Wow.. so.. like.. yeah.. first update in 2 years. Not sure if I should be proud that I picked this story back up, or ashamed I forgot about it for so long. o.O
Regardless... here you go :)
Emma awoke in darkness. She slept in darkness. She awoke again. She could not tell how long this pattern repeated itself, ankles chained to a wooden pole and gagged in a cell somewhere in the belly of the Black Castle. No food was offered to her, nor was any drink. Her mouth felt like cotton and her trousers were becoming loose around her hips.
Her arms were twisted behind her, bound painfully above her head, preventing her from shifting even if she had wanted to. Sensitive hearing picked up the sound of soldiers nearby, but they never came to her cell.
Her shoulders were numb from the position, and she tried several times to shift her weight in an effort to relieve some of the pressure to no avail. She had expected to be interrogated, beaten, exiled, or even killed when she confronted the Evil Queen. Nothing could prepare her for feeling utterly forgotten as the darkness continued on.
A rat scurried across her boot, investigating the filth surrounding her. Emma couldn't find it in her to care, and so surveyed the creature apathetically until it decided to nibble on her boot laces. A low, quiet rumble warned the rat against its ill-advised choice. It was promptly ignored, a strip of leather being pulled loose. The blonde kicked at the rat, sending it scurrying further into the shadows.
How long had she been here? Days? A week? More? Judging by the rats interest in her boot laces, Emma doubted it had been much longer than that. Still, she was losing hope that the Evil Queen wouldn't leave her here in the dark to rot, claiming never to have seen the Princess when her parents inquired of her whereabouts.
Fatigue returning, she closed her eyes and let herself drift off to sleep.
Pale digits removed themselves from the neck of a feeder as Regina tossed him aside, elongated fangs retracting. "Get him out of here." The command was obediently followed as two guards hoisted the slack body of the man out of her sight. "What is on my agenda today, Robin?" The Queen asked in a disinterested tone.
Her pet, a rough looking man with blonde hair and empty blue eyes immediately began listing off the meetings and duties expected of her for the rest of the day. She listened half-heartedly as she reached for the pro-offered napkin of a nearby servant to clean the blood trail from her lips.
Sigh. It was going to be a busy day indeed. Tossing the soiled cloth back to the servant, Regina rose from her seat in the dining hall before Robin had finished talking and made her way to the first order of business, the man trailing behind still listing off the day's events.
Queen Regina may not be known for her kindness, but she was fair. As townspeople came into the throne room to discuss matters of their pathetic lives, she listened with all the attentiveness of a small child being read to, and engaged each individual with a polite demeanor, assuring everything possible would be done to resolve whatever issue they came to her about.
They may be beneath her, but they made up her kingdom, fed her people, and offered their sons for her army. She was wise enough to treat them respectively. In turn, her people showed their loyalty by staying within the borders of her land. They were a solid, hard working, brave people who trusted Regina with their livelihoods and asked very few questions about what went on the castle's walls.
The day wore on, one meeting or task and then another, until at last the Queen lowered herself into a chair in the dining hall once more. Having been around as long as she had, she did not require a second feeder today, but she was hungry. A share of venison, beans and potatoes was placed in front of her on a silver plate. Regina nodded in approval before dismissing the servant from her side.
"My Queen," came a strident voice from the entrance to the hall. Regina grimaced, the act barely covered by a well timed sip of ale.
"Rumple, how kind of you for joining me for dinner unannounced." The brunette snapped her fingers to gain the attention of one of the servants. "Get him a plate." She ordered.
"No need, I won't be staying long." Rumple admitted. The servant looked to Regina for direction, unsure of what the Queen would have her do. She waved a hand, dismissing her previous command.
Rumplestiltskin sat down near Regina, picking at a piece of dried pork from another plate of assorted cheeses, breads and meats. She quirked a slightly annoyed eyebrow his way but let it go.
"What brings you to my dining hall this evening?" The Queen questioned the small, wiry man.
"The Princess of course!" He stated as bluntly as if he was being asked the color of his own skin.
Regina hummed. "Obviously." What else could he want but to badger her about the filthy animal in the dungeons?
"It's been over a week, have you interrogated her?" The question causes dark eyes to narrow dangerously. How dare he press his agenda on her before she deemed fit to do so. Taking her expression in the affirmative, the man continued. "I don't expect she'll survive much longer without food or water, your Majesty."
"What concern of it is yours, Rumple?" Regina challenged.
The man bent his head respectively, his tone softer now. "I only wish to remind you that we cannot gain anything if she is dead. Your spies have confirmed she renounced her title before the White Court, there is nothing to be gained by keeping her prisoner. "
"I am aware." The Queen leaned back lazily in her seat, hooking one leg over the other and lifting her glass to her nearest servant for more ale. "The matter will be addressed soon enough."
"And the rest?" He pushed, watching her with a shimmer of excitement in his eyes.
"Is being dealt with as we discussed."
"Perfect!" Rumplestiltskin clapped his hands together. "I'll show myself out." He rose and gave her a bow. "Enjoy your dinner, dearie."
As soon as he was gone, Regina set her glass down and addressed her pet. "Robin." The man in question was at her side a second later. "Go to the dungeons and tell Braxas to get that whelp cleaned up and have her delivered to the throne room in an hour."
"Yes, My Queen." Robin left on his errand, leaving the brunnette to finish her dinner in silence.
A splash of icy water woke Emma up with a disgruntled snarl. The blonde glared at the snickering pair of guards closest to her and eyed the bucket containing the offending liquid. She hadn't even heard them come in, had she passed out?
"Wakey, wakey Princess Poochie." The nearest - an older man around six feet tall with a scarred face taunted at her. "The Queen demands your audience." Several more guards file into the cell, surrounding her on all sides. The scarred man addresses her again as one soldier removes her gag and works at the binds on her arms. "You are to make yourself presentable." He tosses a rag Emma's way when her hands are free and she barely catches it with a painstaking groan as cramped muscles are put to work.
Her arms feel like lead, pain shooting from her shoulders and making her hands tingle as the blood rushes back through them. The guard who had released her arms makes quick work of the chains around her feet and finally Emma takes a step forward, away from the damn pole.
Swords draw. The Princess ignores them, stretching out her muscles and rolling her shoulders a few times languidly. She feels weak, and that ignites a flame of anger in her chest. Another glare is aimed at the soldier who seems to be in charge. "I don't suppose I'll get any privacy?" She asks dryly. The man says nothing, and Emma sighs. "Enjoy the show."
She cleans herself up as best as she can, it is still a long ways from the bath she desired but at least she wasn't covered in her own waste. Once she finished, the soldier in charge tossed her a ragged pair of trousers that barely covered her and what felt to be a burlap sack with holes cut out for her head and arms.
Task complete and feeling slightly better about herself, Emma allowed her hands to be bound - this time thankfully in front of her - and quirked an eyebrow in way of asking, 'where to?'. The man gave her a small condescending smile and turned to lead her out of the cell, gesturing to the armed guards to follow.
The Queen is standing in front of the throne when Emma is brought in. She narrows her eyes as the whelp approached. "That's close enough." Regina sneers, the smell of the Princess reaching her nose.
Emma halts, eyes cast to the marble floor.
"My my… the dungeon doesn't agree with you, dear." The Queen's smoky timber addresses the younger woman.
"Then don't keep me there, your Majesty." Emma states simply, green eyes rising to meet brown, a steely gleam to them that makes Regina chuckle darkly. This pup is either incredibly brave, or terribly unintelligent.
"How bold of you. Giving me counsel after so long in the dark." Her tone is leaning on amused. The blonde remains silent, keeping her eyes locked on the Queen. Regina takes the few steps separating their height difference and circles around the young wolf appraisingly. "No doubt the result of your… upbringing." She stopped directly in front of Emma, who pulls her shoulders back and tilts her chin up with an air of arrogance.
"I am -" Emma begins.
Unintelligent it is.
With a flick of her wrist, Regina cuts the sentence short and sends the Princess to the floor, a magic so strong that Emma can barely lift her head from the marble. Weak from starvation and dehydration, the blonde can do nothing but snarl as the older woman keeps her pressed stiffly against the floor.
"You will show respect." The brunette declared. "You are not the Princess of the White Kingdom any longer. You are nothing unless I say otherwise." She released the wolf from her magic.
Emma scrambles weakly to her feet, her ribs already bruising from the sheer force of the Queen's power. "Of course, your Majesty." Her gaze returned to the floor.
Regina, satisfied, turned and took the couple of steps up to her throne. Once seated, she addressed the woman again. "My spies confirmed that you have renounced your title to the White Kingdom. Why?"
Emerald eyes raise to chocolate once again, and Regina smirks at the anger she finds there. "I will not rule a kingdom of cowards. A people so weak, they take no action against those who do it harm."
"And what would you have me do with you?" Regina asks, genuinely curious. "You, the daughter of my enemy, who betrayed her own people by abandoning her duty. What makes you of any use to me?"
"I can fight, and I know the lands of the White Kingdom better than anyone here. If there is to be a war, I would be an invaluable asset to your army. I know every weakness." Emma spoke resolutely, her gaze unflinching.
"You would kill your own people in my name, dear?" The Queen questioned.
Emma clenched her jaw for a fraction of a moment before giving a single nod. "Your reputation is of a strong yet fair ruler. You stand behind your people and fight for their livelihoods. If it comes to killing a weak people in your name, I would be honored to do so."
The brunette remained silent for several minutes, eyes locked with Emma's as she processed the information. What she needed from the Princess wasn't her extensive knowledge of her enemies weaknesses, however, it could be beneficial.
"Braxas." Regina called, eyes still locked with the blonde's.
The soldier who had delivered Emma stepped forward. "Yes, my Queen."
"Take your guards with you and return to the dungeons. I am sure you have work to do."
"Right away your majesty." He signalled to his group of soldiers and they quickly dispersed, leaving the room empty aside from a few guards along the walls, Emma, Robin, and the Queen.
"Robin, escort the girl to the kitchens and make sure she has a decent meal. She's of no use to me if she drops dead of starvation. I'll have Selena meet you with further instructions." Her tone reflects boredom and she doesn't acknowledge Robin's agreement of, "Yes, of course my Queen." She continues watching the young would-be Princess until Robin leads her out of sight.
"Selena, follow." Regina orders, as she rises and walks deeper into the castle. Selena does as she is told and follows the Queen to a wing of the castle where middle ranking members of the palace were housed. She stops at a door and opens it, gesturing for the girl to go inside.
Selena, a small twiggy redhead no older than sixteen, practically prances into the chambers and turns to face the Queen, eyes downcast.
"This will be where you will bring her." Regina doesn't actually remember the wolf's name, but Selena recognizes who she is speaking of immediately. "There will be guards posted by the door when you return, and this -" she hands the girl a silver key, "- will lock the door behind you when you leave. It's charmed to dissolve as soon as the lock has been secured."
"Yes, your Majesty."
"Fetch some hot water, draw the girl a bath and have one of the boys get a fire going." Selena nods and Regina reaches out and lifts the girls chin so that their eyes meet. "Thank you, darling." Her voice is rich and sweet, causing Selena to cautiously smile up at her. The brunette returns the smile with one of my own and waves her hand to dismiss the young girl. The occasional show of appreciation did wonders for the servants morale.
"Right away, my Queen!" Selena trots off to complete her assignment and Regina is left alone.
Giving a once over to the small enclosure she smirks, knowing this room was probably the smallest the White Princess has ever inhabited. Still, it contained all the necessities. A bed, a fireplace, a tub for bathing, a small table in the far corner and a chamber pot. Content, the Queen turned and made her way to her own quarters. The room was sufficient for someone without a title, and if the girl had any complaints she could go back to the dungeons for all Regina cared.