Wow, so yeah...thanks for the responses to the last chapter. Glad you all enjoyed it so much This was surprisingly easy to write but I hope it answers all the questions you have about how Regina really feels about Emma. It's short but I think it does what it needs to do. It answers some questions but not all of them so feel free to ask me anything that isn't' clear.
Next few chapters might not be as fast but then I do have a week off work next week so I will see what I can be persuaded to do!
Enjoy xxx
xxxxx
"Come," the invitation was extended to her wolves. "I may need you."
Greta followed Red up the spiral stone staircase, eyes widening as she entered the room above, eyes fixed on the table that dominated the centre of the room. Emma, the room was saturated in her scent, the scent of her blood and arousal. What had happened in here? Greta would ask Red what went on in this room later but she took everything in, senses aroused, mind intrigued. The older wolf did not miss the girl's curiosity but ushered her to take position behind the queen, it was something they would discuss later.
Regina inhaled as she stood out on the balcony, tired eyes once again looking out over her kingdom.
And another vigil began.
An hour passes without sight of anything unusual. Red and Greta standing stationary behind their mistress, the queen constantly surveying her surroundings, head turning, eyes searching. Thankfully the storm had fully abated, the air was cool but not chilled and the sun was shining, highlighting the standing water dotted around the palace compound.
Regina waited, and waited. It wasn't until she felt a shift in the air and the sky began darken that she straightened, smiling as clouds gathered and the rain began to fall again, driven by a biting wind.
"Finally," she breathed. The wait was over.
Suddenly what light there had been was blocked and the air became heavy as the pressure increased almost unbearably. The wolves whined as it affected their ears and the air began to choke them, it seemed so thick all of a sudden.
"Give her to me," Regina demanded, seemingly to thin air but as she spoke the darkness solidified, mutated into a massive winged beast.
"A dragon!" Greta gasped as the full form of the apparition was released. Dark scales and sinewy neck stretched above the tower, wings beat a steady cadence as coal red eyes turned to view the humanoids.
"Emma!" It was Red's turn to break as she saw the slave suspended in obsidian claws. Head lolling, skin a deathly pallor as she was cradled. It explained why the queen had not been able to trace her slave, dragons were creatures of pure magic and were able to cloak themselves from detection by even the most powerful magic users. They were elusive, powerful creatures of legend. Red had never even seen one let alone been this close to one of the magnificent beasts.
"Give her to me, your job is done," Regina spoke warmly to the beast who only rumbled its reply. If the queen could understand the creature it was only she who could decipher its language. She watched, dispassionately as her pet was deposited neatly on the stone floor of the balcony. "Thank you, I am in you debt." The words were final and in seconds the air was clear again, the sun shining and no sign that anything abnormal had happened, except for the missing slave had been returned to her mistress.
Red darted forward, pausing by the slave's body until after receiving a nod from the queen she scooped her friend up, holding her close to her body. Three sets of eyes roving over pale features.
"Take her to my chambers," Regina instructed Red. The slave was barely clinging on to life and Red was seriously doubting her friend's ability to recover from such damage. A glance at the queen told her nothing, she was as closed off and aloof as always despite the state her pet was in.
Red practically ran to the queen's rooms, Greta darting ahead to open the doors and make sure the path was clear.
"Mistress?" Red hesitated once inside, Emma a dead weight in her arms. The wolf was extremely concerned as the slave had shown no sign of life since she had been returned, even her wolf hearing had trouble detecting any vital signs. Closer examination by sharp eyes and ears discerning that they they were there, but barely.
"Take her to her room," Regina commanded and the wolf did as requested, gently resting the slave's body on the pile of furs covering her bed. The queen strode to one of her cabinets inside the main chamber and gathered a selection of pots and jars, cradling them in the crook of her arm before entering the slave's small bedchamber.
"Out!" Regina ordered the wolves, ignoring Red's piercing gaze, silently questioning the order. But, the wolf acquiesced and left along with Greta leaving the queen alone with her pet.
"What happened to you?" Regina murmured as she carefully examined the slave's body for injury. The blonde's pale limbs and torso darkened with vicious bruises but nothing appeared broken. It was the girl's head that troubled the queen, she was relatively dirt free, probably from being washed down the river, but on closer examination Regina found excessive abrasions on her scalp. Clean, but the skull underneath could be cracked. "Oh, Emma," further examinations, gentle probing fingers detected a dangerous give in the slave's cranium.
It was almost as worrying as the grey tinge to her pet's skin. It was cold to the touch, the body did not shiver as it should at such a low temperature. Deeming the skull injury her first priority Regina covered the area with the palm of her right hand and poured what magic she had left into her slave. Sweat formed on her brow as she focused on knitting the bones back together and healing the damage beneath. It was all she could do but healing any possible damage to the blonde's brain was beyond her power.
A sigh. She was done.
"Wolf!" Regina called, she needed their help.
"Mistress?" Red burst into the room from where she had been pacing in the outer chamber.
"Carry her to the pool, Quickly!" Red did as she was bid and waded fully clothed into the pool. Emma still lifeless in her arms. Regina shocked her wolves when she waded in after them, taking the slave from her wolf and supporting her weight in the water. "She's too cold, we need to warm her up," she explained as the water around them began to glow and heat to an almost uncomfortable temperature.
The queen held her pet, suspended in the water, carefully studying her features for any sign of change, any sign of renewed life. She could do almost everything but returning life -. Well, that was beyond the scope of even her magic. She had heard stories, dark stories but -.
Regina was startled out of her reverie when the body she was holding spasmed, muscles tensing and spine curling up towards the vaulted ceiling.
"Emma!" The wolves were shocked to hear their mistress cry out, but they understood. It wasn't much but it was the first -. "No! I am Not losing you now," Regina growled as her palm smacked down against the slave's breast bone, exposed by the torn and dirtied shirt. "You will not die without my permission!" A bright light emanated from where the queens' hand met pale skin and Emma's body went still, rigid in its arc. The light faded and everything was still.
"She's alive! Greta's youthful exclamation broke the silence. 'But for how long?' the look exchanged between Red and the queen said.
"Red, take her to my bed. She needs to rest, there is nothing else we can do," Regina ordered and the moment the blonde was clear of the pool she was dried by the remnants of her magic. Hard on the wolf's heels the queen followed through to her bed chamber, frowning as she watched their patient laid softly down.
"Mistress, her clothes?" Red questioned, the garments torn and dirty and hindering the slave's recovery. A nod but as the wolf stepped forward to undress the blonde she was shocked to hear a growl emitted by her mistress, instincts kicking in Red stepped back and simply observed as the queen rapidly but carefully undressed her pet. No magic was used and Red suspected that the queen had tapped into her own life force to heal Emma which meant her mistress was on her very, very last reserves of magic.
"Mistress, if I may -?" A glare but no words to discourage comment.
"You need to rest, both of you," the wolf urged. "Let us protect you?"
Regina stood by the side of the bed, on the edge of collapse if she dared admit it, and looked down at the slave that had caused so much trouble, had cost her so much. It was only the fact that Red's words made sense even to her exhaustion clad mind that she climbed onto the bed next to the blonde, careful not to jostle the unconscious woman.
"Keep her warm," a whisper and as soon as dark waves came to rest against silken bed linen the queen was asleep.
Red took the command literally, and shifted to her wolf, Greta a few seconds behind her. The bed dipped as Red climbed onto the large bed, curling herself around her mistress. Greta, with utmost care, mirroring the position around Emma.
Hours passed by and the wolves did not stir from their posts. Both were relieved to hear Emma's breathing deepen and even out, less gasping erratic breaths as time passed them by. Her heart beat was also stronger and warmth returned to her body. They could also feel the queen's magic building in their mistress, Red had never seen her so exhausted nor known her magic to replenish so quickly.
Emma, it was all because of Emma. Why the slave affected the queen so much bore no consideration now. Instead the wolf retreated to a light sleep, senses still on full alert. She would protect her mistress.
It was a banging that roused the wolves, ears, pricked, immediately alert. Red debated with herself before leaving the bed and entering the outside chamber, padding cautiously towards the main doors. Braxas. A bark of warning.
"Red?" The captain of the guard spoke through the door.
"Leave," Red shifted enough to effect human speech but the transformation to achieve this was grotesque.
"Signal if you need assistance," Braxas had spent enough time around wolves to recognise the guttural tones and the effort it must be causing the young wolf. "Emma?" His voice was pained as he queried after the slave.
"Alive," was all Red could muster before the pain caused her to shift back to her full wolf form.
"Good. But, I will keep that to myself until the Queen decides otherwise. She's a strong one, that one. Her Majesty is very lucky." The wolf agreed but didn't reply, electing to return to the bedchamber to watch over her charges. The fact that even the guard captain recognised something special in the blonde and her relationship to the queen was not surprising but Red wondered how it would affect the future.
Xxxx
Next on The Collar
"What is the last thing you remember?" The queen frowned, now concerned about the damage to the slave's brain from the cracked skull and submersion in the river. Emma concentrated and the last thing she could clearly remember was -.