AN: See chapter 1 for story notes and summaries.
Ships: Snowing, Rumbelle, Swan Believer, Swanfire, Daddy Charming, Mama Snow, HadesxPersephone, Mama Persephone, and a delightful Golden Mad Charming BroT3. :)
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Please consider leaving a review if you're reading. It is very much appreciated!
Special note:
Here are the main face claims that we're dealing with right now. For other minor Gods/Goddesses, see previous chapters:
Gal Gadot as Persephone
Robert Downey Jr. as Hades
Vincent Irizarry as Deimos
Ben Affleck as Prince Eli
Rami Malek as Apollo
Drew Barrymore as former Queen Serafina
Thanks for awesome the reviews. Again, please consider leaving feedback. I love writing this story, but a lot of hard work in my free time goes into getting weekly chapters up, so reviews are really gratifying. :)
Note: Keep in mind during this arc that time is very wonky. Basically Zelena went back, killed Eva, and then regressed to an infant. Emma is watching time pass more like in a movie rather than real time. It will eventually all make sense at the end of this arc. Sort of. I hope. :)
Here are individual responses:
Saberius Prime: Glad you enjoyed it! Yep, Elsa will eventually make an appearance and I hope it won't be too long now. :)
Grace5231973: I know, poor everyone except Arawn and Frollo at this point. Yeah, Arawn's eventual downfall will be very satisfying.
Naomi Blue: Yep, Emma is in the proverbial rock and a hard place. Yeah, Arawn just needed a reason to start a war and his sister was the reason.
Reconzilla117: Glad you enjoyed it!
Beth1980: Yeah, whatever Emma decides, there is still going to be wonky time things happening, but that's all I can say for now. Ha, yeah she definitely should seek therapy and probably a drink too. Yep, Ravenna's murder was just an excuse for him to start a war. I know, Snow is of course blaming herself. But she has Persephone and the rest of her family to remind her of why she's not to blame. Yep, they should tell David about James. It's going to come back to smack them in the face. I love the idea of magical Skype too, lol. Yep, Snowing fluff! Stay tuned on the wedding front. :)
Jennifer Baratta: Glad you enjoyed it! Yeah, Emma is stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Number Ten: Yeah, chapter 100! Doesn't seem possible. Yes, Emma is in a very tough position. Yeah, Snow and David are together, yet not together. And the war is a definite detriment. I cast Rami Malek as Apollo. :)
Theinferno1536: Time is very wonky. I would say a few years, but I wouldn't focus too much on that. If you really have to have years, Snow and David were around 18/19 when they met. We know they were about 28 when the first curse was cast and Emma was born. Time is not passing in years for Emma. It's like she's watching a movie or highlights.
Dreaming Out Loud
Chapter 101: And Wake Up Where the Clouds Are Far Behind Me
The years passed quickly, as Rumpelstiltskin secretly trained Regina in the ways of dark magic. It had been very difficult for her at first, but her overwhelming rage at her mother and sister had changed her and facilitated the needed changes in her to mold her into the woman he needed to cast his curse.
Over the years, Arawn had assimilated many Kingdoms under his rule. George and Midas were allowed to remain on their Thrones as mere figureheads under Arawn's complete control. King Hubert and his Queen had been too resistant and were executed, while Hubert's most trusted Knights saw to it that Phillip was sent east into hiding.
King Stefan had folded to Arawn as well, allowing him to keep his Throne, much to his daughter, Princess Aurora's chagrin. Knowing that the late Queen Briar Rose would be horrified, the fairies that had been her allies eventually whisked Aurora away into hiding.
King Stefan tried to appeal to the other King's thirst for power by telling him that they should invade Maleficent's castle next and kill the dragon woman. But Arawn refused. He was known for avoiding magic that he wasn't completely sure he could overpower her and thus Maleficent's castle was left untouched for the moment, as was the Dark One's castle for obvious reasons.
Next, Arawn had moved south to a small Kingdom ruled by Lord Maurice. Arawn was well aware of the deal the man previously made with the Dark One, who ended the threat of the ogres in exchange for the man's beautiful daughter, Belle. But all that had done was pave the way for Arawn to easily assimilate Maurice's Kingdom next without any ogres in his path.
After that, Arawn seized the maritime Kingdom, forcing Prince Eric to flee to the east to avoid execution. The Prince's ailing father had just passed away months ago, but there would be no coronation for Prince Eric.
Regina's Kingdom was one of the only ones left standing on its own, save for the mysterious Arendelle. And magic was definitely the reason for that. Neither Frollo or Arawn were completely sure they could combat the magic of Queen Cora and her daughter Zelena. But Arawn was not giving up. He was a patient man and if he could not overtake Leopold's Kingdom, then he planned to appeal to his and his Queen's greed by proposing a merger when the time was right.
As for Arendelle, Princess Elsa had finally come of age and her coronation was underway. He had sent Hans into get a scope of the Kingdom and hoped to hear good news from his youngest brother soon.
Snow White still eluded them, but there had been sightings over the years. He suspected though that Hades and Persephone had kept her sequestered in the Underworld most of the time. Eli was in hiding as well and there were rumors that he was living somewhere near the city of Athens, well known to be protected by Athena, though there had supposedly been sightings of him in Thebes as well. But that did not bother him too much. He was still confident that he could capture the wayward Princess and use her to his advantage. His Kingdom would continue to grow and soon, he knew he would rival the power of the Gods. Especially if Frollo's research and experimentation yielded the results he soon hoped for.
Arawn entered the top spire of the castle that was formerly George's and spied his Vizier at the infamous Cauldron that had come into Arawn's possession many years ago. While the Cauldron's past was lousy with black magic, these days, Frollo used it for his scientific experiments and dabbles into alchemy.
For years, Frollo has been attempting to change ordinary metals into valuable ones like gold. But more importantly, he was on a lifelong quest to use science and the cauldron to create an elixir of immortality. Arawn shared in his quest for immortality, but he had employed Frollo to explore another avenue on his path to immortality for him.
In the ancient scrolls from his homeland, the texts spoke of a creature and a mountain that could give him what he wanted. If the creature deemed him worthy, he could essentially take on the powers of this supposedly dormant creature that was known in the texts by a few names and one of those being the black god. This creature was said to be far more powerful than any God on Olympus and even mightier than any of the Titans. But the location of this mysterious, supposedly cone shaped bald mountain was unknown. However, through his assimilation of Kingdoms, he had finally found a clue in one of the oldest libraries in Lord Maurice's Kingdom. It was in a dead language that no one he knew of could read, but fortunately, Frollo was attempting to use the Cauldron and science to translate the map they had found.
"Any luck?" Arawn questioned.
"Not yet...but I may be onto something," Frollo responded, as the cauldron boiled with a sickly green liquid. Frollo added a drop of some unknown ingredient, making the room smell even fouler than it already did. Frollo carefully filled a vial with the liquid and poured one drop on the encrypted map. It gave off a faint glow, as the sorcery rippled over it.
"Did it work?" Arawn asked.
"It did not decipher the map...however it has left us another clue. One that could make translating the map irrelevant," Frollo said, as the sorcery on the parchment took life in front of their eyes in the form a dancing broom, which then morphed into a hat with stars on it.
"What is it?" Arawn questioned.
"I've seen this only once...in the ancient pagan texts back in the Cathedral. It is the magical hat worn by the mysterious Sorcerer. The legend says that no one knows the identity of this great Sorcerer and the hat is in the possession of his apprentice," Frollo recalled.
"What does this mean?" Arawn pressed, as he watched the image of the hat fold into a dormant form in that of a circular box with stars atop it. Then the transparent image fell to the map and to a mountainous region in the northeast that was known to be quite barren and scarcely populated.
"It means we can find the hat in this region and then it is the hat that will decode this map, leading us to Bald Mountain," Frollo responded.
"Then you will take a few of our men and find this hat by any means necessary," Arawn ordered. Frollo bowed to him.
"At once, My King," he obeyed.
David wiped the sweat from his brow, as they paused for a beat in their practice duel. His family and Snow's family were all enjoying a brief respite at Persephone's summer cabin in her meadow near the ocean. Over the years, Persephone had added two more cabins in the meadow, one for his family and one just for him and Snow.
There was a brief lull in the war recently and they had taken full advantage of the opportunity for a visit. They were a bit worried about what Arawn's attention might be on, because of the lull, but they did not let it mar their time together.
During the warring years, Eli had taken the opportunity to sharpen David's swordsman skills and Hades usually joined the teachings when he was able to. The Underworld had been sadly a very busy place in the last few years, but thankfully, he was enjoying a lull too. They had long ago taken well to their future son-in-law, for he made their little Snow very happy and had decided one of the few things they could agree on was they wanted him to be exceptional in his skills so he could protect their little girl. David had welcomed the training, wanting to be able to protect her against anyone as well.
"You're getting very good…" Eli mentioned, as the younger man parried his strikes.
"If it means protecting Snow...then I want to become a master swordsman," David replied, as they continued the duel. Eli smirked, as he heard Snow huff from the sidelines.
"Daddy...don't you think that's enough for today?" she asked impatiently. Patience would never be his little girl's forte.
"I suppose so...he is here, after all, to see you, sweet pea," he answered, as they ended the duel. Snow smiled and put her arms around her beloved, kissing him passionately.
"I'm all sweaty," he warned, as she pressed herself flush against him.
"I don't mind," she replied, with a coy smile. Persephone handed her daughter a picnic basket with a smile, as the young couple joined hands and began to stroll toward Stardust.
"Have fun!" Ruth called, with a smile, as they rode off.
"Don't you want me to clean up first?" David asked. Snow smirked.
"Oh, I think I can clean you up myself in the ocean," she replied. He grinned.
"That sounds like fun," he agreed, as they rode off for a romantic rendezvous.
"Don't pout," Persephone scolded her ex.
"I'm not pouting...she's just all grown up and needs me less and less," Eli lamented.
"She still needs you...she needs us all. They both do," Hades reminded. He nodded.
"David is a good man. I couldn't have hoped for better for her," he agreed.
"That's what happens when Athena etches your love in the stars. Their love will save us all," Persephone said, though she knew that meant that her daughter and her love would face insurmountable odds and stare down evil to do so. But she was confident that love would prevail.
Zelena cackled, as she used her spell to create a storm that she unleashed upon an unsuspecting village.
"You're getting very good, dear," Cora complimented and the devastation seemed to have no affect on them.
"This is just the beginning, Mother. When I cast the Dark One's curse, they all shall be under my thumb, even the powerful King Arawn. He'll be nothing compared to me," the redhead boasted.
"Yes...the time draws near, doesn't it Rumple?" Cora questioned.
"It's too early for the curse. I'm not ready yet," he replied. But this angered Zelena.
"Well, I am!" she shouted.
"I am tired of this land and King Arawn's rule! I should rule, mother! But you won't allow me to unseat him!" she shouted.
"His Vizier, Frollo, is much too unpredictable, my dear. If he was able to nullify Midas' power, than he may have a way to counter ours. It's too risky right now," Cora admonished.
"Which is why we need the curse! What exactly are you waiting for?" Zelena questioned her Master.
"That's my business," Rumple hissed in return.
"Why is it always about what you want?! What about what I want?!" Zelena argued, as Rumple looked at her.
"Careful dearie...you may think you're in charge here, but you'd be mistaken. I may be providing you with the means to cast a great curse and rule over all the lands. But make no mistake...I'm in charge," he warned.
"Well, I don't accept that. I'm more than confident that the student has surpassed the master," Zelena hissed. Rumple let out a giggle of amusement.
"Oh you'd be wrong there, dearie," he boasted, as he disappeared and appeared behind her, much to her surprise. Zelena growled and turned to him, effectively blasting him with her green magic.
"Why won't you give me what I want?! I've done everything you've asked!" she cried psychotically.
"Zelena…" Cora chided, but the out of control redhead batted her mother away, much to Cora's surprise.
"I'm more powerful than you both! And I'm going to cast this curse now!" she demanded.
"Go ahead and try...but you'll fail," Rumple responded in a sing-song voice.
"Rumple...what are you talking about?" Cora questioned.
"I've decided to alter our deal," he confessed.
"What?" Cora questioned.
"You've done a very exceptional job in raising a daughter that loves nothing, which is the opposite of what I need," he responded.
"Love is weakness," Cora proclaimed. He giggled at her.
"Wrong again, dearie...it's actually quite powerful and extremely useful when you know how to use it. She can never successfully cast my curse. Read the last ingredient," he prodded, as Cora looked at the tiny scroll.
"The heart of thing you love most…" she recited and then looked up at him, as realization dawned on her. He giggled.
"I see you've finally gotten it. You raised the perfect, heartless monster...in your image no less. You must be so proud," he said distastefully.
"The problem is that I need a monster that still has a heart and fortunately for me...you actually didn't fail to give me one," he responded dramatically.
"What are you talking about?" Zelena demanded to know. He giggled again.
"Your mother created you in her image. Heartless, full of hatred, and you wouldn't know love if it smacked you in your green face," he poked fun, which only enraged her more.
"You're wrong...I love power! It's the only thing that matters!" she refuted.
"According to your short sighted mother...yes, but love is what makes the world go round, dearie. And true love...well, that is the rarest of all magic, but that's a story you don't need to know about," he added.
"However, your mother and you have created another monster as well; one that you don't even realize," he said cryptically, as Regina emerged from the shadows.
"Regina?" Cora asked in shock.
"Hello Mother...Zelena," she greeted with a smirk and then showed her power by lighting a tree on fire.
"You...you've learned magic," Cora uttered in surprise and slight dread in her voice.
"Well...when you took Daniel away from me, I knew I couldn't let you get away with it," Regina responded.
"Darling...I did that for your own good. I was looking out for your best interest," Cora claimed.
"You were looking out for yours!" Regina snapped.
"After all, you couldn't have one of your daughters marrying someone without royal blood. So when he offered me a path to revenge for what you both did to me...I took it," she added.
"You see...she's the monster you created, but she's far more dangerous than this one, because she still has a heart. She knows love, while this one only knows envy," he said, with disgust, as Zelena's skin slowly turned completely green.
"Regina will cast my curse...and she will do it when I say," he stated.
"No!" Zelena cried.
"This was to be mine! I am supposed to rule and have everything! But you're giving it to her?!" Zelena cried in outrage.
"That's right," he said nonchalantly. Zelena growled and unleashed her green magic on her sister, but Regina was ready with an immobilization spell. She knew if she let Zelena get the upper hand that she might be evenly matched or even overpowered by her more experienced sister.
"Yes...I will be Queen and cast this curse, but you don't get to come. I'm going to cast you out for what you did! You destroyed my future with him and you did it on purpose!" she snarled, as she summoned another spell, while Rumple watched on with a pleased expression and Cora in one of awe. Zelena cried out in horror, as a twister came down out of the sky and snatched her up.
"Enjoy oblivion...witch!" Regina cackled with glee, as the twister carried her sister away to another realm.
"Regina...what have you done?" Cora cried.
"Aren't you happy, mother? I've become evil...just like you always wanted," Regina responded, as she approached the older woman.
"My revenge against you will be very sweet for what you did to Daniel. Now run home to your disgusting, degenerate husband and count your numbered days, because I'll be coming for you both," she warned. Cora looked at her former master, her eyes flashing with betrayal and she saw the smug look on his face. He was enjoying his own revenge against her. With no other choice, Cora disappeared in a puff of magenta smoke.
"That was fun," Regina commented.
"Yes...and there is more to come. The time for my curse will soon draw near. But there are still a few things I need that must happen," he replied. She shrugged.
"I'm in no hurry...it gives me more time to craft the perfect punishment for my mother. But tell me...does everyone else have to be miserable in this curse?" she questioned. He smirked.
"It's whatever you want it to be. But they all must fear it, so you need to sell it as their certain doom or they won't take it seriously," he responded.
"Easily done...as long as my mother and Zelena pay, that's all I care about," she replied. He giggled with glee. Things were going very well for him now.
Prince James dueled an onslaught of Arwan's best soldiers in an exhibition for the mighty King. George had insisted he showcase his talents when Arawn announced to the Kingdom that they were having a problem with a truly monstrous beast that threatened to destroy his entire army. The beast guarded an important mountain pass that was crucial to have control of in the next phase of the war. So Arawn had called for only the best to lead an onslaught on this dragon beast and slay it for him. James hated the idea of doing anything for Arawn and even mouthed off to his father about how he should make his stupid Sorcerer Vizier find a solution or the God Deimos, but that had gotten him a smack to the back of his head. Despite being grown now, his father never missed an opportunity to inflict abuse as his means of correcting him.
"Impressive…" Arawn stated, as James defeated all the soldiers quite swiftly.
"Yes...James is the best swordsman in all the Kingdoms," George boasted.
"Then he will lead a battalion of men and slay the beast that blocks our passage through the mountains," Arawn announced. James pushed down the urge to flee at that. The mission that Arawn was sending him on was certain suicide, but he didn't see anyway out.
Snow mewled into his kiss and panted in impassioned gasps, as he made love to her in the sand. The tide was coming in and washing over them. He kissed at her neck, desperately, as they chased the height of pleasure that was building between them.
"David…David…" she sung wantonly, as he pumped hot and deeply, their hips colliding with a euphoric feeling.
"Snow…" he rasped, as his lips worshiped her body. Snow raked her nails along his back, as she neared her climax, bringing him pleasured agony. They finally reached completion together, nearly simultaneously in an incredible wave of ecstasy, before they collapsed together, limbs tangled and water beading on their bare bodies.
As their skin quickly began to cool in the ocean water, they wrapped themselves together in the very large blanket they had brought with them and rested together against a rock, while they watched the sunset together. They kissed tenderly and cuddled, enjoying an afterglow that was just as euphoric as their lovemaking had been.
"I love you so much, my darling…" he whispered. She smiled at him, her emerald eyes sparkling with love.
"I love you too, my Charming," she replied, as she nuzzled her nose to his.
"Let's not wait any longer," he whispered to her.
"Any longer for what?" she asked.
"To get married," he responded, as she looked at him in surprise.
"But...the war isn't over yet," she reminded.
"And it may not be for years, Snow...I want to marry you now. Not then or whenever this war is done. I'm tired of that heartless King being the reason that you're not already my wife," he said. She smiled gently and he knew she felt the same.
"But we still might have to be separated sometimes," she reminded.
"I know...and as much as I hate it, at least I know you're safe from those lunatics in the Underworld and I will cherish every moment we're together and think of you every moment that we're not. I just want to be your husband while I do," he confessed passionately. A tear slipped down her cheek and she sniffed.
"I want that too...more than anything," she agreed, as their lips met again in a smoldering kiss. He smiled brightly back at her.
"Let's go tell our parents," he suggested, but she smirked at him slyly and tackled him to the sand again.
"Later…" she whispered, as passion overtook them again.
Rumple returned to his castle that evening and noticed with mild interest that his new maid was carrying out the duties of which he had ordered of her. The first few weeks with her had been tedious at best with a lot of crying, but she had eventually settled into a routine. As expected when he returned, she had the tea readied and poured it for him. Curiously, the cup she had chipped days ago was still there as neither of them could seem to toss the silly thing.
"How...how was your lesson?" Belle asked curiously.
"What do you know of my lessons?" he questioned.
"You always take spell books with you on this day and since you don't seem like the type that still needs a book to do magic, I deduced that you have a student," she replied, as he stared at her with scrutiny.
"Very observant," he finally said after an unnerving pause.
"And this one was more productive than usual," he commented, as he enjoyed his tea and that somehow brought a smile to her face. Which was curious, for she knew whatever he was teaching his student probably wasn't good. But the fact that he was pleased brought her a sense of comfort for him.
There had been a lot of development today. Now that his curse was securely in Regina's hands and Zelena was effectively no longer a problem. That meant that once the Savior was conceived, his plan would be accelerated. And there was still one thing he needed, he reminded himself, as he went to his potions cupboard. He had something in every slot, except for the one with the heart.
"What potion goes there?" Belle asked curiously.
"If you must know...it's true love. It's the only magic I haven't bottled," he replied.
"How can you bottle true love?" she asked.
"There is only one true love worth bottling and I've been waiting three hundred years for it to finally come to be. The time is finally at hand...but that's none of your business," he snapped. The time was finally drawing near. He would bottle the true love shared between Princess Snow White and her charming shepherd, the Savior would soon be conceived, and then his curse would be cast. Then he would find his son at last…
The next morning, all of them, except Snow and David were up early as usual, preparing for a family breakfast. Their children had come home very late and so they were letting them sleep in.
They were surprised though that morning to get a visit from Apollo. Ruth, Sera, Robert, and Eli hung back, as Persephone and Hades greeted him. The last time he had come directly to them was a few years ago after he had tried to show Arawn and Frollo the proof that Snow as framed for Ravenna's murder. And they both knew him coming to them personally could only mean bad things.
"Do you have news of the war?" Hades questioned.
"Yes...Arawn is attempting to move east with his conquest. A great and fearsome dragon blocks his path through the north eastern mountain ridge. He's already lost an entire battalion to this creature, but presses on to find someone to slay it," Apollo reported.
"If he invades the eastern Kingdom and manages to somehow overthrow their Emperor...his army's numbers will quadruple," Persephone feared.
"I believe that is his goal," Apollo confirmed.
"That's a huge undertaking, even for him. The Emperor's army is nearly five times as large as Arawn's, even with all the armies he has assimilated. There's no way they could overtake them, not without some serious advantages," Hades argued.
"Word has it that they are forcing peasants to work assembly lines and mass producing that weapon that Frollo created," Apollo replied.
"You mean the one that David was hit with?" Snow chimed in, as she and David came out of their cabin, hand in hand.
"Yes, I'm afraid so, dear niece," he confirmed.
"But I fear that is not the most disturbing news I have," he continued.
"Of course not," Hades muttered bitterly. He had a feeling his lull would be ending soon and he was going to be very busy once again.
"Frollo has found a map. He can't read it yet, but it the map to Bald Mountain," Apollo revealed, as he met Hades' eyes.
"That's not possible...I destroyed every map to that place," the God of the Underworld growled.
"There is a very old library in Lord Maurice's Kingdom that still had one...in a dead language, but Frollo has used his sorcery to give him a clue. He's traveling east as well in search of the hat," Apollo revealed.
"He cannot get that hat…" Hades growled.
"What hat?" David asked in confusion.
"The Sorcerer's hat...it's very powerful and will lead Frollo to an evil, demonic creature. He has a name I'd rather not speak, but we also used to refer to him as the black god," Persephone explained.
"The Black God?" Snow asked.
"Yes...a Titan that was so evil that your mother and I sealed it away in a volcanic mountain after the Sorcerer, who was supposed to guard the hat, got himself sealed away in a freaking tree," Hades said in frustration. She nodded.
"Originally, this demon was sealed away in the hat itself, but once the sorcerer was trapped, it was freed. It took all of us, including Zeus to seal it away in an enchanted volcanic mountain," Persephone explained.
"If Frollo gets the hat and finds the mountain, he can not only use the hat to release the creature, he and Arawn can control it too," Hades added.
"Then we have to stop Frollo," Snow stated.
"She's right," David agreed.
"You two aren't going anywhere close to this," Hades refuted.
"Yeah...no way in hell," Eli added.
"And not that you need it, but that goes triple from us," Robert agreed, causing the young couple to collectively roll their eyes.
"He's right...but we will be going to stop him," Persephone said. Apollo nodded.
"If they release the black god...then Arawn and Frollo will become unstoppable," he warned.
"Are you leaving right away?" Snow asked, as she and David exchanged a glance.
"We cannot delay much, snowdrop...but we do have the advantage of being able to magic ourselves ahead of Frollo," she said.
"Good...because before you go…" Snow said, as she addressed all of them and then looked at David.
"We want to get married," David finished her sentence, as they gazed at each other with love and eagerness. And no one present could help but smile, including Apollo.
"And I shall be glad to officiate such a destined union," he agreed, as preparations ensued.