Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Once Upon a Time.
Author's Note: Do you really think I would kill Emma, Marcie Gore? Never! There's too much to continue writing about! I will end the story soon, but I plan on doing smaller adventures in FTL in a series of smaller stories.
As always, R & R!
When Emma awoke, she was lying on her back in the middle of a hallway atrium. Her head hurt like hell, and she felt like she had been drinking too much the night before. She tried to sit up and found that her whole body ached. She pushed herself up on her elbows and surveyed the room. It was made of a mix of marble and granite, filled with rich tapestries.
Henry was next to her, still passed out, but breathing. Armina lay half on top of Faolan, her head pillowed on his chest, and Caradoc was lying not far away. Emma figured Andrew would probably go by his real name now that she had used in in the ceremony. Snow White and James lay next to each other, both still knocked out.
Emma absently ran her fingers through Henry's hair, waiting for him to wake. Armina began to stir and she lifted her head in wonder. Her eyes gazed upward, taking in the reality of being home. For the first time, Emma saw Armina as she truly was. If she oozed power before, now she radiated it. Her hair seemed to have a more metallic quality and her skin seemed to glow with the power she exuded.
The former queen stood on shaky legs and walked over to a nearby picture window. When she peered out, Emma saw a triumphant smile spread across her face and tears threatened to fall. Armina turned and saw Emma watching her from her place on the floor. "Are you alright, your majesty?" asked Armina.
"I'm okay if Henry is," she replied, still stroking his short hair.
"He will wake," Armina said simply, then turned to her own family. Emma watched as the shapeshifter leaned down and whispered something in another tongue, which woke Faolan immediately from his passed-out state. He placed a kiss to his wife's forehead then sat up and studied the room.
"Why are we here?" he asked as he returned his gaze to Armina.
"I had to make sure that my successor made it here safely. And so she did. Right now I need to wake Caradoc." She walked over and knelt next to her newly-found son, whispering some sort of incantation and gently waking him. Caradoc slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes, then stumbled to his feet.
Henry began to stir and Emma turned to look at him. "You okay, kid?"
He grinned and nodded his head. "Where are we?"
"I think we're at Snow White's castle. I'm not sure," replied Emma, looking to Armina for confirmation.
"Her majesty is correct, Henry. We're in Snow White's castle. And if my ears don't deceive me, my guard is downstairs with our horses. I plan on leaving for a tour of the Enchanted Forest as soon as her majesty gets comfortable here."
"You're leaving?" asked a panicked Emma.
"Not yet, but I do plan on making sure peace is kept until the whole Enchanted Forest settles back into its normal workings. I won't be farther than a day's ride from here." Armina paused to lean over and wake Snow White and her prince.
They both woke slowly and studied the ceiling before sitting up and hugging one another.
"Who is that?" asked Caradoc, pointing to another body on the floor down the hall.
Armina strode over and announced, "It would appear that our dear Pinocchio has followed us."
"August?" exclaimed Emma. She shot up from her place on the floor and ran over to him. She shook him in an effort to rouse him from his passed-out state. He groaned as she desperately tried to wake him. His eyes slowly opened and fixed on Emma's face. Without a word, he stretched up to place a delicate kiss on Emma's lips. She flinched away from him.
"I've been a little busy in the last couple days. I'm sorry if you were looking for me, but I had to take care of my dad," he said with a genuine look of regret.
"Is Gepetto alright?" she asked, helping him sit up.
"He's fine. The whole magick wave thing made him freak out. It was a lot to ask of him in one day. I mean, getting his memories back was enough, but then the whole Regina manhunt ensued."
Emma nodded in agreement. "Look, I don't want to hurt your feelings right now, but I'm not looking for a boyfriend, okay? I just...wouldn't be able to handle it right now."
He was hurt by her words, but he tried not to show it. "I…understand." He looked completely and utterly defeated. Emma stood back up and helped Henry to his feet.
It was then that Emma realized that she had been redressed. Apparently the magick felt it necessary to dress her in leather pants and a fine linen tunic underneath a lavish red jacket. Henry was dressed like his grandfather was, with a jewel-encrusted overcoat and black pants.
Armina was dripping with silver chain and furs about her neck. Her knee-high boots shone with a light that rivaled the finest mirrors. The theme was silver, and she certainly kept true to the theme. She even jingled as she walked about the room. Faolan was dressed in black with silver trimmings to match his wife. He, too, was covered in silver chains and had fur on his shoulders where his cape was held together with a brooch.
The shapeshifter sneered and said, "Where might our little Regina be? She must swear fealty to her new sovereign."
Several of the former queen's guard entered the hallway and bowed. The one called Will gestured for the guards to bring someone forward. "I have brought something for my new queen, if she will have it." Regina was being held by her upper arms as she struggled to get them to let her go.
They dropped her none too lightly onto the marble floor in front of Emma. If looks could kill, Armina would be dead several times over. "Your sentence of servitude transfers to her majesty Queen Emma. You know as well as I that new monarchs have some nasty streaks. Let's not test that."
Emma wanted to refute her point, but Snow touched her arm and shook her head. Regina glared daggers at Armina, but put on a thin façade of kindness as she bowed her head. "Your…majesty," she said through clenched teeth.
"Good. Now, I don't ask that you see me out. I will return in a fortnight. Love, go and make sure Dumnorix is left for her majesty and Epona is left for Henry."
He nodded and took Emma's hand in his, placing a kiss on her knuckles. "Your majesty, I will make certain they are left in your stables." He left with Caradoc close behind. He also offered a show of fealty and followed his father out.
"It's not that long, your majesty," Armina insisted.
"Call me Emma, please. I know you won't be far." On impulse, Emma hugged the former queen. She almost instantly blushed and backed away. "Uh, sorry."
"No matter, your majesty. Get to know your family, my dear. Ruling will come later. Regina, you will come with me for a moment." With a regal nod, Armina left the rest in the hallway to sort out what to do next.
The moment they were out of sight and hearing range, Armina shoved Regina down to the ground and had a hand wrapped securely around her throat. "Where is it?" asked the shapeshifter.
Regina looked panicked. "What are you talking about?"
Armina picked up the deposed Evil Queen by the neck and held her against a pillar. "Where is the mirror?"
"What mirror?" gasped Regina, desperately trying to claw herself free of Armina's grasp.
"You know of what I speak. Tell me!" Armina punctuated the sentence with a deep growl. "Where is the Magic Mirror? I hear its call. It's on your person. Where is it?" she snarled.
"It's…just a piece…"gasped Regina.
Armina's eyes were wild as she threw Regina down the hall. "Give to me that which I want."
Regina reached into the pockets on the apron she now wore and retrieved a shard of mirror with the face of the former Sidney Glass. Armina snatched it from her hands and stepped away, studying the piece of broken mirror. "I know you've called your old knights together, Regina. I felt his presence when you made the call. You will be punished for this transgression."
"You aren't queen anymore, Armina! You no longer hold the crown!" she protested weakly.
Armina gave her a beastly grin and laughed. "You think that, because I don't hold the crown, I hold no power? I have Emma wrapped around my little finger. If I want you dead, she wouldn't question me. I might not hold the crown, but I can manipulate her to do whatever I want. I warned her not to trust me, but she did not heed my words. Now I pull the strings on the marionette that is Queen Emma Swan."
Regina didn't reply, but kept gasping for breath.
"Now, I trust that I don't have to deal with your friend here again, do I? If I find another shard of your precious Magic Mirror, don't doubt that you will hear from me. I know this is your link to the outside world, and I intend to keep you all but cut off. And you will tell no one of what has been said here. You know nothing. Your precious knights will pay dearly.
The shapeshifter stood, brushed herself off, and pocketed the piece of mirror. She walked towards the main entrance with her normal royal strut. Regina crawled over to a wall and leaned against it, assessing herself for wounds. Finding none that were obvious, she climbed unsteadily to her feet and went to find the head maid she would now serve.