CHAPTER 36
"RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!
Leroy the dwarf was screaming, everyone was screaming. The Northwest section of forest that had become a battlefield was in total chaos. A massive, furious storm raged all around them, pelting them with wind and rain. Colossal bolts of lightning came crashing down to earth, sending shockwaves through the dirt beneath their racing feet.
Regina was running as well, and could barely make out the back of Emma's blonde head in front of her amidst the heavy rain. She briefly glanced over her shoulder to try and spot her wife. Instead, all she saw behind her was the frightened face of an elven soldier. She gasped as he was stuck by a bolt of lightning, his entire body immediately bursting into flames. Regina simply turned her gaze forward again, and continued running.
The combined forces from Storybrooke and Avalon raced back toward The Town Hall, which was now magically protected, thanks to both Emma and Regina. All around them, the elves were following. They weren't attacking, though, not anymore. They were simply running for their lives. It was useless, however. They fell by the dozens, struck by bolts of lightning that set their bodies ablaze. Most of them didn't even have time to scream before they were nothing but piles of ash.
At one point, Regina stumbled and fell over a tree root. She cried out in pain as her ankle twisted grotesquely to one side. She cried out once again, this time in alarm as a bolt of lightning crashed down into the earth mere feet away from her. The bright blue flash left her blinded, the mighty crack setting her ears ringing like church bells.
Suddenly, she felt strong arms lifting her into the air. Once her vision cleared, she half expected to see Remus carrying her through the forest. But it wasn't Remus at all. She was shocked to be staring up at the face of Nel, Morganna's apprentice. She seemed to be effortlessly cradling Regina in her arms as she sprinted through the trees. Despite all the chaos, Regina couldn't help the sudden flush of heat in her cheeks.
Regina could see very little from her spot in Nel's arms. She could hear shouting all around her, the dying screams of more elven soldiers that were bursting into flames. Finally, they seemed to have broken through the storm, and were no longer surrounded by trees. She could hear the voice of Remus as he shouted directions in Avalonian. Nel continued to hurry along in silence, and finally burst through the doors of The Town Hall.
Nel gently set Regina down on the ground once they were safely inside. "Are you alright?" She asked.
Regina quickly shook her head, gritting her teeth in pain. "My… M-My ankle… I think it's… Broken."
Nel nodded, and outstretched her hands over Regina's ankle, which was still twisted grotesquely to the side. Nel's hands began to glow with a warm yellow light. A few moments later, Regina no longer felt any pain. She was finally able to stomach a glance at her ankle, which she found was now in its proper place.
"Thank you…" She whispered, breathing out a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much…"
"You are most welcome." Nel replied with another nod. She then placed a gentle hand on Regina's cheek, smiling into her eyes. "Rest, now. I must see to the others who are injured."
Once again, Regina's face suddenly flushed with heat as Nel smiled at her. She was pretty, very pretty, even amongst the blood, sweat, and dirt covering her face. Regina simply smiled back at her, and found that she was strangely unable to speak.
Nel then took her leave of her, and Regina staggered up onto her feet. She glanced around at all the rain soaked warriors surrounding her, watching as more and more continued to rush through The Town Hall's doors. Finally, Emma, Hook, Snow, and Remus stepped in behind the last of them, and shut the doors tight.
The Town Hall was sheer chaos, all of them packed in like sardines. Tinkerbell and her fellow fairies were rushing about, tending to the wounded, as were The Daughters of Chaos. The only one that wasn't among them was their own High Priestess. Regina's heart suddenly lurched in her chest, her stomach churning. She felt like she was going to be sick.
"You!" One of The Daughters cried out as she rushed up to Regina. She recognized her as Faye, one of the twins. "Where is Lady Morganna? Have you seen her?"
Once again, Regina found she was unable to speak. She simply shook her head, desperately fighting back the tears that were welling in her eyes. The truth was, she had seen Morganna. She just didn't have the heart to tell Faye what had happened to her.
"MOM!"
Regina whirled around, and found her son rushing toward her. Henry threw his arms around his mother, despite the fact that she was drenched and still covered in blood. Regina choked out a strangled sob of pure joy, her tears finally leaking onto her cheeks as she hugged her son.
"Are you ok?" Henry asked of her, his eyes wide as he looked her up and down. "What happened?"
Regina opened her mouth to speak, but stopped as another voice called out her name. "Regina! Thank god you're ok!" Emma exclaimed, who was closely followed by Hook. "It looks like the storm is contained to the forest, for now."
"Aye." Hook agreed with a nod. "What I don't understand is… How? And why? Where the hell did this devil of a storm come from?"
"I'm guessing one of those elf mages conjured it to scatter us, to force us to retreat." Emma grumbled angrily.
Regina quickly shook her head. She struggled to respond for a moment, her throat suddenly very dry. "No…" She whispered. "They… T-They didn't…"
Hook and Emma exchanged a wide eyed glance. "Then… Who did?" Asked Emma. "Did you see what happened?"
Regina nodded, but, before she could even think of a way to explain, Belle suddenly hurried up to them, little Freya at her side. "Here you all are! I'm so glad you're ok!" She exclaimed with a misty eyed smile. "What exactly is going on? Is the battle lost?"
"No, we… W-We definitely won." Regina replied, breathing out a small, bitter laugh. "I doubt there will be a single elf left after this storm is through."
Belle frowned at the others, who all looked just as confused as she was. "What do you mean?" She asked.
Regina drew in a deep, shaky breath, and slowly let it out again. "We need to gather the others. Remus, Snow, Tink, and… My sister." She went on in a whisper. "Nel too, and Puck. They all need to hear what I have to say."
The others nodded in agreement, and immediately went in search of the people that Regina had requested. "Sh-Sh-Sh… Shae?" Freya stammered quietly.
"Don't worry, Freya." Henry said with a smile, wrapping his arm around Freya's shoulders. "I'm sure we'll see her really soon. We just… Have to listen to Regina first. Ok?"
Freya slowly nodded her head, and the two of them followed Regina as she found a corner of The Town Hall that wasn't completely jam packed with people. Once the others returned, and were all gathered around her, she began to tell them about everything she saw on the battlefield.
XXXXX
"Yibambe!"
"YIBAMBE!"
"Yibambe!"
"YIBAMBE!"
Regina stood beside her wife as M'Baku once again led in the war chant. The warriors from Storybrooke even began to join in, shouting the phrase they didn't understand and thrusting their weapons into the air. The combined army of Avalonians and the people of Storybrooke stood in tight formation amongst the trees, watching as the opposing army marched ever closer.
As was customary before battle, both sides had sent emissaries to the other to deliver their terms. M'Baku sent one of his own warriors to Oberon, and The King of The Elves sent one of his soldiers. The elven soldier told them what they already knew. Oberon would not surrender, and would only leave Storybrooke after he had his daughter's head. The elf was sent back to his King with Shae's refusal, and M'Baku's warrior returned soon after.
While the elf had been sent back unharmed, the same couldn't be said for the poor human warrior. He limped back to them, his whole body covered in blood, which was oozing out from his various wounds. He managed to tell them of Oberon's own refusal to leave Storybrooke immediately before he died of his injuries.
M'Baku was enraged, as were the rest of his warriors. They all cried out, furiously beating their chests. M'Baku screamed that, if Shae had not already claimed Oberon's head, that he would take it himself.
"Don't worry, brother." Shae whispered, placing her hands firmly on M'Baku's shoulders. "A'Balla will be avenged. If I fail to kill Oberon, I give you permission to do so."
M'Baku nodded gratefully, pulling Shae in for a tight embrace. Shae held him tight for a few moments, her eyes streaming with tears just like his. After that, M'Baku began the war chant of his people, all of them shouting out furiously along with him.
"It would do your people well, to hear their Savior speak once again." Morganna muttered to Shae, placing a hand gently on her shoulder.
Regina watched her wife closely as she simply stood rooted in her stop for a few moments. Her fists were clenched tight at her sides as she watched her father's steadily approaching army. Then, she slowly nodded her head, and stepped forward. She raised her hands for silence as she stood before her army.
Once they had all quieted down, Shae began another heartfelt, inspiring speech. "Brothers and sisters!" She shouted. "My friends, my family! The day has finally come! On this very day, King Oberon's reign of tyranny will finally come to an end!"
When only the Avalonians burst out in applause, Regina realized that Shae was speaking in Avalonian. She glanced all around her, watching as the people of Storybrooke simply stared around at each other in confusion. Regina then stepped up besider wife, and began translating her words into English.
"Not only do the people of Avalon fight for their freedom this day," Shae went on, smiling at her wife. "But so do the people of Storybrooke! For now that Oberon is here, he will not leave, will not stop until all who live here are either dead or enslaved. He will take every man, woman, and child, and place them in bondage, just like so many of you used to be. We cannot allow that to happen! We will not!"
This time, the entire army cried out in support, thrusting their weapons into the air. "I have little else to say to you, brothers and sisters!" Shae continued, spreading her arms wide with a smile. "For you all know why you are fighting today. Just know this… You do not fight for me… You fight for yourselves! You fight for freedom, for peace! All I ask is that every single one of you fights with every fiber of your being, with your entire soul. If you do, then… Victory is assured!"
Once again, the gathered forces of Avalonians and Storybrooke folk bellowed out furious war cries, throwing their arms over their heads. Shae smiled gratefully at her wife, and placed a firm kiss on her lips, to which the army cheered once again.
"There's nothing to fear, my friends!" Cleaver the dwarf suddenly cried out, turning to face the crowd. "Either you live to fight another day, or The Valkyries will come and take you to Valhalla, where you will feast with The Allfather himself! Either way… What a victory, eh?"
As the army roared once again, Shae's eyes suddenly grew very sad. "What will happen to them when they die?" Regina asked of her quietly. "Where will they go?"
Shae heaved a sad, heavy sigh, and slowly shook her head. "I… Don't know."
Regina nodded, following after her wife as she joined her army once again. "Do you really think we'll win?" She asked.
Shae didn't respond right away. She stared off into the distance for a while, at her father's army that was now at a standstill a few yards away. "We have to." She whispered. "We just… Have to. There's no other way, no other choice."
Regina nodded silently some more, not knowing what else to say. For a moment, Shae simply smiled around at her friends and family from Storybrooke. They were all a bit of a strange sight, as they had been given sets of armor made from tanned leathers and furs. Shae and Regina were dressed the same, as were even Tinkerbell and the rest of the fairies.
"I don't suppose I can convince any of you to go home, can I?" Shae asked with a small, nervous laugh.
"Not a chance, mate." Hook replied with a grin.
"No way." Emma agreed, firmly shaking her head.
"This is our town." Said Snow White. "And we're going to fight for it, no matter what."
Shae sighed, slowly nodding her head. "Mom?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at her mother.
Morganna barked out a loud, amused laugh. "Sorry, darling, I'm not going anywhere." She said, patting her daughter gently on the cheek. "All I've ever wanted was to be at your side. Now that I finally am, it's where I will remain, even if it means I breathe my last today."
Once again, Shae nodded, and tightly embraced her mother. She then turned to her best friend, her brother. "Remus… I-"
"Oh, don't you even dare!" Cried Remus, cutting Shae off. "Don't you dare try and tell me to run now, after all we've been through! I won't hear it!"
Shae laughed, slowly shaking her head. "I… Wasn't going to. I know you'll be right here, fighting at my side… Till the end."
The furious look on Remus's face slowly melted away, turning into a smile. He then drew Shae into a tight embrace. "Till the end…" He whispered.
After a moment, Remus released Shae, who then turned to her wife, the woman that she loved. As she stared into the gorgeous brown eyes that she loved so much, she found she was unable to speak. She then drew Regina into her arms, and kissed her with all the love and passion that she could muster.
"I love you." She whispered, tears streaming down her face.
"I love you too." Regina whispered back, smiling at her wife through her own tears. "No matter what happens to either of us today, I'll always love you. Forever and always."
All Shae was able to do was choke out a strangled sob. She kissed the woman that she loved once again, holding her as tight as she possibly could. They remained wrapped up in each other's loving arms for a few moments, until Shae finally stepped away. She hastily wiped the tears from her face as she turned around to face her father's army. She hefted a sword in one hand, and Mjolnir in the other as she strode forward.
Her army was still chanting, but fell silent as Shae stepped forward. "OBERON!" Shae shouted, spreading her arms wide. "This is your last chance! Surrender now, and your men may return to Avalon in peace! And to you, Father, I will grant a swift, painless death!"
There were a few moments of tense silence where Oberon failed to respond. Instead, his archers silently drew back their bow strings, turned their arrows up toward the sky, and fired. For a split second, Shae simply stared wide eyed at the dozens upon dozens of arrows that shot up into the sky.
"BRACE!" She screamed.
Shae then turned around, and sprinted headlong back toward her army. They all followed her command, and those armed with shields crouched down, forming a tight circle as they threw them over their heads. Those without shields, the archers and the magic wielders, rushed to safety underneath the shield canopy, as did Shae.
There was another tense moment where they all waited for the arrows to collide with the shields. But they never did. The shields were slowly lowered, and they all watched in awe as the hundreds of arrows bounced harmlessly off of a magical barrier, which was glowing with a soft green light. Zelena was the only one still standing tall, her arms raised toward the sky.
"That's my girl!" Remus exclaimed with a grin.
Zelena grinned back at him, giving him a wink. Regina was a bit unsettled by their newfound friendship, but she remained silent about it. There were far too many other things to worry about, like Oberon's suddenly charging army.
"SHIELD WALL!" Shae shouted.
Once again, those armed with shields reacted first, and rushed forward, Shae's own Shield Maidens leading the charge. They thrust their shields out in front of them as they formed a long line. The warriors placed their shields side by side, and stacked them on top of each other. In seconds, they had forward what Shae had requested, a shield wall.
"Hold…" Shae commanded, as Oberon's foot soldiers continued to charge toward them. "Hold!"
Once more, there was an incredibly tense few seconds where they all watched their foes drawing closer and closer. "SPEARS!" Shouted Shae.
All those in the shield wall armed with spears thrust them forward. They were just in time to meet Oberon's foot soldiers as they collided with them. The shield wall heaved, but never broke, the warriors from both Avalon and Storybrooke holding strong.
Regina and her friends and family from Storybrooke, who were not armed with either spears or shields, simply held back and watched the grizzly scene unfold before them. Many elven soldiers screamed as they were impaled by spears upon the initial charge, their blood spurting in all directions.
More elves met the same fate as those in the shield wall continued to thrust their spears forward. The warriors that didn't have spears or shields threw themselves upon the backs of their brethren, stabbing and slashing downwards at the elves. Puck was among them, screaming as he swung his mace. Regina had asked him why he had chosen a mace, which was not a popular weapon among the elves or the Avalonians.
"I'm no warrior, Rhena'min. I'm no good with a sword or a bow." He had answered with a sad smile. "But… I want to fight for my freedom, like the rest of my fellow slaves. So, I took up a mace. It's simple, but strong. One good blow to the head is all you need to fell your foe."
Regina couldn't argue as she watched the young, scrawny elf bring down his mace onto the head of an opposing soldier. She then summoned another fireball into her hand, and launched it into the air. Her sister had been doing the same, and Emma was using her own magic, as were Morganna and her sisters. Suddenly, their magic was bouncing off several magical barriers. It appeared that a few of Oberon's mages had joined the front lines.
Shae had seen it too as she stood behind the shield wall, carefully watching the battle. "SNOW!" She cried out, pointing toward the mages.
"I see them!" Snow shouted back. "ARCHERS!"
Snow pointed out the same three men to her fellow archers, and they all nocked their arrows, pulling their bowstrings tight. "OPEN!" Shae shouted.
Several of the shield bearers dropped their shields, or moved them to the side, creating windows among the shield wall. The second that they did, Snow and the rest of the archers fired. Shae and Regina both threw their fists into the air, crying out in joy as they watched the mages fall.
Shae then glanced up toward the rest of her father's army, who were still holding back. "TINK!" She screamed, turning around and waving her hand in the air. "TINK! THE SIGNAL!"
Tinkerbell, her fellow fairies, and The Daughters of Chaos were at the very back of the army. When Tink saw Shae waving at her, she nodded at the rest of the fairies. They quickly formed a circle, and pointed their wands into the air. Sparks of varying types of colors burst forth from their wands, exploding into the air like fireworks.
Shae and the others waited with bated breath. Then, they grinned at each other once they heard the sound of beating wings, massive wings. They, along with many others, were almost knocked off their feet by the downdraft of the two dragons that came soaring over their heads. It was Maleficent and her daughter, Lily, who had been persuaded to join the fight by Snow. None of them were surprised. Inspiring hope and courage was what Snow White did best.
The only other magic wielder that hadn't been persuaded, the one that was powerful enough to actually make the battle easy, was Gold. Apparently, he had told Snow and Hook that he had already done enough by refusing Oberon's orders to kidnap his own grandson. Once again, noone was surprised. As they watched the two dragon women soar toward Oberon and the rest of his army, they knew that they would be more than enough to win the day, and that all was going according to plan.
Shae, Remus, and M'Baku had all known that Oberon would send out his foot soldiers first. They had carefully planned for it with Maleficent and her daughter. They also knew that Oberon's best soldiers, his mages, and Oberon himself would hold back. They had told Maleficent and Lily to target the mages specifically, who would be recognizable by their light armor and the staffs they carried to channel their magic. Now that their plan was in place, all they needed to do was keep the bulk of Oberon's army at bay.
All those who were watching the dragons bellowed out in triumph as they watched them breathe fire down onto the heads of Oberon and the rest of his army. Several of his mages were able to throw up protective barriers just in time, but their efforts were mostly to save their King. Dozens upon dozens of Oberon's best soldiers were cooked inside their own armor, screaming as they were reduced to nothing but piles of ash.
As the dragons circled back around for another sweep, Shae and her army's joy caught in their throats. The elven mages cast two massive fireballs, which followed the dragons carefully no matter how much they dodged and weaved. One of them was only grazed on her tail, but the other took the fireball straight to her left wing. She emitted a great, painful roar, and began to spiral downward into the trees.
"MALEFICENT!" Shae screamed. She ran her trembling hands through her haid, turning in her spot several times. "Emma! EMMA!"
"I saw!" Emma cried, already heading in Maleficent's direction. "I'm on it!"
"Right behind you, Swan!" Hook called after her.
Shae quickly gathered together a group of Avalonians who weren't in the shield wall, and instructed them to follow Emma and Hook, to protect them. They immediately obeyed, and rushed after them. Shae then glanced up at Lily, who was still in the air despite her scorched tail.
"LILY!" She screamed. "LILY, STOP!"
But it was useless. The young woman was obviously enraged, and she rained fire down on Oberon and his army's heads once again. Suddenly, a burst of bright, golden light shot up toward Lily, and struck her right in the chest. Shae recognized it as Oberon's own magic. She gasped in alarm as, suddenly, there was no longer a dragon in the sky. Instead, the crumbled form of Lily was hurtling straight toward the ground.
Morganna threw out both her hands in Lily's direction, and the young woman's descent toward the ground was immediately slowed to a crawl. "I… I-I can't hold this for long…" Morganna spat through gritted teeth.
"Zelena!" Shae called out.
"On my way!" Zelena replied, rushing off in Lily's direction.
Remus broke away from the shield wall, and sprinted after Zelena. Once again, Shae gathered a group of Avalonians, and sent them to aid Zelena and Remus. The group immediately rushed off after the two of them.
"Shit… Shit, shit, shit…" Shae muttered, once again running her trembling hands through her hair. "This… T-This isn't good… They weren't supposed to go down so fast."
"What do we do now?" Regina asked of her wife, eyes wide.
Shae didn't respond right away, chewing on her bottom lip as her mind raced. "M'Baku! Okoye! Cleaver! Jack!" She suddenly called out.
The four people she had asked for quickly rushed to her side. "It's time." She said, staring very seriously around at them all. "I need you guys to do what you do best."
M'Baku, Cleaver, Jack Sparrow, and Okoye all nodded their heads. "Men! To me! TO ME!" M'Baku bellowed.
"Shield Maidens!" Shouted Okoye. "Assemble!"
"Come, my Reavers!" Cried Cleaver. "It's time to split some skulls!"
Jack Sparrow also called out to his crew. "Look alive, gents! Hop to, you damn scallywags!"
Shae breathed out a nervous, shaky sigh as she watched them all sprinting off into the woods. It was all part of the plan as well. M'Baku and his warriors were all especially trained in guerilla warfare. It was M'Baku's tribe's specialty, in fact. Cleaver and his Reavers, as well as Jack and his pirates, all fought dirty and unconventionally. Okoye and her group had been trained to fight more traditionally, so they were simply to follow M'Baku's lead. It was their task to slip into the forest unnoticed, and come down hard on Oberon's mages.
As Okoye, M'Baku, Cleaver, and Jack Sparrow all split off into the trees with their warriors, Shae continued to watch the battlefield carefully. The shield wall was holding well, and they were slowly chipping away at Oberon's foot soldiers. Shae knew that they wouldn't be able to last much longer, though. She waited for the opportune moment, watching the treeline on either side of the rest of Oberon's forces carefully.
Finally, the opportune moment came. Shae grinned when she saw two arrows alight with fire shoot up into the sky. It was the signal that M'Baku, Cleaver, Jack, and Okoye were ready and in position.
"EVERYONE! THE TIME HAS COME!" Shae bellowed out, turning around to face the rest of her forces. "Remember! Target the mages first, and leave The King to me! His head is mine!"
"We'll just see about that…"
Suddenly, a figure dressed all in black sped past Shae, and leapt straight over the shield wall. "NO!" Shae cried. "STOP!"
Shae snarled in fury, watching as her evil half began to fight her way through the foot soldiers, and toward Oberon. It had been Emma's idea to momentarily release Evil Shae from her cell, and bring her onto the battlefield. They all knew that, since she was just as powerful as Shae, and also couldn't die, she would be an invaluable asset.
That didn't mean that any of them trusted her, though, so they left the magic draining leather cuff on her wrist, and only gave her a sword. Evil Shae didn't seem to mind one bit. In fact, she happily cooperated, and said that she was excited to finally spill some elven blood. Now, it seemed, she was determined to spill Oberon's blood all by herself.
Shae was forced to ignore her disobedient other half, and turned back toward her army. "Right… On my mark, the shield wall will open, Regina and I will clear the way, and then we charge!"
The entire army bellowed out in agreement, even those still in the shield wall. "Ready?" Shae asked of her wife.
Regina nodded as she drew her sword, and summoned another fireball into her free hand. "I was born ready…" She growled.
Shae nodded back, and readied her own sword free hand "OPEN!" She shouted.
This time, those at the very center of the shield wall stepped aside, creating a wide gap. At that very same moment, Shae and Regina thrust their hands forward. A jetstream of flames burst forth from Regina's hand, a powerful gust of wind from Shae's. The wind bowled dozens of elven soldiers over, and any who were left standing were engulfed in flames.
Once the way forward was clear, Shae raised Mjolnir into the air, and screamed; "CHAAAARGE!"
She, her wife, and her mother led the way as their army began to stream through the gap in the shield wall, bellowing out furious war cries. Once the remaining forces were through, those in the shield wall covered their backs, rushing after any elven soldiers who pursued them. The only ones left behind were Tinkerbell and the rest of the fairies, as well as a small group of Avalonians that was meant to protect them. The fairies, though powerful in their own way, were not warriors. Their job was to hang back and be ready to use their healing powers.
As soon as Shae's forces began to charge, Oberon commanded his to do the same. The two armies sprinted toward each other, screaming at the top of their lungs. There was a moment where time seemed to slow to a crawl just before the armies clashed. Once they did, the sound was deafening. All around, nothing could be heard but the sound of steel striking steel, and the sounds of men and women screaming. It was complete and utter chaos.
The moment when the two armies clashed was when Okoye, M'Baku, Cleaver, and Jack Sparrow's forces finally emerged from their hiding spots amongst the trees. They sprinted into battle, circling in behind Oberon and his kingsguard. Just as planned, they rushed in unnoticed, and began to attack any mages they could find. At that same time, Maleficent and Lily rejoined the fight, as did Emma, Hook, Remus, and Zelena. Lily and her mother were no longer dragons, but they both began casting spells, targeting the mages as well.
"WOOO!" Shae exclaimed, briefly throwing her bloody sword into the air. She then plunged it into the heart of an elven soldier that was charging at her, and grinned at her wife. "Everything is going according to plan now! We just might win this!"
"Of course we will!" Cleaver the dwarf shouted from nearby as he buried his axe into an elf's skull. He laughed loudly as he turned to Shae, spreading his arms wide. "We have The Gods on our side! Odin and his son Thor are smiling down on us at this very moment! They-"
Cleaver suddenly stopped short as the tip of a spear burst through the center of his chest. "CLEAVER!" Shae screamed.
Shae immediately sprinted toward him. She shrieked in fury as she swung her sword through the air, lobbing off the head of an elven soldier as he pulled his spear from Cleaver's chest. She fell to her knees beside the dwarf as he crashed backwards down onto the ground.
"No… No, no, no…" She whispered, her eyes welling with tears and she desperately placed her hands over the gaping wound in Cleaver's chest. "Cleaver… No…"
Cleaver simply laughed, reaching out and gripping Shae's shoulder. "Don't cry for me, Savior. There is… No need for sorrow." He rasped, coughing up a wad of blood. "The Valkyries are on their way. They will carry me to Odin's hall. I feel… Nothing but… Joy."
Shae choked out a strangled sob, squeezing her eyes shut as tears streamed down her face. "Hear that? They're coming… I… Hear the beating of their wings." Cleaver exclaimed, reaching one arm up toward the sky with a smile. He then drew in a deep, trembling gasp. "Val… Halla…"
Cleaver let out one last breath, and his arms fell limply back to his side. Regina and Morganna continued to fight off any soldiers that came their way as Shae continued to kneel by her friend's side. She slowly reached out a trembling hand, and gently drew Cleaver's eyes shut. She grasped both of his arms, crossing them over his chest. Then, she finally rose to her feet.
"NOOOOO!"
Shae screamed in fury as she threw herself back into battle. She swung her sword wildly as she continued screaming. Her rage and pain fueled her every strike as she cut down foe after foe. After a while, she finally stopped, her chest heaving, her whole body covered head to toe in blood and dirt.
"That's it…" She snarled, turning her wide, wild eyes onto her wife and her mother. "I'm going after Oberon…"
Regina and Morganna exchanged a brief glance. "I'll cover you." Regina replied with a nod.
"As will I." Said Morganna, nodding as well.
Unfortunately, getting to Oberon was not an easy task. Elven soldiers rushed the three of them on all sides. Shae was still fueled by rage over watching her friend Cleaver die, and she pressed quickly on, swiftly and brutally cutting down anyone in her path. Regina and Morganna, however, quickly became overwhelmed, and fell behind. They stood back to back, fighting off soldier after soldier.
At one point, Shae saw one of Oberon's mages once again cast a massive fireball into the air. She bellowed out in rage, momentarily dropping her sword to raise both hands toward the fireball. Massive jet streams of water burst forth from her hands, extinguishing the fireball before it even had a chance to do any damage. The mage was confused and enraged himself, and began searching wildly for whoever had put a stop to his spell. He spotted Shae just in time for her to throw him to the ground, and stomp her foot furiously into his face, immediately crushing his skull.
Shae didn't even have time to revel in her victory, as she was immediately tackled by an elven soldier. The two of them wrestled around on the ground for a few moments, kicking and punching at whatever area they could reach. Shae managed to throw the elf off of her, and began crawling toward her fallen sword.
Unfortunately, the elf was back on his feet too quickly. Just when her fingers were about to close around the hilt of her sword, Shae was seized by the back of her armor, and thrown back down again. She watched in horror as the elf raised his sword into the air, bellowing out a victorious war cry.
Suddenly, the elf's body jerked, the tip of a sword protruding out of his forehead. The sword was then wrenched out of his head, and he slumped sideways onto the ground. Nel was standing behind him, her chest heaving, her sword dripping with blood.
Shae watched in pure awe as Nel was rushed by two other soldiers. She dodged and weaved with expert precision, and cut off the head of one of them, burying her sword into the chest of the other. Shae's eyes were wide as saucers as she watched Nel casually flick the blood away from her sword, and straightened herself up.
"Come." She said, smiling down at Shae as she held out her hand. "This is no place to die."
Shae suddenly felt her blood stained, dirt covered face flush with heat. She grabbed on to Nel's hand, who pulled her effortlessly to her feet. Shae continued to stare at her in silent shock and awe as she bent down to retrieve her sword, and handed it to her.
"Holy shit…" Shae whispered as she took her sword from the other woman's hand. "Nel! That was… Fucking awesome!"
Nel simply laughed, reaching out and squeezing Shae's arm. Once again, Shae felt her face flush with a sudden heat. As Nel continued to smile at her, she realized that she was very pretty, even though she was also covered in dirt and blood.
At that moment, Regina and Morganna arrived. "Here you are!" Morganna exclaimed, rushing up to her daughter in concern. "Are you alright?"
"I'm so sorry, Shae. We got a bit overwhelmed." Regina said breathlessly, her chest heaving with exertion.
"Uh, y-yeah… I'm fine." Shae replied, smiling back at Nel. "Thanks to Nel, here. She went into total badass mode and saved my life."
"I'm not at all surprised." Said Morganna, smiling fondly at her Apprentice. "I have trained her well, after all."
"Indeed you have, Lady Morganna." Muttered Nel, bowing low to her High Priestess. She then straightened up again, and turned her eyes back onto Shae. "Now, then… I assume you are after your father. I am by your side, Savior. My sword is yours."
Shae quickly cleared her throat, and quickly nodded her head. "Thank you, Nel." She said with another grateful smile. "Right… Let's keep going."
The others all nodded, and continued to follow her, quickly striking down any soldier that got in their way. They ran into M'Baku as they made their way toward the back of Oberon's army, where Oberon himself was likely hiding. Jack Sparrow was with him as well, and when they all told them they were after The King's head, they insisted on coming along. Hook, Emma, Snow, and Zelena found them on the way as well, and quickly joined them.
"GWYNBLEIDD! GWYNBLEIDD!"
As the now much larger group began to approach the back of the camp, fighting through Oberon's own Kingsguard, they heard a familiar voice screaming at the top of his lungs. They found Remus surrounded by several more Kingsguard. Over a dozen of their brethren were lying dead at Remus's feet. Remus himself was standing amongst them, covered head to toe in blood and guts and gore. He was armed with two axes, which were also dripping with blood.
"IRONSIDE! THAT IS MY NAME!" He screamed in Elvish, spreading his arms wide. His eyes were wide and wild, and he had an equally wild grin on his face. "I am Remus Ironside! You cannot kill me! Do you hear me? You cannot kill me! NOTHING CAN KILL ME!"
For a moment, the soldiers surrounding Remus hesitated, staring wide eyed around at each other. Then, Remus drew back one of his axes, and hurled it at the soldier nearest him, screaming in fury as he did. The axe buried itself right between the soldier's eyes, and he immediately crashed backwards onto the ground, dead. Upon seeing yet another one of their brethren fall to the same man, the other Kingsguard turned tail and ran.
"That's right! Run you fucking bastards!" Remus bellowed after them. As soon as they were gone, Remus turned to the others, his chest heaving with exertion. "Thank the gods for that… I was getting a bit tired."
"My god, you are magnificent…" Zelena breathed in wonder, her jaw nearly hitting the floor.
Remus chuckled as he attempted to wipe the blood from his face with his equally blood stained hand. "Right… What are you lot doing out here? Going after Oberon?"
They all nodded their heads in silence, still speechless as they stared around at all the dead soldiers that Remus had killed all by himself. "Excellent! Just a moment…" Remus replied. He then stepped up to the soldier he had just felled, and wrenched his axe from his skull. "Right, then. Off we pop! I believe he's this way."
Remus grinned at them all as he began to lead the way toward Oberon. "Are you absolutely sure I couldn't just put a bag over my head or something?" Zelena asked of Remus as she hurried after him.
Remus breathed out a long, irritable sigh before responding. "For the last time, Zelena! No! How many times must we discuss this?"
"Alright, alright…" Zelena mumbled, raising her hands in defeat.
The others trailed along after Remus, still completely speechless. The only one who wasn't fazed was Shae, who simply laughed. As they continued on, they all quickly noticed that they seemed to be following a trail of dead bodies, more of Oberon's Kingsguard, but not felled by Remus. When they finally reached the very back of Oberon's army, they realized why.
Evil Shae had made it to Oberon, and was in the middle of a heated battle with him. The others stood amongst the bodies of The Kingsguard, watching as Evil Shae and Oberon exchaed blow after heavy blow. It was obvious that Evil Shae was losing, as she was bloodied and bruised, her black leather armor torn open by various wounds. Her sword arm appeared to be injured, as it drooped low at her side, her sword itself dragging across the ground.
With a furious war cry, Evil Shae hefted her sword once again with both hands, but was much too slowly. She grunted painfully as Oberon jabbed his own sword straight into her chest. He kept it there for a moment, grinning victoriously into her eyes. Then, he wrenched his sword back out, and Evil Shae collapsed sideways onto the ground.
"There you are, my darling daughter!" Oberon exclaimed once he noticed Shae and the others standing before him. He grinned around at them all for a moment, spreading his arms wide. "That was very clever of you, sending this imposter after me. As was sending your men sneaking into the trees after my mages. Clever, yes… But despicable tactics. You fight without honor!"
Shae barked out a loud, amused laugh, taking a step toward her father. "No. I suppose I don't." She replied with a small, unconcerned shrug. "But I do fight to survive. I fight for the survival and the prosperity of my people. I fight to win!"
This time, Oberon was the one to let out a loud, amused laugh. "You cannot win! Not against me!" He exclaimed, laughing some more. "I am King Oberon of Avalon! King Oberon the Fierce! I am The Champion of the Gods! Once I kill you, I will take back Odin's Spear, and I will take Thor's Hammer from your cold, dead hands!"
"It is not her fate to die by your hand, Oberon!" Morganna shouted, stepping up next to her daughter. "You know that! There is nothing, nothing you can do to change that!"
Suddenly, Oberon's eyes flashed with rage. "Shut up you wretched, idiotic woman!" He spat furiously. "I am through listening to your meaningless prophecies! You know nothing! NOTHING!"
Oberon seized a spear from one of his nearby fallen Kingsguard, and hurled it straight at Morganna's head. Morganna didn't even flinch, and simply smiled at her former husband as their daughter seized the spear out of the air just before it struck. Shae smiled into her father's eyes as well, as she snapped the spear in half over her knee.
"I should have killed you the moment I met you, Morganna." Oberon snarled, pointing an enraged, trembling finger at her. He then slowly turned his gaze and his finger onto Shae. "And you… I should have dashed your head against a wall the moment you came out screaming and squalling. You and your useless sister!"
This time, Shae's eyes flashed with rage, and she took a furious step toward her father. "Uh… Shae?" Emma suddenly mumbled. "We've… Got a problem."
Shae whirled around, as did the others. Oberon's soldiers had finally noticed that the enemy was now surrounding their King. They slowly began to approach, weapons bared and at the ready.
"Keep them back" Shae snarled as she turned back around. "I'll take care of my father."
The others all nodded, falling back into battle ready stances. They knew that there was no point in arguing with her. Before joining the others, Morganna reached out toward her daughter, cupping her face in her hands.
"Go, my love, my heart. Put an end to this vile, wretched excuse for a man, for a father." She whispered, staring deep into Shae's eyes. "Make it slow, if you can. Slow and painful."
Shae simply nodded in silence, to which her mother nodded back. Morganna then quickly embraced her daughter, holding her as tight as she could. Tears streamed down her face when she finally released her, and there was a sudden deep sadness in her eyes. She then steeled herself, and rushed off to join the others.
Shae turned back around to face her father, who was glaring silently at her, Evil Shae's blood dripping from his sword. "You do not deserve to wield Mjolnir." Oberon growled, pointing the tip of his sword at the ancient hammer tied to Shae's belt. "Thor and his father are likely furious knowing that a wretch like you has even laid a finger on their divine weapons."
Shae gritted her teeth, glaring back at her father in silence. This seemed to enrage Oberon even more, and he cried out in fury, beating his fist over his chest. "I am King of Avalon! I am The Champion of the Gods!" He bellowed once again. He then narrowed his eyes at his daughter, and pointed the tip of his sword straight at her forehead. "And you… You are nothing but a mistake!"
Once again, Shae's eyes flashed with rage. She raised her sword, bellowed out a furious war cry, and charged headlong at her father. Oberon raised his own sword just in time to block Shae's blow, laughing as he did.
"Are you certain you want to face me again, daughter?" He asked, grinning into Shae's eyes. "Don't you remember what happened last time?"
"Oh, I remember…" Shae growled in reply. "This won't be anything like last time. This time… You'll die!"
Shae shoved him furiously away from her, and swung once again. She remembered her last fight with Oberon very well. Though he wore heavy plate mail into battle, he was shockingly fast. He was shockingly strong too, despite his thin and lanky frame. Each of his blows that Shae blocked with her sword had sent shockwaves throughout her entire body. It had been a miracle that she even survived, let alone managed to steal Gungnir.
There had been a split second that Shae had finally managed to stagger her father, and she immediately used Mjolnir's magic on him. Then, she grabbed Gungnir, and ran. That was when she called out to her already losing army to retreat. Now, though, things were different. The battle was actually going their way. She knew that there would be no running, not this time. Either Oberon would die today, or she would.
Unfortunately, nothing had changed about Oberon since their last fight. He was still incredibly fast in his plate armor, and incredibly strong. This time, however, Shae had a better understanding of his tactics. Instead of trying to block and parry his blows, she simply dodged and weaved, leading him around the battlefield in a strange sort of dance. Her ultimate goal was to tire him out. Then, she would finally strike.
"ENOUGH!" Oberon bellowed, his chest heaving with exertion, sweat streaming down his forehead. He had finally caught on to Shae's own tactics, and was obviously furious over it. "Stop this dancing around and fight! Fight me with honor, you damned abomination!"
"Sorry, but… I've never cared much for honor." Shae replied with a wink.
She swiftly drew Mjolnir from its holster, and hurled it at Oberon. Her aim was sure and true, and the hammer stuck him right in the forehead. He cried out in pain, holding his aching head as Shae held out her hand, summoning Mjolnir right back to her. She then raised the hammer over her head, and it began to crackle with lightning.
Unfortunately, Oberon recovered much quicker than Shae had anticipated. Before she was able to bring the fury of Thor down upon her father, Oberon threw out his hand. A beam of bright, golden light burst forth from it, and struck Shae straight in the chest. She was sent hurtling backwards, both her sword and Mjolnir slipping from her hands. Her back crashed into a nearby tree, and she cursed her mortal body as she felt several bones crack on impact. She then fell face first into the dirt, coughing and sputtering.
Shae managed to right herself, just in time to watch her father scoop up Mjolnir. She reached out her hand, attempting to summon it back to her. Once again, Oberon was much too quick. He raised Mjolnir over his head, and brought it back down. A massive bolt of lightning burst forth from Thor's Hammer, once again striking Shae right in the chest. She was sent hurtling backwards all over again, crashing through the trees.
Once the pain subsided, Shae pushed herself shakily back onto her feet. Mjolnir was in Oberon's hands now, and she had no idea where her sword was. Still, though, she had to keep fighting. As her father began to slowly walk toward her through the trees, she summoned a fireball into her hand, and hurled it at him, screaming furiously. Oberon reacted with lightning quick reflexes, and extinguished her fireball just before it struck him with a quick flick of his wrist.
Barking out a loud, raucous laugh, Oberon used Mjolnir to send another bolt of lightning Shae's way. It struck her in the chest once again, but, this time, she held her ground. She screamed as the electricity shot through her entire body with burning, stinging pain. She dropped down onto one knee, coughing and sputtering, her chest heaving. She then pushed herself back onto her feet, and summoned another fireball. Before she could even throw it, another bolt of lightning struck her in the chest. She screamed in pain, and her father laughed. He continued laughing as he slowly began to approach her, using her own weapon against her again, and again, and again.
Meanwhile, back out on the battlefield, The Heroes of Storybrooke continued to fight against Oberon's soldiers. They were slowly but surely pushing forward, completely unaware of Shae's plight. Suddenly, Morganna let out a sharp gasp. She grabbed on to Regina's arm, who was fighting beside her.
"Shae…" She whispered, her eyes wide. "She needs me!"
"Morganna!" Regina called after her as she sprinted into the trees. "Wait! MORGANNA!"
Regina quickly kicked the elven soldier she had been fighting with away from her, and rushed off after her mother-in-law. She sprinted headlong through the trees, her chest heaving, her heart racing. She was quickly gaining on Morganna when she was suddenly seized by the back of her armor, and pulled to the ground.
The elven soldier had followed her, and was standing over her, sword in the air. Regina quickly plunged her own sword into his leg. As the soldier howled with pain, Regina bellowed out a furious war cry, pushing herself onto her feet as she buried her sword in the soldier's chest. Once he had fallen limp before her, Regina continued forward.
Morganna was nowhere to be seen, but Regina rushed off in the general direction she had seen her going. After a few moments, she heard a scream, Morganna's scream. Regina sprinted toward her voice, and arrived on an alarming scene.
Shae was lying in a crumpled heap at the base of a tree, her father standing over her. Oberon had his back to Regina, but she could clearly see Mjolnir clutched in one of his fists. Morganna was standing in front of him, staring at him, her eyes wide with what looked like fear. There was a sickening, squelching crunch as Oberon drew his sword back. Suddenly, Morganna collapsed sideways, blood spilling out of the gaping wound in her belly.
"Mom…" Shae whispered, groaning in pain as she began to drag herself forward. "No… Mom!"
Oberon laughed as he flicked Morganna's blood away from his sword. "Well, well… It seems The Gods have truly blessed me this day." He muttered, taking a step toward Shae. "I have finally killed your witch of a mother, and, now… I'll finally kill you."
Oberon raised his sword into the air, and Regina suddenly bellowed out in rage. She sprinted headlong toward him, and tackled him straight to the ground. Mjolnir slipped from his hand, but he managed to hang on to his sword. He swung it at Regina as soon as he was back on his feet, screaming in rage himself.
While her wife clashed with her father, Shae pushed herself up onto her knees beside her mother. "I-It's ok, Mom." She whispered, holding her trembling hands out over the wound in Morganna's stomach. "E-Everything's… Gonna be ok."
Shae's hands then began to glow with a warm yellow light. She stared at her mother's gaping wound, waiting for it to close. But nothing seemed to be happening.
"It's… I-It's not working…" She whispered, eyes wide with horror. "Why? Why isn't it working?"
Morganna reached out and grasped her daughter's arm, slowly shaking her head. "Oberon's… Sword…" She whispered, coughing weakly. "It's… Enchanted."
"W-What… What the hell does that mean?" Cried Shae.
"It's alright, my love." Morganna replied softly, smiling up into her daughter's eyes. "I knew this day would come. I knew… That this day would… Be my last."
Shae vigorously shook her head, placing her hands frantically over the bleeding wound in her mother's stomach. "No… No, no, no… I… I-I'll take you to the fairies! They-"
"There's nothing they can do for me, Shae." Morganna whispered. "I knew… That this sacrifice had to be made, for… For you to achieve… Your great destiny…"
Shae choked out a strangled sob, shaking her head some more. "Mom… No… This… T-This can't be happening. We… W-We just-"
Morganna suddenly emitted another weak, feeble cough. Blood began to trickle out of her lips, and down her chin. She cried out in pain as she attempted to push herself up in a sitting position. Shae quickly helped her, and held her gently in her trembling arms.
"Take care of your sister, and your… Lovely wife." Morganna went on, placing her hand gently on Shae's cheek with a smile. "Tell Freya… That I love her… Just as I love you… My darling girl."
"No… No, no, no…" Shae whispered, pressing her forehead against her mother's, holding her tight. "Please… Please don't go. Don't leave me… Please…"
Morganna coughed some more, violently this time, drawing in several quick shallow breaths. "I love you… So much." She whispered softly back. "I always have… I always will."
"Mom… No… Please!"
"I… Love you… I… I-I… I love…"
Morganna's voice trailed off into silence, and she suddenly went limp in her daughter's arms. Shae watched in horror as her mother's eyes slowly closed. Morganna, High Priestess of The Daughters of Chaos, beloved Mother and friend, let out one last breath, and was gone.
As Shae held her mother in horrified, heart-broken silence, Regina was still locked in vicious combat with Oberon. She used both her sword and her magic, fighting wildly, her eyes seeing nothing but red. She had no idea if she was even holding her own or not.
The answer became startlingly apparent when Oberon suddenly knocked her sword from her hand. Regina attempted to use her magic again, but was too slow. She cried out in alarm as Oberon suddenly seized her by the throat, raising her effortlessly into the air.
"You…" Oberon snarled, glaring viciously into Regina's eyes. "You and your kind disgust me. I'm going to enjoy crushing you like the vile, loathsome, filthy insect that you are."
Regina gasped desperately for air as Oberon's fingers squeezed tighter around her windpipe. "Shae!" She managed to cry out. "SHAE!"
Darkness began to creep in from the corners of Regina's vision. Oberon simply laughed as he continued to squeeze tighter and tighter. Suddenly, his laughter caught in his throat, and Regina heard the familiar sound of crackling lightning bursting forth from Thor's Hammer. Regina was released from Oberon's grip, and crashed down onto the ground. She coughed and sputtered, drawing in a deep, trembling gasp, desperately and gratefully filling her lungs with air.
"You… How dare you…" Oberon growled as he pushed himself back up onto his feet. "You are not even worthy to stand in my presence!"
Regina slowly turned her eyes onto her wife, which grew wide with shock. Shae was standing with Mjolnir clenched in her fist once again. Her head was bowed, and her jet black hair had come loose from her braid during battle. It was damp with sweat, and hung over her face. What was most alarming was the tiny, bright blue sparks of lightning crackling all throughout her body.
"You will die by my hand!" Oberon screamed, beating a furious fist over his chest, his eyes wide and wild. "I am The Champion of The Gods! I am King Oberon! I AM KING! I AM KIIIIIINNG!"
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Regina watched Oberon charge at Shae. He screamed in fury, jabbing his sword straight toward her heart. Shae didn't move a single muscle. She simply continued to stand still with her head bowed. Regina's already wide eyes grew even wider as Oberon's sword bounced harmlessly off of Shae's chest, and went flying from his hand.
Oberon simply stood rooted in his spot for a moment. He stared down at his own two hands, then back at Shae, his mouth opening and closing several times, his bottom lip trembling. He then stumbled back several steps, shaking his head in complete and utter disbelief.
"W-What…" He whispered. "What are you?"
Shae slowly raised her head to stare into her father's eyes. Her own eyes were completely stark white, crackling with the same blue sparks as the rest of her body. She cocked her head slightly to one side, and only uttered a single word.
"Vatt'ghern…"
She then threw out her free hand toward her father, and a mighty bolt of lightning burst forth from her palm. Instead of being blasted backwards, Oberon's body crackled violently with bright blue sparks. He fell to his knees, screaming and wailing as he convulsed. Regina gasped in fright, scrambling backwards from her spot on the ground as Oberon's entire body burst into flames. Within seconds, Oberon the Fierce, King of Avalon, Shae's father, was reduced to nothing but a small, smoldering pile of ash.
Silence fell over the forest for a moment, only the distant sound of war still being waged to be heard. Shae slowly placed Mjolnir back in the holster attached to her belt, and turned around. Regina watched as she silently bent down, and lifted her mother into her arms. Morganna didn't appear to be moving at all.
"Shae… W-What… What happened?" Regina stammered, quickly scrambling up onto her feet. "She's… S-She's not… Is she?"
Shae didn't respond, and slowly began walking away. "Shae! Shae, wait!" Regina called out as she hurried after her. "Where are you going?"
Once again, Shae didn't respond, and only continued to walk slowly forward. Regina followed silently behind her, still shaken over what she had just witnessed. She stared at Morganna's limp form that Shae was carrying in her arms, desperately watching for any signs of life. After only a few moments, she realized that Morganna, the mother-in-law that she had come to love dearly, was dead.
Regina stared in horrified silence down at the ground as she continued to follow her wife. Suddenly, she bumped straight into Shae's back as she finally came to a stop. They were back on the battlefield, the same spot that Shae had first clashed with her father.
Shae stood in silence as she observed the battle before her, as did Regina. When Regina had left the battlefield, they had been pushing the elves back, but that was not the case anymore. The army of Avalonians and Storybrooke folk were the ones being pushed back now. They had retreated almost to the spot where Shae had been fighting Oberon.
"M'BAKU! NOOO!"
Regina and Shae both turned their heads toward the familiar sounding shout. It was Remus, who was sprinting toward M'Baku. Remus reached him as he fell to his knees, where he remained. He had been impaled by a spear, which was the only thing keeping his limp body upright.
"ZELENA!"
The scream had come from Emma. Regina's sister had been struck by a fireball from one of the remaining elven mages. "I've got her!" Hook exclaimed, as Zelena fell back into his arms. "I-I've… I've got her!"
"Gibbs! GIBBS! NOOO!"
Jack Sparrow screamed as his first mate, Mr. Gibbs, was slashed across the chest by an elven soldier's sword. Jack rushed to his side as he fell, watching in horror as Gibbs coughed up a wad of blood. He then screamed in rage, and threw himself back into battle.
Suddenly, Shae dropped down onto her knees, her whole body trembling as she held her mother's body tight. Regina desperately wanted to touch her, to comfort her. But Shae's entire body was still crackling with lightning. So she simply watched in helpless silence, gazing anxiously between her wife and the battle before them. She had absolutely no idea what to do.
After a few moments, Shae released her mother, gently laying her body down in the grass. She then rose to her feet, and stepped over Morganna. Regina followed closely behind her as she walked forward a few steps. Then, Shae drew Mjolnir out of its holster once again, and let out an enraged, blood curdling scream.
Regina, as well as almost everyone else on the battlefield, stumbled as the ground beneath their feet began to tremble. A sudden darkness fell over the forest, and many stopped fighting to turn their eyes up to the sky. They saw thick, black storm clouds for a moment before they were forced to shield their eyes from the heavy rain that came crashing down upon them. There was more stumbling, and some even fell from the mighty winds that began to blow all around them.
Regina threw her arms up over her head, blinking furiously through the rain that was pelting her face. Shae was suddenly hovering a few feet in the air, her arms spread wide. She continued to scream as bolts of lightning began to descend from the sky.
One bolt struck the ground just a few feet away from Regina. She cried out in fright, stumbling backwards. She leapt back even more as another came crashing down to earth right in front of her. She stumbled and fell, but quickly raised her head. Her eyes grew wide at what she saw.
Bolts of lightning were crashing down all over the battlefield. She noticed that most were striking the elves, who, like Oberon, immediately burst into flames. The battlefield was utter chaos now, and everyone was running in fright.
"What the bloody hell is going on?" She heard Remus screaming. "By all the gods! Just… Run! RUN! RETREAT! RETREAT!"
Regina glanced back at her wife, who was still hovering in the air, screaming. Her body was crackling even more violently, with massive blue bolts of lightning. Her eyes were still completely stark white, and didn't appear to be seeing anything.
"Regina!" A voice cried out to her. It was Emma, who quickly wrenched her up to her feet. "Come on! We have to run! RUN!"
Emma grabbed onto her arm, and began to lead her forward. Regina ran along behind her, her head spinning, her heart racing. She glanced back toward the woman she loved again, but she was only able to make out her silhouette through the heavy rain.
"RUN!" Leroy the dwarf was shouting nearby. "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"
XXXXX
A stunned silence fell over the group gathered around Regina as she finished her tale. "You… Y-You mean to tell me that… Lady Morganna, she's… Dead?" Nel whispered, her eyes swimming with tears.
Regina breathed out a heavy, shaky sigh, and slowly nodded her head. "I'm so sorry, Nel." She whispered back, staring mournfully at the young woman. "I truly am."
Nel vigorously shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. "No… No, no, no… I-I'm… I'm not ready." She muttered quietly. "There was still so much she had to teach me! I… I-I can't… I'm not ready… Gods, I'm just… Not ready!"
Remus placed a sympathetic hand on Nel's shoulder as she dissolved into tears. "And… A-And Shae?" Asked Hook, staring wide eyed at Regina. "You're saying that she's the cause of that… Blasted storm? The one that sets fire to anyone and anything it touches?"
Once again, Regina slowly nodded her head. "From what I saw, though, it looks like the storm she conjured was focused on the elves. I doubt there's even any left by now."
"Still, though… We have to stop her somehow." Muttered Snow. "I saw dozens of trees on fire while we were retreating. Half the forest will be destroyed if we don't do something."
The others all nodded in silent agreement. They were about to start discussing a plan when Henry suddenly spoke up. "Uh… Guys." He mumbled. He seemed to be searching all around him for something. "Where's Freya?"
Everyone's eyes grew wide as they began to frantically search as well. But Freya was nowhere to be seen. Regina gasped when she realized that the door to The Town Hall was now open just a crack, a crack small enough for a child to squeeze through.
"Oh no…" Regina whispered. She began pushing her way through the crowds of people toward the door. "No, no, no…"
The others, apart from Belle and Henry, hurried after Regina. "Freya?" She cried as soon as she burst out the door. "Freya!"
"Look!" Cried Hook.
They all followed Hook's pointed finger. Several yards away, they spotted the form of a small child running down the street and toward the forest. "FREYA!" Regina screamed. "Freya, no! Come back!"
Either Freya didn't hear her, or was ignoring her, for she continued running, and was lost from sight as she entered the forest. The others sprinted off after her, coming to a stop when they reached the edge of Shae's storm. It was a strange, sinister sight. The heavy rain formed a giant wall stretching down from the sky. Bolts of lightning were still crackling within.
"Do you think she went… In there?" Asked Emma, eyes wide with alarm.
"I think she absolutely did." Remus replied, his face grim. "That girl is just as brave and stubborn as her sister."
Remus then stepped forward, into the wall of rain, wind, and lightning. The others followed suit, and were forced to throw their arms over their heads as they were pelted with heavy rain drops once again. All around them there was complete chaos.
Like Snow said, there were dozens of trees on fire, despite the rain. The roaring wind made it hard to even stand upright, and the rain made it almost impossible to see. All around, bolts of lightning crashed to the ground, sending shockwaves through the earth.
They remained in a tight group as they pressed slowly forward. They called out to Freya, trying desperately to spot her miniscule form amongst the trees. At one point they thought they had found her, but it was only Remus. He had gotten lost amongst the heavy rain, and ended up getting completely turned around back to the group.
They were starting to lose hope, when, suddenly, a massive pulsewave of magic shot throughout the forest. The rain immediately stopped, and the black clouds in the sky drifted away to reveal the sun. The wind stopped as well, and the air became still. They all watched in wonder as the fires all around them were slowly extinguished.
The whole group turned in their spots, searching wildly for any sign of Freya or Shae. Regina knew exactly where to look, and she gasped when she spotted them both. Freya was standing with her arms raised over her head, and Shae was still hovering in the air before her. Slowly, Shae descended to the ground, and immediately collapsed sideways into a crumpled heap.
Regina sprinted toward them, and the others followed. They arrived just as Freya knelt down beside her mother, who was lying dead beside Shae. Freya gently shook her shoulder, then turned her wide, frightened eyes onto the others.
"M-M-M… Mama?" She stammered quietly.
Remus scooped her up into his arms, and drew her away from her mother's body, whispering softly and soothingly. "It's… I-It's true…" Nel muttered as she knelt beside Morganna. "She's… Really gone."
As the others stood silently around Morganna's body, heads bowed, Regina rushed to her wife's side. "Shae, she's… S-She's alive!" She exclaimed, her eyes streaming with grateful tears. "We… W-We have to get her to the hospital. Tink, can you-"
"Yes." Tink replied before Regina could even finish her sentence. "I'll bring the rest of the fairies."
Regina nodded, and disappeared in a column of purple smoke, with her wife in tow. Once again, Regina arrived at the front desk of the hospital, begging them for help. While Shae was quickly carted away, the others remained out in the woods with Morganna's body.
With M'Baku dead, they sent Tink back to The Town Hall with a message for the only other Avalonian they knew was alive, and knew by name: Nel. Before leaving for the hospital with her fellow fairies, Tink told Nel and the other Daughters of Chaos that the storm had passed, and that Morganna's body needed to be collected, as well as M'Baku's, and the rest of the dead.
The Avalonians quickly arrived, as did the warriors from Storybrooke. While they began the terrible task of gathering up the dead, Emma, Snow, Hook, and Remus headed to the hospital. The only one who had remained behind was Zelena, who decided to help The Daughters of Chaos. They were the ones who had healed her wounds from the fireball she had taken straight to the chest. She said that she felt like she owed them, since they had saved her life.
Upon arriving at the hospital, the others were met with a familiar sight. Shae was lying still and unmoving in a hospital bed, her eyes closed. She had an oxygen mask placed over her face to help her breathe. Nurses rushed about between Tink and the other fairies as they stood around Shae, waving their wands up and down her body.
"She's going to be ok, right?" Henry asked of Regina as he stood beside her. "She's… Always ok. She always comes back."
Regina breathed out a heavy, shaky sigh, and glanced over at Freya, who was sitting in Remus's lap. "I sure hope so, Henry." She whispered. "I sure hope so."
XX
Shae suddenly found herself standing in an all white room. The last thing she remembered was watching her mother die in her arms. Now, she was surrounded by a thick white mist, marble columns stretching up and out as far as the eye could see. She suddenly realized that she knew this room. She had been here before, once.
"Hello again, Shae."
Shae whirled around, and she drew in a sharp gasp. A woman was standing behind her, a very familiar woman. "Nadia?" She whispered, breathing out a small laugh. "Oh my god… Nadia!"
She rushed forward, and threw her arms around Nadia, her first love. "Holy shit!" She exclaimed, laughing some more as she held Nadia out at arm's length. "It's… I-It's so good to see you!"
"It's good to see you too, Shae." Nadia replied with a warm, gentle smile. "There are others here too. Friends of yours that have come to say hello."
Nadia gestured to her left, then to her right. Two men slowly stepped out behind nearby columns on either side of her. Shae recognized them both immediately. One was Neal, once called Baelfire, whom Shae had known for only a short time. The other was much more familiar to her. It was none other than Robin Hood.
"Hello, Shae." Robin said with a smile.
"You look good, pal." Said Neal, giving Shae a wink.
Shae blinked several times in pure shock, then rushed forward to embrace Neal. "Holy shit… Neal…" She whispered as she stepped back out of Neal's arms, looking him up and down. "It's great to see you too! You look good. H-How… How are you?"
Neal laughed, punching Shae lightly in the arm. "Hey, I'm ok. How's my boy doing, huh? How's Henry?"
"He's… Great." Shae replied, laughing herself. "He's so smart, Neal, and strong, and… A-And… So kind. He's just… A really amazing kid."
"That's great to hear." Neal said quietly, his eyes shining with tears. "Thank you."
Shae nodded, then turned to Robin Hood, the man she had once hated. "Robin, I'm… So sorry." She whispered, staring mournfully into Robin's eyes. "For everything. You… Y-You didn't deserve to die like you did. I wish I could have been strong enough to stop Hades."
Robin chuckled lightly, and placed his hands on Shae's shoulders. "I know. It's alright, Shae. I've come to terms with my fate." He replied, smiling into her eyes. "I'm just glad to know that my children are safe and looked after. Roland is back in The Enchanted Forest with my Merry Men, and my daughter is… With her mother. As much as I… Disagreed, with Zelena, I know that she will do everything in her power to keep our baby safe, as will Regina, as will you, Shae."
Shae nodded once again, her own eyes swimming with tears. "I… I-I want to say that… I'll keep baby Robin safe, and Henry too, and Remus, of course." She muttered, glancing over at Neal, then at Nadia. "But, if I'm seeing all of you, then… I'm guessing I'm, you know… Dead."
"No… You're not dead, Shae. Not yet." Nadia replied, slowly shaking her head. "You are… Close to death, which is why we were able to find you here."
"This place, it's… Somewhere between life and death." Neal explained with a small shrug.
"Your friends and family are working hard to save you, to bring you back from the brink of death." Said Robin, still smiling at her. "And they will succeed. We've come to deliver a message before you go back."
"Message?" Shae asked, frowning around at them all. "What message?"
Nadia, Neal, and Robin all exchanged a quick glance before explaining. "So, uh… It's like this." Neal slowly began. "The three of us, we're hanging out in Olympus."
"As are many other deceased souls." Robin cut in with a nod.
"Zeus isn't exactly happy about it, but there's not much he can do to us since we're, you know… Dead." Nadia added with a shrug.
"But we don't belong in Hades's Underworld either." Neal went on. "So we're just kinda… Stuck. Packed into the place like sardines."
"Olympus is nice enough, to be sure. We are… Content there." Said Robin. "But… So many of us walk around carrying this… Uneasy type of feeling. An uncomfortable feeling. It's obvious we don't truly belong."
Shae furrowed her brow at them all. "Ok, so… Where do you belong?"
Once again, the other three exchanged a glance. "Why, Valhalla, of course!" Cried Nadia, throwing her arms up in the air. "That's why we're here! We've come to tell you that you need to open the gates!"
"It's apparently, like… Your destiny, or something." Muttered Neal, shrugging again.
Shae blinked several times in shock, opening and closing her mouth. "Wait… What?" She exclaimed, staring around at the others with wide eyes. "Hold on a minute… I thought that my destiny was to defeat my father, and bring peace to Avalon. But, now you're saying that… I'm supposed to… Open the gates to Valhalla? How the hell am I supposed to do that?"
Her three dead friends exchanged another glance, one that was sad and worried. "I'm sorry, Shae, but… We don't know." Replied Nadia. "All we know is that, one day, it will be up to you."
"Oh! Look at that!" Robin suddenly exclaimed, clapping his hands together excitedly. "Someone else is coming to see you!"
Robin, Nadia, and Neal all turned around, just as there was a sudden flash of bright white light. Shae gasped as her mother, Morganna, stepped out of the light. "MOM!" She shouted.
Shae immediately sprinted toward her, and threw her arms around her. "Hello, my darling girl!" Morganna cried as she wrapped her arms around her daughter. "Oh… Oh, I'm so happy to see you again!"
Shae sobbed loudly as she held her mother tight. "Mom… Oh my god…" She whispered between sobs. "I'm… I-I'm… So sorry. I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry…"
Morganna pushed herself out of her daughter's arms, and placed her hands gently on either side of her face. "There is nothing you need to be sorry for, my love." She whispered back, staring very seriously into Shae's eyes. "In fact, I'm the one who should be apologizing. I knew that I was going to die today, but I kept it from you. I needed you to focus on achieving your destiny, which you have done. Your father's reign of tyranny is finally at an end, thanks to you."
"Really? I… I-I did?" Shae asked, staring wide eyed back into her mother's eyes. When Morganna nodded, Shae frowned once again, and quickly shook her head. "But… B-But… My friends here are telling me that… My destiny is actually to open the gates to Valhalla."
Morganna slowly nodded, gently wiping the tears away from Shae's cheeks with her thumbs. "Yes… The Prophecy, your destiny, it has… Many parts." She replied with a small, sad smile. "And it is not over yet. Once day, you will be presented with the opportunity to open the gates to Valhalla once again. I pray that you succeed, for I do not belong in Olympus, and neither do your friends."
Shae stood with her jaw hanging open as Morganna gestured to Nadia, Robin, and Neal, who were all silently smiling at her. "But, how… H-How… How am I supposed to do that?" She asked of her mother.
Morganna sighed, and slowly shook her head. "I'm sorry, my love, but… I don't know." She whispered softly, gently caressing her daughter's cheek. "There is only one thing I am able to tell you, and it is this… Beware. Beware of The Black Fairy."
Shae furrowed her brow once again. "Who the hell is… The Black Fairy?" She cried.
"She is someone you knew once, long ago. As did I." Morganna replied, staring very seriously into Shae's eyes once again. "She is coming, Shae. She is evil. She cannot be trusted."
Suddenly, Shae found herself being dragged backwards by an unseen force. "Wait!" She shouted. "Mom! MOM!"
Shae reached out toward her mother as she began to shrink farther and farther into the distance. She screamed in fury, fighting desperately to return to Morganna. But it was useless. She found herself falling, down and down into a great, black abyss. Suddenly, there was a small spark of light amongst the dark abyss. The light grew and grew in size, until it finally and completely consumed her.
XX
"Everyone… Everyone! I think she's waking up!"
"Oh thank god! Shae? Shae, can you hear me?"
"Come on, Shae… Come on. Wake up!"
Shae slowly peeled her eyes open, and saw the faces of her family and friends hovering over her. "Hey, you guys…" She muttered, grinning in the cheeky, quirky way that she always did. "What's happenin'?"
The others all chuckled as Regina threw her arms around the woman that she loved. "I'm so glad you're ok…" Regina whispered, placing a grateful kiss on her wife's cheek. "You are ok, aren't you?"
"Of course I'm ok." Shae replied, grinning some more. "In fact, I'm better than ok, now that I'm seeing that gorgeous smile of yours."
Regina choked out a strangled sob of joy, grateful tears spilling down her cheeks as she placed a kiss on Shae's lips. "Shae?" A small, quiet voice mumbled from beside Shae's bed.
Shae broke away from her wife's lips, and turned her head to the side. "Hey, kiddo!" She exclaimed. She reached out and lifted Freya up to sit beside her on the bed, and wrapped her up in a tight hug. "I'm so glad to see you! Sorry if I scared you. I'm ok now, I promise."
Freya nodded, and began rummaging around in her pockets. She produced a tiny stick, and proudly held it out to Shae. "For me?" Shae asked, to which Freya nodded some more. "Wow! This is the coolest stick I've ever seen! Thank you, Freya!"
"Welcome!" Freya replied with a smile.
"Oh my god… She's so cute I can't stand it!" Snow whispered to her daughter, who was standing beside her.
"I know, right?" Emma whispered back. "I just wanna smoosh her tiny little face…"
"So, uh… What happened?" Shae asked of them all as she wrapped her arm around Freya's shoulders. "Did… We win? I think we won… Right?"
"Indeed we did." Remus answered with a nod. "King Oberon and his army are no more, thanks to you. That storm you conjured completely turned the tides of battle for us. The elves were nothing but piles of ash within minutes!"
"Aye!" Hook agreed with a grin, clapping Shae proudly on the shoulder. "I've seen many a storm in my day, mate, but none such as the one you brought. I daresay you brought the fury of your god Thor himself down upon your father and his army!"
Shae's eyes suddenly grew wide with alarm. "I… I-I… What?" She asked, glancing around at all of them in confusion. "I don't remember doing anything like that."
"From what my mom said, it sounds like you went… Super Saiyan, or something." Henry said with a small shrug. "Then a storm rolled in and pelted all the elves with lightning."
Shae's eyes somehow grew even wider. "Really?" She asked, to which Henry nodded. She then turned to her wife, and urgently grabbed her arm. "Was my hair yellow and spikey?"
"Um… No." Regina replied with a frown.
"Aww…" Shae muttered, frowning herself in apparent disappointment.
"If you don't remember conjuring the storm, then what is the last thing that you do remember?" Asked Emma.
Shae continued frowning down into her lap as she thought. Suddenly, her eyes grew very sad. "My mother…" She whispered, balling her hands into fists. "She… S-She… Sacrificed herself to save me. Now she's… S-She's…"
"We know, Shae. We know." Regina whispered herself, gently stroking her wife's hair. "I'm so sorry. We all are."
Shae nodded, squeezing her eyes shut as tears began to leak onto her cheeks. "It's… I-It's ok, though." She replied, opening her eyes again and smiling around at them all. "I saw her, just now, in… I-In… A vision! I saw Nadia again too! And Robin, and even Neal! They're all on Mt. Olympus!"
The others all exchanged shocked, wide eyed glances. "What?" Whispered Remus.
Shae quickly explained to them all about what she had seen and heard while she had been unconscious. They were just as shocked to learn that, apparently, Shae's true destiny was to reopen the gates to Valhalla. What they were most concerned about, however, was Morganna's warning about someone called The Black Fairy.
"I grew up hearing stories about her, but never thought they were actually true." Tink said when they asked her if she knew anything. "We were told that The Black Fairy was once just like us, and served the light. But she eventually turned to the darkness, and would kidnap any children wandering around after dark. The stories were only meant to scare young fairies into going to bed on time. We were even told that The Black Fairy would come for anyone who didn't eat their vegetables."
"She sounds like just an urban legend…" Emma mused quietly. She then turned her gaze onto Shae. "Are you sure your vision wasn't just… A dream?"
"No, it was way more than just a dream." Shae replied, firmly shaking her head. "Robin said that the place with all the pillars and stuff was a place between life and death, and that I was really close to death."
"That's true." Tink affirmed with a nod. "That storm you conjured drained all your strength. It nearly killed you."
Shae opened her mouth to respond, but quickly shut it again, her eyes growing wide. "Well, that's… Concerning." She mumbled quietly. She then quickly shook herself, and threw her arms up in the air. "But… B-But… See? You see? That proves that what I saw was definitely not just a dream!"
"No, it certainly wasn't!"
Everyone in the room jumped, and turned their heads toward the familiar voice. They suddenly found Loki amongst them. The God of Chaos was leaning casually against the wall toward the back of the room. For some reason, Loki was armed with an ornate silver sword, one that looked strangely familiar to both Shae and Regina.
"What you saw was not a dream." Loki said, slowly walking forward toward Shae. "And everything your friends and family said was true. One day, you will open the gates to Valhalla, and this will help you and your friends to do it."
Loki stopped at the end of Shae's bed, and plopped the sword down onto her legs. "That's… My father's sword." Shae mumbled, staring at it with wide, apprehensive eyes. She then vigorously shook her head. "No… I… I-I don't want it. It killed my mother. Burn it, or something. Melt it down into scrap."
"Oh, but you do want it, my dear." Loki replied with a grin. "It is an immensely powerful weapon, just like Mjolnir and Gungnir. This… Is Tyrfing."
Shae's disgusted, angry snarl slowly faded. She stared wide eyed down at the sword Loki had placed across her legs. Slowly, she reached out, and took it by it's hilt.
"Tyr's Blade…" She whispered, her jaw dangling open as she stared up and down the polished, silver blade. "It's said to cut through anything as if it were only cloth, and to never miss a strike."
The others stared in silent wonder at the sword clutched in Shae's fist, yet another weapon that belonged to The Old Gods. "What do you mean, this will help me and my friends to-" Shae began to ask. She glanced back up at Loki, only to find The God of Chaos, God of Mischief, was suddenly gone. "Son of a fucking bitch! Loki! LOKI!"
"Shae!" Snow exclaimed. "Language!"
Snow nodded toward Freya, who was still sitting silently beside Shae. "Oh… Right." Shae muttered with a frown. "Uh… Listen, kiddo. Those words that I just said, they're… Really bad words."
Freya had been busy playing with a rock that she was holding in her hands, and glanced up at Shae, brow furrowed in confusion. "Um… D-Don't… Don't worry about it." Mumbled Shae, patting her little sister gently on the head.
"Well, I'll be damned." Hook muttered, breathing out a small, bemused laugh as he stared down at the sword still clutched in Shae's hand. "Yet another weapon belonging to your gods. What does that make now? Three?"
"Five, actually!"
Everyone jumped once again at the sudden, familiar voice. Loki was back, this time on the other side of the room. "So sorry! I nearly forgot!" Loki exclaimed, clapping their hands together as they stepped forward. "There are two other weapons from The Gods that are here in Storybrooke. Both are currently in the hands of the same man."
"Let me guess… Gold?" Asked Regina, raising an eyebrow at Loki.
"Indeed." Loki confirmed with a nod. "The Dark One has in his possession a certain wand, previously owned by a man simply called The Apprentice. That wand once belonged to Frigg, Queen of Asgard."
"Woah… Seriously?" Shae whispered, her eyes wide. "And… A-And what about the other one? Wait… Don't tell me it's-"
"The Dark One's dagger itself, indeed." Loki finished for her, nodding some more. "Though it is not nearly as powerful as it once was. It has changed forms too many times, thanks to the sorcerer Merlin. I suppose I cannot blame him, though. He was entirely ignorant of the origin of the chalice that he formed into the sword Excalibur. That chalice belonged to Heimdall, and was infused with magic from the waters of The Well of Urdr."
"The well of… What?" Asked Emma, brow furrowed in confusion.
"The Well of Urdr… The Well of Fate." Remus answered quietly. "It's where all the gods would gather together and discuss important things. We were told in stories that, after Ragnarok, Odin would seal the well, to protect it."
"Yes, he did." Loki replied with another nod. "But he left a small amount of it's waters with Heimdall, who watched over it, as well as The Bifrost, the bridge between The Nine Realms. After Ragnarok, with it's caretaker gone, it disappeared from Asgard, and appeared again in a distant land. It was found by Merlin, as you all know. When he drank from the chalice, or The Holy Grail, as he called it, he became the most powerful sorcerer to ever live. But not quite powerful enough for The Savior turned Dark One, it seems."
Loki winked and grinned at Emma, who only stared down at her feet with a deep, sad frown. "I… I-I don't understand." Shae muttered, slowly shaking her head. "Why are you telling us all this? Are we supposed to… Get these other weapons somehow?"
"Yes, of course!" Loki exclaimed, throwing their arms up in the air. "I, too, have been searching the realms for the weapons of my fallen brethren. When I'm not enjoying the sights and sounds of Los Angeles, of course."
"Really?" Shae asked of The God of Chaos. "Why, exactly?"
For a moment, Loki seemed to ignore Shae's question. The God of Mischief stepped up to Remus, and began gently stroking his beard. "Because… I want them." Loki finally replied, grinning into Remus's eyes. "Among other things…"
Remus looked incredibly uncomfortable, and glanced around at all the others with wide, pleading eyes. "Must you always be so elusive?" Hook grumbled, folding his arms across his chest.
"Why, yes! Of course! It is my nature, after all." Loki replied with a wink. When no one seemed at all amused, Loki dramatically rolled their eyes, and finally stepped away from Remus. "Oh, fine! If you must know, I have been searching for the weapons of my fellow gods because, one day in the distant future… You all will need them."
The others all furrowed their brows at each other. "For… What, exactly?" Asked Emma.
"Questions, questions! Always so many questions with you people!" Cried Loki, throwing their arms up in the air. Loki paused to glance down at the diamond rolex strapped to their wrist. "Oh, would you look at the time! I'm afraid I must be off. I am to have drinks with a certain Mr. DiCaprio, and I simply must change for the occasion."
Shae opened her mouth with another question, but stopped as Loki suddenly stepped up beside her, took her face in their hands, and leaned down to place a firm kiss on her lips. Shae's eyes grew wide all over again, as did Regina's, as did everyone else's.
"You did very well today, my darling." Loki said with a smile, hands still resting gently on Shae's cheeks. "You have rid this land and your homeland from the festering pustule that was King Oberon. And you've awoken the full power of The Elder Blood. Very well done indeed, Shae."
Shae blinked several times in confusion. "I… I-I did?" She muttered. "What does that-"
She stopped when Loki suddenly disappeared in a gust of swirling wind. "Mean…" Shae finished her thought with an irritated grumble. She sighed, and pinched the bridge of nose. "Stupid… Goddamn… Loki…"
"Holy shit, you guys!" Emma suddenly cried. "Is Loki having drinks with… Leonardo DiCaprio?"
"Emma! Language!" Snow chastised her daughter. "Oh… Nevermind. She's asleep."
Shae glanced down at Freya, who was indeed fast asleep, her head resting against her big sister's chest. "Oh… Right." She mumbled, frowning down at Freya. "She, uh… She does that. Besides reading and digging in the dirt, she likes to nap."
There was a moment of silence as they all smiled fondly at the little girl nestled in Shae's arms. "Poor thing…" Muttered Tink, sadly shaking her head. "She's already been through so much, and now… She's lost her mother. As have you, Shae. I'm so sorry."
Shae clenched her jaw tight, and swallowed the hard, painful lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. "Yeah… Me too." She whispered, gently stroking her sister's wild and curly locks.
After another moment of solemn silence, Regina softly cleared her throat. "So… Moving on from our latest Loki experience…" She said, quickly changing the subject. "What do we do now?"
"Well, um… Puck sent word saying that Nel and the other Daughters of Chaos found M'Baku, and, uh… Morganna." Emma replied, nervously shifting her eyes between Shae and the others. "They're preparing a funeral for them and the rest of, um… Their friends."
"Our own people from Storybrooke are preparing a service at the convent as well." Snow added, her voice low and solemn. "Afterwards, there will be a gathering at Granny's."
"Right, then." Remus said with a small, sad smile. "I suppose we'd best hurry, then, and see that our fallen friends are properly put to rest."
The others all nodded in agreement, and, after conversing some more for a few moments, began to shuffle out of the room. Shae gently woke Freya, and told her to go with Remus. Freya simply nodded sleepily, and walked hand in hand with Remus out the door.
Regina was the only one who remained behind with her wife. She waited patiently for Shae to vacate her bed, but she never did. Shae didn't move a muscle, and stared silently off into the distance.
"Shae… Are you alright?" Regina asked of her.
Slowly, Shae shook her head, and turned her gaze onto her wife. "I miss her already." She whispered, her piercing blue eyes welling with tears. "It's… I-It's not… It's not fair, you know? We were finally together, after so long. We were finally… A family. Now she's just… Gone. And I'm angry about it, angry at her. I know I shouldn't be, but… I am. I'm so angry, because… She knew. The whole time. Part of me just… Fucking hates her."
Regina nodded silently in understanding, and sat down on the edge of the bed next to Shae. She gently drew her into her arms, and Shae immediately dissolved into bitter tears. Regina held the woman she loved tight for a long while as she completely broke down in her arms. Tears of her own streamed down her face as she thought of Morganna, as she listened to her wife's miserable sobs.
"The… T-The worst part is… My people, they will… Expect me to make a speech." Shae went on in a whisper, her limbs trembling as she clung tightly to Regina. "They… T-They'll want me to… Talk about what kind of person she was. But… B-But I… I don't even know. We had so little time together that, I… I don't really know what kind of person she was. Not really."
"Then, just… Tell them what kind of person she was to you, Shae." Regina whispered back, gently and soothingly running her fingers through Shae's hair. "Tell them what she meant to you."
Shae slowly nodded her head, breathing out a heavy, shaky sigh. "I-I'll… I'll try."
Regina nodded back, and placed a gentle kiss on her wife's forehead. Once Shae had calmed down, she helped her out of her hospital bed, and they both left for home. They began to get dressed and ready for the service at the church within the convent, as well as the service The Avalonians were preparing for their own honored dead.
Upon arriving at the church a little while later, The Heroes of Storybrooke were shocked to see Remus, who was accompanied by over a dozen warriors from Avalon, several of Shae's Shield Maidens included. Remus explained that they had wanted to come and pay their respects to the fallen warriors from Storybrooke that had fought so valiantly beside them. Shae found it incredibly honorable of her people, but was a bit nervous. Before following the crowd inside, she briefly explained to her people that this funeral service would be much different than their own. She instructed them to be quiet and respectful, to which everyone earnestly agreed.
While Shae's friends and family sat in the pews with the rest of the people of Storybrooke, Shae stood at the back of the church with her fellow Avalonians. It was mostly because, though she had been fascinated about the lore surrounding the Christian religion, she found their worship services to be long, solemn, and boring. She knew that her people would likely feel the same, so she wanted to remain close by to keep an eye on them. It was a good thing she did, for at one point she found one thirsty man attempting to drink out of the basin of holy water near the door.
The service went by mostly without incident, until, however, the people administering the eucharist approached the people of Avalon. Shae quickly explained that, only if they wanted to, they should eat the small wafer that was given to them, and take a sip of the wine. Several of her people agreed to do so, and exchanged disgusted glances with each other as they chewed on their wafers. As soon as they tasted the wine, they immediately spat it back out onto the floor. The whole church seemed to gasp in alarm, and Shae knew it was time for her and her people to go.
Shae and her warriors waited outside for a while, until the bells hanging in the church steeple began to ring, and the people within began to file out. Shae met back up with her wife, as well the rest of her friends and family from Storybrooke. They all then headed to Granny's Diner, where an after church luncheon was to be served for the grieving families of those who were lost during the battle with Oberon.
The warriors from Avalon followed as well, much to the chagrin of many from Storybrooke. They all eyed the Avalonians with fear and disdain, which made Shae's blood boil. Though they hadn't been entirely respectful, she knew that the ways and customs of Storybrooke were very strange to her people, and that they were trying their best.
Once again, instead of sitting with her friends from Storybrooke, Shae sat with her people from Avalon, who had to shove several tables together to be able to fit. Regina chose to join them as well, which Shae was immensely grateful for.
Everything was going fine for a while. The people from Storybrooke chatted quietly amongst themselves, as did The Avalonians, who were much more merry and boisterous. Unfortunately, their table manners were practically non-existent. The people of The Mists, as well as the poor and enslaved from Avalon City, had never used silverware before. Many disgusted looks were cast their way as they devoured the food set before them with their bare hands.
The warriors from Avalon were not accustomed to porcelain either. One of Shae's shield maidens began to examine her now empty plate with a very curious expression. She nibbled on it with her front teeth, then began rapping it against the edge of the table. She gasped when it eventually shattered, then burst out laughing. The woman called around the table for everyone to watch, then broke another plate. The Avalonians watched her do it in pure awe.
Before either Shae or Regina could do anything, The Avalonians began smashing more plates and bowls. One man held up a plate, and headbutted it, laughing hysterically when it shattered against his forehead. Another held one out to the man beside him, who punched straight through it. The whole table laughed merrily, finding it all to be great fun, Freya especially. While her wife watched in horror, Shae couldn't help but laugh herself.
Unfortunately, Granny was not at all amused. She began shouting furiously at The Avalonians, who immediately began drawing their weapons in defense. Once again, Shae knew that it was time for her and her people to go. She ordered them all out before Granny could find her crossbow.
After that, Shae sent her warriors back to their camp. She was heartbroken over how confused they all were over why the people of Storybrooke were being so hostile. She had no idea how to tell them that everything they did was deeply disrespectful. They hadn't meant to be at all, and were just trying to show their support, which broke Shae's heart even more.
After the luncheon was over, Shae and Regina regrouped with the rest of their friends. They then headed to the docks, where they once again boarded The Jolly Roger, along with Jack Sparrow and his crew. Jack's first mate, Mr. Gibbs, had not survived his injuries. So Hook sailed his ship out of the harbor for another burial at sea.
The one bright spot to the whole affair was that Freya was having a grand time. She had never seen a ship before, and was completely and utterly amazed. At one point, Hook lifted her up to grab the wheel, and let her steer his beloved Jolly Roger. Freya giggled happily the entire time. Shae was immensely grateful to see that her little sister didn't seem to be suffering any trauma over their mother's death.
Once Jack and his crew said a few words, and poured out some rum over the side of the ship, Gibbs was dumped overboard, a cannonball tied to his feet. "I'm so sorry, Jack." Shae said as they were sailing back into the harbor. "Really, I am."
"Thank you, mate. That's awfully kind." Jack replied with a small, sad smile. "I'm just glad to know that you sent your blasted father to Davy Jones' Locker."
Shae nodded, and a moment of silence passed between them as they both gazed out at the setting sun. "I mean no offense, mate," Jack began in a low, somber tone. "But I am well and truly through with losing good men to a fight that ain't ours."
"I understand. Completely." Shae replied, nodding some more in earnest agreement. "I'll make sure you and your crew are paid well, of course. Is there anything else I can do to repay you? You followed me into battle, and you and your men fought so well. I… I-I… Want to do something else for you. Anything. If it's within my power, Jack, you can have it."
Captain Jack Sparrow was silent for another moment, and stroked his braided beard as he thought. "Can you get me and my crew out of this blasted town?" He eventually asked.
Shae chuckled, clapping a hand on Jack's shoulder. "Yeah. I can definitely do that." She replied with a smile.
Jack nodded, smiling back at her as he clapped his hand on Shae's shoulder in return. Shae then left him to check on her little sister. She breathed out a bemused laugh when she spotted Freya among Jack's already drunken crew. She was wearing one of their hats, and was dancing and laughing with them as they drank and sang sea shanties in honor of Gibbs.
"Are you sure you want Freya hanging around all these… Pirates?" Snow White muttered, eyeing Freya with concern.
She and Shae watched as one of the pirates lifted Freya onto his shoulders, and began stumbling around in drunken circles, both of them laughing all the while. "Yeah. I'm sure." Shae replied with a smile. "They may be pirates, but they're also… Good men."
Snow didn't seem at all convinced, but Shae ignored her. She then approached the group of drunk pirates, who shouted out in joy as she joined them. She drank deep from a bottle of rum, knowing that she would need the liquid courage for what was about to come next.
When The Jolly Roger was once again secure at the Storybrooke docks, they all made their way toward the Avalonian camp in the north woods. Jack and his crew accompanied them as well. Shae had promised them more drinking and merriment, for which the pirates needed no convincing. Despite all that, they told Shae that they too wanted to pay their respects to the fallen warriors that had fought beside.
On their way to the camp, they had to walk through the area that had been the battlefield. Shae stared around in horror at the decimated land. All around her was nothing but dead trees, black and charred from the fires that had been set from the bolts of lightning she had brought down from the sky. The very ground was burned black as well, nothing but mud.
"I… I-I… Did this?" She whispered.
The others all exchanged solemn glances, not exactly sure what to say. "Aye, mate…" Hook was the one to answer. "If it hadn't been for Freya, it… Might have been much worse."
"Killian…" Emma chastised him quietly.
"Sorry, but… I don't see the point in keeping the truth from her." Hook replied with a shrug.
"It's… I-It's ok." Shae muttered. She suddenly stopped walking, and dropped down to one knee in front of Freya, who was walking hand in hand beside her. "Freya… Did you… Save my life? Again?"
Freya frowned down at her feet for a moment, then gave her sister a small shrug. "I… I-I… Help?" She asked in her usual quiet stammer.
Shae nodded, smiling as her eyes shimmered with tears. "Yeah. You helped a lot. Thank you."
She then scooped Freya up into her arms, and hugged her tight as she continued walking. "Welcome!" Freya exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Shae's neck with a grin.
"That little girl is just… So adorable." Tink said to Regina. "And Shae is so good with her!"
Regina smiled fondly at her wife, who was still carrying Freya in her arms. "Yeah… She really is."
Upon arriving at the camp, Shae and Remus were once again bombarded on all sides by excited Avalonians. This time, however, the people of Avalon greeted Regina and the others just as warmly. Apart from Regina, none of them could understand a word anyone was saying. They simply smiled and nodded as they were embraced tightly and their hands were shook vigorously.
As they made their way further into the camp, they all couldn't help but notice that the number of Avalonians within had dwindled significantly. The Avalonians were in high spirits regardless. The scent of ale and wine hung heavy in the air, and the sound of lively music was heard all around. Regina and the others had learned that it was just their way, to celebrate the ascension of their fallen friends and family to Valhalla. They had no idea that the doors to Valhalla had been closed for centuries, but none of the people from Storybrooke were cruel enough to tell them.
"Zireael! Gwynbleidd!"
Amongst all the voices crying out Savior and Ironside, one particular and familiar voice rose above them all. "Puck!" Cried Shae. "You're alive!"
"I am! Though I'm not entirely certain how." Puck replied, laughing as Shae and Remus both embraced him. "I simply kept my shield up, and kept swinging until my arm felt like it was going to fall off!"
"Just like we taught you!" Remus said with a wink.
Puck laughed some more, nodding his head in agreement. "Rhena'min! I see you live as well, as do all your friends!" He exclaimed in English, beaming at Regina and the others. "Praise be to Thor! He was surely watching over us all!"
"Yes, I'm… Sure he was." Regina replied with a kind smile.
They took their leave from Puck, and continued on through the camp. The Avalonians had built several camp fires now that the sun was setting, and many were dancing around them. All around, people were dipping their fingers into wooden bowls filled with a dark red liquid. The liquid was most likely blood, and they were painting each other's faces with it.
"Zireael!" Another familiar voice called out. It was Okoye, whose face was already smeared with blood. She frowned over Shae's shoulder for a moment before going on. "Is this everyone?"
The people of Storybrooke had been invited to the funeral the Avalonians were preparing. Unfortunately, after the antics at the church and at Granny's, none had agreed to come. Shae gave a small, awkward shrug, to which Okoyed frowned some more.
"I see." She muttered, slowly nodding her head. "It seems we have made a bad first impression. They must think us savages, I'm sure."
Shae breathed out a heavy sigh before responding. "Honestly… Yeah. They probably do." Shae replied with a small, sad smile. "Their ways are just much more different than our own. They just… Don't understand."
Okoye nodded, then smiled sadly herself. "Well… You'd best go find Nel and the rest of The Daughters. They are nearly ready to send our honored dead to Valhalla."
Shae nodded back, and set off in the direction that Okoye had pointed her to. They found The Daughters of Chaos bustling around Nel, who was standing in the middle of them all. Her face was painted with blood as well, and she was dressed in a simple white robe. Her fellow priestesses were busy painting runes all over her robe with blood. They were similar to the runes that were etched into Shae's skin, but just slightly different.
"I see you're settling into your new role nicely." Shae said with a grin as she and the others approached Nel.
"I suppose. I am trying, at least." Nel muttered, holding her arms out at as her sisters continued to paint bloody runes on her robe. "I apologize for not asking you first, Savior. But it was my understanding that… You do not want to be High Priestess."
"No need to apologize." Shae replied with a smile. "The position is yours, Nel. Just as my… M-My mother wanted."
Nel nodded, and was silent for a moment, staring down at the ground. "I'm just… Not sure if I'm ready." She went on quietly, tears welling into her eyes. "I'm not sure if I will live up to what Lady Morganna expected of me. She did so many great things for our people, and… A-And I… I-I don't…"
Nel's voice broke with emotion, and Shae stepped up closer to her. "You will, Nel." Shae told her with another smile, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. "Morganna cared for you deeply, and had faith in you. You'll go on to do amazing things, I know you will."
Nel smiled back, and slowly nodded her head. "Thank you, Savior. Your faith in me brings me much courage." She then softly cleared her throat as her sisters finished their work. "Now, then… Are you prepared to send our fallen to Valhalla?"
Shae breathed out a heavy sigh, and slowly nodded her own head. "I'm… As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."
Nel nodded back in understanding, patting Shae on the arm. Shae and the others followed her and the rest of The Daughters of Chaos as they made their way to the center of the camp. All singing and dancing came to stop as they passed, and more and more Avalonians began to trail along behind the group. Once they reached the center of the camp, Nel announced that it was time to say the final farewell, and light the pyres.
Suddenly, a select few avalonians began to beat on drums made of wood and deer hide. Nel led the way deeper into the woods, her sisters following behind her in two straight lines, carrying lit sage sticks. The drummers came after them, as well as others who were carrying wooden staffs with tiny bells attached to the ends. They were all dressed in wolf head hides, hooting and howling wildly, dancing in a steady rhythm as they marched.
Shae and Remus came next in the procession, and The Heroes of Storybrooke followed them along with the rest of the Avalonians, who were all armed with lit torches. After walking for a time, they reached a large, man-made clearing in the woods. The Avalonians had cut down several trees, and had built dozens and dozens of pyres for their fallen brethren. There was one pyre toward the back of the clearing that was slightly larger than the rest, which had been made for M'Baku. The largest, and most ornately decorated, was at the very back. It was Morganna's.
The people of Avalon began to break off from the procession, and approached the various pyres belonging to their friends and loved ones. Most of the pyres had two or three people laid upon them, with the exception of M'Baku and Morganna. All around people began placing small items upon the pyres. Remus explained that their custom was to place upon the funeral pyre items that had held some sort of significance to the deceased. Since The Avalonians had come to Storybrooke so abruptly, they were only able to place the fallen's weapons on their pyre, as well as plants and flowers they had been able to collect from the forest.
As Nel and her sisters continued forward, the drummers and dancers continued to drum and dance all while whooping and hollering and howling into the night air. Shae and Remus stopped at Cleaver's pyre, where Remus placed a wine skin filled with the dwarf's favorite ale. They stopped at M'Baku's as well, where Remus placed one of the axes he himself had wielded during the battle. Shae placed her sword on M'Baku's pyre as well.
The Daughters of Chaos came to a stop a few feet away from Morganna's pyre. Shae hesitated for a moment, then took Freya by the hand, and slowly stepped forward. Regina and the others all watched in mournful silence as Shae stopped after only taking a few steps, and stood rigidly still.
Regina hesitated herself before deciding to join her wife. Shae's jaw was clenched tight, and tears were already streaming down her face. "Would you… Like me to go with you?" Regina asked her quietly.
Shae slowly and silently nodded her head, to which Regina nodded back. She clung tight to Shae's hand as she led her forward the remaining steps. Regina and Shae both stood silently in front of Morganna's pyre for a moment. The Daughters of Chaos had dressed her in a plain white robe, and laid their High Priestess upon a bed of the most brightly colored flowers they could find. Morganna had her hands folded across her stomach, eyes closed. She looked beautiful, peaceful, as if she were only sleeping.
After a few moments, Shae dropped down onto her knees before the pyre, and began to weep softly. "I… I-I know that you're… Safe, on Mt. Olympus." She whispered to her mother, her voice quavering with emotion. "B-But… I just… I… Miss you. I miss you so much."
Shae paused to glance over at her little sister, who was simply standing quietly beside her. "It's… I-It's not… It's not fair, you know?" She went on, choking out a soft, strangled sob. "It's not… Fair. It's not fair…"
Shae reached out and placed her hand on top of her mother's, choking out another soft sob when she felt how cold it was. Regina knelt beside her, tears streaming silently down her face as she slowly and gently rubbed her wife's back. Though she had barely known her mother-in-law, she couldn't help but miss her too.
After another few moments, Shae rose to her feet, and removed the amulet that her mother had given her so many years ago. She placed it upon her chest with trembling hands. She then leaned forward, and placed a gentle kiss on her mother's forehead.
"I love you, Mom." She whispered. "I always will."
Freya had been watching her sister quietly and curiously. As Shae stepped back, she stepped forward, and began emptying her pockets. She placed her entire collection of rocks and sticks and leaves in a carefully laid out line next to her mother.
Shae and Regina watched her with small, sad smiles on their faces. Once she was done, Shae took her hand again, and was about to step away from Morganna's pyre. She and Regina stopped in their tracks as soon as they turned around. Neither of them had noticed that the drumming had stopped. The people of Avalon, as well as their friends from Storybrooke, were gathered together once again, waiting patiently for Shae to speak.
Shae exchanged a quick, nervous glance with her wife, then softly cleared her throat. "Morganna, my… M-My… Mother," She slowly began. "She was… Um… Well… You all knew her much longer than I did… So… I-I, um… I… I-I don't… Um…"
Regina squeezed Shae's hand tight, as she watched her stammer into silence. Her heart broke as Shae opened her mouth to try again, but nothing came out. There was a moment of silence as Shae's people stared expectantly at her. Suddenly, Remus stepped forward, turned around to face them all, and began to sing.
"Shadows fall,
And hope has fled.
Steel your heart,
The dawn will come.
The night is long,
And the path is dark.
Look to the sky,
For one day soon,
The dawn will come."
Regina drew in a soft gasp when she realized she recognized the tune. It was the same song that Shae and Morganna had sung together just days ago. Now, thanks to Morganna, Regina was able to understand the words. Tears streamed down her face as she watched her wife smile at Remus, her best friend, her brother. Shae then began to harmonize the next verse with him.
"The Shepherd's lost,
And his home is far.
Keep to the stars,
The dawn will come.
The night is long,
And the path is dark.
Look to the sky,
For one day soon,
The dawn will come."
The rest of The Heroes of Storybrooke furrowed their brows at each other. All around them the people of Avalon were joining hands. They joined hands with them, listening to the song they couldn't understand as they all began to sing along.
"Bare your blade,
And raise it high.
Stand your ground,
The dawn will come."
The night is long,
And the path is dark.
Look to the sky,
For one day soon,
The dawn will come."
Shae, Remus, and the Avalonians started the song over again, louder this time. They stood hand and hand, their voice swelling in volume and emotion with each verse. On the third time around, Regina lent her own voice to the final verse, smiling at her wife as tears streamed down her face.
"The night is long,
And the path is dark.
Look to the sky,
For one day soon,
The dawn will come."
XX
The next day, dawn did indeed come, much too soon for Shae. After the pyres were lit, the people of Avalon returned to their camp, where they continued to drink, eat, dance, and sing long into the night. Shae had thoroughly drowned her sorrows in ale and wine, to the point where Regina had to teleport her straight to bed, as she was unable to stand on her own feet any more. She woke up the next morning still fully clothed, and with a massive headache.
When she finally made her way downstairs, she found her wife, Henry, and Freya already awake and eating breakfast. Shae's stomach churned at the smell of freshly cooked bacon. Thankfully, Regina was prepared. She had ready a large glass of water, some dry toast, and a cup of strong coffee for her hungover wife. Shae guzzled down the entire glass of water the moment she sat down.
"What would I do without you?" She mumbled with a smile.
Regina chuckled, and placed a gentle kiss on the top of Shae's head. "I truly have no idea."
Shae chuckled too, and immediately regretted doing so as her head pounded. She nibbled on her toast in silence for a moment, grateful to have something in her stomach to soak up all the alcohol. She then noticed Freya, who was staring down at a book sitting open in her lap while she munched on a piece of bacon.
"Whatcha reading, kiddo?" She asked her with a smile.
Freya smiled back, and lifted the book up to show her the cover. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone!" Shae exclaimed with a laugh. "That's an excellent choice."
"I read a few chapters to her before bed last night." Henry told her, laughing himself. "She kept reading after I fell asleep, and now she's totally obsessed."
Shae blinked several in surprise. "You… Y-You did?"
Henry nodded, and Shae turned her shocked eyes onto her wife. "Henry was concerned about Freya spending the night in a room all by herself," Regina began to explain, smiling fondly at her son. "So, he slept on the floor of his own room, and let Freya sleep in his bed."
Shae simply blinked several more times, and breathed out a small laugh. "Wow… That's awesome, Henry. Thank you." She replied, also smiling fondly at her step-son. "Looks like you're settling into the role of Freya's big brother quite nicely."
"I think, technically, I'm her… Step… Nephew?" Henry mumbled, furrowing his brow as he thought. "Or… Something like that."
Shae furrowed her own brow for a moment, then breathed out a quiet groan. "Let's just… Stick with big brother for now." She replied, rubbing her aching forehead. "My head hurts too much to think about our weird family tree."
Henry chuckled, as did Regina. Henry then cleared his throat, his smile fading into a more somber expression. "Um… Shae, I… I-I actually have… Something to tell you. B-Both of you, I guess." He began in an awkward stammer.
Shae and Regina both raised a concerned eyebrow at each other. "Oh no… Did Remus give you some of the ale from Avalon?" Shae asked in a rush. "That stuff is like… Jet fuel! You must be feeling pretty-"
"No! No, it's… I-It's not that." Henry quickly cut her off. He hesitated in silence for a moment, then awkwardly cleared his throat again. "Um… S-So… Before… B-Before the battle, Morganna, she… Told me that she wasn't going to survive. And she made me swear not to tell anyone."
Shae clenched her jaw tight, and swallowed the hard, painful lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. "It's alright, Henry." Regina said in a gentle tone, reaching across the table and patting her son's hand. "You did what Morganna asked of you. You… Did the right thing."
"Yeah, I… I-I know." Henry replied, smiling a small, sad smile. "She also told me that, after she was, you know… Gone, that I should… Give you this, Shae."
The boy reached under the table, and produced a small, leather bound book. "W-What… Is this?" Shae asked him in a whisper.
"She called it her… Grimoire." Henry answered with a small shrug. "And also a kind of… Journal. She said she wanted you to have it so… S-So you and Freya would always… Have a little piece of her."
Shae exchanged a wide eyed, baffled glance with her wife. Regina immediately rose from her chair, and stood behind Shae as she began to rifle through the pages of the book sitting in front of her. It looked to be very old, the pages worn and yellowed. It was obviously well used as well, but still in fine condition.
"You're right…" Shae whispered, her eyes swimming with tears as she stared down at the book. "There's spells in here, and potion recipes, but also just… Her thoughts."
Shae then turned to the very last page, where her mother had written a message for her daughters. When she realized what she was reading, Regina respectfully glanced away, placing a hand over her mouth as tears streamed down her face. Shae was in tears as well, and she smiled at Henry once she was finished reading her mother's last words.
"Thank you, Henry." She breathed, smiling through her tears. "This is… T-This is… Just… Thank you. Thank you…"
Shae then reached out and pulled Henry into a tight, grateful embrace. Henry hugged her tight as she sobbed quietly. She wept with sorrow over losing her mother so soon after finally meeting her, but also wept with joy over receiving, as Morganna herself put it, this tiny piece of her.
"Freya… Freya, look at this…" Shae whispered as she got up from her chair, and knelt beside her sister. "This was… Our mother's. She left it for us."
Freya abandoned Harry Potter, drawing in a soft gasp as Shae placed their mother's grimoire in front of her. "M-M-Ma… Mama?" She muttered, staring wide eyed up at Shae.
Unable to speak, Shae simply nodded, smiling more as tears streamed down her face. Freya then took up the grimoire, turned to the first page, and began to read, her eyes wide as saucers. Shae chuckled quietly, placing a gentle kiss on the top of Freya's head.
After another few emotional moments, they all wiped the tears from their faces, and began getting ready to leave for the Avalonian camp. With the battle won, and King Oberon defeated, it was time for the people of Avalon to return home, so they could finish the battle they had started. Shae was not looking forward to the conversation she needed to have with her people. She needed to tell them that she, their Savior, was not returning with them. She knew that they would not take the news well.
With Gungnir, Odin's spear, in hand, Shae led the way toward Granny's, where they were to meet up with Emma, Snow, and Hook. The three of them were already there when they arrived. The whole group was about to depart for the forest, when they were approached by Leroy and his fellow dwarves.
"We searched all night, but there's no sign of your evil twin." Leroy announced.
He and his brothers had been trying to track down Evil Shae, who had gone missing after the battle. "Well, did we really expect her to keep her word and just… Let us lock her up again?" Shae replied with a small, unconcerned shrug. "If it were me, which I guess it sort of… Is… Well, I wouldn't."
"There's more bad news." Leroy went on, his face grim. "Queen Cobra is missing too."
Everyone's eyes grew wide with alarm. "That isn't good." Muttered Snow. "We cannot let those two join forces. Not after everything we just went through."
"Well, my evil half still has that cuff on, right?" Shae asked with another shrug. "So there's no way she can turn The Evil Queen back, even if she knew how, which I'm pretty sure she doesn't."
"Aye, that's a fair point." Muttered Hook, slowly rubbing his chin. "Still, though… We'd best track them down quickly, for Emma's sake. We still have her vision to worry about."
"You're right." Regina agreed with a nod. "It's obvious that Evil Shae is the one in the hood. While she's free, Emma's not safe, magic or not."
"Please, all of you… Keep searching." Snow said to the dwarves. "We need to find her, and lock her back up. Soon."
Leroy nodded, as did his brothers. "You got it, sister."
Snow nodded back, and the dwarves promptly took their leave. The others then headed out into the forest. They once again crossed through the decimated battlefield, the sight of the blackened and charred trees and grass breaking Shae's heart all over again. When they arrived at the Avalonian camp, they found everyone already busy tearing down the tents and packing their things.
They bumped into Zelena as they made their way through the camp, who was once again lending her aid to The Daughters of Chaos. When they asked after Remus, she chuckled and pointed to the nearby campfire. Remus was sitting by the fire with his head in his hands, looking thoroughly miserable.
"Jesus Christ, dude…" Shae said with a laugh as they approached him. "You look terrible."
Remus groaned as he lifted his head to peer up at them all. "Must you be so loud?" He grumbled irritably. "Your mouth is like a bloody siren…"
Shae chuckled once again, as did the others. "Here you go, mate." Hook said as he handed Remus his flask. "A little hair o' the dog will set you straight."
Remus shrugged, and accepted the flask, taking a generous sip. For a moment, it looked like he was going to be sick. He quickly steeled himself, though, and drank a bit more. Finally, some color was returning to his previously sickly pale face.
"That's a bit better… Thank you." He said, returning the flask back to its owner. He then turned his gaze onto Shae. "So… How exactly do you plan on breaking the news to our people?"
"Well, there's no sense in beating around the bush. Not with them." Shae replied with a sad, heavy sigh. "So, I think it would be best if I just… Tell them."
"Yes, I think you're right." Remus muttered quietly. He then rose to his feet, and turned to Shae, a sudden sorrow in his eyes. "Listen, Shae… I've been thinking, and-"
"Zireael!"
Remus was interrupted by Puck, who approached them all with a warm smile. "Excellent! You are here. We are nearly ready to depart." Puck went on. "Will your wife and the rest of your friends be coming as well?"
Shae exchanged an awkward glance with the others for a moment. "Er… Right… About that." She muttered, softly clearing her throat. "I need you to gather everyone together. There's… Something I need to tell you all."
Puck furrowed his brow in confusion, but hurried off to do as Shae instructed nonetheless. A little while later, the people of Avalon were gathered before their Savior. Just as she had told Remus she would do, she told them, point black, that she was not returning to Avalon.
There was a moment of silence as the Avalonians processed what Shae had just said. Then, the shouting started. Some were confused, others afraid. Some seemed simply angry.
"Brothers! Sisters! Please, just… Listen! Listen, please!" Shae shouted over the din of frantic voices. Once they were silent again, she went on. "This world, this town, it is my home. My place is here, amongst my friends and family."
"Are we not your friends? Your family?" Okoye spat angrily.
There was more shouting in agreement over Okoye's words. "Yes! Of course you are!" Shae shouted back, throwing her arms up in the air. "I love and care for all of you dearly! But… B-But I…" She breathed out a frustrated growl, rubbing her forehead in silence for a moment as she thought. "Let me put it to you this way… You all have friends and family back in Avalon, right? Well, how would you feel if I asked you to stay here, to never see them again? Hm?"
There was no shouting this time, only quiet mutterings amongst the crowd. "But… Who will rule Avalon?" A man cried out. "Besides the little one, you are the sole heir to the throne!"
"To hell with the throne!" Shae cried back. "I have been telling you all from the beginning that I had no interest in it!
"It's true!" Puck shouted out. He pushed through the crowd, and stepped up beside Shae. "The Savior has said many times that, once Oberon was defeated, we, the people, will elect amongst ourselves a council of leaders to represent all the races and classes of Avalon. You know this to be true, dammit! Was not a single one of you listening?"
Shae blinked several times in shock as the crowd began to murmur amongst themselves once again. "Uh… Y-Yes! Exactly!" She said, surprised over the young elf's new found confidence. "Thank you, Puck."
Puck nodded, and remained beside her, folding his hands in front of him. "What will we do without you, Savior?" One of The Shield Maidens called. "We cannot hope to take Avalon City without your strength!"
"Of course you can!" Shae exclaimed, throwing up her arms once again. "My father brought his best and brightest soldiers here to Storybrooke. And now they're gone! Once you join with the rest of our forces, the rest of Oberon's army won't stand a chance! T'Challa and W'Kabi will lead you all to victory! I know it!"
"But you are our Savior!" Another man cried.
Shae breathed out a deep, heavy sigh before responding. "Yes… I am. I have carried the title you all gave me with great pride and honor. But, the truth is, brothers and sisters… You don't need me. Not anymore. The Prophecy says that I am to bring an end to the reign of the elves in Avalon, to bring forth an era of peace and prosperity. It is my belief that I have already done just that. We have done just that. Now, the rest is up to you."
"She's right!" Another voice called out. It was Nel, who also stepped up to Shae's other side. "The Savior has done what the gods commanded of her. She has given us freedom, and she has given us victory over our oppressor, The King. It is now time for us to finish what we started, to take back our home ourselves! It is time for all the peoples of Avalon to be their own Savior!"
There were shouts of agreement amongst the people, to which Nel nodded in a satisfied way. "I, High Priestess of the Daughters of Chaos, support The Savior's decision to remain here." Nel went on in a loud, clear ringing voice. "And as your High Priestess, I will continue to support all of you. For you, brothers and sisters, are the ones who will bring about true change! You are the true sons and daughters of Avalon, and it is you who must take it back!"
This time, the whole crowd bellowed out in support. "Thanks, Nel." Shae whispered as the crowd continued to cheer. "I'm pretty sure you just saved my bacon."
Nel chuckled, gently patting Shae's arm. "You are most welcome." She replied with a wink. "I could see that you were floundering."
Shae chuckled too, vigorously nodding her head. "You're going to be an amazing High Priestess, you know." She said to the young woman beside her with a smile. "You're going to make my mother really proud."
"As will you, my friend." Nel replied, smiling back. "As will you."
Tears began to well into Shae's eyes as Nel embraced her tightly. She continued to smile into Nel's eyes for a moment after she released her. Then, she opened her mouth to speak more, but was forced to stop as Remus suddenly stepped forward, and called out to the crowd.
"Fear not, my friends! You will not be going alone!" He shouted over the din of raucous cheers. The people of Avalon quieted down once again, and Remus went on, grinning as he spread his arms wide. "I am coming with you!"
The crowd practically exploded into more excited shouting. Puck and Nel cheered along with them, tightly embracing Remus. The crowd then began chanting Gwynbleidd over and over again, the elven word which meant Ironside.
Shae and Regina, however, simply stood rooted in their spots, jaws dangling open in shock. "What?" Shae breathed, her eyes wide with horror.
Remus bit his lip, cringing visibly as he turned to face Shae. "Look, I… I-I tried to tell you earlier, but… B-But I… Well…" He stammered. He then breathed out a sad, heavy sigh, scratching at his beard awkwardly. "Listen, Shae… Ever since I came to this world, to this town, and especially after losing my powers, I've… Struggled to find my place, my purpose."
He paused for a moment, and stepped forward, placing his hand on Shae's shoulder. "For the longest time, my purpose was you, Shae. To follow you and protect you, because I failed to protect Nadia." He went on, staring mournfully into Shae's eyes. "But, now… I don't need to. The truth is… You don't need me anymore."
Shae vigorously shook her head, tears beginning to trickle down her face. "No… T-That's… That's not true. At all."
Remus chuckled quietly, gently patting Shae's shoulder. "But it is, Shae. You have a wife now, and friends and family that love you just as much as I do. You have friends and family that would do anything for you. Just like I would."
"What's going on?" Snow suddenly whispered to Regina.
Regina jumped slightly, and quickly wiped the tears from her face. She hadn't realized that Remus and Shae were still speaking in Avalonian. When she quickly explained to Emma and the others that Remus wanted to go back to Avalon, their eyes all grew wide.
"Remus, you're… Leaving us?" Emma asked of him.
Remus softly cleared his throat as he turned toward the others, and switched to English. "Yes… As I just told Shae, I've been struggling to find my place in Storybrooke, my purpose." He explained with a small, sad smile. "Being in Avalon again, fighting alongside its people to free them from centuries of corruption… It filled me with a sense of such meaning and purpose that I haven't felt in… A very, very long time. It felt good to actually, well… Do some good for my homeland. And I know that I can continue to do more good there."
"Since when do you care about doing good?" Asked Snow, eyebrow raised.
Remus bit his lip again, and stared down at the ground for a moment. "Well, since… S-Since… Meeting you." He replied, a bit begrudgingly. "All of you. Watching you lot constantly fighting to protect each other and the people of this town, and all your damned speeches about hope… It's finally gotten to me, I suppose. It's made me… Want to be a hero."
Snow drew in a sharp gasp, clapping her hands over her mouth. "You mean… All my speeches, they… Actually got through to you?"
"Oh, don't go getting a big head over it, Snow White. It's big enough as it is." Remus grumbled, shooting Snow an irritated glare. Snow simply grinned at him, to which, eventually, Remus gave her a small grin back. "So… That being said…" He went on, clearing his throat again. "There's too many heroes in this town as it is. There's even two Saviors now. So, I simply need to… Find my own way. Carve my own path to heroism."
He then turned back to Shae, who was silently staring down at the ground, her eyes swimming with tears. "This is truly what I want, Shae." He said quietly, placing his hand gently back on Shae's shoulder. "And you're support would… Truly mean the world to me."
"Of course you have my support, Remus." Shae replied, turning her eyes up from the ground to smile into her best friend's eyes. "I want to tell you to stay, that I want and need you by my side still. But… I can't. I'm not that much of a self centered asshole."
Remus laughed, and Shae did too. Shae then placed both of her hands on Remus's shoulders, gripping them tight. "Go…" She whispered, smiling more as tears rushed down her face. "Go and… Be a hero."
"You're already a hero to us, Remus." Regina said as she stepped forward, gently squeezing Remus's arm. "You always have been, and… You always will be."
Remus suddenly scoffed in disgust, and stepped back out of Shae's arms. At all the shocked looks on everyone's faces, he softly cleared his throat again. "Er… Sorry." He mumbled. "Force of habit."
They all laughed, and Remus laughed with them. He then exchanged tight embraces with all his friends from Storybrooke. After embracing Hook, he stepped up to Zelena, who also had tears streaming down her face. Unlike the others, she looked positively furious.
"You bloody bastard! You can't leave me now!" She cried, punching him in the arm. "You're my best friend, dammit! My… M-My only friend…"
"That's not true!" Cried Remus, rubbing his sore arm. "You have Shae! And your sister! Gods above, the two of you just need to stop your petty squabbling and make up already!"
Zelena glanced quickly over at Regina, who quickly glanced away from her. "But… What about the bar?" Zelena went on. "What's going to happen to it without you?"
"Well, nothing, I hope. Since I'm leaving it all to you." Remus replied with a shrug. "That is… If you choose to accept it."
Zelena narrowed her eyes at Remus for a moment, folding her arms across her chest. "Yes, of course I will." She grumbled, rolling her eyes at him. "You… Bloody idiot."
"Excellent! I had a feeling you would." Remus said with a wink.
Zelena rolled her eyes again, and threw her arms around him. "I'll miss you, Zelena." Remus whispered as he hugged her tight.
"I'll miss you too." Zelena whispered back, more tears spilling down her cheeks. "You damned, stupid, gorgeous oaf."
Remus laughed as he released her. He then stepped up to Regina, who had tears of her own streaming down her face. "Please, at least try and make up with your sister." Remus said as he took both of her hands in her own. "For me?"
Regina breathed out a heavy, shaky sigh, and slowly nodded her head. "For you, Remus… I will try."
Remus nodded back with a grin. "That's all I ask."
He then embraced her as well. Regina found that she was unable to speak as she squeezed him tight. Just like Shae, she considered Remus to be family, and she was going to miss him terribly. She simply smiled into his eyes as he released her, and Remus smiled back as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Let's, um… Save our goodbyes for now." Shae said as Remus stepped up to her. "I… Need a minute. And our people could use our help getting ready."
Remus simply nodded his head in silent understanding. Then, just as Shae said, they all lent their aid to the people of Avalon. They helped to tear down the remaining tents, and helped them to pack up their belongings, which were mostly just weapons. Once they were ready, Shae said her goodbyes to her people. Many were teary eyed, especially The Shield Maidens. Shae told every single one of them, as well as anyone else who approached her, how much she loved them and cared for them, and that she was certain they would succeed in the final battle for Avalon.
After a short while, the people of Avalon were ready to depart for home. With Gungnir in hand, Shae gave a quick speech that detailed, since they had been in Storybrooke for three days, it had likely been a year in Avalon. She instructed them to return to The Mists, where she knew T'Challa and W'Kabi would be waiting. She herself had instructed the two chiefs to wait for the rest of the army to return before making any other plans to strike at Avalon City, no matter how long it took.
Finally, Shae stood before Remus once again, her best friend, her brother. "I… I-I don't… I don't know if I can actually… Say goodbye to you, Remus." She whispered, tears streaming down her face once again.
"Then don't." Remus replied with a small, sad smile, his own eyes swimming with tears. "For this isn't truly goodbye. I'm certain we'll see each other again, in this life, or the next."
Shae squeezed her eyes shut, more tears spilling onto her cheeks as she slowly nodded her head. "Since you'll be going into battle again soon, I… Want you to have this."
She held out her spear free hand, and her father's sword appeared in her open palm with a gust of swirling wind. She held Tyrfing, the god Tyr's blade, out to Remus. He simply stared down at it for a moment, eyes wide.
"A-Are… Are you sure?" He asked her in a whisper.
Shae nodded, to which Remus slowly nodded back. He then took Tyrfing from Shae, and stared up and down it's shining silver blade in awe. "How does it feel?" Shae asked of him.
"Like… It was made for me." Remus replied quietly. He then turned his eyes back onto Shae with a smile. "Thank you."
Shae nodded some more, the hard, painful lump in her throat making her unable to speak. She practically threw herself into Remus's arms. Remus held her tight, and the two of them wept quietly for a few moments.
"I love you, brother." Shae whispered. "And I'll miss you."
"I love you too, sister." Remus whispered back. "And I'll miss you too. I'll think of you, every single day."
Remus and Shae's friends and family from Storybrooke watched their emotional exchange with tears in their eyes. After another few moments, Shae finally released Remus. He then knelt down in front of Freya, who was standing quietly beside her sister, as usual.
"You take care of your sister." Remus told her with a smile, placing his hands gently on her tiny shoulders. "Look after her for me, and keep her out of trouble."
Freya silently nodded her head, and held out a rock toward Remus with a smile. Remus smiled back, and accepted Freya's gift. He then pulled her into a tight hug, placing a kiss into her wild black curls.
Finally, it was time for the people of Avalon to return home. Shae took up Odin's Spear in both of her hands, and jabbed it forward. A large swirling portal appeared in the air in front of the spear's tip. She then stepped back, and the people of Avalon began to step through the portal.
Shae watched with tears streaming down her face as her people shuffled through the portal. A few minutes went by, and suddenly they were all gone. Puck, Okoye, and Nel stood side by side, and waved at Shae and the others before stepping through themselves.
"We will never forget you, Zireael!" Puck called out. "I will make sure that all the peoples of Avalon sing songs of your deeds and greatness!"
Shae nodded silently, once again unable to speak as she waved back. Puck then stepped through the portal, and Okoye followed him, as did Nel. Remus was the last one left. He raised his hand toward them all, tears of his own spilling down his face. Shae raised her own hand back at him, as did the others. Then, Remus Ironside turned his back on them. With the fabled sword Tyrfing in hand, he stepped through the portal, and was gone.
As soon as Remus stepped through the portal, it closed behind him. A sudden, deafening silence fell over the forest. The Heroes of Storybrooke stood rigidly still for a long time, staring at the spot where Remus had just been standing.
"It's… Finally over." Emma was the first one to speak.
"Aye, love." Hook whispered, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. "It's over."
"I just… Can't believe they're gone…" Muttered Shae, hastily wiping the tears from her face. "That… He's gone."
Regina couldn't find any comforting words to say, so she simply ran her hand gently up and down her wife's back. Another few moments of solemn silence fell over the group. Henry was the next to finally speak up.
"What do we do now?" He muttered quietly.
The others glanced around at each other for a moment. "Lunch at Granny's?" Snow White offered with a shrug.
They all nodded in agreement, and began to head back toward town. "You have to drive." Shae said to her wife. "My eyes are too wet to work."
"Of course, my love." Regina whispered as she continued to rub Shae's back. "Of course."
"Have you ever had grilled cheese, Freya?" Emma asked of the young girl. Freya frowned in confusion, and shook her head, to which Emma laughed. "Well, in that case… We'll have to get you one. Extra cheesy."
"And fries too!" Henry exclaimed.
"And maybe a sundae afterwards?" Snow said with another shrug. "If she's not too full. The poor thing is skin and bone."
"Aye. We would do well to fatten her up a bit." Hook agreed with a grin. "Tomorrow morning I'll bring over a pirate's breakfast. Scrod and toast!"
"Ew…" Muttered Henry.
They all laughed, even Shae, who was still wiping tears from her face. As The Heroes of Storybrooke laughed and chatted amongst themselves while heading to lunch, they had no idea that a nefarious deal was being made. Across town, Evil Shae was sitting at the kitchen table within Zelena's farmhouse. She had a large snake draped across her shoulders, which seemed to be glaring at the hooded figure sitting across from her.
"So… Do we have a deal?" Evil Shae asked of the man in the black hooded cloak. "I bring you what you want, and you will return my Queen to her former, less scaly state."
The man in the hood slowly nodded his head. Evil Shae nodded back, and the man got up from his chair. He was about to leave, when Evil Shae suddenly called out his name.
"Gideon!"
The cloaked man froze in his spot, and slowly turned back around. "I want you to swear." Evil Shae snarled as she rose to her feet, the cobra that had once been The Evil Queen hissing loudly. "Swear on something that tiny black heart of yours actually cares about."
Slowly, Gideon, son of The Dark One, drew down his hood. He was a young man now, in his late twenties. He had a short crop of dirty blonde hair, the same shade as his father's.
"I swear… On my mother's head." He snarled back, glaring into Evil Shae's eyes. "Once you bring me Mjolnir, and The Savior lies dead at my feet, you will have your Queen back."
Evil Shae nodded once again, and held out her hand. Gideon shook it, to which Evil Shae nodded once more. Gideon nodded back, drew up his hood again, and was gone. The snake around Evil Shae's neck hissed once again. Evil Shae shushed her Queen quietly, gently stroking her cold, scaly head with a finger.
"Soon, my love…" She whispered, grinning as The Evil Queen's forked tongue caressed her cheek. "Soon…"
XX
Author's Note: The song in this chapter is The Dawn Will Come from Dragon Age Inquisition. Also I did a thing! I made Shae in The Sims 4, to the best of my ability within the game, anyway. Here is the link on Imgur. /Wn383C5
