Emma and Snow found themselves at the center of what looked like a refugee camp. Several red mud huts surrounded a central square that held some tables,tents,and a well. People of all ages were milling about, some looked to be working, drawing water from the well, washing clothes in buckets, tending to small children. Everything in sight was red, the same color as the dirt beneath their feet.
The two women were led to the edge of the square. As they waited, a dark, heavily built man came out of one of the better looking huts, a cabin set on stilts, and with a wooden roof instead of mud.
Snow turned as he neared.
"Lancelot!" She exclaimed, walking towards the man and embracing him fondly.
"Snow White!" He returned her embrace, pulling her close. The two beamed at each other and exchanged warm greetings.
"Lancelot? Really?" Emma said, more to herself than her mother.
Lancelot turned and led them towards the center of the square, as he spoke warmly to Snow of old times.
"He's an old friend, we can trust him," Snow told Emma quietly as they walked.
"If I'd known you were the prisoner Mulan caught, I would not have allowed you to be put
in the dungeon" he said to Snow once the pleasantries were over with.
He'd led them to a central table, protected from the elements by a thin, old looking cloth, that also acted as a barrier from the rest of the camp.
"You must be hungry" he said
"Starving" Emma agreed quickly, the long walk through the desert making itself heard in her legs and stomach.
The knight smiled kindly, then looked at Snow questioningly.
"She's my daughter!" She said quickly
"Daughter?"
"It's a long story" Snow said "the curse" she added in explanation.
"I see" he nodded towards a woman who'd come close, she looked like a servant of some sort.
"In any case, you are our welcome guests"
Soon, several women appeared carrying trays of food and jugs of water and wine with them. They set the table.
The food was more than welcome, and Emma immediately speared a large chunk of meat with the utensil given to her. It was neither a fork nor a knife, it was long, with three spikes. She didn't stop to question it. She did, however, question the meat.
"What is this?" She asked, setting it onto her plate.
"Chimera" Lancelot answered "an acquired taste. But all the hunters brought back"
Emma nodded and dived in, the meat wasn't bad, or perhaps she had just been starving, either way, she ate several pieces.
"I don't understand, we were told this land didn't even exist anymore" Snow said as they ate.
"It is a mystery, the curse struck and when the smoke cleared most of us had been torn from this land, but some of us here, in this particular region, were left behind. We don't know how and we don't know why" Lancelot said, raising his hands in resignation.
Emma looked around, from beneath the lean to, she could see several families, sitting around their mud huts, some of the children playing in the dirt, most were barefoot, and they clearly hadn't had a proper meal in a while. She felt a stab of guilt at the feast presented before her.
"Finding this safe haven wasn't easy, it took some spilled blood" Lancelot was saying,
"But worry not, you're safe here," he added kindly.
Snow shook her head, looking at Emma.
"We can't stay, my husband's back there" she told him "Emma's son, my grandson!" She added.
The three were alerted suddenly by shouts coming just outside the tent, as one, they rose and ran out. On the edge of the square a few men, guards most likely, were shouting at someone.
"Who are you?"
"Don't come closer!"
They heard someone scream in pain, and hurried closer.
"She can use magic!" one of the men exclaimed.
Lancelot ran forward, he disappeared in the chaos. Emma and Snow looked at each other anxiously.
"Do you think it's–?" Emma didn't finish her sentence
"Obviously" Snow replied, she looked over at the skirmish, the men had surrounded someone.
The two walked closer to the circle, and finally saw who it was that had caused the chaos.
Regina was looking much worse for the wear. Her normally carefully styled hair was a mess of twigs and dirt, the black and white tailleur she'd been wearing was ripped in several places, including, Emma noted, on her chest. She was barefoot, and her tights were shredded. She looked awful. Nonetheless, she stood resolutely in the center of the circle, a ball of fire in her hand, looking defiantly at the guards. Then Lancelot stepped in, without warning he walked over to Regina, she had no time to react before he grabbed her wrist. The fireball disappeared, and she gasped. Lancelot had clamped a black leather band on her wrist.
"What have you done?" She asked.
"A binding spell" he said flatly "to stop your magic"
Regina's eyes widened, and her hands fell to her sides. Two men walked forward and grabbed her by the arms, she didn't resist.
"Who are you? Where have you come from?" Lancelot asked her authoritatively
"I was attacked by ogres!" her voice didn't shake, it didn't betray any hint of fear or shock, indeed, she sounded mildly annoyed by the ogres' insolence in attacking her.
"That's not what I asked. And why were you in the forest anyway? Don't you know there are ogres in the forest?"
"I" she started, then faltered "I'm not sure" she sounded so small, and Emma felt her heart squeeze for a moment.
"I asked you a question" Lancelot said "who are you?"
Regina looked around, perhaps looking for a suitable answer.
"If you cannot answer, you will be executed" He warned
Regina's eyes widened with fear, but she didn't answer
"Executed?" Snow asked,
"Unfortunately we do not have the luxury of being kind to magic wielders here" his voice was steel now.
There was silence. Regina looked down at her feet, then back up to Lancelot
"I am no one you know," she said finally.
"Still, I'd like to know your name"
She was quiet, she knew that if she gave her name, she would be killed.
"Very well then" Lancelot said "take her to the cave"
"Wait, no!" Emma and Snow made their way through the throng of people that had now gathered to watch the spectacle.
"She's a friend," Emma said quickly. The guards had stopped moving, they looked at Lancelot, he looked at Emma.
"Is she?" Snow asked, too quietly for anyone but her daughter to hear. Emma glanced at her.
It would have been easy to let Regina die, to let her be executed here, in the middle of nowhere, far from home. Henry would never have to know, and then she'd be his only mother. She wouldn't have to share him anymore.
Still, she spoke "Her name's Re" Snow elbowed her, "Ina" she finished
"She came over with us, she must've had a shock"
Regina was looking at her with wide, incredulous eyes. Then she nodded.
"That's right, I fell through a portal"
Lancelot looked at her, he didn't look particularly convinced.
"There was a woman once" he said "she was known for using magic fireballs"
The people around them began to stir, they had been whispering before, now the voices were louder.
"Is it her?"
"Kill her!"
"She's the reason we're here!"
Lancelot quieted the voices with a gesture.
"If you are that woman, you had better say so now"
"What woman?" Regina's voice was laced with venom, but Emma wasn't sure anyone else noticed.
"The evil queen" the knight said, leaning towards the much smaller woman, looming over her.
"The evil queen!" Someone shouted, and jeers of anger and hate came up from the crowd. Again, Lancelot silenced them.
"I'm not" she said, resolutely
"My name is Reina, just as Emma said" she looked at her, a spark of fear in her eyes.
"That's right" Emma stepped forward again, now she was in the middle of the circle. "She's my friend"
Lancelot stared at her for what felt like forever, then he nodded.
"Very well" He gestured to one of the guards "Sim, take this woman to my quarters, give her some food and water" He looked over "and some fresh clothes".
The man named Sim walked forward, he looked at Regina with suspicion, and grabbed her by the arm, she let out a small yelp.
"Follow me"
As they walked away, Emma followed closely behind. She was aware of eyes following them as they walked away from the crowd. They were not friendly.
Lancelot's quarters turned out to be in the slightly better looking hut, some rickety wooden stairs led up to the entrance, which was a hole in the structure with a dirty white curtain for privacy. Inside, Lancelot had a large four poster bed, an old wooden vanity with a cracked mirror, a few personal items strewn on top, and a chair that looked like it had seen better days. The only source of light were a few cracks in the structure of the hut, that allowed some sunlight to filter in. It smelled strongly of dirt and moss.
Sim left, leaving the two women looking at each other in the half-light. Neither spoke, but Regina sat on the bed, it was soft, possibly a feather bed.
Sim returned soon enough, in one hand he held a jug of water, in the other a bowl with a thick brown gruel and a wooden spoon. He placed them on the vanity, then he pulled a brown cloth from under his arm, and placed it on the bed next to Regina.
"A dress" He specified, at her questioning look, she nodded.
"Thank you" Emma said as the man left.
Regina had turned towards the food, she would never have admitted it but her stomach was rumbling and her throat was on fire.
Emma walked over to the vanity and passed her the bowl.
"Here, it doesn't look very good" she'd barely finished speaking when Regina had dug in.
"It's not bad" she said, in between spoonfuls of gruel.
Emma laughed "I think you might just be hungry"
Regina rose and grabbed the jug of water, then downed it.
"Well, I was chased through the forest by ogres"
"So Mary Margaret was right then?" Emma said grinning, she didn't mention they'd been tied to the back of a horse for the better part of four hours. Better tied to a horse than chased by an ogre, she thought.
Regina glared at her, earning a chuckle from Emma.
Then she shrugged her black blazer off. She began to undo the buttons on her white shirt, the top of which was ripped, exposing her sternum. Emma tried not to stare, but when the shirt came off she gulped, still she didn't look away. Regina was wearing a purple velvet bra, it was very simple, but she couldn't help but trace the pale skin peeking out from under it with her eyes. She undid the zipper on her black skirt, and pushed it off. She was left in her tights, which were almost completely shredded below the knee. She pulled the tights off. The way the material slid over her skin was making Emma's throat slightly dry. Underneath she wore panties matching in color to her bra. As she turned away from Emma to take the dress she'd been given, she couldn't help raking her eyes over her body, taking in the way the panties didn't quite cover her ass, and how soft and creamy her shapely legs looked.
"Like what you see?" Regina asked, turning back and smirking. Emma looked away quickly and coughed politely. She heard the sound of a cloth on skin as Regina pulled the dress over her head.
"Those people really don't like you huh?" Emma asked, trying to alleviate her awkwardness. What made it worse was that Regina didn't seem to feel embarrassed at all.
"They're idiots" she said "they think it's my fault they live in this shit-hole"
"It kind of is," Emma pointed out.
She'd turned back around, the dress Regina had been given consisted of a brown burlap bag, with three holes in the top for the legs and head. Somehow she still looked sexy in it. Emma sighed, she hated her brain sometimes.
"I think I'm going to need some shoes," Regina said, looking down at her bare feet.