A/N: I am sooo sorry for not updating sooner! I was very busy with exams and lost my motivation to write but I got this program called ZenWriter and it's truly amazing. It's just this really simple and basic program for writing that has a background and music and it's just so calming!

Anyways I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please review if you liked it and want more or if you have any ideas for my next chapter!


After searching the whole realm magically, mentally, and physically multiple times, Regina didn't know what to do anymore. Her younger true love was out there somewhere in the middle of nowhere, probably behind a veil of some extremely dark and powerful magic.

Today feels different, though. Today marks the lost princess' 20th birthday. 2 years since she's met her true love, a year and a half since she's disappeared and a year since Snow and Charming gave up their search.

The royal idiots assumed that Regina somehow managed to break the magical barrier to the tall tower, kill Lady Tramaine and kidnap Emma. They were never aware of what the witch was doing to Emma and that kidnapping her would most likely be better for everyone involved, but for their daughter's 19th birthday, Queen Snow decided to call off the search to let Emma be happy with her true love.

Regina thought it was a nice enough gesture even if, unbeknownst to the White Palace, she didn't have Emma. Her thoughts were rudely interrupted by a knock on the door to her library, where she spent most of her time these days.

"Come in," she called out.

"Your Majesty, King Charming of the White Palace is here. He wishes to speak with you," the awkward messenger boy recalled.

"Yes, fine. Send him up."

Mere minutes later David Charming was standing before her in clothes that resembled the finest quality of peasant clothes in the realm.

"Regina, I know you will not forgive the actions of Snow and myself in the past yet I know Emma is not with you. Snow may be blinded by her hatred of you but I shall not be fooled into believing you would outright lie about the location of my daughter. Please, Regina, I want to help," he begged.

"Well maybe there's hope for the White kingdom after all," she mused. "I have been looking for Emma since she was reported missing and have still come up empty handed. How on Earth could you be of any use to me?" the Queen snapped.

"I- I don't know. All I know is that my daughter is out there somewhere and if there is any hope in finding her it's with you. I do not wish to force Emma into returning to our kingdom, she may stay wherever she pleases. My only wish is that she is safely found."

"Very well then. You will busy yourself in asking the villagers and travelers if they have heard so much as a rumor about Emma," Regina ordered.

Charming was taken aback by her acceptance of his aid and her quick commands. Regina sighed, "Now!" David was snapped out of his reveries and scrambled to the door to start his task.


Em woke up to another day, the same as yesterday and everyday in the past year and a half. She wakes up, goes to physical training with Mulan, magical training with Baelfire, better known as Neal, and then the woods to gather the necessities for the evening.

Whilst walking to meet Mulan, she remembered what today was; her birthday. This means nothing to her now but solely marks the day she was held captive until half a year later she broke free. Since then she's been going by "Em" and training with two trusted friends to control her magic and gain physical strength as well.

Em could battle blindfolded by now, with or without magic, and win every time. She didn't even need to think about what she was doing in order to kill, she never felt guilty anymore; she had turned into the perfect, loyal and heartless warrior. Her long awaited talents were so second nature to her that sometimes it even frightened Mulan and Neal, and Em would most definitely be terrified of what she had become as well if her dark magic allowed her to, but it was too ingrained into her body.

"Nice of you to finally show up," Mulan, who had seemed to pop up out of no where, said to Em. "What were you thinking about to get lost inside your own mind?"

"As you know, that is not such a difficult task for me and it does not and will not effect my judgement therefore you should stop wasting time on chatting and hurry up and get to it. Or are you not willing to lose again?"

Mulan was known for her patience and she knew that Em was just trying to get a rise from her buut whenever her fighting skills were mentioned, she couldn't help but go into full-on raging combat. The blonde was always prepared to take her on though, barely breaking a sweat in her movements to defeat her former master and current practice opponent.

It wasn't long until the sun was directly overhead, indicating that her time with Mulan was at its end and it was time to make her way further from civilization. Em hiked through the forest in her usual course, climbing up a few trees just to jump down and land in her battle stance, all the while keeping up with her set pace.

Finally reaching Neal, they immediately began their training. Neal did not have magic but, on an exclusive need-to-know bases, he was the Dark One's son. That gave him more knowledge than most sorcerers and sorceress'. Unlike physical combat, Em had yet to master the art of magic.

She started each session with the basics, as instructed, to warm her up and make sure she wouldn't get rusty. She then moved to the more strenuous spells and finished off the day with learning a new spell altogether. But today was different. Just as she was aiming her throwing knives at a large tree with her magic, a figure moved out from behind it. Em was practically hard-wired to not lose focus and concentration so she let the floating knives impale the tree anyways.

An all-too-human scream erupted from behind the foliage and out stumbled a man, skewered by a knife in his right shoulder, and right side of his abdomen. Serves him right, spying on me from behind my target, Em thought, but upon closer study, regretted her thoughts immediately.

"No!" she cried out and rushed towards the man. She knelt down beside him and protectively held him. "Father, why?" she asked as she hooked her finger under his chin and forced his gaze to land on hers.

"My daughter, sweet, sweet Emma," he mumbled, transfixed at the sight of her. "Go to Regina's palace, it's just beyond the dark forest, you can't miss it. I love you. Tell your mother I love her, too."

"No," Em said firmly. "You are not dying here." She said this mostly to herself as she let her deep emotions of sorrow and rage completely overcome her and she let her dark magic take over. Her eyes flashed burgundy for a moment before teleporting both her and her father, past the gates of the Dark Palace and right into the throne room, where Regina sat, dumbfounded.

"HELP HIM!" Emma screamed, looking up at Regina with pleading eyes.