Caught in the Grey (14/?)
Bleak afternoon sunlight filtered feebly through the heavy, grey clouds that hung low in the winter sky, with barely enough strength to illuminate the intimate sitting room let alone the sheets of paper that comprised the novel Regina currently held in her hands. Flickering candles and a crackling fire aided in the cause, but their assistance was futile since the brunette had spent the last half hour staring vacantly at the same page without reading a single word.
It was only at Emma's insistence that she even found herself here now when she could be focusing her attention on some of the more pressing matters that came with running a kingdom. The blonde was a shrewd negotiator when it came to getting Regina to comply with her wishes, utilizing her wily forms of persuasion to convince Regina that she should take some time to 'rest and relax' while she and Henry trained with the royal guards.
That had been another of Emma's brilliant ideas that the brunette had been swift to shoot down. Royalty were instructed solely by a skilled weapons-master, either individually or with other court nobles; to spar with common soldiers was simply not done. Yet again, however, the younger woman had been able to easily sway her opinion by reasoning that without practical knowledge of group training, she would be an inefficient leader for the civilian guard and Henry's effectiveness as a future military leader would be greatly hindered.
Though she still didn't believe it quite fair that Emma had argued her point while they'd been tangled up in sweat-soaked sheets as the blonde's dexterous fingers and agile tongue danced across her naked skin. After all, who could stand strong in the face of such a delicious onslaught? Needless to say, she'd conceded without much fuss and now she found herself at a loss as to how to occupy herself in a 'relaxing' manner while her partner and son participated in the fourth session of their semiweekly group training.
Setting aside the forgotten book with a sigh, Regina stood from the small sofa, stretching the stiff muscles of her legs that had been curled beneath her for the better part of the past two hours. Pacing leisurely before the warm fire, her unoccupied mind returned to her current predicament, or… more accurately her lack thereof.
Nearly an entire month had passed since she had returned to Rosewood and Cameron in her dreams. While Emma saw this as a good sign, Regina also knew the blonde wasn't aware of the entire situation. Yes the dreams, or whatever they were, had stopped, but her fading memories had not. Truthfully, that worried her more than anything else.
Since seeing how upset Emma had become when she revealed that she'd forgotten how they'd gotten together and their subsequent returned to Fairytale Land, she'd refrained from mentioning it again. She never out right lied when the younger woman asked her about it, but she wasn't above prevarication and deflection. If the blonde had become so distraught all those weeks ago, how would she react to the news that the most recent memory Regina could recall was the moment when Henry was placed into her arms as an infant?
It wouldn't be pretty. That was for sure.
Clenching her fists in frustration, Regina ceased her restless pacing in front of the stone hearth, staring into the dancing flames as if she could divine all the answers of the universe from their swaying, leaping forms.
She scoffed silently at her own ridiculousness, but remained where she was, taking welcome comfort from their warmth as her mind continued its train of thought.
Everything between holding her son that first time and the bizarre dream of Emma killing her had simply vanished. She was even missing a few months of time here, though every day for the past several weeks were, thankfully, accounted for.
Originally, she'd believed her loss of memory and the dreams of the mental asylum were connected. It made sense; every time she woke up here, something else was missing, though it had practically smacked her in the face before she realized. That, however, did not explain why more were disappearing every day when she'd not returned to those dreams for so long.
If the dreams aren't the link, then what is?
She still didn't have an answer for that and not knowing was driving her insane.
Which is probably the point, she thought, rolling her eyes in exasperation.
Soon, she feared, she would regress so far back that she wouldn't even remember who she was or, worse, who Emma and Henry were and why they were important to her.
Refusing to even contemplate such an occurrence, and truly tired of 'relaxing', she decided to meet Emma and Henry at the end of their training.
Wrapping her fur cloak tighter around her shoulders as she stepped out into the chilled, afternoon wind, Regina made her way across the snow-covered grounds towards the barracks and training grounds.
The sounds of clanging metal, thudding bodies, and shouts of instruction and encouragement grew in volume as she neared, drowning out the crunching snow beneath her boots. Nearly two-hundred off duty guards were scattered throughout the vast area, participating in various drills and exercises. The once pristine ground gave way to a muddy slush that the queen could clearly see added a completely new level of difficulty to the maneuvers. She was pleasantly surprised at how well her men seemed to be handling it though.
Brown eyes scanned the multitude of bodies searching for one in particular. Normally, it wasn't difficult to pick Emma out from the crowd, but with muck and dirt liberally coating every inch of every person in sight, the task was proving fairly hopeless.
"Line up for Queen's inspection," someone exclaimed suddenly from her right, obviously, she'd been spotted, and Regina had to fight to suppress an amused grin as she watched the men scramble to obey.
Striding forward, as if this had been her intention the entire time, she calmly walked among the ranks as they stood stiffly before her. With such a large number, it was a long process, but her men were nothing if not disciplined and no one so much as twitched as she took her time looking over each individual.
Halfway down the third row from the end, Regina met the bright, jade eyes of the only person that had the audacity and courage to meet her own brown orbs at such a time. She lingered for a moment, taking in the mud coated blonde locks and battered clothing. Rolling her eyes at the playful wink shot her way, she went off to finish her impromptu inspection.
"Captain," she spoke calmly once she'd returned to the front of the line, "your men appear to be in decent shape today. I expect you will maintain the high level of standard that has kept them in good stead so far."
"Of course, Your Majesty," he responded promptly with a bow before dismissing the other guards for the day as she made her way back towards the castle.
Quick footsteps sound from behind and she didn't have to guess to know who it was. Coming to a stop, she only had a few seconds to wait until the smiling form of her lover was beside her.
"My Lady," Emma greeted with a gallant bow, displaying proper public decorum, before offering her arm to escort Regina the rest of the way.
Despite the mud and filth covering the blonde's sleeve, Regina tucked her hand into the crook of Emma's elbow as they resumed their journey.
"Where's Henry?" Regina asked curiously. "I thought he'd be out here as well."
"He was for the group exercises," Emma answered, "but Galion says he's still too young to participate in the individual combat drills and sent him to train with the weapons-master for the remaining time."
"I'm glad to hear it," Regina said relieved. She quite agreed that Henry was still too young and inexperienced to spar with men twice his age and weight.
"So, did you take my advice and actually relax while Henry and I were out here in the freezing cold working our butts off?"
"Hmm… some," Regina hummed. "I was able to get a little pleasure reading done before I grew restless."
"Well, I'm impressed. I didn't think you'd actually listen to me."
"It's not like you gave me much choice, dear. Personally escorting me to your study, where I had absolutely no access to any of my books or reports, made it rather difficult to do anything else."
"You could have left," Emma responded nonchalantly.
The words were casual and her tone smooth, but the slight quirk at the corner of pale lips, imperceptible to anyone else, exposed her teasing intent.
"Well," Regina countered, "there was the guard you posted outside th open oor to ensure no one 'disturbed' me, but who I know you placed to make sure I stayed put and didn't magic myself out. You do not fool me for one second, Emma Swan."
The younger woman had the good grace to blush at being found out, but the brunette had no true complaint with Emma's actions. Especially since they stemmed from sincere love and care.
"Come now," she said spurring the blonde on a little faster, "supper is in a few short hours and you are going to need to spend every spare second from now until then in the bath just to rid yourself of that awful stench. Honestly, did Galion have you clean the horse stalls before starting?"
Emma chuckled, but otherwise remained quiet as the couple entered their bedchambers and swept straight into the bathroom where a porcelain, clawfoot bathtub waited in the center of the room. Faint wisps rose from the steaming water carrying a light scent from the unique mix of bath oils meant to sooth aching muscles and heal any minor cuts or bruises the blonde may have sustained during her training.
Stripping quickly, the younger woman tossed her soiled clothes into the far corner to deal with later before easing into the hot water with a low groan of approval.
Green eyes fluttered shut in apparent bliss and Regina took advantage of this rare moment to study her lover unobserved. Mud-caked golden curls, now released from their binding, cascaded down along high cheekbones, over a strong jaw, and caressed a delicate neck until the final inches fanned out around a lithe body as they floated in the clear water.
"Would you care to join me or are you just gonna stand there all night and watch?" Emma asked, breaking Regina's reverie.
With a pass of her hand, Regina removed the heavy, long-sleeved dress she'd been wearing and stood in the slightly chilled room in nothing more than the corset and satin thong she'd worn underneath.
Basking in the younger woman's appreciative gaze as she sauntered across the room, Regina grabbed a folded towel from a piled stack and dropped it on the floor near the head of the tub to protect her knees from the hard floor as she knelt behind to the immersed blonde.
"Wet your hair and get what mud out you can," she directed gently.
Emma eagerly complied as Regina reached for a nearby jar. The mixture of various plant and fruit oils, along with bits of soap flakes, wasn't quite as good as what could be found in Storybrooke, but it got the job done.
Spreading a generous portion over her hands, Regina began to methodically work it through Emma's damp tresses, making sure to cover every inch and work out any dirt still clinging to them. A soft moan broke free from the blonde as the brunette's blunt nails lightly scratched over her scalp.
Regina didn't even bother to suppress the self-satisfied smirk that settled across her lips. She knew too well how gratifying it was to have someone else indulge her in a similar way, especially with her hair at this rather ridiculous length.
"I think I may cut my hair short again," she murmured, not really expecting a reply.
"I agree," Emma hummed as Regina hit a particularly sensitive spot. "It's gorgeous as it is now, but there's just something about you with shorter hair. I can't even describe it, but it suits you and it's easier to wrap my fingers in when necessary."
"Rinse," the brunette commanded as she shoved the blonde's shoulders, pushing her under water and wiping away the wicked grin the younger woman had been sporting.
Moving to the side of the tub, Regina met Emma's half-hearted glare of indignation as she sat back up with an arched eyebrow until the younger woman rolled her eyes and settled back against the smooth porcelain.
"You're lucky I love you, you know," Emma groused with a faux pout.
"So you say, dear, but who is pampering whom here?" Regina countered as she lathered a wet cloth with a bar of soap.
"Well," the blonde returned shamelessly, "if you'd joined me when I first offered, I'd be the one taking care of al you needs at this point."
For all of her talk, Regina knew Emma was not up for anything more at this point. She'd need some rest and a substantial meal to recover from her training first. Later tonight, however, that was a different story.
"I will be more than happy to take you up on that offe afte you are clean and not in a tub filled with filthy water," Regina stated as she tenderly washed off the layers of dirt and sweat that had accumulated on the blonde during her long day.
When she finished, she gently roused the younger woman who'd fallen asleep halfway through her ministrations. Wrapping herself and Emma in the plush robes they used in the cold winter months, Regina led the blonde to their bed for a much deserved nap. An undignified squeak escaped her throat when Emma hadn't released her hand as planned and instead pulled her down onto the large mattress as well.
"Stay with me," Emma mumbled drowsily as she wrapped a long arm around Regina's waist from behind, fitting herself flush against the brunette's back.
"Gladly," Regina replied as she settled comfortably into the blonde's embrace and slipped into a light sleep.
They had a couple hours until dinner after all and wouldn't be missed until then.
Chapter 15
A/N I know, I know. I suck. I'm sorry. I have no excuses. I've just had issues getting myself to write recently. I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday. I know i did, cause my xmas present from my best friend was a certified, authentic, autographed picture of the luscious Lana herself. I nearly passed out. And I did tear up a little, but I didn't cry. Lana touched that picture! I haven't taken it out of it's protective casing yet. I'm waiting until i have a frame for it, but when i do, I'll be touching something she held! It'll be a major fangirl moment for me. LOL. Anyways... Not much to say on this chapter. It's kinda fluff but it's not completely pointless. Either way, I hope you enjoy. If you haven't seen, the previews for the next two stories I plan to write ( Lost Before the Dawn and Waiting for the Rain to Fall) read those, if you haven't, and let me know if you prefer one over the other. The one with the most votes wins and I do take anon reviews. All i need is the title, you don't have to add anything else. Much love to you guys and thanks for reading and any comments you leave!