Chapter Text
Regina ran through the halls, bypassing servants who watched her do so with sadness in their hearts. As Regina neared her destination she slowed down, for Mother would get on to her for being unladylike. Regina stopped outside the huge doors to calm her breathing and fix her appearance. Once that was done she knocked on the door and waited to be told to enter.
What felt like an eternity passed before Regina was given permission to enter. “Is it really that time again.” Regina just looked at her mother and tried to control her anger. “Yes Mother, it is that time again. Like it has been for the past six months.” Cora sighed but never looked up from the papers she was reading. “It’s over on that table as usual.” Cora lifted a hand as if she barely had the energy to and waved it toward the table she was talking about.
Regina slowly made her way to the table, as if she were afraid to show too much emotion and her mother would take it away from her. Regina picked up the vial and looked at it before turning towards the door to exit. “Be a dear and close the door on your way out.” Cora still hadn’t lifted her eyes from the papers. “Yes, Mother.” Regina made her way to the door before her mother spoke again.
“Regina dear, remember we are having dinner with King Leopoldo White tonight. I will have the maid put out the dress I know he will love. Make sure you are not late for dinner.” Regina closed her eyes at the reminder of why she was in this situation in the first place. “Of course, Mother.” Cora hummed and spoke again, “Yes, wouldn’t want your little…friend…to get worse now would we?”
Regina took in a deep breath to refrain from saying something to anger her mother. “No, Mother. I promise I will be on time.” The brunette looked over her shoulder at her mother who waved her hand in dismissal. Regina left her mother’s room and started running through the halls again. She made her way to the dungeon and was greeted by one of the guards. “Graham, how is she?” Graham slowly shook his head and responded sadly, “She’s the same as she has been, but I’m not sure how much longer she can last. Even with your mother brewing temporary relief potions.”
Tears filled Regina’s eyes. “I am trying my best to get her out but I do not know how to do it without Mother knowing. She has eyes everywhere.” Graham looked at the woman with pain in his eyes. “I know. I’m trying as well, but I keep almost getting caught. Here is the key. Go to her. She’ll be happy to see you.” Regina took the key and made her way down the same path she has taken for the last six months. She gets to the familiar cell and unlocks it. The body inside doesn’t move at the sound of the doo unlocking. Regina knelt down and propped the person’s torso up with her arm while stroking their face with her other hand.
“My love, open your beautiful eyes for me. It is time for you to drink your potion.” Green eyes slowly opened while a pained groan slipped past her lips. “I know you’re in pain, Emma, but this will help you some.” Emma opened her mouth in preparation for the potion. Regina brought it up to Emma’s lips and tipped it as Emma drank it down. Emma grimaced and started coughing after swallowing it. “I think your mother makes it taste horrendous as further punishment.”
Regina gave a wet chuckle. “I’m sure you are right about that.” Regina continued to hold Emma up as her coughing started to subside. “How are you feeling now.” Emma gave a long sigh before looking into her love’s eyes. “Gina, I don’t know how much longer I can take this. I’m trying to hold on as long as I can, but this poison is something else.” Regina kissed the top of Emma’s head. “I know, my love, I know. Every time I think I am close to being able to get you help, Mother is able to thwart my plans and act like she did not know what she was doing.”
As this the brunette starts crying in full and Emma raised her hand to place it on Regina’s cheek. “ I hate that your mother is doing this to you, to us. Why won’t she just let you be happy?” Regina gave a bitter chuckle. “Because my happiness is not her ultimate goal. The goal is to make me queen so she can live through me. Emma, the king of the White kingdom is coming tonight. I just know they have planned for him to propose tonight. If I do not keep cooperating, Mother will kill you.”
Regina rests her forehead against the blonde’s. “If only we had succeeded in running away, then we would be happy together and you would not be suffering just to keep me in line.” Emma pulls Regina down in order to give her a short peck on the lips. “You should still try to run away.” Regina reared her head back and gave an indignant squawk. She opened her mouth to argue back but Emma continued to speak. “No, think about it. She’ll never expect you to leave without me, but once you get out, she’ll be too busy trying to get you back to marry the king she won’t be focusing on me. It might give you or Graham enough time to get me out.”
Emma passed to catch her breath, speaking took a lot of energy out of her. She also knew the other woman would not like what she was about to say. “Regina, I love you with everything that I am, but if something happens to me it would still be better for you to have run away without me that o be forced into a loveless marriage with someone old enough to be your grandfather. I was nothing but your happiness.”
Tears were running down the brunette’s cheeks as she was shaking her head in opposition. “No, no Emma. I cannot leave you! There is no happiness for me without you. I love you so much.” Regina tucker her face into the side of Emma’s neck as she continued to cry. After a while, her crying slowed and she sat back, starting to fiddle with neck around Emma’s neck.
“Remember when you gave this to me? You came to the stables and startled me so badly when you called my name that I fell from the stable loft.” Regina gave a soft chuckle. “Yes, I remember. I saw it one day in the marketplace and of course the swan pendant just spoke to me. I just knew I had to get it for you. I was so worried when you did not respond to me after you fell.” Regina shook her head as she continued to recall that day.
“You then popped right up and said you were fine! You had straws of hay all over your hair. You still to this day will not tell me what had you so distracted.” The blond just smiled up at the other woman. “You’ll just have to wait and find out eventually. I promise I’ll tell you.” Regina smiled back and gave Emma a soft kiss on the lips. “I will hold you to that.”
Steps could be heard coming their way. “Lady Regina, you better head back before your mother thinks you have been gone too long.” Regina looked back at Graham and gave him a nod. “I will come see you as soon as I am able to, my love.” Emma reached up and ran the backs of her knuckles down the side of Regina’s neck. “I look forward to seeing you again.” Regina slowly laid Emma back into a laying position and gave her another kiss on the lips.
Regina edited the cell and gave Graham the key back after locking the cell door. “Thank you Graham, for helping as much as you can.” Graham continued to look at Emma. “I feel like I’m not doing enough though. I don’t know how to help you two.” Regina just shook her head, “there is not much else you can do without getting punished yourself.” Regina then left to get herself ready for entertaining the king, all while running different ideas in her head of how to get herself and Emma out of this situation.
Graham walked toward the cell door. “You think you could eat a little something, Em?” Emma turned toward Graham and shrugged. “I could always try and see what I can eat.” Graham nodded is head before heading out to get some food. Emma, with great effort, pulled herself up into a seated position, leaning against the wall of her cell. Just like everyday for the past six months, the blonde tried to think of a safe way to get her and Regina out from under Cora’s claws. It was hard to do so since Cora had magic.
Regina had hoped she had magic like her mother, but she was unable to do anything. Emma knew how to wield a sword but that didn’t help her against magic. The blonde didn’t even know how she knew how to sword fight. Every time she tried to think of her past before showing up at the Mills’s stables she would get a very strong headache. As if something was purposefully blocking her memory. Emma felt like someone magically blocked her memory but why? She wondered if it had been Cora but she feels like the woman would have just ended her instead of erasing the memories.
Graham came back with some bread and water, entering the cell to give Emma the food. “Graham, run me through the day I was found here.” Graham shook his head and helped Emma with the food. “It was about five years ago now. I was making my normal rounds of the property when I saw a horse heading my way with an unconscious person about to fall off the saddle. I caught you before you hit the ground. You were wearing very nice trousers, tunic, and cloak. The emblem on the broach you had wasn’t recognizable. I brought you to the stables and when you finally woke up you had no memories but your name, Emma Swan.”
Emma was slowly chewing on the bread. “And I was coming from the north?” Graham nodded his head in affirmation. The blonde tried to think about where she could have come from but started to get a headache. This time an image of a castle slipped through. She did not recognize the castle but it was more than she was able to recall in the past five years. Graham grabbed her shoulder when he noticed her wince. “Are you alright?” Emma took some calming breathes. “Yeah I’m fine. I finally had something slip through. A castle. Not sure where from though.” Graham rubbed the palm of his hand up and down his cheek. “Hmmm what if you’re that missing princess from the White kingdom?” Emma laughed at that. “Really Graham? Me? A princess? That’s ridiculous. Surely I would have something that indicated I was royalty. Besides, my name isn’t Amelia White.”
Graham shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know Ems. The timing is really coincidental. The princess has been missing for five years. She’s about your age, blonde hair, was known as not being the most conventional princess. Could explain why you know how to use a sword.” Emma shook her head. “I think it’s all purely coincident. Maybe I’m from some noble house in the White kingdom but I think that’s it.” The guard sighed and gathered up the plate and cup. “Well, either way, maybe I should reach out to the White kingdom. In fact I could try to say something to the king while he is here.”
Emma quickly shook her head, or as quickly as she could in her state. “Don’t do anything Graham. Cora could do something like this or worse to you. Also, who knows what she would do to her daughter if she thought it was also her idea.” Graham stood up and sadly looked down at his friend. “Alright, I won’t say anything to him. I still think Cora wouldn’t do anything to risk failing to elevate her duchy through the king.” Emma nodded her head in thanks, being too weak at this point to say anything or stay awake.
Graham left the cell wishing his friend agreed to let him say something. He was certain the king wouldn’t be too happy with Cora keeping an innocent woman not only in a cell, but keeping her poisoned by magic. The guard made his way back to his post and waited for the king’s arrival.