Once Upon A Time ~ Book 1

Chapter 93 - Invested In Your Future

Charming came to a halt on his horse in the middle of the snowy forest. He jumped from his horse and felt the boot tracks in the snow. He then brandished his sword and took a hold of his horse, walking through the forest, the bright sunshine shining through the leaves. He then saw a clothless man ahead, limping through the snow.
"Put your hands where I can see them." said Charming.
The bare, dark gaurd turned around, holding his helmet below his stomach awkwardly.
"Yeah.....eh....on second thought, don't." he said, seeing where he held the helmet. He took a grey blanket from his horse and threw it to him.
The gaurd caught it and wrapped it around his cold body.
"Who did this?" asked Charing, still holding out his sword.
"She's crazy. She had a pickaxe. She threatened to skin me!" he said.
"The Evil Queen?"
"No.......Snow White."
He ran towards him and held the tip of his sword to his neck. "What?"
"She said she wanted to kill the Queen. I've never seen someone so bloodthirsty."
"No. Snow is not bloodthirsty. She is not a killer. I know her."
"Maybe you don't."

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Regina sat in her office, peeling the red skin from on apple with a knife.
There came a knock on her door then. She looked around to see David step inside.
"Hey, can I talk to you?" he asked.
"Of course." said Regina.
He walked towards her. "These accusations against Mary Margaret, they have been gnawing away at me. She didn't do this."
Regina pushed a seat out to him and he sat down opposite her.
"I understand what you're going through. It's painful when someone we care about betrays us."
"She's a good person. I know her."
"Maybe you don't. Maybe you just want to. Everyone has a dark side, David."
"Yeah, sure. But having a dark side and doing something so evil, that's a different thing. That's not what she is."
"Perhaps. I always believe that evil isn't born. It's made."
"All due respect, Regina, I don't think you know much about evil." he got to his feet.
"Well, if she didn't do it, then who did?"
"I don't know, that's what I've been trying to figure out. But those blackouts I've been having they've made everything so hazy."
She got to her feet and walked towards him. "Please tell me you're not accusing yourself."
"You know, maybe I can clear up my missing time, I could prove Mary Margaret's innocence."
"You're very sweet, David. But your also wrong....... Evil doesn't always look evil. Sometimes it's staring right at us." she stared into his eyes. "And we don't even realise it."

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Mary Margaret stood behind the bars in the Sherif's station, grasping them, Emma standing opposite her explaining what she had found.
"The heating vent? Emma, I don't even know where the heating vent in my bedroom is!" she panicked.
"Well, someone did. And they put a hunting knife in there. I checked for sighs of a break-in. But there weren't any."
"You don't believe me?" she cryed.
"Of course I do." she walked closer to the cell. "But what I think doesn't matter. The evidence is piling up by the hour."
"Okay, what are you saying?" Her forehead was now leabed against the bars and her eyes were shut.
"I'm saying you should think about hiring a lawyer."
"An excellent idea." said Mr. Gold's voice from behind Emma.
Emma turned to see Mr. Gold by the door. "Mr. Gold. What are you doing here?"
"Offering my legal services."
"You're a lawyer?"
He walked towards them, leaning on his walking stick. "Ever wondered why I was si adept at contracts? I've been following the details of your case, Miss. Blanchard. And I think you'd be well-adviced to bring me on as your counsel."
"And why is that?" asked Mary Margaret.
"Well, because the Sherif had me arrested for nearly beating a man to death, and I managed to persuade the judge to drop the charges."
"Exerting your influence isn't what's needed here. We need to find the truth." said Emma.
"Exerting influence may be exactly what's needed here."
"What's needed here is for me to do my job." she argued.
"Well, no one's stopping you. I'm only here to help."
"Enough." interupted Mary Margaret. "Please go."
"You heard her." said Emma to Mr. Gold.
"No, I was talking to you." she said, looking at Emma.
Emma turned around surprised.
"Oh, Emma. He's right. I need help. And you need to do your job. Or else, I'm screwed. So just, please, do your job the best you can. And you'll prove me innocent. Until you do, I need some practical help."
Mr. Gold stepped closer. "Trust me, this is in Miss. Blanchard's best interests.
Emma looked up at Mary Margaret from the other side of the bars. "Good luck, Mary Margaret."
She nodded.
"I hope your best interests are what he's looking out for." she glared at Mr. Gold as she walked from the room.
Mr. Gold smiled, then looked up at Mary Margaret when Emma had left the room.
Mary Margaret stepped opposite him, behind the bars. "I can't pay you."
"I didn't ask for money."
"Then why are you doing this?"
"Let's just say.......I'm invested in your future."

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Rumplestiltskin spun on his spining wheel, in his Dark Castle. Grumpy and Snow stood in the room opposite him.
"That potion you gave Snow, it changed her. She's not the same." said Grumpy.
"Well, of course it changed her. It took away her love." he said, looking up at him but continuing to spin. "Left a big hole in her heart. There is no cure for what she's got........."
Snow egnored their conversation, looking in amazement at the bottle potions and viles that sat on a table in the middle of the room.
"........The person she was......" he stepped closer to Grumpy, abandoning his spinning. ".......there's no way to bring her back." he then opened a press with little labels on the shelfs, little viles and bottles of magical liquids, powders, flowers, plants, crystals and potions on them. "No potion can bring back true love. Love is the most powerful magic of all, the only magic I haven't been able to bottle." he stared at the label with a symbol of a heart, the shelf above empty next the filled, mysterious bottles. ".........If you can bottle love.........you can do anything." he turned on his heal to face Snow. "But you don't care about that, do you?"
Snow looked up at him, one of the viles in her hand.
"Now, what is it you really want?" a smile grew on his dirty face beneath his uncut hair.
"I want your help........... To kill the Queen."
His smoke broadened. "Now we're talking, dearie."
"Snow, don't!" said Grumpy as he watched her follow Rumplestiltskin accross the room.
Rumplestiltskin picked up a bow and fixed it up.
"Now, what is this?" asked Snow.
"This is how you kill the Queen!" he said excitedly, holding it out to her.
"How will that help me get into the castle?"
"No, no, no. That's impossible. You have to kill her when she's on the move. When she's on her way to the Summer Palace." he waved his hand and a map appeared in it. He stepped closer to Snow, holding up the map, and tracing a trail with his finger. "Fire the arrow from this spot, here, and you'll be hidden from sight."
Snow took the map and stared at it, a hint of a smile on her face.
"An arrow fired from this bow will get you exactly what you need."
Snow rowled up the map and Rumplestiltskin picked up a golden arrow.
"It always finds it's target!" he said madly, his eyes widening, beaming.
"I can't stand by. If you take that weapon, you do it alone." said Grumpy stepping close to her.
"That was always my plan." she pushed passed him and Grumpy glared at Rumplestiltskin as he chuckled evily.
Snow took the bow and arrow and looked at them. "So what do I have to do in return?"
"Do? You don't have to do anything, dearie." he stepped closer to her.
"Everything comes with a price with you....... Last time you took a strand of my hair. What's in it for you this time?"
"Let's just say..........I'm invested in your future." his eyes stared at her wide in madness.