After this chapter I will be branching into pretty much full AU aside from a few lines or minor scenes from the show. Get ready. Thank you so so much for all the reviews, follows, and favorites. Feel free to wander on over to my other story "Once Upon A Dream".
Emma and Elsa walked up to the mouth of the icy cave. Emma was shaking visibly as she stared into the cave.
Elsa grabbed Emma's hand, "You can do this… We can do this." Emma smiled hesitantly as she let go of Elsa's hand and walked in, Elsa shuffling to catch up and walk beside her. Once they got into the stark white cave filled with ice furniture and trinkets, Elsa tapped Emma's arm and pointed towards an empty mirror frame.
"I don't think she's here," Emma said turning to leave, Elsa following her.
"You two," Ingrid said, Emma and Elsa whipped around to find her standing right where they had just been, "have no idea how long I've waited for this moment."
Emma got into a fight stance as Ingrid glanced at their wrists.
"Your ribbons," She said, sadness and confusion washing over her face, "What have you done?"
"I'm not much for accessories," Emma said to Ingrid.
"Those ribbons joined us together." Ingrid said, visibly hurt.
"Get it through your head, lady. We're not your sisters and we're never gonna love you." Emma said the coldness in her voice catching her off guard just as much as it did Ingrid.
"Oh, Emma," Ingrid said, sitting down on a chair that was right behind her, "I know that you actually believe that. And… It makes me sad." She looked to Emma and Elsa," But I know that sadness won't last because soon, you'll see… you're wrong." Ingrid went to grab something from a drawer.
"Don't do it!" Emma yelled as she and Elsa thrust their hands up, ready to fight with their magic. Ingrid calmly pulled out two purple rocks and looked at them as her hands rested on her knees.
"What the hell are those?" Emma asked, slightly lowering her hands.
"They're memories," Ingrid said as Emma and Elsa continued to lower their hands, " I took from the two of you. And now it's time to give them back."
"Why," Emma asked shooting her a suspicious look, "so we can remember how badly you treated us?"
"The funny thing about time is we romanticize the good," Ingrid said, fiddling with the rocks and looking up at Emma and Elsa, "and forget the bad. That's exactly what's in these crystals. These… are the good memories and nothing else. Lovely moments the two of you shared with me, which I'll cherish forever… and now so will you."
"I hate to break it to you, but magic can't make someone love you." Emma said.
"You're right, Emma, magic can't create love, but if someone loves you in the past, it can make them love you again." Emma looked at Ingrid confused, "And I know you've forgotten, Emma, but you did love me." Ingrid looked to Elsa, "You both did. That's why…" she continued, standing up, "Right now, you're not doing anything."
Ingrid began to walk towards Emma and Elsa and they backed up as she walked between them.
"We all know the only way to stop me is to kill me, and you're both… hesitating." Ingrid turned to face the two women who were now looking at each other and then to her, arms outstretched in defense. "You don't have it in you."
Emma and Elsa looked at her for what felt like forever before she spoke again.
"It's ok," She said, holding the purple rocks out, "Come. Be my sisters."
Elsa grunted, "I can't do it, Emma. I can't hurt her."
"Yeah, well I can!" Emma said pulling back and ready to blast her.
"Wait!" Emma heard Anna shout from behind her, "Stop!"
"Anna!," Elsa said to her as she ran in, "No, she is too dangerous."
"You should listen to my sister and go!" Ingrid said angrily at Anna.
"Your sister? She's mine!" Anna spat at Ingrid, "And whatever you're gonna do? Well…don't." she said pulling out a scroll. She turned to Elsa, "Elsa, I found this on the beach, it's from our mother. She must have thrown it into the ocean before their ship sank. It came over in the portal with us."
"Just be careful," Emma said to Anna.
"No, I'm not gonna be careful. She needs to hear this." Anna said, "You all do." She stepped forward and began reading. "Elsa, Anna, I don't know if your father and I will ever get back to you, but I need you to know that we were wrong to tell Elsa to conceal her powers."
"How fitting that you, who are so much like your mother, should share her last words. Ingrid began to raise her arm, but Anna's words stopped her.
"I feel terrible, that it happened before and I can't let it happen again."
"What?" Ingrid said, dumbfounded.
"My sister, Ingrid, like you, also had ice powers. I never told you about her of my other sister Helga, but I should have. They were beautiful and kind and wonderful, and I was fearful. And I let that fear guide me. I let Ingrid hide when I should have celebrated her for the person she was. I loved her so much."
"You're lying!" Ingrid shouted at Anna, "My sister hated me! She called me a monster! She put me in that urn like you did Elsa!"
"In this crystal are the memories of my sisters, which I stole from the people of Arendelle. Please return them. My sisters deserve to be known." Anna looked up at Ingrid. "In a cave in the North Valley, you'll find an urn that contains Ingrid. Please do what I should have done long ago and release her. When you see her, please tell her… I love her and I'm sorry. I'd give anything to take back what I did, to hold her hands one more time."
Tears shined in the corners of Ingrid's eyes as Anna, Emma, and Elsa waited for her response. Suddenly, Ingrid thrust her arm up, magically clutching Anna's throat.
"Ingrid!" Elsa shouted.
"Let her go!" Emma shouted. Ingrid waved her hand through the air shooting Emma and Elsa through the air, landing several feet away and knocking them unconscious.
"I understand, Aunt Ingrid," Anna said breathlessly, as Emma and Elsa lay on the cold hard ground, "I understand now why you cast this curse." Anna choked as she gasped for air, "But you can come back from it."
"Understand me? How could you?" Ingrid said, squeezing harder to tighten the invisible rope on Anna's throat, causing her to gasp for air even more. "You're nothing like me. You understand nothing!"
"You're right," Anna said inhaling sharply, "I'm not like you. My mother wasn't like you. But if she was able to love you for who you are, so can I. You're apart of our family no matter what. And family never gives up on each other."
"You lie!" Ingrid shouted, waving her arm over Anna and knocking her to the ground.
Emma woke up and got to her feet, running to Anna as she gasped for breath.
Ingrid was standing and reading the scroll Anna had read. A spark of realization flashed in her eyes as she touched the little stone on the paper. Ingrid fell to her knees, sobbing as she closed her eyes and held the scroll to her chest.
"Oh, Gerda." She said tenderly. She then looked up at the three women and then stared at the mirror frame that was now empty because of her curse. "Oh… What have I done?" Ingrid stood up and began walking to the frame. "I need to reverse this."
"You can't," Anna said, "The only way is if you…"
"I know." Ingrid said looking up, "I have to destroy myself."
"No, Ingrid." Elsa said as Ingrid because casting a spell to kill herself.
"Wait!" Emma yelled.
"There's no other way." Ingrid said, continuing her spell, "I am a monster, not because of my powers, but because of what I let them turn me into. I have to undo this."
"No, Ingrid, you'll die." Elsa said as tears formed behind her eyes.
"I know," Ingrid said, and Emma couldn't breathe, "It's ok. Elsa, Anna, you found each other. And Emma, you found your family, even if it wasn't with me." Ingrid cried." A pain shot through Emma's heart, "You… you deserve your memories." Ingrid said holding the stones out. She flicked her hand and a purple stream began to emerge towards Emma and Elsa.
With a wave of coolness, Emma remembered in flashes. This woman before her, who had taken her under her wing when she thought she had no one, who wanted to adopt her when she thought no one wanted her, when she thought she was unlovable. This woman had loved her so much and now Emma could feel the full pain of getting ready to lose her. She wanted to scream, and cry, and hug her until she was gone, but her body was frozen with the pain that radiated to her toes.
"You three are so special, never forget that. Oh!" Ingrid cried out in pain as the spell she cast began to destroy her little by little.
"There has to be another way," Emma said stepping forward, finally able to move, to speak, "You deserve your happy ending, too."
"Long ago, a prophecy told me that you would lead me to just that, Emma. And this is it." She stumbled in pain as she looked around, "All I wanted was to have my sister's love, and… now I have it. Now… I get to join them."
Ingrid disappeared into a blast of light and snow. Emma looked up as snow began to fall inside the cave. A mixture of love and pain swirled in her heart as she watched the delicate ice crystals fall.
"She sacrificed herself for us, for all of us." She said as she held her hands out, little snowflakes landing gently on her hands before melting into tiny puddles.
"Anna"
"Elsa" Anna and Elsa said to one another as they hugged with relief.
Elsa bent down and picked up the scroll on the ground.
"We must follow through on our mother's last wish. We must bring back the memory of Ingrid and Helga to the people of Arendelle."
"We will." Anna said.
Emma looked at Anna and Elsa smiling sadly.
"We should probably get to town and let my parents out of those cells. I need to make sure Henry is ok, too." Emma said heading out of the cave.
"Yeah, If they haven't killed each other yet." Elsa said.
"Oh, trust me, they probably were too busy fighting Regina to fight each other." Anna said.
"What?" Emma said quickening her pace as they exited the cave and began running towards town.
Emma saw as the town was finally not an episode of C.O.P.S when she saw her mother.
"Emma!" Her mother shouted and her father and her ran towards her with her baby brother and Regina in tow.
"Mom!" Emma yelled out, grabbing her mother.
"Mom!" Henry shouted, running to Regina.
"Henry!" She said lovingly, grabbing him and holding him tight.
Emma broke her embrace with her mother.
"And mom." Henry said, hugging Emma tightly.
Neal began to fuss, "And he's finally waking." David said, making sure he was covered enough and safe from the snow. Neal cooed at his father.
Emma bent down and stroked her baby brother's face as her mind went to the life inside of her.
"Look, I know that we were under the Snow Queen's curse, but…" Snow started.
"We were under a curse." David said, looking his wife in the eyes, "It's ok."
Emma looked up to see her parents kissing passionately. She turned and walked to Elsa and Anna giving them both a hug finally happy that they could have some peace for a few minutes.