Hi All, sorry it's been a little while. Here's the next chapter - and thanks to Laura as always.
"Rock based security doesn't sound like such a bad idea now, does it?" Emma panted collapsing onto the floor. "And does this place seem brighter to you? I feel like the sun is now an interrogation lamp." She squinted as her eyes adjusted.
"We just fought off a swarm of black air demons in an underground cave. It would seem brighter even if we'd popped back up in the underworld." Regina groaned back.
"Please say this is it." Emma continued. "Please say this well is what stole our magic and we can go home." She closed her eyes, bracing her forearm across her forehead.
"Don't count on it. It's not going to be that easy." Regina stretched her back out, gauging their surroundings before similarly dropping onto the floor and resting her head in her arms. Both were exhausted from the ordeal and more so, feeling the come down from the adrenaline.
"That easy?" Emma replied in shock. "I'd relinquish both my light and dark magic to never have to worry about what type I'm using again. What the hell kind of protection discriminates like that anyway? I thought the good guys were meant to have it easy?" She moaned, her pulse still trying to recover.
"I think needing light magic to leave was more complicated than we thought. This was clearly designed so you didn't just need dark or light magic, you needed genuine collaboration." Regina thought it through. "Whatever this well is, they don't want either side to have it without regulation."
"Maybe that's where the obligation comes in." Emma suggested rubbing her face before turning to look at Regina. "Neither one could have got there without needing the other. You couldn't fake nice to get to that prize."
"Self-sacrifice didn't work too well either. I think both needed to survive too." Regina pointed out as Emma pierced her with her eyes.
"On that note -"
"Oh don't start, Emma." Regina got up and walked towards the well to hide herself from the chastisement. "You can fight crows with weapons, pulling those rocks needed magic. I made an executive decision."
"Which could have gotten you killed! Getting our magic back isn't worth losing our lives for."
"Isn't it?" Regina folded her arms and looked back to fight her corner. "This is turning out to be something more than just our magic. This is getting bigger than both of us." Her voice dropped with genuine concern, replacing Emma's anger with rattled curiosity
"Have you figured something out?" Emma asked, her annoyance subsiding as she grew rattled by the serious look on Regina's face. The former queen paused trying to work out what she could be missing. There was something about this place, something about the steps they had gone through, something about the amulets that she just couldn't put her finger on but the uneasiness all pointed to one thing. Someone's master plan.
"All I have figured out is that we need to make sure we preserve our most powerful magic. We could be up against a big enemy." She looked back to her travelling companion. "Reckless as you are," she continued with a hint of resentment, "and as questionable as your methods can be, it's pretty clear you are running this show."
"Regina - "
"I'm not saying that for sympathy." She dismissed the imminent compliments. "I'm saying it because it's practical. We'd be foolish to ignore your natural flair. That's why I wanted you with me in the first place and I'm not going to lose you now. And before you think it's all about you just imagine what hell I'd get from your mother if I went back without you. Preserving you is self-preservation in more ways than one. As I say, it's all practical."
"Well," Emma argued back. " maybe being practical also means that if this is bigger than you think, your knowledge is going to be as important as any of my skills. You have knowledge and understanding and most importantly experience. We need that. And right now we need it for figuring out what on earth this thing is." She jerked her head towards the well as Regina peered over the edge. The water level was high, high enough to touch. She could see her reflection quietly dancing in the ripples but it didn't appear to have anything exceptional about it. She saw Emma's face appear next to hers with an equally puzzled expression.
"So what do you know about magical wells?" Emma asked before extending out her hand to touch the surface. Regina grabbed her wrist before she could make contact.
"I know to look and not touch before we know what we're dealing with." Still with the amulet in her possession, Regina held her hands over the well. She closed her eyes and there was a glow that began to spread between them and the water. Emma gazed rabidly trying to understand what was going on before Regina chopped out her hands and the glow disappeared.
"It's not been cursed." She said. "Whatever power this has it's not directly harmful."
"How do you know?" Emma squinted.
"I was testing it for dark magic and any signs of tampering. A little trick I learned to detect poison."
"You were worried someone was going to poison you?" Emma mused as the mirror began to buzz and Regina raised her eyebrows.
"Come to think of it, I'm not sure why I am surprised at that." She added, opening the mirror.
"Mom! We were just talking about you. Kind of..." She added under her breath as Mary Margaret and Belle once again appeared, this time with Hook behind them.
"Oh look. It's Captain Vandal." Regina snarked as Emma looked at her bashfully, suddenly regretting that particular method of trial and error.
"Nice to see you too, Regina. I see absence has not made the heart grow fonder." He replied.
"No. And I intend to end your absence from court ordered community service but we'll discuss that when we return. At length." She squinted as Hook looked to Emma who gave him an apologetic shrug.
"Did you find the well? Where were you?" Mary Margaret spoke up too focussed on the tasks at hand to care about side discussions. Regina and Emma exchanged a shared look of sympathy. "Oh we found it, and thanks for the translation. It really helped - in a manner of speaking." Emma explained. "Please tell us you have something on the well."
"We haven't found any new sources but we translated a bit more from what you showed us." Belle replied, lifting a piece of paper. "The well seems to be able to command people to say whatever the user wants. It could be used to force people to chant spells or passwords I guess."
"What so you're obliged to say whatever someone wants you to say? Is that it?"
"That is what was written."
"Why would it need such high protection for that?" Emma turned to Regina who was trying to work it out.
"It could have been a backfired curse or sometimes elements can have natural properties that nobody knows the origin. Then again even words can be powerful tools. I guess that could be useful to a puppet master."
"Hey, didn't you say something about a puppeteer before?" Mary Margaret turned to Belle.
"Yes...that came up. A guy who had his rod split."
"Sounds painful..." Hook remarked with a snigger as Regina rolled her eyes and Emma gave him a gentle smile.
"Have you got something to add to this, Hook, or are you just here for the comments?"
"I do actually. I thought you'd like to know that we're not the only realm missing magic. "
"How on earth did you find that out?" Regina asked cynically. "
"I have my contacts." He answered picking at a fingernail with his hook. "You don't have to be magical to receive messages you know."
"Stop the cryptic, Killian." Emma said before Regina could be riled any further. "What exactly did you find out and how?"
"Robin and I were scouting around the portal for signs and there was a sudden strong wind, some might even say tornado like. Next thing we know there is a flash of greeny white by one of the trees and something began to scratch at the bark."
Emma whipped out her pad and began to scribble. "What was it?"
"Glinda. My magic's been stolen. They're stealing more. Don't let them." Hook began to recite from a scrap of paper. " Get cup." As Emma wrote the last word Regina slapped her hands down.
"Great!" She spat. "Everyone wants us to get the damn cup but still no-one is telling us what to do with it!" She added, frustrated, looking over the well.
"Well at least we know that's Oz, us and Arendelle without magic. We know whoever the "they're" is they're stealing from other realms." Emma reasoned. "Though that means you could be right about bigger picture."
"Robin and David are now working with the fairies to try and make contact with other lands." Hook finished explaining as Mary Margaret picked up the thread.
"What can you tell about the well?" She asked, trying to raise spirits. "There must be something you can detect?"
"Nothing, except that I ruled out that it's been cursed."
"Could it be like that one August shows me that returns lost things?" Emma weighed in. "It'll somehow call our powers and force their return." She tried to make sense of the riddle. "I suppose it has to have something to do with forcing someone to say something."
"It could be that the powers are locked with a spell that someone has to say?" Belle suggested. "The cup must play a part too." She deduced.
"Yeh, if we need to water the plants around the well..." Regina scoffed. "This is a glorified salt shaker."
"Hey, maybe we need to get the water from the well and sprinkle it over us." Emma's eyes popped with excitement at the story. "Like a baptism or - " she paused, noting Regina's unimpressed expression.
"I nominate Regina." Hook chimed in.
"I'd do it if it means I can also command your silence." The witch threatened as Emma cut her off with another idea, pacing around the well.
"Or maybe we have to dive in...it said sink or swim." She shrugged as Regina raised an eyebrow towards her. "Don't worry, you're a witch. You'll float." Emma teased with a gentle smile as the others tried not to laugh.
"What I said to him applies to you too you know." Regina squinted. "I need you alive, not necessarily talking."
"If I were you I would try it all." Belle brought them back to focus. "Scoop up some water with the cup, try spells, try even drinking it -"
"If you're sure it's safe." Mary Margaret cut her off.
"We'll give a few things a go." Emma reassured them. "Then we'll get back to you either way. Just keep looking." They once again said their goodbyes before the two of them took a few moments staring into the water.
"Well if you won't try it, I will." Emma finally had enough of the theories. She took their prize and scooped up a cup full before Regina could challenge her decision.
Both of them watched as they were rewarded with absolutely nothing. The cup filled but as expected it immediately drained through the bottom.
"Well that was...completely expected." Regina commented, folding her arms as Emma scrunched her lips up in thought.
Emma took her pad out, trying to be optimistic amid her companion's negativity and looked out the page with the riddler's rhyme.
"See if your name will sink or swim." She read aloud before looking back down.
"Emma Swan." She shouted into the well as Regina watched cynically. "The Saviour." She attempted. With still no change she filled the cup up again and winced.
"Emma Swan, the Saviour and former Dark One." She shouted in again before holding the cup over her head, sprinkling the liquid down over herself. Once again nothing happened except Regina giving her an incredulous look. She shook the water from her hair. "What? At least I'm trying!" She protested, losing patience with Regina's lack of cooperation.
"Alright, let me try." Regina conceded. "But I'm not jumping in."
She took the cup cautiously dipped it under the surface. Filling it up again she said her name and then winced before taking a swig of it and gulping it down with a look of disgust. Once again nothing came of it, finally snapping Emma's patience as well as Regina's.
"You're right. This is pointless!" Emma huffed, ripping the page out of her notebook and tossing it in the well before spinning round and bursting into the riddler's refrain with a look of confusion. "You beat the trolls and got their prize now you can make them all oblige, your powers combined can let you in and use your name to sink or swim."
"Saying it over and over again won't help, Swan. I keep telling you, he's useless." Regina lectured as Emma grabbed her arm.
"No, Regina...I didn't say that...I mean, I did say that but I didn't mean to..." She looked at her sternly in fascination. "It felt like it did when you used to command me with the dagger...like I had no control over the words."
Regina immediately sprung to attention, looking into the well. The paper had disappeared.
"Give me the pad." She ordered as Emma did so. Scribbling something down without Emma seeing, she tore the page off and threw it in.
"This is a test." Emma bleated out before looking to Regina with hope and surprise in her eyes. "You need to write it down to make it work?" She queried, scrunching up her face.
"Emma..." Regina muttered allowed, thinking it over.
"What?"
"No." Regina asserted, showing her the pad. "Your name is on the pad, remember? Your name will sink or swim."
Giving the mayor a glance of understanding, Emma took the pad and scribbled down her own test. She tossed it in the well and as before the paper immediately fizzled as it touched the water.
"I never give your parents enough credit. They produced a smart girl." Regina said before looking at Emma confused. "Hey! I didn't think that and my name's not there. What did you do?" She asked as a smile suddenly grew on Emma's face
"I scored out my name and wrote yours - we've done it..." She bobbed up and down in excitement as Regina talked it through, relieved that had made progress but still confused.
"But even assuming we can use this to unlock our power with a spell or whatever it needs…we can't exactly take the well with us wherever the magic is. We don't even know where that is."
"But..." Emma looked at the cup Regina had placed on the side of the well before writing something else down.
Taking the artefact and filling it again, this time she held the notepad under the stream of water that flowed through the holes.
"I promise not to punish Hook for the tree if you tell me the idea you are thinking of." Regina said before biting her lip. "OK, can we go back to using your name. And that promise doesn't count!" She added, taking control of her words again as Emma chuckled.
"I know, but I will tell you anyway. You made a potion to distil magic for the amulets right?" Emma pointed the cup at Regina who nodded nervously with a "mmhmm".
"But you also said you did a containment spell..."
"Right..." A flash of hope now glowed over Regina's eyes. Emma placed the notepad on the side of the well to free her hand and held it out, the two of them immediately wired into each other's plans. Regina wrapped the amulet around their wrist as in the cave and Emma readied the cup. With a nod from her partner, Emma dipped it in but before she raised the bottom above the surface, Regina closed her eyes and fired out a stream from her hand. Tuning into it, Emma followed suit and joined it up with a white light of her own. The cup began to glow yellow until there was a flash of light and their streams stopped. With another look to Regina, Emma slowly lifted it out, but this time there was no cascade of water from below it.
Unwrapping their hands, Regina took the pad and wrote out another short note before holding it out below the chalice. Emma shook it over and a few drops fell but no more than a splatter.
"We wouldn't have got here without you, your majesty, but I think we've done it."Emma spat out the words robotically before giving Regina a wide smile.
"And that I actually do!"
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"I don't need to know, Emma. I'm sure Regina has done something amazing." Mary Margaret replied before looking confused. "Wait, what?"
Emma raised an eyebrow at a smug looking Regina.
"You told me to relax and have fun. And now we know it works across realms." She replied as Emma shook her head with a smile before explaining.