AN: This is for MADDY22
A cold sense of dread threaded through Regina's soul as she watched the blonde's body lift violently off the cot. Emma gave out several jerky motions and a garbled sound before Cora sprung into action to prevent her from choking. She had never seen anything like this, and to witness it happening to the person she cared about the most sucked all of the energy out of her.
"Regina I need you to hold her down." Cora pried Emma's mouth open as the young girl expelled a red tinged fluid. When she didn't hear the footfall signaling her daughter's obedience she turned to see what was keeping her.
"Regina now!" She hissed trying to hold Emma down as best as she could. She really needed Regina to snap out of her daze otherwise it would all be for naught. The Dark Princess looked like a fish out of water, her complexion pale and her mouth opening and closing but emitting no sound
"She will die if you don't remove your head from your ass!" Cora snapped once Emma finished her retching. The imagery of a dead White Princess snapped her out of the confusion that surrounded her mind. Regina rushed to her mother's side before pushing Emma down onto the bed firmly by her shoulders.
"What did you do to her?" Regina glared at the queen of hearts.
"Her body is being cleansed. It had to be done." Cora replied vaguely
"What the hell did you do to her mother?!" Regina shouted.
"I tried to counteract the effects the poison would have on her body. It would have left her barren had I not done something." Cora answered in a political fashion. Emma had begun to settle down, her toes occasionally twitching.
"How long will it be before she wakes?" Regina smoothed her dress out before carefully lying next to the sleeping girl.
"Its hard to say. Whenever her body and mind are ready to rise I suppose." Cora frowned looking between the two. She could already see the darkness swirling in her daughter's eyes, Regina was slowly losing hope for any type of recovery for Emma. Vaguely she could see what Regina's future would look like if the blonde didn't make it. The younger brunette mumbled something that she couldn't hear.
"Pardon?" She asked.
"I want you to leave! Just get the hell out! GO!" Regina snarled at her mother who miffed but obey the request.
"Emma I need you to wake up. You've been under for so long..." Regina sat next to the blonde's torso gently nudging her. When she received no response she could feel her anger bubbling upwards.
"I demand you wake at once!" Regina spoke a little more firmly, shaking Emma just a bit harder.
"WAKE UP! YOU CAN"T DO THIS TO ME! YOU CAN"T MAKE LOVE YOU AND THEN JUST FUCKING DIE!" Regina shouted in the blonde's face. Still Emma didn't move. Regina took a shuddering breath before swallowing deeply.
"If you do not wake before the eve of tonight, tomorrow I set out. I shall burn down the realms until nothing is left but dust and decay. Remember your promise to me Emma." Regina tightened her jaw before leaping off the bed. She could no longer stand to be near the shell of a once lively girl. The bane of her existence and the light of her night. She stalked out of her princess's chambers and headed to her own for the first time since everything happened.
FLASHBACK
It was shortly after the beating Emma had suffered at the hands of Regina in the dungeon that the brunette had been called out on her dark tendencies. Slowly but surely she was turning into the main topic around the gossip Mill, about her penchant for sullying any girl of upper class that she had come into contact with. An eleven year old Emma had taken to following Regina wherever she went, despite the brunette not knowing anything about it. Cora was had put up several gentlemen in her palace before a celebratory ball. Regina had just gotten caught by a particular gentlemen, coming from his daughter's room.
"You are a dark wretched girl!" He hissed in the princess's face, wanting nothing more than to wipe that smug grin off her face.
"Well I am not called the Dark Princess for nothing." Regina could barely contain her grin at getting under the man's skin.
"You are destined for nothing but desolation. Your soul is tainted with the sins of your whorish ways. It saddens our Kingdom that our beloved King sacrificed himself for nothing but a harlot. A wench who is good for nothing but the honey between her legs and how long she can lay on her back!" He spat, pleased when Regina's grin fell. The air around them shifted dramatically, and Emma whined out from the corner she was hiding in. The landowner was brought to his knees as several popping sounds gave way. Regina had used her magic to break several bones in the man's back. Only when he defecated himself, did she finally let go of the dark magic poisoning her.
"By the heavens what have I done?" Regina gasped. The man's shouts had alerted the guards who were rushing to the scene.
"That monster attacked me!" The man wheezed out just as Cora came to see what was going on.
"Regina what did you do?" Cora scolded.
"Mother I-" Regina was unable to speak. Tears prickled the back of her eyes but she knew her mother would be disappointed if she let them fall in front of so many people. Steeling herself for the reaction she knew was going to happen, she took a deep breath before continuing.
"I didn't mean to. I just lost control." Regina tried to explain.
"What have we talked about? Magic is emotion! If you can not control the simplest urge things like this will happen! Do you want to be know as a tyrant? Do you want to have so many bounties on your head because you lack impulse control?" Cora was seething as she ranted to her child. It took her another moment to repair the damage her daughter had costed the wealthy man.
"It is not her fault! That man dishonored Your Highness. He called her a harlot and wretched, he said the King died for a whore!" Emma defended from the corner. She shrunk back when Cora whipped around to face her.
"The child is nothing but a lying wench who should have been executed!" The man snarled in Emma's direction.
"Your a man who was brought to his knee's by a girl! And you soiled yourself." Emma mocked, poofing out of the way when he lunged for her. Appearing behind him, she kicked him as hard as she could between the legs, making him fall to his knees once more.
"That is the second time today. I guess being rich doesn't make you a man." Emma tsked.
"What do you know about a man? We can all see how to chase after her, you are worse then common fifth!" His nostrils flared.
"Don't speak to her that way! She is a princess as am I! I think you should learn your place and fast."Regina glared at the man who didn't dare say what he wanted to in the presence of the Queen. Cora had sorted everything out, telling the man it would be best for him to leave. Regina was still warring with her lack of control when Emma approached her.
"Why are you all down in the daisies? If you ask me, he deserved it." Emma said munching on a piece of chocolate cake.
"Well then I suppose its a good thing I didn't ask you then." Regina retorted
"I think your mad about your lack of control." Emma grinned, brown cake all over her face.
"You think this is a joke? I could kill so many people if I lose control! Burn down villages and reek havoc!" Regina hissed.
"No you won't. As a white princess I shall personally appoint myself to you!" Emma dusted off her hand's looking proudly to herself.
"Is that more for you or I?" Regina asked dryly.
"For us both. My chambermaid Margret told me there needs to be a balance between light and dark. It's called Yingy-Yanga." Emma explained.
"You mean yin-yang?" Regina raised an eyebrow.
"Same thing. I'll be the light to your dark. I won't let it consume you. This is a promise." Emma grinned once more before poofing away
END OF FLASHBACK
Her eyes felt heavy, like there was a physical force pressing against them preventing them from opening up. The more she tried the harder it became. She could hear Regina's voice demanding she wake up, but she was honestly afraid of what she was going to wake up to. Would it be some warped sense of reality where she allowed herself to become with child? Would it be the dark room that haunted her for most night, the nights where she bit into her pillows to silence her cries. She was content with staying in the in between until she heard what Regina said to her before her presence left.
" Remember your promise to me Emma." The almost mocking way these words were spoken had Emma biting down hard on her tongue. She supposed it wasn't real because she couldn't feel any pain from the violent action. Regina had struck below the belt, her tone daring Emma to back down. Whenever she promised someone something, she never broke it. It was sort of like her code that she prided herself on. However right now in this moment she was breaking it. By staying in the in between state she was not fulfilling her promise she made to Regina, she was not helping balance the precarious girl. Using all her energy she pushed, forward and forward focusing on opening her eyes. When she came through, her senses were aroused, smelling the sweat that clung to her skin, the softness of Regina's perfume still swayed in the air around her and the light was nearly unbearable for her eyes. Her throat was burning, and all she desired in that moment was a cool glass of water.
Spotting a picture of the cooling liquid, she tried to push herself up to retrieve it before flopping back down. Her energy levels were depleted and she hated to think that after surviving what she did, she was going to die from dehydration before she even got a chance to bitch Regina out. Using magic was out of the question. All she could rely on is calling for help.
"Hello..." Her voice was scratchy and speaking rubbed her throat raw.
"Hello...!" She called out a little louder
"AHHHHHHHH!" She closed her eyes before screaming. As expected, she could hear the heavy foot fall of feet before Cora glided into the room.
"My dear girl." She crooned rushing to Emma's side
"I need water." She managed to rasp out. Cora waved her had and a glass of it appeared.
"Small sips unless you want to be retching it back up." Cora warned when she saw Emma take a greedy gulp.
"I want Zelena..." Emma said after a moment. Needing to be near the closest thing to a mother that she had.
"I shall go fetch her and Regina." Cora nodded.
"No I just want my mom." Emma sniffed. Her emotions were getting the better of her as she thought about what seeing Regina would mean. Sure she woke up for the girl but that didn't mean that she had forgiven her for her indiscretions.
"Of course darling. Rest and I shall go find her." Cora nodded slowly, knowing her youngest was going to be hurt the blonde didn't want to see her.
Cora went looking for Zelena, all throughout the palace. Fifteen minutes as still no sign of the red haired lass before she finally huffed and used magic to find her. Poofing into the girl's bedchamber, she turned away quickly at the state of undress she found Zelena and Elsa in.
"Really girls? It's only been a couple of hours since your first kiss!" Cora scolded.
"Mother! Have you ever heard of knocking?"Zelena exclaimed pushing Elsa away from where her head was buried between her legs.
"That is neither here nor there! Emma is awake." Cora informed watching the embarrassed look wash away into one of joy. Zelena flicked her wrist dressing both her and Elsa.
"She has requested to only see you Lena." Cora shot a pointed look at Elsa.
"She is my best friend!" Elsa argued.
"Regardless, she is in need for her mother's comfort and that is all. Let her have a moment before crowding her." Cora said firmly.
"She asked just for me?" Zelena wanted conformation.
"She said she just wants her mom. She was referring to you." Cora nodded watching the wheels in Zelena's head spin. Emma had only called her mom once, when she was sick and in need of comfort. The age difference made the connection awkward at first but they became used to it without the word being spoken again.
"Then she shall have her. Stay here." Zelena told Elsa before disappearing in a cloud of green smoke.