Thanks as always for the reviews and all the faves and follows. Hope you enjoy this chapter.
Oh, I think I've forgotten to mention I'm English so some of the spelling will probably look off to a lot of you but you'll get used to it :P
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"Wake up," a low voice broke through Emma's sleep. It was Red.
Emma was able to fully see the woman for the first time. She was young, maybe around twenty or so, certainly younger than she herself was. She was tall and slim and held herself with an air of confidence, long straight dark hair framed her beautiful face, she could easily have been a model in Emma's world.
Red watched as the blonde struggled into a sitting position. Emma felt a lot better, her back was sore but not burning and that vagueness that accompanied a fever had abated and she was clear headed.
"Here." Red entered the cell and held out a loose linen shirt. "This will slip over easily." Emma nodded and tested her legs before managing to stand, a little shakily but that was because her last meal had been back in her world. Red watched as the blonde shrugged off the cover she had been lying under and stood, totally unselfconsciously as she slipped on the shirt. It was long, more of a tunic so it fell to mid thigh.
"You're taller than I thought," Red murmured, a little perplexed. She had hoped that the shirt would have covered more. She knew how possessive the queen was about her possessions so to parade the woman through the halls half naked would not be a good decision for the wolf.
"Here," Red slipped off her cloak and handed it to the blonde. Emma took note of the red leather pants she was wearing with long, black leather riding boots. The dark haired woman was wearing a similar shirt to the one she had given Emma, making her wonder it it actually belonged to the brunette. Over the shirt was cinched a corset in the same red leather as her pants. Overall it was a striking outfit and complimented her body well.
"Thanks," Emma took the cloak and gingerly let it rest across her back, it wasn't as bad as she had expected but then she had no idea how long she had been out.
"How long -?"
"Two days," Red interrupted her question.
"Right," Emma mumbled, that explained the hunger, the blonde flexed her back, stretching the muscles and testing the level of pain caused by her wounds. Sore but not raw.
"I will warn you once. Don't try anything with me, things are not always what they seem in this world." Red cautioned as she gestured for Emma to precede her from the cell.
"Noted," Emma replied brusquely, she could tell by the way the woman moved she was fit and strong. "Why are you not still in there?" Emma questioned as they passed the cell she knew had been Red's.
"I was there of my own free will," the brunette replied somewhat ambiguously. It seemed to be a theme with her answers Emma mused as they travelled the same route she remembered from her first visit to the queen's chambers.
"She is not in the best mood," Red warned as they approached, the doors swinging open as they reached them. Emma just nodded, not knowing if what she had encountered the other day was a good or bad mood.
Although, thinking back to the conversation she knew why the queen had done what she had done. Emma had gotten too comfortable, pushed her too far and wrought the consequences as she had tried to bargain for her position.
Regina was at her desk when Red arrived with their 'guest'. She much preferred to have her wolf deal with her toys than her soldiers. Boys would be boys and every so often she had to bloodily remind them that her property was hers and not to be touched by anyone else. Red had been instructed to keep guard over the prisoner, Regina was not taking any more chances or wanting to invest any more time in doctoring her latest acquisition. So, the wolf had guarded the blonde, provided water and healing draughts sent by the queen but Red had informed her mistress that the prisoner had not yet regained full consciousness. The queen knew this was her doing but it was for the best, a still body heals faster.
The queen sighed and pushed her thoughts to one side then looked the blonde over, she was wrapped in Red's cloak. A flick of her wrist and it was off her and back on the wolf. Emma jumped but quickly regained her composure and met the queen's eye, their conversation unfinished. She vaguely remembered the queen seeing to her wounds but couldn't fathom why. Didn't they have doctors to do that kind of thing?
"Strip!" The queen ordered, dropping her eyes back to the paper she was reading but watching the blonde from under long lashes. Emma did as she was told without argument, flinching as the shirt caught slightly but it was soon off and in her hands. The queen gestured and Red stepped forward and took the clothing from the blonde.
"Turn around," Emma did as she was told. Red was impressed by her lack of emotion, she seemed un-phased by the queen's request and the wolf could see why, she had a body to be proud of but Red kept her eyes down, not wanting to anger her queen.
Regina stood and left her desk so she could have a closer look at the now healing wounds, still partly masked by the dried salve. They were fully scabbed and the flesh a healthy pink and not angry, red and swollen.
"Bathe, here." She instructed. "I don't want you getting any filth in your wounds from the servant's bath," she explained.
Emma didn't reply There was none of the deference that had been present in their earlier encounter and Regina noticed this. She purposely ignored the blonde while she bathed, not wanting to get drawn into her charms until their agreement was resolved. She had a feeling that wouldn't take very long.
Emma enjoyed the warm water, she was taking luxuries where she could. After washing everywhere she could reach she paused, wondering what to do about her back. She looked to Red who had been purposely avoiding looking into the bathroom, she knew how sensitive the queen was about sharing.
"A little help?" Emma held out the wash cloth and gestured to her back. Red looked to the queen for consent and it was given with a nod. However, the wolf was very aware of the queen's eyes on her as she knelt on the tiled floor behind the blonde. A few swipes with the cloth as she cleaned off the dried salve and then she gasped, staring at the woman's back.
"My Queen?" She questioned, in awe.
"You like it?"
"I do." Red confirmed with a smile. Their conversation made Emma frown.
"What?" She growled, not liking this one bit. Regina clicked her fingers and a tall mirror moved from the side of the room to just behind the blonde. When Emma looked behind her, her eyes went wide.
Her back was covered with many lines of scabs where she had been whipped. What she hadn't expected to see was darker lines beneath these, forming an image, the image of the queen's insignia, the apple tree tattooed across her entire back. It was partially obscured by the lash marks and Emma wondered at how the queen had achieved what she had done. 'Magic', the word echoed in her mind again and she frowned. This was not fucking cool!
"Looks like you're mine now, dear." The queen purred and Emma withheld the scowl at being so blatantly marked, without her consent but before she could object the queen spoke again and it gave her the moment she needed to regain her senses, challenging the queen while she was helpless and naked was not a smart idea.. "Finish." Red nodded at the queen's command and washed the blonde's skin until it was perfectly clean, trying not to scrub too hard as she knew first hand how painful the wounds from a lash could be. But, the blonde had healed fast, there was definitely magic in the queen's salve.
When Emma was done she dropped the cloth on the tile and stood, leaving the woman to climb out of the water and dry herself on the towel that had been left on the side of the bath. Red returned to the main chamber and patiently waited for her queen to command her.
Regina watched the blonde dry off and then fold the towel before placing it neatly where she had found it.
"Come here," Emma looked up and met the dark eyes of the queen and felt a shiver run through her body as she crossed the room and stood, naked before the woman who had branded her. "So Red, what do you think?" The wolf straightened at the question and turned her full attention to the blonde.
"She is strong, Your Majesty," the wolf complimented the foreigner as she ran her eyes over the blonde's body. Now she was able to appraise her properly she was impressed by what she saw. So many women in their kingdom were kept women, weak and without substance. This woman looked as though she could take care of herself, in more ways than one. Plus, the blonde held a refined beauty that was rarely seen. Now she knew why her queen had tended to the woman's injuries herself, she was a slave fit for a queen.
Regina didn't reply to her wolf's comment, just kept her eyes trained on the green orbs staring back at her.
"I have a proposition for you, a wager," Emma frowned, she wasn't a gambler, she preferred hard facts to games of chance. "If, within a year, I can break you, you remain with me until I tire of you. Then you will be given a place to live and enough money to have a comfortable existence in this land." Emma scowled, she didn't like the sound of that.
"And if you can't?" She challenged.
"If I fail," Regina laughed at the very thought. "Then, if I am able, I will send you home, back to your world." Emma clenched her teeth at the terms.
"Either way you get me for a year, possibly longer?" Regina nodded.
"And if I don't accept?" Emma needed to know all her options.
"Well, you could try and make your way in the outside world. But, our land is not kind to women, especially those that carry my mark and no longer reside within the castle." Regina smiled. "And you'll never get home." It was her last words that made Emma really register what a bad situation he was in. Her only hope of ever seeing Boston or her VW bug again lay with the queen. It was at times like this she was thankful she had no family, nobody to mourn her or file a missing persons report. She had enough money in her bank to more than cover her bills so that wouldn't be a problem, her apartment would still be there when she got back, if she did.
The only issue would be a year, or more, of absolute slavery to this woman, this queen who held her life in her hands.
"How do I know I'll be alive in a year? How do I know you will keep your word or not use your magic to influence me?" Emma queried as she eyed the queen suspiciously.
"An intelligent question." Regina regarded the blonde, she was right not to trust her. "However, I am prepared to swear a blood oath." Emma saw Red's eyes widen in surprise. "It is binding, I will have no choice but to abide by the terms of wager. Any magic I use will be for the sole purpose of your training and will not cloud your judgement in any lasting way." The queen explained but Emma still wasn't convinced.
"Any idiot can swear an oath. It doesn't mean it can't be broken," the blonde challenged. Emma frowned as she saw the queen exchange a look with Red.
"Blood oaths are binding," Red explained to the blonde. "When the blood is exchanged it means that the terms cannot be broken. Even if the Queen wished to renege on the terms she would suffer intense pain until the terms were fulfilled. It is an old magic and cannot be broken, by anyone, not even Her Majesty."
Emma took a moment to consider Red's words, she detected no lie and it didn't look like she had much choice. She hadn't seen outside the palace but it appeared she was living in practically medieval times and would probably die from the flu within a few months if left to fend for herself. Then again, she may do Ok, but without the queen's help she would never find her way home. Maybe there was someone else who could help her? But, probably not. She was queen for a reason.
But, Emma already knew what the queen was capable of. Could Emma survive a whole year of that kind of punishment? Or worse? She knew from breaking her own slaves that pain was only one method of ensuring a slaves loyalty. Emma knew she could easily resist all efforts the queen may make to win her affections by softer means. She also knew that her high pain threshold had already impressed the queen. Plus, with that predilection for pain she had been 'gifted' with Emma knew that she should be able to cope with pretty much anything else the queen could throw at her.
Emma took a deep breath as she made her decision.
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Next on The Collar
"Suits you, don't you think?" The queen purred as she showed Emma herself. The blonde withheld her anger as she saw the metal encircling her neck, the queen had collared her.