With the plan in mind and her sixth sense on, the redheaded assassin listened for her wife's determined steps walk up the gravelled driveway as she David and Snow waited on the other side of Zelena's farmhouse for the moment to enter and rescue Archie.

Through the walls of the farmhouse her sight easily picked up the pair of red figures inside of the home with a rather small target glowing a brilliant gold bright above a small bundle.

"Damn" the assassin hissed to herself at piece of information.

"What? What is it?" Snow quietly asked her friend hearing the curse as David listen closely from behind his wife.

"Archie's a cricket" she tells the couple.

"Should we let Regina know" the former Prince asks the woman.

"No. Nothing changes. Once they're both out of the house, we go in" she tells them just as her wife comes to a stop at the front of the house ready to address the Queen inside.

"I know you're in there.. Your Majesty" her soulmates voice carried through the walls, reaching her ears "Come out. We need to have a little chat" she calls out to her darker side as one of the red figures in the home disappear and reappeared behind her wife outside the home. One out. One to go.

"Or what? You'll huff, and you'll puff, and you'll blow the house down?" the Queen chuckled as the second red figure made her way out of the house to join her sister "You call this an entrance, Regina? Well, I suppose I was the one with all the flair".

"To what do we owe the honour?" she heard Zelena's voice next as the redhead motioned both Snow and David into the house now clear of both sisters inside.

"Kitchen" Amelia whispered to the couple. Snow gave her a nod of understanding as the couple headed into house alone while the occupants were distracted, with no sign of the Widow on the property.

"So, it's true" the former Queen went on "You really are harbouring the Evil Queen out here" she continued as Amelia slipped into the house with the gripping the pommel of her dagger in her hand.

"She's my sister, and she cares about me" Zelena argued "I'm willing to bet you're not here to see how I'm getting on".

"You're right. I have a message. Your little masquerade as the Cricket therapist didn't work because airing Emma's and Melia's dirty laundry only made us stronger".

"Well, then why are you out here delivering this message all by your lonesome? Hmm?" The Evil Queen questioned her doppelganger as Snow and David finally reached Archie in his Cricket form in a small, gilded cage above baby Robin.

"We're right behind you" Snow reassured the therapist as she opened the small door. the Cricket nodded his hat towards the Princess in appreciation before flying out of his cage pass the couple and the redhead that was hidden in the house ready for her time to reveal herself just as baby Robin started to audibly coo at the 'strangers'.

"I don't think you came all this way just to gloat. That's my move. You're up to something else" the Queen became suspicious of the woman's presence just as Robin started to cry out.

Seeing though the act of deception Zelena rushed back inside to find both David and Snow trying to comfort the infant themselves "Stay away from her!" the witch demands out of the couple making them jump away from the baby.

"We just came for Archie. We're not here to hurt your daughter" David tried to tell the woman.

"Well, excuse me for not taking any chances" Zelena sat at them picking the infant up from the crib and taking her away from the couple.

"Thanks, sis" the Evil Queen suddenly appears as Zelena takes Robin further into the house, completely missing the assassin hiding just around the corner "And now the real fun can begin" the Queen summons a fireball in her hand just as she feels a tip of a blade prick the back of her neck making her freeze.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" Amelia's voice comes from behind her as Regina appeared in a ploom of smoke in front of the royal couple.

"How's that for an entrance?" Regina retorts as the Queen's extinguishes the flame in her hand.

"Try all you want, but nothing you do will ever tear this family apart" Snow says from behind the former Queen.

"Oh, is that so?" the Queen questioned the group of hero's "Because exposing their secret was just the beginning".

"Bring it, Queenie" was all Regina says as purple smoke engulfs the trio in front of her and the assassin behind her making their escape from the farmhouse.

After a relatively peaceful day for the redheaded and her family after rescuing Archie from Zelena and the Evil Queen, the family went to bed ready for whatever drama would hit them the next day.

As Helen slept without a stir in her cot. Tom, splayed out on his bed light snore escaping his mouth as he breathed in and out. Down the hall to the right was a different story.

In the master bedroom, one half of the married couple slept comfortably with her back to her redheaded wife as the latter's breath to become uneven as a sheen of sweat covered her bare neck and face, the sleeping assassin's hand unconsciously went to the shot of pain that went up her gauzed side hiding the poison that continued to fight it's way through the healing tonic the assassin had taken that evening before climbing into bed with her wife, as her mind took her back to the dreams that haunted her since returning back from the dead.

She was running again. But this time it was different she recognised this part of the forest she was even despite the darkness. She was in Storybrooke. her legs pumped her forward as she was heading in any direction she could go. She didn't know who or what was chasing her, but she had to run. It was getting closer, she could feel it.

Coming to a stop the redhead took a break as she leaned her back on a nearby tree to catch her breath only to feel the roughness of the bark scratching into bare skin on her back. Looking down the redhead saw what she was wearing, the clothes she went to bed in, a cotton tank top and blue and white shorts and bare feet

"What the-".

"Good run dear?" she didn't get a chance to match the voice with the face as she felt something shove into her chest and take hold of her heart in her chest. grabbing the offending arm with both her hands the assassin was met by the Evil Queen on the other end of her with a wicket smirk on her lips as she squeezed hard enough for the assassin to feel her heart thudding against her fingers.

Gasping for breath, tears sprang from her eye's as she tried to fight the Queen's hold as the Queen watched her simply watched her love suffer at her hand "Now it my turn to punch back".

Ripping the heart from her chest, the Queen stood with the dark spotted glowing heart in her hand "Tick tock my love".

Gasping awake the assassin shot of bed disturbing her wife next to her as the door to their bedroom burst open for Tom to jump into the room with his gauntlets on his arms as he tried to find the source of the danger his sixth sense that woke him up that took him to his mother's bedroom in the middle of the night to see his other sat up in bed clutching her chest right over her heart

"Mom!" he called out to her as the redhead tried to find the steady beat that told her that her 'dream' wasn't real, that she still had her heart, only to feel something else. Nothing. It was gone.

"Melia? What's wrong?" her voice made her jump as her head whipped around to see her wife's concerned face as she tried to push down the fear she felt seeing her face again.

"My heart" she panted out "She has my heart-"

"The Queen has my heart".

Enchanted Forest

Many Years Ago

City of Veronia

Fireworks

The bursts of colour that exploded in the night sky above her as she stepped out of the carriage onto the cobble ground of the city she and her father had come during the city's ten day flamboyant festival. The city it-self was beautiful, or that's what she had heard from the stories her father would tell her when he returned from a business trip.

The city sat on a hundreds of small islands that were separated by expanses of open water and canals, liked by the hundreds of bridges in which the boats that floated on the shallow waters was the best way to travel instead of horse and carriage. It was magnificent.

The years of convincing her mother to accompany her father to the city was worth it as she watched the colours in the sky disappear only for another burst of colour a light to replace it. And the time of year her father's business brought him to the city ,just so happened to be Carnevale season.

The city's Carnevale was the best time to go as the city would come alive at night as people dances, drunk and ate as much as they could before the city's religious restrictions came into effect.

One night. That all she had to enjoy the small bit of freedom before she would be taken back to her mother and her wicked ways. Peasants and nobles alike celebrated as those that could wore colourful vibrant clothes and masks covering their faces from view while the streets were filled with banner and bunting and fireworks decorated the night sky.

The dress she had managed take with her looked bland and safe in comparison to the some of the bright colours the women wore around her. The cream and gold coloured lace ball gown was something her mother had made for a special occasion. But what better occasion to wear one the corset dress than the Carnevale?.

"Regina" Henry called out to his daughter the third time as he watched his daughter become distracted by the people around her that wore dresses that her mother would sold her for wearing herself and the couples that were openly showing their affections on the moonlit bridge. This place seemed like an entire different world.

Hearing her father's voice through the fireworks above them the young woman shook herself from staring too much.

"Sorry Daddy" she said hoping the blush on her cheek was hidden by the little light the torches that lined the streets.

"It's alright" he chuckles in amusement "I was the same the time I attended these festivities" he was only a young Prince back then and now he was taking his own grown daughter to the place he wished he never had to leave.

"It's just so...different" she said with a grin on her face eager to go and enjoy the festivities without her mother behind her to scold her every time she seemed to be acting in an un-ladylike manner.

"I know, which is which I need you to keep safe" he says taking her hands between his "Keep vigilant, your mother won't be happy if she ever found out I allowed to explore by yourself".

"I'll be safe Daddy. I promise" she replies placing a kiss on his cheek.

"Meet the carriage back here in a few hours. Until then, enjoy the night" he says turning back to the carriage only to see the only piece of her attire for the evening still on the seat of the carriage.

"Don't forget your mask dear" he tells her picking up the delicate piece to give to his daughter. Taking the black lace butterfly mask from him to tie around the back of her head that fitted perfectly around her eyes and the bridge of her nose "Perfect" he mused to her grown daughter "Now go, there's much to explore".

Running from the law wasn't something new for the young assassin to do, but getting caught was. So moving from city to city was the only way to evade her would be captors until the heat died down enough for her to return and make sure any remnants of her likeliness on wanted poster's were quickly disposed so she could return back to Monteriggioni.

Unfortunately she had underestimated the Templar's Order's quick transition of power from one dead one to the next one in line. Like a Hydra. Cut off one head and three more would grow back in it's place to continue it's work.

This was the longest she had been away from Monteriggioni without another assassin with her to pick up the pieces so to speak if she messed up. Templar after Templar fell on her blade until she got a message that would allow her home. In the meantime she had made contacts that would serve her in the long-term. Thieves. mercenaries, courtesans and even a painter/ inventor that designed weapons for her, including his newest invention that attached to her gauntlet that acted as a hidden gun, excellent for assassination from afar. Only problem, it was loud. Very loud.

Leonardo had given her a mask to easily blend in with the mask wearers that filled the streets of Veronia during it's carnival season. The silver metal eye-mask fitted that looked like layers of feather's that had been placed on top of the other comfortably over her eyes and nose, keeping her cheekbones from view. Thankfully the mask matched the plates of armour that fitted over the red and white set of robes over her chest and greaves that fitted around the long brown leather boots on her feet, to anyone else it looked like an elaborate costume for the festivities.

Entering the Bordello the young assassin found her contact and thief Antonio sat between two courtesans with a mug of mead in his hand and a Nun stood to the side

"Antonio" she called out to thief pulling the white hood from her head for her long tied hair to fall out "We need to talk".

"Amelia?" he questioned the masked stranger that had entered the bordello. rolling her eye's the young assassin pulled the silver mask from her face, revealing it to her friend "Amelia!" he exclaimed recognising the woman that had aided him previously before looking at the nun to his left "Teodora, meet the most.. talented woman in all of the Forest".

"Madonna..Ah Sister Teodora" she greeted the sister with a respectful bow noticing how..revealing her dress was compared to other Nun's she had come across. Damn Ophelia, for introducing her to the girls back home. Making herself look away, the assassin sent a question towards the thief sat between the two courtesans "I never imagines you a religious type".

"It depends how you understand religion, my daughter" Teodora speaks up "It's not just men's souls that call for soothing".

"Come! Join us, Amelia!" Antonio's voice took her back to him "Have a drink! Meet the ladies!".

A scream of pain from the right distracts the groups seeing a peasant man run for the front door as a girl on the ground motionless.

"Murderer! Butcher!" one of the girls called out as she tried to help her friend "He sliced Lucia and stole her money!".

"So- Mancare Amelia" Teodora turns to the young assassin "Let's see just how talented you are. After him!".

Replacing the mask on her face and pulling her hood onto her head the assassin ran after the murderer.

The murderer didn't get too far from the bordello before Amelia caught him trying to harm another girl, using the hidden gun in her gauntlet she still felt the hard roil in her shoulder from the power of the weapon as she re-entered the bordello to find the dead courtesan on the desk surrounded by her 'sister's' as they mourned her passing with Teodora, the bordello's Madam nearby, to try and comfort her girls as much as she could.

This happened in Monteriggioni more often than she wished it did, either by accident by a drunken mercenary who didn't know his own strength or a visitor hoping to steal money from the girls that working in the bordello. Either way, whoever it was, death was the price for murder by an assassin that stewarded the city, she had witnessed it, forced to watch as the man begged for them to spare his life. But rule's were rules.

Hearing the door open and close the bordello's madam looked to the door to see the young assassin re-enter the building, slipping the mask from her face and the hood from her head as the girl's vibrant red hair tied in a braid laying on her shoulder as Antonia paced the floor with clenched fist on his hips.

"He's paid his price" the young redheaded assassin confirms her kill to the older woman.

"You have our gratitude, Amelia" Teodora tells her.

"Why is it wherever you go, trouble follows" Antonio spat at the young assassin pointing to the dead courtesan on the desk.

"Antonio. I trust you know why I'm here?" the redhead moved the conversation on.

"I imagine to rid Veronia of Marco Barbarigo? But really, Amelia, we did this once already! And this new Templar Doge is a bigger culo (ass) than the last. Never mind that he NEVER leaves the Palazzo".

"Yes. Except...for tonight" the madam corrects the thief "Marco wouldn't dare miss Carnevale".

"How do you know this?" Amelia questioned the woman.

"In fact he is throwing the biggest party of them all. But getting in won't be so simple. You'll need a golden mask for entry. And before you ask you think about forging one, keep in mind, each mask is numbered. Fortunately for you, I have an idea. Let's see if we can't WIN you a mask".

With the events of the night fresh in the minds of Amelia and Snow. The hero's and teenager's gathered outside Granny's as Snow nursed a cup of tea to sooth her nerves as shot glass filled to the brim of amber liquid in the assassin's hand was slowly nursed as she felt the numbness that came with having her heart taken.

It was like she was seeing everything through tinted lenses. All her emotions in that moment felt like a wet towel had been thrown on top of them. They were there but nothing showed for the concern that the Queen had threatened to take Snow's heart for the nth time. Like Regina once described it to her amnesic self. She could feel but not as fully.

The Evil Queen had found and used a loophole in the protection spell her wife had cast on her heart years ago so no magic user, not even she, could get it.

She had managed to get into Snow's head as well giving her a mysterious bottle which sat in the middle of the table the ground had gathered around with Snow sat on a chair with her tea and Amelia sat on one sipping on her drink sat on a chiar i between her standing wife and David trying his best to comfort his wife after her late night visit from the Queen demanding both halves of her heart that sat in her's and her true love's chests.

"If we don't give in to her, she'll use that on everyone?" David asked his wife as Regina crouched down to get a good look at the bottle itself.

"Yes" Snow answered.

"So, what is it?" Regina asked her as she examined the bottle closely.

"She told me to figure it out and that if we didn't give over our hearts within twelve hours, she would use it on the whole town".

Emma reached over to take the mystery bottle from the former Queen only for her hand to shake instantly taking it back "You okay?" Snow asks her daughter in concern.

"No, but I have an excuse" Emma tells her mother "Haven't you heard? The Evil Queen's trying to kill my parents".

"Eh" Amelia shrugged from her seat, brushing off the saviour's concern "If I had a dollar every time the Queen went after your parent's" Amelia drawls bringing the rim of the shot glass to her lips "I'd be richer than Gold" she adds slipping at the strong liquid.

"What about you Lia?" Snow asks her oldest friend "Did she saying anything to you?".

"Well seeing as all of you are still alive and I have to assume the worst" she tells them giving them a tight-lipped smirk saluting the group with her shot glass "She didn't say anything other than 'Tick Tock'".

The quote took the pirate by surprise at the same two words that the Widow had quoted to him the night he didn't throw the shears into the sea "Whatever the hell that mean's" the redhead added.

"You said we were alive and well in your vision of the future" David asked her daughter moving the conversation on.

"The Oracle said things could kind of change as we went along, but the only thing that was certain was that Lia and I died" Emma tells him.

"Speaking of death" Regina spoke up gaining the groups attention "I think I know what this is" the former Queen walked over to a potted tree plant as she uncorked the bottle gently allowing a single drop of the liquid drop onto the tree. The second it made contact with the bark it turned black quickly spreading outwards up through he branches killing the small leaves that shrived up and flew off the now dead tree.

"Whoa" Henry and Tom blurted out in astonishment, making the assassin blink making sure she saw what had just happened was right and not just the drink getting to her head.

"Fuck that was quick" the redhead drawled out to herself.

"What kind of potion is that?" David asks the dark brunette.

"It's not a potion. It's water" Regina corrects them.

"Oh, I knew it" Hook said "Never trusted the stuff. Rum would never do that".

"Cheer's to that" Amelia saluted the pirates observation by downing her shot in one gulp. A slightly tipsy assassin was better than a sober one that's heart was in the hands of the Evil Queen's.

"What kind of water?" the saviour asks the former Queen only for the assassin to answer her.

"From the River of Lost Souls" Amelia spoke up with her wife agreeing with her "But how the hell did she get it?".

"Gold" Regina states to the group figuring it out quickly "She's working with Gold. He brought it back from the Underworld. And now, if you don't give her your hearts, she can destroy the whole town".

The square was abuzz with excitement the second the games and grand prize was announced to the crowd that Regina had found herself drawn to after leaving her father and the carriage less than an hour ago. The prize of the golden mask to gain entry to the Doge's party seemed to bring more people to the square already filled with people dancing to the music that never seemed to stop as her attention was caught to the stage where a man in pink outfit that made him stand out from the other men that stood in the background.

"Signori e Signori, come one come all. The Games of Carnevale are about to begin. Do you have the coraggio to complete for as grand a prize as this?".

The announcer turned to the men behind him for the stockily built unhooded man to stand forward and hold up the golden mask.

"This year-like every year-the Golden Mask will provide entry-for one e uno solo - to our most beloved Doge's personal ball! Who would not desire such an exceptional reward? Come! Compete! Whoever proves themself champion in each of four games today, shall be the Doge's personal guest tonight!".

"Signori, Signori! (Gentlemen, gentleman!) This may be the easiest challenge yet-or the hardest! A game of charisma and charm! Step right up, step right up! Who shall win the prize?".

She'd best get to it then.

The ribbon's weren't hard to find as every woman in the square had her's lifted from her person as Amelia complimented her appearance with a charming smile that seemed to come natural to the redhead, before moving onto the next unsuspecting group of woman that milled about the area. Out of the ribbons available, Amelia needed to get twenty-five to make sure she won the game to give her the advantage going into the next game.

As the four minutes was coming to an end and twenty-four ribbons safely in her possession the last woman couldn't seemed to be found by the other competitors, which gave the assassin the advantage out of the other's.

Blinking on her sixth sense the square and the people within in turned shades of blue as the outline of the last woman with the ribbon shone out from the crowd of dancer's as the assassin's vision turned back to normal to see the absent minded woman with the black lace butterfly mask and cream and gold trimmed ball gown that looked a little out of place as she watched the acrobatics of the performers as the other competitors started to figure out that she was the last person with a ribbon.

Making her feet move forward the assassin quickly closed the distance along with the other's, luckily for her, she had reached the woman first, reaching out to slip her hand into her's to gently tug her towards the group of dancers and away from the other competitors as the sudden movement made her gasp in surprise as she was spun around to end up face to face of a silver masked stranger with a white hood over their head.

"Could I trouble you for a ribbon, Principessa?".

Words failed Regina in that moment as she found herself in the hands of a stranger dancing with her in a small crowd of other dancers as the music continued unaware of her small fright as she realised that it wasn't one of the male competitors. She saw and felt the feminine features straight away under the silver eye mask as well as the bright red hair that sat under the white hood of the stranger that had forced her to dance.

"You-You're a-" she stammered to herself.

"Woman" the stranger int the silver mask finishes for her "Yes" she brushed aside the her surprise "Now that you've made that grand discovery, may I have the ribbon on your wrist" the silver masked woman asks her eyeing the ribbon that was tied around her pale wrist, that she held in her hand as her arm guided the young woman in a simple dance from around her tight waist.

"Why would you need it?".

"The Doge is an old friend" the redhead answered her "I wish to pay him a visit. What better time than during his party?".

"Then why didn't you get invited?".

"I never said we were good friends"

"You know, I could just take it" the woman under the hood and mask tells her.

"Then why haven't you?" she rebutted.

"Because I'm not rude" the stranger answered "That...and I needed to take you away from my competition" the woman says making Regina look back at the group of men stood where she was, disgruntled mummer's reaching her ears before looking back at the silver masked woman. "So..about that ribbon".

"Ask" Regina demanded from the woman feeling confident of the slither of power she held over the woman with their slender hand on her waist.

"Ask?" the redhead echoed in confusion.

"You want to win so much. You'll ask for it".

"Principessa" the woman drawled out in amusement as a smirk grew in the stranger's lips "Trust me, I won't have to".

"And why's that?".

"Because I won't have to" the woman states to her as their dance came to abrupt end for the silver masked stranger to hold up the ribbon that was on her wrist only a second ago.

"You-" Regina was cut off as the last grain of sand in the hourglass timing the competitor's fell.

"Thanks Principessa. It was nice meeting you" the silver masked woman winked at her before leaving her to go to the wooden stage for her ribbon's to be counted.

"We have a winner!" the announcer in pick exclaims to the gathered crowd that included the 'Princess' she had stolen the last ribbon from as he took hold of her wrist to hold it aloft in victory "You have more ribbon than any man here! You've proved yourself a favourite of the ladies! And are now one step closer to the greatest prize of all time!".

Retreating to Emma and Hook's, the group of hero's, former villain's and teenage boys gathered around the kitchen table with the small vial of water from the River of Lost Souls. The former assassin sat with her wife as they retold their discovery of Gold's involvement with the Evil Queen's plan's to the redhead's pregnant Aunt Belle.

"You don't seem shocked that Gold brought some of this back and gave it to the queen" Emma observed to the brunette librarian.

"I'm not" Belle tells them as her 'niece' gives the woman a sympathetic smile opposite her. "He's not acting like the man he could be I wish I could help" she says round the table ready to head for the door "But I-I've looked through all my books for any information on... on how to neutralize water from the River of Souls, but I'm afraid there's nothing. I'll keep looking" the librarian reassures the group.

"Thanks anyway Belle" the assassin tell her aunt that was replied with a small nod from the younger woman before she turned to leave the house, bumping into Mother Superior keeping the door open for the Blue Fairy to enter the home.

"I'm sorry to interrupt" Blue tells them making the assassin turn in her seat to face the woman "I came quickly as I could. David called and told me what happened".

"Can you help?" Snow quickly asks the fairy.

"Unfortunately, I don't have a way to counteract the Lost Souls water".

A sigh of disappointment was heard from the former Prince at the piece of news "So we either let the whole town die, or the Evil Queen gets exactly what she's always wanted".

"Maybe. But there is a bit of magic that just might be powerful enough to imprison the Evil Queen. It's a sapling".

"A baby tree?".

"It was created by the first spark of a true love. It's incredibly rare".

"Have you got one?" Killian asks the fairy.

"We had one, back in the Enchanted Forest" she tells the pirate "We assumed that it was left behind in the curse, but now we think it might be lost somewhere here in Storybrooke".

The piece of optimistic news wasn't felt by the assassin as it was by the others, not just because her heart was currently in the hands of the Queen. No, the sapling seemed too good to be true.

"There has to be some, like, magical way to find it, right?" the saviour asks the fairy.

"There is... a spell that could point the way with a sort of beacon, it would also allow someone who possess Amelia and Tom's sight to see a more exact location"

"We'd be able to find it?" Tom's asked the fairy from the kitchen sink making everyone in the room perk up.

"A small chance but yes, only it wouldn't be visible just to us. If Gold or the Queen or even Zelena saw it, they would know exactly what it was".

"Which mean's the Widow would see it as well" the pirate reminded the group of the other sight user in town.

"The Widow hasn't been seen or heard from in days" Amelia speaks up from her seat "She's been quiet. Which means the Queen has her on a tighter leash than we might think".

Clenching his jaw, the pirate had to stop himself from correcting the assassin that the Widow had made an appearance warning him of the woman that sat at his kitchen table.

"And then we'd have a race on our hands" David announced to the group.

"Maybe not" Regina suddenly spoke up making the group look to her as she became nervous especially as her eye's twitched towards her wife next to her.

"What?" Emma prompted her to continue.

"The Evil Queen and Gold's alliance, there, um, may be more to it than business" the former Queen slowly began as everyone listened intently to what she was about to say "Rumple and I..."

Those three words caught the redhead's attention more than anything her soulmate had said. No good sentence started off with 'Rumple and I'.

"There was always a certain amount of...chemistry" Regina quietly admitted to the others in the room.

The room went silent as face's contorted in a mix of disgust, confusion, and shock, but all eyes set on the redhead as she simply stared ahead, her mind going blank as she felt a familiar emotion start to simmer through the numbness she had felt since her heart had been taken.

Anger. She remembered it well enough as she clenched her fists under the table and jaw tensed as her teeth grounded together.

"Regina" Emma blurts outs "Oh my god".

"I know. I know. Nothing ever happened" she reassured the group, but that reassurance didn't quite reach the assassins ears as Hook looked towards the woman to see a look in her eye that made him nervous to be in the same room as her "But I think we can use this to our advantage" she says getting up grabbing a notepad starting to write a message to use the piece of information to their advantage and put some distance between her sister and the Evil Queen, only for a the sudden noise of a wooden chair scraping on the floor to make her look up and see her wife on her feet with an odd look on her face.

"Amelia?" the former Princess slowly called out to the silent redhead in concern "Are you okay?". Silence was never good from her.

"Fine" she makes herself say to the group clearing her throat "I'm fine, more than fine after finding out my..." she stilled not wanting to say it outload "Fuck" she hissed out the last word to herself as she clenched her fist so hard so swore she would leave marks in the palm from how hard she she was digging her fingernails into her skin.

She needed to hit something. Hard. Preferably Gold's nose. Repeatedly.

"Did I mention fine?" she rambled taking in a deep breath to stop herself from bringing up breakfast.

"Lia-" Emma tried her best to try and quell clearly upset assassin.

"You know what" she interrupts the saviour "I'm gonna get some fresh air" she announces. The other's didn't get a chance to stop her as Mother Superior stepped aside letting the assassin leave the house jumping as the door slamming it shut behind her, leaving her family in silence.

"She's not okay" Regina state the obvious outload.

"I think she just needs some air" Emma tells the woman wanting to give her the benefit of the doubt. It was a bit of shock for everyone after all.

"Or do something like confront the crocodile herself" Hook tells the group. That's what he would do anyway.

"She wouldn't?" Snow slowly asked her family around her "Would she?" a pregnant pause of silence passed before they remembered that the woman couldn't exactly think with her heart at that moment and more with the image of her wife and Uncle with...chemistry.

Jumping from their respective places around the kitchen the family headed towards the front door in hurry with David, and Hook running ahead as they called out for the redhead assassin hoping to catch-up with her before she could do anything that would jeopardize their plan to find the sapling.

They needed to get her heart back.

And soon.

"Step right up! Come one, come all! It's time for a game of skill and agility! Who can capture the flag? Who shall win the prize!"

Gathering in the streets this time, Regina managed to find a spot near the front of the small crowd, she found the redhead that had stolen her ribbon with her back to her

"Welcome, welcome! The rules of this game are simple: Out run you opponent and take the flag from the middle of the field and bring it back to your starting position to score. If the opposition hold the flag, you must knock them down to steal it! Be the first to capture the flag three times- and the golden mask may yet be yours!".

As the starting gun went off, the competitors ran down the street to find the flag to bring back as Regina and everyone watching was taken aback how the competitor in the white hood veered off to the right towards the buildings of the tight compact city to to climb up the stacks of wooden crates to quickly climb up onto wooden trellises that edged the walls of the buildings to run ahead of the others still on the ground only come across a corner.

Regina watched in awe as the woman jumped to grab a hanging flower pot to swing herself around the corner with ease to disappear from sight as the crowd applauded to the act of agility. Not even a minute later the redhead under the white hood reappeared on the rooftops this time with the flag in hand as she held it up high, signalling her victory of retrieving the first flag.

The events repeated themselves as the woman easily won the contest outright as she left her competitors huffing for air as they collapsed onto the ground whereas the redhead barely broke a sweat.

Once again Regina watched as the redheaded stranger with the silver eye mask step up onto the wooden stage to have her hand held up in victory once again. "We have a winner! You protected your flag, and captured the enemy's. You've proven yourself a warrior without peer and inch ever closer to victory!".

Dragging the angered redheaded assassin back by the scruff of her neck after catching up to her on the street, the hero's headed for the docks with Blue to start their search for the sapling that would be used to trap the Evil Queen before she could achieve her goal of taking the two halves of Snow's heart.

The group watched as the fairy used her wand to send a the spell that would find the sapling into the sky, blinking on her sixth sense the assassin's world turned blue as as the beam of magic flew above the whole town to end up somewhere in the forest.

"There where the light has landed" Blue tells the group turning around to face them "That's where you'll find the sapling. Amelia should be able to find it as soon as you arrive".

"Regina can magic, Lia, Snow and me out there to find it" David assures the fairy "We just need to figure out where we're gonna put the Evil Queen once we've got her".

"My vault" Regina offered to the couple "I've taken all the blood magic off the locks, so it should hold her. But there's still a lot of dangerous stuff in there" the voiced her concern at what the queen could still get her hands on.

"Hook and I can pack it all up" the blonde saviour speaks up from her place next to Hook and Henry.

"Aye" Hook agreed with his love looking towards the former Widow stood with her wife and the Charming couple "But what about Amelia's half of the vault, the amount of weaponry in there can arm a small army or a very vengeful Queen".

"The worst she could do is cut herself, I wouldn't worry about it" the redhead assures the pirate "But if you have some time to pack my codex pages, I would appreciate it".

"I can get them" Tom tells his mother "I know where they all are".

Nodding her head in understanding the blonde saviour looks over to her father with a worried look on her face. "All right, let's go" David tells the group.

"Dad, just be careful, okay?" Emma cautions her father.

"Don't worry...I'm in good company".

A break in the games came at a good time as Amelia needed to reconvene with Antonio and Teodora to plan out the next step in their plan once she got into the party to kill the Doge. The third and final game would be the hardest...for some people anyway. For her, it would be a walk in the woods compared to the sparing sessions she had survived in Monteriggioni.

Leaving the brothel with very few words of encouragement from the thief the assassin ventured through the streets of Veronia, the assassin couldn't help but to feel like she was being followed, stopping the assassin turned around to look over her shoulder to find no one, not even a guard that looked like they were suspicious of her. Carrying on with her short walk back towards the games, the assassin turned the corner to see a heavily guarded doorway.

Blinking on her sixth sense, she saw what they were guarding. A trunk full of coin. Seeing on how quickly she had to leave to come to Veronia, it didn't giver her enough time to take much money with her. And what prize money she got from the games she had won had to be put purchasing medicine from doctors in the street and a blacksmith to sharpen her blades. She could use the money right now.

Looking up to the roofs, the assassin caught sight of a group of thieves ready and waiting to be hired. Bringing her fingers to her lips, the assassin caught the thieves attention on the roof, making them look down to see her and the nearby guards understanding instantly what she needed from them.

Descending the side of the building, the men's feet met the ground to walk past the assassin to take the pouch of coins that they were owed for the distraction before they ran towards the guards to take the coin on their person and run away again making the guard's follow them to get back their stolen coin. Opening up the opportunity for the assassin to take what she wanted from the trunk.

Opening the trunk the assassin wasn't left disappointed as the pouches of coin ready for the taking only for a voice she recognised stop her from taking the first pouch.

"Hey! What are doing!" her voice made Amelia snap her head to the side to the same woman with the lace butterfly mask on her face that she stole her ribbon from

"Principessa?" the assassin blurted out in disbelief "How did you find me?".

"I've been following you-".

"You've been what?!" she spat out as two pairs of guards returned to their previous post after seeing off the thieves with their money only to see someone crouched in front of the open trunk they were guarding and a woman in a ballgown. Unsheathing their swords from their waist, they mirrored the other's stance holding their swords up with both their hands and their feet should width apart to trap the pair of thieves trying to steal from them.

"Shit" Amelia seethed to herself for allowing herself to get caught not only by the guards but by the woman that couldn't let the small matter of having her ribbon stolen from her go.

"Easy ragzzi" (Fellas) the redhead said stepping away from the trunk to hold her hands up to the guards "There's no need for swords. We'll leave peacefully".

Stepping towards the guards, the pair of men flinched . Okay, she didn't want this to go this way, but she had no choice.

"Principessa" she addresses the woman beside her in a low voice as she could "Do us both a favour and play along".

"Play along with what?" the 'Princess' spat at her in a harsh whisper.

She didn't get an answer as she took hold of the woman's hand spinning her around until she had her back pressed against her front, held tightly by an arm across her chest as she felt something cold and sharp, pricking the base of her neck.

Regina didn't register it was a dagger being pressed against her neck as she being held against the redheads front until she saw the light of the fireworks above them reflect in blade.

"Come any closer and I'll kill her" she heard the redhead warns the guards as she tries her best to pull the woman's arms off feeling the warmth of her breath waft on the shell of her ear.

"Hey what are you doing!" she grumbled to her trying to pry her arms off her.

"Trust me Principessa" the word purred from the redhead's lips "I know what I'm doing" the redhead whispers into her ear.

"Wha-".

"She looks wealthy, no?" she rhetorically asks the pair of guards in front of them take a second look at her held in the redhead's hold "Imagine what happens to you when her Father comes to the Doge himself to tell him his guards allowed his precious daughter to be slain over a pouches of coin from a pair of guards too stupid to do their jobs. You'll be on the same gallows as me".

It took a second for the guards to take step back hearing this. They had one strict rule during the festival, don't let anyone get killed, especially if they looked wealthy.

"Now, my new friend and I are going to take a pouch and no one has to know how you left your post unguarded long enough for two woman and some thieves to outwit them. Does that sound like a good compromise?".

The guard looked to the other to think over the deal only for them to answer as they quickly advanced towards the pair with their swords.

"Now!" the redhead yelled out as Regina felt her arm keeping her in place loosen enough for her to grab a pouch of coins from the trunk before her world was engulfed in white smoke.

The smoke made her cough instantly as she felt a hand slip into her free one and tug her out of the screen of smoke that surrounded the guards as she felt her feet moving beneath her.

"GO! RUN! RUN!" the redheads voice reached her ears as she was led through the streets as she looked back to see a group of at least five guards chasing after them.

Turning a corner the redhead pulled her into an alley way, pushed her into a wall as the woman took a step towards her, trapping her against the wall, her face hovering an inch over her's as her brown eye's took in the light feathering of freckles that hid under the silver mask. She couldn't breath, just one move and her lips would meet her's as she felt the warmth of the redhead's hand radiate through the layers of material on her waist.

God, she shouldn't be thinking of this, just a minute ago, she was going to kill her. But the thought only made her heart beat harder in her chest as the group of guards ran right past them.

"Walk" the redhead order felt like a bucket of ice cold water had been thrown on her as the woman dragged off the brick wall with her hand still in her's to calmly walk through the crowd people watching artists that juggled, eat and spat fire to entertain the masses.

"Shouldn't we be running?" she questioned the stranger as she held the pouch of coin tighter against her, hoping no one would see it.

"Running makes us suspicious. Walking doesn't" the redhead answers keeping an eye for the guards looking for them only for her to spot a small group of them in the distance that were trying to find them again "Shit" the redhead swore to herself.

"Language" she scolded the redhead instantly. The scolding made the the stranger look at her before she was dragged in the opposite direction after she heard men shouting over the music.

Being dragged once again, the pair stopped in there middle of a small bridge for the redhead played her last card to lose the guards once and for all.

Turning on her the redhead stepped her from walking any further before a pair of hands on her face, bringing her down an inch as Regina caught sight of the redhead's eye colour. Green. But not just green. Emerald green.

"Kiss me" the green eye's redhead suddenly told her.

"What?" she gasped in disbelief.

"Public displays of affection make people feel very uncomfortable".

"Yes they do" she argues only to be muted as the redhead closed the distance between them as she felt the redheads lip's placing upon hers.

Feeling her stiffen before into the before slowly melting into the sudden embrace , Amelia deepened the kiss with a flick of her tongue on her bottom lip, enticing her to open long enough for the redhead to deepen the embrace as the guards stepped upon the bridge to follow the pair of woman only to see the pair of lover's kissing under the moonlight, making them look anywhere but the pair of lover's as they crossed the bridge leaving them in the clear.

Pulling out of the kiss the assassin looked behind her to see the guards out of sight and themselves in the clear to carry on with the evening's festivities. Looking back she watched as the 'Princess' blinked herself out of the haze.

"See. Uncomfortable" she points out to the woman in front of her "Now, do yourself a favour. Don't follow me again. Otherwise, I will kill you next time" Amelia warns her snatching the pouch of coins from her hand to make her way back to the games.

Magicking to where the beam of light landed, the couples ended up near the Old Troll Bridge, to a stone shoreline of the river that flowed through the forest.

"Look. There. That's where the beacon hit" Snow pointed behind them as the couples split off their respective spouse as they climbed the small incline.

"Listen" Regina started coming to the redhead's side "I'm sorry I never said anything about me and…".

"Please" she pleaded with her soulmate "Don't say his name" she pled to her wife "I'm still trying to figure it out myself without revisiting breakfast".

"Figure what out exactly?" the former Queen questioned her, making her stop with a gentle hand on her arm "If you hadn't noticed I fell in love with you" she reminds the redhead in front of her.

But the reassurance still wasn't good enough for her, she wasn't sure it was because of her heart currently in the Queen's possession or her own insecurities rearing their ugly head about their relationship. The one's she was revisiting with the vision of her 'death' hanging other her head.

"Are you sure it wasn't just...chemistry" the assassin gritted the word out "-between us too?".

"At first maybe" Regina admitted "But it grew into something more meaningful" the former Queen told her taking the assassin's hand into her's reminding the redhead that she could still feel even with her heart in her chest.

She had grown used to the feeling of showing her emotion another way whenever she was without her heart, whereas Amelia, this was new to her. Everything was in flux, from the anger she felt at the house to fear that was evident on on features that their relationship was based on something other than the love they shared on something that didn't happen years ago.

"Something more intimate. Caring. Trusting" Regina listed just a few as she reached up to push a lock of the assassin red hair she loved waking up to each morning behind her ear as she rested her forehead on her's as she paced her love hand over her own heart, with her own covering hers, wit her finger's interlaced, hoping she would be able to feel the her heart beat under her skin, the one that beat for her and their family every single hour of everyday she's with her.

"I buried those feelings under hate and revenge, to not see what was right in front of me the whole time. I know you can't feel as...fully, but use mine for the both of us" she says echoing the words the redhead promised her a few months ago under the Wicked Witches' curse.

"Fine" Amelia huffed in agreement "Only if it mean's you can't mention me and your sister anymore" the redhead smirked at her thinking if she let the 'chemistry' she had with her Uncle stop her soulmate will stop reminding her of her and Zelena, only for a chuckle to come from the woman in front of her as she reached up to place her hand on her cheek.

"In your dreams dear" with two taps of her hand on her face the former Queen pulled away from her, leaving the perplexed assassin to catch up with what had just happened.

"Damn" the redhead whispered to herself. She got played. Shaking her head the assassin brought herself back to the present when her love called out to the royal couple ahead of them.

"Hey, lovebirds" the former Queen called out interrupting the Charming couple's conversation making them look back to see a patch of ground in front of her. Summoning a pick-axe into her hand the former Queen swung the tool down to hit something square and wooden underneath the dirt "Here" she smiled up to the royal couple.

Stepping forward the former Prince used his foot to move the dirt that covered the object to see a wooden door "It's a trap door" David told his wife before lifting the hatch open for the assassin to peer down to only see a dark tunnel that possibly ran for miles. She could climb down. No need for magic.

Joining her husbands side, the four stood around the edge of the tunnel that would take them to the sapling. Looking towards the Charming couple the dark haired Mayor asked them "You ready?".

"Never" Amelia instantly answered her loves question at the thought of being magicked away, let alone somewhere enclosed and dark.

"Always" Snow confirms as David takes her hand in his, the assassin braced herself to be taken down the tunnels by magic, kissing her silver ring on her middle finger to with the silent wish and prayer to Zeus that it would be quick. She really hated this.

"Then hang on" Regina states summons her magic to take the four down into the tunnels towards the sapling that would stop the Evil Queen.

Packing rolls of codex into a box was all he seemed he could do in his mother's part of the vault while Emma and Hook packed everything in his step-mothers while they both left with David and Snow to find the sapling that would trap the Evil Queen down in the vault.

Each codex that the teenage novice assassin gently packed into a box held the legacy of the Brotherhood his mother grew up in, and the one his grandfather served i before her. If he had any chance of living up to their legacy one day, he needed to keep it's secrets safe from the likes of the Evil Queen as they had. Each scroll were at least a hundred years old, but the information they head had been passed done from assassin to assassin for the last five centuries.

He loved reading them, easily losing himself in the words that outlined the Brotherhood's histories, it felt like he was in touching distance of what it must have felt like to be part of something bigger than himself. Something both his grandfather and mother must've felt the first time they read these pages.

Left alone with only the words that outlined Ezio Auditore's somewhat humble beginnings before he was swept into the creed of assassin's to occupy the task of packing away the codex's for his mother, he was interrupted when he suddenly took in a sharp breath of air though his mouth as his sixth sense alerted him to a threat behind him.

Whipping around the sight of a slender figure in a black and red robe made the hair on the back of his neck stand up on end as he looked at the mirror image of his mother leaning against the open doorway of the room with her arms casualty crossed across her chest.

"Good story?" the Widow greeted the teen with a smirk on her lips "I loved Ezio's story when I was younger. Family. Vengeance. His story had it all, don't you think?".

"What are you doing here?" Tom lowly demanded from the Black Widow.

A scoff came from the Widow as she stepped into the room almost cat-like "Is that anyway of greeting your mother? Especially after all I've done to keep you alive?".

"Good thing you're not" he retorted as he watched her every move as she comfortably sauntered around the small room "How did you get down here anyway?" How did she get past Emma and Hook?.

"Oh, Hook was too busy giving the Lion King speech to notice me" she brushed his off as she stepped closer to her son only for the teenager to snap his arm arm and a hidden blade to slid of of his gauntlet, warning the woman to keep her distance".

"Easy, little spider" the Widow drawled out "I'm not here for you. I'm here for something else" she says before heading towards the cabinet that held the vails of medicine that were looking a little in short supply.

Grabbing what remained in the cabinet, the Widow pocketed the vials of medicine that were keeping her and her shadow-self alive for the time being as she kept one in her hand to take to ease the feeling of the dream shade.

"W-Why do you need that?" the teen asks the villain.

"Because the Queen can become a real bitch when she wants something she can't have" she tells the teen before downing the bitter medicine in one as she felt the sick feeling that the dream shade was making fade away for the time being.

"W-What does she want?".

"Other than the obvious?" she rebuts.

"What does she want?" the teenager repeated his question.

"The Queen is a very complicated woman" the Widow starts making her way around the vault, admiring the weapons that surrounded her "On one hand, she wants the woman she loves back, the good and bad parts, and on the other.. she also wants revenge on the woman that betrayed her by letting the saviour be taken to the magic wardrobe".

"So that's why she took her heart last night. So she could crush it?" he gulped.

"No why would she do that?" she questioned her son "If she crushes her heart, we die, ergo, she doesn't get the woman she love back".

"Then how does taking her heart give her both?".

"It doesn't" the Widow tells him shrugging her shoulders "Its the decision she needs to make that'll do more harm".

"What decision?".

"Whether she wants to be in that vision with Emma or not and what's she's willing to lose to get there".

"Tom?" Emma's voice echoed down the hall silencing the Widow paired with the sound of her boot clad feet making there way down the hall, panic struck the teen as he looked between the sound and the Black Widow.

"Don't you get it yet Tom? She's lying to you all still. She always has and always will. Tick-tock Tom".

"Everything okay in here?" Emma asked as she appeared in the doorway to see Tom stood in the middle of the room, the blonde brows furrowed in confusion only seeing the teenager in the room despite her and Hook thinking they heard another voice coming from here "We thought I heard another voice".

"Everything's fine" he forced himself to say going back to his task of packing the scrolls away.

"Are you sure?" she pressed the teenager.

"Hm-mh" he hummed at her "Just...worried. I guess" he lied to the woman hoping she would just let the subject drop so he could think about what the Widow had told him.

"Hey" she called out to the sixteen year-old "Everything's going to be okay" she said trying to reassure him as best she could.

"I know" he said. The two-word answer only worried the saviour more as she saw how quickly he was closing himself off from her. Must be hereditary.

"Tom-".

"Aunt Belle said there's space in the library to hide them" he said picking up a box of codex with ease "Could you swing by and drop me off there?".

"Sure kid" she quietly trailed off as the teen walked past the blonde saviour with the box in his hand ignoring Hook's concerned look as he watched the boy climb up the stairs.

Once comfortably inside the tunnels, Regina and Amelia trailed behind the royal couple as they searched for the tree sapling as they rounded a corner, the foursome came across a dead end that held said tree sapling at the end.

"There it is" David announces.

"Get it" Snow says as the couple stepped forward and both grab the sapling by its base only to freeze for a second in trance going unnoticed by both the Queen and the Assassin "What was that?".

"The sapling" David states.

"Blue said that it was created from true love. Maybe that's just what it does... shows you your own true love?".

"As if we needed reminding".

"David, how much did you see? There was something I couldn't quite...".

"This is really sweet, but can we please go and defeat someone?" Regina interrupted the couples moment wanting to hurry them up "We don't have long" at that Snow takes the sapling as they all head from where they came from only to stop when the Evil Queen appears in front of them.

"So true. Time flies" the Queen drawls as she took the sapling straight out of snow's hand to end up in her own.

"You've won nothing" Snow tells her "That sapling is made of pure love. It won't work for you".

"Oh, won't it? Hmm. Well, maybe it just needs a firm hand" the Queen replied before taking the long stem of the sapling into both her hand before snapping it in half making those in front of her flinch "Oh, dear! Well, maybe it can be repaired" she mocks the group trying to put it back together "Oh. Maybe not" she says as she turns what little remained of it to ash "Do you want to beat the rush and hand those hearts over now?".

"No, we still have some time" David reminds the villain.

"True" the Queen stated "Read a book, pick a flower, rage, rage against the dying of the light. Just do it quickly. I'll see you at the cemetery soon enough. It's a good place for endings. But first things first. I want what belongs to me, back" she says lifting up a glowing heart in her hand.

Amelia's heart.

Without a second to waste the Queen take's her and Amelia out of the tunnel in a swirl of purple smoke, leaving the hero's behind having failed to stop her using the sapling.

Benvenuti, lottatori (Welcome, fighters!) The game is simple. There's only one rule: no weapons, right until you are the last man left standing! Will it be you? O tu? (Or you?) Hmm? Who will win the golden mask!".

The third and final game would be Amelia's last shot of securing the Golden Mask to get into the Doge's party and close enough put and end to his life. The bare knuckle fight wouldn't be much of a challenge for her, but with Silvio Barbarigo and Dante lurking in the background keeping an eye on the assassin that had managed to infiltrate herself into the Carnevale games that was only one win away from getting to the Doge.

With only her fists to get her over the finish line, the assassin stood alone on the wooden deck with only the crowd to cheer her on as she faced her first opponent.

"Let's out the next contender!".

Stood among the crowd to watch the contender that had managed to win the first two games with ease, Regina couldn't help but to watch as the hooded redhead that threatened to kill her not so long after kissing her, even if was to make the guards that were chasing them, look away from the public display of affection.

The masked redhead's first opponent entered the square 'ring' only to be quickly defeated by a few heavy blows to his face and jaw before the woman took hold of his front to land one last punch to his face before he fall back onto the ground in pain as another opponent quickly entered to replace him.

This one wore some light amour on his arms and head that made him look a little more intimidating for the redhead to defeat only for the woman to defy the odds stack slight against her as she swung her fist out only for the man to dodge using his armoured arms to protect himself from her heavy hit.

his impressive feat was only let down as the man was hit in the face thrice by the the woman's left fist before she grabbed the front of his chest piece to keep him in place as the redhead hit him in the face stomach and then headbutted before falling flat on his back, seemingly out for the count. The crowd called for the woman to finish the job, so to speak, only for the woman to back off allowing him to stand back up before a heavy fist flying towards him to connect with the side of his face, knocking him out cold earning a cheer from the crowd as Regina found herself cheering alongside them.

"Do we have another challenger!".

"Do we have another challenger!" the announcer called out as Amelia's chest fell and rose from the effort she put in to knock out the last opponent as the knuckles on her hands to sting out as she felt the blood trickle down her fingers from the wounds that had opened from hitting the helmet.

A pair of armoured footsteps brough the assassin out of her thoughts as she look up to see her final opponent enter the ring. From head to toe, her next opponent was covered in a full set of amour that would make this fight slightly more challenging. A city guard.

With her fist held up in front of her the assassin step forward for the guard to swing a armoured fist toward her only for her quick reflexes to catch the fist to open an opportunity for the assassin to land her own heavy blows against the helmet making the guard stumble back only for a third to swing and miss her target as the guard ducked down for the pair to separate and prepare for their next boat.

The guard was the first to move as he swung his fist out again for the assassin to catch it with her let arm and hand to uppercut the guard, making him stumble back to allow her the seconds she needed to charge her next hit only for the guard to sidestep out of the way making her miss and lose her footing and end up on her knees to scramble back onto her feet and turn back around to face the guard once again.

The crowd seemed to hold their collective breath seeing the woman scrambled back onto her feet with her back to the heavily armoured guard that had entered the ring only to let it out as she turned back around seemingly unperturbed by her small mistake with her arm held back up to go on the offensive this time as she broke through the guards defence to land a heavy punch breaking his stance as to hit his chin twice before taking hold of his chest plate, sending her fist into the the guard helmet, before kneeing him in the crouch making him double over in pain as the crowd cheered her on as she took hold of the guards head to drag it down towards her rising knee half way making the guard fall onto the ground.

The people around her called for the woman to finish him off as the woman took a minute to refocus before swinging her foot into the guard's helmet, knocking him out for the count and finishing the fight once and for all as she felt the adrenalin of the fight rush throughout her body. She could do this all day.

While the crowd marvelled in the redhead's inevitable victory as they became louder than ever before, Regina couldn't help but become distracted by the pair of men that didn't seem all that enamoured with the redheads' victory. They were the same pair that stood on the stage when the games were announced to the gathering crowd.

"Looks like this one thinks herself some kind of campione!" the larger of the pair said to the stocker one that she recognised as the one that held the Golden Mask up to the contenders "Go on Dante, show her how sadly mistaken she is".

Dante Moro. Personal bodyguard of the Templar Marco Barbargio and former Captain of the Veronia city guard. He stood six feet tall and built like a bull, beside his child-like mind from an fatal attack he survived. The man posed a challenge to even the strongest assassin from the brute strength her possessed, was now making his way towards her, send my his master like a pup to stop her getting her hands on the Golden Mask.

Taking up her stance again the larger man made her way towards her as she tried to think as quick as she could of how to beat him only to come short was he was less than a foot away from her.

Making a quick decision the assassin reached out to take hold of the the front of his clothes only for the man to easily push her off and step to the side as her other fist came swinging towards him. Okay. The offense route wasn't going to get her anywhere her. Defence it was, hoping she would be able to take whatever punches that landed on her.

The pair went to hit the other at the same time only for Dante to land his punch first making her world shake as his punch reverberated through her body, she didn't get much time to regain her shaken senses as another punch hit her, mentally berating herself for opening herself out for the attacks as she grimaced at the flare of pain on her cheek as she cornered. Gritting her teeth together the assassin did what she could think of to get her out of the corner. Throwing her head forward, her forehead met his taking him by surprise as her head met his again creating a gash in the middle of her forehead before she landed a couple of her own punches on him, getting herself out of the corner before her combo was interrupted as he wildly hit out at her, only to meet her arms blocking his hit.

Grabbing his front again, she was once again push aside, for the man to counter, only for the assassin to catch his swinging arm and send a swift uppercut to the bottom of his jaw, distracting him around to land one, two, three hit to his head before managing to grab the front of his green tunic to hold him as she sent a fist into his face, a knee into his stomach, making him double over before he was pulled back up for her forehead to met his for a third and final time sending him onto to the wooden deck, before she swung her foot and chin between his legs making the crowd wince out in pain before a roar of cheer's went up for the assassin as the Dante was helped out of the ring covered in his blood to limp back to his master Silvio in defeat.

"Is there nobody else to challenge our woman in the ring?" the announcer called out to the crowd as Amelia waited patiently for her victory to be confirmed "Do we have a winner?".

From the middle of the ring, the redheaded assassin easily caught the figure of Silvio approach the announcer to whisper in his ear before a pouch of coin was quickly handed over to the man dressed in pink. "Ah! We have combatants" the man suddenly announced to the crowd as he pointed to four armoured guards emerged from nowhere with short swords in their hands headed towards the assassin.

"Hey!" a voice she recognised made her opinion at turn of events known to the man in pink as stormed her way through the crowd to confront the man for allowing the guards with weapons enter "That's not fair!".

"Guards" the announcer calmly called for the hysterical woman to be taken away as more showed up to take hold of her arms as she tried to fight them off only to guarantee bruises from their grip to appear.

"Hey!" Amelia caught their attention from inside the ring making them freeze and look towards the woman in the silver mask "I'll fight them, but you have to let her go first" the redhead demanded out of the man in the pink. He could send as many armed guard in the ring as he liked but he couldn't hurt her.

"Let her go" the redhead firmly repeated herself before the guard eventually let go of her arm and stepped away from her, for the armed guards to enter the ring with her.

"So that's how it's going to be, eh?" the silver masked redhead addressed the armed guards in front of her with an air of confidence lacing her voice "Luckily for you boy's. I came with my own toys today" she added pulling a long dagger out from her hip, the same one she used to 'threaten' her with earlier.

Holding the dagger out in front of her the assassin waited for the first guard to attack as the woman reached out to take hold of the top of the guard chest plate to turn him against her to drag the edge of her dagger across his throat in one swift move so quickly, Regina hadn't noticed that the redhead had done the same thing to the next three guards until she linked and saw the four guards that entered the ring on the ground bleeding out as red spot's covered the woman's' face and mask.

She'd never seen such brutality in her short life, and yet she could stop staring at the woman that had suddenly entered her life until she was stood up on stage with the guards blood still covering her as she was announced as the winner of the games and claim her prize as blood stains dried over her plump lips from her nose and her knuckles bore the brunt of her fighting as they bruised and bled onto the stage.

"Signore a Signori! The Games of Carnevale have come to a glorious conclusion! Come see our winner claim the Golden Mask!" at that one of the men that weren't too pleased with the woman's win stepped up and held the mask up above his head.

"Our winner has proven herself the fleetest of foot, the strongest of champions, the wisest strategist- and clearly a favourite of the ladies. With three games won lealmente, the winner of the Golden Mask is..." the announcer was cut short when the plump man coughed loudly, catching his attention.

"The winner of the Golden Mask is: DANTE MORO!".

Keeping her head held up high, not a word came from the crowd as they watched the injustice in front of them as the brute that the silver masked woman beat in the ring was given the prize.

With both the Black Widow and Amelia wither side of her, the Evil Queen paced the pathway leading up to the mausoleum waiting for Snow White and her Prince Charming to show up and join the rest of the town that had gathered at the Queen's invitation to witness her vengeance come to completion.

Looking over to her other half, the Widow noticed the way the women held herself while the Queen continued to pace between them as the dream shade continued to make it's way towards her heart. It was subtle. The way her breaths began deeper and longer as she tried to eek out the hours until she had to have another vial of medicine to deal with the symptoms.

And the more stress put on the redhead, the faster the poison would reach her heart, even if it wasn't in her chest, the pain and discomfort was something the Queen wanted the woman to experience.

Turning back to the crowd the Widow caught the eye of her son stoically stood along side his step-brother with the saviour and her boyfriend as she saw the agitation of seeing his mother in the hands of the Queen clear on his face as he held his chin up high , while the saviour looking a little worse for wear as she tried to put on a brave face in front of the Evil Queen.

"People of Storybrooke" the Queen starts turning to face her audience "My people. I'm so glad you accepted my invitation because this is about you. If Snow White doesn't show up in the next five minutes, I'm going to share a little treat with you all. A taste of water from the River of Lost Souls and if they're not here in three, I'm going to find out if two Widows are just as productive as one" she cackles at the crowd itching to unleash her Widow's on the residents, maybe it was morbid curiosity or she just wanted to see how far she would have to push Amelia to hurt someone with her heart in her possession.

As the Queen enjoyed her moment turning her back on the crowd, the both half's of the redheaded assassin saw the former Queen join the crowd heading straight for the blonde saviour.

"You ready?" Regina whispers to Emma as they see their shot to try and stop the Queen themselves, looking towards her wife to see if the Queen had done anything to her since taking her. But there was nothing, not even a blemish.

Her soulmate tried to silently reassure her as much as she could with a hint of a smile flashing on her lips, but she wasn't. Not really.

"I actually am" Emma says showing the older woman her steady hand.

"All right. Lets do it" the pair stepped forward with their hands out ready to attack the Queen with everything they had only for Snow's voice to stop their movement.

"Wait!" the voice stilled her daughter and former step-mother as the crowd parted for Snow and her true love to emerge, walking straight up to the Evil Queen without any trepidation in their movements.

"Well, well, well" the Queen drawled out seeing the couple "Look who's right on time. I should've known you'd show up. Even without your precious sapling".

"We don't have the sapling, but we don't need it" Snow tells the woman "It's done its work. We know our love is more powerful than anything you can throw at us".

The piece of sentiment from the Princess made the Widow and her Queen roll their eye's in boredom as they simply waited for the pair to be done with the theatrics.

"And to save the people of Storybrooke, we're willing to do what you ask" David adds "It's a sacrifice we need to make".

"We're going to do the right thing".

"I could just kill them right now" the Widow quietly suggested to the Queen "Quick and easy. It'll be no trouble. Save us the trouble from listening to all this crap. I don't have her to stop me" she says pointing over to her other half earning a glare from the other redhead and the Queen. That was a firm no.

"Dad? Mom?" Emma called out to her parents in worry making them turn their back on the Queen to speak to their daughter.

"Emma" Snow addressed her grown daughter "Most people go through life never knowing where their paths will take them, but somehow, we always do. It's always to each other and then back to you".

"Are you sure?" Regina asks the pair shifting on her feet.

"Yes" David confirms "Lift the protection spell".

"Hallelujah" the Widow scoffed under her breath. She wanted this over and done with.

As the former Queen lifted the spells that protect the shared heart, the former assassin couldn't watch as she turned her head and closed her eye not wanting to see the Queen getting what she wanted, only for the woman to what the redhead was doing.

Her lips curled into a snarl as the sorceress summoned her heart back into the palm of her hand and clench it in her hand making the doppelgangers gasp in pain feeling as the Queen closest the distance between her and the woman that betrayed her and broke her heart.

"Watch" she snarled out the order in the woman's face, giving the heart a firm squeeze as the redhead felt her heart beat against the tight grip as she felt her knee's start to shake and her breath laboured from the constriction she felt in her chest fighting the urge to do as she told.

"Watch" The Queen pressed the woman further "As I finally take my revenge. The one you were supposed to help me with. Instead you stopped me. For what?" she spat at the redhead.

"I-I l-loved y-you" she stammered between breaths a her hand went to the stab wound on her side, feeling the dream shade crawl under her skin as her blood pumped harder through her body as Tom noticed the Widow doing the same thing. On the same side, with the same hand.

"Stop it!" Regina yelled out to her other half from the crowd as they stood helpless as the redhead "You're gonna kill her".

Ignoring her other half the Queen continued to crush the assassin's heart making the pair groan out in pain "Where was your loyalty?" she snarled into her face.

"Not. With. You" Amelia gritted through her teeth without a beat the Queen give the heart another harder squeeze enough to send the redhead's onto her knee's gasping for air.

"STOP IT!" Emma found her voice holding out her hands ready to do what was necessary to stop the woman from crushing her friends heart.

"Not until I make her pay!" the Queen yelled back as she held onto the red glowing heart as the saviour held her hands out higher, aimed straight for the Queen".

"Swan!" Hook protest reaching out to stop her from doing something stupid.

"Amelia stop!" Snow called out to her friend making the redhead look to the girl she once saved "You've done enough" she tells her friend "It's okay" she says with a tight smile "It's okay".

Nodding the redhead turns her head back to the see couple, still on her knee's as they face the Queen once again hand in hand as the Queen sends the assassin's heart away as she turned to the royal couple.

With the theatrics that fitted the Queen, the woman plunged both her hands into the Charming couples chest to take out the two halves that made up Snow White's heart as the assassin on her knee's and the others in the crowd flinched at moment the Queen held the heart in her hands.

"I've dreamt of this moment for so long, Snow White" she tells her step-daughter looking at the halves in her hands "I'd wake up...still feeling the grit of your crushed heart clinging to my palms. But that ending isn't poetic enough, is it?".

The sentence made a curious brow raise on the doppelgangers on their knee's as they looked to the other in interest of what the Queen had in mind if not to crush them.

"I want to give you... my pain" the Queen continued "The pain of being alone. And since I couldn't quite accomplish that by killing you... I've come up with something much more cruel" at that the Queen shoved their hearts back into their chests.

The assassins watched closely as Snow's eye's started to drop closed before finally dropping onto the ground succumbing to the sleeping curse the Queen put onto the heart.

David chuckles as the Queen's attempt as he crouches down to her sleeping form "A sleeping curse? That's never kept us apart before" he boasts to the woman from the ground.

"This one has a little twist" she ways as she flicks her fingers, and a bloom of purple smoke takes the sleeping Princess away "You say you always find her. Well, start looking, Shepherd. And let's see what happens when you do".

Turning on her heel, the Queen summoned the assassin's heart back into her heart to chest, feeling it thumping in her chest once again as the numbness washed away to leave her with the pain of the dream shade making inroads to her heart. As her last message to her came to the front of her mind.

She's getting impatient with her.

And she's just moved up the deadline.

Tick Tock.

Making a hasty retreat to the brothel, the assassin paced the small space of the entrance as she did her best to wipe the blood from her face and silver mask after the thieve and Madam had witness how the Templars had stolen the golden mask from right under her. And worse of all, she actually believed those Templars had some sense of honour.

Antonio and Teodora didn't know what to do as she tried to figure out what to do next. But the anger that clouded her mind wouldn't allow her to see past any logic.

"FUCK!" the young assassin exclaimed throwing the mask into the wooden bench as her pent up frustration got the better of her.

"I'm sorry Amelia" Teodora tried to comfort the young woman "We could not have known Silvio would cheat as he did".

"Ha! You should have" the thief spat out at the pair for not foreseeing that they wouldn't allow her into the private party.

"Sister!" one of Teodora's girls called out to the Madam as she approached the three "You told us to let you know id we saw that rottinculo (cocksucker) who stole the Golden Mask. He's on his way to the Doge's party!".

"I will go!" Amelia tells them "I can catch him before he arrives, and take back the mask".

"How?" Antonio asked the girl "By killing the poor stronzo". (fucker)

"Yes. You know what's at stake".

"No" the thief rebutted "If you kill him, they'll cancel the party- and Marco will retreat back into his Palazzo. We'll have wasted our time-again. Steal the mask instead. Quietly".

"My girls can help" Teodora quickly volunteered "They're already on their way to the party-all along the route-they can help you distract him while you acquire the mask

"Va bene (Aright). I can do that!".

Snatching her mask from the ground from where it had landed the assassin placed it back over her face to walk out of the building ready to put an end of this long evening.

It wasn't hard for Regina to follow the redhead though the streets back to a building surrounded by half-dressed women in dresses that barely covered their chest from view. She had no idea what this building was but she wanted to steer clear of it. So she waited.

It didn't take long until she saw the redhead with her hood off her head placing the silver mack back over her face as her quick feet took her away from the building.

"Hey you!" Regina called out to the woman as she picked up the skirt of her dress to catch-up with the redhead.

"Aren't you supposed to be back in your castle by now?" the woman under the silver mask snapped at her as they continued their fast walk to wherever the woman was trying to get to.

"I wanted to see how you are" she argued as they moved past performers, patrols of guards.

"I'm fine, but if you don't mind I'm in a bit of a hurry".

"Yeah I noticed. What's going on?" she panted.

"The bastard that stole my mask is making his way towards the party. I can steal it back" .

"How?" she inquired with her. From what she witnessed during the fight the redhead was lucky to get out of the ring alive against him.

"By hiring some whore's to distract him. While he's distracted I can take the mask from him.

"I can do it" Regina states to the woman. She needed to do something to help after what she had to do to win the mask.

"No-" she started to argue.

"Yes" she stood her ground making them stop "Let me do this for you. Please" she pleaded with the woman next to her "It's the least I can do".

She should say no, Teodora and Antonio would string her up by her thumbs if they found out she let a normal girl get involved with this. It was dangerous. Too dangerous.

"Fine" she spat out in agreement knowing each second they spend in the middle int he street Dante was getting closer to the party "But the second I get the mask, you need to leave. I'll hire some of the girls to take you back from wherever you came from and stay there. I can't be responsible if you got hurt or worse. Do you understand?".

"I do" the woman underneath the dark lace butterfly mask agreed.

"Come on, we need to go" the redhead took her hand into her's as they rushed through the street's of the city .

They didn't need to wait long for Dante to emerge to make his way to the party as a crowd of Teodora's girls surrounded him as he walked through the busy streets.

"Whatever you've got planned. Do it fast" the redhead told her.

Leaving her side Regina made her way towards the brute that fought the silver masked redhead in the games as she made herself walk directly next to the absent minded man surrounded by the whore's that had been hired to help them.

Coming to a sudden stop Regina theatrically placed the back of her hand against her head as she feigned dizziness catching Dante's attention making him pause to see a noble woman become ill.

"Oh my" was the last thing Dante hear as she 'fainted' right into the brute's arm's making him catch her before she hit the ground. He didn't know what to do as he stood in the middle of the street with this strange woman in his arms as the girls around her came to her 'aide', fanning air onto her face as they waited for the sign that their plan had worked.

Closing the distance between her and Dante, Amelia used the distraction to 'bump' into his back and take the mask from his person as Regina saw a flash of redhead hair quickly making her way in the opposite way and whistle was heard in the distance. She had the mask and a party to crash.

Snapping her eye's open the brute was taken aback as the woman in his arms suddenly awoke to push herself out of his arms and back onto her feet with the girls help before turning to sing her praises to the man that had 'saved' her "Oh thank you, thank you so much. I feel, so much better".

A gruff was only heard from the man in response as Regina was quickly taken away by the girls as he was left alone to wonder what had happened "It was nice meeting you!" she called back as she taken in the opposite direction the redhead went in to find her way back to her father and his carriage as her eventful night at Carnevale quickly drew to a close.

The woods.

That's where Snow would be.

It should've been the first place they looked for the cursed Princess, but after a phone call from Emma after she and her father hadn't found the former Princess in her bed at home, the woods would be their best bet to find the her, so her and Tom took to the trees to find her.

Ignoring the cold sweat that covered her skin and the nauseous feeling from the advancing dream shade, the assassin pushed her legs harder as her son followed her through the woods to find the glass topped coffin and the woman herself lying with a hollowed out tree.

Approaching the coffin herself, pants of breath left her nose as her lungs burnt out for air and her chest thumped against her chest as she looked at a sight she never wanted to see again in her lifetime.

She remembered how powerless she felt the first time it happened, but this time it was worse. Snow had told her to stop fighting the Queen. She couldn't help her then, in fear of what the Queen could do to her, and it was the same now, only this time there was no light in the heart that she fell in love with all those years ago.

"Damn it Snow" she whispered to the sleeping woman she cared for like a little sister "It was my job to protect you too, not just Regina".

Running footsteps brought her out of her thoughts knowing who was coming up behind her, stepping out of David's way she took her son with her as the Prince made his own way to his wife in same coffin, he had woken her up in years ago.

Easily removing the glass covering they were quickly joined by Emma, Hook, Regina and Henry having caught up with the Prince.

"Dad!" Emma called out to her father finding him with her sleeping mother and Amelia close by as they all reached him looking down at his true love.

"I don't think a kiss is going to do it this time" Regina voiced to the Prince.

"Just let him try" Emma tells them as they watched him lean down placing his lips upon his wife's as a pulse of light magic pulsated from the true love's kiss as Amelia felt the rush of light magic rush through her as Snow White wake up from her curse only for David fall onto the forest floor.

"What the hell" the redhead exasperated seeing this happen.

"David? David?" Snow called out to her unconscious husband as she sat up and leaned out to find him on the ground "What happened? What did she do?" she panicked trying to get out of the casket only to be stopped by the redhead, reach out and catch her before she fell out.

"Hey, hey calm down" the former assassin tried to calm her down as she took her her hand into her's, the younger woman gripped her hand tightly as they waited to find out what had happened to the man.

Crouching over the sleeping Princes the former Queen waved her hands over his heart t "She put a sleeping curse on your heart, the heart you share" she tells her friend as she stands up straight "So now you share the curse. When one of you is awake, the other will be asleep. So, as long as the curse is unbroken...".

"Then we'll never be together".

Marco Barbarigo was dead.

Shot dead with the pistol that had been integrated into her gauntlet, the sound of loud covered by the fireworks that boomed in the sky above them as he spoke from his ship. It wouldn't have been possible without the woman in the lace butterfly mask.

Finding her on a stone bridge where Teodora's girls had left her the assassin found the 'Princess' leaning on the stone railing staring down the narrow canal way staring at the moonlight that reflected in the water's below them, the same bridge in which her father had left her hours ago ready to explore the festival.

"I thought you've left by now" Regina asked the woman as she was joined looking out into the horizon.

"Soon. Can't stay in one place too long doing what I do".

"And what's that exactly?".

Word had reached this part of the city of the Doge's death. Assassinated during his private party. That's all anybody said before moving on with the what little of the night remained as the sun started to peak in the horizon. She'd been out longer than she first thought. She had put two an two together once she head about the death. The way she killed those men in the games wasn't just a one-off. There was something dangerous about the woman next to her, something dark that a part of her wanted to discover.

"Must be lonely" she voiced to the silver masked redhead next to her remained silent.

"Sometimes" she admits to her "I don't get the privilege of setting down roots somewhere. Never will probably. It's for the best" the redhead tells herself. Her life couldn't involve attachments. It was too dangerous for them. "You have someone back home?".

The question made Regina smile to herself as she thought of the stable boy that held her heart back home "I do".

"Good" she states "That's good".

She knew it was time to leave, but she didn't want to say goodnight just yet. She wanted to believe the gut feeling that this wouldn't be the last time she would see her. But in her line of work it had to be. A kiss goodnight wouldn't do any harm that way. Gently taking her had from into her's, the redhead brought the back of her hand up to her lips as her green eyes met a pair of brown.

"It was nice meeting you Principessa" the redhead tells the woman in the black lace mask as she places a featherlike kiss on the pale skin on her knuckle making a a smile grow on her face.

"You too-" she went to reply only to realize she didn't know the redhead's name "I'm sorry, I never got your name".

"And you never will!" the mysterious redhead replied with a wink of her eye underneath her mask before vaulting over the edge of the bridge to fall down, in panic Regina looked over expecting a splash from where the woman had jumped into the water only for her figure to reappear on a river boat with a long wooden pole in her hands to steer her into the horizon as she e heard her father call her to the carriage to take her back home and back to her life.

Unbeknownst to the couple, the tender kiss the assassin left on the young woman's knuckle left behind a sapling of true love to grow underneath the stone bridge. Made from the true love the pair of soulmates that were fated to meet once again in the not so distant future, and cement them as a pair of legendary lovers to have set foot in the Enchanted Forest.

AN:

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! This cover's the beginning of Dark Waters and Heartless. Honestly, I really struggled to fit Dark Water's into the story seeing as it's such a Hook and Henry central episode, found it difficult without it just being a filler chapter, but since Heartless has the better plotline and drive the story further, I chose to focus on that episode.

I really hope you enjoyed the flashbacks, I loved writing it and had the idea for so long. I do plan on having that as a separate chapter on the companion book to this story, with an extra bonus scene at the end.

For reference it's The Carnevale Games storyline from Sequence 9 of Assassin's Creed 2, as always your welcome to watch the gameplay of it on YouTube.

Hello to some new followers! Thank you so much for reading and following this story. It means so much that old and new readers still are. Anyway...

Until next time:

Remember to:

Follow/ Favourite/ Review/ Comment

06bromleys

x