*The UnderWorld**
The dining table was massive, larger than any she had sat at before. It was black like everything else, sparkling with ruby diamonds set down deep in the onyx table top. She sat rigid in her chair, the spikes on the back of it jutting out at odd angles. Nothing about this place was soft, everything had a hard edge, like knives waiting to pierce her skin. The smell of roast infiltrated her nose, the buffet of food in front of her made her slightly nauseous.
"Regina, eat." Cora silently demanded across from her.
She stared at her mother, a bubble of anger rising in her. The last thing she wanted was to be controlled again by her. Their conflict earlier in the night had been hard…Regina could tell that Cora was battling her inner emotions, but it wasn't going to be an easy fight. She may have her heart back, but years of living without it were deep rooted. Cora was stilled filled with the same icy personality, though in rare moments the softness came out.
"What you don't like the food?" Hades commented from the side of her. He drummed his fingers on the black table as light grey smoke emanated from his skin. He watched Regina with his golden eyes, taking in her every move, every blink of her eyes, the way she clenched her fist trying to keep her magic at bay.
"It's more the company that turns me off" she retorted back.
Hades threw a hand to his jest animatedly, "You wound me. I am the God of the Underworld….you should be nice to me"
"A god who needs me to help him….seems strange don't you think?" She sniped back. She stabbed a piece of meat, staring at him as she chewed. Though she wouldn't admit it, it was delicious and for a fleeting second she wondered if the reason he was staring too intently was because it was poisoned.
He seemed to notice her train of thought and he smirked at her "Thinking that I am taking a page from your book, your Majesty?"
She arched an eyebrow at him not willing to let him know about her concern any more than he was beginning to. Instead she cut a second piece and turned her eyes from his.
"Apple doesn't fall from the tree I see" He jested as he took Korra's hand into his own, smiling at the older woman. He could also sense her emotions, the jealousy that raged through her body as she stared back at her daughter.
They sat in silence for a moment before Regina cleared her throat, summoning a goblet of red wine in her hand. "So are you finally going to tell me what this big plan of yours is?"
Hades chuckled, his blue hair glowing brightly as he leaned back in his throned chair. "How much do you know of me?"
Regina swallowed her wine and drummed her fingers on the table "Enough, but I get the feeling you are going to tell me anyway"
His grey eyebrows arched into his forehead as he bared his teeth in what she supposed was suppose to be a smile. "My brother Zeus is the God that rules Olympus. My younger brother to be exact. The throne for that kingdom was supposed to be mine" A flicker of red flame danced around his skin.
"He is an entitled self righteous man, he doesn't deserve to be in charge"
Regina inwardly groaned, another sibling that felt entitled to things that they weren't given. A flash of Zelena's face clouded her mind for a moment as the nausea settled back in. She never wanted to see that witches face again, after everything that happened, losing Robin, the baby that she carried with her soulmate, the months of torture she played on them….no another sibling squabble was the last thing she wanted to have to hear.
"Seriously you are jealous of your brother?" She snarled out.
"Jealous is a funny term"
"It certainly seems like you are just throwing a tantrum over losing Olympus to him"
His skin flared hot red and Regina recoiled in her chair at the sudden heat that radiated from him. His eyes darkened as he bared his teeth to her "I didn't lose it. It was stolen from me"
His breath was rapid as anger licked through his veins. He didn't like to be tested in this way, his right was to the throne of Olympus, and he would be dammed if he wasn't going to get it back.
Cora reached over, apparently unnerved by the flames that danced on his skin, her hand fell gently on his forearm as her magic sent out a flicker of ice towards him, cooling his skin in the process. The red flames died as he closed his eyes, breathing heavy, calming his magic down.
"You have quite the temper" Regina remarked snidely, a small smirk on her face.
"Regina, don't be petulant!"
A tensed silence crept around them as Regina stared at her mother who returned the hard glare with one of her own.
"Zeus decided that I was unfit to rule the throne"
"What did you do?"
He huffed a breath, the red flame lightly returning before he was able to calm it down, the daggers he sent Regina made her heart pump a bit quicker. She was certain if he didn't need her to terribly, she would be dead by now.
"I let an entire society die because they defied my temple"
"You're serious?"
"I don't take lightly to insubordination" He sneered out at her.
"So I gathered"
They stared at each other for a heated moment.
"So why do you need me?"
He smiled menacingly at Regina, the gesture made her blood curdle. His black tongue darted out licking his lips.
"There are certain people that have magic like yours, the mix of both light and dark, it's rare, especially when the light magic is also from the love of a soulmate"
Her heart clenched at the mention of Robin, her heart ached desperately for him, for Henry and Roland, for her family. She grimaced, and glared back at the Devil.
"As I was saying, magic like yours is unique, and it's something that I don't possess, till now at least"
"If you think I'm going to storm a mountain for you, you are delusional" she scoffed.
"Hold your tongue Regina!" Cora snapped at her.
Hades smirked at the fire inside the Queen beside him, "I don't need you to hike up Olympus, I simply need you to raise the dead to do that for us"
Her jaw dropped as her eyebrows creased in confusion and shock.
Raise the dead? How would that do anything? And How would she do it? Her mind raced through the flurry of questions.
Hades watched as her eyes flurried in emotions at him and he smiled at her, reaching out to grasp her hand, his icy bones sending shivers down her spine.
"I thought that was impossible" She finally managed to ask through the dryness of her throat.
"It is, for some. But for you, with your particular brand of magic it isn't"
She frowned at him.
"You see, the dead as they are, can't die….they will rise as an army that will be able to overthrow my vulgar brother at my command and I will be able to regain my rightful place on the throne and finally get out of this hell hole"
Bile rose in her throat at the thought of a dead army, their dripping skin and white bones that floated by in the green river already made her uncomfortable, she didn't relish the thought of seeing them walking around.
"What do I get out of this?"
"I'll make you a deal, you help me succeed in this small task and I will consider releasing you back"
Her heart skipped at his words, she could get back to Storybrooke.
"So do we have a deal?" He extended his hand out to her.
For a moment she froze, questioning his motives. There was most certainly something he wasn't telling her… she thought about how hard she had tried to change, leave her villainous past behind her. Raising a dead army to overthrow a kingdom would certainly leave more death in it's wake. She suddenly felt nauseous, this wasn't her. She had changed, for Henry. She found light magic through Robin, would doing this take that away and leave only darkness behind once again.
"It's impolite to make the God of the Underworld wait Regina" her mother sneered at her.
"Can I at least think about it?"
Hades groaned "I am not exactly a patient man"
"I gathered as much"
Hades could see the wheels turning in Regina's head. He could sense the internal battle she was wagging and he wasn't about to let his one chance at revenge let slip.
He flicked his wrist and refilled her goblet, handing it to her as he filled his own back up. His eyes danced in anticipation as he extended the cup to her.
"I will hold true to my word. You help me and I will help you" he raised his goblet.
She held her own, as she stared back at him, debating internally, this could be her one chance to get home.
"Fine"
She held the goblet to her lips, drinking the red wine deeply as Hades did the same.
Suddenly her world began to go fuzzy and she stared down at the cup….
"You…." Her words slurred from her lips as black spots invaded her vision.
"You…Pois…Poisoned Me" the goblet fell from her hands crashing to the ground as her body fell into unconsciousness, tumbling from her seat onto the hard stone floor.
"Was that really necessary?" Cora questioned "You just poisoned her, you really think she is going to help you now?"
Hades simply smiled, "I didn't poison her, I simple changed her mind set"
Cora's eyes furrowed in confusion "her mind set?"
"Yes, I need the Evil Queen, not this softer version"
"The Evil Queen doesn't have light magic"
"Exactly. But I didn't change her magic, I simply am bringing back the person that I need, whose mind won't be tempted by anything but what I need"
"So she will still have her light magic and can raise the dead, but it her mind will falter back into her previous self?"
"You got it sister"
Cora smiled deviously "You are quite something" she cooed out at him.
"I know" He smirked back.
He flicked his wrist and Regina's body vanished.
Her head pounded as she roused from her sleep. She groaned heavy into the silk pillows as she clenched her eyes shut, avoiding the light that was blaring at her. She took a few deep breaths before letting her eyes open.
What the hell…. She sat up quickly taking in her surroundings. She wasn't in her bed chambers, she didn't know where the hell she was. The room was massive, dark and ominous. Her eyes flickered around the room, the walls were black with shining diamonds, the floor a matching black onyx stone. The bed she sat on was expansive, black draping lace hung from the rafters as it coasted down to the blood red silk sheets she sat on.
Where ever she was, she smirked at the fact she liked the person's sense of style. It was dark and brooding. She moved her feet off the comforter till they hit the cold stone floor. She shivered at the contact, Did this place have to be so bloody cold? She inwardly groaned before sending a pulse of magic, lighting the fire cavern instantly. The warmth surrounded the room and she let out a heavy sigh. Better.
Walking around the room, an odd noise hit her ears, it sounded like people crying or screaming. She cringed, though she may have caused death she didn't exactly enjoy the sounds of torture, and that was exactly the noise that was echoing around her new room.
She summoned a long black robe, pulling it around her waist as she walked towards the balcony, towards the noise. Her heart stalled for a moment as he eyes took in the dark green lake below, her stomach curling as her eyes met with those of the dead.
Where the hell am I? A dead lake?
She pulled back from the railing, away from the moaning and groaning of the souls that floated beneath her. A flicker of annoyance ran through her body, someone obviously has been tampering with her, the question was who.
And where the hell was Snow White? That wretched girl who ruined everything. For a moment she wondered if maybe she herself was dead, hence the dead souls that apparently surrounded her, could it be that someone had murdered her in her sleep and this was the after life?
It would make sense, but it didn't feel like she was dead….she shook her head and pushed the thought out of her mind. No, something else was going on. The chill in the air buried deep into her bones through the light silk robe. She couldn't exactly go waltzing through a mysterious castle in a silk robe and lingerie. She chuckled darkly before flicking her wrist and her body was encased for a moment her purple smoke.
She smiled at her reflection in the mirror, that was much better. The black dress hugged her body like a glove, silver diamonds encrusted the deep V cleavage line and wrapped around her hips where the velvet material flared out. A lace brocade curled up from her bust line to the underneath of her chin, giving the impression of spider webs wrapping around her slender neck. A blood red thick ruby held at the base of her throat as her hair pulled back into an elaborate updo. Her makeup was heavy set, dark around her eyes and ruby lips painted on thick.
She hummed to herself, reveling in the way her appearance could strike both fear and lust into near anyone. Her fingers cracked with magic, her heart seemed to thrum stronger than ever and for a moment she wondered why….usually her heart felt so heavy and cold. But this, this was hot radiating warmth that she had only felt….No, don't think about Daniel…. She shook her head and sent a pulse of magic around the room, releasing the built up tension. To her surprise the magic wasn't her usual dark plum purple, but it had spirals of white that curled around it.
That was odd…..she doesn't have white magic, only darkness. What the hell was going on!? She stalked over to the large door, her brutally high stiletto's clicking against the hard floor, echoing around the room, she wrenched the door open and was taken aback as she was face to face with a demonic looking man. His amber eyes glowed hot at her as a smile bared across his face.
"Who the hell are you?" She snapped, not liking how the bizarre looking man was devouring her with his eyes.
He arched an eyebrow high against his grey skin, his hair electric blue as it pulsed from his head…she felt nauseous as his thick smell of black licorice invaded her. His bony grey and extended out, dark silver magic dancing from his fingertips.
"Regina. Welcome Back" his voice playful as he stared at her.
"That's a bit informal don't you think. Have some respect. It's Your Majesty" she snarled back, recoiling her hand from his extended one that had reached out to touch her.
He chuckled, "Oh this is delicious"
Her anger rolled in her body, her hand flew up as her magic raged out to the intruding man, her fingers clenched as she closed around his throat, watching his eyes widen. Her forehead creased as she snarled back at him
She was annoyed that her choke hold didn't seem to be affecting the man, his smile only widened and he began to chuckle, waving his hand forcing her hand to drop her magic. She stared at him with a dropped jaw.
"Who the Hell are you?"
He walked straight up to her, his face mere inches from her own. His black tongue slide from behinds his jagged teeth as he wet his lips, he seemed to almost be trembling with anticipation. The proximity of him made her feel incredibly uncomfortable, but she wasn't about to let him know that.
"I suggest you move back, before I set you on fire" she glared up at him, and was rewarded with another deadly smile as his hands raised in surrender.
"You truly are magnificent" he mused.
"I'm well aware" She smirked.
Her eyes flickered back from the man to the room they were standing in,
"Where am I?"
"Kingdom of the Underworld, isn't that obvious?"
Her stomach clenched….maybe she was dead….
"Let me guess, Snow White killed me?"
"Your Majesty, you aren't dead"
"Then why am I here?"
"I needed your magic, it's a particularly powerful brand"
Her fingers crackled with white sparks at his words. Hades could see the small flicker of confusion and uncertainty as her eyes momentarily watched the white sparks.
"Did you do something to screw with my magic?" She suddenly snapped
"Nope, that's all you"
"That's not possible, I have dark magic, only dark magic"
Hades shrugged his shoulders, not willing to let her know anything more.
They stared at each other for a long tense moment, before she pulled her shoulder back regally, "What is it you want?"
"I simply need you to raise a dead army for me, send them to Olympus to remove my brother from the throne and let me reclaim my rightful position" He remarked rather calmly
Olympus?...Kingdom of the Dead…..the lake of dead souls….his blue hair….
"You're Hades aren't you?"
"You are a perceptive one" He jested back
"You're a God. What the hell do you need me for?" Her tone dripping in annoyed disdain.
"Like I said, I need your magic"
For a moment she turned her gaze from his, eyeing her surroundings.
"I assume we made some sort of deal?"
"You bet we did"
"And?"
"Well we agreed that if you helped me regain my throne, I'd let you go home"
Her eyebrows creased "Home?"
"You got it"
She could feel something was off, there was something he wasn't telling her and it sent a shiver down her spine. This place was the last one she wanted to be stuck in. If there were souls of the dead here, she couldn't imagine how many of them were from her.
"How did I get here?"
Hades chuckled "You sold yourself to me to save your soulmate"
She laughed, darkly. She didn't have a soulmate, she left that man in a tavern long ago.
"You're Funny. Now tell me the truth" She snarled.
"Choose to believe me or not, I wouldn't lie" He replied back
Her heart stuttered for a moment, it was impossible, she never met the man, and she sure as hell wouldn't have traded her life for him when Snow White was still out there.
Her Soulmate…..no that couldn't be…..
An odd sensation ran through her heart, it was on fire, heated pain for a moment and she clutched her chest in reaction. A break out of sweat hit her forehead as she clenched her eyes shut, grinding her teeth through the blinding pain.
The striking fire started to subside and she let out a heavy breath, lifting herself back into a standing position. Her eyes met Hades who had an odd expression pulled across his face, it was a mix of concern, anger and fear.
He had watched as she bent over in pain, the magic in her heart sending out a blasting pulse as he spoke of her soulmate, he didn't like it. If she began to think about her soulmate, his potion's effect would wear off quicker than he wanted. She needed to be the Evil Queen, not Regina…..
He clenched his fists as a flicker of red flame danced on his skin through his anger. No this wasn't going to be ruined….he would make sure of that.
The stairs seemed to descend for eternity, the air significantly chilling the lower they went. Robin could see his breath fogging out in front of him, his skin cold as his fingers began to numb. He held his torch in front of him, their only source of light as they dropped further and further down.
Henry was behind him, followed by Emma and then the Charmings. No one spoke much, each involved within their own minds, the shared feeling of unease settled around them silently.
Robin could see the bottom of the steps approaching, his feet hit the solid ground floor finally, his legs ached from the journey down. But his mind was focused on one thing and one thing only, Regina.
The rest of the group hit the bottom behind him. A long black tunnel carved through the dirt, arching in black stones. There was some sort of inscription around it that Robin didn't understand, but the hairs of the back of his neck stood straight as his eyes took in the skeleton carvings on either side of the archway. Their faces seemed to be screaming out, blood red eyes staring right at him. His heart picked up a beat as he swallowed down his fear, it wouldn't do any good to show Henry that he was getting nervous…he needed to be strong for the young man.
"Doesn't that look welcoming" David chortled out as he took in the ominous carvings.
"Any idea what the inscription says?" Snow questioned out, but they all just shook their heads.
"Regina would probably know" Emma smirked and Robin let out a light laugh. She was right Regina probably would have known what it said, or at least had an idea. He loved her brilliant mind, it was incredibly sexy to him.
Henry stayed silent in the corner, his own fears riding high. With a knowing glance from her parents, Emma bumped his shoulder with her own before wrapping an arm around him "Hey, It's gonna be okay"
Henry exhaled hard "She is trapped in the Underworld….I can't exactly think it is Disneyland"
Emma laughed "You're right, but if anyone is strong enough to get through this it's your Mom"
"Are you patting yourself on the back" David poked her
The group laughed together, the first sense of lightness since the portal door opened in the cemetery.
"Nice, David" Emma rolled her eyes before smiling back down at Henry.
His green eyes suddenly filled with worry, he chewed his lower lip as his gaze flickered around the stone tunnel… "You don't think what said is true do you?"
Snow and David glanced up at each other with matching concern and Emma pursed her lips, not really knowing what to say. There was a very real chance that Hades had turned Regina back into her old self….but there was also a real glimmer of hope in Emma's heart that Regina would be fine.
Robin's heart thrummed heavy in his chest at Henry's question, he desperately hoped that she was okay, but there was a strange sensation that he had felt about halfway down the steps. It was like a burning flame in his heart, something he hadn't felt before. It worried him to a heavy degree. His heart and soul were tied to Regina….and if his own heart was feeling pain, that could possibly mean so was hers. He swallowed down hard, trying his best to not let his emotions take ahold of him.
"So, I guess we should head down the tunnel…..to the Underworld…..?" Emma's voice seemed to shake as she tried to hold her strength. Robin simply nodded before turning his gaze back to the tunnel.
"Whatever we find, stick together" Snow echoed from the back of the group "No splitting up okay!?"
Robin and Emma nodded as David gripped her hand, sending her a small smile of comfort. Robin let out a heavy breath, letting the torch glow around it. The walls seemed to sparkle, it was oddly beautiful. He took a step forward, over the entrance and held his breath, for a brief moment wondering if he would be turned to ash as he crossed. The rest of the group followed into the darkness, the heavy chill in the air sending goosebumps over their skin.
"Can you guys hear that?" Snow's voice wavered.
Robin thought maybe it was only in his head, the faint sounds of moaning, of cries…it made his stomach tie into knots.
"Do you think people are being tortured or something?" Emma questioned out, feeling slightly sick as the voices got louder.
"Mom do you remember the movie?" Henry asked.
Emma nodded "Yeah kid, but people weren't held in dungeons, it was souls that floated in a river….." her voice faltered out at the end as realization dawned on her.
Snow and David's eyes widened as Robin turned around, his jaw dropped with a flickering of fear running through his eyes. Henry swallowed hard "well that's unpleasant" he finally managed to choke out. His thoughts ran to his mom, who has trapped down here, having to listen to the dead cries of people….it was already getting to him, he couldn't imagine how she was dealing with it.
"Maybe we are wrong, after all that's just a movie. It could be something else" Emma offered a weak alternative, but she knew deep down that it wasn't true.
"So does that mean we have to deal with a 3 headed monstrous dog to?" Henry let out a light musing chuckle, but his eyes betrayed his concern. Emma squeezed his shoulder and shrugged her own. "I guess we wait to find out, but seriously kid, Regina will have my head if anything happens to you, so just stick close okay?". He nodded and turned back to follow Robin.
The tunnel was incredibly long, the groaning voices getting louder and louder with each passing minute. A dark green light started to show at the far end of the tunnel, and Robin sighed, thankful that there was an ending to this seemingly never ending tunnel.
They approached the archway where the green light bloomed through. Robin's breath stuttered as his eyes wandered around their new surroundings. It was incredible, Black marble jagged walls jutted out from every angle, diamonds sparkled in the onyx stone all around them. A slender boat was at the edge of the expansive clearing, rocking gently on top of black as night water. He swallowed hard and walked over to the boat, his stomach recoiling as he saw ghost like figures mindlessly floating underneath the water's surface.
David was beside him kneeling over, his eyes wide in a mix of wonder and horror, a singular ghost seemed to catch onto his eyes, holding his gaze and a strange pull began to hold David. He felt his mind cloud over as the ghost stared into him. He had a sudden urge to touch the white wisp beneath the water, his hand raising without his control as he leaned forward, the ghost smiling as his fingers inched closer to the surface.
"DAVID STOP‼‼" Robin rammed him back hard, breaking the strange daze from his mind. Snow and Emma ran over to them "Oh my God, David are you okay?!" Snow clutched his face in her small hands, her green eyes wild in fear.
"I'm fine, I'm fine" David shook his head, clearing out the last remnants of the odd fog.
"Okay, so don't look at them" He finally managed a light chuckle before standing to his feet, squeezing Snow's palm in a gesture of faith.
They stood on the edge of the river bed, careful to keep their eyes solely above the line of the water. Emma bit down on her lower lip before finally breaking the silence "We are gonna have to get in that boat and float across the river…."
Robin exhaled hard, this was getting increasingly nerve wracking for him. If something happened to Henry, he would never forgive himself….why didn't the force him to stay behind…he internally kicked himself for not being stronger.
Slowly he made his way over to the boat, tugged on the black chain a few times before shrugging his shoulders and stepping onto the dark wooden planks. The others followed and David unhooked the chain. For a moment they simple rocked back and forth.
"There aren't any oars…." Henry stated to Robin and David's grimace. They searched around but the boat was empty. Emma huffed out a breath before sitting down on one of the wooden benches. Her blonde hair covering her face as she buried herself into her hands.
"Mom….." Henry sat down beside her, a hand placing lightly on her leg. She looked up with a small smile "Use your magic" he smiled back.
"Henry!" Snow exclaimed from behind them, a wide smile breaking out on her face.
"I don't know if I can….?"
"I know you can mom" Henry gripped her forearm with a pleading look.
She exhaled hard before standing up, walking to the back of the boat. Closing her eyes she imagined a propellor and a blue smoke of magic emanated from her finger tips and she felt the boat lurched forward.
"Mom! You did it!"
The turned around as the boat moved forward at a slow smooth pace. The cave was incredibly, however haunting and dark, it was spectacular. Robin hovered behind Henry, his hand heavy hands on the boy's shoulders. They rounded a curve and in unison gasped. The Castle that stood before them was near the largest any of them had ever seen. It was dark stone, with knifing projections, a silver sheen glazed across it. The boat travelled under a bridge and Robin's heart stuttered at the massive Skull entrance that came into view. It had to be as all as an oak tree, mouth wide open as the head melded into the stone of the Castle walls.
"Wow….." Emma whispered out, her eyes wide in shock and awe. It was impressive, made her heart pound furiously in her chest. The boat knocked against a dock, and the group stepped out lightly….
"Do we have a plan?" Emma asked out as they began to walk towards the Skull's mouth entrance. "It's not like we can exactly waltz in and demand Regina back from the God of the Underworld…."
Robin ran his fingers through his hair, she was right. They needed a plan, and a good one at that. This wasn't going to be easy.
"I think we find a spot to settle for right now, somewhere in a covered shadow so we can figure this out"
They nodded in agreement and retreated into the dark shadows the castle made. Winding around the side of it, Robin spied a caved in area, stone and rocks covering the area providing a decent amount of hiding space. He motioned over and the group followed. Settling down into the cold ground they sat in silence for a minute.
"We need to figure out where they are keeping Regina" David finally broke the moment.
"Easier said than done" Robin chuckled.
"You are the Prince of Theives are you not?" David smiled back to which Robin frowned in confusion.
"If you are suggesting I raid the dungeons here I really don't see how…."
"You are probably the best person to find her" Snow finally caught on to David's idea.
"I don't understand…."
"You are without a doubt the most skilled at hiding yourself in Castles, Robin" David said.
It finally dawned on Robin, perhaps they were right, he had broken into many a Castle, surely this one couldn't be much different. If he could at least find Regina's where abouts then they could figure out a way to break her out.
He nodded, standing to his feet.
"What happened to sticking together?!" Emma suddenly voiced "If we let Robin go alone, who knows what could happen to him"
"She's right, Robin I don't think you should go …" Henry agreed his green eyes staring up at Robin.
He was about to say thank you for their concern when a sudden crack echoed around them. A red flash of light snapped through the air and they were suddenly face to face with five demons, their weapons sharp and pointing straight at them as the encircled the group.
Robin's heart stammered as he pushed Henry between him and Emma, drawing his bow with an arrow notched. Snow echoed his motion while David and Emma drew their swords.
"Hades doesn't like intruders…." The Demon in front of Snow hissed out, jutting his knifed staff at her.
"Do we kill them?" another demon asked, his eyes glowing in red blood lust through his black scaly skin.
"No, we take them to Hades, he can decide" the first demon snarked back.
It was in an instant before they could react, they were surrounded by red smoke and hit a marble black floor hard. Robin groaned as he pushed his body up from the floor. He looked around, Snow and David were side by side, helping each other to stand, Emma and Henry on his other side doing the same. He could feel a slight trickle of blood dripping from his nose.
His eyes followed from the black floor to an expansive set of stairs, his eyes creeping up slowly till his heart stopped in his chest. His breathing clenching in his lungs as his jaw dropped. He could hear Emma and Snow both gasp as Henry stood in silent shock.
Her black velvet gown pooled around her feet, hugging her hips tight as she sat straight back in the throne. The dress wrapped around her body, pushing her cleavage up before it was hidden beneath a lace trimming. A blood red ruby sparkled out dangerously. She was drumming her fingers that were long and sharp against the granite chair. Robin's' eyes wandered up to her face, hoping to see his Regina….but his heart cracked as he took in her pale complexion, dark blood red lips, her hair was incredibly long, swept into an intricate updo. But it was her eyes that sent a pulse of pain through his heart. They were dark, empty and filled with anger.
His throat was dry and he stood rooted to the spot, staring at her. This couldn't be happening…..she couldn't be gone…. He went to speak but her harsh husky voice cut him off sending a chill through him. He had hoped maybe she would recognize them….but her words took the last bits of oxygen from his body.
"Who the hell are you?" She sneered