Page 18: A Noble Death:

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A few minutes later, Dream sighed as Aurora sat with her, handing her a cloth to clean off her nose, while Mulan and Emma saw the thorn marks that ripped through her shirt. 

"Lancelot was one of the most noble knights I ever knew." Mary Margaret sighed, looking at the wardrobe. "How could I be so blind?" Mulan asked, starting to pace when Aurora took her cloak off to wrap around Dream, who thanked her. "How could I not see that it was Cora?" Mulan kept asking, blaming herself.

"Well, to be fair, the whole shape-shifting thing threw me, too..." Emma said when Mulan looked at Aurora, who kept sitting with Dream.

"What are we going to tell the people on the island?" Mulan asked Aurora, who didn't know what to say. "The truth. That Lancelot was cut down by a terrible villain. He died an honorable death." Mary Margaret said to Mulan, who looked at her, scoffing. "Cora's still out there. We need to find her. We need to defend what's left of the kingdom." Mulan said when Aurora stood up while Dream followed her.

"Who's going to lead us? You?" Aurora scoffed, looking at Mulan.

"No. Her." Mulan said, turning to look at Dream, confusing the rest of the group. "She noticed the truth before any of us..." Mulan continued when Dream sighed, looking at the whole group.

"I'm honored... But we still have to find a way back to Storybrooke. And you don't want me to lead anyone... I can barely take care of myself." Dream sighed when Mulan nodded, before looking at Emma and Mary Margaret, too. "We'll help you. We'll find a way, won't we?" Mulan said when she looked at Aurora, who nodded.

"Yes. Anything for a new friend." Aurora smiled, looking at Dream, who was kind to her. "Perhaps it'll help me channel my anger." She said, glancing at Mary Margaret.

"Come," Mulan said as they started to walk out, but Dream stopped, looking at Emma and Mary Margaret. "I'm so sorry... that I torched our ride home. I just... I just couldn't let her get to Henry. I just--" Dream went to apologize as Mary Margaret smiled at her.

"You had to put your little brother first. That's what family does. We put the ones we love first." Mary Margaret smiled when Dream nodded, following after Mulan and Aurora.

Mary Margaret turned to Emma, who was stopped, looking at her mother. "I was angry at you for so long..." Emma spoke up, making Mary Margaret look shocked. "Wondering how you could choose to let me grow up without you... But then, just seeing all this, you gave up everything for me. And you're still doing that. I'm sorry, I'm not good at this. I... I guess I just..." Emma started to tear up when her voice started to crack. "I'm not... I'm not used to someone putting me first." Emma confessed when Mary Margaret hugged her daughter, comforting her.

"Well, get used to it." Mary Margaret said, making Emma chuckle at her.

They pulled away when Emma chuckled, following the others. Mary Margaret watched Emma walk out, following behind. She stopped to pick up her bow and quiver of arrows before looking at the remains of the nursery. She remembered what it used to look like. About dreaming of bringing Emma into this room. She started to tear up, just thinking about it. She turned to leave, closing the door behind her.

But Cora reappeared, moving to collect the ashes on the ground from the wardrobe, pulling them into a bottle. She smiled, holding it up. This would not be the end of her journey to return to her daughter.





~season 2, episode 3: "Lady of the Lake"~

~614 words~

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