Henry is practically bouncing on the couch when Narissa finally settles into the chair next to him. "Careful, you'll poke a hole in the chaise," she reminds as she daintily tucks one ankle behind the other and delicately lays her hands on her lap, posture straight. She flicks her wrist and a mug, of what appears to be tea, appears in her hand.
"I just can't wait," Henry gushes, "This has been at the top of my list and this is the first time we've had you here when I've remembered to ask!"
Narissa chuckles, "Alright, what would you like to know?" she asks, taking a sip of her tea.
"Have you always known Blue?"
She nods, "I was there when the fairies were created. I watched as the Reul Ghorm strayed from her path and began choosing who was deserving of wishes."
"So, why didn't you stop her?" Henry asks, not realizing how tactless that was.
Narissa sits up straighter, if that's even possible. "The Fae are not all-powerful controllers. We created creatures to help humanity. It was never an option to stop those that stray. We must each make decisions to lead us down our own path. I do wish the other fairies were stronger, that they felt like they could choose to disagree with their leader. Unfortunately, she was able to corrupt them all, and the dwarves." She shakes her head, "But, it's their right to make decisions."
"Is there a reason no one stopped Blue?" Henry asks.
"Like I said, she made her own decisions," Narissa states simply.
Henry looks confused, eyebrows drawn down, "Is this what you were talking about the last time you talked with Blue?" he asks. It's Narissa's turn to look confused so he elaborates, "When Blue showed up in the house last time, you said we didn't know her secret. What is it?"
A look of understanding crosses Narissa's face. She sits back in the chair, resting her arms on the sides. It looks as if the chair will swallow her whole, but the smirk on her face causes Henry to giggle in anticipation. "What do you know of the Reul Ghorm?"
"Just that she is the leader of the fairies. She was Mother Superior during the curse. And she helped Grandma and Grandpa in the Enchanted Forest."
Narissa rolls her eyes, "The Reul Ghorm does not help people, she uses them to better herself."
"Now that's not true," Charming states.
"Oh?" Narissa asks, turning her attention to the shepherd prince. "You're telling me she has always told you the entire truth? Especially when you explicitly ask for it?" He's silent. "She keeps important information to herself when it does not help her get her way."
"Just wait," Charming starts, ready to defend the fairy.
"She knew two people could fit through that wardrobe. Yet, she kept that to herself. Time and again she lied to you. Used you in her own personal vendetta. And you're too blind to see it." She scoffs, "She tells you what she thinks you need to know, and everything else she keeps to herself."
There's silence as both Snow and Charming think back on their interactions with Blue. "She did it to protect us," Snow justifies.
Narissa rolls her eyes, "Is that what she told you?" She shakes her head. "She's not whole. That's her secret."
Another silence, everyone is confused. "What do you mean?" Henry finally asks.
"Have you ever heard of Jekyll and Hyde?" she asks. Henry nods and she's surprised, "Good. So, you know that he split himself from the evil inside him."
"You're saying...that the Blue Fairy...also split herself into good and evil?"
"Not quite," she explains. "When you're entirely good, you don't lie. And you certainly don't lie to protect yourself. There's nothing good about that. When she used the serum to separate her good side from her evil side, it was an attempt to make herself better than her Fae creators. She thought that by getting rid of the evil inside her, she would become more powerful."
"And did she?" Henry asks, sitting at the edge of the couch, hanging on her every word.
"Certainly not the way she anticipated. She, herself, became more powerful. But not more powerful than the Fae that created her." Narissa takes a deep breath, "And she released an evil upon the world that no one was prepared for."
"What do you mean?" Snow asks softly, not wanting to interrupt Narissa's story, but also wanting to know more.
"She created the Black Fairy."
"You're telling me that the Blue Fairy and the Black Fairy are the same person," Charming deadpans, not believing for a second. "The best and worst fairies are actually the same? Impossible."
"People said the same about a shepherd prince, yet here we are," she retorts. Regina can't help the smirk that takes over her face as she watches Narissa finish her story. "She was the Reul Ghorm. But she wanted to be purer, to be a better leader. Someone that would lead troops into battle. Someone that would be perfect in every way. But her plan backfired. She not only created the darkest creature in the forest, she was also not split equally. Her heart still had dark spots. Since the darkness was not completely removed, it grew and she continued to have evil within."
"It didn't work," Henry surmises.
Narissa nods, "That's exactly right," she says with a smile. "So, she still has some darkness within her, still growing and changing her. And now we have the rest of her darkness embodied in the strongest fairy ever created."
"But the Black Fairy was banished, wasn't she?" Henry asks, thinking back to the stories he's read.
"Yes," she agrees. "She was banished to the Dark Realm. The Blue Fairy sent her there, hoping no one learned of her secret."
"Is she stuck there?" Henry asks, unable to contain his questions.
Narissa shakes her head, "For a long time she was able to freely travel between the Dark Realm and the Enchanted Forest. She went undetected by the fairies for centuries. She even had a child. That's when she grew strongest. She realized she needed children around her to reach her maximum magical potential. Then, the fairies found her and banished her back to the Dark Realm once more. With the new banishment, the Black Fairy was no longer able to travel between the realms. However, she was able to escape long enough to steal a child before the realm would force her back."
"She stole children from other realms?" Henry asks, horrified. Narissa nods, "What did she do with them?" he asks, afraid of the answer.
"They mined for dark fairy dust."
"There were no dwarves to do it for her," he surmises. Another nod from Narissa.
"Who was her child?" Regina asks, not bothering to hide her curiosity.
Narissa pauses, looking at the matching faces staring at her. She offers a small smirk as she whispers, "Rumplestiltskin."
Snow gasps and clings to her husband's hand.
"No. Way." Henry says, completely in awe.
Regina says nothing, just sits back to process what she just learned.
"Actually, that makes sense," Henry decides. "The Enchanted Forest was a weird place and honestly I'm not all that surprised." He pauses and then looks back at Narissa, "How do you know this?" he asks.
"I know everything," she explains, tapping the side of her nose. She laughs when Henry rolls his eyes, "I was there when this happened. The Fae watched over the fairies as they turned away from their true purpose. We watched as the Reul Ghorm split herself in two to become more righteous, to become a better leader. We saw what she did to her other self, the banishment." She scoffs and rolls her eyes, "We watched as the Black Fairy made a name for herself. As she embraced her darkness while her other half did everything she could to hide the darkness left within her."
"Did you see the Black Fairy stealing kids?" Henry asks.
Narissa looks down at her lap, "She never took children from our realm, but we had our assumptions," she reveals softly.
"You just let her steal children from their homes? From their families?"
She sighs, "It's not our job to interfere in the lives of humans like that. We created the fairies to grant wishes for humans on our behalf. But to interfere with daily life like that? It was impossible," she tries to explain. "It was much easier once I thought I was human. I didn't recognize the weight behind each decision, I could just do what my heart and mind told me was right. As a Fae, everything must be weighed against possible repercussions. There are too many possibilities to account for. Keeya would have been disappointed if we interfered in human life in such a haphazard way."
"That sounds like a cop-out," Henry says, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Perhaps," Narissa allows, "But it is the way of the Fae."
"And who made that rule," he asks, eyebrows drawn together.
"I did," she answers without hesitation.
He stares at her, trying to see behind her mask. What is she hiding back there?
"More than enough to carry for lifetimes," she answered his unasked question.
Henry pauses, eyes wide before he asks, "Can you read minds?"
Narissa smiles, releasing the softest of chuckles before she shakes her head, "No, but you're just like your mother; you wear your emotions on your face."
He looks to his mother who offers a small smile. Then he turns back to Narissa, "I still think you can read minds."
"If it helps, then by all means, Young Prince, believe what you must."
"Do we have time for more questions?" Henry asks, looking between the two women before him.
Narissa looks to Regina who says, "One more. Then it's time to get ready for bed and let Narissa rest."
Henry nods and looks back to Narissa. "I have so many questions! But I know you won't answer all of them." Narissa chuckles and he shakes his head, "I know I won't ever get a real answer for how old you are, except that you're essentially timeless and have been around pretty much forever, so I'll skip that one." He continues on down his list. "You don't remember anything from after the curse, so that's off limits. For now," he adds, he will ask Narissa; as soon as she remembers. "Oh! I know! How did you and my mom meet?"
"Oh, now that's a long story," Narissa says with a smirk.