So, as I said earlier, we're meeting another character in this chapter. I think you guys will like her too ;)
~The Land of Oz, two weeks prior~
For the third time that week, she had woken up with a blaring headache and a dazed memory. Her hair had come undone during the events of the precious night; she was exhausted, unmotivated, and frankly, unhappy.
That was the problem with alcohol- it worked for a while to numb the anger, all the pain, but it always wore off. Every time she awoke after excessive drinking, Zelena felt the loneliness return, a reminder that she had absolutely nothing but her own rage to fuel her ambitions. The pain worsened with every time too, the same bitter phrase crossing her mind as she stared blackly up at the grand emerald ceiling- it's just not fair.
Clothes scattered across the floor of her bedroom as midmorning sunlight drifted in through one of the windows, letting in an unwanted light. Walsh, the previous ruler of Oz, had been in her control for years- quite honestly she had forgotten just how many; the years seemed to mix together. With her magic, Zelena could make him do whatever she needed him to do, or rather, be whatever she needed him to be.
She allowed him to touch her whenever she wanted, mostly just when her level of loneliness sunk desperately low. Sure it felt good at the time, but like the alcohol, it only left her with a larger void in her heart than before.
Laying on her bed during mornings like these caused her mind to wander, sometimes back to those childish thoughts she always thoroughly contained; what it would be like for her if she were born with the life she had deserved.
"Do you want me to make breakfast?" Walsh asked, his voice thick with sleep.
Zelena didn't move from her position- she didn't feel like doing anything, especially begin another pointless day. They never did anything interesting, anyways, just creating more potions that never ended up being of any relevance. The magical looking glass she had used for many years wasn't of any relevance to her anymore; ever since her dear sister cast the curse, she could no longer track her whereabouts. And that, of course, only made her blood boil even more.
Feeling his lips at the nape of her neck, Zelena instinctively pushed him away and sat up.
"I don't care what you make, as long as you get me something for my head." She grumbled, holding the bedsheet up against her chest, "how much did I drink last night?"
Searching for his clothes, Walsh smirked with his back towards her. "More than usual. You don't remember?"
Zelena let out another moan. She felt absolutely terrible; nothing seemed pleasing to her anymore.
"Not much," she replied soddenly, "but if you don't hurry up with that medication, I'll turn you into a toad."
Her threat caused a scowl to form on the man's face as he got up and started for the front room. As he walked through the halls, Walsh's heart sank once again when he remembered the time before the wicked witch had ruined his life entirely, when he, an average, everyday man, had constructed the palace himself. He remembered the days of power, though nobody truly knew who he was, he was able to give aid to the people of Oz. And, just like that, it was all gone. Zelena had complete control over him, her magic able to transform into any cruel creature of her desire. He truly hated her; she was the most vile woman he had ever encountered.
It was pure torture passing through the shelves of potions, knowing very well that so many of them could be used to end Zelena's life. But he just couldn't do it- so many years had gone by; Walsh had forgotten who he was.
Finally spotting the elixir he needed, he found a cup and poured the liquid into it, filling the cup until it was full before setting it down in its spot amongst the others. She drank more and more frequently as the days went on.
Zelena was more than happy to rid the pounding in her head, though the relief wasn't immediate like she would've liked it to be. Grudgingly putting on a white blouse and a black skirt, she pulled her hair back into a bun and exited the bedroom.
She rather despised the castle she won over when she took control of Walsh; it was entirely boring to her, the countless rows or magical experiments that lined the shelves only served as a pitiful reminder on how much of a failure she was. All she needed was a way to travel back in time, that was what she had wanted all along. But nothing worked, Zelena was faced with the same result of failure every time. Nobody knew how to do it either; she had traveled to the Enchanted Forest many times in search of someone with the knowledge and power needed to fulfill her desire. Every time, however, she was faced with the same answer.
It simply couldn't happen. It defied the laws of magic.
Out of everything (and everyone) she despised, the one thing Zelena absolutely hated the most was the fact that limitations existed.
"All these experiments are useless," she griped to herself, tempted to use her magic to destroy everything in her path as she had done many times before. Walsh hated when she threw fits, but seeing things break always made her feel better.
"Why do you constantly make these potions anyway?" Zelena demanded further, grabbing the first glass bottle her hand could find and glancing into its contents. "They're nothing but useless."
Seeing the anger flare across her blue eyes, Walsh was quick to snatch it from her grip before it ended up as a mess of glass shards.
"Well, this one is special," he began, in pursuit of calming her down, "this is magic extracted from a powerful sorceress long ago- the Ice Queen."
Much to his relief, the rage had passed. "Ice Queen? I haven't heard her name in years," Zelena said, turning her attention back towards the pale colored liquid inside the vile, "she was quite powerful, wasn't she?"
Walsh had her full attention- that almost never happened. The delight of doing so made a smile form on his lips. "Still is, actually. Rumor has it that Rumplestiltskin has her locked up in a secret cell somewhere in his castle."
Scoffing a laugh, she shook her head. "Doesn't surprise me. That bastard has too many tricks up his sleeve." Suddenly, a thought sparked its way into her mind. "Does that mean she's still there then, in this secret cell of his? Unless she automatically traveled to this new realm Regina sent everyone to with the curse, she should be there."
Walsh shrugged. "Yeah, I'm sure it's possible." He then paused for a moment, reading the incredulous look on her face, knowing exactly what she was thinking about.
"But, my lady, you don't know why Rumple trapped her in there in the first place. She could be incredibly volatile-"
"Oh, of course she will be," Zelena cut him off, "you're not talking me out of this. Don't you see? It's so simple- I can use the shoes to travel there so I can see what she knows about time travel. If she has what I need, I can set her free, and perhaps we can strike some sort of deal."
"But there will be a price for letting her loose," Walsh threatened, "everything could turn into complete madness."
She responded by sending him a wicked smile. "That's the fun of it, my dear."
There was no stopping her now, he knew that very well. Starting for her pair of silver slippers in the corner of the room, Walsh set down the potion and sighed. "So, what, I'm just supposed to sit here and wait for you to return?"
Zelena smirked, putting on the shoes and giving him a pitiful look. "I'll be back for you, don't worry."
Then, with a dual click of her heels, she vanished into thin air.
When she opened her eyes, Zelena wasn't sure where she was. After years of transporting back and forth to the Enchanted Forest, she knew how the shoes worked- all she had to do was think about the place or person she wanted, and that was it. The room was dimly lit and had a gloomy feel to it; obviously it had been abandoned for many years. Walsh had been right about the room being a prison. She could feel her magic feel compressed inside of her.
As she walked around, Zelena found herself becoming distracted in the other hidden relics stowed away in the castaway room- Rumple was certainly a man who possessed many secrets.
Glancing around the area for a brief moment quickly told her that the Ice Queen she was in search for wasn't going to be in human form. It was going to take more than she thought to find her. So, she did what she knew best, and used a locator spell. When her magic lead her to an old brass urn, however, Zelena became confused. The most powerful sorceress of the land certainly couldn't have been housed in an oversized drinking cup. She could feel the concentrated magic radiate off the metal as she took hold of the handles, the blue liquid inside shimmering in a very unnatural way. Taking a deep breath, Zelena firmly held her arms as far away from her as possible, dumping the urn upside down and watching the blue liquid splash out and onto the floor. She watched in slight amazement (while keeping her composure) as the liquid began to rise, taking on the form of a human. Her blonde hair was tucked into a braid that ended at her shoulder, a regal blue dress hugging in all the right places. The woman seemed confused at first, but her eyes quickly diverted from her surroundings to fixate on the red haired woman before her.
"You did this?" She asked, giving her a suspicious look, "who are you? Why are you here?"
Zelena gave her a small smile, enough to tell her she wasn't a threat while obtaining her some dominance in the encounter. "I'm Zelena," she began, "from the Land of Oz. I came to ask a few questions."
The Ice Queen crossed her arms. "I've heard about you before, the notorious Wicked Witch of the West," she mused, wondering just how long she had been trapped inside that urn for, "you're saying you came all this way just to ask me a few questions? Rumplestiltskin has this place under thousands of protection spells. How did you get here?"
Zelena gestured down towards her silver shoes. "I can travel anywhere I want with these. Well, within a certain distance. Some realms are just too far away."
Though she seemed impressed with the idea of magical transporting shoes, she knew those shoes didn't have enough power for the both of them to escape the prison.
"Rumple will know you're here," she threatened, "he always knows everything that happens within his castle."
Zelena's smile turned devious. "Of course he would know... Problem is, he isn't here. He, like most everyone else in this realm, was sent to a land without magic just about forty years ago. The Evil Queen cast her curse."
He may have been gone, but the spells preventing her from leaving were still very much in tact.
"Huh," she muttered, "well I won't be too keen on answering any questions you have for me, unless it involves getting me out of this damned place."
"It very well could," Zelena reassured, "let's just talk things through for a bit. Now," she then prepared herself for the question she was about to ask, knowing it would determine whether or not her life would continue on the same excruciating path it was currently taking. "Do you possess the necessary tools to create a portal that can be used for time travel?"
The ice queen smiled proudly. "Yes, in my old castle I do. Where I'm from, Arendale, we have advanced magical studies. What makes you think I'll just give it up for your unknown cause?"
The answer made Zelena's heart trill with excitement- this was her shot at her dream coming true.
"Because I can give you what you want, what everyone wants, really. Power."
The Ice Queen quickly formulated a plan inside of her head- perhaps this Wicked Witch could give her everything she desired.
"I don't just want power," she began, raising her chin a tad higher, "I want the strongest power out there. One that will allow me to rule effortlessly over this realm, as well as many others."
Zelena gave her a smug look. "And what type of power is that?"
"True love," she replied, "a product of true love will give me everything I need. It is extremely rare for a child to be born of true love, but not impossible. If you bring me a child born of true love, I will give you my means of time travel- a resilient heart, true courage, and a brain."
She thought about her proposition for a moment. "Isn't Snow White and Prince Charming's child the product of true love?"
Elsa responded by bending down and picking up the urn that had held her prisoner for those forty years, using her magic to fill it with water, enchanting it to form an image on the surface. Zelena curiously watched as her expression began to shift while glancing down at the urn.
"Yes, Emma Swan is a product of true love," she began, "but she's a grown woman. You could very well kidnap her, but it would be difficult- she has a very large family of very powerful people."
"Are you suggesting I have another option, then?"
Her words hung in the distance between the two women as Elsa continued to look into the urn. Then, surprisingly, an amused smile swept across her face.
"Well; this is certainly a surprise."
Zelena scowled. "What?"
She let out a small chuckle as she once again faced her. "Turns out there is another child born of true love, living in the same realm- one that shares your bloodline."
Zelena's eyes widened. "No... That must be a mistake."
"Do you have any immediate family members?"
She cast her eyes downward, her head swimming with confusion as she spoke the name she dreaded, the name that left a bitter taste in her mouth. "Regina. The Evil Queen... She's my half sister."
Elsa's smile continued to show, amazed at what she was hearing. "Your sister is... Queen Regina? This just keeps getting more and more amusing."
Zelena's scowl deepened, her eyes flashing with anger. "If you're suggesting that Regina has a child born of true love, you're wrong. There is no way in hell that my sister would ever have true love, let alone have a child. It's- it's probably just some bastard-"
"You can deny it all you want, but magic doesn't lie. Regina has a child born of true love; she's young, too. It doesn't matter how it happened, but it did."
Sounds like Regina, Zelena thought to herself, desperately trying to reassure herself, she probably used some spell to give her child special powers.
"So you're saying that I need to bring my own niece back to you in order for you to extract her powers and become all powerful? What about Regina?"
Elsa smirked. "I don't care what you do with her, as long as you bring that child to me."
A rush of pure joy soared through her body. Could it be true, could she achieve everything she ever dreamed of? Abducting her child would certainly bring pain to her dear sister. And, after that, she would finally get to do what she had desired for countless years- time travel. A fresh start. The life she deserved.
"Alright," Zelena announced, a delightful smile on her face, "I'll do it. I'll bring you the child in exchange for time travel. You have my word."
Elsa was happy to hear it. "As you have mine. Though, this isn't the idea situation for me. Since I cannot escape this prison, why don't I just give you the things nessecary for time travel right now. That way, when you get a hold of the child, you can find me here in the Enchanted Forest, at a time before I was trapped here- forty years ago."
A cloud of misty blue magic appeared before her, causing a wrapped package to appear in her hands.
"Just open it when you're ready- it'll create a portal." She explained, brushing her open palm over the top of the bundle with her free hand, placing another spell upon it.
"And, in case you get any ideas, it will only allow you to travel back forty years ago. Once you present me with the child, I'll remove the spell so you can use it to your desire."
Presenting the package to her, Zelena gratefully accepted it.
"How will you remember this conversation in the past?"
Elsa simply took her earrings off one by one and handed them to her. "Just show me these. I'll remember everything."
"And where will I know where exactly to find you?"
Remembering the fond memory, the Ice Queen smiled. "I'll be living in my ice castle- shouldn't be that hard to find."
Zelena took a moment to collect her thoughts, sorting out the mission she had just been issued. It all seemed so perfect.
"So, where am I going?" She asked, "where has my sister sent everyone due to her dark curse?"
"Storybrooke, Maine. A land that has recently obtained magic."
A slight relief came over her when she heard this- magic was now involved, meaning Regina didn't stand a chance. "Alright, then. I'll be off to Storybrooke, Maine in search for a niece I didn't know I had, a child that possesses the strongest power imaginable," she explained, mostly to herself for the self satisfaction.
"And you be quick about it," Elsa added, "I can't take another minute of living in this horrible place."
Holding the earrings and the package containing the power of a time travel portal in hand, Zelena gave her new partner another sly look. "And what exactly did you do to get you locked in here for eternity?"
Even she knew no ordinary person was capable of angering Rumplestiltskin that much.
Elsa simply smiled. "That's a story for another time. I'd like to know why you care so much about changing the past, as well."
"You're exactly right," Zelena told her, "we'll save that for another time."
She couldn't wait to return to Walsh and tell him everything that had happened.
With another click of her heels, she traveled back to her Emerald City castle, her heart set on Storybrooke. She would finally be able to carry out the plan she had desired since the day of her birth.
One that would give her the second chance she was entitled to.
I know that was probably a lot to take in, but what do you guys think? Will Zelena succeed in taking Caroline away from her parents? Will Elsa become powerful enough to take over the Enchanted Forest, and possibly Storybrooke? What will she do to hurt Regina? You'll find out eventually...