"Regina come on you gotta cheer up, it's only been a month since she's been gone. You got eleven more." Mal sighed from the other side of the princesses changing screen
"Don't remind me! And who says it's because Emma is gone!" Regina threw a pair of pants at her from behind the screen, obviously not liking the pairing with her coat
"Because you only started acting batshit crazy when Emma left. Do you want some chocolate? Maybe that's why it's gotten worse?"
That's what made it worse however because more clothes started flying at her, along with shoes that Regina didn't like pairing with her outfit.
"Okay okay! Why don't we go to paradise? Fuck trying to get dressed, you don't need to dress to impress today even with the princes and princesses up in this place, we'll let ourselves have a free day for you to relax!"
The clothes stopped and Regina came out from around the screen with a pout on her face.
"It is not my monthly," she mumbled
"Could've fooled me." Mal laughed and earned a smack on the arm but preened at the smile it got out of the witch.
She morphed and flew them over to paradise.
As soon as they landed, Regina slid off of her scaled back and inhaled deeply to calm herself.
"What's going on with you love?"
"I don't know honestly. Ever since Emma left, I just feel off. Like the smallest thing tips me off and I can't control my magic. Along with having to start making friends with the other kingdoms heirs, the princesses are completely self-centered but I have to make nice with them. Listening to the boy talk for hours on end while I entertain them because father and mother are entertaining the King and Queen. The princes are egotistical jackasses and get all butt hurt when they challenge me to a duel and I use the moves Emma taught me and I end up beating them. They don't even try for the second and third round that Emma goes for after the first round or even listen to the tips I suggest because I see their form. As soon as I beat them, they go off pouting. It's sickening. And I'm sorry I am rambling, we're here to relax." she sighed in defeat
"It's okay love, that is why we are here, so you can vent without those snobs listening and telling their parents to make our ties with them worse. We are here to let you relax." She gathered the princess in her arms and kissed the crown of her head as Regina burrowed her head in her neck
"I just don't know why but I could deal with it before, mother would let me bring Emma along as my guard in case we were walking around the grounds and something happened, even though it never happened and she knows I can defend myself. It was easier and it was like Emma calmed me or would just look at me a certain way because we know these people are imbeciles to where it would make me laugh. Now I have to deal with them myself and I am about to rip their throats out. Emma would duel with the princes and they wouldn't feel so bad because they would just say it was because she's a wolf and now it's me, they act like their pride is hurt. It's frustrating how much I am realizing I relied on Emma to keep me sane with these idiots."
"Well, we will ask your parents if I can start acting as your guard then. To make sure you don't choke them out." Mal winked
Regina laughed "No. Our parents said we have to start running our own areas by ourselves most of the time. We can't be relying on each other as much when it comes to being civil with humans and our other kinds. Who's to say one of you will always be around me to not curse someone? I have to deal with it myself."
"Did you know one of them, the king, asked for my hand in marriage? The man could be my grandfather but he wants a mother for his daughter. A king Midas? Offered the gold his hand turns everything into. I like his daughter though. Katherine has our humor and she's not much of a snob. Mother slapped the man for offering the proposal. Said he was lucky I was friends with his daughter or he wouldn't have our military alliance anymore." she vented some more
"Disgusting man. I do like Katherine though. That's why everyone is our ally around us. No one is willing to try a werewolf, witch, and dragon kingdom. It's an instant loss to go against a magical army." Mal mumbled against her head
"The fact they think I would marry for an ally rather than for love." Regina scoffed
"That's what we are all about since we know our soulmate. There have never been fights over love here because of it." The dragon nodded
"Thankfully. We don't need a love triangle with how passionate everyone is with their love. Even before the other knows. You remember Killian pacing over Jefferson because Jeffy didn't get the imprint in until he was fifteen? And Jeffy kept flirting around. I'm proud of Killian for not beating anyone because of his jealousy." She mumbled
"Goddess, you imagine if Emma had to go through that? She is protective over us, I can't imagine her actually imprinting and having to watch them love someone else until they figured it out." Mal laughed
"Oh, that'd be horrible. She'd beat whoever it was for sure." Regina pulled away and laughed. Finally feeling a little bit over stress release from her body. "Thank you. This has helped some."
Mal nodded. "But not enough I assume?"
"My magic still feels off and I still feel antsy. But my stress is pushed down enough to breathe clearly." Regina stood up on her tiptoes and kissed Mals cheek
Mal sighed at the feeling and smiled, " Come on, let's swim. The water should do you some good."
And every day, they kept that balance whenever they were home and not away. Even when they were away at ally kingdoms, Mal would fly to where Regina was at and go for a nature walk, making her laugh just to tempt her stress level down. They went from a swim if they could find a lake, nature walk if there wasn't and when they were home they went for a daily swim. But every day it got worse. Regina seemed itchy almost. She would pace her bedroom at night and that's when Mal moved into the princesses room. To have Regina cuddle into her to hopefully sleep with the comfort of her presence.
Most nights it worked but the majority of nights, Mal would fall asleep before Regina would. Regina would pretend to be asleep those nights, taking pity on the strain the dragon was putting herself though, just to comfort her. She loved her for trying to make her feel better but whatever they tried, it didn't help. She would wait until she saw Mal was fully asleep and then stand at the balcony
"Emma I love you. Please be careful. Bring yourself home." she'd sigh and hold onto her necklace for comfort.
One day, Mal tried a different tactic.
"Regina, can I try something?" She asked as they swam in the lake
"What do you mean?" Regina asked tiredly. The insomnia was starting to get to her
"Just trust me. Please." Mal begged
Regina nodded and allowed the woman to swim up behind her
Mal licked her lips and placed her hands on her shoulders and started to rub.
Regina sighed at the muscles being worked out in her shoulders. Actually starting to release the tension and stress within her.
At the sigh, Mal trailed up and down her spine, digging her thumbs in to get all the areas.
She worked back up to the brunette's shoulders again and at Regina's moan, she leaned forward and kissed her shoulder.
Regina didn't think anything of it, only taking it as affection. "Thank you for this Mal." she sighed
Mal ran her hands down her spine again and got to her lower back, she worked the divots there but pulled Regina's body closer to her and kissed behind her ear.
Regina furrowed her eyebrows at the movement.
Mal let go and turned Regina around, started to work the front of her shoulders. She looked at Regina in the eyes and then looked down to plump lips, licking her own. She leaned forward.
Regina tilted her head, eyebrows still furrowed. Confused as to what Mal was doing. As the blonde got closer a wolf howl rang in the air and they both jumped.
"Mother must be calling. We have to go." Regina sighed
Mal nodded shakily. Swallowing hard and running a hand through her hair, following Regina out of the lake and flying them back.

"How is everything going with her?" Snow communicated to her husband
"She is doing quite wonderfully. Still getting the hang of everything but the first two kingdoms loved her and we are now working on our third," he said, herding sheep into a pen.
"What are you doing?" she asked, feeling his heart rate
"We're helping a local farmer herd his sheep back into their pens. They had escaped during the storm, busted through their gate when they got scared. Just waiting on Emma." He looked around the field as he held the gate closed
"That's ironic. The wolves chasing the sheep." she laughed
David snorted and continued to scan for his daughter. A few minutes later he saw sheep break out of the tree line and run straight towards him. But instead of seeing the golden waves that were associated with his daughter's hair. Somehow she had turned brunette He couldn't control his laughter
"Oh my goddess." He belted out his deep belly laugh
"What-?" Snow began
"Dad open the gate!" Emma yelled, running after the sheep, keeping them in line with the gate
He did as he was told, controlling his laughter into snickering
"Get your ass's in there!" she yelled and hunched over, placing her hands on her knees as David closed the gate
"Emma… Why are you covered in mud?" he chuckled
"These assholes were about five miles from here. And decided to dodge me for a good half hour. I ran to push one and he moved. I fell in what I thought was just a small puddle. My whole body went in. It was a damn hole that was just filled up by a mudslide." she wiped the remaining mud from her face.
"Your daughter came back a mud monster from getting her half of the sheep."
Snow laughed along with him. "Oh I wish I could see what you're seeing right now."
"Hi mom," Emma grumbled, knowing her father was telling her mother already.
"Come on, I saw a lake not far from here. Let's go wash up and go head to the hut set up for us. Good job kiddo" he smiled and clapped her shoulders, steering them in the right direction. Both talking to her mother as they made their way.
While Emma washed up, her father made dinner. Ruby started talking to her.
"Emmmmmmaaaa," she called
"Hey Rubes, hows home?" Emma chuckled
"Boring as all hells without you here." Ruby feigned sadly
"Liar, I know for a fact you're getting into all the trouble you can before I come home and be the pack leader again." she joked
"Oh definitely, but I at least have to say that I am not. Just to surprise ya when you get home and see the wide eyes of us heathens."
"Why am I not surprised." Emma smiled to herself
"How're my girls?" she asked
"They have them going to the ally kingdoms or hosting other kingdoms at the castle. Getting them used to have to be civil with the others. Though I believe Regina is close to killing all but one princess." Ruby laughed
"Yeah they were all assholes. Let me guess, Princess Katherine?"
"Yep and that's because Katherine has our sense of humor and talks about books instead of boys. Along with actual politics to better her kingdom because they've had some issues."
"What of Mal?" Emma came up from the water and began drying herself.
"She's been going to her kingdoms and dragon villages. She said she wants to wait to go on mission till you come back. Regina said she'd be fine but Mal said it was your request, Regina backed down then." Ruby explained
Emma dressed and sat on a rock, watching the sun lower on the horizon. "At least she's keeping her promise. I know she wanted to get to be done with all her training as soon as possible."
"Yes she's been keeping Regina sane honestly. Since you left she said her magic is everywhere and she has been pacing at night. Standing on the balcony and just staring out. She doesn't know I know this though. But I've been keeping an eye on her. She's anxious and is agitated easily…."

"What?" Emma asked. Sensing the pause

"This only started when you left…" Ruby stated

"Well yeah, this is the longest we'll be away from each other, no contact other than through other people. I'd be acting that way too."

"No.. I've seen this before. When Killian left for his mission last year. Jefferson was acting the same way. Remember we had to keep him calm and he only settled when Killy came home and that's how Jeffy realized they were imprinted. Killian just never told him until then. Wanted Jeffy to find out for himself." Ruby explained

A few minutes of silence. Emma sighed.

"Ems, you're imprinted to Regina." it was more a statement than a question but Emma replied anyways

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want anyone to know. I have a suspicion of Mal and I want Regina to choose for herself instead of feeling obligated to be with me if I was to tell her outright. There was no reason to tell her before I left. Just to be gone after telling her something so serious."

"Em.." Ruby sighed

"What?"
"Mal has been following her around like a puppy. Like more than just before. Mal is keeping close. She is always touching her. She has even taken up living with Regina in her room." Ruby whispered
Emma sat there, watching the last of the sun sink away. "It seems they just needed the push of it being just them for it to happen," she said, keeping her tone and voice unchanged

"Em she'll choose you. It looks like it's more Mal being affectionate and Regina just thinking it's Mal taking care of her. I can play third wheel for the rest of the mission." she suggested

Emma chucked despite the news, "No. If Regina wants to try whatever out with Mal. I won't stand in her way if she's happy with her. Thank you for the update though, dads got dinner ready, I gotta go. Love you"
"No problem babes, love you, stay safe," Ruby said cheerfully and was gone
Emma sighed and looked up to the moon, hoping it could ease the ache in her chest.
She exhaled and looked down at the necklace on her chest. Feeling the warmth of Regina's magic against her chest.
"Emma I love you…" sounded in her head. She looked up and all around. No one was in the area but her. It sounded like Regina's voice. There was no denying that
"Maybe Ruby's wrong, Mal is just taking care of her as I asked." She muttered to herself.
"But what if she's right and that voice was only your imagination and hoping." a voice whispered.
"No, she's mine. That's why I'm imprinted on her. She's my soulmate. If she has feelings for Mal right now and wants to explore that. Then I'll wait till she returns my love."
" become depressed and miserable if their mate refuses them. Some have died from broken hearts because the one they imprinted one denied them, it's not really a broken heart, it's a broken soul." Cora's lesson flashed through her mind.
She sighed, shaking her head and grabbed the necklace. Regina's magic shot through her and she was filled with the love Regina had for her, just like the witch said would happen when she touched it.
She smiled and made her way towards the hut to eat dinner with her father. Two months down, ten more to go.