When Snow woke up the next morning, the first face she saw was Charming's; his scruffy, unshaved beard hugged his cheeks. He looked as if he hadn't slept at all, but he only had a smile to give his wife.
"Good morning," he breathed in a tone Snow hadn't heard in a while. It was gentle, unstrained.
Snow tried to sit up, but she was nearly paralyzed by her sore abdomen. Suddenly, pure fear crept up her back as she remembered the day before; laying on the cold floor, her stomach cramping. "The baby?!" she gasped.
"It's fine," Charming reassured. "Doc said your heart was working too hard, and that you're both very fortunate no damage had been done." He placed his hand delicately upon Snow's bump, "You scared me, Snow. I.. I was afraid-" he couldn't finish his sentence. The very thought of losing another child pained Charming beyond words. "Regina found you, you know." Snow was barely listening. She continued to massage her baby's shell absentmindedly. "Doc said you could have lost more blood if she hadn't gotten to you when she did. She... she saved your life." Angry at himself, Charming flew off of the bed and raised his hand to strike their wooden wardrobe. But the lashing never happened. He couldn't bring himself to lose control in front of Snow. "I should never have gone down to the dungeons- I should have stayed here!" Again, nothing from his wife. In a wave of irritation, Charming fell to his knees at Snow's side and held onto her hand tightly. "Please, Snow, say something!"
Lazily, Snow turned her head on her pillow and stared blankly at Charming. "I'm tired; I'm going to sleep."
"Ma! We gotta go!" Henry howled. He shook his mother violently, desperately hoping for Emma's eyes to open. "Ma! Seriously!"
A vicious roar tore through the forest, and Emma sprung into the cool air, fresh adrenaline pumping in her veins. "What the hell-"
"Ogres," Hook muttered gravely. He yanked on Emma's arm and nodded to the other men, "Go!"
Hook was stronger than Emma gave him credit for. You know, considering he only had one hand. Emma felt as though she were flying through the trees, everything was moving faster than she could digest. Henry and Jack dashed down the narrow path and concentrated on not tripping over their own feet. Dense fog clouded their view as they frantically tried to outrun the ferocious beast.
Emma didn't ask questions as she was dragged over the ground; her body weaved through the trees like a needle and thread. At some point, she lost Hook's hand and they were separated. She listened for the panting of her athletic son. With her trail covered in white clouds, Emma missed the giant hole in the ground and her ankle caught on the steep crevasse.
"Shit!" she spat as she groped at the dirt. The ugly creature wasn't far behind the blonde and she could hear the incomprehensible grousing. The footsteps of the other three were gone, and Emma feared she'd lose her life in that moment.
As she readied her body to be ingested, trampling reappeared- and not from the ogre. Emma felt another figure near her, and soon, a hand on her arm. "Come on!" Hook beckoned. He tossed her arm over his neck and half-carried the woman the rest of the way.
"Hey!" a thick voice grabbed the impending animal's attention. Hook guided Emma through the worst of the fog until they arrived in a clear opening. Henry stood behind Jack in a power stance, strangely calm about their possible demise. While Emma hunched over her knees and caught her breath, she noticed Jack had snatched up a long tree branch during their escape and held it behind his shoulder, ready to launch. The harder the ground shook, the closer the ogre came.
It didn't take long for the enormous monster to follow after its prey. With Emma shielding Henry, the 16 foot, brown, one-toothed, snarling animal glared at his meal. Jack steadied the stick and waited for the perfect moment. "Easy now," Hook whispered to their protector. Jack ignored the pirate and kept an eye on the moving target. As the bumbling hybrid advanced, Jack released his arm in a tight snap. Within seconds, the mighty beast had fallen backwards, the makeshift spear protruded from its eyes.
Emma and Henry swiveled their heads and stared at their protector in disbelief. "Ogres follow sound," the brown-haired man explained casually. "They can see, but not very well; their eyes are still sensitive."
Hook brushed off the mud and debris from his jacket and gave Emma a sideways glance. "Still think he's pathetic?"
After the incident with Snow White, Regina made a definite decision: she was going to accept Elphaba's offer and leave the Enchanted Forest. Her life here would become part of her past, just like everything else. In eleven days' time, the Queen would journey to the land of Oz and have her happy ending.
Charming had informed Regina that he was leaving the castle, although he didn't give a reason. All he asked was that extra guards stand watch in front of his room while Snow slept. Regina acknowledged his request and said nothing as he rode off into the woods on his valiant steed. Whatever he was doing, Regina didn't want to know.
For the Queen, the few moments with Snow lying unconscious were enough for her to make up her mind. She could no longer stand to be under the same roof as the woman she'd cursed and had been cursed by. Everything Regina wanted was in the palm of Elphaba's hand, and it was time to make it official.
"Come in," the screechy voice said before Regina raised her hand to the door. The brunette's spine stiffened as she walked into her tenant's room. Elphaba was standing in front of the mirror, admiring her complexion when she smiled as Regina. "Are you ready?"
Regina gave a curt nod as Elphaba approached her. "There's only one thing I ask," she piped. Elphaba gave her an amused grin, one that gave Regina goosebumps. "The Prince and his wife- they are to be left alone. No harm should come to them."
"Is this remorse I detect? For the woman who took your love away?" Elphaba asked, slightly entertained at the thought.
"What she's done to me does not affect our deal, dear. You will not hurt them when you become the ruler of this land. Is that understood?" Regina narrowed her cold, unrelenting eyes at the other witch.
Elphaba simply sneered at the Queen, her own batch of ideas already up her sleeve. With a convincing conviction, she said simply, "Of course."
"All right," Regina sighed. "Then you have yourself a deal." She held out her hand and waited for Elphaba to accept. The other woman's hand in hers sent an electric shock up her arm, and Regina could have sworn something flashed in Elphaba's eyes. "What was that?" she asked briskly after yanking her hand away.
The green witch wiped her hands together, and gold dust fell from them. "That, my pretty, was magic."
After the entire ogre debacle, it took an hour for Henry to convince Emma to stay. He used everything he had: guilt, ultimatums, puppy-dog eyes- everything. And although it took some doing, Emma eventually regained her level-head and gave into her son's pleading.
"Ma, you know what's it like to be left alone; we can't do that to them," was the last thing Henry said. It was a risk, he knew, but he was prepared for the results.
Emma searched her son's green eyes- her eyes- and she saw the honest yearning to do the right thing. Jack and Hook acted as spectators while Emma mulled over Henry's wish. "What are you staring at?" she shot at the two men. "Keep going!"
Hook suppressed his victorious smirk as he continued onward. "Thanks, Ma."
Emma rolled her eyes and mussed her son's hair. "Just do me a favor, Kid?"
"Anything!" Henry said without missing a beat.
The blonde remembered what Hook had told her about Henry, and although she still wasn't thoroughly swayed, it made a bit of sense. "Don't lemme forget how to believe, ok?"
"Ma, I'm 14. That's kind of a lot to ask."
She couldn't help it, Emma chuckled at her precocious son. "Then at least try. Come on, we don't want any giants or dragons chasing after us next."
Whenever Charming rode through the forest, nothing else mattered to him. Where there was once adrenaline and joy, there was now despair and grief. The rushing of the wind in his ears, the flapping of the tree branches were all just white noise- distractions. And he had enough of those. Riding was the only time where he could just be completely free.
The noble, white colt stomped heavily through the mud and kicked up the wet dirt behind him. Charming's grip was steadfast on the leather reigns as he whipped the belly of his obedient horse. He didn't care how hard he was working him or how sharp the whip was, all he wanted to do was go faster.
Late afternoon set in, and dozens of fairies flew around Charming. He paid them no mind, however, as his only goal was to reach the end of the forest- wherever that was.
Hook and Jack exchanged random musings between one another for quite some time. What they talked about was a mystery to Emma. She didn't care, either. She was busy keeping watch for any other unwanted attacks. The ogre was the first and the last time she'd let anything like that happen again.
Emma heard the high-pitched squeals of pixies nearby, though she didn't know that's what it was. To her, it was annoying. Henry didn't seem to mind it. In fact, he seemed to enjoy the mystical, colorful dots that flew through the air. Emma eased her hovering just enough to let him explore what lay ahead of them.
While Henry eagerly jogged through the forest, Hook lagged behind to rejoin the Savior. "Emma, there's one more thing you should know," he confessed.
"You mean, other than ogres exist?" Emma snarked.
"Touché," Hook conceded. He never was one to admit defeat, but Emma had him pegged. "Let me rephrase that: there's something else you have to know before we see everyone else. Is that better?" Emma didn't say anything. She wasn't going to give the pirate the satisfaction. "When we returned, the new curse brought us back to the day after the first one. We were meant to believe it didn't work. How we ended up in the forest together, none of us knew. Your parents- they believe that you... they don't know where you ended up. Word around the town is, they're still looking for you. Your father, on the other hand, seems to have lost hope."
"Why are you telling me this?" Emma snarled. Nothing Hook was saying indicated anything good.
"Because you should know what you're walking in to," Hook countered swiftly. "Now, may I go on? As I said, your parents don't know where the wardrobe took you."
"And you do?"
"Actually, yes. If I'm correct, you and a man named August arrived on the outskirts of Storybrooke, Maine." Hook waited for the witty comeback that never came. "Now, as for Neal-"
"What about him?" Emma stopped her trudging, a sudden urgency to her tone.
Hook observed the way Emma tensed up, the way her fists balled at her sides. He spoke his next words with great delicacy. "Neal got the worst of it, I'm afraid. I've known him for quite some time, Swan. I knew him as a boy. When he was around Henry's age, he was sent through a portal, much like the one we went through, and he arrived in your world. Eventually, he ended up in Neverland- my own mistake. And, of course, he somehow got back to your world and met you."
"You realize how much of a headache this all gives me, right?" Emma whined. None of this had been in any of the stories she'd ever read.
"I know, and I'm sorry. But as I said, it's important. Neal... his memories have been replaced."
"Yeah, you told me. All of yours were."
Hook wanted so much to take out his glass bottle and down the rest of his rum, but as a gentleman, he kept composure. "Swan, because Neal's jumped around so many times... All of his memories outside of the Forest have been erased."
Emma shook her head, but that only made the pounding worse. "I don't get it."
Although Hook and Neal had had a falling out, that didn't wash away the regret he had in telling Emma. "He doesn't remember anything else, love. He doesn't remember you."
At some point, Charming's loyal steed had to stop. He couldn't carry the weight any longer, and couldn't push himself any further. Charming dismounted gently and smoothed over his friend's long, gray mane. "It's ok. You've done enough," he commended.
There was a small creek not ten feet away, and Charming guided the large animal to water. Without hesitation, the thirsty stallion refreshed himself. Loud slurping echoed through the small stream, and the Prince splashed water on his face. The cool liquid felt like the salvation he longed for every day since the curse. It was comforting, un-judgmental, it didn't beg for answers. Days like this, Charming wished he got out more often. Flowers sparkled from the fallen fairy dust, and the clouds above opened a small, cozy space for the sun. It was so much better than being holed up in an isolating castle with a silent wife. Snow forgive him, but Charming was relieved to be away from their daughter's nursery.
With a long, heavy sigh, Charming stuck a foot into the brown saddle. It was when he heard an aggravated voice beyond the trees that he stood tall again. He kept one hand on his furry friend's shoulders as he stalked noiselessly.
"What the hell do you mean he doesn't remember me?!" a woman's voice cried angrily.
"Please, Emma," another voice placated.
Emma? Charming let go of his horse's reigns and moved his hand to the hilt of his sword. His leather boots squeaked slightly as he stepped over the rocks. Long, luscious tree limbs poked through his line of view, and all he could made out was blonde curls.
"No! Stay the hell away from me!" the woman demanded.
Charming heard a soft scuffling, and that his cue to spring into action. The Prince leapt into the air and landed stealthily on the gravel trail, his silver sword held firmly in front of him. The man across from him stared at him with wide eyes. "You heard the maiden, step back," he commanded.
Hook lowered his... hook and did as he was told. He caught a quick glimpse of Emma over Charming's shoulder, and tried to send her a message. After clearing his throat, the captain pushed his shoulders back and maintained eye contact. "Surely you remember me, Your Highness," he bowed.
The more his vision focused on the stranger, the sooner Charming placed his face. "You're that pirate," he breathed. A faint image of a year ago skipped through his mind as he recalled the scruffy man's presence.
"Aye, and you're that Prince," Hook remarked.
"Ma! What's going on-" Henry came sprinting towards his mother, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the man with the sword. "Whoa."
The moment Charming saw the young fellow, he lowered his blade. For the first time since his intervention, the woman behind him spoke. "Henry, come here," she bid. Emma only saw the man's profile, but that was enough for her. She'd seen that face so many times before. "You and Henry can be a family, and you and can get your wish: you can be like everyone else. You can be happy," she heard him telling her.
Once his life was no longer at stake, Hook addressed the Prince once more. "We were never formally introduced. My name is Killian Jones, Captain of the Jolly Roger. This is Emma," he held an arm out to the apprehensive mother, "her son, Henry, and our friend Jack. We mean you no harm."
"What are you doing in the forest?" Charming inquired roughly. He focused on glaring at Hook, but couldn't help stealing peeks at the woman named Emma. "This is private property."
"Our apologies. I didn't realize we'd entered Her Majesty's kingdom," Hook pacified. "Perhaps," he started to formulate his thought, "you could help us." He gave Emma a look that said, "Go with it." "We're looking for a few people in the Queen's domain. Jack is searching for his sister and Henry for his father."
Charming managed to peel his gaze away from Emma just long enough to scoff at Hook's sentiments. "Everyone's looking for someone in Regina's kingdom," he mocked.
In Neverland, Hook had started to get used to Charming's talent for beating around the bush, but now was not the time. "Please, if you could only lead us to her-"
"Are you mad?" Charming questioned. "No peasants have never even made it up to her doors."
"I understand that, but this is an emergency. It'll save lives, mate," Hook appealed to Charming's true nature- a leader. The man with the sword could call them whatever he pleased, it wouldn't dissuade Hook from their goal.
Prince Charming couldn't help but glanced back at the green-eyed woman once more- the woman who shared the same name with his daughter. In a moment of weakness, Charming started to wonder if that's what his Emma would look like as an adult. "Where did you say you were from?"
"Uh, a different kingdom," Hook answered for all of them. "Please, Your Highness, I promise, you won't regret this."
A few more seconds passed of Charming examining the blonde woman. There was something oddly familiar about her. She looked rather like his wife. They had the same chin. "If I agree to this, you realize the danger that may befall us?"
"The price wouldn't be yours to pay," Hook muttered.
Although his inner voice was screaming "no," Charming made an executive decision. "My horse is this way. You'll have to walk quickly if you want to keep up."
It was a long walk. Early evening began to fall upon the quintet as they made their way to Regina's castle. Their whole travel through the woods, Charming struggled to think of a way to introduce them; how he would explain why he brought four strangers home. He could already hear Regina's indignant growling, her harsh words. Something in him, though, didn't care. The control she once had over him was fading, and Charming was getting his own mind back.
While Emma walked closely behind the supposed Prince, she tried to wrap her mind around that fact that he was the same man from all those dreams. There was no question about it; she knew the Prince. And, while this did shift her judgement, Emma couldn't help but feel this was all too easy. On their way to see the Queen, she'd expected a fight or an attack. The way Charming relented so freely didn't sit well with her. Then again, she didn't know much about this world.
Without permission, Henry tore apart from Emma's hold and jogged up to the man on horseback. "Are you a King?" he asked inquisitively.
Taken aback by the teenagers uninhibited nature, Charming responded gruffly. "No. I'm a Prince. At least, I used to be."
"What happened?" Henry pressed innocently. He matched the strides of the heavy horse with finesse; he didn't struggle to keep up.
"Well, I don't have my own kingdom to rule or townspeople as followers." Because Regina took them from us. Charming never looked down at the kid, as he didn't want to be sucked in by another innocent youth. He knew if he created a bond with this child, just like most others, he'd lose him.
"That doesn't make you any less of a Prince," Henry said.
"How do you figure that?" Charming asked, honestly intrigued.
The clomping of the horse's hooves never bothered Henry or deterred him from his thought process. If anything, it helped him concentrate. "Can I tell you something?"
Charming shrugged uncaringly, "I suppose so."
"My mom almost gave me up for adoption. When I was born, she was having trouble. She told me she wanted to give me my best chance. But then she held me, and she knew she was my best chance."
"I fail to see the comparison," Charming murmured.
"I'm gettin' there," Henry squeaked. "See, if my mom had gone through with it, if I ended up somewhere else, she'd still be my mother. Just because I wasn't there, wouldn't make her any less of a mom."
In a strange way, this made sense to the pokerfaced man. This teenager was more pensive than any other man he knew, and Charming didn't understand how that was possible. "I think I see what you mean," he breathed.
Henry smiled brightly, "Yeah? I can't even get my mom to believe me when I do my chores!"
Regina was watching from the window when Charming returned towing commoners. SHe recognized Hook- they had a history. But, she noticed another familiar face. There was a child with them. He had a gray and red scarf wrapped around his neck- the same one she'd daydreamed about countless times. And, there was another female in the group. Her long, golden locks curled slightly, and even from a distance, Regina could see her emerald eyes. Though she wasn't acquainted with this woman, there was something that spoke to Regina.
The guards opened the entrance to Charming, but closed it to the other four. "It's all right, they're guests of mine," the he said.
"You know the rules: no one enters unless Her Majesty approves," a gravely voice reminded.
"You don't know what I approve of," the Queen berated. "Stand aside." The two, metal-clad men stepped apart and revealed a woman in an grand, black and red dress that brushed the wooden walkway. Immediately, she set her sights on the shoulder-height boy. Now that she could see him close up, the fuzzy image that used to be his face became clear. "You," she sucked in a breath.
It wasn't the Queen's elaborate makeup or her pinned up hair that caught Henry's attention, but the scar on her upper lip. He'd only seen that once before. "I know you," he exhaled. "Ma," he turned around, "she's the one from my dreams."
"I'm sorry?" Regina wondered. She frowned at the mother and son, the way the other woman listened so attentively. "Have we met?"
"Hello, Regina," Hook tilted his head.
"Hook," she said in disdain. "I see you've found yourself back in my district." When Hook half-smiled and drank from his glass, Regina made a distasteful "tsk" sound. "Still drinking as well? I'm not surprised."
"Regina," Emma said under her breath. This was the Queen? Emma suddenly had an overwhelming urge to bow. This wasn't only the woman from Henry's dream, but from her own as well. The last part replayed in her mind, "I've known you for some time, and all I wanted was for you to get the hell out of my life so that I could be with my son. But really, what I want is for Henry to be happy. We have no choice. You have to go."
The regal royal sized up the figure across from her; Emma's red, leather jacket struck a nerve. "Am I to assume you're not native to the Forest?" she asked.
"We're from New-" Henry started to say, but stopped when Hook shook his head hastily behind Regina.
"What's your name?" Regina bent down slowly until she was eye-level with the younger adult.
"Henry," he squawked.
Regina fought to ignore the skip of her heart as she plastered on a smile. "That's a strong name."
"This is my mom, Emma," Henry introduced the two. Regina gave the woman a tight nod and a terse smile, all the while cringing inside at her name.
Charming watched the interaction take place, and he saw the effect Henry had on Regina. "They were lost in the woods, Your Majesty. I saw the child, and thought-"
"Of course." Regina interrupted. "You all are welcome here for the night. I'm sure our thoughtful Prince will help you in the morning." The Queen turned on her heels and held her hands above her head. "Guards!" The knighted figures followed the one-worded order and made a pathway for the gang. Before leading them through, Regina turned around once more and smiled at Henry. "Welcome to the Enchanted Forest."
It all happened in slow motion. At least, for Henry it did. He spotted the woman offering a hand, he felt his own moving towards hers, their fingers touched, and a wave of heat spread throughout his whole body. It was as if there was a small projector screen in Henry's mind, and what he saw were excerpts from different movies. Hundreds of clips played out in front of him- most of them included Regina. Where Emma had once stood in his memories, Regina now took her place. Instead of Emma holding his hand when he got his first tooth pulled, Regina was. Instead of Emma rocking him to sleep after a nightmare, Regina was. And, instead of Emma standing over the stove, making him his favorite breakfast, Regina was.
When their hands broke apart, Regina looked unaffected by the contact. Henry, on the other hand, was nearly speechless. The two of them were the center of the jagged circle made by the others, and to Henry, they were the only two there. Without any warning, the young man threw his arms around the unsuspecting Queen and buried his face in her shoulder.
The guards' armor clashed together, but Regina held a hand up. She didn't know why this young creature was embracing her, but something about it felt normal. It was the only other time she didn't feel like the Queen.
After a few seconds, Henry pulled away and peered up at the woman; tears welled in his eyes, and he tried to hold them back. Regina waited for an explanation, one that would justify his actions. But Henry couldn't give one good enough. All he could think to say was, "Hi, Mom."
A/N - Hello, dearies! Hope you all had a great Christmas! The chapters up to this one have all covered entire days. However, because so much is happening, as you can see, this day's been split up. Don't worry, it's not over. There's more story & more explanations to come! If you've noticed, the writing was a bit different with each perspective. Although it's not told in the first person, each segment- Emma's and others in the EF- is supposed to feel a bit different. Also, I know that this Regina is a lot different than she used to be; if you've been following the story, hopefully you'll understand why. Anyway, here's the latest update! I hope you're enjoying it so far, and please, if you can, leave feedback! I'd love to know what you all think! Thanks again! Be back soon :-)
