Lost, abandoned and no way home.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with once upon a time.
STORY: This is a sequel I would suggest reading my first story called
Trials and tribulations of Princess Emma Swan
SUMMARY: the curse is broken and a deal with rumple allowed everyone to go back to the enchanted forest. Problem is rumple didn't make it as straight forward as everyone hoped, and what is Regina up to.
PREVIOUSLY: Emma's giving up, on everyone and everything. Regina is being Regina. Snow is having a breakdown and Prince James is trying to keep it together, and think positive.
ON THE WAY TO RUMPLES
The first leg of the trip was silent snow wasn't talking and James didn't want to say anything that would upset her more than she already was. It was snow who spoke almost knocking James off his horse with shock.
"Charming do you think he will know where they are? What happens if he hasn't had anything to do with It." snows voice was low and James could hear the heartache coming out with the words she spoke.
"My love rumple foretold the future that our Emma would be the savior and he was right. He knows what has happened and where they are even if he isn't the reason behind it. We will get them back snow."
He could tell snow was hesitant to believe him but at least she tried to give him a small smile. He just hoped that Emma and henry where here somewhere and not left behind. He didn't think neither he nor his wife would cope with losing their daughter again, to another world and never seeing her, never holding her, never telling her how much they loved her.
The both fell back into silence as the rode.
RUMPLES PALACE
"Hello imp. What did you do to my son." Regina had appeared before rumple and as she spoke she had used magic to pin him to the wall in front of her.
"Now, now your majesty, I don't know what you are talking about. You will have to be clearer, if you wish for me to help you."
"Henry and Emma are missing they haven't been found and it has been a week since we got back. I can't see them, my magic just gives me a blurred image, and so I will say it once more what did you do."
Rumple was silent and as soon as he understood what Regina was saying, he started to smile.
His potion had worked just not the way he planned it wasn't snow and James who he had toyed with but Emma and henry, oh how wonderful, this was even better than he hoped. Regina would deal with him for henry which meant he would get his heart back, and snow and James would willing make a deal to get Emma back which meant he would have his dagger also. Oh yes this was definitely better than he had originally planned.
Regina saw the smile start to spread on rumples face and knew without a doubt he had done this. He was the reason behind everything. "You had better start talking rumple or I swear I will…"
"You will what your majesty I do believe I have something you want, and you have something of mine to trade for him. So let's not make threats." Rumple spoke as if he wasn't worried about what Regina could do. But in fact it wasn't the lack of fear over what she could do that cause him to act so relaxed. It was the fact that he knew she wouldn't do anything that would risk never having henry with her again that kept him so at ease.
"Where are they and I might be willing to make a deal with you." Regina refused to be bullied by this scheming little imp. When rumple didn't answer and he actually looked a little nervous Regina realized that he had done something but he didn't even know what he had done.
"Rumple what's going on." Belle's sweet voice floated into the room from behind Regina. But before rumple could say anything, Regina teleported into a position behind belle and grabbed her by the throat. Rumple was still magically pinned to the wall and could do nothing but watch Regina squeeze belle's tiny throat.
"Regina stop. She has nothing to do with this. STOP." Rumple was pleading with Regina.
"I will make you a deal rumple my friend find them or kill her, but rest assured she is coming with me. I will be back before sun down and you had better have answers for me."
Regina teleported away with belle and as soon as she did rumple fell to the floor as the magic that was holding him in place was released as soon as she left.
ISLE OF LOST SOULS.
Emma was sat by the lake that ran through the isle; she had been there since this morning. Her heart wasn't up for more dead ends today. But instead of returning to the village she stayed where she was. Thinking of a way to push henry away, it should be easy for her to do she never let anyone get too close to her, so she always pushed them away. But henry was different; he wasn't anyone he was her son. But parents pushed children away all the time; she had done it once when she gave him away. Emma sat there thinking of a way to get henry to hate her, a way that would be less painful for him when they eventually got taken from each other. Regina maybe a bitch but she loved henry, and she knew she would do everything to keep henry. She had proved that on more than one occasion. Emma couldn't say the same about her own parents. They had abandoned her once more, and so far there was no sign they would come for her. Emma knew what she had to do. She had searched for her parents for years to find out why they had abandoned her; she had even started to hate them until she realized why they had done it. But being here brought all the feelings she had back to the surface, the hate the loneliness the feeling of not being enough.
She knew if she made henry believe she didn't want him around and that she was determined to do this without him he would eventually hate her. Hate her enough to leave her behind when Regina comes for him. The thought of watching her son abandon her was more painful than anything else she could think of, but she knew it was for the best. She knew that she had to do it for him. Because she loved him she would let him go.
Emma's first part of the plan of operation hatred was to stay out of the camp tonight. Maybe go back tomorrow night get some supplies, ignore henry then leave as soon as she had the supplies she needed. She was sure henry would be pissed by that. Emma sighed and leaned heavily against the tree beside the lake she knew where the camp was, and she would have to find a place to sleep tonight but it could only be around noon so she had time to find a place to sleep tonight. She would rest awhile and make sure operation hatred was a sound plan.
RUMPLES PALACE.
It was late afternoon when snow and James dismounted their horses. They had just arrived at rumples palace. As they headed towards the door, they heard raised voices and knew something was amiss. They couldn't hear what was being said but snow turned to James and said "charming that's Regina's voice in there." James pulled out his sword and stepped in front of snow before they entered rumples palace.
"HOW THE HELL COULD YOU SEND THEM THERE. OF ALL THE PLACES IN THE LAND, YOU PICKED THERE." Regina's voice was so loud snow feared they would all go deaf.
"I didn't do it intentionally, it wasn't even meant for them." Rumple was cowering before Regina
"Regina where's he sent them." James voices came as such a shock rumples eyes bulged and knew his life was safe at least for a while. Regina on the other hand spun around and the anger she felt at rumple wasn't disguised.
Regina didn't want snow and James here, but she knew there was a better chance of saving henry if they all worked together.
"That little imp has sent them to the isle of lost souls." Regina knew nothing else was needed but that one phrase. Snow who was barely holding herself together before this went to Regina and hugged her; Regina stiffened at first but relaxed and realized that she needed this as much as snow did.
James on the other hand went straight for rumple. "You sent them there you had better bring them back." Although James words didn't hold any threats the tip of his sword being pressed into rumples throat was definitely threatening.
Rumple needed to swallow but tried so hard not to because of the sword tip. "You know I can't do that. It is impossible." Rumple spoke not only to James but to only three of them in the room.
"like hell you can't you did this, you had better fix it." as James spoke the sword tip pressed a little further into rumples throat, and a drop of blood made a lone trip down to his collar bone.
The comforting embrace snow and Regina shared must have given snow a burst of strength. "Charming if you kill him then he won't be able to do anything. We all need to sit down and think rationally about what we are going to do." Before anyone could say anything snow sat at rumples big dining table and waited for the others to join her.
James just stared at snow, she had been a wreck when they thought Emma was just lost in the woods, but now she was calm. This should had made things worse. Emma wasn't lost anymore she was on the isle of lost souls. He grabbed rumple by the shirt and dragged him to the table. James was trying to figure out how he was going to force rumple to stay seated. "I will make sure he won't move from the chair James don't worry." Regina spoke, she used her magic to keep rumple sat and James just thought it was eerie, that she knew what he was thinking. James sat next to rumple and on the other side of the table it was Regina and snow.
"Alright snow we are all sat, where you want to start." Regina spoke, she tried to stay calm but unlike snow who seemed to have calmed down with the knowledge of where Emma and henry was. Regina's reaction was nervous and borderline irate at the news but she would try and stay calm.
"First we start with what we know about the isle. Then we consult the blue fairy in case there is something she can do. If not we know it is up to us and once we have all the knowledge we can about the isle we will be able to get them back." Snow made it sound so simple, but who was she kidding. She was being delusional the isle of lost souls was the isle of lost souls. It wasn't that simple.
They sat around the table all throwing out what they knew about the isle. Snow had taken a page from Emma's book and was writing everything down. When they had finished talking she looked at the list of things.
THE LIST
Now way off the isle.
The isle was a hidden place in the ocean; it was supposed to disappear if it was ever located.
There was only one way onto the isle, magic.
The isle was for lost souls, people who had no one.
The isle was supposed to be damned, so that whoever was on there believed they were alone.
There was no way to contact the isle, which meant there was no way of knowing if the people on the isle were alive.
It was rumored that if the isle had taken someone the only way to survive it was to forget everything that came before it.
Snow looked up from the list and asked James and Regina what they should do with rumple when they spoke to the blue fairy.
Regina glanced at rumple then looked back towards snow, James had seen the evil glint in her eye and all he said was. "Whatever you are planning I don't want to know, Regina just don't kill him. At least not yet."
Regina just smiled and told snow and James she would meet them at the palace. With that she disappeared, taking rumple with her.
It was late now and snow and James knew they could not risk traveling home at night so they decided to wait here until the sun started to rise.
"Snow I don't want you to think I have given up, but I don't see how we can get them back." James spoke softly to snow and his voice carried the pain he was feeling. Snow got up from the chair which she had been sitting in and walked round the table towards James. "Charming we know where they are, that is half the battle done. We will get them back we have to. They are not lost souls charming they belong with us not there." Snow sounded so confident and before James could object and cast doubt on what she had said snow kissed him gently and sat on his lap where she held her hand to his heart.
THE ISLE OF LOST SOULS.
Henry was getting worried, it was dark and his mum was always back by now. All types of things started running through his mind. Things like animals attacking her, or that she had fallen and hurt herself. His mind was running away with him and he decided he had to find her, help her from whatever was keeping her away from the village. He went to his hut to get some things together before he left to find her. He was just about to leave the confines of the village when mowgli stopped him.
"Henry you can't go out there it is too dangerous." Mowgli had placed a gentle but restraining hand on henry's shoulder
"Mowgli my mum is out there I have to find her, she might need my help." Henry's eyes looked pleadingly into mowgli's but it didn't do any good.
"Henry what good will it do to have you go out there not knowing where she is. She will probably be back soon and if you are not here when she comes back that will just make her leave after you and then you could both get lost and hurt."
Henry knew mowgli was right but he hated it. He wanted his mum. He needed his mum. He had been alone all day, every day since she had gone exploring by herself the only time he got to be with his mum was when she came back, but she hadn't come back yet.
Mowgli knew Emma was not returning tonight he had watched her making a camp of sorts for the night, but he couldn't tell henry that. "Why don't we sit out here and wait for her" mowgli suggested. He just hoped henry would fall asleep soon, before he worried more about Emma being hurt and in need of help.
Emma was settling down to sleep when she was plagued with the thought of what henry must be thinking and feeling. Her heart wanted her to return to go to her son but she knew in her head she was doing the right thing, and that when she showed up tomorrow just before dark to get something before leaving again, that he would be hurt, and angry at her. Angry was always the first stage to go through before hating could start. So Emma tried to shut off her heart, but no matter how hard she tried she could still hear it telling her to go to her son.
THE NEXT DAY
Henry woke to find himself in his hut in bed he smiled thinking his mum must have carried him through, the sun wasn't quite high enough in the sky yet so he knew his mum hadn't left. He rolled over to wake her but she wasn't there. In fact her side of the bed hadn't been slept in. that was obvious since the sheet was still neatly folded at the bottom and his mum didn't fold that neat. Maybe she had not been able to sleep and was outside getting breakfast.
Henry got up and went to find his mum, but when he saw the look on mowgli's face he knew that his was wrong that his mother hadn't come home last night and that she was still out there.
Before henry could say anything to mowgli about leaving mowgli spoke first. "I will go find her and make sure she is ok. You stay here." Mowgli didn't wait for henrys reply he just left.
Emma didn't get much sleep her heart just wouldn't shut up about her going back. But at least she didn't give into it she had stayed. She would return tonight then leave again. She didn't want to hurt henry but this was the only way.
THE PALACE
Snow and James had been riding as soon as first light had kissed the ground that morning. They had ridden hard and fast, but the journey and still been long. It was afternoon when they had arrived. They had spoken to the others briefly when they first got there telling them the tale of what rumple had done. The gasps had filled the palace as soon as they had mentioned the isle of lost souls. Before anyone could say a word to snow and James, Regina had arrived. James had already asked someone to find the blue fairy and all that was left was for them to sit and wait until the blue fairy came. Regina wasn't a patience person and the waiting seemed to get her angry, but there was nothing to be done until the blue fairy arrived.
THE ISLE OF LOST SOULS.
When the sun had started its decent Emma decided she would return to get some stuff before leaving again. She was almost at the village when she was pulled into the bushes.
"What are you doing Emma, henry was worried about you. He wanted to leave the village last night to find you thinking you might be hurt." Mowgli was angry, and his voice proved it. But Emma however didn't care, she hadn't had much sleep and she was doing what was best for henry and it had nothing to do with mowgli.
"You are not my mother mowgli so leave me the hell alone." Emma left mowgli in the bushes as she headed for the village.
Just before she entered the village she gave herself a little pep talk. 'Right Emma if henry comes to hug you, you must push him away or avoid it. Don't look into his eyes or you will give in as soon as you see the pain in them. Make sure he understands he is to stay in the village no matter what. Now take a deep breath and go. Oh one last thing don't and I repeat don't call him Kidd, that's your name for him so don't do it' Emma's pep talk ended and she walked into the village henry had seen her and although he ran towards her he stopped just short of her.
"Mum are you alright, where have you been it's been almost 2 days. Are you hurt." Henry fired questions at her but Emma just took a deep breath and replied "listen henry I can't chat I have to get something's then head out again." Emma walked passed henry. She was glad she had managed to keep it together.
Henry was on the verge of tears as he ran behind his mum. "You can't leave now you need to stay and eat and sleep then you can go in the morning. Mum please." Emma didn't turn towards henry she had heard the pain in his voice and the small voice in her head scream 2 words at her 'be strong' "I don't have time for this henry just go and get ready for the evening meal. Oh and whatever you do stay in the village, I don't want to have to come and find you." Emma knew one more phrase from her would cause henry to be angry at her so as much as it hurt her to say she said it anyway "I have more important things to do, which I don't want to have to stop doing if you decide to leave the village and get lost. So stay here." Emma continued walking, even though she could her henrys soft sobbing. She guessed that when he stopped crying he must have realized she wasn't going to stop and comfort him. She knew she had done what she had set out to do as soon as henry ran passed her shouting that he hated her.
Emma's heart broke but she had to keep it together long enough to get some things then leave. Once she had left the village she would allow herself to cry, to feel the heart ache of hurting her son, but she couldn't do it yet.
THE PALACE
The blue fairy had arrived and was speaking with James, snow and Regina in the meeting room. They had told her everything they knew about where Emma was. "So fairy can you help us or not." Regina was the one who spoke and the annoyance of having to wait causes her tone to be harsh.
The blue fairy looked at them all one by one before she spoke. "I have never heard of anyone escaping the isle of the lost, but I will try to think of a way. If there is a way I will find it I promise you."
The blue fairy was about to leave when snow spoke. "How can the rules of the isle apply here? Emma and henry are not lost, they have us."
The blue fairy pauses then and looked at snow. "You might be right snow; I think I have an idea. I will be back at daybreak with a plan. I just have to consult the others to make sure it is feasible." With that said she disappeared and left the three in the room staring at the place she had been.
AUTHORS NOTE.
So anyone have any ideas on what the blue fairy's idea could be.
