"my country's going through some issues so i'm here in hiding and you're a civilian who lives in the same apartment complex as me" au

Regina was the young queen of a small island country called La Isla del Encanto. After her husband was murdered, she got word of a group of rebels who wanted the royals to die, which meant she was next. She tried her best to deal with the rebel groups, but she was too inexperienced with military matters and the rebel groups were too smart for her. They were quickly outnumbering her army and she knew drastic action will have to be made soon. One day, she met with a group of her most loyal knights, who all agreed the only way to save the country and its ruler is to take her away to a safe place until the rebels could be defeated.

Queen Regina wasn't given a time or date when she was meant to leave. All she was told was to have a small bag of personal possessions and nothing more. She would be given clothes and funds when she got to the safe place. So she waited, pacing back and forth in her chambers, with her father sitting by the fire and watching his daughter worry.

"It's going to be alright, mija. You will be taken to a safe place and those unruly rebels will be brought down." Her father tried to calm her. "Come, sit with me and have some pan." Regina eyed the sweet bread piled on their table and her stomach clenched up. She was much too nervous to eat.

"I just don't understand why you can't come with me." Regina said.

"The plane is too small. You are their priority. I will join you when it's safer." He pulled out a letter and handed it to Regina. "Here. Take this. I wrote it for you when you start to feel homesick. Don't open it until you get there." It was then that Regina's knights entered the room.

"It's time, Your Majesty." One of them said. Regina turned to her father.

"I love you, Daddy." Regina hugged her father.

"I love you too, mi amor." He said. "Now go." Regina put the letter in her bag and slung it over her shoulder. She looked back at her father one last time, then followed her knights out. They took her down to a waiting plane on the beach behind her castle and was loaded in. Just as they began to take off, the unmistakable sound of gunfire could be heard. Regina tensed at the sound of bullets hitting the plane. She gripped her seat until her knuckles turned white. Her heart was pounding as she prayed the plane wouldn't go down. Their plane flew up high and out of the guns' range and, thankfully, no real damage was done. When Regina found the courage to peek out of the window, she saw her precious home as a green speck in the distance.

As she began calming down, a man she didn't recognize sat beside her.

"Your Majesty," he greeted. "I am Mr. Gold. I was an associate of your mother's. I am here to give you some important information." He handed her a manila envelope, which she opened and found different documents inside. "In that envelope is everything you'll need for your new life."

"New life? I thought this was temporary?" Regina asked.

"Well, on the off chance that your country cannot be saved, you'll need to be able to settle somewhere. And it's much easier when you have the proper documents." Mr. Gold showed her the things she would need.

"Here, you have a birth certificate, driver's licence, passport, etc." Regina examined the documents. They had her pictures on them, but the name...

"Regina Mills?"

"Yes, because 'Her Majesty, Queen Regina Maria Elana Blanca is too obvious and your enemies could easily find you. Regina Mills, however, sounds more common. It's safer." Regina nodded her understanding.

"So, where am I going to be staying?" Regina asked.

"A quaint little town called Storybrooke. It's small and secluded - perfect for hiding royalty." Mr. Gold said. "And seeing as I live there, I'll be there if you need anything."

"Thank you." Regina said, still looking over her documents. She wanted to make sure she remembered the changed information.

The flight was a long one. Regina was given new clothes to wear and a new haircut, so she wouldn't stand out so much. After she changed, she spoke with Mr. Gold on things she would need to know, like the customs of the common people, the latest in pop culture, and things every day people know. It was about 10 PM when they arrived at a little airport in New York, where Regina was transferred to Mr. Gold's Cadillac. They drove as far as Boston, where they stayed in a hotel - not the gigantic suites as she was used to, but a nice little room all to herself. Early the next morning, they drove the rest of the way to Storybrooke. When they arrived, it was about noon. Mr. Gold parked in front of an apartment building. They got out of the car and went up to Apartment 4. Inside was small, but somehow homey. There wasn't much furniture, just a couch, a small breakfast table with two chairs downstairs, and a bed and dresser up in the loft.

"There is clothing upstairs in your size, the fridge is stocked, and on the counter is an envelope with five hundred dollars for any other expenses you may have." He handed her the keys to the apartment and headed for the door. "Good day, dearie."

Outside the apartment, a young woman began to walk up to her own door. She was halfway in when she saw Gold walk by.

"Ms. Swan." he greeted. The woman gave a shy nod. She didn't particularly like talking with the man. He gave her the creeps. Just when she was about to duck into her apartment, a beautiful woman stepped out, possibly to see the man off.

"Hello." the woman greeted. God, she had nice teeth.

"Hi."

"My name is Regina. And you are?" The woman held out her hand.

"Emma. Emma Swan." Emma shook the woman's hand. It was warm and soft, unlike Emma's, which was rough from working for such a long time. "Did you just move in?"

"Yes, I did."

"That was fast. I didn't see any moving vans." Emma commented.

"I didn't have much with me." Regina answered.

"Yeah, I didn't have much with me when I moved in. " Emma said. "All this stuff is my roommate's. I've only been here about three months."

"What brought you here to Storybrooke?" Regina asked. "If it's not too much to ask." Emma's hand went to her stomach.

"Something came up that required me to stay." Emma answered vaguely. Regina nodded, understanding it was something the blonde didn't want to talk about. "Um, so... do you know your way around?" Emma asked, changing the subject. "I could show you around, if you want?"

"I would like that, thank you." Regina smiled.

Emma gave Regina a tour of Storybrooke, showing her everything from the clocktower ("Yeah, that thing hasn't worked, like, ever. No one knows why nobody ever got around to fixing it."), to the library ("Belle works there. She's Gold's girlfriend. For the longest time, we all thought he was, like, her sugar daddy or something. Turns out, they're really in love."), to what seemed to be the town hangout, Granny's Diner. Emma had a job there four days a week. That day happened to be her day off. That was where they were now sitting, eating lunch. Emma had ordered them both a cheeseburger, fries, and a shake and Regina was staring at her meal as if it were a dead rat.

"You never ate a burger before?" Emma joked.

"Um, no. Where are the utensils? How do you eat it?" Regina poked at the bun.

"You don't need utensils. Just pick it up and eat it. Like this." Emma took a bite out of her burger. Regina delicately picked up the burger, careful not to get grease or ketchup on her hands and took a bite. Emma found her eyes glued to Regina's full red lips as she chewed.

"Well? Do you like it?" Emma asked.

"It's... something." Regina answered, though by the look on her face, she didn't like it much. She took a sip of her shake and her eyes lit up. "Okay, this one is good." Emma smiled.

"Try dipping your fries in it." Regina looked at Emma like she grew another head, causing her to laugh. Emma shrugged and took another bite of her burger.

Dear Daddy,

Today was my first day in Storybrooke and I feel I have settled in well. I have a cozy little apartment, which I think you would love. You always did love the simpler things in life. I think I even made a friend. Her name is Emma Swan and she lives next door. She showed me the town and we ate cheese burgers and fries. They weren't the best, but the shakes are good.

I can't wait until you join me here. We've only been apart for 24 hours, but I already miss you with all my heart. Please stay safe,

Your loving daughter,

Regina

The next day, Regina became more aquainted with the town. She stopped by the library, with its boarded-up windows and its dusty shelves. It was no wonder why nobody ever stopped by, it looked abandoned! Someone should get it cleaned up. In fact, it seemed the whole town needed a good facelift. If this had been in her country, she'd have paid for everything to get new paint, structural improvements, and a good cleaning.

"Can I help you?" A young woman asked. So this was Belle? She was young, maybe not much older than Regina herself. Emma told her Belle was smart and loved to read. Then what in the world did she see in Mr. Gold?

"Just looking." Regina answered. "I'm getting to know the town better."

"Oh! Then you must be Regina!" Belle shook her hand. "Gold told me you were staying here. He said you were his niece?"

"Something like that." Regina said. "My mother and he were very... close." It wasn't a total lie. She knew, or at least suspected, that her mother had some kind of history with the man.

"Well, I hope to see you more around here." Belle said. Regina walked around the small library with Belle pointing out some of her favorites and some Regina might like. Within minutes, Regina had a small stack of books and Belle let her check them out on her library card, until Regina signed up for one herself.

"Have a good day!" Belle called as Regina left.