3.04: Stranger in Paradise
Neverland—Present Day
"I can hear them shouting again! They're coming!" Mary Margaret yelled.
Emma got to her feet as fast as her exhausted body would let her and prepared to lead the group further into the forest. They had been running all day, and whenever they thought they had finally put enough distance between them and the pirates, they would suddenly hear the pirates approaching.
"I thought you said that Hook told you we wouldn't be blamed for the murder?" David asked his daughter.
"He did," Emma panted, "But we now know that we can't exactly trust him."
"I can't go on any more. I must rest," Regina gasped while clutching her chest.
"We have to go on!" Emma urged her. "Just a little fur—aah!" The blonde hadn't been looking where she was going, and she suddenly found herself rolling down a steep incline.
"Emma, where are you going?" Mary Margaret called after her. The group tried to look down to where she had fallen, but the vegetation was too thick.
After a minute, Emma yelled back "I'm okay! And they say it is safe here—the pirates won't find us. You guys should take the stairs though."
"The stairs?" David repeated with a puzzled expression on his face.
"And who are they?" Mary Margaret said to no one in particular.
The strange boy who was with them started hunting around in the bushes. After a minute, he called the remaining three over. "The stairs are right here. Do not worry, I know what this is."
"What is it?" David asked. But the boy had already descended down the stairs.
David looked at Mary Margaret questionably.
"We have no choice but to trust him," Regina cut in coldly. "And Emma says it is safe, so let's go."
The three walked down the stairs into a brightly lit encampment. Although new to Mary Margaret and David, it was a familiar sight to Regina. A giant tree in the middle of the tiny valley was covered with golden lights.
"Haven't I been here before?" Regina said to herself. "No, it's slightly different."
"It's a fairy dwelling," the boy told Regina. "They're scattered all over Neverland, and they only reveal themselves to outsiders when they choose to."
As if to confirm his words, two fairies appeared near the top of the tree's trunk and slowly floated down to the travelers.
"We have just spoken to Emma," a fairy with a green aura around her said, "And she told us that you need somewhere safe to hide from the pirates."
Emma then came out from behind the tree and joined her group. "I was telling them that we needed some time to recollect our thoughts and think up a new plan."
The two fairies beamed at the group. "My name is Ivy," the green fairy said, "And this is Kaleidas. We live here, and you are welcome to share our home for as long as you need."
"Well, I don't think we'll be able to fit in the tree," David announced.
Mary Margaret shushed him.
"Thank you," the boy said to the fairies, "We just need a little bit of time to discuss." He turned to Emma. "Now, I think you owe me an explanation of what in Neverland is going on!"
Emma stared at the youth and said "Me? You're the one who suddenly appeared right out of thin air, plus you also seem to have a moonstone around your neck which I'm mighty curious about."
"Is it true that the Pirate King is dead?" he asked softly.
Everyone looked at Emma to hear her response. Even the two fairies seemed to be listening in.
"Yes, it's true," she finally answered.
The boy quickly bowed his head and seemed to be holding back tears.
"Um, did you know her?" Emma dumbly asked.
He nodded. "She was my grandmother."
Everyone looked shocked. Emma bent down slightly so she was eye-level with him. "What's your name?"
He sniffled. "Samuel."
"Samuel, your grandmother was killed by someone that I thought I knew, and I promise you he will not get away with it. And while you are with us, I also promise I will take care of you as if you were my own son. By the way, you look as if you were about Henry's age. Do you know anything about where he might have gone? I know his location has to do with the moonstone."
"How do you know about the moonstones? I thought Grandmother and I had the only pair in existence."
All at once, Samuel's sudden appearance in Ruth's office made sense in Emma's mind. "You were in that other land, weren't you?! And Ruth...Ruth must have been your anchor. She's your grandmother, so she would be able to anchor you. And when Hook killed her, you must have automatically come right back!"
Regina chose that moment to sweep between the two and pull Samuel into a one-armed embrace. "Please excuse Emma's blundersome lack of tact. She purposely chose not be around children for most of her life and still doesn't know how to act around them."
Emma glared at Regina. During the pause that followed, she heard David whisper "I can't believe that Captain Hook killed the Pirate King. That seems so out of character for him!"
Mary Margaret whispered back "I know, dear, but this is a fanfiction, so there has to be some character assassinations in order for the plot to progress. Besides, he is a pirate, and I'm sure there will eventually be a reason for it."
Samuel pulled himself free of Regina and looked gravely at Emma. "There is nothing for me in my home anymore. My own people rejected me, my parents abandoned me, and the pirates never trusted me. My grandmother was the only family I had, and now I have no one. I will go with you."
"Your grandmother died while trying to help me get my son back. Will you first tell me all you know about the moonstones?"
"Grandmother Ruth told me that my mother and father shared a pair, and my father would occasionally travel to the other world, using my mother as his anchor. Shortly before I was born, my father left and never came back. But before he left, he gave my mother his moonstone. After I was born, my mother soon left to look for my father, giving both moonstones to my grandmother. She also never came back. My grandmother locked up the moonstones and swore never to use them again. But when I grew older and heard stories about my parents, I thought that perhaps Fin held the answer—"
"Fin?" Emma asked.
"The name of the town that the moonstone leads to. I thought that if I traveled there, someone there might know where my parents had gone. And I was half right, because my mother is there, even though she doesn't have a moonstone. I saw her during my first visit, and I know what she looks like because there are paintings of her in my home. But she did not seem to recognize me, and every time I called her, she ran away."
"Did you ever see me there?" Emma asked. "Because just a couple of days ago, I traveled to Fin to search for my son, but ended up losing the moonstone and the memories of my journey."
"No, I never saw you."
"Wait a minute, what ever happened to Mr. Gold?" David suddenly asked with a puzzled expression on his face.
Regina rolled her eyes. "It appears that we left him behind in the Pirate's Fortress. But not to worry; I'm sure he and Hook are fighting their way out even as we speak. Or, more accurately, fighting each other."
Emma ignored them. "Samuel, this is very important. Will you give your moonstone to me so that I can travel to Fin again? I will also try to find your mother."
"I guess it won't work for me anymore now that Grandmother can't anchor me, so you can temporarily borrow it until you find your son. But who will wear Grandmother's moonstone to anchor you?"
Emma looked like she would rather die than say it, so Regina stepped in. "Emma is magically bonded to me, so I will wear your grandmother's moonstone and become her anchor."
"Oh, you two are married," Samuel said with a look of dawning comprehension. "So that's why you bickered so much on the run here."
Emma and Regina both blushed.
"All right," Mary Margaret uncomfortably interrupted the silence, "Since it is getting dark out, I think that Emma should wait until morning to leave."
The group nodded their agreement, and the two fairies brought out soft leafy bedding for the group to sleep on. Emma wondered if she should sleep next to Regina in order to keep up appearances for Samuel, and she compromised by awkwardly lying down close to her but with still enough space to fit another person between them.
Storybrooke—Present Day
The sun was nearly down behind the houses and trees and yet Belle worked steadily on through Mr. Gold's plethora of books. Some of the books were written completely in different languages, yet none matched the language that the cloaking spell was written in. Other books were devoted to writing and deciphering codes. One was titled Owhay otay Ecipherday Omplexcay Odescay. "If only if it was that simple," Belle said to herself. Flipping through the books, she saw nothing that would aid her.
"Are you somewhere in here, Belle?"
"What is it now?" Belle huffed crossly. It seemed like whenever she really got into the flow of going through the books, somebody came to interrupt her.
"I wanted to apologize for my behavior during the elections for mayor."
Belle froze. The person walking through the door was not Ashley, Leroy, or any of the other seemingly hundreds of Storybrooke residents who wanted to console her for losing the position of mayor to Granny. "I mean, these are the people who voted against me!" Belle had finally said to herself after witnessing Jefferson and Dr. Whale have a slapping fight over who would go through the study door first to give Belle his homemade 'We Still Appreciate You' card.
It was Mother Superior. "I hope you know that I was so caught up in the excitement of the campaign that I am quite unaccountable for my actions."
Belle spluttered in disbelief. "Unaccountable for your actions? You practically turned me into a beast!"
"Well, I turned you back afterward, didn't I?"
Belle looked at Mother Superior suspiciously. "Why did you want Ashley to be mayor so much anyway?"
She looked down at the ground. "Oh, that. Well, once we got our memory back after Emma broke the curse, I suddenly remembered something about Ashley from when she lived in the Enchanted Forest, and I thought she might be a good fit for mayor."
"You mean that she was married to a prince?"
"Um, yeah, something like that. But I'm starting to think that my assumption was wrong about Ashley, so it's just as well that Granny is mayor."
"All right." Belle started flipping through the books again for a few minutes in silence. Mother Superior continued to watch her. "Is there something more that you want?" Belle asked when the strain of ignoring her became too much.
"I have heard from a few people that you have been working on translating a magical spell for the past few days without any luck. Maybe I could help you."
"No thank you," Belle said firmly, her distrust of the nun preventing her from accepting any sorely needed help. "I am getting along just fine by myself."
"Oh, I've no doubt of that," Mother Superior said while employing a very Regina-like laugh. "I just thought that I could help speed up the process."
"Like I said, no thank you. The process is speedy enough as it is."
Mother Superior fixed Belle with a beady stare. "Belle, this is something that Mr. Gold gave you, right?"
"Yes," Belle said hesitantly.
"Then it must be important to enact the spell as quickly as possible. Give it here."
Mother Superior snapped her fingers and the parchment with the spell flew out of Belle's hands and into hers.
"Hey!" Belle protested angrily. "Mr. Gold trusted me and me alone to cloak the town!"
"Oh-ho. So it's a cloaking spell, is it? Well, it's in a language that even I don't recognize, so we're going to have to continue to do things the slow Belle-way. Still, I can help you with that." She laid both hands down on the parchment, closed her eyes, and started muttering.
Belle watched in fascination as a cabinet tucked in the back corner of the room started rattling. She excitedly ran over to it and pried its doors open. Inside were whirring gadgets, bottles of murky substances, and books that she had not looked through. One of the books was glowing a bright and pulsing gold.
"Take the glowing book down. The language in it matches the language on the parchment."
Belle did as she was told. It was a heavy leather tome with the same unknown language engraved on the cover except for one corner, which had the word 'Atlantica.'
"Atlantica. I wonder what that is?" Belle mused.
"Or where it is. Now let's get that spell translated!"
"No! I said I don't need your help. If you're so powerful, why don't you create a cloaking spell for the town yourself?"
Mother Superior drew herself up to her full height, which still wasn't very much. "Well, Belle, if you knew anything at all about magic, you would know that it doesn't work that way."
"For you," Belle muttered.
"Well, I never!" the nun hissed angrily. "Have fun trying to figure out what it says by yourself. I'm leaving."
Neverland—In the Past
The Blue Fairy wearily trudged up the spiral steps and lugged her suitcases through the door of the tree. "I'm here!" she hollered, "Is anyone going to greet me?"
"Welcome to Neverland, Blue!" Ivy glided into the room and gave her friend a hug. "How was the journey over? Not bad, I trust."
"Oh, you know how it is—there's always turbulence and swear toads in the intergalactic pathway from the Enchanted Forest."
"Well, at least you made it safely. And guess what? Linnea is visiting here from the Enchanted Forest too!"
"Linnea? Oh, not that troublemaking rascal with the golden locks!" the Blue Fairy cried in mock despair.
Ivy smiled. "The one and only. Though now she is more widely known as the peace-bringing warrior. And if she ever hears you calling her Goldilocks again, she'll probably whop you over the head with her sword."
The two friends laughed and then set about to bringing each other up to date with the news from each other's home-worlds. After a half hour, the sound of a door opening and slamming could be heard in the tree house.
"And that must be Linnea and Tinker Bell back from a day of saving the world," Ivy told Blue.
A young fairy wearing a flowing red gown flew into the room and announced "Please stand and welcome the hero of time, the savior of worlds, the—"
"That's enough, Kaleidas." A blonde woman shuffled into the room with her back bent so her head wouldn't tough the ceiling. Years earlier, the room had been magically expanded so Linnea as a child could comfortably stand in the room, but the fairies had forgotten that she would get even taller as an adult. As she spent most of her time now in the Enchanted Forest, the fairies felt it wasn't worth the effort to expand the room even more just to accommodate her on her brief visits.
A fairy in a green dress flew into the room behind Linnea.
"And her sidekick, Tinker Bell!" Kaleidas yelled.
Tinker Bell shot Kaleidas an annoyed look and sat down on the giant couch next to Linnea.
"Hello, Linnea," the Blue Fairy said pleasantly. "What brings you to Neverland this time?"
"A confidential source sent me news that the pirates and the natives were going at it again. It seems like someone is stirring up a conflict every couple of months which brings me back to Neverland."
"Well, we're always happy to see you."
The fairies had found the human-baby Linnea abandoned by the side of the ocean years ago. They had taken her in and raised her as their own. She had grown up side by side with Tinker Bell, and the two had been the dearest of friends and also the greatest mischief-makers that Neverland had ever seen. But as Linnea got older, she had assumed more serious responsibilities, which usually meant resolving arguments between the pirates and the people who were native to the land. Once she was twenty years old she had traveled to the Enchanted Forest, where she ended up eventually staying and raising a family. But now that her daughter was older, Linnea had resumed her practice of traveling to other realms to bring peace.
"So, what's going on out there anyway?" the Blue Fairy casually asked.
Linnea sighed. "Just the usual. Baldy-Red is claiming that a 'savage' drilled holes in one of his ships and he wants all the pirates to go to war against them. What he refuses to realize, however, is that all the evidence points to him damaging the ship himself on rocks. He was probably drunk."
Kaleidas laughed. "I'm so happy I'm a fairy and don't have to deal with humans. However do you stand it, Blue?"
"It was a choice I made willingly—to give up my seclusion and help people in need in the Enchanted Forest."
A fifth fairy suddenly flew in through the open door and addressed Linnea. "The Pirate King wants to see you now. She thinks she's discovered some new information on the seemingly cursed perpetual state of war between the pirates and the natives that she wants to share with you."
Linnea carefully got up from the couch and maneuvered her way over to the extra-large door that had been built for her. "My work here is never done. Hopefully I'll be back here before sundown."
"Can I go with you?" Tinker Bell asked.
"Of course you can. You were my partner in crime when we were children, and now you can help me achieve the opposite."
The remaining fairies waved them goodbye.
Fin—Present Day
"Are you all right? When I saw you lying so still by the pond, I was half afraid that you were already dead or something!"
The words, full of concern, slowly trickled to Emma's mind through the addled mush that the journey over had caused. Had it been this difficult the last time? Emma couldn't remember. She slowly sat up once she had regained full use of her body and found herself looking into the face of a young woman with long curly brown hair.
"You poor thing. You must have fallen into the pond. Luckily the waves pushed you back out."
Emma shook her head in an attempt to clear the discombobulated wisps of thoughts from her head. "Er, where am I? Am I in Fin?"
She laughed sweetly. "Of course this is Fin. This was Fin before you fell into the pond too, silly. Come on, I'll get you dried up. My name is Christine, by the way. She extended an arm to Emma to help her up.
"I'm Emma." She suddenly remembered her mission. "Henry! Is there a boy named Henry anywhere here?!"
Christine looked puzzled. "There's no one in town with that name. Now come, we must get you dry before you catch cold." She grabbed Emma's hand and started pulling her. Looking around at her surroundings, Emma decided to follow. The pond appeared to be in a small space that was completely enclosed by tall walls except for a tiny walkway in one corner. There was also a bridge across the pond at one side that connected to a path that led to an inconspicuous door in another corner.
"Oh look, I dropped my laundry when I saw you lying there like you were half dead. Oops. I'll just quickly pick it up. I can wash it some other time."
Emma waited impatiently while the other woman tossed sheets into a basket before they continued their walk. While she waited, she realized that contrary to what Christine had said, Emma's clothes were completely dry, and even if she had fallen into the pond, there also weren't any waves that would automatically push her back out.
"You're not from around here, right?" Christine asked while they walked. "Did you come from Out Of Town?"
"Yeah, something like that," Emma replied. "I've been here before, just a few days ago. Do you recognize me at all?"
Christine looked at a loss. "No, I've never seen you before."
"Well, somebody kidnapped my son, Henry, and somebody else tipped me off that he was here."
"That's horrible! That reminds me of...never mind. I haven't seen any new boys around, but if I do, I'll let you know."
They exited the pond and Emma found herself in a wide-open town square with a giant clock tower in the middle. "That clock!" Emma exclaimed, "I remember it chiming the last time I was here!"
"Well, most clocks do," Christine answered while giving Emma an odd look.
The pair cut diagonally across the square before walking up a ramp and through an archway into another part of town. Emma was then pulled through a door with the words The Saucy Kettle Inn engraved above it.
"This is where I live. My family owns the inn," Christine informed Emma. "You're welcome to stay as long as you want. Usually we're very busy during this time of the year, but a lot of people have fled because of the upcoming catastrophe.
"Upcoming catastrophe?" Emma asked in confusion.
"The astronomer Sordid has warned that in three days' time, the moon will strike Fin. Already you can see it hanging low in the sky.
Emma nervously glanced out a window and saw that Christine was right; even in broad daylight the moon was more visible than the sun.
"Are people doing anything about it?" Emma asked; her current worries about Henry suddenly forgotten in the face of this newest threat.
"Well, a lot of people have already evacuated the town. That's why it seems so empty. But Sordid said that he plans to stop it from falling with magic."
"Sordid knows enough magic to stop the moon from falling?"
"He claims to. I know that in his time he was a very powerful sorcerer, so I have complete trust in him."
Her answer soothed Emma's worries somewhat. She doubted that Regina or even Mr. Gold had enough magical strength to achieve that particular act, and if the moon fell on Fin in three days, Henry would most likely be killed. But if Sordid was as powerful as Christine claimed, he might also be able to help her find Henry.
The inn door opened, and a strange looking man in gladiator sandals ran in. "Mail! Mail for Christine!"
"Oh, I got a letter!" Christine said with surprise. She took the offered letter from him. "Now, who could this be from?"
"It's from..." He looked at Emma suspiciously. "It's from You-know-who."
Christine gasped. "You mean you found him?!"
The postman nodded and said "I cannot tell you anymore. Good day." He quickly ran out of the building.
"What was that all about?" Emma asked her new acquaintance.
"It...It's nothing. Forget about it."
Christine seemed determined to avoid eye contact with Emma, so she decided to change the subject. "So, where does this Sordid live? I think he could perhaps help me find Henry."
"He lives just outside of town in his astral observatory. But just to warn you, he's very temperamental. I wouldn't get my hopes up about him if I were you."
Christine gave Emma better detailed instructions to the observatory, and Emma thanked her and left.
Neverland—In the Past
Linnea quickly walked through the corridors of the Pirates' Fortress with Tinker Bell flying at her side. She had traversed the hallways more than once in the past, and by now the pirates respected and even somewhat feared her enough to leave her alone.
"What kind of information do you think the Pirate King wants to share with you?" Tinker Bell asked her.
"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling it's more serious than another Baldy-Red problem."
The pair stopped in front of a stately wooden door and Linnea quickly knocked. As they waited, a door that was ajar across the hallway from them quickly closed, but not before Linnea got a glimpse of a man who had been staring at them from the doorway.
"Hmm, I wonder what that was about," she asked her friend.
"What what was about?" Tinker Bell said with some confusion.
"Didn't you see that man over there? Oh, never mind."
She heard the sound of footsteps approaching the door, and it opened to reveal a middle-aged woman.
"Thank you for coming, Linnea," Ruth said gravely. "Please, come in. Your friend too."
Linnea knew that Ruth had only just been appointed Pirate King a year ago and was still having some trouble earning every pirate's respect, even though as a group they had agreed that she was to be Pirate King. Personally, Linnea liked Ruth and thought that her wisdom was a better fit for the role than the previous King's violent nature had been. In addition, Ruth's goal was to have lasting peace between her pirates and the natives, which would mean less work for Linnea.
Ruth sat down at her desk and started pulling books out from a shelf. "I've been going through some records of history, and I've found more and more evidence to back up the fact that there was once stable peace between the two main groups of people in Neverland."
"So, what changed?" Linnea asked with curiosity. Tinker Bell listened patiently by her side.
"These records speak of a town that used to exist in the center of Neverland whose citizens—both pirate folk and natives—were able to exist peacefully side by side. Until the day that the town got blown up."
"What? An entire town got blown up? Who was the culprit? Was it a pirate?"
"Nobody seems to know who did it. The books say that one day the town was operating as usual, and the next day there was only a crater."
Tinker Bell suddenly perked up. "All that was left was a crater?"
Ruth nodded.
Tinker Bell looked thoughtful. "Oh, that's interesting."
"So we know that it is possible for there to be peace," Linnea stated. "And do you know what happened? Probably each group of people thought that the other group inflicted the devastation, and they probably told their children about it, and it kept getting passed down through the generations until both groups thought that they had always hated each other."
"Not only that, but I sent several of my magical scouts to the location of the crater when I learned about it, and they reported back to me that there were traces of bad magic around it, as if it were cursed."
Linnea looked Ruth straight in the eye. "Are you telling me this because you believe the bad magic is a curse that is causing continuous strife in Neverland?"
Ruth nodded. "That's exactly what I'm wondering. And I want to send you because I trust you to get the job done. And if anyone can withstand the curse, I know it would be you."
Linnea stood up quickly and marched to the door. "I'm right on it."
Tinker Bell sped after her friend. "Don't even think about going without me!"
Neverland—Present Day
"It's been a long time. Shouldn't she be back yet?" David paced around the fairy's tiny valley with uneasiness lining his face.
"It's only been an hour, dear. I don't think Emma's had enough time to find Henry yet," Mary Margaret reassured him.
"I just feel so helpless having to stay in this valley while Emma is out facing who knows what kind of danger."
"Well, Emma has taken care of herself for most of her life," Mary Margaret said guiltily, "And she did break the curse by herself."
Ivy gently flew over to Mary Margaret and landed on her shoulder. "Is there anything else we can do to help your friend? I think she's getting worse."
Regina had once again been struck by a fever and chills as soon as Emma had left her. The fairies had tried to help her with their healing herbs, but so far nothing had seemed to work.
"Nah, just leave her," Mary Margaret said complacently.
"Was your grandmother affected like this whenever she was anchoring you to Neverland?" David asked Samuel.
He shook his head. "Not that I'm aware of. I don't think Regina's symptoms are because of the moonstones."
"Well, what else would cause it?" Mary Margaret said testily.
David turned to Ivy as if he had just had an epiphany. "Hey, you're a fairy! Do you know a Tinker Bell by any chance?"
Kaleidas flew out and joined her wife. "Tinker Bell? We haven't heard anything from her for years."
"Oh." He looked disappointed for a moment before his face lit up again. "Do you know anything about the moonstones?"
"The moonstones? You mean those stones on the necklaces that you were talking about just over an hour ago with the boy? We have never heard of them until now."
Samuel approached David. "They're top secret. I wasn't even aware that anyone knew about them besides my family until yesterday."
David sighed with exasperation. "Why does everything have to be so difficult?"
"You think you have it bad?!" From where she was laying, Regina chucked a rock at him.
Fin—Present Day
Emma exited the inn and immediately walked under one of the archways that divided the several sections of town. She found herself in the town square again. Christine didn't mention this. Maybe it was a left from the inn instead of a right. She was about to turn around when a strange sight caught her eye. A group of people were gathering in the square, which was a stark contrast to its ghost-town appearance earlier that morning. I wonder what's going on. Emma curiously walked further into the town square to investigate. The crowd was grouped around a wooden framework with two holes bored into the wood.
"Save our town! Bring her out!" Somebody yelled.
Two men in armor walked a blonde woman over to the wooden device and secured her hands in the two holes. Rather than looking scared, she merely looked slightly apprehensive.
Emma thought back to her high school lessons of medieval torture. She was pretty sure that the stocks were only used for public humiliation.
"What's happening," she asked the man standing next to her. "Are people just going to laugh at her?"
"Aw no. They've just announced that Sordid's gonna chop her hands off in order to appease the moon."
Emma looked outraged. "What?! Sordid's going to chop her hands off?!"
"That's what I just said."
The blonde woman turned her head to the crowd for a second, and Emma caught a glimpse of a most familiar face. It was Ashley.
"Ashley!" Emma yelled. "Wait, I'm coming! I won't let them do this to you!" Emma quickly started fighting her way over to the stocks. This is terrible. Sordid must be a fraud, and the townspeople are willing to accept violence as an act of magic. However, once she got closer, the guards pushed her back. Suddenly, something caught her eye. A man was standing on top of the clock tower with an amused expression on his face. His face looked extremely familiar; so much that Emma was sure that she had seen him before. Forgotten feelings of dread and anxiety started swirling in the pit of Emma's stomach.
A scream suddenly rent the air and jerked Emma's mind back to the situation at hand. With horror, she saw an old man holding two bloody hands in the air triumphantly. Ashley had fainted and was being carried away.
"No!" Emma screamed. She ran toward the two men carrying the blonde.
"She'll be all right," one of the men said when he saw Emma's frantic look. "Because of her noble sacrifice, all of Fin has been saved from the moon."
"You really think that'll save you?" Emma cried with despair. But the men ignored her and carried Ashley into a building. A guard stationed outside prevented Emma from joining her.
Emma kicked the wall in frustration.
"Hehehehehehehehe." An entertained laugh echoed down from the top of the clock tower, instantly diverting Emma's thoughts from Ashley.
'Who is that person?' she said to herself.
Emma carefully looked around to make sure that no one was watching before walking over to the clock tower and slipping through one of the doors. She had a finicky feeling clawing into the back of her brain that she had seen that man during her first journey to Fin.
The inside of the clock tower was shrouded with darkness. Scant bars of sunlight that had been reflected off of the moon and through the wooden cracks of the structure made up all the light that Emma had available. She carefully inched her way to a wooden stairway and began to make her up. Once she got to the top, a soft rustling noise filled what had before been silence. Emma stopped and listened to pinpoint the location of the sound. It was coming from a door at the end of the hallway. Emma tiptoed down it and carefully opened the door. Inside appeared to be a boy about Henry's age, adorably nestled in a bed of hay. His back was turned to Emma, and in the near darkness he looked strangely translucent. Emma opened the door further to get a closer look, and in her haste, the door made a creaking noise. The boy quickly turned to face Emma, and she almost screamed. Where his eyes should have been were just two glowing white orbs. He leaped up at Emma and then actually seemed to fly up and out of the clock tower. When full sunlight hit him, Emma could see that it wasn't a real boy at all, but one made out of a smoky blackness.
Storybrooke—Present Day
"—and when I asked her what she was doing, she snarled at me, like a wolf! I think there is something seriously wrong with her."
Belle paused from translating the manuscript and looked over at Leroy. "Well, maybe it's just that time of the month. You know, a full moon in the sky means Ruby turns into a wolf at night."
Leroy shook his head. "It's not a full moon tonight. I checked."
"Hmm. I guess I really don't know what her problem is. But because I'm her friend and your friend, I promise that I will check up on her as soon as the town is protected from intruders."
"Thanks Belle. And I just want you to know that you were my second choice for mayor."
Belle sighed. "Yeah, you've already told me that a couple of times. Now shoo, I have work to do."
Leroy shuffled out the study door, leaving Belle wishing that the lock on the door wasn't broken. It was difficult concentrating on translating the spell with half of Storybrooke traipsing on through every day. But her hard work was paying off. Belle had always been gifted at both reading and languages, and already she had almost all of the manuscript translated.
The Atlantican book seemed to be a guidebook for all sorts of subjects. What was currently most useful to Belle was the guide for deciphering the Atlantican language. There were also several spells written in the language, such as the cloaking spell that Belle was working on (she wondered if Mr. Gold had got it directly from this book) and a spell for transforming into other people. From what she could read of it, the transformation spell looked complicated; the user needed to have moderately strong magical powers and an article of clothing from the intended form. There were also descriptions of a strange underwater land unknown to Belle. The writer wrote of it from an archeological standpoint, as if the inhabitants had died long ago and all that was left to study were ruins.
Finally, she had deciphered as much of the manuscript as she could. There were four undecipherable lines at the end that looked as if they were in another foreign language, but that didn't worry Belle because they seemed to be magic words anyway. The rest appeared to be a riddle. Belle read through it with weary dismay. It looked as impossible to make head or tail of as it had in the Atlantican language.
To forever hide
These two must coincide:
One needs peace:
Five I possess—my first is the shape of a scream
My second is hungry and fed by a stream
My third and fourth—vowels before the rest
And my fifth is the end of a town but the start of a nest
Two needs death:
Two sounds—one is the first noise of a salutation
Then there's a common word for painting and music fun
Bring them together
And say:
Masred rae a twees takisme
Lla remasred tusm akewa
Ton tihw erast ro a higs
Lla ginths eufaultib tusm edi
The Enchanted Forest—In the Past
Linnea trudged wearily through the door of her Enchanted Forest house and smiled as her seven-year old daughter raced over to her. "Mom, you're back already!"
"Yes princess, I'm back already. Now let me have an hour of alone-time, and then we can have family-time."
Linnea was frustrated. Her hopes had been raised by the thought that perhaps there was a curse that was preventing the natives and the pirates from getting along. But closer examination of the crater had revealed that the bad magic was stale and not active. It may have been the agent of destruction for the town, but it certainly was not affecting anything anymore. In hindsight, she realized that there was not going to be a simple solution to such a complex problem. Luckily, with her solving the Baldy-Red problem, there was once again a temporary peace in Neverland that allowed Linnea to slip back home.
"But Mom, someone is here to see you!"
"What? Who is here to see me?"
"He's in the living room waiting."
Linnea curiously entered her living room before stopping in surprise. The mysterious man that she had seen in the doorway opposite Ruth's office was sitting in a rocking chair and looking up at her quite calmly. Now that she could see him better, she realized that he looked familiar, as if she had seen him years before.
"Don't tell me. You were one of Killian Jones' men, right? Or no, you were one of the pirates giving him trouble, weren't you."
He smiled at her, his brown eyes warm and gentle. "What I once was does not matter anymore. But I did not come here to talk about myself. I was told that I needed to give this to you." He pulled a small leather bag out of his pocket, opened it, and withdrew two necklaces. On each one was threaded a tiny stone that resembled a pearl.
"What are those? And who told you to give them to me?" Linnea's hand started slowly inching toward her sword. Is he trying to trick me?
"Are you not the person they call Linnea the Savior?" he asked innocently.
"I am," she answered while realizing that he could probably be trusted. Not many people knew of that title, of the path that had been chosen for her. And those that instinctually saw it were always of the good.
"Then you must take these. There is a town far far away from here and the people there need your help. Use this stone to travel over," he held up one of the necklaces, "And give this stone to somebody you are related to so you are anchored, like your daughter. It won't hurt her."
Upon seeing Linnea's hesitant and slightly scared look, he said reassuringly "Linnea, the people need you. You must save them."
Fin—Present Day
Emma hurried back to the Saucy Kettle Inn, all thoughts of seeing Sordid gone after the debacle in the town square and the confrontation with the strange shadow boy.
Christine was arguing with a handsome young man in the lobby; he looked angry and frustrated while Christine looked stressed and worn-out. But when Christine saw Emma standing hesitantly in the doorway, she smiled and waved her over.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Emma said.
"No, not at all. I don't believe you two have met yet. Raoul, this is Emma. Emma, this is Raoul, my fiancé. He was just leaving."
Emma noticed that Christine practically pushed Raoul out the door. "Is anything wrong?"
"Wrong? No! Nothing can be wrong today. A person passing told me several minutes ago that Sordid has used his wonderful magic to make a sacrifice that would appeal to the moon and permanently halt its descent! I wonder who was chosen."
Emma stared at her in amazement. "Wonderful magic? He maimed Ashley!"
"Ashley? Who's Ashley? Still, if what you say is true, I'm glad he chose someone that I don't know. I would feel awfully guilty about having two hands if one of my friends didn't."
Emma was starting to think that Christine was a selfish ditz, but still, she was the only person that Emma had met in the town besides the angry Raoul and the scary shadow child.
"Listen, Christine," Emma began, "Is there someone with magic who can help me besides Sordid? I've learned that he is...um...busy."
Christine's face lit up. "Well, you could always try the Great Fairy!"
"Great. Where can I find her?"
"She lives in the north section of town. But I have to warn you, she doesn't appear to just anybody. And the area is mostly deserted because a strange and terrifying beast roams there at night."
Emma quickly glanced out the window. "I think I'll be okay. The sun hasn't set yet." She suddenly remembered her promise to Samuel to find his mother. "Christine, have you seen a strange woman around lately, like one who almost seems like she has come from a different world?" Emma realized that she had no idea what the woman looked like, so she described her based on Samuel's looks. "She probably has dark brown hair and brown eyes."
Christine giggled. "Well, if it wasn't for the brown hair and brown eyes part, I would think that you were talking about Linnea. But Raoul did say that there was a pesky woman that fits that description skulking around in the west side of town; he ran into her this morning when he was over there conducting business. Why? Do you think she will help you find Henry?"
Emma was in no mood to explain everything. "Yeah, something like that. I'll just be going then. Thanks for your help."
Emma walked out the door and decided to visit the north section of town first so she would be sure to finish before the sun set. She was starting to get more familiar with the layout of the town, and so this time she knew to take a left out of the inn to avoid the town square. From there, it was a quick walk to the archway that said "North Side." As she walked, she noticed with an eerie feeling that there appeared to be no way out of the town. Tall walls completely stretched along the perimeter, and all the walkways and arches merely led to another section of town, whether it was north, south, east, or west.
Emma let out a gasp of appreciation as she entered the north side because it was simply beautiful. Vibrant flowers and lush fruit trees were scattered willy-nilly around so as to make up a chaotic garden, though the effect was pleasing rather than disorienting. Stone statues of fantastic beasts stood as eternal guardians of the garden, and there were even a few fountains at odd intervals.
I wonder where the Great Fairy will be. Probably somewhere in the garden. She began to slowly stroll among the plants while keeping an eye out for anything that resembled a fairy. As she did this, she noticed with some nervousness that the sun was now behind the walls, meaning that her time in the north of town was almost up.
Suddenly, she saw someone walking through the garden near to where she was. Blonde hair and heavily bandaged arm stumps told Emma that it was the woman who had been at the center of the grisly display earlier that day. She stopped next to a fruit tree and Emma was able to get a better view of her face than she had earlier. The shout of 'Ashley' died on Emma's lips as she realized with a jolt that the woman was not Ashley but just someone who looked remarkably like her.
The woman lifted her face up to a pear tree and a fairy suddenly floated over and landed on one of the boughs. The fairy's weight was enough to make the branch bend downward toward the woman, and she was able eat from a pear that was hanging on the tree without having to lift her arms.
Emma slowly sneaked closer to get closer to the fairy without frightening it off. As she neared them, she could hear a high tinkling noise coming from the fairy followed by a low whisper from the woman. Emma strained her ears to listen.
"Every time I come here after having to withstand unimaginable torture, and you are always here to comfort me in this little garden of paradise, my friend."
This was followed by the jingling noise, as if the fairy operated like a tiny bell.
The woman sighed. "I wish you could remember this, Tinker Bell."
Tinker Bell? Emma quickly burst from her hiding and yelled "Tinker Bell, you have to tell me how to find Henry! I did as you said and married Regina, but I still can't find him! Is he still in danger?!"
It wasn't clear who was more surprised to see Emma, the fairy or the woman. Both stared at her in shocked alarm for a few seconds before the woman said "You shouldn't be here. The sun is nearly down and the monster will be out soon."
"I know about that; it's just that—"
Tinker Bell started chiming again.
"Wait. I think she has something she has to tell you."
Emma leaned forward eagerly. "Yes?"
Tinker Bell picked up a tiny twig and started writing in the dirt.
"She says...that...she was wrong...the boy is not here yet...still in Neverland."
"What?!" Emma exclaimed indignantly at the fairy. "I go through all this trouble of...of having to marry Regina, for crying out loud, and now you tell me that you miscalculated? Great, just great."
The woman looked at Tinker Bell with confusion. "How do you know all of this? I thought you were caught in the time-trap along with the other townspeople."
But Emma did not have enough time to find out what trap the woman was referring to, because she suddenly heard a low growling noise behind her.
"Look out! It's here!" the blonde yelled.
Emma quickly grabbed the moonstone in her palm and concentrated on Regina and Neverland.
Author's note: I know it seems like they're back where they started in the beginning of chapter 2, but don't worry, this had a purpose and I do know where I'm going with this. Also, virtual cupcakes to the readers who know what town Fin is based on.