Summer was starting to die away, the days slowly becoming shorter, the warm evenings slowly becoming cooler.

The trees in the forests of Misthaven were mostly evergreen, and Regina found herself missing not just Henry but the beautiful displays of red and orange played out by the trees of Storybrooke every fall.

She also found herself missing the central heating of her mansion.

Summer in the castle hadn't been too bad - its stone walls and large draughty rooms meant that it stayed relatively cool, even when the outside temperature soared.

But she hadn't forgotten winters in the Enchanted Forest, nor the way that her chambers never really warmed up, her balcony open to the elements.

Even now, with fall only just beginning, there was already a chill in the air.

And still, she had no idea what her sister was planning, what had happened to the missing villagers, or even if the two were related.

The castle was now playing host to refugees, as more and more of the villagers and townspeople, afraid for their safety, came to request sanctuary, which, of course, had been granted.

Most had set up camps in the courtyard, still within the protective walls, but that would not be practical as a long-term solution.

More and more, Regina ended up in the western library with the magical tomes, something she tried to avoid - partly because the more she was around magic, the more nervous people were, and partly because she had a little shadow.

For the last few days, however, the Merry Men had not gone out on their patrols, and today Roland was supposed to be with Tuck.

So Regina took the opportunity to see if she could find any kind of spell that would allow Zelena to make people vanish without a trace and without any kind of struggle - at least, not that anyone had seen.

Of course, the easiest explanation was that all of the missing people's families were wrong about their loved ones staying away from the boundary line and that they had been attacked or taken outside the protection of Regina's magic.

But Regina wasn't taking any chances.

She was so absorbed in her reading that she didn't notice the door creaking open, or the little footsteps on the floorboards.

She did, however, notice the little hand on her knee, something that made her smile, even if it did make her jump.

"Roland! Where's Uncle Tuck?"

"He's napping," Roland mumbled, scrambling up on to her lap. As always, he had his monkey tucked under one arm, so she closed her book and wrapped her arms around him to help him balance. "Gina, I don't feel so good."

Regina frowned. She had told Roland some weeks ago that he could call her by her given name (even if his 'my majesty' was adorable), but he very rarely did so straight away without being reminded. "You don't? What's wrong, my little knight?"

"My head hurts," Roland said, a slight whimper in his voice, "and my tummy hurts, and I'm cold."

Regina grimaced. He might have felt cold, but his skin was hot against her touch, too hot. "Well, that doesn't sound fun. Why don't we go and see if Granny has any soup?"
Roland shook his head. "Not hungry. My tummy …" He shuddered, and then he suddenly deposited his breakfast all down her front, before promptly bursting into tears. "I'm sorry!"

"Ssh, it's alright," Regina cooed, cleaning herself, Roland and the monkey with a wave of her hand. "It's alright, Roland. You're not very well, sweetheart; let's get you into bed, alright?" She stood up, keeping him wrapped in her arms, his little body still shaking with sobs.

She made her way down to the room he shared with his father and where Tuck was still snoozing in one of the chairs.

The old friar was the oldest member of the Merry Men, the reason why he stayed behind while they went out on patrol, and she didn't begrudge him the nap.

Still, as she passed, she nudged his shoulder gently. "Friar? I need you to wake up."

The man jolted awake immediately, blinking the fatigue from his eyes. "Your Majesty?"

"Roland's sick," Regina said softly, putting the boy in his bed.

"Gina, I'm cold," Roland repeated with a sniffle.

"I know, sweetheart," Regina said, tucking him in. "It's only the fever making you feel like that, handsome; you'll be alright."

"He's got a fever," Tuck repeated, alarm in his voice.

Regina winced. Of course, a fever was far worse here than back in Storybrooke - how had she forgotten?

"Is there anything you can do?" He continued.

"Not really," Regina said honestly. "If I was capable of light magic then maybe, but I'm not. And without the fairies here, all we can do is wait it out. There are a few things we can do though; I'll just need to get some things from the kitchens …"

"I'll go," Tuck said immediately. "What do you need?"

"A bowl of lukewarm water," Regina said. "Not cold, lukewarm. And if Granny can spare some oil, mix it with lavender, thyme, rosemary and sage, and bring that up too. And some water for him to drink wouldn't go amiss. Ivy will be able to help."

Tuck nodded. "Should we send out a messenger to get Robin?"

"Want Papa," Roland mumbled.

"I know you do," Regina said gently. "I don't think there's much point. By the time they've reached him, he'll be on his way back anyway."

"True," Tuck conceded. "I'll be right back."

"Gina," Roland whined. "I want Papa."

Regina kicked her shoes off and curled up with him on the bed, letting him snuggle into her chest, wincing at the heat he was giving off and the sweat beading on his forehead. "Papa will be back soon, sweetheart. I promise."

Roland sniffled, shivering, and she tucked him closer, automatically letting her magic wrap around him, just to make sure that this was a natural illness and not caused by some nefarious plot of her sister's.

But, no, this was nothing more than a child's fever, no less distressing - or dangerous - for its lack of magical origin.

It was Ivy who brought the requested items.

"Tuck's gone to wait for Robin at the gates," she explained, handing Regina the oil while she poured Roland a cup of water. "Here, honey, drink this; it'll help."

"Thank you Ivy," Regina murmured, relieved when Roland didn't fight, letting the cool water trickle down his throat.

"Of course," Ivy said, soaking a cloth in the lukewarm water and ringing it out. "I'll be on hand if you need me."

Regina smiled weakly, setting the cloth against Roland's forehead, causing him to squirm.

"Gina, it's cold!"

"I know sweetheart," Regina said. "But that's because you have a fever, and we need to cool it down. I know it's not very nice."

"What's that?" Roland asked, eyeing the oil. "Do I need to drink that?"

Regina chuckled. "No, you don't need to drink it. It's going to help your fever."

"Smells funny," Roland mumbled.

"It does," Regina conceded. "But it's good for you." Rubbing a small amount of the oil on to her fingertips, she gently began to rub it into the boy's chest and over his collarbones.

Slowly, her gentle ministrations lulled him into a restless sleep and she set the oil to one side, wiping her fingers on her dress; it already still smelled slightly of vomit and was damp from the cloth on Roland's forehead, so she was giving up on it.

Roland whimpered and shivered, and she tugged him a little closer, resting his head against her heart the way she had once done with Henry.

Less than half an hour later, there was a commotion in the corridor, and Regina winced, hoping that someone would at least have the sense to tell him to lower his voice.

Thankfully, although Robin burst into the room in a clear panic, he did so quietly, and when he saw her, the relief on his face was so strong and so pure, that she could hardly look at it, focussing instead on Roland.

"He's alright."

"Tuck said he's got a fever," Robin said, hurrying to the bedside. "He's …"

"He's a very miserable little boy," Regina finished, hoping that her voice sounded reassuring. "I know how dangerous fevers can be, but this one isn't. Given rest and fluids, he should be fine."

"Papa …" Roland murmured, not opening his eyes.

"It's alright, Roland," Robin whispered, bending to kiss his forehead. "I'm right here."

Regina tried to get up, but Roland's hands tightened on her dress with a whine.

"Nooo! Gina, stay please."

Regina smiled. "It's alright, sweetheart; I'm not going anywhere. I just figured I'd make room for your papa."

And put some space between them, before she forgot that a little boy's sickbed was an inappropriate time and place to make a move on the boy's father.

Before she forgot what a bad idea that was anyway.

A soft tap on the door gave her the excuse she needed.

"Your Majesty," Ivy said softly, mindful of the sleeping boy between them. "We have a visitor."

"Who?" Regina asked sharply.

"Victor Frankenstein," Ivy said. "Except he's asking us to stick with Victor Whale instead. He's requesting sanctuary but he says that it's imperative that he speak with you as soon as possible."

"I see." Regina gently untangled Roland's hands. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. But I need to go and talk to Dr Whale."

"He's a doctor?" Robin asked hopefully.

"I'll get him to come up and check on him," Regina said, pressing a quick kiss to Roland's forehead. "Alright, Ivy, where is he?"

Whale was in the throne room, speaking to Snow and Charming, and when she entered, he greeted her with a low bow. "Your Majesty."

"What do you want?" Regina asked flatly.

"Mama!" Snow protested.

Whale raised an eyebrow. "That's new."

"What do you want?" Regina repeated, slightly slower this time.

"First of all, I owe you an apology," Whale said. "I was so desperate to save my brother that I allowed myself to take a deal that was horrific. I didn't realise the damage it was going to do. I didn't fully understand why he wanted me to fake it; I told myself it was because he was trying to protect people, that his return would cause a problem. But he was trying to break you and I realise now that I played a large part in that."

Snow and Charming were starting to look confused and more than a little curious, and Regina had no wish to start to discuss it, not with them or with Whale. "Thank you. Ivy said this was imperative; an apology could have waited."

Whale nodded. "Of course. When we arrived back here, I was alone. I contemplated trying to find a way back to my realm, but I didn't see the point; there was nothing there for me, not anymore. So I set up shop in a small town in Sentisrota; my interest may have been in necromancy, but I am still a doctor, in both realms. Early this morning, I received a visitor - a man who had come from Misthaven, who had been attacked by some kind of creature. He'd escaped but he had a nasty wound on his shoulder. I began to treat him, but then he began to seize and then - to my horror - he proceeded to turn into what I can only describe as a flying monkey. I was able to fend it off and it took off.

Given the magic, and given where he came from, I figured that I should probably tell you."

Snow looked like she was going to throw up. "My gods … is that why we can't find any of them? She's turning them into flying monkeys?"

"She must be," Regina murmured, feeling just as stunned herself. "Clearly they have no conscious thought in that state, otherwise …" she winced, a horrible thought occurring to her. "Oh gods, Roland's monkey."

David's eyes widened. "What are you going to do?"

"He's sick at the moment," Regina said. "I can probably get away with switching it out."

"You've got a sick resident?" Whale asked. "Perhaps I can help?"

"Perhaps," Regina agreed. "I'm fairly sure it's just a standard fever and that it will pass, but I wouldn't reject a second opinion. That is, if you two have no other questions?"

They both shook their heads.

"Try and keep trips outside the castle to a minimum," Regina said.

"What do we do about them?" David asked. "The people, I mean."

"We can't do anything," Regina said. "We need to stop Zelena first, and I still have no idea how to do that. We've already established that she's stronger than I am."

"We can't just leave them there," Snow protested.

Regina sighed. "Snow, this is a war. You can't save everyone. We need to focus on stopping Zelena. If we can save her prisoners then that's even better. If that's all?" She didn't wait for an answer, leading Whale out of the throne room. "I'll have Ivy set up a room for you."

"I really am sorry," Whale said.

"I'm sure you are," Regina said. "Out of interest, does that apology include the botched resurrection when I had to kill him again?"

Whale winced. "Yes."

"And the time you tried to murder me with your bare hands?" Regina asked coldly.

"That was … a hasty reaction," Whale conceded, "brought on by anger at myself more than you. Your curse had taken away the memories of all my failures. Given me a career that was actually worth something. And then it all collapsed. I am sorry."

Regina paused outside Robin's door. "Fine. Now be a doctor." She tapped lightly on the wood before pushing the door open.

Roland hadn't moved but Robin had taken her place, his son curled up against his chest, whimpering slightly.

"What made you think of the herbs?" Robin asked in greeting, rubbing some more of the oil on to his boy's chest. "I didn't learn of them until I was in the forest."

"Daddy used it when I was sick," Regina answered. "Robin, this is Dr Victor Whale. Doctor, this is Robin of Locksley and his son, Roland."

The two men shook hands, and Whale bent over Roland, touching his forehead, before rooting in his bag and withdrawing a strange instrument.

"What is that?" Regina asked.

"It's the closest I can get to a stethoscope out here," Whale said with a scowl. "Unless you can do something about that, Your Majesty?"

Regina thought for a second. She had tried to create some of the more useful inventions from the land without magic, but most of them ran on batteries or electricity, power that simply did not exist here in the Enchanted Forest.

A stethoscope, however, was much like the cardboard she had created for Roland's shield - not powered by anything, but an invention that had not yet been made.

So, crossing her fingers, she waved a hand and the instrument in Whale's hand changed.

"Excellent," Whale said, far more cheerfully. "Thank you."

"What does it do?" Robin asked.

"It allows me to listen to his heart and lungs," Whale answered.

"Does it hurt?" Roland asked weakly.

"Not at all," Whale said. "Would you like to listen to mine first?"

Roland nodded, and Whale helped him with the ear-tips before placing the drum against his own chest.

"Can you hear that?"

Roland nodded again, his eyes wide.

"That's something from the Land Without Magic?" Robin asked curiously.

"Indeed," Whale said, taking the stethoscope back and listening to Roland's chest. "They used to just put their ear to your chest like we do here, but this is far more accurate. Not sure what prompted the invention though."

"I believe," Regina said, "that it was a doctor who was reluctant to place his ear against a lady's chest." She was trying to figure out how to get Roland's monkey out of his arms without upsetting the boy.

Thankfully, for once, Whale appeared to be on the same wavelength. "Okay, Roland, I need you to sit forward for me; I need to listen to your lungs and it's easier through your back. Is it okay if we move monkey for a moment?"

Roland hesitated and Regina stepped forwards. "Why don't I hold on to him for you, sweetheart? Only for a little bit."

Roland nodded and Regina took the monkey, running a hand across its fur. The magic still felt like her own, but she didn't want to take any chances.

A second later, she was holding two toys - identical in every way, except the new one had no magic whatsoever.

Of course, there was a chance that Roland could be sensitive to that, so she placed a mild protective charm on it, one that would bring the child comfort as he slept.

Roland hadn't noticed a thing, but Robin certainly had. He met her eyes over Whale's head and gave her a questioning look. She tucked the original monkey away under her cloak and shook her head.

"Well then," Whale said, easing Roland back down again. "You're absolutely right, Your Majesty; it's just a mild fever, nothing to be concerned about. A few days rest and lots of fluid and he should be right as rain."

"Good," Regina said, tucking the new monkey in beside Roland. She held her breath, but he just cuddled into it and fell asleep. "Come with me, doctor; we'll get you set up in a room."

"Thank you," Whale said. "Just keep an eye on him," he added to Robin. "If his breathing starts getting laboured, let me know."

Robin nodded. "Thank you."

Regina fully expected him to follow them out of the room, and he didn't disappoint. By the time she had handed Whale over to Ivy (who wouldn't look him in the eye, even though Regina was fairly sure she hadn't been one of the man's conquests under the curse - maybe that was the problem), Robin was leaning against the doorframe. "So what was with the monkey?"

Regina sighed. "Victor had one of our missing villagers come to him for help after being attacked by one of the beasts."

Robin straightened up. "They must have crossed the boundary."

"Must have," Regina agreed. "But before he could help, the poor man turned into a flying monkey himself."

Robin's eyes widened. "But that means …"

Regina nodded. "Zelena's army is made up of brainwashed prisoners." She withdrew the toy from her cloak. "So I wanted to get this away from Roland, just to be safe. And before you ask, no, we can't do anything about it right now, except issue a warning. Zelena needs to remain our priority, not a rescue mission."

"Of course," Robin conceded. "That doesn't mean you're not going to take that toy to your library and try and figure out an answer."

Regina faltered, taken aback once again by his ability to see straight through her. "Yes, I am. But it's highly likely that I wont be able to fix it until Zelena's dealt with and her magic is undone. So let's not get people's hopes up."