The Queen and her Slave - English Version

Chapter 14

Regina was left alone in the chamber. She took a look around, feeling weird. Everything looked so familiar and unknown at the same time.
She went to the window and stared at the large garden laying at the magnificent castle's feet. She stayed that way for a while, lost in her thoughts. She was trying with all herself to remember what had appened after that last, smoky memory of hers.
Tired of thinking, she eventually stepped away from the window, exiting the room. The Queen had told her that she could go and explore the castle, so she did it. She smiled at the guard she met on her path that, without her to notice it, led her to the gardens. A large apple tree caught her gaze, and she sat under it, somehow reassured by the proximity with the tree.

Emma snapped her eyes open. She ran out of the room, reaching the first guard she met.
«Thomas! Thomas, you must do a very important thing!» she exclaimed, out of breath. «Gather all the guards and deliver this order: if you see Regina, pretend like you don't know her.»
The man stared at her, pure fear in his widened eyes.
«But... Your Majesty, she'll punish us...»
Emma laughed while she was catching her breath.
«No, she won't, don't worry about that. Nothing will happen to you, I promise. Just do as I say.»
The man hesitated, but he bowed eventually and ran to execute her order. The queen leaned against the wall, exhausted. She shut her eyes, trying to gather her thoughts. If she tries to get Regina her memories back, Regina would suffer, again. But still, even if this could be the chance for her to be finally free from her past and happy, leaving her in this conditions, lie to her, depriving her of the truth was still unacceptable.
She passed a hand through her hair. It got stuck inside the skein that it had become during the trip to the castle. She smelled her armpit, and winced. It's no wonder Regina didn't take her for a queen. She walked to the bathrooms.

Regina stretched towards a branch and picked a red apple from it. She couldn't hold herself and bit it; the sweet juice invaded her mouth. The vision of herself, dressed in a long, black dress struck her like a slap on her face. Her head started spinning, the apple fell from her hand. Then, suddenly as it became, it all stopped.
«What the hell was that?» she whispered, scared and confused. She stood up leaning on the tree, still tipsy. She couldn't think of a single logical reason for what had just happened.
Upset, she walked inside the castle looking for her room. During the trip she noticed the terrorized looks of the guards while she walked past them, and the confusion grew wider in her.
She went slowly, like if she was held back by the oppressive feeling that she had to remember someting. She was about to reach her room when she met the queen in the corridor. She immediately bowed, without thinking about it.
«Your Highness.» she hailed her.
The blonde gave a start: distracted as she was by her thoughts, she was about to stumble on her.
«Regina!» she exclaimed, smiling then a moment later. She looked around and read where she was coming from.
«Did you visit the gardens?»

The woman looked at her with fear.
«Yes, I hope you don't mind, my Queen...» she said «I saw the applet ree, and I couldn't help but picking one...»
Emma hid a smile lowering her head.
«Oh, I'm happy you did... I hope you liked it.»
Regina smirked at her.
«Yes, your apples are delicious.»
The queen gave her a nervous laughter.
«Y-yes..» she muttered sheepish, blushing, her mind elsewhere. She chose to change the topic. «Would you like me to get you something to eat?»
«Oh, no, please, I don't want to disturb you anymore...» the brunette replied moving a strand of hair behind her ear. Emma watched her in disbelief as she was doing that simple movement. She had never seen her doing it.
«Disturb? What are you talking about? Guards!» she called out, ordering then to prepare the meal. She noticed that Regina, as if she was embarassed by their stare, was moving closer to her. «Do they make you feel uncomfortable?» she asked her, astonished.
«Yes.» the woman instinctively answered, then bit her tongue. «I mean, no... I'm sorry.» she murmured bowing her head.
Emma leaned a hand on her shoulder, barely helding herself from touching her face.
«They're here to protect you, and serve you.»
Regina blushed at that touch. She slightly lifted her gaze, meeting hers. Her heartbeat sped up without her understanding why. She felt like that only with Daniel. She glanced away, embarassed.
«May I ask you a question, Your Majesty?» she asked with a hint of voice. The queen just nodded.
«Is it possible to have a bath?» she whispered.
Emma suddenly smiled.
«Yes, of course! That's what I was about to do!» she said, blushing then violently. «B-but there's obviously more than one tub, in different rooms, so...»
Regina smiled at her with gratefulness.
«Thank you, Your Highness, you're very kind to me.»
Emma forced herself to smile again, awkard. She then moved her hand, an invitation to go.
«Let's go, then.» she gently said.
«Of course.»
The queen led her to the bathrooms, commanding in the meantime another tub to be prepared.
A few minutes later, arrived before the rooms, she pointed at the one on the right.
«Please, go, it's ready.» she incited her slightly smiling. «You'll find clean clothes, and I'll have you brought immediately a new dress.»
«Thank you so much.»
Regina approached her She took her hand and shyly kissed it.
Emma was completely floored by that. She flushed to the tip of her ears.
The brunette abruptly distanced from her.
«I'm sorry I embarassed you, I didn't know how to thank you...»
«What? No, no! I'm fine, it's just that...» the blonde awkardly swallowed. «I didn't see that coming.» she eventually said, happy to have the occasion to say the truth.
«Alright... I'm going, then.» the ther woman smirked, and entered the bathroom a moment later.

Emma stayed still just for a moment, staring at the closed door, before entering the free bathroom. She undressed, dropping the clothed on the floor, and got in the tub, blowing hard the air between her teeth because of the way too hot water. Idiot. They just put it there from a boiling cauldron, of course it's hot.
When she was finally able to lean her back against the wooden wall, she closed her eyes. Regina was always there, she couldn't stop thinking about her, ever.

She soaped her body and hair, then she washed them and got out of the tub before that the water could get cold. She wrapped herself in a cloth, dampening her hair with another one, smaller. Suddenly she heard someone knock at her door.
«Your Highness?»
Emma paralyzed recognizing Regina's shy voice.
«Yes?» she asked, without moving a muscle.
«I know I'm bothering you and I beg your pardon for this, but... I have no other dresses to wear.»
Emma smirked. She walked to the door and leaned her forehead against it.
«Don't worry, a servanti s bringing you some, so that you can choose the one you like the most. She should be here in moments.»
«Thank you so much. And forgive me, again.»
Emma stayed against the door, the smile still there.
«You mustn't thank me...» she said, quietly.
«I must instead, you're going through all the trouble and you don't even know me.»
Emma stared at the door as if she was right before her eyes. She leaned a hand on the wood. She didn't say anything else, because words were painfully stuck in her throat.
She listened to Regina's steps fading away. She sighed and opened the door, quickly walking to her room though a shortcut Regina couldn't remember. She watched the dresses the servants had put on her bed, pleased. Those were her dresses. She had never used Regina's. She picked one, the most sober, of a dusty light-blue. She was about to wear it when a sad smile crossed her face. She shut her eyes, concentrating. The dress disappeared from the bed and reappeared on her. Finding it funny and somehow comforting, she did the same with the other ones.

Regina stayed still fro some moments despite the queen's silence, her head still leaned on the wooden door. She turned only when she heard the servant coming. She took the dresses and went back inside the bathroom.
She wore the white ad cerulean dress. She fixed her hair, moving the locks falling on her face. She checked herself in the mirror, still a bit fogged by the bath's warmth. She then got ou and headed to her room.
She entered what she thought was her chamber, stepping on the queen. She stayed still for a moment, to look at her. She was still doing her wet hair, adn she was already wearing a beautiful dark, intense green dress.
«You Highness... I'm sorry, I thought this was the room you've given me... I'm sorry...» she repeated, terrorized.
Emma turned and just stared at her. She shrugged smiling.
«I used to get lost all the times at the beginning. It's normal. This castle is huge, there are hundreds of rooms. All with the same doors, moreover...»
«Aren't you angry?» the brunette asked, unbelieving, raising her gaze on her.
Emma hesitated, her stare lingering on Regina.
«Of course not.»
Regina blushed, as with every look from the queen. She saw the woman do the same, then lower her gaze. She stayed still watching her. She knew she should be going, but her legs wouldn't move. She bit her lip more than once, not knowing what to do or say. Then a servant appeared to announce that dinner was ready, and the queen looked back at her.
«Shall we go?» she asked her, her voiche slightly hoarse.
«Sure.» the brunette whispered, suddenly recovering from that sort of trance she fell in.
Emma nodded. She walked next to her to go out of the room, so she touched her shoulder and made her shiver.
«Follow me.» she quietly said without looking at her.
Regina obeyed, and soon she found herself in the grand dining room. She saw the queen sigh, then she met her gaze.
«Would it be good for you if we just break the etiquette and sit closer? Talk one to another with such a distance would be so excruciating...» the blonde said nodding towards the longest table in the middle of the room.
Regina smiled at her, trying to control her voice so that the happiness she was feeling wouldn't filter from it.
«Of course, Your Highness, as you wish.»
Emma motioned to a servant so that he would move the dishes. As he's done, she moves a chair, motioning her to sit. Regina sat, smiling at her, amused by the absurd situation.