Regina stared blankly at Ariel, eyes shifting wildly between hers. She was silently begging her to tell her that what she had in mind was not true. If her mother was in Wonderland, then there is only one person she could have been, and that person managed to hurt her even then. Her hand reflexively tightened on Henry, and she pulled him closer to her. She could feel Daniel taking her other hand and rubbing his thumb over it soothingly; he may have no idea why Regina reacted this way, but that didn't stop him from trying to comfort her. Regina's eyes flew to her father's and knew that he was going through the same dilemma; she knew that a part of him loved her mother and it pained him deeply what she did to Regina and the rest of them; and now they just informed him that she had no problem in using him as a pawn, just as long as she hurts her daughter! Her own flesh and blood.
Regina snapped out of her own head, when she felt a hand rest on her knees. She looked down and was met with her daughter's warm brown eyes, who offered her a small, sympathetic smile.
"I….If she was in Wonderland, then that means…" Regina stammers.
"I know." Ariel whispers.
"The Queen of Hearts!" Henry Sr. finishes.
Ariel turns her head to look at him, "Yeah!" she agrees softly, offering him a small smile.
"But she…" Regina trails off again, looking at her father.
"She knew you well, and she knew where to hit!" Ariel says softly.
"Can somebody please explain to those of us who are completely in the dark here?!" Emma –who got fed up with the three-way conversation that was happening- exclaims.
"What I got so far is that Cora was the Queen of Hearts!" Snow states.
"As in 'off with his head'?" Henry asks.
"The one and only!" Ariel replies.
"She kidnapped me and trapped my soul in Wonderland." Henry Sr. explains, and the rest gulp.
"That's how Jefferson became the Mad Hatter; I tricked him into helping me to get him back and I left him behind. But I never knew that it was her!" Regina says.
"I know." Ariel whispers softly.
Emma, Snow and David are silent, trying to process the information. They weren't really surprised that Henry Sr. had been used as a pawn in her schemes to get to Regina; after all she kidnapped her own daughter and tortured her for two weeks straight. She created a fake Ariel and killed her in front of her own mother, to try and break her. So kidnapping Henry Sr. and trapping his soul seemed like nothing in comparison.
Daniel was horrified at what they were saying, not because of the monstrosity of the act, not because it was unimaginable, not because it was something that Cora wouldn't do; but because he knew that what he was hearing was just the tip of the iceberg! He was horrified at the prospect of the other things that Regina faced at her mother's hands that no one knew about; least of which is killing him and taking away Ariel.
His eyes wandered off to his daughter, and his heart melted at the amount of love he saw in her eyes for her mother. And as he looked around the room, he saw it in all of their eyes, with varying degrees and significance, but it was there nonetheless. Snow was now rubbing circles on Henry Sr.'s back in an effort to comfort him. Henry had both his arms wrapped around Regina, and his head resting in the crook of her arm. Ariel was kneeling in front of her, with her hands on her thighs, rubbing them comfortingly.
"Mom, she's gone, she can't hurt you or any of us anymore!" Ariel says soothingly.
Daniel furrows his eyebrows in confusion. If Regina herself –who actually did the banishing part- had no idea where Cora ended up and thought she was in this world; then how did Ariel know where she was? Unless…..NO! His eyes widen in horror and his heart skips a beat at the implication.
"Ariel; how did you know?" he asks, and she looks at him, confused.
"That Cora was in Wonderland, and that she was the Queen of Hearts." He adds to her questioning gaze.
Regina turns her head to look at him as he speaks, before realization dawns on her and her head whips around to her daughter. She could see the answer all over her face, but was still trying to deny it.
Ariel curses inwardly, "She and I had a confrontation in Wonderland." Ariel answers, and all the blood drains from Regina's face. She stiffens in Daniel's arms, and her hold on Henry tightens even more.
"She had no idea who I was; I had light brown hair and big blue eyes!" Ariel quickly assures her almost-on-the-brink-of-panicking mother.
Regina knew of her daughter's tendency for protectiveness, so she was doubting that the last part was just for her sake.
"She could have sensed your magic, and knew who you were!" Regina remarks.
"If she knew who she was, then how come she looked like she saw a ghost the first time she saw her in the Enchanted Forrest?" David reasons.
"Mom, she had absolutely no idea who I was! If she did, she would've immediately tried to kill me. But instead, she wanted me to open up a portal to get to you." Ariel soothes, only it seems to have the opposite effect, since Regina panicked even more.
"And since she didn't show up on my doorstep, that means you said no." She states.
"Of course I did, I wasn't going to let her get to you." Ariel replies.
"So she must've tried to kill you!" Regina almost yells.
"So what else is new?! She's been trying to do that ever since you got pregnant; I kinda got used to it. Look, Mom, she had no idea I was yours. That's the whole point of the mermaid magic; it shielded my magic so that in case I ran into her, she doesn't sense it and recognize who I am. All she knew was that I was a powerful sorceress; powerful enough to open portals and that is all she cared about. That and the fact that I wasn't showing the respect she is entitled to! And since I very much enjoyed irritating her; all I did was tap dance on her nerves and left her seething! I promise you; she didn't move one hair on my head!" Ariel reassures her frantic mother.
Regina looked into her daughter's eyes trying to find any sign that she is only saying this for her benefit, but found none. She could feel Daniel's arm tightening around her, as he rubbed her arm soothingly. His other hand was now on Ariel's shoulder; trying to assure himself that she really was there, and that Cora didn't kill her. Even though they both knew that the things they saw in the mirror, and what Ariel was telling them happened in the past; neither was comfortable at knowing that their daughter was within a 100 mile radius of Cora, let alone confronting her. Daniel's breath hitched in his throat when Ariel moved one hand from her mother's knee and rested it on his, in a silent gesture of comfort.
"Regina, listen." David interrupts, "I know that you are not used to have things go well for you; and on the rare occasions that they did; they hardly ever lasted long, and it was mostly because of Cora. She always tried to take away everything and everyone in your life that you ever cared about; and she succeeded in doing so, more than once. But she's gone, and for good this time. You saw it yourself; she can't take anyone away anymore. And if by some disaster she tries from beyond the grave, none of us will let her win again." He finishes calmly.
Regina looks at him for a few moments, and seeing the sincerity in his expression, as well as the others, she finally relaxes a little.
"What the hell were you doing in Wonderland anyways? Why weren't you in Atlantica?!" Regina grumbles and Ariel giggles.
"Surprisingly enough; Cora was the lesser threat!" she dead pans, as she got off the floor and leaned forward, giving her mother a kiss on the cheek, before going back to her place next to Ruby.
"Excuse me!" Daniel cuts in.
"I had bigger fish, or more like a giant octopus to worry about!" She exclaims.
"Ursula?" Henry asks.
"Yeah, she was after me to try and use me against Dad." Ariel replies.
"You never run away from a fight, what happened this time?!" Ruby wonders.
"The reason why Dad's family was at the throne for years was because they were the most powerful among the mer-people. All mer-people have powers, but Dad's family was the most powerful. They are all born with them, so kidnapping a baby and trying to hurt them was pointless, since they normally knew how to defend themselves. Especially that a power is deadliest when it's running on survival instincts alone. And since they ruled with a fair hand, and only used their powers against criminals and those who wished the kingdom harm, no one really ever tried to wrestle the power away." Ariel starts explaining.
"And you have more powers than Zeus, so that makes you safer than all of them!" Emma interrupts.
"Except those powers come from my human side, not my mermaid one. My mermaid's ones are sort of incorporated in my original powers, and they're not as strong. And besides, no one knew that I was born into magic, and therefore thought I was powerless." Ariel clarifies.
"And so you became the perfect leverage!" Ruby exclaims.
"Exactly, they finally found Dad's weakness, or so they thought. And since whoever tried to kidnap me as a child never really lived to tell the tale, how powerful I am wasn't a known fact till I was 12. Only you and Ruby knew the truth." Ariel concurs, directing her last statement at Granny.
"By then you had the entire sea with all of its brave sailors and might pirates, terrified of you." Granny quips.
"That was you?!" Henry Sr. asks and she nods.
"What gave it away?" Granny asks.
"I woke up one day and found myself locked in one of Ursula's cells, and since she thought I was none-magical, she had shocking spells on the bars and that was it. So it took me all of two minutes to get out and past her side-kicks." Ariel replies.
"So when she got back, and you are nowhere to be found…" Henry Sr. trails off.
"Apparently, she had been watching from a secret hole and saw the whole thing." Ariel finishes.
"So she wisely decided to stay away?" Daniel asks hopefully.
Ariel giggles, "Unfortunately no, she got her hands on some squid ink."
David's heart sinks at her words, and Snow gasps; leaving everybody else in a confused state.
"Please tell me that's NOT what I think it is!" David begs.
"I'm afraid it is." Ariel smiles apologetically.
"And for those of us who aren't horrified at the mention of this ink, we would really love to join you." Emma quips.
"It's a special type of squids; it lives in the dark catacombs of the ocean. Its ink is capable of immobilizing the most powerful magical creatures, as long as they are not sea ones. You either introduce it to their blood, through an arrow or a potion; or you get them to sign a contract willingly with it." Ariel explains.
"We used it to trap Rumplestiltskin." Snow exclaims.
"I know; who do you think gave it to Lancelot?" Ariel asks.
"How did you know that they weren't going to use it on Regina?" Emma asks.
"In order to get the ink, you have to kill the squid, that is if you manage to catch it. So when Ursula got her hands on it, Dad freaked out because we didn't know how it would affect me. It may not render me completely powerless, but in the very least, weaken me enough for her to do some serious damage. So after he dealt with her, he placed a potion on the ink using my blood to make sure that it can't be used on me, should anybody else get the idea; effectively rendering it harmless to Mom." Ariel explains.
"But why would you go to Wonderland?" Henry asks.
"I didn't go there specifically; I was jumping between lands, and Wonderland just happened to be one of them. I was actually about to get out of there, when her minions found me and told me that the Queen wants an audience. The place creeped me out!" Ariel replies.
"Why didn't you just come to shore and stayed with us?" Ruby asks.
"Because Ursula can follow me to shore, and we had no idea where Cora was. The last thing we needed was the two of them forming an alliance. I can handle one of them at a time, not both!" Ariel replies.
"What happened when her minions found you?" Regina finally joins the conversation.
"Nothing, they took me to her. And even though she was whispering into the elephant trunk to that puppet of hers, I was still able to hear her; thanks to Little Red Riding Hood here." Ariel jokes, patting Ruby on the leg.
"Little Red Riding Hood?!" Daniel wonders.
"Long story. Anyways, I managed to irk her enough that she abandoned both the mask and the trunk and was yelling at me in person. After I left her seething at the knowledge that she can't get to you, I went back home and checked the water, till I saw the memory of you pushing her through the looking glass, weeks after I was born." Ariel finishes the tale.
"And Ursula?" Henry asks.
"She had been dealt with by then."
The rest of the day passed in laughs and happier tales from this world, as well as the Enchanted Forrest. David, Ruby and Granny decided to tease Regina and Snow about their confrontation on their wedding day, leaving the rest laughing hysterically. Especially when David decided to reenact it and change his voice with each character. Snow retaliated by teasing David about how he was growling at Jefferson-when he accused them of tricking him-with Ariel on his shoulders.
Even though Daniel was having the time of his life, and taking part in the conversations, his mind was preoccupied. In less than 6 hours, he had returned to life, learned that his fiancée became the Evil Queen, that her mother was apparently more brutal than anyone had ever imagined, his little girl was the one who finally stood up to her for the sake of her mother and the rest of the land, that she wasn't exactly little any more, and last but not least; that he had to learn basically everything about this new world that they live in now.
Ruby and Granny left around noon, to catch the lunch rush hour at the diner, and left the family to enjoy each other's company. After lunch, they decided to take Henry Sr. and Daniel on a tour of the town. First stop: the stables. Daniel winced a little when he walked in and remembered what he did to Regina and Henry the last time he was in this place, and he tightened his hands around Regina's.
"Hey, it's okay; you didn't know what you were doing!" Regina whispers gently, and rubs her thumb over his knuckles, knowing exactly what was going through his mind.
He smiles softly at her, and she offers him one back. All of his worries and bad memories fade when he catches sight of Ariel dealing with her horse. Apparently, the mare was throwing a bit of a tantrum when they came in and Ariel was scolding her. It was quite an amusing sight; Ariel was standing within the mare's reach, but refused to pet her. The mare put on her best puppy eyes and tried to appeal to Ariel's soft side, and after a few strokes with her nose to her owner's neck and face, Ariel finally relents and kisses her head. She giggles softly, when the mare lowers her head and nibbles on Ariel's finger in search for food. He couldn't keep the proud goofy grin off his face as he watched the entire scene; he now knew what David meant when he said she was his daughter when it came to horses. Regina had her head resting on his shoulder, and he rested his head on top of hers, as she let out a content sigh.
They went for a walk on the beach after, and walked for a bit through town, before Regina decided to let them all in on a secret. She led them to the mausoleum and down to her vault, where she pushed on one of the brick walls. To everyone's surprise, the wall moved under her hand and it revealed a room behind it. Once they were all in, Regina lit the room and giggled at their sharp intake of breaths.
The room had some of the dresses and jewelry she wore in the Enchanted Forrest, as well as a few nick nacs that she held dear.
"This is where I kept the blanket that you were wrapped in after you were born." She exclaims softly to Ariel, who smiles lovingly at her.
"You actually wore these?!" Daniel and Henry exclaim at the same time.
Regina giggles at their enthusiasm,and nods. She could tell that the gears in Daniel's head were turning.
"Yeah, those are the ones that I liked." She informs them.
Daniel leans in close to her ear, and whispers so only she would hear him, "I'm gonna need to see you in them!"
After the vault, they walked some more through town, meeting and greeting people along the way, before they all stumbled into the house around dinner time. Regina, Snow and Ariel headed for the kitchen to cook, and David, Emma and Henry took the opportunity to explain some of the things in the modern world; like the 'weird carriages' that don't require a horse to pull them, or the weird little boxes that they talk to all the time, and last but not least, the magic box and all the images it shows.
I am very very sorry for the delay but work has been crazy and getting sick didn't help. Here's a long chapter for you enjoyment, so let me know what you think. How fast I update depends on how fast you guys review.
To Alexie Mills; welcome sweetie and glad you enjoyed it. You are more than welcome my dear, it brings me great pleasure that I can offer you something good to read and bring me joy that you like it that much. Looking forward to more reviews.
To reginamillz; thank you dear, I am StableQueen fan all the way, so I will try to put in more moments. This is as soon as it got, sorry for the delay.
To EvilRegal; thank you hun, glad you liked it.
To Sweetangelmist; does that mean she's pretending to be me, or pretending to be the character?! I don't have an IG account and therefore have no idea how it works or what it means, would really appreciate the help. Your last review had me laughing hysterically! I updated on Feb 5th but I know what you mean, and no worries, you weren't pushy, but like I said earlier, work and sick! Sorry for the long wait hun and hopefully next chapter will be soon.
To Jason; Henry woke up in chapter 52 :) and when all your life only your nightmare come to life, it takes a while to get used to having your dreams come true :)
To Dakota Kent; welcome back my dear, long time no see. Thank you.
To Guest; I am afraid that the story is coming to an end, just a few more chapters and that is all. I am glad you enjoyed it and hopefully I'll write another one or maybe a sequel, depending on what kind of ideas I get.
To impureevil; no Once Upon A Time isn't the only series I like, I like many more but so far has only written fics for Charmed and OUAT. The rest of the chapters will be fluff, since the story is coming to an end, so there is no more room for action.
To lestralogranger; I have no idea who Bellatrix is!
To Katie99; Welcome hun and I'm very glad to hear that. Looking forward to more reviews and I hope you like this.
To XSerendipity92X; I think she deserves it too, which is why I'm giving it to her till the damned writers decide to finally do it!
To Gizela;
Bad luck indeed.. What to do, what to do.. I KNOW! *eureka moment* Let's just kill him again so he can rest in peace! Sounds like a plan, doesn't it? XD do YOU have some sort of a death wish! You stay away from him missy :P
2 is a couple, 3 is.. a crowd;P not from where I'm standing :P
How does a platinum cage sound then? XD nah! trapping her within the statue! that way she suffocates to death :P *smiles devilishly* kinda like House of Wax ;)
"'wouldn't you like to know? :P'"
Oh I SO would! XD dream on ;P
"'try learning arabic...possibilities are endless with it ;)'"
I don't think a lifetime would be enough;P I'll do it for the both of us then ;)
"'he's gonna get rich ;)'"
I don't think he himself would be enough for them all.. I guess cloning is in order! XD or he might need therapy himself xD
""i would love to see THAT' :P"
You woudn't, trust me XD Trust ME I do :P
AT NIGHTS? *opens eyes widely* Are you implying incest, sweetheart? ;) have we met?! OF COURSE NOT! I am merely implying that he misses his daughter and wants to have her sleeping in his arms ;) :P he has to make up for lost time, remember? xD :P
Mmmm plotting a revenge... XD cant wait xD
"Ariel already told Regina that, but i still have a few tricks up my sleeve ;P"
Can't wait! *shivers* ;P *VBEG*
"couldn't resist :P"
Again VERY tempted to visit Cairo asap ;) you might wanna hurry up before I am no longer there xD
" especially with Ariel and Ruby teasing Emma about her appetite."
Hhaah I'd like to see it! XD me too xD
Someone please slap her so she knows it's reality! I'd do this myself but promised to be good XD *smiles sweetly* she is NOT used to having good things happen to her! Cut her some slack, and STAY AWAY from MY baby! :P
Breathe, just breathe, son. She's still gonna be there in 2 mins. And even in 2 hours ;) he's breathing, he's just making sure that SHE is ;)
Have you ever heard of knocking, mister? ;) he was hoping to catch her by surprise ;)
Make him a chart ;P you and your chart fascination :P
""Nothing's wrong, everything is quite perfect actually.""
It's hard to get used to it, isn't it? ;) no kidding! ;)
Hhaha 50 years of lying in the grave didn't dull your intuition, did it, mister? ;) well he didnt know that they were 50 xD
Ok, can *I* slap her since nobody else is volunteering, pretty pleeeease? XD Yeah, I know I promised to... but... DON'T HIT ME WOMAN! Ok, ok! ... ... ... Umm how about pinching then? *hopeful* XD STAY AWAY FROM MY BABY! Don't make me repeat myself again :P
" I mean, why on earth would you have that guy who came barging in wanting to take Ariel back with him to god knows where?" he asks, a hint of anger in his voice."
Hhahah! Exactly, why? ;) she has a secret crush on him :P
Hahah he's been knowing her for like 2 hours and she's daddy's girl already! XD she always has been one, just not with this daddy ;)
Oh wait till you meet Hook! XD It's gonna be fun, not for him though! XD Poor Hook!
Oh don't get me started! ;P please do :P
Umm she isn't exactly a baby anymore, she can make her own decisions, you know :P well we already have one idiot making all the wrong ones! Oh wait! That's on the show ;P here she can actually make the RIGHT one ;)
Someone page Whale, she needs calm injection! Or... can it be me, pretty please? *flutters eyelashes innocently*she'll end up 6 feet under! ;) xD
Bad parenting here! Oh wait, you aren't her mother though.. so get lost lady! ;P she's her big sister ;P
""Well, I called my super"
You called who? :S a super is sort of like a landlord; he's the guy who takes care of apartment buildings.
Most likely, he did NOT. I mean he shouldn't have:Pthere's the technical talk again : :P
Oh hello, it's getting even more interesting! it always does ;)
And now go and give Daniel a hug 'cause I bet it hurt him. that's what sleeping in the same bed is for :P
Ummm.. so, MORE? XD Please? SOON? ;P *batters eyelashes* that's as soon as it can get xD
