Emma and Regina took turns retelling the story of how they were reunited and taken by Maleficent while the group set up camp. "So how long?" Belle asked the young women as they started to eat dinner. "What do you mean?" Regina asked. Red and Belle shared a knowing look.
"There's something going on between you two." Red spoke. Emma avoided having to answer by taking a large bite of her meal. Regina looked down at the ground, warming her hands with the campfire. "Come on. Spill." Red pressured them.
"You know we have bigger things to worry about than this at the moment, such as how we're going to find Maleficent's daughter." Emma said. "We have all day tomorrow to worry about that. Tonight we're catching up. Now, what is it you two are hiding?" Belle argued, a mischievous glint in her eye.
Regina noticed Red's nose twitch and her eyes glowed bright yellow for an instant before fading back to brown. "That's not fair, you know. Using your werewolf powers against us." The brunette pointed out. "I didn't need to use my powers to notice something was different between the two of you." Ruby said.
Regina suddenly noticed that she was practically sitting on Emma's lap. The blonde had her free arm draped casually over Regina's, and their bracelets were glowing. "Okay, you caught us." Emma relented, planting a kiss on her companion's cheek. Regina's face flushed bright red, matching the color of her enchanted accessory.
"So you're together then." Belle stated. "No." Regina cut in quickly, earning an inquisitive gaze from the young woman beside her. "I mean; we don't know what we are yet." She mumbled, fidgeting with her cloak. "Well if the fairy was right, it won't be long now." Ruby winked at Belle.
Now it was Emma and Regina's turn to ask the questions. "What do you mean?" Emma asked. "The night you two were taken back to your kingdoms, Blue told us your paths would cross again. That fate couldn't keep you two apart forever." The wolf answered.
A small smile tugged at Regina's lips, and she intertwined her fingers with Emma's. "Right now we just want to get out of Maleficent's debt and away from our families. That's the only way we can be happy."
"But enough about us. What about you two?" Emma asked the two older women. Belle blushed as Red hugged her tight, tickling her side. "Belle doesn't need a handsome prince to protect her. Now she has a sexy werewolf!"
Regina noticed the small black moon etched into the young woman's wrist. "What's that?" She asked curiously. "That's my mark. Red imprinted on me." Belle smiled as Ruby nodded proudly. "When you two were taken away we feared for our own safety. So we made a pact to protect each other."
Imprinting was a very sacred and cherished tradition among werewolves. Usually the animals would imprint on others of their kind to let the pack know that their significant other was taken, however it had become more common for werewolves to share the tradition with humans as well.
"We found a new cottage in a different village but we still have all of the belongings you left." Ruby said. "We always hoped you would find us again." Belle smiled sweetly at the young women. "Well, once this is done and over with we won't have to worry about being separated ever again." Emma said softly, resting her chin on Regina's shoulder.
After the women had gotten their full, they laid down around the slowly dying campfire. If they were to wake up at first light they needed to turn in early. Regina shivered against the rapidly cooling night air. Emma instinctively put her arms around her to help warm her up.
Regina cuddled closer to the blonde, not realizing how much she missed her until now. This was the first time in years that anyone had given her gentle physical contact. "Are you warm enough now?" Emma asked. "Yes I am. Thank you." The brunette answered. She nearly jumped as Emma placed a tender kiss on her shoulder.
Regina thought about how ironic it was that she and Emma were destined to be together. They were polar opposites; Emma was warm, Regina was cold. Emma's parents loved her unconditionally, Regina's never gave her the time of day. Emma hated dressing up, Regina loved it. Emma wanted to go out on lots of dangerous adventures, Regina was content to stay home.
"Regina?" Emma's voice pulled the woman out of her thoughts. "Hmm?" Regina answered, turning to face her. "How do you see me?" The blonde was nervous as she was nibbling her bottom lip. Regina realized that what she said earlier must have upset her.
So she reached her hand out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind Emma's ear. The young woman's bright green eyes bore into hers, seeming like they could see straight into her soul. "I see… beauty. Confidence. A lost girl behind all the walls you're hiding behind. I see myself in you."
Emma smiled, a sweet sadness in her eyes. "I'm glad you found me, Regina."
"I always will." Regina said, leaning in and placing a small kiss on her lips. Emma was the first to fall asleep and Regina watched her for a long while. She studied the fall and rise of her chest as she breathed steadily in and out. The soft snores that escaped her as she dreamt. She imagined how it would be to wake up like this every morning before letting sleep overtake her.
"Alright, lovebirds! Up and at 'em!" Red said loudly, rudely awakening the young women from their slumber. Emma forced her eyes open, smiling as she saw Regina wrapped up in the cloak Emma had covered her with in the middle of the night.
Regina slowly came to, blinking in confusion as she saw Emma's cloak covering her. "You looked cold." Emma said before she had the chance to ask. Emma was slightly cold herself as the wet condensation around them had turned into frost overnight. "You better get your stomachs full now because we're not stopping until we make camp again." Ruby advised.
After the gang had eaten their leftovers, they packed up and ventured on. "Wait!" Emma suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. The bracelet she had worn every day for the past 10 years had fallen off. She rubbed her wrist, feeling empty without the missing accessory. "What is it, Emma?" Regina asked.
"My bracelet fell off." Emma answered, tears filling her eyes. They had walked for miles in unknown territory, and the chances of finding the bracelet were very slim. "I'm sure we'll find it." Regina tried reassuring her. "It's gone, Regina. We can't spend all day looking for it when we need to find Lily."
They walked in silence for a few minutes, tension in the air around them. Regina glanced at Emma to see the woman was silently wiping away tears and holding herself. Falling back to give her and Emma a little more privacy, the brunette grabbed onto her hand and stopped her.
"Emma, you don't need the bracelet anymore." Regina said, ripping off her own and throwing it as far as she could. "We're staying together. Nothing is going to separate us ever again."
Emma frowned, her bottom lip quivering. "But what if- "
Regina silenced her with a kiss, cupping the blonde's face and wiping away her tears. "We don't need magic to connect us anymore. Because I know you. And you know me. Now let's go find the dragon's daughter and go home."
"Incoming!" Belle yelled from up ahead. Regina blinked to find herself holding a sword, as was Emma. The woman must have used her magic to conjure up weapons. Ruby morphed into her wolf form as a creature appeared. Regina's eyes widened and the grip on her sword tightened.
The monster was large, almost as big as the four women combined. It had auburn fur, and its paws were flaming as well as its tail and neck. "What the hell is that thing?!" Emma shouted. Red attacked it, and the two fell into a tumbling, snarling mess of teeth and fur.
Emma ran forward to help their friend. Regina started to follow before she noticed Belle swaying on her feet. She lunged forward just in time to catch her and prevent the woman from hitting her head. "Is she alright?" Emma paused and turned back. "She just fainted." Regina answered, carefully laying the brunette down and standing guard in front of her.
Suddenly, Red let out a howl of pain. "Ruby!" Emma screamed, running forward to help. "Emma, wait!" Regina cried, making the blonde stop momentarily. The image of Emma slaying the dragon flashed in her mind, the sight of Emma's unmoving body caused her chest to tighten. "Somebody has to help. Stay with Belle." Emma ordered.
Regina watched helplessly as Red was tossed to the side like a ragdoll, unmoving. "Hey!" Emma yelled as it moved to finish the wolf off. The dangerous beast turned towards her, eyes glowing and teeth pulled back in a snarl. Emma raised her arms above her head to stab the monster when a voice suddenly stopped her.
"Please don't hurt him!" A woman cried, running into the clearing. "Are you crazy?! This monster just hurt our friend and is trying to kill us!" Emma yelled. "He's not a monster! Just please. Let me help." The young woman spoke. Belle woke up groggily, groaning as she came to. "What happened?"
She suddenly noticed Ruby's seemingly lifeless form. "Red!" She cried, trying to go to her lover. Regina held her back, her eyes trained on the group in front of her. The woman stepped towards the animal, unafraid even as it snapped its jaws and dug its razor-sharp claws into the Earth.
A flash of light blinded them all for a minute. When the light finally receded, they looked to see the monster had, in fact, turned into a man. The woman wrapped her arms around his neck, an amulet around her neck glowing. "Phillip! You're alright!"
The man smiled and held her close. "I'm just fine, my darling." He reassured her in a foreign accent. Regina let go of Belle and the women rushed to Ruby's side. Belle grabbed the woman's cloak and draped it over the animal.
Red turned human once again, but she had a deep gash in her side and her ribcage looked as if it had been crushed on the left side. "Red. Ruby. My love, please wake up." Belle tried to coax her in a shaking voice.
Emma turned her sword towards the strangers, ready to attack if need be. "What the hell are you?" She demanded. Regina joined her side, taking out her weapon as well. "Answer me or I swear I will kill you where you stand!" Emma yelled, anger burning in her eyes.
The man pushed the woman holding onto his arm behind him, his hands raised in surrender. "My name is Phillip. I am a prince of a kingdom nearby. This is my wife, Aurora. I apologize for hurting your friend. The Yaoguai is very territorial and unfortunately you saw firsthand what it can do."
"Why shouldn't I kill you? What happens if you go after some other innocent people? Children? Babies? Who's to say you won't go after them next?" Emma said. The princess stepped forward in an attempt to defend her husband. "Phillip is a good man. He just has been faced with a terrible curse. Let us help you. Bring your friend back to our castle."
"He must not have been a very good man if he happened to be cursed in the first place." Regina spoke, stepping closer to Emma. "A villain cursed him to keep us apart. She hates my family with all of her heart and would stop at nothing to destroy us. Fortunately, we have True Love on our side." Aurora explained.
"Her name is Maleficent." Phillip added. Both women lowered their swords, casting confused glances at each other. "Maleficent? Why would she want to hurt you?" Emma asked. "Because she's a villain. It's what they do best." Aurora said.
"We're looking for something of Maleficent's. Maybe you can help us. After all, you did try to kill us. I think you owe us the favor." Emma said. "Of course." Aurora said, leading the way while Phillip picked up the still unconscious Ruby.
They arrived at the castle just as the sun was setting. "So, how often do you turn into this beast?" Regina asked, nervously eyeing the man. "Yaoguai." Phillip corrected. "And only during moments of great stress or certain times during the lunar cycle."
He set Red down on a table and stepped aside while Aurora examined her. "I need fresh towels, bandages, hot water, a sewing needle, and some thread." She said, sending her husband to get the supplies. Relief filled the women as Ruby slowly came to, groaning in pain.
"I'm right here, Red. We all are." Belle kissed the wolf's hand. "We must have made one hell of a team if we managed to defeat that monster." Ruby mumbled, unfocused eyes looking at Emma and Regina. "We didn't exactly defeat it, Rubes." Emma said.
The woman tried to sit up, but Aurora and Belle gently held her down. "You're badly injured, and it's best if you stay still. My name is Aurora and I'm going to do everything I can to help fix you up." The princess explained. "Don't tell me this little thing is the big bad beast." Red said.
"No, that would be my husband." Aurora said. Despite the pain, Ruby managed to raise her eyebrows. "He must be fun in bed." She commented. Regina couldn't help but giggle at that. A smile appeared on Emma's face as well.
Phillip returned with the supplies, and as Aurora got to work on healing the woman the playful mood faded. Ruby cried out in pain, clutching the table beneath her and writhing in pain. Regina noticed Belle looked rather pale, so she sat the woman down in a room nearby.
"Are you okay?" She asked softly, trying to keep the woman conscious. They didn't need another person needing assistance. "I'm fine." Belle answered, breathing steadily. "I just hate to see her in pain. And the sight of blood makes me queasy."
Phillip brought her a glass of water. "This will help keep you hydrated." He offered. The brunette thanked him and took a sip, trying to control her shaking hands. A few minutes later, Emma and Aurora emerged. "She's doing fine. She's patched up and resting right now, I gave her some herbs to help her sleep to quicken the healing process." The princess explained.
Phillip took Belle back to see Ruby while Aurora waited with the two women. Regina toyed with the small silver rattle in her hands, nervously fidgeting. "Where did you get that?" Aurora asked. Emma and Regina looked up in surprise. "I recognize it. It's an object from my dreams. Or it's a memory that feels like a dream." Aurora said.
Regina watched as the purple mist inside swirled in a circular pattern. "Maleficent gave this to us. To aid us on our journey." Emma said. "Maleficent? Helping you?" Aurora said, eyebrows raised in disbelief. "It's a long story." Regina said.
The princess sat down across from them. "Your friend won't be able to travel for at least 2 days. And after I helped her, don't you think I deserve to know your story?"
"The Yaoguai did try to kill us." Emma pointed out. Regina sighed and handed the blonde the rattle. "Just tell her, Emma. We don't have much time left and they might be able to help us."
The blonde frowned but slowly nodded. The two royals listened calmly as Emma and Regina explained their situation. "If we can't find Maleficent's daughter soon, this might turn into a war." Regina said. "We'll help you the best we can." Phillip offered. "Violence is not how we solve things."
"Would you be willing to come back with us? Perhaps you can reason with her. If not at least we have the Yaoguai on our side." Emma asked. "We have suffered greatly just to escape that dragon's clutches. She killed my parents, put me in under a sleeping curse, cursed my husband. Who knows what she will do to our unborn child?" Aurora said.
"You're expecting." Regina said. The princess rubbed her belly, smiling at her husband. "We've made our lives better."
Emma shifted closer, feeling the rattle in her hands pulling towards Aurora. She actually felt a little faint. "Emma." Regina noticed the blonde looked rather pale. "Are you okay?"
"Maleficent must have cursed this." Emma said, passing it off to Regina. The brunette gasped as the object began to glow in her hands. Aurora gasped as well, though hers was from a cry of pain. She clutched her stomach as Phillip tried to assist her.
Belle came out to see what the commotion was about and watched in shock as Aurora's belly swelled before their eyes. "Witches! We should have known better than to trust you!" Phillip pointed his finger at the women. "We didn't do this!" Emma protested, her eyes wide with fear as the princess screamed in pain. Regina stepped forward to protect Emma. "Get out! All of you! Guards!" The man yelled. They watched as his eyes went from brown to bright yellow. "Get out of here now!" Emma yelled to Belle and Regina.
The castle guards came a few seconds too late. Phillip had transformed into his animal half, and within seconds every guard was incapacitated. Belle and Regina got Aurora out of the room and into another chamber while Emma managed to lead the Yaoguai out of the castle and into the courtyard before barricading the doors.
Regina sighed as Emma returned unscathed. "That won't hold him for long. We need to get Ruby and leave now."
"We can't just leave her." Belle motioned to the princess writhing in pain on the bed. "This baby is coming now."
"I need Phillip!" Aurora cried, her stomach contracting. "You're going to have to do this without him. You're doing fine, just breathe." Belle coaxed her. Regina helped Ruby in the room before Emma barricaded the door. "You tricked us! This was part of Maleficent's plan all along!" Aurora accused them.
"Maleficent tricked us! She was never going to let us go." Emma said. Regina looked out the window to see the Yaoguai clawing at the castle doors, flaming brightly in anger. Red began to come to, wincing at the loud screaming in her sensitive ears.
The screaming intensified for a good minute before Belle was holding a newborn in her arms. "It's a boy." She said, wrapping the baby in a small blanket. "I remember." Aurora panted, taking her son into her arms. "I remember why I know that rattle. Maleficent did trick you with it, but she wasn't lying."
"What is it?" Regina asked. "She does have a daughter; she just doesn't know who. Me." The princess answered. "You?!" The women said. Aurora actually laughed at their reactions. "Crazy, I know. All these years, Maleficent hated my family for taking her daughter away. She even went so far as to attack Briar Rose's child. But she didn't know that that child was me. My parents thought they were doing what was best for the baby."
"So when she sent us to this forest, she thought the Yaoguai would finish us off or we would find you since she sent us to your kingdom." Emma said. "But how did she know you were expecting?" Belle asked. "She's Maleficent. She knows everything about her enemies. How else would she plot her revenge?"
"Regina." Emma grabbed the brunette's arm, a look of alarm on her face. "he wasn't sending us to find her daughter. She thought that was a lost cause. If she was sending us with no intentions of bringing us back our kingdoms could be in trouble."
"How are we supposed to get back? We have no idea where we are, and Red can't travel with her injuries." Belle said. Regina looked at the blonde. "You."
Emma immediately shook her head. "I can't heal her, Regina."
"You healed me!" The brunette argued, holding out her once broken wrist. "You can heal Ruby too. I know it."
Regina lead Emma over to the barely conscious woman. Emma stared at the injuries before her, biting her lip. "Look at me, Emma." Regina turned the woman's head to face her. "You can do it. I believe in you."
Emma's hands glowed brightly and within seconds Ruby was healed. A flash of light blinded the room. "Well done." Rumpelstiltskin appeared before them, grinning. "What the hell are you doing here?" Emma demanded, grabbing her sword.
Ruby growled, ready to morph at any moment. "I just wanted to congratulate you on your newfound ability. True Love really does conquer all." The man giggled. "You brought Maleficent back. She captured us, tricked us into hurting Aurora." Emma accused. "That's not all she has done. If I were you, I would run back home to your kingdoms." Rumple said.
"What aren't you telling us?!" Emma shouted, pinning the man against the wall with her sword at his throat. Phillip burst into the room, human once again. He moved to attack Emma until his wife stopped him. "You have so much of your father in you, little princess." Rumpelstiltskin sneered.
In a flash, he poofed out of her grip. "You send us back home right now! All of us!" Regina demanded. The baby in Aurora's arms began to wail. The man's eyes snapped to the newborn, an evil smile creeping onto his face. "I'll send you home. For a price."
"Don't even think about taking that baby!" Ruby snarled, held back by Belle. Suddenly, Rumpelstiltskin clutched at his throat, gasping for air. His eyes widened as his throat constricted. "You owe us after all we have been through. Now, send. Us. Home." Emma growled, her hand glowing with green magic.
"Alright." He choked out, defeated. Emma let him go and he crumpled to the ground. "I'll send you home."
"Take us with you." Aurora said. "Aurora, are you crazy?" Phillip argued. "She's my mother, Phillip. I can't let her keep terrorizing us, harming our people. She deserves to know the truth." Aurora said, gently kissing her husband. The man looked down at their son, slowly nodding.
With a wave of Rumpelstiltskin's hand, the group was back in the ballroom that Emma and Regina were taken from. They arrived just in time to see Maleficent pierce Cora through the heart and watch her body fall to the floor.