A/N: Minor TW for some physical altercations, but nothing worse than what is seen on the show.

Also, ICYMI, I posted the first chapter to the A Serendipitous Encounter sequel, for any readers of that fic.


Regina carefully sat down next to Emma on the stone steps surrounding the training grounds. "Do you do this often?" She asked, moving the slight train to her skirt out of the way.

"Mhmm," Emma nodded as she stared at the action before her. "You do not?" She asked, glancing at the woman seated beside her.

"No," Regina shook her head. "My mother deemed it unnecessary and not a good use of my time."

Emma hummed as she thought it over. "I suppose she assumed your future husband would be the one to worry about such matters."

"Indeed," Regina chuckled as she observed what was happening in the center ring, instantly captivated. "Wow," she breathed out a few moments later. "They are so…graceful."

Emma smiled. "Yeah…it is almost meditative to watch them train. It helps clear my mind. It's why I like to start each morning out here, if I can."

Regina sighed as she relaxed, resting her elbows on the step behind her as she leaned back against it. The morning sun was shining brightly overhead, causing Regina to wish she had been allowed to wear something lighter. However, her mother quickly dismissed that notion and forced her to only pack her more formal attire. "You must always look the part of the future queen, Regina," her mother had told her before they left their home in the Western Kingdom. "We are marching into enemy territory. You cannot look like some peasant," she said in disgust as she tossed one of Regina's fine linen dresses carelessly to the side, picking up a red crushed velvet dress instead. Regina had scoffed and asked her mother if the future queen should be seen sweating profusely, because that would undoubtedly happen if she wore heavy velvet in the midsummer's heat. Her mother sighed and they compromised on a long dress, but one that was still made of thick cotton and had elaborate beadwork. Regina was still worried about the heat, but did not want to start yet another argument with her mother. She had thrown the dress in her trunk to take with her on the journey, rolling her eyes. She was 23 years old – she should be able to dress herself.

"I'm glad your father suggested this," Regina said, snapping back to the present moment. At breakfast that morning, King David had suggested Regina accompany Emma as she supervised the morning knights' training session. It was a bit rare for a princess to oversee a kingdom's military training, but Emma had taken an interest in it from a young age, so her parents had obliged. Of course, Cora had disapproved of Regina attending the training with Emma, but she could not speak out against the king's suggestion in his own kingdom. She had to choose her battles carefully, and she had larger concerns facing her. And, her own dimwitted husband had enthusiastically agreed that it was a good idea before she had a chance to object. Regina could see her mother's disapproval written across her face, and she took great pleasure in defying her. "They make it look so easy."

"They do. That is why they are some of the best in the land. You better not be getting any ideas to steal any of the techniques you witness here for your own men," Emma winked.

"I could not, even if I wanted to. I don't really know what I'm looking at," Regina laughed.

Emma let out a chuckle of her own as she yelled something Regina did not understand to one of the knights in charge of the exhibition. He bowed his head in understanding and returned to his men, leaving Emma to resume her conversation with Regina. She decided a change of topic was in order. Almost immediately after their kiss in the game room the evening before, and Regina's subsequent display of magic, Emma had been called out to attend to an important matter with her parents. She had not had another chance to talk to the brunette privately since that moment. "How are you?"

Regina raised an eyebrow. "That feels like a loaded question."

"I just meant that we haven't had a chance to talk since last night. I was curious if you had come up with any more theories about what happened that allowed you to do what you did," Emma said quietly, making sure that they would not be overheard.

She shook her head. "No, not really. Maybe you are like a conductor of some sort for my magic," Regina hypothesized. "For some reason, when I am touching you my magic can come out, despite the squid ink protection barrier. Or maybe it is your magic being transferred to me and I am some sort of conduit?"

Emma shrugged. "That makes as much sense as anything, I suppose."

Regina tried to hide a smirk that was threatening to creep up on her lips. "I believe last night you mentioned that you would be open to testing out some theories…more trial and error to see if we can make it manifest itself again."

Emma looked over at her, curiosity piqued. "I did."

Regina said nothing, but stared at the blonde as she suddenly bit her bottom lip. A few seconds later she burst into a hearty laugh. "I'm sorry. I'm so bad at this."

Emma could not help but laugh as well. "I thought it was cute," she said, nudging her shoulder. "But yes, I am certainly happy to help—"

"Regina!"

The brunette sat up straight at the sound of her name being called from the bottom of the stone steps, while Emma quickly pushed herself away, putting some distance between her and the other princess. "Mother? What are you doing out here?"

"I need to speak to you…privately," Cora said, narrowing her eyes at Emma.

Regina silently thanked an unnamed deity for the squid ink – if her mother had access to magic at that moment, there was no doubt in Regina's mind that Emma would be engulfed in flames. "Of course, Mother," she said as she stood up and started down the steps. She quickly looked over her shoulder and mouthed "I'm sorry" to Emma, who tried to smile in return.

*.*.*

Cora purposefully strode down the corridor toward the suite where their family was staying, and Regina trailed hesitantly behind her. The walk felt like it was several miles long, and with each passing minute her apprehension grew, especially since her mother had not said anything since they left the training arena. She had no idea what her mother wanted, and part of her worried that Cora had figured out Emma's secret. If that were the case, Regina feared the worst. Cora would undoubtedly see Emma as a danger, and Regina knew what happened to people her mother perceived as a threat. She shuddered at that thought.

She tried to break the tension, hoping she could calm her fears. "Mother, what is this about?"

"Not here, Regina," was all she said as she continued walking down the winding hallways of the castle.

A few moments later they arrived at the large door to their suite. Cora walked in and headed straight to the room where Regina had been sleeping, standing with her hands clasped in front of her waist as she waited for Regina to enter.

Regina eyed her mother cautiously as she crossed the threshold. "Where's Father?" she asked, hoping that if he was in the suite then perhaps she would not have to be as worried for what was to come. At least there would be a witness.

"He is off attending to business with David and Snow."

"Oh." Regina's face fell and she took a deep breath, preparing for the worst. "What is it that you needed me for?"

"I think you know."

Regina feigned confusion. "I am not sure that I do."

"Is that so?"

"I really do not, Mother. You will need to be a bit more specific."

"Care to explain to me what you were doing with Emma during your 'tour' yesterday afternoon?"

Regina's face paled. She expected her mother to have said she overheard their conversation about Emma's magic, or that she knew she had told Emma about her own ability. She did not expect to be confronted with what happened in the garden. She took a risk and decided to play dumb. "What do you mean?"

"Enough!" Cora shouted, crossing the distance between her and her daughter in just two steps. She shoved Regina against the wall, wrapping her right hand around Regina's throat to hold her in position. "I saw you and Emma together."

Regina felt tears forming in her eyes, not due to sadness or anger, but because of the physical pressure her mother was exerting on her throat. She could barely breathe. "Mother," she managed to squeak out in a hoarse whisper. "Please."

Cora did not loosen her grip, and instead moved closer to her daughter, using her other hand to grab Regina's arm as she squeezed it in warning. "Do not beg, Regina. It does not suit you."

Regina closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on her breath. She knew this was a standoff, as this was not the first time, and she was in the losing position. But, she did not want to give in that easily and give her mother the satisfaction.

"I will ask you again, Regina. What were you thinking? Why would you behave in such a vile manner? You are a future queen, Regina. Did you not learn what happens when you make bad decisions from your incident with Daniel? You saw how that ended."

Regina felt her mother's grip on her neck weaken just a bit, which she understood was her mother's way of demanding that she provide an answer. "It was nothing, Mother."

"Wrong answer," Cora said, tightening her fingers around Regina's throat once again, suffocating her even more than before. She released the hand she had on her arm, only to strike it across Regina's face. She saw the fear emerge in Regina's eyes and smirked before releasing her hold slightly. "Care to try again?"

"My magic is not out of control, Mother. I cannot even use it here. What happened with Daniel would never happen again," Regina said, hoping that her mother's main objection was that Regina's magic might malfunction and make her abilities obvious to those in the kingdom, rather than the fact that she had kissed Emma.

"Yes, I know. The squid ink barrier. I do not care about that right now. I want to know why you kissed her."

"I don't know, Mother… It just happened," Regina said, still straining against the choke hold.

"It just happened?" Cora repeated, mocking her daughter before grabbing her chin and forcing Regina to look directly into her eyes. "I will say this once, and one time only. You are not to be alone with Emma. You are not to talk to her outside of exchanging pleasantries over meals, and that is only to appease those stupid parents of hers. Do you understand me?"

Regina hesitantly nodded and Cora released her. Regina instinctively hunched forward, resting her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. Several loud coughs echoed through her lungs. When her breathing had regulated, she stood up straight and looked over at her mother. She knew she should walk out of the room while she still could, but she had to know. "Why?"

Cora turned around sharply and stared at Regina. "Excuse me?"

Regina felt her own confidence grow. "Why can I not speak to her? I am old enough to make my own decisions, and as you and Father have mentioned multiple times, eventually she and I will be on the thrones of our own kingdoms. We could try to put our families' feuds behind us for the good of the kingdoms."

"I am only doing what is best for you, Regina," Cora said, taking a step closer to her daughter.

"But, why?"

"Do not question me, Regina."

"I deserve answers. Is it because she is a woman?"

Cora scoffed. "Sex can be a useful tool to obtain power, Regina. At least being with a woman would not ruin you and a worthy nobleman might still be interested in you."

Regina's eyes grew wide at her mother's statement. She had not expected that response.

"Emma and her family are dangerous – not only to our kingdom, but to our family…especially to you and me. That is all I am going to say on the matter and it would be in your best interest to heed my warning," Cora said, encroaching on Regina before pinning her to the wall once again. "If you do not, then there will be consequences."

Regina felt the constricting grip on her throat once again, worse than the last time. She silently cursed herself for provoking her mother further. She should have let it go and left the room before it escalated again. She quickly shook away that thought – she would not blame herself.

"And the consequences are not just for you, Regina," Cora continued, her piercing stare going right through Regina. "But for that little blonde princess, too. I do not think you would want to see what I am truly capable of. It would make what happened to Daniel and his sorry excuse for a brother look like child's play." Cora placed her other arm across Regina sternum, holding her in place.

Regina saw the fire in her mother's eyes, causing her stomach to drop and had the sudden feeling that someone had run ice water through her veins. She struggled, trying to escape her mother's clutches, but her grip was too tight.

"You are lucky I cannot use my magic here, or you would not even be standing right now, dear girl."

Regina started to panic as she stared at her mother, who showed no sign of letting her go anytime soon.

"You are not to speak to her. Do I make myself clear?"

Regina closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing once again, trying to center herself. Even in her vulnerable position, she refused to give into her mother's demands. She willed herself not to nod in forced agreement.

"I asked you a question, Regina," Cora demanded, her growing frustration evident in her voice as she released Regina enough only so she could slam her against the wall again. "I require an answer."

Suddenly, Regina felt her mother's hands drop away from her and the next thing Regina knew, her mother was on the ground against the opposite wall. It was only then that she felt the tell-tale tingling in her fingers, and when she looked down at them she saw they were emitting a faint lilac glow. She gasped in surprise and looked at her mother, who was still crouched on the ground in shock. She met her mother's gaze and for the first time she saw fear reflected back at her. She felt powerful for the first time in her life.

"What did you do?" Cora seethed. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?"

"I…uh…" Regina's hands were still shaking, and the tingling of magic had not yet dissipated. She turned and ran out of the room, needing to get away. She could feel that her magic was unstable, and given the unadulterated hatred she felt for her mother in that moment, she did not trust herself not to kill her accidentally.

Regina stumbled out of their suite and into the hallway, frantically trying to decide where to go. She wanted to see Emma, but she was afraid of what might happen since she was not in control of her own power. However, she had no other options, and thinking about the blonde woman seemed to calm her for a brief moment, despite the anxiety swelling inside of her.

She turned down the corridor that would lead back to the main hall of the castle and would eventually take her to Emma's chambers, hoping that the blonde princess would be there. She figured Emma could have still been at the knights' training session, but Regina did not want to be around that many people when she was this unsettled. She did not want to start a war, and accidentally assassinating a slew of the opposing kingdom's nights would do just that.

Regina was grateful that Emma had been so thorough on her tour the previous afternoon as she expertly navigated the now-familiar halls of the palace. As she ran down the hallway and turned a corner, she nearly crashed into her father as he and David chatted jovially. "Regina, why are you running? What is wrong, sweetheart?" Henry asked, concern immediately written across his face. He rarely saw his daughter get this worked up. The last time she was this distraught was after the incident with Daniel when she had cried into his shoulder that Cora had murdered Daniel and his brother. Regina ignored his question, tears threatening to fall from eyes as she pushed past him, mumbled a quick "nothing," and continued quickly traversing the halls of the palace.


Emma had changed out of her morning attire upon returning to her bedchambers after leaving the knights to the rest of their morning exercises. After Cora had stolen Regina away, Emma quickly lost interest in watching her soldiers spar with one another. Instead, she had gone back to her room, intending to do some reading and perhaps attempting to bring her magic to the surface on demand. She wanted to practice so she could show Regina. However, she found it too hard to concentrate on either task, worried about the reason Cora needed Regina so urgently that she pulled her away from their morning schedules. Emma understood why Regina had said her mother was dangerous – she did not know the full extent of it, as Regina never talked about it in great detail, but Emma had been chilled by the woman's hard stare and cold demeanor. She hoped Regina was okay.

She sat impatiently at her vanity and stared at herself in the mirror as she pulled her hair out from the clip and began to brush her long curls. She had dismissed her handmaid when she returned to her room that morning, wanting to be alone and hoping that the mundane routine of preparing for the afternoon events would help distract her. She looked down at the long emerald green gown she had decided to wear for the upcoming gathering and smiled – it was something more on par with what Regina had been wearing that morning, but not quite as regal.

Concluding that she had waited around enough and would surely drive herself crazy if she sat alone for any longer, Emma decided to go find her parents and see if there was anything she could do to help prepare for the afternoon tea. The second chess match would be the following day, and as such her parents had invited the important local aristocrats to join in a pre-game celebration and to meet the players from both sides.

She walked out of her bedchambers and opened the main door to her quarters, surprised to see a frazzled Regina pacing in the hallway in front of her. "Regina?" Emma asked, concerned by the state of the brunette princess. Her alarm only grew when she received no response. Regina just continued to pace, biting her thumbnail with each step. She called her name again, and when the brunette still did not even look at her, Emma took a chance and stepped in front of her, blocking her path and attempting to pull her out of her trance. It worked, and Regina looked up at Emma, her cheeks stained with the residue of her earlier tears. "Oh, Regina," Emma said, placing a light hand on her elbow and guiding her inside her chambers, shutting the door behind them.

Regina began pacing again, walking between Emma's bedchamber and the main room. Emma grew dizzy from watching the woman, so she instinctively pulled her into a hug. She immediately released her when she felt Regina tense in her arms and harshly say "do not touch me."

"Okay, I'm sorry," Emma said, taking a step back. "What happened?"

Regina remained speechless, still too stunned by what had occurred to explain it.

"Regina, I know you said not to touch you, and I will honor your wishes, but you are making me nervous and you are going to wear a hole in my rug if you do not stop pacing. Can you please come sit down?" Emma asked gently, sitting on one end of the loveseat. Regina nodded almost imperceptibly and sat down on the other cushion, putting as much space between them as she could. "Do you want something to drink? Water? Tea?" Regina shook her head. "Something stronger? Whiskey? Scotch?"

At that, Regina let herself smirk. "I did not take you for a scotch drinker, Your Highness."

Emma let out a sigh of relief, happy that the woman was at least temporarily emerging from her dazed state. "I am full of surprises, Princess. Would you like one?"

Regina shrugged, and Emma decided to take that as a 'yes.' She walked over to her console table, filled two glasses with ice, and opened the crystal decanter filled with the amber liquid. She handed one glass to Regina, who accepted it with a small smile, as she sat back down. The two sat in silence as they sipped their drinks, while Emma carefully observed the other woman. Regina's legs were crossed at the ankle, her posture befitting for a future queen. However, Emma could see the subtle bouncing of her bottom ankle, revealing Regina's unease.

Emma patiently waited for Regina to calm down enough to explain what happened. Eventually, Regina spoke and rapidly recounted the story of what happened with Cora, leaving out some of the more brutal details.

"Wait, you used magic? Against your mother?"

"Yes."

Emma hesitated, but moved closer to Regina. "How?"

"I have no idea. I should not be able to, right? You said no dark magic can be used here. My mother's magic is blocked, which is why she had to resort to physical altercations."

Emma grew alarmed. "Regina, are you okay? Did she hurt you?"

"I am fine. It was nothing more than I have grown accustomed to from her. It was actually not as bad as when she uses magic. She is older now, so she is physically weak. Her grip strength is not what it used to be," Regina managed a small chuckle, downplaying the earlier events.

"Regina…" Emma said, moving closer when she noticed the finger-shaped bruises starting to appear on Regina's neck.

"I'm fine, Emma. Just merely stunned by what happened," she said, backing away from Emma, who had extended a hand to inspect one of the purpling marks above her clavicle. She lightly batted Emma's hand away and looked down at her own that were folded in her lap before she quietly spoke. "Please, don't."

Emma recoiled, sensing the fear in the other woman and cursing herself for crossing a boundary. "I'm sorry, Regina. I was not…I would not hurt you."

Regina looked up at Emma and saw the hurt in her eyes. "Oh I know, Emma. I did not think you would…I just feel on edge and can still feel my magic buzzing below the surface, and I do not wish to harm you. Until I can get it under control, I should not touch anyone. I am too unpredictable right now."

Emma remained quiet for a few moments as she thought about something. "Regina… what if it is not dark magic?"

Regina looked confused. "What if what is not dark magic?"

"What you are using. Dark magic is certainly not feasible here. Your mother is one of the most powerful sorceresses in the realm. If anyone could break through the barrier it would be her or Rumple. Not a novice who has only just started learning it…no offense."

"None taken."

"What if what you are using is light magic?"

"That is not possible."

"It is the only explanation for why you can still access your magic when the squid ink is in place."

"How would that even work? There's no way in Hell that I'm a product of true love like you are – my parents had an arranged marriage and only tolerate each other for the good of the kingdom. They do not love each other."

Emma shrugged. "I don't know. Literally everything I know about magic I learned from you yesterday. You did say there were stories of magic existing outside of magical family lineages…."

"I know, but my magic is hereditary…or at least I assume it is. This does not make sense…" Regina said as she stood up and began to wander around the room, feeling the need to work out her nervous energy.

"Maybe we should go see Rumple…"

Regina paused in front of Emma's bookcase. "No, Emma, you cannot let him know about you. It is too dangerous."

"I know…but this is about you. We do not have to tell him that I have magic."

Regina looked contemplative. "My mother told me I cannot tell him about my ability and that I must stay away from him…I do not want to face her wrath if she finds out."

Emma leaned forward, resting her forearms on her knees as she set her empty glass down on the table in front of her. "Regina, do you really have a choice here? He is imprisoned and debilitated by the ink, so he cannot harm you right now. And if anyone would know what is going on with you, it would be him. Your mother was clearly surprised by what happened, so I am guessing that she does not know. And if she did, I do not think she would be honest with you about it."

Regina nodded. "You are probably right. Plus, my mother's been lying to me about the Dark One anyway. I overheard her and my father talking a few years ago – Rumple wanted to teach me magic and my parents told him no. They do not know that I heard their conversation."

Emma stood up and approached Regina. "Okay. We can go see him this afternoon. We have that tea, but we can easily excuse ourselves after our first serving. There will be many important leaders attending, so most of my parents' knights will be standing guard around that room. That leaves us with a good window to sneak down to the dungeon and speak to Rumple without too much interference. He will have a knight standing guard, but we can figure out how to distract or subdue him."

Regina took a breath as she debated the plan. "Okay, but we need Killian."

Emma looked up in confusion. "What? Why?"

"My mother banned me from speaking to you, and she will make good on her threats if she finds out I disobeyed her. It is dangerous for me to even be here right now, but she seemed genuinely terrified of me after I attacked her, so I do not expect that she will come looking for me right now. But, she will never excuse me from the tea if you leave as well. She will know we are up to something."

"Okay, so you leave first and then I will follow."

Regina shook her head. "She will still suspect something and find a reason to come after us. I will take my leave first, saying that I am tired and do not feel well. If she raises any objections, I will subtly remind her of what she did to me this morning and show her the bruises. She would never want that to be revealed, so she will have to allow me to leave. Then, you take Killian and say that you would like to get a few more practice games in. If Killian leaves with you, my mother will be less suspicious of our true intentions, and her sense of duty to the throne will force her to stay and mingle with your parents' guests."

Emma nodded. "Okay. But what do we do with Killian once he leaves with me? He is a nice guy, but I would not trust him with learning the truth about your magic."

"I agree. Just tell him that you need to take care of something alone, and ask him if he will go to the game room and make it look like you are practicing. If someone comes in looking for you, he can say that you stepped out to get something and will be back soon. Would he be willing to cover for you without asking too many questions?"

"Yes, he will. He is a good friend, and he owes me a favor."

"Okay. I do not know where the dungeon is, so I will need to go to the guest quarters and wait. Can you come get me once you leave?"

"Absolutely. I will send my favorite guard with you when you depart, because I know my parents will insist that we both have someone guarding us while the castle has visitors. If I swear him to secrecy, he will not tell anyone that I came to see you. We can then sneak out through the back exit of your suite and make our way down to the Dark One's cell."

Regina tried to breathe through her nerves, still unsure of this plan and the risks they were about to take. "Okay…if you are sure this is the best option…"

"Regina," Emma said, extending her hand toward the woman. "Do you trust me?"

She smiled and tentatively accepted the proffered hand, immediately sensing the presence of Emma's magic calming her own. It was an odd, but comforting feeling – the exact opposite of the spark of magic that she had felt the day before. "I do…I would trust you with my life."