Chapter 29: The blood of a dragon

Emma could have guessed that the dinner conversation would be stilted and she was right. They had tried to discuss the weather, but it turned out that Oz didn't have weather. As uncomfortable as the original conversation had been was nothing compared to when Merlin decided to declare his undying love for Ruth! Apparently a person only got one chance at True Love. Ruth found that with her husband and the father of her twin sons. A person could lose their True Love and go on to find happiness with a Soul Mate that was a completely different from one's True Love. Merlin claimed to be Ruth's Soul Mate. Of course, he was quick to point out that it was known in all the realms that the one exception to the rule was Snow White and Prince Charming. They had both True Love and they were Soul Mates.

"What a depressing thought." Emma stated.

Everyone else at the table turned to stare at her.

"If Mary Margaret were to die, you would really want to spend the rest of your life alone?" She asked her father.

"I don't want anyone else and I can't imagine that ever changing. If that means I would be alone for the rest of my life, so be it." He stated with feeling.

Merlin gave her a look as if to say it proved his point.

"Surely, if something were to happen to you though you would want her to move on with her life and not be alone?" Emma challenged.

"Have you heard something about my health?" He asked alarmed.

"Emma, love is not the prison sentence that you seem to believe it to be." Her grandmother informed her.

"For instance," Merlin interjected, "Many people believe that I followed Ruth to Oz in order to retrieve the portal ring when in fact I followed her because I love her and cannot imagine my life without her."

Ruth smiled and laced her hand with his. Emma saw that this unnerved her father and he looked like he was about to have a meltdown. It gave Emma an opening to change the subject.

"Tell us about the ring?" She suggested. "Ruth told me that you hid it in a volcano?"

"Too many people came here for it and we had to protect its power." Ruth admitted. She turned to Charming. "The volcano is inactive, but it is still a dangerous journey. If you really must retrieve it, we will send men to help." Ruth offered.

Charming shook his head in the negative. "Emma and I can manage." He insisted.

"The entrance is guarded by a dragon." Merlin pointed out.

Emma sighed. "They always are." She replied with sarcasm in her voice.

"Emma and I have both handled dragons before. We can manage." He gave his daughter a reassuring look. Then he continued, "Mother I wish you well. I hope you find happiness. If you will excuse me I have a very full day tomorrow and I need to get a good night's sleep." With that he stood up and left the room.

The three remaining diners looked after him in shock.

"I get the feeling that is the last time I will see my son." Ruth sighed wistfully. "I do wish he had agreed to let us send you some of our men with you tomorrow".

"Yeah, well he refused and I know him well enough to know that he is not going to change his mind. So, I need to know how to best keep him alive tomorrow." Emma stated simply.

"We can supply you with whatever weapons and supplies you require." Merlin promised.

Emma nodded her head in understanding. "I think I can speak for David and say that swords should be adequate. We will also need rope and some sort of protective gear. Even if the volcano is not active we will be climbing around on lava rock and that can be dangerous. The rocks will be sharp and we will need gloves and protective clothing. What else do I need to know?" She asked in an all business like tone.

"The dragon has two heads." Merlin answered simply.

Emma rolled her eyes, "Of course it would be something like that. Why can't things be simple? I guess it is a good thing there are two of us as well."

"I can have all the supplies you need by daybreak." Merlin promised.

"Is there anything else you need dear?" Ruth asked.

Emma thought for a moment and then her face brightened. "Actually, there is something else that you can do for me."

The first thing Charming did when he got back to his room was to sit down and write a note to his wife. He did it every night they were apart. He had started the ritual right after he had awoken her from the sleeping curse and had continued to write the notes to her after they were married. They were nearly inseparable at that time, but there were a few nights that they had to spend apart and he would write to her. Sometimes he would write about his day and other times he write little love notes. That night in Oz he wrote they simple phrase, "Snow, you are loved."

Emma could see the light of a fire in the distance at the edge of Oz. The guard that accompanied her held a torch to light their path. It was the only way that Ruth would agree to let Emma go.

Jefferson was huddled around the small fire warming his hands, even though it was not a cold night.

He jumped slightly when Emma approached, and then relaxed when it saw it was her.

"Emma, you're safe." He replied with relief in his voice.

Emma handed him a box.

"I brought you something to eat." She indicated the sandwich and other food in the box.

He grabbed the food greedily and started to stuff his face. He looked up slightly ashamed.

"Sorry, I have been stuck on this hill all day. Normally, I am able to move around when I transport people though a portal." He sighed.

Emma reached into a pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.

"That reminds me. I brought you this." She handed it to him and watched him move into the firelight to read what was written on the parchment.

"A full pardon and permission to move about Oz at will." He looked stunned.

"If you like you can stay at the castle tonight. We should have the ring by tomorrow afternoon and be ready to go home." Emma offered.

Jefferson thought about it for a moment and then replied. "Actually I have a few friends to go see while I'm here." There was a dangerous look in his eye.

Emma gave him a disappointed look.

"That pardon cost me a great deal. Please don't blow it!" She replied sarcastically.

He nodded his head in understanding. Ruth had given Emma the pardon only after the younger woman had agreed to try and convince her father to come back to Oz after the baby was born so that Ruth could meet her grandson and great-grandson Henry. A family road trip over the rainbow was not Emma's idea of fun, but she had agreed partly because she felt like they owed the Mad Hatter.

Charming lay in bed picturing every detail of his wife Snow's face in his mind. He pictured the way her eyes lit up when she smiled and the way her brow furrowed when she was frustrated. The way her chin quivered ever so slightly when she was excited. The pink ting her lips took on after they had been thoroughly kissed. It was not that he ever thought he would forget the details of her face. Rather it was an exercise in relaxation that he had developed before he faced a nearly impossible task. He had developed it when he was being held in the dungeon by Regina. It was a way for him to steel himself for the impossible fight by focusing on his reason for fighting. He fought for Snow, purely and simply. Every breath he breathed was for Snow, first and always. He fought for his family as well, but without her there was no family. He wasn't even sure anymore that he existed without her. So, he pictured her face and he prepared for the battle ahead.

Early the next morning Charming was having a lovely dream. He and Snow had just made love in a grassy field and she was lying in his arms. The sun was reflecting in her eyes and she was giving him that impulsive smile that he loved so much. He leaned over to kiss Snow and suddenly everything went black. He felt the sensation of being shook.

"David, wake up." Emma called softly to her father as she shook him lightly.

Charming's eyes sprang open with a start.

"Emma what has happened?" He asked in worried voice.

"Nothing is wrong. It is morning and I thought you might want to try out some of the swords before we leave for the volcano. There is a cold breakfast laid out for us in the dining room and it is going to take us hours to put on our armor. I tried it on earlier, but I think I did the straps wrong and it is so heavy." She was talking a mile a minute.

"Emma, slow down." Her father suggested. "Have you eaten breakfast?"

"No, I have been up for hours, but I'm too nervous to eat. How can you be so calm?" She asked.

Her father laughed.

"I am going to let you in on a secret that I figured out a long time ago." He went on to tell her about visualizing Snow's face.

"I don't think that it will help me much to visualize Mary Margaret." She admitted.

"It can be anyone or any place. It only has to be something that gives you a focus of some kind and a reason for what you are doing." He suggested.

Emma shrugged. "I am more of an action type of person. I think we should practice with the swords." She thrust a sword at him.

Charming groaned, "Can we eat our cold breakfast first before we start sword play?" He asked.

They ate and practiced their sword work for a while. Charming noted that Emma was getting to be a good sword fighter. They packed supplies in knap sacks as well as including food and water. He had dressed in the clothes that he had worn to Oz and he made sure that he put the note he had written to Snow in his pants pocket before he put on his armor. He noticed that Emma was still struggling with her armor.

"Let me show you the proper way to fasten the straps on your armor." Her father told her.

"I don't know why, but I just can't get the straps to lie flat." She informed him in an exasperated tone.

"Don't worry. I had the same problem the first time I tried." Her father admitted. He gently helped her to fasten the straps in the correct way. "Are you sure we need all of this?" He asked.

"It is better to be safe than sorry." Emma explained.

"This stuff is going to get very hot and heavy." Charming stated letting out a breath of air.

By the time they reached the bottom of the volcano Emma was wishing that they had forgone the armor completely. It was hot and heavy and she was chafing in places that she couldn't mention in mixed company. She just hated to admit that her father had been right.

Charming looked over at his struggling daughter and stopped to offer her a drink of water. Emma drank it like a person dying of thirst.

"You can wait down here if you would like." Her father recommended. "I think I can fend off one dragon on my own.

Emma shook her head in the negative, "You are going to need my help. The dragon has two heads." She stated simply.

A look of shock crossed his face. Emma handed him the rope so that he could start climbing. She followed behind him.

What seemed like hours later they both stood with their backs flat against the rock surrounding the entrance to the lair of the dragon. They had both peered into the mouth of the cave and had been shaken by what they saw.

"What the hell is that thing?" Emma asked shaken.

"That is a two headed dragon." Her father answered all the while trying not to laugh.

"I thought the heads would be at the same end. That thing has a head at each end!" Her voice squeaked.

"So it would seem." Her father answered in a voice that dead paned.

"How is that even possible? How does it do the things that all living things have to do? How are we going to kill it?" She asked excitedly.

He answered all the questions with four words. "I have no idea."

Emma had turned pale. "Have you even encountered anything like it?" She asked with her voice quivering.

"No." He answered quickly and then he added. "I have been in a similar situation. Did your mother ever tell you about the time that she got it into her beautiful head to go after Medusa?" He asked.

Emma rolled her eyes. "You are talking about Medusa the goddess who turned people to stone?" She asked wearily.

"Snow that it would be possible to cut off Medusa's and send it to Regina in order to turn Regina to stone." Her father admitted

"The things you two used to do for fun." Emma replied sarcastically.

"That was our Honeymoon!" He stated proudly.

"That is what happened on your infamous honeymoon?" She asked. "Was this before you fell asleep and she tied you up?" Emma groaned.

"It was one of the things that happened and at least now you know why I was so tired by the time we got settled in at the Summer Palace. Anyway, I distracted Medusa while Snow went for her neck with a sword. We could try something like that with the dragon." He pointed out.

"Live bait?" Emma asked. "It might work. Did it work with Medusa?" She asked.

"No, but your mother and I are both still around." He grinned.

In the end they worked out a plan where they both acted as life bait. They darted at separate ends of the dragon and caused confusion. The dragon did not know which of them to chase. They each doubled back and aimed a sword at the neck of one of the heads. Emma made a clean slice from the top through the neck of one of the heads. Charming ended up having to slice the head off the other end from underneath and the head fell on him.

"Dad!" Emma yelled in panic and ran to his side. She threw the dragon head to the side and saw that her father was covered in a green ooze that was probably dragon blood. She also saw the portal ring on the ground nearby. It must have been hidden in mouth of the dragon. Charming opened his eyes and Emma hugged him tightly relieved that he was all right. Emma held the ring out to him.

"Emma, we need to find the ring." He insisted.

A frown crossed her face, "The ring is right here. Can't you see it?"

He shook his head in the negative. "Emma, I can't see anything. It must have been the dragon blood. I am completely blind.

King George entered the room where he was keeping Snow White a prisoner. He had the nurse with him and she sat down beside Snow and started checking her vitals. He placed a vase of flowers on the table in front of her. It was another trap in order to trip her up and see if she was just pretending to be her Mary Margaret persona. The flowers were white daisies and while they meant nothing to Mary Margaret, they were very important to Snow White. They always reminded her of Charming. They were very much a flower that a shepherd would give. In fact, he had given them to her on numerous occasions.

"I am more a rose type of girl." Snow replied giving the flowers a dismissive wave.

"I thought they might cheer you up and brighten up the room." George cooed.

"What I would really like is some fresh air and sunshine. When are you going to let me go out for a walk?" Snow asked with determination.

"Maybe later this week you can go for a short walk in the park." He promised.

She could live with that idea. The instant he let her outside she would find a way to over power him and escape.