Here's another new chapter!
I feel like it's a bit wordy but I believe it's a good read :)
Please enjoy!
-FantasyWriterFoSho
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Summary of the Previous Chapter: The Snow Queen took Emma and Killian back to her destroyed ice fortress where she tried to convince the former to become a part of her family.
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Chapter Twenty-Four: Ardent Exoneration
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Smoke poured out of the urn before a thick, liquidy substance gathered on the ground.
Resembling the human form, it soon pulled itself together and built a watery version of Elsa before solidifying and returning her to her natural shape and coloring.
Gasping, she fell onto all fours when she tried to gather her wits through the fogginess of her mind and numb body. Slowly turning around, her limbs barely able to balance her, Elsa began to register the scene that was happening around her. Spotting the crouched Emma, the attacking Snow Queen and the kneeling, but alert, Killian, she took in a deep breath.
Remembering what had happened at the abandoned house, Elsa could feel her magic angrily thrum around inside of her. Capping the urn, she fumbled to her feet before allowing her powers to coat her fingertips. Exhaling deeply, Elsa then lashed out at the Snow Queen, striking her hard enough to propel her off of her feet and onto her side, a few feet away.
A slight yelp escaped from her lips when the Snow Queen collapsed, her hold faltering on the dagger, causing it to fall unceremoniously to the floor; however, on her way down, she had instinctively closed the hand that was holding the crushed up mirror shard.
Accidentally pushing her into Emma's path, Elsa's adrenaline surged her forward, her hands raised to counteract anything the Snow Queen may throw at her in her recovering state. When she had reached her friend, she helped Emma to her feet before they both hurried over to Killian, who was in the process of straightening himself up.
"What happened after I was sucked into the urn?" Elsa asked, her eyes adjusting to both the dark and magically lit areas.
Grabbing ahold of Killian about his waist, Emma steadied herself before quickly informing her of what she had missed before concluding it with how she had freed her from the urn.
"She wants to make us her sisters?" Elsa asked incredulously.
"Sick, isn't it?" Emma immediately responded, her eyes slightly rolling at the idea.
Hearing the Snow Queen stir, they quickly stopped their conversation before turning into her direction.
Composure improved, Emma then pried herself from Killian and moved to stand in front of him—but right beside Elsa—their hands now raised and poised in a fighting stance.
Watching the angry Snow Queen get to her feet, the surrounding iridescent balls of light flickered then flared dangerously, covering the area more in its light before it settled back down.
"One way or another," the Snow Queen rasped, her glare penetrating. "I will have my way. Don't make me go through you in order to have it..."
"Or what, you're going to put us under your crappy spell too?" Emma retorted, glancing down at the other woman's closed fist.
"I don't want to do that," she answered. "You're my sisters..."
"And yet you trapped Elsa in an urn and my mind in a mirror," Emma snapped, her eyes unrelenting as the images came floating back to her. "Do you have any idea how that felt? I was already thinking that everybody was better off without me, but to have every disturbing image of my life repeatedly thrown back in my face, thanks to any thought that popped into my head, was just plain evil!"
"Though harsh, it was showing you your true self. It was telling you what you lost when you ran away from me all those years ago," the Snow Queen bit out, tired of explaining herself. "I've regretted using it on you, but I hoped that the relic, as well as your memories, would lead you back to me. It was another level of perspective in order for— "
"Yeah, you've said all of that before," Emma interrupted, remembering all of her spiels. "I'm just sick and tired of you using that same bullshit excuse over and over again, but another thing that pissed me off was by you doing that, you made me believe that I couldn't love anybody and that I didn't deserve it in return."
Heart thumping, Emma instantly thought about the man behind her and how fearful she was of his safety.
In turn, Killian inhaled sharply from his position, his jaw clenching.
"But I realized something," Emma continued, her gaze turbulent. "I may be new at magic and sometimes wish that I could detach myself, from my emotions, so I could get through a typical day here in Storybrooke," her voice wavered at her admission but she kept going. She needed to get all of this off of her chest. "But I'm their Savior and I'll do whatever it takes to do my best everyday, regardless of my fears. Damn the costs and risks..."
Everybody was silent when Emma finished; her confessing words ringing deeply in their minds and hearts.
"Do you think we can truly defeat her?" Elsa then whispered over to her, officially breaking the lull between them when her confidence started to wane.
"We can sure as hell try," Emma replied back, her hair flapping against her when a strong breeze brushed by. Or, she then thought when she observed several visible features on the Snow Queen, including her now softened expression.
Maybe we can try a different approach? Afterall, she claims to love us. So, there's a good chance that she doesn't want to fight us…
Looking down for a split second, Emma decidedly lowered her hands, making Elsa and Killian snap their eyes over to her.
"What are you doing?" Elsa asked, exchanging looks between her and the Snow Queen.
"Swan?" Killian followed, concern noticeable in his eyes. "Do you have a plan?"
"I might," she responded, looking back up at the Snow Queen, who was now regarding her with more curiosity. Taking a step forward, Emma's mind whirled. Her idea was to try and relate to the other woman's need for love and affection, which wasn't going to be that hard for her to do...
"Not to dismiss anything that I just said but I...I do know what it feels like to be lonely too," she began, moving a little bit closer. "I know how it feels to desperately want something, or somebody, to make me feel whole..."
Understanding now what she was doing, Elsa joined her. "For me as well," she said, also moving forward. "Your need to be fulfilled is natural but how you're going about it is wrong. You can't just force us to be on your side. You can't force us to love you..."
Her eyes analyzed her aunt's changing expression.
She could see that she was listening to them but she could also see a streak of stubbornness.
"...Especially not after all that you've done to us, to the rest of the town, to Anna and to Arendelle. You've lied and manipulated repeatedly and that's not easily forgotten..."
"You're just like my sisters," the Snow Queen then said, her tone flat. "They refused my love too…"
"I find that hard to believe," Elsa countered, defending the memory of her mother. "Perhaps they didn't truly understand the nature of your magic, but with me, your sister, my mother...she never gave up. She helped me to the best of her ability..."
Eyes flashing angrily, the Snow Queen suddenly lashed out, her hands in fists while her face contorted with rage. "You're wrong! They would never tolerate what we are! They hated me! I always felt different around them, always, and they never let me forget it!" Tears then spilled from her eyes at her broiling emotions. "After I a-accidentally killed our sister, Helga, with a blast to the heart...Gerda trapped me in the urn. She trapped me! I s-stayed there for many years, before I was released, knowing that I was unloved...that I was d-despised..."
Near tears herself, Elsa was stunned. She opened her mouth to rebuke her statements but stopped when Emma placed a hand on her shoulder.
"She's telling the truth," she said, her tone low but soft.
Elsa shook her head. "No, no," she began, her voice cracking. "My mother wouldn't do that..."
Leaning closer, Emma turned to look at the devastated woman's profile. "Elsa, I'm sorry, but she's not lying on that part; however..." she then paused, waiting until the other blonde looked at her before continuing. "When she talked about being 'unloved', I got the feeling that she wasn't quite sure about it. Like, she was doubting herself..."
Furrowing her brows, Elsa thought about something before she returned her attention back to her aunt. "Now I understand why you tried turning my sister against me," she said, her eyes widening with a realization. "You thought that she would hurt me the same way you were but...based on how you trapped me in the urn, with Anna's help, you knew that she wouldn't..."
Elsa took a step closer, her eyes now narrowing with a growing intensity. "You were jealous of our close relationship, which was something you thought you had with your sisters before your imprisonment..."
The Snow Queen gave her a small smile. "Clever girl…"
Elsa then gave her a pitiful look before calling her by her true name. "Ingrid…"
Deciding to close the gap between them, she glided towards her, one hand reaching out to her. "If there's one thing I've learned is that: fear makes people do crazy things. I don't think for a moment that Gerda hated you," she paused, conviction evident in her voice but when the Snow Queen didn't take her friendly gesture, Elsa dropped her arm down to her side.
"What she did, she did out of fear."
Swallowing hard, the Snow Queen shook her head. "How can you possibly know that?"
"She wouldn't have loved me at all if she truly hated our shared magical trait. Though my parents went about it in the wrong way, by sheltering me too much," she acknowledged, briefly glancing down at her hands when she remembered the gloves she had to wear. "They also did it to protect me and for that, I'll be forever grateful."
Elsa's response practically floored her.
Taking a step back, the Snow Queen found herself incredibly conflicted. Looking deep within her soul, she dug past her warped misgivings, her desired yearnings and her uncontrollable hatred before she was able to recall familiar images that she had long ago forgotten. As buried memories of her sisters resurfaced—the fun, the laughter, the smiles, the love—she felt something that she hadn't in years…
Remorse.
Looking away, her breathing hitched and her knees swayed before she collapsed onto them, tears streaming down her face.
"You're r-right," she stuttered, the words spilling from her raw throat when she finally accepted her position in their arguments. Her actions had been unjustified, pathetic and indeed...evil. "You've been right a-all this time and I was t-too blind to see it..."
Looking at her aunt, who was sitting in a messy heap on the grassy floor, Elsa went over to her and knelt down beside her before pulling her into a hug, her arms easily wrapping around the trembling woman's shoulders. "After tonight, you'll never be alone again," she whispered, gently leaning her head against the Snow Queen's. "You'll come to live with me and Anna in Arendelle. You'll have to make amends, help me find Anna and rebuild my trust in you, but I'm willing to sort it all out with you because...we are family..."
Her aunt then pulled away from her, a sad expression on her face before it changed into an unreadable one.
"Do you recall The Trolden Glass myth, Elsa?" she suddenly asked, her eyes quietly regarding her niece's.
Furrowing her brows again, Elsa looked away in thought. "I do remember some of it. It's about a King who..." she then stopped, her eyes widening when the pieces connected. "It's about a King who, after losing his daughter, practiced dark magic then unleashed his grief onto his subjects through the Shattered Glass…"
"What's that?" Emma asked when she got closer to the pair, leaving a watchful Killian far behind her. She had been listening to them the entire time, not wanting to interrupt their session, but she couldn't help it this time. Her curiosity got the better of her. Standing on the opposite side of the Snow Queen, she continued. "Is that a spell?"
"It's what she planned on using against the town," Elsa answered, glancing up at Emma. "It's what's now affecting those at the mansion..."
Emma's eyes immediately widened.
"Yes," the Snow Queen confirmed, wiping the tears away from her face with her free hand before meeting Elsa's eyes once again. "It was the first time the spell had ever been used but...what else do you remember about the story?"
Her forehead scrunched in concentration. "Everything, except for the ending. I could never remember that part..."
Giving her a mournful look, the Snow Queen nodded her head, breaking the hug they were still in by pulling herself back to her feet. "To end the spell, the King...had to be killed..."
Realizing what she was saying, Elsa immediately shook her head in horror. "No, we...we can figure something else out. You, you don't have to die...
"No," her aunt disagreed with a sad smile. "I do have to. So, as much as I would love to go back to Arendelle with you and make amends, my death is the only way to free those I have cursed." Sniffling, she opened the hand that contained the shards. "It's ironic that I've been telling you," she paused to glance over at Emma. "That you have to be ready or that you have no control over your magic when here I am...letting my own emotions get to me over outrageous fantasies. If I had just accepted my fate when things fell apart—my mirror, my house, my plans—there's a good chance I wouldn't have been in this situation now, but...I was too greedy and too desperate..."
With a melancholy look, she then tipped her hand over, dropping the glass onto the ground next to her feet, effectively ending her own threat with a simple movement.
Tears in her eyes, Emma walked over to her and silently pulled her into a tight hug, which she hesitated to return for a split second.
"I'm sorry for everything that I've said and done to you, your friends and your parents," the Snow Queen whispered into Emma's hair. "It wasn't, and still isn't, my place to judge any of them for who they are or for what they've done. Please tell them that I apologize for my behavior."
Swallowing hard, Emma nodded her head. "I will and I accept your apology. I'm sorry too," she replied, a tear falling from one of her eyes onto the other woman's laced shoulder. "For all those mean things I said to you and for calling you a 'conceited bitch'". They both shared a small laugh at the last part before Emma continued. "But I also wanted to thank you again for all of those wonderful memories we have together. You really were one of my favorite foster moms..."
"No, it's I who should be thanking you," the Snow Queen replied, pulling away from her so she could look at her. Wiping away Emma's stray tears with the back of her hand, she struggled to hold back her own. "Both of you..."
She then stretched out a beckoning hand towards Elsa, who tearfully accepted and joined the two women. "Without both of your light, presence and compassion, I never would've found my way back..."
Body trembling, Elsa tried to give her a smile. "I'm going to miss you. Goodbye, Aunt Ingrid..."
"Goodbye, Elsa," she replied, returning the smile. "I hope that you continue to practice your magic. I'm glad that Regina was able to help you get through that mental block of yours because somebody will now have to carry on our icy trait." She paused, thoughtfully considering her niece. "You are a force to be reckoned with, my dear. Don't ever forget that."
"And you," she continued, turning to look back at a weeping Emma. "For the record, I think that you are a fantastic Savior. You are designed to be one of the greatest, so...don't you ever lose sight of that either."
Emma sighed raggedly but managed to give her a sharp nod.
Pulling them both into another hug, the older woman tenderly held the back of their heads, feeling nothing but peace and contentment from their shared, but brief, moment.
Exhaling loudly, she then released them from her embrace and stared deeply into their eyes before turning around and taking a couple of steps away. Sniffing, Ingrid raised her hands up and began recalling the curse she had cast. Her voice was strong and persistent when she chanted, stirring the area around the group with her native language.
A twittering sound soon filled the air above them.
Looking up at the night sky, Emma, Elsa and an approaching Killian saw a glimmering stream of grey light swooping high above the trees before it descended and flew towards the awaiting Ingrid, striking her in the gut after flitting about her once.
Gaze fixed on the now writhing woman, Killian quickly reached out to pull the two distressed blondes into his embrace, his hook gently resting on Emma's elbow while his hand laid directly on Elsa's shoulder.
Turning around to face them, Ingrid choked back a sob when she took in their faces for the last time. Fading and buckling under the effects of the spell, she then looked down and closed her eyes.
As happy thoughts of her sisters filled her mind, she smiled widely.
"I was loved…"
Then, disappearing in a burst of light, the former Snow Queen vanished in a hail of wind and dust.
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