Chapter 7
One thing I remember from my childhood and growing up in the Emerald city as the Wizard's daughter was that you help those who need it. It was the night after the ball when Belle came riding in on her horse and Snow came to get me. I ran down the stairs and into the entrance where Neal lay on the floor in Belle's arms. I froze when I saw him, he looked pale and lifeless. Belle looked up at me pleading with her eyes, kneeling down I saw the mark burned into his skin.

"What happened?" I asked looking at Belle.

"We found Rumple's volt, he used the key to unlock it. Elsa it's poisoning him, Zelena tricked us into bringing Rumple back for his dager. To bring him back whoever uses the key dies." Belle said trying to hold back the tears.

Looking back down at his hand I could see the poison blackening his veins as it slowly moved up his arm almost to his shoulder.

"I have an idea but it's not going to feel good."

"Anything's better than this." Neal breathed weakly. I nodded reaching out I closed my eyes letting my body relax, taking his hand in mine I felt the cold chill between our hands. He let out a scream of agony and I tried to stay focused as I watched the veins in his arms rise as the ice froze the poison before it could spread farther up his arm. Belle held his other hand tightly as he breathed heavily through his teeth.

"I'm sorry it's almost done I promise." I said as the last of poison froze. Pulling my hand away I let out a sigh, Neal didn't look great but he didn't look like he was going to die either. He pushed himself up using his free hand with Belle's help and looked at his hand then at me.

"Thank you Essie." He said forcing a smile, I knew it still hurt.

"You still need rest and don't thank me till tomorrow and we know everything's fine." I said standing up. I walked quickly out towards the garden and out into the snow. I fell to my knees trying to breath.

"Elsa?" A voice asked behind me, it was Regina she had followed me out here.

"What?" I asked not looking at her.

"I wanted to see if you were okay." She said coming up behind me.

"I shouldn't have to do this, not here." I said sniffing.

"Do what?" She asked I could feel her eyes on me, moving my legs out I sat down in the snow while she took a seat on the bench.

"It's Zelena's fault Ali's dead." I said softly.

"It's Zelena's fault a lot of people are dead." Regina replied, I sighed.

"She need's to be stopped." I said drawing shapes in the snow with my finger.

"She will, but you can't do this on your own." Regina said I looked up at her.

"Why are you going to help me?" I asked.

"Because your my daughter and she's sadly my sister, but I agree she needs to be stopped." Regina said

"Wait Zelena's your sister?" I asked shocked.

"Evidently, seems my mother has a thing for sending children to OZ."

We both fell into silence before Regina spoke again.

"Elsa can you tell me something?" Regina asked.

"I can try." I said with a soft smile.

"Were you happy there?" I looked at her smiling.

"Yeah I was, I was lucky to be raised by two truly amazing people. Not to say that you wouldn't have been an amazing mom."

"Lately I've been thinking about what my life would have been like if my mother hadn't sent you away."

"You wouldn't have your son." I said Regina only looked at me. "Neal told me about him and how you came to have him."

"You're right I wouldn't, but I would have had you, what I always wanted." Pushing myself off the ground I stood and took her hands in mine making her look at me.

"Please don't feel guilty, it wasn't your fault. But I'm sure you're a great mom." I said smiling softly.

"I can't believe how beautiful you are, though I still don't know where you got this ice magic from." Regina said playing with the end of my hair.

"I don't know but I like it." I smiled twisting my wrist to the right flicking my fingers out towards the snow, bringing my hand back the snow glided up twisting in the air like a cyclone before settling down to reveal a snowman.

"What should we call him?" Regina asked as if I was still 4 and named all the inanimate objects in my life.

"Olaf, Aly and I made him when I was little." I said with a smile.

"Is that who gave you the ring? I noticed it was old and look like it's been around longer than you."

"Yeah, it was her mother's and then Oswin proposed to her with it. She asked me to keep it safe after she died." I explained.

"I still have the ring your father gave me." Regina said glancing down at her ring.

"How long were you two together?" I asked sitting down next to her.

"Almost a year but I had known him for a while. He was the stable boy at our palace, we shouldn't have even loved each other but we did. My mother didn't even know until later, we could have gotten away." Regina said, I looked at her my own heart breaking for her and the loss of my father, hearing her talk about him and seeing all the pain made me wish even more that I had known him or could meet him.

"I'm sorry you lost him, I know how much it hurts." I said looking down at the snow that danced at my feet. Regina looked at me before taking my hand.

"Not as much as losing you." She said softly, I closed my eyes forcing any tears away.

I knew far too well what it was like to lose someone that meant so much, I had lost everyone who even did anything good in my life. I sometimes even wondered if this wasn't just a dream I would wake up from.