#(also i wrote this years ago so uhm dont mind the errors pls)

[cinnonym]

@gaymergal was curious about my siren fic and since it's wip wednesday... *shrug emoji*

Leafage, tree trunks, undergrowth, the mossy trail, everything blurred into a blend of dark greens around Regina as she willed Rocinante to gallop a tad faster still, to make this extra sprint that would bring her the precious seconds she needed to break her record. Pressing her lips into a thin line, she forced her burning thighs out of the saddle again and again, never minding the small twigs whipping her in the face.

The last turn came into view and Regina tightened her grip around the reins, fought the urge to slow down for the tight bend. She had practised this before; she knew how to press her body against Rocinante's back to make sure she offered the least resistance. The horse's flying crest cut through her vision, divided the forest into slices as the world tilted for a moment, a split second during which she almost slipped out of the saddle, before the turn was over and they hit the home stretch.

The woods cleared around Regina as she raced towards the bald stump that marked the end of her route, allowing the sun to blaze down on her back once more. The midday heat had turned the trail beneath Rocinante's hooves dry, and Regina barely held back a cough at the cloud of dust the horse kicked up when pulled to a halt after those final metres.

"Good girl," Regina whispered instead, her breath coming in shaky hiccups as she fought to calm down her thunderous heartbeat. Leaning forwards to pat Rocinante's sweaty flank, she yanked out the timepiece from her pocket. It was a gorgeous thing, silver inlay and bold ornaments, a neat chain fastening it to Regina's waistband, two knobs to adjust time and, more importantly, a chronograph, which Regina's eyes now eagerly searched out.

Twelve seconds. Regina gasped, swallowed a whole portion of the dust still hazing the air, broke into a cough - but the clock didn't change. She had actually gained twelve seconds on her previous record, give or take the time it had taken her to stop Rocinante and free the timepiece from the tight pockets of her riding trousers. A giddy feeling overwhelmed her, stole the breath from her once more.

"We did it," she whispered to Rocinante, and then again, because she couldn't keep quiet. "We did it!" Her voice was hoarse and scraped against her dry throat, but she couldn't care less, couldn't bring herself to even mind her thighs, screaming in protest as she swung out of the saddle and landed on the ground. "Come on, Roce," she grinned, shaking her legs out, "let's get you something to drink."

The river carried little water this summer, only a shallow rivulet where before there had been a broad stream, the riverbed consisting mostly of stones now, flat white shingles that scrunched beneath Regina's boots as she led her horse across the sunny expanse. Noon approaching quickly, the heat had become almost unbearable, reflected by the bright beach. A fallen tree broke the dull plainness of the stones, a spot of brown among the white, providing precious shadow. Regina steered towards it with the measured pace of habit, pulling her gloves off with her teeth to run a hand through her thick hair. It was unbearable, although she had cut off a considerable length, leaving it a bouncy mess that brushed her shoulders with every shake of her head. Still, the strands at her nape were slick with sweat, making them curl extra much.

Regina sighed. She dropped her gloves and jacket on the tree, then made her way down to the waterline, Rocinante following her faithfully. Back in spring, when the river had swelled with thaw from the nearby mountains, she had frequently taken a bath after her exercises. The water had been freezing of course, still carrying the memory of winter, but Regina hadn't minded, had enjoyed it even, the cold flooding her body with an exhilarating energy. All of that was but a distant dream now. When Regina bowed down to run a testing finger through the stream, the water felt almost warm, and she couldn't have bathed in it if she'd lain down flatly on the stones. Still it brought some refreshment to gulp it down in mouthfuls, to splash her face, to wash off the dirt and grime from her ride.

Whistling quietly to herself - after all, she had successfully reached her goal - Regina took off her shirt too, dunked the white linen into the river, wrung it out, and placed it around her now bare shoulder, trailing back to the tree. The stones, despite having laid in the shadow for at least two hours now, were still comfortable warm as she settled down on them, stretching out her tired legs. The tree's bark felt rough against her back, uneven knobs pressing into the tense muscles of her neck just firmly enough to draw a soft moan from Regina. At last she felt herself relax.

The sun felt warm on her legs, a soft breeze tousled her hair, and before Regina had realized what was happening, her head tipped to the side and her eyes fluttered shut. It was in this last glimpse she got of the world that a flash of light caught her attention.

It was a reddish shine, like the last rays of a dying sun, melting into the sea. Funny, Regina thought dimly, already on the verge of drifting off into her dreams, it's pretty early for sunset. Which meant, and she grumbled softly to herself as she forced her eyes open again, which meant that the light had to derive from something else. She blinked once or twice, shaking off the heaviness from her eyelids, the tiredness from her limbs, then concentrated.

Indeed, there was a soft glow of red, just visible in a riverbend far away. If Regina strained her eyes, she could make out a silhouette around it, a shape that seemed familiar, human-sized and unmoving on her back. The person, whoever it was, seemed to wear a suit of some sort, tight and glittering, reflecting the sun in a spectre of reds.

Regina frowned. There were barely any people in this part of the woods, a fact she was partly responsible for, having earned a certain reputation among the locals, and frankly, she was glad about it. She had never been one for company. Raised an only child, her mother never having allowed her to go out and make friends, the solitude had stuck to her, like a familiar cloak she relished and took comfort in. A visitor at what she liked to call her river - and her favourite spot too, so wonderfully close to her racing trail - was thus entirely unwelcome.

Narrowing her eyes at the irritating frame in the distance, Regina grudgingly stood up. Her legs felt stiff from sitting and the skin on her back itched as she peeled away from the tree. The shirt was nowhere near dry. Regina huffed, but pulled it over nonetheless - she would cut a much less intimidating figure in her flimsy undergarments. Briefly considering her jacket, she decided against it, instead tied the oversized shirt into a knot. She rolled up the sleeves, showing off taut muscles and experienced knuckles, checked on Rocinante, who had sought cover in the outskirts of the woods, and then set off towards the red gleam.

The closer she came to the figure on the beach, the deeper the lines on Regina's brow became. The person - it was a woman Regina realized, taking in the smooth curve of a breast, a dark outline against the sun - not only didn't react to Regina's approach, but she didn't move at all. What was more, her lower body lay in the shallow river, half-covered by the running water.

Regina's annoyance had vanished, dried up like dew on a sunny day, and her pace picked up until she was all but running, her boots noisily hitting the stones. Still the woman didn't look up, and Regina's heart dropped an inch deeper.

She could make out a cloud of blond hair now, fanning out around a face that could best be described delicate in profile. A long and slender neck followed, a tall body, engulfed entirely in that strange glittery red suit, trailing off into lithe... legs?

Regina frowned. She slowed down despite herself, squinting against the sun. Funny, she thought for the second time, narrowing her eyes at the woman's lower body that somehow resembled a joint limb rather than two separate legs, this almost looks like a...

And then suddenly, she was was close enough to tell for sure, to see that what she had assumed to be a suit was actually the woman's skin, covered in shining red scales, lighter around her abdomen, blood-tinted at her chest and tail. For it was a tail arising from her sharp hips, slender and muscular and somehow fish-like as it opened into a crimson fin at the end. Regina's breath caught. The woman had to be a siren.

An urge to run away came over her, the endless stories about those seductive sea monsters that dragged men from their ships to ravish and then eat them prominent in her mind, as it was the case with everyone in the Enchanted Forest living remotely close to the coast. Sirens meant trouble, every child knew that, and Regina could probably call herself lucky that the creature appeared to be unconscious or she might have forfeited her chances already by coming near.

But that was just the thing - the woman lay unconscious and barely breathing, her chest lifting only shalllowly in irregular intervals, and there was an air of vulnerability about her that made Regina inch closer instead of backing away. In spite of the warnings echoing through her head, she found herself intrigued with the siren. She had always assumed the creatures were human-like to a certain degree, resembling a beautiful woman safe for the strong tail. She hadn't known the scales covered the entire body, reaching up as far as the cheeks, a rosy scatter just below the cheekbones, before they trailed off into smooth skin. Her lips were two thin lines, pointing downwards in a frown, slightly parted to reveal a row of pointed teeth. The teeth of a predator, Regina realized dimly, still she lowered herself to her knees, leaning closer to the siren still. Her ears were smaller than usual, maybe the size of Regina's thumbnail, and beneath them, three slashes in the woman's skin indicated... gills?

Curiously, Regina extended a finger to brush away a strand of blond hair. She had barely touched the curl when suddenly the siren moved, quickly, erratically, grabbing Regina's wrist and pinning it to the ground. Before Regina even had the chance to gasp, let alone draw the knife she carried on her belt, her second hand was localized too, encircled by strong fingers, and pressed next to the first against the stones. Thus immobilized, Regina found herself face to face with wide eyes the colour of the sea after a storm, pupils slit-like and inhuman.

Regina didn't hesitate. Years of standing her ground in the forest and taverns alike had taught her a mean kick, and she rolled to her side and connected her left boot to the siren's scaled tail with a speed and vigour that seemed to surprise the monster, for she let go of Regina's hands immediately and curled into herself. A low gasp escaped her feral mouth and for the second it took Regina to jump to her feet, she could see blood on the stones beneath the siren's back, dark and crusted and definitely not from the injury she had caused mere seconds ago.

Regina turned away, her heart still racing as she brought some distance between them. The siren didn't concern her, she told herself, let her be hurt or weakened or close to death for that matter, even better, it would rid the world of another monster. She ought to just leave, forget about the blood, forget about the still figure from before, forget about the flicker of desperation she had glimpsed in those strange green eyes just before she had kicked, as if the siren's attack had been an act of self-defence instead of an attack at Regina and...

Damn. Regina turned around slowly, taking in the woman, who had stopped writhing and lay now as motionless as before, her eyes shut again. Only the barest flutter of her lashes betrayed any life at all; it was clear that she wouldn't last long if Regina left her now. In fact, it wasn't certain that Regina could save her, even if she started working immediately, and the thought sent a bitter sting through Regina, a slight nausea at the prospect of the monster's death. Regina shook her head, she must have been sun-struck.

Still, she approached the siren again, her steps more firm and sure than she actually felt. Green eyes opened, subjecting Regina to that strange gaze, half-human, half-legend. It flickered to Regina's clenched fists, and at first there was fear, a panicked wriggle that resolved in a low groan, before the woman stiffened and adopted a resigned expression. Regina rolled her eyes.

"I won't hurt you," she said, and it sounded like a warning to herself rather than a promise to the siren. The green turned wry. Regina rolled her eyes again, then shrugged.

"Look, I want to help. You seem to be seriously injured, so we need to work quickly. Can you talk?"

A look of utter concentration crossed the siren's features and then - Regina released a small gasp at the sight - the body before her began to change. The reddish scales receded, vanishing like magic first from the siren's cheeks, then down her chest and abdomen, leaving smooth pale skin in their wake. Her fin separated, becoming two feet, then the gap spread upwards until the entire tail had split in two. Her eyes turned soft, the alien expression in them gone as the pupils rounded into circles, her body following, the sharp angles gradually mellowed into delicate curves. The transformation took less than five seconds, and suddenly the siren before Regina had vanished and in her place lay a beautiful woman. A very naked beautiful woman.

Regina coughed. She forced herself to focus on the stranger's eyes, human now, and twinkling with amusement, before pain flashed through them, sharpening them momentarily into their old form. The woman moaned. Regina hated herself for blushing.

"What... uh... what is happening?" She also hated herself for stammering. Regina Mills never stammered and if she did she usually had a valid reason. She blamed the metamorphosis.

The siren groaned again, scales blooming like crimson flowers on her abdomen as she winced. "I can only speak in... human form but... too hard..." Her mouth continued moving, but no words escaped as her siren form claimed her again.

Regina took a sharp breath. "I understand," she said, which was a blatant lie. She could follow the concept, yes, but the nature of the change was still a mystery to her, a mystery that she found herself to be disturbingly fascinated with. Still, she made an effort not to let her eyes linger on the woman before her, and instead set to work.

"You are injured," she murmured quite unnecessarily, but she figured it was better to keep talking with the siren to make sure she stayed conscious. "I would like to inspect the wound, which is why I need you to turn on your stomach. Can you do that?"

The siren nodded, her strange eyes locking with Regina's briefly before she heaved her body around. A hiss escaped her as the fin scraped over the shingles in the river, Regina's hands automatically reaching out to help but then hesitating before she could touch the crimson scales. The stones where the siren had lain were stained red, startling specks of dark blood against the white, causing Regina to draw in a sharp breath even before her gaze settled on the woman's back.

She had been prepared for grazes, light scrape wounds that she could wash out and bandage with stripes of her shirt maybe. Instead, the siren's back, covered all over in rosy scales like the ones on her abdomen, displayed three gaping gashes, slick with blood. They looked too deliberate to derive from an accident, two forming a v and one crossing them vertically, and Regina barely suppressed the question what had happened, knowing that the siren wouldn't be able to answer anyways.

"Alright," she said instead, struggling to keep her voice light. The siren had turned her head, resting a cheek on the underground as her eyes focused on Regina once more. Something in their green gleam told Regina she knew about the danger she was in. Still Regina forced herself to retain a neutral expression.

"We can fix this," she lied, ignoring the unconvinced look she received, " We just have to..." But she didn't know what they had to do. This was a far more serious injury than she'd expected and Regina's original plan wouldn't take her long. Unless...

Regina swallowed. She had wanted to avoid using her powers, partly because she had gotten out of practice since she'd abandoned her lessons with Rumplestiltskin, partly because magic wasn't particularly welcome in this corner of the Enchanted Forest. Also, she suspected the siren to have some innate magical properties, which, given Regina's inexperience, might complicate matters.

Alas, with blood still oozing from the wounds and the siren's breaths growing more shallow by the minute, it became clear that Regina would have to give it a try. It might be her only chance to save the woman...

She met the siren's unwavering gaze, sweat breaking on her brow that didn't come from the sun. Her fingers began to tingle with the prospect of using magic, the ancient powers pooling under the skin of her palms as she cleared her throat.

"Do you... I have an idea, do you trust me?"

The siren's eyes fluttered shut momentarily, when they opened again they were unguarded and vulnerable. She nodded. Regina's breath hitched.

"Good," she murmured, her hands trembling as they hovered over the bloody gashes. "Now, this might tingle a bit..." And with that said, she focused entirely on the second pulse of magic in her veins, letting it pour out in a purple shine.

The healing took longer than Regina had anticipated but at least it worked. Bit by bit, the wounds closed up, tender skin growing over the slashes, pink and bare of scales. With every inch covered, the siren's breaths became deeper, less laboured, a grateful shine in her eyes whenever Regina dared to look away from what her hands were doing.

"This is going well," she whispered after a while, more confident now that her plan had worked out. "It's human skin so far but I'm sure the scales will grow back over time."

The siren bared her pointy teeth in a smile, which Regina returned with a smirk of her own. "You were lucky I found you - " she narrowed her eyes, trying to decipher the name the siren's lips were forming " - Amber?" A deep line appeared on the siren's forehead, she shook her head vigorously, mouthed again, Em-ma.