{ enchanted forest }

17. { welcome to storybrooke }

Hooves stamp on the ground, their movements sending dirt flying behind the two steeds that are racing through the forest. One of the two men pulls on the reins of his horse. The beautiful white creature stops immediately and awaits another command.

The other rider noticed moments later and gives his horse, a brown steed with a shiny coat, the command to stop as well. The rider lifts himself up in the stirrups and turns around, staring at his companion. "Why did you stop," he asks.

The man nods his head up at the sky, which was only partially visible between the trees. "Do you see that? The clouds are gathering and it is getting darker while it would usually be light for a couple more hours. That's a storm coming and it's big," the man explains.

The rider of the brown horse raises a singular eyebrow. His brown eyes are pointed at the prince with fascination in them. "How can you tell?"  The man on the white horse smiles tenderly. His eyes soften as he thinks of time gone by, memories of long ago coming back to him. Before his life was turned upside down.

"During my time as a shepherd I had to predict when to get the sheep inside before a storm would come. We need to find shelter soon or else we will be caught up in it."

The man sighs. He lowers his gaze to the ground beneath them. It was clear he did not want to. "This will only delay my search for my sister, David." The other man smiles sadly at his friend. He knew how important this mission was to him and how long he has been searching. Which is why every setback, and they've had many yet, was so heartbreaking.

Now the prince had finally found a lead after searching for so long and he was so close, but had to stall his journey yet again.

"We have no other choice, Phillip. You can't find your sister when you're caught up in a storm."

David gives his horse the sign to take a few steps more so he was standing besides the other prince instead of behind him. "We have to find a place to stay until the storm is over. We may want to continue, but it's not fair to push our horses through that as well."

Phillip may be devastated to be hindered from continuing his journey, but he was not irrational. He knows that they could not simply go through with the storm raging around them. His search for his sister Winter had to be put on hold for now.

"Let's go search for the nearest town, shall we," Phillip suggests. He pushes his heels in the flank of his horse and the beast started galloping, swiftly followed by the other horse.

They left the forest behind quickly. At first they were riding over a sandy path, passing by fields that were being worked by farmers. Soon enough they saw a town. In the middle of the town rose a hill with a castle on top. The two men agree to ask for shelter at the palace or one of their inns if there was no room.

Besides, if two princes came by with intend to stay, it was protocol to greet the liege of the land. They arrive at the gates of the castle and introduce themselves to the guards, requesting an audience with the lord of the castle.

When they reached the courtyard their horses were taken by the castle's stable boy to be tended to. Another servant asks them to follow him into the castle, where the royal family was having dinner. Phillip hadn't noticed that they had reached a new kingdom but wasn't surprised either.

Before his sister's disappearance he rarely left his own kingdom. Now he had passed countless lords and counties, crossed many kingsdoms in the search to find her.

The servant leads them to two gigantic, golden doors. The guards that saw them approach pull the doors open to allow them entrance. "Your Majesties," the servant says aloud to catch the attention of the people at the table.