Chapter 40

Regina made her way out of the castle and to the forest alone. She knew that it wasn't smart to be there alone, but she doubt that the Silver Army would dare be that close to her so soon. They were gearing up for an all out war and she was almost ready for them.

As she walked the thought about battle strategy. She knew that he was thinking that he wasn't going to have the upper hand, but he didn't know Regina as well as he thought he did. She just needed to make sure that Wolves and the Summerlands were still on her side. As she continued, she wondered how she was the one that always found Ruby and Belle's daughter, Danielle. It didn't make sense as she was her aunt, but the more she thought about it, then more she kind of understood it.

She was Danielle's half-aunt through Ruby. Danielle wasn't a Wolf like her mother, but she did have some magic like her Mom, Belle, and her aunt, Regina. She was special to them all. She was the first of the New Borns. She was a half-blood and she knew that it hurt when the Wolves didn't fully accept her. It was one of the reasons that Regina had taken a liking to the young girl. She could see the anger and resentment building in her as a child. She knew that Danielle couldn't help growing up as quickly as she did. Sure, Henry was in his twenties, but Danielle who was barely eight, like Remy, looked like a teenager. She acted like one, too. She wasn't spoiled and Belle refused to let her act like a privileged royal brat. Henry loved to care for her and in another life, they might have been closer, but Regina didn't think they would ever be anything more than cousins and friends. While Henry was a peacekeeper and talker, Danielle yearned to prove herself. She looked for battles were they weren't any. She acted like a Wolf, but she never phased. At one point, she was given to Will to handle, but even the Vulcannonian had a hard time with her.

As Regina neared the well, she wondered what was so special about the well. Danielle was always at the well. It wasn't until she saw the tall, gangly brunette by the well that things started to make sense. She'd grown up on Belle's stories about Coraline. Hell, she was even named after her, even if was backwards. She was Danielle Coraline Lucas as apposed to Coraline Danielle French, supposed sister to Belle and the name that Danni had been using in her original timeline.

Her dark hair was French braided and out of her face, but her piercing blue eyes could make men stop in their tracks. She was looking down at the water and deep in thought. Regina couldn't see her eyes at that moment, but she knew that they would be swirling in emotion.

She'd given Belle some guidance when it came to Danielle. Since Henry was coming into his own right as Crown Prince of the Enchanted Forest, he had been doing diplomatic missions around the kingdoms on Regina's behalf. They were small missions, mostly trade and just visits, but they were a start to his royal duties. She'd sent Danielle along with him as semi-guard to her son. Danielle loved it. She'd been training with Will and Emma and she felt like she had a purpose. It wasn't until later that Regina gave her the surprise of her life.

She was Belle and Ruby's first born daughter, but she wasn't born of a Wolf and by her fifth year it was known that she wasn't going phase. Regina started looking into the lands of the Enchanted Forest and realized that Belle not only had the Duchy of her father but also Rumple's former castle and lands. Sure, Rumple wasn't really a king, but he thought himself one as he lived in his castle up on the hill looking down at the lands below. They named the area the Dark Kingdom. And, while Belle would have gladly handed it over to the newest Dark One, Coraline; she couldn't. Coraline had been "dead" at the time and no one knew when or if she would return. So, Regina devised to make Danielle, the Crown Princess of the Dark Kingdom. It just made sense because they knew that the Wolves would never take her as the new Brannonulf once Ruby died. This way, Danielle would have her own kingdom, her own place among the royals and the Wolves would have to respect that of her.

Of course, Belle had resisted at first. She wasn't sure what would happen to her daughter if she lived in the Dark Kingdom. No one was. But, after several trips there with Henry on diplomatic missions and reconnaissances, she found that she fit in. The people took to her quickly, but she was still not well enough known outside the Winterlands, the Dark Kingdom or the Ulfland as more than a guard to the Prince and a royal aide-de-camp. She was a travelling princess. It gave her more time to see things and she was the perfect spy for her Aunt Regina. Ruby was just happy that she was happy, because she knew what it was like not to fit in.

"Danielle," Regina said announcing her presence as she neared the well and Danielle's sulking form.

"I thought you were busy with battle plans," Danielle replied, not looking up to see her aunt's approach.

"I though you were with your mothers awaiting your siblings arrival," Regina countered.

Danielle looked up and faced her aunt. The contemplation on her face was evident. Regina didn't slow. She just moved a little faster to get to well. She knew that Danielle looked up to her. They had become unlikely friends and allies in the castle. She knew that Regina cared for her like her own, but she also knew why. Regina might not have known it at the time, but Danielle did. She didn't resent the fact that she was named after Coraline. No, she loved it. She hoped that she could live up to her namesake's name and continue to bring honor to her family.

"They don't need me as much as you do," Danielle replied trying to smile at her aunt.

"I doubt that," Regina answered.

The smile didn't fool Regina. She knew that Danielle felt out of place in the castle. She was always looking for the next mission. Her restlessness reminded her of Emma so much. She tried to help her as much as she could. So, did Emma, but it was ultimately Belle that saw the need to make her an ambassador of sorts. Danielle was a mixture of the four most powerful women in her life. She had Belle's brains, Ruby's braun, Regina's magical skill, and Emma's need to serve, but she didn't have to learn her love of family. That was inherent.

"How are the pups?" Danielle asked.

"Why don't we go find out?" Regina counted again.

"I have news for you," Danielle said changing the subject quickly.

"I know."

"You're not asking?"

"You'll tell me when you're ready. I know you. I know how you think. Did you forget that your Mother and I are the ones that taught you. Ruby and Emma may have trained you in war and tracking, but it was your time with Belle and I that honestly made you who you are. Don't deny it. I see it in your all the time."

"At least someone does," Danielle pouted.

"Why are you here?" Regina inquired.

Danielle looked back down at the well. She looked at the cover that once entombed her cousin, Coraline. She pointed to the name on the massive concrete slab. Regina had stared at it for hours after Coraline gave her the memories back. She came there often in the afternoons to think. Emma didn't even know to look for her there. Ruby would have been able to track them if she wanted, but that was something Ruby wouldn't do. She trusted her daughter and her sister. She didn't need to know where they went as long as they came back to the castle and weren't injured. Belle had been worried about Danielle, but she let it go at both Regina and Ruby's insistence. It wasn't until she proved that she could handle herself, thanks to Ruby and Emma's training, that Belle finally backed completely down. It was in that moment that Regina and Danielle shared a moment, a loss and grief, over a woman that they barely knew.

"Does she know that you come here?" Danielle asked.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't know that she would approve of it," Regina answered.

"Same here," Danielle replied.

"But, why here, Danielle?"

"A few months ago, I came here."

"Yeah?" Regina urged her on.

Danielle turned and leaned against the stones of the well. She knew that the well had magic and she wondered if she would ever use it. As child, well, just a few years ago, she dreamed of jumping in the open well and going to Storybrooke. She hoped that in doing so that she would have been back there in the past, before she was born, before Remy was born, while Coraline was alive and trying to save the town. She just never told anyone that she was always drawn to the well. Like it was calling her...for something more.

"I came to the well and peaked inside. The water was swirling. Magic was filling it. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't leave though. It was like I was meant to be there at the time. I was drawn to it. Then I heard a voice call me from the depths below. Normally, I would have run back to the castle, but I didn't. I couldn't. I needed to know what was in the well."

"What was it?" Regina probed.

"It was Coraline. She was writhing in pain. She looked horrible. I could see the Darkness inside her. I couldn't feel it, but I could it vying for her soul. She was fighting it. Oh, gods, was she fighting it. She screamed in pain and I reached down into the depths to try to comfort her. Her eyes opened and she looked at me. It was like she was staring right into me. She was trying to figure out who I was, but she couldn't place me. She knew that she was related to me, but she didn't know how."

"What happened?"

"I told her to fight. I told her not to give in to the Darkness. That her family loved her. That I loved her. I told her who I was. I told her that I was named after her and for a brief second, she smiled and the pain seemed to relent. Then her body convulsed. She twitched and she moaned. I knew that I couldn't help her, but I wanted to so badly. I wanted to jump into the water. I wanted to take her place. I'd read the stories, but they were just stories, you know? I didn't know how much of it was truth and none of it was from her point-of-view. But, seeing her there, I knew that I could something. I had to," Danielle told her.

"What did you do?"

"I poured every bit of magic and love that I had into the well."

"What did it do?" Regina questioned.

"She calmed. Her spirit fought back harder. I could the Darkness retreating. I knew that it wouldn't be an end all cure for her, but I knew that I could give her something to hold on to. She knew that if I was alive and knew who she was that she succeeded in her mission to save us all. I knew the real stories, the stories that Mother hid in the back of the library. We shared a moment again. I could feel her fighting back. I could feel her magic reaching out for me. I gave her all that I could, but I am not as strong as you are, Aunt Regina. I couldn't save her then, no matter how hard I tried," Danielle explained.

Regina started to cry. She remembered Coraline writhing on the pallet at the Abby as they tried desperately to find some way to take the Darkness from her. But, then Coraline had calmed. She'd talked to them all. She told them what had to happen. She made Ruby promise to bury her in the well hoping that magical waters would help her find her way back. And, they did. It took years, but Coraline had come back to them. She was different, but she'd fought so hard against the Darkness.

"You did help her, Danielle. You did. You gave her peace long enough for her to save us all, to give us the instructions on what to do when she finally succumb to the Darkness. You helped her, help us. You helped save us all," Regina told her.

She slid down the side of the well until her butt hit the dirt below. She sobbed. She cried. She didn't know that she had done anything. She'd thought that it was a dream. She thought that it was just her imagination. She'd never known that she was the one that gave Coraline the boost that she needed in order to fight back. She was the reason that Coraline didn't give in. She fought back and she came back to them.

"Do you think that she remembers me?" Danielle asked her.

"I am sure that she does," Regina replied.

"I need to see her," Danielle said.

"You can't," Regina stated and then added more as soon as she saw the pain on Danielle's face. "She is out with Wilhelmina, and Will's Aunt Nicola. They are trying to figure out what the Silver Army is doing. They are doing recon for me. She is still fighting for us."

Danielle smiled. She was proud to be named Coraline now. She'd fought and fought. Coraline was the Survivor. No matter what life or magic threw at her, she always found a way back to her family and home. She continued to save them even as the Dark One. She'd found the peace that she needed to live with both magics inside.

"So you come here to be close to her?" Regina asked breaking their silence.

Danielle shook her head "yes." Regina knelt down in front of her. She gathered her up into her arms. She didn't know how she missed how out of place that Danielle felt. She should have seen it. She should have known. She loved the girl like she was her own, but she hadn't seen the sadness in her clear blue eyes.

"Come on. Let's go back and talk with your mothers. I am sure that they can't wait to see you."

"What is going to happen with me in the war, Aunt Regina?"

"I am not sure."

"I want to fight," Danielle declared.

"I know you do, darling, but I don't know that I can let you sacrifice yourself for us, yet. You still have a kingdom to run and family to love. Plus, you're really barely nine. You still have a lot of life to live," Regina told her as she helped pick her up off the ground.

"I may be in eight, but I don't feel like it. I don't look it either, and you know it. I'm not like Remy. I can't be," Danielle stated.

"Trust me, I know all of that," Regina said as she took her by the arm and hand.

They walked back to the castle, arm in arm. The warmth that she'd missed for so long she felt coming from her aunt. Regina was the only one that ever tried to understand her beyond who she was. She knew that it didn't make sense to anyone else, but she'd do anything for her aunt, her family, her kingdoms, but most of all for her Queen. She may not be a Charming, but she fought like one.

Danni sat up and looked around her. Will and Nick were still by her side. The dawn was over and they knew that they needed to get some information and get home quickly. Danni looked at Will. She still couldn't believe that the Vulcannonian loved her. There was no reason for it.

She hadn't forgotten Will. She couldn't. Wilhelmina was the love of her life. No matter how much she tried to fight it, she would always come back for Will. Even in her darkest moments, she thought about getting back to Will. Will was the one thing that truly kept her going. Of course, she never told anyone that. She viewed Will as her weakness in the beginning, but then she learned the true value of love and its strength. Then, she wanted it back. She wanted to bathe in it. She needed to. And, it wasn't just the love of Will that kept her driving on.

She knew that people feared her somewhat, but they trusted her. It was only because she was a knight and Regina's daughter. She knew that, too, and she used it when she needed to. This was no that time, though. She kept her name under the radar and let her legend proceed her. Regina knew that it was for the best. Belle kept the legend alive and Will spoke of the battles that she was in. People were aware that Danni was the famous Coraline, but she could only wonder if the leader of the Silver Army knew that too.

Most kingdoms feared her. Most realms were worried for their safety when she showed. Regina had only used her in extreme cases and the world in which they lived in now, didn't really know her awesome power and what she was actually capable of doing. It worked in her favor, but it also made for a lonely existence.

"What's wrong, Danni?" Will asked.

"I don't know. Something isn't right. Things don't seem right."

"Like how?" Nicola questioned joining their conversation.

"I don't know. Things just seem off. The army hasn't made a move since yesterday. They have to know that we are here," Danni stated.

"I am sure that do, but should be we be worried about it?" Nicola questioned.

"I think we should. I know that ravens can't be used, but there has to be a way to get word back to the Queens. We need to warn them that the army is preparing for war. They need to know that we aren't going to be able to stop them by normal means. Life means more. We need to get back. We can't learn anything from them. Their leader is prepared to wipe us from this realm and any realm that has magic. He is afraid and fear is the only motivation that he has. He has used that to gain his armies, but our allies are strengthening behind his walls. He doesn't even realize it. He can't win the fight here. He has no contingency plan to get away. He is planning a full frontal assault. And, he isn't going to stop until he is dead. Defeat will only be a set back," Danni explained.

"And, when did you come up with this information?"

"While on watch last night. We've been so close to him and he hasn't sent anyone for us. Instead he's sent runners back into Midas' kingdom. He thinks that Midas will help him, but he won't. He was biding his time and waiting to see what this Silver Army could do. They've been camped there for weeks and haven't tried to go into the city. Why? Why is he waiting?"

"Because he is afraid?"

"No, it is because he's realized that he won't win. He doesn't know how to proceed. He's looking for a hole, but thanks to Mom's quick thinking and Emma's battle planning, he's pinned in. He can't escape. He's angry. And, we are backing him into a corner. If we get any closer, he might strike."

"And, if he does?" Will asked.

"I'll kill him. He is mortal. He is weak, but there is something else in his camp that he doesn't want us to know about. And, that is what we need to find," Danni said.

"How do we do that?"

"I'm going to see him."

"No. Absolutely not. You are not going in there on your own," Will demanded.

"Yes, I am. By now, Mom has gotten the Rocs on our side. The Wolves are silently working their way around the borders. Knights and soldiers from every kingdom are getting ready to descend upon an open Golden Kingdom. Midas will throw open the gates and let his armies out while welcoming all the others in his lands. A decree will be issued later today and the Silver Army will start to see they cannot win. They will begin to question his leadership and his willingness to die. He's trying to do this, but why? What is his actual motivation? Until we know that, he will still be dangerous. If we can remove his motivation, we can stop this whole thing from blowing up into something that cannot be stopped or controlled," Danni told them.

"He will hurt you," Will said.

"He can't. I'm immortal just like you are. Why do you think that Mom agreed to this? Hmm? It was because she knew that we wouldn't die. We could as close as we want and there is nothing that he can do about it. This was just the beginning of his end. I am going in there just after noon. I want you to report back to Mom our position and what we know. I'll take care of this," Danni instructed.

"I can't let you do that," Will stated.

"And, why not?"

"Because I promised your mother that I wouldn't let you give into the Darkness and smite him," Will replied.

"I didn't say anything about smiting. I am going in there to talk to him. He wants to torture someone. He wants to end magic. I am going to make him see that he can't. Magic is everywhere in the in the worlds with no magic there is magic. It is born from hope and despair. It breeds with loves and rage. Magic is in all of us, but he has lost his way and can't see that. I am going to show him the way back. I am going to figure out what motivates him and take it from him. He wants my magic? Then let him try to take it. He had to use magic to get here. He'll have to use magic to get home. I am going to make him see the errors in his thinking and his logic. He needs to know that he can't kill magic any more than he can kill love," Danni told them.

"Please don't do this..." Will almost begged but Nicola reached out for her arm and pulled her back.

"Go with no weapons then, Danni. Show him that you aren't a threat. Make yourself out to be the victim and draw him in. He won't be able to refuse you," Nicola told her.

"Thank you," Danni replied as she dumped her weapons beside them.

Will looked like she watching her jump through the portal back to New York again. Danni could see the pain in her eyes, but she had to do this. She could only hope that she understood that. This wasn't Will's fight or Nicola's. They had their own problems to deal with, especially Rachel and the future of the Vulcannonian race. Danni could do this. She knew that she could. She knew that her mother wouldn't approve of her methods, but that Regina would still trust her anyway. She knew that the commander of the Silver Army would try to crush her. She welcomed it.

The beast inside her was begging to be released. The Darkness was stirring in a way that she hadn't felt in millennia. She needed to let her rage go. It had been building again and she was afraid of herself. It was one of the reasons that she didn't want to stay in the Enchanted Forest. She didn't know how long she go without raging on something. This was just an excuse and welcomed distraction. It was the perfect way for her to unleash her Darkness and not hurt anyone she cared about. It was a safer bet than jumping back into the well...she would if she had to, but she hoped to see Red's pups before she had to escape again. She needed to make sure that everyone was safe and cared for. She knew that Will would fight her on this, but she needed Will to know that this was her choice and not the Darkness'. This was her fight and she would win. She had to.