Regina's POV
With a heavy heart I lay my father to rest with one final goodbye. Daniel by my side the whole time. Now that I had the final piece of the curse by the end of the day we would be in the new land and I would be reunited with Daniele.
Daniele's POV
Portals are the weirdest thing ever. You end up in your destination but you also end up with a head rush and temporary vertigo. This place looked nothing like home. I wondered how long Rumple would stay in the magic hat. I turned to the portal and tried to step back through.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." I quickly spun around, giving myself a vertigo spell, to see a strange, albeit attractive, man.
"And why not? You don't know me or where I'm headed."
"You are right to a point. I don't know you, but judging by how you are dressed I would say that you were from the Enchanted Forest."
"So what if I am? Why wouldn't I go back?"
"Seeing as how you weren't here in Wonderland for more than two minutes before you tried to go back I'd bet you had never had a run in with the Evil Queen."
As Captain Guy Liner uttered that nasty name that all of the people in the kingdom called Regina I couldn't help but cringe. A shiver ran down my spine. This one handed pirate had no clue what he was talking about.
"How dare you! You don't speak of our Queen in such a way. She is not what that vile Snow White would have you to believe."
"Wait, I do know who you are. You are that girl that the Queen has forced into servitude. How the bloody hell did you end up here? I thought for sure her Majesty would not leave you behind when she casts her curse. She'll have no one to carry her affects or order around."
"Not that it is any of your business but it is not like that at all. I am not her servent. She isn't even the reason I'm here. A man named Rumplestiltskin sent me here."
"The crocodile sent you here? What benefit would he gain form sending a child to a place like this? Unless you angered him and he wishes you dead… but I will safely assume that is not the case."
I was about to give him a smartass remark when an older woman approached us. Her clothes were all red and white with pops of black trim. She wore a crown and carried herself as a royal would. All things considered and all visual clues taken into account this had to be the Queen of Hearts that the Dark One had warned me about.
"I couldn't help but overhear that you made an enemy of Rumplestiltskin. That probably wasn't the best move sweetheart."
"Actually I had never met him until a few days ago when he kidnapped me. What do you know of him?"
"Well he is part of the reason I am here as well. He provided a mirror portal to my daughter and she pushed me through it. She sent the good captain here to finish the job. It is my understanding that she wants no loose ends before she sends her whole land to some new world."
Wow this woman has been through so much. Her own daughter sent her here and now wants her dead before… WAIT… her daughter is sending a land to a new world? How did I not connect these dots any faster?!
"Does that make you ten Queen's mother? The kingdom was lead to believe that you vanished in the night. Everyone thinks you a criminal or dead."
If this real was Regina's mother then I couldn't trust her. Regina had shared with me how evil her mother was to her as a child. And worst of all her mother killed ten man she loved. Only a monster tries to stop true love.
"Yes your Queen, Regina, is my daughter. She is a powerful leader feared by all who are beneath her. I couldn't be prouder. My only regret is that she will never have an heir to her throne. If I hadn't pushed her she could still have that chance. I have heard rumors that she took in a young girl and raised her as her own. The good captain here has seen her and tells me that she serves Regina but also follows in her footsteps. What do you think of this adopted princess?"
"I have never met her your Majesty. From what I hear she is lovely and cares for Regina, I mean the Queen, very much."
The woman, Cora I now remember Regina telling me her name, moved to stand so close to me that I could feel her breath on my face.
"Why would you lie? That is not a way to stay on my good side Daniele. Yes, I know your name. I keep tabs on my daughter. And as hard as she tried to hide you from me it wasn't enough. Who put you up to all of this little game? Rumple? King George? Snow White?"
Oh crap, I'm toast. Not only does this woman know who I am, the girl her daughter took in and raised, but she thinks I am doing it for some sort of gain!
"I have no motive. No one put me up to anything. My family died when I was young and the Queen found me and had compassion for me and took me in. I was sent here to somehow ensure that Regina does cast the curse. None of this is my choice. If I had a choice right now I would be with Regina on one last ride through the meadow before the curse. Not here with Captain Guy Liner and a want to be Queen!"
Cora's POV
What an insult little girl. So much like Regina was at that age. And still is. I could tell my daughter had raised this girl. She could be very helpful in getting back into my daughter's life. If I showed up having "rescued" her from Rumpled I would be a hero in my daughter's eyes. She would welcome me back with open arms. The. Together or even the three of us (Daniele included) could rise to power as an unbeatable force. Sort of a Power of Three thing. Three powerful women is known through history to be unstoppable. But how could I possibly trick this girl into helping me get my daughter over to my way of thinking? Before all of that I first had to figure out how to get all three of us back through the portal.
"If I could get you back to Regina would you come with me?" She shook her head yes as her eyes widened and she tried to hide a slight smile. I turned my attention to the Captain. "If Regina sent you here to kill me and bring my body back, how were you going to get me back?"
"Well my lady, she sent me through the portal with a body so I could bring yours back."
"That is perfect Captain. That means all three of us can go through the portal with no issues." I will cast a cloaking spell on Daniele so she won't run and ruin my plan once we get back. Then all I have to do is pretend to be dead for Regina to see. This plan is fool proof.
"Are you ready to get back home sweetheart?" She shook her head yes. "Alright one quick thing before we go then. "Close your eyes now." I cast the spell on her and now there was no way even Regina would recognize her if she happened to escape me or the Captain.
"Let's go then shall we? There's no time to waste. Especially if we want to get back and to Regina before she casts the curse."
We walked through the portal one by one. From there it was back to our world. It looked as though nothing had changed. That would not last much longer.
"It's good to be home!"
