3 Days later
Regina awoke to being snuggled, once again, by Emma. Only this time, the blonde's arms weren't wrapped around her waist, but one hand was placed on top of her hip, while the other was placed underneath the blonde's pillow. Emma's face was snuggled into Regina's chocolate brown locks, breathing evenly, still fully asleep. Regina's breath hitches at the close contact. She stays still for a few more moments, unconsciously enjoying the feel of Emma's touch, without even realizing her actions, Regina places her hand on top of the one, Emma, has rested on top of her hip. As soon as their hands make contact, an electric current passes through their bodies. Emma jolts awake and snatches back her hand while, Regina, lies still, shutting her eyes tightly and pretending to still be asleep.
"What the hell was that?" Regina hears Emma whisper to herself. "Regina? Regina, wake up," Emma whispers harshly to the girl, shaking the brunette's shoulder roughly, trying to awaken her.
Regina releases an annoyed sigh and turns over to face Emma, a faux groggy expression on her face. The brunette stares at the girl with a raised brow.
"What is it, princess?" Regina asks in an annoyed tone.
Emma studies the brunette's face for a moment, a fluttering feeling taking place in her gut. She swallows nervously and forces herself to speak. She honestly has no clue what's going on with her anymore, or what the fluttering feeling means exactly, she's honestly never felt anything like it before…until now. It's disturbing her greatly but she can't do anything about it. As she continues to eye Regina, she sees the other girl eyeing her with a weirded out expression plastered on her face. Emma looks at her in puzzlement before realizing that's she's been staring at the other girl, wordlessly, for the past 5 minutes. She then, uncomfortably, clears her throat and forces her attention away from the gorgeous brunette. "Did I just refer to Regina as gorgeous? Crap..." Emma thinks to herself in panic. The blonde then decides to shake away her nerves and gathers her bearings. It's only Regina, she reasons.
"Umm..I-I well…I felt a shock that literally jolted me awake. Did you feel it too or was it just me?" Emma asks the brunette nervously. Regina gulps inaudibly and shakes her head in the negative.
"No. No, I did not. I think I'm going to go take my bath," Regina says, quickly raising from the bed and walking over to her wardrobe to pull out her clothes for the day; as well as a washcloth and a towel. Without looking back, Regina walks out of the shared bedroom and walks out of the cottage, heading straight for the bathhouse. Unknown to Regina, a figure decides to follow her inside. As Regina enters the bathhouse, she immediately begins to undress. As soon as she sits in the tub, the hidden figure steps out into clear view. Her eyes go wide and a yelp escapes her throat as she stares at the unexpected company in shock.
"Hello, Regina," The man says with a small smile. Regina stares at the man for a few stunned moments, unable to open her mouth and speak. "Are you going to say anything?" The man asks in amusement as he stares at the stunned girl.
"D-daniel? What…how…when…huh?" Regina stumbles out, staring at the man in disbelief.
Daniel chuckles at her and moves to sit on the edge of Emma's tub.
"Your parents and the Whites made a trip here 3 nights ago. I overheard them talking about coming here for a surprise visit a few days ago, so when they decided to leave, I snuck onto the back of their carriage and traveled here with them. I got off when they temporarily stopped here," Daniel tells her with a mischievous smirk.
"Why are you here?" Regina asks him quietly. He looks at her with a confused expression.
"Are you not happy to see me? I came here to see you. I miss you, Regina. So much," Daniel says sincerely. Regina gulps audibly and instead of returning his sentiment she says, "Can you turn around for a few minutes? I need to wash myself before my water gets cold."
He nods his head and turns around.
Regina quickly lathers up her body and her hair and washes all of the suds off. She, then, step out of the tub and dries herself off, quickly slipping on her clothes for the day. "You can turn back around now." She tell shim. Slowly, he turns around and finds himself face-to-face with Regina. "I missed you too. I'm just a little shocked to see you is all. I never thought I'd see you again," She tells the man truthfully. He smiles at her and pulls her into his arms, capturing her into a tight embrace.
"Well, I'm here. And you look well," He says into her wet locks. She nods into his chest and inhales his scent. Oh, how she missed his scent. He's always smelled of hay, grass, and his own unique fragrance. "So how is your marriage going with the White princess? I'm shocked you two haven't killed each other yet, seeing as how you used to spend hours complaining about her whenever you two would have a random encounter with one another," Daniel says with a forced chuckle as he remembers what he witnessed through their bedroom window three nights ago. The sight of Emma feeling comfortable enough to snuggle closer to Regina put him a little on edge. But the sight of the small but noticeably unconscious smirk that graced Regina's face is what really worried him. He knows that Regina was already deep in slumber when the blonde got closer to her, but the fact that she smirked in her sleep at the contact is making him nervous and a bit suspicious.
"I don't hate her…at least not anymore. Don't get me wrong, I still find her insufferable and too cocky for her own good and the lack of clothing she wears around the house is deplorable…but she's really not that bad. I'm not saying that she and I are suddenly best friends, but we are learning to get along. It's actually quite nice. Strange, right?" Regina says with a small smile on her face.
"Sounds like you two are getting along quite nicely…" Daniel says with forced enthusiasm. The smile on Regina's face at the mention of Emma, unsettles him. "So would you say that you like her?" He asks slowly, not sure if he will like her answer. Regina thinks about the question for a few moments and after a few seconds, she knows the answer.
"I think so. But in a potential friend type of way, I guess. I just know that I no longer harbor any hate for her. Anyway, I have to go, Daniel. Maybe we can arrange to see each other later tonight? Or maybe tomorrow night? I need to head back in so Emma can come out here to take her bath." Regina tells him. He nods his head mutely. She smiles softly at him and nods at him.
"I'm so glad to see you, Daniel." She tells the man sincerely, leaning her head up to place a kiss on his cheek. He closes his eyes as her soft lips make contact with his cheek. The moment she pulls away, she immediately exits the bathhouse, leaving a silent Daniel behind. He turns around and exits the bathhouse a few seconds later, eager to catch up to Regina. Before she is able to enter the cottage, Daniel sneaks up behind her and spins her around, placing his lips firmly on hers. He kisses her with everything he has in him and she returns the kiss just as eagerly, though she notes that something is missing in the kiss…although, she's not quite sure what it is as of yet. Regina pulls back from the kiss and looks into his eyes, a smile placed on her lips. "See you later?" She says to him. He nods at her and turns away, walking into the forest surrounding the cottage.
She watches after him until his form disappears, a soft sigh escaping her lips as she turns to enter the cottage. The first thing she notices as she enters her home is Emma sitting by the window, her face now turned towards Regina with an unreadable expression.
"Who was that?" Emma asks quietly.
"Who was who?" Regina asks, completely deflecting the question. Emma's brows furrow at the brunette.
"Regina, who were you just kissing at the door?"
"Why is that any of your business?"
"Well, I could bring up the argument that I'm technically your wife, but I won't. I'm just curious, is all." Emma says with a nonchalant shrug, though the slight quiver in her voice was easily detectable. Regina sighs to herself and for some odd reason, she actually feels guilty. Though, she's not sure why she should feel guilty. She turns to Emma and locks her brown eyes onto the blonde's piercing green ones.
"His name is Daniel. He was my companion..."
"A romantic companion?" Emma inquires further. Regina nods her head.
"Yes."
Emma studies the brunette's face for a few agonizing moments and releases a heavy sigh. "Were you two together when our parents forced us into this marriage?" She asks Regina softly. Regina releases a shaky breath and nods her head in confirmation. A sympathetic look crosses Emma's face at the news and she walks up to Regina, placing a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Regina. I can't imagine what it would be like to have someone you love torn away from you like that…" Emma tells her sincerely, a small apologetic smile on her face, though there is something unreadable in the blonde's eyes that Regina can't decipher. An emotion she isn't sure she's ever seen in the blonde's eyes before.
"Thanks. He um…he told me that our parents are here. The news they gave the guards about their visit being for next week was false. They were planning on surprising us with a visit a little earlier. I'm not sure if they have plans to see us today or tomorrow…but they're here." Regina tells Emma, causing a hard look to form on the blonde's face.
"The nerve of those people! They are certainly going to get an earful from me when I see them!" Emma says, or more like, growls. She turns her attention back to Regina. "I'm going to go take my bath. I made you a bowl of porridge and a cup of tea, it's on the table." With that, Emma walks past Regina and heads into their bedroom, only to come back out a few moments later with her clothes in hand. She walks past Regina again and heads out of the cottage door. Regina walks over to the table and sits in front of her steaming tea and porridge. She places her forehead on the tabletop and lets out a heavy sigh.
"Why is my life so dramatic?" She asks herself.
"You need to align the fletching with your chin or your nose, Regina. Just like that." Alexander says to Regina as she lines the fletching with her chin. She pulls back the arrow and releases it, successfully hitting the target board, but not the target itself. Alexander smiles at her and pats her on the shoulder. "That was good. Much better!" He says, praising her. Regina smiles at him and picks up another arrow, placing it in the bow string. "Okay, do what you did before, but focus more on the target. Keep your eye on the bull's eye and make sure your arrow is aligned with it." He tells her. Regina nods at him and focuses hard on the target. She releases her arrow and hits right beside the bull's eye. Missing only by a centimeter or so. "Excellent! You're getting there, Regina, Just keep practicing. I'll be right back, I'm just going to fetch us a cup of water." Alexander says, leaving Regina to practice.
"Looking good out there. It looks like our extra practice is paying off." Emma says from behind Regina. Regina turns around to face the blonde.
"Thanks. It looks like it is. Thanks for helping me, Emma. It's really helping me out." Regina says sincerely, picking up another arrow. The sound of a gasp causes her to turn back to the blonde, a teasing smile now on the other girl's face. Regina raises a brow at the girl, a puzzled look now gracing her face.
"What?" Regina asks her, confusedly.
"You called me, Emma." The blonde princess says in awe, a warm smile now replacing the teasing one. Regina's brows furrow for a moment before her eyes widen in realization. Regina clears her throat uncomfortably and shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly. She picks up her arrow and places it into the bow string. She focuses on her target and does her best to ignore the smile being sent her way. She releases the arrow and watches as it lands right next to her last arrow by the bull's eye.
"That's your name, isn't it?" Regina asks with a scowl on her face. Emma giggles at the pink tint making its way onto the brunette's cheeks.
"Yes, but until right this moment, I wasn't even aware that you knew my first name. You've been calling me, Miss White since we were 4 years of age." Emma says in amusement. Regina lets out an annoyed sigh and turns towards Emma.
"Go back to your instructor, Miss White. I need to concentrate." Regina says to the other girl. Emma rolls her eyes playfully and lets out a playful sigh.
"As you wish, your royal bitchiness." Emma fake salutes Regina, a bright smile on her face as she turns around and walks over to Archibald. Regina smiles to herself and shakes her head in amusement at the girl before resuming her archery practice.
"You really are getting so much better at the archery. With more practice, you will successfully hit the bull's eye." Emma says to Regina as they change into their nightgowns.
"Well, thanks. I really hope so. Maybe Alexander will ease up on me from now on."
"Maybe." Emma says with a small smile as she climbs into bed. Regina soon follows after and climbs in next to Emma. Emma turns her face towards Regina and Regina turns her face towards Emma. The two girls stare at each other for a few silent moments, not really knowing what to say to one another. Emma lets out a breath she's been holding and asks the one question she's had on her mind since earlier that morning. "When are you going to see Daniel again?" the blonde asks quietly.
Regina shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe tomorrow night." She says with a long sigh.
"You don't sound excited to see him. Why is that? Don't you love him?" Emma asks in both puzzlement and hope. Luckily, Regina doesn't catch the hopefulness in the blonde's tone.
"I don't know how I feel about seeing him. I mean, I love him but at the same time…I just don't know what's wrong… There's just something missing, I guess. It's like, when we kissed and hugged and talked, it felt nice, but it just didn't feel the way that it used to. Maybe it's because I haven't seen him in about a month? I just feel so confused…" Regina says in a perplexed tone. Emma places her hand on Regina's shoulder, the way she did earlier that morning, offering whatever comfort she can to the brunette. The brunette unconsciously leans into the blonde's touch.
"It'll all be okay, Regina. I promise." Emma says to the girl softly Regina nods at her and closes her eyes.
Suddenly a knock is heard at the front door, effectively making both girl's jump in surprise. The two exchange a puzzled look and get out of their bed. Slowly, they walk to the front door, side-by-side. Neither girl was expecting anyone. Emma shakily reaches for the door handle and twists it, pushing it open. On the front porch of the cottage is the last four people either girl wants to see, especially this late at night.
"Hey, sweethearts. Aren't you going to let us in?" Cora says to the married pair with a smirk, all four pairs of eyes staring at the girls in expectation. Regina and Emma turn to look at each other, expressions of dread and anger marring their faces.
"Come in." Emma says through clenched teeth, letting their parents in.