Cora's Scrapbook, Chapter Eight: The Fairy, The Sea Witch, and The Beast
Cora aids in the rescue of Mother Superior and the other fairies from the Sorcerer's Hat. Cruella de Vil and Ursula arrive in Storybrooke.
Author's Note: This chapter takes place during the events of "Darkness on the Edge of Town." We've had a nice interlude of peace, but things are about to get interesting with the arrival of the Queens of Darkness. I hope you enjoy!
Characters:
Cora Mills
Regina Mills
Emma Swan
Belle Gold
Killian Jones
Mother Superior
Mary Margaret Blanchard
David Nolan
Henry Mills
Leroy
Cruella de Vil
Ursula
A blinding flash of yellow light illuminated the clearing in the grove of trees where Cora, Regina, Emma, Hook, and Belle were gathered. The energy from the Sorcerer's Hat was so potent that they all felt they could be knocked to the ground.
Just as rapidly as the magic had issued forth from the hat, peace resumed, and Cora looked up to see Mother Superior and the other (rather disheveled) fairies standing around the clearing.
"Are you alright?" Emma asked, rushing forward.
"No," Mother Superior panted, "but I will be. Thank you."
"You should thank the mayor," Emma gestured to Regina, who still held Rumplestiltskin's dagger.
"Thank you, Regina," Mother Superior bowed slightly. She turned to Cora and gave a tired smile. "Hello, my friend."
"Welcome back to the land of the living, Blue," Cora grinned, wrapping the fairy in a gentle hug. "Let's get you home and cleaned up a bit, and then we'll head down to Granny's to celebrate your freedom.
Four hours later, Cora and Mother Superior strolled down Main Street towards Granny's Diner.
"It was a bit like the curse," Mother Superior was saying. "Time was frozen. But we were all awake the whole time. It felt like an eternity."
"You were in there for six weeks," Cora said. "But honestly, not much happened here. Regina is mayor again, and Snow went back to teaching. I'm technically working as a police investigator with Emma and David, but there hasn't been much to investigate."
Mother Superior gave a wry smile. "At least we're not in the middle of a crisis. We have had plenty of excitement after 28 years of being cursed, and now, I pray that the calm continues."
Cora opened the door to Granny's.
"WELCOME BACK!" cheered everyone inside.
Mother Superior managed a weak smile and a halfhearted wave.
"Oh, you can muster a bit more joy than that, I think," Cora whispered.
"Oh, leave me alone," Mother Superior whispered back. "I'm finding a place to sit and I'm staying there."
"Okay, you cantankerous, old horsefly," Cora quipped. "I'm just glad you're back."
Mother Superior sat down, and Cora noticed her grandson sitting along the bar.
"Enjoying the celebration, Henry?" she asked as she approached.
"Oh, hey, Grandma," Henry smiled. "I was just waiting to ask the Blue Fairy a question."
"You should probably give her a few minutes. She's understandably quite grumpy."
"What's that, Cora?" asked Leroy from two stools down.
"Nothing, Leroy, dear," Cora chuckled. She returned her attention to Henry. "What's your question? If it's magical, maybe I can help."
"I was going to ask her about the Sorcerer," Henry explained. "I have one of his blank books from the mansion to show her. I figure that if anyone would know about the book and how to get my mom a happy ending, she would."
Cora frowned slightly. "I'm afraid I can't help you there. The Sorcerer is a master of light magic, and I'm afraid that has not been my field of study."
"Now that the Blue Fairy is back, are you planning on following up with learning light magic?" Henry asked. "I know that was something you talked about before she got sucked into the hat."
"I would certainly hope so," Cora said. "I feel like it would give me a more holistic view of magic to be able to approach it from another angle."
"Do you ever wish that you hadn't learned magic?" Henry asked.
Cora laughed darkly. "In light of the fact that I would have been executed about eight hours later if I hadn't learned when I did, I have no regrets about learning magic. I know I made some questionable choices using it, but there was no harm in learning."
Henry looked unsure, but he said nothing. Cora gently grasped his hand before approaching Mary Margaret and David.
"This is a great day for us all," Cora said.
"You can say that again," David agreed.
"I think we can safely say that everything is back to normal," Mary Margaret said.
The diner suddenly shook, and the lights flickered.
"You had to say it, didn't you," David grimaced at his wife.
"You take care of Neal," Mary Margaret said, as she and Cora left the prince to follow Emma, Regina, Belle, and Hook outside.
They heard a strange, guttural growl, which they quickly traced to a massive creature, which was perched on top of the clock tower. The beast was large, black, and humanoid with wings and two prominent horns. People were running and screaming in all directions. The monster caught sight of the group standing outside Granny's and spread his wings, preparing to dive. Cora cast a quick barrier spell between the group and the monster, which bought them enough time to dive into a nearby alley. She was dismayed to see that her barrier spell had broken.
"Did that thing come out of the hat?" Regina snapped, turning towards Belle. "I thought the spell was only supposed to release the fairies."
"Maybe he is some kind of fairy," Mary Margaret put in. The comment was generally ignored.
"Why don't we put it back in the hat and figure out the rest later?" Emma suggested.
"We can't," said Belle. "Once something is freed, it can never be re-trapped."
"Great," Emma groused. "So our best defense against magical beasts follows the same rules as chicken pox?"
"Surely the Savior and the Evil Queen can defeat a simple hell-beast," Hook said, leaning out to get another look at the monster.
Regina scowled. "Can we drop the e-word already?"
Before Cora could interject, Emma and Regina stepped out to face the monster, which had been circling the area. It roared loudly as it flew towards them. The sheriff and the mayor held their hands aloft, hitting the beast with simultaneous blasts of magical energy. The monster recoiled and retreated.
"That was easy," Emma remarked.
"Don't get excited," Regina said. "We only stunned it."
"That much power should have destroyed it," Cora said. "We may all be out of our depth."
"And I was just getting used to things being relaxing around here," Emma said. "Belle-"
"I'll see if I can find anything about this thing in the library," Belle said quickly.
"Thanks," said Emma. "And Mary Margaret-"
"I'll get everyone to safety," Mary Margaret replied almost automatically. "I'm on it."
"Wow," Emma smiled. "You guys really have this down."
"This isn't our first monster bash," Hook quipped as he followed Belle to the library. Mary Margaret went to corral the citizenry into a safe place, leaving Emma, Cora, and Regina in the middle of the street.
"I suppose we should find a way to neutralize this threat," Cora said. "You two can figure out a solution, and I will fend off the beast if it tries to cause further harm."
Emma and Regina agreed and went off to Town Hall to make a plan.
I could really use Rumplestiltskin's help at a time like this, Cora thought as the monster made swooping turns over the surrounding area. He would know exactly how to deal with this creature. She considered searching for Pandora's Box, but she doubted how effective it would be if the Sorcerer's Hat could not re-trap the creature. Plus, she knew better than to leave such a powerful entity unattended.
Cora continued to monitor the monster, which seemed impatient rather than destructive. Closing her eyes, she reached out her hand to try and probe the creature's mind.
Darkness. She heard a deep, chilling voice inside of her head.
"Darkness?" she wondered aloud.
No sooner did this exchange take place than Emma's yellow car came barreling down Main Street. She noticed Regina in the passenger seat.
"Seatbelts, girls!" she shouted after them.
The monster, filled with sudden, dark purpose, began pursuing Emma and Regina, who were driving rapidly out of town.
"Of course!" Cora said aloud. "The town line! Brilliant!"
"Grandma!" came Henry's voice from down the street.
"It's alright, Henry!" Cora called to him as he jogged over to her. "Your mothers have come up with quite the brilliant plan to destroy the creature. I assure you, we're quite safe."
Henry sat down on the curb. "Everything was going so well, and then that thing had to be released."
"At least the problem is dealt with," Cora said, sitting down next to him.
Henry opened his mouth to say something and promptly closed it again.
"Say what you're thinking, dear."
"Have you ever thought that magic is the root of all of our trouble?"
Cora furrowed her brow. "Does magic cause trouble? Invariably. There is always a price. I do not think it's the root of our problems though. I speak from experience when I say to you that magic is most dangerous when whoever is using it becomes unconcerned with consequences. If Rumplestiltskin had not tried to absorb the fairies' magic, the creature would not have come out of the hat."
"You were still in the Enchanted Forest when Grandpa first brought magic here. We didn't have as many problems before then."
"But everyone here was cursed," Cora countered. "Waking up to the wider world always makes you more aware of the problems that exist within it, but that doesn't mean you should stay asleep. Or cursed, in this case."
Their conversation was disrupted when an antique-looking car pulled up next to them. Henry and Cora turned their attention towards the two women who were getting out.
"So this is Storybrooke?" said the woman on the driver's side. She was tall with angular features, and her hair was white on one side and black on another. She wore expensive-looking jewelry and wore a short, fur coat. "I really don't see the appeal, darling."
"Let's not forget that you don't have a mansion to go back to, anymore." Cora recognized the second voice instantly. "It's better than aimlessly wandering the woods of Long Island."
"Ursula?" Cora jumped to her feet, eyes wide.
Ursula whirled around, frowning. "Cora. I had no idea you were still alive. I guess the Dark One meant it when he said that villains come here for second chances."
"You mean this is Cora?" the other woman asked. "That Cora?"
"I don't believe we've met," Cora stepped towards Ursula's companion. "I'm Cora Mills."
"Cruella de Vil, darling," Cruella said, offering a bony hand to shake. "And I must say, I'm a fan of your work."
"Cruella de Vil? You're real?" Henry asked.
Cruella scowled at the boy. "I am real, and you're rude. Cora, I'm surprised that you've taken to using street urchins as your slaves."
Cora drew herself up into a defensive posture. "Henry is my grandson."
Ursula laughed. "Henry? Ha! I hope she treats you better than she did the last Henry, boy."
"Why are you here, Ursula?" Cora asked coldly.
Ursula pursed her lips. "We helped your little girl get rid of the Chernabog, and in exchange, she allowed us in. We're both looking for a fresh start."
Cora raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "Well, then, you can start by getting yourselves rooms at Granny's. Her diner is right over there. She can assist you."
"I look forward to catching up, Cora," Ursula gave a sarcastic smile. "Let's go, Cruella."
The pair headed towards Granny's.
"How do you and Ursula know each other?" Henry asked.
"We knew each other a long time ago." Cora replied. "Let's go home."
THE ENCHANTED FOREST, MANY YEARS AGO
Cora's lower back ached from dragging her flour cart all day. She had just dropped off the order for King Xavier's palace, and she had one more stop to make: The Salty Salmon, an inn by the port, three miles from the castle.
She kept her eyes forward, ignoring the leers of the sailors, fishermen, and more unsavory sorts who frequented the port town.
"Late as usual," the innkeeper's wife snapped as Cora rolled up. "I would try being a bit more punctual if my livelihood depended on deliveries."
"Sorry," Cora said, hefting three, heavy sacks of flour by the door of the inn.
The innkeeper's wife clicked her tongue and gave Cora a small purse of ten silver coins.
"It's fifteen," Cora said, counting the coins.
"You were late, so it's ten." The woman went back inside.
Cora was too tired to argue. She led her now-empty cart across town to a derelict, unused dock and sat on one of the rickety boards at the end. One of the few pleasures she had in life was visiting the docks and staring out at the sea. The vast scope of it all made her problems seem small, though it did not do much to soothe her aching feet.
Cora heard a groaning noise and quickly wrote it off as being her stomach. This proved incorrect when the rotted board on which she sat snapped, plunging her into the bay. Cora panicked as the saltwater surrounded her. She did not know how to swim.
She tried flailing her already-exhausted limbs, but it was no good. Cora began to close her eyes, waiting for the sweet release of death. Before she could make her final piece, something strong and slimy wrapped itself around her waist, and she felt herself moving upwards through the water. When she surfaced, she began sputtering and coughing for air.
"You should really know better than to sit in such a dangerous place away from help," said a sarcastic voice. "You're lucky I'm in a helpful mood today."
"Ha!" Cora glumly interjected. "You'd be about the first one." She looked at her waist, and was surprised to see that a thick, green tentacle was holding her aloft. "Would you mind putting me down?"
Cora was gently placed on a sturdier part of the dock and turned to face her rescuer.
A beautiful woman (or something that resembled a woman) in a green gown was standing (or so it seemed) on the water. On her head was a tall miter that matched her dress.
"Thanks, I guess," Cora said.
"Is that any way to address the Ursula, Queen of the Sea?" the woman asked, placing her hands on her hips.
"Apologies, your majesty," Cora said, curtseying sarcastically.
"At least she knows how to curtsey," Ursula said aloud. "So did you fall in, or did you jump?"
"I fell," Cora stated, "But today would have been a good day to jump."
"Life has you down?"
"You try running a mill yourself, delivering all of the flour yourself, and having to deal with a lazy, drunken father."
Ursula chuckled. "I know a thing or two about terrible fathers. Take it from me: you have to take control of your own life, regardless of fathers. Make the mill your own. Get rid of him."
Cora rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to work in the mill my entire life. I plan to do much more than that."
Ursula gave a hearty laugh. "And she has spirit! What's your name, girl?"
"Cora."
"Well, Cora, you can come and complain to me any time. Catch!" She threw a sand dollar into the air, and Cora caught it. "Next time you're near the sea, tap on it three times, and I will come to you. We women who are running the show need to stick together, don't we?"
Cora smiled. She did not remember the last time she had done that. "I suppose we do, your majesty."
"Call me Ursula."
"Alright, Ursula."
Ursula reached a tentacle up to the dock and used it to pat Cora on the shoulder. "Keep your head up. Your day will come."
Regina Mills entered her house late that night and saw a dim light coming from the living room.
"Is that you, Regina?"
"Yes, mother!"
"Come in here."
Regina entered the living room to see her mother sitting in an armchair with her arms crossed.
"I met your new friends today."
"Oh, not you too," Regina rolled her eyes. "Mary Margaret and David weren't happy with me either. At least Emma agreed with me. If we were allowed to seek redemption, why shouldn't other villains be allowed to do so?"
"Of course they should be allowed to," Cora said. "I just wish you would have told me before Ursula came up to Henry and I on the street."
"You know Ursula?" Regina asked.
"It's a long story," Cora said quickly. "These are things that you need to talk to me about."
Regina scowled. "I'm sorry, Mother, but I wasn't aware that I needed your permission to make all of my mayoral decisions."
"Don't be ridiculous, dear," Cora said, her eyes glinting warningly in the lamplight. "I should have been told."
"It's been a long day. We can discuss this later." Regina stomped out of the room and up to bed.
Cora went to her own bedroom, crossing to her bedside table. She opened her jewelry box, gently moving aside many necklaces, earrings, and bracelets until she found a brittle, old sand dollar, which she removed. She held it up to eye level, full of remembrance.
She thought back on her many years of friendship with Ursula, right up to how it had ended. Ursula had been too polite at their reunion. She and Cruella were definitely up to something.
Cora closed her hand around the sand dollar. "What is your game, old friend?" she wondered.
Author's Note: Thank you for reading this latest chapter! If you enjoyed it, pleased follow, favorite, and review!