Whispering Atlas

Chapter 4: Exchange

Regina stared at the attire Ethaobeth held in her hands. The outfit was finely tailor with great quality cloth. The outfit came with a tan high-collared undershirt with sleeves that came to mid-arm length. They were cuffed and buttoned on the ends. A vest came with the undershirt, which was sangria colored. The vest was a button up and had a breast pocket on the left side. Then, Ethaobeth put down the vest and undershirt and pulled out a brown colored trousers that was in a similar style to riding trousers and black one inched heeled boots that came up to about mid-calf.

Regina looked up at Ethaobeth in surprise, "Why did you buy this for me?"

Ethaobeth looked at her curiously "I wanted too. Plus, you needed new clothes. Did you want to stay in thous rags forever?" She smirked and Regina seemed unsure. No one has gotten anything for her because they wanted to. Only because they had to.

Ethaobeth blinked at Regina's silence. "Well, I'll leave this in the bathroom near the sink. Wear it whenever you want." Ethaobeth then left the room to put the clothes down. Regina was too caught up in her thoughts to notice her absence.

Another day has past and Regina was unsure of how to feel about her new allies. She still didn't trust her and it's not like she had a reason to do so. Regina was waiting until Ethaobeth was going to stab her in the back. Regina didn't want to seem like a fool, so she plotted what she would do when she saw the slightest hint of betrayal.

To her surprise, the woman came back from the market with new clothing, undergarments, and food. She also mentioned something about the knives she ordered from the black smith that was supposed to be done in a few days.

Ever since the argument was two days ago, she's been questioning her decision on signing the contract with the being. What made her believe that she could bring her freedom? Regina could never be truly free.

She was trapped in the never ending cycle of false hope. Regina's eyes traced the rivulets of fallen raindrops on the window. Regina stood up and walked over to the window and looked outside. The town was still buzzing with people even in this weather.

The people outside were oblivious to who she is. Who she was. Her short hair and dirty face may have put them off, but soon enough they will catch on that the Evil Queen is residing with them and posing as a peasant. Regina wondered when that moment will happen; when it will be time to run and escape.

She heard the door open and close behind her alerting her of Ethaobeth's presence.

She was drowning in the deep abyss of a bottomless ocean. She held her breathe as she sunk deeper in the blue depths. She moved her arms and legs to try and swim upwards to the surface, but as she did, she felt herself sinking further.

As she sunk further and further in the depths of the ocean, her hopes started to vanish, her dreams tarnished, happiness was filled with emptiness.

Memories of telling a little girl her precious secret, hoping, and praying that she would keep it. Lock it in a box and throw away the key so no one would know. Instead, she stabbed her in the back; told her secrets and plans. Her thoughts in escaping her unhappy life of the past and bringing a new future with her true love and running away, being free, and maybe starting a family were destroyed.

Her heart turned black with hatred for the small girl and it grew with time. Slowly plotting her demise, making her regret everything.

'Snow White'

She thought with bitterness. She sunk deeper into the abyss. The blue waters were losing light from the sun and she soon entered darkness. The waters held no more warmth to them and soon grew cold and bitter, much like herself.

Regina could not hold her breath any longer and took in a gulp of water. Her lungs stung from the unwanted liquid. Her lungs quickly filled with salt water and the stinging increased. It burned so much. She tried to swim again, pumping her arms and legs, but she could not move from her current spot.

Her hope of ever leaving this place diminished. She was going to drown.

After some time, she did not drown. Her death did not come, but she wished it did. The water in her lungs were burning with intensity and it did not stop. The pressure put on her chest made her choke. Her eyes burned from the saltwater and she cried out. Yet, her cries were muffled by the water.

'Please!'

She called out, muffling noises came from her mouth as she took in more liquid.

'Someone help me!'

She choked again, her chest erupted with a popping noise that splintered pain throughout her whole body. Her muscles cramped and her vision blurred.

'I don't want to die alone...Please...Help.'

Then, a small hole appeared above her. It was bright and almost blinded her. Yet, it caught her attention and she felt relieved. A darkly tanned hand came from the hole and reached out to her. She blinked to clear her vision as much as she could and moved her cramped muscles and pumped them forward.

She lifted her hand upward, trying to grasp the hand. She then felt a pull from the depths beneath her, preventing her from getting closer.

'No...'

She stretched her arm outwards, almost reaching the hand, yet not enough to grab it. She gulped, forgetting she was under water and she felt another bolt of pain run through her. Her tears surfaced to her eyes, feeling herself sinking further from the hand.

'No!'

Then, the hand reached further and caught her hand before she could sink further in the darkness. It pulled her upwards and through the hole. She closed her eyes from the brightness. Regina then felt solid ground beneath her and she coughed. The water that was in her lungs came up. She threw it up; emptying her lungs and stomach. Air resurfaced and filled her lungs and she could finally breathe again.

She rubbed her burning eyes with her left hand, her right was in the other persons hand still. After gathering herself, she opened her eyes to see who it was that saved her.

"Ethaobeth?" Regina looked at her, dazed. Ethaobeth stared at Regina with a smile and squeezed her hand.

"I told you, I will protect you." Was her reply.

Regina relaxed in her sleep as Ethaobeth squeezed her hand. As soon as her breathing evened out, she released her hand. She didn't bother to move else where, and sat on the other side of the bed.

She stared at Regina, silently pondering something. She wondered what it was like to sleep. To release all of your defenses, and become poorly unaware of the world around you. Then, after the thought, she made up her mind.

She laid her back on the bed, then turned to her side facing Regina. She was careful not to wake her and laid her head down on the pillow. Luckily, the bed was big enough for two people, so she wouldn't kick off Regina when she tried her little experiment.

Ethaobeth made herself comfortable, digging her head deeper into the pillow and having her legs slightly parted. Regina's soft breathing and steady heartbeat made her relax and she understood what it was like to lay on a bed and rest.

It was more than just recuperating energy. It was a way to relax, and take time in doing nothing. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep. It was not easy since she was not used to resting, not was she required to do so.

Sleep eventually did come to her, and the unfamiliar feeling of drifting off to somewhere else took over. She could still hear everything around her, sense everything, and feel. Yet, it was also like she was not there at all.

She did not dream. Nor did she think she could have dreams. So, she just rested and stayed still until Regina awoke.

Regina's eyes fluttered open and she felt well-rested and feeling better than she had in a long time. Her eyes caught sight of the violet headed woman next to her. Regina looked at her, shocked. She almost jolted upright from seeing her. She never noticed her laying next to her, and as far as she knew, she didn't require sleep.

The tanned woman looked strange when she was asleep. She didn't have a knowing smirk, nor were her eyes on Regina, piercing through her, reading her. Just calm and nonbelligerent. Regina was almost in awe; Ethaobeth looked human.

Regina examined the claymore in her hand. It was simple with a small twisted thorn-like design at the hilt. The blade itself was sharp. Sharp enough to cut herself if she was not careful. The blade was 135 to 140 cm in length. The sword was heavy in her hands, maybe five to six pounds.

She lifted it higher to test her strength with it. She flicked her wrist, swinging at the empty space in front of her. Ethaobeth made a displeased noise behind her. Regina rose an eyebrow, trying to keep calm.

"I knew it. You can't weld a sword." She stated in proclamation. Regina ground her teeth together to prevent her from throwing out a resentful response.

"My mother never thought it was lady-like to learn the ways of the sword." Regina blurted out.

Ethaobeth was silent, going over Regina's words slowly. She never mentioned her mother before. She would never speak about her past before to her, ever. Ethaobeth guessed that Regina was starting to slowly trust her, which was progress.

"Alright then, I'll teach you." Regina turned to aspect her, her face was unreadable.

"What?"

"I'll teach you. It will be key to your survival. You will be no use if you refuse to learn how to wield one properly."

"I know how to use a swor-"

"Sure you do." Ethaobeth retorted snidely. Regina's face showed one of irritation and Ethaobeth remained passive. Ethaobeth then sighed and shook her head.

"Come on, I'll teach you. Follow me." She said and Regina looked her over, wondering if she was serious. When Ethaobeth left the room, she followed closely behind her.

"Are you really going to teach me?" Regina asked, trying hard to hide the excitement in her voice. She made sure her face was void of any emotions that would reflect her mood. Ethaobeth nodded, she could feel Regina's emotions even though she tried to hide them.

They exited the Inn and entered the bustling town. The rain stopped and all there was left was mist and fog.

"Shouldn't we wait until it's dryer to do this?" Regina asked. They entered the outskirts of the town into the woods. The dew from the rain clung to the trees bark and glistened in the dim sunlight. She stepped over a large pile of wet moss and gripped tightly to the side of a thick tree branch. The grass was wet, so she made sure she was careful not to slip.

Ethaobeth glided easily without the help of leaning on something. She never showed signs of the slippery grass getting to her, nor did the dampness of the woods irate her as much as it did Regina.

"No, I think this is fine. You must learn how to deal with your environment, and adapt. The weather does not rest for any battle." Her reply was simple, yet it did nothing to unagitated Regina.

Regina then walked a bit too fast, noticing Ethaobeth getting further away from her, and slipped on the wet grass and fell flat on her ass. She hissed as the pain shot threw her. Ethaobeth stopped and turned around.

"You should be more careful." She said simply. Regina sneered and then gripped the stump next to her to lift herself up. She patted her behind down to remove any dirt and debris. She caught up to Ethaobeth, trying to keep her pace.

"Here." Ethaobeth threw the wooden sword to Regina and she caught it in her hand. She looked down at the wooden sword curiously.

"I thought I was going to use the claymore?"

"Well, the claymore would be no use to you because you do not know how to use it. Plus, I need to see where you're at with sword fighting." Regina scowled at the woman in front of her. There was no arguing it, she didn't know how to use a sword properly. She's used swords and daggers before in her reign as queen, but she never used them enough. She would mostly use magic, but now since it's gone, she was stuck with what she has.

"Now, show me your stance." Ethaobeth said, then she pulled out the wooden sword and went into a simple defensive stance; lowering her sword near her midriff. Regina went on the offensive and pulled the sword above her head. Her legs were next to each other and Ethaobeth showed her displeasure.

"Your stance is not correct. If you are on offensive you need to look like this. Feet apart," Ethaobeth showed her and Regina widened her stance.

"Not too wide. Remember, offense. Widened stances are for defense. Close you legs a bit, be ready to be a bit loose, you need to move as well. Don't be so tight." Regina closed her legs so they were closer.

"Alright, so the stance you have right now is Finestra. It's more of an outside move, one typically used to aim at the face or throat. You don't want to start with that." Ethaobeth informed.

"Then what do I start with?"

"I'll show you."

Regina panted as she blocked another hit of her opponents wooden sword. She was now on defensive and she was not doing well. Even though Ethaobeth said she was going to go easy on her, her hits were still strong. It was hard to block her hits without crumbling.

Her arms were sore and she wanted to just take a break. Regina was not sure of how long she could hold out. Ethaobeth showed no signs of stopping as she swung her sword near her left side. Regina blocked it and pivoted to her right. Regina breathed out and tried to clear her mind. Ethaobeth then swung above, a move that was aimed towards her face. The sword hit her hard on the jaw and she fell backwards. Regina grunted in pain as blood dribbled out the corner of her mouth.

"You can't let your guard down like that." Ethaobeth stated. She then took out a handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to Regina. She stared at the handkerchief, anger flaring. She could taste the metallic taste of her blood.

Her eyes burned with rage as her vision switched to the darkly tanned woman. Her face was unreadable to Regina.

"I should probably apologize..." Ethaobeth muttered out.

"You think?" Regina sputtered. She took the handkerchief and wiped the side of her face.

Ethaobeth breathed out as Regina wiped the side of her face furiously. "I'm sorry." Regina did not reply to her, instead she turned on her heel and walked away. Ethaobeth stood still and watched her leave, then started to follow her.

"Sometimes I don't know my own strength." Ethaobeth muttered.

Regina turned around suddenly. Her brown eyes locked with Ethaobeth's violet ones. Her gaze was hard and steel-like. The Evil Queen inside of her was coming through.

"Back away from me, monster." She growled out, her mouth formed in a sneer. Ethaobeth could feel her energy. It was different from before, darker than before. She moved away from Regina, backing away slowly.

She then held out her hand. "Give me the contract."

Ethaobeth's eyes flashed and Regina's jaw tightened, "That was not in our agreement." Ethaobeth stated.

"I don't care, hand it to me."

Ethaobeth held out her hand and the contract appeared in a bloom of shadows. She did not move to give it to her.

"That was not part of our deal, your Majesty." Ethaobeth's voice turned into the one that Regina heard when she first met her; a chorus of many.

"That matters not to-" She was cut off.

"The contract states that in return for your freedom, you would owe me something in return. So far, you have not given me what I want. So, no, you may not have this contract." The contract disappeared as soon as she finished her sentence.

Regina's rage reached boiling point and she saw red. In her burning rage, she took out the claymore from her holster and flicked her wrist with the blade in hand like a lion striking their tail when provoked. The weight of the sword was not a hindrance in her blinding rage as she charged forward to hit the woman. In a flash, Ethaobeth pulled out her tactical knife from her sheath and pulled it in front of her and blocked Regina's attack.

Regina pulled her sword back, then lurched the sword headfirst again. It came in contract with the tactical knife; creating sparks. Regina shrieked in frustration and pulled back, moving backwards, almost slipping on the wet grass, but she caught herself before she did.

Everything bad that ever happened to her flashed before her eyes. Snow telling her secret, her own mother killing her true love, then forcing her to marry an old king, then she was dethroned by Snow and then confined for a year.

"It's all her fault!" She yelled.

"She ruined everything!"

Ethaobeth remained silent as Regina fumed. Ethaobeth had an idea of who Regina was talking about and let her rage continue.

She saw an opening in Regina's stance and hit Regina's sword hard enough to knock it out of her hand and saw it land on the ground.

Regina processed what had just happened, her rantings stopped and she looked at Ethaobeth; wide eyed. Regina stood still, shaking. Then, she crumpled to the ground. Her breathing was ragged and Ethaobeth could hear her sobbing. She placed her tactical knife back in its sheath and then kneeled down in front of Regina.

Her eyes were shut; tears were streaming down the sides of her cheeks. Her face was twisted in sadness and pain. Ethaobeth bit her lip, hoping to come up with something that could help stop this. She was not used to being around someone so...well, Ethaobeth did not know how to categorize Regina. Though, she did not know how to categorize her, she knew Regina was broken. She never fully healed from her past experiences. Maybe she never healed at all. Ethaobeth sighed and took a chance.

She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Regina's shaking form. She felt Regina freeze, but Ethaobeth ignored that, and pulled her close.

"I'm sorry." Ethaobeth whispered into Regina's ear. Regina didn't reply, just leaned her head on Ethaobeth's chest and continued to sob.

She stroked her dark hair to calm her. She saw humans do this to their crying children to calm them down and she thought it was the right moment to use that now.

"It's alright." She cooed. Regina clutched tightly to Ethaobeth's button-up and she allowed her to.

"I promise, I will protect you Regina." Ethaobeth claimed. Regina looked up at Ethaobeth, shocked. She's heard that somewhere before. Regina felt an odd sense of Deja vu as she heard thous words. Yet, she didn't doubt them, not this time. Ethaobeth smiled down at Regina, and Regina gave her a tired smile.

"Good." Regina replied.

Regina stripped off her clothing and dipped into the bath; shuttering from the hot water touching her skin, Regina relaxed and leaned back. Her thoughts buzzed, going over and reminiscing things that have happened for the past two weeks. She remember the first time she met Ethaobeth. A shadow in the corner of her old cell. A tempting voice became her salvation; to help her be free. Yet, she was not completely free, not yet.

Snow White and her 'Charming' husband were still after her and showed no signs of giving up. It was only a matter of time the townspeople figured out who she was and then turn against her. Regina sighed as she sunk lower in the water.

Her magic was gone. Snow wrapped her hands in magical chains, which were used to drain all of her power. She felt helpless, powerless, and weak. She relied on someone to feed, clothe, and protect her now, and Regina felt like she was a child again.

She rose her head from the water and took in a deep breath. She reached over the side of the tub and grabbed soap to wash herself with.

"At least I can still bathe myself." She said bitterly to herself. Her predicament was unusual. Being saved by some strange being was not normal. But, then again, when was her life ever normal?

She finished washing herself and stepped out of the tub, then reached down to remove the plug to drain the water. Grabbing a towel from the top of the sink, she quickly dried herself. Then, she heard a knock from the door.

"Regina, we have to get a move on. I went into town and saw King David and his knight's talking to the townspeople in the market." Ethaobeth's voice vibrated through the wooden door. Regina's heart sunk at her words. She stopped for a second, allowing it all to sink in.

'They're here.' She dropped the towel and reached for her clothing.

Regina stepped out of the bathroom. A cloak was thrown on top of her head, blocking her vision. "Put this on to keep your identity." Ethaobeth said as she moved swiftly around the room collecting their things and throwing it in a small knapsack. Regina adjusted the cloak so it was tied around her neck. Then, she walked towards the queen sized bed and kneeled down to look underneath. She took grasp of her claymore and sheathed it quickly within her holster. She then took the three small daggers and placed them on the side of her pants-leg and hid them underneath her boots. She took the third dagger and hid it in her sleeve.

Ethaobeth already had her tactical knife on her at all times, so there was no need to check. Regina walked over to the windows and closed the curtains so no one could look inside. She turned around to face Ethaobeth, who was going near the door.

"Do you think it is wise to leave during the day time?" Regina asked cautiously.

"Yes, as long as we don't look suspicious, they should not notice us leaving. Make sure to blend in with the crowd." Ethaobeth opened the door and Regina followed closely behind her. When they reached the stairs, Ethaobeth turned around and gave Regina a signal to wait there. She nodded and stood patently as Ethaobeth crept down the stairs.

Ethaobeth moved swiftly down the creaky stairs, taking caution to not alert anyone. The desk clerk that gave them the room was distracted and was reading a book. He was too absorbed in the book to notice Ethaobeth creeping behind him.

She made a swift move and hit him square on the head; knocking him out. She caught his head before he went crashing down to alert anyone. She laid him gently on the desk, then went to the front of the stairs and waved for Regina to come down. She did so, and the both of them exited the building.

"Remember act normal." Regina nodded, her hood was already up to avoid any of Snow's knights from recognizing her. She saw some people holding papers in their hands and hanging them up on bulletin boards and outside of businesses. She didn't know what they said, so she squinted to look at them.

'Wanted: Alive'

'The Evil Queen'

She looked away as soon as she saw 'Evil Queen'. There was a picture of her on the sheet of parchment. Her anxiety flared and the need to run came to her. Instead of doing that, she walked closer to Ethaobeth.

Ethaobeth sensed her worry and flashed her a smile.

"Don't worry, we're almost o-"

"There she is!" Ethaobeth and Regina turned their heads and found a knight pointing at them, informing the other knights. Regina's eyes widened and Ethaobeth glanced at a man nearby them.

He had a steed near him, a strong one by the looks of it. Ethaobeth thought fast and grabbed Regina's hand, pulling her towards the horse. Ethaobeth barreled towards the man and pushed him hard. Ethaobeth threw Regina on the horse; she screeched and held onto the horse, a bit disoriented. Ethaobeth jumped on the horse, seating herself in front of Regina and she set off.

"Hya!" She yelled and pulled the reigns. The horse sped off with Regina clinging to Ethaobeth's waist.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" Regina screamed. She gripped tightly, her nails dug into Ethaobeth's side. She was used to riding a horse, but she was not used to barely hanging onto a horse while it's speeding off from a bunch of knights.

Ethaobeth chuckled dryly. "We have no choice. What is given to us, we must take it. This is how we survive."

Regina shut her mouth and seated herself correctly on the saddle. She heard the knights behind them, gaining on them. She heard Snow's husband giving them orders to 'Do what ever you can to catch them!'

A sack of arrows and a bow on the side of the saddle caught her eye. She grew curious and wondered if she could use the arrows to slow them down. She was no archer, but maybe she could try to do something. She gripped Ethaobeth's side tighter and leaned down to take the bow and arrows in hand. She set up the arrow on the bow accordingly. She gave a short sigh before turning and aiming the arrow at a nearby knight. She held her breath, then released. Her arrow ended up missing the knight, but hit the horse her was riding on square in the head. She mentally congratulated herself, before she had an arrow whiz past her face.

"Shit!"

"Damn it, you shouldn't have done that!" Ethaobeth yelled.

"I had to do something! They were gaining on us!" Ethaobeth sighed loudly before kicking the horses side with her heel to speed it up.

They came down a wide road that was near a large strip of river. It looked quite deep, maybe seven to eight feet deep. Ethaobeth then had an idea.

"Regina, you're going to hate me for this, but..."

"But what-" Ethaobeth then grabbed her waist and jumped off the horse. What Ethaobeth did, did not click right away in her mind and she had no time to scream before her head hit the cold water.

The water was freezing and immediately her body reacted badly to it. She wanted to resurface and get out of the cold water, but Ethaobeth held her down. Regina looked at her, wide eyed. Ethaobeth shook her head and pointed above her.

They stayed under the water for thirty more seconds and then Ethaobeth started to swim forward, still keeping her head underneath water. Regina could not wait any longer and resurfaced. As she broke through the surface she took in a deep breath. She then proceeded to spit out a bunch of water from her mouth.

"God damn it, Ethaobeth!"

To Be Continued!