Chapter 10: To the rescue

Snow tried not to gasp when the evil wizard Jafar pushed her forcefully into a dirty prison cell in a dungeon. She would not let them see any weakness.

"Whatever you plan, it will not work! I will be freed and you will all be defeated. Tell that to your king!" Snow snapped at him as he closed the cell door in front of her.

Jafar just glared at her. "I assure you, he is not my king. No one rules me but me." And without paying her any more attention, he went away, leaving her alone.

There were more cells around her, all empty. Either the dungeon had been prepared for her arrival or whoever owned the castle she was in, didn't make prisoners. At least not for long.

She shivered from the cold air, but there was nothing holding her warm beside her now torn and dirty ball gown. Snow ripped of a big part of her underdress and wrapped it around her shoulders to shield her bare arms from the cold.

All she could do now was sit here and wait. But the worst part was she knew King George knew about Emma. And maybe she would soon be his captive too. Her little baby girl.

*Flashback*

Snow walked around the market place, trying to decide what to buy for her and David. She was so utterly in love with him. The last weeks had been heaven. He had indeed come back to her and stayed with her. They had worked on the cottage to make it a home for both of them. For their future together. It was strange; she hadn't known him for long, but she trusted him so completely.

David had promised that as soon as the next stock of wool from the farm was sold, he would visit the priest with her and marry her. The only problem was she still had not told him who she truly was. But before they got married she would do it. With every passing day, she grew more confident he would love her enough to not be mad at her about not telling him sooner.

Whether they would stay at the cottage or live in the castle, she really didn't want to think about. She just wanted to enjoy the moment, especially when she fell asleep in his arms and woke up with him gently kissing her face. They were basically married; there was nothing wrong about what they were doing. And how could something so good be wrong, especially when she was doing it with her true love?

But the thought of going back to the castle, facing her father and Regina, haunted her. That must be why she had been feeling so sick lately.

Snow went to a cheese stand. She knew David loved cheese. But once she got closer to the stand and the friendly woman selling it, a disgusting smell hit her. She had to turn away slightly and focus on not throwing up.

The woman behind the stand chuckled in amusement. She walked up to Snow and held out a couple of berries to her.

"Take these." The woman said kindly. "They helped my stomach when I was pregnant. I remember quite well how the smells suddenly changed. Especially cheese, meat and milk."

Snow looked at the woman in confusion. She wanted to reply she was certainly not pregnant, but then it hit her. The sickness, the dizziness, her sudden dislike for milk and now the smell of the cheese. And she also realized she had missed her last two periods.

She muttered a thank you to the woman and then rushed straight home.

In front of the cottage, David was loading his horse. He gave her a dazzling smile as soon as he saw her. "Mary, I didn't know you'd be home so early. I'm afraid I'm just leaving now. Have to get some supplies for my mother. But I'll be back before nightfall." He put his arms around her and put a soft and gentle kiss on her lips.

Snow wanted to tell him right away they were having a baby, but she just nodded. This exciting news was not something to say in a rush. It could wait. She would prepare him a special dinner and then tell him the good news. Nothing would keep them apart, so a few hours wouldn't matter.

"Alright. And tonight, I will tell you some exciting news." Snow promised, cuddling into his embrace.

David gently ran a finger through her hair. "Who knows, maybe we will have more news to celebrate tonight. When I deliver the supplies to my mother, I might ask her for her wedding ring. She always says 'true love follows this ring'. And it could lead me nowhere but to you."

He pulled her in for another long and passionate kiss. "I'll see you tonight, my sweet love." He said cheerfully once he was settled on the saddle.

Snow watched him as he rode off. With a smile, she decided to go back to the market and buy cheese for David, however it might smell to her. She would prepare the perfect dinner to celebrate the beginning of their future life together. As a family.

*Flashback ends*

…

Regina cursed while running around the room, trying to think of what to do.

Every guest had left the castle beside Elsa, Liam, Killian, August, Graham and Emma.

Elsa went to the terrified Emma. "Emma, what was that? What did that man talk about?" Elsa asked in concern as Emma tried to understand what had happened herself. Killian had wrapped his arms comfortingly and protectively around her.

Just then, Regina realized the strangers in the room. She approached Elsa, her expression anything but friendly. "I'm sorry, your majesty, but as you see we have serious issues here. So I have to ask you to leave." Regina said threateningly. Robin stepped to her side, trying to calm her down, but Liam had already stepped in front of his Queen.

"Do not dare to speak to her majesty in such a manner. We are going nowhere, with all due respect." Respect was not really what shone through his tone. But no one was allowed to speak to Elsa that way. Not while he lived.

Elsa put her hand to his shoulder to gently push him aside and talk to the raging Regina herself.

"Excuse Captain Jones for his tone, but he is right. We have every right to be here. As I understand it, Queen Snow's only child is Emma. And Emma is our friend and we will not leave her alone right now. We will help her to get her mother back." The blonde Queen nodded towards Emma, who was still in shock, hiding in the comfort of Killian's arms.

Regina's rage was forgotten for a moment and she approached the young woman. "You are Emma." the Queen Dowager whispered. Emma looked up to the woman before her, but not entirely leaving her boyfriend's embrace. Though it had not been a question, she nodded.

Regina gave Emma a weak smile and stepped closer. "I have not seen you since I had to carry you away from your mother. Her cries of despair from the hurt of losing you still haunt me."

Emma had a million questions to this woman who had somehow something to do with her mother giving her up. But right now, she had to focus on her mother's abduction.

"Now I understand what that light magic blast earlier was. You are obviously a child of true love. A very strong true love, as it seems. That can create such a magic." Regina went on.

"Magic? You mean I have magic?" Emma asked in confusion. She looked at Killian for comfort. He gave her a weak smile, caressed her back and then buried his face in her hair, putting kisses to her head.

"Strong magic, it seems. That can be quite useful for the rescue mission we have to get into." Elsa cut in, putting her hand on Emma's arm in reassurance.

Before the Jones brothers could voice their protest about their loved ones having a part in a dangerous rescue mission, the ballroom doors flew open.

Everyone prepared for an attack, but it was Victor and Red. Emma immediately ran to her friend and wrapped her arms around her. "Red, you won't believe what happened! Who my mother is!" Emma began after a moment. Red only shook her head. "I already heard. The handsome doctor told me on our way here. And the guards told us about the attack. Are you alright?"

Emma nodded, still a bit overthrown by her emotions. Half an hour ago, she didn't even know who her mother was, but now she had been abducted and Emma might never get to see her again. She didn't understand how she could be so worried about someone she in fact didn't know. But she was.

"But what are you doing here, Red?" Emma asked after a moment. Red looked over to Victor before she answered.

"It's a long story, but right now we need to get to the important point. It seems not only your mother was kidnapped. I was looking for you when I met David. Your father, as it seems. I was with him when he learned you are his daughter and that King George was after you. He rushed to the castle. But outside of the palace, we found the magical horse he took. He made it here, but he is not with you. And I doubt he found the ballroom. So I'm afraid it looks like they took him, too."

…

David was still dizzy from the hit he had received earlier. His head hurt like hell, but that didn't matter now. Now he had to figure out how to get away from here. Two guards were dragging him along a dark passage. There were only a few lit torches along the way.

He studied the two guards escorting him. If someone would attack and capture him, he had always thought it would be King George. But the man who had talked to him in the castle had not been him and these men were not King George's. There were quite a few kingdoms with power driven kings around who didn't approve of Queen Snow's reign, but very few who were stupid and cruel enough to attack right in her castle. So he assumed it was King Stephan. There had been rumors in his village there was an alliance between the two kings. King George had problems with the wealth of the kingdom and King Stephan was said to have problems with a sorceress terrorizing him. The perfect match to fight Queen Snow. King George would get her kingdom, more importantly her riches, and King Stephan would get the sorcerer King George had capture some time ago, controlling him with an unknown magical object. David never believed rumors, but he was afraid those were true indeed.

If he was really a captive of King Stephan, he had to escape right away. King George might torture his prisoners for days and weeks, but King Stephan was said to burn his prisoners alive. To make sure they were not dragons, he claimed.

David took a shot and elbowed his guards in the stomach. One of them fell to the ground. But before he could run away, the other guard got back up and caught him. The guard gave him another hard knock to the head and David's world went black again.

*Flashback*

"And you sure it works?" Mary asked him skeptically as he put the pendant into her hand.

"It does, sweetheart. It has been in my mother's family for generations. And it has never failed. Please try it." David begged, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. He had kept the pendant in his pocket for a few weeks before he showed it to her. He didn't want to scare away a girl he had just met by suggesting to her to find out the gender of their future child. But now he knew her well enough to know it wouldn't make her run away screaming.

After a look into David's begging eyes, she sighed deeply. "Alright, let's try it."

She held out her hand and let the pendent swing over it. "So? What does it say?" she asked after a moment.

David grinned at her with pure joy. "It says we will have a girl."

*Flashback end*

…

Regina had vanished to her vault to find out where exactly Snow was being held captive. August had accompanied her, saying he might have a way to help.

Killian and Red were busy comforting Emma, Zelena was running around the castle with Graham to put up protection spells and Robin was busy talking to the guards about preparations to protect the castle from another attack.

Elsa just wanted to walk to Robin to ask how she could help, when Liam stopped her.

"You are not going to come along." He said in a final tone. The tone of a captain that silenced even the most rebellious sailor seemed to have no effect on Elsa.

"You are not ordering me around. You seem to forget I am your Queen!" She protested. There was little she hated more than being told what to do. And Liam usually never dared to do something like this.

"Exactly, you are the Queen! Your life is way too valuable to risk. This is a job for trained soldiers and not for you." He practically yelled at her.

"I have magic and can fight for myself just fine. Emma is my friend and I'm not leaving her alone. And even if something does happen to me, my sister and her newborn son are my heirs, so there is no danger to Arendelle." Elsa tried to walk past him, but Liam pulled her back forcefully. Rage shone in his eyes and his expression was hard.

"You, foolish woman, you think this is all the reason your life is valuable? Because you are the Queen? You are far more than just that! And I will not let you endanger yourself like this! You mean too much to so many people. To your sister! To your brother in-law! To your aunt!" His screaming stopped and his face got gentle as he whispered: "To me."

Tears welled up in Elsa's eyes, but she held them back. "I appreciate your concern, but I am not staying behind. Nothing you can do will make me stay."

Liam sighed deeply and dropped his head. His Queen was brave and headstrong, part of why he loved her, but he knew there was no talking back. He let go of her hand and said. "Alright then. Forgive me, your majesty, for my harsh words. I'm just concerned with your safety. But I guess I have to stay right by your side if I want you to be protected."

Elsa smiled mischievously. "I'm afraid so, too, Captain."

Regina and August came back to the hall, making everyone look up to them.

"We found out where they are holding Snow captive and apparently David, too. They are in King Stephan's castle." Regina explained. Everyone was shocked, knowing the rumors about his treatment of his prisoners.

Now August cut in. "I have a way into his castle. My friend, well girlfriend in fact, knows her way around his castle. She will get us in. She also told me about a magical weapon he has recently gotten. From a deal with the Dark One, it seems. An urn that can capture beings with magic in it."

Robin, Liam and Killian looked to their loved ones in despair.

Emma stepped up to Regina. "Well then, we have no time to waste. Let's go save my parents."

…

"I hope the rats eat you tonight!" The guard David had kicked to the ground commented with amusement as he was throwing David into a dark and dirty cell. Before he locked the door, David tried to break out, but it was no use.

His head was still hurting from several punches, so he sank to the ground. Next to him, he heard gasping. He turned around, preparing for a fight, but he just saw a dark haired woman in a white dress, sitting in the cell next to his. The woman came closer. His eyes fell to hers, while his brain was trying to figure out if this was reality.

"David? Is that you?" Snow asked in a weak and tear filled voice.