Shaya

Chapter 25 - Thy life I seize, my wrath to appease

No love thy heart shall wit
Ruth maiden
Darkness' bride
But thou and I
Thou and I

For his heart she'll take
And thy will die
But thou and I
Thou and I

For his heart she'll take
Her wrath to slake
But thou and I
Thou and I

Red spark in the dark
No reign under a broken heart
But thou and I
Thou and I

Your voice, the vengeance
The darkness' brilliance
And thou and I
Thou and I

Thy life I seize
My wrath to appease
So thou and I
Thou and I

" Where is he?"
Regina looked around, but Finnegan wasn't in sight. Cruella was playing the flute, but the werewolf seemed not to answer to her call. And it was impossible. He had to come there, just as any other werewolf.
" Cruella..." Regina lowly said, glaring at her. The Slayer showed her her teeth.
" It's not my fault, your Majesty, he must have found a way to..."
" Well play that damn flute louder then!"
Cruella hissed at her, but then closed her lips around the bone and began playing the flute again.
Regina glanced at Shaya, who looked worried just as she was. The battle had ended, the road was covered in the bodies of the Lost Boys. Only one was missing. Two, counting Tamara, but if she knew Rumplestiltskin, and she knew him, she was already dead.
None of them had died instead. Hook and Charming were seriously injured, and Charming was to become a werewolf, but, let alone a deep tiredness, all of the others were fine. Mostly Snow White, who wasn't even tired, with Regina's disappointment. They were all gathered under the clock tower, waiting for the last survivor to come up. Regina had found herself quite surprised: they had put her in the middle of the little crowd, totally protected, together with Emma. It was logical, yes, because them two were the ones who had worked the hardest, yet she didn't expect it. Except for Whale, who had taken David and Hook to the hospital after that she had stopped the pirate's bleeding, her army was protecting her. And her army was composed by Shaya, and that was okay, but there were also Cruella, back to back with her, Widow Lucas, Red Riding Hood, (Snow's best friend, for God's sake!), the Seven freaking Dwarves, Archie, who was mysteriously unharmed, and above all Snow White. The princess was right before her, turned back, ready to throw her last arrow.
All of them looked and looked around while the music streamed through the air, now free from the mist, but Finnegan wasn't showing.
Regina was quivering for the tension. None was safe with the werewolf around, even more seen that, evidently, he had a plan.
" Maybe he just ran away..." Emma tried to suggest, but Regina shrugged off her try with a grouchy gesture.
" Sure, because he wouldn't revenge his brothers, don't you think? He's so forgiving..."
Emma glared at her. " Hey, just because you're hella vindictive it doesn't mean that he has to be, too!"
Regina rolled her eyes. " The fact that he wants to kill me slowly because I didn't kill Cruella more than thirty years ago tells you something?"
Emma opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again, and finally clenched it. Regina gave a nod of satisfaction and turned to watch the road again. But Emma wasn't done with her conjectures.
" Maybe we scared him. We got to kill Steven and Robert, after all..."
Regina repressed a sigh. " Finnegan doesn't get scared. He gets angry."
There was a brief yet heavy silence that followed her words, enough to make Regina turn to look Emma in the eyes.
" What?" the brunette harshly asked her. The Savior blinked, but glanced down and shook her head.
" Nothing. You're right, he's probably around, waiting for us to drop our guard." she muttered, looking away.
Regina nodded, pursuing her lips. " Why so embarrassed, Emma, you can even say it, I don't bite. "
The Savior looked at her in confusion. Fake confusion. Regina repressed a smile.
" What?"
" That I'm right because I'm like him."
" You're nothing like him."
Regina had just had the time to say the sentence that Shaya had intervened. She was turned back, guarding her left side, her longsword that quietly shined in the morning light.
Regina gave a smirk, even though she couldn't see it.
" You don't know him."
Shaya shrugged.
" I know you."
Regina clearly felt her heart skip a beat, or two. She wanted to say something, she really wanted it, but her tongue was like a stone, heavy and inert. She really couldn't get used to that faith in her.
Emma gave her a nudge, catching her attention, then began to gesticulate with animosity, repeatedly pointing Shaya out to her.
" Say something" she mouthed, still indicating the warrior.
Regina arched an eyebrow. You look like a turkey trying a foxtrot, you know, Miss Swan?
The blonde's face fell together with her shoulders. Regina slightly shook her head in disapproval, pursuing her lips.
Yet you should quite remember that you can use magic.
And you look like a cold-hearted bitch with a super-duper-cute girlfriend, Mills. Emma thought narrowing her eyes in a mute challenge.
Regina couldn't help swallowing and immediately worryingly gazing at Shaya. She looked relaxed, to be one who expected to be attacked by a werewolf in moments. Maybe she didn't expect an answer. She knew her, after all. She exposed her thoughts to Emma, who rolled her eyes, shaking her head.
Goddamit, Regina! Did you expect that answer? No, you didn't, but wasn't it cute?
The former Queen thought about it. She would say it had been heartwarming more than cute, but the concept was the same: she had to answer, even though now it looked to be a little late to do it.
It's never too late, don't worry. Emma murmured in her head, making her look at her: her thoughts were dark, blue. Neal's face flashed in Regina's mind like in Emma's. The Savior glanced down, pale. Regina didn't even realize that she had put a hand on the blonde's shoulder, gently squeezing it. Emma looked at her with an astonished face, and only in that moment the brunette realized what she was doing. She embarrassedly took off the hand and looked away, swallowing.
" You'll get over it." she said, obstinately looking at the empty road beyond Snow's shoulder, making everyone glance at her, as anyone had spoken for a while until she did. She saw Emma weakly nod out of the corner of her eye. A sudden memory of Daniel, of the last time she had seen him, invaded her mind. A far pain, slight as it had never been, lightly touched her heart. She widened her eyes in surprise: every single time she had thought of him an unbearable pain had crunched her heart, and shattered her mind. Every single time. She had never found relief, or felt that distant sense of nostalgia, painful, yes, yet sweet, as a simple memory of good past time, as if he was still there. She still missed him, but... Regina gazed at Shaya.
Then love again...
Three words. Regina smiled. She knew the answer now.
" I love you."