"Come on Henry you're slowing me down!" Either yelled as he galloped across the forest. He looked back and saw the younger boy racing towards him.
"I'm like five feet behind you! Maybe if you moved a bit i'd have a chance to go around you!" Henry said back.
"All I'm hearing are excuses right now." Either said as he turned his head back. He saw that they were approaching the kingdom border so he began to slow down a bit.
"What happened? Getting tired?" Henry asked smugly as he pulled up next to him.
"Yea you wish. We're not far from the border. We should start heading back. By the time we get back and get ourselves cleaned up it will be time for dinner. We have time for the scenic route if you want."
"Yea definitely!" Henry exclaimed. He's finding this new kingdom really fascinating. He also enjoys spending time with the young prince. Henry never met anyone of royalty that was around his age so he's taking full advantage of the opportunity. As he follows Eithan, he couldn't help but wonder if this would've been his life if they made it back to the Enchanted Forest. Not that he's unhappy with his current life, but the thought of a different lifestyle definitely set a curious flame in him.
"So what do you think so far?" Eithan asked, pulling Henry out of his daze. Henry looked around at the sights before him. They were on a higher route with less trees which allowed them to gaze upon their surroundings from a better angle. Henry saw a river to his left and thin white trees to his right. The soil he saw looked really soft and molded to the horses hooves.
"It's beautiful." More importantly, it was calm. He hasn't experienced a calm like this since before Emma came to Storybrooke. He's been on edge since he discovered the truth about his mom and her people.
"Relaxing right?" Eithan asked, as if he read Henry's mind.
"Oh yea." Henry chuckled. They spent the rest of the trek back in silence, admiring the views and atmosphere around them as the sun began to set.
Emma and Regina spent the next few hours exploring the city and its people. They went into various stores and saw while some apparel is similar, others differed substantially. They saw very few people in business wear and more in soft, baggy robe-like clothes which helped give off a more relaxed vibe.
"The people here seem super chill." Emma said as she looked through the clothing racks in a boutique her and Regina stopped in.
"Your extensive vocabulary never ceases to amaze me Miss Swan." Regina said as she looked around the shop, sipping on what Emma told her was "bubble tea".
"You can't go five minutes without making some sort of quip at me can you?" Emma said without even looking up.
"You can't go five minutes without making it easy to make a quip at you can you?" Regina asked with a smirk.
Emma looked at her with an unamused face. "Hardy har har that was a good one." Regina almost laughed at that but managed to hold herself back. If she was being honest with herself, she was having a good time with the blonde here. Though she'll never admit that to her. After Jane dropped them off they began walking around the town and admiring the sights. Regina had never been to New York City but she figured this was as close as she can currently get. Emma made her try this drink called bubble tea and she was pleasantly surprised at how good it was.
"Of course you'd like the tapioca in it...grandma." Emma said with a snicker that turned into a full blown laugh when Regina's mouth slightly fell in shock.
"Miss Swan so help me god if you ever say such a thing again I will personally drown you in that lake that we landed by."
"I'm kidding i'm kidding!" Emma said still laughing. "Like I said, super hot for someone in their sixties." And with that Emma quickly left the store knowing Regina was probably trying to summon a fireball.
She looked at the wall clock and saw it was nearing half past six which means Jane should come and pick them out soon. "If you plan on getting anything Miss Swan then I suggest you hurry up. Something tells me we'll be getting picked up soon."
"I'm just looking around sheesh. Did you get what you wanted?" Emma asked as she walked up to Regina.
"I got what I needed hours ago Miss Swan." Regina said.
"Hey you guys ready to go?" Jane asked and smiled as the two women jumped at the sound of her voice.
"Where did you come from?" Emma asked with a hand to her chest.
"My castle." Emma rolled her eyes
"Oh! Your Majesty! How may I help you?" a man said as he quickly walked out from the back room.
"Oh no worries i'm fine. Just picking up these lovely ladies for dinner." Jane said with a smile. "This is a lovely boutique you have though. I'll be sure to stop by at a later time."
"Please, anytime you want. It's an honor seeing you." He said as he bowed.
"Have a wonderful night." She said as she quickly grabbed the two women's hands and brought them to the castle.
"Wow." Emma said. As she let go of Janes hand. They were standing in the foyer.
"What is it?" Jane asked.
"No, nothing. I'm just not used to seeing royalty get treated in such a fashion." Emma said as she tried to hide her smirk from Regina who just rolled her eyes. Jane let a laugh out at that. "Thank you for your card." Emma said as she gave Jane back her card.
"The people are all very nice if you treat them nicely. Go wash yourselves up. It's nearing time for dinner. The boys are already back and are heading to the dining room." Jane said as she made her way up the stairs. Emma and Regina followed her and head to their respective rooms.
Both women bought themselves some clothes to wear for the next few weeks knowing that they cant stay in the same outfit all month. As Emma head entered her room, she couldn't help but smile at how good of a day her and Regina had. In the beginning they went sight seeing, she pointed out to Regina the similarities of this land and the real city and as she did that she couldn't help but notice the glint of curiosity in her eyes which Emma found a little adorable. Later on they went and got a little snack. Emma was shocked for a second that Regina never had bubble tea before but of course remembered that Storybrooke doesn't modernize in any way shape or form. Emma got a good glare at the joke she cracked about Reginas age but didn't take it personally.
Emma sat on her bed and processed the entire day. Or rather, the last two days. She freaked out completely when she saw Henry disappear in a cloud of smoke. She freaked out even more when that beast approached them in the forest. She didn't only freak out, she was scared. She's not used to facing magical creatures yet, let alone blood thirsty ones. She wanted to scream so many times and just let out the anger she had at herself for letting any of this happen. But she didn't because of Regina.
Because of Regina
Emma sighed and laid her back down on her bed, legs still hanging off, hands covering her face. She kept as calm as she did because she knew that Regina was freaking out for both of them. She cant blame her. She couldn't get mad every time Regina snapped at her because she knew that the woman just got her son back. And to suddenly see him, quite literally, disappear again? Emma can't imagine the thoughts that were racing in the other woman's head. So she kept calm. Well, as calm as she could. Her mind has been on a roller coaster from blaming Regina and her past, blaming herself, fearing for Henry, and now she feels like it finally stopped.
Henry is safe
Regina is changing for the better
They are safe
A knock on the door took her out of her daze. "Miss Swan it's time to go. They're probably waiting for us by now." She heard Regina say. Emma took a deep breath and got off the bed and opened the door to see Regina waiting for her in a new outfit; black dress pants, white button down shirt and- oh? Flats?
"I see you learned a lesson in the last two days" Emma said with a smirk, pointing towards the shoes.
Regina rolled her eyes and began to walk away. Emma shut the door behind her and caught up with her.
"Did you have fun today?" Emma asked as they walked down various corridors.
"Today was good. I feel like we definitely have more to see though." Regina said, looking at the blonde.
Well that wasn't a no Emma thought. "Good thing we have a month to do so"
"Don't remind me."
"Well finally" Henry said as he saw his moms walk into the dining room. He got up and gave them both a hug which kind of took the two women by surprise.
"Hey there kid. How was your day?" Emma asked as they took their seats at the table. The table looking even more marvelous than lunch. There were more salads and breads on the table. Different dips and spreads were set out next to the bread baskets. Emma didn't realize just how hungry she was until she saw it all.
"It was awesome! Eithan and I raced our horses through the forest and took the scenic route back. You have a really beautiful kingdom." He said looking at Jane. She smiled and raised his glass at him.
"Thank you Henry I'm happy you're enjoying yourself. Might as well right? Considering the amount of time you'll be spending here." Jane said with a smile. Henry smiled back and thanked her.
"What did you guys do all day?" He asked his moms, stuffing some bread into his mouth.
"We went sight seeing and shopping in the city." Regina said as she carefully put some salad on her plate.
"I got your mom to try bubble tea" Emma said.
"No way!" Henry said in shock.
"What's so surprising about that?" Regina asked dumfounded at his surprised face.
"I don't know.. I just never thought you'd want to try such a drink." Henry said picking at his plate.
"Probably because it's considered a 'fun' drink" Emma snickered. Jane nearly choked on her drink laughing at the glare Regina gave Emma.
"Excuse you but I can have fun." Regina defended herself.
"Oh is that so Madam Mayor?" Emma countered, locking eyes with the brunette.
"Yes I can." Regina said maintaining the eye contact, not willing to break.
"So you're a mayor? What is that?" Eithan asked looking between the two women.
"It's an elected official." Jane explained. "Kind of like a small ruler of the city or town. Except the people choose who rules."
"Oh that's cool. How'd you know that?" Eithan asked his sister. They don't have anything like that in Gem Kingdom. They just have the royal families. Jane raised an eyebrow at him.
"Because I studied when I was supposed to, my dear brother."
"Okay i'm just gonna finish my food." Eithan said looking down. Henry started laughing at him and Eithan threw his napkin at him to which Henry threw back.
Jane rolled her eyes at her brother. "Why cant you at least act like a prince? For just five minutes?"
"Yes Henry don't forget you're also a prince and you're in someone else's castle. Act accordingly" Regina reprimanded. Both boys apologized and after a minute Henry said "He started it."
"Wooww throw me under the chariot why don't you." Eithan said as he handed his plate to a servant who brought him and the rest of the guests the main course meals. It was some sort of meat with potatoes and steamed vegetables.
"Thats not even how you say it" Henry said.
"What kind of meat is this?" Emma asked wondering what kind of food this realm has.
Jane, seeing the intent behind the question winked at her. "Eat it and i'll tell you."
"It tastes like beef" Henry said.
"It is beef, dont worry. Im not serving you anything out of the ordinary for you guys." Jane said as she began eating too.
The rest of the dinner went on with Regina and Emma talking about their day and how Henry wanted a horse when they got back to Storybrooke which Regina agreed to a little too quickly. There were jokes, smiles and laughter all around the table and it made Emma feel at ease. She sat back and gave a small smile to how things finally calmed down.
"We're done. Can we go?" Henry and Eithan asked at the same time, Henry looking at his moms and Eithan looking at his sisters.
"I don't have a problem with it" Emma said and Regina agreed. Eithan continued to look at his sister who hasn't said anything yet. "Jane?"
"I'll tell you what. Lets make a deal shall we?" She said as she leaned towards him. The servants began to clean their dinner plates and put out various cookies and tea.
"What deal?" Eithan asked nervously.
"I know you've been lacking in your studies, for whatever reason, and before you interrupt me," Jane said raising her hand at Eithans attempt to say something. "I realize you need some motivation. In two weeks there will be an 'emergency meeting' summoned by King Wallas. If you complete your unfinished studies and your tutors vouch for you, i'll take you with me and you can attend the meeting." Jane finished.
Eithan stayed quiet for a minute, processing everything. "I'll get to attend a meeting?" he asked
"If you prove to me you can act like a real prince then yes you can come with me. These meetings are not a joke. You're representing your kingdom, your family and your name. I need to know that you can do that and if you can complete something menial such as completing your studies on time, i'll know that I can trust you to listen in. Deal?" Jane said sticking out her hand towards her brother. Eithan took it without hesitation.
"Deal!" He said excitedly.
"Good. Manage your time wisely. You have two weeks to show me all your completed assignments. Why dont you show Henry what you have to do." Jane suggested, taking a sip of her tea.
"Henry lets go!" Eithan said as he began running out of the room, Henry following him.
"No running!" Jane and Regina called out.
"Honestly that boy really gets me wound up." Jane said, more to herself.
"You're strict with him on his studies huh?" Emma asked, taking a cookie from the table.
"It's literally for his benefit. I dont need him slacking like I did and then struggling. He's a smart kid but lately he's been slacking off and I cant understand why."
"Did you ask him whats been bothering him?" Emma asked.
"No not really. Recently i've realized that Eithan and I don't have such a close relationship, much to my regret."
"Why's that?"
"I was put to the throne when I was around his age and since then its just been work, training, work, studies." Jane said. "I just didn't have the time. Now that i've gotten the hang of everything i've had more time but I fear its too late. One of the burdens of ruling a land. You don't have time for any sort of genuine relationship." Jane looked down at her hands and then up at the women. She saw Emma trying to understand, and Regina completely understanding. "So ladies, any plans for tonight or are you heading to bed? Its, what is it?" She asked looking at her watch. "9:45pm. The yards are open if you want to take a nice stroll. The weather is gorgeous.
"Im gonna head to sleep. It's been a long day. What are you going to do?" Emma asked looking at Regina. The woman was contemplating on what to do. On one hand she was tired from walking all day. God knows the blonde can be exhausting, even in a good way. But on the other hand she wanted to know more about their host.
"I would actually like to talk to you some more. If thats alright." She said to Jane, who raised her eyebrows, along with Emma, in surprise.
"That's fine with me. I'd like to get to know you some more too" Jane said getting up. "I'll be taking a stroll though so join me." Jane got up from the table and stretched.
At that Emma got a little apprehensive. Sure she trusts Jane more than when they first met but did she trust her enough to leave her alone with Regina outside at night? She made a promise, Emma she told herself.
"That's fine" Regina said also getting up. Emma took a breath and got up as well.
"Okay then I'll see you guys tomorrow. Goodnight." Emma said as she made her way out of the dining room, wanting to get to sleep faster but can't help worrying just a bit.
"Ready to go?" Jane asked Regina. Regina nodded in agreement and they began to head out to the yard.
The yard was beautiful Regina noted. Large and beautiful. There were pathways that were lit up by little lights and even some of the trees had some lights in it though she noticed that there was no wiring.
"How are these lit?" She asked. Jane looked at what she was pointing to.
"Oh, magic. We have an orb that emits my magic throughout the grounds. I can re arrange it any way I want but I think that this way is cute." Jane explained as they walked down a path.
"This is all your magic?" Regina asked in astonishment. There were small lights as far as she could see. How much magic does she have?
"Well yea. Don't forget that this kingdom has a lot of magic itself. So I get some help." She said with a chuckle. "But I doubt you came out here with me to ask about my yard. Whats on your mind?" Jane asked. Regina stayed quiet for a moment trying to phrase the words properly in her head.
"I remember, when I first came to this realm, it was much like the Enchanted Forest. There was no modernization what so ever. In fact the only thing that really stood out about your kingdom was your army. Which is what I came here to get in the first place. When your grandparents rejected my offer I was indeed furious, enraged. So I did what I do best and cause turmoil. It was rather childish of me looking back so I wanted to apologize." She looked at Jane. " But I also want to thank you and this kingdom."
"Thank us?"
"Had you given me your army I would've never enacted the dark curse. Which meant I would've never gotten Henry."
"So you want to thank us for indirectly causing you to enact a dark cursed that doomed all your people?" Jane asked.
"I do." Regina said earnestly.
"You're so weird" Jane laughed. "Um okay I guess. You're welcome? Also, apology somewhat accepted. You've only been here two days. I can't fully trust you yet but I know you're trying and I respect that." Jane said smiling at Regina. Regina understood of course. She knows that Jane has no right to trust her at all but she appreciates the effort.
"Your son really means that much to you huh?"
"He's everything to me. I'd do anything for him. I'm even putting up with his mother and let me tell you it can be exhausting. It's like two children."
"I think you're just scared Henry will pick her over you, considering how much you value him. Losing that value can really instill something in someone." Jane said as they continued to walk around the castle grounds.
Regina looked up at the sky and the countless stars above them. "I nearly lost him once because of my evil actions. The pain I felt was unbearable but it was because of Emma he was brought back."
"Oh so its Miss Swan when you're with her but 'Emma' when you're not." Jane said with a smirk.
"She's so infuriating I don't know what to call her."
"I've been meaning to ask why you hate her so much. And since you just said that she saved Henry, shouldn't the hatred die down a bit?"
"She came in out of nowhere, with Henry saying that she's her biological mother so as a mother I got intimidated. When I learned she was the savior I was intimidated as a queen and feared all my work would be ruined. Which happened actually. My curse was broken and now I can't even go outside without people looking at me and planning my death." Regina was starting to get visibly irritated but that didn't stop Jane from asking more questions.
"But it seems all she does is protect you. In fact, she's very protective over you. If anyone can believe you can change, it's her." Jane said trying to calm Regina down a bit.
"Please, that's all an act. I know that one wrong move and she'll side with her parents and have me strung up." Regina scoffed.
"Yes that's why she forcibly grabbed me by the collar, despite knowing who I am and what she's seen me do, just to defend you even after learning about what you did to this kingdom."
"I still don't understand why she did that" Regina rolled her eyes
"Because she knows you can't expect to fight every battle on your own. She of all people knows what change is like. And she cares about you believe it or not. Believe me I looked into her eyes. She just wants you and Henry to be happy." Jane said giving a small smile to Regina who just looked at her not knowing what to say. "I know I dont get it either." she said playfully.
"I don't need anyone's protection." Regina said firmly.
"Regina how can a woman with a darkened heart expect to change with such high walls?" Jane asked sincerely. "Let your walls down a bit around the people you trust, and don't say you don't trust her or else things would be much different. Let them down a bit and you'll see that change is so much easier."
Regina sighed. "You're awfully smart for a twenty year old."
"I only speak from experience. I had to grow up fast. My childhood was taken from me before I even knew what was going on." Jane said. Regina understood how she felt. Being a young woman in royalty was never easy.
"If you dont mind me asking, what happened?"
"My parents passed away when I was young. They were killed actually. A rogue chariot crashed into theirs when they were heading back from a counsel meeting. The horse was enchanted to go crazy and no one knows who did it and considering a good number of people were able to use magic at the time, there wasn't enough time to investigate all of them. And so there was no one else to take the throne so it had to be me. My studies intensified significantly and so did my responsibilities. Thankfully I had Marshall by my side and a few trusted advisors but let me tell you it was a rocky start." Jane explained looking up at the sky.
"I'm sorry to hear that. I was forced into royalty when I was young too. Though I didn't have the supportive people I needed." Regina said. Jane knew what she was talking about. When she took a glimpse into Regina's past she saw that she had an awful up bringing.
"Well it happened already so what can we do?" Jane said with a shrug. She looked at her watch. 10:30pm. "I think we should start heading back. It's half past 10."
"Can you bring me to Eithans room? I want to say goodnight to Henry." Regina said as they began to head back. It was silently decided that talk about this subject was over. At least for tonight. Regina had wanted to find out more about Jane's family but she decided to leave it for another day.
"Of course."
Regina began to walk down the halls towards her room. She saw that Henry and Eithan were already sleeping so she gave him a small kiss on the head and whispered goodnight. She even saw Jane tuck Eithan in more which was quite a heartwarming thing to see considering how strict Jane always is with him.
As she got to the corridor where her and Emma's room was she had to stop dead in her tracks. Is that..crying? Regina thought. She quickly got to Emmas door and heard that the blonde was crying. She can't lie about the worry that filled her. She knocked three times on the door "Miss Swan are you okay?" she listened carefully for a response but heard more crying. "Emma?" she turned the knob and saw that the door was open so she went in only to find the woman tossing in her sleep. Shes having a nightmare. She went to the blondes bed and tried shaking her.
"Miss Swan get up." Regina said but Emma was still sleeping. "Emma!" Regina firmly grabbed her shoulders and made Emma lie still. After a few seconds Emma woke up with a start, sitting up.
"Regina?" she said quietly, slowly coming to. She took in her surroundings, a dark room receiving natural light from the moon outside through the open balcony blinds. In front of her was Regina looking worried. "Wh-what are you doing here?"
"You were crying. Having a nightmare I presume." Regina said
"Oh did I wake you up?" Emma asked looking at the time, 11:30pm. "I'm sorry."
"No dear you didn't. I just got back from my walk with Jane and heard you before I went into my room." She explained.
"Oh" was all Emma could say as she wiped her face. They were walking that long?
"Are you okay?" Regina asked still worrying about the blonde. She remembers when Henry had nightmares. She noticed they have the same pouty look.
"Y-yea i'm fine. It's nothing new." At that Regina looked a little more sorry but didn't know what else to do. She cant help her like she helped Henry. She's not an eight year old. She nodded at her and proceeded to leave when she felt the other woman grab her wrist. She turned around and saw glossy green eyes that made her heart skip a beat (for whatever reason). "I'm sorry, but can you stay? Please?" Emma asked quietly, not looking up after she apologized.
Regina was about to object. She didn't think it was necessary for her to spend the night here. She was about to say no when-
Let your walls down a bit around the people you trust
"Let me go get changed." She said after what felt like forever. Emma gave a small smile and nodded, not really trusting herself to speak at the moment as she laid back down. Regina left Emmas room and with a deep breath entered her room and changed. What am I doing? She asked herself over and over again. When she got back to Emma's room she saw that she already fell asleep. I could leave now she thought. I'll leave my door open if anything
Let them down a bit and you'll see that change is so much easier.
Regina sighed and got into the blondes bed, completely not noticing the other empty bed next to Emmas.