Lotus smiled.

"It's good to be home, Captain," she said with a small sigh of relief. Safe. They were safe, and they were home, the Captain of the Guard was even there to escort them back to the palace.

"Come, this way," the Captain urged. "Much has happened, and your parents will want to see you. And your guests."

Coral grinned and beckoned to Henry and Hook. Henry followed with a grin; Hook not so much.

Lotus nodded and glanced around.

"...where's Mr. Gold?" she asked, turning so she could look more closely around them. "Wasn't he just here?"

"He was," Coral said, turning to look properly. "He wandered off, didn't he."

"He probably wanted to look around," Henry volunteered.

Coral heaved a sigh. "Well, guess we should look for him."

Lotus groaned a bit.

"This isn't going to be pretty," she said. "He's not supposed to be able to get into the city, there are wards specifically to keep the Dark One out."

"I know," Coral grumbled. "We'll find him eventually. Besides, I don't think he can do too much harm." Hopefully, anyway.

"He could be anywhere in the city by now," Lotus said with a sigh. "We may as well head to the castle and get cleaned up, and send some troops out to look."

"That sounds fair," Coral agreed after a moment. "Alright, let's go."

"Are we really going to your castle?" Henry asked, walking next to Lotus.

Lotus grinned.

"Yeah," she replied as the Captain and the rest of the guards fell in around them. "It's home, after all."

"Awesome." Henry grinned.

Coral grinned a bit. His enthusiasm was cute. But she was really, really looking forward to being home.

Lotus made a small noise as they got to the front gates.

"Oh," she breathed. "We're home..."

The captain smiled a little and opened the gate for them, letting them inside.

Coral was nearly vibrating with excitement as she stepped in the gate, looking around. Everything looked the same, and she relaxed a little.

Lotus could hear soft whispers of "your highness" all around as she and Coral went inside. She couldn't help but relax as she saw the familiar faces of the serving staff.

Coral grinned when their parents came over to greet them, and their guests. Since this was still out in the open, the greeting was a little more subdued.

"Thank goodness you both made it back," their mother murmured, giving each of them a hug. "I've been worried."

"We tried," Lotus murmured as she hugged their mother tightly. "We were trapped somewhere with no magic, there was no way out."

"You're here now, and that's what matters," their mother murmured. "There will be time to tell us everything later. For now, dears, introduce us to your guests."

Lotus couldn't help but smile.

"Of course," she said. She glanced at the others. "These are Henry Mills and Captain Hook. They were nearby when we got pulled back here." She grimaced a bit. "And... so was the Dark One."

"The Dark One?" Their mother's eyes narrowed. "Hmm. We will have search parties scour the city for him." She paused for a moment before she looked at all four of them. "In the meantime, I know you two will want to settle back into your rooms, and I'm sure your guests wouldn't mind accommodations, either."

"Thank you, mother," Lotus said, hugging her again.

She nodded and gently shooed them along. "Go on, now," she murmured. "I'll see you in a bit, I have to arrange some things. All the guest rooms are currently open, put them wherever you'd like."

Lotus nodded and glanced at her sister. She was anxious to see her own room again.

Coral nodded, grinning, and headed for the guest rooms first. They weren't very far from their own rooms, after all, and she wanted to at least get the polite things out of the way and get the two of them settled.

Lotus followed, making sure Henry and Hook didn't wander off and get lost. She was already looking forward to reacquainting herself with her bed and wardrobe.

"Here we are," Coral said, opening a door for the two. "There are multiple beds in here, and the room across the hall is open too if you want more space."

"Awesome." Henry wasted no time heading inside.

"Thank you." Hook looked at both of them before he slipped in after Henry to keep an eye on the kid.

Once the door was closed behind the two, Lotus sighed and looked at her sister.

"I'm going to head to my rooms," she said. "I really want my things, and my bed, and my bath."