A Kingdom Divided

Chapter 2

Regina held on tightly to Emma's hand as she led them through the dark forest. The blonde hummed softly, skipping over tree roots and rocks in their path and pointing them out to Regina. "How do you know where you're going?" The brunette asked. Emma really didn't know, but she knew that this girl was trusting her to be the leader so she played it cool.

"Simple. I live in a village close by." Emma answered. Regina cocked her head in confusion. The girl didn't look like a peasant. Far from it, actually. Her clothes look like they were made with the finest of silks, and she was clean. "What about you? Where are you from?" Emma asked.

Regina bit her lip, contemplating telling her the truth. "I'm from a village too. My father is a shoe maker, and my mother is a baker." The lie rolled easily off of her tongue, and an excited thrill ran through her. They walked along for a while until they reached a cabin.

Only this was no ordinary cabin. It was a kid's dream. The outside was covered in gingerbread and gumdrops, and the path leading up to the door was adorned with giant candy canes. "Wow." Both girls breathed, their eyes lighting up at the sight. Suddenly, screaming was heard from inside the house.

Emma let go of Regina's hand and darted forward, pulling the small dagger out of her satchel. Regina followed behind her, cautiously looking over the blonde's shoulder as they peered through the window. Emma held a finger up to her lips as a warning, and pushed the window open before climbing through.

Regina shakily climbed through, hanging onto the window ledge so she wouldn't fall and get them both caught. Emma grabbed her hand and supported the girl's weight, lowering her down to the ground. Both of them tried not to get distracted from the table full of macaroons, brownies, cakes, cookies, and other sweet treats.

As they rounded the corner they saw a young boy and girl -the girl being a few years older than them- huddled together in front of the fireplace. Cornering them was a large silver wolf bigger than all 4 of the kids combined. The animal growled deep in its throat and stepped towards the two children.

With a shaking hand, Emma held her dagger out and stepped forward. She always said she wanted to be like her father, now was her chance. She could be a hero. "Hey!" She said loudly, her voice strong and confident. The wolf snapped its head around and turned towards them, its eyes blazing and teeth pulled back into a snarl.

The blonde pushed Regina behind her, standing her ground as the wolf came closer. Suddenly, it lunged forward and pinned her to the ground. Emma's mind raced as she looked into the eyes of the creature. She remembered her father's story, what he did to save himself. "Run!" She screamed at the others.

The two kids the wolf had been cornering took off out the door. "I'm not leaving you!" Regina said bravely, frantically looking for something to help. The brunette found a fireplace poker and stabbed into the flames. Emma reached for her dagger she had dropped, feeling the beast's hot breath on her face.

Right as she had grasped the weapon, Regina swung the searing hot poker down onto the wolf. It howled in pain, releasing Emma to attack the girl. The blonde scrambled to her feet and swung the dagger at the creature. As soon as the blade made contact with the beast, it collapsed on the ground.

The two girls stared at it for a moment, breathing heavily. "I think it's dead. You killed it." Regina panted, giving the blonde a small smile. Emma pulled her to her feet, looking around for something to cover the animal with. She spotted a red cloak draped over one of the chairs, and she put it over the wolf's body. Emma grasped Regina's hand tightly as the wolf's body completely disappeared. Regina whimpered and held onto her arm tightly. "It's okay, Regina." Emma comforted her, despite being very afraid herself.