stifling, but she found she longed to feel the other woman's lips upon hers, to taste a kiss born of shared emotions.

Emma closed her eyes as Tinkerbell's hand slid into her hair and tilted her head. The fairy's lips were so incredibly soft and Emma sighed as the lips she dreamed of many nights moved against hers. She leaned forward capturing the sweet lips against hers as her hands moved to cup the other woman's cheeks. As Tinkerbell's tongue ran wetly against her lips, Emma moaned as a rush of arousal rushed through her body.

"Emma," the word was whispered against her lips like a prayer and Emma allowed the fairy to lay her back gently onto the grass. Their legs twined as the kiss deepened and Emma felt herself falling into emotions she had tried to contain. The depth of how she felt hit her deeply and Emma gasped as she tore herself away from Tinkerbell.

"I'm sorry," Emma gasped as tears began to roll down her cheeks. With a quick wave, she trans-ed back to her rooms where she stood bent over and trying to regain her breath. She was falling in love, and she couldn't allow that emotion into her life. She couldn't put Tinkerbell at risk because Emma's love was a death sentence, both from Cora and from her own scheming.

Before she could think further, she felt a rush of magic against her and then Tinkerbell's arms were winding around her, hugging her tightly.

"You must leave," Emma burst out as her hands pulled the fairy closer. She inhaled deeply the scent of sunshine and forest, and wished she was anyone other than who she was.

"Your Majesty?" Graham's voice echoed outside the door and Emma knew Cora had felt the magic and sent him to investigate. Emma felt the arms around her loosen and opened her eyes as a gasp of surprise left the other woman's mouth. Emma stepped back, desperately trying to rebuild her walls as Tinkerbell looked around in surprise. She had never told Tinkerbell who she was. Emma crossed to the door and pulled it open, her eyes gazing impassively at the huntsman.

"I am fine. See that no one, not even my mother, disturbs me for the evening." His eyes never moved from her but Emma saw his nostrils flare slightly as he caught the scent of the fairy. Emma was puzzled at the look of surprised hopefulness she saw fleetingly in his eyes. She closed the door quietly and locked it with a spell. She stayed face the door unable to turn and meet the fairy's eyes.

"You... you're the Red Queen?" Emma nodded, trying to swallow the lump in her throat as she lifted her head proudly. "But they say you're evil," Tinkerbell said quietly, almost as though the words were never meant to be spoken. The words sounded conflicted, as though she were trying to mesh what she had heard to the woman she knew.

"People misunderstand my intentions," Emma said as she turned, unable to meet the fairy's gaze. "Everything I've done, every decision I've made has been for the good of my people. But I understand if you no longer wish to see me."

Silence reigned so long in the room that Emma would have though the fairy had left except she could see Tinkerbell standing still exactly where she had left her at Graham's intrusion. With a sigh, she took a seat by the fire, her thoughts brooding and dark, remembering her mother's admonishments regarding love and weakness. It was in the depths of these thoughts she felt Tinkerbell's hand upon her shoulder.

"Your sadness is overwhelming me, Emma," the fairy pleaded quietly and Emma turned to see tears glistening on the fairy's cheek.

"I'm sorry," Emma said, and the words spread out in the room seeming to encompass a myriad of things that Emma wouldn't let herself consider. The depth of her despair grew and she closed her eyes so she couldn't see the sadness mirror itself on Tinkerbell's beautiful face.

"I'm in love with you," Tinkerbell spoke quietly into the room, her words piercing the encroaching darkness and pushing it back in a blaze of light. Emma gasped and her green eyes met the fierce blue that gaze down at her with a look of compassion and love. "I won't fail you, and I won't leave you. I belong to you heart and soul."

Emma stood and tugged the fairy to her as feelings raced through her body. Tinkerbell groaned as Emma claimed her lips, the desire between them burning and leaving no room for any other thoughts and feelings. Emma walked the fairy backwards until she fell against Emma's bed, her hands bringing Emma down on top of her. They both gasped as Emma's thigh fell between Tinkerbell's legs, the wet heat searing Emma with desperate desire. Her lips fell to the beautiful neck exposed to her as Tinkerbell's head fell to the side as her hips canted upwards to meet Emma's slowly grinding thigh.

"Wait," Tinkerbell breath as Emma pulled down the top of her dress and swirled a tongue around a hardened, pink nipple. "Emma, my love, please wait." The words cut through the blinding passion and Emma rolled to the side carrying the fairy with her in her arms.

"I'm sorry," Emma managed to say, biting her lips to keep them from the fairy's. Tinkerbell groaned and closed the distance, her kiss hot on Emma's lips before she put her hand on Emma's chest and pushed her away.

"No need to apologize," the fairy managed to say through ragged breaths.

"Am I doing this wrong?" Emma asked as her thigh shifted to slide against the fairy's heat causing blue eyes to roll back before meeting hers, their color darker and blown with passion.

"Gods, no," Tinkerbell moaned as her hips began to rock against Emma. With what appeared to be a great effort she pushed herself away from Emma and stood. Her lips were plump from their kisses, her cheeks pink, hair tousled and Emma desperately wanted her. "Stop looking at me like that, Emma Swan," she called out, using the name she dubbed Emma.

"I want you," Emma said quietly, her eyes focused on the pulse she saw pounding in the gorgeous throat.

"I want you too, but..."

"But?"

"This is my first time, and I want to make certain that we are clearheaded and not acting out emotionally." Emma's heart lifted and plummeted at the same time.

"It is my first time, too," she admitted causing Tinkerbell's eyes to widen. "I have never desired anyone other than you, much less..." her words trailed off. She looked up into Tinkerbell's innocent gaze and her heart broke and fixed, then broke again. "... much less loved someone as I do you."

"Oh, Emma," Tinkerbell gasped, tears sliding down her cheeks and Emma wondered at them. "You are so beautiful and I wish you could see the person I do." Tinkerbell looked torn as her eyes flew to the window where light was appearing in the east, then back to where Emma lay waiting on the bed, her lips swollen with kisses. "I will come back here tomorrow night as soon as the sun sets and I can get away."

Emma nodded and sprang from the bed, her hands finding the fairy's and pulling her close for a hug. She couldn't get enough of the feel of the other woman against her, and as she felt the shudder rack the small frame in her arms, she knew the other woman felt the same.

"Tomorrow then," she whispered as Tinkerbell stepped back and with a blown kiss stepped off the landing and flew away.