Her Glass Heart [SwanQueen]

Chapter Fourteen: Oct 18, 2017 - Emma

"Regina, I know this is out of nowhere, but I need to ask you something," Emma started, rolling from her back to her stomach on the edge of the bed and propping herself up on her elbows to face Regina, who was sitting on the bench in front of the vanity mirror in her bedroom.

"Mmm?"

"Do you believe in magic?"

When Regina heard the words come out of Emma's mouth, she went pale. She looked away, afraid that Emma discovered what she was able to do. They'd become so close over the past few weeks and she wasn't sure why, but the idea of losing Emma made her stomach churn in pain.

"I do — I mean, there are sorcerers in our realms and they are known for possessing magic, are they not?" She spoke slowly, her tone deep with her usual regal authority.

"But have you ever witnessed it for yourself?"

Regina chewed the inside of her cheek and blinked rapidly, averting her gaze as she shifted uncomfortably in the bench. She didn't want to lie to Emma. Instead, all she could do was nod slowly.

"Can I tell you something?" Emma asked, almost inaudibly.

"Anything, Emma."

"When I was younger, something happened. And afterward, I overheard my parents arguing about a prophecy they received..." Emma's voice faded away momentarily, and Regina stood up and walked over to sit beside her on the bed.

"Prophecy?" Her tone was uncertain.

Emma nodded, "Yes, apparently I'm supposed to come into magic and cause two worlds to collide. They aren't sure what the second part means."

Regina ran her hand through her hair and waited for Emma to continue, partly because she was unsure what to say.

Emma spoke again, "I think that's why they're so overprotective of me and won't let me leave the castle grounds... because nobody knows what I'm capable of, including myself," Emma stared down at her hands and sighed.

"You never asked them about it?"

Emma shook her head, "I never told a soul. Well, until now. My parents don't even know I heard them."

Regina thought back on when she first discovered her own powers, and how isolated she felt. She wouldn't wish that on anyone, especially not Emma.

Regina felt herself extending her hand, reaching for Emma's, but stopped herself and pulled back. She already knew the answer, so she didn't bother to wait for a response. Instead she continued, "Have you ever done anything that felt... out of the ordinary to you? Or been near something that gave you a weird feeling?"

Emma's eyes widened. She couldn't come out and tell Regina that she felt different around her without sounding like a crazy person. Besides, that didn't make any sense. How could Regina be related to her magic?

Emma raked her brain for any other times she may have experienced that feeling. The day she heard her parents whispering about a prophecy came back to her suddenly.

"Yes! I do remember one thing. I'm not sure if this was the only incident, but when I was young... I was only nine or ten years old at the time, I'm not sure. But I was playing in the yard like I always used to, climbing trees, making a snowman, sledding around in the snow," Emma began her story.

Regina listened intently, letting her continue.

"I saw this bluebird. I thought it was weird for a bluebird to be in our realm since they usually come when it's sunny. Anyway, I saw him in the tree branch, so I climbed up to reach him and he didn't fly away. Instead, I saw his wing was broken."

Regina gasped, her eyes softening and when she looked down, she saw Emma twisting her bangle on her wrist, which she assumed was just out of habit.

"So, what happened?" Regina urged her to continue.

"Well, I was a child. I saw the bird was suffering but wasn't smart enough to realize that touching the bird may have caused him even more pain. So, I picked him up in my hand and cupped his broken wing and was just wishing I could do something to help," Emma stopped, struggling to remember exactly what happened next.

"All I can remember next is that a tear fell from my eyes and I squeezed them shut. When I opened them, the bird was flapping his wing and chirping."

Regina's mouth fell open, still uncertain of what to make of this story. "And you think you used magic to heal him somehow?"

"Well, I didn't think much of it but when I climbed down and ran to tell my parents, they looked petrified. They told me to go back and play, but they started arguing so I hid behind a curtain and listened to them."

"And what did they say?" Regina's eyes were burning into Emma's, not daring to look away.

"They said the prophecy was coming true and they needed to find a way to contain it."

"And did they do so? Did they contain it?"

Emma shrugged, twisting her bangle again out of habit.

"Okay, Emma. I want to ask you something, but before I do, let me tell you this. Yes, I believe in magic. Not just because I've heard the stories, but because I've seen it."

"You have?"

Regina nodded then began her question. "When you touched the bird, what did you feel? Can you remember anything? Smells, sights, anything out of the ordinary?"

Emma closed her eyes, trying to remember the sensation. She nodded slowly as her brow furrowed, deep in thought.

"It kind of felt like something inside of me was being pulled toward the bird. Like I knew to reach out and hold him because my body told me to. And when I finally did, it gave me a satisfying feeling that I'm not sure words could do justice for. Like when you get chills but not because you're cold, more because something excites you..." Her voice trailed off, but she didn't need to say another word.

"But, aside from that day, you didn't experience that feeling again?"

Emma shook her head, unsure how to say what she needed to say. "Well, it happened once again... recently."

"When?" Regina asked.

Emma reached out, her hand grazing Regina's soft cheek. The feeling of her warm skin was an unusual sensation. She was only ever used to feeling cold around here.

Regina bit her bottom lip, anticipating Emma's next words because she herself had felt it, too.

"When you touched me after I fell out of the tree."