Hi... Anyone still out there?
I do apologize for the immensely long wait on this chapter-I know I promised that the update would take only days when I last uploaded a chapter, but there was one scene that gave me huge issues, and I could not get it written.
I had a horrible case of writer's block and I couldn't finish the chapter.
I hope you guys will forgive me for that, and I hope you will continue to read my little story :) I will tell you that it has been planned out until the very end (in fact, the final scene has already been written) and I can tell you it won't be too much longer. I am aiming for around fifteen chapters (but we all know I got shit aim when it comes to chapters... I thought ATAS was going to be six chapters and look how that turned out ;)), so we do have quite a way to go, but I know where it is going now :D
I don't know when I'll have the next chapter up, but I am going to promise it won't be another three-month-wait.
Thank you all for sticking with me! I love you guys!
Love, Annaelle
PS Thanks to DancingDoula and JustSmileBFF for beta'ing and putting up with my ridiculous antics when it comes to whining about plot bunnies and the benefits of a shirtless Killian Jones.
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PREVIOUSLY ON SANDS OF TIME:
IN THE PAST, WE SEE ROLAND AND LEIA DECIDING TO TAKE THEIR RELATIONSHIP FURTHER, AS HE ASKS HER TO BE HIS WIFE. LEIA SAYS YES, BUT IS PLAGUED BY GUILT FOR LEAVING HER BROTHER TO FEND FOR HIMSELF AS KING OF TWO UNSTABLE KINGDOMS. SHE CONFIDES IN ROLAND THAT SHE FEELS SHE SHOULD RETURN, THAT SHE WANTS TO RETURN, BUT THAT SHE ALSO DOES NOT WANT TO LOSE THE LIFE THEY SHARE.
ROLAND IS CONFLICTED AS WELL, BUT ASSURES LEIA THAT SHE HAS TIME TO MAKE A DECISION.
IN THE PRESENT:
WHILE LEIA FIGHTS FOR HER LIFE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE CURSE THAT THE ICE QUEEN HIT HER WITH, EMMA FIGURES OUT THAT LEIA IS HER AND KILLIAN'S DAUGHTER WHO HAS COME BACK FROM THE FUTURE TO SAVE THEM. SHE PANICS AND ACCUSES KILLIAN OF CONSPIRING WITH LEIA TO GET HER PREGNANT SO SHE WOULD STAY WITH HIM.
KILLIAN LOSES HIS PATIENCE WITH HER AND YELLS AT HER ABOUT WHAT SHE IS CONSTANTLY DOING TO HIM AND WHAT SHE SUBCONCIOUSLY WOULD PUT LEIA THROUGH AFTER HIS DEATH. AFTER HE AND EMMA RECONCILE, HE RETURNS TO LEIA'S BEDSIDE AND ACCIDENTLY WAKES HER WITH TRUE LOVE'S KISS.
THEY DECIDE NOT TO TELL ANYONE THAT LEIA IS CURED AT FIRST, DECIDING THAT IT WILL GIVE THEM AN ADVANTAGE WHEN THE ICE QUEEN AND GEORGE TRY TO CONFRONT THEM NEXT. LEIA AND EMMA SHARE A HEARTFELT BUT PAINFUL MOMENT BEFORE EMMA IS INFORMED THAT GEORGE, WHO HAD BEEN IN THEIR CAPTIVITY, SOMEHOW ESCAPED AND KIDNAPPED HENRY AND ROLAND.
AND NOW, ON WITH THE SHOW!
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Chapter Eight—Real Love—Part II
Don't need to be alone
No need to be alone
It's real love, it's real
Yes it's real love
It's real.
—Real Love, The Beatles
Charmings' Royal Court, the Enchanted Forest—20 years into the future
There are times Henry absolutely loathes being King.
There are times that he loathes being the man that two kingdoms look up to for guidance, because it is a responsibility he'd never truly felt prepared for, despite his grandfather's extensive training and lessons.
There are times he loathes being a King because it makes him unable to spend as much time with his family as he would like to—especially now that Rosanna is once again with child. Sometimes he wishes he would be a normal man; he wishes he would have no responsibilities other than being with his family, watching his son grow up, watching his wife's belly swell with their second child.
He wishes he would have been born to a normal, non-royal family, so his grandparents and his dad and his mom and his step-dad and his other mom (and second step-dad) would all still be alive.
So his sister would've grown up the way he didn't—so she would've known her father.
But he is not.
They're not.
He is King.
And he is responsible for the two kingdoms until the day Leia would be ready to take her place as Queen of the Charming Kingdom—since Graham is a year older, he had been offered to take the throne until Leia would turn twenty-one, but he'd turned it down, clearly stating he had no desire to actually be King.
Instead, Graham had chosen to take on a more diplomatic role, travelling across the realm as their Kingdom's ambassador—Henry secretly suspects that Graham enjoys the perks of being able to introduce himself as 'Prince Graham' to the ladies far more than he actually enjoys being Prince.
"Your Highness?"
Henry jumps a little when his knight's voice pulls him from his musings, shaking his head briefly to rid himself of these melancholic thoughts before he turns his attention to the man before him. "Yes, Sir Robert… What is it?"
There is a smile on the otherwise stoic knight's face, and it should have been a clue for him, but Henry is completely unprepared for the words the man speaks nonetheless. "Princess Leia has returned, Your Highness. She and Roland Hood are approaching the gates as we speak—it seems they have brought an army of their own as well."
Henry laughs, despite the slightly unsure tone in his knight's voice. "Of course she did," he chuckles, shaking his head as he moves to get up from his throne, "I better not keep her waiting. Please inform the kitchens that their Princess has returned and that I would like them to prepare her favourite meal."
Sir Robert nods respectfully and bows before leaving the throne room—Henry smiles and follows him quickly, nearly running outside in his hurry to get to the courtyard to see Leia and her men ride through the palace gates. (And they're all her men, he doesn't even need to know them or look at them to be certain, it's just the kind of influence she has on people).
It has been too long, he decides when he lays eyes upon his sister for the first time in over a year, offering his wife only a passing smile as she and his now four-year-old boy join him on the steps. Despite having been in written contact with her since the moment she and Roland had left the palace, it feels as though it has been centuries, and he has missed her, and he is in awe of the happiness in her eyes.
Happiness like he hasn't seen in a long time, even before their mother—he breaks that thought off and shakes his head, moving forward eagerly to hug her before she's even dismounted her horse.
"I've missed you," he whispers, smiling a little as she hugs him back, "I've missed you so much, Lee."
"I have missed you too," she replies quietly, a sad smile curling her lips as they pull back from the hug, and he doesn't miss the reassuring glance Roland gives her when he steps up beside her, "However, I didn't return just because… Because I missed you."
Henry frowns when Bae realizes his aunt is back and comes running towards them, screaming for attention until Leia has lifted him into her arms for a tight hug and he is left standing with Roland, who looks oddly like he's stuck between adoration and longing and petrifying fear at the sight of Leia with the toddler in her arms.
Henry chuckles and pats the younger man on the shoulder. "Yeah… That won't get any less scary," he smirks at Roland, who looks rather perturbed and confused, "Trust me. I've another one on the way and I'm just as terrified as I was the first time."
Roland gapes at him and before either man can say more, Leia returns to them, Bae happily curled up in her arms, his little arms wrapped around her neck and his head resting in the crook of his neck. Henry smiles and rubs his son's back happily before turning to his sister again.
"Why did you come back?" He asks slowly, "If not because you missed us?"
"I did miss you," she hastens to assure him—as though he'd ever doubted that—rocking his son a little in her arms before she whispers, "I came back because I need help. I have a plan… But I can't do it alone—and I need to know," she looks down, and she looks nervous—he hasn't seen her look this nervous since that one time when she'd broken one of the vases in the Hall Of Kings and she'd been afraid Emma would yell at her, "—I need to know if you approve."
He frowns in confusion when Roland shuffles and looks down uncomfortably. "What plan?" He questions slowly, eyeing his sister speculatively, "Should I be worried?"
Leia bites her lip and reaches up to scratch her ear—it feels oddly like he's watching Killian for a moment and it makes his heart squeeze painfully—before she squares her shoulders and looks him straight in the eye (just like their mother, damn it).
"I know how to save our family—I know how to go back and give them the Happy Ending they all should've gotten."
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Sheriff's Station, Storybrooke, Maine—Present time
His hand is shaking.
He is not quite keen on this waiting game, but it is all that he and the Charmings are able to do—they had been rather unsuccessful at containing Emma, Regina and Leia for longer than ten minutes. All the women had been focused on was getting Henry and Roland from the Snow Queen's clutches without delay.
It seemed that he and the Charmings caused what Emma and Regina considered delay.
Perhaps they were not wrong—after all, what good can a one-handed pirate and a royal couple with no magical powers whatsoever be in a fight against a magical Snow Queen who is, apparently, destined to kill many of them?
Young Queen Elsa seems to be somewhat sympathetic to their plight and has even abandoned her own quest to find her sister momentarily to help them track down his girls—he is far too nervous about Emma and Leia going up against the Snow Queen without him there.
They are his women, and his (hopefully) soon-to-be stepson and he should be out there, damn it.
"Have you found them yet, Elsa?" Lady Snow's all-too-eager voice snaps him from his thoughts and his attention is once again drawn towards the three royals, who stand bent over a map of the town, Elsa attempting to scry for an unusual source of magic, he supposes.
"No," Elsa shakes her head, her mouth set in a firm line, a frown creasing her forehead as she glares at the paper before her, "Anna has only taught me rudimentary spells so far—this spell, though not complicated, is not one I have had a chance to practice before. I cannot guarantee its success."
The young Queen looks frustrated by her own limitations, and Killian wishes he could find his voice to tell them exactly where they will be—but he cannot.
Leia must have known—she always knows, it seems—that he would follow them, put their lives before his own if it came down to it, and she was adamant to prevent such events from happening.
Bloody stubborn girl spelled him—he's unable to show someone, say, point to or do anything that would give away their location. He's also forbidden from following them himself, and he would be quite cross with Emma and Leia if he did not feel incredibly loved by their actions.
He knows—Leia is a good liar, but not that good—that the fight that will soon break out between them and the Snow Queen is the fight that cost him his life in Leia's reality. He realizes that, by binding him to the seat and sheriff's station, they are attempting to keep him alive and safe, but Gods, it is frustrating.
The shackles that keep him bound to his seat are no painful, invisible iron bands of torture. Instead, it feels as though he is wrapped in the softest, warmest of hugs…
And it is a kind of torture of its own.
He is not one for sitting still and allowing others to fight his battles—he supposes one could argue that it is not truly his battle to fight, but logic has never been his strong suit, and every part of him is fighting the spell his daughter placed upon him to keep him safe. All he wants is a chance to fight and protect his family.
He has gone far too long without one, and now that he has once again found one, he desires to fight for them with everything he has.
"Killian?"
He looks up when Snow approaches him with a cautious smile on her lips. "Can you move yet?"
He sighs heavily and shifts in his seat, tilting his head back to offer Emma's mother a terse smile. "I can move just fine, milady," he grumbles, "I simply cannot leave the Sheriff's Station until Emma and L—Anna have deemed it less precarious for me to leave this supposed safe haven, nor can I indulge your questions about their whereabouts." He realizes that heavy sarcasm is dripping from each word he speaks, and it is truly bad form to speak in such manner to a lady such as Queen Snow, but he cannot bring himself to care.
Fortunately, it seems she is far too preoccupied worrying for Emma's wellbeing—she barely even acknowledges his words before pacing back towards her princely husband and Elsa, peppering them with questions they cannot answer instead.
He feels unsteady and afraid and can barely breathe—but he knows that Emma and Leia are fine so far. Leia had done him one kindness, when she spelled him, and linked his mind to theirs, so he could at least follow what was happening.
He knows his daughter likely realized he'd drive himself mad with worry if they left without a way for him to know they were safe.
It is the oddest sensation, to see into their minds as they stalk through the forest, tracking down the duo of villains that was foolish enough to abduct the children of Storybrooke's biggest, most stubborn heroes—the ones that do not know how to quit.
He leans his head back against the wall and closes his eyes, shutting out The Charmings' and Elsa's bickering as he focuses his attention on the feelings Emma is subconsciously sending him.
He knows his love and his daughter are safe so far.
That is what he chooses to focus on.
It's the only thing he has right now.
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Abandoned Manor on the outskirts of western woods, Storybrooke, Maine—present time
The manor before them stands tall and stately, and at another time, Emma might have taken the time to appreciate its beautiful decay—there's no rhyme or logic to it, she just enjoys watching old, abandoned houses being taken over by nature—, but worry for her son, for her beautiful, strong boy, is prevailing in her mind and all she sees is red.
How dare that Icy Bitch put her filthy paws on her son?
Emma is well aware that both her parents and Killian are going to tan their hides when they return—they never did enjoy being kept away from a fight for their family—but she still believes that she, Leia and Regina can take on the Queen and George on alone, without the added distractions of their loved ones being there.
She can feel her magic humming beneath her skin, her fingertips tingling with the delirious desire to unleash hell upon the couple that had the nerve to try to break up their family.
She can sense Leia and Regina's magic humming too, much like her own, and it only adds to the almost maddening desire to use her power so she would be invincible, so no one would ever be able to threaten them and make it stick ever again.
She realizes that she can't—the darker side of her magic feels too tempting as it is—but she wishes that she could.
"Perhaps we should have asked Elsa to come as well," Leia breathes quietly, snapping Emma from her magic-induced delirium, "she has a more intimate knowledge of ice and snow magic than we do—I have only seen this kind of magic and read about it, but I am unable to actually cast it."
Emma nearly growled in derision before she realized that Leia did indeed have a point.
None of them know much about the kind of magic the Ice Queen wields, and Elsa would have made a good ally had they been patient enough to take the time to convince the young Queen to join them.
They hadn't been patient though, and had barely taken the time to pick up Regina before Leia had used a particularly complicated spell that tracked Henry to the farm house—Regina had vaguely explained that it had something to do with blood magic and that they were lucky to have a sorceress as powerful as Leia in the family.
The former Evil Queen had let Leia and Emma stutter and stammer in half-hearted denial for a full minute before revealing she had already figured out who Leia was before Killian even knew.
Emma is still a little upset that the Evil Queen had realized Leia is—was—would be?—her daughter before she knew, but Leia had managed to calm her down and remind her that there would be time to ponder and brood later, after they had dealt with the Ice Queen and George and had Roland and Henry back.
And now, here they are, standing before the old, dilapidated manor in which George and the Ice Queen seem to have been hiding all along.
Emma can feel the cold radiating from the building and she knows Henry and little Roland are in there,
"How do we do this?" She whispers at the other two women—she's slightly unnerved by the positively feral look in Regina's eyes, but then she recalls her own feelings earlier, and she realizes that Regina is quite possibly having a harder time suppressing her dark magic than she and Leia are—while eyeing the manor, looking for less obvious points of entry.
She doesn't want the Queen and George to expect them.
"I prefer dramatic entrances," Regina drawls sarcastically, "it usually stuns everyone for a moment, and a moment is all we need to get the upper hand."
Emma opens her mouth to protest, but Leia cuts in before she can, a thoughtful frown rippling across her daughter's forehead. "I think I shouldn't go in when you two do," Leia says slowly, holding up her hands in surrender when Regina turns to glare at her, "they don't know I'm alive. For all they know, I am still under the Curse and you have lost your biggest ally—I have no doubt that's why they tried to take me out. They don't know me, and they have no idea what I am capable of."
Emma has to admit Leia has a good point—it had been their original plan anyway, before George had kidnapped Henry and Roland.
"That's actually not a bad idea," Regina nods approvingly, "If we allow them to believe Emma and I are alone at first, Anna can sneak in and get the boys out before joining us to take care of those two pathetic villains."
The three women exchange a few glances before nodding.
"It's Leia, by the way," Leia remarks, smiling when Regina frowns confusedly, "my name. It's Leia."
Regina accepts the statement with a small nod before grabbing Emma's hand. "Ready, Swan?"
Emma nods shakily, exchanging a swift smile with her daughter before turning back to Regina, her heart pounding in her ears as she replies, "Let's go get our son back." And with a swirl of purple smoke, they are suddenly standing in the manor, in the middle of what was once an ornate and beautifully decorated room, directly in front of a wide-eyed George and a somewhat amused-looking Ice Queen.
Emma barely manages to silence the cry of relief that desperately wants to fall from her lips as she spots Henry and Roland huddled together in a corner, their wrists bound with icy manacles. "Mom," Henry exclaims, his eyes sparkling happily—only her son could look so damn happy and delighted while still being in danger from a pair of psychotic royals.
"I should have known," George sighs, shaking his head pompously, "you hero types are so predictable—though I expected more of you. It seems all the power has gone to your head and you forget that we have the advantage here."
"Now, now," the Ice Queen speaks quietly, and Emma shivers, "Let's not be too harsh. I am certain the Savior and the Evil Queen have a plan, don't you, ladies?" Her voice is soft and high, but it carries an icy cold undertone that makes the hairs on the back of Emma's neck stand on end—eyeing the Ice Queen nervously; she knows Leia had assured her that they could defeat her, but seeing her, feeling the immense amount of power in the air, makes her horribly nervous and unsure and she can't remember how powerful she felt before.
"I don't need a plan," Regina sneers angrily, "I just need to set your icy ass on fire and get my boys out of here."
Instead of cringing, like Emma had done many a time when Regina threatened her, the Ice Queen laughs, a high-pitched, terrifying laugh that makes Emma feel even more nauseous than she already is, and giggles, "Oh dear. You are not capable of defeating me—much less of setting 'my icy ass', as you so charmingly put it, on fire."
"That's okay." The Ice Queen and George whirl around to stare at Leia, who's seemingly appeared out of nowhere, in disbelief. Leia smirks—and Emma swears she sees Killian's cheeky grin in her expression—and eyes the Ice Queen cockily. "That's why I'm here. I'll have no trouble lighting your ass on fire."
Emma is a little startled when she sees a flash of fear in the Ice Queen's eyes before she stiffens and sends a bolt of icy magic towards both her and Leia, and all hell breaks loose.
Leia throws up a shield around both of them faster than Emma can blink and then a blinding flash of light erupts from Leia's hands, tossing the Ice Queen across the room, where she slumps against the wall for a moment, her eyes wild and afraid—Emma's heart is pounding and she's staring at her daughter (because holy shit, she knows Leia is powerful, but she keeps forgetting just how powerful).
There's a split-second of tense silence…
And then a terrified cry breaks upon her ear—unlocking a sense of fear in her she did not even know existed. She spins around immediately, her eyes locking on a sight that terrifies and enrages her far more than anything ever has before.
Henry is no longer in huddled in the corner with Roland, but in the middle of the room, his brown eyes wide and terrified—George has grabbed him by his hair (her vision tints red and she wants to rush across the room and rip the man to pieces for daring to touch her boy) and has a knife pressed to his throat, pressing hard into the sensitive skin of Henry's neck.
"Henry!"
She's startled when she realizes she is not alone—Regina and Leia have joined her and she can feel their magic vibrate in the air, their rage towards the delusional king all channelled into their magic.
"Let him go, George," Leia hisses angrily—but Emma barely hears her.
Her eyes are locked on Henry's, and she cringes at the pure and undiluted fear in his beautiful brown eyes (so much like Neal's that it hurts sometimes)—and then she no longer feels any sort of conscious thought as her magic bursts forward from her palms, ripping George from her son's body, throwing him back against the wall with a resounding thud as the knife clatters to the floor.
She wants to run forward and close Henry in her arms, protect him from all the evil in the world, but is forced to redirect her attention from her son to George, who has slowly gotten back to his feet, his face twisted into an angry sneer, a thin line of blood running down his forehead.
"You are filth," he raves, waving his arms in the air angrily, "The throne should be mine, it always should have been mine!" Emma and Regina are both caught off-guard when he rushes forward, the knife no longer abandoned on the floor but clenched in his fist, pointing directly at Henry.
And then there's too much happening at the same time and Emma barely has the time to blink before George is once again laying crumpled on the dust-covered floor, the knife abandoned next to him, blood streaming from his nose and ears as he clutches at his head.
Emma stares at him, horrified by how fascinated she is—she doesn't need to look to know that Leia is doing this, and much as she wants to stop her daughter, she can't, because he tried to hurt Henry.
He tried to take her family from her, and had Leia not come back, he would have succeeded.
She watches, feeling oddly detached, as Leia steps into her line of sight, her eyes startlingly green and her hands aglow with deep dark red magic.
"Goodbye, George," Leia spits as George twitches one last time before his body goes limp and his eyes roll back in his head.
He's gone.
Just like that.
The situation does nothing but baffle Emma—but a loud, wailing sob distracts her from her thoughts, and she turns just in time to find the Ice Queen back on her feet, her eyes wild and feral as she clutches little Roland in her arms.
" 'Gina," Roland cries, tugging on the Ice Queen's arm as he cries, his eyes wide and pleading, "Help!"
"Roland!" Regina and Leia cry at the same time, Regina rushing forward from where she had been kneeling next to Henry, and Leia wobbling unsteadily, but raising her hands to use her magic on the Ice Queen once more.
"Get your icy paws off of him, you bitch," Regina hisses, hesitating only when her hands and feet are suddenly encased in ice, locking her to the floor.
"Ah, ah, ah," the Ice Queen singsongs, and Emma feels nauseous when she realizes she, too, is frozen in place—Leia looks in no shape to fight back, pale and wobbling on her feet even as they freeze to the floor—, "I'll have to punish you for this," the Ice Queen sneers, "Keep that boy. I'll have my fun with this one."
And then, before any of them can do so much as blink, she disappears, Roland in her arms, in a flurry of ice and snow.
The door flies open the moment she disappears and Killian followed by her parents and Elsa storm in, all of them armed to the teeth, their eyes searching the room frantically until they land on her and Henry, and then she's suddenly enveloped in her parents arms, and Killian is helping Leia to her feet as Regina hugs the life out of Henry.
"Oh God," Snow chokes a moment later, drawing everyone's attention to her as she examines George's body, "What happened?"
"He tried to kill Henry," Emma replies before Leia can even open her mouth—she's looking pale and nauseous and it makes her heart hurt to see the pain and fear in her daughters eyes—, barely glancing towards the others, "We did what we had to."
Snow looks aghast and exclaims, "Murder is never the right thing to do, Emma! You'll only darken your heart and become evil!"
"Leia!" Killian cries out desperately, and Emma whirls around just in time to catch a glimpse of her daughter's disgusted and distressed expression before she disappears in a cloud of white smoke, leaving them all staring at the space she had occupied.
"That was uncalled for," Killian nearly growls at Snow, "She protected us—you do not get to throw that back in her face."
Before Snow can reply, Henry jumps in and says, "She saved my life. George was going to kill everyone—he talked about it the whole time. He was obsessed." Emma hates the look in his eye—the look of a child forced to grow up too fast—and wraps her arms around him, as though she can shield him from everything bad in the world as long as she holds him.
Slowly, she looks up at Killian and says, "You should go find her. Make sure she's okay."
She wants to go herself, wants to wrap Leia in her arms like she's holding Henry and make sure that she's okay, but she can't, she can't bear the idea of letting Henry out of her sight.
Not yet.
And she'll be needed to start the search for Roland.
"Actually," Killian replies quietly, moving to stand beside her, his hand resting on her lower back, "I believe she might need her mother more than her father. You should go, love. Elsa and Regina will keep searching for young Roland and I will keep your boy safe until you return. I swear, no harm will come to him."
"Wait," Henry interrupts, looking between them, "She's my sister? Really?"
Emma and Killian exchange a panicked glance before Henry jumps up and down excitedly and exclaims, "That is so cool! Yeah, mom, it's totally okay, go find her and bring her back. I have so many questions!"
Emma chuckles a little, despite the direness of the situation—only Henry would get this excited about having a sibling from the future—and concedes. "Okay," she sighs, smiling a little when Regina gives her an encouraging nod, "I'll go find her."
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The Beach, Storybrooke, Maine—Present Time
It is not terribly surprising that she finds Leia near the ocean—she is her father's daughter, after all, and it seems the sea is in her blood as much as it is in Killian's—but Emma is surprised to find Leia in the little alcove just off the shores of Storybrooke Bay. It is a beautiful place, well-hidden and known by few, and it surprises Emma that her daughter had found it after only a few days in Storybrooke.
Leia is curled up on a small bench—that she has conjured herself, undoubtedly—at the entrance of the alcove, arms wrapped around herself as she stares ahead, her eyes glued to the rolling waves that are crashing onto the beach at regular intervals.
Emma's heart feels heavy and burdened at the sight of her daughter—her brave, strong daughter—hunched over, curled in upon herself, as though she carries the weight of the world upon her shoulders. It is something she would never want for her child, and to know that her daughter—the tiny little bean that has barely started growing in her belly at this point—could suffer so much in the future because of Emma's failure is nearly enough to shatter her confidence in such a way she might as well give herself up to the Snow Queen now.
But it's not.
As much as Emma would like to surrender sometimes, when she sees her family hurt, when she sees how the constant struggle exhausts them all, it also makes her want to fight.
They have deserved a Happy Ending—they have all fought and suffered for a simple chance at having it—and Emma is going to fight to her last breath to make sure they all get to have it—including Killian and her (and by extent, Leia and her still unknown husband).
At last, she shakes off her despondent thoughts and moves towards the bench, taking care to make enough noise so Leia will know someone is approaching her.
"I should have known," Leia states in a soft, brittle voice, "one of you was bound to find me."
Emma offers no more than a humourless smile as she settles onto the bench next to Leia, softly replying, "You should have—it's what we do. We find each other."
Leia doesn't really acknowledge Emma's words, continuing to gaze at the waves. In fact, she does not even look at Emma—but when Emma's seated, she does draw closer and leans her head against Emma's shoulder, a clear non-verbal plea for comfort.
One that Emma could never deny her.
She slides her arms around Leia and redirects her own gaze to the greyish-blue waves, allowing herself to enjoy the peaceful silence that surrounds them—she's had too few moments like these in the past couple of weeks, and despite the direness of their plight (the Snow Queen is still out there, and she still has Roland, and God knows what she's doing to him) she appreciates that she gets to share this moment with Leia.
She does wish it could have happened under better circumstances, though.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She inquires softly, rubbing one hand over Leia's back in a—hopefully—soothing gesture. It is, after all, the real reason she came after Leia once she had assured herself that Henry was unharmed other than the small, shallow cut on his throat.
She doesn't blame Leia in any way for what had happened—none of them do, not really. Her parents may be a little shocked and unhappy about the act of murder itself, but they don't blame Leia—at least, they better not. They all knew the moment George held a knife to Henry's throat and spilled blood that the man would lose his life.
The question had only been who would get to him first—Leia had been fastest, and before anyone could question or stop her, George had bled out on the dust-covered floor while Leia's magic lingered heavily in the air.
Leia doesn't answer, only shrugs, but Emma can sense the presence of Leia's magic—that had never really abated—grow stronger, and she's willing to bet anything that if she looks, Leia's eyes will be glowing emerald. "Was it the first time?" Emma mutters quietly, recalling Killian's earlier suspicion, "that you took a life?"
It's not that Emma cares so much about the act itself—she likes to think she knows her daughter well enough to know that if she had, in fact, killed before, it would have been for a very good reason. No, Emma is more concerned to know that Leia will be able to handle the inevitable guilt that comes with taking a life, whether in self-defence or defence of a loved one, or not.
"No," Leia replies dejectedly, before snorting humourlessly, "It's not even the first time I killed him—with my luck, probably not the last either."
The cavalier, matter-of-fact tone with which she says it breaks Emma's heart, because it is too similar to what she herself had sounded like ('Everyone leaves') before she had Storybrooke and magic and villains and heroes, before Henry, before her parents, before Killian.
Before she realized that not everyone was going to leave.
The feeling in her chest is arduous, like an open wound that has not yet healed and she can't hold back the pained whimper that falls from her lips. "Oh, Leia," she breathes when Leia breaks into sobs, curling into her, clinging to Emma for comfort.
Not for the first time today, Emma finds herself cursing King George to the deepest depths of hell, wishing the man nothing but pain in his afterlife for causing Leia this kind of pain.
If the man were not already dead, she'd set out to kill him as soon as she's done comforting Leia—or she'd let Killian have fun with him (she's pretty sure Killian would skin the man alive for hurting their daughter and Henry and even adorable little Roland).
"What happened?" She asks in a soft, hushed whisper, "When you killed him? The first time." She winces a little at her own insensitivity, but Leia just sniffles and snuggles a little deeper into her arms before whispering, "I lost control. George surprised us—he had people on the inside, and we didn't see him coming. Grandpa was gone before I even realized it had happened…"
She breaks off and Emma chokes back her own tears—dear God, how, how did this happen to Leia—to their family?
What had they ever done to deserve a fate that harsh and painful?
"Oh, Leia," Emma murmurs softly, wrapping her arms around Leia a little tighter—she doesn't say anything else. She knows there's nothing she can say that will make the pain go away, that there's not a damn thing she can do to comfort her daughter other than hold her and let her cry.
"He stabbed you," Leia sobs, "I tried to heal you, but the blade was rubbed in poison and you—I tried but I—I just lost it." She dissolves into tears again, and Emma feels nauseous as she imagines how Leia must have felt. She doesn't want to imagine—she remembers all too well how destroyed she had felt when she had thought Snow had died back in the Enchanted Forest.
She doesn't want to think about dying either.
"It's going to be okay, you know?" Emma says softly, rubbing her hand over Leia's back, "We'll get him back—she's alone now. She doesn't have any other allies in Storybrooke; we'll find her and get Roland back. And we're all going to be fine."
God, she needs to believe in those words as much as Leia does.
She needs to believe that they'll find Roland and get them back before that icy bitch can lay so much as a finger on him.
She needs to get him back, because she's not sure who he is to Leia in the future, but based on the way Leia had reacted when the Snow Queen managed to take Roland in the chaos that had ensued after George had been killed, he's important to her, and that means he's important to her and Killian too.
And he's an adorable little boy and Robin does not deserve to lose his son.
No one deserves that, and Emma's going to make sure it doesn't happen.
...
Leia closes her eyes, unable to stop the silent tears from sliding down her cheeks, but having Emma, having her mother there for her, holding her, comforting her as she had wished for the first time she killed George—it is too odd to think about killing the same man twice, and when she tries, it gives her the most horrible headache—is helping, more than she had ever imagined it would.
She knows Emma understands.
She knows that Emma knows what it feels like to be tempted to the darker side of your magic, even if she's never given into it—their magic may be born from light and purity and love, but there cannot be light without some darkness.
And even the purest love contains a measureable amount of darkness in it.
It is simply human nature.
She opens her mouth to ask Emma if they should be heading back, to start the search, to find her future True Love—he's as adorable as a child as he is as her husband—when white hot pain sears through her veins and she cries out, doubling over in pain. "Shit!" She curses, stumbling, grabbing hold of the bench, the dark wood crumbling underneath the pressure of her magic, seeping from her fingertips without her consent.
"Leia!"
She can feel Emma's hands on her shoulders, but she can't breathe, she can't get her body to respond and it hurts. Slowly, the waves of pain subsides, and she can breathe once again, though her thoughts are murky, tangled and confused.
Something deep inside her chest is throbbing painfully, and with every beat of her heart, another jolt of pain seems to burn its way through her veins, and she can't breathe. She looks up at Emma, who is staring at her, her eyes filled with thinly veiled panic, and chokes, "Something's wrong."