"Well, I wonder how outsiders taste.." That was the last thing he said before it started to walk towards the frozen boy.
Henry's eyes grew in shock as he saw his predator walk towards him. Tears formed in his eyes and raced down his cheeks as the beast gets closer, he was so scared. No, what am I going to do? he thought.
The beast is now mere inches away from Henrys face. The beast is growling in his face as he sniffs Henry all over with a devious smirk on its face. "Bon appetit for m-ugh". The beasts eyes widened as it fell and its head landed on Henrys lap. As soon as Henry felt the impact he scurried away making him see the arrow lodged in the beats back.
"You ok there?" A boys voice yelled out. Henry looked up to see a boy around his age standing on top of a tree with a bow and quiver on his back filled with arrows. He was wearing blue jeans and a white short sleeve shirt. Henrys eyes suddenly gleamed with excitement slightly forgetting what just happened to him.
"Yea I guess." Henry called back. "Who are you?". They boy leapt down from branch to branch until he was low enough to jump down to the ground. He walked towards Henry with his defenses slightly up just in case. The boy had short, light brown but long enough to cover just the top of his forehead, and was slightly taller than Henry. He had light brown eyes and caramel skin that slightly contrasted with his shirt.
"Well since you are asking me who I am, I take it you are not from this land" The boy began. Henry just nodded. "Are you lost or something?" they boy asked.
"Well I found this blue ball and the next thing I knew was that I was transported here. But I dropped it before I was fully transported and my moms saw this but I don't know if they are here." Henry explained. "Is there any way I can go back?"
"I believe so, yes. I traveled through realms once so I believe you can too. My name is Eithan by the way. Whats yours?" Eithan asked.
"Henry" Henry replied. "How did you know that I wasn't from this world?"
"Well Im the prince of the Ruby Kingdom and you are currently in the outskirts of the Kingdom which is off limits unless given permission." Eithan said.
"You're a Prince too?!" Henry asked with excitement clearly showing in his eyes and voice. Eithan just nodded. "Cool! So am I!"
"Really?" Eithan asked with slight amusement in his voice. Henry just nodded eagerly "Yea i'm the grandson of Snow White and Prince Charming, and the son of the Evil Queen, but she is trying hard to redeem herself." Eithan just looked at him with a confused face not understanding anything.
"Care to explain what you just said on the way back to the kingdom?" Eithan asked. Henry understood that this must be confusing for the other boy so he agreed.
"How old are you by the way?" Henry asked.
"Thirteen. What about you?" Eithan replied.
"Eleven." Henry said.
"Ahh so i'm older huh?" Eithan said with a smirk on his face.
"Pshh, only by two years. What was that beast thing by the way?" Henry asked
"Ha, still older," Eithan said as he slightly nudged the other boy. "And that, was a humanloyd. Ill explain on the way." With Henrys nod of approval, the two boys started to head out.
Emma and Regina have been following the thick red line for what seemed like hours due to the constant silence between the two. They both noticed the awkward silence but did nothing to break it at first. After what Emma deemed to be long enough, she finally broke the silence.
"You ok there Regina? You seem to be rather quiet since we got here" Emma said.
"Im perfectly fine Miss Swan, please keep your eyes on the line and make sure we are going the right way" Regina said.
"Oh don't worry, we are going the right way. But Im serious, you haven't been acting yourself at all since we got here. Is it because the lack of magic you have?" Emma said as she turned around. Regina nearly bumped into Emma due to her sudden stop, but stopped herself just in time but found herself only a few inches away from the blonde.
"Miss Swan, I assure you I am fine. I have lived without magic before." Regina said but was stopped when Emma rose her eyebrows in surprise. "Yes Miss Swan, believe it or not, I too was once innocent. It's your mother that keeps taking things away from me that keeps me the way I am and not the way I used to be. So yes, Ill be able to survive a few days or a few weeks without magic without making it such a big deal. Now please turn around and lets continue following that line so we can find Henry faster and get home faster"
"Oh I knew you were good once, Its just surprising that you know it." Emma quipped back with a playful grin on her face. Regina replied with a deadly glare and a scowl on her face "Walk" she said, with her voice an octave lower.
"Geez, Regina I was only joking around. Trying to lighten up the mood you know?" Emma said as she turned around and continued to walk but stopped right away causing the former mayor to walk into the blonde.
"What is it now Miss Swan?" Regina said growing more and more irritated with Emma. Emma just stood and turned to the left "This way" she said and continued to walk without another word.
"I told you to pay attention Miss Swan." Regina said as she caught up with Emma.
"Yeah yeah, I got it" Emma muttered as she continued to walk.
The sky grew darker by the hour leaving the two women wondering whether or not they will find Henry by night time. Emma looked up at the sky and saw it was growing to become more of a darker shade of blue but still showed that they still had a few more hours.
"We have a few more hours at best" Emma said.
"Since when do you know how to tell time judging by the color of the sky, Miss Swan?" Regina asked.
"Well, back in my foster days when I would occasionally run away if things got too bad, and I would always look up at the sky to see what time of day it is if I didn't have a watch on me. I guess I just sort of picked up on the skill." Emma explained with a slight frown and a shrug. Regina looked at the blonde and showed slight sympathy in her eyes for she knew that Emmas life was crap because of her. But as soon as the look came, it was gone. They just stood there in silence for a few moments until Regina broke it.
"Well, like you said, we only have a few hours at best so lets not waste anymore time"
"Ok. Can you run?" Emma asked.
"Do these shoes look like shoes you can run in Miss Swan?" Regina asked.
"Right. Sorry, just thought running would get us to him faster" Emma said as she turned to walk the path again.
Emma and Regina walked for about another hour without stopping for they knew that if they stopped, even for a brief moment, their chances of finding Henry before it gets too dark will be lowered. The silence was inexplainable. None of them knew what to talk about without bringing up sensitive topics. Regina obviously did not mind this for she preferred the silence, but Emma on the other hand was feeling uncomfortable with this silence. It wasn't until they heard the familiar laugh of a boy. They both stopped dead in their tracks and turned to each other with eyes wide.
"Henry!" The two women called out simultaneously. The laughter quickly stopped.
"Moms?!" Henry called out looking frantically around for his mothers. With hearing that, both Emma and Regina started to run. Emma leading and Regina following closely behind, not caring about what her feet have to say about running in those heels. After about a minute Henry came in view of the two women and they sprinted even faster.
"Henry!" They both said as they ran up to hug their son.
"Moms! You guys found me!" Henry happily exclaimed as he tightly hugged both of his moms.
"Of course we did kid. Always" Emma said happily.
"Ugh, you are definitely a Charming" Regina said with a scowl on her face. But it was quickly removed when Henry gave her a big hug. Emma just rolled her eyes at the Queens remark. After the quick reunion, Henry introduced Eithan.
"Moms, this is Eithan, hes the Prince of Ruby Kingdom! So technically, we are both royalty!" Henry said with a full smile on his face. "And he saved me from a weird beast". Both of Emma;s and Regina's eyes widened. They turned to each other in search of help from one another for none of them really knew how to act in front of a young prince in a land they have never been to.
"Well its a pleasure to meet you, Prince" Regina said.
"Yea, thanks a lot for saving Henry" Emma said with a smile.
"It was my pleasure" Eithan replied with a slight bow. "How about you all visit my home and stay there for the night. Its getting late and you can get a fresh start in the morning"
"Please moms?! I was heading over there anyways!" Henry pleaded. Emma and Regina looked at each other for the answer and slowly nodded.
"Ok lets go. Once again, thank you. My name is Emma" Emma said as she reached her arm out to shake the young Princes' hand. The Prince accepted the hand "Pleased to meet you"
"And I am Regina" Regina said as she shook the Princes' hand after Emma.
"Pleased to meet you as well" Eithan said with a smile. "Lets go, I know a short cut"
The four set off into a woods. Henry and Eithan were chatting up a storm about how royal life is as few feet ahead of Regina and Emma. "He looks so happy" Emma said as she smiled.
"Yes he does but we cant stay here for long Miss Swan. We need to get back to Storybrooke as soon as possible" Regina said firmly.
"I know but, don't you think we can rest a bit? We're gonna be really sore tomorrow due to all of this walking and running." Emma said hoping she'd convince Regina to stay at least a couple of days for she knows she will be sore tomorrow.
"Well as you should know by now Miss Swan, I am used to running so i'm sure ill be fine."Regina said not even bothering to turn around to face the blonde that was currently looking at her.
"Ok. Well I guess we will just have to see what Henry thinks about this. I mean, i'm sure hes exhausted too. He did say he got attacked by one of those beasts, so he may need some emotional rest as well" Emma said with a slight smirk. Regina just kept walking with her same, neutral face.
"Thats a low blow Miss Swan, even for you" Regina said growing irritated with the blonde, more irritated than usual, why she doesn't know.
"Just thinking the safety of our son" Emma said with a shrug. She looked up at the sky and it got gradually darker. The moon was starting to be slightly visible and all the way towards the west were faint shades of pink and red showing the setting of the sun.
"Of course you are" Regina said.
The rest of the journey to the kingdom was in silence for Emma and Regina. They just continued walking behind the two boys who are still talking and laughing. Emma could see that Regina was in pain due to her monstrous heels but decided not to push the brunette for she knew that she'd just irritate her even more.
"Ok, we are at the western gate. The kingdom has four different gates each pointing in different directions. They care all connected by one wall that was placed here many generations ago. Its usually like this for all of the kingdoms here in this land. Its serves well for protection against invaders." Eithan explained. "And it looks like we made it just in time for its about to get real dark" he said with a chuckle.
"Who goes there?!" A guard shouted from one of the many watch towers.
"Its Eithan! I brought guests over on my way back from the Sapphire Kingdom!" Eithan shouted out.
"Raise the gate! The Prince has returned!" the guard shouted. The large stone door was lifted off the ground and created an opening big enough for the four to go through. Said four went through but Henry, Regina and Emma just stopped dead in their tracks.
"This is your kingdom?!" Emma and Henry asked at the same time with wide eyes.
"Yes, why?" Eithan asked confused.
"Its just, so different from the Enchanted Forest. Its so modern, like New York modern" Emma said. The kingdom had many skyscrapers with lights of all colors coming out of them. From inside the kingdom, many different colors painted the night sky and there were many people shopping through each store as others ate in different restaurants. Cars are parked in the driveways and traffic lights hanging off of lampposts just added to the mirage of colors lit throughout the city.
"Yea its so cool! How did you get it like this? And how come we couldn't see the buildings or any of these lights on our way?" Henry asked eager to explore every inch of this kingdom. Although he was slightly upset that he wouldn't experience any new types of lifestyle for this kingdom is pretty much the same as his home.
"When it starts to get dark, we put up a special cloaking shield that helps hide the kingdom from invaders. And throughout the generations, the royal family would visit many realms to adopt their ideas into this kingdom. This is just the commercial area which is, in fact, based off New York. The residential areas are much quieter and have a whole lot more of open fields. Its more rural than here. We are currently in Main Street." Eithan explained to the three.
"Well it certainly is impressive" Regina finally said.
"I think that "impressive" is an understatement" Emma said
"Ha, i'm glad you are enjoying it so far. Come, lets head out towards the palace. Its on Hills View, the more rural area. We can get there by car, it should take about two hours" Eithan said. "You guys can enjoy the view out the window for the time being."
"Ok then, we should get going. The faster the better" Regina said breaking the other two out of their daze.
Eithan called for a car and it did not take long for one to come. In fact, it was almost instant. A town SUV car pulled up. Eithan and Henry sat next to each other and Emma and Regina sat in back of them. The latter was relieved when she sat down for it has been far too long of a walk in those heels that she was wearing. Her feet were killing her.
"Where to, boss?" the driver asked
"The palace please" Eithan replied politely. The driver took off and everyone relaxed for a while after a long day.
"You don't have your own personal car?" Henry asked.
"Nah, I want to fit in as much as possible here. Royalty isn't always nice" Eithan said with a shrug.
Regina scoffed at that comment thinking why would he want that? When she tried to fit in with the peasants, it didn't go well for her. The scoff went unnoticed by the two boys but not by Emma. The blonde just shot her a look.
"Hey try and lighten up ok? We found Henry and we maybe lucky enough if we can find a place to stay tonight before it gets too late" Emma said in a whisper hoping that the two in front of them wouldn't hear.
"Im just tired Miss Swan. These heels aren't for hiking" Regina replied
"No one told you to wear them, Regina"
"Yes but no one told me that we would be traveling to another realm in search of my son either." Regina hissed back.
"Our son"
"Do not push me right now Miss Swan, I am in no mood to deal with you let alone be with you right now" Regina replied with a glare. Emma just leaned back against the chair and crossed her arms.
"You're never in a mood to be with me" Emma muttered to herself.
"What was that?" Regina asked
"Nothing. Lets just rest a bit."
"We're here" Eithan said as he got out of the car. Henry ran out of the car soon after Eithan. Emma and Regina got out of the car, the latter slightly upset for she nearly fell asleep and the sudden wake up is taking a slight toll on her. It was quite dark outside so they couldn't see much, only a black metal fence blocking a few roads here and there illuminated by small lights implanted in the ground. They could, however see the endless fields on both sides of these roads and small houses and cottages scattered around behind said gate along with the silhouette of a castle in the distance.
"Lets go!" Henry explained excitingly. Eithan just chuckled at the kids enthusiasm as he began walking and Emma and Regina just smiled as they both put a hand on each of Henrys shoulder as they started to follow Eithan. After about a five minute walk, they reached the castle. The three visitors stared in awe as they saw it.
The castle was made out of pure white marble with red roofs. Beautiful designs were carved into the walls as torches were placed every ten feet along the circumference of the castle illuminating the walls. The doors were made of cherry wood and were about fifteen feet high with golden handles.
"Welcome to my home" Eithan said with a smile as he pushed open the doors and revealed the inside of the castle. The walls have designer red borders and the floors have red and white tiles. The entrance hall is as big as Regina's mansion. There is a fire wall placed in the left wall along with couches and small coffee tables on each side of the room. About a moment later, a butler came from another room and greeted the guests. "This is our waiting room, yea, I guess you could call it that, if people have any meetings or complaints they come and wait here until they are called in. Marshall!"
"Good evening Prince Eithan, I take it your trip to the Sapphire Kingdom went well?" Marshall said.
"Yea, well it was the usual. This is Henry and his two moms Regina and Emma" Eithan said as he introduced the three behind him. Said three just nodded and said a quiet hello.
"Its a pleasure to meet you all" Marshall said as he gave a slight bow. "Master Eithan, shall I let your sister know of your arrival?"
"Nah ill just go to her myself. You guys should come too. She should know who is going to stay in her castle for the next few days." Eithan said with a slight chuckle.
"What?" the three said in unison. They were definitely not expecting that. Emma and Regina just thought that they would just find an inn of some sort and stay there after they found out that they weren't heading to the Sapphire Kingdom and just wait for Eithan to give them a plan on how to go back.
"Ill have my sister explain, she is the "Queen" so to speak. So its her choice. Now come on, something tells me i'm gonna get a good scolding from her." Eithan said as he started to head off. The three just looked over to Marshall who simply shrugged. Henry quickly ran after Eithan soon disappearing from sight. Emma and Regina just looked at each other and went after the two boys.
Eithan stopped once he reached two cherry wood doors (much like the ones outside but smaller), took a deep breath and was just about to start knocking when a voice interrupted him from the inside.
"Come in" the voice said. Eithan visibly flinched and muttered a small prayer to himself as he opened the door to see his sister. She was sitting behind a large wooden desk filling out some papers not even bothering looking up. Henry took the time to look around the room. Three walls were mainly made up of large bookshelves stuffed with all kinds of books and scrolls. The last wall had a fire place with only one picture on top of it along with a flat screen television hanging up on the wall. There seems to be a similar color theme of red and white for this castle, for these two colors are everywhere.
"Moms! Finally!" Henry said as he saw his two moms approaching. The woman behind the desk shot her head up not expecting there to be someone else with Eithan. As soon as she lifted her head she saw two women. Emma and Regina quickly came into the room but halted as soon as they saw the one sitting behind the desk. Three pairs of eyes widened.
"Oh my god" They all said. Eithan and Henry just looked at each other and then looked at the three women.
"Do you guys know each other?" Eithan asked warily.
"Yes. Yes we do." Regina said.
"She helped us find you, Henry" Emma explained.
"Really?" Eithan and Henry ask at the same time.
"You helped outsiders?" Eithan asked in a disbelieving tone.
"Whats your name?" Henry asked eagerly.
"Yes I did. Why does that sound so disbelieving to you? And my name is Jane. As Eithan probably told you, I am his sister. The 'Queen'" Jane said putting air quotes around the word Queen. She doesn't like that word, or any other high status word for that matter.
"It sounds disbelieving to me because you don't like helping people from other realms" Eithan said.
"Wait, how are you a Queen but Eithan is only a Prince?" Henry asked confused.
"Congrats Eithan, you'll be let off the hook today because of our wonderful guests. Why don't you show Henry around the palace and bring him to your room and do whatever you boys do" Jane said as she dismissed the boys trying to avoid Henrys questions. "However, I would like to talk to these two women. So please, if you could give us some privacy for now, that would be great."
"Uhh, sure. C'mon Henry, Ill show you around." Eithan said quite content with himself for he was able to avoid any punishments.
"Oh and don't worry Eithan, youll get your punishment soon enough. I promise you that" Jane said with a slight smirk on her face as she saw Eithan tense up. With that, Eithan led Henry out of the room.
"So why are you in trouble?" Henry asked
"I came back way past curfew" Eithan said
"Oh, sorry about that" Henry said feeling guilty.
"Nah don't worry about it. It happens alot so nothing to feel guilty about. Now come, ill show you around. And don't worry, i'm pretty sure your moms will be just fine" Eithan reassured the younger boy. Henry just nodded in response and began to follow Eithan.
"Please, sit" Jane said as she pointed to the two chairs in front of her desk to Regina and Emma. The two women nervously complied and made their way to the seats. It was safe to say that none of them expected this.
"Now tell me," Jane began as she leaned back on her desk chair and put her legs up on the desk, showing off the tight dark blue skinny jeans and black sneakers. "What brings you two my humble kingdom, after I specifically told you two to go to the Sapphire Kingdom after finding your son"
"Well we found our son, thanks to you, and he was with your little brother. Apparently he saved our son from the same beasts that attacked us." Regina explained in her mayor tone. Her legs were crossed one over the other and her hands were together on top of her lap and her back was straight and her face, emotionless. In other words, she was as regal as she could be. Emma just nodded in response, still dumbstruck by the whole experience she had so far. But she did notice the pose the mayor was in.
"Uh huh" Jane said. She put her legs back under the table and leaned against the desk. "Did you even bother explaining to him how you three even got here? Because i'm sure if you did, then he would've led you to the Sapphire Kingdom."
"Henry wanted to come" Regina simply said
"Thats it? Because of Henry, you came?" Jane asked with a skeptical look on her face. Before Regina could say anything, Emma entered the conversation.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Emma asked.
"Well, I just assumed that Regina herself wanted to come back" Jane bluntly said. Emma just looked at Regina with a confused look. "In fact, theres another reason why I didn't want you to come here"
"What?" Emma asked extremely confused on whats going on right now. Regina just stayed silent and tried to keep her regal pose.
"I didn't want the Evil Queen to step foot in this kingdom again" Jane said putting emphasis on Evil Queen. Emma was completely lost at this point and Regina just pursed her lips into a tight line.
"Ok Regina, what is she talking about, you said that you were never here" Emma said as she turned to Regina.
"Oh she didn't tell you?" Jane asked. "She didn't say what she did to this kingdom shortly before her war with the White Kingdom? All the way back in the Enchanted Forest ALL those years ago?"
"No, she didn't. No one did in fact." Emma said narrowing her eyes.
"Well thats because no one other than myself knows" Regina said as she tilted her head down.
"Well I believe you have some explaining to do" Jane said. "Unless you would like me to do it?" Regina just glared at Jane in response. Jane smirked in triumph. "I guess ill explain after all. Right before the war between her and the White Kingdom, Regina came to this kingdom, my grandparents ruling at the time, and asked for aid. Our military was and still is superb. But you see," Jane said as she got up and rounded her desk to sit right on it, right in front of the girls, her ruby red shirt has a few buttons opened exposing a ruby red circular necklace hanging from neck. "My grandparents declined the offer and sent Regina on her way for they wanted no part in her evil ways. Regina got furious, and burned down our entire kingdom to the ground at night fall, when there was not much security within the kingdom grounds. Quite cowardly if you ask me." Regina clenched her jaw as Jane let the words sink into the blonde before continuing.
"For 5 years, this kingdom suffered. However, because of that incident, we upped our defenses and increased our strength as well as increase our magical capabilities. We are able to transport between realms with ease and because of that, we adopted their ideas and used them to our advantages. As i'm sure you saw how Main Street looks a lot like New York City. Its by far my favorite. Well there you have it. Im sure her side of the story is no different, but her side could be a bit more gruesome." Jane said.
"Is this true?" Emma asked in a low voice not even bothering looking at the woman next to her.
Regina slightly nodded whilst looking down. "Yes".
Emma took deep breaths to calm herself down. "Unbelievable Regina. Do you ever stop?" she asked in a angry tone.
"Evil doesn't stop. Shes the Evil Queen. Poor thing, I think that I might feel bad for you" Jane said in a mirthless tone while shrugging.
"You're right, dear. Evil doesn't stop" Regina said as she stood up. "Don't forget who I am, you have no right to talk to me like this. You have no idea what i'm capable of"
"You, are capable of nothing" Jane spat out. "I know you realized that when you came here, you knew exactly where you were and that you couldn't use your magic. Would you like to know why?"
"Enlighten me" Regina said as she tried to hide the slight falter in her face when she found out that Jane knew she couldn't use her magic here.
"Because my grandparents placed an enchantment on this kingdom shortly after you left. Its much harder to use magic here now than before. Its similar to how the higher one travels up, the harder to breathe, just like how the oxygen gets thinner, the magic got 'thinner'. But of course those who are used to the amount of pressure of magic in the air, are able to access it easier than those new to the environment." Jane explained. "Understand?"
Regina just looked at the younger brunette and nodded.
"Good" Jane said.
"I have a question." Emma said "How did you know who Regina really was. Its not like you knew her from the beginning. You were willing to help us but then your attitude towards us changed. What happened?"
"Oh that," Jane began. "Its something I was born with. If I looked into someones eyes, I am able of seeing their past as well as their greatest fears and inner most desires" Jane explained. "When you said that Regina's magic didn't work, I was curious to know who she was. So I took a look inside her head. The outcome was definitely not what I expected."
"You looked at my past without my permission?!" Regina asked growing angry.
"You burned down my kingdom without any ones permission you evil wench!" Jane explained. Before Regina even had a chance to react, Emma shot straight up from her chair and grabbed Janes collar. The latter was wearing a dumbstruck expression.
"You, will not talk to Regina like that. Do I make myself clear?" Emma growled. Jane slightly calmed down (not too noticeably though) and took the chance to stare straight into the blondes eyes. Interesting. Jane thought to herself.
"You're defending her after everything shes done to you, Miss Swan?" Jane said with a smirk.
"Shes changing, and thanks for looking at my past by the way" Emma said the last part sarcastically.
"Sorry, just my reflex. Can you please let go of me now? I think I got your point across" Jane said.
Regina just stared at the two women before her with her mouth slightly parted. Did Miss Swan really just defend me? she thought.
"Hey, ill believe it when I see it ok? Im all for change but sometimes, once a heart darkens, theres no going back" Jane said as her collar was released from Emma's grip.
"Regina are you ok?" Emma asked as she stepped closer to the brunette.
"Yes, Miss Swan I am. You did not need to do that" Regina said in a firm voice.
"For Christs sake, why aren't you ever thankful for the fact that Im concerned for you?" Emma asked.
"Because there is no reason for you to be concerned for me Miss Swan. I am perfectly capable of taking care of my self." Regina said.
"Right, of course you are. I am terribly sorry" Emma bit back sarcastically.
"No you're not" Regina said
"Damn right i'm not! You should let people worry about you. God, not everyone is trying to kill you." Emma said growing angry. Jane just continued to sit there and watch with interest as the two continued to argue. She then glanced over at the clock 10:30pm.
"Ladies! As much as I would love to see you two continue, this is not couples counseling. I suggest you retire for the night and continue tomorrow morning" Jane said as she slid off the desk. "Im pretty sure you both are exhausted, both physically and mentally"
Emma and Regina looked at one another and nodded.
"Ok, lets go find Henry and go find an inn or something" Emma said and Regina nodded.
Jane just looked at them with disbelieving eyes. "For gods sake, I may dislike Regina at the moment but its not like i'm gonna send you guys out to find a place of your own for now. Especially at this hour. Don't forget that it took you two hours to get here. Stay here and ill have Marshall get you two a room" Jane said as she went behind her desk and pressed an intercom button and called for Marshall, Eithan and Henry.
"You expect me to believe the fact that you wont do anything to me while i'm asleep under your roof?" Regina asked. Jane just walked towards Regina and looked at her dead in the eyes. Regina realizing this, quickly tries to push Jane away so she wont get any more glimpses of her past but Jane quickly caught her arms and continued to stare. Regina closed her eyes and Emma quickly came rushing over but Jane stepped away before Emma did anything.
"Your eyes tell me that you are in fact trying to change." Jane said with a serious tone. "So lets make a deal shall we? You don't do anything that will make me suspect you to be an enemy to the kingdom, and I will offer you my hospitality as well as a way back home."
Emma and Regina just looked shocked at that statement and at the sudden change of facial expression that Jane was showing. Regina was at a loss for words. Yes she was trying to change, but should she really believe this girl. She looked over to Emma in hopes of finding an answer. Emma just nodded.
"Very well" Regina said. With that said, Marshall, Eithan and Henry came into the room.
"Good. So how was the exploration Henry? You have fun with my brother?" Jane asked with a smile on her face.
"Yea! This palace is amazing! Its so big! He showed me the arcade, bowling alley, swimming pool, the back yard- which huge by the way- and his room is awesome too!" Henry exclaimed with a cheerful smile. Eithan just smiled and put his hand on Henrys shoulder. Emma and Regina felt some sort of relief knowing that Henry had a good time and that he is smiling.
"Well good news for you boy, you'll be staying here for a while until your moms and I find a way for you to go back ok?" Jane asked as she crouched to Henrys eye level. Henry just nodded. He knew that he wouldn't stay here forever so he decided to make the most out of his little trip.
"Good, now, we have a lot of rooms. So do you want to sleep with your moms, by yourself or with Eithan in a separate bed?" Jane asked.
"Eithan" Henry said without missing a beat. He looked over to his moms in search for an approval. Emma didn't seem to mind and after a few seconds of Henrys best puppy dog eyes, Regina eventually gave in and let Henry spend the next few nights with his new friend. Henry and Eithan jumped up excitedly and quickly left after Henry hugged both of his moms tightly and said good night to them.
"I expect you two to actually sleep and not fool around!" Jane yelled through the hall way. She then returned to the two women and Marshall. "Marshall, lead them each to a guest suite. Get a good nights rest because who knows what you will be doing tomorrow." Marshall nodded as he showed the two women the way.
"Thank you" Emma said. "But you never answered Henrys question. Why are you Queen but Eithan is only a Prince? Shouldnt your parents rule or something?"
"That is a conversation for another day." Jane said as she led the woman away from her office and started to head out in the opposite direction. "Good night ladies".
Marshall led them to their guest suites and told them that there are already clothes set up for them inside and that if they need anything they can call on him through the intercom. The two women just nodded and went in side their room. Emmas eyes widened as she saw the room. Once again, the floors had red and white marble tiles. Two queen size beds are on one side of the room with two large closets on the right side of each bed, while a fireplace is on the opposite wall with a mirror above it. Next to the beds is a glass door leading to a balcony providing them with a view of the field with a small lake in the middle. White walls with red borders and next to the glass door there are red curtains on both sides.
Emma walked inside fully taking in their surroundings. Emma walked into the bathroom and saw a white jacuzzi with a shower head high up on a wall. She turned to the side and saw the bathroom cabinet. It had mirrors for doors and was bordered by translucent red borders. After marveling at the room a little bit more, she took off her jacket and went to Reginas room down the hall. She opened her door (forgetting to knock knowing Regina is going to say something but oh well) only to find Regina sitting on one of the beds looking down at her hands.
"Hey you ok?" Emma asked as she sat next to Regina. Regina just nodded and response and began to stand up when Emma grabbed her wrist. "Look at me, no matter what happens, ill be here for you ok? Ill help protect you. I believe you when you say you're changing." Emma said. Regina was about to open her mouth but Emma didnt let her speak. "You can object to it all you want but this is my decision and I made it." Emma said it in such a tone that Regina knew it wasn't up for debate.
"What ever makes you happy Miss Swan" Regina replied as she took the silk pajamas that were laid for her on the bed and walked to the bathroom to change. She was too tired to argue with the savior right now. She just needed some rest. When Regina came out of the bathroom, she saw Emma heading for the door.
"Goodnight Regina" Emma said as she left.
After a few moments of silence, Regina finally spoke up, mainly talking to herself.
"Good night Miss Swan"