A/N: Sorry, guys. Life has been nuts and I keep getting caught up with new ideas. I'm going to try to get back to updating this somewhat regularly.
Regina tried to keep track of where they were in hopes that she'd be able to return to Emma, but the path was winding and the forest had little in the way of landmarks. After a while, she stopped looking behind her. She'd find a way, but running back to the prison wasn't it.
They drove through a bustling town, and from the number of red soldiers Regina saw she knew that they'd crossed the boundaries between the kingdoms. A fortress loomed above the little huts of the town, and before long the cart carried her through the gates. In a wide, busy courtyard, guards helped the rescued prisoners down from the cart and spoke with them, determining who they were and where they needed to go. Regina hung back, watching a few have happy reunions while others were whisked away for food or cleaning or medical treatment.
"Girl," one of the guards barked, and Regina looked up, startled. "Who are you? Where are you from?"
She didn't answer, knowing that the truth would only serve to confuse everyone. "My… my companion," she said instead, struggling to think of a word to define what Emma was to her. "The White Kingdom still has her. I need to go back."
This called the attention of a few other guards, and one of them spoke up. "Are you insane? You want to be enslaved again?"
"She's ungrateful, is what she is." That voice came from the man who'd dragged her from her cell, and Regina tensed at his approach. "We risked our necks for her." He stepped up to her, grasping her arm. "Do we need to teach you a lesson?"
"Please," Regina whispered. She couldn't help but think of Leo, how he'd grabbed her the same way in his fury at her refusal to sleep with him. And with that memory came Emma, stepping in to protect her.
Emma wasn't here, and handling Leo was a far cry from dealing with a man who had blood splattered on his armor.
He stepped even closer, towering over her, and Regina looked around wildly for any sort of help. A guard who might intervene, a woman who would recognize her plight…
"Let the girl go." The voice boomed from behind her, and the guard released Regina instantly. She hugged her arms to her chest as if to prevent anyone else from taking hold of her, and she turned slightly, not wanting to let the man who'd grabbed her out of her sight.
Her protector was also a man in armor, although there was something more refined about him than the other guards. His lavish fur cloak certainly had something to do with it, but there was something about his face as well.
Something that reminded her of Emma.
"You know very well that I will not stand for my men making unwanted advances towards women," the man in the fur said. He held out a hand towards Regina, and she slowly uncrossed her arms and took it. "King Charming," he said when he saw the lack of recognition in Regina's eyes. "At your service."
Regina was sure that she was supposed to bow or curtsey or something, but she had no idea what to do. She stood there awkwardly for a moment before dipping her head down, hoping that would be enough. "Regina Mills, Your Highness."
"Rescued from the White, Majesty," one of the guards added. "Non-cooperative."
"If this is how you've been treating her, I can't say I blame her." The king kept a loose hold on Regina's hand, enough to guide her but not to force her. "Come with me, Regina. I'll see to it that you're properly looked after until we can get you home."
"Thank you." Regina didn't bother to point out that going home was going to be quite a feat, and the king didn't press with any more questions.
Charming led her inside, offering her a warm smile. "I apologize for my men. I hope they didn't do you any harm."
"Not much, no." Regina was sure the images of the massacre at the prison would stay with her for a while, but they hadn't done anything to her personally.
"I had a daughter once," he said by way of explanation. "She'd be about your age now, and I'd hope that someone would step in to protect her from unwanted advances."
Regina glanced up at him, seeing the glint of tears in his eyes. "Emma can fend for herself."
"What?" Charming stopped abruptly and turned to face Regina, really taking her in for the first time. Her odd style of dress, the way she held herself, the way she spoke… She wasn't quite like the girls of this realm. "Who are you? Where are you from?"
"I'm from a different world," Regina said meekly, wondering if she'd said the wrong thing. Worried that she'd get herself in just as much trouble as Emma had. "We came here together, me and…"
"My Emma," Charming finished. His face had gone soft at the thought, but he fixed her with piercing eyes after only a moment of hope. "If you're lying to me, I'll have your head."
Regina reached into the pocket of Emma's jacket. She'd sifted through it on the ride here, wondering if she could find anything of use. There was nothing that could help her escape, but maybe there was enough to make the king believe her. She pulled out Emma's driver's license and handed it over to Charming.
"Emma Swan," he read, bringing the card close to his face for a better look at the picture. "Is this… Where is she?"
"The White Kingdom, last I saw her."
His expression hardened at the mention of his former wife's lands. "If you're deceiving me, if she sent you, it will mean an all-out battle. It will mean thousands of lives."
Regina swallowed hard at the thought. "I can't say for certain that she's your daughter," she said, not sure that she could trust the Dark One's story. Although it was feeling truer and truer. "But that girl, Emma Swan? She came here with me."
Charming nodded, considering the evidence. "And my wife has her?"
"I don't know." Regina's fingers curled around the cuffs of Emma's jacket, seeking some sort of comfort. "But I need to find her. She's all I have."
They shared a significant look, and Regina wondered if it was obvious, how she felt about Emma. And then the king broke eye contact and turned to stop a servant passing by. "Take the Lady Regina and see to it that she is given a good meal and more suitable clothing." He turned back towards the brunette. "I will send for you when my preparations are done," he promised. "We will find her."
"Tell me about her," Snow encouraged as they rode. She didn't know what to say or do to help Emma, but finally having her daughter within reach, only to have Emma sit as far from her as possible and keep to herself, was too hard. "Regina. Tell me about her."
Emma continued looking out the window of the carriage, but Snow caught a glimpse of her smile. "She's shy at first. Good at everything. Sweet and smart and beautiful." She bit her lip, sneaking a glance at her mother. "She's the only person who has ever accepted me, flaws and all. And I don't deserve her, but I think she loves me as much as I love her."
Emma didn't speak her other thought, that there was no one in the world, in any world, who could possibly compare. And if they couldn't find her, it wouldn't matter how many parents or castles Emma had. Nothing could replace Regina.
"She sounds lovely," Snow told her with a smile. "I can't wait to meet her."
The blonde cast her eyes back towards the window. "You shouldn't have taken me from her," she said, knowing that she sounded a little cruel but not caring. "If I lose her…"
"You'll never forgive me." Snow was soft, sad. "That's what your father said when I lost you."
Emma shrugged. "Will he forgive you now?"
Snow sighed. "I don't know if the damage can be undone," she admitted. "But don't worry yourself over that, Emma. First, we find your Regina."
Regina tugged Emma's jacket back on as she stood in front of the mirror. She'd surrendered the rest of her clothing from home to the maid who had dressed her, reluctantly parting with her new jeans, but she was not about to let the jacket go. She zipped it over the blouse and riding trousers she'd been giving, the leather closing around her torso like armor.
It smelled like Emma, which was the most comforting part.
She had just finished braiding her hair when Charming sent for her, and she followed the knight who'd appeared at her door down to what appeared to be some sort of war room, the heavy table covered with maps. Regina slipped her hands into the jacket pockets, hanging back while the men passed Emma's license around and squinted at the picture.
"The White forces have been weakening for a long time," the king was saying. "No more playing games. We will take the castle. Whoever finds and brings me my daughter will be rewarded. I expect the Queen to be captured alive, but do what you must to put down her army."
"You're going to attack them?"
The men, all of them, turned and looked at Regina, and she'd never felt smaller. But the idea of more bloodshed, more unnecessary war…
"I just…" She bit her lip. "More people don't have to die. You only have to tell Emma that I'm here and she'll come. I know she will."
"Silence, girl," one of the men close to her said, hand on the hilt of his sword, and Regina shrank into herself. "You know nothing of war."
"Stand down," Charming said firmly, and the man took a few steps back, letting go of his sword. Then he turned, giving Regina the same piercing look. "Your role is to identify the princess. Nothing more."
Regina had never been much of one for speaking her mind; her mother had made sure of that. But there had never before been lives at stake. "There is no need for anyone to get hurt," she said, with more conviction than she'd ever had in her voice.
Charming gestured to the man who had brought Regina in. "Lock her in her chambers until we're ready to leave."
Regina struggled as soon as the man grabbed her arm, but his grip was too strong to fight. He dragged her back to her room all too easily and thrust her inside. Regina rushed to the door just in time to hear it lock from the outside.
She hit her fist against the wood, weakly and futilely, before turning and leaning her back against the door. She might as well have been home. She'd been in this situation countless times, talking back to her mother and being locked up as punishment.
She paced towards the window as she always did at home. She'd spent hours looking out of her bedroom window, dreaming up ways to escape. Wondering if anyone actually ever did that tying sheets together and climbing out the window thing. But it all came down to two things: she was terrified of her mother, and she had nowhere to go.
Regina might still be terrified – her mother, of course, didn't have weapons – but she had somewhere to go. Someone to get to. She was only on the second floor, and the swags of fabric at the top of the bed's canopy came down with a swift tug. She tied one end to the bedpost and began knotting one sheet to the next, glancing out the window to find an escape route. Time was crucial, and she couldn't imagine what would happen to her if she was caught. The King was her only ally here, and he was clearly running out of patience.
She bundled up the fabric and tossed it out the window before stepping up to the sill herself. That moment, the moment of looking down, of wondering if the sheets could hold her weight, was petrifying. She didn't do things like this. She didn't take risks, not big ones.
Regina ran her fingers over the worn collar of Emma's jacket for luck. She moved slowly, hands tight around the fabric as she braced one boot on the closest knot. Her other foot barely found purchase against the wall, and she closed her eyes for a few seconds as she moved clear of the window and trusted her full weight to her makeshift rope.
She peeked once she was sure she wasn't plummeting to her death, then began walking her feet down the wall, hands burning with the effort of holding on. Regina didn't realize that she'd been holding her breath until she reached the end and let go, dropping the last few feet. She took a moment to gasp for air before she turned and ran towards the pasture.
Regina hurried past the royal stables, sure that they would be guarded, and climbed over a fence penning in the horses who had been stolen from the White Kingdom. Some were from today's raid, still saddled and bearing the white rose insignia. Regina wove between the horses, finding the smallest and least likely to be missed, wishing she had something to offer it to make friends. Instead, she simply held up her hand, letting it eye her warily.
"I'm going to take you home," she said, reaching out slowly to touch him.
The horse leaned into her hand, exhaling loudly, and Regina smiled. She pulled herself up into the saddle, calmed by the familiarity of the movement. The horse easily cleared the low fence after some prompting, but Regina stopped directing him after that. He would know the way back to the White Kingdom better than she did, so she let him take the lead as they disappeared into the woods.