Standard Disclaimer: These lovely characters ain't mine, I just play with them gently. Please don't sue me. The mistakes are mine, though.
Chapter 27 – The Calm Before
Farmers in Misthaven often say bad weather is only ever a strong gust of wind away. Regina soon discovers that proverb holds true even in Oz. When breakfast has been heartily devoured, the dishes put away, and a half hour or so of amiable conversation shared, Ozma clears her throat as if to usher in a more serious tone. The noise is like a weather vane suddenly gone berserk. Regina swears she can hear the low, tumbling rolls of an ominous thunder in the distance.
Shit was about to get real, Dorothy had said during one of her funny stories. Never have more accurate words been uttered.
"Now that we have full bellies, I would like to discuss your plans to defeat your sister," Ozma says, dropping the hammer upon the anvil like the deafening clap that precedes a bolt of lightning. "Before Dorothy is to risk her life again, I need to know that you are prepared to protect her. As you know, Zelena is no ordinary witch. How am I to trust you, a relative stranger, can stop her where no one else has?"
"Ozma..."
Regina waves off Dorothy's potential protest over Ozma's sudden curtness. "It's perfectly fine, dear." Those concerns were reasonable, so she has no problem addressing them. To Ozma, she says, "I am sympathetic to your concerns, Your Majesty. Were I in your place, I also would require plenty of assurances before allowing Red to wade into danger with a relative stranger." She then takes a breath and proceeds to lay out her case. "It is undeniable that my sister is a formidable foe. I will even admit that under normal circumstances, she is more powerful than I am. These are, however, far from normal circumstances." Regina leans forward, placing her elbows on the table, eyes grave as they bore into Ozma's. "My wife's life depends upon Snow and I obtaining bark from the trees that grow within your grove. So does my own. I have lost one True Love already in my life. I cannot lose another. Make no mistake, I will do whatever I is necessary to achieve that end."
Ozma sighs, and then sits back, crossing her arms of her chest. She looks sympathetic to Regina's cause yet somewhat concerned towards Regina herself. "I believe you," she says. "I have known from the beginning that stopping Zelena would require someone willing to go to lengths I am not. I am a merciful person by nature, but she has proven herself beyond redemption. Though it pains me to say it, there is no prison capable of containing her and no way to permanently bind her magic. Therefore she must be eliminated. You may very well be the only person who is capable of such a deed."
"Ozma! I don't believe what I'm hearing right now," Dorothy exclaims, looking perplexed and hurt. "I've railed against her so many times to you, told you that she needed to be done away with, and every time you insist that neither of us can afford to sink to her level. Now here you are admitting openly that you believe her worthy of death! Why the sudden change of heart?"
Ozma momentarily ducks her head to hide her pained grimace, as if what she is about to say pains her. "I resisted your calls for her head because you believe me to be pure, that I am somehow above reproach, and I am reluctant to to tarnish that image for you even if it is inaccurate. You must remember that while I am half-fairy, I am also half-human. Like you, I am not immune to the enticing overtures of the baser human emotions, though I wish with all my might that I were."
"Then why haven't you taken care of Zelena yourself?" Regina asks, curious to know now that she's been made aware of Ozma's potential for darkness. "From what I have witnessed of your power, you could crush her like a bug."
"I could," Ozma replies, eyes shadowed by emotions so complex they are indefinable. "But as I said, I am half-fairy, and once a fairy gives in to evil, they can never return to the side of good. Were I to destroy Zelena, I would be destroying my goodness along with her. One cannot stain their hands crimson without some of it sinking in. This is why my mother refused to directly participate in the war with the Dark Elves. If I shunned her example, I would begin to change, slowly at first, but more and more with each passing day until I became unrecognizable. Hatred and bitterness would corrupt me from within until I was wholly given over to it. I want to stop Zelena. Truly, I do. But intervening is a risk I cannot afford to take. Oz itself cannot afford it! Were I to succumb to the seductive whims of evil, my reign of terror would outstrip even that of the Wicked Witch's."
"You never told me that," whispers Dorothy, stricken to hear those words escape Ozma's lips, and also guilty for having goaded her into admitting to such a critical vulnerability.
"The expression you are wearing right now is why," says Ozma. "Temptation is a terrible thing, Dorothy, and I know you understand that. I am not ignorant to your fantasy of sneaking into Zelena's chambers and slitting her throat whilst she sleeps. I can see your dreams in mine when we are together. But I have also witnessed the guilt you carry around for days afterward. Now imagine if I had told you that I also was tempted by those same urges, just that for me they are so much more insidious due to what I could become. I thought it too much a burden for you to bear."
"She's right." Having walked more than a mile in Ozma's shoes, Regina immediately comes to her defense. "I make it a habit to not lie to my wife but regardless I keep some secrets from her relating to my...less than savory thoughts. I do so because want to protect her. I also don't want her to worry about me, which she would to the point of being ridiculous. She is too selfless and loyal and would take responsibility for my weaknesses. That is not what I want for her. I know she would say she signed on for such burdens when she repeated her vows, but I said some vows of my own. As her wife, it is my solemn duty to shield her from all harm, especially when it is me who poses the threat. That is an obligation I intend to honor until my dying breath."
"Well said," agrees Ozma, who then reaches over to pat Dorothy's hand. Dorothy turns her appendage palm up to grip Ozma's tightly, a tentative smile reaching her lips. She then returns her gaze to Regina, wearing the same apprehensive look she'd been giving Dorothy moments ago. "Our agreement on that matter aside, I have to voice my concerns as to the lengths to which you may have to resort, Queen Regina."
"You shouldn't be," Regina says, trying to reassure Ozma. "If anyone is going to end my sister's perverse reign, it should be me. She is my familial responsibility. Besides, I have a long history of staining my hands. Adding another coat won't bother me nearly as much as it would anyone else here."
"I am well aware of your proclivity for villainy," Ozma replies. "I sensed it in your magic the moment you arrived. It is what brought me to the door in the first place chasing after Toto. I couldn't let him fall prey to what I assumed to be an imminent threat. Only my concern for Dorothy prevented me from immediately expelling you from this sanctuary. And yet from what time I have spent with you, I have learned that my initial assessment was incomplete. Although there is an incomprehensible possibility for evil in you, there is an equal potential for good. I would hate to see you squander the latter to destroy Zelena, necessary though such an action may be."
Regina notices that Snow lights up at Ozma's assertion that there is good in her. Not long ago, she would have laughed the notion to scorn, having believed that Red was the only good thing about her. But Red's stubborn persistence to the contrary has so weakened her resolve on the matter that she has recently come to accept there is a part of her that still resembles the girl Daniel fell in love with. It is a small part, to be sure, but it is there, and its existence has only been confirmed by the vastly improved state of her heart. Were she not changing, were there not good in her rather than simply around her, her heart would have remained black as coal instead of sporting nearly as much crimson.
To save Red, however, she may be required to surrender some of those bright spots back to the darkness. Being good for the sake of being good is not her goal here, nor will it ever be when the situation is so dire. If Red dies, there will be no one remaining she would consider worth being good for.
"I assure you, it is absolutely necessary," she tells Ozma a moment later. "As you say, there may be good in me, but much of that goodness has only resurfaced thanks to Red. She made me want to be a better version of myself. The best version that I can be considering all I have done in the past. But without her...without her, I will mostly assuredly slip back into dirty old habits. And more besides..."
She sighs, feeling raw at exposing so much of herself to people she has minimal reason to trust. Only she does trust them, at least enough to somehow know that they will not judge her for who she used to be. Snow never has and doesn't seem inclined to ever do so, which is amazing since she was the primary victim of the Evil Queen. And yet just like her ten-year-old self, Snow seems stubbornly determined to be her friend in spite of the vast, turbulent oceans of hurt between them.
Meanwhile, Dorothy and Ozma have struggles of their own with the darkness that lend them a sympathetic insight into her motive for playing fast and loose with her recently redeveloped sense of morality. There is no room for condemnation when an inclination is shared between a group of individuals. Both of the Ozians have admitted to wanting Zelena dead, so how could either cast stones in her direction? To bare herself to people who understand what it's like having that hideous compulsion – even though her new friends are far more practiced at resisting it – is almost liberating.
"The person I became after..." Trailing off for a heartbeat, she glances at Snow, seeing the woman preemptively wince at mention of an event both would rather forget but cannot. "After the death of my first love, I became someone else: a vengeful, arrogant, hateful, vile fiend who will never be fully eradicated. I am still her to some degree, having been forever contaminated by the evil I have perpetrated." But then she thinks of her wife, and her eyes begin to glisten. "Red gives me hope, though, that one day my past will not cast such a prominent shadow over my present. Believe me when I say it is not only for my sake that I will do what I must to save her, but for the entire world from which Snow and I hail. I was a monster before, but deprived of Red, I worry that I will become someone even that malicious woman would tremble before."
Ozma studies Regina, awareness in her eyes as if she recognizes the truthfulness of that statement. If the woman is as sensitive to light and darkness as she says she is, Regina knows she does, and all too well.
"What, then, will you do should Zelena resist you?" the fairy Queen then replies. "I know you've expressed it once already, but I need to hear it again if I am to trust you with what is most precious to me in this world."
Regina nods in understanding. "Sister or not, I will show her no mercy. As you said, she cannot be made a prisoner. She will keep coming back until she is dealt with permanently. So...if she does show up, rest assured that only one of us will come down from that mountain alive. Either she will kill me or I will kill her. Is that clear enough for you?"
"Regina..." Snow begins, but Regina silences her with a terse glare.
"Zelena cannot be permitted to live under any circumstances, Snow," Regina says. "Even if I save Red without having to face her, she will not stop coming back until she gets what she wants, which is Red in the grave and me on my knees before her, a broken shell of a woman. After she has killed me, which she almost certainly will in that case, she will conquer our world, laying waste to all who oppose her before returning to Oz to continue her reign unopposed. I cannot and will not allow that. As the only person with both the power and the will to stop her, and as her only living relative, it is my responsibility to put an end to her madness once and for all."
"If she is as powerful as you state," Snow counters, "how do you plan on doing that?"
Regina gives a longsuffering sigh. "Again, as I said, these are not normal circumstances. When I confronted her in my palace, my magic was able to matched hers. Something happened to me, some force welled up from deep inside me as I thought of my wife laying at my side, cursed to suffer untold agonies for the unpardonable sin of loving me. A righteous vengeance like I've never experienced fueled me to reach levels of power I have never dreamed of reaching before. I can't explain it, but I know that should the need arise, I can tap into that force again."
When Ozma smiles mysteriously at Regina's description of events, Regina narrows her eyes at the fairy. "You know what happened to me, don't you?"
"I do," Ozma confirms. "May I ask if the color of your magic changed?"
Regina sits back, stunned. She had told no one of that little fact. "Yes, it did. Normally my magic is a deep, lush violet, but that day it turned almost lavender in color. It even started to glow white at the edges at one point. What does that mean?"
"It means you can do something I once considered nigh on impossible," replies Ozma. "You accessed your dark magic and white magic at the same time, a feat I have never heard tale of before. Knowing this alleviates much of my concern over your chances. You may be the bane of the Wicked Witch after all." Pausing, she then nods fervently. "Alright, then. You officially have my permission to take Dorothy with you."
Dorothy scoffs at that, appearing incredibly put out. "Wow, sweetheart. Thank you. I mean that. It feels so great to be treated like I'm personal property that needs your permission to do whatever the hell I want."
Ozma frowns at the misinterpretation. "Don't be cross, my little whirlwind. You know that is not what I meant."
"Then say what you mean, Ozma," Dorothy grits out, hand clenched into a fist upon the table. "Because that's sure how it sounded."
Ozma has the grace to flush with chagrin, biting her lip before turning apologetic eyes to her offended paramour. "I am sorry, darling, please accept my sincerest apology. You are, of course, free to choose your own destiny. I only meant that you have my support in your freely made decision to accompany our new friends on the final portion of their journey."
Dorothy gives a prolonged sigh before her features settle into something more neutral. "Nice save," she drawls, and then her lips then turn up in a sly grin. "In that case, I accept. But only on the condition that you give me a proper goodbye kiss before I leave. None of that lackluster cheek pecking you got away with last time."
Ozma smiles her joyful acceptance. "That is a condition I am most willing to agree upon." And then she leans in to place a chaste but affectionate kiss upon Dorothy's lips. Dorothy hums into the contact, and when they part both women are beaming at one another.
"You should come with us, Your Majesty," Regina says after enduring the very public display of affection without complaint. Changing the subject by engaging Ozma directly is her way of redirecting the conversation back to the task at hand without being rude. "Your assistance would be most helpful, even if merely in a supporting role."
Ozma ducks her head sadly before shaking it. "Sadly, I cannot even if I were willing. Which I am not for the reasons I outlined earlier. Beyond that, I am also bound to this place by magic of my own design. It was the only way to keep Zelena ignorant of my continued existence."
"Wait a second," Snow interjects, "Zelena thinks you're dead?"
"She does," Dorothy confirms, answering for Ozma who nods at her encouragingly. "There is a flame that burns in the heart of the palace which is linked to the life force of the true ruler of Oz. It is so ancient and primordial that it cannot be extinguished. The spell Ozma cast to establish this sanctuary severed around fives acres of the area from Oz, which tricked the magicks that keep the flame burning to cut out. Through some subterfuge of our own," she winks at Snow, who grins, "we planted false information that Ozma fled to Ev through the Deadly Desert and perished in the attempt. We even had the royal family of Ev confirm the death."
"Incidentally," Ozma adds, "I believe that is why Zelena ultimately attacked Ev. Their involvement implicated them as willing to grant me asylum, something she could not abide. Her invasion attempts thus served two purposes: one, to retaliate for trying to help me, and secondly to confirm that I am, indeed, deceased. She failed in both cases but seems content to accept that there is no contest to her rule."
Regina huffs in agreement. "She has knack for self-delusion. She has convinced herself that I stole everything that belonged to her because our mother gave her away at birth but decided to keep me. It's her entire reason for doing all of this. Zelena wants to take my crown, murder my wife, and then utterly destroy me all because she wasn't affording the privilege of being raised by a nasty bitch whose death I should not have even mourned. Knowing that, my guess is that my sister won't be satisfied until she's stamped me out of existence entirely."
"That's terrible," comments Dorothy. "And kind of insane."
Regina agrees, and tell Dorothy so. "Seeing that she is legitimately crazy, her deranged plans are not all that elaborate. To be honest, I'm just glad she's being direct instead of hiding her intentions behind convoluted schemes. It's a refreshing change of pace to know what my enemy is after beforehand."
"Which may work to your favor," says Ozma, thoughtfully tapping her chin. "You know what motivates her, so you know how to manipulate her into a fatal mistake. It's a gambit, to be sure, but perhaps the opportunity may present itself for you to do just that. In my experience, those who are prone to rages are easily distracted or provoked into doing what you want them to do."
"A fair point," replies Regina, "and one I have already considered. I know exactly how to goad her into opening herself up. Unfortunately, she knows how to do the same to me."
"But you have one thing going for you she doesn't," Snow points out, that insufferably hopeful expression on her face. "You have love on your side, so when you're facing her, think about how much you love Red instead of how angry you are that she got hurt. Let that be your source of strength instead of hate."
"Hear hear, Queen Snow," says Ozma without taking her eyes off of Regina. "Love is an advantage if you allowed it to be. But I think you already know that, don't you?" Regina nods, and draws a shaky breath. "Then there is nothing more that can be said besides this: you have my confidence and my faith. I believe that you can defeat Zelena. You simply need to believe it yourself."
"Easier said than done," Regina says, rubbing her temples against the stirring of a headache.
She understands Ozma's encouragements are being offered from the right place, but in the end, the victor of her duel with her sister will be decided in the heat of the moment where emotions are nearly impossible to control. All the preparation in the world cannot adequately equip her to handle the swirling array of emotions that will be warring for dominance, from hatred and the burning need to lash out with unrestrained violence to their diametric opposites of unconditional love for Red and righteous fury over her degenerative condition. All she can do, then, is to go forward, to face her sister as she had back in the Dark Palace with no thought for herself, focusing on Red and their future together she simply refuses to allow anyone to steal away from her.
"Just the same," says Ozma, "I believe in you."
"So do I," adds Dorothy, a touching amount of affection in her eyes.
"I think you know that I do, too," Snow says as well, with a smile so warm that it could melt the polar ice caps. "I never stopped and I never will."
Regina is too choked up to answer their unexpected declarations. She in unused to such a universal show of support, especially when it originates from three people who are, relative to her, true embodiments of heroism. Swallowing heavily, she bites her lip then offers them all a grateful nod. A second later when Snow reaches out for her hand, Regina surprises herself by taking it, slipping their fingers together, and squeezing hard to draw strength and confidence from a woman who has every right to hate her but does not.
In that moment, it hits Regina like a sledgehammer that she does not just have Red's love upon which to stand, but the love of the three women occupying the table with her. Her fellow royals plus one noble warrior. Her co-conspirators. Her compatriots. Her friends.
A minute passes in which Regina merely sits motionless, clutching Snow's hand as she soaks up the positive energy and heartfelt adoration being sent her way. Soon enough, it starts to get uncomfortable, so she ducks her head to avoid their gazes. Again, Snow proves her disquieting ability to read Regina's cues.
"So, Ozma," the bandit Queen then says, though she does not release Regina's hand until Regina pulls it away. "Tell us a little bit the grove we came here to find." Regina looks up to find Snow's full attention on Ozma. "We know that it is named after you, so I assume that means you planted it."
"You would be correct in that assumption," confirms Ozma matter-of-factly.
"May I ask why?"
"My father always told me that my mother loved nature far more than she ever loved him," the fairy queen answers, "and that is not a disparagement so much as simple statement of fact. In every kingdom she visited, she planted groves of trees, grew them with her power and imbued them with special properties. I wanted to do something to honor her, but didn't know what until I stumbled upon that area.
"I was exploring the mountain on a whim – this was before I was captured by Mombi, of course, so I was very young, but my magic protected me from the elements and I had long since mastered the arts of teleportation. Anyway," she gestures with her hands after the aside, "the place was remote and not easily accessed, so I made a deal with the dwarves who inhabit the mountains. In exchange for carving out a pass from the base of the mountain and constructing a gate to protect my new sanctuary, I offered their leadership a position in my council upon my future coronation. To sweeten the pot, I also enchanted their mining picks to never dull and to possess the capability to break through even the hardest of stones. They agreed, of course, because my deal was exceedingly generous, and after I proved my trustworthiness by enchanting their picks to never dull as an earnest on my part, they then honored theirs as well."
"That's quite a story," says Snow, "but I'm particularly interested in why you chose to grow trees there with such...odd properties." Regina glances over at Snow with an appreciative gaze. She has asked the very question at the tip of Regina's tongue.
"Well," drawls Ozma, "that is a bit more complicated."
"Then tell them the abridged version, honey," Dorothy instructs with fondness. It is evident to Regina that although she appreciates Ozma's attention to detail, she is nonetheless cognizant of Regina's growing antsiness.
Ozma looks disappointed for just the slightest moment, but recovers quickly enough that Regina barely notices it. "To be more concise," she says, "I was very young, as I said, and did not have much practice enchanting apple trees, so I may have done so with the goal of preventing them from ever decaying or being affected by magic. The results sort of happened all on their own."
"Wait a second," Regina interjects, sitting forward as she latches onto a particular bit of information. "Did you say they were apple trees? And if so, what color are the fruit they bear?"
"They are," nods Ozma, her brows furrowed. "The trees within the grove produce green apples. Why? Is there something wrong with that?"
"Not at all," replies Regina. "I happen to love apples myself. It's just that Red was cursed by a green apple. No doubt it was from your tree." When Ozma blanches, Regina becomes afraid the implications are far worse than she had originally thought. "Oh, gods! Please do not tell me that means the antidote will not work."
Ozma frowns as she briefly considers the possibility "Good heavens, no," she then firmly replies after a moment. "It is the trees themselves that are imbued with the magic. The fruit they bear is merely fruit."
Regina does not understand the logic at all. "In that case, why grow green apples there?"
In response, Ozma shrugs in the way a little girl might when asked why she likes chocolate instead of vanilla ice cream. "No reason whatsoever. I just really like green apples."
The entire situation strikes Regina as so ridiculous that she begins to laugh, softly at first, but soon enough she is cackling hysterically for absolutely no good reason other the absurd coincidence of it all. First, Red was stricken by a special curse augmented by the leaves of a special tree in a special Grove, and then said curse was applied to a green apple that grew from those very same trees in that very same Grove. And it just so happened that Grove belonged to the woman who is the lover of the woman Regina and Snow saved while on their journey to rescue Red from her curse. It is as if the universe itself has decreed that this mess of webbed tragedies was constructed by the design of some higher power, beginning with Dorothy being captured and then Red being cursed, simply to bring them all together. On top of it all, Regina cannot fathom for the life of her why she was the one chosen to be here rather than her wife, who surely would have better represented their world to Ozma and Dorothy. As a whole, the situation is simply horrific, but in an inappropriately hilarious way.
"I'm sorry," she says after a minute of laughing until tears are streaming down her face. "It's just all so damn bizarre."
At that, Ozma gives a wry grin. "I have to admit, the confluence of events is strange to the point of absurdity."
"Exactly," Regina agrees, mirth still escaping in soft chuckles. She takes a breath to calm herself and straightens her back, her irrational bout of humor fading away as quickly as it came. "As ridiculous as all of this is," she then says, directing her words at both Dorothy and Ozma, "I'm glad to have met the both of you. Truly."
The women beam at her warmly, and it is Dorothy who answers for them both. "We're glad, too, Regina."
After giving them a grateful smile, Regina turns to Snow and takes a preparatory breath, hardly able to fathom what is about to come out of her mouth. But she is surrounded by people who are on her side, having proven their sincere friendship by both word and deed, and she feels so abnormally good about herself and the success of her mission that she cannot contain herself.
"I can't believe I'm about to say this," she then tells Snow, "but...I am also glad to have gotten the opportunity to know you again. The real you, that is, not the inaccurate version I always made you out to be in my mind so I wouldn't feel like such a monster for what I'd done to you. And while my earlier words are certainly true in that I will never be the woman that I once was, and that forgiveness is something that I might never be able to give or receive, I want to move past all of the hurt that is between us."
Snow's eyes glisten with unshed tears. "Oh, Regina," she whispers, "that's all I've ever wanted from you. I know we can't be a family in the way I wanted us to be, and I know it is going to take time for you to accept me back into your life after what I did, but I hope that some day we can be friends."
"For what it's worth," Regina then says, strangely undisturbed by her admissions, "I think that may just be possible. After all, I couldn't have done this without you."
The grin Snow gives her then is one bright enough to light up the darkest corners of the most hate-filled heart. Under its intensity, Regina feels some of that old grudge begin to melt away, and while the glacier of complication that was her feelings for Snow will take a lot more time to thaw than a day, progress was being made. Real progress at that, of the kind that would make Red proud.
Since the moment they became a couple, Red has silently suffered due to the estrangement between two of the three people she loves most in the world. It has always been her unspoken hope to provide a bridge that brings Regina and Snow back together. And although she had not been deliberate in the action that has finally accomplished the first steps of that purpose, it is Red that occupies the center space between the two former foes. As much as Regina loves her wife, she knows that Snow loves her best friend, and it is that common ground between them that has allowed them to set aside their crimes against one another in order to work together.
It will mean so much to Red to discover that her wish is beginning to come true. Regina just hopes she lives long enough to bring them to proper fruition.
An hour later, Regina is standing in the same spot in front of the cabin upon which she had arrived with Dorothy and Snow. She feels a keen sadness inside at having to leave so soon. It may be small and quaint, but the homely warmth she has found here makes it seems larger than the spectacular palace of Oz. She will miss it when she has to leave for good, even if just a little.
Feeling wistful all of the sudden, she looks toward the door when it opens, and watches Dorothy, Ozma, and Snow filter out one by one. Their faces are relaxed as they chatter amiably, but there is a tense glint to their eyes that speaks of how difficult this parting will be.
"We're ready," Snow says upon reaching Regina's side.
Regina nods and glances at Dorothy, who is gazing at Ozma with tenderness that causes a lump to form in her throat. Ozma meets Dorothy's eyes, her own filled with unshed tears, sorrow and love alike warring in them.
"Please don't take any unnecessary risks," Ozma then says, reaching out to cup her partner's face. Dorothy instinctively leans into the tender caress. "The year I spent worrying over your fate was worse than I could ever describe. I cannot bear it if something worse were to befall you."
"Don't be such a worry wort," Dorothy replies, her reassuring tone meant to diffuse the tension of the atmosphere. "I'll come home just like I always do. And remember, I won't be alone this time. I have friends who will be with me, and we are all fighting for love. That makes us stronger than the Witch can ever hope to be."
"And yet I still insist that you use wisdom. I need you to come home to me." Ozma then leans in for one last, lingering kiss. When they part, she gives Regina a pleading look. "As one Queen to another, will you promise to take care of her?"
Regina inclines her head with a respectful promise. "I will. You have my word."
"Very well," sighs Ozma, and then playfully pushes Dorothy toward Regina and Snow. "You had best be off directly. It is still early, and by now Zelena will be sure to know that she has been mislead. It won't take her long to figure out the deception. Make haste and go with my blessings."
"If all goes to plan, will we return shortly," Regina then says, but before Ozma can back away, she removes the pouch from around her shoulder and then offers it to Ozma. "For safekeeping," she says.
"May I ask what is in it?" Ozma asks with a raised brow.
"Our collateral to get back home," Regina replies, not certain that Ozma will be comfortable with learning what's inside .
As if Ozma can read her mind, she nods like that is explanation enough and then accepts the pouch. After carefully slipping the strap over her own shoulder, she takes a few steps back, and then says, "I shall look after it while you are gone. Safe travels. And best of luck."
"Thank you. I'll need it," Regina says, and then turns to Dorothy. "Do you remember what to do?" Dorothy confirms that she does then slips her eyes shut without needing to be instructed. Once Dorothy seems sufficiently prepared, Regina places her hands upon the brunette's temples and then summons her magic.
Just as before, she immediately sees an image in Dorothy's mind, only this time it is of the gate separating Ozma's grove from the rest of the world. A moment later, Snow's arms wrap about her waist. With all three in contact, Regina silently casts the spell. As quickly as they had arrived at Ozma's cabin, they are gone in a puff of purple smoke, and as they are swept away by the miraculous and mysterious nature of magic, she can only hope to return.
If they make it back, that will mean they have been successful. It will mean that soon enough, Red will be cured. And that is what she wants more than anything else in the whole wide world.
