Once Upon A Time ~ Book 1

Chapter 34 - Brother's

David stood by a white fence. In the garden on the other side, Mary Margaret stood on a step stool, struggling to hang a bird house in a tree.
"Did you not get the invite?" asked David.
Mary Margaret looked at him a little startled and then smiled. "David!" she looked down at the bird house.
"Here." David hopped over the fence and walked over to her.
He took the bird house, helped Mary Margaret down from the step stool and stepped on it himself. He fiddled with the wine and began to hang it up. "So I heard you resigned from the hospital...... Was it me?"
Mary Margaret didn't say anything.
"Because of what I told you." he stepped down from the step stool, the bird house now hanging in the tree. "About how I felt. About you. Come on. Don't tell me it's one-sided."
"You're married. It should be no-sided."
"What should be doesn't matter. Whoever married Kathryn, it's not me. I didn't choose her....... I'm choosing you."
Mary Margaret stared at David, listening to ever word he said.
"I know you feel it. I can tell." he went on.
She sighed. "I know you think that we have this connection, but maybe it's because I happen to be the person who saved your life.... So why don't we leave it at that?" she walked past him and away, through the garden, leaving in David in a state of disappointment.

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A Prince in armer stood in front of a big, tall, muscler man with a giant spear.
The man growled, staring at the Prince. The Prince brandished his sword, but the man knocked it with his spear and pushed him back.
The Prince stumbled back, almost falling from the cliff they stood on. "Ah!" he let out, then he ran towards the man and they thought, but just as the Prince was winning the man tripped him and he fell to the ground.
The Prince stood up quickly and brandished his sword yet again. They continued fighting vigorously. Then the man thrust his spear into the Prince's shield and threw his across the ground.
The Prince lay on the ground, motionless and the man slowly walked towards him, spear at hand, growling. He lifted the spear to thrust it into him but the Prince thrist stood jumped up, picked his sword up, kicked the spear and then finally thrust the sword into the man's chest.
"Next time, make sure I'm really dead." said the Prince and he kicked his stomach and pulled his sword from his chest. The man slowly fell backwards, making a loud clinck if metal as he hit the stone ground.
He looked down at the man's body and the crowd near by began to clapping.
"Well done." said a king with a orange gold robe, a gold crown and a hand with armer on it. He stood up from his seat and walked down the steps.
"Well done? There's an understatement." said another king, with a red robe and a stern face, following him. "Did you see what my son did to that brute? He just killed the unkillable." he patted the Prince on the back.
"A valiant feat for sure. But it is still just a man. Can he do the same with a dragon?" he asked the other king, but stared at the Prince.
The Prince smiled.
"Do fairies sprinkle dust? Do trolls live under bridges?" he replyed.
"Father, relax." he said to him, patting his shoulder, still smiling. He looked at the other king. "I can kill whatever beast you set me after."
"My Kingdom is plagued by a dragon like nothing you've ever faced before. He had killed ever warrior that's ever tried to slay him."
"He's yet to face me."
"My Kingdom needs this threat vanquished."
"And my Kingdom needs gold. I'm sure we can work something out." said the other king.
The king held up his hand with silver armer. One of his gaurds walked briskly towards him and began to remove the glove.
"Careful. Remember what happened to Frederick." said the king to the gaurd.
The gaurd carefully took the glove from his hand to show his glowing gold hand.
They looked at his hand in amazement.
"Your sword." he said.
The Prince held up his sword and the king simple touched the silver sword and it began to turn to pure gold.
The people stared in amazement.
"Consider it a down payment. You'll get the rest when you deliver the dragons head to me."
"It's a deal. Forgive me if I refuse to shake on it, King Midas." said the Prince.
The king laughed and the Prince smiled.
"Come. Let's discuss the details."
Both kings began to walk away and their gaurds followed.
"A toast to our fearless Prince!" said a knight.
The gaurds cheered.
"No. There's no celebrating today." said the Prince. "This was but a simple test. The task before us is to big, too important to make light of. Just because I was easily able to kill this brute doesn't mean......" The head of a spear came through his chest and blood spluched out. The Prince looked at the spear in fear. From behind him the man had sat up and thrust his spear into his back. The man breathed heavily as the Prince fell forward, onto the ground.
The knight and gaurds drew their swords and surrounded the Prince's motionless body.

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The king stared down at his son's body, that lay in the castle."Goodbye, my son."
The gaurds stood behind him. Four of them steped forward and lifted his body on a board with patterned fabric.
The king watched them carry him down, through the castle.
The knight stepped forward. "Your Majesty, there us no time to grieve. If Midas learns he is dead, he will find another warrior to slay his dragon. And we will never see an ounce of his gold."
"Yes. Yes. The kingdom must survive."
"So, what are we to do?"
"I have asked for help. It should be here soon."
"Oh it's here." said a voice from behind them.
Rumpelstiltskin stood in the room with them. "Leave us." said the king to the knight and gaurds.
The gaurds left the room and Rumpelstiltskin walked towards the king.
"So this is how you treat my gifts? You really must be more careful."
"He was not a gift. He was my son."
"A son I gave you."
"In a deal we made. You did me no favours."
"Yes. Yes, I did. Shame you and the Queen couldn't conceive a child on your own. My price for that was a pittance. But now that she is gone, well, I assume that conceiving another heir is out of the question, let alone a dragon slayer."
"Then let's do another deal...... Bring him back........ I need my son to do this.......... I'll give you anything."
"Anything?"
"What do you want?"
There's a magic wand I desire. It belongs to a certain Fairy Godmother who's petrol to your family. I want to know her whereabouts."
"Done. Now tell me. How do I bring my son back to slay the dragon?"
"Bring him back? No, that's out of the question. He's dead.......... Magic can do much, but not that."
"But you just said........"
"Nothing about resurrection." he finished.
"Then my Kingdom is lost. I'm alone." he leaned his hands on the table and bent his head.
"Oh, dear. Oh, dearie, dearie, dear. Did I not tell you that I could have your son slay the dragon?"
He lifted his head a little.
"And am I not a man of my word?"
He stood up. "I thought you said he was gone forever!"
"That he is. But his brother......." he started.
"His what?"
"His twin brother. Did I not mention there was another?" be chuckled evily.

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James stood in a field surround by sheep. His face was untrimmed and his hair was longer. He looked around the beautiful countryside and gazed at the horizon.