Later that evening, Regina and Emma are eating their evening meal in silence.
It doesn't take long, for Emma to feel a little uneasy. As their meals, were not usually quiet and she notices, that the Queen seems troubled.
She wonders, if Regina is still upset with her over her deception.
"Are you still upset with me?" she finally asks, as she stops eating, and puts her hands in her lap, whilst staring at the older woman.
Regina, who had been looking to the side, deep in thought. Turns her head, now looking at Emma.
"Why would you ask that?" she replies simply.
"You just seem lost in thought. Like, somethings troubling you, and after what's happened today, I just thought, I may be the cause" she shrugs, and looks down.
Regina sighs.
"Your indiscretion, is not what is troubling me at this current moment. It is rather, what your idiotic parents are planning" she replies simply.
"Oh" Emma frowns. "I don't want this to be a burden for you Regina. If it makes it easier for you, I shall leave. Even though, I do not wish too go"
Regina now looks surprised.
"I do not wish, for you to leave. However, I don't know, how long we can keep your identity a secret" she replies seriously, and Emma sighs.
"Everyone thinks, that I am Emily Swan. There is no reason for anyone to question that"
"Unless someone recognises you" Regina replies simply, and then her eyes widen in realization.
"August?" she says seriously, whilst staring at Emma.
"Oh" Emma swallows thickly.
"That's why, he acted so strangely at the stables" Regina then says in surprise, whilst blinking. "Why didn't he tell me who you were?" she adds, and the feeling of being let down, comes over her again.
"Please don't blame him Regina. It was all on me. I begged him, not to say anything, but he strongly told me, I had to tell you the truth"
"He did?" she asks, unsurely.
Emma nods and looks nothing but sincere. Which makes Regina, study her for a long moment, before taking a deep breath.
"He won't tell my parents, that I am here either" Emma adds.
"Of course. That is one thing, I can be certain of as he dislikes them more than anyone"
Emma smiles slightly.
"He is a good man" she mutters.
"Indeed"
They continue eating, until Regina breaks the silence.
"I am curious though"
"About what?" Emma pauses, and turns her head to the older woman, who is holding her goblet of wine in her right hand and she brings it to her mouth, before replying.
"About what you have been doing, since you left your parents castle. Did you have somewhere to go to?" she then asks, in curiosity.
Emma, looks momentarily surprised by the question, but then takes a deep breath.
"No. I had no where to go" she then answers flatly. Before adding "It was on the evening, before my engagement was to be made official, that I ran"
Regina raises an eyebrow.
"I was so unhappy with everything in my life, but that topped everything. I had told my parents, earlier that day, that I did not want to marry that awful man, but they were so adamant. They were selling me off"
She ducks her head, feeling tears come to her eyes. As she remembers, her parents telling her, that she'd come to love her husband, and that she had to do this for them, for the kingdom.
"I am not surprised by their actions, but I am proud of you, for doing something about it" Regina the says seriously, and Emma snaps her head up at the last sentence and her eyes widen slightly.
"So, what happened after your escape? if you don't mind continuing" Regina then asks, and Emma nods.
"Well, after a while of running and walking in the dark of night. I managed, to get a ride on a man's carriage. We travelled a whole day, until he told me, he couldn't take me no further"
Regina nods.
"I didn't know where I was, but there was a tavern there, and I knew I couldn't stay there long"
Regina leans forward, becoming intrigued by Emma's story, and the princess takes a long gulp of her wine, before continuing.
"I managed to find a quiet alleyway. Where I curled up, and tried to sleep" she then says simply, and Regina frowns.
"I didn't get to sleep long though, as I got woken up by two drunk men. I ended up running again, and made by way out of that place"
"I can't imagine, what was going through your mind" Regina then says sadly,
"Well, at that time, I was so scared. I've never been so scared in all my life" Emma replies, whilst remembering how she felt.
"I'm so sorry" Regina then says softly, whilst reaching her hand out, and putting it on of Emma's upon the table.
"Its not your fault"
"I know, but.." she squeezes Emma's hand, which earns the Queen a small smile.
"I kept moving after that, for a really long time" Emma then explains "Going from settlement to settlement. Staying no longer than 2 days, but I had to steal food and drink, which I'm not proud of, and I bathed in streams and rivers when I could"
"You did what you do to survive, that is understandable" Regina then says softly.
"Yeah, Eventually though, I meet a man, who I guess, took pity on me" Regina leans back, removing her hand from Emma's, she didn't like where this was going.
"He didn't take advantage, of you did he?" she asks carefully, and Emma's eyes widen.
"Oh no. When I meet Killian, I was just surviving and very lonely. His attention, make me feel better. He promised me a roof over my head, for a few days and passage across the border"
"In exchange for what exactly?" Regina then asks warily, because she knows this man must have a motive.
"That I do some jobs for him" Emma looks down, and grips her hands together in her lap.
"Jobs? what kind of jobs?" Regina then asks seriously, and Emma closes her eyes. She doesn't want Regina to be disappointed in her.
"Charming men, and then stealing from them" Emma mutters back, and Regina just about hears her.
There is then, a long silence, and Emma swallows thickly, before looking at Regina. Expecting. to see disgust upon Regina's face, but all she see's is sadness.
"I know it was wrong, but I really needed to cross the border. I knew, my parents army would found me if I stayed"
"I understand" Regina replies softly, and takes a long gulp of her wine.
"You do?" Emma stares at her, and Regina nods.
"Again. You were doing what you needed to survive"
"Yeah, but I don't want you to think less of me"
"I don't"
They then sit in silence, for another long moment. Until Regina asks "What happened next?"
"Well, things were going better. I actually stayed in one place, for more than a couple of days and after a couple of Killian's jobs, I got word that some of my parents army were asking around about me, whilst showing a poster of my face"
Regina's eyes widen.
"Don't worry, obviously they didn't find me" Emma chuckles, at Regina's expression.
"Well, obviously" Regina seriously says back, whilst leaning back in her chair, and her cheeks begin to redden slightly.
"I like when you do that" Emma finds herself saying, without thought, and Regina looks over to her.
"Do what?" she asks, confused.
"Go red. Blush"
Regina's cheeks redden further at this, and she ducks her head. Not knowing how to reply.
This makes Emma chuckle more.
It takes a long moment, for the Queen, to composes herself. Before saying "Anyway. Please carry on"
"Oh, right. Um, so, my parents had people out looking for me, and I knew, I had to cross the border now"
Regina nods at this.
"I told Killian, I needed to leave, with or without his help. And surprisingly, he decided to help me, and said he would come with me"
Regina raised an eyebrow.
"Then, a couple of hours later, we were heading to the border, and Killian's acquittance lead us to a supposed blind spot"
"Blind spot?"
"Yeah, a spot not patrolled. Apparently, its a guarded secret in the criminal world. That's what Killian told me" she shrugs, and Regina tilts her head, and thinks, I need to cut that off.
"Anyway" Emma then continues "We crossed the border, and I was so relived. I felt a weight had been lifted. I was no longer upon my parents land"
Regina smiles slightly at that.
"We then travelled, until we came to a settlement. I realized pretty quickly, that things were different here"
"How so?"
"Please don't take any offence, but things seem more basic"
Regina leans back in her chair, and sighs.
"It is hard to change anything, when everyone believes I am Evil. Many of my people, do not seem to trust me"
"Have you tried?" Emma asks.
"Yes. I went out to some of the settlements. I offered food, but they did not take it. Thinking it was poisoned" she scoffs. but Emma can see, in Regina's expression, that it had hurt the Queen.
"You should try again. But this time maybe, offer your time. Talk with people. It goes a long way"
Regina then blinks, as she thinks upon what Emma has said.
"You would of made, a far better Queen than your mother" she then replies honestly.
"I think anyone, would be a far better Queen than my mother" Emma then replies seriously and Regina smirks.
They then, settle into a comfortable silence, before Regina finds herself, wanting to know, how Emma ended up in the forest, near her land.
"I take it, you and Killian parted not long after?" she asks.
"Actually, we spent quite some time together. He got into selling alcohol, and made friends in high places"
"Oh, I see" Regina frowns.
"He was pretty good, at charming people" Emma then remarks simply and Regina frown deepens.
"Did you have relations with him?" she then asks, and Emma sighs. Whilst looking down.
"Sorry, it is a private matter. I did not mean to pry" Regina then says, although she feels uncomfortable, with the thought of Emma, having relations with someone else.
"He wasn't my first" Emma then says, feeling the need for Regina to know. "As you know, I was so unhappy at the palace, and I foolishly made a mistake, to make myself feel better, when it actually made me feel worse"
Regina then places a hand on top on Emma's.
"We've all made mistakes dear, but we can learn from them" she says softly and Emma nods.
"I thought, I could of been happy with Killian" she then mutters, before adding "but I realized, I was just settling for someone I wasn't in love with. We were more like best friends"
"I'm sorry" Regina squeezes her hand.
"It didn't matter though" Emma then explains "I caught him in bed, with another woman" she adds and Regina's eyes widen.
"He cheated on you?" she says in disbelief, because who in their right mind would cheat on Emma.
"Yeah, apparently, he had been sleeping around, with any woman that would have him" Emma rolls her eyes.
"How could he. If he was here right now, I would give him a piece of my mind. Before, sending him to the dungeons to rot" she snaps and Emma gapes at Regina.
"What?" Regina then says, upon seeing Emma's expression.
"You just seem very offended by his actions"
"I am. You deserve all the happiness in the world Emma and not some rotten cheating fool" she spits the last part, and Emma tilts her head, and bites her lip. She's touched.
"I take it, you left him there and then" Regina then asks.
"Pretty much. I walked out and never looked back. Even though, I would be on my own again, and have no food or somewhere to sleep"
Regina frowns.
"Things did get better though" Emma then says, cheerfully. Before adding "You found me" and Regina smiles at this, and holds Emma's hand a little tighter.
"Yes I did, and I think, I am going to keep you" Regina then replies, teasingly. Which makes Emma grin.
"I do hope so" Emma then says softly, and they both look into each others eyes. Before, looking down at their joined hands upon the table...
A/N Thanks for reading everyone and for your comments, follows and favouriting.
I thought, I better mention what Emma got up to since she left her parents palace and make it kind of a bonding session between her and Regina. Sorry about the mention of Killian, but it was only for the plot.