AN: Super-long chapter just because I couldn't find a place to break it up.
Cora took Emma's lessons very seriously. She had the blonde repeat the same words over and over until she could pronounce them to her satisfaction, and although she rarely checked Emma's understanding of them she kept adding new words each day. If Emma found it a strange method she didn't mention it to Regina. She only managed to see the Queen at meal times and returned to her room exhausted and too late to risk waking Regina during the week. Their weekends were filled spending time with Red and Maleficent - Cora disappeared without telling them where she was going. The one good thing about the lessons was that Emma was able to stay off her feet and allow her injuries to continue healing. Two weeks passed and she had memorised dozens and dozens of words, though had yet to string them into sentences. When she mentioned this to Cora, the older woman looked thoughtful.
"I assumed you would want to learn them for spells, not to hold a conversation. This is the best way to ensure when you do try to use them you don't mispronounce a single syllable and end up causing a disaster."
"I just thought it might be nice to have a way to speak to Regina without anyone else knowing what we were saying. If I'm supposed to be guarding her and she wanted to tell me something without her enemies knowing we could use this language to avoid alerting them."
Cora raised an eyebrow, surprised by Emma's idea, "really? Is that the only reason?"
The blonde blushed, "it's a lovely sounding language, kind of... romantic. I thought Regina might like it if I could use it when we're alone too."
"Hmmm."
"And if I can't ask Mal, well you're the only person who can help me. Please?"
"I will think about it. Now, repeat the five new words I taught you yesterday."
Cora waited a few days before agreeing to teach Emma a handful of sentences to speak to her daughter. She wrote them out on a piece of paper, making Emma repeat each individual word three times before trying the next. Emma was a little scared to ask her what each of the new words actually meant, but after Cora had asked her how she wanted to begin and had given Emma the same word Regina had used to her before, she just accepted that Cora was really helping her and set to learning the speech by heart. She planned on saying it to Regina that weekend, if she could only arrange a private dinner for the two of them. Red would help her, she knew.
They spent the Saturday morning enjoying a game of croquet, followed by picnic in a private walled garden, just the four of them. For the afternoon Maleficent had planned to take them outside the palace walls but Regina was called away to an urgent meeting before they could leave. The three decided to spend the day in the palace waiting for her, but they were soon bored. Emma was slowly regaining her strength, she was able to walk for longer without getting tired and so Red suggested they go to the training area so she could practice some of the guard drills. Maleficent seemed eager to watch, so Emma agreed and they passed another hour doing that. Realising Regina wouldn't be ready to join them until dinner; Emma made the preparations for their private meal, asking Red to find a few extra candles and Maleficent to use her magic to bring some flowers to bloom early.
Regina returned to her room before the meal was ready. She was just in time to see Emma scattering rose petals in a path from her doorway to the table.
"Regina, you're early!"
"I can see that," Regina smiled, "it's a wonderful surprise."
Emma tossed the remaining half-torn roses to the side and went to give her a hug, "Red's bringing the meal so no-one else will see it."
Regina wrapped her arms around Emma, looking around the room at the petals on the floor and the candles, "you've done all this for me?"
"Who else, silly? It feels like forever since we've had a romantic evening together and I miss you."
"I miss you too," Regina kissed the top of Emma's head, "now let me get changed out of these Queen-clothes and into something more comfortable before we eat."
Emma released her, but didn't step away, "before you do there's something I wanted to say."
"Oh?"
Rather than try to explain, Emma took one of Regina's hands and placed it over her heart, keeping her own hand over Regina's. Taking a deep breath, she recited the Elvish words she had learnt. Halfway through, Regina gasped and tried to pull her hand away but Emma didn't let her. As she spoke the final word, her hand tightened against Regina's and she felt a strange sensation run through her body.
"Wow, I guess Elvish really is a magical language," Emma laughed, looking into Regina's eyes to see how she reacted. "I didn't mispronounce anything did I?"
"Oh, Emma," there were tears in Regina's eyes, and she finally lifted her hands away from Emma's body.
Emma waited for Regina to say something more, hoping the Queen would offer her own words of love in return. Instead Regina kissed her. This kiss was different from their usual kisses and not just because of Regina's tears - Regina seemed more passionate, more intense. Emma was beginning to feel a little light-headed when Red finally knocked on the door with their dinner. Regina called out for her to enter and seeing how pale Emma looked, she helped her to the table so she could sit down.
Red was in a good mood, explaining what the different covered dishes were as she set them down. She had brought the desserts - so they wouldn't be interrupted again - cheerfully telling them that she'd ordered the same for her and Mal, so that the servants would think the four of them were having dinner together.
"Just pop the plates outside when you're finished and I'll collect them when I return ours," she promised."
Regina thanked her, and once she was gone went to her closet to choose a lighter dress. Keeping her back to Emma and pretending to consider the gowns gave her time to go over what had happened. She knew her mother had chosen Emma's words and that Emma would have no clue about what they meant or how they had been twisted into a spell. Holding her hand over Emma's heart had sealed the magic, had her mother suggested it or used her own magic to force Emma to do it? Those words had been even more powerful than her guard-spell. Emma had practically offered up her life and soul, any action to break her vow would create a terrible backlash. Regina wasn't even sure there was a way for it to be undone.
"Regina, come and eat before it gets cold," Emma called to her.
Regina reached blindly to the closet, "I'll just be a second, why don't you start without me."
When Regina returned in her new dress she realised Emma had waited for her, and she was touched. Emma had already poured their drinks and as Regina sat she lifted the silver covers from their plates.
Regina lifted her glass in a toast, "to my most beautiful guard."
"To my favourite Queen," Emma responded, touching her glass to Regina's as the Queen smiled.
Regina picked at her meal, not feeling very hungry. She poured a second glass of wine before Emma was halfway through hers, as her throat felt tight every time she looked at the blonde.
"Is everything alright?" Emma asked, placing a hand on Regina's before she could pour a third glass.
"Of course."
Emma lifted the water jug and filled a spare glass that was on the table, pushing it closer to Regina as a hint though she didn't dare to say anything aloud. Regina filled her glass halfway with the wine, took a sip, then placed it on the table, eyeing the water. Emma poured herself a glass of water and drank from that, ignoring her own half-full glass of wine.
"We should have clear heads if we're out with Maleficent and Red tomorrow," Emma reminded her, "especially if Mal is serious about taking us flying. I don't know whether to be scared or excited."
"It's not a sensation you easily forget. I hope you aren't afraid of heights?"
"No, back in my world it's possible to fly in these kind of large carriages but as a passenger you don't really see much of the skies or feel the wind in your face."
"How do they remain in their air? You said you don't have magic there."
"I'm not really sure how it all works, they have engines and wings, it's science."
"That sounds frightening. I wouldn't like to try it unless I knew exactly how it worked so I could be prepared in case something went wrong. When you fly with Maleficent it is the strength of her wings and the currents of air that keep you aloft, that and sometimes a little magic when if the air is still. If there is a risk of falling we use magic to help us land safely - once she was attacked while flying and her wing was damaged, I'm sure that won't happen tomorrow."
"Fingers crossed," Emma spoke full of hope.
She placed her cutlery on the plate even though she could have eaten more, but sensing that Regina wasn't going to eat anything else. Talking might distract the Queen from her worries, so she continued hoping that Regina would open up to her.
"I don't think Red likes the idea, she said she'd rather run over the ground following us to this lake Mal wants to show us."
Regina laughed, "it's a very long way and probably not safe enough for her to journey on foot, at least if she wants to get there at the same time as us."
"Is she scared of heights?"
"Not that I'm aware of, she has been in the tallest tower of the palace, and walked the outer walls with me but flying will be a new experience for her and that can be frightening."
"Maybe you could hold her hand, and mine too if I find it too scary?"
"And how will I hold on, or cast any landing spells if you're holding both my hands?"
Emma smiled, and stood up, "good point, maybe if you sit between us then I'll just wrap my arms around your waist and hold on. We should practice that now."
She walked towards Regina, pulling her chair away from the table and offering her a hand to stand up. Then she moved behind Regina and kissed the Queen's neck, placing her hands on Regina's waist.
"I'm not sure you're holding on tightly enough for flying dragon-back," Regina murmured, her voice catching as Emma's kisses moved up to her ear.
"What a shame, do you want me to stop?" Emma whispered.
Regina shook her head, and Emma moved around to face her. Emma kissed her lips gently, then moved to the other side of Regina's neck with matching kisses for her previous ones.
"We have to be up early tomorrow, the less people who see a dragon flying out of the palace grounds the better," Regina reminded her.
"Can't you use magic to make us invisible?" Emma's hands moved over the back of Regina's dress looking for a way to remove it.
"Flying and landing spells seem to work, but using magic around a dragon can be... unpredictable at times. I prefer to keep the palace intact."
Emma laughed, "me too."
"We should remove the food before going to sleep, we don't want Red knocking on the door to collect it."
"I was hoping we could do more than just sleep," she smiled, picking up the plates and placing them back on the tray then putting it outside the door.
Regina kissed her when she returned, "it is getting late."
"Not that late," Emma pouted.
"We'll have a long day tomorrow. You think it's hard keeping up with Red, wait until you see much energy a dragon has."
"Fine," Emma bit her bottom lip, "but I'm sleeping here and I'm not wearing any of your nightgowns."
"You're going to sleep naked?"
"Why not?"
"I... I don't think I've ever tried that; it's just not done. What if there is an emergency in the middle of the night and we have to get out of bed immediately?"
"Unless the room is on fire, I'm sure it can wait. I'll keep my shirt next to the bed if it makes you feel better?"
"Are you sure you'll be comfortable?"
Emma smiled, her hope was that Regina would find her body too hard to resist if she brushed against it, "I'm sure I'll be fine and I'll leave before any of the servants can see me."