The Queen's Apprentice - Part 3
"Are you sure about this?" Emma asked, crossing her arms. Hook had come to take her to the diner, to meet the new savior. Hook knew how hard this was for Emma. And his heart broke for her.
"We need to do this luv," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. He would walk through a tornado for her, and yet, right now, there was nothing he could do. It hurt him as much as it hurt her.
"What else did my dad say?" Emma asked, looking down at the floor. Hook sighed, wanting to protect his wife.
"He was fairly vague about it. I'm guessing he didn't want to tell us everything he knew." Emma nodded, but it was a fragile movement. Hook gently grabbed Emma's arm, helping her off the couch.
"I hate to do this to you. But we really do need to get to Granny's." Emma nodded, grabbing her red leather jacket. Then, after a moment's consideration, she put it back down again, walking out the door. Hook didn't miss a bit of it. He needed to talk to her family, as soon as possible.
Regina glanced at Rachel in the corner. The young savior seemed extremely uncomfortable. The diner door opened, and Zelena, Snow, and Charming all came in. Regina walked over to her sister, wanting to confer with her. Snow and Charming cautiously stared at the new savior, narrowing their eyes.
"Oh for crying out loud, she's not poisonous," Regina exclaimed, rolling her eyes.
"I know that. It's just, she's so mysterious right now." Regina sighed, looking at Rachel again. She was engaging in careful conversation with Belle.
"So Regina, what do you think?" Zelena asked, pulling her sister into a corner.
"Personally, I think that with time, she'll be as beloved as Henry," Regina admitted. "There's something about her. It's like everyone loves her already." Zelena raised an eyebrow.
"You want a daughter?" she asked teasingly.
"Course not," Regina said, a little too quickly. "But if I had to have one, Rachel doesn't seem like a bad choice."
"Actually, I think she is," Zelena said, looking over at Henry.
"Why?" Zelena gestured over to Regina's son, currently staring at Rachel.
"Seriously? She's been here barely an hour! Already he's making puppy dog eyes at her," Regina said, disbelief in her voice.
"Don't blame him. Remember what you just said. There's something special about her. Just like there was something special about Emma. Everyone except you fell in love with her quickly as well," Zelena reminded her. Regina sighed, looking back at Henry.
"I mean, Belle, Henry, me, you, and even Rumple have taken a liking to her," Zelena could tell Regina was tuning her out. The queen had turned towards the door, waiting for Emma and Hook.
The jingle of a bell signaled the arrival of Emma, with Hook on her heels. Snow and Charming quickly rushed to their daughter, hugging her tightly. David gave Hook a pat on the arm, knowing that he was torturing himself about this.
Emma glanced towards the corner, seeing Belle talking to a young girl.
"Is that her?" she asked, looking at Regina. The queen nodded. Emma glanced at Hook, then made her way over to the new savior.
Rachel was cautiously talking with Belle, not sure whether she could trust her or not. She certainly seemed genuine, but looks could be deceiving. Suddenly, she saw a blonde woman coming up to her. She vaguely remembered seeing the same woman collapse into the pirate's arms.
"Umm, Belle," Emma said, coming up to the two of them. Belle glanced upwards, and politely excused herself. Emma sat down on the stool previously occupied by Belle. Rachel stared at the woman, waiting for her to make the first move.
"My name's Emma. And I wanted to talk to you," Emma began. Rachel stared at her, wondering why Emma seemed so familiar.
"I'm Rachel." She continued to try and figure out what seemed so hauntingly familiar about Emma.
"I was the savior before you," Emma blurted out. Rachel blinked a few times, realizing that was what had seemed familiar. Just the presence of another savior.
"Why aren't you the savior?" Rachel asked. Emma seemed to flinch momentarily, and her eyes took on a slightly more guarded look. Rachel knew that look.
"I lost my powers," Emma mumbled. Then, she tried to brighten up, and looked at Rachel.
"And what about you? When did you become the savior?" Now it was Rachel's turn to be guarded.
"When I came to Storybrooke I guess," she said.
"And, where were you before Storybrooke?" Emma asked, beginning to probe.
Luckily, Rachel was saved from having to answer, because Regina was calling her over. A good chunk of the known townspeople had gathered, all wanting to see the new savior. Rachel currently felt like a peacock. Regina beckoned her over, protectively putting a hand on Rachel's shoulder.
"This is Rachel," she said, addressing the crowd. "We believe she's the new savior." The group erupted into soft chatter, everyone wanting to talk about the news.
"How do you know?" Grumpy challenged. "She looks awfully pitiful to be the savior." Rachel opened her mouth, but closed it again.
"We just know Grumpy," Regina said, giving Rachel a comforting look.
"Does anybody have any questions?" Regina asked.
"Why do we even have a new savior?" Ruby asked. "I mean, the battle of light and dark is over. And light won."
"Nobody can know the future. All we know is that we will need a savior sometime soon." The group began talking quite loudly again, to the point where Regina couldn't get their attention.
Suddenly, a burst of light magic spread through the room, shutting everyone up. Regin turned to Rachel, who was looking at the crowd.
"We'll find out more in due time. In the meantime, don't be scared. But do be wary." Rachel stepped away, only to find the people's gaze followed her.
Henry seemed to sense her discomfort, and led her outside.
"I know you might find all this a little overwhelming. So, I brought something that might help." He pulled out a big brown book, showing it to Rachel.
"I promise, this will help you understand everything." Henry stared into Rachel's eyes, before beginning the story.
"Once upon a time…"
Hello everyone. Hope you like this chapter. Anyone have ideas for the ship name of Henry and Rachel? I was thinking TruestSavior.
Next time… Rachel's savior duties start earlier than expected with the return of Maleficent. Regina takes Rachel on as an apprentice. Emma and Hook must rethink their future, and make some choices.