A/N: Sorry it's so late guys! I'm so busy now with everything that I'm finding it really hard to find the time to write! I frequently update my profile with what's happening with updates, so please check it out if it's been a while since I've updated!

"Mother! Mother!" a nine-year-old Talulla called, sprinting down the hallway that led to the Queen's bedchambers. "Mother!"

"What is it, Tallie?"

The young girl skidded to a halt as she nearly ran headfirst into Regina, who was just coming out of her room.

"Mother, I can't find Grandfather anywhere! He's not in any of the rooms he normally sits in, and I've checked the gardens and he's not answering his bedroom door!" she rambled, not stopping until her mother took hold of her shoulders gently.

"Hang on, calm yourself, I can't understand what you're saying," the Queen ordered softly, pausing a few moments as her daughter took in deep breaths. "Now, speak more slowly."

"It's Grandfather, I can't find him! I've checked everywhere!"

"The castle is a big place, I'm sure he's perfectly alright, Tallie, you don't need to worry about him."

"But Abigail said that the bed didn't even look like it's been slept in!"

Regina's eyes widened. Now that was unusual. "Right, well, I'm going to have a look myself. Are you going to come?"

"Yes," the girl answered immediately. "Mother, I'm worried about him. I don't want him to be gone like…" She trailed off as she realised what she was about to say. They'd had this discussion; she wasn't to mention her again. Instead, she continued like nothing had happened. "He's never done this before. He always comes and sees me in the morning now." She didn't dare tell her mother the reason for the visits that had started immediately after the Queen had tried to take her heart.

"I'm sure he's fine, come on." The Queen took her daughter's hand and strode down the corridor. Secretly, she was slightly worried, but she knew that admitting it would only alarm Talulla even more.

As they reached Henry's chambers, Regina raised a hand to knock on the door.

"Daddy? Daddy, are you in there?" There was no reply. "Daddy?" Still nothing. The Queen slowly pushed open the door. Alarm bells were already ringing in her head. He always locked the door when he went out and at night. Always.

Standing in the doorway, she surveyed the room, keeping a firm grip on her daughter's hand. His bed was empty and almost like it had never been slept in the night before. She saw something moving out of the corner of her eye and whipped her head round. The curtains were softly fluttering in the breeze that was coming from the open doors. Regina swallowed. This was not good. This was not good at all.

"Mother? Mother!" Regina looked up at the sound of her daughter's panicked voice. "Is he gone? Has Grandfather gone?"

"I… I don't know, dear." She let go of Talulla's hand and wandered further in, her eyes taking in any detail for any kind of indication as to where he had disappeared to. There was no sign of a struggle, but the open doors were definitely suspicious.

Meanwhile, Talulla was looking round on the floor, not sure what she should do to help. When she spotted something lying near the bed, she went over to pick it up. It was off-white in colour and felt rubbery to the touch.

"What have you found, Tallie?" her mother asked, striding over to where her daughter was crouched on the floor.

"It looks like part of a mushroom…" the young girl replied, frowning. Her Grandfather rarely ate in his chambers unless he was so ill that he couldn't get out of bed. But this mushroom wasn't mouldy, indicating that it had only been dropped there recently.

"A what?" Talulla whipped round at the tone in her mother's voice. "Let me see."

She took the piece the girl handed to her and brought it to her nose, sniffing it delicately before pulling it away and frowning.

"Magic. This mushroom has magic weaved throughout its entire structure…" Her eyes widened. "Mother…"

"Where are you going?" Talulla asked, running to keep up with the Queen as she strode down the corridor, dressed in a sinister black dress, black feathers protruding from her neckline like spikes.

"To fetch someone who will help us to find Grandfather," she stated, her strides not faltering for even one second.

"I want to come. I want to help!"

"No," the Queen replied instantly. "No, it's far too dangerous. You must stay here."

"But–"

Regina was not about to give in to the girl's wide, innocent eyes, no matter how much she wanted her daughter by her side. "No buts, Talulla. It is far too dangerous for someone so young. Please do as you're told and go find Abigail."

"Yes mother," Talulla muttered and stormed away, reluctantly obeying her mother.

She found Abigail in her own chambers, clearing up after the young girl's mess and folding up the clothes from the previous day.

"Can't you at least put your things away, Talulla?" she asked exasperatedly as she folded the crisp white under gown and placed it in a drawer by the side of her bed.

"Sorry, Abigail," she said quietly and bent down to pick up the brush she had chucked carelessly on the floor the last time she'd finished using it.

The maid stopped in surprise, staring at the young girl as though she'd sprouted another head. "Are you alright? You don't have a fever or anything, do you?" she asked, jokingly, walking over and placing a hand on Talulla's forehead. The girl just shrugged her off.

"I'm fine," she said and turned away to place the brush in the top drawer of her dressing table.

"Oh no you're not," Abigail said sternly, taking hold of Talulla's shoulders and guiding her to sit down on the bed. "I know this mood. What happened?"

The girl sighed. "Grandfather is missing and Mother won't let me help. She just brushed me off, even though I found that piece of mushroom and that he was missing in the first place. It's not fair, I want him back too!"

"Tallie, you do realise she's only doing it for your own safety? That piece of mushroom will be no ordinary mushroom." She leant lower towards Talulla. "You mustn't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you, okay?"

The girl looked up at her with innocent eyes and nodded.

"That mushroom comes from another realm. Wonderland, to be exact. One bite and you grow or shrink, depending on what part of the mushroom you eat from."

"Mother thinks Grandfather has been kidnapped?" Talulla asked, sounding completely horrified.

"I am guessing so," the maid said and then sighed. "Tallie, your mother is only trying to keep you safe. She would be distraught if something happened to you."

The girl looked away. "It doesn't seem like it sometimes," she said quietly. "Sometimes it feels like she's trying to hurt me on purpose by shutting me out."

"Oh, Tallie," Abigail said, moving forward to hug the girl. "Of course she's not doing it on purpose! Yes, she may not make the best decisions all the time, but she does what she thinks is right for you." When the girl didn't say anything, Abigail came up with an idea. "Hey, how about I fetch a couple of cakes from the kitchen and we have a little snack before your mother comes home? What do you think?"

Talulla gave a little smile. "Yes please," she said.

The maid gave her a gentle pat on the head and a kind smile before walking out.

Once the door clicked shut, Talulla waited for the sounds of Abigail's footsteps to fade before creeping out the door herself. The maid's talking had given her an idea. Now she just had to put it into action.