Chapter 1: A Deadly Curse
"What do you mean?" Henry says in horror.
"What I mean is, Storybrooke was the most special thing to me. It's where I met my friends, found my family again, found my fiance and where I planned to raise my kids..."
"So he used your magic to enact another curse?! What happened?"
"Yes..." I sigh, sitting against a tree. My head is still throbbing. "He was holding everyone hostage, forcing me to release my dark magic to stop him. He managed to use some kind of magical urn to absorb the seismic blasts I make when I can't control myself. Combined with the blood of a wolf, the element of gold and the heart of one that has seen the light and the dark, a new curse was born."
"Whose heart did he use?"
"Emma's" I whisper, unbearably.
"WHAT?!" Henry yelled, tears coming to his eyes.
"Emma still had traces of darkness in her heart. Her previous bond with the dagger created a magic a lot stronger and darker than any that we've ever known."
"Is...she?"
"No..." I say quickly. "It didn't kill her, it made her his slave."
"Start from the beginning," Henry growls, obviously frustrated that I didn't stop them.
I tell him everything from the blackout to seeing the red sparks and running into the trap. From the ingredients, he used, to Emma casting the curse.
When I'm done, I run my hands through my hair and I wipe tears from my eyes.
"I'm sorry Henry. Filtiarn had everyone in his grasp, I had no choice." I gasp quietly.
Henry's arm goes around me and we hug for a moment.
"It's okay, the question is where everyone is now?"
"Back in the Enchanted Forest," I answer.
"How do you know?" Henry asks.
"Isn't that what all curses tend to do?" I ask in frustration. I stand up in what I think was the center of town, but I can't tell anymore. Every tree looks the same as the last.
"The entire existence of Storybrooke is gone... Wiped clean." I sigh. "And it's all my fault."
"It's not your fault!" Henry says. "If it's anyone's fault it's Filtiarn."
"But I helped him." I moan. "I let him get to me. I thought I had control... If I hadn't released the seismic wave, Emma wouldn't be a slave. Ruby, Mason, and Hook wouldn't be dying and everyone we love would still be here."
I miss my children. Lily and Liam. I don't know what's happened to them, but I'm really worried. I'm just praying that they are safe.
"What happened to you anyways?" I ask. "When I went to Regina's house, the place was torn up and no one was there."
"Regina, Robin, and Rumple had me with them and we were guarding the twins, baby Robin, and Roland. Rumple cast a protection spell on the house and the Merry Men and the others were standing outside. That's when the wolves attacked the house. In the ensuing chaos, Regina forced me into the basement with the kids. It was pitch dark down there and cold. We huddled in a corner and I heard the chaos above us. Growling, magic blasts, screams. I wanted more than anything to help them, but the kids needed me. I did the best I could to protect them. When silence came again I became worried. I did my best to comfort Roland and the little ones. Eventually, they were able to sleep, but I couldn't. I tried to go back up into the house, but something was against the door. We were basically trapped down there and all I could do was pray. In the middle of the night, I heard something and my vision clouded over. I didn't know what it was, but I could feel it. It stung every time I inhaled it and I could feel myself being drained of energy. I tried to reach the little ones, but by then I couldn't keep my eyes open. When I woke up I was in the woods. The house and kids were gone. I tried to find everyone else until I heard you screaming."
I hug Henry again, so happy that someone is here with me and I'm not alone
"So why weren't we sucked into the curse too?" Henry asks.
I wrack my brain really hard, why were Henry and I spared from the curse. What did we have that the others did not? We have magic like Regina, Emma, and my father. We're human...
"Because we weren't born here..." I say. I look at Henry. "That must be the reason why! We were never physically part of the stories in any way."
"So what do we do now?" Henry asks the big question.
"Try to find a way to the Enchanted Forest," I say, without much confidence.
"How?" he says.
"I don't know Henry...I really don't know."