Emma hadn't had many occasions to speak with Cora one-on-one since she had been staying there but with her leaving the next day Emma made sure she had the chance. She had encouraged Regina, who had been feeling down about her mother leaving because they hadn't accomplished much in their lessons, to go for a ride on Quicksilver. Regina had invited her to come along for the ride so she could take Steel out. Steel was Regina's anniversary gift to her – a horse from the same stock as Quicksilver. It was the only horse that could match Quicksilver's speed and so Regina felt it was only fitting to give him to the one person she didn't mind catching her.
Emma thanked her for the invitation but begged off the ride so Regina could be on her own. Knowing Regina would be gone for at least an hour she knocked on Cora's door.
"Emma, come in," she said.
"Thanks. I was hoping we could talk privately before you left."
"Of course," Cora said. "Take a seat. I assume you have questions about what your parents told you."
Her parents had informed Cora and Henry that Emma now knew the truth about the seer. From what her parents told her, the other couple didn't take it well. There was some debate as to whether to tell Regina the truth now but in the end, they had decided not to.
Emma was somewhat relieved for the decision because she knew if they told Regina now that Regina would be upset that she hadn't told her immediately.
She hadn't even been sure she was going to keep it a secret and then when Regina finally told her that she loved her she felt so happy she didn't want to ruin it.
"Not questions per se, more of a request." She hadn't taken a seat and she was sure her nervousness was on full display, but Cora said nothing and took her seat and waited for Emma to finally take one.
"What is your request?"
"My parents told me about what happened at King Midas' castle, about the decision to try and remove the magic from Regina," Emma said. She saw a flicker of emotion in Cora's expression at the mention of it. "They told me that you used magic on me and Regina to make us forget about it. I was wondering if you could reverse it so that I might remember what happened."
"If your parents told you what happened then why would you want to remember it?" Cora asked.
"I just need to know. I guess I need to know that the connection I feel to Regina was there even back then," Emma said. "I want to know how I felt about it."
"If I would choose to remove it from you, you do realize that Regina still wouldn't remember it."
"I do," Emma said. "I hate that her whole life has been surrounded by lies to prevent her from knowing about the seer. I understand why you all made the decision you made, but I don't have to like it."
"Why didn't you tell her the truth once you learned of it?" Cora asked. "You tell me why and I will remove the memory spell I placed on you."
"I don't know," Emma said. "I really don't. I want to tell her, but I know the moment I do she will be hurt and I can't stand seeing her hurt. I don't want to be the cause of that hurt and I will be now because I didn't tell her immediately. All I can do now is love her to the fullest extent of my heart and keep her safe and make her feel loved."
Cora stood up. "I will remove the spell, but you need to be prepared for what you are going to experience. Memories coming back like this will be like you are experiencing it all over again. It's not something you should welcome to have in your mind."
"I'm ready."
Cora approached her and placed her hand on Emma's head. She said a few words that Emma didn't understand and then took several steps back. Emma thought perhaps it didn't work or Cora had changed her mind. Then the memories began to flood her brain.
She saw her first glimpse of Regina when they arrived at Midas' castle. When their parents had gone down to the meeting, she had snuck over to Regina's room. Her parents had told her she must stay in her room but she left because she needed to see the girl who she had only seen for a few seconds.
Then there was Regina opening the door and she immediately smiled at Emma as if she was expecting it to be her at the door.
They sat on Regina's bed talking and laughing until there was a pounding at the door. Regina told Emma to hide under the bed, afraid they would get in trouble for being together even though Emma saw nothing wrong with what they were doing. Then the men, she recognized them as guards, grabbed Regina and pulled her out.
Emma scrambled out from under the bed, but she paused when she got to the door. She wasn't even supposed to be out of her room. But she had to get to Regina. She had to make sure she was ok.
She slipped from the room but since she had paused in there she didn't know what direction the guards had gone. Guessing a direction she began to head down to the main floor and there she caught a glimpse of the guards taking Regina into a room and shutting the door behind them.
She waited just around the corner from the door where two guards stood watch. When she heard the scream she knew it was Regina and she didn't hesitate to run forward past the guards and open the door. She didn't know what was happening only that Regina was on the ground in pain and the adults in the room appeared to be standing there doing nothing to help her.
She called out for Regina as she ran forward only to have her father grab ahold of her. He wouldn't let go even as she struggled and screamed for someone to help Regina. Then she saw Regina's mother look as if she broke free from some invisible bond and knock the mean man away from Regina. Cora gathered her daughter into her arms and then Henry and she took Regina from the room.
She remembered telling her parents that she needed to go, she needed to make sure Regina was alright, but they wouldn't listen to her and soon they ushering her from the room. They returned to their rooms upstairs, Emma crying, asking them to take her to see Regina so she could make sure she was ok. That's all she wanted was to see her with her own eyes.
She was told no though and finally told that King Mills had left along with his wife and daughter. Emma didn't sleep at all that night, her mind filled with Regina's screams and her concerns for the brunette girl. The next morning they left and despite asking her parents if they could go to the Mills kingdom she was told no.
For the next couple of weeks, nothing meant anything to her. She moped around the castle, asked her parents if they had any news on Regina, and asked why it was that she had been hurt.
The only day she perked up was when they told her they would be traveling to the Mills kingdom. She knew something was wrong by the way her parents were acting and that only made her worry more. Her mom tried to reassure her but she could see in her own parents' eyes that they were concerned about something.
The trip seemed to take forever and when they finally arrived Emma had to wait outside a room while her parents spoke with Henry and Cora. She heard voices being raised at one point and she almost left to find Regina on her own. Somehow she was sure she could find her in this castle she had never been in before and somehow she felt like Regina wanted her to find her.
The door opened and Emma got to her feet as her father bade her enter.
"Can I see Regina? She asked as soon as she saw Regina's parents.
"Yes dear, you will be allowed to see her," Cora said. "Come with me."
She glanced at her parents who nodded to her and she took Cora's offered hand and they left the room from another door. They began to go up the stairs when Emma asked, "Is she ok?"
"No," Cora said in a tired voice. "She has not left her room since we returned home. Physically, she is fine, yes, but what happened to her weighs on her nonetheless. We hope that maybe you will be able to bring a little joy to her with this visit. She has asked about you."
"She did?"
"Yes," Cora said. She gave her a small smile in response to the smile that Emma had at learning Regina had asked about her.
They continued up the stairs and then arrived at a room with the door shut. "Now Emma, Regina has been quiet these last couple of weeks so if she doesn't feel like speaking don't take that as a slight toward you. Regina, she's … she's dealing with this as best as she can."
"Why did that man try to hurt her?" Emma asked.
"Did your parents tell you anything?"
Emma shook her head no.
"Then it is probably not my place to tell you," she said.
She knocked on the door and then opened it partway. "Regina, I've brought a guest," Cora said. Emma was still outside and couldn't see anything of any use from the angle she was at, nor did she hear Regina say anything in response to her mother. She hoped that Regina wouldn't send her away.
Cora then brought her forward and she saw Regina lying on her bed. She wasn't even facing the door, instead lying on her side staring at a wall.
"Go on," Cora said, nudging Emma forward.
Emma approached the bed slowly and when she reached the foot of it, she let her hand grab one of the posts.
" Regina ."
Regina turned and looked at her. "Emma!" she said propping herself up and smiling.
Emma smiled back and came closer, climbing up on the bed so she could sit cross-legged in front of Regina. "Hi," she said nervously.
"You came," was all Regina said.
"Yeah," Emma said. "I was afraid my parents wouldn't let me come here, but I had to see you. I wanted to make sure you were ok. Are you ok?"
She could see that Regina seemed a little thinner than when she saw her last. When she had snuck into Regina's room at Midas' castle she remembered how quick Regina was to laugh and smile at her, but now even though she smiled there was this seriousness to her expression that wasn't there before.
Regina reached out and took Emma's hand. "I am now."
"I will leave you two girls alone to talk," Cora said from the doorway before leaving.
"I can't believe you came all this way," Regina said. "In my dreams, you are there. I dreamt that you stopped that bad man from hurting me."
"I would have," Emma hurriedly said. "I would have kicked him and bit him or pulled his hair, anything to get him to stop." She looked down at their joined hands feeling shame suddenly that she hadn't done any of those things when it mattered.
"Why are you sad?" Regina asked.
Emma shrugged. "He hurt you. Why did he hurt you?"
"I don't know," Regina said. "Mom said it had something to do with him wanting my magic."
"You have magic," Emma asked her eyes going wide with wonder.
"Yes, but I'm not supposed to talk about it," Regina said. "Please don't tell anyone I told you."
"I won't. I wouldn't do that."
The more they talked the more each of them relaxed. Regina spoke to her about her family's horses and how much she loved to ride and Emma told her how her father had started to teach her to use a sword and Emma even showed her some of the moves she had learned. At some point, Cora brought them up some food to eat and Emma made sure Regina finished the meal. They talked and they laughed and they played until there was another knock on the door and Cora once again entered.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's time for Emma and her parents to be leaving."
"Can't they stay?" Regina asked immediately.
"No, honey, I'm sorry they can't."
"But I don't want to her leave."
"I know," Cora said softly as she approached the bed. "But it's a long journey back to their kingdom and they must get going.
Regina started to cry and she buried her head into her pillow. Emma wanted to cry too but she laid a comforting hand on Regina's back.
"Can I stay?" she asked Cora, who merely shook her head no.
Cora knelt beside the bed so she could look at Regina. She stroked Regina's hair.
"This isn't goodbye forever," she told Regina. "You and Emma are going to see a lot of each other in the future. I promise. You know that castle that is being built, the one your father takes you out to – that castle is going to be yours one day, yours and Emma's."
Emma looked at her. She knew about the castle being built between their two kingdoms. Her parents had told her that it would be hers one day even though she didn't understand why she was getting a castle of her own. Now to hear that it would be hers and Regina's, made her smile.
But Regina was still upset and that made her sad.
"Regina, say farewell to Emma. Remember, it's not goodbye."
Regina got up suddenly and launched into a hug of Emma, nearly knocking her back onto the bed.
"I don't want to let you go," Regina whispered.
Emma didn't know what to say as she was sure she was going to cry the moment she was out of this room. She didn't want to leave Regina, not ever, even though she knew that was unrealistic.
Emma pulled back from her. "I'll be back," she said. "Whenever you need me, I'll come. I promise."
This time she was the quick one to move as she gave Regina a small kiss on the lips. She scurried off the bed just as quickly and saw Cora looking at her with an amused expression. Emma was glad she wasn't in trouble for her bold move.
Regina waved goodbye to her as Cora led her from the room. When they got downstairs Emma was again made to wait outside but at least this time she felt better for having seen Regina even if she was sad about leaving.
After her parents were done speaking with Regina's parents, they invited Emma into the room. Her mom offered her water to drink. She thought it tasted weird but she was thirsty and drank it all, but suddenly felt tired. The last thing she remembered was Cora approaching her and touching her on the forehead.
"I don't understand," Emma said after the memories were all back. "She and I connected immediately when we were kids but when we met as teenagers we couldn't stand each other."
"We were rather shocked by that as well," Cora said. "I don't know that I have a satisfying answer beyond saying that erasing your memories of the encounter may have had something to do with it. Or maybe it was simply because you were teenagers and no longer children."
Now that she remembered that instant connection she felt with Regina, she wished that it had been like when they were teens. It hadn't taken more than a glimpse of Regina at Midas' castle for Emma to feel like she was someone she wanted to know better. The innocent smile that Regina first gave her – it was carefree, but when her parents brought her to the Mills' kingdom that smile was gone. Yes, Regina smiled, but it was tainted somehow.
She suddenly felt anger at King Midas. How dare he do this to her wife? How dare he even show his face in their kingdom? She thought about what Regina said about Midas giving her looks and making her uncomfortable – this must be why unconsciously at least Regina sensed that Midas was not a good person.
"Why didn't you do anything to Midas? How could you let him get away with this?"
"What would you have had use do? Go to war? Because that is what it would have taken," Cora said.
"What about this man who hurt her? I think my mom called him Rumple-something."
"Rumplestiltskin," Cora offered up. "He has not been seen –at least by anyone I know since it happened. And believe me, I looked. He wasn't there to try and take Regina's magic away to save us from some unknown threat, he was there because he wanted my daughter's power. If we had allowed Regina to learn magic from the beginning, by now, well she would be the most powerful magic wielder in the world. He coveted that power because he has no inborn magic of his own. The dagger he uses is the source of all his power."
"None of this is fair," Emma said. "None of it. Regina would not do this thing."
"You must understand that we could not take that chance. I think a part of you at least sees that or you wouldn't be keeping the truth from her," Cora said. "Do I wish there was a better way, yes, I do? I look at my daughter and I don't see someone who is driven by hate because make no mistake, that is what it would take for her to cast a curse that would destroy our world. That kind of magic comes from a place of darkness. I have seen what that darkness can do to a person. That is not my daughter."
Emma thought about this a moment, a question forming in her mind that she did not want to ask but felt compelled to.
"What if … what if my love isn't enough though?"
Cora approached her, cupping her face with her hands. "You must believe that it is," Cora said. "You love Regina and nothing is more powerful than that. Even if the seer had never appeared, never told of this, you have to believe that you and Regina would still end up together. I could not have asked for a better person to accompany my daughter through life than you Emma."