A/N: Surprise! Not only am I back with an update, but I've got two chapters for you tonight. This chapter is a little over 10k and the next chapter is over 8k. The chapter was getting too long so I split it in two and finished it about a month ago, but couldn't find the time to proof read either chapters. So, it's late, but there's a lot. And two chapters seemed like the right way to show how Regina treats Emma on their special day. I hope you enjoy.
Masquerade
Chapter 14
With his thick, fur shawl draped over his shoulders, the Huntsman made haste to get away from the castle in the middle of the night. He kept his eyes peeled in the darkness, intent on finding something specific. And he found that something waiting on the other side of a faint, golden glow.
The hooded figure dipped their head as the Huntsman approached the barrier and moonlit arms reached up and pulled back the material that shadowed the person's face. Long, dark hair appeared underneath the removed guise and a familiar face lifted to reveal the previously shadowed woman as Red.
The Huntsman sighed out his relief then spoke.
"You made it," he said.
"Of course," Red replied. "Now what is the urgent news about my goddaughter and the Evil Queen?"
"I fear they're becoming too close."
"How so?"
"Her Majesty is possessive of the princess."
"That was to be expected once we realized she did not intend to kill Emma."
"And the princess is content to stay," the Huntsman finished.
Red's eyes widened.
"It must be a trick, a spell," Red immediately insisted.
"Whatever Snow White and her prince plan to do to get their daughter back, they need to act as quickly as possible…before it's too late to save the princess from Queen Regina."
"Snow should never have let her live," Red growled. "Thank you for your service, Huntsman. Snow is in your debt, though she asks a favor of you."
"If it helps free the princess from Queen Regina, I will gladly grant it."
The morning sunrise bathed Regina's chambers in warm oranges and joyous yellows as she smiled down at her princess.
The brunette lay on her side, propped up on her elbow, and danced her fingertips over and across Emma's smooth, exposed thighs. Apparently, during her slumber, the blonde's sleepwear had rode up and uncovered everything but what was between the younger woman's legs.
Regina lightly stroked various patterns over Emma's thighs while her eyes roamed over the blonde's body from closed green eyes and almost golden tresses down to where her fingers traced circles, infinity symbols, and several other things on the woman's skin.
While Emma continued to sleep, Regina leaned down and chastely kissed Emma's chest. She looked to see if her action had caused the princess to stir, but it hadn't. Regardless of the lack of effect it seemed to have, Regina moved lower down Emma's body then kissed her covered torso while she continued to trace patterns on Emma's thigh.
Her princess still had yet to wake, but Regina wasn't upset. In fact, her smile spread wider across her face while she exercised her flexibility and maneuvered her mouth to the place on Emma's thigh that her fingers previously touched. When she brought her mouth down toward the more inner part of Emma's thigh, she went one step further to celebrate the special day with a slow and teasing lick form her tongue before she kissed then sucked on the princess' thigh.
Emma's foot slid up the bed as she bent her unbothered leg at the knee and moaned. She slowly started to open her eyes while she reached down and weaved her fingers through long, brunette hair fanned out over the top of her hip and by her side on the bed. She gently tugged at it and lifted her head up just far enough to see what had roused her from her sleep.
Regina stopped kissing Emma's thigh to turn her head and meet the blonde's gaze. As she did, she saw a precious view up the silk nightgown she wore and her eyes landed briefly on the princess' undergarment. She refused to focus her attention on that sight, though it was much enjoyed, and locked eyes with the younger woman instead.
"Good morning, my love," Regina happily purred.
"Good morning, my queen," Emma greeted with a smile. "Any particular reason you're down there?"
Regina chuckled.
"Do I need a reason?"
"Only if you wish to convince me you're not impatient for tonight."
"I'm not impatient," Regina said. "I'm excited to spend the day with you. Truthfully, I already had today planned before you said you were ready. Now that we know how this night will end, today means even more to me."
Emma's smile grew.
Regina leaned down and pecked Emma's thigh before she returned to her original position pressed against the blonde's side while the princess remained on her back.
"Well, I hope you weren't about to cheat me out of my virginity while I slept," Emma joked.
"Never, my love," Regina said before she chastely kissed Emma on the lips.
"Mm. Is that why my nightgown is practically bunched up at my hips?"
"That was entirely your doing. I woke up and found you just as you are now."
Emma reached up and grabbed Regina by the back of the neck. She pulled the brunette's lips down onto her own and kissed her. The kiss quickly escalated and as it did, Emma slid her hand from Regina's neck down to her hip and pulled the woman closer.
Regina rolled herself half on top of Emma at the blonde's request as her knee slid into place between the princess' legs due to blonde's insistent hand pulling her closer.
The two of them wore similar nightgowns, both silk, which caused Regina's bare thighs to encase one of Emma's when the hem of her own gown slid up toward her hips. Regina moaned into the kiss while Emma whimpered soon after.
Regina slowly pulled back from the kiss, effectively breaking it, and contentedly sighed when she opened her eyes to look down at Emma.
Green eyes met hers within a matter of seconds and the women shared a smile.
"Before we get ourselves too worked up," Regina started, "we should go."
"Where are we going?"
"I told you yesterday to let me surprise you," Regina said with a large smile.
Emma laughed.
"Okay. I'll let it be a surprise," she easily agreed to the Queen's terms.
Regina removed herself from the bed and extended a hand to Emma.
"Get dressed and I'll do your hair," Regina said as Emma accepted her hand.
Emma hung both legs over the side of the bed and Regina eased her onto her feet.
"It sounds like you want to dress me up to your standards," Emma teased with a raised brow.
"Not at all, dear," Regina assured her as she led the princess to the closet. "There is just something I want to do to your hair that I think will absolutely make you glow."
"I thought that wasn't supposed to happen until later this evening," Emma said, confused.
Regina smirked.
"Yes, in due time," the brunette confirmed, "but not everything I can do to make you look radiant involves sex."
A small blush colored Emma's cheeks as she smiled.
"Now, what shall you wear? I have a few dresses–"
"I don't prefer dresses," Emma interrupted with her face scrunched up in slight disgust at the thought.
Regina softly laughed, a small sound concealed under her breath though she wasn't trying to hide it.
"They aren't terrible, nothing like your mother's taste. I assure you there are plenty in here that are slimming and free flowing." As if her wardrobe was conspiring with her to make her point, Regina's fingers skimmed over the perfect dress to showcase just the type of style she had mentioned. "Here's one."
Regina turned and held up the dress to Emma's form and inspected the color the fair princess' skin tone.
"It should fit," she said. "Do you like it?"
If ever there was a beautiful and puff-free princess dress, the one Regina held up to her body was it. The lilac colored dress hung loose past the hips and down over the legs while the midsection was a form-fitting corset. The partially transparent and matching straps would hug Emma's shoulders when she put it on and the entire dress would compliment her light skin just as it would easily compliment Regina's olive tone as well.
"It's gorgeous," Emma breathed out, awestruck. "Is this one of your own?"
Emma started to run her hands over the fabric and caress the gown as she kept it pressed to her body.
Regina proudly smiled as she watched Emma play with the small diamond gems embedded in the corset portion of the dress and slide her fingers over the light gray stitching that made swirling patterns that connected the shiny stones.
"Yes. One of the five my mother pressured me into wearing as a princess."
"Is that why you don't wear them anymore? Because she forced you to wear them?"
"That and the fact that they're called 'princess dresses' for a reason. Once I was married to the King and…I started to change, the princess dresses were not something a Queen should ever be seen wearing. They are for those with innocence used to wrap up the perfect present for the highest bidder."
Emma frowned.
"Are you wrapping up the perfect present when you ask me to wear this," the blonde sadly asked.
Regina realized her mistake and shook her head.
"Oh, no. I'm sorry, my love. That's my cynical opinion toward the way my marriage changed my life. It wasn't a great experience for me so I never think highly of most royals for the way they treat a union between their daughters and an 'influential' man from another royal bloodline."
"Tell me about it. My parents of all people should understand how important finding true love is and yet, they depend on me to find a husband in power that would unite two strong kingdoms. They don't think much like parents anymore. They think more like a King and Queen."
"Those men are no match for you," Regina said as she defiantly, almost haughtily, lifted her chin.
Emma smiled at the display.
"I want nothing to do with them anyway," Emma said. "You know that."
"Yes, and you have me now. No need for those scoundrels when you have successfully paired yourself with a doting Queen," Regina added as she closed the space between them.
Regina wrapped an arm around Emma's waist and held her close, the dress flush between them, as she kissed the princess.
"That is undeniably true," Emma agreed and beamed when the kiss ended.
"Do you want to pick out my dress or would you prefer for my outfit to be one of the many surprises I have for you today?"
"Make it a surprise."
Regina nodded.
"Then I shall let you change in private and return when you emerge," Regina said then turned and started to walk back into the room.
"Strange that my queen doesn't want to take a peek even the slightest bit," Emma devilishly teased with a devious smirk on her face as Regina turned to face her.
"Oh, I very much would like to, but I can control myself," Regina said as she stepped toward Emma again.
Regina then swiftly pulled down both of the shoulder straps to Emma's nightgown, which then fell and folded over to expose the younger woman's chest, but nothing else.
"But I only have so much control," Regina amended before she leaned down and placed a wet kiss between Emma's bare breasts.
Emma ran a hand through Regina's hair while the Queen's sinful and full lips were still pressed to her chest, before the brunette stood up straight.
"You peeked," Emma said with a large smile just as Regina started to pull away and stand up at full height.
"You tempted me."
"I can't say that I'm sorry."
Regina chuckled.
"Good. I don't want you to be sorry for being yourself around me. You are wild yet tame, a constant contradiction. The different sides to you that I've seen are equally appealing and I wouldn't change a thing about you."
"I feel the same about you. Although, I do wish to be with someone that doesn't immediately resort to killing."
"And I've already made adjustments to that part of myself. Besides, the only part about killing I've ever gotten a thrill from is the moment just after death. That's the moment I know I've won, but as time goes on the more I feel tainted and trapped under the weight of my dark soul and troubled conscience."
"Oh, my dear and tortured queen," Emma sympathetically pouted as she soothingly ran a hand through Regina's hair.
Regina leaned into the touch and purred.
Emma could have compared the woman to a cat as she considered the way the brunette moved.
"We have much to see today," Regina said as she reluctantly moved away from Emma's touch. "Do not distract me or we'll never get through everything I have set up for our date."
"We could always skip to the end," Emma suggested.
Regina pinned Emma with a playful glare.
"I may want you, my love, but I will be nothing except chivalrous and romantic. You deserve more than simply laying there in wait for me to feel your body all day. It sounds horrifically cheap if I do not first show you I'm interested in showing you around and making you smile outside of the bedchambers."
Emma crookedly smirked.
"There's my fiercely protective and loving Regina."
"The part of me that is strictly reserved for you, my love. Tell no one how considerate and weak I am."
Emma laughed.
"You're not weak," the princess said as she stepped into Regina's personal space, her breasts still out in the open. "You are what many should aspire to be. You're mine and you're just right."
Emma hugged Regina and felt the warmth between them. It wasn't born of sexual desire in that moment. It was body heat shared between two people wrapped in an embrace.
"My sweet, perfect Emma," Regina said before she kissed the blonde's cheek then extricated herself from the other woman's arms. "Come along. We've wasted far too much time talking. There is still so much to do outside of the palace. Dress quickly."
And she did.
Emma wiggled her way into the light purple dress and found a pair of matching shoes in Regina's walk-in closet. She slipped them on and fastened the straps around her ankles before she walked over to Regina, who sat in the chair in front of her mirror.
"If you wanted me to dress quickly, you could have just used magic," Emma said as she crossed the room and draped her arms over Regina's shoulders before she kissed the Queen's cheek.
Regina smiled.
"There is a reason why I didn't," she said as she turned in the chair and looked up at Emma.
"And what reason is that?"
"You'll see later tonight."
Emma's eyebrows rose toward her hairline as a blush consumed her cheeks.
Regina laughed.
"No, dear, not in the bed. If you'd like me to use magic there, however–"
"No!"
Regina arched a well-shaped eyebrow.
"I don't…want you to use magic on me. It's my…first time, as you know, and I don't want… Being with you so intimately is one thing. To add magic is another entirely."
"I understand. I'm glad you share my feelings about this."
"I do?"
"Of course. I would never use magic on you for your first time unless you explicitly asked me too. I'm sure there is not a thing you could ask of me that I would not do for you. Plus, this isn't just your first time. It's our first time together and you're too special to me for me to ruin this night with sex magic."
"But…if I've already touched you, doesn't that mean our first time together was at the stables?"
"I suppose you're right, but not even then did either of us use magic. Now, shall I change first or would you like me to do your hair?"
"That depends. Would you prefer to lace up my corset before you change?"
Regina smiled.
"If lacing it right now would make you more comfortable in the dress, I'll do it now," Regina said as she gently pushed Emma's shoulder and made the younger woman turn around.
Emma slowly turned to give Regina full access to the laces. She looked over her shoulder and smiled as Regina carefully grabbed the laces. She tried to withhold a giggle as she locked gazes with the brunette.
"Someone's happy," Regina grinned as she tied up the back of the dress.
"My girlfriend wants to surprise me because she wants today to be special. Of course I'm happy."
Regina's grin transformed into a bright and beautiful smile. She stepped closer as she weaved the laces together again.
"As it should be," Regina started. "I want only the very best for my princess."
"I wonder if we'd met before my masquerade ball if I could have been this happy years ago."
"Oh, my love, I wish nothing more than to make up for those years. You should never have had to live like that."
Emma shrugged.
"That's what life as a princess is like," she said. "You had it worse."
Regina grimaced.
Emma spun around to face Regina once again, the silky laces not completely tied yet.
"Why should today be all about me," Emma asked. "I'm grateful, but it has just occurred to me that you have probably never had anything special done for you."
Regina shook her head.
"No, dear. It's not about me. Today—and tonight—are about giving you the experience I never had."
"All the more reason to finally give you the experience you should have had."
Emma took Regina's hands in hers and stepped as close to the brunette as she could without brushing their bodies flush against each other.
"Take me out, show me all the surprises you have planned, and make love to me tonight, but allow me to cherish you and remind you what it's like to be loved," Emma said.
Regina smiled, her eyes a little teary as emotion almost overwhelmed her.
"You remind me every day," Regina confessed as she closed the tiny bit of remaining space between them.
Regina chastely kissed Emma on the lips, but when she felt Emma let go of her hands in lieu of settling them on her hips she slid her own hands up into blonde tresses before she deepened the kiss.
Emma's hands slipped from Regina's hips and squeezed the queen's ass. Her fingers accidentally hooked under the comfortable fabric of Regina's sleepwear and pulled it up with her as she squeezed the woman's supple backside.
Regina moaned into the next kiss and Emma took the opportunity to slide her tongue past parted lips. That caused Regina to whimper and arch her back to press herself further against the blonde.
Emma wrapped and arm around Regina's waist, one hand still on her ass, and lifted the queen off the ground.
Regina instinctively wrapped her legs around Emma's waist as their lips broke apart due to their movement. When Emma moved in for another kiss, Regina pulled her head back to maintain eye contact.
"Tonight," Regina gently insisted with a smile. "We'll do all of this tonight."
"But you look so good right now," Emma smirked.
"And you have surprising strength," Regina lightly laughed. "That is very helpful information."
"There's something more helpful to know than that."
"Oh? And what is that, dear princess?"
"How much you like it when I do this..."
Emma spun them around and walked them into the closet.
Regina gasped as Emma effortlessly carried her into the closet then couldn't contain the giggles that erupted from her when Emma laid her down on the chaise lounge inside the walk-in closet.
Emma stayed on top of Regina as she continued to hold the brunette, the queen still wrapped up in her arms.
"Oh, I liked that very much," Regina purred as she smiled up at Emma.
"Good," Emma smiled back as she leaned down then pecked Regina's lips, "because it was multitasking. Now you're in the closet so you can finish lacing my dress before you yourself slip into clothes for the day."
"I love it when you're efficient."
"I guess my royalty is showing in that case."
"You'll be showing much more of it later, won't you, darling?"
Emma chuckled.
"Only for you, Regina," Emma smoothly replied.
Regina hummed.
"Get off me. We're wasting time gain," Regina said with a hint of a laugh.
"Mm," Emma scrunched up her face and pretended to think about it for a moment. "I'm not done yet."
Emma dropped her head to Regina's chest and slowly peppered kisses up, down, and across exposed olive skin.
Regina laughed soft and melodically with a sleep-husked voice. She brushed her fingers over Emma's hair.
"Just don't get me hot and bothered only to leave me wanting more."
Emma mischievously grinned and locked eyes with Regina a moment before she rolled her hips to graze her clothed center over Regina's.
Regina gasped then whimpered before she lifted her hips once for more friction.
"You are getting much better at this," Regina noted.
"I've been thinking about our lessons and I watch you closely whenever I touch you. I told you I learn quickly."
"You can show off what you've learned later, my love."
"Yes, I know. I know," Emma smiled. "We have places to be and surprises to see."
Emma pecked Regina on the lips once, twice, and on the third time she slowly started to push herself up and off Regina and the chaise. She offered her hand to the other woman and helped Regina sit up. She smiled at the brunette then turned around and sat in the queen's lap.
Regina smiled and took the laces in her hands before she finished typing up the back of Emma's borrowed dress. Once she was done, Emma thanked her and tried to stand, but Regina grabbed her hips and pulled her back down into her lap.
"What is it," Emma laughed as she looked over her shoulder at Regina.
"You are absolutely beautiful," Regina cooed as she wrapped her arms around the princess' waist from behind. "I am extremely lucky to have you here no matter the circumstances that brought us together."
"You are sentimental today, aren't you," Emma asked, though she smiled as if she already knew the answer to that question.
"I feel unlike anything I have ever felt in the last three decades and some odd years. I finally have something to enjoy that isn't about power over someone else. You are the reason for that."
Emma slightly turned her body in Regina's lap to look at the queen more fully.
"I am glad I have you, Regina."
Emma wrapped her arms around the brunette's neck as she sat across the woman's lap.
"I may not have seen much beyond my family's palace and I have never before engaged in any type of courtship like I have with you…but I know this is where I want to be. With you," Emma finished.
Regina held Emma in her lap with one hand and held the blonde's jaw and chin between thumb and index finger with the other. She tilted the younger woman's head just enough before she kissed her. It was chaste and sweet, but it lasted for more than a simple second and expressed the part of Regina that only Emma got to see, the part that only Emma brought out of her.
Emma contentedly hummed with a warm smile on her face as she slowly pulled back then opened her eyes to look right at Regina.
"Now," Regina started as he smiled back at the blonde, "will you finally allow me to get dressed?"
"I like what you're wearing just fine, my queen," Emma smirked as she proudly lifted her chin.
"I can wear something similar tonight, but you know as well as I that this negligee is not something to be seen in outside of the bedchambers."
"Mm, all the more reason for me to be excited for tonight," Emma cheekily grinned before she leaned in and pecked the other woman on the cheek.
Emma rose off of Regina's lap and walked toward the closet door.
"I will be waiting in front of the mirror," Emma said before she left Regina to change in private.
It felt like an eternity for Emma before Regina strode out of the closet, but at the same time it seemed like only minutes. And of course, it had been only minutes though not a few, more like several. Regina's perfection took time, but Emma assumed it was rushed a tiny bit with the help of her magic.
Poised in front of the mirror, Emma saw Regina's reflection as the queen approached her. The younger woman gasped when she saw Regina and that gasp caused Regina to stand still when Emma turned from the mirror to look at the queen herself.
Regina wore a tight black dress with a low neckline that exposed the valley between Regina's breasts, which looked supple by the revealed portion of the soft, rounded flesh. Though the dress fit her form, it hung loosely past the waist just as Emma's borrowed dress did. She had a fair amount of cleavage on display, but it wasn't as distracting as it would have been in a number of her other dresses.
"You look incredible," Emma said as she raked her eyes up and down Regina several more times. "You always look incredible, but today you almost…glow."
Regina smiled. It started off as a grin that morphed into a genuinely happy smile she had displayed a lot more often as a young teen. She suddenly looked years younger.
"Thank you, dear," Regina slowly said, her voice slightly husky but not in a seductive kind of way.
Regina closed the rest of the distance between them as Emma stood from the bench in front of the mirror. She pulled Emma into a comfortable hug and kissed her cheek.
"On the cheek," Emma asked with a pout. "I give you the perfect compliment and you kiss me on the cheek?"
Regina chuckled.
"If I kiss you," Regina started, "we would never leave the chambers. You have already proven that in the closet if not before then."
Emma smirked.
"Fine. I shall take the kiss on the cheek and accept it," Emma replied as she sat down in front of the mirror again. "Now fix my hair in the way you say will make me look wonderful."
Regina smiled, almost from ear to ear, and stepped up behind Emma. She ran her fingers through strands of the princess' hair and started to pin some of it back with one of her many clips.
Emma watched the Queen style her hair for the next several minutes when she didn't close her eyes to revel in the feeling of Regina's fingers through her hair. She even purred a few times and caused Regina to smile every time she did.
Not much longer after that, Regina finished. She placed her hands on Emma's shoulders and cooed to ease the princess out her overly calm state. Only then did Emma open her eyes, which immediately met her reflection in the mirror as Regina lifted a hand mirror off of the vanity to show the blonde how her hair looked from the back.
"You're glowing, my love," Regina said with a smile as she looked at Emma through the mirror.
"Is that not what you wanted to accomplish," Emma asked with a knowing grin as she turned to look over her shoulder at Regina.
Regina leaned in over that same shoulder and kissed her cheek. She pulled away for no longer than a second and smiled again at Emma before she moved in and tenderly kissed her on the lips. For a moment, they languidly moved together to get the most out of their kiss without going too far and keeping them from the day ahead.
They slowly broke away with flushed cheeks and giddy, practically lovesick expressions.
"I cannot wait for tonight," Emma somewhat huskily said.
"I expected you to be more nervous than this."
"Would you be disappointed if you knew I'm trying to hide it?"
"No, of course not," Regina said as she rubbed Emma's arms in a supportive and reassuring gesture. "You don't have to be nervous, though. Not with me. But it is understandable if you are."
Emma smiled up at Regina and turned around a little more to face the brunette at a better angle.
"I can't thank you enough for being this patient with me."
"Well, I have loved you a long time and I can't ask the person I love to rush into something…no matter how much they think they are willing to push themselves into being ready for something like tonight."
"How is it that no one else but me gets to see this part of you? This is the part that might just convince my parents not to marry me off to some slimy prince."
Regina shook her head.
"They wouldn't believe it to be real," the Queen explained.
Emma sighed.
"Fine," the blonde started, "then my mind is still made up. They don't get to dictate my love life. I will stay with you as long as it takes for them to realize this is what's best for me…and quite possibly for the kingdom, if you think about it."
"Now is not the time to talk of such things. This is our day. You and me and all the surprises I have in store for you. If you want to explain how you could possibly think our union would be beneficial to the kingdom, you can tell me all about it tomorrow."
Regina flashed a partially devious smile.
"Yes, tomorrow," Emma widely grinned. "It will be a much brighter day tomorrow."
"Indeed. Come, my love. Our carriage waits."
Regina held out her hand and helped Emma stand up. She laced their fingers and walked side by side with Emma through the palace until she stopped the princess in front of her black carriage outside of the main castle entrance. Ahead of the carriage were two jet black horses to lead it wherever Regina insisted.
Emma gasped when she saw it and her eyes widened just before she turned around to look at the older woman. She placed both hands on top of Regina's upward-facing palms. She held the Queen's hands as she nearly bounced on her feet with joy at the sight of the carriage.
"My first carriage ride with you," Emma happily said.
"You seem so overjoyed. I assume you have been in many carriages in your life."
"Yes, but none with you. And most of those rides were for family travels that we usually used to talk to people outside of court. Otherwise, they were rides with suitors doing and talking about things I had no interest in."
"Then I'm happy to be the first suitor you actually like to take you out. It would be my honor to make this day everything you want it to be and more," Regina replied with a smile before she shook their joined hands between them.
"Your Majesty?" Bruce casually held out a hand with what appeared to be no more than a way to get the Queen's attention without touching her.
Regina and Emma both looked over at Bruce who stood beside them.
"Any requests for the palace in your absence?"
"Same provisions as usual," Regina said. "Keep watch at all times and find a way to inform me if something goes wrong."
Bruce bowed his head in understanding.
"Then I shall you leave you, Majesty," he said before he directed his next words at both of them. "Enjoy your day."
With that, the head of Regina's Royal Guard left them to their activities and the two women climbed into the carriage. Regina was just chivalrous enough to allow Emma to step inside first before she joined the blonde.
It didn't take long for the carriage to move once the two women were situated comfortably across from each other inside. Just after the carriage lurched forward then jerked back as the horses started to lead it away from the castle, Regina brushed her hands over the skirt of her dress to rid it of any potential wrinkles. She appeared regal and a little stiff as though the carriage turned her back into the Queen she was when away from Emma.
"Regina?"
"Yes, dear?"
Emma shifted in her seat and picked at her dress as she readjusted it to suit her new position.
"Are you…alright?"
Regina tilted her head and gave Emma a curious expression.
"Yes. I'm here with you. How could I not be alright?"
Regina smiled, but it looked tight. It certainly wasn't her usual smile directed at the princess.
"Is there something I can do to help," Emma asked.
Regina breathed out a quick laugh.
"If there was, that would imply something is wrong," Regina said with a hint of laughter.
Emma rolled her eyes.
"You don't have to tell me what is bothering you, but please allow me to do something."
Regina genuinely smiled that time. She looked down for a moment then looked at the blonde again.
"Here," Regina said as she continued to smile then patted the spot next to her.
Emma rose from her place and took the two steps it took to sit beside the other woman. She turned toward Regina and swung her legs over the Queen's lap before she leaned in and snuggled into her side, curled up against her. She rested her head on Regina's shoulder and played with the hem of the brunette's neckline from shoulder to chest.
"I would have felt much better by simply having you next to me," Regina stated with a smirk, "but this will do nicely."
Emma hummed as her lips curled into a smile.
"I rarely use carriages anymore," Regina spoke again after a moment.
Emma lifted her head just enough to look at Regina.
"One of the last times I did was the night I cast the curse and tried to take you from your parents."
"We could have ridden the horses then," Emma frowned. "You didn't have to present me with a carriage ride to make all of this special."
Regina turned her head and looked at Emma. After a few seconds, she smiled.
"It's fine," she assured the princess. "I just didn't realize how significant it is to give you a carriage ride on the night I actually take you from your parents…when you think about it."
Emma sighed and moved her fingers from Regina's dress to the woman's hair. She curled a strand around one of her fingers and scooted closer to Regina.
"Then don't think about it. You are not taking anything," Emma explained. "It's only taking if you don't really love me and toss me aside when it's over."
"Never, Emma. I could never use you. You change me every day into the person I miss being and I wouldn't want it any other way."
Emma beamed and leaned in. She smiled into the kiss and almost pulled away after just the one, but couldn't resist going in for another. Both were sweet and unhurried, but still small pecks.
"And I know that," Emma said as she did in fact pull away then, "which is why this carriage ride has no connotations. Besides, I don't think either one of us wants to think about my parents today."
Regina chuckled.
"You're right. Today, all I want to think about is you."
Emma blushed and started to unwind the curled brunette hair from around her finger.
Regina stroked her thumb over Emma's cheek and leaned in. The kiss was much slower that time and was certainly more than a peck on the lips. The carriage wheels hit a bump in the road and their teeth gnashed together.
"Oh," Regina exclaimed before she took a second to laugh it off. "Sorry."
Emma shook her head, which caused their noses to rub in an Eskimo kiss due to their unchanging proximity. She grinned as she stared into those deep brown eyes.
"I don't mind," Emma said.
Regina smiled like the young girl she used to be in the stables with the boy she loved after their rushed proposal and plan to run away together. She eliminated the small space between them and resumed their previous kiss. It heated up in seconds as she slipped her tongue into Emma's inviting mouth and hummed her approval when she heard the princess gasp at the intrusion even though it was welcomed by another eager tongue.
Regina placed a hand on one of Emma's knees and slowly started to slide it up the blonde's thigh and with it she unintentionally lifted the skirt of Emma's dress.
Emma pressed her lips harder against Regina's as she leaned further into the other woman then allowed her to do the same. The princess leaned back as Regina moved forward in a way that was sure to maneuver the blonde onto her back.
When Emma lay back onto her elbows, her legs still across the brunette's lap, Regina reached out and placed a hand on the seat behind Emma's head, over her shoulder. Regina broke the kiss and looked over Emma's face as the princess panted and slowly opened her eyes.
"Why did you stop," Emma asked.
"This isn't happening here," Regina insisted with a small smile. "Nice try, my princess."
Emma laughed.
"I assumed you wouldn't blame me for trying. Although, it isn't like I planned this."
"No?"
Emma shook her head as Regina pushed back into an upright sitting position then held a hand out to her. Emma accepted it and Regina helped her up and off of her elbows.
"I didn't decide to try it until that bump in the road. I truly just wanted to sit with you when I first asked if you were alright."
Regina pulled down Emma's dress, which had only been lifted far enough to expose shin and calves. Afterward, she patted Emma's knee with a bright smile.
"What good have I done to deserve a sweet and considerate love like you?"
"Maybe it's not about the good you've done, but the good you will do now that you have me in your life. My mother says that she's already given you a second chance, but maybe that wasn't your real second chance. It seems fate wanted our destinies intertwined for that."
"Although I'm changing, Emma, that doesn't mean everything about my life or things in the kingdom will."
"I believe one day it will mean exactly that. I have hope that our futures will not be as troublesome and damaging as our pasts."
"Will you share that kind of hope and ability to believe in such happiness with me?"
Emma flashed her teeth in a wide and contagious smile.
"Of course," she said as she grabbed one of Regina's hands, laced their fingers, and held it in their laps before she rested her head on Regina's shoulder again.
Regina closed her eyes for a moment and wore a smile to match Emma's in warmth and contagiousness, though hers bared no teeth. She opened her eyes and took another second to bask in the moment before she rested her cheek on Emma's head and melted into the moment without a care about her station, her past, or any other worries she normally had.
Their day together hadn't even truly begun yet and she was already happy. Though, already probably wasn't the right word. Finally was more like it. As Regina took the carriage ride to relax and curl up with Emma, she was finally happy.
The ride lasted a fair amount of time at such a leisurely pace, but the sun had only risen a little higher into the sky as they arrived. Afternoon was soon approaching, but they hadn't spent more than an hour in their comforting embrace in the carriage.
They came to a stop in a mildly busy area that brought a smile to Regina's face and a wondering and confused expression to Emma's.
"We're here," Regina said as Emma straightened out and removed her legs from the brunette's lap.
"Have we been here before," Emma asked with a furrowed brow before the carriage driver pulled open the door.
"See for yourself," Regina continued to smile.
Emma looked form the open carriage door to Regina. When she locked eyes with the other woman, Regina encouragingly nodded toward the door. So she went toward the door and nearly gasped as she stopped in the doorway.
Regina quietly came up behind her with her lips still curled into a large smile before she wrapped her arms around Emma's waist. She turned her head and gave the blonde a lingering peck on the cheek.
"Welcome back," Regina said as she held the princess a moment longer before she released Emma's waist then moved around her and stepped down from the carriage with the help of the driver.
Regina turned to Emma and admired the look of awe and pure joy on her face as she looked around the recently visited place Regina had decided to take her back to for their big day. She extended a hand and waited until Emma finished gawking at the town Regina had bought her dream catcher from when the younger woman finally, almost absent-mindedly, took her offered hand. She helped the princess down from the carriage and refused to let go of her hand.
Emma squeezed Regina's hand when the Queen laced their fingers and started to walk away from the carriage and further into the town. Regina smiled at the gesture then turned to their driver.
"You may take the rest of the day off. We'll be here late into the evening, but when I chime," Regina started as she tossed him a compact mirror, "you are to retrieve us from this area. Understood?"
The driver nodded his understanding and went back to the carriage before he left the women to do whatever it was they were going to do in the town.
"Why did you bring us here today," Emma asked once Regina was all hers again.
"There's a festival of sorts occurring today. I participate each year and I wanted to share it with you, regardless of what was or wasn't going to happen tonight once we return to the palace."
"Queen Regina," an older man with gray hair beamed as he approached them. "Glad you could make it out again this year! Oh, and you brought your friend. Lovely!"
"Hello," Emma greeted with a warm smile.
"Richard, dear," Regina started with a smile to match the older man's, "meet Princess Emma."
"Ah," he continued to smile as he held out a hand and shook the blonde's. "I've heard that name before. Daughter of Snow White and Prince James?"
"Actually, I found out a few years ago that his real name is David," Emma corrected. "And yes. You won't tell them I'm here, will you?"
Richard shook his head.
"Heavens no. It matters not to us where you prefer to spend your time or who you spend it with. Though we're more than happy to see it is Regina you've chosen to join while away from the Summer Palace."
Richard looked to Regina then and widened his smile when their eyes locked.
Emma looked over and noticed Regina practically blushing at what sounded like a compliment.
"Everyone here seems so friendly with Regina," Emma mentioned.
"Is that a problem," Richard curiously asked.
"No, it's nice. Where I'm from, as you might know, most people fear her or hate her or don't want to get involved with her at all. No offense," Emma said the last part to Regina.
"Oh, I know perfectly well how people feel about me in the kingdom," Regina calmly said to Emma. "I'm not offended."
"Regina has never done anything to harm us," Richard replied. "She has helped us prosper over the years, even during her reign in what is now once again your family's palace before King Leopold's…death."
"I used to come here as a child," Regina further explained as she turned from Richard to Emma.
"And what a little rebel you were," Richard chuckled. "Such a rascal."
"Still am," Regina proudly stated as she raised her chin a bit.
Richard continued to laugh while Emma smiled at the new information.
"Regina is family to us. No matter what she's done to others, she's never done wrong by us. We don't condone her behavior, but we're here if she needs us."
Richard patted her shoulder and Emma watched as Regina allowed it to happen without so much as even the smallest of flinches.
"We're happy to accept anyone Regina's fond of into our little family here, but if you break her heart–"
"Oh, Richard," Regina lightly admonished with a grin. "No need to threaten her. She is to be considered as much a part of this family as I am. She and I are more than a passing fling. You should know better than to assume I'd come here with someone I didn't trust or wasn't serious about."
"You do have a point," Richard said as he touched his fingers to his lips in thought.
He looked to Emma then and smiled again.
"You came on a good day. Our annual festival is this evening," he informed her.
"Yes, Regina was just telling me about that. What exactly is the festival for?"
Richard took a breath as he opened his to mouth to explain, but not a word came out before the woman who owned the cart Emma had gotten her dream catcher from bounced over to them.
"Regina! You're here," the woman with dark, coppery red hair excitedly announced.
"Every year," Regina responded.
"I assumed you would have stayed home this time on account of…" the woman's eyes slid from Regina over to Emma and knowingly grinned.
Emma blushed and looked down at the ground.
"I wanted to share today with my love," Regina said.
Richard and the redheaded woman gasped before their faces broke out with proud and overly joyous smiles.
Suddenly, before Regina or Emma knew what was happening, both Richard and the woman turned to face those moving around the area. The woman clapped several times while Richard's voice boomed out to the small audience.
"Attention everyone," Richard called out.
"Oh no," Regina quietly said, though she smiled as she said it and caused Emma to look at her, still slightly confused as to what was happening.
"It has finally happened," Richard continued as most of the people nearest to their little group of four stopped to listen. "Our Regina has found a companion, a love. She's said it herself just now!"
A similar reaction to Richard's and the redhead's erupted from the villagers before they all clapped in celebration. A few whistles rang out among them and smiles adorned everyone's faces for the next minute or so.
"There are here to enjoy our festivities," the redhead yelled out to them as the claps and whistles quieted. "So let's show them a good time and welcome this beautiful blonde to the village."
"Lena," Regina warned the redhead without anger or a biting edge to her voice.
"Only the best treatment for our dear Regina and her partner Emma," Richard finished.
"Here, here," several villagers cheered with raised fists.
Emma giggled as she wrapped an arm around Regina's and gently pressed into the brunette's side. She squeezed Regina's hand again and buried her reddened face into Regina's neck and shoulder.
"That is one way to come out," Regina joked as she touched Emma's hip with her free hand then proceeded to rub light circles on the blonde's lower back as if to coax her out of hiding.
Richard and Lena turned back to face the adorable couple just as Regina turned her head toward Emma and kissed golden tresses. They smiled at the affection Regina showed the princess, but kept any comments or cooing and teasing sounds to themselves.
The other villagers returned to their tasks and milled about the area, some leaving to move further into the village and some visiting carts set up in the well-used clearing.
It took several seconds after Regina had kissed the top of Emma's head before the younger woman slowly pulled away from the brunette's neck. When she did, she kept her eyes on Regina before she locked eyes with the woman and bit her bottom lip as she sweetly smiled at her.
"Shall we walk for a bit, my love," Regina suggested with the biggest of smiles that made her entire face light up as she maintained eye contact with Emma.
Emma only nodded in response before she leaned further into Regina then pecked the woman's plump lips with her own thin yet perfectly kissable lips.
Regina contentedly hummed before she and Emma gave a short nod of acknowledgement to Richard and Lena.
"Nice meeting you. I'm sure we'll see each other sometime later today," Emma said as she and Regina headed further into the village.
"Indeed," Richard said as he continued to stand next to Lena and the two of them watched the women leave them. "They are supposed to be enemies, but they fit together well."
"Yes, it seems our friend has truly found the one after Daniel," Lena added.
"Good for her," Richard stated as Regina and Emma disappeared behind a few trees as they walked on.
For the next twenty minutes, Emma and Regina stopped at almost every cart in the marketplace as they browsed a selection of jewelry both rustic and of royal standards, fruit stands, more dream catchers, clothes, and a few things designated for the festival that involved flames and sparks like fireworks and sparklers.
"What would you say to having dinner here," Regina asked as they traveled on foot past several modest houses.
"I can eat anywhere," Emma breezily said as she kept close to Regina, their arms linked as they walked.
"Good, because there's a big feast just before sunset and if you think watching the sunset at our spot or on the balcony at the palace is beautiful, wait until you see it after supper tonight."
Emma looked at Regina and saw the heartwarming smile on her face. She smiled back even though Regina's eyes were on the road ahead and sometimes even lingered to the villagers who worked outside their houses on their clothing lines or chased after chickens or children.
"It's peaceful here," Emma noted.
"Yes, it is," Regina slowly agreed with a voice rich as it dripped out of her lips like honey.
"It seems, though, that there are only two classes in this kingdom: rich and poor. Isn't there an in-between? Or could we create an in-between?"
Regina looked at Emma and beamed at her with pride in her eyes as well as the rest of her features as she tugged the princess a little closer to her.
"That is what I have been working on for the last few years. With the villagers' consent, I plan to reinvent this place. Less dirt roads, patched up residency without leaks or wind damage. The best I've been able to do from my place in the Winter Palace I was banished to by your parents has been to ensure crops keep growing here and that this place doesn't fall below its current standards."
"Hmm," Emma hummed and rested her head on Regina's shoulder for a little while as they slowly continued through the village.
Emma looked around at the children playing with each other. Some of them fell into the dirt and went so far as to roll around as they played with their friends. Some caused trouble for other villagers as they purposely ran through clothing lines and weaved through the main road and several other houses. A few of them even emerged from houses laughing before they disappeared into another home. The smaller ones clung to their mother's sides as they watched them work in the yard or, if they were too small, they remained on their mother's hip while she rocked in a wooden chair on the porch. Some mothers had even joined each other on the same porch to sit and chat while they held their infants and eased them into slumber.
"Do you ever think about a little Regina or a little me running around the palace while we play games with them," Emma asked as she fell into a trance watching the villagers go about their day.
Regina continued to walk with Emma, but she sharply turned her head to look down at the blonde head on her shoulder in wide-eyed shock.
Emma lifted her head from Regina's shoulder and locked eyes with the other woman.
"What? Something I said," Emma asked with a curious expression, her head tilted slightly to the side as she considered Regina.
Regina blinked a few times then subtly shook her head before she responded.
"Do you?"
"No…not until today, anyway," Emma said before she flashed Regina a bright smile.
"First, you tell me you want me to make you promises in our vows though we've barely courted each other and now you're telling me you want to have my children?"
Emma laughed. She looked happy and carefree and though Regina seemed to automatically reject the idea of making a family with her, Emma didn't seem to take the brunette's reaction negatively at all.
"Just imagine," Emma continued down the path of that particular conversation, "a dark haired little girl with big brown eyes like her Momma or a light brown haired boy with my cheeky smile. We would read to them and tell them stories about us and our adventures. We would do everything our parents didn't do for us but should have and they'll only want to run off to be independent, not because they hate us or refuse to marry someone we think would best benefit everyone except them."
Regina looked lost in thought for a few seconds as Emma described what sounded like a charming little family, a magnificent happy ending. And then she smiled. It was warm and infectious and she never wanted to stop smiling because the images Emma painted in her mind were everything she could have ever dreamed and more.
"Would it be possible for two women to have children together," Emma asked and effectively pulled Regina out of her blissful thoughts.
"It is. It takes a bit of magic and love and a lot of time in some cases, but it is possible," Regina answered.
"Would you ever want to bare our children, my only?"
Regina's previous smile slowly returned to her face with twice as much as warmth.
"Ours and only ours, my love," she replied before she leaned in and tenderly kissed Emma. "But I don't plan on birthing more than one of our little miscreants. You should have one too. It's only fair."
Emma laughed.
"I wouldn't mind that one bit."
"I feel we should save these conversations for the future, though, my dear. It's much too soon to discuss children and marriage. We have forever together, if you'll have me, but it is nice to know what we can look forward to together."
"Forever looks promising from where I'm standing," Emma said before she puckered her lips much like Regina had earlier that day.
Regina chuckled before she moved forward and pecked Emma's lips with her own.
"We could rule the kingdom together," Emma added. "You, me, and the little ones. Two houses least likely to join forces bound together by love and marriage and then we can make this village live up to its potential."
"You never struck me as the type to enjoy ruling."
"If I had a smart, sexy Queen I love by my side, I'd do everything I hate because I would hate it less with you."
"You are just as mushy as your 'charming' parents."
"And as much as you claim to hate my mother, and I guess ostensibly my father, you love me. …Which means, you kind of like them underneath it all."
"Not in the slightest," Regina throatily chuckled.
"Right," Emma sarcastically drew out the word.
"Pipe down, dear, before I take back what I said."
Emma giggled.
Regina bit her bottom lip as she looked over every inch of Emma. She grabbed both of Emma's hands and spun the blonde in front of her before she pushed forward and caused Emma to start walking backward.
Emma almost stumbled a few times, but Regina held her steady as she rushed them away from prying eyes that belonged to nosy villagers who wondered about Regina and her blonde friend.
Regina pinned Emma against one of the trees that made up the forest area between the main road that wound through the quaint but busy village and a beach like area that had sand and a shack and waves that crashed against the shore. Emma didn't have much time to thoroughly inspect their surroundings or enjoy the view of the water, however, because Regina's lips crushed hers in a heated kiss.
Emma gasped then moaned into the kiss before she wrapped her arms around Regina's neck and clawed at the back of the brunette's dress to pull her closer.
Regina rolled her hips forward and pressed her lower body into Emma's. She groaned at the contact then tangled a hand in blonde hair while her other hand trailed down the princess' side and left the unexposed skin she touched with a fiery tingle in her wake.
"Regina," Emma breathed out between kisses just before the brunette dipped her head down and started to kiss her neck.
"I couldn't resist," Regina panted against her neck before she licked then sucked on Emma's pulse point.
"Oh gods," Emma breathily moaned.
Regina rested a hand on Emma's hip and kept the princess firmly pinned against the tree as she kissed and sucked the blonde's neck a few more times before she reattached their lips.
Emma nipped Regina's bottom lip and Regina slipped her eager tongue over the other woman's equally enthusiastic tongue.
When Emma whimpered into their next kiss, Regina growled and untangled her hand from blonde tresses to cup the side of Emma's face. She slowed their frantic kisses and eased herself away from the princess as she kept both hands in place on the other woman's body.
Regina only pulled far enough away to make eye contact with Emma and when she did, she saw the confusion as well as the leftover lust in them.
"I thought you said you couldn't resist," Emma pouted.
"I couldn't. I just wanted to kiss you…several times. You were too cute."
Emma breathed out a couple of laughs before she bit her bottom lip.
"I will bite that lip if you don't let go of it right now," Regina flirtatiously threatened.
Emma's smile spread but her teeth remained clamped down on her bottom lip for as long as she could hold it.
Regina lunged forward and claimed Emma's bottom lip just as Emma released it. She sucked on it before she started to nibble and then she bit a little harder and heard the most delicious squeal come from the blonde.
Emma closed her lips around Regina's top lip in a soothing and extremely light kiss.
Suddenly, a teasing whistle broke through their moment alone and Regina let go of Emma's lip before she flicked her tongue over the shallow punctures in the princess' lip caused by her teeth.
Regina turned around to face a laughing man with sandy brown hair.
"Steven," she addressed the man with playfully narrowed eyes.
"Get a room," Steven called out from a few trees over.
Regina rolled her eyes, but laced her fingers with Emma's and gently guided the blonde over to the man.
"I heard about your declaration of love," Steven grinned at Regina then directed his attention at Emma. "This must be the woman you bought Rita for."
"She is," Regina answered. "Emma, this is Steven. He's the stable hand where I acquired your horse."
"Oh! Hello," Emma kindly greeted Steven with a handshake.
"How's Rita working out for you," Steven asked.
"Very well," Emma confessed with a smirk and a slight blush.
Regina chuckled as she recalled all their horseback riding lessons, especially the ones that involved unnecessary but appreciated touching afterward.
"Good," Steven nodded and smiled. "I hope you two are staying for the light show."
"Light show," Emma asked Regina.
"Yes," Regina confirmed.
"The light show is the best part about the festival," Steven started to explain. "It's how we end it, actually."
"Is that why people are buying fireworks and sparklers," Emma asked as she looked between Regina and Steven.
"Yes," Regina answered. "There are people here who like to participate in the light show, but aren't gifted with magical abilities so they buy what they can to join in the fun."
"Regina's the only one of us who can make light spark out of her hands," Steven added. "But I'm sure you already know what she can do with her magic."
"Actually, I'm not the only one anymore," Regina proudly stated.
Steven furrowed his brow.
"Emma has magic too. Powerful magic," Regina further explained.
Steven's eyebrows shot toward his hairline.
"That is fantastic. Will you be helping Regina during the show then?"
"I…barely know what happens at the show," Emma admitted.
"When you see what goes on after dusk, tell me if you want to use your magic. I'll help you," Regina smiled at her. "Mostly it's just what I showed you to do with creating a reading light except you expel that light into the sky."
"So, magical fireworks."
"Exactly," Regina almost purred.
"That sounds amazing," Emma said.
"It is," Steven and Regina conceded.
"Well, I'll leave you two to…whatever it is you planned to accomplish before I interrupted," Steven joked. "See you at dinner."
"See you then," Regina nodded as Steven walked off toward the beach.
Emma followed Steven with her eyes and got a better look at the beach she could barely make out past the patch of trees ahead of and around them.
"Can we go to the shore," Emma asked.
"We'll be there for dinner. Then, after sunset, the light show begins. If you want to look around over there right now we can, but I figured you might like to do a little shopping at those stands we passed by during our stroll."
"You know me so well," Emma smiled like a mischievous kid up to no good.
Emma tugged on Regina's hand and pulled her back to the main road. They walked hand in hand back to the marketplace within the village and slowed down to peer at the items on the stands to decide whether they'd stop to take a closer look and pick something up or move on to the next stand.
Note: I'm looking over the next chapter now so it should be up later tonight. Let me know what you think of chapter 14 in the meantime. :)