Snow went back to her room after the encounter with the queen in the garden and Belle was waiting for her, arms folded and biting her lip, "Princess Snow... I think we should talk."

Snow was surprised at her new friend's serious expression, "About what?"

"Have you talked to anyone about you and the Queen?" Belle came forward and took her hand.

Snow blushed deeply, "Well I'm sure there are a lot of people talking about reconciliation."

"That wasn't reconciliation I saw." Belle said quietly.

"Oh." Snow swallowed, "It just ... sort of happened."

"I'm sure it did. Because ending up in the bed of the woman who has spent how many years trying to destroy you just happens." Belle put her hands on Snow's shoulders. "How long? Since you were living here before?"

Snow was quick to answer, "No. No Regina didn't do anything inappropriate."

"Other than try to kill you."

"Our relationship is ... complicated."

"And consensual? You... want this?"

Snow sighed and sat down on the bed, "Oh Belle, I ... I've wanted this since before." But her own mind went to the way things had started to be. Restraints. Pain. Possessiveness. "I'm not sure I could stop if I wanted to. And I don't."

Belle sat down next to her and held her hand, "Do you love her?"

"I've always loved her. I just ... I never even considered I might love her like this. But there was this fairy. I was lonely and wished... wondering if there was someone out there for me."

"Does she love you?" Belle seem to reserve judgment on the story of the fairy.

"I ... I'm not sure I need her too. I mean I want her too yes. But having her is more than I've ever hoped for. Wanting her to love me seems... greedy."

Belle raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Snow asked.

"Everyone deserves love."

Snow shrugged, "At the moment I think I'd take her not hating me."

Belle frowned but said nothing and Snow felt the other woman's uneasy linger. She didn't see Regina the rest of the day and wasn't called to her bed that night. The castle servant's whispered that she had gone to the tower where she did magical things and it was never good to interrupt her when she had dark magic flowing through her.

But as Snow was getting ready for bed she saw there was a small box laying on the bed. It was finely crafted just like the first that held the pendant and when she opened it she gasped. It was a royal signet ring, like one Regina wore and her mother and father hand worn. She was supposed to have one made for her when she reached her 20th birthday but while the orders went in life and murder had happened before she got it.

She picked up the gold and emerald ring. It slipped onto her finger perfectly. Inside the box was a note, "I take care of what is mine."

The breath caught in Snow's throat and she almost cried.

Regina appeared a few times over the next few days, mostly to attend business of the kingdom, and to hear word from her ministers in other courts. Today it was word that George was still searching for his lost son, but that Midas had found a worthy match for his daughter. Hans of the Southern Isles. Both Regina and Snow made simultaneous disgusted noises. The Southern Isles had sent their sons to court Snow when her father was still alive. Hans was charming and handsome of course, but looking back on it Snow realized that the scandal where he had been caught by her father and Snow talking about his plans for his kingdom after the marriage were all to convenient. As if arranged by magic.

She glanced over at Regina, who perhaps knew what she was thinking, "If the girl is happy that is her business. Some women are satisfied with the life of a prize. Midas has treated his daughter as little else."

Regina put off an air of unconcern but she stormed out of the audience chamber and Snow only resisted following her by Belle's hand on her arm. "I'd like you in once piece, my friend."

Snow sighed and nodded.

Regina didn't go to court the next day, leaving only written instructions with her steward that Snow and her companion were to travel to the border villages and inspect them. George's search for Prince James had sent a number of parties of white knights where they shouldn't have been.

It was strange now for Snow not only to be riding with a party of Black Knights, but for their lieutenant to take orders from her. She still didn't trust the men entirely, or at all, and had decided to take her bow with her.

Belle had turned out to be a wonderful traveling companion and Snow extended their tour just to show her more of her favorite places in the kingdom. Some of them from when she was a girl and some she had discovered while on the run. It was in one of those places on the edge of King Midas' kingdom that she noticed something strange. She bid the party of knights to stay back and she and Belle dismounted. She showed Belle how to move quietly and the two women crept up on what turned out to be a small party of soldiers, and king George very far from his own kingdom. He was talking with Prince Hans, a brown pouch in his hands.

"... once the wedding is done I can drug the old man's food with this and trick him into turning his daughter to gold. It won't be hard to put a mad king in a tower after that and force him to turn out gold and I as regent hoping for my wife's recovery will reward you handsomely for your assistance."

"A good potions master is a useful investment. And you will pay us the gold promised to my son?"

"Of course," Hans smiled.

Snow looked over at Belle who was horrified and the two of them crept away until they were back with their Black Knights. Their Black Knights was still something hard for Snow to fathom. "We have to warn King Midas and Princess Abigail," Belle said immediately.

Snow shook her head, "We don't have any proof and Midas will just take it as Regina trying to interfere and keep him weaker." Snow sighed, thinking, "Lieutenant, do you know the north road?"

It ran through territory that was not claimed by any kingdom. "Yes, Your Highness."

"I'm going to teach you all a bit how to be a bandit."

The ambush was set up by the time Abigail's carriage came through. Belle was in the road with one of the black knights sans his armor laying on the ground blocking their path. The armed men with Abigail went to investigate and the other knights came out of the woods to take them out. The princess ran from her carriage only to come face to face with Snow standing in the road with her bow.

They had been foster sisters for a summer a decade ago and Abigail knew her immediately. She went to scream but Snow sighed, "So sorry," and threw a hood over her face and forced her onto a horse to ride away.

They had kidnapped the princess to save her.

By the time they got her back to the castle the entire enchanted forest was humming with the news that mysterious bandits had kidnapped the gold king's daughter.

Regina had her arms folded as she watched the party enter the castle courtyard from her balcony and with a wave of her hand the princess disappeared in smoke. Snow looked up at her and swallowed, asking the others to take care of the horses.

She met Regina in the throne room, Regina sitting in the chair looking livid, "You kidnapped, King Midas' daughter."

"Where is she?" Snow asked?"

"A cell in the tower for important prisoners. I didn't want you taking off that hood and her finding out who had committed the act of war." Regina's tone was dangerous and livid.

"We ... Your Majesty. I'm sorry if we caused problems for you but we encountered King George and Prince Hans in the wood plotting." Snow carefully laid out what they had heard. "I couldn't think of another way to save her life."

Regina made no comment but grunted, "I'll see if there is any cleaning up of this mess. Go take care of your horses, bathe and change. I want the rest of your report in writing. Use your little bookworm friend as a scribe and have it ready for me in my study after evening bells."

Snow nodded, still unsure if Regina was mad at her ... or at the situation.

Belle and Snow spent most of the afternoon working on the report, including every detail they could think of, and Snow presented it to Regina just as the evening bells rang. The queen sat behind the large table she used to do the kingdom's work reading by candle light before putting it down and walking around the desk.

"You acted rashly, but bravely, and with honor." Regina smiled. "A quality I find endearing if a bit insufferable. But you've also left me with a huge mess and a prisoner who is not likely to have seen this as a rescue."

Snow nodded, "I'm sorry Regina. I just couldn't ..."

Regina put her finger across Snow's lips, "I know, my dear. But I have to decide if you deserve a reward... or a punishment for your actions.

Snow shivered and Regina smiled wider. Regina waked around her and started to unlace her dress. Snow knew she could have done this in seconds with magic. She had before. But this was slow. Deliberate. It made her wonder what was going to happen and to remember Belle's concerns about what the Queen's intentions were. The dress was off eventually and Snow stood in the cold night air of the castle. Regina remained standing behind her, running tow fingers down her spine from her neck all the way to the crack between her buttocks. She pressed her body against Snow's back and the jewels of Regina's dress pressed against her skin as Regina kissed her neck.

"A reward I think." She walked back over to the desk she used and came up with another jewelry box like the ones the pendant and the ring had come in. "Open it."

Naked and standing before her it seemed an odd moment for a romantic gesture but Snow did, seeing what was obviously more finely crafted jewelry, though what exactly she didn't know. She pulled the fine silver chain out and at each end was some sort of attachment with a lever and encrusted with tiny emeralds just in the same style of the other jewelry.

"Made just for you, my princess."

Snow smiled, "It's beautiful Regina... but ... I don't know what it is."

Regina grinned and something about that made Snow catch her breath, unsure if it was the Queen's beauty or something else. "Don't worry Snow, it will look beautiful on you." She took the chain from Snow and kissed her fully on the mouth. A free hand of Regina's traveled over her body and soon Regina was moving down to kiss her breasts and give them a playful bite. "The cold air is helping nicely."

She gave her nipple a little pinch and Snow yelped, but she was still looking at Regina's eyes when the sharp pain came and she looked down. The end of the chain was a clamp with broad flat heads that Regina had attached to her. The words that came out of Snow's mouth were nothing she learned as a princess. Regina smiled, "No corrupting an innocent than." She was rougher with the other nipple, squeezing the nipple until it was a hard nub and then attaching the clamp."

The scream was nearly inhuman, but Regina took a step back and looked at her work, "Beautiful. I had it made especially for you from the finest jeweler in all the realm." She looked into her eyes, "Bend over Snow, touch your toes so I can see how it hangs."

It was a cruel command and Snow knew it. She hesitated expecting Regina to be angry. Strangely she wasn't, she simply whispered in her ear, "Are you forgetting the other day. When you begged and gave yourself to me?"

But Snow didn't bend over herself instead there was a puff of smoke and a rough push from the queen and she found herself bending over a padded bar. Her breasts hanging now and the chain swinging between them reminding her of the clamps at each end. A flick of the queen's fingers and Snow found herself attached to the thing but cuffs around her wrists.

"I don't think you are sufficiently grateful, Snow, for my tolerance of the war you've handed me." She ran a hand along the curve of her buttocks. "Or of the gift."

"It... they're ..."

"Painful I know," she said quietly. "But there is nothing so beautiful in all the realms as you with tears in your eyes. Under me even more so."

She continued to run her hand along her softly, "But you do need an occasional reminder of your place." The slap with the flat of Regina's hand wasn't hard, more sharp than painful. The second came on the other cheek. Snow yelped out and the motion sent her breasts moving beneath her.

"Do you understand, my Princess?" Snow didn't answer and there was another slap. "This will continue until you tell me you understand."

It only took two more spanks. "I understand."

"Thank me."

"What?"

"Thank me for the gift Snow."

Snow turned bright red, or that might have been the blood rushing to her head, "Thank you my queen. I'm sorry."

The next touch wasn't a slap but a soft caress that paused for a moment over the crack between her cheeks but patted her gently. "I knew you would understand."

A wave of her hand and the horse and the restraints were gone and snow dropped to her hands and knees as Regina walked over to a chair by the fire.

"Come."

Snow hesitated, unsure if she should stand or crawl. She choose the dignity of standing and walked over to her. Regina didn't correct her, but instead gestured for her to kneel on the soft bear skin rug next to the chair. Snow did and Regina took her head and lay it in her lap and stroked her hair. "I know I am not an easy woman to love Snow. And that I hurt you. I need to... I need to hurt you. But you are strong and I know I can do it because I know how strong you really are."

And part of Snow knew it was crazy... but she was proud of herself and relaxed in the lap of her queen.