"Well it looks like you're stuck here"
Silence.
Regina and Emma just stared at Jane, processing the information in silence.
It was silent.
For a good minute before Regina blew a fuse.
"What do you mean we are stuck here?!" Regina yelled. Both Emma and Jane slightly jumped at Regina's sudden outburst.
"Will you calm down-"
"I will not calm down! You said you are able to get us out of here! And now you are saying we are stuck?! How on Earth am I supposed to calm down?!" Regina yelled. Emma saw this and knew that if she said anything, even to back up Regina, she'll prob run the risk of receiving one of Regina's famous deaths glare that can and will make you cry.
"If you would let me finish speaking then you can get your damn answer!" Jane yelled back. Regina's glare didn't subside but put her head back allowing Jane to speak. "Thank you"
"As I was trying to say, yes you guys are stuck here. But not forever. Just about a month, if not less. That's all" Jane said. At this, Emma's eyes widened and Regina grew red. Again.
"A month?!" Regina yelled out. "Why! Explain yourself!"
"Of course your majesty" Jane gritted out earning a small glare from both the blonde and brunette. "Once every year, I send out one of my personal advisors, Daniel, to your realm"
"Why?" Emma finally spoke out. "What would you want from our world? And how is he able to get back if there is no magic there?"
"We are currently searching for someone that was once part of this kingdom. And the Realm Ruby does not need any outside magic. It has magic already stored in it ready for use. Sort of like a personal generator." Jane explained. "Daniel leaves every year for one month, and because this is your realm we are talking about, which has not a single drop of magic, he can only stay there for a month and then he has to come back, it then takes 10 months to recharge."
"But you just said that it doesnt need any outside magic and that it has magic in it! Why would you need outside magic now?" Regina asked growing impatient
"It doesn't necessarily need outside magic, but it takes less time to recharge if there was. As you know, traveling realms takes up a lot of magic and energy, the more there is, the better. The Realm Ruby has a limited amount of power. Only enough for one round trip, however, if there is magic outside of it, it can be used longer" Jane said and as she finished she sees the perplexed looks on their faces. She let out a sigh and raised up her hand to stop any of them from starting to talk.
"Think of it as this, if you charge your phone while you play it, you don't lose any batter life correct? Because your phone is constantly connected to an outside power source that keeps fueling it. Just apply that logic to this. The more magic there is in the air, the less of its own magic the Realm Ruby uses. But if you use a lot of your phones battery life and have no where to charge it, it still goes down correct? Well its the same with the Realm Ruby, one you start using it, little by little it starts to drain. Outside magic fuels the Realm Ruby just like your charger fuels your phone" Jane said. Relief filled her as she sees a somewhat look of understanding flashing in the pairs eyes.
"So how long do we really stay here for if it takes 10 months for it to recharge and your Daniel guy wont be back for a month" Emma says.
"Just one month." Jane said. "You'll be able to use the Realm Ruby as its charging, just let it regain some magic first and then you're off." She let the words sink in a little before continuing. "So.. are we good or is Regina going to blow another fuse?" That earned a glare from said brunette. Before anything else can be said, the doors opened, showing two boys with huge smiles.
"Hey sis, I thought you'd be here" Eithan said. Jane just stood there dumbstruck.
"WOAHHH! WHAT IS THIS PLACE?!" Henry exclaimed.
"Eithan, how did you know I was here, let alone know where this room is?" Jane said slowly recovering from the sudden discovery of her brother.
"Oh come on, what do you think I do when you ground me and I cant go outside?" Eithan said as he crossed his arms across his chest.
"You roam my halls when you're supposed to be studying?!" Jane said growing furious. Eithan saw this and uncrossed his arms as his eyes widened.
"Henry we are leaving. Now" Eithan said as he grabbed the younger boys hand and ran dragging Henry along ignoring his questions on what that room was.
"Henry wait-!" Regina said but was interrupted by Jane.
"Just leave them, they can run but they sure as hell cant hide. Any more questions? To recap, you'll be staying here for a month" Jane said.
"Yes I have a question. What are we supposed to do here for a month?" Regina asked. Jane just gave her a look of disbelief.
"Damn, you're really strict with Eithan on the studying, huh?" Emma said. Regina just rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time since they arrived.
"Really?" Jane said. Regina didn't seem to understand. "You're in a new realm and you have no idea what to do for a month? Regina, you can do anything. Just relax and have fun. And Emma, i'm only strict with him because, and i'm willing to admit that, I did not study too well in my younger years for i felt that my parents would just do everything until I obtained a better grasp on ruling myself without the need of books. However, they passed away pre maturely and because Eithan is not yet of age to rule, I am the one stuck in this position. I need to make sure he knows how to rule" Jane explained.
"How am I supposed to relax if there is a chance my son can find out what I did here at any second? Do you not know what will happen to me? I don't think ill ever be able to ask for his forgiveness." Regina said.
"You wont have to because he wont find out. Like I said, be good and no one gets hurt. It goes for me too." Jane said seriously. "Is that all?"
"Wait," Emma said. "Who exactly are you looking for?"
"That," Jane began, pausing for a moment to think if she should answer or not. "is not really any of your business. If nothing else, lets go eat lunch, Marshall should have something for us by now." Jane said as she started to walk out of the room. Emma and Regina just look at each other before following Jane out the door.
The trio made their way past the halls and into the main dining room. There was a large cherrywood table smack in the middle. Enough for about 16 people. The table was filled with food of all sorts ranging from different breads, to salads, and appetizers. The table was set for 5 but the food was enough to feed 15.
"Wow," Emma said with wide eyes and open mouth. "Whats with all of this food for?"
"Well its lunchtime.." Jane said unsure of the question.
"Yea but all of this? Don't you think its a bit over the top?" Emma said as she pointed to the table.
"Yes and there are only five table settings" Regina added.
"Ohh" Jane said finally understanding what they meant. "Well excuse me if i'm trying to impress the royals of two other kingdoms" she said with a grin and a wink as she took her seat.
"Wait what. Im not-" Emma began but was cut off by the teen.
"Oh but you are, Princess Emma of the White Kingdom." Jane said emphasizing the royal title. Regina just gave a slight smirk. "And Regina, I know we agreed that I would not address you as the "Evil Queen", however you were a "Queen" never the less before your evil days. So therefore, please make yourselves comfortable and choose a seat. The boys should be back in a few moments."
With that being said, Emma and Regina took their seats. Regina sat across from Jane with Emma just two seats away so that Henry could sit in the middle. Jane would then sit next to Eithan.
"Master Eithan and Master Henry have entered" Marshall said as Eithan and Henry entered the room and took their spots. Henry was overwhelmed by the amount of food he saw on the table. Like mother, like son Regina thought.
The meal was quiet for about two seconds before Henry started talking about everything he saw in the gardens and stables.
"I really like the horses, Eithan!" Henry said as he took a bite of his bread.
"Im glad you do! And you're quite the rider for an eleven year old. I'm impressed." Eithan said with a smile. Regina couldn't ignore the wonderful swell she got in her heart when she heard Eithan speak those words. It reminded her of her childhood years when she just started riding horses and how much she loved it.
"Oh so the kid can ride a horse huh?" Emma said with a chuckle
"Yea and its so much fun!" Henry said with a silly grin
"You guys are welcome to ride the stables at any time while you are here, we have a large open field for them and if you'd like, you can take a route through the forest. Just don't go too far, it can get dangerous" Jane said.
"How long will we be staying here mom?" Henry asked hoping she wouldn't say "not too long" or "just today".
Regina looked to Jane who just gave an apologetic look and shrugged. She sighed and told Henry that they would be staying for about a month. Henry gets super excited and high fived Eithan.
"A month, huh? Why though? Dont you have a family back where you are? They would get worried" Eithan said with a questionable look.
"Apparently your Rea-" Regina began however Jane cut her off.
"Regina was wed into the White Kingdom as Queen, so I wanted to take this opportunity to find out what its like to rule in another realm, from a primary source" Jane said. "Now enough questions, it looks like you two boys are done eating" Jane said seeing their empty plates. "Eithan, why don't you show Henry how you study, if you even do that is" Jane said with a stern look.
"Of course I study" Eithan huffed. "Come on, Henry, Ill show you the library" Henry agreed and followed Eithan out the door. Jane waited for them to be completely out of ear shot before speaking once more.
"I know I didn't say this, but please don't tell Eithan about the Realm Ruby. He cant know what it is, what it is for or what we use it for." Jane said with pleading eyes. "He's only thirteen so hes young, reckless and very naive, despite how he acts. To be honest, I don't know how he figured out the pattern to unlock that room. I don't even know how he even found it." Regina and Emma just nodded saying they wont mention anything. Jane smiled at them in return.
"So," Jane began again. "You'll be here for a month, any questions on how everything works around here? Or should I just start from the beginning?"
"Beginning please. What is this place?" Emma asked
"And you, Regina?" Jane asked.
"I know what this place is. Just tell me what happened since I was last here and why I cant use my magic." Regina said with a scowl knowing that Jane wanted to just tick her off a bit.
"Very well." Jane said. Two servants started clearing the table as Jane began speaking. "You are currently in Gem Kingdom, Ruby Kingdom, to be specific. There are five kingdoms making up Gem Kingdom; Ruby Kingdom, Sapphire Kingdom, Emerald Kingdom, Onyx Kingdom and Amber Kingdom. In my opinion, the latter shouldn't even be classified as a gem for its fossilized syrup but what are you gonna do? Each kingdom, obviously has a king and queen along with an heir and lords and ladies and what not. And the only way to strengthen your kingdom, is to expand it. Thankfully, we haven't had a reason to do such a thing as of yet."
"As of yet? You're of age to get married, are you not?" Regina asked as Emma was still processing everything.
"Technically yes, however the only kingdom that has a male heir my age is the prince of the Onyx kingdom and he's already betrothed to the daughter of King Wallas and Queen Mariana of the Amber Kingdom. The rest of Gem Kingdom has female heirs around my age give or take five years." Jane explained.
"So do you have to marry a girl to expand the kingdom?" Emma asked
"If worst comes to worst then yes. However King Verlot and Queen Juliana of Sapphire Kingdom have two daughters, Annabelle, who is my age and Kimberly who is two years shy of Eithan. So we are waiting for both of them to become of age so they can wed as well as rule." Jane said as she received a cup of tea from one of the servants after the table has been cleared.
"If worst comes to worst?" Regina asked as she sipped her tea. Emma politely declined the tea since she was more of a coffee person.
"Well if a tragic incident were to happen preventing them from getting married. Then yes I will have to take up a partnership with Annabelle" Jane said.
"Thats normal here?" Regina asked baffled by the fact two women can rule one kingdom.
"Well it hasn't happened at all to my knowledge but its not like we expected all five kingdoms to have daughters as their first born, and only born for some."
"Would you two... you know?" Emma asked cautiously hoping they would get what shes saying.
"Would we what?" Jane asked knowing full well what Emma was referring to. Unlike Regina who was unsure of where Emma was getting at.
Emma didn't really want to say it, thinking it would be a little out of her place since she is in the presence of two queens.
"Em?" Jane asked putting her cup down. "You alright there?" She added with a chuckle.
"Would you two be intimate towards one another?" Emma said thanking god she didn't just blurt out "would you two have sex". Reginas eyes widened and Jane just burst out laughing. Ill give her points for rewording her question Jane thought.
"Miss Swan you cant just ask that!" Regina said with a glare pointing at Emma. Emmas mouth was slightly open and was about to apologize when Jane interrupted.
"Its fine Regina," Jane said as she continued drinking her tea. "Eithan asked me something similar years ago. He asked me if we were going to do what married people do. I simply told him we will do what we have to do in the situation we are in. And i'm giving you that same answer." She said smiling.
"Excuse her crudeness" Regina said. "Would the other king and queen be alright with this?"
"As I said, if worst comes to worst, they wont have a choice. Especially if a war breaks out. We are quite close. These Ambers are idiots and have absolute no idea how to rule" Jane said with her nose scrunching as she talked about the Amber kingdom. "Anyways, ill move on to answering your question, Regina." Regina gave a small nod.
"Since you came here some thirty plus years ago, by the way you are telling me what you use to look so young, my grandparents put up an enchantment all around Ruby Kingdom to prevent people from using magic easily. Were people upset? Yes. Did they riot? Yes. So what we did to compensate was that we started traveling to other realms and bringing in new ideas to help industrialize our realm so we wont have to be so dependent on magic. And thank god for New York because that place saved us. Who knew ipods were the future? Or that toasters made breakfast more enjoyable? However my grandparents passed away giving my parents the right to rule. Everything was peaceful but they soon joined my grandparents and left Eithan and I here. I was only twelve and he was five." Jane said with a slight frown due to the latter sentence. "Thats it really. I don't know what more I can tell you about what happened after you left"
"I see." Regina said. Marshall entered the room to clear away the tea. "Master Eithan is asking if he can ride into the woods with Henry. He promises to stay within the boundaries."
"Sure" Jane said absent mind-idly as she just looked at her table. Marshall studied her for a brief moment before exiting with the tea set in his hands.
"Why can Eithan go into Sapphire Kingdom but you can't?" Emma asked.
"I mean I can go, it's just that their majesties hate it when I come unannounced. Also they more or less hate me." Jane said sheepishly. "And besides, because he'll be betrothed to Kimberly, the royal family and I agreed that it would be nice of them to get to know each other some more, so one weekend a month he goes there." Jane said sheepishly.
"Why do they hate you?" Emma and Regina asked.
"They claim i'm a bad influence on their daughter. We've been friends for years and apparently she only does bad things when she's with me but Annabelle is sneaky when she wants to be." Jane explained. "Is that all?" Jane asked as she looked at the two women. Emma just nodded not really knowing what else to ask at the moment and Regina found out all she needed to know.
"Well then," Jane said as she took a look at her watch. "Its 2:15 pm. I have paperwork I need to attend to so Ill be taking my leave. You two are welcome to do whatever you please either here or outside the gates in the city. Enjoy yourselves for there is much to do and so little time." Jane said as she got up and stretched.
"We have a month, i'm sure thats plenty of time" Regina said as both she and Emma got up.
"A lot can happen in a month." Jane said as she took her leave.
"So what now?" Emma asked as Jane left.
"Im going to take a look around the palace a bit." Regina said
"Why?" Emma squinted her eyes wondering what Regina could be up to.
"Calm down i'm simply curious as to what the place I am staying for a month looks like. I never really got the chance to look around last time I was here." Regina said as she crossed her arms. Emma looked at her for a while to see if there were any signs of lying.
She came up empty.
"Fine. Im going to go take a nap then." Emma said with a yawn.
"Very productive" Regina said
"Oh what ever" Emma said as they went their separate ways.
Regina walked around the palace admiring the art within the structure. She noted that there are many paintings nature and past rulers whom are Janes ancestors. As she walked through the halls, climbed up and down various stairs and entered many rooms, she noted all of the things that she grew fond of. Whether it was small pieces of furniture, or just the paintings themselves. Some reminded her of Storybrooke. She walked around and when she entered the foyer, she saw two large portraits of the late king and queen, whom she assumed are Janes parents. She noticed that Jane looks more like her mother rather than her father, but they share the same eyes.
Regina continued walking as she entered a room. A very large room for that matter. She looked around and deducted that it was a ball room. On the left side there was a grand piano along with a special stand for musicians. She walked over to the piano, observing its keys and pressed a few of them. Memories of her childhood came back when her father showed her how to play. She smiled at the memory for it was on of the very few she had of her being happy. She continued looking around when she spotted a door with a gold plaque behind an open red velvet curtain. The plaque read "In Loving Memory". Regina opened the door and entered the room. It was a small room. She turned on the lights an saw that only three pictures were hanging on the walls with small plaques attached underneath of them.
She looked at the first. She saw a tall man with dark hair and slightly ruggish features wearing a crown and a generals suit. The plaque read "Victor Ronan. Beloved Father. 1965-2012". Regina gasped and looked at the others. The second one was of a woman with brown hair up to her chest and a soft yet loving smile with a face covered in light freckles. She was wearing a sleeveless red red gown. The plaque read "Alexandria Ronan. Beloved Mother. 1967-2012." She quickly recognized them as the previous king and queen, however the third one, she did not recognize. The third one showed a young woman who resembles Jane in many ways however this woman has very curly hair and a lighter skin tone. Regina noticed that there wasn't a plaque underneath this one which made her curious as to why there wasn't. Is this a portrait of Jane when she maybe had her hair curled? Regina thought. She continued to look at the portrait and decided that next time she sees Jane, she'll ask about it. With that in mind, Regina left the room and continued looking around.
Jane mulled over her paperwork and was practically sitting over her desk until Marshall walked in carrying a letter.
"Oh Marshall thank god you're here because I don't think I can do this any longer." Jane said as she leaned back with a groan.
"Its been thirty minutes, Jane" Marshall said. Jane just sighed and asked him what did he bring her. "A letter from King Wallas, calling an emergency meeting."
"Ew no. Tell them i'm sick" Jane said as she started twirling her pen.
"The meeting is scheduled to be in a fortnight from tomorrow" Marshall informed her.
"Tell them I'm going to be sick". Marshall just stared at her. Jane stared back, not willing to give up without a fight. After what seemed like forever, Jane finally blinked and cursed under her breath. "FINE. ILL BE THERE" She groaned out.
"If that is what you wish" Marshall said with a small smile. Jane sent him a half hearted glare. She turned around and stared out the giant window behind her desk giving her a wonderful view of the yard and its stables.
"You didn't tell them." Marshall said.
"Tell them what?" Jane said
"About her."
Jane stood quiet. She didn't like talking about it. About her. She just knew one thing and one thing only. She had to find her no matter what. "Whats there to tell?"
"Dont play coy, Janelyn"
"I didn't see a point to it."
"A point to not mention your older sister?" A silence followed that sentence. Marshall stood there, hands clasped behind his back, waiting for her to reply.
"Yes. There was no point."
Things will speed up a bit more after this chapter. It turned out to be more slow burn than i originally planned lol. Let me know what you guys think! :)
~J