The Orphan Queen

Chapter 1.

Emma can sing. She's always known she can sing, ever since she would sing to herself in the shower to make herself feel better. She's just never used the fact that she can sing until after. You know, after Neal and prison and the baby, after that shit storm. It's after she's felt her most helpless that she decides to use the one gift nature gave her. She starts off small. She doesn't want anyone to recognise her, so she comes up with a simple, yet eye-catching, disguise. Her battle armour, she likes to call it. She thinks of a name, something that is her, but not identifiable to Emma Swan. So, she becomes The Orphan Queen and wears an over-sized crown that covers the top half of her face entirely. She wears a huge cloak that covers her body and that effectively solves the problem of hiding her identity. She doesn't have any particular ambitions for this, she just wants to do something that makes her feel happy and like she's worth something. She turns up at open mic nights when she can, moving from city to city as her real job, as a bail-bonds person, takes her.

It's when she's in the west coast, trying to find some asshole who skipped his bail again that something really comes from it. She's had a few weird looks these last couple years, it's not every day someone turns up to an open mic in a crown and cloak in a small town in Texas for fuck's sake, but she's kept going. No one has realised it's her with the weird outfit and addicting voice. Not even the people she sang in front of before all this. Just the fact that she's been able to have fun and be herself in a way she couldn't before, while not being recognised has given her the power to keep going on with her job, where she is regularly close up and personal with the worst of mankind.

As soon as she walks into this club in Sacramento she notices the talent agents. Of course she does. They're the only ones there who look as though they've got any money, and they're clearly listening more intently than the other patrons. She still plans to sing though, that's why she's here after all. She had chosen a song before she left the shitty motel she's staying in, but now, having just gotten off the phone with this bail-jumping ass-wipe, she changes her mind spontaneously. Scrolling through her iPod, she finds the song she wants and moves towards the stage, handing it over to the guy with the laptop and asking him to play the highlighted song. He nods, giving her the once-over and deciding not to comment. She waits for the man currently singing to finish, and then slowly takes his place in front of the mic. She takes in a breath and turns to the 'DJ'. She sees him nod, and hears the first few beats of the song. She closes her eyes and sings:

"You don't own me
I'm not just one of your many toys"

She soon loses herself in the song, it's always been one of her favourites. One of her early foster families, when she was maybe 6 or 7, used to love 60s music, particularly this song. This song, and the sentiment behind it, is one of the few good things she can take away from that house, and she has loved it since she first heard it crackle out from the cheap vinyl player.

The song soon finishes, so she bows and exits stage left. She can see the agents whispering amongst themselves, but discards it and goes to the bar. She might do another song later, if they let her, so she settles in with a beer and listens to the next few singers, considering her next song. Maybe she'll do the song she was originally planning on doing this evening. Before she can fully decide though, one of the 'casually' dressed agents sits on the bar stool next to her.

"Can I buy you a drink?" He asks, smiling in a way he clearly thinks is charming. She debates telling him to fuck off, but a free drink is a free drink, and she really can't afford to turn one down.
"Be my guest," she replies, smirking and shaking her empty bottle of beer at him, showing him what she wants. He smiles again, and signals to the barman to get her another. She picks it up immediately and takes a long drink. At least she'll have had some of it in case he tries to drug her. And yes, maybe she's a bit paranoid, but it's not surprising considering the kind of job she does for a living. As she puts the bottle down, he turns more fully towards her, clearly about to say something.

"So I heard you sing just now," he says, stating the obvious, "and you have real talent! You have just the kind of voice we've been looking for!"

Emma can feel her eyebrow climbing up her forehead, but, of course, he can't see that, so his enthusiasm doesn't waver for a second.

"My name is Mike Adams, and I work for an indie record label. My colleagues and I," at this he points to the table he's recently deserted, which is still full of agents, "have been travelling around California trying to find our new star, and we reckon we've just found her!"

Emma stays silent, but the man will not be deterred, "I know you probably don't believe me, but we honestly fell in love with your voice and the emotion behind that song. It was clear it meant something to you, and we think that, with us behind you, it could mean something to the world, too!"
Emma just stares. Is she being offered a record deal? Seriously?

Regina loved the music of this world as soon as she heard it. The range of sounds that are possible is just staggering. Back in the Enchanted Forest, they only had a limited variety of instruments, but here? Regina has particularly fallen in love with the classic style of music. The rhythms and the voices just seem to surpass anything modern. The way it is so easy to find yourself swaying or dancing along is intoxicatingly. Of course, none of her constituents have ever seen her sway or dance along to anything. That's a pleasure reserved only for herself, and Henry. Henry. Her life has changed so much since he came into it, and she wouldn't change it for the world. She never thought she could love anything as much as she loves this little boy. And to think that she nearly gave him back! She doesn't think she'll ever forget the moment she decided to keep him. Her precious baby boy. One day she'll have to tell him about her past. One day he'll find out what a monster she is. She can only hope that he'll still remember the mother she has been as well.