A/N at bottom

Chapter 4 – Of dark hallways and empty rooms

When Regina had first returned, it had felt like boulders had been placed on top of her she could hardly breathe.

In a way she hadn't been surprised to find herself in the middle of her courtyard. The dark walls of the castle seemed to almost welcome her back.

Regina had stood slowly and gazed at her surroundings, trying to get her bearings. The yard she had landed in had been in a state of disrepair. Still wearing the suit from Storybrooke, she had brushed off her pants. Her eyes were confused as she took in the walls of the castle.

While it seemed unused, it hadn't looked like it had been abandoned for twenty eight years. She stepped slowly, gathered her blazer closer to herself and had gone to investigate the world she had left behind.

As she had disappeared behind the corner of the door, the air swirled slowly. Magic was in the air and began to move and react to the woman who had returned suddenly.

She was tired.

If you asked any servant, any knight or royal they would tell you their queen was as…eh-hem, lively as ever. They would say that there was a different air about her but after three decades in another world, it was understandable.

The loud call of a raven could be heard as it flew over the parapets towards the forest as the sun began to set below the horizon. Shadows crept over the land and blanketed the realm of the Dark Queen.

In the royal study of Her Majesty, a sigh could be heard. So soft, ears would have to strain to hear it but it was there. The Queen turned Mayor turned Queen again left the desk occupied with magical tomes and an inconspicuous letter that sat in the center. Striding towards the settee, she sat herself gracefully down. With an absentminded flick of her wrist the fireplace sprang to life.

Calling out for cider from the attending servant she let her gaze rest on the fire as it crackled and flickered in front of her. Taking the tumbler regal brown eyes moved quickly, trying to ignore the golden hair on the commoner that reminded Regina of another, not so common woman.

Clasping the artistic heavy glass between her hands, she watched the amber liquid swirl. The contemplative look on her aristocratic features combined with the dark elaborate dress and heavy makeup compounded the fact that Regina Mills was no longer just the Mayor of a small town in Maine. The woman lounging on the settee in the dark castle with its pointed spires and gleaming stone walls was a Queen to her very core.

Sipping delicately, Regina's eyes closed slowly as she felt her throat work and the cider burn deliciously down. The flickering shadows and warmth from the fire helped to distract her from the constant internal battle she fought.

There were a lot of lonely hours in this shadowy castle. Hallways made of stone and wood seemed to stretch on and on. Broken only by the occasional servant or guard and Regina could barely stand it. Her eyes clenched even more as memories flickered behind her eyelids.

Time had been essentially frozen in that secluded town and the people living within its boundaries had an ingrained, irrational fear of her. But she was still never so high above them that she couldn't go out and just be among the people. Though elevated, she wasn't on such an untouchable pedestal.

Here in this land, the same could not be said. Etiquette, protocols, rules that were made to be followed. A platoon of guards and fanfare for when she did leave the palace walls had made it so she rarely left the dark castle. As such the walls meant to keep enemies out had turned into the cage that kept her in.

A wry grin flitted over her mouth as she thought of playing 'hooky' and sneaking out. A frown though quickly came over her. While she wasn't completely defenseless when it came to physical altercations, she was no knight or fighter. Until her magical powers returned fully she was still leery of striking out on her own, especially in this world where grudges towards her were not simple Mayoral bullying or blackmail. No, her enemies here have had lives ruined and torn asunder under her machinations.

Energy lashed to and fro deeply in her gut as her hand clenched the glass just a tiny bit harder. It was like a muscle, her magic. After nigh thirty years it had degraded and atrophied but it was still there. Now that she had returned to a world that was brimming with raw magic she could feed it and exercise it. However with any rehabilitation there was pain and struggle in it. The tight muscles around her eyes and rigidity of her back hinted at it, although she made sure no one could overtly notice it.

She had certainly bluffed Snow and Charming into thinking she was completely up to snuff.

The Dark Queen had appeared before them in a cloud of heavy purple smoke. Calling for a truce, pointing out that surely the White Queen would want to take care of her newly acquired family instead of wage a bloody, drawn out war against her dark army and magic battalion.

Regina had seen the cogs turning in the brat's head and kept her smug smirk on her face despite the cold sweat that ran down her back. When Snow had agreed, with anger and resignation the Dark Queen had given a derisive laugh at her white counterpart.

"Of course, you certainly wouldn't want to waste any more precious time with your dear daughter." With another laugh at the enraged face that had overcome King James, she spirited herself away to her chambers.

What no one else knew was that when she arrived in her private chambers, she had then proceeded to all but collapse onto the four poster bed. The cold sweat that she had hid from the 'Good' people of the Enchanted Forest had broken out so she was visibly sweating on her forehead. The overreach of her magical reserves had pushed her to her limit and she had then promptly passed out.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts of the past, Regina realized she was looking at the near empty bottom of the glass. Seeing that night had completely fallen over the land, she stood and placed the glass on her desk.

The letter she had written on a whim caught her eye again. She scowled fiercely for a moment. Why that damn Princess had to encroach on her thoughts. Regina had half a mind to just burn the parchment and be done with it. But the other half seemed to be stronger as she merely rested a hand on it.

It was that same half that had pushed her to begin surveillance on the Gwyn Kingdom's royal family. Instead of dealing with numerous trade offers and apparent power vacuums, her mind had rested on Henry.

She had justified it at first, sending her raven to give her a physical conduit for an observance spell. After ten years of dedicated care, Regina wasn't one to turn her back on who she considered her child. No matter that he had pushed her away in the end.

So she had begun having the dark bird fly over White Castle, keeping an eye for the little boy when he stepped outside the castle walls. When she finally spotted him in her mirror her heart nearly broke. His smile that beamed on his face…she hadn't seen that look for years. The fact that she wasn't enough to bring it out in him, it stabbed her deeply where she thought her heart was.

Looking back on that fateful day, Regina had always wondered what would have happened if she had been the one to kiss Henry goodbye. Her parting words to the boy were not a lie. If she closed her eyes she could almost feel the cold hospital tiles under her knees. The tears and the words she had given him then remained true even now.

Those same words were why she had pushed for the truce despite her weakened state. The thought of bringing a war to her son appalled her more than she thought it would. Perhaps her time in Storybrooke had affected her more than she had initially thought.

Storybrooke and thoughts of her son led to thoughts of the woman who brought him into the world. Emma. Princess Emma now. Regina gave a small snort. Royalty takes all kinds, she was certainly proof for that.

After everything she had done and the life she had led, the woman still got a story book ending. And Regina…

"I really wasn't supposed to have my happy ending. Evil never does."

Eyes rose up to look into the large mirror that hung above the fireplace, a deep line formed as her brows drew together. She traced her countenance in the reflection, taking in the dark regal pose and aura she gave off. A glint sparked deep within her eyes before it was smothered and a sneer curled on her lip. She stood quickly.

Retiring to her chambers, the Dark Queen went to rest her tired mind and body. Closing her eyes and wondering what the next day would bring.

Mid-morning brought a surprise to the sorceress as she went to sign the document before her.

With a caw, her messenger raven called out to her as it winged its way to the edge of her study table. Cocking its head at her, he hopped closer showing that his leg was encumbered by a rolled up piece of parchment wrapped in black leather ties.

Surprised, Regina reached out to pet the bird as she went to remove the missive from him. The fact that a message had been sent without her notice was odd to say the least. As her personal bird, the messages he carried to her were usually only responses. Considering she hadn't sent anything that expected a reply made her extremely curious.

The words that greeted her made her eyes widen in surprise. A mix of consternation and something resembling anticipation swirled within.

What would be considered strange but neat lettering in this land told Regina without reading a word of the message that it was written by someone not of this world. So that meant two people that she knew of. And since it wasn't the handwriting of a child, that left one person.

Scanning the letter, Regina's brow furrowed. Setting the letter down, her eyes stilled as she battled internally. Her thoughts ran against each other and her magic responded to the turmoil that the letter had landed her in. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she exhaled slowly and calmed her mind and magic.

Standing from the desk, she turned and walked for her chambers. Flicking an errant hand at the letter, the parchment alone burned slowly to ash.

The black letters of the signature of Emma Swan disappearing with the parchment. It seemed Regina was going to see a certain former Sheriff.

A/N: I had such a hard time with this chapter. I think it's because of the switch from Emma to Regina. They're such different characters, it made it really difficult to step out of Emma's boots and into Regina's heels. I'm still not quite sure if I'm happy with it yet as it feels awkward in some parts, especially in the beginning, so this may get taken down, re-written and replaced.