AN: This chapter is going to focus on the present Enchanted Forest part of the Episode. There wasn't a lot of Storybrooke stuff and it seemed to focus mainly on Henry. And, Now on with the show…

Lady Of The Lake

In the dungeon, Mary Margaret was still unconscious. Cora looked after her while Anna and Emma watched, "You sure she's going to be okay?" asked Emma.

"Don't worry," said Cora, "She'll be fine."

"What is this place?" asked Anna, "Where are we?"

"It's a little island our captors like to think of as their haven."

"Haven? From what?"

"The world's dangerous. What's left of it, anyway."

"Well, they can't keep us down here," said Emma, "We didn't do anything wrong."

"Neither did I," said Cora.

"Then why are you here?"

"I'm here because of something my daughter did. The curse that ravaged this land? She cast it.

"Regina," said Anna, "You're Regina's mother?"

"Yes. But you have nothing to fear from me. The apple fell very far from the tree. You're from over there, aren't you? How'd you get back?"

"Emma, Anna," said Mary Margaret as she got to her feet, "No…" she whispered.

"Oh, Snow, you're awake. I'm so relieved," said Cora.

Mary Margaret took Emma and Anna aside, "As bad as you think Regina is, this woman is worse."

"Oh, Snow," said Cora as Mary Margaret moved between Cora and her friends, "Sweet Snow. Please… Believe me. Whatever she told you isn't true. I just want to help you."

"Let's hear her out," said Emma.

"Emma," said Mary Margaret.

"Okay. Right now, we are at the bottom of a hole with no other options. And Henry, is back in Storybrooke with Regina."

"Who's Henry?" asked Cora.

"Emma's son," said Anna, "She kind of shares him with Regina. It's complicated."

"Anna, Don't talk to her," said Mary Margaret.

"Enough!" called a guard. He threw a rope into the pit, "Our leader requests an audience."

Emma, Mary Margaret and Anna climbed up the rope and were led by one of the guards through the village, "Why can't you just listen to me?" asked Mary Margaret.

"Why couldn't you have trusted me?" asked Emma, "I was just trying to find a way to get us home. I could've handled her."

"Cora? Don't be so sure. I've lived here, Emma. I know this world. And its dangers."

"Wait here," said the guard.

"Is that why you came through the portal?" asked Emma," Because you thought I was helpless here?"

"No… I came through to be with you," said Mary Margaret. Then, a knight came out from one of the huts, "Lancelot?"

"Snow?" said the knight. The two hugged, "If I had known that you were the prisoners Mulan had brought back, I never would have locked you away. Please – forgive me."

"Of course," Mary Margaret.

"Lancelot? Really?" said Emma.

"He's an old friend. We can trust him," said Mary Margaret, "This my daughter, Emma."

"Your daughter?" asked Lancelot.

"Because of the curse we were frozen in time. She wasn't"

"I see," Then he looked at Anna, "And you are?"

"Princess Anna of Arendelle."

"Princess?" said Emma.

"An honor to meet you both," said Lancelot.

A short time later, Emma, Anna, and Mary Margaret sat down to eat. Lancelot dropped a plate of strange looking meat on the table, "What the hell is that?" asked Emma.

"That is chimera," said Lancelot, "An acquired taste, but all our hunting party could bring back. One part lion, one part serpent, one part goat."

"Like turducken?"

"I don't understand," said Anna, "We were told this land didn't even exist anymore. How did you all escape the curse?"

"It is a mystery," said Lancelot, "The curse struck and when the smoke cleared, most of us had been torn from this land. But some of us here, in this particular region, were left behind. We don't know how, and we don't know why. Finding this safe haven wasn't easy. Took some spilled blood. But worry not. You're safe here."

"We can't stay," said Mary Margaret, "My husband's back there, my son, Anna's sister and husband. Emma's son – my grandson. We have to get back to them. Can you help us find a portal?"

"No, leaving is unwise. The Enchanted Forest is not as you remember it. The ogres have returned."

"Ogres? Like, as in fee-fi-fo-fum?" asked Emma.

"Those would be giants," said Mary Margaret.

"Ogres are far worse," said Anna.

"And that's why we live here. On this island, where it's safe. Please, Snow. Stay here. There are no more portals left."

"I might know of one," said Mary Margaret.

"You do?" asked Emma.

"Where?" asked Lancelot.

"Cora's near," said Mary Margaret, "I don't feel comfortable voicing my plans. She's powerful."

"Not anymore. The curse stripped her of her powers. But, given her reputation, we kept her locked up as a precaution."

"Nevertheless, I'm not taking chances. Just trust me. I may have a way. Let us go?"

"I'll allow it. But on one condition," Lancelot made a hand gesture, "take my bravest warrior with you." Mulan jointed them, "Allow Mulan to defend you."

"We can defend ourselves," said Emma.

"Deal," said Mary Margaret and Anan together, "Thank you, Lancelot. For always looking out for me."

After they ate Mulan presented Emma, Anna and Mary Margaret an arsenal of different weapons, "Choose wisely," said Mulan, "We must be vigilant if we hope to survive the journey."

Mary Margaret and Anna each choose a sword and strapped to their waists, "Where's my gun? I want it back," asked Emma as she got a knife out of the chest and shoved it in her boot.

Mulan took the gun out of her pocket and inspected it, "Is it magic?" she asked.

"Depends on who's pulling the trigger."

Mulan handed over the gun as Mary Margaret took a bow and a quiver of arrows, "Follow my lead," said Mulan, "Step where I step. Do exactly as I say, and you might survive."

"Thanks for the pep talk," said Emma, "but I think we're okay. I just killed a dragon last week."

"Have you ever seen an ogre?"

"Pretty sure I've dated a few."

"Legend has it, that when they kill you, the last thing you see is yourself dying in the reflection in their eyes. Let's walk. It'll be dark soon."

Mulan walked ahead. Mary Margaret, Anna and Emma followed behind, "Don't let her rattle you," said Mary Margaret, "I won't let anything happen to us. Stick to the plan."

"What is the plan? You haven't told us anything," said Emma, "What's going on?"

"The wardrobe."

"The wardrobe? 'The' wardrobe? Like, the wardrobe that sent little baby me and baby Travis to Maine? You think that can get us back to Storybrooke?"

"I don't know. First, we have to see if it survived the curse, then we'll worry about making it work."

"Where is it?"

"My place. Want to see where you're from, Emma? That's right. We're going home." Then they started to walk out of the village.

They travel for a while. When, then they reached a clearing in the forest, Mulan said, "This will do. We'll make camp here for the night. We just need to find water, collect some firewood."

"Uh, if we're hiding from ogres, shouldn't we maybe, I don't know, not start a fire?" asked Emma.

"Ogres are blind," said Anna, "They hunt by sound alone."

"Right. Because that's something everyone would know about ogres."

"Look, I know you're out of your element…" said Mary Margaret as she stepped up to her daughter.

"I'm fine."

"I know. But, maybe you and Anna should just stay here while we get wood and water. Guard the campsite?"

"You mean the big, empty clearing?" asked Emma.

"It's the safest place. We'll be right back."

Then, Mary Margaret and Mulan walked off. Anna looked around and sat down on the ground, "Might as well sit down," said Anna, "We've got a quite a walk to your parents' castle." Emma sat down. "You know… we really haven't had a chance to get to know each other… I mean our siblings are dating."

"Yeah…" said Emma, "I must say that I've never heard of Arendelle before…"

"Really… that's too bad," said Anna, "It's a wonderful place. It's very similar to Norway."

Emma nodded, "So, What's your story?"

"What do you mean?" asked Anna.

"Well, Mary Margaret is Snow White…. Ruby's Little Red Riding Hood… Regina's the Evil Queen… Where do you fit?"

"Oh… Arendelle is far from here… We were only visiting David and Snow because of you and your brother's birth. But, we got caught up in the curse and here we are."

"So did all the royalty around here know each other?"

"Kind of… But, I knew your father before he was a prince… I actually taught him how to use a sword…"

"You're kidding?" said Emma.

"Nope…"

Just then they heard some shouting in the distance, Emma got up and Anna followed. They saw Mulan with a knife pointed at Mary Margaret and Aurora was laying on the ground. Emma took out her gun and held it up in the air. "No wait!" said Anna.

But it was, too late Emma fired the shot. The sound echoed through the forest, "Emma, what are you doing?" asked Mary Margaret.

"Protecting you," said Emma, "Drop the weapon."

"Do you have any idea what you've just done?"

Just then they heard a growling sound coming from behind them. "Ogres?" asked Emma.

Then they saw the ogre come toward them, "Run!" shouted Mary Margaret. Then the group started running through the forest, "Split up!"

Mulan: "Come on!" said Mulan as she and Aurora went one way while Mary Margaret, Anna and Emma went the other.

"Over there," said Mary Margaret. As they ran to the edge of the woods, Emma tripped over a branch. Mary Margaret didn't notice but Anna did. She went over to help her friend up as the ogre caught up to them. Emma picked up her gun and cocked it but the ogre snatched it out of her hands, "Seriously?" said Emma.

The ogre crushed the gun and tossed it away. Then roared trying to get Emma and Anna to react.

Just then, a loud whistle came from behind them. The ogre turned and behind it was Mary Margaret, "Back away from my daughter!" It started to move to Mary Margaret. She pulled an arrow out of her quiver, aimed and fired and arrow right into its eye, killing it instantly. Emma and Anna walked over and watched as Mary Margaret pulled the arrow out of the ogre's eye, "You have to shoot them in the eye."

"When was the last time you shot an arrow?" asked Anna.

"Twenty-eight years ago. Guess it's like riding a bike."

"Yeah, but how did you know you could hit that?" asked Emma.

"I didn't," said Mary Margaret, "And next time, listen to me? That kind of thing isn't going to work here."

"Yeah…" said Emma.

"We should get going."

They meet up with Mulan and Aurora and continued to head to the castle. A few hours later, Mary Margaret announced, "We're getting close."

Mulan who was leading the group looked behind her and saw Aurora bringing up the rear, "Aurora, you've got to keep up," she said.

"Sorry, but I'm not exactly dressed for the woods," said Aurora, "It's cold out here."

"Then maybe, you should have listened to me and stayed back."

Emma took off her jacket and handed it to Aurora, "Here."

"But I tried to kill your friend," said Aurora as she took the jacket.

"Actually, she's my mom. I have a feeling she can take care of herself. And I get it. You're not the only one who's been screwing up lately."

"What kind of corset is this?"

"Up here," said Mulan.

They reached the edge of a cliff and saw a partiality destroyed castle on the edge of a large lake, "Is that it?" asked Emma.

"Yeah," said Mary Margaret, "That's our home."

A short time later, they were inside the castle and walked in one of the room. It was a nursery with a couple of cribs and toys laying around. The wardrobe was in the corner and Emma instantly recognized it, "Oh my god… I recognize this from Henry's book," she said.

"Come – we'll stand watch at the gate," said Mulan then she and Aurora left.

"I never thought I'd see this place again," said Mary Margaret, "This room… It was your and Travis' nursery."

"We lived here?" asked Emma.

"You never even got to spend a night. This is the life I wanted you to have. I was going to teach you how to walk in here. How to talk, how to dress for your first ball… You never got to do any of it. We never got to be a family."

"We have a family – in Storybrooke. And, right now, they need us to get back there. So, how do we get this to work?" she pointed at the wardrobe. They started to look over the wardrobe, "Where's the 'on' switch?" asked Emma.

"It's more complicated than that," said Mary Margaret," We'll have to get it back to the island. Hopefully, someone there has access to enough magic to make it work again."0

"How are we going to carry this thing?" asked Anna.

Just then Lancelot walked in the room, "With the help of an old friend." He said.

"Lancelot. What are you doing here?" asked Mary Margaret.

"We heard about the ogre attack, and I had to make sure you were alright."

"Where are Mulan and Aurora?" asked Anna.

"I sent them to find food," said Lancelot, "Tonight we'll make camp and then, in the morning, we'll head back. So, this is it – the portal you were after."

"The same one Emma and her brother went through," said Mary Margaret, "That's how she escaped the curse."

"Remarkable…"

"Geppetto carved it from an enchanted tree, but there's no magic left."

"Well, a portal this powerful… There must be another way to recharge it."

"Why are you so interested in the wardrobe?" asked Anna.

"Well, I just want you to get home to your sister," Lancelot said as he looked at Anna. He looked at Mary Margaret, "your husband and son," then he looked at Emma, "… And son. Henry. They must miss you."

Mary Margaret and Anna looked at each other and they nodded. Then, they both pulled their swords and pointed them at Lancelot.

"Stay away from him, Emma," said Anna, "He is not who he says he is."

"What are you talking about?" asked Emma, "Who the hell is he?"

"There's only one person you told Henry's name," said Mary Margaret.

"Cora."

With a puff of purple smoke, Lancelot transformed into Cora, "Clever girls."

"Where's Lancelot?" asked Mary Margaret.

"He's dead. I killed him a long time ago."

"And you've been posing as him ever since?" asked Anna.

"Well, they'd never listen to me," said Cora, "And besides… Every kingdom needs a hero, don't you think?"

Mary Margaret lunged towards Cora, but was magically thrown and pinned against the wall. Emma and Anna moved toward Cora but they were thrown back by Cora's magic. Cora walked up to Mary Margaret, "Thank you, Snow. I've been looking for a way over for so long." Mary Margaret had trouble breathing. Emma and Anna got up and tried to move toward Cory but she summoned a rug that wrapped around their legs, "I never thought the person to help me find it would be you," said Cora.

"Why?" Mary Margaret gasped to breath, "Why are you doing this?"

Emma opened up one of her bullets and dumped out the gunpowder on the wardrobe, "I want to see my daughter," said Cora, "It's been too long. And you know, I would love to meet my grandson, Henry."

"No, you won't," said Emma. She used the bullet casing and the knife in her boot, to make a spare and the wardrobe started to burn.

"No!" said Cora. She used her magic to pull some fire from the wardrobe and turned it into a fireball. She threw it toward Emma but the shot was blocked by Mulan's sword as she leapt in front if Emma to protect her. Aurora came in as well.

"Mulan!" called Mary Margaret.

Cora looked around and saw she was significantly outnumbered, "We're not done." Then in a puff of smoke Cora was gone.

"Are you okay?" asked Emma as she went over to Mary Margaret.

"You saved me," said Mary Margaret.

"Yeah, well… Where is she?"

"Gone."

"So's our ride home," said Emma, as she looked over at the burning wardrobe.

A short time later, the five women were still in the nursery, looking at the remains of the wardrobe, "Lancelot was one of the most noble knights I ever knew," said Mary Margaret.

"How could I be so blind? How could I not see that it was Cora?" said Mulan.

"Let's be fair – the whole shape shifting thing threw me, too," said Emma.

"What are we going to tell the people on the island?"

"The truth," said Mary Margaret, "That Lancelot was cut down by a terrible villain. He died an honorable death."

"Cora's still out there," said Mulan, "We need to find her. We need to defend what's left of the kingdom."

"Who's going to lead us? You?" asked Aurora.

"No. Her," said Mulan as she looked at Mary Margaret.

"I'm honored," said Mary Margaret, But Emma, Anna and I still have to find a way back to Storybrooke."

"We'll help you. We'll find a way, won't we?"

"Yes," said Aurora, "Perhaps, it will help me channel my anger."

"Come," said Cora.

Then Mulan and Aurora exit.

"I'm, uh, sorry I torched our ride home," said Emma, "I couldn't let her get to Henry. I just-"

"You had to put Henry first," said Mary Margaret.

"I was angry at you for so long… Wondering how you could choose to let me grow up without you. But then I just… Seeing all this… You gave up everything for me and Travis. And you're still doing that. I'm sorry, I'm not good at this. I… I guess I just… I'm not… I'm not used to someone putting me first."

Mary Margaret went up to Emma and gave her a hug. Emma hugged her back and started to cry. "Well, get used to it," said Mary Margaret.

Anna stood there and smiled at the warm mother-daughter moment. She thought about her own mom and her sister and tears started to form in her eyes. She wiped them away as Mary Margaret and Emma finished their hug. Mary Margaret saw her daughter was crying and she wiped away Emma's tears.

Emma smiled and laughed a little then she walked out of the room with Mary Margaret and Anna close behind her. But once the women were gone Cora reappeared. She walked up to the burned wardrobe and collected a small vial of ashes. Then she left.

AN: Remember, if you like this story. Review, Favorite and Follow. It gives me motivation to keep going.