Cursed Hearts

The Wolf

Snow White's wanted poster remained firmly clasped in her hand as she continued to walk, crumpled and tattered after so many hours in Caroline's possession. Their journey had fallen silent after the dismay of witnessing the carnage of the smoldering village- even Will seemed out of snarky remarks. The reality of the situation set in as the light dimmed around them. Even their nighttime routine was detached of any true conversation; everyone was too burnt out emotionally for anything genuine. Caroline no longer thought much about spending the night in a forest, the three of them circled around a small fire she constructed herself. Although they still had no idea where exactly they were, sleep came easily, even with all of the trouble existing around them. A chaotic and evil version of her mother was out there in the darkness, yet the ten year old closed her eyes anyways.

The next thing Caroline remembered was the whirring of insects against the stillness of the early morning. It was already starting to heat up, even within the shade of trees. She soon felt the crinkle of the wanted flyer beneath her, sending a spark of fear through her as she awoke. Will continued to snore loudly from behind, and in her direct line of vision, Zelena was up and running her fingers through her hair, trying to tame the unruly mess. Caroline embraced the calmness of the woman's nature, all of her defenses down and not an aggressive tendency detected. Having time to breathe was something everyone had to do at some point, whether they wanted to or not. Caroline forgot all about the flyer as she watched her- for a moment or two, things were at peace.

Catching her glance, Zelena finished pulling her hair back, her eyes never faltering from hers.

"Something on your mind?"

Beside her, Will stirred suddenly, somewhere between asleep and awake. The girl slowly rose to a sitting position, inching away from her uncle and slipping the wanted flyer in her pocket in the process.

"I... did have weird dream- at least I think I did."

Her words seemed to strike interest in Zelena's demeanor. "What kind of dream?"

Caroline was cautious to put her mixed thoughts into words, taking a moment to sort everything properly. "There was this field- it was so beautiful and endless. Horses were grazing... it seemed perfect. Then this person wearing a cape appeared and cast some spell... I got this horrible feeling."

"That was it? Who was the person in the cape?"

Shrugging, Caroline smoothed out her dress. "I think I just miss the horses back at home. Mom and I would go all the time."

Will then stood up and stretched, forcing himself awake. "Nothing about a house in that dream of yours, a big, three story one out in the middle of nowhere?"

Giving him a look of alarm, Zelena let her surprise show true. "That's exactly what I dreamt of- some lonely looking mansion."

She quickly rose to a stand, pacing back in forth to better control her thoughts. "Who do you think did this? And why?"

Caroline watched the two adults tackle the sudden surge of new information, still unsure of what the big deal was. "I don't remember seeing a house in my dream. You think someone did this to us?"

To her, the idea seemed crazy. The dream she had did leave her shaken, but not to the point where she felt particularly changed. Will and Zelena, however, both appeared as if their world had collapsed inwards on them.

"It can't be a coincidence that something like this happened after we got separated from the others," Zelena said, "this house has to be important for us- problem is, we have no idea how to find this place."

As if on queue, something sparked into her mind, something that eased out all of her uncertainties about the whole ordeal. "We should go north, alongside the canyon."