The Lost Princess - A Once Upon A Time Fanfic

A Sleepless Night // Enchanted Forest

*past*

Tossing and turning with no hope of sleep, Kyla decided it was time to get out of bed. She had read back in Storybrooke that if you couldn't sleep at night, getting out of your room and doing something boring would help tire you out. The only problem was Kyla's brain wouldn't take a break. Between the witch's threats, Baelfire disappearing and her new role as a princess, she knew she wouldn't catch a break for quite some time. 

The Charmings and Regina had gone out to find an answer to defeat Zelena, leaving Kyla behind to watch the castle. For some reason, they were leaving her out of decisions, which wasn't like them. She feared it was because of her newfound love for Rider. Or because she had no magic. 

She was afraid they thought she had gone soft. 

She found herself in the throne room, a place where she found solace more often than not. Choosing David's seat, she rested her head back and closed her eyes. Tired? No. Thinking? Always. 

Zelena had said it - Regina's magic just wasn't strong enough to defeat her. Which didn't make sense. With Rumple captured, Regina held the darkest magic possible. Kyla was of no help in the magic department. The only other person that could help was-

"What are you doing down here?" Rider's voice pulled her away from her thoughts. 

"Couldn't sleep," she answered. 

"Again?" He asked, closing the door behind him and walking up to the thrones. She shook her head. "Want to talk about it?" 

"There's nothing to talk about," she said. "I just feel..."

"Helpless," he answered for her. 

"They didn't even ask me to go with them tonight." 

"You've been nonstop for weeks. I don't remember the last time you got more than a few hours of sleep." 

"Why is everyone so concerned with how much rest I'm getting?" She snapped. "Zelena is out there with a lock of my hair and after Snow's baby. I might have put them in danger."

"I thought your hair was useless being detached from you?" 

"We've never dealt with this sort of magic before. She's too powerful, I'm afraid she'll make it work. Why else would she ask for it?" 

Kyla stood up, wanting to pace while her mind started to run wild, but Rider stood up with her, grabbing her arm. 

"Hey, hey, this is not your fault. She was after Regina to begin with." 

"I just don't know what to do."

"Maybe talking it out will help?" He asked. When she nodded, he led her back to the thrones and sat down next to her. 

"The one issue I'm noticing is that Zelena is powerful now because she has the Dark One in her grasp," Kyla started. 

"Giving her more dark magic," Rider agreed. 

"The darkest magic possible," she corrected. "Which could very well be why Regina isn't powerful enough to defeat her."

"Yes, Zelena made that very clear," he almost muttered. 

"But there has to be a way to defeat her. In any story, the villain always has a weakness. I just can't seem to understand what Zelena's is," she said. 

"Well," Rider said, sitting on the edge of his seat, "what if it's not a personal weakness? What if we need to be looking for a physical weakness. You said every villain has a weakness, maybe hers just exists within the magical realm."