Arrow ｡ Henry Mills [1]

FORTY-FOUR ➳ ARCHERY

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CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
ARCHERY
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"IF WE'RE GOING TO FREE MERLIN, WE NEED WITCHBANE," Regina said, from where she stood at the ingredients shelf. They were in Merlin's Tower, searching for, as Regina said, ingredients to free Merlin.

Teresa sighed as she picked up another bottle, only to find yet another faded label. "The labels are all faded, we're never going to find it.''

"Forget the decloaking potion," Emma said. "It's not a glamour anyway."

"You sure?"

"If I'm getting this right, the tree could actually be him transfigured, right?"

"We could find out with a sample."

"Yeah, and when we snap off a twig and it turns into a finger, who's crying then?"

"Regina has a point there," Teresa said.

"Come on, someone. Witchbane!"

"You guys sure you don't want me to just wiggle my nose and get him out of that tree?" Emma asked.

Snow's eyes widened and she shook her head. "No."

"Your magic is dark now. It's not worth it. I'll just keep pretending to be the savior destined to free him, and we can do this together."

"Regina's right, Emma," David said.

The door then opened, and King Arthur walked in. "I heard someone say a woman is right. That's always a safe assumption, isn't it, David? How are you progressing, Madame Savior?"

"Um...progress. Slow but sure."

"It's, uh...marvelous having Merlin's own books to work with. It's like talking with the master," Belle said.

"Oh!" Just by the sound of her voice, Teresa could tell that Snow had a brilliant idea. "What if we could talk to him?"

"What?" Emma asked.

"Yes." Regina chuckled, grinning at Snow's idea. "You are...very occasionally...a genius."

"Yes, if we talked to him, he can tell us how to get him out."

"A mushroom?" David asked.

"Toadstool, actually." Regina corrected. "Deadly poison. Extremely useful in communicating across barriers, even through spells. Says here it's called the Crimson Crown."

King Arthur nodded, a look of realization plastered on his face. "Yes, I know this name. It's rumored to grow in Brocéliande, the Forest of Eternal Night. Its existence is the stuff of legend, though. Almost certainly fiction."

"People say the same thing about us. How far?" David asked, stepping forward to volunteer to find it.

"A half day's ride," King Arthur replied. "But if it is there, it'll be protected by magical forces."