Happy Thursday everybody!
I missed you guys. Hope all of you had amazing holidays and a fantastic start to the new year. This flight to Swanqueenland takes us to the Enchanted forest and the fantasy genre. I know some of you might be all: 'ewwwww fantasy'. I get it. But, really this is a story about hope.
Also a talking sword-owl.
No, really.
As usual, I'll be posting on Thursdays.
Some things to know aka stuff I changed:
The Dark curse doesn't happen, the Crystal curse does. The story explains all the ins and outs of this. The gist is that instead of being sent to Storybrooke, people in the castle were turned into crystal statues.
The Enchanted forest as written by OUAT showrunners doesn't have a lot of mythos or history. So, I made some up. It's meant to give flavour to the world.
Regina never took the potion that prevents her from having children. Why? Cause I said so!
Canon through season 3. I hated the Queens of Darkness arc (though I love the queens).
There are some other small changes (August is a bard) but they shouldn't throw you too much as they don't have a huge impact on the plot.
My promise to you, as always, is to get you to our destination safely. All the seats on this plane are first class, the virtual drinks are free and endless and all the virtual inflight meals are exactly whatever your favorite dish is. Full service, folks.
Beyond that you can expect an angry horse, daring escapes, wondrous magic, trickery, hard decisions, a prophecy, true love, charged banter and more. Also, the aforementioned sword-owl.
Now boarding. This is your captain speaking.
Btw, I'm mariacomet on Twitter too if you want to say hello!
Garden of Heroes
Prologue: The Crystal Curse
The source of all magic, it is said, is the heart and the soul. Once upon a time there was a girl with a heart so strong and so bright, it was believed she could change the world. An evil sorceress, her mother, conspired to use her daughter's magic for her own nefarious purposes.
So when that heart was at its brightest, she destroyed the girl's true love.
The girl became consumed with punishing all those she blamed for her love's death. Her heart grew blacker and blacker. When her vengeance was complete, she removed her heart to see if any light was left.
She wept when she found it completely black.
- the Author
Twelve bell towers of rough gray stone were scattered throughout the Whitranni Kingdom. All exactly the same: reaching far into the sky, with a room on the first floor holding a great book on a pedestal — a book of prophecy. A marble marker stood near each pedestal, the design on it the only difference between the towers. One depicted a tree, another a harp, the next a sword, and so on. No one knew who created them, only that they rang in times of great change. Sometimes just one. Sometimes all.
The day that Regina lost Daniel, her true love, they rang in unison, the sound of them filling the kingdom. Years later, when the Evil Queen entered the throne room of Snow White and her husband David and cast the Crystal Curse, they rang again.
Regina wasn't certain if she should be comforted by some unknown force marking these moments. She only knew the dark simmering fire inside her, fed by bitterness. It pumped in her veins without respite. She wanted it to stop. She only knew one way: kill the women who had created it.
A unit of her elite guard followed her through the courtyard of the Ivory Palace. The lack of resistance gave her pause, but not for long. She strode towards the heavy oak doors to the throne room. She waved her hand and the crack of broken wood sounded just before the doors burst open.
Regina's eyes narrowed. The room was empty except for Snow White, standing near the throne, and twenty or so guards in a defensive position in front of her. The usual sycophants were missing.
Snow White wore a silver gown with elaborate stitching of sequinned flowers around the hem. Regina was her dark twin, in black, her brunette hair in a ponytail that swept down and partially covered her exposed bosom. Both women worn crowns. Snow's was a thick circle of gold rising to seven points, each with a different colored gem at its base. On Regina's head was a thin band of polished black stone. Atop it rose seven silver spires, each adorned with jagged clear crystal. They slowly changed colors, from transparent to purple, to black.
"Not much of a party for your daughter's first birthday," Regina said. "No cake. No dwarves. No annoying father. No guest of honor."
Regina's heels tapped against the marble floor as she advanced. The room filled with the slick sound of swords being unsheathed, from both Snow's guards and hers. "David and the baby are missing. Find them," she growled to the men behind her, and half of her group of forty peeled off to search. "Not that it will matter."
Snow moved to stand before her throne, pulled the bow from over her shoulder, and readied an arrow. She didn't take aim. Not yet. "If you want me, why not come get me. Let it be the way it should be — just you and me."
Regina gave a low laugh. "The days I only wanted your death are gone. I want you to suffer. I want everything you stole from me. You have been a pestilence and I am going to cure this kingdom of you."
Regina's fingers curled as if she intended to tear Snow apart with her bare hands. "I told you at your wedding that I would come when you are at your happiest. Let me guess, you've had men watching for me, and they told you my army was coming. Your husband spirited away with dear little Emma." She loved how foolish Snow's hope had made her. "Did you really think it would be that easy?" She stepped toward those guarding Snow, and they gave ground. She paced in front of them, dress swirling behind her as she moved. "You should have defended this castle with every man, woman and child at your disposal. You should have used catapults, burning oil, and a thousand archers on the walls. Maybe then you would have even the slightest, most improbable chance of victory."
The thrones of the Whitranni Kingdom were on a wide dais seven steps above the main chamber. Behind the throne, a stained glass window portrayed the symbol of Snow's family — the Gealban bloodline — a shield with four corners, two of them diagonal from one another bearing swans and the two others showing hearts. The walls rose to a high oval ceiling framed by wide beams. Vines of flowers hung from them like loose curtains, red and white flowers blooming here and there. Light streamed in through a dozen tall windows, leaving square after square of shadow and darkness on the floor. It reminded Regina of a chessboard.
Snow still tried to reason with her. Even now. "My daughter is just a child. She has no part in this."
Regina smirked and shook her head. "As if children can't do damage. Especially when they don't know how or when to keep their promises. Or when a well-meaning fool tries to be kind to them, like when I saved your life, when I trusted you...when I lied about Daniel leaving."
Snow's face pinched as she tried to understand. She still had so much innocence, could still be surprised. Regina didn't think she could be. Not anymore. Her never-satisfied, never-content anger always boiling and waiting to be fed.
She inched closer with her men, forcing Snow's defenders to back up again. "My mother wanted me to marry your father. Nothing ever stood in the way of her ambitions. Especially not the man I loved. After your confession, she found us. She tore his heart from his chest and crushed it." Regina didn't expect the tears that blurred her vision. The pain should have faded with time.
Snow reacted the way any "good person" would. Sorrow burned in her eyes; Regina loathed it. "All this time not knowing when or why you started to hate me."
"I always hated you!" She didn't mean to shout, didn't want to be anything but in control, ready to savor her victory.
"You know it's ironic; you were the one who convinced my father I should learn archery."
"I needed you to trust me."
"It worked. I thought you were the person who knew me best. I had no idea that all you had was Cora's example. And now you're just like her."
A fireball formed in Regina's hand, the words making her seethe. Realization caused her to draw a deep breath, banish the fire and smile. "You're stalling. Nice try." Regina closed her eyes and touched her crown. Using the crown was painful; it stung her fingers. She didn't care. "You got everything you ever wanted. A great love."
A black, inky ichor streamed from it down Regina's body, gathering in a pool at her feet and spreading.
Snow stepped forward, weapon still at the ready. Her determined expression was interrupted by tiny flickers of fear. "What is that?"
Regina could almost taste the sweetness of it. She didn't bother answering the question. "Adoring parents attended to your every whim. The people loved you the moment you were born. You had a place made and ready for you." She felt energy directed at her, and without losing her focus, managed to stop the two arrows Snow shot at her in quick succession. "No, you don't get what you want this time, my dear. This time," she smiled, baring her teeth. "I win."
Soldiers on both sides shouted as the thick liquid reached for them, took hold and crept up their bodies. They tried to cut at it with swords or tear it off, only for it to take a tighter hold, paralyzing them.
Snow snatched two of her men back, trying to save them. They moved as far back as they could up the stairs and behind the thrones. Her voice rose again, brave despite the wild fear that filled her eyes. "When I told your mother I thought I was helping. I lost my mother. I didn't want you to lose yours. I wanted you to have…"
"You killed him," the queen's voice echoed around them and the darkness began to surge from her in waves. "It was you. You murdered him and then you turned this kingdom against me. You convinced them I was a monster."
"You became a monster the day you blamed a child for your pain. You've had so many second chances since then, and you wasted every one of them."
"Enough," Regina pushed more of her magic into the crown, wanting nothing more than to shut Snow up forever. "This is my revenge. You will live forever, as a statue. You will hear all. See all. You will live, but you will not be alive."
The spell had reached Snow and caught hold of her, inching up to her ankle. Snow's jaw set. "May our love protect you," she said softly.
Regina's eyes narrowed; a release of magic from Snow made her skin tingle. "What are you doing..."
"You always underestimated me." Snow White tossed down her bow, eyes burning with defiance. She stared out one of the windows. "May our love protect you." The words were sad but easily heard. Another swell of power rippled from her.
The black substance moved faster, out the doors of the throne room and expanding over the castle lands. It hardened over the people it captured. It turned translucent and created perfectly sculpted crystal statues of those it had held.
Snow jutted up her chin before it fully transformed her; she placed a hand over her heart, her voice a painful, anguished screech, "May our love protect you."
No one in the room — or the entire castle — was spared from the spell. Snow, the man she loved, those who had helped her, and hopefully the little waif daughter of hers. All dealt with in just a few moments.
Regina closed her hand into a fist. All the statues in the room, except Snow, shattered into dust.
She touched Snow's perfect, cool cheek. She had still refused to give in, saying words about love that contained magic, no doubt. Trying to win even though it was hopeless.
A mural on the ceiling above showed two ancient sorcesses — the sisters Muirgein and Soras — the mothers of magic. Muirgein, a fair, beautiful woman with straight blonde hair flowing to her feet, curled into the side of a black unicorn. Soras, with smooth brown skin, short reddish hair and an impish smile, leaning on a staff. Eventually they had warred against one another. There was a kind of poetry to them looking down on this moment.
Regina narrowed her eyes and concentrated. The statue of Snow transformed, Snow moving to her knees, hands lifted as if to implore Regina for mercy.
A dark smile crossed Regina's lips. "That's better. I am going to make sure you never forget why I did this, I have designed a new resting place for Daniel, and you, I promise, are a feature." She patted Snow's face then turned. "Let's find that annoying husband and child of yours, shall we?"
A sliver of warmth touched her heart, but it wasn't what she expected. It was not the kind of joy that heralded a new beginning. It hurt. She didn't understand. Maybe happiness came slowly. Maybe when she knew that Charming and Emma had been dealt with.
She hoped.
#########################################################
One month later
Before any of the twelve towers rang, the book of prophecy always received a new entry in neat gold script. Sometimes just in one book, if only one bell rang. Sometimes in all, if they all did. Often the words were a prophecy. Other times, simply guidance. They appeared from nothing. No one was ever seen entering the towers. Legend said that they came from the one whom the goddesses had placed in charge of balancing all stories — the author.
Before the Evil Queen used the crystal crown, the author gave them a prophecy. It promised death, waiting and hope.
The Ivory Castle, once Snow White's home, now belonged to the queen. People had started to call it, improperly in Regina's opinion, the "Crystal Castle." Of all the statues Regina had created, she'd kept only three: Snow and her husband; and her own father, who she had sacrificed to activate the crown. Everything else remained as it was.
For the most part.
Nothing had grown at the Ivory Castle since the curse. The plants withered, the shrubs browned, and the trees rotted. Regina tried to stop it, but even after weeks of searching, she found nothing that would help.
She considered it good fortune that it only impacted the castle, not the entire kingdom of Whitranni. Now that she was in her rightful place and Snow White had been dealt with, she wanted the land and the people in it to thrive. She wanted to be the benevolent ruler she always knew she could be.
Today, especially, she hoped would be a symbol of rebirth.
She was holding a great banquet, a gift to her people. Notices were posted in towns and on trees inviting everyone to come and feast — to celebrate a new day. A new beginning.
Instead of black, she wore a red velvet gown trimmed with silver. She had a wooden box made for her crown, so it could be close without her wearing it, a symbolic gesture. She wished she could place it in her vault for good, but she felt anxious and itchy whenever she strayed more than ten feet or so from it. It sought her out beyond that distance, appearing on her head as if laying a claim.
She exited her bedroom and moved down the hall, pausing by her father's statue.
He stood at the top of a winding staircase that led from the second floor to the main one. She made sure he had fresh flowers in planters around him. Torches kept him brightly lit.
"Daddy," she said softly. "I know it won't be easy, but I can help this kingdom. I can make up for the past. I just needed her to be gone." The visits with him were daily but brief. She couldn't look at him without feeling a sinking guilt. He had been the one she loved most.
She touched his cold fingers, as if she could hold his hand. "I'm going to make you proud." She didn't let go as she laughed shakily. "I have to admit I'm a little nervous. I wish you could stand beside me."
Sometimes she whispered to her father that she was sorry, unable to keep the words inside. She wondered if one day she could do enough good to make up for what she had done to him.
"I'll tell you all about it later tonight," she promised him. She squeezed his hand then turned to descend the stairs.
She entered the banquet room, even though the festivities wouldn't begin for another hour. The royal table was at the front of the hall in front of a stone fireplace that stretched to the ceiling. She opened the box on the mantle, putting the crown away.
There. A new day.
Four long banquet tables that could sit twenty-five people each were placed perpendicular to the table where she would be sitting. Each one draped with a festive gold tablecloth. She'd chosen it as she had the chalices, the forks and knives, and the silver serving platters. She had ordered twenty wooden benches to be brought to the courtyard. She assumed that there would be far more than a hundred people, after all.
She turned to one of her servants. "Please tell the chamberlin everything looks splendid." He hesitated, as if waiting for some cruel turn. "It's alright," she said, her expression soft and understanding. "Go ahead and tell him. There's no reason for fear. Not now." She waved him away, and he moved as quickly as he could toward the doors in the back of the room.
She took a seat at her table, prepared to welcome them. She practiced smiling — not too wide. Gentle. Warm. Knots tied themselves in her stomach as she waited.
And waited.
And waited.
After some time, Sidney, her chief advisor, entered the room. "May I join you, my…"
The hope in her had started to grow cold and sluggish, her ever-present anger eager to take the lead. "Sidney, have you made any progress finding the little waif."
He bowed his head deferentially. "Not as of yet."
"Then don't you have better things to do? Things that require you to be elsewhere?"
He hesitated, laying his hand on the back of the chair next to her. He loved her, or thought he did. Which meant he was trustworthy, at least to a point. He nodded to the room. "I'm sure there's a reason, Your Majesty. I have heard rumors of heavy rains in the west."
She held up a hand for him to stop talking. "You're a terrible liar. It's why I like you. I invite peasants to feast like royalty, and still, they want her."
"Things take time."
"Yes, they do." She took in a deep breath, bolstering herself. She cradled the dreams inside her. Things would change. "Have the food transported to the nearby villages. If they won't come here, we will send the feast to them."
Sidney gave her a small smile and dipped his head low, backing from the room.
"Well, I came for a party, but it appears it hasn't quite started yet."
"Imp," she growled as Rumpelstiltskin appeared before her. Of course he would come now.
His lips curved up, tightening his scaly cheeks. His hair, scraggly and unkempt, hung in loose curls, one clump falling over his face. "Your Royal Majesty." He bowed. "Well, you seem a little down, but I suppose, it's your party and you can cry if you want to."
She gripped the table, but kept her voice relaxed and unconcerned. "When I let you free of Snow's dungeon, I believe I said I would welcome a plague in this castle more than seeing you ever again. What do you want?"
"Perhaps I'm just checking on an old friend. Seeing how things are since you traded my dark curse away to Maleficent for that crown." He hopped unto the banquet table, stepping over this dish and that. "The crystal curse," he said as if making a great pronouncement. "Well, it's alliterative if nothing else. How is life now that your worst enemy has been turned into a statue?"
She straightened, her body language every bit that of a queen. "You're just upset that I got my vengeance without you."
"Well, technically you only got that crown because you traded my curse for it. But, we'll let that one pass. What really troubles me is..." He dropped to the ground near her. "Ancient, powerful crown. Yet, I'd never heard of it. I —" he pressed his hand to his chest "— who have studied and sought magic for generations"
Regina chuckled, dark and lazy. "Oh, how that must hurt your pride. That I found something you couldn't."
"Hmm." Rumplestiltskin's finger traced the air over the mark on her face. "That's quite a mark from bonding to the crown. Looks like it hurt."
She withdrew, standing and covering the side of her face. "It worked. That's all I care about."
The black outline of sharp crystals pointed in every direction around her right eye like a macabre blooming flower, extending down the side of her face to just above her mouth. The bonding with the crown had been agony, but she'd die before admitting that to him.
"But did it really work? You thought you'd get your vengeance, your heart would be healed and the people would love you." His words were accompanied by flourishes of his hands, as if he were constantly conjuring things. "That was the point, wasn't it?
Her fury bore down on him through her eyes. So far her heart showed no sign of restoration. She wondered though — was the intention of today's feast enough to begin changes inside her, even if it hadn't gone how she wanted?
"Don't be shy, why don't you show me? I can only imagine how bright your heart is, now that you have turned over a new leaf." He waited a bit, weathering the attack of her stare. "No?" He touched his chest. "I'm shocked. Astonished. Dumbfounded." He gave a high pitched giggle, ever playful, ever a showman. "As for the people, they call you the Evil Queen. I'd say that ship…" His hand moved as a fish might through water. "Has sailed."
She shook her head, tired of his games and the weight of this day. "I surpassed every expectation you ever had of me. I'll do it again. Now, tell me what you want." She placed a hand on the small chest where her crown hid. "Or do I need to make a new statue? I think the perfect place for you would be overlooking one of the local farm's dung heaps."
"No need to get testy," he said, a large grin spreading over his face. "A deal, My Queen. Same as always. I've been looking into that crown on yours. You've discovered its three powers, but what about how to destroy it?"
She gave a mocking laugh. "What interest would I ever have in destroying it?"
"I didn't say you would want to." He said, circling her table. "Your enemies will. Charming and Snow's child is still out there, and there's the little matter of the prophecy."
She kept her back to him, a show of nonchalance. "I have thousands hunting for her. It's only a matter of time. That reminds me, somehow she escaped my curse. Snow cast some sort of spell. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"
"I prefer to keep most deals confidential. Need to know only. Now, our deal." He rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Knowledge of how to destroy the crown for...a single, tiny drop of your blood."
The queen snorted. "That doesn't at all seem suspicious."
He sat down a few chairs away from her, propped his boots on the royal table and picked up an apple. "With that crown, you can undoubtedly defeat anything. Yet the prophecy says you die. How could that be, I wonder."
"Prophecies aren't assured."
He tossed the apple up and caught it. "But they're powerful."
She lowered her gaze and thought of her father. "What will you do with my blood?"
"Have you forgotten everything I taught you?" His voice mocked her and jabbed at her pride. "Any number of things. That's why blood is so useful. Do we have a deal or not?"
She needed to know, he was right about that. Regina clenched her jaw. "Fine."
"Your hand, please, Majesty?"
Rumplestiltskin produced a pin from nowhere and pricked her finger without care. He gathered a drop of her blood into a vial, held it up to the light and smiled.
He looked too pleased for Regina's taste. "Well," she snapped at him.
He walked a few steps away from her then back, taking his time. "The crown can only be destroyed by the one bonded to it. And then, in that moment, any magic they ever cast will be undone."
She couldn't help but smile, relief mixing with confidence inside her. "So I'm the only one who can break it? That's never going to happen."
He wagged a finger at her. "I'm not done, dearie. The owner must break it with their own hands, but the intensity of releasing the bond will kill them. Break your heart right in two. I know what you're thinking — that you're safe." He took a bite of the apple in his hand. "But there's the child. She's going to come here one day." He tossed the fruit into the fire. "You don't where your friend Maleficent has gone, do you? I stopped by and there was no sign of anyone. I have a few questions about where she acquired the crown. I'm curious."
Regina smirked. "Well, well, something else you don't know? Maybe you're losing your touch. Sorry, I can't help you." Maleficent was the closest thing to a friend she had; that she was gone was news. Perhaps she'd visit Maleficent's home for herself or have her spies make inquiries.
"Do let her know I'm looking for her if you happen to see her. Nice chatting as always, My Queen." He lifted a hand, twirling it, and disappeared in a puff of green smoke.
Regina sunk into a chair and reflexively rubbed at the markings on her face. Rumplestiltskin played games. Sometimes for his own amusement, but most often to find weaknesses, to pry people open and look into their pain. Facing him required all of her defenses. Especially today, when her attempt to reach out to her people had been so soundly rejected.
Still, she had tried to do a good thing. The first attempt in a very long time. She lay her palm against her chest, wondering. Her heart pounded a little faster. She gathered her courage, her breath stuttering from her. She plunged her hand into her chest and her heart contracted hard. It hurt like the strain of holding a breath for too long. It took tremendous focus to pull it free.
Her eyes were closed. All of the maybes played in her head, and only when they settled did she find enough bravery to look.
Black. Completely black.
##########################################################################
Six months later, she tried again to offer her hand to the people. An illness ravaged the land. She worked for days to develop a cure. She offered the potion to anyone who needed it.
No one came. Instead, they accused her of creating the sickness. She checked her heart. It was the same.
A year later she opened her castle during one of the most bitter winter nights the kingdom had ever seen. She inspected her heart again. No change. The people blamed the winter on her.
She built a school meant to educate the peasantry. The peopled burned it to the ground. Her heart remained black as coal.
They raised an army to overthrow her. She used the magic of her crown to turn them into perfect crystal statues.
After, she smashed all of them into dust.
After, she stopped looking at her heart.
After, she no longer visited her father's statue.
After, she began her collections, beginning with the garden.