Cassandra sat awkwardly on the edge of the bed, in Regina's spare room. Emma and Regina were talking downstairs. Emma was not happy.
A light knock on the door, made Cassandra jump up on her feet, she wanted her knives back.
"Hello." Elsa smiled, pushing the door open.
"I don't want to speak to you." Cassandra hissed,
"I know that. I know you think I'm…."
"A monster."
"Yes, a monster." Elsa sighed, her eyes filling with sadness. She had tried so hard to be good, and now it looked like she would be what she always feared.
Cassandra saw the pain in Elsa's eyes, it shocked her. She hadn't expected Emma and Elsa to be good when she arrived. She thought she'd see the evil lurking beneath the surface.
"I'm sorry," she murmured, "I don't know you, I shouldn't have called you that."
"It's okay, I understood how finding yourself in a strange land can make you scared, and fear makes people do stupid things." She smiled, thinking of how quickly she had reverted to offensive behaviour when she arrived here.
"You're not from here?" Cassandra said her brow crinkling.
"No, I come from a different land. I have a sister there." Elsa sighed, "I'm just trying to get home to her."
Cassandra looked at the floor, "Is Ingrid your sister?"
"I don't know anyone called Ingrid." Elsa shook her head.
Emma coughed, making Cassandra jump back again.
"Elsa, we should get a move on." Emma said, not looking at Cassandra
"Of course." Elsa smiled, going to the door, "Sleep well," she smiled back at Cassandra before heading downstairs with Emma.
Cassandra listened to their voices and then the front door close. Cassandra had not gotten to see much of the manor, but it made her wonder how Regina had coped with living in the woods. The small camp and tunnels must have been so cramped, no wonder she often retreated to the unprotected vault.
Regina appeared in the doorway holding pyjamas and towels. She gave a strained smile, putting them down on the edge of the bed.
"Where's Henry?" Cassandra asked, as Regina turned away.
"He's staying with Emma tonight."
"Emma? Why? You don't trust me that much?" Cassandra sighed, pain flooding her voice.
"No, Henry swaps behind here and Emma's all the time." Regina explained, she was confused by her reaction, she knew in her future Emma was evil, but she was still Henry's mother.
"Why does he stay with her?" Cassandra persisted.
"You don't know." Regina suddenly realised, "Emma is Henry's biological mother."
Cassandra pulled back, so many things suddenly made sense. Oh Henry she thought, as if you needed more pain in your life.
"How did you not know?" Regina asked, becoming suspicious.
"If your mother helped murder people you loved and destroy your home, would you want to talk about it?" Cassandra hissed, "Thank you for the clothes,"
Regina felt heavy, this was too much to handle. Henry's life in the future was ruined, just as her mother ruined her happiness, Henry would suffer the same fate, twice.
"I won't let your future happen, no matter what it takes." Regina said quietly as she left the room.
Henry sat in his hut, fixing the cover from the tunnel entrance, which lay behind the hut. Cassandra was sitting still as Marion braided her hair. Marion was humming quietly.
Henry stood up stretching. "I'm off to hunt." He emotionlessly said.
"I help." Cassandra smiled, picking up a sharpened piece of wood.
"I think 5 is just a little young." Henry replied, grabbing a dagger, then his bow and quiver.
"Is ten?" Roland's voice boomed, as he stepped into the tent.
Henry looked him up and down.
"Yes," Marion interrupted before Henry could say a word.
"Mum, I need to learn." Roland whined slightly
"And you will when you're older." Marion sighed, they had had this fight a dozen times.
Roland slumped down onto the floor angrily, clutching his father's bow, quiver still on his back. Cassandra wondered over to him.
"You can play with me." She beamed,
"Go away." He growled, pushing her back. Cassandra landed on her back and started to bawl.
"Where's Regina?" Henry asked Marion, ignoring the crying.
Marion walked over to Roland and Marion.
"You know what day it is, where do you think she is." Marion said, kneeling beside them.
"Roland apologize to your sister."
"She is not my sister." He huffed.
Marion lifted the bow and quiver off him. "You are on cleaning up duty for three days."
"That isn't fair." He shouted, as Marion put his bow away up high.
"Henry," Marion called after him, as he began to leave. "Will you take Casey to Regina? I need to cook, and don't want those two fighting."
Henry sighed.
"I want to go to Regina." Roland said
"No, you are helping me." Marion harshly answered
Henry stretched his hand out to Cassandra, who warily took it, and the two of them wandered out.
"Thank you." Marion called after him.
Cassandra kept glancing up at Henry as they walked. He had always scared her slightly, but she liked him. He had a long scar down his face that she both wanted to and was too scared to touch.
"Where are we going?" Cassandra asked eventually, having built up her courage.
"Regina's at the vault."
"I can't go there." Cassandra worriedly replied
"Well you have permission, this time."
Cassandra nodded, the rest of the walk was quiet. They wandered to the graveyard, and caught sight of Regina, sitting beside a large tombstone.
"Mum." Henry quietly called, letting go of Cassandra's hand, to rush to her.
He wrapped his arm around her, her cheeks were stained with tears. Cassandra stood back watching.
Regina's hand slid off the tombstone. "I miss them all." She cried, "How have we been living like this for six years Henry."
"I really is ridiculous isn't it?" A voice laughed from the tree line.
Cassandra tucked behind a tombstone, her breathing heavy.
Emma appeared in the graveyard. Henry had an arrow ready in his bow, aimed at her heart.
"Don't come any closer." Henry shouted, standing up, "Regina, get out of here." He ordered, she stood still behind.
"Hiding behind your son, pathetic." Elsa laughed, appearing in ice beside Emma.
"Haven't you taken enough from us? Can't you let us have one day to mourn?" Regina shouted
"I thought you had Marion, a nice new warm body in your bed. I wonder if she'll go cold like Robin, and Daniel." Emma smiled,
"How…" Regina gasped, "Oh my god."
At that moment screams erupted from the camp. Regina pulled on Henry's sleeve, and starting running back to camp.
"Bet you wish you had your magic now." Elsa laughed, as the two of them ran back to the camp.