To Ignite

13

It's been a few months since the young princess ran away and under the Evil Queen's care.

The dark royal was just as tough and harsh as she said she would be, making Emma get her the cleanest water for her bath at the clear creak in the garden. It wasn't till her 2nd month in that Emma learned that The Queen created a magical bucket that gets the water itself, and she was just testing the blonde.

Then, it was the matter of how she liked her bed. The Queen prefers her deep purple pillows on top of her black ones because it adds a pop of color, and she needs a glass of warm milk with a pinch of cinnamon and sugar at 21:30 exactly to maintain her sleep schedule.

Lastly, she doesn't like her food touching which the blonde found completely absurd since they all end up in the same place anyway.

Other than that, the former princess enjoyed her time at the Dark Palace. And in a way, found these quirks about the Queen utterly adorable. Like how she rubs her eyes and yawns after she drinks the milk. Or pouts when the food is touching even the slightest bit before eating it with a scowl on her face.

Emma found herself considering the Dark Palace more of a home than the White Kingdom ever was. Sure she missed her godmother, Granny, and sometimes her pushover of a father. But she decided that her happiness was more important. If they were meant to be in her life, then they will be.

Emma was just wandering through the castle since she had a break, and found herself stumbling across huge closed double doors.

She knew that she shouldn't go in there since this wasn't her castle, but her curiosity got the best of her. She pulled as hard as she can, and the doors gave way with a annoyingly loud creak.

Inside she found rows of large bookcases that went from the ceiling to the floor. For anyone else they would have shrugged their shoulders and labeled it as just a huge library, but for an avid reader like Emma, this place was paradise.

"My father loved this room. When I built it for him, his face lit up just like yours did," a husky voice spoke from behind the blonde.

"Oh, um sorry I didn't mean to snoop," the young woman spoke. The queen raised an eyebrow, "Well, I did, but I-"

"It's quite alright Miss. Swan," the brunette said with a hint of amusement. "It's been years since anyone's came in here. It's about time someone put this place into use since all these books have just been collecting dust."

Emma seen some sadness in the Queen's eyes. She didn't know how to relieve the sorceress' heart of that pain, but she knew that she could try and take her kind off of it- at least for a moment. So she said the only thing that she could think of, "I didn't know that there were this many books in this world."

"That's because there isn't, dear. These are all the pieces of literature from each dimension from the Enchanted Forest to Wonderland. Whenever someone finishes a piece of writing that's intended for an audience to read whether it's a poem or a novel, it's here. That podium in the center can aid you in your search of a book. Happy reading Miss. Swan."

And she was gone. Not before glancing at the podium with a sad smile.

Emma walked to the podium, and there was nothing there. "Is there an on switch? Or a power button? Abracadabra?"

Emma placed her hand on the podium, and a hologram type man popped up.

"Hello my dear, welcome to the library. My name is Henry. How may I be of service?"

///

The Queen left the library and rushed to her own place of comfort ignoring her guards and workers looks of concern. She went to the edge of the hall that looked to be a dead end before placing her hand on the wall exposing a secret passage.

The hidden garden brought a sense of comfort over the Queen instantly. She took of her insufferable heels enjoying the feel of the green grass beneath her toes. She waved her hands covering herself in a puff of purple smoke when cleared revealed a light and carefree dress that contrasted with the heavy, detailed black dress that was overly tight. 

The garden had different plants both magical and normal from the magical blue bells, flowers that when tapped sounded like actual bells, to deep red roses. It had a small clear blue stream that had a small fountain in the middle. She even had a make shift sun in here in order for the plants to stay healthy and grow. But her real pride and joy in the garden was the beautiful apple tree that her father planted the day she was born.

She sat under the tree to bask in the peace it gave her. The longer she sat the more the guilt began to fade. The guilt brought on by entering that library again. Seeing that podium again. The podium she trapped her father's soul in after killing him.

This chapter is a little questionable not sure it made sense, but it did in my head😂😂