Life was hard. The scars, both physical and emotional, that she wore were testaments to that. She knew her own sorrows made her stronger, even if the process of receiving them was horrendous.
Staying in this town still made no sense, even if Henry had convinced her. Finding out her mother, in her son's eyes, was near her age was astounding. She was skeptical too and didn't know if she truly wanted to believe him or not. She wanted to know her son at any cost, and wanted to make sure he would be protected, no matter what.
You are starting to wake a voice came from within her. She blinked and looked around the dark abandoned street. She walked into an alley and knelt down to her knees.
No, dearie, you are not going crazy, the same voice stated within her head. But I cannot appear in the normal realms… you must dream.
She shook her head and went to Mary Margaret's house. The woman, in all of her kindness, was allowing her to stay with her as long as she needed. She used her key and got in quietly. Lying down on the small couch, she closed her eyes.
A huge oak tree stood in a magnificent forest. The sunlight within the forest shined down on the tree just right. She looked down at herself and gasped as she saw a simple tunic and pants with dark leather boots. A whistling sound startles her and she looks up.
A woman with long blonde hair comes from behind the tree and her dark blue gown glowed like a sapphire within the sunlight.
"Who are you?" she asked suspiciously. The woman smiled and held her hand to the tree. The woman's eyes turned toward her and the warmth in them struck her.
"I am the one who saved you," the woman said quietly. The tree hummed in response and the woman laughed. "When you were put within that wardrobe, my spirit engulfed you and protected you."
"You expect me to believe you?" she asked. The woman laughed softly and held out her hand. She stopped herself from reaching the hand and the woman smiled at the resistance.
"Would you like to meet the person who put you in the wardrobe?" the woman asked. "My name is Aminali."
Aminali took her hand and smiled as the scene changed around them. a large round table stood before them and a man sat down at one of the seats. He looked up and smiled at Aminali, but Aminali moved and showed him her.
"Who is this, ancestor?" he asked respectfully. Aminali motioned for her to sit down and smiled at him. When he met her eyes, his own widened and flashed to Aminali. Aminali gave a small nod. "You have come back."
"What the hell are you talking about?" she asked loudly. The man smiled at her temper and gave a nod to Aminali.
"Emma," he whispered. Emma paused and her eyes widened. "You have grown up… has it really been twenty eight years?"
"Yes… time has started to move again, my descendant," Aminali stated. The man smiled and took Emma's hands within his. Emma felt a shiver of recognition flow through her and tears started flowing from her eyes.
"Father," she whispered. He hugged her tightly and she hugged him just as fiercely. Aminali smiled down at the image of her two descendants. Hardening her face, she motioned for her power to come before her.
"Emma," Aminali stated softly. Emma stood and watched the glowing blue sphere before her. Aminali stepped forward with the globe coming beside her and motioned for it to come before both of the women. "You are my descendant's daughter… and my heir."
"What are you talking about?" Emma stated. Aminali smiled sadly and motioned the globe to go toward Emma.
"All of my knowledge is within this globe, as is my power," Aminali stated. "You are the one who will free all. My time is done, but my memories will serve as the answer to your problems." She smiled at Emma's confusion and touched Emma's cheek. "No matter what he tells you, the name within my memory is true."
"Who are you talking about?" Emma asked confused. Aminali smiled mysteriously. She hugged Emma and the globe went into Emma. Emma gasped as the power came within her and a flood of memories popped up. Aminali smiled at her and let her go. Light globes started coming from her body and she relaxed her stature.
"Emma, never lose your hope," Aminali stated firmly. "Our hearts die unless we do not have love and hope… love comes and goes, but hope always stays."
Emma stood still as Aminali began to disappear. Before she fully left, Aminali gave Emma the sapphire necklace she had around her neck. She clasped the necklace around Emma's neck and grinned when the jewel glowed.
"Remember, even in the darkest of nights, the light will come the next morning," Aminali whispered. "Good luck, my child."
Emma sank into the chair next to her and looked at her father. He smiled sadly but did not move.
"Why can't you move?" Emma asked. Her father laughed softly and he smiled at her.
"I wish I could," he spoke softly. Emma watched as he put a hand on the table and sighed sadly. "My mind has been here for twenty eight years, alone and without the light to guide me home."
"Where are you in the real world?" Emma asked as she felt the dream ending. Her father smiled and winked.
"Ask Henry," he said. As her surroundings started to fade, Prince Charming smiled at her. "I am waiting for you, Emma… and I love you, my daughter."
Emma woke up with a start and a gasp. She felt a stone on her chest and looked down. The sapphire from her dream glowed gently in the morning light and Emma stood up. she saw Mary Margaret in the corner and remembered her dream.
Her mother, the voice in her head came flashing forward. Emma laughed silently and fell back on the couch. The understanding of the dream gave her the epiphany and gave her the strength to do whatever she needed to do.
"Did you have good dreams?" Mary Margaret asked quietly. Emma nodded and came into the small kitchen area to help her. Mary Margaret smiled and handed the plates to her.
"Why did you go into the covenant?" Emma asked quietly. Mary Margaret paused and smiled sadly.
"I wanted to show hope to people who did not have any," she said in response. Mary Margaret looked at Emma. "I knew no love when I was a child. I wanted people in the world to know about it."
Find me, Emma, her father's voice echoed in her mind. Emma nodded in response and smiled at Mary Margaret. She saw a different image of Mary Margaret, with longer hair that was put up and a long white gown. Blinking, the image was gone.
"I need to go to work, and I will see you this evening after my rounds at the hospital," Mary Margaret said in a farewell. Emma nodded and saw Mary Margaret leave the apartment.
After her shower, Emma left the apartment and wandered down the street. She saw the people of the town in other ways, the images of their true selves. She blinked a lot within the next hour. The image that saddened her most was Mr. Gold, for a reason she did not understand, and Emma knew her mother told her name to him.
But what does that mean? She asked herself mentally.
She stood within a light blue room and a man with golden skin was climbing her walls. There was a childish happiness within him and she knew that it would not last.
"Why was I given this power?" he asked while he hung off one of the columns within the room. She waited for him to calm his magic down before she answered. She smiled sadly.
"We all have our roles within this society," she said sadly. He hopped down off the column and sat before her. She smiled lovingly at him. "When the time comes, you will need to choose, my boy. I will not be around forever."
Two hundred years later, he rebelled and she turned into the tree.
Two hundred after that, her spirit knew how to wander the world and see her descendants rule the land with pride and compassion for the people, but she knew all too well how fragile this peace was. The peace that she had fought for was crumbling at its edges and there was no way that she could stop it. However, she could prepare for the next age of peace. He was the key to her answers.
She appeared in the dungeon, watching her descendant and his wife leave, when she saw the womb glow. Hope, long dead within her, sprang to life and empowered her spirit.
"You!" he shouted from within his cage. She closed her eyes and turned toward the figure that she once thought of as a son. She saw his once happy face look at her with hatred. She smiled sadly in return.
"Why are you instigating all of this?" she asked kindly. His eyes narrowed at her tone and he jumped down from the bars around him. she approached him and stood before the doors. He snarled at her and her expression saddened even more. "You were happy once."
"You never told me she would die!" he snarled at her. Aminali smiled sadly and watched him try to lash out at her. he blinked when he realized that his hits were not affecting her. "What have you become?"
"What I was meant to be," she told him quietly. She reached out to touch his cheek but he snatched his face back. She smiled sadly and shook her head. "You were once on the bath of good… where has that boy gone?"
"Being torn from your happiness, being enslaved for three hundred long years and getting vengeance for the last one hundred hardens the soul," he hissed at her. her hand caught his cheek and held his chin firmly. He hissed and tried to swat her hand away but it did not work.
"You were my most promising student," she murmured quietly. He narrowed his eyes. "The path of vengeance is not one you wish to walk down, my boy. it will rob you of your soul… and happiness."
"Don't you get it, you old hag," he hissed at her. "I have not had happiness since she died!"
"And I have not had mine since my lover died!" she yelled back. He flinched as the walls around them creaked with the force of her voice. "But there is always hope for a better tomorrow!"
"And what would you have me do?" he snarled. Her expression softened and she let go of his chin. She backed up and stood within the light.
"Inspire hope, know the answers, and help bring peace again, Rumpelstiltsken," she said as she began to fade. "We must always hope… and we must always be ready for change."
"I will never choose a side!" he cried at her. Aminali smiled and shook her head at him. She looked up at the ceiling of the room and gave a small sigh. Then she looked at him and gave her piercing gaze.
"When we meet again, you will choose," she told him. He blinked and grinned dubiously.
"We will never meet again," he foretold. She smiled and shook her head.
"I will not be in this current form, student, but I will know you. And I will treat you the same," she smiled mysteriously and recalled her spirit back to the tree. While he was crying out for her to explain herself, she built her spirit within the tree and told the fairies to find her descendant. She was brought to them, carved into something. She felt her spirit start to wane and she knew she needed to keep living until her descendant came to her.
"My friend, I wish for you all the happiness I never had," she wished quietly. He paused in his statement and his eyes widened. Her training, the catching of words and phrases, caught him and he opened his mouth slightly. She smiled sadly at him as realization dawned.
"It is you. You will help her," he said fiercely. She smiled at him as the other realization hit. "You cannot do that! It is forbidden!"
"The curse you created was forbidden," she retorted and her gaze hardened. "You reap what you sow, my old student. If any of the lessons I taught, I thought that would be the most valuable… I named my heir. Be warned, Rumpel. The future may be what you wish, but the cloudy tomorrow will come again."
"Why are you doing this?" he asked angrily. She smiled as she faded. He yelled at her as she left the room.
Emma sat in the local diner, watching all of the people from the booth. Henry would be let out from school soon and she knew he would want to meet her here, but that was not her most pressing thought at the moment. Mr. Gold was walking in to the diner and headed over toward Ruby. The young woman froze slightly but gave him a wad of cash. He nodded and creepily smiled. Her eyes widened as he came toward her and sat down in the booth without asking permission.
"Mr. Gold, I am pretty sure that I do not need any company at the moment," she said and indicated her cup. He gave her his calculating smile and she immediately stiffened.
"Ms. Swan, I need company," he said amiably. "After all, it is not many days I can sit before someone of your influence within our world."
Emma narrowed her eyes at him and his eyes twinkled at her. She could not help but smile at him. "You cannot charm me, Mr. Gold."
The light went out of his eyes and he looked stunned for a moment. Emma did not buy it for a minute. His gaze steadily looked into her eyes and she did not back down. The memories, not her own but the were hers now, came into her mind.
Aminali stared at him as he stared at her. Neither blinked for many moments. When her lips broke into a smile, he blinked.
Emma smiled at Mr. Gold and he blinked. His jaw stiffened and Emma's grin grew broader. She did not know what she just won, but she knew it was essential.
"Very good, Ms. Swan," Gold stated happily and mysteriously. "I will give you your answer by the end of the day." He nodded and smiled kindly as Henry approached the booth. Henry looked at him suspiciously and Gold nodded to him and left.
"What did he want?" Henry asked. Emma smiled at him and ruffled his hair. "Hey!"
"Don't worry about it, old man," Emma said to him. Henry pouted and Emma laughed softly. "So, who are we going to see today?"
"Prince Charming," Henry said happily. The image of her dream came into her mind and Emma relaxed. She saw Henry looking at her necklace. "Where did you get that?"
"Someone who helped me a long time ago," Emma informed him. She let her face go blank and then she smiled at him warmly. "Lets go then."
"Yes!" Henry said and dragged her along to the hospital. They came to the ward where the John Doe was and saw Mary Margaret standing outside the ward. She turned and smiled as she saw Henry and Emma approach them.
"Good afternoon," Mary Margaret greeted. Emma smiled in return and noted the deep sadness within her eyes. They went into the ward and Mary Margaret looked toward the coma patient room. Emma took note of the expression on her face and smiled down at Henry. "Who are you here to see?"
"John Doe," Emma informed her. Mary Margaret's eyes widened and Henry nodded happily. Mary Margaret watched as Emma approached the room. Before Emma opened the door, she took a deep breath. She stepped into the room and Mary Margaret had to turn away. Henry stood by Mary Margaret's side, but looked at the scene playing out before him.
She approached the bed, and narrowed her eyes as she saw a yellow glow around his body. "So that's what she did to you."
She sat down next to him and looked pensively at his face. the only one who could wake him, she knew, stood in the next room and was not looking at him. she touched his hand and closed her eyes.
She saw the table again and saw a man in a regal red tunic turn toward her. he withdrew his sword and glared at her.
"Who dares enter?" he growled. She looked down and saw that she was in the tunic and trousers again, but the jewel around her neck glowed green this time.
"Someone who wants to help you," she called and stepped forward into the light. His sword went down slightly as he took her image in and then he raised it again. He glared at her.
"Get out of my mind, sorceress," he growled. She looked down at the table and pointed to the seat she sat at and then the seat he had sat in. he looked at her questioningly and his eyes widened.
"Emma," he said in a whisper. She nodded and he sighed in relief and sank into his chair. She sat in hers and he smiled at her. "I thought that it was a hallucination… I cannot trust half of what my mind sees in this realm."
"Are you aware of the outside world?" she asked him. He shook his head. "You are in a sleeping spell right now. I don't know how to handle it."
"Your mother," he said and got up. He looked at the ceiling of his room and sighed. "I am sorry, child, but my mind cannot take this much conversation. But I know I will see you soon."
Emma opened her eyes and looked at him. She nodded and went out of the room. She saw Henry try to approach her, but she went straight to Mary Margaret. Mary Margaret turned and smiled at Emma but it turned to a frown when she saw Emma's serious expression.
"Can you come with me?" Emma asked. Mary Margaret nodded and followed Emma. Henry walked with them but Emma closed the door on him. He gave a surprised exclamation but stayed outside of the door. Mary Margaret looked at Emma confusingly.
"Do you feel like a part of your soul is missing?" Emma asked but did not wait for Mary Margaret's answer. "What if I told you it was because half of it was stolen from you? The part you miss is right in front of you."
Emma pointed to Prince Charming. "Please, you know what to do. Please save him."
Mary Margaret looked at Prince Charming and then at Emma. She touched his left hand and leaned down to his lips. Watching the moment when Emma saw the yellow light disappear, she opened the door for Henry to come inside.
Charming raised himself up out of the bed and hugged his wife tightly. Emma smiled and held Henry's mouth so the boy would not interrupt the meeting. Mary Margaret looked at him and cried into his chest. Charming cuddled her closely and looked up. his eyes widened when he saw Emma and Henry.
"Emma," he croaked out. She nodded and waited until Mary Margaret looked up. she looked between Emma and Charming and gasped as her memories came flooding back to her.
"Emma," she breathed and hugged Emma tightly. Emma hugged just as tightly back while Henry came over to see Charming. They regarded each other warily until Henry brought a hand out.
"I'm Henry. Your grandson," he clarified. Charming smiled and nodded at the boy, but his attention was on the two women in the center of the room. Mary Margaret let go of Emma and smiled at her.
"You have grown so much," she said softly and smiled at Emma. Henry harrumphed and the women turned toward the men. Snow went to Charming and held his right hand. He pulled her down into the bed with him and put his arm around her shoulders. He pulled her closely and regarded the two standing.
"What do we do now?" Charming asked Emma. Emma looked down at Henry and smiled sadly.
"The way to break this curse is forgiveness from the one the Evil Queen killed in order to enact it," she spoke softly. Henry crossed his arms and shook his head. She smiled at him and kneeled before him. Her eyes took in his happiness, but also the soul deep sadness. Her heart went out to protect him and she knew that he would be free when he did what he needed to do. "The way to hope is through forgiveness, Henry."
She got up off her knee and looked at her parents. "Will you two be all right?"
"We have twenty eight years of catching up to do," Charming stated sadly. "We'll be just fine."
Emma and Henry stepped outside of the office and both stood facing each other. Henry had a sour expression on and was silently refusing Emma's question. He shook his head at her and she gave out a small frustrated sigh.
"Henry, you have to let it go," she told him. He shook his head and she smiled. "Don't you see? In order for everyone to get his or her happily ever after, she must be forgiven. Henry, I'm not saying that you have to love her, I'm just saying that you have to forgive her."
She stood in the dark half of the mountain, the part of the Enchanted Forest that never received any sunlight. She watched as an older gentleman came up to her and bowed slightly. She nodded in return and smiled at him in greeting.
"Lord Henry," she greeted. He bowed again and looked her in the eyes. The normal warmth that highlighted his eyes was gone. She started to frown.
"Lady Aminali, it has been too long," he said in response. She saw the strain of his soul and his heart and was shocked to see the death in his aura.
"She is going to fulfill her wish, isn't she?" Aminali asked. Henry nodded in response and gave a long sigh.
"I cannot stop her, Aminali. My heart is breaking," he said despairingly. Aminali nodded and waited for him to go on. "I know the price of this curse and my heart cannot bear it. She goes to far for this happiness… she does not know what this will do to her. please help her."
"Henry, she goes against what my descendants decreed. She is willing to sacrifice everything around her for a false illusion. I can break this curse, but I still have not figured out how to do so," she told him uncertainly. Henry sighed and looked at the black sky.
"She will take my heart, won't she?" he asked in a hushed tone. She nodded and his shoulders slumped. She smiled as the idea came into her head.
"I cannot save your heart, Henry, but I can save your soul," she said. Henry looked at her hopefully. "Your soul will hate her, though. A soul that is separated from the original heart is never the same. You will be transformed into someone different, but you will still hold the key to unlocking this curse."
"Milady, I will do whatever you need me to do," Henry told her confidently. She smiled in response and took one of her necklaces off. She took the ruby necklace and held it out to him. Henry took the necklace and looked at her questioningly. "What am I supposed to do with this?"
"Wear it beneath your tunic until you die. When she takes your life, your soul will transfer into this stone and will come with my spirit into the next life," Aminali replied. She looked at the dark realm once again. "There was a time when all of the Enchanted Forest lit up instead of this half darkness and half light. The time must come again… at any price there must be peace."
"How will we achieve this peace?" Henry asked. Aminali smiled hopefully.
"We hope, Henry. Hope grows into forgiveness, and forgiveness grows into peace," she said softly and looked at the sky. "This world will transform when we are gone. It will go back to the way it once was. The scale will be obliterated and it will be given equal standings. Everyone will receive a happily every after."
He nodded and looked back at the castle where he lived. He turned to walk in that direction and gave her a weak smile. "I will see you in the next life, milady."
Aminali stayed in the spot until he disappeared from her sight. She smiled sadly and shot a ray of light up through the darkness and disappeared.
Emma smiled warmly down at him and kneeled in front of Henry. She smiled down at him and took his hands.
"Henry, hope is growing, and it grows into forgiveness," she said and pointed to his heart. "I know your heart hates her, but your soul doesn't." he shook his head and she smiled sadly at him. he hugged her tightly.
"I have to go," he said sadly. She nodded and raised up to her normal height. He ran away to the house and she watched him walk away. She felt someone come up behind her and she crossed her arms.
"What do you want, Mr. Gold?" she asked him crossly. A small cynical laugh was heard and she frowned even more. She felt his presence right next to her and looked at him out of the corner of her eye.
"I just wanted to say good afternoon, Miss Swan," he greeted sarcastically. She raised an eyebrow and he grinned even wider. "As my keeper, you should know your responsibilities."
"We aren't in that realm, Mr. Gold," Emma retorted. She turned her gaze to him completely. "Mr. Gold, you are your own person. I expect that you can take care of yourself. You're a big boy."
"Miss Swan, you are a very intriguing keeper," he said sarcastically. She snorted at him and started to walk away.
"You've always made your own decisions, regardless of what your keeper suggests to you. I won't influence you, even if you want me to try to," she told him with finality. She smiled at him. "I wish you a good day, Mr. Gold."
She stood in front of the clock tower and smiled at the clock as it turned another minute. She knew that no matter what happened the happily ever after was achievable. The pain that defined her would give her the strength to see that every person in the town would receive a happy ending, including the ones who she did not think deserved it. Peace was deserved for all, and Emma would not let anyone stand in her way of finding it again.