Regina held on tightly to Emma's hand as she led them through the dark forest. The blonde hummed softly, skipping over tree roots and rocks in their path and pointing them out to Regina. "How do you know where you're going?" The brunette asked. Emma really didn't know, but she knew that this girl was trusting her to be the leader so she played it cool.
"Simple. I live in a village close by." Emma answered. Regina cocked her head in confusion. The girl didn't look like a peasant. Far from it, actually. Her clothes look like they were made with the finest of silks, and she was clean. "What about you? Where are you from?" Emma asked.
Regina bit her lip, contemplating telling her the truth. "I'm from a village too. My father is a shoe maker, and my mother is a baker." The lie rolled easily off of her tongue, and an excited thrill ran through her. They walked along for a while until they reached a cabin.
Only this was no ordinary cabin. It was a kid's dream. The outside was covered in gingerbread and gumdrops, and the path leading up to the door was adorned with giant candy canes. "Wow." Both girls breathed, their eyes lighting up at the sight. Suddenly, screaming was heard from inside the house.
Emma let go of Regina's hand and darted forward, pulling the small dagger out of her satchel. Regina followed behind her, cautiously looking over the blonde's shoulder as they peered through the window. Emma held a finger up to her lips as a warning, and pushed the window open before climbing through.
Regina shakily climbed through, hanging onto the window ledge so she wouldn't fall and get them both caught. Emma grabbed her hand and supported the girl's weight, lowering her down to the ground. Both of them tried not to get distracted from the table full of macaroons, brownies, cakes, cookies, and other sweet treats.
As they rounded the corner they saw a young boy and girl -the girl being a few years older than them- huddled together in front of the fireplace. Cornering them was a large silver wolf bigger than all 4 of the kids combined. The animal growled deep in its throat and stepped towards the two children.
With a shaking hand, Emma held her dagger out and stepped forward. She always said she wanted to be like her father, now was her chance. She could be a hero. "Hey!" She said loudly, her voice strong and confident. The wolf snapped its head around and turned towards them, its eyes blazing and teeth pulled back into a snarl.
The blonde pushed Regina behind her, standing her ground as the wolf came closer. Suddenly, it lunged forward and pinned her to the ground. Emma's mind raced as she looked into the eyes of the creature. She remembered her father's story, what he did to save himself. "Run!" She screamed at the others.
The two kids the wolf had been cornering took off out the door. "I'm not leaving you!" Regina said bravely, frantically looking for something to help. The brunette found a fireplace poker and stabbed into the flames. Emma reached for her dagger she had dropped, feeling the beast's hot breath on her face.
Right as she had grasped the weapon, Regina swung the searing hot poker down onto the wolf. It howled in pain, releasing Emma to attack the girl. The blonde scrambled to her feet and swung the dagger at the creature. As soon as the blade made contact with the beast, it collapsed on the ground.
The two girls stared at it for a moment, breathing heavily. "I think it's dead. You killed it." Regina panted, giving the blonde a small smile. Emma pulled her to her feet, looking around for something to cover the animal with. She spotted a red cloak draped over one of the chairs, and she put it over the wolf's body. Emma grasped Regina's hand tightly as the wolf's body completely disappeared. Regina whimpered and held onto her arm tightly. "It's okay, Regina." Emma comforted her, despite being very afraid herself.
A woman stood up in place of the wolf, the cloak wrapped around her body. She looked confused, then afraid as she stared at the two girls. "Who are you?" Emma demanded, holding out her dagger. "My name is Red. It's okay, I won't hurt you." The woman answered. "You attacked us and those other kids." Emma snapped, holding her ground.
Regina couldn't utter a word. She had never seen real magic before. "To be fair, you were the ones that broke into my house." Red said. Seeing the look on Emma's face, the woman held up her hands in surrender. "I'm sorry. I have trouble controlling myself when I turn. You were lucky you had that dagger with you, and you're lucky your friend was a quick thinker."
Emma slowly lowered the dagger, staring at it. It didn't look special. "It's pure silver. Silver is the only thing that can tame the wolf long enough for me to change back. This cloak keeps me from turning." The woman explained.
Regina tentatively reached for a colorful macaroon. They had always been her favorite. "Wait." Emma reached out her hand to stop her. She had heard tales of witches that ate little children in houses like these. This woman was magical, and she could very well be in disguise. "They're not poisonous, don't worry. I've eaten my full share to know." Red said.
"How do we know you're not a witch?" Emma asked, her hand lightly touching her dagger again. "You have a house made of candy. You could be using it to lure kids here so you can eat them. Why else would you want it?"
"It's a house made of candy. Who wouldn't want it? I found this place a while ago, witch-free." The woman grabbed a cookie and bit into it. The two girls couldn't resist, and soon their satchels were filled with an assortment of sweet treats. Suddenly, torches lit up the forest around them. "Keep looking, men!" A voice yelled.
Both Emma and Regina ran to the windows and looked out. Regina recognized the dark armor right away. The royal symbol on their chest matched the one on the bottom of her cloak. "We have to go." She said quietly, grabbing onto Emma's arm. "Why? Do you know them?" The blonde asked.
"They're royal guards. If we get caught who knows what the Queen will do to us. I heard she is very brutal." Regina answered. It was true. If Cora was informed of stragglers and peasants in her territory, the guards would bring them to the castle where they were put in the dungeons. Usually the guards stayed on the other side of the forest, but Cora must have realized Regina was missing.
"You two go. Find a safe spot to hide in the woods. I'll take care of them." Red instructed, taking off her cloak. Regina grabbed Emma's hand and they took off in the other direction. Regina tripped over a tree root and landed face first on the ground, taking Emma down along with her.
Tears stung her eyes as she felt a sharp pain in her ankle. "Are you okay?" Emma asked. As the glow of the torches softly lit the area around them, Emma noticed the girl's cloak had ripped. Her eyes widened as she recognized the royal symbol of her family's enemy. "You're a royal?" She asked.
"I was running away from my home. Please don't leave me!" Regina begged as the girl stood. Emma wrestled with her impulse to run. If the guards found them, she'd be caught too. But seeing the helpless look on her face, she couldn't just leave her. "Come on. Hurry!" She grabbed Regina's hand and pulled her up.
They came across a cave and quickly slipped inside. Both girls stayed silent until the echoes of horses and voices passed by. A wolf howled close by. "Are you mad at me?" The brunette asked quietly. "No. I know why you kept it a secret." Emma answered. "How?" Regina questioned. "Because I'm royal too."
"Y- you are?" The brunette stammered. "I'm Snow White and Prince James's daughter." Emma confessed. "And I'm King Henry and Queen Cora's daughter. That means our families are enemies." Regina said. Emma pulled some sweets from her satchel, handing one to Regina before biting into one. "Mmm, these are good!" She giggled.
"I love macaroons." Regina agreed, savoring the flavor on her tongue. The light mood faded as they realized the situation they were in. "What do we do?" Emma asked. "We stick together. Just because our families hate each other doesn't mean we have to." Regina answered. Emma moved closer to the girl, taking comfort in her presence.
"So, why did you run away?" Regina asked her. "I just don't feel like I belong there. My mother wants me to be a princess and wear dresses and do girly things, and my little brother gets to do fun stuff. Like sword fighting and running around outside. It's not fair." Emma said.
"My mother is the same way. My older sister Zelena gets all the attention from my mother. She never gets punished. My father is the only one that cares about me, but he's gone a lot. I hardly ever see him. All my mother cares about is for me to marry into another royal line and eventually become queen." Regina said.
"I don't know why we have to get married. My mother says that she and my father are going to find me a nice prince for me to marry and rule with. I just don't want to become queen. I would be happier living as a villager." Emma said. "Me too." Regina agreed.
They ate their food in silence for a few moments. "What if we ran away to another land? Where nobody knows us. We could get regular jobs and live together." Emma suggested. "That way we don't have to marry princes or be queen. Just the two of us!" Regina said excitedly.
Emma held out her pinky finger to the girl. "Let's make a promise. That whatever happens, we'll always be together. Nothing can come between us."
Regina smiled and linked their fingers together. "Promise." She said. The two girls fell asleep holding onto one another.
The next day, they set out in search of a new home. Regina had left her cloak behind, and Emma her dagger. Regina shivered against the cold morning air. She had always gotten cold way too easily. "Once we find a peddler we'll buy new clothes. We have enough money." Emma said, trying to shield her friend from the cold.
Between the two of them, they had plenty of gold, silver, and copper coins to survive for a long while. By the time the sun rose high in the sky, they were far away from both of their kingdoms. An almost homesick feeling came over Regina. She never got the chance to say goodbye to her father.
"It's okay, Regina." Emma said gently, seeing the girl start to cry. She had easily shut down her own emotions, focusing on the future instead of what she was leaving behind. Regina thought about going back, living by her mother's rules and becoming Queen. She tried to convince herself that it wasn't so bad, she was happy and loved.
But looking at Emma, she knew it wasn't true. She felt something different with the girl she never felt before. She felt like with her she was home. Emma wrapped her arms around her tightly. "I won't ever leave you, Regina. We're family now."
"There you two are!" Both girls turned to see Red running up the path. "How did you find us?" Emma asked. "Followed your scent." Red tapped her nose. "And I saw the things you left behind. I had no idea you two were royals, not to mention enemy families. I haven't been to the village in years."
"We aren't anymore. We're going to a different land together where nobody knows us." Regina said. "Mind if I join?" Red asked. "You're not going to take us back?" Emma asked. "I know what it's like to feel like you don't belong. That's the reason why I ran away from my home. But it's dangerous out here for you two to be wandering around by yourselves. So what do you say?"
Emma and Regina glanced at each other. "I'm looking for a friend of mine in another land. If you help me find her, I can find you a place to stay where you'll be safe." Red offered. "Okay." They agreed. As they continued on Regina winced as she limped on her twisted ankle. "Did you hurt yourself?" Red asked.
"Last night when we were running from the guards." Regina answered through gritted teeth. "Hold this." Red handed over her cloak. Emma instinctively pushed Regina behind her as Red transformed into her wolf self. "Can you hear me?"
Both girls gasped at Red's voice they heard in their heads. "You can talk!" Regina said, amazed. "I can communicate telepathically with people I connect to. You two are my pack now. Hop on." Red answered, laying on the ground so the girls could climb onto her back. "You won't eat us or anything, right?" Emma asked.
"Once I connect with someone, I can control my instincts around them. You're safe." The wolf answered. The three traveled for a long while until the sun began to set in the sky. "We'll make camp here. I'm sure both of you are hungry." Red said, letting the girls down and changing back into a human.
Regina began picking berries she recognized while Red started a fire. "I'll catch us some food." The woman morphed and ran off into the woods. Emma and Regina sat by the fire and shared a handful of berries between them. "I bet my sister is excited that I'm gone. My mother has probably stopped looking for me." Regina said.
"What about your father? Didn't you say he cared about you?" Emma asked. "He'll forget about me soon enough." The brunette answered, curling her knees up to her chest. "My father is probably happier with just Neal. It seems like he never wanted anything to do with me. My mother loved me being her princess, but I'm sure they'll have another child to replace me." Emma said quietly.
Regina looked over at the blonde, seeing through the tough exterior to the pain she was feeling. "Well none of that matters now." She said, taking Emma's hand. "We have each other. We don't have to marry princes or wear crowns. We can explore and travel the world. Fight dragons and other enemies." Regina said.
"We can marry each other!" Emma said, making them both giggle. "I've never even had my first kiss yet." Regina said. "Me either. My mother always said that my first kiss would be special, that I should save it for someone I care about." Emma said.
"I'll be your first kiss." Regina said boldly. "You will?" Emma asked. "Sure! It's just a kiss after all. Here, practice on your arm like this." The brunette kissed her arm over and over, showing Emma how to do it. "Okay, enough practice." Regina said, turning to face the blonde.
"Close your eyes." Emma told her. "Why?" Regina giggled. "Because that's what you have to do." Emma answered. Regina obeyed her, cracking one eye open as Emma shifted closer. "No peeking." The blonde giggled. "On the count of three. One… two… three!"
Their lips met briefly, then it was over. Regina's eyes fluttered open and the girls stared at each other. Emma looked down and fidgeted with her hands. "It's too quiet. Say something." She said. Regina thought for a moment. "I got dinner!" Ruby broke the silence between them, holding up two rabbits in her hands.
Their dinner was delicious, and once all three of them had their stomachs full, Red morphed back into a wolf and laid down on the ground. Emma and Regina rested against her side and looked at the stars shining brightly overhead. "What do you want to do first once we find a place for us to live?" Regina asked.
"I want to slay a dragon." Emma answered. "What about you?"
"I want to bake." Regina answered, then giggled at her silly answer. She loved helping Isabella in the kitchen when she could, but most of the time her mother never let her cook. She always said that was a job for the servants, not a princess. "How about this. When I've slayed the dragon and saved the villagers I'll bake with you. We can make pies and cakes and even macaroons." Emma said.
"Maybe I can help you defeat the dragon." Regina said. "Deal." The blonde answered, resting her head on Regina's shoulder. Red chuckled to herself at the little girl's conversation as they fell asleep.