Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Once Upon a Time.
Author's Note: Here's the pivotal chapter! It has all led up to this. There is more to come, though. Stay tuned!
As always, R & R!
"I think he might be in Granny's Diner right now. I sometimes see him in a corner, reading a book with a coffee. No one sits with him," said Henry, pulling on Emma's arm and leading them to Granny's. Henry excitedly pointed to the man sitting in the back corner, reading a book. "That's him."
At his words, Armina stopped dead in her tracks, Andrew following suit. The man looked out the window with indifference, until he saw the two monarchs outside. He shakily set down his coffee cup and threw change onto the table before walking outside.
He stood at least as tall as Andrew, and he was the spitting image of his father. His features were the same as his fathers, down to the dark hair cropped short. His eyes were like that of his mother's, but they didn't change from royal blue. Caradoc's teeth held a slight point, but they weren't nearly as pronounced as his mother's.
He walked right up to Armina and said quietly, "Mother?"
Tears welled in the shapeshifter's eyes as she nodded and said, "My Caradoc." They met in an embrace filled with 28 years' worth of separation between mother and son. Andrew wrapped his arms around the both of them, sharing in the reunion of his family.
When the queen finally released her son from the hug she couldn't help but smile. "I've looked for you everywhere, but I've never found you."
He gave her a sheepish smile, "Kellan Conroy was good at keeping to himself. After the curse broke, I was too concerned with the animals in my care to join the celebration. That and I couldn't seem to track you by your magick signature. Your aura changed, Mother."
"It's a long story that I will tell you later, my son. For now, we will be crowing Emma Queen of Beasts. When she passes to the next life, I will return to power and our succession will go back into place, if that's alright with you," declared the current queen.
"If that's what we must do, then do it," he agreed. "You must be Emma Swan," he said, taking her hand in his and kissing her knuckles. "I am Caradoc Magna, Prince of Beasts. I am so glad to be giving my crown to someone so kind to tolerate my mother for so long," he said with a wide smile.
"I'm Henry," said the boy, trying to get the man's attention.
Caradoc offered his hand for Henry to shake and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, young Prince Henry."
"We must crown you before sunset. Help us to bring out the citizens, Caradoc," said Armina as she opened the door to Granny's. They split up, bringing together much of the town to witness Emma's coronation. Andrew went home to gather the gypsies, guards, and Regina, bringing them all to the town square.
While Emma walked with Armina she couldn't help but ask the burning question that had held on throughout the last few days. "Armina, when we go to the Enchanted Forest, will Graham…come back?"
Armina sighed and stopped walking to look at Emma. "I can't guarantee anything, Emma. Even my magick can't bring back the dead. If I could, I would have been able to bring back Regina's lost true love and ended the tyranny before it started. I just don't know, Emma. We'll have to wait and see." Armina placed a reassuring hand on Emma's shoulder and then continued walking.
Emma wasn't exactly disappointed with the answer, but she had hoped for a more definitive one. She accepted the answer for now, since there was a more pressing issue at hand.
They all gathered in the same intersection where they had celebrated a few days before. Armina had some of her gypsies build a scaffold for them to stand on for the ceremony. Emma stood awkwardly on the platform as Armina calmed the crowd. "People of Storybrooke, I ask for your attention. This night shall be our last in the land without magick. With the crowning of the new Queen of Beasts, I will return us home."
Murmurs of hope filled the crowd at her declaration. "Kneel, Emma Swan," ordered the queen. Before she did so, she saw a circlet of gold appear on the queen's head. She looked out of the corner of her eye and saw Snow White with tears running down her face and James smiling proudly.
Andrew stepped up and spoke loud enough for the crowd to hear. "Do you swear to rule the beasts of the Wild Forests with a just hand, no bias towards any?"
"I swear," said Emma shakily.
He continued, "Do you swear to uphold the law of your predecessor, Armina Magna, and keep the Wild Forests in peace?"
"I swear," she repeated.
"In times of war and unrest, do you swear to make wise decisions and avoid rash ones? Do you swear to hold the lives of your warriors as dear as your own, and never force them to sacrifice theirs for a petty cause?"
"I swear," she said, more confident this time.
"Will you honor your post in word and deed, bringing glory to the title Queen of Beasts?" he asked, finality in his voice.
"I will."
Armina spoke now. "By the power of the Queen of Beasts, I declare you my successor and crown you Emma Catherine Swan, Queen of Beasts." Emma felt a weight being placed on her head and remembered the gold ring that had previously been about Armina's head. "Rise, Queen of Beasts, and be accepted by your people. Long live the queen!"
Shouts of 'long live the queen' were coming from everywhere. Emma fought the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes as she saw the people cheering for her. Sure, she didn't have a clue about what she was supposed to do as a queen, but it felt good to have their support.
There was a distinct shift in magickal energy that was felt by Armina and her husband as they finished the coronation ceremony. The veils were thin, and it was time to act. Unfortunately, Emma began to speak.
On instinct, Emma reached over and grabbed Armina's shoulder, saying, "My first act as queen is to declare Armina and Faolan Magna as nobles. I'm not sure where to put them yet, but they're Lord and Lady of something." Emma was hoping Andrew didn't mind being called his real name, but she really didn't care at that point. Emma beckoned Henry to her and he beamed as she held his hand.
Armina bowed her head in a regal nod and calmed the crowd. "The prophecy has been fulfilled, my people." She summoned a vial of a pink liquid that seemed to glow with unnatural light. "With this, I will return us home. Rumpelstiltskin," she said, speaking to the newly-arrived captain of the guard and his family, "can you tell me what this is?"
He looked visibly nervous. "It's…it's bottled True Love, my lady."
"Bottled True Love," she said with triumph. She walked around on the platform like a hunter displaying his trophy. "This is what will get us home. Thanks to a couple whom I recently married, I have enough to completely reverse the last vestiges of Regina's spell. All I ask is complete silence, and that you think hard about your homes in the old world. Imagine your homes and your land, and concentrate on them. I shall do the rest."
The people went dead silent as they closed their eyes and thought of their respective homes. Armina began to chant words in an ancient Fae tongue, with Andrew joining in.
Emma kept her eyes open long enough to see a gaping vortex open in the ground. Armina pulled the cork from the bottle of True Love and poured it into the hole in the ground.
The sharp crack of thunder and the sharp smell of ozone hit Emma's nostrils and she fought to continue concentrating on the castle Henry had told her belonged to her parents. A great wind blew across the intersection, bringing the sounds of tearing roof shingles and slamming shutters.
The thunder grew greater in volume and frequency, earning nervous whinnies from the nearby horses. It seemed that even Orgetorix could be unnerved by this. Emma felt like she was being torn apart. It didn't hurt, but she felt like she was dissolving into nothing.
Emma opened her eyes briefly and saw the world as she knew it crumble and turn to utter darkness.