Part 2! Let's get going.

Also I'd recommend people to find a diagram for armour parts if you want to follow along for a scene near the end.

"Emma, wake up!" someone harshly whispered, rousing her from sleep. It was Mulan, already wearing her armour. "Red's getting ready to debrief."

The now 24 years-old woman got up in a rush after having nearly fallen off her bed in surprise. She couldn't believe she had slept in. Usually the sounds around her would wake up on time, as they always did. She had become a light sleeper due to circumstances, but she'd been having a dream, or rather, replaying a memory. A memory from before everything had gone south, a time when a little princess had made a promise to protect a future queen.

Once awake, she thought back to when she found out that everything had changed.

Arendelle was wonderful in the summer, and little Emma loved to visit her cousins Elsa and Anna, but she was getting homesick, and she wanted to go home. It had been an awfully long time that they had been away, and Regina was bound to have visited her home by now, and not found her there. Would she think that Emma had abandoned her? Or broken her promise?

So with a determined face, she marched to her parents' bedroom to demand answers. Opening the door, her resolve faded as she saw her mother crying in her father's arms.

"Mommy! What's wrong?" Emma exclaimed, running up to her mother.

"Oh Emma, something terrible has happened."

It was then that she found out that she no longer had a grandfather, or a home. He had apparently been murdered, and his last act was to be coerced to decreeing that someone else inherited the kingdom. And the new monarch's first action was to banish the remaining Whites.

"Who would do such a thing?" Emma asked, appalled.

"We don't know, we're trying to get answers," her father explained.

It would turn out that Snow and David did know, but they didn't want to upset Emma by telling her that Cora, Regina's mother, had done such a horrible deed. So they kept quiet and began to think about their new life in Arendelle. Luckily Ingrid had a very large castle, so they were invited to live there. Since she was so young, all Emma knew was that the White Kingdom was no more, and that it had now become the Dark Kingdom.

By the time Emma was 16, it had long been decided - by her parents and countless other people - that, as soon as she was of age, she would take back her kingdom by any means necessary. Everyone was counting on her.

So she had been training with her father and Arendelle's guards, but she still had a while to go. So she continued to train and build her strengths. However, fate had another plan for her. One night, guards from the Dark Kingdom had shown up in Arendelle, demanding that, if they didn't hand over the Whites, they'd be forced to search every nook and cranny for them, and should Arendelle be found to have harboured the Whites, it would be considered an act of war. So David and Snow did what any sensible person would do, they quickly packed up their bags, and with Emma in tow, left Arendelle.

They travelled all over the Enchanted Forest, staying where they could, and Emma's training was halted, for their survival was key. After 3 years of hiding around, they came across a motley group of outlaws and exiles who took them in. By that point, the Dark Kingdom was under a new regime, that of the Evil Queen's. No one knew what exactly happened, but this new monarch didn't exactly invoke feelings of friendliness and of being someone to be reasoned with.

No, they would continue to gather intelligence, and one day, remove the Evil Queen and reinstate the White family, with Emma taking the throne. So she continued her training, making sure she was nothing short of faultless in her technique, and a very skilled knight.

This was why, 5 years later, Emma was getting ready for battle. With the group of fugitives she had met all those years back, Emma had built a small but impressively competent army. While they trained, they had also built their reputation as a group of saviours, and Emma had become the White Knight, a symbol for hope. They had also made themselves the Dark Kingdom's most wanted criminals, for crimes against its Queen.

When Emma made her way inside the meeting tent, she wished her parents would've accompanied her, but they had decided to bow out due to their older age, confident that Emma would be able to handle things. "So what's the plan?"

"Well, from what Lancelot was able to find out," Red began to explain, "Evil-y likes sending others to do her dirty work. So all we have to do is create a diversion, and then with diminished forces, take her by storm."

Emma nodded along with the plan, but she had one burning question. "Evil-y?"

Red shrugged. "It was either that, or Queeny, you choose."

"Fair enough. And we weren't able to fish for more information on her?" Emma asked.

"Nothing," Lancelot piped up, pushing himself up from the pole he was leaning up to walk closer to the table in the middle of the tent which had a map of the Dark Kingdom sprawled. "We tried to gather intelligence, but didn't get that far."

Emma nodded, and then prompted Red to continue explaining their plan. "So we figured the diversion would be to sic Anton on them, with Aurora to take point with a bow. Since he's more resistant, it would keep them busy until we get to the palace, and Aurora would prevent anyone from leaving. Tink and Nova can sprinkle the remaining fairy dust on remaining guards so they'll be immobilized, and we can storm the place."

So it was settled. They would attack in the afternoon. While they made their way closer to the outer edges of the kingdom, Emma looked around to the motley of warriors she had by her side. There were werewolves in Red and Graham, a giant in Anton, Tink and Nova were ousted fairies, there were warriors like Mulan and Lancelot, a princess named Aurora, and even three thieves who used to be part of a group called the Merry Men: Will, Little John, and Marian.

They were twelve strong, and even though they were very outnumbered, according to the reports claiming that the Evil Queen's army was hundreds strong, they were going at this with a plan. Rather than brute force, they would use strategy.

When they heard the loud stomp of Anton having grown back to his normal sized giant stature with the help of a magic mushroom, all they had to do was wait. And it didn't take long. Graham came bounding towards them, letting them know that the first wave of guards were distracted with Anton. It was time.

Rushing through the open field, Emma's old home was looming ever closer, but so was a second horde of guards.

"Get ready!" Emma exclaimed, extracting her now very real sword from its scabbard.

"Your Majesty," the head of her guard started, coming inside in a rush. "There's a contingent of outlaws rushing at the castle."

As Regina listened to Joseph's report, she grew increasingly annoyed. These simpletons never learned.

Meanwhile Joseph was continuing his report. "...and they're being led by the White Knight."

"The White Knight?" Regina asked with a smirk. She had heard tale of the mysterious saviour who was trying to take Regina's kingdom. The rumours went as far as to say that they couldn't be killed. But Regina had always been one for testing theories out herself. "Tell Carla to prepare my armour."

"Y-Your Majesty?" Joseph asked, stuttering in his confusion. "You're going out into the fray?"

Regina kept from fully exploding in anger at what she was assuming Joseph was really asking. "Yes. Problem?"

"No! I'm just wondering if you wouldn't want to stay here..."

"And why would I do that, Joseph? If your answer includes the words: woman, delicate, unsuitable, or that your men are 'handling it', I would recommend that you don't answer."

"Yes, your Majesty, my apologies." Joseph quickly left to prevent his from saying anything more idiotic.

Emma and her army had their work cut out for them. Left and right there were Dark Guards brandishing their swords. The pixie dust they had sprinkled had served its purpose, but there were still too many of them, and they had run out of fairy dust. They just kept on showing up.

Suddenly, the air around them shifted.

"The Evil Queen's here!" Lancelot exclaimed, knocking a guard out with the hilt of his sword.

Emma turned her attention from the three men she was fighting, and through her visor, she saw the imposing monarch in all her very familiar glory. It couldn't be...

"Agh!" Emma hissed. In her distraction, she had left herself open for a guard to attack, getting a deep scratch in. Focus. She had to focus. Disposing of the three guards she was fighting, she moved to get closer to the Evil Queen. She still couldn't believe that it might have been Regina all along.

What was worse, she wasn't sure it would even make a difference. She might not remember Emma, or her hatred might not spare childhood friends from her wrath.

"Hyah!" A guard had jumped up to take Marian by surprise, and she managed to scare the archer, getting too close for Marian to nock her bow properly, so Emma diverged her path to save her friend.

"I'll take care of her, you go help the others!" Emma ordered. Swinging her sword, she managed to block the incoming blade that would have sliced her friend in two. Unlike the army they were fighting. their general rule was to avoid killing, but if push came to shove, they would be exempted from following that order. Right now, Emma was thinking that nothing short of death would stop this warrior. It also didn't help that Emma kept glancing to locate Regina. Maybe if they could just talk...

"Oof!" Emma coughed as the faceless warrior slammed into her, drawing out her breath and making her stumble back a few steps. And again she let her distraction get the best of her.

Before she could right herself, she felt as though a gust of wind had completely blow her away. Flying through the air at breakneck speeds, Emma heard the wind rushing through her ears as the ground got increasingly closer. With a medley of sounds, Emma collided with the ground and the force of impact made her roll a bit. She was quite a fair distance from the fighting. It was quieter here.

She tried to stand up, but her body was bruising and hurt. Although her armour had thankfully taken the brunt of the impact, she still felt in no condition to fight. It also didn't help that the impact had mangled her armour so it was dented and therefore, harder to move.

Emma looked to her right at a soft whistling sound, and saw that the air there was turning purple. Magic. It was transporting someone to her. Regina.

But, it wasn't really Regina anymore, or at least, not the one she remembered. The Regina she knew had an aura of friendliness, and was approachable. This woman practically screamed power and intimidation. Unless this was all a facade. She had to hope it was, or else she was practically dead.

Trying to once more stand up, she found her efforts got her practically nowhere, and her audience of one began to give a cold laugh. "This is the revered White Knight? Forgive me for not being impressed, but you seem to be weak as a leaf. But I do appreciate the workout you gave my men and women, they were itching for a fight. Now, let's get this over with, shall we? I promise you a swift and relatively painless death."

Emma then felt something snaking by her, coiling around her body tightly until she was immobile. It was a tree branch a few paces north of where they were, and the bark was biting into her armour. Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted into the air so she was vertical, arms bound to her side, legs flailing around pointlessly.

"Now, what would you prefer? Your heart crushed, or being killed by your own sword?" Regina asked, picking up the discarded sword on the ground. She twirled it around for a bit as she waited for an answer.

And Emma would have loved to give some kind of answer, to ask Regina for a chance to talk, but she found she could hardly manage to make wheezing and grunting sounds.

"Ooh, is the armour crushing you, dear? Allow me to remove your helmet, and we can even end with this mystery." A flick, and the helmet flew clean off, toppling over yonder.

Regina's eyes widened in recognition. Like Regina, she was older, her hair much longer, and her body bruised and battered, but she recognized her. "Emma," she breathed.

Eyes once more steeling in determination, Regina summoned a raven to her, and silently relayed a message. When she was done, she waved her hand and the branch loosened. Before it had fully let Emma go, Regina had taken hold of her arm and was calling forth the purple smoke.

Once the smoke cleared, Emma found herself to be inside the palace. She would've once more collapsed onto the ground if Regina's strong grip hadn't stopped the motion from continuing.

"Come on, let's get you lying down and out of this ridiculous armour."

So, she wasn't going to get killed? Emma wondered.

With a groan of satisfaction, Emma was now lying on a soft plush settee. Regina was pulling an armchair closer, and she sat down to Emma's right. "Your armour is in quite a state, so this might hurt. I won't take it off with magic because it would only cause you more pain."

She definitely was going to live another day, if Regina was worried about preventing her from suffering more pain.

Clearing her throat, she tried to voice one of the million questions she had running through her mind, but managed nothing more than a pitiful squeal. Regina stopped in the middle of undoing the clasps of her right gauntlet at the sounds. "Right, water."

Another movement of her hand, and a glass of water was now in Regina's hand. "Drink up."

The glass was tipped into Emma's mouth, and she drank greedily. Once the cup was empty, it was removed. "Thanks," she ground out.

Regina merely gave a brusque nod, setting the cup down nearby.

"So," Emma began, her voice returning to her. "It's been a while, huh?"

"14 years," Regina responded, returning to her removal of Emma's armour.

"Yeah, and you've been building quite a reputation," Emma continued.

"Yes well, I'm the Queen, so I suppose it comes with the territory." Emma's right gauntlet came off, and Emma flexed her fingers, glad for the freedom.

"You know, you don't have to be?"

Regina paused, hand on Emma's left wrist to pull it closer to where she was sitting. "Don't have to be what?"

"This," Emma gestured vaguely to Regina with her right hand.

"You'll have to be more specific, dear," Regina responded, hands coming to a rest on Emma's steel clad chest.

"You don't have to be intimidating, Regina. You can be a benevolent ruler."

"And who says I want to be one?" Regina haughtily asked, removing the left gauntlet.

Emma spluttered. "Why wouldn't you? I mean, why do you want everyone to fear you and be all intimidating?"

"Because everyone does what I say, and apart from your band of idiots, no one generally attacks. I have respect."

The blonde snorted. "That's not respect, Regina, that's pure fear. A kind queen has respect in spades. Who even taught you otherwise?"

Regina's eyes narrowed. "My mother."

"Ah yes, the lady that punished you for acting like a kid. She was a real charmer...or is she still around?"

"No, apparently the Dark One had a bone to pick with her, and he spirited her away," Regina explained, moving to undo the vambraces. "That was 7 years ago, and I've been ruling since then."

Emma gave a noncommittal hum. "Still, instilling fear doesn't make a good queen."

Regina scoffed. "Because your grandfather was a wonderful king?"

"No, he was a weirdo," Emma countered, scrunching her nose. Or it might have been because Regina was trying to undo the couter, and it was cutting painfully into her elbows. "But two wrongs don't make a right, Regina. There are plenty of monarchs out there who rule through kindness. Just try and see how it goes."

Now Regina began to laugh. "This isn't a dress, Emma, I can't just change and expect people to go along with it. If you want a kingdom with a kind monarch, go somewhere else and leave this kingdom alone. Should I decide to change, it has to be for the long run. And I am not going to lose this kingdom just because you say so."

"Then let me rule it. It's my kingdom anyway, so- OW!"

Regina had stopped in the middle of removing her right rerebrace, squeezing it just so to cause Emma pain by her upper arm. "Excuse me? You are sorely mistaken if you think I am going to give up my kingdom just because the prodigal princess is here. My mother might have been a manipulative bitch, but that document, transferring the kingdom to my mother, and me when the time came is perfectly legal and valid. So I am the ruler of this kingdom by every right, and though I might not be the most well-liked leader, I know how to lead this kingdom. Do you have any idea how to do it? Or were you just planning on taking it by force from my hands and leading it back to ruin?"

Emma's eyes widened and she shook her head profusely. "No! And okay, perhaps that wasn't the best suggestion. It's just that, for the longest time I was told that I would take the kingdom back and bring it to a golden age, be the saviour of the White Kingdom, but you're right, I have no idea how to run a kingdom."

Seeming satisfied with Emma's response, Regina continued to undo the armour. They stayed in silence for a while, before Regina asked, "Where have you been all these years anyway?"

So Emma explained, while her pauldrons and subsequently the greaves were removed, about her adventures around the Enchanted Forest after running away from Arendelle. She told Regina of her training, of becoming a knight like she had said she would, all those years ago.

"Maybe, rather than take the kingdom from you, I could be your knight, just like I promised, and protect you," Emma smiled, raising her hips so Regina could remove her tassets.

"Well you certainly would be a step up from Joseph who, for all his competence, is a misogynistic bastard, and I would want nothing more than to be rid of him."

Emma blinked a bit at Regina's swearing, but she supposed that her Queenly composure didn't prevent her violent nature from blooming, and it went hand in hand with crude language.

"But before I consider handing it off to you, do you have any military training? Or would I have more success handing it off to a chipmunk?"

"Hey! I am totally competent. Sure I might not have any formal training, but I have had lessons from the best. Besides, I'm sure you're not clueless on the subject, so you can always help me if I'm about to make a mistake."

Regina gave a small chuckle at hearing that. "First let's get this armour out of you and heal you so you are at least capable of lifting a sword, and then we'll see what's in store."

Part 3 will be up tomorrow! I'd have continued it a bit further, but I've got a migraine the size of a small country [plus twitchy eye returned with a vengeance], so this will be it for today.

Just to clarify 'cause some reviews were alluding to it: Leopold in this story didn't lay a finger on Regina. That's not to say he wasn't still a sleazebag, but Cora just used him to transfer the kingdom over to her before she pulverized him.

Let me know what your thoughts are of this so far!