After waking up at the first light of dawn and eating some berries for breakfast, the trio set off on their journey once more. As soon as their legs felt ready to give out and they were about ready to collapse on the ground, Red pointed ahead of them. "Look girls!" She said excitedly, picking up the pace.
"What is it?" Emma grumbled, rubbing her eyes. She had never been a morning person. Regina skipped ahead, practically bursting with energy. "A village! Emma, we found our new home!" The brunette ran back and embraced the smaller girl happily.
"We must be pretty far away from the kingdoms. I don't recognize the forest anymore." Red commented. Regina breathed a sigh of relief. Her mother would never be able to hurt her again. A fleeting thought crossed her mind of Cora turning her hand towards Zelena, but she quickly pushed the thought away. Her father would never allow that.
But she also thought her father would never allow Cora to hurt her, and look what happened. Red fell back into step with her, a troubled look on her face. "What's bothering you?" The woman asked. "Nothing." Regina lied, trying to ignore her feelings of guilt. They watched Emma run ahead of them for a few moments.
"I can sense something is off, Regina. I'm a wolf, and I'm connected with you. I'm here to talk to if you need it." Red said, trying to coax the girl. "I'm just worried about my sister is all. My mother isn't kind like Emma's, and I'm sure she's upset that I ran away." Regina confessed.
"Tell you what. My friend that I'm looking for has a special mirror. It's magical, and it gives the person using it the power to see anything that's happening in the world. When we find her I'm sure she'll let you use it. Then you can see if your sister is alright." Red said.
"Thanks." Regina smiled, feeling a lot better. "What is your friend's name that we're looking for anyway?" Emma asked, joining them. Red bit her lip, hesitating to tell them. "We're a pack, remember? We can trust each other." Regina said. "Her name is Belle. And- well, she's more than a friend. She's really special to me." Red answered.
"Is she your True Love?" Emma asked eagerly. Just because she didn't care about finding a love of her own didn't mean she wasn't excited hearing about them. "I don't know." Red chuckled, then grew serious once again. "I don't even know if she has the same feelings for me. I mean, I thought she did, but then she ran off to be with this man."
"Who?" Regina asked. "His name is Gaston. Her father forced her to marry him to keep peace within the kingdoms. When her father passed, she felt like she owed it to her father to keep her promise. So she moved away, out of the Enchanted Forest. Away from her friends… away from me."
"That's terrible." Regina sympathized with her. "It is." Red fought back tears, a sad smile on her face. "We'll help you find her, Ruby." Emma said. "Ruby?" Red looked up at the girl in confusion. "How did you come up with a name like that?"
"You look like a Ruby. You wear red, and you're pretty like one too." Emma explained. "Ruby. I like it. A good name to start over with." The brunette smiled.
Soon, the trio found a vacant cottage in the woods a little way from the village. After checking the place out, Red deemed it safe to live in. The place had all the necessities they would need to survive, along with lush green forest surrounding them with a spring nearby.
"We should go to the village and get some food and clothing." Emma said, grabbing her satchel filled with their coins. The small village was filled with people up and down the cobblestone streets. Vendors, children, men and women alike greeted each other warmly.
"Well, hello. You both must be new to our village." A young woman said to the little girls. "We are." Emma answered, eyeing the woman carefully for fear that she might be a royal servant or guard in disguise. "Would you like some fresh baked bread? You both look like you haven't eaten in days." The woman led them over to her stand, breaking a baguette in half.
As if right on cue, Regina's stomach growled. "Here." The woman handed them the sweet-smelling bread. "Thank you." Emma and Regina said, both handing her a silver coin. "I can't take that." The woman refused the offer. "Please. We'd like to help anyway we can. This is our home now too." Emma said.
The woman accepted the coins. "Thank you, ladies. I won't forget you generous girls anytime soon. May I ask your names?"
Emma and Regina glanced at each other, half-afraid to tell the truth. "My name is Regina, and this is Emma." Regina finally said. The woman's eyes widened for a second as if she recognized the names, but the girls realized she was looking behind them. "Red?"
"Belle!" Red rushed forward and embraced the young woman. "I thought I'd never see you again!"
"What- what are you doing here? How did you-?" Belle asked, glancing at the two girls. Red stepped back, taking each girl by the hand. "I found some friends. My family."
"You're Belle?" Emma asked. The young woman nodded, a slightly confused look on her face. Before Emma could say anything else, Regina stepped forward. "You should come over for dinner tonight! Emma and I are making stew and apple turnovers for dessert. We're just getting some supplies." The girl said, grabbing a wicker basket.
"Well, I- "Belle stammered. "Please?" Both girls begged. Red smiled down at them, shaking her head. "That is, if Gaston wouldn't mind." She quickly added. "Gaston found some pretty French girl more obsessed with looks than books." Belle said, her face flushing.
"That's his loss." Red smiled sweetly at her friend. "So what do you say? Do you want to come have dinner with us?"
"How could I refuse?" Belle said. Emma and Regina squealed with happiness and ran off to collect supplies. After they got the items they needed for dinner, Red took them back to the cottage and left them alone to explore. "Let's split up and buy each other gifts." Regina suggested. "Okay!" Emma agreed.
After they both had picked out each other's gifts, they headed back to the cottage. Belle and Ruby were enjoying a cup of tea and catching up. "Finally! We're starving!" Red teased them. Regina jumped as Emma covered her eyes. "Ready for your present?" The blonde asked. "Ready." Regina answered her.
"Okay you can open your eyes now." Emma said. The brunette opened her eyes to see the girl holding a soft lavender cloak, and new kitchen utensils were sitting on the counter beside the fireplace. "Emma…" She gasped quietly. "This is too much."
"You're welcome." The blonde giggled. Regina's face flushed as she realized how impolite she sounded. The blonde fastened her new cloak around her neck. "It looks beautiful on you." She commented. "Your turn now." Regina said excitedly, running outside to grab the things she got for Emma.
Emma squealed as she saw the sword in the brunette's hands. "That's mine?" She asked, awestruck. "A mighty knight has to have a sword." Regina said, handing the silver weapon over to her. Emma swung it around a few times, pleased to find it was perfect for her size.
"I also got you this." Regina handed over a small bracelet, holding up a matching one of her own. As soon as Emma put in on, it glowed bright blue for a second. Regina's glowed red, and both girls gasped as they felt a connection linking them together.
Emma ran her hand over the smooth leather adorned with two shining beads. "What is it?" She asked. Regina stared down at hers, feeling Emma through the bracelet. "It's magic. That way we'll always be together. We can feel each other, even from far away." She explained. Emma hugged her tightly, resting her head on her shoulder. "This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."
The two had fun making dinner, dancing around and making fun of the princess rules their parents had drilled into their heads while Red and Belle had gone on a walk together. "A princess never cooks her own meals." Regina mimicked her mother. "A princess always walks with gracefulness and poise." Emma said, curtseying.
"You're doing it wrong. It's the left foot over the right, dear." Regina said, tripping over her own feet and tumbling to the floor. Emma reached down to help her up, and instead fell down right next to her. Both girls broke into a fit of giggles. "Hey, what's that?" Emma's smile faded as she saw an old bruise on Regina's shoulder.
Regina sat up, covering the painful reminder of her old home. "It's nothing, really. Just from a punishment." She answered. Emma moved her cloak to the side to reveal more bruises, scars, and welts on her body. "Your mother did this to you?" The blonde asked gently. "My parents aren't like yours, Emma." Regina answered quietly.
The brunette turned her head to look as she felt a warmth traveling along her spine. She was surprised to see Emma's hand glowing. Emma was surprised too, but she focused on healing the marks on Regina's body until every one of them was gone. "How did you do that?" The brunette asked.
"I don't know. I just got upset that your mother would hurt you like that, and then I felt how much I cared for you. Then my hand started glowing and I just felt like I could make your pain go away." Emma said. Regina stretched her healed muscles, feeling lighter emotionally as well, as if a weight was lifted off her shoulders.
She wasn't worried about Zelena, or what her father must be feeling right now. They would be fine without her. The smell of their dinner cooking broke them both out of their haze. "Mmm, smells amazing!" Ruby commented as she and Belle returned.
"You can thank Regina for that. She's the good cook." Emma said, helping her up. "Emma's getting the hang of it." The brunette said as she served them. "So what did you two do on your walk?" Emma asked, a teasing note to her tone. "Nothing that you girls need to hear about. You're too young." Red answered, catching Belle's eye.
"Did you kiss?" Regina asked. "Oh my." Belle nearly choked on her mouthful of food. Emma elbowed her friend in the ribs, effectively shutting her up. "So, Ruby says you have a magic mirror." Regina changed the subject. "Ruby?" Belle tilted her head to the side in confusion.
"That's my new name they gave me." Red explained. "I like it." Belle smiled at her. Then she turned her attention back to the little brunette. "I used to have the mirror, but Gaston took it when he left me." She said. Regina slowly nodded, her good mood dampening a bit.
"Perhaps we can get it back. Gaston would never pass up a trade with something of value." Belle said, trying to cheer the girl up. "We'll find him first thing in the morning. But now let's relax and eat this delicious meal!" Red said.
After dinner, Emma and Regina crawled into the queen size bed contentedly tired. Red tucked them in, giving each of them a good night kiss before cleaning up the leftovers from dinner. "Would you like a bedtime story?" Belle asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. "My mother used to tell me one every night and it helped me sleep."
"Sure." Emma yawned and curled up underneath the warm duvet as Regina cuddled against her back. "Once upon a time, there was a little duckling. This particular duckling was the smallest among its family, and was made fun of because of that reason. She never felt like she belonged. So the duckling ran away from its pond and set out to explore the world."
"What was the ducklings name?" Regina asked, propping herself up on her elbow. "Svana was her name. After spending a while walking in circles, she met a fox. Now her mother always warned her that foxes were sneaky creatures, and they would finish her off in one bite. The little duckling never listened to her warnings. But also, this fox was different from all the rest. You see, this fox had silver fur instead of copper, and it too seemed sad."
"Why are you crying, little duckling? The fox asked. "I am looking for a new family. One that will love me regardless of my size. The other ducklings like to tease me about how small I am." The cygnet answered. "Alas, I too am made fun of. My coat is silver instead of red like it's supposed to be." The fox told her.
"Will you help me find a new home?" Svana asked. "Of course." The fox answered, licking its chops. On and on they went, until they were surrounded by nothing but green forest. Each night, the fox would inch closer and closer to the helpless duckling.
Svana woke up one morning to the fox standing above her, mouth open in a snarl and claws unsheathed. As the animal prepared to finish her off, Svana closed her eyes and wished over and over she was back home with her family. When she opened them she saw she was back home, although she was no longer small. She had turned into a beautiful swan with large wings that shined on the lake.
Her duckling brothers and sisters stared at the magnificent swan Svana had become. "Please forgive us!" They cried. Being the kind soul that she was, Svana forgave them and helped each one grow into swans. However, Svana remained the most beautiful because her beauty came from the courage and kindness inside of her." Belle finished the story. "So, what happened to the fox?" Emma frowned, not liking the ending. "The fox ran away and never returned." The young woman answered.
"Why did Svana go back to her family after the horrible way they treated her?" Regina asked. "She knew in their hearts they truly cared for her. Once she learned to love herself, it didn't matter what they thought of her. It's what was on the inside that counted. She found a way to forgive them for what they had done, and she realized that they missed her when she was gone."
Regina rolled over onto her back, staring at the ceiling long after Ruby and Belle had gone to bed. "Emma?" She said quietly, hoping the blonde was still awake. "Yeah?" Emma answered, turning over to face her friend. "Do you think my mother misses me?" The brunette asked, thinking back to Belle's story.
"I'm sure she does. You are her daughter after all." Emma answered truthfully. Then more quietly she whispered "Are you thinking of going back?"
"I don't know. Maybe I can find it in my heart to forgive her for what she did to me. She did what she thought was best." Regina answered. Emma moved closer to her, feeling sad. She didn't want Regina to go away; she was her best friend. As if she sensed something was off, Regina held the girl's hand.
"I won't leave you, Emma. I promise." She whispered into the dark. Emma closed her eyes and wished with all of her heart that she was telling the truth.
The next day, the group went to the village again. Red went to go help Belle make some pastries to sell while Emma and Regina explored some more. A small group of people began to play music, and Emma grabbed Regina's hand and began to dance. Soon, the whole street was filled with people dancing, following the girls' lead.
Even Belle and Ruby joined in for a few minutes. The warm festivities were put to a halt as a loud scream was heard. "Thomas!" A woman shrieked from down the street. Emma and Regina looked to see a little toddler that looked to be no older than three playing on the cobblestone.
The ground began to shake, the light tremors sending people fleeing to safety. "Run!" Belle ordered the girls as a giant black dragon flew above their heads, going after the oblivious youngster. Emma grabbed her sword from the holster on her back, holding it up fearlessly.
Then she ran towards the toddler, Regina right on her heels. The dragon breathed a stream of fire directly in their path, barely missing them by a few inches. Regina scooped up the little boy in her arms as Emma threw the sword as hard as she could at the glowing orange orb on the dragon's chest.
The beast gave one last mighty roar before collapsing onto the ground on top of Emma. "Emma!" Regina screamed, putting the toddler down and running to assist her friend. With Red and Belle's help, Emma was pulled out from underneath the scaly monster.
The blond was unconscious, her face violently pale and her clothes stained a crimson red. Regina realized she must have impaled herself on her sword. "We have to do something!" She cried, shaking Emma to try and wake her. "Don't you leave me, Emma!"
Red carried Emma to where the fairies lived, knowing they would be able to help. "This is Blue. She'll be able to help us." The young woman explained to a frightened Regina. "It appears she has gone into a coma. I can make sure her wound doesn't get infected, but that's all I can do." The fairy said.
"Then what?" Red asked. "We wait. If she's strong enough to slay a dragon I'm sure she'll be strong enough to recover from this." Blue answered. Regina sat by Emma's side and held her hand. She would wait forever if she had to.