Love and Mischief
Chapter 1
(3 1/2 years after the conclusion of "No Regrets")
"Daddy!" The two little girls squealed and ran full tilt toward their father as he closed the door behind him...
Robin braced himself for the double impact with a grin, then swept both girls into his arms.
Roland raced downstairs, phone still in hand, and hugged his father. Robin set the girls down and hugged him back.
Henry walked leisurely down the steps and Regina smiled from the couch, papers on the coffee table- showing she'd been finishing up some paperwork. Robin wasn't sure if it was from the mayor's office or more of the endless paperwork for Henry's college courses. Regina had been relieved that Henry found a reputable online college. He could stay home and get his degree, just attend classes online. But the paperwork was still never ending. Some documentation even had to be magically created.
Robin looked at this family of Regina and his. Three and half years of no magical attacks on Storybrooke; Nor any malicious magical mischief from Gold, or anyone else, had changed the rhythm of the town. Regina looked more content than he ever recalled. Roland's nightmares had all but disappeared….
"So what was the emergency today" Regina took in the stains on Robin's jacket and pants.
"Alexander was stuck up a tree."
"He's only five, what was he doing alone in the forest when it was almost dark?"
Robin sighed. "A bet from his classmates. He wasn't alone long. They came to get me when he couldn't get down."
"What was the bet?"
"To climb the 'evil tree'."
"Evil tree?"
"The tree limbs are deformed; they look like arms reaching out to grab someone. Apparently there is a story among the younger children that this tree has eaten people."
"So they dared him to climb the tree."
"Yes. He became frightened when he looked down and saw how far up he was."
"This is Storybrooke. Perhaps I should go out tomorrow with you and make sure there isn't any kind of nasty surprise locked inside the tree."
Robin nodded. "I think it's just childish imagination, but it's worth being sure. Children sometimes pick up on things."
"Especially if they are magically inclined. I haven't had any of the little ones in my weekly class this year. I don't know if any of Alexander's classmates have magic."
Regina was glad now Emma and Snow had roped her into doing the magic knowledge class. The first year parents were a bit wary, but she did have both her boys, Rowena's two children, Henry's girlfriend Violet and a few of their classmates. Rebecka helped her come up with a few questions to ask to help find the children that had possible magical abilities. Rebecka then came in the next week and identified what color element type the magically inclined were.
They quickly discovered, in contrast to the Enchanted Forest, there were more healer types among the children than other types. Rebecka thought it might have to do with the nature of Storybrooke's ley line. One of the first surprises was that Violet had a very low level healers magic potential. Rebecka described her element color as a cornflower blue.
"If you like you could come by my clinic and I could train you." Rebecka smiled at Violet.
"I'd like to, but I don't know how my dad will react. Magic makes him uncomfortable."
"We could wait till you're a bit older. Maybe give him time to get used to the idea."
Violet nodded.
"What I could do now is a simple test to see where your strength lies. If it's okay with Regina I'll come back with a few things next week"
"Please do" Regina agreed.
The next week Rebecka brought out a handful of mint stalks. "I have a feeling this will be our answer." She handed the mint to Violet.
"What do you want me to do with it?" Violet looked confused.
"Close your hand firmly, but not tightly over them."
"Okay."
"Now close your eyes and concentrate on the mint. Do you feel anything different?"
"Yeah. Like there's some energy wanting me to...pull on it?"
"Good, go ahead and pull that energy, whatever way it wants you to."
The mint in Violet's hand briefly glowed a cornflower blue."
"Wow, that was cool" Henry blurted out.
"What happened?" Violet said, opening her eyes.
"You just brought out its magical properties. Congratulations. That's a very useful magic."
"It is?"
"Oh yes! I can do that, but it's not my strength. While the natural healing properties are available anyone, the magical properties must be drawn out by someone with healing magic. Perhaps when you get older you could help me out at the clinic."
It had taken a year, but Hank Morgan finally relented. Since then Violet assisted Rebecka for a few hours at the clinic on Sundays. Violet had also decided she wanted to get a pharmacy degree. Luckily, she could pursue the academic part of her degree online as well.
It was discovered Henry had a bit of magic as well. After the class, Regina had suggested to Rebecka and Tinkerbelle that it was due to him being the author.
"No. Rebecka shook her head. "Being the author just magnified it. You might be shocked. Although it's far weaker than yours, he's a radiant heart fire element."
"Most the authors had some minimal magic. Maybe that's why most were so unhappy with their lives in the Land Without Magic, and quickly agreed to become the author. They knew they were different." Tinkerbelle added.
Regina remembered back when they were in Neverland when Henry got the label: "Heart of the truest believer" His evil scheming great grandfather Pan, must have known…."
"Radiant heart fire element seems to be random, it rarely is passed down." Rebecka continued.
"No one I've ever heard of had it, much less in my family" Regina agreed. "Emma doesn't have it either and no one in her family that I know of."
"Emma's case is unusual. It's not common for an adult with that much magic to show no element. Hers may have been lost when her parents did that spell before she was born."
"Making their choice even more tragic than it already was." Regina shook her head at the sad realization. "Do you think she'll ever develop an element magic?"
"It's possible, but it would take some research to find out. They'd probably know on Avalon. Maybe even be able to recover her natural element. But unless she asks I wouldn't tell her. I wouldn't want to give her false hope. Also she's done surprisingly well without an element. Her system may have simply adjusted to not having an element. Pursuing getting one might do more harm than good."
After what had happened during the quest to bring Robin back, he had also asked Rebecka to tell him what his low level magic was.
Rebecka faintly smiled, "I can see a pine green wound around an earth brown, you have both aspects of earth magic, even though they are low level. The green probably gives you enough power to successfully use a few healers' tools, even without training."
Robin nodded. "I did, when Marion was pregnant with Roland. She became very ill and I cured her with a healing wand. What about the brown part?"
"Charisma. You have that as a leader. There's just a tinge of earth magic behind it. You also feel a strong connection to nature, don't you?
"Yes."
"Looks like you really choose right, Robin, when you took on the park ranger position." Regina looked at him tenderly.
"It just felt right. Now I understand why." He wrapped her in his embrace and gave her a soft kiss.
It turned out Roland had inherited Robin's brown earth magic, but stronger, not quite on a full magic users level, his low level earth magic as having a topaz glow. He definitely had the charismatic magic already and it likely would grow a bit more as he grew up.
Robin had laughed when he was told "Now we know how he wrapped us around his fingers so easily!"
"I think we should teach him how to use it responsibly now, though. He's getting old enough to understand what that means."
"Yes. It would be an ability that could lead him astray."
Regina nodded. "I wouldn't want someone like Gold manipulating him to use it in ways that he could unknowingly hurt others."
"Funny, we both were worried about Hope and Faith because they'll both likely be powerful magic users. We didn't think Roland might be the vulnerable one."
"Roland's a good and kind hearted boy though, Robin, thanks to the way you've raised him. I think he'll understand."
In the three years since then Roland had proven to be as responsible a boy as Regina had firmly believed he was. There were the occasional slip ups, but both Robin and Regina knew it would be unreasonable to expect a perfect record.
Recently Hope was showing a few signs of being an active magic user. So Regina had Rebecka come over to check.
"I probably should check Grace too."
"Might be a good idea." Regina agreed.
A few minutes later Rebecka had her answers. "Both your girls are potential healers. Your suspicions about Hope were correct. Her magic has activated. Its low level right now, but activating so young, is a sign she'll be a powerful magic user."
"Like Zelena."
"But Hope has two loving parents and you've broken the curse on your family, and you are a strong magic user. I'm sure Hope will be fine. Her earth element color is a bright periodot."
"That's different from Robin's or Zelena's, Her smoke color was a dark emerald."
"Was probably a bright emerald before she choose the darkness, Hope's element color is her own. It's possible she may have a bit of air element. Air elements are usually in the yellow range. If she does it will mature later. Her earth healer element is very dominant."
"What about Grace? You said before she was born you could see a tinge of blue, so water element, possibly a healer."
"It's not active yet, but it's a soft amethyst now."
"Amethyst? Was that because of me? Did I taint her with dark magic?"
"No, not at all. Both girls have no signs of any dark magic taint. What's happened is she's a blend like her father, but different elements. Because she will be a powerful magic user they've blended. But she's blended two elements, that's what made me wonder if Hope had as well. It's not obvious with Hope. It is with Grace. She's blended a water healer blue element with a fire element."
"Fire and water? That sounds like a difficult combination"
"It is. That may be why her power is years away from activating, probably near puberty."
"Oh hell."
"It will be a challenging combination. But it's already blended before her ability to access it will make it far less difficult than it could have been. If was separate like Robin's, but at her probable power level, she'd be battling two competing impulses. This way her impulses automatically will compromise."
Their lives were no longer careening from one magical crisis to another, and had more in common with lives other small towns now. Storybrooke, though, would always be a very different kind of town. Regina thought with a smirk, as she watched Robin take off his jacket and head upstairs to change.
On the other side of town, things for Storybrooke were about to change.
"So you definitely can bring them here?" Isaac questioned.
It was infuriating to not be able to move these storybook characters however he wanted anymore, having to rely on the power of the aggrieved Blue Fairy. His convenient ally of the moment. The woman had actually sought him out. Snuck out of Storybrooke, and somehow found him. She claimed even former authors had magical traces any skilled fairy could track, even in the Land Without Magic. Isaac was dubious but latched onto the idea he had some magic abilities.
He readily agreed to return to Storybrooke then. Inside that town, any magic he might have he could call on. Isaac was disappointed that his power in Storybrooke seemed to be limited to locating characters in any storybook that might be useful for his and the Blue Fairy's needs. He couldn't travel into the book much less bring them here. But she could bring them here.
A bit of chaos and a lot of mischief was headed the heroes way. Even if neither he nor Reul Ghorm, the fairy's true name, could control the actions of their tools. Ghorm could likely manipulate the newcomers into doing what they needed though. She could openly walk around Storybrooke, he couldn't. The heroes couldn't know he was here. The only risk was one of those rebel fairies or the boy could sense him. He would stay hidden until enough chaos was loosed that they'd be too busy to spot him. Then he could do whatever he wished.
"Yes. No real harm will come to anyone, but they'll learn the consequences of not listening to me. That woman is the daughter of one of the most evil people who ever lived in the Enchanted Forest. Look how she went evil. She's not to be trusted."
Isaac nodded, carefully appearing to approve and agree with the Blue Fairy. But, even as much as he hated Regina Mills and the other heroes of Storybrooke and wanted them punished; he remembered quite well it was the Blue Fairy who wanted Regina's story changed. "The daughter of Cora Mills could never be allowed to be the savior or even a light magic user with the potential of becoming the savior." The savior could only be from the family she was fairy godmother for. The Blue Fairy wanted to have the savior working for her. That had been her words all those years ago when she had enlisted his aid to change the story. That was the first time he'd so overtly altered the story. Once he saw he could and get away with it, it was easy to change other stories the way he wanted.