The festival in honor of Snow White's 11th birthday had been going on for the last five days and was scheduled to last another six. One day for each blessed year the cherubic princess had been alive.

Regina was at her wits end. Sitting in the stifling summer heat, the young Queen did not think she'd be able to take six more minutes of this pretentious strutting of peacock, would-be knights let alone six more days. The King sat to her left with the birthday Princess on the King's left. The two had practically forgotten Regina's existence, not that the brunette minded. She did not care to have the King show her an ounce of public affection, nor fake smiles and enthusiasm for Snow fawning over her like the little princess was wont to do.

No. Regina was quite happy to be forgotten. Except she wasn't. Not really. Even now she could hear the tittering and whispers of the noble men and women of King Leopold's court. All of them gossiping about their new Queen and the fact that it had been nine months since the Royal wedding, nine months since the first bedding ceremony and Regina was still not with child.

Regina accepted a goblet of wine that was offered to her by her servant and ignored the glances and whispers of the courtiers. She simply stared at the burning sand of the lists and awaited the knights to take their place for the first joust. Regina had no desire to play host to Leopold's vile seed. If Snow was any indication, Leopold's offspring was tainted and weak. Not that Regina thought for a minute that she would not love any child that she produced, but she was loathe to let Leopold have any claim like that over her.

Of course the old King still tried at least three times a week. Regina was forced to endure his grunting, sweating, sagging body flop around on top of her in his desperate attempt to beget a male heir. But what the King didn't know, and what would certainly get Regina executed should it ever become public knowledge, was that the young Queen took a certain herb every morning and evening in her tea that prevented her from getting with child.

Small rebellions. That's all that was. Regina did not have the power to stop the King from coming to her bed chamber or clambering on top of her, but this small act of rebellion, denying the King something he wanted so desperately, was a small comfort to Regina.

Regina was pulled from her ever darkening thoughts by the blasting of trumpets. She looked up to see two knights ride into the lists. The first night was a handsome young man with red hair the tumbled in ringlets to his shoulders. He had a disarming smile and sparkling blue eyes. His helmet was tucked into the crook of his left arm and he held the reins of his tan palomino with his right. His armor gleamed beneath the summer sun and the fine gold filigree of swirling vines and flowers were thrown into sharp relief.

The Knight of Summer stopped his horse before Princess Snow and he bowed as deeply as he could atop his steed.

"Princess Snow," the knight said, "It would be my honor to wear your favor and win this tournament for you."

Snow blushed and giggled as she got up and tied her handkerchief to the glittering knight's lance.

"Thank, Sir Lionel," giggled Snow as she curtsied. Sir Lionel bowed his copper head just as his opponent reached the Royal Box. Regina lazily turned her eyes to the new comer. In stark comparison to the Knight of Summer, the Knight of Shadow seemed to suck all the light and heat out of the air. Adorned completely in black, the Knight of Shadow stopped directly in front of Regina.

The young Queen could not tear her eyes away from the Knight dressed head to toe in plain black armor. The armor was lighter than would be anticipated for a jousting match, but Regina could see that this particular knight relied on speed and agility to win battles. There was no part of the knight visible but Regina could not tear her eyes away from the closed visor of the Knight of Shadow, and she somehow knew that said Knight was staring directly at her. Regina's heart beat faster in her chest as she felt the waves of darkness roll off the knight. It was like a cold winter breeze flowing over her overheated, flushed skin. It caused her nipples to harden and stand to attention even as her core melted into liquid fire beneath her dress.

The Knight of Shadow lifted his arm and presented the young Queen with a single black rose. Regina rose cautiously, her knees threatening to give out from under her, and accepted the rose. She closed her eyes as she inhaled the soft, sweet scent. The scent was hard to describe, but the best thing Regina could come up with was a garden at midnight in the middle of winter. It smelled of fresh snow and starlight. Regina slowly opened her eyes and stared into the closed visor of the Knight of Shadow's helmet, searching for even a glimpse of the eyes of the person who awoke such strong feelings in her.

Regina inclined her head in thanks to the knight who returned the sentiment before turning his large, black Friesian and trotting to his side of the lists. Regina collapsed back into her seat as the spell the Knight seemed to have cast on her broke. She felt her flushed cheek and the rapid beating of her own heart and tried to remember when last she felt so... Alive.

...

Regina frantically tried to calm her wildly racing heart. A drop of sweat rolled down her neck and disappeared into her cleavage as her long fingers tightened even further on the arms of her throne. The Knight of Shadow slowly pulled his sword from the chest of the Knight of Summer and the red-headed Knight collapsed onto the sand, dead. The joust had been quick and brutal. The Knight of Shadow unhorsing the Knight of Summer within two rounds. It was from there that things took a turn for the worst. Sir Lionel, completely enraged at having been so humiliated, had called for his sword. The Knight of Shadow had immediately dismounted his Friesian and stalked over to his opponent. He was not even thirty paces from Sir Lionel when his squire had appeared on the side lines and tossed a sword of pure black steel to the black knight.

The Knight of Shadow and the Knight of Summer faced off in a quick, but bloody duel in which the Knight of Summer had behaved most un-gallant and had tried to defeat the black knight by un-sportsmanlike means. But here is where it ended. With the Knight of Summer on his knees with the Knight of Shadow's sword through his heart. Sir Lionel gave one last gurgling grunt before collapsing onto the sand.

The crowd was utterly silent. The Knight of Shadow had not hesitated in taking Sir Lionel's life. He had simply cut down the red head as if he were harvesting wheat.

Leopold rose and walked to the edge of the Royal Box.

"It seems," said the King, "That we have a new champion!"

The crowd erupted into cheers and shouts of triumph as the Knight of Shadow approached the Royal Box. Regina herself clapped along heartily, never tearing her eyes away from the black knight.

"Remove your helm, Sir, that we may crown you champion," Leopold said as the Knight of Shadow stopped before him.

Regina watched with rapt attention, not even daring to breathe, as the Knight of Shadow reached up and removed his helm.

Regina was almost blinded by a flash of gold as blonde curls spilled out from beneath the black helmet and fell to the Knight's waist. The young Queen's mouth fell open as she beheld first thin, but sensuous lips spread into a wicked smirk. Regina followed that smirk to high, chiselled cheekbones and finally to dark rimmed emerald eyes. Those same eyes flashed to Regina's and held them captive even as King Leopold gasped and said, "Queen Emma?!"

...

The setting sun found Regina in her private garden, gently caressing the sickly bark of her beloved apple tree. The Royal Gardeners had been careless when transplanting her childhood tree to the Palace Garden and now Regina's most prized possession was dying before her eyes. She had tried everything she knew to remedy it, had called on the best experts in the kingdom, but all of them said the best thing her tree was now good for was kindling.

Regina allowed a tear to escape her eye and roll down her cheek as the loss of something so dear to her wracked her body. The young Queen knew it was only a tree, she knew that she should not be so upset about a piece of vegetation, but it was what the tree represented that caused Regina so much pain. It represented her brief love affair with Daniel. It represent a time in her life when she felt happy and safe. A time when she felt hope.

But as her tree continued to die, Regina felt her hope die with it. The King was becoming more and more desperate for a son. Since the tournament started, he had visited the Queen's chamber more frequently, becoming ever more frustrated and aggressive. Regina tugged at the sleeve of her gown to cover the still fresh bruising on her wrist and tried to ignore the ache between her legs. She reached up and plucked an apple from the lowest branch of her tree. The fruit was soft and squishy with rot, but the peel was still so shiny that Regina could see her haunted reflection in its' red depths.

Regina stared into her reflection's dulled eyes and allowed herself to briefly wonder what it would be like to have the ache between her legs be pleasant for once. She had heard some of the serving girls speak of it at times. How their paramours had made love to them so wonderfully that they felt them between their legs for days after.

Regina knew that the King could never make her feel that way, but maybe...Maybe a certain blonde Queen could. Regina felt her cheeks flush and her heart race. She had never thought about sex in a pleasurable way before, let alone with another woman. Oh, but Emma was not just any woman. Regina still remembered the shock the blonde woman caused when she removed her black helm and revealed herself as not only a woman, but as one of the most powerful Queens in the realm. The young Queen chuckled to herself as she recalled her husband nearly choking on his own tongue when he beheld the blonde Queen. Of course he quickly recovered his sense of decorum, crowned Emma as the victor and then quickly made arrangements for her to stay in the palace. Emma had locked her gaze onto Regina's and had not broken the intense stare as she told Leopold she'd happily accept his hospitality.

That had been several hours ago. Regina had quickly made her getaway when Emma finally released her from her mesmerising gaze. The young Queen had hurried to her chambers were she hastily dismissed her serving maids and rushed to her wash room. Once there, Regina stripped the dress from her body and gasped in relief as the cool air caressed her body. The brunette had felt as if she were going to explode, her body felt charged with electricity even the slightest caress of air on her skin was driving her wild. The Queen didn't even see the wash room; all she could see was a sensuous smirk and wild emerald eyes.

Regina had no idea what her body was reacting to, nor how to satisfy this alien craving. Her nipples were harder than diamonds and her core throbbed and leaked hot creamy, liquid down her dusky thighs. Following on pure instinct, Regina leaned against cold, hard stone and gasped as the cool roughness scraped against her hyper sensitive skin. Her inexperienced hands grazed against her bare nipples and Regina tipped her head back as a groan tore itself from her throat. Shocked at her own response, Regina had covered her mouth with one hand while the other ventured further south to neatly trimmed curls. The young Queen let out a muffled cry as her fingers grazed her slippery, engorged clit. Something foreign, but wonderful, built up in Regina as she continued to strum her fingers against that spot between her legs that made her body cry out for more. Regina sobbed into her hand as Emma's face danced beneath her eye lids. Finally, with one last firm push on her clit, Regina shattered into a million pieces, sobbing Emma's name.

"Is it wise for a Queen to be left alone thusly?"

Regina spun around, her heart in her throat as she beheld the object of her fantasies leaning against the garden wall with a devilish smirk dancing on her lips.

"You tell me," said Regina, more breathlessly than she would have liked. "Aren't you a Queen yourself?"

Emma's smile broadened as she pushed off the wall and sidled over to Regina.

"Hmmm," Emma mused as she stopped next to Regina, much closer than what could be considered appropriate. "I find that when Queens are left alone they come up with all manners of...wickedness."

Regina shuddered as Emma's words reverberated through her and she inhaled the blonde Queen's scent. Freshly fallen snow and crushed pine needles. It was an intoxicating mixture that made Regina's head spin.

"Your tree is sick," said Emma as she stepped forward and placed a hand on the trunk of the tree. Regina blinked and shook her head to clear the spider webs of lust that clung to it.

"Yes," the young Queen answered. "I've tried everything, but it's seemed to have lost the will to live."

Emma looked back at Regina and her fair brow furrowed slightly as she looked at the brunette. Looking back at the tree, Emma closed her eyes and her frown deepened for a moment before her hands began to glow. Regina gasped as the tree seemed to straighten itself. The branches lifted and the leaves became more and more green as the apples shifted from black with rot to bright red with health and vitality.

Emma stepped back and surveyed her handiwork.

"There. Something so young and beautiful should not be so ready to die," Emma said as she looked down at Regina. Regina tore her eyes from her now beautifully healthy tree and locked onto emerald green orbs.

"Thank you," the young Queen whispered.

"You are most welcome," said Emma as she sketched a perfect bow. The blonde Queen took Regina's hand and pressed a kiss to the knuckles. Emma paused as he lips caressed soft skin, she seemed to inhale slightly. Emma smirked and looked up into Regina's dark eyes with knowing amusement. Regina flushed as she realised Emma was kissing the very hand that had brought Regina to a blinding orgasm not an hour ago.

Holding Regina's eyes, Emma brazenly took Regina's index finger into her mouth and slowly, sensually suckled on the digit. Regina could not tear her eyes from the sight even as her mouth dropped open and a gasp spilled from her lips as she felt Emma's tongue caress the soft flesh at the crevice between Regina's index and middle finger. Emma slowly pulled back, never breaking eye contact with Regina until the young Queen's finger popped out of the blonde's wet mouth.

Straightening, but never breaking eye contact, Emma husked, "I will see you this evening at the Champion's Banquet, your Majesty."

With that, the blonde Queen turned on her heel and existed the garden, leaving Regina with a pounding in both her chest and between her legs.

...

Well? Want to read about the banquet? Will Emma get to taste Regina's forbidden fruit? Leave a review if you want more ;).