Chapter Eight
The ride on the carriage took her through this great city and though Emma stayed on her guard, she couldn't help but to be in awe of its beauty. The walls gleamed against the sunlight that cascaded throughout the city. People rushed along in great excitement as they greeted one another with bright smiles on their faces. Everyone seemed so friendly. Even a few looked to her and waved as she passed, causing her to give a small wave in their direction. Could a place like this truly exist? She'd been used to Boston, where everyone kept their heads down and stayed out of each other's way. To see a place with such community was both foreign and heartwarming. This was...a nice change of pace. Maybe Regina was right. Enjoying a little bit of these finer things in life couldn't hurt for one night, right? She could stay on her guard while still appreciating such hospitality.
"Whoa, there!" The man driving the horse who randomly changed colors as they went along pulled the reins back to bring the carriage to an abrupt stop. Emma's hands gripped the edge of the seat to keep her from flailing around. He must be new at this, she thought as she attempted to gain her bearings from the sudden stop, but before she could say anything, the man was out of the driver's seat and hurrying toward the side of the carriage. A small, creaking sound came from the carriage itself just as the steps were pulled out and his hand was reaching out to help her out.
"Come along, madam! Surely, you don't want to sit in the carriage the whole time!" Whether she did or didn't was of no matter to this little man, because he was already grabbing her hand to yank her out. She was getting out and doing whatever they wanted regardless of her opinions on the situation. Stepping off of the carriage and onto the ground, she turned to look at the surroundings. A busy street with shops that seemed to go on for miles. The one she stood in front of had a golden door with neatly crafted green glass that gave only a slight view of the inside.
"Thank you...Mr…"
"Octavius. Tiberon Zebediah Micaddean Octivatius, at your service, madam! Most just call me Tibby." Emma's eyebrow quirked upwards and she gave a small grin.
"Nice to meet you, Tibby. I'm Emma. What is this place?" she asked curiously just as they made their way up the steps to the front door.
"Why, this is a one stop shop! Primeria's Primp and Pamper! Courtesy of the Wizard, of course. Your money's no good here!" he pulled open the door and ushered her inside. The door closed behind them with a small ringing of the bell attached to the door. In seconds, two smaller women rushed out toward them, their eyes lighting up at the sight of Emma and Tibby standing before them.
"Tibby! What have we here?!" asked the older woman on the right whose nametag read 'Myrtle'.
"Well, Myrtle, this is Emma. She's a guest of the Wizard! They're having a celebration in honor of her tonight, so she needs to look her absolute best! Think you ladies can help?" The younger of the two stepped forward with a smirk curled on her lips as she allowed her gaze to travel slowly over Emma. Perhaps a little slower than Emma would have preferred.
"Oh, absolutely, Tibby. She won't need too much work, though," the younger one said with a little wink in Emma's direction. Emma's eyes widened a little as she took a step back in surprise. Did that seriously just happen? Maybe she had a twitch in her eye? Highly unlikely.
"Midge, be quiet! Don't mind her, dear. We will get you fixed up in no time," Myrtle said with a large smile as her hand gave Emma's shoulder a comforting squeeze before turning to lead her into the back. Midge turned to follow, but Myrtle pointed directly at her.
"Midge, mind the front of the store while I assist our guest here," she said, which brought an exasperated sigh from Midge's lips.
"Mother, you never let me have any fun!" she grumbled as Myrtle led Emma away from the main room into the hallway that would lead them back to the small spa-like area. Emma felt a heavy weight of relief with Midge staying in the main part of the area. The last thing she needed was some Emerald City citizen creating more for her to deal with. She needed to get through all of this, find Glinda, get Regina back on bath safe and sound so that she could return with the chance to save Regina. Staying quiet, she watched as Myrtle made her way up to a large tub in a private room, turning the hot water on while dropping flower petals in the water to give it the perfect scent of flowers and soap. Just as the water started to fill the tub, Myrtle turned back to Emma with a friendly smile.
"I will leave you to bathe yourself, dear. When you're finished, just ring this bell." She nudged to the rope similar to that at the front of the city. With a brief thanks from Emma, Myrtle turned to give her some privacy. Finally, Emma could breathe. She could take a moment to process everything that was going on. It was all happening so fast that she hadn't even been able to catch anything thrown in her direction. Slipping out of her clothes, she moved toward the large tub filled with hot water and turned the faucet off.
"Here goes nothing.." she murmured as she slipped inside for bathing. Immediately, she could feel her body relaxing and giving in to the tiredness that her body had been feeling for days. Oh, this was nice. Sinking into the water, she let her entire body submerge into the hot water, resting her head against the back of the tub. This wasn't so bad, right? She just had to relax. With a long sigh escaping her lips, she leaned the back of her head against the tub and fell into a relaxed state of meditation.
"Houston, we have a problem." Emma stepped out of the dressing room looking down at the bright green ball gown that she had on.
"Dear, my name is Myrtle. And what happens to be the problem? You look ravishing!"
"I don't have a place to put my sword."
"You don't need a sword at the ball, my dear!" Emma shook her head adamantly.
"No, that is my father's sword and I won't part with it. Please. There has to be something else that I can wear that will accommodate." Perhaps it was the alarmed tone in Emma's voice or the look of anxiety in her eyes that made Myrtle budge, but Myrtle brought a hand up to tap her fingertips against her chin.
"Hmm. All right. I have just the thing!" she turned and ran off once more to retrieve the next outfit. After a few moments, she returned with a very different outfit. Gold pants that went with a white blouse and a gold vest to match the emerald green jacket lined with gold. Holding it up, her eyes met Emma's to wait approval. Emma's lips pursed in thought as she looked over the outfit.
"A little on the prince-ish side, but I like it. That'll do. Thank you, Myrtle," She said as she reached out for the suit. When her hands took hold of the outfit, Myrtle gripped one of her hands to stop her. Her grip was firm and sudden, adding to Emma's surprise. Leaning in, she whispered softly to Emma, being sure that only Emma would hear.
"I speak on behalf of many of us here at the Emerald City when I say that I am so happy you're here to deliver us from the Wicked Witch, but be warned, Emma. You can trust no one here. Do you understand? There are wolves in sheep's clothing everywhere. Please be safe." Her hushed warning caused Emma to stiffen, leaning back and looking to Myrtle who only held a finger up to her lips, eyes shifting to her side to indicate that there were some listening. Emma nodded with a slight smile before stepping back with the outfit in her hand.
"I'm going to try this on. Let me know what you think." She smiled and turned to head back into the dressing room. Slipping out of the ballgown, tugging at the string that held it together in the back, she reached for the new outfit and began to change into it quickly. It was more on the masculine side, but she couldn't deny that she felt far more comfortable in it. Gold pants hugged her legs, contrasting against the black boots she stepped into that came up just below her knees. White blouse and gold vest were snug but a perfect fit. Her sword was quickly strapped around her waist by its belt before she finished the look off with the green jacket. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she couldn't help but to smirk. 'Damn, I look pretty good,' she thought to herself before moving outside of the curtain to show Myrtle the look.
"Well, what do you think?" she asked and Myrtle couldn't help but to gasp in delight.
"Oh, dear! You look wonderful! Midge, doesn't she look just wonderful?!" she clasped her hands together just as Midge came into the room. An eyebrow quirked upwards and the younger woman looked her over once more.
"She looks...stunning," Midge replied as her cheshire cat grin widened across her face and her eyes met Emma's. Quickly, Emma cleared her throat and looked away.
"Uhh, thank you. Both of you. It's probably best that I get going. I need to find Regina."
"Regina?" both Midge and Myrtle asked at the same time, but their tones were quite different. Midge's tone held a jealous disappointment, whereas Myrtle's held excitement for what she thought to be a wonderful night for their brave heroine. Myrtle overtook the conversation, thankfully.
"Yes! You must get to her right away then, shouldn't you? We can't keep her waiting!" Myrtle finished a last few touches of Emma's hair, which had been pulled back into a neat ponytail, a few blonde wisps falling over her forehead.
"Oh, you look so dashing! Run along, child!" she said as she swatted her hands at Emma toward the front door where the carriage waited for her. Why did she suddenly feel like she was in some sort of a fairy tale? Wait...did she really just think that? After everything that had happened over all of this time and she's still surprised at how surreal everything around her was. Gripping the handle to her sword, she hurried toward the door, uncertain as to where this night was headed. All the while, Myrtle's warning resonated in the core of her mind. Trust no one. What could this possibly mean? Her mind was lost in the thoughts of decoding the reasons behind Myrtle's warning. Was it legitimate? Or was she trying to throw her off? How could she know what to do? As the carriage moved through the city, Emma stared off into the distance while lost in her thoughts. It was to the point that she hadn't noticed the environment surrounding her.
The carriage had come to a stop abruptly which pulled her back into reality. Where was she? Her eyebrows furrowed a little in confusion just as she lifted her head to see where they had stopped. At that moment, time seemed to slow to a stop. Her eyes slowly lifted to find Regina walking out of a similar establishment as the one that she had been in. Similar to her own outfit, Regina had been donned in green and gold for the evening's celebration. Her dress cascaded to the floor, but unlike many of the royal queen dresses she'd seen Regina wear, this one hugged her curves until it cascaded out against the floor. Gold heels clicked against the stairs as she made her way down.
Immediately, Emma stood to slide off of the carriage, her hand reaching out to help Regina onto the carriage. Their eyes met and neither had looked away, not even for a brief moment. Emma had never seen anyone look more beautiful than she had seen Regina who stood there smiling at her. It was as if everything else washed away for a moment. She saw nothing else but the woman that stood before her, and Regina looked only at her in return. Emma slowly offered out her hand, her smile widening across her lips. For the first time, everything started to make sense. Why she felt so heartbroken at losing Regina and was fighting so hard to make things right. This wasn't just for Henry; it was for her as well.
"Emma. You look…"
"Dashing? That's what I've heard," she said with a playful smirk as Regina took hold of Emma's hand. Regina's eyes slowly traveled over Emma's face and body before moving back up to her eyes. Maybe it was just the relaxing spa day or being pampered like a queen, but the walls guarding her heart seemed to have been lowered. Regina's smile came easily to her lips and Emma realized that she was indeed the same Regina she knew. The Regina who really wanted nothing more than to have someone treat her as a good guy who was worthy of respect and kindness.
"Something like that…" she replied with a laugh while using Emma's hand to get onto the carriage. Emma's eyes traveled with Regina as she moved up the steps, hardly finding the words to explain all of these feelings she felt inside. How had she not figured this out before? All of those times that she and Regina fought or even collaborated, she took it to mean a close friendship or a mutual love for Henry. It had never occurred to her that the love was actually for Regina. As Regina sat down, her eyes lifted to Emma's once more and they held such warmth...something she hadn't seen in Regina's eyes in quite some time. She had only seen a smile like that when Regina looked at Henry. Regina laughed and gave Emma's hand a small squeeze.
"Are you joining me or are you going to stand there all night? I didn't get dressed up just to sit in this carriage, you know," Regina laughed and let go of Emma's hand, both resting in her lap.
"You didn't? Could've fooled me," Emma smiled as she climbed into the carriage, sitting across from Regina. The carriage started to move once more, leading them to the celebration and yet Emma wanted nothing more than to remain in close proximity to the woman before her.
"You look beautiful, Regina." Emma spoke before she had a chance to stop herself, mesmerized by the way that Regina carried herself in that stunning green dress. Regina's smile widened and she lowered her gaze. Was that a blush that spread across her cheeks? Emma couldn't tell, but she knew that she could relate with any prince staring at their princess in their elegance. The difference here was that Emma wasn't enamored by a princess, but a queen.
"Thank you, Emma. You look very nice also." Why was Emma's compliments causing a tightening in her chest? The way that Emma seemed to look through her was unnerving and she hadn't felt like that since...Daniel. What did that even mean? Was that possible? Her true love was gone, and the second true love she was predicted to have was to have a lion tattoo on his arm. This didn't make any sort of sense. All she knew was the entire time she had been in the parlor getting ready for the evening, she couldn't seem to get Emma out of her head. What had been so annoying to her was suddenly missed and desired. It wasn't until they were apart, even for only a few hours, that she realized how much she enjoyed Emma's presence. Not to mention, she had a smile that could make anyone's knees weak. Regina couldn't deny that.
The carriage came to yet another abrupt stop and both women straightened themselves up just as they stopped moving. Emma looked over to see the gentleman moving to get off the front of the carriage and was quick to do the same. Boots hit each step before she turned to offer her hand up to Regina.
"Allow me," she said with a grin that caused her dimples to appear on both cheeks. Regina took her hand once more and slipped out onto the ground with ease.
"Thank you, Miss Swan," she replied with her typical royalty tone. Had it not been for the twinkling in her eyes, Emma wouldn't have known that she was joking. A small chuckle escaped her lips as she turned to face the large banquet hall before them. Resting Regina's hand on her forearm, their eyes met once more for a brief smile.
"You ready, your majesty?"
"Now you call me that? You're deplorable," Regina replied with a joking nudge as they walked through the large open doors leading into the large ballroom. People throughout the city filled the room, dancing and filled with joy. It was infectious and hard not to smile while in the Emerald City, but Emma hadn't forgotten Myrtle's warning. Her body straightened a bit more as they stepped into the room. Look tall and intimidating, she thought to herself as they moved throughout the room, staying close to the wall. A man holding a tray of drinks stepped up to them with a rosy smile.
"May I interest you ladies in a drink? It's our specialty wine." Emma reached out to take one glass before offering it to Regina, then taking one of her own.
"Thank you," she replied before turning toward Regina and holding the glass up for a toast. Regina did the same, waiting to clink her glass against Emma's.
"What should we toast to?" she asked.
"To...a wicked night?" Emma shot her a playful wink. Regina couldn't help but to laugh.
"That's a terrible joke considering why we're here, but I will toast to that," Regina replied as she brought her glass against Emma's to complete the toast.
"Come on, that was a great joke. I can be incredibly punny when I want to be." She brought her drink up to her lips and took a long sip of the sweet beverage. It tasted similar to a sparkling white wine, which made it all too easy to finish quickly. Neither of them were to know how strong the drink actually was. Setting the glasses down to the side, Emma took hold of Regina's hand and nodded toward the dance floor.
"Care to dance?" she asked, hoping that Regina would oblige her.
"Do you even know how to?" Regina answered that question with a question as her eyebrows arched upwards. Emma rolled her eyes and tugged her toward.
"You'd be amazed at what I could do on a dance floor. I can waltz with the best of them," she replied as she stepped onto the floor and turned toward Regina. Her hand moved to Regina's waist as she stepped closer, her other hand reaching for Regina's. All the while, Regina laughed with a lightheartedness she hadn't felt in quite some time. Perhaps they could have some fun after all. Her hand rested on Emma's shoulder while the other formed perfectly in Emma's similar sized hand. It was a different feeling to be held by a woman, but she liked it all the same.
"Don't you dare step on my toes, Emma Swan."
"You're ruining my fun, you know. Stepping on your toes is my favorite thing to do." Those were the last words spoken before Emma put her right foot forward, starting them into a waltz that was, astonishingly, good. The last thing that Regina would have expected would be for Emma to dance well enough to lead them around the dance floor. They swayed along the floor with ease, moving together as if they'd done it for years.
"You're not bad," Regina teased with a grin widening across her face. It was surprising how much easier it was to dance with a woman. Men typically would lead them around the ball and use their strength to force their partners which way they wanted to go, but with Emma, there was so much freedom in being able to move with only subtle guidance from Emma's hand on her waist.
"I'm not entirely barbaric."
"Oh hush, I've never said you were barbaric!" Regina swatted lightly at Emma's shoulder while clicking her tongue in playful disapproval.
"Hey!" With a quickness, Emma's hand came up to snatch Regina's wrist gently with her fingers curled gently around her wrist. That easy, casual smile that rested upon her lips slowly started to fade as she realized suddenly just how close they were to one another. Her heart started to pound against her rib cage, causing her entire body to tremble with the adrenaline pumping through her veins. Emma's eyes lowered to catch the rise and fall of Regina's chest that showed a labored breathing pattern that only matched the heated stare that they shared with one another. Emma was not alone in these feelings of desire. Not one bit.
Emma's hand let go of her wrist only to move around the small of her back with every intention to draw her close. Regina knew that that felt like before. Daniel would hold her in a similar fashion when he was alive and she loved every bit of it. Dark eyes met light ones and they stared as each second brought them closer to what felt like an inevitable kiss. Emma's eyelids started to close when she felt hot breath against her lips, whispering words against her skin.
"I….I can't…" Regina whispered as her hand rested against the side of Emma's cheek before she pulled away unexpectedly.
"Wait, what?" Emma's eyes opened to see Regina pull away quickly and turn to run out onto the open patio. With only a moment's hesitation, Emma ran after her. She had her this close; losing her now was not an option. Emma ran onto the patio, boots hitting the stairs as she followed her down to the small garden underneath the patio.
"Regina, wait! Why are you running?!" she called out just as she reached the bottom step. Before Emma could respond, Regina turned toward her. The confusion in her eyes pierced Emma's heart as if it had been an arrow through her chest. There was the pain, confusion, anger that wanted so desperately to be washed away. If only she would let go.
"Why am I running? Because of you! This! Before you, I had a plan. A very good plan to get my revenge on Snow White and finally have some piece of happiness. Now you're here and I find my original plan to be less and less fulfilling! I catch myself thinking only of you. What it would be like to share my castle with you and go on adventures to other lands with you. You're ruining this plan of mine, Emma Swan, and I can't...No. I won't allow myself to get off track! You're not even supposed to be my happy ending, so this is a waste of time!" Regina turned away from Emma, but Emma was quick to reach out for her arm.
"Regina, wait. Please." Regina turned to look back at her, pulling her arm away from Emma's grasp.
"Wait for what, Emma?! What am I waiting for?!" She didn't know what Emma's response was going to be, but she hadn't anticipated it to be her next move. Emma's hands came up to Regina's face, cupping it gently as she leaned in and pressed her lips against Regina's. She lingered in that gentle, passionate kiss, parting her lips only to deepen their embrace. Her heart felt like it had jumped up into her throat at the feeling of Emma's lips against her own. Regina's hands slowly reached out to grip the material of Emma's jacket. The kiss broke and Emma's teeth grazed lightly against Regina's bottom lip before she pulled back.
"Emma, I…"
"Shh. Just stop fighting me. Stop fighting this. Even if just for tonight. Please?" Emma's voice cracked slightly on her last word and it destroyed any willpower Regina had to refuse her. Instead, Regina found herself pushing forward for another kiss, allowing her heart to open to Emma. Her hands moved up to grip Emma's collar, holding tight to her as she lost herself in this second kiss. Emma finally broke the kiss and a soft moan of disappointment escaped Regina's lips.
"Just for tonight, I suppose," Regina whispered with a smile as her hand lifted to rest against Emma's cheek. Emma turned to press a kiss to the inside of Regina's hand. She knew that never again would she see Regina's hands as anything other than beautiful instruments that created passion rather than destroyed lives.
"Come back inside with me. There's plenty of that green wine and dancing that doesn't involve you running away from me," Emma winked and took hold of the hand that rested against her cheek, kissing Regina's hand before her fingers clasped together and she started to walk back into the ballroom with her. It was in that moment as they moved up the stairs that the guard from the door earlier hurried up to them.
"Oh wonderful! You're here! We need to give you a proper introduction!" He called with a bright grin as his hands came together to clap loudly...enough to gain the attention of all attending this lovely celebration. Once the room hushed, he parted his lips to speak.
"Our special guests have arrived! Please welcome, Emma Swan and Queen Regina of the Enchanted Forest! They will save us from the Wicked Witch!" he shouted loud enough for all to hear. Just then, applause echoed throughout the hall, cheering for the two women who had come to save their beautiful city. Emma couldn't help but to stiffen at the announcement, for one main reason. Neither of them had never given their full names, and yet they were able to announce them. That certainly didn't feel right. Her eyes shifted to catch Regina's expression, which shared the same feeling for a moment before her smile was bright. Regina played her part well, lifting her free hand to wave to those cheering. Emma followed along, doing the same with a forced smile as they moved inside.
"Stay close to me," she whispered to Regina who responded with a tighter grasp on Emma's hand.
"We must play along, Emma. Don't let them know that we suspect anything," she replied, bringing Emma's hand to her lips for a gentle kiss before they started back into the crowd. Suddenly, neither one of them wanted to be here, for they were a walking target to an enemy who seemed to have no face.