Chapter 10

Torches flickered as Emma's steady gait swirled the stagnant air of the underground prison. The sound of dripping water and heavy footfalls echoed off the rough cut stone walls as the small group silently followed a jailor through the labyrinth of corridors. Despite the dreadful conditions, the blonde was grateful for the chance to stretch her saddle sore body. While two days of hard riding had taken an obvious toll, the fully armored guards that flanked her on either side did not seem any worse for wear.

The gradual slope of the floor told her that they were moving deeper into the earth with every step. Fewer and fewer cells appeared as they continued down until the ground beneath their feet evened out and a long passage stretched before them with a lone cell situated at the very end.

Thirty feet from the bars, Emma turned and signaled her protectors to halt before continuing alone. Feeling their hesitation she shot a sharp look over her shoulder and they immediately backed down. She'd only acquiesced to her father's request out of necessity, after all, and refused to have them hovering over her shoulder the entire time.

Rumpelstiltskin stood patiently in the center of his small cell and watched her approach. His long fingers were threaded together as his arms hung loosely in front of him. The bronze clothing covering his slight frame so closely matched the color of his skin that he appeared to have been dipped in paint. The diamond-like sparkles that reflected in the jumping torch light only furthered that impression.

A mischievous smirk firmly planted itself across his thin mouth, but the cold look behind dark eyes warned of danger and malicious intent. Unwilling to show any weakness, Emma suppressed a shudder as she stopped within a inches of the bars.

"Well, well, dearie. What ever brings you down to my... humble abode?" he asked with a low bow as his arms spread wide to indicate his tiny living space.

"Wait! Let me guess," he said in a high, nasally voice as he popped back up. "Might it pertain to a certain mayor slash evil queen's missing memories, perhaps?"

"Son of a bitch, you knew the whole time, didn't you?"

Emma wasn't sure why that surprised her. Mr. Gold had insinuated himself into every aspect of Storybrooke and his skills as a puppet master had easily rivaled Regina's.

Rumpelstiltskin cackled in apparent amusement and Emma clenched her jaw as the sound set her teeth on edge.

How has no one just punched him in the face before?

Only the distance and iron bars separating them, kept the blonde from following through with that thought.

"Of course, child," he responded as his laughter finally faded away. "I am Rumpelstiltskin after all. How else could sweet, little Henry have ended all the way up in Storybrooke, Maine?"

Clearly, she had underestimated his scheming nature. If he had gone for her son specifically, that could only mean…

"You know who I am."

"Why, yes," he hissed even though her response had clearly not been a question. "The long lost child of Snow White and her Prince Charming, tossed out of one world and all alone in the other. This world's only hope of being rid of the contemptible Evil Queen."

Emma thought he could do without all the theatrics and jumping around.

"Ah, but you don't want to get rid of her, do you?" A knowing grin settled on his impish features as he stepped closer.

"No, you came to find a way to save her and I'm afraid it's just not that simple. It's quite a clever little curse, if I do say so myself, and the Queen never was one for reading the fine print."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked as green eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Only that in her haste to exact revenge against your fair mother, she failed to acknowledge the true… price such a powerful curse would demand."

"But the curse is broken," Emma stated in confusion. "Everyone is back in the land of Happily Ever After with all of their memories intact. Everyone except... Regina."

Devilishly dark eyes twinkled as he watched realization dawn across her light features.

"That's what you meant, isn't it? The real price wasn't whatever she had to sacrifice in order to cast the curse, it was losing everything she'd gained from it when she returned. All the love and happiness she'd found and the changes she'd made disappeared the moment the spell broke."

"Very good, dearie," he grinned. "You're much more clever than one would imagine."

"How do I break the rest of it?" she growled, ignoring the obvious insult.

"Well, this is the land of fairy tales," he spoke as if she were a particularly slow child. "True Love's kiss usually does the trick."

"But Regina and I have kissed," several times in fact. Granted the first one in her office was fueled more by anger and resentment than anything else, but there's no denying the last one was anything but pure love."

"Ah... Well, there's your answer then."

"What?" she asked confused as she pulled away from the memory. Her lips still tingled even now.

"No!" she yelled as the implication finally registered. "Regina loves me. She said as much and I know she wasn't lying. There's a way to bring her back and I intend to do whatever it takes to find it."

Rumpelstiltskin let loose a delighted laugh.

"Welllll... Since it was my curse, I do happen to know the one minor detail you're missing."

"You planning to share anytime soon?" she asked when it became obvious he wasn't going to elaborate without further prompting.

"It's actually a rather simple solution, one I'm surprised you haven't figured out yourself, but… it will cost you."

"No deal," was the immediate reply.

"Are you sure? You haven't even heard my terms yet," he taunted.

"I said no deal," she repeated as she turned and walked away.

Emma had what she'd come for, certainty that there was a way for Regina to regain her memories. She knew Rumpelstiltskin would never give a straight answer without a deal and she refused to go down that road again.

"Very well," he called to her retreating back. "But know this, unless you are able break the curse completely, one of you will not survive."

Steady footsteps never faltered even as she heard his parting threat echo down the corridor after her.

"You still owe me!"

"I want to see her, now!"

Emma's booming words stunned the assembled group into silence as she stormed into the large room. Anger rolled off of her in waves and everyone could see the eruption brewing just beneath the surface. Blue eyes tightened in aggravation, but James gave no other outward indication of his displeasure. Slowly, he rose from the large, ornamental chair at the head of the table before calmly addressing his closest advisors.

"Thank you all for your valuable input into this situation. I have heard your concerns and suggestions and I will take them all under serious advisement. We will meet again when I have reached a decision in the matter."

With that, the counsel stood and each gave a low bow before exiting. James maintained eye contact with the furious blonde until the heavy doors were securely shut. A tense silence settled between them as the king tried to rein in his temper.

"You will never address me in such a manner again. I don't care who you are, that was inappropriate and completely uncalled for," he growled between clenched teeth.

Emma's steely gaze never wavered as she ignored the implicit warning.

"Take me to her," she ground out just as forcefully.

"You can't…"

"Like hell I can't," she interrupted. "That... maniacal elf basically told me there was a way to save her and I was just too stupid to see it. I've studied the maps. I know the way. Now either you help me or I'll go it alone."

"It's not that simple," he sighed, consciously relaxing his poster before continuing in a softer tone. "Please just listen to me for one moment."

"There's no need. You obviously still don't believe me and clearly have no intention of helping. Thank you so much for your support, Dad. I won't bother you again."

As those biting words hit home, she spun on her heels and stalked towards the door.

"Emma Swan, you will listen to what I have to say," James bellowed.

The authoritative tone stopped the blonde in her tracks but she stubbornly refused to turn around. James made his way around the wide table and picked up a folded piece of parchment before coming to stand at her side.

"It's not that I don't want to help. You're my friend and my daughter, all I want is for you to be happy. I may despise your relationship with her, but I know better than anyone that you have to at least try to fight for the one you love. However, one of my soldiers intercepted this message and delivered it just this morning," he handed the paper over and watched as she slowly opened it.

"It's an alliance request," he explained, "between the Queen and the giants. There's little doubt that more have been sent to the multitude of evil creatures scattered throughout this world."

Delicate fingers absently traced over the flowing ink and James could see that the blonde still didn't comprehend the magnitude of what she was reading. Obviously, Rumplestiltskin had only fueled her determination to 'save' Regina. While he understood her desire, the king feared she was going forward without a clear picture of just who she was trying to save.

"She's amassing an army with the intent to attack us," he continued. "Even if you were able to make it to her realm, it's almost certain that you'd be killed on the spot or held hostage and tortured."

"All the more reason I should go now, before she gets too strong."

"Emma you don't understand. It's too late for that, she is already too powerful. Never has she directly attacked us before, not once. Spells and trickery are forte, but something has changed. This is her final stand and she will do everything in her power to ensure victory."

Silence settle between them once again as her eyes absently flitted across the page still clutched in her hand. A mask fell across her light features hiding her thoughts from his view, but James knew she was working on another plan to see the Evil Queen. He wasn't wrong.

"If this is going to be the last battle, then you have no choice but to take me," she replied evenly as green eyes finally met his.

James could feel his brow furrow in confusion, but Emma continued before he could find his voice.

"I'm the White Knight. You know, the only one who can actually defeat her."

"How is that possible?" he asked stunned.

That isn't possible.

The blonde shrugged, "I don't know, but Henry says that's who I am. Since, the kid knows more about this world than even you do, I'm willing to believe him."

Snow is going to kill me.

James sighed in defeat. If she was telling the truth, then they couldn't afford to leave her behind. Not that she'd stay put anyways. He'd have to investigate further before agreeing to let her go, but until then a little preparation was in order.

"Alright, let's get you fitted for some armor then see how well you can wield a sword. We have a lot to accomplish and little time in which to do so."

A/N: So... for those of you confused as to why Regina is missing her memories, hopefully this chapter cleared it up. Now, as to how she can regain them... well the answer is in there too, just a little buried. If you have any theories, feel free to let me know, though I will deny them all. Wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone. Plus, I don't want to take away your joy of shouting "I totally called it!" when we get to that point. We are nearing the end though, folks. Just a few more chapters to go. Thanks for sticking with me so far and I can only hope that I continue to make it worth your while to read.