Chapter Text
Compared to what had happened the first time she had travelled realms in a curse, Belle preferred it this way. She had known the curse was coming instead of being taken by surprise and unawares in her cell. She hadn’t watched the purple curse cloud come in, not knowing what strange magic was going to overcome her. She wasn’t afraid and panicking this time, chained up and unable to even attempt to escape. This time, she knew the curse was coming. She had seen the ominous green cloud building strength over Storybrooke and she had seen Regina’s counterspell. She knew where they all were going, which was reassuring. After all that had happened over the past week, at least she knew that the curse would take her to The Enchanted Forest.
Though the curse cloud had been slow to envelope them in Storybrooke, the purple smoke was quick to disperse. Belle blinked and looked around. A clearing in the woods that could be anywhere in the Enchanted Forest. The residents of Storybrooke all in the same position they had been in as the curse had taken them, now dressed in clothing they could have been wearing when the original curse struck, all like her were taking in their surroundings. She looked down to see that instead of being clad in the dark blue dress she had been wearing while in Regina’s prison, she was wearing what she had worn when she had first met Rumplestiltskin. Definitely odd, but there were more important things to wonder about than what the curse had dressed her in.
Instead, Belle turned her attention to the shocked couple who was staring at them in disbelief. As Snow and the woman spoke, Belle focused on the man. For a moment, she could only look at him with confusion until she remembered why he was so familiar. “Prince Philip?” she said, walking towards the man. She had only spent a couple of hours with him many years ago, but she knew that this was the former Yaoguai she had helped. She had left him with Mulan to go back and find… “This must be Aurora.”
“I am,” said the woman.
“Been a while,” said Philip with a smile.
Belle offered her own small smile, trying to fight back the pain that came with remembering that Philip’s determination to get back to Aurora and save her from Maleficent had been part of what had convinced her she had to go back to Rumplestiltskin, though that hadn’t panned out thanks to Regina and her plots. There had been quite a lot that had kept her and Rumplestiltskin apart over the years. For the most part, it had been the Evil Queen, but now it was an even greater force that separated them: Death.
Ever since it had happened, she had kept on replaying that moment over and over again. In the Enchanted Forest, it seemed that she wasn’t able to escape that memory. She let the others go off to talk with Philip and Aurora as she once again went over what had happened in Storybrooke, while she pretended to be surveying the surroundings.
There was plenty about Rumplestiltskin’s death that she could focus on. How helpless she had felt as she had watched Rumplestiltskin say goodbye to Neal and her before he sacrificed his life and happy ending for them. How she hadn’t even been able to cry until Rumplestiltskin and his father vanished into the blinding light. How she had felt her knees buckle beneath her, and she had crumpled to the ground in a sobbing mess. Now, instead, she kept on seeing the spell scroll drop to the pavement. The image replayed itself over and over again in her mind, preventing her from actually noticing the features of the clearing she and her friends had been brought to. Slowly, the scroll dropped over and over again.
The scroll had dropped once Rumplestiltskin and Malcolm had disappeared, the only thing that remained of the two men. She hadn’t been expecting to see the scroll. She had been expecting to see -- it was as if she had been punched in the gut. She had thought that the dagger would have been left behind, or at the very least the hilt of the dagger. Instead, the dagger had vanished along with Rumplestiltskin.
If the Dark One’s dagger hadn’t been destroyed and had gone along with Rumplestiltskin wherever he had vanished to, then perhaps…
Hope flared within her, and that was enough for Belle to already start thinking of what she could do next.
***
Even if the sun had just passed its zenith, the day was still a dull, cold one. Though they had been walking from their camp for nearly two hours, Mulan still kept a hand on her sword. After all the magic she had seen with Cora, she wasn’t about to take any chances. That purple cloud was a curse, and the Merry Men were going to ascertain whether what it had brought was friend or foe.
“It might not have brought anyone,” murmured Much as he walked beside Mulan, carrying his spear. “Might have taken more people off.”
Mulan shook her head. “If a curse were coming to take the few remaining people in the Enchanted Forest off to Storybrooke, don’t you think it would have stopped by our camp?” There weren’t any other groups of people in the nearby area, only a few scattered people in this part of the forest. While it was difficult to tell how much ground the cloud had covered, but she was sure that the Merry Men was the biggest band of men in the area. It didn’t make sense to her than a curse cloud would miss them. “Besides, it’s worth investigating. Something happened.”
They kept on walking for another quarter of an hour, largely in silence, Robin and Little John at the head, her and Much at the rear. Suddenly, Robin stopped, holding out a hand to signal they all should stop and be silent. He had heard or seen something, and it was enough to make him notch an arrow. For a moment, it wasn’t clear what had caused him stop, but then Mulan heard it. There were two women talking. She couldn’t make out what they were saying. But, there was something else: the flapping of wings. Mulan glanced up, eyes widening as she saw the flying creature. Fur and leathery wings, shining teeth and nails swooping down at the women. Mulan drew her sword.
“Get down!” Robin Hood shouted at the women as he let loose the arrow. As usual, Robin make his mark, the arrow striking the shrieking beast, which let out a hiss before flying away.
Mulan and the rest of the group walked behind Robin Hood as he went up to the two women. “Milady,” he said offering one of them a hand. “You’re hurt.”
“It’s your majesty, and I’m fine.”
The royals Mulan had encountered in the past were far more gracious than this queen was. Aurora would have sincerely thanked someone who had saved them from a flying beast, or any kind of beast for that matter. Aurora had offered her plenty of thanks for helping Philip return to her and then venturing with her to get back Philip’s soul. Never had the thanks been what she truly wanted from the princess, though.
“Well, I’m grateful for the assistance,” said the second woman as Robin Hood helped her to her feet.
Shock struck Mulan. First she was surprised that she hadn’t recognized Snow White, then that Snow White was back here. “Snow?”
“Mulan.” Snow White gave her a smile.
“I thought you had gone back to Storybrooke,” Mulan said.
Snow White’s smile faltered slightly and she clasped her hands in front of her. “We did, but it’s…” She glanced over to the other woman, who got to her feet without the aid of anyone else. “We had no choice but to come back.”
In her peripheral vision, Mulan could see the confused looks of the Merry Men. She didn’t particularly care. “And what about Emma? Neal and Henry? Where are they?”
Robin and Little John seemed to be catching on, though Much, who hadn’t met Neal or Emma, still had a confused expression on his face. Mulan did note that Much had lowered his spear at least.
Snow White let out a sigh and said, “Neal is here, but…” She looked down at the ground. “Emma is in the Land Without Magic. Henry is with her.”
Though Mulan was looking at Snow White, she noticed that the other woman seemed to be equally distressed by this development.
Softly, Snow White continued, “They don’t remember us.”
Mulan swallowed. Despite her own pain that had overwhelmed her for the past few days that she had masked by saying she was simply adjusting to life with the Merry Men, she could feel a sympathetic sting on Snow White’s and Neal’s pain.
Straightening up and looking off in the direction of no one, the other queen said, “They have a lifetime of happy memories now.”
Silence fell over the six of them, broken only by the winter wind shaking the bare branches.
Finally, Little John said, “So, if you’re Snow White, why are you with the Evil Queen.”
Turning to look at the rude woman, Mulan eyed her with caution. Standing before her was Regina, the Evil Queen, the woman who had ripped almost everyone in the Enchanted Forest from their home to a strange land and taken away their memories, freezing everyone in that realm and the Enchanted Forest in time with a terrible curse. They had found the explanation for the cloud of magic that had covered the forest. The realization brought her little satisfaction. As it meant that she was now in the company of the daughter of the witch who had caused her and Aurora so much trouble recently.
Regina opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything a distant shriek cut through the cold air.
“Come on,” said Snow White, “we need to warn the others.” She started walking in the direction of what Mulan could only assume was where they had come from, or at least where the curse had dropped them off.
As they all started walking, Mulan overheard Regina ask, “What the hell was that?”
Robin said, “I have no idea. We’ve never encountered the likes of it before.”
Much and Little John nodded in agreement.
“Much,” said Robin, “run back to the camp. Tell the Merry Men where we’ve gone.”
“We’re going to my palace,” said Regina.
“The Dark Palace, right,” said Much with a nod. “Got it. I’ll double back. Get the horses.” He put his spear under his arm and dashed off, quickly disappearing behind the trees.
Hanging back from the other four, Mulan returned to her dark thoughts.
***
“We should be at the Queen’s castle well before nightfall,” said Charming looking up at the sky. “Even with the residents we’ve picked up along the way, we’re making pretty good time. That is if Snow and Regina get back...”
It was curious to Belle that the residents of Storybrooke had been scattered about the forest. They seemed to cover a greater distance than Storybrooke actually had back in Maine, but it was hard to say. They hadn’t managed to locate every resident of Storybrooke yet, though a fair number were accounted for and had joined them on the way to the Dark Palace.
When Belle had heard where they were going, she had felt her stomach turn over. Returning to the place where she had been held captive until the first curse had been cast was not a pleasing prospect. Though she had seen little of the castle -- really she had only seen the inside of her cell after she had been brought to the Dark Palace -- she had no happy memories of the place. She couldn’t imagine that she would feel comfortable or happy there, but what choice did she have? And what choice did she have but to keep her troubles off her face? Everyone was worried, and she wasn’t the only one who had had to say goodbye to someone over the past day. Snow White and David had had to say goodbye to a daughter and grandson. The Queen her son. And Neal… Belle glanced over at Neal and gave him yet another reassuring smile. He had lost his true love like her, but also his father, and his son now had no memory of ever meeting him.
‘All we have right now is each other,’ she thought, wishing that she could actually comfort him. She walked up to him, leading her horse along with her. “You’ll see them again.” From the concerned frown and lines of worry on his face, Belle knew that he couldn’t be thinking about anyone else but his two loves. “Emma and Henry.”
Glancing over to her, Neal gave a small, strained laugh. “Well,” he said, “let’s hope I don’t have to curse an entire kingdom to get back to them.” Though it was delivered with the cadence of a joke, Belle could hear the pain behind Neal’s words.
He needed hope. Belle could see that. If he didn’t have much hope for being reunited with Emma and Henry, then at least she could offer him the hope that had sustained her since Rumplestiltskin’s death. “I heard you talking to David about Rumple,” she said softly, giving him a smile. “You know, we didn’t see his dagger. I think we can get him back,” she concluded, excitement and optimism brightening her voice.
Neal’s dark eyes that reminded Belle so much of his father. “Really? You think we could… with what’s left in his castle?”
Belle nodded confidently.
Before more could be said on the matter, the party ahead of them fell silent. Belle popped up onto the tips of her toes to see what had caused the hush. “Snow and Regina are back,” she said, though Neal could easily see for himself.
“We’ve brought some friends,” Belle heard Snow White say.
Craning her neck to see just who the Queens had found in the woods, Belle found herself letting out an audible gasp. “Robin Hood and Mulan.”
“Looks like Mulan’s a Merry Man now,” mused Neal softly.
Turning to Neal with an intrigued smile, she said, “You know them too?”
“I guess I didn’t tell you just how I got to Neverland,” said Neal.
“I think we’ve got the time.”