Chapter LIX

The Children's Crusade

Author's Note: Still working on format for screen readers. Hearing the previously unmarked POV changes showed me that it can be confusing since the lines do not make a sound on some systems. So I decided to try to GRRM style headings. Please let me know what you think of the changes.

Part I

Henry

Henry leaned against the playground fence. He stared out past the chain links. He had a lot on his mind. His moms, Esmeralda, his grandparents, his friends, Cora, monsters.

As if that wasn't enough, school had changed again, and not for the better. Henry hated it now. Learning about the Enchanted Forest had been pretty cool, at first. Now it was annoying.

Grandma and the other teachers droned on and on about old world this and real lives that.

He didn't care about loyalty, nobility, or royalty. He didn't care about chivalry, religion, or imaginary lines that dead kings fought over. It made him confused, bored, and headachy. It sucked!

Worse, this week they had started to split up the class. The first half of the day they were with Gran-Ms Blanchard, like usual. After lunch and recess, though, things were different. They were split up. Not by boys-girls, or by reading groups, not even by random project groups. The kids who were noble or royal in the Enchanted Forest went to one class, and the kids who weren't went to another.

Henry hated his nobility classes. He hated the kids in it. He hated the teacher. He hated being away from his friends.

He finally had friends, real friends, and they were all in the other class. Like they weren't worthy. Grace was the smartest girl in their grade. Hansel was a math wiz. Aiofe wasn't in his grade, but she was the best sword fighter in the whole school.

It was so stupid! What did it matter who their parents were? What they used to be? He and his friends liked the same games, the same shows, and they got each other. Yeah, they were different, but that meant that when they came together they were better! Duh!

Loyalty was stupid. His Mom called it color-coded stupidity. They all lived in one town now. There were no kingdoms, armies, or crowns. His Mom was right. There were no kings or queens in Storybrooke. No princes either.

Speaking of mom, if either of his moms found out that he was being pulled from the classroom they would be mad. Especially to learn about being better than everyone else. They would freak! So he hadn't exactly told them about it. They were busy and he didn't want to bother them.

His mom had been in the hospital forever. She was home now, but super busy. She was always on the phone or computer with people about fixing the town. She pretended to be okay, but she looked more tired than he'd ever seen her.

His Ma was super stressed out too. She wasn't talking to Grams or Gramps at all. Well, he guessed she talked to Gramps for work, but she hadn't been back to the loft since the big ogre fight. She was always grumpy and tense. Mom had let her put a punching bag in the basement. Ma beat on it every night until she couldn't punch or kick anymore.

He was glad that they were together. His operation had been a success! He should be happy. He wasn't, though.

Henry wanted everything to be normal again. He wanted his Moms to get along with his Grams and Gramps. He wanted school to be normal again.

It wasn't, though. Nothing would be normal ever again. So he was trying to make the best of it, but it really really sucked.

Well, everything didn't suck. He liked spending evenings with his Moms and Esmeralda. Sometimes Granny, Ruby, and Belle came over for dinner. Sometimes Mulan and Aurora came too. Henry liked it when it was just him and his moms. It felt like a real family.

Henry didn't want any more drama. Not at home. Not at school. Not in town. Not at all. If one more thing happened, he felt like he would lose his marbles.

"Hey Mills!"

Henry sighed. Esmeralda said you shouldn't tempt fate, even in your head. How was she always right?

His noble and royal classmates were a pain in the ye olde ass. He didn't want to deal with them. They were half the reason he hated school now.

"Mills!"

Magnus Widmer and his minions were strutting across the playground.

Ugh! Magnus was the worst. He was in fifth grade and a bully. He'd gotten worse since everyone remembered the Enchanted Forest. Magnus had been a duke or something in King Midas's kingdom. Since Ms. Kathryn had been a girl, he was also the heir to the throne. So Magnus thought he was better than everyone and acted like it too. He was a jerk!

His minions weren't much better.

Thyra Larsen was also in fifth grade and the queen bee of the girls. She was Magnus' betrothed (gross) and the second the curse had broken, became his girlfriend. Ava and Grace called her Regina George. At first, he thought that they were using his mom's name as an insult. Then Emma showed him Mean Girls. Thyra was totally a Regina George.

Magnus and Thyra wore yellow arm bands. Magnus' even had a small red crown on his to show how special he thought he was.

Evan Shillsbury, a whip thin second grader, was always up Magnus' butt. He did whatever Magnus said, but wore a red arm band. His family supported King George, but all the noble kids hung out together.

Colin Galanis wore a red armband too. They were in the same reading group and Henry had thought they were friends-or at least friendly. After the curse broke, he'd turned into a snappy, angry boy who refused to do anything in class. Worse, he called everyone who wasn't royal a peasant to their face.

Finally there was Edgar Durand and Charlotte Bauer. They wore blue armbands. Everyone knew that blue armbands meant they were loyal to Principal Weathersby. They were quiet, but Henry didn't trust them. The principal had eyes, ears, and snitches everywhere. Ava said that Charlotte and Edgar were the biggest snitches around.

Of course Henry didn't want to hang out with them! He would rather take a bath in the cannery bait bin.

"Hey, Mills!"

Did Magnus think they attended a snotty boy's boarding school? Nobody answered to their last name on the playground.

"I'm talking to you!"

Henry sighed again. Unfortunately.

The group came closer with Magnus in the lead. He had his chest puffed out and was taking almost-too-big steps. He was trying to act tough, but he looked like an idiot.

When they were close enough that Henry couldn't ignore him, he turned around.

"What do you want, Milo?"

Milo had been his cursed name, and Magnus hated it.

Henry raised an eyebrow like his mom and then planted his feet and cross his arms over his chest like his ma.

Milo had blonde hair, a squashed nose, and led the pee wee hockey team for penalty box time.

"It's Magnus."

Henry looked up and met his eyes. Magnus was taller and heavier than him. He was also stupider.

"No."

His minions all swarmed around, ready to watch and laugh.

"To you, it's Your Grace. Now scurry inside and get your history homework for me."

Not only was Henry not going to call him anything like that, he wasn't going to let him copy his homework. It had taken him forever with his mom's help. Magnus should know it anyway. He'd lived in the stupid Enchanted Forest and Henry hadn't. He wasn't going to hand it over to him.

Henry rolled his eyes. This was so stupid.

"Do your own work, Milo."

Magnus stepped forward into Henry's personal space.

"What did you say to me?"

Henry rolled his eyes and huffed.

"I said do your own fricking work for once."

Magnus balled his hands into fists.

"What!"

Magnus's friends all acted shocked, like he had said something crazy. He was standing up for himself, not declaring war.

The noble kids came closer, cutting him off from the rest of the playground. They were also, conveniently, hiding him and Magnus from the teachers.

"Hey!"

Ava, Grace, and Hansel had noticed something going on. They abandoned their coveted spot on the swings and headed his way.

"Oiy!" Aoife started to stomp towards them from the other side of the playground.

He appreciated that he had friends, but he could handle this himself. Henry held his ground, narrowed his eyes, and thought about his mom would say.

"Did you fall and smack your head on the way to school or something? Do your own homework."

He dragged out the last sentence like he was talking to a confused kindergartner.

"You dare defy me?"

Magnus' face turned red and he actually stomped his feet.

"I am Duke Magnus of Maddigan. High Lord of the East! Master of the Grand Vanguard. Future King!"

Henry stretched and faked a big yawn.

"That was a lot of words, Milo. I'm surprised you can fit them all in your banged up brain. Besides."

He cocked his brow again.

"The teacher would know you copied. I'm on the honor roll and you're about as smart as a brick on a good day."

Magnus puffed himself up and raised his fists.

"You better shut your mouth, you little freak! I may have to call you a Prince in front of the teachers, but your grandmother isn't here to boss us around. You're nothing but a dirty bastard from a disgraced and delusional family. Everyone knows it! You are lower than the dirt of a peasant's shoe. You don't get to say no. Especially not to me!"

Henry knew what bastard meant. Emma had let him watch Game of Thrones with her. She called it educational, and covered his eyes when there was nudity. He wasn't supposed to tell his Mom.

This wasn't Game of Thrones. Bastard didn't really mean anything to him. Family wasn't blood or a stupid wedding ring. It was love.

"Shut up!"

The bastard thing was stupid, but he wasn't going to let anyone talk crap about his family. It was crazy how fast people forgot that his moms had saved the town. Everyone should be thanking them!

He heard the things he'd heard people say about his mom. No one ever noticed kids when they ran their mouths. It made him mad. Mad that people would say mean things about his mom. Mad that for a while, he would have said it too.

Henry was mad about a lot of things. Mad that he couldn't enjoy his recess. Mad that school sucked. Mad that there were monsters everywhere now. Mad that nobleborn buttheads like Magnus thought they were better than everyone.

"Don't talk about my family."

Magnus, and then his entire group laughed.

"Your family? You mean a shepherd, a loser princess who got us cursed, and their grungy jailbird daughter?"

Henry balled his hands into fists at his side.

"Shut up."

Magnus shoved him hard. His back hit the fence, but he straightened back up immediately.

"Or are you talking about your other family? The Evil Queen, The Queen of Hearts, and the Gypsy. I bet you're related to those ogres too."

Fire rose up in Henry's chest. His brain buzzed.

"Screw you!"

He hated Milo. He hated all of them.

"Oh maybe we should talk about the fact that your mommies are gay for each other! Freaking gross! You and your whole family are freaks and abominations. You should do everyone a favor and kill you-

He'd never been so mad in his life. He moved without thinking. One moment he was just standing there. The next moment his knuckles crashed into Magnus' nose.

"I said shut up, asshole!"

Magnus dubbed over and blood gushed from his nose and splattered on the grass.

"Nice punch!"

Aoife clapped him on the back.

"Serves you right, you prick!"

Ava scowled at Magnus.

"The G-word is a slur, you hateful shit. Don't say it again."

Magnus's friends crowded around them. Everyone on the playground was watching.

"You disgusting bastard!"

Magnus straightened up.

"I'll kill you and you're little piss ant buddies too!"

He looked around at his friends and they all nodded. They were about to team up and beat Henry to a pulp.

"Hey!"

Ava jutted out her jaw and squared her shoulders.

"If you've got a problem with Henry, then you've got a problem with us."

Grace crossed her arms and glared at the other group. She and Thyra especially didn't like each other.

"Yeah."

If the noble kids were intimidated, then they weren't acting like it.

"We can handle a handful of unwashed peasants, wench."

Evan stepped forward, ready to fight.

Other kids started to gather around.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Magnus lunged forward and hit Henry with his full weight. He hit the fence and was pinned there.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Henry's face exploded with pain. He tasted blood and he saw gray dots. He was dazed for a few seconds then started to fight back. He knee'd Magnus in the groin hard. When he fell over Henry went down to the ground with him to keep punching.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Hansel had Colin in a headlock. The usually quiet boy had fast fists and his face was set in a furious scowl.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Aoife was kicking the snot out of Evan. She was small but tough. He was lucky she didn't have a sword.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Edgar and Charlotte had already surrendered and backed off when Ava glared at them.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Thyra had Grace by the hair and was trying to pin her to the fence. Ava pulled Thyra off of Grace and kicked her in the butt hard enough to send her crashing to the ground.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

The few seconds he'd taken to look around cost him. Magnus grabbed his sweater and yanked him down and to the side. They rolled in the grass, but since Magnus was bigger, he ended up on top. The punches came fast and hard. To his face, his ribs and his stomach.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

There was a ringing in Henry's ears, it sounded like a whistle. He kept fighting. He scored another hard kick between Magnus's leg.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Suddenly Magnus disappeared. His ugly face and his weight were gone. Coach Jim and some high school kids were separating everyone.

Henry took stock. The pain was distant, and his heart was pounding. His nose and lip were bleeding. So were his knuckles. Hansel's uniform shirt was ripped and he was holding one hand in another. Ava, Grace and Aoife were ruffled but seemed fine.

Magnus was bleeding and limping. He already had bruises forming on his pale skin. His nose was swollen and maybe broken.

Not too bad for a kid who'd never been in a fight before. Henry was proud of himself, but he knew that he was going to have to act sorry in front of his family. Especially his grandma.

Teachers flooded the playground. He also saw Principal Weathersby.

"Aw crap."

Part II

Jim

"We're at the halfway-mark everyone! Keep pacing yourself. Slow down and walk as needed. This isn't a race!"

Jim jogged alongside the teenagers. He was in shape, but he definitely wasn't sixteen years old anymore. Not that he would let them know it. He kept moving back and forth, checking on the little knots of students.

He didn't usually handle high school PE classes, but he didn't mind subbing in. Mike Debo, one of the usual high school PE teachers, was at home with his wife. She'd been one of the many people hurt during the fight on Main Street. She had a concussion, a broken femur, and she'd miscarried their first child. No one begrudged Mike this time. Covering a couple of his classes was the least Jim could do.

Since everyone was a little on edge, they were running. It was not competitive, but it was constant and cathartic. The kids would either outrun their worries or be too tired to fight about them.

For Jim, running was a time to think. He made his best dicisions while running. So he was a little lost in thought when he smacked into a still body and almost fell. The boy, Jim couldn't remember his name, was one of the varsity hockey players and barely noticed. His attention was elsewhere. Jim followed his eyeline and let out a quiet swear.

"Paige!"

Another boy vaulted over the low fence and sprinted to the playground. Josh, Jim remembered his name, was one of Paige's older brothers.

Jim put his whistle in his mouth and started to blow. Then he followed Josh to the playground. A few other kids followed suit. This was already getting out of hand.

The closer they got, the crazier it was. These were his students and he knew them all well. He could not believe they were having a pint-sized brawl in the middle of the playground.

Okay, Magnus was a bully, but he didn't use his fists. Neither did any of his little friends. They were all bark and no bite.

Ava and Aiofe, on the other hand, were scrappers. He wasn't a bit surprised to see them fighting.

Hansel, Henry, and Paige though? Those kids didn't have a malicious bone in their bodies.

Especially Henry. He was a bookworm. A giant nerd. The closest he'd ever been to a fight was watching hockey donnybrooks. He was a scrawny kid, but he apparently knew how to throw a punch.

Jim waded into the mini melee. He and the older kids pulled the elementry school warriors apart. Once he had them separated, it was impossible to ignore the facts.

The kids were fighting along the same political lines that the town was being divided by. Nobles versus commoners. Colors against colors. Pro-Storybrooke versus Pro-Return.

Great. Just great.

Magnus and his parents were pains in the ass. He should know, they were family. He did not look forward to calling them. He wondered if he could talk to Regina instead. She might fireball him but he'd take that over his in-laws any day.

"What do you kids think you're doing!"

They immediately came to attention. A knight's command and a coach's bellow were remarkably similar. He wasn't as intimidating as Jill, but few people were. He was, for lack of better word, the good cop. Cliches weren't always wrong. He and Jill made for an effective and balanced teaching team. Since his bad cop wasn't around, he was going to have to stop being Mr. Nice Knight.

"Someone want to speak up?"

Henry, Ava, Hansel, Paige, and Aoife stood silently shoulder to shoulder, eyes forward. They weren't going to say anything.

The other kids, all noble born, looked to Magnus. They were falling into rank and file like it was a tournament or ball.

"These peasants attacked us, Uncle Frederick!"

Jim controlled his urge to roll his eyes. Any other time Magnus would be snarling his nose up at him. He had been common-born after all. No one in Katie's family liked him.

"They put their grubby hands on us, called us names, and said that-"

"Bullshit!"

Ava not-so-subtly coughed to cover up the cursing.

Jim let the language slide because she was right. He knew it, the kids knew it, it was obvious.

If things were normal, he'd march them all up to the principal's office and let Weathersby sort it out. Nothing was normal anymore, though. Leah had turned into a tyrant. She was one of the royals pushing this feudal agenda onto everyone.

This wouldn't be handled fairly if she did it. This was exactly what they didn't need. Heck, this could be the spark that set the town off like a firecracker.

As if summoned by magic, several teachers and administrators flooded the playground. All the students who'd gleefully watched and cheered on the fight scampered away.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Leah Weathersby, complete with a blue armband, stormed over to them. She swept over the group.

"Fighting! Young nobles should conduct themselves far better than hooligans!"

"I beg your pardon, Your Majesty."

Charlotte Baur executed a perfect curtsy.

"We were attacked and had to defend ourselves. It all happened so fast! We couldn't alert the playground monitor."

Leah looked around the playground and then at one of the many teachers milling around.

"Who was supposed to be monitoring this period?"

Ned Bowen, a second-grade teacher, shrugged. He had a white armband on. Alosia Wagner, the school nurse, shook her head. She also had a white armband on.

Jim wanted to groan, but bit it back. It was now obvious who was both monitor and missing.

"Snow White-"

Theo Riley, whose lips lived on Leah's backside, simpered.

"-Your Majesty."

Jim looked around and finally saw Snow coming out the side door. She'd been inside while all hell broke loose on the playground.

Not to mention that her grandkid had been part of a riot. Leah was going to tear her to pieces. This would not be pretty.

"Henry?"

She jogged over, confused and concerned.

"Hansel? Ava? Grace? Paige? Colin?"

On top of being Henry's grandmother, she was also his teacher. Actually, she had several students involved. On a normal day this would be bad. Now? It was a disaster. This was exactly the kind of thing Katie had warned him about.

"Leah, Jim, what on earth is going on?"

Jim wished he could disappear in a poof of magic smoke. He wasn't a political guy. That was his wife's area of expertise. He wasn't an idiot either. Snow had stepped on a landmine and didn't even know it. Everyone else heard the click, but she was oblivious.

"I could ask you the same thing, Ms. Blanchard."

Leah's voice was ice cold and stung like a whip. Jim wasn't even the target of her temper and he had the heebee jeebies.

"These are your students and this is your supervisory time. Why didn't you stop them? Where were you?"

Snow's mouth dropped open, as if to speak, but nothing came out. Her face went through several emotions. Her cheeks, neck, and ears turned scarlet and her face settled on anger.

"I beg your pardon, Leah. I had to take a very important call. I stepped inside for a moment."

Snow turned to Henry.

"What happened here?"

Damn it.

She could have asked any of the kids. It was like she wanted to make it worse for herself. Forget Regina, Snow White was her own worst enemy, and Leah was going to take full advantage of that.

Poor Henry was on the spot, caught between a rock and a hard place. Would he stay with his friends or cave to his grandmother?

Jim didn't know. Henry had grown up in Storybrooke under the curse. He had been a teacher's pet and mama's boy. He didn't have memories of how things used to be to reference. All this was new to him.

Henry wiped his bloody nose on his sleeve, and didn't say anything.

"Hansel?

The other boy smirked but didn't say a word.

"Ava? Grace?"

The two girls stayed silent too.

"Well-"

Magnus, snotty wanna-be-kingling, piped up.

"-isn't it obvious?"

Magnus had his hand on his ribs and was leaning heavily to his left. He was exaggerating his injuries. There was no way a little scuffle hurt him that much.

"All this Storybrooke Strong nonsense has the peasants riled up. They think they're equal to us."

The little snot was banking on Leah and Snow siding with him. Blue blood was thicker than water, after all.

"I don't think Henry would-"

Snow jumped to defend her grandson. Which was the worst move she could make.

"He threw the first punch, Your Majesty. He attacked me for no reason. I came over here to ask about some homework and he snapped!"

Henry's neck and ears turned scarlet and his hands clenched into fists. He had never been a violent kid. He wanted to say something, to defend himself or call Magnus out on his crap. He didn't. He stayed silent. Smart kid.

He wasn't just smart, he was a genuinely good kid.

They were all good kids.

Hansel and Ava had just reunited with their father. Prior to that the children had been homeless and on their own. They were tough, smart, and older than their years.

Paige was a sweet girl. She was kind to everyone, and only used harsh words with her older brothers. He'd never known her to do anything like this either.

He knew Aoife the best. She was his best friend's daughter. She was full of energy, questions, and brutal honesty. She was a little rough-and-tumble. She didn't start fights, but she'd finish them.

The noble children weren't bad either. Not even Magnus was that bad. He was an annoying little jerk, but not irredeemable.

Many of the nobles and royals in town were trying to bring the old world's feudal system to Storybrooke. They wore armbands and formed mobs. They schemed, plotted, and turned the town upside down. Their delusions of grandeur were infecting their kids. Leah's newest policies were only encouraging bad behavior.

Jim hated it.

"Get all the students back inside. Except this lot."

Leah glared daggers at Henry, Ava, Hansel, Paige, and Aoife.

"To my office. Now."

She looked away from the kids and turned her glare to Snow.

"You and Frederick will escort them."

Leah walked away and Jim sighed. Things had been much simpler when he was just a gym teacher.

Part III

Snow White

Snow had stepped away for five minutes! She'd received a call from Blue. It was important, life-and-death, world-altering business. She couldn't believe a riot had broken out in five measly minutes. They were at an elementary school, not a prison!

She couldn't believe that Henry had hit Magnus. They were allies! Henry and Magnus had always been friendly. They were both directly in line for a throne for heaven's sake!

She trailed behind the children as they trudged to the principal's office. They passed the nurse's office along the way. Snow caught a glimpse of Magnus, his swollen nose and black eyes. Henry didn't look much better. This hadn't been an unanswered assault. This had been a fight and both sides were at fault.

Emma should ground Henry until his eighteenth birthday for this stunt!

The other children stared and whispered as they made their way to their classrooms. Snow knew that all the kids knew what happened, but no one was talking. It was so annoying! Even Henry hadn't explained himself!

Jill Hill was already waiting in the admin office. She knelt down in front of her daughter. Her blue eyes darted over the girl, cataloging her injuries.

"You okay?"

Jill was brusque and direct. Snow couldn't imagine speaking to a child like that.

Aoife shook her head yes.

"Well?"

This time Aoife shrugged a single shoulder.

Communication obviously wasn't the family's strong suit.

"Did you start it?"

Aoife's eyes darted to Henry, then back to her mother.

"No, but when a friend-"

Aoife's eyes darted to Henry, then back to her mother.

"-needs help, you help them."

Since when did Henry hang out with the Hill kids? He knew them, but they weren't friends. Were they? When had Henry started paling around with anyone? He'd always been a bit of a loner. That was why she'd given him The Book in the first place.

Leah's heel-clicks announced her arrival before she came around the corner. Jill started to stand, but Aiofe grabbed her sleeve. Instead of saying something, the girl started to use sign language.

Snow knew a little ASL, mostly the alphabet, but the girl's little hands moved far too quickly for Snow to follow.

Whatever Aiofe was signing, it made Jill's face harden. She stood back up, her posture as stiff as a board.

Jill looked over to Frederick, her teaching partner.

"I've already sent a text to Michael-"

Michael Tillman, Ava and Hansel's father.

"And I'm sure Josh-"

Grace's curse foster brother

"has already reached out to his parents too."

How did Jill know more than her already? Had Aoife signed everything about the incident to her that quickly?

"Everyone inside."

Leah's voice was glacier-cold and finite.

Leah's office was spacious, but with everyone in there it would be a tight squeeze.

"Close the door, Mister Smithson."

For a moment no one spoke, no one breathed.

Leah steepled her hands, and looked at each child. It was like she was willing them to speak. She looked regal behind her large desk. She also looked gravely serious. Like she was sentencing them to the gallows instead of detention.

No one said anything. Were the children too scared to speak?

Leah tried again.

"Mister Mills. From what I've gathered, you were the leader of this little army. Please explain yourself."

Snow locked eyes with her grandson. Now he would finally tell the truth. He would explain what had really happened. Because Snow knew he couldn't have attacked anyone. There was no way that he had started the fight. Henry was a good boy, a prince, a paragon of good just like her.

Henry crossed his arms over his chest.

"I don't like bullies."

The words sounded like Emma, but the tone was pure Regina. Snow suppressed a shudder. She'd never seen Henry like this. It frightened her. He was a good boy!

The Evil Queen's wicked spell, her new curse, was getting stronger every day. It was a nefarious cancer, spreading and destroying everything it touched. This was why her conversation with Blue had been so important.

"From what I can see-"

Leah countered. Her voice was clipped and cold.

"You were bullying Magnus."

Both the Tillman children jerked. It was like they wanted to jump to Henry's defence, but they stopped themselves.

"It looks like you and your-"

Leah's face twisted into a sneer for just a moment.

"-little gang were trying to start trouble with another kingdom."

What?

Snow blinked, confused, and then the realization hit her. Henry was of her Kingdom. So were his friends. The other children were all loyal to their respective monarchs. Had Henry been acting out as a child or as a prince? Why wasn't he, or any of them, wearing an arm band? She knew Aiofe wouldn't, considering who her parents were, but the others? Grace, Hansel and Ava had no reason to like Regina. In fact, they had all suffered at her hands. Why weren't they wearing white? If not for her, then for Emma. Emma was their savior!

"Aoife, Ava, Hansel, and Paige will all be suspended for two weeks."

That knocked Snow out of her own thoughts!

The childrens' jaws all dropped. So did Snow's. With the exception of Aiofe and Ava, none of them had ever even stepped inside the principal's office before. Being suspended for a first offence was unheard of!

"Bullshit!"

Jill stepped forward, laid her hands on Leah's desk, and squared off with her. She had at least a foot and several pounds on Leah. She could and would attack. She had been one of Regina's most loyal terrorists, after all.

Frederick stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Take it easy, Jill. I'm sure the other kids will be suspended too. This was a pretty mean fight. We're lucky the Sheriff didn't have to get involved."

Leah started typing on her laptop, and scowled.

"I am being merciful, Miss Hill. We simply can not allow the lowest common denominator to rule this institution. All of us need to remember our places. Keeping that in mind, Henry, Magnus and the other children of rank will not be suspended. As they are all of equal standing, I can write this off as a bit of friendly rivalry."

"Fuck off, Weathersby!"

Language! Snow controlled her impulse to clap her hands over Henry's ears.

"All the kids were fighting so all the kids need punishment. Detention has always been the punishment for fighting. My Aiofe is a repeat offender so she would get in-school suspension. Maybe Ava too. Actual suspension, though? You're out of your damn mind!"

Jill's voice was hard and harsh. Snow winced at the repeated profanities. Snow did not agree with how she said it, but Jill was right. The school handbook was very clear on the consequences of breaking the rules.

"I beg your pardon, Miss Hill! You need to remember to whom you are speaking!"

Frederick tried to pull Jill back.

"Calm down! It's not worth it!"

Finally someone was making sense! Thank Goodness Frederick was here to be the voice of reason.

Frederick glared at Leah.

"She's right and you know it. You're making things worse. All this loyalty and colors and fealty don't belong in school. They're just kids!"

Or not.

Snow's eyes darted back and forth between the adults. The children were still quiet. Paige was very quietly crying and Hansel was picking at a loose thread on his jacket obsessivly.

"Mister Smithson, you need to choose your battles carefully. You are both being insubordinate and I would hate to see two careers end today."

What?! Leah couldn't-wouldn't fire them!

Leah's words made Frederick jerk back. Jill didn't back down. She tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. She was intimidating from head-to-toe.

"Is that a threat, Weathersby? What you think because I don't have a title, I'm not worthy of your school? That my children aren't worthy to attend along side the coddled noble brats?"

If Leah was intimidated, she didn't show it.

"That will be all Miss Hill. You are dismissed. Aoife is expelled and if you continue to make a scene I will call the sheriff's office.

Frederick kept his hands on Jill's shoulders to ensure she didn't leap over the desk and attack Leah.

"Leah, come on. This is going way too far. Jill's one of the best damn teachers at this school."

He was right. Leah was going too far. She'd always known Leah to be gentle, kind and fair. Regina's spell must have twisted her too. It just kept spreading!

"Keep up the insubordination, Smithson, and you can go with her. Now all of you, out. If the children's parents haven't been called, someone do it."

She spared a glance to Henry.

"And Henry needs to get to his nobility class where he will apologize to everyone he attacked."

Snow was grateful that Henry wasn't suspended too. He was a good boy and-

"No."

Henry looked across the desk at Leah, his stubborn little face set it a scowl.

"Henry!"

Snow could not believe this!

"Thank Ms Weathersby and go to class."

He shook his head, and did not break eye contact with Leah,

"No. I'm suspended too. When I get back I want to be back in normal classes. I'm not any better than my friends or anyone else."

Snow could not believe this! He was not only fighting, but he was embarrassing her in front of a fellow monarch!

"So be it."

Leah's words were terse, but her expression was triumphant and a little menacing.

A headache started to form behind Snow's left eye. This was the last thing she needed right now.

Things were wildly out of control, and it was all Regina's fault!