She landed with a crash on the forest floor, grunting on impact. She was getting to her feet when Emma came from nowhere, falling on top of her as well. She cried out as all the wind was knocked from her, and luckily, Killian skidded to a stop a few feet away. Emma scrambled to get off of her, looking around before helping her up.
"No, no!" Reyna shouted, searching frantically for an exit. This was the last place she wanted to be. She had vowed never to come back here.
Hook sighed as he looked around. He could have guessed where they were by her shouting alone. "I guess we're back in the Enchanted Forest then."
Emma rolled her eyes, looking at Reyna's panicking form for a second. "I got that."
Hook shook his head, searching for a sign as to where they were. "The only question is when."
Reyna spotted it first, trying to calm her breathing as she walked towards a tree. "Reyna?" Emma questioned. Reyna pulled the poster from the tree, showing it to Emma. "I think I figured out when." In her hand was a wanted poster for Snow White.
"I was thinking about the story that Henry was reading," Emma said, putting the pieces together. Reyna would have laughed if she wasn't so angry about being back there.
"So, you are suggesting that they work like any other portal, taking you back to where you were thinking about?"
Emma nodded slightly, "But not where, when."
Hook smirked, looking annoyed. "Excellent deduction. And it seems they share another quality: they don't stay open for the return trip."
Emma looked troubled. "We're trapped in the past. I should have left the instant we defeated Zelena! This kind of thing doesn't happen in New York!"
"While I understand your agitation, we have been in dire straits before, so there is no reason to be antsy. We just have to focus on being constructive. Any ideas?"
"Why would I know how to get back to the future? Who do I look like, Marty McFly?"
Reyna and Hook both looked confused. "Who?" they asked simultaneously. Emma struggled to explain before giving up all together. Reyna pinched the bridge of her nose as she listened to her brother try to follow Emma's mumbled explanation.
"Does anyone want to hear my idea?" She called, tired of putting up with the two already. Both fell silent and turned to her. She took that as her cue. "Rumplestiltskin. Magic brought us here, so magic can let us leave. He isn't who I want to deal with, but Peter is in Neverland right now, with me, or the other me," she quickly shook her head before she could think on it too much, returning to the matter at hand, "He is 'powerful', so he will have to do."
Killian's nostrils flared, but Emma agreed. They froze at the sound of trotting hooves. "Black knights," Hook cursed, pulling them both away from the forest opening. Reyna flinched away, hurrying through the forest after the carriage. She stopped at the edge of the trees before a clearing, a small village at its center. The carriage stopped and Regina stepped out. Emma and Hook crouched beside her.
Regina was walking down the line of citizens, giving an intimidating speech about giving her what she wants. Reyna wanted to laugh; this witch had nothing on Peter and yet they all cowered. She winced as she thought his name.
"That's Regina?" Emma whispered in shock. She was nothing like Madame Mayor.
Hook shook his head. "Not Regina, love. The Evil Queen."
Reyna snorted as Regina flipped the back of her eccentric jacket, demanding the people give her information on Snow White. Still as dramatic as ever it would seem.
"She is even worse without the sensible pantsuits," Emma muttered, earning a hum in response from the Jones siblings. Reyna ignored as Emma and Hook spoke, and just continued to watch the scene unfold as Emma tried to go help.
She finally listened back in once Regina left, almost coming out of a trance.
"There is one thing we still have to do," he brother spoke, getting to his feet.
"Come on out you two! Let's have a look," Hook shouted, impatiently waiting for the two to finish.
Reyna sighed as she quickly finished tying the cloak to her shoulders, having spent too long getting Emma into her corset properly. She pulled Emma out from behind the tree, shoving the gloves into her hand as the older woman– physically that is– struggled to get comfortable. "Would you stop that?" she snapped at the savior.
Both were dressed in the dresses of the era, tight corsets and too many layers. Hook's eyes raked over Emma's body. "See, that's much better."
Emma didn't see the point. "Is this really necessary?"
"The point is to minimize the two of you making lasting impressions. Most peasant women wear dresses," he said this with a pointed look at Reyna, "and red leather jackets don't come into Vogue here, well ever."
Emma sighed, pulling out the waist of her dress to adjust it again. Reyna swatted her hands away. "It is supposed to be like that, trust me. You get used to it."
Emma just huffed as she continued to try to get the blood flowing to all of her body parts by moving the corset. "The only lasting impression that I am worried about right now is the one this corset is making on my spleen."
Hook smirked, his eyes lingering on her chest for longer than necessary. "Your discomfort is a cross I'm willing to bear."
Reyna glared, "Think with your head, Hook. It's up there if you need to be reminded. The extra blood flowing south may prevent it from working though," she snapped before turning towards Emma. "The corset is a lesser evil compared to what might happen if we affect the timeline. We have to proceed cautiously."
Hook stared at his sister for a second, his jaw clenched before he stepped towards Emma to fix her hair. "You're not from a world of magic. We are. Even the smallest changes could have catastrophic changes. Things must happen as they always did." He pulled her hood up, taking a few steps back. Reyna was already walking away, and Hook turned to follow, Emma hurrying to catch up.
It wasn't long before they made it to the main path, walking down it to find Rumple's castle. Reyna turned to call over her shoulder, "How far back do you think you took us? Snow White was wanted for quite some time."
Emma of course didn't have an answer, but it wasn't needed as they heard horses whinnying. Hook grabbed on to them, pulling them to the side. "That might be the queen again."
Reyna jerked her arm out of his grasp as he pulled them to crouch down, smacking him harshly.
"Don't fucking manhandle me again!" she snarled. It seemed that a little of Reyna Nolan's personality remained in her (she had never cursed as much as she had recently).
Soon guards and a carriage came into view, all of which were white in contrast to Regina's black. They came to a stop in front of a fallen tree, making Reyna tense. It was obvious that she was the only of the three to realize what time they had returned to. "Emma," she whispered, elbowing her. Emma ignored her, watching with fascination. She huffed in annoyance. No one ever listened when it was most urgent.
A man climbed out of the cart, and Emma gasped. "Is that..?" was all she managed to get out. "Aye, your father," Killian said unnecessarily. Emma got a small smile on her face, looking like she wanted to get up.
David walked over to the tree, calling out that it had been cut. It was evident that Emma realized when they were. She searched the trees, excited when she saw Snow. Without thinking, Emma shifted, snapping a branch in front of her loudly.
Snow turned towards the sound, falling in surprise when she saw the people staring at her. Reyna glared at Emma in irritation. She had one job: don't do anything that could mess up the past. David began to gather his crew, and looking frantic, Snow fled the scene, running into the forest. Soon Charming's carriage left the main road as well, returning in the other direction.
The three returned to the main road. "You know how you said that small changes have consequences?" Emma questioned, a guilty look on her face. Reyna continued to glare. Hook nodded. "What about big changes?"
Killian was clueless as ever. "What? What did we do?"
Reyna groaned. Of all people, she got sucked into a portal with two idiots, and to make things worse they were clearly in love with each other, and the icing on the cake, one of them was her brother whom she loathed with everything in her.
"Hmm? Let's use our heads to think for a second," she said, tilting her head to the side as if she were thinking. "That, the woman in the tree, was Snow White," her voice slowed, as though she was explaining it to a young child, "and the man in that carriage, was Prince James, or Charming. Her," she stated, jabbing a thumb in Emma's direction, "Parents were supposed to meet. Here and now."
Hook seemed to understand just how bad their situation was. "And because of us, now they didn't."
Reyna shook her head. "Nope, this is all on you two." Hook just stared into Emma's worried face.
