Chapter 15

Resurrection

Everyone met up in Granny's Diner, Neal said "this was the witch I know it".

Hook said "the little lass said the witch was after her, you and Henry, but if her access was that easy why not go for you or Henry"?

Emma answered "Neal and Henry could scream for help".

Regina asked "wouldn't she scream for help"?

Emma replied "not if she thought it would put Neal and Henry in danger".

Neal said "plus, she had a nightmare about the wicked witch, she's the only one who could identify her".

Mary-Margaret asked "but then how would the witch know Tally wouldn't scream or that she knows what she looks like".

David said "I think right now we should treat this like any other missing child case".

Regina added "meanwhile I'll check out that farmhouse, it's possible this witch left some kind of trace or potion, or at least some clue of where to find your daughter".

Neal asked "so Granny how do you feel about babysitting"?

Granny said "sorry, it's Saturday, busiest day of the week".

Neal said "come on, you know Henry is an easy kid".

Mary-Margaret said "Leroy is going fishing with the remaining dwarfs maybe Henry could go with them".

After dropping Henry off at Port with Leroy they decided to search the area around the farm house. They searched in silence until Emma said "alright Neal, out with it what are thinking"?

"I'm thinking about Tally, what makes you think I'm thinking about anything else" Neal replied.

Emma said "I'm your wife, I pick-up on those things, ... and my superpower tells me you're lying".

"Well half" admitted Neal. "I know you probably think I'm obsessive or grasping at straws, or following a dead end".

Emma added "or wondering what you think is more important than our daughter"?

Neal said "how about her nightmare".

Killian asked "what about it"?

Neal said "what if Tally's dream is the key to figuring what the wicked witch is up to. But what spell do you need gold thread, a blue bird, or something that can only come from me, or Henry, or Tally".

Killian suggested "may have something to do with revenge. With the dark one dead an enemy of his may try to get their revenge on a blood relative of the dark one which is you and your children".

David said "hate to admit it but he's right. This may have everything to do with Gold".

Neal asked "but then what does she need the gold and bird for"?

David said "none of us are magic experts".

"I know someone we can ask" Emma said "the wicked witch, when we find her, and hopefully Tally, which we're supposed to be doing".

Meanwhile in the basement of the farmhouse Tally was in a cage being guarded by flying monkeys. Next to her was a spool of gold and a blue bird. In front of her was a bubbling cauldron, the witch had to leave but she'd be back later to finish whatever spell this was. Tally couldn't escape with the monkeys watching her and she didn't intend to. The night before when the witch had woken her up she almost screamed. The wicked witch had pointed out if she screamed it would alert her parents and wake up her brother and she may need to hurt them to keep them from interfering with her plans. If she however came along quietly her family could remain safe and sound. Tally had been scared but if it helped keep her family safe she'd do it.

Suddenly she could hear footsteps and quiet voices above her. There was obviously more than one person and the witch said she'd be gone most of the day. Tally concentrated on their voices taking solace in their presence. The voices were hard to make out but concentrating on them so hard Tally could just about make them out.

A masculine voice said "so none of these contain magical properties"?

A feminine familiar voice said "a good witch covers her tracks and an even better one can uncover them. We'll find her, just be patient".

"I heard many stories about the great and terrible evil queen, but from this angle the evil moniker seems a bit of an overstatement, bold and audacious perhaps but not evil".

"The name served me well, fear is quite an effective tool"

There were a few footsteps then after a moment "what about this, is this magical"?

"Not exactly, but it is a liquid that can conjure courage, give strength, even act as a love potion of sorts. It's Whisky and it's not magical, especially the next morning". She could hear glass tinkling. "You want a drink, now".

"Well in the last few days we've survived a curse, woken up in a strange new land and forgot a year of our lives I say we deserve it, don't you?

After a momentary pause she heard something too soft to be heard followed by hurried footsteps. She knew they must be leaving but hearing the voices was the only thing giving her comfort so she called out "please don't go". It took her only a second to remember no one was supposed to know she was there.

Upstairs neither Robin nor Regina had been listening out but they heard her voice. Robin asked "do you think that's the witch"?

Regina replied "sounds too young, but I have a good idea who it is".

She walked slowly in the farmhouse as far as she knew the voice came from and Robin followed her. Regina came to a door and when she tried the doorknob she found the door locked. "Tally are you there"? She banged on the door "if you're there Tally tell me"?

"I'm in here" Tally said "but don't come in".

Confused Regina asked "why not"?

Tally answered "if you come in the monsters will get you"?

Regina asked "let me guess; fur? Feathers? Long tail"?

Tally called "sharp teeth and claws too".

Regina said "I'm coming in".

Regina only had to burst in for the Flying Monkeys to fly away before she even had to throw a fire ball. "Mrs Mayor Mills" said Tally.

Regina and Robin came over to the cage "I'll have you out in just a moment".

"No" said Tally. "The witch said she only needed one of us and if I'm here she won't need to go after Henry or daddy".

Regina said "I'll be opening this cage and calling your parents either way so once I get this cage open you can either come out or when your parents come here they can carry you out, your choice".

Tally bit her lip and then said "then can we take her"? pointing to the bird.

Robin immediately got the bird cage "wouldn't dream of leaving her behind miss".

Later when they waiting outside the farmhouse for Emma and Neal Regina asked "was it me, or did those furry feathered freak not put up much of a fight"?

Robin replied "it did seem rather easy"?

"They were scary" said Tally.

Regina replied "well don't worry they won't come after you again".

"Why did they look like monkeys but have wings" Tally asked.

Regina guessed "there are just some odd looking animals in the world".

Looking at the bird Robin said "and this is one of them".

Regina looked at the bird and said "you've never seen a blue bird before".

Robin said "I spend a lot of time in the forest of course I've course blue birds before, but this one is a dove and whenever I've seen doves before, they've always been white". Regina hadn't even noticed what kind of bird it was. "I'm guessing the witch turned this dove blue but I'm wondering why"?

"Good question, we can ask the witch about her taste in pets when we catch her" Regina said.

"We'll add it to the list" they turned around and saw Emma and Neal arriving with David.

"Mommy, Daddy" Tally called running up to her parents Neal scooped her up in his arms.

Regina and Robin walked up Emma said "thanks for saving her Regina".

Regina said "it's fine, the monkeys didn't even put up a fight, seriously I go into the basement and they fly out".

David went to Tally and said "Tally, where's the witch"?

Tally replied "she said she had to go to work".

Emma said "the wicked witch got herself a job".

Regina said "she may be a witch but she still needs to eat".

David asked "I don't suppose the witch mentioned a name she might be using" Tally shook her head.

Emma whispered something to Regina causing her to roll her eyes but shrug in compliance. With a wave of her hand Tally fell asleep. Regina said "when she wakes up she won't remember anything after falling asleep last night".

Neal asked "why do we not want her to remember"?

Emma said "I asked Regina too, as far as Henry and Tally were supposed to know I'm here for a case, not a witch hunt. Besides she only knows what the witch looks like, she doesn't know who the witch is".

Robin said "but she might" holding up the bird cage.

Neal said "perfect, anyone know anyone who speaks bird".

Suddenly a shriek got their attention and they saw a monkey on the roof. Robin put down the bird cage and grabbed his crossbow, Regina scooped up a fireball, Emma and David had their guns out while Neal held Tally closer and tighter. They all fired at the monkey as it swooped in and out of them. The monkey went straight for Neal and managed to scratch him before flying off.

Regina said "that was odd, they all fly off when I find Tally but now they decide to come after her again and she's better protected".

Robin said "unless the target was Neal".

Neal said "it's only a scratch, not too deep. But it did come when we said the bird might know who the witch is. It just couldn't get close enough to the bird."

Emma said "we have to find out what the bird knows"?

They took the bird back to the loft thinking if the bird could speak to anyone it would be Mary-Margaret. David asked "where's Zelena"?

Mary-Margaret replied "she said she had a personal matter to attend to but would be back". Robin put the bird on the table "what's this"?

Still carrying Tally Neal asked "remember the blue bird from Tally's dream? I'm guessing this is it". He put Tally on the couch and covered her with a blanket

Emma asked "we were hoping you ask the bird who the witch is"?

Mary-Margaret said "contrary to popular belief although I can speak to birds I can't speak bird".

Regina said "so this was worthless".

Mary-Margaret said "although I can tell she doesn't like being in this cage". She opened the cage and the bird flew right out and over to the book shelf hovering in front of it

Emma asked "have any of you encountered a bird who can read before"?

Neal said "I haven't but I'm beginning to wonder..."

Regina asked "wonder what"?

Neal continued "wonder if she's really a bird, or someone the witch turned into a bird"?

Robin said "by your tone I'm guessing you already have someone in mind".

Neal went up to the bird and said "are you ...Belle"?

The bird started chirping excitedly Emma said "that's a yes".

Neal put the bird down and Regina turned her back into her human self.

David asked "Belle, what exactly happened to you? Do you know what happened in the past year"?

Belle shrugged and said "wish I did, the last thing I remember is watching Emma and Neal leave next thing I know I'm waking up in a cage with feathers and a beak. But I do know that the witch is named Zelena".

At the farmhouse Zelena was looking into a cauldron she said to one of her monkeys "you're lucky you got that man's blood after losing the pipsqueak." She got the small amount of blood one of her monkeys managed to get when it scratched him earlier. Zelena put the gold spool in and said "gold for the mind". Next she put in some feathers Belle had left "feathers for the heart". She put in the blood "and finally blood for the body. Now darkness gather and let the darkest of all rise again" She poured the potion on the ground and it started to form a body. Zelena saw the dagger and picked it up "welcome back Rumplestilskin".