Regina had spent a big part of her life learning how to school her features so people wouldn't know what she was thinking or feeling. But somehow when Anita showed up to dine with them she felt like this woman's piercing eyes were looking right through her.
They were dining in one of the smaller rooms that were reserved when the queens wished to be in a more intimate setting. Once the main course was served, Emma dismissed the staff, telling them they would ring when they were needed once more.
Still, they continued to eat having nothing more than small talk. Regina was barely eating as her nerves seemed to increase as they continued to delay speaking about what they had brought Anita up here for.
Emma had been asking her about her travels and what it was like growing up in the northern kingdoms.
"I left home early, before I was officially of age," Anita was saying. "And started traveling."
"Why did you leave home so early?" Emma asked.
Anita paused. "My magic," she said. "By that time it had already manifested and it was a struggle for me and frankly my parents didn't want anything to do with it."
The subject had finally been broached, but Regina still didn't say anything.
"That must have been hard on you," Emma said. "I can't even imagine."
Anita shrugged like it was no big deal. "It was a good early lesson on knowing you can't always rely on other people."
"How did your magic first manifest?" Regina asked.
Anita pushed her plate aside, signaling that she at least was done eating, and leaned forward. "While people can acquire magic through talismans and such there are those of us who are born with it. It has always been inside me but I didn't know that until the first time I used it. After that it becomes something you can feel, something that is distinctly yours," she said. "The first time it happened to me, I had gotten upset, something trivial that I can't even remember what it was, but I had stalked off from our homestead. I wasn't supposed to wander far from it, but that day I felt like asserting my independence. The problem was, I got lost in the woods. It got dark and I didn't even know if anyone was looking for me so by the time I was too tired to walk anymore, I just sat down and cried. I fell asleep and woke and it was cold. There was a dusting of snow over me and I was shivering and I was so upset and scared and alone. Then it happened, a small flame formed in my hand," Anita said as she raised her hand and made a flame appear.
Regina stared at it with wonder. It was floating just above her hand – and while it was small, Regina couldn't help but be entranced by it. A moment later Anita made it disappear.
"I used it to build a fire and when my father found me, there I was sitting in front of it as warm as could be," Anita said. "I didn't tell my parents what happened exactly for another day, and when I did, my mother didn't believe me. I tried to get the magic to work again to show her I was telling the truth and it wouldn't work. I couldn't just make it happen."
"After that, the magic would only come sporadically. I struggled with it because I was trying to get it to work, but just couldn't," Anita said. "When I was a little older, my father was … he could get angry sometimes and on one of these times he was yelling at my mother and I got scared and angry again and then it happened again, flames just erupted from my hands. It didn't just scare my dad, it scared my mother too, and after that things changed. They were wary around me. They didn't understand the magic, not that I did either, but it was the beginning of the end of my life at home."
"What happened?" Regina asked. "I mean where did you go after that?"
"I didn't leave immediately after that. I tried to stick it out there, but after a while, I couldn't stand being there anymore," Anita said. "So, I left. I struck out on my own. I wandered around taking odd jobs here and there to make my way, but then one day, she found me –the woman who would teach me about this magic inside of me. She was an older lady, lived out in the woods by herself, miles from the nearest village. I lived with her and she taught me about my magic and how to control it, and for a while, I was stable, happy even, but then she passed away and I was again on my own. She had taught me more than just magic; she taught me about herbs and medicine. Without that knowledge, I would never have made it."
"Was it hard, learning the magic I mean?" Regina asked.
"Yes," Anita smiled. "It's not for the faint of heart."
"How did she know?" Emma asked.
"How did who know what?"
"The woman who taught you magic, how did she know you had magic too?"
Anita looked at Regina instead of Emma as she responded, "When you learn magic, you learn to sense it others, and yes before you ask, I can sense your magic. I sensed it the moment we met, but I wasn't going to say anything and I won't say anything."
Emma turned to Regina who was staring at Anita. "I would appreciate that," Regina said finally. "It's not something I would want publicly known."
"I understand," Anita replied. "It's also something I don't want publicly known about myself. I have had issues in the past when people have found out so I have learned not to talk about it. But sometimes like the day you came to the shop, it just happens instinctually. I wasn't sure how you were going to react so I got scared. Even knowing you had magic, I wasn't sure."
"You are in no danger from us," Emma said. "As long you keep this a secret."
"May I ask you a question then?"
Emma nodded.
"Did you ask me up here because you wished to know more about magic because of your parents' story?"
"Yes," Emma said, not looking at Regina this time. There was something about this woman that wasn't sitting right with her, but she couldn't figure out what it was. The fact she admitted to knowing Regina had magic had done nothing to make Emma feel better. Yes, she supposed Anita could have denied knowing but she had been open about it, which made Emma wonder why.
"Well, if there is something specific about the magic that you are wanting to know, please ask, and I will answer it if I can," Anita said.
"What do you know about my parents' story?"
"I probably know about as much as anyone else knows," she replied. "The stories have been told over and over again for years."
"Did you hear the addendum to the story that was told at our anniversary celebration?" Emma asked.
"I wasn't here during the celebration, but yes, I have since heard it," Anita admitted. "It makes sense, that you have magic because your mom has it. I have no idea where my magic comes from. It was not a subject that my parents ever cared to discuss with me, although I feel fairly certain that neither of my parents had magic."
"Have you ever done anything dangerous with your magic?" Emma asked.
The answer didn't come immediately as Anita seemed to be thinking it through. "In the beginning, I didn't know anything about the magic and yeah, it can be used dangerously," she said. "Before I found my mentor, I had been working in this small village in this inn. One night I was going back to the stable, which was where the owner was letting me sleep," Anita said. "Anyway, I had just entered it when I was grabbed behind. There were three guys – they had been in the bar area earlier and they had been rowdy and touching a lot. I was more scared then than I think I was when I got lost as a child. You can guess what their intention was. They would have succeeded too, except my magic went off again. This time, the fire exploded from my hands and hit one guy straight on, causing him to fly backward. I couldn't get it to stop and the next thing I knew the entire stable was on fire. I ran. I ran and I ran and I didn't stop until I couldn't go any further. I don't know what happened to the men, but I'm certain the first man, the one I hit with the fire was dead. I killed him. It wasn't my intention, but it happened. Things like that can happen when you don't know how to control your magic."
"Yes, they can," Regina said softly.
Emma was surprised she had said that out loud.
Anita was staring openly at Regina. "It must have been just as big of a relief to you as it was to me then when you learned to control your magic."
The open-ended comment hung out there and Emma kept her eyes on Anita, refusing to look at Regina in hopes of not tipping Anita off to their plight. At the same time, she prayed that Regina would not say anything else.
"Are there many magic users out there?" Regina asked, changing the subject. "I am not as well-traveled as you are and I have no desire for others to know of my magic so outside of my mother, you are the only other person I have met that has magic."
Anita took a drink of her wine and started to speak before the goblet was set back on the table. "Not many that are known would probably be the best way to term it. Like you and me, most magic users don't go around making themselves publicly known. There is a lot of prejudice out there against those of us with magic. My mentor told me that was because people fear our magic because they don't understand it and are also afraid of what we may do with it. I have been to places where I have encountered others with magic, but typically we steer clear of each other. You keeping yours a secret is very wise. Not only because of your position as queen but having magic can in ways put a target on your back."
"How do you mean?" Emma asked.
"While I would say there are more people out there who fear our magic, there are also those who covet our magic," Anita said. "They would seek to use it for their own means."
"Have you known such people?"
"I met a man once. It was odd because I didn't sense he had magic, at least not immediately," Anita said. "As it turns out the reason I didn't sense it was because the magic came from a talisman he carried, a knife, and not from him. He wasn't born with magic, but through this talisman he acquired magic. And he was always looking to gain more magic because he believed with more magic he would have more power. He was probably the most dangerous man I had ever met. He went by the name Rumpelstiltskin."
"You knew Rumpelstiltskin," Emma said. "When was this? Where did you meet him at?"
"Who is he?" Regina asked, looking at Emma and not Anita.
Emma realized her mistake immediately. Regina would have no idea who Rumpelstiltskin was because she did not remember meeting him. She didn't know that he was involved in trying to steal her magic.
"My parents spoke of him," Emma said.
"Yes, I imagine they would," Anita said, drawing their attention back to her. "He was after all one of the magic users who entrapped Maleficent in her dragon form or so he told me when we met. This was years ago, not long after my mentor died. I admit I thought I might have something to learn from this man but I didn't like him. He offered to take me back to where he lived and share with me all the magical secrets he had learned over this lifetime, but I refused. There was just something about him that made me wary of him. I was so worried about him and what he might do that I left the city I was in that night for fear of him. Thankfully, I have never crossed paths with him again."
Emma wondered what would have happened if Anita hadn't left. Would this Rumpelstiltskin have gone after her magic like he had Regina's? With so many of these magic users keeping it a secret it would be hard to know how many people he had encountered that he would have subjected to his magic. The memory of Regina's screams from that night seemed to echo in her ears as she thought once more about the terror she had been in at his hands.
"Where was this, if you don't mind me asking?" Emma asked.
"Not at all, like I said it was years ago. But it was in the Midas kingdom that I encountered him."
Of course, Emma thought. Midas knew this Rumpelstiltskin and it was because of Midas that he had gotten access to Regina in the first place. She felt that anger she had felt once she remembered that night boil back up. Someone should have made them pay for what they had done to Regina.
"Did you know Maleficent?" Regina asked.
"A little before my time I'm afraid. All I know of her is the stories they tell, none of which makes her seem like someone I would want to know," Anita said. "What your mother and the others did was very brave."
"I'm not sure she views it that way," Regina said.
"It's getting late and I think we should all be turning in," Emma said, suddenly eager for this conversation to end. She wasn't sure yet what exactly she thought of this woman, but she felt like too much had been revealed already. "I want to thank you for agreeing to come up here."
"It was my pleasure," Anita said.
They all stood and Anita approached Regina first. "Thank you for having me," she said.
"No, really, thank you for coming," Regina said. "I found our conversation to be insightful."
"If you wish to continue the conversation, know that I am at your disposal, my queen," she said bowing. Then she faced Emma and also bowed to her.
Once Anita was gone, Emma and Regina retreated to their chambers.
"What did you think?" Regina asked as soon as they were behind closed doors.
"I'm not sure," Emma said. "She seems likable enough but …"
"But what?"
"That's just it, I can't quite put my finger on what it is," Emma said. "What did you think of her?"
"She sounds like she has had a rough life," Regina said. "I mean that could easily have been my life if I had been born under different circumstances. When she talked about those men in the stable, I thought would I have reacted any different? Would I have used my magic in that way? Her experiences while different than mine are still similar. The whole not knowing what your magic can do, I can relate to that."
Emma thought about it and she wondered if that is what was bothering her. Was she bothered by the fact that this woman offered Regina something she couldn't, an understanding of who she was that Emma couldn't relate to because she didn't have magic? Anita, while she had kept her eyes on both of them, had concentrated mostly on Regina and Emma got the feeling she wouldn't have minded if Emma hadn't been there at all.
"What do you think we should do, going forward?" Regina asked, interrupting her thoughts.
"I don't feel comfortable telling her more than what we already have," Emma said. "If you feel differently, then please say so, but right now, I don't know that we can risk it. Please don't think I am saying this because I don't want you to learn to control your magic, it's not about that. I don't want to risk you. I want you to be safe, and I'm not sure about her. But if you do, if you felt comfortable and you want to approach her about learning about your magic, I will support you. I trust you."
Regina approached her, taking her hands in hers. "I think you're right in that it's a risk," Regina said. "And I trust your counsel. I think maybe I need to speak to her again, get to know her more before I would even consider broaching the subject with her."
"That sounds like a wise decision."
"Good," Regina said, letting go of her hands. "I will wait a few days and then maybe contact her. Now, tell me, who is this Rumpelstiltskin person you mentioned? I know my mother never mentioned him and his name wasn't included in that story by the storyteller."
"As I said, my parents mentioned him. This was after all the stuff with the storyteller. There was so much going on at the time and until she said his name I had sort of forgotten about it," Emma said.
She hated that she had to lie to her wife, but it's not as if she could tell the truth of how she knew who he was. A part of her wished Anita could have told her where exactly he was at. In Emma's mind, she still owed him for what he had done to Regina.
"Well, he didn't sound like a very good person, but if he helped defeat Maleficent he couldn't have been all that bad," Regina said.
"One good deed doesn't make up for all the bad," Emma said.
Regina gave her a curious look. "Did your parents say something about him that makes you think he was a bad person?"
"No," she said suddenly. "They didn't like him that was clear enough and you heard what Anita said. He sounds like someone who should be avoided at all costs."
Maleficent put away the small mirror she was using to spy on the queens. The coach she was riding in, courtesy of the queens, had stopped in front of her shop. She thanked the driver and entered her home, deciding she had seen enough of the two women for one night.
She was certain her performance had been enough to sway Regina to approach her about her magic, but it would appear it was not enough to convince Emma. Of course, the daughter of Snow White would end up being a thorn in her side. It was almost ironic, she thought.
It didn't matter however, Maleficent knew how to deal with her.
Regina would come to her and once she did, Maleficent would make sure that she gave the other woman exactly what she wanted – a teacher.