Wrote and rewrote these two chapters. It still doesn't feel quite right but it is moving in the direction that I want.
(2 chapter update. 12/13)
-/-
"Mulan? What is it?" Regina whispers sleepily to the usually brooding, stoic warrior at her door. The young woman seems panicked, that immediately gets Regina's attention.
"Queen Regina, maJesty I am pleased to see you doing so well. My apologies for waking you this early but it is urgent that I speak with Queen Emma." She rushes out.
"Why, may I ask?"
"Majesty, maybe it is best that the Queen herself explains to you where she had sent me and why?" Mulan pleads with her unmoved queen. "Please my Queen the Lady I have brought back with me may not live much longer."
"What Lady?" Regina asks much too loudly. Her brain seems to have only taken that information in. That the woman may be dying for the moment, is lost on her.
"An ally of Queen Emma's, your Majesty."
"I see. I will waken my wife. Wait here" Regina says after eyeing Mulan and the other guards standing close by.
Regina moves back into her chambers.
She hates the idea of waking Emma now but she wants to know who this..."Lady"...is.
"My love, please wake up." Regina whispers softly to Emma as she gently shakes her while masking her jealousy.
"'Gina, what? What is it?" Emma asks alarmed. Sitting up, quickly surveying their chambers.
"Emma..nothing is wrong in here. Did you not hear the banging on our door?"
"No, I must have been more tired than I realized." Emma smirks as she reaches for Regina, remembering their earlier rendezvous.
The brunette however, moves out of reach.
"Oh..Mulan is here. She says it's important. About a..woman." Regina relays, looking at Emma for answers about this mystery person who's apparently important to her wife.
"O gods, Zelena!" Emma shrieks out. She hopes the young woman hasn't been hurt or killed. Why else would Mulan be back so early?
The blonde practically stumbles out of bed, still naked, before she starts dressing. She doesn't notice Regina staring intently at her until she's pulling on her boots.
"Regina?"
"Yes, my Queen?"
Emma, taking note of the stern "my queen", realizes a second too late how this actually looks. She had failed to mention Zelena aiding her and the red headed woman's help in getting word to the army that later rescued both of the women she loves.
"Zelena...she found me...helped tend to my wounds and sent word to our council for aide. If it had not been for her help, it would have been nearly impossible for me to come to your rescue. She lives alone and I was worried for her safety as I had heard Leopold's army has been raiding nearby villages and homesteads for supplies. I sent Mulan to ensure her safety. If she's back this quickly it means trouble must have already found the Lady." Emma explains as she approaches her wife. She notes Regina's jealousy while trying to hide her smile. "Doesn't she know I would sacrifice my soul to ensure that she is always happy." Emma thinks.
Regina, a little embarrassed at assuming that Emma would ever behold another quickly accepts her wife's explanation.
"Well then, let's not keep our Knight or your Lady waiting."
They both leave hand in hand after dressing.
"My Queen."
"Mulan? Is she..."
"She is here. In the infirmary. Her home has been burnt to the ground. Nothing remains. I do not know why she's unconscious though, she seems to have no injuries."
"Maybe she used her magic?" Emma thinks out loud.
"She has magic?" Both Regina and Mulan question in unison.
"She called it "parlor tricks" but what if she's like you Regina? And using her magic fully, makes her exhausted to the point of unconsciousness?"
"In theory that could be. She could have expelled a lot trying to save herself." Mulan agrees.
"Then like me hopefully all she needs is rest." Regina inputs.
"Yes, hopefully." Emma says as they come to a stop outside of where the young woman is being tended to.
"Queen Emma just one more thing. I found this." Mulan says as she presents her queen with the crest of a flag she had retrieved at Zelena's. "Three crowns? My Queen I am unfamiliar with this family crest."
Emma herself is perplexed as is Regina who's looking intently at the item.
"Find King Henry after you've rested, see if he is familiar if not we will look to other sources."
"Yes my Queen."
Emma takes a deep breath. She has not forgotten about Leopold or George practically knocking at the gates.
As she ponders their situation she fails to see Regina leave her side. The Queen is speaking to "Doc" the short gray headed man who's been looking after Zelena.
"There's something so familiar about the two women." Emma thinks as Mulan walks off to get some rest close by.
Regina picks Zelena's hand up. She tries to will her magic to life. She feels something stir deep within her. Closing her eyes, she tries to connect to the stirring. Ultimately though she can't quite reach it.
"Doc has said she had no injuries that he can see. She seems like she's just sleeping." Regina relays to Emma who visually inspects Zelena for any injuries. None are found that she can see.
"Then my love we shall let her rest. There are more pressing things to attend too."
"I wish to stay with her a bit."
"Of course. I will not be long." Emma says after a moment. She leans down and connects their lips in a soft parting kiss.
"I will wait here." Regina replies as Emma spares one last glance to Zelena.
Emma waves to Mulan who has made her self a makeshift bed close by.
"Rest well my knight."
"Thank you my Queen."
Emma makes her way to the look out tower closest to the attacking army's position. It looks so calm and quiet you'd never think that they are trying to destroy the kingdom in its path.
"I'm afraid there was not much movement my Queen." Jon says rubbing his hands together to warm them up. Mist clearly bellowing from his mouth on the cold early morning. They are soon joined by other commanders who pretty much gives their Queen the same information before they disperse.
"Hmm...they must not hand been able to navigate the marshes in the dark."
"Quite possible. He must also know of some danger that the swamp lands possesses. Who knows what lurks in that dank waters." Jon adds.
"Still we keep on our toes. He did not saddle an army to come all this way for nothing." Emma warns.
"You are right my Queen. He most certainly did not."
With the morning light slowly illuminating the kingdom, the people there have started milling about. A small trickle of them are starting to move towards the main castle including Daniel's messenger, Aurora, who had a harder time getting back into the kingdom than she anticipated. She turns to look upon the White Queen standing amongst her men on the wall.
"She would certainly behead the man sending this message if she knew to whom said message was going to be delivered to." She thinks to herself as she pulls her cloak more securely over her head before turning and heading to her target.
As Emma turns to survey to back wall, she begins to feels a strange sensation.
It feels like an itching to head into battle and claim victory. An odd sense of invincibility overcomes her. Even though after years of training she's built a great self confidence in her abilities she realizes this way that she feels is a bit more pointed. It is opposite to that feeling she gets when she's doubting her relationship with Regina.
"Gods, what is wrong with me?" She wonders. Looking around she feels like the air itself is vibrating. She leaves the rampart and staggers off but instead of making her way back to Regina, she finds herself back in her wife's bedchamber where her weapons and armor are.
"My Queen are you feeling unwell? Shall I fetch queen Regina?" Her guards enquires again before she closes the door on them.
Emma doesn't hear them though. She ignores everything but the sheathed sword.
She walks right up to Excalibur, the reforged sword that she had used to destroy Rumpelstiltskin, as if on autopilot.
Grabbing the hilt a rush of blinding energy hits her. Shaking it off, the Queen unsheathes the weapon.
Emma can't believe her eyes. How had she not seen this before? Her name is written there. Perfectly etched. She wonders if the person cleaning the blade had done this but quickly realizes that it is quite unlikely.
"How...?"
She stumbles back. The sword seems to come to life. It's almost vibrating. She tries to put it down but she can't will herself too do so.
As Excalibur binds itself to her she begins to lose consciousness.
-/-
At the infirmary Regina is still at Zelena's side.
She's starting to worry because Emma has been gone for quite a while. She wonders what could possibly be keeping her.
"Maybe I should ask one of my guards to search her out?" She thinks but as she rises up from the bed there is sudden painful throb in her chest. It knocks the wind out of her.
She looks over to where Mulan is sleeping.
The knight stirs but doesn't wake.
After a few moments it subsides but just as she's about to dismiss it she is drawn towards the large glass window to her left.
Walking closer, she doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary. That is until she looks further out. King George's encampment seems to be on fire. There's smoke bellowing from numerous points where the small army had dug their heels in.
"Wha...what is...?" Regina stammers out.
She wonders if the fighting had started but then she notes that there's not a lot of movement from within the walls of River Run.
Looking down on the rampart, the soldiers there have started gathering. They too have noticed the fires and the ensuing chaos.
"My Queen?" Mulan calls out sleepily.
"I do..I do not understand...Emma...I have to find her."
Mulan is at her Queens side within moments. She too can not believe her eyes. There's no way Emma would ever attack an army especially when there could be room for negotiation.
"I will check on Leopold's encampment."
"I have to find Emma." She chokes out before calling for her guards.
-/-
Regina doesn't even make it down the main hallway before she is intercepted by one of Emma's guards.
"Your majesty! Queen Emma...she...something has happened. She seemed unwell. She had gone back to your chambers but then there were some noises coming from inside. By the time we got in she was gone."
"What do you mean, gone? That's impossible." Regina questions.
"Majesty I do not know where she is. As you know the drop from your balcony would almost certainly kill her." The young man concedes before Regina resumes her trek back to her room with Mulan in tow to do her own inspecting.
"My Queen, you should know. Queen Emma's armor and sword are also gone."
When Regina does get there she notices not much out of place. Their bed still messy from their earlier copulation. Looking beyond though she does see that Emma's armor and her weapons are missing.
Across the way Leopold's encampment seems calm unlike the chaos of the other adversary's encampment.
"We must find her. Now!" Regina screams.
The guards scatter. They'll search but no one would find Emma until later that evening. And even when they do come upon their Queen, only Regina would dare approach.