Chapter 46

Danni stood at the edge of the field and waited. She wanted to make sure that everyone was in place before she did anything. She trusted them. She didn't trust Dedrick at all or Morgana for that matter.

She looked around the edge of the forest. She could see Dedrick's forces in front of her in all the silver glory, shining in the late morning sun. She knew that Midas' had the Golden Army ready at the ramparts and the gates to flush the field when called. Santana and Danielle were in position with the Ulf and Santana had already phased. Ruby had given her the Brannonulf royal standard to wear, making her a knight for the Ulf. She might not have been born in the Enchanted Forest, but she was stepping up to protect her brethren.

Emma was to her right. She was standing ahead of the Swan Knights. Snow and Charming were at her left and Quinn was at her right, dressed as a Swan Knight. She had a very small contingency of Elves behind her, all swearing allegiance to her and the Swan Kingdoms. They were far enough in the wood line that they couldn't be seen yet.

She knew that Rachel was with the Rocs and Regina was with her. Belle was standing behind her with the remnants of the Dark Kingdoms knights and soldiers. They were more than happy to serve their defacto queen and by proxy her Queen in Regina. They'd never cared for Rumple and were glad that they would be able to join the Swan Kingdoms now.

Will had left the night before to join Midas' men. She knew that it wouldn't take long to convince Fredrick and Katherine to take their side, since they'd already pledged to do so. It was just a matter of making sure that everyone was in place at the right time.

She looked up and closed her eyes. Breathing deeply, she felt the rising tide around her. She wondered if Morgana could do the same. She wondered if Dedrick knew that he would...well might die this day. How was he going to handle the fact that he was brought here by magic and would die by it? She shook her head. Magic always came with a price. Today would be no exception.

She saw the ravens shoot across the sky. She knew that was signal that everyone was in position and ready for her word or actions to attack. They were all told to wait for her signal. She knew that everything was now up to her. She had to draw Dedrick and Morgana out. She had to cast her spell on a wider net, so that the allies would know who to turn away from and who to actually fight.

She walked out into the field. By her left side, she carried the Standard of the Swan Kingdoms. She marched and then buried the spear end of the guidon into the earth and stood proudly beside it. She drew her sword and stood at the ready. Her armor shone in the sun light. No helmet upon her head, she stood ready and waiting.

Dedrick took the bait and made his way to the front. She saw Morgana, head covered and in robes, following him. A small grouping of men followed. As they neared, Danni saw that amongst those men were Trane and Drea.

Her eyes met Drea's and she shook her head. She didn't know if it was enough, but she saw a small smile cross Drea's face. Trane and she started to slow down and work their way to the back of the grouping. When they made it to the back, Danni knew she understood what she wanted.

"WHO ARE YOU?!" Dedrick called from atop his horse, still flanked by a few men and Morgana.

"YOU'RE WITCH HASN'T TOLD YOU, DEDRICK OF EARTH? HOW UNFORTUNATE FOR YOU? SHE'S LED YOU TO YOUR DEATH AND YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW BY WHO. TELL ME. WHAT HAS SHE PROMISED YOU IN RETURN FOR YOU SHEDDING BLOOD HERE TODAY?" Danni called back to him.

She could see him bluster. He turned and looked down at Morgana, who hadn't flinched. She wondered what the witch was planning. It didn't matter. She knew that her magic was stronger. Plus, she had something that Morgana didn't...her mothers on the field of battle.

"WHO ARE YOU?"

"THEY CALL ME SER DANIELLE CORALINE FRENCH, FIRST KNIGHT OF THE SWAN KINGDOMS. I AM THE KNIGHT THAT TOOK DOWN KING GEORGE. YOU'VE COME TO THE WRONG REALM, DEDRICK. YOU WILL NOT WIN OR SURVIVE THIS UNLESS YOU STAND DOWN NOW AND LEAVE."

"AGAINST ONLY YOU? I THINK NOT. YOU ARE BUT ONE WOMAN!"

"AYE, I AM ONLY ONE WOMAN. BUT, I AM NOT ALONE. I COMMAND THE LEGIONS OF THIS REALM AND OTHERS. I HAVE MORE MEN ON THIS FIELD THAN YOU CAN DREAM ABOUT. I CALL UPON THE SWAN KINGDOMS."

Commanders for each kingdom started to break the tree lines and come into sight. Wilhelmina was standing upon the ramparts of the Golden Kingdom's walls, fist held high. A war cry broke out from the woods, but thankfully no one moved. However, the sheer amount of volume alerted Dedrick, that he had terribly misread this engagement completely.

She watched as he berated Morgana. He pointed to her and shouted, but Danni acted like it couldn't faze her at all. She heard a few wolf calls and knew that everyone was ready at her signal.

"YOU WANT A FIGHT?"

"I WANT TO DESTROY MAGIC!"

"BUT YET YOU USE MAGIC TO DO IT," she shouted back at him.

He bristled. He shifted a little bit and then stood firmer, taller in his saddle. He broke away from the small formation he'd brought out to the field with him.

Danni stood a little bit away from the flag standard, so that she was more into the view of the rest of the field. She raised her left hand with all her fingers extended and waited. To anyone else but the commanders of the forces surrounding her, it looked like she was provoking him further.

"YOUR MAGIC DESTROYED MY WIFE!"

"IT'S WASN'T MY MAGIC. AND, I KNOW ALL ABOUT YOUR WIFE, DEDRICK. SHE LEFT YOU BECAUSE YOU WERE LACKING. IT WASN'T BECAUSE OF MAGIC. IT NEVER WAS. STAND DOWN AND LEAVE THIS PLACE OR FIGHT ME ALONE. ACCEPT MY TERMS, OR YOU ALL DIE, HERE TODAY. NO MERCY."

"NEVER!"

"FINE, WE'LL DO THIS YOUR WAY THEN," she called back to him.

She closed her fist and the sound of a ferocious bird pierced the air. Large wings could be heard and then the sight of the Rocs in the air as they circled. Danielle was leading them with Rachel. She knew that they were about to cast her spell for her, dowsing the Dedrick's troops below. Their glow would let them know who was aligned with Dedrick and who was not.

"LAST CHANCE!"

"FUCK MAGIC," he replied.

"FINE."

She raised her sword and pointed towards the Silver Army. It looked like a command to attack, but none of the forces on the field moved. Instead the Rocs closed in their circle. Small barrels began to rain down from them, breaking all around the Silver Army as Danni's spell was cast and a glowing river of sparkles floated around them. It stuck to some and not to others.

She couldn't help but laugh when she realized that most of the men that followed Dedrick to midfield weren't glowing. They were looking around, almost afraid. She knew that using the Rocs in more of an aerial scare tactic would help their cause further and get more people to turn against Dedrick.

"YOU'VE PROVEN NOTHING WITH THAT," he called out to her.

"NOT TO YOU, NO, I HAVEN'T. BUT, TO OTHERS, THEY CAN SEE THE TRUTH AND THEY KNOW WHAT TO DO NOW. I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT THE PEOPLE OF THIS REALM, DEDRICK. ONLY YOU, BUT YOU ARE A COWARD AND YOU HIDE BEHIND MEN WHO DON'T FOLLOW YOU. THEY DON'T CARE FOR YOU. THEY ARE ONLY AS LOYAL TO YOU AS THE MAGIC OF YOU WITCH MAKES THEM TO BE. RELEASE THEM AND FIGHT ME."

"YOU'LL FIGHT ME ALONE?"

"YES!"

She knew that she was veering from the plan. She was supposed to draw Morgana out, but she wanted blood. She wanted Dedrick to pay. Her own mother knew that her blood lust might take over and she was doing her best not to signal the full brunt of her power or unleash the armies upon him. She could actually feel Quinn and her mother, Regina, start to move towards her.

She thrust her sword into the earth and raised both hands. Regina and Quinn stopped their forward movement. Danni waved her hand over herself and allowed the armor to fall away, showing that she was serious to Dedrick. She would fight him without armor. Too bad that he didn't know that she didn't need it. But, his men would think him a coward if he couldn't face an unarmored woman on the field of battle. She knew that she was pushing him and that was exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted to push him so far that he didn't realize that he'd fallen into her trap, that he'd taken the bait, and lost, completely. So, she stood there and waited for his answer.

Regina was livid. This was not how this was supposed to go. She knew exactly why her daughter was calling him out alone. She was after his ego and she'd win the fight, but he didn't know that. He didn't know that she was immortal. He didn't know that magic would keep her alive. He didn't know that she was the damned Dark One and no magic could control her anymore. He didn't know the trap that he was walking into, but she did.

"What is she doing?" Quinn asked her as she felt the anxiety building in Regina's demeanor.

"She's going to kill him."

"Should she do that?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" Quinn asked as her own anxiety started to rise.

"No. I've never seen her like this. The last time she went off to defend the realm, she did so by herself. Well, except for Wilhelmina. They tracked down George and she killed him. She brought his head and the war was over before it ever started. Her blood lust could already be taking over and if it has, may the gods help us, but no one would be able to stop her."

"Rachel will."

"You think highly of your Vulcannonian girlfriend. I saw what it did to Wilhelmina. I don't think that we'll get her back this time if she plunges into the Darkness, Quinn. There is just too much going against her here," Regina lamented.

"Give her credit. She's come back before. She can do it again. And, I don't think that she is jumping in so completely. I think she is just trying to get him off balance. If she pulls him away from Morgana, we have a better shot of getting her alone and away from him. Without her, he crumbles. She knows that."

"She'll fight him. She'll kill him. Morgana won't even matter," Regina replied.

Quinn bristled at her frankness. She wanted to go out there to Danni. She wanted to stop her from this madness now that she could see it for herself. Danni had been right; they weren't ready for this world, this fight, these things, but they wouldn't leave her.

Emma moved closer to them.

"She's going to kill him?" Emma asked.

"Possibly."

"Do something," Emma told her.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"She's the Dark One, Emma. My magic has no effect on her and you know that. I could try, but it would do nothing but piss her off. You remember what she looked like that last time she was pissed off. I do. She went after George for cutting that boy's tongue out. What do you think that she'll do to this prick for threatening us?"

"I hope she doesn't present us his head again. I don't think that I could stomach that a second time. But, we're her mothers. There has to be something that we can do. We can't let her do this. It will destroy her soul completely. You know that. She won't come back from this...willingly," Emma stated.

"I know that, Emma and trust me when I say that my heart is breaking, but I don't have the power to stop her."

"But, you both do," Quinn told them.

Regina and Emma looked at her for a second. Maybe that was part of the plan. She had everyone around her that could bring her back from the brink this time. She had Dedrick alone. There weren't other troops surrounding him that she would have to fight through to get to him.

"That's why she called him out alone..."

"What?" Emma questioned.

"She's expecting us...the generals to rush to her aid when she finishes him," Regina started.

"She's planned this from the beginning. It was why she's been test Rachel the most. She's been pushing her so hard since that day in the armory. She wanted her to know that battle would come and she would have to step up. She needed Rachel to be prepared to see what she could do. It wasn't just to show her how ruthless this realm is, but it was so Rachel could see if she could stomach what Danni might have to do in order to protect us," Quinn replied.

"Why would she do that to just her?" Emma questioned.

"Rachel has a policy of non-violence. She doesn't eat meat or any animal products. She makes sure that all of her clothes are animal friendly. She's vegan and lives that lifestyle to the fullest."

"How do you handle that?" Emma asked.

"I eat bacon and lots of it. I understand that violence is sometimes needed and it is usually a last resort. I have no qualms getting into a fight and neither does San, as you both know. Brittany might be quiet and reserved and come off a little ditzy, but she'll hurt you if you hurt us. I've seen it and it's scary. Danni knows that we'll stand up behind her and take our lumps with her. Rachel would be on the sidelines telling us that we were wrong for doing it in the first place and berating us for fighting. Even though we would all be there to protect her from whatever the threat is," Quinn explained.

"She was toughing the little Princess up?" Regina asked.

"Yes, why do you think that she sent her to you to learn how to be royalty, Regina? She knew that this fight would come and she knew that Rachel would demand to help. She put her on the Rocs so she would be in the heat of the battle. She put her in the air to protect her but still let her participate. She knows that the sight of the Rocs would startle Dedrick's men. And, it did. Look at them," Quinn said as she pointed at the forces across the field from them.

"At least we know who is on our side now," Emma added.

"Another one of our daughter's plans," Regina stated with a proud smile on her face.

"She's not worried about Morgana because she knows that you two can handle her. She's worried about Dedrick and his hatred. He has men that still believe the filth he spouts. His death by her hands will mean more to them than Morgana's. And, if Morgana is as big of bitch as she seems, then she won't lift a finger to help him. She wants your help, so she'll say it was to prove herself loyal to you. Don't believe her. I know how her kind thinks," Quinn told them.

"So do I, dear," Regina said as she turned to face Quinn with a delectably evil smile on her face.

"So, we wait?" Emma asked to clarify.

"We wait," Regina agreed.

"HAVE YOU THOUGHT IT OVER, DEDRICK?" Danni called out to him.

Morgana smiled beside him. She had no doubts that Danni could take Dedrick in a fair fight or even an unfair one. But, she didn't know if Dedrick was stupid enough to fall for her badgering. His ego was already hurt bad enough before they got to this realm. She had no doubt that Danni would end him if she could, but she wasn't sure that her family would let her do it. Then, she began to wonder what Danni was honestly planning.

She didn't care about Dedrick or his health. She never had. He was just a means to her end to getting back to Avalon. She only cared about finding her way to Regina and getting home.

"WILL YOU FIGHT ME OR NOT, DEDRICK?" Danni continued to badger him.

He got down off his horse. A page was quick to take the reins and his helmet as he removed it from his head. Now, he was showing everyone who he really was. Morgana wondered if they could feel the fear that was flowing from him as he moved closer to her.

"Do you think that I can beat that woman?"

"No," Morgana replied quickly.

"Why is calling me out with no armor, then?" Dedrick asked her.

"Because she doesn't need armor to fight you."

"Why not?"

"Because she is more than she appears, Dedrick. You've really screwed yourself over this time. Even if you somehow managed to fight her and win, she has you surrounded by both magical and non-magical beings. You and the men that are actually loyal to you won't leave the field alive. She's got you trapped and you cannot even see it."

"Shut up, witch. You are trying to confuse me. I will have my revenge. I will kill her," he stated.

"It's your funeral," Morgana replied.

"Prepare for my battle, witch. Get the men ready. Once I stomp this pompous knight, we will take the field," Dedrick demanded.

"If we must, then we must," she replied as she started back towards the man forces.

She waved her hands over the men and all their armor changed. She was going to make this a fairer fight if it came to it, but she doubted that it would. She could see the fire in Danni's eyes. She knew that the woman would decimate him quickly.

"DEDRICK, WILL YOU FIGHT?"

"I WILL FIGHT YOU, BITCH. NO MAGIC. SWORDS ONLY."

"DEAL!" Danni called back.

Danni turned her head towards the woodline. She knew that she couldn't see any of the generals or other royals in front of their forces. She could still feel them though and she felt the love of her family flowing across the field and towards her. Closing her eyes, she let magic flow through her until it sought out the one person that she knew wouldn't question her motives for the next few commands she would give.

"Quinn..."

Quinn's head snapped up and she looked across the field harder at Danni.

"I know you can hear me, especially with your elf ears. I need your help. I know that it doesn't seem like much but you are the only one that can do this for me."

"What do you need, Danni?" she asked as Regina and Emma turned to give her quizzical looks.

"Tell Mom and Ma to stand down for now. They will know when to take the fight. I will be okay."

Quinn turned and faced Regina head on before telling her, "She's asking you to stand down."

"I won't abandon this field."

"I am not asking her to leave. Just tell her to stand down. She doesn't need to be ready to fight. I will deal with it all for her. Just tell her to prepare the royals for me."

"She wants you to prepare the royals, not abandon the field," Quinn explained.

"What does that mean?" Emma asked.

"She said that you would know, Regina," Quinn added as Regina shook her head in agreement.

"Quinn?" Danni asked.

"She's agreed. Continue. What else to you need?"

"Take Rachel back to the castle. She shouldn't see this. She isn't ready for this carnage."

"Shouldn't that be her choice?" Quinn questioned.

"Quinn..."

"I'll ask her, nothing more," Quinn replied.

"Fine," Danni said and broke their link.

Danni pulled the right sleeve off her tunic and turned to the side. She showed her tattoo to them. Regina smiled. Danni was planning to save herself the only way she could...through magic.

"What does that mean?" Quinn asked her.

"Call for Rachel and I'll tell you all," Regina said.

Quinn whistled for Rachel and Thoren. They landed a few seconds later off to their left. Rachel came running up to them, a puzzled look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Rachel asked them.

"She wants you to leave the field," Quinn stated.

"I will not."

"I told her you wouldn't," Quinn added.

"Why?" Rachel inquired.

"She doesn't want you to witness the carnage she is about to unleash on him."

"He has threatened her family, her friends, her realms, her kingdoms, and her way of life. Carnage should be the least of his worries when she is done with him. I may not believe in violence, but this man will not stop until everyone is dead...including himself. So, let her give him his wish," Rachel stated.

"Well, okay, then, but we are so talking about this later," Quinn replied.

"Fine, but what's up the tattoo?"

"That tattoo is from her timeline and one that I used to give my Elite Guards. The crest is that of the Swan Kingdoms and it is bound by blood magic. The has to obey it. Even her dark magic can't override the blood magic etched into her skin," Regina said with a smile.

"What does that mean?" Rachel asked for clarification.

"It means that she has to respond to the commands of the Queens of the Swan Kingdoms. In her timeline, that would have been Emma, Snow and myself. Here, it includes Belle, Ruby, and now you, Rachel as Queen of Vulcannon, and by default as the last of the High Elves, Quinn is a their queen. She is using it as an out to protect her soul and keep her from turning into the blood thirsty and raging Dark One. She is showing us how to help her keep things in check," Regina said.

"What else does she have with her? Is that the Swan Princess Sword that she's carrying? Regina?"

Regina looked across the field and then pulled out a small mirror. She looked into the glass and realized that the sword that Danni was carrying was indeed the magical Swan Princess Sword. She nodded at Emma and then showed her as they watched from afar. Danni reached down to her hand and pulled off a piece of leather thong. She used it to pull up her hair, so it wouldn't impead her during the fight.

"Is that my lucky shoe lace... that's Graham's bootlace," Emma murmured as she watched her daughter in the mirror.

"What can we do for her from here, Regina?" Quinn asked.

"Send her all your love. Let it wash over you and send it across the field to her. Let her bathe in its light. She needs to know that we stand with her, even when she's in the darkest of places. We will help her back into the light," Regina told them.

"Always," Rachel and Quinn said as they held hands, letting their love flow freely towards their friend.

"Pass along word to those loyal to us and the other royals, Emma. Use the mirror. Hurry."

"I love you."

"I love you, Darling," Regina replied as she turned to face her daughter again.

She let the light of her love glow inside her. She pulled it out and pushed it towards her daughter. She would be bathed in the armor of love and light. Dedrick didn't stand a chance against it. And, all Regina could do was smile. Her daughter was ever thinking and ever protecting. They would deal with Morgana, but first, Dedrick would be dealt with. Her smile grew as soon as she felt Emma's hand in her own, their love merging and then flowing towards their daughter.