Chapter 27: Queen of hearts
A hooded figure was walking through the forest, following Belle. She was on her way to another adventure and wasn't paying too much attention to her surrounding and if anyone was following her; just like Rumple and Rose had taught her and told her a thousand times to do.
She was immersed in her book and didn't saw the man approach her silently from behind. She heard a sound, turned around but didn't see anything. She put her book away and decided to make her way to the closest town. She could read the rest of the book at an inn.
In a puff of red smoke, the man was pinned to a tree on another part of the woods with a dagger to his neck.
"Who are you and why are you following Belle?" Said a woman wearing a mahogany hood.
"I just wanted some information." Said the man with a charming smirk on his face.
Hook knew that no woman had been able to resist his charm, and he expected that this woman that had managed to pin him wouldn't be different. The woman took a step back and let him breath. She took off her hood, and looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Was that supposed to make me go weak on the knees?"
"Oh, the elusive princess." He said seeing the short dark red hair and the mismatch eyes. "I know you are no so easily tricked. My apologies, your highness."
She just kept looking at him with a raised eyebrow, and he decided to explain himself. He knew that Rose Red was known for being ruthless to those that hurt or threatened the ones she cared about.
"I just wanted information. But I think that you might be the one that has it." He said looking at her with interest. "I heard that you have a long term deal with the Dark One. Maybe we can help each other. Information for information."
Rose looked at him curiously. The man had a hook for a hand, and his style was… different. But he didn't sound completely evil, so she decided to give him a chance.
"You are lucky that it was my turn to watch over Belle on her adventure's first day. I swear that girl will never learn." She shook her head and turned to the man.
He took this chance to explain himself.
"I've been around, and I know you are looking for some information. Maybe I have it. You tell me what you are looking for. I tell you what I'm looking for. We share the information and everyone's happy."
"That would depend on if we have the information the other needs." Said Rose with a grin. "And as much as you've been around, I doubt you have what I need."
"Okay, fair enough. Then how about I tell you what I'm looking for, and if you know, I will look for the information you need." She looked at him contemplatively, and he continued. "I need a way to kill him."
"Then you are out of luck." She said shrugging her shoulders. "As you've said, I have a long term deal with him. It's been going on for quite a while, and I've grown fond of him. You'll have to look somewhere else."
She turned around and started walking away.
"Wait!" He called out. "Do you know a way to kill him or not?"
"I don't know." She said in a mocking way turning to him with a grin. "Do I?"
She disappeared on a cloud of red smoke when he tried to attack her with his hook. When the smoke cleared he saw that the redhead princess was gone and so was his hook. He turned around looking for it, and saw the Evil Queen there, with his hook in her hand.
"She won't help you kill Rumpelstiltskin, Hook. And the other one doesn't even know how. But I can, if you do something for me." She said with a smirk.
At Mr. Gold's shop, David was still under the sleeping curse, and the rest didn't have a way to know if the others had received the message.
"It's important we take precautions. We have to consider the possibility that, when that portal opens, it won't be his family that come through. It'll be Cora." Said Gold.
"What do you purpose to do? It's not like we can destroy the portal. There is a chance that they will defeat my mother." Said Regina with a sigh.
"Well, I believe in this world, they call that a win-win." Regina looked at him in wonder. "If we stop Cora, you are protected from your mother's wrath. If, on the other hand, we stop Snow and Emma. Well, you become the only mother in your son's life, now don't you? Look, magic is unpredictable in this world. If something unfortunate were to happen while you were attempting to help, Henry could hardly blame you for that, could he?"
"No. I can't lie to him. I am trying to be a better mother." Said Regina shaking her head and frowning. "And what about Rose?"
"You won't be able to be a better anything if Cora comes through. And if she does, she will be a threat to everyone, including your son. So, if you truly want to be a good mother to Henry, to protect him, if you want to be better, prove it." He told her with anger.
Regina noticed that he avoided talking about Rose. She knew that Cora was aware of Rose's powers and if she found out that she lost her memories and doesn't know how to use them, there were two options. She would kill Rose to avoid a problem in the future, or she would manipulate her to be on her side. If that happened, Rose would be the biggest threat to everyone in Storybrooke. She understood that Gold didn't want to make this decision, but he was thinking that Rose would be lost anyway. Cora wouldn't waste the opportunity to use Rose or get rid of her once and for all.
They arrived at Rumpelstiltskin's cell. The door was open, and they started to search for the ink. No one was having any luck.
"I didn't know he could draw?" Said Emma looking at the ceiling.
All turned their heads up and saw a drawing of a bird. It seemed to be on flames.
"Is that a phoenix?" Asked Mary-Margaret.
"It's made with blood." Said Mulan with a frown.
"Wow. It looks like a cult symbol." Said Rose with a nervous chuckle. "But I have to say the drawing is beautiful."
Aurora said she found something and that snapped the others back to attention. She showed them a scroll that had 'Emma' written all over it. Emma was looking at the scroll while the rest kept looking for the ink. Finally, Mulan found the empty ink bottle. Then Rose heard something.
"Aurora don't!" She yelled going to the princess.
But it was too late. Aurora had thrown the empty bottle at the lever outside the cell, closing it. Cora came out and took the compass from Emma. She tried to pry open the door but couldn't.
"No. Don't waste your energy, dear. Rumpelstiltskin himself couldn't escape from this cell. Thank you, Aurora. We couldn't have done it without you."
All turned to Aurora asking her why, but Rose shook her head and stood in front of her.
"It's not her fault. Since she came back I knew there was something off with her, but I didn't know what." She said with a frown.
"Rose is right. Don't blame Aurora. She was only doing what she was told." Said Cora showing a glowing heart.
Hook then explained that he was the one that took it. He started to talk with Emma, but Cora got closer to the cell and looked Rose in the eye.
"I see that your powers are returning to you, but you don't know how to use them. I would have liked to use you in my favor, but maybe you being locked here for the rest of your life will be enough. You were always a nuisance. Now, you won't get in my way."
Cora and Hook left and the others were inside the cell, with no way out. Emma was hacking at the bars with a sword, and Mary-Margaret told her that it was useless. When she finally gave up, the game of the blame started again. Everyone was saying that it was their fault that they ended up in the cell.
"Not this crap again" Groaned Rose.
"I don't like the words, but Rose is right." Said Mary-Margaret with a playful glare at Rose. "We're going to win this fight, you know. Good always defeats evil."
Emma still thought that she was useless.
"The only reason I ever broke the curse, was because it was exactly what Gold wanted me to do. I had nothing to do with it. He told you I was the savior. It was his plan. Once I fulfilled that role, maybe that's all I was ever meant to do. Everything I've ever done, he had it all mapped out before I was even born. I'm not powerful. I'm not a savior. I'm a name on a piece of paper. I'm a pawn, and that's exactly why we are in here. And Cora's on her way to Storybrooke."
At the end of Emma's rant Rose had a thought and grabbed the scroll looking at it. The rest looked at her in wonder, until Mary-Margaret realized something and gasped. She went next to Rose and the two of them looked at it.
"Why are you staring at that scroll? It's not like it's going to magically open the door for us." Said Emma.
"There is something weird about it." Said Rose with a frown.
"When we were little, I used to sneak into Cora's chamber and watch her practice magic. You didn't want to go, because you didn't like her" Said Mary-Margaret to Rose and then turned to Emma. "She had a spell book and, Emma, the spells were in the book."
She then blew on the scroll and the writing lifted up and went to the door, opening a hole in the bars. They started to go, but Aurora said that she couldn't go with them. Cora still had her heart and it was dangerous for them if she went along. Mulan promised to get her heart back and tied her up.
They reached Lake Nostos just before Cora and Hook were about to jump. Mary-Margaret shot an arrow that took the compass from their hands. A fight ensued. Emma was fighting Hook and Cora was throwing fireballs that Mulan diverted with her sword.
At one moment the satchel with Aurora's heart flew through the air and was about to fall in the whirlpool, but Hook grabbed it and threw it to Mulan. He said that he didn't like a woman losing her heart. Mulan was hesitating on what to do.
"Just go!" Said Rose slashing at Cora with one of her daggers.
"Listen to her. Aurora needs her heart." Said Mary-Margaret.
Mulan nodded and handed her her sword. Mary-Margaret went to help Rose hold off Cora.
"You never give up, do you girl?" Said Cora glaring at Rose. "I should have killed you in the pit. I won't make the same mistake twice."
She was going to throw a fireball, but Mary-Margaret diverted it with Mulan's sword. The fight continued, Rose and Mary-Margaret made a good team. Rose took any opportunity to attack Cora while Mary-Margaret diverted her magic and made openings for Rose.
Emma had knocked out Hook and tried to attack Cora. She disappeared in a puff of smoke and cut their way to the whirlpool. She threw Emma aside with a wave of her hand and marched up to Mary-Margaret and Rose. They asked her why she wanted to go to Storybrooke.
"Because my daughter needs me. And now, I'm going to give her the one thing she's always wanted, your heart. And I just want you out of the way. Goodbye, Snow. Goodbye Rose." She said and went to plunge her hands in their chests.
Emma pushed Mary-Margaret out of the way, but couldn't get to Rose before Cora had her hands in their chests. Cora chuckled and looked at Emma with amusement.
"Oh, you foolish girl. Don't you know? Love is weakness."
She went to pull her hands out, but couldn't. Emma then said that love was strength and a white pulse came out of her body, making Cora disappear.
"What was that?" Said Emma in shock.
"That was too Temple of Doom for my taste." Said Rose with a frown putting a hand were Cora's had been.
"That is a great subject for discussion. When we get home." Said Mary-Margaret in relief.
They grabbed the compass and jumped together into the whirlpool.
At the well of Storybrooke, Gold and Regina had cast the spell to destroy anyone that would cross the portal. Henry, Ruby and Belle arrived at the scene. Henry was arguing with Regina. Ruby went after her, but Gold knocked her out. Belle gasped and went to see if she was okay.
"We can't let Cora come through the portal. You have no idea what she would do to us." Said Regina trying to make Henry understand.
"Emma, Rose and Mary Margaret are going to defeat her. They're the ones that are going to come through." He said not be living his mother. Gold told him that it was going to be Cora, but he shook his head. "No. It won't. Good always defeats evil. You should know that more than anyone."
Regina shook her head. Henry went to approach the well, but Regina grabbed him. Henry made a last attempt to make her mother see reason.
"Emma, Rose and Mary Margaret are going to come through. I know it. You said you wanted to change, to be better. This is how. You want me to have faith in you? Have faith in me."
Regina said nothing, but approached the well. She put her hands over it and started to absorb the spell. Gold told her to stop, but Belle grabbed his arm, turning him to face her.
"No. You should be the one doing that." She said pointing to Regina. "Once again you are taking the coward's way out. I told you to trust Rose, but you don't. You prefer to keep being a coward and give up on her. Show me that you trust Rose to come back. Show me that you trust yourself to keep her safe no matter what."
He looked at her with a blank look, and after a while he sighed. He approached the well and Regina, and helped her nullify the spell. Once it was done, the blast threw Regina and Gold to the ground. Belle helped Mr. Gold up, and everyone looked at the well expectantly. Waiting to see who would emerge.
Then Emma came out, followed by Rose and Mary-Margaret. Henry went to hug them. Mr. Gold observed them and went to leave, but Belle stopped him and signaled him to Rose. Henry and Emma were talking with Regina and Mary-Margaret had gone to find David with Ruby. He approached Rose, not sure what to say.
"Well, that was a freaky experience." Said Rose rubbing where Cora had tried to rip out her heart.
"She tried to take your heart?" He said with a frown and Rose nodded. "I'm glad to see that the spell still works.
Rose looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and he chuckled.
"A long time ago, I put a spell in your heart. I made sure that no one would be able to rip it out. I'm glad that it still holds."
"I could have used that information before. Because that experience was disturbing." Said Rose with a grimace.
"I'm glad you are back." He told her caressing her face.
"I'm glad to be back." She said leaning towards his touch.
Their moment was broken by a throat being cleared. They turned and saw Belle with a sheepish smile on her face.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but maybe we should make our way back and see if David is okay?"
At the shop, David was woken by Mary-Margaret. Emma talked with Gold about what they had found out. It turns out that Emma had magic in her. The family was together again and was going to make their way to Granny's to celebrate.
"Wait, wait." Said Rose grabbing everyone's attention. "Since when there is a soundtrack here too?"
Everyone looked at her in confusion.
"What are you talking about, darling?" Asked Gold.
"Well, in the fairy tale land there was this sound all around, and I thought it was something from that world. You know like the soundtrack in movies. But now I can hear it here too." She said with a frown.
"Your powers are coming back to you." Said Mary-Margaret with a smile.
"I don't know much about them, but…" She turned to Gold. "Maybe you can catch her up?"
"I will do." He said turning to Rose with a soft smile. "After all, we have a pending conversation about our lives in the Enchanted Forest."
"Then, how about a quiet dinner and what I expect to be a very interesting conversation?" Said Rose with a grin.
While the others went to Granny's, Rose and Gold went to his house. For the moment everything seemed okay. But the appearance of a pirate ship among the fog, showed that everything was about to change.
AN: Hello, everyone!
I got back to work, so sorry if the updates take a little longer.
A new review said that they were glad about Belle and Rumple's friendship. I've always seen Belle interfering in the relationship between Rumple and the OC in other stories. As I said before, I can't see Belle being like that. Their relationship will be like that, a friendship. Belle will keep Rumple in check when Rose is not there to do it herself, and Rumple will help Belle find herself and gain confidence.
Thanks for taking the time to read my story! :)