Belle reached down to pat the neck of her horse. "Just a little farther, Phillippe," she urged. "I think we're nearly there."
She picked her way along the path, and wasn't surprised to see that as it widened, she was no longer alone.
"Riding up on a white stallion," she said, with her lips twitching. "You always did know how to sweep a girl off her feet."
Rumplestiltskin moved his horse closer, until his leg was brushing hers.
"I don't have long," he said. "Is this where you found the rosette?"
"Just a little further ahead," she indicated, "near that tree."
Rumple pushed his horse forward, circling the tree. He nodded slightly. "Were the leaves used? In the fire?"
Belle looked at him in surprise. "Yes. How did you know that?"
"This is a very special tree. A Horse Chestnut tree, to be precise." His horse pranced a bit and he led it back over to the path. "Did you find anything in your research?"
"Yes," she answered. "The rosette and reeds are identified with Inanna, a Sumerian deity and also a sorceress of great power in our realm."
"I know of her," Rumple said. "Then it's as I suspected."
"You know what's going on?"
"Yes," Rumple nodded. "And I need you to be brave. Whoever's behind this has the courage of a lion and a will set in stone."
"What can I do to help?"
Rumple reached out, touching her face softly. "Just do what you always do. Read a book. An old book." The sky began to darken abruptly, and Belle glanced up at the sky.
"I think there's a storm coming."
"No, the sun is going down," Rumple remarked. "And it's soon to be dark as a tomb. You'd better go back, now."
He gathered his horse's reigns, pulling the head around and starting back the way he came.
"Wait!" Belle called out. "When will you be coming back?"
"Soon, sweetheart. I promise."
She pulled at her horse's reigns, determined to follow him, but the horse reared, throwing her. She hit the ground hard, getting the wind knocked out of her, and she opened her eyes, gasping as Archie helped her sit up.
"Did you see him? Rumpletstiltskin?"
Belle touched her head, rubbing her fingertips against her temple. "I did," she said, struggling to remember. "We were...riding horses. In the woods."
Archie reached for the pad and paper that he had standing by. "Anything else? Anything at all? Smells, sounds...anything?"
Belle nodded. "He told me to be brave. He said whoever was behind this had 'the courage of a lion' and..." she rubbed her head harder. "And a will set in stone. And then it got dark."
"So we've got the word lion, stone, and darkness," Archie reiterated.
"And a horse chestnut tree. Rumple knew somehow that the leaves were used in the fire." Belle swung her legs off of Archie's couch and looked up at him. "He told me to read an old book."
"An old book?" Archie queried. "More mythology?"
"I don't think so," Belle said, chewing her lip. "He wouldn't have described it that way. At least, I think I don't think he would."
"It's not much to go on," Archie said, rereading the list.
"No, it's not," Belle agreed. "But if I know Rumple, it's enough."
###
"Could you pass the potatoes, please?"
Killian looked up from the bowl he was holding, and it took him a moment to realize he was at a dinner table. He smiled over at Henry, and slid the bowl across the table to him. Down the table to his right sat Regina and Snow, who were comparing jackets.
"The palace seamstress made this?" Regina asked, pinching and rubbing the material of Snow's coat between her fingers.
"Her name is Hildegaard," Snow said. "I can take you to her cottage after dinner if you'd like."
"I'd like to know where she got silk this fine," Regina said, fingering her own jacket. "Look at mine! It's got pulls and runs all over the place."
"I'm sure she'd be happy to take your measurements," Snow offered. "Or you can borrow this one anytime you'd like."
"I'd never fit that," Regina said grumpily. "Ever since Robin came along I've been cooking every night and now I'm busting out of everything." She put her chin in her hand. "I wish I could lose it as fast as you lost your baby weight."
"I'm back!" Robin's voice called out cheerily from the doorway, where he stood holding a couple of pheasant by the legs. "I brought dinner."
"We're already eating," Henry said, around a mouthful of potatoes. "But we can have them tomorrow."
"Very well," Robin said, laying them down by the door and walking over to David, who was sitting at the head of the table. He reached inside his doublet and pulled out a folded piece of parchment.
"If you could just sign here," he said, putting the parchment down in front of David. "So that the cook knows I had your royal sanction to hunt and I'm not some common poacher."
David picked up a black feathered quill laying next to Henry's plate, and signed with a flourish. Robin retrieved his birds and headed into the kitchens with them.
"So..." Killian said, looking over at David. "Are you..." he searched for a word. "Do you...?"
"Is this my dream?" David added helpfully.
Killian nodded in relief. "I assume that's a 'no.' I just got here. You?"
"Snow and I have been here for a few weeks," David said. "Henry showed up last Friday afternoon, and Emma that same morning."
"So we're in Regina's dream? Or Robin's?"
"It's Robin's," Henry said, having overheard them. "But we reminded him already. Now we're just hanging out." He helped himself to a bowl full of grapes.
Killian looked around. "And where is your mother?"
"You mean the better mother?" Regina asked, a bit sadly.
"Regina, it was an accident," Snow said gently. "You had no way of knowing he'd followed you up the stairs."
Killian looked confused. "What happened?"
"I was right behind her last night when we walked up to our bedrooms," Henry explained. "She turned to say something to Robin and knocked me backwards." He gave Regina an eyeroll. "And I'm fine, Mom. Stop beating yourself up over it."
Killian was still confused. Were they sure this was Robin's dream? Regina was hardly her usual self. He was just about to push out of his chair and go looking for Emma when she stepped through the doorway from the kitchen, carrying an enormous cake.
"Happy Birthday!" she called out.
"Happy Birthday, Charming!" Snow beamed. "I baked it and Emma and Henry decorated."
David grinned widely. "As wonderful as that is, I have to say the best part is all of us here, together. A family dinner."
"I didn't know it was your birthday," Killian said.
"It is here," David gave a shrug.
"Well, here, mate," Killian reached in his coat, expecting to pull out his flask and his hand closed around a bottle of rum instead. "Happy Birthday," he said, setting the bottle down on the table.
"Is it time for the festivities?" Robin asked. "I got you a new carriage!" He tossed a set of keys and David caught them in mid-air. "You can lock it and keep the brigands out," Robin explained.
"We'll have to try that out," David said.
"Not yet, we won't," Snow said with a sigh. "The bridge is out on the Queen's road."
"We'll take a different way, then," David suggested good-naturedly.
"It has to be that road," Snow insisted. "We'll just have to wait, that's all."
"Can we clear all these presents out of the way?" Emma asked. "This thing is heavy!"
"But there's one more gift," said a quiet voice from the other end of the table. Everyone turned in unison.
"Grandpa!" Henry called out. "You're here again!"
"After a fashion," Rumple said raising a hand to stop Henry before he got out of his chair. "I can't stay long, and I have a lot to impart. It's best if you all just listen."
"Go ahead," David said.
"I've managed to consult with Belle, and gotten some definitive answers," he began. "Centuries ago, there lived a powerful sorceress within our realm by the name of Inanna. As strong as I was, well - it would be no exaggeration to say that Inanna was the most powerful magical woman alive, in her prime."
"Of course, she was," Regina said glumly.
Rumple continued on. "She was particularly adept at crafting intricate curses, and her hand wrote the curse that sent you all here. In order to enact this curse, the bearer needed the incantation, a special brooch found at my shop, and a horse chestnut tree. The brooch is made of lionstone, a very rare gem that is associated with Inanna. Adding reeds to the ceremonial fire would have strengthened it, and they were definitely used."
"So how do we break the curse?" Snow asked.
"This is where it gets complicated," he said with a grimace. "The number seven was sacred to Inanna, and therefore, this curse is known as the Curse of the Seven Slumbers. Each of you will have a unique set of trials associated with the number seven somehow. It may be seven items you need to find, or a single artifact tied to the number seven. You may have to overcome seven evils. It will be different for each of you, but the association will be there."
"Seven evils? Well, that sounds promising," Emma deadpanned.
"Or seven things," Henry said, chewing on his fork. "How do we know which seven things?"
"It'll be personal for each of you," Rumple replied. "And once you have something that represents your personal incarnation of the number seven, you'll need to gather them together at seven of the eight points of an eight-point star rosette - Inanna's personal symbol."
"And then what?" Killian asked.
"Then you need a powerful magical object at the eight point. And on the other side - in the waking world, they'll need to do something similar. That should create a portal that you can return through," Rumple finished.
"So we just need to figure out what our seven things are?" Robin clarified. "All of us?"
"That's correct." Rumple inclined his head. "And the sooner, the better, because that's not all."
"Of course it's not," Emma said. "What else?"
"The dreamscape, as you know, Miss Swan, is a vast and endless place - but not for all of you. You're in a bubble all your own, and under the terms of the curse, you have seven days, seven hours and seven minutes to escape it."
"Seven days?" Snow looked alarmed.
"Our time? Or theirs?" Killian clarified.
"Theirs. I can keep you apprised of the clock, provided I remain in this state," Rumple offered. "But of course, there are no guarantees."
"What happens if we don't escape in time?" Emma asked.
Rumple's eyes met hers with a terrifying calm. "It collapses," he said. "And you all disappear. Forever."
Killian's eyes met Emma's with a sick sense of dread, and he saw it echoed in every face around the table.