The showdown is finally here!
The walls were as foreboding as they were endlessly high, but nothing he hadn't experienced before. During the rebellion of his youth, Will had managed to scale just about every structure in the Sherwood Forest. Never in his life did he ever expect to infiltrate the castle Rumplestiltskin had lived in for countless years, the source of salacious rumors that always turned out to be true. Climbing up the weathered stones of the castle belonging to a once powerful adversary was a strange feeling, especially knowing that the man was now living in the most domestic way possible in a realm far away. Will almost broke a smile at the thought as he continued to climb upward. On his wrist was an enchanted bracelet, both his niece's blessing and a protection against any spells the Ice Queen could have put around the castle.
Slowly but surely, he continued up the rope until the open window became closer and closer. Will didn't dare look down, the frigid air was telling enough on how high up he was. Unlike his reckless childhood adventures, this time he actually had something to lose if things went sour- everything, to be exact. His entire family, the woman he loved... everything he had worked so hard for rested on what would transpire in the next few hours. Every moment counted. Hoisting himself up in one final surge of energy, Will entered the castle as quietly as possible. It took a minute for his eyes to adjust; rays of sunshine highlighted stirred dust and cut through the dimness of the room. Things began to slowly take form as Will began to look around- he quickly realized that Rumple was a huge pack rat. Still, the search for any hint at a magical teleportation device began.
Stepping through the gaudy front doors of the castle may have been the hardest thing he had ever done. Every fiber in his body resisted, his adrenaline already spiked so high his surroundings became blurred. Standing dead center in his line of vision was the Ice Queen, a triumphant smirk already showing upon her face.
"I see you found a Werewolf," she stated nonchalantly, seeming unfazed by the beast, "why don't you make this easier on yourself and surrender now. It'll save us all some time."
"I won't let you harm my daughter- I'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe." Robin responded, a menacing tone in his voice.
"Why don't you leave the combat to us girls with magic. What do you say Caroline, should we pick up where we left off?" Her eyes began to glow a bright blue, electricity preparing to strike.
Caroline's eyes widened as Ruby took off towards the Ice Queen, charging with sharpened fangs bared and claws out. An instant bolt of ice magic was hurdled in her direction, one that the wolf narrowly avoided. Before Elsa could generate more magic, Ruby pounced, raking her claws across her forearm and drawing blood. Letting out an irritated growl, the Ice Queen put her hands up and created a thick wall of ice between them. The Werewolf smacked against the wall- she began relentlessly slashing the ice to no avail.
Robin gave his daughter's hand one final squeeze before starting off towards Elsa, clutching his bow and arrow close to his chest as he quietly went. She was so distracted by the raging Werewolf that managing to slip past her defenses was swift and easy. Robin took a moment to glance upwards to the looming staircase, hoping Will was managing okay wherever he was. Before he could draw his bow, he realized that Zelena was a mere few feet away from him, her hands securely fastened behind her. They made eye contact for a second or two; Robin silently pleaded for her to not ruin everything as he drew his arrow. She gave him a crazed smile yet remained quiet, anticipating the result for herself.
Aimed right for her heart, Robin sent the arrow flying. Right before it struck her, the arrow fell to the ground, frozen solid by the wave of her hand. Through her dangerous glare, Elsa struck her opponent once again, this time creating a blast of magic that knocked Robin right off his feet and hurled him against the wall. Robin realized he couldn't move; his feet were suspended off the ground, his back completely plastered to the stone.
The ice wall between the Werewolf and Elsa finally came tumbling down, unleashing the beast once again. She lunged towards the blonde, sending her to the ground. Caroline stood absolutely mortified, the violence occurring right before her eyes. The screams that came from the Ice Queen didn't seem to belong to a villain, but to an ordinary person scared of pain. After a few seconds of struggling, a burst of blue magic sent the wolf flying through the air- she hit the ground as Ruby Lucas, her long black hair disheveled around her face. Her hands were bound tightly together, just as Zelena's were. Elsa stood up, her hand covering her right shoulder that was seeping with blood. Grimacing, she used her magic to heal the wound. A moment later, the deep gash had disappeared, although the blood staining her gown remained. She towered over Ruby, her mind racing with all the things she could do to her.
"Don't hurt her!" Caroline blurted out, quickly feeling small at the sound of her voice. Elsa's eyes met hers. "It's me you want. Leave her and my dad out of it."
She could hear her father in protest, but her attention was firmly set on the woman who had been the center of her grief and stress for the past few days. Though weakened by Ruby's attack, Elsa's eyes seemed to blaze with a blue fury that brought tantalizing fear to the girl.
"You'll soon realize, Caroline," her tone frighteningly dark, "mercy will get you nowhere. This day will still end with me absorbing your power."
With another wave of her hand, Ruby was engulfed in a puff of smoke, reappearing next to Robin and Zelena, all bound and helpless next to one another. Robin fought against his restraints with everything he had; but it wasn't enough. He watched as Caroline balled her fists tightly, an aura of golden magic beginning to form around her entire being. It was apparent that she was channeling every ounce of magic that existed within her. For a split second, the violence evaporated from the room- all that was left was his daughter in a golden hue of light, an angel in the fragments of repose. Then, with an subliminal shout in fatherly protest, Robin witnessed a surge of magic slam into her, slowly beginning to break down the protection she had created for herself. The girl quickly began to show signs of resistance, teeth clenched and breathing shallow. Elsa only lessened the distance between them, her tenacity pulsating off of her at an alarming rate.
Upstairs, Will could hear the action echoing off the walls- what he heard sent chills down his spine- they were running out of time. His movements became more desperate as he continued his search for the portal; each room had been rummaged through top to bottom, the items and trinkets absolutely endless. With each passing second, his frustration rose- his family depended on him, and the one thing they needed refused to be found. He could hear Caroline's cries, evidence that she was getting weaker by the second. Then, looking down, Will noticed that the bracelet on his wrist began to glow, growing brighter as he directed it around the room he was in. He wasted no time in following its direction, quickly stumbling upon a black box tucked away in a corner. Taking it in his arms, Will raced back downstairs.
Robin's biggest accomplishment in life was his family. After the death of Roland's birth mother, he swore to himself that he would be the best father he could possibly be. Now he was held captive, left to watch his little girl endure the pain he was supposed to relieve her of. It was a torture worse than death itself.
"Robin, listen to me." He heard Zelena's voice beside him, barely audible against the raging within his mind. He seemed surprised she had been there the entire time. "Caroline can't withhold her for much longer. If we don't do something soon-"
"We?" Robin repeated back, "you're the one that got us in this mess!"
"Nevermind that- I can do my best to save her if you'll let me. I just need the necklace back."
Robin gave her the most repulsive look imaginable. "I'm supposed to believe that you suddenly care about her life now? You want her and my wife dead! Why the hell would I-"
"I promise I'll tell you everything when we get out of this mess," Zelena began, "but if you don't trust me right now, Caroline... well she might..."
"Just do it, Robin!" Sounded Ruby from his other side, "she's right, we're both helpless here. We can deal with her after we save Caroline."
Deep down, he knew his friend was right. He despised Zelena for everything she had done to ruin his peaceful Storybrooke existence; the woman was truly crazy. That being said, was that true concern showing in her voice?
His hands, though tied at the wrist, began digging through the pockets of his cloak, eventually feeling cool metal. Preparing to hand it over to Zelena felt like a violation of every code his life stood by- villains and heroes were in two very separate categories within his mind; that was, until Regina came along.
"Save my daughter," he said with pleading eyes, pushing the necklace into her hands.
Zelena welcomed the rush of energy that accompanied being in possession of her prized emerald pennant. The rope binding her wrists together broke with the simplest of willpower. Magic had always come easily to her- this she was grateful for.
"Hey, Frosty!" Yelled Zelena, causing the other woman to turn around in surprise. "Her magic isn't yours until you go through me."
Pausing her dark magic against Caroline, Elsa couldn't help but scoff. "You're seriously going against me? These people despise you, they don't think of you as family! You're alone in the world, nothing will change that!"
Zelena knew her words were probably true. Being alone was a fate she was sentenced to since Cora abandoned her in the woods all those years ago. Still, it didn't hurt to try.
In her hands began to form a sleek, sharp cutting sword glowing emerald green. Elsa transformed pieces of ice scattered on the ground into her own sword, abandoning her vendetta against Caroline for the moment. The girl still stood frozen in place, eyes wide with surprise at the scene in front of her. Her hands were shaking, the shell shock still clamoring within her. The two swords began to clash in a charged fury, both women so infused with magic they were practically radioactive. This inducted her run towards her father and Ruby.
She didn't dare try her magic to untie them- her body felt strange, as if someone had rearranged everything inside and put it back together the wrong way. As the scene behind her raged on, Caroline realized that Will was calling out her name; he off behind one of the grand bookshelves, tucked away from the imminent danger as he tried to enact the portal. All the contents of the black box were strewn across the ground as he hastily tried to figure it out.
"Is this the-"
"Time travel portal, yes," Will answered, fishing a knife out of his pocket and handing it to her. "Get then over here- I can figure this damn thing out, I just need more time."
Nodding, Caroline raced back to her family and began untying them. She couldn't help but turn her head towards the battle that still in full throttle- both women appeared more battered than they did at the beginning. Zelena had blood smeared around her nose, likely from a punch or two from the Ice Queen. She was astonished at the sight of Zelena defending her, seemingly abandoning her idea of changing history- maybe she found a new way to make her plan a reality. But, if that were the case, why would she want to spare her family?
The ropes finally broke, and the three of them quickly joined Will in his pursuit of making the portal work. Now, the items from within the box were arranged in a different way; they were emitting a soft orange glow, a clear sign that Will was doing something right. As soon as Caroline stepped close to the portal, however, the ground began to rumble, things falling left and right from off the bookshelves. A swirling, orange tinted portal soon opened, the mystery of what lay beyond the portal seeming like a warm invitation compared to the carnage that ensued within the castle. Seeing the portal brought a joy to the girl's spirit; finally, they found a way home.
The joy quickly dissipated as the screams of pain coming from Zelena echoing off the walls. Caroline turned back towards them, an uneasy look on her face.
"You ready?" Robin asked her, his voice urgent.
She wanted to leave more than anything, yet a terrified feeling within her couldn't leave Zelena alone with that deranged woman.
"You guys go through, I'll be right behind you!" She said, acting by faith alone and taking off towards the battle scene. Her father shouted in protest- he held back his frustration and ran after her.
"Zelena!" Caroline shouted towards the redhead, who was currently pinned down by the blonde and struggling for air. Her eyes met hers, and instantly sensed the panic Zelena was feeling inside. The woman outstretched her hand; for a moment Caroline thought she was begging for help, but soon realized that she was gesturing towards something over by the bookshelves. She caught sight of a bronze colored urn, quickly running to retrieve it. Her father stood between herself and the urn; Caroline suddenly worried that he might force her through the portal. Instead, he walked right past her, picking up Zelena's discarded sword along the way. As Caroline grasped the urn in her hands, she turned back to see her father pull the blonde off of Zelana, pointing the sword right at her. It seemed something right out of a storybook- she wondered how many other times he had done this in the past.
The Ice Queen has a manic look in her eyes as she gathered up her remaining magic, still managing to dodge all the swings he took towards her.
Caroline ran towards Zelena, helping her up as she continued to gasp for air. The redhead managed to open the lid of the urn, aiming it towards Elsa. Right before she struck Robin, an invisible force stopped her. Her hands here the first to go, soon transforming into a blue substance and falling to the ground. The rest of her entity followed suit, soon nothing but a pile of blue fluid that flowed swiftly into the urn.
Closing the lid tightly, Caroline was quickly lead back to the portal by her father. Her free hand still held Zelena's tightly; the three of them barreling towards their one shot at returning to their ordinary lives. When they returned to Ruby and Will, they were met with strange glances, seeing as the Wicked Witch of the West was accompanying them.
Still, with no time on their side, there was no choice but to jump.
