Always very nice to read your reviews: orthankg1, Twyla Mercedes, Grace5231973 and lil :D
Entry on Baelfire's journal
April the 7th
When your life and those of your loved ones is threatened, everything crumbles down. Because you realize in that moment, nothing is forever. Everything you love and cherish is just a brief passing by. A blow of the wind. It never stays. It's gone the moment it arrived. Life is like the changing of the seasons. It's fleeting. But death is forever.
…
A part of Regina had been surprised when she received a message from the Dark One to meet her in a neutral place. Of course the Evil Queen had been confident she had played her winning card and had planted the seed of fear in Belle, but still, it struck her as something improbable. So the Evil Queen travelled to the forest and walked in the lake's direction. She recognized, from the distance, Belle's favorite travel cloth with its patterns of fresh green leaves. The Dark One stood with her back to Regina, facing the waters of the quiet lake. She had gone right to business. Belle promised to reveal the whereabouts of the curse with one condition. She and her family would stay together in the curse's new realm.
Regina was now facing the elegant castle in the middle of the Forbidden Forest. The Evil Queen had been surprised Belle had given Maleficent the task of guarding the curse, yet, she should have quite expected it. She was, after all, a dragon. The blonde sorceress had acted friendly and polite when Regina arrived, but the Evil Queen could sense the tension around her. No, Maleficent was not happy at all with her visit.
"How are you, dear?" Maleficent asked while she walked across her living room, which was warmed and illuminated by a cozy hearth.
"I'm doing fine." Regina coolly answered. She was already seated opposite the fire, her legs crossed in a nonchalant manner. The older woman smiled knowing it was a great lie.
"Are you?" She sarcastically questioned while she poured herself a drink before sitting down. She turned to face her friend. "If it were me, I'd be simply tortured, watching that flake of snow so happy. Weren't you about the same age when you were to be married? Before she ruined it all?" Maleficent interrogated and watched as Regina's face became hard, translating the loathing she felt for the young princess. The blonde sorceress raised her glass in a mocking gesture. "Yes, you were."
"It was about the same age you were when that sleeping beauty got the best of you, my dear Maleficent." The Evil Queen wickedly retorted. Maleficent looked at her during a few silent seconds, her wisdom and life experience recognizing the bitterness of a wounded and frustrated woman. The Evil Queen refused to admit her fight against Snow White was a lost battle. Until she would accept her defeat, Regina would only continue to suffer, in vain.
"I soldiered on, as you will too… Hopefully."
"Enough games!" Regina said, rising her voice slightly and revealing her impatience. The older woman eyed her in a mix of mocking and pity. "Maleficent. You know why I'm here. I need my curse back."
"It's not yours, you know? It's Belle's and she asked me to guard it."
"And I made a new deal with Belle. Now please, return what's mine."
"The Dark Curse, really? You must know that not even its unholy power can bring your loved one back from the dead." Maleficent pointed out. Regina's face immediately transformed, all emotion fading away. Her look was full of fake passivity, her face cold and hard, a defense mechanism created to hide the unmeasurable pain that consumed daily her heart. The blonde had put the finger in the never healed wound and confronted the Evil Queen with the reality. Nothing, not even magic, can bring the dead back to life.
As an experienced sorceress, as the guardian of the Dark Curse, but mostly as a friend, Maleficent was questioning Regina's motives and reasoning. The dark beauty needed to move on and stop chasing illusions. It will only make her sink further and further in her self-created darkness. "Have you considered a pet? They can be quite comforting." The blonde added while she patted her unicorn's muzzle.
"The only comfort for me is Snow White's suffering." The Evil Queen said with a sneer.
"Well, she is happily married and is loved by everyone. I doubt she's suffering right now." Maleficent stated the obvious.
"I need that curse. I know you keep it hidden in the orb above your staff." Maleficent didn't waver at the accusation, but she was truly surprised Belle had revealed this much to Regina. The Dark One was obviously mad or absolutely desperate.
"Hidden for the good of all, old friend. Belle created that monstrosity and it makes the two of us look positively... moral." Maleficent continued trying to put sense in the Evil Queen's mind. She tried to point out the wrongness of this all. Tried to show how this was one huge mistake. No happy ending was ever achieved by stealing others' happy endings.
"Hand it back." Regina commanded while she stood up. A wind suddenly invaded the quiet space.
"Must we do this?" The blonde sorceress asked annoyed, her hair moving in the wind Regina's magic was producing.
"Alas, we must." The Evil Queen stated.
She moved her arms, used her magic to take fire from the hearth and launched it at Maleficent. The other sorceress, predicting the attack, stood up swiftly and shifted to the other side of the room, creating distance between herself and the unicorn. She skillfully deflected Regina's attack with her magical staff. The Evil Queen wasn't as powerful as Maleficent, but the older sorceress knew the other woman had nothing else to lose. And that made her extremely dangerous.
Her assumption was correct, for Regina assembled all the weapons in the room and easily levitated them. She pointed them toward Maleficent. The unicorn witnessing his mistress' danger whinnied of fright. Regina grinned cruelly. There existed many kinds of love and one of them was the deep friendship between a human and a pet. Suddenly she shifted her target and pointed all weapons in the animal's direction. Maleficent screamed "No" while she quickly moved to protect and save her unicorn from certain death. The Evil Queen smirked satisfied, for her little maneuver had served as a distraction. Maleficent lost precious time and concentration. Before she knew it, a chandelier was dropped on her, so that its curved metal ensnared her. The sorceress was immobile and was thrown against a wall, making her lose the grip on her staff, which fell to the ground. The Evil Queen leisurely paced to it and picked up the object, savoring her victory.
"Love is weakness, Maleficent. I thought you knew that." Regina mockingly said while she caressed the staff.
"If you're going to kill me, kill me!" The blonde sorceress bravely defied.
"Why would I do that?" Regina asked and then shifted her eyes from the staff to lock her gaze on Maleficent. There was a look of deep sorrow in her dark eyes, an ocean of sadness and gloom. "You're my only friend."
"Don't do this. This curse..." Maleficent started, feeling now even more motivated to force some sense in her disturbed friend's mind. That mournful look had spoken thousands of words. The sorceress needed to save the little humanity that still resided in her friend's heart. "…there are lines even we should not cross."
Regina ignored the other woman's words. Instead, she turned the staff upside down and broke the orb by hitting it against the floor. "All power comes with a price." Maleficent insisted. She needed to warn Regina of the horrible consequences the curse will have in her life.
Still not listening to the warnings, the Evil Queen picked up the small scroll that has been hidden inside the orb. Her eyes read its writings and a small smile of wonder emerged in her pretty features. "Enacting it will take a terrible toll..."
Maleficent had to convince her friend nothing was worth to take the path she was about to take. "It will leave an emptiness inside you! A void you will never be able to fill." But no doomed words pierced the Queen's ears. She faced the blonde sorceress and with a determined look, she flatly stated:
"So be it."
And so Regina sealed in that moment the fate of her heart and the fate of all the Enchanted Forest inhabitants lives.
…
Entry on Baelfire's journal
April the 15th
Sometimes the world turns around double the time. From one moment to the other, all sense of safety is stolen. If today you are living a happy life, tomorrow it can all disappear without any warning. The earth beneath your feet suddenly shifts and you never saw it coming. In a matter of quick seconds, you realize everything you thought was for granted never truly was. Because nothing in this world is for granted. Life is fleeting and the future is always uncertain.
…
Beautiful horses pulled impressively decorated carriages to the castle of white walls by the seashore. Rich men and women stepped out of them in gorgeous and elegant outfits, adorned with jewelry that celebrated their wealth. Spring flowers decorated the streets and windows, peasant children and young women carried them in their hairs. Guests were welcomed with the happy music of flutes, tambours and violins. Grandparents danced with their little grandchildren while their sons and daughters worked diligently in the preparations of the great party Snow White and Prince Charming were hosting tonight. Kings and princes from other kingdoms had been invited, just like all men and women that lived under the protection of the royal couple. The reason for this celebration had not been yet revealed, but rumors already travelled the Enchanted Forest. Everybody hoped in their hearts, the rumors would be confirmed tonight.
As the hours passed by, the festive sphere grew until it dominated the spirits of those who were inside the castle walls. The scent of fried fish merged with the smells of juices and wines. Music and laughter was everywhere and when evening fell, the fairies entertained everybody with dances of glistering lights and sparkles. But the highlight of the evening was the moment Snow White and Prince Charming greeted the many guests from the balcony. How gracious both looked, the Princess in her long white dress that glinted like thousands of stars and the Prince in his official red jacket. How dashing they both looked when they waved and smiled as everybody clapped celebrating their appearance. Prince Charming gestured, asking for silence and the world grew still, waiting in great expectation.
"Friends…" The good prince addressed his public, making no distinction in social status, gender or race. "… Tonight my lovely wife and I stand before you humble and proud. Our hearts beat as one in great joy and it is this joy we wish to share with you all today."
He eloquently spoke and looked at Snow, his face beaming of happiness. Snow White took a step forward. She smiled sweetly at the people before she spoke.
"Charming and I are expecting. I am with child."
A great ovation filled the air as people all over the castle celebrated the coming of the future prince or princess. There was afterwards a lot of dancing, singing and laughing and it went on for the rest of the night. Everybody was celebrating the good news. All smiled and had fun. All except one. The Blue Fairy watched grimly the spectacle of happy people. Her heart was heavy and worried. As long as the Primordial and his offspring would live, a dark shadow would hang over the happiness and freedom of the Enchanted Forest's inhabitants. The reason why she had convoked a meeting with the royal couple and their trusty advisors earlier this evening.
After the Hunters disastrous failure, the Blue Fairy had lost many precious hours pondering what to do with the Primordial problem. She could not open a fight against Rumpelstiltskin because of her magic's nature. Just like all fairies' magic, it had originated from the Light and was therefore Good. Fairies could never use magic to harm any living creature. Gathering the Enchanted Forest sorcerers to join forces and fight the descendant of the First People was unthinkable. Not only it promised to be very a complicated and dangerous task, but most of them had already succumbed to the Darkness of their hearts. They would strive to achieve power and dominance among themselves, instead of ridding the world of a great danger. Even if he Primordial race would be extinct, Blue would have then a new problem. In the end, there was only one resource over. Humans.
Humans had no magic but they were the largest population of the Enchanted Forest. Rumpelstiltskin and the Dark One were extremely powerful but not even they could defeat an army of millions alone. The Blue Fairy needed to find a way to call all men and women to battle, just like the Reul Ghorm from 500 years ago did. For that, she needed a leader. Someone whose power and authority did not lie in physical strength, but in the love of giving and receiving. This leader had to have the power of conquering people and magical creatures' hearts. A leader with a pure heart, boundless charisma and selfless humbleness. A leader to whom people would vow they loyalty and would die for. The Blue Fairy had found her leader in Snow White.
Assembling Snow's Court in the day the royal couple would announce the princess' pregnancy was a calculated risk Blue took. She was counting with resistance but hoped the knowledge of a peril towards the unborn child would motivate Snow and Charming to eliminate the threat. And so, just hours before the big announcement the Court was reunited and the Blue Fairy was presenting the new danger to the Enchanted Forest.
"It is our duty to ensure the safety of everybody that lives in this realm. You must understand, nobody is safe while Rumpelstiltskin and his offspring are alive." The Blue Fairy concluded.
She presented herself in her fairy form, tiny and marvelous, hovering on the table like a little star. Everybody grew quiet after her words of doom. She looked at the different faces and waited with great anticipation.
"No." Snow solemnly spoke, breaking the dead silence. The Blue Fairy's eyes grew large in shock. "What you are proposing is murder."
"Murder of a monster that can destroy an entire village with fire." Grumpy retorted, while he patted his axe, like if his fingers tingled from battle lust.
"Rumpelstiltskin is a mellow and kind man." Red said in the Primordial's defense. "He would never do the things his ancestors did. Besides, he is only one man."
"He is the Dark One's messenger." Grumpy insisted. "And a monster from ancient legends."
"I agree his relationship with the Dark One could be a problem." Prince Charming said. "We have a plan to impression Belle and we do not know how he will react to that. He did brutally kill soldiers once."
"You want to kill Rumpelstiltskin?" Red asked shocked.
"No. All I'm saying is there is no harm in keeping an eye on him." The Prince corrected.
"What about the children?" Blue asked, more and more worried as her plea was being refuted. The couple's compassion could lead to the death of many, many innocent lives. "There come from a race capable of monstrosities!"
"And Infanticide is not a monstrosity?" Granny questioned this time. "I helped putting that baby in this world. It is no monster but an innocent little human being, too young to have any kind of corruption in his heart. As for Baelfire, he is a sweet boy with a heart of gold!"
"But their children will inherit Rumpelstitlskin's powers. Primordials will grow in number and so will their lust for power and uncontrollable ambition too! We have to prevent that from happening and save the Enchanted Forest from a major cataclysm!" The fairy retorted in a begging tone, growing more desperate. She was being accused instead of understood. "Think of your unborn child! Think of your grandchildren that are still to come. Do you want them to live under this permanent threat and wait for the day the Primordials take over the realm?"
"Killing children is an unjustifiable atrocity!" Jiminy Cricket intervened clearly upset, while Snow White and Prince Charming stared shocked at the fairy. "It is a sinful crime that goes beyond all ethical barriers! I am surprised- no, I am shocked, disappointed and disgusted with you, Blue! For even considering such a horror! Worst of all, you are talking about a radical prevention measure! You cannot go around killing people just because one day they might do something bad!"
"But Jiminy, you know the history! You know how Primordials were barbarous!" Blue insisted in a begging tone. "I am not talking about a possibility! I am talking about something that will happen one day!"
"One day? When will that day come? Tomorrow. In 20 years? In 100 years?" Snow questioned while she stood up. "I'm sorry Blue, but I agree with Jiminy. Killing children – that is the barbarous act. You know I always had a great deal of respect for you, but tonight, you shock me beyond words. We will not harm Rumpelstiltskin and we will certainly not kill his sons! And if you ever utter another word about this, Blue… Then I'm sorry, but I will have to expel you from the Council.
All men and women smiled, all elderly had fun, all children laughed and danced merrily. Happiness ruled their hearts as they celebrated the announcement of the future prince or princess. Unaware of the dark shadow of danger that hovered on their lives and of those who were still to be born. The Blue Fairy watched grimly the spectacle of happy people. Her heart was heavy and worried. She had failed in persuading the only person who had enough power in moving thousands of people to the war against the Primordial. Rumpelstiltskin and his boys would live. And as long as they did, a dark shadow hung over the happiness and freedom of the Enchanted Forest's inhabitants. Blue knew the ancient race will rise one day. That was for her a fact, a certainty. The only thing that remained uncertain was the date.
A/N
Its needless to say the Blue Fairy is far from being my favorite character. I always had the feeling she had her own political agenda in the events of the Enchanted Forest/Storybrook.
I do not want to portray her as evil, though. She is a magical being, born from the light. She does have good intentions, but her ways are wrong (beyond wrong). So, what I'm trying to say is, she is blinded with one fixated idea -Primordials must be eliminated because otherwise they will destroy the Enchanted Forest. For her it is not a possibility. It will happen. She's paranoid, she's scared and she is willing to go to all extremes to eliminate the danger.
So...Regina had the curse, Charming has his plan with Cinderella to imprision Belle. Things are not looking very good, are they? Any thoughts to share?
