Note: Thank you to everyone who has followed and favorited this story. It really does mean a lot!
There is kind of a lot going on in this chapter and even more that is going to happen in the next. Also the 'M' rating will make sense come Chapter 10, for anyone who has been questioning it so far.
Anyways. Enjoy!
CHAPTER 9
Regina stared at Emma as they appeared just outside her castle doors. Completely unaware of Emma's powers she looked to Emma as she grinned sheepishly. "Before you say anything," Emma began before Regina had the chance. "You need food, water, and peaceful rest." She said, leading them into the castle.
As they walked in, many of the guards were receiving their daily duties in the entrance hall by Beren, the opening of the doors causing them all to look back and stare wide eyed. Stepping through the crowd of guards, Beren smiled slightly at Emma and bowed respectfully to their Queen, his bow closely followed by the other knights. "Welcome back, my Queen." He said as the others echoed his greeting.
"Faithful as always, Beren." Regina replied, a slight smile playing at the corners of her lips, "All of you." She added, nodding her head slightly to the guards behind Beren who straightened up and bowed once more.
"What shall we expect of your next order, my Queen?" Beren asked, looking to her.
Looking to all of them, Regina took a breath, and again, used more strength than she had to keep herself from looking vulnerable. "The White Kingdom has broken their own condition of war as to not use any form of potion or poison against the rival party. In this case. Our kingdom." She began, looking around at each of her knights. "They wanted a war... And they shall get one." She continued, pausing for a moment to take another breath. "Before you prepare... for your loyalty, you will all receive new armors and weapons crafted from the strongest metals and extra coin in your pay for you, as well as your families." She concluded as the knights all bowed giving their thanks and setting off to their tasks.
Watching as everyone, including Beren set off, Emma came up beside Regina and offered her arm. "May I accompany you to your chambers, my Queen?" She asked, smiling as Regina nodded and took her arm.
James and his men finally reached the path leading to the hidden entrance of the mountain just before evening. "Just through that wall and we'll reunite with the others. They must have captured the witch by now." He said looking to his men.
Emerging through the enchanted wall and looking to his left, James saw only their horses, feeding on the grass by the mountain. "Uh... Your majesty..." A knight furthest from the rest called gaining James' attention.
"What is it?" James asked before turning and stopping mid step.
Each of the knights ran over to their fallen comrades and checked for any signs of life, despite the pools of blood and gore surrounding each man, finding none. "They're all dead, your majesty..." One of the men said quietly, looking to his king.
Whistling for his horse, James mounted it and motioned for his guard to do the same. Turning as they all awaited his order, James looked to each of them. "This is not over." He said looking to each knight in turn. "We shall be returning to the kingdom and then..." He paused turning his horse toward the woods. "Then I will have my revenge on The Evil Queen..." He growled, setting off through the trees.
Having sent Emma to be fitted for her armor, a special one she was having enchanted to ward against magic, Regina sat alone in the great hall staring at the food on her plate, unable to bring herself to eat any of it. After retreating to her room, guarded by Emma while she cleaned up and changed into a black and purple corset atop a long sleeved top with leather pants and high boots, Regina's mind had been occupied as she attempted to make sense of what the spell cast upon her was.
It was a form of a sleeping curse. Unlike the usual which sent the victim to the Netherworld, this one was... Different. It contained a nightmare aspect which caused the victim to become haunted by their own guilt, Tortured by the shadows of their past, and made to believe they would never see a happy moment in their life.
"For a woman who hasn't had a taste of food or drink for almost seven months, you are showing a surprising amount of self control by not touching a thing in front of you."
Regina turned her head to the sound of the voice coming from beside her. Emma walked toward her one of her usual light blue tunics with black breeches and boots. "For a woman who has been brought up as not only as royalty but as a warrior... You dress like a high class peasant." Regina teased, smirking as she looked to the blonde.
Laughing, Emma sat in a chair beside Regina, turning it slightly to face the woman. "Being able to wear what I please after a day of being fitted for armor is the greatest gift a woman can receive." She replied smiling as she looked over at Regina. "But, regardless of all of that, you still should eat at least a little of something."
Staring back into the worry filled emerald eyes of her warrior, Regina waved her hand, having a plate of food appear in front of her warrior. "Join me, then." She said as Emma nodded and turned her seat back toward the table.
The two ate slowly and in silence, each of them stealing glanced at the other until their plates were bare and all that remained was the wine in their goblets. "I've figured out how it is you're able to produce magic..." Regina said, breaking the silence. Waving her hand over a clear spot on the table in between them she conjured a quite small yet very old book from her library.
"Soul magic?" Emma read, tilting the book in her direction, reading the page long explanation. "It seems Beren was right..." She said more to herself than Regina.
"He was." Regina verified, looking to Emma. "He is a wise man, and one of the few I trust with access to my library." She said standing and motioning for Emma to follow.
Waving the book away Emma followed Regina out the side door of the hall and through the kitchens. She watched as Regina genuinely thanked the cooks as she headed outside toward the garden where her apple tree stood. Walking slightly behind her on the path, Emma slipped her hands into the pockets of her breeches and smiled slightly. "She definitely isn't the heartless person she once was.." The blonde knight thought to herself.
"You haven't heard a word I've said, have you?" Regina asked, raising her eyebrow slightly as she looked to Emma, stopping half down the path to the garden.
"Apologies, I was lost in thought..." Emma replied sheepishly. "What were you saying?"
Rolling her eyes as she turned around, failing as she tried to hide her grin, Regina continued walking. "I was saying, that we've a bonding to complete. Though I would like for you to be completely sure on what it is you are getting yourself in to." She repeated, stopping right under the tree and looking to her knight.
"Our souls have already bonded... Was that not the point of the warriors bond?" Emma asked, slightly confused.
"In a sense." Regina answered, "The warriors bond would have bonded us forever, yes... But, on the condition that I did not release you of its charge." The Queen explained, as Emma listened intently. "Our souls have been bonded for... Other... Reasons... Therefore eternally, you and I are essentially as one." She continued looking to Emma who nodded, signaling that she understood. "Now, if I am correct, if you and I become bonded as Knight and Queen, our shared soul will become even stronger. Nothing can break us apart, no curse, no spell... Nothing... Except death."
Standing silently for a few moments, Emma looked to Regina then paced around the tree thinking. Taking a breath, Emma looked to her Queen who was patiently awaiting a response before nodding. "I have pledged my allegiance to you and only you. I have also, unintentionally but without regret, pledged my heart, as well as my soul to you." Emma said with a slight grin. "And now, I shall, at the very least, become your warrior." She concluded, standing in front of Regina and using magic to produce her sword, holding the hilt out for her Queen.
Taking the sword, Regina bowed her head slightly as she took a step back so the tip of the blade rested over Emma's heart. "Then it shall be done." She said as the purple tendrils of light snaked from her hand and slowly across the blade, stopping a breath away from Emma's heart. "Emma Swan. Do you fully commit to becoming the sole personal Knight of your Queen, Regina Mills?"
"Yes." Emma answered, her gaze locked on Regina's as the tendrils of light brightened.
"Do you accept the fact that your soul as well as mine shall become one? That you and I shall be bonded for eternity unless I release you?"
"Yes."
"Emma Swan, you are now mine. My Warrior. My Knight. My protection." Regina said as the light shot from the blade in both directions, straight at both of their hearts. "You will protect me as I will of you," she continued as the light engulfed the both of them, surrounding their bodies where they stood. "Forever." She concluded.
As Regina spoke the final word, both she and Emma were lifted into the air, the sky around them darkened as purple lightning lit the clouds, striking the ground around them. Emma's sword raised high above the two of them and slowly turned, pointing downward, striking into the ground as the Queen and her Knight hovered over it. Reaching out Emma grabbed Regina's hands instinctively, the two jolting up into the air as phantom embodiments rose from within them. Hands still connected, they watched as their separate souls combined into one. Regina's purple and Emma's blue twisting, tangling, knotting into on another before shooting back toward them as they slowly descended back to the ground.
"James, we haven't the manpower to go in for a full frontal attack on Regina's army." Snow argued as James hovered over a map of the kingdom. "We can't just go off and attack without a plan!"
"We have a plan. We go in. Storm the castle get our daughter. Kill the Queen and whoever else stands in our way." James said, barely turning his head as he continued to plan out his attack.
Walking around the table, Snow pulled James up, forcing him to look at her. "It's foolish and you're going to get yourself killed." She said meeting his eyes. "Please, just think this through."
"I HAVE thought of it, Snow. We come in unannounced and hidden through the woods of the castle. Launch an aerial attack, followed by heavy fire, sending the swordsmen in when their defenses are cleared." He explained, "The Witch will never see it coming and then... Then everything will settle back to normal."
Taking a breath, Snow nodded after a long moment mulling over what had been explained. "When will you be launching the attack?"
"Dusk, two nights from now." He said looking to his wife. "The men are preparing as we speak."
Glad that her Queen had insisted she rest instead of taking her offer of standing guard outside her chamber door, Emma crawled into her bed completely exhausted.
The bonding of their souls completely drained the two of them, leaving them wanting nothing more than sleep. Though secretly, Emma wanted to share her bed with Regina, if only to hold her as she slept peacefully in her arms. Settling for the thought that only two large rooms separated the two of them, Emma let herself drift off to sleep, knowing the morning would prove itself to be busy with her training.
Almost instantly after Emma left her bed chamber after making sure she had gone in safely, Regina slipped in under the covers and drifted to sleep instantly. Having expected the events of the spell she had been trapped under to haunt her dreams she found herself in a dreamless state. At first.
A couple of hours passed since she drifted off to sleep, before she found herself awake and slipping into her purple silk robe. Cinching it closed the barefoot Queen made her way down the empty, torchlit hall and into Emma's bed chamber.
"Emma..." She whispered softly, causing the blonde to jump from her slumber, and look around rubbing her eyes in the moonlit room to see Regina standing beside her bed.
"Regina?" She mumbled sleepily, throwing off the covers and moving go stand. "What's wrong?" She asked only slightly more clearly.
"Nothing, nothing. Stay in bed... I just..." Regina started, unable to bring herself to come up with what she wanted to say.
Looking at her Emma frowned slightly and moved over on the bed. "Come here." the knight said softly, opening her arms as she sat in bed.
Hesitating slightly, Regina slipped in beside Emma, her body being pulled close to her soulmate's as the covers were pulled up around them. Taking a comforting breath, inhaling her scent, Regina leaned against Emma, resting her head just under her chin. For a while, the two sat there in silence, enjoying the feeling of having each other so intimately close for the first time.
"I never once stopped looking for you, you know." Emma said softly, running her fingers through Regina's long, dark hair. "I searched almost every kingdom high and low."
Regina smiled softly, lacing her fingers with Emma's other hand and keeping her gaze on them. "I cracked..." She admitted quietly, her smile fading. "I thought I was trapped forever in my guilt and let myself be tortured by the shadows that haunted me."
Lifting their joined hands to her lips, Emma kissed the back of Regina's hand softly. "You were mercilessly tortured... Every night I was able to find sleep I would see it."
"You saw it?" Regina asked, pulling back slightly to look up at Emma, her brow furrowed slightly in confusion.
Nodding Emma met Regina's eyes and sighed. "Whatever you felt or saw, I too felt it. But only as I slept. Beren explained to me from one of your books that the cause was our souls being entwined. Though you were under the influence of a spell, you held a piece of me within you that allowed me to be close to you but I could not touch, speak, or be seen by you, regardless of my every attempt to comfort you."
Slipping from Emma's hold, Regina stood from the bed, crossing her arms over her stomach as she stood with her back to her knight. "I... I'm going to bed, now..." She managed only taking a few steps before Emma was in front of her. "Please, move." Regina asked weakly, the slight tremble in her voice causing Emma's chest to tighten.
"I saw you as you were most vulnerable. I heard your plea for the end..." Emma said, removing Regina's arms from her midsection and holding each in her hands. "You are tough, Regina. But everyone has their limits." The blonde continued, tilting Regina's chin up slightly to meet her eyes. "Twice I've awoken you from those spells. The last being what broke it. One touch of my lips to yours and the nightmare ended..."
"That does not mean they will not continue. We've no idea what else the spell could contain." Regina interrupted, looking away from Emma.
"Then for each time even the mere memory of the nightmare you endured begins to haunt you, I will take it away."
Shaking her head slightly Regina met her warriors emerald gaze once again. "How?"
"Like this." Emma responded, pulling Regina closer as she tipped her chin up and kissed her.
