Storytime (Part 4)

They were on their way, right before the sun started to rise in the horizon. Anette was walking in the front, her ears and eyes focused on the forest that surrounded her. She knew that there were ogres in the area. Any loud noise would make them move towards the group.

Before they all left, she had been explaining to everyone who had not faced an ogre before, that they were dangerous creatures and that any noise would attract them. The children had fear in their eyes as Anette told them about all the horrible things that the ogres did of they would get their hands on a human.

And now as they moved away from the valley, all the children were deadly silent.

Anette turned around and looked at her horse. Stjärnan held her head high as she dragged the carriage behind her. Before they left the valley, Regina had provided each of the horses with their own carriage, explaining that they would reach their destination faster if they did not have to stop when the children grew tired. Anette had to face the fact that Regina was right. And it irritated her. She hated the woman with every fiber in her body. She refused the food that the Evil Queen had provided them with last night and this morning, still not convinced that she had truly turned good. So much had happened between them, and Anette would never trust the woman.

Last night, Anette and her knights had been talking to the newcomers, to assess how many of them who could fight. They talked to a girl named Red and her grandmother, the dwarves, the fairies and some people that had been knights themselves before coming to Storybrooke.

Anette had placed them on the side of the large group, so that they would be able to defend the ones in the middle if anything would happen.

Anette turned so that she faced the road ahead of her. This was not a particularly rocky area, so the horses would not get tired easily. In the corner of her eye, she saw how Tarja walked closely by her side. They had been close friends all their lives, and since they both had lost their fathers, they had become depended on each other for support. Tarja and the rest of the guys were all that Anette had left. Without them she would be lost.

At hearing a particularly harsh curse word, Anette snapped back from her thoughts. She turned around and saw the Savior, whose hands were glowing. When she realized that everyone was looking at her, she quickly hid her hands in the pockets of her jacket. Emma walked closely to Stjärnan’s carriage where Henry was seated. Anette found out that he was Emma’s son during last night’s festivities. They also said that he was Regina’s son too, which confused Anette a great deal, but she did not ask more about it. She already had too much on her mind.

It was the middle of the summer, and the mid-day sun was burning intensive in the sky. The group had been walking for hours.

“Anette!”

The blue-eyed woman turned around and saw Snow’s brightly red face. Snow inhaled deeply and wiped the sweat of her forehead before she spoke.

“I know that you want to get to your basecamp as soon as possible, but right now everyone needs a break.”

Anette smiled and raised her hand to give the signal to her companions. She showed the palm of her hand to her men, before turning it so that it pressed downwards to the ground.

“The queen gives you all a break, we will continue when she wishes to!”

The shouts moved backwards in the line.

“I am sorry, Snow, I am just so focused on actually getting there in one piece.”

“No, it is okay Anette, I would be careful too.” Snow said and squeezed Anette’s hand.

“You and your men are risking so much.”

“It is my honor. You fought by my side, twice, against the Evil Queen. This is the least I can do to repay you.”

“Thank you.” Snow said before she squeezed Anette’s hand once more. Snow excused herself and went to join her husband.

Anette sighed before she turned to Tarja.

“Get up as high as you can, and look out for anything unusual. I will not let the ogres surprise me.”

“Yes, my queen.” Tarja replied before she headed for one of the trees nearby. She climbed branch after branch with ease and soon settled almost at the top.

Her companions rarely called her queen, only when they sensed the seriousness in the situation they were in. This case counted as one of those. Anette’s and the others, sometimes, childish behavior had to be put aside. She wanted to prove herself. Of course, she had been leading large groups of soldiers before, but this time was different. There were children and untrained peasants in this group. If something would to go wrong, she would never forgive herself.

“Dammit, what is wrong with this horse?!”

Anette was once again pulled out from her thoughts by the Saviors voice. She noticed how Emma held her hand over her bicep and glared angrily at Anette’s beloved horse. Anette chuckled before stepping up to Stjärnan.

“Såja, lilla flickan, lugn nu.” the queen said before she petted the horse’s forehead affectionately.

“What language is that?” Henry asked and stepped out of the carriage, with an apple and a leather bag containing water in his hand.

“Oh thanks kid!” Emma said before snatching both items out of the boy’s hand.

“Hey, I was going to eat that!” Henry shouted while he watched how Emma devoured his lunch.

“I have been walking all day! I am sure your mom can get you some more.” Emma said before she burped slightly. Anette looked at the both of them and could barely keep the laughter inside.

Appearances, Anette!

Anette cleared her throat and made Henry look at her.

“The language I spoke is one that only people from my kingdom speaks. It is a reminder from older times, when my ancestors from the north came down and settled here. That is why all of my companions have strange names. To honor those who lived before us.”

“Cool!” Henry exclaimed.

“And my horse’s name is Stjärnan. It means star.”

“Well, she should be called Grudgy or something. She has been trying to bite me since we started walking! And when we stopped, she finally succeeded!”

Stjärnan neighed, and to Anette it almost sounded like the horse was laughing.

“I should have warned you, she does not like strangers.”

“You should have, now I hate horses even more.”

Stjärnan shook her head and started nibbling on Anette’s palm. The queen quickly opened one of the leather bags she had tied to her belt, and grabbed some dried berries. Anette stroked Stjärnan’s cheek gently while the horse licked her palm clean.

“Can I try?” Henry said while he stepped closer to the animal.

Anette looked at Emma and waited for permission. When the Savior nodded, Anette grabbed some more berries and gave them to Henry.

“It feels really weird.”

“Do not clench your hand, if you do you may lose some fingers.”

“You are lying!” Henry said, and giggled slightly when Stjärnan tickled his palm while she tried to grab the berries.

“I assure you that I am not. I have been riding horses all my life, so I know a thing or two.”

“Cool!” the boy exclaimed once again.

In the corner of her eye, Anette saw how Emma moved closer to Henry.

“Kid, go check if your mom is alright.”

“She is, I have been watching over her during this whole time!”

“Well, go and do it again!”

Henry sighed and stormed past the two women. He opened the door to Stjärnan’s carriage and closed it roughly.

“He thinks I am overprotective.”

Anette turned and faced the Savior. Her eyes were bloodshot and looked tired.

“You need to be, there are dangerous creatures lurking around. There are not just ogres and trolls in these parts of the Enchanted Forest.”

Emma looked at her wide-eyed.

“But you can fight them, right?”

Anette wanted to lie, but she did not want to give Emma false hopes. Six people could easily disguise themselves from the creatures, but now, with more than 100 people in tow, the chances of that happening were slim.

“I do not wish to alarm you, Emma, but at the same time I do not want to lie to you.”

Anette watched how the Savior took a big breath before she dragged her fingers through her hair.

“But I assure you, Savior, that I will do everything in my power to protect your loved ones.”

“Does that include Regina too?”

Anette bit her lip and willed her anger down. Sure, she hated Regina with all her heart, but since the Evil Queen got here, she had only been helping. Anette wanted to believe that people could change, even the most evil ones.

She looked into Emma’s eyes and saw ho scared she was. Scared of losing everything.

No, I will not let her down!

Anette put a hand on Emma’s shoulder.

“I promise you that I will protect Henry and Regina until my last breath.”

The horror in the Saviors eyes vanished as she let the queen’s words sink in.

“Thank you!” Emma whispered before she headed towards the door of the carriage.

Anette sighed and closed her eyes.

I hope that I will not regret this later.

“Is everything alright here?”

Jukka stood up straight and faced his queen. In the corner of her eye, Anette saw how Red came closer. She had asked the girl to patrol around the forest, using her heightened senses to detect possible dangers.

“There have been a couple of questions, but I could handle them. Nothing mayor.”

 “Good, tell me if the situation changes. I have talked to the other guys, and they seem to handle it pretty well. If it continues like this, we will have no problem reaching our destination.”

“Anette!” Red yelled before she stopped next to the queen.

“I have to talk to you…alone…”

The serious expression in the girl’s eyes made Anette frown before she spoke up, with great confidence in her voice.

“Let us talk then. Thank you Jukka, that would be all.”

The man bowed slightly before the two women moved away from the rest.

“I found some tracks, it looks like they are made by snakes, but these ones are much larger.”

Anette looked at them and gasped.

“These are not made by a snake, but by something much worse.”

The creature was just as wide as the length of Anette’s boot. All around her, the grass had been trampled down. The creatures had created a den in the middle of the hole she was standing in.

Anette kicked herself mentally.

“This is a den belonging to the lindworm. By the looks of it, almost a dozen of them share it.”

Red looked at her, confusion written all over her face.

“But it is a worm, you can practically hold one in your hand.”

“Not this one. In my mother tongue, it would be called a snake, sometimes even a dragon. That is what it is, a smaller version of a dragon, without the fire.”

“What shall we do?”  

Anette saw the fear in the girl’s eyes. These creatures should not even be here, they belonged in her ancestors land. The curse must really have been affecting the most isolated places.

“We must prepare ourselves, these “dragons” are not easy to kill, and it must be made by fire. I will alert my men. I will tell the rest of you of my plan later.”

Red bowed slightly before she ran towards the group.

If the lindworm is here, what about the other monsters from the old land? Something really serious must have happened at the border.

“Are you sure? This is impossible!”

All of her men’s faces showed the same, fear and confusion.

Emma, Regina, Snow, Charming, Red, Granny and the dwarves had joined the knights in the conversation after Anette had come up with a plan.

“Are you sure that they only attack during the night? It is still the middle of the day, we may have time to get away before the worms catch up with us.”

Anette shook her head.

“They know we are here, and they can follow their prey a great distance before they attack. Our best chance is to kill them. We will continue our journey, but when the sun sets, we have to prepare for the confrontation.” 

Storytime (Part 3)

It was late afternoon. Anette and Snow had decided that they were going to start the journey early in the morning. Some were still a bit shocked over the fact that they had left their lives in Storybrooke behind so quickly. Anette watched as families sat close to each other, trying to keep warm. This is what Anette was afraid of. She and her companions only had supplies that would sustain only themselves for a few days. They could go out hunting, but there were so many people that they would have to catch almost twenty stags to keep them all satisfied.

Just when she was about to ask Tarja to take some people out hunting, Regina suddenly brought up her hands and flicked her wrists.

Tables with food appeared out of purple smoke. Everyone cheered, while Regina slumped slightly backwards, but was caught in the arms of the Savior.

“Regina, are you okay?”

“I am fine, Miss Swan.” Regina said harshly while she straightened herself.

“You know, my name is Emma. I think it would do you good if you started calling me that.”

Regina gave Emma an annoyed look before her eyes softened.

“Of course, Emma” she said sweetly and made Emma’s heart flutter in her chest.

“How are you feeling?” Emma asked with concern in her voice.

Regina was just about to answer, when Henry grabbed his mother’s hand and dragged her towards the tables.

“Henry, wait.” Regina said while she stopped walking, the panic clearly showing in her eyes.

“Are you in pain?” Emma asked while she grabbed Regina’s other hand and squeezed it gently.

“No…I…I…”

Regina’s gaze shifted from the Savior to the group of knights that very slowly making their way towards the tables.

Regina is really scared of them. Whatever happened between them must have been pretty intense.

“I will not let them hurt you.” Emma said while she put a reassuring hand on the former Queen’s arm.

“Is mom okay?” he asked worriedly.

“Henry, you go ahead. Find your grandparents and then we will join you shortly.”

Henry was still a bit unsure what to do, but soon he made his way through the big crowd of people. His mothers watched him, and when they saw that he had found his grandparents, they both turned to each other.

Regina’s hands were shaking badly while Emma reached up and cupped her cheek. The electricity that formed between them during the contact made Emma’s head dizzy.

There were so many things that she wanted to tell Regina, but now was not the right time.

“They all want me dead.” Regina said on a low and indifferent tone.

“Well, they have to go through me first.” Emma said protectively and made the former Queen smile. It was just a slight rise of the corners of her mouth, but to Emma, it was better than nothing.

There were laughter and singing coming from the former Storybrooke citizens as they enjoyed the food.

“We need to talk.” the Savior almost blurted out.

Emma had too much on her mind right now. She was tired, incredibly tired. To witness the death of her loved one had been too much.

Regina leaned in and buried her face between Emma’s shoulder and neck while she wrapped her arms around her waist. Emma was a bit startled at first, but soon hugged her back.

“I am so tired”

Regina’s words trembled slightly, while Emma fought to keep her own tears back. She hated crying, showing even the slightest vulnerability. But something broke inside of her earlier during the day.

Emma had always known that there was something between Regina and herself. Glances now and then, quarrels between the two of them, the constant lifesaving of each other, and now the battle that they had been fighting against Cora. It all came crashing down.

It scared Emma a great deal, but she had to keep it together. For Henry’s and Regina’s sake.

“Let us sleep then.”

“An excellent idea, Miss Swan.”

“Emma, not Miss Swan. Is it really that hard to say?” Emma said while she nudged Regina slightly, so that the brown haired woman would look into her eyes.

“I am sorry dear, old habits you know.”

“It is okay. Now magic us on top of a queen sized bed!”

Regina giggled as she engulfed them in purple smoke.

To Emma’s disappointment, she lay on the ground, far from the festivities, and was covered in blankets while Regina rested in her arms.

“I hate sleeping on the ground.” Emma mumbled while she remembered how sore her back had become during the last time she was in the Enchanted Forest.    

“Well, get used to it Princess. I did not think that a bed would be suitable in the middle of the forest.”

Emma sighed.

“At least this time I feel warm.” the Savior said and moved her hand along Regina’s back. The former Queen placed a hand on Emma’s hip and kissed her collarbone.

They both drifted off to dreamland under the star filled sky, the only sound being their calm breaths.   

Storytime (Part 2)

“Emma! Emma!”

“Look, kid, I said that I wanted to be left alone.”

Emma turned around and looked down on her son.

“You did it! The curse is broken!” he exclaimed and hugged Emma around the waist. She ruffled his hair slightly and smiled tenderly. Emma always loved when he hugged her like this, and during each time, she noticed that he was getting taller and taller. Soon he would not be her little boy anymore.

“Henry, I have a lot to think about. Go back to your mom; she really needs you right now.” Emma said while she got down to Henry’s level and looked him in the eyes.

“But what happened? How did we get to the Enchanted Forest? Why did my mom die?”

The Savior bit the inside of her cheek nervously. She wanted her son to know everything, to get rid of the sadness in his eyes, but her mouth remained closed.

“Henry, I am not even sure what has happened yet.”

“Then how did you do it? The use of magic against Cora? How did you bring back my mom from the dead?”

“Henry! Go back to the others! I need some time alone!” Emma realized too late that she had been screaming at the person that she loved the most. Henry backed away quickly and started running.

“Henry, I am sorry!” but the boy was already out of earshot.

“Dammit!” Emma shouted while the tingling feeling in her fingertips returned. She slammed her clenched fists onto a rock and watched how it split in half. The tingling disappeared and left her drained of energy.

“Fuck, that really hurt.” she mumbled quietly to herself while she sat down on the ground.

Emma had not missed this place one bit. Last time she was in the Enchanted Forest, ogres, giants and some other creatures and people tried to kill her. Freezing cold nights and the lack of a warm and cozy bed drove her crazy. She did not belong here.

The Savior.

Emma chuckled slightly. She never wanted this. Why did she not just take Henry and drove away with him to Boston when she had the chance? But the desperate pleadings from her son stopped her from going through with the plan. Emma resumed her position as sheriff, broke the curse and gave everyone their memories back, got sucked into Fairy Tale Land through a portal and then came back, invited the Evil Queen to her and Snow’s welcome home party.

Regina.

Emma’s heart hammered painfully in her chest. She took Henry away from Regina when she thought that Regina had killed the town’s therapist. The scene when Emma had confronted her played itself over and over again in her head. How those dark brown eyes looked at her, with nothing but sadness and defeat.

You can pretend all you want, but we know who you are and who you will always be.

“Fuck!”

The tingling in her fingers started again, as the memories assaulted her. But this time, there were no bolts of energy coming out from her fingers.

Emma knew that if she did not learn how to control her powers, she maybe would end up killing someone.

But I already did, and that bitch deserved it!

Emma felt how her heart started to ache again.

The Savior caught the Evil Queen in her arms as she slumped down to the ground, with a big burn mark on her stomach. Cora stood, looking down on Regina’s dead body as Emma cried.

“She was weak and useless.” Cora said coldly as she turned to leave. Emma felt how her anger started to build up inside of her as she let go of Regina’s body and stood up. For a moment, she lost control of her emotions and let them take over completely. In her mind, she saw her parents, hugging her and telling her that they loved her. She saw Henry, smiling towards her as he threw himself in her arms. And then, a new face appeared. Emma had doubted about her feelings before, but now she knew.

Love truly is strength.

A sword started to form in her hand. It was glowing bright with white and pure magic.

Emma moved forward. Cora knew she was coming and conjured up protective shields around herself. But they were no match against the sword. It cut through Cora’s dark magic as if it was made of melted butter. The sword launched itself through Cora’s chest. The older woman gasped as Emma looked into her eyes. A range of emotions flickered over them before Cora sunk down on her knees and ended up on her side. The sword disappeared, leaving Emma exhausted and confused.

Emma sighed. She did not want to think about it anymore, but she knew that Henry had questions, and probably everyone else. About how she managed to break the curse, and how Regina helped her.

Emma breathed in heavily before she stood up and started walking towards the valley.

How can I tell them that Regina…that we…what I did to… fuck, this is too much! When two people that are right for each other meet, it can create magic. Damn, that is too cheesy!

Hey Regina, you know that your mother killed you and that a kiss brought you back to life.

Emma suddenly stopped at the realization.

True loves kiss can break any spell.

Emma watched Regina and Henry. The boy lay with his head in Regina’s lap while she caressed his hair.

The Savior smiled while she watched the Evil Queen.

No, she is not evil anymore.

Carefully, not to wake Henry up, Emma moved closer to Regina and sat down beside her. The dark haired woman sat still for a while, but eventually turned and looked into Emma’s green eyes. Emma swallowed hard when she saw the redness in the once beautiful brown eyes, which showed that Regina had been crying. Her body was slumped, and Emma’s gaze travelled down to the woman’s stomach and saw the hole in her blouse where Cora had injured her. The wound was now completely healed.

Without saying a word, Emma put an arm around Regina so that her hand rested on the older woman’s hip. Regina relaxed, leaned into the embrace and put her head right above the Saviors heart. Emma shivered slightly when Regina’s hot breath touched her skin. The blonde woman’s heart was beating like crazy, and she was sure that it would jump out of her chest at any moment. Emma kissed the top of Regina’s head and started rubbing her arm absent-mindedly.

Emma’s thoughts returned to the woman who greeted the citizens of Storybrooke. Anette, she believed her name was. They had not had a proper greeting, since the woman threatened to kill Regina. And then, she suddenly swore an allegiance to her. It became too much for the Savior. She needed time to breathe in.

Emma turned her head and saw how her parents talked to Anette, probably deciding what they were going to do next. Emma was well aware of the dangers in the Enchanted Forest. She had fought against them herself a couple of weeks ago.

Snow caught her glances and smiled. Emma knew that she was supposed to be by her parent’s side, she was the Savior after all.

Emma stopped the gentle touches on Regina’s arm, and was just about to leave, when Regina spoke up, her voice hoarse.

“Stay.”

Now, Henry looked up and smiled. The boy rubbed his eyes and yawned, while Emma reached out and ruffled his hair.

“Snow needs me by her side. We have to find a way to get out of here.”

Henry nodded and got up on his feet.

“I am sorry, kid, for yelling at you”

“No it is okay, you needed your space.”

Emma smiled brightly at him.

“I am going to find Ruby.”

“Okay, kid!” Emma said as Henry ran to the huge crowd.

Emma sighed while Regina sat up.

“Do you want to come with me?”

Regina chuckled and turned so that she was looking directly at Emma.

“To consult with three people who wants me dead? I like this plan already.”

“I will not let them hurt you.”

“You cannot promise that, my dear. I knew Anette and her knights before the curse, and I remember how determined they were to have me killed.”

Emma felt how her heart dropped.

“I will not leave you alone, not when the knights are in the area.”

Regina bit down on her lower lip while she tried to blink away the tears that started to form in the corner of her eyes. Emma found one of Regina’s hands and squeezed it gently, while she tried to ignore the electricity that erupted when their fingers intertwined.

“I will kick their asses if they lay a hand on you”

“That sounds scary enough, Miss Swan.” Regina said with a slight amusement in her voice.

Emma stood up and offered Regina her hand.

“My queen?”

There was a great tension in the air. Emma’s gaze travelled from the slightly nervous Regina to the irritated Anette. But Emma’s warning seemed to have made an effect and Anette had managed to put her sword away. At least during their strategy meeting.

It would take two days to travel to the knight’s basecamp. There, everyone would get a place to sleep, and food in their stomachs.

Emma tried to listen, but was constantly distracted by the scar on Anette’s left temple. It was brightly red, started in the corner of her eye, and looked like tree branches were reaching up towards her hairline.

“So, Emma, what do you think?”

Emma snapped out of her musings and cleared her throat.

“About what?”

She saw how Snow and Charming rolled their eyes.

“About the plan?”

“Oh… well, sounds good to me!”

“Great, then we are off!” Snow said cheerfully and stood up, with Charming following her.

Emma watched as they moved away to the former citizens of Storybrooke.

She felt Anette’s eyes on her.

“I just wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier. I tend to rush into things without thinking; it is one of my bad qualities.”

Emma could only find the truth in the blonde woman’s voice.

“You were right in one thing, I do need fighters. I just… it is so much to take in right now.”

“Take your time, I know what it means to go through big changes.” Anette said before she looked at Regina.

“How do you two know each other?” Emma asked to try to calm the thick air that started to form between the two women.

“It is complicated” Anette said between gritted teeth.

Regina looked down on her shaking hands, seemingly afraid to face the knight.

“To say that she ruined my life would be an understatement.” Anette snorted and rose from the ground.

“Do not worry, I will not try to kill her. My loyalty is towards you, Emma, and I will do as you wish.” Anette flashed a gentle smile towards the Savior.

“Thank you.” Emma said before Anette turned and made her way to her knights.

By the look of them, they seemed more like barbarians than knights. They wore worn down leather pants, vests, and tunics that had seen better days. But the thing that stood out the most was their impressive arsenal of weapons. Axes, swords, and bows hung against their bodies and it appeared that they were going to battle at any moment. But the gleaming Excalibur stood out the most.

“Impressive, is it not?”

Emma looked over at Regina, who also had her eyes on the knights.

“I have faced that sword, and woman, twice in battle. Do not let that gentle smile fool you, there is so much more behind those blue eyes of hers.”  

Emma let Regina’s words sink in, before they both went and searched for Henry. 

Miracles of spring

"Little birds are singing from the trees
Walking slowly on my two bare feet
Gentle grass under me as I sweep
On and on and on, on and on I´m
Floating - Floating"

Anette sat down on her living room couch as she continued to sing. She gently stroked her growing pregnancy bump. Anette felt the baby moving around, thankful that he/she decided to sleep last night.

"Someone´s calling me from underneath
Putting down my ear to hear the beat
From the voices far within the deep
On and on and on, on and on I´m

Flowing - Flowing - Swaying - Floating
Flowing - Flowing - Swaying - Floating"

Anette had always been singing to her children. When they were babies, they stopped crying when she sang, and listened intensive while they followed her lips. She would rock them to sleep, watched them as they closed their eyes and drifted off into dreamland. 

"Magic wonders in the golden breeze

Changing daily and surrounding me
In the eyeglass I can see them freeze
On and on and on, on and on I´m

Floating - Falling - Floating - Flying
Falling - Falling - Floating - Flying"

Anette watched as the sunlight broke through the grey clouds in the sky. It was a pleasant afternoon, while her boys were out, doing the grocery shopping. 

My boys she thought.

"On and on... Falling - Falling - Floating – Flying"

Anette sighed while the last part of the song faded out. She looked down on her bump and smiled.

"Soon you will be joining the Olsson family, little one."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just a little fluffy one-shot.

Sorry, all the recent blog posts from Anette has been about babies. I just got carried away, that's all.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The lyrics to Floating belongs to Anette Olzon. I own nothing.