《Artemis || OUAT》86. An Untold Story
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Hook attempted to pick the lock on the cage with his hook as Zelena remarked, "Did you get into your own rum? You believe that's going to work when mine or Astrid's magic can't?"
Hook argued, "Well, I suppose I could just do nothing, but then again, that's your job!"
Zelena stepped over to him, "If you really want to get out of here, I can arrange a trip to the Underworld."
Astrid stepped in between both of them and spoke up, "Stop it! Now we need to be patient. I know we're all getting a little heated since we're stuck in this small cage together, but we have to bloody calm down!"
David also added, "The groundsman promised to fix the wand and bring it back to us."
As if on cue, the groundsman walked up to them, "Unfortunately, I was only able to keep half my promise."
"What do you mean?" Zelena began, "Where is the wand?"
The groundsman admitted, "I repaired it, but then the Warden took it from me. I didn't come empty-handed, though. Seems the Orderly, he enjoyed a little too much whiskey today."
He showed them the key to the cage.
"We need to get the wand back from the Warden." Snow spoke up, "Do you know where it is?"
The groundsman shook his head and replied, "Uh, no. But first things first. Before we find him, we must find a way to defeat him. He's quite powerful, although I might have a way. But it is dangerous."
He then opened the cage as Snow remarked, "Hasn't stopped us before."
The four of them walked out of the cage while Astrid abruptly grabbed the groundsman by his collar in her fists, "I just went to hell and back and became a god. I'm not afraid of your Warden."
The guy nervously nodded, "Then follow me."
***
The five of them followed behind the groundsman into a village full of people as Hook let out, "Bloody hell."
"Where are we?" David also let out as Snow replied, "It's like all the realms at once."
"You're closer than you think," The groundsman explained, "This land is a refuge, filled with outcasts from all over. Each forced to flee their problems. Each finding safe haven here."
"Forced to flee from what?" Astrid asked.
"The reasons are varied as the populace." The man answered, "Everyone has their own tale. That's why this place has come to be known as the Land of Untold Stories."
"It's a tad ironic of a name, no?" Hook began, "Given this land is seemingly filled with stories."
"Perhaps. But there's only one story we need to worry about right now, that's our own," The groundsman replied.
"Right, and that story better end with us getting back to our world," Astrid forced a smile.
They started walk again until a battle ax caught Astrid's eye as she stopped abruptly in front of a booth.
David noticed her interested look as he spoke up, "A, you already one of those back home. You don't need another one."
Astrid shook her head, "No, I know, just..." She picked up the said weapon and examined it in her hands, now noticing a dragon symbol, "Look. This is from my land-- Berk."
"How do you know?" Hook spoke up, stepping on her other side.
"Look at the symbol. That's Berk's sign," Astrid replied, "Which means I possibly know someone in this land, after all."
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"With you, I wouldn't doubt it. You seem to know everyone in every realm we land in, A," Snow pointed out.
Astrid smirked, "I mean, I did travel a lot in my lifetime." She placed the battle ax back down on the booth, "Let's go."
They started walking away from the booth again and followed after the groundsman.
Until Astrid raced back over to the booth and grabbed the battle ax and then caught up to her family.
***
They entered inside of an apartment as the groundsman spoke up, "This is where I lived when I was still a doctor at the hospital."
Astrid walked in behind her three parents, her ax over her shoulder, as she stopped next to Hook.
"So, not many maids with untold stories then?" Zelena remarked as she ran a finger along the fireplace and blew off the dust.
The unknown man picked up a vial with blue liquid inside it on his desk as Snow asked, "What's that?"
The groundsman sighed slightly, "A serum I created. Designed to separate the good from the evil in someone. It's what we're going to use to defeat the Warden."
"Well, I didn't exactly see any good in him," Astrid commented.
"Oh, it- it's there," The groundsman briefly glanced over at her before glancing back down at his serum, "And the good has been fighting to get out for a long time. But it never could-" He took out a purple flower from his pocket, "Until now."
"The flower," David realized, "It's from the vine you were trimming back in the garden."
"Yes, the final ingredient," The man nodded, clipping the stem and then squeezed the juice out of it and into the vial before shaking it some in his hand, the liquid inside the vial now turning red, "If only he knew I was growing it right under his nose-"
"Actually, he did." The Orderly, Poole, suddenly spoke up from the doorway and moved past Zelena, "Back off!"
"I-I don't understand. You were past out drunk!" The groundsman started as Poole stepped over to him and told him, "I let you get away so you could finish your serum. Now, let's show the Warden what you've done."
Astrid widened her eyes some as she watched the Orderly down a blue potion down the groundsman's throat.
The groundsman now strained some, "Get away!"
Simultaneously, both Astrid and David let out towards the Orderly, "What did you do to him!?"
"You have to run!" The groundsman exclaimed and screamed, his face suddenly magically glowing shades of red and purple as his clothes ripped some and he slammed his fists onto the table, struggling.
"Dads, Mom, I think I know what story our good doctor is from," Astrid told her parents who glanced over at her.
"Dr. Jekyll, which means he's-" David murmured as Snow also let out, "Mr. Hyde."
The man suddenly looked up to reveal him as the Warden now but more known as Mr. Hyde.
Hook gave his daughter, David, and Snow questioning looks, "Mr... Who? Who's Mr. Hyde?"
"You know what I say," Zelena commented, making a green fireball appear in her hand, "Shoot first , ask questions later!"
Astrid and Zelena blasted their magic at Hyde just as he absorbed it in himself and inhaled, making everyone stare in slight shock.
"Bloody hell," The immortal blonde let out.
"Jekyll was right, run!" Snow replied as David repeated, "Run."
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The five of them raced out of the apartment while Mr. Hyde stopped Poole, "No," He held up the red potion and smirked some.
***
Astrid ran back inside of the apartment and ducked from a punch by Poole and swung her ax at him.
Hook ran in behind the two as she told him, "Go. I've got him." The pirate nodded and rushed into the next part of the room where Hyde was choking Jekyll.
Astrid suddenly flipped the Orderly on the ground and now held the blade of her ax against his neck.
She then just knocked the man out by the handle of the ax and smirked, "Oh, I've been waiting to do that."
David, Snow, and Zelena raced into the room she was in and looked over at her curiously.
Astrid proudly held up her weapon, "And you said I wouldn't need this, Dad."
David rolled his eyes as the four moved into the next room just as Astrid blasted Mr. Hyde off of her father figure and helped him up.
David helped up Dr. Jekyll who let out, "I told you to run."
"No, you risked everything to save us," David commented, "We had to do the same."
"To be clear, I was fine with running," Zelena remarked.
Hyde stood back up and spoke up, "Now, I'm going to kill you all."
Snow stepped into the room and blasted the villain with the electric ray device the Orderly had used on them, knocking him out.
"Leave it," Jekyll started, "It's of no use to us now." He began pocketing some potions, "And we don't want to be here when he wakes up."
***
The six of them quickly walked on the street of the different booths and people, trying to gain as much distance from the Warden as possible.
"We can blend in here, but so can Hyde," Snow started, "He could be anywhere."
"Is there a reason your evil alter ego doesn't look anything like you?" Astrid spoke up curiously, "Because I dealt with my own evil double before and she looked like me, which was oddly unsettling."
"And is ten times as strong?" Zelena added.
"Everyone sees their worst self differently," Jekyll explained, "Some as a mirror image, others as a literal monster. However the mind conjures it."
"Well, perhaps next time, try an aggressive bunny rabbit?" Hook remarked as they stopped walking briefly.
Astrid smiled and lightly nudged the pirate on the chest, "All right, we've gotta find a way out. Over here."
She led them into an alleyway, "Hurry. This way-" They came to face a dead end, "Seriously?"
David nodded the way they came, "Come on!" But he stopped when Hyde abruptly stepped in front of them.
Astrid readied herself by holding her battle ax in a defensive stance.
They suddenly saw and heard pennies drop from the sky as they curiously looked around; David picked up a coin, "Pennies."
"Not pennies, David," Snow realized as water quickly moved towards them and turned into a portal, "Wishes."
"I don't care who's making them," Zelena replied, "Let's get out of here."
Astrid quickly put up a magical barrier around them and the portal, briefly stopping Hyde from following them home.
She and her family then jumped into the watery portal as the barrier then dropped, making Hyde stumble to the ground.
The six of them appeared in New York as Emma saw them and hugged her parents, "Dad. Mom."
Astrid was hugged by Robin and Henry and then Regina who also hugged Zelena.
Emma hugged her true love as the captain smiled, "I knew you'd find us, Swan."
"It wasn't me this time. It was all Henry." Emma told them as Astrid winked over at her nephew in 'proud of you, kiddo' wink, making him smile at that.
The crowd of New York civilians started applauding and cheering, thinking the magic they just witness was all an act.
Astrid smiled up at her archer of a father figure as Robin kissed the side of her head and moved a fatherly arm around her shoulders as they watched the crowd now.
***
"I'll never be able to thank you enough for coming back to save me," Dr. Jekyll spoke up as he looked over his story in a storybook, "Now that I'm separated from that monster, I can make a fresh start in your Storybrooke."
Astrid walked into the apartment followed by Hook, Robin, Zelena, and David as Hook announced, "Still missing a crocodile."
"Gold wasn't in the park?" Emma began in slight surprise.
"In all the commotion, he must have slipped through the portal to find Belle," Robin spoke up.
"Where's Regina? Wasn't she out there looking with you?" Snow questioned.
Robin shared a look with Astrid as Zelena answered her, "No, she said she wanted to be alone but she wouldn't say why."
"I know what this is. It's something bigger." Emma admitted.
***
Emma, Snow, Astrid, and Regina stood on top of the roof as Snow began, "Jekyll said he didn't know how to thank us, but he found a way."
Astrid showed them an injector of a red potion, "He grabbed this before we fled the lab. It's the serum that split him from Mr. Hyde. He said there's enough left for another dose."
Regina took the injector and remarked, "You think this will work on me?"
"I believe that this could be the end of the Evil Queen, as long as you're sure that's what you want." Emma spoke up.
Regina nodded, "I want her gone."
"Then let's get rid of her." Snow replied, "Let's be the family we were always meant to be. All of us."
Regina inhaled some, "Go downstairs."
"Jekyll said there will be a moment of disorientation when the Evil Queen won't have her magic." Astrid spoke up, "That's your chance. You cannot hesitate."
"Understood," Regina nodded, "Now, please. Leave me."
"I'm staying," Astrid assured as both Emma and Snow added in unison, "I'm staying, too."
Snow also added, "I was there when the Evil Queen was born. I kind of helped bring her into the world." She held the injector, "I want to see you end her."
Regina rolled up her sleeve, "Get ready to stand back because I have a feeling we're about to meet a very angry queen." She looked over at Snow, "And she didn't like you on a good day."
"Emma? Astrid?" Snow inquired as both her daughters stood ready, saying, "We're ready."
Snow then injected the raven haired woman with the potion as Regina grunted in pain some as she began to struggle with herself.
Suddenly, the Evil Queen started to phase out of her as the two glowed shades of purple and red briefly.
The two soon pulled apart and stepped back from one another as the Evil Queen sneered distastefully at her, "Look at what you've become."
The Queen started to lunge at her good form until Astrid magically made her wrists shackled as Emma magically bound her arms down.
"Regina, now's your chance," Emma nodded over at her, "Destroy her."
The Evil Queen chuckled, "You, destroy me? You don't have what it takes."
"Regina-" Astrid started to step forward but was held back by her mother and twin grabbing her hands in theirs and pulling her back slightly.
"You're weak," The Queen sneered as Regina slowly approached her, "No matter what you do, you can't destroy our darkness. Deep down inside, you know the truth. You need me."
"No, I don't," Regina shook her head and plunged her hand through her dark double's chest and grabbed her heart in her hand.
"I'm sorry," Regina let out and crushed her double's heart as the Evil Queen turned into dust and drifted away, the chains dropping to the ground.
***
Astrid exited out of Gold's car after her mother as did Hook, David, Zelena, and Jekyll as they noticed Emma walk over to them.
Robin, Regina, and Henry had already stepped away to go and untether the magic from the crystal.
Astrid spoke up, "Well, I will see you guys later. I've got a son to go check on." She ran down the street to where Granny's was and entered the diner.
She noticed a familiar curly haired five year old and grinned in relief, "Zep, kid!"
The said five year old looked up from the booth he was sitting in and smiled at her, rushing over to her, "Mommy!"
"Oh," She picked him up in her arms, hugging him, as she moved a reassuring hand on the back of his head, "I've missed you."
"I missed you, too," Zephyr murmured in their embrace as he kept his arms at her neck.
***
Astrid sat on her window seat as she glanced at the full moon out of the window, her legs against her chest loosely.
She momentarily looked over at her bed to find her son sleeping soundly and peacefully as she smiled a little.
She then pulled out a necklace that had a small musical pipe on the chain from inside of her leather jacket.
Astrid smiled at it, recalling the memory of the time her husband had given it to her.
A single tear fell down her face while she moved it around her neck, herself now moving a gentle hand over the small pendent and lightly played with it.
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