They'd been in the library for a good three hours. Charming, Snow, Red, Belle and the advisors were the only ones in the large room with the Shadow Queen; they were the only ones that knew the eight contenders left at all.
The first hour had been filled with different tactics to find them and bring them home. The second hour was filled with the question, 'Why?', that had spilled to blame on each kingdom and anger from the parents in the room. The Shadow Queen had shut that argument down and silenced them all, thankfully without her magic. And the third hour brought only Arely back; that was too much to think about in and of itself.
After Regina excused herself from Arely and separated herself from everyone, she had to keep herself sectioned off. Had she not, she would have broken completely seeing the four distraught parents in the room.
She knew she couldn't go to the Forbidden Mountain. If she did, she wouldn't know what she was going to find. And based on Arely's assessment, he wouldn't be there if Emma needed him, which she knew to be true, and she wouldn't have sent him back if they weren't going to be much longer, which she knew to be true as well.
But one minute turned to two, which turned to ten, which turned to twenty. And the dull ache in her stomach told her something was amiss.
Charming had seen the Shadow Queen make her way to a darkened corner of the library, to do what, he wasn't sure. But he knew damn well that this was affecting the Shadow Queen as much, if not more than himself. He'd just built enough courage to walk over to the fiercest woman of good in all the lands and tell her not to worry when a puff of bright white and light blue smoke began filling the center of the library lobby, growing at an exponential rate. It filled the empty center of the lobby quickly and then just as it reached an alarming height, it began to fade.
The White Princess, the princes, the knights and their guests were revealed to the room. Regina stayed in the shadows of the bookcases. Her heart clutched as she saw battle wounds.
Arely, the advisors and the parents made their way over, immediately assessing wounds, questioning their bound captive and the barely alive witch.
Emma looked for Regina, but decided the Genie was a good second, "Sir Genie!" She shrugged her concerned mother away and walked over to him, Maleficent in still in her arms, "Maleficent is still alive. Her pulse is barely there, but I think she can be saved… And I'm not sure she should be handled by just anyone…" She spoke softly, making sure no one could hear them.
The Genie took in her words before nodding once to show his understanding. He offered his arms, relieving the Princess of the fallen evil witch and made to take her to a room to tend to her.
"And Genie?" She turned immediately finding her queen's hiding spot.
"Yes, Princess?" He looked back to her.
"I've reason to believe the Briar Rose hasn't a heart." She said as she kept a trained eye on the queen, but looked to the Genie enough to know that he heard her.
Charming and Snow quickly passed the Genie as soon as he and their daughter were done talking.
"Emma, are you alright?" Snow touched the scratch on her daughter's cheek.
Emma nodded, still looking at Regina, "I'm fine. I'm just… exhausted."
"The Forbidden Mountain?" Charming asked, stepping in front of Emma, effectively cutting off her view of the Shadow Queen. "What were you doing?"
"Something that had to be done." Emma tried to pull from them.
"No!" Charming growled, grabbing her arm and yanking her back before she could get too far, "You need to give us something! You need to give me something!" His eyes were pleading, begging Emma to see the hurt and worry.
Emma ripped her arm from her father's grasp, a hot-headed answer on her tongue, but then she looked to her daddy's eyes. "Daddy, I don't need to give you anything. And I won't." She paused and inhaled a breath, "Not because I can't. Just because there are some things that I'm not going to discuss with you, either of you right now." She swallowed and looked down, "Know that I'm not giving you things because I love you and I'm protecting you." She looked back up to her father's eyes that she knew she'd inherited. "I need to take care of my men."
She walked over to the seven contenders that had swiftly become lifelong friends and confidants, had they not been already, "Thank you." She spoke just above a whisper.
They all looked to each other and nodded together.
"Aurora?" Emma asked Chip as she looked around the library.
"Pinocchio and Jefferson took her off my hands."
Emma nodded before she inspected Chip, "You are fine, right? No battle wounds?"
"Fine." Chip nodded.
"I'm fine too. Seeing as you magicked me back when I could have been useful in the thick of it." Arely gave the White Princess enough sarcasm to tell her that he was mad for being sent away but apologizing for not containing himself before.
"Keep up with your mouth and I'll just leave you next time. You won't get to have any fun." Emma gave him a smile.
"And miss you killing goons with your bare, lovely hands?" He smiled, "Then I'll never speak again."
She shook her head before she moved on and looked to Alexander; he had a bruised face and a split lip. With her good hand, she touched his bruised cheek and a blue light penetrated his skin.
"That's cold and tingly." Alexander said as he looked at the White Princess.
"But it feels good, yes?"
"Yes." Alexander nodded. When Emma pulled away, he took her hand, "Thank you, Emma."
"It's the least I can do." She smiled back to him, "Do you have any more wounds?"
"None that I can't deal with."
Emma smiled at her friend before she moved on to Patrick, Gustave, Dunstan and Artie.
As she healed a scratch going up Artie's forearm, she looked into his eyes, saw his expression, she knit her brows, "Are you all right, Artie?"
"I'd never really been in a fight before tonight. I'd always outsmarted my opponents in some way… The goons… they're pigs."
"Literally."
Artie chuckled, "Literally. They don't care about anything."
"They're goons."
"And that makes it okay?"
"Yeah. It's not right. And it doesn't forgive them, but they're goons. They just do what they know. What is expected of them. They follow orders same as any knight, though they don't think for themselves or feel emotion like humans."
"I just… I think it's stupid to have rank. I think if knights are going into battle then they should all agree to it. They should volunteer and know all the facts as we, the leaders know them to be. The goons know nothing, they don't know that Maleficent is bad, they don't know that there are options." He sat there a moment, staring at the blue magic that was still healing the gash in his arm. "They really are knights. And I'll bet there are some leaders might say they're better than knights because they only follow orders and don't feel…" he shook his head.
"You should do something about it." Emma said. When all she got were questioning brows from Artie, she smiled, "When you come to reign in your lands. You should treat the line of defense as you see fit. Let them tell you what they believe are good ideas or bad, or what are fights worth fighting… I'm sure Shrek and Fiona run things a lot differently than was probably done in the past, but you should make more changes once you come to reign." She looked down and saw the wound was just about healed. "I mean, you'll be in power. Make it better for you, for your people in ways that you think are best. I think that's what our generation is for. Changing things."
Artie nodded feeling renewed and invigorated, "Are you okay?"
Emma slumped forward, "Just tired. That magic, the healing big wounds magic, it's physically taxing on me sometimes. Usually only affects me if I'm stressed…"
"And you have nothing to be stressed about." Artie gave her a teasing grin as he stood up, "Thank you."
"No." Emma shook her head, "Thank you."
When she was done, the only people in the library were her parents. She inhaled a deep breath, closing her eyes a moment, then followed them quietly after they gave her the 'we've debated over what you said and we need to talk' look.
~0~0~0~0~0~
"Mom, Daddy, magic takes a lot out of me, especially the kind of magic that I used tonight. Can you just save your 'we're the parents, we own you, you will do as we say and tell us everything right now' yelling for another night? Say one when I've actually done something wrong? Something that worth giving me that speech over?"
"How do we know that's not now?" Snow asked, a calmness in her tone that everyone knew was fake and trying to cover the worried edge.
"Because you know me. I'm your little princess."
"Yes. And you are also the girl that jumps out of a moving carriage and stings horses' asses sending the coach for the hills before your parents even know what's happening." Charming gave his daughter a look.
"Daddy, that was getting out of something I didn't want to do. This was going into something I needed to do."
"Why?" He asked her, wishing his daughter was comfortable enough to just say it.
Instead, Emma sighed, hands on her hips and looked down in disappointment, "I'm tired and I have to go into battle tomorrow… with three really good men." She looked at them both. "Goodnight."
Snow placed a hand on Charming's shoulder, telling him that she was going to go get answers. He didn't have the strength to tell his wife to simmer after that night. He watched his wife walk their daughter to their second guest bedroom and waited until he heard the lock on the door before he went to the drink cart. He poured himself three fingers of scotch before moving to the couch and sitting.
He had never been so damn scared in his life. Ever since they got word of this damn competition, his daughter had been a new person. She had always been secretive growing up, and he'd always had his suspicions that she'd had magic. But he never thought she'd be a Pure One. He'd heard the legends, known the stories. He always thought them myths, but lo and behold, his daughter, his daughter was one. She really was one too. She was everything he'd known a Pure One to be. She'd definitely proved herself that night at least.
He took a gulp.
And he'd never been more scared for anything than for his daughter in that night. He knew that this was going to be his life from now on. Worrying about his daughter. Though, he'd known that since she was a babe holding onto his finger. Now, his worry, his fear was something he'd have to face everyday. She was meant to protect, meant to fight fights others couldn't. Damn, she'd brought Maleficent back to the castle barely alive, though from the look on her face it wasn't her doing. Still, she was brave enough to face that witch.
He downed the rest.
Yes, he was going to worry the rest of his damn life.
~0~0~0~0~0~
Snow helped Emma take off her weapons and armor.
"Are you going to her quarters when I leave the room?" She asked her daughter as she let down her long blonde hair.
"I need to talk to her, yeah." Emma spoke softly.
Snow nodded placing comforting hands on her shoulders, "Very well, I'll not let your father wake you in the morning."
Emma turned to her mother, "Thank you."
Snow just saw the bandage on her hand, "Oh, Emma… What happened to your hand?"
"It's hard to explain, but the short version is: a wall had magical blades."
Snow knit her brows, "Do I want to know?"
Emma shook her head.
Snow took in her daughter, "You know that we just worry, right? And now, knowing that you have magic… It's that much scarier."
"I'm not trying to scare anyone."
"I know. But you do. We're your parents. It's our job to pry, need to know everything and worry about you."
Emma gave her mother a half smile.
"Alright. Go see her." Snow knew her daughter was barely holding on to the strength she had left and needed to use it to get to the woman that could heal her.
Emma gave her mother a half smile and poofed from her room.
~0~0~0~0~0~
Regina just filled her tub with hot water and certain healing agents that smelt of apples, vanilla and cinnamon when the light blue smoke filled the bathroom. Emma appeared; her hair messy and tangled, her eyes worn and exhausted, her cheeks red and angry and one bleeding, her clothes disheveled and ripped, and her hand still bleeding and possibly infected.
After assessing that nothing was broken and the only things that needed tending was her hand and cheek, Regina looked to her eyes and their stares locked. Emma was finally home, in her bathroom; and she could stop worrying. She took two cautionary steps, seeing if Emma was going to be able to hold her before she closed the distance and wrapped her arms around the blonde's neck. And then, she cried.
"Shhhhhh," Emma comforted, "I'm here." She whispered as she ran her good hand up and down Regina's silk robe and hugged her waist tight with the bad arm, not letting the blood touch the fabric. "I'm okay."
"I was so worried about you." Regina wasn't ready to pull from the blonde, instead, she clung tighter to her neck.
Emma chuckled tiredly, "I can tell." She nipped at the brunette's neck, silently telling her that she was about to drop because she was so exhausted.
The Shadow Queen finally pulled from the White Princess, and with a regal wipe to either eye and hands combing back her shoulder-length hair, she said five of Emma's favorite words, "Want to take a bath?"
Emma responded quickly, but moved slowly, sorely. She had trouble removing her shirt—which Regina was quick to help with, but her boots, socks, pants and undergarments seemed to slide from her slim form.
The blonde looked to the brunette, then the tub, telling her she wanted to be the one that laid against the other that night. Regina smiled and removed her robe, no argument, and got in the hot bathwater.
After sinking into the tub in front of Regina, Emma let the weight of what she'd done set in with a big, heavy sigh.
Regina kissed the blonde's unscratched cheek twice before Emma turned her head. Their lips met and it was like everything was okay even though they both knew it wasn't. When the kiss broke and Emma's drained form fell once more against the woman she loved, Regina reached for her bandaged hand and untied it. She gasped after seeing that something went through the hand instead of just slicing it. She held the hand in both of her palms and let healing magic pour through her.
Emma's tired half chuckle filled the quiet room, "It's cold and tingly." Her voice was barely above a whisper as she recited Alexander's words from earlier.
"It's healing." Regina kissed her cheek again.
After finishing with the White Princess's hand, the Shadow Queen touched her cheek, healing the scratch that Aurora gave her. She then turned to the side as much as she could tub permitting. She held the back of Emma's head and let the blonde mane mingle about the warm water. She magically applied shampoo and ran her fingers through the long locks to help wash it before doing the same with some conditioner. After making sure her princess was all clean, she let a wet thumb pad across her face.
Emma opened her eyes and immediately she found the brown orbs she'd fallen so deeply in love with, "We need to talk about it, don't we?"
Regina fought back the sudden tears pricking her eyes, "Yeah. But not right now. We can in the morning."
Emma pulled herself up from lying in the tub, "Thank you." She hugged her knees.
Regina touched the blonde's back with one hand and snapped her fingers with the other, instantly drying them both, draining the tub and transporting them to her bed. She curled behind her princess, holding onto her tight, "You're welcome, my love."
Emma gave a big yawn as she nestled into the comfort of the bed, "I love you." She sighed out as sleep took her over.
"And, I love you." Regina held the girl tight; no matter how she tried to relax in the night, the fear and worry wouldn't leave even though Emma was right there, safe in her bed.
~0~0~0~0~0~
Emma woke up the next morning cold and still tired. She sat up and looked around for Regina, "R'gina?" She called, her voice barely there after the few hours of rest she received.
Regina came in from her bathroom, "Yes, my love?"
"I'm cold." The princess lay back down and stared at the queen like it was her problem.
"And just what am I supposed to do about it?"
"Come warm me up." Emma gave her a dirty grin.
"If I do that…" Regina started, knowing Emma would know where she was taking her ultimatum, knowing Emma would know that they were going to have to talk about the night before.
Emma raised her arms for the brunette to join her on the bed. She cautiously walked over, thinking it might be a trap. Though once Emma had the brunette in her arms, she started talking. There was no trickery or playfulness, "I wanted to protect you. I wanted to get specifics on 'Her' plan…"
"So you transported the contenders to Maleficent's to get those answers?"
"Yeah." Emma shrugged, "I'd have gone alone, but they all decided that they wanted to come."
Regina took the blonde's face as she sat up, "You do understand how stupid that was?"
Emma sat up, matching the Shadow Queen, "You do understand that Maleficent was basically dead when I found her and who knows how the night went or if she got through it? And you know that a princess that I grew up with has gone insane and was the one to try and kill the witch?"
Regina nodded, "Maleficent is recovering; she was drained of her magic before the suffocation. Genie told me a few minutes ago."
"Drained? How can one be drained of magic?"
Regina shook her head, "I'd rather not go into details, but it's utterly painful. Completely brutal. Most do not survive."
Emma swallowed hard, "I never thought I'd feel sympathy for the woman that tried to rampage my kingdom on more than one occasion."
"She's not all bad." Regina smiled a half smile when she saw the blonde's reaction, "She's an evil witch, don't get me wrong, but she's not all bad. She didn't deserve what she went through…. No one does."
"How could Aurora do it?" Emma asked, "Physically? Like how was she able to pull it all off?"
"She wasn't." The tone of Regina's voice told Emma that her mother was behind the whole thing.
Emma lowered her voice, a sudden bout of paranoia sinking in, "I think she's possessed, Aurora. I think she's had her heart stolen."
"I wouldn't doubt it." Regina stared at her lover. "We've to continue with today as if nothing happened last night. Can you handle it?"
Emma nodded, "Yes." She stood and looked for her clothes.
"In the closet." Regina said knowingly as she made her way to the bathroom.
Emma followed the Shadow Queen after shrugging her shirt and pants on, keeping boots in her hand, "I love you." She looked at her through the mirror.
"I love you, too." Regina nodded, keeping her stare.
Emma walked forward, wrapped her arms around the brunette and dropped a kiss on her shoulder before trailing up her neck to her ear, "I really, really love you."
Regina smiled and leaned against her, reveling in the hug, "I really, really know." Before Emma could protest and pull from her with that, 'I'm about to throw a fit' face, she chuckled and squeezed her forearms before turning in the blonde's embrace. She then placed her hands on either side of Emma's face, "I really, really love you, too." She kissed her soundly, "Go change and prepare for battle… again."
Emma nodded, "I will." She stepped from her queen and gave her a smile before poofing back to her room.
~0~0~0~0~0~
Emma suited up for the second time in twenty-four hours. She carried the same weapons she'd done the night prior. She breezed through a breakfast buffet, wrapping her food in a napkin and went to the battle arena.
She looked around, taking every inch of the place in when she felt another presence behind her. She turned, "Chip." She smiled.
He gave his best grin in return, "I thought I was the only one that did this…"
"Did what?"
"Scoped the place out before battle."
Emma shrugged, "When it's convenient, why not?" She looked down, "I just didn't want to deal with everyone."
The werewolf nodded before sitting down with her in the middle of the arena, "Have you heard anything? About Maleficent? And the princess?"
"Maleficent made it through the night. And I'm not sure what they've done, if anything except maybe feed Aurora."
"Why did we go? Why did we bring them both back?"
Emma looked down, "Maleficent was here yesterday. She'd given warning to the Queen that 'she' sent her."
"She?"
"The Shadow Queen's mother."
Chip knit his brows, "I'd thought her mother dead. Isn't that why she came to reign? Because both parents died?"
"Apparently not." Emma looked at him, "Maleficent had answers. And I needed them. I needed…" She shook her blonde curls as she trailed off.
"You needed to protect the queen."
"I needed to protect the queen." She smiled as she looked up at him.
"But then we got there and she was almost dead, not by your hand, but the other princess. Who we're not even sure why she's there in the first place."
Emma nodded, "Exactly."
"She loves her." Chip said after a moment of silence.
Emma whipped her head to Chip, "Pardon?"
"Maleficent loved her. Aurora. That's why it was so easy for her to do it. To strip her of her magic. Maleficent let her do it."
"How could you possibly know that?"
Chip looked down, "I could smell it. They reeked of one another; they reeked of love. And my mother, Belle had read stories of magical beings getting stripped of their magic, and the smell and feeling it brought. The two of them might reek of love, but that room…" the prince shook his head, "No one deserves that pain. I didn't like that room at all."
The princess stared at the other man, "You could smell it? Sense it?"
Instead of answering, Chip looked up to see Artie making his way over, "Prince Artie." Chip smiled, "How goes it?"
"I'm not exactly sure…" Artie said as he sat down, chalice in hand along with a breakfast food he'd come adore called a 'donut'. "I've been hearing weird things."
"Weird things?" Emma asked.
"About last night. One of the women was Maleficent… the one you carried." He looked to Emma.
"Yes." Emma nodded.
"And the other was… Was she the Briar Rose?" He asked seriously.
"Yes." Chip said.
"We bound and kidnapped a princess?"
"She's not herself." Emma looked down, "She's… She's a loon."
"Are you saying that the Morpheus Princess is insane?" Artie asked.
"She's not all there." Emma shook her head, "I thought her possibly possessed, that's why I bound her. Had she only been a prisoner, I'd have done nothing, but… It wasn't right. The things she said." She bit her lip.
Artie opened his mouth to question but Chip stopped him, "Alexander is coming."
A moment later, Alexander appeared and made his way to the center with the other three.
"What are you three talking about?"
"Aurora." Emma looked to her childhood friend.
"Yes, why was she bound?"
"She's crazy." Artie provided as he took a large bite of his donut.
"Of course. Why else would we bind a Princess?" Alexander's nonchalant sarcasm told the group that he wasn't picking up what Artie was putting down.
"She is, Alexander." Emma looked to him, "I've never seen anyone act like that. She's lost her mind."
"Why was she even in the tower?" Chip asked. "I mean, I guess I know why, but why?"
"She told me it was her home." Emma looked to him sadly then shrugged, "I've no idea what's happened."
"What 'why' are you talking about? Why was there emphasis on your first 'why'?" Alexander asked Chip.
"It's love."
"Ah, yes." Alexander was ready to provide more sarcasm for the group, "It's so devastating when an innocent princess nicknamed the Briar Rose meets an evil witch, falls in love with her then gets driven insane and attempts to murder her…" He looked to Emma, "I'm assuming the last part, no one ever told me for certain."
Emma shook her head, regretting the amused smile that was gracing her face, "She did try to kill her. But she didn't want to." She sobered by the end of her first sentence.
Alexander looked down, "Evil magic?"
"The only thing it can be." Emma answered.
"Damn." Artie wrapped his arms around his knees, chalice still in hand.
They sat in the quiet for a while until Alexander decided to break it, "You are all good competition. Good fighters, dancers, contenders. I don't want to fight against you all. I'd much rather fight with you."
"Here, here." Artie raised his chalice.
"Here, here." Emma and Chip nodded, repeating the words of the youngest prince.
Alexander knit his brows, "Why have you a chalice?"
"I was thirsty…"
AN: Hope you enjoyed! Thoughts and feels? Please Read and Review!