With the battle plans set in motion, the group dispersed to do as Maleficent commanded, gathering allies and calling in favors from heroes and villains all around the worlds.
Cora returned to Wonderland with Ruby at her side acting as a bodyguard to speak to the Red Queen and collecting any other allies she could.
Maleficent and Lily ventured out to Atlantis to call upon Ursula's aid before making their way to Camelot to visit Merlin's workshop and steal Excalibur.
David went to collect some old allies, Snow sought out her old friend, Hercules, and Emma traveled to a place called Arendelle. Apparently the dragon had allies there as well and she was sent to talk to the queen to join them in battle.
Regina and Mal's men went straight to the castle to prep the battlefield and get the castle ready to be defended.
Meanwhile Lisa made the trip into the mountains with her father. Within a day she was ready to get back to Regina. Her wolf was eager to return to their mate. Her father was quite talkative on the walk, telling her as much as he could remember about the northern guardian tower.
"How do you know it's still the same?" Lisa asked. "It's been years since you've been there."
"I don't." Marcus admitted. "And I've never actually been here. I sent another guardian to build it."
"You sent another guy to build a tower in the frozen north of some territory owned by a dragon? Did you hate this guy?"
Marcus chuckled. "Charles and I did not see eye to eye on most things but he was brave, even tempered and well respected. Most of those that went with him volunteered to do so."
"So he was a rival?"
"No. He was a friend."
Lisa frowned. "But you sent him way up north into dragon territory. For what? You couldn't build a tower next to the other one?"
Marcus sighed. "That one would've been decimated as well. This one is far away and safe-"
"In dragon territory." Lisa said.
So he sent his rival to his death? Regina asked.
"Stop listening to my conversations." Lisa said aloud. Marcus glanced at her and she ignored it. "Regina said you sent your rival to his death."
"No, I did not." He frowned. "We were not rivals. I was the commander. And I don't much care for the Evil Queen's input."
"She's not the Evil Queen." Lisa growled. "Don't call her that."
"Fine." He sighed. "You do realize that you can't just force people to share your opinion about Regina."
"Oh I don't give a damn about your opinion on her." Lisa scoffed. "Just don't disrespect her in my presence. Calling her the Evil Queen is something she considers disrespectful. Father or not, I will not tolerate it."
"Out of everyone in the world." Marcus rolled his eyes. "It had to be her. Do you really not care-"
"About something that happened decades ago? No." Lisa replied. "We should drop this subject. Or else I can teleport back to Regina right now."
Marcus sighed once again and picked up the pace. Maleficent had given them the coordinates for the general area of the Guardian tower while also warning them that she'd given the Northern Guardians the entire mountain range and helped them build a better settlement in exchange for free access to all of their knowledge. That had also been decades ago now so they could have moved anywhere else by now. Lisa didn't believe that they would stay in the north if they'd changed their allegiance but Marcus seemed convinced that they would be there. Of course, she was also using magic to check their road from Mal's castle was the only one leading up to the snow covered mountains and they hadn't seen anyone else traveling along it since they began.
It would be another uncomfortable hour of searching before they found the archway that Mal told them about.
"Is this the right one?" Marcus asked. "We haven't reached the snow yet."
"I guess. This is the only road." Lisa shrugged, walking through it. She was met with a blast of cold air and she fought the urge to shift into wolf form. Looking around she saw nothing but snow. The road was still clear however, slicing through the mounds of snow as if it had been newly plowed. Marcus stepped through the archway and joined her in looking in shock at the sudden teleportation. Off in the distance she spotted the dark form of a castle and figured that's where they were heading. She shifted into wolf form then and started off, glad to have fur to fight off the cold. Marcus activated his suit and followed.
It was about half an hour later that they came to the sprawling town surrounding the castle. The snow abruptly ended, giving way to lush, green grass and colorful flowers that spread throughout the city. A wave of warmth also greeted them and Lisa wondered what spells they used to control the temperature. The people were lively and happy and the air was full of the smells of baking sweets, spices, flowers and cooking meat. Children ran around with dragon streamers, dressed more for walking through the forest than living in a frozen wasteland. She couldn't see it but Lisa could also smell the sea. She was a bit glad that these people weren't completely cut off from the rest of the world. Why they didn't move to Maleficent's kingdom, she didn't know.
In any case, the city appeared warm and lovely, full of people just going about their day. However, when they caught sight of Marcus, they stopped and stared. Some even glared at his suit. Lisa could tell her father was hurt by the hostility but there was little she could say to help. They had to walk through the whole town to reach the castle, whose gates were already open. No one barred their way but they didn't feel welcome either.
The interior of the castle was a stark contrast from the outside. The exterior was gray and simple but the inside was wonderfully bright and warm. Lisa found herself padding across fine, thick rugs that could only have come from a dragon. There were lots of dragon tapestries and dragon motifs carved into the walls and colorful mosaics decorated the halls. There was a distinct lack of Guardian symbols. She remembered them being all over the place in Pan's vision. She could tell that her father was displeased by this.
Lisa shifted back into human form as they reached the doors to the throne room where a pair of guards waited. She grabbed Marcus' arm. "Before we go in there, try not to be the Grand Guardian please."
"What? I wasn't going to-"
"You absolutely were." Lisa scoffed. "Remember, they don't care about the Guardians. They're not going to listen to you just because you used to have a high position. They're Mal's subjects now. Got it?"
Marcus sighed. "Fine, but if Charles is still alive-"
"You still can't command him." She rolled her eyes when he started forward. "Am I this stubborn?" She wondered aloud as she followed him.
Yes.
She rolled her eyes again, feeling Regina's amusement through their bond. She followed Marcus into the throne room. A long black rug led the way to the throne and on either side were two rows of what Lisa assumed to be elders and counselors. At the end of the room, seated on a throne made of blackened stone was a young girl who was practically a child. She wore a white Guardian suit with the chest emblazoned with a black sigil that depicted Maleficent's horned helmet. Above her head hung a tapestry with the same sigil. The girl seemed to look them both up and down with a pair of stormy gray eyes. She was pretty, although quite pale. There was a splash of freckles across her nose and her hair, a long red-gold, was pinned back out of her face.
"I am Mar-"
"We know who you are, Grand Guardian." The girl said, almost glaring at Marcus with eyes much too hard for a child. Her voice was sharp as well, not at all pleased to see the former head of her order.
"Thought you were dead." One of the men to their left said.
"I was captured." Marcus replied. He looked at the girl again. "Are you the leader here?"
"I am the one on the throne, am I not?"
"A child is the head of this castle?" Marcus said in disbelief.
"Yes." The girl replied.
"May I ask where is Charles Cavalier? I know that it has been some time since I was here, but I do know that he wouldn't even be 60 by now. I can't imagine-"
"He's dead." She replied.
"I'm sorry." The girl narrowed her eyes at him, but said nothing. "Even so, I must call the Guardians here for assistance in a war of the worlds." Lisa instantly rolled her eyes.
"When you find them, you can call them." The girl smirked, shifting her gaze to Lisa and seemingly appraising her.
"Excuse me?" Marcus frowned.
"There are no Guardians here. They died long ago."
"Then who are you?" Lisa asked.
"We are the remnants. My name is Kiara Cavalier. Charles was my grandfather. He and the rest of the Guardians sent here by your friend renounced their ties to the organization rather quickly. It probably had something to do with a dozen people starving and freezing to death. Because building a Guardian tower in the northernmost region of the world makes so much sense. But we are not bitter about it. We do not adhere to the Guardian laws, so Grand Guardian, you cannot call us to do anything."
Lisa looked at her father, seeing him silently seethe. "I never meant for that to happen."
"You sent your rival, the man who threatened your position, as far away as you could. You sent him, his followers and his family to a hellhole. Regardless of whether or not you meant for anyone to die, they did. Luckily, my grandfather was a brilliant man and he found a way to survive, without you. We joined forces with a dragon. There are no Guardians here. We are Dragon Knights now."
Lisa looked at her father. Despite all the warnings she could tell this hit him hard. "Dad…"
"This was all that was left of us." He whispered. "Everything I worked to build is gone."
"You're still here. I'm still here. As long as there's one, the Guardians could rebuild."
Marcus only scoffed. "As if you care about rebuilding our order."
"Dad." Lisa touched his shoulder, but he shrugged her off and turned to the eldest man next to Kiara.
"You let a child make decisions for you? You join forces with a dragon? Did you ever think about why she helped you?"
"Does a starving dog ask why it's being fed?" Kiara asked. "Or does it just eat the food provided until its belly is full? I may be a child, but I am not an idiot, Chevalier. I lead because I was chosen to lead. I will lead until I am done. However, your past decisions and anger are not my concern. If you have a problem, take it up with our liege, Maleficent. Who, by the way, only asked for access to our library. She repaid us a thousand times over."
Lisa sighed once again and stepped forward, holding out the seal that the dragon had given them. "Maleficent believes the prophecy of the three is close to being fulfilled. She wants us to gather at her castle to prepare a defense."
"Are you one of the Three?" Kiara asked, leaning forward to take the seal.
"I am."
"And your powers?"
"I am a Guardian and a werewolf and I have magic. I was even contacted by the goddess, Rhea, and blessed with great powers to help me fight the Dark Ones."
Kiara slowly nodded before she turned to her counsel. "Maleficent calls for us. Spread the word. We leave as soon as possible to make for the Forbidden Fortress." The others in the room saluted and quickly hurried out to do as commanded, leaving Lisa and Marcus alone with the teenage commander. "I hope you and the others will be enough." Kiara said, rising to her feet. "Are you prepared for what is to come?"
"I'm ready to fight, if that's what you mean."
"Are you ready to die?"
"Is anyone ever ready to die?" Lisa frowned.
"Yes." Kiara replied. She snapped her fingers and a young boy scurried over to her side. "This is Harim. If you wish to stay, he will show you to your rooms. If you wish to explore, I would advise you to leave the suit in your room." And with that, she left to help her people prepare for war.
Harim showed Lisa and her father to a room with two beds in it. It was mostly bare except for lots of furs, rugs, braziers and a roaring fireplace. Maleficent's sigil hung on the wall. The first thing Marcus did was remove it and toss it into the nearest brazier.
"Why did you do that? We don't want to piss these people off, Dad."
Marcus flopped down on the bed and said nothing.
Lisa rolled her eyes and went out onto the balcony while he sulked. It faced the city and she was able to see them below, already gathering food, weapons and armor for the fight ahead.
Everything okay? Regina's concern had their bond buzzing.
"They agreed to help us. Dad's upset."
I would imagine he is.
"We should be back by tomorrow morning. I don't think we need to stay here while they get ready."
You should. You are one of the Three. Your presence could help, give them courage and hope.
Lisa only rolled her eyes. "That's Emma's forte. And besides, I want to get back to you as soon as possible."
And I will still be here if you wait a week. Besides, there could be valuable information in the Guardian library up there. We need all the assistance we can get.
Lisa sighed. "Do I have to?" She heard a chuckle from her mate.
If you help them, they will be done sooner. Besides, I don't need you here distracting me. Getting through all of Mal's traps is bad enough. Now I have to go through a literal mountain's worth of stockpiled weapons.
"Sounds fun. I can help you relax afterwards."
No.
Lisa snorted in amusement and sighed, leaning against the balcony railing. "I'll let you get back to work then. Be safe. Talk to me if you need help."
I will. Be safe.
"I love you."
I love you too.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Across the mountains, sat the Forbidden Fortress. A great, dark castle molded and shaped by dragon fire and claws. It was a castle Maleficent had built in her youth and expanded over time. The castle itself was magnificent and had stood against any and every kingdom that sought to claim it and the horde of wealth it protected. Not only that, but Mal had used everything surrounding the castle, including the mountain and the lands above and below ground. Apparently she had been hoarding more than gold and jewels.
Regina's task was preparing the castle for the new arrivals and navigating all of the traps Mal had placed and the hundreds of storage rooms in the mountain took up a great deal of time. While Law and his men unpacked the many weapons the dragon had brought, Regina took stock of Mal's inventory. It was mind blowing how much the dragon had accumulated over the years.
Bypassing the treasure room that she couldn't enter anyway because it was locked under a hundred protection wards, Regina opened up the tenth storage room she'd come across. It was smaller than the last one. There were rows of large crates lining one side of the room and the other had weapon racks filled with different bows, replacement strings and barrels of arrows. Everything was marked with magic runes that would prevent the weapons from deteriorating over the years with no maintenance.
She conjured a crowbar to pop open one of the crates and found the inside to be full of longswords. She waved a hand, lighting the torches around the room and pulled out one of the swords. She wasn't a smith, but even she could see that these weapons were impeccably made. Mal had made them and any sword forged by the Dragon Queen could buy someone a castle. This storage room was full of them. She opened the other crates to check their contents and it was more swords and axes. She used magic to count everything and marked the contents on the door before moving on to the next room. This one had a symbol on the door that she didn't recognize so she left it for Mal for when she returned. The next door was sealed with magic and required magical energy to break.
The inside was full of cluttered shelves, all filled with bowls of small colorful stones. Regina picked one up. It was a blue-green stone, polished smooth, with a magical symbol stamped on the side. Rune stones for enchantments. She used magic to count them and marked the contents of the room on the door. By the gods she had so many more to do…
Several hours later, she'd finished over three dozen rooms, compiled a list of all that she'd found and had Law and his men pull out the catapults she'd found in a room below. She also found a couple of cannons that were definitely not for shooting cannonballs. It would seem that Mal was experimenting with all kinds of magical weapons, taking pieces from all over the world and trying to create something better or more powerful. She even found schematics for more weapons that could level a forest.
"Perhaps you should take a break, your majesty." Law suggested, approaching her with a bowl of stew and a bottle of water.
She happily accepted it and dug in. "Thank you, but I want to get as much done as possible before Mal and the others get back."
"The Three are together for the first time in years. I understand that this is unprecedented, but why does Maleficent believe the prophecy is so close to being fulfilled?"
"I don't know honestly, but if it makes the Dragon Queen this concerned, it's not to be taken lightly. It's best to just do what she says. I'd rather be prepared and have nothing happen than the opposite."
"I suppose I have to agree. With everything you've gathered, it would seem as though Maleficent was a doomsday prepper, spending all of your time preparing for the end of the world."
"Dragons are immortal. She has the time." Regina replied. "But uh, she's not obsessed, if that's what you think. The woman spent years on voyages buying silks and gems and five years alone searching the world to find the perfect wine. Then she spent another five learning how to make it herself. She even spent another five years trying to find unicorns and five more to find a black one so it would match her scales."
Law chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds like her."
"Time means absolutely nothing to this woman. Money and magic either." Regina finished her stew quickly and passed the bowl to Law. "See if your guys can bring those cannons up to the walls and then you all can rest for the night." Law saluted and left the room, leaving Regina to return to her task. She finished two dozen more rooms, cataloging a mountain of weapons and armor before she was called to the courtyard.
"You're back already?" She asked, seeing Emma approach.
"Yeah. I just gave Maleficent's seal to the queen, she gave me this urn and said that she will have to have a week to mobilize her army before she comes here." Emma held up the small golden urn.
Regina took it and turned it over her hands. It was freezing cold to the touch and she could feel a heavy enchantment on it, as well as something else, but she wasn't sure what it was. She handed it back to Emma and told her to wait there. After a quick trip back to the vaults, she returned with a dwarven pickaxe. "Put it down." She commanded. Emma put the urn on the ground and backed away. It only took one swing to crack the small thing. White light exploded from the urn, followed by a blast of cold air.
When the light faded, half the courtyard was covered in snow. The urn was gone. In its place was a tall, beautiful blonde woman in a long white dress that glistened like the snow at her feet. She was barefoot as well, standing on top of the snow rather than sinking in. Clear blue eyes blinked relentlessly as she looked around, adjusting to the new light.
"Um, hello." Emma said, slowly walking around to stand behind Regina, who rolled her eyes.
"Hello." The blonde's voice was so soft, so gentle. "This is the Forbidden Fortress. Is Maleficent here?"
"Not at the moment." Regina answered. "I'm a friend of hers. Who are you?"
"My name is Ingrid. I am not quite sure Maleficent would consider me a friend, but I am an ally. There is only one reason that anyone would wake me from my exile." She let out a sigh. "The world is coming to an end, isn't it?"
"Not if we can help it." Regina said.
Ingrid's lips curved into a small smile. "I almost believe you."
"I'm Regina. If you are a friend of Mal's, you can come with me and I'll find you a room. Our allies are gathering here." Ingrid motioned for her to lead the way. Regina conjured a pair of slippers, placing them on the ground where the snow ended and Ingrid slipped them on. Emma followed them as she led them back into the castle. She found one of Law's men and sent him to bring a bowl of stew and some water to Ingrid's room. The room she chose was on one of the upper levels, but one below the floor where Mal had her bedroom. She knew from experience that Mal preferred to have that floor to herself and even though she was opening the Fortress to her allies, she would need a space for herself and her daughter.
The room was lavish, as expected from the home of a dragon. Several spells placed on the castle had kept out the dust and kept the furniture and cloth from decaying in Mal's absence. Regina motioned to the window and Emma went to open it while Ingrid sat down on the bed, looking at it and touching it lightly, as if she hadn't seen one in a long time.
"May I ask why you were in that urn, Ingrid?"
"I killed my sister, Helga." Ingrid answered. Regina's eyebrows rose and Emma whipped around, one hand instinctively going to her gun, but Regina shook her head. It was unlikely that a gun would even do anything to this woman. Her magical aura was strong, stronger than most.
"Why?" Regina asked.
"It was an accident." Ingrid looked at her hands like they were filthy. "My powers are unpredictable and they react based on my mood. I hated them for so long that I refused to use them, but they just…" She gestured upwards and Regina realized it was snowing in the room. Mal's spell prevented the snow from collecting or causing any damage, but she could see how that would be annoying. "That is a side effect. I even had to abdicate my claim to the throne of Arendelle because it was so hard to hide it and keep it under control. I did not mean to hurt my sister, but I did, and my other sister, Gerda, locked me in that urn."
"For how long?"
"I don't know."
"The current queen of Arendelle is named Elsa." Emma supplied. "She can't be more than her early 20's at most."
"She is my niece, Gerda's daughter. If she is queen, then I have been in the urn at least 20 years, but it could be longer. I don't really notice the time passing. I did leave once. Maleficent was drawn to the urn and she stole it and set me free. She even offered to help me, to teach me how to use my powers."
"You did not agree." Regina said.
Ingrid shook her head. "I learned the fate of my sister and I learned that my nieces were safe. After that, I asked to be locked away again. I still felt heartbroken for what happened."
"Let me guess, Mal suggested that you move on."
"I couldn't. My sisters and I were very close and I…killed one of them. I couldn't move on from that." Ingrid quickly wiped one of her eyes but a couple of tears fell into her lap, both frozen solid. "Eventually, she mentioned the prophecy of the three to me. She proposed that if I really wanted to atone, I could do so by helping her when the time came. So we made a deal. She would train Elsa and protect Arendelle if she needed assistance and I would wait to answer her call."
"I understand that but how does that help you? Don't you need training?"
Ingrid shrugged. "I'll be fine. My magic does what I want it to when I need it to. It's the trying to stop it that is the problem. Letting it go is easy. Controlling it is what's difficult."
One of Law's men finally arrived with the stew and some water. He bowed quickly before leaving and Regina and Emma left Ingrid to eat and rest. It was strange. She knew Mal was preparing for this for a long time, but to ally herself with someone who apparently could barely control her powers? She didn't know that much about Ingrid, but she could already tell that this was not a weak woman, despite her soft spoken nature. She also seemed to possess some form of ice magic and that was quite rare, as far as she knew, and very powerful. She could remember from her readings tales of powerful ice witches that could conjure blizzards powerful enough to destroy cities and armies. If Ingrid and Elsa were anything like that, she supposed she could understand why they caught Mal's interest.
You okay?
"Fine. Just receiving new visitors."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"So, who is the Red Queen and does she hate you too?" Ruby asked, following Cora along the path through the woods.
"She is a queen of Wonderland and yes, she does." Cora answered.
"Cool." Ruby murmured. "I'm not surprised about that at all, but I am surprised that you didn't just take over all of Wonderland yourself."
Cora sighed. She had been stuck in Wonderland for years because of Regina. While she had her kingdom as the Queen of Hearts, there were other kingdoms across the world, but none quite as powerful. It would've been trivial to attack them to gain so little, although it did cross her mind. And Anastasia…She'd seen so much of herself in her and so much of Regina at the same time. Anastasia knew what it meant to be at the bottom, to have to work and steal day in and day out just to make it to see another sunrise. She'd wanted what Cora wanted: More. Power. Something more deserving of them. Like Cora, she was tired of the struggle. Cora offered to train her, offered to teach her and she was sad to say that she had carried her creed across world borders. Love is a weakness. She manipulated Anastasia, just like she did Regina. And just like Regina, Anastasia was willing to give up everything for love. In Anastasia's case, it was the love of a thief, who Cora had tricked into running away, leaving his love behind and hurting her in the process.
It broke her heart and enraged her all at once to think about the pain she'd inflicted on others. This time, she didn't even have anything to gain. Anastasia just reminded her of Regina too much. Even when she was heartless, she still cared about Regina. She even thought of Zelena sometimes. Anastasia was almost another daughter to her and just like the others, she'd almost ruined her life. None of them got to live or learn to love until they were free of her. Didn't that hurt.
Ruby was quiet as they walked. She didn't question why they hadn't just teleported straight to the castle or complain about having to walk. She stopped a few times to look at some of the odd plants and more than once Cora had to move her before she was eaten.
"Are you going to call in your army?" Ruby asked eventually. They finally broke through the trees and reached the Checkered Battlefield. Here, the land was gray and decayed, except for the clearing ahead where it appeared that someone had placed a giant chess board on the ground. This was neutral ground and where almost every battle in Wonderland took place.
"I already have. I sent word back in Storybrooke, but I didn't receive anything back." Cora said as they stepped onto the field.
"Okay, so what's this place?"
"This is the Checkered Battlefield. When kingdoms in Wonderland have disputes and war is the only solution, they gather here to settle them. Technically, it's neutral ground. I don't even want to enter Anastasia's city without knowing just where her head is."
"Was the Red Queen worse than the Evil Queen?" Ruby asked.
"Depends on who you ask. Anastasia mostly ignored the people in favor of whatever goal she was chasing. She's the only one in her kingdom who can use magic so she couldn't be pressured to do anything she didn't want to do. As long as she was living in the castle and didn't have to worry about finding her next meal, she was fine."
Ruby hummed as she shifted into wolf form and trotted around the field, checking out the perimeter and touching and smelling everything. There were no carnivorous plants nearby so Cora let her. She started to pace, lost in her thoughts. Anastasia was a strong magic user. She wasn't as strong as Regina or Zelena, but they would need all the help they could acquire just to hold back the Dark Ones long enough for the Three to get to Nimue. Maleficent had explained to her everything she could about the prophecy, trying to fill in any blanks, but even she was not privy to more than the basics. Cora didn't know if they would be enough. And the part of the prophecy about a green flash? Did that have anything to do with Zelena? Should she have called her? She didn't know Zelena as well as she should've but she knew that her daughter would do anything for her child. She wouldn't do anything to hurt her. No one else had green magic or ties to the color that she could think of. She hated this feeling. This powerlessness to stop the inevitable. No amount of magical power would be enough to stop this.
She heard a screech and looked up at the sky. A pair of shadows were moving towards her. Ruby returned to her side, hackles straight up, as if prepared for a fight. "Calm down. If there is a fight to be had, I can protect us." The pair of creatures landed swiftly and she found herself smiling at the sight of them. The creatures were Jubjub birds, massive vulture-like birds with a large red crest and feathers striped like a zebra. Anastasia always had a fondness for them.
Anastasia dismounted and her thief, Will Scarlet, followed suit, but they weren't alone. Anastasia no longer wore the vibrant red gowns she did as the Red Queen. She wore brown leather riding gear and a white cape draped over one shoulder. A silver crown rested on her head with a large ruby as the centerpiece. Will Scarlet wore something similar. In fact, despite the matching crown on his head, he still dressed like a thief. Once he dismounted, he held out a hand to help a young boy off the bird. He was young, no more than five or six. He looked a lot like his father with the same dark hair and facial features, but he had his mother's blue eyes.
"Your majesty." Cora said with a respectful dip of her head.
Anastasia slowly approached but she was smiling. "That is how you greet an old friend, your majesty?"
"Friend?" To say Cora was stunned would be an understatement. Even Ruby perked up in surprise.
"Are we not friends?" Anastasia asked. "I know it has been a long time but I have not forgotten my beloved teacher."
"Beloved? But I hurt you. I manipulated you. I-"
"My decisions were my own." The blonde queen replied. "I made the choice to leave Will and marry the king."
"And you'd changed your mind and would have left were it not for me. You would have been happy."
"I am happy." Anastasia said firmly. "I was the one who was greedy and selfish and tired of struggling. I had the greatest man in the world at my side and that should have been enough. I wanted more. That was my fault, Cora. My doing. All of it. Even before you I was willing to leave Will for a life of luxury. It is a mistake I will spend the rest of my life trying to make up for."
"None of that now." Will cut in with a stern look at his wife, who smiled at him.
She turned back around and held out her hands and Cora hesitantly reached out to take them. "Because of you, I have magic. You taught me so much and while I did use it for villainous purposes initially, I have been able to use it to serve my family, my people and the realm. I'm thankful for that."
Ruby looked up at Cora and wagged her tail a little. Cora was still a little in shock. She had expected to be met with the same animosity that Zelena showed, not this. Her heart beat painfully within her chest at the knowledge that someone didn't hate her.
"I'm glad of that, Anastasia, but you should know…I didn't have my heart the last time we spoke. I ripped it out and I couldn't really feel anything. It's no excuse, but I would like for you to know that I'm sorry."
Her former student smiled once again. "Apology accepted. Now, would you like to meet Arley?"
"I would love to."
Anastasia burst into a grin and excitedly pulled her over to her son and husband, as if she had been waiting to show them off. Arley was a quiet little boy, very polite and curious. He even had magic and showed her that he could already summon fireballs. He was also fascinated by Ruby and spent a good amount of time scratching her behind the ears, though it was more for his benefit than hers.
"As wonderful as this is, I came here with a reason." Cora said.
"Which would be?"
"The prophecy of the three." She answered.
"That's just an old story." Anastasia shrugged.
Will, on the other hand, looked like he'd seen a ghost. "It's not, Love. It's real." Cora conjured Maleficent's seal and held it out to him and he took it. "Aye, the dragon spoke to me about it."
"You?" Ruby changed back into a human to ask.
"Nasty bit of business when I was running with the Merry Men. We tried to steal from her hoard. We'd found a compass that helped us bypass her traps and magic wards. I'm pretty sure the compass too was a trap."
"She caught you." Cora said.
"Aye."
Anastasia smacked her lips. "Trying to steal from a dragon? You could've been killed."
"I wasn't." He replied nonchalantly. "And she wasn't that bad. Just threw us out. When my time with the Merry Men came to an end, she spoke to me again, paid me a king's ransom to steal some things for her and to deliver some messages for her. Some of them had seals like this." He looked at his wife. "She was the reason I made it back to Wonderland."
Cora had no idea why Maleficent would choose Will Scarlet of all people to help her out with this or why she couldn't do it herself, but she had to have a reason for it.
"What makes you think the prophecy is about to come true?" Anastasia asked.
"The three have been found." Cora answered. "And Maleficent believes it. I trust her about this. She was there when the prophecy was written and she's going to find Merlin now."
"Everyone's gathering in the Forbidden Fortress." Ruby added. "If you can meet us there…"
"And what about my people? What will they do? Stay underground while I fight a battle that may or may not happen? If it does happen, I've taken away the army. Who will protect them?"
"The prophecy says the first Dark One, Nimue, is the one we have to defeat. The Dark Ones always spawn in the Enchanted Forest and we're going to meet them in battle there." Cora said. "With enough men, we will distract or defeat the other Dark Ones while the Three go for the kill on Nimue. They're the only ones who can kill her and stop this. You won't be able to hold off the darkness here."
Anastasia was quiet for a moment as she pondered her choices. Her gaze shifted over to Arley. "What about my son? If he won't be safe here, where do I send him?"
Cora had no real answer for her. The darkness would infect every world. Sending him away wouldn't work. Ruby touched her shoulder.
"Would Storybrooke work? Or the Land Without Magic?"
"Maybe? I can't be certain. I would need to speak to Maleficent but truthfully, I don't think there is anywhere to run." A heavy silence followed her words. Comforting others was not her strongest skill and she didn't know what to say.
"Why don't you come with us to talk to Mal?" Ruby suggested. "She should have Merlin soon and those two may be able to answer any of your questions. You don't have to make a decision right now, but you should prepare your people just in case."
Cora could see the indecision on Anastasia's face. She didn't want to believe any of this. She didn't want to believe in the prophecy. She didn't want to believe that her kingdom was in danger and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
"I-I trust you, Cora. You know I do, but this is a lot."
"I know." Cora sighed. "If you choose to stay in Wonderland, I can give you half my army to protect your city."
"You're clearing out the whole Heart Kingdom?" Will asked.
"I may."
He looked to his wife, who was looking at Arley, idly playing with a fireball and ignoring the serious conversation between the adults. "We should talk to the dragon." He said. "At the very least."
"You trust her that much?" His wife asked.
"Ain't much that could spook a dragon. Whatever does, is not something we want to be dealing with on our own. Best to know what it is, at least."
"Alright then." Anastasia sighed, folding her arms. "We'll come to the Forbidden Fortress to speak to the dragon. When can we expect her back?"
"I'll contact you when she returns. It shouldn't be more than a few days."
With that decided and little more to discuss, Anastasia and Will mounted the Jubjub birds. Arley gave them a little wave as they ascended and Cora moved to a rock to sit down, suddenly feeling tired.
"You okay?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah. I'm just feeling my age, Miss Lucas."
"You're not that old."
"Trying to flatter me, dear?" She scoffed. After a few minutes of rest, she got to her feet again.
"Where to now?" Ruby asked.
"The Heart Kingdom to check on the preparations, make sure no one claimed my throne, kick them out if someone has, and gather the Red Knights. It will take them at least a week to prepare. We can head back to the Forbidden Fortress in the meantime to see if Regina needs any help."
Ruby opened her mouth to speak before closing it again. Cora arched an eyebrow and waited while she figured out what she wanted to say. "When I asked if you were okay, I didn't mean…physically. I mean, you were heartless the last time you were here. It must be difficult being back here now."
"It is difficult being anywhere, Miss Lucas. My heart beats in my chest. It hurts to feel again, but it's okay. Now isn't the time to dwell on it." She started off back the way they came and Ruby fell into step at her side. "Thank you for asking." She said, avoiding the werewolf's gaze.
"Anytime, your majesty."
/
Back in the Enchanted Forest, in Camelot, Maleficent and Lily stood side by side in front of a tree in Merlin's garden.
"So this tree is Merlin?" Lily said, looking over at her mother, who looked nothing but irritated.
"Apparently so."
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