All Souls Night

Chapter 14: The Bonny Swans

Author's Notes: Sorry this took so long guys. I was out of my mind with cold medication and fever for two days. I haven't been able to do much beyond sitting up in my chair and ranting away about the kids running across my porch. Yes I'm a grouchy old woman when I'm sick…and any other time really…but I will soon have Candlelight's next chapter up…once I make sure that it's not ridiculous due to fever and cold medicine. Because let's face facts in my fevered delirium everything I write is either going to be HILARIOUS or so ridiculous it makes Alice in Wonderland look like a non-acid filled dream. We'll have to see. I'm sorta afraid to see what my delirium addled brain came up with. But none the less it'll get posted some time tonight or yes and if you'd like to listen to the song that inspired this little interlude and the song that Regina sang to Emma after she'd given birth it's the title of the chapter by Loreena McKennitt...Candlelight is also being posted over on Tumblr and my tumblr for those that wish to see it is bellaheat. It's related to the Once Upon A Brothel thing FYI! ~ Bella

"Did Sidney tell you anything?" Henry asked looking anxious as his blonde mother stepped into his new room. It was much lighter than his old room with high vaulted ceilings and huge floor to ceiling windows that were covered in white gauzy curtains but he liked it none the less. Especially the bed; that was his favorite he decided. It was large like his mother's was with four large posts and a canopy with thick curtains that could be pulled closed.

When he was young his mother would allow him to play in her bed with the curtains drawn. It was his fort he'd stated firmly and he would fight off all the baddies to keep his mother safe since she was the only one allowed in his fort with him. He was the brave knight and she was his Queen and Queens didn't fight, knights did. He shook his head with a small smile remembering how his mother's entire face would light up when he'd talk about protecting her and how he would always be her most loyal knight.

"Yes he did. He told us more than we could hope to know. He said something about your mother's old friend…do you know of anyone she may have been friends with that would be willing to help us find her?" His other mother's soft voice interrupted his thoughts.

Henry's brow furrowed as he thought. "She was usually really isolated. She never had anyone over nor did she ever seek anyone out for as long as I can remember…" At the disappointed look that crossed the Queen's face he spoke again hesitantly. "But there was this one time…she wasn't very nice though so Mom sent her away pretty quickly."

"Do you remember who she is or anything about her that might hint at where we could find her?"

Henry nibbled his lip as he thought. He remembered being five and sneaking to the top of the large staircase to peer over at the large white marble foyer where his mother stood with a strange woman wearing pinks and purples and some sort of horned crown. He had immediately thought she was his blonde mother come back to get them and had thought to run to her but stopped when he saw the pinched set of his mother's pretty red mouth. She wasn't happy that this woman was here and he knew that if she wasn't happy that meant this wasn't his other mother, their Emma. He remained put at the top listening to their conversation.

"Maleficent I don't know what you wish me to do."

"I want your help. Who else do I have to turn to? After all you're my only friend." The woman was clearly mocking his Mommy.

"And I cannot give it even to my only friend. I have a child to consider now. I cannot be involved in all of this anymore." His mother had snapped back and they'd both stared at one another until the blonde broke out into a cruel smile of some sort.

"I never thought I would see the day that you would stop scheming old friend. But if you don't intend to help me then I shall just call in the favor you owe me."

"I owe you nothing," Mommy was angry, he could see it in the way she drew herself up. She never got angry with him though. She was too good to him to ever react to him that way.

He'd only ever seen her get angry once at that time and that was only because she didn't know he was there. She'd been drinking, that strange red liquid that made his nose wrinkle when he smelled it on her breath. She was looking into one of the large mirrors that hung in her chambers when she'd suddenly taken the golden chalice in her hand and smashed it into the mirror's silvery surface with a sob. He'd gasped and fallen back as his usually strong Mommy had collapsed to her knees and openly wept with the glass shards surrounding her. He shivered at the memory remembering how he'd heard her voice, so soft and broken. "Emma," She'd sobbed, "Emma, Emma," she barely made it to her bed before he ran out of his hiding place and climbed into bed with her.

"Don't cry Mommy," He'd spoke softly. "I woves you Mommy. Pwease don't cry no more." She'd lifted her head staring at him before pulling him close and pressing a kiss to his forehead. It was the first of many nights that he'd climbed into bed with her after hearing her sobs for his other mother.

Henry blinked forcing his thoughts back to the woman in the garishly colored silk with the strange staff in her hands.

"You owe me for that little bastard laying upstairs. After all I gave you the spell that enabled you to beget the White Princess with him in the first place. Or did you think you stood a chance of figuring it on your own especially considering you didn't even have the stomach to cast the dark curse like you intended. Or was this part of your grand plan for revenge? Take the bastard child of the Whites' darling princess and turn him against them? Oh dear you really need to work on your plans if that's the case. It needs a lot of work."

His Mommy's hand had moved so fast that he almost didn't see it. He flinched at the loud crack of skin on skin. His mother had never struck him either. She would only lay her hands on him in love and affection she'd said once; never in anger. The other woman's head snapped to one side clearly not at all prepared for that movement.

"Don't you ever let me hear you call my son a bastard ever again. Do I make myself clear?" She'd hissed, eyes flashing with danger.

"Crystal," The woman had snapped before disappearing in a puff of pink and purple smoke.

His mother's body sagged and he'd carefully crept downstairs and slid his chubby arms around her leather clad knees. He was still too tiny to hold onto her tiny corseted waist. "I wove you Mommy." He'd looked up at her adoringly and she'd offered him a small smile before dipping down and lifting him up into his arms. His went around her neck and he pressed a little kiss to her cheek which earned him a small smile as the heat in his mother's gaze left and turned loving and soft again, just like always when she looked at him.

"I love you too darling so very much." She'd murmured.

Henry shook his head blinking at his blonde mother's eager hopeful expression. "Maleficent. Her name was Maleficent."

"Maleficent?" Emma gasped as she stared at her son who gave her a firm nod.

"Yes; it was the first and last time I ever saw her but I'll never forget her. She called me a bastard and Mom got really upset and slapped her."

The Queen's eyes bugged before she smiled, "That does sound like something your mother would do." She murmured to which the little boy nodded solemnly.

"She didn't ever come back but she said she was Mom's only friend or something like that. That might be who he's referring to."

"I imagine it is. Well we'll figure it out. Thank you Henry; you've been more help than we could imagine having in trying to find Regina and bring her home."

"I want her home just as much as you do Momma. She's my Mom."

"Yes and she's my…"

"Your true love," Henry interrupted noting the dumb struck look on Emma's face. "That's why you two can't stand to be separated." He added.

Emma opened her mouth and then closed it looking gob smacked before she nodded with a soft smile. "Yes you're right Henry. I've sent word to your grandmother. She'll be here on the morrow to watch you for me while I try to track down Maleficent." She changed the subject softly a bit uncomfortable still with talk of true love and all that. Though she knew what she felt for Regina and still could feel was as strong and true as any other love that existed in their realm she knew what her mother had once told her. That true love was only given once and that it would only happen once in a lifetime. She knew Regina was her once in a lifetime. The great love affair that they would talk about for ages if Regina felt the same for her. She also knew the brunette had lost her lover at a young age and was forced into a marriage she didn't want; according to her mother though she could've gotten out of it if she'd only spoken about it to her father.

Mother never could find fault with anyone but Regina, she thought to herself as she looked at her son. To her things were black or white, never grey. There was good and there was evil. Regina was evil and Snow was good. That was that as far as her mother was concerned but Emma had never been able to view the world that way. She'd felt sympathy for the villains of their realm and anger towards the so called good people. Sometimes good people did bad things and sometimes bad people did good things she'd once argued. But it made no difference to anyone but her. She swore to herself that once she was Queen she would get to the bottom of the so called evil doer of the realms. She would find out why they were the way they were and that included her mother's mortal enemy, the Evil Queen.

That was then though and this was now. She had a mission ahead of her and that was to find Regina and bring her home no matter the cost; for her son and for her, for the sake of their hopefully combined happy ending and if not for herself then solely for her son. He needs his mother, she thought as she watched his settle back in the bed. It was growing late but she couldn't find it in herself to leave him just yet. After all she'd only just gotten to see him again.

"Momma?" Henry asked softly studying her noting the way the cogs in her brain seemed to be moving and choosing not to interrupt until it appeared she was all there once again.

"Yes?" The Queen asked tilting her head slightly.

"Will you sing to me?"

"Henry I sound like a dying animal when I sing. I doubt you'd find my voice very appealing."

"Not like Mom's huh?" Henry offered her a soft smile and Emma nodded.

"She's got the beautiful voice."

"She used to sing this song to me. It was in some ancient language that she said was long forgotten in our world. I never knew what she meant by that but I once asked her if she could sing it in the language we knew. She told me that she'd sang it to you once in the ancient tongue but not in a way you could understand."

"Yes she did; it was right after I gave birth to you. She came and sat with me and sang me to sleep." Emma smiled vaguely at the memory remembering how soothing it had been to listen to the strange musical tongue and the soft words that flowed from her lover's mouth.

"She used to sing it to me all the time when I was little. Sometimes I can get her to sing it to me now especially if I'm not feeling well or I can't sleep. Did you know it was a story?"

"No, I had no idea what the words were let alone anything about it."

"It was a story about a harp. The song told about a girl that drowned in the river because her sister was jealous of her having found true love. A miller and his daughter found her and brought her onshore to dry and a harper made a harp from her hair, fingers and breast bone. Once the harp was complete it would play on its own. The girl was a King's daughter and when the harper took it to his court it began to play for them and told them about her sister's cruelty. Mom said it wasn't the happiest story in the world but it was something she was sung as a child and she thought it was important for me to have a link to her heritage."

"Henry do you know if your mother is part elf or some other form of mystical creature," Emma asked, intrigued by the thought that Regina had passed a piece of information like this to their son.

Henry gave her a smile that was all Regina, full of mischief and magic, before he shook his head. "Mom would never tell me. I asked her that same question all the time. She would always put her finger to her lips with a smile and never reply."

Emma smiled and nodded, "She did that to me too." She paused before nodding, "It's getting late and we've got a big day ahead of us."

Henry nodded burrowing down under the blankets and smiling softly as his blonde mother leaned forward and pressed her lips to his forehead just like his other mother did every night.

"If you have a nightmare my rooms are across the hall. I know I'm not Regina, but if you need me don't hesitate to come and get me."

"I won't." Henry promised smiling softly at her as she rose to her feet and left quietly. He watched her go for a bit before he lifted the hand mirror that sat on the pillow beside him.

"Sidney?"

"Yes young Master Henry?" The former genie immediately responded.

"Do you think Mom will realize how much Momma loves her finally?"

Sidney offered the boy a rare smile. "I think your mother has known all along where her heart lies even if she wasn't ready to admit it to anyone but you."

"And you," Henry pointed out. "You are her closest confidant."

"I am merely a servant young master. You are her world."

"Momma and I both I hope."

"As do I Master Henry; as do I."