Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Once Upon a Time.

Author's Note: Thank you to hjbau for your kicking my muse into high gear and inspiring me to take a new direction in this fic. To my other loyal readers, thank you for your comments. I always look forward to seeing them!

As always, R & R!

~Meanwhile~

Regina was fuming as she put away the queen's target and arrows. "Why can't she put the damn things away by herself?" she grumbled, struggling to put the heavy target on a shelf. She brushed off her hands on the dress they had given her to work in. Royalty didn't deserve to be treated this way, but there she was, her hands covered in dirt.

Blisters would surely form soon on her hands, which were unused to work. If only the queen had left a sliver of power in her body, perhaps she could rid herself of the shapeshifter's mark of ownership she had so kindly branded her with. "Why does the stupid thing still burn?" she growled, pressing her other hand over the mark to try and ease the pain, but to no avail.

I can't deal with this, she thought to herself. I have to find my knights. They'll help me.

Armina and Henry sat in the queen's study, looking through old, leather-bound volumes filled with spells, many of them extremely dangerous. Armina took care to give Henry only the ones in English, and not the ones in Fae or Elven language. Meanwhile, she read the ones in a host of different tongues, trying to find some way to reverse the damage that Regina had done.

"There's nothing in this one," said Henry with a sigh of frustration. He picked up another massive book and began the process of reading each page, one by one, until he found a whisper of what he wanted, only to find that there was nothing else written in the book about what he wanted.

"I have…something that may be of use to us," said the queen. She walked over and showed him the book, though he couldn't read the Fae language. "This is a book on prophecy. It says that when prophecies are fulfilled, and the magick bound to the prophecy is released, the veil between worlds is thin, and easily broken."

"That's good and all, but I thought you already fulfilled the prophecy."

"Apparently I did not, Henry," she said, beginning to flip through the pages. "I haven't felt a shift in magickal energy since the magick returned days ago. If the veils had shifted, I would know. If the prophecy had been fulfilled, the book says it would shift."

"So the third queen brings about the downfall of the Evil Queen, right?" asked Henry. She handed him a sheet of paper, containing the entire prophecy.

"That's how I've interpreted it. It's all in Latin, so I've had to translate, and that's what I've figured. What you're reading is my translation to English." She got up from the chair she was sitting in and pointed to a particular section of the translation. "This is where I figured I came in."

The Third Queen will rise in power once the curse has been cast. She has been declared dangerous before, and it shall be reiterated here. The Third Queen shall bring about the end of the Regina Mala's reign. She holds magick that others have forgotten or ignored. Beware Regina Mala, for she is the means for your destruction.

To return, she shall rally her allies and return her people home. With the strength and magick of those around her, she shall return the happy endings.

"What if you're not the Third Queen?" figured Henry. He earned a very confused look from the queen. He looked at her with a serious face.

"Why do you say that?" she asked, her gaze fixed on him. She snatched the paper out of his hands and read it again.

"It says she'll rise when the curse is cast. You were powerful back in your old world, right?" Armina nodded and he continued, "Maybe you just assumed that your interpretation was correct because it was back in your old world. Times change, and I have a feeling that you aren't the Third Queen."

Armina was speechless. As she read over the part again and again, she began to realize that her old interpretation didn't quite fit anymore. She dropped heavily into a chair and ran a hand through her hair. She had indeed been too quick to assume her role.

Then it hit her like a horse going at full bore. Her assumption had been completely wrong, but she knew who it was. The name was so obvious that she silently berated herself for not seeing it sooner.

"Henry, where is your mother?"

"I think she went to go get her car from town. We could call her," he said, pulling his cell phone from his pocket. "She should have her phone with her."

"There's no sense in calling her now if she is to return later. Keep reading for a reverse transportation spell." She picked out another thick volume and handed it to him. "This one focuses on reversal of major curses and hexes. This one has an index, I think. Look in that first."

Henry nodded and flipped to the back of the book. He heard the queen digging through the volumes on the shelves, obviously looking for a certain one. With a snarl of frustration, she threw one book across the room.

"Um, aren't these books old?" he asked, eyeing the thrown book.

"Magick keeps them whole and undamaged as long as they are in my care," she said, not really paying attention to the conversation. The boy dropped the subject and continued looking through the index.

"Here it is!" the queen exclaimed in triumph.

"What is it?" he asked.

"This is a book written by a human, but it holds some truth. Here it speaks of inborn power which manifests in subtle ways. I've noticed your mother has an affinity for telling truth from fabrications and manipulations of it."

"So what does that mean?"

"That is how her power manifests. She lacks training, but since she is the product of True Love, I feel we may only be seeing the tip of the iceberg, boy. Perhaps with the fulfillment of the prophecy, we might see the full power she holds," said Armina with a grin. "We have yet to see your manifestation, Henry, but I don't doubt you were born with much the same power."

"You think so?" he asked excitedly.

"I do believe so," she replied with a smile. "We will deal with the issue at hand before we worry about that, though."

"Duh, I know that. Um, sorry, I forgot I was talking to a queen," he said, his grin widening.

"We're all friends here. You're a prince after all." She walked over to the door and said to the sentry, "Bring Andrew to my study. I must speak with him." The sentry bowed and left to find the king wherever he happened to be.

"What do you need him for?"

"I have reason to speak with him about matters involved in completing the prophecy," she said simply, picking up a much smaller book than the ones she had red previously. "Have you found anything in that book about transportation spells?"

"The index took me to another page, which told me to look in another book. I don't know how to pronounce the other book's title," he said, turning the book for her to look. She put down her own and went to look for the suggested book.

Finding it, she opened it and began to read. Her attention was so focused on the book that she didn't see Andrew enter and sidle up behind her. He placed his chin on her shoulder, looking at what she was reading.

"And what would you be reading about?" he asked quietly, plucking the book from his wife's hands and studying the pages for himself.

"I was reading about the curse reversal spell that I've known from youth. I can't believe that's all it takes. Then again, I was missing the most important part."

"So it would appear," he said, putting down the book. "Why did you call me here, love? I've been testing my new affinity for earth, thanks to Regina's power."

"First off, I'm not the Third Queen of the prophecy. My interpretation was a bit outdated. It dates back to before the curse was cast. Times have changed and I've realized that I spoke too soon in regard to its interpretation." Andrew nodded and urged her to continue. "It would appear that Emma is the Third Queen, and she has no crown. I plan to give her mine."

A/N: Holy mother of fanfiction! 'Tis a plot twist! Where could I be going with this one? I don't even know.