More Robin/Caroline/Zelena action in this one!
Ten years of dormancy really did take its toll. In the few hours they had been walking for under the wintery sun for, Robin already felt true exhaustion. He and the guys had a regular routine of working out after he got married, but as the years went on, it seemed to happen less and less often. Evenings of weightlifting soon turned into evenings of beer and whiskey- he was beginning to regret that. On top of the cold sweat and sore joints, he was juggling between figuring out his next move against Zelena and answering his daughters questions as they came at him a mile a minute.
"Are we close to where you and Will grew up?" She asked, seemingly oblivious to his inner turmoil. Dressed in a jacket and blue jeans, she didn't seem to be fazed by the light bits of snow on the ground. For the end of March, the winter was far more lenient than the one in Maine.
"Dad? Did you hear what I said?"
He turned his head towards her, trying to give her the attention she wanted. "Sort of, it's a little way from here," he said with a small smile, "our village was in the Sherwood Forest."
Thinking back to the days before he ran away from home was something the man rarely did. Sometimes random memories would flash through his dreams- a crack of morning sunlight through the trees, the stillness of the forest...
"What did you guys to for fun?" Caroline was quick to ask, keeping the conversation going, "I can't ever get Will to talk about childhood."
A tinge of guilt hit him- not only because he knew his brother's childhood wasn't great, but also because he had kept so much information from their past from his own daughter without even realizing it. Their life in Storybrooke was so carefree that it was easy to forget the past. But that didn't mean the past didn't happen. She deserved to know the truth, no matter how checkered or depressing it was.
"That's because he was on his own for most of it," he admitted with a sigh of relief. "I had a chance to leave, but Will was too young to come with me."
To his surprise, Caroline didn't seem too daunted by his words. "That must've been hard, Dad."
Her voice was full of compassion. "Do you ever miss your parents?"
He outstretched his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, bringing her near enough to plant a kiss on her head. "Not really, no. But I made my own family, and I wouldn't trade it for the world."
Never in a million years would be have thought that one day he would be reunited with his little brother. Fate had a funny way of working out.
"Do you think the people here remember Mom as the Evil Queen?" She asked suddenly, looking up at him curiously. "Will they have awful things to say about her?"
It was something he hadn't thought about. "It's been such a long time since she was the Evil Queen- I'm sure everyone has moved on."
A few paces ahead of the two, Zelena couldn't help but audibly groan upon hearing that. She was already irritated with having to walk through a cold forest, and now she was stuck listening to more undeserving praises about Regina. Hate began to drive her thoughts once again, making her empathy towards Caroline diminish quickly. Her dream was so close to becoming a reality- all she had to do was hand the girl over to the Ice Queen. Whatever happened to her after that was beyond her control.
"Zelena!"
She spun around at the call of her name, realizing that Robin and Caroline were far behind.
"Why are you walking so fast?" The girl asked, out of breath by the time she caught up to her. "Can we take a break?"
Her anger simmered down at the sight of Caroline distressed and out of her element, fear showing through her soft brown eyes. She really had no idea what she was in for.
"Sure," she finally replied, "we could all use some lunch."
The ten year old waited for her to magically create a feast of food like she had done for their breakfast.
"It's not safe for me to use magic as we get closer to Rumple's castle- food duty is on you two. Make it something good." She turned to leave them to it, ignoring Caroline's shocked expression.
"Hold on, that's it?" Robin asked, equally as surprised.
Zelena rolled her eyes. "Did you not do this for nearly your entire life? I think you can handle it."
"Can I get a bow and some arrows at least?"
She thought it over for a moment but adhered to his request.
"Can we get some better clothes so we can fit in?" Caroline asked, "people are going to look at us weird."
She did have a point. With a wave of her hand and a cloud of green smoke, father and daughter transformed from blue jeans and jackets to neutral colored pants and wool shift, a cloak added in for warmth. Caroline was wearing a long skirt and a hooded cloak that covered her hair. As soon as she saw her dad, she burst into laughter. Robin even cracked a smile at the sight of her.
"You're really telling me that everyone in our family wore this stuff? All the time?" She exclaimed, her laughter echoing through the forest, "even Roland?"
He smiled. "Even Roland, for four whole years."
"You two better get started on lunch," Zelena intervened, "we're wasting daylight."
"And what are you going to do in our absence?" Robin asked, a glaring suspicion showing in his eyes.
She matched his boldness with annoyance. "I dunno, stare at these trees? Admire their stoic beauty?"
He didn't believe her but had no choice in the matter. Steering Caroline by the shoulders, he guided her deeper into the forest.
"Are we seriously going to kill something and then eat it?" She asked, horrified at the thought.
He smiled back at her, his confidence about being back in the Enchanted Forest increasing with every step. Now distanced from the crazed woman that threatened to destroy everything he held dear, he finally felt the familiar flush of exhilaration that came with being surrounded by trees. In that moment Robin remembered this feeling from his youth, and it made his smile broaden. He could hear the faint sound of his mother's voice as she worked tirelessly to keep their clothes washed and their mouths fed, telling him about why she named him Robin. The bird signified the beginning of spring, the start of a happier time for everyone. Looking down at his daughter as they trudged onward, tears welled in his eyes; he couldn't help it. The smell of fresh pine, twigs snapping as they walked... it was home to him, and ten years in Storybrooke had masked that.
He wanted Caroline to come to love the forest as he had at her age- under different circumstances, that was. For now, he would have to take in the good moments while he could.
Roland knew his mother would be livid over how many people were currently in her bedroom. Although she was more than willing to open her home up to friends and family, the master bedroom was her and Robin's private sanctuary, a place where all the outside worries disappeared. He had fond memories of he and his siblings all crowding atop their big bed, either in an attempt to harass their parents out of boredom on a Saturday morning or for late night snuggles after one of Henry's soccer games.
The teenager became even more wary when Rumple entered the room, the man commonly known for his tumultuous relationship with his mother. He looked noticeably older than the last time Roland had seen him, which he realized was quite a while ago. Rumple rested his weight on the cane he held at his side as he studied the unconscious woman, Belle lingering awkwardly at the door. Emma, Will, The Blue Fairy, and Snow where also in the room with them while the rest waited downstairs.
"The note said that whatever she was injected with sent her soul to a realm personalized for her suffering?" Rumple asked, noting the faint mark on her neck.
"Yup, that's about all it said- annoyingly vague." Emma answered with a sigh. "Got anything that could help?"
Belle then stepped into the room, carrying three fairly large books in her arms. "These were the books I found that related to souls being trapped... hopefully there's something in there that can help."
Snow walked over and took some of the books from her. "Thanks for finding these- we can get the guys to start reading downstairs."
Watching the two leave the room, Emma then turned to Roland. "How bout it kid, ready to read some books?"
"What about a locator spell?" He proposed instead of answering her question, "Will and I were looking into it last night. Maybe that'll give us more of an idea as to where she is?"
The question was intended for Rumplestiltskin, but he seemed lost in thought as he continued looking down at Regina.
"We could try," The Blue Fairy said, giving him a reassuring smile, "we need all the magic we can get."
Will put a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "Let's all meet up with the crowd downstairs, shall we? It's depressing in here."
They all slowly sifted out of the room, leaving Rumple alone. He reassured the group that he would be down in a few minutes. The sight of her lying there stirred up so much dread within him, for he knew of Zelena's relationship to her and what she was truly capable of. He remembered the first time he met Zelena, her rage over Regina so evident that it turned her skin green. He thought it was thrilling back then, the unfiltered anger; but now, he was scared that Regina wouldn't be able to overcome the spell that held her captive. Wherever she was, Rumple knew it was somewhere horrible. He also knew that he was partially responsible for creating that horrible reality for her in the first place. His relationship with Cora was just as clear to him then as it was the night she broke his heart- that was his curse, the price he had to pay for all the magic he possessed- he remembered everything.
As he looked down at Regina, he saw a timid little girl terrified of her mother, a teenager desperate for freedom, a depressed young woman with no control over anything, and yes, also an evil queen filled with sadness and hatred. He had been with her through it all, and he wasn't about to leave her now.
He finally braced himself to face the others downstairs. They were all grouped around different spellbooks, desperately looking for anything that could help. When he entered the living room, everyone's eyes turned to him, as if he could solve each problem with a simple wave of his hand.
"I do know something that will prove valuable," Rumple began, "I'm afraid it only worsens the situation."
Everyone waited in anticipation, their dreadful looks practically burning holes through the man's skin.
"This isn't easy to say but... Zelena is Regina's half sister- mother's side. That's why she's so hellbent on ruining her life."
Emma thought she was going to be sick. "Oh my g- does Robin know this?"
The answer was a silent and collective no.
"I only met her briefly, but it was obvious that she was driven by jealousy of everything Regina had in life. Cora abandoned her a few days after she was born; Zelena believes that she deserves the storyline that Regina had. Even back when our paths crossed, she was determined to make a time travel spell so she could carry out her plan."
His words cut like daggers, hanging uncomfortably in the room as everyone processed the insanity of what was said.
"So if Zelena succeeds..." David began, his voice trailing off. "Regina and Caroline will just..."
"Disappear from existence, yes," Rumple finished for him. He couldn't bear to look at Roland- just when he thought his life hit rock bottom, things managed to get worse.
"Thing is, there aren't any means of creating a time reversal spell in the Enchanted Forest- she must've found the ingredients in another realm."
"How do we know if they're already somewhere back in time?" Ruby asked, "or what realm they're in? They could be in Narnia for all we know!"
"I..." Rumple's voice quickly faltered, growing dizzy. Belle was at his side a second later, taking his arm and leading him over to the couch. He took a moment to regain his composure before continuing. "I'll know when magic that powerful has been enacted- perks of being the Dark One. As for which realm they're in, I can assure you it is still the Enchanted Forest. I have many protection spells within miles of my castle, so if anyone uses magic in the vicinity, I'll know about it. Zelena... her magic is very powerful."
"Why are they headed towards your castle?" Emma asked, "what's there that will help her get her time travel spell?"
Though still dizzy, the man scoffed. "A great deal of powerful things, Miss Swan."
Again, everyone turned silent, unsure of where to go from there.
"Well, it's pretty safe to assume that Zelena is gonna exploit Caroline's magic in order to get what she wants- if she succeeds, then Caroline will be gone forever. The only way to stop it is to get a message to Robin and figure out a way to kill the Wicked Witch"
"We could travel there and track them down," Will spoke up, holding Ruby's hand firmly, "Rubes here is a Werewolf for Christ's sake; if anyone can do it, she can. I know the Enchanted Forest pretty well myself- we can do it, we just need a portal."
The vigor in his voice was undeniable- everyone knew he was dead set on getting his family back.
"Come with me back to my shop. Between the fairies and I, we might be able to find something strong enough to create a portal." Rumple said, feeling himself continue to weaken.
Snow reached out and put a hand on Ruby's shoulder, concern showing in her eyes. "Are you sure you two can do this? I know the Enchanted Forest pretty well too-"
"Have a little faith, Mom," Emma cut her off, "they can do it. Besides, we need as many people here figuring out a way to bring Regina back. Oh, and Belle-"
The woman was preoccupied with helping Rumple to a stand. "You want me to resume the mayoral duties, don't you?" She said, an optimistic smile on her face, "already on it. This town is going to have lots of questions about, well, everything."
"Good, let them know the truth- we could use all the insight we could get on how to fix all this."
"When's Henry getting here?" Roland asked her, breaking his long period of silence. Emma has forgotten he was still in the room.
"Any minute now," she said with a forced smile, "he's bringing Neal and Tink with him."
Even in the presence of so many friends and family members, the fifteen year old felt so alone. His entire immediate family had vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving him with constant anxiety and fear for what would come. He had barely slept or eaten.
"You know what, why don't you stay with Granny until they get here," Emma suggested, "she can make you food and give you a place to rest for a bit- you need to make sure you're taking care of yourself."
He immediately scowled. "I'm sick of being treated like a kid- I'm not five anymore, you don't need to keep pawning me off like some unwanted dog."
"Speaking of an unwanted dog, take Jupiter with you- this is for your own good." She then closed her eyes and began thinking of the transportation spell. When she reopened her eyes and saw that the spell didn't work, she swore under her breath. "Just- please, can you go? We're all really worried about you. I'll let you know if anything happens, promise."
He sighed, finally surrendering, going up stairs to collect his beagle before heading out the front door. Kicked out of my own house, he thought bitterly to himself. Rumple, Belle, Will, and Ruby followed behind him.
"You might want to revisit those magic training books I left you," said Rumple, causing Emma to visibly roll her eyes.
Soon she was left with just her parents and her boyfriend, who had remained remarkably quiet during the whole ordeal. She wanted nothing more than to curl up in her bed and sleep all of her problems away.
"We can head back home and keep reading through those books," David said, giving his daughter a comforting hug, "I also want to see if the security cameras around town caught Zelena- maybe we can find something helpful there."
Emma smiled. "Thanks, Dad- tell us if you find anything."
With that, they disappeared out the door, leaving Emma with the peace and quiet she was desperate for.
Robin is back in his element! I love writing the interesting dynamic between Rumple and Regina- there will definitely be more of that later on! What do you guys think?