The Visit chapter 10
Queen's chambers
Emma groaned and sat up holding her head. She must have been suffering the worst hangover of her life judging by the way her eyes were throbbing. Her skull felt as if her brain were clanking around inside it like a moving truck full of furniture. Nausea churned in her stomach.
In the few seconds it took for her to wake and look around the room, she realised that the fairytale stuff of her dreams had been real. The portal, the castle, the Witch… those had actually happened. There were some strange elements to the dreams that could not be real though - she had vague feelings of envy and hate associated with them. She had been doing something to someone, hurting them perhaps? Or had it been the other way around?
She tried closing and opening her eyes again but everything was still blurred. What was this place? She was in a large bed with an elegant canopy. The room's decor was austere and the decorator must have favoured the colours black and white and slate grey. There was a dressing table covered with small bottles and cosmetics in front of a large mirror. Filmy curtains barely hid the open doors to the balcony on her left.
Emma turned her head too quickly and moaned in pain. "Ohhh shit, I feel like I got hit by the subway. Twice."
The image of a strange man she'd met recently came into her field of vision. He had ice-blue eyes, a swarthy face, and chin covered in several days' scruff. It was that pirate who turned up to her apartment to molest her with an unwanted kiss. The one who had brought her and Henry to this world. They had been thrust into danger immediately upon arriving.
"I much prefer that a woman is wide awake when she's in my bed," said Hook. He smiled at her in a way that he probably intended to be charming.
"You 'prefer'? Did that sound less rapey in your head?" said Emma, cold as ice. "Just to be clear, I'm not interested. And I know this is not your bed."
Emma reached under the covers and retrieved a pair of balled up socks that she'd felt under her legs upon waking. She held them up like she was presenting evidence at court. They were fluffy bed socks covered in red apples and had 'RM' stitched into them.
"These yours?" she said, raising an eyebrow.
"Not a chance." Hook conceded. "You're right. This is the Queen's chamber and you're in her bed. Do you remember what happened last night?"
"Uh, yeah," Emma lied easily. "Bits and pieces. Why do I feel like I've been hit by several trucks though?"
"You are recovering from a magical infection. I hear you were near death when you were found here after making your way from the woods. You've had a rough night, Swan. Not the first time that's been said about one of the Queen's bedmates. She has had a great many, I hear."
"Good. I like a woman who knows what she's doing." Emma let her expression show disapproval of his pathetic attempt at shaming Regina for her sexuality.
Apparently Hook missed the hint though because he gave her a lecherous smirk full of suggestion. "She's always welcome to join us if that's what you'd like."
"Do you really think that sex is a high priority for me right now? I'm worried about my family. Where are Henry and Anna?"
"Anna is safe, she's here at the castle. Henry never made it."
"What!" Emma jerked her head and regretted the motion instantly. "They were together when I told Henry to run. How did Anna make it here without him? Where is he now?"
"Alas I don't know."
"I have to go," said Emma. She flipped the covers and went to push herself out of bed too fast. As soon as she tried to stand up her head swirled with the change in elevation and she fell back to the mattress with a thump.
Hook reached to steady her. "Steady on, Swan! Wait till you get your sea legs under you."
I have to find Regina, thought Emma, frustrated by her current bedridden state. That's why I came here. Then I have to find my son. Then I have to go find out what happened to my-
She couldn't say it even in her own private thoughts. She couldn't call them her 'parents' without feeling ashamed. It did not seem real to her yet, having only met them for so short a time before losing them. She had dismissed their stories as crazy yet acted like a jealous brat upon meeting her little sibling. It didn't seem right to claim them as her own. They were Anna's parents. If the baby was now an orphan like her, Emma felt she owed it to her to find out for certain.
Her family was scattered across the realm and all she wanted was to herd them together in her arms where she could keep them safe.
"I need to speak to Regina," Emma pleaded with Hook and placed her hand on the leather of his forearm. "Please, will you have the Queen summoned to me? I cannot go to her. I feel very ill."
Hook seemed surprised by her sweet tone and sudden turn of mood but didn't think anything of it. He got up and bowed toward her on his way out. "As you wish, my Lady."
Emma watched him go with a plastered smile on her face.
I can't believe it! He is jealous of her. Over me. Regina and I haven't even met and he's trying to put forward his suit by making shitty slurs about her character. But why? As far as he knows I don't even remember her. Maybe he has some reason to think that she would make a move on me… Why else would he think of her as a threat?
He lied. There's no way he's really going to find Regina for me.
The second he was gone her fake smile vanished. Emma threw off the covers and sat up again. She moved slower this time and let herself adjust to being upright. The world swirled in her vision again but not enough to make her keel over this time. It took several minutes for her to find her feet successfully, and an eternity could have passed in the time it took for Emma to make it across the room by leaning on bits of furniture or the walls. But she was persistent and eventually made it to her destination.
When Emma reached the doorway she had to stop to congratulate herself, or rather, she had to stop for oxygen since she had exhausted herself of that necessary resource.
She poked her head out the doorway and looked left and right down two identical stone corridors.
"Now," she panted. "Which way to the Queen?"
Summer forest
Jenna was ready to pounce on Henry to begin their sparring exercise. The other Elites surrounding them were too well-trained to cheer her on or do anything but watch eagerly while standing at attention. He stepped back quickly and held up his hands in surrender.
"Wait!" said Henry. "I can't fight. I don't really belong here. The only fighting I've ever done is playing games on xbox."
"Playing? What's that?" wondered one of the other young Pawns in the circle of guards around them.
Jenna huffed at the other soldier and crossed her arms. "It's a thing children of noble birth do, Boris. The rest of us don't get a choice about whether we have to fight. We have to survive."
Henry looked around at them all while he spoke but his eyes lingered on Jenna several times. "Please, I've only been in this world a few days but I know there's a lot I don't understand. You're right, I didn't grow up like you guys did but I'm here now. My parents are both in danger and my grandparents might already be dead. I just want to find them and I need your help...
"I forfeit."
Henry laid his still-sheathed sword on the ground at his feet. Jenna watched with growing offense, more so because of his peaceable gesture than she would have been had he fought with dirty tactics. The only tactic that was unbeatable was your opponent refusing to fight in the first place.
"I don't want to waste time fighting with friends in order to prove myself," said Henry. "My family needs me."
"Well said! You have the heart of a true prince," said the Commander, nodding with approval. "Let that be a lesson for all of you, Elites. Sometimes a warrior must know when not to fight. One or two of you have yet to learn that. The mission takes precedence over personal trials."
The Commander then gave them orders to move out. They were to march on to the Summer castle and as they were so close to where the last enemy attack had taken place they were to exercise extra caution. He reminded them all of the details of their mission for the Queen and made it clear that their priorities now included protecting her son at all costs.
Henry went along with the others but none of them spoke to him. Jenna was positively glowering and every time he looked at her she seemed to be trying to punish him with her glares. The other young guards ignored him and he got the feeling that they were also resentful of him.
He sighed. This Royalty thing wasn't as easy as it had looked for Snow White and Prince Charming in his storybook. The others hated him for growing up privileged and in a place distant to theirs in a way that was more than just physically inaccessible, they hated him for trying to join them … there was no way to make them like him.
Just like at home in New York, Henry thought glumly. The other kids could tell he was different, they knew he wasn't really one of them and would soon be gone so they didn't bother getting to know him. In all likelihood he wouldn't end up as a real soldier here. He was a Prince by birth and an Elite in uniform only. It was superficial and after the mission was over he would almost certainly rejoin his mother(s) at the castle. He didn't belong anywhere else.
Mom, please find Emma soon. She needs to remember us. I need her to. The three of us have to stick together.
They weren't far off now. Henry was at the back of the group, trailing behind the others as the last guard in the ranks, when he noticed Jenna fall back as well. She walked at his side, keeping her eyes ahead or scanning the forest for danger.
"We're not friends," said Jenna. She spoke low and out of the corner of her mouth.
"Why do you say that?" said Henry.
Jenna rolled her eyes. "Earlier you said: 'I don't want to waste time fighting with friends'. You and I are nothing of the kind. You're a prince. I'm a soldier."
"So?"
"So… we would never have crossed paths if you weren't on this mission. You wouldn't fight me. Is it because I'm a girl and you think you're better than me?"
Henry stammered. "What? N-no, I don't think you're a girl! I mean-"
"Right," scoffed Jenna. She stole a look at the group ahead to make sure they were still out of range. "Thanks a lot. I'm the youngest grade of Elite here apart from you, that's why Commander Bishop paired us together. The others have all fought each other. By forfeiting, you robbed me of a victory and made me look weak in front of the older guards. On your Royal authority they will likely never fight me either… my career will languish and I'll lose the opportunity to learn valuable fighting skills from them. If don't fight, I will die."
"I'm sorry," said Henry, knowing that it was a weak apology at best. How on earth was he to deal with being around Jenna all the time? An unsettling fix of butterflies and awkwardness settled in his stomach every time they interacted.
"My family relies on the money I send home," said Jenna. "The Queen's remuneration for the Elites extends to our entire families. We see them but little and everybody knows that our dying in battle is not only expected, it is acceptable."
"But that's awful! Don't you want to live? Grow up like a normal kid and stuff? You must miss your family. I'll talk to my Mom, she probably doesn't know about this. I'll get her to make it so you guys can go home sometimes."
Jenna looked at him fiercely. "Stop interfering! Don't you get it? This is our life. I want to do this for Her Majesty and to bring honour to my family. When I die I want it to mean something. Who are you to come in from the outside and say my sacrifice is not worth it? It is to me."
"Do whatever you like. But I'm a Prince, so I'm ordering you not to sacrifice yourself to save me. Ever."
Jenna gaped in horror. "You can't do that!"
"I just did."
Henry sped up and outpaced her, leaving Jenna as the last guard in the ranks. He turned barely over his shoulder to say, "I won't tolerate that sort of bluntness, soldier. Next time it's: 'You can't do that, Your Highness'".
Winter Castle, Room of the Queen's Board
Queen Regina spent the morning at the Table of War going over military matters and the state of the Winter Kingdom in the wake of the Ogrecide. As her first order of business she demanded that the war children be brought home. Those who survived that is. There were many families who would not be welcoming their children back home.
I should not have kissed her...
The rest of Regina's morning had been taken up by consultations with representatives of common people. Of course they had a laundry list of complaints, ranging from trivial to serious in importance. Dealing with petty arguments tested her patience sorely. There was so much wrong with this land and Winter's resources were already spread thin. She was alone now, working in the quiet.
I could have spared myself the knowledge that she is never to be mine. I could have clung to the delusion that I had a chance.
If Regina's patience was the first casualty of the morning, her ability to concentrate on work was the second. Ever since a green-tinged violent Emma Swan turned up in her bedroom in the early hours she had thought of little else. At present, her 'attacker' was upstairs recovering in bed in the Queen's own chambers and had yet to awaken.
She didn't wake up for you. She slept on. There's your proof.
"She wasn't cursed!" Regina gritted her teeth and spoke to the empty room. "It proves nothing."
Damn that pining pirate! Right now he was probably sitting by the bedside of his dying "Swan" and making moon-eyes at her. Regina would rather have a bonding experience with Snow White than share space with Hook while they both waited for the woman they loved to regain consciousness. Which one would the slumbering beauty seek out first? Which one would she be gladdest to see?
That's why you're down here working alone. Because you don't want to see her choose someone else.
Hook and Emma had "something" going on in Neverland, and though Regina had picked up on it, she hadn't been privy to all of their conversations. Had they really kissed like Hook had told her? He would no doubt lie about it if it suited him, but it seemed as though he didn't have to.
Regina hated the very idea of it. Especially because Emma barely trusted her at the time. Worse than that - they had shared a moment in the woods during which she was promised something when they got back to Storybrooke. A date and a kiss maybe.
But they weren't back in Storybrooke and Regina knew she was not likely to be kissed anytime soon. Not by the one she wanted.
Her hatred for Hook was at maximum as always but jealousy had turned her ire on to Emma as well. Because she had kissed him in Neverland (according to Hook), rather than the other way around. Regina tried to deny that she was hurt and failed. One minute Emma was embracing her in the jungle and giving her hope and talking to her about getting together romantically in the future - their possible future - and the next minute she was off dallying with the help. Had she deliberately led her on to take revenge against the heartless Evil Queen for the crimes of the past? What a hilarious joke that would be.
The Evil Queen had fallen for the daughter of her worst enemies. She had fallen hard, which was the only way she ever did anything.
Why didn't Emma's parents intervene? wondered Regina bitterly. Their daughter and Hook had flirted their way through the Neverland jungle trek and neither of the Charmings stepped in to stop it. He was a pirate for god's sake! Not just a thief but a plunderer of treasures and virtuous women. His crimes were motivated by greed and mischief, hers had been motivated by revenge for pain and suffering. Her crimes were those of fiery passion and had been set in motion by wrongs forced upon her. Regina absolved herself of guilt and regret for any of it. But Hook was just an uncomplicated thug seeking to satisfy his lust.
Why Hook! What on earth does she see in that filthy rum-soaked scoundrel?
Whatever happened between them on that island it was enough for the lecherous seafarer to find himself completely besotted with Emma Charming, who rarely lived up to that name in Regina's opinion.
Emma Swan - with the boyish swagger and questionable fashion sense - could hardly speak to her without attitude and a sarcastic eyeroll thrown in for good measure. That was how she would awaken, Regina decided. Emma would sit up and start complaining: "God, Regina! How many trucks did you throw me under last night?! Either you and I had a really good time or a bad one."
It'd be something to that effect. The ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth… and then Regina realised that Emma wouldn't say any such thing because she didn't remember her at all. She wouldn't look at her in that familiar smartass way. She would look upon her as a stranger and nothing else, a fleeting glance without recognition.
When she let Emma drive out of her life leaving both her and her memories behind, Regina felt a particular kind of heavy sickness forming in the pit of her stomach. Something that she hadn't felt in many years. The last time was when she had been a teenager kneeling on a stable floor with tears streaming down her face.
This time when she lost the one she loved it would not be over so quickly. She would be forced to watch the irritating flirtation between the pirate and the blonde grow into love. It would be a slow painful death for her heart's secret hope. She hardly knew how she would be able to endure it.
I'd rather sleep through it than have her look through me as though I were not even here. Perhaps to her, I'm not...
"Wakey, wakey," said Robin. He ducked his head into her line of sight and waved.
Regina blinked at the sudden appearance. Was he still here? Why was he talking to her in that patronising manner as if she were a child? She leaned back into her chair to increase the distance between their faces.
"You were a thousand miles away, my Lady. Did you hear aught of what I was saying?"
"Yes. Every word."
Robin was no fool and clearly didn't believe her hasty lie. He went on to repeat everything he related upon entering the room. He had sent for his young son, Roland, to join them at the castle. Usually he preferred to have the boy near him but with recent events he now wished for him to stay at the castle where it was safe. Regina would have to see to Roland's care whenever Robin left for one of his "jobs".
"I can't wait for Roland to meet you," Robin spoke with enthusiasm. "He's going to love you. As you will love him I am sure."
"I suppose I might," Regina was noncommittal on purpose. "He sounds like a fine little boy."
"You don't sound certain?"
"Do not pressure him to love me," said Regina (thinking to herself, Or worse, force him to view me as his mother). "I do not see why a child must attach himself to a particular new person in his life. You would not expect an adult to get along with everyone they meet."
"You are right," Robin realised. "I've never thought of it that way. You are very… modern. I think you are a natural mother."
Regina smiled far-off into the distance where her memories were. "No, I am not. I learned it the hard way."
Thankfully Robin either didn't hear the bittersweet comment or he thought she was talking about Anna, rather than a child of her own. Only a few times Regina had attempted to explain the foreign concept of adoption to someone from this land who had never lived in Storybrooke while it existed. People wouldn't understand. They knew all about raising other people's children and taking in homeless urchins… but nobody considered that as being equal to raising one's own child from birth. Regina could not imagine loving Henry more than she already did, even if he had been of her own blood. She had been a constant presence and caregiver for his entire life and it rankled that somebody could dismiss that easily.
"I must confess something to you," admitted Robin. He gave a heavy sigh. "I found out from a well-meaning source who warned me out of concern that you were once the Evil Queen."
Regina's eyes flicked away. She wasn't comfortable with having her former persona brought up at random. "That's not exactly a secret. Though perhaps I should have told you myself."
"I wish you had. I think I mentioned to you at some point that I despise magic. But my feelings about our future union are unchanged."
Regina was confused. "You are willing to put my past aside? You do know what 'evil' means do you not?"
"Of course," Robin smiled. "Magic will not be a part of your life anymore. It is not who you are now. You don't seem all that evil from where I'm standing. Beautiful yes, but evil? Certainly not this morning outside in the snow when you were rather fetchingly dressed in only a silk and looking especially lovely with baby Anna in your arms. There is nothing more wonderful than seeing motherly love for a child..."
Urrgh! Is this guy smooth or what. Emma mimed a barfing gesture from where she was hidden across the room in the alcove of the doorway. She was watching Robin Hood get his suave on with Regina, the woman she had never met and yet knew so much about.
This is the mother of my child, the woman I'm half-in-love-with already. She is breathtaking, more so in real life. My imagination went rampant while listening to Henry describe her and it still fell short of doing her justice. She's so beautiful... Wait, what did I come here for again? Oh.
The romance Emma was currently spying on was the reason she had come here. That had been the cause for her initial quest, to find Regina and demand to know why she had sacrificed herself to a cursed sleep for eternity and ask why the hell she'd agree to marry a man she'd just met. Then the Summer castle was attacked and Emma's motives changed to escape and survival. Now that she was here, maybe she could kill two birds with one stone on her way to saving the realm: she could find Henry and break off his other mother's marriage...
No! I came here to ask for help and safety. That's all. If Regina is happy, I'll back off. I don't even know her.
From her vantage point Emma appraised this Robin's physical form. He was handsome and charming (an admission she begrudged giving him the credit for) and he was dressed in a roguish way that could be considered attractive - if you liked that bad boy look, which maybe Regina did? He had the advantage of being a noble thief too, as opposed to a petty criminal like Emma had been as a teenager.
Every time she thought of her youth it annoyed her that she had been convicted for the one count of stealing that she didn't commit… well, that wasn't quite true. She had performed the crime. Out of some misguided act of love, to take the fall for someone who ended up abandoning her and the kid. The courts had not thought it "noble" in any way either.
Emma decided to focus on Regina instead as the couple interacted. The Queen had agreed to an engagement so quickly. Was it really a whirlwind romance? Was she happy? It was hard to tell from her face. She seemed somewhat pleased by his gallantry but mostly she looked annoyed. Or surprised, as though she wasn't used to being courted or romanced… perhaps she wasn't used to being thought of at all.
It was the first time she was seeing Regina in real life, as opposed to a single photograph or a half-forgotten memory from when she had been eighteen years old with a newborn. Regina was stunning, obviously, and dressed like a medieval queen. There was some dreamlike quality about her though, which Emma had not expected. She didn't quite seem real.
Emma watched as Robin picked up one of Regina's hands and held it in both of his like it was fragile.
Regina would hate that, she decided without having any real basis for thinking it. Those hands once cast the most powerful magic the realm had ever known. It was a gross underestimation to treat them as if they were weak. It was an insult. Regina hates weakness. He just lost a point with her.
"I wondered if you had any more thoughts about our marriage?" asked Robin.
Regina creased an eyebrow and said dryly, "How could I? You never asked me anything."
"But I assumed that you-"
"Yes. You assumed, you never actually proposed. After I awoke from the curse you announced our engagement to others before you even spoke to me. Now it is all over the Kingdom. I have more important concerns at present."
Robin nodded, apparently interpreting her snippy tone as a rejection of his advances. "Very well. You are busy. I shall return another time."
He cradled her face with tenderness and pressed a kiss to her forehead as a goodbye. Then the rugged thief left with no further word. The Queen remained seated at her desk, neither concentrating on her paperwork nor watching her fiance's departure with longing.
Emma came out of hiding, unable to wait any longer. She continued despite her dizziness and limped into the War room towards Regina. It wasn't so easy to walk without any walls or furniture to lean on.
"You're Henry's real mother?" she said.
Regina certainly was shocked speechless at the sight of her. Emma couldn't have known that it was more to do with how wretched she looked rather than her being there awake. When the Queen shot to her feet her chair scraped on the rough stone. They stared at each other for a beat before Emma realised she ought to say something.
"I need to talk to you about... huhhh… woah." That was all Emma got out before the world started spinning. She swayed on the spot. There were stars she could see, swirling bright lights in her version. Were her eyes usually full of stars?
Regina rushed to her side and grabbed her arms. "What are you doing down here, Emma? For god's sake, you look like hell! Get back in my bed where you belong. Now. Before you fall."
Emma slurred, "Whyr' yellin' at me."
"Hurry up, you're going to-"
Emma's knees buckled underneath her and she would fallen in a heap if Regina hadn't caught her, but only just. I must be too heavy for her, was Emma's last conscious thought. At least I get to be held in her arms even if it's only once. I could stay here forever if she'd let me. I could...
Summer Palace
"Fall back."
The Commander gave his orders in low tones. The Elites were crouched along the stone wall at the back of the palace's outer walls, ready to insert themselves into the least defensible part of the fortified structure. Damage was visible to large sections of the stonework and there were no people around as there ought to have been at this time of morning.
They now had useful intelligence for the mission. Prince Henry had described the attack he witnessed along with every detail he could remember. His help turned out to be invaluable and Bishop had long ceased regretting having the young boy's presence join the guards. The Commander reiterated his safety message to emphasise the serious of the threat.
"Fall back and retreat immediately upon sighting of any dark shape in the sky. Pair up and clear the corridors one by one. We will begin with the outer ramparts and make our way to the battlements to search for survivors. Our first priority is to locate the Royals and investigate the nature of this attack."
Commander Bishop pointed two fingers at the oldest Elites at the front and tipped his head indicating without words for them to go first. They entered through a gap cleared of stones in the wall which they had to crawl through. Bishop repeated the gesture in two-minute intervals until all of the soldiers had entered except the two youngest. One of them looked determined and the other, apprehensive.
"Prince Henry," he said. "Go to the family rooms and see if anyone returned there after the attack. Do not place yourself in danger. We will call for you as soon as we find… anything."
"You mean, when you need me to identify the bodies," said Henry in a strained voice.
"Perhaps." The Commander clapped a hand around Henry's upper arm. "Hold onto your brave heart, lad. There is still hope if you believe there is."
Henry nodded and looked down sadly. With his face turned down towards the earth the boy didn't see it, but the Commander did. He saw Jenna's hand twitch as though she would reach out to comfort her fellow soldier and instead thought better of it. She met her senior's eyes and realised that it had been detected.
Bishop pinned the young Elite with a look. "Jenna, you have your orders. You know what to do."
"Done," said Jenna, giving him the traditional salute.
"I will follow after you." The Commander issued the gesture for them to go.
The two pre-teenagers didn't have to crawl through the gap like the others who were much larger and taller. They sank to their haunches to clear the entrance and then crouched on the inside. Jenna grabbed Henry's arm and the two youngsters headed in the direction opposite to the others' at a creep.
Once they were gone, Bishop watched the gap in the wall for a few minutes to make sure none of the Elites came back for some reason. After a suitable delay he began to shift the heavy stones back into their original position, completely blocking it as an exit. From the outside it was obvious that it had been used as an entrance but after he was done no-one would be able to enter or exit the castle this way. Not the Elites, not anyone.
Bishop stood to his full height and headed back towards the woods. They were silent and devoid of life.
"Witch!" he cupped his hands and bellowed into the snowy grounds. "Make your move."
A tall thin figure in black velvet, whose steps floated over the ground, approached and stopped ten paces in front of him. Her skin gleamed bright green even against the verdure of the forest surrounding her. The glacial blue of her eyes flashed with pleasure.
The Witch spoke in her tinkly girly voice. "You offer yourself as a needless sacrifice this early in the game, Dark Bishop."
"Bold are the opening gambits of the victorious."
"Yes," the Witch laughed. "As is the stench of the rotting corpses of those sacrificed along the way."
A shrill screech rent the skies and the Commander looked above, trying to locate the source. It was upon him before he knew it. A monster collided with him from behind, clawing at his shoulders, as it pushed him face-down into the snow. He landed hard on his chest. The air was forced out of his lungs and the void that remained became frozen and refused to draw another breath.
He could not breathe.
It ought to have been calm, dying like this, but Asphyxia never went anywhere without its favourite friend Panic. The longest thirty seconds of his life passed as though each were trying to span a new century. He watched crimson droplets stain the snow and assumed it to be his own blood. He wondered which would come first - death, or his next breath?
Mercifully, Bishop gasped and his lungs greedily sucked in all the oxygen they could hold. He raised his head enough to see the Witch standing above him. A winged monkey with bloodied claws and razor sharp teeth sat obediently at her side now.
"Do you-" he panted. "D'y' know what is the greatest weapon in war?"
"To be on the winning side?" she quipped.
"No," the Commander chuckled at her naivete regarding combat. "Tis having the next move."
The Witch sneered but her glee vanished She realised far too late that she had fallen for it. She had been unable to resist capturing the plum sacrifice that had been offered her as a distraction, thus completing her move. The Elites escaped and were even now completing their assigned mission unhindered. The Wicked Witch may have succeeded in attacking first and removing a minor piece from the board but she had missed her chance to gain a real advantage early.
It was the Queen's turn next.