Chapter 13 – Strength
The whole hospital shook as the magic struck the barrier. Emma, Cruella and Tink exchanged a nervous glance as they each summoned their magic back to them. This wasn't going to be easy, the villains were strong, and they didn't have to play by the same rules. The building shook again as they shot dark magic at the blood barrier.
"What was that?" The shudder of the infrastructure had woken the boys. "Mom," Henry looked at her with wide eyes, "you're awake!"
"Yes, and I'm fine Henry. In fact, I need to go help." She made to get out of the bed, but Robin's hand caught her shoulder.
"Where do you think you're going?" He looked like he was about to panic. "You were just unconscious for a number of hours and you think I'm going to let you just get out of bed and go help fight the people that put you in that state?"
"Let me? Let me? You don't let me do anything! I may have agreed to be your wife but that does not give you the right to tell me what I can and cannot do Robin!" She got out of the bed and headed for the hall.
When Robin went to follow her Henry put himself in the way. "Let her go, let me talk to her, she will see reason. If only for the sake of the baby." He went out to follow his mom, but he poked his head back in the door, "Oh, and Dad, Leopold and Cora both used to try and tell her what to do. She doesn't handle that very well."
Robin nodded and let Henry go. "Papa?" He turned to look at Roland who was still sitting on the bed Regina had just left. "What's going on?"
He smiled down at his son. "The bad guys are back, but this time we are all going to fight together." His thoughts followed his soulmate down the hall, at least she wasn't alone this time.
"Regina!" She turned at the sound of Snow's voice. "What are you doing out of bed? Shouldn't you be resting?"
"I'm fine, in fact," she lifted her hands and shot brilliantly white, light magic at the doors, "I'm helping." She smiled at Snow, "Now," remnants of the Evil Queen shone through her eyes, "if you try and stop me, you won't like the consequences."
"Mom!" Henry came racing down the hall towards them. "Mom, Dad didn't mean to make you mad, he just doesn't want to see you get hurt again. He looked so sad when I got here, Mom you're going to break his heart. Besides, he's right, and so is Grandma. You need to rest." He put his hands on his hips and gave her a look that reminded her so much of herself she ended up laughing.
"Okay Henry, I'll take it easy, but I'm still going to help. I don't expect Emma to do this on her own. Wait," she paused and looked hard at her son, "Dad?"
"Yeah," he looked down at the floor, "is that alright with you? He doesn't seem to mind and it feels right. He called me his son this morning." He looked back at his mother, waiting to see what she would do. Much to his surprise, and Snow's, Regina started to cry. "Mom, what's the matter?"
"Nothing," she smiled and held up her left hand so they could see her new engagement ring, "it's perfect." When her son and her stepdaughter started to laugh Regina was confused. "Am I missing something here?"
"Well, it's just that he's been trying to figure out how to ask you for a week and he chooses now? It's just funny that's all."
"All week? He's been carrying this around in his pocket for a week?" Regina started laughing too. Her laughter was cut short when she caught sight of Cruella walking towards them down the hall. She quickly moved Henry and Snow behind her and when she spoke it wasn't Regina, but the Evil Queen, defending her family,
"Stay away from them!" Her hands started to glow as she drew her magic to fire at Cruella. "How did you get in here? How did you get across the barrier? Where are the others?" The fire in her hands burned brighter with every question.
"Regina! Stop!" Emma planted herself between the queen and Cruella. "Stop! She's helping us! She helped us put the spell up to protect you, she's on our side!"
The fire in her hands had gone out the second that Emma had jumped in the way, but she still hadn't let her guard down. This woman had tortured her a few hours earlier, how was she just supposed to trust that she had suddenly switched sides. "And why should I believe that? What is there to say she's not only pretending to help us in order to let them in from the inside?"
Almost as if to accentuate her words another blast of magic hit the hospital from the outside. She watched as Emma and Cruella grabbed hands and shot their magic towards the barrier. When they turned back around Cruella smiled, "Believe me yet?"
Regina didn't answer, she just stood there trying to understand what she was seeing. "Umm, you know, she may understand this a little better if somebody just tells her." Henry laughed as he peaked out from behind his mother.
She heard Robin and David laugh as they and Roland joined them in the lobby, "Well go on tell me then," she snapped at them. She was tired of them laughing at her expense. "What's going on?" She watched in shock as Roland ran up to the woman who had helped hold them both captive earlier than morning.
"Aunt Ella, I think Mama is mad." Cruella picked Roland up and tickled him.
"I think she may be a bit confused." She laughed as she looked from Roland to Regina. "Darling, I believe we should be properly introduced. My name is Duchess,"
"Not any more." Cruella turned to look at David, "We welcomed you back, I believe that makes you Princess again." Cruella laughed before she continued.
"Well, alright then, Princess Eleanor. You my darling, had the misfortune to be married to my insufferable, older brother. That makes all of us," she gestured to the Charmings, Regina and herself, "family. And given your attachment to these two, we are family by default."
Regina still wasn't entirely sure she had heard her right, "You're Leopold's sister? How was I never informed that I had a sister-in-law?" She looked at Snow, "Did you know?"
"Not until my father was dead and I was running from you. I unknowingly sought her out and she told me, before she refused to help me and sided with you." Snow rolled her eyes. "I think you two would get along great if you gave each other a chance."
Cruella and Emma both laughed at that. Cruella looked across the hall at the pair of brunettes standing there. "Honestly I think the two of you have more in common than you realize." Regina and Snow both snorted and turned away in the exact same motion. Effectively proving Cruella's point. Snow had picked up almost as many habits from Regina as Henry had.
"Fine," Regina snapped at Cruella, "I will believe you are on our side, and I will learn to live with the fact that you are family, but right now I'd like you to put my son down." Cruella nodded and put Roland on the floor where he made his way over to Henry. "Now you two boys, go back to my room, and I will be there in a minute, then we can do something fun."
"Mom! That's not fair I want to help!"
"Henry you are helping, by watching your brother your mother and I can focus on something other than his safety. Alright?" When Henry nodded slowly Robin smiled. "Good, off you go so we don't have to worry."
When Robin turned around he saw both Regina and Emma's mouths hanging open, "What?"
"Never,"
"In a million years,"
"Would he have listened to either one of us that fast." Regina stepped into Robin's waiting embrace. "How do you do it?"
"I don't know m'lady, he simply listens."
From behind them they heard David laugh, "Every boy needs a father, and he doesn't want to disappoint the only one he's got. Right now we have bigger problems than a teenage boy who doesn't listen to his mothers. Right now we have," Another blast hit the hospital, "that…"
-o-o-
Maleficent and Zelena were standing on either side of Rumple. When they had first arrived at the hospital Zelena had had a sense of déjà vu. The memories of storming the place with the Dark One as her puppet overtook her as they walked up to the doors.
Last time Rumple had walked straight through the queen's barrier spell, as if it wasn't there at all. True she thought her blood ties to Regina may have weakened it a little, but she was expecting the same result this time. Rumple marched swiftly towards the doors, which had opened as he approached, only this time instead of letting him through he was thrown violently backwards.
He landed at their feet. So much for this going as easy at it had before. Zelena looked up from Rumple to meet Maleficent's eyes. Together they had lifted their hands and shot magic towards the building. When it hit they saw the barrier give and sway with the force, but it never cracked. All three villains watched as the barrier reset itself. The second time they shot magic towards the building the Dark One's magic was mixed in. When the barrier still didn't falter Rumple ceased fire.
"What in the world is strong enough to keep us out like this? It can't be Regina, or the baby, I'd be able to get in." She stopped when she saw Maleficent's expression. "Blood magic? Remember? I'm her sister…"
"Right of course." Maleficent shook her head. "It's strong light magic, though there is something else mixed in there. It may not be Regina, but it definitely feels heroic."
"The Savior?"
"Maybe, but it's not pure, I'd say more than one person."
"I'd say you're right dearie." Rumple had turned to join their little chat. "Look." He pointed towards the front of the building where they could see a flash of bright white magic add to the barrier. "The Queen is awake. That magic was hers."
"I still don't understand why it is so strong? What makes a protection spell that powerful?"
Rumple stood there silently. He was thinking, and neither woman dared interrupt him this time. Eventually he lifted his hands again, this time firing directly on the doors. Still nothing. When he lowered his hands magic from the inside of the building shown again. Double the magic, together almost as strong as the queen's. Rumple gasped. "I know what they are doing. Clever, Miss Swan, very clever."
Maleficent wasn't in the mood for guessing games. "What are you mumbling on about over there?"
He turned to her with his impish grin once again pulling at his lips. "We were right before. It is powerful, the most powerful. Blood magic, light and dark bonded together through blood, enhanced with the strongest light magic there has ever been. Plus if my assumptions are correct there will be some fairy magic in there as well."
"Blood magic? Light and dark? Rumple what are you talking about? There are not two procurers of magic in there that share blood, unless that nephew of mine suddenly developed powers."
"No, no, my grandson may have the heart of the truest believer, but he does not posses inherited magic. I do believe the lost princess has finally made her way home."
"Enough riddles, what are you talking about? And how can we break it?"
"Oh it's not a riddle my dear dragon mistress, no it's the truth. Did you never hear the story of King Leopold's long lost sister. People say she was locked in a tower for her wicked ways, but that's far from the truth. In fact the young king simply had her banished from court for not acknowledging him as King. The princess lost her title, lived as a duchess and no one ever seemed to remember who she was. Until now."
"Regina's pathetic waste of a husband had a sister? Who?"
"Her name was Eleanor. Although now I think she prefers it when we call her…"
"Cruella!" Maleficent was shocked. Cruella was a princess of the Northern Kingdom? No, she would have mentioned, someone would have remembered. But wait, that meant… "She switched sides? She joined them? And now she's protecting the one thing that could stand in the way of our happiness? How could she?" Maleficent shot magic at the hospital again, but this time her rage shook the entire building.
"Are you quite finished?" Rumple was not impressed with Maleficent's outburst. "It seems Cruella and Miss Swan are using their blood bond to strengthen the barrier. Add that to Regina's new found light magic, and the power immolating from that child, and we may as well give up. They have to come out of there sometime." He looked at the other two as he spoke. They slowly nodded, but neither one moved. Zelena lifted her hand once again.
This time she conjured a ball of spirit to carry her voice into the hospital. She whispered into it and sent it towards the doors. As it hit the barrier it melded into the spell causing it to cover the entire building. She laughed as she turned to walk away. "We couldn't leave her without a threat now could we…"
-o-o-
They felt the final burst of magic hit the shield. It was short and sudden, but then the impact hit full force. From all around them they heard Zelena's voice. It wasn't more than a whisper, but it radiated from every particle of their protection spell. Covering them all in her voice. The message itself wasn't threatening, but what it implied was.
"Remember dearies, love is weakness…"
Emma's eyes flashed as she met Regina's gaze. Together the two of them, flanked by Cruella and Snow moved to the front doors of the hospital. "Zelena!" Emma called out, causing the witch to turn.
Regina met her sister's eyes as she shouted after her, "No! It's strength!"
The blast of magic that shot from the two women towards Zelena moved so fast there was no way she could have avoided it. Rumple and Maleficent disappeared into a cloud of as Zelena fell to the ground