They had climbed down for what felt like hours, Emma's arms trembling with fatigue. The wind started to pick up as they descended, and it felt dry and icy. Her hands were starting to go numb when David tapped her shoulder. He had to shout over the roar, and she noticed snowflakes starting to fly by.

"There's a shelter we carved into the stalk not far from here, can you make it a little further?"

She nodded, and followed him downward. He disappeared suddenly and she realized he'd crawled inside the stalk itself. She swung down and saw that a hollow cavity had been created within the twisted vines, probably with magic. It was big enough for a few people to stretch out, and she crawled inside with relief. She slipped off her pack and sprawled out on the floor, not caring that the ridges of vines were poking into her back, or that cold air still whistled in through the gaps in the vegetation. She wanted to sleep for a week.

"We can't make a fire, too risky. But at least it's sheltered. We made this little pocket soon after we found the stalk. The bottom of it lands high in the southern mountains, and it's freezing pretty much year round. It's too long a climb in the cold if you don't have a spot to rest."

Emma wanted to ask how they had managed the first climb with babies and the elderly, but was too tired to open her pack to find paper and pen. David pulled out a thermos and poured her a cup of something steaming hot. She sat up to take it and realized, with a silent moan of satisfaction, that it was cocoa.

"It's just the cheap powdered stuff," said David, smiling at her reaction. "But I saved a packet. Just in case."

She mouthed "Thank you" as clearly as she could, and sipped the cocoa with glee, not caring as it scalded her tongue. The warmth and sweetness seemed to replace the frozen blood in her veins.

"We should catch a few hours sleep here, if we can, before dawn. The mountains are hard going and we'll need to be alert."

Emma's lids were already starting to slam shut. She'd barely laid her head on her pack before passing out.

She was suspended in that in-between space, the soft black void where dreams winked like precious stones, beckoning her. She hesitated, thinking it would be smarter to surface from this place and get a real night's sleep. Her last trip to the Dreamworld had been a disaster. She'd gotten Jamri killed and her cheek sliced to hell. Vakyr had nearly caught her. But that was when she'd been Seeking in the Dreamworld, she reminded herself. The individual dreams suspended here in this place belonged to their dreamers, and Vakyr wouldn't be lurking in any of them. After all, she'd visited Killian in one of his dreams, and that had been very nice, mostly. She remembered the deck of the Jolly Roger covered in candles and her husband lying naked- stop it, Swan! She didn't have a body in this place, but if she did, it would be blushing. Unable to help herself, she sought Killian's dreams. But the intense blue star she'd seen last time wasn't here. Maybe he wasn't asleep, or just not dreaming. Ignoring the crushing disappointment, she considered finding her daughter. But she'd never entered a child's dream. Would that be different somehow? She didn't want to scare Moriah, either.

Who else could she contact who would be useful? She and David were headed to the EF tomorrow, and from there to Arendelle, somehow. They would have to either find a ship to sail from the EF, which seemed unlikely, or cross overland, which was an immense distance to cover. The realms were so far apart that most people in either one didn't know the other existed! So how could they pass on foot, across a wasteland that had been conquered by Asgard and was crawling with Sentinels. Who could get them across safely? Mulan was in charge of the EF forces now, maybe she could help! Emma concentrated hard, but no stars winked at her in a way that seemed like Mulan. She too, was apparently not dreaming tonight, or like Jamri said, there had to be strong feelings between herself and the dreamer to bring her into their dream.

Regina? That could work. Emma knew that Henry was with her, and maybe Ruby. She considered trying Henry first, but considering he was pretty upset with her these days, she chickened out. But Regina probably knew the occupied EF landscape better than just about anyone! Were they back in the EF now? Only one way to find out. She pictured Regina in her mind's eye, and was thrilled to see a brilliant purple star zoom toward her, growing as it approached until it filled her vision.

She blinked, and found herself in what appeared to be a dungeon. Torchlight bathed the black stone walls. It reminded her of the dungeons beneath the Evil Queen's castle, actually. She crept along, quiet as a mouse, until she heard voices. More light was spilling from a room at the end of the corridor. There was a man speaking, in a silky, authoritative voice, answered by a woman. It sounded like Regina. Emma tiptoed to the open door and listened.

"I have to admit, though I have little use for humans, that you intrigue me, General."

"Likewise, Commander. Why don't you let me out of these manacles and I'll show you just how intriguing I can be?"

"Simple creature, you think you can seduce me, leader of the Dvergar? You are my prisoner, to do with as I please."

There was a tearing of fabric, and a gasp, followed by what sounded like a slap.

"You bastard! I'm the Evil Queen of the Enchanted Forest! Nobody-"

Regina's tirade was cut off with a moan, and Emma had heard enough. She knew, logically, that this was just a nightmare and Regina was in no danger. But she couldn't just stand by and listen to her be beaten! Emma had had enough of torture chambers, of men who thought they could violate and abuse and get away with it. She was going to unload a can of whoop-ass on whatever dickhead was slapping her friend around.

She unholstered her gun and kicked the door in, and was immediately rewarded for her heroism with a sight she could never unsee: a very naked, very muscular elf was pinning Regina against the wall and pumping his hips in a very rhythmic, recognizable way. True, Regina was shackled by the wrists to the wall of the cell, but judging by the blissful look on her face, and the legs she had wrapped enthusiastically around the elf's perfect ass, she was feeling ANYTHING but torture at the moment. Emma froze, spinning this way and that, wanting to run or melt into the walls.

"Swan?! What the hell!?"

Emma holstered her gun and clapped her hands over her eyes, backing blindly toward the door she'd just kicked in. "Sorry, my bad, I'll just see myself out-"

"Can't I even get away from you in my dreams, for crying out loud?!"

"Sorry, Regina! I thought you were being tortured-"

"And you just thought you'd show up and save me from a figment of my own imagination? You really DO have a savior complex, you know."

"Yeah, I know," agreed Emma, weakly. Suddenly there was a breeze on her face and she risked peeking between her fingers. They were on the balcony of the castle, in Regina's chambers. Emma dropped her hands. No naked elves. Regina herself stood at the railing, gazing out into a beautiful sunset. The Enchanted Forest stretched out below them, emerald and fragrant and whole. Emma joined her at the railing, keeping a few feet between them in case Regina felt inclined to toss her over.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" asked Regina, softly. "I wonder if I'll ever see it like this again."

"I hope so," replied Emma. She turned to face Regina and was startled to realize that both dark eyes were intact, no streak of silver in her hair. No heavy makeup or jewelry. She looked younger and…lighter, somehow. Elegant in a simple purple silk robe, with her loose dark hair drifting with the breeze. Emma realized that this wass how Regina saw herself, in her deepest heart. It made Emma sad, to think of what the war had done to them all, how it had changed them. She felt connected to Regina at that moment, the way she had years ago when they'd become something like friends, before the Robin and Marian fiasco. Then the woman opened her mouth, and reminded Emma that they were not exactly friends these days.

"So what do you want, Swan? I assume you're actually visiting my dream, somehow."

Emma's jaw dropped. "How did you know that?"

Regina smiled wickedly. "Rest assured that I did not conjure you into my little dungeon scene down there. And you've tagged along here despite my wishing you would evaporate. Ergo, you must be projecting yourself magically somehow. How are you doing it, anyway? Potion? Spell?"

Emma closed her mouth with a snap. "No, actually. After I escaped from the Temple, an old woman took me in. She taught me how to Dreamwalk."

Regina quirked a brow. "That sounds useful, actually. Aside from peeping into dreams where you have no business being, that is. Can you communicate with anyone this way?"

"Only if they're dreaming, and it has drawbacks. Embarrassing drawbacks. Obviously. I'm surprised you're so quick to believe I'm here, actually. Usually people don't believe it's real."

"I've seen crazier things," she replied, smirking. Emma smiled back, faintly.

"I guess you have. Well, I am here, and I need to ask you how to get through the EF from the southern mountains all the way to Arendelle, overland."

Regina snorted. "Impossible. Even if the EF weren't completely overrun by enemy forces, the northern mountains make the southern mountains look like Tahiti. There's a reason that there's no trade between our realms. Even the journey by sea is too dangerous. Unless you have someone like Moriah or Rumple to portal you, I don't recommend it."

"I'm going to have to try," said Emma. "Where are you right now, anyway? Are you back in the EF with Henry and Ruby? How is he doing?"

"He's recovered pretty well, all things considered. You'd know better than I would what he went through in the Temple. Spends most of his days learning to swordfight from the elves. We're in the Ljosalfar, the realm of the Dvergar."

"The dark elves? Ah, that would explain, er-" Emma drifted off, biting her lip. She and Regina exchanged a mischievous glance.

"Yes, the perfect ass you just witnessed belongs to the commander of the dark elf war forces. Not that I've had the privilege of seeing it in person. Yet. He's joining us in the fight against Asgard. We're heading into the Crossings tomorrow, should be in the EF by daybreak."

"You're taking on Asgard in the EF?" asked Emma, frowning.

"That's the plan. We're going to drive them out for good. Finally!" she said, gazing out over the forest triumphantly.

"But Regina-"

"Whatever you're going to propose, Emma, just save it. I'm going to run every last Asgardian prick out of my lands, starting with this castle and working my way to the coast. Give me half a year, and I'll walk you to Arendelle myself."

"But Regina, the main Asgardian force is massing in Arendelle right now. They'll be able strike you from there in numbers you can't even imagine, once you've weakened yourself clearing out the handful left in the EF. Your plan is suicide!"

Regina's head snapped around. An eyepatch briefly flickered into place, a silver streak licking her dark hair. "What do you mean? You've seen this?"

"In the Dreamworld, there are ways to find information. Dangerous ways," she added, touching her swollen cheek. "I lost a friend finding this out, Regina. Trust me. Asgard has thousands of troops camped in the fields around Elsa's castle. They have control of the whole city. And I'm pretty sure that…their leader, Vakyr," she choked slightly on the name, "I'm pretty sure he's headed there, himself. He tried to catch me in Arendelle, in the Dreamworld. It's important. I think the entire war could depend on what happens there."

Regina was quiet for a long time. Emma could almost see the gears turning in her mind. Finally she spoke, but what she said was not at all what Emma expected.

"We captured a young Acolyte here, in the fighting. He said he helped you escape. He said that Vakyr had cursed you. But you can talk, so now I'm wondering if what he told us was true at all."

Emma was so shocked she just gaped at Regina. She swallowed hard. "There was a young guy who helped me get out of Asagarth. Took an arrow to the chest, though. I figured he'd died. As for the curse…it's real. It just doesn't affect me here, in the Dreamworld. But out there? Out there, I have no magic, no voice. No power. Regina…I don't know how I'm going to get out of this one."

"I'm sorry, Swan. It killed Henry to hear about it."

"Henry…h-he knows? What Vakyr did to me?"

"Yes, and I think half the reason he's training himself into the ground every night is so he can rip Vakyr apart the next time he sees him. He was, um, pretty pissed to find out we saved him at the cost of leaving you behind. He said Vakyr was mostly interested in the Savior, and the daughter she would have. He pretty much called us all idiots for handing you to him on a silver platter. He still won't even speak to Ruby, though that probably has as much to do with Rhys as anything else."

Emma's throat was so tight she was amazed she could talk. "Tell Henry I'm fine, and not to take any risks for me. I'm the only one who can take Vakyr down, and break the curse. And yeah, the guy is pretty much obsessed with Moriah."

"Mekri, the Acolyte? He said you never even gave the bastard your name, even after what he did to you."

They shared a long look, understanding passing between them like a live current. "No, I didn't."

"Good," said Regina. "Now, as for Arendelle…"

"If you waste your army of elves in the EF, Asgard will sweep down from Arendelle and crush you."

Regina pounded the railing with her fists.

"Damn it! But even if we shift tactics to attack Arendelle, our forces are no match for thousands of troops. That many men means hundreds of support Sentinels, dozens of Brothers wielding magic. We'd need…" she sputtered, apparently running into a strategic logjam. "We'd need every dark elf, every light elf, a hundred, no, a thousand dragons, Rumple, Elsa, you, me, every fighter left in the EF…"

"Anything else?" asked Emma, wryly. "Explosives?"

"Yes, explosives! And a freaking miracle, while you're at it!" she exclaimed, throwing up her hands. The eyepatch flickered into place and stayed there. The General was back.

"Listen, I'll be down from the Beanstalk in the morning with David, in the southern mountains. We can make our way to you. You said you'll come by the Crossings?"

"That WAS the plan. We meant to come out of the portal by the castle at daylight and strike hard for the castle," she said, nodding in the direction the portal lay, not far from here.

"Well, if you stick to that plan, just watch out for an Asgardian legion posted in the Crossings. When I came through a few days ago, they were still repairing whatever you did to the bridge to the EF. That was you, wasn't it?"

Regina grinned wickedly. "Me, and one of your nasty Crossings trolls. Took down a Sentinel, but had to knock out the bridge to do it."

Emma smiled, impressed. "Well, be prepared, anyway. I was hoping to meet up with Mulan and her forces to make our way through the EF, if you weren't available. Any idea where they'd be?"

Regina shook her head. "No, once I instituted Protocol Azimuth, I was out of the loop. They could be anywhere. Though come to think of it, there was an abandoned mine in the southern mountains we considered as a base once. Maybe you should check before moving out. It's at the base of the third tallest peak, where the trees are thickest. Even if they're not there, you'll find supplies and a place to shelter for a night."

"Thanks. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know, but we need time to reconsider the plan. Can you visit my dreams tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, I'll try. We need to figure out how to attack Arendelle. I think Killian is trying to get some dragons, actually, which could help. And of course we can get information about the city from Elsa-"

"Dragons?! Why didn't you say-"

"I don't know for sure, it's something I saw when I was Seeking in the Dreamworld. But I think he's trying to find some." Emma didn't add that she saw the Jolly Roger in the claws of the biggest dragon she'd ever seen. She had no idea what it meant, anyway.

"Well, try to find out before our next meeting. It could make all the difference," said Regina. "And Swan…"

"Yeah?" asked Emma, turning back.

"I'm glad you made it out of Asgard."

"Enjoy the rest of your dream," teased Emma, and vanished as she turned on the spot.