Chapter 2

Fourth time's a charm… maybe.

She was trying to get back to the waterfall, but for the last three days, she had been unsuccessful. She had only been there twice, and couldn't, for the life of her, remember the way back, and for three days straight, she had gotten lost.

The first time, she somehow ended up at the pasture she recognized from the day before when Regina had brought her to the barn, but she had never met Regina's family and their friendship was still new. She thought it would have been inappropriate to traipse around the property to find her friend.

The second time was worse. She wandered her way in what she thought was the right direction, but again, found herself unsuccessful. She eventually gave up for the day and turned around, but on her way back, stumbled upon the familiar waterfall. Unfortunately, it was almost dark and Anna knew better than to walk around unfamiliar woods after dark.

The third time, she thought she would have better luck. She had done her best to remember how she got home the day before so she could reverse it and hopefully make it back to the waterfall, but that didn't pan out. The third time was even worse than the first two. She drifted aimlessly around the forest for hours on end – never found the pasture, never found the waterfall. In fact, the harder she tried to remember her previous paths, the more lost she became. Nothing looked familiar, nothing jogged her memory, and nothing gave her any indication that she was anywhere near where she wanted to be.

Tomorrow was another day. She hoped for better luck.

The fourth day, Anna stood for a moment, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. If she couldn't find her way back to Regina, then she would think Anna hated her, or at least, would hate Anna for being a flake and disappearing.

She opened her eyes and started her journey through the forest, following where her instincts led.

Finally, she heard a familiar crashing of water and sprinted towards it as fast as she could. Why did it have to take four days for her instincts to kick in?

She paused at the tree line and her excitement rose when she recognized Regina's form sitting on the same clearing next to the water. It wasn't until she was only a few feet away that she saw Regina's shoulders shake and then fall before the brunette brought a hand to her face and wiped away a flow of tears.

"Regina," Anna rushed to her side, full of concern. "You okay?" She knelt down next to the older girl with her hands out, but didn't want to touch her in case she was hurt.

"I'm sorry," Regina fumbled, trying to wipe away any trace of her tears. "I didn't think you'd be here after I just didn't show up for a few days."

"Funny story about that, actually, but we can talk about that later."

When she moved to sit on her legs, Regina shifted just enough to reveal a few horrendous bruises she had been hiding on her arms.

Green eyes doubled size. "What happened," she asked worriedly, still afraid to touch the upset girl, and then it donned on her and her face went stone. "Was it Daniel?" Her voice rose. "Did Daniel do this-"

"No! No, of course not. He would never-," Regina shook her head gently, as not to make splitting headache worse. "He would never hurt me, okay? It's not a big deal. Just forget about it." She shifted again, causing a tiny patch of bruised skin on her legs to show as she crossed her arms in front of her.

Anna noticed immediately and shook her head defiantly, "Uh-uh, no way. This is not okay."

"Anna, I said drop it," she warned as she sniffed and clearer her throat, refusing to make eye contact.

The blonde stared at her – the broken down version of the independent, optimistic friend she had made a few days ago, trying to pretend she was invincible. Her eyes brimmed with concern as she took in every visible bruise on the olive skin. Blues, purples, greens, yellows… Regina's limbs were painted with colors that had no business being there, and that was only what was readily visible.

Her eyes searched the rest of Regina's exposed skin, hoping to whatever God or gods or spiritual entity that existed that there wasn't more evidence of abuse hiding behind the layers of clothing the older girl's body was draped in.

She shifted her weight off her legs and rotated to sit next to Regina like normal and sat in awed silence for a moment staring straight ahead.

Her lips were pursed in anger and she shook her head, "I swear, if Daniel did this to you-"

"It wasn't Daniel," Regina interrupted, her voice barely above a whisper.

Anna resisted the urge to ask who was responsible, doing her best to respect Regina's wishes to drop the subject, but even her silence begged loudly in Regina's ears for an answer.

"I told you everyone fears my mother," the olive-skinned girl offered hesitantly. "Now you know why."

"Your mother did this?!" Anna was instantly enraged, turning to her friend with eyes so wide, Regina thought they might fall out of their sockets.

"I embarrassed her and an important man. I shouldn't have acted out of line," she shook her head, acknowledging that she was wrong.

"I don't care what you did, Regina. That does not give your mother permission to hit you."

"She didn't."

"Okay, well, that doesn't give her permission to have someone else…," Anna trailed off, unable to finish her sentence as she began imagining the worst. Regina's mother caused the damage easily seen on Regina's arms and legs… what else was she capable of? Everyone was afraid of her. Anna was terrified of what else that woman would be willing to do to her own daughter.

There were things much worse than being beaten that could leave bruises.

Anna continued trying to look Regina in the eye, but amber eyes refused.

"What exactly happened?" She asked calmly, preparing herself for the worst.

"My mother has magic, Anna," she finally looked up at the blonde. "Powerful magic."

Anna said nothing, but her eyes pleaded for explanation.

Regina took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as she realized she trusted Anna enough to let her into the darker parts of her life. "A few days ago, I was returning Rocinante to his stall in the barn and I was about to come here, but my mother caught me and demanded I get home because there was a man waiting who wanted to meet me. I know better than to defy my mother so I did as I was told and I went home, but not before my mother used her magic to dress me in a ridiculous gown that was clearly meant to gain that man's attention."

She swallowed audibly before continuing, yet again, avoiding Anna's eyes. "I was supposed to impress him. That is always the goal – marriage.

He acted like he was this great hunter… a real manly man, but I could tell that he had never swung a sword for himself or used a bow and arrow in his life, and he was probably the kind to faint at the sight of blood. He was rude and degrading and had absolutely no manners, and when he said that I would look good on his arm like some sort of clothing accessory and implied I would look even better in his bed, then proceeded to tell me I would be lucky if he asked for my hand in marriage…" She found it difficult to explain her utter disgust for the man, but she didn't have to worry about finding the right words.

Right next to her, Anna's eyes grew dark and her fists curled so tightly that her knuckles were completely white. The blonde could feel her nails cutting into the skin of her palms, but she didn't care. Anger raged inside her and seeped out via gritted teeth, shaking fists, and seething eyes.

How could Regina's mother dare to hurt her for standing up for herself to a slimy sleezebag. She should have protected her daughter from a man like that, not severely punished her for not allowing his advances.

"I couldn't hold my tongue any longer," Regina continued. "I spoke up for myself and told him exactly where he could shove his marriage proposal because I don't associate with the scum of the earth."

Regina's blatant honesty to the man impressed Anna as much as it surprised her, and it began to weaken the vortex of fury Anna had found herself in.

She focused on her breathing, doing her best to calm down as Regina finished her story.

"That's when he stormed out and yelled at my mother about wasting his time and how disrespectful I am and that no man will ever marry a woman as disgusting and hideous as me."

Anna's brows furrowed, "You know none of that's true right? Any of it." She dipped her head to catch Regina's eyes. "That man would be lucky- Anyone would be so lucky to have you by their side."

Regina scoffed at Anna's seemingly whole-hearted belief. "Well, that's not what my mother believes or else I wouldn't have any of these," she gestured to the many marks on her arms.

The young girl was afraid to ask, but her curiosity got the best of her, "What did she do to you?"

Regina's gaze dropped to her fidgeting hands. "Let's just say I wasn't allowed to leave my room for the next two days."

Anna's lips parted, aching to say the right thing, but nothing came out. There was no "right thing" to say.

Regina glanced up at the silence to find a blanket of horror and confusion on her friend's face. "It's not always that bad."

"Regina…"

"Anna, look," she searched for an explanation that would sense outside her mind. "I don't know what kind of house you live in, but I've grown up in a house with magic. It's clearly different from what you're used to, but it's how I've been raised. It's what I'm used to. It's not a big deal."

Anna looked her dead in the eye, questioning her rationalization. "Then why were you crying," she asked sternly.

"Why do you care?" Regina's voice rose slightly in irritation with Anna pushing her.

"Because we're friends," she answered simply, "And friends care."

"Anna…"

Suddenly, Anna saw the exhaustion pooled under the once vibrant brown eyes that now begged her to stop, the heavy shoulders, slouched back. The older girl's deep voice had fallen deeper, lacking the energy to maintain it's usual level.

Anna swallowed the sight before her and recognized Regina's need to talk about something else. Anything else.

She filled her lungs completely and expelled the air twice, willing herself to let the subject go. "Wanna hear a funny story?"

Instantly, Regina visibly relaxed in a silent thank you for the escape Anna offered her.

"I kept getting lost trying to get back here."

As Anna recounted the entire story of her slightly comedic struggles to find the waterfall, Regina could only laugh at her inability to navigate the forest.

Finally, she voiced the first thought that had entered her mind. "Why didn't you just mark the bark on the trees so you could follow it back?"

Anna paused and realized how simple that solution was. "You know," she raised her finger, "That probably would have been a good idea."

Regina nodded her head knowingly and stared at the blonde for a moment, gauging her. "You're not going to do it on your way home today either, are you?"

"No," blonde waves swayed back and forth, "Probably not."

Regina rolled her eyes and chuckled at the stubborn girl. "Do your parents know where you go every day?"

Anna shrugged, "No, but they know I'm with you."

"You told them about me and they still allow you to leave your house?" She was dumbfounded.

"They know I have a new friend and that you're a girl," Anna clarified as she leaned back on her elbows. "Beyond that, they don't ask any questions. They're just happy 'cause they think I'm off having tea parties with you instead of jousting with my other friends."

Regina laid on her stomach next to Anna. "With your horrible sense of direction, one of these days, you're going to get seriously lost and your parents won't know where to look for you."

Anna nodded her head in acceptance, "But you will."

The brunette snapped her attention to the face next to her's, mouth gaping. "What makes you think I'll go off searching for you," she questioned, attempting to knock down Anna's assurance.

"We're friends," she stated simply with her head tipped back, watching a couple squirrels dance gracefully through the trees above them.

"And how do you suppose I'll know you're actually lost and not just hanging out with your other friends?"

"We're friends."

"Is that your answer for everything?"

"No, just the questions you're asking."

"You're putting a lot of faith in a friendship that isn't even a week old," Regina claimed, fully expecting this "friendship" to be no different than all the others.

"Okay, fine," Anna rolled to her side to face a pair of cautiously hopefully brown eyes. "Would you go searching for me if you knew I was lost in the forest?"

"Of course," she answered easily. "I know this forest inside and out. You, on the other hand, clearly couldn't navigate your way out of a sack if your life depended on."

Anna grinned, knowing that Regina was one hundred percent right. "What would be your first thought if I just stopped showing up every day?"

"Well, at first I would think something just came up – your parents or friends. I know you have a life outside of hanging out with me," she gestured to herself.

"And after a couple days?"

Regina hesitated briefly. "I might begin to worry you could be lost."

The younger girl smiled knowingly and tilted her head, "Not bad for a friendship that isn't even a week old."

A few days had passed since Emma learned she had magic. She was beginning to get used to the idea, but thinking about it, about the magic mixed in her blood, it hadn't completely sunken it yet.

Magic wasn't unheard of in the Enchanted Forest, but having it…?

She had suddenly felt different, but also, just the same.

Emma didn't know one other person who had magic; she didn't know anybody she could talk to about it. Anyone she tried to mention it to would probably think she was a freak or become afraid of her.

Something so unique as possessing magic set her apart, alienated her. All of a sudden she didn't feel like she belonged in her world; no one understood her. No one had been given the opportunity to try because her own parents had freaked out in fear, so why would anybody else react any differently?

But as out of place as she found herself feeling, she still felt… ordinary.

One would think you would feel magic – physically feel that extra element in your body, but Emma didn't feel anything extra. It wasn't like having a third arm that you could touch and feel. It was more like a new freckle that appeared on her skin completely unnoticed. Never made itself known, simply showed up and never left.

She sat in the middle of her bed, staring straight ahead, lost in thought.

Her parents had mentioned a great darkness; her mother seemed terrified of her.

Why was her mother so scared? She was still Emma; that didn't change. She would never go on a rampage and massacre the kingdom.

"Keep thinkin' that hard, Honey, and you'll have yourself a forehead full of wrinkles by your next birthday."

Startled green eyes snap up in surprise to find the gray-haired woman in her fifties that she had come to adore standing in the middle of her room.

Etty had knocked on the door before opening it. Twice actually, but Emma had been completely immersed in her thoughts and hadn't heard it.

The older woman approached the massive four-post bed, recognizing that something was wrong. After thirteen years of caring for Emma as if the girl were her own daughter, Etty knew her as well as her parents did, probably even better. "What's on your mind, Monkey?"

Thin lips parted momentarily before closing again. Emma wanted to talk to her best friend, but the fear of rejection suddenly became overwhelming.

Etty sighed when she realized the child wasn't about to offer up her thoughts so easily.

"I saw you the other day," she confessed as she sat on the edge of Emma's bed and played with her apron.

The blonde frowned and scrunched her eyebrows, unsure of what her caretaker was referring to.

"Outside the kitchen," she clarified gently, "Listenin' to your parents discuss your… ability."

Emma relaxed instantly. Etty's posture suggested she wasn't in the least bit afraid of her.

Looking closer, Emma caught sight of the scars in between the wrinkles on Etty's face that matched the scars on the woman's arms. When she was younger, before she understood better, she had asked Etty what all the marks were.

She had become so accustomed to seeing them that she didn't see them at all any time she looked at the aging woman. Up until this moment, Emma had forgotten that those scars existed and were a result of magic. "It doesn't scare you?"

Tall shoulders shrugged lightly as Etty shook her head nonchalantly, and then it clicked in Emma's mind.

"You knew." She paused briefly, waiting for Etty to deny keeping the secret, but she didn't. "You knew?"

The look of utter betrayal on Emma's face shattered Etty's heart. "Yes."

"For how long?"

"Monkey-"

"How long," the blonde demanded.

Etty exhaled and dropped her head in shame, unwillingly forcing the honest answer from her lips. "Since before you were even born."

"And you never said anything?!" She stared bug-eyed at Etty.

"It was never my place to say anything," the older woman began calmly defending her actions, hoping to keep Emma from getting any more upset. "You're not my child; I don't get to decide what's best for you."

The child took a cue from Etty's calm demeanor and lowered her voice. "What else are you not telling me?"

"Nothing," Etty promised, desperately hoping Emma believed her.

The deep emerald eyes narrowed, full of suspicion.

"Use your super power," she placed a hand on Emma's knee in a further attempt to show her sincerity.

Emma looked her in the eye before noticing the heavy frown, bags under her eyes, and the slumped shoulders.

Etty never would have kept something like that from her if it had been her choice. She had never given Emma a reason to doubt her word. In fact, she was one of the few people the girl could count on to be honest even when the truth was hard.

She trusted Etty.

She dropped the predatory look and exhaled loudly as she leaned back against the headboard having already forgiven the older woman. "How can I feel so special and so ordinary at the same time?"

"Well," Etty started with no clue how to handle the situation, but she always tried her best for Emma. "What makes you feel special?"

"I have…," the blonde stumbled over the words coming out of her mouth for the first time, "Magic. That's kind of a big deal," she joked.

Etty chuckled, "I agree. So then what makes you feel ordinary?"

She raised her shoulders and focused on her fidgeting hands. "I'm no different," her shoulders dropped. "I'm just another kid in the kingdom, running around, getting into trouble."

"Well, you're the princess," the woman raised a hand to showcase the princess's room for an example. "I'd say that definitely sets you apart from the rest of the kids."

"Etty…," Emma looked up through her lashes.

"I know whatcha mean, Honey."

She gently rubbed the girl's arm as she had done hundreds of times before to sooth her.

"I'm just so confused about how I'm supposed to feel right now."

"I don't think there's a right or wrong answer to that," the woman tilted her head.

There were things she wasn't saying. So many thoughts racing through her mind, it was impossible for her to begin to organize them, and her bottom lip paid the price. Emma had chewed on her lip aggressively enough to taste blood seeping through her teeth.

"Have you tried usin' it yet?" Etty broke her trance again.

"I… blew up one of the plant pots in the courtyard by accident, but I didn't even know that was me until the next day."

"Besides that, Honey," Etty waved her hand. "That doesn't count."

"Uh," Emma shook her head, "No. I-I don't know how. And Mom and Dad seem pretty against it."

"That's prob'ly why." Energy grew in the caretaker and along with the intensity in her voice. "You haven't even used it yet. You haven't seen it work. You might as well not even have it coursin' through your veins right now."

"So you're saying I should use magic?"

"I'm saying" she paused for emphasis, "It came out when you weren't tryin', and if that happened once, it's gunna happen again no matter how much your parents may not want it to." She tilted her head and gazed around the room. "Maybe," the words left her mouth carefully and calculated. "It would be better if you learned to control it so those kinds of accidents won't happen."

A small grin tipped on Emma's lips as the thought elated her. "You think I should go behind my parents' back?"

Etty raised her hands in surrender, "I said no such thing, Monkey." She lowered her hands and leaned in closer joining Emma with her own sly grin and kissed the child on the forehead before standing. "I'm simply voicin' the thoughts in my head, and I'll leave you to do with it what you will."

Without another word, Etty left the room, but somehow, her presence remained and continued encouraging Emma.

Emma watched as the door closed behind the older woman and then stared at her hands for a moment before looking around the room suspiciously, eyes finally landing on her wardrobe.

She glanced back down to her hands once more before her sights return to the wardrobe, this time, with a mischievous grin. One small hand was raised, attempting to blow up the doors, and bright green eyes squinted, expecting pieces of wood to splinter and scatter around the room.

Silence.

Nothing happened.

There was a second attempt to throw magic at the piece of furniture, but again, nothing. A third, fourth, fifth time - the wardrobe remained unaffected, perfectly intact.

Finally, Emma gave up, pouting as she slammed her hands back on her lap in frustration, and was startled when one of the wardrobe doors unexpectedly flew off in pieces.

For a split second, confusion reigned before she realized exactly what had happened.

A single eyebrow quirked upwards, questioning what had happened before a sideways smile spread on her lips.

But that smile fell as quickly as it had risen when she leaned over and peered at the wood shards covering her floor.

Oops.

It took less than five minutes for Emma to ditch her pajamas for the first pair of pants and shirt that she could find and bound down the hall to get outside.

She made it all the way passed three guest bedrooms, four washrooms, a sitting room, down a flight of stairs, through the smaller of the ballrooms, and into another hallway before she heard Etty's voice again coming from the kitchen door she had just zoomed past.

"What would you like for lunch, Princess," the woman called from behind her.

Emma stopped briefly and turned around to acknowledge her.

"I'm good, but thanks," she took another step down the hall, but pivoted back again when she remembered the mess in her room. "Oh, uh, if you see Gepetto, can you tell him I need a new door for my wardrobe, please?"

"Sure thing, Monkey."

"Thank you, Etty," Emma yelled over her shoulder as she ran off.

Etty chuckled to herself as she ducked back into the kitchen with enough intuition to know exactly why Gepetto's service was needed.

With what she felt was sufficient distance from the castle and her parents and everybody else, Emma tried and tried to blow up anything she saw.

Tree? Blow it up.

Rock? Blow it up.

Bale of hay? Blow it up.

Or try to blow it up, at least, but she had yet to be successful.

She didn't understand; she could do this. She just did it! And Gepetto was about to fix the proof.

Try after try went unproductive, but she wasn't about to give up; she just had to focus.

Focus.

Deep olive eyes trained on a smaller tree straight in front of her and she raised a hand in preparation to–

"Hey, Princess!"

"Your Majesty!"

Two familiar voices screamed from a distance as the bodies they belonged to leapt and bound toward her.

Emma rolled her eyes and paused, waiting for them to catch up to her.

"Where's your tiara," Neal asked jokingly between breaths as August tripped and landed face first.

The lanky teenage boy stumbled to his feet and brushed off his pants as he joined his friends, "Yeah, where's your tiara? Crash any events in the king's court lately?

Emma swiftly grabbed the sword from August's belt and held it to his throat causing his laughter to cease immediately.

"Too soon?"

Neal smirked. August had never been the smooth one.

Emma stared him down for a few seconds before relieving him. She dropped the sword and held it out for him to take back with a look that made it clear she was in charge.

"So where you been? No one's seen you around in a few days," Neal asked, giving August's ego a moment to recover.

The blonde shrugged and deflected, "I had some stuff to take care of. Where did you guys get those," she edged her chin at the swords.

"My dad made 'em with some scrap metal," Neal beamed proudly. "Not battlefield quality, but better than swinging sticks. Cool right?"

"You jealous, Princess?" Clearly he hadn't learned his lesson the first time as he held up his sword, smugness having devoured his features.

"August", she deadpanned, "Do you realize how many swords I have access to at my castle?"

"We aren't at the castle and you don't have one," he taunted.

Emma didn't have to say anything. Neal dropped his head in resignation, knowing exactly how the next few minutes were about to go down.

He offered up his sword and Emma accepted it with a grateful grin before swinging once and knocking the other sword almost out of August' hand.

"August, you're a moron," Neal watched as his friend swallowed hard and grinned nervously, preparing to dual the princess.

Emma noticed a bead of sweat forming on his forehead. "What'sa matter August? Afraid of a girl?"

"You're not a girl," he scoffed.

"Oh?" She smiled and raised her brows, loving how easily he had just set himself into a trap. "Then what am I?"

"I mean, you're a girl…," he fumbled for words.

"Ooo," Neal hummed from the background, recognizing how deep August had just buried himself.

Emma glanced over to Neal, "Did he just call me a girl?"

"He did."

"Oh, what the heck," August whined. "I can't win!"

"Good! Good, you recognize this," she nodded. "'Cause you lost the moment you thought you had won."

She raised her sword and popped into stance.

"You're so screwed," Neal snickered, thoroughly enjoying the entertainment.

"I would raise your weapon if I were you, unless you got some heavy duty chainmail under that shirt," she warned.

Neal plopped down on a nearby boulder and chuckled as he rested his chin on his folded hands, waiting for the scene to unfold before him.

After four rounds of thoroughly embarrassing August, Emma wasn't about to give him a fighting chance in the fifth. It started and ended much the same as most of their duals – tap the swords to begin and watch as Emma tires out her opponent, which inevitably ends with them on the ground and Emma standing over them with a satisfied grin.

"Emma."

The three of them snapped to attention at the source of the voice which they all recognized instantly.

"Dad!" She instinctively tried to hide the massive piece of metal in her hands behind her back before it occurred to her that it would still be clearly visible.

The king nodded his head at the young boys, "August. Neal."

"How are you today, Your Highness," Neal asked while August stared at the ground anxiously.

"I'm well, thank you," Emma's father was genuinely grateful for the inquiry. "But unfortunately, I have to cut your fun short." He faced Emma, "Your mother would like you home immediately."

Emma hesitated before handing Neal's sword back and walking away with her father.

"Didn't your mother say no more sword fighting?" The king narrowed his eyes, recalling that conversation as they headed back home.

"Yes, but-"

"Or hanging out with those boys?"

"Ok, they found me," she desperately tried to defend herself.

His brows rose as he frowned and tilted his head in acknowledgement, "Good form."

"I-… What?"

"You have decent form," he clarified calmly as he stepped over a root. "It's no wonder you kept winning.

It occurred to Emma what it meant if her dad had known about her continuous victories.

"You were watching," she looked up at him and asked hopefully.

"A couple rounds." A petite grin made an appearance as his head bobbed up and down. "You just need to lift your elbow a bit more on your upswing," he demonstrated his suggestion. "It'll give you more power."

Emma dropped her head and smiled shyly at her father's compliment before she wrapped her arm around her father's waist. "Love you, Daddy."

He proudly wrapped an arm around his daughter. "Love you too, Sweatheart.," he said before kissing her hair. "Oh, before I forget, why did Gepetto tell me the new door for your wardrobe would be finished soon?"

Emma went bug-eyed and she chuckled nervously.