Belle collapsed onto the bed next to Jefferson, her body slick from exertion. After a beat, she opened her eyes to gaze up at him to see he was looking right back at her, an expression of serene fulfillment on his face. For a long moment, the lovers simply gazed at one another, their chests heaving as they fought to catch their breaths. Finally, Jefferson reached out to brush her hair away from her face before placing a soft kiss on her forehead.
"Do you feel any better?" he asked, smiling warmly at her.
"Yes, I think I do," Belle replied, returning the smile. "Thank you, Jefferson. I needed that."
Chuckling softly, he leaned forward to press his forehead to hers. But as they were moving in for another kiss, a sudden scream rang out from down the hall. Immediately, they looked over at the door, confusion etched on their faces.
"Was that Grace?" Bella asked, furrowing her brow. "I thought she was at a friend's sleepover."
"She was," Jefferson confirmed.
After a moment's hesitation, Jefferson climbed out of bed, reaching for the pants that were hanging off the footboard as Belle sat up, holding the sheet to cover herself up. However, the moment Jefferson was starting to head towards the bedroom door, it burst open. In a flash, a pair of hooded figures burst into the room. Without a word, they lunged for Jefferson and started to drag him out of the room, managing to pull him out into the hall in spite of his attempts at wrestling himself out of their grip.
"Jefferson!" Belle cried out in alarm. Forgetting all about modesty, she scrambled out of bed and started to race after them. However, the bedroom door slammed shut mere seconds before she could reach it. Franticly, Belle tried turning the doorknob only to find it wouldn't budge. It was as if it had been locked from the outside.
In desperation, Belle turned and hurried toward the glass doors that led out to the second story balcony, hoping she'd be able to find a way to scale her way down to the ground and head the hooded figures off once she got outside. But the second she stepped foot out onto the balcony's wooden surface, her surroundings immediately changed. In the blink of an eye, Belle found herself standing on a rampart overlooking a castle that she recognized instantly as the one Rumpelstiltskin had owned in the Enchanted Forest.
A shocked gasp escaped from Belle's throat as she stared at the old building. The one she thought she'd never see again after she'd returned to Storybrooke after their expedition to clear out Rumpelstiltskin's vault had been completed. But her shock turned to horror when she saw no less than five ogres lurking about the courtyard.
For a moment, Belle was rooted to the spot, staring down at the ogres in sheer terror. She only snapped out of her fear-induced trance when she noticed the castle's front doors opening up, managing to turn and look to see who was coming outside. The moment what she was seeing fully registered, however, she wished she hadn't looked. The same hooded figures that had stormed into Jefferson's bedroom moments before were standing in the archway, keeping a firm grip on Jefferson and Grace. Even from this distance, she could see father and daughter were struggling to get free to no avail. But it wasn't until Belle saw the hooded figures shoving Jefferson and Grace out into the ogre filled courtyard that she let out a scream. Before her horrified eyes, the ogres all turned toward the pair and started to approach them.
Frantically, Belle started to look around the rampart, desperately looking for something she could throw. Or at least use to make enough noise to draw the attention of the ogres off Jefferson and Grace long enough for them to get to safety. But before she could locate anything that could help, a firm hand latched onto her shoulder in a grip so tight, it made her flinch. Instinctively, she turned to see who it was and a strangled gasp slipped from her mouth. There, standing before her, was Rumpelstiltskin, in his full reptilian glory.
"Have you so soon forgotten?" Rumpelstiltskin cackled gleefully. "It's forever, dearie!"
Throat too tight to speak, Belle could only stare in shock at the man standing in front of her. It was only when she head the bone chilling sound of an ogre roaring that her head snapped back towards the courtyard, only to see the ogres were now surrounding Jefferson and Grace. Belle was only able to have one last look of Jefferson, kneeling on the ground and cradling Grace tightly to his chest in a clear effort of shielding her eyes, before the ogres closed in around them, with one of them lifting up his club into the air in a clear intent to strike.
"Noooo!" Belle shrieked, unable to look away as the ogre's club began its deadly decent.
Belle's scream continued to erupt from her chest as she jerked upward, her eyes flying open. Even when she realized she was back in the master bedroom of Jefferson's house, her heart continued to race. Distantly, she was aware of the distinctive sound of a plate shattering down the hall, followed by pounding footsteps coming nearer, but it wasn't until the bedroom door flew open that she looked up to see an anxious Jefferson was standing in the doorway.
"Belle," Jefferson gasped, crossing the room to her side in a few quick strides. "I was just bringing you up something for breakfast when I heard you scream. What's wrong? Did you have another nightmare?"
As he spoke, Jefferson reached out to gently stroke Belle's cheek, searching her face with a tender concern in his eyes. Belle, however, could not find the words to respond to his question. She simply stared at him, taking in the fact that he was there and unharmed. Unbidden, that last terrible image flashed before her eyes. The one of the ogres closing in Jefferson and Grace until they were completely blocked from her view.
In an instant, Belle surged forward, burying her face into Jefferson's chest as she broke down sobbing. Both from the horror of what she'd seen in her dream and the relief that that's all it had been. In response to Belle's breakdown, Jefferson carefully enveloped her shaking body in his arms, gently rocking her back and forth in an effort to console her. It was all her could do to keep from crying himself.
It was shortly after dawn when David parked his truck in front of the ice wall that stood along the town line, with Emma and Elsa sitting in the cab with him. A few of the dwarfs were riding in the trunk bed, carrying their pickaxes. Once the engine had been turned off, everyone started to exit the vehicle.
"So, the ice cave is this way?" Doc asked, looking between the ice wall and David, Emma and Elsa.
"Yes, I think I see the opening from here," David commented, pointing to the mouth of the ice cave.
"Well, then," Leroy announced, propping his pickaxe on his shoulder. "Let's fetch this necklace, shall we?"
Without hesitation, Leroy marched over towards the ice wall, with Doc and the other dwarfs following after him. But the moment their pickaxes made contact with the ice, a deafening bang rang out through the air, and the dwarfs were all blown backward.
"You guys okay?" Emma asked as she, David and Elsa hurried forward to check on them.
"What was that?" Walter muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as he pulled himself into a sitting position.
"It looks like the wall has some sort of defensive spell on it," David theorized. "We might not be able to break into it with brute force."
"But didn't you say that Ingrid did something that prevented Elsa from bringing it down?" Mr. Clark pointed out. "So how are we supposed to get that necklace? You said we needed it to find Anna, because without her, we might not be able to stop that Trolden Glass spell."
"Actually," Elsa stated from a few feet away, "I think you managed to succeed after all!"
Glancing over, they all saw Elsa looking down at a small crack that had formed along the ice wall. After a pause, she knelt down and reached inside the crack, pulling out a silver necklace with a snowflake charm.
"Is that Anna's necklace?!" Emma exclaimed, moving to her side in amazement.
"Yes, it is!" Elsa beamed. "I'd recognize it anywhere! It's a sign, Emma! A sign we're gonna win!"
With a small laugh of triumph, Elsa moved forward to hug Emma in joy. But before Emma could respond, she was alerted by the sound of David's phone going off.
"It's Mary Margret," David announced, checking the phone ID before answering the call. Right away, Emma shared a nervous glance with Elsa. Mary Margret had stayed behind to try and do what she could to help the fairies get ready to manufacture their counter-spell the moment Anna was located. If she was calling them, did it mean something had gone wrong?
On the other side of town, Neal was sitting up in his hospital bed, waiting for the doctor to arrive in order to give him his final set of instructions before he could be officially discharged with a clean bill of health. Even though his side was still a bit sore, they hadn't detected any serious injuries. As such, he was simply instructed to take things easy for a few days. Henry, who was perched at the foot of the bed, was keeping him company while he waited. Neal had a suspicion that Emma had dropped him off earlier so Henry could stay occupied and out of trouble while they went about trying to locate Elsa's sister, Anna, in order to stop Ingrid's spell from destroying the town, but he was still grateful for this opportunity to spend time with his son. And he was taking advantage of this opportunity to try and teach Henry how to play cards.
"I don't get it," Henry announced, a statement that pulled Neal out of his thoughts.
"What don't you get?" Neal asked, looking over at the boy.
"Well, according to this cheat sheet you gave me," Henry explained, "The order goes royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, and then full house. But that's followed by an ordinary flush. And then, after straight, it goes three of a kind, and two pair. Why wouldn't ordinary flush come right after straight flush? And why is four of a kind higher than a full house when three of a kind is much lower on the list?"
For a moment, Neal could only stare, visibly taken aback. But then, he started to chuckle in spite of himself. Distantly, he remembered a time when he had asked the same question, during that time he spent among the crew of the Jolly Roger and had been learning the game himself.
"I actually don't know," Neal chuckled. "I've never understood that, either."
After a pause, in which Henry's attention briefly returned to his cards, Neal reached out to ruffle his hair.
"Hey, buddy," Neal began. "I'm sorry I hadn't stopped by to see you after your accident."
"It's okay," Henry shrugged without looking up.
"No, it's not," Neal insisted. "I was getting too focused on my….personal problems. But I…."
Before Neal could finish his statement, they were interrupted by the sound of someone tapping their fist against the wall. When Henry and Neal looked over, they saw Arthur standing in the doorway.
"Forgive me for interrupting," he announced, stepping into the room. "But after I heard about your run-in with the Snow Queen, I wanted to come by personally to see how you were fairing."
"Yeah, thanks," Neal replied. "I'm doing alright. Just waiting for the doctor to come in and give me permission to go home."
"Ah, of course," Arthur muttered, nodding to himself. "So, you probably feel up to discussing the matter of what exactly happened?"
In response, Neal frowned slightly, wondering why Arthur seemed to be so concerned. It wasn't as if they'd ever interacted before, apart from that moment when Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table first arrived in Storybrooke and helped stop Elsa's snow monster from attacking the school. But, all things considered, there was probably no harm in talking to him about it. The only problem was that he really didn't want Henry to hear the gory details of Ingrid's attack on him.
"Hey, Henry," Neal said. "Why don't you head down to the cafeteria for a bit?"
"Let me guess," Henry remarked, giving Neal a look. "That's code for 'go away so the adults can talk?'"
"That and the fact that I'm actually a bit hungry," Neal stated. "Could you go and see if they have something good down there?"
Henry briefly scowled, but still left the room without a word, leaving Neal and Arthur alone.
"So what exactly did you want to hear about?" Neal asked, directing his attention to Arthur.
"Well, I just wanted to know how you felt about what happened," Arthur specified. "To think this woman was able to attack you so directly. What would have happened if Regina hadn't come to drop your boy off when she did? I admit, I find it surprising how nobody seemed to know you were in danger until that point. Especially considering you are the father of Miss Swan's son."
"Hey, it was my own fault," Neal retorted, picking up on the insinuation. "The reason why nobody knew I was in trouble sooner was….because I was avoiding them on purpose. I was being stupid. Besides, I know they're doing everything possible to stop her. In fact, they're working on their plan to stop that woman from casting her curse on the town right now."
"Oh, they are?" Arthur asked, visibly curious.
"Yeah, they figured out that Elsa's sister has an immunity to the curse, so once they find her, the fairies can produce a cure that will protect the rest of us from Ingrid's spell."
"That is quite a clever plan," Arthur commended. "Although, will that be enough to stop Ingrid? What if she comes back and retaliates once she realizes her plan has been foiled?"
"I don't know," Neal admitted. "But…I'm sure Emma and the others will think of something."
"Perhaps," Arthur shrugged. "It's a shame, though. Because I heard the reason why Ingrid attacked you was because she was trying to obtain an item your father had in his possession before he died."
"Yeah, some sort of ribbons," Neal confirmed. "Not sure what the significance of them was, though, or how Ingrid even knew about them to begin with."
"That is a mystery," Arthur agreed. "It's too bad that we cannot ask your father directly, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it's far too risky to do that," Neal nodded.
"Wait," Arthur said, cocking his head in visible interest. "I was told that your father, Rumpelstiltskin, had died. Are you saying there is a way we could talk to him?"
"Kind of," Neal sighed. "But it's not worth it."
"But if he knows where Ingrid came from," Arthur persisted, "then maybe…."
"No, I thought like that before," Neal interrupted, shaking his head. "When Regina's sister, Zelena, was trying to cast a time traveling spell, I was almost tricked into performing this ritual that could bring my father back. Thankfully, Hook, Belle and Jefferson came and stopped me before I could attempt it. As my father used to say, magic always comes at a price. And the price I would have had to pay in resurrecting him would have been my own life."
"Ah, a life for a life," Arthur mused. "Isn't that always the case?"
"Yeah," Neal agreed. "So, it's like I said. It's not worth it. That's why Hook entrusted the key to the Vault of the Dark One to one of his old crew mates. We all agreed it was best to keep it safe, and not risk it falling into the wrong hands."
"Yes, that was very wise, wasn't it?" Arthur concurred, nodding his head as a slow smile stretched across his face.
Neal was just opening his mouth to say something else when Dr. Whale entered the room in order to give him one final checkup before signing the discharge papers. Taking advantage of the distraction, Arthur casually slipped out of the room and began making his way down the hospital corridor. As he rounded the corner, however, he nearly collided with an old bearded man who was walking in the opposite direction.
"Excuse me," Arthur said carelessly, barely looking at the old man before continuing on his way. As such, he failed to notice the way the old man was watching him walk off, a piecing and shrewd glint in his wizened eyes.
When Emma, David and Elsa returned to town, they saw Mary Margret and Regina were already waiting for them outside Granny's. The town diner had been closed down for the day to allow the fairies a place to manufacture the counter spell.
"We found the necklace," Emma announced upon getting out of David's truck. "Now we just need to place a locator spell on it to find Anna, so the fairies can make the cure."
"Actually," Regina spoke up grimly. "I think things just got a bit more complicated." To back up her statement, she directed everyone's attention to the sky overhead. Out in the distance, a few miles off, a sinister looking storm cloud had formed.
"Is that my aunt's curse?" Elsa asked with wide eyes.
"It looks like it," Mary Margret confirmed. "From the looks of it, we don't have much time before it hits. Regina and I managed to contact Robin. They're currently going around, with Ruby and Hook & his crew, to try and warn as many people as they can. Tell them to distance themselves from their loved ones just in case we can't get the cure out to everyone in time."
"Then let's not waste any time," David decided. "Regina, do you have a locator potion ready?"
Regina was just pulling the vial out of her pocket when a familiar looking car pulled up. Moments after it parked a short distance away, Jefferson, Belle and Killian emerged.
"We happened to pass each other when I was returning to town after notifying Ariel and Eric," Killian explained. "When I told them about the plan to manufacture a cure for Ingrid's curse, Belle insisted on helping."
"Thank you," Elsa replied, smiling over at her. But her smile faded a bit when she noticed the look on Belle's face. "What's wrong?"
"She had a particularly bad nightmare this morning," Jefferson explained, rubbing Belle's arm in an attempt to offer her some comfort. "She couldn't even tell me what it was about. So she's still a bit shaken up."
"I'll be fine," Belle insisted. "Did you find a way to locate Anna?"
"We managed to get her necklace back," Elsa explained, holding it up for them to see. "We can use it to find her."
Upon seeing it, Belle carefully reached out and lightly touched the small snowflake charm, seemingly examining it.
"There's mirror dust in the necklace," she announced. "It's embedded in the metal."
"So that means you were right," Emma pointed out, turning to Elsa. "Your sister was under the effects of Ingrid's spell when she placed you inside that urn."
"I knew it," Elsa whispered, eyes suddenly over bright. "I knew Anna would never turn against me."
"Let's save the celebration for later," Regina suggested, stepping forward. "In case you've forgotten, we're running on limited time here."
Nodding in understanding, Elsa willingly passed the necklace over to Regina so she could pour the locator spell over it. In the blink of an eye, the pendant started to glow.
"It looks like it's working," David observed. "I remember utilizing this same spell when I was trying to find Snow years ago. The necklace should glow brighter the closer we get to Anna."
Without a word, they all headed off in the direction the necklace indicated they should go. To their surprise, however, the necklace appeared to be directing them into the library.
"That can't be right," Elsa observed. "I've been inside the library, and Anna wasn't there."
"It might not be the library the necklace is taking us to," Emma surmised. "There's actually a series of tunnels beneath the library. I've been down there myself, less than a year ago."
"You think Anna's down there?" Mary Margret asked.
"Well, Regina kept a dragon down there for 28 years," Emma pointed out. "I'm sure you could hide a small princess down there, too."
"Except you're forgetting something," Regina said. "There are miles and miles of tunnels under this town. We might very well run out of time before we find Anna."
"So, what do you suggest we do, Majesty?" Killian challenged.
"Stop, please," Belle cut in. "There isn't time to fight amongst ourselves. "I say we should go and check up with Blue and the other fairies. Maybe they have an idea of how we could locate Anna more quickly."
"Actually," Blue announced once the Nevengers had filled her in on the fact that finding Anna might require them to search the tunnel system under Storybrooke, "There might be a way for us to manufacture the cure without Anna. Belle said that there was mirror dust within the necklace. We could use that to manufacture the counter spell."
"That would be exactly the same as simply using a strand of Anna's hair?" Mary Margret asked.
"No, it won't," Blue replied with a heavy sigh. "The process would be a bit longer, and more complex. But it will be just as effective. Although, I'm afraid that it will most likely destroy the necklace."
"But Elsa needs the necklace to find her sister!" Belle argued. "There has to be another way."
"I'm afraid there's not," Blue insisted. "Unless you can manage to locate Anna within the tunnels in time. But given how extensive the system of tunnels under Storybrooke is, it's extremely doubtful that you'd be able to find her and bring her back here before the curse hits."
"So, in other words," Regina concluded, "we can either save the town or find the sister. Well, I think the answer is clear. In fact, there shouldn't even be a conversation about it. We need to get this cure made and distributed, or our loved ones will be hit by Ingrid's spell. And then this town will tear itself apart."
"There must be a third option," Emma insisted, briefly glancing over at Elsa, who was clutching the necklace to her chest with an aghast look on her face. "One that won't require us to lose anyone."
"Emma," Mary Margret beamed. "You're really sounding like a hero."
Regina, however, was scowling in disgust. But before she could say anything, another voice spoke up, startling everyone.
"The refusal to give up in the face of adversity is an admirable quality. But so is accepting responsibility for the people who look to you for protection."
Upon looking over in the direction of the voice, everybody saw an old man stepping into the diner, a serious expression on his face. Immediately, a look of recognition flashed across Emma's face.
"It's you," she breathed. "I remember you!"
"Emma?" David gaped. "You…you know this man?"
"Yeah, I've met him a few times now," Emma confirmed, turning to address her father. "This is the old man who helped us when Roland went missing during that snowstorm after the Christmas party here at Granny's, and then let us stay inside his home while we were waiting for the tow truck to bring us back into town after my car got stuck in a snowbank. And we met again not that long ago, too. He was the one who helped stop me when I was considering getting rid of my magic." With her explanation made, she turned back to the old man, completely missing the nervous glance David was sharing with Mary Margret.
"What are you doing here?" Emma asked the old man.
"Word of the situation you are in with Ingrid has spread through the town like wildfire," the old man explained. "And it appears that you are now faced with a difficult position. One in which you might have to choose where your true priorities lie. You can either put the safety of the town, which you swore to protect when you agreed to wear the badge you keep clipped to your belt, first or remain loyal to your friend."
"The way you say that," Emma muttered, clearly not liking what the old man seemed to be getting at, "you think I should let the fairies destroy the necklace, even if it means risking our chances of ever finding Anna."
"No," the old man sighed, shaking his head. "In the end, your decision has to be yours, and yours alone. Nobody can make it for you.
"However," the old man continued, turning his attention to the necklace that was still clenched in Elsa's fist. "You are not the only one here who is in the position where they must uphold their responsibilities. Regrettably, I'm afraid I am partially to blame for the situation you are now in. As such, I would be remiss to not try and help put things right again."
At these words, everyone began to exchange confused glances, wondering what this old man meant. The old man, however, seemed to not notice anyone's confusion. Instead, he calmly crossed the room to Elsa's side.
"Forgive me, Your Highness," he began, bowing his head in a sign of respect. "But if you'll permit me, I'd like to briefly borrow your sister's necklace."
"I can't," Elsa insisted. "I need the necklace to find my sister! If it's destroyed, I…."
"I understand," the old man reassured gently. "But I can help extract the mirror dust without harming the necklace. You have my word."
Elsa didn't reply right away and simply stared at the old man in disbelief.
"Elsa," Emma spoke up. "It's okay. I think you can give him the necklace."
"But…." Elsa stammered.
"He said he can extract the mirror dust without harming the necklace," Emma persisted. "And…he's telling the truth. I believe him."
For a harrowing moment, Elsa simply looked between Emma and the old man. But then, her expression softened.
"Okay," she relented, willingly handing the necklace over to the old man. "If Emma says she believes you, then that's good enough for me."
The old man smiled kindly at Elsa, allowing her to carefully place the necklace into the palm of his hand. Once the necklace was safely in his possession, the old man reached into a pocket that had been concealed within the lining of his coat. To everyone's surprise, he withdrew a wand.
Without a word of explanation, the old man placed the tip of his wand to the snowflake pendant and began muttering words that nobody could quite make out. After a moment, he slowly began to raise the wand into the air. All at once, small flecks of dust seemed to float up out of the necklace and began swirling around the tip of the wand. Moving slowly, the old man turned around, continuing to utter the spell he was chanting under his breath and carefully walked over to the table where the fairies had set up the equipment they had planned to use to manufacture the counter spell. Once he reached the table, he magically deposited the mirror dust into a nearby watch glass.
Once the mirror dust was settled onto the circular piece of glass, the old man stepped aside. Immediately, the fairies, who had been watching the proceedings in amazement, hurried forward and began to work. But the Nevengers were unable to look away from the old man, who simply retreated to a nearby booth, where he sat with his head in his hands as if he'd been completely spent.
