The Queen was dead. And that meant that he now knew precisely what Cora had been up to.

He didn't have proof. Everything he'd seen inside of her workshop was veiled and perhaps that was why he was here now, walking the halls of King Leopold's castle. Maybe he was only trying to find proof for what he already knew to be true. Or maybe he was trying to understand it...

The halls were draped in black, unfortunate considering Snow White's tenth birthday was right around the corner. They should have been decorated in pink or glitter or whatever color ten-year-old princesses preferred. But certainly, it was unfair that death hung in the air, that those who had shown up for a birthday party were now walking into a funeral.

As far as he knew, Cora and Regina were not on the guest list. That party all those years ago, he'd never actually seen if Regina had met Snow White and now he supposed he never would know though he had enjoyed watching the fall out over all of that. Regina had discovered that Cora possessed the heart of her friend, even managed to get Cora to turn it over before she'd arranged a marriage for the girl herself. He'd never seen that painting tutor in their house again, but it didn't matter. He'd thought that the experience would have crushed Regina, but here she was, years later with yet another secret. He was a stable boy named Daniel. They'd met when he'd been hired to help with the horses, and after a very rocky beginning, he could see a light in Daniel's eyes that told him he felt the same way about Regina that she did him. It was ironic. All the princes and dukes, so many royals and nobles that Cora had shoved under her nose and what Regina seemed to prefer were ordinary men. First, the art teacher, now nothing more than a plain-faced stable hand. In his cauldron, he often saw the pair of them sneak away from the castle behind Cora's back and continue their affair.

That was good. Not the affair, of course, more her determination to have it against Cora's desires. Or at least, so she thought. He couldn't be sure if Cora knew or not from his snooping, but Regina surely thought that it was a secret and that was what mattered. Getting up again after being knocked down was a sign of strength. That was what he needed for this curse-someone who was broken on the inside, but still strong. Walking around this palace, seeing the result of Cora's works on another family, he knew that by the time he got his hands on Regina she'd be broken but strong, at the very least. A little more meddling, and she'd be ready. He doubted she knew he'd been watching, but he'd already noticed that she had something of an interest in magic and had demonstrated that she was capable. Now, if only she could make her interest become a desire. As for Queen Eva…

Broken but not strong. The ballroom, draped in black, was nearly pitch black this time of the night. At this hour, there weren't even guards out to guard the body, and he was able to climb up the altar to look upon her face easily. There she was, her body cleaned and preserved, placed properly upon the altar in a beautiful red dress with red shoes, a tiara still upon her head. Tomorrow was the ceremony. Tomorrow the drapes would be removed, the candles lit, and this empty room filled with mourners, but for now, he had to admit it was rather lonely. Even for the dead.

Cora had hated this woman, that much he remembered clearly. She'd hated her with such a passion there was little doubt in his mind she'd done this, and now that he stood before her he was certain. Cora's magic…it was here, on the body. His eyes made a wide sweep up over the body carefully, watching, sniffing like a bloodhound, trying to pinpoint the magic inside of her.

Belly. Chest. Head. Hands. That was what he came away with. But it wasn't much of anything not until he let his hand hover over those places. Her belly…there was something magical in her stomach…and lower. In her chest…it was inside of her lungs. On her hands not in them, small traces were still present, only touching the skin. And her head…it was everywhere. Inside her mouth, inside her nose, and…the tiara.

Carefully he removed the tiara from her head. Magic. He felt it immediately. Harmful, deadly poison laced with Dark Magic. Poison designed to do its work quickly. Dark magic, attached to the crown, directed toward the owner…so that anyone else who touched the crown wouldn't be sickened. Eva had touched the crown and gotten the poison on her hands, it probably absorbed through her skin, she'd probably ingested it when she touched her food, and probably breathed it in when she touched her face. And the signature attached to the magic…

Cora.

It was nothing he could prove, nothing but a feeling and one that he knew well. He'd been following the scent of that magic for years, he knew it like he knew his own.

Which was also why he knew it was elsewhere in the castle.

Yes, that realization stole over him quickly. A small trace, merely a tendril reaching out as if it was a pixie hiding behind a column playing "come and get me". If he were a lesser man, he might have taken his small victory and gone home, but he couldn't risk it. Snow White was an integral part of getting him back to Baelfire; he couldn't risk the Princess having the same poison used against her. She was only ten, but somehow she didn't doubt the woman's ability to want to murder a child, not when it would appear she'd just murdered a queen over a silly prank from so long ago. Small as the magic he felt was he followed it, chasing after it like it was a lover.

It was easy to search the castle this late at night. No one crossed his path, no one saw him except for a few rats, no one guarded the doors inside, merely the outer doors alone were sufficient. But that didn't stop him from being cautious when the feeling of the magic grew stronger from behind a door at the end of a hall. He chose to use magic to get himself inside of the room instead of opening the door but found at once that it was a useless thing to do. There was no one in the room, and it was obvious why. Its occupant was dead.

The royal chamber reeked of the former queen. Her perfume saturated the fabrics, clung to every dress, every slipper even. It was Eva's room, but this was it…Cora was here too. Or at least her magic was. He began to walk, intending to stroll around the room and find the magic inside of it by feel alone, but he never got further than two steps. He was close already. He looked at the space around him and immediately honed in on the hiding spot. Well…it's wasn't so much a hiding spot as a drawer in the Queen's bedside table, but the moment his hand touched the knob, he knew he had what he was looking for. Cora's magic always did leave him with a bad taste in his mouth, but this downright burned.

Carefully he pulled the drawer open, and his heart nearly stopped as he looked inside.

"Now how did you find that?" he muttered to himself, reaching in to grab the object. An Enchanted Candle and a special one at that. The candle was not one that was meant to be upright but rather tilted on its side. One side was black, while the other side was white, and there were small jewels inlaid in the center handle. It had Cora's magic on it, but she hadn't crafted the thing. There were two, maybe three candles like this known to exist, and he knew it because it was a Dark One who had forged them. The candles had the ability to save lives but only by taking another. Light the candle, hold it over the heart of those wishing to die, and say their name out loud. Then he who was dying would be healed while the one who had been cursed would perish instead. For that reason, it was called the Cursed Candle of Blessings. A blessing for one was a curse for another. So this was the object Cora had been seen working with through that veil. But how had it gotten here and why did it smell of…Snow White?!

It was subtle, but the child's scent was on this candle, she'd held it in her hand, in this room! But she hadn't used it? Cora had given it to her?

"What are you playing at witch?" he questioned, looking around as if he might find some answers. Cora had poisoned Queen Eva, then given her daughter the cure, but she hadn't used it?

It was confusing, a worse riddle than that of the real Prince Charming! And he knew he was never going to get answers because he knew the only way to get them would be to ask Cora herself, and that would not and could not be done, not unless Cora decided to get in touch with him. He doubted that. He'd written her half a dozen letters in the last few years, trying to taunt her, make her uneasy, trying to get answers from her, or force a response of some kind. All his attempts went unanswered. Although, now that he thought of it, that could have been the reason for the covered mirrors. Perhaps he'd let too much information slip.

Candle in hand, he grabbed another one off of the bureau, and with a wave of his hand, transformed it into an identical one before setting it back in the drawer. Cora, of course, would no doubt recognize it as a fraud by his own magic if she came looking. But now, if whoever had put it in that drawer, Snow White or a maid, came looking for it, they would find it. They just wouldn't know it was a fraud unless they could detect magic. It wasn't theft, not in this room. Eva was dead nothing in this place truly belonged to her anymore, and if he didn't take it, then someone else would. The way he saw it, the candle was better off with him, someone who understood it, than it was in the hands of anyone else who wouldn't know what they were doing.

But as far as Cora went…

Back in his castle, the candle safely sitting on one of his own worktables, he found himself staring at the portal to Wonderland that King George had given him. This was more than personal now. He didn't like Cora, he didn't like how much of his plan that she knew and nor did he appreciate the meddling that she was doing. He knew he should never have told her so much in the first place, and he'd vowed never to again, but it didn't erase the damage that was already done. She was a threat to him, and her goals for Regina were counter to what his goals for her were. When the time finally presented itself for him to meet Regina, and he did believe now more than ever that it would, he needed to be rid of Cora. And it wasn't just about the promise he'd made, though that would make his victory rather sweet. No, he needed her gone because she was a risk he couldn't have around.

In front of him, the mirror shimmered slightly, as if it was made of liquid and feeling a breeze from another world.

When the time came for Regina to rise above her captor, he knew exactly how he was going to use George's gift.

Just like I promised it's not the most exciting chapter, but it is a very important one. Not just because Queen Eva has finally died and that allows the rest of the story to fall easily into place, but also for the future. Rumple takes the candle, Rumple knows how Snow was tempted with it, or at least safely assumes the details, and in season two it is that candle that will feature prominently in Cora's demise. This was a short little chapter, but I felt it was a very important one.

Thank you MissAmande, Jennifer Baratta, and Grace 5231973 for your comments on the chapters thus far. I felt this was a really good place to end The Preparation Section considering what's coming and there was also a really nice parallel here with how the next section is going to end. In the next chapter we'll get into all those wonderful details! Peace and Happy Reading!