A year since her unfortunate not-quite meeting with her destined soul mate and Regina remained in the same rut. She was still engaged to the King, not yet married only due to his frequent and sometimes unexpected travels, and she was alone. Snow White stayed in the Summer Palace with all the palace hands to look after her while Regina spent her time in solitude in the Winter Palace during Leopold's time away. It was both a blessing and a curse.
Not willing to spend a sixth consecutive day cooped up in the dreary palace, she dressed herself in her least luxurious clothes and teased and tangled her hair to make herself look more common. It was a ritual she'd started several months prior and it was one she went through at least once every few weeks before she mounted Rocinante and left her miserable confines. That day was no different. She grabbed a satchel from the back of her large closet and went to the kitchen to stuff it with a few apples she'd picked herself a few days ago then added a few semi-stale dinner rolls to sustain her during her travel.
She grabbed one of the swords in the armory for the guards and soldiers that occasionally came around the Winter Palace to ensure her safety and even briefly played card games with her to pass the time before they returned to the younger, fairer skinned princess in the Summer Palace. Regina, after all, was far better company than a twelve year old girl who wanted to have tea parties with anyone who would pay her the slightest amount of attention. She had no training with a sword and even though she borrowed one every time she went on her short day trips she still had no idea how to really wield one. But she brought it along for protection anyway. As a commoner and a woman, she was in danger as a seemingly easy target for the riffraff that passed through many of the villages. Most were thieves and plenty had no qualms with taking what they wanted, like the forced company of a woman or her jewels, so she had to ensure her own protection while she was out. There was also the fear of being recognized. Should anyone realize she was a princess, betrothed to King Leopold, people could beat her because they either couldn't beat the King or they could use her to get to the King, or there were some who probably wouldn't think twice about abducting her and holding her for ransom to obtain the riches they thought were owed to them. Many saw King Leopold as an enemy, something she'd learned on one of her first days outside of either of the King's palaces' walls, and though she may not have valued her lonesome life she still didn't want to be captured or badgered or in any way abused. For the time being, she still had her virtue and she wanted it to remain that way for as long as possible, though she knew her less than desirable wedding night would have her suffer that tragic loss. It was fair to share that "gift" with a person's spouse, but it wasn't Regina's choice of spouse. It was her mother's and the King's own self-serving choice therefore it wasn't fair for her at all.
She closed her eyes and shook her head to rid herself of such thoughts, slung her satchel over her shoulder, and went to the stable to retrieve Rocinante. She fed him one of the apples she'd packed for her excursion as she led him out of his stall and then proceeded to tack him up once he'd finished the fruit. As soon as he was ready for their day out in the sun and fresh air, she walked him out of the stable and mounted him. Within seconds, she clicked her tongue and encouraged him forward. He happily galloped off and the two practically became one as they enjoyed the free range of land they covered through the forest, rider and steed in sync with their movements.
The village she visited on a fairly regular basis whenever the King had left her to her own devices for months at a time was on the opposite side of the kingdom than the pub she'd gone to for lunch with Tinker Bell the previous year. It only took an hour's ride to get there, but because it had been a while since she'd last taken Rocinante out she let him have his fun and took almost half a day to reach her destination. Her first stop in the village once they'd finally made it there was a bed and breakfast she'd stayed in on her first night she'd ever visited the area. She'd left far too late and had had no real plan as to where she'd wanted to go so she'd arrived at that village at a time that made it too risky to travel back safely her first time out.
So she'd stumbled upon the inn and met the owner, a kind yet testy older woman who ran the inn and knew her to be anything but a commoner when she noticed the jewelry Regina hadn't thought to take off before she'd left the palace. The woman hadn't threatened to reveal her secret and had kept Regina's identity just between them, though she wasn't the only one in that village to know who Regina actually was. Neither of them had told or even thought to tell anyone else either, however, so they'd thankfully become fast allies and friends. They gave her a reason to appreciate her lonely life because as often as she was neglected, she was also given a certain freedom with it to do as she pleased without anyone within the circle of trust inside either of the King's palaces being the wiser.
She dismounted Rocinante and tied him to the post outside of the inn before she entered and took in the few changes that had been made to the main area on the first floor since she'd last stayed there a little over twelve weeks prior. There were a handful of freshly picked flowers that sat in a handmade vase she recognized as the innkeeper's skillful pottery work that sat on a wooden end table near the door. Only one of the original couches in the longue area off to the side remained, the tell-tale signs of it being part of the original furniture noted by the tears and dips and stains that covered the disastrous material. There was a newer, but smaller, couch perpendicular to the ratty couch and two new end tables, one by each couch, with a darker stained wood than the one by the door. The interior still looked like a cabin, though most places within the kingdom looked that way, and though the furniture no longer matched each other it still felt like home. The interior was warm and inviting and was certainly unique to the woman in charge of it all.
"What did I tell you about waiting too long between visits, girl?"
Regina turned away from the lounge area and saw the innkeeper approach with a wide smile, which received an equally wide smile back.
"Granny," Regina merrily greeted.
"Nice to have you back," the graying haired woman continued to smile and moved closer. "Should I prepare a room for you?"
"Oh, no, thank you. That won't be necessary. I don't plan to stay for the night." She took another look around the lobby area and nodded at what she saw before she added, "I like what you have done here."
"Yeah, well, it'll look a lot better when the rest of the trashed stuff gets scraped. I wish I could have gotten rid of it all in one go, but money's been a little tight around this place. If the damned King wouldn't spent so much time and money on his extensive journeys," Granny stopped herself then and looked at Regina before she sighed and dropped her rant. "I'm sorry. Sometimes I forget how close you are to all of this."
Regina forced a smile and shook her head. "No, it's fine. I understand the King isn't the most responsible with the people's tax money and he really should respect the smaller villages around the palace, but… Well, if he would actually listen to me, maybe less people would be hurt and more would be happy."
Granny kindly and sympathetically smiled, her head tilted to one side, and looked at Regina like she was young and naïve and good and brilliant; like she was her granddaughter by birth and ready to change the world without any real power to do so.
"Wouldn't that be nice," Granny replied. "Maybe one day, when you're Queen, the rest of us will get fair wages and better land and more crops to sustain us through the seasons."
"Maybe," Regina sadly said and looked down at the floor.
Granny pursed her lips and sighed, saddened by the sight of a downtrodden Regina. The brunette's expressions had gradually faded away from calm and sweet and still hopeful, a certain light in her eyes, but the more time she spent in the King's world—around him and his daughter—the darker her spirits became with each visit made. One night during one of her latest visits, Regina had spent more than three consecutive nights at the inn and hardly spoke to anyone.
Regina hung around the lobby, on the oldest of all the couches, and listened and watched other people as they came and went. She'd been content just to have the company without directly interacting with them.
Granny knew Regina's reasons for visiting. The poor girl wanted to break out of the solitude of her life back in the palace. She wanted to spend time with people she felt comfortable with, people more like her, and she wanted to remember what it felt like to have something good in her life. With King Leopold, she had nothing and would continue to have nothing as long as she was in one way or another bound to him.
"Why don't I make you some cocoa and we can talk a little while," Granny suggested.
Regina nodded and followed Granny to the kitchen. She watched the older woman boil milk and ground cacao seeds into a paste.
"Those seeds aren't easy to come by," Regina mentioned with furrowed brows.
"Which is why I don't offer cocoa to anyone else but you," Granny informed her with a raised brow as she split her attention between the cocoa and the younger woman.
Regina flashed a quick and grateful smile then said, "Thank you. Really."
"I've known you for some time, girl. If there's anyone who deserves a little special treatment now and then, it's you."
Regina beamed and bashfully ducked her head.
"Thank you," Regina repeated and once the cocoa was finished, she and Granny talked for almost an hour at one of the few and small dining room tables.
They discussed palace life and if Regina had been writing lately, how business had been for the inn.
"Have you seen Sidney since you've been here," Granny asked when they circled back around to talk of the village.
Regina shook her head and laughed.
"Thankfully no."
Granny chuckled.
"You make it sound like the worst thing in the world."
"It's not," Regina explained with a small smile. "He has a crush on me, however. He follows me around like a lost, stray animal. I was fine to be friends, but it gets uncomfortable when he looks at me as more."
"He's been trying to contain those looks. He thinks he's the reason you take so long to come back to us."
"Oh, no," Regina quickly, pleadingly argued. "I really wish I came here sooner. I just keep feeling down and I don't… I know that's why I visit, but I didn't want to bring people down."
"Sweet girl, you could never," Granny assured her and placed a comforting hand over one of Regina's on the table. "I only wish my granddaughter was more like you."
"How is she? You haven't mentioned her in a while."
"She's gone. Ran off after her mother convinced her I was holding her back. I lied to protect her and she went off with the woman who's never been in her life because she's part of the reason why I had to protect her."
Regina frowned.
"I'm so sorry, Granny. Maybe one day she'll return. I always do," Regina flashed a warm smile at the other woman.
Granny smiled back and patted Regina's hand when the door burst open.
"Granny," an urgent voice broke up the conversation.
A girl burst through the door and rushed into the dining room. She stopped immediately when she noticed the innkeeper wasn't alone and exclaimed, "Oh! Sorry, I didn't realize…Regina!"
The dirty blonde with bouncy curls beamed at the brunette before she hurried over to the two women and tightly hugged Regina.
"You're back!"
Regina smiled and hugged back. "Yes, Wendy, I'm back."
Wendy bounced a little as she held on to Regina for a moment longer then let go. She continued to smile even once she broke contact.
"I won't stay long, but I'm here," Regina added.
"Was there something you needed, girl," Granny asked when Wendy seemed to remain lost in Regina's presence.
"Oh, right," Wendy looked away from Regina to Granny. "Um, there's a sort of food crisis in the main part of the village. We're a little short on supplies and people are hungry."
Granny groaned.
"Third time in five weeks," Granny stated as she slowly pushed herself onto her feet. "You two mind helping in the kitchen?"
Regina stood and she and Wendy simultaneously agreed.
"Yes, Granny."
They followed the older woman into the kitchen and the trio silently worked together to prepare a hefty amount of food. After just over an hour of slaving away, they all carried as much as they could each hold at once and traveled to the busiest part of the village with all of their hard work. They set the food out wherever they could find space for it on tables and on nearby stands that sold all kinds of things since the area served as their marketplace because of all the foot traffic it saw.
"Alright, listen up," Granny announced as she made herself comfortable behind the last dish she'd set out. "We've got a lot of food here, but it's not gonna be enough for everyone to overindulge. Keep the portions small until every last one of you has had a little something. Then we can discuss seconds."
The crowd that had almost started a mob out of their hunger swarmed the food and kept Granny, Regina, and Wendy well-occupied with feeding the masses. They handed out food left and right to all of those who approached them until most of the day had been spent and all of the food was gone. When all the chaos had calmed and the people had given the three women room to breathe, Regina took a deep breath and puffed it out in a heavy but relieved sigh.
"Full day's work," Regina said.
Granny chuckled.
"Really teaches you to appreciate the cooks you grew up with, doesn't it," Granny said with a smile then winked.
Regina smiled back and the three of them cleaned up after the satisfied horde of people left them to handle the mess. As Regina stacked a few of the dishes together for easy transport, she heard giggles. For a little while she ignored it, but after a few moments when the giggling had increased and the conversation became easier to overhear, she slowed her hands and looked in the direction of blissful conversation.
A young couple sat comfortably close together on a log underneath a large and healthy tree. The girl kept smiling and giggled every so often as she teasingly and sometimes affectionately ran her hand through the young man's hair. He gently pushed her away and said a few joking remarks and they snuggled up and shared their food.
Regina frowned and stared at them for another moment before the couple kissed. When they did, she was reminded of her own kisses with Daniel and how her life had been so simple and sweet and how when she had been with him everything was good and was as she'd hoped things would be for her. It reminded her that she was happy once upon a time.
She pulled her hands away from the dishes and backed away from the table.
"I'm sorry. I should really be going," Regina shakily informed Granny and Wendy before she ran back to the inn.
She grabbed her satchel, slung it over her shoulder, and almost ran off. But she saw the ledger that guests signed in every time they stayed and wrote a letter to Granny on the first blank page she came across.
"Granny,
Sorry for leaving so suddenly. I wish I could have stayed longer, but I promise to return soon. Sooner than last time. We can talk more then.
Many hugs,
Regina"
She tore the page out of the book, folded it, wrote out Granny's name in large letters with a graceful hand, and stuck it under her mug from earlier that neither she nor Granny had time to clean up once Wendy had barged in. With the letter set out for Granny to find, Regina hurried to Rocinante and fled the village.
She wanted to get away as fast as possible, but she was careful not to overwork her precious steed. She rode deep into the forest, back toward the palace, and went to her usual oasis then allowed Rocinante a drink. He was more tired than usual and she knew it had been her vault for not leaving him a bowl of water to quench his thirst with while she was helping the villagers. Normally she hadn't needed to stop on her way back to the palace for water unless she'd taken the longer way back to give Rocinante more time away from his stall back at their stable, but since she'd only left him at the inn to cool off and rest without water, she gave him ample time to rehydrate and recuperate at the river that day.
She stroked his neck and ran a hand down his dark mane while he drank up and after a minute, she gave Rocinante a little privacy. She took a short walk around one side of the riverbank and was careful not to get too far away from Rocinante in case he ran off for one reason or another. He was a good horse and stayed nearby, constantly obeyed her, but there were times he would flee if he felt scared and didn't see her.
Regina caught sight of a berry bush and made a beeline for it. She inspected the berries to ensure they weren't poisonous and when she confirmed they were the safe and editable kind, she picked a handful. She turned and headed back toward Rocinante, the berries still clasped in her closed fist, when she heard a few leaves rustle and a twig snap. It hadn't sounded like she had been the cause of it, but she stopped and looked under her feet anyway to confirm she wasn't alone in the forest. She wasn't. There was only dirt beneath her and another twig snapped only seconds later.
Regina wildly looked left and right, behind her and then in front of her, but saw nothing. When she looked forward in the direction of the riverbank, she dumped the berries in the front pocket of her satchel and started to run back to Rocinante. She could see him just off to the side past a tree and heard him get agitated. He whinnied and dragged a hove against the ground and she hoped he wouldn't run.
"It's okay, Rocinante," Regina tried to calm him as she called out before she could be seen by him. "I'm here!"
Suddenly, a hooded figure stumbled out of a thicker part of the forest and surprised both Regina and Rocinante. The horse whinnied again and canted in the opposite direction of the stranger, which also meant he was headed away from Regina as well.
"Oh. No, Rocinante!"
"I'm sorry," the hooded figured quickly apologized and regained Regina's attention.
The brunette turned and glared at the stranger, her fears about what the stranger could do to her or want from her completely gone along with her steed.
"I didn't mean to scare him," the stranger continued and dropped her hood so they could see each other's faces.
The stranger wore a brown cloak and matching corset with a tan skirt. Regina immediately noticed the stranger was also a woman, blonde tresses that fell past the swell of her chest, and pretty pink lips.
For a moment, Regina furrowed her brows and took a step back as a fuzzy image from a past encounter flashed through her mind. She thought she might have recognized the other woman, but she couldn't be sure. Instead, she shook off the faint and fleeting memory before she relaxed and sighed.
"Do you think he's gone far," the blonde asked and took half a step toward Regina before she seemed to think better of further approaching the brunette then stepped back again. "Maybe we can catch him."
"He doesn't like strangers," Regina simply said. "You'll only make him run farther from me."
"I really am sorry," the blonde apologized again. "I'm looking for a place and I think I got turned around."
Regina looked over the blonde from head to toe a few times with a critical eye before she asked, "Do you have a map?"
"Oh. Yeah," the blonde pulled the map out of the top of her corset and held it out to Regina.
Regina eyed the map with a snarl of disgust, but took it after a moment anyway. She looked over it for a few seconds before she said anything else and the blonde patiently waited.
"Brooke? Brooke Village is where you're trying to go," Regina asked and looked up from the map, but kept it in her possession.
"Yes," the blonde answered. "My brother is there and I haven't seen him in a long while. I lined up work in another village and now that I've got the time, I'd really like to check up on him."
"And now you're lost."
"Unfortunately," the blonde nodded with a slight grimace then stared down at the forest floor.
Regina looked over the map again before she folded it up and held it out to return it to the other woman. Her hand movements caught the blonde's attention and piercing green-blue eyes shot up to the map and then locked with Regina's dark brown eyes.
"It's a two day walk from here," Regina informed her.
"Guess I should have taken a horse then, huh," the blonde awkwardly chuckled and flashed a small smile as she stuffed the map back in her corset.
"How long have you been out here," Regina curiously asked.
"Got a late start yesterday. Camped out last night somewhere that way," the blonde pointed past the riverbank toward the area north of the village Regina had just come from.
"You should be careful out here. There are a lot of things in the forest and night is the worst time to be out in the open unguarded."
"Yeah, I know. I don't have much in the way of weapons or even money. Just what I think I'll need to get to Henry."
Regina's eyes widened.
"Henry? That's your brother's name?"
"Yes," the peasant girl fondly smiled. "Such a smart boy, but so young. And I miss him terribly."
"My father's name is Henry."
"Is it?"
Regina nodded.
"Small world," the blonde smiled again.
Regina cleared her throat and brushed at her skirt with both hands as she came to a decision.
"I have a sword…and some money, in case you get into any trouble."
"You're not offering to give me those things, are you? I couldn't possibly take them. What about you? Don't you need them?"
"Of course," Regina exclaimed. "I wouldn't willingly hand them over to someone I just met and I certainly wouldn't give them to a girl whose name I don't even know. I'm merely trying to suggest that I have a few things you seem to need, including a sense of direction. I know the forest well and I don't have anything pressing to get back to so if you wouldn't mind the help, I can take you where you want to go."
"Really," the blonde perked up. "That would be much appreciated! And, as for being a girl whose name you don't know, I'm Emma. Swan."
Regina laughed even as Emma held out her hand in proper greeting.
"Like the bird," Regina asked with barely contained amusement.
"Yeah," Emma frowned and dropped her hand. "What's so funny?"
Regina laughed a little more before she replied with a little dark purr, "I eat swans for dinner. Best watch your back around me, Swan. Or I just might eat you alive."
Regina turned toward where Rocinante ran off and started to go after him. Emma rolled her eyes, though Regina only caught the tail end of the action when she spoke over her shoulder, "Follow me, dear. First, we shall get my horse back and I'll take you to my palace. I'll need to change and get a few more supplies for the journey ahead of us."
Emma started to follow the brunette as told before she asked, "Might I learn your name now that you know mine?"
The brunette slowed down and turned a little toward Emma. She flashed an almost evil smile before she said, "Regina. PrincessRegina Mills."
"Royalty, huh," Emma asked as Regina faced forward again. "That explains the attitude, but not the clothes."
"Yes, well, I don't believe you've earned to know more than my name and the fact that I'm offering to help you get to your dear brother so that shall be my business and not yours."
As they walked, Emma pulled a ring out of the lining of her cloak and stared at the emerald gem. She moved a little closer to Regina and watched the gem go from a soft, glowing green to a beaming burst of emerald light the nearer she became to the princess. Emma smirked and slid the ring back into her cloak before she dedicated her full attention to the dirt road ahead.
"Rocinante," Regina yelled out for the hundredth time in the last five minutes. "Regresa! Esta bien. Regresa!"
Emma blinked several times as her eyes widened in shock.
"Was that…Spanish," the blonde asked.
"Si—I mean, yes," Regina answered. "Sorry, it's hard for me to go back and forth when I'm thinking in and speaking Spanish then try having a conversation in English."
"Oh, no problem. I'm just…surprised."
"Why is that?"
"Well, I've never met a princess that speaks Spanish. I've actually never heard anyone around here speak Spanish."
"It would be a shame for a Latina like myself not to learn a language that's part of her heritage, even as much as my mother hates that I know and use it."
As soon as the words flew out of her mouth, she snapped her mouth shut and whipped around to look at Emma.
"Not that that's any of your business," she quickly added before she looked away from the blonde again.
Emma chuckled and then, with a more serious and a kind and sincere tone, said, "I think you speak it beautifully."
Regina stopped immediately and looked at the other woman. She was speechless for a moment too long before she came back to reality.
"Flattery will get you nowhere with me, Swan."
Regina then walked a little faster toward where Rocinante had run of. She sighed and moved away from the path, into the trees, and shuffled further into the forest yet again.
"Rocinante! Por favor, precioso."
"So, your horse understands Spanish? Does he—it is a he, right?—understand English," Emma asked as she gracelessly followed the princess.
"Yes, Rocinante is a he and he understands both languages because frankly, he understands my tones and not necessarily my words. But when he runs off like this I've found he's more responsive to Spanish. I'm one of the few in this area that speak the language so it convinces him it's really me and that it's," Regina broke in conversation to call out, "seguro! Es seguro, Roci!"
Emma furrowed her brow.
Regina turned and saw the confusion on Emma's face.
"Seguro means safe," Regina enlightened her.
"Oh," Emma's confusion dissipated and they moved further into the forest.
"Rocinante," Regina called out again. "Venga!"
There was an animalistic snort and Regina froze. She listened closely for a moment, Emma thankfully still and quiet behind her, and when she thought she heard another snort and rustling, she clicked her tongue in calling. A neigh followed and there was more rustling before hooves trotted toward the two women.
"Roci! Rocinante, mi bebé," Regina excitedly cooed with a bright smile.
Her horse slowed as he approached and she held out a welcoming open palm for him.
"Good boy," Regina said as he nudged her hand.
She pet his nose and scratched behind his ears and he huffed and jerked his head at the blonde behind her. Regina looked over her shoulder at a stunned Emma. She chuckled as she turned back to Rocinante.
"Esta bien. Bien. Ella esta conmigo."
Rocinante settled down and nuzzled Regina's neck. The brunette laughed a little then gently grabbed his reins. She tugged at them and turned Rocinante so she could mount him and once she had, she looked down to spot a problem. Emma Swan, the peasant girl whom she'd offered to help, had no horse. She sighed and held out her hand.
"Are you coming," Regina somewhat sharply asked and avoided eye contact.
"Oh, uh," Emma awkwardly stuttered before she shuffled toward the horse and Regina's outstretched hand. "Yeah."
Emma accepted Regina's hand with a slap and grab motion then stuck her foot in the stirrup and allowed Regina to help pull her up.
Rocinante padded left and right with the added weight and almost caused Emma to lose balance. Regina started to fall after the blonde, but she tightened her hold on Rocinante and stilled him where he stood in that moment then braced herself to let Emma pull herself up the rest of the way.
The other woman seemed to understand and used Regina as her anchor as she hoisted herself up straighter before she swung a leg over the horse. She secured her foot in the other stirrup and sank down onto the small space left on the back of the saddle and winced at the pinched feeling it caused.
Regina looked over her shoulder and noticed the reaction. She remained silent for a moment and looked Emma over from her feet as she inadvertently kicked at Rocinante then squirmed from side to side to apparently make herself more comfortable.
"Scoot forward," Regina told her. "I don't bite."
Emma nervously chuckled, "That's not what I'm worried about."
"What are you worried about then," Regina asked as she looked Emma up and down again.
Emma childishly pursed her lips together then slowly, hesitantly slid forward in the saddle.
Regina felt Emma slot right up against her and she'd rode horses long enough to know how two people on a saddle worked, but it felt different. It felt like a spark or static shock, but it wasn't so obvious. The moment passed quickly, but it did give Regina pause because it hadn't been what she'd expected. She cleared her throat and tried to move past it, but Emma's hands brushed over her arms and she had to take a deep breath to calm her nerves and the mysterious feeling she only barely remembered from her first moments shared with Daniel, when things had been new and exciting and sweet and blush-worthy.
Emma's hands settled over hers at the reins and Regina shook her head to clear her thoughts, return to the present and not think about the similar experiences. Regina looked down at their joined right hands before she corrected the blonde's misguided placement.
"Around my waist," Regina instructed. "You'll fall off if you and I try to share the reins."
As Emma started to move her hands backward, toward Regina's waist as told, Regina looked from their right hands to their left. She caught a glimpse of a tattoo, though she couldn't make out what it was, and furrowed her brows a second before she felt the blonde's arms wrap around her. Her curious gaze softened when she gasped at the contact and she was reminded of their current situation once again. She slowly exhaled to relax a little then glanced back at Emma.
"Are you okay," Emma asked her with an oblivious smile.
"I'm perfectly fine," Regina answered and looked forward then gave the reins a gentle flick.
Regina clicked her tongue and Rocinante headed back the way Emma and Regina had traveled to find him at a casual cant.
"Be careful not to kick him," Regina kindly warned with her eyes forward and focused on the world ahead. "He doesn't like it and I won't tolerate you abusing my precious Rocinante."
"Got it," Emma responded and tightened up her legs.
The blonde's feet hooked around Regina's shins and the princess gripped more forcefully at the reins. In an attempt to diffuse the tension that Regina felt begin to grow between her shoulder blades, stomach, and lower back, she inquired about what she thought she'd seen on Emma's wrist.
"I see you have some ink on your skin."
"Oh, yeah," Emma replied and actually wrapped her arms a little tighter around Regina's waist.
Regina frowned at the odd body language, but dropped the new question it brought to mind when Emma continued to talk.
"It's just something I got a few years back."
"A few years," Regina asked with notable shock. "You can't be much older than me if you are in fact older so that means you've had a tattoo since…?"
"Since I was about fourteen years old," Emma finished for her when it seemed Regina wasn't going to be able to complete her assumption. "Yes. It wasn't too long before I left my village for work, before I left Henry."
A silence passed over them before Regina asked, "What is it?"
"What is what?"
"The tattoo. What is the design?"
"Oh. Well, it's a flower," Emma started to explain.
Regina wrinkled her nose as an image of a tattoo flitted past the surface of her thoughts, a memory perhaps, but she couldn't quite retain the full picture.
"But it's a specific flower," Emma went on to say. "Most people just refer to it as clematis, which is just this particular flower's classification, but the lesser known name is Ville de Lyon. The colors when they're in full bloom are bold and breathtaking and the way they grow is kind of fascinating."
"Oh? How do they grow," Regina looked over her shoulder and asked with genuine curiosity and intrigue, her previous thoughts of the tattoo's origin substituted with the new line of questions about their topic of discussion.
"The stems wind themselves around anything that's nearby and use those objects for support so they can grow further upward."
"So they use what they can for support and ensure themselves an upward trajectory," Regina asked with a quirked brow and a grin. "Is that how you are, Swan? Are you more like a Ville de Lyon or the aquatic bird your last name might suggest?"
"Uh," Emma immediately started to stutter. "Well, I…that's not really what attracted me to getting it."
Regina chuckled and said, "Relax. I have no interest in whether you're a swan or a flower. You're just a blonde stranger in need of assistance to reunite with her brother. I see neither a swan nor flower anywhere in that assessment."
"Right. Because I'm not a swan or a flower. I'm me," Emma regained her composure a little then smiled and nodded regardless of whether Regina saw it or not.
"Right," Regina confirmed with a waning smile as thoughts of who she herself had been before the King had then washed over her yet again.
But they were on a mission. She had a purpose for the moment and she had something to do, something she could control and help with unlike the ruling of the kingdom where she was seen but not heard. She could help like she had at the village with Granny and she could do something that would allow her a good, long break from the dreary palace she loathed and loneliness that plagued her within its thick, solid walls.
Another silence encompassed them and the only sounds heard were those of Rocinante as he took them back toward Regina's palace. After several seconds, the conversation was stunted and the silence hadn't been lifted so Regina flicked the reins and clicked her tongue at Rocinante. The horse picked up speed and the two women were off to the palace at a faster pace. Both moved around on the saddle with the added urgency in Rocinante's gallop and for the second time in the span of ten minutes, Regina felt Emma squeeze her arms tighter around her waist.
Regina's eyes widened at the pressure around her, but she took a deep breath and steadied herself before she immersed herself back into the beauty of riding she'd always enjoyed. She leaned forward a little more and spurred Rocinante on just a little faster and a smile broke out on her face as steed and rider recreated their earlier thrill and rode home.