"My Queen, come quick" A guard yelled running into Regina's private chambers in the midst of the night, "The village is aflame"
Regina was wide awake and alert the minute the words left the guards mouth and hurriedly used her magic to dress herself while addressing the guard, "Tell Red to meet me down there as fast as she can" and with that she used her magic to teleport her down to the village where people were running, screaming and crying while her guards frantically tried to calm them and put the flames out
"People of the Dark Kingdom" Regina called bringing the village to a stand still, "Go to the palace, my servants will find you all rooms and food. Please go orderly and calmly, the village will be like new come the morning. I promise"
As the villagers made their way towards the Dark Palace Regina set about working to get the flames under control and by the time Red had managed to fight her way through the crowd, Regina had managed to put most of the flames out
"What happened here?" Red asked, watching in awe as Regina worked
"I haven't the slightest clue. I was hoping you could use your nose and help find the culprit," Regina said, staggering slightly into Red when she managed to get the second to last building's flames out
"Are you okay?" Red asked, stabling Regina by putting a hand on her lower back
"Yes dear, now go" Regina said with a forced smile and went about getting the last building under control when she heard a cry and froze
"What was that?" She mumbled to herself and jumped to action when she heard the sound again
Red had asked the remaining guards which building was the first that had lit aflame and smelt an unfamiliar scent around the village and followed it deep into the forest when it just disappeared into thin air. She spent the better part of an hour fighting her way through overgrown bushes trying desperately to get a scent when she gave up and returned to the village
"Have you seen the Queen?" Red asked the remaining guard who had built a perimeter around the village and frowned as they all shook their heads
"Regina?" Red called into the night, receiving no answer "Where could she be?"
Red continued to search for Regina throughout the village, knowing that she wouldn't leave without telling Red first when she heard laboured breathes and soft whimpers that sounded like a babes
"Hello? Whose there?" She called out softly and broke into a sprint when she recognized the small women laying on the floor
"Regina" She yelled frantically at the soot covered queen, "Regina talk to me, are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"Shh" Regina whispered, "He's sleeping"
"Who – What? What happened?" Red demanded quietly
"I'll explain when we get to the castle, here take him" Regina whispered, gently handing the baby to the tall beauty before standing "Follow me"
Regina led Red to the path quickest to the Palace and led her straight through the Kitchen into her own private rooms
"Stay here while I address the villagers. I shant be long, I promise" Regina left with a small kiss to Red's cheek that had them both blushing
It was close to three hours later when Regina returned still covered in suit and her hair a mess
"What took you so long?" Red asked and carefully got off of Regina's bed mindful not to wake the sleeping baby on there
"The villagers were in disarray and I had to unlock the East Wing for use and make it suitable for inhabitants" Regina sighed, flopping rather ungracefully onto the nearest couch, "That and I had to talk to the guards about watching who comes and goes even more cautiously. We've implemented a new policy, every new visitor must leave either a drop of blood or a stand of hair on arrival so I can track each and every visitor if something like this were to happen again"
"Good idea, my queen" Red murmured, lifting Regina's head so she could sit and let the Queen put her head in Red's lap while Red pulled the debris from her hair
"When I was putting out the flames after you had left, I heard a cry from the building still alight. I guess no one heard it before that because of the chaos. Trying to douse flames while inside them is no use because there isn't enough water in the air to collect to even make a drop and I knew that but it didn't matter when I ran in because I had to help whoever was in there. The place was crumbling, the smoke was thick and the flames were hot, I could barely even see or breathe but I managed to find the child wrapped up in a small blanket next to a burnt body" Regina explained softly trying to keep the tears from her eyes, "The body was black and burnt beyond any recognition, the baby had been covered in blisters that I managed to heal before you found us. He's no older than eight weeks old, Red, and he's already without parents. We don't have an orphanage suited for a babe so young here, Red, the poor boy"
"Where's the closest one suited?" Red murmured, gazing at the queen
"The boy won't be leaving his Kingdom, he won't leave his home" Regina said determinedly and jumped to her feet when she heard the boy start fussing
"What if… What if you kept him?" Red asked cautiously
"I-I couldn't… Could I?"
"You are the queen, my l… My lady" Red stumbled over her words
"I suppose… No, I couldn't. I'm not fit to be a mother." Regina said, lying back down with her head in Red's lap and the sleeping baby on her chest
"Yes you are. I can already feel the bond you have made with him" Red said, "My wolf can feel it. I've seen you with him for half an hour now and, forgive me if this is too bold, you'd be a damn idiot if you think you can't care for him"
"It's too dangerous" Regina protested
"You are, without a doubt, the most powerful women I have ever met. I am a werewolf and I'll be damned if I let this boy be hurt"
"You really think I can do this?" Regina asked in a small voice
"Not alone. I think we can do this" Red said, pressing a kiss to Regina's forehead, "What will you name him?"
"Henry… Prince Henry of the Dark Kingdom" Regina said, testing the name out
"Long live Prince Henry" Red murmured, looking at the sleeping babe with a smile on her face, "Long live the Queen"
Months had passed since the village had caught fire with no explanation on how and the Dark Kingdom's new and only heir was growing faster than anyone could believe. The entire Kingdom loved the small boy and praised the Queen to the heavens for her bravery in saving and caring for the boy while maintaining the Kingdom, it was common knowledge that Red, Snow White's old best friend, was like a second mother to the boy and the villagers had taken to calling Red the Queen's Consort behind Royal backs. All in all the past months had been very peaceful for the Dark Kingdom. Until Snow White had showed up at the palace once again, demanding the release of someone although this time it was the young Prince
"He is my grandson" Snow White snarled and shoved Princess Emma forward, "Is that not the bastard you birthed?"
"Y-yes mother" The princess whispered, looking t the ground
"You expect me to give you my son simply because your imbecile of a daughter birthed him? Where were you when he was nearly burnt to death in the fire? When he had fevers, when his teeth were coming through? Who soothed him, who bathed him, who cared for him? I did. He is my son and if you think blood makes him yours you are sorely mistaken" Regina snarled at the Queen and princess, "He is mine and you will have to pry him out of my cold, dead fingers"
"He is the White Kingdom's second heir by blood," Snow White argued and tried to snatch the boy out of Regina's arms and looked shocked, as the boy seemed to grip tighter to Regina and started crying the moment Snow's fingers touched him
"If you ever try to touch my son again I will cut your hands off and feed them to your prince" Regina said quietly, "You will leave. You will leave and you will never return because if you do, I will peel your pretty skin off your bones strip by strip by strip and I will slowly pour acid onto your exposed meet and watch as you scream for mercy and before you die I will do the same to your prince and your daughter, I will force you to watch as they die."
Both Snow's face and Emma's had paled to resemble a sheet by the time Regina had finished speaking and hurriedly left the Dark Palace, leaving a fuming Regina behind, a crying baby, and a wolf desperately trying to sooth both Queen and Prince
"Regina" Red started when she had finally managed to get Henry to sleep that night after a long and exhausting day of trying to calm him when he felt his mother's anger, "They will not touch him. We have guards at his doors and archers facing his windows at all times. You've warded his room so only you and I can enter without dying a horrible death."
"How dare she?" Regina fumed, pacing the length of her rooms before turning back to Red, "How dare she touch our son? I will kill everyone she fucking loves for laying her filthy hands on our son."
"Don't start a war over this" Red warned
"I'm not that daft" Regina snorted while pacing, "But if she thinks to touch our son again, I will not hesitate to send my full army to her doorstep"
"Calm down" Red tried to soothe
"Do NOT tell me to calm down" The Queen snarled, turning wide and purple eyes on Red, "She touched him"
"Re-"
"No. Do not." The Queen fumed and angrily stormed up to Red so they were nose-to-nose, "They mean to take him from us"
"Come back to me" Red whispered, "Come back"
"Don't" The Queen yelled
"Come home, Regina, come back to me" Red whispered, wrapping her arms around the Queens waist and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek, "Come back"
Purple eyes went back to obsidian and dark red lips pressed against soft pinks ones desperately
AN: It's not a real Once story without Henry. R&R and follow me on purtoujoursblog .tumblr .com