Time for a trip back to the Enchanted Forest!

Three Weeks Prior

Dark Palace, Enchanted Forest

It was nearly a year since they had left Storybrooke and David's heart felt just as heavy as it had then, maybe even heavier. Mainly because suddenly things were looking scarily alike how they had looked when the old curse was cast; his wife was heavily pregnant and a Witch had threatened to ruin their coming happiness for them. The only difference was that the one who had threatened them in the past now sat at the round table behind him, as their ally, while it was her sister they were trying to fight and so far they had not been doing too well.

To make matters worse the group of younger sorcerers who had joined them in the fight had left over a week ago to seek out a man who might know of their past, in the coldest corners of the Enchanted Forest at that. David had realized that he really had no say in the matter and if he had been in the same position as they were he would have done the same, but the fact that they had not yet come back worried him. Snow White had tried to tell him that they would be back soon, or perhaps she was assuring herself that they would, but he still worried and he was not quite sure why.

The door to the council chamber opened, causing him to turn away from the painted window he had been staring out through and look at the leader of the Seven Dwarves; Grumpy.

"Tell me you've found something", David said and walked back to his seat by the table, on Snow's right.

"I've been to Blue", the dwarf responded, "Tink, all the fairies; they've been scouring the forest for enchanted items to destroy her, but they got zilch. They say she's just too powerful."

David sighed heavily as he sat down, his mind trying to figure out what other options they had besides the fairies' magic as of now.

"It's happening again", Snow said to his left. "I'm about to give birth and an evil sorceress is threatening the future of my child."

"To be fair, the first time, I was threatening you", Regina pointed out, her voice harsh. She had gone back to her Evil Queen persona during the course of the year, something that the others suspected was due to her hurting after the loss of her son. Now she shrugged nonchalantly at them.

"Everyone else just became collateral damage."

"Remind me again why we forgave her?" Grumpy asked.

"Because I'm helping", Regina responded, sounding offended and glaring at the dwarf. David could not help but notice how Robin Hood, sitting on Regina's right, smirked amusedly at this. There was something up with those two, he was sure, besides the fact that every time they were together in a room people had to keep them from ripping out each other's throats. It was actually surprising to see them sitting next to one another in a civilized manner and not try to do exactly that.

"Frustrating as it is for me to remember", the Queen continued and turned her dark gaze away from the dwarf toward her former nemesis, "Snow, you had a head start to defeat me last time. How?"

"We were warned", David responded.

"By Rumplestiltskin", Snow finished.

"Well, maybe he can warn you again", Regina suggested. David felt his eyes widen in surprise, but it was Grumpy who voiced his thoughts first.

"Wait, you want to sneak into Rumple's castle, where he's being held captive by the Wicked Witch? The name's Grumpy, not Stupid."

"You're right", Snow said, "it is stupid, but... for our child..."

She looked at David, who nodded and reached over to take her hand.

"We'll do whatever it takes", he filled in.

"Heartwarming", Regina sarcastically remarked, causing Granny to roll her eyes at her. The old woman had definitely not forgiven Regina for the cursed years in Storybrooke, and all the things that happened prior to that.

"He's trapped in his own castle", Regina continued and turned towards the sixth member of the council they were holding. "Belle, you were a prisoner there."

"Yes, but breaking in?" Belle responded, shaking her head. "I would have no idea how."

"Luckily, I do", Robin suddenly said, causing the others to turn towards him in surprise. He cocked his head slightly to the right as he spoke.

"I broke in there once before."

Regina laughed a dry, annoyed laugh.

"Why are we even listening to him?" she asked. Robin turned towards her and a new, amused smirk crept up on his lips while the Queen continued her rant.

"He's a thief, which means he's not to be trusted", she said and narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you even still doing here?"

"What I'm doing here is saving your ass", Robin casually responded. David had to look down in order to not burst out laughing at Regina's stunned expression and the fact that Snow's head whipped around towards the leader of the Merry Men, equally surprised. Pleased with the silence he had caused Robin leaned forward, placing his arms on the table.

"The castle has traps", he said, "and deadly ones."

"Not more deadly than my magic", Regina replied, refusing to look at the man who had just spoken. Robin turned towards her, the muscles in his chin tightening and David realized that the two would soon enter another wordy argument.

"They are, if you don't see them coming", Robin stated. Regina's head whipped around towards him; she was gritting her teeth in annoyance and the glare in her eyes was not something to think lightly of.

"Maybe I'm okay with taking my chances", she hissed.

"Alright, you may be, but we're not", Snow interrupted. "He's coming."

Regina's eyes widened in surprise at her stepdaughter's decision, before she leaned back in her chair and cast another glare in Robin's direction. He smirked triumphantly at her, which only caused the Queen to purse her lips and look away again.

A shout from out in the courtyard caused them all to look up. David quickly rose from his chair and hurried over to the window again, seeing a horse and a rider galloping in beneath the archway.

"Something's happened", he said as he recognized the horse as one of their own, one of those that the fourteen young sorcerers had used to get to the North. He led the way out of the room and down to the stairs to the ground level, where one of the stable boys was leading the rider inside.

"What's happened?" David called as they neared the still cloaked rider. "Where are the others?"

The stable boy helped the rider sit down on a chair, causing the brown hood of the cloak to fall off.

"Rachel", David breathed. He should have known; she was the best rider out of the group. If they needed to get a message somewhere fast she would be their best option. Now she hardly seemed to hear him as her face was contorted in pain and her breathing rasped through her dry throat.

"Water", Snow said. "She needs water; somebody get her some water!"

Regina moved forward, flicking her hand and summoning a glass of crystal clear water from the kitchen. David grabbed it and helped his friend drink from it. She gulped it down until she swallowed it wrongly and instead started coughing.

Once the fit had subsided she forcibly calmed her breathing before managing to open her eyes. They were red from lack of sleep.

"The Witch", she managed to say, "she... she took him."

"Who?" David asked and knelt next to the chair. "Who did she take?"

"Toby", Rachel said and tried to sit up straighter. He placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her down.

"Take it easy", he ordered. "Just tell us what happened."

"That is one long story", Rachel muttered and ran a hand through her hair.

"Did you find him?" Regina asked. "Ollivander, did you find him?"

Rachel nodded.

"Yes. He explained... everything."

She took a deep breath before continuing.

"We were on our way back when the monkeys came. They were after Toby and they got him, and his wand."

"Why were they after him?" Belle asked with a frown.

"Because of the prophecy", Rachel responded, "or so we think."

"What prophecy?" Regina questioned, narrowing her eyes. Rachel shook her head.

"Doesn't matter now. Point is she took him. The others are on route to free him, but we thought you should know what was going on... and that we have a past in this world as well."

"A past?" Robin said, stepping up with a frown. "You mean you are the Children of Magic?"

"The what?" David asked.

"A long time ago, I saved a baby girl from being killed due to her magic powers", Robin explained. "I brought her to a safe haven up in the North where an old wizard told me of other children like her, that would one day return here to help defeat the darkness."

"Wait, I read about that", Belle remarked. "There was a child like that in my father's town whom my father wanted to kill, but I told the parents of the haven in the North."

Rachel groaned.

"Not to wonder Ollivander was so damn pleased with the situation", she muttered and sat up straighter.

"What is the prophecy?" David said, turning towards her again.

"Exactly what Robin said", she responded. "The Children of Magic will return to help defeat the darkness. The Children of Magic are me and my friends and in this world, apparently mainly in this castle, are people representing our connections in this world; people who are the reason we were able to come back. Which was why we appeared right when you got back here and not earlier."

"And this has to do with us how?" Regina asked. Rachel slowly rose from her chair and David instantly supported her.

"Because standing in front of me are five of those connections", she said and looked at them one at a time. "The Thief, the Beauty, the Pure, the Evil..."

She paused and turned towards David.

"And the Prince."

He frowned at the strange expression in her eyes, but she looked away before he could ask her about it.

"Each of you has found one person in my group whom you feel that you can trust", she continued, "trust without really knowing why; you just do. That's whom you are connected to."

Eyes widened with realization as everyone seemed to realize whom she was referring to in their own case. David did too; there was only one in that group he had trusted from their first meeting.

"You", he said, drawing her attention. "I'm your connection, aren't I? That's why you gave me that look of yours just now."

She opened her mouth to respond but he shook his head as interruption.

"Don't worry; we'll save Toby and help the others get back here", he said. "You stay here and rest; we'll be back in no time."

"David, please, there's something else you don't know about me", Rachel said as he turned towards the stable boy in the doorway to ask him to prepare horses for them. Her words caused him to frown and he turned back to look at her. The strange expression in her eyes was still there.

"What is it?"

She took a deep breath before responding.

"Ollivander didn't just tell us about the prophecy and our connections and the like", she said. "He told us who we once were; about the families that we were born into, where we came from."

She paused again and he felt his frown deepen.

"Where did you come from?" he slowly asked.

"I was born on a farm", she responded with a hint of a smile. "I don't know who my father is, or was, but my mother..."

"Hey", he said, smiling reassuringly, "when all this is over I'll help you find her, alright?"

"No, please, let me finish", Rachel said and swallowed. "David, my mother gave me up to protect me from the Dark One, because she had already lost her two older sons due to his deals."

David blinked in surprise.

"What?"

Rachel took a deep breath before she responded.

"I'm your sister."

And with that I can officially say the Charming-family just got even more complicated...