Dead
Snow White was heartbroken.
She could not believe her only friend had been raising her child. What hurt the most was that Red knew the truth; she knew that the loss of their little girl had broken their kingdom and she kept it a secret. Snow White wondered where her daughter was and how she would find their lost little girl.
Her Emma who had been cursed, her Emma who was suffering endlessly.
The King started the search for the lost princess again, sending their solders out to look in every corner of the land.
The Light Kingdom was frightened for the first execution they had had in years occurred that afternoon. A black night from the Dark kingdom watched and announced the man that had been killed worked alongside him, the man was a father and a husband. The man was Graham, the huntsman. And he was now dead, for the King and Queen had asked for his head. The black night was indulged to hear the townspeople voice their fear of Snow White becoming like her stepmother, like the Evil Queen.
Snow White steeled herself and made her way down to the dungeons for she wished to speak to Red about Emma. She had been so angry, so furious that the man's death had brought a tad of calmness to her. She felt monstrous, but she felt better.
Was this what had happened to her stepmother?
Snow was sure that her king would not be able to find Emma. She had been raised far away from them; they had no idea what their little girl looked like.
They did not know anything about this new creature Red had described…they had no idea what her daughter was.
Red could feel Snow White walking to her cell. The she-wolf was destroyed for she had lost the love of her life that same morning. She held onto her husband's possessions like her life depended on it, breathing in his scent of forest and rain and love. She wept so much her eyes were sore, her throat was hoarse and her body was trembling.
She was scared and worried sick for her pup. What would they do to her when they found her? Emma would never be the daughter of the King and Queen once she found out what they had done to her Papa. Emma would hate them and she feared Emma would be punished for it.
But she would make sure that this never happened, she would kill Snow White to ensure her daughter's safety. Snow never needed anything in her life. Shad everything anyone could ever ask for.
Why would she ruin Red's life like this? Why take her husband and now her daughter?
"Red, show yourself to the queen." Snow White said enjoying her misery.
"You will never be my queen, Snow white. My queen does not destroy families like you just did." Red snapped, getting on her feet and holding into her cell's bars, putting her face in between to look at the so called queen . "What do you desire now? You already killed my husband and locked me up in this miserable place. What could you possibly want now?" Snow White glared.
"I want my daughter back! The one you and your excuse for a husband stole from me!" Snow yelled in the other woman's face.
"SHE IS NOT YOURS, SHE IS MINE! SHE DOES NOT KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND SHE WILL NEVER LOVE YOU. NEVER!" She spat back in the queen's face. Red smiled an ugly, bitter smile as tears fell down her cheeks. "Believe me, Snow White…after what you did to her father, she will never forgive you." Red knew her husband's death was no in vain, she would make sure of this. Perhaps Emma will too and she would not have to kill the queen after all.
"I have a proposition to make, wolf." Snow looked at Red with fury in her eyes. She wanted to kill her too, but she knew she would be of more use alive.
"I want nothing from you, murderer." The wolf answered hatefully.
"Oh, but you shall have it. I want you to help me find Emma. If you do, I will spare your life. And maybe just maybe you'll get to see Emma, from a reasonable distance, of course. If you do not help me you shall be killed in the morning and your head will be on a spike next to your huntsman's." Snow White said with a small smirk full of evil. Red had not felt such hate and disgust until then. Not even for the great and terrible Evil Queen.
"I will do it." She said. "Only for my daughter." Red said getting closer to Snow's face. "because she will never be yours and when she tells you that herself, I want to be there to watch you break all. Over. Again." As hope left Snow White's eyes, Red's resolve to find her daughter grew.
This meant war and she was ready. She would find her daughter alongside the murderous King and Queen and she would walk away with Emma. That would be her revenge.
It was a beautiful starry night in the lake and Emma was happy with her little Ducky. During the day, when she was in her swan form, they spent their time together doing things as the rest did. But at night, when Emma was a woman, they would speak and Emma would indulge the little swan with caresses and songs.
As much as she tried, Emma could not be happy, she could not find hope. Baelfire was now missing and she had not seen her Queen. She missed the Queen dearly and she hated that she let her desire overtake her the last time she had come to see her.
She had asked for a kiss, a kiss she knew would save her and the woman had pressed her own lips together to keep her from doing it. She had frightened Regina and she was miserable because of it. What Regina did not know was that every time she came to see Emma, a dark feather would fall.
The Evil Queen was Emma Swan's hope and salvation.
Now her feathers had darkened so much they were beyond being counted. Baelfire and Regina had helped her lose some, but their absences had damaged the Swan much more.
Tonight, Emma sat at the edge of the lake with Ducky in her lap.
"Emma!" Ducky yelled excited to finally have the woman that she had began to love as a mother, transform in the beautiful woman she was.
"Yes, Ducky? What do you wish to do tonight? It's quite beautiful out here, huh?" Emma asked softly, picking up the little one and standing.
"Can we get out of here? We are always walking around the lake and it's getting boring, Emma." The little one told Emma, making her laugh. Ducky was also another symbol of hope in Emma's life and one laugh at a time, the feathers fell too.
Emma indulged the little swan and walked farther out of the outskirts of the lake. She walked into the royal gardens and put the little swan down so she could explore. She stopped in front of the big and fructiferous apple tree in the middle of the garden.
The same apple tree that she'd hidden behind when she saw Regina all those years ago…Until this very night she could remember the Queen and the way she had treated her, the nickname she'd given her. She smiled, remembering Her Majesty's beautiful face. Ducky looked up at the apples with longing and Emma, chuckling, plucked two out and sat on the floor next to the tree.
"Would you sing for me tonight, Emma?" The little swan asked after poking around, sitting on Emma's lap as Emma tried her best to make it easy for the swan to taste the fruit. Swans did not normally eat apples.
"Well, of course, sweetie. What would you like me to sing?" Emma's hand caressed the swan's black feathers as she waited for a response. She loved the little swan with all her heart. She had grown up too fast; she was almost as big as the others now.
"The one about your beloved." Ducky answered, her tail shaking with excitement. Emma smiled and nodded, the apples forgotten as she began to sing.
"I know there's someone somewhere someone who's sure to find me soon," Emma sang happily as she Ducky on the floor and walked around the apple tree. "After the rain goes there are rainbows. I'll find my rainbow soon, soon it won't be just pretend, Soon a happy ending. Love, can you hear me. If you're near me, sing your song. Sure and strong and soon." Emma held the note as she put her arms around herself smiling at the moon. They made their way to the lake, Emma still singing, and just stared at the moon's reflection in the water.
The Evil Queen watched and listened from her bedchambers, feeling all the happiness that Emma was feeling at that moment. Emma's voice was soothing, it was almost as if it physically calmed her. Perhaps it was because of their magical connection, but she was undeniably addicted to Emma. The Queen longed to have Emma sing and laugh and smile just like that for her. She licked her lips, wondering what it would be like to devour Emma's lips and hear Emma moan her name.
The Evil Queen was starved for the Swan Princess and she knew one day she would be hers.
"Yes, my love. I can hear you." The Queen whispered, as she Emma sing.
There were knocks on her door and she rolled her eyes as annoyance poked at her. Everyone knew not to disturb her in these hours. She was not dressed accordingly, nor did she want to deal with royal business.
There was only one person allowed to do this.
She grabbed a robe to cover her almost naked body and went to open the door.
"Daddy," She breathed as her Henry, her father appeared before her.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty…but I have news I must tell you." He said, bowing. She smiled.
"Come in, Father." She said and regretted it as he father came in and saw the images playing in her mirror. It was the third time he would find her looking at Emma and she knew he was aching to ask.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." He said and she shook her head.
"Call me Regina, Daddy...you do not have to do that here." She whispered and he smiled. Emma's singing became louder and Regina was drawn to watch the woman inside her mirror.
"You love her, don't you?" Henry asked her, breaking her trance and bringing her eyes back to him. The question was simple, but the answer was loaded. What could she say to that?
She could not lie to her father…he knew her all too well and read her as he would a book.
"It matter not, Daddy…it's wrong." She whispered, waving her hand over the mirror, hesitantly making the images disappear.
"And why would that be?" He asked. "Love is love, beautiful girl." She turned to him when he said those words and he smiled when he saw the hope in her eyes. "When you love, you love deeply, my dear girl. If you love her, your love is true. Why are you depriving yourself of happiness?" She shook her head.
"You do not understand, Father. Emma is just a girl, months away from coming of age, she's cursed…and she's….well, she's a woman." Her father gave her a look.
"Regina, she looks pretty much like a woman to me and if you have fallen for her and she for you, she must be ready to pursue her happiness as well. As for the curse, it can be broken. And her being a woman is not an obstacle…and pardon my saying this, but it did not stop you before with Mal—"
"Enough, Daddy." She said sternly and he looked down to keep a smile from her. She shook her head at the old man and his daring ways. "Why did you come here? It's rather late, there must be a reason other than to discuss things that are not your business." She said with a grin.
He smiled too, shortly, remembering why he was there.
"Well, since you asked about your huntsman today, I had your knights look for him. One of them came back from his duty at the Light kingdom and told us something you will not like very much." The Queen narrowed her eyes.
"Well, go on." She rushed.
"He said your huntsman was executed by the Light kingdom after being imprisoned along with his wife, the wolf called Red." Regina's eyes widened.
What?
"The only one who kills my men is me!" She said furiously. "Snow White's gone rogue, I see…that excuse for a queen keeps giving me reasons to have her head on a spike!"
"They apparently found out about their child being raised by the couple and are now furious…they must have guards looking for her anew." The Queen nodded.
"Yes, that's exactly what happened." She whispered, looking around, plotting. She could almost feel her sword go through Snow White and James' heads, could almost hear their heads roll down the steps to her thrown and hear the blood pour out of their bodies.
And then it hit her.
Emma.
Her father was killed and around this time she had the swans tell her how her family was.
She would be in so much pain…
"I shall go catch up on rest. Have a good night's sleep, my dear girl. I shall see you in the morning." Henry said, kissing his daughter's cheek.
"Night, Daddy." She whispered, and then sat on her bed, not knowing how to face Emma with this new information. She had thought about going to see her, but now…now she did not what to do.
Emma sat on the edge of the lake's waters and awaited the swans that made their way to her.
Something was off tonight…they were too slow, too hesitant to approach her and when they did, their heads were bowed. Not respectfully, but sadly.
"What has happened? Did you find out where Bae is? Is he dead?" She asked, her eyes filling with tears at the possibility.
"No, Your Highness…but another great tragedy has happened…Your mother and father were imprisoned by the King and Queen of the Light kingdom." Emma gasped, her hand going to her heart, hoping it would ease the pain.
"No," she whispered.
"And your father…he was…" the swan's neck bowed and he did not finish his sentence. Emma's tears fell already, fearing what he had to say.
"What happened to him?" She whispered as Ducky pressed her head into her hip in hopes of easing her pain.
"He…he was executed this morning, Your Highness." She stopped breathing and pain like she had never felt before overtook her.
"No! NO! WHO DID THIS TO HIM?!" She sobbed, frightening the swans that stood before her. "ANSWER ME! I WANT THEIR NAMES!"
"The King and Queen, Your Highness. King James and Queen Snow White." One of them answered.
"James and Snow White," She whispered, knowing she'd heard of them before and remembering the woman she had met as a child. She stood and stumbled into a body she knew all too well.
"Regina," she sobbed, not bothering to look before wrapping her arms around the woman's neck.
"It's okay, my love." The Queen whispered. Emma cried into her neck, the smell of apples and cinnamon and vanilla invading her senses. She held on, while her body shook violently with the sadness that consumed her.
"I will kill them." Emma said against the Queen's wet skin. "I will kill them!" She repeated.
And then Regina felt it, the darkness creeping into her heart, as it was happening to Emma. She looked down and saw as more feathers darkened, along with her heart.
This was not good.
"No, Miss Swan. Look at me." Regina demanded, holding her arms and pulling her body away. She looked into Emma's red, tearful eyes. "I will avenge you, if that's what you want. I will do it." Emma enjoyed how the Queen's hands felt on her cheeks as she wiped her tears away. She closed her eyes and her hands reached for the woman's waist to pull her closer.
"You know." Emma whispered, opening her eyes and looking into the beautiful brown depths in front of her. "You know who I am, otherwise you would not have known he was my father and who I want dead." The Queen stopped her movements and looked into the breathtaking green eyes she dreamt of at night.
"Perhaps." The Queen whispered, taking the Swan's face more forcefully. "But I will avenge you. Snow White took someone from me and I thought she had learned her lesson…but now…now she's hurt you." Regina said with a fierceness in her eyes that had not been there before. "Now she will know pain."
Red sat in her cell, still clutching her husband's clothes, wishing he were there to soothe her pain, but he was not. He was not and he never would again.
Tears fell lazily down her cheeks as her head wandered and she thought of her daughter. Emma would be so destroyed to hear that her father was dead…how would she tell her pup her father had been killed?
How did she explain this to her?
Red wiped at her tears as she conjured good memories of her daughter to drown out the dark thoughts.
Yes, this was it. She would think about the good things to take away the bad.
She remembered those nights when Graham was gone and Emma felt fear; how she would sing her a song to help her fall asleep. Emma just loved the song of the beloved. She would fall asleep with the most beautiful smile on her face.
Red started to sing with tears once again pooling in her eyes.
"I know there's someone. Somewhere, someone's sure to find her soon. After the rain goes there are rainbows. She'll find her rainbow soon, soon my breaking heart will mend. Soon a happy ending. Troubles behind her, I will find her. Homeward bound, safe and sound and soon."
She finished the song with a sad smile as she hugged her husband's clothes and remembered their wonderful times together.