The next morning, nose swollen and eyes bruised, Emma Swan stood with her hands flat on the map table. She looked slowly at the others gathered in the half-lit tent, saw the changes in each that their time in the Enchanted Forest had caused.
They waited, expectantly, for her to speak. Taking a deep breath, Emma steeled herself for the argument to come.
"Look," she said, "we're losing this war, that much is painfully clear." Murmurs of dissent rumbled around the table, voices rising in protest and disbelief.
"We're not losing, Emma," said her mother. "Every day we're gaining ground, learning more information, building up a picture of what we're facing." The nods and noises of agreement were cut short as Emma's fist hit the table.
"We're losing. There are half the number of people around this table now, compared to when we started. And certain recent actions," Emma's eyes cut to Snow and James, stood at the other end of the table, "show quite clearly just how desperate we're getting." For a moment, the air thickened around the table as everyone turned to follow Emma's accusing stare. "For 'good' people, you've done some pretty shocking things since the curse broke. But I think trading a child's life is a new low, even for you."
Snow's face fell, crumpled, and her head dropped to her chest. She bit at her lip worriedly, hands wringing together.
"Emma…" Her father's voice was low, warning, his hand resting protectively on his wife's shoulder. Not now, his tone said. Don't do this now.
"How big's that black spot on your heart now, Mom?"
"Emma!" Now James was sharp, commanding and Emma was almost glad she'd skipped a childhood of hearing her name said like that. "Your mother and I will talk to you about Henry later. But first, while everyone's here, how about you tell us what you learnt of Rumpelstiltskin's strengths?"
His eyes begged her to change the topic, and, closing her eyes briefly and sighing, she did.
"In the weeks I was a prisoner..."
"Months, Emma." James' voice stopped his daughter's flow, and she stared at him blankly. "You were gone months."
Emma swallowed visibly, hands clenching tight around the back of the chair.
"In the months I was held, I was kept in the dark. I saw nothing - not the castle layout, not the number of servants, nothing. I couldn't even see Regina's face, and she was only arm's length from me."
Sharp intakes of breath echoed repeatedly around the table.
"Regina was there?" Emma nodded, slowly, a memory of a face lit by a soft glow floating in front of her eyes.
"She was. She healed my leg."
"I knew her disappearance was too good to believe! She's been in league with the Dark One the whole time!" Hands tightened around the hilts of swords and daggers, and Granny's crossbow had ominously appeared in her hands, finger twitching in anticipation.
"We should have killed her," she said, miming with the bow, "back in Maine, when we had the chance." The room couldn't help but agree with her, and the sound of drawn steel rang through the company.
"No - that's not right. She was a prisoner, like me. The wards keep her inside the cell. She helped me escape." There was silence for a moment, as everyone stared at the ex-Sheriff.
"I promised to go back for her. And I will." She paused, breathing, waiting for the slow signs of agreement to come. "The thing is - you're all still expecting me to be some kind of saviour, magically equipped with knowledge that's gonna win all your battles. I looked out the window once, okay, and I saw trees and mountains. Nothing distinctive."
"You don't have anything that could help us?"
Emma smiled, her hand reaching for the pages she'd torn from Rumplestiltskin's spell book.
"Only this."
The crumpled paper spread out over the table, the writing running too fast this time for even the title to be read. Emma smoothed her hands out over the corners, trying to ease out the wrinkles and sweat stains from where they had been pressed against her skin.
The others crowded round the ragged pages, blinking down at the ink.
"What is it?"
"I took them, the day I escaped. I think they say how the wards keeping Regina in the cell were constructed." Emma's confidence faltered, as suddenly her plans seemed implausible, and weak. "I thought – if she had this, she could get out of there."
Emma felt the weight of the others' eyes on her, and shifted uncomfortably. There was silence for a moment, tense and heavy, before Ruby spoke.
"I can't read any of this. What good is that?"
A shimmering light filled the air, and the Blue Fairy appeared, laughing like a peal of silver bells.
"Only those with magic can read enchanted parchments, Red," she laughed, before turning to Emma. "I'm surprised you even know what this spell is."
Emma shrugged, hands searching out jean pockets that were no longer there.
"I could read the title alright, before…"
The fairy waved people aside, daintily flying between the crowded heads to the table, alighting just by the edge of the paper.
"Well," she said, "you picked right. These are the wards to Rumpelstiltskin's castle."
"So you can undo them, right?" asked Ruby. "You can get us in?"
The fairy smiled with half her mouth, hands coming up in warning.
"No," she said, "I can't. This magic is…very human, and not something I can deal with."
"What do you mean – human?" James stepped forward.
"It's impure, inaccurate. The spell is worded in such a way that it is designed to protect the things the caster loves. The wards are powered by love, and can only be dismantled the same way. And fairies, as you know, are forbidden to love."
Somewhere behind Emma, a dwarf snorted and rolled his eyes, unseen by the crowd.
"So you're saying this is useless?" Granny, ever direct and to the point, huffed loudly, and slowly rehung her crossbow over her shoulder.
"Not useless. To the right person."
"I told you," Emma said. "I need to get this to Regina."
"But how are you going to do that now? You can't just sneak back into the dungeons like nothing's happened."
Emma grinned, shifting her weight and crossing her arms.
"I've got a plan for that. But I'm going to need some help."