CHAPTER 16

James paced around the small dungeon room, occasionally huffing as he looked to the windowless stone wall. "This is ridiculous." He growled, "Why are we still in here?! She wanted to battle and yet she throws us into this hole and forgets?!"

"Just sit, James." Snow sighed from the chained cot in the center of the wall where she sat, eyes closed and head leaning against the stone. "We were stupid to come here and think that plan would work."

"What?!" Whipping around and throwing his hands in the air, the White King walked over to his queen and sat. "Okay, so it didn't go as planned." He agreed after a few breaths and a look from Snow.

Sitting up the woman looked to him. "Emma meant it when she proposed that battle… are we really going to fight to kill our daughter?"

"What other choice do we have?"

"We could just give up… no matter what we try we won't win." Snow started, continuing before James could protest. "She's made it clear she wants to be here and we can't stop her, James. I'm going to ask to speak with her one more time, and then I'm going home."

James stared at his wife for a long while before speaking. "If we can't get Emma to come with us, we still have to fight to end Regina. She's the reason for all of this."

"Is she, James?" Snow countered, "Because if you think about it, really think about it… before that battle when she took Emma she hadn't done anything in almost a year." She reminded him. "Not even a village raid. And what did we do? Send our army because we were afraid the possibility of her attacking us again."

"We've gone too far now, Snow." James replied. "I doubt we'll be able to just walk away without a fight."

"We could try."

"Go away." Emma called in response to the loud knocking at her bedchamber door before returning her lips to Regina's as the brunette laid underneath her, her hands running down the queens bare hips.

Another knock. "...but the white king and queen wish to speak to you." Came the muffled voice of one of the guards through the door. "They won't stop asking."

Emma growled and made to move but Regina's legs tightened around her knights waist. "Don't you dare." The Queen warned, using her new position to flip them so she was now on top of the blonde. "You, my dear, are staying right here." She drawled as she leaned in and began kissing the blondes neck, slowly making her way down towards her chest.

Her breath caught in her throat as the brunette nipped along her collar and continued kissing her bare skin. As always, she was left unable to speak at Regina's touch and made to run her fingers through the brunette's hair, but found her arms magically restrained above her head with one quick snap of the Queen's fingers.

Anariel sat in the dining hall, book in hand while using the armrest of the chair beside her as a footstool when Emma and Regina walked into the room. "My, my, look who finally found their way out of bed." She teased, grinning at the pair of them and earning herself a slight blush from the queen's warrior.

"Good afternoon to you too, Ari." Regina replied, a satisfied smirk still spread across her lips as she took her seat and poured a goblet of water for herself.

Emma sat across from Anariel and grabbed a bunch of grapes from in the fruit bowl and leaned back in her chair. "Do you think it's finally time to let them out of the dungeons?" She asked after a few moments.

"We could just leave them in there. It's been nice being awake and no longer balancing on the line of life and death." Regina shrugged.

"It seems as if they want to talk about the battle." Anariel added. "One of the guards, I forget his name, came to me just a few hours ago when you two were… busy… So I tried speaking with them and James just pouted and refused to speak unless it was you." She explained, her eyes not having left her book as she spoke, lowering it only when she continued. "Though it does seem that Snow has come to the realization that they cannot win if it comes down to a one on one battle."

Raising an eyebrow slightly, Emma sat up and set the half eaten grape bunch down on the plate. "Did she say that?"

"Not outright, no." Anariel replied, only to get a defeated look from the blonde.

"So how do you know she's given up?"

"Ah, I forget we've not had the chance to properly get to know one another." The warrior woman reminded herself. "You see, I have a… rarely used gift. Because I've not practiced it in some time I really have to try, but I can telepathically connect with someone." She began, glancing at Regina who nodded but stayed silent as she bit into an apple. "I come from a mix of two races of elves. My mother was Avarian, my father, Faerun. I was kept a secret as was their relationship since it was not looked highly upon for elven races to mix, when they were found out… They were killed."

Tilting her head slightly to the side, Emma stared at Anariel, a look of realization hitting her after a few seconds causing her to jump and a small chuckle to come from Regina. "You're the one from the stories?!" A look of awe coming over her face as she looked between the two other women. "So that means you…"

Regina smiled and nodded. "'The Tales of the Elf and the Sorceress' are indeed about us and our adventures before we were split apart." She explained, "At the end of the day we would sit in Daddy's study with him and recount our adventures while he worked. Well, we thought he was working, little did we know, he was actually writing down our stories from the day and before we knew it the bards would be singing of our tales the very next night."

"Those were my favorite." Emma smiled, looking between them. "So that means that it's true… after your parents were killed by the other elves, you managed to escape?"

Anariel nodded, having set her book down on the table. "That is correct. I was wandering for days alone before I stumbled upon the farm where I found Cora teaching Regina to ride. I did not intend to stay, just ask for some bread and water, but Regina and I became fast friends and from there I stayed. I studied with Regina and while she learned her magic in its various forms, I secretly taught her to wield a blade while at the same time I figured out my mothers teachings on being able to fly into the clouds, and mastered my fathers teachings of hunting and fighting."

"Can you still?" The blonde asked, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Come, I can show you." Anariel grinned, nodding toward the exit leading to the main hall.

Emma looked out over the edge of the high watchtower Anariel had led her to. The crisp autumn breeze swirled around the pair as the blonde watched her queen ride into the trees in the distance. "Do you think Regina will be okay riding alone?"

"Snow and James are in the dungeons until you call for them so nothing should happen. I am positive she will be okay on her own." She answered. "Though if you'd like we can do this another time and you could ride with her?"

"No!" Emma replied quickly, "I mean, no, I want to see this."

Laughing, the elven woman stepped up on the ledge of the tower and ripped the sleeves of her half shirt with two swift pulls at the seams. Inhaling deeply, Anariel extended her arms as the breeze picked up, dropping them forcefully to her sides before swan diving off the edge. Emma gasped loudly and ran over to look down, afraid of what she might see. Reaching the edge, she yelped as Anariel shot up, in front of her, causing the blonde to fall back and look up at her friend who knelt in a gargoyle like stance in the same spot where she had jumped.

Raven black feathers were entrapped in a border of deep purple that shone in the afternoon sun as she flexed her wings, sending a light breeze in Emma's direction. Grinning widely, Anariel held out her hand toward Emma and nodded in the direction of the woods. "Let's go, Princess."

"Go?" The blonde asked, brushing herself off as she stood. "Go where?"

Laughing softly, Anariel again nodded toward the woods. "To the falls. If we don't leave right now, Regina will beat us there and she will never let me hear the end of it."

"Wa-wait… you want me to... fly… with you? Uh…" The blonde started, her eyes widening at the thought as a jolt of fear based adrenaline shot through her veins. "I can just take Phasma."

Sitting on the ledge, wings folding behind her, Anariel failed at holding back a smirk that was very similar to Regina's. "Do my ears deceive me, or is the Queen's Knight afraid of flying?" She teased.

"What?! No! I'm not… I just… How would it even work? You can't possibly car-" Emma began before being cut off, and letting out another yelp as Anariel jumped up and flew behind the blonde, wrapping her arms around her waist before kicking off the tower and soaring into the air.

Anariel held the blonde who clung to her arms as she flew over the castle grounds. "You know, you don't have to hold on so tight, Princess. I promise I won't let you fall." she grinned as Emma's grip tightened.

Soaring over the castle grounds, Anariel kept an eye out for Rocinante and Regina. As they flew over the grounds, then the woods, wind whipping around them, Emma began to loosen her grip, taking in deep breaths. The initial fear of falling to her death passing fairly quickly as Anariel glided in the air, wings beating rhythmically around them as the elven woman lowered them towards the trees.

Emma's boots skimmed the tops of the trees and she couldn't help but to let out a laugh as Anariel scanned the woods below. "How can you see what's down there? The trees have barely just turned." She shouted.

Grinning, Anariel kept focused "You don't know much about elves, do you?"

"Only what was in the stories." Emma replied. "We had books of every race, creature, anything you could name and yet not one on elves." She explained, "And now I can see why."

"Snow was less than thrilled when she found out Regina and I were friends." Pulling up abruptly, Anariel groaned as she began to descend into the trees.

"What is it?!" Emma asked, looking around wildly as they were quickly surrounded by trees and the sound of the falls.

The sound of Regina's laugh brought a smile to Emma's face, while simultaneously eliciting another groan from Anariel. Sitting up, legs stretched and crossed one over the other on a thick branch, back resting against the trunk of the tree, Regina tisked. "Took you two long enough to get here."

Having set down on the ground, Anariel let go of Emma and jumped up, perching on the thick branch with Regina. "We would have gotten here sooner, but Emma was afraid."

"What?! No! I wasn't!" Emma called up defensively, reaching up and swinging herself up on the adjacent branch closest to Regina. "I was just… being cautious…"

Sharing a look with Anariel, whos wings had rescinded back and disappeared as they grinned childishly at one another, Regina reached over and squeezed Emma's thigh. "I'm sure you were, dear."

The trio spent the rest of the day and late into the evening in each other's company. Regina and Anariel recounted many of their past memories for Emma while they swam by the waterfall.

On the walk back to the castle, Regina led the way down the moonlit paths through the trees, walking Rocinante as Emma bombarded Anariel with question after question about the land she was banished to, her childhood, the elven race, and anything else she could think of.

"I think… I'm finally out of questions." Emma admitted as they breached the clearing by the stables.

"Somehow I don't quite believe that." Regina teased, having slowed down enough to be able to walk beside her.

Emma grinned and shrugged, "You're probably right. I'll think of something else eventually." She agreed. "But since we're back, I suppose I should go talk to Snow and James."

"Do you think they will want to go through with the challenge?" Anariel asked as the trio approached the stables.

Following Regina to Rocinantes stall, Emma picked up the pick and spiked a generous amount of hay for Rocinante as the queen began to brush her steed. "I don't know. I have a feeling James might want to… but mother may not." The blonde replied as she walked back to the hay pile to feed Phasma.

"Would you like us to accompany you?" Regina asked, coming around the corner into Phasma's stall.

The blonde shook her head as she gave her horse a quick pat, receiving a small huff and nudge against her hand in response. "No, they probably won't want to talk if you two come along."

In the dungeons, James sat in front of the cot that Snow laid on, head leaned back against his wife's arm as she stared up at the ceiling. "How much longer do you think she'll keep us waiting?" James asked defeatedly.

"I don't know. We should have just talked to Anariel when she came." Snow sighed, turning her head to look at him.

Footsteps echoed from outside the dungeon door and James shot up to his feet, while Snow remained still on the mat, not bothering to react. The heavy door opened and Emma stepped into the torch lit room. "You have one minute to tell me whatever it is that you couldn't be bothered to tell Anariel. If I you take one blow at either Anariel, Regina, or myself, the challenge will start in an hours time, otherwise, I will consider whatever offer it is you plan on making."