Emma followed quickly behind Regina as she opened the heavy door to the dungeon with jail cells. There was no light whatsoever. Regina turned her palm up and created a fireball floating above it, lightening the space.
"Uhm… how do we open the cells? We have no key- and there are no keyholes." Emma turned to Regina after inspecting the cells.
Regina tilted her head and a smirk tugged at the corner of her lips as she waited for Emma to realize.
"Yeah, magic, right." Emma nodded and held up her hands, focusing on her magic with closed eyes. Nothing. "I can't do anything?"
Behind the bars of the cells closest to them, there appeared a face of a young man.
"There's no magic in here… It only worked here when Morgana had the necklace…" he explained with exhaustion colouring his voice.
Regina used her free hand and with a flick of her wrist, all of the cells opened. Except for one.
"You can go." Regina called out and at that, all the fathers, sons, uncles, and grandfathers carefully walked out of their cells. Before they even passed Emma and Regina at the entrance, Emma stretched her arm out and stopped the men mid-tracks.
"Wait. You won't even ask who saved you?" she asked incredulously and the men ticked with their gazes to her, to Regina and some to the ground. Emma put her hand gently on Regina's shoulder.
Regina turned to her and her eyes were full of emotions Emma couldn't quite decipher.
Emma turned back to the men. "Regina. Just so you have a new turn to the story about 'The Evil Queen'."
All the men looked at Regina, indeed recognizing the features of the feared queen.
"She is good now?" an older man asked uncertainly.
"She's a hero now, yes." Emma said proudly and Regina's gaze dropped to the ground.
"T-thank you." A boy, about Henry's age, said and Regina looked up at him and smiled.
"You're welcome."
After that, more thank yous resonated in a low murmur through the dungeon. Regina nodded with a smile and only then Emma let her arms fall back along her body, so the men could leave. And they did. When the room became abandoned, Emma and Regina walked to the locked cell. Two eyes sparkled dangerously behind the bars.
"Zelena." Regina addressed the prisoner.
"What do you want?" British accent drawled over Zelena's lips.
"Morgana cursed you and erased your memory to make you her puppet. We want to take you where you belong." Regina explained in her business-like voice. Emma just stood by, watching the scene and waiting for Zelena's reaction.
"That's not true, we cooperated to-" Zelena started protesting fiercely.
"Is that why you are imprisoned?" Regina jumped in with a smirk. She knew she had just won. "We will take you home and make you remember. And give you a second chance, if you cooperate with us."
"And how can I trust you?" Zelena spat back at Regina, eyes shining with fury.
"It's either that or you rotting here forever. Morgana's dead." Regina spoke in low, calm voice, which was unsettling Zelena quicker than a regular threat.
"Alright." Zelena nodded and Regina opened the cell with her magic. Zelena walked out, keeping her head high, not showing any signs of defeat.
"Good. Shall we?" Regina motioned to the door and Emma nodded. As they were walking, Emma picked up the pace and joined Regina's side, leaning close to the brunette.
"Regina? Where are we going?" she whispered so Zelena wouldn't hear her.
"Just outside the castle to create a portal." Regina answered and briefly looked over her shoulder to check if Zelena was still there.
"And what will happen with her when we get back? Are we gonna lock her down again? Does she even know she's pre-"
"I don't know yet…" Regina admitted with a slight shrug. "We shall see."
Zelena was following them silently, cringing when she saw the lifeless body of Morgana. Emma caught that gaze and slowed down to walk next to Zelena.
"Sorry about that… but you really wouldn't work with her if you had your memory, you know?" Emma tried apologizing, but Zelena didn't even look at her, let alone spoke to her. Emma sighed exasperatedly and joined Regina's side again.
They walked out of the castle in silence, following Regina until she stopped under the stairs to the entrance gate. Regina reached into her cleavage for the pouch and fished out a silver magic bean. She turned around to Emma and Zelena.
"Shall we?" she asked and both of them simultaneously nodded.
Regina dropped the bean into the dust and took a step back, between Emma and Zelena. She looped her arm through Zelena's, to make sure she would go with them and not stay behind. She intertwined fingers with Emma's just to feel safe. And they jumped in.
Landing was hard.
Regina's mind was focused on the centre of the town, but the image must have collided with any of the two remaining ones, because they didn't land there.
Instead, Regina felt dirt and pine needles under her palms as she pushed herself up. She looked at Emma who let go of her hand because of the thud, and wordlessly checked if she's okay. Emma gave away a little smile and nod and Regina nodded back.
"Zelena, you alright?" Emma asked as she rose to her feet and was pulling Regina up.
"Of course." The red head said curtly. She tried to push herself up, but her legs buckled and she ended up on the ground again.
"What's the matter?" Regina came closer and kneeled next to her sister, noticing a swollen ankle. "You're hurt-"
"Oh really? I wouldn't have known without your genius information." Zelena snapped at her.
"Calm it down Zelena." Emma warned her quickly before Regina could say a word. "Before we figure out how to help her, Regina, where are we?"
All of them took time to look around.
Zelena's eyes glimmered with mischief, her lips spreading into a smirk.
"I know the way out," Regina stated neutrally and met Emma's surprised gaze.
"You do? We are in the middle of a deep forest, Regina? Everywhere are the same trees, how do you know where we are?!"
"What do you think I did all those years before Henry?" Regina's lips spread into a smirk that faded into a sad smile. "I know all the woods-"
Crack of a branch.
All three of the turned to the source of the noise. Regina prepared a fireball, not knowing what the situation was like after disappearing of the two people who held Storybrooke together.
A person stepped out from behind a tree, holding their hands up, eyes lacking any signs of threat.
"Marian?" Regina let the fireball vanish.
The brunette nodded and her arms fell along her body. "So you saved her."
Regina met Emma's eyes and they shared a heart-warming smile. "I guess I did."
Marian smiled politely, before quickly looking around with her eyes. "I wouldn't expect you here though."
"What are you doing here in the woods?" Emma asked with furrowed brow.
"Living. I'm used to that." Marian shrugged and adjusted her quiver over her shoulder.
"Yeah, but not alone?" Emma pressed.
Marian looked into her eyes, then looked at Regina and after that locked her gaze with Emma's again. "I have my reasons."
"I'm sorry, Marian," Regina stepped in, but Marian held her hand up to stop her.
"You were not cheating on your wife." She said resolutely and the topic was obviously over. She looked over Emma's shoulder at the person crouched on the ground behind. Her eyebrow briefly shot up.
"What is it?" Emma asked, looked at Zelena and then Marian.
"Well… The town wants her head on spike." Marian said simply and it drew surprise on both Emma's and Regina's faces.
"May I ask why?" Regina was the first to gather her thoughts.
"After you two disappeared, she paid a visit to Storybrooke – twice – and destroyed a lot… and one of the nuns paid with her life when she got in her way." Marian explained while eyeing Zelena. "But I have seen her before, and I know she was a villain, but this wasn't her. There was something different in her eyes and her posture-"
"Morgana wiped her memory clean and made her her own puppet." Regina explained in return and Marian nodded in understanding.
"Leave her here with me before you settle things in the town. I will keep an eye on her." Marian said and locked eyes with Zelena. "And help her heal her ankle."
Emma and Regina exchanged looks in silent question. Emma half shrugged and Regina casted her eyes down with a sigh.
"Thank you, that would be a good idea." Regina turned to Marian, who smiled in response.
"It will be nice to have a company for a change."
