Emma and David, along with Ellysetta and Rain, entered a new room that reminded Emma of a courtroom. It had the same seating for witnesses and the general public as a courtroom, as well as two tables for opposing sides and their lawyers. The only difference was, instead of the judge's bench, there were two large thrones.
Sitting on one of them was the king. He was dark – haired and was dressed gold from head to toe. He was a lot younger than Emma would have expected, although she supposed it made since the queen they had met was actually his mother. Still, this man, who looked little more than a teen, was the king? The fate of their family rested on a boy?
"His esteemed majesty King Dorian XI!" the servant who had brought them in earlier announced, as the king stood up. David immediately bowed. It took a second for Emma to realize she was expected to bow as well. Ellysetta had mentioned not following such rules may cause the king to deny their request. So she did so, even though it made her incredibly uncomfortable. Rain and Ellysetta nodded their heads to the king as well.
"Greetings, Feyreisen and Feyreisa," King Dorian replied to Rain and Ellysetta as he sat back in his throne. "And who are your guests?"
"These are our new friends, Emma and David," Ellysetta replied. Emma hadn't realized they were considered friends already. Just because they agreed to escort them to this palace and Ellysetta was trying to teach Emma how to use magic, didn't mean they were friends. Although maybe that was just more of that "etiquette" that was so necessary in this world. From the look Rain shot Ellysetta, however, he didn't agree with that term. Hopefully the king didn't notice it as well.
"I see," replied the king. "I must admit I am a little confused. You look Celierian, but you travel with Fey. Are you or are you not my subjects?"
"We are not, I am afraid," David answered for them. "Your majesty, we come from another land, or world if you will. We have come to see if you have noticed any strangers in your kingdom. They may be the rest of our party, our family that we were separated from."
The king looked confused. "Another world? Another land? You mean a far-off land across the sea, like my mother's childhood home in Cappellas?"
Emma shook her head, disgusted at the thought of having anything in common with that snob and creep of a queen. "No…definitely not." The king looked at her curiously, as if he wasn't sure what she meant by that. David and Ellysetta both looked her slightly reproachful. She supposed she may have violated those rules of etiquette again.
"Your majesty, the land we're from…it's kind of complicated," David began as he bowed to the king again. You're supposed to bow every time you talked to him? Sheesh! "But we came to this world through a portal. According to the" he paused for a minute, "Feyreisen and Feyreisa, some of their subjects informed them of our arrival when they saw us appear. Would you tell us if anyone from your kingdom saw anyone appear? Or even if anyone has noticed people with strange clothing?"
"I have not heard of anything of that nature, no," the king replied, matter – of – fact. "I will ask my prime minister, Lord Corrias, if he has heard of any such occurrences. Maybe the border lords as well, as they know more about the happenings of the countryside. What do you mean by strange clothing, anyway? You are dressed as Fey. Is that what you meant? Someone dressed as Fey, but look Celierian, like the two of you?"
Both Emma and David shook their heads at the same time. David spoke up before Emma was able to. "No, your majesty, these are not our clothes." As David said "your majesty", he bowed again. Was he overdoing the Pomp and Circumstance a little or was that really necessary? "The…Feyreisen and Feyreisa were gracious enough to let us borrow some clothing. Our own clothing, and the clothing of the rest of our family, would look very different to you."
The king nodded. "Let me speak to Lord Corrias and the Twenty. We will reconvene here tomorrow. Until then, Feyreisen and Feyreisa, you are welcome to stay at my palace." He nodded respectfully at Ellysetta and Rain.
Ellysetta looked sternly at the king. "We appreciate that, King Dorian, but what about our guests? As our friends, shouldn't they be able to stay at the palace as well?" The way she said the word friends made Emma seriously think Ellysetta had meant that as a political ploy for the king to accept their request and a place to stay. There was a part of her that was relieved. After all, he did agree to talk to the rest of his advisors about finding their family. Emma desperately wanted to see Henry and the others as well. What did it matter what ploys they had to use to find them? Besides, if they weren't really friends, Emma didn't have to worry about letting Ellysetta down. At the same time, there was a part of her that was disappointed. There were in a strange world, again, and it would have been nice to have a friend. Especially since this "friend" had agreed to teach her magic.
Meanwhile, King Dorian seemed surprised by Ellysetta's question. "Why, yes, of course," he replied.
He motioned another servant to show them to the guest rooms they could use. The servant brought Ellysetta and Rain to an elaborate suite complete with a small sitting room as well as a bedroom that was larger than their entire apartment in Storybrooke. Emma's mouth dropped open. Was this really the way royalty lived? It was too much. Would it be the way she was expected to live if her parents ever made their family return to the Enchanted Forest? Still, Ellysetta and Rain's palace, from what she remembered, was nowhere near this grand. So maybe this was just because Celierian's King and Queen were big, fat snobs?
Then the servant led Emma and David to the next room. It was a much smaller room, since they weren't royalty she supposed. Emma wondered if the king would treat them more cordially if they told him they were supposed to be royalty back in the Enchanted Forest. But that wasn't something she wanted anyone to know about, and it really didn't bother her to have a smaller room than Ellysetta and Rain.
"I hope this room is to your liking", the servant said politely then walked off. Emma and David looked at each other, than at the servant walking off for a second. He was not going to show them a second room? She and David were expected to share a room? A room with only one bed in it? She added to herself as she examined the room. It was a good sized room for two people, she believed, about the size of the room she and Henry shared at home. But still…apparently the king had believed the same thing Ellysetta and Rain had at first, since they were a man and a woman traveling together. He thought she and David were a couple.
As they thought about this situation, Emma and David both burst out laughing. "Maybe we should have told him a bit more about ourselves, huh?" he asked as he chuckled.
Emma nodded, "I'm glad we don't have to sleep on the ground tonight…but this is a bit much!" she agreed.
"Hey," David said seriously. "I can sleep on the floor. It's no big deal."
Emma shook her head. "You're even more tired than I am. I can tell, even though you're trying to hide it."
David shook his head. "I'd really rather you take the bed, Emma." Emma started to protest again. She guessed David would never really stop thinking of her as his little girl he needed to protect, but it was getting old. But David continued. "It's not what you think…I mean that's not all it is. I probably wouldn't get much sleep on the bed anyway, because she's not there." Emma read between the lines and realized he was missing sleeping with Mary Margaret. She'd rather not examine that too thoroughly, but nodded in understanding, anyway. "Besides," David continued, "If I sleep too well, I end up in the burning room, anyway."
Emma nodded. That made sense. Well, at least she'd get a bed tonight, then. "Hey, David?" she began, hesitantly. Then she noticed David had already made a bed for himself, and was fast asleep. Darn! She knew he was more tired than he had let on. Emma really shouldn't have let him talk her into taking the bed, not with him being that tired. Still, he was right about going back to the burning room. What if he got another burn? She looked at his hand, which was still scarred from a few days ago. She really wished she could heal that for him. He needed to use his hand. She'd have to ask Ellysetta about trying to learn how to heal again soon.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
A few hours later, another servant announced they would join the king for dinner. Ellysetta, Rain and the rest of Ellysetta's guards, which were also staying in their suite, would also be joining them. David woke up quickly and tried his best to make himself look presentable.
Emma tried to see if he had any new burns discretely. Apparently, David was too busy trying to protect her to realize she could be helping him if she let him. He wouldn't show her those burns. He'd hardly even acknowledged the burn on his hand in the last few days, even though she knew it was bothering him. Still, there were so many places there could be burns on his body that she wouldn't be able to see, or want to see. Should she ask? "Did, you ah, get any burns this time?"
David paused for a minute.
"You better not lie to me again. I can tell, remember."
David nodded. "There may have been a burn, but I'd rather you not see it. It's sort of on a…delicate spot. I really don't know how I'm going to sit down for dinner with the king."
Emma nodded, understanding the implication. "I wish I could heal it for you. I'd ask Ellysetta for another training session, but I don't think we have enough time right now."
"Don't worry about it. Let's go try to make conversation with a couple of snobs." He grinned at her.
Emma smiled back. "At least Ellysetta, Rain, and the others aren't that bad." But Emma wasn't going to let him distract her from the other conversation. "Listen, I'm sorry you keep ending up in the fire room. It's too bad we couldn't defeat Cora on our own." She sighed. Both he and Henry had ended up in that fire room because she couldn't do it on her own. She couldn't believe in the Curse without Henry's sleeping curse, and she couldn't defeat Cora without David's sleeping curse.
David grabbed Emma's shoulders so she would be forced to look at him. "Listen to me, Emma. I may find going in the fire room now to be a pain in the behind, literally," he added with a chuckle as he patted his butt. "But I don't for one instant regret helping you and Mary Margaret return home. Or for protecting Henry so he wouldn't have to do it himself. Love is about sacrifice. And it's a sacrifice I was happy to make then and would make again if I needed to. Okay?"
Emma nodded as they headed to the dining room. She knew he was serious, after all it was her superpower, or rather one of her magical powers as Ellysetta would say. But David made her incredibly uncomfortable when he talked like that. "Love is about sacrifice" he had said. And it was a statement he had proven over and over again when it came to Mary Margaret and Emma in Henry's book. It was a statement he also obviously applied to Henry as well. Well she was very grateful, she had to wonder if she was worthy of it.
She also had to wonder if she could ever do the same thing herself. She and Neal were supposed to be a couple again, and she was anxious to get back to him. But could they really ever be as committed as her parents were? Could she make those kinds of sacrifices for Neal? Emma didn't know the answer and was afraid to find out.
Dinner proved to be interesting. David obviously tried his best to remember how to eat a royal meal, although from the looks he got from Queen Annoura and King Dorian, he probably was a little rusty. She supposed the burn on his butt didn't help, although David was trying not to let it show. Still, at least he did better than Emma. How were you supposed to know which fork to use for what? There were six forks in front of her! At least the food here was more normal for Emma. It may not be burgers at Granny's but it was more recognizable than the food at Ellysetta and Rain's palace or the Enchanted Forest. There was pheasant, swordfish and wild rice, among other things. At least she knew what she was eating.
Ellysetta, her guards and Rain were also there, so they made dinner a little more pleasant. Rain was still pretty cold to her and David, but at least he was better than Queen Annoura and King Dorian. Ellysetta was obviously doing her best to be friendly to them. Emma supposed it was the ploy to convince the king to help them again. Ellysetta's guards kept quiet, acting neither friendly, cold, nor snobbish.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
OOOOOOOOOO
David and Emma entered King Dorian's throne room the next day, where the king planned to ask if his advisors had seen the rest of their family. Today, the room was filled with people, unlike yesterday, in the witness section and in the general public section. He supposed "strangers from another land" was big news to these people. Hopefully things would go smoothly. David looked around as he sat at one of the two front tables next to Emma. He found it funny that this room was a combination of a throne room similar to the one he and Snow had once had in their castle, and a courtroom from an episode of "Judge Judy."
David was nowhere near as tired as he had been yesterday, so he didn't have to worry about falling asleep just because he sat down. As he tried not to wince from the pain on his bottom, he remembered he had another problem with sitting down, though. At least he had only ended up in the fire room once last night, and received no new burns, he added to himself. Emma seemed to be more rested as well, David was pleased to see. It was a good thing he had insisted she sleep on the bed.
Just then the steward announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, King Dorian!" As the king entered the room, everyone stood up and bowed. As David bowed, he eyed Emma to make sure she was doing the same. Fortunately, she was. David knew she felt out of her element here. In many ways, he did, too. After all, it had been over twenty – eight years since he had delt with pomp and circumstance like this. And when he and Snow were ruling, they didn't require it to this extent. Still, they needed to play by the rules of this court if they expected them to help find the rest of their family.
"The Feyreisen and Feyreisa, Rainier and Ellysetta v'en Daris!" they continued. Rain and Ellysetta walked in and nodded to King Dorian, and then sat in the witness section themselves. Charming was glad they were here. Ellysetta, at least was very friendly to them and they both seemed honestly interested in helping them.
"Guests, Mistress Emma and Mister David." The steward continued, gesturing to David and Emma. David bowed again to the king, just in case it was necessary. These people seemed big on the ceremony, after all. He eyed Emma, and a few seconds later, she bowed as well.
"These people say they are strangers in our land," the king announced. "They say there may be other strangers here, like them." The general public in the audience gasped. Apparently, these people distrusted strangers. What if someone had harmed Snow or Henry just because they were strangers, he suddenly thought, horrified. They needed to find them quickly!
"Lord Corrias, please come forward." A silver – haired man approached the king and bowed. "Have you seen or heard of such strangers in the last few days? Any strange occurrences that could account for such people arriving?"
Lord Corrias paused for a minute and then replied, "No your majesty, I have heard nothing of the sort."
The king paused for a minute as well, looking thoughtfully. "I'm sure you understand how serious it is that we may have strangers among us. Are you sure about that?" He glanced at Ellysetta, appearing to ponder something else, although David had no idea what it was.
Lord Corrias nodded. "Yes I understand. I still maintain I have heard nothing." The king nodded, relieved. "You may step down."
"Lord Teleos, please come forward." A dark – haired man with skin almost as pale as Snow's came forward. He smiled at Rain warmly as he walked by and gazed at Ellysetta the way a boy would gaze at his crush. Interesting, that the man had a crush on a married woman, a queen no less, and showing it so openly. And he and Rain still seemed to get along well. If anyone ever looked at Snow like that in front of him, he'd never let them get away with it, much less be their friend.
The man then approached the king and bowed. "Have you heard of anything about strangers or seen strangers in your territory?" King Dorian asked.
"No, your majesty, I have not." Dorian nodded.
"And you insist you are telling the truth as well?" the king asked again, obviously trying to make sure. David was glad the man was making sure these people were honest, although it seemed his intent was different then David's. He wanted to find his family, so they could be reunited, and ultimately, be able to go home. This king wanted to know about his family and find them because they were "strangers." That worried him, but they'd deal with it once their family was together again.
"Yes, your majesty I am telling the truth. Although, if I may, we have a she'dalin here." He gestured to Ellysetta, once again looking like a boy with a crush. "If you are so worried about people telling lies, let the Feyreisa truthspeak the witnesses." Truthspeak? That was supposed to be one of Emma's powers, right? What, exactly, did it mean?
King Dorian shook his head. "That may be true, but she is not officially Celieria's Truthspeaker, is she? I believe we are better off leaving her where she is." There was something…not quite right about his tone. The king seemed to have a problem with using Ellysetta, specifically for this "truthspeaking," whatever it was.
Rain obviously noticed it, too, as he seemed itching to run him through with his sword. He scowled and grabbed the handle several times. Ellysetta, however, calmed him down by grabbing his hand. David had no idea what she did, but he silently thanked her. Although he sympathized with Rain, as King Dorian obviously insulted the man's wife, David unfortunately needed the king to find his wife and the rest of his family.
Next, a man called Lord Barrial was called before the king. He was also dark – haired. "Have you seen strangers in your territory? Or anything that may indicate strangers?"
The man bowed to the king. "No, your majesty, I have not. "The dahle'reisen I employ also sense no strangers on my territory."
The people in the general public gasped in horror at the word "dahle'reisen." Whatever it meant, it seemed most were afraid of them.
The king nodded, also not pleased. "I see. And why should we trust dahle'reisen? They fought with the Eld in the war that killed my father!" Well, that cleared up why so many distrusted these "dahle'reisen." Apparently, some of them were enemies.
Lord Barrial nodded. "That is true. Some of the dahle'reisen had switched allegiances to the Eld. But the dahle'reisen I employ has been loyal to my family for generations. They can be trusted, and they say there are no strangers there."
King Dorian shook his head. "But if some of the dahle'reisen have switched allegiances before, yours may do so as well. You should not trust these creatures."
Lord Barrial bowed his head again. "I understand your feelings your majesty, having lost many friends to Eld as well. But you have to remember the war is over. There are no more Eld to worry about. My dahle'reisen are loyal to me and my family, not to Eld." David really didn't understand whether he should be worried about these dahle'reisen or not. What if Henry ran into one? Especially with the kid's intense curiosity, that could be a problem if they were dangerous. Hopefully Ellysetta or one of the others would tell them.
The King grumbled at Lord Barrial's response. Apparently, he didn't like to be corrected. Arrogant, probably, like a lot of royalty David had been familiar with in the Enchanted Forest. King George's face came to mind. The Celierian royal family reminded him more and more of his fake – father. Still, King Dorian eventually responded, "Okay Lord Barrial, you may step down."
The next lord called to the stand seemed to have good news. "Your majesty, I have seen a strange boy on my property." David and Emma exchanged an excited look. Henry! They would be reunited with Henry soon. Hopefully he was okay. "He was dressed strangely and babbling about crazy stuff." Yes, that was definitely Henry. He had a tendency to try to convince people of things before they were ready, David thought affectionately, as he thought of all the time Henry had tried to tell the people of Storybrooke about the Curse before it broke. Hopefully it wouldn't get him into trouble in this land.
"I think it's our duty to take him in, and I am honored to have helped your majesty." There was something about the way he said that…
David saw King Dorian look at the man as well. "I would agree with you…but something's not right about what you said." He sighed and looked at Ellysetta. "Feyreisa, please come forward and truthspeak this man." The king obviously had no desire to ask Ellysetta for help, especially after he had already said he didn't need it before.
Ellysetta nodded to the king and came forward. "Of course, I would be happy to, King Dorian." Her tone was polite, but held no warmth. David guessed she was still put – off at being insulted earlier. Still, she stepped up to the man standing in front of the king. Then she placed her arm on his shoulder and said, "Tell us what happened with this boy again."
The man, sobbing, began his tale. "There was no boy in strange clothes, your majesty. I" gulp, sob, sob. "said that because I thought there would be some kind of reward for finding the people you seek. I really need more money. I'm sorry, your majesty." Ellysetta took her hand off his shoulder. So that's what truthspeaking was. A person would be forced to tell the truth when they were touched by a person with that power. It would probably be handy in dealing with Regina, Rumplestiltskin, and even George when they went home.
King Dorian looked at the man sternly. "I don't care what your reason is, Lord. You never lie to your king." The king motioned to one of his guards. "Throw this man in the dungeon, and then we will continue questioning. Feyreisa," he added, not sounding happy with this request, "Truthspeak the rest of the witnesses as well."
"Of course, King Dorian," Ellysetta agreed.
The session waited to continue as the man was taken to the dungeon. David couldn't decide how he felt about the man. He was angry at the noble for giving him and Emma false hope. They had really thought he found Henry. Still, at least they didn't need to worry about the king "taking Henry in" and doing who knows what with him. On the other hand, he felt sorry for the man, since he said he needed money. He wondered if he really did. But there was nothing they could do for the Lord, now. What was important was finding and protecting the rest of his family.
The servant returned, having detained the noble. As the rest of the nobles were called before the king, they were all truthspoken, so none dared to lie anymore. None of them had seen any "strange people" or "signs of strange people." It was time for David to face facts. Wherever Snow and Henry were, they were not in Celieria. Still, Ellysetta had mentioned something about taking them to another kingdom to talk to their ruler as well. He and Emma would find their family there.
"There are no strangers in Celieria, except these two." King Dorian gestured to David and Emma. "While it is a relief there are no strangers in our land, it makes me wonder if they were ever telling the truth in the first place. Or if they may have left something out. Feyreisa, please truthspeak Mistress Emma and Master David as well."
Emma looked decidedly uncomfortable. David remembered Ellysetta had said something about truthspeaking Emma in the past. Maybe that was it. Still…"I'll go first, Emma." But Emma didn't look any more comfortable with this arrangement. He knew Emma didn't like it when he tried to protect her, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. Even though she was almost thirty now, she was still his little girl.
Ellysetta approached their table to bring David to the front. As she did, she whispered, "David is going to be fine. Truthspeaking is only painful if you try to resist telling the truth. As long as he's honest, and you too, when it's your turn, it won't hurt." Emma looked a little calmer at that, but it made David nervous. Was he going to have to tell the king everything? Even things he'd rather not tell to anyone?
He took a deep breath and approached the king, bowing. Ellysetta placed her arm on his shoulder. "State your name and tell us where you came from," King Dorian instructed him.
David took a deep breath and reminded himself if he tried not to tell the whole truth, he would be forced to do so, and it would be painful. "My name is David. I have come to this world from a land called Neverland. Before that, I lived on a land called Earth, in a town called Storybrooke. But I am from a land called the Enchanted Forest."
"Truth," Ellysetta reported to the king.
"How did you come to our world?" The king continued his questing.
Shoot, this was exactly what he did not want to be common knowledge. He resisted the urge to lie or omit some of the truth. Ellysetta said he would be forced to tell the truth anyway, and it would be painful. He needed to show Emma it would be okay, and that meant being 100% honest. "One of the other members of our group found magic beans in Neverland. They open portals to other worlds. We used one and ended up here. Or actually in what you call the Fading Lands."
"Truth," Ellysetta reported again.
The audience watching this session looked horrified. Magic beans that could open portals which could open anywhere? How could they be protected from that? No wonder the king had been so nervous about these strangers!
"Why did you decide to come to this world?" King Dorian asked then.
David would give anything to be able to protect his daughter from this question. He fought so hard he felt like his head was going to explode. Ellysetta was right. Resisting truthspeaking was painful. Sobbing, he replied. "I don't know. I was unconscious from injury at the time. Emma chose the bean that led us here."
King Dorian finally nodded. "You may step down now, Master David." David bowed to the king again, and sat back in his seat. Ouch! That burn still hurt.
"Now, come forward, Mistress Emma." Emma walked up to the king. Fortunately she remembered to bow as well. Ellysetta put her hand on Emma's shoulder. "State your name, please."
"My name is Emma Swan," she replied calmly.
"Truth," Ellysetta reported.
"Is everything Master David already said the truth as you know it?" King Dorian asked her.
"Yes." Emma replied.
"Truth," Ellysetta reported again.
"Now," the King said deliberately. "Tell us why you decided to come to this land, as Master David was unable to do so."
Emma took a deep breath and sighed. "I don't know why we ended up here. I was trying to get David and me back to Storybrooke. I guess I just don't know much about portals." She shrugged. "Or maybe," her voice turned hopeful. "The portal brought us here because our family had already come here in the portal Neal opened. I know you've said they aren't in Celieria, but maybe they are in another kingdom."
King Dorian nodded, looking disappointed. Probably because Emma didn't know any more about the portals then Charming had. "Okay, Mistress Swan. You may step down.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
OOOOOOOOO
Shortly after, Emma, David, Rain, and Ellysetta and her guards left Celieria's palace and walked through the old – fashioned looking town. There were no telephone poles or electrical wiring. And people here traveled by horse and buggy.
"He insulted you, shei'tani!" Rain exclaimed as they walked back onto the streets. Emma had no idea where the name "shei'tani" came from; maybe it was a pet name. "He refused a perfectly logical suggestion that you should truthspeak the witnesses. I heard that tone in his voice, acting like you were beneath him! And then he turns around and demands you truthspeak the rest of the witnesses after he had no choice!
"Las, Shei'tan" Ellysetta said to him as she placed her arm on his shoulder. They were an extremely tactile couple, Emma thought to herself. They reminded her a lot of Mary Margaret and David in that way. It was weird Ellysetta used that name, too. Or almost that name. She wondered what it meant.
"Apparently this King Dorian takes more after his mother than his father," Ellysetta continued as they walked away. "But it doesn't matter. I did what needed to be done." She shrugged. "At least he agreed to help our friends." She gestured to Emma and David.
It was weird Ellysetta was still calling them "friends" when she didn't need to anymore, but that didn't really matter right now. "What do you mean he helped us?!" Emma yelled. "He didn't help us find our family at all! The only thing we did was get false hope that Henry may have been found for about a minute, and then we were forced to tell them about the portals! I really don't want to many people knowing about that. It could be dangerous!"
"Emma, calm down," David said, grabbing her shoulder and turning her so he could look right into his eyes. She backed away. She really didn't like to get physical like that unless she initiated it.
David sighed but continued talking. "That's not true. He did help us by telling us they're not here. Now we have one less place to look. Besides, given his fear of the 'strangers', a part of me is glad they're not in Celieria. Can you imagine what would happen if the boy the man invented had been Henry? They would have wanted to detain him or something! His curiosity and burning desire to be a hero could have got him in a lot of trouble!"
Emma paused. Maybe he was right. That sounded frightening. What if they couldn't convince the king to place them in their custody? But still, "One less place to look? And how many places are left? How long is it going to take?" She wanted Henry. She wouldn't believe he was safe until he was in her arms. And Neal, too. Gosh she had just got him back!
"Emma, I don't care how long it takes. I don't care how many places there are to look. We are going to find them. Do you know why?
"Because we will always find them," Emma replied with a grin, catching on.
"Right," David replied.
"So I thought we should head to Elvia next," Ellysetta said to the group, getting them back to what needs to happen next.
Rain bristled at that, and Ellysetta put her arm on his shoulder again.
Tajik, the red - haired guard, stopped short. "I know I have already agreed to this, as I serve you, Feyreisa. But seeing that elf again…" He continued angrily, and then spat on the ground.
"Tajik I understand you have problems with Lord Hawksheart. But this isn't about you and him. This is about these people finding their family. And honestly, you don't even have to talk to him yourself. You can just stay outside, like you did in King Dorian's Supreme Court room," she reminded him gently.
Tajik grumbled again. "I don't know if that's actually better. A part of me would still like to give him a piece of my mind for what he did to Elfeya."
Ellysetta shook her head and stared at him. She looked like she was having a conversation, only she wasn't saying anything. That was weird. Emma knew couples that could have conversations with just their eyes. Mary Margaret and David did it, and she had seen Ellysetta and Rain do it as well. But these two were not a couple.
As David walked beside her, Emma noticed his hand was still scarred from the burn. His bottom had to be even worse. She really needed to ask Ellysetta to help her with that. Even though it made her uncomfortable to ask for help, Emma spoke up. She had promised she'd help him. "Listen, can you help me with my magic again?" she said, looking at Ellysetta. "David has some more burns."
Ellysetta smiled at that. "I'm pleased you're willing to ask about it, Emma. You're making great progress toward trusting yourself and me with your magic. I have to tell you, though. This isn't the best time to do it. We need to get out of Celieria. Or at least go to the countryside first. A lot of Celierians still don't like magic. We wouldn't want them to see us weaving it openly."
Emma paused at that. Even though this world reminded her a lot of the Enchanted Forest, or at least what the Enchanted Forest would have been like in the days Henry's book talked about, the rules were different. "So Celieria doesn't have magic? But the Fading Lands does?"
Ellysetta nodded. "Celierians don't have magic naturally, anyway. Some can weave a little if their ancestors married Fey, or elves, or if they drank magical water by mistake. But most Celierians don't have or know much about magic. So, they fear what they don't understand." She shook her head sadly. "You're already traveling with Fey, so I won't say you can be completely inconspicuous, but trying magic with all these people around…it's a bad idea."
Emma nodded. The Celierian's fear of the portals took on a whole new meaning. She suddenly felt stupid for asking at all.
Ellysetta placed her hand on hers. "I'm still glad you asked. We will get to a place where you can try. Don't worry."
David turned around. "I don't really need any healing anyway Emma. I'm fine. I wish you'd stop worrying about me."
She sighed. David was not only over – protective, he didn't want her to help him at all! "David I know your bottom is still bothering you, even though you're trying to hide it. You don't have to be "less than a man" to admit your hurting. And I'm worrying because I care!"
David smiled at that. "I'm really, really glad to hear that, Emma. I just...don't want you to have to take care of me. That was supposed to be my job." He muttered that last sentence under his breath, but she still caught it.
She supposed she understood. How would she feel if Henry had to take care of her for some reason? Like she wasn't doing her job of taking care of him. And she knew it was worse for David because he never really got the chance to be her parent. But she still wanted to help him. She was concerned about him when he was in pain, and she had promised Mary Margaret she'd take care of him.
Then she had an idea of how she could get him to agree. It was slightly devious but…"Okay, but I still need to learn how to control magic. We all agree on that. And that means I need to practice. So how about I practice on you when we get to the countryside?"
David sighed, obviously realizing he'd been backed into a corner. He held his hands up in surrender. "Okay."
Ellysetta looked at him curiously, "Well we're on the subject of the burns, how did you get them? I haven't seen anything in the last few days that would have burned you that severely." She pointed to his still scarred hand. "And I know Tajik hasn't been weaving Fire on you, so…what is it?"
David sighed, looking uncomfortable. This was a sore spot for him, she knew. It wasn't really something he wanted to talk to strangers about. Although these people had proved to be valuable allies, so they weren't really strangers anymore. She hoped he realized that. It was also the subject Emma had caught him in a lie, which was a bad memory. He obviously really didn't want to talk about it.
"It might help in healing if we know where they come from," Ellysetta suggested.
David shook his head. "Emma knows where they're from now, anyway. But I suppose I can tell you, too. Back in our land," Emma wondered which 'land' he was actually talking about. Would David ever realize the Enchanted Forest wasn't her land? "We have something called a sleeping curse. When a person comes out of one, they go to this 'burning room' in their sleep. Unfortunately, the burns are real."
Ellysetta nodded. "Well, a healing weave can still take care of them."
They all headed for the countryside.