Mr. Gold gently held my wrists in his hand as he inspected the burns. I eventually had fallen asleep with Regina singing softly to me. Yet again I returned to room of fire and again I got burns on my wrists, yet this time they were larger and burned deeper.
"You did the right thing by calling me." He said, letting go of my forearms.
"So you can help?" I said, feeling some form of relief in my heart. "It's some sort of dream then isn't it?"
"Well no dearie." He said, standing as posh as ever with his hands holding his cane out in front of him. "What you described wasn't a dream."
"Well then what was it?" Regina asked her voice edgy.
"A side effect. More importantly a side effect of your sleeping curse. It's amazing you would cast a curse and know so little about it." He turned from the both of us and turned to the kitchen countertop behind him where his carrying case of supplies sat. I spun ever so slightly in the island chair beside Regina.
"Well my victims are not supposed to wake up. And I usually never cared for what happened to them after…" She hesitated.
"…Until now." Finished Mr. Gold. "But when people are put under a sleeping curse, there soul resides in a netherworld. This world is in between life and death, which makes it very real." Mr. Gold pulled out a necklace from his box and started to fill the vial that hung off it with a light blue liquid. "However, the victims can sometimes find their way back to the netherworld in sleep." I slid off my chair and moved to Mr. Gold's side as he did this. I saw a smirk appear on his face out of the corner of my eye. "Victims like you, dearie." He said suddenly, pointing to me.
I felt Regina's presence behind me all of a sudden. "This other world is tormenting my daughter every time she sleeps. I want you to give him something that will keep him from going there."
"Well that's not possible, yet I can give her something that can help her control her actions in this netherworld. When one controls something-"He held the trinket in front of me."-one need not fear it."
"It's very pretty." I said without thinking. He let out a chuckle.
"You wear it while you sleep. Once you control the journey, then the fear stops and you may come and go as you please." He dangled it closer to me as I reached out to take it. Regina placed a soft hand in mine, preventing me from taking the necklace.
"Everything comes at a price with you. What do you want for it?"
"For a house call? You couldn't afford it." Mr. Gold said. I felt worry pass over my face as he said this, and I believe Mr. Gold saw this too for he looked at me straight in the eyes and said, "But this one is for Clarion, our little parody. Consider it on the house." He said removing Regina's hand and placing the necklace in mine.
"What do you mean parody?" Regina asked suspiciously. I slipped the necklace over my head.
Mr. Gold stood stock still, with a smirk on his face and his hands on his cane.
"I mean she's the one thing in this world that has confused me to the point of madness." He said haughtily. I could feel Regina's worried look boring into the back of my head. "She's the only one of us that was born in our world, yet she was discovered outside of Storybrooke. In which I case I managed to bring her back to us and into Granny's care." I gave Regina a glance as she thought this through. Mr. Gold chuckled.
"I'll let myself out." He said, taking his bag with him.
I managed to talk Regina into letting me spend the night with Henry at Snow and Charming's apartment. I had the necklace with me as I tried to sleep, my back to Henry and the front door. I could hear the whispers of Ruby and Charming, and as they got closer to the kitchen I could make out their words now.
"-How do I tell him that he'll never see his mother and grandmother again? And Ree, if you think about it in a way her sister and her niece, her family."
"You won't have to."
"Traveling between worlds is as hard as it gets. Fairy dust on its own isn't enough, it took an entire curse to get us here. But without the hat-"
"You'll find another way." Said Ruby.
"You don't know that. I know you'll never give up until you do." Whispered Ruby. I felt my heart ease at the sound of voices, very soon my eyes drifted closed and I felt my breathing slow.
I was back in the room of fire, yet this time the flames had dwindled and were no longer in my path. I saw a woman with auburn hair across the room. She was screaming as the flames around her dwindled, then she turned to face me.
"Hello?" my voice echoing across the room. "Who are you?" She didn't answer. "I'm clarion."
The next night I was in the room again, the flames weren't as bad again. Yet this time I saw the woman again, calling for me.
"Clarion where are you?"
"Hello?" I yelled to her. She walked her way over to me, being careful of the flames that fought back against the power of my necklace.
"It's you!" She yelled over the roar of the flames.
"Yea, who are you?" I answered back.
"I'm Aurora, I'm with Snow and Emma."
"They're alive?!" I yelled, a smile forming on my face. "Are they ok?"
"Yes they're fine they just want to come home. They need your help!"
"What do I have to do?"
"There's a woman stopping them from getting home. Her name is Cora; they said to tell Mr. Gold, he'll know what to do." I nodded, feeling the excitement bubble in my heart.
I woke up in my bedroom with a gasp; the sun was shining brightly as I began to get dressed at a rapid pace and pulled my hair into a bun. Running out of my room and to the kitchen, I saw Regina in the beginning stages of making breakfast.
"They're alive! Snow and Emma they're alive!" I said, pulling on her arm.
"What?"
"There was a woman her name was Aurora and she told me they're alive!"
"Whoa, hold on. How do you know she was real?"
"She was in the room with me. She said they needed our help! We have to tell Charming and Henry!"
"Wait, Ree calm down. How are we supposed to help them?" Regina said, her hands on either side of my arms.
"There's some woman named Cora that Mr. Gold knows how to stop."
"Wait-Cora?"
"Yessss, now come on we have to go tell Henry and Charming!" I said, pulling her out of the kitchen. Reluctantly she followed, saying she would drop me off and go find Mr. Gold, yet I couldn't help but feel as if there was something she was hiding from me. Especially concerning this woman, Cora.
I couldn't deny I felt nervous, I held the necklace in both hands on my chest as I lay on the cot in Mr. Gold's shop. Regina started to tuck me in and brushed my hair out of my face.
"I'll be right here." She said. "I promise I won't leave you." I nodded quietly feeling the rustle of the pillow beneath my head. Henry sat on a stool beside Charming.
"So she's pretty powerful than isn't she?" He asked.
"Well not as powerful as me." Mr. Gold said cockily. Regina shrugged her coat off.
"That's… debatable." She said, setting it at the foot of the cot.
"Actually no its not." Rebutted Mr. Gold. Charming gave the two a sidelong glance before kneeling at my side.
"You're sure you're ok to do this?" He asked.
"Nope." I said, I could hear the fearful faces in the room, and saw worry pass over his face. "But being brave is having enough courage to have fear and still go to battle." Charming gave me a smirk. Yet I could see Regina's scared face behind him.
"Where's Belle?" I asked Mr. Gold. He made an awkward face.
"At the library."
"Shame." I said, shutting my eyes. "I've always wanted to meet her." There was a shuffle before I heard Mr. Gold's voice beside me and felt the presence of a hand over my head.
"Once upon a time, Snow white and Prince Charming needed to stun a very powerful magician, long enough to lock him up in a dark dungeon."
"That was you; they used Cinderella to trap you with a magic quill…" I heard Henry say and then trail off. Mr. Gold steadily brought his hand down and over my face.
"Yet, it wasn't the quill itself, but the ink that captured the Dark One. Harvested from the rarest species of squid from the darkest and deepest part of the ocean. Impossible to find unless you're a mermaid or me. I happen to have a private supply…in my jail cell that is where they will find it." I was again in the room of fire, the flames were stronger still and I did my best to keep them down. I saw Aurora march her way to me.
"Clarion! Can you help us?"
"Yes!" Flames shot up between us. "You have to-" More flames shot up around us. "Rumplestiltskin's jail cell!" Through the flames I saw Aurora was turned away, shielding herself from the flames. I yelled to her again, but a roar of fire drowned me out.
"Clarion I can't-" She turned from and looked to the ceiling. "Do you hear that?!"
"Listen to me!" I yelled. "Aurora!"
"No- Clarion!"
"What's happening!?" in a swirl of flames and wind Aurora was gone from the room, leaving me with a burned forearm.
I woke panting and sweating from the fire as I felt the deep burn take hold in my forearm.
"Clarion!" I heard Charming say. "What happened?"
"I didn't get to tell her, she got pulled out of there." I let out a gasp and the burn traveled up to my elbow and around my wrist. Regina took my forearm in her hands. Yet when I let out a squeal and pulled it back she receded.
"Let me." Said Gold. I kept my eyes shut as a cool breeze swept over my arm as cold healed me. Regina put her hand to ny forehead and dabbed it with a washcloth.
"What caused this?" She said, not looking to Gold. I opened my eyes slowly, a few stray tears falling only to be wiped away by Regina's fingers.
"When you venture deeper into the Netherworld, there are risks. Someone pulled Aurora away before he soul was ready and the actions of pulling her from the world, injured this little darling. We're lucky it wasn't worse, she'll need time to recover before she's sent back." Charming and Regina's voices of protest filled my ears.
"We'd be monsters just to consider risking her life again." Said Charming. Regina put her hand in mine as Charming stood to challenge Gold.
"Careful with your tone there, I understand your concern for the girl, but I know Cora. Without our help Snow and Emma will be dead soon. Then a true monster will be on her way to Storybrooke."
"I don't understand what she did to you…" I said drifting off. "…I don't need this anymore If I'm no longer our messenger." I whispered lazily, pulling off the necklace and letting it hang off my fingers.
i sat behind Henry as he continued to read 'Snow White' to Charming. i sat all the while listening before i heard the sounds of feet approaching and the doorbell to Mr. Gold's shop rang.
"Where are they? Regina and Gold?" Demanded Ruby.
"What do you mean?" i asked, standing.
"The fairy dust in the mines...it's all gone. No one steals from a dwarf." Said Grumpy.
"Except Regina and Rumplestiltskin." said Sneezy.
"If they're not helping Emma and Snow, then my mom lied to me." Said Henry.
"I'm sorry Henry." Said Ruby kneeling.
"We have to stop them, we have to help Snow and Emma." i said, pulling Henry to his feet.
Ruby drove us the edge of town, where the Wishing Well was located.
"I can smell them." She yelled back to us while she ran. Very soon the Well and Gold and Regina came into view.
"Mom What-What're you doing?" cried Henry.
"You're going to kill them!" Yelled Ruby.
"Sorry dearie." Said Gold as he raised his hand and threw Ruby 4 meters back from the well.
"What are you doing? You said you were going to help them?" Said Henry. I stood back from the both of them, fear in the very depths of my heart.
"I am trying to keep you safe. You have no idea what Cora would do to us if she came here, She would destroy everything that I love...and that includes you two." i stepped forward, knowing I couldn't just stand there anymore. i pulled Henry with me as i hugged Regina, motioning for him to do the same. i pulled back and let them hug each other.
"I can't let her do that." She said.
"you can't...but I can." I said, bolting to the well and doing my best to stop the green light that was erupting inside. I felt as though I'd been hit with lightning as my body began to absorb the green, then my body was torn from the well and shot back from it as i landed near Ruby. In my place was Regina, destroying the cap that was covering the portal. Forcing myself to a standing position I wobbled to Henry's side and leaned on him as my knees shook. Then Regina fell back and to the ground whispering, "I'm sorry Henry." Yet just when all hope had left me i saw two hands grab hold of the ledge of the well.
"Emma." I whispered, walking forward as she hoisted herself out of the whole. Next came Snow, and i felt my heart floating in my chest as the two women enveloped me and Henry into a group hug. I saw Gold walking out of the forest while Ruby was finally walking up.
"What's going on?" Asked Emma.
"What happened?" Whispered Snow to me.
"Are you ok?" Breathed Ruby, pulling me to her side as she gave Snow a one armed hug.
" My husband i need to see him." cried Snow. They shared a smile before Ruby dragged me along to her car to drive us all to Gold's shop again.
When Charming was awake it was nothing short of a make out session between him and snow is all I can say. Emma trailed Gold to the front of the store while Henry made his way to Regina in the back of the crowd.
"I'm proud of you. You're really trying to change." Said Henry as he stood before her. "and thank you, for saving them." Said Henry hugging her. Regina's eyes welled, yet she looked at me as I watched them. I couldn't deny I felt suspicious of her since she made no move to stop the spell until I tried to. Emma made her way back into the room, Snow reaching out to her while Ruby said, "How 'bout dinner at Granny's?" There were cheers of 'yes' as Ruby pulled me to her side and led me out of Gold's shop and down the street.
The Welcome back party was full of life and laughter, yet I sat on the back stoop with a mug of hot apple cider still not feeling social enough to face the party. I saw Regina's car drive passed before she herself walked passed the alley and the front bell rang in the night air.
In half an hour I had no choice but to enter through the back to fill my mug up again. When I walked in there were 'hello's' and 'HI's' exchanged as I made my way to the counter and filled my mug. I saw Regina passing out her lasagna and saw her look at me. I took my mug and walked to stand next to Granny who gave my forehead a kiss and said "I'll save you a plate." I nodded in thanks and walked back to the back steps and sat down, enjoying the silence. Soon I heard the front bell ring again and I heard the voices of Regina and Emma.
I made my way to the front just as Regina and Emma were finished talking, i hid against the fence, my mug still in hand as Regina walked to her car and Emma stood outside the diner for a moment. I let out a sigh and took a sip of my cider and decided to ready myself for bed. Ever since Snow and Emma had returned, Ruby and Granny took me back from Regina since Ruby knew what Gold and Regina had been doing when we found them at the well.
The next day I'd helped Granny out at the Diner and well into the night. Since it was closing time I was helping Ruby now to clean up with dishes and the like, after Ruby came back from taking the sign down outside.
"I'll be back in a few kiddo." She said. I nodded and once she left I decided to get some fresh air and walked out the front door. Upon inhaling I couldn't deny the freedom I was beginning to feel every time i was outside. Across the street I saw Regina walk out of Archie's office before going left out the door and then right around the corner, I walked her way, watching her hoping to talk to her. However, in a puff of purple smoke I saw someone else take her place. She looked just like Regina.
i made a loud gasp as I stood in the middle of the street, the woman heard me and turned to face me, her face contorted into a smirk. She waved her hand and I felt my feet unmoving against the asphalt.
"Well hello. Didn't your mother teach you to greet people instead of sneak up on them?" She said sarcastically.
"Well yes but then again I didn't expect my mother to turn into someone completely different." I said, struggling to move my feet. The woman's face turned into one of suspicion before she waved her hand again and i could move my feet once more.
"What's your name dear?" She asked sweetly.
"...Clarion."
"Any last name?"
"Well I guess it'd be Mills technically." I said, an eyebrow raised. Her face displayed a real and true smile.
"Really?"
"Yes...and you are?"
"Cora." She said extending your hand. I stumbled back, Cora moving with me as I did. "Your grandmother, technically."
