The moon was rising higher in the sky as the company said their goodbyes to Henry and Roland, leaving them in the watchful care of Abbigail. For the most part they walked in silence, only the patient thump-thump of Jack's hooves on the road breaking the tension. They had been walking half an hour before Red abruptly captured their attention with a harsh whisper.
"Someone's coming," she hissed, pointing into the distance. Nothing was yet visible on the road ahead but they knew better than to ignore Red's instincts. They deftly disappeared into the forest, finding whatever cover they could whilst they waited for whoever it was to pass by quietly. When the culprits finally became visible, they were identified as some of the king's soldiers, a large group of sixteen strong. Snow felt Regina tense beside her and sensed something was wrong.
"What's the matter?" she whispered into her ear, causing the brunette to jump slightly at the interruption.
"They're heading towards the village. We need to intercept them," she answered, evidently frightened that Henry and Roland might be in trouble.
"Regina, we don't know that," Snow tried to soothe her, anxious to avoid combat. It had no effect.
"But it's possibility and I am going to eliminate it," she whispered more harshly than before, clutching her fist together then releasing it to reveal a fireball.
"NO, Regina. No killing. I thought you were passed that."
"I have to," Regina said, getting impatient. "I can't let them go."
Snow could see the conflict on her brow as she struggled between wanting to be good and choosing the easy way out.
"Fine," Snow blurted out, "we stop them. But no one dies."
She strung an arrow to her bow and aimed it at the travelling company who were still trudging innocently along the dusty road. Once it released, it shot through the air, narrowly missing the leader and embedding itself into a tree on the far side. The group burst into a flurry of commotion, their captain issuing out orders left, right and centre until nobody really knew what was going on, including the other makeshift bandits concealed in the trees. Snow and Regina stepped out from their hiding place, showing some dramatic flair as Regina was dressed head to toe in one of her Evil Queen outfits, fireball in hand.
The effect that this had on the soldiers only caused more confusion as they seemed debating whether to draw swords to attack or flee for their lives. As the other hidden travellers revealed themselves, they began to shrink together, their confidence wavering as they realised that they were surrounded. Elena watched the scene unravel from where she crouched concealed. At last, when Charming called for them to surrender, they dropped their weapons at once and allowed Red, Hook and Emma to tie them up. Once this was done, there was only the matter of what to do with them. In the end, they simply left them tied to the surrounding trees with the thought that eventually someone would come across them and release them.
Danger averted and without casualties they continued along the road until they eventually reached the Dark Castle. Its grey, oppressive walls sneered down at them as they approached, daring them to try an assault. Undeterred, the group launched their attack.
Their first move was to scale the walls using a couple of grappling hooks they had laden Jack with. After a few unsuccessful attempts to secure them to the parapets, Regina was forced to use her magic to guide them into place. This done, Elena and David climbed first, being the better at close combat and, meeting no opposition at the top of the wall, signalled the rest to follow. The climb was high, higher than even Regina was expecting and it made their heads swim. Miraculously, they all reached the top before they faced any resistance. But just as they were beginning to feel very lucky, a guard emerged from a tower further along. He opened his mouth to cry for help but, even as the group were preparing for the worst, the man tried in vain to speak. No sound emerged. They looked to Regina, who stood glaring at the man in triumph.
"A muting spell?" asked Emma, interested.
"Quite," The Evil Queen replied as David knocked him out cold with the butt of his blade then went to hide the body.
"Perfect," said Elena with satisfaction. "One guard's costume. Check. Now we need someone to wear it." She looked at Killian who raised his eyebrows and then his hands in protest.
"No thanks, love. That's not exactly my style," was her only reply.
Elena stuck out her bottom lip and said, "Awwww, but you're the only one who'd fit it," before hearing a cough behind her and noticing Regina's pointed stare. She immediately retracted her lip and said in a serious voice. "Just wear it, please," as if she were herself speaking to a child. Killian took a little persuading but as soon as Emma told him he would look handsome in it, he gave in, albeit reluctantly. The group then formulated a plan.
Killian, adorned in his knightly robes, played infiltrator, sneaking into the castle and trying to locate the king. It would definitely come in useful to have some surprise back-up should anything go wrong. The others remained behind and turned to Regina for their tasks. It was she who knew the castle best and devised that the best plan was to enter through a servants' entrance that had once been frequently used in the days of her rule. Now, however, the location of the kitchen had been moved when the Queen had been disturbed in her bedchamber by the incessant shuffling and arguing that she could hear from two whole floors below her, leaving the entrance hastily barricaded and forgotten.
The group consequently sneaked their way around the castle to the entrance, which they noted was not without guards. It seemed their king was not as stupid as he appeared and was indeed aware that there was risk of an attack. Regina flicked her wrist and the two guards flew to the sides, the impact rendering them unconscious. Elena grinned as she watched the Queen make short work of them whilst everybody else wondered what they were doing there.
"There," Regina said triumphantly. "One secret entrance."
"Not that secret," Robin pointed out.
Regina pouted before telling him and Charming to put on the guards' uniforms.
That evening, King William had decided to grace the air of the throne room. He was sitting in the abnormally large golden-plated seat in the centre, staring around himself at the expensive and totally unnecessary furnishings. His slouched posture made him look for all the world like a walrus, flailing around as he tried to adjust his position in the still too small chair he was occupying. An overdressed courtier in a flurry of frills was addressing him with the contents of a long parchment. King William slouched deeper into his chair and tolerated his presence.
Why was being king so difficult, he asked himself. The kingdom should be grateful that he endured all this endless boredom for them.
He broke from these thoughts at the realisation that everyone was looking at him.
"What?" he snapped ungraciously.
"Do you approve of the changes, your grace?" the courtier repeated.
"Uhh..yes, whatever," the King sighed and dismissed his attendants with a lazy wave of his hand.
"I shall have the money transferred immediately, sir." The courtier bowed and turned to leave.
"Wait…..What?" King William suddenly exclaimed as he caught on to what was happening.
"The gold, your majesty," the eye roll was evident in his voice, "I will have it moved from your treasury."
"No. Stop. Don't do that." The King ordered desperately. "Cancel it. Whatever it was."
"A-are you sure, your majesty?" the courtier checked, uncertain. "These children are in great need of…"
"And I need my gold, don't I? I don't know how you expect me to run a bloody empire on…"
Just then, there was an interruption at the door as raised voices were heard outside. King William looked at the door with a pained expression. He lifted a porky hand to his worried brow.
"Someone please go and tell them to shut up."
An attendant went to see what the commotion was about.
"As I was saying," he continued, "it really is impossible for you people to expect miracles from me. I am not made of money as you are fond of saying. I'm sure I will die an early death from all this pestering. In fact, you," he motioned to the courtier but the frilly man never heard his command because suddenly the doors burst open and the attendant ran in, bowing low before the king before waiting breathlessly for permission to speak.
"What is it now?"
"There are some guards outside, sire. They say they have the Queen."
"The Queen?" the King said, rising slightly in his chair.
"The Queen," the man confirmed.
"The Evil Queen?"
"Yes, sire, the Evil Queen."
If the other attendants thought their peer had entered quickly, it was nothing to the speed at which the King propelled himself from his chair.
"Hazaar!" he cried. "At last something interesting has occurred."
He sat down again and tried to position himself in his most regal pose that he ended up resembling more closely a wider and more comedic version of the sorts of statues they build outside museums.
"Bring her in," he ordered in what he supposed was his casually commanding tone. Once again, the great doors opened to reveal a small group of soldiers escorting a defeated looking Regina, Snow White, Red and Emma into the room and depositing them carelessly onto the marble flooring.