Cursed Hearts

Rumplestiltskin's Castle

The walls were as foreboding as they were endlessly high, but nothing he hadn't experienced before. During the rebellion of his youth, Will had managed to scale just about every structure in the Sherwood Forest. Never in his life did he ever expect to infiltrate the castle Rumplestiltskin had lived in for countless years, the source of salacious rumors that always turned out to be true. Climbing up the weathered stones of the castle belonging to a once powerful adversary was a strange feeling, especially knowing that the man was now living in the most domestic way possible in a realm far away. Will almost broke a smile at the thought as he continued to climb upward. On his wrist was an enchanted bracelet, both his niece's blessing and a protection against any spells the Ice Queen could have put around the castle.

Slowly but surely, he continued up the rope until the open window became closer and closer. Will didn't dare look down, the frigid air was telling enough on how high up he was. Unlike his reckless childhood adventures, this time he actually had something to lose if things went sour- everything, to be exact. His entire family, the woman he loved... everything he had worked so hard for rested on what would transpire in the next few hours. Every moment counted. Hoisting himself up in one final surge of energy, Will entered the castle as quietly as possible. It took a minute for his eyes to adjust; rays of sunshine highlighted stirred dust and cut through the dimness of the room. Things began to slowly take form as Will began to look around- he quickly realized that Rumple was a huge pack rat. Still, the search for any hint at a magical teleportation device began.

--

Stepping through the gaudy front doors of the castle may have been the hardest thing he had ever done. Every fiber in his body resisted, his adrenaline already spiked so high his surroundings became blurred. Standing dead center in his line of vision was the Ice Queen, a triumphant smirk already showing upon her face.

"I see you found a Werewolf," she stated nonchalantly, seeming unfazed by the beast, "why don't you make this easier on yourself and surrender now. It'll save us all some time."

"I won't let you harm my daughter- I'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe." Robin responded, a menacing tone in his voice.

"Why don't you leave the combat to us girls with magic. What do you say Caroline, should we pick up where we left off?" Her eyes began to glow a bright blue, electricity preparing to strike.

Caroline's eyes widened as Ruby took off towards the Ice Queen, charging with sharpened fangs bared and claws out. An instant bolt of ice magic was hurdled in her direction, one that the wolf narrowly avoided. Before Elsa could generate more magic, Ruby pounced, raking her claws across her forearm and drawing blood. Letting out an irritated growl, the Ice Queen put her hands up and created a thick wall of ice between them. The Werewolf smacked against the wall- she began relentlessly slashing the ice to no avail.

Robin gave his daughter's hand one final squeeze before starting off towards Elsa, clutching his bow and arrow close to his chest as he quietly went. She was so distracted by the raging Werewolf that managing to slip past her defenses was swift and easy. Robin took a moment to glance upwards to the looming staircase, hoping Will was managing okay wherever he was. Before he could draw his bow, he realized that Zelena was a mere few feet away from him, her hands securely fastened behind her. They made eye contact for a second or two; Robin silently pleaded for her to not ruin everything as he drew his arrow. She gave him a crazed smile yet remained quiet, anticipating the result for herself.

Aimed right for her heart, Robin sent the arrow flying. Right before it struck her, the arrow fell to the ground, frozen solid by the wave of her hand. Through her dangerous glare, Elsa struck her opponent once again, this time creating a blast of magic that knocked Robin right off his feet and hurled him against the wall. Robin realized he couldn't move; his feet were suspended off the ground, his back completely plastered to the stone.