By the time Regina made her way into her quarters, she felt the weight of the entire day dragging behind her.

She walked into her bedroom and found baby blue smoke filling the center of her bed. She smirked as she saw the White Princess appear on her side, head in her hand and a cheeky smile on her face as the smoke faded, "Princess!" She feigned surprise, "What are you doing in my bedchamber?! We've only just met!" She placed a dramatic hand over her heart.

The White Princess grinned as she got off the bed and walked over to the queen, "You are so funny with your little games." She said just before she took Regina's face in her hands and kissed her. "God, I missed you."

"I've missed you too." Regina kissed the blonde's back.

"Are you sure you can't just marry me and call this whole thing off? I really did not like watching all of those guys come flirt with you…" Emma gave the Shadow Queen her best puppy eyes.

Regina shook her head, "The laws for both of our lands clearly state that a female royal cannot marry the fairer sex and a male royal cannot marry the masculine sex even if one or both are magical and can therefore reproduce." She held the blonde tighter, "I had fun pretending to be offended by your frosting mustache you always manage to get when you eat chocolate cake." She pecked her lips twice more, "Mmm."

Emma grinned before responding to the woman's first statement, "Well, our kingdoms need to get it together. Look at Belle and Red and Ariel and Eric! They're all doing just fine and their kingdoms are actually prospering!"

"I know, my love, but this is not my decision just like it's not yours. It's the court's."

"The courts for our lands are idiots." The blonde pulled Regina closer and walked her to the bed.

"I don't disagree, my love." Regina smiled as Emma pushed her onto the bed, holding her tight so they could have their usual staring contest. "How did you get your parents to agree?" She asked as she settled and pressed her forehead to the blonde's.

Emma grinned, "I told you I would…"

"Yes, but how?!"

"I made them believe that it was showing the other princes and knights and them too, that I am just as good as anyone else."

Regina smiled with the blonde and nodded, "Mmm, and you are. After all you did save me, and I'm a witch."

"And I'm not?"

"No, darling, you are more of an enchanter or a sorceress."

"What's the difference?"

"Your magic is good, pure."

Emma rolled her eyes before pulling back to stare at her, "And yours isn't."

Regina looked down as she admitted, "Mine is black."

"But you only use it for good!"

"Even so, it is still black magic. Therefore," she placed a hand on her sternum, "Witch." She placed a hand on her love's sternum, "Sorceress."

Emma looked into her eyes, "I don't care what you are so long as I can do this." She leaned down and started nipping at Regina's neck. She waited a moment before going to the spot that would make Regina squirm and moan. When she did hit it, she pulled away with a laugh, "And make you do that."

After a moment Regina swallowed hard, emotion suddenly stumbling off her in waves, "Darling, what if you lose?"

"I'm not going to lose." Emma shook her head and started in Regina's neck once more.

The Queen pushed the White Princess away and gave her a look, "Anyone ever tell you you're a little arrogant?"

This made the blonde laugh again, "Yes. You." She kissed her again, "All the time."

"Well…" The brunette searched for a deeper, wittier comeback but only came back with, "You are."

"And you need to have a little faith in me."

After sharing a sensitive look, Regina reached up and stroked the blonde's cheek, "I do."

"Then just let me beat them all and marry you." She leaned down and kissed her queen.

Regina accepted the myriad of kisses the princess gave her, "Okay." She said between kisses, "I…will…be…'cause…I…love…you."

Emma now pulled back with a stupid grin, "I know." She started to lean back in, but Regina leaned up kissed her collarbone, "I love you, too." She kissed her lips, "You dummy."

~0~0~0~0~0~

The advisors and Regina gathered in her study. They hadn't had a chance to talk the evening before about what each of them saw. Though, as they all entered the room, no one actually spoke. Everyone—everything was quiet.

Regina sat in her desk chair; Bae and Pinocchio sat on the couch; Jefferson stood next to the fireplace, one hand on the mantle the other fisted on his hip; Genie paced next to the large windows; and Graham looked over to Hook as the man walked toward the desk, stopping at the globe to the right.

Graham knew they had the same suspicions as everyone else and decided to try the intimidation tactic; he walked around the desk and leaned against it, staring at the queen.

Hook spun the globe with his hand before stopping it with his hook—his hook just so happened to land on the White Kingdom.

"I find it interesting…" the one-handed man said, breaking the silence among them, "That you let the White Kingdom get away with that little stunt."

"Mm," Jefferson spoke up from across the room, "And that you did not take it for a joke. You didn't even crack a smile until you had Lord Big Shnoz—Excuse me, Lord Smith shut up."

The rest of the men laughed, "Lord Big Shnoz." Hook repeated, through a grunt of a chuckle.

Regina was unimpressed—even though that was exactly what she had thought of him the day before. She rolled her eyes before responding, "Just why would I take it for a joke;" She turned to Hook, "And why should it be considered a stunt?"

"Come on, Love…" Hook wrapped his right arm over his chest and pointed at her with his hook, "At any other time, in any other realm or kingdom, anyone would consider submitting a woman a joke."

Regina opened her mouth to talk, but the Genie stopped her, "That's not how it should be, but that is the way it is and you know it."

Graham nodded, "Yes, and yesterday, you didn't even seem phased by the Princess White's presence…"

Bae looked at her. After catching her eye, he asked, "Is there something you'd like to tell us?"

Regina scooted her chair into her desk entirely and sat there a moment. She twiddled her thumbs as she tried to think of an eloquent delivery, but all that came out was, "I am in love."

All six men's ears perked and their eyes landed on their queen.

Jefferson clapped his hands once as he came closer, "Our queen is in love. In love with who, I wonder…" He had an entertaining look in his eye, "Could it be the adorable and knowledgeable Prince Chip who likes to read novels and run in the wild?" His voice began sounding like an announcer, "Or, Prince Alexander? The one that's never had a girlfriend, and is the cleanest of them all?" He pointed at nothing as he took a step forward, "Perhaps it is Prince Arely? The man probably has warts on his unmentionables, but by the time he gets you to bed you won't care because he's so dreamy and romantic."

The other men were laughing along and booing as Jefferson went on.

The Hatter decided to finish what he started, "Maybe it is Prince Dunstan? He is noble and kind. A prince with the soul of an adventurer and a want for true love." He shook his head, "Prince Artie? He may be the cousin of Ogres, but that's not his fault. He's funny just like his cousins, and hey—" he clapped his hands and pointed with both index fingers to Regina, "The holidays gotta be a lot of fun, right?" He then started walking around again, "Maybe it's not a Prince at all. Perhaps a knight… In that case, we have Sir Gustave. The knight that every other aspires to. He is knowledgeable of all the kingdom's secrets, of that I have no doubt. He is worthy of a queen's hand." He turned both palms up and swung his arms at an 'L' out with a shrug as if to say, 'it might just be him' before he continued, "Or, there is Sir Patrick, but let's be honest, the rumors around him and his lady friends are as fiery as Prince Alexander's…" He raised his brows as he walked to the desk, where most of the men were already surrounding their queen.

"OR!" He started as he slammed his hands on the edge and looked at her, "She's in love with neither the princes nor the knights, and she is in love with the White Princess."

"I think you might be onto something, old friend." Pinocchio, the only advisor not close to the desk, stood from the couch and clapped Jefferson on the shoulder.

They looked to each other before they turned and stared at their queen before holding conversation as if in a 40s newspaper room, or as if they'd rehearsed a lead in to a minstrel number.

"You think?" Jefferson asked his friend.

"I do indeed."

"With what? You've wood for brains…"

"I've brains for brains, and I've been thinking—"

"It's still a scary thought—"

"I've been thinking that the queen is surrounded by us strapping brutes day in and day out—"

"Say, that is a thought. Why do you suppose she hasn't made advances?"

"I suppose she's in love."

"That's a good reason!"

"Well that's what she said."

"That is what she said."

"And since she's in love, the only question is—"

"When's the wedding?"

"No."

"Who's the guy?"

"No."

"Well what's the question?"

"If you would stop questioning, I could question my question."

"If you would stop making me question, I wouldn't be questioning and you could question your question."

Pinocchio stared at his best friend a moment, pausing to wrap that one around his head, "Question?"

"Yes….?"

"If she's in love why would she hold a Battle Royale?"

"Well that's simple…"

The former puppet glared at his friend and almost knocked the man's hat off, "How is that simple? Would not the simple thing be to marry the man she's in love with?"

"Oh, that's much simpler. Perhaps it's not so simple; perhaps it's complicated; perhaps you don't in fact have wood for brains."

"I've told you once today, I don't. I'm a real man… besides the lying thing…"

"Right! So, what's the answer to the complicated question?"

"That it's complicated by law."

"By law, you say?"

"By law, I say."

"To which law are we referring?"

"The one with the royals not being allowed to marry a person of the same gender."

"That's brilliant!"

"I know."

"For the Queen has allowed a woman into the competition."

"And if the woman wins…"

"Then the court has to allow the princess to marry the queen."

"So, the queen must be in love with that princess if she is in love at all because the princess is the only one she can't marry at will."

"And she's in love, so she's said."

"Exactly."

They both nodded once they were done. They pulled apart from their bros-can-share-a-side-hug and looked at the blank stares.

"You two need to get laid." Graham said, breaking the silence, causing everyone to chuckle, "You shall join Hook and myself on an adventure out one night; we'll show you how it's done." The Genie and Bae both shook their heads. Graham didn't comment on their superiority, instead he turned to the queen, "Although, I do think they've a point…"

Regina ignored the former knight and looked at the Genie, "Genie?"

"Yes, my Queen?"

"Have you made the sash for our only magical competitor?"

The Genie waved his hand, producing a black sash to show her. She nodded once before standing.

"Let the games begin." She said as she started out of her study.

AN: Read and Review!