A/N: I'm back with a new chapter, hope you all enjoy it!
Thanks to everyone that left a review, I appreciate it very much 3
Please forgive any mistakes and have fun!
Partying with her friends was the best thing Emma could have done on her birthday. Everybody was laughing and happy and carefree that she forgot about the fight with her mother. The only things on her mind were her friends and the talk with prince Daniel.
The tavern closed an hour before sunrise, people groaning in protest; wanting to keep going even if half of them were drunk and falling asleep on their feet.
Emma knew how to hold her liquor, and knew the path back home would not be easy if she were drunk. So she decided to forego the alcohol.
It was a good thing too, since the moment she stepped into her room she was met with two two sets of glaring eyes; her parents.
"Emmaline White Swan, where were you? And don't even think about lying to us." Her mother prompted, voice high enough to grate on her nerves.
"Out." She snapped as she strode behind the changing partition, shoulders dropping when she was out of site, like the weight of the world was put on her back.
"Out where? With whom?" Her father demanded.
"Just out with some friends. They wanted to celebrate my birthday too, you know?" She rolled her eyes.
"Emma." Her father breathed out, the fight going out of him.
"Don't go soft now, David. After what your daughter told me last night, how am I to know she didn't go out to fornicate with some common whore?" Snow was all but yelling at this point, the veins in her neck visible, straining.
"Snow!" Her husband gasped.
"I won't even dignify you with an answer." Emma said evenly after finishing changing into a modest blue dress.
"Emma. You know this is wrong, honey. It's shameful and bad, you can't possibly want to be with another girl like a man wants to be with a woman." David spoke softly, trying to not escalate things any further.
"But I want Dad, and there's nothing you can do to change this. I am who I am and I refuse to keep lying to myself and to you about this." Her eyes were wet with tears but her voice remained steady.
"See what I told you? She won't listen to reason, she doesn't care." The Queen threw her hands up and paced the room. "You won't shame us like this, Emma, I refuse it. I'll send a letter today to Queen Cora and promise your hand in marriage as a form to seal our alliance. Daniel is a wonderful Prince and I'm sure he'll make you see reason during the honeymoon."
Now was Emma's turn to gasp, eyes wide in fear. The news so shocking that her mind couldn't grasp the fact that Daniel knew everything about her and would never accept such proposal.
"You can't do this!"
"I can and I will! It's either that or another prince that you have never seen in your life. No matter what, you are not to leave this castle until your marriage. Oh, and that passage will be sealed. Today."
"I'm sorry it came to this, Emma. I really am." Her father lamented before following his wife out of the room.
Emma felt the room spinning, her legs gave out and she hit the floor, hard. Her vision blurred as angry tears escaped, a scream stuck in her throat. The night before replayed back, and the simple idea of never seeing her friends again until her mother married her off broke her heart. She felt her magic boiling, surging like a wave ready to crash on the side of a cliff, only to lose strength and never make to the cliff; the only thing that came out of her hands were a few sparks. She cursed the day her mother saw her doing magic and doomed her to a life of pain by dampening her magic with an enchanted bracelet.
A knock on the door startled the blonde into consciousness, she had fallen asleep on the cold floor, her body was shaking and she was pale.
"Just a moment." she hurried to the bed, covering herself on the heavy duvet to bring back some warmth to her body.
She was sore, her knees were scrapped, but whoever it was outside, didn't need to see her like that. "Come in."
A soldier opened the door, bowing to her.
"Princess. The Queen sent us here to fix the whole on the wall."
"Oh."
"Yes. The Queen said we are to begin immediately. Would the Princess excuse us? We hope to not bother for long."
The soldier, Damien, was a good man. He had wife and a son that lived on the servants wing of the castle. His wife would tend to Emma from time to time, especially when she was a little girl in need of attention.
"Of course, Damien. Don't worry about me, I'll just stay out of your way." She forced a small smile to appear, trying to reassure his worried gaze.
"Thank you, Princess."
He opened the wood door completely, letting three more people enter the quarters carrying an array of tools and wood. August was one of the guys and both had to pretend they didn't know each other. His father was there too, of course and what appeared to be a new soldier, a young boy sent to do the work the others didn't want to.
She stayed in bed, looking the men work, taking brick by brick from the wall and exposing the passage that once meant freedom. Her mind wandered to the night before, to the brown eyes that connected with hers for just a moment, but made her heart skip a bit and her magic to become restless. She had half a mind to seek that person, but her friends grabbed her attention again and didn't leave her alone until it was time go. She rubbed her chest with the memory, a small squeeze making itself known.
Her mind took her then to the talk with Prince Daniel. He had kind eyes and was gentle, talking to her in such a familiar way that made her feel like one of his younger sisters. He got her in a way her family didn't, and maybe that was because both of his sisters liked women like she did, or maybe he was just a gentle soul. They were sitting in the balcony when he told that his middle sister, Zelena, was engaged to the Queen of Oz, Glinda. They were to marry in a few weeks and his sister was to go live in Oz after. Regina, his younger sister, on the other hand, well, she was a troublemaker from the get go and a heartbreaker too. Everybody wanted Princess' Regina attentions and yet she only gave it to few.
Emma was fascinated by the easy which he talked of such matters and she voiced it to him.
"My mother, she is one of the greatest sorceress you will ever find, she was trained by the Dark One himself for decades, you know? We all have the gift too, but Regina is by far the most powerful - which, by the way, was a great problem during their teenage years as Zelena were envious of that power and Regina would always turn her green." They both laughed at that and Emma noticed the fondness and love in his blue eyes. "Our people, they are more Fae than human, we have many refugees that came from this side of the sea. We have Werewolves, Elves and even some Dragons. And these folks? They don't care about the person you love, they don't need that. Magical creatures understand things that humans can't, they, we have a connection to a power that goes beyond, that can create and destroy life."
He gave her a sad smile, knowing that like many of the creatures that live in his kingdom, Emma was a magical being oppressed, caged in a life that was never meant to be hers.
"Magical beings were born to be free, Princess Emma. You were born to be free." He caught a tear that escaped her eyes, hugging her to his strong body until she would stop crying.
The memory of his arms around her gave her some comfort. Her eyes were misting with tears, but she held it back. Daniel was a good man and he would help her find a way to get out of this situation, she knew in her heart.
"So, they are promising a marriage to seal the alliance between our kingdoms?" Zelena commented from her place on the immense table, full of breakfast.
"It would appear so, yes." The queen answered before munching on a piece of fruit.
"Well, we all know there is only one of us single and I don't think they are going to like that." Daniel proclaimed from his place.
"They were the ones that made a royal promise without having all the facts straight. This should be fun." Zelena snickered.
"True. If they break the royal promise, that means war." Lia, Daniel's wife spoke. "It's been too quiet lately, anyway."
The family was all gathered on the table, all but one. Regina, the single one, was not in the kingdom.
"What did Regina have to say about it?"
"She has agreed to proceed with this marriage, however, not for the reasons any of you may be thinking." she took a sip of her tea.
"Well, aren't you going tell us?" Zelena asked impatiently.
"No. That's for your sister to tell. Now finish your breakfast, we still have many things to decide for your wedding."
As the second greatest sorceress of Tenebris, Regina had became the best spy in the kingdom. For that she could spend many moons away from the kingdom when alliances or wars were to be started.
This time the young brunette found herself still on the White Kingdom, mulling over the pull she felt on the party at the tavern the week before. She had no idea a party was about to happen, she was there only to get a reprieve of the people from this kingdom. They were so backwards that she didn't know how they could take a step forward without falling face first in the dirt. The tavern was something of a myth in the city outside the castle, but that was only because one didn't want to believe it; some even feared the idea of being true.
It wasn't hard to know who the blonde was - it was her job, after all. It surprise her, however, to feel something shift inside herself when their eyes connected for that brief moment. It also came as a surprise to see the Princess of all people laughing with the Fae Folk, dancing without a care and even blushing after getting a kiss on the cheek from one of the female barkeeps. For some reason, it was endearing to witness.
Now she was back at the tavern, observing the leggy brunette that was with the blonde that night. The tall woman was a werewolf, her magic was ever present and strong, the magic of an alpha. There was plenty of werewolves in Tenebris, enough for her to recognize their magic trace, but not many alphas, maybe three or four in the entire realm.
Finishing her wine, the sorceress squared her shoulders and walked to the wolf.
"Are you Red?"
"Depends on who's asking. Why?" The wolf was taller than herself by at least three inches.
"I was merely curious to know if your friend, the blonde from the party last week, is likely to show up here again." That made the wolf stop and take a closer look at the newcomer.
"What do you want with my friend?" Her tone was suspicious, her green eyes glaring, assessing this stranger.
"Nothing. I was merely curious why a member of the royal family would choose to frequent this tavern." She got very close to the wolf, whispering the words.
Gray eyes changed to orange in a second and the brunette sorceress found herself being dragged to the outside by her collar.
A True Alpha still in transition, I see. Maybe she does not have a pack of her own or maybe nothing triggered the full change yet, the sorceress deduced by the color of the wolf's eyes.
"What do you want?" She growled, slamming the short brunette on the wall outside the tavern.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Wolfie." Her eyes changed to purple just as fast and Red found herself being pushed away.
"You're a witch."
"Yes." she stated. "Look, I'm not here to harm the Princess, I just wanted to see her again. For some reason." The last words were muttered as she straightened her jacket, eyes looking anywhere but the wolf.
"And who might you be? I have never seen you here or on the castle grounds."
The sorceress had an inkling that lying wouldn't give her the answers she wanted.
"I'm Princess Regina from the Tenebris kingdom." She removed her hood, fully showing her face and eyes.
"Well, don't expect me to bow to you, Majesty." She replied sarcastically.
Rolling her eyes, Regina decided to ignore the last comment.
"Your friend, Emma. Is she going to come back?"
Red hesitated for a moment, mouth pursed in a line. Sighing in defeat, she spoke.
"No, she isn't. Our friend August saw her last week, the Queen has her locked in her room until Emma is married off to some ridiculous Prince from overseas." she said, rolling her eyes.
"Good to know. Thanks for the information." She turned around, ready to leave.
"Wait! What do you want with Emma?" She dared to get closer again, her wolf ready to protect.
Regina looked at the other brunette, clearly older than her if her natural magic was anything to go by. There was a fierceness in those orange eyes, a deep love for the Princess that made her pause.
"What would you do to help the Princess?" Her now brown eyes examined every reaction the wolf made.
"Anything."
She didn't blink, didn't avert her eyes, her voice didn't waver. Regina cursed inwardly.
"Be at the castle gates in four days after midday. Don't be late and you'll know it." With that she disappeared in a purple mist.
"Mother." the voice called from the mirror, a blurry image forming on the surface.
"Regina, darling. How are things? Everything going according to plan?"
"Not exactly. No." she massaged her temple.
"What happened?"
"Queen Snow has locked the Princess up, until the marriage happens."
"Why is that a problem? The marriage is going to happen soon enough."
"She thinks Daniel is the one coming." She clarified.
"Oh. That is a problem. I assume you have a plan or else wouldn't be contacting me?"
"It's a work in progress." She looked into her mother's eyes that were so much like hers, there was nothing but love there. "I know she is the one, Mother. If this goes sideways-"
"We will have your back, Regina. We'll be ready."
"Thank you, Mother. I will arrive at the castle four days from now."
"Do whatever you have to, dear."
"I will."
There was a sense of relief in knowing her family would back her up. Regina had never felt the connection her siblings had when they met the one for them. Daniel had met Lia during the harvest festival, she wasn't royalty, not even a noble, but his magic recognized her instantly and there was nothing Mother could do to prevent that - nor had she tried to.
Magic was something that everyone respected in the kingdom and the Queen knew how it worked and what happened to those who defied it's power. Zelena had been smacked right in the face the moment she set foot inside the castle of Oz and her eyes met the Queen, Glinda. Her mother had no problem with that connection and Zelena couldn't be happier.
Now it seems it was Regina's time and the gods be damned if she didn't fight for that kind of love with all the power that she had.
A/N: That was it people. Favorite it, leave a review, feel free to contact me if you want to chat. Also, stay healthy and sane, this is going to end soon so take care of yourselves :3
Next chapter will be up in 2 weeks at most. See you all then 3