New chapter, but first; who else loved the premiere episode of season 4? I'm still freaking out about it; we're back in business, people!
Alright, on with the story - and I apologize in advance for this chapter!
Rachel had arrived at the farm just after sunset and had decided not to walk up to the door, because maybe the woman living in the small house was already asleep. Besides, it would be easier for her to leave quickly in the morning. If you arrived at night you might be told to stay and rest and not head out in the darkness again, while if you came in the morning you could always excuse yourself and say that you were on a tight schedule. At least, that was the plan.
From her small campsite she watched the place in the light of the full moon where she could have grown up if she had not had magic. The farm lay in a wide valley and there were no proper roads leading in to the village that lay an hour's ride away. The house was small and made of stone, with a turf roof, and probably did not hold more than one room. There was a field for growing crops, but it was currently empty; as it was autumn the crops had already been harvested. When it came to animals she had seen a flock of sheep and a donkey held in rackety enclosures.
A poor life, no doubt, but from what David had told her about his upbringing it had been a happy life filled with love. And that was worth more than money in her eyes.
She made herself comfortable on the ground by her small campfire and, with one last look in the direction of the farm, she fell asleep.
"Something bad is going to happen, isn't it?" Jade said as they watched the one screen that was on and working, the one showing what Clarissa was seeing.
"Well, it seems to be something that's inevitable with these people", Toby remarked.
"Look, I'm sure we'll be fine", Clarissa said. "We'll meet up with Snow in the courtyard and sneak away from here and, once Snow and Charming get together, the timeline will be restored. Right?"
"I'm not sure about that", Ella replied. "Remember when David and Mary Margaret were telling us their story? David said that it wasn't until he saw the ring on Snow's finger that he knew he would never love anyone else."
"Maybe she'll put it on when they part ways?" Tessa suggested. "That was what happened last time, right?"
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see", Filipi said. They watched in silence as the group walked around the castle in the direction of the north courtyard, one that they remembered from their time in the Enchanted Forest. They had had a few knife throwing practices there, as it could be sealed off.
"Why did Snow ask you to meet her there?" Indira suddenly asked.
"I don't know", Clarissa replied, sounding confused. "A good meeting-spot, maybe?"
"But it's in the castle", Indira protested. "A courtyard, yes, but still; it's the Evil Queen's castle. She'll kill Snow if she finds her."
"Snow could have chosen another spot somewhere safe; Red knows the forest around there", Ella agreed. "So why the castle? Why take the risk of getting caught?"
"Oh no", Arianne gasped. "She's going to try to kill Regina, isn't she?"
After having lived in the forest for a few years Snow White had mastered the ability to silently sneak up on your prey, no matter if you were walking on grass, dry leaves or gravel. This knowledge came to good use now as she made her way towards the Evil Queen's chambers. She knew their location well, but the look of them had changed since she had last been here. Before her father had been killed, when the woman she was sneaking up on was just Queen Regina, the chambers she inhabited had seemed lighter. The whole castle had seemed lighter, despite being built out of black obsidian and marble. It was as if the darkness in the Queen's heart had spread to the walls of the building and changed its colour to that of the night.
The Queen was sitting at her vanity table, her back towards the wide archway leading out to the corridor. She was studying a blood red apple and did not notice as Snow quietly poured the Dark Fairy dust into her hand. As the Queen set the apple down, Snow raised her hand, ready to throw.
"I didn't think you were dumb enough to sneak into your old home."
Snow froze. The Queen must have seen her in the mirror, but acted as if she had not. Now she turned around just enough to meet Snow's gaze; the Queen's eyes were dark and filled with hatred. She huffed slightly in amusement and rose.
"But then again", she said and smiled, "you were dumb enough to lose it."
"Don't come any closer", Snow warned. The Queen chuckled and did not heed the warning.
"You think I'm scared of fairy dust?" she asked as she walked forward.
"This is Dark Fairy dust."
The Queen halted abruptly, her smile fading.
"How did you get that?" she inquired. Snow thought she could detect a hint of fear in the Queen's voice.
"It doesn't matter", she replied, trying to keep herself from smiling. "What matters is that I intend to use it on you."
"Do you really think turning me into a bug will stop me?" the Queen asked.
"No", Snow replied, "but stepping on you will."
The Queen arched an elegant eyebrow and smiled in amusement.
"You plan to kill me?" she asked. "I don't think you have that in you, Snow White."
Snow paused. She had never killed a human before and she hated when she had to kill animals for food. Even though she hated the Queen, there had been a time not long ago when she had not. When the Evil Queen had been Regina to her, a woman who had saved her life, a woman Snow loved.
She killed my father, she thought to herself. She's not the woman I once knew.
And with that thought she threw the Dark Fairy dust towards the Evil Queen.
Snow White had not been in the north courtyard. Red had gotten anxious quite quickly; apparently Snow had promised to be there at a certain time and that time was long gone. "Maybe something happened to her that caused her to run away?" Clarissa suggested.
"No", Red replied, "Snow would have left a message for me then. She's still somewhere around here."
"But", Emma protested, "where is she then?"
Red hesitated slightly before replying.
"There's a chance she tried to kill the Queen", she admitted, "and even if she succeeded, she might still be inside the castle."
"So what do we do?" Charming asked.
"We'll have to go there ourselves", Red replied. "Come on, there's a small passageway leading from here to one of the upper corridors. There are fewer guards up there, maybe even none, so we should be able to pass through quickly and reach the kitchen. If Snow ventured inside but her road here is blocked, that might be where she's going."
The others in the group nodded and Red once again lead the way. Emma felt her heart hammering in her chest as they walked up the small stairway to the upper corridors. She glanced at Clarissa, then at Hook, and saw that both of them were sharing her worry. If Snow had ventured inside, the future would be changed. It might just be a matter of time before Emma suddenly never existed or seemed to have grown up in the Enchanted Forest, depending on if it was the Queen or Snow that lost her life. History would be changed.
They emerged into the corridor Red had spoken of and found it void of guards.
"Which way now?" Hook asked.
"Down this corridor", Red asked. "Then it's right and down the stairs to the kitchen."
Hook nodded and took the lead, his unusable hand resting on his sword. Emma saw him emerge into the adjoining corridor, look right towards the mentioned door and then left, perhaps looking for guards. Whatever he saw towards his left made him stop and then turn in that direction. Emma felt her breath hitch.
As the rest of them emerged into the corridor, Hook was already standing by a large window facing west. He looked pale, which made Emma all the more worried.
"What is it?" she asked and ran up to him. "Did you find Snow?"
"I'm afraid so", he replied. Emma looked down from the circular window and saw a large courtyard, much larger than the one facing north and filled with guards. This was the grand courtyard, with the main entrance to the castle, and in its centre was a pile of wood for a pyre. A stake was raised in the middle of the pile and a person was tied to this stake. Snow White.
"We have to get down there before it's too late", Emma exclaimed and looked at Red. Red shook her head, as did Charming, even though his brow was furrowed as if he was trying to come up with a plan.
"I don't think we can", he said. Emma turned to ask Clarissa if she had some way of getting down, only to see that she was already gone.
"Belinda?" she said and turned. "Has anyone seen Belinda?"
"She was here a moment ago", Hook said, then cursed quietly as he once again looked out through the window. Clarissa had somehow managed to transport herself down to the courtyard and had also knocked out the guards with magic.
"What are you doing?" the Queen demanded to know, her voice muted slightly by the glass.
"Saving Snow White!" Clarissa replied. "You can't kill her!"
"Oh, really?" the Queen asked. "Why not?"
"Because... you just can't!" Clarissa said. "Please!"
The Queen chuckled, then flung out her hand and sent Clarissa crashing towards the pile of wood. Emma gasped and Hook quickly wrapped his good arm around her.
"We have to do something", she begged. "We have to..."
A fireball appeared in the Queen's right hand just as Clarissa stumbled back onto her feet. The blonde only just managed to cover her face with her arms, a reflexive movement, before the fire hit her and then the pyre. The Queen's hatred of Snow White was so strong that her fire engulfed both Clarissa and Snow in no time flat.