DISCLAIMER:: do not own. just borrowing for purpose of creative expression. no profit obtained.
A/N:: explanation of curse contained herein
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-Chapter 42: My Life Could Change In A Second-
Emma was the first to awaken on the day that would change everything she had ever known to be true. Regina was asleep on her back next to her. Curled up against her chest was Savya. She must have appeared sometime after Emma had fallen asleep the previous night. She took a long moment to watch her two favourite women in this world as they slept together. Savya's head was tucked comfortably under Regina's chin. Regina's right arm was draped softly across the little girl's back. Her left arm was stretched across the bed to rest on Emma's chest, her hand splayed over the blonde's heart. Emma wondered if the woman was aware she did that. Was it a byproduct of her old lifestyle, when she'd taken hearts without thought? Or was this something much more intimate, a need to make sure Emma's heart was still there and beating? Either way, whatever the reason, the gesture comforted her.
She moved out from under Regina's hand and slipped out of bed. With a quick glance at the two girls on the bed, she exited the bed chamber and moved into the parlour, making sure to close the door quietly behind herself. The parlour was smaller here than the one had been at Regina's former castle, but that was to be expected. They were in guest chambers here, the normal chambers that Regina stayed in when she stayed at Maleficent's. Emma found that she missed the big open wall in Regina's parlour. There wouldn't be much of a view here, the Forbidden Fortress was nestled in a hidden valley between several peaks of the Third Hex, nothing but snowy mountain faces in any direction, but she felt so locked in here, so closed off from the world. Maleficent had gone to great lengths to hide herself from the rest of the Enchanted Forest. Emma couldn't help but feel slightly sad at how lonely the blonde witch must feel up here. Over three decades of isolation from the rest of the land. She was sure she couldn't do it.
She sat down and stared at the fireplace. It was magically operated, not the good old log burning kind, so there was no fire to warm the frozen room and she crossed her arms across her chest and curled her legs under herself on the couch to keep in her natural body heat. She wasn't used to the mountain climate. She'd lived in the palace almost her whole life, the exception being the year in Bridalveil. The coast never saw snow and the palace was always a warm place. The cold here seeped into her bones and stayed there, lingering, permeating. She didn't like this place. And yet, it was the only place she'd felt even slightly safe since they'd left the ruined stronghold where Regina had spent her childhood. But then again, sometimes danger took different forms. Just because they were safe from Hadrian's pointless war of pride, didn't mean they were entirely safe. There was still a question of who had sent the Apasma after her. Someone wanted her dead. Why? What threat could she possibly pose?
A shiver ran through her body and she couldn't tell if it was from the actual temperature or this unforeseen threat. She glared at the fireplace, not for the first time wishing she had magic. She'd just light the fire herself instead of waiting for Regina to wake up and do it for her.
The fire roared to life.
Emma jumped up and turned on her heel.
Maleficent gave a small wave from the doorway. "You looked about to pop a vein trying to light it." She walked into the room and sat with a flourish in one of the chairs by the now-roaring fire. "How was your night?"
Emma tried to fight an eye roll and took the other free chair in front of the fire. "It was fine."
"Well, since we're still here, I take it you were… unable to seal the deal in your conquest of the other world."
Emma frowned. "Regina told you." The brunette had conveniently failed to mention that little detail the previous night. But in her defense, Emma really hadn't given her the opportunity to say much of anything, with the exception of the blonde's name every time she came.
"No, unfortunately my dear friend is just as untrusting of me as ever." Maleficent pursed her lips, obviously dismayed by this fact. She didn't seem to be used to sharing, nor particularly good at it.
Emma raised an eyebrow as invitation for her to continue.
"I was informed of your condition from our friend in white."
Emma sat forward. "She's here?" She looked over her shoulder as if she expected the woman to be standing behind her.
"She arrived less than an hour ago with her…package in tow."
"Package?"
Maleficent's eyes sparkled with some unknown secret. She smirked. "All in good time dear."
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"You look pensive, my love." Regina hiked up her skirts and straddled Emma's lap.
The blonde had spent the morning reading histories of the war in Maleficent's considerable library. She had a stack of impressively sized tomes in a little tower next to the lounge chair she'd been sitting in for over four hours. She looked over the top of the book she was reading, the V of concentration between her eyebrows deepening. "No one would ever really tell me about the war. I was too young, it was too traumatic, and honestly… most people who left to fight never returned." Her mind went to Pinocchio.
"I think…" Regina grabbed the book, prying it from her hands and pulling the ribbon through the seam to hold her place, and then closing it and setting it on top of the tower. "That you need to take a break from reading about a war already over."
Emma shook her head. "But that's just it! Maybe it's not over. No one can conclusively say what ended the war, or even how it ended. One day they were fighting and the next day, the opposing army had retreated, leaving no trace. It just doesn't…"
She was cut off by Regina's lips on hers. The brunette pressed her shoulders against the chair, deepening the kiss, her tongue begging entrance.
Emma obliged, opening her mouth to receive the welcome gift of Regina's tongue. Her hands finally came up to run up the older woman's sides, dragging her nails so hard that Regina could feel them through the press of the fabric.
She groaned into Emma's mouth, her own hands slipping from the blonde's shoulders and down to the hem of the tunic she wore. They slipped under and back up the lean skin of her torso towards her breasts.
Emma broke the kiss with a smirk. She kissed a hot trail up Regina's jaw to her ear and then down to her neck. She sucked deliciously hard on the skin over the brunette's pulse point, reveling in the feeling of its flutter against her lips.
The doors burst open. "Really, Regina dear, you would think this place a bed chamber."
Emma frowned at the sickly sweet voice, just another thing she hated about Maleficent, her propensity to interrupt at the most infuriating moments.
Regina slowly withdrew her hands, sliding them back down Emma's torso and out of her tunic. She climbed off Emma's lap, but sat on the side of the chair, grabbing Emma's hand and pulling it possessively into her lap.
Maleficent stood in the doorway, with two figures on either side of her. To her left was the woman in the white cloak. She still wore her cloak, hood up to hide her face, but the front was parted enough to see that she was lean and fit. She wore dark brown leather pants, so tight they looked painted on. She wore a vest of the darkest sapphire, an intricate pattern worked through the satin, craftsmanship in the like that either woman had only seen it once before.
She reached out a squeezed the shoulder of the third of their trio before skirting the edge of the room. With lithe grace she hopped onto the cushion of the chair nearest the fireplace, then to the mantle, one shelf and then the next, before grabbing the marble rail that ran the length of the second floor gallery and easily hauling herself up to sit on it, her legs dangling, her well worn leather mid-calf boots kicking back and forth through the free air in front of her like some little kid in a chair too tall for their feet to reach the ground.
The other next to Maleficent also wore a cloak, this one a forest green. The hood was pulled up, the cloak closed, hiding not only the newcomer's identity, but also gender.
Emma sat up a little more, swinging her legs over the side of the lounge, regarding the blonde sorceress and her friend in green, while keeping the woman in the white cloak within her peripheral vision. The anticipation in the air was thick and after several beats of silence, she wondered if they were waiting for something specific, some magical introduction.
But then a smirk that could only be described as evil crossed Regina's face. It was directed at the figure in the green cloak. "I had a feeling you'd show yourself eventually. You never could seem to stay off-radar for long, even when your life was at stake."
Pale hands snuck out from the cloak and went to either side of the cloak's hood, lifting it up and off.
Before them stood Snow White.
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"Emma, darling." Regina's voice sounded far away; she was off somewhere in the distance. Emma couldn't seem to will her eyes open to look for her, they were just too heavy.
"Emma, baby, wake up." She felt a tingle on her cheek and she wanted to swat the tickling pressure away, but it was gone before she could will her hand to rise.
"Let me try." This was a different voice now, softer and almost unfamiliar. Almost.
"Don't you touch her! It's your fault she's like this." The anger in Regina's tone was unmistakable. Why was she angry? Was it because of her? She tried to remember what she'd done, but her memory was hazy.
"How was I to know she'd just pass out?"
"Maybe you might know her a little better if you hadn't run out on your family when she was just a child." Her contempt for Snow White and her decision was evident in her tone.
There was silence and then a resounding crack, followed simultaneously by a gasp and Maleficent's delighted chuckle.
Another voice registered to Emma. But it wasn't from above her. It was coming from inside her consciousness, a soft, delicate lilting thing. Wake up Your Grace, before they kill each other.
"Regina." Her own voice was soft, and she noticed a slight pounding in her head. She tried to open her eyes and was thankful that the library was dim enough that adjusting wasn't difficult.
"I'm here." And Regina's concerned face filled her vision. Her right cheek was bright red, how odd. The brunette pushed a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and leaned down, kissing her forehead. "Are you all right? You gave me quite a scare."
Before she could answer, Regina was unceremoniously shoved out of the way and a face that only existed in the depths of her memory swam before her eyes. Though it had been the better part of two decades since she'd last seen her mother's face, with her father's never ending supply of sketches she had never truly been allowed to forget the delicate face. A scar cut across her features now, marring the softness but she was still beautiful. And dead. Or supposed to be dead.
Emma yelped, her disorientation forgotten as she scrambled backward. She saw Regina out of the corner of her eye, glaring openly at Snow and clambered over to her, burying her face against her neck like a frightened child and willing the haunting specter to go away.
Regina softened and stroked her fingers through her hair, whispering consoling words as she placed soft kisses on her head. She regarded Snow with barely disguised anger. "Proud of yourself dear?" Her sneer dripped with her old contempt. It seems even when one's soul was split, some things never change. Her hatred of Snow White had obviously been so deeply rooted that it permeated both halves. Interesting, but unsurprising.
"Emma." Snow White blatantly ignored the older woman, choosing to focus solely on her grown daughter.
Emma slammed her eyes shut and buried her face deeper against Regina's neck. Begone. She repeated the word like a mantra in her head as if that would somehow banish the ghost of her dead mother from the room.
Regina cradled the blonde in her arms. "It seems obvious Emma is not quite ready for all of this. Maybe if we reconvene later, after she's had time to process all this."
Listen to her Your Grace. What she has to say is important, and there is little time left to us to make things right.
Emma tried to ignore the twinkling voice. It needed to get the hell out of her head. It wasn't welcome.
"Emma. You need to listen to me." Snow reached out a hand towards the blonde's back, imploring her to turn around.
That one word sparked something in Emma, a deep seated anger, long buried. Faster than anyone could have predicted, she whipped around, unfathomable anger coursing through her veins and reflected in her gaze. "Need? I need to listen to you? I do not need to do anything! I owe you nothing! You who abandoned your throne! You who left your own kingdom to ruin! You who deserted all who held you dear!"
Snow put both hands up in a placating gesture. "I know I have a lot to answer for, and when we have more time perhaps…"
Emma shook her head. "No! I can forgive you for the life I have lived in your absence, unfulfilled though it was. I grew up long before I ever should have, lost my innocence before my time, and suffered in silence, all to make you proud, to honour your memory. I can forgive you all that because that life, barren and empty though it was, gave me her." She reached behind her without looking, bunching her fist in Regina's skirts, needing that tangible connection.
Regina stepped closer, her own hand sliding firmly into place at the small of Emma's back.
"But I will not forgive what you did to him! Gone was the great King who once ruled this land fairly. Gone was my hero. You broke him. That, Mother, is unforgivable."
Snow White flinched as if her words had been a physical blow. Her skin paled and she looked ready to retch all over the ornate rug beneath their feet.
Maleficent, obviously enjoying the show, clapped her hands in delight. Sadistic bitch.
"I know what you must think of me; it's obvious by your words. I did not come here for forgiveness, though I do hope you will find it in your heart one day to accept my apologies once I have the chance to better make them. I did what I had to, to protect my family and my people. I made a sacrifice. I never realized how negative the repercussions would be and by the time I had, it was too late, I'd made my choice." She looked truly haunted, the bulk of some heavy burden weighing down her features. "But I come here, not for me, but for you…" A sour look crossed her face. "And Regina. Because I have something you need."
"And what, pray, do you possibly possess that either of us could need?" It was Regina who spoke, her protectiveness coming through in tone. Obviously, she was convinced there wasn't anything Snow could provide.
Snow White looked between them. "Knowledge."
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She didn't care that she looked like a small child, curled up in Regina's lap as she was. That's how she felt in her mother's presence, a child. She had been one the last time she'd seen this woman after all… well, this version of her at least. So when Regina had reclined regally on the lounger and pulled Emma down into her lap, she hadn't objected, but instead caved in on herself, curling as small as her adult body would allow and resting her weary head on the brunette's shoulder. Her wary gaze never left the scarred woman who claimed to know all they didn't.
Maleficent perched in a chair by the fire, gazing between them all with a look of mirth. Emma was quite positive the woman had lost her mind in lieu of her solitary confinement. Either that, or she was just born with a twisted need to revel in others' suffering. The woman in the white cloak had not moved from her perch on the gallery rail, high above them all, nor had her gently kicking legs even broke stride once. They both seemed content to just observe the other three women's conversation.
Snow White paced anxiously in front of the fire, looking conflicted. "You must understand, this is forbidden. By interfering, I am no worse than those who have already been doing so for the other side. We are not supposed to upset the balance of Fate." She ran a hand through her raven curls. She unclipped her cloak and tossed it on a vacant chair. She too was in tight leather trousers, light brown, and one of the intricate vests, also light brown, over a plain cambric shirt. "But Rumpelstiltskin upset the balance before any of us, with what he did to you." She glanced regretfully at Emma. "It took us so long to figure out how he'd altered the very fabric of the prophecy." She took a step in the direction of her daughter. "If only we had known sooner… maybe I could have saved you some of the hardship. I always understood you switched worlds every night, but I never thought…"
Emma paled, sitting up in Regina's lap. "Rumpelstiltskin did this to me?"
Snow White nodded. "Yes, he did. When I was heavy with you, I sought out Rumpelstiltskin. I was desperate. I knew the Evil Queen would be after you, whether to kill you or kidnap you. She made no attempts to hide her desire for my unborn child. Your father, he never believed Rumpelstiltskin to be the answer…. I should have listened. In exchange for the sleeping curse he put Regina under, I granted him his freedom and all lands and possessions belonging to the Evil Queen. He promised to refrain from directly harming any member of the royal family or our friends, to expire twenty eight years from your birth. In exchange for knowing why that specific length of time, he asked to feel one kick. I let him. That's when it must have happened."
"I don't understand… I was meant to walk in both worlds, it's a part of the prophecy."
Snow looked into the flames of the fire. "That's what we all believed to be the truth at first. The prophecy was made long before you Emma. You are the child from the prophecy; you were meant to help save the world."
Emma frowned. She already knew all this.
"The individuals who bore witness to the prophecy all agreed to keep part of it a secret, a mutual accord to prevent either side from tipping the scales in their favour. The prophecy, at least its written record, is only half of it. The event of your birth is what split the worlds, that is true, however it is not your job to repair them. In fact, you can't, even if you tried. It's not your curse Emma… it's Regina's."
Emma's head swiveled so fast it looked about to fly off her neck, as she stared in stunned shock at her lover.
Regina rolled her eyes. "Of course, yet another thing for you to blame on me. I really shouldn't be surprised."
"Oh come off it, Regina dear. She speaks the truth. I'm not quite fond of her either, but she has little reason to tell it false." Maleficent looked as if she was starting to get bored.
"How do you know all this?" Emma stared at her mother, still not quite ready to believe it.
Snow fell down into the chair she'd draped her cloak over, suddenly looking exhausted. "The war started suddenly. There was no warning, no call from the border villages to warn us of an approach. They came in the night, black ghosts, converging on our borders to the South, North, and West, forcing us back against the coast, the sea the only direction from which we weren't being attacked and consequently the only direction from which we were able to seek help." Her eyes glazed over, transporting her back to a time she'd rather forget.
"Where did they come from?" James stalked into the room, still pulling on his doublet. His eyes were cloudy from being woken so abruptly from sleep.
The guards and the rest of the high council were assembled, in various states of exhaustion, ranging from still asleep (Sleepy) to ready to take this invading army down barehanded (Widow Lucas).
"They just appeared, as if from nowhere. They moved as one, hitting the border villages simultaneously. No one stood a chance. They lined up the men, making them kill their families to swear loyalty and join, or die themselves. After they'd made their choice, every one, they put the village to the torch. I ran the northern border as close as I dared, but I found no survivors." Red looked apologetic, as if the lack of survivors were her fault.
"What is it they want?" Snow sat up, looking troubled.
Everyone in the room collectively shrugged.
"They make no demands, send no birds. They just move across the land like Death herself." Red shook her head, looking truly afraid.
They spent until after dawn, discussing the best course of action. The only course of action really, was to join the battle, every one of them. They only way they would beat this army would be with sheer numbers and determination. Until demands were made they had no other choice.
She walked down the corridor, pausing outside the door. She looked over at the white cloaked woman next to her. "She is precious, not only to me, but to the Fate of this world. Protect her. If anyone is capable of that, it's you."
The hooded figure bobbed her head in promise.
Snow White sighed and opened the door.
Her daughter slept unaware of the destruction going on in the kingdom she would one day rule. Emma. Fair Emma. Snow grieved for her innocence. It would surely be lost after this. Pulled from home, forced to live among strangers. But, at all costs, she must remain safe. Otherwise, they'd all be gone.
Snow sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out and caressing her young daughter's face.
Slowly, Emma's eyes opened. She blinked away the sleep and regarded her mother with confusion.
"Get up sweet one. You must quickly pack a bag."
"Why mommy?"
"You're going to go on holiday to the mountains. Won't that be exciting?"
After a tearful farewell, Emma left with the woman in the white cloak to Bridalveil, not knowing it'd be nearly two decades before she'd see her mother alive again.
"We held back their advance, losing no ground, but there were mass casualties. It's not an easy thing to watch people you're responsible for… people you care about, die before your eyes. After a year, our spies were able to discern what the army was after."
Regina could easily guess the answer. "They wanted Emma." Her arms wrapped tighter around the blonde's waist as if that would protect her from the threat in her past.
Snow nodded. "We never saw a leader. Every battle there was a different soldier selected as a general. They would follow his orders unequivocally, without the barest hint of hesitation. But there was never a King or Queen or governing body. It was easy to infer their leader was working from a distance, through magic. If we were to make any negotiations, we knew we'd need someone with magic, someone who could contact the leader, wherever he or she may be and speak on our behalf. To use the fairies would have been futile. We needed someone who knew the dark arts. You were incapacitated and long missing. Rumpelstiltskin never told me how to wake you, even if I could find you, just that Emma was the key and there was no way I'd risk bringing her back to the Enchanted Forest. So, the task fell to Maleficent."
Regina glanced at her old friend in surprise. "You? Playing nice?"
Maleficent shrugged. "What can I say? They gave me an offer not so easily refused."
"Maleficent was able to make contact with their leader and negotiate a deal."
Emma frowned. "Which was?"
Snow looked at her apologetically. "That I must die." She sighed. "Upon confirmation of my death, the army would withdraw."
"Who was behind this?" Regina sat slightly forward, keen to know who had this kind of power.
Maleficent shrugged. "We never communicated directly, merely through the fire. A mask was worn, voice disguised. It was annoying. What's the point of conquering the world if you're not willing to admit it's you who's doing it?" She rolled her eyes as if it was the most absurd idea ever. "But whoever it was… power was involved, great power. I haven't felt something that raw and visceral since… well, since you Regina dear." She glanced down at her nails. "Well the old you, the fun you, anyway. Domestication has weakened you."
Emma narrowed her eyes and glared at the blonde witch.
Snow sighed. "We faked my death, magically, and I was sent to live under the protection of the elves, never to return. It was the only way to avoid detection. I tried to reach out. With your condition, I was unable to make contact with you. But Charming… I went to him every night in his dreams."
Emma felt anger well up in the pit of her stomach again, contempt for this woman who was once her mother. "Do you know what that did to him? Do you have any idea?" She tried to lunge off Regina's lap, but the brunette held her back with the firm grip around her waist. "He thought he was going insane! You should have let him move on. It wasn't enough that you left him, you had to torment him too? What kind of monster are you? You are not my mother!"
Regina wrapped a hand around Emma's head and pulled it back down to her shoulder. She made soft shushing noises, trying to calm her down. They needed to hear the end of this and Snow already looked about ready to bolt. "I take it the elves told you of the true prophecy?"
Snow shook off whatever she was feeling and nodded. "I learned a great many things with them, watched Emma's life from a distance, with help of course." She glanced up to the woman in the white cloak. "The prophecy is not about Emma, not entirely. Emma's birth was a turning point, in your life Regina. It's the moment everything changed. A crucial decision was put to you that day, to enact the curse or not. When Emma was born and the prophecy fulfilled, it split the world. In one, life continued as if the curse had been enacted. In the other, in this life, it continued as if it hadn't. Fate dictated that you would live out both your chances, conscious of each, and would have twenty eight years to make the decision. At night, when you laid to rest in one world, you would emerge in the other. At the end of that twenty eighth year, you would choose one world or the other. Emma's only part in the prophecy was meant to be her birth. But Rumpelstiltskin transferred the burden of living in both worlds to her. She is two separate people, just as everyone else is. She shares a consciousness, an awareness if you will, with the other half of herself. But, she may have noticed that her other half doesn't share her morals. If they were the same person, affected the same way, that wouldn't be so. It was meant to be you all along."
Emma thought back to her date with August, letting him kiss her, despite having this Regina waiting and trying to court the Regina there. It suddenly all made sense and she knew without any doubt that Snow spoke the truth. All at once, she felt the burden she'd carried her whole life lifted, and a deep sense of loss of control of her own destiny. It was a bittersweet melancholy.
"So it's my decision?" Regina felt her stomach drop. "How am I supposed to make that decision when I can't communicate with my other half?"
Snow frowned. "Rumpelstiltskin never dreamed Emma would be able to find you in the other world. But she did. He never factored in, never could have dreamed, that true love would deliver her to your doorstep." She looked at Emma, who was still too angry to meet her gaze. "Emma… you cannot make her choice for her. But you can help her make it."
Regina frowned. "If what you say is true. If that Regina enacted the dark curse, then she will not be easy to negotiate with. Convincing her will be almost impossible. You cannot expect all that of Emma."
Snow frowned. "We have no choice. It is not fair, but it is the only chance we have."
Emma looked up. "How am I supposed to break through her defenses?"
Snow looked up to the woman in the white cloak. "Daneiria can help with that. She's the only known expert on cracking that Regina."
The woman in the white cloak dropped soundlessly to the stone floor, looking towards the lounge where the two lovers were sitting. She reached up and pushed off her hood. It was Daniela.