A/N: Well, if you haven't noticed, I changed it rather much. I was not pleased at all by what I had written yesterday. Blame it on the heat, or the tiredness, no idea, but it sucked. :)

13. The last battle of Storybrooke

Lily hissed between her teeth, and squeezed the five beans in her hand.

The army of card was marching on the clearing, clashes of metal against metal as they did so. Tamara and Owen were walking up front, with Hook a little paces behind them, looking very much not as ease.

First came the Hearts, then the Clubs, then the Spades. The Tiles were last, and didn't seem to like the idea of the battle much.

They were all advancing on cadence, three by three.

It was about bloody time Lily did something.

She turned to her brother at her side. "Put the children in the middle of a circle. And buy me time. I need time."

But as she went to hurry towards the right spot for the portal, Neal's hand caught her wrist and stopped her. "Wait. You said Camelot's time is far slower than ours. It could very well take them days to arrive."

She smirked. "As soon as the portal's opened, time rectifies itself on the two worlds connecting. Camelot and Storybrooke will have the same heartbeat."

Neal smirked back. "Then, by all means, sis, flame on."

She nodded and effectively turned around, walking steadily towards the most curves part of the clearing.

If you wanted her opinion, it had the shape of a lake, somehow. Fitting.

She took one bean, shoved the rest in her pocket, and muttered as she launched the small vegetables in the air, as far as she could.

As soon as it touched the ground, a whirlwind opened in the grass, green, emerald green, showing how it was her magic and none other that opened it.

A gush of living magic enveloped Lily, and she felt her nerves being touched by something like fire, and ice at the same time. A part of her. That had been severed from her for far too long.

She revelled in the feeling of it all, closed her eyes, and let a growl escape her lips for the first time in 30 years. "Oh, dragon! Thissai, kalith, episte keriss Merlin heridass filthe horrie Excalibur mess, Camelot periss, erai isse. Kar...Kilgharrah..."

As the words stopped flowing off her tongue, Lily felt the hair on the back of her neck rise.

She whirled around.

And faced Tamara.

She had a gun pointed in her face, and looked very much pissed.

Behind her, a circle of resistants had formed, trying to keep the cards at bay. By the look of it, they would not last long.

"I should have neutralised you first."

Lily cast her eyes on the other woman, and smirked. "Yes, you should have. And now, I'm gonna win, and you're gonna lose."

Tamara hissed. "I don't think so."

Lily thought really fast. Buy some time. Let Kilgharrah deliver his message. Buy him some time. "You've never wondered what I was then?"

Her former sister-in-law took the bait. "A brat."

"Nope. But close."

Tamara loaded her gun. "A dead brat, then."

Lily closed her eyes.

And smiled.

She felt him before he even appeared in the sky.

A huge form, with grey and brown scales, and huge golden eyes.

A dragon appeared out of the portal and landed right next to Lily.

She opened her eyes back.

There had many several reactions on the battlefield at Kilgharrah's apparition. The cards had all backed away to their leader, Owen, Hook had disappeared in the woods, Storybrooke's inhabitants had regrouped, all looking frightened, and Tamara...

Tamara had fallen to the ground. Torn between hatred and terror.

Lily smirked. "I don't think you've met my dragon, Kilgharrah."

The woman stumbled to her feet and ran back to her lover's arms.

Lily pushed a hand to her dragon's paw. "It nice seeing you, Kilghie."

"It's nicer seeing you, Vivian." He huffed tenderly on her. "What would you have me do?"

She smiled. "Take my father, his lover, and my nephew away from the fight. And protect them, please."

"Be careful, Dragonlord."

She chuckled. "Always."

She saw, from the corner of her eye, her dragon leave the scene, Henry already starting a conversation she guessed would never end with the winged creature.

She walked up to the rest of her "army".

Neal faced her, his sword still in hand. "Now what?"

She sighed. "Neal, Emma, take Grace and Pinocchio and protect them with Kilgharrah. He's my dragon, if I need to, he'll choose to protect me over human children."

He nodded, hugged his sister for a split second, then took Emma by the hand and pulled her towards where Kilgharrah was lying, Henry sitting in front of him, the nearing battle all but forgotten.

Lily eyed the rest. "Right. Remember, these cards can't be killed if not by magic. Try and push them to me, I'll remain in the centre of it all if I can. Snow, Charming, take the left flank. Granny, Red, Grumpy, the right flank. Happy, Marco, Jeff, protect the portal. The rest, stay with me."

Grumpy then pointed over her shoulder. "And what about them?"

Lily whirled around.

And gasped.

They were just the most beautiful scene she had ever laid eyes upon.

All the Knights of Camelot – well, almost all of them – getting out of a swirling portal, all clad in their shining armours, swords in hand.

Arthur walked first, of course, Guinevere, also clad in an armour that belonged to Morgana, following her close. Merlin, Excalibur in hand, was behind them, a goofy grin on his lips.

Followed Percival, Elyan, and Lancelot.

No Gwaine. No Leon.

Oh, really?

"M'lady, thought you'd need a blade."

Her eyes snapped to her right.

He was there.

Gwaine had sneaked up on her first, two swords in hand, a magnificent smile gracing his lips.

Lily threw herself at him, enveloping his neck with her arms, her lips grazing his earlobe. "I love you."

He chuckled lightly and wrapped her fingers around the hilt of the sword. "As I love you."

She hugged him tight, then swallowed her tears of joy as Merlin walked up to her.

Two slender arms wrapped around her. "Lils."

"Merlie."

His mind found hers, as if it hadn't been 30 years since she had conversed with him thus. "What did you need magic for?"

"Those cards have to be killed with magic. Thought you'd like a discreet tool."

He chuckled and released her.

Arthur was the next. With a simple nod, he acknowledged her, and eyed the army once again marching on them. "What are we to do, Lady Lily?"

She smirked. "They are mine. None can kill them without magic. I'm the only here now, save for Merlin's sword, but don't ask now." The King nodded, though his blue eyes flashed at Merlin for a split second. "Dispatch yourselves. I'll be right in the middle of it all."

Arthur nodded again, then turned to his knights. Gwen stayed by his side as he walked slightly to Lily's left.

Lancelot went to the rest of the dwarves. Percival went to Charming, placing himself back to back with the prince. Elyan, his bow in hand, joined Snow.

And Merlin...was hoisted by Red.

Lily smirked at that.

She had always thought Red would have gone for Gwaine.

But it was true they were too similar in character. And she herself had always thought Merlin, as a woman, would have been perfect for Gwaine.

"Shall we, my lady?"

Her eyes met the brown ones she had so missed, and she smiled. "We shall, my lord."

She noticed at first how Tamara and Owen stayed out of the battle as the cards entered the chessboard. Pawns. Waiting for the Queen and King to enter the game.

But to Lily, the way Tamara was eyeing her was telling her so much more. They were waiting for an open window. To strike. And kill the instigator of this rebellion.

If they knew...

"Be careful, my love!"

She heard a clash of metal against flesh, and the 9 of Heart fell to her feet, beheaded.

She smirked down at it and muttered "Filthai". It exploded in a puff of smoke.

One down, 51 more to go.

Around her, the place was a mess.

She could see that two cards had decided to try their chances against Kilgharrah, and she chuckled as they disappeared in his blazing fire.

It was when she heard it.

Gwaine's grunt.

Lily's thoughts definitely snapped back into place as she whirled around.

Gwaine had fallen to his knees, a lance in his side, and though it wasn't deeply in, he would lose a lot of blood.

Lily's eyes shot golden, and the lance broke properly around the wound.

Then she eyed the assassin.

The 10 of Clubs.

A feral scream left her lips, and it clutched its head before it exploded, leaving a trail of blood and brain around it.

She fell to Gwaine's side.

He merely chuckled, though he was obviously in pain. "You need to focus, Lily, otherwise you'll be killed sooner than I expected."

She snorted. "You're the one losing blood on the ground, Gwaine."

"Because I took it for you."

Her eyes locked on his. She felt a rush to kiss him, but thought better of it. Instead she put a hand to his cheek and sighed.

"I have to close the wound. It'll probably hurt."

His eyes never left hers, and he nodded.

She put a hand on his abdomen, right above the wound. "Karith, eithai, ipse calith." Her eyes shot golden, the sharp end of the lance dissipated under the flesh, and the wound closed, a tiny scar highlighting it. "There, all anew."

"Then I'd think it best to get up. There are still 48 bastards waiting for your fire." He smirked, and with a groan, pushed himself up, whirling his sword afterwards, at a 4 of Tiles was upon them.

The battle lasted like that for long minutes. For Lily, it lasted a lifetime.

Snow and Elyan, upon seeing Kilgharrah's fire killing cards, had made it their mission to push their foes into the dragon's claws. It worked.

Merlin and Red, still fighting side to side, had decimated a good group as well.

But it was certain that the army's orders were to kill her, and none other. Her. In priority.

Or Gwaine, apparently.

As she had stood up from healing him, she had seen it. A devilish grin on Tamara's lips.

She knew.

Bitch.

The Hearts were nothing but a puddle onto the clearing's ground. The Clubs were decimated. The Spades still fought, anger renewed, while the Tiles looked as if they were waiting for the best opportunity to run away.

The moment Gwaine walked away to fight a very nasty Club, the Knave, fighting against a helpless Marco, Lily sensed it.

They'd take that window.

And as if on cue, the blurred figure of Owen appeared in the smoke left by her fire.

"So, this is you, then. The witch."

She hissed. "I'd prefer Dragonlord, thank you very much."

He smirked, a hand still hidden behind his back. "Tell me, Lily, do you like tasers?"

She gasped. Too late.

A whirl of electricity touched her skin, sending her trembling onto her knees, her head throbbing.

But instead of knocking her magic out of her, it seemed to do quite the opposite.

Strengthen it.

Her gaze lifted, and her green eyes met those, startled of Owen.

"Missed."

She outstretched a hand, and touched his chest.

Owen fell to the ground.

Smoking. Burnt. Dead.

"No!"

The scream echoed onto the grounds.

Not far from Lily, Tamara fell to her knees.

Her blood heated up at the sight, and she strode to the woman. Her enemy.

"Told you you'd lose."

Tamara's hurt eyes left Owen's body, and met Lily's. Full of tears, yet full of hatred as Lily had rarely seen in her life. "I'll kill you."

Lily, unrelenting, unforgiving, shook her head. "Don't think so." She didn't move. Stared at her. Needed to see it on her face when she'd understand. "Kilgharrah. Didikai."

Tamara's eyes lost all emotion, except fear.

Lily turned around to the screams of a human being burning alive.

No tear left her eyes.

"That was unlike you, Lily."

It was a few moments later. She had been standing in front of the still opened portal, refusing to feel. Refusing to regret.

She whirled around and glared at Arthur. "She deserved to die. She's taken my father's powers out of him, she broke my brother's heart, she tried to kill each and every of you. She deserved her fate."

"It was a cruel death, Lily." Gwen tried to soothe her, but the witch jerked away from her touch, resuming her staring at the swirling green magic.

Gwaine's gloved hand touched her shoulder. She didn't move away. "Lily. It's not you. We all know it's not you."

She whirled around once more and glared at the lot of them. Percival, the Kind, Elyan, the Loyal, Lancelot, the Noble. Merlin, the Brother. "What if I've changed, uh? You've not lived here for 29 years, you don't know if I've not changed!"

But right then, a powerful, deep voice shushed her away. "Enough, Vivian. This is unlike you. Let go."

Her eyes cast upwards and met the mighty ones of Kilgharrah.

And the tears began streaming down her face.

Gwaine's arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her face to his chest.

"Sh. It's alright. It's over."

She wheeped and wheeped and wheeped. Until the tears were no longer there, until she remembered she still had a duty to this land.

She wasn't in Camelot. Arthur wouldn't take care of it for her.

So Lily pulled away from Gwaine's embrace, and walked up to the middle of the field, where her "army" was gathered, and the wounded were tended to.

Jefferson had been badly wounded to his leg, but Emma, grinning from ear to ear at a joke he seemed to have made, was already tending to it.

Charming had a bad bruise on the side of his neck. Snow, who was looking at it, had a light cut on her cheek.

Granny and Red were holding each other.

Henry and Grace were holding hands, watching as Rumpel took care of Teacher's concussion. Belle was at his side, of course.

It was then her eyes fell on Happy's form.

He was looking like a corpse, barely breathing.

Grumpy was clutching to him like a lifeboat.

His eyes met hers. "Help him. If you really have magic, help him."

Lily ran forward, and knelt next to the dwarf. She launched her magic and searched for the wounds.

They were serious. Very serious.

"Grumpy... His lung is punctured, his artera has been cut, and his had several ribs broken."

"So?"

His gaze was implacable.

So she sighed and took her decision. "Kilgharrah?"

She heard a huge paw landing behind her. She craned her neck and watched into the two golden orbs. "Please?"

He then leaned in and breathed on her.

Her nerves were ignited again, this time with a new feeling. Neither fire nor ice.

Water.

"Thank you." She closed her eyes.

"Anytime, anywhere, Dragonlord."

Her hands lightly touched Happy's chest, and without any words spoken, green magic seemed to envelope them both.

After a long moment, and after she felt her energy being drained out from her, Happy took a deep breath.

And opened his eyes.

"Why the funeral faces? Is someone dead?"

Is someone dead. It was those words that triggered.

Lily got up and turned back to the Knights of Camelot.

Locking eyes with Arthur. He only would not dare lying.

"Where's Leon?"

Arthur opened his mouth, seemed to search for the right words, then closed his lips again, his eyes darkening.

She understood at once.

The scream filling her lungs was of another person.

She herself had been cast away from her body.

It was too painful.

She fell to her knees and screamed, yelled, cried to the world how it had wronged her.

Arthur knelt in front of her. "I'm so sorry, Lily. When we arrived at the Lake, you had already passed the portal. Leon went after you, but as soon as he was in, he was sent flying off it, and...and..." He looked up for help.

It was Merlin to answer. "Leon drowned."

It didn't help.

At all.

The screams didn't recede until much, much longer.

When green eyes opened and met grey ones across the field.

Rumpelstiltskin seemed properly frightened when he met his daughter's raging gaze.

She slowly pushed herself up, tears still freely streaming onto her cheeks. Her hands balled into fists, and she she started walking up to him. More like running, really.

"You! You killed him! You!"

But before she could have move a yard, two strong arms pulled her back into a chest.

Against all odds, it was Percival.

"No, Lily. He's your father. No matter what wrong he's done you, you wouldn't forgive yourself. Stop."

She went limp into his arms.

Everything went black.

When she opened her eyes again, only minutes had passed.

She found that all of Storybrooke, including her murderer of a father, had left the clearing.

Kilgharrah was lying beside her, his golden eyes full of worry.

She sat up, and pushed a hand to his snout, reaching him in mind rather than in words.

"I'm sorry, Kilghie, I've failed you."

"Caring isn't a weakness, Vivian. It is a strength. You might never forgive your father, but know that he didn't know who Leon was to you."

A single tear escaped her eyes as she nodded.

Arthur put a soothing hand on her shoulder. "Better?"

She nodded and sniffed. "Better. Thank you."

He ran his hand to her own and pulled her up. "Let me say that you've lost your mojo, Lily. You don't spar as you used to."

She chuckled, though her heart was shattered for life, and nudged him in the arm. "We'll see."

Gwen's gaze, next to her lover, lit up. "So, you'll come home with us?"

Lily noticed how all the knights were now facing her, hoping for a yes.

She deceived them. "No. Not yet."

Lancelot smiled. "Still have business to attend to?"

She smiled back. A sad, but truthful smile. "Exactly. I still have a brother and a nephew to say goodbye to. And I want to make sure they're safe before I go."

Lancelot nodded. "The best reason in the world."

Arthur then walked to her, and shook hands with her. "Until later, then, Lady Lily."

She chuckled. "How's your father?"

"Not better. Maybe the knowledge the Lady Knight is back will awaken him."

How he could turn the matter of his father's madness into a joke, she'd always wonder.

"Until later then, Sire."

Gwen was the only one, save Lancelot, to hug her. Elyan shook hands with her, and Percival...settled for a kiss on the cheek.

Seriously, she was beginning to like that giant.

Merlin now stood before her.

So she wrapped her eyes around him, and squeezed as hard as she could. "Do you know what I thought the first time I saw you?"

"Nope."

"That you had the most beautiful pair of eyes I had ever seen."

He chuckled. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you most, brother."

He smiled widely, nodded, and took his spot to Arthur's right.

When one Knight didn't move, Arthur's brow furrowed.

"Gwaine?"

Lily whirled around. He was still standing behind her, arms crossed, shaking his head. "Nah. I think it's time I visit some other worlds."

Lily shook her head violently. "No. Camelot needs you."

"It needs you as well, little lady." He smirked. "I'll be your hostage. A token. The promise you will return to Camelot one day." Then he looked up at his prince. "I won't change my mind."

Arthur sighed. "I know you won't."

And to that, the Knights turned around and jumped into the opened portal, Merlin lastly shooting a glance at his bestfriends.

Kilgharrah spoke up after they left. "It is time I left too, Vivian."

She sighed and turned to face him, her hand founding his snout again, and caressing the hard scales on there. "I know. I will miss you, Kilgharrah. Once again, you've saved me from myself."

"Our fates are entwined, young one. When you are in pain, I am too."

She smiled up at him. "I will return."

"I know. But it is not yet time."

"No."

"I will miss our talks."

"I will miss your voice in my head."

"Ah!" He seemed to chuckle at that, then he took flight.

With a perfect whirl, Kilgharrah, the last, the Great Dragon, disappeared right in the middle of the portal, which closed with a gush of wind.

A hand found its way in Lily's.

"So...where to, my lady?"