AN: Hello friends! Hope all is well and everyone had a wonderful week! Got another chapter for you, hope you like it! I do wanna add in a WARNING!: for a description of a dead body!
Music: "Waiting in the Wings" from Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure soundtrack
NOTES!: We fight to hold on and we fight to let go...
Chapter 13: Waiting in the Wings
The Hospital Wing was full of patients, most of them victims of the Dark Plague, but there were also some soldiers who suffered serious injuries during various battles. Groans, coughs, and sneezes created an almost constant background noise along with the soft talking of the nurses and medics.
Emma and her mother were seated outside of Dr. Sweet's personal office at the back of the hall. Emma didn't have a doubt in her mind that Dr. Sweet purposefully mentioned making an appointment to her mother. The doctor must have not been as distracted as Emma thought and realized she was avoiding him. He knew Matilda was worried about Emma's health and would insist on bringing Emma in herself. Now she was stuck here, under the watchful eyes of her mother, and waiting for Dr. Sweet to see them. So not only had Emma argued with her mother all morning, but now she was going have to face Dr. Sweet's smug face.
A fair reason to be in a foul mood, she thought.
The nurse finally opened the door and nodded to them. "The doctor will see you now." She smiled.
Emma restrained herself from rolling her eyes as she stood up with her mom and walked into Dr. Sweet's office. He was sitting at his desk, looking over some papers. He looked up at them and smiled brightly as Emma pushed herself up onto the examination table and her mom sat down in an open chair off to the side.
"Mrs. Frost, Emma! Lovely to see you both!" Dr. Sweet greeted, shaking her mothers hand. Emma just gave him a dry look, raising one eyebrow. Dr. Sweet cleared his throat and then continued. "I'll try not to keep you long. This is just a standard examination and, if you don't mind, I'd like to take a few blood samples."
"What?" Emma started, her heart skipping up into her throat for a beat.
"Should we be worried?" Her mother also looked concerned, but Emma guessed for completely different reasons.
"It's just a precaution." Dr. Sweet explained calmly. "We're going to be running some tests to see if we can gather any more information about Emma's condition."
"Well, if that's what you think is best," Her mother said before turning to her. "Emma?"
"...Is it really necessary?" Emma responded slowly as she clenched her fists behind her back.
"I believe these tests could prove very beneficial to finding a potential cure for you, and I promise you won't even feel it. Nothing to fear." Dr. Sweet's smile was as genuine as ever, and she knew he was right. In any other circumstance there would be nothing to fear about a vial of her blood.
"Right... There's no reason not to." As true as those words were, they left bile staining her mouth. She had no reasonable argument against the procedure. Nothing that would sound sane, anyways.
Dr. Sweet gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder then turned to prepare his instruments. Emma decided to take her chances by pressing further.
"Does anyone else know about my appointment today, Doctor?" She asked, and Dr. Sweet walked back over to her with his stethoscope.
"Only those that have seen you here today, I imagine. Patient confidentiality is something I take very seriously." Dr. Sweet looked thoughtful and then serious with his arms crossed over his chest. "Why do you ask?"
"No reason." Emma shrugged, hoping she came off as frivolous, but her mind went back to the train station that night at the Moor.
She could almost hear Cat telling her that the walls have ears and eyes.
The whole appointment only took about an hour, and Emma was finally able to escape her mother's watchful gaze by making excuses about practicing her piano. Walking to the Great Hall, Emma set a brisk pace with her hands curling in and out of fists at her sides.
Logically, she knew there wasn't much she could've done. What was she supposed to say? Tell Dr. Sweet that he couldn't take a sample of her blood because she was afraid the Prime Minister was going to steal it and use it to summon a demon from another world? That would've gotten her a one-way ticket to an asylum for sure. But despite reason, she was frustrated and angry with herself.
First she'd gotten absolutely nothing from her investigation at the Prime Minister's office, and then all of her yearmates were given permission to fight in the war except her. Then she ended up getting caught by Jack over the stupid prophecy and instead of calming the situation, she made it a hundred times worse when she let her temper get the better of her. She'd lost the trust of half the people who had been defending her, and to top it all off her relationship with her mother was getting more strained by the day. Now vials of her blood were sitting, unguarded, in the Hospital Wing.
She was drawn from her spiraling thoughts when she reached the Great Hall. Looking around she found no one inside, so she turned and put all her strength into closing the massive double doors. When they finally rattled shut with a massive groan, Emma huffed out a sigh and pressed her forehead into the wood. She blinked rapidly, but couldn't stop the couple of drips that slipped out. She wrenched herself away from the door, sniffing to pull herself together, and went over to the piano. Her fingers trailed across the keys and then she slowly lowered herself onto the bench seat. Her shoulders slumped forward almost instantly, and her head fell into her hands as she tried to remind herself to breathe.
Laughter reached her ears. Emma stood and followed the sound over to the stained-glass windows lining the outer wall. One of them was open, allowing fresh air and white light into the hall. Emma peeked outside and looked down at the path and thin but long stretch of grass below.
Her yearmates were down there. Gustav was chasing some of the girls with what snow he'd managed to collect from the small piles littered in corners and shady spots. Toby managed to hit Gustav in the face with his own snowball, but when the viking turned his eyes on him, Toby started running. Gustav threw one of his snowballs, but Toby tripped and fell, so the ball flew and made a direct hit on Steve Palchuk's back. The chaos continued on from there, and the young wizards and witches who were eagerly awaiting their next quest soon found themselves choosing side in a full scale snowball fight.
Emma shut her eyes and closed the window, blocking out the sunlight. The stained glass on that window was done in blues and purples, making the whole corner feel very cool. Emma turned, rolling from her shoulder to her back as she leaned against the window and it's stone wall. She pushed herself up gently and stood on her own two feet, but her shoulders were still heavy as she looked around at the empty Hall.
"Guess we all are born with parts to play..." She sang softly, looking down at her hands and then back at the window where she'd seen all the others. "Some of us are stars, and some are just in the way."
"I know I was meant for glory, But that's never what my story brings..." Emma slowly started walking out towards the center of the Hall, bringing her fists up by her sides before letting them fall limp again. "And yet I keep on waiting."
"When you have the passion and the drive... You expect your moment center stage to arrive!" She walking across the Great Hall. Heading slowly towards the dais and spreading her arms wide at her sides.
"I show up with heart a blazing! Ready to achieve amazing things!" She puffed up her chest proudly, lifting her chin high. She lifted her fists to her chest, almost begging.
"But I'm left waiting in the wings!" The colored light from all the stained-glass windows seemed to get brighter and cover the room in moving memories, and Emma spun to watch them, throwing her arms out wide.
"I hear my cue, And yet I'm kept there waiting!" She could see herself being assigned to organization duty in the Auror's Office. Tucked away from all of the real action. As it began to melt away, she turned to the next memory.
"Know what to do, And still I stand there waiting!" After what they all thought was an accident at the Moor, when everyone, especially her mother, started coddling her. And she let them hold her back, trying so hard to keep up appearances.
"It's always someone else who sings..." She turned again, and watched on as her yearmates were given quests and responsibilities. As Claire, Toby, and Jim went on to do great things without her. "While I'm left waiting in the wings!"
"And so I keep on keeping on!" She swiped her arms across the memories, pushing them away and facing herself at the Moor. Shining brilliantly with all her strength and magic, just for it to disappear. "My chances come and then I blink and they're gone!"
"Always overlooked unfairly, While pretending that it barely stings. But it stings, yes it stings!" She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out all the colors they spun one way and she turned the other. Her hands reached up a gripped her hair in fists as her eyes burned.
"And I'll shed no tears! I'll only keep on waiting!" She raised her voice above all the noise, shoving the memories away and continuing forward to the dais.
"If no one cheers! Well, I can keep on waiting!" The colors finally fell back as she climbed the steps to the top, throwing her arms this way and that for punctuation.
"Who cares how loud~!..." She spun around, eyes tightly shut as she cried out to the empty Great Hall. Her voice echoed across the stone walls as the colors disappeared entirely. "The silence rings..."
"You'll find me waiting in the wings..." She felt weak and drained. The weight returned to her shoulders as her hands hung limp at her sides. All she could do was stare up at the ceiling of the Great Hall.
"Ahem," The gentle clearing of a throat made Emma snap her head around to look at the source. Jim was standing by the back door off to the side of the dais, and Emma could only gape for a moment before finally finding her voice.
"Jim!" She gasped, surprised by how out-of-breath she felt. "How long...?" She trailed off, heat already rushing to her face.
"Um, well I, uh, I didn't... I'm sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt..." Jim fidgeted, scratching the back of his head as a flush ran up his neck to his cheeks. "Emma..."
"It's okay." Emma assured him, trying to fight off the heat on her own face. "I was just practicing... I was thinking about taking a break anyways." She told him.
"Oh! Um, would you maybe want to go for a walk? With me?" Jim offered, adding in the second part, but then rushing to correct himself. "If you want to, ya know? You can totally go for a walk without me, it's not like you have to go with me."
"I'd love to." Emma smiled, wanting to save him from anymore awkwardness.
They walked together out to the gardens. They slowly followed the winding paths that were lined with small clumps of snow. There were a few pine trees and winter flowers to brighten up the otherwise muted landscape, but most of the plants had either died or gone into hibernation, awaiting spring to bring them back to life.
"I hear you're working with Merlin the Great now. How is that?" Emma was the first to break the companionable quiet.
"It's definitely... interesting?" Jim said it as more of a question than anything else, but then he sighed and his shoulders drooped. "It's kind of hard. Awkward. Definitely awkward."
"Why is that?" Emma wanted to know.
"...I've only ever talked about this with my mom and Rapunzel." Jim hesitated a bit before drawing in a deep breath and then letting it out slowly. "You remember when I first told you I was the Trollhunter? How I said my ancestors' have a sense of humor?"
"Yeah," Emma nodded along patiently.
"Well, the reason is because this gem, the one that powers the amulet, is filled with Kittroll magic." Jim confided to her, slipping the amulet out of his pocket to show to her as they came to a stop
"Merlin killed a Kittroll to make the Amulet of Daylight?" Emma stared at Jim's frowning face, and he gave a small nod.
"It's the only explanation, but I guess I don't know the full story. Only what I feel from the amulet and... well, there are a few rumors." Jim admitted. "I'm trying really hard not to let this get in the way, Merlin thinks I'm human anyways so I don't have to worry, but..."
Emma reached out and closed both her hands around the one he was holding the amulet with. She squeezed gently, blocking the amulet from his view, and he looked up to meet her eyes.
"I understand what it's like." Emma told him. "I know how it feels to have to hide yourself away and put on armor that feels more like a mask."
"I know."
The look he gave her made her heart lurch. It was solemn and a little sad, but the amount of Knowing is what shocked her. She had always guessed Jim knew her better than most because of their talks together, but the way he was looking at her now made her wonder if she had ever said too much.
"I can't say I know everything going on with you, and you already know there are things I just can't share, but I know there's more than anyone else realizes. For both of us." Jim explained further after a moment of silence. He gave her a small smirk. "It's one of the reasons I like talking to you."
"Just... know you can always trust me. No matter what." Emma said to him.
"Right back at you." Jim replied quietly.
Emma smiled at that, and then added, "Oh, and I like talking to you, too."
They laughed a little together as they slowly started walking again. The movement made them break their contact, Emma's hands falling to her sides and Jim returned the amulet to his pocket. She found herself missing the warmth. It probably had to do with Kittrolls being creatures of light and fire, but Jim seemed to radiate that warmth.
"I hope you know that Toby and I really miss you on quests. I think there were at least seven times on our last one that Toby said he wished you were there." Jim informed her.
"You're just saying that to be nice." Emma rolled her eyes playfully. "Cause you're still feeling awkward about hearing my song earlier."
"It's the truth!" Jim insisted. "To be honest, I really wish you were coming on this next one."
"You have a new quest? Are you allowed to tell me what it's about?" She asked, looking up at him in surprise. She hadn't heard anything about the Royal Council assigning him a quest, so it had to be official Trollhunter business.
"Probably not, but... I could really use some advice." Jim shared with her, and Emma tilted her head curiously. Jim took a breath and then dove into explaining. "Blinky has this plan that will let me get the ring that's controlling Angor Rot off of Strickler. But the problem is I have no idea what to do with it after I get it. Angor Rot came to me during the Pixie ambush and offered me a deal: he'd give me back the Killstone, but only if I give him the ring which has his soul in it. Claire and Toby are worried that if I give him back the ring, he'll just double-cross me anyway cause he's been hunting Trollhunters for so long. So either I give him his soul back, or I wear the ring and control him..." Jim trailed off uncomfortably as he finished, waving his hands around as he spoke and then letting them fall to his sides when he was done.
"That does sound complicated." Emma admitted, trying to follow and process everything she'd just been told. "What does Merlin have to say about all this?"
"Merlin doesn't say much in the meetings he bothers to show up for." Jim shrugged. "To be honest, I don't think he cares much about Angor Rot, but he did bring up destroying the ring and being done with it all. Morgana didn't seem to like that very much..."
"Well, that's helpful." Emma muttered towards the ground.
"Tell me about it." Jim agreed. "What do you think I should do?"
Emma paused, glancing up at him before looking forward again as they walked. "You're putting that much value into what I think?" Emma asked him.
"I always value the things you say." Jim told her. "You're one of my closest friends, and one of the smartest too."
As sweet as it was, Emma still had to suppress a twinge of doubt. Jim had Blinky and Rapunzel as mentors to guide him, and what she was thinking probably wasn't the answer he was looking for. She considered her response for a long moment, slowly coming to a stop as Jim turned to face her on the abandoned garden path. When she looked up to meet his eyes, she found honesty and genuine interest, and the her answer was a little easier to give.
"I think I can relate to him." Emma admitted quietly, and Jim lifted one eyebrow in confusion, but she hurried on before he could ask who she was talking about. "Losing an important part of yourself really sucks. Take it from somebody who knows." Try as she might, she couldn't stop the small waver in her voice.
"Emma, I..." Jim said softly, as his eyes went a little wide. He slowly reached out for her hand, but Emma quickly tucked it behind her.
"You don't have to, Jim." She cut him off, meeting his eyes. "We both know that we can't be fully ourselves with anyone."
"I just want to say that it's okay if you're hurting." Jim told her, looking at her earnestly. He didn't move his hand forward again, but he held it out to her. An offering. "When I'm with you is the closest I can get to being all of me... I want to do the same for you, if I can..."
"You already do." Emma said. "It's just... we shouldn't make promises we can't keep."
"Will we ever get the chance to be us?" Jim wondered, his hand slowly falling back to his side.
"Maybe one day, we can both lay our armor down and be who we really are." Emma murmured.
"James! James Lake!" A gravelly voice was calling from further down the path, and they both turned to see who it was as an old man came around the corner. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you, boy!" Merlin exclaimed, before he raised an eyebrow at Emma. "And who is this?"
"This is Emma Frost." Jim introduced her. "Emma, this is Merlin."
"A pleasure." Emma offered, dipping into a short curtsy.
"Yes, I'm sure it is." Merlin grumbled absently, looking her over with a rather displeased look. "In any case, the Trollhunter is needed for official business, if you don't mind."
"Of course. Your mageness. Jim." Emma reluctantly forced the words out, nodding to each of them in turn. Jim gave her an apologetic look, but they both knew there was nothing to be done.
Emma turned down the path and walked deeper into the garden as Jim was lead away by Merlin.
The darkness seemed to press in all around the circular stone room. The distant rumble of the thunder and the dampness that chilled living beings to their cores were the only reminders that far above them a storm raged. Candles were evenly spaced around a magic symbol that was dusted on the floor in a shimmery powder, the light did nothing against the oppressive shadows.
Off to the side, a hooded figure stood perfectly still. Even the echoing footsteps of someone's rushed approach did not stir him.
"My Lord!" A guard dropped to his knee behind the hooded figure after entering the room. "I've retrieved the sample as you instructed. The nurse will not remember our presence in the Medical Wing tonight."
"Excellent." Claude Frollo's deep, gravelly voice penetrated the air as he dropped his hood back onto his shoulders. He turned and stuck out his hand to the guard. "Give me the vial."
The guard looked up at the Prime Minister, passing him the vial full of blood with only slightly shaking hands. Frollo lifted the vial to eye-level, inspecting it for a moment before a small smile graced his lips. He nodded, tucking the vial behind both his hands and giving the guard his attention.
"You have done well." Frollo told him, and then waved his hand. "Now go. I must be alone now."
The guard didn't hesitate for a moment, nearly running out of the room as Frollo turned back to the circle before him with a growing smirk. He pulled off the cap of the vial and stepped forward, gently tipping the long tube until drops of blood fell down onto the white powder line at his feet.
The first drops splashed a crimson stain on the shimmering white and then slowly started to reach out along the lines. With each drop of blood the redness spread faster, turning all of the fine white powder a dark crimson. With the last drop and the last bit of white in the circle disappearing, the candles flickered wildly, dimming and flaring. A swirl of wind pulled at the Prime Minister's robes as he raised his arms and spoke.
"Arise the Jabberwock! With jaws that bite, with claws that catch! Arise the Jabberwock, with eyes of flame!" Frollo shouted, the wind growing stronger, the flickering of the lights growing brighter. "Arise the Jabberwock and know my name! As your Master!"
There was a great flash of light as the wind roared, blinding him as the chaos emerged, and then, all at once, everything fell silent.
Frollo slowly lowered his arms, looking around the room, but there was nothing. The candles had dimmed to tiny dots of flame and the powder lines had been scattered by the winds. The dungeon was empty and quiet.
"What?" Frollo snapped, turning more sharply as he looked around once again. "Where is it?! Where is it?!" He demanded, but despite his shouting, there was no answer. He was breathing hard, turning his gaze to glare down at the ceremony he'd wasted months preparing. He'd struggled to get that blasted girl's blood and revealed himself to her for absolutely nothing!
Frollo growled and turned sharply, stalking out of the dungeon as his cloak billowed out behind him.
In the room he left behind, on the for side of the chamber, the darkness shifted and the candles were blown out entirely. From the depths of the darkness, a bright amber eye opened and burned...
...Emma's eyes snapped open with a start and a gasp. She sat up, wide awake and her heart pounding in her chest. She looked around her room, but there was nothing there. Everything was quiet.
Emma's brow furrowed, and she rushed to kick off the covers. She dressed herself quickly left her room to find her parents had already departed for their own work today. There was a note from her mother on the table with some fruit and fresh bread. Apparently her father had been called away early this morning for an emergency, and her mother had left shortly after to bring him something to eat.
Emma ignored the food and ran out the door.
She tried to calm her mind and heart, but both were racing too fast to slow down. She kept running, barely touching the steps with her feet as she jumped multiple at a time. When she finally hit the bottom and kept going, she could already see clumps of people whispering to each other behind their hands.
Reaching the Medical Wing, Emma saw that the main room was as busy as ever, but across the hall was a smaller room. The door was wide open, and the drawn curtains made the inside of it bright. Peeking inside, Emma found Rapunzel and Jim standing by an examination table with a body. A nurse was also moving around the room.
Emma swallowed hard.
"Miss! You shouldn't be in here!" The nurse snapped, coming over to shoo her away. "This is for medical personal only!"
"It's alright, Ethel." Rapunzel came over, wiping her hands with a cloth. "I'll handle this."
Ethel crossed her arms and turned her nose up at Emma as she left, but she did follow the Princess's dismissal and leave. Emma looked back up at the older girl.
"Rapunzel?" She whispered, terrified she already knew what had happened.
"You already know you shouldn't be here, Emma." Rapunzel remarked, shaking her head, but there was a small lift on one corner of her mouth.
"When has that ever stopped me?" Emma joked weakly, before glancing back towards the body. "What happened?"
"There was an attack." Rapunzel sighed, her shoulders drooping slightly. She gave her a slight nod and they both turned to the examination table.
"It happened early this morning." Jim informed her quietly from the other side of the table.
The girl was Gabby Numeral. Emma had seen her around and knew of her past with her brother and his friends, but they'd never really interacted at all. Maybe a few snide comments in passing, but it wasn't anything Emma hadn't heard before whether it was about her brother or herself. Overall, it'd been more than a year since Emma last had any interaction with the older girl.
And now she was dead.
There were bruises and deep claw marks. Her skin was ashy and grey, and her form was shriveled and brittal. Sunken in as if there wasn't any fat or muscle at all.
"She wasn't killed by any physical wound." Rapunzel said, her eyes scanning the body carefully to make sure she hadn't missed anything. "Something drained her magic. Right to the core."
"These claw marks are like nothing I've ever seen." Jim carefully held up the arm with his gloved hands to show what he meant.
"I know. Even Dr. Sweet doesn't know what could've done this." Rapunzel muttered, her brow creasing with concern. "We've done everything we can for her. We'll have to leave the investigating to the Aurors' now." Rapunzel whispered sadly as she slowly drew up a sheet to cover the body.
Emma stood back a little, watching them as her stomach rolled and her blood turned to ice. She had to look away, and chose to instead slowly cross the room to the window. The sun was shining through fluffy winter clouds outside, and below them was a courtyard with students, teachers, and even some Royals. All of them blissfully unaware of what lurked among them now.
The Jabberwocky lived.