Rags to Royals
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Chapter 10
Regina and Cora have been up the entire night and well into the late morning looking through all the spell books Cora has collected over the years. They were in Regina's room, keeping a close watch on their ill friend. The sickness was getting worse with each passing hour. Emma was almost constantly coughing, her shaking hasn't stopped, and Regina feared she wouldn't make it through another night.
The young princess sits on her bed, beside the sleeping Emma as she looks through another useless book. "Nothing" She throws it onto the floor in frustration. Regina wants to throw a fireball at every useless book, but a dangerous warning glare from her mother causes her to let the flame in her hands slowly die out.
"I know you're upset dear, but please do not take it out on my books" Cora walks over from Regina's desk to lift the fallen book off the floor.
Regina sighs tiredly. "I'm sorry mother, I promised Emma I would save her. But these books are useless"
"Perhaps we need to try another angel. We need to find Daniel"
"He could be anywhere mother"
"Just use his heart to bring him to you"
"And what if he's already in safe harbor in the White Kingdom, even if I order him to come it might be too late for Emma"
"We won't know till we try dear"
Regina sighs as she looks at the extremely pale form that is her fiancé. In the beginning she had hated the idea of being married off to this stranger. She still isn't comfortable with the idea of marrying the girl, especially since she is so much younger, barely even 16 and Regina herself just turned 18 today. Still, despite the arranged marriage, Regina had just started seeing the girl as a friend. While she could be a goofball and annoyingly childish at times, she was still a friend, something that Regina didn't often have outside of family and servants. Some birthday this turned out to be.
"Regina" The voice is so raspy and barely audible, Regina nearly didn't even hear the young girl. Her eyes were only slightly open.
"I'm here" She didn't know what else to say, how else to comfort her.
Emma tries to sit up, she was tired of being laid on her back. Regina quickly moves to help. "You shouldn't be moving Emma, you need rest darling" Cora comes over to sit beside Emma, across from her daughter.
"I'm fine" Emma tries to argue weakly, only to be at the mercy of another coughing fit. "Regina, my desk drawer, there is a small black pouch. A gift for you" She finally managed to say, once she gained some control of her breathing back.
While Regina didn't want to leave Emma's side, even for a moment for fear it maybe the girl's last, she nods in understanding. Using her magic, she poofs out of the room for a moment, and within seconds she is back sitting beside Emma with a small black pouch in her hand.
"I had hoped to give it to after some riding lessons, I've been working on my fears with horses by brushing their hair during some down time I had this past week. They still scare me, but I thought you would enjoy teaching me how to ride" Emma offers a weak smile.
"Emma" Regina just didn't know to say, she wasn't good with emotional words. She wanted to cry, kick, and scream, why was this happening to Emma? She and Emma had finally been making some kind of connection, they were becoming friends, and now she was losing her, it wasn't fair! Fighting back a silent sob, Regina opens the black pouch and her dark eyes light up with tears barely hanging on at the corners of her eyes. The engraved swan was beautiful, and she loved the simple silver chain as well. "Oh, Emma. It's so beautiful"
Emma grins proudly. "I got it when we went on our first date"
Cora can't help but smile at the interaction between her daughter and the woman she just knew would bring her daughter so much joy. Mother always knows best, after all.
Regina rewards Emma with a simple kiss to the forehead, she didn't even care that her mother was watching. When she pulls away the princess places the precious gift around her neck, letting it hang, resting just below her chest, for all to see. "I love it"
"Regina, we need to go. Emma needs more rest"
Emma frowns, she didn't want Regina to go. "We'll be back. There is something we need to look into that may help with this poison" While Emma didn't want her to leave, Emma nodded and decided she was already losing strength due to the short conversation. She closes her eyes and lets the darkness consume her, hoping to ease some of her pain while she sleeps. She didn't want to cough anymore, it was hurting her ribs so badly. She knows she should tell Cora and Regina about her ribs, but she didn't want to worry them anymore than they already were. It wouldn't do any good.
"Let's go to my vault mother, that is where his heart is" Regina doesn't wait for her mother as she allows her purple smoke to send her to her destination. Cora follows in similar fashion. When they arrive inside the vault Regina quickly goes for Daniel's heart, but to her horror it is no longer there.
"Where is it dear?"
"I don't know! It should be right here!" Rage, confusion, and frustration was swimming and building up inside Regina, she needed to burn something.
"Could someone have taken it?"
"Impossible. For one, if someone did get in here they wouldn't be able to know whose heart belonged to Daniel. Only Emma knows exactly where I placed his heart"
"Oh, but it was so easy to follow you two inside and go unnoticed" A voice taunts the two women.
"Show yourself!" Regina demands.
"What fun would that be my sweet princess? So, you can reject me again?"
Regina frowns, she has rejected many suitors in the past but she can't recognize this voice.
"You will show yourself to your queen" Cora orders. She was in no mood for games.
"I think I will just wait till that poor little peasant dies" The taunting voice snickers.
"You're the one who gave Emma the poison?" Regina knew this bastard probably gave it to Daniel, but she needed to keep the voice talking. Try to make him slip up and give her some much needed answers. She has to save Emma.
He laughs, such an irritating laugh, like a hideous hyaena. "Of course not, I gave it to the foolish boy who fell in love with you. He was nearly out of the Dark Kingdom when I stopped him and proposed a deal. He would help me kill Emma, and I would help him gain his heart back. In return, if you did fall in love with the boy once again, he would allow me to have my fun with you as well. Of course, you weren't ever going to know it was me because I could easily disguise myself as him"
"If you could disguise yourself as him, why use him to try and kill Emma?"
"Well, being what I am, I am not allowed to kill people. One of the rules I'm afraid. However, it doesn't mean I can't encourage others to kill people"
Regina felt sick, this bastard really thought that just because if Emma somehow died she would be mourning into Daniel's arms.
"You could have disguised yourself as Emma instead of going through all this trouble" Cora comes into the conversation.
"Oh, but that peasant is such a hideous form. I knew you would never bed with such a girl, even if your mother continued to force you into this marriage"
"She's nowhere near as hideous as you and Daniel!" Regina lets a flame come to life in her hand. "Tell me the cure for the antidote. If Emma dies, I will hunt you and Daniel down till the ends of the earth" Her voice was a haunting chill, and her eyes seemed almost black with rage. "I don't care how long it takes, you two will never live in peace, you will be constantly looking over your shoulders till my last breath"
The hideous hyaena laughs annoyingly, taunting the princess and queen. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun indeed. I can't wait to see the look of despair on your faces when that pathetic peasant is gone"
Regina scowls, what could she do to figure out who this person was. Wait a minute! Regina suddenly very slowly allows her regal smile to shine, as something the voice said earlier comes back to her mind. "Mother, don't we know someone who can't kill because of what they are?"
Cora's eyes become cold, her face an unreadable expression as a possibility comes to her mind, she has been betrayed.
To Be Continued!
I know, I am evil! Can you all guess who the voice is?!