Once Upon a Time; Vanora Mills a Forgotten Goddess

Storybrooke, Maine, 2011 - Vanora's POV

    Vanora; AI Generated Photo

I watched as my mom paced the living room nervously, Graham- her kind-of-boyfriend and the sheriff- tried to offer her comfort, but she'd only lash out. She cried,"I just want Henry, where is my Henry?" She clasped her hands into her hair, and slightly ruffled it. My heart also pounded, though I tried not to show it. My little brother was missing. He could have been in the back of some weirdo's van. I took a deep breath.

    I walked over to my mom and patted her shoulder,"I'm worried too. We should be out there looking."
    She was about to respond, but I cut her off. A yellow bug had just pulled up outside the gate of our house. Two figures stepped out and I pointed my mom in the direction of the front door. My mom rushed out the door, Graham and I trailed behind her. She dashed to Henry who seemed to be in the middle of a conversation with a blonde woman who wore a red leather jacket. Without a thought, my mom hugged Henry and asked if he was okay.

    That was months ago, and who knew the blonde woman was not only Henry's birth mother, but a savior to a curse my mother - or Godmother- had created. I loved Regina, and I always would. She was my mother and nothing would change that. Even when the curse had been broken, I stood by her and her breakdowns. All she wanted was for Henry to love her. He always had, and he believed she could be good. However, aside from the newfound harmony and the little bit of acceptance the town of Storybrooke had grown for my mom, she was in more danger than she used to be.

    Ever since Mr. Gold, or more accurately, Rumplestiltskin , had brought magic into town, we were never safe; Aside from Henry's mom and grandmother - Snow White- falling through a portal, my mother was going off the deep end due to the fact she couldn't be with Henry. David Charming kept Henry under his wing, and though I love my mother, I didn't think she was stable enough to care for a ten year old boy- especially since she accidentally put him in a coma from her poisoned apple that was meant for Emma, Henry's real mother. On the other hand, I'm seventeen and can take care of myself, my mom didn't need to worry about me in her time of crisis. I was just waiting to hear when Emma and Snow would be back, then things could go back to normal.

    I sat in the backyard and stared at the apple tree, and I pondered my own family tree. I wasn't allowed to know who my father was, or my mother. I just knew my godmother, and though her love was strong, I would like to have known my parents. I sighed and looked at the highest branch of the apple tree, and there was an owl. In broad daylight, an owl. It watched me cautiously and then took off. There was something familiar about it, but I shrugged it off and went inside.

    "Nora," Regina called me down from my bedroom. "I'm going to Gold's shop, I have to help David and Henry with something." I glided down the stairs quickly.

    "Can I come?" I asked.

    She hesitated with a worried look. She then took a deep breath. "Sure, come on."

    The plan was that David would be put under the sleeping curse to make contact with Snow or the stranger so Henry wouldn't get burned in his sleep any more. I sat down by David. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

    "I have to," he nodded. "It's my wife and daughter. I am not losing them again."

    I nodded and patted his hand and then let my mom and Mr. Gold take care of the situation. I wanted Henry to accompany me to Granny's, but he insisted on staying. I shrugged and left.

    Granny's was warm inside, it had always had an inviting environment. Granny got me my usual; Tomato soup with sourdough grilled cheese. I thanked her and Ruby - red riding hood- sat down beside me. "I can smell the worry coming from you," she said. "Are you okay?"

    I sighed,"I'm worried about my mom. I'm worried that if something fails, Henry will blame her and she'll lose control. Henry is her soulmate in her eyes. If she loses him, she loses everything."

    "But she has you," Ruby stated.. and gave me a loving pinch on the shoulder "She's always loved and cared for you."

    "Yes," I nodded. "But it's not the same. Henry is golden, he is... he is just, hers. You know?"

    "Does it bother you?" Ruby asked.

    "It bothers me that I don't now my real parents," I answered. "Even if she loves me that much, I still have a right to know."

    "Maybe it's for your protection," Ruby suggested. "Or... maybe they are dead?"

    I just chuckled sadly,"Anyways, thanks Ruby. You're a good listener."

    She laughed and then made wolf ears with her hands and did a joking howl, making a reference to her inner wolf. "Anyways, I'll catch you later, Nora."

    That day, I decided to go on a hike through the woods. I didn't know why, I just did. I wanted to bury myself in the moss and dirt, and just become one with the Earth. I found a soft patch of grass to lay in, and on accident I caused flowers to bloom all around me. I sat up, some pieces of grass stuck to my long, wavy black hair. I had heard something in the distance, and when I turned, I saw a man in a dark green cloak slowly making his way towards me. I gasped and stood straight up, I ran as fast as my legs could take me into Gold's shop.

    Out of breath I said,"Someone was watching me in the woods."

    Gold turned and eyed me suspiciously. My mom walked over to me and held my shoulder. "What did he look like?"

    I told them about the hooded man and they both looked to each other in worry. Mr. Gold pulled out an amethyst pendant in the shape of an ellipse, the frame around the gemstone looked very floral and the chain and wiring were made of pure silver.
Mr. Gold then waved his hand over it and wrapped the necklace around my neck. "You just keep that on." He warned.

    "He should be up by now," Henry said and brought the attention back to David. I walked over to David, his skin was cold and I sensed his soul was somewhere deep inside. We were in deep trouble.