The search party combed the forest for any sign of the young queen, but after a week, nothing had been found. The knights heard a rumor that a young girl had been attacked by a werewolf the same day Queen Rose Red had gone missing, but later when they learned that the girl was just the granddaughter of a local peasant, they decided not to investigate further. Dowager Queen Regina did not fit the image of a worried, grieving mother; rather, she seemed more contemplative than anything else. No tears fell from her eyes; no curses to servants who returned empty-handed left her lifts; no prayers for Rose Red's safe return were whispered. Only seven days passed for Queen Regina ordered her men to end the search and continue the move, even though the herald begged her to find a sorcerer who could use magic to find Queen Rose Red. She sent a knight in the opposite direction, but otherwise she behaved as though Rose Red had never even been there.
"What right does she have to command us?" some of the servants wondered to each other - never in Queen Regina's hearing. "She's the king's widow and the queen's mother, but she herself is not royalty."
The royal party reached the Summer Palace two weeks behind schedule and missing their most important person. Aristocrats and courtiers who had arrived beforehand badgered Regina for news of their little ruler, but she claimed to be too distraught over her daughter's disappearance to answer them. The mystery of what had happened to Rose Red permeated through the palace, and eventually the surrounding towns and villages. Men knelt before Regina promising to return with her daughter, and she humored them.
There was the matter of the royal succession. King Leopold had no other child, therefore by right the throne ought to go his cousin, Edward the Duke of Prusemond, but no concrete evidence of Rose Red's death had been found. Duke Edward left his castle in Prusemond for the royal Summer Palace regardless, ostensibly to comfort a childless mother. The warmth Regina greeted him with was just as genuine as his word of sympathy. For the next 7 days, Regina and Edward danced around each other like 2 vipers waiting for strike each other, until, one night during dinner, a servant entered the dining room to announce the arrival of the knight Regina had sent away.
Behind that knight stood a young man, who looked be just on the cusp of manhood. They both bowed to Regina and Edward, and the young man introduced himself as Alexander. He had long, strong-looking limbs, skin browned by the sun, and a wide-eyed, earnest look, with long brown hair that partially fell over his eyes and curled at his broad shoulder. His clothes were clean saves for some dust from the road, but plain and patched. Regina gasped when she saw him, her eyes sweeping over him to study every detail.
After an awkward moment, she spoke, "I never thought I'd get the chance to meet you. I just wish it were under better circumstances."
Edward raised an eyebrow, "How do you know of him?"
"He is the late king's illegitimate son." Regina avoided locking eyes with anyone in the room, instead focusing on twiddling with her rings. "He was conceived shortly before Leopold and I got married. When Leopold finally told me about his child, we decided it was best to leave him alone with his mother and her husband, so he wouldn't get face the pressure of being royal."
Alexander froze. Clearly, this was the first time he had ever heard anything of this. "The old king was my blood father?"
"So he wouldn't get between your children and the throne," Edward accused, ignoring Alexander's question.
Regina's lips twitched into an strange, shaking smile. "That's not really a concern now, is it? My husband and daughters are gone, but the realm needs a ruler."
"You cannot mean for this... uneducated young man to take the throne," Edward gestured to Alexander, who remained still as a winter pond. Everyone could clearly sense his nervousness and uncertainty.
"He is the king's son." The words slithered out of Regina's mouth like a prisoner clawing his way out of jail. "My daughters were first in the line of succession, but he is of royal blood and comes right after them. He is our new king."
The boy, Alexander, widened his eyes. "There must be some mistake. I'm not fit to be king!"
"That much we can agree on," Edward remarked haughtily.
Regina ignored Edward and took Alexander's hands in her own, "You won't have to do it alone. You'll have me to guide you, as I guided you younger sister, Rose Red."
"And look what happened to her..." Edward muttered.
"The law is the law," Regina told Edward sternly, as she approached with eyes bright with warming. "We obey it whether we like or not, because that's the only way to keep order in the kingdom."
Edward could not argue with that, but he wouldn't soon forgive Regina for snatching the throne right from under him.
In the weeks and months that passed, Regina announced to the kingdom that her daughter Rose Red had been killed by a werewolf and the late king's illegitimate son would take his place on the throne. Alexander was the fourth monarch in less than a decade. After Leopold's death, Snow White was briefly crowned queen before evidence came to light that might have had a hand in her father's death. But before a trial could be held, she fled the palace in the night with her mother's soldiers hot on her heels. With Snow White stripped of her titles, Rose Red became queen, but now like her father she had passed away.
The subjects of the kingdom, noble and peasant alike, grew wary of the throne. This string of tragedies was unlike anything in living memory and people became wonder if it was a sign of worse to come. In the taverns and docks and brothels of the kingdom, people whispered to each other that the fault lay with Queen Regina; that Misthaven had not seen such troubling events before she arrived. One princess murdering her father for the throne? Another allegedly torn apart by a werewolf, though no body had been recovered? A long-lost prince appearing from thin air? Others responded that Queen Regina had done a remarkable job of holding the kingdom through all the hardships facing her family and praised her for accepting her husband's son as the heir, almost as if he were her own son.
Queen Regina spent hours teaching King Alexander the ways of royal court, though he never appeared comfortable with the role. She hired tutors in various subjects, as his education had been limited to the daily chores of a family and a little bit of skill in reading, writing, and arithmetic. Those who had been at court long enough to remember watching the princesses grow up noted that Regina took a great deal more time guiding and spending time with her husband's son than with her own daughters. She laughed with him more, spoke more softly to him, and defended him from those who questioned his ability to lead.
If anyone found the queen's behavior odd, they did not say so in her hearing.
Ashley went into labor 4 days after Gold dropped the custody case. Her water broke while she was on her lunch break and the entire diner froze as Ruby rushed her to the car and drove her to the hospital. Within hours, the entire town got knew that the latest addition to the small, tight-knit community was about to make their debut. While Ashley endured contractions, Ruby stayed by her side, occasionally holding her hand, or stroking her hair, or whispering words of encouragement.
Two hours after they arrived in the hospital, Dr. West arrived in the room, her greying red hair pulled back in a hasty ponytails. "Sorry for being tardy," she laughed. "It was my day off. I rushed over as soon as I heard the good news."
Ashley smiled though the pain as another contraction hit her.
"Right," Dr. West put on a more serious demeanor. "Let's make sure everything's going as planned."
For the next few hours, Ashley endured the pain while Ruby, Dr. West, and the nurses kept a close eye on her. When Granny comes by after closing the diner, Ruby took the opportunity to eat something knowing Ashley wasn't alone.
When Ashley was 9 centimeters dilated, Emma poked her head in the door, followed by Mary. "Hey Ash. You doing all right?"
Exhausted, in pain, and covered in sweat, Ashley joked, "I've been better." She held out an arm, inviting Emma to come hug her.
For Emma, it felt almost surreal to included in a moment like this. As far as family moments went, she only had a few half-remembered birthday parties to her name. Still, she went over and wrapped an arm around Ashley's shoulders, her cheek pressed close against Ashley's.
"This kid is so lucky to have you," Emma whispered.
Ashley replied, "And I'm lucky to have you."
"Don't give me all the credit," Emma chuckled. "Teddy's the one who talked to Mr. Gold."
"Teddy? He helped me keep my baby?"
Emma nodded.
"But, he didn't mention anything about that," Ashley frowned.
Mary tilted her head, "Well, you know Teddy. He keeps to himself and doesn't like the attention."
"He should be here!" Ashley cried.
Dr. West said, "There are already a few too many people here."
"We can leave," Granny offered. "Ashley's right, he should be here."
James first suggested that they cut her hair and use it as a rope, but Zela explained the spell Gothel had put on her; her hair had become like another organ, and cutting it caused her pain. To prove it, she let him cut a lock, letting out a sharp cry when he did. James dropped the remaining strands when they began to bleed, shivering at the notion of bleeding hair.
"I'm sorry I didn't believe you," he told her. "but this doesn't make any sense. Your hair can hold my entire weight, but can't be cut without harming you?"
"Gothel is a power witch. I don't know why, but she did something to change me."
As the realization of their situation began to creep onto James, his breathing hastened and his eyes moved from corner to corner.
"I should apologize to you," Zela replied mournfully. "I should have I could never escape, and now you're trapped with me."
"No, there's always a change to escape," James insisted. "My father taught me that."
Zela watched as Prince James futilely searched for a way out of the tower. In her moment of foolish hope, she'd underestimated the strength of Gothel's enchantments and now this brave boy was trapped along with her.
The thought struck her and Zela whispered in a panicked tone, "What do you think Gothel will go if she finds you here? You have to hide!"
James looked at her solemnly, "I'll have to face her eventually, so why not now?"
"She'll kill you!" Zela warned.
"She hasn't killed you," James countered.
"Because she has some reason for keeping me in here, but doesn't have one to spare your life."
James looked at thoughtfully, "How did you end up trapped here to begin with? Did Gothel kidnapped you?"
"No..." Zela swallowed hard, and hesitantly explained. "I sought her out for a favor - but I had no idea she would do this to me!"
"What kind of favor?" James pressed, "Do you think your request have offended her somehow?"
"You think I haven't considered that! Why do you even need to know?" Zela snapped.
James replied, "Don't get angry at me when I'm just trying to help."
Zela pouted, but apologized. "It's difficult to talk about."
James looked at her, but didn't asked her elaborate although it was clear he wanted to.
She sighed deeply, "My brother died." Her voice came out high and thin. "He save me from drowning, but drowned himself. It was all my fault; my parents warned not to go into the water, and my foolishness cost them their only son. He was the crown prince of our king and now I'm the heir to throne, but I'm completed unsuited to rule anything. I ruin everything I touch. I've even ruined your life and I hardly know you."
"You have my condolences for the loss of your brother," James told her gently. "I can't imagine what it must be like to lose a sibling. But doubt you ruin everything you touch."
Zela sniffled, "Look where you are."
"I came up here by my own choice, to help someone who needed me, and that's exactly what I plan to do," James smiled at her.
Zela smiled, until she noticed a shadow behind him. A scream ripped through her throat, and James spun on his heel, his sword drawn. Before he step forward the face Gothel, the witch held out her hand and summoned a blast of wind to knock him to the ground.
She held him down with bright, white chains of magic and learned over him. A thin, raspy voice poured out from under her black hood, "Who are you? How did you get in here?"
Once she realized that Gothel didn't see as a threat, Zela dove for James' sword and put it right to Gothel's neck. The heavy, jeweled pummel felt bulky and awkward in her hands, since she had trained to use rapiers and not long-swords, but she figured she wouldn't need extensive training in long-swords to put an end to Gothel from this position. Still, she wanted answers for what Gothel had done to her and perhaps she might even show the witch some mercy.
"I'm going to be asking the questions, thank you," Zela growled. "You owe me a lot of explanations. First off, you did you trap me here?"
"Trapped?" Gothel snared. "I did you a service. You could have lived out your days in peace and luxury, with all your needs taken care of. You wanted for nothing in here, did you?"
"I didn't ask for that!" Zela snapped. "You kept me apart from my family; you took away my freedom. Why?"
"I needed a human host." Gothel explained. She scoffed at the horrified looks of James and Zela's faces. "A little bit of your life-force to keep my ring healthy, and I compensated you for it well enough, didn't I?"
"Your ring?" Zela glanced at Gothel's hands, but she wore no rings on her pale, slender fingers.
James caught Gothel's meaning before Zela did. "A faerie ring," he realized, his voice hardly louder than a whisper and shaking slightly. "You're not a witch, you're of the fair folk."
His words hit Zela like the load of a trebuchet, and she felt her resolve crumbling like castle walls. The sword shook in her hand, and she wasn't sure if she should keep it in place or fall to her knees begging for Gothel's forgiveness.
"Careful with that." Gothel hissed, trying to inch her neck away from the sword.
In her panic, Zela had forgotten that the fair folk were wear to iron and that she still held the upper hand. At least for now. She schooled her features into an assured, dignified look, and adjusted her voice to match. "I will not kill you, so long as you swear to let us leave this tower and return to our kingdoms unharmed."
Gothel glared at her; Zela stared into the faerie's ageless eyes, which seemed to turn black, and tried to fight against a terrified, sinking feeling in her stomach.
"You have my word." Gothel spat.
A door which had not previously existed opened for them as Gothel released her hold of James. Zela lowered the sword from Gothel's neck and helped James to his feet, while the faerie materialized into a puff of purple-grey smoke. Only now did Zela noticed that her heart had been beating rapidly and had began returning to its normal pace, but James took no time to try to process what just happened. Instead he grabbed her hand and rushed her out of the tower.
"We need to report what just happened to my father and to your parents," James told her as they made their way down the dark, narrow spiral staircase, framed by cold, brick walls. "The fair folk have clever and devastating ways of getting revenge, and I doubt Mother Gothel will be very forgiving."
The young prince and princess pushed open a heavy iron gate. Beyond, the wide stretch of sunlit grass appeared before them, a landscape dotted with trees under high, soft clouds. Zela blinked away tears as the sense of freedom seemed to grow on her skin and skin into her flesh. She could go home.
Could she? After what she had put her parents through?
Prince James silently took her hand and gave her an understanding look.
She could try.
Emma stood outside the hospital watching as the first snowfall of the year coated the parking lot in white flakes. She squinted down Main Street, waiting for the sight of Teddy Mishra's truck sputtering into the hospital parking lot. As the streetlamps flickered on and bathed her in an obnoxious orange glow, Emma got her wish. Or rather, Ashley's wish. Killian shot her a smile from the passenger's seat as Teddy went to park and Emma couldn't help but feel a slight fluttering in her stomach.
Both men greeted her. "You didn't have to wait out here for us," Teddy apologized for her having to stand outside in the snow.
"I wanted to make sure you didn't get lost; hospitals can be pretty confusing." Emma shrugged. That was only half the truth. Being around a woman giving birth had begun wearing down on her as she thought her son, and so she welcomed the excuse to leave Ashley's room, despite feeling guilty for those feelings.
She led them into Ashley's room in the maternity ward and to their surprise, Julie was approaching the door from another corridor. She frozen when she saw them. Emma gave her a withering look.
"She's still my sister," Julie said, knowing exactly what Emma was thinking.
"Could have fooled me," Emma replied coldly.
Teddy and Killian stood behind her on either side, looking almost like bodyguards, but Julie squared her shoulders, refusing to be intimidated, "What if she wants me to be there for her? Are you gonna kick me out anyway?"
Emma kept her eyes on Julie's as she opened the door, then turned to smile at Ashley. Granny and Mary had stepped on, but ever-faithful Ruby sat in a chair holding her hand while another Ashley grimaces and thrashed through another contraction.
"Hey, guess who just got off work?" Emma's harsh demeanor melted into sweetness for her young, laboring friend. She opened the door wider for Teddy and Killian to come in.
Ashley smiled. Her long, ink black hair lay damp against her skin and pillow and her pale skin shone under the florescent lights with sweat. "Thanks for coming."
"Thanks for waiting for us," Teddy replied with a goofy grin.
Killian clapped him on the shoulder, "I don't think she had much choice in that, mate."
Everyone laughed, even Dr. West, as Ashley clasped Teddy's hand with her free one. The laughter subsided when the door creaked open and Julie entered the room with a nervous smile. Before anyone could question why she had come, Julie said in a rush, "I'm so sorry. I know I should have stood up for you sooner, but I was afraid of her too. I know that's not an excuse but I can't go on knowing you hate me and think I hate you, before I don't. I just want us to be sisters again and I want to be good aunt to your baby. Could you ever forgive me?"
Julie took a deep breath after she finished her hurried speech, looking small and sacred and prepared to get yelled and thrown from the room.
Ashley looked at Julie for several moments, while everyone else held their breaths. Breathing heavily, Ashley nodded and said, "I forgive you."
Ye Xian silently slipped into the bedroom where her husband and wife were still fast asleep; Red sprawled on one end of the bed and Nagaraj curled up on the other, leaving an empty space for her in the middle. She gazed at her lovers as she rested her hand against her abdominal, unable to wait to tell them that the three of them would soon be parents.
The next morning, with Ruby and Teddy by her side, Ashley gave birth to a beautiful baby girl - Ella Bao.
