She was running.
She didn't know here she was going or what from, all she knew is that she had to keep going. Thick foliage surrounded her as leaves and thin branches whipped into her face as she held out her arm to shield her as much as she could. But it was no use, it still caught her, leaving stinging cut's on her face and bare hands.
Her breath came out in short sharp pants that made her throat sting like she was swallowing razors as her quick feet thumped the ground below her feet only for a protruding root catching her mid-step making the assassin stumble forward until her knee's hit the dirt ground, her hand thankfully had caught her from completely falling, letting out a painful grunt escape her lips as she pushed herself back off the ground to starting running again.
Feeling her body calling out for rest, the assassin kept running, before feeling something catch around her ankle, snatching her up into the air and off the ground, to hang the assassin upside down. She'd been caught.
As her world spun, she caught sight of a figure approaching her, flicking out their right wrist for a hidden blade to jump from her gauntlet.
She could feel her muscles starting to fight against her movements as they protested every stride away from the thing she was running from until she felt her left foot being snatched up into air taking her completely off the ground and upside down, her head spun until she saw a figure quickly approached her flicking out a hidden blade from her gauntlet. In the pale moonlight she saw a flicker of red hair appearing out of her hood, she was young. Younger than her.
"Should've run faster, Mom" the girl didn't hesitant as she dragged the sharp edge if the blade across her neck cutting deeply into the soft skin as she felt her warm blood soaking her neck as she gasped for air.
She didn't bother trying to get back to sleep after that dream. So instead the redheaded assassin got ready for the day ahead, which included welcoming the passengers from the Land of Untold stories to the town of Storybrooke.
Waking up well before her wife or son's the redhead decided to get a head start to the busy day as she left the house with Helen to take advantage of the free child care the fairies were offering while the hero's dealt with the latest turn of their lives in the sleepy town full of fairy tale characters.
Taking herself to the cemetery, she needed to try and reach out to the one person that had been on her mind since returning. Sat crossed leg Infront of his grave, the assassin calmed her mind and body to concentrate, imagining herself in the tavern back home where she first met him, seeing his tattoo for the first time as she waited for her first love to find her. Only for something in her mind to block the image.
Blinking her eye's open, she was met with the image that continued to make her sick to her stomach. It's words engraved on her mind as a reminder that she had failed to keep him safe. Failed to follow her gut feeling to trust Zelena with their daughter. Failed to fight harder to come back.
"Why don't you want to talk to me?" she whispered out to the headstone expecting to get a reply only for another voice she wanted to avoid for a while at least speak up behind her.
"Bad reception out here?" his question was quickly followed by Pongo's bark making the assassin slumped in defeat having been caught out by the one person she wanted to avoid since last night.
"Archie" she breathed out "You following me now?".
"I wouldn't say that" he says stepping forward to join her at the foot of the grave "I uh, came to see why you hadn't made an appointment. Now I know why now" he observes.
"Bigger things to worry about than my metal health doc" she brushed his concern off standing up "Like a dirigible crash landing in the middle of the woods literally full of people trying to avoid their story. I'm fine" she tells the man making her way to a nearby bench to sit on as he follows suit, the Dalmatian taking his place between his owner and the assassin.
"So, uh, how does that work exactly? Can you talk to anyone?".
"No" she answered "It has to be someone close to me, someone I made a connection with. Like Romeo or with Paola. I have to imagine a place that's connected with them. With Romeo it was the Captain's Cabin on the Jackdaw. For Paola it's the study in the Villa".
Her Father and Mentor and the woman who had raised her after her real mother left the protected city looking for a life beyond it's prison like wall's. These two figures in her life had been spoken about a length with the man next during their sessions so much so he almost felt like he knew them.
"Where is it with Robin?" he gently presses her.
"The tavern where we first met. I can't get a clear picture though".
"Do they usually reply?".
Shaking her head at him the redhead corrected him "It's not like a phone call, it's pieces of my memories putting a picture together. Like a jigsaw with sound, knowing what they would say to me in that moment".
"What are you afraid he would say to you?".
"To move on" she gulped "Like I told him I had".
Her saving grace from the impromptu therapy session with Archie came from her phone as it rung notifying her of a text message. Checking her phone it was from Regina asking where she had gotten to having left the house early.
"Sorry" she tell the man as she stand from the bench to leave, patting Pongo's head as she does so "Heroism calls" she adds not giving the man a chance to prod further in the crisis she was in the middle of.
The longer she left it, he feared it would only be a matter of time until she resorted to a tactic that helped her in the past. One that would solidify herself as a villain no matter how much she tried not be one.
Joining her significant on the sidewalk towards Granny's with their son's ahead of them, deep in conversation with the other, the redhead almost didn't want to ruin the moment by entering the diner for the Mayor to welcome their visitor's from the Land of Untold Stories. But it hadn't been for the fact that Snow and Charming hadn't encountered an assassin the previous night when looking for them, she wouldn't be there at all. But this was Regina's time to shine, she needed to be there to support her as she made herself the hero of her new story.
She wanted to know who this assassin was and what he was doing in the Land of Untold Stories, it was odd in the least seeing that they shouldn't really have stories. They were supposed to stay in the background, unnoticed while other's had there's. Including her own life before the former Author Isaac made it his mission to bring her into the story he was putting pen to paper.
"So, care to tell me where you were this morning?" the Mayor gently pried to her love next to her as their hand's intertwined between them.
"I left a note didn't I?".
"Yes, you did. But exploiting the free-child care on offer isn't an excuse enough to not be there when I wake up".
Letting out a sigh it gave the redhead a second or two she needed to come up with an excuse to tell her love. Half-truth it is then.
"I was trying something" she tells her love.
"If this is about my sister..".
They hadn't spoken about the fight the former Queen had overheard between her love and sister in her sister the previous night. After she admitted how she was truly feeling to the Wicked Witch that accused her for allowing her sister to rip out the part that was most like herself.
Sure it stung, but it was Regina's decision. Should she have stopped her? Possibly. Seeing how much she was struggling compared to herself, she was about to do anything to make her feel better and not such a failure for allowing her other self to take charge when she got upset. She didn't force Regina to take the serum, at least that's what she tells herself. It was an option open to them at the time.
Stopping her track's the assassin gently pulls the former Queen to stop alongside her as their son's continue their way towards the diner, puling her close enough to catch her soulmate's lips with her's in a loving kiss that made the former Queen sigh into it as she melted into it.
She had missed this. The closeness as the former Queen snaked her hand and arm around the assassin's waist to pull her in closer. They hadn't been close since the Underworld and the former Queen was itching to be completely alone with her new wife, but she wanted to give her all the time she needed to accumulated with being alive again.
And if she was being honest she needed to get used to it too. She had spent so much time in the Underworld coming to terms of her love not wanting to come back with them she didn't think of if she did come back. What it would mean for them. With the redhead's added grief, no time seemed like a good time.
Breaking the heating kiss the assassin rested her head on her as they breathed in the other creating a bubble of them, the assassin stroked her Queen's soft cheek as her other hand held her love as close as she could
"Let me worry about one Wicked sister-in-law" the redhead tells her staring into her brown eye's "Today, is about helping those the Hyde brought with him, and you showing what I've seen in you since I met you all those years ago".
"And what would that be?".
"A Hero" the redhead states to the woman in her arms "And a very sexy one at that if I might add" Amelia purr's out pushing back a lock of her love's shorter hair behind her ear "I have I told you I like the shorter hair?".
"You haven't yet" Regina smile at her "Thank you".
"Might I propose a deal Queenie?".
"What kind of deal? I have nothing I haven't already given you".
"Good thing it's not anything you can give then".
"What are you proposing?".
"When this is all over. We go away somewhere, just the two of us. Away from villain's and monster's threatening to destroy the town and as much as I love them, our kids" the redheads words made former Queen chuckle.
"Like the fortnight we had in Monteriggioni together. Where you were just Regina and I was just Amelia. The only difference is that you're not hell bent on ruining someone else's wedding day and I wasn't chugging my healing tonic's by the barrelful, being poked and prodded by a dottore every two minutes". (Doctor)
"Like a Honeymoon?" she suggested to the redhead. A honeymoon at the moment seemed a long way away. It sounded like a chance for them to reconnect as a couple.
"You could call it that if you want. Only as long as I get you all to myself for a week with no interruptions from the Charming family or their pirate mascot" she says earning a chuckle from her love.
"I think that's something I can agree to dear" closing the distance between them to seal their agreement with a kiss the Mayor was stopped when they both heard their son's voice's calling for them having realised they haven't been following them for the last hundred yards to the diner.
"Moms!" the yelled back in unison to see the pair with their arms wrapped around the other.
"See what I mean" the redhead quietly pointed out to the brunette in her arms before the Mayor pulls herself out of her love's arms.
"Later" she promises her love placing a quick kiss on her cheek before she retakes the assassin's skilled hand in hers to make their final approach towards the diner together as their son's escort them to the white archway leading up to the diner.
"Okay, Mom" Henry started "Are you ready for this?" he asks his mother as they came to a stop under the archway with their son's in front of them.
"Yeah" Regina sighed as she looks at the building in front of them, holding her love's hand just a little harder than before "Everyone listened to me before... because I was the Evil Queen. Now I'm going to show them that I'm just as strong without her" she states looking towards the diner with determination in her eye.
"Remember what we're calling it..." Henry tells her handing his adopted mother the storybook "Operation Cobra: Part Two".
"Part two?" she questioned the teen with a curious brow letting go of Amelia's hand to take the book from him.
"Yeah" Tom confirmed "This time, you two are the heroes" at that the family approached the diner that filled to the brim of their visitor's.
"Okay!" David got the visitor's attention from the counter with his wife, daughter and Killian Jones lines out against the bar beside him ready to offer a helping hand to those Hyde had brought with him.
The royal couple couldn't help but keep the assassin that they had encountered keeping to himself in the window as he watched the going's on around him with a hand perched under his chin. Free of his hood the man with swept back shoulder length dark hair and thick stubble covering his jaw and cheekbones, seeing something they hadn't seen in the dark last night. The missing finger on his left hand. His ring finger to be specific.
"Uh, room keys are on the counter. Fresh clothes are by the jukebox" the Prince instructed the visitors.
"What's a jukebox?" someone in the crowd shouted out.
"Lunches are by the front door" David carried on as Regina finally joined the chaos's with her wife and their two sons behind her.
"Your Majesty, Lady Amelia it's about time" Hook addressed the pair "The rabble are getting restless".
Looking back at the redhead, the assassin gave the woman a encouraging wink of her eye "You've got this Queenie".
With her wife's boost of confidence, the former Queen took front and centre of the rabble that had gathered for food and shelter offered from residents, clearing her throat the Mayor allowed the storybook to drop from a height, making a loud thud to gain the attention of the small crowd, making them go quiet as she turned to address them.
The former Queen had also caught the attention of on Basim Ibn Ishaq as he looked to see the redheaded woman that had entered the building with her. The same redhead that passed thought the Land of Untold Stories not too long ago.
To the untrained eye she looked like an ordinary woman, her long red hair sat comfortably on her shoulder's as she watched the woman that seemed to be taking charge of their situation. But to him she stood trained, poised and deadly, ready to strike at a moment's notice. An True Assassin.
The assassin that was going through the same thing he was when his Saviour's story was coming to an end, stood lying to herself that nothing was wrong as the nightmare's worsened by the day.
"As Mayor, I would like to officially welcome you to Storybrooke" Regina's voice took him away from the female assassin as she turned to pick up the book again showing the visitors "You fled to the Land of Untold Stories because you were afraid that whatever was in this book is going to play out. But now that you're here, I'm sure you're scared it will" she continued placing the book down again "But what you don't realize is... I'm just like you. I'm also getting a fresh start" she state's glancing over to the redhead she had entered with \ before returning to them "And I don't know what the future holds either. But I do know one thing. We don't have to be afraid of anything, because whatever comes next, we're going to face it. Together".
The former Queen's speech left an impression on those in front of her has they eagerly nodded to her words before applauding her. Watching her love the redhead couldn't help but feel a bubble of pride to swell in her chest seeing her in her element.
As the diner filtered back into quiet chit-chat, as Basim took his chance to make first contact with female assassin he needed to help. The Saviour needed her Protector. He wasn't going to what happened to Aladdin happen again.
"Excuse me" his accented voice gained her attention making her turn to look at him. Recognition flashed in her eye's as she set eye's on the assassin she briefly set eye's on in the Land of Untold Stories.
"Hi" she greeted the man "Can I help you?".
"I was wondering how another member of the Brotherhood, ended up in a place like this" he asked her with a friendly smile "My name is Basim. Basim Ibn Ishaq" he introduces himself holding a closed on his chest bowing his head slightly at the redhead in front of him.
"Amelia. Amelia Montague" she introduced herself "And that's a very long story, Basim" she told the assassin in front of her. She couldn't help but notice the missing finger on his hand. She knew the significance after all. She just didn't think that other Brotherhood's would carry on the old ways. The sacrifice became unnecessary due to the evolution of the hidden blade over the centuries.
"Amelia" he tested the name on his lips breaking her away from his missing finger "It is nice to finally meet you. There is something I need to speak to you about with the upmost urgency" he tells her as the bell above the door rung out announcing someone's arrival.
Looking towards the door she couldn't believe what her eye's were showing her as none other than Belle walked through the door. It was Belle.
"I-I'm sorry can we talk another time" she tells the assassin "I need to speak to someone"
"Anytime Miss Amelia, you know where I'll be" Basim told her. Excusing herself she quickly headed off her aunt at the door.
"Belle?" the redhead greeted her aunt, making he younger brunette look up at her in surprise.
"A-Amelia" she stammered in shock as she took in the welcoming image of the redhead alive. in Storybrooke "Y-you're here" the librarian threw herself in the redheads arms as Amelia gladly gathered her friend turned aunt into a warm embrace that didn't go unnoticed by the others nearby.
"I'm here" the redhead chuckled in her shoulder before they parted as the younger woman kept a firm grip on the assassin hands as she tried to understand how the assassin manged to get back.
"H-how are you here I thought-".
She hadn't seen her since the Underworld. Before she took the sleeping curse to get away from Rumple and to keep their child safe from Hades contract.
"A very long story" she tells her aunt "But it doesn't matter. I'm a living breathing person again".
Pausing Belle takes the second to appreciate her friend being back. She would need her more than ever now that she had left her Uncle, she was the only other person in this town that understood the man, not just as her Uncle but as the villain he had become again as the brunette feels something on the woman's finger.
Lift her hand up the young woman saw the silver ring that sat on her wedding finger and it was new "And married" she said shaking her head in disbelief with a smile "To Regina I assume?" she teased her niece.
"Well yes, it was all very romantic" Hook interjected making his and Emma's presence known to the pair "Well as romantic as you can get in the Underworld married by the friar that was once killed for marrying her parents in secret" he blankly blinked at the librarian.
"Really?" Belle chuckled out looking at the redhead for an answer.
"Snow wasn't happy to hear that she missed it" Amelia admitted to her aunt.
Wasn't happy was putting it mildly. The former Princess became weirdly offended when she heard two of her closest of friend's had gotten married in the Underworld, without her there to witness it. Her offence simmered into sympathy for the pair when the couple explained the reasoning for eloping in the Underworld so quickly. But despite the circumstances the woman was happy to see the pair together.
Before adding a comment of being there when they did it properly in Storybrooke. Whatever that meant.
"You're here, and you're awake" Emma stated bring the subject back to the pregnant librarian stood in front of them.
"Yeah, and I need a place to stay" Belle tells the three in front of her.
"What about my Uncle?" the redhead ask her. She hadn't seen him since returning from
"We're, uh... we're not together at the moment. So, I thought maybe Granny would have a room".
"Oh, I would not wish those mattresses on my worst enemy" Emma said that was overheard by Granny herself who just waved her insult away as the assassin would have to silently agree with her.
"Yeah" Amelia agreed with the blonde "And you should probably want to avoid the one I gave birth to Helen on" she trailed off. She couldn't' remember which room the grandmother had managed to drag her into as her painful contractions worsened.
"We'll find you something better" the blonde tells her before looking at the redhead to her left "What about you're old apartment?" Emma suggested to the redhead knowing it would be left empty after it's occupants had left to go back home.
The redhead shook her head at the suggestion "I think it'll be too obvious if Rumple comes looking. Also I haven't had a chance to get in there since John and Anya left. Anya was never the cleanest of people" she grimaced to herself. She didn't want to think about the job of cleaning that place out for the time being.
"I know just the place" Hook offered turning to the redhead and blonde "What do you say, Swan? Montague?".
"Oh, I... I have an appointment with Archie" Amelia overhears Emma tell her boyfriend.
She was seeing Archie? That was news to her. And here she thought he only had time to stalk her into confessing every troubled thought that had entered her mind since returning.
"Ah, you're still gonna see the cricket? I'm impressed".
"Did you think I was gonna back out?" the blonde retort's turning her back on Amelia and Belle.
"Well, you know, being vulnerable isn't exactly your strong suit".
"You're right. We've been through a lot. Can't hurt to talk about it".
"I'm glad to hear it, love".
"How about you My lady Montague, up for challenge?" he looked to the redhead.
"Actually, I've got to try and find the assassin I was talking to" she tells the pirate looking around the diner looking for Basim "He had something to tell me".
"You found them?" Emma's ears perked up hearing this. Her parents had only told her that morning about finding the lone assassin in the middle of the woods along with the other's. She briefly saw him this morning, she was even tempted to speak to him herself but thought it would be better for the redhead seeing that he was looking to meet her first out of everyone.
"I did, now they're gone" she huffs out in annoyance seeing no trace of the man in the diner "Damn it. I hate it when they do that" she almost growls out.
"You mean disappear without a trace when you're in a middle of a conversation with them" Hook added sarcastically "No, that's not annoying at all".
Amelia gives the pirate a blank look before turning to the blonde "Can I hit him in the face?" Emma's chuckles at her request as Hook quickly makes his exit from the diner with Belle.
"Right. This lady needs to find some accommodation" brushing past his love, Hook take Belle by her shoulder out of the door to find her a place to stay as the blonde look's to the older woman next to her.
"Don't worry you'll find him again" Emma tells her trying to reassure the woman.
"I know" she sighs. Assassins had a habit of showing up. "Good luck with your appointment with Hopper" she wishes the blonde.
"Uh, thanks" she replied not what else to say.
"Archie warmed up with me this morning, so you should be fine" giving her a pat on the back the assassin stepped further into the diner to join her wife, her at work chatting with their visitor's as Emma follows her boyfriend and Belle out.
Unaware of the man that was stepped into the building as an unwelcome addition from the Evil Queen's and Black Widow's past.
Sat at the counter with his younger step-brother, the teenage assassin had to make due with the snacks available to him in the jars in front of him to settle his growling stomach before he found Granny and beg her to make him something bigger. With bacon and eggs preferably.
"Who are you?" Henry suddenly asks someone behind him making the young assassin look back at a man he didn't recognise. He must've been one of the people that Hyde had brought with him.
"Beg your pardon" the man states.
"What's your name?" Henry clarifies to him "If we could find your story, then maybe we could figure out how to pick up where you left off" he explains to him.
"You won't find me in there, my boy. I'm not important enough to have my own tale".
"Don't say that. Let me just see if I can find you" turning his attention to his storybook the younger teenager flipped through the pages as his older brother continued to eat his weight in snacks before looking back to be met with an empty space the man occupied.
"Where'd he go?" Henry voiced to Tom making the latter turn mid chew to see that the man had left only for Henry to see a crisp white envelope on the counter with a red seal embossed with a symbol neither teenager recognised.
The Enchanted Forest
Years Ago
It was back to business as far as the Evil Queen and her Black Widow were concerned after a fortnight hidden away together in Monteriggioni while Snow White and her Prince Charming prepared for their impending nuptial's.
As the Widow healed from the crossbow wounds in her shoulder and thigh, it gave the pair a chance to forget about the world outside the stone wall's of the city as they took their time touring the city before they had to return to the real world. Planning their next move against the royal couple especially now that neither of them couldn't physically harm them thanks to a protection spell from Rumplestiltskin.
However, Amelia's injuries were taking longer to heal than they originally thought. The towns healers had given her all the tonics they had that would help but they weren't working fast enough.
Now outside the town Amelia's sense of pride refused to allow Regina to use her magic to heal them. Now the deadly assassin was bound to the castle as she struggled to free run without pain in her leg or shoulder limited her movements. She needed more time, but her Queen was getting impatient.
To appease her Queen. The Black Widow had suggested using someone else to take care of the couple for them. A thief or mercenary wouldn't cut it however. It had to be someone on their own path of darkness. Someone who was on their own path of vengeance. Someone like them. Luckily a name that crossed her desk a few times would finally come in hand.
Edmond Dante. Also known as The Count of Monte Cristo.
A former prisoner that escaped and transformed himself into a wealthy Count as part of his plan the exact revenge on those that ruined his life. He would be the perfect man to do the job with the right push.
With the names of those who harmed him tucked away in the pocket of her dress, she sat next to her Queen at the back of the party they had invited themselves to. To watch as the young Count took his first step into the world of revenge.
Music filled the room as men and women of wealth and privilege had gathered in his grand hall at the invitation of the mysterious Count eager to see who he was and what he was about. Was he handsome? Ugly? No-one knew. All she knew that she was willing to hand over the name to everyone that had harmed him to keep her Queen from throwing her out of her castle.
"Mesdames and messieurs" a butler addressed the crowd as the music went silent "I present to you your host for this evening... the Count of Monte Cristo" the large doors opened wide for a well-dressed young man to walk into the room, making his presence known to his guests as he took a glass of drink on a sever.
"Welcome, dear guests" Edmund addresses the hall "Thank you for joining me on what I'm sure will be a memorable evening" the count greeted his guests.
"We should be the ones thanking you" a Baron happily replied to the young Count "After all, you're the one throwing this party".
"Nonsense, Baron. This evening wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for you. To the Baron!" he toasted the man as the assassin and Queen watch on taking a drink from their own glasses.
"To the Baron!" Amelia joined in with the rest with a wide smile making the woman next to her chuckle in amusement.
"To what do I owe the honour?" The Baron asks the Count.
"Do you really not recognize me?" he replied placing his glass down on a nearby tray "What is it? Clothes, gold, perhaps the scar above my eye?".
"Edmond Dantes" The Baron stated as hushed whispered reverberated through the room.
"Bravo. I knew you'd get there".
"No, Edmond Dantes is in prison. I put him there myself" he argued.
"Indeed, you did" he tells the Baron stepping towards him "Right after you burnt down his home, squandered his family fortune, and murdered his fiancée" he listed as he prowled around the man like a predator "But he escaped that dungeon. Rebuilt his fortune piece by piece. It may have taken more than a decade, but he became the man you see before you, and all for one reason" in a blink of an eye the count took out his sword, cutting the Baron's sword from his waist before grabbing the front of his shirt holding the sharp end of the sword on his neck.
"He get's a point for theatrics I guess" Amelia whisper's to her partner in crime as the crowd gasped.
"Shhh. This is my favourite part" The Queen quickly shushed her as the Count continued.
"Now, you aren't clever enough to have destroyed my life on your own Who helped you?" the Count demanded out of the Baron.
"Go ahead. Kill me. But this masquerade won't bring you justice" the Baron tells him.
"Oh, I'm after something much more satisfying..." the Baron grunts in pain as the Count shoves his sword through his gut as the crowd gasp in fear before they started to run towards the door's "Revenge" Edmund glowered at the Baron as he pulls the sword back out before putting it back in its sheath letting out a deep sigh as the Baron bled out on the wooden floor.
The count was taken by surprise as a pair of clapping hands interrupted his moment of small triumph as laughter came out of the women's lips.
"Ah, nothing quite like the first kill" The Evil Queen laughed out as she and her assassin stood up from their front row seats to approach the Count.
"Who are you?" The Count asks the pair as he eye's the redhead. He didn't understand why he didn't notice her straight away as the blood red dress she was wearing that showed off her shoulders as her long red hair trailed down her back.
"Call us a fan of your work" The Evil Queen tells him as they reached the Baron's dead body "Did you really spend a decade of your life setting this up?" she asked the man.
"With the vengeance in my heart, it went by in the blink of an eye" the Count tells them.
"Trust me I understand" the redhead spoke up for the first time "It's hard to find commitment like that without looking in a mirror" she drawled out using her boot covered foot to poke at the Baron's lifeless body "Pity the Baron didn't name names. I can't imagine how long it will take you to find the next victim deserving of your revenge".
"I am prepared to spend my entire life avenging my love".
"But suppose you didn't have to" Amelia stated to the man pulling out a small scroll from her dress holding it up to the man "The names... of every person who wronged you and your fiancée".
"You don't strike me as the benevolent sort. What do you want in return?".
"Just a little help getting some revenge of our own" the Queen says just as the assassin notices something on the dead Baron's finger.
"What's this?" she says getting her Queen's attention. Crouching down she took his hand and slid off a chunky silver ring which held a large red cross in the middle. The Queen's face fell into a scowl seeing the piece of jewellery. Templar.
"Well, looks like he's been keeping some unsavoury company, my dear Count" the Queen drawled.
"What is that?" the Count asked the lady with confusion etching his face.
"Nothing to worry your little Count head over Edmund" the assassin tell the man "Now about that deal".
Sat in Archie's office, the only thing that could be heard in the quiet room was the ticking of the clock as saviour was stumped on how to start telling the man what had been troubling her since they had come back from New York. But her brief conversation about her appointment with Amelia in Granny's kept playing on her mind as the silence drowned out the room.
Was she having trouble since separating herself from the Widow? She seemed fine. Happy even now that she had what she always wanted with Regina.
"Emma, this is a safe space" Archie's gentle voice said from across from her as he sat waiting for her to speak "You can trust me" he gently urged her to speak.
"The tremors, they come with visions... or a vision. One vision, actually".
"What do you see in this vision?" the man opposite her asks, taking a note of how Emma looks to find where the door is, ready to use it if need be.
"Uh, all right. Um..." she stammers "I'm on Main Street. Henry and my family, Hook. Even Tom. They're all there with me. And I'm in a battle".
"Against who?".
"I can't tell" she gulps in fear "It changes" she tells him as the images flashed in her mind. One second it's the figure in a dark cloak standing over her with a sword in their hand, next time the figure is in a white cloak. The only difference were the flashes of the long dark flaming red hair that escaped the confides of the hood that hide their face as they brought down their sword heavily against hers. "They're strong. So strong" she trails off "I'm giving it my all".
"I almost start to win. Then my hand starts shaking. But then.." she trails off as she recalls the moment she is literally pushed out of the way and onto the ground before the killing blow came from the whatever figure she was fighting.
"What do you see?" Archie voice presses her to continue.
"Someone jumps in front of me" a shiver runs up her back saying this. She doesn't see a face or know who it is. All she knows is that they drop to their knee's before falling lifelessly on to the road.
"And what happens then, Emma?" he says knowing this wasn't how her vision ended.
"I die anyway" she whispers seeing a flash of a long blade being dragged across her throat or a sword being plunged into her stomach from behind her. Either way whatever figure she was fighting in front of her, there was someone else ready to finish her off behind her. The person that tried to save her dies for nothing.
"That's the first time I've said that out loud" Emma admits to the man.
"Well, I think the more you talk about it, the less it will haunt you" he tells her.
"You think I should tell my family?".
"Well...I mean, the question is, why haven't you?".
"Because I know exactly what they would do. They would tell me to stop doing what I'm doing until they could save the day".
"And what would be so wrong about them trying to protect you?".
"Because I'm the Saviour" she states to the man.
"A-And the Saviour can't take a day off?" he retorts.
"If I don't help people, then who am I?" she questions him.
"Well, I don't know, Emma. I mean, that's, uh...That's a question you have to ask yourself" he concludes to the blonde woman.
"Okay, I'm not here for some identity crisis. I just want you to help me figure out how to win this fight and protect the people I love".
"I-I think you're here for me to help you deal with whatever's troubling you, and... and... and if that is an identity crisis, then...".
"Okay, this was a mistake" Emma quickly ends her session, standing from her chair to walk out as he tried to stop her, but she wasn't going to listen anymore.
He couldn't help but to compare the saviour to the assassin in their reluctance to hear what the man had to say about their recent trouble's. The only positive was the at least he got Emma into his office, even if it wasn't for long.
With the letter that the man had left on the counter in hand, the boy's found it wasn't for them at all, but for Snow and her Prince Charming. Written out in neat calligraphy in the crisp white envelope the pair of teenager's had found the pair and taken outside to show them what the man had left.
"And he just left it on the counter" David asked his grandson and his step-brother opposite him and his wife outside Granny's.
"Then he vanished" Henry tells his grandfather handing him the letter "You think he might be the Invisible Man? Or maybe a vampire. What if he's Dracula?" Henry continued as David opened the note.
Looking up the older teen doubled checked the time of day "But it's daytime" Tom pointed out to his stepbrother "Wrong Count. Vampire's would be cool though" the teen trailed off in thought. If that was true he needed to find some wooden stakes.
"Monte Cristo?" Snow asks her husband reading the note.
"Sorry. Not on the menu" Granny interjected from behind the teens "Never a fan of the eggy bread".
"But if it was, how long do you think it would take to make?" Tom asked the cook. He really was hungry. He really shouldn't have skipped breakfast that morning.
"No, Tom" David tells the teen, making him throw his head back in distain at not getting any food "It's a place" he tells them "And it's Count has quite the reputation. Why would he want to meet with us?".
"He doesn't. He wants you dead" Regina's voice announced from the diner's front door making them all look up to see her and Amelia stood there.
"He wants his revenge, and that's the only way he can get it" the redhead informs the couple as the couple made their way down the steps to join them.
"That doesn't make sense" Snow tells them "We've never even met him. Why would he want to kill us?".
"Because we hired him to do it" the assassin tells them.
With a little help from Granny and after depositing Tom at the counter with something to eat to satisfy his hungry stomach and his sudden growth spurt. The four adults easily and quietly (she might add) found his room, quickly getting to work of what their dear Count had been up to. Gently shut the door behind them Regina saw her wife using her vision to find anything of significance that might help them in their search for the Count.
However, the only things that were highlighted was the calligraphy set on the table and the large brown trunk put to one side of the room. As Amelia went for the trunk, Snow found the calligraphy set alongside the same marked paper he used in his note for the royal couple.
"He was definitely here" Snow announced to the group as Amelia opened the trunk to revel it full of weapon's big and small all set out in the lid.
"And calligraphy isn't his only hobby" David said from behind the assassin eyeing the weapons himself.
"Pathetic" the assassin spat out in disgust as she crouched down to get a better look at the weapons herself "Look at these edges. He hasn't been looking after these at all" she complained outload before David closed the trunk closed making her jump, barely missing her finger's as she pulled them out of the way in time from being crushed.
Snapping her head up to glare at the Prince as she pushed herself up to move away from the obviously angry man.
"Why didn't you tell us?" David asked the pair of former villains.
"Well, we didn't know he was in Storybrooke" Regina argued trying to keep the real reason from them "And do you really want to hear about every time we tried to kill you?".
"Yes" he quickly corrects them.
"I'm sorry. We're..." she paused "You know we're trying to put that behind us. Clearly, the Count didn't get the memo".
"Maybe that's the problem" Snow said giving her former step-mother the letter "You both hired him. You both fire him".
"Well, that's exactly what we're going to do" the redhead tells her.
"Wait a minute" David spoke up as he looked towards the professional assassin in the room "Aren't we all forgetting something here".
"No, I don't think we are" Amelia tried to dissuade the Prince from continuing.
"David" Snow tried to call out to her husband.
"Didn't you already have a professional assassin in your employ" the prince asked the former Queen rhetorically before looking at the assassin "Why did you need to hire him when you are more than capable of doing the job yourself".
"As you recall, your true love here made a deal with my uncle" Amelia supplied to the man reminding him of the deal the Princess had made with the Dark One "I couldn't touch either of you. After you tried and failed execute my wife".
"She wasn't your wife at the time" he argued heatedly getting into the woman's face having had enough of the woman's excuses.
"You were executing the woman I loved!" she angrily retorted back in his face shoving him away from her with two firm hands in his chest. The words made the assassin choke as she tried and failed to keep her composure at the man's accusation. The sentence seemed to do the trick as he stood back to think over the words he did understand as Snow and Regina could only watch the pair come together at logger heads over something that happened years ago.
"You slaughtered good men" he slowly stated to the woman as all that previous anger evaporated from his voice.
"They became collateral damage the second you took her. And you both know that" she adds looking at the Princess before focusing back on the man in front of her "Their blood in your ledger. Not mine. All that mattered was getting to her. I think out of everyone in this room you would know what's that like".
"I'm sorry" the Prince says to her calming the assassin down "But its still doesn't explain why you hired him".
"I was hurt" she admits the pair after a beat, her eye's flickering between them as she felt herself exposed. No one liked admitting they had a weakness, she has had to hide her's for as long as she could remember. Admitting it them even now they were friends felt like she was giving her enemy all her weaknesses to exploit.
"The wounds from the bolts in my shoulder and leg weren't healing fast enough. Even two weeks bedrest and a bottomless barrel of my healing tonic from Monteriggioni wasn't working. I could hardly walk let alone run. It was my idea on hiring him, so if anyone is to blame; it's me".
"Melia" her wife gently called out only for it to go ignored as she shrunk away from any comforting touch.
"The invitation says to meet him at the dirigible in an hour" the redhead states to them "So that's where we will be to end this".
"Well, we're coming with you" David his previous temper turning into one of almost sympathy.
"No" Amelia quickly tells him "This is my mess. I'll fix it. And, really, it should go more smoothly if he's not trying to use you as a pin cushion".
"You really think we need to worry about this guy?" Snow asked them "It took him two curses and a pit stop in the Land of Untold Stories to find us".
"Well" Regina spoke up for the pair to tell them the whole truth "That's not exactly true".
Hooves thundered down the trail through the Enchanted Forest as Snow and her Prince Charming raced towards the village that was the latest to fall victim to the Evil Queen and her Black Widow's anger following the former's failed execution. Followed by a number of knights that hadn't been slayed by the Widow herself still had nightmares of what she could do to them even blinded by fairy dust.
Coming to a stop at the ransacked village they quickly dismounted their horses as they made their way towards smoking village.
"We're too late" the Princess said with sadness lacing her voice.
"Remind me why we spared the Evil Queen's and the Widow's life again" Grumpy asked the Princess as he joined her side.
"We thought it would change them both" she answered the loyal dwarf.
"It changed them, all right" he scoffs "Instead of ransacking villages, now they're razing them to the ground. They say the Widow alone slaughtered dozens of men that tried to fight them" he continued as Charming heard a survivor coughing.
"Snow, over here" Running toward the noise they saw a man sat up against a broken wall with a hood hiding his face from view.
"All right. You're all right" Snow reassured the man handing him her waterskin. Pushing back the hood from his face, the lone survivor looked up at his saviour's in awe seeing it was non other than the Princess and her Prince stood above him.
"We're here to help" David tries to comfort the traumatised man on the ground as he kneels down beside him.
"It's all right. You're safe" the Princess reassured him further as he gratefully takes her waterskin from her.
"What's your name, friend?" The Prince asks him.
"Edmond" he tells them taking much needed breath "I was the vintner here. When the Widow and the Queen's knights attacked, everyone fled. I stayed to put out the fires".
"It's okay, Edmond" Snow tells him.
"Charlotte! Over here" The Prince call over his wife's handmaiden. A young blonde woman made her way through the debris towards the couple and the survivor.
"Charlotte's my handmaiden" Snow informs Edmond "Thanks to this endless war, she's become quite the skilled nurse" she says as the young blonde kneels beside him gently taking his hand in her's
"Let's see" Charlotte gently says taking out the right salve for his injuries "The burns aren't too bad. A little salve will have you back to new soon enough" with gentle fingers the handmaiden turned nurse applied a yellow salve to his hands with a handkerchief as he stares at her for a bit too long "Is something wrong?".
"No. Your eyes" he whispered in awe recognising them.
"What of them?" she asks only for him to suddenly stand up to address the couple remembering why he was there in the first place.
"Thank you for your aid. We must find the Queen and her Widow make them pay".
"Well, that would make us no better than them" Snow tells him "The best way to get our revenge is to show them both that no matter what they do, we can always find happiness"
"The Queen destroyed my village, my vines, everything I have".
"Right. Well, perhaps you won't find happiness here" Snow say's looking to her true love as she get's an idea "But maybe you will at our castle".
"We could use a wine steward" David suggested to the man "What do you say, Edmond?".
"There's nothing I'd like more".
As the married couple waited for the Count to show up at the wreckage of the dirigible the assassin couldn't help but feeling of apprehension build in her stomach as the minutes ticked by with no sign of the man they had hired to kill their enemies at the time.
It was a game of patience, a game the redhead had played before, but she didn't like the thought of them alone with no weapon's. Feeling her wife restlessness the former Queen looked over at the redhead that was keeping herself occupied by looking through what was left of the airborne vehicle herself.
She needed a distraction. Not only for her sake for taking the full blame for hiring the Count in the first place, but maybe for her own. The fight with David came out of blue after he questioned them why they needed to hire the man in the first place.
"Where would we go?" Regina suddenly asks her, making the assassin's brow's furrow in confusion before turning her head to look at her.
"What?" she asks her wife, standing up from the pile of rubble she was searching to step towards her.
"Our Honeymoon" she clarifies to the assassin "Where would we go?".
"Are you seriously asking me now?" pointing out where they were an why.
"I am. I made a deal with you this morning, that we'd go somewhere just us and I don't think you'd be happy if we ended up somewhere like your Uncle's cabin".
"That doesn't sound too bad actually" the redhead tells her love thinking on the idea "We could sleep under the stars, make a campfire" she listed off as she saw the displeased look on her soulmate's face as she stood glaring at the redhead with a hand on her hip and a brow raised on her face at the thought of a campong trip in the woods.
"Florence" she quickly changes her answer as her glare softened "It's the closest place in this world that resembles my home. It has art, history, culture. And I happen to speak the language. Although we might have to make more than a week to make up for the time we would be stuck in our hotel room overlooking the Ponte Vecchio" she ends sending a cheeky wink towards her wife that made the woman smile at her.
"You've been thinking of this for a while haven't you?".
"Since the first curse actually" she tells the woman, taking her by surprise.
"The first curse? When-" When she was cursed.
"Amelia Smith always dreamed of leaving Storybrooke and start over somewhere she could escape her demons" she interrupts her love "I think it reminded her of Monteriggioni. Or what she thought it reminded her of".
"You'd really want to go to the place where your cursed self wanted to go?".
"Cursed or not. We're both the same person, with the same demons that held us back from moving on" she shrugs to her love "It feels cathartic".
"Then we'll go" she decides for the both of them "No villain's. No monster's".
"I'm afraid you're not on the guest list" the Count's voice took the couple out of their conversation as they turned to see the man stood before them barely ten feet away.
Taking protective step in front of her wife the assassin
"I'm calling off our deal, Count" the former Widow states to the man.
"What happened?" he asked her starting to pace like a predator around its prey "Did they finally convince you that finding your happiness is the best revenge?".
"Actually, yes" Regina tells him honestly "It took some time, but... they're right. But that doesn't change anything.
Let us help you. You don't need revenge to get over what happened to the person you loved. If I can learn that anyone can".
"You may have sent me down this path, but not even you can take me off it now".
Confusion etched the former Queen's face at his words before the Count lifted his sword hand to attack the pair only for the weapon to fly out of his hand aiming for the assassin's head as the redhead went to jump out of the way only for her feet to fail to move as the sword coming at her triggered the same vision from the previous day.
Her fighting a figure in what looked like the middle of Main Street, the sound of swords clashing nearby reaching her ears, only this time the dark cloaked figure stood in white with the hood darkening their face from her as their swords locked with the figure sword in 'X' as she was pushed onto her knee's as her hand's tightly gripped the pommel of her father's sabre trying to push them back. But they were so strong. Too strong.
"Melia!" her voice brought her out just as the sword was shoved through her stomach making her look towards the former Queen stood there with Edmund's sword in her hand. Blinking at the weapon in her love's hand and no sign of the man they hired to kill Snow and Charming. They had failed.
"He's gone" Amelia says as she felt her heart hammer in her chest "Call Emma. Snow and Charming can't be in town right now" With a nod Regina took out her phone again and dialled the sheriffs number.
Arriving at the town line after being told the plan on getting Snow and Charming out of town failed the couple were met with the sight of a smoking Sheriff's car with the hood held open as it stuck on the side of the road with David trying his best to fix what he could from hitting the protection the stopped them from leaving and the mother daughter duo stood at the line.
"I don't think the Count crashed the car" Emma announced to the pair using her hand to touch the invisible barrier that halted their plans.
"Protection spell?" Regina questioned the blonde as she approached the barrier herself.
"Just like the one you used to keep everyone here during the curse".
"There goes Florence" the former Queen heard the assassin sigh out to herself in disappointment as she eyed the invisible barrier in front of her. Look's like they would end up in Gold's cabin in the end.
"Not like it" Regina corrects blonde "This is the same spell. Well, the only way to do that is with the ingredients from my vault, which I sealed with blood magic. I..." she was interrupt hearing a whoosh of magic behind them, making them turn to see Zelena approaching them.
"Regina. I got your message. Is everyone okay?" she asks seeing the wrecked car off the side of the road as Regina stepped forward to meet her halfway leaving the redhead with Emma and her mother "You know, I'll never understand why you parade around in these death-traps rather than just magicking yourself around town. What happened?".
"Well, someone put a protection spell on the town line" Regina informed her.
"Really? Well, who would do that?" Zelena questioned her.
"I was gonna ask you the same question" the younger sister retorted.
"You're accusing me of causing this?".
"Oh, come on. Zelena" the witch heard her sister-in-law say from the town line "Other than Regina and I. You're the only one who can open the lock to our vault" Amelia joined in.
"That's not true!" she yelled over her sisters shoulder to the assassin "What about that pesky little son of yours. Maybe he got his grubby little hands on something he shouldn't have" she sent the assassin's way that was met by a hard glare on the assassins face.
"Really?" Regina exasperated at her sister making her older half-sister focus on her "Well, if it wasn't me, and it wasn't you, then who?".
"I have no idea, sis. But I'm getting tired of this inquisition" at that Zelena summoned a cloud of green smoke to take her away from her accusing family.
Regina turned to face the other's at the town line "I'm starting to think the Count isn't the only one we have to be worried about".
The sound of swords ringing as they clashed together filled the Queen's chambers as the Evil Queen sparred with her Widow with a sword in each of their hands. The Assassin barely broke a sweat as she parried away the Queen's attack spinning and weaving, smoothly evaded the woman's 'attacks' as the woman went on the offence against the trained assassin.
Ignoring the pain she felt in her shoulder and thigh, she knew she would have to move through the pain knowing it would only help her in the end. She had spent too much time off her feet for her liking.
Ever since the older woman watched the Count kill his first target for his revenge the brunette had suddenly taken an interest in art of swordplay and was eager for her assassin to teach her more once they returned to the palace.
The redhead was more than happy to teach her Queen a thing or two as the pair came to blows in the large space as the Master Assassin caught the Queen's sword between her own sword and a hidden blade that extended out of her leather gauntlet before pulling the weapon out of her hand, letting the weapon clatter onto the ground, raising the tip of her sword to rest just above the Queen's heart.
Meeting the Queen's gaze, the assassin couldn't help but to stare as a flash of fear flashed through her eye's, as a thought she would actually kill her reached her mind.
"I win" the assassin states to the Queen "Again" she adds as a grin grew on her lips having beat her 'student' once again as the latter panted slightly. Her overconfidence was her undoing in the end.
"You cheated" the Queen huffed in annoyance, swatting the sword away from her chest as she conjured her sword back into her hand.
"Sore loser" quipped to the woman in front of her as they stood ready for another round, the assassin held her sword up as the Queen mirrored her stance.
"Again" Amelia ordered her student as they resumed their sparring session. This time, the Queen learnt from her earlier mistake by allowing the assassin to do all the work as she stood still as the Master Assassin put more effort in her attacks, as she tried to distract her Queen as she twirled and spun as the Queen easily parried her away.
Noticing her Assassin huffing in excursion the Queen had where she wanted her , as her attacks became laboured and wild against her calm and poised defence. A wide swing was the assassin's undoing as her sword was ricocheted off the Queen's making her spin away of control with the sword, allowing the latter the time to turn her back on her assassin to meet a heavy wing of the assassin, catching it with her sword.
The Queen smiled in triumph over her assassin as she allowed the redheads sword to continue it's journey down, opening her up for the Queen to slide her weapon dangerously closed to her heart, only for the weapon to miss completely as it went in-between her chest and upper arm. She was beaten.
The Widow froze as the Queen's laugh reached her ears as her eye's met the image of the Queen's winning smile.
"I yield" the redhead breathed up to the Queen as their eye's met. Taking her opportunity Regina grabbed the front of her blouse and vest slamming her lips on her's as she completely dominated the passionate kiss as the assassin reached up to cup her face between her hands to sloppily kiss her back with equal vigour as she heard the sound of another sword being dropped onto the ground, knowing this was only going to end up one way.
Pulling at that redhead's clothes desperate to feel the woman skin on her own and make The Widow her's once again, she was interrupted when a voice was heard in the middle of their trysts.
"Impressive, Your Majesty" his voice broke the heated kiss as the Queen saw the Count of Monte Cristo stood in the doorway.
"Well, what can I say? You inspired me" she winked at the man before turning to leave her assassin as she conjured her sword back into her hand "Perhaps you can give me a lesson" the Queen tells him inspecting her clean sword as she made her way to her vanity table to sheath it in it's holder "Or two".
A disgruntled growl was heard as the Queen and the Count looked to see where it had come from only to see the Assassin there who looked like she was about to kill the man right there and then at the Queen's suggestion. Good. She was jealous. The notion only made the Queen laugh as she turned to find the weapon of choice for the man to use against the royal couple.
"As much as I'd enjoy that, I can't be late for my first meal with Snow White and her Prince" The count replied to the pair as the assassin made her way over to the couch noticing the woman limping heavily on her left leg.
"So they believed you. I knew their insufferable kindness would be their downfall" Regina said as she got picked up the vial holding the poison the Count needed to do the deed, turning to show the man "Venom of the Agrabahn viper. A bitter draught, slow and painful" she informed the man as she crossed the room to give the man to take, only for him to remain still.
"Is there a problem, Count?" The Widow questioned the man from her seat.
"What did they do to deserve this?" he asks the pair "They've shown me nothing but kindness" he voices to them.
"Don't tell me you're starting to grow a conscience" Amelia drawled out to the man. They didn't need to the man to grow one now. She didn't need it.
"Call it professional curiosity" he retorts to the assassin as the Queen ventured over to her Widow to deposit the vial of poison on the table. He knew who she was after conversations at the palace. The redhead was no ordinary woman. She was a killer
"Well, what they did doesn't matter" Regina continued "Only one thing should be on your mind right now... how badly you want your revenge" she said holding up the scroll with the names he needed for his revenge.
After a beat, the Count crossed the room to pick up the vial of poison from the before leaving the pair to themselves.
"I thought so" Regina quipped to the man making him pause and look back at the Queen as she waved him goodbye. Seeing the man off the Queen strolled over to her vanity to pick up a handkerchief to pat away the layer of sweat from her skin.
"Well, this is very disappointing" a shrill voice they both recognized suddenly rang out in the room taking the pair by surprise.
Rolling her eyes the assassin saw Rumpelstiltskin walk towards the Queen as she stood from her seat to greet the man.
"I mean, I didn't spend years training you so you could spend your days galivanting in secret towns with no magic and fencing and get someone else to do your dirty work" the Dark One tells the Queen before he looks over to the Assassin.
"And you Widow. I didn't make a deal with you to renovate your little home, for you spend the last fortnight healing from an injury you got saving your precious Queen".
"Oh, you know exactly why I'm doing this" The Queen tells the imp before glancing towards her Widow "Leave us Widow" she order's her.
"My Queen" she protested her dismissal.
"Go!" she yelled at her Or I'll punish you for your disobedience" at that the assassin turned and walked out of the room trying to salvage what little remained of her pride.
Maybe she should've remained with that Wicked Witch after all.
Expecting a harder fight on their hand than they first expecting. The redheaded assassin headed home to find her one remaining gauntlet. She couldn't use Ophelia's forever. She just had to learn how to fight with a single blade instead of two.
Stepping into her home, the assassin headed straight for the stairs to make her way up to the Master Bedroom only to stop as she smelt something coming from the kitchen, smelling the main ingredient to whatever the intruder was cooking overpower her senses.
Apple.
"Oh hell no" the assassin cursed to herself as she turned the corner to be met with the image of Regina stood at the stove in a completely different outfit she had parted way with.
Instead of sensible pantsuit, she was stood in one of her extravagant dresses from back home that she hadn't seen in year, with her dark hair pinned up on her head, with jewels adjourning her neck and ears.
Seeing her love enter the kitchen the Queen turned to face her with a sickly-sweet smile on her face holding a freshly baked apple pie in her oven-mitt hands as her wife's favourite apron tightly wrapped around her dress.
And here she thought her nightmare's were bad enough.
"Welcome home dear" the Queen grinned at her "Did you have a good day?".
The Evil Queen's question was met by a kitchen knife that had been left on the island heading straight for her head only to quickly raise her hand, using her magic to stop from meeting it's mark in the middle for her forehead "Now" the Queen huffed at her placing the pie down "Is that anyway of greeting your wife" she dryly retorted flicking the knife straight back at her making the assassin duck as the blade flew straight over her head and into the wall behind her.
"Good thing you're not my wife then" the assassin retorted.
"This ring say's otherwise dear" The queen retorted with a grin as she pulled the gloves off her hands to show her the silver ring on her left hand "Now, take a seat dear. I know how like your food straight out the oven".
"I'd rather take a chance with Granny's meatloaf" the assassin refused outright turning to leave the way she came in only for the woman to bump into an invisible barrier, similar to the one that now kept everyone in Storybrooke.
"Shit" she mumbles to herself as she touched the obstacle that now stood in the way of getting away from the Evil Queen.
"Now that was silly" the Queen voiced to the assassin "Now come and sit down before you make more of a fool of yourself".
Turning the assassin stood in silent defiance against the woman that stood in her home. She wouldn't let her control her again.
"Sit" she ordered the assassin as the sweet act she put on disappeared in an instant as the Queen conjured a ball of fire in her hand "Or I'll turn the house to ash with you in it".
Now that was something Marco couldn't fix unlike the kitchen cabinet she threw her sister into. Doing as she was told the assassin took a seat at the island.
Doing as she was told the redhead settled herself on one of the stools as the Queen snuffed out the fire before turning to serve the dessert to the redhead.
"How are you here?" she questioned the Queen as she picked up the fork laid out before her to tuck up her sleeve "I saw you get your heart crushed".
Her question made the Queen bark out a laugh as she cut into the pastry , openly mocking the redheads inquiry.
"You really didn't think it would be that easy to get rid of little old me" she replied, her sinister grin never leaving her face as she waved the knife in her hand "Or has all that time six feet under done something to your head".
Well she wasn't wrong there the assassin through to herself
"What do you want?" Amelia asked her further as the Queen plated the pie, taking it to the former Widow only for the sweet smelling apple pie only for dark blood like liquid to ooze out onto the plate. Her appetite was defiantly gone for good now.
"Believe it or not" the Queen replied making the assassin look up at the woman "I'm here to see you Melia" she softly spoke as she reached out to place her hand on the redheads cheek only for the assassin to jerk her head away from her touch.
"Don't call me that" she snaps at the Queen "You don't get to call me that. If you're here to kill me just do it already, You still must be pissed for letting Charming get away with Emma".
The memory made the Queen grit her teeth in anger, reaching out to grab the redhead's neck only to catch the air in front of it as she realised what the assassin was trying to do. She wasn't going to fall for it. She knew her too well.
"Ah, ah, ah" she replied waving a disapproving finger in the assassin's face "I see what you're doing there" she goes on placing the finger in the middle of her chest "and I am not going to fall for it" with a hard push the assassin was pushed off her seat making her catch herself from falling flat on her ass as the Queen prowls dangerously towards her making the assassin back away until her back hit the kitchen wall, trapping her
"What am I trying to do?" she innocently asks the monarch.
"Your little trick" she spat out the last word "It's not going to work on me dear".
Trapping the assassin in a magnetic stare the Queen move forward as if to kiss her only for a growl to escape her throat, biting the air between them forcing herself to break eye contact with her soulmate.
"You nearly had me. Eat up dear you'll need your strength" she tells the assassin moving away from her allowing the redhead to step away from the wall.
"Your ingredients look a little rotten like your heart honey" she tells her straight "Offence intended".
"How about we start another game" The Queen hummed to herself "You like games don't you?".
"Depends on the game" she shrugs at the Queen. Last time she played a game, she was tied to a chair while my sister dug into her memories with a dreamcatcher. Not very fun.
"A guessing game. You guess what my plan is. I'll either confirm or deny them. Three guesses. You get all three right our little princess will have two mothers putting her to sleep tonight instead of none".
"Guess number one?".
"If you're still kicking around then I guess my other half is as well. Biding her time, ready to make an entrance".
"Correct!" she exclaimed clapping her hands gleefully at the assassin "You know her, she's waiting for the perfect moment to make her appearance, but she will make it" she tells the assassin "Next guess" she prompts her.
"Easy" the redhead starts "You want your revenge against Snow White".
"Oh, you are good" she drawled out as she casually looks at her nails "I am still deciding on how to make her suffer. Just killing her is just too easy, You do know me" she said "Third and final guess dear".
"You want Regina dead" she guessed lastly.
"Wrong!" she yelled at the assassin, quickly crossing the room as she forcefully took the redhead face and jaw into her hand as she pushed her back against the kitchen wall "You really think I'm that stupid! I want her to realise that she made a mistake by getting rid of me, that same my Widow wants with you. But I want something more".
"What?" she shook on fear as the Queen let go of her face allowing the woman to look her in the eye's to see her hardened scowl soften into something she rarely saw on the Evil Queen. Guilt.
"You" she states almost lovingly "I didn't realize it at the time, or rather..I simply refused to acknowledge it" The Queen went on, her voice becoming soft as she placed her hand gently of Amelia's cheek "You were the thing that I wanted most. That's why I couldn't take your heart or the curse. I couldn't bare to face the future with you, the thought of you not being with me made me sick enough to forget about the curse altogether. I love you Amelia. I always have".
She had spent years wanting, no, needing to hear these word come from the Evil Queen. To tell her that she hadn't been the only one to feel what she had felt. And here she was finally telling her how she felt. Her eye's gave away the Queen's honesty, they always did.
"It's you" the assassin breathed out.
"What?" the Queen's brows furrowed in confusion at the redhead's words.
"You've been the one controlling the Count this whole time. That's why he didn't want our help. That's why we couldn't stop him. You took his heart".
She should be mad she had figured it out. But she wasn't.
"I knew you'd figure it out" she I don't leave things to chance. Something you taught me, my love".
"-You were the one to find him. The one to kill Snow and Charming all those years ago, so now that's exactly what he's going to do. And you're not going to stop him".
Before Amelia could reply the redhead chocked on the words as she felt a hot searing pain coming from her side as The Evil Queen slowly pushed in the dagger she had gifted her all those years ago up to it's hilt as the assassin struggled to breath through the pain.
Tears escaped the Evil Queen's eye's as she held the dagger in place causing the assassin as much discomfort as she could bare in that moment. Little did she know that the wound would be the woman's least worries, as the substance it was laced with would push her to choose a side in her war against her other half. Towards her.
"I can't let you get in the way of the Count not until Regina kills him".
So that was the plan after all. She wanted to darken her heart by taking a life. Creating a spot that would only grow over time no matter how much they tried to fight it.
"Thank you" she choked through the pain as a shaky smile grew on her lips.
"For what?".
"For, your…co-operation" the assassin stabbed the Queen on her exposed shoulder with the fork she had picked up earlier, before throwing her head forward, cracking it against the Queen's nose as the older woman yelled in pain as she stumbled back as her eye's watered pulling the dagger out of Amelia's torso, dropping it onto the floor covered in the assassin's fresh blood dripping on the floor as more escaped the open wound soaking into her shirt as she tried her best to stem the flow herself.
"Crazy bitch" the assassin spat at the woman. The Queen's head snapped up as the assassin enjoyed the satisfaction of seeing the thin stream of blood escaping the Queen's nose.
"You'll need me soon Amelia" the Queen growled out.
"Don't count on it vacca" she throws back at the woman before the woman disappears in cloud of purple smoke, leaving the assassin with the gaping hole in to the left of her stomach feeling her knee's threatening to buckle from the blood loss.
She needed to stop and find her medicine, only she didn't have time. She had a feeling the Queen's plan on hurting her wouldn't allow her the time she needed to find her medicine and stop the Count. No she would have to find the man first and hope she didn't bleed out before she reached him.
Stumbling out of the kitchen into the foyer, her eye's went to the dining room to see her one remining gauntlet on the table. It was risky, but it was one she was willing to take. She needed to find the Count before it was too late.
The search for her wife came to abrupt end as soon as it started as she tried to use her phone to contact wither one of them only for some kind of magics casing around her cell prevented her from even using it. The Queen must've done something to it.
Discarding the phone the assassin made her way to Granny's knowing there would be at least one person she knew the Queen hadn't come into contact with. Her arrival was announced to the patrons inside the diner as the bell rung out violently above the door, making those inside look to see the assassin stumble in, holding onto her side with a blood covered hand.
From his place at the counter the teenage assassin saw his mother and the bloodstain towel on her shirt as she pushed through the double-vision as she caught herself on the bar next to her son without falling over
Stumbling into Granny's not even ten minutes later thanks to her motorcycle her arrival was announced to the patrons as the bell rung out and they saw who came in. Clutching her side that was covered in her own bloodied hand, she focused through the double vision to find Tom sat at the counter looking straight at her, just about catching herself on the counter without falling over
"Give me your phone" she demanded out of her son gritting her teeth through the pain, holding out her hand towards him.
"Mom?".
"No arguments. Just give me your phone" getting his new phone from his jacket phone giving it to her.
"Mom your bleeding" he exclaimed seeing a few drops land on the clean floor as she started to use it. Ignoring the screensaver of him and MJ that greeted her she opened the tracking app she had hidden on his new phone after the last one was apparently scorched by Regina in Boston.
She knew Emma's idea would come in handy one day.
"I'm fine" she gritted through her teeth "I need to find Henry, neither he nor Regina are picking up their phone " she growled in annoyance as the 'Radar' on the screen took it's time scanning for Henry's phone.
"Miss Amelia are you alright?" a voice from her left made the woman look up to see the assassin she was speaking to that very morning stood there.
"Peachy Basim " she said as she waited for the tracker to work "I was stabbed by the Evil Queen, I've survived worse"
"The Evil Queen? She's here?" Tom asks his mother in alarm, but she didn't get a chance to confirm her son's question as the assassin spoke up.
"We must get you to a healer Amelia" the assassin insisted seeing the fresh blood on her clothes.
"Not until I find my wife" she watched the 'radar' continued turn in a clockwise motion around the screen.
"Mom, let him help" Tom pleaded with his mother taking the male assassin by surprise.
"She's your mother?" the assassin asked the teenager.
"Uh yeah" he answered the stranger in confusion before the latter looked back at the redhead.
"Amelia I must insist" the man tried to stop her only for her to lose her patience with the man and the piece of technology in her hand as he took hold of Basim's beige robes with her right bloody hand as her hidden blade spilled out making the man pull his head back as the tip rested on the stubble that covered his chin
"MOM!" Tom exclaimed at his mother as her eye's darkened the same way they did whenever the Black Widow took over her mind.
"And I must insist that I find my wife before she kills someone and falls into the Evil Queen's plans" the redhead tells the younger assassin "So if you think about getting in my way again. I will end. You wouldn't be the first assassin I've killed that got in my way".
A deadly silence rang out in the diner at the redheads threat as Basim nodded in understanding and stepped out of the woman's strong hold of him as the phone finally let out a ping announcing that it had finally done it's job in finding where her step-son was.
The ping seemed to make her come out of the red haze that clouded her mind as it dawned on the redhead what she had just done.
"I'm sorry" she breathed out to the assassin that only wanted to help as she looked upon her son's fearful expression. "I'm sorry" she repeated herself before she turned on her heel to leave the diner.
Maybe she was more like the Widow than she realised.
Moving as fast as she could with the blood loss finally making her feel dizzy she finally found her wife in the middle of a sword fight with the Count of Monte Cristo himself at on the wooden boardwalk with Henry hidden behind his mother while Snow and David laid out on the wooden planks unconscious and vulnerable to the Count's order.
The former Queen was doing well against the man as she managed to trap the Counts sword in the wood flooring allowing her to roll behind him, in front of the unconscious royals.
"I can't! It's the Queen!" Henry shouted to his mother holding his phone "She did something".
Freeing himself the Count turned on the former Queen, striking his sword against his twice before he managed to push her sword away hard enough to make the former Queen switch places with him before forcing the sword out of her hand and too far away for the Queen to retrieve without her magic.
Unarmed and unprotected by her loyal Black Widow. He couldn't help but let out a breathily chuckle only for his victory against the woman's defence of the unconscious royals, only for it to be short lived by a whistle coming from behind him.
Whirling around the Count was met with the image of the former Widow stood in front of the sleeping royals with sporting a fresh patch of blood on her side that she was clutching onto with her right hand, focused on the man she had hired to kill them years ago. This was her problem. If anyone should kill him, it should be her.
"Leave them alone" she states to the man in front of her.
"Widow" he growled seeing the other woman that hired him all those years ago "I was wondering when you would show your face".
"You don't have to do this. You can fight it".
"I can't, the Queen has my heart" he tells her "You know more than anyone what she makes you do, willing or not".
"I do" she agreed with him "But there's another way, there's always another way".
"No" he shook his head holding up his sword to the assassin "There isn't, not for me".
"Then you really give me no choice" she states to the man, placing her feet shoulder with apart as she hold up her arms in front of her as a hidden blade slid out of her gauntlet.
"Melia no!"
"So be it" he darkly replied to the woman stepping forward, swinging is sword towards her who easily turned herself around trapping his sword arm under her arm before sending the back of her head into his face and nose, making him take a few steps back in retreat, taking his sword with him as the assassin failed to disarm him.
Regaining his footing he advanced again as the redhead turned to face him, throwing her armed hand towards his neck, once, twice, three times only for the blade to whistle through the air each time he jumped back to evade the blade, opening her body up enough for the Count to send a swift sucker punch at her open wound.
Biting back the scream, the assassin's knee's finally gave out at the pain that flared from the stab wound the Queen had gifted her as one hit the wooden floor as her hand flew to the injury as fresh blood escaped.
"Fuck" the assassin wheezed out as the pain had literally taken the breath out of her lungs.
"Mom! Melia!" she heard Henry and Regina call out to her respectfully as the Count stood above the fallen assassin lifting his sword against her neck feeling the cool steel meet her skin.
"I see the Queen has paid you a visit" he voiced to the woman on the ground, as the last thing that stood between him and the royals was now at his mercy "She told me I couldn't kill you" he panted down at her "But seeing as you're the only thing in between me and my task. She'll have to understand".
As her injured soulmate waited for death to come at the Count's hand the former Queen quickly scrambled behind her to retrieve her sword from the ground, before turning back to hold it out in front of her pointing straight at the Count wanting to take him away from ending the assassin's life as Henry watched on behind his mother.
"Stop! Please" her soulmate's fearful voice echoed in her ears as the assassin let her instincts take over her mind as she flexed her right arm to trigger the hidden blade out of her gauntlet, ready to end the Count's life herself.
Turning his head to address the former Queen the Count kept his sword poised at the assassin's neck as the redhead remained hunched over in pain.
"This is the only way" he states to the former Queen before returning to the assassin raising his sword above his head to end the assassin's life.
A yell escaped the former Queen's mouth as she threw the sword at the Count just as the redhead found the strength to push herself up with her blade aimed straight for his heart. The tip of the sharpened hidden blade cut through his clothes, skin, and muscle to meet Regina's sword as both blade's struck his heart at the same time making the man grunt out in pain feeling the cool steel enter his heart.
"No" the assassin gasped in horror as she saw her blade in her chest "No, no, no, no" she echoed as she pulled the blade out of his chest to grab the front of his clothes to stop him from falling, only for his dead weight to pull the assassin down with him falling onto her knees as she took hold of his face to see any sign of life coming from the man, only to meet a pair of eye's that no longer held the light of a soul behind them.
"NO!" she cried out in anguish as Regina ran down the boardwalk towards them with Henry following behind her. Falling onto her knee's the former Queen could do nothing as her wife gently laid the dead Count onto the ground before she felt all her energy drain out of her body as she sat down onto the boardwalk staring at the blood that covered her hidden blade.
Her hand shook the same way it did the first time she had taken a life as the feeling a guilt and dread washed her body.
She remembers asking Claudius about it. He just told her it was normal and she would get used to it before sending her away. But then she went to Romeo. He told her it was the adrenaline that was coursing through her body after the anticipation of killing a target. It was her body's way of coping with the hours she had put in planning an tracking her target for it all to come down to that one moment.
They both had been right. She did get used to it, but the more she killed the less it would affect her, so mush so it stopped altogether. And during her Widow days she relished in the adrenaline, grew addicted to the feeling of euphoria that washed over her mind and body each time she ended a life.
She hated that feeling as it washed over her once again, calming her mind as she clenched her shaking hand into a tight fist the assassin held it against her body as she closed her eyes tightly feeling the first tears fall down her cheeks. She tried. She really tried not to kill him.
"Moms are you okay?" Henry called out to either of his mothers on the ground.
"I'm so sorry" the former Queen mourned over the corpse as the royal couple started to stir awake.
"Mom's" he said resting a hand on Regina's shoulder "You did what you had to" he tells hoping Amelia had heard him as he saw her shut the world out around her.
"Edmond" they hear David say as he looks over to the Count's still body.
"No" Snow gasped seeing Edmond's still body on the ground.
"We had no choice" Regina tells the pair; she knew the redhead would quickly try and take responsibility for the man's death, but it was both of them.
"No, that's not true" hearing the voice that didn't belong to her wife, the assassin's eye's snapped open as she looked up to see the Evil Queen herself stood in front of them stood without the apron this time in all her glory as she marvelled at her small victory.
"She is back" Snow stated as she and David stood up to face the Queen.
"I couldn't just stand by and watch the Count kill my friends" Regina tells the Evil Queen.
"Oh, I thought heroes always found a third way... unless, of course, this means you're not a hero".
Sick of her mind games the redhead pushed back the guilt and grief of taking a life as she focused on the woman that had set up the whole plan herself. Jumping ot her feet the assassin quickly closed the distance between herself and the Queen throwing a tight fist into her face, making the heads' whip to the side the redheads nose flared in anger.
"Melia!" Regina called after her love as she ran after her,
A wide smirk slowly grew on the Queen's lips as she turned to look the former Widow in the eyes.
"Is that all you got Assassin?" she taunted her with a sickly grin knowing that the woman could hit harder than that "Or is that little stab wound still a little sore?".
Her left hand snapped out on it own accord as it grabbed the Queen by her neck as tight as she could as she raised her right arm to press her exposed hidden blade against her porcelain skin. She didn't even flitch as her brown eye's bore into a familiar pair of green that she knew well.
"I will rip your heart out through your neck" the redhead hissed in the Queen's face.
"That's the Amelia I remember" she purred at the redhead as her brow eyes met her other halves "We do like it rough, don't we?" she winks at the assassin making the redhead let go of her neck and push her back away from them.
"You didn't want the Count to kill Snow and David" Regina realised "You wanted us to kill him".
"Well, it was the only way to show you both that no matter what you do... the darkness will always be inside. And that tiny bit of darkness I awakened today is only going to grow".
"Don't listen to her" Snow voiced to the pair of former villains.
"Snow... White" the Queen growled at the former Princess as the latter came to stand beside her friends.
"Snow" David warned his wife as Regina held out a protective arm towards the younger woman.
"No, I'm not afraid of her" Snow says looking straight at the Queen "We defeated you before. We'll do it again".
"Oh, I'm not the one who's going to destroy your... happy endings. Not this time".
"Then who is?" the former Queen asked her darked self.
"You" The Queen tells her other half "You're going to destroy everyone's happy endings" she tells the woman before she turns her head to look straight in Amelia's eyes "And you" she pauses "You need to decide whether you want to stay by her side while she destroys everything you have fought for since the curse broke. She will drag you down with her like I did".
"You won't divide this family" Snow tells the Queen knowing what she was trying to do.
"Oh, I won't have to. The people from the Land of Untold Stories aren't the only ones with tales they don't want told. And when your stories finally play out" the Queen chuckles "I'll just sit back and watch you- tear yourselves apart" she sang song to them before disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke leaving the family on the boardwalk to contemplate the Queen's words.
Retreating to Granny's for a well earnt drink after the events of that day the former Queen and her former Widow sat side by side in a booth opposite Snow and Emma as they drained glass after glass of amber liquid. One to dull the pain in here side and the other to deal with the fact that her evil half was running loose in their home.
Gulping down her drink the assassin relished in the burn the drink left behind in her throat as it made it's way down to her stomach as she felt the gauze that covered her stab wound pull on her skin, after it was quickly stitched up haphazardly by her in the diner's restroom with only the mirror to guide her and a bottle of the amber liquid nearby as Snow hovered nearby to make sure the assassin didn't collapse from the pain. It wouldn't kill her, but it did hurt like a bitch.
The newlywed's glasses thudded on the table in front of them in unison as Snow and Emma watched on in sympathy to how the pair had fallen into the Queen's plans so easily. The Queen knew her training and survival instincts would kick into gear when she was put into real danger, like something in her mind clicked and all her emotions about trying to help him had been switched off and they didn't switch back on until her blade had found his heart.
"Regina, it's not your fault" Snow tells the former Queen who sat opposite the redhead who was looking for a waitress to give her a refill.
"Right" Regina chuckled out dryly to her former step-daughter.
"She trapped you. You didn't have a choice" Emma voiced to the pair.
"Of course I had a choice. I could have kept the Evil Queen inside, where she was my problem".
"No. This is exactly what she wants. She wants you to doubt yourself" Emma tries to tell her.
"She's doing a hell of a job, there Swan" Amelia grumbled as a waitress finally appeared to give the assassin a full glass of drink.
"Look, Regina" Snow speaks up "This may be new for you, but I've faced the Evil Queen before, and I never once did it by running away. Okay, we have to her head on, get ahead of her plan".
"And how exactly do we do that?" Regina asks her step-daughter.
"I don't know. This is the one time we are going to ask you to please think like the Evil Queen. What did she mean when she said we all have stories we don't want told?" as Snow finished both Amelia and Regina see the blonde freeze as her hand shook on the table before she grabbed her cup to disguise it.
"Emma. Are you okay?" Regina asks her friend in concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine" the blonde brushes the concern off as she takes a long drink.
"Look" Amelia speaks up opposite the blonde gaining their attention "You two can drum up all the hope speeches in the entire world, but you're both forgetting that the Queen isn't our only problem here".
"The Black Widow" Emma states to the redhead placing the tea cup back down "Is she really all that bad?"
"The last time you met her I was still teetering between the light and the dark, I was keeping your mother a few steps ahead of the Queen, while I was heading the search party holding the silver platter for her heart" her eye's glanced over to the woman herself "No offence".
"None taken" Snow quickly tells her.
"You can ask me all you want to think like the Black Widow, but the difference between her and the Queen. She found her vengeance. I found all my brothers and sent their souls to the Underworld. So, when she makes her entrance, we're all going to know about it".
"Then what does she want now?" Snow asked her.
"Your guess is as good as mine" Amelia replied "My guess is that she's going to make a better entrance than our dear Queen" she says lifting her full glass up in a mocking salute to the monarch that made her life hell before downing her drink once again.
As the Emma and Snow continued to watch the assassin drink away the day, Tom sat at the counter with Henry next to him as the Author looked through his story book going over the Count's story, trying to figure out what had gone so wrong for him. Joining the teen's David and Hook approached the pair to check up on the younger of the pair.
"This isn't how the Count's story should have ended" Henry complained to his family and Hook as he flicked through the pages "I should have known that Operation Cobra: Part Two wouldn't have been as simple as I thought".
"Why is that?" his grandfather asks him.
"Because it's a sequel, and they're always more involved than the original" Henry tells them.
"I'm sorry, mate. I don't understand" Hook tells the teen in confusion .
"Empire Strikes Back? Godfather: Part II"?" Henry lists off as he looks to his brother for support.
"What? What?" the pirate continued to echo as he looked to David for some help.
"Temple of Doom"?" he lists off again "You know... the best sequels ever".
"Oh is that one with the dinosaurs?" Tom asks his brother excitedly his eye's lighting up as Henry turned in stool to face his brother "Or those spy movies my Mom loves".
"No" he deadpanned the teenage assassin "Not even close" Henry tells him his voice dripping in disappointment he turns back to his grandfather and his mothers boyfriend as Tom's head met the surface of the counter.
"It's definitely time for a movie night" he comments outload "When my mom helped everyone during the first curse, it was simple. Those people had been ripped away from the stories they wanted to play out" Henry explained to them.
"And these people ran from their stories for a reason" David voices.
"And before we can help them, we need to find out why they ran".
"All right. Keep reading" David instructs the teens as he turns around to notice an envelope on a stool addressed to him. Picking it up he is opening it to let the small object fall into his hand. to see it was a lucky charm his father used to ear before he died.
Looking up from the book Tom saw David suddenly becoming quiet.
"Uncle David?" Tom called out to the man. After some debate with his mother and the prince they had come to the agreements that he would call David his Uncle, seeing how close friends he was with his mother and how he felt uncomfortable calling him grandpa after Henry suggested it to his brother. He only knew one set of Grandparents and he was happy to keep it like that.
Hearing the teen call to the man Hook looked back to see why the teenager was concerned "You all right, mate?".
"Yeah" he answers the pirate "Just gonna get some air" he excuses himself.
At that he leaves the diner taking the piece of tin with him to the patio area alone. Or that's what he thought as a voice he recognized speak up.
"How do you like your gift?" whirling around he wasn't met by the Evil Queen this time instead it was the Black Widow herself comfortably sat at one of the tables with her feet up on the table crossed at her ankle as her long dark robe reached the ground beneath the chair she sat on. Her long dark red hair fell onto her shoulder as her hood remained off her head.
"I should have known it came from you" David voiced to the Widow "Why'd you give it to me?".
"Simple" she says gracefully standing up from the chair "Like the Queen said, we all have untold stories waiting to be played out".
"You were there" he stated as his brows furrowed.
"Spare me the ignorance, Your Highness" she says rolling her eyes at him as she takes a few methodical steps towards him "It's really not a good look on you. I'm always there, you just look hard enough and you'll see me, watching, listening, learning".
"I hate to break it to you. This one's already been told" he says holding up the item to her "You see, this was a good-luck charm I wrapped around my father's wrist before he left our farm".
"Oh, you mean the trip where he left his untimely demise?".
"You're not gonna get in my head" The prince calls out her bluff "I made peace with what happened. My father succumbed to weakness. He got drunk. Because of that, he died in a cart accident" he tells the woman stepping round her to go back into the diner without giving the redhead another glance as she spins on her heel to watch him.
"Oh, I'm not here because of your daddy issues" the sentence made him stop and turn his head back to her "Trust me I have enough of them to last me two lifetimes. No, I'm here to ask you one question" turning to face her, he gives her his full attention "Are you sure it was an accident?".
"What are you saying?".
A grin grew on her face seeing that she had the man hooked, jerking her head towards the widow the Widow moved towards the diner with the Prince following her they peered in-between the blinds to see the redhead drinking with his daughter and wife.
"My other half is sat in there with your daughter and your lovely wife. She may look all nice and innocent now, but haven't you ever wondered what's she's been hiding for all these years?" she questioned the man as he continued to watch the assassin through the window.
"Her secrets have secrets Shepherd" she whisper's in the Prince's ear "And one of them, is going to get your entire family killed".
Hearing that the Prince whipped his head around to face the assassin only to be met with an empty space as her words echoed through his mind.
AN: We made it!
A Bitter Draught has been one of my favourite chapter to write. Hope you enjoyed it. Until next time;
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