So so sorry for the delay, I had problems with my back. Now I'm a little bit better so here's next chapter. It's not that good but I hope next one can be better.

Chapter 7

Regina and Emma were in the study, reading. Well, Regina was reading, really interested in a book. Emma was just pacing, looking at the titles of books. She gave up reading maybe an hour ago. She tilted her head to read the long title when the door was forced open and Zain gasping for breath was standing there. They both looked at him, frowning.

"Hurry up! We need to go!" he said between attempts to catch his breath.

Regina stood up and approached him. "What are you saying? Go where?"

"Alda is after you. I don't know why, she's not allowing you to go away. I've had enough of this," he said, calmer now.

"I knew it!" Emma exclaimed. "I knew it! And you did too." Emma glared at him. "And you haven't said a word, traitor," she added from behind her clenched teeth.

He raised his hand in calming gesture. "No, no. I want to help you. There is no way out of this castle without her or any of the soldiers noticing. I brought you uniforms."

Just then, they spotted big bag hanging from his shoulder. He let it slide down to the floor before opening it. He handed them clothes, metal braces and shin pads, as well as helmets.

They took it in silence, took off useless parts of their clothes and put on their uniforms. But not the helmets. Not yet

"Why are you helping us?" Emma asked venomously.

"Lady…Emma, I told you I've had enough of this. I've seen and done horrible things. I can't let her to keep you from your son or just keep you here because of some crazy reason she might have." He held her gaze for a while then broke the contact and turned to Regina. "It's better not to use magic; she can trace you easier then and it's gonna just bring you into the spotlight." He looked at them. "Where are your weapons?"

"In our chambers of course," Emma answered.

"Ok, we can go get them. The Armory is down at the court, we have no time for that. She sent me to take you to her, like guests of course." He offered them a guilty look. "Put on your helmets!"

They walked through corridors to their rooms. No guards were there, so they were lucky, for now. Regina took her dagger and Emma carried a sword.

Zain looked at them. "Where is your sword, lady?"

Regina looked at him. "I don't have any. I came here only with a dagger."

"Here, take mine." He handed her the scabbard with his sword. She slid the scabbard unto her belt and fastened it.

Zain led them down to the entrance and pointed to stables. "Get your horses ready. Wait for me at the door. Pretend you are guards." He ran back to the castle.

"Mistress!"

Alda looked at Zain standing at the door. "Where are they, Zain?" She stood up from the chair she was sitting in.

He offered her a confused look. "They are nowhere to be found. I tried everything, library, their chambers, stables…"

"Call everyone to court. We have to find them. They can't run anywhere. But I want them here, dead or alive. Better alive. I can kill them myself, slowly." She smiled, imagining the torture and suffering she was planning for them. "Go!"

He bowed and told every soldier he met to come to court and get the others. When they were all standing at the square waiting for the Duchess to speak to them, she appeared and silenced them with simple wave of her hand.

"My dear guards! The women we let step into our castle and land are enemies, they are spies of the king and murderers. Find them and bring them to me! Better alive. Search the whole castle and forest!" She turned around and walked back inside.

A big chaos started when Zain yelled, "Everyone! Listen to me! Make ten units! Two units will search castle, others forest! Is that clear?"

"Yes sir!" They obeyed their commander. He ran to the stables and met two guards standing with horses already waiting. "Ok. We can go." They jumped unto the saddles and headed right through the gate and bridge across the moat.

In the forest they slowed down. To make sure they were not suspected, they met few other units searching for them. Emma's heart was beating loud in her chest, it echoed in her helmet. After a few hours they couldn't hear or see anyone. The forest was dense, they had to jump off the horses and walk through the bushes and trees.

"Do you know the way to the Enchanted Forest?" Regina asked. Putting one foot in front of the other; guiding the horse to a little clearing.

"Unfortunately no," Zain answered from behind her. "I don't have a map of our land; the only copy is at the king's castle."

They got to the clearing and stopped. Regina looked at Zain. "I assume we have to go there because without that we can't go home?"

"Indeed, Your Majesty," he nodded.

Regina sighed. "Why? Show me cardinal points and tell me what lands you have borders with."

"That's the problem, I suppose. We don't know cardinal points. You can go to borders but then you'd suddenly be walking to somewhere else. It's like a maze. You can't go anywhere from here unless the map shows you. Legends say so, at least." He looked innocently at her. It wasn't really his fault, any of this.

Emma angrily dropped the bridle and started walking away. On her way to trees she threw off her helmet as well.

"Emma!" Zain and Regina yelled simultaneously after her and ran in the same direction, when they heard cry of pain. In trees they could see blue uniforms of the duchess' soldiers. Emma was on her feet, still standing but staggering. She was holding the area of her clavicle, hand covered with blood, still spilling from the wound. The soldier kicked her in the chest and Emma fell backwards. Regina and Zain both drew their swords out of scabbards and swooped at their enemies. Regina strikes were full force, cutting and stabbing, not taking hostages. Come here you bastard! She screamed in her mind but aloud it was just some unidentified sound. He was hiding behind his companions, looking from Emma, twisting in pain on the forest floor, to fighting soldiers. It was eight of his men still fighting, but they still couldn't manage to beat two people.

Regina waved her hand angrily and all the soldiers were pushed to tree trunks, their ligaments broken. She threw off her helmet which was only slowing her. Then her glance found the last man who tried to escape. He ran like hell but she was at him in a moment, plunging her hand into his chest from behind. She wrapped her fingers around his heart and ripped it out. He turned around with shock and pain in his eyes, shaking uncontrollably. She was squeezing the heart more and more, till she crushed it to dust. The soldier's soulless body fell to the ground. Haze left her eyes, and she looked around. She spotted Emma on the ground, Zain kneeling beside her but staring at Regina. The brunette approached them warily, looking at Emma, worried.

Zain took the sword from Emma's hand and put it away. "Is that magic of yours able to do some good and heal her?" He looked at Regina again.

The queen squatted down and gently pressed her palm to Emma's shoulder. She closed her eyes and let all emotions flow and swirl in her, directing all the energy to the wound. After a few minutes she opened her eyes and met dark green ones.

The blonde tried to sit, but her head was spinning and she had to support herself with her elbows. "Whoa! What was that?"

Regina stood up and stepped back a little.

"She healed you," said Zain as he his hand on her shoulder. "Better now, isn't it?"

Emma was processing what she just felt. "Yeah, yeah. Good. Thanks." She looked shortly at Regina, then back at Zain. He offered her his hand and helped her up to her feet. She brushed off dust and dirt from her pants.

"Why did you do that?" Regina asked her.

"What?" Emma averted her eyes.

Regina approached her threateningly. "Don't you dare turn away from me! I asked you, why did you go away? Where were you going?"

Emma looked angrily at Regina. "Because I've had enough of this bullshit! I'm not going to any castle or king or whatever for some fucking map! I'll find a way home, to Henry, without that stupid stuff." She waved her hands in the air.

Regina crossed her hands at her chest. "And how have you planned to do that without the 'stupid stuff'? Because I can't see any other way. My magic can help, but it's useless if I have no idea where we are or where we're going. This is a lost country. It was just legend."

"And how was the legend born? Someone had to tell the story to others. How did those people got out of here, huh?" Emma didn't give up.

"There're hundreds of possibilities, Miss Swan. They could be greater magicians, or they could know exactly where they are, there could've been more copies of that map before."

"Fuck!" the blonde cursed and kicked stones at her feet. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Damn fairytales! Why do they have to make everything more complicated here? Is there ever anything simple? No, they probably have no idea what that word means.

"Can we go now, Miss Swan? Or are you still having desperate thoughts of running straight from here?" Regina turned to Zain. "Do you know the way to king's castle?"

He nodded. "I can take you there, but we can't expect a warm welcome. Wars have raged here for years."

"So you're saying we have to steal the map?" Emma asked mockingly.

"No, Emma. I'm saying we have to negotiate but very carefully. He was a good man, I hope he didn't change. It's true that the king never attacked ordinary people, not even us, human soldiers of Duchess," he said while walking back to horses.

"Who are the other soldiers?" Regina asked, but she guessed the answer.

"The fields you were trying to restore were full of seeds of those soldiers. They're one third of dust, a third of tree and the other third of metal. It was supposed to be the last harvest before winter." He took the bridle of his horse and they started walking again, Emma still frowning a few meters behind.

"But you are human. All the soldiers I've seen at the castle were human," the blonde stated matching her step with theirs.

"They were to be a surprise. They're probably at some hidden fortress somewhere." Regina rolled her eyes. Emma shot her a glance, not very pleased with the snappish queen.

But two could play the game. "Yeah? How is it possible then, that the king's soldiers knew where the fields were and burnt them to the ground? And I wouldn't be surprised if the curse that was blocking plants or soldiers or whatever it is from growing was enacted by king too. And I'm surprised that a great magician like you didn't know what it is that was being planted in those fields."

Zain just looked from one woman to another, watching the shootout.

"I didn't know exactly because of the curse. I felt dark magic, but I thought it was just a remnant of it. How was I suppose to know it was not a usual field, but an ammunition dump?!" Regina was at the edge with her nerves. "And why would I use all my energy to restore an army field?"

"We could simply go on our journey not ever stopping at that fucking castle and find the way out. Or ask the king to help us."

Regina stopped and turned to Emma, Zain standing between them awkwardly. The brunette looked to Emma's eyes. "Tell me Miss Swan, how we could ask the king when we didn't even know about him?" she asked slowly, carefully articulating her words for Emma to understand perfectly, her voice going deeper than before.

Emma was distracted by that for a moment, but kicked herself mentally and looked back at Regina, trying not to break to eye contact first. "Well, we could ask people in the village. Or we could go on, and not to stop at the first castle we hear about. Or do you miss the times when your high demands were satisfied, and you just can't resist? Because I think we would run into the king's soldiers the same time we run into Alda's." She held her chin high.

"No. I was just desperate to get to our forest, not knowing there were more castles, and if there were, how far they are. So sorry Miss Swan, but I couldn't resist going there. Or you could ask people in the village yourself, why didn't you do that? " Flames burned in Regina's eyes.

Emma did feel like she was on fire but not from the queen's furious glance. As inappropriate as it was she thought of Regina looking extremely sexy in the uniform, with her dark eyes fixed on hers, her short black hair so perfect. Or is it brown? Who could she say? She was stunned and suddenly so turned on she felt ashamed of it.

Regina noticed the change in Emma's eyes and that took her by surprise. She recognized lust when she saw it and this was definitely it, maybe something more. She backed off a little, not even blinking, just staring in surprise, mouth slightly agape.

"Ehm, ladies, maybe we should go, it's gonna be sundown and we need to find a place to camp," Zain destroyed the moment with his voice.

Regina stood still, only her eyes moved to look at him. She nodded.

Emma on the other hand turned away, desperately praying for the fire in her belly to vanish. Maybe not looking at Regina will help. Oh god, but that figure and those eyes!

She heard two pairs of footsteps on the forest floor receding from her as well as hooves of horses. She took the bridle of hers and followed the two again. After an hour a small clearing appeared in front of them.

"I think we should stay here. Take the canvas from the packs and…" Emma and Regina glared at him. "Well, I suppose you know what to do."

Regina did know what to do. Emma just didn't like anyone commanding her. So she just mingled around helping with little things. She knew how to build a tent, but that kind of tent built itself. This was about really constructing it. It was just a simple tent for three or four people, a really small one but enough for traveling soldiers. She went to collect some wood for a fire Zain was starting. Usually they wouldn't start it but the night was really cold, even with them having a few layers of clothes on. When she got back, Regina and Zain were sitting without a word, just staring at the small flames. She put down the wood and sat down.

A few minutes later, they were eating from their limited food supplies. Some bread, a few pieces of small, strange fruit and water.

"How long is it to the king's castle?" Regina finally broke the silence.

Zain hesitated. "A day or two. It's a long time since I've been there," he answered to her questioning look.

"It depends on our level of exhaustion but more on the horses," she added, looking to the stars above, seeing her breath turning to little clouds. "I'll take the first watch."

Emma and Zain nodded. "I'm the last one," Zain said before Emma could take a breath.

The night was calm but freezing. The fire outside wasn't helping much nor were the blankets inside the tent. They didn't have a good sleep, and Regina's had was pounding in the cold morning. Slowly they took off for the king's castle. But as they walked, the sun warmed them a little and around noon, they could jump on the horses and they rode till the evening. They avoided villages and small farms, still having their uniforms on because of the coldness.

On day three, they could see the castle on the mountain. It was much larger than Alda's. Regina sighed in relief, despite the fact that the most difficult part lied before them. Her head wasn't better after two nights spent in the cold tent, or outside under the stars. It was around noon when they reached the castle. The King's soldiers, wearing black-green uniforms almost couldn't hold their wide eyes in place. Three of Duchess' soldiers at their gate. Just like that. They ran to them and took their weapons, not that their enemies resisted.

In the big hall of the castle, which was so different from Alda's, simple and not lined with gold, only few green drapes, the very unfriendly looking captain met them. They had their hands tied and they were forced to kneel before him. He looked from Emma to Zain and Regina suspiciously checking their faces.

"What are you doing here? Are you so arrogant you think you can walk right into the castle and do what you want?" he asked.

Emma frowned. Is he so stupid? Why would anyone do that? Just the fact that we came and didn't fight his men should convince him we're not enemies.

"We're not from this land. We are from far away, searching for a way home. We escaped from the Duchess' realm." Regina reassured hoarsely. Emma and Zain looked at her, then back at the captain. Or at least Zain looked back at the captain. Emma continued looking at Regina, seeing that she was barely awake.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you!" The captain yelled. "So you think we're gonna provide a refuge, so you can collect information for the Duchess? I know these lame cover stories. You're nothing more than dirty spies! Throw them into the dungeon!" he ordered to the guards.

"But sir, shouldn't we wait for the king?" one of them hesitated.

Emma spoke this time, "Yes, we want to talk to king!" But she regretted it right away, because the captain's hand found her face in a swift hit. She tasted blood on her lips. "The King's got more important things to do, with his army attacking your mistress." He leaned to her with smirk. "You can wait for him."

He looked at guards again. "Dungeon."

They took them down many stairs. Emma tried to fight them but they were too strong for her. The soldiers threw them into the cold, damp cell together. Regina was the last; she hit the floor without any attempt to get up. Emma scrambled to her and turned the queen to look at her. "Oh no! She passed out." Zain squatted beside her and placed his palm on Regina's forehead. "She's on fire. Gods let us meet the king soon."

Waiting for your reviews. :o)