A/N Greetings to you all! Thanks for hanging in with me and reading my work. I was trying to think of another word other than "enjoy" but Microsoft's synonyms aren't doing it for me, but I'll give it a shot. I hope you take pleasure or benefit from this chapter.
Much gratitude in advance for your awesome reviews!
A good three weeks passed like the changing tides, some days crashing in with roaring waves while others drifted onward peacefully. Many days the Queen's thoughts were obscure resulting in sporadic displays of emotions ranging from apathy, rage, and sometimes strange tranquility. The calm dealings were most unusual and they began to pop up more often as time went on. One might say that the Evil Queen was finding comfort in her new companion.
The blonde's presence around the castle was now a familiar sight, but the rumors of whether or not she was truly princess of Lucia were not confirmed. As far as the general public knew, the Princess had gone missing at nearly the same time the Evil Queen found a new pet, an insanely gorgeous pet with an ill-mannered tongue.
The day was just like every other. Emma wouldn't see the Queen until later in the evening since political matters usually took up most of her morning. They had come so far as to share a meal with one another in the royal dining hall which had led to a rather interesting event of foul play underneath the table from the blonde one evening.
Nevertheless, there had to be mundane days thrown into the mix and today seemed like just that. The blonde had been informed the previous night that the brunette would be meeting with a long lost friend from another kingdom today, but the purpose was unknown. Emma could only hope that it wouldn't leave her in a bad moon.
It was nearly noon by the time she crawled out of bed. The fact that her sleep was unregulated most of the days was the icing on the cake. She rubbed the sand from her eyes and yawned loudly before propping her feet over the edge of the bed.
There was a momentary flicker of her nighttime dreams, but the events within them were gone by now. The only thing she remembered was her parents. Had it been another dream about home?
If anyone asked if her if she missed Lucia she would have denied it heavily, but the truth was she did miss some things. In an odd way she missed having to sneak around in order to do the things she wasn't allowed to do. She missed sneaking out to the barracks with the boys. She had Red to talk to when she could, but that still wasn't the same. As convenient was it was to have control over her own interests, she needed that thrill.
However, she had still been denied one certain curiosity and that was dark magic. Emma had thought that maybe Regina would teach her just a little bit about the forbidden arts, yet the Queen had made no attempt to bring up the subject again. What if Emma took it upon herself to find the Queen's books? A witch always had a book of spells, so where were they kept? She had only tried her bedchambers and library, but if such things were of secrecy that meant they would be kept somewhere safe, somewhere hidden.
Those thoughts vanished when her stomach let out a rumble. Placing her hand on her empty stomach, she frowned before finding an outfit for the day. She couldn't expect to sneak around if her stomach was running on empty.
The room was filled with an intense fog of discomfort as the Evil Queen sat across from her once good friend, Maleficent. It was a miracle that the blonde witch had even taken notice of her request let alone actually agreeing to this meeting.
Regina was well aware of the lurking demon of war awaiting her just around the corner and as much as she used to crave massacres in her name, she had to shamefully admit that the years had taken a toll on her. Her strength wasn't what it used to be compared to the days when she had the urge to enact vengeance for her late true love. Her army was diminished and she feared that the only thing holding her soldiers to her kingdom was the oath they had taken upon initiation. They knew breaking such an oath would result in instant death and wouldn't dare put their family in danger.
"Maleficent, I'm so glad that you accepted my invitation," Regina began as she handed the other woman a glass of fine spiced wine.
"I don't have time for your games, Regina. Cut to the chase and tell me what you want," Maleficent replied after she took a sip of wine from her goblet.
Setting her own on the table between them, the brunette sighed. She used to be such good friends with this woman so long ago, but that had ended when Regina stole the Dark Curse from her. The sleeping curse Maleficent had given her had failed which gave her a well enough reason to demand the Dark Curse back; however, it hadn't ended so well. As consequence, even after Regina decided not to use the curse, her dearest friend Maleficent refused to even turn her head towards the Dark Palace.
"I fear an old war is brewing once again. Obscuria's army isn't of vast power anymore and as much as I would hope that my control would be enough to hold it all together, I don't believe I could withstand another drawn out river of bloodshed alone."
The blonde witch scoffed.
"You have some nerve to ask for an alliance with me."
"I understand your anger, but isn't it time we moved on? I apologize for our last interaction even if it was over two decades ago. I truly have missed having a friend at my side."
"Then you shouldn't have stolen from me, Regina. All I was trying to do was protect you from hurting yourself."
The blonde usually work a wicked grin, but as the Queen looked upon her now she swore she saw an emotion akin to sadness. Maleficent was a lonely soul, perhaps lonelier than the Evil Queen, forever cursed to spend her days alone in her fortress that people only visited with intentions to steal; who else would ever dare visit the Forbidden Mountains?
"You're right; I shouldn't have done what I did, but I implore you to hear me out just this once. If you don't wish to join me then so be it; I will leave you to your own company from here on out."
"Alright, then. Tell me, Regina, what it is that you fear? Or should I ask who?"
"It's a bit more complicated. You see…" Regina trailed offed with an expression of guilt, pursing her lips, "I may have acquired something that isn't rightfully mine which has caused an uproar in the nearby kingdom of Lucia."
The blonde raised an eyebrow as she ran her finger along the rim of her glass before tilting her head.
"Of course it has to be Lucia. Haven't you had enough carnage between you both to last a lifetime?"
"Yes, yes. I do not wish to start another war with them, but with the way events have been playing out I am nearly positive the scales will try to balance out the disruption. My numbers have declined over the years due to various reasons and I dare not put trust in the Dark One for we know he will manipulate the situation to better only himself. Maleficent, you have been the only friend of mine and I dearly apologize for the events that led to our fall out."
"The Dark One," the witch laughed, "That is why you want me at your side."
"You know very well that, with the right price, he will aid whoever comes to him and I'm sure the Charming's will pay him a mountain of gold if they have to."
The room fell into an easy silence to allow the words to sink in. Maleficent sat back in her chair, bringing a hand to her lips as she formulated a proposal. A friend, preferably a familiar one, would be a nice thing to have.
"I will offer aid in whatever way I can if the time ever comes for war if you agree to give me the Dark Curse back."
The brunette tensed.
"What use is the Dark Curse to you now?"
"It's rightfully mine," Maleficent retorted with annoyance, "I want it back."
Taking a moment to run over the possibilities of the witch using the Dark Curse at some point, Regina took a rather large sip of her wine. It wasn't of any true use to her now was it? To either of them? However, it was indeed one of the most dreadful concoctions ever made. Regina's lip twitched at old thoughts, of how the Dark One had convinced her not to enact the curse after she went through the trouble of it failing the first time.
She opened her lips to speak, but the sudden disturbance of the doors being pushed open startled her to silence. Both women looked over to see the Queen's loyal servant, Graham, out of breath at the entrance of the room.
"What is the meaning of this?" Regina demanded and rose from her seat.
"Sincerest apologies, Your Majesty, but I believe this requires your attention."
"What requires my attention?"
Taking a quick glance over, it seemed that the huntsman had been running, but from where? From the other side of the palace? The sound of Maleficent snickering in the background only made the brunette's irritation heighten.
"The Princess," Graham replied with urgency.
The Princess had escaped. She had finally built up the courage to try and run from the Dark Palace despite the dreadful consequences. This place was too dark for her pure soul.
At least that's what the Evil Queen was thinking as she strode through the hallways. Graham had led her to the scene of the crime which happened to be in the garden. In front of her one of her guards was on the ground, his nose dripping with a color that matched the crimson roses around them. His helmet was off lying carelessly on the ground as his hands held onto his groin.
She heard the blonde before she saw her. Corn silk curls were flying as the pale woman vehemently fought against the pair of guards that were restraining her. Her teeth were bared in a deadly snarl, but when emerald eyes found the brunette's they softened for just a mere moment.
Her shirt hung open where buttons had been torn off from force and thin lines of blood marred her light skin as if she had fallen, or perhaps been pushed, into the rose thorns.
"Someone care to explain just what is going on here?" Regina inquired with a wicked flare in her eye.
"The whore was trying to escape," the man on the ground said with a voice an octave higher than usual, "I caught her trying to find a way out."
"Fucking liar!" Emma retorted with shrilling bark, "He came at me and shoved me—"
"Enough! Release her." the Queen barked at the both of them and turned her attention to the others, "Who saw what happened?"
When they loosened their hold, the blonde stumbled towards the Queen. She drew her arms around her own chest protectively.
"We heard noises," one of the men holding the princess said, "By the time we came around she was standing over him swinging her fists."
Emma tried to argue her case, but Regina silenced her by holding up a hand.
"Draven," the brunette looked down towards the man with the broken nose, "Did you lay hands on her?"
"I—my queen, no, she came at me—"
"Don't you dare lie to me!" her brown eyes flashed a threatening purple as she stood over him, "I can see the bruises and scratches you left. You know the consequences of touching things that belong to me."
"No! Please, Your Majesty!" he held up his hands, "It was a mistake and I—"
He was forced onto his knees with a flick of her wrist. His words turned into a gasp as his oxygen was cut off. The rose vines behind him came to life and wrapped around his throat tugging him back towards them. The razor blade thorns began digging into his flesh and he let out a cry.
"No!" Emma shrieked and tried to jump between them as if it could halt the magic at play, "Regina, don't!"
But Regina ignored her plea. Instead, she took her other hand and flung Emma back and held her in place with an invisible grasp. Screaming, Draven's hands went up to grab at the deathly bind, but it was too late. Crimson was spilling over his hands and a few seconds later he became still; the vines retreated and became lifeless once more. His body dropped like a pebble to the ground as red pooled around him.
There wasn't a sound from anyone. Even Emma had grown quiet as a rush of fear coursed through her. A man had just been murdered. Right in front of her. In cold blood.
"Clean up this mess," Regina ordered before she met the eyes of the blonde, still not releasing her from her hold.
That was the first time she had seen a true look of terror in those green eyes. A flurry of anger was swirling through her veins and she nearly turned on the young blonde, but she held her place and released her.
"Princess, go clean yourself up. I'll deal with you momentarily."
With shaky legs and a quick nod, she walked past the Queen and gave a quick glance to the unfamiliar woman that had been watching the entire scene with a wicked grin.
"My, my," Maleficent applauded slowly, "Now that was amusing, Your Majesty. Dare I ask how you acquired her?"
The brunette gritted her teeth. She swore she had told the witch she would be right back or come to think of it she probably forgot in the midst of things. At least now Maleficent could see that she was definitely still capable of settling issues.
"That business is none of your concern," Regina hissed.
"So be it," the blonde witch laughed, "I'll give you some time to cool off. My offer still stands, Regina. Come and find me when you have an answer. I'm sure our next talk will be exquisitely fascinating."
She tapped her staff onto the ground a disappeared from the Dark Palace leaving behind an echo of laughter.