Her pale white hand trembled as it lit the final candle in a room now full of small flickering flames. She waited until she was sure it burnt strong, cupping her hand around the wick and nurturing the fire, protecting it from the soft breeze until it burned with as much life as its brothers.
Then she moved to the center of the room, making note of how the flames felt like dozens of small eyes peering up at her. Watching her with the judgment of a murder of crows. She had given them life and now they could bear witness to her failures.
"Emma Swan, Emma Swan, Emma Swan," She whispered into the stillness of the night.
No one answered.
The room was hot and the fire from the candles made her head perspire but the only water that fell from her face stared in her eyes. She was crying.
Another exhaled loudly into the room, breaking up the reverence that had unintentionally been created. She turned quickly to its source, her shoulders hitched high in hope and her eyes drawn wide but, alas, it was not the person she had called for.
"Snow." Her husband, David, said from the doorway.
"Henry said she came when he called her three times. I added the candles. I heard they make it easier to summon someone."
"And?"
"She didn't come. She..she doesn't want to see me." Her voice was breaking and she shook her head in an attempt to deny the sense of rejection.
David looked at her with sympathy marching his way over to her, maneuvering through the lines of candles until he was close enough to his wife to wrap his arms around her body. He held her and stroked her hair comfortingly but he didn't say anything.
"What did we do, David? How did we fail her?"
She looked up at him through teary eyes. He looked older, still unbelievably handsome, but becoming more and more distinguished every day. Fine wrinkles crinkled the corners or his eyes and she thought she could see the beginnings of permanent frown lines mark his once fresh face. His eyes were definitely harder, losing the naivety that once helped to define him.
"I don't know. Whatever it was I promise you, we will find out and we will get our daughter back.
His voice remained steady though and for his sake as much as her own she smiled.