He hadn't meant to lose his temper with Theseus, but arguing with him had suddenly felt like he was arguing with a child. It was a very odd thing, to look at a man he'd known since he was a boy and see gray hairs shine on his head and yet feel like he was still talking to that same teenaged boy he'd first set up with the lovely Mary all those years ago. And when he added that to the fact that he'd mentioned his son's birthday a spark of jealousy so strong he couldn't fight through it had risen up inside of him. He'd had to cull it somehow, if he couldn't kill the bird, at least he could scream at him. Besides, in truth was that the request he'd made was one that he'd been thinking of for a couple of years now. After all, Theseus was only a little younger than Cora was now, and his son, Pirithous, was about the same age as David. It was no reflection on the work that Theseus had done that he wanted the younger boy. Instead, it was just biology. Shapeshifters lost their ability to shift as they aged, dear Granny had lost hers years ago. Theseus was getting to that age where it was assumed he would take his last shift soon. As his son, Pirithous had inherited the ability from his father. And like so many of his cousins on his father's side, he still had many decades left before the ability left him. If he played his cards right, he would be in the Land Without Magic before that time came. The boy would make a good addition to his arsenal of allies, but only once his father told him what it was he did when he disappeared and what was expected of him. He hadn't meant to bring that up or force his hand at the moment, but the way things had gone between them he found he was rather happy it was finally all out in the open, or would be at least.

For now, Theseus was gone, back to the farm, back to spy on the unlucky twin. And he was left alone in his castle, still trying to figure out a way to keep an eye on everyone. David was simple when he rose, there were enough shiny objects in the house that he'd been able to use his mirror to watch the boy. He went to the kitchen, retrieved a sack, loaded it up with some food that wouldn't spoil, and then left the house, and that was where he'd lost him. There was nothing, nothing that he could see, nothing that could be reflected off. So he turned back to the crystal ball, watching as David took the sack of food out to the barn, said something he couldn't hear, and instead of the Princess of Arendelle came face to face with Bo Peep herself. The pair exchanged words, words that he could not hear. It was terribly frustrating to be the most powerful person in all the realm and still be bound by certain magical laws and spells. He really had to work on crafting a spell that would give the ball sound.

As the pair talked, he was tempted to abandon the idea of Theseus and go watch for himself until Bo Peep left. She left David standing there, holding his sack of food looking both terrified and determined. He stared after the place that she disappeared for a while before suddenly anger took over, and he threw the sack aside and kicked over a barrel. The horse must have whinnied, something distracted him and made him stop as he hunched over a small table and breathed so heavily his back heaved. What he saw next made him reconsider going to watch the confrontation himself all over again...David grabbed a sword.

Within Bo Peep's estate, he got lucky. The frilly War Lord was lying outside, but there was a small hand mirror owned by Bo Peep herself. It wasn't much, but it was something that could keep him abreast of the situation. He wasn't thrilled to catch a glimpse of the ugly old hag's cleavage when he found her admiring a necklace around her neck, probably something that had been stolen, but he was pleased when he heard her mutter "high noon, right on time" and set the mirror aside. Noon was when the payment had been due, he hoped it was David that he was talking to, but the words were low and not clear with her accent. And at the moment, he couldn't see anything beyond the ceiling of the gazebo. Quickly, he turned back to the crystal ball and saw a spectacular feat. David, using a sword, holding his own against the guards. He watched almost proudly. It was inevitable, knowing what the child had come from and how he'd struggled, knowing the very little experience he had this kind of mastery was indeed exquisite. He was certain that if Bo Peep knew his history, even she would have been rooting for him. As it was, she was too busy. The moment that he defeated her two guards, she'd picked a sword up on her own and muttered something he couldn't make out through the mirror. His heart raced as he watched. She was a prim and proper little general, but she hadn't gotten to where she was without learning a thing or two from past generations. She knew how to wield a sword, quite well in fact. She proved it by defeating him easily. In only a few seconds, David was on the ground, pinned against a pillar, his sword tossed from his hand, and her sword pressed close to his face.

And then something triggered in his mind; something panicked that the boy might be killed, that he was still important in some way. Important...it was just like the feeling he'd had with Belle only different. He was about to follow through and go to save him when after a brief exchange, Bo reared back to swing, David rolled, and her sword caught in the wood of the gazebo she'd been lounging in. David retrieved his sword, overpowered the woman, tied her up, and cleverly thought to grab her staff to find Anna, but then stupidly let it fall to the ground once he was convinced he knew where to look. He shook his head as he watched him dash off in the direction of one of her barns. It was a stupid move. Without her staff, she'd have been damn near powerless. As it was, she may never choose to tangle with David and Ruth again, but there were still several others in his town who would continue to be in her thrall because he hadn't taken it with him. He didn't imagine that would go over well when the village found out.

There was a scuffle in the barn. David's new friend had been attempting to hide in the rafters to overpower her captors, but really all she'd overpowered was David, and nearly given him a bump on the head to prove it as they wrestled in the hay.

He nearly dropped his crystal ball as the Seer's voice grabbed hold of him. A vision, triggered by the way she was sitting on the ground! He was going to see her on the ground again...

"Pure of heart!" the Seer whispered.

He could see her now, in his head, on the ground just as she was now. She was by his side. They were in a small little house that he didn't recognize. The Princess was crying and he felt himself kneel down to take a single teardrop from her cheek and allow the blade of his dagger to absorb it.

"Pure of heart!" the Seer whispered again. "She is the key to the box!"

In the vision, he turned again and suddenly found himself face to face with trapdoors. He knew where those doors led from Zoso's memory.

"But the true key is in the box!" the Seer screamed.

Suddenly he found himself looking back at the floor, his dagger was on it. Both the dagger and the floor before him melted away to reveal a hole in the floor and a plain wooden box beneath it.

"Your answers."

The vision released him so violently that he found himself falling down into a chair to keep his shaky legs from falling out underneath him. He set his crystal ball aside as he looked around his shop, trying to relive every detail of the vision she'd just given to him, trying to process it. A small house. A tear from Anna on the dagger. A box beneath her body. A set of doors. The key to the box…

He knew where those doors led to. They went to the vault, the vault that years ago Zoso had gone into to retrieve the Sorcerer's Hat. The Sorcerer's Hat, the only thing that could free him from his dagger! Maybe from the laws of magic themselves! No more orders, no more commands, no more worrying about where to hide his greatest triumph and weakness! Freedom. All disguised as a small round box.

And the girl. The key to the box, pure of heart…what had the Apprentice said in Zoso's memory? He closed his eyes and looked back through his own memories to find the right one.

"No one who has succumbed to the Darkness in their heart can ever break it."

"It", of course, being the curse that wretched Merlin had placed over it! But the girl, Anna...she was pure of heart. She could break the curse with one tear of purity. It was him. He'd been right. He was the person that she was here to see! She was coming for him. And he had work to do.


I know this seems like it's super unimportant, but this scene actually has really massive implications. I wrote it very carefully and gave this vision it's own chapter because it was that important. Did you catch the hint?

Thank you so much Alarda, Grace5231973, and Jennifer Baratta for your reviews on the last chapter. Again, sorry for the shortness of this chapter but trust me when I say that given what comes in the next chapter, it was necessary. These were very clearly two different chapters. Good news is that I promise it should seem like we are flying through the Frozen chapters. They're short, we'll be out of this and on to the interesting part before you know it. Peace and Happy Reading!