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Summary of the Previous Chapter: After confronting both the Snow Queen and Gold, the trio call a group meeting to have major discussions.
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Chapter Sixteen: Even Ground
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1:07 PM -Later That Same Day
The meeting was scheduled for 1PM at Regina's office but the owner, herself, was running late.
After telling them that she had some important news to share, the five needed individuals all gathered where she instructed, reasonably early, despite the atmosphere being very strained.
The first to arrive were Emma, Mary Margaret and Killian. After the pair had gone to the hospital to check on David, who was stable but still under the Snow Queen's spell, they lingered there for a while before getting the call and heading over to the office in Emma's car.
Doors unlocked, the three went inside and didn't have to wait long before Belle and Elsa showed up.
Not knowing what was really happening, the pair naturally wanted to be told right away, but the others politely refused. They wanted to wait until everybody was present, but as the time passed, their anxieties started to get the better of them.
"Is the situation that bad?" Belle asked, her eyes bouncing from each person.
"It's not a good one, lass" Killian confirmed, his tone sincere.
"Is this about what happened to Belle?" Elsa followed, moving to stand beside the librarian. "She told me that she was kidnapped by some kind of creature? Or," she then paused, her eyes widening. "Is it about Anna? Did you find anything about her?"
Emma took a step forward, hands raised to calm them down. "I understand where you two are coming from. If Regina's not here in a couple of minutes, then we'll tell you everything. Until then, please, be pat—"
"I hope you guys weren't waiting too long," interrupted a voice from the center of the room, drawing all of the inhabitant's eyes to it.
Waving away what remained of her teleporting cloud, Regina shuffled what she was holding before she walked over to her long desk and set the items down. When she noticed that the belongings she had left at the hospital had been placed in her way, she thanked Mary Margaret for returning them, but moved them further down the desk.
"Good timing," Killian remarked, happy that they could finally begin. "We were all growing restless."
"With good reason," Regina responded before apologizing again. Sitting on her table, she crossed her legs and addressed everybody. "So, let's get this started." Looking at them all, she then gave out specific instructions. "Each of us have something to say but to make sure it's told correctly, each of us will tell our portion, but be mindful of the time because we have much to do. I feel that Killian should go first, then Emma, then Mary Margaret, then myself. Please hold your questions, comments or objections until the very end, alright?"
Elsa and Belle both nervously nodded their heads.
All eyes then shifted to Killian, who crossed his arms and took in a deep breath.
Plunging in, he seemingly weaved through the events by touching on the main points. From: Emma's kidnapping to his deal with the Snow Queen to David's condition to rescuing then returning Belle to breaking up with Emma to the Sorcerer's Hat and to being led into the forest by Gold, who was searching for the Snow Queen. He had excluded several bits of the story so he could spare an uncomfortable looking Belle until the very end of his tale.
Looking her squarely in the eyes, Killian poured all of his sympathy into his voice. "The reason your husband thought I took you was because he thought I was seeking revenge against him for a deal we made...he momentarily gave me my other hand back when I threatened to expose him..."
Belle opened her mouth, but he continued on, his tone still calm. "He's been lying to you about giving you his dagger. He gave you a replica. The real one is somewhere in his possession but he seeks to use the Sorcerer's Hat to remove its influence. He desperately wants to keep his magic, but in order to do so, he has to trap magical beings inside of it." He then glanced over at Emma before looking downward. "He sought the Snow Queen 's powers, but she escaped. He's...also planning on taking Swan's since her magic alone would guarantee his success..."
His words hung in the air as Belle tried to process what he just told her, her eyes welling up with unshed tears.
Looking away, she suddenly turned around and closed her eyes.
She didn't know what to say. Her throat was clogged with heartache. Her husband not only lied to her again but he also tricked her. He purposely gave me a fake dagger? Why would he do that? Breathing heavily, she took a couple of steps away from the group, her mind spinning.
He did it because he wanted you to believe that he was different, she answered herself. That way, you would vouch for his new character, which you've already done. The memory of what happened at the Pawn Shop, last night, came into focus. She stuck up for him. She got into a verbal fight with Emma over him. She accepted his subsequent explanations and was going to give him another chance...because it was him.
I've been so blinded by love that I couldn't see that he was playing me for a fool...
"Oh my God," she breathed, her tone ragged. A tear rolled down her cheek the same time Elsa had moved closer to her. The latter then placed a sympathetic hand onto Belle's shoulder; her fingers gently caressing the fabric below it.
"I'm so sorry," Killian said, even though he knew those words wouldn't bring her any kind of comfort. "He's also being held at the Sheriff's Station, if you would like to see him…"
There was a moment of silence before Regina softly gestured at Emma, signaling for her start her portion.
Emma looked at Belle, feeling horrible. Briefly informing the room about the duration of her kidnapping and what happened to her dad, she mainly talked about the Snow Queen and what she had told her at the station then in the forest. When Emma had mentioned the part concerning Elsa, her gaze fell upon the surprised woman, whose eyes and lips widened but, other than that, she remained quiet; continuing in her soothing of Belle.
When Mary Margaret was next, she didn't waste any time.
She told them what happened to David from her perspective and how, based on what she was told, he was trapped in a realm until released by the castor or, she hopefully stated, removed via other means.
"It's your turn now, Regina," Mary Margaret finished, directing everybody from her small portion into her direction.
Clearing her throat, she nodded, thinking about where to start. "I guess I'll start from the beginning too." Sighing, she told the room how she was recruited by Mary Margaret to search for Killian, Emma and David when they wouldn't answer their phones and how, when she went to Gold, he exchanged that information for a deal, which she shamefully took.
Killian, who hadn't been informed about this, furrowed his brows in confusion.
Regina clasped her hands into her lap as she subsequently explained why she accepted and how she was sorry for allowing her feelings to cloud her judgment. She even made a nervous joke about how, at one point, she thought about teaching Elsa more magical techniques so she would possibly be able to remove the ice wall in order for Regina to escape. Shaking her head, she apologized for it again, which after some consideration from Belle, who was now facing them once more, and a wary Elsa, it was accepted by all.
She then briefly talked about David and how she was still looking into possible remedies but had nothing conclusive at the moment. Mary Margaret and Emma responded by silently chewing at their lips in sadness and disappointment, but knew that it would've been a miracle if she had found something to cure him in less than a couple of hours of research.
"Before we carry on to the current information," Regina said, slipping onto her feet. "Does anybody have something to say?"
Belle shook her head in disbelief. "Is there any chance that Rumple is being controlled by the Snow Queen and was just trying to break free from her clutches?"
Killian, Emma, Mary Margaret and Regina all exchanged sad looks.
"No," Regina answered, speaking for the group. "I'm sorry, Belle, but right now...he's just as high a threat as the Snow Queen, maybe even more."
Wiping at her wet cheeks, Belle sniffed loudly before crossing her arms over her chest, silently accepting what they had told her.
"Elsa?" Regina prompted, turning it over to her. "Anything?"
She shook her head, her blue eyes swirling. "This is all just so overwhelming...but no. I do want to see what you brought with you though."
Regina nodded then drew in a breath. Glancing down at the items she had placed on the desk, she then reached for the circular object first. After quickly using her magic to transform it into its secondary form, she held it out in front of her so everybody could see it.
"As some of you already know, this is what's called the Sorcerer's Hat. It's very old and very powerful. It once belonged to a highly skilled wizard who designed it for one purpose, which is exactly what Rumple was planning on using it for in order to become independent from his curse." Meeting each of their curious gazes, she continued. "Upon further reading, when someone is trapped inside of it, it will glow like the galaxy, but as to how he'll be able to bestow other's magic unto himself is unknown..."
Looking at it, she then morphed it back into its original form before carefully placing it back down onto her desk. "Therefore, until that mystery can be solved, it'll be placed on the back burner. As long as it remains in our possession, we should be fine. Now," she said, leaning back against her desk with a small smile. "I have great news."
Everybody's eyes lit up.
"I know what the Snow Queen is planning on doing."
"What is it?" Emma and Killian asked.
"How?" Mary Margaret and Elsa then followed.
Belle said nothing.
"Based on what I was told by Emma and Killian," she began, slightly turning her frame around to pick up a small green book. "She's planning on using something called the Spell of Shattered Sight from The Trolden Glass legend."
Elsa gasped then took a step forward, her eyes fixed on what Regina was holding. "I've heard about that in Arendelle. It's Norse Mythology."
Reaching out for the book, which was given to her, she flipped through it, her eyes roaming over the aged yellow pages with its bold familiar lettering. "From what I remember, it's about a Nordic king whose daughter died before she received her gift: a mirror. Heartbroken, the king decided that everybody should feel his pain, causing him to cast a spell..."
"Do you happen to remember the story's ending? " Regina suddenly asked, gesturing to the book. "The copy that you're now holding is missing the last page of it."
"Was it torn out?" Emma questioned suspiciously.
Regina shrugged. "It's very possible but it was done a long time ago. The shredded remains are dulled with age as opposed to looking freshly cut."
Killian gave her a look. "Who did you get this from?"
"We all know the answer to that question…"
"Hmm," he responded with a knowing brow raise. Taking a step forward, he then continued. "It has already been established that the crocodile," he shot an apologetic look at a listening Belle, "that Rumple has a partnership with the Snow Queen. The question now becomes: how far back her revenge go?"
"Indeed it does," Regina answered, watching as Elsa flipped to the spot she mentioned earlier; her fingers caressing the bumpy stubs. "Elsa?"
Shaking her head, she looked at everybody. "I wish I knew more about it but I don't remember the ending. I do know that Anna and I didn't like the story at all, so whatever it entails, it's not a happy one."
"Forgetting about the myth for a bit," Emma interjected, looking at Regina. "What exactly is the spell supposed to do?"
"It plays hand in hand with the story, Emma," she answered, evenly. "The king wanted his people to feel his pain and suffering, so when it was cast, they began turning against their loved ones. Their flaws were rapidly exposed and exploited."
"How long will the spell last?"
"As long as it takes for everybody to destroy themselves."
Emma breathed out her nerves. "That sounds exactly what the Snow Queen has in store for the town. She seems to hate this place." She then thought about her and Elsa's weird connection to the older woman. Emma still couldn't get over the fact that she seemed to know her but had no recollection of her at all. "Do you think she plans on excluding the two of us?" she gestured a finger at herself then at Elsa. "That is, when the spell is cast, we won't be affected?"
"That's what I was thinking, but again, the question is why?"
"Maybe she met you some time ago, did something wrong and wiped your memory of her?" Mary Margaret suggested, thinking out loud.
Emma looked at the ground. "Possibly, but what could've happened for her to do that?"
"I think it goes deeper," Killian said, looking at the pair. "Based on everything she's done, it seems like she has an emotional attachment to you two, especially Emma. She may have known you when you were younger…"
Emma's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"
Turning to look solely at her, Killian began to recount his thoughts aloud. "She wanted me to abandon you so she could get to you; she cursed your father; she plans on doing something to the town you're protecting; if she's been here for a long time, she's hid herself well and, apparently wiped all of our memories, or just you two, for some mysterious reason; she had visible reactions when you stood against her in the forest—when you called her a 'liar', for instance...and, " he ended, "she mentioned her family to us and about how you two were 'too different' when compared to your own..."
Shit, Emma thought, her mind going over everything the Snow Queen said with a fine tooth comb. She compared herself to me and Elsa...she said that our families were holding us back. Emma swallowed the lump in her throat. I probably do know her.
She looked over at Elsa, who returned the gaze with a worried look of her own. "She mentioned how she turned a family member against another," Emma continued, something clicking inside of her mind. "How it was very easy to do because the sister, 'though loving', was jealous. She turned that into rage...and..." she then brought a hand up to cover her mouth in realization. "She then said that the magical sister ended up being stuck in a 'contraption' for years..."
Elsa's eyes then widened. "I was trapped in that urn..."
Emma nodded, dropping her hand. "I think she was talking about you and Anna. She's related to you! She has to be! She turned you guys against one another at some point. That's how you ended up in there and it could explain your memory loss..."
"B-but," Elsa stuttered, emotions twisting her stomach. "What happened afterward? Where's Anna?"
Regina, who had been absorbing everything, nodded her head. "That totally makes sense. That explains why Elsa's a part of her plans."
"We're still missing how Emma knows the Snow Queen," Mary Margaret stated. "But at least we gained something else..."
"Yes," Regina acknowledged, her thoughts returning to the story. "So, based off of that," she said lowly, mainly talking to herself. "We should try to find Anna as quickly as possible..."
Elsa stirred. "Why? I mean, I agree, but...why?"
"We may now have a counter measure against the Snow Queen," Regina responded. "In magical terms, if a person has survived a spell, they'll have a trace of it still on their person and with something as powerful as this one, there's a good chance we could make an immunity potion, for example, with a piece of her hair."
"But are we absolutely sure that's what she plans on doing?" Elsa asked, second guessing what they've already reasoned through.
"It makes sense," Belle said, making everybody look at her. "It all fits. The Snow Queen, the legend, the urn, her tirades, her feelings towards you two..."
Conceding, Elsa slowly nodded her head.
"All she'll need now," Regina continued. "Is some sort of energy to harness its power, like the hat, for example. I'm not saying that she'll go after this but she'll need something that is powered by magic."
"Another thing to figure out," Killian mumbled matter-of-factly, raising a hand to scratch the back of his neck.
Ignoring him, Regina exchanged glances between Elsa and Emma again. "What exactly have you found on Anna?"
Emma winced sadly. "We haven't been able to find anything. We thought about doing a tracking spell but Elsa doesn't have something belonging to her sister anymore..."
"That includes the records provided to me, " Elsa added. "It showed me things I already knew, including that intriguing prophecy..."
Regina suddenly raised a hand. ''What do you mean by 'anymore' though?" she asked, referring to what Emma said. Her eyes widened with hope. "Did you lose something here, in Storybrooke?"
Elsa nodded. "I had a necklace, but I..." she paused, upset with herself. "I dropped it somewhere in the ice wall."
"Have you retraced your steps?"
"I, or we, didn't get a chance to do that because of Emma's kidnapping," Elsa replied before something gleamed in her eyes. "It threw all of our original plans off, but...will we be able to do so now?"
"Oh, yes," Regina replied with a wide smile. "And you won't be dealing with this alone, you all have me now."
Elsa smiled, happily. "Thank you so much!"
Noticeably relieved to have a more seasoned practitioner assisting them, everybody visibly showed it, whether through facial expressions or through calming sighs, but it soon disappeared when an unknown whistling sound filled the air above them.
Turning their eyes upwards, everybody's now guarded faces searched for the source.
"I don't like this," Killian announced, shifting his eyes over the ceiling, unconsciously lifting up his hooked hand.
Emma and Elsa then both gasped loudly.
Tightly wrapped around their left wrists were now long yellow ribbons.
"What the hell?" Emma exclaimed, her mouth dropping open in fear.
Bringing it up to her eye level, she analyzed it before quickly trying to tear if off with her other hand...but it wouldn't come off. She looked over at Elsa, who was experiencing the same frustration, but with less frantic energy.
Killian instantly moved closer to her and gently grabbed her wrist, which she allowed. Confusion written on his face, he tried prying it off of her with his hook, but the more he tried, the more it tightened against her skin.
Not wanting to scratch her, he stopped. "Swan?" he breathed, not releasing her hand in fear that if he did, something else would happen.
"It's the Snow Queen," Emma whispered, feeling herself trembling. Placing her free hand on his closest arm, she anchored herself. "I think she's getting ready to strike..."
"What are these?" Belle then asked, closely analyzing Elsa's ribbon.
Regina inwardly cursed, easily processing the new development. "Dammit...that's how she's going to do it." Emma and Elsa immediately looked at her. "You two. She's going to harness the energy by using your powers."
Grabbing her purse, she then swung it over her shoulder, bringing the meeting to a close. "We're running out of time."
The door then burst open, revealing a disheveled looking Robin.
Surprised, he glanced about the room before his eyes fell onto a shocked Regina. "I was hoping to speak to you alone," he said quietly, obviously hesitant to say whatever he wanted to in front of other people.
"We'll, um," Mary Margaret began, gesturing to everybody in the room. "We'll meet you outside, Regina."
She nodded, her insides turning into knots when she watched everybody waver before slowly dispersing, each looking back at her with a supportive glance.
"What do you want, Robin?" she asked, trying to keep her emotions out of her voice.
Robin moved closer to her and fought the urge to touch her. "We need to talk...about us..."
She instantly shook her head. "No," she whispered harshly, briefly looking away to settle her nerves. "Let me save us both some time," she then said, her tone stronger than before. "I love you, I do, but we can't be together."
Devastated, he looked like he was going to say something, but she pushed forward. "Your wife is in the hospital, I moved her there recently, so, you should go to her now. She may be frozen, but she's still your wife..."
She then stepped around him and headed for the door. "I have something I have to do now. Goodbye, Robin."
She didn't look back. She didn't stop. She just kept walking to the front entrance, doing her best not to give into the flooding pain that was stabbing at her soul and heart.
...
Emerging into the open air, Regina could feel it sting her welling eyes, but she refused to release the tears. If I do, I won't be able to stop them…
Glancing about, she only saw Mary Margaret waiting for her. Forehead scrunched in confusion, she gestured widely as she approached. "Where did everybody else go?"
"Emma had another feeling," she explained, her sympathetic eyes scrolling over Regina's worn expression. "We were out here discussing our options when she then brought up the ice wall and how they should check it out for any weak points. That, or to see if they could inspire Elsa to take it down herself."
Regina was going to argue that they all could've gone together, but stopped herself. She wasn't in the mood to object. Adjusting the strap of her purse, she rolled her shoulders. "Why didn't you go with them?"
Mary Margaret gave her a smile. "I decided to go pick up Neal and Henry from Granny. It sounds like she has her hands full. She called me on the way out and told me that the baby won't stop crying and how Henry won't stop asking questions." Regina gave her a knowing smile at the last part.
"Plus," she continued, softly placing a hand onto her shoulder. "I figured you needed a friend."
Regina held her gaze but could feel her eyes prickling.
"Come on," Mary Margaret said, moving beside her to pat her back. "We can go over there together."
Regina nodded and allowed herself to be gingerly pushed forward into the direction of the Diner. Her mind in a whirl.
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