Chapter Nine: Queen of Hearts

"Rumpeltstiltskin's cell. I haven't been here since before Regina's curse," She looked over at Ellie, "This is where he told us you and Emma were going to be the saviors." Ellie frowned, and felt kind of stupid for asking this but she kind of wanted to know.

"He knew?"

"It was prophesized. Come on." Of course it was.

-OUAT-

Inside the castle, the cell block is open and completely empty. Ellie slowly walked in it, ignoring the giant headache she was getting from looking at Aurora.

"The squid ink-it's not here." Aurora said, making Ellie roll her eyes at the obvious.

"Yeah, well Gold said we'd find it. And as much as I hate to admit it. He hasn't led me and Emma the wrong way yet." She remarked, running her hand over the bars. The other three join Ellie in the block, searing the cracks and crevices in the walls.

"Well, was there anyone else in here with him? Could they have taken the ink?" Mulan asked.

"No," Mary Margaret answered with a shake of her head, "He was kept alone. Visitors were forbidden. He was too dangerous to allow any human contact."

"How'd he keep from going nuts?" Ellie asked, turning around and facing her companions. Aurora walked over to a crack and pulled out a piece of paper/

"He didn't." she answered after reading the paper.

"What is it?"

"Is that a message?" Ellie asked.

"Yes, and I think it's for you."

"Why would you think…"Aurora hands Ellie the paper, "That…" On the paper are three things, written over and over again.

Ellie

Helena

Helena Maryanne Swan

-OUAT, Twenty Years ago, a foster home in New York

"Do we have middle names Emma?" An eight-year-old Ellie asked her sister, who was working on some homework on the desk they shared in the small room they shared.

"I don't know Ellie." Emma answered, not looking up from her work. Ellie sighed, rolling her eyes, and getting off her bed. She skipped over and turned Emma's chair around.

"We should come up with some!"

"Why do you want a middle name?" Emma asked her sister, who shrugged.

"I don't know. It would make my name sound prettier."
"Ellie is a pretty name." Emma defended, simply wanting this conversation to be done so she could resume her homework.

"That's just a nickname." Ellie argued and crossed her arms. Emma sighed, seeing that her sister wasn't going to let this go until she agreed with her.

"Alright, what do you want your middle name to be?" Ellie let out a squeal, throwing her arms around her sister, "Enough, just pick one already!" Ellie pulled back and thought about it.

"Pick one for me, and I'll pick one for you." Ellie decided, making Emma roll her eyes. Emma glanced around their minimally furnished room, where a few pictures of Ellie's hung by her bed and by Emma's bed was photos of the two of them. Emma quickly glanced at their bookshelf, and combined the first two names she saw.

"Maryanne." she finally told her sister, who gave her a wide smile and threw her arms around her sister's neck.

"I love it!" she pulled back, "Your's is going to be Marie. Emma Marie and Ellie Maryanne."

-OUAT, Now-

"How could he even know my whole name?" Ellie asked, still looking at the paper while her companions continued to search for any more possible clues.

"He was obsessed with you two. You two were the keys to breaking the curse."

"But why is it just my name?" Ellie asked her mother and showed her the paper. Mary Margaret simply shrugged, unsure of how to answer.

"We've looked everywhere. There's no ink in this cell." Aurora told them, making Ellie sigh.

"No, it's here somewhere. He told Emma."
"You were in a Netherworld. Maybe something got lost in translation." Mary Margaret said, making Ellie furiously shake her head.

"No. I know what Emma said."

"She heard right." Mulan remarked, making Emma and Mary Margaret look at her.

"You found it?" Mulan holds up an empty ink bottle.

"In a manner of speaking. There was ink in the cell."
"Son of a bitch." Ellie muttered, holding a hand to her mouth. There had to be something missing, something that was staring her right in the face. That answer came when Aurora suddenly picked up a rock and threw it at the lever just outside the cell door, causing it to fall down, locking them all in.

"Aurora what are you doing?" she grabbed the princess by the arms, giving her a little shake. She looked at Ellie with a confused expression on her face.

"Helping me." Cora answered, appearing just outside the cell with Hook by her side. Ellie snarled, furious at herself for not trusting her instincts. In Cora's hand, purple smoke appeared and then disappeared once the compass was in her hand. Ellie checked her bag and then thrusted her arm through a gap in the bars, trying to reach for the compass.

"No!" She cried, trying to reach for it until something threw her back into her mothers arms.

"No. Don't waste your energy, dear. Rumpelstiltskin himself couldn't escape from this cell," Cora looked to Aurora, "Thank you, Aurora. We couldn't have done it without you."

"Give it back to her. Give it back to her now." Ellie hissed as Mary Margaret helped her to her feet. Cora frowned, how on earth did this girl know?

"What are you talking about?" Mary Margaret asked her daughter as Ellie went over to Aurora. She gently placed a hand on her arm and flinched as something shocked her.

"Her heart is missing," Mary Margaret looked dubiously at her daughter, "Don't ask me how I know I just know." Slowly, Cora pulled Aurora's heart out, confirming Ellie's suspicions.

"I knew that Lancelot wasn't Lancelot, and now, I somehow knew you took Aurora's heart."

"Actually, I did. It was a gift." Hook remarked and Cora squeezed Aurora's heart, making the princess fall to the ground, clutching painfully at her chest.

"Stop it!" When Ellie snapped, Cora dropped the heart, as if it burned her and Ellie quickly pulled Aurora to her feet.

"Forgive us," Cora leans down and picks up Aurora's heart, brushing some dirt off it, "We'd love to stay, but Storybrooke awaits." The two of them turned to leave, but Ellie couldn't help herself, she called for Hook to stop, and surprisingly he did. He turned around, looking at the group trapped in the cell.

"Please don't do this Killian," that slipped, "My nephew and sister are in Storybrooke. They need me."

"Perhaps you should've considered that, before you abandoned me on that beanstalk."

"You would've done the same." Ellie defended. Actually, Ellie wasn't all that sure, I mean, yeah, he was a pirate. But that doesn't have to mean it was a bad thing.

"Actually no," he reaches into his pocket and pulls something out, "Do you know what this is, Ellie?" Ellie recognized it, it was hard not too.

"The bean that Anton kept."
"Yes, indeed. A pirate always keeps a souvenir of his conquest, but this...Well, this is much more than a mere trinket. This is a symbol. Something that was once magical, full of hope, possibility...now look at it. Dried up, dead, useless. Much like you. The time for making deals is done, just as I'm done...with you."

-OUAT-

Ellie cursed as she shook her hand, furiated with the damn door.

"We aren't going to break it down, Ellie. It was enchanted to hold Rumpelstiltskin. We don't have a chance."

"This is my fault." Aurora said, making Ellie roll her eyes as she leaned against the door of the cell.

"No, it's mine. Cora stole your heart because I failed to protect you." Mulan argued.

"You both can quit your bickering because, if anything, it's my fault. I'm the saviour and I should've trusted my gut when I knew something was wrong." Ellie remarked, turning around and sitting down on the ground.

"We're going to win this fight, you know. Good always defeats evil." Mary Margaret assured Ellie.

"You sound like Henry."
"Guess optimism runs in the family."

"I think it skipped a generation." Ellie remarked, thinking of her sister.

"You should know better than anybody. You and Emma broke the curse."
"What have I done since then?" Ellie asked her mother, "I got us stranded over here, burned down the wardrobe, let Cora get the ask, and now, the compass. The only reason Emma and I broke the curse was because it was exactly what Gold wanted us to do. We had nothing to do with it."

"What are you talking about?"

"He told you we were the saviours. It was his plan. Once I fulfilled that role, maybe that's all that Emma and I were ever meant to be. He had it all mapped out before I was even born," she waved the paper with her name on it, "I'm not powerful. I'm...I'm not...a saviour. I'm a name on a piece of paper. I'm a pawn, and that's exactly why we're in here. And Cora's on her way to Storybrooke."

-OUAT-

Ellie drew a line through the X's she had made in the game of tic-tac-toe she was playing with herself.

"We are going to get out of here." Mary Margaret assured the group.

"How?" she looked up at her mother, "By staring at that scroll? It's not like it's going to magically open the door for us."

"Yes it is." Ellie frowned.

"What?"

"When I was a little girl, I used to sneak into Cora's chamber and watch her practice magic. She had a spell book and, Ellie...the spells were in the book." Ellie frowned.

"Isn't that what a spell book is supposed to have? Spells?"

"Watch." Mary Margaret gently blew on the paper, causing the words to lift off the page. Ellie jumped to her feet in amazement, watching the words float above the paper.

"Squid ink. Gold wrote the scroll in squid ink!" Mary Margaret blows the words towards the door of the cell and the inked words magically create an exit for the group.

"Told you," Mary Margaret smirked at her daughter, "Good always wins."
"Wait." Aurora said, making the group pause, "I can't go. You have to tie me up."

"No. I'm not leaving without you." Mulan argued.

"I can't be trusted. Not as long as Cora has my heart." Ellie was glad that she said it. She didn't want to seem cruel when she suggested it.

"Then I will get it back for you." Mulan vowed.

"Mulan…"
"I will." Mulan promised the princess.

"Mulan. We got to go." Ellie reminded the female warrior.

"Do it." Mulan takes a piece of rope and ties Aurora to what remains of the cell's bars.

"Good luck." Aurora called to the group.

"Thanks. Good luck to you too." Ellie returned.

-OUAT-

Mary Margaret, Mulan and Ellie arrive in time. Hook and Cora were standing in front of the pool, ready to jump in the whirlpool when Ellie pulled her crossbow up and shot the compass out of Cora's hands.

"You're not going anywhere. This portal's taking us home," she turned to Mary Margaret, "The compass-get it." Cora shoot a fireball towards the group but Mulan deflects it with her sword. Ellie runs over to Hook, firing an arrow before pulling out a dagger Mulan had given her. The two clash while Mulan continues to dodge the fireballs that Cora shoots at her. Mary Margaret helps by firing arrows at Cora from a distance. Cora dodges the swing of Mulan's sword by disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke but the bag containing Aurora's heart is left behind. It's flung towards the whirlpool but caught just in time by Hook. He tosses it to Mulan.

"I may be a pirate, but I bristle at the thought of a woman losing her heart, unless it's over me." Mulan looks conflicted as Mary Margaret approaches her.

"Go!" the mother and daughter yell.

"No, but you need the compass!" Mulan argues.

"And Aurora needs her heart." Ellie reminded her. Mulan sighed before handing Ellie her sword.

"Take it. It deflects magic." Ellie takes it and barely misses a swing from Hook's sword.

"I didn't take you as a softie." Ellie remarked as she pushed her weight in the sword, where hers and Hook's made an X.

"I don't," he makes a swing at Ellie, who quickly bends back, "Just like a fair fight." They continued to fight, Ellie mentally thanking Mulan for all those long nights of sword fighting.

"Good form. But not good enough." Hook grabs Ellie's leg and flips her on her back, making Ellie groan. Hook slowly slid his hook down Ellie's sword and pins her to the ground.

"Normally, I prefer to do other more enjoyable activities with a woman on her back."

"Bite me." Ellie spat. Hook chuckled.

"However, with my life on the line, you've left me no choice. A bit of advice? When I jab you with my sword, you'll feel it. You might want to quit." Ellie smirks as she squirms, feeling the compass in the sand under her back.

"Why on earth would I do that?" She pulls the compass out and holds it up, causing Hook to be momentarily distracted. It was long enough for Ellie to push him off her. The resume their duel until Hook stumbles, giving Ellie the upper hand.

"Thanks." She says, with the compass in her fist, she pulls back her arm and punches Hook in the face. He collapses to the ground, unconscious.

"Now, let's go home!" She looked over, seeing Mary Margaret and Cora still engaged in their fight. Ellie quickly ditches her crossbow and charges at Cora with the sword. However, Cora dodges Ellie by magically disappearing.

"Ellie, run!" You certainly didn't have to tell Ellie that twice. She and Mary Margaret made a break for the whirlpool but Cora magically reappears in front of them, blocking their way home. She magically throws the two of them back with a wave of her hand. Cora stalks in Mary Margaret's direction and Ellie quickly attempts to get back up but is thrown to the ground again by Cora's magic.

"Why do you want to go to Storybrooke?" Mary Margaret asked the woman.

"Because my daughter needs me. And now, I'm going to give her the one thing she's always wanted-your heart. Goodbye, Snow."

"NO!" Ellie cried and found the strength to get to her feet and run over to her mother, she quickly pushed her out of the way and Cora's hand wound up in Ellie's chest instead of Mary Margaret's.

"Ellie!"

"Oh, you foolish girl. Don't you know? Love is weakness." Cora tries to rip out Ellie's heart but she can't even remove her hand. Ellie looked down and then looked at Cora with a smirk on her face.

"No, it's strength." She corrected and a burst of white light spreads out from Ellie's body in all directions, causing Cora to disappear.

"What was that?" Mary Margaret asked as Ellie quickly ran over and helped her to her feet.

"That is a great subject for discussion...when we get home." Mary Margaret grabbed Ellie's arm and they two of them quickly dashed towards the whirlpool.

"Ready?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Oh yeah." And with that, the two of them jumped in.

-OUAT-

Thankfully, the trip home was nothing like the one to the Enchanted Forest. Sure, there was a lot of spinning around and jerking but once they were at the bottom of what seemed to be a well. Ellie could only assume it was the one in the forest of the town, the two quickly began to climb up.

"Ellie?"

"Aunt Ellie?" Hands quickly grabbed her, helping her and Mary Margaret out of the well. And soon, those hands were hugging her.

"Henry!" she kissed Henry on the top of the head, "Emma!" That's when the tears started to fall.

"I missed you both so much."

"We missed you too." Emma said, hugging her sister tighter. Happy to know that she was finally home.

"Snow!" The three of them broke their hug to watch Ellie and Emma's parents reunite. Ellie smiled as she watched the two of them kiss, Emma and Henry grimaced. Ellie glanced over, seeing Mr. Gold silently slink away, Regina on the ground, and Ruby slowly waking up.

"What happened?" Ellie asked, looking to her sister.

"She saved you. She saved both of you." Henry answered, still keeping an arm wrapped around his aunt's waist.

"Thank you." Ellie said as Regina slowly got on her feet.

"You're welcome." Regina curtly answered. Ellie gave a small smile, she could certainly now see where Regina had gotten her attitude from.

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked, once she was fully functioning, and hugged Mary Margaret.

"Uh, your mom...she's quite a piece of work, you know?" Ellie remarked to Regina as she and Henry began to walk back to town with Emma following the two of them.

"Indeed, I do. Welcome back."
"Thanks."

-OUAT-

It was a miracle what a shower and a change of clothes could do for Ellie. To put it as simple as possible, her clothes were unsalvageable. The jacked had been burned, her shoes were worn to the core, her dress...let's just say Ellie was thankful that she'd bought that on sale. Ellie visited Mr. Gold's shop after she'd cleaned up, telling her sister to meet her there later.

"We need to talk." Ellie remarked, walking in.

"Yes. I believe apologies are in order."

"No," Ellie shook her head, "No apologies are necessary. I understand why you wanted to keep Cora out of here. Believe me, I'd have done the same thing."

"Just remind me never to bet against you in the future, Miss Swan." Gold remarked with a smile.

"It's not really a bet when the game is rigged, is it?"
"To what exactly are you referring?"

"Your scroll. I saw it in your cell. You wrote my name, my actual name, my full name over and over again."

"Just wanted to make sure it would stick."

"Why didn't you write Emma's?"
"Yours just stuck." That wasn't the real reason but Ellie didn't question it.

"You could've gotten out. The ink was there the whole time but you chose to stay, why?"

"I was exactly where I wanted to be. You needed to find that, so all this could occur." He gestured around the shop, though Ellie knew he was referring to something else.

"You created the curse, Gold. You made me and Emma the saviour. So everything we've ever done...it's exactly what you wanted me to do."

"I created the curse dearie, but I didn't make you," Gold answered with a shake of his head, "I merely took advantage of what you and your sister are-a product of true love. That's why you're so powerful. And everything you've done, you've done yourself."

"Is Emma not powerful?"

"I didn't say that." Ellie frowned, slowly catching onto what Gold was hinting. It certainly did make sense, the wardrobe, the sleeping curse, the flowers, Cora trying to take her heart. Even the dreams she started having as a child.

Ellie was more powerful than Emma.

"So you don't know." Ellie remarked, tapping her fingers on Gold's counter.

"Know what?"

"Cora...she tried to rip my heart out, but she couldn't. She was blasted back...by my…"

"Your magic. You did that dearie."

-OAUT-

Ellie opened the door to Granny's diner and was immediately attacked by her nephew, holding her tight around her waist.

"Hey kiddo," she looked over at the table where Emma, Mary Margaret, and David were sitting, "ready to eat? "

"We ordered chicken for you!"

"I'm not touching it Emma!"