Once Upon A Time ~ Book 1

Chapter 44 - Madam Mayor's Power

Rumpelstiltskin spun some thread on a spining wheel. He wore ragged peasant cloves.
"Papa! Papa!" called a voice from near by.
A boy had run into the room, fear in his eyes.
The man turned around.
"They've come for Moraine!"
The stood up quickly and took his stick.
They ran outside of the cottage.
"No! No!"
"No! Please! Please!"
"No! No!" cryed the people outside.
"No!"
"Please!"
"No! Don't take her!"
"Please! Please!"
Gaurds pulled a girl towards a few gaurds on horseback while her family cryed and begged.
"No, you can't take her!"
"No! Please!"
"She's my baby. Don't take my baby!" cryed her mother.
"Nonsense. She's a fine, strong girl." said one of the gaurds on horseback. "She'll make a fine soldier."
"It's a Mistake! She's turning fourteen! Only fourteen!" said her father.
"Orders of the Duke. The Ogre Wars have taken their toll this season." he said pointing to the dark, red horizon ahead.
"More troops will turn the tide." he shouted to the peasants.
"They lowered the age again, Papa." said the boy, quietly to his father.
"I know." he said, his arm around his shoulders.
"Take her." said the gaurd. "She'll ride with me." the gaurds pulled her up onto the horse.
"No! You can't have her!" cryed her father.
The mother drew a knife, but she was suddenly held back and so was the father.
The boy and his father held close to one another.
In the field near by the dark, cloaked figure sat on a black horse creating a force that held the girls parents back.
They choked and fell to the ground.
"The Dark One seems to think I can." said the gaurd.
The Dark One stopped the force and the parents gasped for breath.
"My birthday's in three days. They'll come for me in three days." said the boy to his father.
"We'll find a way. We'll find a way." he assured him.
The mother and father screamed and cryed as the gaurds ride away with their beloved daughter.

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Mr. Gold sat in his shop working. The bell rung as the door opened.
"Gold?" sais Emma's voice.
Mr. Gold smiled.
"On here?" she called.
"Well, it is my shop." he said silently to himself.
She stepped into the back of the shop where he was working.
"Whoa! Whay is that?" she said, smelling the air.
"This is lanolin. Used for waterproofing." he said indicating to a bowl and a brush he held.
"It smells like livestock." she said.
"Well, it is the reason why sheep's wool repels water."
"It stinks....... Ahh.... If there was a reason you called the sherifs department, if you want to talk about that quickly, or outside?" she said holding her breath.
He stood up. "I just wanted to express my condolences, really..... The sherif was a good man." he looked down at her. "You're still wearing the Deputy's badge."
She looked down at it.
"Well, he's been gone for two weeks, now. And I believe that after two weeks of avting as Sherif, the job becomes yours........ You'll have to wear the real badge."
"Yeah. I guess. I'm just not in a hurry......... So, thank you for the kind words." she nodded and walked out.
"I have his things." he said following into the main shop.
"What?"
"The sherif. He rented an apartment that I own. Another reason for my call, really, I wanted to offer you a keepsake."
"I don't need anything."
"As you wish."
She started to walk to the door.
"I'll give them to Mayor Mills. Seems like she was the closest thing he had to family."
She turned back. "I'm not sure about that." she walked towards she counter he stood behind.
"No love lost there, I see."
"Look, I fear that all of his stuff is heading directly for the trash bin. You really should take something." he indicated to the cardboard box in front of him.
"Look, his jacket." he pulled his sherif jacket from the box.
"No."
"Here, look." he took a pair of walkie talkies. "Your boy might like these, don't you think? You could play together." he held them out to her.
"I don't......."
He interrupted her. "No, please. They grow up so fast." he left them on the counter.
"Thanks." she took them from the counter.
"You enjoy these with your boy. Your time together is precious, you know. That's the thing about children. Before you know it..............you lose them.

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Emma walked towards the sea side playground, where Henry sat alone.
She climbed up the climbing frame. "Brought you something." she said holding.out one of the walkie talkies.
He took it with a down face.
Emma sat down next to him.
"Thought we could use them together for Operation Cobra."
He looked at the walkie talkie. "Thanks."
"Oh, come on." she nudged him shoulder. "What's up? You've been ducking me for weeks."
"I think we should stop Cobra stuff for a while. You don't play with the curse. Look what happened to Graham."
"Henry, I told you, they did an autopsy. It's totally natural causes."
"Okay. Whatever. You don't believe. Good. That should keep you from messing with it and getting killed."
"You're worried about me?"
"She killed Graham because he was good. And you're good."
"Henry........" she started.
"Good loses...... Good always loses. Because good has to play fair...... Evil doesn't....... She's evil...... This is probably best........ We don't want to upset her any more." he handed her back the walkie talkie and stood up and walked away, leaving Emma alone with the walkie talkies.

******************************

Emma placed ger keys and take away coffee down on the desk. She picked up the sherifs badge and looked at it carefully. She turned it around and began pin it onto her red leather jacket.
"Oh..... I'm sorry, that's not for you." said a voice from behind her. Emma looked around to see Regina standing in the doorway, pointing at the badge I'm her hand.
"It's been two weeks. Promotion is automatic." explained Emma.
She began to walk towards her. "Unless the mayor appoints someone else within the time period. Which I'm doing today."
"So who's it gonna be?"
"After due reflection, Sidney Glass."
"Sidney from the newspaper? How does that even make sense?"
"Well, he's covered the sherifs office for as long as anyone can remember."
"And he'll do whatever you want him to. You just cannot stand the fact that things have been getting better around here, can you?"
"Better?....... Are you referring to Graham's death as better?"
"No."
"He was a good man, Miss. Swan. He made this town safe........."
She placed the badge back on the desk.
".......... And forgive me for saying it, but you have not earned the right to wear his badge."
"Graham picked me to be Deputy."
"He was wrong."
"No, he knew what he was doing....... He freed this office from your leash........ You're not getting it back."
"Actually, I just did. Miss. Swan you're fired." she smiled. She took the badge from the desk and walked out of the office.

******************************

Heavy metal rock music blasted from Mary Margaret and Emma's apartment and a half empty bottle of whiskey sat on the counte. Emma stood in the kitchen a screwed up toaster in her hand that she was stabbing with a butter knife. Then she began to bang it off the worktop.
Mary Margaret walked into her apartment, bewildered with the fiasco. She shut the door and turned off the music.
"Toaster broken?" she asked looking at Emma.
"It wasn't when I started with it. Pretty sure it is now. I just needed to hit something."
"What's going on?"
"Regina fired me so she could put one of her own puppets in as Sherif." she said m still stabbing the toaster. "That's my job."
"Never heard you so passionate about it before." She said packing away the groceries. "What happened?"
"I don't know. I just......I know I want it back."
"There must be a reason."
A knock came on the door.
"Maybe I just want to beat her." she walked to the door and opened it.
"Good evening, Miss. Swan." said Mr. Gold. "Sorry for the intrusion. There's something I'd like to discuss with you."
Emma glanced at Mary Margaret.
"I'll let you two talk." she said walking out of the room.
"Come on in." she said.
"Thank you." he limped inside with his walking stick.
"I heard about what happened. Such an injustice."
She closed the door. "Yeah, well, what's done is done." she put the toaster down.
"Spoken like a true fighter."
"I don't know what chance I have. She's mayor and I'm, well, me."
"Miss. Swan, two people with a common goal can accomplish many things. Two people with a common enemy can accomplish even more."
She nodded.
"How would you like a benefactor?
"A benefactor?"
"Do you mind?" he indicated to the chair.
She shook her head.
He sat down and so did Emma.
"You know, it really is quote shocking how few people study the town charter." he held up a folder.
"The town charter?"
"Well, it's quite comprehensive. And the Mayor's authority?" he ruffled through the pages. "Well, maybe she's not quite as powerful as she seems." he smiled.