The truth you don't know

Henry jumped on her and hugged her tightly. " You healed! "

" Yes, little Prince, did you doubt about that?" Rapunzel asked, holding him with a smile.

" Henry, easy! She's still weak..." Snow said, right behind them.

" I'm never weak!" " Uh-uh, sure!"

Emma joined them, followed by Killian. " Hey, how are you?" she asked, still worried.

" "Okay"...?" the warrior answered, making her laugh.

" Yeah, right! You'll be fine in Storybrooke."

The smile suddenly disappeared from Rapunzel's face. " Am I coming with you?" She really looked surprised. Emma was more.

" Do you wanna stay here?"

" Well, no, but..."

Snow wrapped an arm around her shoulders. " Look Em, this way: you're coming with us, it's an order. No argue accepted."

Rapunzel laughed, and so Henry and Emma did.

" Alright, I surrender. I'll come to Storybrooke. "

" You'll like it! " Henry said with a satisfied smile, and then hugged her again.

Hook, who had stayed silent until that moment, smirked. " Mh, let me tell you, M'lady, I'm not sure you'll like it."

" Why?"

" After all these years in the jungle, that place could appear a little too... civilized to you."

Rapunzel arched an eyebrow. " Sorry, what?"

" I mean..." he continued with hand and hook lifted, as to show that he was unarmed. "... that there are many things you don't know in that world. Strange things. As guns. And cars. " " What are cars?"

" See?"

" They're like carriages, but they move without horses. " Snow hurried to explain, glaring at

Hook.

" So… with magic?"

" No, with the engine!" Henry said smiling. " It makes the wheels move."

" How?"

" Well this is... complicated. " Emma intervened with an apologizing smile. " Really. "

Rapunzel shrugged. " Oh, well... they're for moving, isn't it?"

" Yes."

" And they move."

" Yes."

The warrior smiled. " Nothing else needed."

Killian similed widely. " I like your pragmatism."

" I bet there's something else you like about me, Captain." Hook, unexpectedly, blushed, making the women laugh hard.

" Hit and sunk!" Emma exclaimed with a smirk.

" Better if I go back steering." he murmured, eying wickedly the three women. " Witches." he added after a while with a grin.

" I heard you!" Regina screamed from the helm place, the wind that blew her hair back, showing her face. She was pretending to be offended, but as Henry began to laugh, she smiled, making

Rapunzel's heart skip a couple of beats.

" Pirate!" Regina added, and the pirate in question laughed looking up to her.

" Proud!" he yelled in response.

" If you say so..." she glowered at him.

Rapunzel felt somehow uncomfortable at that gaze. He was grinning at her. She suddenly realized that she was nothing less than jealous! A suffocated laugh erupted from her, surprising the others.

" What?" Emma asked, eyebrows lifted.

" Oh, nothing, I remembered a thing... so, Captain, do we go?"

" Absolutely." Hook answered walking fast towards the helm and indicating the sea to Regina with a waving hand. " If you show us the path..."

Regina smirked, and another hint of jealousy hit Rapunzel. The former Evil Queen took one bean from her pocket and held it between two fingers, watching it glow in the sunlight. In the meanwhile, the rest of the group had gathered closer to her. Henry and Emma were right behind her.

" What about Tamara? And the Shadow? We'll never know why he wanted you, Henry." Regina said gazing at her son.

The boy shrugged. " I don't care. I mean, I'm curious, but it's better if we go back home..." " Of course you are..." she smiled, eying Emma for a brief moment. The younger woman was surprised at first, but then she tried to smile.

" Yeah, right, but now throw that magic shit out of this ship and let's go home!"

Regina's eyes glittered in amusement although she pretended to be outraged. " You're language is inappropriate for a child, Miss Swan. "

Emma blushed a little but then, recognizing the Mayor's expression, she hid a smile. " Sorry, kid." she said almost smiling, without taking her eyes off of Regina's. The brunette devilishly smiled. " You should do it. " she said, handing her the bean. " You're the Savior after all: save us." She smiled again. That sassy, enjoying, devilish smile of her own. Rapunzel almost died of a heart attack.

" W-what the hell, Regina?! Why should I do it? I don't know what to do! What if we end up in another world because..."

" You only have to think of Storybrooke while throwing it outboard. It's easy. Even Hook can do

it!"

" Hey!" he exclaimed, upset.

Regina sneered at him. " No offense, dear." she said, evidently lying.

He murmured something incomprehensible and went back looking around, worried for possible incoming enemies. Actually they weren't exactly protected in the middle of the sea.

" Whatever you'll decide, ladies, hurry up. " Rapunzel suggested, making them look at her. " Right." Emma murmured before grabbing the bean from Regina's hand and walking to the corner of the ship. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. " Storybrooke. " she whispered, nodding to herself. " You can do it, Swan. "

She opened her eyes and threw the bean in the sea. The portal opened as a maelstrom, immediately pulling the ship toward its center.

They found themselves in calm waters. There was only blue around them, over and under them. Only the single bright spot of the sun broke the color, light on the sky, incredibly dark on the water. Deep water, so. A weak wind barely made them move. The Jolly Roger was heavily gliding over the plane mass of water. After the fall in the portal, all that quiet seemed unnatural to them.

Hook rotated the helm and the ship slowly turned right.

" Are we in the right sea?" an almost terrorized Emma asked with narrowed eyes. Everyone looked at Hook. He shrugged. " I guess. We'll see, anyway."

Rapunzel chuckled. " True." she murmured just before walking to the bow. She concentrated, put a hand on her eyes, tensed for a few seconds and then took back the hand. She was now looking at the horizon with wide-open eyes. An almost invisible purple fog was dancing in her pupils.

Snow, who had followed her, widened her eyes for the surprise: it was and absurd sight. " Is your town right on the sea, with high palaces all almost of the same color and a... tower? A tower with an odd thing on it. I really don't know what that could be. It's circular and white and has some numbers on the corner." She blinked repeatedly and the fog disappeared. She was now looking at Snow White. " What the hell was that? It was enormous! "

" It... A clock. It's a clock." the brunette answered with a shocked expression on her face. " You can see so far away?"

Rapunzel's eyebrows lifted. " What's a clock?"

" An instrument to measure time, dearie. And, miss Blanchard, that spell is called Dragon Eyes.

Many archers used to ask me to put it on them. "

Snow almost ignored Rumplestiltskin. Almost. " Are you an archer?"

Rapunzel stifled a laughter. " No. Well, I can use a bow, but it is not my favorite weapon. I like swords. As you surely noticed. "

" So why do you know that spell?"

" 'Cause I thought it could be useful during battles. I mean, sometimes you have to check the zone before the attack, and doing it from a distance is better, if you want to survive. Plus, when fighting, knowing where exactly the archers are hidden is very useful. I could avoid many arrows thanks to it. The details are impressive with that sight. "

" Oh." Snow commented, forcing herself to close her mouth. " And you just taught her?" she suddenly asked to Rumple. He grinned.

" She did it on her own. She's a very talented autodidact. And a passionate reader. That side of you reminds me of Belle..." he added, smirking at the warrior.

" Well I guess that that was a compliment. " It was more like a question than a statement.

Rumplestiltskin nodded to the warrior, and she shyly smiled. " Oh, well, then... thank you." She looked embarrassed. Snow felt a little of sympathy for her. It was probable that the warrior had never received a compliment before.

" How distant was Storybrooke? " she asked, forcing herself no not ask something else. Rapunzel skeptically eyed the sails. " With this wind? We'll be there tomorrow's late morning, I guess. "

" In time for lunch! " Emma had just appeared behind them. " I'm so hungry!"

" Sorry that my stockpile wasn't enough for you all. It was meant to be for one person." Rapunzel said, pressing her lips together in a tiny smile.

She really seemed sorry. Emma immediately regretted her words. " No, it's just that I need real food. Like a hamburger. Double cheese. Bacon. Shit I can't think about it now..." she murmured with a hand on her stomach.

" Are you that hungry, Em?" Snow asked, eying her daughter. It wasn't like they didn't eat. She was a little hungry, too, but not that much.

" No it's just that..." She stopped talking. Her skin had turned green. She ran to the bulwark and leaned over it just a second before vomiting whatever she had in her stomach. Snow run to her and took her hair before it got dirty.

When she finished, she rubbed gently her back with one hand and smiled at her daughter.

" Hey, is all right?"

" Yes, I just... I guess was the stress, for Henry and..." she eyed quickly the warrior. Rapunzel gave a start. Neither compliments nor care for her, so.

" It's normal, Em, don't worry..."

David came running. " Hey! Are you okay, Em?"

" I'm fine, overprotective dad."

They smiled at each other, and Snow too couldn't help but smile. A wide, open smile. Love burnt warm in her chest.

" Emma, you should eat something. Down in the kitchen there's some bread. It's a little hard, but it's good. Hook won't protest." the warrior suggested with a sympathetic look.

The Savior smiled at her. " Thanks."

Snow turned to watch her. " Do you want some?"

" No, thank you. I've already eaten it."

" And you didn't offered it to us? What a horrible person you are!" Snow objected, snorting and smiling.

They laughed together, and even Emma and Rumple did a little.

" I'm a bit angry, in truth. May I come with you? I'll leave a second after I took what I'm looking for." Rumplestiltskin said with a kind smile.

" You don't have to leave! We're family. " Emma said, and something passed between them. He nodded, and they walked towards the door that led below deck. Snow stopped after three paces. " David, do you..."

" I'll join you in a minute."

Snow felt a little confused, but his smile made her nod.

" Okay."

She turned and reached the door through where her daughter and the Dark One had disappeared.

David turned to look at the woman, as tall as he was. That made always feel him weird. Ruby was the tallest woman he knew, and she reached his nose, but she was skinny. Rapunzel... well, she was all muscles. Her shoulders were almost as large as his! It was like if he felt that his masculinity was in danger next to her. But obviously it wasn't. Because, somehow, she always appeared nothing less than graceful when she moved, so much that sometimes he wondered if he had just imagined all those muscles. But then she took her sword and... well, her moves were still fluent with it, but in a lethal way. She surely could kill him in a duel. Then, virility in danger again. " Rapunzel I just wanted to thank you for everything you did for us. For Snow and Henry, particularly. I didn't really thank you before."

The woman smiled. " You did well before: you don't have to thank me."

He snorted with a smile. " Of course I have to. However it went with Snow, you saved them both.

"

He smiled and left before she could reply.

The warrior was leaning on the bulwark, watching the sea they were cutting in two with the hull.

The water was reddened by the sunset.

Her tress was slightly moved by the fresh wind, oscillating between her legs, a little apart to maintain the balance.

Regina joined her, distractedly touching the wooden bulwark at her left. Rapunzel gave her a glance, then went back looking at the sea, but with a little, uncontrolled smile on her lips. " How are you?" the brunette asked, watching the sea in turn. There was something wrong in her voice. Regina damned herself for letting her emotions show.

" Fine. Alive. " the blonde answered, turning to watch her. Her eyes narrowed. " You?"

Regina had a start, but couldn't help but show a tiny smile. " Fine. Alive. "

They both smiled. Rapunzel smile was decidedly wider than Regina's. There was a moment of silence before that the former Queen spoke again. " How could it happen?"

" What?" Rapunzel asked in confusion.

" You to be wounded. n?"

Rapunzel tried to smile. " It happens to anyone, sooner or later. Especially with the Lost Boys around."

" I thought you had stopped lying to me." There was anger in her voice, she could hear it by herself. Actually, she was very angry.

Rapunzel gave a start, then there was a long moment of silence.

" Why do you care? I'm fine now."

" Your heart was bright."

" What?"

" Why was it so bright? You killed people! And even worse, if what they said was true! Our heart can't be bright. Yours was dazzling!"

" Regina..."

" Why don't you hate me?"

Silence again. For a while.

" I can't."

That was the most sincere answer she'd ever gave her, Regina could see it.

" Why?" she asked in a whisper. She was so desperate to understand that she felt her eyes fill with tears. Rapunzel had a sad look on her face, but also the tiniest of the smiles.

" Because I... I forgave you." she said, swallowing.

" Why?! Even Snow White stopped forgiving me! Why you didn't? How can you still protect me, when they're right? And you know it! You..."

" They may be right about some things, Regina, but they don't... know you. They know nothing. They can't understand what hate is. Or what be afraid of betrayal can be. I do. I've been afraid of it for so long I... but I'm done with that. I'm not afraid anymore. And I want you to be free, too. And safe. I swore I'd protect you, and I'm going to keep my promise. I always do. I swore I'd served you, too, and I'm doing it. That's all."

Regina just stayed silent. She heard her words, yes. But did she believe her? No. She kind of managed to know when she was lying, and she most certainly was. Tensed shoulders, closed fists, repeated swallows and blinking. Something was true in what she said, but she couldn't say what.

Yet she was confused. Why lie to her? And why...

" Why is your heart so bright?"

" It isn't."

" It was in my hand. It most certainly is."

" I don't know."

" You're lying. Again. Why? " Regina let the pain and the anger full her voice. That woman really understood her, she was the only one who truly did, but she continually betrayed her trust. And that was almost the worst thing she could do to her. And she knew. Why was she doing it? She had to know.

Rapunzel stayed silent for a few seconds. She seemed uncertain. And... desperate. " Regina, please, stop..."

" Why?!" she almost cried, at the limit of her patience.

The warrior sobbed. " So that I can go on protecting you. I am afraid." she finally murmured. Regina frowned. " This doesn't even make sense! And you said you weren't afraid anymore! And... why should I trust you and let you protect me if you continue lying to me? I don't even need your protection! "

" Because she's a good person. And she's kindly telling you to mind your business, Miss Mills. If you didn't notice. "

Emma seemed to have run to them. She probably did.

Regina must have talked louder than she wanted.

The Savior was smiling. She had tried with a joke. She had failed. Regina was still furious. She was about to answer to Miss Swan, but Rapunzel's voice anticipated hers.

" Regina please, trust me! I'd tell you if I could. I'm just protecting you. You know I'd never hurt you..." she was almost in tears. Regina considered her words, than rage decided for her. She turned and walked away.

" Hey, are you okay?" Emma's hand reached her arm. Rapunzel nodded, holding back words and

tears.

" Aye. Thank you." Her eyes said it more than her mouth. She never meant it so hard.

" No problem. I owed you, however. " Emma smiled, but the warrior didn't.

" Why don't ya just say it to her?"

" What?!" Rapunzel's eyes were enormous. Emma could barely hold back a laughter.

" It's clear as sun, Rapunzel. Actually, I don't really know how she can't realize it."

" But I've never told anyone..."

Another giggle had to stay in her throat. " r."

" Oh."

" Yep."

Rapunzel felt like if the ship was sinking. Maybe she hoped it would. " Shit."

This time Emma laughed. " Why? It's not a problem, and we won't tell her if you don't want. But you should. Or you'll loose her. You can't go on lying to her, isn't it?"

" I'd never lie to her if it wasn't necessary..."

" Why do you think it's necessary? It would be great if..."

" Don't say it, Emma!" Rapunzel exclaimed, her eyes suddenly wet. Emma was astonished. " It'll never happen. So don't let me hope." added with lower voice.

Emma stared at her. If she thought she was strong, now... well, now she seemed just broken. Her eyes were a desperate request. She felt sympathy for her, and Rapunzel, unfortunately, noticed.

A bitter laughter crumbled the air between them. " I can live with it. I did it till now."

Emma snorted. " Listen, I know how it sucks, and..."

" Do you?" the warrior asked with real interest. She believed her, and it was amazing. Emma expected anger, not a question.

" I do, and I know that that's not living. Not really." Her eyes fell on the short silhouette of her son, at the helm with Hook. " Henry made me realize it. We can't be alone." she looked back at the woman. She was gently smiling.

" I'm not alone."

Emma sighed. It was impossible to talk with that woman. She was just too kind to have the strength to hurt her with he truth. " But you're not happy."

Rapunzel gave a short, bitter cackle. " And who is, Emma? Are you? Are your parents, even with their True Love? Is Rumplestiltskin, with all his power? Or Hook? And Henry? Let alone Regina, who, well... she was never happy." She suddenly stopped and widened her eyes for a moment, as if realizing she said too much. She sighed and tried to smile again, with no results. " Sorry. It was... exaggerated. Your parents probably are happy, after all. They're all kisses and adoring smiles."

Now her smile was true. Emma succeeded in laughing a little, though she couldn't stop thinking about her words.

" I know, it's..."

" Saccharine."

" Yeah." Emma said laughing with the warrior.

Rapunzel spoke again after a long staring moment. " Friend, don't think too much 'bout it. We'll fix it. Each of you will find happiness." There was a tiny smile on her lips.

Emma sighed again. " Each of us, Rapunzel. You're included." she said, but the woman answered with a sad smile.

Emma barely noticed. She was still thinking about that word: "friend".

" Regina?" Snow White's voice called her. The former Evil Queen stifled a sigh and turned to look at her. " Can I talk to you?"

One eyebrow lifted on the Mayor's face. " If it's strictly necessary..."

Snow sighed. " It is." she murmured. Regina nodded once. " Good. Ehm..." she began, but then stopped speaking. Several moments of silence after, Regina cleared her throat.

" Very eloquent, Snow..."

The woman blushed a little. " Right. Well, you know, it's... hard to find the... words."

Regina sighed. She didn't want to listen to her heartfelt speech about their past. " Listen, if it is about us..."

" No, no! It's about you. And... someone else." Snow was evidently embarrassed.

" Snow White, if you're gonna talk about my mother..."

" No no no! Absolutely. I mean... I was talking about... Rapunzel." she finally said as if it was the heaviest word she'd ever said.

Regina's eyebrows twitched up.

" Rapunzel?"

" Yes!" she exclaimed it as it was obvious. But it absolutely wasn't.

They both looked at the woman, talking with Emma on the prow. Regina gazed at Snow as she was the silliest person in the world. Thing that she actually thought.

" What?"

" She... Regina, are you telling me that you really don't know it?"

Snow was disconcerted, and showed it in that exaggerated way she always showed her emotions.

Her eyes were bigger than a frog's. Regina, on the other hand, was quickly going towards exasperation.

" What are you talking about?" she asked with her husky voice. Which meant that Snow was risking to be punched. Oh, how she'd have loved to do it!

" She..." Snow began, but suddenly stopped, moved closer to Regina and talked with a lower tone, almost a whisper. " ...She loves you, Regina! How can't you see it?"

Regina stared at her for several minutes. That was absurd. Simply absurd. Rapunzel didn't love her. Not in the way Snow's voice suggested. The girl understood nothing, as usual. A low laughter erupted from her throat.

" Oh, you're so... Snow White, you didn't understand anything. Perhaps she cares about me, but she betrayed me to save your life. And she continually lies to me. You see love everywhere, idi..." " She lies because she doesn't want you to know it, so that you won't feel guilty! And you know that she didn't betray you, she wanted you to be happy! She was ready to die, Regina! I saw it. She was ready to have her heart ripped out and crushed by you, just to try to protect you by yourself! And she was ready to die to save you in Neverland..."

" She was protecting us all..."

" And casually she put you and Emma in the middle of us to protect you, though it was evident that you didn't need protection!"

" You said it right, she put me and Emma. According to your dubious reasoning she loves Emma, too!"

" Emma couldn't fight against the Lost Boys with that gun, she understood it! And she didn't just smiled at her after almost forty years of exile in the most dangerous land of all! What but love could make one forgive you for this?"

Regina opened her mouth, but the words stayed locked in her mind. She looked at the warrior, still talking with the Savior. When she looked back at Snow White, the woman had a kinder gaze.

Regina swallowed and tried again to speak. " I didn't know she was there. I didn't send here to

Neverland. The ring did. "

" Which ring?" the younger woman asked in confusion.

" A magic one. It was like a portal. "

" Why Neverland?" Snow asked after a moment of thinking.

Regina shrugged. " I don't know, but it is possible it was to save Henry." She looked at her son, laughing happily at the helm at something funny Hook said. " The ring brings people where they're meant to be, and if she wasn't there he..." her voice menaced to break, so she stopped talking and lowered her gaze down on the black ocean. Billions of stars reflected on the almost flat surface.

The silence lasted too long. She looked at Snow, and the woman was smiling at her.

" Henry, uh?"

That knowing smile was annoying. Really. Fortunately, Snow decided to walk away.

She was wrong. It couldn't be. Regina looked at Rapunzel. Their eyes met. Her conversation with Emma was ended, it seemed. The warrior slightly smiled at her, then quickly turned and looked away toward the horizon they were trying to reach. It was impossible. Snow was wrong. Right?