The Forgotten Few

Chapter Nineteen

Maylen's POV:

When I came through the other side of the portal, I couldn't believe what I saw. There were birds flying everywhere, bees buzzing, and trees everywhere you looked, although some of them were dying.

My family was scattered a few feet away from each other, everyone still trying to gain balance, but Regina was standing as still as a stick, looking like a queen.

"Welcome home, everyone," she exclaimed as we looked around, but her smile faded, "I know we are in the the Enchanted Forest, I just don't know where. And it's dying."

I looked around. The trees that were once green a minute ago were rapidly fading and dying, and the animals were running under rocks to hide, maybe to die. "What's going on?" I asked anyone who would answer.

In that moment of silence I looked around. Take it in. This is where my Grandparents once ruled. My mom almost faded out of exsistance when she went back in time years ago with Killian.

"I believe," Regina broke the silence with her words, "that this is due to the  curse."

"But, seriously," Killian stated, "how can a kid cast something so huge? I just want to walk up and put an end to him any chance I get!" He made a choking gesture.

"Remember," Emma said, and she put her hand on Killian's arm and lowered it, "he's not just a kid. He's lived for hundreds of years, which is sort of freaky, I admit," the rest of the group nodded in agreement, "but we can definitely not underestimate his power."

Power. A tingling feeling ran up my spine. Never. Say. Goodbye. My head started to hurt. My senses were telling me to turn around. When I did, Devon was standing right there.

"Why are you here?!" I shouted, spitting at him.

Everyone​ turned around. Emma, Snow, and Regina gasped. Killian, Robin, and David ran to Devon, there fists held high, ready to strike.

Devon raised his hand, and they froze in place. Everyone but me.

"You can never underestimate my power."

"We can see that, mate," Robin commented, unable to move anything but his mouth.

"Well, I can explain why this is happening to your beloved home," he said.

"Well, then, please carry on," Regina sassed. This whole time my friends had stayed quiet.

Devon sighed then looked to Micah, "The reason the Enchanted Forest is dying, is because when the curse I cast swept all of the newborns from their parents, it took all of the light magic from this place."

"But it was green when we first entered," I said.

"That is because the forest encountered a spurt of light magic from you, Neal,"

We all looked to Neal, and I smiled. I remembered when he showed me my fate in New York when he brought me to the Dragon.

"A some light magic from Charlotte," he finished.

Regina gasped, and Charlotte looked down to her hands, which were frozen in midair.

"We can talk about this later," Char breathed.

Devon continued on, "All of the newborns brought magic to the rest of the human world. A world without magic. Well, until all of you came along. That's why you were able to find out you had magic. Without all of the magic introduced into the "normal" world, your discovery would not have been made possible."

"The forest and the land will continue to die as long as we don't break the curse."

"Wait a minute! Excuse me? We?!" Killian announced.

The group started shouting, and Devon threatened to shut their mouths too.

"Yes, I have realized that in the end, we only regret the chances we didn't take, and knowing that I would turn down the opportunity to renew myself would kill me for the rest of my days," he explained.

I turned to the rest of everyone. They were still staring in shock at Devon's last words.

I sighed, "Hey, listen. All my life has been filled of second chances. I could have taken them. I could have joined a real family." I looked at Micah, who's eyes were locked on Devon's, and his on hers. I knew that there's was no separating them. It would definitely be a shock to our little complicated family, but honestly, what isn't?

I looked at everyone else, "That's why we need to let him join ours."

I knew they were going to protest, but something inside their hearts told them, this time, it was going to be different​. No curses. No separations.

"Alright, is there anymore detail to the curse we don't know about, now that you have just spontaneously decided to join us?" Asked Snow.

"One last thing," he responded, "you may want to prepare yourselves for this."

"Oh, God," Regina mumbled.

"As long as the curse lives, all the realms will be destroyed, and all of the people living in them will slowly fade from exsistance. The savior last. You will no longer have a family. I wanted you to suffer as I did. This world would just be a story. It was up for you to decide to be the one to tell the tale. To save them all. But I doubt this curse can be broken. I cast it to be broken by the only thing I will never have....love."

He waved his hand, and unfroze everyone.

Micah ran up and hugged him, while everyone was shaking off the feeling. Quickly they broke the hug before everyone looked, and stepped aside.

Charlotte walked over to me, and put out her hands.

"I might need help with this," she laughed.

"It's all right, I had to do some getting used to also," I giggled, "just take it slow, the Enchanted Forest wasn't built in a day, you know."

"Alright," she giggled, and jogged over to her parents.

I saw Micah and Devon over by the bushes, so I went closer to eaves drop on their conversation.

But how can one ever love me?
It doesn't matter, you need to accept that you can be loved. Someone can love you. It's me.

I let them carry on. Maybe it's for the best.

Hey, guys! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Sorry for the wait, I've been busy and it took me some time to come up with a next chapter going in a forward direction. Thanks​for reading!😄