Live as Regina

by Mac NorthSea

On the way to Neverland,Emma is troubled by the moments in the mines she and Regina had at moment of Regina's self-sacrifice that changed everything,even Emma herself.With understanding her upbringing gave her,the Savior decides to save not only Henry but his mother as well. Doing so will take her and her family through harrowing challenges of love,duty,conflict,and magic.

21. Chapter 21

It seems that with each chapter I get lost in the details of my own story, bringing new things to explain the old ones. But, I couldn't find another way to bring this story toward the end. Now, this chapter is not the last, it seems that it is far from it, however I follow the muse wherever she leads me...

I struggled with this chapter, trying and failing to write it to my satisfaction. However, this is the best it is going to get, so there... There are probably some grammar mistakes... I would really like your opinion on the story so far...

Enjoy!

Chapter 21

The Prince walked to the still women on the ground and crouched beside them, his eyes connecting with his warrior friend as he touched the back of the nearly unconscious Wolf. "We need to leave," Phillip whispered gently to the young woman, trying to rouse her. But it seemed that Ruby was either unwilling or unable to comply, limply remaining in Mulan's arms. "Get her up," he said to the warrior, before helping her rise, and taking on the weight of the grieving Wolf, as he motioned to his friend to get up on her horse. With the help of one of his guards, they placed Ruby in Mulan's secure hold. Then, Phillip walked to the Savior's filly, standing slightly away from the others. Slightly unnerved with the absence of her rider, the horse tapped its hoof on the ground, shaking its head. Raising his hands, the Prince spoke soothingly reaching for the reins. With the gentle pat on the animal's neck, he brought it to the group, still holding the reins as he climbed atop of his own horse, giving out a short order to set out for the Safe Haven, his heart heavy, as he glanced toward the Col where one of his company had stayed behind, giving them a safe passage out, protecting them to the end.

"May your soul find peace, Savior," he murmured before he joined his group, taking them home.

No one spoke on the way, the silence interrupted only by the restless pounding of the hooves on the cold hardened ground and the rustling of the leaves on the wind. When they left the shadows of the forest, the gate of the village in front of them, Ruby moved away from Mulan's arms suddenly, making the warrior to stop her horse.

"Let me down," the werewolf murmured, already disengaging from the warrior's hold. Jumping down, she stumbled a bit, but before anyone could move to her, she raised her hand and waved them off. "I am fine," Ruby mumbled, as she directed herself to the already opening gate.

"The Prince is back," one of the guards said rushing toward the Village Hall, no doubt to inform the others.

Soon, Aurora rushed toward the newcomers, followed by Belle and Rumplestiltskin, her hands gripping the front of her dress s she would not trip in her hurry. "Phillip," she said with relief as she walked into the welcoming arms of the village Royal. Checking him for wounds she noticed only several scrapes on his cloak and mud on his pants, and then Aurora turned to Mulan, who had dismounted in the meantime. Her quiet friend seemed unhurt as well, discarding the obvious signs of scuffle. Not understanding the somber hush of the envoy group, she turned around to ask the Savior for the reason of the silence. But as she moved to the bay, she saw that its rider was not among them. Turning her head to her True Love, she saw the answer to her question written in the sad eyes of her beloved. "No," she whispered with disbelief, but the stark truth shone out of Phillip's and Mulan's faces. Emma was gone.

"Where is Emma?" Belle asked coming to Ruby, her hand reaching for the tear traced face of the obviously distressed Wolf, hidden under the veil of dark hair. When Red moved out of the reach of her hand, her back hunched in grief, Belle turned to the warriors she had known once before returning to Enchanted Forest. As Phillip was holding the Princess in his arms, Belle walked to the warrior woman, her eyes beseeching the answer.

"Savior has fallen," Mulan complied, her solemn sentence causing a hush over the gathered people, most of who had heard of the feats the blonde hero had managed, or had witnessed them themselves. The silence lasted until Belle spoke once more.

"How?"

"Saving us from the pride of manticores," Phillip supplied. "She pushed us out, and somehow summoned Marbh Teine to aid her, but no one has ever survived the exposure to it."

"The cursed fire?" Belle whispered, ice flooding her veins at the mention of the green flames of death.

"It's your fault," Ruby suddenly jumped, grabbing Rumplestiltskin by the shirt he was wearing under the heavy cloak, shaking him with the strength of her anger. "You were in charge of her studies," the growled words were heard by everyone. "She had no business learning dark magic!" Throwing them down on the ground, Ruby straddled the non-defensive man, poised to strike, but her fist was enveloped into warm hands of her friend, stopping her.

"Ruby, please," Belle whispered gently, lifting the heart broken Wolf of her beloved. "Rumple?" Belle turned to the downed man, helping him to his feet, the question obvious in her tone, as she peered into his dark eyes.

"I didn't teach her," the old man spoke. "Belle, I didn't." Then, he turned to Ruby, his hand reaching for her, but not daring to touch her, he leaned heavily on his cane. "Even if I wanted to, I would need my power for it, which as you know, I do not have." Imploring her to see the logic of his words, as well as the truth, he hoped to steer them off the line of questioning. He had promised to keep the secret, and yet that he would not lie to Belle. Mercifully the Wolf nodded shortly, believing his words, before she stepped away, anger and sadness radiating from the woman.

"Oh, my," Belle suddenly murmured with tears in her eyes as she realized something, her face pale with the implication of her memory. At the asking glances, she shook her head and started walking toward the Village Hall, the rest following her, knowing that what she had thought of wasn't for everyone's ears to hear. Entering the central room, Phillip ordered his guard to keep the others away, not willing someone to overhear something possibly important.

When they all gathered in the room Belle turned toward the people waiting for her to speak, sighing. She took in the grim faces of Phillip, Mulan and Rumplestiltskin and the wet lines on Ruby's. Princess Aurora kept her emotional control but the eyes spoke of loss and sympathy for those who were close to the blonde Savior.

"She knew," Belle spoke suddenly, the sound of her voice breaking the silence. "I thought that she was only worried about the outcome of the peace mission, but even then I found her behavior…" the woman paused, searching for the right word that would depict her feeling on the subject. Looking at Rumplestiltskin she finally murmured, "Odd".

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked from her place against the wall.

Belle turned to her friend and worrying her hands, she shrugged with uncertainty. "I don't know her very well, Ruby. I could be wrong." The bright eyed brunette spoke apologetically.

"You were always a good judge of people, my darling Belle," Rumplestiltskin added from his chair. "Speak your mind, dearie."

Still looking uncertain, Belle nodded. "She spoke of being tired of everything. And, then she gave me her notebook to give to Regina if something…" Swallowing hardly, Belle wiped a tear that slid down her cheek. "It seemed too much like a good bye." With almost dazed look in her eyes she sat down beside her love and leaned into his shoulder, seeking his comfort. "And, it was," she added softly.

"What?" Ruby pushed of the wall. "No, she wouldn't do that,"

"She did ask me to keep you safe," Mulan said, her gentle brown eyes finding the deep blue ones. "She fought with you about coming with us," the warrior reminded softly.

"So, what? You are saying she killed herself on purpose?" The outrage was evident in Ruby's voice as she paced the stone floor in front of the seated people. "You don't know her! She would never do that!"

"We all knew it was a trap," Phillip said softly, watching the young woman pace restlessly in front of him. "Perhaps, she knew that in order to make sure we would survive it, she would have to lay down her life for it." He didn't even blink when the woman snarled at him. "She is the Savior," he added gently, as if to remind the brunette of the fact, but the soothing timbre only enraged her further.

"To save you!" Ruby said, her eyes flashing with the power of her beast as she stalked toward the Prince, dangerous and deadly. "You!" she shouted, her grief and anger needing the outlet and someone to blame, and the young Royal was conveniently close.

"Ruby, no!" Belle shouted in vain as the Wolf attacked, but instead of the Prince, the enraged shifter collided with the warrior woman, her knife drawn.

"Control yourself, Wolf," Mulan spoke sharply, as the blade came to Red's throat. The moment of indecision caused by the cold sting of the sharp edge was enough for the skilled warrior to break through the haze of emotions clouding Ruby's judgment. "Breathe," Mulan commanded, keeping her limbs locked and the grip firm. "Settle down," the dark eyed brunette spoke into Ruby's ear, feeling the fight drain out of the tense and vibrating body. Seeing Belle's pleading look, Mulan took her knife away and letting the young bookworm to take hold of her friend, completely understanding the rage the shifter was feeling, she turned toward her Prince, getting his grateful nod in return. Then she looked at Aurora who lifted her hand toward her, summoning the warrior to her side.

"Thank you, my friend," Aurora spoke softly to the proud warrior, glad that no blood was shed that afternoon. Not so long before, the Princess herself had acted rashly and foolishly in the name of vengeance against the very woman whose loss they were grieving. With a clearing of her throat, she drew attention to herself after a while. "Do we even know if it was Emma who used the cursed fire?" the Princess asked, watching the old man amidst them, glancing toward Phillip, her question directed to both of them.

"There was no one but us and the manticores," the Prince said assuredly.

"And the people who blocked us in," Ruby added, calmed down enough to participate in the conversation again.

"It matters not," Mulan said as she sheathed her knife into the artfully decorated scabbard at her side, opposite to her sword. "The fire swooped over the Col only seconds after she had pushed us out of it." Her eyes connecting with the dark blue ones in saddened assuredness, as well as warm kindness, Mulan continued. "She wouldn't have had the time to escape. No one would."

"Why not come with us?" Ruby asked, bewildered. She had seen the look the warrior directed at her, and for some reason it did make things somewhat easier, but not enough. However she was confused with the actions of her goddaughter and a friend.

"Because it all points to her being the one to use the fire," Rumplestiltskin spoke. "And, in true Miss Swan fashion, she did something ridiculously reckless, yet incredibly brave and perhaps smart."

"Smart?" The werewolf turned toward the former Dark One. "How can you say that? She is dead!"

"I said smart, dearie. Not wise." Rumplestiltskin tapped his cane, as looked at the Wolf sitting beside his loved one. "As our esteemed Prince would testify, if she had not destroyed the manticores immediately, even with the transportation, you would not have lived through the day."

"I don't understand."

"Manticores are unstoppable hunters. Once they catch the scent of their prey, they hunt it until it is dead, or they die in the process." Phillip answered, coming to the man's help. "With the whole pride after us, even if we reached the safety of the Haven, we would expose everyone here to them, and many would have died in the attack."

"So, she had to destroy them," Ruby concluded softly. "But, how did she know? I lived here my whole life here before the curse and I didn't know about the manticores."

"Regina did," Rumple spoke out, those two words explaining that particular part.

"Oh," the woman said, understanding that Emma must've had that knowledge since the first attack.

"What do we do now?" Aurora spoke after a bit, letting everyone's thoughts settle down before starting another discussion. They needed to act, and soon, because if what Emma had surmised after meeting Midas, the war was upon them and they were woefully unprepared.

"The Wolf's Col is closed by the rockslides, so if Midas wants to cross over he would need to go to the Pass which should give us a bit more time to figure things out."

"Unless they use the cliff road by the Forbidden Fortress," Aurora added, remembering her former prison.

"It's of no use to them, the forest is teeming with Ogres and trolls," Mulan said placing a soothing hand on the Princess's shoulder knowing how any mention of that place, even by the woman herself, caused a tingle of fear and pain, even after all this time.

"And, it's too close to the escarpments for many people to pass that way," Phillip added, his own hand reaching for one of Aurora's resting in her lap. Then he turned to the others. "We will hold a wake tonight for the Savior. Until then, I urge you to get some rest," he spoke, rising from his seat. His offer had nothing to do with the rest, but to allow them to grieve in peace and if they wished in the solitude of their rooms. With incline of his head he left the room, waiting by the entrance for his Princess, knowing she would want to say a few words herself.

Aurora walked to Ruby and took one of the Wolf's hands, squeezing it gently, as her eyes looked into the deeply saddened ones of the shifter and, the librarian, as she reached for Belle's hand as well. "I am truly sorry for your loss. I only knew Emma shortly, but in that time I have learned to respect her and even enjoy her presence. She will be missed." Then turning to the only remaining man in the room, she inclined her head. "I would welcome any help you can offer us, Rumplestiltskin. You may not be the Dark One anymore, but you still have the knowledge that can be of use. And, in return, whatever you need, all of you," Aurora encompassed all of them in her offer with the look, "I'll do my best to obtain it." With another parting squeeze of the hands in hers, the Princess excused herself and left the room, joining the other Royal waiting for her.

Belle took Rumplestiltskin's hand pulled him toward their room, her telling look letting Mulan know that Ruby was in her capable hands, as the warrior had managed to calm the rampant Wolf twice already. And, the young kindhearted woman thought that the beast inside her friend would welcome the presence of someone who knew the feeling of having one's hands bloodied. She did yearn to ease the pain Ruby felt, the pain she was feeling herself, along with the guilt that poured out of her friend, but her kind words and soothing touch was not what the Wolf needed at the moment. So, she left with the limping man, kissing Ruby's cheek in salutation as she passed by the still seated woman.

"I know," Belle started as Rumplestiltskin closed the door of their room behind them while she sat on their bed, "that you are used to this, but I would've liked if you showed at least some emotion."

"Do you think me cold hearted, Belle?" the old man asked, dropping himself onto the chair beside the door, suddenly feeling every bit of his age. "Do you think I feel no pain over this?" His tone was brittle as he gripped the cane in his hands so hard that his knuckles were white.

"Of course not, Rumple." Belle quickly said, but Rumplestiltskin continued as if he did not hear her.

"I promised my daughter that I would keep her True Love safe. And this…" His throat closed up, making it hard for him to speak. "Miss Swan…" He looked up into the understanding eyes of his lover. "Emma was my student, and yet often I had the feeling that I was the one who was actually learning. She taught me so much, Belle. And, in these past days, she was every bit my friend as she was yours." Rising from the chair, Rumplestiltskin walked toward the bed, the cane falling out of his hands as he limped toward the woman sitting in front of him. "I feel, Belle," he whispered, his eyes tearing up as he watched new tear tracks created on the face of his beauty. "I feel so much." Reaching bed, he fell into the waiting arms and together they lied down, comforting each other. While Rumplestiltskin knew that all might not be lost, the feeling of grief he was feeling and showing was real, and the worry and fear clutching his heart only grew with the every minute spent without a word from the Savior.

Unable to sit still, or to even stand the stifling walls of the Hall, Ruby walked out, directing herself toward the surf, passing several people without acknowledging them. Not caring that she walked into the freezing afternoon without a top layer, she strode away, the wind tossing her hair wild. But, when she reached the sand of the beach a hand grabbed her elbow, making her turn around suddenly, her fingers instantly closing around the attacker's wind pipe, her eyes flashing gold as she snarled.

"It's me," Mulan managed to whisper calmly, not making any sudden moves as she raised her hands into Red's line of sight. The golden glow disappeared, but the dark blue eyes narrowed, anger obvious in them when she looked into the almond shaped ones.

"I don't need your protection," Ruby spat, releasing the woman before she stepped away, walking toward the water lapping over the lower edge of the surf.

"I am not here for that," Mulan replied, her voice soft, as she rubbed her neck. If it wasn't for the enhanced hearing, Ruby would have never caught the gentle timbre of the warrior behind her, but she gave no indication that she had heard the words. "I thought you might need a friend," the proud woman mumbled, unaware that she hadn't spoken low enough. But, then she spoke in her regular voice. "If you want me to leave, I will honor your wish." Not waiting for the response, the armored warrior turned around and started walking back to the village, stopping after several steps and looking over her shoulder as she tried to say something. But as she saw only the back of the Wolf, Mulan shook her head and closed her mouth. However, before she made another step, the young woman's voice reached her on the breezy air smelling of the sea.

"I just don't understand how could have this happen." The cold weather made Ruby's skin tighten, but it was nothing compared to the iciness gripping her kind heart. "This was never supposed to be. This is our world, where the good always wins. The Hero survives."

"The world has changed," Mulan spoke quietly, having walked back to the woman.

"It's not just that," Ruby glanced toward the dark eyes following her. "It doesn't make sense. It doesn't add up, as Emma would say." The Wolf turned toward the warrior grabbing her shoulders suddenly, her eyes filled with a hopeful gleam. "What if…" she started but the gloved fingers touched her lips, silencing her instantly and her eyes went wide at the move.

"Perhaps, you would like to consider very carefully the words you were going to say," Mulan hissed warningly, her eyes losing the soft shine of compassion, turning sharp and dangerous. "There are some thoughts that should stay unspoken, especially when you don't know who might be listening," the woman continued, her voice so soft that even though she was inches away from Mulan, Red barely heard her. Then the leather covered hand moved away from the lips and slid over the cheek gently, before falling down beside Mulan's hip. Ruby's eyes went even wider with the implication of someone watching them, and the woman nodded in understanding, feeling the tingles where the warrior's hand had passed.

"What do we do?"

"Nothing has changed."

"But…"

"Nothing. Has. Changed!" Mulan spoke firmly, her eyes making it clear that the circumstances were as such, and if someone had gone through that much trouble to make everyone believe in the certain event, then they must have had a darn good reason for it.

As the realization washed over the woman, the Wolf dropped down to her knees, the dull sound of the light body hitting the sand barely heard over the sound of the waves, the suddenness of Ruby's move startled the warrior who didn't manage to catch her before she collapsed, following her down. She reached for the bowed head in front of her, the face hidden by the free falling hair, and when she heard a soft sob, Mulan pulled the girl into her arms, careful not to press Ruby's face against the plates of her armor. The burden of violently changing emotions seemed to break the kindhearted shifter, and the realization that for all Emma was still dead and unreachable, even if she did survive, and with the cursed fire, the chances of it were extremely small, the hope and elation Ruby had felt when she had thought that she had figured out her goddaughter's plan fled, leaving cold emptiness in her heart, and Red felt like Emma had died all over again. It did not matter that it might not be the truth, the pretense of it was enough to bring devastation to the woman's composure. Adding to that the constant flux of overpowering emotions since they had been led into the trap, it was no wonder that the Wolf was exhausted beyond measure. Therefore, it did not surprise the warrior that the heartbroken woman fell asleep in her arms as the tears tapered off.

With economic moves, Mulan took off her cape and tucked it around the cold unconscious woman, shifting her body to ease herself up with the shifter in her arms. A light grunt escaped her lips when the weight of the girl settled on her upper body, the warrior walked toward the village, slowly and with care not to jostle much the sleeping woman. She passed by the guards, dismissing their offer to help or to even call the village healer. Her only demand was a silent motion toward the entrance door of the Village Hall, her meaning clear. When the door was opened by a helpful soldier, Mulan nodded in thanks and she continued on, going in and climbing up to the upper floor easily like she was not burdened. Taking Ruby to the girl's room, she lowered her on her bed, and took off the dirty boots, still having the traces of the mud from their previous scuffle. With gentle moves she placed a light throw over the sleeping woman, regardless of her cape already wrapped around her. Mulan took her glove off and with a slow and tender gesture she moved the dark hair of the shifter's face, seeing the dried tear tracks on the pale cheeks.

With an almost unheard sigh the warrior left the room, closing the door silently behind her. She desperately needed a distraction to help her pass the rest of the afternoon, so she went to the village's armory, deciding to check on the status of the preparation for the impending attack.

The evening passed both painfully slow and mercifully fast. Most of the village gathered in the Village Hall to pay their respect to the fallen Savior. The atmosphere was solemn and heavy as people listened to the few who dared to share their thoughts on the short time the blonde had been among them. And, since the Sheriff had been aloof with the people she had met there, there was not much to share. At the end of it Phillip rose and lifted his goblet, the entire hall following his lead. With only Emma's title on his lips he saluted, watching as the people in front of him repeated after him, their voices melding into one, a very loud one, making the walls and the stones vibrate with the power of it. After that, people started leaving, the only people remaining behind being the ones that had known Emma the best, at least in Enchanted Forest. Not knowing what to say, they sat in silence, drinking the last bottle of mead in Ruby's possession, seated in the semicircle in front of the fire, lost in thoughts.

It was middle of the night when they all retired to their own rooms. With a tired sigh Rumplestiltskin walked toward a small desk in the room he shared with Belle and touched the familiar journal that had been placed there by his love, right next to the small chess board he had brought with him from the Dark Castle weeks before. The figures were set to the beginning of the game, the whites and blacks in their positions. With a passing touch to one of the figures, he went to the other side of the room, preparing to go to bed.

But, in the morning, when he walked to the chair beside the desk he saw something different on it. The very figure he had touched the night before had been moved. And in such peculiar way that it made the old man squint at the board. He knew that Belle did not play the intricate game therefore she wouldn't touch the board, for it held no interest to her. Rumplestiltskin leaned over the lone figure in the middle of the board. The white knight from the King's side was standing in front of the Black King, only a square between the Knight and the black Pawn. The man smiled as he suddenly realized what it was that the move represented. Emma had survived, and she was well enough to manipulate his board from far away. However, he didn't know what it meant. The Knight was close to the black King, but who was the King? The obvious answer would be Midas, of course. Nevertheless, there was another possibility – that Rumplestiltskin himself, as the former Dark One, was the king. He wished for a clearer message and reached for the wooden figure to pit it back in its place. However, when his fingers touched the polished object, one word appeared on the board, almost invisible in the daylight, the barely noticeable shimmer most people would disregard. But, Rumple had dealt in magic for more than several centuries and he had developed the ability to see things that most people did not. The word said ROOM, and after he had read it he touched the checkered wood of the board, knowing that would erase the message. It seemed that the endless desire to participate in a treasure hunt of any kind his grandson possessed had been inherited from his blonde mother. Shaking his head lightly, but still with affection, the man walked out of his quarters and went into Emma's room, curious to see what the next clue would be.

As he opened the door, he saw the things the Savior had left on the filly as she had transported the others out, Phillip probably being the one to bring them here. He did not waste his time going through them as Emma had had no idea where her things would have ended up. But there was nothing else in the room that looked like a hiding place of another clue. Starting from the most obvious choice, the books, he sat on the made bed and looked through each volume that he could find, and found nothing. Then he moved to search through clothes and the furniture, but without any luck. Letting a heavy sight, he sat back on bed, having no more ideas.

Where she would hide something important? He asked himself, trying to remember every nuance about the Sheriff. In something of Regina's, the answer came immediately. Something that she would use when she needs comfort. Rumple looked around, his eyes falling down to the pillows at the head of bed. And the most comfort she needs is when she wakes up from her nightmares. As the idea appeared in his mind, he moved the pillow closest to him and found a hard leather bound book of poems he knew Regina loved very much. With some trepidation, he opened it to the first page, not really knowing what to expect. There on the yellowed paper the first page was empty except for one question written in Regina's flowing script, seemingly penned down ages before this time, words denoting simple inquiry: Where am I?

A riddle! Rumplestiltskin smiled at the devious clue hunt Emma had created to ensure that only the right person would find the message. Considering himself a master in such things, he focused on the creator of this particular question. Did Emma mean where Regina was? Or where was Emma herself?" But, if she did mean herself, how was Rumple to know the answer to that? Trying first with the obvious answer he spelled out Storybrooke with his finger on the paper, below the question, instantly knowing that he was wrong when nothing happened. Intrigued with the mystery the question posed, he focused harder, his mouth turning into a pout, as he went through everything that he thought would help him answer the riddle. After half an hour of consideration, he realized that the first clue was the answer to this one. The White Knight, the phrase often used as one of Emma's titles, was placed on the specific square on the board where each chess field had its denotation. And the Savior would for sure use the algebraic notation as only she and Rumple, out of the people of Enchanted Forest, knew it. Finally having the answer he needed, he fingered down the answer: e5.

When he lifted the finger of the paper, the question disappeared, leaving the blank page for a second before the line after line of Emma's barely legible scrawl filled the empty space. Rumplestiltskin chuckled lightly as the inspiration for the particular trick was clear to him, clearly influenced by Henry's presence in Emma's life. He did not waste any time and started reading the letter that the Savior had composed during the previous night.

Rumplestiltskin.

I have done it. I pulled the craziest stunt ever and survived. Regina will be pleased because she will be able to kill me herself for almost breaking my promise to her.

Before I forget, I need to write this down. In the wake of the unknown force heading toward you, I have restored and refurbished the Charming Palace, with many weapons in their place. It can provide the shelter and serve as the keep for the villagers, giving you just another edge for this war. The accommodations are only until this is over; I don't know how my mother would like the never leaving guests.

I am heading down the other side of the mountain, toward the army. As I move toward them, I will scout around, looking for another edge for this coming battle. It is snowing hard, and even though the people are moving toward the Pass, the amount of the fallen snow is making the road treacherous for travel. The weather is not showing any signs of letting up, so that is a good thing, right?

Something is not right here, Rumple, my spidey senses are tingling. Keep the book with you - I may have something else to share in the future. The password will be the same. But for the next few days I will be on the down low until I know what I am dealing with.

My name deletes the words.

In order to keep his secret, Rumplestiltskin spelled out Emma with his finger pad and watched as the words vanished, leaving the first page blank as it had been before the Savior used it for her message. Pleased to know now that the woman he had grown to like had lived through the cursed fire, he smiled softly, closing the book in his hands, as he tried to think of the way to inform the others about the prepared castle.

"Rumple?" Belle watched him from the door, as she leaned on the frame. She had seen the open door of the Sheriff's room and she had thought that Ruby had been in there. But she had found her lover instead, staring at the closed volume in his hands, but his thoughts far away. "What are you doing here?" The curiosity was evident in the woman's tone but the kind light eyes held compassion as she assumed that he, as all of them, was grieving for the blonde Sheriff, only doing it in silence, away from the others. She had known that even though Rumple complained a lot about the Savior, about her temper and disregard for any kind of authority, he had liked the woman immensely, his grousing often colored with poorly disguised pride and awe, and lately even respect.

The old man smiled sadly at the woman, the anguished pull on his lips the answer enough. Having risen to his feet, he walked toward Belle and looked around the room once more. "I thought she might have left a note or a clue among her things." He decided to use the half-truths instead the outright lies for the better success in protecting his secret. "But, I haven't found anything. Nothing by this." He showed the book in his hand.

"What is it?" Belle asked, taking the volume gently out of his hands, caressing the well cared for leather cover of it, before she looked up at Rumplestiltskin. Seeing him hesitant over the answer, she placed her hand over his forearm, silently entreating him to go on.

"It is the book of poetry Henry had given to Regina on her twenty third birthday," Rumple said, a strange presence of shame coloring his voice suddenly. At the tone, Belle narrowed her eyes, demanding more.

"Why do you feel embarrassed about it, Rumplestiltskin? What did you do?" Belle's unusually firm tone made the old man look even more chagrined. But he knew that she deserved an answer and it would stop her from asking about his presence in Emma's empty room.

"I was the one to suggest such a gift to Prince Henry. I wore a disguise, of course." He looked away from Belle as he continued. "I thought then that the reminder of what she had lost would push her harder into the darkness."

"Oh, Rumple," Belle said sadly, as she patted the man's arm, knowing that he regretted it so much more now, but as Emma had told her once, one cannot change the past, only accept it and move on. With that in her mind she leaned to the man, kissing his lowered head on the cheek, as she led him out of the room. "I don't think Emma would mind if you borrow it," Belle said softly, watching his face carefully, as they went to their own quarters. At the surprised look she had been waiting for in Rumple's eyes she only smiled enigmatically, her soft eyes getting a mischievous glow. Belle had known all along and played the part of the grieving friend perfectly, Gold realized, admiring his True Love for her smarts and good acting, and a good sense to keep the secret. She then closed the door of their room and offered the tea she had left steeping before finding him. "I heard you the night before, and I had known you for a very long time, Rumple. I know when you are keeping something from me. And, Emma," Belle smiled gently but with certain smugness. "She was working so hard on something, something that you helped her with, and I know her, as well, as you said yesterday. She would never be the cause of Regina's downfall no matter the circumstances."

"My darling Belle, I am so lucky you are here with me," the old man spoke, emotions making his voice tremble. He reached for her face, looking into her eyes with such adoration that Belle felt heat rise in her cheek. Since ending the Dark One, Rumple had become freer with his affection, offering it more often, and in times like these it was among the only things that helped the librarian keep her composure.

Keeping the secret just for a bit longer, the couple decided to share their findings and conclusions after several days, ensuring that all outsiders of their small circle were not aware that the Savior lived, and thus keeping the knowledge from Midas's spies. After much thinking, Rumplestiltskin decided on the way he was going to present the possibility of the Keep, for it was a too good of an offer to pass it, especially in these uncertain times. But, the problem was – if he informed the Prince of the restoration of George's Castle, the others might realize that the Savior was still alive.

Therefore he created a somewhat elaborate deception, mentioning that the heroic Sheriff had been absent in the last days and that he had a feeling she had been gone to visit her home. He noticed that he had the attention of the entire room but he was interested only in the Royals.

"Home?" Phillip murmured with surprise, as he had considered the Savior to be the stranger in this world. "I thought that the town you are coming from, Storybrooke was it, was her home," he added, his confusion clear on his face.

"He means Emma's birthplace," Aurora spoke clearly, having understood Rumplestiltskin's reference. She placed her hand onto Phillip's forearm and leaned forward, interested in the conversation. "The Charming's Palace," she said after several seconds of silence, as it seemed that the people had forgotten the Savior had been born in Enchanted Forest. She knew because she had seen the child room in the castle the previous time Snow and Emma had been in the Realm. She had also listened to Snow's heartbreaking story of how the baby Emma had been taken from them minutes after she had been born. That could similarly explain why people had forgotten, because Emma's birth had not been officially announced for the Kingdom, and they had had more pressing things on their minds, like the curse. "What do you propose?" the Princess asked, seeing that the old man had something on his mind.

"I would like to see if she left something there that might help us. I ask permission to take one of the horses and investigate," Rumplestiltskin spoke calmly, allowing his sadness to be heard, as it would add to a more believable touch to his inquiry and request, one that he knew the Princess would grant him as her eyes softened considering it.

"You may take three," she said, glancing toward her love and seeing him nod in the confirmation. Then she turned to her other side, to the faithful guardian that always stood by her side in these proceedings. "Will you go with him?" Aurora asked softly after the warrior woman had lowered her upper part of the body. The almond shaped dark eyes searched hers, but after seeing that Aurora would like that, she nodded silently, her heart squeezing uncomfortably at the approving smile the Princess directed at her. "Mulan would go with you," the Royal woman spoke clearly. "You need one more." She directed her eyes at the Wolf, the invitation and request in her look obvious to the quiet woman sitting beside Belle. Aurora was sometimes conceited and naïve, but she wasn't blind. She had known for a while that her brave friend was in love with her, only her honor and loyalty to Phillip, and the knowledge that one does not get in between the True Lovers, stopping her from speaking of it. She also knew that her own behavior was not helping the matter, but she loved Mulan dearly and could not bear the thought of sending her best friend away. However, she also noticed the growing connection her quiet warrior had with the Wolf, and an idea gained a foothold in her mind, making her believe that it could only help the situation.

Ruby rose at the insistent gaze of the Princess and walked to Rumplestiltskin, inclining her head to the Royals. "I will join them on this quest," she spoke solemnly, unsettled by the pleased gleam in the Princess's eyes.

And, so the next morning the three of them set out to the Charming's Palace to investigate, Mulan and Red armed while Rumplestiltskin only carried his cane, riding out of the village under the cover of predawn night. For some reason the old man pushed them at high speeds despite the thick forest growth to reach the castle as soon as possible, telling them that he had a feeling about it. The warrior and the Wolf followed him without question, knowing that there was more underneath it.

And, as soon as they cleared the thickest of the woods they saw the reason for his haste. The castle stood tall in its gleaming magnificence, its walls shining in the rising morning Sun, whole and undamaged, as it had been on the day of Snow's wedding. With tears in her eyes, Ruby pulled the reins of her horse, stopping it in place as she turned toward the man. "You knew," she whispered in awe, seeing him nod silently, letting her take in the sight.

"When did this happen?" Mulan asked, the last time she had seen the place still vivid in her mind. The memories of the stark ruins against the night sky and high Moon and Snow's heartbreaking grimace of pain had been carved in the warrior's mind.

"Sometimes last week, while she kept us busy with our own tasks. She said this was to be our keep in the time of need." Rumplestiltskin said and pressed his horse onward leaving the women behind, going to the draw bridge of the castle.

"Indeed the Savior," was Mulan's only response, as she glanced toward the woman by her side and went to the castle after smiling at the Wolf, following the old man that already had passed the bridge and was waiting for them in the courtyard, his eyes taking in the restoration of the fortress. He smirked when he noticed that even though Emma had kept the original look and decoration of the castle, she had added some of her flair, some decorations looking much like objects from her world, seemingly unnoticeable among the tapestries and lanterns of the Palace, lantern in a shape of a light bulb and a tapestry depicting a car were only some of the examples.

"What the hell was her plan?" Ruby asked as she joined the other two inside the walls. She noticed the full armory and the bulks of arrows on the parapets and guard places. It seemed the Sheriff had them set for a siege if need be. The only concern would be the food. That was something that they would have to take care of themselves.

"The Prince needs to be informed of this," the warrior spoke after examining the durable walls and the oiled iron portcullis. "They need to know there is hope," She turned toward the man, expecting him to disagree but he surprised her.

"There is always hope," he said softly, nodding toward the almond eyed companion, his message very clear in his dark eyes. This was Her plan, they said, and the warrior understood. "Go," he said with a flourish of his hand, and that was all that took for Mulan to jump on her horse and ride off, but not before she reached for Red and clasping her upper arm in salutation, before taking off, aware of the deep blue eyes focused on her back.

Rumplestiltskin turned toward the confused Wolf and smiled at the young woman, knowing that Ruby already suspected that the Savior was alive. "It seems that our dear Sheriff has gained more than just memories from the meld with the Queen." His remark moved Red out of her stupor and she focused on the man in front of her with questions in her dark blue eyes. "It is more cunning and subtle than I considered the Sheriff able," he said gently and smiled with almost unnoticed affection hidden in the curve of his lips as he walked toward the inner entrance door of the castle, remembering the last time he had been there. The time he had made the deal with George for David.

Ruby followed him quietly in, enjoying the silent confirmation that her goddaughter was alive. "Why?" she asked after a while, when they reached the watch post, the very one Grumpy had announced the arrival of the curse from.

"Why does she do anything?" the old man returned, his gaze lost in the distance as he leaned onto the stone wall with his elbow.

"Because she is the Savior," Ruby spoke in reply, almost nodding to herself in confirmation, her eyes also focused onto the forest surrounding them only she looked for dangers or something out of ordinary.

"Because she is the Savior," Rumplestiltskin repeated softly with a scoff, the mocking sing song voice reminiscent of his Dark One's disdain, before he shook his head at the still naïve and skin deep understanding of the person behind the title. The Wolf might've known and loved Emma but the girl did not understand her, seduced by the titles and act of the hero she called her friend, but barely scratching the surface of the deep well that held all the pertinent information about the Savior. Her hopes, her dreams, her fears, her yearnings… But, most importantly, her motivation and her need, for those were the main source of her strength and will to go on, those were her driving force. He had seen it in Storybrooke and he had seen it in this land, and he had known that it was the very reason the Savior was so powerful. It was the very reason that enabled her to learn and adapt so fast. The very reason she had done the improbable and on her way to attempt the impossible.

He turned toward the girl and caught her eyes, his mocking grimace disappearing as he tried to impart something very important to the young shifter. "She protects because she knows the pain of loss. She sacrifices herself because, somewhere deep inside, she still believes that her life is less worthy that others and because she would not inflict the unnecessary separation pain on anyone. She is willing to die for those she cares about, because it is her way of showing them her appreciation, and beneath that damaged and tough exterior hides a very honorable and brave soul that believes in a happy ending, True Love, and that Good could still win. That is just who she is, who she was shaped into by the hard life and hard choices she had to make and live with." He paused, breathing deeply, allowing his emotions that had unexpectedly risen with his speech to settle down. "Because of that, she is the Savior, not the other way around," he finished firmly, his admiration for the blonde shining through.

Leaving Ruby at the parapet, he walked away after his speech, he himself surprised with the emotional words he had spoken to the Wolf. Needing some space he went inside, his leg bothering him after the ride and that many stairs. Taking a seat on a lounge near the main hall he leaned back with a sigh, closing his eyes as he stretched the painful limb, easing the strain on it. He knew that the warrior would reach the Prince any minute now, and the Prince, by his estimation, would use the news to see if anyone of his men was an obvious traitor. But the Royal needed to be careful not to share too much or the whole idea would backfire. Rumplestiltskin sincerely hoped that the boy was up for it, but the beauty of Emma's plan was that it did not depend much on external factors but on her own actions. It did leave a tremendous burden on her back but it did lower the chances of a screw up. Happy with his conclusion, he allowed his mind to drift, as he rested his aching foot. And with time on his hands, Rumplestiltskin turned his thoughts to his newest student, proud and awed of her. It hadn't been that long ago when he had scoffed at Miss Swan, taunting the Sheriff as he had blackmailed her into doing his bidding, and in a way taking her to her first labor as the Savior – slaying the Dragon form of Maleficent. Later he had watched the woman fumble with the most basic acts of magic, her crude way of doing things leaving much room for improvement. But, that inexperienced woman had grown into a formidable one, with a cunning mind, quick wit, great instincts – natural and magical, inspiring compassion but unafraid of hard decisions and with a tremendous amount of power at her disposal – as the restoration of this very castle would attest to.

Mulan had ridden into the village, going straight for the home of her superior and her friends to deliver the news, passing the people by without words. At the house that had been her destination, she pulled up the reins and stopped the horse, immediately jumping of it and throwing the reins to the nearest guard she entered the home of the Royals, bowing down her head as she approached Phillip having interrupted the breakfast, telling him of the discovery in short sentences, aware that only he and Aurora could hear the soft voice, for she did not trust that every one of the guards were loyal to the Royals. After she had finished her report, she stepped away, giving them time to comprehend the meaning of the finding.

"We need to move," Phillip spoke first, his eyes connected with the amazed ones of his True Love and understanding passing through them. "For the first time we have the advantage. We have to use it." Rising from his chair he turned to the door and summoned one of the guards, ordering him to announce the village assembly. Then he placed his hand on Mulan's armor covered shoulder. "She did this several days ago?" he asked softly, amazement clear in his tone. The warrior gave a short nod as the only answer, looking into his gentle eyes. "Even in her death, she has come through for us." Moving away from his friend he bowed his head in respect for the fallen blonde before he walked out into the village square, forgoing putting on his cape. But before Aurora could follow him out, Mulan reached for the hanger and having taken the fur lined cloak she placed it over the Princess's shoulders. Aurora turned toward her friend and smiled in appreciation, her smile turning into a chuckle when she saw Mulan taking Phillip's cape from its place by the door. Still smiling she walked out with the armed woman and went to her True Love, as he watched his people fill the place designated for this urgent meet. With a gentle touch Aurora thanked her friend and took the cape out of Mulan's hands, slipping it tenderly onto Phillip's shoulders, before she walked to a side, giving him enough space for his impending speech. He winked at her, hastily adjusting the piece of clothing.

When every inhabitant of the village was in the clearing, Phillip jumped onto the table and demanding attention he started, his voice heard over the whole village. "As most of you already know, King Midas's army is coming our way to destroy us, and we still do not know the reason why. But, we know that the Savior has given her life so we could survive this war." At the mention of the blonde Sheriff many people lowered their heads in respect and grief, some of them even having tears on their faces. It was mostly the Neverland children who openly cried, but he saw plenty of adults surreptitiously wipe their eyes. "And now that the danger is coming our way, are we going to let her sacrifice be in vain? Are we going to let them slay us like vermin?" His voice rallied the crowd, and as one, they shouted 'No' before they settled down to let him continue. "Mulan informed me that the Savior had done us one more favor. She had offered us the protection of the Charming's Palace for the duration of this war. I am told that the Castle is repaired to its former glory. Will you follow me there?" Again, as one, the crowd cried, this time in the affirmative. "But, we need to be quick as the enemy might be coming soon." Getting them where he wanted, he gave out his orders to gather their things and pack, watching carefully for their reactions as he had been doing during his entire speech. He had as well noticed that Mulan and Aurora had been doing the very same thing, his mind decided on asking them for their conclusions later. However, he was too busy with organizing the move, his orders to the guards clear – no one was to leave before his expressed permission, placing Mulan in charge of enforcing it.

With four guards that he had absolute faith in, two of them even the former black Knights, he sent off the Princess and the food wagons, them being the slowest of all, along with some of the villagers. Pulling Damian, one of the black Knights that remained, aside, he walked away from the crowd before turning to the tall and rugged man who had danger written all over his face.

The dark man had been of the Queen's most loyal knights who had kept their hearts, doing her bidding regardless of dangers and consequences. In the early years of her marriage, Queen Regina had saved his life, and for that Damian had given his everything to her service, not even blinking an eye at her vengeance against his former Princess. And, when she had come to the Safe Haven he had seen her affection for the Savior. In truth, he had never seen her happier and for that he had been grateful, having had been there for most of her dark moods and quests for happiness. When she had gone away with her former nemesis, he had sworn to himself to protect his Queen's happiness, namely the Savior, at any cost. But, as that choice had been taken out of his hands he had devoted himself to protecting those the Savior had died for, accepting Phillip, again, as his leader. And, the Prince knew that.

"Go after them," Phillip murmured, as he watched the caravan disappear in the forest. "Trust no one but Aurora," he continued, turning toward the black Knight, his eyes hard. "And, kill anyone who steps away from the group, regardless of the reason. The hardened lines and the clenched jaw on the Prince's face spoke enough of the heaviness the man felt for the need to give such an order. The black Knight now understood why the Prince had chosen him.

"Who am I looking for?" Damian asked respectfully, having taken his orders to heart.

"A traitor," Phillip murmured sadly and turned away to organize the others, patting the back of the Knight, sending him away. Damian nodded and with a quick stride he set out into the forest, rushing after the convoy choosing to be at the rear of it for the most control over who leaved.

Phillip walked to the person who had saved his life once, his hand reaching for her shoulder gently as she directed the children pack their things into one of the carts. He had seen her several minutes before placing some of Emma's things into the same wagon, treating each object with undisguised reverence and sadness in her touch. Belle looked up at him and returned the smile he directed at her, knowing that she had everything under control. He leaned over to her and with a whisper he explained the order he had given to Damian, his unspoken wish for her to treat her escort the same obvious, as he gave her a cross bow and two quivers of bolts, pleased to see her nod in grim understanding. Quickly after, he sent a group of soldiers with the carts carrying children and personal belongings, directing them to follow the tracks of the previous company. At last the whole village had been ready for the move, Mulan organizing them into a cue and leading them into the forest, while the last remaining of the guards were beside them, the last cart filled with extra weapons and with five of the elders of the village who couldn't walk the long distance, the rest of them perched on the horses, Phillip gallantly offering his own as well for the task. He had stayed at the very rear to be sure to see if someone was lagging behind for any reason. By his estimation, they would reach the castle in little less than six hours, as two had already passed since the first carts had been on their way, if they kept a moderate pace, and seeing that most of the people in the village had been used to the hard circumstances, he had no doubt that they would be encased in the palace safely by the rise of the Moon. And, so the move was on its way, his chosen people looking for the traitors.

Ruby stood on the parapet, looking at the part of the forest that came closest to the draw bridge. She heard the rhythmic tap of the cane on the stone and not turning around, she spoke to the old man. "Shouldn't she be back already, by now?" The concern was unmistakably heard in the Wolf's voice.

"She is not coming back," Rumplestiltskin offered, as he walked toward the young woman. Red had come down to him earlier in the day and apologized for her assumption, but he had only remarked that it was between her and the Savior. However, her changed and thoughtful demeanor had told him enough, so he had shrugged it off with a little humor. Now, Ruby looked at him with somewhat startled look in her dark blue eyes, so he continued. "At least, not alone. If my knowledge of Prince Phillip is correct, he would bring the entire village to our door by the nightfall." Then he looked up at the sky, judging that there were another four hours of daylight left.

"Already?" Ruby spoke with uncertainty, pushing away from the wall.

"No reason to delay, dearie."

"Then, I am going to seal of the East Wing. It seems somehow wrong to let strangers roam across those halls." The werewolf said after minutes of silence, having thought the idea over.

"As you wish, dearie. There is enough place for everyone." Rumple answered evenly, but deep inside he knew it was the right choice.

"So the only foreseeable problem is the food."

Rumplestiltskin hummed in the affirmative, having nodded to the woman when the Wolf had come back from her task. But the Royals were sure to bring the supplies, and they had a bit of time for a hunt to fill the larders.

"Do you think this will work?" the girl asked him after they had come down to eat, as she held a cup filled with water close to her mouth. Emma had even fixed the well in the courtyard, so the castle had its own water supply.

"Well, it will help the village survive, so I think, yes it will work," the man said after a brief consideration, having finished his meal. "But, it is a war, Red. People die in wars. Maybe the Savior will find the way to end this before it really begins." However he had his doubts. If someone was so intent on the fight, few things can change the outcome. Emma had given them an edge and a way to defend themselves but it did not mean that the things would drastically change. Nevertheless, only time could tell, and decide the winner of their conflict.

Sensing his doubt in silence, Ruby left Rumplestiltskin outside as she prepared the fires in the main hall as well as in some living quarters on the West side of the castle. If the former imp's calculation was correct, and they usually were, people would come that night, and they would need warmth and rest after that long trek. Even though it was still an early evening, the air had grown really cold and smelled of snow, and the stone castle needed time to warm up. After she had fixed the fires, she went down to the cellars, hoping to find at least some of the usable food in there. To her surprise she found an intact wine cellar, with wines, meads, and other drinks having been preserved in bottles and barrels. Next to it she discovered a well-equipped keeping room filled with sacks and sacks of wheat and other grains, with bottled oils and preserved vegetables and spices. Skipping on her feet, Ruby allowed her nose to check everything pleased with her haul.

Finished with her inventory she went to find the old man and tell him of it, and she finally came upon him in the war room, hunched over the huge map of the Fairytale Land, as Henry and Emma had used to call it. He seemed too engrossed in it and she was loath to interrupt him, but then the man spoke.

"How was your hunt?" He did not move his eyes from the map, but Ruby could see that he was listening. With a short report she relayed everything she had discovered below, watching his face for a reaction. "Snow always did prepare for hard winters. Consequence of lean meals on the run, no doubt." The man spoke absently, narrowing his eyes at something on the table. Then showed a point on the map to the werewolf and Ruby realized it was the very castle's position. "You were part of the attack on King George. How did you manage to cross the bridge?"

"We dealt with the scouts and the front guardsmen were too easily lured into the woods, where I waited for them. Later, Snow led the charge, helped by the fairies." Red had realized during her answer that the former imp was employing his extremely tactical and analytic mind to plan to plan for the defense of the castle, and with that in her mind she supplied more information on the attack and the castle itself. Soon the evening fell.

It was Ruby who first noticed the appearing of small points of light in the forest. Then she saw the first people walk out of the woods, some of them carrying torches. The Wolf recognized the villagers and rushed down to greet them by the gate. But as she waited, Rumplestiltskin joined her and quietly asked her to count the newcomers as they were coming in. She understood his request and nodded grimly. In almost no time, the whole village population was inside, and Ruby, with the help of several soldiers closed the large door, the dull sound of wood meeting the stone echoing in the yard followed by light cheering exclamations. With quick directions, people went into the welcoming heat of the main hall. It wasn't before long that the cooks prepared a warm and light communal supper and the villagers were set for the night, the quarters of the West Wing assigned to each family, while the guards were assigned to the soldiers' barracks near the walls.

Prince Phillip and Princess Aurora found their way to the war room, where Red, Mulan, Belle and Rumplestiltskin waited for them, prepared for a long night. The Royals of the village shared their impressions of the people especially those whose reactions at the move and the armed escort were different from the others. Phillip then explained his reasoning behind assigning most of the suspect guards and men, including his formerly most trusted lieutenant with Belle's wagons. Before Rumplestiltskin could say anything about it, Phillip hurriedly continued with his theory that people tended to underestimate Belle, especially those who had not known that Gold had been the Dark One himself, or that she had been the one to release him from the form of the Yaoguai. He had known Belle could take care of herself, especially with the help of former black guards who had accepted Damian as their lieutenant. Then Belle joined in with her witness account, telling the friends around her how she had seen two of the suspected soldiers try to slip away but as they had noticed the constant surveillance from the others they stopped with their attempts. Phillip was very saddened to hear that the man he had fought together with was one of the two. Even more saddened when he heard Aurora's remark about his most trusted soldiers in the Safe Haven. All in all, they had eight members of the guard who had shown signs of treachery. With a heavy heart, Phillip decided to have them arrested, but not just yet, because if he acted too soon he would scare off the others, leaving himself too vulnerable for the insiders' attack. Stepping out of the war room, glad that it had been made in such way to disable listening in, he asked for Damian to join them as soon as possible from one of the men stationed outside.

"You asked to see me, my Lord," Damian spoke, clicking his heels smartly. He inclined his heat toward the others in the room but he looked at Phillip.

"I hope you don't mind me saying this, but it is a sad day when I trust more the leader of the Evil Queen's kill squad than my own men." Phillip offered a chair at the table to the man with his hand but the soldier remained standing at attention.

"Not all are capable of loyalty, my Lord," Damian said firmly, making Rumplestiltskin smile in approval.

"Are you loyal to me, Lieutenant?" the Prince asked, intrigued with the hard man's previous answer. It did seem strange for one everyone considered an assassin to talk of loyalty and honor.

"In a roundabout way, sir, yes, I am." Seeing the inquiry in everyone's faces he continued. "I am, first and foremost, loyal to Queen Regina. As she had aligned herself with the Savior, when she left, my loyalty went to the White Knight. However, with her dead, I am loyal to her cause, and for the moment you are part of it, therefore you have my loyalty, my Lord." The meaning behind the words was clear as well. The moment Phillip went against Emma's wishes, Damian would turn on him. The Prince could not blame the man for his candor. With approving nod, the Royal invited the lieutenant into the newly formed war council to help plan for the eventual attack and dealing with the spies among them. At Rumple's enthusiasm, the Black Knight suggested clearing the forest near the gate, making it less possible for someone to sneak in or out, and they could use the wood for kindling. With everyone contributing on the acting plan, it was finally devised, before they all went their own ways. The former imp asked for the soldier to wait for him and his loved one.

"Did Emma know of your allegiance?" Rumple asked after telling the man to walk him and Belle to their room.

"There was no need for her to know. Most people are uncomfortable around us, and perhaps our open affiliation with the Savior would make things more difficult for her than necessary." The soldier replied evenly but dutifully. "But, make no mistake, each one of us would give our lives to save hers, or follow her orders, for in our minds, the Queen's True Love is the life of the Queen herself. And, with the Savior dead, we have failed our Mistress, and our lives are forfeit until we can redeem ourselves. If that means being the guard of Prince Phillip, then, so be it." The soldier inclined his head and left them at the door of their quarters, Belle watching in awe after him.

"He will redeem himself soon enough," the old man remarked before entering their room.

The next morning denoted a start of a very busy time as the people prepared for the siege, and the hard winter. Under Mulan's and Ruby's wary eyes and instructions the larder was quickly filled to the optimum capacity for a month, as each of the good huntspersons worked overtime to haul as much meat they could. Those several days the castle was in a flurry of motion, each person helping no matter their age or ability. The Wolf, the warrior and the True Love couple consisting of the librarian and the former imp had kept their secret, not even talking among themselves about it, for the fear of being overheard. And so they waited, for the next full Moon, for the King Midas's men, for Emma to announce herself to the people…

After twenty minutes of walking over the rubble and unstable rocks in the bottom of the Wolf's Col, Emma reached the point of the second slide, giant boulders formed a tall wall, blocking her way. As the remaining tingle of the Marbh Teine was still too strong, blocking her power, and the horrid aftertaste of the magic apparent in the air, Emma was having a hard time fighting the nausea and itchiness it caused, grinding her teeth she sighed. The Savior would have to climb the ravine to escape the circle of devastation the cursed fire had left behind, and with it the uneasiness the black power evoked in the blonde. And, of course, on the top of the need to climb the steep cliffs, it started snowing out of the heavy clouds.

"Really?" Emma complained as she looked up into the gray sky and the overhanging swirls of dark gray. "Perfect," she mumbled as she scanned for the most probable route up the bluff. To make the matter more difficult, the green fire of death had killed every slight tree and shrub, turning them into dust and ash, making the climb harder and more treacherous. "Well, you did want it the hard way," the blonde spoke out loud to herself, taking off her backpack. Despite the falling snow and the rising gale, her cloak would be more of a nuisance on her way up than actually protecting her from the weather. Stuffing it into the pack, she made sure to wrap the remaining Firewind into it before closing the flap and tying the laces securely. Then she placed it on her back, making sure that it did not limit much of her motion range. With a deep breath, she rubbed her hands, adjusting her leather gloves properly and stepped forward the first rock on her way up. Thanking the Gods, Emma was pleased that her work on the stones in the Dragon cave had developed her upper body strength, so that she had little problem lifting herself up, sometimes by her arms alone.

Finally, after more than an hour of hard climb, the Savior reached the first ledge of the bluff, throwing herself on the ground, immediately flipping her body over onto her side, breathing heavily, the air escaping her in visible puffs of white mist as she felt the aching strain on her muscles and tendons. Aware that she still couldn't use magic to warm herself or to dry the sweat of her skin, she shook her limbs to heat them up and loosen the ache and started up again, knowing that the exertion of the climb would keep her suitably warm against the freezing wind and rapidly falling snow, at least for a while. There wasn't much of the ravine to go on up, and with the last vestiges of her strength, Emma clambered over the top, instantly pulling the cloak out of her sack and wrapping it around her shaking body, as she sank to her knees, casting her eyes over the edge, looking down. Taking several moments to catch her breath and to ease the pounding of her heart, her eyes skimmed around over the place she had found herself in, taking in the details. The traces of the activated Firewind were evident even up there, the light nauseating buzzing still present, but it seemed that the cursed fire did not do that much damage here as the ledge had been already empty of shrubbery due to harsh winds and unforgiving weather this high. However, she noticed something a bit away from the cliff, hidden among the wind polished trenches and furrows, carved into the stone of the mountain. But the rapidly worsening snow blizzard didn't allow her to see any better. So, after several minutes, when she felt like she could move again, Emma rose to her feet and wincing with every painful step she directed herself forward the blob of color she had seen among the white of the snow and the dull gray of the stone.

But, when she reached the small cover from the piercing gale she stopped in horror, her eyes closing helplessly trying to delete the images now forever burned in her mind. She had done this, Emma knew without a doubt. Rumplestiltskin had warned her about the price of using those things, and often he had said that the price one paid was most times not the one he had imagined. Feeling her conscience get all that much heavier, the Sheriff dropped down to her knees, the joints buckling under the burden of her discovery, the fallen deposits of snow cushioning her legs against the cold hard ground.

In front of her were three men dressed in uniforms of Midas's court, the gleaming shine of their clothes dulled under the hazardous conditions these men had faced in the past, now permanently frozen in the grim clutches of death, their apparent celebration interrupted by the cursed fire. The men had been sitting around the now long extinguished fire, huddled in the protection of the cove, the metal cups still in their hands and laughter still on their stoned faces, the only sign that they had realized their faith was evident in the terror of their eyes, realization too quickly followed by instant death to allow them to change their expressions. The Marbh Teine's destructive power had not been strong enough to vaporize them on the spot at this distance from the point of the origin, but it had been good enough to kill them instantly, their bodies locking into the rigor of death.

Regardless how reluctant she was to come near them, the men seemingly had taken the only available shelter in the vicinity, and unless she went on, in the blizzard and freezing cold to come down to the other side of the mountain, she would have to share her night with them. With the seriously disturbed grimace on her face, Emma entered the nook and immediately felt the loss of the tempest hitting her from all sides with the swirling snow and gusts of bitter wind that went through her clothes. After a quick deliberation and an extensive argument with her conscience, the blonde moved the bodies, disregarding the pain in her muscles, arranging them outside of the shelter, so that they would provide additional protection from the wild snow, reasoning with herself that they were already dead, so they wouldn't mind the treatment. All is fair in love and war, she murmured to herself the age old adage, it doing nothing to soothe her challenged morality. And, if she was to be fair, the men had died celebrating the successful blockage of the Col, ensuring certain death for the peace envoys by the manticores.

Having started the fire, she looked through their belongings, not willing to let it go to waste, and found a full water flask, one undamaged crossbow with a full quiver beside it, several long hunting knives, some clean shirts, two blankets, a spyglass, one well cared for single blade battle axe, and the prize – the somewhat large package of dried meat and cheese wrapped into the protective covering, along with a loaf of unleavened bread, the covering keeping things fresh and unspoiled.

Exhausted, both emotionally and physically, she leaned onto the wall of the shelter, using the cloaks of the men as isolation from the cold hard rock, and eating the food she listened to the howls of the wind, it strangely sounding like the lost souls of the dead, calling out to her. Even though she was tired beyond measure – regardless of the potion she had drank earlier, the great magical feat before and the punishing and grueling climb after, had done their share to her body, muscles cramping and hurting, her whole body aching and shaking from the effort – she could not sleep, the annoying presence of the destructive magic keeping her on the edge. And, with her haunted unconsciousness having new material to torture her with, Emma knew that even if, by any luck, she managed do fall asleep, she would be trapped in the world of her nightmares.

After several hours, when the blizzard had somewhat lessened and the horrific howling of the wind stopped, Emma peaked out of her refuge, seeing that the night had fallen already, some of the stars visible on the uncovered patch of sky in the east. Deciding to take this lull in the weather to scout around for a bit and to stretch her cricking muscles, Emma picked the knives she had found and the spyglass, leaving everything else in the shelter from snow. Under the cover of darkness, the Savior trudged toward the point where she had emerged from her climb hours before, and kneeling down on one knee, she looked down to the open planes of Midas's domain. The spot also allowed her to see the Pass, the main travelling road going through the Mountain Range. Assembling the tool she had brought with her, she then looked around. Nothing to interrupt the silence but the wind, making the place seem somewhat displaced to Emma, who since her arrival to Enchanted Forest had never been truly alone. And here was nothing but the mostly hidden stars and the falling snow amidst the desolate landscape of the top of the particular point in the mountains. The Savior was alone, removed from the world, nothing to bother her, no one to see her, no one to talk to, surrounded by the dark and the unstopping wind. "And, three dead bodies," she said aloud, needing to hear something else but the incessant strong hum of the wind. Even if she screamed from the top of her lungs, her voice would be lost in the howls of the squalls. Here, at the top of the world, the fact that she was alone and that she would be for a possibly long time was driven home, the sharp impact of realization twisting the Savior's insides painfully, gasping breath escaping her mouth, as the drowning dread gripped her mind. Peter's curse came to the front of her memories, only aggravating the panic she tried to fight against. Then, almost unbidden, the memory of her True Love came to the forefront of her mind, her soothing voice filling her ears, as if Regina was standing right beside her at that moment. Remember, I love you. The gentle timbre of the brunette's voice reached into the deep recesses of Emma's panicked mind, bringing the Sheriff out of her frightened state. You are loved, my Knight, and you are not alone. And, you'll never be. Never again. No matter how it seems at the moment. The terror tapered off under the wave of warmth caused by the memory and the safe feeling it induced in the blonde, bringing her to the present, her lips curving into the soft smile, as she allowed Regina's love for her, and her own love for the Queen to chase away the doubts and nightmarish thoughts, as she focused on her task at hand, knowing that she had a duty to fulfill, to her family and to her friends, being the Savior and all…

Brought to the present once more, shaking herself from the morose thoughts of hardships before her, Emma directed her look, enhanced by the tool in her hand, to the far off lights shimmering in the distance. The camp she had been looking for stood on three days of slow walk away from the Pass, much further along their trajectory then Emma and Mulan had surmised judging by the previous movement they had noticed when they had spent their time at the Dragon Caves. Trying to decipher the riddle before her, she watched for anything to help her understand how the people had managed to move so quickly, moving the entire camp. But, the enemy was too far away to see properly into the camp, and the darkness did not make things easier, but Emma's instincts were intrigued with the mystery, instantly warning her to be more cautious in her dealing with Midas. Something was off there.

Then she turned her glass to the Pass itself, and as bad as snow seemed up there where the Savior was, it was twice as bad in the narrow vale of the divide of the mountain range, the road covered with several feet of the white powdery substance, heavy and stickily wet snow hard to traipse through. Any attempt to cross over it would prove long and arduous process, which made Emma glad, for it gave the Safe Haven a little more time to prepare. Unless, Midas had magic at his side, having someone powerful enough to melt the blockage…

Going back to the cover, just in time to duck the steadily worsening snow storm, Emma sat down, lacing her slush laden cloak and pants near the still burning fire. Luckily, the men had prepared for the harsh conditions of the ledge and the eventual terrible weather, the shelter filled with the kindling wood, most likely brought up from the planes. Keeping the fire stoked, Emma took out her new notebook and a quill, settling down on the cloaks, using the light from the blazing flames to start writing down everything that had happened since the moment she had turned the previous diary to Belle. It helped her focus and pass the time as she waited for her magic to return in full, so she would be able to send a message to Rumplestiltskin. As she wrote, often penning down her observations and thinking along with her actions, Emma absently thought of a way to inform her mentor of her, well, success. As the green fire of the Firewind and the frozen death of the men she had found in the nook had made her think of the Dark Lord of the Harry Potter series, an idea coming to her, perfect for the conditions she had found herself in. With a passing thought, she thanked Henry for making her watch the movies several times, and after she had finished with her diary, she wrote down the note for Rumplestiltskin, devising a plan to ensure he was the only one able to read the message, as it contained sensitive information. And, the moment her magic surged to life, she willed her plan into existence, knowing that the old man would do his best with the information he would get from the note.

As there was still time till dawn, Emma used the heat of her nook to take of the clothes along with her black mail and check for tears and damages, staying only in her turtleneck and underwear. During her inspection she noticed the purple and almost black bruises on her lower legs and knees, the pain of them coming to expression only when she focused on the colored patches on her skin. Realizing the origin of the contusions, she shook her head. She had often used her legs and knees to propel herself forward, and to stop her slide when she had missed a step. But the hard leather of her trousers, the ones she had taken from Graham's quarters in the Regina's Castle, and the protective lining on her gloves had prevented the damage from the abrasive surface of the rocks, instead the damage manifesting on the leather of her clothes. With the barely there magic she fixed the scrapes on the protective covering, as she felt the healing warmth envelop her and watched the bruises disappear from her skin and the tightness on her face due to wind burns she hadn't even noticed she had.

She knew that the scent of Marbh Teine would mask the trace of her magic for a while. And by the time someone dared to search the place for clues it would be long gone. But, down below she did not have such luxury and taking into the account that Midas possibly had a magical help on his side, using her magic in the open would lead to her being discovered too soon. Therefore, after she had fixed her clothes and healed her body, Emma focused on locking down her power in order to protect her identity for a while longer. She had thought of disguising herself as someone else in case she met someone on the way, but the effort of maintaining the mask might be counterproductive in the end, so she discarded idea.

After repacking her sack to include the things she had found there, Emma picked her clothes for her travels in the plains. As an afterthought, she pulled one of the shawls she had packed, deciding to use it two fold, as a makeshift cover for her face and protection from the harsh cold winds. Then, she leaned back, thinking she would be able to grab a little shuteye till it was the time to move out. She couldn't start moving until the full daylight because of the treacherous snow, and the twilight of dawn was the most dangerous part of the day to travel in such conditions. After making sure that the fire would be burning for a while, Emma lowered herself down, using one of techniques Mulan had taught her to empty her mind and allow the restful sleep to engulf her.

It was only hours later that she woke, feeling the activation of her spells she had sent to Rumplestiltskin. Opening her eyes, she smiled, knowing without a doubt that the former imp had read her message, as she had, in a moment of her doubt, placed a notification spell to alert her as soon as he activated the letter. With that knowledge she lifted her upper body, leaning onto her elbows and watching the slowly dying fire. She threw another log on it, still slightly woozy from her short but resting sleep. Then she sat up, considering her plan, as she took a bite out of the food, rationing her portion, not knowing if she would find something to eat in the valleys below. After meager breakfast, the sheriff dressed into her clothes, making sure that the mail was nowhere on the skin and that it was safely hidden under the leather top tunic. Redoing the severe bun she had on the day before, as she did not need the hair in her face and the blonde tresses was one of her more recognizable features. Then, came the weaponry. Knowing that she would be trudging through deep snow most of the day, she did not want something hanging of her belt making it harder to pass through the white slush, like her sword, so she left it in the sack, but the long knives she placed at her waist, along with the battle axe, while she affixed the crossbow on the side of the bag, the quiver on the other side, as she had closed the open end with one of the shirts she had taken from the lair. She did not need to waste her time collecting the bolts all over the place just because she might take a tumble. At last, she wrapped the shawl around her face, covering the lower half, and put on her gloves. With her cloak firmly in place over her shoulders, she took the sack and left the lair, a bit startled by the burden's weight.

Having arranged the men into their previous positions, Emma stoked the fire to last for more than several hours, and left the place, throwing the hood over her head and placing the pack on her back. Directing herself toward the gentler slope of the mountain, knowing it was the longer route, but it would take much less energy and quite possibly time to traverse it, than the direct route down that was almost as steep as the cliffs she had climbed to get there.

Although it was day for more than just a few hours, the heavy stormy clouds prevented the Sun from showing up, making it seem a bit strange for Emma, as the skies were dark and light gray while the ground was white and glowing, like an inverted earth. But, it was better that way, the blonde concluded, a she would definitely go blind from the glare of the Sun reflexed of the surface of the driven snow. With a careful step she set off on the trek down, almost immediately sinking to her knees into the white cold powder. Slowly, she walked through the snow, almost used to the sensation of the ground giving way to her feet. It was much harder than she imagined, and she was aware that it was taking her too much time, time she did not have. Demoralized, she sat back into the snow, needing rest from the burden on her back and demanding steps through the freezing slush sticking to her boots and leggings. Leaning back on her sack, she swore under her breath, wishing for a snow mobile, as she looked around with a desperate need to find something that would help her come down the mountain. Angry and frustrated as she was she considered summoning something when her eyes passed over something to her left, above her position, directly underneath the nook she had spent her night in. Swearing again for missing to search such an obvious place, Emma lifted herself up and with a grunt managed to climb to the black bundle wedged between two rocks, the wind keeping most of the snow off it. Throwing herself to her knees, she tugged at the package, liberating it from its hold. Quickly she unwrapped it and gasped at her discovery. Ask and you shall receive… Of course, she thought to herself sheepishly. The men had known the conditions of the range and probably had known that it would snow heavily and had prepared accordingly. In her hands was a long and wide polished wooden board, its front curving upwards. "A sleight" Emma whispered in awe as she pulled the board out of its cover. If she hadn't known that the all the fairies were in the town of her world posing as the holy sisters of Blue's order, she would've thought that this was a wish of hers that they had fulfilled. But, as it was, it was just dumb luck that Emma had seen the black cover of it wedged in the snow before she had moved farther away.

Judging the length of the board, Emma saw that it could hold three kneeling men somewhat uncomfortably, and for one of her it would be perfect, as she would be sitting, with her legs in front of her. Unwilling to break with her feet, she pulled out the long knives out of her belt and placed them aside, as she folded the cover, making a cushion out of it. Taking her place, using the black material as her seat, she fitted her feet against the curve of the board, keeping her knees slightly bent. After she made sure that her sack was fully on the board, no part of it hanging of it, holding the knives in her hands by the thumbs, she used her fingers to move the sleight, giving it sufficient push to start sliding down the slope.

At first, the board moved slowly, only inching down before it started gaining more and more speed, till the moment it was hurling down the mountain at neck breaking speeds, making Emma attempt to slow it down by digging in the knives in the snow, leaving deep burrows behind her, until she managed to decelerate to more acceptable and maneuverable speeds. In the end, it was a very enjoyable ride, the easy movement making the blonde feel light and filled with wonder and glee of a child in winter as a blithe chuckle escaped her lips, lost in the rushing air.

But, as she came closer to the foot of the mountain the sparse trees of the wintergreen forest became more and more dense, making maneuvering the sleight a perilous and hard business. Emma pulled up, after narrowly missing the collision with the tree that had been in her way, knowing that it was too dangerous for her to go on in that manner. So she rose from the board, somewhat reluctant to continue on foot after spending hours on the easy mode of travel, but she knew that time was of essence and squaring her shoulders she went on, away from the mountain, following the general direction of her slide, trusting it would lead her where she needed to go.

She trekked through the forest that slowly changed into one made of deciduous trees, the changing colors on still remaining leaves giving way to the heavy snow covering the branches. There was very little snow on the ground, the earth covered in leaves and frozen mire that cracked under the Savior's boots. It was early evening when she heard something else but the butt of her steps over the ground and creaking of branches under the weight of snow and wind.

Stopping immediately, Emma waited for a bit, for the wind to bring again the sound that had startled her, scowling at the raspy and garbled tones she would recognize anywhere. Judging the position of the creatures that talked, not caring if there was anyone to hear them, she turned to the different direction not willing to engage the trolls if she did not absolutely have to. But the wind kept bringing the snippets of the conversations that easily reached her ears. We caught it… Going to eat tonight… Feast like kings… She pitied the poor animal that those creeps had captured. Watch out for the horn… Emma continued walking away wishing the wind to stop calling her back with such taunts, but with each snipped of information her decision to stay away was crumbling under the weight of her compassion and her disgust of the dark creatures. However, she managed to stay on her course, until she heard a sentence that stopped her in place, her blood first running cold with surprise, then hot with the surge of anger and hate toward the brutes, making her turn on the spot and start running in the opposite direction, toward the trolls. "Have you even eaten a unicorn before?" she had heard in the wind, and she simply could not stand for the noble creature of magic to suffer such fate, rushing to its rescue.

Coming closer to the group, she took off her bag, untying the crossbow and placing the quiver on her hip, as she readjusted the sack on her back, unwilling to part with it, even if it would mean that she would be less agile in the fight. She would rather perish in accidentally struck Firewind then allowing one of these creatures skimping away off with it in their possession. Hidden behind the fallen log, she loaded her weapon and glancing over the rough bark of the log, she aimed at the troll closest to the beautiful chained beast, felling him down in a blink of an eye. Notching bolts quickly, she sent them off into the enemies' bodies, dropping them down easily, her surprise attack catching them unprepared.

"It's Her Grace," she heard in the frantic cries of the decimated group, as she stepped on the downed wood and continued firing at the gruesome creatures. It seemed that Regina's play had worked on far larger scale than any of them had expected, she thought with cruel smile coming to her lips, hidden underneath the shawl. Or was it because of her fighting skills show weeks before when she had saved the hunting party of the Safe Haven? It did not matter how they had known her – despite her cover, or how the name had spread, as no one would be left alive to tell the tale after this, for the Sheriff could not afford the word of her survival reaching Midas and his associates before she was ready. Bolt after bolt flew off her weapon, and when every one of the thirty trolls was on the ground, she lowered the crossbow, her heart grim with such act of destruction, even though her body still experienced the head of the rage toward the ugly creatures, now bleeding on the frozen ground of their camp. Jumping of the log, she walked slowly toward the struggling magnificence in form of gray noble horse with a golden horn on top of its head.

It was trying to dislodge the heavy ropes and chains wrapped around its legs and neck, the rattling of the metal bonds loud in the sudden aftermath of the slaughter. The chains kept it tied between two huge trunks of tall trees, with no free space to move forward or backward, able only to tug on the ropes. Neighing in outrage, the animal never stopped struggling, propping itself and shaking the head, with no effect, only damaging the fair coat of its body by the chafing ropes, tingeing it pinkish stripes of blood. Looking Emma with suspicious eyes, the unicorn followed her progress over the bodies of trolls.

However, suddenly, as she was about to pass by one of the felled foes, the downed creep moved, swinging the curved blade of the dagger, sticking it deep into Emma's thigh right above knee, missing the bone, bud doing enough damage on her leg, bringing the blonde down to her knee in a howl of pain. Nevertheless, before the troll could smirk in victory, the Savior took out one of her long knives and entrusted it into the troll's chest, killing him on the spot as the last garbled breath of the enemy brought out black blood to his disfigured mouth. Removing the blade and wiping it off the clothes of her victim, she replaced it at her hip. Then, she pulled out the dagger from her leg, instantly noticing the acrid smell whiffing off of it, making her close her eyes in defeat. No good deed, indeed, goes unpunished, she thought bitterly, as she came to her feet, grunting in pain, already feeling the effect of the poison, mixed in with her blood, as the colors swam before her eyes, light flashing and the ground rolling unsteadily beneath her, followed by heat waves, making her lower her shawl to ease her breathing. Unsteady on her feet, she limped toward the unicorn, hissing with each move, the bloody poisonous dagger still in her hand. When she noticed the renewed agitation of the four legged creature and realizing the cause of it, she threw it away, lifting her empty hands toward the noble animal. "Easy, boy, I mean you no harm," she spoke soothingly, as she inched toward the unicorn.

Still watching her with untrusting eyes, the pale beast allowed the Savior to touch him, ready to attack at any sight of trouble. Emma chuckled at the familiar behavior, reminding her of the certain Queen, as she removed the chains and ropes holding the unicorn in place. "There, boy, you are free," she murmured with a suffering smile, as the excruciating fire engulfed her leg. Going through the mane of the beauty before her with her gloved hand, she patted the flank of the animal gently, stopping in front of the unicorn. "You see, nothing to worry about," Emma added, stepping away from the now free creature, her hand going to the profusely bleeding wound, before she swallowed the bile caused by the nausea of the blood loss and poison cursing through her veins.

The dagger had nicked the artery that now was pushing out the precious fluid, and coupled with the effects of the poison, Emma was now feeling faint as well. Out of it for mere moments, she had not noticed the approach from the unicorn, as the pale beast lowered its head down to Emma's feet, startling the Savior from her haze. "No need for that," she mumbled, uncomfortable with the fact that the majestic creature was bowing down to her. But when she saw the point of the horn touch the deep wound, Emma gasped at the intrusive and cold feel of the horn and the warm pulse of cleansing magic emanating from it into her flesh. Immediately feeling better, Emma herself bowed to the creature, her right hand going over her heart in gratitude and appreciation. A lick to her face and a happy chortle were her only reply, and smiling she watched the silver unicorn disappear among the trees of the forest.

After checking the wound, she saw that it was still bleeding, but it was only a trickle so she bound her leg clumsily, deciding to wait until her resting place for the night to deal with the wound in more thorough manner. Picking her bolts out of the dead bodies, she searched the camp, and finding nothing of interest, she moved on, directing herself to the nearby hill, as she heard the worsening grumble of the wind, announcing another snow blizzard. Quickly, ignoring the pain, Emma rushed toward the hill she had seen earlier, on her way to the trolls, deducing that it would have some kind of a niche or a hideout against the weather, a grove or a cave good enough for her to seek shelter inside.

Just as the snow started falling heavily, the Sheriff stumbled upon a cave, large enough for her to walk inside without any problem, the mouth of it twice taller than her, and wide three times as that. Without much thought, her leg still bleeding, she jumped inside, taking herself away from the icy wind that had picked up in the previous minutes. Leaning against the wall of the cave, she took off her backpack, and slid down to the ground, closing her eyes. Faint and weak from the loss of blood and hard run under her burden, the Savior only sat there for several minutes, gathering her strength and waiting for the whooshing sound of her adrenalin heightened pressure to leave her ears. As it eased away, she noticed a light buzz crawling over her skin that she had felt in only one place before. Cursing herself for her stupidity, and her upside down day, she reached for her knives, breathing deeply, gathering her courage, her fists clenching around the hilts of the fighting blades. But before she could rise a booming voice filled the cavern, freezing her in place, the deep timbre of the voice making the rocks around her vibrate.

"It is very unwise to enter the habitat of your prey with your wound still bleeding, Knight. The scent of blood gives you away, among other things." A heavy body moved around, hidden in the dark but Emma knew that it was very close, as her skin crawled with the feel of the danger surrounding her. But, the blonde had not expected the creature to speak, and especially not in such manner. It gave her some weak hope that the other inhabitant of the place could be reasoned with.

"You are not my prey," Emma answered, her voice trembling with weakness of her body. And, it was possible that the Fates weren't so cruel to let her escape one certain death only to thrust her into another.

"Hmm," the creature murmured with interest, the very stone vibrating with the power of its voice. "Then, why are you here, Knight?" The voice seemed to reverberate in the blonde's brain, as well as in the cavern, appearing as though it was coming from her mind as well as from outside of her. She had read about this effect of the species, and only very powerful members of the kind still held such ability.

"Shelter from the storm," Emma whispered back, feeling the strength gained by adrenaline vane, as she relaxed and released her hold on the knives, helpless to stop the hilts slipping out of her weakened palms.

Again, the large body shifted, scuffing the walls of the cave, as the creature came closer to the Sheriff, sniffing around her. "Who are you?" the beast asked with interest. But, without giving Emma time to answer, it went on. "Your clothes reek of Marbh Teine and the flesh of my kin, among many others, and yet there is a fresh mark of unicorn magic upon you, as well as the stench of troll blood." Closer and closer the voice came, getting softer and softer as it grew near, almost turning gentle. "And, you are not of this realm as you are so young, untainted by Rumplestiltskin's Dark Curse, and yet you have seen the true Darkness. You bear its mark upon your soul." Emma noticed the use of her teacher's name instead of the Queen, surprised by the knowledge the creature possessed, as she had been under the impression that no one had known of Rumplestiltskin's involvement in Regina's vengeance but Maleficent. As well, she was surprised with the information the speaker gleaned just by looking at her. "However, you are born of True Love which is the magic of this world." Now the blonde could discern the shape of her host in the deep shadows of the cave. "You are such an odd being, Knight…" A hum of understanding escaped as the creature came closer to Emma, its large head appearing in the shadowy twilight in the mouth of the cave. The blonde gasped at the sight of the marvelous creature before her, her eyes feasting of the image before her, as she knew that no one had seen this for more than thirty years, and quite possibly even longer. The shimmering gold scales covered the surface of the Sheriff's host, making the creature gleam with iridescent glow in the darkness of the cave, and only then Emma could grasp the size of the creature before her, the largeness inspiring awe and deep seeded fear. The shining yellow eyes focused on her, and the split tongue darting over the line of very frightening teeth. The front legs made an appearance, the huge body following behind, as the beast's huge head towered over Emma, the snout almost reaching the blonde's hair, the soft puffs of putrid breath washing over the woman's face. "You are the one who is supposed to be the Savior," the creature murmured, pleased with the conclusion and moved slightly away, the gravel crunching under the weight of its body.

"I don't like that title," Emma weakly complained, shaking her head at the strange situation she had found herself in. Never would she think that this particular scene would happen in her life, even with all the craziness it usually had. She looked at the giant beast beside her, knowing that she would pass out from the blood loss any minute now, as her vision already dimmed beyond the darkness of the cave, the soft haze enveloping her mind as she sank deeper and deeper in the dark of her unconsciousness.

"Then, what should you be called?" the creature asked gently, with something that seemed like amusement in its voice.

"Emma," the blonde said with impish but weak smile. "Or Sheriff, if needed," she added softly, her grip on her conscious slipping, regardless of her fight to stay awake.

"Hmm, Sheriff," the beast hummed with pleased note ringing out in the tone of the grumble. "The protector of the order," the creature added, the forked tongue darting toward the pale woman, aware of the ailment that the Savior was suffering from. "Judging by the scents you give out, you are the Sheriff indeed." The soft rumbling voice washed over the almost unconscious hero, followed by a light chuckle. "Sleep, Savior, you are safe for tonight," the creature spoke at last, before licking the forehead of the Knight, the touch of it igniting the innate magic in the woman, directing it to heal, as the Savior blacked out, sniffing around the woman. Gently, it lifted its front legs and carefully, minding the claws, reached for the blonde and took her up, moving her from the entrance deeper into the cave, lowering her tenderly beside the burning fire in the cavern hall deep under the hill. Settling down for a long night, the golden creature shifted and brought its tale around its body, and with practiced moves lied down minding the wings, laying down its head on the warm ground beside the woman, yellow eyes idly tracking the rise and fall of Emma's chest, making note of every change in Savior's breathing, pleased that the woman's innate magic was healing her. Along with the watching, the creature contemplated the youngling before it, spending the night in such state, needing no sleep.

Emma found herself in the garden of the former White Castle, sitting on the raised ring of stones, where Regina's prized tree had used to be. She smiled as she saw the green sap already sprouting leaves, rising up, the accelerated growth by the magic evident. Then, she turned away, looking around the place. It was daylight and it was warm, the chill of winter gone. Looking down, the Savior saw her dark clothes in pristine condition, and the released tresses of her golden hair softly flittering in the gentle breeze, the curls framing her face. Elaborate crafted sword hang by her side, the gleaming silver of the hilt nicely complimenting her dark clothes. But that wasn't what brought the goofy smile on her face or the twinkle in her green eyes. No, that particular honor belonged to the woman standing on the steps leading to the gardens from the halls of the Castle. The brunette, dressed in an adorable yet functional and impressive mix of Mayoral and Queen's clothes, the purples and blacks of the fabrics blending perfectly. The dark hair was free, floating down over the shoulders in gentle waves, making her face softer. The chocolate eyes glimmered with happiness as the brunette watched Emma, the lips quirking into soft barely there smile.

The blonde watched with anticipation as the Queen walked closer to her slowly, drawing out the experience. When Regina finally met the Savior, Emma rose and bowed gently, her eyes dancing with humor. "My Queen," she spoke softly, closing her eyes in content as she felt a soft and warm hand on her cheek, guiding her face to the brunette.

"My Knight," Regina replied with a smirk, the somewhat sappy greeting causing the roll of her eyes.

"This is a dream," Emma whispered wistfully, the sadness of realization piercing through the happiness, making her eyes lose the glimmer instantly.

"It may be so, but that is not a reason to not enjoy it, Sheriff Swan." The reply came whispered in a soft tone, merely a breath on Emma's face, before a gentle kiss took away any possible retort the blonde could have, also making the Sheriff sink into the embrace, suddenly feeling very light and burden free, for the first time in weeks. "Or take comfort in it," Regina added knowingly, pulling slightly away, as her fingers wound themselves into the blonde hair above Emma's neck, leaning her forearms on the strong shoulders, before she leaned in for another meeting of their lips, not that gentle as the previous one, but soul filling as well.

"It reminds me what I am missing…" Reaching for the soft hands around her head, Emma placed her gloved fingers over Regina's wrists, pulling them gently out of her hair and slowly brushing the knuckles of tender hands in hers with her lips, the pleasant and familiar scent of the Queen's skin filling her nostrils. Then she let go of them and stepped away, turning from the woman of her heart, closing her eyes, lest the tears start flowing. "I am not with you. Not with our son. My parents. My friends." The broken voice lowered to the whisper, as the black gloved hand fell to the hilt of the sword. "I am roped into another fight, another injustice, helping the people I've grown to care about, when in all truth I would much rather be with you and Henry." There was no anger in Emma's voice. No frustration. No sadness. Actually there was no emotion in her voice, it sounding cold and detached suddenly.

"Emma?" Regina inquired, her worried eyes searching the reason for the emptiness radiating of the woman.

"You are not here," the Savior spoke firmly, looking over her shoulder. "Not really. You are just an illusion of my mind, my unconsciousness."

"Even so," the dream Regina said coming closer to the Sheriff, her hand gliding up Emma's arm slowly feeling the defined muscles under the clothes and finally resting on her shoulder. Pulling up her body along with the blonde's, the Queen leaned into Emma's back, placing her chin onto the Savior's shoulder, her other arm sneaking around the blonde's middle to the front. "Any dream, you should enjoy it while it lasts," the husky soft tones of the brunette washed over Emma's ear and cheek, making her rigid body tremble suddenly with anticipation and excitement. "You needed me for some reason, and thus here I am, in your dream." Moving the blonde tresses from the skin of the neck, Regina leaned in, kissing the tense cords in the base of the shoulders, humming with pleasure when she heard Emma gasped.

"What are you doing?" If not for the breathless and eager quality of the blonde's voice, the question would seem outrageous. However, Emma remained in Regina's hands, the hot lips on her neck making her will crumble and her reasons flee.

"I am making you forget." Another kiss, this time with a swipe of tongue, followed the statement. "Your worries, your fears, nightmares can wait another day. Now, you are mine." Splaying her fingers over Emma's hard belly muscles, Regina pressed herself into the back of the still reluctant woman, her mouth victorious in chipping the Savior's resistance away, kiss by kiss, until the blonde leaned back into the possessive hold relinquishing her control, if only for a moment. "Let it go," again the whispering breath came across Emma's skin, making it hard for her to think. And, the blonde did let go, deciding to enjoy the brief interlude in her reality.

But, it did not mean that she would be a passive participant in the dream. In a sudden move, the Knight turned around, taking the Queen into the tender but firm hold, her eyes focused onto the molten chocolate ones, as her arms circled the body in front of her, molding it against her own. "I have a lot to forget…" she murmured before taking Regina's lips, her eyes shining with a wicked smile.

Losing herself in the scents and feels of the Queen in her arms, Emma stopped thinking. She sank into the passion of the dream, using it to block the darkness and fears ailing her, even though she knew that it wasn't real but only a dream.

Hours later, the Sheriff woke by the fire in the cavern, jumping to her feet as she became conscious enough to realize that she did not recognize her surroundings. But the grumbling chuckle drove her memories back instantly, the realization of whom her host was making her stiffen, as she slowly turned toward the huge animal's head resting few feet away, the yellow eyes following her every move.

"Easy little one," the beast spoke, not moving from the ground. "That leg of yours is still not healed."

As the reminder of it brought the wound back into her focus, Emma suddenly felt the pain of it, searing through her flesh. Lowering herself down gingerly, she checked the tender spot on her leg, wincing at the garish look of butchered meat. The flesh around the deep cut was inflamed red but much smaller than she had expected. Well, it seemed that the unicorn had half healed it as well as cleansing it.

"Use your magic, Sheriff."

"I can be traced by it," the blonde answered absently, worried about her leg. At the scoff of the golden beast she looked up and saw an expression she would be tempted to call amused, but not sure as she had never seen one on a dragon.

"Do you not know where you are?" At the confused look the woman gave, the beast hummed in disappointment before lifting its head up, settling into a more upright position. "We are in the Infinite Forest. The magic of its borders prevents the proper location spell. And no human that grew up here would ever think you that stupid, or that smart to hide out here, as they are avoiding this place."

"The Infinite Forest?" Emma's expression grew more concerned. She had veered off course more than she had thought. All she knew about it was from Regina, and even that wasn't much. She had trapped Charming in it, to prevent him from getting to Snow, and the forest was home to many magical creatures. No ordinary man could leave it, without some magic help. But, the presence of magic was nothing unusual as well, and there was nothing preventing Emma from healing herself properly.

The silence fell on two of them, as Emma took off her pants to take care of the wound, using only small bursts of magic, careful with it as she was in presence of a dragon, while the beast watched her with interest. She did not worry about the possible dangers of being eaten as there were deer carcasses by the wall of the cavern, freshly killed. And, if the dragon wanted to kill her it would have done it by then, so she just went on with her business, projecting calm and self-assured outlook, her hands not straying far from her weapons.

"There is no need to fear me, Savior," the dragon spoke after some time, moving farther away from the fire pit, rubbing its back on the low part of the ceiling. "There is no desire to kill you here…"

"Then, why am I here?"

"You wished for a shelter, did you not? And shelter you have. Do not be rude, Savior, you may find yourself in the blizzard yet!" The threatening snarl was cold and precise, not giving impression of temper but of control.

"Apologies." Emma magicked on her now fixed pants, having been satisfied with the healing progress, then she placed her hand over her heart and inclined her head. "Did not mean to offend. And, the haven is much appreciated." The Savior noticed that the dragon used no first person, always focusing the speech around the blonde, and she tried to emulate at least a bit of such manner of speaking, hoping it would appease the beast.

"Delightful," the word dripped with sarcasm and scorn but nevertheless the dragon settled down. "You are needed in this world, Savior. There is Storm brewing in the West, forcing evil upon the realm."

"Don't you mean north? I thought Midas…"

"He is but a puppet, or a pet on a leash. He has no will of his own." The Dragon grumbled, picking one of the carcasses of the deer. After a sickening sound of flesh tearing and bone breaking that reverberated around the walls of the caves making Emma gulp in disgust, the beast threw one quarter of the hart to the Savior, gesturing toward the fire, the silent offer of meal apparent. While the blonde ignored her rumbling stomach and set out to roast the meat, the dragon ate the rest of it in single mouthful. "Something, or rather someone is using dark magic to uphold their will and it made Ogres flee their home, Trolls to grow more rambunctious and the honest creatures to be hunted and endangered. And, you, Savior, are the only one who can restore the balance, protect the order."

Emma kept her silence, her doubts and suspicions about Midas and the whole affair confirmed by the beast. And, if what she had read had been true, dragons, that could speak that was, did not lie as they would find it very beneath them. Her ability to tell if someone was lying had been spot on since she had started out on this adventure, as she learned to trust her instincts fully. She glanced up toward the golden head hovering in the air, while preparing her food, expecting the creature to continue with the explanation.

"And, for that you will need help," the dragon concluded, before taking another carcass.

"Who do you have in mind?" Emma asked after a while, having finished with eating, wiping her fingers and mouth with a rag she had unearthed from her sack. She did not mind the discussion on the topic of possible allies, especially then as she was alone on this side of the mountain range, facing thousands of Midas' men, along with trolls and other still unknown enemies. And the whiteout outside would prevent any movement on her side, without magic to aid her, and moving with it beyond the borders of the Infinite Forest was risky and reckless. Warm and sated with the roasted meat, she leaned back on the layers of prepared animal skins making her bed, her head supported by her cloak rolled into a pillow as she placed her elbow beneath her head, her eyes directed toward the beast that lounged on the other side of the cave, the roasting fire between them. "And why would they help? Why would you for that matter? I don't even know your name, or what is your stake in this war."

"And, there you are," the dragon spoke with gurgling pleasure in its tone, as if Emma had finally asked the right questions. "It is good to see that you are not as complacent as you seem. Savior needs a stiff backbone in this battle." At Emma's puzzled frown the beast continued, shaking its head. "Your duty as the Sheriff of Enchanted Forest is to question everything and trust nothing implicitly." After Sheriff's understanding nod, the beast flickered its split tongue in the air and hummed, the grumble making the stones around Emma vibrate with power. "As for the help, this war does not concern only the world of Men. The stakes are much higher than the people could ever understand. It is about the survival of magic and the Good of the Realm. With fairies gone and the mines abandoned Enchanted Forest had lost the precious balance of power. And if the Evil prevails, then the life as your people know it will be over, as they would be slaves to the new order. If they survive, that is. Anyone borne of magic would be exterminated and their flesh and blood used in powering the magic.

"Namely, us," Emma added, comprehension dawning on her face. She did understand the implications of such rule. No dwarves, no Wolves, no unicorns, and the last, no magical people such as her and Regina. "How do you know this? Did your kind foresee it?"

"It is a misconception. We do not have the gift of prophesy, Savior. But we can read the currents of Present just well." Then, the beast sighed heavily. With a slight shift of the huge body extended its front limb, talons creating a dull sound on the soft ground of the cave. "The war is upon the Realm and it will be devastating. And you are the one to play the main part in it."

"Great," the Savior answered churlishly, rolling her eyes before she turned to the side and leaned her head against her palm, elbow placed on the rolled cloak, looking at the dragon. "How do you suggest I fight it?"

"The storm will last for more than a day. You can rest and plan for your next move here until it passes."

"And you, will you help? And what can I call you?"

"Help will be offered. As for the name, it is Argh Grahwiethparagah." The sound that the dragon made pronouncing its name sounded more like a roar that the actual name and Emma blinked in confusion not even willing to try to repeat after the beast. After several seconds of stymied silence, the dragon chuckled deeply, a light stream of white steam puffing out of its nostrils, making Emma groan as she realized she was the butt of a joke. "Ah, humans," it murmured with glee, before turning its head toward the Savior, the yellow eyes focused on the slightly bewildered woman. "We do not use names or even need them. In a clan we communicate differently, having another way of singling one of us out. And as we do not mingle much with men, especially when they hunt us, the names are superfluous." Then the dragon blinked, its head swiveling in front of Emma. "But you may address me as Guardian."

"Guardian?" Emma repeated softly, not ignorant of the fact that it was the first time the dragon spoke of itself directly.

"The reason the stakes are high for my kind in this war," the beast spoke softly, the gentle rumble barely heard over the crackling of the fire. The dragon moved quickly, much faster than the creature of that mass ever should and pivoting around, it directed a stream of fire in one previously hidden passage, illuminating another huge cavern, showing row after row of human sized round shapes in different colors, the scaly shapes reminiscent of Easter eggs. Eggs! The Sheriff, having jumped to her feet at the sudden move of the beast, peaked into the cavern, careful not to cross the line formed by the creature's tail, now understood the title of the golden beast, awed by the picture she was seeing. There were more than fifty eggs, and the once nearly extinct race of majestic beings would rise from the ashes.

"How long until they hatch?" the blonde asked, careful not to make any sudden or threatening gestures, peaking into the cave, the wonder obvious in her voice.

"A month or two, depending on the gender." A sharp claw with talons gleaming in the firelight reached for the blonde, encircling her middle gently and the beast directed the Savior toward the fire and her previous position, the silent message clear. The Sheriff was not to come close to the eggs, under the threat of death, or at least serious disfigurement. It may be that they had something akin to alliance, but the beast did not trust the Savior with the future of the entire dragon race. The flustered blonde nodded, after she gulped in fear, the feeling of the monstrous killing tools still making her skin tingle, as she realized that the gentle hold on her had probably been the way how Guardian had transported her from the entrance deeper into the cave. "Now, to more pressing things." The dragon placed itself at the entrance to the secret cavern and lied back down. "As soon as the blizzard stops, you will go to the West from here. There you will find a small camp with twelve of so people. Be careful they are not human, and it would be too soon to the Moon time to walk the forest after dark."

"Wolves are alive?" Ruby would be pleased to know, Emma noted to herself.

"Few of them, yes. Midas had hunted them almost to extinction, along with several other Royals. They only survived due to Queen Regina's edict of protection of wolves within the borders of her kingdom." Then Guardian looked at the Savior with amusement in the yellow eyes. "You are familiar with the Children of the Moon?"

"My friend is one of them."

"Ah, yes, Red. She is quite famous, especially after the war with the Queen and the curse." The dragon grumbled in reminiscent way and scratched the front scales on its body with the upper left claw, the sharp talons making screeching sound over the hard layers of dragon hide. But before the Savior could ask any more questions, the beast continued on with instructions. "The Wolves, as you call them, will not trust you or even be friendly to you. But, they hate Midas and his allies more, so if you present them the opportunity to fight back, they will accept it. Then you would need to leave the forest and go South East, to the shore. You will need to pass the plains of Midas's kingdom, but at the very edge of it is a small, seemingly abandoned mine."

"Seemingly?" Emma asked, listening carefully. Then she nodded as she understood. The dwarves would be in hiding and why not in a mine, a place they worked and were born in. "Never mind."

"After you would have secured the help of the mine dwellers, you need to go to your friends."

"How will I cross the great distances without magic?" For if her calculations were correct she would need to pass more than a thousand leagues, and in several days, at that. Even horses would not be much of a help there. And, she did not suppose that her host was offering itself as a mode of transportation, nor did she had in mind to ask, for she wanted to remain very much alive, and the book on dragons she had read all those days ago had stated that the creatures of power and magic were immensely proud beings and did not cater to the whims of humans.

"Oh, you will be using magic. It is time to stop hiding."

"But, I will be discovered," the complaint came almost instantly but a mighty roar interrupted Emma from finishing the sentence as the beast launched from its place and pinned down the Savior, the talons digging in the soft pebbled ground, the blonde's arms pinned underneath them, while the lower part of the Sheriff was pressed down by the gold covered belly of the creature, the weight only enough to keep her immobilized and not crushed. Surprised by the sudden attack Emma's control of magic slipped and the white light escaped her hands, the power of it doing nothing to the magical being, as the grunt left her lips.

"Are you a coward, Savior?" the creature roared, the dangerous teeth snapping uncomfortably close to the terrified face of the blonde as she was almost suffocated by the putrid smell coming out of the creature's mouth. Swallowing the bile rising up, Emma only managed to shake her head, afraid to speak. "Enchanted Forest needs a leader, a hero to lead them and bring them to victory. How can you do it from the shadows, Sheriff? How can you be the beacon of Good if you keep hiding in the darkness?"

"I made a promise," the Savior spoke softly, her voice breaking as she whispered, her eyes linked with the yellow ones above her. "That I would stay alive and come home. I will not break that promise."

"Even, if your choice will condemn thousands to gruesome deaths?"

Emma blanched under the piercing gaze of the wise eyes, the full impact of the truth hitting her hard. No, she could not just stand aside and let the world burn just because she wanted to see Regina and Henry again. She would never forgive herself the deaths of her friends, the innocent people caught in the war, and she could not pay for her life with the blood of so many. As she did not speak, out of shame and guilt for even thinking about abandoning the good people of Enchanted Forest, the dragon sniffed at her, the forked tongue touching her forehead, before slowly moving away from her. The creature did not add 'I thought so' out loud but the loud scoff and shaking of the giant head portrayed the point quite well. Emma closed her eyes in defeat and sighed, feeling her eyes tear up at the violent storm of feelings brewing inside her. The need to run and disappear was harder than ever. Let someone else deal with this, a voice screamed in her head. Let others figure this out. Let others die for this cause, you've done enough. But, her conscience and stubbornness kept her in place. If she ran, then she was neither the person her son loved, nor the person that had Regina fallen in love with. If she ran, she would betray her entire family, her friends and the innocents of Enchanted Forest. It has to be me, she spoke firmly to herself in the recesses of her mind. I am the Savior, the chosen one to do this. And, anyway, someone else may get it wrong.

"You are right." The Savior's voice was still shaking but the firm edge of conviction could be heard in it, as the blonde rose slowly to her feet, dusting off the dust from her clothes.

"Are you prepared to lay down your life for the cause?" the dragon asked softly, as much as it could. Seeing Emma nod, albeit with some hesitation, the creature showed its teeth, and the Savior was surprised to think of it as a tender smile on the beast's face. "Your willingness to live is not a weakness, Sheriff. It will help you plenty in the future, preventing you from acting foolhardily and recklessly." The wise words reached the blonde and they gave her a measure of peace, however small, as she bowed her head in comprehension. "And, do not fear the magic, as you will be taught something that will aid you in your fight. Call it a contribution of the dragon clan."

"You will teach me?" Before she managed to prevent herself from bursting out the question, Emma's lips spoke, the surprise of such statement obvious. But the dragon only chuckled in response and murmured something that Emma could not quite catch. The next thing she felt was a soft pulsing in the air passing over her, the slight shimmer visible as the magic became tangible. At the motion of the claw the Sheriff understood that she was to sit down, closer to the beast this time and without any doubt or hesitation, the blonde crossed the cave toward the golden creature and lowered herself right in front of her apparently new teacher.

"Before we actually start, you need to learn about the magic and for that you will need to understand the dragons. But, first, just listen." Guardian watched the Savior and noted the respectful expectation of the story, as the woman sat in the Indian seat, her knees serving as support for her elbows. "Long time ago, before the humans walked the land, five creatures were created out of the ancient magic that some called the True magic as it was the most powerful of all. First there were the dragons, made to scour the skies, protectors of the heights. Then the unicorns came, to roam the lands as keepers of the forests. Next came the fairies, guardians of the innocents. Yaoguai came next, the creatures of fire, bent on destruction and devastation, presenting the balance in its form. The fifth creature however did not materialize as others did. It couldn't because it was not of the physical world but of more subtle nature and it didn't show until much later. No, it waited for the suitable moment, hidden in legends and in hearts of lovers. Now, you can guess what the fifth creature was?"

"True Love," Emma whispered with awe, following the story with ease.

"True Love. As it was the most powerful of all things created out of the True Magic, the nature found a way to stop its procreation, and it was bound to appear only when two people loved each other in such deep way to accept the other fully, without reservation, their connection binding them for eternity as their souls, hearts and minds became intertwined in such ways that often the lovers could communicate through just a look or touch, no spoken word needed. As for the rest, the each creature created each line of the magical beings, able to pass on the remnants of true magic to the next generation in different ways. Dragons and unicorns were born of their parents, fairies were created out of the magical dust that was suffused in the lines running deep in the earth, and Yaoguai reproduced by splitting, the mother becoming two daughters that grew on and split next, the cycle of birth continuing. And as long as the five representatives of the True Magic lived on, the balance was kept and the future of entire land was safe.

In these times, the dragons flew freely, exploring the world, enjoying their gifts, furthering their knowledge stored in their own blood. Through their search for the discoveries, they learned of the Mind Speech, the ability that only the more powerful clan chiefs had, the ability to communicate with someone through connecting their minds, as the thoughts became one. The most powerful dragons could impose Mind Speech on others without the ability, or even by force, especially on the weaker species such as humans and animals. Later, it was discovered that all the powerful individuals of True Magic had this ability, but it was appearing most often in dragons. Along with Mind Speech, the dragons discovered the abilities to manipulate their inherent magic, projecting it outwards.

But the times changed and this became the world of humans, while the other creatures had to fight to remain in it, more often choosing seclusion than outright conflict with humans. Some appealed to them, presenting as the paragons of Good earning their place as guardians of the weak, listening to wishes of children and lost people. Others were elevated to the sacred beings, often admired from a far, but more than enough times hunted for the inherent magic in their horns and hair. Some were viciously brought to the brink of extermination because of fear they inspired. However, dragons chose to fight, laying waste to the settlements that were brought up on their feeding grounds, destroying their food supply and poisoning the water with their filth. In retaliation the protectors of the skies rained fire from above, trying to teach humans a lesson, the lesson that not many learned. But, soon armies and heroes were dispatched to deal with the pesky little problem of the lizards occupying their space, successful in their wars, decimating the clans, one after one, for the glory and honor." The dragon's last words were spoken in such scathing manner that Emma felt cold shiver running down her spine. It wasn't like she could not empathize with her host. The history of her own world provided many examples of the same atrocities committed in the name of progress and glory. Holocaust and the Trail of Tears were only some of the black marks in the history of Land Without Magic. Saying nothing, she watched the creature settle down before continuing on. "One of the last of dragons was killed by your own father, at the will of King Midas."

The Savior froze, connecting the dots from stories she had heard from Snow, David and Henry as they had depicted the heroic acts of Prince Charming to the history that Guardian was telling her. Suddenly she saw the other side of the stories, questioning everything, just as she had with Regina and her history, not relaying on the public opinions of the Evil Queen. Opening her mouth, she tried to find her voice, to say something, anything, that would make up for the past, but she couldn't think of anything.

"Just as well. My son was driven mad by loss of his entire family, sinking into the dark rage of revenge, losing his reason and control. Death was a mercy compared to his life." Guardian said absently, shaking its head in memory of a wild dragon.

"Your son?" The information made Emma's heart clench.

"I bore him, I watched over him and now I mourn him, as I stand here as the last of my kind."

"Last?" Emma jumped to her feet, her hands gesturing wildly. "But the eggs…"

"They will not hatch in the world of darkness. I will not allow it." The determined mother and Guardian of her kind stood in front of Emma, firm and unmoving, uncompromising on the future of her entire race. And the blonde understood her completely. And, there was the reason why Guardian was helping her, because Emma was her last hope that her kind would survive.

Emma passed her fingers through her hair she had released from the bun several hours before, in frustration borne of expectations laid on her shoulders. Then in a moment of pure suicidal whim she turned toward the gold covered beast and spoke. "I killed a dragon too." After she spoke, she understood why she had done it. Something in the tale didn't add up.

"There was no dragon left to kill, Savior." The dragon answered kindly, not believing that the woman did do as she said. She did kill something she considered a dragon, but after her son, only Guardian had remained. "Unless you count that wretched impostor leaching of on our magic as one of the dragons. If you did kill Maleficent, then all the glory to you." The light tone brought Emma back to her previous position as she watched the beast look at her with amusement. Her silence was the prompt for the dragon to continue on with the story telling. "There is something that is very important for you to learn, Savior. Something that must guide you in your quests. Creatures of True Magic are neither essentially Good nor Evil. We just are. The choices that we make paint us not our origins. The Fairies decreed their own code, claiming to be on the side of the Good. However, somehow Dragons and Yaoguai are casted as Evil without much explanation. Beware of prejudices, Savior. Do not let them sway your judgment."

After Emma took the warning to her heart, the beast continued telling the blonde of the magic of the dragons and their discoveries, teaching her how to use her own as well in more advanced manner because Emma was indeed one of the Five borne of True Magic, and by Guardian's telling she would be the most powerful one as her creation defied the natural laws of balance, as the magic had never been intended to transfer to the second generation. But, in the times of need and danger, the nature itself ignored the laws, creating the means of keeping the order. And in this case it meant Emma, as the only sorceress borne of True Love. The Savior grasped that the dragon was teaching her intricacies and levels of magic that not even Rumplestiltskin knew, or even had been aware of and applying herself fully to the workings, she learned quickly. And, even her own learning had been explained by the dragon as Guardian told her that the magic was making everything easier on its host, and that it was a little known aspect of True Magic, because it insured the beings borne of it to survive longer. Simply put, things she was shown once she mastered in minutes.

Hours after hours, Emma learned, making breaks only to eat and relieve herself, Guardian proving to be an excellent instructor in magic. It was then that the Savior learned the origin of her truth detecting super power, and supposedly all pure blooded True Magic creatures had it. Then, the beast urged the blonde to work on her forms with the sword in order to keep her body practiced as well as her mind and magic. As Emma went through the moves, the dragon continued teaching, forcing the Sheriff to divide her attention, often asking her question that the answers needed to be deeply thought out by the blonde. Only when it seemed that a two whole days had passed, Emma stepped up to the mouth of the cave, surprised to see the snow still falling, in dense flurries making it impossible to see two feet forward. But, the Savior noticed the slowness of the snow falling, making her investigate the magic surrounding her. As Guardian had taught her only hours before, she delved into the spell, learning its details and goals, chuckling when she realized that this particular magic invocation slowed the time passing, the two days in the cave being only a half a day in the outside world. Just as well, Emma considered, as she had a lot more things to learn from the mysterious mother.

At the morning of her departure, Emma shared the last meal with her host, sitting in silence as she watched into the fire, lost to her musings, the incredible amount of new things she had learned swirling around in her mind. She had no doubt that it would help her in her fight. As the time for leaving grew near, the blonde rose from her seat and walked toward the beast that in days she had spent in the cave learned to call friend. "It is time we part," she spoke solemnly, reaching up with her ungloved hand, the sensitive fingers gently touching the scales covering the forehead of the dragon, as she looked into the yellow eye focused on her. "It has been an honor, Guardian. I hope I do not disappoint you."

"Stay true to your heart and you will not," the dragon spoke warmly, feeling hope for her clan's survival for the first time in a long while. Then Guardian watched the Savior pick her things up, and walk out of the cave, setting out to her journey proud and mighty. And, as soon as the Sheriff cleared the mouth of the cave, her scent disappeared replaced by the slight tinge of her magic, teleporting away to her next destination. Closing her eyes, the dragon whispered softly "Good luck, Sheriff," before turning toward the eggs in her care, hoping that her tutoring of the hero would be enough to ensure victory.

Following the instructions, Emma appeared close to the camp of the Wolves, not coming too close as she did not want to give the wrong impression to the hunted species. Making noise with her steps on purpose she directed herself to the most open approach to the forest keep, keeping her gloved hands in front of her, her palms outward as she walked through the snow, the crunch of the frosted white powder heard in the silence of the forest. After several minutes she noticed that she had picked up a trail, several of people from her quarry closing in from behind as she walked to the village. As she knew from Red, the Wolves in the village probably already could hear her. So she continued on, steadily, not moving her hands as she smiled to the escort that grew larger. Guardian had warned her that humans from the plains hunted the Wolves and one appearing in their midst would be received with mistrust and animosity.

"Children of the Moon, I come bearing you no ill will, humbly asking for your help!" Emma spoke when she reached the outer skirts of the village, not entering it for it could be misconstrued as an attack and with the beginning of the Moon Time the Wolves were bound to feel edgy. With an errant thought about Ruby passing through her mind, as Emma missed her friend, she watched a large, fur covered man walk out of the village and stalk toward her, looking at her with scorn and danger written all over his gruff face. In the distance, the man reminded Emma of Graham, but the Wolf leader was bulkier and taller than the previous Sheriff of Storybrooke.

"Not many humans venture here, stranger." The man spoke in deep tones, his voice carrying in the distance, as he crossed his arms in front of him, his muscles bulging under the furs that did nothing to hide his masculine magnificence. "And those that do, do not survive meeting Guardian," he added after he sniffed the air around her in exaggerated move, his proclamation causing stir among his people, his blue eyes glaring with renewed animosity as he reached for his knife at his side. Not taking it at the face value, Emma smiled, knowing that the Wolves were the ones to supply the dragon with food as Guardian would not leave the eggs unattended. So it was fear and concern that fueled them.

"Not many humans can boast with being the Savior," Emma replied with a cheeky smile.

"The White child," the leader spoke again, seemingly relaxed but his eyes remained cautious, following her every movement, as understanding dawned in him – the dragon was alive, as it was the only one who could have provided the directions to the Savior.

"I prefer Swan. Emma Swan."

"You broke the curse." The confirmation was not needed for that statement so Emma remained quiet as something troubled the leader as he considered his choices, wanting to ask something but reluctant to. Finally, he straightened and with stiffness in his posture he opened his mouth. "The Queen?" he asked softly a worried look passing through his eyes.

"Live and well," Emma answered with a soft smile appearing on her face, lightning up her eyes as well. The man in front of her did not miss the glimmer of affection on the Savior's face and that more than anything else put him at ease with the woman before him. Raising his hand he made a motion that told everyone around them to stand down.

"Glad to hear that," the man spoke softly and offered his hand to the blonde. "My name is Liam."

Emma accepted his forearm, gripping it in the way Ruby showed her, forearm to forearm as it was the way between warriors in Enchanted Forest, and silently followed the man into the village. She looked around and saw that indeed there weren't many of the Wolves left. She had learned that the last of the species was in this village, excluding Red and Granny, and by the looks of it there were only around a hundred of them, the fifth of them children. Everywhere around her were the haunted faces of people that faced persecution every day of their lives, this war threatening to destroy what was left of the kind.

With a touch she stopped the leader in the middle of the village, her face showing the turmoil she was feeling. Liam turned toward her in question catching her shaking her head. "I cannot," she murmured, and stepped back, ready to turn away and displace herself with her magic, but a strong grip on her upper arm stopped her in mid step. Swiping her head toward the gruff man, she saw his determination to keep her there.

"This is our fight too," he said firmly but in soft tone. "Yes, we are few but we want to fight for our freedom. Don't leave us behind." She lifted her palm to his and looked around the village one more time.

"I cannot ask you to do sacrifice yourself as you are already too few."

"You are not asking, we decide our own destiny." Destiny. Yes, that was the word that made Emma to hear him properly. Yes, they did have the right to decide the course of their own kind, and she was not the one to stand in their way. And if they wanted to help her in the war, it was their choice. With a heavy heart, as she looked at the playing children, she nodded before she looked at Liam. Noting the grimness in the tightness around his eyes and the firm set of his mouth, she knew that they had been expecting her, the workings of Guardian no doubt. Looking at the poor village she sighed making another snap decision, her instinct telling her that it was the right one. She gestured to the leader to assemble those that would join the fighting as she would need them to move as soon as possible.

As she left them to it, one of the children took her to the main hut of the village, telling the Savior that she needs to greet the elder. Agreeing, she allowed the child, a youngling of five years, to pull her inside a well heated fur covered shack. Let to the hearth in the middle, Emma sat before the raised chair farthest from the entrance, inclining her head toward the elderly woman sitting in it.

"Ah, child, you seem too young," the woman spoke in whizzing tone, her age betrayed by the shortness of breath and the white spawning off her head. "But your eyes have seen many evils, haven't they?" Emma's only reply was a confirming smile. Both Regina and Snow had mentioned that she had eyes of an old soul, eyes that had seen too much, the shadow deep in them betraying her youthful appearance that she still had despite having reached the thirtieth mark.

After several seconds, Emma almost gasped when she recognized the woman, the errant memory from Regina's past telling her that this matriarch was Althea, the great grandmother of the leader, Liam, and that she had been saved by the Queen Regina herself all those years ago, on the road leaving George's kingdom. The old woman had been travelling with her son, his grandchildren and his daughter on foot, trying to escape the kingdom before the soldiers came inquiring about their sudden disappearances around the full Moons. But they had picked a bad day to travel as the whole garrison in pursue of Prince Charming had happened upon them, immediately demanding to know who they were. If not for Regina's interference, the soldiers would have slaughtered them as they had learned of their nature as the woman's son refused to bow down to the uniformed ruffians in George's employ, earning a spear in his chest for the trouble. Emma's True Love had demanded the soldiers to leave the travelers be, her own knights escorting them to the borders of her kingdom after she had healed Angus, the son.

The old woman seemed to know that Emma had realized something, her dark eyes focusing onto the Savior's face, but before she could ask Liam entered the hut summoning the Sheriff, telling her that they were ready to live. Leaving the man to say his goodbyes to his elder, Emma touched the woman's forearm, and with the skill she had learned from Guardian, she sent out her memory of Regina in Storybrooke, with Henry, as they had sat together at Granny's, talking over Regina's famous lasagna at the welcome back party. As Emma's emotions colored the memory, Regina seemed breathtaking and her smile she had bestowed onto her son glowed stronger. At the startled gasp from the woman, and a squeeze of gratitude on her forearm Emma concluded that her gift was appreciated. So, she left the hut and walked into the middle of the village seeing about fifty ready Wolves.

As they had no weapons to speak of apart from bows and some hand crafted spears, Emma understood that the most they had was the hunt gear, but their hard life had forced them to learn handling other weapons, and her previous decision was justified. As she waited for Liam to join them, she opened herself to the magic within her, pooling it inside her, as she was about to try another trick she had learned from her newest teacher. Not knowing what amount of energy was enough for her next move, she drew much more than she estimated that it was needed just to be on the safe side. When she saw the leader join them, she gestured him to stand beside her.

"As we have no time to lose, I will transport us beyond the mountain. Does anyone have a problem with that?"

As it was some of the people would have complained about it if not for Liam's hard stare that forced naysayers to keep quiet and fall in line. Not willing to embarrass or undermine the Wolf hierarchy, Emma kept quiet, gesturing the people to circle her as she closed her eyes, listening to the grumbled instructions forever imprinted on her mind, as she activated the magic, careful to envelop every one of the fighting group with the weave of her power, starting the displacement spell, accommodating for the enormous number of people it needed to transport. With a murmured warning, she initiated the power surge and in a blink of an eye they were gone, the usual residue of magic absent due to Guardian's teachings of obscuring the traces of magic, which meant no bluish white mist and no magical flares for anyone watching.

A second later the group appeared in the courtyard of the Queen's Palace, near the armories. As people turned around, watching in awe at the preserved castle from the inside, Liam stepped beside the Savior, noticing her pallor and shaky knees, and with a hand on her further hip he let her lean against him as he looked at her with surprise and wonder.

"I thought that transportation of more than a few people was equal to suicide," he murmured softly as he watched Emma visibly collect herself. Several seconds later she patted his shoulder and pulling away, she smiled at him with a wink in her eye.

"It is."

"But…"

"Obviously this never happened, Liam. First, no one would believe you, and secondly, no one should even know of such power." Then Emma stepped away, noticing that the others had already found the open armories and had already begun checking the stock, proving her point that bringing them there was the right decision. "And, here, people believe I am dead. I would like to remain so, for a little while. Can you enforce that with your people?" Liam nodded with absolute certainty and complete authority, making Emma smile in satisfaction. "Alright, rest for a bit and gather supplies before I let you out." She looked up to the midday sky, pleased with her progress, before she split and went inside, rushing toward the Queen's Chambers, yearning for a bath, feeling like she was caked in her own sweat and grime of her travels, never presented with the right opportunity to wash herself properly. Using her magic to lock the door, she enabled the hot water to fill the sunken pool, and as she waited she walked over to the map of Enchanted Forest, removing her clothes piece by piece. It was strange considering it out of the warrior's perspective. In her youth she used to think that it was her against the world, but she never had thought that that might one day become the truth. In all fairness, it wasn't like she was fighting the whole world, but the fate of one was on her shoulders.

Having finally removed all the clothes she slid in the hot water, sighing in pleasure as the tingle of blistering warmth enveloped her. Sinking to the bottom of the pool she went through her freed hair and rubbed her skin hard with the soft sponge that had waited her at the edge of the water, where she had left it the last time along with some soaps and oils. After she was satisfied with the result of the dip, she vanished the water, wrapping herself in a huge towel as she sat beside the roaring fire, letting the blazing flame to dry her hair as she opened her notebook and started writing down everything that had happened since the mountain top, penning down the reactions she had about the unicorn and the dragon, keeping the format of the journal – as she was talking with Regina herself. Using the trick of slowing time, she used the time to go over everything, chronicling each part. Then, after she finished with her memoirs, she walked toward the bed, seeing several books beside it, some of them were books of poetry, similar to the one she had entrusted to Rumplestiltskin. Picking the most promising one, she dressed and repacked, tying up her hair in a loose ponytail, not willing to deal with the complicated and severe bun that was giving her headaches after a while. Reattaching her weaponry she unlocked the magic of the quarters, striding out purposefully, the bat of her booted feet reverberating through the abandoned halls of the castle.

With the last of the knives sliding into the sheath at her waist, she walked out in the yard, her poise commanding and unchallenged. As soon as she left the building her eyes fell on Liam who was directing others to form up, having heard her coming. After two hours of rest and suitable armament, the rag tag band of shifters looked more like the fierce fighters that they were than the poor displaced hunters. Each man and woman of the group carried knives and bows, not willing to burden themselves with heavier weapons. Emma watched the Wolves gather round, taking each face, memorizing it for later, so she wouldn't mistake them in the struggle. There were four lieutenants in the group, all answering directly to Liam, as he was the clan leader, and with a bit of snooping she learned their names, keeping quiet about it, as she wanted the effect of surprise and omniscience to follow her.

At last, Liam approached her with two of others, the top lieutenants she surmised, two powerful women, one dirty blonde, the other brunette, both having their hair put in small braids decorated with black leather twines. Roma and Callie, the Savior had learned during her previous muster of the Wolves. As the three shifters came close to her, Emma directed them to the watch post on the wall away from others. While they hurried to climb up, the Sheriff directly transported herself up, not willing to race with the Wolves who were faster and stronger, and leaned against the breast high wall, looking out at the white covered forest, remembering what it used to look like in the fall, as she had walked through it with Regina.

"Savior," Liam spoke softly as he walked up to her, the two women right beside him.

"The population of Safe Haven has been moved to the Charming's Palace. I believe you know the place," Emma spoke glancing toward the leader pointedly, before she looked away, her eyes focusing on something in the distance. "There you will look for a friend of mine, a Wolf named Ruby. Here she is known as Red."

"Red Riding Hood is your friend?" the blonde, Callie, spoke in surprise before Liam silenced her with a clack of his tongue. Emma looked at the woman, reminded how her friends and family were somewhat of legends in these parts, and the mild amusement as well as annoyance rose up in her, almost making her say something flippant like : Yeah, and the Evil Queen is my True Love, but now was not the time.

"She is my godmother, actually." Oh, well, it couldn't be helped. With a light chuckle, the Sheriff turned toward the others, her elbows on the wall behind her and sighed, before she continued on with her instructions. "You are not to speak of me, telling her only that you have a mutual acquaintance. But, before you reach the castle, you will need to hunt, as the castle is low on food and they need to be able to endure the most likely siege. Venison, mutton, rodents for all I care, but there must be meat."

When Liam nodded in ascent, Emma went on waving toward the sky. "Tonight is the first night of the Wolf Moon if my calculation is correct." Another nod from the Wolves confirmed it for her. "And you will run tonight?"

"Yes, we are much faster in other form and it will take us but a night and day, if we hunt on the way," Liam answered in his gruff voice, pride in his tribe's prowess evident. "Your Wolf, will she be running?" he asked gently, his countenance careful as he did not want to offend his newly appointed leader, for the Savior was indeed the leader of the forces of Light and Good.

"I suppose, she likes running…" Then she thought of something. "If you happen upon her during the Moon, she would be probably accompanied by the woman warrior of the Empire," Emma warned the shifters, her tone hard enough to deliver her order of not harming the woman. The deep blue eyes of the tall man glinted with understanding and there was no need for additional confirmation that her words would be heeded. With a small gesture of her hand, she dismissed the women, needing a word with Liam alone. After assenting nod from their direct superior the women left the wall, joining the others in the courtyard. "Can you carry things with you?"

Liam crossed his arms in front of him, watching the blonde Savior that only reached his shoulders. "Aye, we mastered the magic of transformation. That what is on us shifts as well as our clothes. It is a useful skill to have, especially if we travel under the Moon."

"Indeed," Emma sighed before raising her hand that had been empty only moments ago, a metal flask, large as her hand with a swan on water engraved on one side that she had created seconds ago, but using the dragon magic she had summoned the ingredients inside. "I need this delivered to Belle. She will know what to do with it."

"Belle?" Liam asked taking the flask with care, it seeming heavier than it should have been as he placed it in a pocket of his fur cloak.

"You will find out who she is soon enough." Then the Savior turned away with a heavy sigh, seeming tired, even though she had grabbed a few hours of sleep in Guardian's cavern. The shifter leader suddenly saw a vulnerable side to the blonde hero, quite surprised that the woman would allow herself such luxury in front of strangers. But, also he could feel the power streaming in her, the amount of it lying dormant in the woman making him on edge, even more than the regular full Moon anxiousness. Never before had he felt such power, and he had been around Guardian and other powerful beings, sorceresses and witches, the Queen one of them. He knew without a doubt that the hero in front of him was not to be pushed or tested, or even questioned, and that she was able to assert her authority with a simple glance or a scoff, although she did seem somewhat mellow. One of his Wolves had asked him in the village why they should follow someone who was weak without the magic to help her, and he only cuffed the insolent pup, his own authority enough to cull the dissent. But, he had a feeling that they would need more show than just his orders because the pups around him did not see the innate strength and power in the woman before him, and he sensed that Swan was aware of the fact, for she was now looking at him, her eyes scrutiny his face, waiting for him to make a decision. There was a knowing glint deep in the green, and he bowed his head, understanding that she had heard and felt the doubt among his people. It was a shame for him as a leader that he could not command their complete loyalty. Suddenly warm leather was on the gruff beard covering his cheek, lifting his head. He looked and saw the Savior holding her hand on his face, absolving smirk on her lips. "It is a time of fear and doubt," Emma spoke softly, her words sounding wise and forgiving. "I will prove to them that I can find my own way without magic, Liam." And even before she finished speaking, she was gone, the wind carrying her last words as she displaced herself down in the yard.

Indeed, she had heard the dissent among the shifters and it was only a matter of time before Liam would need to fight to establish the control over his people. The often outburst of questioning demands and inquiries, as well as doubting looks directed her way only spoke for the fact that she would have to earn their respect before sending them away to fight her battles. If only we did this before my bath, she remarked wryly to herself as she took off her cloak, her move drawing the attention of the crowd. Next came her weapons that she had put on not an hour before. "It has been brought to my attention that you do not feel that I am capable enough to demand your loyalty," she spoke clearly as she took off her belt and baldric leaving all her things on a convenient bench beside the wall. "Now, I am offering you to challenge me."

"You have magic," one of the people yelled back, a man in his early twenties, just leaving the puberty, his overconfidence obvious from a far. As the people around him grumbled in agreement, Emma only smiled.

"Yes, I have magic. But, I promise not to use it during this match. I give you my word as Savior."

"And we are supposed to just trust you?" the man said crossing his arms in defiance.

"Kenneth!" Liam growled from behind the Sheriff in warning, but the man could not be deterred. "I may have a solution," he offered quietly as he waved Roma forward to bring something. The brunette placed an upper arm bracelet made of white and yellow gold with runes written over it into his hands. He offered it with respect to the Savior who smiled in recognition.

"The suppression cuff," she said softly, as she took the intricate detailed piece examining it with her covered fingers.

"It is said that it would suppress any form of magic not just that of a Wolf," Liam volunteered as he watched the people in the yard settle down, agreeing to the compromise. Then he blinked when Emma hummed in amusement before she placed it on her arm, feeling the binding effects of it instantly. It was similar to the suppressive chains Pan had used on her and Rumplestiltskin in Neverland, and she wasn't about to bring up how that particular piece of magic had fared.

As Kenneth seemed pleased with her compliance, Emma directed her eyes toward others. "Weapons?" she asked simply.

"No, hand to hand," Kenneth spoke pushing to the front, taking off his leather jacket, showing off his impressive washboard abs. The blonde boy had a close cropped hair and hard hazel eyes that tried to pin her but she only smiled at him satisfied that such move made him bristle. Agreeing to hand to hand match she walked to him and carelessly placed her hands on her hips, smirking at him daring him to strike first.

And attack first he did, lounging at her, hoping that the brute force was enough to defeat her but his attempt proved fruitless as she moved out of his reach making him rush beside her, not even managing to graze her. Rubes had taught her the essentials of the fight with a werewolf and she was using it now, using agility and speed over strength. With an angry growl Kenneth stalked her and directed a roundhouse kick to her head which she simply ducked, again stepping outside of his reach. Move after move, she avoided contact making the pup tire out and grouse more and more. "Fight back, damn it, this isn't a dance!" he yelled at her after another near miss.

"No?" she asked impishly crossing her arms. "And here I thought it was strange there was no music…" The poke was directed to piss off and it did do its job, the youngling roaring in frustration and jumping to her, unleashing a fury of kicks upon the Savior that Emma deflected successfully, the sounds of blows reverberating of the stone walls. Growing bored of the show, the Savior quickly ended the fight by throwing down the man and knocking him out with three surprisingly fast moves. Walking away from him, she dusted off her hands and looked over the others. "Any more volunteers?"

Some of Kenneth's friends jumped in but before Liam could interfere she allowed all three of them to come at her, dealing with them in the short order, one after other ending on the hard ground near unconsciousness, not using a drop of her magic, her experience with the forms Mulan had thought her along with Regina's fighting tips serving her well. Then for the sake of posterity, she challenged Liam's lieutenants to fight her all together at once. After all they were best of the best and victory over them would silence any disparaging comments of her prowess in fight, but she knew that was not the true measure of leadership, but the young pups had not yet learned that, but she had a feeling that the firsts of the tribe did know that particular lesson, and with a warning look she dissuaded them from throwing in the fight they were likely to surrender. She would win this fair and square.

And she did win, the poetry of her motions awing the people watching her, the whispers of admiration and respect going through the crowd as they dissected every action and reaction, every block, swipe and duck was followed with a surprised exclamation or wild cheering. However, each new maneuver was executed in more and more brutal and malicious way, with the goal not only to repel and disable the attackers but to hurt them just for the pain. Not five minutes passed before Emma was the only one left standing, her posture stiff and cold as she dusted off her clothes, her expression marred with satisfied gloating smirk that covered her face like an unfitting mask. Then she found Kenneth in the crowd, sitting on the ground held up by his fellow and taking off the suppression cuff she walked toward him. "Have I earned your loyalty?" she asked loudly, her voice brimming with terror inducing quality, the question not only for the boy but for the entire group as her eyes pierced the pup on the ground with such a cold and menacing glare. The loud cheer greeted her, unanimous and boisterous confirming her status as the leader, while the boy was watching her with apparent fear in his eyes because he had noticed her eyes flashing with the pale magic.

Throwing the gold jewelry to Liam, not even looking to see if he caught it, she crouched before the boy and extended her glowing hand, grabbing him by the throat. The weird thing was, no one moved to help him or to protest in her treatment of him. She realized that the Leader of the pack – and she having beaten most of the greatest fighters the group had certainly qualified – had absolute authority and punishment for disobedience and disrespect was at her discretion and if she decided to kill him on the spot, no one would challenge her or stand in her way. Repulsed by such blind compliance she clenched her jaw and pulled the man in her clutch to his feet her hand sending a burst of healing magic into him, repairing the damage she had done unto him. As soon as she was finished she released him, watching him fall onto his knees and stepped away, not liking the disgruntled looks she was getting from the people, disappointed that she hadn't killed the man in front of them. As her cold eyes passed over the crowd, she saw that not many were brave enough to meet her look. Actually none of them were, especially those who had expected her to slake their desire for blood shed. Scowling at them she scoffed in disdain and turned away, needing to move from them, disgusted.

"Nice group of savages you have here," she groused at the chief as she passed by him, the sarcasm dripping of her in spades, and for the first time since he had become aware of himself, he was ashamed of his kinsmen, for he had noticed the bloodthirsty looks as well. Then, Emma grabbed his arm, and a jolting pulse of power forced him down on his knees, her anger flaring up. It wasn't that she lost control, but she had a point to prove. "If I hear about any of your charges bothering the villagers without proper and reasonable provocation, I will flay all of you alive." The iciness of her threat and the firmness of her voice was heard all over the courtyard even though she did not speak louder than a whisper, making the man in front of her shudder in fear, along with every other living being in the castle.

Getting a terrified nod in return she scoffed again and waved toward the gates, making them open, the heavy wood and steel creek and clang in the movement, interrupting the stunned silence. The gesture was clear, they were to leave and not wanting to infuriate the Savior even more, one by one, the Wolves picked up their satchels and weapons and left, while Liam staying behind for some reason, waiting on her to say or do something else.

Closing her eyes Emma sighed, closing herself from the magic, feeling the edginess abate a bit, taking off the sharp tension of her anger. After a moment of clearing her mind she knew why she was particularly – well, evil, at that moment. The magic of the cuff was doused in blood magic, the blackest form of sorcery, the form even Regina enacted only in great need, as the price for it was too terrible. Also, the cuff had been suffused with samples of Wolves magic, with each generation of bearers leaving something of them in it. As it was too soon to the Moon nights, the magic itself was vibrant with violence and ferociousness of many Wolves. Ordinarily, it should not affect her but her own magic was nothing of conventional and as such it was able to and did interact with the cuff, the viciousness of it clouding her ability to control herself. She still felt the vile taste in her mouth of the dark vestiges of the suppression spell and it made her stomach roll as she swallowed hard. With a flick of her wrist a bottle appeared in her hand and dealing quickly with the cork she chugged down a large portion of the beverage, the tangy taste of wine masking the pungent scent of magic.

She walked toward the table that held her things and leaned on it, fearing that if she hadn't she would have collapsed on the ground. Doing her best to hide the tremor in her hands she focused on Liam. "Get rid of it," she spoke, her eyes directed at the gold in his hand.

"It's a family heirloom!" the man complained weakly, his hand clenching around the object, as he directed his eyes at the pale Savior.

"It is a monstrosity." Emma did not shout or even demand. She spoke evenly, the truth of her statement more poignant and he understood that her unexpected behavior toward him was a direct consequence of the cuff. "It's brimming with evil, Liam. And every time one of you uses it, it gets stronger." She looked up at him, her eyes finally showing some traces of warmth. "This isn't the way." Good god, she sounded just like her mother in that moment, the imploring tone of her voice and softness of her gaze included! Shaking her head at herself, she saw Liam nod in surrender offering her the bracelet back. But she only waved her hand, creating a small wooden box, not unlike those Regina had used to make for hearts, and opening it, she indicated to Liam to place the object inside. At her insistent look, the Wolf leader lowered the cuff into the chest, his face betraying how painful it was for him to pass on this piece of family history. With the loud click, Emma closed the box and magicked it away, removing the temptation of snatching it back. Then she summoned a gaudy piece of jewelry out of the royal treasury, quickly transforming into a similar type of cuff, only now the gold bracelet had an inlaid swan surrounded by the edges reminiscent of a shape of a heart. Having infused it with the suppression spell of her own, Emma offered it to the man in return. "I hope this can serve you well."

The man accepted it with a small bow and placing it on his upper arm immediately, he turned toward the gates, looking at his people waiting for him. Then he glanced back at the blonde, inclining his head in greeting before he stepped away, walking toward his band. He did not say anything but his eyes had promised allegiance to the sorceress in the castle the moment he accepted her gift.

As soon as he left the grounds of the castle, the gates closed with the ominous thud, the shimmer of magic flowing over them, sealing them to all but the Savior. Liam looked back one last time before lengthening his stride to catch up with his lieutenants. When he reached them he quietly but firmly relayed his orders, making sure that everyone knew not to talk about Emma Swan. Every once in a while he would reach up and touch the cuff on his arm, thinking about the woman who had given it to him, as he had realized that she somehow had known that he was well aware where King George's castle was, giving him no other directive. The Savior sometimes had looked at him as if she had known him, reading his emotions better than most of his kinsmen. Also, the satisfied and happy, but surprised look that lit his nana's face was a sight he had not seen since his father had died some years before. However, the village elder had refused to share with him what had made her smile in such way, telling him only that the young woman had been the chosen one, the leader, and that he had owed her the utmost respect and fidelity. And, he could admit now, after many doubts and reluctance he had had since the blonde had showed up in their patch of the forest that the Savior was indeed someone he could, and most certainly would, follow, even though he hadn't known her for long.

Directing his wolves onward, Liam devised a travel plan as well as one for hunting. After brief consultation with his lieutenants he took his position at the front, starting a long and hard trek toward the Charming's Castle.

Emma, on the other hand, decided to stay in the castle for a bit longer. Still rattled from the encounter with the blood magic of the shackle, she wanted to remain in a place that gave a barely there sense of security, hidden under all the memories and feelings the castle invoked in her. The quiet moment of perhaps not peace but relative content did a lot to settle her down and help her regroup. Although she did not show it as much with Liam, the dark power of the cuff and the subsequent effect on her had done much to disturb her, as she was unused to such feelings from her own body. Yes, her memories provided the examples as she had Regina's history in her head, but to actually do something dark like that and with not much of a control over it… It shook her composure, and it shook it hard. She knew the warnings both Regina and Rumplestiltskin had been sprouting, about seductiveness of the dark side, but to actually feel that power and its pull – it was daunting and yet exhilarating. And the abilities she had developed under Guardian's training only allowed her the easier access to such type of magic. But, the encounter with the blood magic of the cuff had its benefits. No longer would Emma be surprised and unprepared to deal with such kind of power, helping her not to stray and seduced by the easy attraction of the dark magic.

With slow steps, Emma walked toward her favorite part of the Palace, the garden, using the time to plan her next move. She remembered the dragon's instructions well, but she had been feeling the urge to join her friends and every moment that she spent away only made the incessant feeling that something was wrong grow further. But she had promised Guardian that she would ask the dwarves to join her, and that promise she would fulfill.

As she reached the slopes of the garden, she walked to the shoot of the apple tree in the circled stone wall. Looking at the small sprout of greenery, protected from the elements with her magic, Emma summoned her things, the memories of her vivid dream doing much to settle her down and prepare her for the next step of her quest. And, then with the last look at the symbol, in Emma's mind, of Regina's new life and the love they had, the Savior blinked out of existence, leaving the dark palace void of people once more, the sudden hum of protective wards falling over the place.

Following the directions she had received from her True Magic tutor, the Sheriff appeared in a small ante-cavern of a fairy dust mine, prepared to meet the rambunctious crowd of dwarves, upset for disturbing their peace and home. Or, at least distrust and contempt, as the mine workers probably desired to be left alone. But, she honestly expected that with some convincing and talking, she would be able to gain their trust and get their support. After all how hard was it, as her mother had the unwavering trust of the seven dwarves? Perhaps, the blood connection to Snow White would garner her much needed negotiation points.

But that was not that welcomed Emma as the magic of her transportation finished her displacement. No, it was the silence that greeted her, filled with barely there sounds of labored breathing echoing deeper in the mines. However, that wasn't the reason the Savior felt the hair on her neck stand up, and her instinct flare up, making her draw the long knives out of the scabbards at her waist. Nor it was the way the entrance doors were barely hanging on their hinges, the scorch and force marks marring the surface of intricate carvings of the ancient wood. It was the scent, so vile and revolting, that caused alarm for the Savior. The deep, pervasive rancid scent of blood, cloying the air with unexpected yet sickening sweetness. And with it the scent of decay of the flesh, not yet in the advanced stages, but present enough to announce the grim truth. It was the smell of mass slaughter, Emma knew from many memories of deeds of the Evil Queen. Emma herself had not been awake for the aftermath of the Neverland fighting.

With caution, Emma walked slowly toward the entrance of the large hall of the mine, careful not to make a sound with her boots on the gravel and stone, her eyes and ears trained to catch any movement. After she had reached the high decorated door, she peeked inside, slowly shifting her weight forward, ready to jump back at the first sign of movement or trouble, expecting to see gore and horror inside, and already preparing herself for the worst. But, even with all the preparation she had did a double take at the scene before her.

The first thing she saw was the permeating crimson and rust of the blood painting every visible surface of the hall. But then she started to recognize the shapes, the gruesomeness of the sight making her already unsteady stomach to roll. There were bodies and bodies, haphazardly lying in all that blood, most of them torn apart, the limbs thrown aside, each new body part adding to the horror of the scene. There were dozens and dozens of bodies among the ruins of a former hall, Emma realized, and quite possibly more. But, when the Sheriff approached the closest of the victims, skipping over overturned table and broken silverware, she noticed the traces of magical burns on the corpse as well. As she walked through the large hall, her eyes glancing over the carnage, she looked for survivors, as she also scouted the place, the relatively short training she had received from Graham about entering the premises of a crime kicking in, as well as her honed instincts to never leave herself exposed, the situation forcing her to turn off her emotions lest they overwhelm her. She knew that the images of this slaughter would join so many others in the library of her nightmares, but for the moment she would be in control and helpful, trying to deal with this catastrophe, leaving the emotional consequences for later.

Suddenly, she heard a rustle from the front part of the large hall and rushing off to investigate, Emma saw that one body part of many was moving, the leg covered in blood, and other things the blonde refused to think about for it would certainly make her lose what little of composure she had left, was shaking. Quickly, Emma put away her burden, banishing it to the anteroom, as she knelt down, digging into the pile, moving away the obviously dead, in order to get to the apparently the only one dwarf that had lived through the massacre. Finally clearing the body, Emma quickly activated her magic, the healing power enveloping the grievously injured victim, using her hand to wipe the blood of the dwarf's face.

"Please," she heard a soft murmur coming from her patient. "Mercy." But, before Emma could ask questions or even make him open his eyes, the dwarf passed out, welcoming the mercy of the unconsciousness, the healing complete.

At least one of them survived, Emma considered, as she sat down, not even thinking about her clothes or the sticky liquid covering the floor. Her hope sparked with this solitary success, Emma focused her magic, trying to find more survivors by detecting their life force, another trick the dragon had thought her. At first she did not expect to have any success, but soon she was pleased to see that there were people who lived through the massacre. After indeterminate amount of time, the Savior managed to find more alive dwarves, all injured and barely hanging to the world of the living, but alive none the less, fourteen in total. Moving them into the anteroom, Emma created a small infirmary there to accommodate them as she left them to the restorative sleep after using her magic to heal them, while she entered the hall once more, using her magic one more time, to vanish the blood and to order the bodies in rows, giving them at least some dignity in their death. Not willing to proceed to the burial before consulting one of the survivors for the funeral rites, Emma placed the stasis spell over them, bowing her head in respect, devastated by the sheer number of bodies lying on the ground. Then, she passed into a small but well-worn stone passage, the obvious traces of wooden door still existing in the ruble beside it, as she lighted a small lantern beside the entrance she walked deeper into the cavern, knowing that the path would lead her to the mines and the dust mill, hidden deep underground.

With nothing but the quiet bat of her steps and the clanking of her weapons as a company, Emma went on into the darkness, the lantern in her hand casting pale light onto the abandoned tunnel, before she emerged into the cavern holding the huge grinding stone and the mill for the fairy dust, not yet seeing the full scope of the area with the barely there light in her hand. After a soft murmur she allowed her magic to manifest as several shining orbs flying of her and circling the room, giving Emma more than enough light to gasp at the destruction before her eyes. The huge mill was lying down in shambles, most of its wooden parts burnt to cinders and the large circular stones broken into many pieces, while the bones of the structure rocked precariously, waiting for the smallest shift in the ground to come tumbling down. Farther beyond the mill were the empty shafts and passages of the mines, abandoned for the meal time, the signs of unfinished work everywhere around, from pickaxes lining the walls to the carts half filled with useless rocks. But, there were no more bodies lying around, and Emma surmised that everyone had been to the front when the attack occurred.

She did not even try to make sense of it, returning to the infirmary, checking on her new charges. Her gut was telling her that this was related to her mission but before one of the living victims was awake, she would not have her answers, and it was quite possible and more than highly probable that she would not have them even then.

Sighing in defeat and exhaustion, Emma walked to a small corner of the anterior room she had set aside for herself when she had summoned the infirmary, setting down. Having discarded the grime covered clothes, magicking them clean again and folding them beside her, the Savior, dressed only in her turtleneck, mail and underpants, took the book of poetry she had brought from the castle, trying to push back the horror of the carnage by the beauty and whimsical rhythm of the written word and intricate use of metaphors and other lyrical expressions, slowly letting her body regain the access to her emotions. It had been a trick she had learned when she had been a child, and had used it much in her life of a bail bonds person, separating her emotions from her actions, putting them away for later. It had been useful in her past when she had needed to act without being overwhelmed with terror or disgust or other similar strong emotion, enabling her to do what needed to be done. But, later, the reconnection would always be something hard and devastating, and she would often be drinking, allowing herself to sink into the haze of oblivion, blunting the sharp edges of the emotions swirling in her.

But, now, she did not have such luxury, for it was not neither the time nor the place to get drunk or to even drop her guard for a moment, so she endured the biting and unforgiving turmoil of her sorrow and fury, mixed with disgust and horror of the slaughter, in silence, hoping in vain that it would not haunt her too much. Forcibly focusing on the printed words of her book under the purposefully weak light of her magic, she read the poetry, whispering softly the words to her chin – feeling the serenity of the rhymes soothe the pain inflicted on her soul, but not enough to make it all disappear.

For hours, she sat there, reading, being a sentry for the fallen and a watcher of the injured, waiting for someone to wake up. And even though she had not slept for a long time, having lost count due to Guardian's time spell, the Savior did not escape into the refuge of the dreams, alert and present. While she passed the time the Sheriff considered the people she had sent toward the villagers of Safe Haven. It was after all the first night of the Wolf Moon and she had sent several dozens of Children of the Moon to her father's palace in aid to the people under leadership of Aurora and Phillip. Hopefully, Ruby would know what to do with them, Emma reckoned, as she turned the page, the rustling of old and musky paper loud in the quiet of the hall.

"Ser Knight?" a voice broke the silence in a soft murmur, making Emma snap her head toward the sound. Quickly, she rose, dropping the book beside her things before she walked toward the pallet in quick strides. "Oh, forgive me, my Lady," the dwarf now spoke, having seen Emma's features in the weak light. He tried to rise, his face immediately scrunching in pain and tiredness, before gentle hands pushed him back on the pallet.

"It is still too early for you to be up," the blonde said gently as she knelt beside the makeshift bed, looking into the still hazy eyes of a chubby dwarf, the green of them offsetting the ginger scruff around his head and face. He seemed young, in Emma's opinion, but she knew not to be deceived by appearances, for unless he had hatched in the year after breaking the curse, he was quite possibly older than her, because the dwarves of the realm are hatched already matured and ready for work. "I healed you but you will feel the aftereffects for a while, I am afraid. Can you tell me what happened here?"

"Healed me?" the dwarf said his eyes widening in amazement. "Not many sorceresses pay attention to us, my Lady." When Emma only shrugged in response, her gesture seeming both indifferent and sheepish at the same time, the emerald eyes focused onto the spring greens and a hand reached up, still shaking in exhaustion. Sheriff quickly caught it and held it in her own, waiting for her patient to speak, as he was want to. "A witch came demanding our dust, but when one of my brothers denied her, she unleashed her monsters on us as she used her magic against us, moving us aside before she entered the mines."

"What did she look like?" Emma asked, containing her need to find out everything immediately, stopping herself from witnessing the attack by looking through the memories of the weakened dwarf beside her. Green, she heard him murmur before he sank back into the unconsciousness.

"Her hair was red, and skin green," another voice broke the silence. Emma turned toward it and saw her first patient leaning on his elbow as he watched her with curiosity in his eyes. "A very powerful witch. And she had her monsters, the flying and screeching creatures with their talons and jagged teeth sharp and devastating." The dark haired dwarf watched his mysterious benefactor move toward him, adjusting his position to keep her in his sights. "She took everything." Even though he was volunteering the information, Emma could sense suspicion in him, not blaming him in the least, not with what he had gone through. "Who are you?"

"Emma Swan. Some call me the White Knight, or the Savior…" Emma spoke already knowing the reaction that would most likely pass over his face, along with the expression of reverence and whatever else, the same one she had met times and times before.

"The Savior," the dwarf shouted in his surprise, rousing his brothers. "How can we serve you, Savior?"

Emma gritted her teeth at the title, closing her eyes to escape the reverence that enveloped the room she was in as the others conscious dwarves started offering their thanks and awed looks, making her highly uncomfortable. "Brothers," she heard from her side. "Brothers, quiet and let the Knight speak." She turned toward the speaker and saw an old and frail dwarf that reminded so much of Doc that she almost called him by the name, but when the elder turned toward her she felt the lump in her throat sink deeper into her belly, as she was hit with the differences and still fresh wounds on his face. It was not Doc and the ghastly cut from his forehead to the chin gave him even more startling look. "Your Highness," the dwarf addressed her gently, inclining his head not able to bow in his pallet. Emma knelt beside him to ease the strain on his neck, her hand easing him down, as she shook her head.

"None of that," she whispered, but her voice spread through the rocky cavern. "No titles or salutations. My name is Emma Swan." The edge of something hard in her gentling green eyes made the obvious leader of this dwarf group nod in silence, his acceptance a guide for others. "I need information," she continued slowly, as her eyes circled the room taking in the faces of dwarves looking at her. But a rough hand touched her palm drawing her attention to the chief beside her, the unexpected skin to skin graze making her narrow her eyes, as she contained the flinch that the touch caused in her. Quickly, the dwarf removed his hand his eyes apologetic as he realized that the Savior was not used to touch.

"Knight Swan," he said making Emma roll her eyes in exasperation, but at least he hadn't called her Savior or Princess. With a smirk on her lips she allowed it, prompting him to continue, as she moved slightly away, leaning against the rough wall of the cavern. "The murmurs we heard speak of alliance between the witch and King Midas, and the pirates of the Endless Seas. But, one of our brothers discovered that she is the mastermind behind the alliance, and that she is the one who forced Ogres and Trolls to plague the Enchanted Forest. Word is that she is more powerful than the Queen, and much more destructive." He looked at the blonde listening him, her eyes focused somewhere in the distance, shifting only when he had mentioned the villain that had cursed them all. But, instead of expected hardening of the Savior's features and anger, or something along those lines, the tired face before him softened for a second, a lovely shape of smile fleetingly touching the lips before disappearing under the unfeeling mask of the warrior. "But, just before she stormed our halls, we've gotten a message that what is left of the Empire has aligned with her."

"Damn it," Emma murmured into her chin, knowing that the warriors of the Empire were among the fiercest in the whole of the Enchanted Forest, and that the army of them before the walls of her birthplace would most definitely make Mulan falter. And the rag tag group of defenders would not be able to endure under their attack for more than days. She was out of time, perpetually on a rushing clock, chasing after new enemies. It seemed that she never had time. But, a tingle of memory came to her, shaking her out of the resentment. "What of Agrabah?"

"No one heard of them after the curse had been broken, but the whispers say that the jinn and genies that survived Jafar's persecution shrouded it in magical barrier shielding it from outsiders." The dwarf that spoke rose from his pallet and stretched his formerly injured shoulder. "They were always suspicious and avoidant of the affairs of the Enchanted Forest, but the relations sharpened when one of the Genies killed King Leopold on the Queen's orders." The dwarf scoffed at the words he spoke. "They would rather watch us exterminate among ourselves than help."

"Tell me more of the witch," the blonde turned toward the dwarf next to her.

"Nothing more to tell. Except her magic was green as well, and the creatures that she used in the attack vied for her attention."

"Yeah," another voice joined in. "She called one of them 'my pretty'…"

"My pretty?" Emma repeated, something of the phrase familiar to her, her instinct niggling her to remember but the meaning of it escaping her. "Well, then fellows, I should be on my way."

"Your Highness," one of the young dwarves called after her, freezing after he realized how he had addressed her. "I mean, Lady Swan…" But the sharp glinting look of the green hard eyes made him swallow hard. "Er, Emma Swan…" he mumbled into his chin, cowering before the stalking woman that approached him, the black of her clothes making her seem as a dangerous cat ready to pounce on blundering mouse. "C-could you f-fix the, the, mill?" the youngling managed to force out, despite the pallor of his skin and the shaking.

Emma passed right beside him and continued into the dining hall, throwing a dark but teasing "Sure," over her shoulder as she allowed her magic to rise once more. A small patter of feet following her she did not mind as she would probably need directions to fix the large construction. Glancing beside her she was surprised to see the offending dwarf trailing after her, courageous enough to brave her company. "What is your name?" she asked gently, trying to ease his discomfort, as he carefully avoided looking the arranged bodies in the hall.

"Cheeky, Emma Swan," the youngling whispered, his eyes directed toward his feet as he worried his hands.

"Indeed," the blonde spoke, smiling at the dwarf guiding him toward the mill, as she placed her hand on his shoulder in light gesture of consolation. "I am sorry about your brothers."

"You saved us. We are grateful. But, too many had died." The short sentences portrayed the true sorrow the young dwarf was feeling and resentment toward the situation that had led him to loose so many of his family. But also, Emma saw a flicker of defiance rise in the youngling, making her heart squeeze in gentle affection toward him. The flex of his shoulders and prideful stance reminded her so much of her own son that she had to smile. Finally they reached the sculpture and the short statured man yelped in sorrow at the ruin. "Fix it, please." Emma nodded and the magic flew out of her, weaving an intricate web of power over the destroyed mill, slowly putting it back together, and erasing all of the traces of devastation laid on the huge tool.

Suddenly, as she was finished, Emma felt her knee buckling, bringing her down hitting the stone surface hard and her hands flew in front of her bracing her from falling further. A burning sensation spread through her body following her own blood, singing her flesh bringing tears to her eyes. Magic. It was a magical warning that she was overusing her own body to host so much magic in it, without proper preparation and time allowing her form to get use to such power streaming through it. She knew that it had been only a matter of time that happened, since she hadn't slept since the first hours in the dragon cave, and since then she had been manipulating extreme forms of magic, forcing herself to trudge on without rest, without pause and it was only so much her body could endure without complaining. And magic was not the answer for everything. She could not only heal herself and continue on without rest.

"Savior," she heard the chief calling her after the pain dissipated. Only then she felt hands on her back guiding her down on the ground. "Savior, can you hear me?"

"Told you not to call me that," she spoke softly, shaking off the stupor that had engulfed her. Shaking off the helping hands she jumped to her feet moving away from the group. Glancing toward the mill, she saw that it was finished, standing there as it had been before, its former look restored. With the satisfied nod, she stalked out of the hall, directing herself toward the anterior room, avoiding the cluster of dwarves relishing in restoration of their main livelihood. She needed to get out, even though her body screamed for a moment of rest. But she didn't have time. And every moment she wasted, someone was dying. Reaching her things, she threw them on her quickly, not bothering with proper alignment of weapons and her bag before she directed herself toward the exit. But in that moment the floating orbs that provided the light for the room extinguished suddenly, leaving her and others in pitch darkness. She froze, feeling the beginning of the panic laden fear creep over her nerves.

No, no, I refuse to give in, she shouted in her mind, steeling herself against her own fear. She did acknowledge it but summoning the memories of her True Love and the children and the rest of her family to shroud her against the darkness swallowing her, she kept the fear at bay. Breathing deeply, she waited for someone to light a lantern or something, knowing that another use of her magic, so soon, would push her into unconsciousness.

"Knight Swan," the chief addressed her gently when the torches were lit. He had seen what the woman had done in the short time she had been with them and, judging by the tired lines on her face, she had been keeping the tempo for several days, and if anything he knew about magic, it was that it always demanded a price. And the girl before him was paying it dearly, if the haunted look in her eyes said anything. He had heard the stories of the Savior child sent away to escape the curse. He also he had heard of the young woman travelling the land with her mother, the former White Princess, looking a way home to her own child. They might be isolated but the whispers of the winds of the Enchanted Forest reached them just fine. The Savior remained behind, sending away her family, a noble but unknown cause pushing her into this war. "Knight Swan, you need rest." Before, he would never dare to tell someone of the Royal blood what to do, or what they need, but this woman, this child deep in the clutches of Destiny and Fate seemed lost. She did seem like the avenging and righteous knight, but the tired lines of her face, the troubled look in her shadowed green eyes and the strained sharpness of her posture spoke of bone deep weariness.

Emma knew he was right. So she nodded almost imperceptibly and taking off her gear she accepted one of the pallets as her place of rest. Using her cloak as a cover, she curled upon herself and closed her eyes, ignoring the worried glances thrown in her direction. The old dwarf left one of the burning torches close to the full pallet, knowing it would provide enough light and heat for the Savior to feel at least somewhat safe to sleep. And with it, he turned around, gesturing to his brothers to vacate, as they needed to deal with their fallen brothers and the mill. Also, they needed to find something to eat.

Sinking into the vestiges of her mind, Emma held the image of her family firmly affixed before her mind's eye, hoping it would help against the nightmares that were sure to descend on her the very second she lost consciousness. But, as she felt her limbs get heavier and loose she surrendered to the torment that surely awaited her, knowing that she needed rest, no matter the price.