Time Will Tell

Chapter Five

The Enchanted Forest; The Past

Regina has had the opportunity to sneak off and meet Emma another four more times in her unknown world. To her, it's rather comical how quickly they have become the best of friends. Come to think of it, she's never had a friend before, but every time she's with that corky blonde, Emma washes away all the pain still festering deep inside of her from her past. Things seem to wither away when Emma is around; like she doesn't feel the need for revenge against Snow White anymore, or the resentment towards her mother or heartache for Daniel. Emma fills her soul with excitement and joy which is something she has never experienced before. She has noticed a certain pull to the young woman, a sensation she cannot possibly describe. Those golden locks combined with her fierce green eyes always makes Regina feel a little nervous and she doesn't truly comprehend why?

The last two times Regina attempted to visit Emma, she tried imagining the stunning blonde and teleporting directly to her without using the enchanted mirror. However, both times, she failed miserably and ended up at the foot of Snow White's extravagant bed. Truthfully, she almost lost her mind because there she is, imagining the person she wants to see the most and she ends up next to the person she hates the most and wants to seek revenge on.

So, now she has learned her lesson and has accepted that she must use that damn mirror every time in order to see Emma.

"Gina!" Emma exclaims through a dopey grin as she jogs toward her.

The princess is dressed in another pair of brown pants, accompanied by matching brown riding boots. There's a cream, long-sleeve shirt with a brown vest over, and if Regina didn't know her, she would never guess that this stunning woman is a delicate princess. Her wild, unkempt waves of sunshine are pulled back into a low ponytail, most likely to keep them contained for another riding adventure.

Except, Regina's eyes are trailing down and she cannot help but notice how each hand is clenching a sword. She squints skeptically at her friend as she approaches, but she allows Emma to move in for a hug. Regina wraps her arms around Emma's neck and breathes all of her in as Emma loosely snakes her arms around her back to ensure her safety from the swords.

"Emma," her tone is cautious, but mostly teasing as she slides away from the blonde's embrace, "why do you have swords?"

A mischievous smirk slides across Emma's face as her sandy-blonde eyebrows scale high upon her forehead. She extends one sword out toward her and says, "I challenge you to a duel!"

Regina's lips purse as she slowly folds her arms across her chest and stares blankly at her companion. She's dressed this evening in a long gown, not in any way trying to impress the other princess, so there's no way she can engage in a sword fight at the moment.

"As you can see, I'm not in the proper attire. Can we not just go riding?" She asks, pouting out her bottom lip knowing how much the girl adores her whenever she does this.

"Awe, come on Gina, we've gone riding every time you have come to visit. I think we should try new things," Emma suggests, flashing a flirtatious little wink, causing Regina's breath to hitch in response.

She can never deny this girl anything and it is becoming beyond frustrating how she constantly bends to Emma's every whim. She rolls her eyes dramatically to express her distaste, yet her hand is moving on its own accord, collecting the sword from Emma's left hand, which instantly inspires Emma to squeal in excitement.

Regina lifts her sword, inspecting the long blade and observing something soft on the tip, probably to ensure that neither one will cause any real damage. Her father taught her all about sword fighting, but they always had to be discreet, careful her mother wouldn't find out. Just another activity for her mother to belittle her over.