Cursed Hearts

Rude Awakening

Arguing back and forth was beginning to seem pointless. Robin weighed his options in his head, truly at a loss of what to do.

"Just... where do we go from here," he finally said in an exhale, knowing Caroline would awaken soon. "I don't trust you one bit- my daughter's safety is all I care about. If you give your word about sparing her life and returning her to Storybrooke, you can take her powers for whatever time travel scheme you have planned. But swear to me that nothing will happen to her... or Regina. My kids need their mother."

He would need some time to figure out a plan on how to keep her magic, but for now, it seemed like the best thing to say. It had been a decade since Robin had last stepped foot in the Enchanted Forest; the land seemed barely recognizable to him. Heaven only knew how much it had changed since then.

Before Zelena could reply, she noticed Caroline sit up from the corner of her eye. She made the magic barrier around them disappear without a trace.

"Dad?" The girl asked weakly, glancing around in confusion just as he did, "is this the Enchanted Forest?"

His heart sank at the thought of lying to his daughter about Zelena's true intentions, especially since the woman had proven to be far more insane than anyone could have guessed. But a small part of him knew that at least for now, Zelena wouldn't do anything to put her in harms way.

"Yes it is," he replied, walking over to her and helping her to her feet. "Zelena and I were just talking about what the plan is."

Caroline's fascination with the world around her transformed into a smile when she saw Zelena. "I can't believe I'm actually here! Tell me what the plan is, I want to help you get your happy ending!"

Ruffling her soft brown hair, Zelena smiled down at the child. "I'm glad you're here. Yes- let's discuss the plan. Why don't we do it over some breakfast?"

Much to Caroline's delight, a full array of breakfast food was soon presented before them. Robin watched her and Zelena eat and chat about the Enchanted Forest, the sick feeling inside only growing stronger. Although his thoughts pushed for a way out of their current situation, the painful memory of Regina lying motionless on the ground. His inner turmoil was being contended with giggles and excited gasps over ogres, giants, and other things that were completely unknown to the ten year old.

"The Enchanted Forest is really almost as new to me as it is to you," Zelena admitted in between bites of food, "I was raised in a land called Oz- it's quite different than here actually."

"Like munchkins and yellow brick road type stuff?" Caroline's eyes were wide with excitement.

The woman nodded, her demeanor quickly shifting. "It wasn't all it was cracked up to be though... which is why I want to go back in time and change things."

Of course, she failed to mention then that changing the past would mean that the girl would cease to exist, all evidence of her wiped away like a receding wave. To her surprise, Zelena felt a twinge of remorse at the thought- she had gotten far closer to the girl than she expected to.

"So we're headed to Rumple's castle?" Robin asked, bringing her focus back to reality. "Tell me again why we can't just use your magic to get us there?"

Zelena shot him another irritated look. "Rumple may have not been to reclaim his castle in forty years, but that doesn't mean his protection spells have worn off. I can't risk it. It's about a three days journey from here."

"You couldn't get us any closer when you brought us here?"

Caroline sensed the distrust in her father's voice.