Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Once Upon a Time.
Author's Note: I apologize to my readers for taking so long to post. This is a really short chapter in comparison to the others, but I haven't had that much time to write lately.
As always, R & R!
Bae Auris met Emma at her car and escorted her and Henry through the crowd and into the grand ballroom, which had held a lovely dance not two days before. It had been transformed into a massive courtroom. The bench had five seats behind it, each chair bearing the seal of its respective monarch.
He led them to a pair of beautiful leather-upholstered chairs that looked like they belonged in a Victorian sitting room and not a courtroom. Regardless, he sat them down in the front row, directly behind the place for Regina to sit. Many other townspeople were seated behind them, happily talking about their adventures in the old world.
Before Emma could turn around, however, her head returned to its relentless aching due to the combination of alcohol and bad sleeping position. She placed her head in her hands, trying to focus on anything but the pain.
She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and looked up to find Andrew smiling down at her. "My wife hears your plight, princess, and she sent me to help you."
"Oh, uh, okay," stammered Emma as she sat up in her chair. She looked around nervously, finding the conversation had stopped as those surrounding her respectfully bowed their heads.
"Relax, Emma," said Andrew with a grin as he pressed the palm of his hand to her forehead. He breathed in and out, taking away the pain in Emma's skull. She also felt a new weight on her head as he pulled his hand from her head.
She reached up and felt the delicate platinum ring that sat on her head. She looked questioningly to Andrew, who shrugged and said, "It wasn't my idea; blame Armina. You're a princess now, and we expect you to look like one."
"I didn't want to become her heir," Emma insisted.
"Quiet now, Emma. Save your argument for later. Here is not the venue, dear," he said, then retreated into the crowd before she could reply. She gritted her teeth, but didn't remove the circlet of platinum from her brow. She didn't need to piss off the queen when she was supposed to be on her side.
Henry gave her a goofy grin when she looked at him, and she just let out a frustrated sigh. "You look pretty, Emma," said Henry. She gave him an annoyed look and turned to examine the courtroom further.
The ballroom had somehow gained even more grandeur, having been dusted from floor to ceiling by some of Armina's servants.
A hush came over the crowd as Regina was escorted in by several guards. She was seated on the other side of the divider that ran down the middle of the ballroom.
Regina kept her eyes trained on one of the paintings that adorned the room on the opposite side from where the spectators sat. Emma couldn't help but notice how different she looked from her normal, confident, and all-around bitchy self. She looked helpless, though she was putting a lot of effort into making a confident face.
David came in behind Emma and placed a hand on her shoulder saying, "Sorry I'm late, but Snow is representing her kingdom today. Apparently she needed to wait for the birds to finish her dress."
Rumpelstiltskin made himself known with a quick hello before he sat behind Emma.
Emma smiled as he moved to sit next to her in another of the comfortable chairs. Bae appeared from one of the doors leading out of the room and declared, "Please rise for your monarchs: King Midas of the Southern Peninsula, King Sebastian of the Western Isles, Princess Snow White of the Enchanted Forest, King Andrew of the beasts, and King George of the Northern Plains. Presiding over this trial shall be the Queen of Beasts, Armina Magna."
Armina walked in and gasps filled the room. To Emma's surprise, she looked positively human. Her eyes were a normal human shade of blue, and her teeth appeared to be the normal human form with no points that revealed her dangerous side.
Rumpelstiltskin leaned between Emma and Henry, whispering, "Few people have actually seen her in person. Seeing her is kind of a shock for those who have only heard horror stories about her. It looks like she wanted to lessen the shock of her appearance with a change to her features. I suppose she didn't want to distract others during the trial with her curious eye color changes."
Armina sat at the bench, her husband beside her, and said, "Please, sit."
The spectators obeyed and reseated themselves. Armina continued, "Her majesty Regina Mills, better known to us as the Evil Queen, you are brought before us to answer for the crimes you committed against all who once lived in our old world. You took away the right to happy endings, and for that you shall be tried and punished accordingly if found guilty. This crime carries the potential for a death sentence. Let us begin with your plea, your majesty."