He awoke to the blaring of his alarm clock, brutally letting him know that another day of school was waiting for him whether he liked it or not. Shutting it off with a groan, the fifteen year old sat up in his bed, preparing himself for whatever could be thrown at him that day like he always did. Why he couldn't just get those nagging thoughts out of his head and be positive was beyond him.
Throwing on a clean shirt and running a comb through his hair, Roland quickly became suspicious of how quiet his house was for a Wednesday morning.
"Caroline!" He shouted towards the hallway, "get up or you'll be late for school!"
There was no response.
Starting for her bedroom, Roland froze in his tracks when he saw the hall closet open, items strewn all over the floor.
"Mom? Dad?" He called urgently, racing towards their bedroom to find it completely empty. Their bedsheets were disheveled, evidence that they had both been there just hours before. Anxiety was quickly coursing through his body as thoughts began flashing across his mind.
"Caroline!"
His shout was a last resort; part of him knew she wasn't going to be there. He was right. In place of his sister was a note, in somebody's handwriting that wasn't recognizable. As Roland began to read the note, he quickly became too nauseous to concentrate on the words. He could've been standing in her bedroom for five minutes or five hours- all he could do was concentrate on his breathing and clear his mind. Eventually he once again felt the ground beneath him. Taking another breath, he headed swiftly towards the stairs and out the front door, breaking into a run down the middle of the street. If anyone could help him, it was Emma Swan.
--
A brilliant blue sky filled his vision, one so bright and daunting that it filled him with an absolute dread. Shooting upwards, Robin took in his new surroundings as best he could. Caroline was asleep next to him on a heap of grass, her peaceful demeanor painfully reminding him of the previous night. As if to deepen his doubts about the events that had happened just a few hours prior, the red headed woman appeared in his line of vision. She was awake and running a brush through her hair. He was up in an instant, anger mixing with his confusion as he came towards her.
"You better start talking," he said quietly through gritted teeth, yanking her to her feet. She then waved her hand effortlessly, creating a field of magic around them.
"Yell at me as loudly as you want, it's soundproof," Zelena said nonchalantly, before shoving him away from her. "But enough with the manhandling- I could destroy you if I wanted to. Just listen- I gave Caroline a false memory from last night to help her adjust to all of this- she thinks you came into her room and told her that I needed her help. See, I'm really not all bad-"
"Hold on, you're telling me that she willingly agreed to 'save the day' under false memories that you gave her, shortly after trapping her mother in Heaven knows where? You're a psychopath, that's what you are!"
Her eyes darkened. "I didn't need to bring you along here, Caroline is all I need to get what I want- I just thought it would be easier for her if you were here. You're just a petty thief, or rather, that's what you were before turning into Mr. Domestic bliss."
"Do you think Caroline will do anything for you once she knows what you did to her mother? She's not from this world, it's too dangerous-"
"Are you going to be the one to break the awful news to her?" Zelena challenged, "it might just break that innocent heart of hers. And she belongs in this realm, it's where she can begin to accept who she is. You really thought you could hide that from her?"
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.
"This is the closest I could get under last nights circumstances," Zelena admitted, "but three days of walking never hurt anyone, right?"
Robin caved in and reached for a sausage, knowing he'd need the energy. "How did we get to the Enchanted Forest, by the way?"
She was beginning to admire his tenacity. "Oh, that's a story for later- in the meantime, let's focus on getting there. The only threat I was able to discover is a man named Fabian who named himself ruler over the Enchanted Forest. He doesn't have magic, as far as I know, but he does have an army. If we steer clear of anyone who looks like part of the royal guard, we should be fine- if we run into some trouble, we'll fend them off, won't we Caroline?"
The thought of learning how to use her magic absolutely thrilled her. "Is magic hereditary? Is there anyone else here in the Enchanted Forest who has it?"
"Not that I can tell, no," Zelena lied, knowing that the Ice Queen was lurking around waiting for her end of their deal. "People that have magic give off certain auras, and you can sort of... sense it, I suppose. You'll understand soon enough. And yes, most people inherit magic- it runs in a family."
If only she knew the truth.
"So your mom or dad has magic then?"
Zelena masked her amusement behind a simple smile. "Yes- that's definitely a conversation for another time."
She had no idea how truly alike they were.
--
The door to Emma's apartment burst open, revealing a very sweaty and panicked teenager. The blonde was in the middle of pouring herself a bowl of cereal when he entered, Killian sitting next to her at their small kitchen table.
"Whoa, kid- what the hell is going on?" Emma asked, immediately standing up and tending to him.
Roland couldn't find the words; he felt as if the anxiety inside of him would crush his heart into dust with every breath he took. He simply pressed the letter into her hands and let himself fall into the pirates open arms.
Emma's eyes widened in horror as she read the words written. "Oh God..."
She looked up at Killian. "Call my parents. Tell them to meet us at that old farmhouse on Rimrock drive- now."
Regina's black Mercedes was parked out front when they got there, along with their SUV. It was still early in the morning when Emma's car pulled up right next to theirs. Leaving the doors open, the three of them ran into the house to find it in complete disarray, Regina on the floor.
"Mom!" Roland cried out, he and Emma falling down to their knees beside her.
"She's alive, don't worry," she reassured, checking her pulse, "the letter said her soul is... trapped, somewhere?"
"There must be something we can do- she's probably somewhere horrible!"
Just then, Charming and Snow entered the scene, both gasping at the sight before them. "Here, read this," Killian instructed, handing them the letter, "it's from Zelena- who's apparently the Wicked Witch of the West."
After they were caught up to speed, Emma and Killian got Regina into David's truck. None of them wanted to stay inside that farmhouse for much longer.
"I guess we take her to the hospital and see what Whale says about all this?" Emma said, looking to her parents for approval. "In the meantime, are you two okay with sweeping this place for evidence? We could use anything on who Zelena is and what she has planned for Caroline."
They both nodded. Snow wrapped her arms around Roland and gave him a tight squeeze, feeling his overwhelming sadness radiate from him. "It'll be okay- our family has dealt with things like this before. It may not seem like it, but we will get through this."
Roland wanted so badly to believe her words, but everything felt so bleak then and there. His dad and little sister were in an entirely different realm with a complete psychopath, and his mom was trapped in her own personal hell. Why was he the only one left behind?
"Thanks Snow," was the only reply he could muster in that moment. She placed a hand lovingly to his cheek.
"We'll get in contact with the fairies and Rumple- meet at our place in an hour?" David proposed, casting a sideways glance at Regina slumped in the passenger seat, her head tilted to the side in a seemingly uncomfortable position.
"Yeah, works for me," Emma replied, before starting the car and heading for the hospital. She made calls out to Will, Ruby, Neal, and Henry, explaining the situation as best she could. Each call was inexplicably harder than the last.
After a few long hours of consulting with Doctor Whale about her condition, they were given the green light to take her home. Killian and David both helped carry Regina up the impossibly long staircase in her house, gently laying her down on her and Robin's bed. The bedroom was already a mess, and the heart monitor on wheels didn't help with that much. Seeing his mother with tubes stuck in her nose made the feeling of hopelessness worsen by the second. It had definitely been the worst day of his life.
"Kid, I know things look pretty bad right now..." Emma began, breaking the eerie silence in the room.
He didn't have the energy to say anything in return.
"This family is used to these kind of things happening," David jumped in, "we'll get all the spellbooks we can find, starting tomorrow."
By the time the Charmings had forced Roland to eat something for dinner, the sun had begun to sink in the sky. He kept thinking about where his mom was trapped and how much pain she could be in. Then there was the mystery of his dad and sister- if they were with the crazy redhead that cursed his mom, then they were definitely not safe. Much to his annoyance, Rumple and the rest of the gang wanted to put off meeting together until the next day, saying that rest was what they all needed. Roland wanted to act right there and then- there was no way he could sleep.
"You should stay with one of us tonight," Killian suggested, "maybe you'd get more sleep."
He immediately shook his head. "I'm not leaving her... I probably won't get much sleep anyways."
"We can all take turns sleeping here to make sure everything is okay," Snow added in. "She's family- we'll do anything to figure out how to break this curse."
Even after so many years, that line still felt a bit odd to say out loud. Roland agreed with reluctance, knowing that he couldn't argue with a family like his.
"You can stay with us tonight- we can start looking for some answers on how to get them all back." Will said, knowing Ruby would approve. Looking up, Roland met his eyes and felt a bit of calmness for the first time that day. He knew his uncle shared his same passion when it came to their family.
David and Snow agreed to take the first night in the house. Emma reluctantly headed back down the staircase and wrapped her arms around Killian, breathing out a sigh.
"Thanks for being there for me today," she said, wanting nothing more than to get back home. "This really is a mess, huh."
"Not a mess we can't fix. Don't forget Swan, you have some powerful magic."
His words stuck with her as they drove back to their apartment. After everything Regina had done to save their lives in the past, maybe it was her time to return the favor.