The Past: Enchanted Forest
One month has gone by since Tink snuck Regina out of her castle and offered her a glimpse of the magic mirror. After learning Regina has magic like her mother, she decided to take some lessons from her mother's former mentor, Rumplestiltskin. He claims that she is very powerful and all he seeks in return for her lessons is a favor in the future. At this point, she doesn't really care what the creepy imp wishes for because her mother is forcing her to marry Snow White's father, a man who is much older than her own mother. Not to mention, that she is being forced to raise the young girl who had her true love, Daniel, murdered.
She can barely stomach being around the pretentious princess or her own cruel mother. That's exactly why she's taking the magic lessons, she just needs to see that blonde in the mirror again. She needs to know that one day, she will be happy again, even if she did make a promise to Tink, (the only person who seems to care about her true wellbeing) that she wouldn't return there.
After supper, another unbearable meal where she was ignored while the King gushed over his princess, Regina returned to her room, or better known as her dungeon cell, her prison, like she was ordered to. She could feel the walls closing in on her and the air becoming too thin to even take her next breath.
This couldn't be her life, she didn't want any of it, yet nobody was listening to her desperate cries for help. She needs something, anything, to offer a sliver of hope, so she can make it through this miserable life before she completely surrenders and loses herself.
She has to return to that place where Tinkerbell had taken her, she needs reassurance that her life won't always be so insufferable before she tosses herself out of a window to end her misery.
This would be her first attempt to transport herself somewhere without Rumpelstiltskin present, but she feels quite confident in herself this evening. Maybe it's the determination of feeling something other than utter defeat. She closes her eyes and focuses on the feeling of being small, recalling the memory of when Tink shrunk her down. She inhales sharply, trying to concentrate on the colorful blue flower that possesses the intriguing golden mirror. The tingling burn of magic swims violently through her veins and she grasps onto the feeling, her mind reaching for that blonde once more.
She quickly flicks both wrists in front of her face, admiring the feel of the thick purple cloud of smoke as it envelops her body. She slowly pries her eyes open, taking in the vibrant scenery around her. She did it. She mentally screams for joy, her lips firmly sealed shut though, because she knows she has to remain silent for her sake and Tink's.
Tentatively, she steps up to the mirror that's sparkling and whispering for her to come closer. Her hand quakes uncontrollably, but still, she waves her palm over the mirror, day-dreaming of the green- eyed beauty. A wave ripples in effect and the young girl magically appears before her. Unknown to her, a small smile graces her face and her cheeks flush from seeing this woman again that will forever change her miserable life.
Without a thought, her fingertips connect with the glass gently, testing to see if the mirror will allow her to enter. Unexpectedly, her fingers glide through the glass with ease, followed by her hand and in a split second, her entire arm is deep inside the mirror. She inhales sharply to gather her courage and decides in that moment to walk all the way through, ignoring every negative thought pleading for her to stop. She keeps her mind focused on the stunning, young girl as her whole body is suddenly absorbed by the mirror.
"Ooooof!" She hears before she sees anything, followed by an agonizing groan.
Regina feels a sharp pain shoot across her entire body and that's when she realizes that she fell into something...or someone, rather. She blinks away her confusion and ignores the pain, peering down to see what could have possibly occurred. That's when she discovers the breathtaking blonde she's been dreaming about trapped beneath her.
Regina's frozen, her body betraying her and remaining locked into place as the blonde stranger slowly peels apart her long lashes. Regina's eyes double in size as those dancing green irises connect so tenderly with her own, creating a deep shudder to torture her entire body. There's a faint, mischievous little smirk sliding across the woman's face before she sucks her bottom lip between her teeth and holds Regina's gaze. Regina notices right away how her own breathing becomes erratic as she tries and fails miserably to formulate words.
"Where did you come from?" The young girl playfully inquires, her head tilting curiously to the side, across the grass and dirt beneath her amber locks.
The peculiar woman managing to start the conversation first, is what startles Regina back to reality. In a haste, she climbs off the girl, scrambling to her feet and quickly juts out her hand to offer the woman some help off the ground.
Apparently, she still needs to work on teleporting, she wanted to be near the blonde, not on top of her. Well, not yet, that is. She quickly shakes her head, clearing those shameful thoughts from her wandering mind. She never thought of another girl in such a manner and she's certain her mother wouldn't approve, but now this young woman is before her, breathtaking, and she isn't truly confident that she's supposed to spend the rest of her days with a King, rather than a Queen.
The young woman doesn't hesitate to accept the offered hand and happily allows Regina to help her to her feet. Although, Regina is the first to drop her gaze and busy herself with brushing away the dirt and grass sticking to her white nightgown. She berates herself immediately for being so foolish and not having the common sense to change her clothing before teleporting to a strange land.
"I do apologize. I'm so very sorry. I guess I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings," Regina sheepishly offers, instantly painting her cheeks a deep shade of scarlet, so she maintains eye contact with the ground below.
"That's quite alright, but I didn't see you at all. It's as if you fell from the sky," the stranger states in what sounds like a questioning manner.
Regina blushes profusely, even her palms begin to moisten, so she nervously wipes them down her dress and continues to avoid the woman's questioning gaze. She's unsure what this woman would think about her possessing magic or how she has come to find herself there to begin with, so she turns her cheek.
"My apologies," she mumbles mostly to herself.
Out of her peripheral, she notices the stranger gazing heavily upon her, assessing her up and down in confusion. Those sandy-blonde eyebrows furrow together while her thin lips twist in wonderment and Regina can't help but find the facial expression rather adorable.
"Do...do I know you? I'm sure I haven't seen you around our kingdom, but you look an awful lot like my mother's friend," she quizzically rambles while Regina wonders who this woman's mother could be.
Regina's only true friend is Tinkerbell, and she's certain the fairy would not set her up with her own daughter. The only resemblance between the two would be their hair color, but other than that, she looks nothing like the fairy. Regina shrugs her shoulders, not wanting to dwell on the matter.
"I am not from here. Sometimes, I grow rather impatient in my father's kingdom and feel the need to escape."
Technically she's not lying...
"I can appreciate that. Being a princess, a product of true love, can have its downfalls. So much pressure to be perfect. That's why I am out here alone. The woods are my safe haven," the princess confesses, smiling so sweetly and Regina would have to be ignorant not to notice the way her face lit up at the mention of the woods. The stranger suddenly removes her brown leather glove and extends her hand. "Emma."
"Re..." she chokes on her own name, remembering Tink's warning on altering the future events. Maybe this woman shouldn't know her real name. She timidly slides her hand into Emma's and clears her throat. "Sorry, my name is Gina."
Regina offers a shy smile as they stand there shaking hands, a little bit longer than to be expected from complete strangers. Their eyes seem to meet somewhere in the middle, like two magnets drawn to one another and in that moment, Regina feels a rush of shivers roam up and down her body. And she knows that very instant, this Emma will be her Savior. She will fill the gaping whole in her heart one day and take away all her pain.
"So, Gina...would you like to walk with me? It would be nice to have a companion to speak with while I roam the forest."
"I would love to," Regina accepts, maybe a little too eagerly, but the blonde simply nods and leads the way through the forest.
There's a moment of hesitation, Regina can feel the energy pulsating between them anxiously as she follows Emma along a dirt path, but this woman offers her a crooked smile and strikes up a casually conversation.
"I usually come out here with my horse. I love riding, it's as though for that brief moment I am free," Emma explains, beaming so brightly before something, unknown to Regina, crosses the woman's mind, stealing that beautiful smile away.
"I agree," Regina concedes, wanting that smile to return. "I adore riding. Mother thinks it's not proper and I ride like a man, but my father thinks I ride beautifully," she says with a hint of a smile as she thinks about her father and that proud smile that consumes his face whenever he observes her riding.
"Well, that's rude of your mother," Emma so boldly comments. "She should support her daughter in anything she desires. A real mother loves her child no matter what," she declares in defense.
Regina's body immobilizes once again, her feet coming to a halt as her eyes betray her and a single tear slides down her cheek. Her mother never supports any of her decisions. That witch murdered her one true love, so how could she possibly care for her feelings? Now that another human is standing before her, validating her feelings, and for once not taking her mother's side, she's quite certain Cora doesn't even care for her.
Emma notices right away that Regina has stopped walking beside her and shuffles back a few steps to be by her side once again.
"I'm so sorry, Gina, I shouldn't have spoken in that manner about your mother. That was very disrespectful..." Emma rambles, but Regina is quick to hold up her hand, silently asking her to stop, which Emma thankfully obeys.
"It's not that, Emma. My mother is a terrible person, with dark magic. She does not care for me or my father. The only thing that matters to her is power and royalty," she divulges shamefully as a few more tears escape her and she isn't quite sure if she is weeping for the loss of Daniel, yet again, or for finally acknowledging that her mother does not love her.
"Hey," Emma tenderly whispers, ducking down to meet Regina's sorrowful gaze, "that can't be true. I'm sure your mother loves you."
Emma places a comforting hand upon Regina's shoulder, as if it is so easy for her to offer kindness and instantly, Regina feels a tingly warmth course through her blood. She has never felt so comfortable and relaxed with another person before now, not even Daniel. However, this admission sends her into a panic because how is this possible? She has just met this stranger. She needs a reason, she needs to justify why the comfort is so natural between her and Emma, so she persuades herself that she was never allowed to feel relaxed with Daniel. They were always sneaking around and terrified of Cora finding out.
"She killed my fiancé," she blurts out, the words leaving her lips before she ever has a chance to process them.
Emma's eyes blow wide in utter shock and without another thought, this kind and gentle soul is yanking Regina against her body and holding her tight. The embrace is foreign to her, the only person who ever hugged her after Daniel's passing was Tinkerbell, and she was quick to shove the fairy away. However, there's an energy rippling off Emma, persuading Regina to surrender and so she does. She buries her face into the warmth of Emma's neck, inhales the smoky scent of the forest and silently cries for her lost loved.
"I am so so sorry, Gina," Emma murmurs against her temple.
Regina's cheeks burn as they flush crimson. She instantly feels a deep connection with this young woman, a connection she cannot possibly understand. She's feels off balance and out of her element, so she pulls away, furiously wiping at her tears.
"I'm such a foolish girl, I apologize for my behavior," Regina declares, desperately trying to compose herself, because this is not how she wanted her first meeting with this woman (who is supposed to change her life) to go.
Emma frowns slightly at the words and how quickly Regina's demeanor has changed. "No need to apologize, sometimes we need a good cry in order for us to move on." She flashes a lopsided smile, but all Regina can do is nod in return. "Come on, lets go back to my stables and we can go riding together," Emma suggests, her face brightening up once again.
"Maybe you should bring the horses here. I think it's best if I'm not seen."
Her new friend seems rather confused for a brief moment, but agrees from the shyness radiating off Regina.
And they spend the whole day riding together. They talked, they laughed, they cried and Regina knew Tink was dead serious when she said this blonde would fill the hole in her heart. This Emma, is Regina's happiness. She doesn't care if some fairy told her to stay away from this girl or the mirror. After catching one glimpse of this green-eyed girl, Regina knew she couldn't keep her distance. She doesn't care what the future holds, she needs Emma in her life now, more than ever.
~~~~~
Present Day: Enchanted Forest
Her body aches with a type of pain that has her wishing for death as she collides brutally with the cold dirt below. She groans, forcing her body to stand upright.
Where the hell did that stupid mirror take her?
She angrily brushes off her clothes while her skeptical eyes sweep around the massive trees engulfing her. She breathes out a deep sigh in annoyance knowing all to well where she has landed.
"I'm back in the Enchanted Forest."