Emma walked into the castle bath chamber in a daze. She noticed a few other people in the large tubs, but paid them no matter. She mindlessly let the aide remove her robe and slipped into the lukewarm bath water with a sigh. She sat against the wall and let the healing salts seep into her muscles. She sighed and closed her eyes, relaxing into the water.

Emma was trying to settle into a relaxing state when she had the sudden feeling that she was being watched. She picked her head up off the stone and opened her eyes. She gasped slightly as she saw a woman staring back at her from across the tub. Emma met the queen's eyes, and they were such a dark chocolate, Emma was sure she had never seen that shade before. She swallowed as the eyes shined and seemed to look directly into her soul, one eyebrow raising impossibly high. Emma was glad she was in water, so she could deny the wetness that found its way to her core.

"Your highness," Emma said in surprise. "I-surely you have your own private bath?" Emma couldn't help but be aroused at the slicked back hair and moist face. The wet look was most DEFINATELY a turn on.

Regina had to stifle down her sheer excitement. She had just seen a clueless, naked Emma Swan walk into her own bath, and she was so turned on by the sight of the gorgeous blonde that she could barely contain herself. "I do," Regina finally managed. When Emma looked at her in question Regina continued. "Unfortunately it's being renovated, so for the next few nights I'll have to bathe here." She saw as Emma looked up for just a moment. "I hope that's alright."

Regina saw the tops of Emma's shoulders come up in a shrug. "You're the queen, you can do what you want." Emma was desperate to get out of the tub and out of this awkward situation, but that would mean baring her nakedness to the queen...again, and she wasn't sure she could take the embarrassment of that yet. "It's just that.."

Regina regarded Emma closely. "It's just what? Never seen a queen sitting in a communal bath before? Not what you expected?" Emma shook her head no. Regina chuckled. "I don't suppose Snow would be caught dead sharing bath water with any of the little people." When Regina saw Emma's scowl, she immediately regretted bringing the other royal up at all. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry. I won't say anything else about your beloved queen, I promise."

Emma looked away, thankful that the queen at least for the moment was trying not to be combative.

Regina looked on with interest, noticing how the captain was so uncomfortable. She knew Emma was attracted to her but was still clinging to the countless lies Snow had no doubt told her. "Lets try this. It's quite clear that you despise me, Captain, for unfortunate things you have heard. Most of these things are untrue, I assure you. So lets play a game. You can ask me anything you wish, and I promise to answer honestly."

Emma looked over at her and considered this. "Anything?"

Regina nodded once. "Anything."

Without pause, Emma went right for the jugular. "Did you kill your own mother?"

Regina's breath caught, shocked at the question. She laughed uncomfortably. "Well, you certainly don't pull any punches do you, Captain?" Regina cleared her throat when Emma just looked at her. "Yes. I did."

Emma scoffed and shook her head as she rolled her eyes. She looked over at the queen who looked on quietly. "And Snow's mother? Ava? Did you kill her too? So that you would become queen?"

"No," Regina said quickly. She meekly met Emma's eyes. "I never wanted to be queen. I did not kill her. But she did die because of me."

Emma glared at her. "Like there's a difference."

Regina shifted causing the water to ripple. "Let me tell you a story, Captain. It's about a woman named Cora. She lived a simple life, a miller's wife. But she wasn't satisfied. She always wanted more. When life didn't work out for her she was determined to give her daughter Regina the life she could never have. And so she groomed Regina in the ways of royalty. She was extremely demanding of her daughter, and nothing it seemed the girl did was ever good enough. Cora was so determined for Regina to become a lady, she forgot that what the girl needed most was her mother's love. But Cora was relentless in her quest. Regina was miserable. She didn't want to be queen. She had fallen in love. With the stable boy. All Regina wanted was to be happy, to marry him. But Cora was not to be betrayed. She found out about Regina's love for the stable boy and...killed him." Regina saw Emma's jaw dropped slightly as she was invested in this story of Regina's life. Regina swallowed down the tears that were burning to fall. "And once Regina had lost everything, Cora's hold over her was complete. Somehow Cora managed to get her hands on two invitations to the king's ball. And so her and Regina went and met the king. Cora left Regina alone with him as she disappeared somewhere into the castle. Regina did her best to impress the old man who clearly wanted nothing to do with her. Cora returned sometime later insisting that it was time to go. The next morning they received word that the queen had been poisoned. Cora smiled." Emma swallowed hard. "Long story short, she used her cunning and powers of persuasion to convince Leopold to marry Regina. Once in the castle, things were not as perfect as Cora thought they would be. Regina's seduction of Leopold was failing, and she had none of the political leverage Cora sought. Cora wanted power, and she wasn't getting it. Cora knew she couldn't kill Leopold because rule would fall to his brother, not Regina. So instead, Cora came up with another plan. A plan that would render him useless. Grief had a way of doing that. Regina found out Cora's plan barely before it was too late. Regina rushed in just as Cora was raising a dagger up behind Leopold's daughter. You see, Cora knew losing his daughter would put him in such a state of grief that Regina would essentially have full power. But Regina couldn't let that happen. She was only a child, she didn't deserve to die because of one woman's thirst for power. Regina was able to stop Cora from killing Snow, but during the struggle for the dagger, she fell. The dagger pierced her heart. And she died."

Emma was stunned, but Regina's face remained stoic and emotionless. She had weaved a pretty clear picture of how Regina was supposed to be the victim of a controlling mother and hero to Snow White. Did Emma believe her? She sure sounded truthful. Emma didn't know what to say.

"So you see, Captain. There are indeed two sides to every story." Regina reached over to the side of the tub and picked up her wine glass, taking a generous gulp. See saw Emma drop her gaze, clearly trying to process everything she just heard. "So anyway, do you have any other questions for me, Swan?"

Emma raised her eyebrows and shook her head.

Regina looked at her playfully. "Favorite color? Favorite food?"

Emma looked at her and licked her lips. "Just one. What were you really doing at the pub that night?"

Regina smiled and slowly moved closer to Emma, the waves bouncing off the top of her breasts. She saw Emma swallow and become nervous. Regina stopped a few feet in front of Emma, just gazing seductively into the blonde's eyes.

Emma had no where to go, and she knew her whole body was flushing as she could feel the heat from her body warming the water around her.

"It is true that I often go into the land to get an idea for the health and morale of my people. It's much easier to do that when they don't know who I am. I am no whore, Captain. But it is a cold and lonely life being married to a man who despises you. When you will never measure up to his dead wife." Emma was looking at her with intense expectant eyes, and Regina could see that her breathing had picked up. "I've been looking for something. Something special. Something unique. Something that could make me feel again. Feel alive. To make me believe in love again." Regina glanced down at Emma's lips. "For a few moments there, I thought I'd finally found it."

Emma froze just as inside her body exploded with desire. She watched the queen lift a single eyebrow before breaking out into a brilliant smile, almost shy in origin. "Well, I'm turning into a prune. Good night, Captain."

Before Emma could respond, Regina lifted herself out of the water, baring her naked form to the captain's widening eyes. Emma couldn't help herself from raking her eyes down the gorgeous body laid out on front of her. She felt her mouth go dry and a dizziness swirling in her head. She had never seen a more magnificent creature in all her life. By the time her eyes made it back up to Regina's face, the queen was smirking in satisfaction at Emma's obvious reaction. Emma stammered, but Regina just breezed by her and up the stairs, into the robe offered by her attendant.

Emma listened as the queen left the bath chambers. She rolled her eyes and groaned before dunking her head onto the soothing water.

XXXXXXXXXX

Regina was disappointed but not really surprised that the captain never came back to the baths when Regina was there. She had pushed a little hard, and the woman was no doubt at odds with herself on whether or not to believe Regina. But Regina did notice Emma stealing glances and letting her eyes linger over Regina's body. Of course, Regina had taken extra care with her appearance the week the captain was around.

The time for Snow and her entourage to leave had come, and Regina found herself with strange feelings about that. Normally she would be glad to see Snow leaving, but she was thoroughly enjoying the game she was playing with the good captain. If she were to admit it to herself, she would know it wasn't really a game. Regina was intrigued by the young Emma Swan, and honestly wanted her to believe Regina wasn't the monster Snow made her out to be.

But now, here she was, playing the dutiful wife and seeing off her husband's daughter. Regina couldn't help but look over Snow's shoulder at her captain, who's eyes darted quickly away. Regina smiled to herself. It was then that she was suddenly drawn into what Snow was saying.

"...didn't think you'd mind if we filled two carts of grain to take back with us. It would really help the morale of the kingdom, give us a little relief. It's been terrible, this grain shortage, I mean, we've had to share only one loaf of bread at supper!"

Regina became angry. "No. We can't spare any grain simply because you are an incompetent and selfish ruler," she spat. She heard Leopold scold her as Snow looked at her in shock.

"Is it my fault these worthless peasants are so terrible at farming that they can't produce a decent crop?"

"Yes." Regina said matter of factly. "If you didn't tax them to the point that they are starving and so their children are skinny and weak, their animals half starved, and their equipment broken down, you might get a better harvest." Regina kept her eyes trained on Snow, but saw the captain behind her lift her head to look at Regina.

Snow stared at Regina in shock and then disgust. "Taxes. Are. Necessary." Snow put on a fake smile and looked at Leopold. "Please, Daddy. We really need that grain."

Leopold glanced at Regina before smiling at his daughter. "Of course dear."

Regina sighed out and rolled her eyes. They came over and met those of Emma Swan. "Fine. But I want something in return."

Snow out her hand on her hip. "What?!"

"Your Captain," Regina half smiled.

There were small gasps, including one from Emma, whose eyes widened and looked at Regina. "What?" Snow asked in annoyance. "Why?"

Regina looked at Snow, raising her eyebrow as if the answer were obvious. "Only for a little while. My weapons master was killed in the last skirmish with the ogres, and I have no one as skilled as your captain here to teach my new troops how to fight." Regina motioned over her shoulder where a shocked Robin stood. "You saw how worthless HE is. I could use someone with her skillset."

Emma looked at the back of Snow's head, sure that she would never go for this.

As Snow stood contemplating, Regina stated the deal again. "No Captain, no grain."

Snow pursed her lips to the side before finally blurting out "Fine."

Emma's arms dropped to her side. "You highness! Please."

Snow turned and looked at her captain with a look of disinterest. She waved her hand dismissingly at her. "It'll be fine."

"Your highness, surely you don't think is wise to just let me-to make me-please, highness don't do this!"

Snow rolled her eyes and turned back around. "We need the grain, Emma." And then to Regina. "You can have her until the White Ball in the autumn. I expect when you come, you will return her to me, unharmed."

Regina's lips tweaked into a small smile. "Of course."

Snow turned around, barely even stopping to look at a distraught Emma. Let's go, James," she said, her king following her out like a puppy.

"Highness, I'm begging you!" Emma called after her.

Snow called over her shoulder. "You'll be fine, Emma. We'll see you again in the fall."

Emma could just watch her go as suddenly her world had been turned upside down. She felt the queen walk up behind her, also staring after Snow. "That's the difference between people like you and people like her. You are so noble, loyal to a fault. People like her are loyal to no one but themselves."

Emma fought back the tears theeatening to fall. How could her queen do this to her? "Is that why you did this?" Emma asked angrily. "To prove a point?"

"Perhaps," Regina said quietly. "Or perhaps I just didn't want you to leave me."