I Am Your Queen✔

Chapter 32

The Boy, the Queen,
& the Dark One

In the Enchanted Forest, it was quieter than one would think.

The royals themselves had gone into a stage of depression. After the royal wedding of Emma and Killian, nothing exciting seemed to happen.

Everyday it was agonizing for the Charmings and Regina. As much as they tried to put a confident face on their kingdom, they couldn't hide their true feelings away from their friends. Everyone could see Alicia's disappearance had affected them tremendously.

"It's been months now... I can't remember how long," Emma said softly before devouring a cookie.

"It's been 6 months to be exact," Regina snapped as she handed Emma some juice. The Savior was grateful.

"I can't even remember what she looks like anymore," David said dramatically as he draped himself over the couch. Regina rolled her eyes.

"She has black hair, blue eyes, and is perfect, how can you forget?!" She hissed before throwing a spoon towards the king. David whined but didn't say anything else.

"Emma, why don't you go lay down... The stress can't be good for the baby," Snow said as she walked into the common room with a vase of fresh flowers. Emma sighed and rubbed her stomach.

Emma was on the verge of giving birth to a baby girl. The entire castle was prepared in every which way for the new princess that could be born any day now, but that didn't stop Emma from being sad.

"I just can't imagine what she's feeling or going through," Snow said.

Everyone fell silent as they waited for Rumpelstiltskin.

The Dark One had been hard at work with Regina, trying to find a way to break the barrier that prevented them from entering Neverland's waters.

But after being at each others throats for months, both Rumple and Regina decided to do research on their own.

The queen came up empty, with all theories being debunked or ending at a loose end.

Regina frowned and stomped her feet.

"Why is he taking so long?!" She yelled and threw her cup of tea at the wall.

On cue, the Dark One had finally arrived. He looked around the room and nodded at Emma.

"The baby?"

"I'm fine. It was just a scare," Emma informed, referring to the pain she had felt in her stomach days before. She was afraid something had happened to her baby, but after being examined by Doc and Granny, they deemed her to be fine.

"Please, sit," he told Regina. She wanted to refuse, but listened after Snow gave her a look.

"What have you found?" Emma asked but Rumple just put his hand up.

"Unfortunately, it seems like the barrier is perfectly structured. Unbreakable, unreachable. If we are trying to get her back, going to the island is just not possible."

The room was silent. Regina frowned and wanted to kill Pan on sight whenever she got her hands on him.

But before she could voice her threats aloud, Rumple continued.

"But something interesting has arised, I must add," he started. He seemed hesitant to continue.

"Pray tell, Mr. Gold," Snow mumbled.

Rumple cleared his throat and stood to his feet.

"It seems like I have managed to track down someone very important from Alicia's life," he stated. The royals all glanced at each other.

"Her parents?" Killian questioned but Rumple shook his head.

"Her twin."

~

Regina twiddled her fingers as they all sat at the round table. The entire royal family watched Rumple with attentive eyes as he began to speak.

"His name is Flynn Rider. He's her identical twin. He's older than she is, and he lives in Wonderland with the Mad Hatter," Rumple informed.

Emma interrupted, "how is that possible?"

"Everything is possible for Alicia. She doesn't know where she came from nor who her parents are," Snow said, "she could have a triplet for all we know!"

"Well it seems like Alicia herself has been hard at work. With the help of Pan, she managed to meet him," Rumple said. The royals all muttered amongst themselves before David spoke up.

"How do you know all this?"

"If Pan can track down her brother, so can I, dearie. Your lack of trust in me is insulting," Rumpelstiltskin snapped.

"Why does this all matter? This Flynn Rider can't help us break into Neverland's barriers. He's useless," Regina said harshly. She continued to irritatingly shake her leg as Robin held her hand lovingly.

Rumple gave her a look before sighing.

"Luckily for us, Flynn Rider is as determined to see his sister again as we are to get her back. He has spent time with both Alicia and Pan. The boy must know something of use."

The royals agreed with the Dark One.

"Well... When are we going to Wonderland then?" Snow questioned but Rumple only laughed.

"Hopefully never. Flynn Rider is already here."

With those words said all the royals stood up. They wanted to meet Alicia Knights other half.

As Rumpelstiltskin lead them to the common room of the castle, Regina couldn't help but feel anxious. With every step she took, it felt a she was walking on needles.

As soon as they entered the main area of the castle, their eyes all landed on a boy, about Alicia's age.

It was clear to anyone who knew Alicia that this boy was clearly her twin. The similarities were too obvious to be overseen. His dark hair was identical to Alicia's and his eyes might as well have been hers.

Regina choked back an emotional cry as her eyes landed on him. He was too similar to the lost princess.

And it hurt her in such a way she didn't know it would.

"Flynn Rider?" Emma asked. The boy gave a curt nod and cleared his throat.

"That's me, madam. I assume your Emma Swan?" He questioned. Emma nodded but gave a questioning look.

"Alicia told me much about you. She told me about the time you and her got lost in the Dark Forest," Flynn said and Emma chuckled as she recalled the time when she and the princess nearly broke down in tears trying to find their way home back from a mission.

"Flynn Rider, please join us in the Great Hall," David said and lead him into the halls.

Regina pulled Rumpelstiltskin to the side and lowered her voice.

"What are you trying to pull off here, Rumple? I know you didn't just find Flynn Rider randomly! How long have you been tracking him?" She hissed. Rumple rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"I don't need to answer you, your majesty. You already know the answer to your many questions. If I were you, I would start getting to know him. He isn't going to be leaving for a long time."

With that, the Dark One followed the rest of the royal family into the Great Hall.

Regina took a deep breath. She fiddled with her fingers before gathering enough courage and joining the rest of the group.

There wasn't a doubt in Regina's mind that they wouldn't get Alicia Knights back home.

She just wasn't sure how many of her secrets were going to be uncovered along the way.

*unedited*