Anger was still boiling over her as she used her traveling spell to appear back at the Dark One's castle. She had never used it to travel so far and she felt weakened by it, but she refused to show it as she held her head up high and entered the castle. Instead of going to her room, she went to the Dark One's library. He wasn't there but she barely gave it notice as she began pulling books from the shelves – spellbooks. Once she had a stack she carried them up to her room, passing by Belle.

"Regina, you are back. How did it go? Did you see Emma? Did you speak to her?" Belle asked as she followed Regina into her room.

Regina put the books down on her desk and took the top one, opening it, and began flipping through it. "I saw her," Regina said, not looking up from the book. "And I even spoke to her briefly. It was long enough for me to learn what a duplicitous person she is." This time she looked up at Belle. "She tried to get me alone so her guards could arrest me. The love of my life tried to have me arrested like I was some commoner who dared to trespass on royal ground. But she wasn't expecting my magic or my power. The next time I look her in the eyes she will know that power has no bounds."

Her eyes went back to the book and Belle studied her a moment before leaving the room. Regina took a seat once she found a spell she thought was worth her time and began studying it.

Once Belle left the room she hurried downstairs in search of Rumplestiltskin. She didn't like the look in Regina's eyes just now. She was definitely no longer the young woman who came to the castle frightened. No, now Regina's determination had a focus and that focus meant bad things for the princess.

She couldn't find him at first but when she swung back around to his study where she had already checked, she found him there humming gleefully.

"You know what happened, don't you?" Belle asked.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"I mean you know what happened between Regina and Emma."

"Ah yes. It's a shame young love doesn't last that long anymore. Oh well, now Regina is free to concentrate on her magic and not returning that naïve princess."

"You did this," Belle accused him. "You set this all in motion, didn't you?"

He laughed. "Whatever would give you that idea my dear?"

"Everything you do, you do it for a reason," she said. "Why? Why tear apart their love? Is it because you are incapable of feeling love that you would see it destroyed in others?"

"Careful Belle," he said in a warning tone and then he laughed once more. "If anything I am a full supporter of the love between Regina and Emma. I believe it to be the purest and truest of love, and that is some strong magic indeed. As I promised Emma, I would give her and Regina the opportunity to be together, but not here in this world."

"What do you mean, not in this world?"

He smiled at her. "Let's just say I'm planning a trip."

….

Months passed by and Emma felt like she was under arrest. She was not allowed to leave the castle grounds unless she was accompanied by one of her parents and a contingent of guards. There were even guards stationed outside of her chambers now. Wherever she went there were people keeping an eye on her.

Her mother had made it clear that she expected Emma to begin to play the role of the perfect princess who was happy to be marrying the man she loved. Emma refused to speak to her and her mother was at least smart enough not to address her in public so at least others wouldn't see her daughter snubbing her.

Emma had again appealed to her father. This time she thought she was getting somewhere with him until he learned of Regina's magic and then he backed off. Her father was a practical man who put his faith in cold, hard steel, not in things like magic.

Now her mother had him convinced that the guards were needed around Emma because Regina could use her magic to get to her at any time and they must take all precautions against that.

She had been fooled by the Dark One and it made her angry. If he hadn't have interfered that night Emma had no doubt she could have convinced Regina of her sincerity. She could have made her see that she still loved her and then Regina could have taken them both away from there with her magic.

What she still didn't understand was the Dark One's assertion that their deal was still active. Did that mean in some distant future he would fulfill his end of it? And if so, how long would that be, and would it be too late? He said he was taking Regina with him to a world where her station didn't matter. Emma couldn't let that happen. She had lost Regina once already, she couldn't let the Dark One take her to some unknown world where Emma might never see her or know of her again.

She had only one last desperation move – one she wasn't even sure would work. It was almost laughable actually, but she was dealing with magic so she needed some magic of her own. For the last few weeks, she had sent up a prayer each night to her fairy Godmother. She supposedly had one, although no one had ever appeared to her and she hadn't given it any thought until now. But she needed help and she honestly couldn't think of anything else to do.

She had not even been allowed to see Daniel in private. All her audiences with people now had to be made with others in attendance and usually that other was her mother. She didn't want to harm Daniel by implicating him in this situation with Regina so she hadn't bothered granting him an audience when he asked. She felt bad but she wouldn't have her mother's pettiness turned on him.

Today had been another exhausting day of having to sit with the wedding planners and her mother. She usually sat quietly during these days because she honestly didn't care what they planned. Today though, today she was feeling more anger than usual as her pleas to even her fairy Godmother went unanswered, so when one of the planners asked her opinion about some decoration she told them her thoughts about it. This resulted in her mother making excuses on her behalf about being stressed or whatever and then Emma was essentially banished to her room.

Now she saw at her window looking out at what had become her prison.

As night crept in, she made ready for bed, not bothering this time to pray for any help that she knew would not be coming. She slept poorly and woke, deciding to stay in bed. She sent word through her handmaidens that she was not feeling well and did not wish to be disturbed. She stayed in bed all day and ate very little. This lasted for three more days before her mother came to try and force her from the bed. Emma merely turned over and ignored her.

Her thoughts took on a darker tone as she began to wonder if life was even worth living.

That night she thought she heard someone calling her name so she sat up in bed and looked around in the darkness. Suddenly a light appeared in front of her and she stared at it as floated there in front of her. She reached out for it but it darted backward.

"Turn on the light Emma," a small voice said.

Emma lit one of the lanterns at her bedside and she stared in disbelief at the green fairy that was flying there in her room. There was a bright flash of green light and the fairy turned into a full-grown young woman who took a seat on the bed.

"You really should get up and take a bath today," the fairy said.

"Are you …"

"Your fairy Godmother? Yes."

"But you look as young as I am."

"Is there some requirement that I look old?" she said.

Emma honestly didn't know, she had just assumed so she shrugged in response.

"I'm Tink," the fairy said. "And you Princess Emma need to start making things so needlessly hard on yourself."

"Excuse me."

"You know your mother is not going to back down so going on like this is not going to help matters."

"I'm sorry, are you my fairy Godmother or my mother's?" she asked getting angry all over again.

"I'm yours," Tink said. "But ever since you made a deal with the Dark One, you have effectively neutralized my power to help you. Not one of your smarter moves I think we can both agree."

"Why can't you help me because of my deal with him?"

"Because in doing to you essentially gave him partial control of your destiny. It's rather complicated, but I came here to tell you I can't help you with what you want help with."

"Then why bother coming at all?"

"Attitude really isn't helping matters," Tink said. "Now the Dark One is a very powerful being. So powerful that my magic is limited in what it can do. I can't break your deal with him, nor could I break your mother's deal with him. The only person who can stop the Dark One from taking Regina away with him is Regina herself. But I'm sure you have figured out by now that he has manipulated her into believing what he has planned is for the best. It's a shame really after all the trouble you two have given me so far."

"What do you mean?"

"Did you think you have snuck out of the castle so many times to meet up with Regina without being caught because you two were just that smart? If anything, I think you both have proven that wasn't the case. No, that was me."

"But why? I mean thanks but why when I didn't ask for your help then."

"It's not my job to just be there when you ask for help. Besides, I wasn't answering your plea at the time, I was answering Regina's."

"You are her fairy Godmother as well?"

"Yes. Now, do you see why I don't just drop in at every beck and call? I do have other charges. Regina was desperate to see you and spend time with you, but she was also worried about getting caught and what that would mean for her and her family. I merely helped it so that you two wouldn't get caught," she said. "You two used to be my favorites until you both proved to be idiots."

"Surely there is something you can do. Did Regina make a deal with the Dark One?"

"No."

"Then do you have the power to help her if you can't help me?"

Tink sighed and stood up, going over to the window. "The only thing Regina cares about right now is her magic and becoming more powerful in it. And she is becoming more powerful, of that, there is no doubt. I can't help her if she doesn't ask for my help and believe me right now, the state of mind she is in, she doesn't want it. She is pouring all the energy she once poured into her love for you, into her magic."

"Does that mean she doesn't love me anymore?"

"No," Tink smiled. "She loves you still. She doesn't want to admit it, but she does. And she always will, just as you will always love her. You two are soul mates Emma."

Emma knew hearing that should make her happy but instead she started to cry. She buried her head into her pillow as her body shuddered. She felt a hand on her back.

"Emma, you have to start becoming a stronger person," Tink said. "I know this is hard. I know this is not how you wish your life was, but locking yourself away up here, throwing fits to your mother, crying, none of that is going to help the situation. You have to believe that because Regina is your soul mate that you two will one day be together. For that to happen though you need to show your mother that you're not a little girl anymore or a bratty teenager. You need to show her that strength I know you have inside of you. You made a vow to put Regina first. It's time you start to do that."

"What do you think I have been trying to do?" Emma said sitting up.

"What you are doing isn't working, surely you see that," Tink said. "No, it's time to change tactics. I'm not saying you should do a complete turnaround and act like you are happy about marrying Killian. But your mother sees your current attitude as nothing but a minor nuisance. She is grooming you to be a queen someday, it's time you start acting like it – she will respect you more if she sees your strength, and at some point, she will drop her guard and that is when you need to be ready."

"Ready for what?"

"To leave here, to go find Regina."

"Will you help me when the time comes?"

"I will," Tink said. "But you need to do your part first."

Emma hugged her, feeling the first bit of hope she had felt in months. "Will you do me one other favor?"

"What?" Tink asked, sure she wasn't going to like it.

"Go to Regina. Please, just try and talk to her. Tell her I'm her soul mate. Tell her I will come for her, that I will find her no matter what it takes."

Tink seemed to consider it. "I can't make you a promise about that, but I will try."

"Thank you," Emma said.

"Remember. Show the world your strength."