Once upon a time… Deep within the Enchanted Forest where no one dared to venture there was house on a hill that was anything but ordinary; this house according to folklore was a house of evil and within this house lurked a terrible witch who was as evil as the house itself and practiced the art of dark magic. Many brave men had apparently entered this house a long time ago and it was said that none of them had ever returned. Legend went that the witch had killed all those brave souls and had used their bones to put a fence around her house to prevent anymore unwanted visitors from crossing her threshold. The witch herself? Nobody had seen her in several decades but it was claimed that the witch was a haggard old woman over a thousand years old who was as thin as a skeleton with a face that would make a grown man cry. Her face was said to be wrinkled and covered in warts but most people talked of her eyes that were as black as her soul and her teeth that were made of sharpened iron. The witch was rumoured to be a cannibal, eating the flesh of all her victims and collecting their eyeballs, which decorated all her walls. Her name? Many weren't sure of what it had once been, the witch had many names but within the Enchanted Forest she was known as Baba Yaga.
A storm was coming. Trouble was on the horizon and the thunder was already brewing, a sure sign that something whatever coming wasn't good. Not that it bothered Baba Yaga as she continued to gather her herbs, she had always enjoyed a good storm as they were rather soothing in an odd way and they always helped to clear her mind when there was something bothering her. There hadn't been a good storm in a fair while, some minor rumblings but nothing major. The trouble that was approaching was of no concern to Baba Yaga as she held no interest in what trouble the mortals in this land were getting themselves into. They could burn the seven lands to the ground and she wouldn't care because all their squabbles were over tedious matters and Baba Yaga was beyond most of that. She did not care for wars involving the ogres or the internal troubles brewing within the kingdoms, as long as these problems didn't turn up at her front door. She had moved on from the whole good versus evil conflict a fair while ago as there was no real winner, there was always going to have to ne a natural balance. Being on the side of good had only brought Baba Yaga misery and being on the side of evil had brought her pain so Baba Yaga had renounced both sides and sought only to practice her craft. Baba Yaga was content in keeping her own company, tending to her own business and being left alone. Over the last few centuries Baba Yaga had become accustomed to her own company, it was easier for her to be alone, that was she wouldn't be hurt again. Nobody could hurt you if you kept to yourself, your heart couldn't be broken if you kept it hidden away from the world and loved nothing except yourself. Baba Yaga supposed that said a lot about her and all the things she had gone through. She was as alone as she had been the day she was born, the only difference was that Baba Yaga had been through hell and back through the centuries. It was one of the downsides that came with being 'immortal' or rather defying the rules of time as she saw it. She could only ever really remember the bad times, Baba Yaga could some vaguely recall the good times in her life but there had been more sadness in her life then happiness, it was only natural that she could only really remember the worst.
Her memory was odd like that, Baba Yaga could remember certain things but something she had managed to forget much to her surprise. She couldn't remember the face of her parents, the sound of their voice or even if they had ever loved her. They had been gone for however many centuries now that they were only a fleeting thought in her mind every so often. The biggest thing that Baba Yaga had forgotten was her real name, Baba Yaga was not the name that she was given upon birth but rather a name she had taken during her darkest of days when she had fallen further than she had ever fallen before. The name Baba Yaga was taken with a promise, to be a better person, it was like a promise to herself. She had been using that name for so long that her real name faded away into the back of her mind and Baba Yaga eventually forgotten it. That was old age, you could never really run away from it no matter who you were. The one thing that Baba Yaga refused to let her age take was the memory of her daughter, her wonderful Freya. Not even a thousand more years of living would take away Baba Yaga's memory of her daughter. Freya was gone, taken from her and the world had almost crumbled when that had happen. A terrible storm had savaged the lands when Baba Yaga had learnt of her daughter's death and her grief had almost destroyed them all. But Baba Yaga had managed to survive and since then she had never loved again. Her daughter's memory was the only thing that kept Baba Yaga alive. Since then Baba Yaga hadn't the same. She had locked herself away from the entire land and she never ventured far from her home. Baba Yaga had given up the use of her magic for the most part. She was a shadow of her former self and for the most part she enjoyed that, things were less complicated when people didn't come searching for her because they needed her help or they wanted to kill her. Thankfully today wasn't one of those days, today had been mostly spent with Baba Yaga picking herbs to restock her supplies, everything had been peaceful for the most part until the approaching storm began to roll in.
Baba Yaga took no notice of it until she had a whispering in the winds. Something was wrong, something was happening… That much Baba Yaga could tell as the wind whispered softly to her that someone was in her home. If there was one thing that Baba Yaga detested most in this world it was people trespassing on her property, she didn't care that they called her 'The Hag of The Hills' or even that bizarre name Baba Yaga. Being called names was nothing new to Baba Yaga but someone violating her privacy was another thing, she had gone out of her way to ensure that home was out of the way for most people to find. Her game had a fence of bones around it to frighten to people away and for the most part nobody came close to entering her home. But someone had succeeded, someone had entered her inner sanctum. Baba Yaga could feel herself getting riled up but she didn't let her anger make her do something she would regret, she wasn't going to run home to confront the intruder. If there was one thing Baba Yaga was certain of was that the intruder wasn't going anywhere, they may have bypassed the enchantments she had put around the house but they wouldn't be able to leave the house until she returned, if she let them leave… Her home wasn't like other homes, it was special and Baba Yaga had made the house to be self sufficient, it was an extension of herself in a way. Regardless of that Baba Yaga still made her way her way home, back to the hut that she had been calling home for a fair while as quick as her feeble old body would allow her to go. Her house no grand palace but it was home. Her intruder was there waiting for her just like Baba Yaga knew they would be but they were rather tied up. Her house had done well to protect itself and Baba Yaga's female intruder was entangled with vines and Baba Yaga took the opportunity to circle the intruder who seemed to be too dressed up to be visiting her of all people.
"I knew I would be getting a visit from you eventually Regina but I expected it to be a lot sooner and I would have thought that you would have been more respectful when it came to it. You dare to intrude in my abode? You must be stupid or have a rather serious death wish. Do you want that pretty little head of yours to join the other skulls on my fence? You must have seen it on your way in… The one made of human bones? You might have noticed that the only one pole is lacking a skull on top, I leave that empty for my next victim…" Baba Yaga began in a more than irritated tone of voice as she waved her bony hand in the direction of vines and instantly they began to wither and die, realising her captive from her binds. Baba Yaga now had a good look at her female intruder who was dressed head to toe in black, wearing the most elaborate black dress that Baba Yaga had seen in her life. It was over the top and seemed like the perfect dress for a queen or rather the Evil Queen Regina. The look on Regina's face suggested that she was surprised that Baba Yaga knew who she was and she was right to be taken back. Normally Baba Yaga didn't concern herself with any of the royal kingdoms but she had been hearing a lot whispers about Regina for a while. "Oh I know exactly who you are Regina, world had travelled far about the queen who has made quite the name for herself. You should be honoured as I don't normally consider it my business to know about the goings on in the kingdoms but I was intrigued after hearing that a certain somebody took the sleeping curse I created and used it to poison an apple to get back at her stepdaughter for being more prettier than herself. I would have never thought of that myself."
"Old Mother, forgive me for intruding as I did not mean to offend but I come to you to ask for your assistance." Regina began in a tepid manner and Baba Yaga let out a haughty laugh and wagged at her finger in a rather disapproving manner.
"Don't insult me by playing the nice act, I see right through you child! I would have thought Rumplestiltskin would have taught not to waste my time! Rumour has it you were one of his pupils…"
"You know of Rumplestiltskin?"
"Of course I know that foul creature… How old do you think I really am? I've been around a lot longer than the Dark One. But that is not why you came, so we'll have to move things along as I have souls to torture and all that. So hurry up child and ask whatever it is you came to ask. Don't lie to me and pretend that you're not here for something as I tend to only get visitors when someone needs something from me or they want to kill me and you don't have the Harpe sword." Baba Yaga stated in a vague manner as she turned back round to face Regina, choosing not to expand any further as there was no need for Regina to know about her quarrel with Rumplestiltskin. It was nobody's business except her own as Baba Yaga's history with Rumplestiltskin was personal, it dated back to when the Dark One had killed her daughter Freya to gain her power of foresight. The Dark One was responsible for Baba Yaga losing her only child, he had caused the darkest of all her days and since that day she had wanted to make his suffer…
"I need your help with casting a spell. A very particular spell, one of your own creations." Regina began and Baba Yaga scowed as she was pretty sure she knew exactly where this was going.
"You want to cast my Dark Curse… Of course, which is what brings you here as you need a lock of hair from those with the darkest of souls and whose soul could be darker than the one who created the curse? I've always prided myself on my ability to manipulate magic to create my own spells and curses. This particular curse is perhaps one of my favourites, something this powerful and devastating was not created over night, it took time and a good amount of my own blood, sweat and magic. It's why I made sure that a piece of my hair was a key ingredient of the recipe as even though I decided not to use the curse myself, I didn't want anyone trying to rob me of my accomplishments. It's a bit narcissistic but given the extent of that curse, I deserve to make it all about me." Baba Yaga snarled before breaking into a small cackle as she idly wondered over to her altar and picked up a knife and proceeded to cut a lock of hair off. It sat in her hand for a brief moment but once Baba Yaga turned her gaze to her piece of cut hair it disappeared in a cloud of black smoke before reappearing in Regina's hand.
"Your not going to ask why I want to cast your curse Old Mother? Try to discourage for casting it? Or warn against what will happen?"
"Do I look like I care? I don't care about you in the slightest Regina, I don't give a damn about your reasons for wanting to use my dark curse. I am not your mother child, it is not my job to lecture you and warn you about what comes with casting a curse like this. Beside you won't be able to cast my curse unless you understand the full implications of it, a design flaw you could call it. I don't do anything by halves. It's why I'm the Old Mother and you are not. Now go, I'm done with you and don't come back unless you want me to take that head of yours…" Baba Yaga spat in disgust as she had no time for idiots in the slightest, it was not her job to be holding hands and wiping noses of those who wanted to use such powerful and dangerous magic. One of her names may be Old Mother but she certainly wasn't anyone's mother. At least not anymore.
"Many thanks Old Mother." Regina replied in a grim tone before turning away and disappearing in a cloud of smoke. You could use magic to leave Baba Yaga's house but not to enter it, that was a challenge within itself that Baba had in place to stop certain unwelcomed company from dropping by for a visit. With her home no longer disturbed, Baba Yaga was left to her own devices which is how she liked it and as she idly wondered through her small home, she passed by a broken mirror and managed to catch her refracted reflection. She was hideous. Grey matted hair that was wild as the wolves, tired and wrinkled skin that was haggard beyond compare with bulging warts that would make a young child cry. Her body was all but skin and bones, her back hunched over and a permanent scowl etched on her face. She was the repulsive Hag of The Hills…
Baba Yaga looked once more at her refection before batting her eyelids and watched as her haggard old appearance disappeared right before her very own eyes. The skinny and old battle axe wasn't her true appearance, it was only a façade or rather a glamour meant to misguide and deceit strangers as her true self didn't exactly look quite like someone you would describe as being the 'Hag of The Hills'. The glamour that Baba Yaga used was to help with her fearsome reputation, to help keep people away from her as it was a lot easier to scare people off and keep them away if you looked like an old witch who wouldn't bat an eyelid about eating you. Now, Baba Yaga's reflection did not show that of a repulsive and wrinkled hag but rather her true appearance of a young woman with pale skin that almost seemed translucent, almond shaped eyes and long grey hair that seemed to match The Hag of The Hills grey view on the world. The only thing that gave any indication of Baba Yaga's age was the tired blue eyes that looked back of her. Centuries old which didn't match her youthful body. Looking at her reflection Baba Yaga let out a wicked smile as things were starting to fall into place. Regina had come just like Baba Yaga knew she would, she had all the ingredients now to cast the spell and now all Baba had to do was wait and soon enough Rumplestiltskin would finally begin to suffer for what he had taken from.
There was something about castles and palaces that never seemed to sit right with Yelena, they always seemed to be associated with wealth and power but when you thought about it what real power was there living in a fancy home? It didn't really mean anything as all the nobility answered to the Kings and Queens then in turn they didn't really rule over anything, they served the populace. The whole thing was problematic and political which just ended up causing a lot more trouble then it was worth which is why Yelena was somewhat glad that she was no longer in a place where there were no more entitled royalty who thought they were better than everyone else who surrounded themselves in jewels and fine clothes whilst the people they were supposed to serve starved to death. There wasn't any of that in Storybrooke, this little town in Maine was a literally a world away from the lands in which all the inhabitants in town had come from. The only sign of their former lives living under the rule of kings and queens were the castle playground which sat on top of rather deserted piece of small land and it was this little wooden castle where Yelena was sitting in the middle of, eating an ice-cream and enjoying the rather miserable day. Twenty eight wonderful years had Yelena and everyone else had been here in Storybrooke, pretty much frozen in time and unaware that they were imprisoned in this land without magic as one of the real beauties of Yelena's curse was that everyone's memories of their former lives had been replaced with false memories of their time here in Storybooke. The only two people who remembered everything was Regina, being the one who had cast the dark curse and Yelena who had been the one to create the curse. These last twenty-eight years had been great for Yelena, in this land she wasn't known as Baba Yaga, the Hag of the Hills and people weren't constantly coming to her door because they needed something from her. This curse had been a blessing to Yelena, it had brought her the peace that she had always longed for and a life without magic, something that Yelena had been yearning for over the last century. Plus Rumplestiltskin was suffering which brought Yelena great joy as her only real reason for living was to make sure that man suffered because of the pain he had inflicted on her. In this world Rumplestiltskin had no power, his loved ones were far from his reach and what made Yelena happiest of all was that Rumplestiltskin had no idea about any of it, he was just an old man here. If Yelena had killed Rumplestiltskin then he couldn't suffer so by allowing the Dark One to live, Yelena could ensure that the man would suffer for all his days. That was the beauty of them both being immortal, Yelena didn't have to worry that she would die of old age before she was finally done with making Rumplestiltskin's life hell.
Not a day passed where Yelena didn't think of her sweet Freya and whilst the grief no longer crippled her, it didn't mean that Yelena was ready to move on with her life and forget what Rumplestiltskin had taken from her. Revenge was something that was best served with a well calculated plan, it hadn't been in Yelena's best interest to get mad and burn the lands down after Freya had died. That wouldn't have served her well, getting over emotional and acting with her heart instead of her head would have meant things had turned out another way. Yelena had out reason and logic ahead of emotion and so far it had served her well. It took a long time for Yelena to learn how to switch off her emotions, to be able shut herself of from things such as love and happiness but after losing the two people she loved most in the world, being emotionally shut off was the only way that she knew how to survive. Glancing up at the sky Yelena couldn't help but smile at the grey clouds that were hanging in the sky, it seemed like a storm was brewing and even to this day, after all these centuries she still enjoyed a good storm.
"Do you think it's going to rain? I didn't bring my umbrella and it looks like it's going to rain!"
Yelena hadn't realized that anyone else was here, she had assumed like always when she came to this playground castle that she was alone but not this time. There was a boy almost standing right in front of Yelena; a young boy with dark hair who was wearing the Storybrooke Elementary uniform and he was looking at Yelena with these hazel eyes that seemed to be looking right at her which was impossible. Nobody saw Yelena, it wasn't like she was invisible or anything but she tended to stay off the radar for the most part as the last thing she needed was Regina catching wind of her real form. Things would get messy and Yelena enjoyed living in anonymity. But people here in Storybrooke never saw her, time was frozen here and the curse had taken care of everyone's memories and they unaware that they were living in a place frozen in time. Everyday was the same to them, nothing changed and they never knew it so they would never remember seeing Yelena. There were too busy being cursed and having a constantly glassy eyed look in their face to ever see her except for this one boy. The one person in this entire town who hadn't been brought here with the curse. He was a very special little boy.
"You have time, it's not going to rain yet… But it will, probably in the next 24 hours give or take an hour or two. You see those clouds in the sky? The thin and wispy looking ones? Those are cirrus clouds and you can pretty much see them any time of the year and in the day these clouds are whiter than any other cloud and they are pretty special as their made up of icy crystals and the highest clouds you'll ever see. Cirrus clouds are one of the first signs of a warm front approaching with warm air rising over and moving over the cold air…" Yelena began attempting to explain the changing weather until she noticed the lost look on the young boy's face, it was clear to her that she had lost him. Her explanation had gone over his small head. "Basically? These clouds indicate that bad weather is coming, cirrus clouds are some of the first signs so you'll be okay for now. But I would take an umbrella with you tomorrow."
"How'd you know that?"
"I'm a bit of an amateur meteorologist, reading the weather is a bit of a hobby of mine. You could probably even call it a talent…" Yelena replied with a small but hollow laugh as saying that she could read the weather was a bit of an understatement. Yelena used to be fully capable of bending the weather to her will, manipulating it to suit her needs when she needed to. But Yelena hadn't been capable of doing that for a long time, however it didn't mean that the weather couldn't communicate with her. They may not be magic here in Storybrooke but Yelena, back in a very old life of hers used to be a servant of nature and that made her susceptible to the changes of nature around her. It was one skill that Yelena hadn't lost when the curse had brought her to Storybrooke along with everyone else. Glancing up at the sky, Yelena ignored the clouds for a moment to look at the only other thing that lurked in the sky; her two ravens. Titan and Calypso, Yelena's most trusted of all companions who saw everything that Yelena was unable to see. They were her second eyes.
"I've not seen you around before."
"Perhaps that's because I've not wanted to be seen, some of us like to live in certain anonymity." Yelena stated with a wry smile as she tucked a small piece of her dark hair behind her ear. She wasn't surprised that the young boy had never seen her before as Yelena lived a secluded life, a very isolated life which was very similar to her old life in Mist Haven. Yelena lived a modest life in a cottage that was located in the woods, it was away from prying eyes and so far off the beaten path that only those who were really experienced with the woods in Storybrooke had any chance of coming across her home. Yelena's home wasn't some kind of mansion like Regina's vast home, it was much smaller and very secluded. Most of all it's location was a welcomed sight, Yelena loved the outdoors, there was something so peaceful about living in the woods and cut off for the most part from the rest of the world. Occasionally Yelena ventured into town during the day and when Yelena did she never stayed for long. The last thing Yelena wanted was to become as popular as she used to be, if that happened she would never have a moments peace.
"I'm Henry. Henry Mills."
"Little One, I know very well who you are." Yelena quipped, an amused smile gracing her smile as there was something about the little boy right in front of her that just seemed to radiate this innate sweetness. Of course Yelena knew who Henry was, she may keep herself out of sight most of the time but even she knew of the adopted son of Regina. Everyone in Storybrooke knew that their feared Mayor Regina Mills had adopted a child ten years ago but how Henry had come to brought to Storybrooke was something that even Yelena didn't know. Deep magic had brought this curse to life, it was very powerful magic that had made this whole town and the curse to reality and Storybrooke wasn't somewhere that you could find on a map. It was hidden, carefully tucked away where no one could possibly find it. At least that was the way that it was supposed to be but over the last twenty eight years, things had happened that had taken Yelena by surprise. There had been several unwanted visitors who had somehow managed to make their way past the barrier that protected Storybrooke from the outside world and Yelena always made it her personal business to find out who those people were. That included little Henry Mills. He had appeared under this little cloud of smoke and unlike previous visitors, the boy was still here and he was different from most people here. Something about Henry was different, there was this air about him that reminded Yelena of her Freya. There was something special about this little boy.
"What about you? What's your name?" Henry questioned.
"I know that it's a bit late to be saying this but didn't your mother ever tell you not to speak to strangers? I'm pretty sure that's one of the things that every parent tells their children along with not going into houses made out of candy or eating people's bowls of porridge." Yelena replied answering the young Mr. Mills question by responding with another question as the subject of her name was something that wasn't exactly quite that simple. It was complicated as Yelena's name wasn't the one that she was born with and her previous name of Baba Yaga wasn't her original name either. Yelena's real name? It was something that she had used from the day that she was born until the day that her world had fallen apart and after that Yelena took up the name Baba Yaga, she had used that name for centuries until the curse had brought her here. Upon arriving in Storybrooke she had taken the name of Yelena Markarova, a new name to separate her from her life with magic. Yelena hoped that her response would move the subject conversation on but it wasn't that easy. Little Henry Mills was looking at her with those puppy eyes with such a hopeful look in his eyes that Yelena felt herself unable to say no. "I have many names, I've been called different names by may over the years but you may call me Yelena."
"Hi Yelena!"
"Hello Henry." Yelena replied with a small smile, it had been forever since she had been in the company of a child and having this idle conversation with the young man next to her made Yelena miss her daughter fiercely. She missed being a mom. Yelena missed having something that belonged, this little creature who was full of hope and depended on her for everything. The world had been filled full of rainbows and sunshine when Freya had been alive, since losing her daughter Yelena's world had just been filled with cold darkness. Henry Mills was a little reminder of what Yelena missed most about her life. Yelena didn't miss her magic, she just missed her dear sweet daughter and she would have traded all her power to be reunited with her daughter. But Yelena couldn't bring back her daughter, there was were steep prices for using magic that dark and she had promised herself that she would never use that kind of dark and evil magic again. Once was enough and to this day Yelena was living with those consequences.
"Can I ask you something Yelena?"
"We've only just met Mr. Mills but go ahead, I'll answer as best as I can." Yelena quietly quipped in response knowing that the young boy could fully well hear her. For Yelena it was nice to be having a conversation with another human again, talking to someone who could respond back with actual words. It was a luxury that Yelena didn't know that she had been missing all these years.
"What do you think about fairy tales?" Henry asked and to anyone else it would have sounded like an innocent question but Yelena knew better than that. She knew that the so-called fairy tales in this world were really just watered down versions of real events that had happened back in her world. This wasn't the question that Yelena had been expecting Henry to ask her, she was expecting him to ask her why she had grey air. Something along the lines of Yelena being 'too young' to have grey hair or why she was here at a children's playground of all people. But no, Henry hadn't asked wither of those questions. The boy had asked the question that Yelena had never expected to ask. Yelena couldn't help but look at Henry, somewhat puzzled as to why he would ask her such a random question until she spotted it; the leather bound book with the words 'Once Upon A Time' stamped across the front. Yelena knew that book, she had seen it many times before and had dealing with the person who had created it. How the hell did that book get here? How the hell did it end up in this boys possession? Those were all questions that were running through Yelena's mind but she knew she couldn't ask Henry. The boy would get suspicious and she couldn't have that. She needed to tread carefully.
"Fairy tales, huh? Well a lot of people think that they are simply made up stories that were created for parents to teach their children morals. Some think that they teach us that if we are pure of heart then we overcome any adversity that comes our way. Most believe that fairy tales teach us right from wrong and that they are just stories to entertain us. But then there are those who believe that fairy tales aren't simply stories but real accounts of people and events that have happened. It's been said that over time certain parts of these stories have been altered, variations of these accounts have appeared in different parts of the world but the core of the story always remains the same. I myself tend to lean the latter…"
"You believe that fairy tales are real too?" Henry gasped in amazement, his dark eyes lighting up with excitement and Yelena was smiled. All children believe in fairy tales, what little girl didn't dream of being a princess? What boy didn't want to be a handsome knight and battle the evil dragon and save the day? If only he knew the truth, Yelena couldn't help but wonder to herself.
"Of course, all stories regardless of where they come from are all based on fragments of the truth. It's merely up to us to choose if we want to believe in them." Yelena stated being as downright truthfully honest as she had ever known herself to be, she needed to be careful as she would probably tell little Henry Mills that she was probably in that book of his, all he had to do was look for the ugly and disfigured witch known as Baba Yaga. Naturally Henry would never believe that given her true form was not the Baba Yaga people had known her to be. People only cared about appearances, there was no way that they would believe that Yelena who looked very much younger than all her years was the fearsome hag of the hills. Nobody would be so terrified of her that they wouldn't come within 100 miles of her without a death wish. So Yelena at the time had to come up with something, a disguise. Her appearance as 'Baba Yaga' was the result of a simple spell; a glamour to make herself appear as that fearsome raggedy old woman with iron teeth so people would keep their distance.
"Most people wouldn't say that." Henry couldn't help but point out.
"I'm not most people." Yelena retorted with a small scoff as she pushed a stray piece of hair out of face, tucking it behind her ear before turning her attention to the child beside her. "Which brings me to a question I have for you Mr. Mills, why are you talking to an old hag like myself about something like fairy talks? Shouldn't you be running off with your friends somewhere and having fun? I'm hardly a good companion for anyone."
"I-I don't really have any…" Henry began trailing off before he could finish his sentence but it was took late as Yelena knew what he would have said. He was going say that he didn't have any friends and now the smile was gone from Henry's face and he just looked around awkwardly, trying his hardest to not meet Yelena's eyes. If Yelena had a heart anymore it surely would have broken in this very moment as she knew that no child should feel like this. No child should feel lost and isolated from everyone around them. Yelena couldn't bare to see the young boy look so sad anymore so she bent down so that she was on equal footing with Henry.
"It's okay, it's nothing to be ashamed of as I understand Henry. I perfectly understand how it feels, I know what it's like to be different, I understand what it's like to be alone and the longing to be accepted by those around you because the loneliness is unbearable. But it's okay Little One, you would be surprised in how much strength you can find in loneliness." Yelena assured Henry as this was something that she was very much experienced in, losing Freya had almost destroyed her. Yelena had almost destroyed several lands as the idea of being without her child almost killed her but she managed to survive. The loneliness over the centuries tested her almost every day but Yelena wouldn't let it beat her, she allowed it to motivate her into completing her mission.
"I don't understand." Henry wearily replied furrowing his brows ever so slightly and Yelena fought back a smirk.
"You will, one day."