Lithium (Once Upon a Time)

Chapter Thirty-One: Dark Curse

Enchanted Forest, before the first curse....

Danielle: My mother always carried around this dark aura on her shoulders ever since Daniel, her true love, died. But after so many dark deeds and especially after losing me to hatred, her austere look became even more terrifying.

"Did she put up a fight?" She asked Hook, while holding a heart she thought to be mine.

"Nothing I couldn't handle." He told the queen, as she lied her crimson eyes on me, they dressed that color thanks to the tears that rolled from her eyes.

"Leave us." She demanded, without wanting Hook to see her in that vulnerable way.

The pirate obeyed her orders, and I made my best to look dead, as she placed a white rose above my body.

"My sweet darling, Danielle. I'm so sorry for this. The truth is that I always loved you and the worst thing is that being the reason why I have to crush your heart. I never wanted it come to this. I was expecting you'd be my fresh start, a way for me to forget revenge. And for eight wonderful years you were, but then.... You rebelled against me. I always loved you, but once you saw the darkness in my heart, you grew hatred over me. I tried to live alone, after you left and decided to be on your own. But I just couldn't.... I felt so empty, so alone, so numb and hollow. Revenge is the only thing that can breathe a bit of life and meaning in me. This curse will take me to a land without magic, where I'll find Emma. You know, Tinker Bell told me that Snow White's daughter would be my true love, the girl with the flower tattoo on her wrist. Of course, that when I found out, I denied to give my heart to love, but now... being so lonely here and knowing Snow banished her to the land without magic just so that both of us couldn't be together, it's killing me! Snow White took my first love, but I'd be damned if she took my truest love. I have to believe that I can give another chance at love. I can have everything, my sweet Danielle, thanks to you!"

The queen swept away from her vault. I lost my chance to rip her heart out the minute she disappeared.

While I played dead I tried to find the courage to do it, but wasn't powerful enough. I saw how broken she was, how hopeless and lost, it even brought her near to madness.

Loneliness makes you do terrible things, and we both suffered so much thanks to it. I knew she was the villain of almost everyone's story, but upon hearing her cries for help and sad monologue, I realized the world was the villain to her and I just couldn't take her life.

Poor mother, she was cruel, I knew that, but beyond cruel, she was completely hopeless, broken and mad.

"You didn't kill her." Hook said, lifting my body from the stone casket.

"No... I didn't... I couldn't do it." I whispered, as tears fell from my eyes.

"Why?" Hook asked, holding my hands.

"I saw how broken she was. When I heard her say why she wanted to cast the curse, I realized we are more alike than we thought. We're both lonely broken souls. She lost so much... I couldn't take more..."

"So, what now? Once she finds I deceived her by giving her a fake heart, she's going to kill me."

"Don't worry, I have a plan. It's reckless, but it's the only one we have right now."

"And what's that?"

"We're going to let the curse be cast, it's the only way to make sure she won't hurt you."

"What?! How?!"

"Back when I was in Neverland, Tinker Bell told me how the Black Fairy invented the dark curse and how deadly powerful her dark fairy dust was. It appears Pan has kept tones of it in his camp. If we can get our hands on it, the curse can be cast, without having to crush a heart. We can even change my mother's memories, so she thinks she was the one to cast it."

"So, wait... You're saying..."

"Yes, in order for me and you to escape my mother, we must enact the dark curse ourselves!"