Author's Note: Sadly I have a terribly complicated week ahead of me, for which I might not be able to finish my story before the Season 4 is launched, but still I plan to keep updating, even when it will totally be AU, but what can I say? Sometimes expectatives beat reality, so I won't quit on this one, Thank you for the support!
The sun was hardly above the horizon, the first rays were peeking behind the trees, nevertheless, Elsa was already up and about. She walked out to the garden, which she found peaceful, closest thing to the reassurance of the forest. She took in a deep breath of the morning dew and saw the snow. It was time for it to go away. She looked around confirming there were no neighbors awake and removed the gloves placing them aside. She rubbed her palms together. "Time to feel some love" she said to herself recognizing how much work it would require to undo the winter.
She exhaled closing her eyes allowing the magic flow thru her, a ticklish feeling that ran from inside and evoked on the outside good thoughts, love, family she repeated herself, it was not like her previous mantra of concealing and not feeling, at least in this one she chose in what to believe.
Images of moments playing and talking to Anna filled her mind as a subtle smile settled in her lips. She raised her arms as a graceful dance moving around like if she was in a ball, moving across the snow naturally; she was born to be in her element. She spun around the garden taking all her wind and flurry back, even now she looked poised and every movement was performed with elegance, except now she had to please nobody, just for a few minutes, she was doing this for herself.
Once she opened her eyes she found the sky shinning blue with a few snowdrops falling. Looking down the snow wasn't completely gone of course, but it had been a fair try. She fell to her knees in a mixture of exhaustion and satisfaction, then she sat holding her knees close to her as she heard the singing of birds, at least it was a new day.
"Pretty impressive" came Regina's voice from the window's balcony.
Elsa turned around looking up at her "I thought everyone was asleep"
"Sorry to disappoint" glance over to the garden "what you did was a great display of control"
"Merely undoing my creation" she rose to her feet tapping the traces of snow off her clothing "Least I could do after what you all had gone thru because of me"
"Don't be too harsh on yourself" she said seeing the child like queen smile "Don't overdo your expectative either, you missed a spot" she pointed out lightening the mood. Elsa simply chuckled too "Yeah, tried my best, but I guess I most had run out loving thoughts"
"You ready to practice?"
"Excuse me?"
"I did offer to help you control your powers, if you are still up for the challenge"
Elsa's excitement was shown in her expression "I would be honored"
"I will be right down in a second, start warming up" she said teasingly.
"Here, warm and steamy" said Ruby placing the cup in front Belle "No more ice tea for a while, huh?"
"With the sudden blizzard is hard to miss it" she took the cup between hands not willing to drink yet, but to feel the coziness of it.
"And here you are Mr. Gold, hot coffee"
"Yeah, thank you" he said dismissing her with a wave of his hand; he knew he had a not so pleasant conversation ahead of him.
Ruby nodded going to the booth next to theirs serving more coffee
Belle looked down at the liquid waiting for him to start "So?"
"What is that you want to know?" he finally asked.
"Well, what the girl told you yesterday and who was she?"
"She is the cause of this winter" he said thru gritted looking out the window, where the snow was falling more calmly and with more ease "She shouldn't be here, that ruins everything" he mumbled gripping harshly on his napkin.
"How do you know her? What's her name?"
"She is -was- the daughter of an acquaintance. Her name is Elsa"
At that, Ruby's hearing twitched as she recognized the name, she turned around looking at Gold "You said Elsa" her head spin around with the image of the girl she had met in the woods.
He exhaled tiresome glaring at the kitchen "Shouldn't you be watching the fire, that omelet looks like if it going to burn" he said and instantly the fire rose higher catching everyone's attention as Red ran to turn it off. It had been a coincidence, maybe a too magical one, but Belle knew she had his dagger; no magic could come without it.
Gold turned around again shoving his shoulders redirecting his eyes to Belle's.
"What she said about you being desperate…"
"You know is no secret I missed my boy, back in the day" his eyes turned gloomy "Now it might look like it was a waste of time all the effort I put into finding him but…it was worth it"
It broke Belle's heart to look at him like that, he was never in disadvantage, he was firm, serene, cold…but now he was fragile. She took his hand into hers and seized it.
"Bae knew how much he meant to you"
"Thank you Belle" he said lowly after glaring at the window "I met Elsa's parents long before she was born, and when her powers manifested, I asked them for her custody to teach her magic, of course they denied my services, they thought it was a great price to pay to give me their child, that's why young Elsa feels I'm-rather I was- replacing the emptiness of Bae with her"
"But how did you knew about her abilities?"
"Long before she was conceived I knew the King's and Queen's first born would had great powers, unlike her younger daughter" he scratched the back of his neck "Part of their hate towards me is because they thought I had cursed the mother so that Elsa would have powers and I could take her" he exhaled "I did always admired the gift she was given, it was powerful and yet restrained, I could had done so much for her" he said thoughtful "When she turned to me for help I knew she had no one else, otherwise she wouldn't had resigned her pride to plead for aid from the Dark One" he mumbled lost in his flashback "I saw it in her eyes that day, she was broken, she was done with it…she was finally mine to take" said sadly
"What happened to her parents?" Belle asked curios and concerned for the turn of events, Rumple seemed oddly off.
"They died when she was 18, almost ready to assume the crown and royal responsibilities" then it flashed in his eyes; guilt.
"Did… you had something to do with it?" she asked carefully
"They were killed in a shipwreck, Belle" he huffed offended, but she knew he was covering up for something.
"Did you, Rumple?" she asked more sternly
Suddenly the stubbornness in his tone and the fire in his eyes were gone while he drove his eyes to the table "Is not what you think…" his mouth twitched firmly as he forced his answer out "Yes…"
Belle's eyes were filled with horror as she backed away standing up.
"No, please wait" he grabbed her wrist with no strength "Belle, please…"
"What do you want me to say Rumple? That I'm okay with it?"
"No, of course not, but you have to understand, I did it because…"
"Because what?"
Rumple stumbled with the words; he had sworn long ago he would never tell, he couldn't break his deal. "It was for the best"
"Are you ever listening to yourself? How can you say killing someone's parents is for the best?" she snatched her wrist off his grip "Did you really wanted to have her as your apprentice so badly you got them out of the way?"
"I would never…"
"A man that doesn't let anything stand on his way?"
"No, Belle, I'm not like that, not anymore"
"I see now why she accuses you of being desperate; does she even know you had something to do with her parents passing?"
"No. She has no idea, but please you can't tell her" he begged "She must never know"
"I can't do this right now" she raised her hands in defeat "I have to go"
"Belle…"
She exhaled "I won't say a word, honestly I'm upset for what she said, but I am far angrier with you right now, so…just give me some space" she shook her head exiting.
Elsa rested her hands on her knees catching her breath; using her magic and actually control it were far more different than she thought.
"Tired?" asked Regina taking a step closer.
Elsa shook her head standing straight again pulling the edge of the sweater down fixing it. "Merely getting my second air" said putting her best face on, not wanting to disappoint the only mentor she ever had.
"Glad to hear that" smirked mischievously casting another fire ball in her hand challenging the Snow Queen to do the same with her power.
Elsa gulped biting on her lip as she rubbed her palms forming a snowball, not a threat at all, she could just had kneeled down and picked some off the ground.
"So, snow will have to beat fire"
"Fire…melts snow" said Elsa thoughtfully looking at the flames burn, she wasn't fond of it; it was plainly intimidating.
"For your sake, it better not"
"Excuse me?"
"Think fast" she threw it making Elsa raise her hands in reflex casting an ice barrier that protected her. Taking a pick by opening an eye, she exhaled relieved allowing the ice wall to fade into the ground.
"For the love of Odin, don't ever repeat that lesson, please" she said breathless feeling her heart speed.
"You have to met your fears"
"Conquer my demons, I'm aware" She said dismissively waving a hand recalling what Ruby had told her.
"Well, that is enough for today" announced Regina knowing she had pushed the girl to her limits.
Elsa approved with pleasure going next to the fence where she had left the gloves.
"You survived pretty well considering you confronted the Evil Queen"
"You are not evil, Regina" replied Elsa nonchalant.
"You haven't seen the worst of me, I did some things that would make you tremble" she reconsider her choice of words "Is you were able to feel the chills"
Elsa smiled and shook her head slipping a hand in a glove "I just can't imagine"
Regina stared at her pondering "I been meaning to ask, but when I found you, why didn't you at least flinch when I told you who I was?"
"Disappointed I didn't?"
"Well, you were jumping at the sight of your own shadow" raised an eyebrow making the younger woman blush lightly at her lack of courage "You didn't know me then, you had every reason to fear"
"We don't choose the title we are given, we are just called by it" she walked pass her with her arms crossed "You are hearing this from the Snow Queen"
"I could rip your heart out of your chest and crush it beneath my feet" Regina called making Elsa turn around to meet her eyes. Although the image disturbed and disgusted Elsa she just shoved it raising her shoulders.
"I could strike your heart with my ice and watch you slowly freeze to death, so…I guess we are even" she forced the smile thru the depressing memory and kneeled to grab some snow to mold.
Regina didn't had a comeback for that, she just thought it thru, they weren't so different, still, Elsa had managed to live so far without being corrupted by evil or thirst for vengeance. Fear might have been the poison in her apple, but that hadn't defeated her.
After a few moments, Elsa dropped the snow and clutched her hands together.
"That is such a bad habit for a queen to have" Regina said looking at her fingers hide behind her palms.
"What?" she asked distractedly looking at her hands in front of her body.
"It's projecting insecurity, not a great trait for royalty"
Elsa pressed her lips into a fine line "I know" she allowed her hands to fall resting at her sides "I been doing it for years now, is hard to let it go sometimes" she looked at the gloves "mamma used to do similar things with her hands, she simply couldn't let them at ease. Just in her case she looked poise and regal, in mine is just…a reminder" she crossed her arms knowing it was a battle she couldn't win. "I'm going inside now, thank you for the lesson" she vowed her head to the other queen and disappeared.
