Regina's head swam with Emma's thoughts and emotions. She shuddered at the images of her living in the backseat of a car, not quite understanding what the small space was. Every time her own image appeared, she felt Emma's reaction, saw herself the way Emma saw her and sighed. She became conscious of her body turning as it slept and it was enough to wake her.
Regina lay amongst her silk sheets, topped with thick blankets for warmth, and stretched out her arms.
"Good morning your majesty." The mirror greeted her.
"How early is it?" Regina asked, her face soft without the dark make-up shadowing her eyes.
"The sun is only just rising."
"Is Red awake yet?"
"She has begun her usual morning routine, down in the courtyard, pretending to fight invisible foes."
"She's training, you mean."
If the mirror had shoulders, he would have shrugged.
"And Emma?"
"Still in her room. After her late night chat with Red…"
"You were listening I assume?"
"I don't require sleep and need something to entertain me." He huffed, not sounding apologetic but hoping she would forgive him if she were upset.
"I'm not angry with you, I'm curious. What did she say?"
"She had a lonely childhood, without parents, without anyone to love her or look out for her."
"I may be able to use that in her magic training." Regina smoothed out the wrinkles at the top of her blankets, drawing the mirror's eyes away from her face. "I'm ready for my breakfast now. Have the kitchen staff send it up and then watch to make sure they cook it properly."
Once his face had gone, Regina slipped out of the bed and went into her private bathroom. It was the one area she had complete peace. She gave herself a few minutes to relax before splashing cold water on her face and returning to her room. For magic lessons with Emma she would need something comfortable to wear, but just in case Emma's magic got out of control she didn't want to wear her favourite dresses.
By the time breakfast arrived she looked liked a Queen again. The mirror watched her eat and tried to remember how that had felt. It seemed like so long ago.
"Is Emma still in her room?" Regina asked when she had finished.
"No, she has gone to find Red. Should I summon her to you?"
"Red will want breakfast after her training. Let her eat with Emma while I go through some paperwork. I'll meet them when they've finished."
"Should I watch them and tell you when they've eaten?"
Regina nodded. "I'll be in the library."
Red spun around, eyes closed. She knew where the targets were but it was more of a challenge fighting when she couldn't see. Her arm shot out releasing the first blade. She heard the thud as it sunk into the wood and smiled.
Her nostrils flared as she realised she had company. Recognising Emma's scent, she continued until there were no weapons left and her arms had grown tired. When she finally opened her eyes and saw the results of her handiwork Emma began to clap.
"That was amazing Red."
Red wiped her arm across her face, trying to remove the sweat. "Thanks."
"How long have you been out here?"
"Since the sun woke me."
"Have you had breakfast yet?"
"Never before training. You?"
"I'm starving."
Red laughed. "Give me a second to clean up and we'll go scrounge something from the kitchens together."
"Sure." Emma leant against the wooden fence as Red headed towards a pump in the corner of the yard.
It was still early and with no-one else around it was peacefully quiet. Emma studied her surroundings, taking in the greenness of the grass and the size of the castle walls. As a child she would never have imagined living in a place like this. Castles were in books or in countries far away. Reality seemed so different.
"How do you reckon they built this place?" She asked Red as they walked back inside.
"What do you mean?"
"Look at the side of the stones. Just one would be too heavy for a person to lift. How did they build the walls so high? Skyscrapers need cranes and cement mixers…"
"I don't know what skyscrapers are, but the castle was probably built hundreds and hundreds of years ago by the King."
"Which King?"
"I don't know. There's always a King, isn't there? Ask Regina, she'll be able to tell you. Or maybe you could look it up in the library."
"But it's so fascinating. Don't you want to know?"
"No. Unless it has to do with becoming a better fighter, why would I? I grew up away from castles; I never expected to live in one."
Emma rolled her eyes. "Well neither did I."
They reached the kitchens. Emma followed Red and was introduced to the kitchen staff. Clearly Red's presence in the mornings wasn't unusual and they had some food waiting for her. A maid scurried around to find some extra food for Emma while the cook stirred a large pot hanging over the fire.
It was hot in the kitchens, but they stayed a while as Red listened to the gossip and shared her own stories of training Emma in the forest. Emma didn't mind when they laughed at Red's descriptions of her mistakes, now that she was out of there she could look back and laugh at them too. She had learnt a lot now, she wouldn't make those mistakes again if she had to go back.
Her eyes caught a glimmer of light in centre of the mirror over the doorway, but when she tried to look at it more closely it was gone. Red caught her looking up at the mirror and frowned.
"I guess it's time to go." She told Emma, thanking the cook for breakfast.
Emma followed Red out, asking where they were going.
"To see the Queen of course."
"Will she want to see us this early? What if she's busy? She hasn't sent anyone to ask us to come."
Red wouldn't answer, except to say that it was up to Regina to explain.
"More magic?" Emma asked with a sigh.
"Yes."