Emma relaxed when she found herself surrounded by the familiar objects of Regina's bedchamber. It was safe – for now. At least she was alone in the moment she needed silence the most. But her thoughts sliced through the stillness and buzzed within her head like a thousand wings.
The first question; how did she get here?
It felt as if it had taken nothing to utilize magic, like it were no simpler than breathing, or blinking. She thought of the royal bedchambers and, before she had blinked, she appeared inside the vision.
Was this the power of the Dark One? The ease of it?
The questions lingered as her gaze fell to the empty, canopied bed.
Emma carefully placed her Queen's body onto the sleek sheets and looked upon her peaceful features – something she hadn't seen on the brunette since they had met. It was oddly captivating how serene she appeared, as if content with the afterlife. Blood still stained her skin, appearing almost obsidian as it dried, molting from her.
Quickly, she waved a hand over Regina's body, removing the armor that she once wore and replaced it with one of her royal gowns – something dark and the color of blood. It looked as if she were merely resting, though the deep and red hole in her chest broke the immersion.
Suddenly the crimson looked less pleasing, forcing Emma from her spot to seek out a wash basin. Her Queen didn't deserve to pass into the other world soiled. As she sunk onto her knees, wet cloth gently wiping away the congealing blood, she thought of Regina's smile.
She yearned to see it instead of this stone carved in familiar features.
Regina had said the fates meant for her an early demise.
Fate.
Was Emma fated to fall in love with what was evil only to lose it to the stillness of death?
Had they meant for her to consume the Dark One's powers, damned by darkness to live forever?
She stood and looked at her rose-tinted reflection in the murky waters of the basin.
Relief had taken her when she realized she had not sprouted the scale-like skin Rumpelstiltskin had, though her face was pallid, as if her skin hadn't seen the sun in months. Perhaps it was the situation and her ultimate loss. Her jaw was no longer discolored.
If she truly had acquired the Dark One's powers, then there was nothing that could stop her. She closed her eyes and let the powerful darkness pump within her veins; she felt entirely made of it, as if there was nothing more that had created her physical form than magic.
Knowledge seemed to come to her, swarming her brain, of the past and of everything written and spoken, and the spells that Regina had long attempted to teach her. It was the knowledge of the others – the prior Dark Ones. She could feel them resonating within her, living in her mind, her body. They were only watching, quiet, but their presence was overwhelming.
Did she truly consume Rumpelstiltskin?
He was the hatred in her, scalding the blood in her veins. But she fed on it, letting it fuel her and open her eyes. It was hot and angry and bitter, and it was blood and bone and flesh, taking her wholly.
In spite of him, she had to save Regina.
There must be information in the vast library that was her brain. The Dark One was a powerful being and she was now it, the very incarnation of darkness. Surely necromancy would be like batting an eyelash, though it was frowned upon in most of the magical community.
May the Gods strike her where she stood for contemplation of such evil. She could not let her go – not with this unforgiving end, selfish as it may seem.
Thus, she paced, wracking her heavy brain, and it only seemed as if it were based on the blink of an eye that she had found a solution. Words fluttered inside her head before she could think them.
Her heart.
Split in two, she could resurrect the Queen. Though, would this truly work? Regina's heart remained inside her chest, or would it have turned to dust like she had seen when the witch crushed an unfortunate sap's heart?
Her hand was inside her own chest, pulling out the organ that was harbored inside before she could deduce a clear thought. It felt like a tug, though she imagined that it would hurt, and when she saw the pulsing organ in her hand, she stared. It was predominately red with a few spots of black, the opposite of Regina's heart, yet it held a sort of golden-white glow around it.
It was like a voice inside her head, or something whispering into her ear, telling her what to do. It made her shudder, this intruder inside her mind, taking her hand and guiding her. She found herself gripping the pulsing organ into both hands, moving on their own accord.
Swallowing, she closed her eyes, pressing her fingers into the soft flesh. Would this kill her if she failed to execute this correctly? But the Dark One could not die unless it was by the dagger. What would happen, then? Though, the answer she could not care for because if she were to dissolve into the earth as Rumpel had, she would not mind. At least, then, she would no longer be alone.
Emma inhaled deeply and started with the plan that formulated in her mind as if it were swordplay. She started to pull her heart in opposite directions, the offensive tear of flesh filling her head as she continued, biting the inside of her cheek when a dull pain started to form in the absence of that very organ. It only intensified, that pain and that sound, feeling as if a blade were scoring along her heart or someone were crushing it, but she pressed forward until one last elastic snap had sounded and her hands fell away with each half of the pulsing muscle.
She stared at the two halves in disbelief, feeling as they beat in time with one another.
She drew in a ragged breath as her eyes fell upon the Evil Queen – nay, Regina – and stepped forward, shoving one half of her heart back inside her chest. She could feel the lack of the other half and it left her feeling strange as she felt it pump in her hand and within her chest in unison. There was an emptiness within her, a piece of her was missing, after all, though the largest part was displayed before her, pale and growing chill.
"Do not fail me," she whispered to herself, placing the heart over her Queen's chest and before her doubt could move the hand, she shoved the half-heart into her lover's body.
Emma tipped forward and almost fell onto the bed when her hand, after the heart had entered the brunette's body, fell against the rich satin of the duvet. She was gone; Regina. Panic immediately seized her when she had noticed the absence and pushed away from the bed. Immediately, she searched the vicinity and slipped into the hallway, turning up empty corridors and rooms, aside from the few guards posted along the dark stone walls.
Her blood raced as she entered the Evil Queen's bedchambers once again, mind numb.
What had she done?
Her brain, once fogged with loss and pain, had cleared, bringing logic back into it.
Was this plan made from malcontent; some way the Dark One had opposed the very bastardization of what she had done? Did her magic decimate the Evil Queen completely, sacrificing half her heart in the process?
"Gods, what have I done?" She paced because where would she be if not completely departed from this realm? Her feet guided her back toward the canopied bed and the blood that had soaked into the delicate fabric, her pale fingers moving over the scarlet stain. There had to be a way to locate her...
Before Emma could think of another plan of action, the heavy wooden doors were thrust open, slamming hard against stone. Emerald fell to the empty doorway before a figure appeared, clad in black leather from her boots to the corset that bound her middle. She held something in her hand.
"What did you do?" a husky voice bellowed as the source approached.
The Evil Queen. Though, there was something different about her that Emma couldn't quite grasp, and it wasn't the sudden wardrobe change. "I-I-I could not let you die."
"What did you do?" Regina's growl reverberated off the ebony stone, rattling the mirrors.
Emma didn't have to move as the Dark Queen glided toward her. The aura that poured from her had shifted into something that the blonde felt within herself – both of darkness and of light – leaving her drawn. She could feel her heart beat, but it remained steady, and when she gazed upon Regina, she knew she was gazing at a piece of herself; her other half.
Before she could answer, though, a dagger was thrust before her and for a moment, she felt something grip her, wondering if the Queen would kill her. The blade paused before her sight and that was when she saw it – Regina's name etched onto the surface. Quickly, she shifted to locate the one that had once belonged to Rumpelstiltskin and found it attached to her side. Her own name glared at her.
The air was stolen from her lungs as her brows knitted. "I-I... I split my heart and gave you the second half."
"Why do I have the Dark One's dagger?" she demanded, knuckles turning white against the leather hilt. "What did you do to Rumpelstiltskin?"
Emma swallowed and slowly lifted her own dagger toward the Queen, her hand trembling. It felt as if his death occurred centuries ago. "I killed him after what he had done to you. I... I know what we had discussed, but after-... He can no longer harm you, nor I, Regina. We are free of him."
"But we are bound to these daggers," Regina bitterly spat and looked to the weapon. "How can this be possible? How can there be two of us?"
"I-I am unsure... All I did was give you my heart. Half of it, rather, and then you... disappeared."
"I can feel you... In my head, my heart..." she murmured softly, letting the dagger clatter to the ground. "This is only a dream. This must be a dream..."
"Where did you go?"
Dark eyes lifted to meet green, sparkling almost gold in the light that shone through the large windows. "I was outside a... a vault, of sorts. I could feel the darkness and thought Rumpel had taken me until I saw the dagger. Then I could feel you, sense you inside of me and let myself find you by this..."
"Connection," Emma finished her thought and before she knew it, she was pressing a pale hand against the Queen's chest, above the beating heart that lie within, steady with her own. "You are healed."
Regina's brow furrowed and she could feel her tense, as if she wanted to pull away, but she remained still. "Healed?"
"The wound... That hole that killed you." She let her slender digits trail along flesh no longer broken, watching as the olive skin pebbled underneath her touch.
"Why did you revive me?" Her voice was breathless, yet held a certain clip, something almost accusatory.
The blonde knight let her hand fall as well as her gaze. "You are..." She released a breath and turned away, toward the window that Regina usually sought for an answer. Everything was peaceful in the forest below, as if what horrors had been brought to this kingdom were insignificant in the vast stretch of trees. It only set her on edge and twisted her stomach, the green sea below, swaying in the warm breeze.
"I am...?" She could feel the Queen's presence absorb her and the sickness that stirred within her faded.
Swallowing, Emma turned to meet her smoldering gaze, forcing her heart into her throat. "I told my parents you were my freedom." When she looked into her eyes, she noticed flecks of gold as well, shimmering in the gilded rays. It was mesmerizing.
Though, her brow crinkled and those eyes darkened. "Am I?" she asked, quiet, as if she didn't quite trust those words.
"Perhaps," she whispered before the word could perish.
"Perhaps?"
"I saw the world... grow dark when..." Emma felt laughter bubble within her, bitterly leaving her lips. "Did I damn us both?"
"You made a sacrifice when you killed the Dark One and became the legend itself." The Queen's fingers twitched by her side, disappointment creasing her features. "But we are not damned."
"But we are bound by the dagger – daggers." She lifted the blade with her name and gazed upon the steel surface before offering it to the brunette whose eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I want you to carry it."
"Why entrust me with your dagger when I could not return the favor with Rumpel's?" She never moved.
"You had better judgment," Emma muttered. "If I had the blade, initially, I would have killed him."
"You only killed him because he-..." Regina swallowed. "Darkness never clouded your heart, Emma."
"You have my heart within you now, my queen. There is darkness, even if it is very little." She urged the dagger forward, further, waiting for the Queen to make her move, but she never did, only stared. "I trust you with my life, Regina. I would give it over to you as many times as it would take. Reason with me."
"I simply cannot understand why." Her voice was distressed, but she took the weapon finally, holding it tightly, securely.
"What can you not understand?"
"Why you would do anything for me." Her head shook and she could see those dark eyes brim with moisture, but she turned away as quickly, inhaling deeply. "Or have even the slightest desire to. I am nothing but the shadow that covers you, yet, when you are released from it, you only wish to have it return."
"I have grown accustomed to the shade." Emma stepped toward her and felt the tightness in her chest that Regina's emotions brought. "And the warmth it brings."
"Shadows are cold and unforgiving-"
"But they are also inviting; solace from the sun." Emma brushed her fingers against the older woman's as she took place beside her. "And when your storm clouds rolled through, covering me, I allowed myself to get saturated. And... You know why I did what I did, Regina."
The dark witch breathed, letting silence take over for the moment before her rumbling voice spoke, the thunder of Emma's favorite storm. "I can feel it; you. Inside of me, beating, thriving... The emotion that you always attempted to keep at bay." A sigh fell from her lips when she turned, fingers curling tightly into the hilt that it held. "It's bittersweet and it aches, and it seems to tide over everything..."
"It hurts to love you," she whispered, wanting to touch her queen, but refraining from even letting her breath escape. "But I love the pain." She could hear the brunette's breath hitch. "Why not let yourself fall?"
"Because love only scorches you." Her voice wavered. "And I have enough burns."
"I heard you..." Emma reached out, but didn't quite make contact with the olive cheek, though she could still feel the warmth that radiated from her Queen. "Your last words. They were a confession."
She stiffened, her plum-colored lips parting. "No I did not." Though Emma could see the lie on her face, in her eyes.
"You were dying and you were afraid. You were leaving this realm." Regina's breath quickened and she could hear the heart within her chest pound. "And you never had a chance to express what you-"
"You only flatter yourself, Emma." Her lip curled back as she stepped away and looked as if she could allow air back into her lungs, that little sparkle of emotion in her eye dissipating.
"Death brings truth, my queen. You love me."
"I do not! I cannot!" And, within the blink of an eye, she was gone.
...
Regina was blinded by the rays that peeked through grey clouds as they slowly broke apart. The cool breeze caressed her skin as she paced the stone courtyard before her castle, eyes on the city in the distance. Thick, billowing smoke rose above Stonefell and, when she squinted her eyes against the thick veil and sunlight, she saw orange as it licked up the stone structures.
Marvelous, the city was on fire.
Had it been evacuated?
Well, certainly not a sane, living being would be inhabiting it now.
Snorting, she turned away just as a loud rumble struck the air from the distant city. Her eyes caught the remnants of the old cathedral crumbling into itself. Of course, the Gods had always abandoned them – her. Darkness clung tighter onto her now, not that she had ever believed in the Gods before.
She walked and let her mind flutter, forgetting the prospect of deities.
Rumpelstiltskin was dead – the terror that had plagued her life since birth – and for once, she felt free.
Laughter fell from her lips, making her appear mad if anyone were watching. But what mind have she? She was free of him; his darkness; his games. She was even free from her fate, now that she was born again into the darkness.
Her heart fluttered inside her chest – no, Emma's heart.
Everything crashed down upon her in that moment, tearing down her walls and letting her spill out of them.
She felt different; she felt lighter, as if something had changed inside of her. She could feel Emma, what she felt, that emotion... It took away the darkness, that anger and that hatred, the only things that she had ever known for so very long and... she felt something that she hadn't experienced since a girl, and it terrified her to no end.
It was the light that Emma held – what she had inherited – shining over the dark reaches of her soul, allowing warmth to spread forth from their shared heart, flowering serenity.
But she quickly shook it away as the feeling made her grow ill.
No.
She could not allow herself to fall into those carmine depths. It only suffocated her, the very thought of letting herself go. What was said in desperation was not always meant to see the light.
The sound of hooves trampling through mud brought her attention to a small collection of horses as they neared the castle. Ebony-armored men sat atop them and she knew that the war was over. The numbers were frightening, but what use have she of an army now that she was the Dark One?
Coolly, she faced them as they approached, shifting back into her aura of royalty.
At the head of the party she saw Captain Uriel, grim lines on his dark complexion.
"Your Majesty," he greeted in a husky voice, dismounting a black stallion. "The Whites have withdrawn."
"Did you speak with the King or Queen?" a familiar feminine voice queried, coming up from behind the Evil Queen.
Regina felt the hairs on the nape of her neck raise, sending a shiver down her spine, fluttering her heart.
"No. But their men fled the battle quickly after the retreat horns sounded." He turned to face the Black Knight as she stood beside their Queen, clad in charcoal leather.
"How much damage has been dealt?" Jade eyes fell to the dark clouds of smoke still hovering above the city. "They reached the city."
"Yes. There was wind of their attack during your encounter with Snow White." Uriel spoke grimly. "The sentries posted saw them exiting from the forest. I sent men to deal with them, but..." He shook his head.
"Is this all that remains?" Regina queried and let her eyes roam over the weary faces. They paused on two who rode together, a man and a woman. They looked oddly familiar.
"Aye. I had to send for the recruits. There were only a handful left to defend the castle." He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze until Emma freed him of it.
"What of the dwellers in the city?"
"I saw no living soul as we passed through. Most of the city is destroyed... or on fire." The captain scratched behind the ebony steed's ear. "I cannot say for the other villages. The battle was moving toward Morrowstead."
"The kingdom is destroyed," said a voice from the crowd. "What are we to do now?"
The Queen's gaze swept over the small crowd of horse and man. Her kingdom, another thing taken away from her, all on Snow White's head. Coldness gripped her, numbing her mind. "Leave. Enjoy your lives. You are free from my service."
"My queen-" Emma sounded uncertain as she called her name, but it was the captain who spoke.
"We have nowhere to go, Your Majesty. This is our home." Desperation grew in his tone. "And we are here to serve and protect you."
The brunette flashed golden fire upon him, her lips twisting into a baleful scowl. "I do not need you any longer. Certainly you have desires outside of bending knee to me. No one wants the Evil Queen."
"Regina, they have no place to go." The Black Knight spoke beside her and she could feel the presence of that frustrating blonde as she neared, her warmth too hot to bear. "Can we not allow them to remain in the barracks? We can never be too cautious when it comes to enemies."
She forced herself away from the daughter of light and growled, "If it pleases you, Your Highness."
"Rest," demanded the blonde, turning toward what was left of their pitiful army. "I will further speak with the Queen of your future. Leave us for now." Regina did not miss the waver in her voice.
They rode off shortly after, heeding her request as Uriel mounted his horse again, heading toward the stables. Emma remained behind, turning to the Queen whose eyes only followed until their gazes met and she was entranced by her vibrant forest eyes.
Her hair looked paler in the sun, almost as if it were grey instead of spun gold.
"What?" hissed Regina.
Emma didn't flinch. "Had I upset you?"
"Upset me?" The brunette scoffed and paced, feeling the need to avoid any visual contact of the former princess. "No, you have not. Though, if you continue to pester..."
Her voice was silken as it reached her ears, making her heart stutter. "What I said earlier about you-... You loving me. I-..." She shook her head, losing whatever small drip of confidence she had suckled. "You left your dagger."
Regina's eyes fell to the flash of steel as Emma produced the weapon from its sheath. It looked foreign to see her name etched on the very blade she had known as Rumpelstiltskin's. An intangible forced pulled her to it, but she sought out the dagger attached to her own being – Emma's. "I have no room on my person to carry it. Why not hold onto it, yourself?"
Surprise clung to the younger woman's features. "Are you sure, my queen?"
The brunette nodded carefully and watched as Emma replaced the weapon. "The risk of being controlled is significantly less if we held onto each other's dagger. If one might take it, they will be unable to control the original wielder and we could very easily sweep through them before they inflict damage."
"I-... I suppose I had not thought of that," Emma said, her eyes falling to the swaths of dark clouds. "We will be-"
"Indelible," Regina finished, a smirk crossing over her features. "Two Dark Ones joining forces..."
"It can be dangerous." The blonde knight's boots moved along the cobbled stone of the front court and the Queen could not help but to follow. "What shall we do?"
"I imagine we shall start anew. No one will be able to control us. Not any longer."
"No, I..." She touched the mossy edge of a fountain that no longer produced water. It was as tall as the two women combined and made of marble, but one could no longer decipher its true integrity for it was laden with green and brown filth. Most of the yard looked unkempt.
The Evil Queen lost desire of beauty in possession long ago.
Shaking those thoughts that had chased away her attention, she found why when silence still clung to the air aside from the distant grumble of falling stone and the fire that devoured it. "You...?"
"I was thinking of the men and women under your liege. What will become of them?" Those eyes matched the moss as they fell upon her, though the shining irises held a certain beauty that gripped her.
The only beauty that I have desired.
"They will settle elsewhere. Perhaps your mother will take them in." She spat the word and turned.
How could this be Snow White's daughter?
"And the ones sworn to your service?"
Because she cares too much.
"What use have I of their service? I have you, my Black Knight. We are invincible."
"They have given you much. We must repay them for their services." The sound of the leather alerted her movements. Her steady gaze met the Queen's. "And no other will accept them, knowing they were once a part of your army."
"We certainly cannot have a band of men follow us. That will draw attention." Little thought went to the fate of her men. Everything else was crumbling down around her and perhaps it was for the better. This was a new era of her life; an era that will last eternity. "We leave them the castle."
"The-... The castle?" Emma's gaze was scrutinizing.
"I grow weary of it and the kingdom has gone to soot." Her lips curved upward when she saw the sparkle of interest in her forbidden lover's eyes. "If you will join me, we shall explore the world, the realms. Our options are limitless and there is no one that can stop us."