Some background into where the heck Alicia came from is revealed in this chapter and why she is getting picked on in a sense lol. Next chapter will get back to involving more of the Once Upon a Time characters we all love. In the meantime hope the story is enjoyable. Please write some reviews so I know how I am doing and what I can improve on.
The Queen hurries me along the hallway. I want to fire off fifty questions but I know my position won't allow me to interrogate her.
We stop at the entrance to her small dining hall and I can already hear laughing and talking. I see Amber going in with food as does several other maids with various other items. I try to make eye contact with Amber but she is so caught up in her regular tasks that she doesn't seem to see me or recognize me.
I look around the room and identify some of the …creatures….as wizards and witches. This meeting can't be good but once again my thoughts are: why am I here?
My eyes dance around the room and finally I make eye contact with Amber. Her steps slow from as she pasts me and she gently gives my arm a squeeze for reassurance.
I sigh quietly and look around the room as the Queen speaks "We're just waiting on one more guest then we can begin this little meeting"
A beautiful blonde in an elaborate pink and purple gown hungrily eyed me "Who is this Regina?" The woman gracefully walked up to us.
"Now, now, Maleficent all our guests aren't here yet" the Queen says. Just as she finishes her sentence a cackle is heard from the other side of the room.
I turn toward the golden imp and my throat tightens. I try to clear my face of any emotional reaction.
"So glad you can join us Rumplestiltskin" she says with a roll of her eyes and turns toward the others gathered and continues "Now I have what I agreed to bring and it depends on all of you who gets her. But first lets enjoy dinner"
There is excited murmuring among the guests. My heart feels like it will beat right out of my chest. The Queen obviously lied about me being a lady in waiting; she means to trade me off. All of the guests eagerly move to their seats and I stay stuck where I stand. Rumplestiltskin slides up behind me and whispers in my ear "Told you dearie, maybe you should have kept me around a moment longer" cackling he walks toward the table.
The Queen gives a smile "Alicia won't you join us at the table, after all this dinner is on your behalf." All I see is hungry eyes looking in my direction. I want to run, but to where? I am trapped in a room full of magical beings. I have never felt more hopeless than in this moment.
Suddenly, the doors burst open and in walks Amber who steps in front of me…except she looks like I never seen her before. Her hair is a fiery red color and her clothes are those of the magical people from my dreams. The timid expression she wears normally is replaced by one of livid fury. "If any of you take one step toward my daughter I will kill you" Daughter? Amber is my …..
The guests begin an uproar, the Queen looks amused and throws a hand up to silence them as she steps toward Amber and I "So you decided to reveal yourself as well, I knew I felt power here but I only thought it was Alicia, yours is hidden so well. If I would have known it would have made this bargaining session better" The Queen gives us questioning looks as she paces back and forth.
Amber looks furiously at Rumplestiltskin "You said we would be protected, that as long as we stayed in the castle here we had protection!"
Rumplestiltskin laughs his maniacal laugh and said "No dearie, the agreement was that you and your daughter would remain undetected as long as THE KING ruled this castle. The King is dead, I've done a favor up until this point by extending the protection. I always keep my deals dearie."
A look of recognition passes through the wizards and witches present. Someone speaks up "The exiled queen and her princess, Regina this is too good." The Queen smirks "You're right this night just keeps getting better and better." She stops pacing and moves forward toward Amber. "I meant what I said Regina don't you dare touch my daughter" Amber continues to stand in front of me protectively.
"I wouldn't think of harming a hair on her head Raina, she's much more precious to me alive than dead, but you…" Before the Queen finishes her statement she shoves her hand into Amber's chest but pulls it out and jumps back holding her hand.
"You bitch what did you do to me" hisses Regina Amber smirks at that "I am not a human Regina and since you know me well enough to call me by my name than you know what I am. You should know better than anyone Regina what happens when you mess with someone's child."With that final statement Amber grabs me by my hand and we disappear.
- I vomit as my body is not use to teleporting. I feel dizzy and my vision is blurry. Amber is kneeling next to me gently rubbing me on my back. As my senses adjust to the surroundings, I cling to Amber and look up at her with tears in my eyes
"Amber why didn't you tell me who you were to me? How could you lie to me all these years? What am I? What's going on?"
Amber gently pulls back from me "I am so sorry Alicia I did it to protect you. We don't have much time but long story short, I fell in love with an evil warlock. My family disowned me because of that and I had to flee from our homeland to live with your father. For a time we lived in bliss and peace; but there were many who sought my head both because of my own powers and because they knew of my association with your father. Eventually your father was killed as the last act of protection he created some magical beans that had the power to transport us to another world. Those damn fairies stole them with the pretense of 'keeping them out of evil hands.' They stole our only way to safety so I made a deal with Rumplestiltskin to shield our magic. I disguised myself and went to work in the castle bringing you along."
I take a deep breathe to digest everything Amb…..Raina…is saying to me. All my life I thought I was an unwanted orphan. I want to stay angry at Raina, but she has been a mother to me even though she didn't tell me who I was. I look around and recognize it's the place from my dreams "I know this place it's from my dreams" I say to Raina She nods her head "I sent you dreams of my homeland…I didn't feel I would ever get the chance to bring you here but this is your rightful home and your birth right was nobility." Tears well in Raina's eyes as she glances around the beautiful land, she grasps my hand and we walk forward.
She speaks up again "Alicia I don't know how they will react, but this is our last hope in a way for safety." As we continue through the elaborate place wooded area I see more beings, particularly a couple who look similarly to those I've often seen in my dreams.
The couple see us approach and the smiles that they wore on their faces are replaced with grim expressions. "Mother, Father" Raina whispers out as we come to stand in front of them.
The man rises and stares at us "Why have you returned here Raina, when you chose to be with that demon you knew what the consequences were."
"I realize that, but right now I come not on behalf of myself but of my daughter. Alicia. She is your family too, she is a princess of this land and she has been innocent in all of this."
The woman steps forward and whispers "You named her for me Raina."
Raina has tears pouring from her eyes "Yes mother, I never stopped loving my family or my land, but I chose to be with my husband that was my decision. Alicia didn't make the decision to abandon the land. Please protect her she is of your blood."
My grandfather steps forward "No Raina, you made your decision we cannot house you or her. Even though the child is innocent, she still has evil running through her .She will have the same problem you faced once others get to know of her."
My grandmother speaks up in a rush "We can protect at least her daughter, if she's innocent."
"No we won't. The girl has darkness in her. She cannot stay in this land." He says with finality.
Raina looks defeated for a moment then looks up and says "Good and evil are so black and white in this realm; everyone doesn't fit into a box all the time you know. The elves are considered to be of pure and goodness as are the fairies, but I have seen silvers of evil in each. Now here my parents stand once again condemning their child to almost certain death along with their grandchild." Raina grabs my hand and begins as we transport to the next destination, the last thing I see is my grandmother running toward us with tears running down our face screaming "Raina Wait!"
As we land in the next place I am once again on the ground throwing up. Raina kneels down beside me and offers me a napkin. I wipe my mouth. "Were you really serious will people try to kill us? If you have powers can't you just hide us again." Raina shakes her head "I wasn't the one who hid us, the deal I made with Rumplestiltskin is what offered us protection." I think about the grinning imp, he had offered his help earlier that night and he did keep us protected in a sense so I speak up "Well maybe he can help us again." Raina sits next to me and grabs my hand, with a faraway look in her eye she says "Yes maybe he can.."