Chapter 7.
With night fallen the travellers had stopped to camp for the night. Rose and Stephen left the campsite to find a place to practice their sparring as Aurora and the others settled to sleep.
"Mulan is an impressive fighter." Stephen said to Rose as he blocked a blow from her sword.
"That she is, certainly knocked us both to the floor." Rose smirked as she spun round with her sword trying to catch Stephen off guard.
"Close your majesty." Stephen smirked as he blocked her again.
"You're getting better at this Stephen." Rose commented as they circled one another.
"I have to be to keep up with you my queen."
"Flattery will get you every where Stephen." Rose joked as the pair lunged for one another their blades crashing together. Stephen swooped to the ground moving to sweep Rose's feet from under her but Rose simply jumped the attack. Stephen rolled forward, quickly standing and readied himself for Rose's next attack which didn't come. Rose had disappeared from his sight. Slowly Stephen moved around the area in which they were sparring, he knew Rose to be sneaky in her attacks and tread carefully. As Stephen slowly moved past a tree Rose's arm came from behind it smacking Stephen across the back sending him stumbling forward, he quickly regained his footing to turn on the queen only to find her practically on top of him. Rose kicked Stephen's sword from his hand then in quick succession grabbed a hold of him drawing him in closer pulling his throat close to the blade of her dagger that she had positioned with the blade parallel to her forearm. "Mind your back captain." Rose warned as she released him. Stephen stepped back and bowed slightly to the queen before he retrieved his sword.
"Again?" Stephen asked. Rose smiled about to answer when they were interrupted.
"Queen Rose!" Mulan called as she stopped on the small mound above them. Rose and Stephen turned to Mulan. "You had best come back to the camp." Mulan said before turning on her heel and rushing back to the campsite. Sheathing their weapons Rose and Stephen looked quickly to one another confused before rushing back to their companions.
"What's happened?" Rose asked as they reached camp. She found the rest of the women knelt beside Aurora.
"Aurora met Henry in the Netherworld." Snow explained looking over her shoulder to Rose.
"What, how is that possible?" Stephen asked as he stood beside Rose.
"Henry was once under a sleeping curse." Snow explained looking to her sister, who nodded understanding. "It must be a side affect of the curse."
"But you said you hadn't seen this room before." Aurora said to Snow angrily. "You lied to me!" Aurora accused.
"What? No, Aurora, I just didn't want to frighten you." Snow said quickly.
"Wait does this mean we can communicate with Henry?" Rose asked they all turned to Rose the notion dawning on all of them.
"With this connection we can get help from the one person who would know how to stop Cora." Snow explained they all turned to her expectantly. "Rumplestiltskin."
"Aurora, you need to go back to sleep, find Henry." Emma quickly said to the young princess. Aurora nodded in agreement as she laid back down again entering in to sleep. The rest of the group settled down to wait for Aurora to wake again.
"It will be light soon." Rose said looking up to the skies. "You should try and rest some." She suggested to Snow and Emma.
"I don't think I can sleep now knowing we have contact with home and Emma won't sleep until she's heard about Henry." Snow said to her sister as she sat beside her on a log, rubbing her neck.
"Just please take care of yourselves. You'll be no use to any one if you're exhausted when we face Cora." Rose warned. Snow nodded understanding her sister's concern.
"I know Rose, we'll be alright. Don't worry." Snow smiled to her sister patting her arm as she spoke. Rose simply raised her eyebrow not convinced.
"Stephen, let's get back to it." Rose said standing, Stephen moving on ahead of the queen.
"You're not going to wait with us?" Emma asked surprised.
"You'll come for us when there is something to tell us." Rose said as she left, her tone non descriptive of her mood. Once they were back to their former sparring spot Stephen turned to his queen, a look of concern across his face.
"What troubles you your majesty?" He asked as he pulled his sword readying himself to face her again. Rose sighed as she pulled her sword.
"Trusting such a creature as Rumplestiltskin, it bothers me Stephen." Rose said as she moved to strike, Stephen blocked her blade with his own.
"With respect majesty it has been twenty-eight years, they make it sound as though he is an ally now." Stephen countered.
"There's a reason he is called the Dark One, Stephen." Rose scowled round housing with her sword, forcing Stephen back.
"There's a reason Regina is called the Evil Queen." Stephen came back with as he knocked the queen back. Rose stopped for a moment lowering her sword, Stephen followed suit. "Yet you chose to still trust her." Stephen continued. "Forgive me your majesty but…"
"That is a double standard?" Rose rhetorically asked. Stephen nodded slightly to her. "You are right of course, but I have come across Rumplestiltskin in my past and his tricks, the Evil Queen however… Regina never came to me or attempted to attack me in that guise." Rose explained. "I don't know why." Rose said spinning her sword by its hilt in her hand.
"Perhaps she feared to?" Stephen suggested.
"I doubt that." Rose laughed slightly.
"Trust your sister my queen, she seems to know what she is doing." Stephen said raising his sword again tempting the queen back to sparring. Rose smirked wickedly at the young captain.
"I suppose you are right Stephen." Rose said as they both charged to strike.
At lights break the camp was packed away and the travellers were on their way again.
"We have a couple of hours before Aurora meets with Henry again." Emma said looking around her.
"Up there, that clearing on higher ground looks safe." Snow suggested motioning to the land above them. Emma nodded heading on swiftly when Snow pulled her back. Rose watched from afar as she brought up the rear of the group with Stephen.
"She seems to carry a lot of blame on her shoulders your niece." Stephen said as he stopped beside Rose. Rose nodded as she watched Snow and Emma.
"Yes, yes she certainly seems to. That kind of thought process however will get us nowhere. We could play the blame game all day and night for the next several days but it won't get us or them any closer to home." Rose said moving on to catch up with the others.
"Regina." Emma said sternly. "We can blame Regina for all of this." Emma turned to see Rose stop behind her. "I'm sorry, I know…" Emma began to which Rose held up her hand to stop her from continuing.
"Emma you and several others have your reasons for disliking Regina, hating her even. That's your choice, perhaps even your right but you'll have to forgive me if I cannot join you in that feeling of hate." Rose explained before walking past Emma and ahead of Snow. Emma watched her aunt walk on to the camp spot as she walked over to Snow.
"I don't get her. Regina ripped you all away from here, killed your father and countless other people and she practically defends her." Emma said exasperated by her aunt's gentle attitude toward the Evil Queen. Snow listened to her daughter and looked across to her sister.
"Rose remembers and only knows the Regina from before Daniel's death. I think she holds on to the hope that, that woman still exists." Snow said sadly.
"Do you still hope for that?" Emma asked standing straight, folding her arms across her chest. Snow thought for a moment before answering.
"I do, if not for Henry's sake then Regina's own." Snow admitted, she could tell Emma wasn't amused by her answer.
"You have given her so many chances."
"And one day I hope she proves me right. She loved me once Emma, I hope to see that woman again."