A/N: I am SO sorry it's been so long. This semester has been killing me. I'm at a lull right now, but I do have to focus on my poetry thesis, so I make no promises about the next update. And I'm making a nebulous attempt at NaNoWriMo.
Enjoy, and I hope I'll have more of this and more Always Starting Over in the near-ish future.
Regina opened her eyes after a moment, shocked that she hadn't hit the ground. Something or someone had broken her fall, but when she looked around all she saw was a green glow surrounding her. She floated gently the rest of the way down, landing on her feet and finding her rescuer.
There had been mentions of magic since she and Emma had arrived, and obviously nothing less could have brought them to this place. But this was the first time Regina really saw it, and she stared at the tiny, winged woman hovering in front of her.
Magic had saved her. "You're a fairy," she said softly, hardly believing her own words.
The woman grew in front of her until she and Regina were standing face to face. "I'm Tinkerbell," she said, and with a slight wiggle of her shoulders her iridescent wings disappeared.
While Cora had successfully shielded Regina from most books and movies about magic and fairytales, that was a name she knew at least vaguely. "Tinkerbell," she repeated.
"Call me Tink," the blonde told her. "I've been waiting a long time to meet you, Regina."
"You know who I am?" That almost seemed more incredible than the landing and the wings.
"Well, the Blue Fairy—she's the one in charge—really doesn't like me and didn't want me to become a fairy godmother. So she assigned me to your family, but nobody knew where you were after what happened."
Regina tried to follow the fairy's ramblings, but she couldn't. "What do you mean, what happened?"
"You don't know?" Tink stared at her for a moment. "Well, first things first. I'm sure you're cold and hungry." She brandished a wand, clearly proud of herself as a campfire and a small tent sprung up in the clearing.
"This can't be real," Regina said as Tink took her arm and led her to the fire, but there was heat. The bread the fairy gave her was real both to the touch and taste, and Regina told herself not to think so much. There was no explaining or processing any of this.
Tink sat down on the log beside her, clearly pleased with the campground she'd created. "So they never told you about magic or anything? I suppose your mother…"
That brought Regina back to reality. "You know my mother?"
"Goodness, no!"
Regina laughed at the reaction. "That's pretty much how most people feel about her."
"Well, if what they say about her is true, I'm very sorry that I was unable to grant your wishes for so long. I'm sure you needed them." Tink gave her a pained smile. "At your naming ceremony your mother announced that you would be queen someday. It was considered treason, since the queen was quite young at the time and you couldn't have taken the throne without her death first. The king wanted your family banished, but you'd disappeared before they could find you."
Regina nodded, the pieces slowly fitting together. "We must have gone to the place where I live now."
"Your mother was a powerful sorceress, so it was assumed that you'd crossed realms, yes."
The idea of her mother with magic was terrifying, and Regina was instantly glad that they hadn't remained in this place where she could use it. She could hardly imagine what would happen if Cora could bolster her demands and punishments with sorcery. She recalled the odd gestures she'd sometimes see her mother make when angry, perhaps instinctive attempts to use magic.
Cora's expectations certainly fit with this place: her emphasis on Regina's appearance and relationship prospects, her concern with Henry's job advancement, her keen interest in politics. It wasn't hard to imagine her declaring that her daughter would one day be queen.
"This is a lot," she said softly, still sorting through all of the things the fairy had told her.
Tink smiled sympathetically. "Well, if there's anything I can do to make it easier," she offered, holding out her wand. "You've got years' worth of wishes stored up."
Regina glanced up towards the treetops, remembering again why she'd fallen. Why she was here at all. "Could you tell me where we are? Have I reached the White Kingdom?"
"This is the Gold Kingdom." Tinkerbell looked up towards the stars as well, mirroring Regina. "We aren't far from Queen Abigail's castle. I can take you there for a new horse." She smiled sheepishly as Regina turned her way. "I was so excited to finally find you that I may have spooked your old one."
"I'm sure you can help me much more than it did." At least a fairy could fly above the trees and find the right path. Maybe, with her magic, she could do even more. "I need to get back to Emma."
Tink nodded. "Your true love," she commented as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "There's a spell that can help us locate her, but I'll need to convince Blue to give me some pixie dust."
Regina smiled eagerly, even though she had no idea what the fairy meant by Blue or pixie dust. "Can you do it? Can you find her?"
Tink stood up, and Regina watched as her wings extended again. "I will go plead our case. I'll be back by morning."
"Thank you."
Tinkerbell returned to her smaller form, giving Regina a nod before flying straight up towards the blue star that was winking between the leaves. Regina followed her with her eyes as long as she could, then retreated to the tent. She curled up between the blankets, burying her nose in the collar of Emma's jacket and breathing in her scent as she fell asleep alone.
This was a really, really stupid idea. Why Emma had left with only a compass rather than some sort of vehicle, she didn't know. She'd been crashing through the underbrush for hours, periodically pulling the compass from her pocket to make sure she was on course.
There were about a thousand better ways she could have done this, but now she was who knows where, scratched and bruised and utterly exhausted.
She pushed through one more bush and found herself overlooking a road that looked like it was going at least somewhat in the right direction. At least following it would be easier than hacking her way through the forest with Snow White's dagger. She hurried down the hill towards the flat, open space when her toe caught in a root. Emma closed her eyes as she tumbled the rest of the way down and opened them again once she was splayed on her back in the middle of the road. The wind knocked out of her, it took her a second to breathe again, and even longer to notice the carriage hurtling towards her.
Then there was a shout, and whinnying horses with hooves in the air over her, and she scrambled out of the way before they came down on her.
Someone was scrambling down from the front of the carriage, helping her up. "Are you all right, Miss?"
Emma wasn't entirely sure how to respond. She was still a bit breathless, and considerably more bruised than she'd been before tripping. But before she could say that or anything else, she heard a crunch and cried out at the sight of a hoof coming down hard on the compass she'd left in the road. "No!"
She pulled away from the man, hurrying close to the horses even though she was nervous that they'd trample her, too, and snatching up the compass before more damage could be done. She held it up, praying the needle beneath the cracked glass would still do it's job, but it swung limply from its peg.
"No, no, no." Emma could feel the tears prickling in her eyes, the face of the compass blurring. She hit it, and the needle jumped from the jostling but fell back to its former position.
"What's going on?"
Emma glanced up to see a woman step down from the carriage, a blonde in a dress heavy with jewels and probably more expensive than anything Emma had ever seen.
The driver explained how Emma had suddenly fallen in front of the carriage, and Emma ignored the two of them, going back to staring hopelessly at the compass. A hand suddenly closed over the enchanted object, and Emma reluctantly let the woman take it from her.
"Where did you get this?" The woman—the queen, Emma supposed, now that she could see the gold circlet in her hair—turned the compass over in her hands.
"My father," Emma said, tripping over the words, still not used to the fact of having a father.
"So the rumors are true," the queen said thoughtfully, tilting Emma's chin up so she could get a better look at her. "You do look like James."
"James?"
"Charming before he was Charming." She handed the compass back. "We knew each other well when we were about your age. He lent me this to help me find my Frederick." She smiled warmly, and Emma gave her a week smile in return. "I'm Abigail, and you must be the lost princess. Emma."
"Can you make it work?" Emma asked, giving the compass another shake and not bothering with manners. "I need it to work."
"I can't, but perhaps one of my mages can." Abigail held out her hand, shaking her head when Emma tried to offer the compass and taking her empty hand in hers instead. "The palace isn't much farther, and we can get you patched up as well."
"I have to keep going," Emma protested. Regina was still out there somewhere.
"You won't find him with a broken compass." Abigail led her to the carriage and got in behind her.
"Her," Emma said firmly, sitting down on one of the plush, gold embroidered seats. "Regina."
"Her, then." Abigail offered a reassuring smile. "I will help you find her. I never would have found my love without your father's help."
"So you're on his side," Emma said warily. She still wasn't entirely sure what to make of her father, at least not until she knew what had happened to make Regina run.
Abigail shook her head. "This senseless war has impoverished my people for far too long. I am on the side of ending it, which has always been your mother's."
The answer was somewhat comforting, so Emma eased back into the seat, hoping this queen could help her after all.
The Blue Fairy had almost finished seeing to all the requests, the long line of fairies requesting dust for their various duties. She granted one of the older fairy godmothers an allotment to help her charge and then blinked, surprised, at the next fairy in line.
"Green," she said, not bothering to hide her sneer. "You know that this is not the time or place to pester me."
Tinkerbell ignored the laughter from the other fairies around her. They all knew the story, how Tink had managed, despite Blue's wishes otherwise, to pass the test required to become a fairy godmother. Blue had to swallow her pride and assign Tinkerbell her first charge. Like all the new godmothers, there was a probationary period—until the charge made three wishes that were answered successfully, the fairy could not be assigned any additional children.
Blue was considering a request from an unusual source at the time—Henry Mills, whose wife and her offspring were prohibited from using fairy magic due to Cora's failed attempt to take the Black Fairy's wand. Cora was with child, and Henry begged Blue to keep in mind the long relationship between the fairies and his family. "If Cora is as bad as you say," he pleaded after Blue had told him it was impossible, "my child will need light magic in her life more than most."
It was perfect. Blue could take care of both her messy problems in one. Tinkerbell would be assigned to Cora's child, and Cora would surely kill her before the third wish was up.
Even better, the whole family disappeared before baby Regina was capable of uttering a wish, and Tinkerbell was stuck in probation indefinitely.
Now, Tinkerbell was here, once again being a thorn in Blue's side, and she was smiling in a way that made Blue distinctly uncomfortable. "I believe this is the time and place," she said sweetly. "I've come to request dust so that I can fulfill a wish."
Blue smiled back, patronizing. "Now, Green, you know that you can't fulfill wishes for anyone but…"
"Regina Mills," Tink said quickly, "who returned to the Enchanted Forest two days ago and needs my help to locate her true love."
The room fell silent, and Blue struggled to come up with anything to say. Tinkerbell might be stupid, but not stupid enough to pull such a stunt if it wasn't true. And if she wanted to lie, why would she wait eighteen years before claiming Regina had returned.
"Her love may be in danger," Tink added. "There's no time to be wasted."
Blue glared at Tink, but the blonde fairy didn't back down. "Nova," she said through gritted teeth, "please give Green her allotment."
Tink glided forward to take the bag of dust from Nova. "It's Tinkerbell," she said as she turned and flew away.