Worlds Colliding (Once Upon a Time) Book Three

chapter 16 - It's Not Easy Being Green

Flashback 1

Oz

Night - Road

A green cyclone dropped a basket beside a yellow brick road. In the distance, the Emerald City could be seen. A woodcutter and his wife were walking along the road. A baby could be heard wailing.

"Did you hear that?" the wife asked.

"Nothing," the woodcutter told her. "Stick to the road."

The wife noticed the basket. "Oh, where did it come from?"

"The cyclone must have dropped it," the woodcutter answered. "Dear, what are you doing?"

The wife picked up the baby, revealing it was a girl. "What do you expect me to do, leave the poor thing to the wolves? She's beautiful."

A branch was close to breaking overhead. The woodcutter noticed the baby raised a finger, magically changing the branch's direction, causing no harm as it fell to the ground some yards away. However, the wife remained oblivious.

The woodcutter looked at his wife nervously. "She did that. She knocked that tree away."

"Calm your nerves, dear," the wife told him. "It was just the wind. She's only a babe and she needs our help. Can we keep her?"

The woodcutter shook his head. "That's not a good idea. Didn't you see what she did? She's not like us."

"You're right, she's not," the wife told him. "She's alone and we're going to take care of her. Now, stick to the road, or we'll ever make it to the Emerald City before dawn."

The wife started walking on again.

"What should we call her?" the woodcutter asked.

"What about Zelena?" the wife suggested. "She's going to be the happiest baby in all of Oz."

ღ Worlds Colliding (Once Upon a Time) ღ

Now

Storybrooke

Day One

Morning - Cemetery

The town was gathered for the burial of Neal as he was laid to rest. Freya took up a shovel, scooping soil to bury Neal's coffin. Alcina did the same, then Grace, Jefferson and Lisa. After them was Killian, Tori, Saphira and Mathias, then Regina, Snow, David and Belle. Ella encouraged Henry and Rose to do the same, then did so herself. Emma was hidden by a veil over her face so Henry didn't see her, finishing the job.

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Zelena and Faye's Farmhouse - Cellar

A grieving Gold was doubled over in pain. Zelena and Faye were sitting outside of the cage.

"You've spent so long figuring out how to get to this land, groomed Regina to cast your Curse, spent 28 years waiting for it to be broken, all so you can be with your son, and now he's gone," Zelena told him. "Even Priscilla, Jefferson, Grace and Vasilisa tried to help. You four got Lisa to enchant a hat that could teleport between worlds but couldn't make it come here."

"Tell me, Rumple," Faye told him. "Was he really worth all that trouble?"

"Every bit of it," Gold answered. "He was family. Something you know nothing about."