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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟓
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐃𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐑𝐒

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While everyone else stayed back at Tiana's castle to prepare for what was to come, Roland, Cassie, Marci, and Will walked alongside Regina through the New Enchanted Forest. It took a lot of convincing for their parents to let the three teens join Roland and Regina. Especially since Cassie was still practicing her magic. But after the Mills woman assured the young adults that where they were going was safe, Everly, Felix, Sam, and Katherine reluctantly agreed to let them go.

It wasn't long before a wooden fence appeared in the distance, signaling that they reached their destination. As they approached the gate, Roland's eyes scanned over the writing on the sign above them. A small smile formed on his face as he read over the words Emerald Acres Farm. They all stood by the gate and looked inside to see pigs and chickens moving about. However, just as Regina was about to push the gate open, two arrows came out of nowhere and stuck into the wood between the Mills woman's fingers.

The smile on Roland's face did nothing but grow as he turned around to face a cloaked girl. The newcomer instantly lowered her bow as she stared at the heroes with a hint of realization in her eyes.

"You're getting good," Roland said while the cloaked figure pulled down her hood to reveal Robin.

"Roland!" the blonde girl exclaimed as she rushed over to pull her brother in for a tight hug. A moment passed of the siblings stayed in each other's arms before they ended their reunion. After sharing another smile, Robin turned to face the raven-haired woman standing next to them. "Oh, Aunt Regina, I'm so sorry. I thought you guys were intruders."

"Well, luckily, she's got her father's aim," a new voice said, causing everyone to turn around to face Zelena as she walked toward them and opened the gate, "those were warning shots, weren't they?"

"Yes, of course, mother. Just warning shots," Robin responded while wrapping an arm around her brother's waist after he placed an arm around her shoulders.

"Zelena, it is so good to see you," Regina said before pulling her sister in for a tight hug before turning around to face her niece, "and Robin? You're, what, twenty-three now?"

"Twenty-five."

"She sure has grown up fast!" the Mills woman exclaimed as she turned her attention back to Zelena, whose smile slowly fell.

"Not in our realm," was all the redheaded woman said then her attention fell on the three teens standing a few feet away from them. Zelena just stared at them for a moment before her eyes instantly widened. "Is this Cassie, Marci, and Will?"

"It's good to see you again, Zelena," the Thorne girl greeted as she and the Jones twins sent the women large smiles.

"Right. Well, let's cut to the chase," Regina announced, drawing all attention back to her before she continued speaking, "Drizella's free. And she's trying to cast the Curse. She was rescued by some creatures."

A dark look passed over Zelena's features after listening to her sister's story. Silence surrounded them for a long moment before the redheaded woman finally decided to break it. "Let me guess. Are they like shadows in cloaks, but they scream like hyenas?"

"You know them?" Will questioned as he, Marci, and Cassie took a few steps forward to better listen to their conversation.

"They're not creatures. They're witches. It's a dark coven and one that I was invited to join," the Wicked Witch stated, earning shocked looks from everyone in front of her before she reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a coin, "this was dropped off on my porch yesterday. Have you seen it before? It's a symbol of the Coven of the Eight. When it comes to witches, they're the worst of the worst."

"If they're here, I have to warn-"

"No, don't worry. Look, darling, we'll warn everyone, okay? We'll protect our loved ones," Zelena told her daughter then turned her attention back to Regina as a small smile formed on her face, "she's got a case of young love."

"Well, then, all the more reason to get going," the Mills woman stated before turning her attention back to her sister, "Hook's looking for Rumple, but...well, you know how he is. So I say, we fight witches with witches. What do you say?"

The redheaded woman instantly reached down and untied her apron before looking back up at Regina with a smirk on her face. "Let me get my wand."

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Everly sat next to Felix and Cassie in the hospital lobby while keeping her eyes glued to Ella, who hadn't left her spot outside of Lucy's hospital room. They had been there for hours and there was still no change in the Mills girl's condition. The only indication that she was still alive was her slow-moving chest as she breathed in and out. An eerie feeling settled in the pit of Every's stomach as she watched her niece. It wasn't long before her trance was broken by a hand being placed on her bouncing knee.

The Purest Heart's leg instantly stilled as she looked up to meet Felix's concerned eyes. The two of them just stared at each other, longing to be in each other's arms at that moment. Instead, they kept each other at arm's length, knowing their sudden affection would confuse everyone around them. Another moment of silence passed before Cassie peaked around her father to meet her mother's gaze.

"Lucy's dreaming about Lady Tremaine," the blonde girl said just loud enough for her parents to hear, causing the couple to exchange a concerned look.

It wasn't long before Everly's attention fell on the woman in question, who had just walked through the lobby and down the hall on the opposite end of the room. Without thinking, the Thorne woman got to her feet and followed after the Tremaine woman despite her family's warnings. When she finally saw the brunette woman standing at the other end of the hall, Everly couldn't fight the anger beginning to flow through her veins.

"What did you do to my niece?" the blonde woman hissed, making Lady Tremaine turn her attention toward the Purest Heart before a smirk appeared on her face.

"I did what had to be done."

"Lucy is in a coma a couple of rooms over. I'm gonna need a lot more than that," Everly responded, only to see the woman in front of her's attention fall on something behind her.

"I think you should be more worried about that, dear," Lady Tremaine said, causing the Thorne woman to look behind her to see Henry and Ella embracing each other.

A wave of confusion mixed with the anger inside Everly as she turned back around to face the brunette woman. "I already know about Henry's heart. Regina and I are working on a way to save him."

"How are you here, Everly?" Lady Tremaine asked as she took a few steps closer to the blonde woman before stopping a few feet away, "everyone knows the Curse doesn't affect the one with the Purest Heart. So, how did you manage to find yourself here?"

"I don't see how that's important," Everly responded, only for the woman in front of her to continue to stare at her with curiosity in her eyes, "if you must know, I tethered myself to Henry to ensure we ended up in the same realm."

"See, that's where your problem lies. Because if the Curse breaks, Henry dies...and so do you," the brunette woman responded as the grin on her face slowly grew at the sight of all the emotion fading from Everly's face, "so, instead of focusing on what I did to your precious niece, you should be putting all your energy into saving yourself."

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After leaving Zelena and Regina back at the ranch, Roland, Cassie, Will, and Marci went with Robin to warn the people of what was to come. The daughter of Robin Hood walked with determination in her steps, making it somewhat difficult for the rest to keep up as they raced through the forest. It wasn't long before they reached a small clearing and decided to take a rest in order for them to build up the energy to make it the rest of the way. While Roland, Cassie, Marci, and Will sat around in the grass drinking water and eating some of the food they brought, Robin paced around the clearing with the thoughts of her love bouncing around in her head. The Hood boy watched his sister for a moment before opening his mouth to speak, only for no words to come out when the snapping of a branch cut through the air.

Everyone instantly jumped to their feet and grabbed their swords and bows as they prepared for battle. The five of them stood back-to-back in silence while waiting for their enemy to appear, but no one ever came. After the group exchanged looks with one another, they grabbed all their things and cautiously headed toward where the sound originated from. No one said a word as they walked through the forest with their swords held high and bows loaded with arrows. It wasn't long before they ended up in another clearing and spotted a large wolf taking a nap in the center.

"That must be the beast that's been taking our crops," Robin muttered under her breath while tightening her grip around her bow, completely unaware of Cassie's eyes glowing bright pink.

Just as the Hood girl moved to get a better angle for an attack, Roland grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. Robin instantly sent her brother an irritated look, only for him to use his thumb to gesture toward the Thorne girl. As soon as their attention fell back on Cassie, her eyes stopped glowing completely.

"What did you see, Cass?" Marci questioned while Robin continued to stare at the blonde girl with uncertainty in her eyes.

"That's not a wolf," the blonde girl muttered just loud enough for them to hear her, earning more confused looks from her friends and family.

"What do you mean it's not a wolf?" Will questioned before pointing over at the black animal sleeping a few yards away from them, "that's clearly a wolf."

It wasn't long after the Jones boy finished speaking when the wolf lifted its head from the grassy floor. Its yellow eyes scanned its surroundings before they landed on the group of warriors hiding in the shrubbery. The creature just stared at them for a long moment before slowly getting to its feet and letting out a low growl. All of them watched the animal with uncertainty running through their veins until Cassie slowly got to her feet and approached the wolf. However, she didn't make it very far when she felt someone grab her wrist and hold her back. When she turned back around, the Thorne girl found Roland staring back at her with worry in his eyes.

"Are you crazy?" the son of Robin Hood questioned in a hushed voice as his eyes flashed between the wolf and his sister, "that thing's gonna hurt you if you get too close."

"It's not a 'thing,' Roland," Cassie said with a hint of determination in her voice, something that Roland hadn't heard in a very long time, "can you please trust me on this?"

The brunette boy just stared at the girl in front of him for a moment longer before slowly nodding his head and releasing his grip around her wrist. He didn't move from his place as he watched Cassie cautiously approach the wolf once again. The creature's growling continued while the Thorne girl kept walking towards it until she stopped a few feet away from the wolf. She just stared at it for a moment before her eyes landed on the deep cuts and scratches that covered the wolf's body.

"I know what you really are. I just want to help you," the blonde girl said in a tone just above a whisper while holding her hands out in front of her. As soon as she finished speaking, the wolf's growling stopped but its teeth were still barred. Cassie hesitated for a moment before continuing to walk toward it until she was only a foot away from the wolf. A shaky sigh passed over her lips as she held her hands over the creature's body, causing all the injuries it obtained to heal.

That continued for another moment before it looked as if the wolf was never hurt in the first place. A small smile appeared on Cassie's face as her eyes met the wolf's yellow ones. "You don't need to hide anymore. You're safe now."

The wolf just stared at her, as if trying to figure out if her word was true. It wasn't long after that when the creature walked away from Cassie and went hid behind a tree. The Thorne girl's eyes stayed glued to where the animal disappeared until a boy not much older than her appeared in its place.

"Thank you," the boy said as he walked across the clearing to stand in front of Cassie, who was now joined by the rest of her friends and family as they stared at the boy in shock.

"You're...you're a werewolf?!" Will exclaimed before a large grin appeared on his face, "that's so cool!"

"Way to let the whole world know," Marci responded after elbowing her brother in the stomach, causing the boy to wince before sending a glare his sister's way.

"I'm Cassie," the girl greeted with a smile as she held her hand out toward the werewolf, who simply stared at her hand for a moment before wrapping his own around it.

"Lucas."

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