Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Once Upon a Time.
Author's Note: Hello! Here's some information on the new character Armina. As always, R & R!
Armina awoke as the sun began its ascent into the sky. Andrew lay next to her, his arm draped protectively over her. The silver runes in his skin which signified his rank in elven society, shone in the light that made its way through the thin curtains of their bedroom.
The queen grinned as she remembered that she had her powers back. She carefully tried to slip out of his grip, but he reflexively pulled her closer to him, a light groan of annoyance escaping him. "Stay put, my love," he groaned as he drew her even closer.
"We must get up and talk to the princess, Andrew. Let me go, beast," she said with a grin as she pulled out of his arms. She paused for a moment and summoned an outfit for herself.
Andrew sat up on the bed, watching as her nightclothes changed into a more modern version of her queenly clothing.
She wore black leather pants in lieu of the butternut ones she used to wear. Her usual white blouse was matched with a silver vest with her royal seal on the back. Freshly polished boots reflected the light with brilliance.
Andrew rolled out of bed and stretched, causing his silver markings to shine with even greater light. The muscles in his back danced as he stretched, and did nothing to hide his inborn power of an elven chieftain.
Armina snapped her fingers and clothed him in black leather pants and boots, along with a crisp, white button-down shirt. A black tailcoat completed his ensemble. He turned around and grinned at his queen.
They left their shared chambers and walked down the grand staircase, veering off into the kitchen to grab breakfast. They found Henry and Emma sitting at the counter, eating cereal. Emma froze when she saw the two monarchs enter the room. "I-I'm sorry. One of the gypsies said we could eat so…"
Armina held up a hand to stop her excuse. "Eat; there's plenty to go around, dear. If you wouldn't mind following me, though, I have something you might find interesting."
Emma nodded and nudged Henry with her elbow, making him go first. Armina turned to her king, "I will join you momentarily, love."
Andrew nodded and stayed in the kitchen while she led Emma and Henry to that which she had told them about.
She stopped before two massive aged oak doors with brushed brass handles. She pushed the doors open and revealed a room at least two stories high, and each wall lined with books of all sorts. "I figure you might like to learn about the world that you were never able to know."
"Uh, well, thanks, I guess," said Emma, setting her bowl of cereal down on an ancient-looking wood table.
"This is awesome!" gushed Henry as he began to look around at all the books.
"The books about our true world lie on that shelf over there," said Armina, indicating a book shelf to her left. "I would suggest you stay here for your safety. I know not where Regina might be, and I don't wish any harm to befall you."
"Um, yeah, no problem. I'll keep Henry here," said Emma, unsure of what she herself could do in the library.
Armina left them to their studies, apparently going to do some urgent business.
Emma picked out a book about the creatures of her parents' world. She began to read to herself.
The shapeshifter is classified as a beast of human intellect. Shapeshifters are defined as beasts with the ability to willingly and consciously change forms into other organic shapes. Their temperament is generally described as fair and kind, unless threatened. Many have great magickal abilities beyond their form-altering abilities. Shapeshifters are known for being quick to anger and can kill without a second thought.
These creatures do not age as humans do. Many live to be several millennia old. Young shapeshifters are rarely heard of, as it is nearly impossible for these beasts to conceive, much less carry young.
These creatures can be very volatile in nature. Many shapeshifters fight their inborn drive to kill and assimilate into society alongside humans. A notable example would be Marcus Enoch, who spied for the humans during the ogre wars and utilized his power for the advancement of humans in the war.
Another notable creature of this kind is the ruler of the wild forests: the Queen of Beasts, Armina Vincens. This shapeshifter is known for her very powerful affinity with magick and her use of it.
Emma shut the book, her interest piqued. She placed the old, leather-bound book she'd been reading onto the oak table and walked over to the shelf she had gotten it from. She searched the spines for something that might give her more insight on the newest character added to her fairytale.
She found a book entitled Monarchs of the Fairytale World and sat down in a recliner to read. Emma flipped to the back, searching the index for Armina's name. She found the name near the beginning and flipped to the page, finding an illustration showing Armina how she was now. Had she not aged? Emma thought. She began to read.
The de facto ruler of the Wild Forests has come to be called the Regina Bestiarum, or Queen of Beasts. The only person to hold the position is the shapeshifter Armina Vincens.
Armina is the last of her race, having been spared by the Evil Queen for her own purposes of ending the ogre wars through treachery and saving her the man power she needed to establish a tighter hold on her kingdom. Armina has since been banished to the Wild Forests by the Evil Queen.
The Regina Bestiarum has effectively taken over the Wild Forests, and the beasts bow happily to her. She has negotiated peace amongst the many tribes of ogres, elves, and dwarves. The "Good Queen" as she is called, has created an elite fighting force to keep her subjects, all the beasts of the forests, safe from the harmful intentions of the Evil Queen. She is known to be just in ruling and her subjects love her.
Nevertheless, the Beast Quean has had a nasty tendency to manipulate those around her for her personal gain. She has been known to employ the use of force to keep unruly subjects in line, never going so far as to kill as the Evil Queen did.
Those that deal with this monarch will most likely be part of a grand scheme with which she plans to gain something for herself. She does not shy away from manipulation.
She is married to the elven chieftain called Andrew Vincens. He holds the position of King of Beasts.
Emma shut the book with a resounding thud, her blood rushing through her veins with anger. She would find the wench and shoot her. Emma was tired of being used for someone else's gain, and it was going to end then and there.