Untitled Pt 1

The Storybrooke Rebellion

Snow fell lightly on the sleepy kingdom in the forgotten corner of Maine. The air was heavy with the chill of winter, and the land was still as all its creatures slept peacefully under the light of the moon. So dark was the night that no one saw the shadows that flicked across walls, into windows, and along streets. The shadows moved with grace and speed, racing first through the streets of Agrabah, then the Land of Untold Stories, before travelling through Storybrooke and deep into the forest. They slipped through the trees like phantoms of the night, a blur of movement one would believe to be a simple trick of the light. Soon, the shadows arrived at their destination. A large, jagged stone laying on its side against the foot of the mountain. When rolled away, it revealed a large, hollowed out cavern, in which housed the Storybrooke Rebellion. Unlike the blissful peace of the outside world, the rebel base was abuzz with activity, members rushing to and fro, all with their own objectives to complete. Dozens of stolen bed sheets had been strung between two walls like the sleeping quarters of a ship, courtesy of Nook, with the help of Robyn and Alice. A make-shift lab was under construction, with the Inventors bustling away inside. Granny, Ruby, and Dorothy ran the improvised kitchen, while the dwarves continued to mine away at the rocks, expanding the base to make room for new arrivals. Henry and Ella were in charge of gathering intel on the enemy and selecting scouts for such missions. Snow and David were tasked with running the base, nicknamed The Hive, making sure everything was clockwork. Emma and Killian, along with Henry, Maleficent, Lily, and Carmen and her teams, were often away from home, stealing supplies, gathering information, or recruiting more members. Their quests often kept them away for days at a time. On this night, it was Emma, Maleficent, and Lily who were returning to the base, armed with more information to be delivered straight to Carmen. They had spent the last several days gallivanting across the kingdom, trying to gain an inkling of what Conan's next move would be.
"Swan! What new do you bring?" Carmen called as the stone was dropped back into place, concealing the Hive from any prying enemy eyes.
"Conan has taken over the Evil Queen's castle." Emma replied, dusting snow off her shoulders. "She and Wish Robin are hiding out in the woods with the Merry Men. They'll be here by first light."
"It's been almost a week since Regina became the Dark One, and he hasn't put her to use. What is that weasel up to?"
"We'll find out, Carm. But for now, we need to go over the plan one more time. Make sure everyone's on the same page." Rhydian advised.
"Right. We'll do that when the Merry Men arrive."

∞

"I must say, Regina, I am very disappointed in you." Conan chided. He was sitting in what had once been the Evil Queen's chambers. It now served as his private office. Regina stood awkwardly to the side, despair seeping from her heart like an open wound.
"Still, I suppose now you have a chance to prove to me that you are more than a half-hearted whim."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that you haven't fully given into the darkness and embraced your powers, which is what I need you to do if my plan is to succeed. So I'm giving you one more chance. Find the rebels and destroy them. Kill every single one of them in the vilest way possible. If you don't do this by free will..." he said, pulling out the dagger. "I'll have no choice but to use this to... convince you to embrace your new abilities. Understood?"
"Understood."
"Good. Now get to it." He smiled his weaselly smile, before turning back to his desk. Regina held back the tears in her eyes as she left the castle. Her body and mind, equally numb with cold and shock, carried her through the streets of town. She stumbled through Storybrooke, making her way back home. The minute the door closed behind her, she collapsed against it, her body shuddering with sobs.

∞

Carmen sat in the base overlooking the hive of activity buzzing beneath her. During their expansion, the dwarves had discovered several small ledges in the wall, which had then been carved out and made into nests for the Wolf Gang members. Not only were they small and cosy, but they also made for ideal sniper positions in case of an attack. The hustle of the base drummed in her ears, lulling her into a state of absence, letting her thoughts wander away. As they travelled further and further away from the chaos of the world, they uncovered a distant memory of a time when she and her father had found themselves in a similar situation.
"If there is one thing I can teach you early in life, Carmen, it's that in the heat of living, moments like these are diamonds in time. They are rare and fleeting. All it takes is a blink, you'll have lost the chance to let your mind wander away from all the burdens of the real world."
At the time, she hadn't understood her father's peculiar urge to sit and do nothing. But after everything she had been through; the Uprising, the Everglade Rebellion, and now the Storybrooke Rebellion, she realised that her father could not have been more right. Moments of peace were just like diamonds; rare and precious.
"Carmen?" Zelena's voice floated up from the stairwell. Carmen resisted the urge to huff out loud. Once again, life had returned to take away her gem of time.
"Up here, Zelena." she sighed.
"Well don't get too excited."
"Sorry. I was just enjoying the peace and quiet."
"That's one thing I'll never understand about you Evergladiens. You're always in a rush to do nothing."
"Trust me Zelena, if you'd been involved in as many rebellions we had, to the extent we had, you'd be the same. Now did you have something to talk about, or is it just idle chit chat?"
"Right. Sorry. Down to business. I have a question."
"About?"
"Well, it's about our age difference. See, you're our older sister. But you seem so much younger."
Carmen chuckled. "Well spotted. I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever notice. And yes, you're quite right. I am older, but younger also."
"How is that even possible?"
"My father, Andre, was descended from Carmen, the first High Queen of Everglade. Back before the kingdom was officially united, it was just two tribes living together. Each had six rulers, and a seventh who served as the High King and Queen for each side. She was born to these rulers. Both sides are blessed with long life, but their combined blood gave her the gift of immortality, which has since passed down through the generations. She then went on to untie the tribes and found the Kingdom of Everglade."
"So you're immortal."
"Yep."
"Huh. Just when things couldn't get any weirder, hey presto! My half-sister turns out to be the immortal queen of a far-away realm, and my other sister is now the Dark One!"
"Sounds like someone has a case of middle-child syndrome."
"That's one way of putting it."
"Don't worry, Zelena. You have a skill, too."
"And what's that?"
"You can fly."
"Point taken. Haven't done it in a while though. But I have to admit, that is one of the things I miss about my wicked days. Being able to fly wherever I wanted."
Carmen jumped. Adrenaline had begun pumping around her body as her brain processed the words that had just left her sister's lips. "You can fly." Carmen repeated.
"You just said that." Zelena remarked. There was a slight twinge of concern as she looked into her sister's wildly excited eyes. "What are you thinking?"
"How would you like to take one of my teams under your wing, teach them to fly, and become the one of the masters?"
"A master?"
"Yeah. Like how Snow and David are the House Masters, or Ella and Henry are the Scout Masters. You'd be the first ever Sky Master of the Storybrooke Rebellion."
"I would?"
"Yes indeed. So what do you say?" Carmen asked with a grin.
"Where do we start?" Zelena smiled.