Hello everybody!
It's been far too long since I've updated this story and I plan on rectifying that with this BRAND NEW chapter!
I'm so sorry, guys. I've been busy with work, but please, enjoy!
Lots of love,
-FantasyWriterFoSho
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Summary of the Previous Chapter: After Killian and Gold's confrontation, the former decided to talk to Regina while the latter continued to formulate his plans.
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Chapter Seven: Parallel Truths
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They're better off without me, she kept thinking to herself, as she steered her car deeper into the forest. They're better off without me...
It was like a poisonous mantra that kept replaying itself inside of her head, and it was one that she couldn't seem to stop, but even if she could, she honestly didn't care to. It was something that she needed to tell herself in order to keep driving away from them.
She was saving them.
Everything from this point on—staying away and getting rid of her magic—was all for them. For Henry, for her parents, for her friends and for Hook. She needed to do this...and thankfully, Gold was willing to assist her with it.
They're better off without me...
Pushing a loose tendril behind her ear, Emma could feel her throat clogging when various memories of her mom began plaguing her: her angry expression when she had accidentally hurt David, her sad one when she had run away from her twice and the tone she had heard when she was hiding in Gold's shop. She sounded so sad...so miserable...and it was all because of her.
Everything was too much. The pictures were just too much.
They're better off without me...
Braking hard, she consciously decided to rest for a few minutes—not wanting to cause another disaster in her emotional state. Unconcerned with the fact that she had parked in an empty clearing with tall, dark trees surrounding her, Emma turned the engine off and threw her body back into her seat, a heavy sigh escaping via a long hiss.
They're ARE better off without me...
Biting her lip painfully, she stared at the windshield, her hazel eyes sweeping over nothing of real interest. As sad as it was, she just wished that she could detach herself from the world. If that happened, everything would be easier. Emotions always got the better of her and ever since the discovery of her powers, things just got worse. She never really told anybody that. She may have hinted at it, but ultimately, she didn't want to worry them.
Resting her head against the door window, she tried to ignore the palpable breaking of her heart. It turns out that she should've though. She should've told somebody. It would've served as a warning for what had happened to her dad.
At least he didn't die, she thought somewhat positively to herself before it surrendered to her inconsolable spirit.
She couldn't let something worse happen though—to Henry or to her parents or to...to Hook. That would be unbearable. She has ruined enough lives—Regina's, Robin's...hell, even Marian's—and she couldn't afford to do anymore damage from this point on.
Holding back tears, she shook her head against the glass, her hair now pressing and sticking to it. She just had to keep reminding herself that she was doing the right thing. That she was doing it for them...damn the costs and risks.
They're better off without me...
Blowing a quick breath out, Emma sat up straight and grazed her fingers against the interior handle. She needed air. Everything was pressing down on her: her decisions, her thoughts, her regrets...her guilt. Opening then slamming the door closed, she took a couple steps away from her car, her mind whirling.
Wrapping her arms around her stomach, she found a suitable looking tree and walked over to it. Rapt in herself, she leaned against it, her entire left side completely dependent on the bark that poked into her jacket and shirt.
But what if I'm not doing the right thing? What if getting rid of my abilities is a bad idea? Especially, right now and to Gold?
Shaking her head again, she pushed those inquires away. She wasn't doing the wrong thing. She was saving people from herself. Closing her eyes, she rested her weary head on a large knot. She just needed to calm down. She was backtracking and she couldn't afford to do that.
She wasn't going to run away from this...
She was going to face it...
"You look like you could use a friend."
Emma's eyes snapped open at the Snow Queen's voice. The last time she had seen her, she had escaped, but only after using her magic against her. Swiftly turning around, she met the other woman's concerned gaze. Well, her shoulder healed nicely, she thought, briefly lowering her attention to said location before returning her hazel eyes up to her blue ones.
"No, actually I don't and I've already told you to leave me alone," Emma answered ruthlessly. Nobody had to know about the turmoil and despair that was coiling her spine. It was her business.
"I know," she replied softly. "But I can't do that. I care too much for you."
Emma scoffed. "Sure you do..."
"I do," the Snow Queen replied, taking a step closer, the white lace of her gown and cape trailing regally behind her. "I care more for you then your own parents do. I kept you for as long as I could. I didn't send you through a magical tree to—"
"Just stop it!" Emma screamed, her arms falling down to her sides, her eyes wild. "I really can't deal with your regurgitated and psychological bullshit right now." —No matter how true some of that is, she thought bitterly. "Besides, why should I believe you? I have no memories of our time together."
The Snow Queen lowered her gaze to the ground. "Yes, I know. I took them from you. It's one of my biggest regrets..."
"Yeah, well," Emma began. "I have my own regrets to deal with, so, I don't have time for your's." Moving forward, she quickly walked around the other woman in order to get to her yellow bug, her eyes clouded. "And if you won't leave, I will..."
"Rumpelstiltskin only looks out for himself," the Snow Queen then said, smoothly turning around. Emma stopped in her tracks, her hands clenching into fists. "Always has. You can't do whatever it is that he has instructed of you. It'll be dangerous."
Emma could feel herself loosing control again. Desperately trying to steady her already trembling fingers, she spoke harshly. "You're the one who's dangerous and it's because of you that I'm in this situation..." She paused before looking over her shoulder. "And don't ever speak about my parents like that again or you'll find yourself with more than just an injured shoulder."
Raising a brow, the Snow Queen gave her a small, but unreadable, smile. "Do you think pushing me away with cruel words is going to deter me from restoring my family? You belong with me, Emma. In fact..." she said, trailing off, a mischievous glint glimmering in her eyes. "I have something to show you..."
Furrowing her brows, Emma gave her a distrustful look. "I'm not going anywhere with you." Slowly continuing her way back to her car, she tried to ignore the chilling feeling that crept up her arms, but she was already too late.
"It wasn't a request," the Snow Queen then stated, a deadly calm replacing the tranquility her voice normally carried. Raising a hand, she waved it, sweeping both of them up in a light blue smoke.
When the cloud dissipated, the icy wisps fading away in a downward pull, Emma looked around in anger, confusion and apprehension. Skimming over everything in her line of vision, she knew that—based off of what little she had seen before—she was actually inside of the woman's lair. Except now, there wasn't a gapping entrance. In its place, stood a huge block of ice, one large enough to keep her trapped inside for days, but that wasn't the worse part. The worse part was that since it was a magical place, none of it would melt. She would be imprisoned there and nobody would be the wiser...
A sudden breeze licked at her face, neck and hands, the instant her new location had dawned on her. Zipping her jacket up as far as it could go and shoving her hands, which had returned to its natural shade—due to her wandering attention—deep into its pockets, Emma glared at the Snow Queen.
"Why did you bring me here?!"
"I told you," she responded before turning around and moving over to the sculpted ice wall behind her. "I have something to show you."
Emma narrowed her eyes. Her demeanor bothered the blonde. It was too calm...too contained. "This is kidnapping," she then said, a puff of white smoke billowing from her mouth. "Take me back, now."
Tilting her head, but still facing away from her, the Snow Queen replied with a sigh. "I shall, but first..." After taking a few steps off to the side, she then spun around, her movements deliberate and purposeful, yet, steady and slow. Meeting the younger woman's gaze, she then swept her hand out, presenting the object that had been blocked from Emma's view until that very moment.
Glistening, as if on cue, the reflective surface twinkled in what little light permeated the icy fortress. The frame was uniquely intertwined around the glass. The design creatively spiraled and weaved in on itself repeatedly, which definitely made it the centerpiece of the room.
Furrowing her brows, Emma blinked her eyes in irritation. "A mirror? You want me to look at a mirror?"
The Snow Queen simply nodded her head, her features glittering.
"Are you kidding me?!" Emma demanded. Taking her hands out of her pockets, she then folded her arms across her chest, her face contorting with rage. "You brought me here to show me a damn mirror?! ...I can't believe this..."
"I know that you don't trust me and that you think that I'm this horrible person," the older woman replied softly, tugging at Emma's attention. All of a sudden, her demeanor had, once again, shifted, but to one of vulnerability, which unsettled the latter even more.
"But," she then continued, her tone still hushed. "I'm not. I just want my family back. How is that so hard to understand? It's the most natural thing in the world to want to be with the ones you love. You and Elsa are those people to me...and I would do anything, anything, to make you both see that."
Emma's mood sobered a bit at the touching declaration, but she wasn't completely buying it. Her superpower gnawed at her and her gut had twisted slightly at the Snow Queen's last sentence. There was something menacing in the way she had said it. It was almost like a deadly promise.
"Try not to t-take this personally," Emma began, her voice wavering due to the cold. "I can tell that I mean a lot to you and that's...interesting, but it m-means nothing to me. I don't remember you and all that I know, where you're concerned, is that y-you're willing to hurt anyone in order to g-get what you want and, and that's not me. That's not what I'm about..."
"You sure do hold a grudge," she responded bitterly. "Aren't heroes supposed to forgive past transgressions and start anew?"
"Not when they keep r-repeating themselves, they don't," Emma replied, simply but effectively.
"Even if they're for a good cause?"
"More like a selfish one to justify your own p-personal agenda," she muttered tartly, tired of their verbal banter.
"Sometimes you have to be willing to do anything for what you believe is right," the Snow Queen said, repeating some of her words.
"Isn't that how you described Gold to me earlier? With his deals, his justification, his ambitious desires and, oh yes, the part where he 'looks after himself'—damn the consequences?" Emma remarked callously, a brow now raised.
She thought that she had her.
The Snow Queen's face crumbled from her neutral facade into something more sinister. It wasn't till she responded that she realized that she had backed herself into a corner.
"Just like you and your plans to get rid of your powers? Isn't that a 'justification' or some sort of 'personal agenda'?" the other had said, lashing out in order to get her point across.
Emma didn't respond, but a knowing frustration flared in her eyes.
Holding fast to her opinion, the Snow Queen tried reasoning with her. "We're the same, don't you see? And you can control your magic, but you're not trying. You're just willing to sacrifice a piece of yourself due to a misguided notion of mortal security, but I can help you. I can help you control your magic."
Emma narrowed her eyes and observed the person in front of her. She wasn't lying, per se, but she wasn't exactly being truthful either and that was the part that was bothering her the most.
She was willing to help her, but at what cost?
"I'm sorry," Emma finally said, backing a few steps away. "But I'm going to do what I think is right."
"You trusted me once. Please, trust me again," the older woman then whispered, now pleading with her to change her decision. She was desperate. She knew that she had to persuade her over to her side, if her plans were going to work, but she regretted that it was taking so long. She may have to change her tactics if she was going to make Emma realize the real truth.
It was just a shame that it would have to be a more direct and difficult approach.
"How can I w-when I don't know your true character? No, wait," Emma replied, tilting her head. "I do. You want to d-destroy the town for its magic..."
"If you want to evaluate my character and to see who I really am, I can restore your memories of me," the Snow Queen said, slightly ignoring the last part of the younger woman's comment in favor of her growing thoughts, which made her eyes glow brighter. "The decision is yours..."
"The past is the past b-between us," Emma replied as firmly as she could without shivering to death. "Whether or not you chose to r-restore them, is up to you, but r-right now, I'd rather just go."
The formally clad woman breathed deeply before she turned away again, her attention now focused intently on the mirror. Emma could see some of her profile, but it yielded nothing. She was expressionless, as if she was in a profound contemplation.
"Choice made," she then acknowledged, her tone flat. "But before I grant your request, will you allow me to show you what I brought you here to see?"
"The mirror?" Emma questioned slowly. Admittedly curious, she looked over at it, but remained where she was. She may be partially interested in what it did, but she was still suspicious of the other woman's motives. "Does it do something in particular?"
The Snow Queen nodded her head before she lifted up a hand to caress the intricate frame, her fingers touching the ridges gently. "Yes, and more. It's a very powerful artifact and..." she then paused to look over her right shoulder. "...since you have such an ill-will towards me, I wanted to inform you of the specifics—in regards to my plans. I don't want any more grudges formed between us."
Emma fought against the urge to roll her eyes at the implication. "You really need to learn to let things go..."
"Are you interested or not?" the Snow Queen asked, glazing over the remark.
Readjusting her arms, Emma mulled it over. For the first time, she wasn't lying, but the reason behind it simply confused her. Why would she want to reveal her secrets to anybody? Let alone to her? And didn't she already tell her what she wanted to do anyway? ...Grudge or no grudge, it was a bold move. The Snow Queen had to know that she would do whatever was necessary in order to stop her...she wasn't stupid. It just didn't make any sense, but on the other hand, to have the opportunity to find out what her schemes really consisted of...could, quite possibly, give her the high ground.
Plus, a boost of morale was something that she seriously needed at the moment...
They're better off without me...
Swallowing hard at her lingering judgment, Emma sighed loudly, her teeth beginning to chatter. It's a mirror, right? What could it possibly do to me—even if it was a powerful relic?
It could reflect me to death with how terrible I must look, she then thought sarcastically, a wry smile playing on her lips before she shooed it away, trying to appear unassuming. "Fine, b-but after this, I'm leaving...and remember, don't lie t-to me."
"Of course not," the Snow Queen said, gently. "And I promise, when we're done here, you are free to go your own way. Besides, you must be freezing."
"Yeah, w-well," Emma replied, steadily making her way over to her former foster mother, her legs wobbly. "Snow p-powers aren't in my repertoire."
"If you want, I can take the sting away from you again..."
"Thanks f-for the offer," she said, not really meaning it. "But it's a little b-bit too late for that and since this shouldn't take too long, I c-can overlook it..."
When she was standing a few inches behind her, the older woman gestured for her to move over to her side, which would place her directly in front of the mirror. Skeptically, Emma did what she wanted and was instantly met by her own reflection. A pale and tired face with sunken, distrustful eyes stared back at her. "I do look terrible," she whispered, also taking notice of her standoffish body language. "So, minus g-getting rid of Storybrooke, c-creating your own Utopia and w-wanting a family...what else are you g-going to do? You did s-say something about a prophecy as well as h-harvesting something, like the town's m-magic or whatever. H-how exactly would you do that?"
"I understand your pain," the Snow Queen unexpectedly announced, a tint of sadness to her voice as she ignored the other's inquiries. "I know what you're going through and...so does the mirror." Exchanging quick glances between the two of them, she lifted a hand and placed it onto Emma's left shoulder. "It shows you another level of perspective and it can also help restore what you've lost."
Frowning, Emma kept her eyes on her image, unable to tear her attention away. "I t-thought my choice was made. I told y-you. I don't care a-about having my memories back. I don't n-need them. Now, back to what I was s-saying—"
"Oh, that's not what I was referring to," the Snow Queen interrupted slyly, her demeanor changing again, but into one of deliberate craftiness. Taking several steps back, her extended hand falling down to her side, she watched as the younger woman continued to stare at herself; the will to stop becoming harder and harder—the longer she gazed upon it.
"I was talking about your true self. You lost her ever since you left me and I'm going to help you recover her—not your memories—and..." she paused, purposefully trailing the last word for dramatic effect. Moving till she stood behind her, the Snow Queen met the blonde's now struggling and wide eyes. Emma was trying to look away, to pull herself from the mirror's thrall, but she couldn't. In fact, she was falling deeper and deeper into it.
With a profound sense of determination, she continued speaking, her tone informative. "...this object can do that and more. I simply wanted you to remember our shared past, but since you forced my hand, this is now our only option. Either way, we're going to renew our relationship. This is for the both of us. For what's to come, I am truly sorry...but it has to be done."
"You...tricked...m-me," Emma said, barely managing to push the words out, her throat unusually tight. Still able to think and feel, at this point, despite the mirror's strong influence, she shivered when a numbing sensation began combing over her skin. It took only a few seconds, but it was potent enough to render her completely immobile from the neck downward—the magical powers of the mirror taking immediate effect.
She was trapped.
She was trapped by her reflection and her own stupidity.
"I had to," the Snow Queen answered evenly. "I couldn't let you just throw your life away, your powers away, Emma. We have too much in common for that to happen."
Throat constricting more, she wheezed her reply. "...I...hate...you...and I...will...get...o-out...of t-this..."
Looking down, in visible pain, the Snow Queen swallowed hard. "You feel that way about me now, but after spending time with my contraption, you won't."
Turning, she then glided away from Emma, her pristine gown slightly fading in the light atmosphere, but then suddenly, she stopped and looked over a shoulder, all traces of her previous expression gone. In its place, was something wintery and feral. "Believe me when I say that I have your wellbeing and your best interests at heart. So, I will leave you to it. You have much to learn, Emma, but don't worry...I will return soon enough to see the transformation."
"W-where...a-are—"
"Into town," she interrupted with a slow smile. "I have to settle some affairs."
Raising her hands up—till they were leveled with her chest—she faced forward and then ominously whispered her next words before flicking her wrist and disappeared into a cloud of light blue smoke. "Rumpelstiltskin..."
All Emma could do was watch as the other woman left her alone, stiff and more helpless than she was before. Trying to regulate her breathing, she tried to relax. Maybe if she just calmed down, she would be able to get out of her new and frightening situation, but it was nearly impossible to do.
She was literally frozen in place and hopelessly staring at a magical mirror that was somehow going to convince her that her home was with a crazed former foster mother—and one that I don't even remember...
Suddenly, the shiny surface shimmered and rippled, as if it had been awakened by her last thought.
At first, it did nothing.
It just twinkled and blinked...but then, after what felt like countless minutes, it melted into a dismal grey. Particular images then began to flash and fill up the screen and, as she gazed at them, she felt whatever resolve she had, about escaping, falter and crumble to the icy floor below her. Once again, Emma's eyes widened and a bundle of painful emotions began to fly around inside of her at the relentless and disturbing pop-ups, each more crueler and darker than the last.
Consumed by all of her fears, her doubts, her concerns, her wildest imaginations—which paired with everything that had plagued her minutes before—Emma succumbed and fell into a trance-like state, one that would take a miracle to remove her from.
They're better off without me...
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