AN: HERE WE GO!
Amelia held onto Regina's hand tightly as they watched Emma's yellow bug cross over the town line purple smoke washed over them. Next thing Amelia knew was the familiar comforting weight that came from her Black Widow robe, the last thing she was wearing before the curse.
"Snow?" a voice said in surprise. Amelia looked at Princess Aurora blankly as the last few minutes caught up with her "What happened?"
"We're back" Snow answered in a sad sigh. Amelia looked back at her cousin Neal who looked heartbroken at losing the woman he loved and his son.
They were home
Once the dust had settled upon their return. Princess Snow and Prince Charming took charge as they gathered in the gazebo with Phillip and Aurora while Captain Hook, The Evil Queen and the infamous Black Widow watched from the sidelines as the Charming's spoke to the Princess and her Prince.
Amelia opted to stay outside the gazebo with a watchful eye with her arms crossed across her chest with her hood down that reveal her long red hair that sat on her shoulders in long tight curls. Missing her short hair already.
"How've things been since we left?" Snow asked the other Princess "The Ogres?"
"Defeated" Aroura told the Princess triumphantly "We're restoring our kingdom and our lives"
Snow White nodded and motioned to Aurora's protruding stomach "And congratulations."
Aurora smiled widely laughing to herself "Is it that obvious?"
"You are glowing"
"Why is she pregnant and I'm the one who's sick?" Regina exclaimed in disgust
"You're not the only one" Amelia added to the Queen's disgust dryly from her spot
Prince Phillip interrupted "We have much to celebrate. And know that you and your friends are welcome in our kingdom. If you need anything, we're at your service"
"Thank you, but all we need is horses" Prince David told them "We have our own kingdom. Our own castle"
Snow White rested a hand on Charming's shoulder "Our castle was destroyed in the curse" reminding him
Hook looked towards Regina and a scowling Amelia "Well played, your Majesty. You and your Black Widow laid waste to everything"
"Shut it Hook" Amelia spoke up sending a glare towards the man "Or lose the other hand" Amelia lifted her arm up and tensed her forearm letting her hidden blade slide out making the pirate jump back slightly in fear
"Not everything" Aurora added as Amelia sheathed the blade back into the gauntlet, she looked towards Regina "Her castle still stands"
"Of course, it does. I protected it" Regina confirmed
Monteriggioni should still stand in that case, the redhead thought to herself silently. The anti- magic shield around it should have saved it from the curse meaning that over the last thirty years life has gone on within its walls. She could go back.
"Well, technically, the castle doesn't belong to her" David argued "It was Snow's before she took it"
"Well, to be fair, I married into it" Regina retorted
"That you did" the Princess surprisingly agreed with her step-mother a curious brow rose on the redhead's face at the sudden understanding "And now, we're taking it back" Snow said smiling she takes a step towards The Evil Queen and Amelia "And you two are coming with us"
"You can't be serious" Regina scoffed at the younger woman
"She looks very serious" Amelia added lowly
"Regina. Lia." Snow started "Everyone out there is scared and confused. They need hope. What better way to do that then to return united?" Snow put her foot down on any protests from either the Evil Queen or The Black Widow "You're coming with us both of you. I know you don't like it. You'll learn to. For our good. For yours"
Regina looked over to Amelia for her agreement only to met with the look of disbelief on the assassin's face "You can have it" she scoffs at them before storming off and pushing the dwarf's away from her as she went.
Snow saw the disappointment in Regina's eyes as she watches the woman, she loved walk away from her once again. Snow placed a comforting hand on her stepmother shoulder "She'll come around"
"She won't" the Queen tells the Princess "Not this time"
As the others prepared the horses that Princess Aroura and Prince Phillip had arranged for them to travel to the palace, the assassin wandered the crowd looking for Tom to tell him of her plan on returning to Monteriggioni, he could choose whether to stay with the others or leave with her. Only to see David walking away from the the leather clad pirate who was finishing packing supplies onto his horse.
"You're not joining us then?" she asked the man once she stood at his horses head a gentle hand resting on it's neck, lightly stroking the animal.
"Aye" he says "Your Queen said told me how the curse worked, it returned everything to this land, I intend to find the Jolly Roger"
A fond smile appeared on her face "I understand" Even now she still felt the pull of the sea, but it holds too many memories for her now "I wanted to talk about the debt you owe me"
Hook let out a sigh and turned to the redhead "Listen….luv-" he started
Amelia interrupted whatever Hook had to say "You helped get my father get off Neverland. Even if he didn't get to live long enough to enjoy it" she tells him making the pirate look at her in surprise "consider your debt re-paid"
The pirate gave the woman an appreciated tight-lipped smile and nod before climbing onto his horse "What about the Black Widow? I assume your re-joining your Queen with the Princess and Prince"
"Not this time" she tells him "I'll see them to the palace at the crossroads then head back to my own home"
"And where's that exactly?"
"Monteriggioni. It's served me well in finding my place in the world, it'll do it again"
"Well if you get bored, you're always welcome on the Jolly Roger, I saw you handle her well"
"And you'll be welcome in Monteriggioni, as long as you don't start too many fights" she told the pirate with a fond smile as the pirate chuckled "Goodbye Killian"
"Lady Amelia" he nodded at her and left her to resume his life without the woman he had fallen for.
Staying towards the back of the caravan of people headed for the Queen's Palace, she walked alongside with Neal and Belle, with Tom not too far behind them as he talked to some of the dwarf's that had found themselves this far back. She had already told him of her plans to leave at the crossroads, and readily agreed on joining her to the city, which came as a welcome relief to the redhead, she was starting to get attached to his company.
She had found her mercenaries and thieves that had come in the curse. They had agreed with her that the city was their home and not the palace. She'd like to think that if the curse hadn't happened and her vengeance completed she would have left the Queen if it hadn't been for was she and Snow White had started to made her stay longer. That and the harboring feelings she had for the woman underneath the Queen.
But they owed it to the rest of them, to stay until they had reached the palace. Something was off. She couldn't quiet put her finger on it but it was there in the air.
"You'll see them again" the redhead heard Belle say taking her out of her thoughts. Belle trying to reassure the Dark One's son only for him to look at her in confusion "Emma and Henry" she clarified
"Well, let's hope I don't have to curse an entire kingdom to get back to them" Neal replied
"I heard you talking to David about Rumple. You know, we never saw his knife. I think we can get him back"
"We can" Amelia told her older cousin making her voice heard to the pair "We will"
"How?" Belle asked the red head. Neal was taken aback with Amelia's hope of getting the man back
"The Brotherhood has been fighting the Dark One for centuries, and not just Rumple" she tells the pair "Meaning, I have centuries of research on the Dark One sitting in Monteriggioni for us to find him. I'll be heading there once you get to the Palace. There's a crossroads on the path I used to get back and forth quickly. I can get a head start on the research until you can two follow on"
"Wait. You're not staying with us?" Bella questioned the assassin in disbelief
"Monteriggioni would be left untouched from the dark curse with the protection that surrounds it. I'll be the best place to start if you're serious about getting the old man back"
"Why haven't you told David or Snow?" Neal asked his cousin
"I have my reasons" she shrugged at her cousin and her Uncle's true love "The Palace was never my home, nothing more"
"Look, what happened with my Father-" Neal started by Amelia stopped him mid-sentence
"I only did what he wanted me to do. It was prophesied before I was born that I would be the one to end his existence on a plain, it never said I would kill him. If there is a chance that he's still alive it'll be in Monteriggioni" she tells them as she sees Snow walking into the woods surrounding them alone making the caravan stop. She couldn't see Regina either.
With her curiosity getting the better of her she quickly pulled up the hood of the her robe before excusing herself from the conversation before slipping away into the forest that surrounded them
Hiding herself between the tall trees she followed the Princess until she led them to the image of Regina on her knee's digging into the forest floor. with a dagger Coming to a silent stop she hid herself behind a tree as she listened on into the conversation "What are you doing?" Snow asked her former step-mother.
The Evil Queen sighed in annoyance "So, now you're following me?"
"We were worried" she tells the former Queen "And it looks like we were right to be. What are you burying?"
"Nothing that concerns you" Regina dismissed the younger woman's concern's
"Why does that make me think it does? What have you done?" Snow asks as Regina continues to dig, seeing the latter shift on her knee's the Princess was able to get a glimpse at something red lying on the ground "Is that a heart?"
"Go away!" the Queen angrily tells her
"It's your heart, isn't it?"
"I'm not having this conversation with you"
"I know you miss Henry and you and Amelia aren't getting along-"
The Evil Queen stood up to face Snow "Not as much as I did when that was still beating in my chest. And this has nothing to do with her" she spat the last word out with venom behind it
"Regina, this isn't the answer" Snow argued "No matter how much pain you may feel, you can't just bury it in the woods"
"Watch me" Regina knelt, and she resumed her work
"You won't feel better. You won't feel anything"
The Evil Queen stood up again to face Snow "That's the point. I can't keep walking around knowing that I'll never see Henry, that he doesn't even remember who I am. And Amelia" she paused "I've hurt her for the last time"
"I know exactly how you're feeling. I just said good-bye to my daughter. For the second time. Henry, too. But I promise you it will get better" Snow points to Regina's heart "With that. Right now, it might be causing you pain, but I promise you, it will let you feel something else soon enough"
"What's that?" The Evil Queen asked her
"The one thing Henry always wanted you to find. Happiness. And Lia loves you so much Regina, she just lost her father all over again, she needs time. So whatever happened between you two, she'll forgive you"
"I can't be happy without them" she admitted to the Princess in a painful whisper that made the assassin tear up
"Find a way. For Henry" The Evil Queen sighs relenting to Snows argument. She picks up her heart and pushes it back into her chest. There was a pause as she felt the pain of losing Henry washed over her again.
"Now let's get back to our castle" The Evil Queen leads the way with the Princess following her only to stop when she heard something rustling in the bush
"Did you hear that?" Snow said aloud feeling uneasy "There was something there" The Evil Queen turns around and joins Snow White "In that bush" Snow pointed out
Regina briefly examining the undergrowth on "There's nothing here, unless it flew away" Regina tells the younger woman
Snow looks up to the sky "It did" she exclaims in fear the creature fly's towards them in attack screeching at the two woman "We need to find cover!"
"No. I don't run from monsters. They run from me" Regina launches a fireball at the flying monkey only for the beast to dodge it with ease. Once again, the monkey dives and snatches The Evil Queen from the ground lifting her a few feet up in the air.
"Regina!" the redhead and Princess yelled out as panic struck her chest stepping out from behind he tree she had been hiding. She watches as Snow grab her the Queen's hand trying to pull her back down on for the creature's grip on the Evil Queen to be too strong
Running forward her fingers picked out a small throwing knife from her person before throwing it towards the beast. Hitting it's mark the winged creature's leg, it screeched out in pain making it finally drop the Queen back onto the ground along with Snow White leaving deep scratches in the Queen's arm
Defenseless, the pair suddenly saw a figure wearing standing over them wearing a red and black robe and long red hair trailing down her back as they got back to their feet.
"Lia!" Snow exclaimed seeing the Assassin above them, ignoring her her green's eyes sought out the creature that had attacked the Queen
"Amelia!" Snow exclaimed seeing her "It's too fast"
"I'm open to suggestions" Amelia yelled back as she took out a long silver dagger from her belt as the beast came towards them again. No one hurt her family and gets to live.
"Get down!" A man's voice shouted the woman and Snow grabbed Amelia by her robe and pulled her down onto the ground as the beast was struck by an arrow. The creature shrieked in pain again and flew away into the distance leaving the woman for the time being.
The redhead hadn't realized how she had fallen until she found herself hovering over Regina as she lied on her back. Brown eye's met green above her. Their chests barely touching as the assassin did her best not to crush the woman below her, their faces closer than they had been in for weeks as their breath's mixed in the close space. They seemed to be stuck in some sort of trance before she finally spoke.
"You okay?" Amelia asked Regina in short pants of breath as her heart thumped against her chest. Regina could only nod until the redhead was taken out of her clouded thoughts hearing her name being called out by a voice she knew so well.
"Lady Amelia?" a voice she hadn't heard in years exclaimed "Is that you?"
Hearing his voice she pushed herself off the Queen to look up to see her old friend standing above them who's slightly baffled looked quickly grew into the wide smile
"Robin?" she exasperated as he reached a hand down towards his old friend with a wide smile. The redhead quickly took her old friend's welcoming hand with a smile and let him pull her up from the ground engulfing her in a hug as Snow and Regina watched on from the ground hug the man back with equal vigor, as joyful laughter leaving the man's throat.
"It's good to see you again" he said into her shoulder "I feared the worst"
"Me too" she replied loud enough for Regina hear her voice. She felt her heart break again at the assassin's friendliness towards the stranger. Amelia had never spoken to her like that. Full of love and happiness,it made her sick to her stomach. Snow saw the sadness that etched her eyes looking at her former step-mother in sympathy.
Robin ended the hug and saw the other two women on the ground, reached down a helping hand towards Regina "Milady" he noticed the claw marks, on her arm as Amelia saw them as well "You're injured"
"It's Your Majesty" she snaps And I'm fine" she slapped his hand away and stood up with Amelia hovering close by
"A simple thank you would suffice" Robin told Regina with a look of confusion on his face
"We didn't ask for your help" rolling her eye's at the woman's stubbornness Amelia reached into her belt and took out a clear vial handing it to the Queen
"Well, I'm grateful for the assistance" Snow spoke up as Robin helped her off the ground.
"Here,take it" Amelia tells the woman with the scratches
"I'm fine" Regina replied in stubbornness as she cradled her arm
"It's my job remember" Amelia presses repeating the words she said to the woman in the upturned carriage all those years ago. Regina nodded and took the vial from the assassin.
Snow watching with a knowing smile as the corner of Regina's lips quirked up and uncorked the bottle before taking a quick swig of the medicine. Amelia gently took Regina's arm and watched the scratches heal only to leave a faint red line. Regina allowed the Assassin to keep a hold of her arm feeling the familiar warmth in her skilled fingers long after the wound was healed, her head turned so that her green eye's met her brown, the pair frozen as they got lost in each other's eye's
"Robin. Robin of Locksley" Robin introduced himself to the two woman with his old friend turning to his companions. The voice made Amelia come out her thought's as she finally let go of the Queen's arms realizing, she had been staring too long, putting space between the Queen and herself and turn to their savoir "And these are a few of my Merry Men" Amelia smiles seeing her old friends rush down towards them
"Snow White" Snow introduced herself to Robin
"At last we meet. You know, there was a time when our faces graced Wanted posters side by side" Robin told the former bandit
"If you're really Snow White, why are you with her?" Little John questioned motioning to the Evil Queen
"Her?" Regina spat at the larger man in offence "Show some respect. Or at least some restraint at the buffet" Regina sniped at the larger man
"You'll have to excuse Little John" Robin tells the Queen "but before you cursed this land we spent many a day running from your Black Knights"
"Well, I'm sure you deserved it" she told him
"What the hell was that thing?" Amelia asked her oldest friend changing the subject
"I have no idea" Robins tells her "We've never encountered the likes of it before"
In the distance they heard it shriek again "Come on. This way. We need to warn the others" Snow motioned them back towards the road.
After a few reunions between Amelia and the Merry Men the caravan continued towards the Queens Palace. She never thought she'd ever see Robin after the way they had left things before the curse.
She kept close to him after explaining where they were heading, and after little convincing he had agreed to come with them. If the Enchanted Forest had changed so much in the time the curse had been broken it was better to survive in number's. She didn't want him straying to far away again. She needed his good heart more than ever.
Ever since first meeting him in the tavern all those years ago they had always been close without John there to connect them. But when their spouses died, that's when they became even closer. He was there all through the Black Widow's darkest day's and chose to stick around, willing to see woman underneath hood than the monster she became under it. She loved him for it. He never feared her, only ever seeing the grieving wife and mother and not the bloodthirsty Black Widow.
But then he broke her heart. He hurt her in the worst way possible in those day's and paid dearly for it. But now he acted like it had never happened. Which only made her feel more guilty.
The pair walked in silence as she would keep catching him sneaking glances at her, like he was trying to find something. it only made her more nervous as she finally caught his side glances for the last time before finally calling him out "What?" she lightly calls him out
"You've changed" he simply tells her with a fond smile
"Really? Can you really tell that quickly?"
"Maybe" he shrug's his shoulder's at her "But something is different about you from the last time we saw each other"
"A lot's happened since the curse broke, not all of it good"
"It always isn't, but it's how you learn from both that matters in the end"
"Oh I've leaned alright" she tells him the smile fading from her face.
"Then I look forward to when you tell me. We've- I've missed you"
"Me too"
Regina did her best to watch Amelia talking to the thief with a smile on her face as she rejoined the front of the caravan with Snow and David. She needed to know how she knew the thief and more importantly how well.
"So, what do you think of our new friend?" Regina asks the couple "Can we trust him? He's a thief"
"Think of it from his perspective. How do you think he looks at you?" Snow retorted
"Point taken" she says looking at what she was wearing.
"He's kind of cute, mhm?" Snow teased the woman
"He smells like forest" she sneered in disgust "Melia seems friendly with him though" she continued "Too friendly" the way he looked at her made her mind wonder. Why didn't she tell her she knew the infamous thief? She seemed..happy to see him after so many years separated by a curse.
"Is this jealousy we hear?" David spoke up from Snow's other side teasing the Queen's sudden interest of how close the pair were
"Hardly" she scoffed at him. How could she a queen be jealous of a low life thief. Surely Amelia had better standards that to affiliate herself with him "She never told me she knew him"
"Well maybe she'll tell us more" Snow told the Queen
Heading further up the caravan she left Robin with the Merry Men as she found Tinkerbell as she started to match the wingless fairy's pace. She didn't exchange pleasantries and she went straight to the point of the meeting. With Robin now with them she needed to know what really happened that night in the tavern.
"Does she know?" Amelia asks the fairy gaining her attention "Regina" she clarified "Does she know that the dust found me?"
"She doesn't" she tells the redhead "She left right before she could meet you again, remember?" she reminds her
"Good" she breathes out "Let's keep it that way"
"Why? what's wrong?" the fairy asks seeing the assassins's uneasiness
"Robin. He has a similar tattoo on his forearm as I do, he was there that night, what if your pixie dust picked him out"
"Pixie dust doesn't lie" Tink defended herself yet again to the redhead "Look the stunt you and Regina pulled-"
"What stunt?" Amelia throw's back at the fairy "You mean how you interfered in our lives about being soulmates, despite the fact I was already married and pregnant. You told me I had fallen in love with the wrong person. How did you think I would react?"
And here she wanted a civil conversation for once.
"You don't believe in it. Destiny? Fate?"
The fairy was only met by silence. After everything in Neverland she still didn't believe in the notion of fate and destiny. That it was still bringing the pair together to this day and always will.
"See that's the problem with you two, you both are still so stubborn about things out of your control, that any ounce of happiness that is shown to you is thrown back in our faces"
That was it. In a blink of eye the assassin dragged Tink out of the caravan far away enough for them not be over heard before the fairy snatched her throbbing forearm out of the redheads grip for her back bounce on a trunk of a tree until she was met by the angry gaze of the former Black Widow
"Don't you dare! Talk to be about things being out of my control. I just had to say goodbye to my father again after finding out the woman I love was responsible for his banishment and my life turning to crap. How is any of that fair?"
"Amelia" she heard Red's strong voice said from behind her. She stood feet away from the assassin and fairy with her eye's firmly set on the angry redhead "Back off. Now"
"Like I said" she whispered to the fairy "Destiny can go to hell" at that the Assassin whirled around to leave the fairy alone silently passing the she-wolf as she re-joined the caravan.
It was time to face the music as she caught up with the leaders at the head of the caravan, the scuff of her heeled boots was enough for the Queen to hear her approach as she turned her head around to see the redhead behind them
"Speak of the devil" Regina drawled with a curious raised brow as Amelia matched their slow but steady pace "How do you know the thief, you two seemed overly…friendly" she spat out the last word the royal coupe looked over to hear her answer
"John introduced us" she informed the trio "They grew up together in Sherwood Forest. They became more like brother's until they went their separate way's and John acquired the Godspeed when he was young"
"Your husband John" David clarified to himself
"We were newly-weds at the time we had docked to re-supply and we met up with him in a tavern" Amelia paused taking in a deep breath as she saw Regina give her a look when she mentioned she was in a tavern "Even without John we got along like we'd known each other all our lives" Amelia paused letting out a sigh "And then when John died and I returned to the forest"
"And you joined Regina" Snow added
"Yes" she hissed rolling her eyes at the Princess "I found him soon after. I wanted to rebuild the Brotherhood as it was before it became corrupted. But I needed to create a thieves guild that were loyal to me if I had any chance of re-taking my home. He agreed to run it for me, while I-"
"Terrorized us" David finished with a small sarcastic smile
"I never terrorized you" Amelia pointed out "You simply got in the way" David rolled his eyes and focused back in front of him
"Can we trust him?" Regina asked the red head
"If there's one-person you can trust in this world, its Robin Hood. He's a good man to the core. Even overlooked some of the acts I've done in order to rebuild the Brotherhood" she told the couple and her love truthfully "If there's one man to trust its Robin, if no one else"
The caravan that was led by Snow White, Prince Charming, The Evil Queen and the Black Widow reached the end of the track that would them straight to the palace "Look!" David called out and pointed towards the castle. But they were stopped short when they saw the line that went through the ground. Whatever it was cut off the crossroad that would eventually lead to Monteriggioni.
"What happened?" Snow asked Regina and Amelia
"That's exactly what I'm about to find out" Regina replied as she and Amelia walked up to the crossroads carefully. Regina touches the air as ripple of green magic emerged from the spot Regina touched
Turning on her sixth sense she saw the giant the crackling protection spell that covered the entire area "A protection spell" Amelia answered the Queens unspoken question as her eyes went back to normal "The entire castle is encircled by it"
"Didn't you do this?" he asked the woman in front of him "Undo it" he demanded
The Evil Queen and Black Widow turned to the accusing Prince "Well, don't you think, if I could I'd be halfway home by now? No, someone hijacked it" she told them as she made their way back to the couple
"Who?"Snow asked Regina "Who's in there?"
The former Evil Queen turned back to see Amelia still looking through the protection spell "I don't know, but I'm gonna find out whoever 's eating my porridge. Nobody sits in my chair. Nobody takes our castle"
David saw the former Evil Queen getting riled by the thought of someone being in her castle "Hey. We've got a lot of people looking to us. They're scared and rightfully so. Let's get them to safety first" he reasoned with her
"They'll be safe when whoever is in there is dead"
"Rushing in there is a bad plan, Regina. You know that" Snow reasoned with the former Evil Queen
"For once I agreed with David" Amelia spoke up. Quietly annoyed that this had gotten in her way before getting back to Monteriggioni "We need to find out who exactly is eating your porridge before using any kind of force, magical or other" her reasoning seemed to do the trick as Regina calmed down.
"I can offer save harbor in Sherwood Forest" Robin offered "It's not far. We can offer food, shelter, and a thick canopy no creature will spy you under. Amelia made sure of that" he looked towards the assassin who was still staring through the portal with clenched fists
"Do you have weapons?" David asked the thief
"If I remember right you lot are lousy with them" Amelia finally spoke up having torn herself away from the edge of the shield "I'm the only weapon you'll need, your highness"
"Right you are Lady Amelia" Robin said with small smile
"Fine" Regina huffed "Lead the way" she told the thief and turned back to Snow "But we're coming back. And whoever did this is going to suffer" she promised
"Regina, it's our home" Snow told her "We'll make it safe again"
Welcome to the second half of Season 3!
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