A/N: Chapter 11 has arrived! Now, fair warning, this chapter will have a much darker tone than previous chapters. There will be graphic depictions of violence, torture and physical assault.
Anger wasn't the right word to describe how Emma Swan felt as she looked up at the pristine white mansion. The house she knew currently held the former Evil Queen warm and snug within its walls. No, anger wasn't the right word. That was far too simple, in her opinion. The blonde had silenced the voices in her head somewhere between destroying an astonishing number of windows and appearing on the deceptively quiet stretch of Mifflin Street. The feelings that they had stirred within her continued to rage, however.
The blonde tilted her head as she watched the house for a few moments more before she flicked her wrist and took her leave. Regina was not her target right now. The smoke cleared and shocked screams surrounded the woman as she cracked her neck slowly. The nuns, fairies to be more precise, scattered backwards away from the imposing figure of the Dark One. Green eyes scanned over the clusters of trembling insects before she located the one she sought.
"Mother Superior. Or should I call you Blue now?" The usually put together leader of the fairies visibly recoiled at the sound of her name falling from the blood red lips. The sharp staccato of heels on tile echoed around them as the former Savior approached her prey, invading her personal space with little more than a second thought.
"Emma, this isn't you. We can help you." A bark of laughter startled the smaller woman as the blonde leaned closer, baring her teeth in a very Regina-like fashion.
"Help me? You want to help me?" Emma drawled the words slowly as if speaking to someone with poor comprehension. "Do you realize how ironic that is, Blue? Now, more than 30 years later, you want to help me?" The drawl turned to a hiss as anger boiled beneath the surface. "Let's play a little game, shall we?" She released a bolt of magic, sending the auburn haired woman careening back, slamming her against the stone wall of the building. The tapestries reached out at once, grasping the woman's hands and ankles tightly before flipping her so her face was pressed to the cold stone, exposing her back to the approaching blonde.
Icy fingers pressed into the small of the woman's back, moving their way up to the very collar of her dress. The sound of the fabric ripping was only rivaled by the horrified gasps of the onlooking fairies, though they all remained huddled together.
"Now then,Blue. I'm going to ask you a question. If you fail to provide me an adequate answer, I will remove one of your wings. Fail twice and I will remove them both." She paused, her lips brushing the smaller woman's ear, the shiver of fear that wracked the bound frame of her captive at her words made the Dark One smile. "Do not deign to imagine I will be so generous should you disappoint me a third time."
The threat was punctuated by the taller woman very slowly running her fingers along the pale blue wings on display for her, moving from the very base of the wings all the way to the tips.
"Now then…." She moved to stand beside the woman, grasping the rounded face and forcing wide brown eyes to meet her own steely green. "Why did you lie about the wardrobe?" The words were spoken slowly to ensure there was no misconstruing what was being asked.
Emma tilted her head a bit, waiting ever so patiently for the gawking fairy to form a coherent sentence. Conflict raged silently within the small frame of the woman before she gave a shake of her head. "I didn't lie. The wardrobe could only take one." The blonde could tell it was taking all of the proud woman's effort not to let her lip quiver.
"Oh, so unwise." The words were laced with venom and disappointment as a pale hand moved to grasp the base of the fairy's left wing, baring her teeth as she felt the muscle snap beneath her grip. A sickening ripping noise filled the room accompanied by the screams of several onlookers, the small body jerking in pain at the brutal action. Emma flicked her hand, discarding the tattered remains of the translucent wing.
She moved with sure, calculated steps until she stood on the opposite side of the trembling woman, green eyes moving over the stark contrast of red smeared across the skin surrounding the gaping wound before focusing her attention on her captive.
"Let's try again, shall we? Why did you lie to my parents about the wardrobe?"
The auburn haired woman gritted her teeth, trying to force back the tears already rolling over the swell of her cheeks. The damage was irreparable, a fairy's wings could not be healed once broken. Her head began shaking back and forth, silently denying to provide her tormentor with the satisfaction of an answer.
A scream was ripped from her throat as she felt fingers gouge into the open wound maring her back, twisting against the split muscles, her back arching in a futile attempt for reprieve.
"Weak, little pathetic insect." The words were snarled in her ear and it shook the once proud fairy to admit to herself that Emma Swan had done the one thing the Evil Queen never could: She frightened her.
The steady drip of blood onto the polished floor was the only sound to be heard some time later. Mother Superior hung limply, held up only by the tapestries still binding her wrists. Her chest rising and falling shallowly, eyes glazed and unfocused as she stared down at the mangled remains of her wings. The Dark One had kept to her word to be less than kind should she not receive the desired answers, the smaller woman's body smattered with the evidence should anyone think to deny it.
The blonde watched from her place on a nearby table, drumming her fingers against her cheek slowly. The bug had finally cracked beneath her hand, as she knew she would, and had sobbed brokenly of the ultimatum given by Gepetto the night he was to carve the vessel to this realm: his son went or no one did.
Across the quiet town of StoryBrooke, Regina was seated at her desk in the study of her home. Glasses perched on her nose and a mug of cooling coffee off to one side as she poured over the newest text that Belle had brought to her that morning. The petite brunette had seemed so sure the book would offer some sort of answers regarding Emma's current state. The aforementioned blonde had not been seen since the older woman's last encounter with her in her kitchen. She was reticent to say that she missed her company, but it certainly wouldn't have been unwelcome.
A cold chill skittered up the Mayor's spine and with a wave of her hand,she disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke, appearing before her father's mausoleum. She glances around before slipping inside and closing the door securely behind her. Something was amiss, she could feel it. The darkness was almost palpable enough to be tasted. She shivered once more before moving aside the coffin and descending into her vault, away from any prying ears.
Though she had spent much of her life living up to the moniker the people of her kingdom had forced upon her, the former Evil Queen found herself shrinking back a bit from the darkness emanating from the dagger, strongly enough to be felt across the room. She approached slowly, trying to figure out what had caused such a change, the metal scalding her hand when she attempted to lift it. Grimacing, she cradling the hand to her chest and eyed the dagger carefully.
The brunette knew enough about magic to know that it was tied into emotion. Whatever it was that Emma was feeling in that moment was being channeled through her dagger. Jaw clenched and body braced, Regina snatched the blade from its resting place, crying out at the feel of the metal scorching her palm,unable to be released.
Brown eyes widened in horror as images played across her mind. Horrible, twisted images of the Savior and the Blue Fairy. Blood, carnage, torment. The emotions from both parties collided against the older woman causing her knees to buckle. Eyes flicked frantically back and forth as the scene played out before her, her stomach twisting tightly at the acts she witnessed unfold.
It wasn't until the sound of the last sob died away that the blade clattered to the floor, the Queen following within seconds. The pain in her hand was little compared to the horror she had just witnessed. She had done horrible things, terrible things, but even still she felt her stomach revolt. The sound of her retching echoed against the stone walls, her breathing ragged.
Regina's body felt like lead as she pushed herself back onto her knees, maneuvering herself backwards until her back hit a wall, allowing herself to slump against it. A manicured hand came up to wipe the mess from her lips, her eyes straying to the sliver of metal lying discarded on the floor. The Queen was certain her heart was breaking at the thought of what she had witnessed, her voice little more than a hushed whisper.
"Oh, Emma…...what did you do?"
A/N: There we are...our first dark act from our Dark Swan. Please sound off in the comments, let me know your thoughts.