《Artemis || OUAT》54. Smash the Mirror: Pt.1
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Astrid overheard Henry call out to his mom once he noticed her standing near her yellow bug.
Astrid was crouched in a tree high up from the ground, now watching the two carefully. She was keeping an eye on her sister, giving her space but also was going to be there if she needed her.
"Mom?"
"Henry, what are you doing here?"
"I've been out all night looking for you. Everyone has. They're also trying to find Astrid, but she's very difficult to track," Henry explained which made his aunt smirk even though they couldn't see her just yet.
"I told them to all stay away. I can't control my powers right now... only with Astrid around me, I can, but she's hurt now because of me..." Emma replied.
"She was healed by Mr. Gold," Henry started, "She's fine and knows you didn't mean to." He continued to walk towards Emma.
Emma began, "Listen, don't worry about me. I'm gonna find a way to fix this, but until I do... you got to go."
"No." Henry commented, "You always think that pulling away from people will fix your problems, but it never does. That's another thing you've got in common with Astrid. I can help you."
"Henry, just wait... I-" Emma stammered out as her hands began to glow while the twelve year old reached out towards her until a big wave of magic shot out from her and sent Henry crashing to the ground a few feet from her. "Henry! Henry, are you okay!?"
Astrid widened her eyes and gracefully jumped down from her spot in the tree and landed on her nephew's other side, speaking up in concern, "Bud, you alright?"
"Astrid," Both Henry and Emma let out with sighs of relief.
Astrid knelt beside her nephew and looked at the cut behind his ear and healed it with her magic, saying, "There. All better."
"Was that a cut you just healed? What did I do?" Emma started to panic, fear evident in her eyes.
"It-It's fine. I'm okay. It's gone." Henry tried to assure his mom who let out, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"Mom-" Henry tried again.
"Stop. Don't come any closer. I love you, Kid, but you got to go." Emma pleaded, "Just go!" Another wave of magic blasted out of her hands, missing the two in front of her barely.
Henry nodded and ran the way he came and headed back home while Astrid remained where she stood in front of her sister who tried to calm down and even her breathing.
"Astrid, you- you need to leave, too... I don't want to hurt you again-" Emma began.
"I promised my twin I'm not going anywhere," Astrid cut her off, "Besides, I can take care of myself, remember?" She closed the space between them and pulled her sister in a reassuring hug. "See? You can't hurt me."
Emma breathed out in relief and hugged the girl back tightly before stepping slightly back, saying, "Thank you."
"I know exactly how you feel..." The Snow Queen spoke up as the two sisters turned and faced her, "Seeing the fear in his eyes-" Emma blasted a wave of magic toward the woman but missed as the Snow Queen smirked and replied, "You are out of control."
"But, Emma, you're not going to hurt me. Nor should you. I'm on your side." The Snow Queen added.
"Just leave me the hell alone," Emma stated and marched over to her yellow bug.
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"You can run, but it won't help," The Snow Queen commented, "The only way this ends is you embracing who you are. Astrid did. Now look at her."
Astrid scoffed, "I was forced to by that prophecy but whatever."
"If it means hurting people I love, no thanks," Emma added and entered inside of her vehicle while looking over at her sister, "You coming?"
"Nah, I have some... business to handle with our guest here," Astrid smirked, popping her knuckles.
Emma nodded and drove away while Astrid faced the villain in front of her, starting with a smirk, "Just you and me now, Queenie-- unless you're afraid of me and you just disappear."
Ingrid smiled in amusement, saying, "Afraid of what, dear? Of you? You're not going to kill me because, if you do, you'll never find out who casted that curse on your fiance, the one that killed him."
Astrid lifted an eyebrow, quickly withdrawing one of her swords and moving the blade horizontally against the woman's neck, pushing her against the tree behind her. "Tell me."
Ingrid smirked and shook her head and replied, "Where would the fun in that be? What do you have in exhange?"
"How about I let you go?" Astrid remarked, the blade cutting the Snow Queen's skin a bit.
Ingrid smiled, clicked her tongue, and replied, "Let me go? You don't even have me." She disappeared and reappeared behind the girl who quickly faced her again, "The only way you'd have me hostage would be in your wishes, which can't be fulfilled."
"Well..." Astrid smirked and stepped towards her, saying, "Careful what you wish for!" She let out a whistle-like howl.
Stormfly, with Riley on her saddle, dropped from the sky and landed right behind the Snow Queen who narrowed her eyes and demanded, "What is this!?"
"A kidnapping," Astrid simply answered and added towards her dragon, "Stormfly, spine shot!"
The said dragon let out a slight growl and moved her tail swiftly, a spike now soaring through the air and embedded itself in Ingrid's shoulder.
Ingrid fell to the ground, now paralyzed temporarily, letting out, "Good job, Artemis. You really are becoming your ruthless Viking self again."
Astrid kept her smirk and now stood over her and remarked, "Oh, Sister, I've always been a Viking- and even a pirate. You just haven't seen it yet, but you're about to."
***
Astrid and Riley stood in front of an imprisoned Ingrid in the icy cave that she hides inside. "So, we can do this the easy way..." Astrid remarked once the woman woke up as the said girl moved her finger lightly over the blade of her dagger, "Or the hard way."
Ingrid smirked, finding her hands bound by a pair of magical cuffs, saying, "Do your worst, dear, but unless you have something that I want, then you won't be getting any answers from me."
"We shall see," Astrid replied while nodding over at her best friend, "Make sure no one else comes here, like Gold for one-- or my family."
Riley nodded and left to go over to the entrance while Ingrid commented in amusement, "Don't want your heroic family see you give into your darkness, Astrid?"
"Something like that," The teenager remarked while pocketing her dagger again and halfway clenched her left fist, making Ingrid gasp out and hunch over in pain, "Tell me who killed Peter."
Ingrid gasped, blood spewing out of her mouth, "You did, my dear."
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Astrid's eyes darkened as she closed her fist a little more which made the Snow Queen in even more pain, muttering, "No. Tell me who bloody casted that curse."
Blood dropped from Ingrid's eyes, nose, and ears now as she let out, struggling to breathe, "Okay, okay, I'll tell you... Just- Just st-stop..."
Astrid stopped her magic, opening her fist again as she watched the woman in front of her cough helplessly and catch her breath. "Tell me. Now."
Ingrid wiped the blood off of her mouth with her chained hands, admitting, "R-Riley Haddock."
Astrid narrowed her eyes at the mention of her best friend as she replied, "You're lying." She made the Snow Queen's blood boil then with just a thought in her mind. "Do you feel that? That's your blood boiling."
Sweat beaded off of Ingrid's forehead and also dripped down her spine now as she tried to keep breathing, falling on her knees. She let out desperately, "It- It's the truth! She- She did it to- to hurt you for killing her- her brother..."
Astrid continued to glare at the woman in front of her but stopped using her power on her, letting out angrily, "And how would you know any of that?"
Ingrid sharply gasped, coughing a lot, "I had kept an eye on you like Emma, seeing if you'd be a good fit for us."
"What? To be your sister?" Astrid remarked in amusement, scoffing some, "No thanks. I already have a sister-- actually, a twin. And she's plenty enough for me."
"That loyalty of yours is what interested me. I want that in a sister." Ingrid admitted quietly.
"My loyalty is to my family, and lady, you're so not," Astrid commented, "You're just someone who hurt my family."
"But I'm not lying about your friend," Ingrid started, "That's the real truth. Look in my mind, see the memory for yourself. She casted that curse on him for vengeance because you killed her brother."
"I didn't even bloody kill him. He killed himself to bring me back to life," Astrid sighed, admitting, "And then he was brought back but was evil, a part of my father's plan which was the bloody prophecy of me being the Ender... but, you know, whatever, right?"
Astrid looked away before glancing back at Ingrid, adding, "We're through here. Gold's on his way here anyway. Now, I've got plans to make to ruin someone's life. Later, dear."
Astrid ran out of the room and met up with Riley while also making the chains fall off of the Snow Queen magically. "Let's go."
"What did you find out?" Riley innocently questioned the blonde haired girl beside her, "Who killed him?"
"Someone whom I don't even know anymore," Astrid answered, resisting killing the brunette right then. She was going to make her suffer. "Come on, let's go meet up with my family and get Emma back."
***
Astrid opened the Blanchard apartment's door and stepped inside with Riley right behind her, her parents and Hook immediately looking over at her.
"Astrid-" David, Hook, and Snow began in relief while moving over to her, Hook hugging the girl first. "You okay?"
Astrid nodded and slightly glared over at Snow, letting out, "You hurt my sister. You showed her that you're bloody afraid of her. It's your fault she left."
"Astrid, you can't just talk to your mother like that. It isn't her fault," David defended his wife.
Astrid stepped over to her parents with narrowed eyes and seeing a small look of fear still in both David's and Snow's eyes now just from her. "Really? Because you two are still afraid of me, because you know what I'm capable of... But you seem to forget that we would never hurt our family intentionally."
The look in their eyes then changed in realization as they carefully watched their teenager in front of them, Snow starting first, "You're right. We're sorry. I'm sorry. Instead of being afraid of you and Emma, we shouldn't have been. We had no reason to be."
Astrid slowly nodded and stepped backwards and stopped beside the one-handed pirate as she pointed at him, saying, "Despite everything the two of us have been through, Hook has never looked at me like that. I mean, he's been scared for me but not of me."
Astrid glanced over at Hook before adding with a light smile on her face, "Thank you for always embracing who I am."
Hook nodded with a small smile of his own, wrapping a fatherly arm around her shoulders again as Astrid chuckled some before adding seriously, sort of sadly, towards her birth parents, "You and Mom are great parents... just not mine, not really. I grew up without you two and I was bloody raised by others. I'm sorry for that."
David stepped forward, his eyes watery, as he sighed, "I know, Kid. I know we weren't there to see you and Emma grow up, but we're here now and trying. And no matter what, you two will always be our daughters and we're proud of that..."
Snow also stepped forward beside her husband, softly adding, "And I'm so sorry that you're hurting and grieving over your true love. I never want to see you girls hurt. And I'm sorry that I don't know how to help you. But you cannot keep running away. You have to tell us and let us in and let us help."
Astrid looked up at Hook before glancing back at Snow and David, laughing somewhat, "But that's just who I am. I don't like having touchy-feely moments and I hate crying and I hate feeling powerless and weak and... I hate bloody letting people in because either they use it against you or they accept it and you become better for it... But it's always someone bloody using it against me instead."
David smiled a little and commented, "But, Astrid, you've known us for awhile since Emma and your mother fell through that portal and met you in the forest. We will never use your emotions against you. You can really trust us. We're family, and we love you— Creator, Ender, Mortefera, or Artemis, or whatever. We love you, Kid."
Astrid smiled yet rolled her eyes before rushing over to him and hugging him; David wrapped his arms tightly around her in return, one hand on the back of her head in assurance.
Astrid glanced over at her mother while still in his arms and also pulled her into their hug.
Snow chuckled, "I thought hugs weren't your thing, A."
Astrid grinned, murmuring, "It's growing on me." She buried herself further in her parents' arms as they hugged her tighter.
The teenager then pulled out of their embrace and stepped backwards towards the stairs, saying, "Now, I need to go check on my nephew."
Astrid raced up the stairs, skipping two at a time, and moved down the hallway and entered his bedroom, knocking on the door once. "Hey, Bud, you alright?"
"I'm okay, just a bit upset... I wish I could help more, but I can't do anything," Henry admitted sadly while his aunt sat beside him on the bed, "I don't have magic, and I really don't know how to fight if I'm being honest with myself..."
Astrid looked at him in amusement, pointing out, "Buddy, you do know how to fight. I've seen you on Neverland-- and I taught you how to fight well, so did Peter and Dad-"
"Yeah, but I can't hold my own against magic," Henry sighed.
"You're talking about Emma?" Astrid replied, "She didn't mean to do that, Bud. Her emotions are tied to her powers, and she was trying really hard not to hurt you, but instead, ended up hurting you."
"I know," Henry sniffled some, "I just wish I could help more."
Astrid moved and knelt in front of her nephew, making him look her in the eyes; Her hands glowed a white glow briefly once she took his hands into hers.
"What was that?" Henry let out in confusion.
"When or if I die, some of my power will be transferred to you," Astrid admitted before sitting back on the bed beside him, "Plus, if something magical attacks you again, it won't hurt and it'll heal you."
Henry looked over at his aunt with a light smile as he commented, "Thanks for looking out for me always and understanding me when no one else does."
"Hey, it's you and me forever, Kiddo," Astrid shrugged as Henry nodded and grinned.
Henry then sighed, "I just wished I knew who to really listen to..."
Astrid shrugged and smiled, saying, "If you want to listen to what people say, listen to the right people... Listen to me, I'm Astrid."
She smirked a little as her twelve year old nephew laughed somewhat and laid his head on her shoulder; But Astrid then took the boy into her arms and hugged him in reassurance.
***
Astrid had reached the last step on the staircase just as Snow's phone rang as the said woman let out in slight relief, "Oh, it's her."
Astrid stepped over to where Hook was and now stood in between him and David who glanced over at her.
Snow spoke on the phone, them only hearing her parts of the conversation, "Oh, yes, yes. No, he's fine. Emma, I am so sorry about what happened yesterday. I don't want you girls to ever think that we are afraid of you."
"-No, of course it matters," Snow corrected what Emma had told her as her eyes watered slightly. She stopped and nodded slightly but then furrowed her eyebrows, starting, "Emma, no, wait-"
Emma had hung up with Snow who turned around and faced Elsa, Hook, Astrid, and her husband who began, "What did she say?"
"She said she's going to get rid of her magic... forever," Snow answered.
"How is that even possible?" Elsa inquired in slight confusion, glancing from Astrid to David and back at Snow who answered, "She said it will all be over soon, and she can't wait to be home for a cocoa with cinnamon."
"Did she say anything about the method?" Hook questioned warily as Astrid narrowed her eyes at him, knowing that he knew something, "If it was a spell or... a magic object of some kind?"
"Who cares how she's doing it?" David commented, "That's not what matters here."
"No, you're absolutely right," Hook nodded before moving his hand over his pocket, "I wonder if she tried to call me. Bloody hell. I left my talking phone in the back of your truck."
"It's just called a phone," David pointed out.
"What an impractical name. I'll be back in two shakes," Hook replied while already moving over to the front door, "Kid, wanna come along?" He knew the girl knew he knew something about what was going to happen to Emma, and knew Astrid would want to know.
Astrid nodded, saying in amusement, "Sure, because it takes two people to get your phone." She followed after him while adding, "Let's go. Be back soon, Mom, Dad."
The two closed the front door behind them and stepped into the hallway while Hook quickly pulled out his cellphone, immediately dialing Emma's number and leaving a message, "Emma, it's Killian. Call me right away, or you may never make it home for cinnamon and cocoa... ever."
He pressed the end button and muttered, "Damn it, Swan. Don't tell me you trusted the Crocodile."
"Okay, tell me. What bloody happened?" Astrid questioned the one handed pirate, both of them leaving out of the apartment and rushing to the Dark One's shop.
Hook explained everything while they ran.
***
Hook stormed inside of Gold's shop while Astrid followed behind him, her twin swords in her hands; He exclaimed out, "Crocodile!? Where are you!?"
The two noticed Emma's handprint singed in a textbook on the counter as both murmured, "Emma, no..."
Hook dialed Emma's number again and left another message, "Swan, it's Killian again. You have to listen to me. Astrid and I know that you've been to see Gold. We saw what you did. And if he's promised to get rid of your powers, don't listen to him. He doesn't want to help you. He wants-- He wants to collect your powers in a bloody magic hat-"
"And when he does, you'll be sucked in, too," He continued, "I- I don't know what he's planning, but I know that he's been lying to Belle. The dagger he gave her is a fake. I only know all this because... because I'm afraid I've been lying to you, too. Gold blackmailed me into helping him. He knew. He knew I'd do whatever it takes to be with you- and keep Astrid safe- and he used it against me."
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