Bonded Through The Realms 18

“Why didn’t you tell me Snow was the one who cast the curse?”Emma asked as soon as Regina opened the door to her mansion. Regina stared blankly at the sheriff not knowing exactly how to respond to that. The last thing she expected Emma to bring up was who cast the curse. The fact that she knew it was Snow made Regina think that the guards she sent to help Emma were the ones who told her. Regina wanted to be mad but she hadn’t ordered them to keep it a secret. Maybe this was the best way for Emma to find out. Then she wouldn’t accuse Regina of lying to her.

“Good evening sheriff. Would you like to come in?”Regina held the door open.

Emma wasted no time pushing past Regina and making her way into the living room taking a seat on the couch.”So why didn’t you tell me?”

“Can I offer you a drink? I have some home made apple cider?”Regina knew she was stalling but wasn’t sure she wanted to have this conversation.

“No I don’t want a drink. I want to know why you let me believe that you were the one who cast the curse?”Emma would save the drink for after they talked. She was sure by then she would need it.

Regina took a seat in an arm chair. She took a minute to decide what to say.”I didn’t tell you because I knew you wouldn’t believe me.”

“Maybe when we first met but I thought we were at the point that you trusted me enough that you would tell me something so important.”Emma was hurt that Regina kept something so monumental from her.

Hearing the hurt in Emma’s voice Regina held back a sigh.”I do trust you. More than I trust anyone else in my life. I wanted to tell you so many time but I was afraid that if I did you would accuse me of lying and would side with Snow. I value our relationship and didn’t want to lose it.”

“I hate that I have given you many justified reasons to believe that.”Emma’s track record proved that she overlooked Snow’s faults just to have a mother in her life. It was no wonder Regina didn’t want to tell her.

“It wasn’t only that. The curse isn’t something I like to think about.”Regina admitted.

“Why did Snow cast it? I mean she was queen of the Charming kingdom. Why did she care about yours?”Emma asked.

“Snow is very entitled. After her mother died she got it in her head that she was going to be crowned queen and the kingdom was going to be hers to rule. That wasn’t her father’s plan however. He wanted a male heir. He had been looking for a suitable wife that could give him one when my mother arranged for the incident with me saving Snow from her horse. When he saw me he picked me right away to be his new bride. Not only was I attractive but I was young and would be able to give him many children.”Regina told her.

“I don’t know why anyone would want to go back to the enchanted forest. The way things were there are disgusting. You were basically sold off to a man old enough to be your father so that you could be a brood mare and give him a male heir.”Emma didn’t understand why the town’s people wanted to go back.

“That’s all we knew. As matter of fact being picked to marry the king and bare his children was considered the highest honor a woman could achieve. Not that I thought that.”Regina had considered herself the unluckiest person in the world when the king picked her.

“That’s so gross.”Emma said.”I was told Snow killed her father. Was to stop a male heir from being born?”

“Yes, that’s exactly why. It was stupid of her though because I had taken a potion that made me infertile. I was never going to give the king a son. I wanted nothing to do with being queen or any kind of royal. As matter of fact if Snow had stuck around and spoke to me I would have handed her the crown on a silver platter. The girl did save me from my marriage. The least I could do is give her what she always wanted.”Regina would have happily stepped aside.

“You would have given up ruling the kingdom?”Emma was surprised to hear that.

”All I ever wanted was to live a peaceful life raising horses. Maybe have some farm land with an orchard of apple trees. Selling my bounty to cover my living expenses.”Regina’s dream had changed a lot since she came to the land without magic. Now all she wanted was to be reunited with her triplets. After that it wouldn’t matter. As long as they were together she would face whatever the future held.

If Regina had told Emma that was her dream when they first met the sheriff would laughed in her face. Hearing it now Emma could easily picture Regina doing just what she described.”Why do you even bother being mayor? I know you have a horse at the stables. Why don’t you just work there?”

“The reason I stay mayor is not only am I the one that is most qualified but it’s a way to keep everyone safe.”Seeing Emma confused expression Regina tried a different avenue.”Think about what would happen if Snow was able to actually crown herself queen.”

“Based on what I know of Snow and the stories I have heard she would probably put anyone that has a connection to you in jail and rule the town like with an iron fist. Taking away any rights and freedom the people had.”Emma said.

“That’s were your wrong. Snow wouldn’t put anyone in jail. She would just kill most of them without a trial not even bothering to arrest them. The ones she did she would hold a huge public execution for. My death being the main event.”Regina knew that Snow would turn it into a holiday celebrated for the rest of her ruling days.

“I hate that you are right.”Emma didn’t like thinking her own mother would do something like that but it was the only logical conclusion she could come to.

“Snow leads with violence. The woman started a war to claim a kingdom that would have been handed to her without a fight. The only reason I held on was because I saw how she treated her own people and I wasn’t going to allow that to happen to my own subjects. Even though I would have preferred to to live a peaceful life that changed when Snow burned down her first village. It was hearing of all those innocent civilizations dying that spurred me to take arms and gather my army to put a stop to her senseless campaign.”Regina still remembered the horror she felt when visiting that village. It made her realize what kind of person Snow really was and what she would do to the kingdom if she took control. That gave Regina the will to fight to stop it from happening.

“Did she ever try and form a treaty with you?”Emma asked.

“She sent many official documents that stated the terms she would agree to if I were to surrender but she never tried to actually work out a resolution to stop the fighting. In the beginning I sent a few diplomats to discuss how to end the war. After the third one’s head was delivered to the castle in a box I took that as her not wanting to negotiate with me.”Regina had been very upset that she had sent those men to their death’s and had taken responsibility for each of their families futures by providing everything they needed to live fruitful lives.

“How are we going to stop her from taking over the town?”Hearing the stories Regina was telling her Emma knew they couldn’t let it happen.

“The main problem will be who sides with her. That and how many of her former guards and soldiers are still loyal to her. I doubt many of her soldiers but her guards were treated very well. I don’t know what their lives are like now but if they were not satisfied with them they would be easily swayed to join Snow to get the perks of their former lives back.”Regina said.

“Do you know exactly who in town was part of her guard?”Emma asked.

“I have a complete record of everyone in town and who they were under the curse and who they really are.”It was something that the curse created because Regina found it in a file in her office the first time she went there after waking up in the land without magic.

“We need to go over it and pick out Snow’s supporters. Do you think we can get some more of your people to help with this?”Emma knew she could trust anyone who was loyal to Regina. They had proven many times while Emma had lived in town that she could count on them.

“I have many volunteers you can pick from.”Regina’s people would be more than willing to stop Snow from becoming queen.

“We need a place we can meet that no one would see us.”Emma didn’t want anyone to find out Regina’s allies were gathering. It could cause Snow to make a move before they were ready to counter it.

“There’s a meeting hall in the part of town were most of my follows live. It’s where they all hang out and gather. It wouldn’t look suspicious if a large group of them were there together.”Regina told her.

“I want to practice magic with you but I don’t think this can wait. Not only is Snow mad about me leaving but by now she has probably heard about the new officers I hired today.”Emma was already putting a plan together in her head.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she did something tonight to retaliate.”Regina agreed.

“Can you go get the census and have your people meet us in an hour?”Emma asked.

“That won’t be a problem.”Regina knew her people would gladly help.

Emma stood from the couch.”I need to stop at the station and grab some stuff but I’ll see you in hour.”

“I’ll have everything ready.”Regina told her as she led Emma to the door.

“Hopefully we can stop Snow before she does something stupid.”Emma said walking out the door.

“Let’s hope.”Regina mumbled to herself after the door shut. She wasn’t pleased that Snow was causing trouble but was happy that Emma wasn’t on her side this time. Regina felt their talk had gone well and although she didn’t tell Emma everything she did tell her enough to see her side of the story. Regina was extremely happy that the sheriff actually believed her. That would be helpful in the coming days because Regina knew that Snow would not be idle. Not when she thought that there was a threat to her imagined rule over the town. The mayor just hoped that no one would die during the conflict. Especially an innocent person. That being basically everyone except for Snow and her followers. Thinking of Snow’s followers Regina pulled out her phone and sent a mass text. She hated involving more people in this conflict but if they didn’t stop Snow now it would just escalate to the point they would be involved anyway. Whether they wanted to be or not. Grabbing her coat Regina’s last thought as she was leaving the house was she hoped that nothing happened to her before she was reunited with her daughters. She didn’t want all the sacrifices she made be for nothing.