Chapter Seven

Storybrooke, Maine: Regina and Emma's dream house

"Agh, why is this taking you so long?!" Emma yelled at Merida. "I gave you one simple fucking job and that was to take the old man and turn him into a fucking hero."

"I'm sorry he's just such a coward," Merida cried. "Why do we need him, why don't we get one of the other tried and true tested heroes to do whatever it is that you need them to do." Emma scowled.

"No, those fools would never do it, they can't see what I see. But Rumple no, no matter what that bastard will be just as self-serving as always if thinks he can gain anything from this, but the joke will be on him."

"What is it that you even need him to do?" Merida asked.

"That's my business and mine alone for now, you do what you're told and what you're told is all you need to know. Do I make myself clear?" Merida nodded.

"Well I've left him to contemplate what might happen to his love if he doesn't cooperate, shall I go check on your Queen and make dinner again?"

"No…no…absolutely not. Stay away from Regina. She's feeling much better today and she won't tolerate you or I at the moment. She's suspicious about what's going on. I have no doubt that given all the pieces she will figure it out before even you." Merida frowned.

"Does that mean you plan on killing yer wife and unborn child?" Merida asked. Emma's head snapped to look at Merida fully in the eyes.

"Never utter those words again or I'll end you." Merida gulped but didn't back down.

"If you plan to murder yer wife, son, and a wee unborn babe for power than you can already crush my heart now. I wouldn't be worthy of being a Queen to my people or a sister to my brother." Emma turned her body fully and walked up really close to Merida. Emma stood so close that their noses were touching, but Merida continued to stare her down in the eye.

"You know, they say, your father nicknamed you Brave, but perhaps he should have named you stupid instead." Emma shoved her back hard and Merida hit the stone wall with a crunch.

"Bitch," Merida groaned from the floor.

"Now as I said, don't fuck with me, now get your job done." Emma waved her hand and Merida was gone. She went down to the basement she had created. Well Regina had originally built a Den that Emma had envisioned as a game room at one point and another point her den, and yet another point a hang out for Henry and his friends. But she went to a door past that going further down. This was her new creation, something to keep her plans from prying eyes. It was a cave essentially. She had a prison up against the wall for Rumple, but he spent very little time there at the moment unless Merida got win of them trying yet again to magically track the man. Mostly her supplies she had either taken from Merlin or stolen from Rumple during the kidnapping. Some things she gathered in the Enchanted Forest and Unfortunately, she had no idea where Regina had hidden the Kush. She didn't need it for a potion but smoking it would be delightful at the moment. Thinking of Regina she waved her hand over a mirror. Regina was with Henry in her office, she hardly left him alone, Emma knew she was terrified that she'd snatch Henry either just because she wanted him or to get leverage.

"So beautiful as always my Queen," Emma sighed, but then she frowned deeply as she glanced to the side to see the Darkness looking like Rumple once more standing next to her. He let out a giggle she was starting to find annoying.

"You know dearie, it won't be long before she figures out the truth." He giggled again. "And you know I don't think she's going to take it well."

"Will you shut up, if I have it my way she never has to figure out the truth," Emma grumbled.

"Well you know what they say dearie…the truth… has a way with just coming out." With a flare of his hands he disappeared. Emma glared at the spot before turning back to Regina. She was taking down the Christmas decorations with one hand on her belly. She was startled when a spark flew out and cracked the picture of Emma, that Regina had added to the tree. Regina frowned and said something to her stomach she couldn't hear and rubbed her hand over it in a soothing manner. Emma decided to listen in.

"I know, I know you're feeling very angry at her, but you can't be so angry the magic lashes out like this. You can't circumvent my control love, I'm really worried you'll hurt Henry." Regina kept rubbing her belly but resumed her task. Presumably her daughter had taken what Regina said to heart at least for the moment. Emma knew she'd continue to have power surges for a bit and this wasn't helping her at all. She needed time and her child would ruin that. Emma looked at the calendar she had. They had been back all of three weeks, and honestly, she knew she was running out of time before Regina figured her out and redirected the others to start combating her plans. Plus, she wasn't alone, she wasn't working with just those idiotic dwarves and her parents. No, she now had the Queen's guard back and they were far smarter. Emma thought they would be sufficiently distracted just going after Hook, but King was much to smart for that.

"If I may I think I may have a little suggestion for your time problems, especially now that Merida has failed you again." Emma's eyes narrowed as the mirror disappeared. Merida appeared with a fainted Rumple and dumped him in the cage.

"Find someone else this guy is fucking hopeless, I turned into the bear and still nothing," Merida snapped. Emma huffed in anger.

'How can anyone be this cowardly!' Emma thought.

Storybrooke, Maine: Charming's Loft

"Are we all in agreement that capturing Emma is probably for the best?" Snow asked David, the dwarves, King Arthur, and some of his knights. They all nodded.

"Good, as soon as we get our memory back and figure out what exactly happened to us, Emma, and Merlin, we will destroy the darkness inside of her," Snow told them with conviction. There was a knock on the door and David went to open it. He came face to face with the fairies, with Blue right at the front.

"Good evening David, Dwarves, Snow," She greeted as she just came in. She made to hug Snow.

"Blue what are you doing here?" Snow asked.

"I've come for the meeting to talk about the Dark One, you'll definitely need as much fairy dust as possible on your side," She told her as if that were obvious.

"No, if Regina sees us talking to you, she'll think we're out to hurt her baby, and as far as she's concerned compared to you Emma is less dangerous. She could turn back to her old ways and corrupt not only her new baby, but Henry," David told her. Blue scoffed.

"And why would she think that?" Blue asked as if she had no idea.

"Blue come on, you tried to kill Charlotte and now she's pregnant again, everyone can see that. You were so against Charlotte why would this baby be any different."

"I don't know what you are talking about. If Regina is pregnant again that's a blessing after what tragically happened before. I didn't want to kill Charlotte, I just simply wanted to bind her powers. Now as it is, there has been no further apocalyptic prophecies, and I highly doubt this baby will be powerful at all," Blue lied. "Children are a blessing, I would never harm them."

"Oh Blue, I knew you couldn't have turned evil," Snow sighed. David frowned for a moment but then nodded.

"Then if you aren't trying to kill our grandchild, that's good, Regina will just need to see that. Still until she makes it through her pregnancy, she likely won't trust you," David told her. Blue nodded.

"Yes, well of course, the Evil Queen isn't known for her trust," Blue told her waving him off. Before he could correct her though, she began to speak. "Now about the Dark One. I think setting up another prison would be best until we can locate Merlin."

"I'm with the fairies, and while we're at it we should lock up Regina's guards. How do we know we can trust them?" Leroy asked. "I see them watching you Snow, determined to lock you up first chance they get. They'll do whatever it takes to put Regina on top."

"Regina is already mayor, I don't think there's any threat there," Snow told him.

"Of course there is, you're the rightful mayor and you'll be taking up the mantel again as soon as Prince Neal is older," Blue told her. "Leroy is absolutely right to be worried about a threat from the guards whether or not Regina sanctions it."

"Well I don't. They have been nothing but helpful in helping me teach new residents how things work or taking supplies out to the Forest not only for Robin and his men, but to King Arthur."

"Of course, but that's what they want you to think," Blue told her. "You must be on your guard. They've not been with us here all this time. As far as they are concerned Regina is still the Evil Queen." Snow huffed as Blue took over the meeting. Suddenly though she let out a gasp as Emma appeared standing over Neal who was sleeping in his crib.

"Emma," Snow gasped out. Everyone paused and turned towards Snow and Charming's bedroom area.

"Snow White," Emma mocked gasped back. But then her face contorted in a sneer. "Here I thought I would visit my baby brother and imagine my surprise when I find you plotting against me."

"No, Emma, we just want to help you that's all," David told her.

"No, you just want to lock me up like you did to Rumple," Emma shot back. She kept a hand on her brother, and she could see her parents glancing down in worry. She almost scoffed and rolled her eyes of course they loved him more than her, they always had. Lucky for them she loved him too, however, she was over their preference for him, their perfect little prince. She lifted him up and they tensed up.

"Put the baby down dark one, your parents are only looking for a way to save you," King Arthur told her. He held up a hand as if to calm her.

"I think you should mind your own business Arthur," Emma told him. She waved her hand and sent him back to his people along with knights. She would deal with him later, right now all she could feel was rage at her parents and honestly she was starting to feel a little green. For a moment she wondered if this was how Zelena always felt.

"Emma please, we weren't going to do anything bad to you," Snow cried.

"Shut up with your incessant whining Snow, I heard everything, so there's no use lying to me. And you Blue gnat don't even think about trying to throw any useless dust at me." Emma noted that Blue was trying to slip out her wand. "You and I have unfinished business concerning my Queen and my daughter, so when I'm finished with the Charmings know this bitch I will be coming for you." Blue glared at her.

"I don't know what you're talking about dear Emma," Blue told her.

"Lying is very unbecoming of you gnat, and don't call me dear, you aren't the Queen," Emma quipped. She turned back to David and Snow. "Now where were we Mummy and Daddy oh that's right you hurting me and caring more for Favorite Charming. Regina doesn't call him that just because he's her favorite, but because she's your favorite. It started off as a remark that went over your head and well it just stuck."

"Please Emma…" David begged.

"No don't Emma me, it used to be Dark One during the meeting," Emma quipped. "Maybe I can snap his little neck, it would be quick and maybe painless, but who can really say."

"Emma we can talk about this," Snow begged.

"Emma please, why don't we call Regina, she's always been good and figuring out how you're feeling, you don't have to hurt Neal."

"No, I think I do, but don't worry I won't do it in front of you." Emma easily tucked her brother on her shoulder as if they were going on a walk around the block to get some air and calm him down. At that moment the dwarves launched themselves at her at a nod from Blue.

"How dare you!" Emma thundered when she had blasted them and everyone else to the ground. "You know I think it's time that I got the message across now. This is who I am and you will not stand in the way of my plans." With Neal tucked safely on her left side with her right hand she grabbed the nearest Dwarf which happened to be Sneezy as he was seized with a sneezing fit. He sneezed it Emma's face. His eyes went wide as she grabbed him by the throat.

"Just so you see how serious I am, I won't use magic, I am going to use my bare hand to choke the life out of one of your stupid useless little dwarves."

"Sneezy the other dwarves cried but they were forced to watch from the floor by magic as she began to choke him. After he had struggled for a bit nearly passing out she let him go. They all gave a sigh of relief thinking there must be some good in Emma that had won out, right before she slit his throat with the dagger.

"I decided I wanted you to have a mess to clean up," Emma told them, right before she disappeared with Neal.

"NEAL!" Snow cried.

Regina's Mansion

"Why do you have Neal?" Regina asked when she had appeared in her bedroom. "And why did you take your dagger?" Emma looked at her with a raised eyebrow before she simply gave Regina the baby and held up the bloody dagger in her other hand.

"You may no longer call him Neal, his new name is Levi, that's a good name." Emma was silent for a moment before she nodded. "Yes Levi, I've now changed his birth certificate."

"He answers to Neal now though," Regina told her.

"And now he'll answer to Levi," Emma snapped. "I always hated that they named him Neal, favorite charming he may be, but he need not suffer."

"Emma do your parents know where favorite Charming is?" Regina asked her.

"Probably not, but where I go is no place for a child, so he will stay here, they'll never know he's here I put a ward up. Even if they walked into this house right now which they won't be able too, they couldn't see him or touch him. Even if he's in your arms."

"Emma, why are you doing this to them?" Regina asked her.

"They were plotting against me, against us, trust me, once they had locked me up, they would have come after you and the baby. I found them plotting with that Blue gnat. You can't trust them."

"It seems I can't trust you either though," Regina pointed looking at the dagger. Emma just cleaned it off and handed it over. "Whose dead?" Emma immediately felt compelled to say, and the dagger wasn't even in Regina's hands yet. She released it to Regina with ease.

"Sneezy," Emma replied.

"Thought for sure it would be Sleepy, he's slow and the last to move."

"Sneezing fit, which reminds me." Emma walked into the bathroom and began to wash her face. "Where's Henry?"

"In his room having a nap like Neal…." Emma glared at her. Regina sighed. "Favorite Charming should be."

"And your guards?" Emma asked.

"Right here don't worry," King told her opening the bedroom door. Emma grinned at her. King did not grin back.

"Good I'll make us some tea," Emma said. She walked out. Regina magicked a bed for Neal and easily put him down for his nap again. She put a bubble of protection around him before she and her guards followed Emma.

"I'm having tea with Maleficent, the deal was I allowed you back at night," Regina reminded her. Emma shrugged.

"You didn't specify I couldn't hang around my family during the day." A bolt of magic shot out from Regina. Emma frowned and looked at her stomach as Regina breathed hard.

"What the fuck is going on, what happened in Camelot, Emma, give me back my memories. This is too much power for the baby, I know it. "She didn't feel like this before." Emma didn't bother telling her that Charlotte and Viveka were not one and the same.

"What can I say, we make powerful children," Emma told her with a shrug.

"Emma…" Regina started, but than the dagger was poofed onto the counter.

"Don't do anything you'll regret," Emma told her. "I'll take Henry and Rowan and go somewhere else. And wouldn't you rather I stay where you can see me."

"You'll have to kill us before you take the Queen's heir," King told her going for her sword.

"I will fight you, I'm not Snow and David, I won't just let you disappear with my child," Regina told her.

"Then keep the dagger somewhere safe Regina and don't touch it again, I assure you. I am not like past Dark Ones." With that Emma disappeared.

"What the fuck are we going to do?" King asked Regina as they both stared at the dagger.

"Check on the children," Regina told her. She grabbed the dagger and hid it somewhere safe because she wasn't above Blue, helping Hook to break in and steal it. He would love to control Emma, dark one or not. Henry was perfectly safe as was Neal. She tried to call or text Snow and David to let them know he was okay but only got messages from Emma.

Camelot

"We're sure this will work?" Emma asked Regina. They were set up in the courtyard mixing the potion.

"Very sure especially with a little bit of midnight Kush." Regina exposed the black Kush to the night air and let it soak in the moonlight as midnight hit. "My newest batch was being watched by one of my guards. It should be ready to harvest right about….now." They watched it grow large enough and produced buds spontaneously. The others Emma had learned didn't do this, but this what made midnight Kush special. They could only bloom at Midnight under the moonlight. Regina snipped off fresh buds and put them in a bag, but the last one and biggest one she ground up and added to the potion.

"Now for the last ingredient, heartache," Regina said. Emma produced a dream catcher.

"I can't watch myself be horrible to you, maybe we can use Daniel?" Emma asked.

"We can try, but Emma, I've moved on from Daniel I don't think that tear will be strong enough."

"Regi please," Emma begged. Regina sighed and nodded her consent. Emma performed the memory spell and watching her mother crush Daniel's heart for the second time was hard and it hurt a lot, but it didn't change the fact that her true love was standing before her and they were together. So even though a tear escaped because she would always cry for Daniel. It lacked the power as she thought it would to activate the spell.

"No, why didn't it work, it was still heartbreak," Emma cried.

"Emma…I told you…" Regina started but suddenly Henry was flying into her hard and crying. Robin followed with Roland.

"What happened baby?" Regina asked him bending down to look him in the eyes.

"Vi…vi…vi…violet don't like me no more," Henry sobbed. Regina frowned as she pulled him close and rubbed his back. Emma meanwhile stole a tear and the potion activated. She was able to free Merlin just as Arthur came in with his guards.

"Fuck we're too late," he said shocking everyone except his knights and Merlin.

"Arthur, Arthur, Arthur you've really been a very bad boy haven't you," Merlin told him. Regina lifted up Henry now sensing the threat. She also shoved all the magic stuff back into her bag. She didn't trust Arthur he had more than enough time to look through all of Merlin's things.

"Merlin," Arthur said. "I'm sorry to have to do this, but…" Merlin waved his hand and when they reappeared they were inside of Granny's. Along with Snow, Charming, Neal, Robin, and Roland."

"You left the dwarves and you left Zelena and Hook," David commented.

"They will figure it out, my guards are still there," Regina told him.

"And Lancelot, he's likely not to get a warm welcome, he was telling us things about Arthur."

"Yes, Arthur is nothing more than a fraud," Merlin told them and they all snapped back to him.

"You freed him," Snow said joyously.

"Now that I've freed you, can you free me?" Emma asked feeling hopeful for the first time in a long time.

"Oh yes I can free you, but only if you're willing to let go of the darkness, Emma," Merlin told her. Emma looked at Regina and Henry and thought of the babies.

"Oh I am more than ready," Emma told him. "What do we have to do?"

"Find the last ember from the flame of mankind, well not find it so much as retrieve it. I will take you there and there you must defeat the dark one to retrieve the flame. Once we have it we will be able to connect Excalibur back to the dagger and remove the darkness."

"So Emma has to face herself?" Regina asked worried for both Emma and their child. Neither her nor Emma could really afford to be in an all out battle. She didn't want to lose her little Queen again even with Viveka on the way.

"No, while facing yourself is quite hard, Emma will be facing the first dark one," Merlin told her.

"Will that involve a physical battle, can't David go, he loves questing and sword fighting."

"Regina why are you being weird…" Snow started. Merlin however was frowning at Emma.

"I sense something off about you and the Dark One's powers," He stated. "They aren't quite settled in you are they?"

"They are settled enough now, let's go find that flame."

"Mama," Henry cried and reached out for her. She took him and gave him a hug. Merlin looked at her but let it go for the moment.

"Before we can go, we need to speak about Arthur, he'll come for the dagger, you are sure it is well protected." Regina produced a fireball and Merlin looked impressed with the power radiating from it.

"I have to say you are much more powerful than I had anticipated and smart," Merlin told Regina.

"You know me how?" Regina asked extinguishing the fireball.

"As you know I see a lot of things in the future. And in every version with Emma there was you. You remain constant in all versions, but I never could gauge you until now. It was if you were somewhat shrouded to me in mystery. At one point I thought you might be my apprentice, but the dark one had other ideals."

"You wanted me?" Regina asked in shock and open mouthed.

"Yes, you intrigued me as a child, we met once, but I suppose you no longer remember, you were hardly three, but you were doing magic."

"That young, but my powers didn't manifest until I was in my late teens," Regina frowned.

"In your mind, but your mother was quite gifted it's a shame she was evil. I wanted to take you as my apprentice but she refused. To deter me further so that you would follow her wishes she bound your powers. The fact that you are so powerful now even still with her bind in effect says a lot to me." Regina frowned.

"I can't believe she bound my powers like that," Regina mumbled, but yet as she thought on it, she believed that her mother really would do whatever it took. Including leaving Regina feeling like there was something wrong with her as a child and now that she thought about it, her magic had been like a second skin to her. Finally settling something inside of her and that old feeling came back when she had tried to stop using it for Henry.

"Of course, you can, we both know your mother. I can't say I was not a bit arrogant myself. I rarely come upon people whose futures I can't clearly read. Mostly I know you will be somewhere, but I can never say how you will triumph, but history tends to speak for itself and you rarely lose. Even when you lose, you find a way to win. I thought by making you my apprentice, I would discover the mystery of you. So, trust me when I say I look forward to getting to know you." He bowed to her before turning to Emma. "We'll leave you to handle Arthur and return with the flame." Regina pulled Emma into a hug.

"Be safe. Just get rid of this darkness. LQ will be okay all right?" Emma nodded as she felt Regina slip the dagger on her. Just to be safe though she took a potion made to separate LQ from the Darkness. Whatever the battle was, she couldn't have influencing her in the wrong way. She hugged her family and assured them that she would be fine. Once her and Merlin had set off she let out a breath the end was near.

"You are with child," Merlin stated as they walked.

"Thank you for not stating that in front of my family," Emma said. "They don't know yet, and Regina and I really want to keep it a secret for as long as possible." He nodded.

"As you should, things are graver then I feared. I am seeing many different possibilities."

"We haven't named her, she tries to get us too, but we won't. We know that as soon as we do, the darkness will transfer to her. It sticks to me, but a good chunk of it I believe is swirling around, taking over my daughter and corrupting her, needing only a name to find it's final resting place."

"You are correct and whatever potion you are taking is helpful. I would like to know how it was developed."

"That you must ask Regina, it's a trade secret, she's amazing with magic, you missed out on a pretty amazing Apprentice."

"Yes, I am starting to see that," Merlin told her. "If you let this baby become the next Dark One, the consequences will be the end of light itself."

"No pressure," Emma murmured. "Merlin, is it possible that, one could control the darkness, and not use it for Evil, but for good?"

"I suppose it's possible, but don't try it Emma, for your daughter's sake we must rid you or the darkness or rid her of you."

"Rid her of me, what do you mean, I'm barely four weeks pregnant at this point."

"I am not suggesting you kill the baby simply speed up her birth if necessary. Her becoming the dark one is much worse than her having Evil Queen tendencies."

"You can't get rid of me mummy so don't even try," Little Queen whispered into her ear, but she was gone before Emma could even react.

"The little one is already so strong on her own that she can appear before you. The Darkness allows her to take adult shape because she will grow quickly and she will be a vessel. She will lack the attachments of all other dark ones before her, she will not have her humanity," Merlin told her.

"I will do whatever it takes to save her," Emma told him determined. Eventually they came upon a clearing and Merlin instructed her to use the dagger to look backwards to the first Dark One.

"Nimue?" Emma asked reading the name out loud, but she was surprised when it was her daughter who pulled back the hood of the black cloak, her long read hair falling to the side in it's braid.

"Surprise Mummy!" She cried. "You have to defeat me if you want the Ember."

"What is this?" Merlin asked. "What game are you playing Nimue?"

"No game," Nimue said appearing. "She asked to combat her mother and I simply complied."

"Name me," Little Queen demanded. "And the ember is yours."

"No, I won't lose you again, I won't do that to us and our family again," Emma told her.

"To us, our family?" Little Queen asked. "No, you mean to me, to my family, just name me and I'll be on my way to mommy no problem. And you, you can fuck off with the Hooked menace and leave us in peace, mummy." She spat the word mummy out at Emma.

"No!" Emma yelled.

"Yes!" Little Queen yelled back. "You aren't welcome, you are nothing but a liability. You don't do anything but bring pain and shame to this family. You're nothing more than a murderer of innocent babies."

"STOP!" Emma yelled. "I will spend every day of my life regretting what happened to you, but it is in the past and I swear to you, I will do more than my best beside you from now on." Little Queen disappeared and Nimue took her place.

"How cute and touching," She told her positively bored. "But now it's time to kill Merlin." Before Emma could react, her hand was out and Merlin was flying backwards. Before she could control herself, she had moved with a speed previously unknown to her. She stood over him repeating Nimue's words even as Nimue herself leaned down close to his ear.

"It's so fitting that on your last day you should see me and know that you failed. To know that without your influence they will eventually slip up and name the girl."

"No please this isn't me," Emma cried.

"But this is exactly you, he doesn't want to save you, he wants you to make a sword that will kill your daughter, and how do you think Regina will feel about that. You already lost her once, you think she'll forgive you for losing her again. It's bad enough you've trapped the poor girl in your body again, denying her and Regina the right to be together. And now if you follow him you'll take her life."

"Emma please fight it," Merlin groaned out as she choked him.

"No, I won't let her die again, Regina is going to hold her, I am going to hold her," Emma cried.

"You can control her," Merlin struggled to say.

"Don't listen to him, he'll be the death of her, and you will go back to being nothing, you'll never be Mama again."

"I WILL ALWAYS BE MAMA!" Emma yelled at her releasing Merlin and turning on Nimue. "I am not nothing, I am her Mama whether she likes it right now or not, and I will save her from you and I will spend her entire life making up for what happened in the past." Emma held up the dagger again and the name flickered back to her own. "Now you are going to give me the ember." The ember flew out of Nimue's chest and she disappeared. Emma just stared at the ember. Little Queen appeared just to the side of her. She too looked at the ember.

"Looks like my heart doesn't it, small and bright, right before you snuffed it out." Emma let out a sound that could only describe her anguish that day before she closed her fingers around the ember and fell to her knees.

Granny's Diner: Camelot

"King is not responding my Queen, but our bracelets have not indicated the death of one of our own," Cox informed her. Regina nodded.

"Then we can only assume that Arthur is currently interrogating them or has already locked them up."

"Regina what are we going to do, the baby?" Robin asked. He was worried about his child and naturally so. Hell she was worried about her children. Who knows what kind of fight Emma was in with the first dark one, and her own baby. Thankfully Emma and Merlin were on her side at the moment because she didn't think she had it in her for an all out magic fight at the moment. She'd already put up protections for her people, but all the children were being placed in the dinner along with nursing mothers.

"Archers take positions on the roof and the upper windows, take orders from Granny," Regina ordered when her archers were walking towards her. "Also a few of you take to the surround trees, so that their main focus will be on the arrows coming from Granny's." They saluted her she saw that some were hunters, but her trained warriors took the trees as they might be outside her protective bubble.

"Regina." She turned to Robin.

"I know, I know, this is my niece or nephew we are both worried about." He nodded. "I am sure my guards will make sure she is with them. Unless Zelena sees it as a way out. If Arthur knows how to get that bracelet off of her, it's definitely going to be a fight. Unfortunately, she's not weakened by her pregnancy anymore, so her magic use won't affect anything." He nodded. "I don't worry about her because she has something to offer Arthur, whether or not he knows she will betray him is on him."

"That's true," Robin told her. "Still I'm afraid she'll disappear and we'll never find her."

"We will find her, even if she runs back to Oz," Regina told him. He nodded and joined the other archers in the trees. They were his specialty after all. Once they had defenses, Regina knew Arthur wasn't getting through without a fight. She grabbed a bow and arrows herself and stood at the front with Snow. He only sent his men.

"Typical," Regina grumbled. "Never send boys to do a woman's job." She notched and arrow and aimed for the clear leader of the group. They were clad in metal, but she wasn't worried as she took aim and fired. She was aiming for the eye holes in his helmet, but she struck him in the throat. Her cheeks colored a little in embarrassment she really needed to work on her archery some more. However no one seemed to notice her aim was actually off as the neck was just as effective. Taking down the leader sent the others running back.

"Shoot anyone you can," Regina told them. Several more knights were shot off of their horses as others headed back towards Arthur. "Collect the horses and weapons, kill anyone still breathing."

"Regina show compassion, take them as prisoner, we could trade them," Snow told her. Regina nodded to them to take them prisoner she could always kill them later.

"Somehow Snow, I don't think Arthur really gives a damn all that much," Regina told her.

"Maybe, but we don't know that for sure, one of them could be important to someone. They may plead with Arthur and he may find compassion. They may be important to his Queen as well. So you must show compassion first." Regina nodded.

"Make sure there are no walking wounded," Regina told a passing shoulder. "There the threat of them has been neutralized that's all the compassion you will get from me." She walked off. She took a moment to interrogate a man or rather watch Cox. He admitted that her guards were in the dungeon, but Hook and Zelena were more interested in staying with Arthur. They were safe.

"And the dwarves?" Regina asked.

"Ran out of the castle, I think they're hiding in the city until nightfall when they can sneak out of Camelot."

"Regina, Arthur made me a night of his round table, perhaps he can be reasoned with, perhaps I can talk to him." Regina refrained from rolling her eyes.

"No, David, he did that to gain your trust, not to say that you had gained his," Regina told him.

"Maybe or maybe he truly likes me," David told her. "If we can avoid bloodshed, we have to try."

"We?" Regina asked.

"I'll go with David of course," Snow told her.

"And what do I tell favorite Charming and Emma about why they no longer have parents?" Regina asked her as she turned towards her fully and crossed her arms.

"Nothing because we are definitely coming back," Snow told her.

"You also thought Emma would definitely revert back to an infant after defeating me, because you couldn't imagine why fate would allow your daughter to grow up without parents, except you had allowed that."

"Regina you're being unfair, it was a reasonable thought, we are fairytale characters, we always get our happy ending," David told her. "We will be fine." Regina frowned.

"Not all of us," She grumbled as she watched them go. She let out a deep sigh. 'You know what favorite Charming is better off being raised by me anyway.'

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