The constant clang of metal reverberated in the air as Regina dodged another small fist.
Lost Boys. Too many to count and, as they were fast realizing, too many to fight. They attacked with malice, slashing at the adults with the force of what Regina assumed were repressed abandonment issues.
Charming and Snow stood back to back, his skills with a sword only outshone by her mastery with a bow. They spun and sidestepped in unison, a graceful dance to the sound of the Lost Boy war cry. Beside them, Emma was holding her own with a small sword she had found on the Jolly Roger.
"It's not the size, love. It's how you use it," Hook had breathed as he had handed it to her. She blocked a jab from a particularly dirty-looking child and sent him hurtling toward the ground with a swift kick to the chest. As brutal as the Lost Boys attacks were, the Charmings could not bring themselves to use lethal force. It is what makes them the heroes. That's what Henry would say.
Henry.
His name sent a flood of rage through Regina's body. A Lost Boy with filthy blonde hair sprung from a nearby tree and landed awkwardly on her back. He pulled feverishly at her hair. She let out a sharp cry and grabbed at his small body, taking hold of his shirt and whipping him to the ground. She drew her hand back to cast a spell, make him disappear, but as she did another Lost Boy behind her jerked her hand down and bit into her arm. She shoved him off as three more children emerged from the trees and dragged her down.
As she hit the ground she struggled against the weight of their little bodies. Looking wildly left and right, she could see that the rest of her group was fairing no better. Snow and Charming were swarmed by Lost Boys, barley avoiding the sting of their blades. Emma, too, was pinned by a team of children, her hair had fallen from its place atop her head and was being yanked in every direction by the boys. She couldn't see Hook but she could hear his labored breathing. They were losing. They needed a miracle. They needed magic.
But as Regina's eyes swept the clearing where they had been ambushed, she came to a startling revelation. Rumplestiltskin was no where to be found. A foot came down hard on her stomach and through the pain one word came to mind.
Coward.
A cry of pain broke through her fury as the sheriff let out a scream. She glanced over and saw an extremely gaunt Lost Boy towering over her, the blade he held wedged deep in her palm. Relieved of her sword, she had managed to free her arm and block what might've been a potentially fatal strike at the expense of her hand.
"Emma!" Snow screamed, she too now collapsing under the weight of a pile of Lost Boys.
Regina's preoccupation with her shipmates ended the moment a similarly gaunt Lost Boy towered over her. His unkempt hair and lanky chest blocked out the sun. He smiled cruelly as he removed a small knife from his pocket.
"Where are we, boys?" he asked the others whose harsh hands burned into Regina's arms and legs.
"Neverland!" they shouted.
"And what's the one rule of Neverland?" he taunted.
"NO. GROWNUPS. NO. GROWNUPS," they chanted maniacally.
As he raised the knife above his head the other boys howled loudly and Regina's mind turned to Henry again. She closed her eyes and pictured his face. She was so sorry. Sorry she couldn't protect him and sorry she couldn't save him now. Sorry she couldn't see the man he would become.
I'm sorry, Henry, she thought and braced for the knife.
A strange choking noise forced Regina's eyes open. The gaunt boy who stood above her grasped wildly at his throat. As he stumbled backward, Regina could see a thick vine had snaked its way around his neck. His eyes bulged with fear and surprise. The other Lost Boys stared at him in shock.
"Lefty?" one of the boys called to him. Regina could feel their grips loosening as they all watched Lefty struggle with the green noose.
"Righty!" another of Regina's captors yelled worriedly. The boy who had towered over Emma now looked up from the sheriff and saw his brother struggling for air. He started towards him but in the next moment he was suspended in the air, a vine wrapped tightly around his ankle.
Then the clearing became silent. The clanging of metal ceased and everyone stared in awe at Righty dangling above them like a caught fish. For a horrible moment, the brothers made confused eye contact and then Lefty was gone. His body pulled swiftly into the forest, out of sight.