Since there seems to be some confusion about how this relates to the first chapter, chapters marked as "The Enchanted Forest" are those that took place during Zelena's curse. I thought that was clear but I guess not. So make sure you note whether the chapter is happening in Storybrooke or in the Enchanted Forest. :)

Chapter 2

The Enchanted Forest

By the time she sun came up, Regina had already been at the stables for hours. She'd spent time with each of the Royal Horses, spending the most with the queen's favorite: a stubborn mare with auburn hair and a wild streak. She had just moved on to her own secret favorite, Pico, when she heard a familiar voice cry "Momma!" She spun around just in time to catch Roland as he threw himself into her arms and she made an exaggerated motion of falling over.

"Oh my Goodness! You've gotten so strong, my love," she told him and peppered his face with kisses. He laughed and she swept back his long brown hair. When she looked behind him, she saw Robin smiling at her.

"Your love?" he asked in his charming accent. "I thought that honor was mine."

"Well, my little love, then. How's that?"

"Yeah, 'cause Daddy's big and fat!"

The three of them laughed and Roland finally pulled himself away from Regina. Robin helped her up and they shared a soft kiss, which Roland made a disgusted face about.

"What are you all doing here?" she asked. "I thought you were taking Roland out to teach him to fish today."

"I am. I thought I'd teach him a bit of sword fighting as well."

"Sword fighting?" she asked, trying to hide her frown. "Isn't he a little young for that?"

"He'll have just a small wooden sword, nothing serious."

"Yeah, I'm gonna fight like a knight!" Roland said, and he ran up and down the stalls, making metallic sword noises.

Robin smiled and interlaced his fingers with Regina's. "How are you, love? You left quite early this morning."

"Yes, well, you know the queen likes to show up at the most unexpected times. I wanted to make sure that her horse is ready in case she wants to take her."

"For someone who cares for her precious animal so well, you think she'd treat you better," he said.

Regina didn't respond. She never did when Robin made such comments about the queen. It wasn't her place, and it wasn't his, either, and she knew the queen had ears everywhere…most of all, on her.

"I suppose I'll take the lad and let you work. Perhaps when you get home, Roland and I will have prepared a delicious feast for you."

"A girl can hope," she teased.

He smiled and called for his son, and after another round of hugs and kisses, she watched them walk off. She sighed deeply in contentment and went back to brushing her horses. She thought of the two of them, her two boys, and wondered if her father would have approved. After all, Robin was a thief and Roland was another woman's son. It wasn't exactly an ideal situation for a single woman to be living with a widowed man and his boy. Still, Robin was her soulmate, thief or not. She loved Roland and their little family and she was sure her father would have, too.

Her mother most certainly would have been appalled.

Regina didn't have time to go down the path of thinking of her mother because a loud scream snapped her from her thoughts. She ran from the stables and saw someone ride past entirely too fast on a horse that the person clearly couldn't control. The horse sped away and blonde hair flapped from the person atop it.

"HELP!" the person screamed. A woman, it sounded like.

"Emma!" another woman said, and Regina turned her head and saw a short brunette woman, holding a baby and looking absolutely terrified. A boy stood next to her with frightened eyes and a taller blonde man looked town between trying to go after the woman and staying the others. Regina didn't think twice before she hopped onto Pico and directed "let's go, boy."

The two of them took off like a ball shot from a canon and raced after the woman who looked like she might fall and kill herself at any moment. Regina rode as fast as Pico could take her, which was pretty damn fast if she said so herself, but the other horse was fast, too, and they were already so far behind. She managed to get close enough behind the runaway stallion to yell at the rider.

"You'll have to jump!"

The woman, who was holding onto the reins for dear life, turned and her head jostled back and forth like her neck might snap off.

"I can't!" she cried.

"Yes, you can! I'll catch you."

"You're too far!"

"Trust me!"

Regina pushed Pico harder but was unable to get any closer than ten feet. The blonde hesitated for too long and Regina saw that they were coming up on a canyon that separated this kingdom from the next.

"If you don't jump, you'll die!" she yelled.

"I'll die if I do jump!"

"Please! I'll catch you, I swear!"

Regina held out her hand and allowed a little bit of purple to flicker in them. The woman clearly saw it and Regina only hoped that when all this trauma ended, the blonde would forget it. It must have been enough to convince her, though, because she nodded her head unsteadily and started a countdown to ten. She was only on 4 when Regina saw how close they were to the canyon and she screamed "now!" And right then, the blonde let go of her reins and jumped with all the grace of a flying brick. Regina caught her in a magical stream and held her suspended in the air, just long enough for her to catch up. She released the woman once she could safely catch her on the back of Pico, and she immediately pulled up and stopped them before they took a death plunge. The other horse veered off in another direction and disappeared form sight.

Regina immediately got off the horse and helped the woman down. The blonde bent over and vomited on her own shoes. Regina patted her back and held her hair and tried to soothe her. Within moments, a carriage pulled up and the same people from before jumped out: the blonde man, the boy and the woman with the baby.

"Emma, oh my God!" the woman said as she ran to her. She held the baby in one hand and hugged the woman, Emma, in the other.

"Mom! Are you okay?" the boy asked. He raced to her, too, and the man followed until they were all surrounding her and asking about her well-being.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Emma finally said. "I'm never getting on another fucking horse in my life!"

Regina was tempted to tell her that it wasn't the horse's fault that she had no idea what she was doing, but she bit her tongue because the way that the people were dressed and the fact that they had a carriage told her that they were of some wealth and therefore her superiors. When the group finally seemed certain that Emma was, in fact, okay, the man turned to Regina and smiled broadly.

"Thank you so much," he said. "We owe you everything for saving our daughter's life."

The brunette woman turned to Regina then, too, and she was in tears when she said, "how can we ever repay you?"

"You don't need to repay me," Regina assured. "I did what any decent person would have done."

"You did far more than that," the man said. "Most people, even the decent ones, wouldn't have put their own lives in jeopardy to save a stranger."

The boy then ran to Regina and hugged her so tightly that it was almost painful.

"Thank you," he said in a voice that cracked with puberty. "Thank you for saving my mom. She really sucks with horses."

A laugh bubbled out of Regina's lips and she returned the hug and said, "so I noticed." And it was then that Emma, the woman she'd risked her own life to save, finally looked up. Her long blonde hair was windblown around her head. Regina immediately noticed the resemblance between her and her parents: she had the same big expressive eyes as her father and the same jawline and chin from her mother. It was odd, certainly, that they all looked about the same age, but it wasn't the first strange thing Regina had encountered in the Enchanted Forest.

"Yes, thank you," Emma said quietly.

"Please come to dinner at our house tonight so we can discuss how we might repay this debt," the mother said.

"Really, you don't have to repay me in any way."

"Dinner," the woman insisted. "Please."

Regina realized there was no point in arguing, so she nodded and said, "all right."

"Is sundown acceptable?" the man asked. When Regina nodded, he asked, "where do you live? We'll send a carriage for you."

"The house just beyond the stables."

"Excellent. We'll see you tonight. Thank you again, Ms.…?"

"Regina."

"Regina," he nodded.

He bowed to her in a gesture that was completely uncalled for, and the family got back into their carriage and rode away. Regina thought about the incident as she rode back to the stables and she replayed it several times for the rest of the day. When she finally got home for evening, she was surprised to find Robin and Roland setting up their small table with plates full of fish they had caught that day.

"Look, Momma!" Roland said excitedly.

"Oh, it's perfect, my darling. Did you catch and cook this yourself?"

"All by myself," he said, poking his chest out proudly. Regina and Robin shared a smile, and she sat down and took the little boy into her arms.

"Roland, this is possibly the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. But I'm afraid I won't be able to eat with you all tonight."

"Why not?" Robin asked, his face marred with concern.

"There was a woman on a horse today. She nearly lost control and almost died. I saved her. Her family would like to repay me and asked me to join them for dinner tonight."

"That't wonderful, love. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she promised. "I just…they're sending for me shortly and I need to get ready if I'm going."

"Sending for you?"

A silent conversation passed between them in which they both knew that this family had money, and if there was some amount they were going to pay Regina, she really couldn't afford to say no. She and Robin were not exactly what she would call dirt poor, but she was certainly not in a position to turn down money.

"You should go," he said with a nod. "If the food doesn't keep, the lad and I will simply have to catch more tomorrow."

Regina took a few bites of her fish to appease Roland, and although it was not good at all, she pretended like it was the best thing she'd ever eaten. She excused herself to the bedroom and looked through her meager selection of clothes. She didn't see anything that would be truly appropriate for the occasion, as she had nothing fancy or of high quality. She picked up her best dress, a dark blue one that fitted her well but was ragged from many uses. She looked around the room to make sure she was alone, and she quickly did a spell to spruce the dress up some. Not too much, as she didn't want to give the false impression that she had any means, but enough so that the frayed edges were smoothed and the material looked new again. She bathed quickly and redid her hair in a long braid, and she was just finishing when she heard a knock on the door.

Butterflies attacked her stomach and she took a deep calming breath before she returned to the main room, where a short stout man was speaking with Robin.

"Momma, you look so pretty!" Roland said with a big grin.

Robin made a similar face and kissed her cheek.

"Quite lovely, darling," he said.

"Are you ready, Miss?" the short man asked, and she didn't miss the way he seemed to appreciate her appearance, too.

"Yes, thank you."

She followed him out after telling Robin and Roland not to wait up too late for her. She let the man, whose name she discovered was Leroy, help her into the plush carriage. Leroy closed the door behind her and took the reins at the front, and they were off. Regina spent the entire journey trying to calm herself down, although she wasn't exactly sure why she was so nervous because the family had seemed perfectly nice and genuinely thankful. She supposed that she was always wary of people, though, because of the queen. One never knew whose pocket the queen had her hand in.

When the carriage stopped and Leroy opened the door for her, Regina took in the sight of a stone house that could rightly be considered a mansion. Leroy walked her to the front door and when it opened, the brunette woman from earlier smiled earlier and said, "Regina! We're so glad you're here."

She pulled Regina into a tight hug, like they were old friends, and Regina awkwardly returned the embrace.

"I'm Snow," the woman said she pulled away. "I realized after we left that we didn't even tell you our names! How silly of us. Come and I'll formally introduce you to everyone."

She took Regina's hand and led her to a dining room, where an array of food was laid out that made Regina's stomach clench in hunger. Snow still held her hand and went around the table, pointing at people.

"That's my husband, David," she said, as the blonde man waved and smiled. "Our grandson, Henry." The boy who'd hugged the life out of her grinned brightly. "Our little son, Neal, is already asleep so maybe you'll see him next time." Regina held back a frown and wondered why the hell this woman thought there would be a next time. "And you remember Emma, our daughter."

Emma looked completely different from the woman she'd saved earlier in the day. Her wild hair was now tamed and braided neatly to one side, like Regina's in a blonde form. She wore a green dress that made her eyes stand out even from across the room, and she offered Regina an incredibly small smile and said, "hi."

"Hello again," Regina said with a little nod of her head. "It's nice to see you on your feet."

"Yeah, and this time without puke all over them!" Henry added.

"Henry," Snow admonished, but then she rolled her eyes at Regina as if he to say 'boys will be boys.' "Regina, please sit and tell us about yourself."

So Regina did sit. And she ate. And she told them as little about herself as she could get away with without sounding standoffish. Snow, David and Henry talked quite a lot about anything and everything, but Emma didn't say a word. She didn't eat much, either. In fact, she spent most of the dinner staring at Regina and then yanking her eyes away when Regina stared back.

"How'd you learn how to ride a horse like that?" David asked. "I'm certain that you have more skill than any man I've ever seen."

"I've been riding all my life," she said. "My father taught me. He was quite the horseman himself and he had no son to pass his knowledge onto, so I suppose it fell to me."

"Could you teach me how to ride like that?" Henry asked, looking at her with sparkling eyes that he blinked in faux innocence.

"Well, that would be up to your mother," she said politely.

All eyes turned to Emma, who just shrugged and said, "yeah, whatever."

"Cool! Can we start tomorrow?"

"Henry," Emma said with a frown, "you can't just ask somebody to drop whatever they're doing to play with you."

"I'm sorry but my job keeps me very busy throughout the week," Regina told Henry. "But if you do really want to learn, I don't work on Sundays."

Henry turned to Emma again and asked, "can I, Mom? Please?"

Emma hesitated and Snow cut in by saying, "I think it would be a fantastic idea. We could pay Regina for the lessons as a way to thank her for what she did for you."

Emma hedged again and Regina got the distinct feeling that the blonde woman didn't like her for some reason.

"Are you sure you really want to take that on?" Emma asked quietly. "Once Henry gets into something, he's kind of obsessed with it. He might start showing up at your job or something."

"I don't mind," Regina said honestly. "I'd love to teach him." She turned to the boy and said, "and I have a soft spot for boys named Henry. That was my father's name."

"It's fate," Snow said with a perky smile.

So they agreed on Sunday. When dinner was finished, Regina thanked them all for their hospitality and David shoved a bag of gold coins into her hand, even as she tried not to accept it. She didn't have to look inside it to know that it was more than she'd make in the whole year.

"This is too much," she told him.

"My daughter's life is priceless," he said, holding his hands over hers so she wouldn't relinquish the coins. "Trust me, no amount could be enough."

She finally accepted the bag and quietly said, "thank you." She turned to let Leroy escort her out, and everyone was surprised when Emma said, "I'll ride with you." The curious glances showed just how everyone had read Emma's reaction to Regina as negative, but she didn't offer any explanation and breezed past them and into the carriage. Snow and David seemed just as baffled as Regina and only offered shared glances of apology as Regina got into the carriage and Leroy closed the door.

They were halfway through the uncomfortably silent trip back when Regina decided to forego decorum. She turned to Emma and asked bluntly, "have I done something to offend you?"

"No."

"Then may I ask why you stared at me all night and yet refused to speak to me?"

She expected Emma to remind her of their different places in the social rankings, but instead the blonde said, "you used magic on me."

Regina's eyebrows shot up and she quickly turned away from the woman.

"No, I didn't."

"You did. Your hand glowed purple and you held me in the air until I could get on that horse with you."

"I'm afraid that in your trauma, you have imagined something that didn't happen."

And then, in the darkness of the carriage, Emma opened her hand and produced a small fireball. Regina sucked in a breath of shock and looked at the younger woman.

"You can do magic?" she asked quietly.

Emma nodded and closed her fist. "That's all I know how to do, though. I want you to teach me."

Regina scoffed. "Teach you? Don't you know the queen would have both our heads if she discovered this?"

"I won't tell anyone."

"How do I know that? How do I know that you aren't working for her?"

"You're the first person I've ever told about this," Emma confessed. "Not even my parents know. Please help me? I want to know how to control it because I'm afraid one day, I'll hurt somebody without meaning to."

Regina didn't say anything for a few minutes, as this was not the discussion she expected to have.

"How would this even work?" she asked. "How would I even have time to teach you?"

"We can act like you're teaching me to ride horses, like you'll do with Henry. Nobody will know, I swear."

Silence fell between them again.

"So all that staring tonight. It wasn't because you hate me?"

"Hate you?" the blonde asked, obviously confused. "How could I hate you? You saved my life. I'm sorry for staring. I guess I just…I've never met anyone else with magic and I didn't know how to ask you."

Regina thought about the request right up until the carriage stopped in front of her cabin.

"Yes," she said lowly. "I'll teach Henry in the morning and you in the afternoon. But I swear to you, if you breathe a word of this to anyone, I'll set you on fire."

She wasn't sure what reaction she was expecting, but it wasn't a smile. Emma nodded and before she left, the blonde grabbed her hand and a jolt of warmth went through her body.

"Thank you. I mean that."

"You're welcome." Regina allowed Leroy to help her out, but before he closed the carriage door, she said to Emma, "and you really are dreadful on a horse."