A Second Chance

Chapter 10

Regina took a deep breath as David, Henry and Hook times two, mounted horses behind her. Snow, Granny and Robin stood on the wall, bows aimed, as the gate slowly opened. Snow scanned the area with her eyes and signaled that the coast was clear. Regina nodded back and gripped the reins tight as she could. She clicked her tounge to cue her horse to go. She didn't even get fifty feet before the lost boys finally decided to emerge from the woods. One swung out of a tree toward Regina. Snow shot an arrow straight through his rope knocking him to the ground. A group ran out screaming at Henry and the others as arrows started flying toward Regina, slowing her a bit. She heard a horse whinny and then a thud. She tried not too, but she stopped and looked over her shoulder. Henry was on the ground, an arrow in his shoulder, being rushed by lost boys. Regina yelled out his name in terror and was about to turn and race back toward him when David knocked the one on top of him out.

"Go!" David yelled to her. She didn't move. Frozen in fear for her son. Henry sat up and pulled out the arrow.

"Mom! I'm fine! Go!...Go!" He yelled. Regina. snapped out of her trance and realized there was only one way to stop this. She squeezed the reins and took off at top speed, dodging trees as the occasional arrow whizzed by her head.

As she neared the cave, she began to think perhaps, she might just make it. Surely the Evil Queen would have at least tried to stop her by now if she was going to at all.

She had been riding for some time. She was so close now she could almost taste it. Just as the cave came into view, her horse got spooked and stopped short. She tried to get it to start moving again, but it stubbornly refused, and as Regina tried to calm him, a familiar puff of purple smoke appeared, followed by an equally familiar evil laugh. The horse reared up, sending Regina to the ground.

The Evil Queen circled as Regina tried to get up off the ground and shake it off. She stumbled a bit, forcing herself up even though her body wasn't quite ready.

"How pathetic. Do you really think you can beat me? Don't you realize you've already lost. Your plan failed. I caught you...And now I'm angry. So all you've done is make it worse for yourself. Because now I have to kill your family. I was going to spare them, but they know too much. So be a good little puppet and go wake Emma so I can kill you." The Evil Queen practically snarled. Regina then found the strength she needed to stand strong. She straightened up and squared her shoulders.

"No... I'm a hero now And I won't let you hurt anyone." she said. Still not entirely sold on her own words. "And heroes always win. You're the one who's already lost."

The Evil Queen laughed. "You think you're a hero? Just because you've gone soft, doesn't make you some champion of the people."

"You think I'm so soft, then fight me and prove it." Regina said as she formed a fire ball and threw it. The Evil Queen deflected it quickly.

"Nuh uh uh." she taunted as she wagged a finger at Regina. She reached back and waved her hand around revealing a force field of sorts."Wouldn't want a stray fireball to set off the spell and turn your little blond savior to Ash, now would you?" Regina's nostrils flared in anger.

"Fine by me. I'll just have to beat you the old fashioned way." Regina said as she drew Charming's sword.

"I was wrong. You haven't grown soft, you've grown stupid." The Evil Queen poofed herself a sword as well. "When you lose... I'll be sure to kill your son first." That set Regina off and she charged. Screaming as she swung the blade at her face. Wish Queen dodged the blow and raised her sword to clang against it. They stood, swords crossed inches from each other's faces, pushing against each other.

"Don't you dare even talk about him again or I will end you." Regina threatened.

"Tisk, tisk. That's doesn't sound very hero like." She replied and then pushed her back.  Their swords began furiously clashing together. They met each other swing for swing. Neither gaining any ground over the other for quite some time until Regina stepped backward onto a rock. and stumbled just enough for her Evil counterpart to exact the smallest cut across her upper arm. This made Regina angry and she realized she had to do something to gain the upper hand or she would be fighting herself forever. And then it struck her, thanks to the Evil Queen she knew exactly where the barrier to the spell was, and yes it might not be safe to throw magic around, but if she used magic she could more easily control, she could keep it away from the barrier. And suddenly a lightbulb went off in her head and she looked up at Wish Regina and grinned as she lit her sword up with a purple glow. The Evil Queen tilted her head. "That's new." she said.

"A little something I learned from watching too many Star Wars movies with my son." Regina said.

"I like it." Wish Regina replied with a grin and replicated Regina's spell with a red glow.

"Of course it's red." Regina mumbled sarcastically to herself. The Evil Queen rushed her and the red and purple lights met with a sizzle. Regina could hear the battle back at the castle raging behind them as the steel and light met over and over. She knew she needed to get Emma out of that cave fast and get back to Henry and their family. They needed help. There was a loud roar and a flash in the distance. Regina looked up to see Maleficent fall out of the sky...the one on her side. The Evil Queen laughed.

"I wonder how many of your people my dragon will be able to roast now." she teased. Regina had enough. She charged her again. She went at her with everything she had. Their swords clashed a few times, but Regina's anger seemed to get the better of her and she didn't see the Evil Queen's sword dip in time to block it. She tried to move out of it's path but she fell backwards, landing on her back, her sword landing just out of her reach. The Evil Queen immediately took advantage of her fall and mounted Regina placing her blade at her throat as it's light slowly disappeared.

"I told you you couldn't beat me." she she said, her face only inches from Regina's. "You should have just done as you were told then your kingdom wouldn't be falling and family would be safe. Now they can all die with you." She threatened.

"Do you really think Emma will be with you if you kill everyone?" Regina said.

"She won't be with me... she'll be with you...or at least that's what she'll think. And she'll feel so bad for me when I tell her the sad story about how I tried so hard, but I just couldn't save them. It's all my fault." she said, over dramatising the last part for effect. Then she laughed...and everything went dark.

To be continued...