A/N We've made it to the chapter I've been dying to publish. I've had bits and parts of this building up digital dust in a file and I'm so excited to finally stitch it into the storyline.

Thanks for everyone's feedback thus far. Enjoy ;D

"Emma? Emma, sweetheart, wake up."

The young blonde grumbled and nearly squealed as the thick curtains were pulled back to reveal an unwelcoming sun. Throwing the covers over her head, she muttered something that was beyond comprehension. This, however, failed to stop the maid.

"Johanna, please."

"I let you sleep in yesterday. I won't have your mother on me for trying to be nice to you. Now come on," the older woman grabbed at the sheets and yanked them down, her eyes falling on the teenager's choice of sleepwear. Was it so hard for the girl to throw on a pair of pants?

Unwillingly, the blonde finally sat up, her hair matted and wild like a lion's mane. She stretched he arms before hanging her legs off of the bed with sleepy hesitation.

"Please tell me there is something exciting today?"

"Your mother has informed me that after breakfast you'll be attending court." Emma groaned again. "You're coming of age, Emma. It's about time that you learn how the kingdom works."

"But I don't care how the kingdom works. Don't you see? This life isn't me! I don't care about fancy dresses, galas, and I especially don't see the reasoning for listening to villagers beg for land or offer eggs from their precious, prized chicken."

The bed creaked as Johanna sat down beside the blonde and placed a comforting hand upon her back. If Emma dared speak this way to her father she would most likely end up in an hour long lecture on how it isn't her choice. She is a princess that will one day be queen. It is in her blood regardless of how much she wants to put up a fight.

But Johanna was different. She listened to Emma and sympathized with her. She let her sneak off to the training courters to sword fight or learn how to ride horses. She let her sleep in for an hour or two and let her have a bit more sugary treats than her mother would have approved of.

There was a loud groan as the young blonde sat up, her eyes blinded by the start of a new day and still frozen with the visions of her prior days. Her limbs felt ancient and she knew that it was going to take a few minutes before she could stand on her feet securely. Grabbing at her head, she pulled away strands of grass that had meshed with her curls and grunted again as each movement produced a straining pain.

"Wouldn't hurt me, my ass," she hissed to the open air and looked down at the diagonal cut across her palm that was surely to become infected with dirt. If she ever saw the huntsman again she would make sure he knew that being a princess was only a title and she could surely kick his ass into kingdom come.

When finally on her feet, she looked over towards the land of Obscuria and then back to Lucia where she stood. This was her chance. She could turn back now and forget she ever came here. Lie to her parents and make up some silly story about running off and getting lost.

Or she could disobey the Evil Queen. She could step over the line that divided the kingdoms. Furry forest critters, which her mother would have adored, noticeably avoided the dying land as if it were the plague (which quite honestly could have been a plausible argument).

She closed her eyes, took in a deep breath of fresh, pure air, and stepped over back into the land she would soon call home. Unaware of the chaos she was stirring she marched forward and followed the path she traveled with Graham.

After finding a small creak that ran through the forest, she thoroughly rinsed off her wounded palm before splashing her face with the chilly water. If the water was poisoned from flowing through the dark trees then she was oblivious.

It was when she stood to her feet that she became aware that she wasn't alone. Her hand instinctively went to the hilt of her sword before remembering it was stripped from her in the Dark Palace.

"You were given a very clear order, Princess."

She frowned at the familiar face staring at her and crossed her arms.

"Graham, how did you find me?"

"The potion had a charm on it that would alert me if you were to step into Obscuria again."

The huntsman took a few steps towards her, his jaw tight and his eyes unreadable.

"Run," he simply stated and her forehead creased, "run back and I'll say you crossed over before I could find you."

Not willing to back down despite being unarmed, she advanced until she was only a foot away from him.

"No. Take me back."

"I can't do that."

"You will."

"…Princess."

With sudden enragement, she lunged forward and went for his knife. The element of surprise was on her side and he was backed into barbed bushes with the edge of the blade against his throat.

"I am not a princess anymore. My name is Emma."

"Don't do this Emma," there was no fear, no hesitation, and he didn't move, "Save yourself while you still can. You don't understand what the Evil Queen is capable of."

"Then make me understand," she growled and added pressure to his neck.

"You saw what she did to Red."

She abruptly shivered remembering the werewolf's dark eyes as they dragged her away. Her hand that held the knife loosened and she drew it away.

"Is she okay?"

He rubbed at his neck.

"I have no knowledge of what has been done to her."

"You have to take me back there, Graham. If not for me then for Red. I got her into this mess."

"You do realize that this mistake may very well result in another war?"

"I won't let that happen. I'll talk to the Queen. I'll get her to understand why I am here and send a message to my parents that I'm okay."

He shook his head with a large sight. Emma stepped back realizing that the hostility between them had died out.

"This isn't a tale written in black and white. Things don't work like that."

"Then I'll make them. I'm tired of this feud that I know nothing about. I'm tired of Lucia skipping around the shadows and hiding when the moon comes out. I won't let there be a war. I'm here to find the truth."

Graham looked at her, studied her for a long moment as if he were coming to a realization of something astounding, but wasn't sure if it were true. She spoke as if she were here to mend this broken land.

The Savior shall reunite departed kingdoms to be gilded in gold.

But Emma wasn't a savior. She was simply the product of true love, bounded by her parent's over protectiveness. She was looking for an adventure. She was dabbling in the unknown because it gave her a thrill that she couldn't find elsewhere. Nevertheless, just as Red had said, he couldn't sway her. Her heart was set on some wild fantasy and so he fed the flames and took her back to the Dark Palace.

The second arrival to the palace wasn't nearly as pleasant. Graham was holding her in a way that looked as if she had been captured, a rope tied loosely around her arms but only for looks. The huntsman wasn't sure what he was doing. He had been given orders to kill her, but failed to comply. Without doubt the consequences would be dire.

The guards watched the young blonde with hungry eyes. There weren't very many attractive women in Obscuria and the ones that could turn a head or two had been claimed by the Queen. Needless, Emma kept her gaze on the marble beneath her until they arrived in the throne room.

Regina's eyebrows rose and her brown eyes widened.

"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded.

With an unneeded force, Graham shoved the blonde forward and she fell onto her knees with a hiss. She really should have kicked his ass earlier.

"Your Majesty, against your command the princess returned."

"I was already aware of this, you fool. What I meant was why is she still alive?"

In a matter of seconds the Queen was all but gliding across the marble with her long crimson dress. Emma tried to keep her eyes downward, but they were drawn to the swell of her bosom that the perfectly tailored dress displayed ever so well. She swallowed nervously.

"She—"

"—Enough. I don't care to hear your excuses Graham. I hope you realize that you're walking on thin ice. If you ever fail to comply again I'll have you tossed out to the wolves. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

With a quick dismissal, the Huntsman left their presence. It was now the Evil Queen and Emma.

"On your feet," Regina demanded and she waved her hand in the air. The rope that loosely bounded pale hands vanished. "Are you aware, princess, of the things that happen to people who cross me?" the Queen said bitterly as she circled around her enemy's daughter. She had always wanted to get back at Snow White for ruining her life, but never expected for their cherished prize to come walking into her own castle.

Bright green eyes followed the Queen whose dark hair was pulled up in the front, but cascaded down her back. She seemed entranced by the shadowy, caramel eyes that were locked with hers. The dark energy that the Queen gave off reverberated through the air and wrapped around the young blonde to the point where she wanted to shrink back, yet couldn't find herself able to move.

Had the Queen cast a spell on her? Or was her own selfish body, as well as mind, betraying her? Mother and father had both warned her countless times about the Evil Queen. She was nothing but a soulless ruler who cared not an ounce for the people who she reigned over. She thrived on their pain and suffering as she waltz around in her huge castle.

Wasn't she lonely?

That was a question Emma had seemed to be hooked on since the day she came to realization that the Queen was shunned by all. What ever could she have done to become so hated? She had once tried asking her parents this and was granted only one response, along with a mortified look.

"Emma, the Queen knows nothing of love. Her heart has been sucked dry by the darkness she has given in to."

So that was it? It was all to blame on the Dark Arts? She had studied up on the craft in secrecy within the royal library, but she still felt that there was more to the story than she was being told.

Why was she here? Was it just to find out the secrets that the Evil Queen was hiding? All to understand why the Charming's and the rest of the kingdom loathed even the utterance of her name?

A slender, manicured finger slid underneath the younger woman's chin as if she were studying her.

"Why are you here, dear? You seem very reluctant to obey my command of keeping away."

The breath of the brunette's wisped across the air and struck Emma down to the core. It was a new breath of life. Of destruction.

The blonde found herself lost for words. Green eyes landed on red lips as her own parted. A sharp nail across her cheek and she met dark coals once more.

"I needed to meet you."

She could have slapped herself. That was all she could muster up? A pink appeared between her pearly whites and brown eyes followed it.

"And so you've gotten your wish, my dear, but that still doesn't explain why you came back. Why is the daughter of the Charming's standing in my palace after I clearly told you to leave? Don't you have any idea—?"

"—how wicked you are? Yes, I've heard several stories, Your Majesty."

The brunette was stunned at the audacity of the young woman. A small grin cracked across pale flesh; she could almost feel the annoyance flickering against her skin.

"I should have you beheaded or better yet I could take your heart and make you my slave for all eternity, but why would I need to enslave someone who willingly walked into my kingdom?"

Regina raised a hand to her head where her left temple was visibly throbbing. Emma frowned.

"Your parents must miss you dearly."

The blonde shrugged.

"I left on my own accord."

A perfectly shaped eyebrow raised high at that. Was she lying through her teeth, trying to find her way into the heart of Obscuria? Or was this the truth?

"You ran away?"

Emma nodded.

Without a much needed examination the brunette could see as plain as day that the princess was far more masculine than what she had expected, bearing not a fine made dress but leather trousers and a simple cotton blouse that was stained with dirt. Her stance was strong and she seemed to portray more of a demeanor for battle than dance.

It intrigued her.

"I do hope you weren't planning on leaving, dear." Before Emma could say anything else, Regina turned on her heels swiftly and called over her shoulders to a set of knights that stood by the entrance. "Bring her back to my chambers. I want to have a better look at my new toy."

Emma's jaw dropped, astounded at what she just heard.

"Excuse me? I am nobody's—"

Strong, masculine hands grabbed at her elbows. Emma instantly started to fight back, not taking enjoyment in this whatsoever. She was unaware of the smirk playing across Regina's face.

She was led through another door located behind the throne that led to a long hallway. Bruises were forming from the pressure of the men's hold as she continued to fight against them.

When they finally came to a set of double doors, it opened without physical contact. They threw her into the room where the Queen stood and she nearly fell again.

If someone shoves me one more fucking time, Emma thought maddeningly.

"Did I tell you, you could manhandle her?"

She narrowed in on one of the men and his eyes went wide with terror. He thought that since the queen had allowed them to grab the blonde that it was alright to toss her like a piece of trash. Besides, she wasn't anything special right? She wasn't in the safety of Lucia anymore.

"I—my queen I'm sorry, I just thought that—"

"—Silence."

She threw her hand at him and in a wisp of smoke that wrapped around his neck he dropped to the ground gasping for air.

When the chamber doors slammed, she turned around to find Emma standing there with a straight back, looking at her with caution. Yet she wasn't afraid. It was a curious observation. The brunette walked up towards the blonde, examining her with a fine eye.

"Undress."

"What?"

The shock in her voice was so strong that it almost made the Queen chuckle; instead, she kept her voice strong and demanding.

"Do not make me repeat myself."

"I am nobody's—" her words were cut off as the queen flicked her wrist, causing the blonde to go flying towards the nearest wall. A loud breath of air was taken out of the younger woman as her back collided with cold stone. Her limbs mechanically went to move, yet she found them bound by an unknown force once again.

There was the fear Regina was looking for.

You've never interfered with magic before have you, my dear? She mused, oh, how your parents must have sheltered you in that deathly oblivion of a kingdom.

The brunette took a few short strides as if she were gliding across the floor before she stood in front of the princess, taking her pale chin between sharp, manicured fingers with force.

"Let me tell you something, princess. The moment you walked into my kingdom willingly you lost every allegiance to are mine, do you hear me?"

She glared darkly into the blonde's green eyes that had begun to narrow in frustration. Emma bit down on her lip and kept silent. This was an unforeseen occurrence. Not many were willing to stand against the Queen especially for the fear of her magic being used on them.

Pale limbs were released, the sudden action taking Emma off guard, and caused her to stumble onto her knees.

"Now, do as I said," Regina commanded as the blonde began to rise back up.

Never would she have imagined having Snow White's daughter in her bedchambers, but after she had gotten a good look at the young woman she realized that perhaps there could be some fun in these strange events. She would love to corrupt their most beloved, pure daughter. Their only daughter.

"No."

Brown eyes flashed with vicious anger, her hand slipping into golden locks. She pulled her up forcefully by thick curls and yanked backwards causing the pale skin of the woman's neck to be shown, yet green eyes remained trained on the brunette's.

"How dare you!" Regina hissed and pulled the blonde forward, moving to the side to toss the younger woman towards the other wall.

Before the princess could fly into the stones, the blonde disappeared from her bed chambers in a puff of purple smoke.

Emma felt an odd tingling around her body as a strange purple smoke surrounded her. The pain of the impact was expected when she collided against the wall, but when she opened up her eyes she found herself somewhere other than the Queen's room.

Her breathing was short and heavy as she looked around wide-eyed at her new surroundings. It was dark, save for a torch burning on the outside of what looked like bars. The stench was horrendous, smelling of rats and decay, and when she took a step forward, the ground wasn't carpet. Instead, her feet scuffed against dirt and hay that made up the floor of what looked to be the dungeon.

"...what?" Emma whispered to the darkness.

How the hell did I get here? but just as soon as she thought it, she recalled the fact that this older woman had magic. It wasn't something she was particularly used to at all, for the only magic that was used in her parent's kingdom was for healing. She fell down to her feet as sudden exhaustion hit her. This wasn't what she had expected, but shouldn't it have been? This had actually been far better than the stories she had heard, so why was she so stunned?

Taking just a few more seconds to take in her environment, she was able to spot a pair of shackles on the far side of the wall along with several gashes through the stone. Whatever had done that damage was surely not human. Perhaps werewolf?

"I don't mean to pry, my queen," said a voice from the vanity mirror, "but was that the Princess?"

Brown eyes snapped towards the man in the reflection as she shook out her hands. Anger was coursing through her so quickly that she wasn't quite sure how to respond.

"What have I told you about bothering me?"

He glanced downward for a moment at whatever it was he could see from his position.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I'm just a bit concerned about the repercussions of her being held captive."

"Held captive?" she marched over towards the blue tinted man, regretfully wishing that his wish hadn't caused him to end up in a mirror of all things for there were times where she could have strangled him, "She was the one who sought me out for reasons I don't dare understand."

Pulling out the chair at her vanity, she slumped down in it with exhaustion.

"She could have been sent as a trap."

"I thought so at first, but come to think about it they wouldn't let their precious daughter out of their sight let alone even a hundred miles to my kingdom."

"Point taken."

"If anything, Red and her pack have turned against me and have sought to bring war to our lands once more and I won't have that."

"Do you plan to have them executed?"

"Not yet. I value Red far too much to jump to conclusions so fast. For now I want you to keep an eye on her."

"As you wish. How long has it been since you laid eyes on the child?"

"Oh, it's been forever."

Her mind faded into the memory of the encounter with the Charming's and the sight of the little girl. The innocence hung off of her like a warm glow that made her cringe, yet seemed to pull her. She had wondered how easily it would be to corrupt such a child, but those had been mere thoughts. Yet now here the blonde was in her castle, innocence still there like a thread yet something had changed.

It was strange. Curious. The princess had acquired her mother's rogue side it had seemed, yet instead of being repulsed by the spawn of her sworn enemy, she was intrigued.

"How long are you planning to keep her down there?" the mirror-man asked.

"Long enough for her to realize just who I am."

Resting her head onto her hand, she waved the other on in dismissal.

"Be gone, Sydney. I have a headache. And watch the girls; let me know of anything peculiar."

"As you wish, my Queen."

"You came back," said a very familiar voice from the darkness giving the blonde quite a stir. "Over here."

She squinted until she was able to see a woman in the cell across from her.

"Red! You're alive."

"Quiet. Don't attract the guards. They already have enough fun taunting us."

"Red, I am so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen. I just wanted to—"

"Why did you come back?" Emma silenced. "It's alright. You don't have to tell me. As a matter of fact don't say a word. There are ears and eyes everywhere."

"What did she do to you?" Emma whispered even though she was just told not to.

Although it was dark, the blonde could make out the raggedy tunic in and a nasty gash across the werewolf's forehead.

"She took what she gave me. My freedom and now I'm back to where I started."

"You can't change anymore?"

"Only during a full moon now and without the insignia I'm not sure if I can control the wolf."

Emma scuffed her boot on the floor in frustration and shame. This was her fault.

"You should try and sleep. There is no telling what the Queen as in store for you."

"She won't keep me down here?"

Red laughed bitterly and it sent shivers down the younger woman's spine.

"That would be a blessing."

They both grew silent and after a deep stare into the dark Emma's vision began to blur and she rolled back her head until she felt the cold stone. Why had she come here? But the worst question had yet been asked. What was to come for her? The questions were lost to the darkness of the damp cell as her consciousness fizzled away.