Chapter Thirty-Five

Regina sat in her study looking over maps and treaties. She wanted to be prepared if they decided that a war was needed. She didn't hear Will come in and sit down. She didn't even look up. She was too focused on the task at hand: being prepared.

"She's with Emma."

"That's good," Regina said.

"Belle is with Ruby. Seems that Ruby and Rachel both calmed Danni down somewhat after the fiasco in the armory followed by the incident in the court yard," Will stated.

"I am sure that it helped her to have that time," Regina replied.

It was then that Will realized that she wasn't really paying attention to her, but the maps instead. She wasn't really surprised. She remembered watching Regina plan before...when she was going after Snow. This was different. She was more intense. Things were more dire for them all.

"I'll leave you alone," Will stated as she stood to go.

"You don't have to go. I don't mind the company. I'm just trying to be ready in case the Silver Army comes for us," Regina replied.

Will nodded absentmindedly. She knew that Regina didn't always like to be alone. But, there were times that she craved it. It was something that she had to deal with being the Queen. Privacy had become a luxury, but she knew that as the mayor, too. This was no different.

"They went to the cabin," Regina told her breaking the silence.

"I know."

"I think she needs it."

"They'll be back in the morning, right?" Will inquired.

"I am sure they will. Emma seems to know what she needs. She's been through it. She understands her on a level I don't. I'm glad they have each other now. I'm glad that we can be there for Remy, but it is still too much for one person to deal with, Will. How can I take some of it from her?"

"I don't know, my queen," Wilhelmina answered.

Regina sat back and threw her quill on the desk. She looked up at the brunette with the piercing blue eyes. Will always had a level head. She knew that Will would keep Danni calm as much as she could and she would keep her from leveling the kingdom.

"She isn't going to go crazy on the battle field, Regina. She's changed. She's calmer. She's almost afraid of her magic. What happened in the armory is the first I've seen her act out of character."

"I know that, but it is a slippery slope. Sometimes it is really hard to come back once you start down that dark path. It is why she left us to begin with," Regina replied.

"I know."

"I tried to do the same thing, but the darkness...it's just so tempting and..."

"It corrupts. I know. I remember. I saw how easy you gave in. I let you, because I couldn't stop it."

"You didn't let me, Will. There was no stopping me. I was so angry that even our session in our private dungeon didn't stop the pain and suffering I felt. I wanted to make everyone suffer like I did, so I set out to do that. There was no consoling me. I wanted to be angry towards the end, when I cast the Dark Curse for Rumple," Regina explained.

"Why?"

"Because being angry was all I knew at that point. I couldn't function without it, but I knew that something was missing. I wasn't happy in my anger. The instant gratification only lasted for a little while and later I learned that Rumple groomed me for that Curse. He wouldn't cast it because it would cost him Belle. He wasn't willing to part with her, plus he didn't know that I had her at that time. He knew that I was so far gone, that I would have stopped at nothing, not even my father's heart, in order to cast the curse to make Snow pay for Daniel's death. He made sure that my gratification was never enough. He kept me on edge and when the mood to strike hit him, he did. He got what he wanted."

"But, you have Emma and Henry," Will countered.

"And, my little sister has the Imp's wife as her own now. So, in the end, I found my happiness through my anger. But, the darkness is still there. It is always tempting and it is a very jealous and dark lover. It's seduction is complete and life encompassing. It's very hard to resist," Regina informed her.

"But, she has something that you didn't," Will offered.

"What's that?"

"Friends and family that aren't going to let her fail," Wilhelmina answered.

Regina smiled. She knew that it was true. Things were different for all of them now. Things were better. They were all closer. They were working for a common goal and it was the kingdom. There was no pride or prejudice between the major houses. They were all looking for the same thing: happiness and love. And, they were all fighting to keep it. They were willing to do what it took to keep the peace going and keep love their major goal.

"I am happy about that, too," Regina responded.

"What else is weighing on your mind, Majesty?"

"I am afraid."

"Of?"

"War, losing my family, Danni leaving...where do you want to start?"

Will laughed, but it wasn't full of mirth. She laughed because she understood. She knew what Regina was feeling. She was scared, too, but she couldn't die.

"It is my job to protect this family, Regina, and I plan on doing that," Will said.

"Even from ourselves?"

"If need be, yes."

"I'll hold you to that, Will. Even if it means destroying me. I cannot be the cause of pain for my family. I will not go into that darkness again without knowing that you will make sure I don't hurt anyone."

"You know that is my pledge, Majesty," Will stated as she nodded in salute.

"Even against Danni?"

"Even then."

"I don't want to have to plan for that, but I must. I hope you understand. It isn't that I plan on going back into that darkness, but it's call is strong and so easy to answer. I could destroy the Silver Army with one hand if I so desired and I think that Danni knows that. She could, too, but she is willing to do it and sacrifice her newly returned soul in the process. I am not sure that I am willing to let her do that."

"And, what about Emma? Belle? Or myself? Do you think that we are willing to allow either of you?"

"No, and that is why I love you all for it," Regina answered. "We will have dark times ahead. The future has always been unknown to us. We stopped the Blackness from happening only to have a different sort of plague come after us in the form of this Silver Army. What are we to do? I will not sit back idly while my kingdom and family are threatened," Regina stated with her entire being.

"And, no one is expecting you, Regina. Why do you think that Emma has Danni out at the cabin by the lake. She is trying to make sure that our family survives this and that we stop the Silver Army. No one is giving up. We are all doing our parts in this fight," Will told her.

Regina stood up. She smiled. Will smiled back at her.

"Should we go to the lake as well?" Will asked her.

"Not tonight, no. If they don't come back in the morning, we'll head out there. I doubt that you will all be going in the morning as planned anyway."

"If Emma has anything to do with Danni, then yes, I am sure you're right," Will replied.

Regina laughed. Emma was known for her procrastination, but she knew how important this was. Will was one of the few that had seen both Regina and Emma separately. She knew the apart and alone. She knew them at their worst and at their best. She supported their union and their family. She would do anything for them both. But, she knew how head strong Emma was and how she would react. Emma didn't want an all out battle, but if it came down to it, Emma would be on a white horse leading the charge. But, Regina knew that she'd be beside her on a black horse with Danni and Will beside them.

"Do not fear, my Queen. Vulcannon will ride beside you, no questions. Now, let's go eat," Wilhelmina stated as they walked out of Regina's study and towards the banquet hall for dinner.

Belle was sitting with Ruby. She was pondering the coming adventure and what it would mean for them all. She didn't want to lose anyone and she knew that Danni was going to do her best to stop it all. But, she was also afraid for Danni. She was trying to not be so afraid for Danni, but she couldn't help it.

"In your heart, she is still your sister," Brittany said as she came in to sit with Ruby like she did every night.

Belle turned abruptly. Her icy blue eyes meeting the same of Brittany. The younger blonde smiled at her as she sat down near Belle. She reached out to take her hand, but waited for Belle to extend her own.

"She is, I guess, to a degree."

"The spell was strong. It is understandable. Even without magic, anyone can see the connection you two have. No one would question your allegiance to her, Belle. In fact, the Queen expects it. She knows that you would never betray Ruby, but she knows that you would never do anything to harm or cause harm to come to Danni. She knows that you love her and that Danni loves you. It is one of the reasons that she allows you such great freedoms with her," Brittany stated.

"No, it isn't. She knows that I refuse to hold me tongue with her. The only reason I haven't been punished for it is because I am Red's wife and the mother of our child, Danielle Coraline. Regina loves Danielle as much as she loves Henry and Remy. She loves her for what she represents."

"A new start?"

"No, hope that Danni's world...her timeline never comes into being. In it, Red and I didn't have any children. Now, we have two more on the way," Belle explained.

"You're proud of her," Brittany stated as she watched Belle's eyes light up.

"Hard not to be when you were once married to the Dark One. She still has light about her and I know that I have you and the others to thank for that. You helped her when we couldn't. You gave her what we couldn't. You never once judged her for who she was from and what she could do. You judged her for who she appeared to be. You gave her a chance that we couldn't."

"Because you all knew about the darkness and the power of the Dark One?" Brittany asked.

"Yes."

"She doesn't fault you for that. She knew that stories. She knew the power even if it didn't touch her as a child. She knew to be afraid of it and what it meant for the bearer. She took that willingly in order to save her unborn self. I find that very selfless, don't you?"

"I do."

"But, yet, you're still afraid."

"You've never seen her power, Brittany. You don't understand. If she turns while fighting them, there maybe nothing we can do to bring her back."

"You said that you lived with a Dark One before."

"I did," Belle replied.

"What were they like?"

"At first I thought he loved me. And, in his own way, he did, but his need for power overshadowed everything else. His need to be the greatest surpassed any want he ever had to have a meaningful relationship with anyone else. It even cost him his son."

"His son?"

"Yes, you see when I met Rumple, he was already a few hundred years old."

"Wow," Brittany replied.

"He was brilliant. He was kind when he wanted to be, but he was so demeaning when you crossed him. I almost got through to him at one point. Our love for each other almost saved him," Belle stated wistfully as a small grin cover her face.

"What happened?"

"He realized that he was changing. That's the problem with the Dark One. There is only one thing more powerful in our world than the Dark One's dark magic."

"What's that?"

"True Love," Belle replied.

"And, you loved him."

"I married him. I wanted children with him. I wanted everything with him. But, he...he wanted his power and when it started to wain with the people, I was cast aside. I was no more than a display piece. I was as you say 'arm candy.' And, one time that I kissed him and he started to change back to being human, he chose the magic over me stopping the transformation," Belle explained.

"What did you do?"

"I left him. I realized that I would never be what he wanted and he would never be what I wanted. We were just dancing around the idea of each other and being True Loves."

"And, then you found Ruby?" Brittany inquired.

"More like she found me. She had always been nice to me, caring and kind. She took me in when I didn't know what else to do. She held me while I cried over a life that I would never had. She never judged me for loving him. She never attacked him for hurting me. She was just a friend and then something changed. Did either of us see it coming, I doubt it. But, the first time we felt each other, we knew. And, after that there was no turning back," Belle stated.

"That's beautiful," Brittany added.

"It's poetic in a way."

"It is, but it also gives me hope for Danni."

"Yeah, how?"

"If True Love can conquer the darkness of the Dark One, then all she needs is to love Will. Problem solved. Will is the one that we need to make sure stays sane through all this because she will be the key in bringing Danni back from the brink."

"What do you know about it?"

"I know that Rachel told you about that night in the alley. She thinks that we don't know it all, but we do. Danni told us. Santana dragged it out of her when we found her on the streets a year later. We told Quinn about it. Quinn came to see her, but she could tell that Danni was in rough shape. She wouldn't let her near Rachel until she was better."

"How did that turn out?" Belle questioned.

"There were lots of night of yelling and lost sleep, broken walls and pictures, words that we couldn't understand. But, in the end, when her energy finally gave out, she crawled back to us. She knew that we weren't going to judge her. She saved one of us and we would return the favor."

"She is lucky to have you four as friends," Belle said.

"We're lucky to know her."

Emma sat on the back porch watching as Danni paced. She had a cup of coffee in one hand and cell phone in the other. She knew that phone didn't work...per se...but with magic, she could reach Regina if she needed to. Sitting there like that, she almost felt like she as at home in Storybrooke.

"You miss it, don't you?" Danni asked turning around suddenly to face her mother.

"I do."

"Why?"

"Because it is the world I know. I don't know this one. I don't understand the rules of the monarchy. I don't like having all the craziness here. In Storybrooke, I was just the sheriff. Here, I am the Crown Princess of the Summerlands and the Queen of the Winterlands. I am the head of the House of Swan, mother of the Crown Prince of the Swan Kingdom. My wife is the Queen Consort to me as I am really the Queen of the Swan Kingdom. I let Regina handle all the royal mumbo-jumbo. I have no clue what I am doing here. They want me to write laws...ME! I barely have a high school education and they want me to rule them. I can't do that."

"How do you think that I felt in New York? Magic was all I knew and I walked away from it. Had it not been for Rachel and Quinn, and then Brittany and Santana, I would have lost my mind and probably done something very stupid. They are the reason that I am sane in my insanity. They gave me a purpose, something to focus on and I found out that I was good at writing stories and direction. Theatre was a natural progression for me. Starting the production company just meant that we had better autonomy to do things how we wanted. And, it worked. We are one the highest rated production firms in New York City Theatre. Actors seek us out. Directors want to work with us. Musicians come to play for us. All of them in hopes of landing a job with us, because it would be guaranteed employment for up to two years and it is good money. I like it," Danni told her.

"But, you are unsure if you want to go back?" Emma asked.

"No, I'm not. I want to go back. The temptation of magic is too strong here. I don't know how long I can hold back the darkness inside me, now. I know that you all want to believe that I am some strong woman who can call on the power of True Love and I would be able to end the power of the Dark One, but I can't. There can be no light without dark. There can be no love without hate. And for me, I have both, constantly at war and it depends on the day and situation on which side I listen to. I could be the greatest sorceress in the Enchanted Forest or I could be the worst. I don't want to be either. I just wish that I could have a life, a simple life, maybe a wife and few kids, but I don't get that because of who I am. I realized that a long time ago and I've sorta come to peace with it."

"But?"

"I can't stay here. Sure, running around with a sword in my hand is something that I've always done, but it isn't me anymore. This isn't my life. I can't protect anyone if I decide to stay. The risk is too great," Danni stated.

"Then go home to Storybrooke."

"Mom doesn't want me to go."

"She understands that you need to."

"But, what about Will?" Danni questioned.

"I cannot speak for her. She is a free agent to the Crown. I do not require her to stay, nor is she your mother's sworn Vulcannonian guard anymore. Regina released her shortly before you fled through the portal years ago."

"Why?"

"Because she hoped that Wilhelmina would go looking for you," Emma told her.

"But, she didn't."

"No, she didn't. She was devastated when you left. But, her sense of pride wouldn't let her leave Regina again, no matter that she was free of her obligation to the throne. She felt like she betrayed Regina by leaving in the first place, so her penance was staying behind and losing her love...you. She figured that with you being the Dark One that you would eventually come back. The magic would draw you back. Plus, she knew how dedicated you were to the family. If there was a threat lodged against us, she knew that you would somehow find out and come back. She wasn't wrong."

"How so?" Danni asked.

"You're here aren't you."

Danni smirked and gave a quick laugh. She knew that her Ma was right. As soon as she knew that Ruby was in trouble, she knew that she was coming back. Even in all her travels through all the other worlds, if she got word that something was happening, she showed. Remy knew who she was and kept it a secret for her. All anyone in the kingdom knew was that she was a knight to the throne and one of Regina's elite guards. Emma didn't even have that distinction and she was the head of the armies. Danni was stronger than Emma, more powerful than Regina, more knowledgeable than Belle, and better adept than Ruby. She was perfect for the battlefield and that is why she hated it so much.

"I've seen too much death and destruction come to this family...this kingdom...this realm. I will not let my sacrifice be in vain. If I have to kill every soldier in the Silver Army, I will. I will not let them hurt you," Danni stated and her anger began to rise.

"Calm down, kiddo. I have no doubt that you will do what has to be done. You're like your mother in that respect. While I would think about it, I would never be able to go through with it. I can't. I've only ever killed one person in cold blood, but one could argue that I was defending your brother. I could have stopped it, but I didn't. I had that taste of darkness and my magic...I didn't have control of it. I was a loose cannon with a very powerful bang. If it wasn't for your mother, I could have been the next Dark One then. I might have killed Rumple that week. I wanted to kill Rumple that week. Somehow, I didn't," Emma told her.

"Do you think that I can do this without turning?"

"That is up to you, Danni. I can't say what you'll do. I hope that you won't. But, I also know that we will all be back at the castle waiting for you and being there for you because we love you. I can only hope that our love will be strong enough to bring you back from the darkness to some sort of neutrality. Because I believe you when you say that your magic is always at war, love versus dark. I get it. I've seen it. I've felt it. I know how hard it is to resist and how easy it is to give in. That is one of the reasons that I will be standing in the courtyard as soon as the sentinels tell you are approaching. I will read your face and then I will gauge my reaction accordingly. But, don't you for one second think, that I am going to let you suffer alone. You've done enough of that for several lifetimes. This time your family will suffer with you until you are ready to face the world again," Emma explained.

"I'll still don't understand why."

"Because we love you, silly. Plus, I am your mother. It is my job to protect you and unfortunately, I have done a piss poor job of it. I'll always be here for you, Danni...Coraline...Remy...because you are my daughter."

"Did you know that I came to visit sometimes?" Danni asked her.

"I did to a degree. I knew that some knight kept sneaking in and spending time with Remy. Belle was the one that told us not to worry about it. It was a guard that had made it their mission to protect the young princess. At first I wasn't sure what to believe. I didn't want you to be someone that liked little kids. I'd've killed you for that, just so you know. But, Belle was your champion and since Remy and her are so close, I figured that Remy told her who you were and what you were doing. If Belle wasn't worried about you, then I had no reason to be. Besides I believe your mysterious comings and goings, while vexing for Belle, turned out to be like a giant, brought-to-life, story book for Remy."

"She told you some of my tales?"

"She would regale us with new ones every time you came. That was the only way that I knew that you'd been here. There were no other signs and no in the ranks knew you beyond a name. Ser Coraline wasn't a knight to be trifled with and with the updated tattoo on your arm, you achieved hero status. It was more like a hero from a comic book. And, then there were the tales that Belle wrote about you. We just figured that you were some knight that was amusing our daughter while being part of her protection detail. We never thought to look more into it because Belle kept us informed," Emma stated.

"She told you what she wanted you to hear and what you wanted to hear about Ser Coraline," Danni added.

"She did and it worked. We were never afraid of you, because Remy wasn't. It wasn't until shortly after you came back when she told us that her older sister was here to play and stay that things started to fall into place. When we questioned her about her sister, she famously told us that it was her Ser Coraline, come back from her adventures, to stay and protect the family. Even though Remy doesn't have full knowledge of what's going on, she has a keen sense for it."

"I know," Danni replied.

"She loves you."

"I know."

"I love you," Emma stated.

"I know."

"Your mother loves you," Emma told her.

"I know."

"We all love you," Emma said.

"I know."

"Then go. Do your duty, but remember to come home to us. Come back to our love and let us help our find your way back. No more running. No more leaving. Just love and family. That is all you really need to stay grounded," Emma instructed her.

"I know."

"Don't forget."

"I won't," Danni answered.

"Now, go fire some fire balls at the water. I know that you need to expel some energy and I'll go make dinner. But, don't get too crazy. Your Mom really likes that lake."