Chapter 32

The Awakening

(3rd person POV)

The prince was cornered. His eyes darted between the members of his family in the room so he had no choice but to answer cautiously, "There was an assassin-"

Snow screamed, "There was a what?"

"I hired an assassin."

Whilst the expressions on Emma and Henry's faces showed shock, Snow scowled in disgust. She frowned and said to her husband, "But we agreed that we wouldn't kill her."

The prince sighed and gesturing to Emma, said, "I wasn't going to let her threaten the future of our child! Besides, my intention was never for the Queen's daughter to get hurt. I merely ordered the assassin to kill Regina."

Whilst Henry gulped at the mention of his mother's name, Snow softened her frown. She crossed arms and replied, "You better fix this. Are you telling me now that the curse was cast because of a mistake you made?"

David answered calmly, "I doubt that the witch cast the curse just because of what happened..."

Snow sighed and came up to Daniella's side. "David, don't call Regina that. She obviously hesitated-" Then, the princess lowered her voice and muttered, "What if she didn't want to cast the curse?"

Henry was the only one who heard. His eyes widened as he asked Snow, "What do you mean?"

Snow answered in a slightly louder voice, "I mean, I have no doubt that she wanted her revenge but...there was something holding her back. She threatened us with the curse but took more than nine months to enact it. I refuse to believe that she wasn't already prepared."

Henry looked at Daniella and in a leap of faith, put his ear against her chest, hoping for a heartbeat. He remained still for several seconds, before exclaiming loudly, "I think I heard something!"

"What?!"

Everyone crowded around him and Snow was the first to respond. She whipped around and asked David, "How was the assassin supposed to kill Regina?"

Henry flinched again at the mention of his mom. David took no notice and answered simply, "The assassin had magic. Perhaps a spell? I doubt he would physically use a weapon. It's a disadvantage since Regina would have been able to deflect it."

Snow nodded and pressed her fingers on Daniella's neck. The room seemed to have stopped breathing for a second. Then, the princess smiled. However, her expression turned serious in the next moment. Henry quietly prompted, "She's not dead right?"

Snow put an arm around Henry's shoulder and nodded. "We'll try. But I think we need to find the Dark One and ask for help."

Henry grinned and said, "Mr Gold?"

Emma grimaced at his name. Afterall, he had lead Regina and herself on a wild goose chase. However, she chose to not mention what had happened. Snow had already begun to walk out of the room. Before leaving, Henry whispered to his sister, "We'll wake you up, I promise...you shouldn't have to die because of the curse if what grandma says is true."

(Inside Mr Gold's shop)

Rumpelstiltskin caressed Belle's face in the palms of his hands and said anxiously, "You have to tell me what happened to you."

Belle looked down and admitted the truth. "I was...abducted."

"By Regina?"

The girl nodded and confirmed, "She locked me away until her curse and I've been in the asylum ever since."

There was a sudden flash of anger on the Dark One's face. He seethed, "I cannot let this stand, Belle. I will not let this stand!"

With a worried expression, Belle took his hand and said strongly, "Promise me, Rumple...promise me that you won't give in to hate. Please? Promise me that you won't kill her."

Rumple looked away and said nothing. He tried to bite away his hatred for the Queen but it didn't go unnoticed by Belle.

"Rumple...remember that if you kill Regina, Daniella will lose her mother."

The imp replied under his breath, "I'm well aware."

Caressing his face, Belle replied, "Exactly! Promise me and we can be together."

"I-" The Dark one reached to give his lover a kiss but was interrupted by the chime of the bell on the door of his shop. The couple looked up and immediately took a step away from each other as Snow, David and the rest of the Charming family strode into the shop. Snow, being the first to enter, noticed something strange in the expressions of Rumple and Belle. She frowned and said hastily, "Um, were we...interrupting something?"

Rumple walked behind the counter whilst Belle answered the princess, "No, of course you weren't. Um, can we help you with anything?"

Henry came out from behind the group and answered in place of his grandmother. "Mr Gold, are you able to take away the spell that Daniella was hit with?"

Rumple looked reluctant to answer but curiosity got the best of Belle. She turned to her boyfriend and asked him, "Who's this?"

"The saviour's son who also happens to have been adopted by Regina after Emma gave him up."

Henry approached Belle and said, "That's right. Wait a sec...you're Belle aren't you?"

She smiled and nodded, trying to comprehend the fact that the boy in front of her had been raised by Regina. The same woman who had locked her up for more than twenty eight years. She tried to push that thought aside so she asked him, "What happened to the princess?"

Belle glanced up to see Charming shift uncomfortably on his feet whilst Snow glared at him. Seeing the silence between his grandparents, Henry answered, "She was hit with a spell that was meant to kill her mother. The curse has kept her alive and since it's now broken she's..." Henry paused and took a deep breath. Then, he muttered almost inaudibly, "Please, can you or Mr Gold help us? I don't want her to die. She's...kinda my sister."

Belle turned to Rumple to see him looking down onto the counter. So, she went over and said softly, "Come on, Rumple. Show them that you're not a beast."

The imp whispered back, "But Regina's-"

"Rumple! Daniella's innocent. Besides, saying 'no' to Henry will just be cruel. He's a kid, and something's telling me that he has endured a lot recently."

Silence hung in the air after Belle's words. Then, the Dark One nodded his head. "Fine, but it'll be the last time I help any Mills women."

"Rumple..."

He gave Belle a look before turning to the Charmings. "I'll meet you at the hospital. I need to retrieve my dagger. The curse that Daniella has been hit with, is powerful. Especially since it has resided in her body for twenty eight years. I'm afraid the only way that she may be cured from it, is if I use some help."

(In the hospital, ICU)

Rumple hovered his dagger over Daniella's chest whilst everyone huddled around him. Emma had her arms wrapped around Henry. There was a white glow of magic from the dagger. It seeped into Daniella's body slowly. As the imp's brows furrowed, the room got quieter. Not even a breath could be heard. Suddenly, a mass of black smoke came out of Daniella's chest and absorbed into the dagger. Henry came up to his sister's side and whispered, "Was that the spell?"

There was a nod of confirmation from Rumple. Then, he removed the dagger and slipped it inside the pocket of his suit. Henry's voice shook as he asked, "Did it work?"

Just before the Dark One could answer, Daniella's eyes fluttered a little. Then, they opened as she drew a sharp intake of breath.

"Dani!"

The young princess looked around at the people crowded around her bed. As soon as she caught David's gaze however, she drew back against her pillow. Henry saw the frown of fear on her face and said quickly, "No, no, they won't hurt you."

Daniella stammered, "What happened? Where's...mother?" Then, her gaze dropped to a glare which she directed to the prince. "What did you do with her?"

David uncrossed his arms and tried to coax the hostility out of the girl in front of him. He gently replied, "She's locked up at the sheriff's station."

"What?!"

Snow added, "For everyone's safety, including her own."

There was a short pause, which was broken when Daniella replied quietly, "Are you gonna lock me up too?"

Henry exclaimed immediately, "Of course not!"

"Then, let me see her! She probably thinks that I'm dead-" She was interrupted by the sound of the glass doors opening. Mother Superior, the Blue Fairy, came into the room and gasped when she saw Daniella. She turned to Snow and said quickly, "I'm so sorry, I didn't know that she had already woken up, I would have come-"

Snow cut the fairy off in the middle of her sentence, "Do you have it?"

"Of course I do." Then, Blue came up to Daniella who was frowning at the exchange that had just occurred. Before the princess would register what was happening, the fairy grabbed one of her wrists and pushed something onto it. As soon as Daniella realised what it was, she fought off the fairy and tried to remove the thick black cuff that now nested firmly on her wrist. Henry, having had no idea what was going on, exclaimed, "What was that?!"

Snow replied, "It stops Daniella from using magic. It's-"

Daniella finished the sentence as she seethed to the Blue Fairy, "Barbaric! Take it off! I won't hurt anyone!"

Blue glanced at Snow and answered, "I'm sorry, but this was not my decision."

Before Daniella could reply, Snow said quickly, "Look, I think matters would be simpler if no one used magic for the time being-"

Tossing her head towards the fairy, the young princess replied angrily, "Then why is the gnat allowed to use her magic?!"

Blue's cheeks flustered a deep shade of red as she bit out, "Watch your tongue, girl." Then, she briefly glanced at Snow and continued, "You're lucky that her Majesty has allowed you to live."

Daniella sat up and muttered with a indignant frown, "That title only belongs to my mother."

Blue snipped back, "Yes, because she stole the throne from Snow."

"She didn't steal it! It was passed on to her because Snow wasn't of age yet when the King died."

"And who was behind King Leopold's death? I refuse to believe that it wasn't murder."

Rumple managed to get a word between the argument that was slowly escalating, "Alright, my work is done here. Belle, let's leave."

Snow quickly replied, "Thank you."

Belle gave the people in the room a small smile before she and her boyfriend walked out. Then, Snow said sternly, "Please, can you two stop whatever was going on?"

Blue crossed her arms and replied behind gritted teeth, "I would love to, but I can't stand by the sidelines whilst someone insults you. We, fairies, had sworn loyalty to your family-"

With an eyeroll, Daniella muttered, "This, Henry, is exactly why fairies are not to be trusted. They're biased!"

Mother Superior replied coolly, "And this, is why we help those who are good, not evil."

Right after the fairy hurled that accusation, Daniella got up from the bed as if she hadn't been affected by the curse at all. She stood in front of the fairy and spat with a wavering voice, "I'm not evil!" Then, she pushed past the people in the room and ran out of the ICU.

(Daniella's POV)

How dare she call me evil in front of everyone in the hospital?! Without paying attention to the sound of gasps that wafted through the corridor, I tried to get out of the building. Even though I didn't know the way, I needed to get to the sheriff's station. I needed to see mother. She probably still thinks that I'm dead!

At the end of the corridor, I heard Henry shout my name. I whipped my head around to see David running towards me. Instinctively, I took off and ran out of the ward. At the bottom of the stairs opposite to the entrance however, I was stopped by a group of people. I tried to barrel through them but they pushed me back. "What are you-"

A middle aged man gruffly sneered, "You ain't going anywhere, your highness."

I stepped back as shouts of agreement sounded through the air. The crowd got closer so I ran up several steps and screamed, "Don't touch me! If you do, I'll make you regret it!"

There were laughs. Then, the man replied, "With what? The Blue Fairy has informed us that she will strip you of your dark magic."

I gripped the banister tightly as someone else in the crowd continued, "The Evil Queen's not here to protect you now!" "Yeah, someone get her!" "Kill the witch!"

The man chuckled. Then, he advanced up the stairs. Before he could reach me however, David's unmistakable voice shouted, "Step back! All of you, step back!"

The people halted under the Prince's command. Then, Snow came up to me and pushed me behind her back. She said to the crowd, "No one is to hurt Daniella. If you hurt her, you'll receive the same consequence as hurting any of my family."

Someone daring countered, "And why are you protecting her? She's tried to kill you."

I rolled my eyes at the irony. The reason why I was close to death several times is because of Snow. However, I kept my mouth shut as she answered, "Because we aren't murders." With that, the crowd started to disperse, save for the man who had led the mob. He looked at me and stated, "Consider this your lucky day, princess. The next won't be-"

"Go!" shouted David. The man left after giving me another glare. When the crowd left, Snow turned around and bent down. "Are you alright, Daniella?"

Although my heart was ready to burst into flames of anger, I surpressed my feelings and nodded.

"Great, why don't we go back to the apartment?

We were walking back when Snow suddenly announced, "Hey, you guys can head off first. Daniella and I will be there shortly..."

David started to protest but Snow insisted, "No, David. I'll be fine. I believe Daniella and I should have a chat regarding, well...regarding everything."

David sighed and replied, "Fine."

Then, Snow took my hand and led me away from the group. I shrugged it away instantly. "Follow me, Daniella."

I did. After several minutes of walking, we arrived at a small park. There were children on the playground when we got there. Upon seeing us, their mothers stepped towards them and whispered something. Then, they got up and followed their parents closely. Snow was ahead of me so when they passed her, I saw them give her a polite bow. Snow said something back before they departed. Although we were walking on the same path, the parents lead their children away through the grass; clearly avoiding me. I glared at them as they strutted away. One of the young girls dared to look back so I stared her down. She turned away almost immediately. "Daniella..."

I turned around to see Snow gesturing the spot on the bench beside her. Exhaling, I went over and took a seat.

"Daniella, are you sure you're alright?"

I played with the hems of my dress and without looking up, answered, "Why do you care?"

Snow sighed. Then, she began softly, "I'm sorry for everything that happened between us. We could have grown up to be sisters-"

"No."

"I'm sorry?"

I fixed my eyes on Snow's face and said, "That's a lie. We'll never be sisters. I've already told you that in the Enchanted Forest."

"Daniella, I'm...I'm so sorry for saying things that I shouldn't have said."

I sighed. "To which time were you referring to?"

Snow hesitated but answered quietly, "I'm sorry I hinted to my father that you weren't his."

I looked away to hide the tears in my eyes. "How about what happened to my father?"

There was silence, except for the chirp of birds in the air. Then, Snow exhaled and continued, "I've already apologised to Regina about that...but she wouldn't take it."

I shook my head, "But what about to me? He was my father."

"Look,...I regret telling Cora about the relationship between your father and mother but-"

"You were just a child?"

"Yeah. That's right." Snow gave me a little smile, "At least you understand."

I stood up and crossed my arms. "I understand, but I don't accept the apology."

Snow gave me a frown. "What?"

"I, I..." Tears flowed down my face as I muttered, "I can't forgive you. You've not only killed my father, but you were the cause of my terrible childhood."

"You know, sometimes it's hard to fathom that you're sixteen, and not a child anymore."

Yes, a sixteen year old who feels like they've only lived through ten years thanks to you. I ignored her comment and continued, "If you hadn't been so desperate to make mother Queen, we would all have been happy! Mother and I wouldn't be feared or hated by everyone!"

"They don't hate you Daniella...they're just scared and afraid of what's happening."

I scoffed and gestured in the direction that the parents and their children went. "Didn't you see what just happened?"

Snow sighed and replied, "It doesn't always have be like this, from now. If you do good, they're see that you're not like your mother-"

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"No, Daniella, I-"

"What did you mean? Are you saying that mother's evil?"

"I never-"

"Yes you did." I huffed and backed off onto the path.

"Daniella, wait!"

"I want to see her."

"I don't think that'll be best-"

"Why?"

Snow closed her eyes and when she opened them again, said quickly, "I just don't think she's been the best influence for you."

Once again, I felt hot tears collect in my eyes but I blinked them away and stuttered, "She's my mother! She's the only person who has ever loved me, besides my grandfather! She's taught me how to control my magic, which you've now taken away from me."

"Daniella...yes, she's taught you magic but in ways to hurt people." Snow quickened her pace as she said, "She's taught you hate, anger, revenge-"

"But she's still my mother."

Snow dipped her head, "This arrangement is only for the time being alright? Please, just cooperate..."

"I want to see her. She needs to know that I'm alive!"

"David will tell her."

I shook my head and started to walk away. Snow came up beside and and we headed to the apartment without another exchange between us. When we arrived, we were greeted by the smell of cooking food. Snow exclaimed, "Charming, I didn't know that you could cook!"

Seeing that neither Henry or Emma were in sight, I asked, "Where's Henry?"

David answered, "Upstairs with Emma."

I quietly walked up the stairs to see Henry talking with his mother with his book wide open on their laps. Henry was the first to catch my gaze. "Dani!"

I came over and sat down on the armchair opposite the couch.

"What did Mary Margaret say to you?"

I looked at Emma who took the cue and got up. "See you at lunch in a few minutes, kid." She kissed Henry's forehead and left. After her footsteps had died down, I answered, "Snow told me that I can't see our mother."

"You mean your mom?"

My heart dropped. "But she's our mom."

"Emma's my mom now."

I glared at Henry so he quickly changed the topic and suggested, "Dani, let's go eat lunch."

I nodded. "Fine." And that was the last word I said to him, for the day.

(Regina's POV, at the sheriff's station)

When David walked into the room, I snarled at him. "What do you want?"

The shepherd walked up to the prison bars and after a moment of silence, answered, "Snow wanted me to tell you that Daniella is alive."

"What?!" I stood up from the bench with my mouth wide open in shock. Then, I frowned and muttered, "That's not possible! She died! Your daughter killed her!"

"No, she-"

"You tore me away from her dead body!" I screamed.

David held up his hands and said calmly, "Regina, let me explain...after I came back to the hospital, Henry said that he heard breathing from Daniella's body. After that, we got Gold to take away the spell that-"

"-the assassin intended to kill me with." I was still in shock of what the Prince was saying. He nodded so I prompted, "And?"

"With the dagger, he was able to extract the magic out of Daniella's body."

I couldn't help but grin as I breathed, "So she's alive?"

"Yes."

Softening my tone, I asked, "Well where is she now?"

After taking a deep breath, the Prince replied, "Snow and I both think that it'll be best if we let things settle for the moment."

"Excuse me?"

"We-"

I clenched my fists together and silently cursed that I didn't have magic. "I'm her mother! You have no right to keep her away from me!"

"And yet you kept Henry away from Emma prior to the breaking of the curse."

"That's because he's my son!"

"No he's not, he's Emma's. But we won't go into that. I just came to deliver the message, I wasn't looking for an argument-"

Stepping closer to the bars, I seethed, "And I wasn't expecting this behaviour from you, shepherd. You will, let me see my daughter."

"You don't have any power anymore, Regina. We've caught you in behind bars, twice now."

I glared at the man in front of me and replied, "And what makes you think that I won't find a way out again, hmm?"

"Last time, Snow and I let you go. Tell me, who in this town is on your side besides Daniella?"

I felt my stomach drop and the feeling of emptiness weigh down my body again. In a quiet whisper, I muttered my son's name. I meant for it to come out as a statement but I ended up raising my tone instead.

The shepherd scoffed and said, "He hasn't even mentioned you after the curse broke."

I took a step back and whispered, "And Daniella?"

"I believe she and Snow had a talk. I didn't know what happened."

"So now she's staying with you?"

"Yes."

I glared at the prince in order to hide the tears that now burned my eyes. He sighed and stuck out a brown paper bag to me through the bars. "Here's your lunch."

Once I grabbed it, he started walking away. Before he left the room, I growled, "If you harm a single hair on Daniella's head, I'll make sure I drag you down to hell with me."

When the sound of his footsteps subsided, I sat back onto the bench and rested my hands on my face. I didn't know if I was crying because of the fact that Daniella was alive and that I couldn't see her, or because of Henry's rejection. However, I let my tears soak the sleeves of my shirt as it trickled down my arms. I didn't care what will happen to me, as long as my little firefly is safe.