Chapter 39: Lost Girl
Rumpelstiltskin lit a fire. He looked at his dagger and knew what he had to do. He cut out his own shadow and offered it the dagger.
"You know what to do. Hide it where no one can find it, not even me. Don't give it to her either. I won't put her in more danger."
The shadow took the dagger and flew away. The Dark One had taken precautions, and now it was time to act.
The group was trekking through the jungle. Hook had told them how there were many dangers on the island and using Regina's magic would be too high of a risk. Hook was at the front with David and Rose was at the back. They decided that, even if she didn't remember being in Neverland, she had experience navigating thorough jungles due to her expeditions. So, while Hook guided them, she would make sure that no one strayed off the group.
Rose heard Mary-Margaret ask Emma to call her mom and decided to give them as much privacy as it was safe. That just meant a couple of steps. The conversation didn't go too well, and when Mary-Margaret looked at Rose she just shrugged and gave her a small smile.
They reached a point where the path was blocked by dreamshade. The thorns that Hook used to poison Gold. He told them that they had to avoid it at all cost, as in this state the poison would act slower and more painfully than in the concentrated dose he had used. He advised to go one way, but David wasn't going along with it and started going the opposite way. Hook looked at Emma and Rose.
"Stubbornness runs in the family." Said Rose with a shrug.
Emma and Hook started talking about the Peter Pan version they had in the world without magic. After all, anyone that had read the book or seen the movies would assume that Peter Pan was the good guy. This piqued Hooks interest, and he asked about what his character looked like in the other world. Emma and Rose looked at each other and then a Hook. Rose burst out laughing and kept going, and Emma shook her head and made a comment about mustaches and perms.
"I take it by your tone and that laugh, that perms are bad?" Hook said not getting it.
They reached the peak, but saw only jungle. Hook told them about how dangerous the Dark Jungle was, and that they had to go around it. He suggested making camp and start fresh in the morning. Regina wasn't happy about it, but in the end they agreed. If they wanted to get Henry back, they needed their strength.
Snow White had just been awoken by Charming, and they were engaged. But before they could be wed, they wanted to get the kingdom back from the Evil Queen. Snow wanted to make a speech and rally the people to rise against the Queen, but Rose Red shook her head.
"It's not going to be easy, White." She told her with a frown. "They've been terrorized by Regina for a long time."
"If we believe we can do it, so will they." She said with a confident smile.
Rose sighed, but followed the others. Snow started to make her speech, and everyone seemed to agree with her, but when she told them to rise against Regina, everyone got quiet suddenly. Snow looked at her sister who shrugged her shoulders. It would take more than a speech to motivate them.
At that moment, Regina appeared and the villagers dispersed to hide from her. She offered Snow a deal. Declare her the rightful ruler and diapering from the kingdom, or she would kill everyone, until there was no one left in the kingdom. She started chocking a woman, and Snow went to attack Regina. In the end, no one was hurt and an ultimatum was set. Either Snow White gave up her kingdom, or everyone on it would die.
Rose looked at her sister and frowned, disappearing in a cloud of dark red smoke. She appeared in front of Regina, who scoffed and pushed past her.
"Are you really so far gone?" She asked the older woman. "Regina, I know life has been cruel to you, but you can't keep taking it out on the world. It's not going to make you feel better."
"Rose, sweetheart." Said Regina turning to the redhead. "I appreciate you. You always have looked out for me, but get in my way of revenge, and I will end you."
Regina glared at the woman she had thought of as a younger sister, and left. Rose looked after her and frowned. She understood the reason behind Regina's hatred, but if she didn't find another way to work it out, she would end up destroying herself and any happiness she could find in the future.
That night at camp, Emma heard something that woke her up. When she called to the others, they were fast asleep. Hook and Rose had first watch and were on opposite sides of the camp. So, she decided to go investigate by herself.
She encountered a boy, who turned out to be Peter Pan. He taunted her, and she had him pinned to a tree with her sword. But then he took out a parchment.
"I'll give you a map. A map that will lead you straight to your son." He said with a smirk.
Then, the map got ripped out of his hand and pinned tot eh tree by a dagger. Both of them turned to see that Rose had been the one to throw it. She was glaring at Pan, not taking her eyes off of him. Emma turned to look at the boy and saw that he was looking at Rose with a smirk and hate in his eyes.
"Ah, yes. Fire runs in the family. It's been a long time, Spitfire."
Emma saw Rose take a step forward and decided to intervene. She got the conversation back to the map. She saw that even when she talked, Pan didn't stop looking at Rose, as if he was expecting something to happen.
"I may not be the most well-behaved boy on the island, but I always keep my promises. Right?" He said to Rose with a smirk.
Rose had had enough of him and was going to act, but Emma raised her arm to stop her.
"Rose, go back to camp and wake the others." She saw that the redhead wasn't moving. "I can handle this. Go!"
Rose took the dagger back and Pan grabbed the map. She turned to leave, but the boy had something to say.
"Welcome back to Neverland. Let's see how your visit ends this time."
Before anyone could react, Rose punched him in the nose, drawing blood.
"Rose, go!" Said Emma firmly.
Rose turned and left the two alone. Peter Pan looked after her with a smirk and turned to Emma.
"I see she hasn't changed much, even without her memories." Emma looked at him at that remark. "But where were we? Oh, yes! The path to finding Henry is on this parchment."
Back at camp, Rose had awoken the rest and found Hook. She told them about Emma meeting Pan, and everyone got anxious. Mary-Margaret saw that Rose was angry and went to talk to her.
"What happened?"
"I don't know." Rose shook her head. "I saw him and all I could feel was anger. I don't' remember him, but whatever happened between us was bad."
Mary-Margaret frowned and put her had on her shoulder. She was beginning to think that taking Rose on this trip was a bad idea. Her lost memories were connected to this place, to Pan. And if he was as bad as Hook and Rumpelstiltskin said, then she feared for her sister.
Emma arrived and told everyone what happened. When she told them that Rose had punched and probably broke Pan's nose, Hook laughed.
"I would have paid to see that! Well done lass." He told her with a smirk.
Rose nodded, but didn't say anything. Emma started to try and figure out a way to make the map work. Rose was getting restless, so she decided to take a walk and keep watch.
After a while, Regina had had enough and used a location spell on the parchment, to try and find Pan. It was up to Emma to decide if they went into the jungle or not. She didn't know what to do, but she knew that she wasn't leaving Rose on her own. Not after her encounter with Pan. Mary-Margaret saw her look in the direction Rose had left and sighed.
"I will stay here and once Rose is back we will follow you. Leave a trail, so we know which way to go."
Rumpelstiltskin heard a noise and put down the doll, but when he turned around, a hooded figure had the doll in their hands.
"That doesn't belong to you, dearie." He said ripping of the hood.
"Oh. I know." Said Rose with a grin.
"Rose? How did you find me?"
Rose shrugged and his eyes narrowed. He grabbed her by the throat.
"Your hair is short, and your clothes are the ones form the Enchanted Forest. How did Pan conjure a vision of you?"
Rose smiled and put her hands on his.
"He didn't. You did. And I look like this, because this is the version of me that knows you best. The Rose I am now is not there yet." He let go of her. "Now, the real question is. Why did you conjure me?"
They took a walk to the cliff and Rumpelstiltskin finally asked her what she was doing there. But she just shook her head. He finally admitted to being a coward like his father. He told her about the deal Pan offered him. She always had seen him for who he really was, and he needed her insight.
She shook her head and took the doll in her hands. She reminded him of what happened with Baelfire and that he didn't need to do the same with Henry, and handed him the doll back with a meaningful look.
"You know, this was the last thing my father gave me."
"I do know. You told me a long time ago." She said putting a hand on his.
"He left me." He said with tears in his eyes.
"Then you know how it feels. Stop making the same mistakes he did."
With that she turned and disappeared into the jungle. He let go of the doll, and it fell off the cliff.
He kept waking thorough the jungle, but the doll fell from the sky at his feet. He tried to burn it, but it appeared again. It seemed that letting go of his past was not going to be so easy.
The group reached a camp that seemed to be abandoned. They saw Henry, but when they approached, it turned out to be Pan dressed in Henry's clothes. He reminded them that cheaters don't win.
At those words, they were ambushed by Lost Boys and lost sight of Pan. Each was fighting in their own style. David was almost run through with a sword, but an arrow clashed with it, and he ended with just a scratch. He turned and saw Mary-Margaret with her bow ready. He smiled at her and they kept fighting.
Hook was fighting against Pan's second in command. They were taunting each other, until anger surged in the boy at Hooks next words.
"You remember what I did to Rufio? Well, it's a far worse fate for you."
The boy was going to attack, but they heard a voice.
"Duck!"
Hook recognized the voice and did what he was told. A dagger emended itself on the boys club, making him stagger back. Then he was tackled to the ground with Rose pining him down. She looked at him with wide eyes.
"You really are a kid!" She looked at Hook. "Are you kidding me?"
While she was distracted the boy took the opportunity to turn the situation around, pining Rose to the ground.
"You shouldn't have come back." Growled the boy with hatred.
Rose looked at him in wonder. He clearly knew her, and for the looks of it he wasn't too fond of her.
"Spitfire, you may not have your memories, but they do remember you. So, focus on fighting." Hook said while fighting another Lost Boy.
"What?" Said the boy in surprise turning to Hook.
Rose groaned in frustration and apologized to the boy. She head-butted him, pushed him to the floor, pining an arm behind his back. She noticed that he wasn't struggling and was just looking at her with wide eyes.
Then they heard a whistle. Pan appeared again and reminded Emma how to make the map appear. With that the Lost Boys started leaving. The boy that Rose had pinned freed himself. But before disappearing, he turned to look at her with a frown.
"Well, I know for sure now that you don't remember." Said Hook approaching Rose. "You would have never attacked Felix otherwise."
Rose didn't answer and just looked at the spot where the Lost Boy, Felix, had been standing. For some reason, she had felt sadness at the hatred in the boy's eyes.
Snow White was ready to face the Evil Queen. Rose Red wasn't too keen on fighting her, so Snow told her to protect the villagers. As she left the group, she heard David tell her sister that she had Excalibur. She looked at the shepherd with a raised eyebrow, but he shook his head.
In the end, the confrontation wasn't big, but it was enough to show Regina that Snow White was willing to fight. Back at the camp, the dwarfs decided to accept David and offered him a drink. Rose joined them, but before they could take a sip, Snow came marching in and demanded to speak with Charming.
She told him that Rumpelstiltskin told her the truth about the sword, and shoved the hilt of the melted sword in his hands. She demanded an explanation.
"Okay. Rumpelstiltskin didn't give anything. So, I went to the next person that could know what to do." He looked at Rose, who was with the dwarfs pretending to focus on something other than the couple. "She told me the same thing he did. But then she mentioned that in one of her journeys, she ended in a kingdom called Camelot. She was searching for a wizard that might know more about her powers. She didn't find him, but she learned of Excalibur and her legend. She said that it was too bad that there wasn't something like that here to show you what we already knew."
"And that gave you the idea of the fake sword." Snow frowned.
David nodded, and in the end Snow saw that he just wanted to open her eyes to what was already there. He believed in her even when she herself didn't. She had made up her mind. She was going to fight to regain her kingdom. It might had taken a lie to make her accept who she really was, but there was no going back now. They were going to war.
Emma had figured out the way to unlock the map. Hook told them that it was across the island, and that the way was probably filled with traps. They started to dismantle the camp and gather provisions.
Emma was gathering berries, when Pan appeared. He congratulated her on figuring out what she was. She controlled herself, she didn't' want to risk Henry by losing control and striking him. He kept goading her, until she decided to leave.
"When we're finished, you won't just feel like an orphan. You'll be one."
Emma stopped and turned to him.
"I wish I hadn't stopped Rose from beating you to a pulp."
"Ah, yes. Rose Red. Even without her memories she still is a spitfire." He looked at her pointedly. "What do you think will happen when she gets them back? Her memories will also unlock her powers, and you know what happens when magic is driven by anger and hate."
"If you think Rose would ever hurt us, then you don't know her at all." Said Emma turning around and leaving.
"Oh, yes." He said with a smirk looking at the group in the camp. "But that might not be an option."