Cora and Her Daughters, Chapter Four: The Cauldron, The Committee, and The Chicken Parm
Emma Swan attempts to contact Merlin. Regina and Mary Margaret convene a meeting of their Storybrooke Unity Festival Committee. Cora reconnects with Marco at Granny's.
Author's Note: I will not drone on too much about this, but once again, it is so nice to be writing this story and not having to be concerned about Eddie and Adam throwing me off my game with new seasons and content. I hope you enjoy this chapter! If so, follow, favorite, and review. Thanks for reading!
"I should have known that she wouldn't use blood magic," Hades hissed. "Crashing your sister's stupid party was a waste of time."
Zelena was laying with her feet up on the couch with a pint of mint chocolate chip and a spoon. She was streaming reruns of Passions, a soap opera that she had discovered after the third curse had brought her to Storybrooke. She loved the show by merit of it being almost as ridiculous as her own life. Her morning sickness had left her nauseous for a large chunk of the day, and now, in the late afternoon, when she was feeling better and wanted a bit of mindless relaxation, this was when Hades had chosen to visit. She nodded as he spoke, half-listening as Tabitha the witch and her living doll Timmy cavorted about on the television screen.
"I had to stake out the cricket's to make sure he was sleeping and then wait for hours until I was sure that everyone had enough of Regina's cider that they wouldn't remember if I slipped in and out. I figured that Cora would utilize blood magic because she and Regina have gone soft, and she thinks you actually can be rehabilitated."
Zelena looked up. "You don't think I could change if I wanted to?"
Hades, sensing danger, backtracked quickly. "Of course you could, my dear. I only mean to say that you and I have the advantage of being honest with ourselves and not denying the darker parts of our nature. We don't have to hide parts of ourselves away so we can be acceptable for others like they do."
Zelena just shrugged, turning her attention back to the television.
"If Cora had used blood magic to protect her object, we could have busted you out of here, broken through her defenses, and had enough of the Darkness to significantly empower you. Now we're back to the drawing board."
"Right," Zelena recited. "The Blue Fairy and the Sorcerer's Apprentice."
Hades furrowed his brow in thought. "I have a solution to our fairy magic problem, but it's a long way off. I would not choose to go after her object first. That leaves that crusty, old apprentice. Light magic is going to require someone pure of heart who can be tricked into doing our bidding. Emma Swan?"
"Forget it," Zelena said. "She would be too difficult for us to control."
Hades withdrew his crystal ball from an inner pocket of his suit and gazed into it, conjuring up an image of the Savior to see what she was doing. "Maybe difficult for us, but this does give me a new idea…"
"Does it normally take this long for him to respond?" Emma asked.
"He usually doesn't respond at all," Mick sighed.
"We have to keep trying!" Henry insisted. "If we can find Merlin and bring him here, my mom will have the teacher he needs, and he can help us to keep Storybrooke safe!"
They were in Mick's surprisingly large basement. Here, in the central chamber, was a golden cauldron that issues periodic belches of midnight blue smoke.
"Master, I beseech thee!" Mick bellowed for the ninth or tenth time (Emma had lost count). "The Savior, Emma Swan, wishes to speak with thee so that she might find thee."
Emma, getting tired of this, came level to Mick and spoke down into the cauldron. "Merlin, if you are there, I need your help! I want to better learn to use my magic, and I wish to learn from you!"
Suddenly, the midnight blue smoke became flecked with gold and began to whirl about in a glowing column.
"Oh, but you won't answer me?!" Mick huffed aggrievedly.
"EMMA SWAN," a deep, sonorous voice echoes from the smoke. "I HAVE WAITED MANY YEARS FOR YOU TO COME INTO YOUR POWERS. THIS IS A GOOD DAY FOR US ALL."
"Merlin, how can we find you? Can you teach me?"
"YOU HAVE GREAT POWER, BUT ON YOUR OWN, YOU DO NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO FREE ME."
"What must I do?"
"I CAN ONLY BE FREED BY YOUR POWERS COMBINED WITH THAT OF NIMUE."
"Who is Nimue?" Emma asked.
Mick sighed. "Nimue was the first Dark One. She and Merlin were… close."
"Oh, boy," Emma sighed. "Merlin, where are you trapped if we wish to free you? Are you in Camelot?"
"I AM TRAPPED WITHIN A GREAT WILLOW TREE WITHIN THE WALLS OF ARTHUR'S CASTLE. ONLY THE POWERS OF THE SAVIOR AND THE DARK ONE COMBINED CAN RESTORE ME."
"Master, what is thy bidding for thy servant, Mick?" his apprentice asked.
"DO NOT CHOOSE ANOTHER AUTHOR UNTIL I AM FREED. WE CAN AFFORD NO FURTHER MISTAKES. BRING EMMA AND THE DARK ONE TO CAMELOT WHEN THEY ARE PREPARED AND DO ALL THAT THEY BID YOU. I AWAIT YOUR ARRIVAL."
The cauldron sputtered, and the blue smoke dissipated.
Henry was the first to speak. "If Merlin wants to help to choose the new Author, maybe I have a shot!"
"Shouldn't you be in school?" Mick asked.
"Half-day," Henry shrugged. "Besides, I wouldn't want to miss something like this."
"Looks like we're going to Camelot, Mick," Emma said.
"We have to convince Rumplestiltskin to help us first," Mick replied darkly.
Emma gave a smirk. "Leave Gold to me."
"This meeting of the Storybrooke Unity Festival Committee is hereby called to order," Regina announced, banging a gavel on her mayoral desk. "I will now take roll. Mary Margaret Blanchard?"
"Present," Mary Margaret said, sitting in the chair closest to Regina's desk and holding a clipboard.
"Granny Lucas?"
"Here," said Granny, who had brought her knitting with her. She was working on a winter blanket for baby Neal.
"Belle Gold?"
"Here," said Belle. She sat next to a side table and had brought several books on the history of festivals from the Storybrooke Library.
"Maleficent?"
Maleficent, clad in a grey pantsuit, raised a graceful hand.
"Marco?"
"Buon pomeriggio," Marco waved from the seat nearest to the door.
"Sister Astrid?"
"Here!" Sister Astrid and Leroy had pushed their two chairs as close together as possible so that he was practically in her lap. She smiled serenely as she stroked his bald head.
"And there is Leroy," Regina said, making eye contact with Mary Margaret. "Right! We're all here. Now, at our first meeting, we focused on brainstorming for the festival. This afternoon, our goal is going to be to streamline our ideas into four or five main options for festival activities. Over to you, Snow."
"So, we are going to do something that I like to do when we make group decisions in my classroom," said Mary Margaret. "Around the office, I have placed all of the ideas we came up with in our last meeting on pieces of butcher paper. And here," she held up a packet of sticker sheets, "Are ten stickers for each member of our committee. We are going to go around the room and place our stickers on the ideas that we most want to bring to fruition. You can put all ten stickers on one idea, or you can spread your stickers out around the ideas that you like the most. This only works if everyone votes for more than just their idea. Understood Leroy?"
Leroy grinned, causing Astrid to giggle. "No promises, sister."
Mary Margaret stood up and passed out the sticker sheets to all eight members of the committee and motioned for them to stand and place their stickers.
By the time twenty minutes had passed, the stickers had been placed, and Mary Margaret counted up the results.
"Now, remember," Regina said. "We are trying to narrow this down to four main attractions so we can fund them appropriately. Any businesses or vendors who want to take part can independently operate their own stalls and events, provided we approve it. After we figure out our main four, we will revisit the list to see what else we can work in. Snow, do you have the count?"
Mary Margaret held her clipboard close to her face so she could see her tally marks. "Okay, folks, here is how you voted:
Free Child Care/Activities: 16
Pie Eating Contest: 3
Live Band/Music: 15
Sing-Along/Caroling: 10
Open Bar: 9
Fireworks: 13
Pony Rides: 10
Puppet Show: 6
"So, based on our voting, the top three choices are free child care and activities with 16 votes, live music with 15 votes, and fireworks with 13. We have a tie for fourth place with pony rides and sing-along, both with 10."
"No open bar?" Leroy fussed.
"It's a family event," Regina pursed her lips.
Astrid sat up in her seat. "Ummm… I don't know if it's out-of-line for me to say this, but there might be a cheap solution to our childcare option."
"You're a member of the committee, Astrid," Mary Margaret smiled. "It's not out of line for you to say anything."
"Oh, not with the committee," Astrid said. "I just don't know if Mother Superior would like me putting this out there. She does have a sister who has a vested interest in children. Apparently, she's infectious, and they can't resist her. I heard the other sisters talking about it."
"Why wouldn't Blue want you to talk about this?" Granny asked.
"Apparently they had a falling out centuries ago," Astrid said. "They say that Mother Superior won't speak her name."
Regina had a theory as to the identity of the Blue Fairy's sister. She had discussed it with Cora before, and the shared conclusion they had reached was unsettling to say the least. And Regina thought that she had a wicked sister…
"I appreciate your candor, Sister Astrid," Regina said, "But as this is a Storybrooke Unity Festival, we should be focused on supporting local individuals and businesses. This sister of the Blue Fairy is no doubt far away and most likely unreachable. Besides, we wouldn't want to cause any trouble."
"Ashley and Aurora have both been doing good work with kids," Mary Margaret said. "Between some of the teachers at the school and the two of them, we could start coming up with something. Frederick might even be willing to plan some games. Belle, do you think we would be able to use the library for children's activities? I don't want to rain chaos on your head."
"I'd be glad to have them in the library!" Belle said. "And if they make a mess, I have a magical husband who can tidy things up quick."
"Glad to see he's cleaning for YOU now," Regina gave a little smile.
"Item two is live music," Mary Margaret said. "We don't really have a dedicated town band or choir, do we? Hmm…"
"My son wants to start a band," Marco said. "August learned to play the guitar in his time in this world. If he can find a drummer, a bassist, and a lead vocalist, we could have a built in act, and I'm sure he'll do it for free. We'd just have to pay for sound equipment and lighting."
Mary Margaret beamed. "That's so wonderful to hear, Marco! I don't think a lot of people know this, but David has a wonderful singing voice. August should ask him to sing!"
"Lily is a drummer," Maleficent chimed in. "She taught herself in her late teens to work out some of her angst. I bet she would help out if August asked."
"Robin plays the lute," Regina added. "I'm sure he could learn the bass guitar. He certainly will if I ask him."
"Great!" Mary Margaret sang. "Item three is fireworks." She turned to Maleficent.
"I know what you're all thinking," Maleficent said, "and as one of your resident dragons, I am happy to help plan fireworks, but I'm really hoping to be able to enjoy the festival with my Lilith."
"We understand," Granny said, putting a supportive hand on her shoulder.
"Astrid and I can help you out," Leroy jumped in. "Astrid can get her hands on fairy dust, and we dwarves know a thing or two about using explosives in the mines. I bet between the three of us we could plan a pretty great show!"
"That leaves our tie for fourth place," Regina said. "A sing-along would be inexpensive. It's not my favorite idea, but if we get our band together, we can probably work a sing-along aspect into their performance. Pony rides were my suggestion, and I'm willing to put my own money into making sure we have the budget."
"Before we get into that," Snow jumped in, "I think we've had a very productive meeting here. Let's work on our proposed budgets for the three main activities and meet again next week to figure out how much we have left over. Then we can talk donations and sponsorships. I'll handle the childcare budget, Marco can handle the band, and Maleficent can oversee fireworks."
Everyone nodded their assent.
"Who would have thought that after all of the sleeping curses and flying around breathing fire that I would be managing fireworks for a community event," Maleficent chuckled.
Regina smiled and shrugged. "Welcome to Storybrooke!"
Marco looked at his watch and pulled his jacket off of his chair. "Now, if you all don't mind, I have somewhere to be." He gave a little bow to the co-chairs and swept from Regina's office.
"He must have a hot date," Leroy said.
Regina looked bemusedly at Snow and Maleficent and shook her head.
"I'm so sorry to keep you waiting!" Marco exclaimed as he sat down across from Cora at the corner table in Granny's diner.
"No worries, my dear friend," Cora laughed. "I don't mind a late lunch, though at our age, I suppose it could be considered dinner. I assume it's my daughter's doing? It usually is."
"We had a good meeting this afternoon," Marco said. "The festival is really coming together."
"I took the liberty of ordering for us while I was waiting," Cora said. "I hope you like chicken parmesan."
"Excellent choice!" Marco grinned. "And to drink?"
"I had them put a nice bottle of Merlot on ice earlier today," Cora explained.
"Brava!" the carpenter clapped. "You have excellent taste."
"I was a queen, you know." Cora waved a hand in the air, and one of Granny's diner staff brought the bottle and poured into their waiting wine glasses.
"How is Zelena?" Marco asked.
Cora found it refreshing for anyone to ask how her older daughter was without shuddering or lowering their voice or giving her sad eyes. "Very, very pregnant," Cora said. "Otherwise, she seems to be adjusting to house arrest."
"Funny to think of," he said. "Back in the Enchanted Forest, she had me build that cage for Rumplestiltskin, and now she's confined."
"Karma's a witch," Cora sighed. "I know it all too well. So how are you, Marco? Really?"
"I still wish Pinocchio was my little boy sometimes, but I need to let go of that. August is a good man and a good son, and he's a big help to me."
"Just be glad you don't have to deal with the guilt of abandoning him," Cora said. "You did nothing wrong with him."
Marco frowned. "I sent him away from me during the curse, as you know."
Cora remembered her visit to Geppetto's house in the Enchanted Forest, when he had initially disliked her for her dark past. It had been her bringing up his own deception of Snow White that had broken some of the ice between them.
"We have to forgive ourselves, my friend," she said. "I'm not saying we shouldn't have regrets, but it is always worth it to move forward and do what good we can. You understand that. Regina and I do, and now I just need to get Zelena there."
"You will, Cora," Marco looked deep into her eyes. Cora could tell that he believed what he was saying.
"Ah!" she said, breaking their eye contact. "Here is our food! It smells absolutely delicious!"
"Committee meetings give me quite an appetite," Marco said, licking his lips as he saw the steam rising off of his chicken parm.
"Oh, please!" Cora snorted, taking a sip of wine. "You are planning a festival. Try overseeing zoning meetings in Wonderland sometime! Trying to cut back an enchanted hedge maze that is encroaching onto residential properties in the castle district?
"Heavy lies the head…" Marco shook his head, pausing to take a bite of his meal.
"Heavy lies the head!" Cora agreed. "Not my problem anymore! Besides, Regina seems to enjoy all of that detail much more than I did. Investigating for the sheriff's office is much more fun. Had I realized that as a young woman, I might have become a bounty hunter rather than trying to marry into royalty."
"It probably would have been easier," Marco chuckled between bites.
"Probably," Cora nodded.
Just then, the door to the diner opened, and Archie walked in with Pongo at his side.
"Marco! Cora!" he grinned. "It's nice to see the two of you spending time together again!"
Marco blushed but tried to hide it. "Out for an evening stroll, my friend?"
"Just thought I would treat Pongo and myself to some ice cream, and Granny always has less of a line than the ice cream shop."
"The ice cream hasn't been the same since the Snow Queen left," Marco sighed.
"It was nice to run into you at our Halloween party," Cora said. "And here I didn't think you liked Halloween!"
Archie frowned. "I don't think we saw each other on Halloween, did we? I certainly don't remember going to the party."
"You do sleep walk sometimes," Marco offered.
"That's true," Archie said. "Well, if I went to Regina's house in my sleep and don't remember it, I'll have to talk to Whale about adjusting my dosage. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I'm honored you're trusting me to work with Zelena, Cora."
"That's nice to hear, Archie!" Cora smiled. "When you were at the party, you seemed a bit on edge about it."
Archie frowned again. "That's odd. I'm not on edge about it at all. I've definitely dealt with more dangerous therapy situations. Well, I don't want to interrupt you two for any longer. Enjoy your date!" He and Pongo went to the counter to get their ice cream.
"So sorry about that," Marco said. "I know that dating is probably the last thing on your mind right now."
Cora raised her eyebrows. "No, it's okay. It's a date."
Marco sighed with relief. "Thank goodness."
"And I certainly hope it won't be the only one!"
Marco inclined his head. "As you wish, Your Majesty."
They finished their twin chicken parms before they lost all warmth, and after a hearty exchange of stories and opinions and shared jokes, it was nearly 4:30.
"I suppose we should clear out of here before the dinner rush begins," Cora observed.
Marco stood and offered his arm. "I'd be glad to escort you home."
Cora fixed him with her most demure expression. "I would be most delighted."
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter of Cora and Her Daughters. If so, please follow, favorite, and review!