Ruby paced the cell for the thousandth time, her claws clicking on the freezing stone. She'd transformed not long after Rhys deposited her here, finding her fur to be a better shield against the cold than a dress and cloak. She was imprisoned far beneath the Dark Palace, in a tiny stone room barred implacably with steel. A warren of musty, empty cells fanned out around her like dank toadstools. She was utterly alone, and trying very hard not to be terrified. She wondered how long Rhys was going to let her rot down here. He hadn't said a word since he captured them in the forest, but his silent fury had spoken louder than words. He hadn't even been able to look her in the eye before tossing her unceremoniously into this cell. But it wasn't herself she was most frightened for. What would he do to Henry? He'd threatened to send him to Asgard for Questioning, and she had no doubt he would do it. Ruby growled, thinking of the poor kid being tortured with one of those metal disks on his forehead. He was like a little brother to her, and she'd led him straight into this trap. It was more than she could stand. She tipped back her shaggy head and howled in despair, the sound echoing loudly in the empty space.
Poking her nose through the bars, she was nearly able to get her head through, but nothing more. Though it was nearly pitch black, her wolf eyes were very keen in the dark. She could discern a yellowish glint of metal at the end of the corridor. A Sentinel. Rhys must've posted one in the dungeon to guard her. She transformed, shivering naked in the freezing air.
"Rhys!" she yelled, as loudly as she could, knowing he was in constant communication with his Sentinels. Maybe he could hear her. "Let him go! He's only a boy!"
There was no answer. Either Rhys was long gone, maybe taking Henry to Asgard at this very moment, or he was simply ignoring her. Transforming once again, she lay in a corner, nestling in the moldy straw for warmth. She tried to guess the time. Command expected them to have returned hours ago, she thought. Would Regina come for them? And what would happen if Henry was gone when she got here? Ruby shivered.
Regina was stifling a lot of emotions at the moment, chief among them worry about her son and rising irritation with his biological mother. She knew Emma was afraid for the boy, just as she was, but that didn't make her any easier to tolerate. Regina had gotten used to having her orders followed without question. Emma hadn't gotten that memo, apparently. Rising from behind her desk, she smoothed her face and kept her voice level as she addressed the blonde woman who was pacing nervously and putting everyone on edge.
"Yes, they're a little late. No, it's not time to panic just yet," she said, crossing her arms with exaggerated patience.
"But you said yourself they should've been back hours ago!" snapped Emma.
"There are a dozen things that could've delayed them. But Henry and Ruby have been on much more dangerous missions a thousand times over the years. I'm sure they're fine."
"We should be out looking for them!"
Regina ground her teeth. Of course, that's exactly what she wanted to do herself, as a mother. Whenever Henry was late coming back to Command, her first instinct was to drop everything and search for him. But as a commander, she knew that was unwise. Sentinel patrols made venturing beyond the Concealment charm a risky business that was to be avoided unless absolutely necessary.
"It's too risky, and probably unnecessary. For now, we wait. If they're not back by dawn, we'll coordinate a search."
Emma scowled, but sat down. Regina had a feeling that the impossible woman would try to sneak out of Command long before dawn, if Henry was still out there somewhere.
"Are you prepared for your journey? Mulan tells me they can get you to the shore with a row boat before the sun comes up tomorrow," she said to the group, trying to change the subject. Killian, Moriah, Arthur, Hic, Elsa, Merida and the two elves were seated around the big table. Fully-loaded packs and assembled weaponry were scattered atop it and in heaps on the floor.
"Aye, we're ready. We'd hoped to set out just after dark. But with Henry delayed, we'll wait as long as it takes for Emma to be sure he's safe," answered Killian.
"I see you found some items in the armory to your liking," said Regina, nodding to Merida's full quiver with pride. A handful of the arrows in it were of Regina's own making.
"Oh, aye, thank you General!" said the young woman. "The arrows are really amazing. I've never seen anything like them! So light and yet so strong."
"They'll punch through almost anything, even Sentinel armor. They're extremely rare, so use them sparingly. Did Mulan tell you about precautions?"
"She did tell me not to sleep with them near me, though she didn't say why," said Merida, perplexed. She pulled one of the arrows from the quiver reverently. Regina smiled, taking it from her with satisfaction. It was a polished wood shaft of gray so dark that it was nearly black, but Regina remembered when it had been a milky silver. It was feathered with black fletchings and tipped with a sharp steel point. Light, but deadly. She knew what these could do in the right hands, and it gave her no small amount of pleasure whenever they took down a Sentinel. It felt like a small payback for what the Norns had done.
"Don't sleep with them too close to you, or close to your horses for that matter. The dreams will leave you more tired in the morning than you were when you went to bed."
"Uh, how can an arrow cause bad dreams, exactly? It's an inanimate object," said Hic, skeptically.
"An ordinary arrow carved from ordinary wood wouldn't, but this one is something special. It's made from the tree that tried to kill my son," she replied, enjoying the shocked looks on their faces.
"It's made from the Worldtree? The one you told us about?" whispered Emma, looking sick.
"Yes. After it sprouted in Henry's bedroom and strangled him, I ordered the dwarves to cut it down. It was only a sapling, but it had enough wood to make several bows and dozens of arrows. Henry carries one of the bows, as does Robin. There was a lot of trial and error on my part to harden the wood sufficiently for the arrows," she explained, trying to be modest. "It took a lot of fairy dust and elbow grease."
Merida took the arrow back with a grimace and daintily slid it home with the others. Regina chuckled.
"There's no need to freak out. Just keep them a few feet away when you sleep and you'll be fine. Enter!"
A sharp rap had sounded on the door. Mulan entered with a salute. Behind her was the Blue Fairy.
"General! The Blue Fairy has an urgent report."
"What is it?"
"I was harvesting fairy dust at dawn today, as you requested. I ventured near the Dark Palace," she said, holding up her hands to placate Regina, who had forbidden her to go near that place. "I know, I know, we aren't supposed to go within ten leagues of it. But the dust is becoming harder to find these days."
"We'll discuss that later," promised Regina with a scowl. "Go on."
"Well, I saw…I saw H-Henry and Ruby," she began, swallowing hard. Regina stood, the hairs on the back of her neck rising. "They were being marched into the palace, surrounded by Sentinels. They were prisoners of the Asgardian man."
"At dawn…and you're just reporting now, you fool?" growled Regina, smacking the table with her hand.
The fairy looked offended. "I had ventured too close to the palace! A Sentinel sensed my presence and hunted me most of a day. I couldn't risk leading it back here. I came back as soon as I could shake it."
"Get out!" snapped Regina, her temper flaring. The fairy jumped, startled, and made herself scarce. Henry, a prisoner of the Dark Palace? This was a nightmare she'd dreaded for years.
"We have to save him, Regina!"
"I know, damn it! Just let me think, Swan."
"You said Asgard tortures people! We need to go now!"
Regina took a deep breath, weighing her options. But there was no choice, really. Not when it came to her son. She made up her mind.
"Mulan, institute Protocol Azimuth."
The young woman's eyes widened a fraction, before she saluted and turned to the door. She paused on the threshold.
"Ma'am, it's been an honor. Good luck," she said, in her soft voice. She slipped out with a respectful nod and a fist to her chest that Regina returned with a heavy heart. At least she was leaving everyone in good hands with Mulan.
"What's Protocol Azimuth? Will it help us get Henry back?" asked Emma, who was gathering weapons and slinging a pack over her shoulder, as were the rest of her companions.
Regina strode to the desk. She pulled on her cloak and began filling a satchel with important items, most of them magical, which she thought might come in handy. Lastly, she found the cream-colored envelope she kept always in a drawer, just in case. She placed it on the desk for Mulan to take with her when they left this place for good. Kissing it with her fingertips, she hoped that Robin would receive it some day, and understand. Words couldn't convey everything she felt for him, but it would have to be enough.
"Azimuth is an evacuation protocol, to be put in place if the leader, meaning me, is ever compromised. That Asgardian bastard has Henry, and I'm going to go get him. Now. That means that this place and all the people in it are in danger if I'm captured. Command needs to be somewhere else, somewhere I don't know about, by the time I make to the Dark Palace."
"You mean, by the time WE make it to the Dark Palace," said Emma firmly. She was checking the ammunition in her gun, pulling back the hammer with a heartening series of clicks. Regina couldn't help but be relieved that she wouldn't be doing this alone. The Savior might annoy her, but she came in damned handy in a fight.
"I can't ask any of you to come with me. It's probably a suicide mission," replied Regina.
"You don't have to ask, he's my son too. I'm coming. Killian, take Moriah and the others and get out of here, head for the coast like we planned. We'll catch up with you somehow once we have Henry."
Killian shook his head and locked eyes firmly with his wife.
"Not a chance, love. I'm not leaving you to fight this battle yourself."
"He's right, Emma. We can help," said Elsa.
"Aye, and I can do some damage with these fancy arrows," added Merida, shouldering her bow.
"Toothless could use a good stretch of the wings," said Hic, tightening the leather straps on his flight gear.
Arthur stood, a hand on Excalibur. "And I offer you my sword. You are like family to me, to all of us, Emma Swan. We will join you in your quest to free your son."
Emma's eyes were swimming with tears. Regina rolled her remaining one and headed for the door before this got any sappier.
"Whatever. If your fan club's coming with us, then let's go. We need to move fast."