Elektra immediately went to her room and closed the door, locking it and beginning to unpack her armor. She turned as familiar hands grabbed her and turned her around. Regina glared at her before slapping her hard. "What the hell?" The Evil Queen confused her even more she leaned forward to kiss her. "Regina, what's-"
"Do not go after the Elixir. I know you want power, but once you drink it, you will become the very essence of magic itself. It will destroy you."
"It's not about power, it's about magic. Whether it's light or dark or whatever, I don't care. I want it."
"Please don't do this. It's suicide. For Mal and me, please don't do this."
Elektra had never seen the Evil Queen so close to outright begging. "Then what am I supposed to do?"
"Do what we planned. Gain the support of your people, focus on that. Please."
Elektra sighed. "Fine."
Regina quickly kissed her and poofed herself back to the Forbidden Palace. Mal glared at her as she leafed through a few spellbooks. "I need your assistance."
"With?" Mal asked, turning back to her book.
Regina made a familiar spellbook appear in her hand and slammed it in front of her. "I met Elektra after she tried to steal this book, your spellbook. It already had her name written in squid ink inside."
"This was the start of her addiction." Mal whispered. "Who sent this to her?"
"How the hell should I know, you wrote the damn thing. If we can find a way to reverse its effects, we can stop Elektra from trying to get the elixir."
"What is she doing now?"
"Focusing on rallying the people. Now we have time to focus on finding the person who sent this book to Elektra. I have a pretty good idea who that may be."
Xxxxxxxxx
Elektra cleaned out her room, throwing away anything that she didn't deem necessary for her campaign. She brought in an alchemy table to continue her practice with potions and began collecting the strongest metals that she could find, most of them being black steel that Mal had given her and ancient bright silver metal that had been used to create her own mother's sword. It took a few days to find the runestones she needed for her special creation and even longer to find the perfect material for the hilts of her new blades. She'd arranged the material in the perfect positions when she felt another presence in the room and turned to find herself looking at a very ugly man sitting on her bed. "Who are you?"
"My name is Rumpelstiltskin, but you can call me Dark One."
"Oh, you." She rolled her eyes and turned back to her work.
"You've heard of me?" He asked with a giggle.
"Uh yeah, not impressed."
"But you are quite impressive. Very much so indeed. Your magic is quite powerful for one so...youthful."
"Alright." She said, turning back around. "I need to finish this, what the hell do you want?"
"Straight to the point. I see you have abandoned your quest for the Essence of magic Elixir. Why?" He hopped off the bed and walked towards her.
"Because I needed to." She said simply.
"And pass up the chance to feel the purest of magic? The essence of the greatest thing in creation? I believe you can retrieve it."
"Regina said the elixir would kill me if I drank it."
"It would...sort of. You would simply be consumed by the magic, but you wouldn't die. No one's ever managed to get it since it was hidden away by the...heroes. All we have are legends, there is no proof that this will even happen. Worth the risk I say."
Elektra crossed her arms. "I don't want to upset Mal and Regina any more than I already have. Besides, you obviously can't get it for some reason and you want me to do your dirty work for you and get it so you can steal it from me."
"True, very true. But how about we make a deal." He giggled again and she scowled at the annoying sound. "You get the Elixir for me and I will let you taste a single drop of it. That may not kill you, and if it doesn't, then you shall have what you seek, a taste of true magic. What do you say?"
"No." Elektra said without hesitation. "I don't make deals, especially not with you. Your reputation precedes you."
He smiled. "Well my offer will still stand, should you choose to become your own woman. Out from under Regina and the dragon. They only want you for themselves. They'd probably kill each other to keep you if you didn't care for the both of them. To them, you're just a little pet."
"That's not true." Elektra hissed. "Now get out before I-"
"Kill me?" He laughed. "Highly unlikely. Now, we both know that you are in a dangerous position. Your desire for magic will ultimately kill you. The fact that i sense more magic within you than blood, only confirms my theory. You are addicted to the feel of magic, not for its strength, but for the sensation of feeling it surge in your arms as you unleash a spell, feel it fluttering just before you conjure a fireball or the euphoria of it leaving your body as you pour it into a potion. An addiction to magic is a dangerous crutch to have. That drop from the elixir will cure you and you will never desire for more magic ever again and you can live happily ever after with your loving queens."
Elektra frowned. "No, I don't want to make a deal with you."
"And yet your curiosity is peaked."
"I want to talk to Regina and Mal first."
"Of course, you should ask their permission first."
"I don't need their permission." She snapped.
"Then say yes."
Elektra growled and jumped as the door flew open, revealing Emma and Snow, both dressed for a ball. The Dark One disappeared in a cloud of smoke and she breathed a quick sigh, only to become annoyed once again at her aunt and cousin's complete disregard for knocking.
"Before you left, all you wanted was to go outside, now you rarely do." Snow said. She looked down at the chunks of metal and runestones on the floor. "What's all of this? You said you would come to the ball tonight. A young prince named Hans wants to meet you."
"You mean the redheaded guy that makes me want to burn off his sideburns?" Elektra said. "No thanks. I'll go to the next one."
"I'll hold you to that." Snow sighed. "Let's go Emma."
Emma stepped towards her cousin. "It'll be fun. You should come."
"No thanks, I have something important I'm working on."
She sighed. "Are you going to ride with us tomorrow?"
"Will that you get out of my room faster?"
"Yes."
"Then fine." Elektra quickly closed the door as they left and turned to place a spell around the room so she couldn't receive any more unwanted visitors. She summoned her magic and launched it with everything she had at the materials on the floor, unleashing a storm of blue electricity that completely consumed the room and almost everything in it. She could hear someone calling her name from outside, but the roar of her magic was too deafening for her to hear them. The cyclone of magic swirled around the room, expanding as she poured more strength into it, fusing together the material on the floor. The creation sapped nearly all of her strength and she collapsed to the floor as the spell was completed and the cyclone was sucked into the two rune stones on the floor. The swords were completed. A pair of dual broadswords with dual edges. The blade was split in half in color, black and serrated on one side and smooth and silver on the other with curving purple tendrils decorating the metal. Her name was etched into the silver side of one and the black side of the other, highlighting in electric blue to match her eyes. The rune stone rested in the pommel, sparking with grinned and picked them up, pleased beyond words with her creation.
"Excellent craftsmanship, dearie." She scowled and turned to face Rumpelstiltskin.
"Back so soon?"
"Indeed. By the way, that little spell you used as a barrier was horribly weak."
"I told you, I don't want a deal with you."
"Oh no? But what about your precious queens? They will be very upset when I rip out their little hearts, and just before I crush them, I'll make sure to tell them that it was your fault." He giggled and walked around her.
She simply scoffed. "You couldn't kill either one of them if you tried."
"Oh no? Maleficent will revert to her dragon form and we both know how trivial they are to kill, and Regina...well, I taught her everything she knows, so you can make the inference that I know quite a bit that she doesn't."
"What do you want from me?! I won't let you hurt them!" She roared, striking out with her blades. He raised a barrier around himself but her weapons cut through it with ease. He blasted her backwards and she landed heavily onto her back.
"Take the deal dearie. I am immortal, and I will spend every second of my life making those of your queens a living hell. My offer still stands. Get me the elixir and I will give you your drop and leave your queens alone."
Elektra glared at him. As powerful as the Dark One was, she still didn't believe he could harm Maleficent or Regina. "No."
He laughed. "I see you will need incentive. So be it." He disappeared in a cloud of red smoke and Elektra sighed. Her door suddenly burst open, revealing both of her beautiful sorceresses.
"Are you alright, Little Thing?" Mal asked.
Elektra smiled as she used her old nickname and ran into her dragon's arms. "Rumpelstiltskin was here."
"What the hell did he want? Did he hurt you?" Regina growled protectively.
"No, but he threatened to hurt the both of you if I didn't get him the Elixir. I swear I wasn't even thinking about going after it, I stopped, just like you told me to. He said he would rip your hearts out."
"Then what was all the magic?" Regina asked.
"I was making some swords. Then he showed up." Mal carried her to her bed and sat down, pulling the younger woman into her lap. Regina sat next to them and looked at her apprentice critically. "Is he strong enough to hurt you?"
"Perhaps." Mal said. "I have never fought him, so I don't know."
"He is the reason you are how you are, addicted to magic. He sent you the book because for some reason, he chose you to receive the elixir for him." said Regina.
"Then what do I do?" Elektra asked.
"Rally your people. That's all you need to focus on. We will handle the Dark One." Mal assured her, kissing her forehead.
Elektra nodded. "You can't stay the night can you?"
"Unfortunately, we must go to confront Rumpelstiltskin. That is a journey we must prepare for." Mal said, running her fingers through her soft, black hair. She stood up and placed Elektra on her bed. She waved her hand and produced a small bracelet which she put on Elektra's arm. "Should you ever need help, twist this on your arm three times and we will come to you."
Most of her life, Elektra had been independent and had hated to be smothered by anyone. But the protectiveness of her queens was heartwarming. She didn't want anything to happen to them, she wanted to protect them. They both turned to leave and she stopped them by stepping in front of them. "You may think of love as a weakness, and at times it can be, but you two can only make me stronger. I love you, the both of you, more than anything. I don't know how much I mean to you exactly, but I just wanted you to know that. I don't know what you two saw in me but no matter what, please know that I love you."
"This sounds like a goodbye." said Regina. "What are you planning? You can't be thinking about going after the elixir."
"No, I just-" Elektra sighed and looked them in the eye. "I won't, but if we are left with no other option then you know I will."
"Good, then I'm sending Morgana to watch you and make sure that you don't. Feel free to command her as you see fit, but it make attempt on the elixir, she will stop you.." Regina said. Both queens each gave her a heart stopping kiss before poofing themselves away. A very annoyed looking Morgana was standing in their place a moment later.
xxxxxxxxxxx
After Elektra had dressed herself in her armor, she walked down to the stables to get Shadow saddled and mounted up, not bothering waiting for Snow and Emma. She rechecked her swords attached to her back, just beneath the furl of her wings and reached for her mother's knife jammed into her boot. It gave her an extra bit of reassurance as she rode into the kingdom, followed closely by an oddly quiet Morgana. She said nothing as she rode through the streets. She didn't need to. The people were whispering amongst themselves, some of them cheering and a few even mounted their horses to ride behind her. "To the princess! The true queen of the kingdom!"
Elektra rode to the sight of the last riot and magically transported herself onto a flat roofed house to address the people. They looked to her expectantly and she hoped she could actually rally them to the cause that she was hiding. "People of the White kingdom, I stand before you, a dethroned princess who has lost her crown, but not her will to fight. My father was Prince James, the true prince and the true king of this kingdom. My mother was Jacqueline the Giant Slayer who saved this kingdom from poverty singlehandedly. Snow White has taken the castle for her own people, but we are not satisfied living under the heel of a woman, who will never be a true queen. I am the rightful warrior queen, and I ask all of you now, all of those loyal to the great King George and Prince James, all of those who still follow the true royal family, to stand with me. Let them have this kingdom, let them live by ill forged treaties and live in their 'peace'. King George was a man of blood and war. I ask for your loyalty, not in reclaiming this kingdom, but forging our own, one that will dwarf any other kingdom, any other nation in wealth and strength." She unsheathed her blades and spread her wings wide, displaying her power to the crowd.
"All hail the true princess!" One person shouted.
"All hail Elektra, Warrior Queen!" Another yelled.
More and more people began shouting and cheering.
She sheathed her weapons and raised her hand, silencing them. "When the bells of dawn toil in the morning mist, we shall depart from the castle. Be prepared for when the time comes." She leaped into the air, buffeting the cheering crowd with a powerful thrust of her wings and flew back to the castle. Morgana transported the horses back to the stables and followed Elektra as she stormed into the castle, heading down into the dungeon.
"Elektra!" Emma yelled, chasing after her. "What the hell did you do? Everyone in the city is going crazy."
"I stopped the riots didn't I?" Elektra replied.
"Where are you going?"
"To see my grandfather."
"Mom said we couldn't-" The blonde didn't even get to finish her sentence before roundhouse kicked her hard in the chin and continued walking.
"May I ask what the hell your plan is?" Morgana said.
"Nope." Elektra came to the last cell and stepped up to the bars. "Grandpa?" The shadows moved as the fallen king unwrapped himself in the cloak that he'd been using for warmth.
"Elektra? By the gods." He got to his feet and approached the bars, hugging her through them. "How did you get down here?"
"The guards were called to the square because I rallied the people. I knocked out Emma so basically, you can walk out of here. I'm sorry I waited so long to get you out, I couldn't fight Snow on my own." She stepped back and waved her hand, opening the cell door and replacing her grandfather's rags with dashing kingly raiments. "It's time for us to leave this place."
"You have a plan?" He asked as they walked back upstairs.
"Yes, they can have the castle. We'll go west."
"That's ogre country. They swarm there."
"They're protecting something, something powerful beyond measure and I want to get it. I need it to save some people that I love."
"You do realize that I am not allowed to let you go after the elixir?" Morgana said.
"Yep." Elektra said, waving her hand, producing a piece of rope and tying around her wrist.
"What the hell?" The rope glowed when she tried to pull her arm free and Elektra magically produced a piece of metal to tie the other end of the rope to. She placed it against the wall and it began digging itself into the stone. "What-" The rope shortened and shortened and Morgana couldn't pull herself free, no matter what spell she used.
"Let's go." Elektra said to her grandfather. She ignored Morgana's screams as they ascended the castle. "We still have quite a bit of work to do before morning."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mal looked at Regina. "Are you ready for this, Evil Queen?"
"Yes, Mistress of All Evil. I am more than ready to protect what's ours." Regina said. "But if one of us doesn't make it out of this, the other must take care of Elektra. Not that she needs it, but…"
"I understand." Mal said. "You know that I don't particularly like sharing, but I am glad that Elektra has such good taste."
"Indeed." Regina smirked.
"Alright, down to the fun part. I'll cause the distraction, you get the maid." Mal shifted into dragon form and burst inside the Dark Castle.
Regina smirked and got ready to do her part.
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