They arrived on the edge of a small hamlet as Regina had predicted. The women waited in the cover of the trees as the strange sun sank. They watched the people come and go. Emma had been expecting munchkins or talking Animals at least; but she was disappointed.
"Our clothing." She said suddenly and looked at the pair of them. "We'll stick out." Regina eyed the woman and then waved a hand. Emma felt her clothing transform and looked down to find herself in a skirt. "Umm, no." She said pointedly at her floral-print frock.
"That's the style here." Regina ran a hand through her hair and it lengthened and braided instantly. Then she looked at the blonde's exasperated face. "For god's sakes, Miss Swan." The woman grumbled and waved her hand again.
Emma found herself in a smock, leggings, and a thick belt with boots. "This is much better." She then placed a hand on her hip to find a sword. "What do I need the blade for?"
"Only female warriors wear pants."
"Antiquated." The blonde murmured. "You would think that a land that has had so many strong female leaders would be a little more progressive."
"They are, women here just don't find dresses limiting. I wear skirts quite a lot but find that they don't hinder me in the least bit."
"That's different."
"How so?" The brunette whipped her gaze back to her companion.
"You wear power suits. That's something entirely different than billowing, floral tulle."
"Excuse me?"
"They're short and form-fitting, your suits." Emma explained. "That's different than wearing a regular skirt. You use your sexuality to get what you want and the power suits help you do that."
"Do I?" The woman's eyes danced with a wicked light. "Does it work?"
Emma felt her face redden. "I wouldn't know." She cleared her throat. "Where are my jeans?"
"In the bag." The woman patted the burlap. "Along with my powersuit."
Never gonna live that one down, Swan. Emma thought to herself. Of course she had noticed the way Regina dressed. She had eyes didn't she? The blonde considered herself a normal woman with a normal sex-drive; whether that included men or women, it didn't matter to Emma. She was attracted to whom she was attracted and that was all there was to it.
Recently, Neal had been the target of her frustration and affection. Losing him through the portal had nearly crippled her. But she had soldiered on. Emma didn't know if she believed in true love; didn't know if it was for her or if Neal was for her. She only knew that she had loved him but that he was dead and she owed it to herself to shut that chapter and move on by finding Henry and bringing him home.
"Are you ready, Miss Swan?" Regina jolted the blonde out of her tangled musings.
"Let's get on with it." She grumbled.
The inn keeper was nice enough; although they did sustain some leers from a few of their fellow tenants. As it turned out, there was a pilgrimage taking place; many travelers were heading South, into the Emerald City for the Spring festival and therefore, only one room was available.
Emma lugged the sack up the stairs behind Regina. The brunette stopped at a door, fitted the key, and pushed the heavy wood inward. The blonde peeked her head in. It was small, with a tub in one corner and a bed in the other. "Bathroom?" Regina pointed to a white basin poking out from under the bed. "You're shitting me, right?"
"I'm not shitting you, Miss Swan." The woman said through pursed lips. "There is an outhouse in the back, however. If I catch you squatted over that-"
Emma waved a hand. "You don't need to worry about that." She looked around again. "What about food?"
"The inn will provide that."
"Downstairs?"
"Indeed." Regina walked to the window and ran her fingers delicately over the sill.
"Well, I'm headed down there for dinner then." Emma said to the woman's back. "My stomach is gnawing my backbone. Umm…need…anything?" She asked awkwardly. Emma wasn't sure how to navigate the waters of this forced camaraderie with the woman that had tried to kill her...well not kill her exactly... but the message was the same. Still, the blonde knew that in spite of their differences, they had a common goal and for the time being at least, that made them allies.
"No thank you, Miss Swan." The brunette said quietly. "Take the key, I'm locking the door."
"Right." Emma grabbed it off the bed and put the long, leather string over her head; tucking the cold metal down into her shirt where it rested against her flesh.
Emma found that the food was satisfactory. Under-seasoned for her taste, but hell, what could you expect from a third-world dimension? She chowed down on the hindquarters of some sort of muscular animal and slurped down the rather stout beer they poured her. By the time she was headed back up to the room, she was feeling pleasantly full and was considering that this trip into another land had, so far, been better than her last; companion non-with-standing.
The blonde fitted the key into the lock and swung the door open. "Hey, so the food here is decent-" She began but froze in the doorway when her eyes fell on Regina.
"Miss Swan, either come in or go out, but shut the door either way." The brunette said drolly as she leaned back in the tub of steaming water.
Emma's eyes hit the floor and she stumbled inside; shutting the door behind her. "You didn't tell me you were going to take a bath."
"I apologize for not making my intentions for good hygiene known." Came the quip.
Emma reddened. "You couldn't have said, 'By the way, Emma, I'll be naked and wet when you get back'?"
Regina considered the woman curiously. Why was she so embarrassed? She knew that the blonde had been raised differently; valuing her nakedness close to sacred, but surely she had seen other people naked? Why was it that this brought her such humiliation? "I'm sorry, Miss Swan. I didn't realize you were such a prude."
Emma's eyes leapt up and she stared into the brown ones shining with mirth. "I'm not a prude. I just wasn't expecting…this." She gestured to the woman lounging in the tub.
"What?" The brunette prodded with glee. She did so love to make the blonde uncomfortable.
"Like some siren ready for a tasty sailor snack." Emma retorted.
"I'm no siren, Miss Swan." The woman rose from the water and reached for a towel, allowing the flickering candlelight in the room to illuminate her olive skin as water droplets coursed southward. Emma looked determinedly into her eyes; refusing to be distracted by the tan expanse of skin presented to her. "I'm the goddess Aphrodite herself." She smiled wickedly and whipped the towel about her form.
Emma had a difficult time trying to sleep that night. She clung to the edge of the bed as though it meant her life. The blonde had forgone the bathwater that Regina had offered to heat back up for her in favor of her own modesty. She knew the brunette gloried in her embarrassment. She also knew that Regina would goad her so long as she continued to react with humiliation.
However, Emma didn't trust herself to push back. The wicked woman, unfortunately, was extremely attractive and the blonde found that she wanted nothing more at the moment than to roll over, pin her down, and fuck her breathless. Emma gripped the side of the bed more tightly and forced the images of a prone but passionate Regina from her mind. Get a grip, Swan. She scolded herself. If you play with fire, you're liable to get burned. And Emma knew that Regina was definitely fire if she had ever seen it.
A noise from the other side of the bed brought her from her musings as the brunette shifted in the sheets suddenly. A sound of alarm rose up in the woman's throat and she lashed out. "No…" she whispered quietly.
Emma rolled to face her, taken aback by the realization that her strong, willful, and stubborn companion was having a nightmare. "Regina…" she said quietly. The woman rolled onto her back. "Your Majesty?" The blonde put a hand on her shoulder but the brunette shook it off and lashed out with a fist. Emma caught it just before it collided with her nose and pressed it above her head. "Regina!" she shouted at the woman, but couldn't have prepared herself for the event to follow.
The brunette was up and rolling across her. She pinned her arms down to her sides and straddled her waist before Emma was even able to let out a startled squeak. "No!" Regina growled at her.
"Hey! It's me!" Emma shouted as she saw purple swirl in the woman's dark eyes. "Regina you were having a nightmare!" She yelled frantically at the woman, hoping she wasn't about to be blown into little pieces.
"Emma…" The woman's wild eyes blinked once and then twice and then returned to their normal shade of chocolate. She looked down at the blonde in bewilderment. "A nightmare?"
"Yes." Emma spoke softly and slowly, sensing that the woman was still groggy and confused. She tried to ignore the way her nightshirt was nearly sheer or the delicious way her thighs hugged her hips. "I woke you up."
"Why…" Regina began but stopped and looked about the room. "Henry. The ship. Oz." She said quickly and Emma could see her mind moving like the reel of a movie; fast forwarding through the past scenes to catch up to the present. Then she looked back down at her hands on Emma's wrists and the way the blonde's chest rose and fell quickly; belying her anxiety.
To Emma's great relief, the brunette rolled off of her and laid back down on her side; facing away. "Are you…ok…?"
"Of course, Miss Swan. I am accustomed to my nightmares." The woman replied stoically.
Emma rolled her eyes. Next time I'll let you scream…she thought to herself but stopped. No, next time I'll do the same thing. Like I did with the fire, like I did with the wraith, and like I did on the ship. The blonde sighed loudly and fell to sleep.