The late afternoon sun beat down on the Queen and her predecessor, warming them in the springtime garden setting. Flowers were just beginning their bloom and bees drifted from bud to bud as the two women sat on the stone benches and held delicate tea cups in their laps.

Regina still carried herself as she had in her youth, the straight back of a royal and the pinched expression of a woman with an agenda. She waited as patiently as she could as the servant brought over a tray of lemon and cream for her stepdaughter, biting her tongue against saying anything rude and derogatory about the way the reigning monarch took her tea.

"It's a lovely day," she said, hoisting the cup up to her mouth and tasting the sour fakeness of her words rather than the amber liquid. "As such days go."

Snow stirred her cup slowly, her lips in a tight line and her eyes only widening for a second at Regina's attempt at conversation. She'd already seemed quite unprepared for the woman who had been charged with helping to raise her. They were not the type to sit quietly and appreciate idle conversation, even in the depths of their tenuous truce.

"I have just a few hours until I should hear back from Blue," Snow said, blowing slightly on the hot liquid as she did as a child. "Perhaps you should just tell me what this about."

Regina opened her mouth and shut it again quickly. Then opened it again. "I think that you should consider ordering Rumpelstiltskin to remove the magical cuffs from me. I realize that you have that other Queen to do most of the bidding in terms of spells and enchantments, but I would be of more use than a woman who makes snowflakes appear if her feelings are hurt."

"I don't know that it is a good idea to remove the dagger from its protected spot, Regina." Snow had locked the dagger away, telling no one that Regina was aware of where it was currently. And despite the woman's penchant for gossip and sharing secrets as a child, Snow seemed capable of silence now. Its concealment remained a mystery.

"Only when it serves your purpose, I suppose," Regina pouted. "Elsa has proven completely worthless when it comes to the removal. And no amount of reading from that bookworm has revealed anything."

"Regina, perhaps he's not lying when he says there is no way for him to remove the cuffs," Snow said patiently, staring skyward for the sign of Blue's return to the castle. It had been a while, but she had heard nothing. And while she might have liked to have been alone with her worry, the enormity of the crown seemed to always weigh upon her. "And couldn't we wait until this is all a bit more settled?"

"Is there a reason that you don't want me to have my magical powers back? Is that it?"

"Regina, don't take this personally. I only mean that it is dangerous for us to unlock the dagger again. If we ignore the true mission of reuniting my family, I'm afraid that we stand to make a mistake and somehow allow the Dark One to get the upper hand."

Regina pretended to sip again, not wanting to play her hand again so soon. The younger of the two made a short glance toward the edge of the hedge maze where Leo was playing some sort of knights' game with the younger two boys. Smiling, she complimented Henry's stance and natural ability at the play fighting. "You have taught him well."

Not saying thank you or dispelling the compliment, Regina let her own eyes graze over the scene. "He is a born leader, bosses Roland around but is patient as well."

"I know that he will thrive here with Emma," Snow said so casually that she did not notice the way that Regina bristled at the comment. "He will have Leo to learn from and the love of his mother. It will be good for him. And you may visit often."

***AAA***

Red carried the load of sticks and branches in her arms, stopping suddenly when she heard the barely perceptible break in the stillness that indicated an animal. Lifting a single hand, she gestured toward it, allowing Graham to take aim with the bow and arrow. She held her breath as he drew back and aimed, his eyes nearly slits as he watched the rabbit.

"Now," she hissed, sensing the creature's imminent retreat. With a snap the arrow released and sailed through the air to piece the animal. "Good. That's dinner."

"You truly see nothing of shame in killing?" he asked, taking a few steps in the direction of the animal. "No sense of regret or remorse."

"We're not killing for sport. It's food. Survival." She readjusted her load to two arms again. "Would you rather we starve?"

"No, but perhaps a little thought would be nice." He set himself to work, throwing her a look over his shoulder. "When you are in the form of a wolf, do you kill for sport?"

"No," she said with a sigh. "A wolf's instincts are more natural. Man is the only one who kills for sport, sir."

The conversation between them was easier after that, Graham trying not to talk about wolves or the hunting skills in general. Red tried to be a bit more open without being as brash as she usually was with people. For his physical strength and prowess, Graham was a quiet man, almost shy. He was quite studious and entertained her with stories he had read at night when camping by a fire or on winter days when he was cooped up in the small cabin he had toward the edge of the royal property.

"You miss it?" she asked, her back against the tall tree near him, neck craned back as she stared upward. "Home?"

"Don't we all?" he asked more brusquely than he may have intended. "Princess Emma is surely tired of such trials and tests of her strength and power. And the Captain cannot help but miss his ship and the sea. I daresay we all have something at home that calls to us."

"I suppose," Red mulled thoughtfully. "I am different though. I prefer the freedom of the forest. Maybe not this forest…"

He nodded thoughtfully, tying up his kill to one of the branches to carry with them. When he was finished he stood, trembling a bit from having stooped so long. "She's quite remarkable, isn't she?"

Red knew better than to be jealous. Graham was older than Emma, who had been born when he was already a man. And there was truth to his words. "I'm not sure if I am more proud of her for her accomplishments or wary of the responsibility they carry," Red said, hoping he would understand her meaning.

"I suppose magic can be a burden."

"One she did not ask for or want," Red continued. "She's the product of true love. That is on her parents, not her. Still she wears it well. I do so hope that her father will recover nicely. I don't want her to feel the pressure of his failing health if her magic was not enough."

The two made their way along the path, a rope they had spread on their way from camp helping guide them back. Graham offered to lessen her burden of the bundle of sticks and branches, but she rebuffed his efforts. "I suppose I want her to know a normal life."

"And you don't think she will have that with the pirate? Because I see that he quite fancies her and she him. Even the King is coming around to accepting that his daughter is determined."

"I want her to be happy. And if it is with him, then so be it."

***AAA***

Belle looked shocked as Snow pushed the once curled map toward her. "I sent word to him a few days ago," the Queen said gently, watching as the woman tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "We…I heard back this morning."

"Papa's still alive?" she asked, sounding timid. She had known when she had made the decision to leave her father and others behind that a reunion might never happen. "Truly?"

"Apparently," Snow confirmed with curt nod. "The ogres did quite a lot of damage to your homeland, but it has persisted and been at peace for some time. I understand that you have spent quite some years with the Dark One as his captive and servant?"

"It was not of my choice originally, but I have grown to understand him and appreciate him."

"And perhaps love?" Snow asked. "I know this is not a discussion that you want to have with the queen who has the Dark One's fate in her grasp. But Belle, decisions will be made soon. I have summoned the Blue Fairy and she is gathering the other fairies to assist in the return of those in the Infinite Forest. Things will be forming a new sort of normal around here with their return or without it. I had the intention of offering you the opportunity to return to your home."

"Without Rumple?"

Snow readjusted her stance in her seat, her normally docile gowns replaced as of late with the more flexible and utilitarian trousers and tunics that she had worn in her youth. Her dark hair was swept from her face and her high cheekbones were as pink as her full lips. She did not look to be old enough to have a grown daughter and a grandson, but she was. Only a few wiry gray hairs streaked her raven braided tresses. "I cannot free him," she said with only a hint of regret. "He has terrorized for centuries, destroying all that is useless to him and playing the rest of us as pawns and against each other. He has no place in this or any kingdom where he might rise into power again."

"So you intend to kill him?" Belle asked softly. "He's a man. Underneath the darkness there is still a man there."

"I don't relish killing anyone, even those with a fair trial and sentencing. Yet he's immortal as the Dark One. The only option that we have is to keep him contained until and unless another solution is found. But I would not set much hope on that."

***AAA***

Emma could hear the gentle snore coming from Graham and the slight whimper of Red as she dozed near him. They had become quite close over the past few days there, turning to each other for wisdom, advice, and comfort. She was not innocent enough to believe that their forays deeper into the woods had been without physical connection as well.

Killian sat a few feet from her father, his back against the aged trunk of a tree so tall that she could not ever see the top of it. His eyes, heavy from lack of sleep, were staring into the waning flames of the fire that kept away the bitter chill and perhaps some of the threats that lurked in the darkness.

"It is quite a sin that you should look so beautiful even after sleeping on the hard ground, my love," he said as she approached. Her steps were far from graceful, muscles screaming in agony from the lack of comfort that she had been accustomed to for so long. "But one that I shall thank the gods for in their wisdom."

"And you shouldn't say such things in the middle of the night with the ears of others so close," she said in a teasing warning. "Someone might assume and get the wrong idea."

The provisions they had saved were low, only enough for a day or two at most. Even with Graham's hunting skills, Killian's precision, and Red's tracking, they would likely have to find a miracle to survive much longer. Emma snuck a few looks at the sacks that were almost empty, reconfirming her earlier inclination that they would have been better off without her there. Even the horses were worse off, what with no fields for grazing and limited water to drink.

The pale blue material of her dress was tinted with mud and muck from days and days of walking and riding. Even as a child she had cared for her belongings better than that, a rip in a dress earning her a stern talking to a requirement of an apology to the royal tailor. Snow had made sure she was a skilled archer and her father required her to learn to fence. However, she was still expected to behave like a lady and look the part.

"You seem vexed, love. You are still worried over your father?"

"He should be awake by now," she answered, peering over at her father's sleeping form. "There's no reason…" There were other topics going through her mind, but none she was about to put to the light of the fire and announce to him. He would and could convince her that she should stay with him, wait for rescue that might never come. And she knew she would if he asked her. She would sit there and watch everyone starve or go crazy, as that was what happened to those lost too long in the maze of those woods.

She'd heard stories as a child, terrible nightmarish things. There were the stories of the hunters and trappers lost in the depths of that forest, nothing remaining of them but legends. There was even rumored to be a set of black knights from Regina's reign who were said to march through those woods, seeking out the bandit Snow White – not knowing their mission was over and their duties no longer of consequence to the dethroned Evil Queen.

"Love, if it were not for you and your incredible magic, he would surely not be awake. He probably would not have survived at all. So the timeline you have placed seems quite arbitrary."

"All we have is time, right?" she asked, rubbing her chin on the leather of his coat. It was a quilted shoulder, far more dark and dangerous looking that the fitted leathers her father wore when hunting. Yet there was a comfortable softness to it that she appreciated.

"Aye, someday we will look on these days and wonder why we were so desperate for normalcy. I will try to be grateful for it though, appreciative of this time together." He almost sounded as though he meant it, his words flowery as he spoke to her of his earlier years and asked after hers. She must have looked shocked, green eyes studying his to see if there was any sign that he had gone mad from the endless circling and lack of progress. "Love, I don't know what is appropriate conversation at this moment. I was just attempting…"

"I appreciate the efforts," she said softly, less agitated than she had felt when he was asking her the name of the first horse she had owned. "I'm sorry, Killian. I am so sorry that I…

"You owe me no apologies, lass. If we begin apologizing now, we'll never know any other conversations. For I can beg for forgiveness for each man I have slain and each treasure I have stolen. But it is not their grace I seek, but yours. For it is your opinion of me that matters most, my love. I fear it has made me into a lesser man for always seeking your favor when I know I am not as deserving as I should be."

"This again?" she asked, cupping his cheek with her trembling hand. "I thought we had settled that I am a princess, a royal who is quite used to getting what she wants. My wanting you is not about worthiness, Killian. It is about loving the man you are and the man I can see you being. You speak of your past as though it is unforgivable, but you have not brought embarrassment upon a kingdom. I have. You have not been the source of rumor and innuendo as a child grew inside me and his father disappeared to a strange and unusual realm that apparently has no magic to speak of."

"Perhaps I judge myself in a harsher light that you do," he said, dropping his eyes from hers after she had given him a searching look of her own. "You, my love, bring out things in me that I am not all that sure were always there."

"You are a good man with a good heart, Killian. I know that. Even if you don't believe it all the time, I can see that in you." She shifted a little, wrapping her free arm around her bent legs. "You were once seeking revenge, were you not?"

"Aye, and quite content that my life should end once I found it."

"And now that you have found it in a different way," she said, turning her head so as not to study him to closely. "Are you satisfied? With the end result, I mean."

His right arm was draped over his bent knee and his hook laden arm slung across her shoulder, tightly holding her to him. "I will not lie and say that it is the way I had imagined or the result I might have planned to have, but it is the result that has presented itself. So long as he is not about and terrorizing the realm with his trickery and dark magic, I feel that I have succeeded. I may never have had the opportunity to see him run through with the blade of my sword, but I have found other more satisfying images to fill my mind. You being one."

"Just one?" she teased. "I thought I took up more of your mind than that. Don't tell me that Mr. Smee and I occupy the same amount of your thoughts."

He chuckled. "No, my love, you are not in competition with my first mate." His jaw cracked with his laughter mixed with a yawn. In response Emma pressed a few of her fingers to the underside of it.

"You should sleep," she said, kissing his cheek. "I am awake now. I can watch the fire and alert everyone if there is a problem."

"I've held my share of night watches, my love. This is no different."

"It doesn't make sense for us both to be awake. Sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

***AAA***

Regina softly closed the door to the room where her son slept peacefully, his battle lost after begging her to read to him. While she had never been that much of a hands on parent, she could not resist the pull of his plea.

"I was wondering where you were, darling," Robin said, his footsteps just as quiet on the stone floor of the hallway. "Are Henry and Roland both sleeping?"

"Yes, they are both comfortable." Regina placed her hand at the door as if to cover it with some sort of protection charm, remembering at the last moment that Rumpelstiltskin had bound her magic in a way that Elsa had still not seen fit to remove. Even Snow had not seen fit to demand its removal, claiming that her focus had to be on finding David, Emma, and the others rather than making demands with a dagger that could be easily taken from her. Regina was sure it was just an excuse, but it was not something she could fight further without appearing incredibly selfish. "Any word from those fairies?"

"They are setting out by sunset tomorrow. Their dust in low light should be easier to see then." He smiled. "It is not every day that I discuss fairies with my wife."

"I suppose not. Did…Did Snow make any…"

"She asked after Henry, but she did not make any statement about the future. She is very curious about him and his habits. I think that she is taken with the idea of him being around the palace. He seems to love young Leopold and of course Emma."

The former queen flinched at the mention of the other woman's name. "I don't know if I can do this," she admitted. "She would expect me to give him up so that her daughter may raise him. She knows more than anyone how it is to be raised by someone different than the mother you knew."

"It is not exactly the same thing, but I suppose it will take some adjustment. Henry's resilient though. He will be loved and happy no matter where he lays his head at night."

"I wish I believed that. And I don't think you believe it either. Henry is my son. If someone claimed Roland as theirs, you wouldn't just allow it. You would fight back with everything that you had. I came here and agreed to a truce with people who stripped away what was mine only to find out that they are going to do it again. And you want me to sit back and watch it happen. I won't do that. I will leave this infernal palace and take my son with me. The Dark One may have no use for me in terms of a deal, but he will. I have a plan."

Somewhere in the distance the changing of the guards sounded, footsteps echoed away from them. He closed his eyes. "Regina, you must have known that making a deal with the Dark One to obtain Henry would never end well."

"And Emma should have known that bearing the Dark One's grandchild would do her no good either. I fail to see why I should be punished because she acted out of propriety for a princess."

The easy smile slid off his face as he stared into her eyes. "Regina, you don't mean that. You don't…You have worked so hard to become a better woman. You aren't that evil queen any longer. You're a brave and strong woman who loves me and my son. We are a family together. Would you truly throw that away to keep Henry from the woman who is his true mother?"

"I would expect that you and Roland would come with us. We can still be that family."

"No, Regina, we won't be aiding you in this. I have no quarrel with the King and Queen, but I will certainly not betray them in this. I am not saying you must abandon Henry. Yet you would be well served to understand that one day in the near future you, Roland, and I are to take a carriage away from here and return home."

"I won't leave him. I won't leave you and Roland, but I won't leave my son."

"I'm not sure that you will have a choice in it."

***AAA***

The ground was uneven and fraught with hidden roots that seemed to impede her path, but Emma was nothing if not determined. As she had seen her father, mother, and even Killian do, she broke off branches and caved into the wood to mark her path. It seemed a bit useless in the infinite forest, but she found it somewhat needed just in case. Her path took her through the thickets of underbrush and back toward the stream, which she thought she might attempt to cross to get back to some sort of more widely traveled road where she might seek out someone who knew the woods better than she did.

At the very least, she hoped that she could find a farm or something else that could provide food that would sustain them. It wasn't running away exactly. That's what she told herself.

Morning birds were chirping in the distance, probably greeting a sun that would not have its way into the underbelly of the forest until later due to the dense foliage. Emma had been on her way for a few hours, stopping only once when she studied a rock that she was almost sure she had passed before. She stared harshly at the root that had tripped her and almost sent her sprawling on the ground. Breathing harshly and trying not to think about the others back at camp. She had left them without a word, no paper or parchment with which to scribble a note of explanation.

"I have to try," she told herself as she realized the path that was dipping down was going to force her to cross the stream. The water was still, algae growing in its depths. Lifting her skirt as best she could, she stepped into the cold water and felt her slippers sink into the muck. She wavered, her right foot far ahead of her left and her right arm out in front and her left in back to steady her. The skirt she had been trying to protect fell, at least four inches of it becoming soiled in the murky water.

"And who pray tell are you?" asked a gruff voice. Emma glanced about furiously, seeing no man around her. "You dress like royalty, but if you are, you are far from any servants and quite a mess."

"Show yourself," she said, not confirming or denying her heritage. "I can't talk to someone I can't see."

"Seems to me that you're doing just that, milady," the voice said again, a little crisper than before and definitely from a different direction. "If you won't tell me your name, at least tell me what you're doing out here all alone. This is no place for a lady."

Emma huffed, wishing she had not left the sword she had used at Maleficent's castle behind at camp. Sure it would have been too heavy to carry and make good time, but now she felt defenseless and vulnerable. "I won't talk to a ghost any longer. Either show yourself or let me pass."

The voice, now to the west of her, chuckled at that. "Not to be contrary, milady, but it appears you are not going anywhere with your feet stuck in the mud like that. But for a price my brothers and I might be able to help you."

"Brothers? There are more than one of you then?"

"An army actually, milady. And we are quite selective in who we help. So let's dispense with all this foolery and see about that price milady. You may be a bit worn and tattered in those rags, but you carry yourself like a lady. And a lady always has money."

"I'm afraid you are mistaken about my inventory," she said, teetering again as she tried to lift her foot. "And you are wrong about my predicament. I have no issue falling if I must. I will cross this creek and be on my way. I expect you will pass, as I am of little consequence to you." She'd been praying silently that she would find people, someone to help her carry supplies if there were any to be had back to her father. While these men, whoever they were, seemed quite capable, she was sure they would not help without negotiated allegiance.

"Oh but you are, milady," the voice toward the east said. "Your bag? Toss it on the grass there in front of you. You won't mind if we confirm your destitute status would you?"

She frowned, her brow furrowing as she considered her option. It was not her bag, but her father's. Inside was a bit of hard tack and a dagger that she could use in a variety of ways. Seeing no other option, as she was not sure if these men were armed, she tossed it and hoped for the bed.

While the man who snatched it up and ran back to the shadows was far from young or spry, he scurried across the forest floor like a woodland creature. She could see that his trousers and tunic had at one time been coal black. They were faded and torn now, repaired so many times that parts were threadbare. His boots were mismatched, maybe even stolen or negotiated off other travelers.

Attempting to drag her left foot closer, she felt her balance teeter again, almost sending her into the water. However, she righted herself and soon looked again to the darkness. "I threw you my satchel, now let me pass."

A different man appeared, his face marred with lines and his hair misshapen from do it yourself hair trimmings. "You lie, Princess. We recognize that as the insignia of the kingdom we served. You are the daughter of Queen Regina?"

Her jaw dropped as she stared at the man, his clothes in just as many tattered ruins as the first. With his solid and still stance she could see the royal insignia of the dark knights on his sleeve. These were the fabled lost troop, the ones still loyal to a queen no longer serving. She wasn't about to explain it to them.

"If you know who I am, you know my mother will be anxious to see me. I am on a mission, men." She lifted her chin a bit higher, hoping against hope they did not see the way she had her mother's eyes and chin or her father's coloring and nose. The man studied her but for a moment and then approached, unfazed by the dirty water he stepped into. Tugging at her arms, he pulled her from her quagmire and to the nearby bank.

"This is an interesting development. Is it not, brothers?"

***AAA***

Belle made her way back to the spacious room that had been selected for her, unable to find anything in the accommodations to complain about. Tall windows were flanked with thick curtains, luxurious fabrics covered the bed that was made of the most ornately carved wood. A crackling fire was already burning at the hearth and a cup of tea waited on her at a small table within reach of it.

With her hands in prayer position, she crossed to the window and stared out at the night, the black sky peppered with stars over the expansive gardens. At her former home with Rumpelstiltskin, she had spent many a night curled up on some seat in his expansive library with her nose in a book and the world seeming to slow its pace to accommodate her. But there was no time for that now. Here she was reading to help solve the mysteries of the infinite forest and to better understand the lore of truth of the Dark One's origins.

"I was wondering when you would return," said a sultry voice, startling her as she sank onto the chair. "I assume you went to plead your lover's case to the Queen?"

"Regina, there is no reason for you to lurk in the shadows," Belle said, not bothering to turn in the direction of the woman. "And Queen Snow summoned me with a bit of personal news. It is not of your concern."

"She is planning to send you back to your kingdom, isn't she?" Regina mused, gliding toward the fireplace at a slow speed. "I suppose that's best for you. You can live out your days as the daughter of a nobleman, comfortable, quiet, and unobtrusive. It won't be the life you imagined of adventure and intrigue, but it will be nice." The woman stressed that final word, smiling lecherously. "Some people will eventually forget that you were with the Dark One for so long. They won't hold it against you."

The beautiful woman lifted her chin a bit higher and reached for the cup of tea that had been left for her. "I don't know why you are here, Regina," she said, stressing the former queen's name. "I think we have both determined that we have nothing more to say to each other. You kidnapped me and left me to rot in a cell. It is only because of Queen Snow and King David's advance upon you and your armies that the tower and dungeons of that dreadful castle were emptied. You never set me free. I was turned loose. Did you even know that? Each of the prisoners you had not already put to death were asked to fight for you or run. I ran. Rumple found me."

The woman appeared unshaken, breathing evenly as she crossed to the fireplace and rested one hand on the mantle. "I suppose you have not considered fully what it means to anyone but yourself that the Dark One is sitting down there in this dungeon. He may be immortal in terms of his body, but his mind…"

"What do you want?"

"I want to make sure that my step daughter and her family do the right thing. Snow is a bit heady with power right now, facing all of this without her dear husband and daughter. She might be influenced into something that doesn't benefit the kingdom."

"And this concerns me in what way? You have already rightly assumed I am returning home soon. Arrangements are to be made to take me from this kingdom. I will not stay to see the results."

"You will give up on true love that easily? I thought you wanted to be a heroine. I thought you had it in you to fight for what you want."

"Regina," the woman said, appearing tired as she reached behind her to unclip the gilded barrette from her long dark curls. Her face, still beautiful, wore a world weary wisdom now and the sparkle was dimmer in her eyes. "At least have the courtesy to tell me what you wish of me. I am learned and well read, but I have no mind reading abilities."

"I want you to help me make a deal with Rumpelstiltskin."