The Queen and her Slave - English Version

Chapter 18

Emma jumped on the first horse she found and spurred it, tears rushing all over her face. Her ride, though, didn't last for long. Soon she saw the unmistakable shadow of a dragon darken the terrain under her, and the horse got nervous, slowed down and neighed. Emma calmed it down, made it stop and jumped down on the ground, then she tied it to a tree. Her heart was hammering fast. She walked between the trees until she reached the large clearing where the dragon had landed. She stopped, staying away from the reptile and the woman standing next to her.
«Did you steal the slowest horse from my stable?» the queen asked loudly.
Emma stared at her. She couldn't help but smile at her. She hoped that the tears weren't visible at that distance.
«I took the first I found.» she replied.
Regina hid a smile at her answer.
«Good, I can tell you're still the same idiot. Now let's talk about how do you mean to make Maleficent's daughter run from your parents' castle.»
Emma shrugged.
«Her shift is always the same, every day at dawn. I go to her rampart, tell her her mother wants to meet her and she's coming with me. Easy.»
The dragin let out a blurt of smoke from her nostrils. Regina turned to look at her.
«See? You're guessings were wrong.»
«... To the border.» the girl continued, though. «... where a friend of mine, which I'll warn as I get there, will pick her up and bring her to your castle. About that, don't eat him, Maleficent. He's a good man, even if he tells a lot of lies.»
«Why don't you bring her to my castle yourself?» the brunette asked, trying to keep a detached tone. Emma gave her a tiny smile, sad. She gazed at the dragon, then at her.
«I don't want to make the travel twice, and I don't want to lead the soldiers to you.»
The queen frowned.
«I guess you want some time with your friend, so you should escort her, so that you can go to Maleficent's castle together.» she replied.
Emma smirked again.
«I'm saying goodbye to her, forever. Then she'll do what she wants.» she explained, calm.
Regina stepped towards her.
«What are you going to do?»
«I...» Emma lost her courage. She smirked once again, holding back the tears. «Why do you care?» she asked, her voice slightly trembling.
Regina opened then closed her mouth, not knowing what to say.
«I'm.. curious..» she answered eventually.
The blonde bit her lip, then nodded and lowered her gaze.
«I see.» she just said.
«Will you answer?» the queen suddenly shouted out of patience.
Emma looked into her eyes. She wasn't smiling anymore.
«There's nothing left I can do here...» she murmured.
«Will you go back living at your parents' castle?» Regina asked, her voice more stained with hope than she was willing to admit.
Emma stifled a laughter shaking her head.
«No. Never.» she answered.
«Will you roam in the woods? Like a bandit?»
Emma stared at her. Here yes watered.
«Maybe my soul. I like to think that something of me will stay...» she said in a whisper.
«Are you getting yourself killed?» Regina made another step towards her.
A tear escaped the princess' control.
«It's the traitors' fate. You can't preach justice if you don't practice it yourself.»
«You could say you were under a spell, that you weren't able to act on your own will... they'lle believe you...»
Emma gave her a snort.
«Why should I?» she asked with a hint of voice looking at her like if that was her last chance to do it.
«Because it's not fair you to die... you're the heir to the throne, your people needs you...» the brunette answered after a moment of hesitation.
Emma gave her a vague smile, then shook her head.
«Goodbye, Regina.» she said before turning her back to her, barely holding back the tears.
Regina paced towards her, then she stopped. She turned to look at Maleficent, confused. The dragon growled and let out a small burst of flame towards her.
«You stop her!» Regina shouted. «She never listened to me.»
Maleficent shook her enormous head and blurted another flame, larger, towards Regina, to make her step away from her and force her to follow Emma.
Regina moved aside to avoid the fire, and glowered at her. She reached the princess in a moment.
«Wait.» she commanded.
Emma stopped, still giving her back to her. The horse was just a few steps away.
The brunette sighed.
«I don't want you to die.» she admitted looking at her tensed shoulders.
Emma tensed even more at those words, but she stayed silent, still. She couldn't speak. She kept weeping in silence.
Regna stared at her with wet eyes.
«Don't get yourself killed.» she repeated.
The blonde took a deep breath trying to calm herself enough to be able to speak at least.
«There's nothing else I can do...» she said, her voice broken, almost a whisper.
«Why? You have a choice!» Regina exclaimed getting closer to her. «Tell everyone you were under a spell!»
Emma shook her head, then she crumpled. She started to sob and covered her face with her hands, but her posture didn't change. Regina immediately approached her and hugged her.
«Don't die.» she whispered in her ear.
Emma's legs collapsed. Regina held her, and she went on crying desperately.
«Emma, you must live.»
She shook her head again, crying.
«It's an order.» the brunette said eventually, trying to keep her voice firm.
Emma could do nothing but increase the intensity of her cry.
«Don't cry...» the brunette murmured caressing her face.
«Please...» Emma whuspered weakly trying to step away from her.
Regina gave her a confused stare.
«Please what?»
«Don't do this to me...» she said between the sobs clinging on to her. «Don't deceive me...»
«I don't want to... I don't want you back with me.» the queen lied. «But I don't want you to die.»
Emma looked at her between the tears, calming down a little.
«You can't desire this for me...» she whispered.
«Why not?» Regina stared back at her. «Do you think I want you dead?»
Emma shook her head.
«No. Bu I'd rather be it.»
«Why? You're young, you could have hundreds of lovers..»
Emma laughed weeping.
«I can't suffer like this, Regina. If you want me to live, rip out my heart at least. Otherwise I can't stand it...»
The brunette took her face in her hands.
«You're bound to that girl... You will always be... Be with her.» she said, forcing herself to keep calm.
The princess laughed again.
«You're my True Love, Regina. Even if I'm not yourse. I can't stand to loose you, I'm sorry.» she replied with a hint of voice.
Regina looked in her eyes holding back the tears.
«You think I am. But what happened with Lilith opened my eyes. Because of your parents you're linked, you'll always be.»
At those words, Emma lost any hope. She glanced down, slouching.
«Let me go, regina. Forget me.» she said with dead voice, not looking at her anymore.
«You love that girl, stay with her. Your fate is bound to hers.» the brunette repeated.
Emma walked away from her in silence, looking down. She slowly reached the horse and untied it.
«Emma, please, listen to me for once! Your lives are connected, even if you don't want to admit it.... Something pushes you together...» the queen said between the tears.
Emma climbed the horse and spurred it. She surpassed her gallopping, without looking at her.
Regina felt her rage invade her. It rushed in a blurt of magic that froze the horse mid-air. Emma didn't fall only thanks to her spell.
«Don't you dare disrespect me this way!» she snarled approaching her. Emma was staring at nothing, silent.
«I didn't give you permission to go away.» Regina plowed on.
Emma didn't answer. She was staring an indefinite spot in the forest with an exausted ezpression on her face.
«What do you want from me?» the brunette asked with rage. «Do you want to destroy me after your parents already did?»
Emma turned to look at her in confusion.
«I want nothing from you...» she replied with the bit of voice she had left.
«You're connected to her, it's inevitable, no matter how hard you deny it. One day you're telling me you love her and I'm not waiting for that day to come.» the queen angrily hissed.
Emma kept staring at her.
«That day'll never come, Regina. I'm dying tomorrow at dawn.»
«I can't let you do this. I'm going to the castle, you're staying here.»
Emma suddenly recovered from her state of apathy.
«You can't! They'll kill you!» she shouted jumping down from the horse.
«You can't tell me what to do!» Regina gave her a glance before walking away. «I'm bringing that girl here and then I'm going away. I never want to deal with you again.»
Emma followed her.
«The hell I can't! Maleficent!» she shouted calling for the dragon.
She turned towards her seeing her come. Regina looked at her with contempt.
«What do you think you're doing?»
Emma ignored her and talked to the dragon.
«Maleficent, you must stop her! She wants to go to the castle to bring Lily here! She'll get herself killed!»
Maleficent glanced at Regina and shook her head.
«And she wants to get herself killed!» Regina objected goggling, exapserated. «I'll get you your daughter.» she promised her then, serious.
«Lilith will never listen to her! And if she'll force her to come here, she'll never trust you!» the blonde replied looking in the dragon's eyes. «I know her.»
«Oh I don't doubt it, you know her intimately...» the brunette commented with jealousy.
The dragin gazed at Regina. Then she rose on her feet, took Emma in her claws and flew away.
«Great!» Regina snorted. «Thanks for trusting me!» she shouted watching them go away, feeling betrayed by the both of them.

Maleficent let Emma go not far from the castle, then she turned into a woman before her.
«Bring me back my daughter, and come back, too.»
Emma looked at her in confusion.
«Why? She wants you, not me..»
The witch glared at her.
«You're evidently their daughter... Because she loves you, you idiot! She doesn't love me!» she said before disappearing.
She materialized inside Regina's room.
«I fixed everything, as always.» she announced glancing at the room while she talked. Everything inside it, walls inluded, had become black. «I like it...» she commented.
Regina gave her a furious glare.
«Get out!» she snarled.
The dragon arched her eyebrows.
«"Thank you, Mal, for saving Emma's life." "Don't mention it, Regina, I owed you by the way..."»
Regina looked at her with a strange light in her eyes.
«I don't want to see any of you ever again. Never! Now fly away from my castle before I get really angry.» she threatened.
Mal looked at her narrowing her eyes.
«Are you serious?» she asked.
Regina summoned a fireball in her hand.
«Is it enough as an answer?»
The blonde lifed her chin and took in a breath.
«Fine. But don't summon me when you're feeling alone.» she growled before vanishing.
«I most surely won't!» Regina yelled while she was disappearing. «I don't need anyone...» she whispered then.