A/N: PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! I had exams all last week and I was studying my ass off! And this week I was working on this chapter mostly. I've had a lot going on. I'm so so so sorry for keeping you all working. Honestly, I feel so bad. I'm trying to update sooner, but, if I do update, it'll be on the 20th. I'm going out of town for Christmas, so I won't have internet until then. BUT! I swear, I'm trying to write. I really am. I've been having some trouble with this story, but I think that I'm getting my writers block unblocked, which is good.
I've decided that I'm going to end this story when MM and Emma get back to Storybrooke because this story is more about them in the Enchanted Forest instead of the whole Charming family. BUT! That also means that I'm starting another story. :) So, keep your eyes open!
Love you all and I'm so glad that, for the people still hanging in there with me, you guys are still reading. Again, I sincerely apologize for making everyone wait this long. I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)
Thanks to my AMAZING beta who's been keeping me in check ;) Rolltidegoironmen, you're awesome!
Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT!
"Emma, watch out!" I'm not really aware of what I'm doing, honestly. Adrenaline is coursing through my veins, and I'm swinging wildly at any moving object. And then, someone's tackling me, and the compass in lying in front of me. It's hard to grasp, but I know that I need to get it back, no matter what the cost.
"The compass!" I yell as the dead man grabs the compass and stands up. I'm in a panic to get it back, but I take the time to turn around and watch Mary Margaret pull out an arrow and shoot it at the man, hitting him in the shoulder. He doesn't seem to be in pain, but he drops the compass nonetheless. I grab it off the ground and rush toward Mary Margaret.
"Any idea how to kill these things?" I ask, as an arrow flies past my head and into the man behind me's stomach. I turn and kick another dead man down, resorting to kicking instead of using my sword. My arms sting from exhaustion, and my legs burn from walking, but the adrenaline in my veins keeps me going.
"No." I continue kicking down my opponent. "Mulan!" Mary Margaret screams, but I notice that I don't hear her footsteps or see any sign of her. Anger courses through me, fueled by fear. "Mulan?"
"Where is she?" I spit, my anger taking control. There's no way we're going to win this fight without them. I pick up a stick and smack yet another dead guy in the face.
"Emma, we gotta run for it." Mary Margaret's panicked voice brings me back a little. Right, running, the exact thing that I've done my whole life. I'm good at that, so there should be no problem.
I race out a small trail in the forest, Mary Margaret following me closely. We don't talk as we race away, constantly on guard for what might be ahead. I don't know how long we run for, but we're a good ways away when we stop for a bit of air.
"You okay?" I gasp quietly, not wanting to be heard by anything that could possibly be out in this damn forest.
"I'm fine, you?" She asks just a quietly. I shrug my shoulders and nod.
"I'm fine." I don't mention the dizziness, bruises, scraps, or gashes on my body because I know they'll heal. I'll be perfectly fine. But when I see Mary Margaret's bleeding leg and bloodied hands, I know she's probably in pain. "You sure you're okay?" I ask, my eyebrow raised. She nods, whipping her hands on her jeans. She tries to hide the wince, but I see it anyway. "You're a terrible liar." I hiss, concern etched in my voice. She just smiles and bounces herself off the tree that she's been leaning on.
"Honestly, I'll be fine. Just a few scrapes. We better get going." I nod in approval, knowing she doesn't want to be fussed over. So we start off, running though the forest again.
We stop again ten minutes later; running through a forest being chased by zombies really puts it outta you, you know?
"You still in one piece?" I wheeze, not used to running this much at all.
"Yeah, pretty much." Mary Margaret huffs, voice gruff. We don't have much time to catch our breath before some bang interrupts, and Mary Margaret has her bow up again, ready to release. When Mulan steps out of the forest, Mary Margaret puts the bow down, but takes a deep breath. I glare at Mulan but don't say anything. She doesn't seem to care.
"They took her. Aurora's gone." Her voice is full of emotion that she's never even given a second thought to, and that's what makes me pause. She's honestly concerned about Aurora.
But she was also our only way back. She was the only way to contact Henry, the only way to get back home. Now, we don't have a way to get back. We're screwed. We're never getting back home; I'm never going to see my kid again. I'm never going to be apart of my real family. I've lost all hope.
There's not much we can do besides walk. So, that's what we do. We walk, and, I'm assuming, we're walking back to the island.
"Emma-" Mary Margaret tries, but I just shake my head, not wanting to talk.
"Not now, Mary Margaret. Just… not now." Even to myself I sound disappointed. I don't want to blame it on Mulan, but she ran. She ran, and, though she didn't cause Aurora's disappearance, if she had just stayed with us, we might have been able to protect her better. She might not have disappeared if Mulan hadn't jumped up and run at the first chance she got. We might have had a chance at defeating those damn zombies if she had just fu- don't go there Emma. Don't go there.
I'm getting myself worked up, but I can't help it. I hear myself growl, such a foreign sound that it startles me, but I don't show it. I feel my breaths coming in short spans; my fists clench and unclench at my sides. I feel the anger rising in me, and I really do try to control it, but I take one look at the back of Mulan's head, and I swear I'm going to find a stick and beat her to death with it.
I start to walk a bit faster, catching up to the oh so brave knight, seeing red the whole way. My thoughts have taken over my body, controlling my movements. I'm not going to stop, not for anything. But when a warm, familiar hand clamps down on my forearm, I stop cold, the red fading from my vision immediately.
"Emma, calm down." Mary Margaret's soothing voice fades into my brain, calming me slowly. My breathing becomes normal within a few seconds, but I still don't move; my energy is slowly draining away. "Mulan, I think we need to stop for a few minutes. Not long, just ten minutes. Maybe five." Mulan spins around; looking about to protest, but the look from Mary Margaret and I both is probably enough for her to see the disappointment and anger. The look on her face slowly fades into indifference; she grunts in approval but doesn't say anything else.
I feel Mary Margaret moving next to me, positioning herself to sit down. I don't realize I'm following her until my ass hits the ground next to Mary Margaret. I turn to look at her and see a soft smile on her face, almost apologetic. I narrow my eyes at her; what would make her want to apologize? She didn't do anything wrong. Oh, but that's when I feel it, her hand clenching mine. Normally, I wouldn't mind this motion, but I feel my mind being tugged at, darkness trying to close in on me. I'm confused at first, but I know exactly what she's doing when she whispers in my ear.
"I'm sorry, Emma, but you need to calm down." Images are flashing behind my eyelids now, but I still let out another growl, hoping Mary Margaret gets the message. It's not okay; stop screwing with my head.
The images are blurry at first, things that I can't distinguish as humans or objects flash around in confusing disarray. The flashing gives me a headache instantly, confusion clouding my judgment. It's hard for me to think straight, to form coherent thoughts at all. I can only watch as the images become visible; people are becoming people and objects are becoming objects.
The first image confuses me; there's a girl riding a horse, probably a little younger than Henry. She looks terrified as the horse gallops through the unknown territory. Then, someone's next to her; a girl in riding pants and a top. She looks like Regina, a lot like Regina, but what she wears and the way she saves the little girl is something that Regina would probably never do unless it was Henry. But then, there's her smile, a genuine smile on her lips, and I know it's not the Regina that I know so well.
Then, the picture changes and there's a man that I don't recognize and the woman that looks vaguely like Regina with a little girl standing in the doorway looking horrified. The little girl watches as the two people lean in and kiss each other. The girl says something, then turns around and runs; Regina runs after her, concern in her eyes. The picture changes.
The woman's there again, but she's wearing a beautiful white dress; it seems she's ready to get married. But her face tells a different story; she's so sad. She's turned away from the little girl, but the girl looks happy, excited even. She talks, though I can't hear her, with a huge smile on her face. The longhaired brunette jut nods along, not showing her face to the young girl. When she does finally turn around, she's got a huge smile on, obviously a mask.
I've figured out, somewhere in my mushy brain, that this is Regina. These memories are the memories of Regina and Mary Margaret, or, more Snow White than Mary Margaret.
I continue to watch small snippets of memories with Snow and Regina. I watch Regina change from a loving, sweet girl into a, well, an Evil Queen. I don't know where or when it happened, but I can see the difference. The sadness that the second picture showed me turns into anger that burns deep in her eyes. But Snow doesn't see it, she doesn't recognize the agonized look in Queen Regina's eyes, the anguish that's buried so deep in her heart that it will never be quenched.
One picture catches my eye more so than the others did. It's Snow holding an apple in front of Regina, sadness clouding her eyes. Regina's eyes shine with sick glee as Snow takes a bite of the poisoned apple. But I watch as Snow collapses and Regina's eyes fade into a deep dark sadness. She watches the girl fall unconscious, but the anger and hatred in her eyes, as well as the despair, remains. I see a single tear slip though her mask, making its way down her face. And then she's gone, whisked away in a purple mist.
I'm dragged out of my haze when I loose contact with Mary Margaret, her hand slipping away from mine. I close my eyes instantly, needing a minute to process all that I saw.
"What the hell?!" I screech at Mary Margaret, my eyes still closed as dizziness swarms my brain making me feel sick. I cough, feeling dryness coat my throat that wasn't there before. I place my hand to my forehead, groaning at the pain. "Why the hell would you think seeing you and Regina grow up together would make me feel better?" I hiss, not trying to sound harsh, but the anger in my voice isn't mistakable.
"That's not what I showed you." Mary Margaret sounds frazzled. "I showed you when Red and I almost burned down her cottage when she was baking-" I shake my head to cut her off.
"Well that sure as hell isn't what I saw. I saw you and Regina. When she saved you, I'm guessing, from an out of control horse up until you bit into that damn apple. Why'd you do that in the first place?" Mary Margaret's eyes widen in panic, but quickly she slaps a mask in place, changing her panic to calmness instantly.
"I must have been thinking more about Regina than I was the burning cottage." Her brows furrow, but she brushes it off. I can tell that she's keeping something from me, but right before I can say anything, she jumps back in. "And I did it because she threatened to kill James if I didn't. She promised that everyone I loved would be safe. Then James woke me up and she continued to go after us. She barged into our wedding and threated to take away our happiness if it was the last thing she did. And then you broke the curse. So who knows what she'll do next." I can tell something's bothering her; her ranting always gives her away.
"Mary Margaret, what's wrong?" It sounds like I'm scolding my child, but I don't care. This is what it takes to get things out of her. Her eyes widen ever so slightly, but she shakes her head and shrugs.
"Nothing. I'm just thinking out loud." She smiles as me, but I still see the lie. I raise an eyebrow at her suspiciously; she doesn't say a word.
"Mulan, I think we're ready to go." She yells over her shoulder; Mulan huffs in reply. Mary Margaret stands and shoves her hand at me, offering me help up. I grab it gratefully.
"Thanks." She nods in reply, smiling at me. We walk in silence for a few seconds before my questions start. "So what got you thinking about Regina?" She rolls her eyes at me; clearly I'm not a discrete person.
"Nothing. I was just thinking about how much Regina's changed since I first met her." Lies, lies, lies. I feel it pulsing through my veins; I know she's lying to me.
"What made her change in the first place? She seemed happy at first, you know, before she became Evil. And, while we're at it, why does she hate you so much?" I'm genuinely curious, not intentionally prying. Okay, so maybe I'm prying a bit intentionally, but she doesn't need to know that.
"She blames me for ruining her life." Her voice deadpans, and when I look at her, her eyes are far off, remembering something distant.
"Did you?" I'm surprised that she would actually say that. While I've been opening up to her, she hasn't been opening up to me much, though I can't say I blame her. I know what it's like. She turns to look at me, a laugh slipping from her lips.
"Yes." I don't know how to reply to that, but I try to search for some answer I can supply her with. I don't want her to feel judged; I know that feeling all to well.
"I doubt that." I shrug; nobody can ruin a person's life. A person has to decide to let an action ruin their life.
"Oh no, you don't know what happened. We have a… complicated past." She assures me. I disagree, but I know she needs a friend now. One that won't be judgmental. Someone that won't be able to judge her.
"You're right. I don't know what happened, so why don't you tell me about it. I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to." I backtrack easily, giving her a way out. She looks at me for a second, her face hard. Her face slowly brakes out into a soft smile at how uneasy I look.
"Are you sure you want to know?" I look at her, eyes shining with excitement. I nod my head, probably too quickly, but I could care less; I get to learn more about my mom. "Well, I'll tell you the shortened version cause, like I said, it's a long and complicated story. Regina, when she was younger, saved me from my horse. She was in the kingdom next to my fathers, so she heard my screams for help. I was a little younger than Henry, but my horse went rampage on me. She saved my life, and, in return, my father offered his hand in marriage. My mother had died when I was young, and I desperately wanted to have a mother." I shake my head, knowing the feeling.
"Well, she loved someone else, and I found that out when I saw them kissing in the barn. She was in love with the stable boy, Daniel. I freaked out thinking that she didn't love my father or me. All I wanted was a mother, but I realized that she didn't love my father, and she didn't want to marry him. I accepted that. She told me that I had to keep it a secret because her mother wouldn't approve; I swore I would. Her mother was very cunning though, as you now know. I thought it would be best for Regina if her mother knew about Daniel; she said that she would accept them and help them. I was a child; I didn't know any better. So I told her. Years later I found out that Cora had ripped Daniel's heart out right in front of Regina. That's how I ruined her life; I couldn't keep her secret." I stare at her for a bit, not knowing how to comprehend what I've been told.
"Well, that shines some light on why Regina's such a bitch." I mumble, offering a small smile to the distraught Mary Margaret's face. It almost looks like she expects me to bolt into the forest; it's a facial expression that I would wear. I stop our walking, taking her forearms into my hands. I look her right in the eye and smile. "You know, it's not your fault her mother made the wrong choice. Sure, you told her that she was going to run away with her true love or whatever, but it was her mother's choice to kill him, not yours. You were only a child trying to help, not harm. She can't blame you for something that her mother did. I guarantee you that she's just too scared of her mother's wrath to take it out on her, so she's choosing to take it out on you." I smile at her, trying to convince her of what I already know.
"But Emma-"
"No. I'm not taking excuses. She has no right to blame you for something you didn't even do. It was her mother's actions that got her where she is, not yours. You may have coaxed something along, but, Mary Margaret, her mother would have found out anyway. It's not like if you didn't tell her she was just going to give up. I don't know her at all, but from what I've seen, I know that she's not the type to give up." I give her a curt nod, hoping she understands. She arches an eyebrow at me, trying to hide her smile. I can tell she still doesn't believe me, but I will fix that.
"So now, I ask you again. Did you ruin Regina's life?" She narrows her eyes at me, her face way to serious for my liking.
"In a way…" I give her a sharp look.
"No, Mary Margaret, you didn't." I throw my hands up in frustration. "It was a choice that you didn't make. Cora tricked you. It's not your fault, I promise you that. Plus, it wouldn't have ruined her life if she didn't let it. So it's her fault, too, not just her mother's. Everyone in that unfortunate situation was some way connected to how she became evil. It was her choice in the end though, not yours." She gives me a small smile.
"You sound so grown up, even for yourself." Some of the humor shining in her eyes again. I roll my eyes at her, the back of my hand colliding with her arm.
"Oh shut up." I say playfully, smirking at her reaction. We continue walking in somewhat of silence until I finally ask again, knowing she's been trying to avoid the question ever since I asked it.
"So, did you ruin Regina's life?" I say it innocently, a small smile creeping on my face. She scolds me playfully.
"No." She says, smacking my arm. I bump her shoulder while we walk, smiling widely at her.
"That's right. Get that in your stubborn head, would you?" She rolls her eyes and bumps my shoulder back.
"And I wonder who I passed my stubborn head to." I laugh lightly.
"I take that as a compliment." I say proudly, lifting my nose in the air and stalking forward.
"We all know where you got your cockiness from." She throws at me. I turn around and stick out my tongue at her. She throws her head back and laughs. It's a sound I can get used to; in fact, I think I'm already used to it.
But soon enough, my mind travels back to the missing person in our group, and I'm solemn again, thinking about Henry and Aurora and home. I just want to go home.
We continue to walk silently until I hear a bird crow, something that I haven't heard in this forest. It makes me stop dead in my tracks, my eyebrows furrowed. I turn slowly around to see it on Mary Margaret's shoulder, a terrified look on her face. She doesn't seem freaked out by the bird though, more of what it's crowing at her. My eyes widen in shock, and Mulan raises her dagger.
"Wait." Mary Margaret commands, holding up her hands. It continues to crow in her ear, something that I would hate. It flies away after a little bit, leaving a stunned silence in its wake.
"What the hell was that?" I break the silence swiftly; I can only take so much quiet.
"Cora." I watch after the bird, turning back to Mary Margaret when she speaks. "We have until sundown to bring her the compass. If we don't, she'll kill Aurora." I take out the compass and look at it. We can't get home without her, and we can't get home without the compass. We need them both, but how can we get both if one is in Cora's hand at all times? There's no way.
"Give it to me." Mulan orders. I step away from her, gripping the compass tighter, my knuckles turning white. I really do try to be rational, but I know a fights probably going to break out.
"Hold on. Mulan. Just give us a minute to consider-"
"There's nothing to consider." Mulan's panicked voice reaches my ears. "A compass is not worth Aurora's life." She insists. Of course not, but we need the compass in order to get home. It's not just a compass; it's a way home.
"We need a plan to get back Aurora and keep the compass." Mary Margaret says, stepping up behind me.
"My vow to Phillip was to protect Aurora. That promise is all that is left of him, so it shall be done." She says harshly before stepping up to me and grabbing the compass for herself. I hardly have time to think before I'm pulling back in defense, anger coursing through my veins.
"Hey!" She can't just take this from me. I never was a good sharer. "I climbed a beanstalk for this; you go get your own!" I know I sound like a child, but I don't even care. I just want to go home for god's sake!
"Give it to me." Mulan orders, but I don't let go. Not in a million years.
"Mulan! Mulan. Give us a few hours, please." Mary Margaret says, pushing Mulan away from me, protecting me once again. "If we haven't defeated Cora by then, you can have the compass."
"You can't hope to defeat her. We no longer have access to the Dark One's assistance." She snaps. I glare angrily at her.
"Yes we do." Mary Margaret's voice is not as confident as she would like, I don't doubt. It makes me wonder what's racing in that mind of hers.
"How? Aurora's gone." She spits. Again, I glare at her.
"Aurora isn't the only one who's been under a sleeping curse." At those words, I feel my heart drop. No, no, no, no. She's going to sacrifice herself again to get us back home? Jesus Christ! I just got her back, and she's already offering to go into some dream that sounds like pure hell? "I can go back to that netherworld." I want to scream and shout and tell her that she can't possibly put herself in even more danger that she's been in, but I know it'll do no good. She'll do it whether I think it's a good idea or not. Like she said, I inherited my stubborn head from her.
"The door to that place is closed, you said it yourself." Mulan's voice is weary and almost concerned.
"There may be a way. A way for me to go back into a deep slumber, one that can let me access it again." Dread fills me from head to toe as she describes what she has to do.
"Another sleeping curse?" I try not to let the fear drip into my tone, but it doesn't work very well. My heart's in my throat and my stomach's lurching at every word that slips past her lips. I feel like I'm going to be sick all over again.
"No. Not another curse; I don't need one. I've been under already." She looks away from me, thinking about something that's obviously bothering her. "I need to go into a sleep where my natural defenses slip away. Where my mind stops protecting me." Oh hell, this just keeps getting better and better.
A/N: Please tell me what you think! :) Love you all, and I hope you all have a great Christmas break! I hope to be back soon with another chapter. Hopefully I won't make you wait so long. I hope to hear what you think about this chapter. You guys are all great! :)
~ladywolf101