Chapter 34
They appeared in the dining room. Snow looked a little astonished as they materialized before her. She was busy preparing lists of things that they would need for the wedding. Regina must have sensed what Snow was doing and went to her straight away. Emma and Rhiannon were standing there talking about what they learned when Henry and Charming walked in the room.
"Been gone long?" Emma asked them.
"No, just a couple of hours, I presume," Rhiannon told her.
"Good."
"Ma?"
"Yes, Henry?"
"Did you find her? Did Gold let you use the globe? Where is she?"
"Yes, he did. How did you know about that? Do you know something, Henry?" Emma asked and Regina returned her focus to her family.
"Not really. I just remember Grandpa telling me how he used it to find Dad and then me in Neverland. It would make sense that Belle was going to get you permission to use it. I mean I know that Grandpa is…well…Grandpa Gold, but still," Henry told them.
"Yes, he did let me use, young one," Rhiannon stated. "It seems that I have a more colorful past with your family than I thought. Your Mr. Gold owed me a very large favor. He has repaid part of it, Dear and hope that I never have use to call on him again."
"Umm, you are so explaining that later," Emma told her.
"If you wish, Emma, but it is a rather long and complicated story."
"Everything with Gold is," Regina added.
"So, what did you find out?" Snow asked, joining the conversation.
"She is in our land. Evidently, she is in the 'Land without Magic.' And, she is college."
"College?" Henry asked, "Where?"
"She is a student at the University of South Carolina."
"How do you know that?"
"Gold let us use his mirror for a brief glimpse of what she would be. I am not sure that I saw her, but it is a start. We have to get back to the house so we can start plans on going to get her."
"She goes to USC? Do you know how big that school is? It's huge. How are you going to find her in a sea of students? It will be damn near impossible," Henry stated.
"I found your father in New York," Emma replied.
"True, but we had Gold with us."
"Well I don't think that I am going to need him to find this girl. She has magic. She probably will stick out. If she has learned to mask her magic, it might prove to take longer, but that is why your mother is going with me," Emma explained.
"So, you're both going?"
"Yes," Regina answered, knowing that Henry was already trying to formulate a way to tag along.
"And, I'm staying home, aren't I?"
"Yes, you are," Regina replied.
"We need you to stay with Rhiannon and find a way to get them back to their realm. I don't know that Rhiannon will have enough magic to open a portal and we don't have any beans. I am sure that you can help her look through all of your Mom's books in the study. I am sure that there is something there that can help while we go get Shannon," Emma told him.
"So, I get to do research while you get to go have an adventure."
"Listen to me, Henry. I need your help. And, once I have found a way home, I am sure that your mothers would love for you to come and visit us there. It would be an honor to have the Crown Prince of the Enchanted Forest to come visit as an ambassador. Don't you think?" Rhiannon asked, much to Regina and Snow's amusement.
Snow knew that the title and what it meant would be enough to appease Henry for the time being. He liked to visit the other worlds. Emma and Regina knew it, too. All three of them were proud of how quickly Rhiannon had defused the issue. They were all worried about Henry and they didn't want him getting in the way.
"What about my knight lessons?" Henry asked.
"I guess we could visit for a while," Snow stated.
"That means that you and Gramps are coming home with me. I am nineteen I don't need a body guard or a baby sitter. I think I can handle being in Storybrooke with Queen Rhiannon while we do some more research about this legend. I don't need to be watched."
"No one said anything about you being watched. It would give us a reason to visit. Plus, Charming can work on your sword play and I could teach you have to shoot a bow, both of which are knightly activities. I am sure that Ruby could teach you how to track as well."
"Well…"
"Listen, we won't even stay at the mansion with you. We will stay at our house. I am sure that we can find something to keep us occupied while you do your research and your lessons. I mean, I do have your mothers' wedding to plan," Snow stated.
"You will finalize nothing until I get back," Regina added.
"I know," Snow replied with a smile.
"Why is she smiling? What did I miss? What has she done, Miss Swan?"
"I have no idea, Regina. I really don't. But, I also know that I am not going to go against either one of you about this. I am just planning on showing up for the wedding. I am going to leave all the details to you. I've already told you that much."
"If you think that I am going to let you not help with the wedding…"
"Calm down, Regina. I am going to help you with the wedding. Right now, I need you to calm down and let's go find Rhiannon's daughter," Emma told her.
Regina turned and stared at her. She knew what Emma was doing. They all did. They all knew that Emma was the only one that would purposefully endure Regina's wrath.
"Wait, a minute!" Henry exclaimed.
"Yes, Henry?" Regina asked.
"What happened to all the beans? I thought Tiny was growing them here. He was doing it so we could go back and forth between the realms. We came here by bean. We are going home by bean. Why can't we go to Tir Nan Og by bean, too?" Henry asked.
"He is an astute young man, Regina," Rhiannon declared.
"Because the beans don't work like that. They really only create portals between the Enchanted Forest and the Land without Magic. We can't use it to get back to Tir Nan Og. I wish that we could. It would be easier. And, I afraid to use a mirror. I don't want to end up in Wonderland."
"Is it really that bad?" Emma asked.
"Yes."
"So, how did you get to our place, Rhiannon?" Henry asked.
"Magic."
"So, there might be a spell that would work?"
"Yes, Prince Henry, there might be. All I know is from what I've studied is that I don't have enough magic in this realm to transport myself back. If I did, I would already be back and preparing for Shannon's return to the throne."
"She is to be Queen?" Regina asked.
"Yes, she is the rightful heir."
"But, I thought that it was your throne?"
"It will be until she is produced. I hold the title of Queen because of my husband, not because of my blood line. Trust me, if I could, I would have already secured it. It was the reason that I have come to collect on my debt, Regina. She is the only one that can unite the Clans of Tara. If I can't get back, the realm will fall into chaos."
"Why?" Emma asked.
"There hasn't been a Pendragon in centuries. The last one came to you land and died. The Merlins have been searching for next candidate but they have found no one worthy."
"That shit is real, too?" Emma questioned. "Is there no story that is just plain fiction and I won't have the possibility of running into someone?"
"Winnie-the-Pooh," Snow answered.
"Twilight," Regina stated.
"I meant more of ancient texts and crap, but thanks," Emma responded.
"Well let's see, you've met Mulan, fought Pan, helped Ariel, dealt with Zelena, contended with Anna and Elsa, befriended Red, made a deal with Rumpelstiltskin and survived to tell about it, drank with Belle, mined with the dwarves, are the child of Charming and Snow White, went to the christening of Aurora and Phillip's child, gave Robin Hood his love back, fell in love with the Evil Queen, returned to Pinocchio to being a real boy, visited Hercules on Olympus on our honeymoon, so…who have I left out?" Regina quipped.
"Damn it, woman. Tell there is someone that isn't real. Someone that is actual fiction."
"Everything Pixar as far as I've studied, Ma," Henry told her.
"Harry Potter?"
"Might actually be possible. I haven't been to England to find out. But, I do know that Arthur was real, but as to when he was really in your history can be a little…how would you say it…sketchy. Even your historians and scholars of legends and myth can't agree on that."
"Why, Emma? Is there someone that you don't want to meet? Someone that you've read about? Is there a legend that frightens you?" Snow asked.
Charming, Regina and Rhiannon turned to study her. She sat down and quickly thought about it. Henry went to her side and touched her shoulder. Snow reached out and touched her hand.
"Tell us, Dear," Regina commanded.
"Well, I am not particularly a fan of Scar."
"He is from the Lion King," Henry stated.
"Oh, darling, that was an adaptation of Hamlet. I don't think that you have to worry about a lion coming to challenge your savior status. Is there something else?"
"Knowing all this…it kinda destroys my childhood. Those stories helped me through a lot of rough times and now I am literally part of them. I am in the 'happily ever after.' I just didn't know that I was going to have to help everyone fight to keep it or get theirs. I just don't know what is fiction and what is non-fiction anymore. Hell, the book I read the other day could be someone's real life in another realm. Do you know how disconcerting that is?" Emma asked.
"That may be true, Dear, but we don't have to find out. Most of the 'fictional' realms don't bleed into ours. Besides Whale being Doctor Frankenstein, I can't think of anyone else that you might accidentally run into. But, meeting him was Rumple's fault."
"I know. I met…well, Cora pretended to be Lancelot. I am just…overwhelmed by this. Rhiannon is a Queen of myth and her daughter is here. There is another person that we have to find. I've been researching Rhiannon's myths," Emma told them.
"How?"
"Google," Emma answered.
"And, what did you find out, Ma?"
"The legends are different around a mystical river in Ireland. There are families there that guard the secrets of the legend. It is said that there version differs from the ones that you could actually find. The part that scares me about it is the Pendragon. If he has been reborn, who is he?"
"That is the question that only the Merlins can answer," Rhiannon answered.
"What if I don't like the answer?" Emma asked.
"Then we will deal with it when the time comes," Regina told her.
"I am not going to let anything happen to this family. Things are finally good. We are all happy. We are all safe. I am not going to lose anything to someone I don't know," Emma stated.
"We know that," Snow replied.
"We will fight for it, too," Charming declared.
"No one is going to destroy our family, Ma. We've fought too hard for it and they all know it. So, let whoever or whatever this Pendragon might be come. We will handle him like we have every other threat to our family," Henry told her.
"Yeah, Kid, and how is that?" Emma asked.
They all surround her. Regina pulled her from her seat and hugged her close. She gave her a quick kiss before looking into her questioning green eyes. Regina could see the fear of what this quest might cause her to lose. She had already almost lost Regina. She had fought with her mother and Regina because of their stunt. She wasn't going to let anything happen to her family. She had spent to long without a real one, that now that she had one she would do anything for it.
"As a family," Regina explained and kissed her again.
Regina felt her deepen the kiss. She welcomed it and the feelings that came from it. She didn't stop until she heard Henry, Snow and Charming all cough, reminding them they weren't alone. Emma broke the kiss first and blushed.
"Sorry," Emma stated.
"Nothing to be sorry for, Emma. Love your wife and never let her forget it. Kiss her well and often. Remind her why you love her and why you have fought for her and she'll love you back for it just as strongly," Charming told her, smacking her on the shoulder. "And, remember that you will always find each other."
"We will, won't we?" Emma asked.
"Always," Regina asked and kissed her again.
"I'll just go…pack," Henry stated leaving them alone.
"I should do that as well. Thank you for your hospitality, Queen Snow. It has been much appreciated. I promise that I will return your daughter and her consort back to you."
"Thank you," Snow replied, "I think I might have some things that you could borrow, until you find a way back to your land, Rhiannon. Think of them as gifts from a new ally."
"I will thank you."
"And, on that note, I'll go get some beans from Tiny. So, whenever the two love birds are ready to go, you can go. I think they might need a minute. Besides, I need to get packed if we are going back with them as well, so I can help Henry with his sword play," Charming added.