Chapter 15
Emma sat back in the chair. She didn't know what else to do. If she wasn't in the room with Ruby, she was in the room with Coraline…Danni, her daughter. She would smile at Rachel and Brittany who never left her side. Occasionally Belle or Regina would come take her place or she theirs as they each took turns with their two loves, Ruby and Danni.
Regina would cast cooling spells over her Danni every few hours to help her body deal with the fever. Blue and Tink would do what they could, but it seemed that magic could not cure whatever was ailing her. And, it troubled them all. There only hope rested in the adventures of Will, Santana and Quinn. Their own unlikely group of heroes.
Regina watched Rachel especially seeing how close she was to Danni. She didn't know why the young woman intrigued her so much. She couldn't understand how such a small woman with no royal blood, or bearing, or rearing, could command others so easily. It was like watching Snow with the dwarves. She was just…mesmerizing. And, she never shut up, which for some odd reason made Regina smile and like her even more. She knew that it didn't make sense, but she didn't care. It was obvious that the pint sized woman cared for her daughter and that was really all she needed to know.
"Belle told you what happened that night when we found each other, didn't she?" Rachel asked her one night when it was just the two of them alone in Danni's room.
"She did."
"I love her, you know. But, not how I love Quinn and not how Will loves her, but I do. I love her as much as I love Santana and Brittany," Rachel stated.
"I can see that," Regina replied.
"I'll do anything that I can to help her."
"I've noticed."
"Your Majesty?"
Regina turned to face her. She could see something in her eyes. Rachel as scared, but Regina didn't know what she was afraid of. She nodded at the younger woman for her continue.
"Is there anything that I can do?"
"I don't know."
"I overheard Belle saying that it isn't magic, but are you sure?"
"Why do you ask?" Regina questioned her.
"I don't know. I…I just…I want to believe that we are doing everything that we can for her. I know I don't know much about magic or the ways of this land, but I would think that there has to be some sort of cure, right? She can't be suffering from something not of this realm, right?"
Regina didn't know what to say. The little diva may be on to something. She hadn't thought about that because she already tried with Ruby and failed. When Will's kiss didn't cure her, they assumed that it wasn't magical. But, what if it was, it just wasn't a magical curse from the Enchanted Forest? Regina knew a lot about magic, but she wasn't sure that she could cure it even if they found out what it was and how to deal with it.
"I suppose that could be the answer," Regina stated as her mind began to wonder about who she would contact later to see if they knew anything from their realms that resembled Danni's malady, and she knew just who to start with.
"I mean, could this be something that we brought with us?"
Regina stopped her train of thought and looked at Rachel. She had a point. Was this something from Earth that was affecting and that was why magic wasn't working? Regina wasn't sure. She'd have to check the books that Belle had to see. But, it gave her a new angle in which to try to treat her daughter. She gave a Rachel a strange smile.
"I don't know, Rachel. It could be. It very well could be. There are things from your world that even magic can't cure without help," Regina answered.
"Like what?" Rachel asked, suddenly very curious.
"A broken heart," Regina spoke from experience.
"I don't think anyone has the cure of that. If they did, no one would ever get hurt and we wouldn't learn to appreciate what we have. We would learn how to love fiercely enough to let go when needed and suffer in silence. Do you think that is what happened? Do you think that because she didn't have her heart, she was suffering in silence?"
Regina shook her head. She wasn't sure how much about magic Belle and Danni told them in the few days in Storybrooke before they came through the mirror, but she was sure it wasn't enough. However that didn't make Regina stop pondering Rachel's questions, they were just running through her brain and she was shifting from all the knowledge that Rumple had imparted on her to try to find the answers. She was coming up blank and the books weren't helping either.
"I really don't know, but I doubt it. Heart magic doesn't work that way. Especially here."
"Heart magic?" Rachel inquired.
"Yes, magic of hearts. There are many tales as to why we can remove them, but most are sinister and not generally pleasant. The fact of the matter is that when someone removes your heart and they keep it, they can control you. You don't feel emotions as deeply and generally just react because your brain tells you to, based upon past experience. There is no real thought behind it."
"I understand that now. After seeing Danni the night she saved and the following days, she was completely different when she returned to us. She wasn't the same but I just assumed it was due to our time apart. We had grown apart in the months we weren't together. We had faced things alone and hadn't been able to talk about it with each other. She gave me emotional responses, but you're right when you say that they weren't fully emotional responses. I've seen her cry. I held her and she held me in the nights following my attack."
"Did you ever ask her why?" Regina asked her.
"I tried once. She turned the question around on me. She didn't want to talk about her past. She was very closeted that way and I don't mean about her sexuality. It was about everything. She wouldn't really tell us about her parents or family. Needless to say we were surprised when Belle showed up. We thought that she was a war orphan from Europe that grew up in the States. She seemed well educated, but we didn't know from where. She never told us of anything before that strange week she stayed with me or the time between it and her rejoining us."
"Not once?"
"No, your Majesty, not once did she betray who she really was. But no matter what she didn't tell us, we could see the pain her eyes. She couldn't deny that. We knew that something nearly destroyed her and we weren't going to push her into telling us what it was. We just kept telling her that we were there for her. We did little things to let her know that we cared."
"I am sure that she appreciated it all," Regina told her.
"Oh, I am sure that she did. But, all of this is her fault. I have no one to blame but her."
Regina turned to face her again. She saw the sadness and possibly anger in the younger woman's soulful brown eyes. Just when she was about to say something to her, Rachel turned back to Danni. She watched the younger woman stand from her chair and take the two steps closer to the bed that Danni was on. When the diva turned back up to face Regina, she could see the tears that had formed in her eyes.
A few seconds later, Brittany came in and took her hand. Rachel instantly calmed. Regina felt herself calm as well and she didn't know why. She looked over at the blond dancer and began to wonder if she was the reason. It seemed like a logical reason the more that Regina thought about it. It seemed that whenever Brittany was around tempers stopped flaring or didn't at all. If she was near, everyone seemed calm and steady in their emotional upheaval.
She cocked her head as she watched the movements and silent body language between the two younger women. She made a mental note to talk to Belle the first chance that she got. She stood up and went to the door. She was comfortable leaving Danni with the two of them and not just because Tink and Blue were in there with them. She knew that the younger women cared for her daughter in a way that only a good friend could. She wished that she'd had that when she was younger. She wished that Emma had had that as well.
The more she watched the interactions between the four women and Danni; the more she wished that she could have seen them in New York. There was a dynamic that she hadn't seen since Ruby and Snow. They were like a group of sisters that didn't need blood to bond them. A slow smile crept across her face.
Emma came in the room just as she reached for the door. They shared a look before she just took Emma's hand and pulled her out of the room. She kissed her, deeply, and Emma couldn't suppress the moan that escaped her lips. When Regina broke the kiss, she smiled up into Emma's burning green eyes. Their love had been tested for years, but they always made it through and they were both determined to make it through this, with everyone intact and alive.
Emma let her pull them both away from Danni's suite. She didn't need to know why. She'd seen enough in Regina's eyes. There were questions that needed answering and they couldn't do it by their daughter's side. She was in good care and Emma knew that if something seemed off, they could always poof to her side in an instant if needed. She prayed that it wouldn't be needed, but it was still there if they needed it.
Regina practically made her run, hand in hand, to Ruby's room. They crossed the castle almost as fast as they had the night that Coraline jumped through the portal in her room. It had been the screams of a tormented and broken-hearted Wilhelmina that called them there. Emma never asked Regina about how she knew that they were needed, she just held on tight and wished that her fears weren't coming true. But, this was different. There wasn't a torment in her eyes. For once in a long time, Emma saw hope growing in her wife's eyes and she was determined to keep it there. She'd made Danni a promise and she meant it. She would willingly give herself up if it would help. She knew that Regina would do the same. She knew that it wasn't a viable option, but if she could find a way to give up some of her life force in order to help her, she would.
They burst into Ruby's room. Belle turned to look up at them. She had been bathing Ruby, since she was alone with her for a few minutes. She dropped the rag back into the bowl.
"I have an idea," Regina told them both.
"An idea?" Belle asked
"Yes, it might sound strange, but I believe that Brittany has some sort of powers. She may not even know it. I want to test her."
"Are you sure that is wise?" Emma asked her, not discounting what she was saying.
"I don't really know, but I believe that she might help us get more insight into what is plaguing both Ruby and Danni. Belle, I'll need your help in convincing her to do this, though. I am not sure they know what to do with me," Regina commented.
"Can you blame them, Regina? They have no idea what they've stepped into. They came here to help Danni find a cure for Ruby. They really didn't know what that meant and Danni surely didn't mean to have …well, whatever happened to her happen," Emma told them both.
"I can't, no. But, I think that there is more to those four than they know themselves. There has to be for them to be drawn to Coraline…Danni like that. They are like four personal knights to her. It doesn't matter that they know that she can handle herself. They aren't going to do that alone. That says a lot to me. The fact that they came here, knowing that they didn't know fully what they were getting into, and they still did it anyway tells me a lot more. There is a level of respect among them that I have only seen in my knights and amongst us, after everything that we've been through."
"What are you saying?" Belle asked.
"I am saying that there is something magical between the four of them and possibly that is why Danni was drawn to them. I don't know how to prove it and I am not sure that I can. But, I would like to start by testing Brittany. She seems to have some control over emotions."
"She's an empath?" Belle inquired.
"I don't know. It is possible. We know how many magical beings fled our world for something with the less magic to control them. In Storybrooke, magic didn't control us until Rumple released it. There was power among us, but it was hierarchal in nature. Once magic was introduced and everyone had their memories, things changed. Sometimes dramatically."
"That's an understatement," Emma added.
Regina looked at her wife, cocked an eyebrow and then returned to Belle's face. She could see the wonderings beginning in the Bookworm's brain. A thought, a tiny thought, planted would become a new obsession for them both. They would research the hell out of it and then try to prove Regina's theory. Emma had seen it enough.
"But, how would we test her? She can't know that she's an empath. And, if she does, then she has very remarkable gifts. Even with some of her more naïve thoughts, Brittany can control them by her words. If she does truly have some sort magical power, they have to be serious strong, Regina. She's been doing this for years it seems. She has control, but to what end? What would be the purpose for her? Why would you need to know if she really has that kind of power? We aren't at war with anyone," Belle stated.
"I know that, Bookworm. I do. But, knowing that we have an empath here…"
"We are not swaying anyone's minds to do anything," Emma told them both.
"Emma…"
"NO! There will be no mind control. No emotional control either. If she truly is an empath, she might not fully understand the nature of her power. Hell, she might not even realize that she is doing it. All she may know is how her presences affects her friends and as long as it is a happy effect, leave her be. I will not let you push them into using their powers, if any of them have them. I know what it is like to grow up there and read about magic and wish for it. I know what it is like to grow up wanting fairy tales to be true, but when you find out they are…nothing is the same again. It is enough stress on their minds right now just to be here," Emma explained.
"We need to let them figure it out on their own," Belle added. "Regina, Emma is right. If we push them into accepting their gifts, if they have any, we will be condemning them to a life they don't fully understand. Danni may not stay, but then again, she might. If she does, will we make room for the four of them in our inner circle? Will we give them the support they need because all three of us know that they aren't going to leave anytime soon? And, if we don't help them, or give them the support they need because we have magic, will we doom them to return to New York without their magical abilities and without Danni, possibly? I am not willing to take that risk. And, I know that Danni wouldn't be either."
"I don't want to hurt them," Regina stated.
"It isn't about pain, Regina. It is about putting them on the edge of the cliff and asking them to jump. It took you breaking a rope bridge for me to admit that I have strong magic and to use. My problem is that I rarely use it for myself unless it is for survival. Then my instincts kick in. We don't know what they've been through or what they know about any powers they may possess if any. If you test them, they may break. And, Danni would never forgive us."
"I just want her to come in here with Ruby," Regina replied quietly.
They all looked at each other. Blue and green eyes met the dark mahogany and held them. There was something that Regina wasn't vocalizing, but it hung in the air. It seemed so obvious once she hadn't said it fully. She'd hinted with her words, but Regina had never fully come out and said it. Belle smiled. She knew what test Regina wanted to try.
"You want her to talk to Ruby?" Belle asked once she realized what Regina wanted.
"I want her to try."
"Because she's an empath?" Emma questioned.
"If she really is an empath, she might be able to tap into Ruby's emotions and find a way to communicate with her. Heavens and all the gods know we've tried everything else. But, do you really think that it'll work? She's had no formal training. It would be like the blind leading the blind," Belle stated.
"That much may be true, but she seems to pick up on things quickly from what I've seen. She does have a childlike wonder to her, but I think that it because of how strongly she feels things. If she can make a connection with Ruby, then maybe we can figure out what's wrong with her and help her. And, if she can't, then she's spent some time with Ruby talking. No real foul in that, is there?" Regina asked them.
"No, I guess not," Emma replied. "But, can empaths really do that? Could she break past whatever is ailing Ruby in order to help her? And, if she can, why didn't we already try it?"
"Because there are no more empaths in the Enchanted Forest that I know of," Regina answered.
"But, why?"
"Long before Regina was born, there was a war. It was long and tedious. Neither side seemed to be gaining ground or losing too much either. The true losses they were suffering were men and supplies. So in an effort to turn the tide, they turned to magical beings. Not fulling understanding their power or the consequences of said actions, both rival houses called upon the Lands of the Northmen, leagues to the north of the Winterlands to come help them sway their opponent into giving up and laying down their arms," Belle explained.
"So did it work?" Emma asked.
"A little too well," Regina replied.
"Once both sides agreed to call a truce and lay down their arms, a third kingdom to the East came sweeping in and conquered the lands for itself. See, while the other two kingdoms were fighting, it was prospering. It had enough food to feed its hungry. It had enough supplies to clothe its people and keep its army strong and maintained. They didn't lack for anything, but their king, while ruthless, was a shrewd planner. He stockpiled everything that he could and made sure to pay farmers more than what their crops were worth as long as they continued to grow them. He didn't mind make his country rich. He wanted it. Because the more prosperous he was, then more his people would allow him to do."
"So?" Emma questioned.
"Eventually, his thirst for power and riches became too great. The people began to question his motives. The other two kingdoms had called for a truce and here he was sweeping in to annihilate them all. They realized that he really didn't care about his people, but his purse. He wanted land, and lots of it."
"But, what does this have to do with the Empaths of the North…Northmen?" Emma inquired.
"They learned what became of the two kingdoms. They were a peaceful people and they'd used their powers to help the kingdoms realize that they would never have a true winner. That they could be stronger together, if they could find some common ground. The empaths made them realize that they really weren't that different. They were just from different parts of the world. But, the other kingdom came in so quickly that neither of the kingdoms could mount a defense and after years of war, they really didn't have an adequate defense to post," Belle explained.
"So what happened?"
"The two kingdoms feel. The people had to bow to the will of the ruthless king. The empaths weren't happy. They started revolts and riots. And what they didn't physically start, they planted the seeds of. They were slowly trying to help the people overthrow the king."
"What happened?" Emma probed.
"What any ruler at the time would have done," Regina stated.
"Which was?"
"Call upon forces that you can use at your will."
"Vulcannonians?" Emma asked.
"Yes."
"So the revolt?"
"Was decimated before it every really began, and with no leadership the king's rule tightened. When he learned that it was the Northmen, he sought out to destroy them. Some chose to stay and fight. Others fled because they believed that it was their fault. They thought that it was their power that caused the collapse of the two kingdoms. They blamed themselves and it caused much grief for their people."
"But, those that stayed? What happened to the ones that stayed to fight? Did they all die?"
"No, they didn't. But, they never spoke of their power again. They never wanted that kind of influence over anyone. They tried to hide their powers, but occasionally a child was born with such extraordinary talents that they couldn't be masked," Belle told her.
"And, the Vulcannonians were bloodthirsty when need be. Wilhelmina's own brother led campaigns in the North against them. It wasn't a pleasant time in the Enchanted Forest. But, tales of the blond haired, blue-eyed, Northmen empaths still were spoken of and discussed. There were whispers of certain individuals who seemed to possess the powers. And with each declaration, another family was destroyed," Regina stated.
"Until the Empaths joined with the Ulf coming down out of the mountains. It seemed that the Ulf were tired of the longest winters. They were dying out and had no fresh blood among them."
"So they came down to marry, and ended up befriending the empaths?" Emma asked.
"Something like that. It made the blood of the Ulf stronger. They managed to fight off the Vulcannonians and keep them at bay. It seems that the Vulcannonian royal family has a soft spot for the Ulf. Pyroxes, Will's father, married one, Anita's sister, thus making Ruby her cousin, but also his brother and sister married Ulf. They didn't stay with the packs of the Ulf, the clans of the Northmen, or with the families of the Vulcannon. They left for a new world, a new start, and many of them were not immortal. They were strong, empathic, hardy people capable of living in places that no one would dare to build a house and thrive."
"The Northmen became the Norse legends of Earth?" Emma questioned.
"Stranger things have happened," Belle stated.
"So what you're saying is, if I got this right, is that Brittany might be a distant cousin to Ruby and have empathic abilities and due to the diluted bloodlines of both the Ulf, and Wolves of the Enchanted Forest, and those of the Northmen Empaths, she could come speak with Ruby in a way that we can't?"
"Exactly," Regina answered.
"Well, then what you waiting for. Bring her in here and let's see what the dancer can do? I mean, she is just going to be talking to a comatose werewolf. There really isn't any harm in that, is there?" Emma rhetorically asked.
"It is just a theory," Belle stated.
"But, it is a crazy enough theory that you both want to try it. And, you're both hoping that it'll work. And, if it does, how are you going to explain that to Brittany? And, let's not forget Santana. That girl is a bitch on wheels. She will end you for this if it goes badly."
"I am willing to take that chance," Regina replied.
"Fine, it's your funeral. You explain that to our children. I'm going for a walk," Emma told them both as she left the room in a huff.
"She just needs some time," Belle told her.
"I know. She is thinking about this not as a princess of the realm but as Emma the orphan."
"Can you blame her?" Belle inquired.
"No, not really. She's still coming to grips with what she is. I can't imagine what this might do to those women. But, I don't think that it will affect Brittany as much as it will the others."
"I don't either. But, I can see where you're coming from, Regina. We'll need to tread lightly. She'll suspect something if you are too heavy handed about it. Let me ask her."
"As you wish, Bookworm."