Hi guys. Sooooo sorry about the wait. I got writer's block, then life got busy, then back to writer's block. Anyway, here is chapter 4 :)
Regina, Emma and Henry approached the lakeside mansion and found Belle on the steps leading to the front door. She had her nose buried in an old leather bound book with the magic box containing the sorcerer's hat on the steps beside her.
"Hey Belle," Henry said with a smile.
Belle looked up from her book to return the young boy's smile. "Hey Henry."
"What did you find?" Regina asked trying and failing to hide her excitement and impatience. She knew that the bookworm's research was probably her best chance to find the Author and her happy ending.
Emma helped Belle to her feet while she answered Regina. "I found an incantation in an ancient language I don't know. Which made translation difficult," she explained quickly before Regina lost hope, "but I found a professor of linguistics from Oxford. He emailed me the translation and it's an ancient ceremony. It will work, but I need the both of you to enact it."
"It requires light magic … and dark."
Regina frowned when Belle looked at her. "I –" ring! Ring! Ring! Regina reached into her purse for her phone wondering who would be calling her, knowing it wouldn't be who she wanted it to be. "Hello?"
"Hello, Regina."
"Mom who is it?" Henry asked concerned by the look of shock on Regina's face.
"The Sea Witch," she replied in a tone that suggested she had a bad history with this witch and was not expecting to hear from her.
"Cruella's here too."
"Hello darling. How are you?" Cruella said.
"Mostly wondering how the two of you got ahold of the Dark One's cell phone."
"We had a little help from a thief," Ursula replied.
"What is it Regina?" Emma asked seeing the mix of worry, hope and fear suddenly expressed on her face.
Regina put her phone on speaker and held it in front of her with a shaky hand. "And who might that be?" She asked keeping her voice calm. Hoping against hope it wasn't Robin; that her soulmate wasn't with these two Queens of Darkness.
"Hello Regina." Robin said, and you could hear in his voice that he had missed her terribly.
"Robin." Regina almost cried. She couldn't believe that he had come back.
"That's right, your darling thief is outside your little town too." Cruella taunted.
"Why the hell are you even here," Regina demanded.
"The Dark One was in a sorry state when we found him," Ursula explained. "He went on and on about how Storybrooke was a place where villains could get a second chance and find redemption. He also told us how he screwed up everything and got kicked out."
"We've changed darling, and we want a second chance. Please Regina, let us in," Cruella begged.
"Even if I wanted to I can't. There is a protection spell around the entire town," Regina stated.
Emma's face lit up like she had an idea. Regina covered the mouthpiece of her phone. "The scroll. The Snow Queen had a scroll that allowed her to find Storybrooke. Maybe it will work for them."
Regina removed her hand from the mouthpiece, "Okay, there might be a way to get you past the protection spell. I'll be there in twenty minutes."
When Regina and Emma, who had refused to let her go alone, arrived at the townline Cruella and Ursula were leaning against Cruella's car chatting quietly while Robin paced back and forth across the road. Emma barely had time to stop the car before Regina was getting out to toss the scroll across the town line.
Cruella and Ursula stopped chatting when Robin stopped pacing to pick up the scroll that had rolled across the ground outside of the invisible town. Robin looked toward the townline like he was considering the consequences if he were to ditch the witches behind him and cross into Storybrooke by himself. It didn't take long for him to realize it was better not to double cross the villains. However, he wasn't an idiot. He knew Cruella and Ursula wouldn't think twice about double crossing him if they had the chance, So Robin refused to give them the scroll while the three of them got in Cruella's car and drove into Storybrooke
Cruella rolled to a stop beside Regina. "Thank you, you won't regret this."
"I better not." Regina responded with a feeling that she had made the wrong decision. That feeling was buried when Cruella drove away and Robin was standing on the road in front of her.
After what felt like an eternity apart, the two were once again in each other's embrace. Once they were in each other's arms it was like the hole in their hearts had been filled. Regina pulled away enough to look into Robin's eyes. When their eyes met he leaned down and kissed her. When their lips met everything else faded away, it was just the two of them.
*Fake cough* Robin and Regina pulled away to see Emma looking like an uncomfortable third wheel. Regina blushed bright red while she and Robin stood there holding hands. "Um Regina, we have to get back to Belle and Henry. Magical hat, prisoners that need to be freed, remember."
"Yes. Right. We should get going."
When they got back to the mansion Belle, Henry and Hook had already set up for the ceremony in a small clearing behind the house. There was a circle of candles and the box containing the hat was sitting on a rock in the center.
Regina took the Dark One dagger from Belle and stood behind the rock. She held the dagger flat over the box with both hands. Emma placed her hands over Regina's and they began chanting, "ic acennan eowic ac ic hredde eowic!" White and red magic swirled around the dagger as they lowered it towards the box. They stopped chanting and set the dagger down on the box. A burst of bright yellow light exploded from inside the box knocking everyone to the ground and blowing out the candles.
When the light faded the fairies and an old man had appeared in the clearing. While everyone was checking to see if everyone was okay, there came a loud shriek from inside the box. A huge winged creature went flying into the trees. Something small and blue fell off the creature's back.
The blue thing sat up groaning and looked up at the people staring at it. "H – h – hi," it said with a creepy smile, before it rolled away into the trees.
I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter (again sorry it took so long I will update sooner this time). Please review, I can't make the story better without your opinions and criticism.