"Please tell me you're joking. You have to be joking. There is no way that you are actually suggesting we do this."
"I'm sorry, but I actually am serious. I think this is a good idea!"
"A good idea for whom?"
"For us! For our safety!"
"But magic lessons? And from my mother, of all people? Emma, come on, what the hell is this really about?" Regina asks the blonde suspiciously, not quite understanding where Emma's sudden fascination with magic has come from. Not once has Emma ever shown any interest in practicing magic, nor has she ever really brought up the topic of magic… until this morning.
The morning had started off just like every other morning, the only difference is that instead of waking up in their bedroom in the cottage, they woke up in Regina's old bedroom at the Mill's castle. Regina had woken up, wrapped in Emma's arms, just like she has every morning for the past week. The two had taken turns bathing and quickly got dressed for the day, more than ready to head back to their little cottage in the woods. The Mills servants had prepared breakfast for the two princesses and even went as far as giving them enough food to last them the next 3 days or so. Both girls thought it was extremely nice of them and thanked the servants profusely.
Just like every morning, Emma and Regina did their lessons, sword fighting, being their lesson for the morning. Instead of doing their lessons with Alexander and Archibald, they did it with Timothy and Gregory, who is one of the younger Mills guards. The lessons had gone smoothly, both guards complimenting the two on their superior fighting skills, obviously shocked at their level of skill. After the morning lessons, all was well…until now.
"Look, Regina…I just…I just want us to be safe. That's all." Emma says to the brunette sincerely. Regina's eyes narrow at the blonde, not quite accepting her explanation.
"There's more to it than you wanting us to be safe. There's a reason that you want to practice magic and I have a feeling that it has everything to do with the talk you had with your father last night. I'm not stupid, Emma. I know that there's a real reason that you want to do this, so please, tell me. I can handle it." Regina tells Emma strongly, her brown eyes looking deeply into the blonde's eyes. Emma gulps audibly and wracks her brain for what she should tell Regina. She can't tell her about the sleeping curse, because then she would have to tell Regina that she was the one to wake her from the curse. And if Regina finds out about that, then it would only take a few seconds for her to realize that Emma is her true love, and if she finds that out, then all of the progress they have made may be undone. Emma can't risk that… She can't risk losing Regina. Even though she knows that keeping the truth from the brunette may cause her to lose her as well, she'd rather let Regina figure out their true love connection for herself. Without anyone telling her. Ugh, this is all so complicated, Emma thinks to herself.
"Fine. There is a real reason that I'm suggesting this, but I can't tell you what it is. Not yet, at least, I mean, I want to, but I just can't." Emma says in defeat. Regina steels her gaze at the blonde standing before her and scowls.
"Then I just can't go along with this plan. I'm sorry." Regina says dismissively, walking away from Emma and into the direction of their parked carriage. Emma sighs to herself and leans against the wall of the castle. Regina and Emma are set to leave the Mills castle in 10 minutes and now Emma wishes that she would have waited until they got back to their cottage to bring up the topic of magic. Now the entire carriage ride is going to be tense and silent, and she doesn't think she'll be able to handle it. She's seriously dreading the 6 hour carriage ride now.
"Hey." A voice says. Emma turns her head in the direction of the voice and sees Timothy coming towards her.
"Hey." Emma says back, smiling slightly at the big, burly man.
"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with Regina. She may seem mad now, but just give her some time to cool off. Maybe try to explain exactly why you're suggesting whatever it is you're suggesting." He says to her with a kind smile.
"You know that eavesdropping is extremely rude, right?"
"I do. But I also know that keeping secrets from your wife isn't exactly encouraged either. I know why you're suggesting the magic lessons. I'm guessing either Snow or Charming decided to tell you the truth?" Timothy asked, seeking confirmation. Emma lets out a long sigh and nods her head. "I was there the night that it happened. I saw her collapse and I saw you catch her before she hit the ground. You yelled for help and you looked so distraught and scared. You had tears streaming down your face as you lowered her onto the ground gently and you tucked all of the hair that fell into her face, behind her ear. You started taking care of her the moment it happened, and you never stopped. I thought it was a bit ironic, how one moment, you two were yelling at each other and insulting one another and in the next moment, you were looking at her as if she was the most important person in the world.
I knew in that moment, before the kiss, that you two were destined to be together. After the true love's kiss debacle, I watched you two grow closer. You became inseparable. I also saw how much your closeness and love for one another frightened your parents. As your parents probably explained to you, they felt you were way too young to become that attached to someone. They wanted you to enjoy your youth, independently. And I can't say that I disagree with them, but I also can't say that I agree with them, either. But either way, I'm glad you two have been reunited, even if Regina has no clue what you really mean to her." Timothy finishes, causing Emma to look at him strangely.
"Okay?" Emma says unsurely, not quite sure what the point of Timothy's lecture was. The man chuckles at her confusion.
"I'm sorry, I tend to ramble sometimes. Look, what I'm trying to say, is that I know where your sudden interest in magic is coming from. And I think taking magic lessons from Cora is a splendid idea. I understand why you're hesitant to tell Regina the truth, I really do, but if you want her to willingly learn magic, then you have to tell her the truth. Or at least part of it. You can't leave her completely in the dark and expect for her to go along with your plans. It doesn't work like that with her, or any of the Mills women, to be honest. Just…tell her something. I practically raised Regina myself, so trust me when I say that I want her safety as much as you do. If that imp ever came after her again, I'd want her to be prepared. I'd want you to be prepared." Timothy says sincerely. Emma thinks it over and nods at the man.
"Thanks. You're right, I'd have to tell her something." Emma reasons. A voice in the distance calls for her and she looks up to see the carriage driver waving her over. She turns her attention back to Timothy and smiles at the guard genuinely.
"I have to go. It was nice meeting you, Timothy. I appreciate your concern and your advice. It's nice to know that someone, other than myself and Daniel, care for Regina's well-being." Emma says to the man sincerely. He smiles at her and bows, receiving a curtsy in response.
"It is no problem, your highness. Run along now, dear. You don't want to keep Regina waiting." He says with a wink causing Emma to nod and chuckle. She walks towards the carriage and gets in. Regina is already sitting in the carriage, her head leant against the window and her eyes closed. Emma lets out a sad sigh and closes the carriage door, her eyes lingering on Regina's face. When the carriage begins to move, Emma settles back into her seat, her back now resting against the back wall of the carriage, while her eyes are settled on the brunette beside her.
This is going to be a long ride, Emma thinks to herself.
6 and a half hours later
"It's so nice to be back home, isn't it?" Emma says to Regina as they enter the cottage. The 6 hour carriage ride from the Mills kingdom to the cottage was, unfortunately, spent in silence. Torturous, tense, silence. Emma had tried repeatedly to start a conversation with Regina, but the girl wouldn't budge. She refused to even entertain the idea of conversing with Emma. It was pure torture for the blonde. Now they are back in their safe haven and all Emma wants, is to hear Regina's voice. She doesn't care if all the brunette has to say, is an insult geared towards her, just as long she says something. When Regina doesn't respond to Emma, she lets out another sad sigh. "Why won't you talk to me?" Emma asks the girl, hoping for an answer. When Regina turns to Emma with a pointed look, the blonde raises her hands in surrender. "Right..." She mutters to herself.
The two women head into their bedroom to change into their nightgowns. As Emma pulls off her shirt and trousers, she catches Regina's eyes lingering on her abs. Emma smirks to herself and quietly chuckles to herself. Even when she's mad at me, she continues to check me out, Emma thinks to herself in amusement. Once both girls are changed into their nightgowns, they crawl into bed on their respective sides, Emma's face to Regina's back. They lay in silence…until Emma decides to break the silence, that is. There is no way that she's going to let Regina go to bed upset with her. She knows what she has to do…so she does it.
"According to my father, your mother used to be involved with the Dark One. Last night at the ball, when I disappeared with my dad, he told me that there was a tragic event that occurred four years ago. An attack, by the Dark One, towards you. The reason that you don't remember it, is because your mother performed a memory erasing spell on you, so that you wouldn't remember the trauma. I can't tell you exactly what the attack consisted of, but I can tell you that the attack was completely magical." Emma says into the dark room, hoping that Regina is listening. And judging by the rustling of the bed sheets and the fact the she has now come face-to-face with brunette, it's safe to say that she is listening.
"The reason I suggested we take magic lessons from Cora, is because I want us to be prepared for anything. I doubt the Dark One would ever come after you again, but it's better to be safe than sorry. And besides, there are more magical beings in this land to worry about, many who probably hate us just for being royals. I don't want anything to happen to you, Regina. I would never be able to live with myself if anything did. So, please….at least consider my earlier proposition." Emma says pleadingly.
Regina looks into Emma's bright green eyes, and sees nothing but sincerity. She leans her face forward and presses a kiss to Emma's cheek. "I can handle myself, Miss White. But okay, I will do it. Thank you for telling me the truth." Regina says softly. Emma smiles a wobbly smile at the brunette and nods. Thank you for telling me half of the truth, you mean, Emma thinks to herself guiltily. She reasons that keeping the rest from Regina is for the best…or at least that's what she's doing her best to convince herself of.
"So…we're going to learn magic?" Emma asks after a silent moment.
"We're going to learn magic."