Emma sat on the riverbank, sharpening her sword while listening to Regina strategize and talk to herself like she was crazy. The queen was pacing at the water's edge, clenching and unclenching her fingers. "What are you on, babe?"
Regina paused and faced her. "Trying to figure out how the hell William got his men to the Land Without Magic. It's nearly impossible without a large source of magic. The Dark One couldn't even do it. That's why he needed the Dark Curse."
"Magic bean?"
"Magic beans don't leave portal scars on the ground." Regina started pacing again.
Emma watched her with a little smirk. She was so cute when she was plotting. She even had the Evil Queen's scowl of frustration on. "Maybe you should stop thinking like Regina Mills." She suggested.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, no one here really knows Regina Mills. Giselle only knows who you were, not who you are now. And your sons were alive during the time of the Evil Queen. That's probably who they modeled themselves after." She went back to sharpening her sword. "You said Ivar was very angry. Didn't you used to be angry all the time?"
"Well, yes...but I never kidnapped a child. Scared them, forced like 2 to do my bidding, but that was it. This…" She groaned in frustration and kicked a rock before turning to Emma. "I know this can't be easy for you and I'm sorry. I know all of this is just insane."
"Didn't expect it to be any different, Regina." Emma smirked.
"You should've." Regina came to sit next to her, pulling her knees up to her chin. "I really do want to give you that life you talked about. The kids, the white picket fence. I want it more than anything."
"I know."
"Just...I'm so pissed because Giselle had plenty of time to tell me I had kids. Now we're dealing with this and you shouldn't have to."
Emma put down her sword. "Regina, I'm with you. Now and forever." She leaned forward for a kiss, but stopped herself. "Maybe I shouldn't. Giselle could be watching."
"To hell with her." Regina pecked her lips. "I swear I never meant to tell her your name either. She asked if I was getting married and to who and I just couldn't help but smile and say Emma Swan." Regina looked, her cheeks bright red. "Which is why I want to make it up to you."
"You don't have to do that."
"I really want to...because I kinda want to know what you think of it." Regina moved forward and picked up a stick to draw 2 letters in the dirt. R.S. And with that she went back to pacing and talking to herself. Emma frowned at the letters, trying to figure out their meaning.
"Regina-"
"You know, Ivar's plan was pretty good but we need to come up with a backup plan in case he decides to screw us over." Regina said, kicking another rock. She put her hands on her hips and looked out over the water. "Maybe we can use magic and create a tunnel, send Zelena, Jackson and Jacob through it. Maybe sneak the children out without fighting anyone-"
"Regina!" Emma shouted. "Are you- are you serious? R.S. Regina...Swan?"
Regina smiled. "Of course."
Emma really wanted to tackle her into the river but she simply grabbed her and lifted her in her arms. " . It sounds perfect."
Regina giggled and kissed her lips. "I hoped you'd like it."
"Why wouldn't I?" Emma scoffed. "Let's have the wedding as soon as we get back."
"No, I don't even have a dress."
"Just wear a pantsuit. I can wear my jacket. Boom, perfect." Honestly, she could see them doing that in the future but Regina only scoffed.
"Nope, I want a wedding dress. So I can try it on in 20 years and cry because I can't fit into it."
"Oh please. I saw you in the past. You're like exactly the same size as you were when you were a teenager, you lucky bitch. Except maybe your butt is bigger but that's a plus." Emma grinned, placing Regina back on the ground.
"Not luck. Good genes and training." Regina kissed her cheek. "Now...back to planning." She turned back to her pacing before suddenly freezing. "You know, this wouldn't even be a problem if William wasn't my son. So you know what?"
"What?" Emma asked.
"Fuck it. We attack tonight. The kids shouldn't wait any longer."
"Regina!" Evie came out of the bushes. She paused to catch her breath. "We've been talking to the people, right? To make some sense of all this craziness you know. Well, I found someone you should meet."
After getting prepared for war, Regina and Emma accompanied Evie to the outer fringes of the camp where an old woman was sitting in front of a tent much larger than any other, sewing. Despite her age and almost isolation from the rest of the camp, the woman was well cared for. Her fingers were soft looking, she was cleaner than the rest of the camp, and she wasn't dressed in some dirty clothes. She had kind eyes that were mahogany and full of life. Graying hair spilled down her back, almost pooling in her lap. She looked up when they approached and tipped her head, chairs appearing in front of them for them to sit.
"Miss Gail, thank you for seeing us." Evie said.
"It's not a problem. What do you-" She froze when she looked at Regina. "You're the Evil Queen." She smiled. "Have you met Ivar?"
"Um, yes. You know him?" Regina asked, taking a seat.
"Absolutely. I was there when the queen gave birth to them. Known them their whole lives." Gail smiled. "All they did was talk about you growing up. Giselle told them about you all the time."
"Will you tell me about them when they were younger?" Regina asked, hoping to find some insight into the lives of her children. Especially William, to hopefully find out why he was the way he was.
"Oh sure." Gail leaned back in her chair. "Where do you want to start?"
"William please."
"Oh William, he was such a sweet boy. He was a healer. Liked to help the herbalists in the kingdom. I taught him healing magic myself. He was quiet, always did what he was .told. Exact opposite of Ivar."
"Meaning?" Regina asked.
"Nobody could control that boy. He enjoyed life, always pushing his limits. He was as good a warrior as Ivan's best by the time he was 8. That pissed the king off. Ivar fought him every second he could. When he was paralyzed he didn't fight as much, so he just got angry. When he learned to walk again, he held nothing back. He protected his mother and brother from Ivan as best as he could, but...he was just one boy."
"That's why Ivan chose William as his successor?" Emma asked.
Gail nodded, laying down her sewing needles. "Aye. Ivar was too unpredictable. Ivan would've had him killed, but his sons died and he lost his mind a little. That's when things got even worse."
"That's when Ivar ran away and Ivan started abusing William? Even worse." Evie said.
Gail nodded. "Poor things didn't stand a chance."
"So you taught them magic?" Regina asked. Gail nodded. "Do you trust Ivar and Giselle?"
"Ivar? Absolutely. Loyalty knows no bounds with that boy. Once he's with you, he's with you." The old woman leaned forward. "You know, I want you to do something, Miss Evil Queen. I want you to help William. I may be old, but I'm not stupid. I know people are capable of anything but none of this, none of this could be William."
"Then who do you think did this?" Regina asked. "Giselle?"
Gail sighed and seemed to gather her thoughts before replying, but her lack of an answer was enough. "Giselle is a special case your majesty. A broken heart hurts like hell." The old woman looked down, her eyes darkening and Regina knew she spoke from experience. When she looked up again she had put a mask once again and her expression turned serious. "I know there is only two ways out for William right now. Redemption or death. But make death your last resort please."
Regina nodded. "I'll do what I can, ma'am."
"Good."
"Did you ever find out why Ivar lost the use of his legs?" She asked, rising to her feet.
Gail nodded. "Poison."
"What kind?"
"I was told to never let this information come to light." Gail stood up and walked into her tent. She returned with a sheet of paper.
"I'll make sure no one knows you helped us."
The old woman laughed. "If I die because I finally told the truth, then I will die gladly. Your sons need you. Do more for them than I could do for my own."
"I take it you're not a fan of Giselle." Emma said as Regina passed the paper to her. She looked at it and found only four words. Edward, Kaleb, and Witch's Tongue.
Gail looked at Regina. "She talked about you all the time at first and that was expected. She missed you very much." Regina swallowed harshly. She knew Giselle had cared about her but she had thought they were on the same page when it came to love. They couldn't love each other. Their love would've never been possible with all the obstacles they were constantly facing. If it wasn't her mother, it was Giselle's father "Years passed." Gail said. "When you got rid of your mother, killed Leopold and banished Snow White, but still didn't come for her and the boys, well, let's just say she still talked about you. But it wasn't as fondly as it once was."
"I broke her heart." Regina whispered.
"You were just kids." Emma assured her.
"So? I was heartbroken once too and look what I did." Regina replied.
"This isn't your fault. You can't force yourself to love someone. Sure, things would be better if they were different maybe, but they're not."
"That doesn't matter, Emma. She was my friend, and I just left her to rot. I forgot all about her, I could have saved them all but I was too stupid, too wrapped up in vengeance." She scowled.
"It's way past time for what you should've done, your majesty." Gail said. "All that matters is what you're going to do now."
Regina nodded slowly. "I'm gonna go end this. Thank you, Gail."
Emma and Evie walked with Regina back to their tent and Regina held out her hand for the paper. She took it and read it.
"What does it say?" Evie asked.
"Edward, Kaleb and Witch's Tongue. Edward and Kaleb were Ivan's sons, I believe. Witch's Tongue is a very deadly poison."
"You mean they cut out the tongues of witches to use in magic?" Evie made a gagging motion.
"Yes. Aren't you a surgeon?" Regina frowned.
"Doesn't mean I rip people's tongues out. Besides that, what does-"
"She killed Ivan's sons." Regina answered. "She's their mother probably."
"If that's true then why did Ivan remarry?" Emma asked.
Regina arched an eyebrow. "Because he could, Miss Swan. In this world, the men run things unfortunately. Women are expected to tend the house and bear the children. If you're royal, you're meant to look pretty and curry favor with the other boneheaded nobility. If you're poor, you're meant to have many children to help with the farming, to cook dinner for the husband and raise the children. Gail probably found out what a monster Ivan truly was. Maybe his sons were the same and she thought she would be doing the world a favor by killing them all. I don't know, but Evie, send someone to monitor her until we get back." Evie nodded and left the tent. "Welcome to the Enchanted Forest, Miss Swan. We have magic, murder and politics that would make you want to kill yourself."
Emma pulled Regina into her arms and kissed the top of her head. "It also has you, so that makes it pretty amazing." Regina giggled against her neck. "By the way, I have something I want to talk to you about when we get home."
"Is it about this Mira woman?" Regina asked.
Emma stepped back. "How did you-"
"Your dream journal. You had quite a few nightmares about her when you were a teenager." Regina replied. "Cars."
"Oh, well, then you pretty much know what happened then."
"No, I just know there was a car accident. And she was your aunt. You were close?" Emma nodded and Regina motioned for her to sit. "We have time now, Emma. Your parents are getting the traps set up. So tell me about Mira Swan."
"Um, well, as you know, she died in a car accident. Drunk driver. She was an amazing person. She was a bit high maintenance, liked expensive things and always looked perfect. Perfect makeup, perfect hair." She smiled softly to herself. "I remember the one quality I adored about her was that she had this amazing ability to walk into a room...and piss every single person off. She could literally be minding her own business and still be the center of attention. And she loved attention, thrived on it. She had a good heart too, always donating money to charities and foundations and stuff. I really think you two would've been the best of friends."
"There were no pictures of her in the lake house." Regina said, tilting her head curiously. "None that I saw anyway."
"Oh, that's because Mom took a lot of them down and put them in the basement. There's plenty at the main house though. Mira never really came to the lake house anyway. She was usually busy this time a year."
"She sounds wonderful." Regina smiled. "I wish I could've met her."
"Me too. Thanks for listening."
Regina scoffed. "After everything you've done for me on this little rescue mission, Miss Swan, it's the very least I could do. But it must be hard for you all to talk about her."
Emma nodded. "We didn't forget her or anything. Everyone just likes to grieve in their own ways, so we...just allow it, I guess."
"Well, that's good. Grieving is an important step to acceptance."
Emma looked at Regina. "You never got to grieve over Daniel, did you?"
"Not until years later. The day after his death, I was married." Regina shrugged. "I did eventually of course. It's an old wound, but sometimes it still stings." They both looked up as Jacob walked in.
"Am I interrupting?"
"Yes." Emma said.
He grinned. "Well, we're ready to go."
Regina stood up. "Let's go, dear."
/
Henry looked over at Elias, shivering almost violently with his back against the cold stone. "You want my coat?" He asked, moving to his cousin's side.
"No, you need it as much as me." Elias shook his head, rubbing his arms."How long is he gonna keep us down here?"
"Not much longer. Moms are on their way. The Swans too. They're gonna blow this place to bits and get all of us out of here." Henry looked around at their cage, a small holding cell with rotten bars and small puddles of water leaking in from above. Across the hall was another cell, full of children huddling together for warmth. There were more. A lot more. All of them were in even worse shape than Henry and Elias. They were at least brought food and water every day, but neither boy ate nor drank. They weren't stupid enough to do so. They'd seen too many movies. It had been a couple days at least and both boys were starting to feel the effects of their imprisonment. They were cold and hungry and tired. Henry sighed and hoped his mothers would get here soon.
"I miss my bed." Elias said.
"Me too. And Mom's lasagna-" There was a sudden flash of light and both boys looked around, finding themselves back at the mansion. There was a scream from downstairs and both of them ran out onto the bannister to find the house flooded with confused children and Maleficent looking around like she wanted to take off running.
"What the hell is going on?" She growled, storming over to the mirror Regina kept in the living room. She cast a spell on it several times but nothing showed up. "Son of a bitch. Henry? Elias?"
"Here." They came downstairs and the dragon sighed in relief. "How did we get here?"
"I have no idea, but I need you to get Granny, Belle and Tink. Tell them to bring lots of food. I'll see what I can do about getting all of the tiny humans cleaned up." The dragon looked around at all of the children and sighed. "Damn you, Regina."
/
The castle was virtually empty as Emma followed Regina and Ivar through the servants' halls. They were narrow and tiny, but free of guards. All of them had been drawn to the front lines where she could hear the guns and bombs going off. Ivar gave the signal to halt. Just at the entrance to the dungeons was a barbarian.
"I suppose you have a plan." Regina said, looking at her son.
"Of course. I always have a plan. Step back please." Both women moved back a couple feet and watched him pull out an axe. He hefted it with both hands before cocking it back over his head and throwing it. It was a precision shot, hitting the barbarian right in the neck, almost severing his head.
"Good job." Regina dashed across the hall and searched the corpse for the keys while Ivar retrieved his weapon. They followed her into the dungeons where the cells had once been filled with children. They found the cells empty of all life. "What the- are you kidding me?"
Emma walked down the line, peering into each cell. "No one's here. They were, but they're not anymore. Where else in the castle could they be?"
"This is the only place with enough space for all the kids to be held." Ivar said.
"We search the halls anyway. We'll start with the upper chambers and make our way down to the throne room." Regina decided. "And move quickly before the others run out of bullets."
Emma nodded. She followed Ivar to the bedrooms and they each searched one after another but it didn't look like anyone had lived in the castle for years. It looked abandoned, desolate. They met up at the throne room doors with nothing to show for their efforts.
"I sent Zelena underground just in case there are some tunnels we're not aware of." Regina said, throwing open the throne room doors. It was virtually empty, except for two things. The throne on its pedestal and in front of it was a stone coffin with a little box on top of it. Regina launched a fireball, incinerating the throne and all of the hearts connected to it. The guns outside stopped shooting. The trio continued on to investigate, keeping watch for any traps.
Emma walked up to the coffin, picking up the box on it. Underneath it, was a plaque. Ivar wiped it off while she opened the box and was hit with the most putrid smell you could ever imagine. Inside the box was a bunch of black bile. "Oh god, what the hell is that?"
Regina took the box from her. "That, Miss Swan, is what happens when you die without your heart being in your chest. It turns to mush."
"You can kill someone without them having their heart?" Ivar asked.
"Indeed. Removing someone's heart doesn't make them invincible. For instance, if I rip out your heart and then slit your throat. You would still die. Whose coffin is this?"
Ivar finished wiping off the plaque and sighed. "It's William's." He scowled and shoved the top of it off. There was nothing in it but bones and the tattered remains of clothing. Ivar leaned in picked up a small necklace and held it out to Regina. The pendant was of a little tree.
"This is mine. I gave it to Giselle years ago."
"She gave it to William. He never took it off." Ivar scowled and walked away. Rage was boiling off of him and for a moment both women feared what he might do. "My brother didn't do any of this, did he?"
"No, but someone wants us to think he did." Regina said. She looked down at the coffin, lightly touching the scarred stone with her fingertips. "He died as soon as Giselle left to find you."
"You mean murdered?" Ivar hissed.
"Murdered. Yes."
Emma glanced up when they heard footsteps. The rest of their company walked in with their weapons drawn. Regina walked to Giselle and solemnly presented her with the necklace. The woman took one look at it and then at the coffin.
"No...please...no." She started shaking and Ivar quickly came to catch her before she broke down, clutching the necklace against the chest. Regina crouched next to her to comfort her and Emma and her family backed away to give her privacy. They started searching the rest of the room but found nothing amiss. There was nothing here.
"What are we going to do? The kids aren't here." Dianah said.
"You're all going to die." Everyone looked up at the barbarian man that walked into the room. He removed his helmet and flashed a sinister smile.
"And you are?" Grace asked.
"I'm Lord Vortigern. Giselle's father." He said with a smug smirk. It fell when Dianah, Lily and Ruby burst out laughing.
"Vortigern?" Lily gasped.
"That's so- that's so scary." Ruby snickered. "Vortigern."
Dianah sucked in a huge breath before laughing again. "Vortigern. Sounds like one of the diseases from Evie's medical books. Evie, help me, I have a Vortigern on my-"
"SHUT UP!" Vortigern roared. They stopped laughing but kept smirking, still managing to infuriate him. He turned to Regina, Giselle and Ivar. Ivar immediately drew his sword and moved in front of his mother. Vortigern barely gave him a second look. His eyes were only on the brunette behind him. He raised the giant axe he wielded, fully prepared to slam it down on top of Regina, even though his grandson and grieving daughter were directly in the way. Alexander rolled forward, catching the axe on his claymore. Grace used him as a launching pad, flying through the air, blade poised to be rammed into Vortigern's face. He dropped his axe and punched him right in the stomach, sending her crashing to the ground. That only pissed off the whole of the Swan family, who attacked at once.
Regina almost dragged Giselle to the door. "Stay here."
"You would really stop me from killing that bastard? Something I should've done years ago?" Giselle hissed, trying to push her off.
Regina slammed her against the wall. "Look at me. What is the most unstable kind of magic?" She demanded.
"Electricity."
"And what does powerful emotions do to magic?"
"Makes it unstable." Giselle hissed.
"And what would a person with raging emotions and possessing electricity do to us all if they are not careful?"
"Kill us." Giselle pushed her away. "You cannot deny me this. He killed our son! He kidnapped your son! Everything terrible in my life and my sons' lives has been because of him. His life is mine."
"I understand but he's pretty-"
"Regina, we did it!" Dianah called.
"...powerful." Regina said in awe. Vortigern was on his knees before David and Xander, both of their swords at his throat and guns aimed at his head. "Never mind." Vortigern glared at them as they approached.
"Why?" Giselle asked.
"Because she defiled you. Because she-"
"Cut off his head." Giselle commanded. Xander tossed his claymore to Ivar who grinned as he brought it back over his head. Vortigern suddenly struck with a steel covered fist, hitting David square in the chest. He slammed backwards into Zelena, nearly knocking each other out. Vortigern got back to his feet, shrugging off the bodies and weapons that tried to break him back down. His eyes locked onto Regina. The battle began anew. This time, Vortigern held nothing back. He was a raging beast out for blood. Regina's blood. Not even the Swans could hold him off for long before they too sustained heavy casualties.
Regina ducked the swinging axe and whipped out a sword. She ran against the wall, launching herself off of it and spearing Vortigern through the shoulder. She wrenched out a knife and raised it to stab him in the face but he threw himself to the ground, knocking her off balance. She quickly rolled back to her feet and instinctively brought her hands up to block the sword he threw at it. It sliced off one of her fingers and right through a second, opening up both of her palms. "Aaah! Son of a bitch!" A quick fireball cauterized the wound, but while her attention was elsewhere, he had time to get close to her. A thick hand wrapped itself around her neck and lifted her off the ground.
"You ruined everything." He hissed in her face. "You desecrated my bloodline, you defiled my daughter, you destroyed everything I worked so hard for!"
"You don't deserve your daughter, or your grandchildren. You deserve to burn." Regina snarled. "You treated your daughter like a broodmare. She was raped and defiled and forced to bear children by the man you sold her off to. When I am done with destroying Ivan's name, I will rip you from every record in the world, you will not have existed. Your life means nothing, your legacy will not be bound to you. You and your name will descend into dust. You are nothing and always will be...nothing!" She raised her hand and sprayed fire into his face. He almost dropped her but instead slammed her against the wall and snapped her wrist without a second thought. He pulled out a dagger and before she could stop him he rammed into her stomach. He wrenched it out and did it again. Pain ripped through her abdomen, threatening to overwhelm her. Then she heard the sing of a blade. Emma's sword sliced off Vortigern's arm at the elbow, parting blood and flesh with ease. Regina hit the ground hard, the air rushing out of her lungs. She watched Zelena throw the spear and hit Vortigern right in his neck. Giselle launched a thunderbolt, striking the metal and filling the air with the smell of burning flesh. Vortigern started convulsing as the electricity pulsed through him.
"Regina?" Emma knelt next to her, trying to assess her wounds. "Oh god. Lay still. Let me see." She removed the leather cuirass Regina wore and saw the holes in her stomach. She wasn't skilled enough to heal something like this.
"I'll be fine." Regina assured her weakly. She put a hand over her wounds and lit a fireball. Emma held her hand as she cauterized the wounds. There was a thunderous crash as Vortigern hit the ground, a life of malice and darkness finally snuffed out, finally ended. Almost instantaneously there was an explosion that ripped through the throne room, blasting Zelena, Emma, Giselle and Rose off their feet. Regina barely reacted in time to hold off the rest of it before it could kill them all. She struggled to hold it back as everyone recovered.
"Get out of here." She commanded, looking at Grace. "Get them out of here and get to a portal, get everyone out of here, I'll hold it off."
"Are you sure-"
"Just go!"
Grace nodded and went to help Zelena, but she was unconscious, blood pouring from a gash on the side of her head. Jackson picked her up and Xander threw Rose over his shoulder while Ivar picked up Giselle. Jacob grabbed Emma, but the blonde fought him off. She was clearly disoriented, but Regina couldn't waste any ounce of her energy to comfort her.
"GO!" She roared.
"Wait, Regina?" Emma looked around as Jacob tossed her over his shoulder and made for the door. "Regina!" She struggled to get away from her brother and go back to Regina.
Regina turned back to the task at hand. She summoned all of her energy to hold back the blast. No wonder Vortigern went down so easily. He had rigged a trap, one that would destroy everything if he died. He really hated her that badly. Hated his own bloodline that much that he was willing to wipe it out just because Giselle didn't have children with the man he chose. He was willing to wipe out an entire kingdom just because his daughter wouldn't live the life he chose. Regina's barrier was weakening, her entire body was aching from holding its position. She decided to try a different tactic. She began to absorb the power of the blast, using it to strengthen her barrier. She started to count. 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, she would have no choice but to release it.
/
"What the hell are you doing?" Emma demanded as Jacob dropped her on the outskirts of camp. The others continued on to get the people ready to go.
"Contact Maleficent." He commanded. "We need to get outta here."
"Not without Regina." She snapped.
"Regina told us to leave. She can just teleport out of there-"
"She can't teleport that fast!" Emma yelled. She froze when she realized what that meant. "You son of a bitch! We have to go back. I'm not leaving her!"
"No one is leaving her, but we're all gonna be dead if you don't contact the dragon and tell her to get us out of here." He hissed.
Emma glared at him before going to find a mirror. Maleficent was quick to answer it. Emma was relieved to hear that Henry and Elias were fine but it only made matters worse when he asked where Regina was. A moment later, a portal opened and the people started hurrying through. Emma looked back at the castle. The blast had grown bigger, crashing through the ceiling of the castle and caving in the walls, contained inside a bubble shaped barrier of Regina's design. "Come on, Regina." She whispered. "Get here. Hurry up."
"Emma." Grace came to her side. "Portal's about to close. Mal can't hold it open much longer."
"I'm not going anywhere." Emma said firmly. "I should've stayed. Someone should've helped her-"
"No one conscious had magic, or at least knew enough magic to help her, Emma. She told us to leave. She knows what she's doing."
Emma continued watching the barrier stretch and begin to tear. They didn't have much time. Regina didn't have much time. She looked back at the portal where Xander and Jacob were almost shoving everyone into it. They soon followed and it left only Emma and her mothers.
"Emma-" Snow tried to say, but the earth suddenly shook, cutting off whatever she was going to say.
"Get down!" Grace yelled. She dove behind a large rock and Emma quickly followed, magically making a hole in the ground and raising a small force field to offer them a little more protection. Snow barely made it to cover with them as an explosion razed the campsite, charring everything in its path. Andalasia was reduced to cinder in barely a few seconds. In the blink of an eye, everything was gone.
Emma stepped out and looked at the gray world around her, trees still smoking, ash clouding the air. Grace and Snow climbed out of the hole and looked around as well. Emma didn't wait for them. She took off for the direction of the castle, occasionally slipping in the ash coating the ground, but never stopping. Regina had to be okay. She had to be. Tears started running down her face as she ran. Please be okay. She found her, in the shattered remains of the throne room, she found Regina beneath a pile of rubble. "Regina?! Regina! Wake up, please. Please…" Regina didn't stir. Burns coated one side of her body, her right arm had been crushed, she hardly looked like herself. She looked...broken. She was limp in Emma's arms. There was no heartbeat. "Regina, please, come back. I love you, I need you…" Emma whispered. Grace and Snow could only watch and listen to their daughter's desperate pleas. Emma tried True Love's Kiss, but it didn't work. She finally laid Regina down as gently as possible and reached into her own chest. Her magic reacted instinctively to fight against her, to protect her heart, but she fought through it. It took all of her strength to rip it out. She didn't care what happened to her. She cracked it half and gave Regina a piece of her heart. She waited for something to happen, waited for Regina to open her eyes and smile, waited for her to wake up and yell at Emma for coming back, waited for anything, something… Nothing came.
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