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CHAPTER THIRTEEN; SLEEPING CURSE

Everyone walked as if they were in mourning; slow and steady, sadness constricting on their faces. A firm frown settled on Sage's lips as she walked behind the blonde savior. She tried to wrap her head around things, figure out how Cora could beat them and just take Aurora like it was nothing. She was smart, clever, deceiving in every which way. Before the curse, all those years ago, Sage constantly wondered where Regina's wrath came from. Sage started to question if that horrible wrath originally traced back to Cora, her own flesh and blood. But the more the thief thought about, the more she doubted that was true.

The Evil Queen became the Evil Queen, because of her unquenchable thirst for revenge. It all started with Daniel's death and since then, Regina has always put the blame on Snow. As much as Sage disagreed that Snow was at fault for Daniel's passing, she also understood why Regina would be so hell-bent on making Snow pay. Long ago, Snow had explained what exactly happened the night of Daniel's death. Regina blamed Snow, who was ten years old at the time, for telling Cora about her and Daniel's secret relationship. A part of Sage was upset with herself that she could easily sympathize with a villain. She understood Regina, Rumpelstiltskin, and half of the other villains she's faced. She couldn't help it; she saw the good in people, despite their actions. It was both a curse and blessing to have that personality trait.

Their walking in silence continued until everyone heard the flapping of wings and caws echoing through-out the forest. Slowly, everyone's heads turned to see a large, flying crow gently land on Mary Margaret's shoulder. Mary Margaret, being the animal loving person she was, didn't even flinch, but instead, leaned forward to the black bird. "Wait!" She said, listening as the bird cawed in her ear, before it flew away in the opposite direction.

Mary Margaret just stood still, her mouth open in disbelief. Emma glanced between her mother and the flying bird that seemed to vanish into the blue sky. "What the hell was that?"

"Cora." The sound of her name made everyone tense, looking at Mary Margaret for an explanation. "We have until sundown to bring her the compass. If we don't, she'll kill Aurora."

Sage rose her eyebrows in surprise, seemingly unfazed since it didn't surprise her that Cora would do something so horrible. "You know we're in trouble when we need a crow to come and help us." She muttered to herself.

From her front pocket, Emma pulled out the enchanted compass and twiddled it in her hand. Sage had given the Savior the compass since wearing the compass plus her pocket-watch around her neck was starting to hurt. Mulan suddenly stepped forward with her hand out. "Give it to me!"

Emma stepped back, putting her hands up as if it would stop Mulan. "Hold on, Mulan. Just give us a minute to consider."

The warrior was quick to retort in a sharp tone. "A compass is not worth Aurora's life."

Finally, Sage decided to step forward, a plea written on her face. "We need a plan to get back Aurora and keep the compass."

"My vow to Philip was to protect Aurora." Mulan sternly said, not backing down from this battle. A warrior was many things, but honor was their code. Sage couldn't be angry with Mulan for wanting to keep her promise to Philip and rescue Aurora, since that was the right thing to do. But at the same time, the three women had to get home. There needed to be a compromise, and a strategic plan. "That promise is all that is left of him, so it shall be done."

Before anyone could speak back, Mulan swiftly reached over and gripped onto the compass, trying to yank it out of Emma's hand. But the blonde held tighter, yanking it back. "Hey! Hey!"

"Give it too me!"

Sage had enough of all these pointless bickering. They were wasting time, because arguing wasn't going to get them closer to saving Aurora and defeating Cora. She went in front of the two women and pushed them away from one another, acting as a wall between them. "Stop it! Both of you are acting like children fighting over a shiny toy."

Being the sensible person she was, Mary Margaret raced in front of Mulan with desperation both in her words and face. "Give us a few hours, please. If we haven't defeated Cora by then, you can have the compass."

"You can't hope to defeat her." She exclaimed, feeling her heart constrict as more seconds went by. "We no longer have access to the Dark One's assistance."

Mary Margaret paused, anxiously looking around, before reluctantly speaking. "Yes, we do?"

"Really?" Sage looked at her in surprise. The thief never expected that she would have a plan conjured up in such a short, panicked amount of time.

"How? Aurora's gone."

"Aurora isn't the only one who's been under a sleeping curse." Mary Margaret calmly stated, making all the scattered puzzle pieces in Sage's head align with one another. She knew exactly what Mary Margaret was up too know and it just might work. "I can go back to that Netherworld."

Mulan looked at her with confusion. "The door to that place is closed. You said it yourself."

"There may be a way...a way for me to go back into a deep slumber. One that can let me access it again." The short-haired women theorized.

"Another sleeping curse?"

Mary Margaret shook her head while looking at her daughter. "No, not another curse. I don't need one. I've been under already. I need to go into a sleep where my natural defenses slip away - where my mind stops protecting me."

"How?"

Her eyes widened, "Your sleeping powder... If I inhale it, I will fall into a deep enough sleep that I should be able to do this."

"I used the last of it on the giant."

Sage rose her eyebrows, "Actually, I used it on the Giant. If you don't have any, then make some more. Surely, making sleeping powder isn't the hardest thing to do."

Mulan sighed. "The poppy plant is extremely rare in this kingdom, but I know of a place that may grow some more. It's a bit of a journey from here."

"Can we make it by sundown?" Sage questioned, her and everyone else waiting for the answer as well. Time, in this case, meant everything and there was so little of it until sundown. The mere mention of time in Sage's head made her think back to Hook and something he said back at the beanstalk.

All thoughts of Hook drifted away once Mulan nodded, "We have to hurry."

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Snow silently fell from the baby blue sky, cooling the hot tears that streamed down Sage's face. White flakes stuck to her light, honey colored hair, making her crying face look more angelic. A velvet black cloak wrapped around her quivering body, the hood acting as a curtain to the sides of her face, hiding her away.

In the middle of the forest, surrounded by tall and narrow trees, lied a glass coffin with branches intertwining under it. Inside that coffin was her dear Snow White. The seven Dwarfs, who were like loving big brothers towards Snow, stood at one side of the coffin, opposite of Sage. Funerals of loved ones were tough, evident through the emotional sadness and heartache on the eight people's expressions. The story of Snow White's life was somewhat of a bittersweet tragedy. After the death of her beloved mother, Snow's father Leopold was determined to find another mom for his darling daughter, who was ten at the time. One day, while riding a wild horse, Snow was saved by a random women in a field. 

The women was Regina, now known as the Evil Queen. Sage found it hard to believe that Regina was once a normal person who showed utter kindness to a young girl. After their meeting, Regina's mother Cora arranged for Regina to marry Leopold, making Regina the stepmother of Snow. But one night, Snow discovered that Regina was in love with another; a stable boy named Daniel. Sooner than later, somewhat near the wedding, Snow told Cora and Cora killed Daniel. 

Ever since then, Regina has had a hellish rage inside of her. She was determined to make Snow White pay for Daniel's death, since she was pretty convinced it was her fault. Somehow, Sage understood why Snow did what she did. When your ten years old, you don't know the cruelty of the world or its people. When your that young, you think the most innocent things, hence why Snow snitched to Cora. Even now, Regina blames her and is hellbent on making her pay. \

Shockingly enough, Sage understood Regina. Losing the person you love was like a hole burning in your heart. Sage knew the feeling well enough and knew full well that after losing love, something changes insides of you. Something twists and stirs, pulling out the darkest parts of you. But despite the fact that the thief had some sorta'v sympathy for the Queen, that didn't excuse all the vicious things Regina has done. Her feelings didn't excuse the countless lives that she's taken, all the heartache and pain she's causes. It didn't excused Snow's death.

It wasn't fair, what happened to her. Snow was filled with brightness and had the purest heart in all the land. It wasn't right, nor was it fair that she was the one who had to lay down her life. Sage sniffled, shutting her tear filled eyes tightly as she bowed her head down. Sobs racked her throat, conflicted and gutting wrenching cries that Sage was trying to contain. A pale pink rose quivered in her clenched hand, a petal flowing down onto the white sheet on the ground. 

She stepped forward, "Goodbye, Snow." Sage choked out, her voice going raw as she placed the pink rose onto the glass coffin. Her brown eyes flickered over to Snow's relaxed face, looking like she was sleeping and would magically awaken. Sage wanted her to wake up, but death had smacked her in the face.

She wasn't coming back....that was until Sage saw a certain Prince Charming riding towards them.

Prince Charming came rushing towards them in a blurry white haze. As he anxiously jumped down from his stallion, everyone, including Sage, turned around to face. A look of urgency sunk into his features, desperate to find the women he loved. Sage licked her lips, shaking her head as more salty tears flowed down her face, "You're too late."

The dwarfs and Sage stepped back, giving a clear view of Snow White in her coffin. His eyes widened, "No. No!" He exclaimed, scampering towards the coffin. Sage watched as his face twisted into sorrow as he looked down at the dead bandit. 

"Open it." The prince commanded.

"I'm sorry, she's gone." Grumpy attempted to convince him. He was the one dwarf in the family who showed no emotion or compassion what so ever. But, right now, no one could deny seeing the sadness swirling around in his dark orbs. 

Charming then snapped his head towards Sage who stood a foot or two away, hope gleaming in his eyes. "At least let me say goodbye."

Without a second thought or consideration, Sage opened the coffin with her shaking hands. The dwarfs backed away, allowing Charming to give Snow the proper goodbye she deserved. Snow was dead and both heroes had lost. A bitter gasp of air ripped out of her mouth once she came to terms with reality; good doesn't always win and sometimes heroes don't give their happy ever after. Prince Charming was among all good things, but pain had swallowed his heart whole. He was just too broken without her. He needed her, he needed to love her.

The desire for her love whisked around inside of him as the prince bent down and placed a gentle yet powerful kiss on Snow's soft lips. But something changed once they kiss. Suddenly, Sage and the dwarfs were pushed back by a gleaming gust of wind, almost knocking them to the ground. The sun seemed to shine brighter and all the cold snow stopped falling. When all hope seemed to be lost, Snow immediately jolted up with a loud gasp, her eyes wide and chest heaving as she took deep breaths.

A wide, gleefully smile stretched on Sage's face, joyful disbelief written across her face. "You found me?" Snow spoke, grinning from ear to ear as Charming entwined their hands and pulled her close.

"Did you ever doubt I would?" He questioned, a love filled lust lingering in his words.

"Truthfully, the glass coffin gave me a pause."

"Are you kidding?" Sage unexpectedly spoke out, making the two royals look at her. No grief was visible on her face, only pure happiness, something she hadn't felt in a long damn time. Her smile widened as she nodded towards the prince and his love-sick attitude. "How could you ever doubt that your Prince Charming wouldn't find you."

Both of them chuckled, before turning back to one another. Charming's hand pushed Snow's black hair back. "I will always find you."

"Do you promise?" Snow questioned, unable to pull her eyes away from her darling love.

He answered in a kiss and Sage knew this was a happily ever after in the making.

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Sage anxiously  watched as Mulan continued to grind fuschious red colored poppy plant with the tip of her knife. Within minutes, the once beautiful poppy plant withered into radiant, sprinkled powder. It took a handful of hours for her and the others to find this particular plant, but eventually, they were able to find it. In a small grove, in the middle of nowhere, was the group of Fairytale characters, if you include Emma the superhero Savior. Mary Margaret, who had been bracing herself for the past few hours, sat against a narrow tree, her knees pulled up against her chest. Anyone who wasn't blind could see the slight nervousness swirling around in her eyes. But, neither less, she was more than determined to get back to both her husband and grandson.

"The powder's nearly ready." Mulan said, glancing at the three, before returning to her little operation of the powder. 

"How long will the effects last?" Mary Margaret asked, literally asking the question that had been wandering around in Sage's head. Yes, she had used the powder of the Giant, but the was damn Giant, not a bandit-princess. She knew it only took an hour or so for the Giant to wake up, but Mary Margaret was completely different when compared to a hundred foot or more Giant. Once the memory of the human-hating Giant popped into her brain, so did Hook; the one-handed pirate who had a taste for revenge. The decision to abandoned Hook on top of that beanstalk was rather impulsive and in the moment. She didn't think about it, she just acted on her fear. The fear that he would turn his back on her and side with Cora. But, maybe it wasn't just that. Maybe it was her unconventional fear of him. She wasn't afraid of his wild flirtation or endless desire of vengeance for his lost love. But rather his skill of seeing right through her.

Sage had spent years building brick walls around her, keeping anyone from coming in and keeping her inside. She was guarded and closed off, teaching herself never to love or attach herself to people. She had lost two men who she loved deeply; one of them not returning her love and the other losing their life. In her lifetime, Sage had learnt two things; never let people in and never love, never let people see the real her. But, somehow and in some way, Captain Hook was able to read her like an open book. He was able to see the invisible scars on her heart, the strong facade she was playing, and the lingering look of abandonment in her eyes. He saw her and that scared the hell out of her. So, she did what she does best; push people away.

The silent thief shook out of her thoughts once Mulan answered, " It's difficult to say. Maybe an hour, or much less."

"Well, I shouldn't need much time." She shifted against the tree, the chips of bark scratching her back. She snuggled into a somewhat comfortable position, tugging her white cardigan over her. "As long as Henry's in there when I am."

Sage walked a few steps, before sitting down right next to Emma, in front of Mary Margaret. "We'll be right here." She tried to show a reassuring smile as Emma wrapped her hand around her mother's. A shaking breath left Sage's lips, before she looked over and Mulan and nodded, giving her the signal for the dust. As Mulan walked over, her hand enclosed with the powder, Sage looked back at her best friend with a hopeful gleam on her face. "Say hi to my baby brother for me."

Mulan knelt down, opening her hand that held the pink dust. With one whisk blow, the pink sparkled around Mary Margaret in a hazy puff. Her eyelids slowly drop, her head titled to the side as the magic succumbed her into a peaceful slumber of blackness. 

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"That was a warning shot. Try to run, and I promise the next one won't be." The viscous threat was directed towards Mulan, who made the terrible mistake of trying to run away with the compass. When Mary Margaret went under the sleep, Emma and Sage joined her, both of them agreeing that some shut-eye would do them no harm. But when they awoke, Mary Margaret was in a frantic panic, desperately searching for more powder. Turns out, it wasn't Henry who was in that flaming room of fire. It was David, Prince Charming. Back in Storybrooke, David was put under a sleeping curse in order to talk to Mary Margaret. But when they tried to kiss, they couldn't physically touch in the Netherworld. Now, the three women were even more determined to get home, to not only Henry, but to save David. 

During their sleep, Mulan have stolen the compass from Sage and ran off. Lucky enough, Mary Margaret knew more than enough about tracking and how to find people. So finding Mulan was easy. In the midst of an evergreen forest is where the warrior was surrounded; Mary Margaret had a bow up and ready to shoot if Mulan didn't compromise. Mulan's back was facing them, her hands up as if she was surrendering. "How did you find me?"

"I know a thing or two about tracking." Mary Margaret snapped back, her hand clenched around the end of her arrow, ready to shoot if necessary. 

"Perks of being a bandit." Sage added, walking up until she was standing beside Mary Margaret. Lowering her crossed arms, she sighed deeply. "Mulan, I know you want to honor your promise to Philip and save Aurora. Trust me, I get it. But we need to get back to our home. We'll work together to get home and save Aurora. All we want is the compass."

Negotiating a truce seemed to be the best way to get the compass. None of them had time to waste. Mulan nodded, before turning around to see them, "Very well."

In the blink of an eye, Mulan swiftly reached done to get her sword that was strapped to her armor. She wasn't able to get it in time, since Mary Margaret tackled her to the ground, holding the tip of an arrow against her neck. "Give me the compass!" The princess demanded, letting her anger seethe her words.

"And seal Aurora's fate?" Mulan questioned, obviously not trusting that Aurora would turn out alive in the end.

Sage looked down at her, hoping that the warrior could see the genuine in her eyes. "We learned how to overpower Cora. Once we get what we need, we will defeat her, and Aurora will be free."

Mulan scoffed at them, "Another journey – just as I predicted there would be. Our best chance to save Aurora, is to make that trade now."

Mary Margaret shook her head, not willing to give up the chance to go home. " Not going to happen. Without that compass, we can't get home."

"Then I hope you're prepared to use that arrow." Mulan narrowed her eyes, not even bothering to try and fight. She was sticking to her honor and her promise to the know deceased Philip. But Mary Margaret, on the other hand, was no killer. Despite Sage watching Mary Margaret push the arrow against Mulan's throat, she knew she would never kill her.

"Stop!"

A loud feminine voice froze them over like ice. Everyone looked over and saw a certain princess running over to them. Emma stared at her with wide eyes, obviously confused, "Okay, don't take this the wrong way, but how the hell did you get here."

"Let Mulan go. I said, let her go!" Aurora demanded, not bothering to answer Emma's question. With pure shock written across her face, Mary Margaret scrambled off of Mulan as the other princess helped the warrior up. 

"Were you followed?"

"I don't think so. Cora may know I'm gone, but she didn't see me escape."

"How did you escape?" 

Aurora snapped her head over at Sage, panting heavily. "It was Hook, he let me go!"

Sage blinked, taking a sharp intake of breath. She definitely wasn't expecting that pirate to make a comeback any time soon. "Why?"

"Because of you." Aurora said, acting as if it was obvious. "He said he wanted to prove to you, that you should've trusted him. That if you had trusted him you could've defeated Cora together. That the two of you could've gotten the remains of the wardrobe. Without him, you'll have to go up against her all by yourself. He only wants to help. I... I think he may care for you."

By the time Aurora was done with her little explanation, Sage felt as if she was out of breath. Cared for her? Care was a strong word. In all their time on the beanstalk, Sage never once guessed that he had found an ounce of compassion for her. Pirates and Sage didn't mix and while, yes, she was aware that both of them had a mutual understanding for one another, she had exempted the thought of his feelings towards her.

"How heroic." Sage muttered irreverently, hoping that her sarcasm would cover the emotion flashing on her face. Her heart has been beating ten times faster after Aurora told her and Sage didn't know how to react. It was ridiculously to get so worked up over a pirate's possible care towards her. Aurora glanced between the four women, "Did you find a way to stop Cora?"

"Yes."

"Where are we going?"

"Rumpelstiltskin's cell, a rather joyful place." She ended her words with a sarcastic laugh, hoping that it might ease some of the weight planted on her chest.

"Great, lead the way."

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Finally, a new chapter has arrived. If you have been keeping up with my announcements, then you know that my computer and internet weren't working. Again, I am so sorry for keeping you all waiting, but the situation was out of my hands. Honestly, I'm beyond excited to write the next chapter, because you guys are finally going to meet Sage's second love (whom she considered her true love). I think you guys are going to like him. But, alas, more heartbreak is going to fill Sage. The update will hopefully come soon.

On another note, I hit 1K followers! I cannot tell you guys how thankful I am for such amazing love and support. Now, I want to do something special, but I can't decide what. Comment down some ideas if you have some! Love you all and have a happy Saturday :)