The Third Sister

42 - Being Safe

Zelena was staring at Regina. The group has left a lot of hours ago now, and it was sundown. She turned her head to look at the other side of the camp. Violet was playing with Roland, next to the bassinet where Neal was sleeping. Violet's father, Sir Lionel, was watching them, while the two others knights and Matthew were playing with cards. Suddenly, she turned her head when she heard her sister cough, and saw that she was shivering. She stood up and walked toward a carriage, and took a blanket. Then she walked toward Regina and put the blanket on her sister's burning body.
"Thank you" Regina said in a weak voice. Then she slowly opened her eyes, and frowned when she noticed it was Zelena. "Why are you doing this?"
"Well if you die, Taylor would be sad. And I don't want to see her sad."
Regina chuckled weakly.
"Of course. You're doing this for her"
"What do you think?" Zelena asked with a smirk, but Regina didn't hear her, because she quickly fell asleep.
Zelena's smirk quickly disappeared, and was replaced by a worried expression.
"Hey" Matthew called behind her. "How is she ?"
"She's getting worse" Zelena responded.
Before Matthew could say anything else, Zelena stood up and quickly walked in the forest. Matthew didn't hesitate and followed her.
"Hey what's going on?"
Zelena turned around to face him, her face wet because of the tears that were streaming down her face.
"I don't want to lose her" she quickly confessed.
"Who, Taylor?"
"And Regina." Zelena said in a sob. "I don't want to lose any of them."
Matthew stared at her, a bit confused.
"I thought you hated her"
Zelena shook her head, a joyless smile on her lips.
"I've spent my life alone. Abandoned by my mother, hated and feared by the only people who knew me, and I was jealous of a sister who didn't even know me because she had everything I desired. I've spent my life trying to destroy her, and even when I met her the only thing I wanted to do, was to take everything she had. And then I met my other little sister, so nice, so sweet so ... Precious. And I couldn't help but just ... Love her. And I finally realised that I was so focus on what I wanted, that I totally ignored what I needed."
"And what is that ?" Matthew gently asked.
"Love" Zelena responded. "Family. And Taylor and Regina are my family. And now I finally realised that, I'm going to lose both of them"
"No Zelena you won't lose them" Matthew said while he was hugging her. "Taylor will come back. And she will save Regina."
"You don't know that"
Before Matthew could reply, some horse's noises made them both turn around, and Zelena sighed in relief when she saw her little sister.
"You were saying?" Matthew asked with a smile.
Zelena quickly dried her tears.
"No one has to know about that." She said.
"Don't worry. I won't tell a word."
Zelena quickly walked toward the group that was arriving, while Taylor was getting off of her horse.
"You're okay?" She asked, doing her best to not jump in her sister's arms.
"Yes" Taylor said with a smile. "Where is Regina?"
"Still at the same place."
Taylor quickly walked toward her sister, and kneeled next to her.
"I need some water" she said.
David approached and gave her the water, and she poured it into the chalice.
"Regina?" She called, slowly shaking her sister.
Regina slowly opened her eyes, and a weak smile appeared on her lips when she saw her little sister.
"You're back" she said.
"Yes. And I can save you."
Robin helped Regina to sat up, and Taylor helped her to drink the water. Suddenly, Regina felt better. The wound quickly disappeared, and she wasn't pale anymore. She sighed in relief, and hugged her little sister.
"Please never do this again. You scared me"
Taylor hugged her sister back, while Zelena was watching, a little smile smile on her lips.
A few moments later, everything was finally okay. They have all finished to eat dinner, and everyone was doing some stuff before bedtime. A group was talking, an other was playing with cards, while Selena was sitting at the fire camp, staring at the flames. She suddenly raised her head when she saw Percival holding out a sword to her.
"We're out of the cave," she said. "It's a bit late for this, don't you think?"
"It's never too late" Percival said with a smile.
Selena smiled back and took the sword, then stood up.
"What are you going to do with this ?" Lily asked to Taylor.
They were both sitting on the ground, Lily had her head put on Taylor's shoulder and they were both looking at the chalice.
"I have to give it back to Nimue. It's too powerful to keep it."
"And how are you going to find her?"
Taylor frowned.
"I think I know" she said, and Lily quickly sat straight.
"I'll be quick" Taylor said, and finally stood up.
Then she walked across the camp, smiled when she passed Henry telling everything that happened to Violet, and walked in the forest. She moved away from the camp, and when she was finally unable to see it anymore, she stopped next to a little river. She stared at the water for some minutes, and finally spoke.
"I know you're here" she said.
The water started to move and raised up at human size, and Nimue appeared.
"Indeed I am" she said. "How is your sister?"
"She's perfectly fine, thank you."
Then she hold out the Holly Grail to Nimue.
"Here. You have to get it back."
Nimue raised an eyebrow.
"It's too much power" Taylor said.
"Yes it is" Nimue said, taking the chalice. "It's the wisest thing to do."
Then Taylor looked at her feet, and they stayed quiet.
"Is there something else you want to talk to me about?"
Taylor raised her eyes.
"You know why my family, my friends and I are here, don't you?"
"Yes. You're here to destroy the darkness."
"Yeah but the problem is, on the map Merlin left in his tower, there are two different roads to find him. How do we know which one is the good one?"
"I can't just tell you, Taylor."
"Why not?"
"Because, it's a quest you have to do on your own."
Taylor sighed, a bit disappointed.
"Some people prefer to choose the easiest way than the good one." Nimue continued. "Good luck"
Then she disappeared in the water.
Taylor turned around, and walked toward the camp.
"Oh ! Here she is !" Lancelot exclaimed when he saw her arriving.
Taylor raised an eyebrow.
"You were looking for me ?"
"Well you claim to be a singer, but I haven't hear you yet."
"Oh come on guys" she said as everyone was looking at her. "It's really late."
"I don't think they really care" Regina said, giving a guitar to her sister.
Taylor rolled her eyes, and looked at her best friend.
"You, next."
"No problem" Selena said.
Taylor sat down, and started to play the guitar. As the melody could be heard in the forest, everyone was sitting or standing in front of her, listening to her wonderful voice.

"Clear blue water, high tide came and brought you in
And I could go on and on, on and on, and I will
Skies grew darker, currents swept you out again
And you were just gone and gone, gone and gone"

As they were sitting next to each other, Robin wrapped his arm around Regina's shoulder and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"In silent screams,
In wildest dreams
I never dreamed of this"

Emma rested her head on Killian's shoulder, and he took her hand and intertwined their fingers. Not far from them, Kristoff's arms were around his wife, and they were both listening to Taylor.

"This love is good, this love is bad
This love is alive back from the dead
These hands had to let it go free
And this love came back to me"

David had his arm wrapped around his wife's shoulders, and her head was resting on his shoulder. Meanwhile, Lily was watching Taylor with loving eyes.
When Taylor finished to sing her song, they all applauded her, and Selena stood up from where she was to sat down next to her best friend, and she sang an acoustic version of "The Heart Wants What It Wants". They spent a part of the night like this, singing songs and dancing, until they all went to bed, totally exhausted.