Chapter 13

Regina was waiting for the perfect moment to strike at Snow White. She had decided that Red and Granny were traitors at best for housing the child. Lorelei she forgave, of course. The siren was rather naïve and had an unfailing moral compass. She had to wait until Lorelei was at another post, preferably far off so she wouldn't hear of the attack until it was done. Her men were very strictly ordered not to harm Granny or Red, they were just to capture Snow White and bring her back to Regina. She was sending a hundred of her finest troops so they should be able to handle the job without harming those two.

Lorelei would never forgive her if Red got hurt.

Finally, the siren announced she was going to the far eastern border to train the men there. She would leave at dawn and return to go to bed for the night before returning again. This meant she would have little to no contact with the hundred troops who were currently at the palace. The trick was they had to return from their mission before Lorelei did or she would sense something was wrong in the palace. So Regina planned to transport them to and from the cottage by magic.

Regina sat up in their bed and managed to eat dawn breakfast with her siren. She was trying to hide her excitement, especially on the inside. If the woman thought she was excited to have her gone, it would end up an all day affair of convincing her she loved having her around.

Finally, Lorelei left. Regina waited just an hour before bouncing out of bed and dressing in her very best long black gown. It pushed and pulled in all the right places and made every eye stare at her. At least until they remembered who she was.

She reminded the troops of their orders and went about attending to her daily tasks with her mother who was just as excited as she was.

….

Rumple had a devilish grin on his face. Regina's plan was perfect. The only thing that could go wrong, is if the siren found out. Wouldn't that be a shame? If the siren saved her little girlfriend? Of course, the only way to save the wolf would be to also save Snow. Now, that… would certainly irritate our little evil queen. He needed the siren to keep her alive, but he also needed Regina to lose some of the connection the two had. After all… the main ingredient for his curse called for a heart that was actually crushable.

….

Lorelei had been training troops for just under two hours now. She was doing well at keeping herself focused on the training today. She had just called for the sweating men to go get some water when the vile imp that trained Regina and distorted her views on the world appeared in front of her.

She had her magic sword in her hand in a heartbeat. She glared at him with glowing silver eyes, "you have no business here imp. I told you to never stray towards me."

Rumple gave her an elaborate bow and didn't meet her eyes in his best show of deference. "Yes, I'm aware you are not overly fond of me, but I have news for you that I am sure you want to hear."

Lorelei snorted a laugh and held her sword at the ready, "nothing you say can be trusted."

Not able to hold an impish giggle, he cleared his throat and showed his palms, begging her to hear him out. When she finally lowered her sword and rolled her eyes, he felt allowed to speak, "Your queen is sending a hundred men armed with wolfsbane coated weapons to your loves door in an attempt to capture the fugitive Snow White."

Lorelei stared at him, trying to decide if he was lying or not. "Wolfsbane?"

Nodding eagerly, he licked his lips before speaking again. "Oh yes, wolfsbane is very deadly to werewolves dearie. Very hard to obtain also. But, one nick with a wolfsbane coated sword or arrow head and even the strongest wolves fall dead within days. A full stab or puncture wound and they die within hours."

Lorelei looked around quickly, trying to think. "How can I know you're telling the truth? Regina wants Snow but she wouldn't harm Red to get her."

Rumple shrugged, "only one way to really find out, dearie."

Rumple giggled again and clapped his hands together as she vanished in a crack of light. Regina might deny the wolfsbane, but the damage would be done to their relationship whether the siren believed her or not. He physically pat himself on the back, congratulated his last minute idea.

…

Red was sitting on a stone, watching Snow try to practice with a bow. She was terrible, but she was getting slightly better over time with it. Much better than the sword had gone. Snow had just managed to hit the bale of hay for the second time and was bouncing around happily when a loud crack announced the sirens presence. Red jumped up and stopped as she saw the womans face… and then she saw Granny who looked panicked. Granny never looked panicked. "Lorelei, what…?"

She didn't finish her question before Lorelei shouted "RUN!" The siren shifted into her wolfish form and Granny climbed on as Red shifted also. Snow looked pale and horrified. Granny grabbed her and threw her onto Red before both wolves took off at the fastest speed.

"Lorelei, what are we running from?!"

An arrow shot towards Reds side but the siren leapt and caught it, quickly dropping it. "Regina sent troops to get Snow. The weapons are coated in wolfsbane."

Red ran even faster then. She knew what wolfsbane was. Granny had taught her well of it's dangers, and it's uses. So they ran. Snow would slip a bit, every so often, but Lorelei would run close and Granny would help her adjust better again.

They ran until just past night fall. The two wolves stopped, both panting heavily. Granny and Snow were just as weary. It might be harder to run so far, but it was no easy task to hold on for an entire day either. Lorelei and Red shifted when their passengers had climbed off. They sat on the grass staring at each other thru the night. No one spoke for quite a while.

"Come on girls, I'll start the fire." Granny groaned as she stood and headed into the trees. Snow was squinting after her, but she didn't have the night sight they all had. Granny realized this and came back to take her hand. "Forgot. Sorry. Just keep walking."

Red waited until they had been gone a few minutes before speaking to Lorelei. "I led us to an old cottage. My mother and Granny used to live in it, before I was born. It'll be a bit run down, but I know no one knows of it. Including Regina. How did she find us?"

Lorelei shook her head as she stood, reaching down to help Red up also. Once she took it, they headed towards this cottage. "The dark one told me about the attack. I don't know why. I assume he has something to gain by me stopping all of it, but I don't really care. I would never allow you to be hurt Red."

Red sighed, "unless I attacked Regina?"

Lorelei stopped and stopped Red too, making their eyes meet. "If you attacked her, I would stop you. But I would never harm you. Please, don't ever put me in that position Red. It hurts to think of it."

Red sighed again but nodded, "I don't want to hurt her. I couldn't care less what she does anymore. But, I also don't want her to kill Snow. That girl hasn't done anything…"

Lorelei frowned but looked to where Red's eyes were staring. She stared too. "I thought you said it was run down?"

Granny and Snow stood in front of what could have been a cottage, many many years ago. Now, it was just a pile of rubble and moldy timber. Lorelei was about to suggest finding a new place when a tiny blue sparkle light popped up beside Snow. Lorelei was ready to smash whatever kind of bug it was but Red held her back.

Blue shifted to her full size form and smiled at everyone, until she landed eyes on the siren. Then she looked incredibly angry. She held her wand pointed at her and asked in a dangerous voice, "what is that creature doing here?!"

Lorelei stepped towards her, getting angry herself, "what the hell are you to call me a creature?"

Blue pointed her wand at her more threateningly as Lorelei's runes began to glow brighter. Red shot in between them, raising a hand to either one to stop them. "Hey, it's fine, Blue. This is Lorelei…"

"I know who she is! She is the only reason Regina has gotten to do all the vile and evil things she has done. Regina was destined to die before the age of 5, but this thing kept her alive! This siren is the reason the entire kingdom suffers!"

Lorelei growled at this sparkly thing insulting her, "Regina does not deserve death. She never has!"

"See?! Even now she defends the evil queen!"

Granny interrupted with a sharp whistle, "Lorelei is a fine woman, Blue. She is the only reason we are alive now at all. She might defend Regina, who is currently trying to kill us all, but she also saved us."

Red frowned at the blue fairy, "yeah, she did save us. Where were you when they were trying to murder us?"

Blue put her wand away and turned towards the house instead of answering, "this will never do." She waved her arms about and bright sparkly blue magic engulfed the ruins. The rubble molded together once again and the timbers regained their firmness and the mold vanished. Before a minute, the cottage was entirely rebuilt wit a fire already lit in the hearth. She turned to Snow, pointedly ignoring every one else. "Now, it is an acceptable place for you my dear. Rest and learn. The people of this kingdom need you to save them from the evil queen." Then she turned into a tiny thing and swooped off into the night sky.

Snow turned to Red, "I have no idea what's going on. But I am starving."

Granny stormed into the house and loudly called out, "great! It smells like fairy farts in here!"

Snow winced as she heard pots and pans banging around. She shrugged and went to see if she could help.

Red smiled at Lorelei, "did you see what she did? The magic?"

Lorelei smiled back at her, anger forgotten. "I did. Why?"

Red bit her lip and took her hand, leading her behind the house. There they found another pile of rubbles and mold. "This was a stable. Think you can do it?"

Lorelei smirked at Red before concentrating her magic. It took a bit longer, but when the stable stood tall and strong again, not only was the hay fresh and plentiful, but it didn't smell like fairy farts. "Ha! Mines better."

Red giggled at her and wrapped her arms around her neck. "Thank you, for saving us."

She grinned at Red and put her hands on her hips, pulling her close. "Thank you for running instead of asking questions."

They smiled and kissed and whispered until Granny yelled for them to come eat. They raced back to the cottage, making it to the table as Granny sat the plates down. They ate very quickly, the way they do.

Snow looked confused, "uhm, do you intend to stay the evening Lorelei?"

The siren glanced at Red then looked to Snow, "yes. I think her majesty deserves a night alone for her behavior."

Red rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's the tough love there Lorelei. Good job."

Lorelei leaned close to whisper to Red, "you know how her nightmares torment her Red. More than a night would be excessive. Besides, it hurts me when she hurts."

Red smiled an apology, "I know. I'm sorry. I am happy to spend a night with you though." Red winked at her and the sirens cheeks blushed in anticipation.

Snow cleared her throat, "yeah, that's what I'm curious about actually. This cottage has two rooms. I'm not sharing with Granny, she sleeps with a crossbow and I know I'll get shot."

Everyone laughed at Snow's red face. Red finally shook her head and let the poor girl calm down, "Lorelei fixed the stables. We will sleep in the loft there. Close enough should any trouble arise…"

"Far enough away that I won't be cursed by my wolf hearing." Granny grumbled.

This time Red blushed. Granny might be too old to shift, but her hearing was excellent. She thanked Granny for cooking and told Snow goodnight before taking her siren by the hand and practically carrying her to the hayloft.

….

Regina was beyond furious. She had never been so angry in all her life. The perfect plan, trash. How did Lorelei find out? Where was she now? Where the hell was Snow now? She stared at the captain of the troops sent after them and asked again in a deceivingly calm voice. "Tell me again, captain."

The captain was trembling in his armor and sweating his life away under that cold gaze. He swallowed numerous times before he could speak to tell her again of the days details. "We appeared where you sent us to, in the forest. About a mile from the cottage. We approached silently. The scout reported only the old woman was there. We waited until we confirmed Snows location, further in the woods. Just before we spilt into a third to take the old woman down silently, there was a flash of silver light in the cottage, and then another. We rushed in, but it was empty. We then raced to the woods and arrived just in time to see a black wolf carrying Snow, and a silver wolf carrying the old woman, race off into the forest faster than any horse could full gallop. We lost the trail immediately. It was as if they were never there."

Regina nodded and sipped her wine. "You say this light looked as my sirens light does?" The captain nodded, trembling harder now, but he nodded. "Calm down, captain. That is what I think too."

The captain visibly relaxed a bit. He had worried he would be killed for insinuating the siren was a traitor.

Regina smelled the air and wrinkled her nose, "what the hell did you roll in out there captain?"

Confused, the captain smelled himself, "ah… nothing, my queen."

"You reek of something. It's like blood and decay."

The captain patted his sword, smiling. "oh, that's the wolfsbane, majesty."

Regina turned pale and leaned forward, " the what?"

"The wolfsbane you put on our weapons."

Regina weighed her options. This was why Lorelei had not come home. She thought Regina meant to kill her Red. She would never, but she had a pretty good idea who would. "Go, gather every single weapon infected with the wolfsbane. If you miss even one, you will die a very slow death. Gather all the men who went with you as well. Miss one and they will die a very slow death with you."

The captain wavered on his feet before turning and sprinting out of the throne room. Regina waited a few moments then used her magic to cast her voice in every single corner of the palace, screaming at an ear piercing volume, "MOTHER!"

Servants dropped and clutched their ears and babies started wailing. Cora shivered and composed herself for her daughters obvious anger. She then appeared in swirl of smoke near the throne with a smile. "Yes dear?"

Regina grabbed her by the collar of her gown pulling her close, "did you put wolfsbane on the troops weapons?! Do not lie to me!"

Cora was genuinely confused and stared at her daughter, "wolfsbane? No, why would I? Do you have any idea how difficult it is to even find wolfsbane? To coat 100 troops weapons would take an impossible amount!"

Regina released her and thought on what she said. Then her look took on a very dark shadow when she realized exactly who could have managed to collect so much of the stuff. "Rumplestiltskin."

A high pitched giggle announced his presence behind them. "Yes dearie? You called?"

Regina fixed him with a glare that would cause a normal man to faint. "Why?"

Taking a seat in a dramatic manner, Rumple savored her furious look for a few moments before answering. "You are far too trusting of the siren. I have simply proven to you where her real loyalties lay."

Cora looked back and forth between the two, "what the hell is going on here? Where exactly is Lorelei?"

Regina sighed, "with Red."

Cora finally put everything together and nodded, "I see. She thinks you sent troops to kill the love of her life and she left you to sleep with the enemy." Cora pulled Regina in to what she hoped was a comforting embrace. "He's right, you trusted her too much darling. Now, I'm sure she will be back, but she has left you for now."

Regina pulled away from her mother, "she hasn't left me mother. She will never leave me. If I needed her right this instant she would be here. She is just furious at me. She intends to punish me by leaving me to my nightmares tonight. She will come back to me."

Cora raised a brow and was already forming a plan. "My, what a clever girl that Snow White is…"

Regina frowned at her, "what does she have to do with any of this?"

Rumple stepped in, "why, she has attached herself to Red. Lorelei will always protect Red, almost as well as she protects you. Therefore, if little Snow stays close to the wolf, you will never reach her. Your former best friend and your guardian stand like an impenetrable wall between you and your revenge."

Regina growled in frustration. They were right. Especially her mother, love is weakness. Her love for her friends was now stopping her from getting her revenge. She wanted to tear her hair out in frustration at the entire mess. She eyed her mother and the dark one in turn before speaking, "what can I possibly do now?!"

Cora grinned and cocked a brow at Rumple, "yes, what ever can she do now, Rumplestiltskin?"

Cackling madly, he told her of his greatest curse. All she had to do was go get it, and a few minor ingredients. Silly man forgot the main ingredient, must've slipped his mind. Oh well, by the time she gathered it and all the other things, she would be more than willing to sacrifice the thing she loved most. It would definitely not be an immortal sirens heart.

….

Lorelei spent an entire week with Red, Granny and Snow. She made several quick jumps to check on Regina though. Aside from the night terrors, she was fine. Incredibly angry and taking it out on her hundred troops from before, but fine. She was helping Red try and get Snow better adjusted to the outside world and it seemed to be going better with them both teaching her things.

Snow could hit a target at nearly a hundred paces now. Of course, Red and Lorelei could kill a man at two hundred and at least nick him at three. But she was becoming impressive at a human level. Lorelei was just watching Snow run to retrieve her arrows when a man stumbled out of the trees and towards the hundred pace away Snow.

With a flash, Lorelei was there in a moment, Red not long after. Snow screamed and hit him right in the face with her bow, cutting his chin fairly deeply. He was exhausted and fell to the ground at their feet before being able to speak, his chin bleeding.

Red picked him up and carried him inside, after all, they didn't know who he was, but he now knew where they were. They couldn't just let him die, but if he woke up he could run off. Granny held something under his nose that made him jump awake. Lorelei held him down on the floor with the tip of her boot, not wishing to touch him anymore.

Snow was staring at him, fascinated, from behind Red. He looked around and quickly quit fighting to get up. "Where am I? Who are you?"

Red shook her head, "nope. You first buddy. Who are you and how did you come here?"

He nodded, trying not to stare towards Snow who seemed to hide from him. "Uh, I'm Dav…" he cleared his throat, "I'm Prince James of…"

Snow made a weird noise and cut him off, "You're prince James! I've heard of you! But, I thought you were to marry the daughter of king Midas? What are you doing running thru the woods?"

James blushed, "yeah, well, as it turns out, she already had a true love. I helped her find him and they're good so… I'm not marrying her. Which is why I'm out here. My father, king George, is rather ticked about it all and has ordered my death."

"Oh no. My stepmother Regina took my kingdom and I think she had my father killed also."

James looked heart broken for the girl. "I am so sorry. If Regina took your kingdom… you must be Snow White! I was told you were the most beautiful woman in all the realm…" He smiled at her and blushed and then she blushed.

Then Lorelei made a gagging noise and went outside, Red close behind, rolling her eyes. Granny sighed heavily, "well, James, I guess you might as well stay here. But you're sleeping in a tent outside. We lock doors too." She gave James a warning glare before going onto make dinner.

Red and Lorelei were sitting and relaxing several hours later when Snow and James came running outside, holding hands. Snow was beyond excited and jumping around like a child. "We figured out how to save both of our kingdoms!"

Red exchanged worried glances with Lorelei, "and how is that?"

Snow clutched James hand tightly, "we will be married! Then, his father will welcome him back because I am a princess and heir to a wealthy kingdom. All he needs to do is loan me his army!"

Lorelei frowned at the girl, "you just met him, and this is crazy, and you're sixteen, so chill out maybe?"

Red tilted her head, "yeah I'm gonna agree with Lorelei on that one, especially since the way she said it was really catchy…"

Snow started to protest but Lorelei waved her hand and James vanished in a crack of light. "Where did you send him?!"

"Not telling. Let's go get dinner." Lorelei walked away as Snow was still shouting for her to bring him back.

Red smiled at the siren, "that was horrible. They were so in love…"

Lorelei smiled back at her, "yes, I could tell by the way they knew nothing but each others name."

They laughed as Snow finally came and sat inside, pouting. Granny never even asked what happened to him. She just served dinner and then went back to knitting a blanket.

…

Prince James landed hard in King Georges courtyard. The guards immediately shackled him and drug him before the king. King George screamed at him and told him he has not even half the son the real James had been. When finally allowed to talk, David told him all about meeting Snow White and how they planned to marry.

"The White kingdom would be a very powerful and lucrative addition to my own…" The king thought about it, and the more he thought, the more he decided not to kill this lookalike prince.

…..