A/N: ***Trigger Warning: More self harm***
I promise, this is the last of the trigger warning chapters.
Chapter 7
"What do you mean? There's a way for Regina to go home?" Emma asked, pushing her way towards Regina.
"I've heard tales of a way for those souls who are trapped here, like Regina is, to seek redemption and are able to go home." Elder Henry explained.
"What are they?" Emma asked, her hope peeking.
"I've heard of something called 'The Trials of True Love'" Elder Henry said, turning towards Emma and Regina. "You will be put through a series of tests. And if you pass, Regina will be released from her bounds and will be able to leave the Underworld."
"What are these tests?" Regina asked. "Are they dangerous?"
"That I do not know. No one has knowledge of anyone passing these tests. From what I've heard, the tests are specific to the couple." Cora answered.
"As for the danger, I think it's safe to assume there is a fair amount of danger involved. If not, more people who have succeeded." Elder Henry answered.
"No. It's not an option then." Regina said firmly. "I can't risk Emma's life like that." She added.
"With all due respect, Regina. You don't really have a say in the matter. If these trials are what stands between us and bringing you home, I'm in." Emma said, stepping in front of Regina to hold her gaze.
"Emma, no. It's too dangerous." Regina protested.
"The way I see it, if we fail and I die, I get to stay here with you. And if we succeed, you come home with us. That's a win-win in my books." Emma said, trying to lighten the mood slightly. "I'm doing this whether you like it or not, so you might as well get on board."
"Fine." Regina sighed, grabbing Emma's hand and turning their attention back to her parents. "How do we even know they are even real?" Regina asked.
"We don't. We have only heard tales." Elder Henry said. "I do know, if they are real, they will not be easy tasks."
"I don't care. I'll do anything to save Regina." Emma said, looking at Regina, causing a large smile to fall across Elder Henry and Cora's faces.
"And why should we trust you? Who are you?" Zelena asked, her face skeptical.
"We are the people who gave Regina life." Cora snapped. "And who do you think you are?" She added, the old cruel Cora coming to the surface.
"Mother, Daddy, this is Zelena." Regina said, pulling Zelena forward. "Mother, this is your daughter." Regina explained.
"My God." Cora whispered, looking at Zelena in front of her. "My baby girl…" Cora said, a tear falling from her eye.
"Listen, I know you wish to have a heartwarming reunion, but this is not the time. We're here for Regina and Emma. Let's focus on the task at hand." Zelena snapped, causing Cora to jump at the harshness of her tone.
"Yes…of course…" Cora said, backing down.
"Tell us everything you know about these trials." Emma said, stepping in to change the subject.
"We don't know much, just what we've already said." Cora said.
"But, we do know where they supposedly begin." Elder Henry added.
"What are we waiting for! Let's go!" Emma said, looking around to make sure everyone is ready.
"Follow us." Cora said, turning on her heels, leading the way through towards the building a few feet away.
"Uhhh….that was ridiculously easy." Emma said, as they filed into the building that at one point was the base of the Underworld clocktower.
"The entrance to the Trials begin there." Cora explained, pointing to the ornate elevator door against the back wall. The same elevator that led to the underground prison where Maleficent had been kept back in Storybrooke.
"Deja-vu." Emma laughed, looking over at Regina. "Ok, so what do we do?" She asked, turning back to Elder Henry and Cora.
"This is the extent of our knowledge." Cora said.
"You're on your own from this point on." Elder Henry said.
"Well then." Emma said, taking a deep breath. "Shall we?" Emma asked, looking over at Regina.
"Yes." Regina smiled.
"How do we…" Emma started to say, searching around the door for any indication of how to open it. Regina stepped forward, inspecting the runes carved around the doorway, her eyes squinting as she attempted to translate the symbols.
"It requires our blood." Regina said suddenly, looking over at Emma.
"You can read those?" Emma asked, in shock.
"A little." Regina said, looking over the ancient language again. "It says, we have to press our blood into those buttons at the same time, and the doors will open." Regina explained.
"Somehow I'm not surprised that blood is involved." Emma chuckled to herself. "Shall we?" Emma asked, pulling a small Swiss Army Knife out of her pocket, flipping up the knife.
"Yes!" Regina smiled, as Emma raised the knife to her hand.
"Moms! Wait!" Henry said, rushing towards them. "Good luck!" He hugged them tightly.
"Thanks Kid!" Emma said, hugging him back, looking over at her parents.
"We'll be here when you get back." Snow said, giving them the thumbs up.
"This is your only chance. Go talk to her." Regina whispered to Zelena, who rolled her eyes at Regina, before turning around and approached Cora. "Ready?" She asked, turning to Emma.
"Let's get these things off your wrists, so we can go home." Emma smiled.
Emma took the knife and quickly cut the top of her left thumb, handing the knife to Regina, who mirrored Emma's action, cutting the top of her right thumb.
"Ok. On the count of three…" Emma said, grasping Regina's hand, moving into position in front of the door. "One…Two…Three!" She said, as they pressed their thumbs into the buttons on the wall in unison. A few seconds later, the gears inside the elevator roared to life, grinding and moving as the elevator doors slid open, revealing the elevator car inside. Without missing a beat, Regina and Emma took a step inside the elevator car, as the doors slid closed behind them.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Regina asked, as the elevator car started it's slow descent, leading them into the unknown.
"I would do anything for you, Regina." Emma said, cupping Regina's face sweetly, leaning in for a soft kiss.
"I read something else on the doorway." Regina said, after Emma pulled away from the kiss. "These trials are going to be dangerous, Emma. You could die." Regina said, her face serious.
"Like I said before, if I die, then I get to stay here with you. Either way, you're stuck with me." Emma joked.
"I'm serious. We don't know what will happen if we don't pass these tests, Emma. We could be separated forever." Regina warned. "If we turn back now, we can eventually be together again."
"Yeah in fifty years." Emma said, her face shifting quickly. "We already waited too long to be together. I'm not willing to wait another fifty years to see you again."
"But what if we fail? What if failure means we can never see each other again?" Regina asked, her eyes filled with fear.
"But if we pass, we can spend the rest of our lives together." Emma smiled. "That's a risk I'm willing to take, for the chance to grow old with you, Regina." Emma added, grabbing Regina's hand.
"Why did I wait so long to say something to you?" Regina asked. "We could have saved ourselves this whole ordeal."
"Who are you kidding, Regina? Even if we declared our Love to each other the second we met, we would still have ended up right where we are. Because we would always do whatever it takes to protect each other, whether we're in a relationship or not." Emma laughed, as the elevator shook suddenly, indicating it had reached the end of it's trip.
"Are you ready?" Regina asked, as the doors slid open, to reveal a small dark room.
"Absolutely!" Emma smiled, grabbing Regina's hand again, leading her out into the room, the elevator doors closing as soon as they crossed the threshold.
They walked together into the room, which was dimly lit with torches along the wall, leading to a door against the far wall, with a plaque against it.
The Trials of True Love begin beyond this door. Pass these Trials, three, and you will be granted what you Heart desires, whatever they may be. Enter at your own risk.
"Last chance to back out." Regina said, turning to Emma.
"Not going to happen." Emma said, opening the door in front of them, leading Regina into the room, beginning the Trials of True Love.
The First Trial
Emma led them slowly into the first room, looking around quickly, searching for any signs of danger. The room was small, dimly lit by a few torches on the wall and completely empty except for a small table in the center of the room. They carefully approached the table, taking inventory of the few items placed upon it. A small knife, two small glass jars and a plaque were the only things sitting on the table.
"Suffer the same fate." Emma read the plaque out loud. "What does that mean?" She asked, looking over at Regina, her mind already trying to process the first task, her face changing suddenly.
"You have to suffer the same fate…as I did" Regina said, looking down at her wrists. "I think you have to slit your wrists too." She added, looking up at Emma.
"What's the jars for?" Emma asked, suddenly realized what needed to be done. "It's for my blood. I have to slit my wrists and collect the blood in the jars." She said, looking at Regina, her face worried. "Well that doesn't seem too hard." She said, pulling off her jacket, rolling up the sleeves of her white sweater.
"Wait. Emma. Hold on a second." Regina said, stopping Emma. "Emma, you can't do this."
"Of course I can. I told you I would do anything to save you." Emma said, smiling as she cupped Regina's face gently.
"Emma, it's too dangerous. You'll die. I can't let you do this." Regina said, pulling Emma away from the table.
"I would rather die than spend the next fifty or so years without you." Emma said, grabbing the knife off the table. "You can look away if you want." Emma said, turning back towards the table.
Regina followed Emma to the table, and placed her hand on Emma's lower back for support. She could feel how nervous Emma was, even if her face showed confidence. She took a deep breath before pressing the tip of the knife against her wrist, pressing down until a small drop of blood appeared, pulling the tip down the length of the vein, groaning in pain, as blood began to flow from the wound. She quickly switched sides, opening up her right wrist, placing her wrists over the opening of the jars, as her blood began to quickly fill the empty space.
"Emma…" Regina whispered, as she rested her head on Emma's shoulder, tears staining Emma's sweater.
"I'm ok, Regina." Emma said, her voice shaky, her body still from pain, as they watched her blood fill the jars.
"Emma. Please stop." Regina cried, her chest heaving against Emma's back. "Please. I'm not worth your life. Please stop!"
"You're worth…more…than my life." Emma said, her head fuzzy from blood loss, her eyes struggling to stay open as the jars continue to fill. She stumbled, almost falling over.
"Emma?" Regina said, pulling herself out of her thoughts.
"Regina…I…can't…stand up…anymore…" Emma said, her voice weak, struggling to breathe. "Can you….hold…me up…" She asked, stumbling again, nearly knocking over the almost full jars of blood.
"Just hold on…a little longer…" Regina cried, wrapping her arms around Emma's waist, holding her up as well as she could, as she felt Emma's body grow weaker by the moment.
"Regi…Regin…Regina…" Emma whispered, her lungs struggling to fill with air. "Regina…I…I…I…Love…" Emma tried to say, her head hanging low, her legs finally giving out.
"I Love You, Emma. I Love You so much." Regina cried, holding Emma's full weight, as the last drops of blood filled the containers.
With every labored breath, Emma's body became weaker and weaker, Regina holding Emma up as long as she could, her tears streaming down her face, as she felt the life drain from Emma's body.
As the final drop of blood filled the jars, Emma Swan's heart stopped, her body falling limp in Regina's arms.
"EMMA!" Regina screamed, as Emma's body fell to the ground. "NO! EMMA! WAKE UP!" Regina screamed, shaking Emma's body, willing the woman to open her eyes. She quickly rolled Emma onto her back and started CPR, exactly the actions Emma took when she discovered Regina's body two months ago, her tears dripping on her hands as she pressed them into Emma's chest, pausing to breathe into Emma's mouth.
A blinding white light spread through the room as soon as their lips met, stunning Regina, as Emma gasped suddenly, sitting straight up.
"Emma?!" Regina asked, "Emma? Are you ok?"
"I'm…fine, actually." Emma smiled, checking her pulse. "What happened?"
"You died." Regina cried. "You died in my arms, Emma." Emma pulled Regina into her arms, Regina's body shaking as she cried into Emma's chest, listening to the sound of Emma's heart beating, as Emma attempted to calm her down.
"That was intense." Emma laughed a few minutes later, once they both composed themselves, standing, helping Regina to her feet. "Woah! Is that…" Emma started to ask, pointing to the full jars of blood on the table.
"That's your blood." Regina said, grabbing Emma's hands, checking her wrists. "They're gone." She whispered, shocked, as they both looked down at Emma's wrists, the deep cuts gone.
"Is that what you felt? When you died?" Emma asked, her eyes suddenly filling with tears, as she started to remember the feeling of dying. Regina said nothing, just nodded, tears falling from her eyes. "You were all alone, Regina. You died alone, on the cold and dirty floor. I'm so sorry I wasn't there." Emma cried, pulling Regina close to her, kissing her passionately.
The sound of a soft click across the room pulled them apart, as they looked up to discover a small door had opened, a door they hadn't noticed before.
"What happened?" Regina asked, looking over at the open door.
"I think we passed the first test!" Emma smiled, pulling on her jacket, leading Regina through the door that led to the second test.
The Second Trial
As soon as they walked into the second room, Emma was violently pulled away, an invisible force separating them. Regina stood rooted in her spot, her eyes shifting through the room, frantically searching for Emma. The room was large, at least three times the size of the previous room, bright and open, much like a warehouse.
"REGINA!" Emma screamed suddenly, appearing at the far side of the room, bound and tied to a wooden chair.
"EMMA!" Regina screamed, as Emma struggled against her restraints. Regina took a step forward, preparing to rush across the room, when an explosion stopped her dead in her tracks.
She could feel the heat before she saw the flames. Looking around frantically, all she could see were flames, covering the entire room, except for a small circle surrounding Emma.
"REGINA!" Emma called, the sound of the flames muffling her voice. "REGINA! WHAT DO WE DO?"
"I KNOW WHAT I HAVE TO DO!" Regina called, taking a tentative step towards the wall of fire. "I'M COMING!"
"REGINA! NO!" Emma called. "DON'T! YOU'LL DIE! IT'S NOT WORTH IT!"
"I'M ALREADY DEAD, EMMA!" Regina screamed. "I WOULD DIE A THOUSAND DEATHS, TO BE WITH YOU!"
She coughed heavily, her lungs filling with smoke, as she took her first step into the flames.
She instantly began screaming in pain.
Her clothes were the first to burn away, instantly catching fire the moment she stepped into the fire, the material turning to ash instantly, her shoes melting as she pushed through the fire.
It took only a few moments before the fire reached her skin, blisters forming quickly, as her hair began to burn, the smell of burning flesh invading her senses, as she pressed on, the pain unbearable.
Her screams were the only thing she could hear, as her flesh turned to ash, revealing her muscles underneath, blood falling as her veins and arteries began to burn away, bloody footprints marked her path. She could no longer hear Emma's screams for her to stop, pleading with her to stop.
She suddenly lost the ability to scream, as she stumbled the final few steps, falling immediately as she reached the end of the wall of flames. She couldn't feel the cool floor on her body, what was left of her nerves only registering pain. She crawled over to Emma, her voice sounding so far away, no doubt a result of the fire damage.
With the last bit of life she had left in her, she pulled herself up onto her knees, struggling to untie one of Emma's hands, her lungs gasping for breath, eventually freeing one of Emma's hands.
"REGINA!" Emma screamed, struggling to free herself from her restraints, as she watched Regina fall to the ground, her chest moved rapidly as she struggled to breathe.
Emma fell to her knees, pulling Regina into her arms, as Regina silently screamed at her touch.
"Regina! You shouldn't have done that!" Emma cried, pulling Regina close to her, tears falling onto Regina's face, as her breathing started to slow. "I don't know what to do, Regina. What do I do? How do I help you?" Emma cried, as Regina's eyes fluttered open. Every part of Regina's body had been burned to oblivion, except her eyes.
Emma looked deep into Regina's eyes, as she struggled to take her last breath, silently slipping away, her bright brown eyes suddenly becoming dull, as she died in Emma's arms.
"Why did you do that?" Emma cried, pulling Regina's burnt body close to her. "You shouldn't have done that! I'm not worth the pain." Emma cried, leaning down, kissing Regina's forehead, her lips gone completely.
A blinding white light shot through the room, extinguishing the wall of fire, all evidence of the inferno gone, as Emma felt Regina shift in her arms.
"Regina?" She whispered, looking down to find Regina healed, her clothes restored to the way they were.
"Emma." She whispered, her voice still hoarse from the smoke and screaming.
"You're ok!" Emma cried, kissing Regina deep.
"It appears so." Regina said, sitting up.
"Don't do that again." Emma laughed, pulling Regina to her feet.
"I'll try not to die again." Regina laughed, as they heard the soft click of a door opening a few feet away. "We passed the second test." Regina smiled, kissing Emma softly, before walking towards the door to the final test.
The Third Trial
The room was similar to the first room, slightly larger and brighter, with torches lining the walls, a small table sitting in the center. On the table, surrounded by a dozen candles of all shapes and sizes, was an old scale, perfectly centered in weight.
"Well, this looks ominous." Emma said, as they approached the table. "It's for our hearts, isn't it? We have to weigh our hearts? Prove our Love for each other?" She asked, as she looked over at Regina.
"Yes, I believe so." Regina agreed.
"Alright, let's do this!" Emma said, pulling her heart from her chest. "Let's get this over with, so we can go home." She smiled, as Regina pulled her dark heart from her chest.
"On the count of three?" Regina asked, Emma nodding in agreement, as they approached the table. "One…Two…" Regina counted, but before she could get to three, another small explosion occurred, this time engulfing the scale in flames.
"Of course there would be more fire." Emma said, rolling her eyes. "I think we've experienced enough fire to last us a lifetime."
"Yes, I agree." Regina said, the memory of the previous room still fresh in her mind. "Emma, let's think this through."
"Think what through? We weigh our hearts and then you get to go home. What's to think about?" Emma asked.
"Emma, this is your heart. What if we don't pass? We don't know what could happen." Regina said.
"Regina. I slit my wrists and filled jars with my blood for you and you LITERALLY walked through fire for me. We both died and came back to life for each other. I think it's safe to say, we Love each other." Emma smiled.
"Emma. Are you sure about this?" Regina asked.
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life." Emma smiled, kissing Regina sweetly. "Now, let's drop our hearts in a burning fire so we can go home and start our lives together."
"Ok." Regina smiled, grabbing Emma's hand, moving into position.
They slowly counted to three, before dropping their hearts onto the burning scale. The pain in their chest was instantaneous, as the flames engulfed their pulsing hearts. They gripped each other's hands tightly, threatening to break each other's bones, as the pain increased, their chest burning more and more with each passing moment.
"Regina…" Emma said, through clenched teeth. "I…Love…You…" Emma managed to say, as she looked over at Regina.
"I…Love…You…" Regina said, her eyes never leaving Emma's.
Time seemed to stop, as they continued to fight the growing pain in their chest, their lungs once again struggling to breathe.
"Emma…I…I don't know if I can make it much longer." Regina cried, her chest felt like it was on fire again, her lungs gasping. "Kiss me. Kiss me before it's too late." Regina pleaded, tears running down her face.
Emma mouthed the words " I Love You", the pain preventing her from speaking, as she pulled Regina in for what could be their last kiss, holding her impossibly close, fearing this would be the last time she saw Regina.
A familiar bright white light shot through the room, as they clung to each other for dear life. The fire surrounding their heart disappeared, the pain ceasing instantly, as the sound of metal hitting the floor echoing against the walls.
"We did it!" Regina whispered, as she looked down at her wrists, now free from the prison of the metal cuffs, which sat on the floor by her feet.
"Regina! Regina, we did it!" Emma screamed, excited tears rushing down her face, as the soft click of another door opening in the corner of the room. "Let's go home." She said, grabbing her heart off the scales, pressing it into her chest.
Regina picked up her black heart, examining it carefully, before turning back to Emma, a scared expression on her face.
"Regina? What's wrong?" Emma asked.
"Emma…" Regina started to say, a stray tear falling from her eyes. "I can't go back to Storybrooke." She whispered.
"What? What do you mean, you can't go back to Storybrooke? The cuffs are off. You can leave the Underworld now." Emma said, hurt spreading across her face.
"My heart…is still dark. The moment magic reaches it, I'll become HER again. That's why I ended up down here in the first place. I can't put you at risk. I have to protect you from the Evil Queen." Regina cried.
"No! Regina! No! You can't stay down here." Emma cried.
"I wouldn't stay here." Regina whispered.
"I don't understand," Emma said, a constant stream of tears falling down her face. "Where would you go?"
"I could move on." Regina whispered. As she said those words, a bright light spread across the far wall, next to the open door that would lead them back to the Underworld. The light that would bring her to the other side.
"Don't leave me, Regina. Please!" Emma cried, pulling Regina to her.
"I can't go back. Not like this." Regina said, pointing to her dark heart.
"Wait…" Emma said, her face changing suddenly. "Walk me through this. The Darkness is in your heart, right?" Emma asked.
"Yes." Regina said, frowning.
"And the moment your heart is filled with magic again, you'll become The Evil Queen, right?" She asked.
"Yes." Regina answered.
"So, what if your heart isn't in your chest when we return to Storybrooke? Your mother lived for years without her heart. Why couldn't you too?" Emma asked.
"Yes, that's true. But without her heart, my mother was unable to feel Love. I would never be able to actually Love you and Henry without my heart." Regina answered.
"Ok…But what if…" Emma started to say, a lightbulb going off in her head. "What if the heart in your chest wasn't your heart?" Emma asked.
"Are you suggesting I steal someone's heart and put it in my chest?" Regina asked, becoming a little angry.
"No. We don't steal someone's heart. What if someone gave you their heart?" Emma asked.
"Everyone here, with the exception of the five of you, are dead. I can't use a dead heart, and I won't take a living heart from my family." Regina said.
"Ok, hear me out. What if someone gave you their heart. Freely and willingly?" Emma asked, a small grin creeping onto her face.
"Emma, what are you trying to say?" Regina asked.
"What if I split my heart…and share it with you? You would still have a heart, but one that isn't filled with Darkness." Emma suggested. "It worked for my parents, why couldn't it work for us too?"
"Emma. I can't ask you to do that." Regina said.
"You're not asking. I'm offering." Emma said, plunging her hand into her chest, pulling out her heart again, struggling to split it in half.
"Emma, be careful!" Regina said suddenly, as she watched Emma pull her heart apart, smiling at her achievement.
"Regina, I'm not going to force you to take my heart." Emma said, as she pressed half her heart back into her chest, resting the other half against Regina's chest, but didn't push it in. "I Love You, Regina. I literally Love You with all my heart. Please, don't leave me." She said, as she looked deep into Regina's eyes.
"I Love You too, Emma." Regina said, cupping Emma's face gently with her right hand, using her left hand to gently push Emma's heart into her chest, inhaling sharply at the new organ. "Let's go home."
