Chapter 8
A/N: So the way I left the previous chapter was pretty mean I know, and unfortunately the end of this one isn't much better, but I decided to update this now rather than later just to put some of your minds at ease.
As always thank you to SouthforWinter, Anny Rodrigues, Grace de Gold, Keyhlan, t3arsOfglass and Natali Rempel Drews for your reviews.:)
David slid the edge of his blade into wound in her side, carefully widening the edges so that he could pull the crossbow bolt out cleanly. Regina turned her head to the side, clenching her teeth as she tried not to cry out at the pain. In comparison to what she had just gone through though, the small cut seemed like a walk in the park. She'd had no idea that being poisoned with mermaid's ink could inflict so much pain upon a person. As far as she'd ever known, the ink was only ever used externally to trap magic. Using it in this way was barbaric.
"Are you okay?" David asked, pulling his sword away and dabbing at her wound with the edge of his shirt. Regina tried not to flinch.
"I'm fine," she managed, trying to keep her voice steady. "Just do it."
She felt his hand reach for hers and after a moment's hesitation, she took it.
"Squeeze tight," David advised. She closed her eyes and nodded. She heard him inhale steadily, and then she felt the bolt in her side shift as he took it in hand, carefully pulling it out. Her fingers curled reflexively around his hand, the only visible sign she permitted herself to give of her pain.
"There," he said, pulling it free, and Regina exhaled slowly in relief. She opened her eyes, allowing herself to glance back at the prince. He was examining the bolt carefully, tracing a finger through the ink still clinging to the wooden shaft. Regina swallowed, her stomach twisting uneasily as she stared at the black liquid. She could still feel it inside of her, feel the warning sting of pain it delivered her every time she tried to reach her magic. David's eyes lifted, catching the expression on her face, and he tossed the bolt aside.
"It's going to be okay," he reached out, touching her arm gently. "We're going to fix this."
"What if I'm stuck this way forever?" she whispered, tears pricking her eyes as she lent a voice to her greatest fear. She couldn't lose her magic. She just couldn't.
"That's not going to happen," he said. "I promise. Now come on, let me bandage this thing up."
"Bandage?" Regina said shakily, clearing her throat subtly. She watched David as he rose to his feet, unsurprised when he offered her his hand. She took it, and he immediately leaned down, using his other hand to hold her upper arm, offering her extra support as he helped her to her feet.
"I'm perfectly capable of standing on my own Charming," she snapped, even as she swayed into him. He caught her easily, sliding an arm around her waist to support her as he led her towards the river.
"Uh-huh," he murmured, seemingly unaffected by the ice in her tone. "Come on, we need to get out of here before those kids wake up," he said.
Regina took a few steps, testing her balance, before disentangling herself from Charming's grip, giving him a firm look when he opened his mouth to protest. She would not be treated like some fragile little bird. She made it to the edge of the stream, crouched down and tugged up her shirt to reveal the ragged wound running along the bottom edge of her ribcage. She scooped up some of the cold water, wincing as she tried to flush out the cut. There was a rip of material as David tore off a strip from the bottom of his shirt, and Regina suddenly understood what he meant to use as a bandage. She watched him suspiciously as he attempted to wash the dirty material in the stream.
"Good enough," he said after a moment. "Stand up."
Sighing, she did as she bid, lifting her arms as he wound the damp strip of material around her waist. He wrapped it around twice, tying it off at the end.
"We should go," Regina said, pulling down her shirt into place again.
"Give me a second," David said, jogging back to where they had been. He picked up his sword and began to walk back to her, stooping to pick up the second sword from the ground beside its unconscious owner. Regina gave him a curious look as he held it out to her.
"Do you know how to use this?" he asked.
She nodded her head, her fingers curling around the leather pommel.
"One of the soldiers at the palace gave me lessons," she murmured, shifting her grip subtly on the sword. That had been when Leopold was still alive, before her lessons with Rumplestiltskin had taught her to defend herself. She had taken the lessons a few weeks before her first escape attempt. She'd only managed to get a day away from the palace before Leopold's men had caught up to her, and dragged her back to the castle. Not that it had stopped her from trying again. And again, and again. By the time her skills with magic had reached a level where she could protect herself, she had stopped trying to escape Leopold and started trying to figure out ways to kill the bastard instead. She had abandoned her sword lessons after that, certain she would never need them again. It seemed she had been mistaken.
"Can you remember which direction we needed to go?" David asked, as she turned and crossed the shallow stream, heading into the jungle on the opposite side. Regina shook her head.
"I needed my magic for that. But we were headed away from the sun yesterday right?" she asked and he nodded. "We should continue that way then," she said, trying to sound more confident than she felt.
…
Emma opened her eyes slowly to the sound of her name, finding herself lying face-first on dusty, rocky ground. She tilted her head upwards, dust falling from her blonde hair as she did, causing her to cough. She was in a cave it seemed, judging by the rock that surrounded her on all sides. All around her was gloomy darkness, punctuated by the light of what seemed to be several dozen rather large fireflies floating through the air in the cave. She blinked in confusion, wondering how it was possible for fireflies to be such bright and diverse colours.
"Emma?" the voice that had roused her called again. "Wake up princess."
"Hook?" she mumbled confusedly, looking around for the source of the noise. He didn't sound happy.
"Up here," he growled, and she tilted her head backwards, her mouth forming an 'o' of surprise as she spotted a circular hole through the roof, leading into what seemed like an upper level of the cave.
"W-what… what happened? How did I get here?" she asked, pushing herself to her feet quickly and instantly regretting it. Her muscles screamed in protest from the sudden movement, her ankle in particular giving a stab of pain as her weight settled upon it. She had twisted it, it seemed.
"Why don't you ask your friends that?" Hook asked, his expression murderous as he gestured to the coloured creatures floating in the air around her. Emma blinked in confusion, turning her head to glance at the floating lights again.
"Oh…" she gasped, realising suddenly what they were. Memories of the previous day flooded her mind, and she slapped her hand against her face. "What the hell did that thing do to me?" she mumbled against her palm, as memories of clambering down into this cave resurfaced. The fairy had led her down into the darkness, and had sent her stumbling straight through the hole that Killian was currently staring down at her through.
"That's what fairies do," Hook sighed. "They get inside your head and make you lose track of your senses. In the future, try not to listen to the little bastards would you love?"
"Aren't you going to come down and help me?" Emma asked, folding her arms over her chest. The pirate gave her an incredulous look.
"What good would that do? Then we both would be stuck. Look, you're going to have to see if there's another way out from down there."
Emma turned her head, examining the cavern she had fallen inside carefully. Her eyes had become accustomed to the gloom, and now she could make out the rocky walls that surrounded her, and the heavy stalactites hanging from the rooftop overhead. Upon closer inspection, each of the hanging rocks seemed to have been carefully carved into, forming little hollows and openings into each of them. Emma watched as a fairy floated inside one of the hollow stalactites and she suddenly clicked on what it was.
"It's like a hanging fairy city," she murmured. "They live down here."
"Found a way out yet?" Killian called. Emma shot him an annoyed glance before carefully moving forwards, favouring her injured ankle. There didn't seem to be another way out.
I should have realised what that fairy was up to, Emma thought miserably, as a bright blue one whizzed over her head, giggling gleefully. In the stories, the fairies were Peter Pan's friends. And if in this world Peter Pan was evil, of course the fairies wouldn't be up to any good either.
"Don't fairies have fairy dust?" Emma asked, tilting her head to gaze back up at Hook. "Couldn't I use some to fly back up there?"
"Good luck getting some," the pirate snorted. "The fairies here only give their dust to children."
Emma reached out her hand as a magenta coloured one swooped past her, trying futilely to catch it. She grimaced as the fairy easily evaded her, hooting at her as if it was some sort of fun game.
"You're going to have to find help," she said desperately, turning back to him. "And food. Food first. You're going to have to find food and help."
Hook sighed heavily, craning his head down to look around upside down into the cavern she was trapped in. "There's really no way out? You're sure?"
"You're wasting time," Emma accused him. He lifted his head again, looking defeated.
"I was afraid it was going to come down to this," he sighed. "Very well princess. I'll be back as soon as I can. Don't go anywhere," he teased.
"Ha ha," Emma deadpanned, un-amused, as she sat herself down on the rocky floor to wait.
…
It was getting harder to breathe. Regina felt her chest rising and falling irregularly with each shallow breath she took. She clenched her hands into fists and gritted her teeth, and forced herself to keep walking. The wound in her side still stung viscously as she moved. But that pain was nothing compared to the pain she had felt as she had been hit by the bolt in the first place, or the pain that wracked her every time she tried to reach her magic.
She had managed to find it, and she could feel it now, the power locked deep within her. But each time she tried to draw on it, she felt a pain so acute it seemed as though the blood in her veins had been replaced with acid.
She felt helpless, a feeling she abhorred above all others. She had felt this way when the curse had first broken, and after getting her magic back she had vowed to never lose it again. She tightened her grip on the pommel of the sword David had handed her hours earlier, wondering what the point of carrying it was. She wasn't even sure she had the strength to use it should the time come for that.
"Are you okay?" David asked, again. She nodded her head slightly, not slowing her pace. She could feel the prince's anxious blue gaze upon her, but she refused to acknowledge it. If she stopped, she wasn't sure she would be able to start walking again.
"Let's just keep going," she muttered, reaching out to push an errant fern frond from her path. She could only hope they were still headed in the right direction. Without her magic, Ben's memories were lost to her.
Away from the sun, she told herself. We were walking away from the sun yesterday. She had to keep reminding herself. Her head was starting to feel fuzzy, her thoughts floating messily into one another.
"We should slow down, you don't look well."
"We have to find Henry."
They couldn't slow down, not while her son was out there somewhere waiting for her. Not while her chest was tightening and her every breath was getting harder and harder to take.
The ink was doing more than trapping her magic – it was making her sick.
Just keep walking. Just don't stop. Keep walking.
"Just take a little break," David begged. "Just a few minutes. Let me check that bandage."
She didn't need to check the bandage to know that it was undoubtedly doing more harm than good. As dirty as David's shirt had been, it was probably going to end up giving her an infection. Not that it mattered really. At the rate she was deteriorating, she was starting to doubt that she would be seeing the next turned her dark eyes to the sky, surprised to find it painted in vivid streaks of pink and orange. Sunset again. An entire day had passed. She hadn't even realised just how long they had been walking.
"Regina," David's hand grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop. She swayed on her feet, her legs suddenly feeling numb. She lifted her head to him, his features swimming in her vision. When had everything become so blurred? "Shit," Charming whispered, reaching out to touch her face. "You're burning up. Come on, sit down."
To weak to protest, she allowed him to help her to the ground, dropping her sword carelessly, her head tilting back as she struggled for air.
"I think…" she whispered reluctantly. "I think you're going to have to go on without me."
"Not a chance," he said immediately, his voice fervent. "If you think I'm going to leave you here…"
"David," she shook her head, struggling to hold his gaze. "I don't think I'm going to make it much longer."
"You're fine. You're going to be fine. You just need to rest," he said stubbornly. "We've been walking for hours. You're just tired."
She shook her head. "How about we promise not to lie to each other, okay? Friends don't lie right?"
David nodded slowly, frustration and fear written across his features. "Okay no lies. You're not fine," he said slowly. "But I'm still not leaving you. We're going to find a way to help you, do you hear me? There is always a way."
There was always a way for people like Snow, Regina silently amended. People like her didn't catch lucky breaks. People like her didn't get saved by Prince Charming and get to live happily ever after.
"It's going to be dark soon," Regina said desperately. "Those things are going to come out again, and I don't have magic to protect us this time. David you have to go."
"And how exactly is abandoning you going to help keep those creatures at bay?" David demanded, his voice rising in anger. "I'm not leaving you Regina."
"It's not a co-incidence that those kid's weapons were covered in Mermaid's Ink. It's not a co-incidence that they attacked me first."
"You think they're after you?"
"I think they're after anyone with magic," Regina said quietly. "And since I'll probably be dead by morning I think it makes sense to let them have me. If you leave me now, you can get away. You can still save Henry. Please," she begged, reaching out to take hold of his wrist. He shifted his arm, moving his hand so that it covered hers. His fingers curled around her palm tightly.
"Do you really think I could ever face Henry again if I left you here?" he asked her quietly.
"David…" she trailed his name in frustration, a tear slipping down her cheek as she fought for a way to convince him to leave her. The weight upon her chest seemed to tighten and she leaned forwards, gasping for air.
"Its okay, it's okay," David said, leaning over her worriedly. "Just breathe okay? In and out. Come on. In and out. It's going to be okay."
His words helped to calm her slightly, and her breathing slowed in time to his voice. She felt him move around her, sitting behind her and pulling her backwards so that her back rested against his chest. Her head fell to his shoulder weakly.
"You've got to hold on," David told her, stroking a sweat-dampened lock of hair from her cheek.
"You can't ask me that," Regina panted, shaking her head slightly.
"Yes I can," he growled. "We're going to figure this out. You just have to hold on damn it."
Her dark eyes lifted, tracing the ever darkening sky, noting the shadowy gloom that was starting to fill the jungle. He had to leave her. He had to leave before those screamers came.
"We're not going to figure anything out here," she pointed out breathlessly. "If you want to save me, you're going to have to find help. You're going to have to leave me."
She could practically feel the indecision radiating from him. He sat tense and silent behind her for a moment, all the while she struggled to breathe through lungs that no longer wanted to co-operate with her. After a long moment, he shifted suddenly, but the brief moment of relief she felt quickly disappeared as he slid one arm beneath her knees and the other behind her back, scooping her up into his arms. Her arms wrapped around his neck automatically, her head now cradled between his neck and his shoulder.
"What are you doing?" she breathed out, as he began walking forwards. "You're being an idiot. You can't carry me."
"Of course I can," David responded. "You hardly weigh anything. Now shut up and concentrate on breathing okay?"
"This is stupid. There's no point in trying to save me."
"Stop talking Regina," David said, his eyes now scanning the gloomy jungle around them. She could see the hopelessness in his gaze, along with that Prince Charming stubbornness that refused to allow him to let her die. She closed her eyes, her lips parted as she breathed in and out through her mouth, trying to keep herself calm, listening only to the heavy sounds of his footsteps as he carried her through the jungle.
If someone had told her to picture the way she would die, she would never have imagined it like this.
A low, echoing wail pierced through the evening stillness, and Regina's eyes flew open, her raspy breathing growing louder with panic. David's blue eyes dropped to hers, equally fear filled. Still he somehow managed to push past his terror, keeping his voice calm as he reassured her.
"Listen to my voice, not them. I want you to keep breathing. In and out," he said, repeating his mantra from before.
Another scream filled the night, then another, and Regina found herself pushing her head into the crook of Charming's neck, struggling desperately to hold on. She heard David curse quietly and suddenly he was lowering her to the ground.
"Keep your eyes closed," he ordered her. "And don't you dare stop breathing."
It was so much harder to breathe lying down. Her chest heaved, her breath coming out in short, ragged pants. She lifted her head weakly, her heart nearly giving out completely at the sight before her. David stood before four of the screamers, the robed shadows hovering in the air before him, their eyeless heads each staring past him, their gaze directed straight at her. She watched as the prince wrested his sword free from where he had secured it beneath his belt, her eyes fluttering weakly as she fought to hold on.
She had to do something. He was going to die if she didn't do something. She watched as he lunged through the air, his sword swinging towards one of the creatures, only to slide right through it as harmlessly as it would through smoke. The screamer turned towards him, reaching a shadowy hand out and flinging him effortlessly into a tree. He grunted in pain as he collided, pushing himself back to his feet and rushing back towards them as they slowly floated towards her.
You have to do something, she thought, her mind swimming. The sword wasn't going to work. He needed magic. Closing her eyes, Regina struggled to find the power locked within her. She reached out towards it, heedless of the pain that flooded her as she summoned it. Distantly, she could hear the sounds of her breathless screams as white-hot pain consumed her body. She ignored the pain, ignored everything, concentrating only on her magic. She opened her eyes as a ball of purple light formed in her palm, too weak to scream anymore as the skin on her hand began to blister and burn in response to the ink still in her system. With the last of her energy, she sent her magic flying towards the screamers. Her head dropped back to the ground, her eyes slipping shut in exhaustion. She didn't see the purple light that swept through the forest, turning the shadows into dust, but she could hear their dying screams as they faded away. The pain subsided as she released her hold on her magic, and she felt her mind slip as she began to let go.
You promised David you would hold on, a voice inside her head reminded her.
Fighting against the pull of eternal rest, she opened her eyes once more. The world around her blurred, then came into semi-focus, revealing a figure crouching over her.
Not David.
His face was painted with red and white tribal markings, his long black hair falling in a braid over his shoulder as he leaned in to examine her.
Distantly, she heard David's voice yell. "Get the hell away from her!"
Safe, she thought weakly, his voice enough to reassure her. If David was there she was safe. Her eyes slipped closed again and she fell away into unconsciousness.
