Regina stared at the young woman before her. It was Emma. Her Emma. When her father had announced that they were going to the 20th birthday celebration of Prince James and Snow White's daughter, she could barely contain her excitement. Isabella had helped her get ready for the occasion, knowing about the relationship she and Emma had.
Seeing her friend for the first time in 10 years, Regina felt that void inside of her slowly dissipate. Ever since Zelena's death, life had gotten increasingly worse for the young princess. Her mother became more abusive, physically and emotionally torturing her into submission.
The woman was determined to make her a Queen now more than ever. Regina's father on the other hand… he no longer wanted anything to do with his daughter. The once kind heart he had for his daughter had turned to stone, it seemed. He no longer tried to bond with her, the nights of late stories and tea by the fireplace were over.
When he witnessed Cora laying her cruel punishments on their only daughter he simply turned the other way, disappearing into his study for long periods of time. He was always away now, rarely at home. Even when Regina was 12 and she had come down with a horrible case of pneumonia he had cruelly left her alone to suffer, not caring whether she lived or died.
The only thing that got her through the agonizingly slow days turned to months turned to years was Emma's letters and the comfort of the bracelets. Regina knew that one day, she and Emma would be reunited. And now here they were, face to face.
"I can't believe it's really you." The brunette breathed, holding Emma's hand as the young woman helped her up. Emma hugged her tightly, making up for all the years they spent apart. "You look absolutely stunning, Emma. Happy birthday." Regina smiled at her. The blonde certainly had aged well. There were curves that she didn't have before, and she grew into her piercing green eyes.
Emma thanked her and spun her around. "I could say the same about you. You certainly are a sight to see, Regina. I bet all the men just fawn over you." The blonde commented, her eyes looking her up and down. Then her smile faded as she noticed the small bandage on Regina's left wrist.
"Cora…" The blonde whispered, eyebrows knit together in worry. "Did you get my letter? It's not that bad." The brunette tried to distract her. "I got your letter today in fact, but this still upsets me. She has no right to treat you like this!" Emma seethed with anger. Regina took her hand, rubbing the pad of her thumb over the soft skin.
"You're wearing my ring." She said softly, noticing how the small heart gleamed in the moonlight. Emma temporarily forgot about the other woman's injury, paying attention to the small jewel on her littlest finger. "It's a special night." Emma took the olive-toned hand of Regina's and lifted it to her mouth, lightly brushing her lips against it in an intimate gesture.
Regina felt her heart skip a beat. All the feelings that she was forced to keep inside her all these years threatened to come forth. They may have been innocent children when they had run away and believed they would finally be free from their royal lives, but over the years her feelings toward the princess had deepened with every letter that was exchanged between them.
"We better get inside and join the festivities." Regina reluctantly pulled her hand away, noticing the blonde's eyes never looked away from her. "I suppose you're right." Emma murmured. She grabbed Regina's wrist once more, and the young woman could do nothing but stare as she used magic to heal the fracture. "Thank you." The brunette said softly. "I guess my magic only works when I'm with you. Such a strange thing, isn't it?" Emma answered, a smile tugging at her lips before she disappeared inside.
After a few minutes, Regina joined her parents in the crowded ballroom. "There you are! Where have you been?" Cora demanded, a wide smile on her face and sweet tone to her voice. Regina could read between the lines and she fought hard to think of an excuse. If the Queen were to find out who she was with, she would come unglued.
Her mother hated the Nolan family with every inch of her being although she never quite understood why they were enemies. The night Regina and Emma were caught she had about beat her daughter to death for running off. "And especially with that disgusting street rat of a child!" she had hissed.
Poor little Regina just shut herself off and drifted to her happy place. And that place had changed. It was now her memories of Emma and Red and Belle, their nice home, small village. Imagining that place each time her mother would come after her in fits of rage over the years kept her sane. It also caused her great sadness.
Regina realized her mother was still waiting for an answer. "I lost my necklace outside. It took me a few minutes to find it." The young woman answered, fingers idly stroking the silver chain and hoping it was a good enough excuse to get out of a punishment. Cora simply nodded and turned her daughter around to face the approaching royal family.
"What a beautiful young lady you've become." David complimented Regina. The brunette thanked him, blushing slightly. "I'm sure you remember our daughter, Emma." Snow nudged the blonde forward. "Of course." Regina answered, smiling at her friend. "We'll leave you two then." Snow glided away, the others following behind. "Don't even think about trying anything." Cora hissed in her daughter's ear in warning.
"Cake?" Emma led them over to the food table, grabbing them both slices of her favorite chocolate dessert. "It's a bit stuffy in here." Regina glanced at the people milling about. "We should go outside." Emma led the way to the back entrance. But before they could leave, the main doors flew open.
"Well well. What do we have here?" The party guests shrunk in fear at the sight of the new arrival. "Maleficent." Snow spat. "You are not welcome here."
"Oh yes, that's right isn't it? An unspoken rule between the kingdoms. However, I couldn't help but miss this special occasion." The woman spoke, dressed in the finest silks with horns on top of her head that a dragon might have. Her dark eyes turned towards Emma, and the blonde unconsciously reached out for her companion.
Regina squeezed her hand reassuringly, wondering what on earth the villain was doing here. She knew that Maleficent and her mother used to be close at one time before she and Zelena were born, but she had no idea she knew the Nolan's as well.
"I come to collect a gift. For myself that is." Maleficent stepped towards the two young women, smiling maliciously. "You were the ones that defeated me 10 years ago. Thanks to an old friend, I was resurrected. Now I come to get my revenge."
"Emma!" Snow cried out as the villain grabbed both women, shackling them together with magic. "Ah ah." Maleficent tsked, freezing all of the royals in place with a wave of her hand. Breathing fire from her mouth, she sent the remaining guests scattering to safety. Then she turned to the young women.
"Shall we, ladies?" In a puff of black smoke, they were all transported to a lair of some kind. It was more like a cave. Cold, damp, dimly lit by small torches. "Here is where you will stay. Excuse the accommodations, it's not as cushy as you're used to I'm sure."
"Why do you want us? Just because we slayed you? Saved a whole village?" Emma asked. "Oh no, dear. There's more to the story."
The woman's dark eyes pierced the young women as she studied them curiously. "You know nothing about your families, do you? Why your parents are enemies?" She turned her gaze onto Regina. "Why your sister perished?"
"There's nothing you say that we're going to believe. You're holding us captive!" Emma snapped, stepping towards the villain. Regina opened her mouth to speak, but she suddenly caught the way the blonde's eyes glowed in the dim lighting. Her eyes alone could light up a whole room.
The brunette quickly got ahold of herself and pulled Emma back before she became the dragon's lunch. Maleficent simply smirked at them, noticing the small gesture between the two princesses. "You have to hear my story before you don't believe me, dear."
For once, Emma was at a loss for words. Maleficent motioned for the girls to sit down on the small couch that had materialized behind them. "Now that we're all a little more comfortable, would you care to listen?" She asked. "We don't want to hear another word." Emma hissed.
Maleficent stood up, complying with the girl's wishes. Regina almost stopped her as she grabbed her staff and made her way to the door. Her sister's death was still a mystery. Her parents refused to talk about it, either a sharp hand or stinging remark had quashed her curiosity and she quickly learned not to speak of it.
Cora had even forbidden her from even speaking of Zelena. She wiped the people's memories, erased her very existence. The royals were the only ones that had their memories intact. It was rather easy to pretend Zelena never existed, but late at night guilt would creep into the princess's mind. She would be lying if she said she didn't miss her older sister just a little bit.
Both girls had to endure Cora's wrath to some extent, had to watch their stability crumble as tensions between Henry and Cora continued to rise. Many nights, Regina would sneak from her bedchamber and climb in with her sister. It comforted them both, and Zelena always made sure to send her off back to her own room before Cora arrived to wake them.
Zelena was a sweet and innocent girl underneath the exterior, and Regina missed her. Cora's punishments would become so severe that Regina found herself blaming Emma. She knew it was unfair and selfish, but at the time she was hurting.
"I'm in no hurry to dredge up the past, anyhow." A sinister smile crept across Maleficent's face. "After all, we have forever. Sleep tight my dears."
With that, she left the women alone in an uncomfortable silence. Regina was a bit surprised to feel anger stir in her chest. Emma glanced over at her, feeling her emotion through the bracelet. "It's going to be okay, Regina."
Regina pulled away as Emma tried to touch her. "I'm not angry at Maleficent. I'm not a frightened little peasant." The brunette spat. Immediately, she winced at her words. Cora must have gotten under her skin more than she cared to admit.
"Then why are you angry?" Emma's voice became disconnected, as if she was putting a wall up between them. She knew damn well why Regina was upset. "You don't need to speak for me. Maybe I wanted to hear Maleficent's side of things."
"We can't trust her." Emma said, softening her tone. "How do I know that I can trust you? It's been 10 years. 10 years, Emma! We've both changed since then. We can't just pick up where we left off. We're not little girls running off and dreaming of adventure. We're grown women now. A lot has happened since then."
Emma turned to face her now. "I realize that. But I thought the letters are what kept us connected. I bared my soul to you, told you things absolutely no one else knows of. I never once doubted your loyalty." The blonde said. Regina could feel she was hurt by her words, but that just fueled the fire.
"My sister is dead because of you. I gave up everything to save you, and now look at me. I probably won't live to see another day."
"I didn't ask you to save me! You made that stupid decision yourself. I'm sorry I ruined your perfect little family. Is that what you want me to say? I'm sorry your father wants nothing to do with you. I'm sorry your mother takes her anger out on you. I'm sorry your selfish and arrogant sister is dead!" Emma yelled, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Regina heard more than felt her hand strike the blonde across the face. The sound echoed in the dungeon, bouncing off the cave walls. Emma's eyes widened, and Regina saw fear behind them. Emma quickly got up and crossed the room, ripping her bracelet off and discarding it before sitting on the small cot.
Regina got up and stood in front of the floor mirror, barely able to see her own reflection amidst the tears burning her eyes. As her vision slowly cleared and the young princess looked at herself, she saw her mother staring back at her.
Maleficent chuckled as she pulled her head away from the door. Everything was falling into place. The princesses were fighting with one simple remark from her. The wall between them would only grow once they learned of their family's history. The kingdoms would soon be at each others throats, and war would soon follow. Then Maleficent would do what she always dreamed of; she would rule.
Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to update, I got a bit of writer's block and I lost my motivation for a while. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! All reviews are greatly appreciated :)