Ms. Aveline was out for one of her morning walks. She did not see Nick before he careened into her. She stumbled a bit, but caught herself with surprising ease for someone who, outside of Storybrooke, had been using a cane for years.
She would have given him some elderly advice about looking where he was going, but she could see the tears streaming down his face.
So instead she asked, "What is it dear? What's wrong?"
Nick sobbed and in a wet voice told her of the White Lady and how she'd given them pizza parties and gifts and how she'd lied to them about Billy, who'd died to bring her back and he knew because he found Billy's favorite calculator watch where Nick had last seen him. Those who knew Ms. Aveline well would have been surprised to see her eyes grow flinty and fierce. They might have noticed the more regal posture, and the fury in her demeanor. Slowly, however, the flame slid behind the waters of compassion. Not extinguished, but behind a more pressing matter.
"Come on little one. It is high time we go to find the sheriff, " she said with a compassionately soft voice. It was a voice that had moved armies of men in her younger years. She took his hand in hers and started walking towards town. But her other hand was knotted into a fist.
They walked at a brisk pace, mostly lead by Ms. Aveline towards town. Along the way, they ran into Archie, who was looking around frantically.
"Have you seen Pongo?" He said worriedly.
Ms. Aveline responded, "No I haven't. However, I need to get young Nick here to the Sheriff, as soon as possible. It is Ms. Swan, yes? I will mention the missing...
"Why speak of the devil," Ms. Aveline said Pongo came trotting up with a doggie yawn.
Archie happily attached Pongo's lead, and said, "What's going on?"
"I'll tell you when we find the Sheriff. I have some things that need saying and I'm only doing it once," Ms. Aveline responded in a fierce tone Archie hadn't thought she was capable of.
Belle and Rumplestiltskin arrived arm and arm at the wishing well, which sat in the midst of the forest. It was a normally a peaceful place. While it is another story, it was here that Rumplestiltskin brought the magic of the Enchanted Forest to the land without magic.
At this moment, the wishing well had a tall visitor of unworldly beauty. Jadis had come and was looking contemplatively into the well.
As they approached, Jadis read aloud from the plaque attached to the well, " For centuries, local legend has claimed that mystical waters run beneath this great land. It is said that these waters possess the power to return that which is lost to its rightful place. If you have lost something precious to you, drink from this well and bear witness to this miracle as what is missing shall be returned.
As she turned to them, she leaned her back against the well with a languid grace. Something about her bothered Belle. It was a sense of familiarity. Then Jadis continued with a smile that didn't quite touch her eyes, "What a nice thought. And here you are. Looking to return something you've lost?"
Belle spoke first, picking up something in the air, "Have we met? I don't believe I know you."
"Oh don't you? Been keeping secrets have you, Dark One?" Jadis said with a touch of venom, "and from I as well, it seems."
As Jadis pushed herself off the well and strode forward, Rumplestiltskin stood between her and Belle. Even though he looked up at her, his eyes held the look of one who's sure he holds all the cards. He said, "Careful Dearie. I don't know what you're playing at, but playing games with me is a dangerous past time."
Jadis' eyes narrowed as she spoke darkly, "I don't play games, little man."
With a quick step she pushed him aside with one hand and grabbed Belle by the neck with the other. Before Rumplestiltskin could even exhale, Jadis threw her against the well with all of her considerable strength. There was a sickening crack, and Belle fell limp to the ground.
"My Belle, " Rumplestiltskin cried out in heart rending anguish, which was followed by rage, "You will pay for that witch!"
As he raised his hands to immediately carry out that threat, Jadis mockingly raised her hand which revealed a rune marked leather band on her wrist.
"Recognize it?" She said, "A little something I borrowed from your stores. It prevents magic from working on one. Marvelous little toy."
Rumplestiltskin's gaze turned crafty, "Oh, Dearie, it's never that easy."
Lork contemplated his life in his small cell. Cora hadn't gotten around to killing him yet, which meant she wanted something from him. Oh well, he had some leverage, and he'd use it.
A low puff of black smoke revealed the giggling form of Rumplestiltskin, in all of his gold skinned glory on the other side of the cell door.
"Well, this is a fine mess you've gotten into," he said in a sing song voice, "Now where, oh where is your side of our deal?"
Lork looked up and said, "I had her. Dat lil' mouse just got de drop on me. I could do it."
"Oh that's not how that looked to me... Dearie."
"Still, ye'll get me out of here. This lil' beauty will make sure you can't do any magic on me. And if ye don't.. well I might jus' have to get talkative, " Lork said, gesturing to the leather band.
Rumplestiltskin tittered, "Oh silly Goose. I made them, Of course they don't work on me. Still, a bargain's a bargain."
With that he gestured, and Lork had his freedom, but the view was different, closer to the ground. Suddenly a giant woman came up wearing an apron and grabbed him up.
"Come along you! It's dinner time," she said.
He tried to protest, but it came out as a honking sound. She put his head on the chopping block and as she raised the butcher knife, he saw his reflection. In the sharp blade he saw the reflection of a goose. It would be the last thing he'd ever see.
As Ms. Aveline walked with Nick, Pongo, and Archie Hopper towards town, a black haired teenager carrying a battered backpack spied them. He ran up with a smile, "Hi Archie!"
And without missing a beat, he kneeled and gave Pongo a quick friendly pat and said, "hi Pongo."
Archie said, "Hi Henry. Hey have you seen your mother about?"
"I think I saw her and Granny headed to Mr. Gold's. If we hurry, I think we can catch up."
Nick was feeling shy and kept to himself, but Ms. Aveline smiled and said, "Hullo Henry, I don't think we have had the pleasure. Unfortunately, time is a bit pressing just now."
"Oh no problem, I'll come with, " Henry said, with that mischievous glint of a boy smelling the chance at adventure.
As they walked quickly, Ms. Aveline found herself in the mood to ask about Henry. She knew of him, having seen him around town, but hadn't had a chance to get to know him. So as they walked, she asked, "Henry, am I right in thinking you're Regina's child?"
"Oh by adoption, Emma's my natural born mother, and... " Henry trailed off, not quite sure how to explain how his grandparents on both sides looked to be the same age as his mother. Behind Ms. Aveline, Archie was frantically signaling to Henry to be careful with what he said.
Ms. Aveline seemed to have missed the significance of the pause and said, "I imagine that must be a bit odd. And I suspect that must be a rather challenging relationship."
"Well, it was my fault, I found Emma and brought her here and well things worked out so both stayed in town. For what it's worth, their relationship has gotten much better. What about you, Ms. Aveline? Do you have any children?"
She looked sad as she responded, "I was never so blessed. When my husband died a few years back he left me the cabin here in Maine. I thought, well, I always rather liked this side of the pond, and it seemed as nice a place as any to settle down and live out what was left of my years. Cherish your youth, Henry. It will not last forever."
With those somber words, they entered into the suburbs around Storybrooke.
Rumplestiltskin continued in more malicious tones, "I made those bands, and Dearie, they don't work on me."
He gestured a spell.
When nothing happened, Jadis laughed softly, "Oh I knew all about that, Dark One. I have had to learn two separate magical systems since leaving Charn. Of course I explored your trinket, found and closed that little back door.
"You were going to betray me, so I beat you to it. This was the source of the magic in Storybrooke, so it makes sense you'd come here to corrupt it. I've already taken magical steps to prevent that. And soon enough, you'll join me."
With growling voice he said, "I will kill you witch. And I don't go back on my deals."
Jadis laughed. She said, "Oh you'll try and fail. And along the way you'll do whatever deed to bring back your precious Belle. It won't matter how dark, or how wicked. Or you'll try to come after me using your dark powers. Either way, it won't matter. I'll kill her again, and again, and again. I'll twist your precious dark magic back on you. Each time, you'll blacken your heart further. I know your type, little man. You'll justify it, you'll excuse it, but most of all..."
She leaned in and effortlessly lifted him into the air by the shirt and brought his face close to hers. Her face twisted in hideous mockery, "you'll just keep doing it. Until either your mind cracks into a million pieces, or your soul becomes so black you won't feel love, you won't feel hope, all that will be left is hatred, anger, and despair. And then, little man, I will own you. I have seen it so often. Justify it all you like, excuse it all you can."
She tossed him aside like a rag doll next to Belle.
As she disappeared into a column of smoke, she laughed with dark scorn and said, "See you soon... Dearie."
Simone played with her magic wands, while Haveronger gave her some advice on proper technique. She eventually tired of the lessons. It was if she wasn't learning anything new, but constantly running errands for Jadis. Go fetch this pot from Granny's, slip a potion to Pongo, and cast a glamour on Adolf so he'd look like Pongo, break into Regina's family crypt for a trinket. As her raven departed to scout for her, she sat in the field feeling pensive.
Lately she had begun to wonder if she was just being used. Haveronger seemed to be offended whenever she broached the question. But there it was. So, she decided to rely on the magical device that had launched her and her friends on their grand quest.
"Is this still the right course?" she whispered to it. The symbols aligned to yes.
"She is good, right?" She whispered and the symbols again aligned to yes.
Sighing, she pushed down her doubts, reservations and went to trying to silence that still small voice telling her the truth. It was easier to let something else dictate right and wrong, rather than explore and understand the errors she'd engaged in.
Near the wishing well, Rumplestiltskin despaired and wept. There is no shame in this. He was a man who had just lost his long lost son permanently, and now had lost the only woman who had ever seen good in him. Good he'd never seen in himself. And yet his mind whirled and planned. The gears of his mind whirred and clicked as he made plans, factored outcomes and tried to come up with a plan that worked.
In the midst of this he felt a presence. It was unlike anything he had ever been near. He looked up to see a lion with massive golden mane laying almost sphinx-like, watching him with the a deep and sad look.
Rumplestiltskin gently laid Belle down, stood up and said, "How long have you been here?"
The Lion flicked an ear, and seemed disinclined to comment. So Rumplestiltskin continued on, "You saw it all and did nothing, did you? You could have stopped her, slowed her down at least. Why didn't you Do Something?"
The Lions spoke quietly, his voice a rich baritone that seemed to fill the air, "Rumplestiltskin, how much knowledge you've accumulated. What am I to say which would convince your reason? Never have I been invited into your life. Never have you asked for my aid. Never have you even acknowledged power beyond your own. Rumplestiltskin, you are the Dark One, Nimue's curse borne of fruit. Did you burn the book of Charn magic when you got it? No, you put it on a shelf alongside all the other tomes of death and destruction. Did you take the toy of Iron Pyrite to pieces when you traded for it? No, you left it where the uniformed could play with it, and sent a witch to my realm to cause heartache with another toy you made. Did you tell the others when Jadis unveiled herself? No, not one of these did you do. These are your choices. You have knowledge, you have experience. There is no excuse, and deep down, you know it. So tell me then, Rumplestiltskin, why am I required to intervene when it has been made so blatantly obvious that my personage and opinion are not wanted?"
Rumplestiltskin bit down the many responses on his lips and raised his hand, fingers up, in much the way the Oracle had. He then found himself puzzled.
"Do I know you?" he asked.
"No, Rumplestiltskin, I wouldn't say that you do. But I know you."
"You can bring her back from the dead, can't you?" his voice cracked as he spoke.
"Can I?"
"No games, not now. How about a deal? What do you want to bring her back? Wealth, Power, Answers?" Rumplestiltskin sounded more confident.
"Nothing you would offer is anything I'd want."
Rumplestiltskin pulled out the Dagger of the Dark One. He placed it on the ground before the Lion. He said, "How about a trade for that?"
The Lion rumbled a slow laugh, "Oh Rumplestiltskin, what am I to do with you? Nothing that represents has anything to do with me. Besides, even if I took that deal, you had already concocted six schemes to get it back. There is no deal to be had."
"Then how?!"
"Have you tried asking?"
Rumplestiltskin seemed smaller as he looked on the still form of Belle. From a place that even he didn't know he had he asked, "Please? Save my Belle."
The Lion walked over to the body and said, "But she is not dead, Rumple, merely sleeping."
While Rumplestiltskin sputtered incoherently, the Lion leaned his head down to the still, non-breathing form of Belle and spoke in a soft, coaxing voice, "Belle, come now, time to wake up. There's much to do and much to see."
With a plaintive yawn, Belle stirred and sat up, her body unmarked by wounds or harm. She looked into the Lion's eyes. With a bright, happy, smile, she said, "You! You are a Lion?! How are you here? Who was that? What's going on? I have so many questions!"
She couldn't help herself. He was majestic and powerful and yet, she ran her hands through his mane. The Lion laughed, it was a deep and rich sound that echoed. He said, "Ah Belle, let us just say that I am here to avoid a certain theological quandary. The rest will be explained in time.
He gently rested his head against her shoulder and said quietly, "Be strong little one. They'll listen in time.
Then, raising his head up, and stepping back, he said, "And now, I have other things to be about."
With that the Lion leapt away and in a moment was out of sight.
Belle said, "Rumple, we have to go back to town. We have to tell the others."
He looked at her thoughtfully and realized that Jadis had declared war. This had to be handled delicately, or there would be a huge catastrophe. Still, he thought he could control the situation, so he nodded, "Yes, Belle, you're right, of course."
With a burst of black smoke, they disappeared from the woods and wishing well.
They caught up with Emma and company midway between Granny's and Mr. Gold's shop.
Ms. Aveline launched in with the confidence of a woman used to having her words heeded, "Sheriff, former Mayor, Deputy.. is it Deputy David? I was never sure. Oh, and of course the current Mayor Mary Margret."
As one, Regina, David and Emma turned to spot Snow White sneaking up behind them. Beside Ms. Aveline, Archie put his face into his palm and sighed.
Regina found her voice first and with a touch of dismissal that royalty makes an art form of, she said, "So, Ms. Aveline, we're a bit busy. Can this wait?"
Ms. Aveline responded the same way any royalty would when given that sort of dismissal. With a calm, slightly condescending tone of her own, she said, "No, it most certainly will not, as it's likely the same issue.
"In my day, I would have called this town queer, but I've been given to understand the meaning of that particular turn of phrase has changed over the years, so I will simply call it odd. I don't claim to understand it at all. Only this I know, that you and those here are somehow in the midst of it, " Ms. Aveline continued in growing frustration, " I do not know why the White Witch of my sister's tales is here, but she is, and she is dangerous. Nick saw her and has been working for her. But I think he's wised up. Jadis of Charn walks your streets and if you don't stop her fast, she will unleash hell on your doorstep."
Emma got a really disturbed look on her face and interrupted, "And now, I bet she has the cauldron."
Ms. Aveline said, "I am not getting in the middle of whatever this is, but you needed to know. I am going to find Belle. Henry, a pleasure to meet you, and Mr. Hopper, a pleasure to see you again."
With that Ms. Aveline strode off, leaving the leadership of Storybrooke at something of loss at that moment, with a very shamefaced Nick holding a broken calculator watch.
Mary Margaret Blanchard came forward and dropped to one knee and said in her sweetest, most gentlest voice, "what happened Nick? You can tell me."
In halting tones, Nick brokenly told them what he and his friends had done and how they had been responsible for the thefts the lion had mentioned, at least based on the descriptions of what had been stolen. He said sadly, "she seemed so nice at first. Like a proper lady, didn't she. She fed us all sorts of treats, and it seemed so fun, breaking the rules and using magic. But, but we killed Billy with the ritual to summon her and she lied to us about it. Right to our face, she did. And, and I don't think her magical gifts are good. Simone spends more and more time with the raven... and Adolf loves running around as a wolf with his magical belt, but he's getting more and more wild and cruel... An I didn't wanna talk about it, but I'm scared. I think she's really bad, no matter what Simone's little golden thingie says. An I'm scared for my friends. I think her stuff is making them sick."
Emma's voice was ice as she said, "And so you just brought the monster back from death, turned her loose in our town, and didn't think that maybe, just maybe what you were doing was reckless and stupid?! Seriously?"
Nick burst into tears. He was young yet and, frankly, matters of life and death are supposed to wait a bit longer before inflicting themselves upon a being. He dropped the golden apple Jadis had given him, and just wept hard against Mary Margaret's shoulder. Mary Margaret looked between her daughter and Nick in a mix of shock and concern. She said calmly, "Nick, what you did was wrong, you know that, right?"
He nodded with tear filled eyes. So, looking him in the eyes, she continued, "This is a big deal, and there will be a punishment. But right now, the adults need to deal with it. Go home to your parents and tell them to go to the Faries for protection. Tell them I said so, okay? And you should tell them the truth of what you and your friends have been up to."
He nodded again, and then ran off as quick as his legs would carry him. Behind him, he left the broken watch and the once treasured apple.
Regina looked at it with a look bordering on disgust and then waved her hand, disrupting the magic that had made it. What was left were shards of iron pyrite around a rotted and bloated apple.
"Disgusting magic," she said straightening the folds of her sensible pantsuit, "It feeds off of it's host while allowing him to find things. Speaking of things, meet me at the Mayor's office, I will call Robin. I have a rather disgusted feeling that once again my vault has not lived up to it's name."
With that, she vanished in a plume of purple smoke, leaving Emma with her mother and father, as well as Granny and Captain Hook.
As Emma was about to speak, Grumpy and the rest of the dwarves arrived looking upset, with Snow White's baby comfortably sleeping in his stroller.
"Sister, we've been robbed!" He bellowed in his grumpiest of tones.
"Shhh!" Mary Margaret said pointing to the happily sleeping baby.
"What did they take?" Emma asked in a quiet deadpan.
"They took one of the pouches of fairy dust we'd harvested! We demand justice! No body, but No Body steals from a Dwarf!" Grumpy continued in anger, slightly modulated by the baby's proximity.
"But why on earth would she need fairy dust?" Granny said with confusion.
It was that moment, Rumplestiltskin emerged from the shop with a surprisingly chipper Belle on his arm and with a calm voice, "likely to power a large artifact."
"Let me guess, " Emma deadpanned, "the Black Cauldron would be such an artifact."
"Hello Crocodile," Hook said under his breath not quite keeping the black look out of his eye when looking at Rumplestiltskin.
"How on earth did she find that?" Belle said with shock.
Granny chimed in, "Apparently, it's been in my family for years."
Rumplestiltskin ignored Hook and continued as if nothing in the world were wrong, "Well, that's rather unfortunate. Ms. Swan, were you coming to see me?"
Emma did her best to focus on dealing with Rumplestiltskin, who could often be very good at setting up any situation to his advantage. So she started with, "So Gold, how long have you known that we had Jadis in town?"
"Jadis? Who would this be?" Rumplestiltskin lied smoothly.
Belle got a sudden look of recognition and surprise. She said, "but Rumple, don't you see, it's that beastly woman who attacked me by the well."
Mary Margaret looked over in concern at Belle and said, "Are you okay?"
Belle nodded and said, "I'm fine. In fact, when I woke up I found myself face to face with a lion, and I am almost sure I know who it is. I think it was Aslan. But I do not know how he got here from Narnia. I've been reading his story."
Henry looked confused as he was flipping through a large book named, 'Once Upon a Time' in large letters on it's leather cover. He said, "I don't have a chapter on Narnia or Aslan."
"I'm not surprised, " said Rumplestiltskin. "Narnia died as a world some thirty years ago."
Belle started to say, "If this is Jadis..."
Emma interrupted, "Oh it's definitely her. Ms. Aveline more or less stomped into town with one of the children who was part of the theft of your shop in tow and told us we needed to deal with it. What I don't get is how she knew. Oh, Belle, she's looking for you."
Rumplestiltskin continued, "I've heard of her, she was also the last Empress of Charn, I believe, and a dangerous magician. Were you able to recover my goods?"
Belle said a touch more urgently, "But you have to know something..."
Emma cut her off again, "No, not yet. But I know who the thief is. By the way, bad idea keeping that out in plain sight. It's how the thief found it, and this witch apparently disintegrated the body of the boy they killed to get her here."
Belle tried again, "But it's..."
Rumplestiltskin cut Belle off again, "I have many books of magic from dead worlds, Ms. Swan. The vast majority are only good as obscure reference, or a nice doorstop. I am as surprised as you are that magic derived from Charn magic works here."
"I really doubt that, Crocodile," Killian interjected.
Rumplestiltskin turned towards Killian in anger and said, "Don't you think I have had my fill of Wicked Witches!? Haven't they cost me enough already?"
"Stop it and listen!" Belle said in what was for her a shout cutting off Hook's response.
For the first time in a while, Belle had the floor. She continued, "If Jadis can use her ability to disintegrate things, she can probably use the Deplorable Word."
Emma said with just a touch of her trademark sarcasm, "And with a name like that, I'm guessing it doesn't summon sunshine and puppies."
Rumplestiltskin took that one and said, "No Ms. Swan. When it was used in Charn, it killed every living thing in that world, quite possibly that universe. Fortunately for us, it probably won't extend beyond the borders of Storybrooke, because the magic in Storybrooke doesn't reach beyond those borders."
Belle piped up, "From what I've read, I think Jadis is the type to build an army, and then attack, saving the Word as her last resort."
Henry piped up, "Found the Black Cauldron.
He read for a moment, "Oh... yeah, if she has this and has faire dust and some black colored gems and some dirt, she can definitely get an army together."
David said, "Clearly we need a plan of action. Henry, why don't you and Hook go and check in with Dr. Whale. Have him get ready, it sounds like we are going to be sending people his way. Grumpy, take the Dwarves and let folks know so we can have a meeting, let's say in an hour and a half. I think we need to look seriously at evacuating the town."
Belle piped up, "Emma, Mary Margaret, and David, I think you need to see something with Rumple."
"Got it, " David said, "Okay, we'll go see what Belle needs, and meet the rest of you at the Mayor's office with Regina and Robin."
With that, the dwarves took off in one direction leaving Mary Margaret back in charge of her child and Hook and Henry in another.
Emma said, "Belle, what did you want to show us?"
