Hi, a new chapter before the new year. Life is slowly returning to normal after being incredibly busy for the past few months, new chapters will be forthcoming as soon as I can get back on a roll.
Thank you for all the very patient messages you have been sending me, they are always appreciated but I did manage to lock myself out of my fan fic account so wasn't able to reply in a timely manner.
You may or may not need a refresher of the last chapter or three for this to make sense!
Previously on The Collar
"Look at me," now Emma was the focus of the adversaries attention, her tone drawing them effortlessly to her. "I am going in there whether you let me or not. I've grown to respect you during my time here and would prefer not to hurt you. But you see -, I have magic and I have no real clue how to use it." As Emma spoke the energy field her magic had created around the slave began to buzz at a higher and higher frequency, reacting to the threat before her. "I don't want to hurt you but I really can't promise that I wont. I'm going to her regardless so either step out of the way with my assurance that I do not go with the intent to harm her."
xxxx
Red sighed, watching Emma climbing the stairs towards the queen, door to the tower closing behind her with an ominous thud.
"Good luck, my friend," she murmured to herself, hoping that the queen's mood had stabilised or who knew what Emma would be subject to? "She won't hurt the Queen," Red now turning her attention to Braxas. "Secure the palace and we shall speak of this when everything calms down. You have a point, I am Alpha now but who knows what may happen in the future," Red conceding that Braxas had a point in his concerns regarding the wolf guard.
"My thoughts exactly, and we both know there are forces that threaten our Queen's rule and would target you to get to her," Braxas silently impressed by Red's reasoning, "you are right to be concerned."
"I know, but for now I have to make sure the young ones are keeping out of trouble," another sigh as the wolf jogged through the halls towards the stables.
xxx
Emma took her time climbing the stone stairs, eyes studying each tread, smoothed from regular use.
"You lose the bet," Regina stated as her slave came into sight.
"What?" Emma snorting in disbelief, she had barely cleared the doorway before the queen spoke. "That's all you have to say?" Regina blinked at the outburst, taken aback by her slave's reply. "You totally lose control and all you can say to me is 'you lose the bet'?"
"Nothing else is of your concern, pet," Regina hissed at the slave's audacity to question her actions.
"No, not this time," Emma growled, stepping forward so she was within inches of the queen. "I've put my life in your hands since you brought me here and never once have I questioned you. Yes, I've had moments where I have allowed my emotions to control me but never have I given you anything less than you have demanded from me," Emma finished, breathing heavily, eyes narrowed at the queen.
"Yo -," Regina opened her mouth but was immediately cut off by the slave.
"The fact that you won your bet proves that unequivocally," Emma stepping forward again until barely an inch separated them, fingers reaching up to encircle her neck, now bare of the collar, the nakedness signifying so much about their current relationship. "Now, I am asking you for some answers so I can make sense of all -, all this!" Emma waved her hand in emphasis, both women watching the energy play over the surface of the slave's skin as she did. Regina moved her fingers above Emma's flesh, the magic flowed towards the queen and in turn Regina felt her magic drawn to the slave's, disconcerting but manageable, for now.
"It is rather fascinating, is it not?" Emma blinked as the queen turned away from her but also strangely settled by the seeming return to normalcy the queen's mood signalled.
"Yes, but no thanks," Emma snorted, not to be swayed from her quest for information.
"Well, come wait with me until I have the answers you seek," Regina beckoning to her pet as she returned to her balcony look-out.
"You mean you don't know what this is?" Emma was perplexed and a little worried.
"Well, you have magic, that much is obvious," Regina smirked, enjoying her pet's consternation. "As a child of true love, however maligned, that is not such a surprise."
"Then why the hell did you completely lose your shit and do that to Red?" Emma's anger returned when she recalled the wolf's terror. "You chained her up, she was terrified. How could you even -."
A raised hand stilled the tirade.
"I made a grave error for which I will seek forgiveness," sincere brown eyes appraising her pet, impressed by the loyalty Emma was showing the wolf. It was misplaced but excusable given the day's events," Regina reasoned.
Emma's mouth fell open only to be snapped closed by a gentle touch from the queen's fingers.
"Save the idiot look, it is better suited to your parents," Regina sniffed, memory returning to her pet's little speech. It bore contemplation, but not now.
"Yes, alright," Emma frowned, losing her anger at the surprising retraction. She knew what it must be costing her mistress to admit such a thing and although not an excuse for treating Red that way at least she was aware of the transgression. But, it did demonstrate how much events had affected, were affecting the queen. She was as out of her comfort zone as Emma was and, strangely, that reassured the slave somewhat.
"Show me your wrists," Emma frowned but did as requested, holding her arms out, wounds angry and sore but scabbing sufficiently to stem any bleeding. "Ah, the wolf took care of them," Regina stated, "they are clean of infection but still -." Emma sighed as the queen's magic flowed into her, taking away the pain along with the physical marks of her incarceration.
"I would thank you but that was totally your fault," Emma's anger still boiling but she had expected denial, a battle of wills at least. It was disconcerting to see the powerful woman so subdued. Not this, this self-aware apologetic version of her mistress. However Emma did not receive an apology of her own, only a raised brow.
"Come, wait with me," the offer was repeated and Emma, anger deflated by the queen's strange mood, following her mistress out onto the balcony.
It was night now and the sky was clear, Emma shivering as she looked up at unfamiliar constellations.
"Thank you," the slave murmuring as a heavy fur cloak settled around her shoulders, cutting out the chill.
"Well, I don't want you becoming sick again before this is resolved," Regina sniffed, looking over to her pet.
"And by resolved you mean?" Emma querying the vague response, turning to study the side of the queen's face. No answer was given, Emma sighing but knowing that it was not a good idea to push her mistress, she appeared calm now but the slave did not wish to anger her again, not when her mood had proven so volatile.
"I do not have the answers you seek," Regina spoke, knowing that her pet had not been expecting a reply. Green eyes turning to the profile of the queen's face, slightly narrowed Regina saw from the peripheral of her vision. "Whatever effect the Blue Fairy's magic has had on us both is beyond my experience. We are waiting for one who may offer an explanation and a solution to this -." The queen hissed as she raised her hand toward the slave, feeling her magic react, wanting to surge towards her pet.
Emma felt her own magic react, still an unfamiliar sensation but one that did not seem as alien as it should have. Maybe what the queen had said about her being a child of true love with innate magic made sense? Had it always been there but latent, or had the Blue Fariy's magic planted it in her? Whatever the cause she could now sense the magic in the queen even when they were not in contact. It was strong, very strong, like a magnetic force acting on Emma's own magical core, a constant pull towards the pole that was the queen.
Regina looked up, shielding her eyes from the torches on the tower to the East.
"About damn time," she muttered under her breath, the widening of her slave's eyes as her impeccable hearing caught the curse word uttered by her mistress.
Emma strained her eyes in the same direction but saw nothing. Cricking her neck she tried another tack, something new and reached out with her magic, trying to find what had caught the queen's attention. Regina sensing her pet's use of magic and glancing to the blonde, seeing an intense look of concentration on the slave's beautiful face.
"Breath deeply, it helps you to focus," Emma's jaw clenched when she realised she had been caught out in her little exercise. Regina raising an eyebrow at the action but was pleased to see her pet relent, offering a slight nod of acknowledgement. "As you breath out imagine you are sending your magic out of your body, casting it out into the world around you," Emma surprised by the impromptu lesson but, ever the realist, figured it was best to accept some expert advice rather than blow her own head off by accident.
Emma tensing as the queen's hand came to rest on the small of her back, a breath and she relaxed, the familiar warmth that always accompanied the queen's magic flowing into her body. The light pressure seeming to transfer through Emma, pushing her own magic outwards as the queen had described.
"Very good," Regina murmured in her pet's ear, delighting in the shiver elicited by her hot breath against the slave's skin.
"Thank you, Mistress," Emma replied just as softly, enjoying the gentle touch when so many were harsh and bruising.
"You always demonstrate such intelligence, I did not expect you to be a poor study," the queen continuing without giving Emma a chance to respond to the compliment. "Now, what do you sense?" The blonde exhaling as she duplicated her previous actions, magic questing from her core.
"More magic!" Emma gasping as she felt another force pushing against her own.
"Can you tell if it means you harm?" Regina questioning as she kept her eyes locked on her pet's face.
"No, I -, I don't think so," Emma frowning as she felt no malevolencey in the approaching magical force.
"It is not always an accurate indicator but it takes great skill to mask ones magic from another magic user, almost impossible to hide its intent as it is bound to our very beings," Regina explaining to her pet who nodded in understanding. "Come, we shall go to greet our guest."
A puff of purple smoke, Emma blinking as they appeared together in the courtyard outside the palace's main entrance, the combined light of the moon and the many torches glinting off windows and the armour of the many guards moving around the palace. Regina nodding her approval, Braxas was taking his orders seriously and she could see soldiers manning every look-out and wall in her line of sight, others hastening in their units through the courtyard to other destinations.
Xxx
Once the furore had died down and Snow White had been escorted away by the queen's guard Greta had been left alone in the throne room with Eva, neither sure what they should be doing.
"I shall escort you to your rooms," the young wolf deciding that should be her first priority, the queen would want her guest kept safe. However, ever since the queen had released her from the charm that had been repressing the girl's wolf Greta's senses had returned to their peak. It was blatantly obvious to the wolf that the young noblewoman had spent the night in the queen's bed, Emma too.
"It's no trouble to find my own way," Eva replying with a smile, amber eyes blinking as she sensed the wolf's unease with the situation.
"No, I shall escort you then go check on Belle," decision made, Greta smiling at Eva and gesturing for her to follow. Short, silent work was made of the journey, not engaging in conversation, too concerned with the way her wolf was reacting to the close proximity of the faye to risk prolonging the encounter. Instead, focusing on centering herself and pushing down the excitement her wolf felt being so close to the faye girl again.
Damn she smelled good!
Polite farewells were made in the doorway to the noblewoman's suite. Greta not wishing to provoke her wolf and end in a repeat performance of her last indiscretion, especially not now that Eva had been claimed by the queen. An unsettling thought but not something the slave had any control over.
"Please, stay here until the Queen sends for you," Greta frowning as she listened to the movements around the palace, things were unsettled and she could not predict what was going to happen next. "It might not be safe."
"I shall stay here, but do not think me helpless," Eva frowned, tired of being underestimated by everyone except the queen, and Emma.
"Sorry, My Lady," Greta mumbled, ashamed that she was being reprimanded by one she admired so much.
"I shall let it pass, this time," Greta straightening at the tone used, one similar to the queen's.
"Thank -, thank you, My Lady," Greta stammering, eyes widening, her body unwittingly reacting to the change in the faye's demeanour. The wolf was suitably chastised but also felt the same buzz she did in the queen's presence Or Emma's when the slave's dominant persona was allowed out to play.
"Check on your friend, I will stay in my rooms if it makes you feel better?" Eva pleased tt her words had such an impact but deciding that she had unsettled the young wolf enough and now was not the time to be playing games.
"Yes, it does, thank you My Lady," Greta bowing before retreating and jogging towards the queen's wing of the place where Belle had been given strict instructions to wait in Red's rooms.
Belle was startled when the door burst open and Greta appeared, the wolf looking stressed.
"What's going on?" Were the first words out of the amazon's mouth.
"Everything!" Greta sighed, taking a moment to collapse into a soft leather chair by the fireplace. "Snow White's fairy attacked the Queen and Emma got hurt, I don't know how badly but she was awake at least. I don't know where Red is -."
"I'm here," Red herself appearing in the doorway. "Emma's fine, I think," a frown. "The Queen is taking care of her," the older wolf filled in some missing information for her young charges. "You need to stay in here until I call for you, understood?" Red's tone laden with warning.
"Yes, Red," the girls chorused.
"Do not disobey me," the wolf growled. "The Queen was attacked and the guard are on high alert, not get in their way!"
"No, Red."
"We'll stay here."
Both slaves agreeing, their answers satisfying the older wolf who nodded and left them alone again.
It wasn't until the magical shock hit the palace that Greta ventured into the hallway, Red's reassuring presence outside the queen's rooms and a nod from the wolf ensuring that Greta retreated back inside with a sigh.
Several hours later when they had exhausted conversation and fallen into silent contemplation Greta was spurred into action.
"Something's wrong!" The young wolf's instincts roaring at her to flee, to find Red.
"What? What's happening?" Belle panicked as Greta jumped to her feet.
"I don't know, Red shouldn't have been gone this long, I can't feel her," the wolf trying to explain the feeling of wrongness she was experiencing. "I can hear the soldiers everywhere in the palace, Braxas left the queen hours ago but I can't feel Red!" A sigh as Greta looked towards the amazon.
"We need to find her, follow me and use whatever the amazons taught you to be as quiet as possible," Greta ordering her friend as they inched out of the door and escaped down the hallway, away from the queen's rooms.
Greta led Belle through the palace, motioning for her to step aside every time they encountered a phalanx of guards rushing by.
"What's happening" Belle querying as she worried her bottom lip between sharp teeth, back pressed against a tapestry as two of the queen's personal guard ran past.
"I don't know," Greta was extremely stressed. Everything she knew was in turmoil. Ever since Snow White had showed up things had gone crazy. Emma had spurned her birth family for the queen. Then Emma had been attacked and her collar had come off, Red disappearing with the slave leaving the queen to banish Snow White and her party from the kingdom.
It wasn't until they were halfway down the staircase that Greta suddenly sensed Red, her bond with the wolf reactivating without warning.
"The dungeons!"
"Is she alright?" Was Belle's immediate question, concerned for her mistresses safety.
"I can feel her now but I couldn't before," Greta volunteered. "So that's a good sign, I hope!" Belle nodding but thinking that her friend didn't' sound so sure. The thought was realised when they met Red and Emma in one of the lower hallways, both women looking like they had taken a hell of a beating.
"Red!" Greta jogging towards them. "Where have you been? What's happening? The Queen -,"
"Shhh, we don't have time now, pup," Red's eyes flicking anxiously to see if they had been detected by anyone else. "Go to the stables and stay there until either I or the Queen summons you directly. It's not safe here at the moment." The wolf hurriedly explained, trusting the pup to pick up on the unsaid and obey without question.
"Take Belle," yellow eyes flickering to the slave then back to Greta. "Stay out of trouble! Now go!"
"Yes Red," Greta took a moment to catalogue her friends' injuries before reaching for Belle's arm and tugging her away from the older women. "We need to go, come."
Belle followed willingly but not without a backward glance at the two young women she looked up to and admired. Both looked beaten and bloody, Emma only half dressed, and even Belle had felt the magical explosions that had been wracking the palace. Something bad was happening she was sure but trusted Greta enough to follow unquestioningly.
"Eva!" Greta crying out and darting up a staircase to her left, Belle having to backtrack to follow. "We can't leave her here, it's not safe."
"But Mistress Red -,"
"Red has her hands full but I'm not leaving here here," Greta arguing the point as she reached through the halls, Belle's amazon stamina allowing her to keep pace.
"Miss Eva, we need to leave. Now!" Greta's eyes constantly surveying their surroundings. "Open the-," the door in questions was pulled open and the faye was waiting, fully dressed in a leather tunic and matching pants, sturdy boots on her feet and a sword strapped to her side.
"Lead the way, wolf," Eva greeting the slaves with a brief nod. "Where are we going?"
"The stables," Greta answering even as they rounded the corner of the corridor and down a set of stairs only really used by the servants. "Red told us to wait for her there."
They made it out of the palace without incident, no-one questioned them or tried to halt their progress and soon the three young women were climbing the ladder to the hay loft in the stable closest to the palace, the hatch in the eaves of the roof where hay was loaded affording them an uninterrupted view of the grounds surrounding them.
"Look, there's Red!" Belle pointed out, the first to spot the older wolf sprinting across the grass towards where they hid.
"But what's that?" Greta was more concerned by the black mass racing low over the palace walls and headed directly to where the queen and Emma had just appeared. As it passed over Red's head the wolf whirled to track its flight, a glance at where she saw the girls watching, safe for now, before changing her course and running back to the palace, shifting as she did, her goal was several hundred paces away and whatever it was was moving fast!
xxxx
Next on The Collar
"It means what?" The queen screeched, the information not what she wanted to hear.