Once Upon A Time ~ Book 1

Chapter 74 - The Water Of The Lake

Abigail and Charming walked through the dark forest towards a shrine with candles and helmets and other offerings.
"What's this?" asked Charming.
"It's a shrine to the Guardian of the Lake. Every man who faces it leaves an offering here first. Asking for the creatures mercy."
Charming picked up a helmet and looked at it carefully.
He chuckled in pity and looked around. "I go the rest of the way alone."
"No, this is for me. You have to let me come with you."
"No. The only life I have want in my hands is my own."
"Good luck, then. And don't forget......." she glanced down at the shrine.
"A lot of good it did them." he smiled throwing the helmet into the shrin
He then walked alone through the dark forest leaving Abigail alone.

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

David sat at home in his sitting room looking through some photos of himself and Kathryn.
He then put down the photos and picked up his phone and dialed some numbers.
Mary Margaret picked up her phone as she walked down the stairs in the school. "Hey, did..... Did you do it?"
"Yeah. I was bad." he said on the other end of the line.
"I'm sorry."
"No, it was........ It was really bad."
"But you told her the truth. So now we can pick up the pieces. We can start over from a real place."
David closed his eyes guilty. "Hey, I want to see you. Can I come by when you get done at school?"
"Of course. I'll see you then." she said as she reached the end of the stairs. "And, David? You did the right thing."
He smiled in regret and hung up.
Mary Margaret smiled happily and continued to walk down the corridor.
Suddenly Kathryn walked into the entrance of the school and stomped down the corridor, pushing past a gym teacher.
"Hey, watch where you're going." he said.
She egnored him and walked on towards Mary Margaret who was walking in the opposite direction.
"Kathryn? I'm sorry........" she started when she saw Kathryn.
Kathryn shook her head and slapped her in the face when she reached her.
The children and the people in the corridor looked around at them and fell silent.
Mary Margaret felt her face, shocked.
"Screw you you're sorry."
She looked around the corridor. "I understand you're upset, you have every right to be."
"Thank you for that insight."
"Can we...... Can we please talk somewhere private."
"Private? Why do you get any consideration at all? You have shown none for me. Either of you. All you did was lie." she shouted.
"We should've talked to you sooner, but we've been completely honest. We didn't lie."
"You didn't lie?"
She shook her head.
"You snuck around. You have him breach up my marriage with a pack of lies. With some crap about not being able to connect?" Mary Margaret tilted her head in confusion.
"He didn't have any trouble connecting with you."
"David didn't tell you about us?"
"No, of course not. That would have been the honourable thing to do."
"But he said he would tell you."
"Well, thenhe lied to you, too."
Mary Margaret opened her mouth to say something but disbelieve prevented her from saying antthing.
"Good luck making it work. You two deserve each other." she turned and walked away, out of the school leaving Mary Margaret humiliated and heartbroken.

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

Charming walked towards Lake Nostos. It was a misty lake, with trees surrounding it. The moon shown the little light there was by the lake's edge.
Charming stopped when he reached the rock ground and pulled his dark red cloak off. He knelt down and gently dunked a leather water flask into the misty water. The ripples travelled along the lake and Charming looked up, waiting for something to happen. He got to his feet.
"Where are you? Make yourself known to me!" he called.
Birds wings could be heard flapping away and the trees rustled.
"Beast! Show yourself." he drew his sword.
Then suddenly from the water, something swam up. A beautiful girl with long blond hair, dark eyes, and a pale blue dress that fitted her shape perfectly floated up above the water.
"Here I am." she said.

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

August drove his bike and came to a halt outside of Granny's Diner.
Emma walked towards him. "You gonna come in? I thought you wanted that drink."
"I do. But I didn't say here. Hop on." he indicated to the seat behind him.
"You want me to get on the back of that bike?"
"That's what hop on means."
"How about if we go somewhere I drive?"
"How about you stop having to control everything and take a leap of faith?" he argued. "You owe me a drink. Hop on. I know a good watering hole."
"If you don't, I will." said Granny who stood outside the Diner, raising her hand.
Emma glanced at her then sighed, walking towards the bike.
August handed her a helmet and smiled.
Emma took it and put it on her head, hopping on.

August drove them from the town and into the country side. He stopped by a huge tree near the forest and next to it was a well.
"A watering hole? Literally?" she said hopping off the bike and pulling off her helmet.
"Well, say what you want about me, but I always tell the truth."
"I just thought a drink was like wine, or whisky."
"What, you want me to get you drunk?" he smiled.
"No."
"Next time."
"You are optimistic." she looked down into the well.
"They say there's something special about this well." he said walking towards her. "There's even a legend."
Emma raised her eyebrows.
"They say that the water from the well is fed by an underground lake........." he pulled the rope so thatbthe bucket came up to where he could reach it. "....... And that late has magical properties."
"Magic? You sound like Henry."
"Smart kid." he put the bucket on the edge of the well and dunked two camping cups inside. "So this legend, it says that if you drink the water from the well, something lost will be returned to you."
"You know an awful lot about this town for being a stranger."
"And you know very little for being the Sherif."
"How do you know all this? You've been here before?"
"I know all this for one very simple reason"
Emma looked at him curiously.
"I read the plaque." he said simply.
Emma looked around the well and read the plaque on the other side.
Wishing Well
For centuries, local legend has claimed that mystical waters run beneath this great land. It is said that the waters possess the power to return that which is lost to its rightful place. If you have lost something precious to you, drink from this well and bear witness to this miracle as what is missing shall be returned.
"You actually believe that?" she asked him after reading it.
"I'm a writer. I have to have an open mind."
"Yeah, but magic?"
"Water is a very powerful thing. Cultures as old as time have worshipped it. It flows through all the lands, connecting the entire world. If anything had mystical properties, if anything had magic? Well, I'd say it'd be water."
"That's asking a lot to believe on faith."
He handed her one of the camping cups. "If you need evidence for everything, Emma, you're gonna find yourself stuck in one place for a long time."
"Maybe. Or maybe I'll just find the truth before anyone else." she smiled.
He held up his camping cup. "Well, Miss. Sceptic, there's one thing I can tell you for sure......."
They toasted.
"........that require no leap of faith, and I know you'll agree with me." He took a drink.
"What's that?"
"It's good water."
She smiled and took a drink too.

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

The Gym Teacher ~ Frederick