Her Glass Heart [SwanQueen]

Chapter Eleven: Oct 6, 2017 - Emma

Emma rubbed her eyes, wiping the sleep away as she felt the morning sunshine illuminating her face through the sheer drapes.

The sound of someone shifting beside her in bed startled her and she turned her head quickly.

"Good morning, dear." Regina smiled. She was fully awake, her body fully upright as she flipped the page of the book in her lap.

Emma's memory of the previous evening came flooding back to her in an instant and she returned the smile, a new sense of calm engulfing her.

"Did you sleep well or was I tossing and turning a lot?" Emma questioned.

"Well, I woke up every two hours to check on you," Regina laughed, peering at the clock. "You seem to be okay considering you slept through the night uninterrupted, aside from my brief wakings to ensure you were okay. How is your head feeling?"

"You didn't need to do that, Regina. I would've been okay. I feel completely fine today."

"I wanted to be certain you didn't have a concussion, dear. Rather be safe than sorry. I didn't mind waking frequently, so long as you're feeling better."

"Well, thank you. I really appreciate it. I don't really have many friends here, so it's nice to have you around."

Regina felt her insides go warm. The sensation took her by surprise, but perhaps it was just a normal emotion to feel toward a friend. Regina wouldn't know, not having many friends in her life.

"I know how you feel," Regina sighed in agreement, wishing she could confide in her new friend about how her magic makes her feel isolated. "The life of monarch can get quite lonesome. It's nice having you around, as well. Now, I suppose it's time for breakfast."

They made their way down to the kitchen together. Snow and David welcomed them both and asked where they had gone off to last night.

"Regina and I had a sleepover," Emma laughed, the words sounding funny to say out loud, almost childish. "She showed me some pictures of her adventures and told me about the southern realm."

"Well, that's wonderful, sweetie," Snow smiled, and David nodded in agreement before pulling their chairs out for them to sit and join them.

After breakfast, Regina informed them she had some meetings to attend and thanked them for breakfast. Emma sighed, suddenly feeling like part of her was missing when Regina exited the room.

Emma kept herself occupied throughout the day. She explored the snow-covered castle grounds and conveniently managed to find ways to keep an eye on Regina as she traveled from meeting to meeting with nobles who frequented the castle. She avoided climbing any trees this time, but the pull to be near Regina was stronger than ever, almost like a piece of Regina was ingrained inside her and it was tugging her closer and closer.

At one point in the early afternoon, she lost track of Regina when the brunette disappeared into a wing of their castle that served as the infirmary. Emma assumed she had a meeting with their doctor, and although he was a nice man, Emma's stomach hardened at the thought of Regina falling for him and returning back to the south so soon.

Emma snuck out to the rear side of castle, where she was certain a small window was located that peered into the infirmary. She laid down in the snow, her white jacket camouflaging her from sight, and leaned forward to get a better look.

The man Regina was speaking to had tanner skin than the doctor Emma had been thinking of earlier. His hair made him appear as if he spent lots of time in the sun and his beard made him look like more of a knight or a commoner than a doctor.

Emma rummaged through her mind, trying to place this man, but came up blank. Emma's eyes remained fixed on them, watching Regina's expression as she spoke to him. She looked anxious, almost defeated even.

This stranger Emma couldn't place kept leaning in and touching her shoulder and the way he looked at her was full of admiration, but Regina just looked hopeless.

The sound of a branch snapping in the forest behind her pulled her out of her trance on Regina and this man. She turned to look over her shoulder, letting out a soft sigh of relief when she saw a squirrel scurrying off deep into the woods. She shook her head in frustration and laughed quietly.

Emma turned her head back in the direction of the small window, straining her eyes again to see through the rust. But when she spotted Regina, she was alone in the large room and the man was gone.