Ch. 12
Nova's POV:
"Nova... Nova?" A soft, concerned voice whispers as they shake my shoulders gently. Moaning, I slowly open my eyes only to be attacked by a sharp light. Shielding my eyes, I look up at Mary Margaret who sighs in relief. I crease my forehead and moan again, rubbing my head.
"Thank God you're ok! You had us worried for a moment," Mary Margaret says as she helps me sit up. I take in my surroundings. Long, familiar trees huddle around us, blocking out as much sunlight as possible. I look past Mary Margaret to find Emma and Henry crowding around me.
"Where are we?" I ask, an uneasy feeling creeping inside me.
"As weird as this sounds, we are actually in the Enchanted Forest. I'm not sure how but I don't have a good feeling about this," Mary Margaret explains, gesturing towards the forest. A rush of mixed emotions come to me. How are we in the Enchanted Forest? I try to remember what happened back at Storybrooke but I couldn't. It feels like my memories of that place are slowly fading away.
"I think I have a pretty good idea who did this." I glance past Mary Margaret to find Regina, David and Hook walking over to us. Regina's face looks annoyed. "It was Destiny."
I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion. "Destiny? How could she have? That's so much power." Regina crosses her arms.
"If she didn't do it, then why would she steal my book of magic? That is the only thing powerful enough to transport us here. Though I'm concerned what her intentions are of bringing us back here," Regina admits. Feeling a strain in my ankle, I gradually get up on my feet with the help of Emma and Mary Margaret.
"I can't believe Destiny would do this. I feel like I don't know her anymore," I respond in disbelief. Emma pats me on the shoulder.
"Hey, it's ok. None of us thought Destiny could do something like this. For all we know, maybe Destiny could be in trouble herself." Regina snorts.
"I can guarantee you, she is the one who's trouble." Emma shoots her a scowling look. Hook suddenly coughs, causing all of us to turn to him.
"Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt but we should really decide what we're going to do. The Enchanted Forest may not be as it seems. After all, it's been a long time since we've been here," he advises. David nods in agreement. He rests his hands on his hips.
"Didn't think I would say this, but Hook is right. We haven't got any weapons or anything to protect ourselves which makes us vulnerable. And we're at a disadvantage. We don't know if the Enchanted Forest is like we left it. Although we haven't come across any threats, I think we should stay here and try to make weapons from what we can find," David suggests, a satisfied look across his face.
"Cool!" Henry replies cheerfully. We all grin at his enthusiasm. While everyone decides what they're going to do, I let myself sink into thoughts of Destiny. I feel a shiver rush through my spine. For the first time, I don't know what Destiny is thinking or planning and that scares me.
We've been walking for what felt like ages. Regina said we should find her old castle. She was convinced that some of her stuff should be able to help us. David, Henry, and Hook managed to make some simple weapons with things they could find. So far we haven't needed to use them but we have to be prepared.
Mary Margaret had wanted to go and find our friends. Regina was quick to point out that it'd be a waste of time. After an argument or two between Emma and Regina, we finally got moving. And that brings us a full circle to now, a group of people walking in a random direction to a destination that might or might not exist. Joy.
"Nova, what are you muttering about?" I look up and see Hook staring at me.
"Nothing. Just thinking about Destiny." It's true. I've been thinking about her a lot recently. Trying to wrap my finger around the idea of her being evil and working with Rumpelstiltskin. I look away from him.
"Besides, why would you care? All you've done is hurt her," I mutter, making sure he heard it. Hook stays quiet for a moment. He slowly sighs.
"Look. I'm sorry about how I was back in Storybrooke. But you've got to believe me. I honestly didn't remember Destiny. I don't know how but I know Cora had something to do with it. Nova..." Noticing that I'm ignoring him, he pulls me to a stop. I pull his arm off mine.
"Don't you dare touch me! This is all happening because of you! If you hadn't come back and hurt Destiny the way you did, Destiny wouldn't have turned out like this!" I burst out. I cover my mouth in surprise. The hurt and guilt is evident in his eyes.
"You're right. It's my fault that Destiny is like this. I'm not going to deny that. But believe me when I say I'm willing to make things right. I want to help Destiny. And I will do anything to get her back," Hook replies. I can't deny the determined look he has on his face but I still feel doubtful.
"Even if that was true, I don't know how we can help her. You've seen how she was in Storybrooke. She killed an innocent guy. We've lost her..." Hook shakes his head.
"Destiny didn't kill Archie if that's what you're thinking. That was all Cora." I stare at him. He starts to tell me what happened then. When he finishes, my whole body grows weak with guilt.
"Of course it wasn't her!" I shake my head. "I can't believe I doubted her for a second!"
"Shh!" I hear Emma shout from the front of the group. "Something's out there." We glance at each other before following where the group had gone. As we stop beside Henry, we immediately notice a group of people in front of us. Before l could ask Henry what's going on, he presses his finger to his lips.
I look back at the people, confused. I widen my eyes. Tied to one of the trees are Belle and Archie. Archie looks unconscious while Belle struggles helplessly. I glance back at the men and notice the swords they are holding. I hold my breath.
"Let go of us! We haven't even done anything to you people," Belle protests. The bandits laugh at her cry. A man emerges from the group, his purposeful stride suggested he's the leader of the group. He pushes his short, scruffy brown hair out of his eyes. He stands close to Belle. He rests his hand on his weapon.
"Actually you have. This is our forest and you and your friend don't belong here. So that would mean you're trespassing. We don't give lightly to trespassers, do we men!" He gestures to his men. They yell in agreement. The man turns back to Belle, a cocky grin across his face.
"Who do these people think they are?! We need to save them!" David whispers Margaret places a soothing hand on his shoulder.
"And we will. But we need to have a plan. There's more of them than us," she replies thoughtfully.
"Element of surprise?" Henry suggests.
"I got it! Okay everyone listen up!" We all gather around David and listen to his plan. Luckily, everyone agreed and we all moved into position. Henry throws a rock into some bushes and one of the bandits turn around. He walks further away from the opening. He stops and Hook jumps off of a branch above him, knocking him out. Mary Margaret shoots a couple arrows and some more rocks are thrown.
While everyone is fighting and distracting the bandits, I sneak behind the bushes and make my way towards Belle and Archie. As I reach them, Belle's face beams with relief.
"I'm so glad you guys made it," Belle sighs. I smile at her before moving behind the tree. I take out the small dagger David had given me and hurriedly cut away at the rope. I glance towards Henry.
Henry's face is full of delight as he throws more rocks at the annoyed bandits. Suddenly, I notice another bandit coming at him from his left. I'm about to scream his name until the bandit weirdly flies back. My eyes wander back to Henry to find Regina beside him, her hand outstretched towards the guy.
Relieved, I turn my attention back to the ropes. After cutting them off, I rush back to the front of the tree to help Belle and Archie. Belle and I hold onto one of Archie's arms and curve it around our shoulders.
"Come on. We need to get out of here!" I yell over the shouts of the battle. Struggling with the weight of Archie, we attempt to rush away until some bandits comes in our way. Regina throws her hand out and they all hit a tree, knocking them out.
We all stop, trying to catch our breath. "What happened to Archie?" I ask Belle. We sit him up against a rock.
"They hit him on the head. That's how we were captured. We were looking for you guys! We thought we heard Jefferson but when we went looking for him, we got caught."
My heart thumps with the mention of Jefferson. I hope he made it okay. In the last few weeks, we had gone out a couple times and things have been getting serious. At least I think we did. I can't really remember.
"And you all thought I had killed Archie. I may be the Evil Queen but I don't always show it," Regina mutters. We all turn to her. Emma rolls her eyes.
"Yeah, well, you're not really the trustworthy type. And you put the blame on Destiny, remember?
"We all thought that. Especially me, her best friend," I admit quietly. A guilty look appears on Regina's face. David sighs.
"This has all become such a mess. But now's not the time to think about that. We need to think of our next move," David advises. He pulls a sword from one of the unconscious bandits and walks over to us. Hook observes the sky.
"It'll be night soon so I think we better find somewhere to camp for the night." We all nod at his suggestion. David and Hook hold Archie the same way we did and we all move on.
Destiny's POV
I gaze into my crystal ball, watching my old friends set up camp for the night. A playful grin forms on my lips. It's amusing seeing how agitated Regina is becoming. Nova, on the other hand, is starting to bore me. I hear calm footsteps approaching behind me.
"Missing them, are we?" Rumple interrupts. He stops opposite me and the crystal ball. I sweep my hand across the ball, dissolving the vision. I eye him.
"Nope. Just keeping an eye on them. There would be no point to my plan of ruling over them if they're killed." Rumple smiles before resting his eyes on the crystal ball with a distant look on his face. A look of wonder for a loved one. I'm glad I didn't tell him that my plan involved wiping their memories, including Belle's... Besides, It would have been silly of me to fully trust Rumple. I don't worry about him being angry at me because I know that if it was swapped, he wouldn't have told me either.
I turn away from the ball and walk over to a table that had a list of ingredients. I know once I turn my back, he'll use the ball to check on Belle. I glance back and as predicted he's staring sadly into the ball. "You know, you don't have to stay here." I shrug nonchalantly.
I can tell he is shifting uncomfortably. "I don't know what you mean."
I spin around and face him, putting my hands on my hips, "I'm not blind, Rumple. I know you still love her, though I don't know why. Love shows weakness."
He rolls his eyes, trying to look like the old Rumpelstiltskin. "Pshh." He scoffs. "Love? No... Though, I will need a Queen when I become ruler."
Yeah. When you become ruler, I think. I walk back over to the crystal ball and lean my hands on the table.
"So, what do you plan to do in the time being?" Rumple questions. I slowly smile at the group in the ball who are all staring silently at the burning fire before them.
"We could just wait for them to arrive. But I think we'll make their journey a little more interesting." With that said, a gleeful laugh escapes my lips. Now its time to have some fun. I touch the glass and it ripples, black fog dripping down.
Nova's POV
It's my turn to take watch. Ever since the encounter with those bandits, we knew we had to be more careful. I stand up, brush off the dirt on my pants and walk over to Mary Margaret who is on watch with me. She smiles at me as I stand beside her.
"What a day, huh?" I say. Mary Margaret surveys our surroundings before turning back to me.
"Yeah. Home sweet home," she replies. We both stare out towards the masses of trees before us. An awkward silence rests between us. Mary Margaret finally breaks it.
"You know, at first, when I came to Storybrooke, I really felt at home then, probably because I couldn't remember my life here. But now, ever since we came here, back to my real home, I thought I would feel the same but... I don't. Is that wrong?" She suddenly asks me. I shake my head.
"No, it isn't. Don't worry, you'll feel more at home soon. Just give it time," I suggest. Mary Margaret nods. She seats herself down against the tree, keeping her bow and arrow steady.
I walk over to the other side of the camp. I pull out a knife and start picking at the tree. Thunder shakes the ground. I look up. Dark clouds surface across the sky. "I didn't see a storm coming." I yell over to Mary Margaret as the thunder's sound amplifies.
She shakes her head, "Neither did I!" The ground starts to crack. Slowly at first before speeding up towards us. Mary Margaret grabs my hand.
"We need to warn the others!" We sprint towards the group and shake each of them hurriedly. Everything starts to happen so quickly. The forceful rain pours down on us mercilessly as we rush through the forest. The sound of thunder is now deafening to our ears. As I glance behind me, I catch a glimpse of Regina, standing still. Ignoring my panicky thoughts, I rush back to her.
"Regina! What are you doing?!" I yell. Regina looks towards me, her eyes blinking awkwardly in the rain.
"I know this is Destiny's doing. Trying to make us afraid. But it's not going to work on me. Run while you still have the chance." She gazes back at the sky. "I can try to save you guys... And Henry." I stare at her.
"Are you crazy?! We can't stop Destiny at this stage. She's too powerful. And I doubt Henry would want you to do this! Let's just go before it's too late!" I argue. I grab her hand and pull, trying to get us as far away as possible.
"Watch out!" Regina yells. I turn around only to be hit in the head.
I slowly open my eyes and immediately recognize my surroundings. "Damn." I whisper, rubbing the bump on my head. I notice Regina knocked out beside me. I reach over and gently shake her. "Regina, wake up!" Regina doesn't make any movement. I put my fingers on her neck and sigh with relief when I hear her pulse. I run a hand through my hair. I feel a sudden sting on my forehead.
I glance at my hand to find it stained red. Blood. I recall what had happened before. The frightening storm, Regina being reluctant in running away..
"You have suffered quite a blow to the head." A female voice intrudes. Startled, I cast my eyes at the group of people surrounding us at a distance. They are all hidden in cloaks with their hoods pulled over their heads, except for a woman. Her light blonde hair flows past her shoulders. Her hazel eyes stand out from her pale complexion.
"Who are you?" I ask. The woman attempts a friendly smile.
"We are the Melakey's." That name sounds familiar. As if reading my mind, she continues."The tribe Destiny had told you about." My ears prick up. I narrow my eyes at them. So they were the people who had threatened Destiny and her mother. But how do they know that I know Destiny? Reading my mind, the woman replies.
"We have been watching over Destiny for a while now. And we have seen you with her. We assume you have a friendship with her?" I don't answer. The woman looks at me cautiously before continuing.
"We need your help, Nova." My heart restricts at the sound of my name. What made these people think I would help them? I shoot an annoyed look at them.
"Why do you need my help? If you expect me to go against Destiny, then you can forget it. I know what you tried to do to Destiny and her mother. Why should I trust you people?!" The woman and the group exchange confused glances. She turns back to me.
"We didn't do anything to them. We were trying to protect them." I stare at them blankly. They were trying to protect them... Then why did Destiny and her mother run away? What had really happened… "Somebody is lying to me so you better have a real good story for me to believe that Destiny was the one lying." The woman takes a step forward.
"I understand your distrust. And I will explain but at this moment, you-" she looks at Regina. "And your friend are injured. Let us take you to shelter and check those wounds for you. It's not far from here," she says, her face genuinely full of concern. I study the group for a moment.
I know it would be silly to trust them but right now, Regina needed help. And if they wanted to hurt us, they would have already done so. I nod at her in response. On cue, the woman and the group approach us. Two of them hold Regina whilst the woman helps me up. They take us past several trees and down a hill where several tents were set together like a circle.
The woman guides me to one tent while Regina is taken to the one opposite mine. She gestures towards a chair near me. I sit down slowly and watch her as she starts preparing something.
"So what happened then? Why was there a conflict between Destiny's mother and this tribe?" I ask. The woman doesn't look up from what she's doing.
"I wouldn't call it a conflict but more of a misunderstanding on Destiny's mother's part." She seats herself beside me, a bowl with a strong herbal aroma in her hand.
"Destiny and her mother, Serena, were brought up in this tribe and this tribe is like family. We prefered to keep our tribe a secret from the world, especially because of what we can do." I wince as she applies the substance to my forehead.
"But Serena always liked exploring areas away from where we lived. The extent of power she had could attract the wrong kind of people like an overpowering aroma. During her travels, she started meeting this woman called Cora. They started meeting each other secretly. She even brought Destiny on her travels.
"We were unaware of this at first, until one of our tribe people caught her seeing Cora. Everyone could sense the evilness in her. We tried to warn her but Serena didn't believe us. Then that night, she disappeared with Destiny. We couldn't find them. Only now have we found Destiny and watched over her." I try to process this in.
"If you could feel that Cora was evil, why couldn't Destiny's mom?"
The woman shrugs and runs a towel across my bloody arm. "We can only guess that Cora was more powerful than Serena and used a spell to hide her essence."
I nod, then remember something, "Wait. You said you've been watching Destiny."
"Yes. We felt her presence when she first returned to the Forest. We were able to create a bond between us without her realizing. We've been watching her ever since."
"First returned? She's been here before?"
"Not long before. Not even a day I think." She looks at the other person in the room who nods her head. "Yeah. Earlier today, she came, left, and returned with all of you. Caused quite a disturbance."
"Do you know where she is?" I ask eagerly.
"Yes. But first, we need your help. You may be the key to saving Destiny." She produces a scroll from under her cape and hands it to me.
"What is this?" I ask, unrolling it.
"It's a list of ingredients for a special paste. I understand you have a couple powerful people with you. They will help you make it. Once it's made, you need to coat the tip of a desired weapon. Once the paste is in Destiny's bloodstream, her powers will be dullened just long enough for you break the curse."
"It is claimed that an act of true love and sacrifice will melt even the blackest of hearts. We feel that you may be the one who can break her curse."
"Really?" I exclaim. Finally! Something good is happening.
The lady puts her hand up as a warning. "However, there is a possibility that you might not be the one to break it."
I start thinking of anyone else who could love her as much or even more than I could. Hook's face flashes through my mind before I quickly dismiss it. He's a pirate... And an 's no way it's him.
"I'm sure it must be you for this," I say after pondering. As I roll up the scroll, the woman slowly rises from her chair.
"Get some rest now. We will find the rest of your friends tomorrow," she assures me. As she reaches the mouth of the tent, I stop her.
"Wait. What's your name?" The woman smiles warmly.
"Annora."
She exits the tent. You might not be the one to break it... The more I replay her words in my head, the more my hope starts to dissolve...