Chapter Twenty Three - Stranger Things Have Happened

Woops. I'm gonna be a bad girl and just roll with writing the idea of writing the last chapter (yes, I have changed my mind and this is now the last chapter of the story till the sequel :O). I'm super inspired and I'm really excited to finish this story - it's much longer than I ever imagined it would be words wise - so I'm just gonna be super nice and see about doing it now. :p You're welcome! cx

This stupid chapter got some of it deleted (less than I thought, thankfully) so it would've been out sooner if it weren't for that. :/ I feel like Fanfiction really needs to make it so if there is a conection failure when you try and save, you won't lose what you wrote. I wanted to cry. Originally I thought I lost like a half an hour's to an hour's worth of writing, so I'm glad I didn't lose that much. But I still would've had this up yesterday if it weren't for that.

Evx : Aw, poor Templestiltskin is so hated. It's not like he was evil or anything, right? Just kidding. I like the fact that you started your review off on that note. xD And hm, whether or not we get a Savannah death will be up in the air. We'll just have to see. I'm glad you feel bad - because that was a bit of the intention - that Pri died though. I never hated her either, although I never liked her. Whether or not what you ant to have happen happens will just have to be seen. I promise we'll get some climactic and shocking stuff coming though!

Mikkey234 : I'm glad it was a gripping chapter! :D I'm glad you had faith in Mina and didn't think that she would murder Templestiltskin and Pri out of spite, although I don't doubt that it could be guessed that Annalora would have them die one way or another. I'm glad you think Mina made the right choice! We'll have to see whether or not she did. Although I agree, forgiving Pri probably will be helping in her favor. cx Whether or not Teague will be the one to save Mina is still to be seen, but we can keep our fingers crossed! Since she's literally dying this time, I think she needs saving more than ever. Although, if Teague weren't to save her, what would happen? That's the real question. I'm glad it was another amazing chapter as well!

Guest 1 : I'm glad that everyone agrees she made some stupid decisions, like when she said Jared's name in the tower to Teague. That was probably one of the worst. Thankfully she didn't make as many stupid mistakes as the Uglies protagonist - Tally Youngblood (I believe that is her last name) - because I actually can't even reread that series (I really like it) due to the mistakes Tally made. Whether Teague bursts in or not and whether or not he makes it in time is up in the air. I suppose we'll just have to find out! As for why Mina believed Annalora, you have to recognize that firstly, Teague has tricked her before. Not to mention she just had a fight with him and is still angry with how he was acting. She's also desperate at this point to find a way out of the Grimorie, because she wants to end the curse already. It was a stupid decision, but it isn't like it's impossible to have been made. Sorry this update wasn't sooner! I'm glad I made up for killing those people by killing Annalora. c: You're welcome!

Now, let's get on with the (last) chapter. We're going to be introduced to a new character, and I'm excited to see what the reaction to them is.

"You see, Mina, the way out...is dying." She looks me square in the eye as she says it and ignores my question, looking dead serious. My horror grows. "I don't mind dying because it means I get out."

"But Teague said-" I begin to protest. That doesn't line up.

She raises an eyebrow. "Has Teague proven to be that honest of a person, or someone you should trust?"

"Fae can't lie!" I argue.

I realize as she speaks that she's right in what she says next. "Well, one of us did if this doesn't line up with what he said. Not to mention I said there was no way out previously. So I guess the question is...Who is right?"

I stare at her, and somethings hits me. Teague wants to hurt me and my family. He wants me to suffer for something I didn't even do. But if I die, that would mean the suffering of this phase of the curse - and hopefully the last of my suffering - would be over. He kept saving my life, but was that really so that I wouldn't fail? Or was it to keep me from succeeding? There's only one way to find out.

I plunge the dagger into my stomach, and the instant I do I know I've messed up based on one fact I forgot. There are dead Grimm girls in here. How is that explained? Oh gosh, she tricked me. I'm going to die and fail.

Annalora begins to grin wickedly and chuckle like a mad woman. "You thought you escaped, but I'm still taking you with me anyways." She chokes a little. She's going to die soon., but I doubt she will stop tormenting me until then "Keeping that knife in the wound won't save you for too long, Grimm."

I cry out in pain. Oh gosh, what have I done? Why would I believe her? Yet, if death isn't the way out, there doesn't seem to be one. There's no hope. No hope at all.

Mina's Point of View

It hurts. Oh gosh, it hurts! Every breathe I take causes another wave of pain to wash over me as I try not to move. Moving makes me feel even more pain as my stomach bleeds. I still haven't removed the dagger, as I know that will only speed up my death process. But oh gosh, it hurts and I don't understand how anything can hurt as much as this does. I suppose that's the thing with death though. In this case, it can't be painless. I try to do the thing Teague did where he waved his hand over my injury and healed it, but it doesn't work. Either I can't do that neat, little trick, or it doesn't work on fatal wounds. Annalora chuckles at my suffering, but the chuckling quickly turns into choking. She may be proud that she's going to be the reason I die, but she's going to die before me. At least I won't have to die dealing with her reveling in my suffering.

Why on earth couldn't I have had some sense or luck for once and believed Teague? Speaking of which, where on the plane is he? I said some things I regret back there, but I didn't expect him to actually listen to me. He never seems to. If he does now, I'll hate him till my last dying breathe, which won't take too long. I guess I'll have to hate him past then as well. Seriously Teague, for once, I'm asking that you please don't listen to me.

"Is it fun?" Annalora whispers. "Knowing that you are going to die soon, and there's nothing you can do to stop it?"

I grunt, but before I can actually respond, someone else does. "You're calling that a little bit early, aren't you, Goldmine?"

For one moment, I think that it's Teague, here to save me like I was hoping and praying. I thought for a moment he'd listened to me by not listening to me. However, I quickly crush my own hope, because the voice is all wrong. It's feminine, not masculine, and even though I can identify it, I have no idea from where because no where in my recent memories do I recognize this voice. I've never heard it outside the Grimorie, to say the least. But Annalora certainly knows it. Her eyes seem to bulge out of her head, and she gasps in shock, although that morphs into a gasp of pain. Death is obviously close for her. The question is, is it close for me as well? Who is this person, and what do they mean?

"Impossible." Annalora chokes out, looking horrified. "You're dead. I forced that information out of Ferah before I murdered her. She watched you die!"

The other girl responds, "That doesn't mean I'm not here." She actually sounds slightly smug. "I believe you've hurt someone useful though, and I think I need to fix that."

I'm forcing myself not to try to turn and see whoever it is back there as they and Annalora talk. I will not injure myself any further and make myself deal with any more pain. Because this is honestly an awful experience and I don't need any more pain.

"Always interfering!" Hisses the gnome. "She killed herself. It's not like I stabbed her."

"You practically did, seeing as your lying is the reason this occurred to begin with. Unless of course I'm wrong?" The tone of her voice tells me she knows exactly what transpired and is trying to see what Annalora did.

"Let fate do its thing." Is Annalora's response. "She's obviously meant to die."

I hear footsteps as whoever has been speaking comes up directly behind me. Every single time I've been strangled - or someone has tried to strangle me - comes to mind, and I panic for a moment. Is she going to strangle me too?

"I'm assuming it hurts to move, correct?" Is she asking Annalora or me?

Before I can figure it out - and respond if it was meant for me - the gnome says, "Of course it hurts! She stabbed me."

The girl slides the comments aside by saying, "I don't care about you. I was asking Wilhelmina here."

"Yes, it hurts to move." Gosh, it hurts more than she knows. If she's going to help heal me, can she hurry? With my luck, I'll probably end up dead before she manages to do anything to actually help.

"Obviously." I now see the pain showing on Annalora's face as she says the word.

And then suddenly, she drops down, dead. A knife sticks out of her back, different than the one I have in my hand, and I gasp. The girl who's been talking mutters, "I've been wanting to do that for the longest time. Now I finally got a chance to where I can justify it."

That sounds a bit messed up. "Can you please come out where I can see you?" This whole set up makes me uncomfortable, especially since she just murdered Annalora right in front of me. I don't say that to her though.

"Not yet. We need to discuss something first." A sort of silky tone slips into her voice, one that I recognize my mother using sometimes on the phone. A spoken Lure, which is either hard to master or I just am really bad it. Too bad for her though. I'm a siren, which gives me immunity, I guess.

I shake my head. "I'm dying, yet you want to discuss something? I'm not discussing anything till you heal me!" The anger makes me take a deep breathe, and I let out a pained noise right after.

"And I'm not healing you till we have this discussion and you answer a question for me correctly." Oh crap. What have I gotten myself into now? "We're just going around in circles, so unless you'd like to die, I suggest you talk to me."

"You're going to try and make a deal with me, aren't you?" I ask. It has all the signs of it. "And if I don't tell you yes, you'll leave me for dead because you technically aren't the one who killed me."

I can almost hear the shrug in her voice. "I honestly don't care whether I murder you or not at this point. Without my help, you'll die."

"No deal I've ever made in here has ended well for me." I argue. "Actually, pretty much every single person I've met in here either isn't there to help me, is dead, or ditches me. Tell me why I should trust you."

"Let's see. You met Ever in here first, correct? She used to be a better Fae, if you can believe that. Of course, she felt betrayed over the whole 'Willa Grimm' situation, and became a rather nasty Godmother to deal with. If I am correct, you're the one who killed her." She pauses, but I say nothing. "She just wanted to murder you. Then, of course, you ran in to Nix. He wanted to be friends, however, he's dead. You met Claire and her pack of wolves, who captured you and took you just to sell you to Templestiltskin. Scylla and Charybdis wanted you for food. Teague only wants you to make you suffer. If you think he's around for any other reason, think again." She speaks as if she knows from personal experience. Who is this girl? "Templestiltskin wanted you firstly as leverage and I suppose something to mess with, and then as an escape. Savannah just wanted to make you suffer even more than you already did. The centaurs only wanted you so that they could ensure they didn't suffer Savannah's wrath. Ferah was already dead, so I doubt she wanted anything from you." She sounds pleased to state the fact that Ferah is dead. Why? "Sadistic Annalora only wanted you to kill you in order to get what she feels is revenge. Pri only wanted you to forgive her so that she wouldn't feel guilty and so that you might save her life. And I want you to accept my deal, so that I can finally do something that I should've done long ago."

"Who are you?" I demand, trying to ignore my pain. "Why won't you tell me? And what do you mean, 'so that you can finally do something that you should've done long ago?'"

"I doubt you'll believe me." She's literally just trying to dodge the question.

"I don't care whether or not I'll believe you. I just want an answer!" I snap the words. Gah, it hurts!

She sighs. "You're quite difficult. Fine. I'm Willa Grimm."

And suddenly, it all lines up. Annalora's exclamation of how it's impossible, and that this girl is dead, is because she actually is. She sacrificed herself for Teague. Ferah watched this girl die, and the information was forced out of her by Annalora; Ferah exposed Willa and was there when she saved Teague's life by dying. The quickness of killing Annalora and the fact that there was no regret is explained as well. After all, Willa worked with the Godmothers, a group intending to assassinate Teague. If I remember Jared's - er, Teague in the form of Jared's - story correctly, Willa was one of the three sent to assassinate Teague, so it makes sense that she would be skilled. Her comment of 'now she had a reason to justify it' lines up to, if she's an assassin. Willa was a siren, so the whole 'trying to use her Lure on me' thing makes sense as well. Her comments on Ever make sense, as she definitely would've known the pixie. Ever said they used to be best friends, after all, but I guess it makes sense she felt betrayed and went all super awful. I'm not sure from the way Willa said if she's angry for me killing her old best friend or not. Her comments on Teague don't make sense though. She loved that prince enough to die instead of him, so why would she say stuff like that? When she seemed pleased Ferah was dead, it was probably because Ferah was the one to expose the plot to Teague and is the reason Teague had to be saved. And her comment on Annalora also lines up.

But what is that she wants to do that she should've done a long time ago? What is the deal she wants to make? And why won't she let me see her?

"You are literally telling me nothing." I practically spit the words, pain welling up again. "I don't even care who you are at this point." I actually do, but I really just want her to save my life right now before I die. That is why she said she was here, right? At least, I assume that's what she meant. "Just please tell me what this stupid deal you want to make is so that you can do whatever stupid thing you wanted to do a while ago so you can save my stupid life from the stupid decision I made. And while you're at it, it'd be great if I could see you."

"Quite the long order." Is she seriously cracking a joke right now?

I growl back, "Stop trying to be funny and please just do it! I am dying!"

"You're Fae, you'll survive longer than an average human." She practically shrugs it off, but I think I'm about to start crying from pain. I'm about to yell at her about just how much pain I'm in, but she starts talking again. "Basically, I want you to allow me in your head. I want to be able to give you advice and, essentially, help...guide you in some of your actions." What is that supposed to mean? "If you agree to that, I'll heal you."

"I don't want you in my head." I groan, resisting the urge to grab my stomach.

She scoffs. "It's either that, or you die."

She walks around into my line of vision, and I see she's flickering in and out of sight. She's definitely not solid; I bet I could walk right through her if I could walk. I now understand why Annalora said we looked similar. The only difference is she has no gold in her hair and no gold in her eyes. She's much plainer in looks, but that's not really a bad thing. She looks to be a bit older than me, but she's definitely much older as she's had to have been dead for a long time. She's dressed in a black, short, ruffled dress with straps, and she's barefoot. As she looks at me, long hair draping down her back to her waist and hair in her eyes, I can't help but think she doesn't look like an assassin to me. However, her actions and words have proved she is. Talk about hiding in plain sight. Then again, Ever did the same thing, so I guess either I'm really bad at finding assassins or Godmothers are super skilled. I'd like to assume the latter.

"I don't want a dead person possessing me." I shake my head. "It's much better to die than to lose control and just be a shell."

She shakes her head. "It's not possession, idiot." Geez, she's insulting me? How does she expect that to convince me to agree to this messed up deal. "It's like having a conscience in the back of your head along with your actual conscience."

"An assassin conscience?" I scoff at the notion.

She actually seems to be losing her temper. "The deal is going to expire soon."

I blink, confused. Doesn't she need me? Why would she threaten me with expiring the deal? "Excuse me?"

She doesn't answer my question. Instead, she begins to count down. "3...2..."

I can't refuse, and Willa knows it. If I do, I'll die, and have to deal with my dad's death. I can't do that. I didn't kill him. I can't be the reason my father is dead. And so, I hurriedly say, "Alright, alright! I'll do it!"

"Oh good, because technically speaking, I'm already in your head." I'm surprised by this, but before I can ask, she rips the dagger out of my stomach, causing more blood to spill out.

I scream, partly from shock and partly from the pain of moving, and then she waves a hand over me. Slowly, the wound heals, but the pain is still there. Ah, it hurts! It's dulled a little though, so that's good. Then, she reaches forward, tapping the necklace I still have on that was put there by Savannah. It falls off on contact, and I stare in shock. How did she do that? That shouldn't even be possible. And then, she reaches forward and taps my head, disappearing.

I hear her voice one last time, but now it's echoing in my head and not spoken out loud. I'm right here. Don't worry.

I'm not worried about that. I have a feeling I should be worried by the fact that she is still there. I recognize the voice. It was in one of my later dreams, one of the ones warning me further about what was going to occur with Savannah. It was her and a bunch of other Grimm girls - I'm betting they're Grimms, at least - and she said I was getting closer. Was she waiting for this opportunity? And I heard her voice earlier, before I attacked Annalora. Was that what she meant by already being in my head? I know I didn't feel like that was me acting. Was it? Or did she lie? Can she actually control me?

I force myself to sit up, groaning in pain, and that's when I hear the voice that I wish I'd heard earlier. "Oh my gosh, Mina, are you okay?"

Instead of simply turning, I try to stand up, but I nearly fall over in the process from the pain. Teague catches and stabilizes me, and I look up in his blue eyes. In that moment, I have the thought that I should not tell him anything about what occurred. I have to lie. It's the only way. For some reason, I don't think letting him know about Willa is smart when I have so little knowledge. Maybe I can tell him when I know more, but right now it's just not safe. Not for me, and certainly not for anyone else. I just hope Willa won't make things unsafe as I try to figure out how to make things safe. He's a little late in saving me, although I'm still relieved to see him. It's not that I'm not angry with him anymore. I am still quite angry. However, right now, I'm shoving that aside because I'm more likely to spill the Willa stuff if I'm still mad. Not to mention maybe Teague will finally get me out of here, although perhaps I should doubt that.

"Have I ever been okay when you ask me that?" I groan, holding my stomach which still hurts.

"Right. Sorry. Stop asking stupid questions I know the answer to." He hasn't made any move to let go of me yet. That's probably because he recognizes the fact that I actually can't support myself. "What happened here?"

And now we're at the part where I decide between lying or telling the truth. I can feel Willa's presence in my head - although I can't see her anywhere - and I can only hope that she doesn't make an appearance as I begin to tell the lie - which has some elements of truth in it - to Teague. "I...I don't really know. After we fought, I fled. That's when I heard this voice, and after I followed it, I learned that the voice was Annalora. She attacked me, and knocked me out. When I came to, I found out that Ferah was dead," Teague stiffens slightly at the mention of the elf, "and that Pri and Templestiltskin were too. I just...I just can't shake the feeling that I killed one of them!"

I burst into tears, and Teague says as soothingly as he can, "I'm sure none of them died because of you." If only he knew the truth. What would he think? "Can you tell me what happened next?"

"Well...Annalora came at me. She wanted to stab me, to kill me, and I couldn't move because of some whistle she had. I used my Lure, and had her break the whistle and stop attacking me. And then...And then..." My voice quakes as I continue to sob the story out. "Oh gosh, Teague, I stabbed her! I didn't mean to. I wasn't trying to kill anyone!"

"Calm down, Mina." He sounds slightly shaken by this account. "Do you know what happened next?"

"Well..." I sniff, trying to gain my composure. If I stop crying, I can lie better. I'm at risk of slipping up right now, "I remember her telling me that in order to get out, I had to die. And I was so desperate to get out of this stupid curse that I tried it. That's when she started laughing, and telling me that she lied. I blacked out from the pain. When I woke up, there was another dagger sticking out of her back. A different one than the one I used. I'm sure she's dead, but I don't know why I'm not dead or why the wounds not still here." Of course, I do. All these black outs never occurred. I can only hope that Teague doesn't realize how much of my story is altered from what really happened. Willa's presence is still there, and I don't like it at all. Please please please, just let her stay away. Please. "The dagger I stabbed myself with is gone along with the wound, but it still hurts. Not to mention my necklaces are gone."

Teague pauses, taking it all in. "So from what it sounds like, whoever healed you - if someone healed you and you didn't do it yourself accidentally when you were knocked out, which does seem highly likely compared to the other option I just suggested - killed Annalora off. I just don't know who did it. I didn't even realize her or Ferah were in here."

This catches me off guard. "You never saved any Grimm girls from her before?"

He actually looks guilty. "No. I've always been too late and come to see them dead - I never saw her, although it makes sense - or saved them three times before. Once I save someone three times, I don't save them anymore. It's the rules of the curse."

"Teague, I just want out of here. I want to go-" I stop myself. I can't say 'home.' I don't have one. That alone brings me back to the waterworks, because even if I get out of this curse, where do I go?

He pulls me a hug, probably in order to try and calm me down. I bury my face into his chest as he soothingly says, "It's alright, Mina. You did it. I'm going to get you out of here."

"What?" I'm not sure if I believe my ears. It's too good to be true. "You are?"

"Yes." He keeps hugging me as I begin to calm down ever so slightly. The thought that I might get out of here seems too good to be true. "You got past this part of the curse."

It definitely was too good to be true. "This part?"

"Ya." He has the decency to at least sound guilty. "This isn't the last part of the curse."

"It isn't?" Oh gosh, why? Why is this the case? If I weren't running out of tears, I think I'd start to cry even harder.

Teague takes a deep breathe. "Let's not think of that right now. Let's celebrate the fact that you survived, and get you situated and calmed down before we discuss this second stage. You get a bit of a break after this torture."

We stand there in silence for a minute, and when I look past his shoulder, I catch a glimpse of Willa, and I hear her in my head saying, I'm biding my time, Wilhelmina.

"Let's get you out of here." Teague says.

Wow, guys. That was our final chapter of this story. Can you believe it's finished? I can't. o.o I know I originally said there would be two more chapters, however I was unable to write that one and I feel it'll just be easier to do a Teague perspective in the sequel (as that was what I was trying to do). I know I said I'd do one in this story, and for that I'm sorry. However it'll probably fit better in the sequel. My apologies if you got your hopes up this chapter! :c However, what did you guys think of it? Was it good? Bad? Intense? What did you think of Willa? Did you realize who it was going to be? What did you expect Willa to be like when you first heard of her? Did she match that? What do you think of Willa's assessment of Mina's situation and the deal? Should Mina have made it? What did you think of Teague's arrival? Was Mina right to have lied to him? What do you think about the fact that there's more tot he curse? What do you think Willa wants to do? Let me know this and anything else in a review.

I know I normally let you guys help decide what story I'll be doing after this one, however this time I already have one in mind that I'm really excited to do (and that will be much happier and possibly even contain some of my ocs from other stories). Hopefully you guys will pop in for that one, or keep an eye out for when I do the sequel to this one! I know I said this last chapter, but as a reminder, the sequel will be called "Simple Bronze Key."

~ Dagger