I am so sorry for the wait. I have ideas for another story in my head, and I couldn't concentrate. I'm sorry if this chapter sucks, sorry.

D'evilregal I am so glad you're enjoying this story, thank you for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it!

I do not have a beta, all mistakes are mine.

Chapter Twelve - Ancient Tale

Wish Realm - Regina

Regina walked along a dirt path; lost in thought, that is until she sees an older woman - struggling to haul a wagon. she slows her pace, not sure is she should let her presence be known; and looks at her surroundings, running behind a nearby tree - to hide. Regina rest her head against the trunk of the tree, trying to slow her nervous breathing.

"You know, I may be old - but I can still hear quite well, and I have a pretty good sense of smell." The older woman says beside her, Regina jumps in surprise and fear; and falls to the forest ground with a gasp. Regina looks up at the older woman, with a plethora of emotions. Granny, "w-what.. h-how?" Granny reaches down to grab ahold of the younger woman's hand; helping her get onto her feet, Regina dusted off her thin blue dress, and tries to regain her composure. "You were not very stealth like girl, I'm sure a deaf person would have heard you." She teases Regina with a lighthearted laugh.

Regina rolls her eyes; smiling at the older woman, "ha ha, very funny." Granny turns her back to Regina, "what's your name girl?" She asked; as she walked back to her wagon; with Regina in tow. "Regina" Regina says nervously, "well Regina, why were you hiding from me girl, were you trying to steal from me?" Granny says, picking up the wood handle to her worn out wagon; "no, no of course not. I.. have been a little on edge lately - I didn't want to take any risks." Regina points to the wood handle, "may I? I did notice you were struggling, I promise I won't steal anything." Granny allows Regina to take the handle from her grasp with ease, "I would hope not. Follow me, I don't live far."

Granny lead the way to her home at a leisurely pace, looking over her shoulder every now and then; to check on her new companion, "my home is just beyond those trees." They make their way through a dense thicket, to be met with a delightful cabin. "You have come all this, would you care to join me, and my granddaughter for some bread and tea?"

"um, y-yes... that would be lovely." Regina followed Widow Lucas into her home; carrying a few cloth sacks. "You can set those down on the dining table. Red, I would like for you to meet someone." Granny says, getting to work on making the tea. Red opens the door to her bedchamber with a smile on her face, she crosses the room in a couple of strides, to meet their guest. "Hi, I'm Red. And you?" Regina smiles genuinely at the younger woman with delight, "Regina."

"Wow, Granny; nice catch." Regina smirks, and looks down at their feet; trying to hide her reddened cheeks. Granny laughs at her granddaughters remark, and shakes her head, "stop embarrassing our guest, and set the table girl." Red winks at Regina, and laugh; "yes Granny."

"So your name is Granny, huh?" Granny laughs; and dries off her hands, "well, it's what my granddaughter calls me. Widow Lucas, is my name, you may call me whatever you please."

. ...

The three women were sat at the dining table enjoying their hot tea, and fresh bread; sharing stories. "So, Regina." Ruby says, "what brings you over this way? You are quite a ways from the Nolan's farm." Regina gently set down her tea cup, not sure if she should say. "I.. umm... I am looking for a way to.. save a friend. He is in a bit of trouble at the moment, and I don't know how I'm going to help him." Red gives her a knowing grin, "a friend, huh? More like lover."

"Red."

"What? It's obvious she is in love with this man. I know you sensed it too; and I bet it's James." Granny rolls her eyes at her granddaughter, and turns in her seat to face Regina, "is it, James?" Regina sighs, and takes in a deep breath; "yes but, h-how did you know?"

"We are good friends with the Nolan's, Ruth stops by after she visits the market. We know King George has James, and what he plans to do with him. We do not plan on allowing such things to happen. I have collected many tomes over the years, I have a few that may help us." Widow Lucas stands from the dining table, and makes her way over to a high stack of tomes - she motions for Regina to follow. "I needed to find a way to protect my Red, but since I bought the cloak from that Wizard, I haven't had much use for them. You may have them, I'm sure they will serve more purpose with you, than getting full of dust here with us. Here." Granny says; handing Regina a tome.

"Thank you!" Regina says as she hugs the older woman, "you have no idea how much easier this will be, I have been lost without my spell books." Granny smiles widely, and says; "you're welcome girl. I hope they help you, and we are here if you need anything. You are always welcome in our home."

. ...

Ruth stumbled in to the house; exhausted from her excursion.

"Regina sweetheart, where are you?" Regina raised her hand above her head, for Ruth to see her behind the mountain of tomes. "I'm over here Ruth." Regina says from her hidden place. "Wow - I see you have been busy. May I ask where you happened to find all of these?" Ruth says -while pointing at the stacks of tomes.

"I met your friends; the Lucas', they are quite lovely. Granny gave them to me - said she no longer had any use for them."

"Oh, I am so glad you finally go to meet them. They are good people."

"So am I. I may not have found anything - I don't already know; but I still have hope, and a lot more to read through. It's still more than I had yesterday." Regina shrugs her shoulders, and points to the cloth sacks; in the older woman's hands, "what do you have there?" Regina gets to her feet, and walks to the dining table, where Ruth sets her finds down.

"A few herbs. When I was little, there were whispers of an ancient tale; of a Sorcerer who poisoned a King and all who attended the royal ball. It was said to have been an accident, yes; she wanted revenge on the King for slaughtering her entire village, but she only wanted to render them unconscious; to steel gold from the castle - weaken them. She used the incorrect amount of two specific herbs, resulting in their deaths. It was a tragedy for the Kingdom, there was no one left to take the royal throne; leaving the Kingdom in ruin. I have half of the ingredients list right here." She says holding a worn piece of parchment.

Regina examines the herbs with caution, "if you don't mind me asking, why did you forage ingredients for a potion that ended tragically?"

"Because; I believe you to be much more knowledgeable - you will be able to pull it off successfully. This is the easiest and safest way to get James home; no one will have to die - I hope." Regina sits in a nearby chair with a sigh, "if; what you heard is true, and the recipe is correct - I could still miss something. She could have had the right amount of each ingredient; that she had, but could have simply forgotten an important one - or she could have missed a step. Certain spells and potions are very technical, if you miss just one thing - it may result in making it useless or harmful. I do not want to take that risk, to be another sorcerer to make a mistake; no matter how infuriating King George may be."

"I believe in you darling." Ruth pats Regina's arm with a grin, and Regina sighs; giving in. "Fine I will try, but if something goes wrong; you get tried for my crimes." Regina teases, and Ruth titters while she emptied the cloth sacks onto the wood surface.