There was a door to leave from and a hatch on the roof to look down in, Emma wasn't sure how she felt about the rumors that Cora was dead, so she just had them lift up the hatch, "Has she moved?"

The guard looked in, "No."

"You're sure."

"She's dead, ma'am, there was no pulse when we brought her food in."

"A powerful sorceress doesn't have a pulse?" Emma asked and raised an eyebrow, "A sorceress that can cast illusions?"

"The squid ink kept her from that. You said so," the guard started to panic, "And you'd know, better than anyone, wouldn't you?"

That's why Emma had spent years up on the castle, when she wasn't with her family or with the council, she was learning everything she could about magic and how it worked. She still found herself looking for the logic in it sometimes. Once her foster father had told her that magic and superstition were just placeholders for unexplained fact. She grew up believing that. And now she was surrounded by magic and none of it was logical. Where were the undiscovered facts in all of it?

Where was the sense?

Emma read everything she could understand of Rumple's magic books, some of it wasn't even in languages that she understood. She held those off for later when she could find a way to translate them. She'd wanted to be ready for Regina.

And now Cora.

"We need to get her out of there, it gets hot in there and she'll start to smell ripe."

Emma wasn't sure, she didn't want to go down there and move her, she didn't want to be taking a powerful sorceress from her prison where everyone was. If she was playing dead and it was a ruse….

What if she wasn't? What if she WAS dead somehow? What if Jefferson found a way to kill her?

It could be someone else, but Emma had to look at it objectively. Jefferson was the one talking about how Cora needed to be executed without a trial. emma didn't know where he was for hours. He was the one that Cora had hurt most of all.

It made sense, and Emma wished it didn't.

"LEave her there," Emma whispered and closed the hatch.

"But-."

Emma saw the guards she brought with her. Grace and Alex were with them, Emma wasn't letting anyone out of her sight right now, "Find me Jefferson."

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She'd returned to the castle to wait for the guards to find her husband. She'd been hoping that he would be back in the room when she returned, but he wasn't. No one had seen him in the castle after he left. The stable boy told her that he'd taken a horse and rode out yesterday but neither he nor the horse returned.

And Emma worried.

She lay down for a nap until the evening. Alex slept beside her. When she awoke, she found him trying to braid her hair. She lifted him up and blew raspberries on his cheek to his delight.

Emma found Robin Hood sitting outside her apartments, "Well?"

"We found him."

THat filled Emma with a little relief at least, "WHere?"

"By the North barrier, he was a mess."

"Someone hurt him?"

"No, I mean emotionally and mentally he was a mess. When we came, he started crying harder, he was begging to know if you and the kids were alright."

Emma felt her heart break, "Is he alright now?"

"We confined him but we haven't told him why yet."

"But he knows I'm alright?"

"Yeah, he wouldn't believe us though. When I came in, you were sleeping, I didn't want to wake you."

"What?" Emma demanded angrily, "HOw long have you been back?"

"A couple of hours."

"Are you kidding me?" she demanded.

"Cora may or may not be dead, when will you get sleep after this?" he demanded

"I don't care about sleeping."

"We do! You're the leader."

"So are you."

"I lead everything outside the castle, but I still report to you. And this is certainly an Emma matter."

Emma ignored him, she already knew that, "Lets just handle this

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Emma was taken to an area just off of the kitchens where they put people that they were suspicious about. Usually it was petty thieves or small things like that. The worst offender had been a stalker of one of the ladies in charge of cleaning the castle. Emma had sent him into exile, whatever happened to him, she wasn't sure. He was probably dead by now.

Jefferson was pacing the room when Emma came in. When he saw her, his eyes lit up and he rushed forward, "Emma."

Any hesitations she might have had gave way and she threw her arms around his neck and covered his face with kisses.

"Emma, what's going on? Why was I kept here?" he pulled back and searched her face, "Did you do it because you were mad at me? I'm sorry. I just needed some space. I needed to think. I knew I should've sent word but I didn't take anything."

"JEfferson-."

"I don't know if you're right nor not," he confessed, "But I'm sorry, I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I love you, Emma."

It hurt her even more with what she had to say, "Jefferson...Cora's dead."

He stopped, he pulled away confused and he looked hurt, "You think I did it?"

"Jefferson -," she started. She just wanted to know. She needed to know if he did it.

"So, is this how it's going to be?" he got on the defensive, "She dies, she gets justice, but if I want justice then I have to wait for a trial?"

"JEfferson, no!" Emma closed her eyes so she didn't have to see the hurt angry look on his face, "It's not like that."

"I didn't do it, Emma!" he pleaded and went to grab her hands, "I wanted to, you know how much I wanted to, but I didn't. I"m innocent, I went riding around the barriers to make sure they were secure because I needed time to think"

Emma immediately thought of what had happened years ago when she first came to the house. He'd lied to her, he'd lied for months. But he hadn't lied to her since, and he wasn't lying now. He wouldn't do that to her, he wouldn't lie that he murdered one of his tormentors. He'd be honest about it. And Not ashamed that he was the one that did it.

"I believe you," she whispered.

His face dropped, he rushed forward and wrapped his arms around her, "Thank you."

Emma clung to him, "I love you."

"I love you too."

"We'll figure this out," Emma promised him, "We'll do it together."

"We'll keep everyone safe," his hands went to the straps on her dress

They heard a knock at the door. Jefferson cursed and let his hands drop. Emma went to answer it, "Yes?"

"It's not squid ink," Robin held up the small bottle.

"THat's impossible, I put it in there myself."

"Well someone switched it out," Robin told her as she sniffed the bottle. He was right. It didn't smell like squid ink, and it certainly wasn't as viscous.

She had her magic.

"Who guarded her?" Emma demanded urgently.

"Emma?" Jefferson asked, his fear in his voice.

"Little John, James, Andrews," All Merry Men, they wouldn't betray them like that, "And some blacksmith."

That got her attention, "Who?"

"He calls himself Jones."

"Find him," Emma yanked open the door, she had to get to her kids, "Now!"