A Queen Without Power (Once Upon a Time; Regina/Emma)
TITLE: A Queen Without Power
CHAPTER 5: The Root of All Evil
FANDOM: Once Upon a Time
PAIRING: Swan Queen (Regina/Emma)
SPOILERS: Season one (in its entirety)
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: Rumplestiltskin strode in confidently, his cane seemingly no longer a necessity but an accessory. “Now is the time for us to work together, to right the wrongdoing the Queen has committed against us all.”
*****
Emma stepped into City Hall, immediately greeted by the sounds of the over-zealous citizens of Storybrooke. Or... whatever land they had come from. The chatter was excitable, and fraught with a crackling energy she could only think to describe as vengeful.
She searched the crowd for her parents but couldn’t find them. Then a microphone somewhere behind her screeched its feedback and she turned to find Snow and Charming at the podium, banded together as one. Inseparable.
And completely clueless to who the real enemy was, she couldn’t help but think.
“Everybody?” Snow White called, and a hush fell over the crowd. “If you could please take your seats, thank you.”
Folding chairs scraped against tile as the citizens obeyed and sat down, perfectly silent and expectantly watching the prince and princess.
The prince leaned toward the microphone next and said, “First off, we’d like to thank you all for coming. I know the past twenty-four hours have been... quite confusing.”
There were murmurs of agreement from the crowd and Emma raised her brows, folding her arms across her chest and leaning against the far back wall, out of view.
“As you may or may not know, we all have been the victims of a powerful curse,” Snow White intoned, voice strong and sure. “A curse enacted by my stepmother.”
And created by Rumpelstiltskin, Emma added silently.
“This curse took us from our homes and effectively imprisoned us here, devoid of our happiness,” said the prince, “Devoid of the knowledge of who we really were.”
Emma surveyed the crowd, watching some of the citizens nod solemnly, while others looked around in confusion.
Snow White smiled. “But the Queen has failed in her attempt to take away our happiness. Because our child,” she beamed at her husband, “Our daughter, Emma, came to Storybrooke, to save us.”
“How did she do that?” One of the citizens toward the back called out.
Snow and Charming exchanged a glance, then the prince leaned toward the mic. “We were told that our daughter, on her 28th birthday, would come to our rescue. That she would be the key to breaking the curse.”
“Who told you this?” asked another of the citizens, this one off to the far left.
Another glance was exchanged by the prince and princess, though this one was solemn... almost grim. Snow leaned toward the mic again and, almost hesitantly, she answered, “We were told by... by Rumplestiltskin.”
A shocked murmur swept through the crowd. Some looked as though they already had this information, while others looked fearful and surprised.
Snow and Charming attempted to get the crowd under control, but to no avail. Emma’s head turned when Granny got to her feet, stuck two fingers between her lips and gave one shrill, sharp whistle, rendering everyone silent. She glanced around at them sternly before nodding to the prince and princess.
Snow White smiled her gratitude, then continued. “We-we know that... Rumplestiltskin hasn’t always been the most reliable source. But where this was concerned, he was truthful. We have to give him that. Our daughter broke the curse, just as he said she would.” She smiled at her husband. “The former Queen has failed.”
Her expression hardened, then; determination took over. “And now that the curse is broken, it is time for us to band together. She must pay for what she has done to us.”
Emma’s stomach churned, and she rested a hand over it unconsciously. She couldn’t deny that they had a point. Regina had imprisoned them in a timeless, dreary town for almost thirty years. If it were her, she would want revenge as well. But... their need for vengeance seemed a little misguided. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she had a feeling that Regina didn’t pose much of a threat to them any longer. She recalled their conversation by the rotting apple tree. Regina seemed resigned to her loss. And Emma had grown rather accustomed to Regina’s moods; could read them easily, in fact, and it seemed as though Regina had no inclination to formulate a counter-attack. Or another curse.
In fact, she seemed almost afraid of what Rumplestiltskin could do. If he could create a curse that powerful, and have enough foresight to create the loophole that he did...
“I agree,” a new voice joined in, the doors at the back of City Hall creaking open. Chairs shifted on tile as everyone turned to look at Mr. Gold... Rumplestiltskin.
He strode in confidently, his cane seemingly no longer a necessity but an accessory. “Now is the time for us to work together, to right the wrongdoing the Queen has committed against us all.”
Emma seethed silently, wishing to step forward and beat him with his own cane, but at the same time not wanting him to know she was there.
Everyone kept their wary eyes on him, even Snow White and Charming who, to an extent, had just been singing his praises.
He stopped in the middle of the aisle, halfway between the stage and the doors, his cane in front of him and both hands braced on it. “It is true that I knew about the flaw in the curse. That their child,” he gestured to Snow and Charming with an upturned palm, “Would be the product of true love that could save us all.”
Emma clenched her jaw, stepping further into the shadows at the back of the hall. Why don’t you tell them that you created the damn curse too, you bastard, she thought venomously.
“And now, I come to you bearing some bad news.” He dipped his head for effect. “It seems there is a new threat to our happiness.”
Emma’s eyes flicked toward her parents, who immediately reached for each other in concern. He had them right in the palm of his hand.
Pausing, Rumplestiltskin lifted his head with a grave expression. He looked slowly around at them all before he reported, “The Queen has brought magic to Storybrooke.” The numerous gasps didn’t deter him as he added, “Powerful magic.”
The prince and princess stepped down off the stage, some of the other citizens rising to their feet as all eyes remained on Rumplestiltskin.
He kept weaving his tale. “I believe she is going to use this magic to create a new curse. One more powerful than the last. And I can tell you that this time... she will take measures to ensure that there will be no savior. No return to happy endings.”
“What do we do?” Charming asked, his voice low as Snow White hung on to his arm.
Emma watched as Rumplestiltskin smiled. “It’s simple, dearie. We must find the Queen... and kill her.”
”No!”
She slapped a hand over her mouth, surprised the exclamation had left her lips, as every head in City Hall turned toward the sound. Regretfully, Emma stepped out of the shadows, throwing a surreptitious glance at her parents, who seemed to forget the imminent danger they were presented with as they beamed at her.
“Emma...”
She swallowed hard, steeling herself. She pointed a finger at Rumplestiltskin, her voice low, gravelly... but determined. “Do not listen to him.”
“What?” Snow White tilted her head. “Why not?”
Emma glared at Rumplestiltskin, teeth clenched. “Tell them the truth.”
He smiled, unperturbed by her vitriol. “I just did, my dear. You must have arrived late.”
“No.” She shook her head, striding toward the stage and fighting the urge to knock him to the ground as she passed. “No, no. Everybody listen to me.”
She stepped up behind the podium and tapped once on the microphone, cringing briefly at the feedback before leaning in. “Everybody, please take your seats. I have something that I need to say.”
Confused, they did so, some sets of eyes bouncing from the prince and princess, to Rumplestiltskin, then to Emma and back again. She looked around at them all. Victims, definitely victims... but completely unaware that a wolf in sheep’s clothing was in their midst.
“This man,” she pointed to Rumplestiltskin, “Knew about the curse, and knew about the loophole, because he created it.” She ignored the sporadic gasps and kept her eyes trained on Rumplestiltskin. “He’s the one that gave the curse to Regina and told her how to cast it. And now, he is lying to you about her.” She shook her head. “She’s no threat to you! She lost and she can’t do anything to you. But he can.” She glared at him. “He brought magic back.”
Rumplestiltskin bowed his head, eyes closed for only a moment before he bared his teeth and yelled, “STOP!”
As he did, he banged the end of his cane into the hardwood floor and sent a purple pulse shuddering out across the floor, and time seemed to freeze. Everyone was stopped in their tracks -- some of them in the midst of a shout or a gasp, others in the middle of standing up. It was as if someone had hit a pause button on the citizens of Storybrooke.
Emma, somehow unaffected, looked around at all of them before turning to Rumplestiltskin, who had started toward her. “You’d better think about what you’re doing, dearie... what you’re saying.”
She glared. “Regina may have punished these people for the last twenty-eight years, but I know that that sure as hell isn’t even going to touch whatever it is you’re about to do to them.”
He tilted his head. “That’s rather hurtful, Miss Swan.” Then, he raised his brows. “Had a change of heart, have you? Perhaps Regina cast a spell on you.”
“Regina has done nothing to me.” Stepping out from behind the podium, she walked down the steps off the edge of the stage.
“Did she, or did she not, attempt to poison you?” he asked, eyes narrowed.
She faltered ever so briefly. “She did, but--”
“And in that attempt,” he cut her off, “Did she or did she not almost kill your son?”
She folded her arms across her chest.
Rumplestiltskin nodded, deeming his questions answered. “You see, dear, I am not the villain in this story. Regina is. Always was, as a matter of fact.”
Emma shook her head, keeping her eyes on him. “I don’t buy it,” she returned, a hint of a sly smirk plucking at her lips. “You overpowered her and tied her up. You tricked me into thinking she had left me to be killed by that dragon--”
“Which you didn’t hesitate to believe, might I add,” he broke in.
“Yeah. Maybe I believed it then. But you know what I believe now?” She stepped close, no further than a foot from him now as she leaned in. “I believe you are the root of all this evil. And I believe you are the one that’s going to make everyone suffer with no way out.” She shrugged. “Why else would you go through all that trouble to bring magic back?”
His smile spread slowly, a pleased glint in his eye as his voice dropped to whisper, “Well I guess you’ve got it all figured out, haven’t you?”
Emma narrowed her eyes, suppressing a smile. And the urge to beat him to death with that stupid cane. “Guess so.”
“You’d best get home then, dearie. Warn your new best friend. See if she’ll be willing to protect you after all that’s happened. And then?” His smile widened, eyes flicking over her. “You’d better hope you’ve chosen the right side. For your sake, and your boy’s.”
He waved her away, tone patronizing and low. “Run now, Baby Charming. Time’s a-wasting.”
“And them?” She raised her eyebrows, gesturing to the crowd of people behind them, still frozen in place.
“Oh, don’t you worry about them. They won’t remember that little outburst of yours when I wake them up. Won’t even remember that you were here at all. All they’ll remember is their thirst for revenge... and that your pal Regina is still on the loose with her magic.”
Emma hesitated, wanting to stay and reprise her outburst, though part of her was already defeated. She knew he would just keep freezing them and making them forget. So instead, she let him have this small victory and turned to head for the doors. She pushed them open and stopped when she heard his call:
“Oh, and Miss Swan?”
She turned to face him, to face the smug look on his face as he grinned a bit and whispered, “Good luck.”
TBC
{x-posted to onceupon_fanfic and regina_emma}
CHAPTER 5: The Root of All Evil
FANDOM: Once Upon a Time
PAIRING: Swan Queen (Regina/Emma)
SPOILERS: Season one (in its entirety)
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: Rumplestiltskin strode in confidently, his cane seemingly no longer a necessity but an accessory. “Now is the time for us to work together, to right the wrongdoing the Queen has committed against us all.”
*****
Emma stepped into City Hall, immediately greeted by the sounds of the over-zealous citizens of Storybrooke. Or... whatever land they had come from. The chatter was excitable, and fraught with a crackling energy she could only think to describe as vengeful.
She searched the crowd for her parents but couldn’t find them. Then a microphone somewhere behind her screeched its feedback and she turned to find Snow and Charming at the podium, banded together as one. Inseparable.
And completely clueless to who the real enemy was, she couldn’t help but think.
“Everybody?” Snow White called, and a hush fell over the crowd. “If you could please take your seats, thank you.”
Folding chairs scraped against tile as the citizens obeyed and sat down, perfectly silent and expectantly watching the prince and princess.
The prince leaned toward the microphone next and said, “First off, we’d like to thank you all for coming. I know the past twenty-four hours have been... quite confusing.”
There were murmurs of agreement from the crowd and Emma raised her brows, folding her arms across her chest and leaning against the far back wall, out of view.
“As you may or may not know, we all have been the victims of a powerful curse,” Snow White intoned, voice strong and sure. “A curse enacted by my stepmother.”
And created by Rumpelstiltskin, Emma added silently.
“This curse took us from our homes and effectively imprisoned us here, devoid of our happiness,” said the prince, “Devoid of the knowledge of who we really were.”
Emma surveyed the crowd, watching some of the citizens nod solemnly, while others looked around in confusion.
Snow White smiled. “But the Queen has failed in her attempt to take away our happiness. Because our child,” she beamed at her husband, “Our daughter, Emma, came to Storybrooke, to save us.”
“How did she do that?” One of the citizens toward the back called out.
Snow and Charming exchanged a glance, then the prince leaned toward the mic. “We were told that our daughter, on her 28th birthday, would come to our rescue. That she would be the key to breaking the curse.”
“Who told you this?” asked another of the citizens, this one off to the far left.
Another glance was exchanged by the prince and princess, though this one was solemn... almost grim. Snow leaned toward the mic again and, almost hesitantly, she answered, “We were told by... by Rumplestiltskin.”
A shocked murmur swept through the crowd. Some looked as though they already had this information, while others looked fearful and surprised.
Snow and Charming attempted to get the crowd under control, but to no avail. Emma’s head turned when Granny got to her feet, stuck two fingers between her lips and gave one shrill, sharp whistle, rendering everyone silent. She glanced around at them sternly before nodding to the prince and princess.
Snow White smiled her gratitude, then continued. “We-we know that... Rumplestiltskin hasn’t always been the most reliable source. But where this was concerned, he was truthful. We have to give him that. Our daughter broke the curse, just as he said she would.” She smiled at her husband. “The former Queen has failed.”
Her expression hardened, then; determination took over. “And now that the curse is broken, it is time for us to band together. She must pay for what she has done to us.”
Emma’s stomach churned, and she rested a hand over it unconsciously. She couldn’t deny that they had a point. Regina had imprisoned them in a timeless, dreary town for almost thirty years. If it were her, she would want revenge as well. But... their need for vengeance seemed a little misguided. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she had a feeling that Regina didn’t pose much of a threat to them any longer. She recalled their conversation by the rotting apple tree. Regina seemed resigned to her loss. And Emma had grown rather accustomed to Regina’s moods; could read them easily, in fact, and it seemed as though Regina had no inclination to formulate a counter-attack. Or another curse.
In fact, she seemed almost afraid of what Rumplestiltskin could do. If he could create a curse that powerful, and have enough foresight to create the loophole that he did...
“I agree,” a new voice joined in, the doors at the back of City Hall creaking open. Chairs shifted on tile as everyone turned to look at Mr. Gold... Rumplestiltskin.
He strode in confidently, his cane seemingly no longer a necessity but an accessory. “Now is the time for us to work together, to right the wrongdoing the Queen has committed against us all.”
Emma seethed silently, wishing to step forward and beat him with his own cane, but at the same time not wanting him to know she was there.
Everyone kept their wary eyes on him, even Snow White and Charming who, to an extent, had just been singing his praises.
He stopped in the middle of the aisle, halfway between the stage and the doors, his cane in front of him and both hands braced on it. “It is true that I knew about the flaw in the curse. That their child,” he gestured to Snow and Charming with an upturned palm, “Would be the product of true love that could save us all.”
Emma clenched her jaw, stepping further into the shadows at the back of the hall. Why don’t you tell them that you created the damn curse too, you bastard, she thought venomously.
“And now, I come to you bearing some bad news.” He dipped his head for effect. “It seems there is a new threat to our happiness.”
Emma’s eyes flicked toward her parents, who immediately reached for each other in concern. He had them right in the palm of his hand.
Pausing, Rumplestiltskin lifted his head with a grave expression. He looked slowly around at them all before he reported, “The Queen has brought magic to Storybrooke.” The numerous gasps didn’t deter him as he added, “Powerful magic.”
The prince and princess stepped down off the stage, some of the other citizens rising to their feet as all eyes remained on Rumplestiltskin.
He kept weaving his tale. “I believe she is going to use this magic to create a new curse. One more powerful than the last. And I can tell you that this time... she will take measures to ensure that there will be no savior. No return to happy endings.”
“What do we do?” Charming asked, his voice low as Snow White hung on to his arm.
Emma watched as Rumplestiltskin smiled. “It’s simple, dearie. We must find the Queen... and kill her.”
”No!”
She slapped a hand over her mouth, surprised the exclamation had left her lips, as every head in City Hall turned toward the sound. Regretfully, Emma stepped out of the shadows, throwing a surreptitious glance at her parents, who seemed to forget the imminent danger they were presented with as they beamed at her.
“Emma...”
She swallowed hard, steeling herself. She pointed a finger at Rumplestiltskin, her voice low, gravelly... but determined. “Do not listen to him.”
“What?” Snow White tilted her head. “Why not?”
Emma glared at Rumplestiltskin, teeth clenched. “Tell them the truth.”
He smiled, unperturbed by her vitriol. “I just did, my dear. You must have arrived late.”
“No.” She shook her head, striding toward the stage and fighting the urge to knock him to the ground as she passed. “No, no. Everybody listen to me.”
She stepped up behind the podium and tapped once on the microphone, cringing briefly at the feedback before leaning in. “Everybody, please take your seats. I have something that I need to say.”
Confused, they did so, some sets of eyes bouncing from the prince and princess, to Rumplestiltskin, then to Emma and back again. She looked around at them all. Victims, definitely victims... but completely unaware that a wolf in sheep’s clothing was in their midst.
“This man,” she pointed to Rumplestiltskin, “Knew about the curse, and knew about the loophole, because he created it.” She ignored the sporadic gasps and kept her eyes trained on Rumplestiltskin. “He’s the one that gave the curse to Regina and told her how to cast it. And now, he is lying to you about her.” She shook her head. “She’s no threat to you! She lost and she can’t do anything to you. But he can.” She glared at him. “He brought magic back.”
Rumplestiltskin bowed his head, eyes closed for only a moment before he bared his teeth and yelled, “STOP!”
As he did, he banged the end of his cane into the hardwood floor and sent a purple pulse shuddering out across the floor, and time seemed to freeze. Everyone was stopped in their tracks -- some of them in the midst of a shout or a gasp, others in the middle of standing up. It was as if someone had hit a pause button on the citizens of Storybrooke.
Emma, somehow unaffected, looked around at all of them before turning to Rumplestiltskin, who had started toward her. “You’d better think about what you’re doing, dearie... what you’re saying.”
She glared. “Regina may have punished these people for the last twenty-eight years, but I know that that sure as hell isn’t even going to touch whatever it is you’re about to do to them.”
He tilted his head. “That’s rather hurtful, Miss Swan.” Then, he raised his brows. “Had a change of heart, have you? Perhaps Regina cast a spell on you.”
“Regina has done nothing to me.” Stepping out from behind the podium, she walked down the steps off the edge of the stage.
“Did she, or did she not, attempt to poison you?” he asked, eyes narrowed.
She faltered ever so briefly. “She did, but--”
“And in that attempt,” he cut her off, “Did she or did she not almost kill your son?”
She folded her arms across her chest.
Rumplestiltskin nodded, deeming his questions answered. “You see, dear, I am not the villain in this story. Regina is. Always was, as a matter of fact.”
Emma shook her head, keeping her eyes on him. “I don’t buy it,” she returned, a hint of a sly smirk plucking at her lips. “You overpowered her and tied her up. You tricked me into thinking she had left me to be killed by that dragon--”
“Which you didn’t hesitate to believe, might I add,” he broke in.
“Yeah. Maybe I believed it then. But you know what I believe now?” She stepped close, no further than a foot from him now as she leaned in. “I believe you are the root of all this evil. And I believe you are the one that’s going to make everyone suffer with no way out.” She shrugged. “Why else would you go through all that trouble to bring magic back?”
His smile spread slowly, a pleased glint in his eye as his voice dropped to whisper, “Well I guess you’ve got it all figured out, haven’t you?”
Emma narrowed her eyes, suppressing a smile. And the urge to beat him to death with that stupid cane. “Guess so.”
“You’d best get home then, dearie. Warn your new best friend. See if she’ll be willing to protect you after all that’s happened. And then?” His smile widened, eyes flicking over her. “You’d better hope you’ve chosen the right side. For your sake, and your boy’s.”
He waved her away, tone patronizing and low. “Run now, Baby Charming. Time’s a-wasting.”
“And them?” She raised her eyebrows, gesturing to the crowd of people behind them, still frozen in place.
“Oh, don’t you worry about them. They won’t remember that little outburst of yours when I wake them up. Won’t even remember that you were here at all. All they’ll remember is their thirst for revenge... and that your pal Regina is still on the loose with her magic.”
Emma hesitated, wanting to stay and reprise her outburst, though part of her was already defeated. She knew he would just keep freezing them and making them forget. So instead, she let him have this small victory and turned to head for the doors. She pushed them open and stopped when she heard his call:
“Oh, and Miss Swan?”
She turned to face him, to face the smug look on his face as he grinned a bit and whispered, “Good luck.”
TBC
{x-posted to onceupon_fanfic and regina_emma}