Evil Awakened (Dare to love #2) (OUAT fanfic)

Chapter 20 (Snow)

I apologise in advance for the rubbish chapter.
Slowly my eyes open, blinking away the bright sun which seems to be blinding me; spreading its positivity across the land and telling everyone it's time to wake up.

"Morning sunshine," my husbands cheerful and teasing voice sounds from beside me. Turning my head I see him sitting on a log by the -now put out- fire from last night.

"How long have you been up?" I ask, yawning. Now that we're talking again the tension between us has practically dissipated, although some still remains. Now that I'm talking to him, I'm far happier than I've been in a while. Despite everything going on, with the Emma situation and countless other things created by us, being out here in the wilderness has calmed me a lot and has allowed me to forget. If only for awhile.

"Not that long," he smiles as I slowly get up and walk towards David to sit down next to him. After a quick good morning kiss, he speaks again. "But we should eat now then go, we have a quite a journey ahead of us and I want to get there as soon as possible. I must get my daughter back, no matter what the cost and I must meet my grandchild. I'm still worried, what if Emma has... Oh it's unthinkable," he sighs, looking at the gone fire and gaining a faraway look in his eyes he always gets now when talking about Emma.

I won't lie, I'm worried to. Worried about many, many things.

"That babe is the closed thing she has to Hook, the closest thing she has to family, she wouldn't harm it," I tell him, remembering a time when everything was calm. When I had my daughter.

I remember the evenings she'd spend riding, constantly being late to dinner but also wearing a smile on her face. I remember Grace, the loyal servant for so many years, even before Emma was born but now she's gone because of us. Emma has lost so much because her parents just couldn't do the right thing. Well, we will now. I must get my daughter back, I must get my grandchild back.

That letter sent to us, we could be walking straight into a trap.

But that doesn't matter anymore.

"Yeah, I hope you're right," David says, standing up, "Here, breakfast," he smiles, handing me a plate of bread and cheese that we brought with us. I hadn't even noticed he was making breakfast in my little daydream.

"Thanks," I whisper quietly in appreciation.

"That's okay, and it will be alright," my husband assures me, "We will get our daughter back," he nods at me, great determination in his voice. Part of me really believes that, but the other part, well that's the realistic part. After all of this, I'm not all hope anymore.

"But we won't by sitting here," I sigh, standing up and slapping my knees and really wanting to go as soon as possible. The sooner we get there the sooner we get to see our daughter...

***
The sun shines brightly and radiates a warmth of the enchanted forest around midday. The journey on horse back isn't to bad but I know it won't stay this relaxed forever. Even now as we're riding I see it beginning to grow darker as we near Emma's turf. Her castle isn't visible yet but it will be soon.

Just hang on in there, we're coming, we're nearly there.

"The horses are getting tired," David says, pulling me out of my thoughts. "It isn't to much longer though, see that?" He asks, pointing at something in the sky, a turret is just visible over the tree tops. It's dark and even from here I can feel all the negative energy, I can feel the hope, the happiness all dying.

"Yeah," I nod, slowing my horse down as we go through all the twisting turning branches. "We should be able to walk soon," and even as I'm saying this more of the castle comes into view as the populous trees become more scattered.

A rotten, dark, melancholy land stands infront of us. Plants wilting, not a single animal in sight, not even a bird song. It's like a waste land, dead trees twisting and turning to find any possible light and the soil grey, dry and grainy.

Nothingness.