Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters you are about to meet.
Author's note: If you have never seen Once Upon a Time prepare to be confused. If you are a Once Upon A Time fan, prepare to be confused.
Episode 4
The Tower
Before the Curse
Once upon a time, a single drop of sunlight fell from the heavens on a stormy day. From this small drop of sun, grew a beautiful, magic, golden flower. It had the ability to heal the sick and injured. Few people would travel far and wide heal themselves or their loved ones, and all they had to do was sing a special song. According to legend, someone had decided to name the flower; The Rapunzel. But one day, it seemed to disappear off the face of the earth, and more people began to believe that the flower died, or worse, never existed. It's because an old woman found it and instead of sharing the sun's gift, she hoarded its' healing powers to keep herself young for hundreds of years. She hid it under a fake bush so no one else could find it and take it.
Centuries passed, and a hop, skip, and a boat ride away, there grew a kingdom. The Kingdom of Corona was ruled by a beloved king and queen. The Queen was about to have a baby, but she became very sick and was running out of time. When no one else could help, they began to look for a miracle, or, a magic, golden flower.
One night, as the soldiers and villagers searched desperately for The Rapunzel, the old woman, Mother Gothel, was using it to make herself young again. As she sang to the flower, her skin tightened, her voice dropped back into her beautiful alto voice, and her white hair turned into full black, curly locks. Relief showed in her face as the magic seeped through her.
Some one must have heard her singing, because she heard voices not too far away from her. Hastily, she pulled up her hood and placed the fake bush on top of the flower. She grabbed her lantern and knocked the bush over by accident. Gothel didn't seem to notice this until it was too late. As she hid in the bushes, a soldier walked over the hill and caught sight of a brilliant, golden light.
"We found it!" He exclaimed. Other soldiers and villagers immediately rushed to his aide. They began to carefully pick the flower and its roots out of the earth. They were ever so careful not to bring it to harm.
Once they had gotten the flower back to the castle, a physician carefully cut the top off and placed it in a bowl of water. The King held the bowl to the Queen's lips and with the last of her energy she drank it and was healed.
She had a healthy baby girl, with beautiful golden hair. The King and Queen had decided to name her Rapunzel, after the beautiful flower that saved her and her mother. The baby had beautiful green eyes like her mother's.
To celebrate her birth, the King and Queen lifted a flying lantern into the sky. And for that one moment, everything was perfect, but then that moment ended later that night.
Gothel snuck into the castle. She stood over Rapunzel's bed and began to sing quietly. The magic inside Rapunzel answered and her hair began to glow. Gothel instantly became young again. All she would need was a bit of that golden hair. She took her shears and chopped off a bit of hair. But the hair instantly turned brown and Gothel's age caught back up to her. If you cut a flower from its' stem, it will lose its' magic. Gothel stood there for a moment in frustration. What was she to do? She didn't want to take the baby. She didn't want to have anything to do with the child. She hated children. As the old age started to weigh down on her, she finally made the decision to take the baby. As she picked her up, the child began to cry. Both parents sat up in their beds just as Gothel was on the edge of the balcony. She glanced back for a moment, piercing the King and Queen with her light, blue eyes. She swung her magic cape and disappeared.
Story Brook
"Well, here we are," Ruby said. "This is where Belle used to work." She unlocked the door with the key she borrowed from Mr. Gold. Luckily for her, she didn't have to make a deal when she specified her intentions of borrowing it, and returning it. He was also fascinated with the idea that they were trying to find something that would trigger her memory. Ruby had checked Belle's hotel room and around Mr. Gold's Pawn shop, but she found nothing. When she opened the door, Frodo's blue eyes widened and he looked around at the hundreds of books.
"She owned the library?" Frodo gasped.
"Yep," Ruby said. "She told me she loved books…what are you doing?"
"I'm just looking…" Frodo said as brushed his fingers on the covers looking for a book that would catch his fancy. To Ruby, it looked like he was put under some spell.
"Stop that!" Ruby snapped at him. "We're here to find something that will help Belle; we're not here to read!"
"But it's so beautiful…" Frodo breathed, looking around the library.
Ruby sighed. "Come on," She said, pulling him away from the bookshelves. "Just look anywhere. Her desk, the shelves, the elevator, and don't let me catch you reading!"
"Oh, all right," Frodo sighed and went to look around.
"What are you guys doing?" Emma demanded, walking in with Anna.
"Um, nothing," Frodo said before he ducked behind the shelves.
"We're busted," Ruby said.
"Are you guys reading?" Emma demanded.
"Well… Frodo is…" Ruby replied. "You'd think I opened a gate to heaven and let him in…"
"Frodo!" Emma snapped at the hobbit hiding behind the shelves. "We're supposed to be helping Anna!"
"We need to find my sister before she freezes Story Brook!" Anna added.
"I know," Frodo sighed, walking around the shelves to the girls. "But Ruby told me about something…"
"We don't know what to do with Belle…" Ruby cut in. "During the Curse, Belle was in the asylum. She still has a room in the hotel and Rumplestiltskin is willing to take her in but…"
"But she saw magic." Emma finished.
Ruby nodded. "She may eventually believe she's crazy, and we might have to put her back in the asylum."
"And no one deserves to be locked up forever." Frodo said.
"So, you're helping Ruby because you're sentimental." Emma accused. She knew he had a dark past, and she understood why he wouldn't others to suffer the way he had.
"No, it's not that!" Frodo said. "Yes, I have been captured by orcs and held captive in a tower, but that's not the same. It's just that…I don't think it's fair to…
"To keep a pretty girl locked up," Emma finished, starting to understand.
"Frodo!" Anna teased. "You have a crush?!"
"No!" Frodo snapped.
"And on the Dark One's girlfriend?" Ruby added. "Wow, you really aren't afraid of anything!"
"It's not like that-" Frodo began to protest when they all heard a loud thumping noise above them.
"What was that?" Emma asked.
"It came from upstairs…" Frodo said.
"I think we should go and check." Ruby said. "It could be something bad…"
"It could be my sister…" Anna added. The group looked at each other and hoped Anna was right. They also hoped her sister was nice, and in a good mood. They made their way up the stairs to the clock tower. The room was empty except for two people. Frodo wished he had his sword, Sting.
One was a young girl with short brown hair. She had huge green eyes that would make one fall in love with her instantly. The other was a man. He had messy red hair and blue eyes that were bright and innocent. Whether he was young or old, no one could tell. When he lifted his head the group tried not to gasp or react. One of his eyebrows appeared swollen, forcing the eye to close slightly. His big nose pointed upward and his teeth were crooked. He had a large humpback on his right shoulder. He was lying on the ground as if he had just fallen.
The girl with the long hair ran over to him. "Fred- I mean… Quasi! Are you okay?" She asked.
"I'm fine Katelyn," Quasi said, trying to get up. "Er… I mean Rapunzel."
"Who are you guys?" Emma spoke up. Quasi and Rapunzel looked up at the group in surprise. Quasi blushed and immediately covered his face.
"Sorry," Rapunzel said. "We take care of the clock tower…we didn't mean to disturb your reading. Quasi was just trying to clean the bell and then he fell off the platform."
"Is he okay?" Ruby asked as Frodo rushed over to help Quasi to his feet. The poor man hung his head, still trying to hide his face.
"I think he'll be fine." Rapunzel said. "It's okay Quasi, these people are nice. Belle isn't mad at us, is she?"
"Belle?" Ruby asked. "She's not here…how do you know Belle?"
"We met her when she started working at the library." Rapunzel said. "One day, a pirate came and tried to hurt her. I tried to scare him off with a frying pan, and Quasi isn't allowed to go downstairs. Otherwise, we would have loved to help…" She trailed off and hung her head guiltily.
"It's all right." Ruby said.
"We haven't heard from her since…" Quasi said quietly. His voice was sweet and smooth like butter.
"Well," Ruby looked at Emma who nodded. "She's…she's been in an accident."
"An accident?" Rapunzel looked up in shock. "What happened? Is she okay?"
"She's fine now," Ruby replied. "She lost her memory. She's been in the hospital"
"That's awful!" Rapunzel said, and for once, Quasi looked up at Ruby in disbelief.
"We came here because we wanted to find something that was in Belle's possession." Frodo said. "Something that would trigger her memory,"
"The doctors say that magic may be the only cure," Ruby added. "But anything could also bring her memory back."
"Could we go visit her?" Rapunzel asked. "Maybe if she saw an old friend, she could remember something…"
"We sort of tried that…" Ruby said. "I've tried to help Belle, and so has Mr. Gold. I even brought her favorite book. But she isn't responding to anything."
"We'll never know if we don't try." Emma said. "Anna, do you think you could wait a little longer."
"Um…" Anna hesitated. She was clearly impatient, but she shook it away. "Yes, I want to see how this turns out." The other reason was that there was something peculiar about Rapunzel. It wasn't a bad thing; it was more of a…familiar feeling…
"Thank you so much for your patients." Emma said. "After this, we'll start looking for your sister."
"All right!" Rapunzel cheered. "Let's go help Belle! Come on, Quasi!"
Quasi didn't move. "I'm not allowed to leave…I can't be seen…"
"Oh, come on," Rapunzel said, but then she paused and sighed. "Oh yeah, I forgot."
"What?" Anna asked.
"He's not allowed to leave the tower…" Rapunzel replied.
"Says who?" Emma asked.
"My master…Frollo…" Quasi said. At first Frodo jumped, thinking Quasi said his name. He knew he never had a servant named Quasi, and he would never keep them hidden in a tower, unless there was some strange emergency. But then Quasi repeated the name more clearly.
"Frollo…he wouldn't be happy with me."
Before the Curse
The Kingdom of Corona searched and searched for the baby that was taken. But no matter where they looked, they could not find the Princess. For deep with a forest, in a hidden tower, Gothel raised the child as her own. As Rapunzel grew, she and Gothel would sit by the fire and Gothel would brush her golden hair. Rapunzel sang as Gothel brushed and watched her wrinkles disappear. She sighed in relief as the youth returned to her. She had found her new magic flower, but this time, she was determined to keep it hidden.
"Why can't I go outside?" Rapunzel asked curiously.
"The outside world is a dangerous place, filled with horrible selfish people. You must stay here, where you're safe. Do you understand, Flower?" Gothel replied. For the first few years, Gothel had gotten Rapunzel to believe that she was her mother.
"Yes Mommy," Rapunzel replied.
The tower kept Rapunzel hidden from the world, as well as it kept the world hidden from Rapunzel. But the walls of that tower could not hide everything. It couldn't hide the changing skies, the pattern of the sun, the beautiful stars, the clouds, and the most mysterious thing of all. Every year on her birthday, she would look out the window at the night sky when her mother was asleep. She would open the front windows and watch the night sky. Many small lights would float into the sky. It was always a beautiful sight to see.
Story Brook
Ruby led Rapuzel into Belle's room. The girl looked up at them and smiled.
"Hello again," She said. "Ruby, right?"
"Yes," Ruby said. "How are you?"
"I'm fine," Belle said. "Still reading this book."
"I see," Ruby nodded. "I brought someone who wanted to see you."
"Hi," Rapunzel said shyly. "You probably don't remember, but we've met before."
"I don't remember," Belle said. "I'm sorry…"
"It's okay," Rapunzel replied. "I just wanted to see how you were doing."
"Thank you," Belle said. "Who are you again?"
Rapunzel looked at Ruby, remembering her agreement to use her cursed name if their plan didn't work. "My name is Rapunzel." She said.
"What?" Belle tilted her head. "Rapunzel?"
"Are you okay, Belle?" Ruby asked hopefully.
"My name is not Belle…" Belle said slowly. "It's just that…her name is Rapunzel…"
"Oh, did I say Rapunzel?" She asked, feeling slightly crushed that the plan didn't work. "I meant Katelyn. Katelyn Pascal."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Belle said. "I don't remember you…"
Rapunzel sighed. "It's okay; I hope you remember soon though…"
Meanwhile, Frodo, Emma, and Anna waited outside the room. Frodo kept looking through the glass wall to see how things were going.
"Relax," Emma said. "They're just talking."
"I can see that," Frodo retorted.
"You can't sit still, can you?" Anna asked.
"It depends," Frodo replied.
"It's all right, neither can I!" Anna said. "Not to save my life!"
"What's going on here?" Mr. Gold walked up to the three.
"Nothing," Emma said. "We're just-"
"I thought I told you to stay out of my business." Mr. Gold said sternly to Frodo.
"I'm sorry," Frodo retorted. "You said to keep my nose out of other people's business. You didn't specify about your business."
"I hope you don't intend to stay longer," Mr. Gold replied.
"Watch out," Emma said. "He has a temper."
"Which one of us are you referring to, Miss Swan?" Mr. Gold asked, before walking past them and bumping Frodo's left shoulder.
"You really should stop being a smart mouth or you're going to get yourself killed!" Emma snapped at him. Frodo folded his arms.
Ruby and Rapunzel walked out of Belle's room. Rapunzel looked at Emma and shook her head.
"No response." She said.
"What is Gold doing here?" Emma asked.
"He's visiting Belle," Ruby replied. "Hopefully he won't make her mad again."
"He makes her mad?" Frodo asked.
"Frodo," Emma said sternly. "Stop,"
"Now," Ruby said, breaking the tension. "I think we should start looking for Anna's sister."
Before the Curse
Rapunzel would spend most of her days in the tower alone. She started her morning by doing her chores, by sweeping, polishing, and waxing the floors. She did the laundry, dusted, and cleaned the dishes. After she was done with her chores, she would read her books. Then she would paint on the walls. When she was bored of that, she played her guitar, and then knit, and then cooked and baked. After lunch, she solved puzzles, played darts, bake some more, practiced ballet, played chess with herself, did pottery, candle making, stretched, sketched, climb her own hair, sewed a dress, re-read her books, paint the walls again, brush her hair, which took hours. For a girl who spent so much time in a tower, she had a lot to do. She had plenty of time to practice, making her a skilled painter, guitarist, knitter, baker, chef, problem solver, ballet dancer, chess player, pottery maker, candle maker, yoga master, sewer, and reader.
Rapunzel's favorite was painting. One day, she found a nice spot above the fire place. The mantel piece was wide enough to sit and stand on comfortably. She painted the spot to look like the world outside, with the mysterious lights floating above the trees. She knew the lights would appear tomorrow night. She wondered what they really were, what it would be like if she was so close to them she could touch them…
She was turning eighteen soon…Maybe now that she knew how to take care of herself, her mother would take her to see them. She painted herself in the picture, sitting on top of a tree, her long golden hair hanging off the branches. The painting of her was looking wondrously into the night sky.
Story Brook
The group drove back to the hidden garden of beans. Anna insisted they explored the ice.
They pulled over and saw Mary Margret, David, and Leroy standing by the road.
"I wonder what's going on." Emma pulled Buggy over to the side of the road. The group got out of the car and joined the others. Everyone stood, gaping at the burnt plants before them.
"The beans…" David said. "They're gone!"
"Nobody steals from a dwarf!" Leroy said.
"There are many dwarves who would agree with you," Frodo said. "And yet, it has happened."
"They took the beans and then burnt the whole place down!" Rapunzel gasped.
"We see that," Ruby snorted.
"Look!" Anna shouted. "The ice is spreading…" The ice had grown closer to the beans. In fact, a burnt stack was already frozen.
"So, that's it," Leroy said. "Regina stole some beans, burnt them, and now she's going to freeze them!"
"That makes no sense…" Emma said. "I believe Regina may be behind all this but…but why would she just randomly freeze the woods?"
"Who knows?" Mary Margret said.
"Who cares?" Leroy grumbled.
"No," Anna said. "The ice has to be Elsa!"
"I think you may be right," Emma said. "She might be nearby somewhere…" Emma walked toward the frozen woods. She looked through the ice-capped trunks to see if she could see any sign of a house or a person. She began to walk forward.
"Wait!" Frodo shouted suddenly. "Emma, don't step there-back up!"
Emma jumped and immediately did as Frodo commanded. He ran to her and looked at the ground.
"What is it?" Emma asked as Frodo bent down to get a closer look.
"It's an eye," He said. Emma looked down to see that someone had drawn in eye in the dirt. At first she thought he meant an actually eye. She sighed in relief at the drawing.
Frodo studied the eye carefully. He took out a small notebook out of his back pocket and began to draw the eye as he saw it.
"Maybe this will help." He said. "You almost stepped on it, Emma."
"You saw it from all the way over there?" Emma asked.
"I may be a human in this world," Frodo said. "But I'm still a hobbit,"
"I don't recognize any scents around here…" Ruby said. "Just those who have been around here…and some strangers…wait…" Ruby walked over to the bush where she had found the tiara the day before. The bush was now half frozen, but the scent of the tiara was fresh. She turned and walked over to Rapunzel.
"Of course!" She exclaimed. "The tiara is yours!"
"Tiara?" Rapunzel asked.
"Here," Ruby pulled the crown out of her purse. "I was going to trade this to Mr. Gold for the keys to Belle's library. Luckily, he didn't make a deal, so I kept it. But it belongs to you." She handed the crown to Rapunzel, who took it and stared at it in awe.
"Of course," She whispered. "I forgot…it's been so long…" She began to cry. "So much had happened before the curse…I lost my step mother, the love of my life, and I never found my real parents." She sobbed. "I can't even heal people anymore! I lost my power! If I still had my hair I could help Belle!" She dropped the tiara and hid her face in her hands. Ruby hugged her and let her cry for a long time. No one said anything for a moment.
"It's okay, Rapunzel," Ruby said. "Maybe there's a good side to all of this."
"You've kept Quasi company for twenty-eight years," Frodo said.
"And you were willing to help Belle, even if it didn't work." Emma joined in.
"And you're helping us find Elsa," Anna added.
Rapunzel sniffed and backed away from Ruby. "I guess," She said.
"Come on," Emma said. "Let's get back to Granny's; have you tried cinnamon in your coca?"
"Wow," Leroy said as the group walked away. "Emma's really adjusting to having magical friends."
"I'm glad to see her make new long, lasting friendships." Mary Margret said. "She won't be alone anymore."
"Well," David said. "While they go cheer up their friend, let's go find the beans."
"Okay," Mary Margret said. "But we don't know where to start." The three walked away and were completely oblivious to Rapunzel's tears that had spilled on the ground. The tears that fell on the ice had melted and seeped into the ice, leaving two small holes. The tears that had fallen to the ground seeped into the soil and nearby the bottom of a bean stock began to re-blossom.
Before the Curse
"This is it!" Rapunzel said as she closed her paint box. "This is a very big day! I'm finally going to do it! I'm going to ask her!"
"Rapunzel!" She heard mother calling out from below. "Let down your hair!" Rapunzel just loved the way her mother said that. There was just something magical about it.
"It's time," Rapunzel whispered before she jumped off the mantel.
"Rapuzel," Her mother yelled again. "I'm not getting any younger down here!"
"Coming, Mother!" She called down to Gothel. She lifted her hair onto the hook above the window, and then let her hair fall down to Gothel. She caught it and wrapped it around her palm, making a loop with the girl's hair. She stepped in the loop. Rapunzel pulled her hair and lifted Gothel up into the tower. As Gothel approached the window, she swung her leg and stepped into the platform and entered the tower, releasing Rapunzel's hair.
"Hi," Rapunzel said, catching her breath. "Welcome home, Mother,"
"Rapunzel," Gothel said, always her serious self. "How you manage to do that every single day without failing…it looks absolutely exhausting, Darling," She lifted Rapunzel's chin in concern.
"Oh," Rapunzel shrugged. "It's nothing."
"Then I don't know why it takes so long," Gothel said, pointing at Rapunzel's nose. She laughed and rolled her head back. "Oh, Darling, I'm just teasing!" She walked over to the mirror and began to examine herself. Rapunzel managed a fake laugh and shook off her mother's compliment.
"All right," She said, walking up to the mirror to stand beside her mother. "So, mother, as you know, tomorrow is a really big day-"
"Rapunzel, look in that mirror," Gothel interrupted, pulling Rapunzel close to her. "Do you know what I see? I see a strong, confident, beautiful young lady."
Rapunzel smiled. For a moment she felt good inside.
"Oh, look, you're here too!" Gothel said, catching Rapunzel off guard and she laughed again. "I'm just teasing," She said quickly, catching Rapunzel's crushed face. "Stop taking everything so seriously!" She sighed.
"Okay…" Rapunzel shook it off again and continued. "As I was saying-"
"Rapunzel, Mother's feeling a little run down," She interrupted her again. "Won't you sing to me dear, and then we'll talk?"
"Oh," Rapunzel said. "Of course, Mother!" She ran to grab her Mother's chair. Her mother walked slowly toward the fire place. Rapunzel set her chair down behind her and forced her to sit down. Her mother gasped and a hairbrush was thrust into her hand. Rapunzel grabbed her stool and sat down. She handed Gothel a bit of hair and began to sing. She sang so fast, Gothel could barley understand her.
"Wait!" She panicked. "Hey, wait!" She hastily brushed Rapunzel's hair. As the glow in her hair zoomed by, the youth slapped Gothel across the face, startling her.
"Rapunzel," She said sternly.
"So Mother," Rapunzel leaned in, ignoring her mother. "Anyway, I was trying to tell you earlier, but you didn't really respond, so I'm just going to tell you-it's my birthday!" She cheered and hugged her mother's arm and giggled. "Ta-da!"
"No, no, no," Gothel responed calmly. "Can't be…I distinctly remember, you're birthday was last year."
"That's the funny thing about birthdays!" Rapunzel replied. "They're kind of an annual thing…" She sighed and sat back down on her stool. "Mother, I'm turning eighteen, and I wanted to ask…uh…what I really want for this birthday…actually what I've wanted for quite a few birthdays…" Rapunzel trailed off and began to mumble.
"Okay, Rapunzel, stop with the mumbling." Gothel interrupted again. "You know how I feel about the mumbling-blah, blah, blah, blah- It's very annoying. I'm just teasing, you're adorable, I love so much Darling!" Gothel stood up and waved Rapunzel off, just like she knew she would. Rapunzel didn't say anything for a moment before she finally sighed.
"I want to see the floating lights!" She said.
"What?" Gothel looked up from her basket, unpacking apples.
"Oh," Rapunzel jumped up onto the mantel. "I was wondering if you could take me to see the floating lights." She removed the curtain from the wall, revealing the painting.
"Oh," Gothel said, resuming her unpacking. "You mean the stars!"
"That's the thing," Rapunzel said. "I've charted stars, and they're always constant, but these…they appear every year on my birthday, Mother-only on my birthday. And I can't help but feel like…they're meant…for me…"
Gothel walked toward the window.
"I need to see them, Mother," Rapunzel continued. "And not just from my window; in person. I have to know what they are."
"You want to go outside?" Gothel asked. "I've told you a million times, Rapunzel." She closed the front window. "Look at you, as fragile as a flower! Still a little sapling-just a sprout. You may be eighteen, but you know why we stay up in this tower."
"I know, but-" Rapunzel started,
"That's right," Gothel interrupted, again. "It's to keep you safe and sound, dear…I guess I always knew this day was coming…I knew that soon you'd want to leave the nest, but not yet."
"But-"
"Trust me, mother knows best. It's a scary world out there, I just know something will go wrong. There's ruffians and thugs, poison ivy, quicksand, cannibals and snakes-the Plague!"
"No!" Rapunzel gasped.
"Yes!"
"But-"
"Also large bugs, men with pointy teeth. On your own, you won't survive! You're sloppy, underdressed, immature and clumsy-please, they'll eat you up alive! You're gullible, naïve, positively grubby, ditsy and a bit, well…vague. Plus I believe, getting kind of chubby. I'm just saying, because I love you. But it's all right, I understand. But, Rapunzel,"
"Yes?" Rapunzel said nervously.
"Don't ever ask to leave this tower, again." Gothel said sternly.
Rapunzel sighed, defeated. "Yes, Mother,"
Gothel sighed as well. "I love you very much, dear."
"I love you more," Rapunzel replied.
"I love you most." Gothel said, kissing her forehead. "Don't forget it though, Mother knows best."
Gothel had to run a few more errands. "Tata! I'll see you in a bit, my Flower!" She called, sliding down Rapunzel's hair.
"I'll be here…" Rapunzel said. She let her hair hang out the window and sway in the wind.
Story Brook
"Just drink it," Emma said. "You got it."
Rapunzel closed her eyes before she sipped her coca. "Mmmm," She sighed. "Who knew cinnamon in your coca was so good?"
"Ruby makes it well, too." Emma said.
"Thanks," Ruby shrugged, standing behind the counter. "Frodo, what do you think? You haven't said much since you found that eye."
Frodo looked up from his small notebook.
"Have you even tasted it yet?" Ruby asked.
"Oh, not yet, I was letting it cool down…" He picked up his mug and sniffed at it. He slowly tipped the drink toward his lips and tasted the strong cinnamon and delicious chocolate. He set the mug down and nodded. "It's good," He said.
"Are you sure?" Emma asked.
"Yes," He replied. Emma studied his eyes, making sure he was telling the truth. He was being honest with them, but there was something there that seemed to block his emotions. Emma couldn't see the happiness or pleasure in his eyes…just sadness.
"That's good," Henry said, walking up to the bar with Neil behind him. "Cinnamon's my favorite too!" He took a seat next to Frodo.
"So," Neil said, sitting next to Henry. "Any luck with Belle's memory?"
"Nope," Ruby said.
"I'm sorry," Neil replied. He turned to Emma. "Any luck figuring out who Pinocchio was trying to warn us about?"
"Nope," Emma said.
Neil turned to Anna. "Any luck finding your sister?"
"Nope," Anna said, playing with one of her ginger braids.
Neil turned to Frodo. "Any luck with…that…?" He gestured to the drawing.
Frodo was quiet for a moment. "No…" He finally answered.
"Sounds like you guys are having an unlucky day…" Neil concluded.
"The thing is; too many things are going on." Frodo said. "So here's what we'll do." He closed his notebook and put it in his back pocket. "I'll set this aside for now. First, I think we need to find Anna's sister. If she's been living in the woods, maybe she's seen what happened to the beans. If not, we'd still be solving Anna's problem."
"But what if she freezes us…?" Ruby asked.
"Elsa would never freeze someone!" Anna defended.
"We'll never know if we don't try," Frodo continued. "After we can find the beans, we can start our search for this…she Pinocchio warned you about. Maybe it will answer the riddle of…The Eye...And then we'll go from there."
"Sounds like a good plan." Emma decided. She held up her mug. Ruby and Frodo were the first to join in, momentarily followed by Rapunzel and Anna.
"Looks like we're a team now." Emma said.
"Yep," Ruby said.
"Looks like it," Frodo said. The five sipped their hot chocolate.
Author's Note: I just had to put in a hop, skip, and a boat ride away! It's just so much fun to say! Try saying it really fast and see what happens! It's so fun! And has anyone else noticed the Frodo and Frollo sound very similar…I don't like it! And someone asked when Legolas is coming! It made me laugh so hard! I like reviews like that too! If you are a Legolas fan, just keep reading! ;)