Elsa was following the footprints of the woman whose mind she had probably frozen despite herself. She knew she couldn't help her, but she also knew that someone else might be able to, and she had to warn her before it was too late.

She remembered the last time this had happened too well – the accident when poor little Anna had gotten that white lock in her hair.

Once, an ancient stone troll had called her abilities a great „talent" but now she was wondering if he had only been trying to be kind. What if there was no hope, what if she would never be able to control her powers, because they weren't even powers, just a mighty curse that would always be there to shade her life – however she deserved it?

It seemed that whatever she decided to do ended up as something worse. She almost killed her sister when she was just trying to play, so her parents shut her in her room. As soon as she broke free, she brought winter to their whole kingdom. When she travelled to an other land for help, she locked her teacher in a block of ice and almost killed him, and so he locked her away too. And now she had only been out for a few days, and look at the damage she had done!

She had to fix this.

She had left the last houses behind long ago, or at least it felt like long ago, and she was wondering how far the woman might have gone, and how far she could get if she didn't catch up on her to warn her in time. She started running again. Had this storm around her been brought to life by her fear for the stranger, or had the winter she had created decided to make its own rules?

And then she saw them, two people carrying a third – it must have been her, she had to help them! She ran swift as a deer to reach them as soon as possible.

'Is she… is she alright?' she gasped. The two men jumped as if they had seen a snow monster. The short one gathered himself up sooner. 'No, no she isn't. Have you done this?' Guilt twisted her from inside. 'I didn't mean to… it was an accident…' his eyes were stones, and he looked awfully familiar. 'I came after her to help… I'm… I'm so sorry…'

'Well,' interfered the taller man, 'if you really wanna help, then stop this storm, or the whole winter for that matter.' If only she was able to. She felt like she would burst into tears in a second, but her eyes remained dry. She shook her head wildly. 'I can't… I can't control it!'

'You might wanna try with this,' said the old man. He reached into his pocket and presented… a necklace? She almost took it, but her past had taught her to be cautious. Her hand stopped halfway and she looked into his eyes suspiciously. Why did he look so bloody fa-

'You!' she said and took a few steps backwards, startled.

'Elsa… 'said Rumplestiltskin cautiously, 'Elsa, please, you have to take this, it will help you, I promise!' He promised?! He had promised to teach her how to rule her powers and she had believed him, and how did she end up? Locked in a vase for all eternity. It was only thanks to her good luck – she paused here: yes, her good luck – that she wasn't rotting in there still!

He knew that look. He knew that look. Where had he seen it before? His mind screamed in a helpless panic, as if his life depended on finding it out. Where did he know that look from?!

And then it dawned on him, crystal clear like an icicle. It was as if time had stopped only for his sake, so he could comfortably relive the memory and let the knowledge sink in.

The Queen is dead. He heard Regina's voice in his head just as clearly as if she was standing right beside him and saying it just then. He saw her smirk, reflected by a mirror from the past.

Long live the Evil Queen.

With a sudden terror he realised that his life had depended on recognising that look in time. And he hadn't.

No.

Robin watched in shock as Elsa raised her clenched fingers and Rumplestiltskin descended into the air. A wind began to whirl around him. He dragged Belle further from the enraged Queen.

'Elsa, please, ' the wizard appeared to be powerless against her, 'please don't do this. I'm sorry!' But he had only achieved that the wind around him filled with ice shreds.

Robin sneaked closer, as if he was stalking a deer. The only way to save Belle, he figured, was to save him.

Elsa spread her arms wide, and Robin leapt to knock her off her feet but he was too late. Elsa's spell sent the deadly ice blades through the wizard's body and shoved him backwards. He flew far before he finally landed, no doubt suffering from the worst of agonies. Elsa jumped up immediately and stepped on Robin's back, forcing him to stay down.

It felt as though her sole had nailed his heart to the frozen ground.

'Robin!'

He had never been so happy to hear anyone's voice in his life.

Regina could not seem to be able to find them. She had left them when in the end they had all lost their sense of direction, to find the way back to town. She had, but now she was threatening to lose it again as she appeared and reappeared in several different spots near the town line. All of them looked just the same in the storm and there was no sign of them anywhere. She was beginning to grow desperate. Although she knew now that he was alright, although she knew that it was Belle's life at stake, and although she knew that he had left her for Marian she was still worried for Robin terribly.

As the purple smoke faded before her eyes once more, probably for the hundredth time, she saw Elsa - she couldn't have been anyone else in her blue dress and blond braid –standing over somebody on the ground. She hoped it was Rumple and not Robin but after a few seconds it became clear that it was the thief.

'Robin!' she cried out. Elsa snapped her head up. 'Leave him alone!' she screamed at the girl, and her magic shook the earth under their feet. She sent fireballs at her, and one of them must have caught her because she cried out in pain before turned to run away. 'Don't you dare come back!' Regina yelled and sent a dozen more fireballs after her.

The storm had stilled as if it had never existed.

Robin was struggling to his feet. She helped him up. 'Are you alright?' 'I think so,' he gasped, rubbing his chest, 'but I'm afraid the same could not be said about Rumplestiltskin.' She turned around but she only saw Belle, who was still unconscious. 'He's over there,' Robin pointed in the distance.

They hurried to the old fool. His eyes were closed and he didn't even notice they were coming. He was lying on his back and his face contorted so painfully that even Regina began to pity him.

'Gold!' she said sharply. She shook his shoulder. His teeth bared and he hissed in pain, but then he grabbed her sleeve and pulled her closer. 'Here,' he said, wincing as he pulled a small book out of his coat and handed it to her. His voice was barely audible. 'I marked the spell that will heal Belle.' His eyes were still closed. 'You'll need help, but you'll manage. Cure her. You locked her away for three decades, you owe her that much.' Regina had never thought she would feel guilty about that action of hers, but it seemed that she did after all. Gold's eyes opened, and he clutched her arm tighter than she would have thought a dying man could manage. 'Save her, 'he said.

She promised herself that she would. She did owe the poor girl that much… and more. If someone had locked her up for that long she would have ripped their hearts out the moment she got out. Why hadn't she thought of this ever before?

She nodded firmly, and got to her feet, but she was reluctant to go. Somehow she was feeling very tired, and like she couldn't leave yet because something was missing. She realised that she didn't want to leave him here like this. Her oldest rival, the man she despised and mistrusted most of all people, and yet somehow she felt a little sympathy for him in the end. She turned back to him, surprised of herself. 'And what about you?'

She found it funny that despite all his pain he still managed the compulsory smirk, but she could not smile or laugh. 'Me? Don't worry, I'll last,' was all he said.

Regina hurried away with Robin on her side. Now that the snowstorm was gone it would be easy to get Belle back to town. She quickened her steps to chase that awful feeling away that had somehow gotten root in her.

She wasn't grieving him, was she?