────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟗
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐘𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐁𝐄𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐒

────── ★★★ ──────

For the first time since she arrived in Hyperion Heights, Everly Thorne didn't feel alone. Instead of sitting on her couch with a pizza slice in hand watching movies, she was with her family. And not just her cursed family, but her real family. They were all sitting around the dining table eating breakfast and laughing like there was no tomorrow. It was as if none of them had a care in the world. But despite their happiness, they all felt the missing pieces of their puzzle. Pieces that they needed more than they ever thought they could.

Everly felt a wave of guilt wash over her as she watched her children talk about their plans for the day. She felt like she had no right to be happy at that moment. Not with Austin and Lucas living alone above their restaurant on the other side of town. Or with Katherine separated from Marci and Will and Jasper feeling like no one in this world accepts him. But what made her heart hurt the most was simply the thought of Sam thinking she was dead when she was standing right in front of him.

The Purest Heart was soon pulled out of her thoughts by a hand wrapping around her own. Her attention immediately turned away from her children to meet Felix's gaze. The Thorne man just stared at his wife with concern in his eyes before he sent her a small smile. It took a moment and a lot of courage for her to force one in return. Even though she wanted to be or how much she convinced herself she was, Everly wasn't truly happy without her missing pieces. And she would do anything to get them back.

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While Felix, Sam, Austin, Henry, and Roland were down the hall watching the kids, Everly and Katherine stood beside Tiana. The curly-haired woman looked at herself in the large mirror in front of her with a large smile on her face. After years of fighting against the evil that invaded her land, Tiana was more than ready to lead her kingdom and take them to a time of peace. It was what they deserved after losing so much to the darkness that plagued them.

"Stunning, Your Majesty," Ella told her best friend as she smiled at Tiana through the mirror, "all you're missing now is your crown."

"Yes, well, I recommend you put it on and step outside," Katherine announced while staring out the nearest window before turning around to face them, "there's quite a crowd waiting for a glimpse of their new queen."

"How do you feel?" Regina asked with a large smile on her face as Tiana turned around to face her.

"Nervous," was all the curly-haired woman said in response, making a small laugh pass over Everly's lips.

"Don't be," the Thorne woman told her without an ounce of hesitation running through her veins, "after heading the resistance to defeat Tremaine, you've proven you're a leader."

"I have to agree with your friends, Tiana," Eudora said after entering the room and stopping in front of her daughter, "if only your father were here...he'd be so proud."

Without warning, chills ran through Everly's body, causing her smile to fade. Before she had a chance to voice her discomfort, an eerie cloud of red and black smoke formed behind Tiana. Everyone instantly turned towards the cloud before it vanished to reveal a man that neither Everly nor Katherine had ever seen before.

"Indeed, he would be. Of course, he's not the only one," the stranger said with a sinister smile on his face as he stared at Tiana, "enchanté, Princess."

"Of course, he's real too," Everly muttered under her breath while Katherine let out an irritated sigh.

"Dr. Facilier, what are you doing here?" Tiana questioned without even attempting to hide the disdain in her voice.

"Did you really think I'd miss your coronation? After everything we've been through?" Dr. Facilier responded as the grin on his face grew even larger after taking off his hat and looking over at Regina, "speaking of...how lovely to see you again, Regina."

Everyone instantly turned around to face the woman in question, only to find the Mills woman staring back at the man with an unreadable look on her face. It wasn't long after that when the former Evil Queen opened her mouth to respond. "I wish I can say the same."

"I'd heard rumors you'd gone soft, Regina," the man in purple continued in a somewhat mocking tone, "what a shame they appear true."

"Get out now," the Mills woman demanded while taking a step towards the man in front of her, "or I'll prove just how wrong you are."

"Oh, perhaps I am," Dr. Facilier responded, unphased by the threat that was thrown his way, "but there's no need for threats. After all, I came to deliver a gift." Confusion filled every inch of the room as everyone stared at the man before he made tarot cards appear in his hands. "A glimpse into our soon-to-be queen's future. Before that crown sits upon your head, you'll have to face a test. Oh, a terrible beast will threaten the peace of your entire kingdom."

"I know your tricks, you're lying," Tiana declared without taking her eyes off the man standing in front of her, "you're just trying to get under my skin."

"Go to the ferry docks on the southern edge of the bayou and see if I'm lying," Dr. Facilier retaliated after the smug grin faded from his face, "you may not trust me now, but you will then."

As soon as he finished speaking, the cloud of red and black smoke reappeared and surrounded the witch doctor, taking him away from Tiana's castle. A tense silence surrounded them as they stared at the place Dr. Facilier once was. It wasn't long after that when Eudora placed her hand on Tiana's shoulder and gently turned her to face her.

"Don't worry, dear. It's like you said, he's just trying to goad you," the woman said with a small smile on her face while keeping her hands on her daughter's shoulders.

"I have to go to the docks to make sure," Tiana announced with a hint of hesitation in her voice before letting out a long sigh, "this is my responsibility."

"What about the coronation?" Eudora questioned while trying her best to hide the shakiness of her voice.

"Your mother's right," Regina declared after taking a step toward the curly-haired woman, "I know Facilier...he likes to play games. Don't indulge him."

"And if this is not a game?" Tiana retaliated while Regina and Eudora continued to stare at her with mixed emotions on their faces, "the coronation will have to wait. My people could be in danger. From one queen to another, you know I have to go."

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Later that day Everly found herself back at work while the rest of her family returned to faking their cursed lives. Even though Lady Tremaine was out of the picture, they still didn't want to confuse the people of Hyperion Heights. To prevent this, they all agreed to continue to pretend to be people they weren't no matter how much they didn't want to. The worst part was pretending they didn't have any connections with each other while they were out in public. But they needed to do what was necessary to stay safe.

A fake smile was plastered onto her lips as she walked the halls of the Police Station. Everly said her hellos to her fellow officers as she made her way to her destination. However, as soon as she reached the room she was summoned to, her smile dropped. The Purest Heart was expecting to meet with Rumplestiltskin after receiving a text from the man. What she wasn't expecting was to find Hook and Sam sitting at the table with him.

After letting out a shaky breath, Everly walked further into the room with all eyes on her before sitting down in the available chair between Sam and Hook. It wasn't long after she was settled when she noticed the file on Victoria Belfrey sitting in the middle of the table.

"This is all my fault," Hook declared, making everyone's attention leave Everly and fall on him before he continued speaking, "if I hadn't rescued Eloise, Victoria Belfrey might still be alive."

"No, these events were set in motion by...forces beyond your control," Rumplestiltskin responded while unnoticeably glancing over at Everly before his gaze returned to the pirate captain, "and with that being said...I don't believe they're beyond repair."

"But how do we fix this?" Sam questioned without even attempting to hide the confusion in his eyes.

"Well, I think I may have a way. Have a look," the Dark One told them before placing a file on the table for all three of them to see. Chills ran up and down Everly's spine after seeing the picture attached to the front of the folder. "Lucy's doctor. She was found in the hospital the same night as Victoria. Medical examiner said death was due to natural causes."

"And you think otherwise?" Everly questioned after finally looking away from the picture to meet Rumplestiltskin's gaze.

"Well, a lock of her hair was missing," the Dark One replied, sending chills throughout the Thorne woman's body once again as Hook flipped through the file.

"Well, it says here she died at the same time as Victoria," the pirate captain announced while keeping his eyes glued to the papers in his hands. He scanned over the information one last time before looking back up at his colleagues. "If that's true...another cult member must be responsible."

"But the evil extends far beyond Eloise," Rumplestiltskin told them after glancing over at Everly once again, this time making it not-so-subtle, "and if we can find the source...might just take us right back to her."

"Let's just hope we're not in over our heads," Everly muttered under her breath before her eyes went back to the file in Hook's hands.

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After catching everyone up on what occurred with Dr. Facilier, Everly and Katherine went with Ella and Tiana to the place the witch doctor told them about. The Thorne woman was surprised to see how empty the village was. It wasn't long after that when Katherine called out to her, making Everly walk toward her friend to see what she was looking at. But as soon as she saw the giant bite taken out of the boat, the Purest Heart began to wish she stayed back at the castle.

The two women exchanged an uncertain look before they turned and walked back toward their allies. As soon as they reached them, they found Tiana and Ella staring at a house with a missing piece in the side. Both women jumped at the sound of Everly and Katherine's approaching footsteps before turning around to face them.

"It looks like Facilier was right," the Thorne woman declared as her eyes scanned over the destroyed village, "something did attack here."

"We have to find this thing and stop it. I mean, just look at the bite it took out of this," Tiana told them while gesturing toward the building she was staring at.

"Not exactly a mouth you'd want to kiss, now, is it?" a new voice said, causing Ella to unsheath their swords while Katherine aimed her bow and Everly prepared her magic. When they turned towards the source of the sound, they found a man standing a few yards away with a large spear in his hands.

"Who are you?" Tiana questioned with a hint of annoyance in her voice while keeping her eyes glued to the stranger in front of her.

"My shiny coat and my sharp spear don't give it away?" the man responded as he walked closer to them, making Everly's magic glow even brighter and Katherine pull back on her bowstring, "I'm the hero who's going to kill this beast of a gator."

"Then you're even stupider than you look because whatever attacked this dock is too big to be any gator," the curly-haired woman retaliated without even attempting to hide the irritation and impatience in her voice.

"You don't have to believe me," the stranger said with a small smile on his face as his grip around his spear tightened, "in fact, it's probably best if you and your friends run along."

"If anyone is running along, it is you," Tiana declared after placing her hand around the hilt of her sword.

"Fiery. Oh, I like that. You remind me of someone," the man responded as the grin on his face grew even larger, "ah, myself."

"Okay, enough. You're not as charming as you think you are," Everly stated while letting her magic dance across her fingertips and taking a step closer to the stranger, "this is the future queen of the kingdom you're talking to."

The man just stared at the Purest Heart for a long moment with an unreadable look in his eyes. It wasn't long after that when he used the blunt end of his sword to gently push her away from him. The irritation Everly was feeling did nothing but grow as the man smiled down at her before his attention fell back on Tiana. "Allow me to introduce myself. Prince Naveen of Maldonia, at your service."

"We should've seen that one coming," Katherine whispered into Everly's ear after bringing her bow back to her side while the latter extinguished her magic, "I just thought he'd be more...princely."

"Wait...you're really a prince?" Ella questioned without even attempting to hide the shock in her voice, drawing Everly and Katherine's attention back to the situation at hand.

"I've been tracking this fearsome beast across the entire realm," Naveen told them with confidence and pride as his eyes scanned over the four women in front of him, "my enchanted spear is the only thing strong enough to kill it."

"Now he is bragging about his enchanted spear," Tiana scoffed before glancing back at her allies with irritation in her eyes.

"What's the harm in bringing him with us?" Everly said as a large smirk appeared on her face, "we can always use him as bait."

"And I'll enjoy saving his life and showing him what a real hero is like," Tiana added after turning back to face Naveen with a fake smile on her lips.

────── ★★★ ──────

After looking over all the files one last time, the four officers left the Police Station and made their way toward their next destination. Everly kept her eyes glued to the backs of Sam and Hook as she walked behind him, ignoring the looks Rumplestiltskin sent her way. It wasn't long after that when they finally reached the shop they had been looking for. Hook didn't hesitate to open the door for them, allowing all of his allies to enter before he followed.

The sweet scent greeted Everly's nose as they walked into the bakery and stopped right behind their counter. After taking in the decor around them, the Purest Heart's attention landed on the woman decorating a large gingerbread house behind the counter. A small smile formed on Everly's face as she watched the woman work, only for it to quickly fade when she remembered the reason why they were there.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Hook called out to the woman after he joined his allies at the counter, "are you, uh, Hilda, the proprietor of this bakery?"

"Mm-hmm," the woman said in response without taking her attention away from the gingerbread house in front of her, "this is delicate work. I will be right with you."

"I'm Detective Rogers. These are Detectives Weaver and Officers Emerson and Whitney. We're investigating the murder of Dr. Andrea Sage," the pirate captain continued while Everly studied the woman behind the counter, "she purchased something here the morning of her death. Was wondering if you remember seeing her."

"Hmm, I remember," Hilda responded as she stood up and turned around to face them, revealing her completely colorless eyes, "but I didn't see her.

"I...I apologize. I didn't..."

"Dreadful what happened. Absolutely dreadful," the woman continued, ignoring the words that had just come out of Hook's mouth.

"Isn't it a bit early for gingerbread?" Everly questioned after looking over all of the iced houses on the bakery's countertop.

"Never. It's my number one seller," Hilda responded with a large smile on her face, only for it to fade when she remembered what they were talking about before, "of course, Dr. Sage had her usual tea cake that morning. Wanted to let me know in person that my test results came back clean. She was a dear like that. I...I can't imagine anyone wanting to hurt her.

"And yet someone did," Rumplestiltskin said after gesturing for Sam to check the back of the shop.

The Jones man only took three steps when the woman's voice called out to him, stopping him in his tracks. "Sorry, that's off-limits. Health inspector would have my letter if anyone got into the sugar."

Everly and Hook instantly exchanged an uncertain look as Sam walked back to join his colleagues. As soon as the blonde man returned to the counter, Hilda continued speaking. "I wish I could be more help, but with my condition...you may have better luck talking to the butcher next door."

"Of course. Thanks for your help," the Thorne woman said in a tone that did not match the skeptical look on her face.

A small smile graced Hilda's lips as she used a napkin to pick up one of the gingerbread cookies on the counter in front of her. "Cookie for the road? They're fresh out of the oven."

All four of them exchanged a look, knowing that something wasn't right about the shop they were in. It wasn't long after that when Hook looked back at the woman with a smile, forgetting that she couldn't see it. "Uh, no, thank you, though they look delicious. Have a good day."

Everly scanned over the woman's face one last time before she followed the three men out of the shop. Rumplestiltskin held the door open until they were all out before he made sure it shut completely. As soon as they were far enough away from the shop, the pirate captain let out a small scoff that only his partners could hear.

"Did you see that?" the raven-haired man questioned, receiving nods in response from Sam and Everly as they continued to walk down the road.

"Oh, she may be blind, but I'm not," Rumplestiltskin stated without looking back at the officers behind him, "she's obviously hiding something. Whatever it is, we'll find it."

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