Chapter Fourteen

Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time or the Tairen Soul miniseries

Key

XXXXXXXXXX means POV change

OOOOOOOOO means time change

XXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOOOO means POV change and time change

Plain italics means speaking through spirit or speaking through a bond

**around italics means flashback**

around italics means character is reading text silently

This is chapter is a bit longer than most of my chapters, but I almost had this story finished, and I wanted to get it done in all one chapter. I hope you enjoy this chapter and a half!

The next day, Ellysetta took Emma out to the fields to practice her magic. "Why don't we start with something near to your heart?" Ellysetta asked her. "Show me an image of Henry."

"Like a picture or something?" Emma asked, confused. "Because I already have one." She reached into her pocket to retrieve the picture of Henry she always carried with her.

But Ellysetta shook her head, smiling at Emma. "No. Look, I understand that this is confusing, believe me. I've been there. I meant a life – size image of your son. If you do it right, he should appear just as real as you and me."

Emma looked at Ellysetta in shock. She could really do that? She could bring up an image of Henry that appeared just as real as Ellysetta? Maybe there was more to this magic stuff than what was necessary to go home.

"Here," Ellysetta said. "Let me show you." She paused and appeared to spin some spirit weaves. Suddenly, Ellysetta's little sister, Lillis, stood in front of them. The girl grinned just as broadly as she had when Emma met her, at the e'tanitsa bonding. Her long dark hair appeared just as soft as it had that night. Her flesh appeared just as solid as a real person. The girl was so life – like Emma reached out to touch her shoulder. To Emma's surprise, she felt real to the touch as well. This was amazing!

"Are you sure you didn't just…transport your sister here or something?"

Ellysetta chuckled. "No, I promise you, Lillis is at home with Papa and Lorelle, probably begging for another story. We can go see them if you want."

Emma smiled. "No, there's no need to bother them right now. So…"

"Right," Ellysetta agreed, understanding Emma wanted to move on with the lesson. "So were you able to see the weaves I used?"

Emma shook her head, frustrated with herself. "No. I'm afraid I haven't been practicing that as much as I should. Ever since we…stopped working together."

But Ellysetta's face remained kind. "Don't worry about it. The important thing is you're working on it now. Just try to remember to watch when anyone is weaving magic. It's a good way to practice and learn new spells. So, remember, for this spirit weave, you want to think about how you love Henry, and how you'd like to see him. Then form his image in front of you."

Emma took a deep breath and thought of Henry. She thought of his bright, eager smile. She thought of his blue eyes, wide with curiosity. She thought of his brown hair that hung over his eyes. She thought of how she wished she could see him right in front of her. For just a second, a blurry image of Henry appeared, and then it was gone. "Shoot! I almost had it!"

Ellysetta tried to put her hand on Emma's shoulder but she shrugged her off. Ellysetta sighed. "That was very good for a first try, Emma. You just need to keep practicing. Let me show you the spell again, and you can see if you can see my weaves."

Emma grumbled. She wanted to learn how to control her magic quickly! It was her key to getting home. Plus, she really liked this spell. Being able to see Henry again…even if it was just an image…it was something she'd like to do by herself. But Emma sighed and watched Ellysetta as she spun the weaves.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the meantime, Charming was at the Warriors' Academy with Lord Shan. At the moment, he was jumping and leaping around spots designated by large circles. All the while he was expected throw daggers and swordfight at the same time. It was exhausting, although having spent the last week and a half practicing, this kind of combat was a little easier than it used to be.

But that's not to say he couldn't make mistakes, Charming thought to himself as he stepped in one of the circles instead of jumping over it like he was supposed to. "Darn it!" he exclaimed as he realized his mistake.

Lord Shan came up behind Charming, shaking his head. "Yes, indeed. In a real battle with dragons, you may have stepped on fire. To show you what stepping on fire is like, I've got someone here to help me." Galen stepped into the room. Charming's eyes widened. What was he doing here? Lord Shan nodded at Galen. "Do it," he commanded.

Galen paused for a minute, and then suddenly Charming felt like his entire body was on fire.

Magic, Charming realized. Galen had woven the magic for Lord Shan because the sel'dor that pierced his hands prevented Shan from doing it himself. "Ooooouuuuuchhhhhh!" Charming screamed, in agony from the burning. Even the fire room hadn't hurt this bad. At least in that room, he could try to jump away from the flames. A couple of minutes later, though and the feeling of being burned was gone. He quickly examined his skin and found no burns.

"That was just burning you in Spirit," Lord Shan explained. "That way you can still continue your training, and we won't have to worry about putting out the fire. But it won't be spirit when you face the dragons. Remember that."

Charming nodded. Every time he thought he had the hang of this man's training, he was hit with something new. He was finally used to sword fighting when he was exhausted, now he had to fight against being burned. Still the man was right. These were all things he would face with the real dragons.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOOOOO

A few days later, Ellysetta decided Emma should practice weaving Air. After all, she was going to have to lift her and David several feet, according to the spell to return to Storybrooke. "Okay, so you should try just lifting yourself off the ground with Air first. Don't worry about it being very high." Ellysetta said to Emma as they stepped on to the field they used to practice for the last few days.

Emma looked at Ellysetta, trying to decide if she had heard right. She was more used to magic now but still… "Lift myself off the ground with just Air magic? I thought weaving Air was just making the wind blow and stuff." She had seen some of the fey use Air in the time since she had been in the Fading Lands, and that's what they seemed to use it for.

Ellysetta smiled. "That's true. And you've been paying more attention to magic than you've thought if you already know that."

Emma shrugged. "It's not like I have anything better to do around here. And I'm pretty good at noticing things. That's why I'm the Sheriff in Storybrooke. But how does this relate to lifting my body off the ground with Air magic?"

Ellysetta smiled again, as she brushed a stay red hair out of her face. "I'm glad you're good at noticing things, Emma. It will help you while you learn more about magic. And as far as lifting yourself, that is another way you can weave Air magic. And it's something you're going to have to do if you want to return to your Storybrooke. The spell says so, remember?"

Emma sighed and nodded. "You're right. Sometimes I get so excited we finally have a way home, I forget everything I need to do to get there. So how does this work?"

"Let me show you. Try to see the weaves I'm using." Ellysetta paused for a minute, and Emma saw lavender magic shooting out of Ellysetta. Then suddenly Ellysetta levitated herself a foot off the ground!

Emma's mouth dropped in shock. "Could I really do that? I mean, I've done some magic in the last few days…but levitation? Like that?"

Ellysetta put her feet back on the ground. "Yes, Emma you could. You need to start having confidence in your abilities, or this is never going to work. When we first met, you blew both Rain and I backwards with Air Magic in Tairen Form! Do you know how heavy a Tairen is? And how powerful? Since you were able to do that, with no training at all, your power in Air must be really strong. Strong enough to lift yourself off the ground, definitely. With practice, you'll even be strong enough to lift David, too."

Emma took a deep breath. Ellysetta was right. She had used Air to blow Cora backwards, too, back in the Enchanted Forest. She could do this. And she would need to do this to get her and David back to Storybrooke.

"So did you see my weaves?" Ellysetta asked, obviously trying to see how much instruction Emma needed.

Emma shrugged. "I did, but all I could see was the magic in general, not which weaves you used individually."

"That's okay. Keep looking for them when you see others do magic. Eventually you'll see the individual weaves. But for this weave, I want to think about how much you'd like to be up in the air. How much you need to be there to be able to go home. And remember, you can do this. You do have the ability."

Emma gathered her magic and thought about how she'd have to levitate herself in order to return to Storybrooke. How much she needed to practice that now, to prove to herself it was possible. And Ellysetta was right; it was possible. Suddenly she looked down and noticed she was half a foot off the ground! She did it!

Unfortunately for Emma, she didn't really think about how to come down. And Emma was so excited she had actually done the Air magic lesson right on the first try, she lost her control of her magic that was holding her up. So Emma fell on the ground, her face hitting the side of a rock. "Darn it! Ouch, that hurt."

Ellysetta watched her get up. "Don't worry about it. Just remember when you're up there, you need to keep control of your magic. Now, I could heal your injury and your pain for you, but why don't you try it yourself?" It's not even a complicated healing weave. Healing David's burns took more effort than this will. All you have to do is use your magic to wish the pain and the bruises on your face gone."

Emma nodded. She gathered her magic again and thought about how she wished her head and legs didn't hurt. And how she wished her face would look again. And suddenly they didn't hurt! Feeling her face, Emma realized her bruises were also gone. Ellysetta had been right, that one was pretty easy.

"Okay, let's try levitating again. This time, remember to keep controlling your magic while you're in the air. Then we'll work on coming down…more softly." Emma nodded, and they began again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Charming still spent his days at the Warriors' Academy with Lord Shan. Sometimes Galen was there, too, when Lord Shan felt the need to show Charming his mistakes through magic. Today, Charming was without any weapons. Lord Shan wanted to make sure he could defend himself if he lost his sword and his daggers. Shan hit Charming in the leg with his sword again.

"No!" Lord Shan exclaimed. "Jump! If you don't have a sword of your own to block, you need to remember to jump or duck when the sword comes your way!" He looked down at David's legs, which were covered with scratches and cuts.

Charming sighed. It's not that he didn't know that. He had jumped out of a sword's attack many times in the Enchanted Forest. But it when you had to keep jumping, over and over, your legs got tired! Some of the cuts were also fairly deep, which didn't help his ability to jump, either. Still, he knew enough about Lord Shan, after speeding the last two weeks with him, that he wouldn't accept Charming's fatigue as a reason for not doing well. So he nodded and prepared to try again.

This time Lord Shan cut him in the shoulder. Having expected another blow at the feet, he didn't duck when the sword came at his shoulder instead. Shan shook his head in disappointment. "You can't spend so much time expecting one attack that you miss another, chadin. Enemies will use that against you."

Charming hung his head. Lord Shan was right. "Now," Shan continued. "Say the Fey Warrior's Creed with me. Remind yourself why you don't stop when you're tired or injured."

Charming nodded. Lord Shan had him recite the Warriors' Creed regularly. He had to admit, it was a useful motivational tool. "I am warrior. I am fey. I am the steel no enemy can shatter. I am the magic no dark power can defeat. I am the rock upon which evil breaks like waves. I am Fey! Warrior of Honor! Champion of Light!" they both said at the same time. Then Charming added the line he used as his own personal touch, "I will do whatever it takes to get back to the rest of my family."

Lord Shan nodded. "Okay. Let's begin again. Jump or duck when the sword comes your way!"

A week later, Emma really thought she had control her of her magic. She could conjure an image of Henry that was just as real as Ellysetta's sister. In fact, she often used that spirit weave a night, before she went to sleep, just so she could see Henry again. She could also lift herself several feet off the ground with Air magic (and return to the ground when she wanted to, gently), and she could conjure any item Ellysetta asked for in Earth.

"Now," Ellysetta said as they met on their practice field. "One more test. Let's bring it all together. Can you weave one kind of magic right after another? Remember you have to perform Spirit, then Air, and then Earth all within minutes to get you and David through that portal."

Emma nodded. That was true. She wouldn't have much time to think about the magic she'd have to do. She'd have to do it all so fast. Could she do that? Then Emma stood straight and tall. Ellysetta was right. She needed to have confidence in her abilities or this was never going to work. She could weave magic quickly and she would.

"Okay, so first weave something in spirit." Ellysetta flung her hands, shrugging. "A tree, maybe. Weave an image of a tree right here, in the field."

Emma nodded. The weave wasn't that different than the image of Henry, although she didn't enjoy doing it as much, so it was harder to conjure the love she needed to make her magic work. But she did need to make this work so she could get back to Henry, who she loved. So Emma gathered her magic and thought of a tree. A nice, big, oak tree. Within seconds, a tree seemed to be standing in between her an d Ellysetta. Ellysetta reached out to touch it, and nodded. Then she sniffed at the bark, nodding again. "Good. Now levitate yourself right up to that top branch." Ellysetta pointed to the highest branch that appeared on the fake tree.

Emma took a deep breath and nodded. She'd never levitated that high before, but she knew that weave well now. She could do it. She gathered her magic and thought about how she'd like her body to be up in the air, in the spot Ellysetta had pointed to. Within seconds, Emma felt her body rising. Emma's body continued rising all the way to the top branch of the pretend tree. Emma grinned. "I did it!" she exclaimed to Ellysetta, looking down at her.

Ellysetta looked up and grinned as well. Okay, now instead of just using Air magic to bring yourself down, use Earth to conjure a swing.

"Huh?" Emma said out loud. Ellysetta hadn't spoken to her that way since before the…Tairen incident. It surprised her. And now she had to weave Earth? Her brain was getting overloaded. She let herself fall to the ground, although quite a bit softer than when she had tried levitating the first time.

"I'm sorry, it was too much to remember at once. Speaking in …what was it called? Spirit. And then weaving Earth magic right after Air magic? While still holding onto my spirit weave of the tree image?"

Ellysetta nodded. "I thought it might be. Your fine when you do them individually, but it overwhelms you to do it all at once. Let's practice it again."

Emma nodded. This was something she'd have to do in order to return home. So she'd practice it until she got it right.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

By the end of the day, Emma was pretty sure she had it. She weaved any object or person in spirit Ellysetta asked for. She levitated herself as high as ten feet. And she could conjure a swing or a parachute (Ellysetta was still confused on what that was, but she admitted it worked) to bring herself back to the ground. And she could do it all in fewer than three minutes!

Ellysetta smiled at Emma as they walked back to the palace together, her eyes glowing with pride. "You did it Emma. You have all the skills you need to activate that portal. You and David can go back to Storybrooke!"

Emma 's smile went from ear to ear. "Yeah. I do. I really do! We're going home!" She ran to the palace, laughing, eager to share her news with David. Then she paused, waiting for Ellysetta to catch up. "Hey, I don't think I ever mentioned how much I appreciate all the help you've given us. Giving us a place to stay, and helping me learn to control my magic. And just being a friend. I don't have many real friends, you know? But I'd like to count you as one."

"We were glad to help Emma. Like I said at the beginning. I've been separated from my family before. There were a couple of months were I had no idea where Papa, and Lillis and Lorelle were. It was horrible. And I know what it's like to not have many friends, too. Growing up, I was always an outsider in Celieria. I had magic, but I didn't want to admit it, much less be able to control it. People were afraid of me. I'd love to count you as a real friend, too."

They smiled as they shook one that promise, even though they would probably never see each other again after tomorrow. Then they continued on to the palace.

Dinner that night was something Emma had eaten here before. A pot pie made of blue goat and some strange vegetables found in this kingdom. It wasn't that bad, really. Still, Emma looked forward to sinking her teeth into a real Granny burger with fries when they returned to Storybrooke. She wondered if they would all go to Granny's for supper when she and David got back, like they had when she and Mary Margaret got back.

Speaking of which… Emma smiled as David took a huge bite of the blue goat pot pie. She wondered if he had any blue goats on his farm back in the Enchanted Forest. Maybe she'd ask him sometime. She ought to get to know David better. After all he was her…her…her…Dad. She finally said again, even if it was only in her head.

"I've got some news," Emma said brightly to everyone. "Ellysetta says I've got control of my magic. We can go home tomorrow, David!"

David's eyes grew wide shock and his whole face glowed with happiness. "Really?!"

She smiled back at him. "Really."

Rain and the others nodded slowly. "I guess we ought to prepare to head to the Rhakis Mountains, then." Rain announced to the rest of Ellysetta's gurad.

"Yeah," the others agreed.

"We're happy for you. Really. We'll just miss having you here," Tajik added.

"I'll go ahead and make sure we know which mountain it is," Galen announced, leaving right away.

They all nodded. "See you soon, Galen."

"Wait a second," Ellysetta said, her eyes widening as she must have thought of something important. "We were planning on walking to the mountains. But is really a good idea to spend the day walking if you're going to be fighting dragons?"

David shrugged. "Lord Shan has been teaching me to fight even though I'm fatigued. I think I'll be fine."

Rain nodded. "He's supposed to be good at that. But that's still no reason to tire yourselves out when you have other options."

"Like what?" Emma asked confused. "We walked everywhere we went here. I would think if you had other transportation you would have told us!"

"It's okay, Emma." Ellysetta said. "We didn't tell you before because we didn't think you would be comfortable with the other option. We also were only meeting with King Dorian and Lord Hawksheart, not battling them."

"Debatable, with Hawksheart," Tajik muttered. Ellysetta shot him a look and David patted him on the shoulder.

"There was nothing we had to that would physically injure us in those trips. This one is different. You should all be in top form." Ellysetta told them firmly. "Rain and I can take you on tairen back, by changing into tairen form. Since we know each other a lot better now, and Emma's been practicing magic with me, I hope you wouldn't be uncomfortable with that?"

David and Emma considered this for a moment. Emma was still slightly nervous about the tairen, but this wouldn't be tairen. This would be their friends in tairen form. Hadn't she told Ellysetta she'd always consider her a real friend? Didn't that mean trusting her, even with this? Besides, this way, she wouldn't have to walk all day! That was great news! "Yeah, I'm fine with it." She told Ellysetta "How about you?" she asked David.

David sighed and nodded. "Okay, you do have a point. Besides, this way we won't have to spend the whole day walking before we even get to the portal. Snow and I have discovered there's a four hour time difference between here and d Storybrooke. If we spend all day walking there, then have to battle the dragons, it could get pretty late by the time we go through the portal. Add another four hours to that...and…Personally, I don't want to wake everyone up at midnight if I can help it!" He chuckled.

Emma nodded, too. "Yeah, that would be way past Henry's bedtime. Let's do it the quick way."

Rain and Ellysetta nodded. "It would be quicker on tairen back. It'll only take us a couple of hours to fly everyone there. We can each take you in groups of two." We'll figure out the rest tomorrow. We'll leave shortly after breakfast."

David finished his dinner quickly. "I'm going to tell Snow we should be home tomorrow."

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As soon as Charming got to his room in this palace, he focused on his connection with Snow. He thought about all the reasons he loved her and how much he wished he was with her right now. And suddenly he felt his consciousness connect with Snow's. Hi Snow! He "said" to her happily.

Hi Charming! She replied cheerfully. The kids finished their science projects today. Now my classroom is full of volcanoes, rockets, plants and other weird stuff that the kids came up with! I can barely walk through it anymore! Charming could hear laughter in his head.

Well, Charming replied, trying to sound causal although he could barely contain his excitement. "Maybe I'll come by and see it.

I'm sure you'll see the projects soon. Snow replied, not understanding his meaning. Maybe the kids can show you their projects when you get back. It should be soon, right? She asked, sounding hopeful.

Charming chuckled in her head. He laid down on the bed he was using, stretching himself out flat. Of course it will. Sooner than you think. I actually meant I'd go see the science projects while their still in your classroom.

But they won't be there longer than a couple of days….Charming you don't mean…you and Emma will be home by then!

I do! Emma says she knows how to perform the spell that will take us home! And I've been working on my fighting skill to face those dragons. They say we can go home tomorrow!

Really! That's great! Wonderful! Fantastic! I can't wait! Snow sighed, wishing she could kiss her husband. Just one more day, she told herself. One more day and she could do whatever she wanted with him.

Definitely Charming responded, hearing her thoughts although she didn't send them directly to her. One more day and we can kiss anytime we want. And a lot more than just kiss.

Mmmmmhhhhhhmmmmm. Snow agreed. Although we'll have to make sure Emma and Henry aren't around first this time. She chuckled.

Hey, in my defense, I locked the door! I just don't think it really occurred to either of us that Emma had her own key, so it wouldn't do any good.

Well, this time we'll send her and Henry to the park or something….For the whole day. Snow laughed in his head again.

I like the sound of that. Charming groaned, his voice all low and throaty in her head. Of course, I want to spend time with Henry, too, he added switching back to his normal "voice." I can't wait to see him with that horse!

Henry will love to hear that. So where will you come through, anyway? The wishing well? That's where Emma and I came through after we came back from the Enchanted Forest.

Probably. If that's where you guys came through, then that's probably the portal we'll use.

Do you know what time you'll come through? Snow asked. Charming knew she wanted to prepare for when she'd most likely see them.

They told us we'd leave shortly after breakfast tomorrow, and it would take about two hours to get there. But then we have to fight the dragons before we can activate the portal. I don't know how long that will take. Hopefully not that long.

Charming be careful! I much rather you and Emma come home alive than come home quickly! Are you really sure you have to fight the dragons? I'd still rather you wait until you find a better portal.

Charming sighed, wishing he could comfort her by rubbing her shoulders and running his hand s through her hair. But he couldn't yet, so he settled for comforting her with words. I promise we won't rush through the fight just to get home quicker, Snow. And as for finding a portal, there may not be another one. It took us long enough to find this one. And Emma and I don't want to wait any longer getting home. Besides, I've brushed up on my fighting skills and learned some new tactics since I've been here. Sometimes we have to take risks, Snow. You know that.

Yeah, I know. I just wish I knew you'd both be safe. But anyway, so your leaving early in the morning, and it'll take you about two hours to get to the portal?

Yes. It'll probably be about 1:00 PM here, when we get to the portal. If we take anywhere between an hour and a couple of hours we'd leave somewhere between 2:00PM and 4:00PM.

That's between six and eight o'clock here. Okay. We'll be waiting for you.

I can't wait to see you.

Me neither.

Listen, if I'm going to do everything I need to do tomorrow, I should call it a night.

You're right. I love you.

I love you, too. Forever. With that, the connection was broken. Charming rolled over and tried to sleep.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

They all finished a large breakfast of serpent's eggs, croissants (Emma's suggestion), kecka fruit, cheese (also Emma's suggestion), sckeel fruit, berries, and more green ham. Rain insisted they all stock up before the battle they would face today. When they finished, the guards began gathering all of their weapons.

Meanwhile, Charming decided to head over to the Warriors' Academy quickly, right before they left. He'd have to let Lord Shan know he would be leaving, so he wouldn't be training anymore. Hopefully the man would decide he was ready, although Charming doubted it. In Lord Shan's mind, there was always one more thing for Charming to master. He'd just have to accept that Charming was going home today, whether Shan liked it or not.

He quickly arrived at the building and headed straight into the training room. "Hi." He greeted Lord Shan, civilly. Despite the man's extremely hard training methods, Charming wished the man no ill will. He was just trying to prepare him for the dragons the best he could. "So I'm going home today. We're leaving pretty soon, so there's no time for another lesson. Sorry."

But Lord Shan surprised him, waving his hand in a way that indicated it didn't matter. "Don't worry about it. My bond – son already told me you'd be leaving today. But I am glad you came over before you left. I have something to give you." He disappeared into a different room.

Charming's mouth dropped open. No insisting he wasn't fast enough? No insisting he spend more time practicing with daggers? Instead Lord Shan had a gift for him? More weapons probably. Another sword or something like that. But when Lord Shan returned he was holding a beautiful amber – colored crystal, slightly smaller than a fist. Charming had seen all the fey warriors wearing them, including Rain, Tajik, Galen, Bel, Rijonn, Gil, and even Lord Shan himself.

"This is a Soul Quest Crystal," Lord Shan announced, holding it out for Charming to see up close. "When a fey completes their Soul Quest, they are given one. You haven't really completed a Soul Quest, because you haven't practiced weaving very much magic. And you've only been training battle strategies for a few weeks. But I know you're going home today. Plus, I also know you were quite a competent fighter before you even started working with me. I want you to have this one."

Charming nodded, understanding this was some kind of a fey honor. And he was partially fey, right?

"You fasten it to your belt like this," Lord Shan explained , demonstrating with his own crystal. Charming did so. "I know you probably think I've been too hard on you in training. I know the Feyreisen and the others have promised to help you with the dragons. But this is the way I teach. Things happen in battle you don't expect. And this is how you survive. Trust me, I know about survival. Plus, my daughter and my bond – son told me you were partially fey, so I had planned on giving you a Soul Quest Crystal when you left. But I wanted you to be worthy of wearing it. And since you had less time to train, I had to be extra tough. Chadin, let me tell you, you're worthy."

Charming nodded, still shocked. This man, who had done nothing but yell at him and put him down since he started training, really thought he was worthy of this fey crystal? "Thank you. That means quite a bit to me."

"You're welcome. They posses magic on their own. I was able to kill the High Mage with mine, even though I was still bound in sel'dor." He held up his hands. "So it will help you in battle. But don't expect it to do the work for you." He warned. "That's why Soul Quest Crystals are only given to those who are considered worthy."

"I understand," Charming replied.

"One more thing," Lord Shan added. "Ellysetta and Rain tell me you have a shei'tani?"

"Apparently," Charming replied. He was still getting used the fey calling Snow that. He was used to thinking of her as Snow, or his wife, or more recently, Mary Margaret. Not as "shei'tani."

"Then you might be interested to know that those of us who are lucky to have completed a truemate bond give our Soul Quest Crystals to our shei'tanis on special occasions. You saw some women wearing them at the e'tanitsa bonding ceremony a few weeks ago, right?"

Charming thought for a minute, an d remembered Ellysetta wore the one Rain usually had on, in addition to the other crystals on her crown. He thought Marissya may have been wearing one, too. "Yes," he replied.

"Those women were all shei'tanis. Keep that in mind when you get home."

"I will." Charming nodded. "And I've just like to add that even though a part of me thought you were being too hard on me, I'm grateful for all the practice you've given me. And my…shei'tani is grateful you were hard on me. She wants to make certain I survive. She's nervous enough about me facing the dragons."

Lord Shan smiled. "That was the idea. No you go fight like the fey you are, and go home to your shei'tani and the rest of your family."

"I will. Bye." Charming walked quickly back to Rain and Ellysetta's palace. He couldn't believe how well that went. No yelling. And Lord Shan thought he was worthy, even though he'd only been training for a few weeks. The Soul Quest Crystal twinkled at him. He was ready.

Rain approached him as he walked up the pathway to the palace. "Hi David. I see Lord Shan did give you a Soul Quest Crystal." Rain commented, happily as he looked down at Charming's belt. "I was hoping he would. Of course since he was in charge of your training here, I had to leave it up to him. I know you're going back to Storybrooke, now and I'm happy for you. But I hope you'll acknowledge you're fey heritage, too. That crystal is part of the fey tradition and honor."

Charming nodded. "I can't wait to get back to the rest of my family. But I'm happy I got to know you guys. I'm happy you helped me understand what it means to have a truemate and even some of what it means to have fey heritage. I'm happy Emma was able to find some like Ellysetta to help her with her magic. And I know I've said this before, but I'll never be able to thank you enough for helping me contact Snow through the bond. But I'll say it again, anyway. Thank you. "

Rain smiled. "Of course. Now let's get on with this." By now, everyone else had congregated outside the front of the palace. Bel, Tajik, Gil, and Rijonn all had their weapons ready. Emma had changed back into the clothes she was wearing when she arrived. Rain paused, summoning magic, and then several coats appeared. It gets cold high in the air where we will be flying. He explained. "You'll need to wear these." They all picked up a coat. "Stand back," Rain instructed everyone. Emma and Charming did so, unsure of what to expect.

"Stand back from me as well," Ellysetta added. Emma and Charming moved away from her as well. This must have something to do with changing into tairen. They both paused, obviously summoning magic. Suddenly in the place of Rain was a black cat, the same size as a large horse. The cat came with claws the size of a human hand. On his back were two huge black wings. Charming took a deep breath and reminded himself that this…cat creature was still his friend, Rain. The same man who taught him how to communicate through his bond with Snow.

Then he turned around and in place of Ellysetta was an orange cat, the same size as the black cat. This cat also had same size claws and large wings the other one did. Charming reminded himself that this cat was Ellysetta, the same woman who also helped him learn how to use the bond to talk to Snow. She was the same woman who helped Emma with her magic. Okay, Charming heard in his head. It took him a second to realize this was Ellysetta, speaking through the "spirit weave." No one had spoken to him that way in weeks. You can come forward now. David and Emma can ride me, and Bel and Tajik can ride Rain. Then we'll come back for Rijonn and Gil.

Charming and Emma stepped forward to the orange cat. The cat, Ellysetta, Charming reminded himself, kneeled down so he and Emma would be able to climb on. As they grew closer, he realized there was a saddle on the cat's back. That would make it easier to ride. Her easier to ride, he corrected himself again. The cat was still Ellysetta. He and Emma climbed on and Ellysetta lifted them into the sky.

Two hours later, they were all assembled at the foot of the Rhakis Mountains.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So where are the dragons we're supposed to fight?" Emma asked, looking all around her. "Come on, let's get on with this! I want to see Henry again!"

"Galen was supposed to go ahead and find out which mountain has the portal, remember? We should be hearing from him soon," Ellysetta replied, looking like a woman again, instead of a cat creature.

"Well, can't we just look around ourselves a bit? We've already got this far!" Emma protested. She was so anxious to see Henry, and Mary Margaret, and the rest of Storybrooke again.

David nodded, agreeing with Emma. But just then, Galen ran up to them. "This way," he said pointing to the mountains to their left. "The portal is this way." So they all walked in that direction for about ten minutes. "Right there," Galen announced pointing to a mountain that was particularly rocky.

"Okay," Emma replied walking toward it. "I don't see any dragons around, though. Are you sure they didn't…find a new home or something?"

But David grabbed her shoulder. "Careful Emma!" She wiggled, trying to release from his grip. Hadn't they already talked about his over protectiveness? There wasn't even anything dangerous around! "I've dealt with dragons before. They stay out of sight unless you approach them. A lot of times, they're sleeping. I guarantee you, the dragons are still here."

Emma paused, remembering the dragon she had to fight the day the Curse broke in Storybrooke. That dragon had been asleep until she approached it, too. Maybe David was right. "I'm sorry. You're probably right." She slowed down a little, approaching the portal more cautiously. "I'm just really anxious to get home, you know?" She smiled at David.

"Believe me, I know," David replied, smiling at Emma as well. "But we can't be reckless just because we're so eager to get home. We want to get home alive."

Emma nodded. He had a point. "Alright." As everyone cautiously approached the portal, they began to hear moaning and growling. Oh yeah, the dragons were here. Suddenly one of them came forward, breathing fire as it did so. Everyone ran out of its range. Tajik wove Water magic to douse out the flames. But as he was doing so, another dragon came up from behind him preparing to bite him. David grabbed his sword and sliced its head before it was able to do so. Some kind of new jewel strapped to David's belt glowed. Emma had noticed the other fey wearing them as well. What was that about? Anyway, they killed one dragon, how many were left?

Just then Ellysetta took Emma's hand and led her away from the dragon battle. "We're going to need to sit out of it." Emma looked at Ellysetta as if she were crazy. She may be one of Emma's best friend's now, but the woman wasn't going to convince her to sit out of a battle like a helpless woman!

"Absolutely not!" Emma replied already walking back to toward the battle. "They need my help! And I may not have trained, like David did, but I do know how to fight! I was the Sheriff back in Storybrooke, and back before that, I was a bounty hunter! I killed a dragon myself once, you know. You stay here like a damsel in distress if you want, but I won't!"

Ellysetta ran after her and grabbed her again. "Emma, that's not what I meant. "I'm sure you're competent in battle. I am, too. I have a tairen form, for goodness sakes! But Emma, if they get injured, we're the only ones who can help them. What happens if David gets mortally wounded and you're in the middle of a fight, so you can't heal him?" Emma stopped short. She hadn't thought of that. She'd used her magic to heal flesh wounds and pain before, but mortal wounds? She could heal people who were dying?

"I can really do that?" She asked Ellysetta in wonder.

"Emma you may have trained with me only to learn the weaves you needed to get home, but your control is perfect now. Yes, you should be able to heal mortal wounds now. And if they need someone to heal them, we need to be ready…and waiting."

Emma nodded. It was hard for her to sit on the sidelines, but what Ellysetta said made sense. So they watched as the others battled the dragons. David was about to slice another dragon's head off when it's tail whipped around and hit him in the head. He went down like a log. Emma's eyes grew wide. Was David okay? What if he was back in the fire room again, or something? Should she try to help him?

But just as Emma was about ready to approach David, he began muttering something. Just as the dragon's fangs came right in front of him, he stood up and slashed the dragon right across the face with his sword. The dragon hissed in pain and anger at David, preparing to attack again. But just as the dragon reared up, claws and fangs aiming straight at David, Tajik came up from behind and slashed the dragon's head from the other side. That was two down, Emma thought to herself. How many were left now?

Unfortunately for Tajik, he had been so busy helping David, he didn't see the next dragon that came up behind him and blew fire on him and before he could counter it with Water magic. To Emma's horror the fire was burning David as well. They both screamed in agony. Rain turned around, as he was trying to battle another dragon at the same time. Quickly, he appeared to use Water magic himself to douse their flames. Then, he began dragging them over to Emma and Ellysetta, as the rest of the men were unable get away from the dragons.

"So how do we heal burns like that?" Emma asked Ellysetta, looking nervously as Rain carried David over. He looked pretty bad. Could she really do this?

Ellysetta smiled at Emma. "The same way you healed the burn on him from a few weeks ago. With shei'dalin Earth Magic. You just have to use more magic. You can do it Emma. You just need to believe you can. Emma took a deep breath. Ellysetta was right. She had control of her magic now. She could save David for Mary Margaret. She still had promised she'd take care of him. She could save…her Dad.

David was brought in front of her and Emma gathered her Earth magic. Then she focused on healing all of David's burns, even the ones she was sure were under the skin that she couldn't see. A few minutes later, he looked fine. So did Tajik. But neither one was waking up. "No!" Emma exclaimed, looking a David in horror. "No, I healed you. You have to wake up!"

Just then Tajik sat up. How come he woke up? "How did you get him to wake up?" Emma called to Ellysetta "Why won't David wake up?" Emma's voice sounded slightly panicky, but she couldn't help it. They were so close to going home! She already healed him! He had to wake up! He just had to!

"Tajik woke up because I used the bloodsworn bond to call him back. He was just unconscious. It's too bad your mother isn't here," Ellysetta commented sadly as she walked over to Emma and David. "Truemate bonds are the strongest of all bonds, so she could probably wake him right now. I can tell you, though. He's just unconscious, because I can still feel his life force here. He hasn't even gone into the Well of Souls."

Emma nodded. She wasn't sure what some of that meant, but she did understand Ellysetta was telling her David wasn't dead. He could still wake up. She leaned against his ear. "Come on David, you need to get up so we can go home," Emma pleaded. "Henry will want to see his Grandfather. Mary Margaret will want to see you again!" Emma paused. Still nothing. If she was going to make this work, she'd need to use names David's subconscious would recognize. That meant…Emma took a deep breath and tried again. "Snow will want to see you again. Snow is waiting for you back in Storybrooke. I want you to come home with me…" Emma paused, then remembering what woke him up from the fire room the first day they were here. It wasn't the same thing, but still… "Dad. I want to see my…Mom and Dad together again." Still nothing. Well, if that didn't work she didn't know what would. Emma was out of ideas.

And as she got up, she thought she heard something. She turned around, "Mhgha," or something like that, David muttered. David was talking! Dad was talking! Emma leaned over him again. "Come on, you can do it!"

"Emma," he finally said as he opened his eyes. "Did I just hear you call me 'Dad'?"

Emma nodded, unable to say anything else.

"Well," David said getting up. "Let's get back to business. We've got dragons to kill and portals to open!"

Emma nodded, feeling a little uncomfortable. David was obviously fine now; she had healed all his burns. But he just woke up! Should he really return to battle right now?

Ellysetta called out to him. "Something we forgot to mention, David, but you might be interested to know. The truemate bond that you use to communicate with your shei'tani? You can use it to communicate when one of you is unconscious, too. It's one of the best methods for waking someone up from an unconscious state."

David nodded. "I'll keep that in mind." With that, he returned to the battle.

Emma looked nervously at Ellysetta. Ellysetta smiled sadly. "Welcome to the hard part of being a shei'dalin. We patch up our friends and family, and then we send them back into battle where they'll probably get injured all over again. If it helps, I think the others killed another one well you were trying to wake David up."

Emma nodded. "So that's three down,…how many left?"

Ellysetta shrugged. "Shouldn't be more than a couple more."

Emma bit her lip and sighed. Still, Ellysetta was right. It was a good thing she hadn't been fighting. What if she wasn't in a position to heal David? Apparently her skills as a healer were more necessary than her fighting skills.

Emma watched as one of the dragons appeared to be choking Rijonn David came up behind the dragon and sliced off the dragon's head. That was four down, now. Just as he did so, however, another dragon came up behind David and breathed fire again. No! Emma though t to herself. She didn't think she could take it if David ended up unconscious because of that dragon fire again. But to Emma's surprise, this time David seemed to sense the other dragon coming this time and leaped out of the line of fire. It was a pretty big leap, too. Emma knew David was physically fit, but she had no idea he could jump that high. Then she noticed that crystal attached to his belt was glowing again. Maybe that had something to do with it?

Tajik and Gil both then came forward and redirected the dragon's fire with Fire and Water magic so it would burn the dragon instead. The dragon screeched in pain, and then hissed at them, fangs out. But Rain stabbed it in the stomach, and it fell to the ground, dead. That was five dragons dead. Was that it, or was there one more? Everyone looked around, cautiously. "Are we all done?" Tajik asked

"I don't know," David replied, still looking around the area, warily. The men checked around the corners and up in the air. But there were no signs of anymore dragons. "I guess that's it. I'd like to thank you guys for help. I may have been a competent dragon – fighter back in my day, and I learned some good new tricks from Lord Shan, but I'd never be able to defeat all of them without your help."

Rain smiled. "We were glad to do it. I haven't forgotten about the time Emma saved Ellysetta and the rest of the shei'dalins from that scum who wanted to kidnap her to use her powers for himself. Plus, I will remind you, you're partially fey. We're honor – bound to help."

"Well," Ellysetta looked at Emma. "I guess this is your show now."

Emma took a deep breath. That's right. She was the one who was going to have to open that portal. She could do this. She stepped toward the rocks on the side of the mountain. "Okay. David…you're going to have to hold on to me if we're both going to go through."

David nodded and gripped her left hand tightly. "I know you can do this, Emma."

Emma nodded. "Thanks." She took a deep breath and gathered her Spirit magic. Then she focused on the side of the mountain and thought, "door." She felt magic extend from her fingertips as she waved her right hand at the rocky area. Suddenly, nestled between two rocks, was a small door. It was very high up, all most eight feet off the ground. The rocks were far too to climb up. She would indeed need to use Air magic. Emma began to gather her Air magic, while still holding her Spirit Weave that kept the door visible. The she thought "up" for both her and David. They began to levitate. She was doing it! Still the hardest part was yet to be done. She had to create a real door and make sure it went to Storybrooke, all the while holding on to her Spirit and Air Weaves.

Suddenly Emma an d David reached place where the door would be. Emma took a deep breath and gathered Earth magic, careful not to drop her Spirit and Air Weaves at the same time. Then she thought of Storybrooke. She thought of Mary Margaret, and Ruby, and Leroy. She thought of that small apartment they all made their home. She thought of her yellow bug that had taken her so far. She thought of Granny's diner, a perfect town meeting place and wonderful food. She thought of Neal and how much she wished things could work out between them, even though she knew it couldn't. And above all, Emma thought of Henry. She thought of her perfect little boy, even though he wasn't so little anymore. She thought of his wide – eyed curiosity and insight that should be beyond any kid his age. She thought of his brown hair and beautiful blue eyes. Then she used her right hand to push on the door made of spirit…and it opened! She had used her Earth Magic to open the door!

"Come on!" Emma exclaimed, beaming at David! "Let's go home!" With that, they jumped through.

When they arrived in Storybrooke, they were in some place dark and moist. "What on Earth?" Emma asked looking around. "I thought we'd end up in the well again! Where are we, anyway?

David looked around as well. "That's where I thought we'd end up, too." He looked around again. "I think we're in the mines, actually."

"Why would we end up here? Emma asked as they began walking toward the exit.

David shrugged. "Maybe it has to do with the rocks? Or the mountain? We don't have any mountains in Storybrooke, so maybe the portal figured the mine was close enough to mountains. You guys came through the well because you went through Lake Nostos on the other side, right?"

Emma nodded.

"Well, we came over here because we went through a mountain on the other side," David concluded.

Emma shrugged. "That makes sense, I guess. It doesn't really matter, anyway." She climbed out of the mine.

After David climbed out as well, Emma began heading toward their apartment. But David stopped her. "Wait, Emma. They won't be there."

"Why not?" Emma asked, confused.

"Last time we…communicated, I told Snow we'd be coming through about this time. But we thought you and I would be coming through the well. They'd be over there."

Emma nodded. "Okay."

They both headed for the well.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the meantime, Snow, Henry, and Neal were all waiting for Charming and Emma to return, at the base of the well. When he heard Emma was returning, Neal had insisted on waiting for her to come through the portal as well. When Snow reminded him that Emma was not ready to pursue a relationship with him, he said he knew that. But, he reminded Snow, she had also told him not to give up, and he wanted to make that clear to Emma as well. He needed to make sure Emma knew he'd be there if she changed her mind. Snow couldn't really argue with that logic, as much as a part of her wanted to.

Sharing Emma's time with Neal someday…it was going to be hard.

Henry had brought his favorite video games, his fairytale book, and some snacks while they waited. And waited. And waited. They had been waiting for an hour and a half, so far. Snow had known it could be a while before they came through. Charming told her he didn't know how long it was going to be before they killed the dragons that were in front of the portal. She told him not to hurry; that she'd rather have him and Emma come home okay, even if they took longer, than try to rush through a battle and be severely injured or worse. That was still true, of course. She just had no idea how hard it would be to sit and wait. She knew they were coming home today, she just didn't know when. It was torture.

At least Henry was able to entertain himself with his video games while he waited, even though she knew it was hard for him, too. He kept glancing at the well every few minutes. But Snow couldn't concentrate on her books she brought at all. She took a bite of one of Henry's crackers, even though she couldn't taste anything. She stared at the well again. Come on! She thought silently.

Then suddenly she heard a rustling in the bushes. Red maybe, or one of the dwarves, with food or something, probably. But then Snow heard a voice call out, "Henry!" It sounded suspiciously like her daughter. Maybe it was coming from the well? Maybe they were almost through! She leaned over the edge of the well, wondering she could see them yet.

Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Snow," said a deep, familiar voice. If she didn't know better…She turned around.

"Charming!" They wrapped their arms around each other tightly. From over her shoulder, Snow could see Emma and Henry doing the same. Then Charming pulled himself back so he could look into her eyes. But instead of their traditional greeting after a separation, he said something else. "Your soul calls out. Mine answers, beloved."

Snow nodded, a little confused. It sounded nice but…

"While we were in that other world, I learned quite a bit about this 'truemate bond' we apparently have. That phrase is a traditional greeting for truemates. I just thought…we might start using it, too. I learned quite a bit about fey heritage, too. Apparently, you and I have some fey blood, since only people with fey ancestry can truemate. These fey people became important to me, Snow. I want to make their traditions part of our lives, too."

Snow nodded. "That sounds great. But sometimes, old greetings are wonderful, too." She smiled lovingly at Charming. "You found me."

"Did you ever doubt I would?"

"No." With that, their lips met for a long – awaited kiss, which lasted several minutes. Mmmmmm that felt so good, Snow thought to herself as he ran his hands through her hair.

Finally, they broke apart. Snow could hear Emma and Henry talking in the background. "…and when we get home, I have to show you my Science essay! I got an A on it, you know…" Snow was happy they were together, again. Maybe this time, Emma would be able to be a mother to Henry for good.

Charming smiled at his daughter and his grandson's reunion, too.

Then he looked back into Snow's eyes. "There something I have to give you." He let go of her to reach down at his waist to pick something up. He picked up a beautiful – looking amber crystal, about the size of her fist. "Before I left the other world, the man who was helping me train gave me this. He said when a fey warrior completes something called a "Soul Quest", they are given one. It's called a Soul Quest Crystal. I hadn't finished a Soul Quest, because I wasn't there long enough, but he thought I was worthy enough to wear it anyway." Snow nodded. Of course he was. Her Charming was one of the best, noblest, bravest fighters she ever met. "It supposed to enhance your abilities in battle. I think it did help when I was fighting the dragons." Snow looked at the crystal with new interest. This gem had helped her husband come home alive? It helped make it possible for the dragons to be killed so Emma and David could come through the portal?

"I was also told that fey warriors who have truemates give them their Soul Quest Crystals to wear on special occasions. I can't of an y occasion more special than being reunited with you and the rest of our family." He looked at her and then at Emma and Henry, still chatting excitedly. Oh gosh, how did he do it? Just keep constantly amazing her with his…charm. She supposed that was fitting. "I'd love to wear it," Snow told him. Why wouldn't she wear something that obviously meant a lot to him? And something that helped her husband fight the dragons? He fastened it around her neck with its heavy chain. She smiled at him.

"So" Charming said, looking at all of his family this time, "dinner at Granny's?"

Emma laughed. "Is that the traditional dinner after we've come back from other worlds?"

Snow laughed, too. "Sound s good to me."

"Wait," Neal said, coming out of the background. "I've got something to say."

Emma backed a few stepped. "Look, I know what happened between us in Neverland, Neal…but I really don't see things working out between us now."

"Why not?" Henry exclaimed. "You have True Love!"

"Not now Henry!" The y both said at the same time.

"Look, I heard that you don't want a relationship with me right now."

Emma looked confused for a minute, then suddenly seemed to understand, and glared at Snow and Charming . Maybe they shouldn't have been talking about her relationships, especially to Neal. But then…he had asked…

But Neal continued. "I can respect that, Emma. I won't try to push you. But I also want you to know that I'm here…if you ever change your mind. Because my feelings haven't changed. And I will be staying in Storybrooke, if you're interested in knowing that. I've already given up my apartment in New York."

Emma nodded. "I'm happy to hear that, for Henry's sake." She rustled her son's hair. "But nothing's going to change between us anytime soon. She looked at Snow and Charming. Are we ready to eat? I don't think I've had anything since breakfast!"

They all laughed and headed to Granny's. After some thought, they decided to include Neal, too, for Henry's sake. (And maybe for Emma's, too, even though she didn't know it.)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOOOOOO

Ellysetta watched as Emma an d David disappeared through the portal. "Well, I guess that's that." She shrugged. "They went back to Storybrooke."

"Yeah," everyone else agreed, sighing.

"I know it's selfish, but a part of me was hoping they'd end up staying here." Rain commented. "They became such good friends to us. And they have fey heritage. A part of me thinks they belong in the Fading Lands."

"I know what you mean," Tajik agreed.

Ellysetta shook her head. "I know it's easy to think that. They were really good friends to me, too. But not all fey stay in the Fading Lands, Rain. You know that. Without the Mists, some fey have mated mortals again. And they're the dahl'reisen village, too."

"Yeah, but we can see those people again," Tajik grumbled. "We'll probably never see David or Emma again."

"That's true." Ellysetta agreed. "And that does make me sad. But they belong back in that other world. Emma should be with both of her parents and her son. And David should be with the rest of his family…with his shei'tani. She looked at Rain. "Shei'tan, if I were in another world, wouldn't you want to be with me, even if it meant giving up the Fading Lands?"

Rain nodded. "Of course, shei'tani. Of course." He turned to look at the rest of the men. "Do you want to walk back?"

Bel shrugged. "We may as well. There's no battle waiting for us this time." With that, the Feyreisen, the Feyreisa, and her bloodsworn quintet began the journey back to the palace.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

The next morning, Ellysetta found a six – pedaled white flower outside the palace. She turned to Rain, who was right next to her." Is that…"

Rain gulped. "Yes, shei'tani. Yes. Amarynth." He picked the flower and breathed into it.

"And since it's right in front of our palace…" Ellysetta's voice trailed off in excitement.

Rain nodded. "It means, you shei'tani, are with child." He picked her up and spun her around.

"I guess we're not just saying goodbye to friends, then." Ellysetta commented, making reference to yesterday. "We're going to say hello to our child."

Rain nodded, becoming choked up. "We are. Let's tell the others."

Final Thoughts:

So what did you guys think of that? Comments about the chapter and/or the story as a whole would be much appreciated! I know most of my readers haven't given me reviews, but maybe you'd like to do it now that you can discuss the whole story? I'd really love some more reviews, please. If you are uncomfortable with reviewing in public, you are more than welcome to give me a PM as well.

Also, I'd like to mention if anyone has things they don't understand about this story, I still ask that you please tell me! It doesn't matter if it's confusion on something in the last chapter, or if you haven't read the story as whole until now, so you're confused about something that happened in an earlier chapter. You can do so in reviews or PMs. I will be more than happy to explain whatever your confusion is in a PM. Unfortunately, since the story is finished, I can't adjust the story to make it easier to understand. But I can still make it easier for you to understand if you have questions.

Thanks goes out to the people who favorited or followed my story, as well as those of you were willing to read it. I know it was probably something you were unsure of, since it was technically a crossover, even though I tried to make it readable and enjoyable for a Once fan. A special thanks goes again, to my anonymous reviewer. You're the best, whoever you are! Thanks also goes out to the writers, producers, and actors of Once Upon a Time, for making such a fabulous show that's so easy to write fanfiction about! And thanks goes out to C. L. Wilson for creating one of my all time favorite book series, Tairen Soul. I always thought the Tairen Soul miniseries was a perfect world/storyline for fanfiction, but unfortunately, it hasn't really caught on. So I'm happy I was able to write a Once Upon a Time fanfiction where two of the characters explored the Fading Lands and the surrounding kingdoms. I really think they fit well together. Thanks to the writers of Once and Tairen Soul for that.

If you are interested in reading more about Rain, Ellysetta, her guards, Lord Shan an d Elfeya, and Marissya and Dax, please read the Tairen Soul books! These books will show you how Rain and Ellysetta completed their truemate bond, how Lord Shan and Elfeya defeated the High Mage and escaped captivity, the news of Marissya's pregnancy, as well as more about the tairen. They are very easy to read. The books are as follows: Lord of the Fading Lands, Lady of the Light and Shadows, King of Sword and Sky, Queen of Song and Souls, and Crown of Crystal Flame.

Finally, I'd like to let you know I'm planning on writing another story in a few weeks. This one is a straight Once Upon a Time, so should be easier for you to understand and make you less nervous to try reading. However, it's a sequel to another author's story "Thicker than Water." (Don't worry I have the author's permission to do the sequel.) Since I'm planning on starting directly after "Thicker than Water" left off, I suggest you read or review that story first. I probably won't start posting until the end of December, though, so you should have plenty of time to read or review the original

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