A/N: WOO Double updates. You can thank apples-a-day and MindChaos for this lovely happenstance.
Regina waved her hand over the mirror and the pieces merged back together. Her hands fisted together and the Evil Queen found herself pacing the vault. She couldn't believe what was happening. All of her power, all of her plans. She made sure that this would never happen and that… That, child! Had ruined it again.
Was it not enough that Cora had punished her for decades over the indiscretions of her youth. Was it not enough that she had traveled to a whole new land to escape her pain? Was it not enough to live in general misery with her pain and bitterness?
Regina grabbed the nearest pulsing drawer and ripped it open. The pulse of the heart was slightly off, the old carpenter. She slammed the drawer shut and yanked open a new one. Small and bright red, with a sibling beside it. The twins from the woods. She snarled her frustration and went through all the other drawers.
None of them were what she wanted. None of them held the sweet glory of victory she craved. None of them were pretty enough distractions from what she suffered. Why did she keep them still? Why did she bother with their pathetic lives. Why did she even let them all live in the first place? The things she had given them were above the luxuries even she possessed in her castles back home.
What made any of these peasants so worthy of her unappreciated gift?
Regina ripped each drawer out of it's track and tossed it to the floor until she had a pile of pulsing red hearts amidst shattered wood. Each of them was distinct. She could hold one in her hands and whisper her will into the very minds of those she wished to control.
She sneered at the hearts laid out before her, "You are all pathetic and weak. Look at you, unable to protect your own hearts." Regina turned on the mirror once more, "Show me more." She snapped.
Ice cold water splashed over Emma, startling her awake. She jumped to her feet, "What the He-!" She stopped dead as she realized who had splashed her.
Above the young woman stood the Lady Mills herself. They told scary stories about the queen to be around the fireplace on appropriately dramatic nights. Despite having three inches on the woman, and at least 30 years, Emma was scared as hell. The reason for her fear was hovering a good six feet off the ground in the form of a damp bucket.
Magic.
Cora Mills was not a sorceress to be screwed around with. Her prowess was famous the forest over. It had even been rumored that she had relations with persons such as the Witch Maleficent, and even the Dark One himself.
Emma dropped to her knees, hands above her head and looked to the floor, "Please forgive me Lady Mills! I didn't know whose stables it was. My Lady forgive me." She pleaded, shivering on her knees.
The woman laughed, a cold harsh sound. It sent chills down Emma's spine like ripples after a splash. "You didn't know you were walking on the grounds of crown prince Henry?" Her amusement was just as scary as everything else about this woman. "Either you have the morals of a strumpet, or the liver of an ox. Since you have taken advantage of my property, I think I'll take advantage of you."
Emma's head snapped up to stare at the Lady in shock and more than a little terror. "My lady?" She asked in a small voice. Just knowing that this woman could make her sound so pitiful and small made Emma hate her just a little bit. Of course Emma knew very well that hate doesn't come without a healthy dose of fear.
Emma woke up to the sweet smell of hay, and the earthy scent of horse manure. In other words, the smell of home. Of course the reason she woke up was less pleasant. Emma only had three seconds to enjoy the familiarity of the smells surrounding her before she was dumped on the ground. Her arms flew back and hit the ground at an uncomfortable angle that saved her head from getting cracked on the concrete underneath the hay.
Tisi skirted around Emma's sprawled figure and blew at her. Emma sat up with a groan and gave Tisi the finger. "You did that on purpose you little shit."
Tisi tossed her head and stamped. A demand as regal as any royal bitch could muster. Emma hauled herself to her feet, "Yeah yeah your majesty." Emma gave her a mocking bow and smirked at the way the horse shifted to look affronted. She'd be damned if she knew how those two could be so expressive. No one else seemed to notice, but to Emma those horses spoke as clear as day. Even if they were just telling her to clean up their shit and make them breakfast. "Just like everybody else. Using me for your own pleasure." Emma teased, grabbing the pitchfork from around the corner.
She let Tisi into Regal's stall and began mucking out yesterday's meals, whining and griping cheerfully about the expense of feeding a horse just so you can go back in a few hours to shovel it up again. The horses replied in their own ways, or ignored her. The cowgirl was halfway through mucking out Regal's stall before she noticed her audience.
Emma glanced up at Killian and then back down to the hay in front of her, "What do you want Jones?"
She could feel him itching to do something gentlemanly to earn back her affections, but Killian knew better than to step foot in Regal's stall, even when the beast wasn't there. Killian fidgeted just outside and watched Emma work. Emma snorted, 'probably staring at my ass' she thought. "I want you back Emma."
Her eyebrows shot up and she turned to look at him wallowing in his guilt. "Oh it's Emma now? You aren't going to flirt your way out of it?"
"Stop that." He frowned, "I'm trying to apologize Emma."
She snorted even louder, "Ain't that a change. I bet you apologize to all the ladies just to get in their shorts." She shoveled another hunk of crap out, enjoying the solid splat of it's landing in the pile outside.
Killian gritted his teeth and stalked into the stall, taking the pitchfork from a stunned Emma's hands. He dropped it and took both her cheeks in his hands and kissed her softly. "I love you woman. If you would stop being so stubborn maybe you would see that."
