Once Upon A Time ~ Book 1

Chapter 95 - Heart Of Darkness

David lay on the couch in Archie's office, his eyes shut. Archie sat next to him, taking notes.
"David, listen very closely. Can you hear me?"
"Yes."
"Good. Okay, I want you to go back in your memory. Back to the last time you and Kathryn spoke. Last thing you remember.......... Tell me, where are you?"
"In my bedroom." he said, his eyes still shut.
"When?"
"The night she left."
"And what were you doing?"
"I called her on her cell."
"And what did you talk about?"
"She said she realised she needed to start a new life. Without me. And she thought Mary Margaret and I should be together."
"And how did that conversation end?"
"She said she was hurt........ But she wanted me to be happy."
"And do you remember anything after that?"
"Yes. I saw Mary Margaret in the woods."
"And what was she doing there?"
Then suddenly David saw a snowy woods, Mary Margaret holding a bow and arrow, wearing a dark cloak, she stared into his eyes, she flashed in and out of sight, his heart felt as though it was going to jump from his chest, he could hear it's beating whilse seeing these visions in his head.
"You can't kill her." his voice echoed.
"Really.......Watch me." she said, evil in her eyes and she blended in with the shadows ahead.
"Don't do it!" his voice echoed again.
"David. David!" shouted a distant voice.
David's eyes shot open and he shook. "What happened?"
"I had to wake you up. You went too deep into hypnosis." said Archie, sitting closer to him now. "Something was disturbing you. What did you see?"
He sat up, staring into the air. "It was......." he looked up at Archie.
"What? Tell me, David, I can help you."
David jumped to his feet and ran to the door, grabbing his coat.
Archie got to his feet and went after him. "David! David, tell me, what did you see? I can help you."
"No, you can't." breathed David, then he ran from the office.
"David!" Archie called after him.

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Charming tugged and attempted to pull from the ropes that tied him to the tree in the snowy forest.
Then suddenly Jiminy Cricket flew towards him.
"Go on, get out of here!" said Charming, attempting to shoo him away with no arms.
"You must be James." said Jiminy Cricket.
He looked up at him in surprise. "You can talk?"
"Yeah, and you can listen. Name's Jiminy." he settled onto Charming's arm. "When Snow began acting differently, her friends, the dwarfs, asked me to intervene. But I'm afraid I wasn't much help."
He sighed, looking at Jiminy. "I didn't do any better....... Can you get me out of here? I have to stop her."
"Well, I'll try." he began to nibble at the rope and spit it out. "What's your plan?" he asked.
"I don't know. I tried everything to make her remember who I am. But nothing worked."
"Give that a try." he said, flying from his arm.
Charming tugged and pulled at the rope, then finally tore it, allowing one of his arms to be free.
"It sounds like you're approaching this the wrong way." said Jiminy as Charming unnoticed his other arm. "How can she remember who you are when she's lost sight of who she is?"

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The villagers and peasants ran from the road, out of the way by the snowy forest as the Evil Queen's carraige road along the road, her dark gaurds leading on their horses, and the Queen herself, standing out in her blood red dress in the black colour as she rode along.
"Clear the road!" shouted one of the dark gaurds. "Bow your head before the Queen."
The peasants bowed their heads as the Queen went by, fear in their eyes as she glared at them beneath her snow covered hat.
Up, above the road, at the forestry highway, a dark, hooded figure sneaked between the trees, following the Queen and her gaurds alone the road, a bow by her side. Snow looked down at the Queen, riding along the snowy road, a fierce grin on her face. She ran a little ahead, and held her bow up, the gold arrow up against her face, directing it at her target, prepared to allow it to fly through the snowy branched and straight into the Queens chest. Then she smiled and let the gold arrow go, the of the bow trembling as she watched it fly between the trees. Then Charming ran in front of it, jumping up and allowing the target to be him. He grunted as the sharp point of the arrow dug into into the side of his chest, he fell hard to the earthen ground once again.
Snow looked ahead in shock and ran towards him. "What do you think you're doing?" she shouted.
He groaned in pain on the snowy ground.
"Why would you do this?" she looked down at him in fury.
Charming rowled over to face her. "Because you said you appreciate actions more than words." he sat up.
She sighed as she glared at him, pulling himself up against the tree, panting heavily.
"So now you're gonna get both."
She groaned and looked around helplessly.
"I love you, Snow." he panted in pain, the arrow still in his chest.
"But I don't love you." she said, shaking her head.
He groaned again.
"I don't even remember you."
"Well, I don't care." he groaned again. "The only thing I care about is that you don't forget who you really are. I would rather die than let you fill your heart with darkness." he panted and closed his eyes in pain.
She gazed into his face. "You would really die for me?"
"Does it look like I'm making this up?"
"No one's ever done anything like this for me before." a tear rowled down her pale cheeks. "No one's ever been willing to die for me."
"No one you can remember."
She gazed at his face as he groaned again, his head now bent as he leaned forward in pain. She then placed a hand on his arm and he looked up at her. They gazed into one another's eyes, both of their cheeks tear stained. Snow then held Charming's chin up and touched her blood red lips to his. They kissed, their eyes closed. Then Snow suddenly opened her eyes and stared at Charming's closed ones, their lips still pressed together. They broke away from one another and gazed into thir eyes again, but this time realisation in Snow's face. A smile grew on her face and her eyes brightened.
"Charming!"
"Yes. It's me." he smiled.
She chuckled and kissed him again and again and again, their faces beaming, their eyes filled with tears of joy.
Then suddenly they heard horses whinning behind them. They looked ahead, their arms wrapped around one another to see King George's gaurds riding towards them.
"Over there!" shouted one of the gaurds.
"King George's army." said Charming and he pulled Snow's dark hood over her head. He groaned in pain again as he attempted to move.
The horses stopped and some of the gaurds jumped down. "Halt! Get him!" called one gaurd.
The gaurds ran towards them, one pulled away Snow and held her tight while the others crowded around Charming. The lead gaurd with bloody scabs accross his face stared at him.
"Prince James." he muttered, yanking the arrow from his chest and turned to the gaurd holding Snow. "Leave the girl. We have who we came for."
The gaurd threw Snow to the ground as they dragged Charming away.
"No!" shouted Charming.
Snow got to her feet. "James!"
The same gaurd turned around to her and threw a fist into her face. She fell back to the ground again.
The gaurds threw Charming into a cage, hauled by the horses and locked him up.
Snow attempted to get to her feet again but the gaurd drew his sword.
"No!" cryed Charming.
"Enough!" called the lead gaurd to the gaurd as he held his sword up to strick upon Snow. He then glared at her in disgust and turned away, following the gaurds.
"Snow.........." he said silently as they pulled the cage along, through the white forest. "Snow!" she got to her feet and wiped the blood gushing from her lip. "James!" she cryed, falling against the tree.
"Snow!"
"I will find you!" she cryed as the gaurds drew their swords to stop her from coming any closer. "I will always find you......."