A Fine Line

Chapter 5

When Emma woke the next morning, Regina was finishing eating her breakfast. The older woman frowned as she realized she was awake. "You will be training today, Dark One." She said. Emma noticed her voice was cold and she no longer looked like the woman that took her riding the day before. She felt bad, and the pity must have shown on her face because the Queen all but ripped the chain from her collar.

"Don't act like a victim. You're evil, you made yourself that way. Now come on." The woman snapped, pulling on the collar harshly. Emma followed her out to the courtyard again. Her stomach grumbled loudly. Regina noticed, and merely smirked at her. "Hungry, dear?" She taunted. Emma glared at her in response.

"You should have eaten your meal last night. After all, I was nice enough to feed you." Regina said. Emma knew she was putting up her walls again, and she knew that it was because of her. A sword was thrown at her, and she was barely able to catch it. The heavy weapon clattered to the ground, and she scrambled to pick it up.

"Unacceptable. You have to be faster than that." The Queen spat, cutting her arm with her own sword as a warning. The blonde held the sword with both hands, waiting for her opponent to strike. This was much heavier than any other sword she had handled before, and the lack of food and water along with the physical abuse didn't help her weakened state.

The brunette swung the sword, and Emma barely had time to block her. The Queen pressed down harder, and the younger woman noticed she was using magic to defeat her. The sword fell out of Emma's hands, and she landed on the ground beside it with a hard thud. Then, the tip of the sword was pressed against her throat.

"If you are going to complete my mission you need to learn to fight like a knight. You're weak and unworthy of being the Dark One." Regina growled. "Then just send me home. Obviously I'm not good enough for you." Emma snapped, her voice breaking with emotion. "You think I'm just going to let you go? You're my prisoner, and I'm not through with you."

"Then just kill me." Tears welled in Emma's eyes, and she looked down at the ground. "You already have my heart, just do me a favor and crush it. I don't want to live if this is who I'm going to be forever."

The sword was dropped on the ground as the Queen kneeled in front of her. "Emma, look." The older woman instructed., her voice softening. The Dark One looked up to see her holding her heart. "When I first ripped your heart out it was pure black. But I've noticed that with each day it's lightened. When I took you riding yesterday and looked at it, it was the lightest it's ever been." Regina said.

Emma noticed the pulse of red that was shining brightly within. "I didn't have to show you how to ride, or feed you, or offer you my bed. But I did because I- I believe in you and you've made me a better person. I can feel my heart growing lighter too. I never should have hurt you and I'm sorry. I just- I don't know how to love very well." Regina was crying now too.

The Queen put her heart back in Emma's chest, letting her hand linger there for just a second to feel it beating. "I just thought you could be the one to give me my happy ending. I wanted to train you, to kill Snow White and succeed, and I knew you could because you're powerful. At first I just wanted you to

destroy her and then I would kill you and be the most powerful one in this land, but now- you could kill her and then we could rule this kingdom together. Emma, I have never felt like this since my first love was alive. I deserve my chance at happiness too. I love you." Regina took the bracelet off of Emma's wrist.

Emma felt her heart pound wildly in her chest as the woman kissed her. Regina loved her- and Lord knows Emma loved her too. But she couldn't stay here, or else the lives of everyone in Storybrooke (including her own) would be destroyed. She needed to break Regina's heart. She kissed her back hard, feeling her own heart break.