CHAPTER TEN
True Identity

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

     EVERYBODY WENT ON TO DO THEIR PART IN ORDER TO HELP SAVE HENRY. Zelda was sitting in a boat with Regina, Emma and Gold while Neal rowed them across the water towards Skull Rock. Once they were inside and tied down the boat, Emma noticed the footprints on the ground and followed them. Before she could get far, something pushed her away and she landed on the ground. Neal helped her up while Zelda wondered what the hell just happened.

     "What the hell was that?" Neal asked.

     "A protection spell," Gold answered and Zelda scoffed.

     "So when Regina uses magic, it's cheating but when Pan uses it, it's okay," she said. "Makes perfect sense."

     "There has to be a way to break it," Regina said as she tried to break the barrier that kept them out with fire but all it did was bounce back on them.

     "Be careful with that!" Neal said.

     "Try all you want but Pan's magic is far too powerful, at least for you," Gold said while pointing at Regina.

     Gold walked right through the barrier which confused everybody, including Zelda. There was so much more to magic that she still didn't understand.

     "How did you do that?" Emma asked.

     "The spell was made to keep out anyone who casts a shadow," Gold said.

     "So you were telling the truth about ripping your shadow off," Neal said.

     "Pan knows it and that's why he casted the spell he did. It's not about keeping you out, it's about drawing me in. He knows I won't refuse the chance to finish what I came here to do," Gold explained.

     "You really did come here to save Henry," Neal said.

     "I gave you my trust with that box now I need you to give it back," Gold said.

     Neal took out Pandora's box but Regina grabbed it from him before walking up to Gold. If he didn't come through and save Henry, she was going to make whatever Pan had planned for him look like child's play. Gold took the box from her and carried on to find Pan and Henry.

     "What are we supposed to do now?" Regina asked.

     "I didn't come here just to sit out and do nothing," Zelda said as she stabbed the ground with the head of her spear.

     "What about the spell my father used to rip off his shadow?" Neal asked.

     "If I knew how to do that, I would've done it already," Regina said with her hands on her hips.

     "The moon," Emma said and everybody looked at her.

     "What about it?" Regina questioned.

     "The moon is what causes our shadows, right? What if there was a way to block it out using magic?" Emma asked.

     "Like an eclipse? Is that even possible?" Neal asked.

     "Maybe," Regina said. "Follow my lead."

     Regina and Emma raised their hands towards the moon and Zelda could see the induced eclipse start. Their magic was slowly blocking the moon until all their shadows disappeared.

     "Did it work?" Zelda asked as she stood in front of the barrier.

     "Only one way to find out," Regina said before pushing her through the barrier.

     Zelda let out a short scream as she fell onto the ground and spit the dirt out her mouth as she stood up.

     "What the hell? What if that didn't work?" she asked as she brushed the dirt off her overalls.

     At this point, she didn't know why she even tried anymore. She had fallen or sat down in dirt more times than she could count.

     "You'll live," Regina said as she walked through and so did the others.

     The four of them rushed down the trail until they found Henry and Pan standing near a giant hourglass. Henry was holding his own heart in his hand and Zelda lifted her spear, prepared to fight.

     "Henry, wait!" Neal shouted. "Whatever Pan is telling you to do, don't do it."

     "You're alive?" Henry asked.

     "He's alive," Zelda said while nodding.

     "Henry, listen to me. Pan is lying to you," Neal said.

     "Pleasure to see you too, Baelfire, not to mention the Saviour, the Evil Queen, and the Lost Girl," Pan said while looking at Neal, Emma, Regina and Zelda.

     "Henry, you need to get away from him now. He's trying to hurt you," Emma said.

     "No. The heart of the Truest Believer is what's going to save magic," Henry said.

     "No, it's not," Regina said.

     "This isn't about saving magic, it's about Pan saving his own skin," Zelda said.

     "She's right, Henry. It's always been about him," Regina said.

     "That's not true!" Henry protested.

     "Of course it isn't!" Pan said.

     "Yes, it is!" Neal said.

     "Henry, don't listen to him! He's going to trick you the same way he tricked me," Zelda said.

     "Listen to us. Pan can't live without you dying and that's the truth. If you give him your heart you will die," Neal said.

     "They're trying to stem your belief, Henry," Pan said while looking at the little boy.

     "Shut up, Pan! You are lying to him the same way you lied to me! Henry, once you do this, you won't be of any use to him anymore and he'll dispose of you just like he disposed of everyone else who trusted him," Zelda said while pointing at Pan with her spear.

     "Don't listen to her, Henry. She came here willingly so she has no one to blame but herself."

     "Do you know what he does to people who don't do what he wants? He rips out their shadows, he locks them away, and he drives them over the edge."

     "All heroes get tested, Henry," Pan said and the little boy nodded.

     "This won't make you a 'hero' because all you are to this demon is a pawn in his game," Zelda countered.

     "Henry, please. I know what being a hero looks like and this isn't it," Emma said and Henry looked at Pan.

     "Why would they lie?" he asked.

     "Because that's what adults do, Henry. You know that better than anyone," Pan said and Zelda could feel the anger rising in her chest.

     The manipulation had blurred the lines between reality and lying and as long as Pan told Henry what he wanted him to believe, he wasn't going to listen to his family.

     "Henry, you have to believe us," Regina said, practically pleading with the little boy at this point.

     "Your parents don't care about Neverland. They know if you give your heart to save it then you'll have to stay. They're being selfish because they don't wanna lose you," Pan said.

     "Neverland is nothing but a prison!" Zelda said.

     "You have to trust us," Emma said calmly.

     "Trust? I'm the only one who has ever been honest with you. I'm the only one who ever believed in you. This is not their choice, it's yours," Pan said.

     "You think I don't know manipulation when I see it? That's what he's doing, Henry. He's manipulating you," Zelda said.

     "I'm the one who took you away from that prison you called a home. I'm the one who took you away from that horrible woman who was supposed to be your mother. She never loved you and you know it. I gave you a second chance, me! And this is how you repay me," Pan said.

     "You lied to me, you tricked me, you threatened to kill me and you held me prisoner here. For that, you don't deserve my thanks or a chance to live," Zelda retaliated.

     "We believe in you, Henry," Neal said.

     "Because we love you," Emma added.

     "More than anything," Regina continued.

     "I love you too," Henry said and his family smiled. "I'm sorry, but I have to save magic."

     "No!" Everyone shouted but it was too late.

     Henry shoved his own heart into Pan's chest and a force knocked everybody down except for Pan. Henry's family rushed over to his unconscious body and Zelda gripped her spear as she watched Pan levitate in the air. She looked at the way Henry's family tried to wake him up but he didn't move an inch.

     "What did you do to him?" Emma demanded.

     "I didn't do anything. That was all on him. He offered me his heart of his own free will," Pan said as he landed on the ground and walked over to them.

     "Don't take another step," Zelda said as she lifted her spear and the head lightly touched Pan's chest.

     "I'm gonna take his heart back from you," Emma said as she drew her sword and charged towards Pan but he disappeared before she could get close to him.

     "I don't think you have it in you. Rumpelstiltskin didn't, why should you?" Pan asked, taunting the woman.

     "Where is he?" Neal asked.

     "He's right in this box. Safe and sound and out of the way. He can't hurt me anymore and neither can you," Pan said while holding Pandora's box.

     "Wanna bet?" Emma asked as she cut his arm with her sword. "How did that feel?"

     "Like a tickle," Pan replied.

     He levitated again and flew out of the opening, leaving everyone behind with an unconscious Henry. Regina casted a preservation over his body to buy them enough time to find Pan and catch him.

     "I should've stuck him when I had the chance," Zelda said.

     "You might still be able to help us. Neal, you were a Lost Boy. Any idea where he might've gone?" Emma asked.

     "I know where he lived, his compound─"

     "We all know that. Do you think he's stupid enough to go back?" Regina asked, cutting Neal off. "You're useless."

     "That's enough," Emma said.

     "Don't tell me what's enough. My son is dying!" Regina said while looking at Henry.

     "Our son," Emma corrected her. "I know how you feel."

     "You have no idea what I feel. You have your parents, you have this person, you have everything yet you claim to understand how I feel? All I have is Henry and I'm not about to lose him because he is everything to me," Regina said and Zelda could hear her voice break.

     "The fact that you even had someone like Henry in your life is more than I can ever say. I wish my birth parents loved me the same way Emma and Neal love Henry. I wish my adopted parents loved me the same way you love Henry. For almost two hundred years, I had no one. I don't even have anyone to fight for but you have Henry. Henry is your reason to fight Pan. All I wanna do is make Pan suffer and if I have to help you find Pan and capture him then I will. All you need to do is tell me how I can help," Zelda said.

     "Even if we can find Pan, he was powerful before. With Henry's heart, I don't know if we can hurt him," Neal said.

     "We can," Regina said and pointed to Emma's sword which had blood on it from when she nicked Pan. "If he can bleed, we can hurt him."

     "If we can hurt him, we can kill him," Zelda said.

     "Which we will."

━━━━

     "IF GOLD IS IN THE BOX THEN DAVID CAN NEVER LEAVE THE ISLAND," Mary Margaret said when the others returned from Skull Rock.

     "Right now, all that matters is Henry," David said. "How much time do we have?"

     "Maybe an hour before the preservation spell wears off," Regina said.

     "If Pan is airborne, he can be anywhere on the island," Neal said.

     "An hour is not much time so I suggest we start looking," Killian said and Regina marched over to the group of Lost Boys.

     "Where is he?" she demanded as she grabbed Felix by his cloak.

     "Gone. There's nothing you can do. He's already won. He never fails," he said.

     Zelda lifted her spear and the tip barely his throat. "Tell us where he is right now or I will gladly go for another round of our little fight," she said slowly. "And this time, I will not hold back."

     "Easy, love. You'll get your chance if they don't cooperate," Killian said as he pulled Zelda away from Felix and Emma pulled Regina away.

     Emma offered them a home and a family outside of Neverland. All they had to do was tell them where Pan was. Emma told them the truth about why Pan needed Henry's heart but Felix tried to keep them from getting to the Lost Boys.

     "Pan cares about all of us," he said and Zelda scoffed.

     "I almost believed you there for a second," she said with her arms crossed.

     "Leave now while Pan still allows you to breathe," he said as he stood up but Killian used his hook hand to sit him back down.

     "Where is Pan?" Emma asked slowly.

     "Not telling," Felix said at the same pace.

     "How about I give you another cut to match the scar on your face?" Zelda asked. "I got years of pent up anger and I would love to make you bleed right about now."

     "Can you really bring us home?" a little boy asked.

     "Shut your mouth!" Felix said and Zelda pressed the tip of her spear into the skin of his neck deep enough to draw blood.

     "I dare you to talk to him like that again," she said slowly.

     "We can bring you home," Emma said and the little boy nodded.

     "His thinking tree," he said.

     "No!" Felix shouted and Zelda pressed her spear even deeper.

     "Shut your mouth," she said and he glared at her.

     "Yes, his Thinking Tree," another boy said.

     "Stop it!" Felix continued to protest while Killian held him back and Zelda held her spear against his skin.

     "What is that?" Emma asked.

     "It's where he goes when he wants to be alone," the little boy said.

     "You'll find him there. It's not far from here," the other boy said.

     "Don't trust them! Especially her!" Felix said while pointing at Zelda. "She betrayed Pan and all of us when she escaped!"

     "Escaping a cage where you continued to taunt me day and night is betrayal? You're funny," Zelda scoffed.

     "Can you tell us where it is?" Emma asked.

     "Yes, but you have to swear, swear that you'll take us with you," the little boy said.

     Emma promised him and all the other Lost Boys that they would go with them when they get off the island. It was like when Mary Margaret offered Zelda a home when they found her in the jungle after getting in a fighr with the Lost Boys. The little boy told them that Pan's Thinking Tree was in the Pixie Woods where pixie dust used to grow. Everyone was given a task to either capture Pan or get the Lost Boys to the Jolly Roger. Zelda went with Killian and the others to bring Henry and the Lost Boys onto the ship. She caught Felix glaring at her every now and then but she knew that if he wanted to fight, she would have no problem giving him another round.

     "You think you're so clever?" he asked and Zelda sighed.

     "I was clever enough to escape you guys and hide in the jungle," she replied as she helped lay Henry on the ground.

     "Did you forget who you were when you first came here? You were a scared little girl who had nobody to love her so you let Pan bring you here, thinking you would be free but you were so stupid, you didn't realize what you were really getting yourself into," Felix said and Killian's jaw twitched as he listened to the way he was taunting her. "You were nothing and even now, all you have is your anger. And without that, you will continue to be nothing."

     "Don't let him get to you, Zelda," Killian said as the small girl looked at the blonde boy who taunted her and tortured her for all those years.

     "If anger is all I have, then all you have is blind loyalty. Pan doesn't care about you," Zelda said as she stood right in front of Felix. "You're nothing more than his lapdog."

     As she walked away, Killian could see the anger on Felix's face as he got up and charged towards Zelda.

     "Zelda, look out!" he shouted but when she turned around, Felix tackled her to the ground.

     Killian tried to pull him off her but Felix only pushed him away while Zelda reached for her spear. She punched him in the face and then shoved her knee into his stomach so he would loosen his grip on her. She grabbed her spear and stood up and Felix stood up with his own weapon. The both of them squared off while the Lost Boys watched from the sidelines, just like they did a hundred and seventy-seven years ago.

     "You will regret the day you were born, Lost Girl," Felix growled.

     "You want another round?" Zelda asked.

     "For old times sake."

     "Bring it, Lost Boy."

     Felix charged forward and swung his club at Zelda's head but she ducked under it and swiped at his stomach. Felix dodged it and she aimed for his leg. He hissed as she nicked his skin and went to hit her in the head with his weapon but she used her own to block him.

     "Show everybody here who you really are!" he shouted as he tried to force her to the ground. "Show everybody what happens when you cross Zelda!"

     Zelda's anger was fueled by everything Pan put her through while he had her trapped in Neverland. He locked her away, he isolated her from everybody, he threatened her, tortured her, taunted her and manipulated her. As for Felix, he wasn't much different. He also tortured her psychologically, taunted her from outside the cage and was one of the things that drove her to nearly ending her own life. This time, neither him or Pan were going to ruin her life and take more from her. Not anymore.

     A low growl escaped her throat as her eyes turned bright orange and even Felix was confused for a moment. She used her spear to push him away and he fell onto the ground and dropped his club. She held her spear tightly as she stepped towards him and prepared to stab him with the pointed head but Killian grabbed her wrists.

     "Don't do it, Zelda! You will regret it for the rest of your life," he said as she struggled against his grip. "Do not let him push you over that edge."

     Zelda looked at Felix who was still sitting on the ground and her eyes faded back to their natural brown colour. She pulled her wrists away from Killian's grip and grabbed Felix by his cloak.

     "Consider yourself lucky," she whispered through her teeth before pushing him onto the floor.

     If it wasn't for Killian, she would've killed that boy. And if she did, she would never be able to come back from it.