Elsa arrived at the library not long after that. In Belle's absence, it was Anna who was in charge of the place, organizing the the titles and taking care of rentals; though Elsa knew her sister spent more time reading the most famous titles from the world they were now in.
"Anna," Elsa called her sister, who was half asleep in a corner of the library, with a book on her lap. "Anna, we need your help."
"Elsa!" She shout. "What happened?"
The queen of Arendelle slowly approached her sister, who lifted her eyes to face her, clearly worried. The relationship between the two sisters had been peaceful so far, though they fought often regarding the older sister's seclusion.
"Anna, there are things happening in Storybrooke as of recent, and I thought you could help me" she said with a deep sigh. "Emma's magic was stolen by a misteryous shadow creature."
"Alright, sit down" Anna gestured to Elsa to sit by her side. "I did notice it was snowing, but I thought it might have had something to do with you. Would this shadow have powers like yours?"
Elsa shook her head slowly and explained Anna what happened to Emma; her sister listened, thoughtful, and when the former queen of Arendelle finally stopped talking, she got up and started pacing. Elsa looked at her with a smile, recently Anna had developed the habit of walking around when she had to think, without saying out loud what she was thinking.
While Anna thought about it, Elsa received a message from Emma, telling her what she found out about the creature, that it belonged to the Shadow Realm, and that it was a shadow which could move independently, with no need of a master or a host, though it probably needed a helping hand. Supposing this help could be Zelena, Emma told her girlfriend she'd go to the sheriff's station after Regina, an try to come up with a plan.
When she finally ended texting she rose her eyes to look at Anna and noticed she was looking at a far off shelf. The blonde stood up and walked towards her sister who seemed to be searching through books of fairy tales.
"What's this?" Elsa asked with curiosity. "Why fairy tales?"
Anna sighed and began taking books at random from the shelf. "As the most part of us are present as characters in books of this realm, I thought we could start with them. Maybe they'll give us a hint."
Elsa stares at her sister, surprised by the insight. "Right." She says, making a pause for a moment there. She then tells Anna what Emma had just told her.
"Shadow Realm? How terribly uncreative!" The redhead laughed at her own comment. "Right, while you take a look at these books, I'll get a few ones about magic that Belle left in her office. She said I could borrow them if I ever wanted some different kind of reading, so I'm guessing it's okay."
Elsa nodded and, instantly, began searching through the shelves for books while Anna vanished through a door in the opposite corner of the library. After gathering a few volumes and adding those her sister had selected before, thr blonde went to the nearest table and started her reading.
The former queen of Arendelle had already gotten through one of the books, before Anna appeared again, carryng an old and dusty volume. She opened the book before Elsa and began reading before her sister had a chance to say anything about it:
"The Loa, also referred to as Invisible, are spirits born from shadows of people and, according to common tales, inhabit a world hidden in the shadows of other worlds, being able to travel free between them." Anna looked at Elsa for a moment to check if her sister was listening, and turned back to the book right after. "Each Loa is its own being and carries its own personality, and although independent, they never work alone. Physical manifestations of the Loa and their interactions with non-shadow beings can only happen with the help of a ritualist, usually a priest or a sorcerer."
Anna stops for a moment, feeling quite happy with what comes next.
"So?" Elsa asks, both curious and impacient, and Anna raises her eyebrows at that, letting out a short laugh, before going back to the book.
"As the Loa exist in the sadow of this world, they are also shadows of its magic and nature; as a result they are both attracted to and repelled by the natural energy of the world. The Loa feed on natural energy and magic in order to grow, but the sheer force of nature is like poison to them," Anna let out another short laugh. "Can we change your title to sheer force of nature?" Now laughing openly. "Presenting Elsa Kyrre, the sheer force of nature!"
Elsa laughed with Anna and stared at the book for a moment. "Actually, that is really useful! Thank you, Anna! I should go look for Emma," She commented, thoughtful. "Yes. She's probably with Regina right now. Though I hate to admit it, Regina knows more about magic than me or Emma, so—"
"No problem! I'll keep looking, anyway," Anna smiled and closed the book, staring at it's cover. "What a funny title! The History of Voodoo!" She laughed and made a slight grimace.
Elsa laughed as well and took the book. After saying goodbye to her sister, she left the library towards the sheriff station.
~~/~~
Just to prove her day could get any worse, when Emma arrived at the station she had to find Regina lying on the floor, unconscious. When she kneeled close to begin searching for vital sighn on the other woman, though, the mayor began moving and opened her eyes slowly:
"Emma?" She blinked a few times, confused. "What happened?"
Emma extended her hand to help Regina sit, asking herself if there was a way for the day to get even worse. "Are you alright?" When the mayor finally sat down, Emma stood up and grabbed a couple of chair for them to sit on. "What happened here? Did you watch the security tape? Was there someone else here?"
"I'm feeling a bit dizzy," with Emma's help though, Regina was able to finally stand up and go sit down on the chair the Saviour got her. "I don't have an idea. I was rewatching the tape when I felt a presence behind me. Before I got to see what it was, I felt like it was draining something from me, and then I blacked out."
Emma took a moment to observe Regina's expression, worried. "And how is your magic?"
Regina looked back at Emma, startled: She hadn't thought abaout it yet. Looking at her own hands, the mayor tryed to create a fireball, which much for her relief, worked. When, a moment later she tryed to cast light magic, though, nothing happened. "Seems like whatever was— taken from me, was what allowed me to cast light magic."
Emma looked at Regina, stupefied. "Your light magic?"
Regina nodded. "I suppose I'm back to being complete darkness once again," she was finally able to gather enough energy to stand up. "But that isn't what's important right now. Watch this," the mayor turns on the recording, showing, in irritation, the truth regarding Zelena's death. "I found out the tape was filled with magic and when I managed to reverse it— I suppose Gold must have altered the recording so Belle wouldn't find out she was carrying a fake dagger."
Before Emma could answer to that, though, Elsa rushed inside the station, with a dusty, old looking book in her hands. Emma knew, at that moment, her day had just gotten worse.
"Regina, Emma, you need to read this!" Said Elsa, placing the book on a nearby table.
Emma had lost her magic. Regina had lost her light magic, leaving only darkness. The mayor's psychotic sister had been killed by her teacher. Now, by the title in the book Elsa brought— it seemed like they were dealing with voodoo. All that after a few hours traveling with Henry. Just great!
Before Emma and Regina had any time to react, Elsa opened the book and began reading about the Loa, spirits born from people's shadows. Yes, that sounded awfully familiar to Emma, specially—
"Emma, the information matches with the one Gold gave you, doesn't it?" Elsa asked, when she was finally done reading. She skipped a few pages of the book and pointed at an illustration. "Is this your shadow, Emma?"
"Wait a moment," Regina interrupted them, uncomfortable. "What has Gold been telling you? And do you really think we can trust him?" She pointed at the television and both Emma and Elsa looked, the latter clearly confused.
Emma shook her head and went back to the book, for a moment analysing the image before going back to the page with the written description her girlfriend read, and reading it again. "To be honest Regina, I don't know nything anymore," the blonde answered, finally. "But the description in the book fits Gold's words, and the picture— is exactly what I saw."
Regina stared at Emma for a moment before answering. "So this thing, this— Loa, is attracted to and repelled by forces of nature. Doesn't that make the blizzard a bad idea?"
"Well... considering that even with it you were still attacked, the blizzard has indeed proven to be a bad idea." Emma sighed and let her body fall on the chair, visibly tired.
"Emma, you have no blame on that," said Elsa, approaching and holding her girlfriend's hand. "We're dealing with something we don't really know."
Regina ignored the two of them and stared at the picture in the book, she was confused, but more than that she was frustrated. "Who could be helping these creatures to attack us? And why?"
Elsa shook her head and turned back to the book, closing it. "Does the name of the book make any sense to you?" Not for the first time that day, the queen felt really bad for having such little knowledge on magic. "The History of Voodoo."
"If it's magic, it's none that I recognize," said Regina , looking at the book's cover.
"Voodoo—" Answered Emma, with an ironic smile on her face. "Voodoo is something we have in this world, actually, it's more like a religion that involves rituals and offerings than some kind of magic. I always thought it was all cheap tricks. Well... When you find out that every Disney character yo ever knew is real, you begin to wonder, I guess!"
"How does it work?" Elsa asked, with curiosity.
Emma shrugged. "I don't know, I just heard about it. Something to do with rituals involving dolls and animals."
"Then, I suppose we need to do more research," Elsa answered.
"Yes, but at least now we have a few clues," Emma then turned to Regina. "And now you found out the truth about Gold, he's gonna wish he had stayed in New York."
Regina seemed to be excited about it. "I say we put a barrier around town again, but I don't know how to get all the scrolls we replicated back. We need to make sure he stays in town when we face him."
Elsa frowned before the sudden change of subject, worried. "Even if I undertand the necessity of facing Gold. shouldn't we be more worried about the shadow taking magic away from people?"
"Yes, miss Kyrre," Regina answered, irritated. "But we don't need Gold to keep secrets, and we need to know what happened to Zelena so we can scratch her name off the list of suspects of being involved in all this. What's more, I thought you and your sister were taking care of this."
"We'll have to face Gold sooner or later, so I'd rather have it to be sooner," said Emma, trying to appease the situation between the two other women. "Even so, it's better if we split up. Focusing solely on Gold is not a smart idea, since it could turn out to be a dead end."
"Well, do what you will. I found out that when it comes to my sister, I have to be many steps ahead of her, and now," Regina coughed lightly. "Now it seems I'm thousands of steps behind." With that said, she vanished.
Yes, the clear conflict between Elsa and Regina that spread over during the last few months had finally hit the fan in the very moment they needed to be working together. Yes, the day could get worse.
~~/~~
Meanwhile, David was still wondering around the woods that surrounded Storybroolr, searching for clues, though without any result, regarding the mysterious shadow that attacked his daughter. Only long after the day was over, the man decided it was time to go back to his wife and children.
When he entered the car and turned on the radio, however, it began to emmit loud static noises. David quickly turned it off, annoyed but not exactly surprised; after all, he was in the middle of nowhere! Only when he raised his look at the street, ready to turn on the car and get out of there, he notice a dark sillhouette floating above the ground, in front of the car and staring at him.
The man and the silhouette exchanged looks for a few seconds before the latter flew away into the forest. Reacting quickly, David got out of the car a looked towards the place where it went, and noticed it was still there, between the trees, staring at him. When he took a step in its direction though, the silhouette also moved, running out of sight.
Containing the urge to follow it alone at night, David calle Ruby and Mary Margaret and told them everything he saw, asking them to come and help him track the weird silhouette. Although he'd have, under normal circunstances, called Emma, he knew his daughter was exhausted from the trip and decided to give her the night off.
It took them just about twenty minutes to get there, together, both seeming at the same time worried and excited about it.
"David!" Mary Margaret said, walking carefully towards her husband. "You found something?!"
The man shook his head negatively, but pointed the place where the creature left a trail. "It's weird because I saw the silhouette floating above the ground, bit it somehow left footprints in the direction it was going." David turned to Ruby, worried. "Think you can get the smell?"
Ruby frowned while she searched for a scent she did not recognize. "Yes, I'm getting something," She turned to the couple by her side. "This is weird! How does a shadow has smell?" She shrugged at her own question, after all it was a magic creature. "Well, it's going towards the town."
"Right," said David looking from the footprints to the point he knew that would take them to the town; the smell and the trail led to opposite paths, apparently. They would have to split up if they wanted to follow both directions. "Should we follow both of them?"
"Do we have a plan?" Asked Mary Margaret, seeming more worried than excited before that piece of information they just received. "I mean, this thing seems to be after magical beings, maybe we could make it stay in the woods. After all, Ruby is a magical being."
David's expression became much more worried at his wife's words. "No. You're right, Ruby is a magical being and we don't have a plan. I think the best we can do is go back home and rest, tomorrow we regroup and begin a search."
"You're right," Ruby turned to david. "And we should call Emma, David."
"About that, there's something else that's been bothering me in all this," te man answered, looking at both Ruby and Mary Margaret. "When the shadow attacked Emma at Gold's shop only she could see it. After that, the shadow vanished for days only to reappear in front of me and go into the forest. Even more, the scent Ruby got doesn't seem to be from the silhouette I saw. Things are getting ever more confusing."
Mary Margaret closed her eyes and took a deep breath, frustrated at the many dead ends before her. "Can't we have a single day of peace? If Zelena is responsible for this, we can't just lay down ans rest, we have to call Emma as soon as possible."
"Snow, I know you're worried, and I am too, but shouldn't we let at least Emma rest a bit? Let's make a reunion with everyone tomorrow morning and we'll decide how to proceed," David said.
Both Ruby and Mary Margaret were forced to agree with David about that. Emma needed to rest as much as they did; tomorrow they would solve that.
~~/~~
As agreed with Emma and Elsa, Regina went to her vault to try and search for a spell that would place barriers around Storybrooke next time Rumplestiltskin crossed the town limits.
However, when she entered the vault, there were other matters in her mind: She needed to know what happened to her sister and if it had anything to do with the shadow that attacked her and Emma. After all the suffering Zelena caused, Regina knew she'd have to be really careful if she was the subject.
So she looked for the one thing able to stop her sister, Zelena's emerald necklace, that was being kept in the vault. Regina took the box she put there months ago and opened it. The mayor stood divided between surprise and skepticism when she found out the necklace wasn't there anymore.
Assuming the fact that the object was not there was the proof she needed of the connection between the mysterious shadow and Zelena, Regina decided she really needed a night to rest and went back home.
On her way back, however, she received a message from Belle that made her change plans. A solution to protect Emma, or at least what she expected to be a solution. It wouldn't solve all the problems they were facing at that moment, but would sure solve one of them.
~~/~~
It was only when the morning finally came, that David gave up on trying to sleep. He spent the whole night facing the ceiling, thinking about the shadow with no eyes that he, somehow, faced the night before. When he noticed the sunlight invading the loft, he got up to take a cold shower, in an attempt to keep himself awake.
While in the shower, his resolve slowly grew. He needed to help his daughter get her magic back, but he also needed a bit more knowledge on the subject. With that in mind, as soon as he got out of the bath he called Regina, calling a meeting at the town hall in a couple of hours.
~~/~~
David and Mary Margaret arrived at the town hall in the middle of the morning. David called a few people on the way to warn them, including Emma. They noticed when they arrived that Regina wasn't there yet, so they just got a seat a seat in the waiting room with the mayor's secretary. Mary Margaret turned to her husband, worried:
"David, you think one day this will be over?" She asked in a low voice. "I mean, I want to raise our kid in a peaceful environment."
The man looked at her, uncertain, but held her hand to show confidence. "We need to fight for our peace, but one day this will be over and we'll be able to enjoy what we earned," he stops himself, though, noticing that Elsa had arrived. "Elsa! Did you see Emma? I tried calling her, but she isn't answering at all."
Elsa greeted Mary Margaret, who vaguely waved at her, and than turned to David. She let out a sigh at the other woman's attitude but didn't say anything. "I haven't seen Emma since yesterday, actually," she said.
David frowned. "I'm a bit worried. I talked to her earlier, and she told me she was on her way. She should already be here," he sighed trying not to demonstrate the proportion of his uneasiness at the situation. There was something wrong, he could feel it; rationally, though, he knew perfectly well that Emma's absence could be easily justified.
"Maybe she just got stuck with stuff to do at the station," said Mary Margaret, squeezing her husband's hand tightly.
Elsa tried not to worry so much, but took out her cellphone that she was just learning how to use and called her girlfriend's number. With no answer, she turned to David, shaking her head.
The man answered getting his own phone. "I'll call Ruby and ask her to check the station. It's not far from the dinner, maybe she can pass through there and see what's holding Emma."
David distanced himself from the others, leaving Elsa and Mary Margaret in an awkward silence while he talked to Ruby. Ever since Elsa and Emma started dating, Mary Margaret had been feeling weird around her daughter's girlfriend, the uncomfortable sensation that the girl meant problems.
Being of honest nature, Mary Margaret was uncapable of pretending to like Elsa, who, on the other hand, couldn't understand what changed between them, a relationship that started very peacefully. That way, both women felt really uncomfortable when alone with each other.
Elsa spent the next few minutes trying to think about something elese, whule Mary Margaret looked at the window, completely ignoring her. When David came back, though, both were startled by the terrified expression on his face, he was still hearing to the phone.
"Ruby found Emma unconscious on the floor of the station," at David's words, Elsa immediatly stood up and transported herself, vanishing without saying a single word. The man frowned at that, looking at the place where the blonde stood, but shrugged and turned to his wife for a moment before walking away and going back to talk to Ruby.
Mary Margaret approached David slowly, while he was back at the phone. "Thank you, Ruby. Did you see anything different at the station? Any sign of the shadow?"
"The station door was open, like something broke in and inside it was a complete mess" Ruby answered, with a sigh. "Emma was attacked! There's something weird, I feel it in the air, but can't quite explain— it's as if there was magic here. Also, I found this weird doll next to where Emma was."
"A doll?" Asked David, frowning, and Mary Margaret stared at him, curious.
"It's impregnated with magic, David," said Ruby, with urgency.
Mary Margaret finally couldn't just stay and listen anymore, she was way too worried about her daughter and wanted to go see her as fast as possible. That wasn't taking them anywhere! They needed to go after her! However, before the woman could say anything to her husband, Regina appeared, approaching them slowly.
"What's happening? Where are the others?"
"Regina," said Mary Margaret, relieved. "The situation is getting serious, and it seems that Emma is the main target of this shadow."
"What?!" Regina asked, exasperated. "What happened to her?"
"Ruby found her unconscious at the sheriff station," said Mary Margaret while David walked away again with the phone to his ear.
For a moment, Regina did not know what to say. Then, stunned and worried, she began looking urgently for the keys to her car while David approached them again, putting the phone in his pocket.
"Whale and Elsa are with Emma now," said David. "According to Whale, she isn't in any danger."
"And how can he know that? If there is any damage, it might very well be magical!" Thus, impatient, Regina disappeared too.
~~/~~
After vanishing away from the city hall, Elsa reappeared almost instantly in front of the sheriff station; the only new magic she had learned during the six months she had been living Storybrooke. The station door was blown open, and Emma was lying in bed in one of the cells, being closely observed by Whale.
Feeling a pang in her heart as she looked at the unconscious girl and partially destroyed station, Elsa kneeled by the bed and reached out to touch Emma's face gently. As her fingers neared the skin of his girlfriend, however, an ice layer was created at the tip of her fingers. That's when the old queen of Arendelle realized that it had indeed something to do with the shadow.
Feeling Whale's glare at her, she leaned over and kissed her girlfriend. Her magic instantly reacted by creating a layer between her lips and Emma's, but the ice almost immediately disappeared before the magic of true love.
She sat back hoping to find the green eyes of Emma looking at her, but her eyes remained closed. Elsa felt a new stab in her heart as she tried to control her despair. "Why did she not wake up? My magic is no longer reacting to the proximity of her body," she reaches out and touches Emma's face, as if to prove to herself that she was telling the truth. "The curse was broken."
After watching Elsa and feeling the pulse of true love magic, Whale approached the sheriff and examined her again. "Do not worry," he said after a few minutes, in which Elsa had watched, stricken. "She's just in a deep natural sleep, probably was exhausted."
Elsa smiled, relieved, and held Emma's hand. "What kind of symptoms was she showing before?"
"While she was unconscious, I could see she was in pain. Her muscles were completely contracted and she was breathing with difficulty," Whale said, turning away and sitting in a chair. "Whatever it was that was causing it, it was causing her extreme pain."
Elsa looked at her hands and Emma's, her fingers intertwined with her girlfriend's. That's when she noticed something peculiar: a red mark shining on the back of the Savior's hand. Worried, Elsa took a picture using Emma's phone and sent to Gold and Anna, asking for more information regarding it.
At that moment, Regina appeared at the police station and stared at Elsa, reprehensive.
"What happened here?"
"Regina, she was cursed, I think. I managed to break the curse." Elsa said, looking up, though not making any move to get up. The girl sighed heavily and lifted Emma's hand she held, showing the mark, "you know this symbol?"
Regina walked closer and kneeled by Elsa, analyzing the symbol carefully. "No, but I am aware of how these things work. I myself was a victim of something similar when the Wraith attacked me." The mayor lifted her hands over Emma's body, producing a reflection of light that circled the body of the blonde. She couldn't feel no trace of any curse, which left her relieved. Finally, she lifted her eyes from Emma to Elsa. "I put her under a protective spell until we find out what this— shadow is."
Elsa nodded slightly. "I sent a message to Gold with a picture of that symbol. Maybe he can help us."
Regina, however, chose not to talk about Gold at that time. Her suspicions regarding Zelena put the sorcerer in a very difficult position. "Elsa, did Emma have the chance to get the fairy dust with Blue?" Regina asked finally.
"I— I did not know she was looking for fairy dust," Elsa was genuinely surprised at the question. "Why would you want that?"
"Belle called me yesterday and told me what we need to do to protect Emma from that shadow. We need fairy dust and a potion that got earlier in Gold's shop," Regina sighed slightly and stood up, sitting in a chair . "I don't think she would give me fairy dust, so— if you can go get it."
Elsa was instantly on alert. "No way I'm leaving Emma here! My magic repels the shadow."
Before Regina could reply, however, David and Mary Margaret entered the sheriff station; both appeared worried, but not as desperate as Elsa and Regina. "Elsa, Regina. Ruby went to get Mother Superior!" David spoke with impatience; he would have said that earlier if the two other women had waited before disappearing.
Emma's phone which was still in Elsa's hands, started ringing at that moment and Elsa saw that it was Gold, the blonde hurried to answer, away from the others.
"Rumplestiltskin" When the younger woman spoke the name of her former master, Regina jumped to her feet and followed her, but did not show any intent to pick up the phone from her.
David and Mary Margaret observed the two from a distance. The man turned to Whale with a frown. "What happened? Is Emma still stable?" He knew the doctor could not say much, but hoped he could inform him at least Emma's physical state.
"Yes," said Whale briefly. "Emma is deeply asleep, but I dare to say it is a natural sleep."
David nodded and turned to Elsa and Regina, who stood side by side as the youngest was talking to Gold. Both seemed irritated, a growing irritation, and David understood quickly that the sorcerer was not helping much.
When Elsa finally hung up and looked around, she realized that the others were staring at her. She was angry before at the playful manners of the sorcerer and even more worried than before; Gold was not much help when it came to how to solve the problem, although he did give some information.
"Rumplestiltskin said the symbol on Emma's hand means a connection between her and the shadow," Elsa and Regina exchanged a worried look, for a moment they were united in desperation for the other woman. "He said that the shadow is feeding on her inner light and that if this continues, she will become a shadow herself." Elsa tries to calm down, controlling her breathing, but the method is not very effective at that moment.
"This will not happen!" Regina said, her confident tone trying to mask her own fear. She turned to David and Mary Margaret, unable to face Elsa at that moment and pretend that she supported the girl. "If this thing is devouring light... Belle taught me how to prepare a potion that will protect people who might be affected by it, but I think we need to stop it for good."
Before anyone could answer her, however, Ruby returned to the station, panting slightly. To the surprise and disappointment of everyone else, she was alone; but before anyone had a chance to question her about the absence of Mother Superior, she reached out a small flask to Regina:
"I brought the fairy dust. She thought you'd want this for some reason," Ruby turned to Regina and delivered the small package, but there was no time for Regina to answer it before she continued. "She said we should bring Emma and Regina to the convent, where the fairies will put a spell with several layers of magic protection."
Regina takes the fairy dust, wondering for a moment whether she should trust the fairies. The truth is that she never got along well with any of them, except for Tinker Bell. But the mayor knew they would have no intention of hurting Emma and the blonde was more important than their own safety at that time. "Okay. I'll carry us there, it's faster and safer."
"I guess we need a safe place," Elsa said with a sigh. "But if that shadow feeds on light— can fairies even protect Emma from it? I mean, faerie magic is but pure light."
If they can't, I can!" She replied, truly believing in her words. All the light that was in her heart had evaporated! "We'll meet there." With one last look at Elsa, Mary Margaret and David, Regina held Emma's and the two of them disappeared surrounded by a purple smoke.
Elsa sighed, feeling she needed to refrain himself from freezing to Regina in the coming days.
~~/ ~~
Regina appeared in a room, surrounded by several nuns. With the help of the other women, she was able to put Emma on a small and simple bed. Only when the blonde was comfortable in her bed, Regina turned to the fairies, specifically to Mother Superior, who stared at her with her arms crossed and her familiar disapproving look.
"I will cast a protection spell, but I'll need all the help I can get to protect her in the meantime," said Regina with a tone that left no room for argument.
Mother Superior came forward slowly. "You can trust us, Your Majesty," she said with a dry tone. "However, there is one thing you should know before that: There is a man who can probably help you, his name is long lost, but he's called The Apprentice A powerful wizard, but also a noble and gentle soul."
"And where is this man?" Regina asked suspiciously.
"I only know that he is in Storybrooke," said Mother Superior. "But if you bring me your child's book, I can point out who he is."
Regina did not answer the other woman. No, that was not the time to worry about a mysterious man who could perhaps help them; it was time to protect Emma. Prevent her from becoming a shadow. Once she was finished with Gold's spell, she could worry about that.
Regina took out a sheet of paper where instructions were written, the paper that Belle had given her the night before, and she read them carefully, twice. When she decorated the process, she put the fairy dust donated by Mother Superior in the bottle containing the potion that was given to her by Gold; then she conjured a knife and made a small cut in the palm of her hand, leaving a drop of blood fall into that same bottle. While mixing the ingredients slowly, she recited three times:
Red blood
Soul of light
Keep the bud
From darkness bite
Seal the pain of the bright
So victory I obtain
In this fight
Regina watched impatiently as the potion took on a white glow. Then she sat down next to Emma in bed and gently tilted the blonde's head, taking the bottle to her lips. She held her head gently tilting the bottle, until she realized that the other woman had drunk the potion. "Come on, Swan—"
While Regina stared at the blonde with impatience, Mother Superior noted how much the magic inside was Emma decreasing and increasing rapidly in quick succession. "It worked, but I fear this may not be a good thing."
Starting to panic, Regina decided to try it herself and also took a sip of the potion in the bottle. For a moment, she felt a light spark of magic in it, hope; then a lacerating pain took her completely and she fell to the floor, feeling weaker than ever.
Terrified, Mother Superior came forward and lifted the sleeve of Emma's jacket, noting that several new and different marks began to appear over her arm.
~~/~~
Elsa used the time of walking to the convent to try to calm herself down after the conversation with Regina, David and Mary Margaret at the station. It was strange how she could really think of Storybrooke as her home when she was close to Emma; but at any other time, especially when surrounded by people other than her girlfriend and her sister, the city seemed almost hostile.
A part of her, a relatively small part, really wanted to return to Arendelle and continue her work as queen. At least be thought of and respected.
Lost in her thoughts, it took some time before Elsa realized that her phone was ringing insistently. When she picks it up, it is the comforting voice of Anna that she listens to on the other end:
"Elsa, hello!" Said the youngest, her voice between anxiety and excitment. "I was checking some of Gold's books. Not sure if I should be doing this, but well— you won't believe what I found!"
"Anna," Elsa said tiredly, when it becomes clear that Anna was waiting for a response from you. "The day has barely begun and already is hell. Just tell me what you found already."
"A book from the library tells part of the story of the Shadow Realm, from which this shadow probably comes from. Looks like it was sealed long ago by a powerful sorcerer, covered up by death. — Odd choice of words, if I you ask me — for it to be separated from all other realms," Anna seemed to get more excited with every word. "For this, he used several seals. Thousands of them! And the symbol in Emma's hand is one of them."
For a moment, Elsa was too surprised at such discovery to say anything. Anna, however, seemed to sense her sister's growing excitement since she continued at a more measured tone:
"Elsa, there's something else," the younger sighed heavily before continuing, and Elsa was sure she wouldn't like what would follow. "These magical seals function as locks, to keep the Realm of Shadows sealed away. Once the locks are broken—"
Anna did not continue, as it was, in fact, unnecessary. "But why did this mark appear on Emma's arm?" Elsa asked, uncertain. "Do you think it is sealing her magic?"
"Elsa," Anna's voice became very dark all of a sudden, and Elsa had absolute certainty that what would follow would make her day even worse. "I think it's more about channeling her magic to break the seals that keep the Shadow Realm locked."
"Seals," Finally, something clicks in Elsa's brain. Something terrifying. "Anna! The magic that Gold gave us to protect Emma— I need to go. We need to find out what it does before it is cast."
With this, Elsa hangs up and vanishes.
~~/~~
Dr. Facilier was lost in thought as he walked through the halls of the psychiatric wing of Storybrooke General Hospital. It had been a long wait but finally all pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together. The sudden awakening of the light magic of the former Evil Queen only made the process go even faster; the Loa had warned him about this, and they were never wrong.
Facilier looked back one last time, just to be sure, and using one hand to touch the wall beside him and the other to pull a card out of his pocket, everything becomes suddenly dark. Then, moments later, a door opened, revealing a wooden panel covered with masks, talismans and painted symbols. The candles, lit with a dim purple light, around the room were the only thing that allowed Facilier to see amidst of that darkness.
When multiple shadows emerged from the walls around him, Facilier smiled and kneeled. At his gesture, various masks began to glow.
"Your time coming at last, my friends," he said. "The light of the so-called Savior is soon to be completely stolen. The seals will not last long."
The shadows observed Facilier and a deep voice began to echo throughout the room. The Loa were getting impatient, they wanted their freedom and they wanted to punish the one who took it away.
"When the last seal appears on the pale, lifeless body of the Savior, you will be free to wander through this world," the doctor continued, trying to calm the restless shadows. "With my help, you will find what you are looking for, and will have your revenge."
The darkness is dispelled and the doctor left the room. "As for me," he said to himself. "This world has yet to see my worst."
Final Notes:
This fanfiction is a result of a roleplay that we play on Facebook (we are on arc 3 already, and this fanfiction is just arc 1, so don't be afraid of we stop writting it because the roleplaying stopped). In some sense, it's something written by several authors, though just two of us are resposable for turning it into a fanfiction.
Anyhow, we are all very, very proud of it and want to know what you think. As a side note, we are also looking for players, so, if you want to be a part of it, just send the request. Right now, we have the full main cast (Emma, Regina, Henry, David, Snow, Belle, Rumple and Hook) and, of course, some that are main or important in our game. There are tones of characters not in game (Ruby, Mulan, Aurora, Jefferson, Leroy etc.). You can check on our blog (link on our profile).
Anyway! Thank you all who are reading the story we are writting together,
The High Registrars
Thank you all who sent us reviews!
andria (Guest): hope you keep reading to see if she is fine this time... hahaha!
Nissan (Guest): not quite, but it was good guess! :)
