The next morning, Regina was dead on her feet after such a wonderful night, but she knew she had an important mission: take advantage of her current position in the castle to gather whatever information she could about what exactly her mother was up to. She realized that servant gossip was one place she could start- after all, she was by no means the only one who was practically invisible in the castle. She was sure that someone had picked up even a little scrap of information that would be useful to her. However, there was a certain danger in that plan as well. After all, gossip was just that: rumors that may or may not have a basis in fact. So she would use that method of gathering information if she had to, but she wanted to use her own sleuthing skills first.

To that end, she did her chores without complaint, hoping they would lead her somewhere that would provide her with valuable information. At last, she was asked to deliver a tray of food to the queen in the throne room. Regina, of course, knew that her mother usually preferred to eat all of her meals in the banquet hall (despite the fact that the room was much too large for a family of four- or perhaps because of it, she noted, thinking of how Cora and her father often didn't get along). For her mother to be dining in such an unusual place, she must be entertaining very important guests- and knowing even an inkling of what was going on, Regina had a sneaking suspicion she knew who it was.

Sure enough, she found Rumple and Cora sitting in the room with a few older men that Regina didn't recognize. Given that the men appeared to have come from a wide array of different kingdoms, Regina suspected that these men were leaders in the other countries who had somehow been ensnared in whatever scheme was brewing in their world. She walked as slowly as she could, knowing that the more time she took to deliver their meal, the more time she would be able to dedicate to gathering information.

That plan was almost immediately ruined, however, by her mother. "Why are you taking so long? Don't you know how to carry a tray of food by now?"

Regina sighed. "I'm just trying to make sure I don't spill anything, Your Majesty." It was a good excuse, one she had come up with on the way there, but she was almost sure she knew exactly what the queen would say as a reply…

Sure enough, the older woman retorted, "Well, then you simply need to practice more, don't you? I don't want some clumsy oaf dropping every plate of food that is delivered to me." She smirked. "Besides, you would think it would be more careful. After all, dropped food might mean much more work than you, if you were foolish enough to prepare only one serving for everyone.

"Yes ma'am," Regina parroted, gritting her teeth as she spoke the words. She knew it was the response she wanted, and if she lost this access to her, she would never figure out what was going on.

Apparently, she let too much of her irritation show, because Cora clicked her tongue. "Tsk tsk. I would have thought your mother would have taught you better than that. I'll have to have a word with her, and in the meantime, you simply will not serve me directly. You do realize that is an honor, do you not? Servants, like children, should be seen and not heard, after all."

Terrified that her easy access to her mother (and her best chance of spying on her and figuring out what exactly her plan was) might slip through her fingers, Regina quickly reassured her, "Yes, Your Majesty. I am so sorry, it will not happen again." It was perhaps dangerous to use such a formal way of apologizing given her true identity, but hopefully her mother overlooked it and lapped up the flattery it implied.

To her relief, she was right. Cora simply smirked and said, "That's a good girl. I shall not have words with Eva about you just yet." She turned to the men in the room. "Now, where were we?"

"We need to figure out when to strike," Hades began. "I think it's unwise to enact the entirety of our plan all at once. After all, it's much easier to keep track of what's happening with one group of forces rather than several all at once."

"That is true," Cora mused, her chin cupped in her hand. "At the same time though, if we send out our forces all at once, we will ensure that the different lands can't help each other, so there is an advantage to that plan as well."

Regina balked at the idea as she slowly placed the contents of the tray down and arranged them on the table in the middle of the monarchs. Attack the lands all at once? What could these people who clearly didn't care about their kingdoms hope to accomplish with that dastardly plot?

As if he had read her mind, Robin's father asked the exact same question that was on her mind. In response, Hades said, "Do you really want to risk a world where the people govern themselves? They're much better off if we rule over them."

"Yes, but why go through all this? They've known that this entire time."

"The people are restless," Cora explained gently, all if she was talking to a child. "We have to crush their spirit of rebellion now, before they do something they'll regret that would destroy the peaceful environment we've created."

The rest of the monarchs nodded along with her, and Robin's father, to Regina's dismay, seemed to agree with them. She knew she had to warn Robin and Jasmine, fast, especially when she heard Hades say, "We strike at midnight."

As soon as she left, Regina went straight to the room she, Mary and Emma shared. Digging out the shellphone Ariel had so kindly given her, she immediately called Robin. "We have an emergency."

"Hello to you too," he chuckled.

"Robin, this is serious."

"All right, sorry, milady," he apologized. "What's wrong?"

She paused before saying, "I can't discuss it now, there's too high of a chance someone will eavesdrop. We need to meet."

"Understood," he rapidly assured her. "Where and when?"

She paused for a moment, trying to figure out which location was safest. The problem was that anywhere she could think of- his palace, hers, Jasmine's, Granny's tavern- there would be a high chance of them being overheard by the wrong people, which was something they absolutely couldn't risk. "We need somewhere that we can guarantee we won't be overheard. Do you have any ideas?"

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment, then he suggested, "Meet me at Granny's tonight. I know a place we can go."

Trusting that he knew what was best, she ended the call. Hopefully, they would be able to rally their kingdoms in time.

That night, she met Robin at Granny's, but he wasn't alone. Jasmine was with him, her hands nervously clenched into fists in her pockets. "All right," she said once greetings had been exchanged. "Where are we going?"

Robin led them out of the tavern and through the woods, walking at a brisk pace, but not so quickly that the girls weren't able to keep up. At last, they stopped below a tree, and Regina turned to the only man in the group, one eyebrow raised. "Why are we stopping at this specific tree?" She trusted Robin, she knew there had to be a reason- but there was nothing remarkable about the tree that she could see.

"Look up," Robin instructed.

Regina followed his directions and she gasped. High above where they stood, a house was nestled in the branches of the tree. In fact, it would be almost invisible to the naked eye (especially in the dark) if she hadn't known to look for something. The house's walls were made of branches, leaves forming a roof that would keep them dry if it suddenly started to rain. "Wow," she whispered, awestruck. "What is this place?"

"A safehouse," he told her. "Anyone in Sherwood who needs one can simply come and find shelter, food, whatever they need at the time. It works just as well for a secure meeting location." He smiled. "There's books there as well. My mother wanted these to be places where people could make their lives better, if only for a little while. Fairies helped her create them, and their magic keeps it running, but as you may know-"

"All magic comes with a price," she finished, having learned that lesson better than she ever would have imagined over the last few days. "So what's the price of this magic?"

"It only works for each person for twenty-four hours at a time unless they are physically unable to leave," Robin explained. "There are enough of these scattered throughout the woods that someone could go from one to the other for a week, and then circle back to where they started."

"That's amazing," Regina breathed. "How did I not know about these before?"

He shrugged. "My father didn't want enemies of the kingdom- Underland, for example- to be able to access them, so they're the best-kept secret to outsiders, but anyone in our land would be able to use them." He smiled down at Regina, and she found herself lost in his gaze for a moment. "As far as I'm concerned, you both belong in Sherwood as well, so that's why I'm revealing the secret to you. Just don't tell anyone, all right?"

"Of course," Jasmine responded. For a moment, Regina had gotten so caught up in Robin and what he was saying that she had forgotten they weren't alone. "Just one question: How do we get up there?"

"Easy," Robin grinned, leading them around to the other side of the tree. He pressed a knot that Regina hadn't noticed before, and a ladder descended to the forest floor.

The three of them climbed up, and the second each of them crossed the threshold, a light lit the doorway. Regina would have asked what caused it, but she guessed it was the magic of the tree, keeping track of who had entered.

Sure enough, when she began to explore the house, she found that everything they could possibly want- blankets, pillows, food, books, somewhere to sit and relax- was ready and waiting for them. "This is incredible," she praised as she sank down onto a sofa with enough room for the other two to sit on either side of her, pulling a thin but warm purple blanket over her lap. "Every kingdom needs something like this."

"They do," Jasmine agreed as Robin served them each glasses of lemonade.

Once he sat down, they both turned to Regina. "Well? What happened?"

She launched into the conversation she heard that day. With each word she spoke, Robin and Jasmine's faces grew increasingly concerned. Once she had finished, Jasmine shook her head, her disbelief on full display. "His argument is ridiculous. There aren't any uprisings among the people now- not anywhere that isn't Agrabah, at least. Right?" she asked the other two. "You haven't heard anything, have you?"

They shook their heads. "People may not have any love for my father, but my mother makes sure that everything the people need comes to them," Robin said. "So I can't imagine they would want to get rid of him, not when it could mean possibly alienating her to their cause."

"I wouldn't think they would want to rebel against you either," Regina replied proudly. "I saw the way they reacted to you, Robin. Those weren't the actions of people who were just being nice because you're the prince. Your people genuinely love you." She frowned. "I wish the same could be said of me. But thanks to my mother…" she trailed off. This was one of those instances when she wished yet again that her mother had ever bothered to have her spend her time wisely with things that would actually benefit the kingdom. Some of her lessons would be useful, yes, but others, not so much. Rather than learning needlepoint or how to play the piano (despite how much she enjoyed playing instruments), she should have been spending her time among the people she would one day rule. "Well, you've heard rumors, I'm sure."

Robin nodded. "I have. But now I suspect that those rumors were talking about your sister and your mother, not you. When people don't know someone, they tedn to make generalizations and use stereotypes that aren't necessarily true- and I'm afraid that holds true for you as well."

Jasmine cleared her throat. "All of that may be true, but that's unimportant at the moment. What we need to figure out is: what do we do about the threat facing our countries?"

Regina glanced at her, then back at Robin. He had a starry look in his eyes, one she was sure was- or at least, had been- mirrored in her own eyes. Apparently, they had been completely oblivious to the world around them while they had been complimenting each other, lost in their blossoming feelings, and she felt bad about it. Her guilt faded away the instant she saw the twinkle in Jasmine's eye. Her new friend apparently loved seeing the two of them interact, which probably meant that to an extent, she and Robin could continue flirting- which, of course, was perfectly fine with her as long as they didn't go overboard.

She couldn't focus on that now though. Right now, they needed to figure out a solution to the potential catastrophes their countries were facing. "It's tricky. We can't just let them be completely unwarned and unprepared for it, but we also want them to not incite the very rebellion that Rumple is so inaccurately assuming is going to happen…"

"How about this?" Jasmine suggested. "We warn the leaders of towns and villages of what's going to happen and give them enough weapons to distribute to those who are unarmed and defenseless with the understanding that citizens are not to act unless they are acting in self- defense?"

Robin nodded. "That sounds like a good idea, one that we need to act on immediately."

"There's one problem though," Regina realized, turning to Jasmine. "Robin and I can get word to a fair number of the people in our kingdoms, but what about Agrabah? From what I understand, your people are far away, too far for you to be able to help them."

To her surprise, Jasmine grinned. "Let's just say I have a faster mode of transportation at my disposal thanks to the man I love."

Understanding the urgency of their mission, they spent the rest of the night enacting their plan. Regina was surprised when Jasmine's mode of transportation was a flying carpet that had been found in a place known as the Cave of Wonders. Regina had only heard of the place in legends, but apparently, there was some truth to them. She was dying to know how Jasmine had gotten it and the details of the adventures that no doubt accompanied its acquisition, but she knew all too well that they didn't have time for that.

After a quick kiss, Robin and Regina parted, each on the way to their own kingdoms. Regina was thankful for her current position as princess turned commoner at that moment, because she was able to successfully gain access to any area of the palace, but she also knew exactly where weapons were kept, which was something that wasn't revealed to people who didn't need to know the information. Personally, Regina thought that her mother was a bit paranoid for making that decision, but it worked in her favor at the moment, so she wasn't going to complain… yet. Besides, she couldn't say anything about it now and expect something to be done, but when she resumed her role as heir to the throne…

That brought her mind to the one thing she hadn't figured out yet. How should she use her other wishes? She was a little surprised the fairy hadn't checked in to see how the fulfillment of Regina's wish was going, to be honest, but it was also possible that Regina had to rub the lamp for Tinkerbell to be able to leave it. Was there a way for Regina to change that? She would probably have to use a wish… but if she did that, she couldn't fix the chaos in her kingdom. Ultimately, that's what she needed: for the people in her kingdom to be able to live prosperously. She also had an idea for a third wish… but she would need to worry about all of that another day. What was important now was that her people were safe from the threat coming their way.

To that end, she traveled as quickly as she could to the house that belonged to the mayor of the nearest small village they ruled over. After knocking on the door, she found Walsh on the other side. "What do you want?" he snapped. Clearly, he was upset about being disturbed at this time of night- and she honestly couldn't blame him, given that it was time for dinner. However, her years as future ruler of Misthaven had taught her that governing entities never slept, that the job was one that required one's attention at any hour of the day or night. It was a lesson she couldn't wait to teach him now.

"Your people are in danger," she told him. Remembering that she no longer would be a face he would recognize, she explained, "Governing a town is something you should be prepared to do no matter the time of day. I do apologize for disturbing you, but this is urgent."

"Not urgent enough to disrupt my time off, I'm sure," he snapped.

The next thing she knew, he had slammed the door in her face.

She was at a loss as to what to do. She had no paper or anything to write with, and she would hate if the weapons she bore fell into the wrong hands. She would have to leave just this one town defenseless and hope that someone had weapons, a thought that was devastating to her, but she had other cities and towns to visit, so she didn't have a choice.

Discouraged, she traveled through to the next city, Arendelle, thankful that although her mother had likely always wanted more subjects, their kingdom was small. Timidly, she knocked on Anna's door, all the while praying she wouldn't endure the same reception here.

The young mayor answered the door, her red hair in its customary braids. "Hi! Can I help you?"

Taking a minute to remember that Anna wouldn't remember her, Regina said, "I'm Reina. I work at the palace and I heard something today that's worrisome- urgent even- and I had to come warn you." She thought it was probably wise not to use her real name, even if Anna remembered it, just in case she remembered it later once Regina was the ruler of her own country again.

Anna must have seen something in her eyes that validated her words, because she stepped aside and gestured for her to enter. "Come in."

"I would, but I don't have time," Regina lamented. "Long story short, all of the monarchs in Agrabah, here and Sherwood are banding together and attacking their people because one of them has convinced the others that there is need for it, that the people are planning a revolt. I know the people won't be able to make an offensive move without making his words true, but the attack is still coming, so I thought it was best to bring these." She opened the bag and deposited the weapons. "Distribute them among your people and they'll at least be able to defend themselves against what's coming."

"This is… I can't imagine King Henry allowing this," Anna replied, shaking her head.

"It isn't him, it's Queen Cora," Regina rushed to assure her. She was proud to say that her father was a peaceful man, and she had the thought that she could prevent all of it just by talking to her father. However, he wouldn't know her like he once did. Would he believe her word against the testimony of his wife? "I saw her and the ruler of Sherwood, Rumplestiltskin. They were the ones convincing the others of their plan." She didn't want to incriminate the other kingdoms. While yes, they had agreed, her mother and Rumple were the instigators behind the plan.

"I should've known," Anna muttered. Grabbing some of the weapons from the sack Regina carried, she said, "I'll distribute these among my people, and tell my sister as well. Andalusia was your next stop, correct?"

Regina nodded gratefully. "Thank you so much."

"No, it's you I need to be thanking. We wouldn't have known about any of this if it wasn't for you. Do we know when the attack will come?"

"Tonight at midnight, maybe sooner," Regina guessed. "I heard them say it was better to strike sooner rather than later."

A few minutes later, she was on her way back to the castle. Hopefully, they had acted in time and would be able to save their kingdoms.