Chapter 9
Emma looked through the glass at the shop and then turned to face Will. Will had a smile on her face. The store was closed, but she knocked on the door anyway. They were on the outskirts of Boston, near Cambridge, at a strip mall. The shop boasted an impressive line of finely tailored clothes and formal wear, but Emma wasn't sure.
An older lady, around sixty, came to the door. She peeled back the sheer and smiled at Will. She quickly turned the lock and pulled them both inside. Emma was caught off guard by her exuberance and the immensity of the store. Will just giggle as the woman pulled them to the back of the store where the private dressing areas were. She sat them down and pulled out a bottle of water for them both. Then she disappeared.
"You know this place?" Emma asked.
"I told you that I would take care of it," Will told her.
"Where are we?"
"You wanted something tailored and good looking. I get that here. Trust me when I say that Sylvia will take care of all your wardrobe needs."
"You've used her before?" Emma asked.
"All the time. Where do you think that I got all those dresses on short notice. Sylvia kept my measurements on hand. And, she's good about not asking about the aging thing. I've used her for a lot of years, not just when you knew me here in Boston," Will answered.
Sylvia came back in the private dressing area with a selection of cloth and colors. She was pushing a cart loaded down and on the corner of it was a bucket of champagne. She was hand carrying two glasses. Emma cocked an eyebrow at Will who couldn't help but smile and giggle softly. Emma wasn't used to this and she knew. But, Will knew that Sylvia was the best. She would out tailor the best royal tailors from the Enchanted Forest and she didn't ask too many questions. She was more worried about the work of art that she was creating for you to wear then why you needed it or why you hadn't changed in the twenty years that she'd been dressing you. Sylvia didn't care about any of that as long as you could pay.
"So, who's getting hitched this time, Meena?" Sylvia asked as she walked around to face them both.
"She is," Will answered as she pointed at Emma.
"Ah, good cheek bones, pretty face, and nice line. She'll make a dashing princess," Sylvia replied as she poured the champagne and handed them each a glass. "So, what colors are you thinking of wearing, dear?"
"I really don't know," Emma responded and looked to Will for help.
"Well, her betrothed once had a white and cream bejeweled dress. Her mother wore white with feathers and her father wore silver brocade. She comes from a noble house. Her father's colors are cream, red and blue. All of which look very fetching on the princess," Will answered.
"Hmmm...so we have some choices," Sylvia stated as she started rooting through her choice on the cart.
"Her betrothed favors contrast. She is now the head of the House of White, and she's reversed the colors. I am sure that her fiancee will be adding red to her colors. They are merging the ruling houses and making it one, a new name and all," Will added.
"Alright then, red for both the brides. Interesting choice, but knowing what I know it will fit the House of White and Charming. So, what's the new name, dear?"
Emma's mouth dropped. She looked from Will to Sylvia and back again. Was this woman from the Enchanted Forest?
"You didn't tell her?" Sylvia asked as she faced Will head on.
"She didn't ask. I just said that you wouldn't ask too many questions. And, she couldn't let her mother dress her. So of course, I thought of you and your sisters."
"Princess, since this uncouth knave can't introduce you properly, I am Sylvia Tailor. That was not the name that I had before I moved to Boston. If you are a reader of the tales of this realm, then you would know me as one of the three fairies. I am Flora. Fauna and Merryweather are at home. I can call them up, if you want. But, Will said that you wanted this to be quiet and simple," Sylvia told her.
"The Flora?"
"Yes, Princess."
"Wow. Okay...I'm never going to get used to that. I should be considering who my parents are, but I'm not. So, you've dressed my parents?"
"No, I was gone before that. But, I did help a friends of your mother's. That was a long time ago. So, since you are here, I'm assuming that your mother had some monstrosity for you to wear that she thought was the greatest thing. Am I right?"
"Yes?"
"Very white and very feathery. Lots of jewels. Swooping neck line and totally not you."
"Exactly."
"Then, I know what to do."
"You do?"
"Yes, I do. You like leather? What about a red leather jacket with your family crest on the back?" Sylvia offered.
Emma grinned. She really liked the idea. Will actually laughed at the idea.
"What is it, Will?"
"She wears a red leather jacket most days. It is part of her signature look. The only time I haven't seen her wear it is in the dead of winter."
"That is because it isn't that warm. Plus, Regina got mad that I wasn't wearing part of the Sheriff's uniform. I can't help that the Sheriff's jacket is warmer."
Will let out a boisterous laugh. Sylvia even smirked. Emma couldn't help but to snicker when she realized that she was trying to justify it.
"None of that matters now. Up on the riser, dear. I got see what I'm actually working with," Sylvia told her as she grabbed some different pieces of red leather and cloth off the cart.
She held them up one at time near Emma's shoulder. They immediately narrowed it down to a deep brick red and bright fiery red. The pieces got put to the side as Sylvia rifled through her cart. She finally found some cream and silver colored trim. She lay them over the two swatches of leather. The brick red on her left shoulder and the fiery red on her right. The silver glinted a little in the light of the dressing area and gave off a royal feel. Will smiled as she saw the jacket starting to come together before her eyes.
"I like that one," Will said pointing to the darker red and silver.
"I think that it will look best for the wedding. I am sure that Regina is going to go with some a little brighter so this will compliment her dress very well," Sylvia stated as she circled Emma with a tape measure. "Does the Queen need a dress, too?"
"She might, Sylvia, but you would have to come to Storybrooke. She cannot leave. Or, I am sure that she would be here now. Do you want me to ask her? I am sure that she would like one of your creations," Will replied.
"Do you still have the blue and white uniform that I made for you, darling?"
"I do, Sylvia. I haven't had use of it since Regina's wedding to Leopold. I left the Forest not long after that."
"Ah...well, I should give it a touch or two, yes?"
"It could use your touch."
"I am sure that you will be wearing it to the wedding," Sylvia stated.
"I probably will. I am still a servant to the House of White. It wouldn't do for me not to go in proper attire."
"We wouldn't want that, now would we?" Sylvia joked with her.
"Sylvia," Emma said trying to get her attention again.
"Yes, Princess?"
"Would you be willing to come back with us?"
"To Storybrooke?"
"Yes, we really don't have any tailors. And, I am sure that the town would make it worth your while, if you'd come. Plus, I am sure that you would want to see us all dressed in your regal outfits," Emma told her, hoping that she was stroking her ego enough.
"She's good," Sylvia said turning to Will.
"She has her father's tongue and her mother's toughness. Together, she's unstoppable. And, even though she wasn't raised by them, she is a Charming."
"But, she is the Swan Princess, first of the House of Swan, yes?"
"Yes, but that is only because I chose the name."
"A name is powerful. You've chosen yours and kept it even after knowing of your lineage. Your own mother is allowing you to create a new House. This means a lot to the people of the Forest, dear. Your mother and Charming combined two kingdoms with their marriage. And, even though she had to fight her own step-mother for her kingdom, she is allowing you to have both under a new name. That says a lot about your mother's consent to the wedding," Sylvia told her.
"I never thought of it that way," Emma replied.
"Many wouldn't, dear," Sylvia said.
She went back to the cart and started looking through the cloth again. She pulled out black swatches and then put them back. She pulled out some off-white, cream and white ones next. She nodded as she turned back to Emma. She reached up and pulled down the trimmings to match the cloth to. When she had selected one, she pinned it to the red leather swatch.
"Okay, so I've got what I need here. Now, I just need measurements. Are you ready for that?"
Emma just nodded as Sylvia walked around her with the tape. She would periodically stop and take a measure. She would jot it down on a notepad that Emma hadn't seen earlier. When she was happy, she backed up and helped Emma down. She left them alone again.
"What is she doing?" Emma asked.
"Working up some sketches," Will said as she finished her champagne.
Emma sat back in the other chair. She looked around the area they were in and then at Will. She couldn't help but smile at the Vulcannonian.
"You lied to me," Emma accused.
"I didn't lie. I just didn't tell you who we were going to see. Besides, do you honestly think that Regina would have let you out of town with me to find something to wear without knowing who you were going to see? We both know that she wouldn't. She knew that the fairies had a shop, which is why she let you come with me. Plus, she's dressed your mother before. It just wasn't for the wedding to your grandfather. Many people forget that Regina had a life before she became Snow's step-mother."
"She doesn't talk about it much," Emma stated.
"Because she was somewhat happy then. She had her father and her horses. It wasn't until she blossomed that things became bad and her mother started looking for a throne to put her on. Being the only child of the fifth son of the king doesn't make a queen. She was a princess. She was her father's pride and joy. But, she was mostly forgotten by her own people because of her mother's antics. Regina was sheltered and molded. She doesn't talk about that, because it wasn't pleasant for her."
"When did you meet the real Regina then?" Emma questioned.
"After she married your grandfather," Will said and grabbed the bottle of champagne.
"Why does everyone buy Charming and Snow do that when I bring him up?" Emma asked.
"Do what?"
"Dodge the question or clam up completely," Emma replied.
"Your grandfather was a good king, Emma. Never doubt that. But being a good king doesn't make him a good man. After your grandmother died, he lost his mind. Snow was the only thing that kept him sane and that was generally in her presence. No one dared say anything to Snow. She thought Leopold hung the moon in the sky. Well, she did until she actually got to marry your father. But, by then Leopold was dead and she was already under Regina's wrath," Will explained.
"She really hates Snow, doesn't she?"
"No, she doesn't hate her. She hates Leopold. She hates what he made her. Snow never saw that and when Snow betrayed her... She didn't know what to do. She actually cared for Snow, but she couldn't see passed the fact that it was your mother that cause her first love to die."
"And now?"
"They've come to an arrangement. They both love you and Snow now knows that her father wasn't the man that she thought he was. I might have told her somethings that she never knew. Snow has a different appreciation for Regina. Besides, she remembers the woman that was her step-mother. The woman that treated her more like a sister and a friend until Leopold treachery ate at her soul. Leopold finished breaking her down from her mother's tutelage. Snow and Regina have decided that the people didn't need to know all the specifics. It is better that the kingdom thinks that he was as good a man as he was king. Regina then doesn't have to play the role of the victim and survivor. She'll take the moniker of Evil Queen. She doesn't mind," Will explained.
"She kept all that from Snow?" Emma asked.
"Would you have told your twelve year mother what her father was really like?" Will countered.
"Point taken."
"Exactly, and when I could. I took Regina's place. It didn't save her from his wrath all the time, but it gave her time to heal and process things. I think that if Rumple hadn't stepped in, things would have been vastly different for everyone. Maybe it was fate that he did that...it lead her to you," Will told her.
Emma didn't know what to say to that. She knew that it was true. Had everything not happened the way it had, she'd have never found Regina. Hell, Henry might not even exist. And, she would have grown up a princess in the Enchanted Forest with Regina as her grandmother.
"Oh...my...god..."
"What?!"
"I would have been dating my grandmother..."
Will couldn't help but laugh. She knew that they all joked about it, but she hadn't realized that Emma hadn't thought it completely out. Not one to back down from a joke, Will pushed it further.
"That means that Henry isn't just your son, but he is also your brother," Will teased.
"Oh gods, don't tell him that. Don't tell me that. I don't want to think about that."
"Don't worry about it. Regina isn't blood. There is nothing for you to weirded out by. Yes, she is still technically your step-grandmother, but even Snow doesn't acknowledge that anymore. Unless Snow did, there is nothing to worry about," Will told her.
"Can we never talk about this again?"
"Sure, Princess," Will replied with a teasing grin.
"Ready?" Sylvia asked as she came back in with three sketches.
"As I'll ever be now," Emma stated as she took the sketches to look them over.
Ruby was walking down the street. Happy to be free from her apartment and in the world again, she hadn't realized how much she missed socializing for a few days. She was walking around town and just smiling. Regina saw her from inside the dinner, where she was sipping an afternoon cup of decaf coffee and a slice of Granny's famous apple pie with ice cream.
She got up and followed Ruby down the street. She needed to talk to her sister. Regina couldn't help but smile about that. She actually did have more family in town than she wanted to admit. Even though Henry wasn't her blood, he was still her son. And, Snow, well...they just didn't talk about that too much. So, having Ruby as her sister and so close was something that Regina actually cherished.
"Ruby!" she called out.
The Wolf turned and smiled at her older sister. They had gotten closer in the past few years. Ruby knew it was because of Will and she was glad that her cousin was living in Storybrooke, now. If it hadn't been for her, Ruby believed that the Mills-White feud would have continued even if Emma married her anyway. Snow wasn't known for backing down too easily and no matter how many time they let each other go. They still fought like cats and dogs. She was just glad that she wasn't stuck in the middle of it anymore.
"Regina, good to see you. Nice day, isn't it? Are you walking home? I'll go with you," Ruby replied.
Regina stopped short. Ruby was happy...deliriously happy. Regina looked her up and down and then cocked an eyebrow as their eyes met.
"You slept with her?"
"I did."
"And?"
"I think that we will be having a child soon."
"Congratulations."
"Thank you," Ruby replied.
"Were you heading to the mansion?" Regina asked liked the previous questions never happened.
"Yes, actually I was. I decided that I wanted the air. Plus, I was hoping to talk to Emma and Will. Are they home?" Ruby inquired.
"No, actually. They are in Boston working on Emma wedding clothes. She wants it to be a surprise, but she didn't want to wear what Snow picked out for her. Will knew someone that would be perfect for the designs," Regina answered.
"Do you know when they'll be back?"
"Hopefully this evening. If not, then in the morning? Why?"
"I just really want to talk to them," Ruby answered.
"What aren't you tell me?"
"At the mansion," Ruby replied.
Regina just nodded as her baby sister took her arm. They walked towards the mansion. They both know that it must be a sight, them arm in arm, smiling, and not caring who saw. Ruby didn't care about the talk and Regina just laughed about it. She knew that the townsfolk weren't exactly sure what to think about the Wolf and Evil Queen being sisters and now friends. But, neither of them were attacking the town or planning anything devious. It did help that Snow was seen smiling, laughing and planning the wedding with the both of them, too.
As soon as they got inside the mansion, they went to the kitchen. Regina started to prepare dinner, but she made Ruby and herself something to drink first. Ruby drank hers quickly and Regina refilled it.
"So?" Regina asked.
"When is Henry coming home?"
"He is working with Snow and Charming on court protocol. Plus, he likes playing with his young uncle. Neal adores him. I hope that is that good with this one, once she's born," Regina told her, rubbing her barely showing stomach.
"Okay."
"So, are you going to tell me or am I going to have to pull it out of you?" Regina questioned.
"Belle and I fixed the issue at hand. We talked. At length and I realized that a body part wasn't going to keep her from me. I was the one with the problem," Ruby replied.
"And, now you don't," Regina said with a smirk.
"Well, no, not that one anymore at least. I realized that I didn't feel worthy enough to be with Belle. No, Regina, don't. I know that I am the heir Brannonulf, and that makes me a queen or princess or whatever, but I never knew that. I was raised a simple farm girl from a small village. The biggest thing I ever did was join up with Snow and help her evade you. I am fiercely loyal and strong, but Belle makes me weak...in a good way. She is so good and kind and smart. Hell, she gave up her freedom and her position in order to protect her people. She willingly went with Rumple. She paid the price to save her kingdom. She gave up being royalty to join him. I am sure that she never thought that she'd fall in love with him. No one did, really, but it didn't matter. She has the biggest heart I've ever known. She looks past all the darkness and finds the spark, the light inside and she flames it. I know you've seen her do it. She's even set aside her problems with you to help you. Regina, she is too good for me," Ruby stated.
"Maybe you are too good for her," Regina countered.
Ruby smiled. She knew that Regina wouldn't let her talk down about herself. Regina was proud that her sister was a Wolf, but she was also Henry's daughter. That in and of itself made her a princess, too.
"You are still a princess by blood, and not just on your Wolfside, Ruby. Red is the Brannonulf. Ruby is the princess. You are my sister and have royal blood, too. Belle, she was a duke's daughter. She might have been a princess, but she is royalty. Neither of you flaunt it, so don't worry about the titles."
"I am not."
"Then what are you worried about?" Regina asked her.
"You know what I had to do in order to break the spell," Ruby started.
"Yes."
"I was afraid of hurting her. I can't control my Wolf sometimes. Especially around her. Especially this close to the moon. Knowing that I am the Alpha, I...my Wolf wants an heir. So, it wants to breed throughout the full moon. Sometimes, I leave her then."
"Have you ever hurt her?"
"No."
"Does your Wolf want to hurt her?"
"No."
"What does the Wolf want?"
"Her to be my mate," Red answered.
"And, does she want to be?"
"Yes."
"Then, that is your answer. Belle wants all of you, Ruby. Not just the waitress and short order cook from Granny's diner. She wants the girl with the hood. She wants the Wolf during the full moon. She is just as loyal as you are. There is nothing to fear about that. Just love her. That is all you can do."
"That is all I want to do."
"Then do it."
"I plan on it for the rest of our lives," Ruby answered as she watched Regina.
Regina finished layering her lasagna and put it in the oven. She turned around and looked into her little sister's deep blue hazel eyes. She smirked as she draped the dish towel over her shoulder.
"Good."
"That is all you have to say?" Ruby asked.
"Do you want me to rant?"
"No."
"Do you want me to say that you aren't a good match?" Regina asked.
"No."
"Then, what else would you have me say?"
Ruby looked at her dumbfounded. Regina wasn't one to mince words. If she was pleased with Ruby's match, then why should Ruby be worried.
"You really think that we will be good together?"
"Yes, Ruby."
"Good."
"Good. Now, call her and invite her over for dinner. I have to play the part of the disapproving older sister. Don't worry, I'll make it look good," Regina teased her.
"You wouldn't."
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Regina, I asked her to marry me," Ruby said quietly.
"I know. I'm proud of you. So, congratulations again. Now, call her and tell her to get over her for dinner."
"You're sure?"
"Yes, she can help me with the wedding," Regina replied with a huge smile on her face.
