Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time or Merlin
Sing to me of the witches, Muse
The sisters of power and might
Trapped forever in the grasp of night
Try as they do to break free
Never shall they succeed as sisters three
I
REGINA
They were idiots, the lot of them; it seemed to be a trait passed down through blood. From mother to daughter; each one possessed a unique amount of naivety and stupidity. They trusted her, the Charmings actually trusted her. In fact they trusted her so much that they made her the last defense between the Wicked Witch and their baby. With a wave of her hand, the shield shimmered a bright purple before disappearing. Regina could not undo the white magic of Emma, but she could, however, remove her own. Leaning up against the alabaster wall, the Evil Queen waited for her sister to arrive and collect the last ingredient needed for their plan.
She and Zelena even managed to fool Rumpelstiltskin, their teacher, the one who taught them most of what they knew. The man was so desperate for his freedom that he did not stop to actually ponder Zelena's supposed reason for wanting to go back in time. It was not long before Regina spotted her green skinned sister and allowed herself to be thrown against the wall. She should really become an actress, as her performance was really perfect. Even Robin, the insipid thief who could read her so well, did not even come close to guessing how close she actually was to her eldest sister. For once in her life, Regina would come out on top, no one would be able to stop her, not Snow, not Emma, not even her son, Henry. She would finally be able to reclaim her happiness and get the family she deserves. The family who loves her for who she truly is.
In their anger, the Charmings neglected to realize that she went down with barely a fight, which is so unlike her. They rile the town up and add her to the small rescue group they form. The seven person team marches to Zelena's farmhouse prepared for the final battle with only two outcomes in sight; win or die. In her mind however, Regina sees only one option that she can live with: success. She can only imagine their stupefied faces as she and Zelena reveal the true nature of their plan and disappear in the swirls of time. She is so caught up in her thoughts that she barely notices that they have approached the dilapidated barn that serves as Zelena's doorway to the past.
"Are you alright?" Robin's concerned face enters her line of vision, his brow wrinkled in worry. Worry for her, she soon realizes. It has been so long since someone cared about her safety out of love. It has been so long since Henry truly cared, since Daniel was alive and able to.
She nods and grips his hand tightly, "Promise me what happens in there will not change anything," she urges, brown eyes desperately searching his.
"I promise," Robin's eyes meet her with unexpected confidence, caring and love. She kisses him hard but briefly. The importance of their mission becoming an increasing pressure. With a nod to the others, she opens the rotting doors with a wave of her gloved hand and the group enters.
They are met with Zelena standing in a tycoon of orange magic, being fed by the four different objects placed strategically around the circle. Regina's eyes immediately find her beaten hard. The black and red object is across the room from her. She charges towards Zelena and her sister flings her across the room, whilst commanding the Dark One to deal with the other six. Knowing that the spell no longer has need of the power from the objects, Regina scoops up her heart and places the withered object back into her chest. Recovering from the brief flash of intense place as her heart found its rightful place, the dark haired woman stands, dusts of her jacket and enters the center of the circle with her sister, adding her purple magic to Zelena's green, making the portal increase in power. Smirking at the group and Rumpelstiltskin, she smirks and says with a cackle, "You insipid fools, you've failed," before being swept away into the orange swirls of time.
"NO!" Emma and Robin shout, both diving into the portal mere seconds before it closes.
Regina and Zelena landed on the hard ground with a thud. The sisters knew someone would follow them and that they only had a few seconds to get somewhere safe.
"To the place of the battle. There we can plan out our course of action," Zelena stated before grabbing her baby sister's hand. The pair disappeared in a puff of green and purple smoke.
Regina and Zelena found themselves in an abandoned town. Piles of ashes stood where houses once were, the skeletons of the dead littered the small dirt roads, the bodies of decaying animals gave the air a foul stench.
"The place of your most evil act," Zelena noted.
"The place where we will fight the Darkness," Regina tore her gaze away from the dead and focused on the goal, "How are we going to stop the Ghost King's spell?"
Zelena spotted a blackened wheelbarrow and smirked, "By casting one of our own."
XxOUATxX
"How could none of us have realized this? How could Regina betray us for the sister she barely knows?" David paced back and forth on the elaborate Oriental rug. He, Snow, Henry, Belle and Rumpelstiltskin are gathered in the back room of the pawn shop. Snow rocks the baby from her spot on the couch, Henry watching the two protectively. Belle is perched next to Rumpelstiltskin who is leaning against the wardrobe.
"Three sisters, dark as night; Trapped amidst an everlasting fight; Gone is the line between life and death; Enemies till the final breath," Rumpelstiltskin spoke from his corner of the small room.
David turned to face the Dark One, "What is that supposed to mean?"
"That was an ancient prophecy that I believed to be about the three Mills sisters," Mr. Gold responded.
"Three?" Snow interrupted, "I thought there were only two."
"Quite the contrary, dearie. Regina is the youngest of three. All half-sisters, born through Cora's mad quest for power. As you know Zelena was the child of a gardener whom Cora thought to be a prince. Regina is the daughter of a prince, fifth in line for the throne. The middle child, Morgana, is the daughter of a duke in Camelot."
"Camelot?" Henry straightened, "The realm of King Arthur?"
"The very same. However, the duke was already married when he met Cora and could not marry her. She sent the babe back to Camelot with him. There she was raised in the court. When news of her true parentage was discovered, she called upon me to teach her magic. I didn't find out till much later that she was Cora's daughter. And by then it was too late."
"Too late for what?" David inquired.
Rumpelstiltskin sighed before beginning, "As you know, I also taught Zelena and Regina magic, with knowledge that the two were sisters, destined to be enemies forever due to Zelena's jealousy. I discovered Morgana's true birth after her lessons were complete. By then she also knew of Zelena and Regina. It is to my knowledge that the three took up residence the Palace and their combined magic alerted the most powerful evil. It has several names, the Darkness, the Shadow, Death, and the Ghost King. He rules of the spirits of the dead and desires to control the living as well. He realized that they were the three sister of the prophecy, destined to either kill him or assist him. With them lies the future of the living in all worlds, magical and non-magical. So lured them under his spell and taught them magic darker than even I dare to practice. Under him they became the most powerful sorceresses in all the lands, but at a terrible price. Their souls became dark and under his command, he could control them like puppets on a string. Under him the three sisters became the evil villains you know of today. The Wicked Witch, the Malevolent Fairy and the Evil Queen were simply pawns however, in his quest for ultimate power. They soon realized this and their desire for freedom increased tenfold. The sisters freed themselves from his control and managed to weaken him. All magic comes with a price, however, and it was paid by Morgana. Before the final blow was struck, the Ghost King struck Morgana with some extremely powerful magic intended to kill her. Had the blast hit her a little more to the left, she would have surely died. But it did not, yet she was reduced to a state worse than death. Her soul was torn from her body and taken to the dark realm of the Shadow as he retreated to his ghostly kingdom. He cannot rise again without the sacrifice of another. Try as they might Regina and Zelena were never able to revive their sister. Now I fear they are going back in time to save her and bring her here."
Blank faces stared back at Rumpelstiltskin. Finally, Snow spoke up, "Why would they bring Morgana here?"
Belle answered for her husband, "Regina and Zelena know the effects keeping Morgana alive in that time period would do to this time period. In order to avoid all of that they would bring her here. At least that is what we are assuming."
"So the safety of our lives relies on the hope that Regina and Zelena know what they are doing," David stated angrily.
Belle grimaced, "Yes."
XxOUATxX
Robin and Emma crashed onto the ground barely four seconds after Zelena and Regina had vanished. Groaning in pain the pair sat up, Emma leaning heavily on a large oak tree.
"Well we've lost them," Robin stated, cursing, "How are we supposed to prevent them from doing any harm if we have no knowledge of their current location."
"We could try heading to the nearest village and figuring it out once we've both had a change of clothes," Emma suggested, gesturing to their modern garments that would certainly look out of place in the Enchanted Forest.
"I suppose. We can head to the Queen's palace after adjusting our wardrobe." Robin stood and leant Emma his hand.
A painfully slow hour later, the Outlaw and the Savior finally reached the nearest town, if it could be called that. It was made up of a few rundown huts and a single barn. The three livestock were grazing in a tiny meadow a few meters from the town center. The pair were about to exit the woods when they heard the clanking of wheels and the clumping of horses. Pulling Emma down behind some brush, Robin waited for the other new arrival to reveal themselves. When he saw the Black Knights he was about to face his worse nightmare, the Evil Queen. When Robin had finally met her, Regina was trying to become good. She had left all the events of the past behind and was trying to create a future. So Robin had never truly met the Evil Queen, never truly seen her in action. And he never wanted to. He knew deep down that the events he would be experiencing were going to affect their relationship negatively.
Robin prepared himself for what he thought would be the worst, when something unimaginable happened. The Evil Queen exited the carriage and pulled his deceased wife in front of the crowd. He struggled to remain in the hiding spot, but Emma's presence kept him grounded. He could not reveal both of them, Emma did not exist yet. He could not and would not get her killed.
"Where is Snow White hiding?" She demanded of the townsfolk. Her red dress clung to every curve and heavy rubies were inlaid around the elaborate collar. All in all she looked stunning and terrifying. Had Robin seen this dress at any other moment, he would have been stunned, now he was only angry.
"Fine, stay silent." The Evil Queen glared at the peasants, "But if I discover that one of you is hiding the traitor, you will end up like this woman: on death row." She turned around and marched back towards the carriage. Just before she entered the ornate coach she faced her knights, "Burn it to the ground."
The Evil Queen rode off with Marian not far behind, trapped in the grasp of two black knights. Glancing between his trapped wife and the soldiers about to burn down the village, Robin aimed and fired. Arrow by arrow hit their mark and soon the village was safe from harm, but his wife disappeared behind the bend. He had lost her again.
Emma pulled him towards a clothes line were a few garments were hanging, "Come on Robin, we need to stick to the plan."
He continued to stare at the place his wife had disappeared, before allowing Emma to drag him away.
"That poor woman," Emma remarked, grabbing a corset and skirt, "I wonder who she was."
"That would be my wife," Robin did not meet the blonde's eyes, focusing on selecting an outfit from the few choices he had. Neither of the two said another word while they completed their task.
An unspoken agreement led to them walking down the Queen's Road, following the carriage tracks to the Palace.
"I wish I could save her," Robin muttered after thirty minutes of total silence.
Emma looked up at him, "Maybe you can."
"How?"
"Well we know that Marian is going to be executed, so the Queen would be holding her at the Palace. It seems hopeless to try and find Regina, so why don't we save your wife.
"But that would mess with our future."
"Not if we take her back with us. Then you can give Roland his true mother."
Robin thought Emma's idea through, "It seems as if we have a new course of action."
XxOUATxX
Regina looked at her eldest sister with slight confusion, "What do you mean?"
"I am suggesting that we transform that wheelbarrow into our sister. I remember the ingredients if you are willing to be the caster," Zelena's blue eyes met Regina's brown ones.
"When will we swap the real for the fake?"
"If I recall, Morgana is swept aside during the fight behind that building. We keep the real Morgana and they get the fake one. Then we make to Rumpelstiltskin's castle to claim the wand and return to the future."
"Name the ingredients," Regina demanded, summoning a small cauldron and creating a fire to heat it up.
"Lock of Morgana's hair," Zelena turned to directly face her sister.
"That's it?"
"That is all. We are to place it on the object we will be transforming."
Regina waved her hand and the cauldron disappeared.
"So all that's left to do is wait?"
"Precisely. Come sister, we should at least get in position."
The pair barely made in behind the soon to be smashed barn frame with the wheelbarrow when the Ghost King and their past selves appeared in the town center in a swirl of black, purple, green and blue smoke.
"Ahh, the sweet smell of death," A handsome man of approximately 6'6 stood in front of three beautiful woman. His skin was a pale, milky white that appeared to be almost transparent while his eyes were completely black. His fingers, wrapped around a black staff with a large crystal on the top, were thin and bony. Black robes covered his body and dragged behind him as he walked forward, leaving behind dead grass and insects, "Thank you for bring me here Regina. This is just what I need to strengthen my powers. I'll need them on the morrow." He let out a deep, chilling chuckle.
"Of course my lord," The Evil Queen curtsied low to the King of the Dead.
The Wicked Witch cackled, "You will need them my lord, but not for what you think."
She sent a wave of green magic at the Shadow. It hit his left leg and forced him into a kneeling position.
A young woman clad in a tight royal blue gown smirked, "That is where you truly belong, bowing to the real rulers."
The man smiled stiffly and with a wave of him hand, the young Queen was sailing back into the thick trunk of a birch tree.
"How dare you," the Evil Queen glared at him and summoned a wave of fire, shooting at the Darkness who blocked the attack with his staff and shooting it back at her. Regina followed her sister's path and hit the ground nearby.
Morgana had rejoined Zelena and stood beside her.
"You foolish girls," the Ghost King shook his head and grinned, "You think you can beat me? I made you who you are, I created you, I control you."
"Not anymore," the Evil Queen growled and took her place of Morgana's left. The three sisters shot out pure magic at the Ghost King. He held up his staff to block the attack. The sisters gritted their teeth and pushed their magic a little harder. The staff was not able to withstand the attack and shattered in pieces, releasing a wave of black magic. All four magicians were blasted in different directions, crashing into buildings and trees.
XxOUATxX
The sun was setting by the time Robin and Emma had reached the Palace. It took them until nightfall to find a conceal entrance and make their way to the dungeons. The pair were currently pressed against a wall, making sure the pathway was safe, before dashing down the hall. The searched row after row of cells, finding other unfortunate folk but never Marian. After descending into the third level of the dungeon they came upon her. She was slumped against the wall, her arms and legs in chains. Her hair covered her face, a dark curtain shielding her sight from the disgusting sights within the cell. It was clear that the cell had been cleaned in several years. Feces littered the floor and the chamber pot had mold covering it and on the surface decades old piss. Hay littered the floor and was covered in even more shit and blood. The stenches blended together and caused Emma to throw up in a corner.
Robin dashed to the bars calling, "Marian!"
Her head shot up, "Robin!" She crawled to him, "My love, I thought you would believe me dead."
Robin froze, "Of course not, never. Come we must get you out of here." He pulled a lock picking set from a pocket in his muddy britches.
Emma was recovering from her bout of illness as Robin worked the lock. She had the case on her person when they fell and had given it to him for safe-keeping. That was her only set, after all. It took a few minutes, but Robin was able to break the lock and free his wife. She leaped into his arms.
"Oh, I hoped and prayed you would come, but I never thought…"
"Marian," Robin held her face gently in his hands, "I will always rescue you."
"I hate to break the reunion, but we need to get going," Emma spoke up, "The guards will be coming and unless you know of some secret tunnel to the surface, we need to go out the way we came in."
"Of course," Marian nodded. The three ran through all three levels without seeing any guards. When they reached the first floor of the Palace they realized why. All of the Black Knights on duty were standing in front of a single room. No servants were in sight. This made their passage to the small door by the kitchen fairly simple. They exited the Palace and hid in the nearby forest.
"Now what?" Emma panted, catching her breath.
"Well you are more than welcome to come back to camp with us," Marian offered.
"We won't be going back there, I'm afraid." Robin placed a hand on Marian's shoulder and faced Emma, "I believe our next course of action would be to seek out Rumpelstiltskin. He would have what we need to return."
"What about Roland?" Marian asked Robin angrily, "Did you just abandon him?"
"I would never," Robin tried to calm her, "He is where we are going and he is safe. Close friends are watching him this moment. I would never leave my son to fend for himself."
"Our son," Marian corrected.
"Of course," Robin nodded. He stepped in front of the two women and began leading the way to Rumpelstiltskin's castle.
The journey to the Dark Castle was much shorter than Emma expected and was comfortable with. She would hate to live in the Palace and have the Dark One living no more than a twenty minute walk away from you. The large, wooden double doors loomed far above their heads. Robin pushed them open with great effort and all three travelers entered the Great Hall.
"To what do I owe the pleasure, dearies?" Rumpelstiltskin said from behind them.
"We require your assistance, Dark One," Robin turned to face him.
"With what, dearie. But know this, all things come with a price."
"We are from the future and require passage back to our time."
"That is impossible."
"Impossible is a fancy way of saying, I'm possible," Emma interrupted.
"Well there is one thing that could work," Rumpelstiltskin walked over to a chest and pulled a small silver wand from one of the cases resting in the surface, "This will cast whatever spell you last cast, all you need to do is power it."
He handed it to Emma. "I don't have magic," Emma went to give back the wand.
"A pity. Guess you're trapped here," Rumpelstiltskin cackled and with a wave of his hand, sent them to a place unknown to all except those who have found it already.
XxOUATxX
Regina and Zelena rushed over to Morgana's body. Placing the hair on the wheelbarrow and waving her hand, Regina turned the object into a perfect copy of Morgana. She turned the copy around and pushed it in the direction of the battle field. Helping Zelena lift Morgana, Regina then magicked them to the Dark Castle. They appeared in Rumpelstiltskin's Great Hall in a puff of smoke.
"What is it this time, Your Majesties," the Dark One purred from his spot at the head of a long oak table.
"We required the Silver Wand," Zelena placed an object on the table.
"I am sorry but I have already given it to another customer," Rumpelstiltskin smiled evilly.
"Well send us to their location," Regina demanded.
"As you wish, Your Majesty," with a wave of his hand, the Dark One sent the three Queens to the same location as Emma, Robin and Marian.
Regina knew they had been tricked the moment she saw the large arches leading into cavernous rooms and no door. A few feet away from her and her two sisters stood Robin, Emma and a third woman. She looked strangely familiar, those dark brown eyes and unruly brown curls. Emma was holding a golden urn and twisting it around in her palms. Regina spotted the object and frowned.
"Did you come in here with that, Emma?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No," Emma placed the urn down on a wooden stand. Regina smirked.
"Who is that?" Zelena asked, pointing to Marian.
"We could ask the same to you," Emma retorted.
"This is our sister, Morgana." Regina informed them.
"And this is my wife, Marian," the woman took Robin's hand, fear shown in her eyes at the sight of three well known villains, although she did not let it show anywhere else.
Pain shot through Regina like a bullet and came to a stop in her heart. The withered object was near the point of breaking at those words. Marian, Robin's deceased wife was now going to be alive. She thought he loved her but clearly he did not if he was rescuing his wife and bringing her to the present with them.
"You wife?" Regina couldn't help it when her eyes watered but was grateful for the dark.
"Regina…"Robin started.
"No, you have clearly made your choice, thief. Be glad you escaped from whatever we had while you still could. You wouldn't want to be trapped in a relationship with the great and terrible Evil Queen. I just hope your wife can live up to what we had in the bedroom. You know what they say, a good girl is perfect for meeting your parents but it takes a bad girl to blow your mind," Regina smirked evilly at Marian who turned her hurt gaze on her husband.
"How could you?" Marian looked up at the archer with tear filled eyes.
"You were dead Marian. Roland and I spent a near thirty years without you. I lived my life and moved on. I always held you in my heart and I told our son about you. But I moved on, slowly but surely. And before this all happened I was dating a relationship. But I saved you and I still do love you. So I will hold to my vows," Robin took Marian's hand and gave her a quick peck.
Regina's heart broke all over and again and she turned away from the reunited couple. Zelena noticed the very wand they were looking for in Emma's grip and nudged Regina.
"Emma, may I see the wand?" Regina held her hand out, knowing Emma would comply if she wanted to return home. Emma hand the object to Regina and it glowed as soon as it hit her skin. With a wave, a new portal opened. All six travelers jumped in and went back to Storybrooke.
XxOUATxX
The group shot out of the portal and landed on the cold, dirt floor and the crumbling barn. Almost immediately Regina grabbed Zelena and Morgana and teleported them to her mansion. Morgana was slowly coming to from her place on Regina's living room couch, Zelena watched over her as Regina fixed a small dinner. She was busy adding a pinch of salt to the chicken noodle when Zelena called her name.
"Regina, Morgana is awake"
Regina grabbed the chamomile tea she made just in case, heat it using her magic and walked into the living room.
"Hey, Gana. Nice to see you awake," She smiled at her elder sister and took the chair opposite the couch.
"Where am I?" the young woman murmured as she sat up.
"You are in Storybrooke, Maine. It is a town that was created by a curse I cast and is located in a non-magical world although it is accessible here. It has been thirty years since we last saw you," Regina explained.
"What!" Morgana looked at her sisters, shocked.
"I discovered how to properly time travel. So we went back in time, grabbed you before the Ghost King was able to harm you and brought you with us. Don't worry we made sure not to bring anything back," Zelena placed her hand over Morgana's, "I know this will be a stressful next couple of days but I promise everything will make sense eventually."
"Here," Regina handed Morgana the cup of chamomile, "We'll help you through everything."
Emma led Robin and Marian into Granny's Diner after a long trek back from the barn. Almost immediately she was accosted by her parents with hugs and cries of relief, Henry followed not too soon after.
"Where were you?"
"We were so worried"
"Thank god you're okay."
"Where's my other mom? Is she okay?"
Emma's head swiveled from side to side as she tried to respond to everyone, "Regina's at home and perfectly fine, Henry. Mom, I went back in time and helped Robin save his wife after we failed to follow and stop Regina and Zelena. Yes I am perfectly fine. Anything else?"
"Did you say you brought back Robin Hood's wife?" Henry asked.
"Yeah, he and I did. Roland deserves to have his real mother around," Emma looked down at her son.
"There's nothing wrong with growing up without your birth mother around," Henry crossed his arms and frowned, "I'm going to go to my mom's, see you guys later."
"Henry!" Emma tried to stop him, but her mother held her back.
"Give him time, Emma," Snow said gently, before turning to David, "We should make the announcement. David nodded in response and clinked a fork to his glass of Pinot Noir, silencing all who were crowded in the diner.
"It is my great honor to present to you all today, the new Prince. He was born thanks to the sacrifice of others. Specifically one man, who died the hero is truly was. It is because of this sacrifice that we felt the need pass his name onto our son, in the hopes that he will become the hero this man was. It is our honor to present to you, Prince Neal."
The diner exploded into cheers and applause, everyone congratulating the parents and praising his name. They were all warm and safe from the oncoming storm, one much closer than they would like.
XxOUATxX
A brass urn lay sideways on the rough dirt floor in the barn. Suddenly the ornate lid popped off and an ice blue liquid poured out, filling in the lines and coming together at the center. As the liquid gathered in began to take the shape of a young woman. Once fully formed, the liquid evaporated and in its place stood a woman with pale blonde hair. She removed a glove and shot a beam of ice at the urn, effectively destroying her former prison. The young woman marched confidently out of the barn into the night, leaving behind a trail of ice and snow.
I would like to thank my beta and bestie, .forever.1335, she was amazingly patient while I wrote this and took the time to edit it. I owe you loads, babe. The next chapter will be up by next Sunday at the latest. Read and Review, my lovelies.
-Kalianna