Chapter 10

Words start Wars

After a few more days of practicing, they got ready. Snow informed the dwarves and the blue fairy who agreed to help them.

Regina was terrified. She was utterly afraid of the moment, the outcome of this fight. Cora, no, her mother is a very powerful woman, and there is no doubt someone is going to get hurt. The gut wrenching feeling made her want to throw up, the thought of leaving them, her family to fight her mother alone. She knew this was it. This has to be done once and for all. It was time. However, Regina is scared, she is afraid of that moment when everything turns dark and it's game over either for her or her mother, and both endings frightened Regina.

"The dwarves will take action once they see me," Snow informed them, waking Regina from her reverie.

Charming gazed upon his wife, his daughter, his grandson, Red, Ebony and Regina. "This is it. We will fight this together, as a family. This afternoon, that's it. We either win or we lose, but we will do this together."

As Charming spoke his words, Regina's stomach wrenched in fear. Together as a family Regina thought, but pushed it aside, you protect the ones you love with everything you can.

Regina plastered on her usual smile, "why don't we have one more practice round before everything happens?"

They all nodded, knowing full well that they needed as much practice as they could get.

She led them inside once more below her mausoleum. Her stomach churned and fear coursed through her veins, adrenaline fueling her body. This was it. She pushed open the door allowing all the rest inside.

She looked at each and every one of them and wondered, how could all of them be smiling when the very next moment the person standing next to them could tumble into the black abyss, leaving them alone. "I'm sorry."

They all looked towards her, eyebrows arched, "Regina what are you talking about?"

She stared at the ground, "I have to do this alone."

Before any of them could react, she shut the door and used her magic to seal the door. Permanently. She placed a three layered spell, knowing full well that Ebony would try to unveil it with her magic.

Ebony ran towards the door, "NO!"

Charming and Snow registered what had just happened and both rushed towards the door banging it, "Regina! What are you doing?!"

Ebony sent a bolt of magic towards the door, but only got repelled by it, swinging her across the room.

Henry stood, shocked. "No, no, mom! You can't do this!"

Emma pulled her son into a hug, "Regina! you better let us out! This isn't funny."

Red tried to strike the door, but only got repelled, like Ebony, across the room.

"How about your phones?" Ebony inquired.

They all took out their phones and groaned, Snow kicked the wall, "we're underground! There is not reception!"

They all stared at each other knowing full well that they cannot get out of that room, and that Regina might not come back.

Regina walked away from the screams of her son and her daughter. She wiped her tears away, knowing that they would not help, but only distract her. They were indeed skilled with their swords and arrows and being a wolf, however Cora's magic can easily kill them. You protect the people you love, she repeated to herself.

She took out her phone and sent a text message to Gold. I'm ready.

Regina made her way towards the street, already feeling a familiar sense of magic. She turned the corner and saw Cora's back facing her. She was already talking to Gold. She knew she had to be quiet. Knowing her mother, anything that crept up on her, she will kill. She waited for Gold's distraction.

Gold studied Cora, "now why might you be here?"

Cora smiled, "I'm here for my daughter, now if you excuse me, I need to go."

Gold stopped her from moving another step, "I'm afraid I can't do that dearie."

"Why is that?"

Gold smiled grimly, "there are some things I need to settle with you."

She chuckled, "I don't owe you anything."

"I know, however, you see dearie, no one cheats on a deal with me," Gold smirked, knowing full well that they are talking nonsense and he is just improvising.

"We played by your rules Rumplestiltskin. I did not cheat, you changed the deal," she replied, that fake smile still plastered on her face.

"Not good enough," Gold held a fire ball and sent it hurtling towards Cora.

Cora easily swept it away, and arched her brows, knowing that Rumplestiltskin does not act that way. She thought about it for a moment and grinned inwardly, knowing what kind of a game Rumple was trying.

Regina saw the chance and moved closer to Cora, however, still leaning against one side of the wall. All she needed is one more fire ball or any other distraction for her to move right behind her and paralyse her.

Cora smiled, "Rumplestiltskin, I loved you."

Gold and Regina froze, not knowing what that meant.

Gold studied her every move, "What?"

Cora knew she got Rumple, "isn't that what you were always wondering before? If I ever loved you? You thought that if I had loved you, I would've ran away with you, but dear, I loved you greatly, that's why I had to rip my heart out, I was in love with you."

Gold for the first time, stood dumbstruck. Cora was correct, he did wonder all those years ago, he did want the answer, and now it is given to him. He felt numb. It was as if time stood still and he could think, just think about what she meant, and how it could've changed their pasts. She knew Cora was a master of manipulations, but so was he.

Regina was shocked, never before did she ever see Gold startled, especially where he just stood idly by, without his guard up.

Cora took the chance and created a spell in her hands, more specifically, a curse. She snickered at how dumbstruck Rumple was, she swung her hand back.

Regina panicked seeing what was in Cora's hand. She had to abandon her plan, she couldn't paralyse her mother now. In that millisecond, she magicked herself in front of Gold and pushed him, making him tumble to the ground, and deflected the curse.

Gold snapped back into reality, remembering where he was and what he was suppose to do. He stood up next to Regina, placing his familiar facade on.

Cora smiled sweetly seeing her daughter, "hello dear," she saw Rumple's stance, "you're siding with my daughter?" she chuckled.

Regina sent a bolt of magic towards Cora which in return deflected it and swung Regina across the street, hitting her against a brick wall.

Grumpy watched as the scene unfold in the streets from Granny's diner. He turned around to look inside the diner, "what's going on? Where is Snow? When are we suppose to go out there?"

Belle rushed up next to him and anxiety coursed through her vein, watching Rumple fight with Regina against Cora.

Regina stood up from the ground, brushing off some dirt on her skirt.

Gold threw bolts of electricity one after the other, "still so manipulative."

Cora had small difficulty deflecting it, the magic only bounced off into the walls and into the floor. Later on, she held her staff and jammed it into the floor, causing it to shake, "Rumple, I learnt so much more in Wonderland. Some spells maybe you don't even know," she teased.

Regina tumbled to the floor, feeling the earthquake. Gold leaned against a wall, stopping him from toppling over.

The Charmings, Ebony, and Red felt the earthquake and their worry only increased. They tried everything to open the door, but only got bounced back.

"Is there any way of getting out?" Charming asked, clearly frustrated.

"Only if the shield weakens," Ebony replied.

"When will the shield weaken?" Emma asked, staring at the door.

"When Regina weakens, the shield will too," Ebony answered sitting in the corner of the large stone room.

Red turned to Ebony, "I thought you were really powerful with your magic and all, why can't you magick us out on the other side or something."

Ebony looked up at her with watery eyes. "Remember? she loves me and I love her, I can't attack, it will only weave in together."

It became quiet until Emma spoke up, "can I use my magic?"

Snow and Charming both turned to Ebony, wondering if it will work.

"Maybe."

"C'mon, let's try it then!" Henry said, staring at each of them.

Regina stood up again, once more and sent a fireball to her. She continued hurtling fire towards her mother until her mother's attention was fully on her.

Cora sent a wave of energy to Regina, wanting to force her back, but only was deflected by Rumple.

Gold and Regina both kept hurtling fire and magic to Cora, having to split her attention.

Regina saw the worried faces in the diner, and faltered a bit.

In that millisecond, Cora sent and bolt of energy again, pushing Regina against a wall.

Gold turned his head to see if Regina was alright, but got pushed down himself. He tried to stand up but found himself stuck.

Cora smiled, "Rumple, did I tell you what I stumbled upon today?"

"Arggg" Emma yelled in frustration, "why isn't it working!"

Ebony sat back in the corner of the room, "because you don't want it to."

"What?" Emma said in accusation.

Ebony glanced at everyone in the room and back to Emma. "Everyone you care about, your parents and your son is safe. You open the door, you lead them to danger."

Henry looked up at Emma, waiting for her to answer.

She glared at Ebony, charging towards her, "you think I want to watch this whole town crumble to pieces?! Leroy, Granny, and all of them are out there! You think I just want to leave them out there with Cora?"

Ebony stood up, facing directly to Emma, "No. However, you want to protect your family. Everybody does."

Snow placed a hand on Ebony and Emma, trying to calm them down, "is there a way to change that? Emma could try thinking of something else."

Ebony stared at her, and replied bluntly, "Whatever she thinks,her intent will still be the same."

Charming took his sword and tried to jam it through the slit of the door, but only got bounced back. "This is why I don't like magic."

Gold's eyes shot up, seeing Cora holding his dagger, "how?" he stammered. The dagger was everything. It was who he was. The Dark One. Without it, he felt like the coward again, and he cannot seem weak in front of Cora. Magic is power and he needed it at this very moment.

"I was bored standing in the clock tower."

Regina still stood quite a distance from Gold and Cora and she froze, seeing what was in Cora's hands. She sent a bolt of energy towards her, having her tumble backwards.

Gold knew Cora would make him kill people, and he can't risk that. What if she makes him kill Belle. Gold turned towards Regina, worry evident, "Regina, she can control me."

Regina panicked, She saw Cora beginning to get up and saw the worried expression on Gold's face. She knew what he was thinking.

An idea jumped in her mind and she quickly followed it. She sent a bolt of magic towards Gold, having his head hit against the curb. If he is unconscious, he can't be controlled.

Cora got up and smiled at Regina, "thank you dear."

Cora took the dagger and swung it back, readying to kill Gold and become the Dark One herself.

Great. I don't knock him out, she will make him kill. I do, she kills everybody. Regina sent another bolt of energy to Cora having her again blown back to a wall.

Belle rushed out, glaring at Regina, "what did you do to him?!"

Grumpy saw that Cora was about to get up and he had to do something so he ran out, hoping to get Belle.

Regina groaned, this is why I locked them up. She saw Cora's gaze on Belle and with a flick of her hand, she magicked Grumpy, Belle, and Gold inside the Diner and sealed the door.

Cora stood up, unscathed. She saw what her daughter had done and anger coursed through her veins. She placed the dagger away and trudged towards her daughter. She motioned her hand toward Regina and then up to the air.

Regina was swung high up in the air by her neck. She clawed onto the invisible band of magic, begging it to release.

Cora smirked, "you should have listened to your mother. You decided to fight me, so I will go against you."

Regina's vision began to blur.

Ebony felt a shift in magic, and ran towards the door. She threw a bolt of magic and the door easily broke open.

Charming and Snow exchanged glances. "We got to help Regina now!"

They rushed out the door, however on the way out, Ebony noticed something familiar. Cora's suitcase.

Regina mustered up her energy and squeezed her arm under the invisible force. She aimed at Cora and sent a fireball towards Cora.

Cora dropped Regina, deflecting the fire. She hit the ground hard, gasping and coughing for air.

When Cora was about to use magic on Regina, she saw five figures running towards her and smirked, "well, well, well, I see you have brought backup."

A/N: I've written this chapter and the next quite a while now, however never got the time to revise it. Thank you so much for the reviews. We appreciate every single comment on the story so far.

What did you guys think? Did you like the start of the battle? Please review and tell us what you think will happen at the end. I've got quite the surprise :) The battle is actually pretty long.

PS. I don't usually update chapters this fast. However I got excited over the reviews :) Thank you very much. Do you guys like the story?

-Cafe