Work Text:
‘If only she hadn’t told them the whole truth about me…’ the young, dark-haired woman thought to herself as she stared out of her cell’s window. Besides the fact that it was supposed to keep her imprisoned, it wasn’t that bad. There was a comfortable bed alongside one of the walls and a bookshelf on the other. Even a bouquet of lilies standing on a table below the window, which overlooked the castle’s garden. Well, she was the Queen’s daughter, after all.
The princess looked away from the window with a sigh and started pacing around the cell. She was barefoot, wearing a light blue gown, her long hair up in a neat braid. She put her hands on her hips and groaned internally, as she took another stride across the room.
‘It’s already been three weeks, how long is she going to keep me locked up?’ If someone were listening they would hear a slight quivering in the princess’s voice. ‘I shouldn’t be here, I did nothing wrong’ Regina muttered to herself, more angry with each step. It really wasn’t her fault. In her kingdom magic has always been seen as something dark and evil. That’s why she was so terrified when she found out that there was magic inside her.
It had been quite a warm evening and Regina had decided to take a walk before going to her bedchamber. While strolling along the castle’s walls she’d heard a strange noise coming from the nearby woods. Feeling a little scared Regina had picked up her pace but the noise had seemed to be getting closer. Now running the princess had looked over her shoulder and that’s when she had tripped on a rock and fell with a painful groan. She had heard a loud panting just a few meters behind her. After she had turned around on the ground she had seen a big shadow coming at her. Terrified, she had closed her eyes and thrown her hands up, in order to cover her face, and waited for an impact. But nothing had happened. After a moment or two, she had opened her eyes and gasped in shock. The big, scary shadow had turned out to be one of her father’s dogs. And he had been floating in the air as if supported by some unnatural force. A force that had been coming out of Regina’s hands. The princess’s heart had stopped after she had wrapped her mind around the situation. Magic. She had stood up and hidden her hands behind her back, releasing the poor creature. Not daring to move her hands Regina had run to the castle, her eyes tearing up and her head full of thoughts.
Regina stopped pacing a while ago and was now sitting on her bed, thinking. That evening was four months ago and since then Regina has accepted her powers. Yes, she was horrified at first. After all, everybody said that magic was an evil thing and it only brought death. But the princess realized that it was not the case. It wasn’t magic itself that was dark and dangerous. It became like that only in the hands of the wrong person. So she made it her mission to show people that magic could be used for good, that it could be helpful. In secret Regina read old books and practiced her powers. The more she controlled it, the happier she was and more confident, that she was going to accomplish her self-proclaimed mission.
‘Looks like it was just a naive dream’ Regina’s quiet voice was full of sadness. She fiddled with her hands, head full of ‘what ifs’, as the day was coming to an end. The princess noticed the darkening sky and as she thought it was time to get ready for bed, she heard a noise outside her door. Regina stood up from her bed and slowly walked to the door, putting her ear to the dark wood. There was a muffled shout, a clatter of metal and then a thud, like something heavy was dropped on the floor. After a few seconds of silence, the princess heard the sound of a key being put into the lock and she jumped away from the door. She leaned her back against the opposite wall and watched with wide eyes what was happening before her. The door opened wide and in walked a person wearing silver armour with a family crest with white lilies engraved on the breastplate. A helmet decorated with white feathers was covering the knight’s face.
‘What… Who are you?’ Regina asked, staring at the person before her.
‘I would be more than happy to properly introduce myself, Your Highness, but I doubt there is much time for that’ the knight replied and shot a quick glance out of the room. ‘We have to go. I took care of the guards outside your cell but I can’t be sure how long they will be out.’
The princess quickly collected herself and walked out the door, following the knight into the dark hallway. They moved as quietly as possible towards the stairway. They were almost there, only one turn between them and the stairs, when the knight shoved Regina against the wall and motioned to her not to move. Regina held her breath as they waited for the sound of the guard’s footsteps behind the corner to disappear. After waiting a few more seconds, to make sure the corridor was empty, the knight nodded to the princess and led the way.
‘How did you know where I was? And why did you come for me?’ Regina asked as they were rushing down the stairs. They were almost at the back exit of the castle.
‘I heard a rumour that there was a princess in this castle, waiting to be rescued’ the knight replied. ‘And as a chivalrous knight I just had to come and release her from her misery’ Regina could hear a smile in her saviour’s voice.
‘I’m sure you wouldn’t bother if you knew why I was there’ the princess grumbled under her breath.
‘Oh, but I do know that’ Regina raised an eyebrow in surprise. They already walked out of the castle and were rushing towards the woods. ‘What I don’t know is how the Queen found out? I doubt that you were using your magic out in the open.’
‘That’s because I wasn’t’ the princess said with a scowl. ‘My little sister came into my bedchamber one night and saw me practicing. I told her that what I was doing was harmless and made her promise to keep my secret from our parents but…’ Regina sighed. ‘We both know how it turned out.’
They were at the edge of the forest now, safe in the night’s darkness. They stopped to catch a breath and Regina used it to look a bit closer at the knight. There was something familiar about the family crest. She swore she'd seen it before, maybe in one of her many books. While she was thinking about it, the knight walked to a large rock lying under one of the trees and kneeled next to it. The princess heard a whisper and a moment later a bright light shot from the knight’s hand towards the rock. But it wasn’t a rock anymore. Regina was now looking at a beautiful, white horse. The princess inhaled sharply and took a step back.
‘It can’t be…’ she whispered to herself, watching the knight stand up. That crest, the horse, magic. It was all supposed to be a legend, and yet... There was a breathing, living proof before her eyes that it was more than that. ‘I know who you are’ Regina addressed her saviour. ‘You’re the White Knight.’
‘Well, yes. Where I come from people are used to call me that. But…’ the knight took off the helmet and a cascade of long, blonde hair fell down, resting on the silver-covered shoulders. ‘You can call me Emma’ the blonde said with a smile.
‘You’re a woman?’ Regina stared at her companion with wide eyes. She certainly wasn’t expecting that.
‘Surprise’ Emma chuckled at the other woman’s expression and turned to the horse. She got up on it and looked down at Regina, holding out a hand to her. ‘Well, Your Highness. Do you want to run away with a humble knight?’ there was a playful spark in her eyes. Regina looked at the offered hand and took it with a smile. With the blonde’s help, the princess got up on the horse behind her and grabbed her waist to keep herself from falling.
‘I sure do’ she said to Emma. ‘And please, call me Regina.’
‘As you wish’ the knight smiled at her over her shoulder and led the horse away from the castle, the moon's light illuminating the way.