A/N hiiiii everyone~ Happy Holidays to you all! Please forgive me for being so bad at updating nowadays. Life is the excuse with all its craziness. I've also been working on a lot of digital art as of late. I actually have a digital piece to go along with this chapter, but I haven't finished it yet. I'll be posting it on my tumblr (femphoenix) when it's complete.
I've been tight on money these days and have been trying to make some cash off of art commissions. If you're interested or just want to check out my work, you can find my facebook art page under Amethyst Midnight Art & Poetry. I'm such a hermit nowadays, but I'm always open to talk if you're bored or just want to say hi. As always, don't be shy; please leave a comment! I do hope this chapter makes up for my shitty ass updating. Happy New Years!
There was a change in Regina; a change that affected her inside and out. However, this wasn't anything new to those who had been close to her. They had noticed a transformation, whether good or bad depended on who you asked.
Emma's presence had become so familiar that Regina didn't even notice the sound of the door quietly opening and shutting on the other end of her bedchambers. The brunette was sitting in front of her vanity, her gown already replaced by a long silk tunic. She was unaware of the younger woman who was now leaning against the wall, studying her with a curious gaze.
Reaching up, Regina played with a clip until dark locks fell loose, cascading around her shoulders gently. Her face was void of makeup, for she had felt an irritating desire to wipe it off the moment her royal duties had come to a close this evening. These war preparations were draining her, but she was doing everything in her power to not display it to the world.
A sadness swept over Regina as she forced herself to stare into her own amber gaze. The stare was gentle, but as she sat there in silence she could feel her nervousness over the war twisting her gut in every direction. She had never felt like this before.
In all of her years ruling Obscuria, this is not where Regina would have seen herself. Her frailness felt wrong; she hadn't relinquished control of herself in decades. The darkness that once embraced her now felt like a thick sludge wearing her down. The sadness she felt was odd and twisted, for it was a mourning over a powerful woman that she once was, but a woman who she wished to no longer be.
Finally shifting her sights, she gasped inaudibly in surprise when her eyes landed on emerald gems of her visitor. Regina's worries faded as Emma held the gaze through the mirror. The older woman wondered how she had never taken the princess for herself the moment she laid eyes on her in the carriage so many years ago.
The Queen had tired of so many people. All the companions she had bedded. All of the countless victims she had tortured just because she had gotten bored with them. These people, even those who had become close like Red, were only there to fill that gaping void. She only wanted them close to use them. They had been only an asset.
But Emma? Regina didn't wish to possess the princess, no not anymore at least. Instead, she wanted her by her side. Emma made her feel stronger even amidst her weaknesses. The older woman shivered at the thought of how much she had changed because of this one irritating…stubborn…baffling woman.
Who was she now?
You're just Regina, Emma would tell her, but was she?
Everyone else would always know her as the Evil Queen. How could she be anything more or less? She couldn't come back from the wreckage she caused… All the lives she had destroyed could never be brought back.
But was there a silver lining? Could Emma be the way to redemption? Her thoughts felt silly and solemn at the same time and it made her head hurt. Could someone with a soul so dark truly change?
Even if she could make her kingdom whole again, even if she could gain their trust, did she want that? Was it really her heart's desire to continue ruling until the day she died? It had never been her desire to rule; that had always been her mother's.
Regardless, she needed this reigning power still. She couldn't surrender everything to Lucia. It had nothing to do with pride, but it was indeed selfish. This war was the only way for Emma to remain in her arms. If Regina walked away, Snow and Charming would surely pluck Emma from her like a leaf in the wind.
Emma was right. Regina was going to war for her. In all her selfishness to keep this woman to herself, she was dragging thousands of lives into bloodshed once again.
But was it truly selfish if she was doing it all to protect Emma?
Halting in her thoughts, the brunette ripped her gaze away from Emma as her heart pounded so fast that she thought it might explode out of terror. These emotions, these thoughts were raw. They were real. And moreover, they were quite fantastical as if she was a teenager again daydreaming about running away into the sunset.
"Regina?" The woman's voice was soft, but within the silence it sounded like an explosion, "Are you okay?"
"Perfectly fine, my dear," Regina managed to get out as stoically as she could, but a raised eyebrow from her companion let her know it was futile.
"You can't lie to me," Emma replied and walked over to the vanity where the older woman sat, "no matter how hard you try."
Still only keeping eye contact through the mirror, Emma placed her hands on the brunette's shoulders and gave an affectionate squeeze.
"We leave in three days," Regina said, not quite changing the subject but shifting it towards the war, "Are you not nervous?"
"Of course I'm nervous, but that's not what's really bothering you, is it?"
Regina's dark eyes narrowed before breaking their stare, cursing her silently. How many more walls could this princess break down?
"I'm worried," the brunette admitted dejectedly.
"Of what?"
The blonde's fingers traced swirls along Regina's exposed shoulder.
"Wars can be…unpredictable."
Emma laughed softly.
"Are you still worried about me going out on the battlefield, Your Majesty? I assure you I am rather skilled with a sword now. You, Graham, and Red have taught me more than enough, I think, to take care of myself."
Turning swiftly, Regina rose and faced the blonde. Their noses were only an inch apart and they could feel each other's breath.
"Emma, I don't think you realize what is at stake here. You have never taken a life before. I know you think you have the heart of a warrior, princess. You may think you're ready but that still doesn't change the fact that you've never been to war before."
"I'll be okay. I made it all the way to Obscuria on my own. I can take care of myself."
Giving her a cocky grin, Emma cupped Regina's face with her hands, but did nothing further.
"I'll believe it when I see it."
"Well, that'll be soon enough."
There was a flash of an emotion across the brunette's face but Emma couldn't decipher it.
"Sooner than you think," Regina said.
Regina's lips curled into a crooked grin and Emma's eyes widened, knowing that the Queen was running a devious scheme in her mind's eye.
"What does that mean?"
The brunette leaned forward and quickly captured the blonde's lips for a deep kiss, but as their lips moved a cloud of smoke encased them and they disappeared from the room.
The sudden change along with the continuity of their kiss left Emma breathless and dizzy, so it was a shock when she felt hands on her shoulders pushing her backwards towards what she would soon to realize was grass.
"What the fu—?" the blonde screeched and caught herself before her face collided with the ground.
There was the sound of something heavy making contact with the dirt beside her and she looked over to see the gleam of a sword through blades of grass
"Prove to me you can handle yourself in a fight."
"You have a weird way of saying you care, Your Majesty."
Brown eyes rolled and she nodded her head.
"Shut up and pick up the sword, Princess."
Shaking off the jitteriness of the adrenaline, Emma grasped the hilt of the sword and took position across from her opponent.
"I don't want to hurt you, Your Majesty," the blonde said and grinned from ear to ear like the smug soul she was.
This is what Regina was worried about. Cockiness could get someone killed. People like Emma thought they were invincible, but did Regina have any right to complain? No, but she was truly worried. The thought of losing Emma was too much. If Emma proved incapable of holding her ground in surprise combat with the Evil Queen, she wouldn't dare let her step foot among the ranks of soldiers and knights. This wasn't a game anymore.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, dear," Regina replied as she made a hand flourish, magic pouring from her fingertips. A purple cloud surrounded her momentarily and when it vanished, her night attire had been replaced by a tight top and trousers. It was an appealing change; not saying Emma didn't approve of her usual wardrobe, but it was nice to see the brunette in this new light.
The low cut to the brunette's top revealed more skin than Emma could handle at the moment, so it was no surprise that when Regina started on the attack, Emma's reaction was slow. The brunette disappeared in a cloud of violet only to reappear behind her. Using her elbow, Regina jarred the blonde in the side sending her flying backwards.
There was a loud thud as Emma hit the ground and she grunted.
"Fuck!"
It was then that she realized how serious Regina was about this. She inhaled sharply at the pain in her side, but rose up. She ran at the brunette but this time Emma quickly turned to block the clash of the sword when the same maneuver was pulled. She caught a smile on Regina's face as their eyes locked.
Their swords continued to collide in a fast dance under the starry night as the thin crescent of the moon grinned down at them.
Hoping to spark a bit of panic in her opponent, Regina conjured a red-hot ball of flames from her palm and hurled it towards the blonde. To her pleasant surprise, Emma threw up her sword defensively and waved her freehand across the blade. A shimmering, golden aura wrapped around the edged steel.
They had spent a long afternoon trying to figure out how Emma interacted and manipulated her magical energy. What sparked it? What made is flourish? Magic was hard to teach step by step, for every user had a different bond with the energies. The way every magic user manipulated and controlled energies were different which meant that magic was unique per person. It didn't help that Regina was also on the far end of the spectrum from Emma, making it all the more difficult to walk her through techniques, but they found a middle ground.
And so, it seemed that the middle ground was a firm foundation, for Emma's shield worked so well that the fireball deflected off of the golden aura and nearly singed Regina's hair off. The older woman let out a pleasant laugh.
"You look impressed, My Queen," Emma purred, that grin slipping right back into place.
"I'm just surprised you actually paid attention."
Their blades clashed once again. Silver gleamed off their swords as they fought on and Emma couldn't help but feel aroused by this entire situation. Never once had she seen Regina swordplay; honestly, she hadn't even considered the Queen knowing much about it when she was so masterfully skilled with magic.
Watching the finesse in every movement the woman made, Emma felt her face flush red hot, matching the throbbing heat below. Using that frustration, she gathered up all her energy and gripped the hilt of her weapon. Pale arm muscles flexed as she made a heavy sideswipe. The sound of metal clashing rang in their ears as Regina's own sword went flying through the air, only to land several armlengths away.
Assuming she had gained upper hand, Emma let out an embarrassing shriek as a wall of dancing flames erupted between them, emanating from Regina's palm.
"That's unfair!" the blonde argued as she jumped away from the heat and received an amused eyeroll.
"The battleground is full of surprises, my darling Emma."
The hint of desire flickered through both of their eyes and they hesitated in their movements. With faces dripping in sweat and their breaths heavy, Regina lost control of her concentration causing the orange light to extinguish.
"So…" Emma trailed off as she sauntered over to the older woman, tossing the sword into the dark, "How did I do?"
Regina only grinned with dark eyes and placed her hands on either side of Emma's face, their shared gaze speaking a language of their own. The sheer force of red lips colliding with pale ones took Emma's breath away. Her knees felt dumbly weak as if she had never been touched by this woman before. There was something new about this kiss. Something invigorating and enlivening like never before. Regina would have said the same thing.
The atmosphere changed, even the smell, and when Emma felt the back of her knees hit what felt like the edge of a bed, she opened her eyes to see that Regina had magicked them back into her bedchambers.
The younger woman fell back against the bed, but as she went to crawl upwards towards the headboard and pillows, the brunette pulled her back by the hips with a wicked grin. Emma could have died of pleasure just from the look in those amber eyes.
She wasn't sure how her hips became naked so quickly, but as Regina lowered herself between pale thighs and kissed her way towards her throbbing core, she couldn't find a reason to care. A few nips and licks later upon hot skin, Emma was squirming like a fish out of water.
"Regina," the blonde whimpered, "please."
The Queen didn't need anything more; she was more than happy to comply as a wet tongue ran through slick folds once. Twice. Three times. Fingers tangled themselves in dark locks and encouraged the woman below to continue as the room filled with breathy moans.
The blonde was practically delirious with the skillful ministrations. Two fingers slipped easily inside of her as the brunette's hot mouth moved to suck on her bundle of nerves. It didn't take long before Emma could feel a tingling sensation starting in her toes. Her fingers dug into the covers below her. She cried out as a wave of uncontrollable pleasure swept over like a roaring tide. Regina didn't move from below or let alone cease. Instead, she kept on and brought Emma into another round of ecstasy that was so powerful she thought she might faint.
Finally allowing the panting woman to catch her breath, Regina slid up and lightly planted a kiss on her pale lips. There was a silent pause as the brunette took a shaky breath inward.
"I-I love you, Emma," Regina whispered so low that she thought she may have been able to get away with her careless blunder, but Emma's eyes flew open almost instantly.
Staring at the woman above her in awe, Emma noticed the glossiness in brown eyes. Regina was scared, but wide open. How could someone be so fragile and so tantalizingly beautiful at the same time? A strand of Regina's unkempt hair fell over her face and Emma reached out to tuck it behind her ear. She leaned up, took the woman face in her hands, and kissed her fiercely.
"I love you too, Regina."
A/N Don't forget to leave some love and review! Happy New Years everyone!