Disclaimer: I own nothing. Wish I had a hand in it though. Swan Queen would have been together since the mine.

Pairings and Information: This will definitely be an M rated story for such obvious reasons. If you're confused as to what's going on, go and read or watch the Time Travellers Wife. S'good stuff. And it's basically what I'm ripping off...basically. The main dish is Swan Queen. But it may (see. may) have side servings of Red Beauty...and that other one with Aurora and Mulan (what even is that called?).

Authors Note: All my old readers can't hate me for this. Ya'll can't do that. I tried to write the next chapter for Colliding Worlds and The Academy. I really did. But I kept getting stuck, there's a Harry Potter marathon on next week, maybe wait till that, inspiration and the like. Mass Effect just made me plain mad. OUAT is soothing my feelings. PS: This is un-beta-d. Sorry for mistakes.

Chapter One

Mills Estate - White Kingdom
Regina (10 Years Old)

She'd been hiding for the better part of an hour, tucked safely away in the trees that surrounded her parents estate. Her mother had whizzed past several times, first screaming her name, then pleading, before finally tumbling into a disarray of threats and lashings. Those just caused the terrified child to bunker down even more.

Her mother had eventually given up the search and retreated back to the manor, a worried but ever-compliant husband in tow. The heavy doors slammed closed and even from a distance, the child could see the shimmer as it was magically barred. Now she definitely knew she wasn't returning home anytime soon.

Letting a few moments pass until she was sure she was safe, she bound to her feet and made off into the thick forest. Usually she would be terrified to travel the trees alone; her father had almost always accompanied her on her trips outdoors, but today was different. Today she was free. She could do whatever she want. Regina Mills, for the first time in a long time, was free.

Even at ten summers old she knew the paths of the forest like the back of her hand. She prided herself on it, especially when 'daddy' got lost and she had to guide them home. And today happened to be no different. She flew through the trees, her arms outstretched like a bird would do; as she made her way to the one place in all of this land that she could call her own. Nobody knew about it. not even her father. It was her kingdom, her lands; and she was Queen.

The kingdom itself was rather magnificent in the eyes of an imaginative child. A clearing in a forest, big enough to house a small pond with running streams either side. Small boulders scattered the water's edge, and one particularly one, Regina's favourite, just so happened to be shaped into a natural stone throne. This was a place where she could sit and command her subjects at will (her subjects being no more than timid local wildlife).

It was however on this day, as she pushed through the final dense bit of overgrowth and tumbled out the other side, that she was met with a rather unusual sight. An oddly dressed person was perched on the boulder beside her throne, their bare feet dangling in the chilly water below. She couldn't see their face

Regina froze on the spot, her hands clenching open and closed. She was decidedly terrified. Her first thought was that her mother had found out and posted some kind of horrible guard; they were after all dressed in dark ominous clothes, a pullover hood guarding their features. However the more she observed them and the longer they stayed in the spot they were in, Regina realized this stranger was far from as mean and cruel as her mother.

She cleared her throat and stomped as regally forward as she could muster over the undergrowth, "You walk on the Queen's land?" her voice holding both an air of superiority and childishness.

The strangers slowly turned their head up, the shadow that covered their face did little to mask the shine of the grey eyes within. A smirk, "This land belongs to you? I had no idea."

Regina was taken aback. The stranger was a woman. Or sounded like one. It had a slightly husky and mysterious tone to it. With a shake of her head she quickly regained her composure, "Of course it does, I found it. That makes it mine. Now unmask yourself! It's rude to hide from your Queen."

The figure laughed, shaking her head, "No can do. What is this land called your majesty? If I may be so brave to ask."

"The Black Kingdom," Regina carefully made her way closer to the figure, feeling slightly safer in their presence but not enough so to risk going into their arms reach, "Why won't you show me your face? Are you unfortunate like the children of the wilds?"

The stranger shook her head and glanced around, noting the beauty of the small clearing, "It's not very Black is it?"

"Now that you're sitting here it kind of looks a little black," she finally clambered over the boulders to her throne and sat on it, "Fine though if you won't show me your face, what's your name?"

"Again, no can do. But you can call me 'The White Knight' if you want."

Regina glared, "But you're dressed in all Black!"

The stranger laughed again, swishing her feet around in the water, "Right you are. Just call me White then? And what may I call you milady?"

"Queen Mills, most fair Queen in all the lands," she said, wiggling in her throne in glee at her own answer, before once again composing herself, "Why are you here White?"

"Because something willed me here, was it you perhaps?" the visible mouth turned up in a smile, "What are you doing out and so close to the evening anyway? Perhaps you were scared and subconsciously asked for a Knight and that's exactly what the powers at work gave you."

"And why would I ask for a Knight?" the little girl scoffed, rolling her eyes in a dramatic flair.

The odd guest simply shrugged, "Don't know Regina, why don't you tell me?"

Just as Regina was going to make a comeback she stopped. She wasn't dumb. She'd learned to pick up on the little things very early on in life - save her mother getting angry at her. Her brow furrowed at the person beside her. She was sure she had not told them her given name. And so she was silent for a moment, her heart racing as she looked at them. She was scared again.

"W-who are you?" she stuttered out, raising a little from her throne, "I didn't tell you my name."

White stood, grabbing up her boots as she did. She smiled down at the girl before bowing her head, "I told you, I'm the White Knight."

"That doesn't..."

"Oh but it does, it means everything. Perhaps when we next meet, you'll understand."

"What do you mean?" Regina was getting anxious, she had taken to standing without knowing and her hand was mid reach out toward the stranger, as if she was being pulled by a strange force.

"I told you, perhaps you needed a Knight and the powers at work just happened to give you me; and those same powers are saying you no longer need me."

Regina shook her head, she was so confused, and scared. She didn't know what to make of this stranger at all. She was just a kid! And this person, this woman, was exactly like the people she had been told to avoid. Her mother had called them crazy folk - those that lived and breathed the wilderness.

"I've stayed too long unfortunately, and the powers have a very demanding pull," she held her hands up to the child in front of her, Regina watched with terror as they seemed to be evaporating away into the wind, "Two half moons from now is when I'll be back, same place, I promise."

"I don't understand..."

"You will. One day."

And with that, the stranger before her had turned to dust in the sky, slipping through her fingers with ease. Regina breathed deep, trying to make sense of it all. Perhaps the girl really was just an apparition sent by her mother. But that wouldn't explain how nice she was being. A shade sent by her mother would have dragged her back home kicking and screaming.

Two moons. That's what she had said. Regina was going to make sure the stranger, White, kept to their promise as well. For now, she needed to get home. The chilly evening wind was coming in hard and she had no inclination of spending the night in it - despite knowing going home would mean lashings just as painful. At least at home she could seek solace in her father's arms. At least at home she had a library - a library full of books she was sure would offer an explanation of her Knight.

Boston - Massachusetts
Emma (25 Years Old)

Emma opened her eyes as she let out a held breath. Travelling was never easy. She glanced down at her attire. Back to her usual jeans and tank top of course. It would always be a mystery to her as to why the travel changed her clothing as well; but she had learned to just trust it. She'd never forget the time she ended up stark naked in a place she didn't know because she refused to give her jeans up mid-travel.

With a sigh she stood up and cracked her neck, picking up a small diary as she waddled to the fridge. Flipping the small leather bound book open she looked at the dates. Two weeks and a day. It was always the worst when there was such a little amount of time between her jumps. It exhausted her in more ways than one. This time had been no different.

Regina had been so young. Possibly the youngest Emma had ever seen her. She looked so scared of her. It was perhaps the first time they had ever met Emma realized. All of the other times she had travelled, Regina had recognised her.

She let her shoulders sag as she peered into the fridge. She liked whenever she got to travel back as far as that though. Little Regina was the cutest version of Regina. She remembered being dragged to the stables when Regina was fourteen so she could show Emma her new horse. Winston. Emma hated that damn horse.

Laughing she finally plucked the juice from the fridge and sat back down on the couch with it, staring out at the lights of Boston city. Briefly she wondered where Regina was now. She knew they were decades apart at this age, but she couldn't help but wonder. Perhaps she'd be still riding her damn horse, if it even lived that long. And then Emma grimaced, the oldest she'd seen Regina was also at Regina's lowest point in life; she'd been muttering something about curses. With all her heart then and there, Emma hoped that the woman had lived, that she was still thriving and alive.

Letting out one more deep breath, Emma reclined on the couch and let sleep take her. She dreamed of magic and kingdoms and knights in shining armour. Something people would call her crazy over. But something she knew existed somewhere out there; far beyond what any normal eye could possibly see.