Kaleidoscope of Magic
I don't own ONCE or its characters. This story is not for profit. It is very alternative universe.
This story has been playing around in my head for some time and decided to listen to my muse and just write it. Its my first ONCE story. It is not however not my first paranormal, shapeshifter story. I would appreciate you letting me know what you think and if I should continue. Please Review!
Keeperofwords
Ch 1 "Purple and Blue"
The raven circled the enchanted forest flapping its long extended wings with a practiced motion. It then glided on a tail wind circling, searching the forest floor. It sought its target with red glowing eyes. Methodically it had searched in a specific search pattern. Its own strong magic had led her to this area. The longer days of summer made its task that much easier.
Down below lying on the soft grass in their meeting spot between the two kingdoms, the young blonde and slightly older brunette princesses shot magical colors through their fingers into the sky. While the brunette's was purple. The blonde's was sky blue. A short distance away, the brunette's dark horse munched grass swishing his tail. Nearby a white mare did likewise but unlike the dark horse, its ears flicked back and forth listening for any threat or danger.
A blue stream of light floated up and circled around a spinning purple line. When the two hit, instead of turning dark it turned into a blinding midnight blue light.
"Emma, you are gaining more and more control of your magic," the brunette told her. "But you know better than joining our magic dear. What if someone sees it and comes here to investigate?"
"My mother and father know where I am Gina," the blonde assured wiggling her fingers so the aqua stream broke off into four runners. Each of them doing loops. "It's only your mother we would need to worry about and didn't you say she was entertaining tonight?"
"Yes, an older gentleman who is a powerful wizard," the brunette replied sighing with a hint of worry. "I fear she is trying to broker me into a marriage to garner more power. " Regina threw caution to the wind and decided to enjoy the time with the blonde. Not wanting to be out done by Emma's earlier brush or their magic. The brunette chased down the sky blue stream that bobbed up and down. The purple line of light caught it and ran parallel to it matching its speed and movement.
"I read something in Mr. Gold's magic book," Emma told Regina as the two streams of light made circles and then started to chase after the fireflies that were starting to come out for the evenings. "It said when different light magic bind themselves together, if strong enough, it creates an element of its own."
"Like a star?" Regina asked curiously sitting up. "Mother would call such nonsense. If it is not a curse or dark magic, she says it serves no purpose." The ebony haired young woman sat up abruptly. "Emma, let's do it. Let's make a star and send it up high in the sky. Sooner or later, my mother will force me to wed and sends me away to some godforsaken place. She will separate us and the light of the star would forever be in the sky to brighten the darkness.""
Emma and Regina sat facing each other cross-legged in the grassy meadow with their bare knees touching. Each closed their eyes and called out their magic stretching their right arms.
"We need to lace our hands now," Emma told Regina remembering the spell in Gold's book's instruction. "But the flow of our individual magic must not change."
Right hands laced in the air, the purple light of Regina's magic was absorbed in Emma's blue stream as the light propelled higher and higher in the sky. The steams of light changed into a deep purple and like a volcano, it burst upwards in a purple plume of smoke. Left in its place was a brilliant white star.
"This our star," Regina spoke in her rich low voice. "When either of us are separated from the other, we can gaze upon it and remember our bond that extends beyond distance and time."
"Gina, look, "Emma noticed realizing the purple plume of smoke had not dissipated but had floated like a feather carried by the wind down back to cover both of them. Neither young women were afraid. Instinctively, each knew the smoke was a part of their joined magic. The purple smoke covered them like a blanket as it was absorbed back into their bodies. Each felt warm as it happened.
"Gina, I feel strange, good but strange," Emma told her companion noticing she too had a strange look on her face.
"So warm and oh Emma, look I am not even speaking with my mouth. Can you hear me? I can feel you? I feel your thoughts and emotions?" Regina asked with wonder in her brown eyes.
"I hear you. I feel you too," Emma replied as the pair lowered their upstretched hands but kept their fingers laced. "The spell, it did something else to us we . ."
"Are bonded," the brunette finished Emma's sentence. "Oh, Emma," Regina replied hugging Emma close. Tears flooded her brown eyes, fear of separation pierced her heart even more than it did before the pair had done the spell. "I can't lose you. I can't let my mother give my hand in marriage. She is so powerful though. I fear she would take out my heart to control me."
"No," Emma said quickly letting go of the dark haired woman's hand to place her palm over Regina's heart. "She won't. She can't not now, not ever. The bond will protect us," the blonde explained not even sure how she knew what she just uttered. Instinctively, Emma just knew.
"My mother is very strong Emma," Regina said bleakly. "I can't go back there, not now, not forever."
"We will go to my parents. They will give you refuge. Mr. Gold is their wizard," Emma pulled Regina up and in the direction of their horses. Emma walked to her horse reached into the saddlebag and pulled out some paper and wrote out a quick note using her finger as a pen with help of her magic."
"I will write them now of the situation and send the message on one of my mother's doves," Emma told Regina whistling and waiting only a few moments as a dove appeared. The message was quickly taped to its leg and the message dispatched.
The snow white dove flew in the early evening sky. Its feather's ruffled and it flew faster as it saw a dark large raven out of the corner of its eye. Its fight of flight response activated, the bird took off like a shot and lowered itself to the tree line where it had better cover from the large black bird's red piercing eyes. The dove feared it would be caught and killed before delivering the message to its mistress, Snow White. After a few moments though the bird relaxed. It had not been followed. The Raven had its sights on another target it seemed.
Regina screamed in surprise as a large raven swooped down from the sky. It flew between the two young women flapping its large wings wildly separating the pair. Emma batted the bird with her fist while Regina fell to the ground and scooted backwards. Black smoke swirled around the raven.
"Emma, get back," Regina screamed "It's the Evil Queen. Run, get on your horse and run. I won't let her hurt you."
"No, I am not leaving you to her," Emma screamed back bending down and picking up a stick ready to swipe at the bird. If it was the Evil Queen the act would be fruitless but she was not going to go down without a fight to protect Regina from her evil mother.
The smoke dissipated to reveal Queen Cora dressed all in black. Her dark eyes were flickering red and in her hand she held a red fireball.
"So this is where I find you," Cora walked in her daughter's direction flicking the fireball in Emma's direction knocking her off of her feet. The stick fell back helplessly back into the grass. "You run to the woods rolling around like an animal with the likes of the offspring on my mortal enemy."
"Please mother, don't hurt her. Please I will come with you. I will marry whoever you chose, just let her go," Regina begged getting on her knees and prostrating herself at her mother's feet.
"Oh, I am not going to kill her daughter," Cora cooed reaching her hand out and stroking her daughter's cheek. "That would be to easy and look she was prepared to die for you. The little vermin of the forest waving a stick at the evil queen." Cora laughed an evil laugh poking her foot at the blonde who was starting to wake up. "Oh that's rich. What a beautiful idea."
Regina recognized the look in her mother's eyes. She sprung over to cover Emma's body with her own only to be magically thrown across the field by Cora's dark magic.
"Very admirable dear but my enemy's daughter should have known better than to cross the Evil Queen," Cora spoke in a low ice cold voice as she called upon her body's dark magic and she extended her hand. "Vermin you are. Vermin you eternally will be," Cora shouted dark light shooting out of the palm of her hands hitting Emma squarely in the chest. As the moon began to rise in the horizon, in the place of the tall blonde beautiful princess was a small gray fox. "Be gone!" Cora told the little beast as she opened a portal. "I send you as far from my child as possible. I sentence you to be hunted and chased for the rest of your miserable life."
"No!" Regina sat up her head still spinning. "You can't do this. Please mother!"
"Silence. Do you think I can leave her here? Do you think I the Evil Queen can't detect that you to have bonded? Do you think I would dare leave her in the same world as yours?" the Evil Queen spat as she yelled at her daughter as she waved her hand closing the portal.
"Go now," Cora dismissed her daughter. "You have betrayed me and you are banished from my lands and are no longer my daughter. Go and tell Snow that YOU have caused her daughter to be cursed and exiled to another world."
Cora disappeared in a dark plume of smoke leaving a stunned Regina along in the growing darkness. Watery brown eyes looked into the direction that once held the portal and she stumbled to it only to find it like her mother was gone. Her Emma had been changed into an animal and thrown away threw a portal to face god knows what. Grief pierced her heart. It suddenly became apparent though that she could still feel Emma. She felt her panic and confusion. But she was alive. Regina took comfort that Emma was alive. Regina looked up into the sky. Hers and Emma's star shone brightly. It gave her hope. Regina was going to find a way to find Emma and turn her back to her human self. But for now she knew that she could not stay out in the forest. Night was approaching. Regina mounted Emma's horse and took her horse's reins. The woman let the white horse make its own way home. Only when she reached Snow and Charming's castle did she let the tears fall as Emma's mother held her.
"We will figure this out sweetheart," Snow White told the dark haired beauty that she thought of as a second daughter as she fell into an exhausted sleep.
Regina fell asleep in her chamber with her and Emma's star shining into the window.