A/N Hey everyone! Thank you so much for all your reviews. I'm glad that many of you are still interested in this story! I hope this chapter reads well. Please don't forget to review! Much love 3
"I've been walking this road of desire,
I've been begging for blood on the wall.
I don't care if I'm playing with fire,
I'm aware that I'm frozen inside.
I have known all along."
-Within Temptation
The crowd that stands before the Evil Queen is grand; even grander is the distinction between peasant and ruler. Their clothes resembled the color of earth. Or was that actual dirt? Emma couldn't tell from where she stood near the powerful brunette. Regina had assembled the population of Obscuria in order to put at ease the rumors that were flying around like moths to an open flame. Emma wondered if the people in the far back of the crowd could hear her as she spoke, but of course this was Regina. Her voice could carry across the mountain if she so wished it.
Regina confirmed the rumors of the princess's presence. Emma could feel the eyes of many burning into her as they took in just who she was.
"It is true that Obscuria is to go to war with Lucia. This is not a decision I have made, but a decision I was forced into by the demands of Lucia. They claim I have something they rightfully possess. Yes, the princess is here within my walls, but on her own will. This false accusation is but another reason we can never be fully at peace with Lucia. The princess has chosen to be here and they want to wage a war against me for that? What right have they to claim their daughter's freewill?" the power in the brunette's voice sent a tantalizing shiver down the blonde's spine, "Lucia claims to be about light and love, yet here they stand denying the heart of their child like she's a possession, an object to own. Those hypocrites will pay for declaring war on this kingdom."
The Queen paused for a moment to allow the audience to take in what she had said, and then raised her hand for them to silence. Behind her, the huntsman stood off to the side with his arms across his chest eyeing the blonde with derision. His eye was still dark from their encounter. Noticing his stare, Emma met it with a thin smirk only to quickly divert her attention back to the Evil Queen.
"I'm here before you all today," Regina started again, "to ask for those of you with strength and bravery to pledge your allegiance to me. Fight in my army, become an obsidian soldier, and stand by me. We will shatter their light and plunge them into darkness!"
The intensity of her speech made many of the darker souls in the crowd cheer, raising their fists in the heat of the moment, but off to the side there was a stirring of words. A grizzly man with a long, grey bird pushed through and stood in front of his Queen, before turning to the crowd to address them himself.
"And why should we die for her?" it was lost on which her he was referring to, but the brunette's nostrils flared wildly, "The Queen has left us with nothing but sorrow and despair. Look at our children! They're famished, skin and bone. And she wants us to put down our lives so that our children can be orphaned? What has she ever given us in return?"
Many eyes widened at this man's words. Brave he was, but surely a fool to speak out right in front of the Evil Queen.
"How dare you," the brunette boomed, causing the man to turn around. If fear engulfed him, his eyes remained stoic, "speaking to my people as if you're anything. A brave soul indeed. But a stupid one."
She spat the last words as if they were fire on her tongue and lifted her hands. As she did, the ground from beneath the man rose up and engulfed his feet, all the way up to his knees, freezing him in place like a tree. She laughed when his eyes flashed with panic. The entire courtyard grew silent, all eyes on this horrific scene as they all knew how these kinds of affairs ended; she would make an example out of him.
"I could have demanded soldiers," Regina spoke to him and the crowd, "I could have taken your children to fight for me, but it seems that you have interpreted my kindness as a crack in my shell. You are surely mistaken."
Brown, caramel eyes were engulfed by a sinister violet; her fingers danced an elegant swirl and from her palm appeared a ball of fire. Pulling her hand back, and setting her aim, she grinned at the thought of this man burning alive before the entire kingdom.
A soft, cool pair of hands touched her wrist.
"Regina," Emma whispered low enough for the both of them only to hear, "don't."
Those two words. That's all it took as the flaming sphere disappeared. Her eyes became brown once again, but a look of bewilderment took place of the anger. She gazed at her hand, at Emma, and then at the man who was still anchored to the earth.
Regina had never relented to another before, not when it came to someone mocking her power, but the moment those words were spoken, the anger inside of her dissipated as if it were never there.
What are you doing to me?
As Regina was still at loss for what to do, let alone say, the blonde turned her attention towards the silent crowd and spoke to them as she had seen her parents do time and time again.
"Those of you who volunteer to join the Queen's army," she ignored the perplexed, aghast gaze of the older woman as she spoke, "will be provided with ample nourishment and a place to sleep. Your bravery will stand as a sign that we will not give in to the demands of Lucia. Obscuria is my home. And I will fight to keep it so. We will demand riches and fertile soil from Lucia; I know they have more than enough to go around."
After she wrapped up her words, she could feel the Evil Queen's gaze burning a hole into her skull. Before the brunette could reprimand her, one man stepped up from the crowd and kneeled before his Majesty.
"I pledge my allegiance to you, Your Majesty."
Then another, this time a girl barely old enough to be an adult, stepped up. Followed by another. Then another. Soon there were dozens of villagers pledging their lives for the war that was about to be unleashed.
The Evil Queen couldn't speak; instead, she turned her back towards them and motioned for the Huntsman to round up the newest militia and take them to the barracks.
"See my Queen?" the mirrored genie spoke in an I-told-you-so manner, "She wants your kingdom. Did you see the way she spoke to your people?"
Regina was pacing back and forth in her room, nostrils flaring at his words. There was an aura of darkness dancing around her, making her skin glow with magic. Was Sydney right? Was this entire war just a ruse? Emma's plan all along?
"I'm sorry, but the girl is making you feeble, Your Majesty," the mirror continued, "The entire kingdom saw you have mercy on that traitorous peasant and do you know what that could do? Think about the uprisings once they realize you've fallen prey to the beck and call of a princess? She will be your downfall."
"Silence!" Regina screamed and saw him flinch as if her words could hurt him.
She was angry. So angry. She wanted to despise that blonde for tearing off her armor, but there that wasn't the only anger she felt. The moment the genie's words had hit her ears she wanted to shatter the mirror into a million pieces. To make him stop. To silence his words against the princess.
What? Why?
Regina wanted to defend Emma, but why was that? Wasn't the mirror's words true? The authoritative power she once reigned with was slipping and that slip was driving her into madness. One part of her wanted to keep letting the bricks fall away, to see what the sun looked like through the high walls that she had built. She couldn't voice what it was that Emma was doing to her, but she knew she had never felt this way before. At least not in so long. There had never been anyone able to bring her down from her fury; the consequences of doing so would have turned the tables onto that victim instead, but she had stopped in her tracks. One touch. Two words. That's all it had taken for her to not murder that man. This woman was spurring yet another war, but this time inside of Regina's mind.
The circumstances were swaying to and fro; fate was rearing its ugly head again and reminding the Evil Queen that she didn't have control. And anyone who knows her Majesty would know that she doesn't like losing control. It was leaving a bitter taste in her mouth and a strange emptiness inside of her that she could only replace with anger. That was all she had ever known.
"Do you think the girl will give you what you want? Do you think her innocence will fill that hole inside your chest?"
Sydney broke her thoughtful silence and she glared at him.
"Even if her intentions weren't ill mannered, what if the she turns against you? What if she finally sees your black heart, for what it is?"
The brunette scoffed.
"Watch your tongue."
"See? You even see it yourself; you're growing weak," a pain flashed through brown eyes, "Do you really think our army is strong enough with the Dark One aiding Lucia?"
"And what makes you think he's going to aid them?"
"You know they'll give him anything he wants in return for their child."
"Emma is the product of True Love," she inwardly cringed, "the strongest magic in all the land."
"But she doesn't even posses magic. I hope you're not betting on hope, Regina. That's not your style. This war can only end in tragedy. You need to stop this madness before you fall."
"No, you need to stop lecturing me! I am the Queen here. You are nothing more than an infuriating man in a mirror. Now, leave me before I find a way to banish your soul into oblivion."
As soon as the blue face vanished there came a knock on her door. Before she could tell the person to go away, it cracked upon to reveal long blonde hair and a worried face.
"…hey?" she said nervously as if she were about to walk on hot coals which could be argued with the way caramel eyes narrowed.
"Emma," Regina greeted flatly.
"Can we talk?" the blonde asked as the door behind her clicked shut; she walked towards the brunette, slowly.
"Talk? Didn't you do enough of that today, princess?"
Catching the fire on the tip of the Queen's tongue, Emma scrunched her face up and adopted a frown.
"Look, I know I stepped out of line and I—"
"That's an understatement."
"Regina I'm—"
"Are you mad?" Regina growled, an envious rage spiking through her as the rage she had prior built back up. Was she angry about not killing the man? Or was she furious about her speaking for her? The latter would have been the most understandable, yet her pride seemed to be more wounded about her weakness. The mask she wore so tightly faltered momentarily, dark eyes closing weakly, until she hid it behind pretense accusations.
"How dare you speak to my kingdom as if you mean something here," the brunette scolded.
"I was just trying to help."
"I don't need your help, princess. I know how to rule my kingdom."
"Obviously not when you don't give a damn about your people."
Regina's eyes widened.
"Excuse me?"
"Your people fall to their knees out of fear; you make them feel inferior because you can choke their breath with the snap of your fingers. Your people need to trust you. To believe that you care a damn about their wellbeing. I gave them hope so that they'd quit thinking their lives are meaningless. I gave them motivation to fight."
"…hope. I will not entice my people with flowery words and unworthy praise. If you want to preach hope then turn around and head back to Lucia."
"God, woman!" the blonde threw her hands in the air, "is it so wrong to care? All you do is sit on that throne of yours; it's as if the darkness in your soul is seeping into the earth making the dirt lifeless and unfertile."
That was an unnecessary remark, one she didn't actually believe, but she always had this need to feed the flames. Especially the fiery flames that began to dance in the older woman's eyes; Regina looked ready to combust and burn down everything in her path. How she hadn't already was a personal revelation she would only come to think about later.
In the past, Regina would have been clutching the jaw of the harassing woman in front of her, but now she remained fixed. Her legs trembled with a confusing rage of thoughts and emotions. Something was happening inside of Regina; she was changing to some extent and it terrified her. She knew herself until now. Now she was losing control, feeling her urge to express her power grow thin. This woman, this beautiful, infuriating blonde was twisting around her heart and soul.
"You made me weak," she hissed.
"I made you weak?" brows raised high towards the blonde's hairline, "I gave you something worth fighting for."
Regina snorted bitterly.
"That's a rather large statement."
"Is it not true?" she took a step towards the brunette, still weary of the fiery dance in dark eyes, "Stop playing this game of charades, Regina. I know you're not in this just to spite my mother. As much as I know how much you loathe Snow White, you care about me. Why are you throwing up these walls when you can so easily let me in?"
"I don't want to let you in."
Regina cringed as if Emma was wrapping around the queen like a vine. She may have been beautiful but she was suffocating the brunette, slowly snuffing out her brutality and Regina didn't like it. She was losing control.
"Fine," Emma sighed in defeat and turned on her feet, pulling out of Regina's space, "Then don't."
What she didn't realize was that her Majesty wasn't done yet. That was still one thing Regina could control. No one left her without dismissal. Fingers did a swift dance and the princess was frozen in her place.
"You have got to be kidding me," Emma huffed out in frustration, "Are we not past this bullshit, Your Highness."
"No, you will not walk away from me."
Pulling her power back into her limbs, Regina marched over until she was facing the blonde.
"Let me go," Emma demanded without any ounce of fear, as if she had a sway in the other woman's actions.
"When I'm done."
They glared at one another for a long moment. Green orbs were burning with rage now. She didn't like the loss of her limbs; it made her feel completely powerless. What fueled her anger even more was that Regina knew this. They had played this game long enough to know how to push each other's buttons.
"So now I'm your prisoner again?"
"Be quiet," Regina snapped, she was greeted with an even angrier brows furrowing.
A sudden sensation swept through Emma like a jolt of electricity. Her limbs were tingling. She pushed at the hidden forces that kept her limbs in place and suddenly something just…snapped. A wave swept over the blonde and she stumbled forward, her body in her own control again. From behind there was gasp.
"Are you losing your grip, Your Majesty," Emma chuckled shakily, surprised herself at what just happened, but eager to take the high ground at this turn of events.
"How did you—?" Regina gazed at her hand in disbelief. How was it possible for someone to break free of her magic? That had never happened before.
What if…is she really weakening my magic? She donned a look of panic and balled her fists.
"This was your plan all along wasn't it?" she accused the blonde who was sitting there smirking to herself, still in a confident daze, "You wanted to find a way to get inside and defuse the Evil Queen?"
Emma sobered up and gave her a ludicrous stare.
"What are you talking about?"
"This is madness! How could I ever think that I could trust you? Am I really that much of a fool?"
The brunette threw her head back, laughing at the irony running through her mind.
Fate begs to see me suffer endlessly.
"Regina, stop."
Emerald eyes fixed on the warm glow that was beginning to grow in the Evil Queen's palm.
"No."
It was as if something slipped and the walls around Regina exploded from the inside out. Beyond the wreckage was the soul of the Evil Queen, dark as night, realizing that her power was at stake. The small glowing orb turned into a fiery swirl of fire as her lips pursed.
"Regina, what are you doing?"
The blonde held her hands up defensively, feeling for a moment nervous at the thought of being on the end of the fire's trajectory.
"I shouldn't have ever trusted you."
The flaming hand reared itself back, but the look of hatred on Regina's face turned to that of astonishment suddenly as a beam of white light pulsed from the blonde's pale hands like waves. When it hit her, it sent her flying backwards into her mirror, the bits shattering into tiny shards all around.
The atmosphere of the room changed instantly and Emma went running over towards the woman. Groaning, Regina grabbed the back of her head in pain.
"Regina!" Emma gasped, "Oh God, I don't know what happened. Let me see your—" Emma reached forward towards a cut in the sleeve of her dress and pulled it back to reveal crimson. A piece of the mirror had swept across her flesh like it was a razor. "You're bleeding."
"You used magic…" Regina whispered, brown eyes wide.
"I…what? How is that possible?"
Emma tore a piece of fabric from her shirt, and tried to ignore the afterglow tingling of that magical burst. The brunette hissed as the blonde wrapped the cloth around her wound to stop the bleeding.
"I don't know. You shouldn't have been able to do that."
There was a needed pause as reality fell back down to their level.
"You were going to kill me," Emma accused lowly.
"…I wasn't."
"You were about to set me on fire, Regina."
"I don't know what came over me. I wasn't actually going to do it."
The blonde raised an eyebrow high, but didn't comment on it further. Maybe they should have been concerned about the extent that had gotten to, but the big elephant in the room was the fact that Emma just produced magic somehow. That's how Emma was able to break free. It had nothing to do with Regina losing her magic, but it did make her shudder when she took into account that Emma's magic must have been exceedingly potent to do that.
"You're still think I'm here to deceive you, Regina? I have no will to rule your kingdom; I ran away from home for good reasons. I'm sorry that I approached your people, but can we please let this go? I think we've done enough damage."
"We?" Regina rolled her eyes with a scoff as if her actions hadn't been the one to provoke this situation, "I believe you're the one who threw me into a mirror, Emma."
"I'm sorry," Emma extended her hand and helped the brunette to her feet, "It wasn't my intention. To be fair, you did have a fireball aimed at me."
"Yes, I know," she said quickly to swat away the words. She had overreacted; it was a flaw of Regina's that usually led to swift, impulsive reactions, "What's important is figuring out if you can control that magic of yours. If you've had magic all of this time, why is it just now showing?"
"…You threatened my life?" Emma shrugged with a half jokingly grin.
"And what about all the other times?"
"I knew you wouldn't hurt me, before, but that, Your Majesty, was a bit terrifying."
Regina chuckled softly as she cleaned up the mess on the floor with a wave of her hand.
"So fire is what you're afraid of? I should have fed you to the flames then when you came here first."
"You'd still have a pissed off Lucia."
"I suppose you're right."
Emma scratched her head and examined her hands, but they looked as normal as they had ever been. Magic? She had read about it endlessly, but the fact she could actually possess it was another thing. She shook them, willing something to happen, but there was nothing.
"You're going to have to practice if you want to actually do something useful. Unless you want to rely on life threatening occurrences."
"Will you teach me then?"
Rumpelstiltskin's words echoed through Regina's mind from the other night.
"Let's just hope your precious lover won't come to me first. You know I can't deny an eager pupil."
The fear of Emma being so careless caused her to worry if she might actually reach out for someone to teach her. Someone dark. Someone like Rumpelstiltskin.
"Yes."
Emma's eyes grew wide and she smiled brightly like a moron causing Regina to roll her own eyes.
"But no dark magic. Not even the slightest. Are we clear? I will teach you the basics and that is it."
Walking away, the brunette rummaged through a collection of bottles until she pulled out one and poured it on her cut. Emma meandered over to the bed and sat upon the edge, letting out an awkward sigh. What the hell just happened?
"Deal."