I should call this off.
That's the thought that's been running through her head since she got out of bed after a night of anxious tossing and turning. She had allowed herself to be swayed by Ruby's nearness the previous evening. By her intoxicating belief that their feelings should take precedence over everything else that's going on in their lives. By the touch of her lips.
Regina brings a hand up to touch her own lips, closing her eyes at the memory of Ruby's kiss. It was nothing like their first kiss; borne out of anger and frustration. This was a soft thing, a coming together of two people who just wanted to be close. Unlike most of the kisses Regina's had in her life, this one was not driven by power or manipulation. Ruby had kissed her because she wanted to kiss her. And that is a wonderful, terrifying prospect.
They had parted soon afterwards, with shy smiles and an arrangement to meet. But as soon as the door had closed after Ruby, the doubts had started to set back in. Despite Ruby's protests to the contrary, Regina knows that this will put her in more danger. And the thought of Ruby being hurt again because of her is almost unbearable.
She comes to a halt in front of a mirror. Potential venues for 'dates' are severely limited, so she had dressed for outdoors, assuming a walk or a ride would be involved. She's opted for black leather pants, and a deep wine coloured waistcoat cinched with a belt over a white shirt. Her hair is up, but the style not quite as severe as some of those she's been sporting since their return.
It's not like they haven't gone out together before. They go riding often and for walks most days. But the kissing of the previous evening lends a degree of expectation to the proceedings, and Regina has very little experience with dating. Almost none, in fact. And Regina does not enjoy being in situations where she feels like she's on the back foot. Yes, she should definitely call this o-
Three sharp raps at the door interrupt her thoughts and she puts a hand to her chest, trying to calm her heartbeat down. She swallows and straightens her clothing, mustering up as much dignity as she can as she opens the door.
Any notion she had of sending Ruby away flees when her eyes land on the other woman standing there, in an outfit not dissimilar to Regina's. It's amazing that someone so tall and strong can look so nervous. She's visibly shaking and Regina's immediate reaction is to comfort her. Ruby's eyes roam her body and Regina relaxes considerably when she takes in the stark desire on her face.
"When you're done ogling me, dear," she begins, a smile warming her voice. "You might want to say hello."
Ruby's eyes snap up to meet hers and she smiles bashfully. "You look great," she says, stepping in to give Regina a kiss on the cheek, which grows warm from the compliment and the attention.
"Honestly, dear, it's just riding attire."
"I still think you look great," Ruby counters. Her eyebrows lift. "Oh! I forgot! I brought you this."
She brings a hand out from behind her back and offers Regina a flower with deep purple petals; a crocus. She takes it from Ruby's hand, their fingers brushing together briefly, starting the fluttering in Regina's stomach up all over again. She brings the flower to her nose, inhaling deeply and closing her eyes.
"It, uh… reminded me of you."
She considers asking why, but she knows that would just be fishing for compliments and Ruby's already flustered enough. It doesn't seem fair to tease her further.
"I grow these in my garden in Storybrooke," she says, softly, meeting Ruby's eyes. "It's beautiful. Thank you." A wave of her hand conjures up a long, slim vase, made for holding a single stem. Regina places the flower in it and takes a moment to look at it.
"You're welcome," Ruby says, coming to stand beside Regina and taking her hand. "So, shall we go on this date?"
"Let's do that," Regina says. "Now that you've stopped shaking."
"I wasn't shaking!" Ruby protests.
"Yes, you were," Regina tells her. "It was quite endearing, though entirely unnecessary." She nudges Ruby's hip with their joined hands. "I don't bite."
A wicked grin spreads across Ruby's face. "Well that's a pity." She turns so that her lips are next to Regina's ear and whispers. "I do." The shiver that runs through Regina's body is impossible to miss and she sees Ruby trying to contain her laughter. "Still not used to being on the receiving end, I see." She doesn't give Regina an opportunity to respond, however, before tugging on her hand, pulling her towards the door. As they enter the hallway, Ruby stoops to pick up a covered basket she'd clearly deposited there earlier.
"My powers of deduction tell me that we're going on a picnic," Regina says as they continue on their way through the castle.
"Wow," Ruby comments. "You could give Emma a run for her money as Sheriff."
"That wouldn't be difficult, dear," Regina says, attempting to lift the cloth off the basket. Ruby pulls it out of her reach.
"Patience," she murmurs. "It's worth the wait, I promise."
"I'm sure it is," Regina says, smiling when Ruby blushes and ducks her head.
The rest of the walk to the stable is spent in comfortable silence, save for the odd comment about the weather. The early afternoon air is warm and fresh after the cold, stale feel of the castle. Regina lets go of Ruby's hand when they enter the stable and heads towards her horse. As always, he greets her enthusiastically and she rubs his nose, whispering her own greetings. She turns to see Ruby leaning against the doorway, a soft smile on her lips.
Regina leads the horse out of his stall by the bridle. One of the stable boys who seems to practically live with the horses already has his saddle ready to be put on and Regina takes it from him to do it herself. He turns to Ruby as Regina busies herself with her task.
"Will you be needing a horse saddled today, Miss?" Regina can practically hear his cheeky grin. "Or will you be sharing with the Queen?"
"I-uh...Regina?" Ruby asks.
"We'll be fine with one," Regina confirms as she tightens the saddle straps and lets down the stirrups. "He'll take us both easily."
The boy nods, still with a grin on his face. "Enjoy your ride, Miss." He turns to Regina and dips into a small bow. "Your Majesty." As he stands, he has the audacity to wink at them, and he scampers off.
"Remind me to have him fired for insolence," Regina mumbles, as she leads the horse out into the yard and mounts him. She stretches a hand down to help Ruby up.
Ruby hands Regina the basket to hold, and takes a hold of the offered hand. She puts a foot in the stirrup and hoists herself up and onto the horse. "You're not gonna fire him," Ruby says. She wraps her arms around Regina's middle and settles against her, squeezing gently. "He's just a kid and you like the way he takes care of your horse."
Regina huffs as Ruby takes back the basket, leaving one arm wrapped around Regina. "Yes. Well. It's just lucky for him that he does take care of my horse." The horse trots through the courtyard out into the open fields. Regina would normally kick him into high gear right about now, but she keeps to the gentle pace, for the sake of the food in the basket.
"That's my good boy," she murmurs, patting the horse's neck. "I know you want to run. Not today."
"You sure you want me along on your little date with your horse?" Regina doesn't have to turn to know Ruby's smiling.
"We're very happy you're here," she says. "Aren't we, boy?"
"You should give him a name," Ruby says.
Regina turns to look over her shoulder. She holds Ruby's eyes for a moment before turning to the front again.
"Just...I mean, it's up to you, of course," Ruby continues, her voice a little less sure than before. "But we call him 'the horse' a lot and it would just be easier if he had a name."
She brings a hand up to cover Ruby's hand that's resting on her waist, entwining their fingers. "I...I haven't named a horse since I lost my childhood steed."
"Oh, hey, I'm sorry," Ruby says, immediately. She presses her cheek to Regina's shoulder as they ride on in silence for a few minutes. "What was his name?"
"Rocinante," Regina says. "He was beautiful and I loved him very much." Part of her wants to tell Ruby more, but she assumes that discussing the murder of one's pet isn't great conversation for a first date.
"Ignore what I said. 'Horse' is fine. It suits him." Ruby squeezes Regina's hand and Regina leans back into her, grateful for the comfort.
"No, you're right," Regina decides. "He should have a name." She turns slightly to nudge her forehead against Ruby's. "You can name him."
"What?" Ruby asks, almost headbutting Regina when she sits up straighter in the saddle. "Me? I can't name him. He's yours. And I've never named anything! I'll...I'll pick wrong."
Regina finds Ruby's sudden panic adorable. She laughs softly, shaking her head. "Just choose something you think suits him. He's not going to mind what his name is."
"No, but…" Ruby bites her lip. "I'm not good at that stuff. Being creative or original. My Granny has a restaurant called 'Granny's'! We're not a creative family. And how am I going to live up to Rocinante? What even is that?"
"You were the one who wanted to name the horse," Regina protests. "So name him."
"I...he…"
"You don't have to do it this very second," Regina tells her, still trying to keep from laughing at the consternation in Ruby's voice. "Just whenever inspiration strikes."
"You might be waiting a while," Ruby mumbles.
Regina shrugs and turns her head to smirk at her. "I can be surprisingly patient. It's surprising how much patience one requires to be the Mayor of a small town. Especially a small town where magic doesn't allow one to incinerate annoying citizens."
Ruby laughs close to her ear, squeezing her gently. "Not all of the townsfolk were annoying though, right?"
"Not all," Regina agrees. "Some were less annoying than others."
"I won't ask you who your favourite Storybrooke citizen was," Ruby says. Her lips brush Regina's ear as she turns to whisper. "But I think we both know."
"Yes," Regina agrees, trying to keep her body from reacting outwardly to Ruby's touch. "Pongo."
Ruby's laugh is loud and musical and it draws out the smile Regina was attempting to hide. A light pinch to her side makes her flinch and she glances back to see Ruby glaring playfully at her. "You're not funny, Your Majesty."
"You laughed," Regina points out. Instead of replying, Ruby presses a kiss to her jaw and then buries her nose against her neck. Regina's eyes briefly drift closed at the contact.
"I love that we can do this now," Ruby mumbles. "That we've stopped fighting it."
"It's...not unpleasant," Regina agrees.
"Wow, calm down there," Ruby says, lifting her head with a chuckle. "Don't get all mushy on me!"
Slowing the horse down to a walk, Regina shrugs. "I think we've established that I'm not good at 'mushy', Ruby."
The arm around her midsection loosens and she immediately misses the warmth and strength of Ruby's embrace. A gentle hand on her chin urges her face to turn to the left and she finds herself looking into Ruby's big, expressive eyes. Long fingers trace her cheek as Ruby smiles.
"Me neither," she admits. "But that's okay. I kinda like that we're both assholes."
Regina's mouth falls open. "I am not an assh-mmmphh." Her protest is cut off by Ruby's lips and whatever argument she had in mind flees as her chest tightens and feels lighter all at once. Ruby pulls away all too soon and she finds herself trying to follow her to continue the kiss. A thumb swipes across her mouth, coming to rest on the scar that cuts into the right side of her top lip.
"Yes, you are," Ruby whispers. "And that's okay. And I'd really like to do more of the kissing stuff right now. But if we do I'm gonna fall off this horse, and I'm really trying to cultivate the whole 'graceful and majestic wolf' image. And I think that'd kinda ruin it."
Grateful for the fact that Ruby knows when to keep things light, she smiles and nods. "I think that ship sailed when your wolf collapsed on top of me and insisted I rub her belly, but if you want to pretend otherwise, who am I to stop you?"
"See? Asshole!" Ruby says, but she presses a kiss to Regina's cheek anyway.
Turning her attention back to their surroundings, Regina realises that they've come further than she'd planned. She brings the horse to a halt and Ruby dismounts first. Regina follows a moment later, idly wondering why she chose to bring Ruby here without really thinking.
She busies herself tethering the horse to a nearby tree, providing him with a juicy red apple and a rub to his nose. Coming back to Ruby, she takes her hand, linking their fingers together and urges her in the direction of a small hill. When they reach the top, it seems the whole kingdom is laid out before them. Green fields stretch for miles, villages are sprinkled around from place to place, with imposing mountains in the distance. Regina sits on the grass, pulling Ruby down with her.
"This is where I used to come when I was...married to Snow's father," she says, looking at the view. She hates that she still stumbles over the word 'married'. "This is the castle boundary, the edge of my prison. I'd come here and sit for hours, thinking of ways I could escape, of where I could go, to whom I could run." Her eyes search the horizon. "But it was no use and I always went back. But the time I spent up here was my own, imagining a different life. Imagining what could have been."
She's never brought anyone else to this place. She's never admitted, out loud at least, that she spent her years as Queen alternating between fear and rage. Just trying to find a place that she fit into. Ruby moves to sit behind Regina, wrapping her arms around her waist and pulling her in tight. Regina tries not to get into 'what ifs', but she can't help but wonder, sitting here now, what her life had been like if she had run away. Maybe she'd have met a girl in a red cloak. Maybe there would have been no curse. Maybe she'd have been happy.
Regina shakes her head. No curse means no Henry, and that is not a life she would ever choose. She covers Ruby's arms with her own where they rest around her waist, and leans back into her, resting her head against the other woman's.
"It must have been hard to find people to confide in," Ruby murmurs, squeezing Regina tighter. "I guess a lot of people thought your life was perfect, huh?"
Regina laughs, but it's hollow. "Pretty gowns. Pretty jewels." She shrugs. "To complain seems ungrateful."
"I'm listening."
Again she marvels at Ruby's ability to know exactly what she needs to hear. Ruby could so easily have launched into a speech about how she wished they'd known each other back then, or how she'd have saved Regina from her loneliness if she could have. But she doesn't do that. Regina lifts one of Ruby's hands, linking their fingers and watching how well they fit together. "Don't worry, dear. There will be plenty of time for my deep dark secrets."
"Well I'm not sure it counts for anything, but I'm here."
"Yes." Regina's throat tightens with a sudden fear borne of a lifetime of being let down by people who claimed to care about her. She squeezes Ruby's hand, her next words driven by her past. "For now."
Her stomach clenches as she worries that Ruby will be insulted by her insinuation. Instead, Ruby's hold tightens and she presses her cheek against Regina's.
"I don't know what's going to happen, Regina," she finally says. "So, for me, now is the only thing I can be sure of. And I'm here."
It's refreshing when someone doesn't try to promise the world and Regina smiles, closing her eyes. "That's good enough, dear."
"Awwww, that's so sweet!"
Her sister's unwelcome and unexpected voice makes her eyes snap open. Ruby's already on her feet, stepping in front of where Regina is still sitting on the ground. Zelena ignores her completely, focussing instead on Regina. "I must say, Regina, that I was quite surprised when I discovered that you were that way inclined. But I have to admit you do make quite a striking couple."
Ruby lets out a distinct growl at the words and Regina quickly stands, putting a hand on Ruby's arm, in case she gets any ideas. Zelena's grin widens as she saunters closer. Her eyes drift up and down Ruby's body.
"You know, I always wanted a puppy," she says.
Ruby's body tenses for attack and Regina tightens her grip, stepping in front of the taller woman, shielding her. She tries to adopt an air of boredom so that the green woman can't tell how worried she is. "Not another story about your deprived childhood, Zelena, please." She takes in her sister's appearance. "Anyway, wouldn't a black cat be a better match for your broomstick?"
"Cats are so aloof," Zelena says with a wrinkle of her nose. "Dogs are far more loyal. And more fun." She waves her hand a little, sending green smoke towards Ruby.
Regina quickly counteracts the magic with some of her own; purple smoke engulfs the green and neutralises it. "She's not a dog," Regina spits. "And you'd do well to stop calling her one."
Zelena raises her eyebrows. "Or what? You'll sic her on me?" She chuckles. "Sister dear, I could have her put down faster than you could give the command." She grins again. "I can show you if you like." She readies her hands.
"You'll be the one going down, Witch," Ruby snarls, straining against Regina's hold on her. Regina knows she could break free if she wanted, and hopes she has enough sense to stay where she is.
Zelena shakes her head and clicks her tongue, looking to Regina. "She's not very bright, is she?" she asks in a stage whisper. Her eyes roam over Ruby's face. "Pretty, but not very bright." Regina's jaw clenches, but she doesn't respond. Verbal sparring right now will only anger either Ruby or Zelena, and she's not sure which one would be worse.
The Wicked Witch takes a step closer, tapping a long finger on her chin in exaggerated thought. "Unless," she draws the word out. "Unless, you have your little minions believing that you're actually capable of defeating me?"
Regina feels her confidence falter, and knows that it shows on her face when Zelena lets out a cackle. "That's it, isn't it?" she asks in delight. "This rag-tag band of peasants you've assembled really think you're powerful enough to overthrow me?" She takes another step and lifts her hand to Regina's face. Regina can't help the tiny flinch as the green fingers make contact with her skin. "Well, they're in for quite a shock then, aren't they?"
Just as Zelena's fingers make contact with Regina's face, Ruby uses Regina's grip against her and yanks her away from her sister with a fierce growl, leaving Regina to stumble backwards. "Don't touch her," Ruby snarls, getting far too close to Zelena for Regina's liking.
"Such a fierce little pup, protecting her mistress," Zelena notes, snapping her teeth just shy of Ruby's nose.
She moves her hand to the younger girl's chest and Regina is spurred into action, moving forward and lifting her hands to blast her sister, but Zelena is quicker and Regina finds herself behind a shimmering sheet of green, separated from Ruby and Zelena.
"Ruby! Get back!" she shouts, pounding her fists uselessly on the forcefield. She watches as Zelena traces the shape of a heart with her finger on Ruby's chest before leaning forward and whispering something in Ruby's ear. Whatever it is, it causes Ruby to launch herself at Zelena. Her feet have barely left the ground when Zelena's magic catches her in its grip, freezing her in mid-air, unable to move. The green woman looks up as she struggles against the magical bonds. It takes Regina back to her childhood, when the same punishment was used by her mother for any form of disobedience, real or imagined.
"You don't have her very well trained, Regina," Zelena says, before turning to Ruby. "Didn't you hear your Mistress tell you to stay?"
Ruby tries to fight the magic holding her, but Regina knows that only makes it bind tighter and, sure enough, Ruby starts to gasp for air, her eyes bulging as her chest constricts. Summoning every ounce of magic she has in her, Regina raises both hands and sends a blast of energy at the green wall blocking her path. She vaguely registers that her magic feels different, somehow, but she doesn't have time to examine it. The shield shimmers before disappearing. She directs her next blast at her sister. Zelena turns to deflect it, but it distracts her and attracts enough of her attention that Ruby's bonds are loosened and she drops to the ground, freed.
Not waiting for Zelena to collect herself, Regina calls up another blast, heartened to see Zelena stumble backwards as she counters it, uncertainty flashing across her face. Another and another and she's far enough away that Regina is able to conjure up her own shield in front of herself and Ruby, a purple hazy, jelly like substance. Zelena, though somewhat winded, is far from defeated. She approaches the forcefield and taps it with her finger, jumping back a step when it gives her a shock. She laughs.
"Nice trick, Regina," she commends. "Of course, I could shatter it in seconds, but I'll let you have your little victory this time." She turns her gaze to Ruby, who is pulling herself to her feet. "I think I'm going to have a little more fun with you and your pet before I'm through with you."
Regina is straining with the effort of holding the shield in place, not to mention the amount of magic she required to break Zelena's own. In her peripheral vision she sees Ruby move to stand in front of her, attempting to shield Regina's shaking body with her own.
"Watch your back, Fido," Zelena warns. "I'm looking forward to the next full moon."
She turns to look back at Regina and grins. "I'll get you, my pretty… and your little dog too." A wave of her hands and she's gone in a puff of green smoke.
Regina lets the shield drop just before everything goes black.
It feels like there's a thick fog inside her head and lead in her limbs. Something is clearly not right.
"Regina...Regina!"
Someone's calling her name. They sound worried. Frightened even. Something touches her face and it takes a few seconds before she can identify it as a hand. It moves to her neck. She vaguely thinks she should fight it off; it could be someone trying to hurt her. It moves again and starts to stroke her hair. Friendly, then.
"Regina…" The voice is back, a little rougher. "Regina you need to wake up. We have to get you back to the castle."
"Mmmmm," she manages to groan, though she'd been attempting to formulate a word, having finally identified the owner of the voice and the hand in her hair. "Ruby?" she manages to mumble. The ground is cold and hard against her back and every bone in her body is aching.
"Yeah, it's me." Ruby says. Regina forces her eyes to open and focus. Ruby's worried face swims into view. Regina tries to smile. Ruby doesn't even try to return it. Instead she gently starts to pull Regina into her arms. Regina lets out a whimper of protest at the movement, but allows her body to sink into Ruby's embrace, long arms wrapping around her shoulders, holding her close to Ruby's chest.
"I am so sorry. Are you okay?"
"Mmm'jus'tired," Regina mumbles, turning her face into Ruby's shoulder. Something in her brain tells her she should be asking why Ruby is sorry, but she doesn't have the energy for it at the moment. She hopes she'll remember to ask later.
"Regina…ca-can you stand?"
Even the thought of standing up right now is too much for her fatigued body to handle and Regina shakes her head. "Jus'...need to rest a little." She burrows further into Ruby's arms. "Just a little while."
"Shit," Ruby whispers and Regina wonders if she looks worse than she feels. That can't be possible, she decides. A kiss is pressed to her forehead. "I'm sorry."
Another apology. Regina tries in vain to think what Ruby could be apologising for, but before she can give it any consideration, her body is being moved again, hoisted into Ruby's arms. She moans as her limbs are adjusted and her muscles cry out at the slightest movement, but Ruby is already moving, running. Running really fast.
Using the little strength she has, Regina grips the front of Ruby's shirt for fear of falling. It soon becomes apparent that she's safe in Ruby's strong arms. Ruby's strides are long and smooth and she's hardly even jostling Regina. In fact, the rhythmic movements are lulling her to sleep.
This time when Regina awakens, clarity comes quicker and she feels less tired. Again, someone is pawing at her neck.
"Her pulse is strong." It's Whale. Fabulous. When he starts to loosen her collar, she decides enough is enough. She lifts her hand and bats him away, albeit weakly.
"Don't get fresh," she mutters, forcing her eyes to open and fix Whale with a glare. "I'm your Queen."
Whale turns to the side to speak to someone. "She seems fine."
"She passed out after having a magic fight," Ruby's voice comes into play. "How can you tell me she's fine after looking at her for two seconds?"
Regina tries to turn to see Ruby and picks her out just as Mary Margaret takes her hand. "Magic uses a lot of energy," her former stepdaughter explains, as if she knows a single thing about it. "It could just be that she needs to rest to gain her strength back."
Regina groans. There are far too many people around here, giving opinions about her. She shifts her attention back to Whale. "Why are you hovering over me?"
"I'm assessing you," he tells her. "Do you know where you are?"
"I'm on the floor," Regina mutters. "Get me off the floor."
Whale obliges immediately, reaching for her arm to support her as she struggles into a sitting position. Another arm goes about her waist and Ruby's there, lending her support and helping Regina to stand. The arm stays around her waist even after she's steady.
"Do you remember what happened?" David asks her.
"Don't talk to me like I'm an imbecile," Regina chides, pushing Whale away and leaning more heavily on Ruby. "Of course I remember what happened."
Mary Margaret moves to take Whale's place at Regina's side, but thinks better of it when Regina glares at her. "What did Zelena want?" she asks, instead.
Regina sways slightly, as the effort of standing catches up with her, but steadies herself using Ruby as her anchor. She turns weary eyes to meet Mary Margaret's. "I don't know," she admits, with a sigh. "She was toying with us. If she'd wanted us dead, we wouldn't be here." She shakes her head. "But I don't know what she wants."
"Your heart," Ruby answers, quietly.
Mary Margaret frowns, looking between the two. "Why would she want your heart?"
"Must run in the family," Granny puts in.
Regina ignores everyone but Ruby, she doesn't have enough energy to come up with responses for everyone. "My heart? She told you this?"
"It was what she whispered to me."
"Ah," Regina says, with a nod. She'd thought it was another dog comment that had set Ruby off. She frowns. "Attacking her was a foolish move, Ruby," she scolds. "You heard what she was saying about her powers."
"You attacked Zelena?" Mary Margaret asks in a gasp.
"Do you have a death wish, gir?" Granny puts in.
Ruby sighs. "I know," she snaps, then appears to catch herself. She looks into Regina's eyes. "I know," she repeats, quietly.
There's quite a crowd now, and they're all chattering amongst themselves, offering opinions on Ruby or Zelena or Regina or all three. Regina really can't face them right now, and she hates having an audience when she's so weak and vulnerable. Summoning up what little strength she has left, she straightens up, pushing away from Ruby, and starts walking under her own steam. "I'll leave you to your guesswork and supposition," she announces, pleased that the crowd is parting to let her through. She needs to get out of here and away from them before she collapses again. Hurried footsteps behind her tell her that Ruby is following.
Regina has reached the stairs by the time Ruby catches up. Though she wouldn't say it, she's glad when the younger woman hooks an arm around her waist because her legs were getting pretty unsteady and each step feels higher than the last.
"I'm sorry." The words are quiet and Ruby's head is bowed.
"For allowing half the castle to see me in this state?" Regina asks, even as she leans more of her weight on the other woman. "As you should be. That's hardly going to be good for morale, is it? If they know she can reduce me to this."
"They would have seen you anyway considering we need to pass the dining hall to get here. It would have looked a little strange to see me carrying you up the stairs like a honeymooning couple, wouldn't it?" Ruby stops walking and turns Regina so they're facing each other. "Maybe they need to see that you're just like the rest of us."
Grasping Ruby's forearms to keep herself upright, Regina shakes her head. "But I'm not," she says, wearily. "I'm their Queen. A leader. I'm theonly one of you who stands a chance against our enemy." She looks down. "If they see how easily she can bring me down, they're not going to believe we can win against her."
"But it was your magic that did this," Ruby counters. "You essentially did this to yourself."
Lifting her head slowly, Regina looks into Ruby's eyes. "To protect you," she says, her voice low. "She wasn't even trying and still it took this much out of me to keep her back." She shakes her head. "All I did today was show her my weaknesses and give her more ammunition."
"She won't succeed," Ruby says, sounding far more confident than she should.
"No?" Regina asks with a bitter little laugh. "You saw her today. She laughed in my face." She stumbles forward a little, her legs almost giving way. "Ruby...I...I need to lie down."
Ruby wastes no time. She bends and puts her arm behind Regina's legs, lifting her into her arms. "C'mon." She starts up the stairs and Regina flashes to being carried all the way back to the castle this way. Ruby must be exhausted. Regina takes a moment to examine her face, feeling slightly guilty for the way she's spoken to her. While pouncing at Zelena was a stupid move, she did it in defense of Regina's heart. Regina's not used to people defending her. She leans her forehead against Ruby's temple in a silent thank you.
They arrive at Regina's chambers and Ruby fumbles to get the door open with her elbow. Once inside, Regina is gently laid down on the bed. She immediately curls up, her bones and muscles singing in agony now that she's not concentrating on staying upright. She hears Ruby moving around the room but can't summon up the energy to even look over to see what she's doing. After a short time, the bed dips with extra weight and a cool cloth wipes across her forehead and down her cheek. It's soothing. A gentle hand on her shoulder urges her to roll over onto her back and she finds herself looking into concerned green eyes. She wants to reassure Ruby that she's okay, but she's so tired. So, so tired.
Ruby continues to dab at her face with the cool cloth. "We'll find a way through this, Regina," she says. Her voice is quiet, but firm.
Regina lifts a hand; it feels like it's not even attached to her body, like it's a foreign and very heavy object. She clumsily touches Ruby's chin. "So beautiful…" she whispers. She shakes her head. Her mother was right. "S'weakness." Her head falls to the side, eyes closing and her hand falls back to the surface of the bed.
