The next thing the blonde knew she was laying on her back on the warm sand, staring up at the blazing sun. She squinted her eyes, having not yet adjusted to the brightness, and notices a figure hovering above her. Instinctively, she scooted away, only to be held in place by the creature's strong hands. Then her eyesight evened out.
"Hold still," came a familiar voice. "You're injured."
The princess had not become aware of the pain, centered around her left leg, until the brunette had mentioned it. Emma recalled the woman's beauty, still trying to sort out her thoughts on what had happened to her, and then she remembered something.
"You're a…" she began, feeling foolish for saying such a thing aloud, only to be cut off by the woman in question.
"Mermaid," the brunette finished for her with a knowing smirk. "Yes, dear, I'm well aware." It was only then that the blonde noticed the woman had been busying herself with wrapping her injured leg with seaweed. At the blonde's confused expression, the brunette explained, "It's enchanted to have healing properties. Sorry if it's too tight; it needs to be in order to work properly." Emma nodded in approval and watched the mermaid work her magic in awe.
"So," began the blonde, a million questions dancing upon her tongue. "How is this…possible," she asked, signaling between the two of them. The brunette raised her eyebrows in response then joked, "You don't any time, do you?" Emma stiffened at the comment then relaxed when she picked up the woman's playful tone. The blonde let out a nervous chuckle then the mermaid let her out of her misery and introduced herself.
"My name's Regina, daughter of Poseidon." Eyes wide in shock, the blonde gaped at the woman, not believing her eyes. "The Poseidon," she questioned, not sure if she had heard the woman correctly. At the brunette's hesitant nod, Emma introduced herself to the mermaid.
"I forgot to ask," spoke the blonde, feeling dumb for not mentioning it before. "What happened?" Regina glanced down at the woman's leg then met hazel eyes again and answered, "You injured it on a sharp rock, hidden by the water. You must've passed out from the blood loss." Unwrapping the leg, Emma was amazed to find that there was no longer any visibly signs that there had ever been an injury. Also, her pain was gone. Regina flashed the blonde a knowing grin. "Got to love magic."
At the statement, Emma let out a mirthless chuckle. "Not always," she muttered under her breath, Regina just barely hearing her but deciding not to intervene. Emma's mind traveled back to Neal and the Dark One. Magic ruined lives.
As if sensing the blonde's distress, Regina spoke up, knocking the woman out of her inner musings. "You asked earlier…how I was able to be on land." At Emma's nod, the brunette continued. "I'm sort of what you would call a mixed breed. My father's Poseidon but my mother was human. At least, until she made a deal with the sea witch." Regina now had the blonde's full attention. Emma could tell by the shake in the woman's voice that she's not used to sharing these things aloud.
"When I'm in the water, I'm a mermaid," Regina continued. "But when I'm on land, I have legs." If the thought of seeing a mermaid alone didn't blow Emma's mind, this surely did. She is both! How cool is that?
It was as if Regina could read the blonde's mind as she added, "It's more of a curse, really. My mother never lets me go above the surface. She's says she's afraid for my safety but I can tell she regrets making the deal with Ursula. She's jealous of my ability to choose and she locks me away at night so I can't escape the ocean."
Emma was furious at the woman's mother even though she barely knew the brunette. How could someone do that to their own child? Then she thought to her own parents and how, in a way, they were doing the same thing to her. She shared her story with Regina and felt a weight lift from her chest. Her heart broke for the brunette at her saddened expression, then she had an idea.
The blonde's eyes lit up as she suggested, "What if we ran away together?"