We are changing gears here with this chapter, hold onto your hats!


The room was spotless, not an impurity in sight. It was always stark quiet, when she regained consciousness, wind softly tussling her hair as her eyes fluttered open. A few seconds would pass where she lay in peace, her thoughts clear as the crystal blue sky out her balcony window. Then the pit in her stomach would give her a prick of pain, followed by the dull taste of iron in the back of her throat. Still, she savored these moments of calm, knowing that it would be squelched in a short matter of time. This time, disruption came sooner than later- the doors to her bedroom swung open, revealing two maids dressed in uniform.

"Good morning, Mistress," one of them spoke as she forced herself upright. Her voice was without feeling or sentiment.

They dressed her without exchanging words, her eyes fixated on the wall in front of her as they created their perfect image of a queen. She then followed them out of the room and down the corridor, holding her head up high as a queen should. Others mulled about around her as they walked onward, each only concerned with their own tasks. The maids opened massive French doors that revealed the royal dining hall, making for a grand entrance as the young woman walked through.

Her husband the King was seated at the head of the long table, a brilliant array of food before him. He didn't look up until she was a mere ten feet away from him, smiling coldly as he sipped his wine.

"Ah, I've been waiting for you," he remarked as she took a seat adjacent from him, "you must try this ham, it is simply divine."

She obeyed, cutting the meat into small pieces and forcing them down her throat. It tasted like nothing and only made her stomach clench even tighter.

"I have a meeting with the small council today," he began, "then I figured I should begin strategizing on how to strengthen our military defense. My subjects deserve a ruler who keeps his promise about getting things done."

She caught his eyes with hers and provided an expression of encouragement. "You're a wonderful King, everyone in the kingdom believes it."

A lively laugh then filled the air, one that belonged to a petite girl in a white flowing dress who came into the room exuding purity and happiness. She took a seat across from the young woman, perched with her legs tucked beneath her so she could better reach the food.

"I had the most beautiful dream last night Father," the girl stared passionately, her dark hair falling over her eyes as she leaned over the table. "I was picking flowers in the field, and the sun was so bright up ahead."

Her father appeared soothed by her words, admiring her childlike innocence as she began to eat.

"Sounds wonderful, my dear." He replied, finishing off his wine and gesturing towards one of the servants. "I must tend to some things now- I'll see you later today for tea in the garden."

Once he left, the girl stuck to the woman like glue. She looked at the world through wondrous eyes, everything new and exciting.

"Why do you think the sky is blue?"

The question pulled the woman's attention away from the outside world, where she sat on the windowsill of the library. She gave the child an incoherent answer. The sound of her voice seemed to dilute her thoughts, so much that, for a moment, she didn't know who she was.

Finally the child left her alone, after an unprecedented amount of time, and she returned to her bedroom chambers. With the door protectively shutting out the rest of the castle, the woman began collecting water for a bath. As she did so, she caught a reflection of herself in the mirror. The sight mesmerized her completely; her eyes appeared sunken and lifeless, her skin desaturated in color and devoid of any character. She truly hated herself, though not able to even emote feelings of disdain. Her mere existence seemed to only be a formality to her mother, the King, and his child.

She undressed and stepped into the bath, the heat easing her exhaustion as she brought her knees to her chest. Although she finally had time alone, the expectations everyone had of her hung around her like a thick cloud. Memories from the past intermingled with the present, creating a sticky mess inside of her head that couldn't be undone. She didn't even know what day of the week it was.

Soon the heat from the bath dissipated, leaving the water unpleasantly lukewarm. No amount of soap could cause her to feel any less filthy. She eventually gathered the strength to stand up and throw a robe over her shoulders, fetching a brush for her hair. When she reentered her bedchamber, she quickly froze in place, her eyes wide with shock upon the sight before her. A blonde woman in a red jacket stood in at the heart of the room; she appeared just as stunned as she did.

Emma had prepared herself for anything that could be thrown at her concerning where her friend could've ended up, but when she first saw her then, all the blood seemed to drain from her body at once. She wasn't just young, she was a child, barely an adult, her stature not only small but so feeble it seemed a gust of wind would cease her livelihood entirely. Automatically she recognized her as Regina, but there was something so brazenly unsettling about her demeanor. It left Emma perturbed, absolutely unable to formulate words in response to her being there.

"W-who are you? How did you get in here?"

Even her usual direct tone was flimsy and uncharged. Emma thought she'd be sick.

"Yeah, um... sorry for barging in, but I have a few things I need to say. You should sit down."

The woman narrowed her eyes, which managed to provide a small amount of familiarity to Emma.

"You can't barge into my chamber and demand to talk to me. I'm expected at the small council in an hour, if anyone sees you in here-"

"Then we have an hour," Emma reasoned, "but I was serious about sitting down- I have a lot to say."

She slowly obeyed, taking a seat on one of her velvet couches and abandoning her brush. Emma came and beside her, caught between timidness and a desire to throw her arms around the poor girl. Whoever this Regina was seemed to be a total inverse of the one she knew well, a rare reveal of fear that showed itself in front of her then.

"I'm from another realm," Emma began warily, nervous of every word that left her mouth. "And, it's hard to explain, but I know you from this other realm. Someone trapped you here, and unless I get you out, you'll be stuck here forever."

She immediately regretted what she said, for the confused look on the girl's face only deepened. "You sound completely insane. I am the queen and I am loyal to my husband. This was the life I was destined to live, and I have certainly never met you before."

Those were words the Regina she knew would say, expressed in a very childlike manor.

"I really hope you regain your memories when we get back." Emma said softly, reaching for her wrist and clutching it tightly. The spell was well rehearsed in her mind; saying it out loud felt like a Hail Mary, a desperate attempt at leaving the hell she had entered.

"Let me go!" Emma heard her cry out, making her reopen her eyes.

She wrenched her wrist out from the blonde woman's grip, a terrified expression on her face. "Please go- if my Mother sees you here, she'll be angry with me-"

"Why didn't it work?" Emma said aloud, "the spell should have worked!"

She watched the fragile girl stand on her feet and back away from her as if she were the instigator of all her pain and suffering. Nobody had ever looked at Emma like that before. It was in that moment she knew- they could only leave if Regina once again believed in herself.

"You have magic? Oh, you really must go, plea-" before she could finish her sentence, she fell swiftly to the floor, a crumpled heap of skin and bones. When her eyes fluttered open again, the blonde woman had moved her to the bed, looking mortified down at her.

"How are you surviving in a place like this?" She asked, tenderly brushing her hair from her face.

She automatically tried sitting up, still threatened by the mysterious woman. Emma stopped her.

"I know you don't believe me, but I do know who you'll become. We're friends, and right now you're in trouble. I can get you out of here, if you'd let me."

To that, the young woman didn't know how to respond. Wherever she was from, the threat of her magic was not to be trusted. She took deeper breaths to keep her head from spinning.

"There isn't anywhere else I belong than right here, this is my fate."

Her words were gutting. Before Emma had a chance at convincing her again, the chamber doors opened, making both of them jump. The man who entered was none other than King Leopold himself; Emma quickly connected the dots and realized she was in the same room as her grandfather.

She backed away from the bed, though she quickly realized that he wasn't aware of her presence.

"I've been looking all over for you!" He exclaimed, "why on earth are you in bed, it's the middle of the afternoon."

The brunette seemed just as confused as Emma, wondering why she was invisible to him. "I- I wasn't feeling well." She stammered, standing up and facing him. "But I'm feeling much better now."

He only seemed to be occupied by the fact that she was only wearing a bathrobe. "You seem a bit off today, my love."

Putting a hand on her shoulder, he took a second to look her over. "You should put some color on your cheeks before the council meeting, you look dreadfully washed out."

He then turned back towards the door. "I'll see you there."

He exited as quickly as he entered, leaving both women feeling like they could breathe again. As unsettling and strange as this hell was, it only worsened with each passing moment.

Emma watched as the younger woman walked over to the vanity began to brush her hair frantically, knowing she didn't have much time.

"Does he talk like that to you often?" She asked, still in shock of the brief ordeal herself.

She locked eyes with her reflection in the vanity mirror, catching a sense of the repressed sadness as she did so.

"He's the King, he can do or say whatever he pleases."

Emma was beginning to panic- how was she going to convince her that her life could be so much more?

She watched her quietly for a minute or two as she swiftly applied makeup and touched up her hair.

"Is this what you do every day?" Emma asked, taking a seat back on the couch.

"Depends on what Leopold has planned for the day, but yes. I also look after his daughter when her nanny needs a break."

Dresses soon were sifted through in the closet; it was somewhat of a comfort that Regina still had the ability to look impeccable wherever she went.

"Snow White?" The blonde couldn't help but crack a smile. "How old is she?"

The young Regina seemed caught in an inner debate about which gown to wear. "Just turned eleven. Everyone loves her."

Emma certainly noted the annoyance in her voice that she knew would be there. "I'd pick the blue one- it'll help with your complexion."

Before she could object, Emma snapped her fingers and instantly the dress was on her body. The young woman's eyes narrowed in frustration; she truly hated magic.

"Are you finally going to listen to me and leave me alone?" She challenged, "I really do have to get going."

"Why do you even need to go?"

The look she was given was one of complete disbelief. "Because I have duties, and attending all meetings is one of them."

She gave herself one last look over in the mirror. Emma knew she could lose her soon.

"Starving yourself isn't going to prove any sort of point, you know."

Her expression turned cold. "That's my business. Now, go back to wherever you came from."

With that, she disappeared out the door and left Emma alone in the ornate room. The stillness of everything quickly became haunting and unbearable; she had no place being there, every fiber of her being misplaced and begging for normality. Still, Emma's curiosity was outweighing all the other factors- she couldn't give up that easily.

So she began down the impossibly long hallway, praying that she was going unnoticed by everyone. As she wandered through corridors and various rooms of the castle, she encountered many servants, chefs, and maids, all frantically working under the same man. The deeper she went, the more curious she became about the life that Regina once lived.

"What took you so long?" A voice sounded, one that was overbearing and cams from a woman. Something inside Emma knew instantly who that voice belonged to- she halted her walking and pressed her back to the left hallway wall, peering around the corner to see Cora Mills quickly breeze by, the King at her side. Emma had to hurry her pace to keep up with the two.

They entered a small room that seemed to serve no propose except for storage. The blonde slipped through the door before it closed, keeping her breathing as quiet as possible in fear that one of them would notice her. Thankfully, they didn't.

"I really don't have time for this, they're expecting me in the council room as we speak."

Cora was noticeably irritated, her stance resonating anger and power. "She's gotten remarkably better in the last few weeks- she cares for that daughter of yours very well."

The King was equally frustrated. "Maybe so, but I still can't have a conversation with her about anything- she acts like spending time with me is the worst punishment imaginable. You promised me a woman who would give me everything I wanted-"

"And she will!" Cora hissed back, "she knows her place and does what she's told, what more could you want?"

He let silence fall between them for a moment as he glanced down at the ground in thought. When his eyes once again met hers, there was a certain darkness that appeared. "She needs to give me a child. As much as I love Snow, this kingdom needs a male successor."

"And you two are working on that, so I would imagine it's bound to happen one of these days."

"I really thought our relationship would be more... I don't know, lively, I suppose. She could never replace my Eva, but that doesn't mean we have to live in such sterile agony, right?"

"Well then charm her, get to know her, I shouldn't have to be the one to tell you this. Be the man I once knew you to be, all those years ago."

Emma stood in disbelief, her blood feeling frozen in her veins as the King leaned forward to place his lips on hers, the act unsanctified and scathing.

"I must go, I'm horribly late." Leopold told her in a hushed tone, reaching for the doorknob and exiting quickly.

Emma and Cora remained, engaged in a delicate dance with one another from their respective places within the small room. She wondered what was going through the older woman's head as she stood solemnly, looking at nothing. Having encountered her in the Enchanted Forest all those years ago, she knew a bit about how twisted and powerful she was.

Suddenly, Cora cast her eyes upwards, right in Emma's direction just a few feet away. In that moment, she was the most terrified she had ever been.

"Who's there?" Her voice was dark and direct.

Emma backed away swiftly, reciting the spell and squeezing her eyes shut. Her reality soon switched to black, though the image of Cora coming towards her with a fiery evil in her eyes remained.

Her body lurched forward as she took a shaky breath, feeling the touch of many hands on her at once and her name shouted. Though all of her senses returned to her, Emma found herself unable to speak as her eyes tried focusing on blurry images of her family. She also heard Regina's name being called- she leaned over to find her lying motionless beside her, Roland's desperate cries filling her mind with dread.

She was still trapped in her hell; the savior had failed.