Chapter Text
Asgard
"How much farther?" inquired Volstagg a rather large and ruddy looking man. The weary warrior's horse began to gradually fall behind those of his four companions—Hogun the Grimm, the Lady Sif, and the two princes of Asgard; Thor and Loki.
Each wore an expression of tiredness from the day's events. The long journey to the countryside to investigate a claim of treason led Asgard's mighty heroes to a band of treacherous mercenaries. Upon their discovery a battle ensued and victory was swift for Asgard.
"Our destination will shortly be in view. Just over this hill." Thor called out over his shoulder.
Approaching Volstagg from behind, Loki jested, "Worry not, my friend. The servants have been alerted to our arrival. The kitchens are well stocked. You shall soon have your banquet," Loki grinned at the large man beside him, "and a fat pig all to yourself."
Volstagg huffed in response.
Thor and Sif paused a moment at the top of the hill, taking in the sight. Hogun, Volstagg and Loki were soon beside them.
Seemingly out of nowhere, a small city appeared, the Allfather's winter palace at the city's head glittering like a jewel in the sun. It was smaller and rather more ancient looking than the palace in Asgard where the royal family resides. But it was by no means anything less than awe invoking.
Golden fields of wheat rippled in the wind. The outskirts of the city were dotted with farmhouses. Mountains lay to the west of the city and a crystal clear lake to the east.
The five warriors continued their journey beginning their descent to the city. Soon the sun was setting over the mountains. Two moons peaked over the lake to take its place high in the sky.
"There has not much changed since my last visit," the Lady Sif said speaking to Thor.
"You have visited before?" inquired Volstagg.
"Once. I was but a child then," Sif said and Thor caught her momentarily smiling at some distant memory.
Loki chuckled, "Oh yes! Such fond memories." Loki said with a hint of sarcasm.
Sif threw him a dirty look. For when they were children, Loki had made it known that her presence was most unwelcome. She often found herself at the wrong end of his most devilish tricks. Even now they could barely tolerate one another's presence. Though, through their time together on the battlefield they've seemed to gain some sort of mutual respect for each other.
Loki smiled. His goading having achieved the reaction he hoped.
"Look!" the exclamation came from Hogun—who was usually the quiet one in the group, startling his fellow companions.
The warriors looked toward him then followed his awe struck gaze to the palace.
A rumble filled the air as a giant black hole ripped through the clear sky. With a boom, a funnel of grey smoke like a tornado touched down near the palace gates. As quickly as it had appeared it was gone, leaving behind a ripple in the wind that reached the warriors even on the outskirts of the city.
"Was that a—"
"A portal." Thor finished and with a "Ha!" raced to the phenomenon's epicenter, his brother and the warriors close behind him.
Storybrooke, Maine
A Few Hours Earlier
"Anna!"
"Elsa!"
It was like something out of a cheesy romance novel, the two girls ran to embrace each other on the beach, reunited at long last. The two sisters clung to each other for a few moments barely able to speak between sobs.
"Hello," Kristoff waved to an equally confused Emma.
"Yeah, hi." She said.
"Look, I'm sorry to ruin the moment but we really need to get her to Mr. Gold." Emma said pointing to Anna.
Thunder rolled in the air as if to prove her point.
"What. Is that." Kristoff said finally noticing the giant ominous cloud looming over Storybrooke.
"Magic," said Emma, "C'mon. I'll explain on the way."
...
"Okay, so let me see if I got this straight. Anna and Elsa's aunt froze all of Arendelle for thirty years so that you and Elsa and her could rule it as one big happy family, and then she cursed this town so that everyone will only see the worst in each other and tear each other apart and... an—"
"And I'm the only one who can stop it because I've been under the curse before." Anna said finishing Kristoff's very concise summary.
"Basically," Emma sighed, " Elsa and I are immune but Mr. Gold is working on a counter curse for the rest of the town."
"This is crazy..." Kristoff said shaking his head.
Emma quickly led the way to a small shop off the main street. A small sign hung above the door.
Mr. Gold
Pawnbroker &
Antiquities Dealer
A bell dinged as they walked into the shop. Emma held the door for the others to walk in behind her.
"You!" Anna gasped pointing a wagging finger at Rumplestiltskin. She turned toward Elsa then back to the so-called "Mr. Gold".
"Hello dearie," Mr. Gold looked up from the mess of bubbling beakers to give her his most winning smile.
"You..." she said pausing to find the words to finish her thought, "are... a very bad man!" Anna yelled, clearly flustered her cheeks turning as red as her braided hair.
"I see you two have met then." David Nolan entered from a small room in the back of the shop followed by Henry, Belle, Hook, and Mary Margret holding baby Neal.
"David?" Kristoff and Anna said in unison.
"It's good to see you." David said hugging Kristoff with a genuine smile on his face.
"Joan." David said nodding at Anna.
"Joan?" Said Kristoff puzzled.
"It was a... code name. It seemed necessary at the time."
David chuckled, "This is my wife Snow, our son Neal, our daughter Emma and her son Henry."
"Wait. What? Your daughter? You look the same age. And grandson?"
"It's... complicated," Emma said now standing by Henry.
"Anna!" Belle said rushing forward to give her a hug.
"Belle?" Anna said uncertainly.
"Oh my goodness! Belle! I remember seeing you like it was only yesterday! Granted, I was frozen for thirty years so really, it really was just like yesterday..."
"Anna, I am so, so sorry." Belle began.
"It's not your fault." Anna shrugged, "My aunt Ingrid, she's the one responsible. For all of this." She said remembering their current predicament.
Anna glanced up at Mr. Gold again wearily.
"Anna, I'd like you to meet my new husband." Belle said grabbing Rumplestiltskin's arm.
"But, but ..." Anna stuttered, "He's a dark sorcerer. He tried to trick me!"
"Key word being 'tried'. Amazingly, dearie, you are one of a very few who have successfully backed out of a deal with me.
"But all of that is in the past now. You will find I am much reformed."
Anna still looked uncertain.
"Anna, a lot can happened in thirty years. Mr. Gold has been very helpful during my stay here. People change." Elsa said gingerly laying a hand on Anna's shoulder.
"So what is the plan?" Hook asked looking around the room, "There is a plan, yes?"
"The counter curse is almost ready. All we need is a lock of your hair." Belle said addressing Anna.
Cautiously Anna walked over to the counter. She reached up with one hand to twist a strand of hair out of her braid while the other hand reached out to grab a golden antique looking dagger to cut it with. Anna slowly brought the blade to her face.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Kristoff said grabbing Anna's arm.
"What are you doing? You're gonna poke an eye out with that thing." He said taking the dagger from Anna's hands, laying it back down carefully on the counter.
"Got any scissors?" He asked Belle.
In a few short moments a pair of scissors were procured from behind the counter and Kristoff was handing Belle a lock of Anna's red hair.
"I didn't know you were such an expert hairstylist," Anna said jokingly.
"Of course I am. Who'd you think cut my hair, Sven?"
While Rumplestiltskin and Belle worked on the counter curse, Kristoff and Anna caught up Elsa on what was happening in Arendelle. Regina arrived and was sitting with Henry in the back room on the cot. David, Mary-Margret, Emma, and Killian stood around, trying to iron out the details for the rest of the plan.
"That was Leroy," David said hanging up the phone, "he's getting the word out; lock your doors, stay out of the streets, stay inside."
"That's great but... even after the counter curse is ready, how are we going to vaccinate the entire town?" Mary-Margaret said rocking Neal.
Hook moved forward from his place beside Emma, "Once the Snow Queen finds out what we're up to she's going to do everything she can to stop us."
"Then let's bring the fight to her. Face her on our own terms. She doesn't know about the vaccine. Let's use that to our advantage." Emma said with a plan formulating behind her bright eyes.
Hook turned to her, "Go on, Miss Swan."
"Right now she thinks that Elsa and I are the only ones immune to the curse. In terms of people with magic we out number her four to one. We can take her!" She said turning to look at Mr. Gold and Regina.
Mr. Gold looked uncomfortable, "I'm afraid I can't be of much help, dearie."
"What's that suppose to mean?" Regina asked pointedly.
"I... made a deal with the Snow Queen."
"What?!" a chorus of incredulity sounded through the room.
"What do you mean you made a deal with her?!" Emma yelled.
Rumplestiltskin scoffed, "Pardon me for not believing that after weeks of searching with no success we would suddenly find the one person who could turn the tides of this battle.
While you all were off looking for a miracle, I made a deal. I promised to stay out of her way and she promised to let me leave Storybrooke with my family. My family for her family." He said gently placing a hand on top of Belle's.
"Rumple, we can't leave now."
"I know... but the deal still stands. I cannot interfere."
"How could you promise something like that?!" Emma said angrily, "She's—
"Crazy?" Gold supplied, "Quite possibly. You may not see her as part of your family but she does. And I didn't just make the deal for Belle and myself, Emma. I made the deal for Henry too."
"If we leave Storybrooke, we could never come back!" Henry said standing up.
"If we left Storybrooke, there would have been nothing to comeback to, Henry. I'm so sorry but it seemed like the best option at the time."
...
"I'm confused" Anna whispered to Elsa in the corner.
"Henry is Mr. Gold's grandson."
"I thought he was David's grandson."
"He is. They are both his grandparents."
"Okay... him I could maybe see, but David still looks way too young to be a grandpa, right?"
Emma took into account this new information and adjusted her plan.
"We don't have time to talk about this right now! Look, we just need a way to make her cooperate with us, just until we can clean up this mess. Elsa and I can draw her out and Regina can... well, you can do what you're best at," Emma gave her a look. The space between Regina's eyebrows crinkled in response.
"Wait, are you implying... You actually want me to rip someone's heart out?" A laugh threatened to escape Regina's lips at the irony.
"Emma!" Mary-Margret said slightly taken aback.
"Not to kill her! But if you hold her heart you can control her actions, right? We can lock her up and buy ourselves some time until we figure out what to do with her."
"It's finished!" Belle interrupted from around the counter.
Rumplestiltskin and Belle grabbed several bags and passed them out to everyone.
"Just sprinkle a little dust over your eyes," Rumplestiltskin said demonstrating on Belle, "and there you have it."
Belle pressed her eyes closed for a second and then blinked.
"How do you feel?" Henry asked Belle.
"A little bit dizzy and like kind of, I don't know, annoyed."
"It's an after affect from the curse," Anna said knowingly. Then she clasped her hands together and gasped, "That must mean it's working!"
"It would appear so," replied Mr. Gold.
Around the shop everyone was reaching into their bags to grab a pinch of dust and helping their loved ones. David made sure to sprinkle dust on baby Neal (who fidgeted a bit in his car seat and let out a tiny sneeze) as well as Snow.
And just like that, they were all immune to the curse of shattered sight.
...
Outside the sun was setting. Thunder roared as the thick purple clouds enveloped the town. Shards of glass from the Snow Queen's evil magic mirror descended upon the town's every inhabitant.
"Time's up," Emma said more to herself than anyone else.
David turned to Mary-Margaret placing both hands on her shoulders, "Take Neal and Henry and lock yourselves in the mayor's office."
"Here," Regina handed her a small scroll of paper, "it's a protection spell. No one will be able to get in."
"Ready?" Emma asked Elsa and Regina.
Anna moved from her place beside Kristoff toward Elsa. "I'm coming with you," she said.
"Absolutely not!" Elsa declared.
"Ingrid is my aunt too. I have to help."
"Anna, I just got you back! I'm not letting you put yourself in harm's way."
"That's not fair. I just got you back! What happens if you get hurt or— "
"It's too dangerous. You're staying."
"But..."
Regina rolled her eyes.
"She'll be fine, the Snow Queen wants her alive, remember?" Regina guided Elsa away from her sister, "Let's go."
Regina led the way out the door. Elsa and Emma followed her out onto the street.
Suddenly, and without any apparent help from those who just left, the door slammed shut behind them. Emma turned on the spot staring at it a moment. She grabbed the handle to push it open. Nothing happened. Elsa and Regina looked around on the alert. The streets were dark and quiet.
Emma shoved the door harder.
"It's stuck."
To her surprise, a thick sheet of ice started to spread over the door, then the windows, until it blanked the entire shop.
"Argh!" Emma withdrew her hands burned by the extreme cold of the door handle.
"Did you honestly think that I wouldn't find out about your little plan?"
Three heads turned in the direction of the voice down the road to the now visible Snow Queen.
"You," Regina said summoning fire to her fingertips. But before she could throw a fireball and a snarky remark, she was vanished in a poof of smoke.
Emma instinctively pulled her gun from its holster but with a flick of the Snow Queen's wrist it was magically tossed aside.
As Elsa raised her hands in front of her body in defense, Ingrid waved her own and they were magically swept away to the Snow Queen's hideout.
...
As Emma, Regina and Elsa left, David gathered the remainder of the group with their bags of dust formulating a plan for the cure's distribution.
"We should make curing those with a history of violent behavior a priority. Let's head to the sheriff's station and spread out from there," David declared.
Just as Emma crossed the threshold, the door slammed loudly behind her. Everyone looked at it quizzically. David was at the door in a few short steps but before he could grasp the handle, someone shook it from the other side.
"It's stuck." David heard Emma's voice muffled by the door.
The temperature in the room plummeted. Ice spread out covering the windows and doors.
"Emma!" David pulled the door as hard as he could but it was no use.
He tried to see what was going on through the window but the frost-covered glass blurred his view.
"Its her." Anna breathed out a cold foggy breath.
Hook tried the door again, pulling hard.
"Swan, are you still there?!" he shouted with no response.
There was a flash of light and then silence from the other side. They were gone.
...
In the woods, Regina falls to the ground. She gets up and dusts the dirt off her jeans as she takes in her surroundings, a remnant of a fire circled by abandoned tents she recognized as Robin Hood's camp.
Behind her she hears a noise. She turns around and then sees him—Robin, tied to a tree.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"Robin! I'm—" Regina's excitement fades as she notices the look in his eye, devoid of any love or kindness, replaced by a look she knew all too well, loathing.
"It is oh so clear to me now, Regina!" He says as she steadily walks toward him.
"No! Robin! Please don't!" she said as she hurriedly grabbed the bag of dust from her coat pocket.
"You were so desperate for love," he went on.
Regina pulled the strings on the bag frantically trying to open it.
"I never loved you, Regina."
Her heart stopped.
"I pitied you."
Regina took a handful of dust and blew it into his eyes.
Robin coughed at the magic dust entering his lungs and blinked rapidly.
"Regina?"
...
"You! You sold us out!" David said turning on Mr. Gold.
"I did no such thing."
"Speak truth, Crocodile, had you anything to do with this?" Hook asked Gold pointedly.
"Does my word mean so little?" he said shaking his head in dismay.
Hook squinted his eyes at him, urging him to answer his question.
"No. The Snow Queen could not see what was happing here. But, she has eyes all over town. She must have seen Emma and Elsa bring those two into my shop." He said gesturing at Anna and Kristoff.
"Open the door. Burn it down or, whatever. Do something!" David pleaded.
"I can't. Anything I do would only make things worse."
"What do you mean, like the wall on the town line?" David said remembering the visit to the wall earlier that day.
"Exactly like the wall on the town line. The barrier is not just ice. It's an extension of the Snow Queen; living, growing, and volatile... an extraordinary feat of dark magic."
"We did not ask for your appraisal," Hook said scornfully.
"It would take a force equally as compelling to break the magic woven in its ice." Gold concluded.
"So, there's nothing you can do?" Anna said frowning.
"Now I didn't say that, did I, dearie?" Mr. Gold grinned.
"It just so happens, there is one such item in my possession that may prove to be useful," Gold said as he summoned an object forward in a swirl of red smoke.
"A relic, said to have belonged to an ancient Nordic king. Who ever should wield it cannot fail at their endeavors."
A large glass case appears on the counter with a hammer set in it on display.
"If I am right, it should be completely unaffected by the magic of the Snow Queen and can destroy this wall with ease..."
"Great, so why are we just hearing about this now?" David asked.
"Because, it is protected by blood magic. Only someone from the royal bloodline of Arendelle can use it effectively and it is not without great personal risk."
The hairs on the back of Anna's neck prickled up and she could feel everybody's eyes on her.
"All magic comes with a price." Rumplestiltskin said removing the glass lid, placing it next to the case on the counter.
"A magic hammer? What like, 'Thor's Hammer'?" David asked quizzically.
"Thor? Isn't that just a story?" Kristoff interjected.
"That's just the thing, mate." Killian said speaking to Kristoff. "You see, in this world, we're all just stories."
"Not following..."
"In this world 'Thor' is just a comic book character," David recalled, "but in the other world he's just a story too... I mean, my mother use to tell me bedtime stories about Asgard when I was a kid. It's not real."
"By now you should realize there's a grain of truth to every tale, riddled as they may be with tedious misconceptions," said Mr. Gold. "Indeed, this hammer is not of Asgardian origin but was forged by a dark sorcerer, long ago, in Arendelle."
"Perhaps he too heard the tales of Asgard and determined to fashion such a weapon after the legend of Mjolnir," Gold suggested.
"There's writing on the side..." Anna leaned in for a closer look. "Storm-Breaker..." she said tracing the runes through the glass with a finger. An electric current flowed from the hammer into Anna's fingertips.
"Ah!" Anna exclaimed, "What was that?!"
"As I said, this weapon is protected by blood magic, and you are its proper owner. This is our best chance at stopping breaking down the Snow Queen's barrier but it is entirely your choice. Claiming this hammer will not come at an easy price."
The room shook. The ice grew thicker, and the shop grew colder.
"Well, I don't really have a choice, do I? I have to help Elsa, and Emma. I can't stand the thought of something happening because Ingrid—because I, couldn't stop her."
Anna looked at the hammer.
"Whatever the price, I'll pay it," Anna said.
Anna reached her right arm in lifting the hammer from the glass. Energy coursed from the hammer, through her arm, and her entire body. The room rumbled. A white light encompassed Anna and momentarily warmed the shop.
"Whoa." Kristoff said when the light cleared.
Anna tested the weight of the hammer in her hands.
"You know, it's a lot lighter than I thought it would be." She said giving it a twirl, then accidentally dropping it into a display of antique-looking model ships. It landed with a loud thud creating a small crater around it.
Rumplestiltskin cringed, "Be careful with that."
"Sorry," Anna apologized.
Anna pointed the hammer at the door and aiming with one eye, blasted it open. The ice surrounding the blast melted away.
"Alright, let's go."
...
Emma gathered all the fire she could muster and released it on the Snow Queen. Ingrid was surrounded by fire but when Emma let up she could see that it had no effect on her. The fire just went around her as if she were in some sort of bubble.
"You can't hurt me, Emma. We're connected." Ingrid said holding up her wrist to display her yellow ribbon.
"Oh, yeah?" Emma rushed to tackle her to the floor.
Ingrid vanished and Emma fell through the icy magical cloud that outlined where the Snow Queen was just standing. Emma spun around swinging her right arm. Ingrid vanished again and the only thing Emma's fist could come in contact with was the white cloud of magic where her face had just been.
"Emma!" Elsa shouted as the room began to shake. A sudden growth of stalactites and stalagmites emerged around Emma and Elsa separating them into cages of ice. Elsa's panic was visible by the snowstorm swirling around her.
Emma's eyes widened at the sight of Elsa losing her composure. Emma pulled at the bars of the ice cage trying to break one loose. When that didn't work Emma tried magically blasting them with fire. The icicles only grew thicker.
"Oh Emma, I'm sorry its come to this, but you just couldn't listen."
"Let us go!"
"You know I can't do that," Ingrid answered. "I've been waiting for this day for a long, long time. Waiting for you, the perfect match."
Ingrid gently caressed the yellow ribbon on her wrist and smiled.
"These ribbons link us together, as sisters."
"Get it through your head, lady! We're not your sisters and we're never gonna love you!"
"The sad thing is, I know you actually believe that. But soon you'll see just how wrong you are."
"I hate to break it to you, but magic can't make someone love you."
"You're right, Emma. Magic can't create love. But if someone loved you in the past, it can make them love you again," Ingrid said. "Tonight, when the moon reaches its apex, the full power of these ribbons will finally be released—the essence of my beloved sisters, into your bodies. You two will love me again, because you will be Helga and Gerda."
...
"Regina..."
Regina loosened the rope that held Robin to the tree then walked away, deeper into the woods.
"Regina!"
"Regina, would you just stop for a moment?" He said catching up to her.
"What?" she said turning around.
"I'm trying to apologize..."
"There's no need to apologize, I understand. You were cursed."
"Regina what I said was inexcusable. I would have never said it in a thousand years."
"I know that."
"Then why are you angry with me?"
Regina looked around unable to look Robin in the eye. Eyes that had so recently been filled with hatred.
"I'm not... angry with you. I'm angry with her. So can we just..." Regina said flinging her arms in the direction of the Snow Queen's lair.
Robin took a step towards Regina. "Well, if being the cause of your anger results in the privilege of having your undivided attention," He said cupping Regina's face in his hands, "I have to say I'm actually a bit jealous."
Robin rubbed her cheek with his thumb.
"Regina, I love you."
"Robin—"
Robin cut her off with a kiss.
"—I love you too."
...
"Aunt Ingrid?!" Anna yelled at the entrance to the Snow Queen's lair.
"Aunt Ingrid, we need to talk!"
The ground began to shake and Anna gasped at the sight of a giant snow monster exiting the cave. The monster let out a mighty roar as the Snow Queen came out from behind it.
"How ever did you manage to get out of that shop?" the Snow Queen asked.
"Ingrid, please! You have to let Elsa and Emma go. We can go back to Arendelle! We can be a family! Plea— "
Ingrid pushed Anna back with her magic.
"You just don't understand, do you!? None of you understand!"
The ice monster let out another roar and charged. David caught its attention forced it away from Anna and Kristoff.
An arrow whizzed through the air straight towards Ingrid's heart, which she stopped and dematerialized with one motion. Robin Hood and Regina approached the cave from the other side. Regina sent a fireball in the Snow Queen's direction.
"Anna, are you alright?" Kristoff said kneeling next to her.
"I'm fine."
"You're the only one who can wield that thing," Hook said pointing at the hammer. "We need to get you inside."
Regina held the Snow Queen's full attention as Hook escorted Anna and Kristoff through the fighting. David and Robin were doing all they could to not get punded by the ice monster.
Anna and Kristoff ran into the cave while Hook remained outside to assist with the fighting.
"Anna? What are you doing here?" Elsa said in surprise.
"Move back!" Anna said as she swung the mighty hammer breaking the cage of ice.
Outside Regina and the Snow Queen circled each other. Their powers seemed evenly matched. David, Robin, and Hook barely managed to stay out of the monster's grasp. Out of the corner of her eye, Ingrid noticed Emma and Elsa coming out of the cave with Anna and Kristoff.
"No!" she yelled knowing that they now had the upper hand. The Snow Queen looked at Regina.
Regina gave a confident smirk. The battle would soon be over.
The Snow Queen looked over Regina's shoulder at Robin who was keeping the snow monster preoccupied. She glanced at Regina and then aimed her ice in his direction. An icy blast struck his heart. It spread quickly over his body until he was frozen solid. He fell and shattered into a million pieces.
Taking advantage of Regina's shock, the Snow Queen tossed her aside. She hit her head on a rock and fell unconscious.
Meanwhile, the monster got a hold of Hook and threw him into the trees. Emma went all out blasting the ice monster fireball after fireball.
The Snow Queen threw a blast of ice at Anna who blocked it with the hammer.
"Look out!" Emma shouted.
The monster swept up Kristoff and Anna in its icy hands. Caught off guard, Anna lost her grip on the hammer and it fell to the ground.
David ran to attack the Snow Queen head on. She dodges him and pushes him to the ground. His sword lands at her feet and she picks it up.
David looked around for something he could use to protect himself but the hammer was the only thing in reach.
Ingrid looms over David, sword high over her head. As the sword comes down, David grabs the hammer.
At his touch a portal rips through the fabric of reality.
A bright blast of energy surged from the hammer, though him, causing Ingrid to fly backwards dropping the sword. For a moment everything is still. Then, the hammer yanks David by the arm, pulling him head first into the portal.
"Dad!" Wasting no time, Emma rushed forward grabbing David's sword and dived in after him.
"No, Emma!" Ingrid shouted.
She stared at the portal in shock from her fallen position on the ground, but fails to notice Regina sitting up behind her.
Regina reaches a hand out in front of her and grabs Ingrid's beating heart. She squeezes it until it crumbles into dust.
The ice monster lets out a final roar before evaporating into thin air. With the monster gone, Anna and Kristoff fall to the ground and through the portal.
"Anna!" Elsa shrieks, reaching for her. Anna managed to grasp her arm, causing Elsa to tumble in after her.