Chapter 16
It is said that good will conquer evil. I always knew this to be true but a part of me never thought it was possible with Zalena. As I stood before everyone I saw a family, a group that believed in each other even when they didn't believe in themselves. I looked at Regina who had her arm around Henry still looking at me.
"We need to take a trip to OZ." I said with a small smirk.
"What? How?" Terrence asked.
"With this" I said holding up my hand. "Because there's no place like home." I said Terrence smiled.
"Wait, what does OZ have to do with destroying Zalena? Besides the fact she's from there." Emma asked
"Her castle's there along with her crystal ball, that's the source of her magic and where she keeps it safe." I explained looking at Regina who was staring blankly at Henry.
"What will you do?" Regina asked
"What will we do? That is if you'll come. Because if you do we can defeat her, together." I said making her look at me.
"Henry why don't we go out for a little I want to hear all about New York." She said moving him towards the door.
"Regina" Mary Margaret said but Regina only looked at her coldly.
"I think we can survive an hour without running around on adventures that lead us nowhere. Now if you don't mind I would like to spend some time with my son." She said once Henry was out of earshot.
I felt sick, I didn't understand why she was doing this, when we were in the Enchanted Forest that's all Regina wanted was to defeat Zalena. Terrence came to stand beside me, slipping his arm around me he kissed my temple, shrugging away I walked out the door going up to Regina and Henry.
"I don't know what's changed but, I need to do this, with or without you. Zalena needs to be stopped and this is the only way." I said looking at Henry.
"Give me a little while to think about it."
I sighed but nodded. "It's nice to meet you Henry." I said with a soft smile.
"Yeah." Henry smiled looking at Regina.
"Elsa," Regina said as I walked away, "I trust you, I promise." She said, I nodded with a soft smile.
I saw Terrence standing at the door and I smiled at him as he walked towards me. Regina and Henry had wandered off towards town. When he reached me I put my arms around his neck looking up at him, I sometimes hated the height difference but in times like this I loved it. Looking into his eyes I smiled not taking my eyes off of him.
"What?" He said softly.
"I love you" I said softly.
"I love you too" He smiled laying his forehead against mine.
"Alright you two, I know you're getting married but come on now." David said as they all walked towards us. Mary Margaret hit his chest playfully.
"Ignore him" She said moving to give me a hug.
"Step-brother-in-law? Yeah I can ignore him." I smirked Mary Margaret smiled.
"That's right, we're technically step-sisters." Mary Margaret said looking at me, I smiled and nodded.
"This family tree just got more complicated." Neal said making me chuckle.
"I think it's actually a bush." I smirked.
"On a serious note, what do we need to do so we can defeat Zalena?" Emma asked.
"Well, you need to stop her from casting the spell and destroy her pendent. Terrence, Regina and I will go to OZ and destroy her crystal ball."
"What if she enacts the curse?" Neal asked.
"Let's just hope she doesn't."
"So we're just supposed to wait till Mary Margaret has the baby?" Emma said I sighed and nodded.
"That's all we can do, and in the mean time I want to spend some time with my best friend. You'll have to excuse us." Terrence said taking my arm, I looked at him with a soft smile.
"I'll see you guys later." I said as he pulled me towards town.
A few hours passed and I was seated on our kitchen counter watching Terrence make dinner.
"I wonder what it looks like now." I said taking a sip of wine.
"What?" Terrence asked handing me a piece of cheese.
"OZ, it's been a long time is all and I can't help but think what it may look like."
"When I was a boy I remember always looking at the Castle and thinking what it would be like to live there instead of that home. I was in such awe of it. Then I fell in love with the daughter who lived in the Castle." He said, I smiled blushing a little.
"Is that why you spent so much time with me?" I asked with a soft smile, he stepped in front of me taking my hand in his.
"Yes" he laughed. "You know," he said slipping my ring off my right hand and onto my ring finger. "When this is all over I am marrying you as soon as I possibly can."
I smiled laying my hands on his forearm. He moved closer to me, his abdomen pressed against my knees.
"I think that is a perfect idea." I smiled leaning forward towards him, not taking my eyes off his. There was a wrapping on the door, I sighed while Terrence kissed me quickly and went to get the door. Regina strode in when Terrence was almost to the door.
"Come in" he said, I chuckled and jumped down from the counter.
"Mary Margaret's having the baby, what's your plan?" She asked walking into the kitchen.
"If we can get to OZ and into Zelena's castle we can destroy the ball." I said looking at Terrence. "But we can't do it here, I've never used this and I don't know what it will do." Looking down at my ring.
"There's a field at the town line, meet me there in an hour." Regina said quickly turning to the door.
"What are you going to do?" I asked.
"I need to find Henry, I can't have him getting in the middle of this." I nodded while Terrence opened the front door for her. Regina walked out and ran to her car.
Terrence and I walked to the edge of the field, I looked around but didn't see Regina. Terrence grabbed my waist turning me towards him quickly.
"What?" I asked looking up at him.
"You can do this" he said kissing my forehead softly as Regina pulled up on her car. Terrence moved next to me his arm still on my waist. Regina walked towards us, I smiled at her softly.
"Okay, what now?" She asked looking at me.
"Now we get to OZ." I said turning towards the field, we all walked towards the middle of the field and I looked down at the ring.
"Lets go home" Terrence said taking my hand.
"Yeah, hold on tight." I said looking at Regina who took my arm.
Closing my eyes I twisted my ring around my finger desperately, all I wanted was to get back and defeat Zalena, she had hurt to many people and I wasn't going to let anyone I had lost die in vein. Opening my eyes I looked around but we were still in Storybrooke.
"Why isn't it working?" I asked frustrated. "It should work, Oswin said it would be my way home."
"Hey, just calm down." Terrence said come around in front of me.
"How am I supposed to calm down? This is the only way to get back and it doesn't even work," I said bitterly.
"Think about all the good things that happened in OZ. Remember when we were kids and the first time we met, or when I came to visit you and we played card games all day. So many great things have happened there. It's OZ, Es, it's home." He said never taking his eyes off mine as he spoke, nodding I looked back down at the ring.
I started thinking about my life with Oswin and Aly, all the amazing moments we had shared as a family. I thought of Terrence, about the first time we kissed, when he proposed, when everything was better and life was amazing. Closing my eyes again I turned my ring once again.
"There's no place like home, there's no place like home… There's no place like home." I whispered.
I felt my feet leave the ground my head spinning with images of the life I had left in OZ. My body hit the ground hard and I let out a moan trying to catch my breath. I lifted my body off the ground feeling my joints ache. Looking around I saw Terrence lying next to me, Regina was a few feet away dusting herself off, it didn't even look like she had fallen. I glanced at the ground feeling the cold uneven bricks beneath my hands, I smiled when I saw the gold shining in the afternoon sun.
"I did it" I breathed pushing myself off the ground, taking a deep breath I longed to smell the sweet scent of flowers and fresh corn. I cringed only smelling smoke and stale air. My heart broke as I looked around and saw the burnt corn that drooped low to the ground. A haze hanging low over all of OZ and what use to be beautiful countryside.
"She did this" I said almost unable to speak.
Terrence looked at me, knowing just how I felt.
"This isn't the end, we can get everything back to the way it was." He said. I only nodded looking at the cracked brick at my feet.
"So where's the Castle?" Regina asked.
"West about two hours, but we should wait until nightfall. If will be easier to get in without being spotted." He suggested looking towards where the Emerald City was.
"I need to go see the city first. If there's even a chance that Oswin could be alive I need to know. We can wait there till sundown and make our way to Zalena's castle from there." I said almost pleading with them.
"It's about an hour walk from here and it puts us closer to Zalena's castle." Terrence said looking into the woods to the left of us.
"what?" I asked.
"Nothing, I was kinda hoping Leo would have heard us by now. If he's even alive." He said with a sigh, reaching out I laid my hand on his arm. I didn't say anything, we both had the same fears and their was no point in sugar coating anything with false words of hope, of course we wanted to get OZ back to the way it was but we knew it was very likely the people we cared about were dead.
We walked for about forty-five minutes when I first saw the city, I had been bracing myself for seeing it in bad shape, but not this. This made my stomach drop to the lowest part of my stomach. When I had first gone through the gates I had been blinded by the emerald green buildings, but today the buildings were dull with no light, no hope. Smoke rose up from beyond the gates creating a filter of black smoke. I squeezed Terrence's hand just needing to know that he was there beside me. As we continued towards the Emerald City I wasn't sure what I would find beyond the gates. We reached the gates and I stopped seeing it was cracked open.
"You ready?" Regina asked laying her hand on my shoulder.
"Yeah, I think so." I said laying my hand on top of hers. She smiled at me softly while Terrence pushed open the gate. We made our way in through the small gap Terrence was able to open in the gate.
I didn't want to see what had become of the Emerald City, I wanted to remember it as how as I had left it, but my gaze wandered up towards toward the place I had once called my home. While the structure was still the same as when I left, the building itself was falling apart. It was no longer a brilliant green. Instead it was rusty and faded. I felt the tears sting my eyes as my vision blurred, I couldn't handle this anymore, I didn't want to handle it anymore. Everything hurt more than it ever should. Drying my eyes I continued towards the town square.
"Where's she going?" Regina asked from behind me.
"Aly's memorial." Terrence replied, I continued to walk my head down knowing just where I needed to go.
Terence and Regina decided to stop and wait, out of courtesy, and stayed by the gates. When I reached the small graveyard, I jumped the fence and walked towards Aly's memorial. Seeing it, I stopped unable to move.
"Aly," I breathed falling to my knees in front of the marble statue of an angle.
"I've missed you so much, so much has happened and I wish… I wish you could have been here to see all of this. To help me pick out a wedding dress and plan my wedding." Without even thinking, I began to ramble to this memorial. I then let out a sigh, noticing a bouquet of dried flowers on the ground. Reaching for them I crushed them in my hand. "You deserve fresh flowers." I said making a bouquet of ice covered roses.
My fingers ran across her name a chill going through me. Tears stung my eyes once again, this time there was no stopping it instead I let the tears fall. I had let all of this stay inside for far too long without ever letting people in aside from Oswin and Terrence, but I never cried in front of them. Letting out a sigh I pushed myself off the ground drying the tears.
"I should get back, I'll get Zalena for what she did to you." I said looking back at the City. "It's time"
As I walked back to meet Regina and Terrence I tried to hide that I had been crying but my emotions were getting the best of me. They were sitting on the steps when I got there and Terrence got up, I lost it seeing him there, so willing to take my pain away. He took me in his arms. I had no strength to see the city I had loved falling to pieces around me. I felt Regina's hand running through my hair softly, much like the way a mother would comfort her child as they cried. Letting go of Terrence I nodded softly, taking his hand.
"You okay?" He asked I nodded.
"Let's get inside" I said walking up the steps to the door.
As a child these doors always seemed massive, standing before them today after so long I felt so small next to them. Taking the handle I pulled but they were locked. I looked at them confused for a moment, they had always opened for me.
"Essie let me see your ring." Regina said I looked at her seeing that she was looking to the side of the door where there was a small round lock. Sliding off the ring I walked over smiling softly when I saw it would fit into the lock.
"There's no place like home" I said softly pressing the ring in carefully, turning it slowly. I heard the bolts inside the door unlock and I smiled to myself. Slipping my ring back on I looked at Terrence. He smiled at me kindly, pushing with all my strength I got the old creaking door open, closing my eyes I smelled the familiar scent of Oswin and home. Even after all these years nothing in here had changed.
"It looks the same as when we left." Terrence said I nodded looking at the staircase that led upstairs, ahead of me was the long hallway that lead to Oswins office.
"You grew up here?" Regina asked, I looked at her.
"Yeah" I smiled glancing towards the top of the stairs. "We had so much fun here on rainy days when it was to cold out to go play, Terrence and I would run around the hallways playing games."
"Remember sliding down the railing and Aly yelling at us because we could kill ourselves?" Terrence laughed as I ran my hand across the cold stone of the bannister.
"I don't know how Oswin and Aly put up with us for so long." I laughed.
"We loved you thats how." A man's voice said from upstairs.
I knew that voice, the voice that had soothed my tears and reminded me of how much I was loved in the end. Looking up at the landing I couldn't see anyone in the shadows.
"Oswin?" I asked, he stepped forward holding the railing carefully. My heart lept into my throat when I saw the familiar face of the man who had raised me.
"It is you, my sweet Essie." He said, I nodded fighting back tears.
I couldn't get up the stairs and to the landing fast enough. When I reached him we both threw our arms round each other having never expected to see one another again. My knees buckled beneath me but he didn't dare let go, he never did.
"I was so worried you were dead" I sobbed breathing him in.
"No," He said pushing me away from him to look at me, "Zalena kept me alive so I would be forced to watch OZ fall apart around me. She took my magic so I could never leave." I sighed looking down at Regina and Terrence. "What are you doing back here?" Oswin asked
"Saving everyone" I said, he sighed looking at me. "Zalena wants to kill Regina, my mom, and I'm not letting that happen."
"Your mother?" He asked looking at Regina.
"I found her, she was in the Enchanted Forest" I said taking his hand, he looked at me with a soft sigh, and then noticed Terrence standing next to us.
"Terrence did you finally ask Essie to marry you?" He asked Terrence laughed.
"I did sir" I smiled making Oswin chuckle softly.
"Good, all I want is for her to be happy" He said still looking at me.
"I am, but just because I have all of this doesn't mean I don't still need you. I'll always need you." I said softly he smiled kissing my forehead gently.
"I'm glad, now introduce me to your mother." I smiled walking down the stairs towards Terrence and Regina. Terrence and Oswin shook hands which Oswin turned into a hug very quickly making me smile.
"Oswin this is Regina" I said Oswin smiled softly at her.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Oswin said making Regina smile softly at him "you gave Aly and I quite a gift all those years ago." Regina's smile faded into pain, I felt guilty for not having told Oswin the whole situation.
"She didn't do it willingly." I said looking at Regina.
"I'm sorry" Oswin said Regina shook her head.
"Quite alright, things happen that we have no control over."
I sighed looking back up the stairs, I could see the door to my room.
"I'll be right back." I said hurrying up the stairs, I stopped at my door hand hovering over the doorknob. I turned it and pushed the door open feeling the rush of cool air slip out from it's hiding place.
My room had always been my safe place, even as a little girl I would go into my room and hide under the covers while I read a good book. I guess you could say it was my sanctuary. When I got older and my magic got stronger my room became my ice palace, there was an open area that I had turned into my own library, with all kinds of books on magic and myths of ice magic. There was a set of stairs that led up to my actual bed and dressing area, but the best part was the ice that covered the shelves and the railing of the stairs as well as the large round window. I smiled leaning against the door to take in the room I had left behind. I walked to the bookshelf running my hand along the spines of the books, most had belonged to Aly but some were one's I had gotten. My eyes landed on a familiar cover but one I had not seen in a long time, the last time I saw it was when I had given it to Terrence. It sat perfectly with the others like it belonged there. Grabbing it I ran back out and downstairs, they had all moved into the sitting room and were talking quietly. The room fell silent when I walked in the room, holding the book up.
"What the hell is this?" I asked breathing hard.
"Your book" Terrence said standing up.
"I know, and as I recall you were supposed to keep it with you. It was always your promise to back." I said angry at him for giving it back, when he had it I had this hope he would always come back.
"Es" He started, moving towards me but I took a step back. "I came back here before I went to Storybrooke, when I found out that you had already left I… I left the book hoping that if you were able to come back before I did. Then you would know I had been here, that book always brought me back home to you because it reminded me of what I had here. I would have always come back for it, and for you." I looked at him not sure what to say. "Besides I didn't even have to read the book anymore, I knew every word of it."
"You really read it that many times?" I asked looking at the cover of the book, the whole thing was about ready to fall apart.
"I did, every time I missed you I read it. So every night when I went to bed." He said, I looked up at him with a soft smile. .
"Alright you two lovebirds, we need to come up with a plan." Oswin said from his place in front of the fire.
"Right" I said walking towards him, my hand lingered for a moment on Terrence's shoulder as I walked past him. "Terrence you know Zalena's castle right?"
"I could get us in there and get us to the crystal ball yeah."
"Good, if you can get us in there we can do the rest." Regina said I looked at her, I was glad she had decided to come. I wasn't sure I could do this without her.
"How do you plan on doing that?" Oswin asked.
"Light magic, we know that she can't even be weakened by dark magic. Once we weaken the crystal we should be able to destroy it. Our friends are doing their part back in Storybrooke." I said Oswin nodded.
"We know that Zalena is after me because I got the life she wanted but, do you know anything that could help us?" Regina asked, I sat down feeling the warmth of the fire against my skin.
"She's been around since before I came into power here, she had hoped to rule but as you can see that didn't happen as she had planned." Oswin said looking at me.
"Did you know she was my aunt?" I asked, he sighed nodding slightly. "How did you know I was her daughter?" I asked now a little curious.
"Daniel." Regina looked at him.
"You knew her father?"
"I grew up in the Enchanted forest, he and I grew up together but when we were teenagers we both left home. A few years later he sent me a letter saying that he had met the most amazing woman and they planned on running away together. It was you. He told me he was going to be a father and how excited he was to get that chance, he never really had much of a father in his life. Essie came into our lives about 5 years later and I never thought anything of it."
"How did you figure it out?" Regina asked.
"After Zalena killed Aly I started to dig deeper into Zalena and her past here in OZ, I found out that she had looked into her family with the old Wizard. He wrote about how she had a younger sister who was named Regina. I just put two and two together after that." Oswin said looking at me apologetically. "I told you as soon as I found out. I just didn't want to lose you when you were all I had left. Then I did and, now everything's different." I closed my eyes letting out a shaky breath.
"You won't ever lose me." I said smiling at him.
"I'm worried we might if we can't do this." Terrence said not taking his eyes off me.
"What do you mean?" Oswin asked; Regina, Terrence and I all looked at each other.
"Zalena wants to go back in time and kill me, well kill Queen Eva who was the reason Zalena was sent to OZ in the first place. If she kills her and my mother can raise Zalena like she had wanted there's nothing to say that I would ever be born. Which means Elsa would never be born." Regina explained, I watched Oswin carefully.
I saw the heartbreak and pain in his eyes as she spoke, as he realized he would have never had this. A part of me knew that I was the only reason that Oswin was still alive, losing Aly had killed him on the inside but he knew he still had me to take care of.
"If we're going to do this we should get ready to go, the sun will be setting soon and we need to be there at nightfall." Terrence said looking out the window.
I stood up excusing myself to go get some things from my room. I sat down on the stairs in my room watching the sun start to set. There was a knock at the door and I watched to see Oswin come in. He came up the steps sitting down on the step below me leaning against the window.
"Hey" He said I laughed.
"Hey" I smiled.
"You ready for this?"
"I've been ready for this since Aly died." He reached out laying his hand on my knee.
"I know you have, and she would be proud of you. I just don't want this to destroy you." He said, I nodded looking out the window again. "The real reason I wanted to come in was to give you this." He reached into his pocket pulling out a piece of paper. I opened it smiling when I realized it was the note from my father to Oswin.
"Thank you" I smiled folding the note back up.
"He would have been a great dad." Oswin said with a sigh.
"Did you know he died? All because he loved my mother."
"I know" Oswin sighed.
"My grandmother sent me here, Regina wanted to raise me. Maybe it's all about timing though, I lost my adopted mom and I found Regina."
"Tell me one thing before you leave, are you happy with Regina?"
"She's great and Storybrooke is great, not OZ though." I smiled as he nodded.
"Just promise me you'll be safe and come back by morning." Oswin said standing up.
I reached my hand up to him and he pulled me onto my feet. "I will dad" I smiled Oswin laughed putting his arm around me as he led me out of the room and back downstairs. Regina and Terrence were standing at the door, taking a breath I turned to Oswin hugging him tightly.
"Just remember I love you no matter what." Oswin whispered into my ear, I nodded letting go of him. "Keep her out of trouble Terrence."
"I can take care of myself" I shot back.
"That's what I'm worried about" He said opening the door for us.
I smiled a little as I walked with Regina down the steps looking back at Oswin, for all I knew this could be the last time I saw him. Regina laid her hand on my back and I looked at her, she didn't say anything she only smiled at me softly. I looked ahead as the sky turned from orange to black while we made our way west.