A Fever You Can't Sweat Out - Part 4

Part 1: https://www.patreon.com/posts/fever-you-cant-1-71720422

Part 2: https://www.patreon.com/posts/73022113

Part 3: https://www.patreon.com/posts/fever-you-cant-3-74365831



Word count: 5,378




Ruby’s eyes widened comically, but she didn’t seem surprised by the transformation in her best friend. “That’s the spirit.” She smirked and used her elbow to nudge Emma. “You’re going to need that anger to make it through every round.” She paused, crinkling her brow as they made their way back towards Merida and Mulan. “Well, most of the rounds.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Emma snapped in aggravation.

She felt unhinged, like her blood was liquid fire, and every second she stood still was a second too long. She needed to hit something, or tear someone apart.

“It means that the third round is archery, and you’re probably going to fail it,” Mulan stated bluntly, her eyes intense as she sized Emma up. “Pity. You’d have made a good adversary.”

Emma’s nostrils flared as she clenched her fists, and it took every ounce of her strength not to punch Mulan in her smug face. “Oh, I’m going to--”

“Train with me.” Merida suddenly cut her off and thrust her bow into Emma’s hands. “This way, you walking lump of muscle.”

Emma refused to budge and only moved when Merida and Ruby pushed her forward, glaring the whole time at Mulan, who looked unfazed by her behavior.

From across the field, Snow anxiously watched her daughter practice at holding a bow. She frowned at the technique and the adjustments Merida made when grabbing Emma’s hands and pushing them to the right locations on the weapon.

Snow rushed over to give her own instructions and the training time ended with vast improvements in Emma’s aim.

Regina retreated back into her pavilion after Snow left, shutting the curtains behind her.

Only when the trumpets signaled the start to the event did she re-emerge.

As a united front, David and Snow approached a raised platform where a podium from town hall awaited them.


“We all know why we’re gathered here,” David solemnly announced. “Some might consider this tradition barbaric, while others feel it’s the only way to resolve our current town crisis. Regina has consented to this reluctantly.” He let that hang in the air and stole a fleeting glance at Regina, as if wondering if it was too late to call the entire event off.

“She shouldn’t have a choice in this!” shouted one of his own guardsmen.

Among the gatherers, everyone expressed an opinion — some even discussing the degrading things they wanted to do to the Queen.

Regina held herself at the elbows as she overheard some of their more brutal ideas. She began to hurry back towards her house, no doubt driven by the instinct to escape, but the crowd circled around her and threatened to swallow her up.

By some miracle, Regina stepped out of their ranks and into Emma’s path, where Snow then came to collect her. Snow ushered her up onto the platform and Regina shivered involuntarily at the crazed stares of the audience.

Snow stood shoulder-to-shoulder with David and reached for the microphone. “This will be a fair competition and a respectable one, or we’ll end this before it begins.” She didn’t pause for an instant to let that threat sink in, or give anyone the chance to argue. “Now get into your starting positions. If you lose the scrap of cloth tied at your wrist, you’re out. You must immediately go to the sidelines.”

The competitors spread out instantly, giving themselves room to dodge or defend while simultaneously looking for the easy-pickings.

Three of Regina’s former guards fanned out around Emma, as if they had been conspiring to take her down first.

“When I sound the horn, you begin,” Snow informed the crowd, raising an airhorn high and holding off for just a second more.

Then Snow blasted the horn loudly, and chaos broke out with men rushing at each other at full charge while screaming.

Flanked on all sides, Emma sneered, baring her teeth as the first lunged at her. She spun quickly, swinging her fist downward to punch him solidly in the gut hard enough to make him stumble.

His friend saw an opportunity and took it by jumping on his back.

Outraged screaming ensued while the third guy rushed at Emma. She took him head on, ramming her shoulder into his chest. They both fell, scrambling over one another, his large hand pressing into her face to try and pin her to the grass while he grabbed for her wrists.

Emma bucked under him, twisting roughly to knee him straight in the groin. He howled in pain, immediately curling in on himself, and Emma grabbed his arm and wrenched the cloth off it.

Her victory was short lived, because as she pushed herself onto her feet, someone barreled into her hard enough to send them both flying. Strong arms were around her waist with crushing force and Emma dug her heels into the grass for leverage as she pulled back to see.

“Archie?” Emma gasped.

“Nothing personal, Emma,” Archie grunted, snagging her by the back of her pants to prevent her from gaining leverage. “But I need this more than you know.”

That was the worst thing he could have said, because the rage Emma felt earlier was nothing compared to how she felt now.

Letting out a furious growl that sounded more animal than human, Emma hunched over as much as possible, tucking her wrist with the cloth around it into her abdomen while she swung her other elbow wildly backwards.

She didn’t care where she hit him, she only hoped that she did, and after a furious moment, she finally caught him in the side of the face, knocking him around enough to wriggle out of his grasp.

He made a grab for her foot, and she kicked back roughly with her other one, crushing his fingers.

Archie let out a hiss of pain and let go, and she took off across the lawn.

All over the field, contestants grappled to rip the cloths off the wrists of their adversaries.

Little John rolled three merry men off his back and dragged Robin through the dirt towards the sidelines. Mulan evaded two royal guardsmen, only to knock their heads together and take both of their cloths.

Nottingham flung one of the dwarves into a tent and then rounded on Merida, who dashed away from him at top speed and ran to give Emma back-up.

“Reminds me of Black Friday shopping, except people aren’t fighting over flat screen TVs,” David admitted to Ruby, who stood prepared to spray them all down with the garden hose.

“If anyone so much as steps in this direction, I’m soaking them,” Ruby vowed with a nod. “Snow is going to referee and make sure that the losers actually get off the field.”

True to her word, Snow called out the losers by name and requested they join the other spectators.

The odor of the alphas and betas must have overwhelmed Regina’s senses, because she was pale and forced to sit down. At the same time, her own fragrance covered the field with an intoxicating richness so thick that everyone could practically taste her in the air.

Snow dismissed Dopey and Sneezy, a group of her own guards and a shoemaker. She continued making cuts until David blew a whistle to end the first competition.

Twenty final competitors remained on the field, tending to injuries or wiping mud off themselves while keeping a safe distance from each other.

“You have thirty minutes to get ready for round two!” Snow called and made her way over to check on Emma, who was winded but otherwise unharmed.

“Well done, Emma,” Snow beamed, noticing how Regina’s gaze never roamed away from them. “I think you’ve even impressed Regina, and not just because you’re here to defend her honor.”

With her hands pressed against her lower back, Emma tried to catch her breath. Sweat trickled down her brow and she was covered in clumps of dirt and grass.

“You think so?” Emma asked, her eyes finding Regina’s as she puffed up and stood tall. She might have looked a mess, but she felt ready for anything — buzzing with unspent energy that was just bursting to get out.

“She looks delighted that you’re still on your feet.” Snow confided with a knowing smile.

Wiping the muck off her face, Emma snorted back, “She looks like she’s going to burn me to a crisp the first chance she gets.”

Merida leaned in, casually dusting off her own debris to add subtly, “Worry can bring that out in people.”

Emma hummed low in her throat, too distracted by the scent of Regina to even care if she got fire-balled. She would risk it just to stand next to her, to have Regina’s scent envelop her.

Snow returned to David as Ruby walked up, a sly smirk curving her lips as she spotted the tent in Emma’s pants. She followed her gaze and couldn’t help but laugh when she found Regina staring back.

“Want me to hose that with cold water?” Ruby asked lightly.

“What?” Emma asked, her confusion turning to a mixture of pride and embarrassment as she muttered, “Don’t even think about it or I’ll rip your arms off.”

“Save it for the field,” Merida chimed in, then cast a curious look to the giant logs that had been fashioned into battering rams. They had magically appeared, thanks to the Blue Fairy. “What’s with the logs?”

“Next challenge,” Ruby explained. “First ten to carry one to the finish line at the end of the garden goes through to round three.”

“How the hell do you train for that?” Emma sputtered, earning a grin from Ruby.

“You don’t, if you’re smart. You two follow me while all the idiots drain their energy by showing off.” Ruby led then to one of the tents where she stowed a few containers from Granny’s with breakfast. “Figured you’d both be starving. Hardly anyone’s been remembering to eat since all of this began.”

“Thank you,” Emma blurted, grabbing half a grilled cheese to devour in three bites.

Merida ate her share of the grilled cheese without complaint as she sized up the remaining contenders in the tournament. “We’d best be hopin’ that Little John isn’t as good with a bow and arrow as the rest of the merry men.”

“He’s definitely got a height and weight advantage on Emma,” Ruby agreed and opened another container of fries to place in front of her friends.

Gasps and shouts from the field threw Ruby into quick action and she ran out to check on the commotion.

The competitors pressed around the platform where Regina had fainted both from fatigue and the storm of alpha hormones that raged around her. She still remained on her back, although she curled in on herself as David and Ruby hovered.

“I’m fine,” Regina asserted, even as she stayed down on the platform. “I just need to lie here for a moment, and I’ll get back on my feet.”

Whale jogged over and flashed a penlight in her eyes, which blinded and must have irritated her enough to smack him.

“It’s alright, everyone,” Whale announced to the crowd with a grand gesture and smug grin. “Her Majesty is just so sex-deprived that she’s practically delirious. Nothing to worry about, as we’ll have the cure for her in no time.”

Raucous laughter and cheering erupted, from the stands and some of the remaining competitors. A few even hollered exactly how they planned to cure her, and Emma bared her teeth at all of them.


“Over my dead body,” Emma snarled.

She grabbed one of the thick chocolate milkshakes Ruby had brought and combined all the side salads into an empty container, and then rushed over to Regina as David helped her back onto her feet.

“You need to eat,” Emma insisted firmly, handing off the shake and salad with a look that said Regina had better listen.

“I have something she can wrap her lips around,” one of the guys in the stands barked, his hand on his crotch as he winked at Regina.

Emma cocked her head, her narrowed eyes assessing his wrists to note that didn’t have a cloth around either, and then she moved as if to put him in his place.

Merida grabbed her by the elbow, hissing quietly, “You can’t hit him. He’s already lost.”

Emma bristled, visibly shaking from the sheer amount of rage her frame contained, and then smirked dangerously as she shouted back at the idiot. “Small things usually come with choking warnings! Where’s yours?”

That did the trick. He let out a strangled roar and charged only for David to restrain him.

“Calm down!” David demanded, shoving him back towards the stands.

Regina still sat doubled-over and it looked like it took her true effort to force herself into an upright position. She grabbed Emma by the wrist to prevent her from fighting anyone. It felt like an electric charge, zapping through their skin and releasing both endorphins and adrenaline.

“Emma,” Regina scolded, then lowered her voice to a whisper. “You should have better sense than to provoke anyone. Use your head.”

Emma took her hand back with a low and pained rumble in the back of her throat. Regina’s skin burned through her and overpowered her senses. She shook from the contact, jittery and on edge with an erection so hard that the seams of her pants began to strain.


“Eat,” Emma repeated through clenched teeth and stepped back before she lost control of herself.

Snow saw the conflict on Regina’s face and stepped up to announce sharply, “The second round is about to start! All of our competitors, please make your way to the other side of the yard and stand behind a log.”

With everyone gearing up for the next round, it gave Regina the freedom to eat in peace.

Emma stormed off with Merida by her side. She felt crazed, all she could think about was sleeping with Regina, having her scent and arousal all over her.


Images of forcefully taking her from behind flourished in Emma’s imagination, and she thought of all the rooms and all the positions she could have her in the mansion. Insatiable, unwavering need took hold of Emma and she all but dropped to her knees when she reached the start line.

A quick look around said she wasn’t the only one that felt it. Almost all of the contestants were hunched over, a cold sweat covering their brow as they breathed raggedly.

“At the sound of the horn, lift one of the battering rams and carry it to the finish line,” Snow bellowed. “The first ten to cross the line with it will go on to round three

Silence fell as everyone readied themselves. Merida and Mulan looked just as determined as Emma. Whale appeared confidently cocky, and Archie had taken his shirt off to reveal a six pack that took everyone by surprise.


Robin had his eyes on Regina, and Emma found herself fantasizing about gouging them out, but then the horn blared to life and everyone moved to action.

Emma let out a strained grunt and wrapped her arms around the huge log. It was heavier than it looked. All the tendons in her neck popped out from the effort she exerted, but she managed to hoist it up in a fluid motion and held it in position with not only her arms, but her stomach, too. Gritting her teeth, she took off across the grass, her feet moving as fast as she could make them. Behind her she could hear others groaning and hissing, but she never looked back.

The second she crossed the line, Emma dropped the damn thing and tried to catch her breath. She turned to watch everyone else, and her eyes widened when she saw the only one even close to the halfway mark was Little John.

Robin stared at her with a mixture of shock and hatred, while Merida tried not to laugh or she would crush her feet. Whale surprisingly was neck and neck with Archie, and Mulan’s stoic expression gave nothing away.

Tillman moved ahead of Robin, then suddenly fell forward, but the Sheriff of Nottingham paced himself, going five steps before stopping to breathe.

Others were still stuck at the starting line, having tired their muscles with all their posturing and flexing from before.

The sudden noise of a horn went off, signaling that the round was over. Nine other contestants had finally reached the finishing line.

Regina stared at the final champions, who seemed eager to put their paws all over her.

Even Mulan took the time to shyly check her out, and Regina stormed back to the pavilion, where she closed and tied the curtains behind her. During the archery round, she refused to emerge or so much as peek her head out from the shelter.

Emma waited for her to show up while trying to focus on hitting targets.

Regina’s curiosity must have piqued when she heard someone shouting about an arrow in Bashful’s arm. She begrudgingly reappeared in case anyone required healing and moved along the sidelines to get a glimpse of the injuries. Several people were crowded around Bashful and she pushed through them all to rip the arrow out, then let the magic flow from her fingertips to close up the gushing wound.

“Oh, oh,” groaned Bashful, blushing furiously as he wrapped his newly healed arm around Regina’s ankle. “Please don’t stop. Please don’t ever stop touching me.”

To Emma’s utter disgust, Bashful began kissing the top of Regina’s shoe and she had to shake her leg to get him off.

“I might have saved you from a mortal wound, but if you don’t back away now, I’m going to inflict another one,” Regina warned.

Bashful scurried away from her and sat in the dirt among all of the other dwarves.

Regina’s dress swung out around her as she turned and glared at the ten contenders who were lining up to continue the round.

A few waved in an attempt to keep Regina’s attention on them longer, and a couple even blew kisses.

Emma did neither, and met Regina’s glare head on with a raised eyebrow.

She was standing in public and everyone could clearly see that she was packing more than arrows, but so was everyone else, mostly.

The time for feeling ashamed of her raging desires wasn’t during a round involving projectiles. Hell, Archie had already accidentally skewered Bashful, and Whale had misfired into the crowd as he tried to take aim.

Everyone stood in a line, bows at the ready. Merida gave Emma a nod, her unwavering confidence contagious as Emma sucked in a deep breath and tried to ignore the way her body throbbed with need. She could feel her pulse in her fingertips, could smell Regina in the air, and something primal inside her tried to break free.

Taking aim, Emma held her breath, closed one eye, and watched the tip of the arrow bounce and quiver with her racing heartbeat.

The harder she tried to hold steady, the worse it became until she remembered something crucial. She had magic.

Standing straight and with complete focus, she allowed the tingle to race through her veins, shimmering from her fingers as she released the string and sent her arrow hurtling into the target with such precision that Merida let out a pleased yell.

Robin let one out, too, but it was a far cry from pleased as he pointed angrily, “You couldn’t hit a target two feet away. You’re cheating!”

Emma sneered at him. “I used my natural talent. You’re the one with the magical bow, dipshit!”

“Wait he’s got a magic bow?” Whale asked, leaning forward to glare at Robin, “Is that permitted?”

“Any arrow he shoots will hit its target!” Emma yelled.

That provoked Archie and a few others who had missed the bullseye to circle around Robin like a pack of hungry wolves ready to tear him apart.

“I don’t need it,” Robin yelped, throwing his bow down in order to pull Little John’s from his hands. “I’ll prove it.”

The idiot scrambled to take an arrow from Mulan, who looked at him with resentment. He pivoted and raised the bow, firing at the target again, only to watch in horror as the arrow embedded itself into Regina’s back door and splintered the wood.

“N-no, I can do this!” Robin spluttered, reaching for another arrow.

“This isn’t best out of three,” Nottingham scoffed, slapping Robin’s hand away with a grin so wide he looked more animal than human. “As much as I’d love to watch you humiliate yourself with this pathetic display, there’s a competition to be won. Just not by you.”

“I can’t believe I agreed to any of this,” Regina huffed out gravely as she took in all of the quarrels and clear displays of arrogance on the field in front of her.

Nottingham strode towards her and bowed with a grin that said he had forgotten his past mistakes. “You look like you need to lie down, my Queen. That tight dress must be restrictive. Shall I loosen the laces for you?”

His attitude revealed how much he already considered himself the victor and Regina looked like she was considering luring him closer just so she could twist his arm again.

Emma glared at the bastard and held tight to her bow. It shocked her when Regina did the opposite of what she expected.

Regina stepped closer to Nottingham to let him open up a few of her laces while Emma looked on with a deadly glint in her eyes.

“The next challenge should require very little effort on my part,” Nottingham assured them all, with a brief glance at Little John and the other three left in the competition. Mulan, Merida and Emma were all rivals he clearly thought were beneath him.

Regina touched her neck coquettishly and looked like she was enjoying Emma’s flushed and furious appearance. “Little John is likely to be your toughest competition. Best of luck.”

Little John had his sight set on Mulan, and Merida flanked Emma, hissing softly, “Be strategic. Little John is slower, but he’s going to hit the hardest in the melee. Nottingham is like a weasel. You can fend him off and get rid of him at any time.”

“He was all over Regina,” Emma snarled back.


The fury bubbling under the surface so hot her skin felt like it was blistering.

“If we all work to get rid of the biggest, you can take him out next,” Merida reasoned. “We only get one shot at this. Be smart.”

Emma ignored her.

As Little John swung his sword at Mulan, who effortlessly blocked but was pushed back by the brute force, Nottingham saw his chance and raised his blade to attack him. He would have landed the strike if not for Emma who rushed forward and kicked him roughly in the ass.

“Daft it is, then,” Merida sighed, moving fast with her sword held high.

Nottingham stumbled forward, one knee landing in the grass, but he recovered fast and pivoted to face Emma. He laughed, as if it were absurd that she would even challenge him and gestured in her face. “Some advice from one Sheriff to another, don’t take on more than you can handle. The Queen will be mine.”

Emma gestured back, but it was obscene as she lunged at him, smashing her blade down against his with a vicious bark. “No, she won’t, she’s mine!”

Merida caught sight of Mulan struggling and darted off. She blocked Little John’s blade an inch from slicing into Mulan’s face and growled with the effort it took to keep him back.

Little John grabbed Merida by the shoulder and shoved her aside, sending her skidding on her ass. He let out a roar at Mulan, who managed to run off, and swung his arm back to elbow Merida in the ribs before she could raise her blade.

“She wants me to win so I can bed her,” Nottingham boasted, getting into Emma’s space as their swords scraped together between them. “I knew she always had a thing for me, ever since her mother tried to set us up. It was only a matter of time before she called me back to finish what we started that night.”

Pure, undiluted rage descended over Emma, covering everything in a red and pulsing mist. She let out a scream so raw and feral that he flinched, but she never saw it as she drew her head back to smash it against his skull. The sound of his nose breaking echoed through her forehead, and Nottingham let out a strangled cry of pain as blood gushed from his nostrils.

Little John had Merida by the throat as he fended off Mulan. It was a dirty tactic, but one that he had no problem using.

Mulan was fast, but her precision worked against her as her blade sliced through the air.

Little John spun with Merida, letting her go at the last moment so that the blow meant for him landed on her. Mulan’s sword cut through Merida’s leather armor and tore open the skin on her arm.

Merida hissed in pain and defeat, and made her way to the sidelines to get medical attention.

Emma sprinted to them, her sword clutched to her side, but instead of stopping as she had intended, Little John grabbed her by the arm and flung her forward, using her momentum to bowl her across the grass.

By the time Emma skidded to a halt, Little John had managed to grab Mulan’s wrist, preventing her sword from reaching him. He used his blade to slash across her hand and the horn blared to end the round.

“Fuck,” Emma spat.

“I tried to tell you,” Merida muttered from behind her as Blue healed her wound. “You don’t want to get into a fist fight with a bear, but now you’re about to do just that.”


Emma should have listened to the sound advice, but she was too distracted. Puffing herself up to stand at her full height, her arm muscles straining beneath her skin, she held herself proudly for Regina’s approach.

Regina flaunted herself in front of all the losers and then strode towards Emma. She made it seem like she wanted to congratulate her and then swerved at the last instant to approach Little John instead. “Please go easy on Emma. You outmatch her.”

Pain radiated through Emma, changing with every harsh breath until it felt like her heart was a giant ember, her blood molten as it seared every vein with each beat. “Like hell he does!”

Regina ran her hand over her cleavage absently and sucked her inner cheek. Little John gawked down at her and snorted with an awkward laugh.

Radiating smug energy, Regina strolled over to Emma at a casual pace. She peered at the marks on the back of Emma’s pants and took plenty of time to admire her ass.


“Nice grass stains. You look like you belong in a laundry detergent commercial.”

Regina’s scent fell around them like a magical fog, which not only clouded Emma’s mind, but strengthened every urge she felt.

That ridiculing remark sparked off the tension between them, and Emma stepped into Regina’s personal space with a low growl. “You look like you belong on your hands and knees.” Losing herself to the potent pull of Regina, Emma inhaled deeply, her breath warm as she exhaled in Regina’s face, “In my bed.”

Regina’s eyes flashed with indignation as she bared her teeth in a dangerous snarl, “How dare you speak to me that way?” She jabbed two fingers against Emma’s chainmail suit. “You don’t have the guts for that. Quite literally, I don’t expect you to have the guts for it: Little John is ready to eviscerate you. Make sure you dodge his left swing.”

The uproar of the crowd and protesting shouts of the merry men snapped Regina’s attention back. She tore herself away dramatically and rushed from the field.

Anger, lust, arousal and gratitude all swirled together within Emma, making her stumble as Regina walked off. She felt like a bomb contained in flesh just ready to go off. She shook violently, a tremble that was neither intimidating or enticing, and she loathed how weak it made her appear.

The words of warning were encouraging, but the talk of her skull being smashed open like some bloody pinata? Not so much.

Emma channeled her frenetic emotions towards Little John, who sneered back at her as he flexed. Evidently all the ego-stroking worked on him, and Emma felt resentment rise in her throat.

“Was that really the best way to tell her you want to mate her?” Ruby asked. She was amused but smart enough to keep that to herself.

Emma hadn’t even heard her approaching, and she let out a heavy, throaty sigh. “She started it, and she keeps touching everyone except me.”

Ruby snorted, schooling her expression as Emma glared at her. “I’m sure she did, but come on, do you really think she wants that on top of her?”

Ruby nodded towards Little John, who was chugging an energy drink. They watched as he finished with a loud belch and his friends let out a cheer. “Thrusting like there’s no tomorrow?”

Disgust caused Emma’s lips to tug downwards, her nose wrinkling as she spat to rid herself of the bad taste it left in her mouth. “Don’t make me think of that, because I will kill him.”

“You should think about it,” Ruby smirked, eyeing Regina, who was staring at Emma from the pavilion. “A little jealousy really gets you going.”

Emma felt rabid. If she were a dog, she would be frothing, but she wasn’t, and all she could do was glare murderously at Little John while breathing heavily. “I hate him.”


She knew her attitude was irrational and yet she couldn’t help the way she truly wanted to bring him to his knees, to inflict intense pain onto him until everyone could see that Regina belonged with her.

Merida hurried onto the field with a bottle of water for Emma, and Ruby continued to give her a pep talk.

“Your biggest advantage is that he doesn’t think you’re a challenge. You’re fast. Use that. Wear him out, because if he grabs you before he’s tired…”

“I’d be screwed,” Emma finished Ruby’s sentence with a grimace.

“No, that would be Regina.” Merida stated dryly. “You’d just be hospitalized.”

“How is that supposed to help me?” Emma barked in her face, but Merida didn’t even flinch as she hissed back, “By learning restraint. One wrong move and you’re down. He isn’t about to let you back up, so listen to what she’s saying and plan a strategy, because if you go against him with the same blind rage as you did Nottingham, then you might as well hand Regina to him with a bow stuck to her.”

Emma sputtered indignantly, though no words formed on her tongue.

Merida’s advice caused an avalanche of self-doubt and panic inside of her, but it was anger directed towards herself.

“Breathe,” Ruby urged, placing her hand on Emma’s shoulder in a display of solidarity.

“Is it always like this for you?” It was a question that Emma had wondered about in the past, but she hadn’t thought to ask. “All of these urges?”

“Sure, around the full moon, I really feel it, but most of the time it’s not so bad.” Ruby cocked her head to the side, a teasing smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she confided, “I’ve had years to prepare and get used to it though. The rest of you have been dealing with it for five minutes, and I don’t envy you one bit.”

“You had better drink up,” Merida warned, spotting the way Little John stood huddled with some of the Merry men, no doubt conspiring against Emma. She handed another bottle over to Emma, filled to the brim with ice and water. “The round is about to start.”