It was in the middle of summer in the enchanted forest. It was hot, but not humid, just the way Robin liked it. There was nothing Robin hated more than having to run errands for her mother in hot humid weather. In all honesty she hated running errand for her mother at all. Anytime Zelena needed something for that annoying spell she was always working on, she would send Robin out to go find it. As if there were not other things that Robin could be doing with her time. It would not be so bad if Zelena actually thanked Robin. There was always a polite gesture of gratitude, but never a real genuine thank you. However, Robin knew she could not complain. With her father not here, Robin was raised singlehandedly by Zelena, so she knew her mother was not so bad.

As she approached her home she let out a sigh of relief. There was a part of Robin that expecting the cabin to be up in smoke anytime she was gone for more than five minutes. Heaven knows Zelena would not have noticed to stop it. In all honesty Zelena probably would have caused it. After opening the door and tossing her cloak on the chair at the dining table Robin called out," Mother I am home!"

The response Robin heard was so predictable that she could mouth it as Zelena was saying it." Down here darling!" Zelena shouted up from the cellar. The cellar is where Zelena did all of her magic, so of course Robin knew she was down there. Zelena was always down there.

Robin quickly made her way to the cellar to see the familiar site of her mother holding a few vials over the cauldron while trying to make sense of something that was written in the spell book." I got the ingredients you asked for mother," Robin announced as she entered the room further and set the basket down on one of the small tables scattered about the room. There was no response, as expected. Robin sighed then used her magic to make every flame in the room jump in order to get her mother's attention. Zelena was so startled she dropped a vial in the cauldron causing a flashing light and a puff of smoke.

Zelena slammed the book shut and turned to see her daughter," How many times do I need to tell you? No magic in the house!"Zelena scolded as she sunk into the chair next to the cauldron.

"You do magic down here all the time," Robin replied and crossed her arms, glaring at her mother.

" I am the mother," Zelena snapped back," I am allowed to. Besides, you know how important figuring this spell out is for me, and thanks to you, any progress I made is now wasted. I think I was on the verge of something!"

"You say that every time," Robin sighed as she began to take the ingredients out of the basket and place them on their appropriate spots on the shelf." And for the sake of argument, I do not know how important this spell is to you. You won't tell me what the bloody thing does!" Robin was starting to see this spell as a curse made specifically for her, because it kept taking her mother away.

"When you are ready you can know," Zelena said and stood from the chair and went to the shelf to grab another book," Until then you must take my word for it, this spell is one of the most important things I'm working on."

" This spell is the only thing you've been working on," Robin shot back at her mother then abandoned putting the ingredients up. Instead she sat on the bottom of the stairs," Rumple says I am one of his fastest learning students. When will I be ready mother? Why can't you tell me? And if it was so important, why isn't Rumple helping you with it anyway? He is the expert on magic."

"You know as well as I do that Rumple has given up using magic in fear of being drawn back in by there darkness, he is the only dark one to be able to resist the call and stop using his magic," Zelena answered her daughter while simultaneously scanning through the books.

Robin sighed, she noticed her mother ignored the part about if Robin would ever be ready to help her with the spell. She then stood up and dusted off her old blue dress then tied her curly red hair back into a ponytail." I have magic lesson today. We are learning how to banish our mothers to the realms." Robin said trying to get a reaction from her mother.

Zelena, only half paying attention, nodded in agreement," Sounds good, have fun and I love you," She replied as she kept looking through the books to find the one she needed." Tell Belle I said hello."

Robin rolled her eyes then looked at her mother," I love you to," she grumbled as she waved her hands and a swirl of purple smoke surrounded her, transporting her to Rumple's castle.


Robin always loved Rumple's castle. It was so grand and so fun to explore. Robin and her best friend Soraya would spend hours running around in all the rooms, playing magic and royalty together. Now the two of them were really doing it. Robin was an excellent sorceress, and because Soraya was the daughter of Belle, she was royalty. However, Robin knew Soraya struggled with her inability to use magic. Rumple was still trying to train her, but it seemed to be a hopeless cause.

Today once again, Robin was walking in to one of Rumple's failed magic lesson with his daughter Soraya. Soraya was standing around a pit filled with wood. Robin knew this lesson well, it was the first lesson of magic. Set the wood on fire." Think about your emotions. Things you love, things you hate. Imagine lighting the fire, then let yourself do it," Rumple instructed.

Soraya stood there with her fists clenched and her blue eyes fixed on the, the expression on her face seemed to say 'Today I will set this fire!' But unfortunately Robin had seen this time and time again. The end result was never a fire. At her father's words, Soraya yelled in anger and turned around, throwing a tea set off the table."Let myself have it? What does that even mean?! If I could let myself have it, we wouldn't be here!" She yelled.

As the tea set crashed to the floor and shattered into what seemed like a million pieces, Robin waved her hand and the tea set was completely fixed and sitting on the dinning room table. Soraya huffed as she turned around," I hate when you do that, you know?"

"Why do you think I tell her to do it?" Rumple asked with a sly smile on his face, that would always seem to ease Soraya's anger. He pulled his daughter in for a hug and kissed her forehead," Take a break, perhaps we could try again tomorrow?" This was also predicable to Robin, Rumple never gave up on Soraya.

Soraya nodded and sat down at one of the dining room chairs, she liked to watch Robin's magic lessons and learn from them, to see if this knowledge will help her in the future." I am still mad at you," Soraya told robin with a teasing grin.

"Oh I am very torn up about it," Robin said sarcastically with that same teasing grin. She then turned to Rumple," I am here for my magic lesson!"

Rumple shook his head," Sorry, there cannot be one today, Belle requests that I attend King Thomas's ball with her and Soraya, I must get ready. Doing my hair is much harder without magic. Perhaps run through spells with your mother?"

"A ball? Oh that sounds exciting!" Robin said, knowing how much Soraya loved balls. Robin had never been to a ball. She and her mother were always invited but neither of them ever wanted to go, so they usually stayed home.

"Oh yes, its a masquerade!" Soraya said smiled at her best friend," You should come with me! It would be so much fun! The masquerade is where the young remembers of society get to have a night of fun!" Robin knew of the masquerade ball. Adults did attend but they were usually in a different ballroom than the teenagers, so this gave the royal and otherwise important teenagers time to mingle without the prying eyes of their parents." I have the perfect dress for you to wear!" Soraya exclaimed.

Robin sighed, but her best friend wanted her to go, and besides this ball seemed like as good as any to be her first." Fine, but I will have to ask my mother, speaking of, there will be no practicing with her. She is always to busy working on that spell she won't tell me about."

Something in Rumple's eyes changed, as if he knew what Zelena was working on in there."Well what a shame," he said and tried to force a look of ignorance on the topic," Perhaps tomorrow then?"

"There won't be time tomorrow either," Robin replied and her eyes narrowed a bit. She knew Rumple knew something," It must be very important for her to spend all her time working on it. You know what it is!"

"The spell is to get to the other world," Rumple told the girls. This caught Soraya's attention because she stood from her chair."You two are old enough to know. There are people we know, friends, family, loved ones, who are in a different realm. Our world has been cut off from this world, meaning no portals. Zelena is trying to get there."

An anger welled up inside of Robin as she heard this. How could her mother not tell her about this? Robin could have more family somewhere else? Was it possible that her father was there as well, and his death was another lie by her mother. She couldn't know for sure," I have to go, see you tonight fir the ball."


Robin marched into her house, skipping her normal greeting as she trudged her way down the stairs," How dare you!" Robin yelled as she saw her mother, as expected, but the cauldron.

"Robin, honey, not now ok? It has been an exhausting day," Zelena said not even looking up at her daughter.

"How could you not tell me about the other world? About our lost friends and family! Who is over there?! Who have I lost?!" Robin yelled as tears began to form in her eyes and Zelena dropped what she was doing to look at her daughter." Is my dad over there?" Robin asked softly.

"That imp told you didn't he?" That was all Zelena could really reply after these accusations were made against her. These true accusations.

"It doesn't matter! Wy didn't you tell me? We could have been working on this together! But instead you've spent the past 17 years of my life ignoring me and working alone!" Robin shouted at her mother, balling her fists.

"That is why I did not tell you," Zelena said as she approached her daughter," Trying to figure this out has consumed my life, and I knew it would consume yours as well if you knew. I could not subject you to that."

Robin paused as she stared her mother straight in the eyes. In some weird twisted way, Robin though Zelena's point made sense, but she still felt that her mother should have told her about all of this."And my father?" Robin asked.

Zelena pulled her daughter in for a hug," That part was true, your father... he is still dead. Come on, lets sit down and I may explain everything to you."

Robin pulled away from her mother's grip," I can't, Soraya invited me to the masquerade ball tonight, I can not back out now, it would be rude. Besides, how do I know you won't just lie to me like you've been lying to me?"

"Even better, after the ball both you and Soraya can come here and I can talk to both of you, if rumple wants you two to know, then I will explain everything,a nd answer any questions you have. Have fun at the ball, don't let this ruin your time," Zelena said.

"No promises," Robin issued this broad statement as he respond to everything her mother just said. Zelena seemed to be understanding of this answer because she simply nodded. Then Robin vanished in a puff of smoke.

A/N: I know this is probably confusing, but I promise all questions will be answered soon! I hope you enjoy duties chapter!