Emma -
There's no point in waiting any longer, she is just stalling, it will either work or it won't as she doesn't need Gold there for that. David has been staring pointedly at the watering cans on and off for the last few minutes and now he is coming over to her, to discuss it with her. She feels her shoulders tense in preparation of the inevitable pep talk coming her way, she does appreciate them, recalling how his words comforted her on the return trip from Neverland, a leader he called her and they are waiting for her to lead again but ever since her return from enchanted forest past, she hasn't felt like a leader, has been doubting herself.
She speaks before he does "I know" nods at the watering cans, "it's just.." She sighs presses her palms flat on the table, "I've always trusted my instincts, I still do but it's just those instincts have different consequences here in StoryBrooke, everything is so unpredictable".
David nods "our pasts are complicated but they are our pasts not yours, Regina made her own bed".
"I know, it's not just Regina, I'm the Saviour right?" He nods "so I break the curses but the thing is, half the time I don't even know what I'm doing, which is okay cuz I go with my instincts and now, for awhile actually, my instincts are telling me not to mess with things I don't understand and I don't understand this curse, I don't understand magic" she turns looking at the frozen forms, "what I do know, is that all magic comes with a price, what if using magic against magic has a huge price?"
"Okay" David nods "we will wait".
They don't have to wait long, the bell finally tinkles and the door opens, revealing Gold, Belle, a handful of merry men and a young woman.
"Emma, David, Mary Margaret, this is Elsa, Queen of Arendelle, Elsa, this are the Princesses and Prince I told you about"
Emma blinks back her surprise at being called a princess, reaches out her hand to Elsa, who immediately shies away, Emma quickly drops her hand and settles for a hello instead.
Belle indicates they should sit, glares at Rumple and looks over to Regina. Rumple makes his way towards the unmoving figure of the Queen, face unreadable, his palm shimmering blue as he hovers it over her.
"Well?" Mary Margaret asks unable to mask the concern in her voice.
"Unconscious" he replies, ignoring Emma's eye roll "the dark magic is weakened, but the solution remains the same, break the curse on her heart or kill her, she cannot be contained unless" he hesitates, glares at Elsa "unless she can control her magic and I wouldn't hold my breath" he sneers at the young woman, anger in his eyes.
"Rumple" Belle's tone is a warning. She is truly pissed off at him Emma realises, she would bet her life savings, Gold is behind this.
Rumple moves over to the watering cans, raises a eyebrow "well water" David tells him.
"Ahh yes, has the power to return what was lost. Clever, you've not used it?"
"No" Emma replies.
"Good" comes the reply.
Emma breathes a sigh of relief, she had trusted her instincts to wait and it was the right call.
"It may well work but not this way, not unfiltered as it were, magic is complicated, dangerous" Gold looks at the young woman with undisguised hate in his eyes "shouldn't be messed with, you can't just chuck it at things and hope for the best".
"Good job you are finally here then" Emma tells him, go bloody sort it out she thinks.
Rumple picks up the cans and looks to Belle, turns to the woman "you stay calm, anything happens to..."
Belle cuts him off "we will be fine, go and put this right as you should have done in the first place".
Emma is shocked at her harsh tone, Belle is ridged with anger, mouth a thin line, she is practically pushing Gold out the door with her eyes. As soon as he leaves, the young woman, Elsa, Emma corrects herself, visible relaxes.
"Belle?" Emma asks gently "everything okay?"
"No not really," she stares past Emma for a moment, blinks herself back to the present.
"Rumple is responsible for, well everything. Elsa was his prisoner in the Enchanted Forest and here too".
The room is silent as Belle begins the tale, Elsa, by her side, remains quiet, head bowed, wringing her hands.
She is just a young woman, Emma thinks, lost and scared but brave too, brave to walk into a room of strangers alongside her captor, but Belle, well Belle is impressive, strength radiates from her, compassion for the girl evident in her gestures, her voice is clear, the story concise, yes Belle would make a good saviour Emma thinks.
The story unfolds, of revenge and fear, of soldiers from neighbouring lands fed false tales, tempted by greed, demanding the Queen be removed for their safety, although the danger was long past. Her kingdom refused their demands until frightened by the prospect of war, the Queen, this Elsa sat in their midst, offers a comprise, bind her magic, let her sister rule by her side, two queens, no magic.
Her sister Anna finds a magician who can help,but it is a trick, he doesn't bind her magic but binds all of her and steals her away from her land, from her sister, the eve before the younger girl's wedding.
The magician wants her magic, what can she do? He wonders, elemental magic is rare and he is interested he tells her, so powerful he says.
She refuses, holds tight to her promise to her sister, never in anger, never in hate, only ever in love but he taunts her, tells her, it was no trick, was always the deal, her sister wanted her gone, doesn't trust her, she doesn't believe him, he lies but in the dark and solitude, his whispers linger, his taunts sting and she begins to doubt. Time passes and he is always there muddying the waters until finally she relents, shows him the power of her magic, in desperation and fear.
He is delighted, enthralled with her, what could they do together he dreams. They travel to a strange land and she freezes his enemies, he is pleased, he wheels her out when needed, she begs for freedom, he promises, empty promises, he is not teaching her control only darkness. They fight, she loses, eternal imprisonment, her punishment until she awakes here.
Emma gasps when she realises, she is responsible "I'm sorry".
"Don't be" the young woman has a soft voice but there is a strength behind it, a tone Emma has come to recognise as belonging to royalty, and suddenly she can picture the girl as a Queen fighting for her people.
She turns her bright blue eyes to Emma "you freed me, it is I that should be sorry, I lost control when Rumplesklitskin found me, I was trying to escape and..." She trails off.
"you froze the town".
"Yes" the girl doesn't expand her thoughts and what is more is there to say?
Mary Margaret leans in "but you can fix it?, my son, Emma's son, this town, we..."
Belle interrupts gently "all magic is tied to emotion" it's a warning, negative emotions, guilt, fear will not help, caution is needed, calmness, forgiveness.
Mary Margaret nods her understanding "it was an accident, I'm sure the well water will work".
Belle shoots her a grateful look.
Emma understands but she needs more "the well water will restore the town's people" and Neal and Henry and Killian, she says the statement as if it's already true, she has hope that is true, will not doubt now "but the snow and ice will not fade without your magic?"
Elsa nods "it can be reversed but I will need help".
"What do you need?"
"Guidance, control, a light heart"
"Light magic"?
"It's more like light feelings, hope, love" Elsa mummers.
Mary Margaret smiles brightly, reaches against the table, takes Elsa's hand, doesn't hesitate for one moment, "hope and love are all things to be found in StoryBrooke, we have faith in you and we will help you, help us".
"Belle said that you could get me home, that is what I need, hope that I can go home, to my family, to my sister" she fights her tears but they are there.
"You've been so brave Elsa, it's not easy I know but please try and trust us, we will try to get you home but first we have to restore our people and we need to save Regina".
Elsa nods at Mary Margaret "I understand".
"How did Regina's heart get frozen?" Emma wants to know "was she involved in your capture?"
Elsa shakes her head "No I never met her, here or there, Rumplesklitskin spoke of a Queen, a student of his but she never came to the castle, he always went to her".
"So this must have been a while ago, before the curse, before you lived there, Belle". Mary Margaret asks.
Belle nods "I assume it was when Regina was newly married and first began her training, she was the Queen when I lived with Rumple, brief as it was".
How long had Elsa been there trapped in his vault? Emma wonders, it's difficult to tell, no-one in StoryBrooke will give a straight answer on times or ages, they are all surprisingly skittish about it, Emma suspects its because the differences in this land make their realms customs a little creepy, she's not judging but it bugs the hell out of her.
When she had been to the past, Regina was the Queen and Snow was on the run from her, the curse hadn't been casted, how long had Rumple trained Regina for?
Her mom was twenty eight when the curse brought them here, after all they are the same age, Emma thinks she was roughly thirteen when Regina (who was what eighteen maybe? who knows? Emma wouldn't dare ask Regina and Mary Margaret never answers her question) married Leopold, so that's roughly fifteen years at least, minus a year or two possibly as her parents had only just met and weren't yet married. Now that Elsa was here that's a forward jump of another twenty eight years. Time may have frozen in StoryBrooke but not in Arendelle, making it at least forty three years since Elsa left her home.
Has Elsa done the math she wonders? And now they are promising to get her home, a home that could have vastly changed in that time. Emma shakes the questions and unease away, it won't matter a damn jot if Regina wakes up all dark queen.
Elsa is speaking softly "I didn't know where I was so I walked into the woods and stayed there for a bit". The clearing Emma thinks, Elsa must have gone to the clearing first.
"I felt magic here so I followed it and it lead me to a underground crypt filled with magical items, I just wanted to go home and I thought maybe there might be something in there that could help".
"So you broke in to Regina's vault". Emma asks, she can guess what's coming next.
"Yes I guess it was hers, I found a heart, I didn't mean to, I didn't realise what I was holding at first and then when I did, I dropped it , I panicked and my magic caught it and it was frozen. I tried to unfreeze it but my fear, I think I made it worse and then I got angry and it got darker and darker so I took it, and ran and took shelter in a wooden cabin in the woods".
"Where Gold, Rumplestlkin found you and you lost control and froze the town" Emma says finishing the tale.
"Yes, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to". Elsa, the very picture of misery.
Any other heart thought Emma but no she had to darken a broken one with fear and anger. Emma sighs, pushes herself away from the table, she needs to stand up and think, she needs a coffee.
"It was an accident" Belle comforts Elsa, watching Emma closely.
"Can you try again?" Tink asks "I'm Tink, I'm a fairy, maybe we can try together?"
Elsa shakes her head at Tink "no I don't think so, I was foolish to try in the first place, the only way is a act of true love".
Back to where we started, Emma thinks, "there's no way that Regina is capable of such an act at the moment" Emma admits.
"I have a way"
Emma turns to the door, Robin is standing in the doorway, nods to his men, sitting silent all this time, listening to the tale.
Robin holds a pouch in his hand "where is Gold? I need his magic".
Authors Note:
Sorry couldn't resist the timing part and my own head canon on this. Wonder if it will be addressed in the show? either Arendelle will be frozen to solve the problem or the writers will just ignore it.
Love to know your thoughts on this & my story.
Anyone got any ideas on what Robin's plan is?
On another note, I don't have a laptop, only a tablet that isn't really compatible with fanfic net so I can never edit properly or change font or use italics etc, hence why I don't!