Disclaimer in Chapter One.
AN: I know it's been months since anything from me, but it's been a crazy couple months with my sister's wedding and meeting the most amazing MissLane, Apples-A-Day, and EliaMuffin. Inspiration to write struck hard during the best ten days of my life :) I've got lots of fics in the works for you guys, but that being said, I'm not sure when The Bucket List will be updated. That story was meant to get me out of my writing funk, and it's more or less done its job. I will finish it one day, but I just don't know when.
AN2: Because Aladdin's meet-cute was so good. Sidenote: action scenes are hard. Thank you to everyone for sticking with me! You guys are awesome sauce! Let's wrap this one up, and I hope you like it, love!
TW: Violence and death
Henry frowned and bit his lip as the sun beamed down on him. He was walking down a lone dirt road, his blonde mother by his side. Regina had ordered them out of her kingdom at first day break, and she at least had the courtesy of providing them with provisions like water and bread. Henry had a feeling it was only because he was there. He pretended not to listen when Regina gifted Emma with a sword and dagger, telling her they were in case anyone attacked Henry. He also pretended not to notice it was the same sword and dagger Emma had been using since he met her, just clean looking and sharpened. If it was just Emma, Regina would have made her walk barefoot through the woods no doubt. He thought about it. Considering their departing gifts, maybe not. She'd give her shoes at least. They snuck out the back of the stables, away from the castle's courtyard and any prying eye that would recognize the Eastern Kingdom's traitor.
He sighed and stuffed his hand into his pocket, thumb playing over the compact he had accidentally pilfered from Regina's vanity. At this rate, he was going to stay here forever. The compact in his grasp heated when he squeezed, trying to keep the tears at bay. This stopped being a fun little adventure a long time ago. He was ready to go home, hug his moms, and never let go.
The book was a dud, but he was sure he was right about it. It was all about happy endings, and if this was the only world where Regina didn't have one, then of course he would get sent over here. There had to be something missing.
He huffed and shifted to face Emma who had remained silent beside him. Along with her sword and dagger, her cloak was returned to her, strapped firmly around her shoulders. "What happened between you and Mom?"
Emma tensed. "You mean Regina? You know already."
He rolled his eyes. "From the beginning. Why you betrayed her."
"I didn't—" she huffed, the tension in her body palpable. "I had to."
"Do you regret it?" He looked up at Emma. "Not killing Snow at the price of Mom?"
Her jaw was strong as she stared out ahead. It wasn't like there was anything interesting out there other than more dirt and trees on both sides.
Emma brought her chin down with a quiet sigh. "She would have been killed."
"How?"
"That's a long story."
"Then tell me the one of how you and Mom met," he implored. "You've been with each other forever."
"Not forever, kid."
He turned his head to look back at the castle behind him. They were only an hour's walk away, and he bet Emma was going to take them to a safer part of the woods to hide out in for the time being. "We've got time."
The blonde sighed again but eventually conceded. "I don't have family here. Guess your mom in your world and I share that."
"I'm sorry," he murmured.
She shrugged. "Regina was just a princess when I met her. You probably think everyone knew what their monarchs look like, but when they're waving to you from a balcony or from inside a carriage you can't tell a princess from a beggar. And Regina—she liked to sneak into the courtyard where no one knew who she was.
"She liked watching the puppet shows and listening to the travelling musicians whenever they visited," explained Emma with an air of fondness to her voice. "I noticed the too-clean young woman in the courtyard nearly every time she was brave enough to make an appearance. She could hide herself behind dirty rags, but this was a woman who clearly bathed nightly."
Henry wrinkled his nose, suddenly wondering when the last time Emma bathed.
"She may be called the Evil Queen now, but before this war, her innocence could rival Snow's. And one day," Emma began staring down the empty road, "she plucked an apple from a cart and gave it to a hungry child."
"Why is that a bad thing?"
"Are there no thieves in your land?" Questioned Emma.
"Oh." Henry stared on forward.
"Our kingdom isn't famed for their abundance of crops. We ration. We conserve. And we don't steal." The tone in her voice was ominous, and even though he knew Regina was alive and relatively well, he suddenly feared for the younger version of his Mom's life. "The penalty for it is losing the hand that stole it, and a few men had held her down as the merchant got ready to strike."
Henry shifted from his spot. "What did you do?"
"I pushed a fruit cart into the merchant. He fell, his sword swinging, and he knocked down a butcher's vendor." There wasn't a single ounce of regret in her voice. "Regina got away in the chaos, and when the crowd all looked to see who started it, they found me. I wasted a month's supply of food and was captured for putting the village at risk."
"You went to jail?" Henry gawked dumbfounded.
Emma nodded once. "I don't know how long I was in there for, but one day the door opened, and the pretty commoner with a kind heart stepped into it in a dress made of fine silks and the crowned Queen behind her. Regina saw what I did, told her parents, and they released me.
"I became Regina's personal guard from that day on, and after her coronation, I was Captain of her Guard," Emma finished with pride.
Henry laughed in disbelief. It wasn't a football to the head story, but he wouldn't expect anything less from his mothers.
"She wasn't the Evil Queen then?" He asked.
"She was known as Regina, first of her name, the Just Queen. Her first act as Queen was brokering a treaty with the White Kingdom so that we didn't have to ration and conserve every piece of food we had. She never wanted a child to be desperate for an apple or for a commoner to be tried as a traitor for stealing food. It worked, and both kingdoms were prosperous." Emma's face darkened. "Until Snow took over the crown and broke it."
"I thought Snow White was good?" Henry squinted confused.
Emma barked out a laughter. "Just because she didn't send armies to strip our land doesn't mean she's pure of heart. When King Leopold died during Regina's third year as the crowned Queen, Snow took over. She's young, and she can claim ignorance all she wants, but the first thing she did was stop our trade. She argued if we had the strength to have an army to our degree then we wouldn't need her food supplies. Really, she wanted to cripple us during one of the harshest winters in decades and have both kingdoms for herself. It almost worked."
"But Mom—Regina, she's called the Evil Queen?"
Emma looked at him imploringly. "You have to realize that every monarch sits on a throne of blood and that every title is biased. Is she Just or Evil?"
Henry shuddered. He always thought monarchy was about ruling kingdoms and having people love you. Never once did he think there was anything more to it than making laws.
"There were so many times over those months where she would stay awake pacing. She wouldn't eat if her people couldn't, and she offered the courtyard for protection against the winter. We could barely spare an extra blanket let alone an extra ration of food. When we survived the winter, we lost a third of our army and so many of our people grew ill and angry. No one more angry than Regina." The blonde stared off into the distance. "She struck hard."
The battles his blonde mother spoke about seemed like something out of a Lord of the Rings movie. She spoke of villages burned to the ground. Bodies found in the middle of roads as a warning. Strategy plans late into the night. Moles in enemy camps. Henry was thankful he hadn't come to this land in the middle of the war. It was hard enough to get his mothers together in this relatively peaceful time let alone fighting a battle with Snow White.
"Snow had snuck into the castle in the middle of the night. I still haven't figured out how," Emma admitted bitterly. "But before she could even consider heading into Regina's chambers, I found her in the grand entrance. We fought. I had her pinned against the wall with my sword at her neck."
"Then what?"
"Regina came looking for me," the blonde continued. "I remember hearing her footsteps coming down the steps. She was even still in her nightgown. Snow took advantage of my distraction. She used my own dagger to whip it at Regina, and I swear it was going to go right through her heart. For a moment, I saw her crumpling to the ground, blood on the concrete, dying."
Emma's voice trailed off as if she could see it all over again, like Regina wasn't alive and well and hadn't just kicked them out of the castle. "She magicked the dagger back to Snow. I knew it was going to make contact, so I pushed her out of the way.
"I've seen Regina order raids through villages and burned down forests in search of Snow, but I have never seen her face so furious." Emma shook her head. "She threw fireball after fireball after us, and I got Snow out of the castle and into the woods. I was going to bring her back, force them to broker another treaty or have Regina imprison her, but she escaped me. Before I knew it, my face was plastered on Wanted signs for treason against the crown."
Henry scrunched up his face. "But what's one more body when you lost Mom in the long run?"
Emma ran a hand through limp blonde locks and frowned. Henry could feel the tension stiffening his blonde mother. Obviously she wondered that too. Finally, she answered. "The right body causes an uproar. Snow has devout followers."
"The ones attacking on the side of the road?" Henry guessed.
She nodded. "I stay at inns like the one you and I slept in because I can hear them plot and plan. If I can interrupt their attack or make the Queen's Guard take a different route then it stems their fire."
"You didn't answer my question."
"If Snow died, then it would cause another war," the blonde said exasperatedly. "More than that, Regina would be targeted and she'd be fighting for her life every day. I could have given Snow's head on a platter, but how long after that until I saw Regina's on a pike? I'm not going to risk her life like that. I—"
"You love her," Henry said simply.
"What?"
He stopped to stare up at his mother. "You'd rather Mom hate you and call you Oath Breaker than see her in the middle of another war where her life is on the line."
"She's my Queen. I swore fealty—"
He barked out a laughter in disbelief before turning back to the path. He didn't understand how two people so meant and devoted to each other could be so thick.
"She's more than that and you know it." She grumbled but otherwise stayed silent. They were quiet for a long moment, Emma winded from the tale and Henry mulling the story over in his thoughts. He finally broke the silence. "Do you still love her?"
Her eyes locked on him, and he knew his mother was fighting some internal battle with herself. He never got his answer.
The smell of smoke drifted over to them, and Emma snapped her head towards the woods and help up a hand. Through the trees, they could see the faintest hint of smoke.
"What—?"
"Shhh." She grabbed Henry's hand and tugged him into the woods towards the source of the fire. His eyes nearly bulged out of his eyes because his mothers had always warned him to go away from any forest fires. He ducked when Emma ducked and jumped over uprooted trees until they reached the outskirts of a small clearing. "Be quiet."
"What is it?" Henry whispered.
"Shhhh."
In the forest sitting in the small clearing were a small group of cloaked figures. A fire was extinguished with sand in the middle of their group as they chatted amongst themselves.
There was Ruby, Henry could see as he peeked over his hiding spot. Though she was the fun waitress back in Storybrooke and the barmaid back in the Howling Moon, now she donned leather pants and a vest under a red cloak. The knives strapped to her thigh made him gulp. There was also Granny and her crossbow strung across her shoulder, and behind her were several short men with pick axes that Henry had seen time to time back home.
A sandy blonde man stepped through the clearing carrying a sword in his closed fist. Henry immediately recognized him as the local vet Mr. David Nolan. He was his teacher's boyfriend. But as he extended his free hand behind him, offering it to the blue-cloaked figure behind him, Henry nearly squeaked.
Ms. Blanchard?!
Ms. Blanchard wasn't his meek fifth grade teacher with cropped black hair and rosy cheeks. Instead, she had long black hair reaching down to her waist. A leather vest and beige pants were switched for the summer dresses she usually wore, but the most startling things she saw was the bow and quiver strapped to her back.
"We're almost there, Snow," David said, though in this world he was probably Prince Charming.
"Snow White?" Henry hissed. He nearly jumped from his hiding spot. Snow White was his teacher?
Emma yanked him down right when Snow and David looked their way. They held their breath, but luckily they remained where they were. Cautiously, they returned to peeping.
Snow nodded and looked to her small band of renegades. "We may not be large in numbers, but if we stick to the plan, we'll be able to attack the Eastern Kingdom and cause a distraction long enough for Charming and I to get into the castle. We have an informant within her guard."
"The Saviour?" Granny questioned.
Both Emma and Henry's ears picked up. Henry looked Emma in an all-too similar way Regina had once looked at her, betrayal and hurt in his eyes. Emma shook her head immediately. "That's not me," she whispered.
"Whatever they call themselves," Snow continued, "they've been proving themselves helpful to us. Providing us with information about the castle, where the Queen's Guards will be taking route. It led us here today."
She held her bow up in the air. "Let's avenge our kingdom!"
The group lifted their weapons in the air and cheered. Gathering their belongings, they raced on foot towards the Eastern Kingdom, back to where Emma and Henry had just left from.
"Shitshitshitshit." Emma leaped up from her hiding spot, her hood falling around her shoulders. Her eyes darted to Henry, and before he knew it, Henry was on his feet and being led back to the dirt road. "Go down the road. You'll find an inn."
Emma cut her coin purse from her side and dropped the small bag of coins into Henry's palm. "You'll be fine there."
Henry paid no mind to the heavy weight in his hand. "You're going after her. I want to come to."
"Go to the inn," Emma urged in a way Henry only heard when his mom needed him to listen.
This wasn't Storybrooke, that much was sure. He knew there was no room he'd be sent to or no home he'd be grounded in. The only chance to that was to follow Emma back to Regina.
"I'm coming," he stated firmly.
She searched his face for a moment longer, but as the sounds of hooves faded in the background, her mind was made up. She grabbed his hand and led them through the woods, back towards the castle. "Keep up."
Regina was many things. The elders in her land still looked at her as if she were Princess Regina, the young and carefree daughter of Cora and Henry who used to sneak into the stables and set the horses free because they deserved more open space. Having to corral all of them personally taught Regina discipline and restraint that day, but the elders just shook their heads fondly. The populace looked at her as Queen Regina, the Saviour, a spin-off of the cloaked mystery person who fought in the name of Snow White. Oh how ironic the name was now. Half of the White Kingdom, however, proclaimed her as the Evil Queen, but she was lucky that the victors wrote the history scrolls. That name would be eradicated if it was the last thing she did.
But there was another title, far more recent that was more than just simply being Regina. In fact, she was only Regina to a certain blonde, but after sending her away that morning Emma was the last thing on her mind. No, the other thing she had been, perhaps once upon a time, in a completely different realm, was a mother.
Mom.
Henry had struggled to call her anything but, and every time he said the three letters that struck deep within her soul, she felt her resolve breaking. The world he spoke of couldn't be real; it was impossible. The child had a wild imagination, she'd give him that. She could almost envision it, the three of them sitting around a table for a meal being a...family.
She shook her head. There was no other world but this one, and Regina had worked tirelessly to bring up this kingdom from its ashes. In this world she may be a Queen, but in another world...
In another world she named her child after her father and Emma had agreed.
The brunette stopped her pacing, glancing around her chambers with a frown. It was the same room Henry had stayed in despite her guards warning her that it would be ill-advised. He could be part of Snow White's plans. Deep down she knew that wasn't the case. He was part of something far greater, and it bothered Regina how much it bothered her still.
True Love's Kiss couldn't possibly be his solution. A kiss shared with her and Emma no less. Her fingers tingled with magic as she remembered the press of the blonde woman's lips against her own. The last time she had felt them was the night before the traitor had shielded Snow from her attack. She paused and took careful steps out to her balcony, dominating over the railing as she looked down at the populace beneath her. She pressed her tingling fingers to her lips and swore they hummed in turn.
What angered her most was that she had believed, if just for a second, that it would work. Henry's little make believe world was real, and one kiss could send him home to where she had a family with them. She was a fool.
They didn't have True Love. They didn't even have love. Not anymore.
"Is something troubling you, Your Majesty?"
Regina turned to hear her Genie's voice sound from the mirror of the vanity. "I'm fine," she said storming back into her chambers.
The Genie cocked an eyebrow, and it was obvious he didn't believe her. Still he continued. "The King of Cyracule has offered you a treaty. He requests a meeting with your presence within a fortnight."
Regina scoffed. "Where was he when we asked his land for help during the war?"
"He fears your power," the Genie agreed.
"As he should." Regina came to sit in front of the vanity, examining the perfume bottles there as if they weren't her own. "Though I wouldn't be surprised to see his allegiance turned as soon as this conflict with Snow is over and done with."
"And is it?" The Genie posed. Regina snapped her head up. "I've noticed your search for Snow White hasn't been as...active as your search for—"
Regina held up a hand, magic radiating off her so intensely even the man in the mirror could feel it. "Perhaps it's because your apparently omniscient brain cannot show me the exact whereabouts of Snow White. You show me her in a meadow, hiding out with some tiny dwarves, and what? This whole land is full of meadows with tiny dwarves."
"Perhaps," the Genie agreed before his smile grew knowingly. "However I know you're familiar with this area."
Without prompt, his face shimmered until the mirror showed the road leading away from her kingdom. There Emma and Henry were, walking down the road away from her. Regina was quick to turn away, standing from the vanity and was about to cover her ears like a petulant child, but the Genie was faster. The image showed itself on every mirror in her room that Regina had no choice but to watch.
"But why did you let Snow go? What's one more body when you lost Mom in the long run?"
"The right body causes an uproar. Snow has devout followers."
"The ones attacking on the side of the road?"
Emma nodded. "I stay at inns like the one you and I slept in because sometimes I can hear them plot and plan. If I can interrupt their attack or make the Queen's Guard take a different route then it stems their fire."
"You didn't answer my question."
"If Snow died, then it would cause another war," the blonde said exasperatedly. "More than that, Regina would be targeted and she'd be fighting for her life every day. I could have given Snow's head on a platter, but how long after that until I saw Regina's on a pike? I'm not going to risk her life like that. I—"
"You love her."
Regina held up a hand, and with a wave of magic, all the images in all the mirrors disappeared. Her eyes were fiery as she stalked back toward her vanity to glare at the Genie within it. "What was the purpose of that?"
"My Queen is troubled," the Genie answered. "I thought perhaps I could provide a little guidance."
"You thought you could purposely goad your Queen."
"Perhaps in my omniscient brain, it's helpful persuasion," he said airily.
"Persuade what?" She hissed. "That she still has a school girl crush on me?"
"Is it really her with the crush still?"
Regina's eyes blazed, and in a heat of fury, she gripped a perfume bottle and threw it at the vanity. The glass shattered, scented oils filling the room with a strong smell, but one broken mirror wasn't going to eliminate the Genie. He simply appeared in a mirror behind her. She gripped another bottle, poised her hand to throw, but stopped. The bottle was familiar in her palm and she put it down with a sneer. "You're not worth it."
With a wave of her hand, the mirror returned to its former glory, and the glass shard of the bottle mended as new. The room still smelled pungent, but there was little she could do about it now. Stalking out of the room, she met Killian who flanked her side. His hook glinted in the light of the sun as his left hand kept a steady hold on the helm of his sword. Together they moved down the staircase and to the throne room where her crier announced her presence. The last thing she wanted to do was hold court, but Queens did what they had to do.
Even with the possibility of having their head on a pike.
She clenched her fist and sat down in front of the long line of villagers with offerings for her table. Putting on a practiced smile, she beckoned the first commoner toward her.
Regina prided herself on being a fair Queen. They didn't call her Regina the Just when she first took the throne for no reason. She listened to the people, that was something her father taught her. Not everyone could be pleased and what was best for the majority was the lesson her mother taught her. Luckily, Regina had been able to apply the best of both worlds, listening to the cries of her kingdom and striving to provide as best as she could. That was where the treaty with the White Kingdom came to life.
But the Just Queen had a hard time listening this afternoon as villager after villager offered her their best silk or handmade trinkets—she'd adamantly refused to accept food so the populace grew creative. Most days Regina would simply accept a song. She couldn't focus on any of the words being said to her at the moment.
Her mind was solely on Emma and what she had overheard.
For two long years, she simmered in anger believing her Captain, her lover, had been aiding Snow White the entire time. How else could the insipid young Queen get into the castle? Hearing the candid speech from the blonde made her blood cool down from the overflowing simmer.
Emma wanted to protect her.
Their private discussion in the library had the younger woman saying as much if Regina really thought about it, but for the first time she was able to think as Emma did and understand her actions. Perhaps the White Kingdom wasn't wrong in calling her Saviour.
"Your Majesty?"
Regina snapped her head up to see a middle-aged man holding the hand of his young boy. She hadn't even realized the change in person, and knew she didn't catch what his request was, but her eyes were drawn to the shy boy hidden behind his father.
"My son here simply wanted to see you," explained the father.
Regina's eyebrows quirked in curiosity. "Hello, little one."
The boy, no more than five years old, grinned sheepishly. His mop of curly red hair nearly hid his striking green eyes, but he tossed his head to reveal them. Regina leaned forward in her throne and smiled.
"He wanted to give you something." His father nudged him away from his leg and toward the Queen.
Regina stood, motioning her guards to stand down when they darted forward, and she took careful steps to the edge of the platform. Her dress rippled at her feet when she knelt down to his eye level and cautioned him forward. The little boy looked up to his father, and after a confirming nod, he took careful steps towards her. In his hand was a folded piece of parchment, and when he reached the Queen, he held it up for her to take.
"I draw you that," he explained when she took it.
Her eyes twinkled with mirth as she took the parchment and opened it up to see the charcoal drawing of herself sitting side-saddle atop a horse. The congregation smiled their adoration as she stared at the child's picture. Even though this simple act was nothing more than this little boy wanting to give her a picture, she couldn't help but wonder if her so-called counterpart in another world received as many pictures like these from Henry.
"Thank you," she whispered with quiet sincerity.
A clank of metal clanged behind her as Killian took a step toward her, urging her up. "Your Majesty, we must carry on."
She fixed him with a glare, far different from the joy her eyes had only moments ago, and when he dutifully stepped back, she turned a smile back to the small boy.
"And what's—?"
A horn blared in the distance, and Regina rose quickly from her spot to gaze out toward the sound. The throne room's windows were far too high for her to truly see anything beyond the hanging banners lining the stone walls, but she, and everyone else in the room, understood the sound of the horn, hadn't heard it in over two years.
A threat was approaching.
"Seal the doors." Regina acted quickly. The doors immediately shut. "Make sure the villagers waiting outside the doors are kept safe. Do not open these ones until whatever we're facing has been dealt with."
The Guard nodded their understanding. The man in front of her swept his son in his arms and followed the congregation of people who were being led down to a secure corner of the room. In a puff of smoke, Regina had disappeared, only to reappear in her chambers and barking at the mirror.
"What is it?" She hissed to the Genie.
The man in the mirror remained quiet, but his eyes darted to the balcony. She stormed to it once more where the blaring horn grew louder and louder. When she reached the railing, she could see the wall surrounding the castle courtyard was rife with activity. Guards moved into position at the top of the wall, and the doors Regina vowed to keep open for the kingdom was being pulled closed. In the distance, sand grew in a small storm, growing larger and larger as it approached.
"That better be the King of Cyracule," Regina growled.
"Think again." The Genie's face shimmered, and it was replaced with who exactly was storming the castle.
Regina sneered when she saw the dwarves Snow White kept with her and that damned wolfish inn-owner. There was a man who was rumoured to be King George's long lost son, and if he was teaming up with Snow, then he clearly had poor taste in women. Snow looked to be leading the pack on a group of pilfered horses. She remained hidden under her blue cloak. For once she kept her weapon of choice off her back.
Regina grinned wickedly as she retreated back to the balcony. The archers lining the wall waited and took aim. When the pack reached the edge of the grounds, they fired. The arrows, every one of them, seemed to be aimed at Snow White, but the second they were about to make contact, a translucent blue globe shimmered around the group like a protective barrier. Even from her distance Regina could detect the mark of fairy magic.
She frowned. "It looks like the young Queen came out ready to fight."
The pack made it through the doors just before they could close, and with a resounding thud, Snow and her pack of renegades were inside her courtyard. Merchants and civilians fled as Guards moved to meet them in combat.
Snow slipped off her horse and drew a sword, drawing in two men from her guard while the rest were preoccupied with the rest of the renegade party.
Regina squinted as she watched the battle from above. There was something different about Snow White. She moved with more grace and less bulk, but two years in the forest couldn't hone that. Not for the young Queen.
The hood slipped, and the shock of long brown hair wasn't that of her nemesis, but her nemesis' pet wolf Red.
It was a distraction they had fallen for.
Regina growled and turned to the Genie. "Where is my Captain?!"
The Queen stormed out of her chambers. She intended to get to the courtyard, and even the playing fields. If Snow's gang wanted to use fairy magic, one flick of her wrist could send that protective barrier around them crashing to the ground.
She didn't make it far. When she turned the corner, she saw Killian heading her way.
"Where have you been?" She hissed. "As Captain of the Guard, you're meant to stay by my side."
"Your Majesty disappeared from the throne room," he explained with irritation. "We have the rest of the guards meeting us to take you to safety."
Regina dismissed him like that fact was trivial. "How did they get inside the courtyard?"
"They have magic protecting them."
"And they broke through the sentries on watch along the kingdom's perimeter?" She shook her head as they marched down the hallway. "Two years, you think you would have learned by now how to protect the cast—"
Regina held her hand up as she passed a corridor, an arrow in her hand and its tip mere inches from her face. Down the darkened corridor she could see the shadow of a bow and the unmistakable lambskin leathers of Snow White. "You."
Before Snow could fire off another arrow, she felt the cool clink of an iron bracelet clasp around her wrist. Her eyes widened, recognizing the magic-hindering bracelet immediately and turning to face her Captain.
"What," she began slowly, "are you doing?"
Killian ducked his head unapologetically as he drew his sword and positioned it right at Regina's throat. His sword poised, he took careful steps in front of the darkened corridor where Snow revealed herself to Regina for the first time since her escape. Her bow was cocked and an arrow already aimed at Regina's chest. The older Queen glared and slowly brought her fist to the ground, the arrow in her grasp threatening to break under her hold.
"The tides are changing, Your Majesty," Killian began arrogantly. "This was meant to be over and done with years ago, but it appeared your precious Emma complicated the plan by turning against you. Better her than me."
"So you auctioned off your knowledge and my head to the highest bidder," Regina drawled, feigning impressed. She looked down to the arrow in her hand with a scoff. "Tell me, what did this child offer you? Land that's not her own? Titles that she cannot give out as freely as she does her body?"
Snow tightened her bow. "You're one to talk. Rumour has it your former Captain was held under a spell all those years she was under you."
Regina's eyes flashed but she remained silent.
"Even the fairies are against you, Regina," Killian added. "Why do you think no harm is coming to them outside in the courtyard?"
"It's Your Majesty," Regina corrected before shaking her head in more irritation than fear. "Just because something is tiny and colourful and full of magic does not make them of pure intention. You're getting yourself in over your head, Snow White. What is it that you're waiting for, dear? End me."
"I need you to stand in front of the Kingdom," Snow began with a steady aim, "and renounce your throne and hand over both kingdoms. After swearing fealty to me, of course."
Regina rolled her eyes. "Go back to the forest, Princess."
"I'm a Queen just as you are," Snow said defiantly. She may have spent the last two years living as a bandit in the forest, scrounging up a pitiful rebellion, but she was still the same princess who didn't understand the logistics of battle.
Regina took a bold step forward, the arrow less than a foot away from her heart and the sword nicking her neck. "Not like me."
"You're bold for someone who has no one coming for her," Snow stated. "You think I've been doing nothing but living off walnuts in the woods. I've been waiting, Regina. Waiting for the day to take this crown and this Kingdom away from you and unite these lands under my name."
Regina laughed. "You'll burn the lands to the ground before your first month is up."
Killian pushed his sword just a bit further, a drop of blood cascading down her neck. "Now now, Regina. Play nice."
Regina wasn't sure who she was more furious with, the insipid little Queen or her former Captain. No doubt he was the reason Snow had snuck into the castle the first time. Why she chose now to believe Emma, to believe that the blonde hadn't been the traitorous one all along was a cruel irony. Without her magic, Regina was exposed and vulnerable. She could handle a bow and arrow just as well as Snow before her, but with both weapons trained on her, for once, she was wholly unprepared.
That didn't mean that she would give in.
That wasn't the way of Regina of the Eastern Kingdom, and that certainly wasn't the way of the Evil Queen. She smirked, red lips tilting up in a knowing and deadly smile.
Before she could do anything, a dagger flew through the air and tore through the arrow cocked in the bow. The surprise startled all three of them as they turned to see a figure in a white cloak. Snow was the only one to truly look confused while Killian curled his lip.
"What are you doing?" Snow gawked at the Saviour. "We have her–"
Another dagger flew at them, this one less confidant but aimed at Killian all the same. Whether it was intentional or sheer dumb luck, the butt of the blade smacked the man behind the back of the head, knocking him unconscious.
Henry peaked out from behind Emma's cloak with a wide grin on his face, but judging by his unapologetic frown, Emma was scolding him from under the hood of the cloak. It was enough of a distraction, however, for Regina to grip Snow's bow from her and toss it down the hallway.
"You brought Henry?" Regina hissed, circling around to keep her distance from Snow while trying to remove the cuff from her wrist.
"Tell me where he got his stubbornness from?" Emma retorted back, advancing toward them.
The younger Queen looked momentarily stunned, and for a brief second, she thought about running for her bow. She thought better of it and reached for her sword at her hip, drawing it in one fluid motion.
There was a clang of metal when Emma held her own sword up, blocking Snow from striking Regina. Her hood fell off in the process, and Snow's eyes widened in recognition.
Emma took advantage of her shock to push her sword forward, thrusting up so that Snow slammed into a wall with a hard thud.
"You protect her now?" Snow hissed.
"Always." Emma swung her sword, but the younger brunette was quick to dodge. She rolled off the wall and put distance between herself and Emma. The blonde kept her in her sights, but she spoke over her shoulder to Henry behind her. "Get that cuff off your Mom."
No sooner was the command out of Emma's mouth did Henry jump into action. He leaped over the man on the ground and rushed to Regina, but before he could take another step, he collided face first into the cement floor. Killian had grabbed his ankle when he started to stir.
"Henry!" Regina yelled, racing toward him.
Emma wanted to look back, wanted to see what had Regina so concerned, but Snow was charging at her, her sword carelessly poised in one hand. The blonde ducked under her, shedding her cloak in the process, before swiping at Snow's back. From this angle she could see Henry, up now and trying frantically to take the cuff off, but whatever magic it possessed was too much for the boy. Killian was on all fours, his good hand blindly reaching for his sword as he tried to gather his senses.
Snow turned, fire in her eyes but a knowing smirk on her face. Emma squinted. She took a breath. Then she turned swiftly to dodge the incoming sword from David who appeared from the corridor behind them.
It was two against one now, and Henry was still struggling with the cuff. Emma engaged both Snow and David in battle, parrying away before jolting forward with a jab. David's right side was weak, and he was near useless whenever her blade touched too closely to Snow. She used that. Purposely jabbing at the White Queen where David nearly pulled her out of the way.
He hissed. Emma's blade slid across his arm, staining his white shirt red.
"Henry, get behind me." Regina's voice sounded somewhere behind the blonde.
Emma looked when she saw Killian stand, wobbly at first but narrowed his gaze to Regina and Henry. It was enough of a distraction for David to charge, but his growing form had Emma ducking and shouldering the man over. He was tossed behind her with a sickening thud.
"Move aside, boy." Killian hissed.
Emma blocked Snow's thrust. She countered and jabbed with one of her own.
Henry visibly shook and held his ground. He wanted to stand in front of his Mom, but Regina wasn't having it. She yanked him behind her, and though she was weaponless and defenseless, the snarl on her lips looked like she was about to remind Killian just who exactly he served.
"Stand down now, Killian, and I'll make sure your death is painless."
"Strong words from the former Queen," he spat.
He brought his sword up, but before he could do anything more than sneer, a small weight jumped on his back.
"Henry!" Both women yelled.
Snow took that moment to slice at Emma's shoulder. A deep red gash bled down the arm of her shirt, but she didn't even register the pain. All she saw was Henry piggy-backing Killian as the man tried to wave him off wildly. Regina was grappling with his hooked hand, trying to keep it away from the boy on his back.
Emma attacked blindly. Whipping her sword down on Snow where the younger Queen could just barely deflect, Emma stormed forward in a rage. Henry and Regina were in trouble and Snow was the only one in her way.
The younger Queen tripped over her own feet, and she turned her head a fraction of an inch to catch her footing. Emma darted forward. She sliced at the back of her knee. Snow cried out in anguish, dropping her sword. Emma caught her, holding her back to her front and held her own sword across the White Queen's neck.
"Let them go, or your head will be sitting next to hers on the castle walls," the blonde threatened.
Killian used a forearm to push Regina away. She clambered to the floor in a heap, but before she could get up, Killian had gripped Henry from over his head and tossed the boy onto the stone floor.
Emma's grip tightened on Snow's neck, and the younger woman squeaked in her arms.
"Regina—"
The brunette was up before Emma could even finish her sentence. Magic or no magic, a fire blazed in Regina's eyes as she did something so brutish and undignified. She punched Killian.
Both Emma and Snow comically dropped their jaws in surprise, the former in adoration and the latter in just unadulterated surprise.
Regina huffed, straightening her dress as if she hadn't just used her fist to knock the man down. His body lay in a heap on the floor for the second time as Regina turned a deadly gaze to Snow still captive in Emma's grasp. Emma could see Regina desperately wanted to check on Henry but the brunette turned a deadly gaze toward the captured Snow.
"Now, Your Majesty," Regina spat stepping over Killian's body, "would you rather my guards kill your tiny army or would you rather kneel in front of the kingdom for—"
It was blur. One minute, there was a glint in Regina's eye, so close to victory that Emma clutched her sword more firmly against Snow's neck ready to strike at her Queen's command. The next minute, Regina stiffened, and the glint in her eye faded to a muted pain.
Regina fell to the floor in a heap as Killian stood behind her, hooked hand bloody. He sneered down at the fallen Queen. "Looks like I didn't miss."
It happened in slow motion, the next few moments moving as if time itself had frozen. The sword Emma held to Snow's throat slashed across the young woman's throat before it was thrown overhead, piercing Killian's chest before the man could even think. As quickly as he had struck Regina, he fell to the ground permanently, sharing the same fate as the White Queen. Emma raced to Regina, kneeling down in the pool of growing blood and pulled the dying monarch into her arms.
Emma's only focus was on Regina.
"No," Emma breathed out, hugging her close. "No, no, no, no, no. No, don't do this Regina."
Regina gasped for breath and winced in pain. Emma used a hand to stem the flow of blood on her back, but she could feel it pooling in her palm and slipping through her fingers like the life leaving the older woman.
"Emma…"
She was crying openly now, hands shaking. "No, Regina, you can't die on me."
"M-mom?" Emma darted her head to see Henry standing up, eyes wide as he took in the bloody scene before him. "M-ma, w-what—what happened?"
Emma couldn't answer him, only shake as she gripped the cuff from Regina's wrist and yanked it off. "G-get help, Henry."
The boy didn't move. He knelt to the ground beside them and shook as his mothers did.
"Heal yourself, Regina," Emma urged, pulling back strands of brown hair away from the Queen's face. Streaks of blood marred her forehead, and Emma whimpered trying to wipe it away. "You're okay. I promise. You're okay—Henry, go get help!"
Henry couldn't move. He fell on top of Regina's stomach, gripping his mother's dress and holding tight as sobs racked his body.
"Emma…" Regina breathed again. Brown eyes that once glinted with a wicked mirth were dull and flat. Her pale hand came up to stroke Emma's jaw, and already Emma could feel it cold against her skin. "I-I'm…"
The blonde caught her hand and squeezed. "No, no you're fine," Emma desperately tried to reassure. She shook her head like she wasn't sure who she was trying to convince. "Snow's dead, she's dead. There's-there's no more war. I did it this time, I promise."
Regina started to laugh before her face contorted in pain. Her eyes grew dull once more and Emma squeezed her hand harder.
"Why can't you heal?" It was Henry's voice this time, muffled against Regina's dress. His only answer was a weak hand stroking gently in his hair.
"Heal, Regina," Emma pleaded behind watery eyes. She sniffed rocked the older woman tighter. "You can heal, and it'll all be over, and, and—" The blonde choked out a sob. "We're not supposed to end like this."
"I-I know," the dying Queen hissed out. She squeezed Emma's hand in her own with every strength of her being. "I know, Emma."
Crumpling, Emma doubled over, engulfing both Henry and Regina in a desperate hug as if in her arms she could stop Regina from dying.
"Stay, Mommy," Henry pleaded against her dress.
"Regina—"
"Emma," the brunette whispered against Emma's cheek. She shut her eyes as her hand started to go limp in Emma's grasp. The blonde held on to her tighter in desperation. "Em-ma…I…I love you."
The blonde nodded frantically gasping for breath against Regina's skin. "I love you. I love you too."
She pulled back for one more look, one final look, at her Queen. Henry pulled up far enough to give the two women their space though his own tears were streaming down his face like a waterfall. Blinking away the tears in her eyes, Emma stared down at the familiar brown eyes that used to twinkle with mischief, burn hot with anger, and grow dark with lust. Now, almond eyes were dimming and all Emma could do was meet Regina the final few spaces between their lips in a soft and sweet kiss.
"Moms, look out!"
Emma turned fast enough to see David standing above them, sword poised and coming down on the family. She held Regina closer and gripped Henry to them, but it was too late. A beam of light whipped across the land just as David's sword hit down, and Emma felt like she was being physically ripped apart from the two people in her arms. The last thing she remembered thinking was that if she was going to die, at least she'd be with her family.
Henry felt groggy. The ground beneath him was hard, and he felt like he hit his head something fierce. He must be in the dungeons, if David had—his eyes snapped open. A white light shone brightly in his eyes. Mom—Mom was dead, and Mama—he sat up quickly.
"Woah, woah there, lad." Henry flinched at the sound of the voice, recognizing Killian Jones. He blinked several times, shielding his eyes from the light only for it to move out of his way when Killian dropped the pen light from his gaze. "There you go. Are you feeling better?"
Henry scurried away from him. No, Killian was dead. He saw the sword through him. "Don't touch me."
"Henry."
His breathing faltered at the soft lithe of a familiar voice. He looked past Killian to see his mothers, Emma cradling Regina much like she had only minutes before. Except this time, Regina wasn't dressed in extravagant dresses, and Emma was in her tank top and sweats. The blonde pressed a cold compress to Regina's forehead where he could see a thin trickle of blood seeping down from a wound under the cloth."Mom! Mama!"
He scrambled over to them, confusion and distress evident on his face. "What happened? What happened to Snow White and Killian? You-you killed them, Mama."
The blonde's eyebrows shot up as she caught eyes with Killian behind her son. The man at least looked unnerved by the claim. She let a hand press against Henry's forehead before feeling around for any bumps on his head. "Shit, kid, are you okay?" She let the cloth rest on Regina's forehead to pull him into a tight hug. "You hit your head pretty hard."
"My head?" He pulled back and felt his forehead, wincing at the bruise there.
"Aye," Killian provided, standing up from the floor. It was then Henry noticed they were back in his Mom's study, the old library books toppled over to the ground. "Your mother heard a thud and came in to find you and Regina knocked out cold. We've been trying to wake you for the past ten minutes."
"Ten minutes?" Henry squinted in confusion.
A soft moaning interrupted his train of thought as his gaze darted to his brunette mother. Emma tensed, shifting so she could properly evaluate her wife.
"Babe," Emma encouraged, wiping away whatever blood remained on her face. "Babe, wake up. You can do it."
Regina's eyes fluttered open, and she winced. Her hand clumsily moved to her forehead, where Emma caught it, letting it fall over the wet cloth still resting there. Emma beamed down at her, releasing a whoosh of breath in relief. "There's my girl."
"Emma," the brunette breathed out. Her gaze settled to her son. "Henry."
"Mom," Henry choked out a sob and dropped on both his mothers, hugging them tightly. "Mom, you're okay. You're okay."
It must have been a hard ten minutes for Emma joined him, squeezing back in the hug. When they finally parted enough to give Regina air, the blonde helped her sit up slowly, keeping the wet cloth on her forehead.
"Do you remember what happened?" Emma asked, her hand stroking up and down Regina's back in gentle comfort.
The brunette shook her head before wincing at the pain. "I-I'm not sure. I had the strangest dream. We were in a castle, and you were a peasant and I was a Queen."
Henry's ears picked up. "Mom was a knight."
"Yes," Regina agreed. Their eyes caught meaningfully, but all Emma did was look relieved that they were okay, psych trauma still outstanding.
"That sounds like real life, babe." Emma helped them both stand, Regina wobbly on her feet while Henry still looked around the room with wide eyes.
How did they get back?
"Ambulance is outside," Killian said thumbing over his shoulder toward the door.
The two women made their way to the door before Emma looked over her shoulder. "Come on, Hen, you too. We gotta make sure your brain is still in there."
"Emma," Regina admonished with a swat to the blonde's chest. "Henry, we need to see if we have any injuries."
"You need stitches," Emma insisted.
Regina scoffed. "I do not."
"You have a hole in your head."
"No, dear," Regina calmly stated. "That would be you."
Despite their banter, Henry could see how tightly they were holding on to one another. The fall obviously scared them something fierce.
He nodded, letting the three adults leave the room first. He examined the books on the ground and picked up the one that had started it all. The weird runes were still on the cover, a warning sign now that he knew what they meant. But it wasn't all real. It had to have been a dream. This was just a book after all, and his mom wasn't dead, and neither was Killian, and as far as he knew Ms. Blanchard was alive. He flipped through the pages of the book, his fingers skimming over the inked markings. A part of him wondered if he would come away with the magic residue his mom—Queen Regina—had showed him. When he looked, there was nothing but a little dust.
"Henry." Killian poked his head back into the room. "Come on, your mothers are waiting."
A part of him wanted to be wary of Deputy Jones, but they weren't in the Enchanted Forest. They were home in Storybrooke. Just like that. It must have been a dream. Just a weird all-too-real dream. He nodded and followed Deputy Jones out of the study, but as he passed the mirror hanging in the hallway, he could have sworn he saw a fading smile and a blue shimmer.