Chapter 26
Here's the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy it!
Also, if you like little Emma stories, you should check out my new story "Little One." :)
Hanna was definitely warming up to the idea of having a little brother or sister. She was maybe actually even getting excited about it. Aurora and Phillip were visiting and they were all having a discussion about gathering the kingdom to announce Snow's pregnancy. They had barely started the conversation when Belle came running into the room. Hanna couldn't help to get excited when she saw Belle. Were they able to revive Rumplestiltskin? Would he know a way back to Emma and Henry? Hanna couldn't help but hold onto that small part of hope she had that she would see them again. However, by the look on Belle's face and the fact that neither Rumplestiltskin or Neal was with her, Hanna had a feeling that Belle was not here to deliver good news.
"What happened?" David asked Belle.
"Neal was able to resurrect Rumplestiltskin at the cost of his own life," Belle told them.
"Rumple's alive," Regina said with a smirk on her face.
"Neal's dead," Snow said, sadden by this news.
Belle continued to explain that when Rumple saw that Neal was dying, he absorbed him and Zelena got ahold of the dagger.
It took a minute for Hanna to wrap her head around all of this news that Belle had just given them. Neal was possible dead…again. Hanna couldn't help but to feel sad for Henry, even though he was in a different realm and didn't even remember his father. Rumplestiltskin was possibly alive, which would be good for them when it comes to dealing with Zelena, but not since she has his dagger. The Wicked Witch had the Dark One's dagger, that was definitely not a good thing. Who knows what she could do with the Dark One on her side.
"Maybe now is not a good time to announce the pregnancy," Aurora said, interrupting Hanna's thoughts.
Hanna listened to her mom explain that she doesn't want to give into fear. She wants to give the kingdom what they need…hope and announcing the pregnancy would do just that. She made a good point too…they don't even know what the Wicked Witch wants.
"We do," Aurora said as she looked up to her prince.
She continued to explain that Zelena wants Snow's baby, but they aren't sure for what. Aurora and Phillip apologize for not telling them sooner, but Zelena threatened to harm them and their baby if they told. Before Snow even had a chance to respond, the wind started to blow. Hanna looked up to see Zelena flying in on her broom. Before Hanna could even do anything, both of her parents were in front of her, protecting her from whatever that witch may be up to.
Hanna watched as Zelena, with a wave of her hand, turned Aurora and Phillip into flying monkeys. She then felt herself frozen into place. She couldn't move. Everyone else was stuck where they stood as well. Hanna could only stand there and watch as Zelena walked up to her mom, placing her green hands on her stomach…on her baby brother or sister. Hanna tried to move, to do something to stop her, but she couldn't. Zelena promised to be back on the day the baby is born and take it for herself. She then flew away on her broom, unfreezing everyone.
"Mom, are you okay?" Hanna asked, worried that Zelena might have done something when she placed her ugly green hands on her stomach.
"I'm fine sweetie," Snow assured her as she held onto her stomach as if to protect the baby inside.
"We…we can't let her take the baby. We can't," Hanna said in desperation as she looked up at her father.
"We won't. We will come up with a plan. We will figure this out," Charming said with determination as he pulled Hanna close to him. He would not let someone take his child away from him, not again.
Hanna was wandering about the castle, trying to keep herself occupied until she heard some news. Her parents were in a meeting, discussing how they were going to stop Zelena and protect their unborn child. They wouldn't let Hanna come to the meeting, so she was stuck roaming the castle until they were finished. They promised to come find her as soon as the meeting was over. Well, it had been several hours, and they were still in there. Hanna had exhausted all of her means of entertainment. She tried reading a book, but she couldn't keep her mind focused. She drew a little bit, but just wasn't feeling it. She would have gone outside, but it was kind of cold out. She was super bored…it's not like she could just watch TV or anything either. Now she just found her self wandering these long hallways…wandering and thinking. Thinking about that witch and what she wanted with her baby brother or sister. Hanna got this overwhelming feeling that she needed to protect the baby from whatever Zelena might be planning. She had to, it was her job to protect the baby too. She was the big sister. Hanna didn't know what to do though. She thought maybe if she could get her magic to work again that she could be of some help. She had only used it that one time when she made herself appear on the Jolly Roger. She didn't know if that was a fluke or if she actually had magic. Hanna tried and tried to do what she had done then. She tried to poof herself into the meeting room with her parents, but it wasn't working. Hanna thought maybe if she was closer, she would be able to do it. She made her way towards the meeting room and stood outside of the door. She closed her eyes really tight and thought really hard about how much she wanted to be in that room and about how much she wanted to help. She was concentrating so hard that she didn't realize it when her dad walked out of the room.
"Hanna," Charming said when he saw her standing outside of the meeting room.
"I wasn't listening I promise…I just got here," Hanna said, opening her eyes really quick, not wanting him to know what she was trying to do.
"It's alright," Charming said, not noticing that his daughter was trying to use magic. "The meeting is finished, you can come in." Charming put his arm around Hanna and led her into the room.
"Hey baby," Snow said as she pulled Hanna in for a hug. "Sorry we took so long."
"It's okay. So, what's the plan?" Hanna asked.
They explained to her that they were going to break into the Dark One's castle. That was where Zelena was keeping Rumplestiltskin captive. They were going to ask him for help, hoping he would know how to stop Zelena.
"When do we go?" Hanna said as she looked up at her parents, hoping they would let her come. She was determined to not be left behind this time.
Snow and Charming gave each other a look before giving Hanna an answer. That made Hanna nervous. They are totally going to leave me behind again, she thought. Hanna was already planning a way to sneak out to go along anyways when she heard what her mom said next.
"We leave in an hour. Can you be ready by then?"
Hanna's mouth fell open. They were letting her come? She didn't have to stay behind? She didn't have to come up with a scheme to escape the castle and follow them? This was awesome!
"Hanna?" Charming said with a grin when she didn't answer. He could tell she was obviously very surprised by their decision.
"Oh…Yeah! I can be ready," Hanna said with a smile on her face.
Snow and Charming planned all along to bring Hanna with them. It was the safest option. They would not leave her here without their protection. They did not want that witch getting her hands on their little girl. Sure, there were knights here to protect her, but they wanted Hanna with them. They trusted themselves the most to keep Hanna safe. Regina would be with them too, and they knew she would be able to help if any dangers should arise.
Once Hanna was ready to leave, she met her parents downstairs by the front entrance. When she arrived she saw that Belle and Robin Hood would be joining them on their journey. Apparently Robin Hood had broken into the Dark One's castle before and knew just how to do it. Hanna couldn't be sure, but she didn't think Regina was too happy about Robin accompanying them on their journey, the way Regina was scowling at him though made Hanna think she was right.
They made it into Rumple's castle without too much difficulty. Now, they just had to figure out which room he was in, this castle was huge. Once they finally found him, they discovered him locked in a cage. Hanna peeked around her dad to get a look at him. That was definitely Mr. Gold, but he looked so different. His skin was almost grey and it was scaly. It looked like there was some sparkle to it as well. This must be what he looked like as Rumplestiltskin in the Enchanted Forest. No wonder everyone was terrified of him. Hanna watched as he worked the spinning wheel, turning straw into gold. When they tried to talk to him all he would do was giggle and speak in rhymes, not making any sense. It wasn't until Belle went over to him that he gave them some useful information. He told her that light magic will defeat Zelena. That they need to find the good witch of the south, Glinda. Glinda? Hanna remembered reading about her and seeing her in the Wizard of Oz. Oz…do we have to go to Oz to find her? How in the world are we going to get there? To answer Hanna's question, Rumple informed them that Glinda was banished here, to the Enchanted Forest. He told them that she is north of the Dark Forest. Hanna was glad to hear that, not having to travel to Oz would make things much easier.
"How do we find her? Rumplestiltskin! In the dark forest, how do we find her?" Snow asked in a panicked voice.
He replied with another silly riddle, "Through the door step inside if pure of heart then she won't hide."
After that, he went back to his spinning. They knew they weren't going to get anymore information out of him. Zelena had really done a number on him. Everyone left feeling defeated. They didn't know how to find Glinda. The only thing they had to go on was that she was north of the dark forest, but that was a very broad location. But it was all they had, so they set off in search of the Good Witch of the South.
Hanna was trudging along behind her parents, while Regina brought up the rear. They were in the Dark Forest and heading North. Now, all they could do was hope to find Glinda or something that would lead them to her. Hanna looked up to see her father bend down to pick something up. Did he find something? A way to Glinda? No. He was picking a flower. Why was he picking a flower? Hanna couldn't help the smile that came across her face when he handed her mom the flower. It was very sweet. She looked up at Regina, who was obviously very irritated by this gesture.
"We're at the edge of the Dark Forest trying to find the one person who can stop our imminent doom and save your unborn child. And you two stop to smell the roses?" Regina asks, not even bothering to hide her annoyance.
"Snowbells," Snow said with a smile as she held up the flower to show Regina.
"I don't care if they're dancing daffodils. I need to destroy my sister and so do you," Hanna couldn't help but laugh at how angry this was making Regina. She covered her mouth, trying to hide the giggles. "And if that babbling mad man sent us on a wild goose chase, I swear I'll…" Regina continued when Hanna looked ahead and saw something.
"Look," Hanna said as she pointed to a door just up ahead.
"What is that suppose to be?" Regina said as she noticed the completely random door in the middle of the forest.
"Well it appears to be a door…that leads to nowhere," Charming said as he looked around to the other side.
"Through the door step inside if pure of heart then she won't hide," Snow said with a smile on her face as she repeated Rumplestiltskin's riddle.
"She's in there isn't she?" Hanna asked as she looked up to her mom.
"She is," Snow told Hanna with a wink as headed straight for door and walked through, disappearing from site.
"No!" Charming exclaimed to his wife, but he was too late. He let out a sigh. "Come on Hanna, let's go," he said as he guided his daughter through the door to nowhere.
Hanna looked around. It was as if they had walked into a world of snow. The white powder was everywhere and there were flurries falling from the sky. This didn't feel very much like the south. Hanna looked up just in time to see someone appear. It had to be her…it was Glinda. As her mom and dad talked with Glinda and informed her of their problem with Zelena, Hanna looked around, wondering where Regina was. Surely she would have followed them through. Then Hanna thought back to the riddle, "if pure of heart, then she won't hide." Hanna thought that "pure of heart" part was what was keeping Regina from coming through the door. Hanna couldn't help but to find that a little funny.
Hanna turned her attention back to Glinda. She told them about Zelena's pendant that holds all of her magic. If they can get it, they can defeat her, but only someone with the strongest light magic will be able to accomplish this.
"Light magic?" Snow asked, not sure what exactly Glinda meant.
"Magic created from love," she told them.
"Emma," Hanna and Snow both said at the same time. It's Emma they need. Yeah Hanna, might have some magic in her, but it wasn't strong…not like Emma's. Emma was the saviour, only she could defeat Zelena. She was in a completely different realm though. How in the world were they going to get to her?
"But there is a way…the Dark Curse," Snow said once they were back through the door and had explained everything to Regina.
Regina told them that they were crazy to try to enact the Dark Curse. She would have to give up thing she loved most, which was Henry and that would never happen. Hanna listened as her dad suggested finding a magic bean or Jefferson's hat to open a portal, but Regina reminded them that there are no more portals.
"The Dark Curse is the only way then," David said.
"Haven't you been listening? I cant cast it," Regina said, getting frustrated with the prince.
"No, but someone else can," David said as he looked over at Snow.
"Who?" Snow asked him, not sure where he was going with this.
"You," David said as he walked over to her.
As Charming sat, trying to convince Snow that this was the only way, Hanna was now in her own world, not hearing what they were saying. She tuned out when she heard her dad tell her mom that she would be the one to cast the curse. Hanna knew what that meant. Her mom would have to give up the thing she loved most…her true love. Hanna couldn't wrap her head around that idea. She did not want to lose her father. She couldn't. There had to be another way. Some other way to get to Emma. Hanna knew there wasn't though. The Dark Curse was the way. Hanna tried to push these thoughts from her head. There is no way her mom could crush her dad's heart…she just couldn't. They would find another way. Just like they always do. They always find each other. This couldn't be the end.
This was the end though. Here Hanna stood, back at the castle, as Regina prepared it…prepared the Dark Curse. In just a few minutes, Hanna would lose her father. Her mom would crush his heart. She would never see him again. She would never have him to comfort her from her nightmares. She would never get to have anymore of those yummy pancakes he makes. She couldn't bear it, she couldn't bear not having him in her life anymore. As Hanna stood thinking about how much she would miss her dad, she could faintly hear him convincing her mom that she had to do this. That their love will always live on inside of her. Hanna was completely pulled from her thoughts when she felt those strong, familiar arms pull her in for a hug.
Hanna held on tight to her dad, never wanting to let him go. Charming gently pulled Hanna back to get a good look at her. It broke his heart to see the tears streaming down her face.
"Everything's going to be okay kiddo," Charming said as he wiped the tears from her eyes.
Hanna just shook her head, "No."
"It will. You will have your mother. You will find Emma and Henry. You'll have them with you. You'll even get a new brother or sister. You will have so much family around that loves you. You are going to be just fine," he told her.
"I love you daddy," Hanna said as she looked up at him.
"I love you too," Charming said as he gave his little girl a kiss on the forehead and pulled her in for one last hug.
"Do it," Charming said as he turned to Regina, ready for her to get this over with.
Hanna went to stand with her mom and watched her dad walk over to Regina. She felt her mom wrap her loving arms around her. Hanna clung tight to her mom, burying her face. She couldn't watch Regina rip her dad's heart out. Hanna cringed when she heard her dad gasp as his heart was ripped from his chest. Hanna looked up when she heard someone approaching. It was Regina, her dad's glowing heart in her hands. Regina pulled Snow's hand away from Hanna and placed the heart into it. Snow let go of Hanna and walked over to cauldron where the curse sat, waiting for the last ingredient to be added. Hanna backed away, covering her mouth to hide the cries escaping her mouth. Regina walked over to the scared girl and gently grabbed her shoulders, turning her so she wouldn't see what her mother was about to do. Hanna willingly turned around. She heard her father fall to the ground. She knew her mother had done it, she had crushed the heart. That was it. The curse was enacted. Hanna couldn't help but turn around. When she did she saw her mom kneeling on the ground next to her dad, not bothering to hold back the tears that filled her eyes.
"This won't be in vain," Regina said to Hanna and Snow in an attempt to comfort them after their loss. "We will get back to Storybrooke. We will defeat…"
All of a sudden the wind picked up. Hanna turned to see Zelena flying through the room on her broom stick. Hanna watched as she waved her hand over the cauldron, turning the curse green for a moment. What did she do to it? Did she stop the curse? Did her dad just die for nothing? Before flying away, Zelena explained that she added a forgetting potion, so now they won't remember any of this happening when they are back in Storybrooke. They won't even remember who Zelena is.
Hanna started to panic. If they don't remember anything, then they won't even be able to recognize Zelena. They won't know that she is after the new baby. They won't remember that Emma is the only one who can stop her. They won't remember the sacrifice her dad made to get them all back. Hanna's thoughts were swirling around in her head…this was bad, really bad. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard her mother start to speak.
"Regina, I need you to rip out my heart," Snow said in desperation as she looked up to her step-mother.
"Mom, what…" Hanna said, not sure if she heard her correctly.
"Hanna, trust me," Snow said as she gave her daughter an encouraging smile, then looked back to Regina. "If you split my heart in half we can both survive."
"How…how do you know it will work? I…I can't lose you too," Hanna said in between her uneven breaths.
"You wont lose me. I have faith. I believe," Snow said as she held onto Hanna's hand. "Please, please Regina. Do it," Snow begged once more.
This was all happening so fast. Hanna didn't know what to do. Now her mom was going to rip her heart out too. This was crazy. But if it worked, then she would have both of her parents again. Hanna looked up and watched as Regina ripped her mom's heart out. She broke it into two pieces. She leaned down and placed one piece in each of parents. Hanna waited, but it wasn't working. Her dad wasn't waking up…he was just lying there he…
All of a sudden he let out a big gasp. "Snow? Whats happening?" he said as he looked up at his wife.
"You're okay, we're both okay," Snow assured him with a relieved smile on her face.
"Daddy, you're going to be okay," Hanna said as she fell to the ground beside him. David pulled his girls close and held onto them both as the smoke engulfed them once again.
