Once Upon A Time ~ Book 1

Chapter 3 - Storybrooke

The castle gaurd led Snow and Charming through the grotty, dirty dungeons.
"When we reach the cell, stay out of the light. And whatever you do, do not let him know your name. If he knows your name, he will have power over you." said the soldier. "Rumpelstiltskin." the gaurd said as they neared the cell. "Rumpelstiltskin!" he shouted louder. "I have a question for you."
"No, you don't." said a voice from the cell.
A man climbed from the dirty stone walls of his cell, and then he jumped down from the rusty bars.
"They do." he said. "Snow White and Prince Charming!" he said mocking Charming's name. Rumpelstiltskin laughed, his evil laugh. "You insult me......step into the light and take off those ridiculous robes."
Snow and Charming pulled down their hoods and stepped a little closer to his cell.
"Ah...." he said, madness in his eyes as he cackled. "That's much better."
"We've come to ask you about the....." Charming started.
"Yes, yes! I know why you are here." he said. "You want to know about the Queens threat."
"Tell us what you know!" demanded Snow.
"Oh!" said Rumpelstiltskin. "Tense, aren't we?......Fear not.....for I can ease your mind, but it's gonna cost you something in return."
"No. This is a waste of time." said Charming, grasping Snows arm.
Snow shrugged from Charming's grasp and moved closer to the cell. "What do you want?" she asked.
"Oh......The name of your unborn child?" he said.
"Absolutely not!" said Charming, stepping in.
"Deal!" shouted Snow, egnored Charming. "What do you know?"
Rumpelstiltskin smiled broadly and chuckled a little. "The queen has created a powerful curse......and it's coming.....soon you'll all be in a prison, just like me, only worse.......Your prison, all of our prisons, will be time......the time will stop, and we will be trapped.....someplace horrible, where everything we hold dear, everything we love, will be ripped from us while we suffer for all enterity, while the queen celebrates, victorious at last!" he said. "No more happy endings." he said as his face dropped.
"What can we do?" said Snow stepping even closer.
"We can't do anything." he said.
"Who can?" she said stepping even closer now.
"That little thing growing inside your belly." said reaching his dirty hand between the bars if his cell and touching Snows belly. Charming drew his sword and hit Rumpelstiltskin's hand with the handle. "Next time, I cut it off." he threatened.
Rumpelstiltskin clicked his tongue, staring at Charming in disappointment.
"The infant is our only hope.......Get the child to safety....get the child to safety and on its....28th birthday, the child will return, the child will find you, and the final battle will begin!" he said laughing madly, now clinging to the bars.
"I've heard enough, we're leaving." said Charming, grasping Snows arm again and they started to walk away.
Rumpelstiltskin exclaimed scornfully. "Hey, no!" he shouted. "We made a deal! I want her name!" he shouted clinging to the bars. "We had a deal! I need her name! I want her name!"
"Her? It's a boy." lied Charming.
"Ohhhhh........Missy! Missy!" he said. "You know I'm right."
Snow stopped and stared ahead listening to Rumpelstiltskin.
"Tell me......What's her name?" he said, a little more softly.
Snow turned around and faced Rumpelstiltskin. "Emma. Her name is Emma." she said.
"Emma." Rumpelstiltskin whispered to himself, smiling as Snow and Charming walked away, accompanyed by the gaurd.

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Thunder rumbled as Emma drove through the lite up street of Storybrook.
"Okay, kid. How about an address?" said Emma to Henry.
"44, Not-telling-you Street. " Henry replyed.
Emma stopped the cabin the middle of the empty street. The breaks squeaked on the wet street.
Emma got out of the car and slammed the door closed. Henry then got out of the car too and walked over to her.
"Look, it's been a long night, and it's almost......" said Emma staring up at the clock tower above. "8:15?"
"That clock hasn't moved in my whole life." said Henry. "Time is frozen here."
"Excuse me?" said Emma, looking down at Henry.
"The evil queen did it with her curse. She sent everyone from the enchanted forest here." he said.
"Hang on. An evil queen sent a bunch of fairytale characters here?" said Emma.
"Yeah, and now they're trapped." he said.
"Frozen in time. Stuck in Storybrook, Maine." she said.
"That's what your going with?"
Henry nodded. "It's true."
"Then why doesn't everybody just leave?" she said.
"They can't. If they try, bad things would happen." he said.
"Henry?" said a voice of a man nearby.
Henry turned around to a man walking a dalmatian, with a green scarf, glasses and an umbrella.
Emma looked up to see him too.
"What are you doing here?" said the man walking towards them. "Is everything alright?"
"I'm fine, Archie." said Henrybending down to pet the dog.
"Who's this?" said Archie.
"Just someone trying to give him a ride home." said Emma.
"She's my mom, Archie." said Henry.
"Oh, I see." said Archie, looking at Emma.
"You know where he lives?" asked Emma.
"Yeah, sure. Just right up Mifflin Street. The Mayors house is the biggest one on the block." he said.
"You're the mayors kid?" said Emma looking down at Henry.
"Maybe." said Henry bending his head.
"Where were you today, Henry? Cause you missed our session." said Archie.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I went on a field trip." said Henry.
Archie sighed and went down on his honkers. "Henry. What did I tell you about lying?" he said.
"Giving into ones dark side never accomplishes anything."
"Okay." interrupted Emma. "Well, I really should be getting him home."
"Yeah. Sure. Well, listen, have a good night, and you be good, Henry." said Archie standing up straight.
Emma smiled nicelu and watches Archie walk away. "So thats your shrink?" she said when he was down the street.
"I'm not crazy." sais Henry.
"Didn't say that." said Emma. "Just......He doesn't seem cursed to me. Maybe he is just trying to help you."
"He's the one who needs help. Because he doesn't know." he said.
"That he's a fairytale character." she said.
"None of them do. They don't remember who they are." said Henry and he walked to the other side of the car and chambered in.
"Convenient. All right, I'll play. Who's he supposed to be?" said Emma.
"Jiminy Cricket." he said.
Emma opened the door and got into the car. "Right. The lying thing. I thought your nose grew a little bit." she said.
"I'm not Pinocchio." he said.
"Of course you're not. Because that would be ridiculous."