Chapter Two

The baby quickly became the talk of the Dark One's castle. The servants were drawn to the little bit of light that was brought into the cold dark place that they all called home. New life was always precious and in this young princess' case it was no different. The baby was loved and adored by all who met her. Her smile could make the young servant girls giggle and melt away. Even the male servants would stop into the nursery to check on the little one out of protectiveness. The baby barely cried or got upset because someone was always at her beck and call. She lived the life of a princess without actually being raised as one.

At three weeks old the princess already had a sense of what she liked and what she did not like. For one she did not like to be left alone for long periods of time. She also disliked sitting in a soiled diaper for too long and she certainly disliked waiting for a meal. If any of those things were not acknowledged there would be hell to pay. Not only because once the baby was upset and started crying she would not let up for at least an hour but also because the Dark Swan disliked for her young charge to be upset and anyone caught not tending to her when she needed it would have to deal with her carer's wrath.

Well anyone except Granny and Ruby. They never caved to the Dark One and they were certainly not going to let a baby boss them around either. No matter how cute she was with her big brown eyes that looked more and more almond shaped as the days went on and that pretty brown hair that just wouldn't stop growing. Or those cheeks. Those chubby dimpled cheeks that get pinched on a daily bases.

The Dark One and Granny had different ideas about raising the baby. The Dark One believed that the baby should have everything she desired when she desired it while Granny did not want to spoil her. So they both interacted with her differently. Granny would sit Regina in a basket while she did her chores and leave her to cuddle with her little black, fluffy, stuffed swan that the Dark One had given her. As long as Regina could see Granny when she needed to she was fine to be alone. But after a while she would get fussy because she wanted attention then the little whimpers would turn to angry screams when she wanted to be cuddled and that would be when the Dark One would sweep into the room, scoop the baby up and give the older woman a disapproving look. Granny of course would shrug and carry on with what she had been doing.

The Dark One would declare that it was because she couldn't focus with the baby's constant screaming but Granny knew better. No one could resist a baby as beautiful and sweet as little Regina. Not even the big bad Dark One.

Another thing that everyone knew about the princess was that she liked being outside and she loved both the sunshine and the moonlight. They discovered the best way to put her down for bed was to take her out onto the balcony and walk with her. It would usually calm her and put her right to sleep.

But when it came to day time the baby would like to stay up. She liked the sunshine and the butterflies. Her little eyes would follow them everywhere and smile wide when the birds would come and land on the side of her basket and sing to her. She was the complete opposite of the home she lived in. There was so much light inside of her and every living thing was just drawn to it.

That's why the Dark One knew exactly where to find the baby and Granny. The older woman was in the yard taking the clothes down from the line while the girls were off sitting on the grass. Well, Regina was in her basket and Ruby was laying beside her, on her stomach, picking the petals off of a yellow daisy. The baby's eyes were glued to the brightly coloured flower and she was wearing a small smile. Ruby seemed completely oblivious to her sister's entertainment as she hummed absently to both herself and Regina.

The Dark Swan walked across the yard and stopped beside the little girls. Ruby looked up at her and smiled. Dark Swan nodded towards Ruby.

"Hello, Dark Swan." The little girl said politely.

"Hello, Ruby." The Dark One said with a smile. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. Thank you." Ruby said still polite as ever. "How are you?"

"I'm well." The Dark One said with a shrug that made the little girl giggle. "How is your little sister?" She asked looking over at the little girl in the basket whose eyes were still trained on the flower. Ruby looked at the baby and tickled her tummy. The baby's eyes widened in surprise at the new feeling.

Granny had decided to teach the baby that Ruby was her older sister. Just like Ruby, she was an orphan. Their parents died and Granny took them in. The Dark One saw nothing wrong with that. That would keep the child from asking about her true origin. Ruby of course loved the idea of being Regina's big sister.

"She's doing really good." Ruby said with an even bigger smile. "She drools a lot and sometimes she makes bubbles. It's yucky."

The Dark One chuckled. "Yes well, babies are like that sometimes. She'll learn."

"I love her." Ruby said boldly. "I love my baby sister so much!"

That took the Dark One by surprise but she definitely couldn't fight back a smile. "Good." She said instead. "That means you have to take good care of her. Keep her safe and teach her to be a good girl like you."

Ruby smiled wide and nodded. "Yes, Dark One, I will. I will be the best big sister ever. Promise."

"Good girl." The Dark Swan said with a proud nod. "I know you will." She looked down at the baby and saw those eyes watching her as the baby gummed her fingers. "Hello Regina."

The baby smiled around her fingers. The Dark One smiled at the cuteness of the baby then bid the girls a good day then was on her way to speak to Granny because if she stood there any longer, she would have picked up that baby and held her for the rest of the day. She needed to get a serious grip on herself. She already did this. She lived that part of her life and it was long over. She couldn't go through that again. She just couldn't.

"Granny." She said when she reached the woman at the clothes line. She put her hands behind her back and interlaced her fingers. Granny turned to her and smiled.

"Good afternoon, Emma." The older woman said. The Dark One flinched. Granny was the only one allowed to call her by her mortal name. In fact the older woman and her granddaughter were the only ones who knew it. She remembered that when she hired the woman she demanded to know her real name. Just something about the older woman made her want to let the woman know her so she told her.

Granny insisted on calling her Emma but Dark Swan hadn't been Emma in centuries. She didn't even know Emma anymore. Emma was who she was when she felt like she was nothing. When she felt weak at times and useless. When she couldn't even protect who she loved. She blamed Emma for losing him. She blamed Emma for all of it. But fortunately for Granny, she hadn't known that Emma. She only knows the powerful being that she had become. She hadn't known the mortal version of her. The side of her that she had long since buried.

And the tale of Emma Swan was one that she would never forget but she felt was not worth telling.

"Hello." She said in that indifferent way she does. Honestly after three centuries of life nothing is interesting anymore so it's hard to be anything but indifferent.

"What brings you by?" Granny asked returning to folding. "Regina missed you. She hadn't seen you in about two days. She's been looking for you."

The Dark One shook her head. She had so many things to take care of. Then again, she was not someone that Regina needed in her young pure life. "She doesn't know. Besides I'm not someone she should miss."

"Why not?" Granny asked turning to her. "You take care of her and you're good to her. Despite who you are and what you've done that infant does not know the difference. She knows you as someone who takes care of her and protects her. Believe me she knows the difference when you are not around."

The Dark One frowned as she took the woman's words in and thought them over. She really is not someone the child should be looking to for protection. Even though the Dark Swan could protect her. She was probably the only one who could guarantee her safety. But the life of a Dark One is a lonely one. There is no room for love or even relationships. They always end in tragedy and pain is a terrible thing to live with when you live forever. "Well I hope she changes that and understands that you and Ruby are all she needs."

Granny stared at her for a long time. She looked like she wanted to say something but just nodded instead. She understood why Emma felt the way she did. She had told the woman a small part of her story a very long time ago. "Ever thought that this child could be a second chance or a fresh start?"

Emma shook her head. "No. I wouldn't want to burden her with that."

"You aren't burdening her." Granny said gently. "That child has no parents. I don't know where you've gotten her from and I'm pretty sure I don't want to know." She raised a hand on the last part. "But she's technically an orphan. You have no family either. You two are both alone. Sure she has Ruby and I but she could have you too. We can all give her a happy family. I know she would love having you in her life." At that, they both looked at the little girls.

Ruby was playing with the baby's cute, little, white sock covered foot. The baby had a furrowed brow, unsure whether she quite liked someone playing with her little feet or not. After a moment of contemplation, she began kicking her little feet. The other little girl began giggling causing the little bean to smile. That's what Regina should be surrounded by. Light. Sunlight and the light of Ruby's love and Granny's. She didn't need the Dark Swan's darkness or even Emma's for that matter.

That baby needed her best chance and it was not in her darkness.

Dark Swan looked back at Granny. The older woman was watching her carefully. She understood Granny trying to help and what she said made sense. Emma had lost a lot in the three centuries of her lifetime. Parts of her heart, parts of who she was. When she had lost everything was when she killed Emma and became the Dark Swan. There was no one left to know her as Emma and it seemed like a good time to start over. She outlived everyone she knew.

Love brought pain and pain is weakness. Emotions in general are weakness. No Dark One had ever became great by being overly emotional. Feelings caused you to lose sight of your goal. They make you feel safe. Thinking you're safe for even a moment can get you killed.

That's why Emma had lived as long as she had as the Dark One. That's why she was the oldest and most powerful. She was strong and smart. She did not want to end up like the Dark Ones before her.

"I think it's best if I didn't." She said almost sadly. "She'll forget. She'll be fine."

Granny nodded. "Alright." She said softly. "But if you change your mind, she's not going anywhere. I mean, she can't even roll over yet."

Emma chuckled. Wow, it's been a while since she'd chuckled like that. It's Regina's presence. It has to be her. "Be careful what you wish for. Soon she'll be up, running around the castle with all of you chasing after her."

Granny shook her head with a smile. "Don't remind me." She looked over at the girls. Ruby was singing with Regina and the baby was smiling a toothless smile. "I thought I was done with that with Ruby. What a rambunctious thing she was."

Emma nodded. "I remember."

"I doubt Regina would be that bad. Well I'm hoping. She's so calm now. There's a good chance she'd stay good." Granny chuckled on the last part.

The Dark One nodded. "She will."

They both turned back to the girls and watched them. They seemed so content. The innocence and purity of childhood. The girls seemed completely unaware of the darkness that lurked around every corner. The Dark Swan wanted to keep it that way.

Regina's angry screams ripped through the castle once again. For such a little thing, boy, she had a set of pipes on her. The Dark One looked over at her clock - that she had gotten in a deal with someone who liked to call himself, 'The Time Keeper' or 'Father Time'. Emma found that to be a little cocky. He clearly thought far too highly of himself and had somehow gotten everyone else to do the same. He was nothing like his father. His father went by the name of 'The Sandman'. She had never met him directly but in her mortal life, she had been a fan of his work.

She wondered what everyone would think if only they had known that 'Father Time' was not as powerful as he made himself out to be and in the end, he had to make a deal with the Dark Swan.

She scoffed. It was amusing how everyone in the Enchanted Forest tried to make themselves seem more important than they actually were. Now the Dark One was not conceited. Okay she was but for good reason. She was the biggest, baddest thing that anyone would ever encounter in any realm and she was easy on the eyes. The Dark Swan knew that she was beautiful. Her swagger pretty much showed that. Powerful, beautiful and immortal is the trifecta for greatness. She always thought to herself. Her cockiness was earned.

Now any other being was just being ridiculous. They were no match for the Dark One. Especially the 'Time Keeper' now that she knew what she knew. However she would keep such information to herself... for now.

The time on the clock had read three am. The clock possessed magical powers. Well, besides telling time in the Enchanted Forest that is...

The clock could stop, slow down, and speed up time. She's never exactly tried it but nights like this - nights when Regina is so crabby and restless - she had half a mind to just fast forward time to where Regina was about eighteen. All of the crying, screaming and fussing is done with and the baby is replaced with... a lovely young woman...

Ugh.

That's a teenager... who will also scream, cry and fuss with the added bonus of stomping around and slamming doors.

Yeah with that thought, the Dark One always decides to leave the baby as a baby. At least she could cuddle her and soothe her. Who knows what she'd be like when she's older?

She had given up on the book she had been writing a few of her spells down in and stood from the desk she had poised in her study. This room was private. No one was allowed to enter. Ever. This is where she kept her spells, potions and other magical items. The room is somewhat hidden. By somewhat, it's in plain sight but only the Dark Swan could see what was truly inside. To the normal mortal eye, it looks like just a study but to the Dark One it looked like a museum. A vault rather. With magical items everywhere and relics that she had collected in her lifetime. There were secret passages that led to other rooms with more. The more powerful ones and sacred.

But her magic needed to wait. Her little princess was crying. Wait... little princess. No. She wasn't her little princess. Regina was her payment. Her part of the deal. Regardless how cute and sweet the baby was. She was not her child. She was just a baby that lived in the household. That was all.

With that thought in mind and Regina's little cries echoing through her ears, she straightened her jacket. She was not even going to deny it but she hated when Regina cried. She hated to hear any babies cry but Regina being upset made her upset. She shook her head and lifted her hand. She was engulfed in a cloud of light gray smoke then vanished from the study.

She reappeared in the nursery right beside the crib. She looked down at the brunette. She was pissed. Apparently she hadn't been fed or changed. The baby was crying and screaming angrily. Her little face was red and her cheeks were tear streaked. The Dark One frowned. What the hell? She could tell that the little girl needed to be changed after all night but she was not going to open that dump factory. With a wave of her hand the baby was cleaned up and put into a clean diaper. She still continued to cry though.

The Dark One sighed and went to pick her up but the echo of feet padding quickly down the hallway stopped her. Apparently someone was racing to the nursery to care for the neglected newborn. She shook her head. Well she's already here now. The wooden door to the nursery flew open. She looked up to see a young woman with light brown hair and dark blue eyes standing there. She looked exhausted and slightly winded. If she hadn't been so upset about Regina sitting in a soiled diaper and hungry, she might have felt sorry for her. The young woman's eyes were wide and she looked frightened upon seeing the Dark One. She stood stock still and her eyes began traveling between the Dark Swan and the crying baby.

Stella was Regina's wet nurse. The girl had a baby herself around the same time as Regina was born. Her own baby, a boy was a few months older. Emma asked her if she would like the job of feeding the baby girl and of course the woman jumped at the opportunity. She was then promoted from stable girl to wet nurse. But the Dark Swan was having regrets.

Emma sighed. Really? Regina had been crying and screaming for all this time and she was just going to stand there? "Are you just going to stand there while the child starves?" She snapped causing the girl to jump and flinch a little. She said nothing but stood there. "Well!"

The girl jumped again. She shook her head and cautiously stepped into the dimly lit room. "No, Dark One, I.. didn't hear her crying. Granny woke me. I am so sorry."

Emma rolled her eyes. Granny sent this incompetent girl to care for Regina alone? They need to talk about that. "Well get to it!" She screamed. "Feed her!"

The girl jumped and rushed into the room. The Dark One stepped away from the crib so that the young, nervous woman could pick up the screaming brunette. Stella carefully picked up the baby who was still crying, not as angrily since she had been changed but she still wanted to eat.

The young woman walked across the nursery and perched herself on the rocking chair by the wide window. She got herself and the baby situated quietly as she talked to Regina. Regina for her part was half listening because she was impatient and was ready to eat. The girl understood this then quickly began to feed the baby. Emma gravitated to the wide window on the opposite side of the room and gazed out of it into the night. She wanted to give the young woman and the baby some privacy. From what she could hear though, the girl was humming to Regina as she fed her. The baby had stopped fussing in favor of suckling and she seemed content with that. It was a shame really. The baby had to be nursed by a complete stranger because her mother couldn't get it right. The poor child.

The frustration and discomfort of nursing was one that the Dark One remembered well. Even after centuries she remembered her first time when she had no idea what she was doing. She remembered the soreness and pain. Honestly she didn't miss it. The fact that this woman did it for two babies amazed her. She must have really liked the pay. Either way, she was a tough one. She had to go from feeding her own son to this baby. Regina was a greedy one too. She would eat until she had to be pulled away and she'd cry. Emma had even heard Granny joke with Stella once about Regina drinking her dry.

The Dark One smiled to herself. That's why Regina's little legs and arms were so chubby. Oh and those cheeks. Those round, little, squishy cheeks. She was an adorable round little thing.

She peeked over her shoulder just to see how Regina was doing. The baby was eating happily. She had her eyes closed and the woman was staring down at her with something akin to affection in her eyes. The baby had her tiny hand wrapped around the woman's finger. Emma watched the scene and she felt something in her chest that reminded her of jealousy.

She knew that nursing caused a woman to form a close bond with a baby and the baby to do the same. It was just the closeness of what they were doing.

But this young woman was feeding her. That was all. She didn't earn Regina's love and once Regina was old enough to have cow's or goat's milk, that girl would be sent back into the stable where she was before having her own baby.

It's not like it should have bothered the Dark One so much though. The princess was not hers. She had entrusted the little girl into the care of Granny. She was Granny's. But Dark Swan couldn't deny that the little creature had stolen a small piece of her heart and she did want her all to herself, no matter how much she told herself that she needed to stay away.

She just couldn't.

The child drew her in and held on tightly. She wouldn't let go and Dark Swan couldn't. That's just the way it was.

Dark Swan smiled a little at Regina's little sock covered foot wiggling as she ate. That was new. She had just figured out how to control her feet and she likes moving them around. She did it a lot now. It was quite adorable. She was a joy to just observe. That's what the Dark One did for the rest of her meal. Watch Regina interact with the woman and learn as she was doing so.

After a moment, Regina got her fill or she drank the woman dry. Either or. But she let go. She opened her eyes and looked up at the woman who was cuddling her. Stella simply moved her closer, trying to get her to latch on again to see if she was actually full. Regina wouldn't.

She was full.

With a soft chuckle at the tiny girl's cockiness, she kissed the baby's little forehead then lifted her and pressed her against her shoulder. She began patting the baby girl's back gently then a small belch came from her.

"Wow. That was a big one, Healthy girl." The woman said with a giggle. She settled the baby back into her arms and began wiping her mouth with the cloth. Regina smiled up at her and Emma frowned.

After she was done cleaning up, the young nurse looked up at the Dark One. Their eyes met and the girl looked back down. Dark Swan looked at the baby. "Would you like me to put her down, Dark One? It wouldn't be a bother. She is a joy."

That snapped the Dark One out of her haze. She tore her eyes away from Regina to Stella and noticed that she had been waiting on an answer. She shook her head quickly. "No. Give her here." She said as she stepped forward.

The young woman quickly stood and handed the baby over. The Dark One took her gently and cuddled her close to her chest. Regina looked up at her and her hand instantly went for her face and she began to pet her cheek in gentle, unsteady, uncoordinated movements. The tiny fingers feeling gently. She smiled at the baby.

"Are you sure, Dark One?" The woman asked softly. The Dark Swan's eyes darted up to hers.

"Yes. I'm positive." She said. "Go tend to your son." She said gently. "His name is Daniel, yes?"

The girl nodded with a smile. "Yes. He's a little older than young Regina here." She watched the dark haired baby with her thumb in her mouth while her other hand played with the Dark One's chin.

"I'm glad he is doing well." The Dark One said sincerely. The young woman smiled with a small curtsy.

"Yes. Well thank you, Dark One. I will leave you two to it." She said softly then she quickly swept out of the room.

Once the girl exited the room, Dark Swan flicked her wrist shutting the door behind her. She wanted complete silence to put the baby back down for bed. She walked over to the rocking chair by the window so that the baby could look out if she so pleased. She lowered herself to it and sat carefully.

She looked down at the child that was nestled against her bosom and saw those pretty brown eyes gazing up at her. The innocence in them was enough to make her want to destroy every potential threat on that earth and any other that could hurt the baby. She wanted to keep her safe from harm. She had to. She couldn't fail again. She couldn't lose her too.

She quickly shook that thought off. No weakness. No. She combed her fingers through Regina's beautiful dark hair that matched her eyes perfectly. She was indeed going to be a stunning woman and the Dark One was pretty sure that she was going to have to build a moat and fill it with alligators then get a dragon to guard the castle to keep the young men away. She didn't plan to shelter Regina from the world. Keeping her safe did not mean isolation. Protecting meant keeping an eye on her as she explored her world around her.

But young men just came along with young women. That's a fact that Dark Swan did not particularly like but it was their reality. She wanted to keep Regina innocent for as long as possible though.

She herself had her innocence taken away at a very young age. She was not quite sure when though. She had been taking care of herself her entire life. She had been on her own since birth. As a new baby, her parents abandoned her on the side of a road inside of a basket with nothing but a white knitted baby blanket with her name embroidered on it. That's the only way anyone knew her name and she avoided being called "girl" or "child" all of the time.

A kind old man found her on the side of the road alone, cold and hungry. He decided to help her immediately. Night was falling, the nights in the forest were extremely cold and all around dangerous. She was likely to die of exposure, starvation or worse. An animal could get a hold of her. So he did what he thought was the right thing to do, he took her and carried her into town. He then turned her into a children's home.

She was of course taken in. Only a poor defenseless baby. The place wasn't much but it was shelter. The caregiver Miss Shu had built a home out of a shoe that had once belonged to a giant. Oddly enough, she had some men in the village fashion it into a house with three floors, multiple rooms on each. It still felt cramped though for all of the children she had in there. Emma made number twelve.

The woman was kind enough. She had a thing for abrasive punishments though. She had a belt that she had worn out throughout the years and Emma had seen her break the switch on a few children's backsides. Emma behaved herself so she was never exposed to any ass whoopings. But it wasn't easy living with eleven other children, especially when you're the youngest.

Food was scarce, hand-me-downs were common and space was damn near nonexistent. Not to mention the bullying from the older kids. It was harsh but she learned to deal. Emma had always been tough and independent.

She survived that home and got out. She heard a few years later that Miss Shu had fallen into the lake surrounding her house and was eaten by alligators.

What a way to go.

But she got over it. The children's home was closed down. Apparently it was unsafe to raise children in a giant shoe, on a tiny piece of land surrounded by alligators...

Emma didn't exactly care because she had gotten out. That was a distant nightmare. But honestly she owed who she was to that situation and every other difficult experience. It made her who she was. It made her strong. It taught her to do what she had to in order survive. She was right for it.

She went from a little orphan with nothing to the most powerful being in the world with everything.

She turned out great. Not bad at all.

She felt the weight in her arms increase slightly and the little bundle stop moving. She looked down to see the baby fast asleep. Her little thumb still in her mouth and her face completely relaxed.

The Dark Swan brushed some dark curls from the baby girl's forehead. The baby moved a little then settled back down. The Dark Swan kissed the baby's cheek softly. Regina sighed in contentment and cuddled closer. She chuckled softly. She could do this in private. Enjoy the company of an infant.

She smelled the baby's dark curls and smiled softly. A smell she had never forgotten but found that she missed. She used her thumb to gently stroke the smooth warm skin of the baby's cheek. The baby sighed again and made a sound similar to a hum. That made the Dark One chuckle again. This child was too much. So much personality in such a tiny package.

She kissed the baby's head then stood up from the rocking chair. Regina didn't seem to notice the movement or she didn't care. She had a full tummy, she was clean and she had been cuddled. She was satisfied.

If she was happy so was the Dark Swan.

She walked across the nursery and placed the child into the crib. She looked at the sleeping baby. She adjusted her little pink blanket until she was swaddled properly.

"There you are, princess." She whispered. "Sleep time because I have things to do." She brushed some hair back again out of the baby's face. At this rate she would need a haircut before she even turned two. "I will see you when you wake up."

At that she turned on her heels and started heading across the room. She then opened the door. She peeked over her shoulder at the sleeping baby one last time then slipped out quietly.

She had other things to tend to. Maybe now she could get some reading in after her little princess was taking care of.

Ugh. She's not her little princess.

She's the little princess.

With an irritated shake of her head, she continued down the hall back towards her study.

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