Emma startled at an unexpected knock on her door, and before she even got a chance to ask who was there, the door flung open, and Henry came bounding into the room.
"Henry," Emma breathed, relieved to see his face again, as she held open her arms to wrap him in a big hug. "Where's Regina?"
"Uh, we kind of got intercepted by Snow White on the way in. I guess they've got, you know, stuff to discuss before the wedding."
"Yeah, I'd say so," Emma agreed, feeling a small knot in her stomach, hoping Regina was okay and wishing she could be there as some sort of emotional support as she faced her nemesis again.
"Are you nervous?" Henry asked. "You look like you might puke."
"Not gonna puke," Emma assured him. "But yeah. Little nervous."
"I thought you'd be excited."
"I am. Excited, but nervous. This was all kind of fast, and unexpected, you know. And I can't stop thinking… isn't a little crazy to marry a woman I just met, like, a week ago?"
Henry shrugged. "It's a fairytale. It's kinda how they are."
"Fair enough."
Another knock at the door, which was still wide open, and Emma turned to see Charming again, and this time he was grinning and holding up a suit fit for a prince. The jacket was red, with a bronze coloured cape draped over it, and black pants and boots.
"What do you think?" Charming asked, stepping into the room.
"I think it's perfect," Emma said, smiling and feeling a little bit less nervous now that she had something to wear. "Henry, this is Prince Charming, your, uh… grandfather, I guess."
"Hey, Gramps," Henry greeted with a grin, as though it was the most natural thing ever, and then turned back to Emma. "Mom, is this what you're wearing?"
Emma nodded. "Yeah. Still need to have it altered to fit, but yeah. What do you think?"
Henry gave a single approving nod. "I like it. It suits you."
"Thanks, kid."
Time was passing in a blur, with the frenzy of getting everything ready so last minute. The tailor had come and gone, and Emma was dressed and waiting anxiously in her room for instructions on what to do next. Henry had gone with Charming to check in on Regina, and since Emma didn't have a clue where Regina actually, let alone any idea what the layout of this palace was, she decided it would be best to stay put until someone came to get her, though her anxiety was rising with the thought that she probably wouldn't get to see Regina again until the ceremony.
She jumped at the next knock on her open door, and glanced up from where she was sitting on the edge of her bed to see Snow White standing there, dressed in a light pink gown, her hair already done up, and smiling, though Emma could tell it was still a little forced.
"It's almost time," she said.
"Really?" Emma asked, scrunching up her nose.
"You're not having second thoughts?"
"No." Emma shook her head quickly. "Just nerves. Never done this before, you know?"
Snow smiled again, more genuinely this time. "You'll be fine. Do you have a ring?"
Emma blanched, her fingers moving instinctively to the engagement ring on her left hand. "No. I… where would I even get one?"
"I figured you didn't," Snow said, stepping closer to Emma and holding out her hand, revealing a small box. "I had this made before you were born. Before we knew about the prophecy. It was intended to be part of your dowry."
Emma curled her lip in disgust at the idea.
"It's how this world works, Emma," Snow said. "But, since you won't have a dowry, I thinking perhaps you'd like to give it to Regina?"
Emma pondered the idea for a moment, before taking the box from Snow's hand. She opened it, revealing a beautiful, and extremely expensive looking ring, shimmering with diamonds.
"Wow."
Snow smiled and sat down tentatively next to Emma on the bed. "I'm sorry that I was so… opposed to the idea of this marriage earlier. I know it's been twenty eight years, but to me, it feels like only a few short months have passed since you were a newborn, and we were terrified of losing you."
Emma shrugged. "It's okay."
Snow sighed. "No, it's not. But I'll make it up to you. I hope you can see that I'm trying to make a start, with this gesture. And maybe you are right about Regina. There was a time that I believed in her. I've seen good in her. I thought it was gone but… well, if you've seen it too, maybe it's not. And maybe this prophecy was about more than just uniting the Kingdom. She deserves a second chance."
Before she knew it, Emma was standing outside a set of large white doors, chewing on the inside of her lip as her eyes darted around nervously, not really taking in anything they landed on.
"Emma, you've gotta breathe," Charming reminded her.
Emma nodded, and let go of the breath she was holding in. "In my world, they do rehearsals for these things," Emma said, barely recognizing her own voice as she spoke.
Charming smiled, as the door opened a crack, and Henry motioned for them to come in.
"It's time," Charming whispered, as Henry pushed the door wide open, with a big grin.
Emma could barely hear the music playing over the sound of her own heart pounding as they stepped into the room. The seats were all filled, and several people were standing around the outside of the room, and Emma wondered where on earth all they had all come from.
As she walked down the aisle, people gasped and stood up, trying to get a better look at her, and it occurred to her that all of them would have known about the impending arrival of the baby princess, and they had all learned very recently that she was back, and all grown up now.
She tried not to make eye contact with anyone as she neared the front of the room. Snow White stood and gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek when she reached the front of the room, and Charming walked her up to the place she was meant to stand. He gave her a kiss on the cheek as well, before going over to join his wife in the front row.
Emma drew in a deep breath as she watched the large door at the other end of the aisle open again, and Regina stepped in. Henry grinned from beside her, holding out his arm to walk her down the aisle.
The sight of her was enough to quell Emma's nerves in an instant. Suddenly, everyone else in the room seemed to disappear. Regina wore a dress of ivory silk, that was tight in the bodice and waist, with a skirt that flowed while she walked. Her dress had a sweetheart top, with tiny glass bead embellishments that caught the light from the large stained glass windows, and her hair was loose and curled, swept back from her face and tumbling down her back.
It wasn't at all how Emma had imagined she'd dress for their wedding, but she quickly realized that Regina looked reminiscent of how she'd painted her most recently; innocent and free of all the awful things she'd done, and that had been done to her.
When she reached the front, Emma held out her hands to take both of Regina's, as Henry bounded off to stand with Snow White and Charming, to watch. Emma barely heard anything the minister said as she stared into Regina's dark eyes. Suddenly, nothing else mattered - not New York, or portals, or magic, or prophecies or anything. Nothing mattered except this moment. They weren't here to unite any kingdoms. They were here to become a family.
"You look beautiful," Emma whispered, and Regina smiled.
"As do you," Regina said. "Or should I say, handsome? My dashing prince."
Emma grinned and squeezed Regina's hands as the minister began to speak. She repeated her vows in a haze, and when she pulled out the ring to place on Regina's finger, Regina gave her a surprised smile, and held out her left hand. Emma's own hand shook and she carefully slid the ring on. Before she knew it, she was being told that she could kiss her bride, and she smiled, reaching out to lace her fingers through the hair at the back of Regina's head as she pulled her closer.
When their lips met, Emma felt the same jolt of electric energy that she now recognized as magic shoot between them, and she wrapped her other arm around Regina, pulling her as close as she could, as she heard guests applauding. It struck her as odd for only a moment, that anyone would be cheering on this union at all, but she didn't question it as she deepened their kiss.
It was Regina who pulled away first, stopping to lean into Emma's ear and whisper, "how about we save something for after the reception, hmm?"
To say that the reception was an awkward one, would have been an understatement, as guests clambered to get a better look at Emma, while simultaneously trying to avoid the former Evil Queen at her side. Only a few actually came up to offer their congratulations.
"Emma!" Emma turned when she heard a familiar voice behind her, and smiled as she watched Red and Granny hurrying up.
"You came!"
"Of course we came," said Red, shaking her head at the notion that they wouldn't have. "Didn't you know I've been friends with your mom forever?"
Emma shook her head. "No… I actually didn't."
"Well," Red said, looking at Regina, then back to Emma, "I just wanted to offer my congratulations. Not exactly how I imagined seeing you again, but I, for one, am glad you never made it back to your own realm."
"So am I," Emma agreed, squeezing Regina's hand as she said it. "Turns out home was a lot closer than Henry and I realized."
"You did it!"
Emma turned again, to see Aurora hurrying up, Mulan close behind. "You saved the Queen and united the Kingdom, just like Henry said."
"Well, we united the Kingdom," Emma corrected, casting a smile at Regina.
"And I heard it was a dragon," Mulan said, looking impressed.
Emma nodded, and glanced at Regina again. "This is Mulan. She's the one who taught me how to use a sword."
"I suppose I owe you my gratitude, then," Regina said, offering a smile.
Mulan smiled back, though Emma could tell she was still a little uneasy around Regina. She supposed that was how it would be, for a while at least. She might not have seen Regina at her worst, but all of these people had.
"You wanna get out of here," Emma asked, leaning in closer to Regina as Red, Aurora and Mulan all made their way back into the crowd of guests.
"You don't want to mingle?"
Emma shrugged. "That's about the extent of everyone I know in this realm, so…"
Regina smiled. "You think your parents would be willing to babysit tonight?"
"So, do I, like… go back to my old room? Or do we share a room now? How does this go?" Emma asked, inwardly kicking herself for her own awkwardness, now that she and Regina were alone again, in Regina's palace. Henry had wanted to stay at the reception, and to their relief, Snow had agreed to let him stay there for the night, so they could spend their wedding night alone together, even if she had tried to convince them to stay a little longer.
"I'm not opposed to sharing a room," Regina replied. "If you'd like."
"Cool," said Emma, with a smile. "I'll just, uh, go change, and uh, come to your room then?"
"Our room," Regina corrected, before setting off down the corridor.
Emma all but sprinted back to her old room, ripping off her clothes without a hint of grace, and dropping them on the bed. She quickly changed into a loose tunic and ran a brush through her hair, before stepping back into the corridor and heading back to Regina's room.
When she arrived, the door was open, and Regina was sitting at her vanity, removing hairpins from her updo. She was in a night dress that fell to her knees, which had thin straps and was cut low in the back. Emma guessed she could have fixed her hair with magic, and she wondered if she was doing this on purpose, to make Emma stop in her tracks and just stare.
"Hey," said Emma, announcing her presence as she stepped up behind Regina.
"Hello," Regina replied, the hint of a smile visible from her reflection in the mirror. "That was quick."
"Didn't want to keep you waiting," Emma said, trying to appear nonchalant with a small shrug.
"Wise choice. Why don't you go get in bed? I'll be there in a minute."
"Okay," Emma said, though she didn't really want to step away from Regina just yet. Seeing so much of her bare skin made Emma eager to touch her, kiss her-
She stopped herself. They may be married now, but they'd still only kissed up to this point, and Emma didn't want to be too presumptuous that Regina was open to more just yet.
So she slid into Regina's large bed, and watched her from a distance, until Regina finally got up and made her way over, her hips swaying seductively with every step she took. She slid into bed next to Emma, and studied her face carefully.
"You okay?" she asked, finally.
"Yeah," said Emma. "Just thinking."
"About what?"
"Marriage, I guess."
"Well, I guess that's fair," Regina replied with a small laugh. "Did you ever plan on getting married? Would you have, if not for all of this?"
"Well, not like this, but… maybe? I don't know… it's been so long since I even had a prospect. It wasn't exactly been on my mind. It wasn't even in the realm of possibilities, really."
"But you wanted to, right?"
"Well, it's a little late for cold feet now, isn't it?" Emma replied with a laugh, but she could tell Regina was serious. "I want to stay here, with you, and it's the only way, so yeah. I wanted to. I have no regrets. Do you?"
"This isn't the first marriage I've had forced upon me."
"Yeah."
"But somehow," Regina continued, "even though I didn't choose this, deep down, it still feels like I did. Isn't that odd?"
"Well, you did have a choice. You could have said no, and sent me and Henry back to New York. Nothing was stopping you."
"Something was."
"What?"
"My heart. I didn't want you to go."
Emma couldn't help the smile that spread across her face, that mirrored the one that Regina was giving her. Before she could even think of making a move, Regina was moving closer, lacing her fingers in Emma's hair and pulling her in for a kiss.
"So… I guess this is the part where we consummate the marriage, right?" Emma asked, tentatively, when their lips parted.
"Consummate?"
"Yeah, it means-"
"I know what it means," Regina said, shaking her head despite her smile. "Just wasn't the word I'd expect you to use."
"Oh. Yeah. I was trying to be, like… I dunno. Not vulgar. Since you're a Queen, and all."
"You seem nervous," Regina observed.
"Yeah, well… it's been a while. And also, you're a Queen. And all."
"You're a princess."
"True."
"So what does the prophecy say? Do we consummate the marriage now?" Regina asked, her voice playful, which was helping Emma relax a bit.
"I don't think the prophecy was super clear on that. Luckily, I just became a prophet."
"Oh, you did. How convenient. Princess, knight, prophet… so what do you see in my future?"
"Hmm…" Emma said, lazily rolling so she hovered a little over Regina, one arm draping over her abdomen. "I see… kisses."
"Oh, I like that," said Regina, as Emma leaned in to kiss her long and slow on the mouth.
"And neck kisses," Emma murmured, breaking away from Regina's lips to move to her neck, kissing and sucking her pulse point. She heard Regina let out a small gasp, and then felt her fingers lacing through her hair, holding her head in place.
"What else?" Regina breathed out, her voice low and husky with want.
"Me-" she slid the strap of Regina's night dress from her shoulder and kissed the bare skin there, "worshipping every inch of your skin-" she peppered kisses along Regina's collarbone, "-with my mouth."
Regina was breathing heavily now, as Emma moved to straddle her on her hands and knees.
"And," Emma whispered, leaning in close to Regina's ear, "I see a lot of orgasms in your future."
"Well let's get to it then," said Regina, waving a hand as magic enveloped them both. It only took a moment for Emma to realize that they were both now completely naked.
"Whoa," she said, her eyes widening in surprise. "That was… cool. And convenient."
"Enough talking," said Regina, lacing her fingers through Emma's hair again and staring up at her with eyes full of desire. "Show me what else that mouth of yours is good for."
Regina lay on Emma's bare chest, spent from lovemaking, watching the moon outside the window while Emma laced her fingers lazily through her hair.
"You weren't kidding about the orgasms," Regina said, finally, causing Emma to let out a small laugh.
"Good to know I've still got the magic touch."
"Magic," Regina said, tapping Emma on the chest with one finger, as though she had suddenly remembered something important. "That's something we're going to need to discuss. Your magic, specifically. You'll need lessons."
Emma groaned. "School?"
"I can teach you, don't worry," Regina said, with a small laugh. "I take it you don't have the affinity for formal schooling that your son does?"
"Our son," Emma corrected.
Regina sighed. "I wasn't the best stepmother the first time, you know."
"Well, that was different. Henry already adores you, and I can tell you feel the same way. Plus, this isn't the same as your first marriage."
"No, it's not. You're right about that," Regina agreed. "Can I tell you something?"
"Of course."
"When I was first married to the King, I used to wish for a white knight to come and save me from that life. After a while, I gave up on that hope. But now… well, here you are. My savior."
Emma smiled, and leaned down to kiss the top of Regina's hair. "My Queen," she murmured. "And now I'm here for good, and we can start a beautiful adventure together."
The End