Prince Charming had been hiding from the crowd. He wasn't far from them, only because he was trying to find Snow. He was hoping to get her into hiding, away from the Evil Queen and join the mob. A warm hand quickly took his as the crowd turned to their left, right into Charming. The Prince looked up to see who it was, but only saw a blur pulling him to the side. He blindly trusted whoever it was that intended to save him from being stomped to death by angry townspeople. He could hear his own breathing, coming in short gasps from the adrenaline and the running. His heartbeat resounded in his ears, and he feared he had grown rusty with the Queen's curse. After running downhill for no more than three minutes, they came to rest near a stream going downhill. There, his rescuer in a white cloak took off her hood, revealing no one other than Snow White.
Snow took a deep breath to try and calm her speeding heart. He could tell she had been crying, as her eyes were watery and her face wet with tears. Charming immediately ran to her, placing a hand on top of hers.
"What's wrong? What makes you cry like that? Did anyone hurt you? Tell me, for they shall see no other day!"
Snow White clamped a hand on her husband's mouth, trying to stay low. She smiled at her husband's demonstration of chivalry and said in a whisper, so that only he could hear it, "It's much worse than that. The Evil Queen has put some sort of spell on our daughter! She cannot love. She is merely trying to make my life miserable. She took her away from us for twenty eight years! And now she's going to take her heart just like she likes to. I don't think that the Queen is capable of any positive feeling or an honest motivation. But the most important part is to get Emma safe and sound, and to do so before they find them!"
Prince Charming thought over it for a few seconds, and then said, "We must kill her. She will not let Emma go unless she's dead."
"What if she did? What if I talk to Rumpelstiltskin? We can arrange a way, maybe he can get Emma away from the Queen. That could be our only chance to get her."
"But I don't even know where he is. And after the mob tried to hang him upside down from a tree and beat him, I doubt he's up for visitors."
Rumpelstiltskin opened the doors by incantation, the eerie towers seeming to fall over him, he no longer found such dark places inviting. ? Not now that he knew he could love, that he knew Bella was alive. His feet quickly went up the stairs and into the main hall. The castle had more mirrors than he had ever seen. He followed the dining room table up until he saw the secret doorway he obviously knew about, the one that he had been pretty familiar with, when once, Regina had tried to hide him away from a group of very angry centaurs. What he had done to anger them is for another day. The door was heavy. He tried to push with all he had, but his feet slipped from the old and dusty floor. With a huff, he reopened the wound in his arm, smearing some of it in the cracks of the wall. The door opened, but Rumpelstiltskin could see nothing past his nose. He felt the walls, and wish he hadn't, for they were filled with cobwebs. The steps were made out of stone, and the coolness of the rocks chilled him to the bone, but still he felt his way further into the dungeons. At the last step, a rush of air swept over his face, and he followed it, thinking that it might lead to the cell his Love was in. His steps echoed in the stone prison, seeming to be the only living thing in there. As he felt his way deeper, he felt a gap in the wall, and though he could see it was darker, went in.
The rattling of chains could be heard bouncing off the walls. Rumpelstiltskin hurried, running and stumbling, trying to follow the noise before whever was doing it would grow wary, not to be found again.
"Bella! Bella! Talk to me, let me find you!"
Rumpelstiltskin fell to the ground, and quickly got up and running again when he heard a series of "Help! I know someone's there! I can hear you!"
Finally, a sight that broke down Rumpelstiltskin's soul, like time chipping away at paint. A streak of brown hair. The flourish of a dirty blue dress. A gasp. Silence. And finally, that silence broke into a thousand questions and exclamations from both parties.
Bella's eyes twinkled with emotion, love, admiration and relief. Rumpelstiltskin grabbed the key off its hook, in a hidden crook between the hallway and in front of the chamber. He hastily opened the door to greet his Love.
Red felt cold. She looked up to the dark sky, illuminated by stars and the moon. She was glad to see the mob had passed the couple's hiding spot, thinking they might be on the clear. Crack. A branch had been broken. To her left, if she was correct. Red got up from her seat and went to reach for the dagger in her boot. She knew she had the advantage, since her senses were more developed than a regular person. Crack. The sound was closer this time. Directly behind her. Two feet away. The ruffling of leafs closer. Red took a deep breath. She turned around and jumped on the intruder. Knife under their throat, Red coldly said, "Your name, or your life."
"Red, it's me, Granny. God, must you do that? And what are you doing with a knife? You could have hurt yourself! What if someone were hunting for you? You don't pounce on them! Your run, Red! Well, at least you're wearing your hood…"
Red got up, sulking and more than a little annoyed at being caught. She wanted to tell Granny, but she didn't know if she could trust her not to tell the mob her motives for being there. After all, a grudge against Regina could run deeper than kinship.
"I'm fine, Granny. No one's hunting for me, nothing to worry about!"
"Well, then we must go home! It's late and I don't want you around those angry people! We must mind our own business or risk getting discovered! Come on child, we don't have all night!"
Red looked at the outstretched hand in front of her, knowing she should take it and go home, but she couldn't. She understood far more about love than anyone else thought. She knew that not trusting her Love had caused his death, at her unknowing hands. That is why now, she knew she had to support the Queen, trust her, and help them stay together, alive and well. As Granny was about to connect her hand with her granddaughter's, Red quickly pulled away. She crossed her arms over her chest and said, "No Granny. Tonight I stay. There's something bigger here, something bigger than you and I and wolves. I am doing what is right. That mob there is not."
"That is none of our business. I know the Evil Queen has powers here. She can keep herself safe. Anyone who crosses her path may die. That is the only reason I am not with that mob. I'm not stupid. I know her powers are better now, all I want is to have you safe. I can't very well keep you safe if I am dead myself. So you see, the Queen needs no protection, and we are leaving."
"No. Why is it so impossible to believe Regina has changed? Did you not see their eyes back in Storybrrok? Did you yourself not tell me that Regina Mills had finally found love, and that that might make her happy? Who are we to take that away from her? Who are we to judge a person by the actions they made twenty eight years ago? Who are they to take someone's life?"
"It is true, we do not have the right. But our hearts are angry and we want justice. I did believe Regina had found love, but remembering again all that she has done, it is obvious Regina has no heart, it is merely a trap she set Emma, so that even if they killed the Queen, someone would be unhappy. Maybe she might even want to ask for her safety in return of Emma. Maybe she is going to kill her to make Snow miserable."
"No. Any curse or spell can be broken with true love. How did we get here then?" After Granny said nothing, Red uncrossed her arms and said, "What if that mob was coming after us? What if they believed we were nothing but animals? What if they thought we were uncapable of change? That every Wolf wants to kill? Would they believe us when we say we're sorry? You must put yourself in that position, for you must fight for what YOU believe is right, Granny!" Granny's eyes changed from cold and angry to understanding, and Red knew she got her.
"Fine then. So the Queen has changed. She still must pay for her wrongs. If they don't kill her first."
"That must be our job then, Granny, we must make sure she has the chance for a trial." Granny nodded, her thoughts taking her far away from her granddaughter, planning.
Emma woke up from a deep slumber with a flailing arm smacking her side. Groaning, she turned around to see what was going on. Regina was still asleep, but she was moving and saying things. Emma finally caught on that it must be a bad dream, and shook Regina's shoulder lightly to rouse her from her sleep. When Regina still kept moving, Emma grabbed both of her shoulders, and shook her powerfully. Regina's eyes snapped open, searching for the intruder. When her brown eyes met striking green ones, Regina started crying, thanking the blonde she woke her up. Emma, surprised by Regina's behavior, hugged the brunette close to her side, while the Queen cried until she became sleepy again. Emma soothed her, petting her hair and promising she's be there when she woke up again, finally saw Regina fall again into Morpheus' realm.
Emma stayed with her until her breaths were deep and even, then carefully slithered out of Regina's grasp, intending to find some food that, wasn't apples, though she knew the brunette would not have a problem with them. She found that in the closet were stacks of food and bags of different assortments. She began to go through them all, finding fruit and some meat, and though she did not much trust how long they had been there, they smelled good and looked good too, so she took them out. She revived the fire that had died while they were sleeping, and though the flames were white, she cooked the meat.
Regina had been having the most wonderful of dreams, and though in her dream, she knew something horrible had happened earlier, she did not remember what her nightmare had been. And to be honest, that was not the important thing right now. The most important thing was that it was a beautiful, sunny day, and she could hear laughter, as her face warmed with the shine of the sun. She turned her head to her left, and saw, much to her joy, that a huge live tree held a rope tied to a sturdy stick of wood, and in that wood was Henry, sitting and spinning and swinging. Henry's laughter was not the only one, and it was much closer to her. Arms wrapped around Regina's chest, and she could feel someone's breath on her neck. Strangely enough, she couldn't recognize the gender of the laughter, but the voice that whispered in her ear made her heart pound in her chest and butterflies take flight in her stomach. An enlarged stomach, she could see. She was pregnant.
"Hey stranger. It's not the same without you over there. Won't you swing with us? You know, assuming the log won't break," Regina turned around, lightly punching Emma's arm, "Ouch!"
"How dare you! I'm carrying YOUR daughter and you're calling me fat? You better start running Emma, 'cause you don't want me to get my hands on you and no, it's not a good "gonna get my hands on you"!" Emma laughed and in honest trepidation started running for Henry, as if he were a shield. Regina was not far behind, but her anger had subsided. But it wasn't like she was going to let Emma know that.
Regina was awakened by a kiss. Several kisses. It started on her chest, open mouthed kisses going from the valley between her breasts, up to her clavicle, deliciously to her pulse point and to her jaw. The kisses went to the side, closing in on her mouth. She didn't feel like opening her eyes ever again, if this was all she could feel. She honestly wanted to stretch out this amazing awakening, but a moan gave her away.
Regina grudgingly opened her eyes to see Emma looking at her, smiling widely, a hand lightly running over the path her mouth just took. Her fingertips were really soft, she decided. The brunette had never been roused from sleep so perfectly. Suddenly, it all came back. The nightmare had been horrible. She knew it must have looked pretty bad too, since her hands were shaky when she woke up that first time, and she had cried on Emma's chest.
Emma saw Regina's face change from happiness to worry and fear. She tried to sooth away her worries by cuddling, but Regina was still scared. Emma weighted the pros and cons of asking Regina about it, chancing her to close up, or not and feel guilty for not doing what she should.
"What's bothering you, Regina? Did you dream again? Tell me," Emma turned Regina round so that she could try and read her face, and as she rubbed soothing circles on Regina's lower back, she added, "You know you can trust me. Maybe you won't be so scared if you share it with me. It was only a bad dream, this is real life."
Regina was silent for a couple of minutes, silently debating with herself about whether to share or not, her bad dream with the blonde. "I dreamt we were in my castle, and Henry burst in through the doors with the mob and he killed you, and then he just screamed. But it was a horrible scream. It echoed in my brain. I even heard it when I woke up," Regina's eyes started to water, and as she told Emma about the laughing, she covered her ears, and her body began to tremble slightly again. After a minute, she uncovered her ears and wiggled her body closer to the blonde's warm and comforting one, and whispered, "But then you started talking, and the screaming went away, and then you comforted back to sleep."
"It's not real, love. It was just a dream."
"But it was awful. You're risking your life here for me. Do you think for one moment that an angry mob would stop and choose who to attack and who not to? You're sleeping with me for all they know. They might think you're under some sort of spell and there's no going back. I'm sorry. I just can't risk your life for mine." Regina got up, but Emma pinned her to the wardrobe and calmed her down, saying, "There is nothing I wouldn't do for you. Don't you think if Rumpelstiltskin was going to betray us, he would have done so? We're safe here. Come on, I made dinner. You're not leaving this room, ok?" Emma pulled Regina into a chair, and went to get their food. Emma presented her with grilled vegetables and stake. To say Regina was starving was an understatement.
Emma put her hands on the brunette's shoulders, whispering words of comfort, of love and promises to have their happily ever after. When they were both seated, and began to eat, there was silence from the brunette's part. When Emma tried to start a conversation, she was disappointed to find out that every question or comment was answered with a simple nod or shake of the head.
James and Snow stole a white horse tied to a tree, and though it was not as clean, well fed or trained as their own horses were, they easily reached King Leopold's castle, preparing themselves for any and all circumstances. As Prince Charming packed food and clothes, Snow went to her dresser.
She took out a jewelry box, made out of wood, that had a beautifully intrticate design, which seemed to take part of two wolves, a white one and a black one. And though the black one seemed no more than a shadow, she remembered what Red had told her when she left Granny's home.
There was once a story of a land far away, called Ndugort, there was once a woman pregnant with two children. When they were born, two boys, their father threw one to the river, for one was enough. The child however managed to survive when a young man saw the situation. He ran and took the child before it was too late, and took him to his new wife, who could not have children. Both babies grew up as well as their homes could provide, but a child in a cold home is no happy child, so the one the couple originally kept, who was named Manar, turned bitter and hated his family. He became greedy and tried to learn as much as he could, lying and manipulating his was up. He wanted to become king, so he planned an attack with a group of rebels. The other child, Ezekiel, not knowing where he actually came from, grew happy and in comfort with people that loved him. He grew up to marry a wonderful woman and became a guard for the Royal Castle. And though his wife did not like it, he knew he had to feed his family and that it was their best chance at a good life. One day, when they were both at their strongest, the rebels began their attack, with Manar leading them. He killed and killed his way up the stairs, and to the Royal Castle. There, he met his brother, who, like brothers born at the same time sometimes is, looked just like him. He became scared and killed the brother, but the Ezekiel did his duty as a Royal protector of the regal family and killed the leader of the vendetta. They rebels soon became afraid, for they were weak without their leader, and were killed. The bodies of both men were taken to the king, who was intrigued by the set of circumstances, and came to know about both men's lives through both families. He decided to make a funeral, for both of them, at the same place.
Both coffins were so white it hurt the eyes, and one side of the funeral was full, where Ezekiel's casket was, and the other only had both men's mother, who now grew old and weak. Everyone cried but as the King took his seat, everything went quiet.
"Both of these men were once children, with innocent thoughts and feelings. All a child needs, to become the best he can be, is to be loved. Without love we are nothing. Look at the left side. Why is there only the mother? Is it not everyone's fault that Manar turned evil in such an inadequate environment? Did he ever love? Instead, all of you," He pointed at all of the people sitting on the opposite side of the mother, "You sit down to grieve for Ezekiel, who never was under threat. How can a person know who he really is if he is never challenged? Yet in his last act, Ezekiel did what he should have done, and killed a threat. He was cast out of his home as an infant and brought up in a better home. Is he not the lucky brother? Do not judge Manar, for Ezekiel would have grown bitter like him if he were under the same circumstances. We all have the chance to become our worst or our best. Act knowingly, for you are shaping the very minds that might one day become your very nightmare."
"Maybe it isn't a choice for Regina to be evil. Maybe she had bad parents. No. Look at our daughter. She never even had parents, always in the system. And look at how she turned out. "
James answered by saying, "Well, you heard what Regina told her, about how having a broken heart makes people do unspeakable things. It's still no reason to do the things she did. To an extent, she chose to do what she did."
"We have to make sure our daughter is safe. Even if she isn't herself. Or maybe she is, maybe she is in love, which is crazy, because I was pretty sure that Daniel was her True Love. It's impossible to have two True Loves!"
James smiled and told her, "Did I ever tell you about Cindy, the cooks daughter? She was always around, and I was smitten," He smiled as he recalled his childish infatuation with the girl, "She was like ten years older than me, but I was sure she was my true love. And she got married, and I felt like my heart had been ripped out. But then I met this beautiful woman years later, whose name was Snow. And I realized Cindy was not my true love. Just infatuation. A crush."
Snow didn't speak for ten minutes, raging with jealousy at not being James' first crush, but with the silence, she realized that Regina was young and maybe she didn't know any better. She wished with all her heart that Emma was her True Love, and it wasn't some powerful spell, because maybe, just maybe, there was a chance that Emma could change Regina; bring her back from the darkness that has consumed her heart and soul.
So she opened her jewelry box, and grabbed the rings the seven dwarfs had crafted for them. They were beautiful, and though she was sad to reject them, they understood that the rings crafted by family were more important, in the eyes of everyone else but all eight of them, than friends'. The design seemed quite simple to the naked eye, but if one looked carefully enough, one could find a set of designs, seemingly letters of some kind, that joined each other to make it look like a vine, coming to rest on a beautiful looking diamond, big and polished. The man's ring was simpler, thicker, but had the same design. Small diamonds decorated the ring, but none would be as big as the woman's. Grumpy had told her they were fashioned with fairy dust and gold, so that they would glow on the hands of the couple, a deep violet, if they were truly in love.
She placed both rings on a small burgundy pouch, and placed them with the other things. James had been vigilant to her actions, and his anxiety for Emma's wellbeing decreased, since a mother truly knows when her child is in danger, and in a way accepted the situation, he knew he had to trust Snow.
"Ok. So we're not hunting for Regina I gather? How about this: we pack a week's food and clothing, along with those rings, and we give it to them. Only there's a flaw in the plan. The mob thinks they've gone up north, away from the Enchanted Forest. We know better. They wouldn't leave us. Not if Emma was her true self. But someone knows. My best guess is it's Rumpelstiltskin. Where could he be?"