DISCLAIMER:: do not own. just borrowing for purpose of creative expression. no profit obtained.

A/N:: getting a new laptop and my internet back at the end of next week. i'll be able to update much more often then. thanks for waiting. this chapter is entirely regina, no emma herein, but we'll join her again next chapter. enjoy.

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-Chapter 48: I'm Scared To See The Ending-

Regina had heard of Bridalveil, most children raised in the Enchanted Forest were told of it in bedtime stories, the capitol of the elven race. It was said to be a place of untold beauty. But none of what she'd heard prepared her for the real thing.

The elemental magic had transported them just within the northern border, weakened by the enchantments that protected the North from the southern kingdoms. Their magic was the oldest in known existence, and it was not easily contended with. No one, not even Regina herself at the height of her power, had dared try to take on the North. Not only did the Elves have their magic, they had their environment on their side. No one knew the land better than they.

Daniela had assured them that despite how far Bridalveil appeared to be away from the border on a map, that they would make it there before dawn.

They saw no one, but there were horses waiting when they arrived, one for each of them, except Savya. The Huntsman, still physically the strongest, rested Emma's unconscious form before him on his horse, tying her horse's reins to his saddle. It took Regina several hours of riding in silence to finally calm her worry enough. Daniela had assured her that the spell had been completed correctly, and Emma was still breathing. But she knew her heart would not completely calm until the blonde Queen awakened. Savya slept in her arms, her small head resting against Regina's shoulder as they rode. When her arms grew too heavy with the weight and she decided she'd have to wake the girl to ride properly, Snow had slipped over and taken the toddler from her arms, bearing the weight herself so Regina's muscles could relax.

By peak of night, Daniela claimed they were almost there, no more than three hours from the capitol city. Regina felt as if they had barely rode fifty lengths, but the elven woman insisted that things were very far from what they seemed in the Sunfair Mountains.

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It was in the darkest part of the morning, the hours preceding dawn when they emerged onto the lantern lit thoroughfare that led to the city. Here Regina finally felt the presence of others, though she saw nothing except the lanterns lit magically, spaced every ten feet or so along each side of the wide road.

"I think we're being watched." She squinted into the dark depths of the forest around them, trying to discern the smallest of movements in the dark foliage.

Daniela laughed her bell-like laugh. "They've been with us since we arrived dear one. I am surprised you did not sense them until just now; they must be very well trained."

Regina pursed her lips. She wasn't particularly fond of being spied on. She moved her horse closer to the Huntsman's, unconsciously putting herself close enough to protect Emma should there be an attack of some sort.

It was another hour up the lantern lit land before they saw the beginnings of the city. A wall of trees was quickly coming up in front of them. The road ran straight into it, there was no gate, no doors, no portcullis.

Daniela rode ahead. She stopped before the wall of trees, spreading off in either direction, trunk to trunk, with nary a space between them for one to squeeze through. She put her right hand over her heart, brought it up in an arch over her head and muttered a word in what the brunette assumed was the Elvish language.

The leaves on the closet tree rustled and then a figure swung down to the ground. He was tall and lean with bright green hair and pale skin. His eyes were a piercing bronze, seeming to take them all in at once. A flute of some sort was tucked through his belt, a quiver of arrows and a bow strapped to the back of his leather jerkin.

"Ruza." Daniela smiled and inclined her head in greeting.

"Daneiria, you have returned." He inclined his head as well. His voice was deeper than she'd expected it to be, but somehow it retained the bell-like quality.

"I have brought the Queen of the Enchanted Forest to Bridalveil for sanctuary within our walls."

Ruza walked over to the Huntsman's horse, peering up into the face of the blonde with unblinking eyes. "You were so young when last I saw you human, a mere innocent. What a life you've lived since then." He spoke directly to the sleeping woman as if she could hear every word he said. He turned back to Daniela. "Queen Rowanaldi is expecting you. She is most curious to meet Lady Regina."

"Many thanks Ruza. May the wind guide you." It was Snow White who spoke these words.

"And the forest always protect you Lady Snow." He grabbed the flute from his belt and played a four note tune.

The trees before them began to shift and twist, branches and roots snaking this way and that, slowly forming what could only be described as a grand archway. The lane continued into the city as if it hadn't been impeded just a moment ago by an impenetrable block of trees.

As they rode through, Regina got her first true look at Bridalveil. Built into the side of the mountain, the palace was cut brilliantly from its face, the rock, with its white and soft grey swirl of colours, seemed to make the castle sparkle. The residences of the city's citizens were made from the very trees in the forest. Instead of cutting down the trees for materials to build their houses, they built their houses using the living trees. Doors were built into trunks of the great sentinels, staircases curving up their base to the higher levels, platforms built on branches at the topmost level. None of the forest had been sacrificed to make this city prevail. It was all a little too 'child of nature' for Regina's tastes, but she had to admit the effect was magically ethereal.

Before them stood two guards, both female, in what Regina could only assume was full uniform. Their tunics were weaved from some type of lavender silk, covered by a silvery jerkin. She couldn't place the material; it was very possible it was something she'd never encountered before. Their leggings basic and light grey. Both wore no helmet, but each had a sheathed sword strapped to their belts, a skinny blade that met with a silver hilt, carved beautifully with patterns of ivy. Like Ruza, each had a bow and quiver of arrows strapped to their backs. They could have been twins, with how uncannily similar they were, one a mirror image of the other with their white curls that fell silkily to the small of their backs, eyes that mirrored the blue of the sky, and their creamy complexions. The only difference between the two was the patches sewn onto the right shoulder of their jerkins.

As soon as the horses reached them, they abruptly turned without a word and led the way down the lane as it curved through the city. Though it was still before dawn yet, Regina no longer maintained any allusions that most of the city's residents were awake and watching them, though the streets remained quiet. But Snow and Daniela both looked at ease, so she willed her nerves away, instead focusing on the palace they were slowly making their way towards.

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The palace itself, when they got close enough, seemed to sparkle all the more. Silver sprinkles of glitter ran through the stones like veins and when they passed under the portcullis, it seemed to glow all the more brightly. So it was magic of some sort. She resolved to inquire later as to its purpose.

Another woman, this one similarly garbed as the two who had escorted them here, greeted them in the courtyard, among a burbling fountain and lush gardens. "Welcome friends." She dismissed the identical guards with a wave of her hand. "I am Arazera, advisor to Queen Rowanaldi."

Arazera was hauntingly beautiful, her skin as tan as Regina's own. Her black hair fell in silk waves to the middle of her back. Her eyes were as deep a green as the darkest part of the forest, like a copse of dense foliage encircling her pupils. If not for her unshakable love for the blonde, still cradled before the Huntsman on his horse, she might have once been charmed by this woman's looks and the dazzling smile she wore.

"Ruza told us Queen Rowanaldi is expecting us."

Arazera inclined her head. "The Queen is anxious to speak with all of you, but first… we offer you the hospitality of Bridalveil, and a chance to rest from your journey." With a barely imperceptible flick of the woman's fingers, several women in the same uniform appeared. Many helped the riders dismount, two carefully brought Emma down from the horse and deposited her into the surprisingly strong arms of a third. The animals were led away and the remaining women each took the hand of the Huntsman, Daniela, Snow, and Savya, who was still asleep in Snow's arms.

When the elf holding Emma made a move to walk away with the Queen, Regina finally raised her voice in protest. "She stays with me."

Arazera stepped forward. "We shall take good care of the Queen, fear not." She waved the girl onward.

"No!" As a reflex reaction, Regina threw out her hand to magically stop the girl, but nothing happened and she continued into the palace unaccosted. Regina stared at her hands in disbelief.

"Your magic will not aid you here Lady Regina. The threads of enchantment you see running through these stones prevents the use of magic for dark purposes within these walls. As I said before, Jajara will take good care of Queen Emma. She is most precious to all our futures after all." Arazera gestured towards the palace doors. "Will you come with me?"

Regina's mouth remained in a firm line, but she followed the elf into the palace. The entrance hall they stepped into was decorated in the lavender of the tunics. Arazera led her to the grand staircase to the left that twisted up and away in a tight coil.

Up and up they went until Regina had counted seven floors. The exited on the seventh floor and Arazera led Regina down and airy corridor to the last door. It seemed to be carved from pure ivory. Arazera pushed open the doors. It was a parlour chamber, decorated much lighter than the one at her own castle, Rumpelstiltskin's castle now, but none less lavishly. The whites and creams that covered the room gave it an open and airy feel.

"These will be your chambers while you're here. We have assumed you will wish to be roomed with the Queen of the Enchanted Forest, but if we have made an error, just let any of us know and alternate plans will be made."

"Where was Emma taken?"

"To a bathing chamber. She is being taken well care of. Jajara will return her to you shortly."

Regina nodded. "I want something to be understood. It was not my desire to come here. While I am grateful for the hospitality being shown to us in such difficult times as this, I will not tolerate being ordered around. Emma is not to leave my side. I wish to have Savya room here as well."

Arazera's eyes flashed and her smile faltered. "Just because you find an orphan on the street and show her kindness, does not make her your possession. Savya will room in her own chambers. If you wish for the Queen to be under your supervision unless otherwise specified, we will be happy to accommodate your request."

Regina didn't understand the sudden hostility from the girl. It seemed deeper than just annoyance for being ordered around.

Arazera didn't explain however. She inclined her head. "I trust you can attend to your own bathing rituals. The bathing chamber is through there, sleeping through there. You will find a selection of tunics and leggings in your sleeping chamber suited to your measurements. I shall return when you are finished."

Regina watched her go, her head filled with nothing but unanswered questions.

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The bathing chambers were the oddest things she'd ever seen. From a corner of the ceiling hung a spout of sorts. Built into ground below it, were a drain and a foot pump. She looked around, searching for the bathing pool, or a tub, but there was nothing else except the small alcove that she assumed housed the latrine and a small wash basin with a mirror above it.

Regina walked over to the weird spout, sticking her leather boot out and tapping the foot pump. A gentle stream of water cascaded from the spout. She jumped back to avoid the splash and as her foot left the pump, the cascade stopped. So the pump fueled the flow of fresh water and the drain carried the used water away. What an odd concept. But it was all she had to work with, so she'd make due. She undressed quickly, draping her dress over a tri-fold screen that she assumed was to protect one's modesty. A shelf carved out of the wall beside her held an array of oils and washes. She pressed her now bare foot on the pump and stepped under the stream. It was pleasantly warm as it fell over her body, the effect oddly soothing, as if the water were carrying away all her distress and worry as it rolled down her body, carrying it all away with the water down the drain. She couldn't tell how long she just stood there, unmoving, letting the water just pour over her, stripping her down to her bare self. Tears began to pour from her eyes, mixing invisibly with the drops of water until tears couldn't be discerned from the bathing water. She cried for her lost power, she cried for the childhood innocence stolen from her too early, she cried for Emma still unawakened, she cried for the future they wouldn't have together… she cried because she could finally see Death waiting before her, and this time, unlike so many times before, she had no plan to escape. It was a funny melancholy to know the ending to your story and be unable to rewrite it. She wasn't afraid to die; from the day she'd truly first embraced the dark magic in her efforts to restore what she'd lost, she had known there was no other way for her story to end than this. She was a villain after all. But accepting death and being truly ready to die are two very different things.

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She stared at herself in the mirror of the bed chamber. The leggings were lightweight and surprisingly easy to move in, maroon in colour as they apparently didn't allow black here. She chose a tight fitting grey tunic that hugged her curves and an ivory jerkin. It wasn't her best outfit, but it would do.

"You look beautiful." She looked up in surprise. Arazera watched her from the doorway.

"Has Emma awakened?" That's all she'd been concerned about from the moment she'd stepped from the bathing chamber. "Why haven't they brought her here yet? Surely bathing her doesn't require so much time."

Arazera looked at her apologetically. "I'm sorry Lady Regina, but she is still asleep. She is being brought here to rest as we speak. We had our healer check over her to see if there was a problem with the magic."

"And your findings?"

"Daneiria's spell was successful; there was no fault with it."

Regina's fists clenched at her sides. "Then why has she not awakened?"

Arazera frowned. "We do not know."

"If she dies…"

"We all must die Lady Regina; we all return to the earth. Some may go more quickly than others, but trust that we all reach our time eventually."

Regina scoffed. "Is that supposed to comfort me?"

Arazera shrugged. "Take comfort from it if you wish, or not. It is merely a statement of truth. You cannot keep her forever, only enjoy the part of forever you share."

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Arazera led her back through the palace to the great hall. There was no throne in the long silver room. When Regina inquired as to its location, Arazera merely responded by telling her Queen Rowanaldi had no throne.

The elven lady had been stealing glances at her from the corner of her eyes ever since she'd appeared in her bed chamber doorway, but Regina chose to ignore the attention. This girl had an attitude that she was not quite ready to deal with.

She was shown into a large chamber, the size of her parlour in her former castle, behind the great hall. Desks and chairs were scattered around the chamber, maps and scrolls and scraps of parchment littered most of the free surfaces. Standing in the middle of it all was a woman. She wore the same uniform as Arazera. Her hair was dirty blonde, ending just past her shoulders. Her eyes were blue. She appeared to be the same age as Regina herself.

Arazera inclined her head to the woman who responded in kind. "Many thanks Arazera, you may wait outside."

Arazera left without even a glance in Regina's direction.

Once the door closed behind her the woman spoke to Regina herself. "I have waited a great many years for this meeting Lady Regina. My name is Rowanaldi."

This woman was Queen? She didn't look a day over thirty. Of course, age should make no never mind. Regina herself was Queen before she was twenty. She bowed in a show of respect. Might as well please the royals while they're sheltering you, your lover, and your child from harm.

"You need not bow to me. To the Elves, Queen is merely a glorified term for strategist. I guide my people; I do not rule them."

"That is why there is no throne."

Rowanaldi smiled. "Clever woman. Yes. My title does not make me more important than any other being within my realm." She moved to a random chair and sat, gesturing for Regina to do the same.

The brunette selected one at a long table, closer to the door, but still facing the Queen of the Elves.

"Has Arazera been hospitable to you?"

Regina shrugged. "She does not appear to much care for me, nor I for her."

The corner of Rownaldi's mouth turned up in a smile. "Quite contrary, she requested the honour of being your escort while in our walls. She has devoted her life to studying you. At one moment in her life, she was quite enamoured with you."

Regina frowned. She certainly hadn't gotten that impression from the woman. "She has certainly done her best to convey the opposite."

"I believe that is what most might call jealousy. It is trying to devote one's life to someone who is destined to belong to someone else." Rowanaldi glanced away for a moment, as if she knew that trial all too well herself. When she met Regina's eyes again, there was no trace left of what she had felt. "I was Queen for only about two score before you were born, not long at all."

"How old are you?"

"Five hundred six."

Regina nearly choked on the air exhaled from her lungs in surprise.

Rowanaldi chuckled. "Time moves differently for the creatures here young one. When an elf celebrates their one hundredth year, they are given a choice. To age naturally or to freeze themselves there, ensuring they'll never age."

Regina smiled wickedly at the thought. "You have the option to live forever?"

Rowanaldi nodded. "Do not mistake it for immortality Lady Regina. It does not mean our heart becomes immune to the pierce of an arrow, our skin to the slice of a sword, our bodies to the hunger of an illness. An elf who chooses to freeze the aging process does not become immune to death, merely extends his or her vitality and energy."

Regina was enraptured at the very idea. What a wonder it would be to live forever, with Emma and Savya. The very thought thrilled her.

"Most choose to continue aging. Very few wish to be trapped at that age for the rest of their days."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Who wouldn't want to live forever?"

"Many ages ago there was an elven Princess by the name of Lunamora. She was beautiful, revered and desired by all. But Lunamora had eyes only for one of the palace guard. The lovers would meet every night when the moon was high, loving each other only underneath the cover of the stars. For four score they hid their love. They were given to the world by the earth the same year, so they would reach their hundredth together. They made a plan to freeze their aging; that way they could be together forever. On the day they were to make the decision, the guard became impatient waiting for Lunamora to show up. Thinking there was no risk in going first since they were both planning on the same decision, the guard chose to live forever. Lunamora never showed. It was only when the guard made the journey back to the castle that it was revealed that Lunamora had chosen a life among the humans, as an ambassador to the North. Once you leave the Sunfair Mountains, the aging process begins to speed up. If you're gone long enough, you age at the same rate humans do. Lunamora lived six score among the humans before she died of old age."

"What became of the guard?"

Rowanaldi gave her a sad smile. "The guard still lives among us to this day, frozen at one hundred."

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It was several hours before Regina returned to her chambers. Rowanaldi was surprisingly militarian, explaining all Daniela and Snow had at Maleficent's in much deeper detail. Regina had been born for great things she said; Emma and her parents had just been unfortunate casualties in the fulfillment of her destiny. It was a little unsettling that she seemed to be somewhat of a case study here in this place. She saw it in their bright eyes that they all knew her story and Rowanaldi spoke of it.

After the Queen had let her retire, she had gone to Savya's chambers and spent a few hours in her company. The little girl seemed to be adjusting well to the new surroundings, looking quite content with all the toys she had been given to keep her occupied.

She was so emotionally drained that she felt the desire to do nothing more than collapse the second she walked through the door into the parlour chamber. She slumped under the weight of all she had discussed and moved to the bed chamber. She froze in the doorway.

Emma lay on the large bed, the gauzy privacy curtains closed, making everything but just her silhouette indiscernable.

Regina stepped forward, suddenly finding a new burst of energy at the sight of her true love. She moved the curtains aside.

Emma had been completely transformed from the bruised and battered woman she'd been running with the past three weeks. She looked much as she must have in the prime of her royal life. Her hair was shining like spun gold, framing her creamy face on the pillow. The worry had left her face in sleep, her brow unfurrowed. She looked calm, serene, at peace. Her lips were the deep pink of someone well nourished, the paleness gone from her face, no shadows under her eyes. Most of her body was nestled under the duvet, but her bare arms were folded over the top of the cover, showing every scratch, no matter how inconsequential to her health, had been repaired. Regina leaned in and stroked Emma's cheek, willing her to wake up.

"They were able to heal everything except the scars on her shoulder, something made those magic repellant."

"She was attacked by an Apasma, injected with a lethal dose of the creature's venom. Yet, she survived even that." Regina wouldn't take her eyes from Emma as she sat on the edge of the bed. "She is a survivor; she is sometimes so determined that I gather strength from it."

"She is fearless?"

"She is afraid everyday of her life; she just chooses to live with her fears, maybe even to spite them."

"I brought you your evening meal. I assumed you would wish to stay in her presence."

At this, Regina finally looked to the girl in the doorway. She was holding a tray with fruits, some familiar some foreign, as well as a bowl she couldn't see the contents of and two goblets.

"We do not partake of flesh in the North, our ways prevent the hunting or slaughtering of the creatures of the forest unless it is a matter of self-defense. However, we do keep a secret store of preserved meat for such occasion as this. I can procure you some if that is your preference."

Regina shook her head. "I've made due on much less than the contents of that tray. I will be fine."

Arazera nodded and brought the tray in, setting it on the bedside table. Her green eyes fell on Emma. "Children are precious to the Elves. We can only manage to have them before we reach one hundred. It may seem like a long time, but among the Elves, that is still very young, like a human having a baby at sixteen. Most do not wish to bear the responsibility, some have not found love yet. To have a child is a high honour, worthy of respect. An elf having more than one has only happened a handful of times in our history."

Regina wasn't sure why she was being told this. What did this have to with Emma?

"A lot of us didn't approve of Snow White's decision to leave the child. We grew quite fond of Emma during her stay with us, despite how brief it was. I just thought you should know that, in your absence, I protected her. Throughout her teenage years, through her marriage… I was never far. I'd never see her come to harm, nor you."

"How old are you Arazera?"

"I am ninety and nine."

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She asked the elf to join her for her meal and they spoke at length as she ate of the fruit and warm honeyed soup that was in the bowl. She found that the more she learned of the elf's life, the more she liked her. She was charming and wise, well traveled and worldly. She was quite sure if circumstances had happened differently, leaving Arazera as the stable girl of her childhood rather than Daniela, she would have been just as infatuated with this woman, maybe even more so. The elves were charming as a whole she was coming to understand, some enchantingly so.

It was after sunset when Arazera finally left her to her thoughts. Regina immediately crawled on the bed beside Emma. For a long time she just lay on her side, running her fingers absentmindedly up and down the woman's crossed arms. But as her exhaustion from all the travel and the trials of the day set in, she slipped, still clothed, underneath the duvet and curled up next to Emma, resting her head on the steady rise and fall of the blonde's chest.

"You promised me." Regina tilted her head to look at the unmoving face, the closed eyes. "You promised me we would face the end together. Come back to me. I can't face this alone."