Once Upon A Time ~ Book 1

Chapter 122 - Henry's Quest

Henry ran down the hall of Granny's Bed and Breakfast and around a corner. He knocked ferociously on the door of number two.
"Hang on." said August's voice from inside the room.
Henry knocked the door again.
Then the crystal designed know turned and August peered his head out of the crack in the door. Henry looked up at him and he opened the door a little wider.
"August, please, I need your help." he stepped inside and August looked at him concerned. "Emma wants to leave!"
"What? Slow down." he shut the door.
"You were gonna make her believe. You have to."
"I know, Henry. I'm sorry. I.....I failed."
"Failed?"
"I tried to show her." he stepped closer to him. "First it was my legs. And now.....now take a look....." he raised his arm and began to pull the sleave of his sweater down. "......at the unvarnished truth." he gasped silently in pain, his breath shaking as he revealed his arm no longer as flesh but wood as his legs.
Henry stared up at it carefully. "........It's wood." he said surprised.
"Yes." a slight smile on his face.
A little smile grew on Henry's small face. "All of this? I was right. The curse, it's real." he let out.
August stared down at him with his shimmering blue eyes. "You're a smart kid."
"And you're Pinocchio." he let out beaming.
He grunted as he pulled down his sleave again. "What gave it away?" he joked.
"But why are you turning back to wood?....."
He sighed in pain.
".....You're story, you should be real."
"I'm changing back because....I haven't exactly been a good boy." he smiled guiltly and went down on his knees before Henry breathing deeply in pain. "And.......well, if the curse doesn't break......" he looked down at his legs. ".......this doesn't stop."
"So we show Emma that you're turning back into the puppet you were. And then she has to believe! And when she does, she could break the curse." he said quickly.
"I tried that. She doesn't want to see. So she doesn't. There's nothing more that I can do......... I'm.....I'm getting tired. It's hard to ride and it's hard to walk..... Soon it's gonna be hard to breathe."
"So we have to do something fast."
"There's noting to do. And with what little time I have left, I want to spend it with my father."
"Marco."
"Told you you're a smart kid." he stumbled to his feet and led him to the door. He held it opem for Henry and sighed.
Henry stared up at him. "So everyone's giving up?" he said sadly.
August looked away from him and leaned his head against the wooden frame of the door. Then he looked up at the ceiling. "I'm afraid that I don't have a choice." he looked down at him again. "I'm sorry, kid, but I'm out of Operation Cobra. Now it's up to you." he panted his back and Henry stepped out of his room, his head down. August shut the door sadly on him as he raised his head and held his chin up high, staring ahead.

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Emma and Archie sat in Granny's Diner, coffees before them as they spoke.
"Emma, I'm sorry. But I'm afraid you don't have any case for custody." said Archie.
"Even after everything she's done?"
"Which you can't prove."
Emma rowled her eyes, frustrated and sat up straighter.
"Let me just ask you a question. With this war raging on, who really is getting hurt here?."
"I know. Henry. But isn't a good thing that he's spending time with me? I'm his mother."
"Yes, you are. And so is Regina."
She looked down at the table.
"And, well, look, the court is gonna come in and look at him and see how he's been since you've come into his life."
"And he's been happier, right?"
"Maybe. But objectively?" he scoffed. "He's skipped school, he's stollen a credit card, he's run off, he's endangered himself. Repeatedly..... ."
Emma sighed as he spoke and rested her head in her hand.
".......And so in the eyes of the law, it's not so......."
"What about in your eyes? What do you think?" she interrupted.
"Well, I mean, a while ago, I told you to engage him in his fantasy life, and...and perhaps I was wrong. Because he had only retreated further into it."
"You think he's better off with her?" she said repolsivly.
"I never said that."
Emma looked around the diner then back down at the table. After a moment she looked back up at Archie. "Do you think that she would ever hurt him?"
"No. Never." he shook his head. "I mean, everyone else, but not him..... Look, right or wrong, her actions have all been defensive. I'm not judging, but....." he scoffed. "......in many ways, your arrival has woken a sleeping dragon."
"Tell me honesty.............has he been better off since I got here?" she said slowly.
"Oh......" he shook his head gently. "......it's not a matter of better off. It's...It's a matter of this war had to end. If you two are gonna be in his life, you have to figure out the best way to do that."
Emma sighed and sat up straight again.

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Snow ran quickly down through the dungeons of King George's castle. She turned a corner and stared ahead, her face beaming as she saw in the cell ahead her one true love. "Charming!" she let out releaved. She ran down the rocky dungeon towards his bared cell. "Charming."
"Snow." he said, fear in his eyes, no happiness in her arrival, but she didn't notice.
She grabbed the keys to cell, hanging near by and set her lantern down as she unlocked the locks and opened the bar door gleefully. She stepped into the cell happily but her face fell as she saw him full, not in the cell, but in a huge looking glass. She stepped closer sadly. "You're......." she breathed. "No." she said silently. "No! Oh, no!"
Charming stared at her sadly and pitifully. "The Queen took me to her palace." he stared at her beautiful pale face as she sobbed sadly.
"But I'm rescuing you." he voice trailed.
He chuckled sadly. "Snow......." he held his hand up agaist the glass.
Snow placed her hand on his, the glass between their touch. "Is this always gonna be out life?........ Taking turns finding each other?"
He chuckled a little again. "We'll be together, I know it."
Snow stated sadly into his blue eyes, tears in hers.
"Have faith."
She breathed softy and rubbed her fingertips on the glass.
Then all of a sudden he disappeared in a cloud of dark blue smoke.
She jolted in shock as the Regina appeared in his place cackling in amusement at Snow's sorrow.
"I just had to stop you." she said, still laughing, a smile a her face. "I have no interest in cleaning tongue marks off my mirror."
"Let him go. Your fight is with me."
He eyes widened as an idea came to her wicked mind. "My thoughts, exactly.... Have you ever heard of a parley? We break off all this messy fighting and have a little talk..... Just you and me. Come unarmed."
She shook her head a sighed, teats still in her eyes. "Where do I meet you?"
"Where it all began."

Snow stood before a table in the castle with Red, Granny and the dwarfs in a quite, forgotten room.
Snow pulled her sword and her other weapons from her belt and placed them down on the table.
"Stop trying to talk me out of this. The castle is secure. I'm going." she pulled two little daggers from her coat and placed them on the table.
"Keep the little knife between your tuffets." said Grumpy as ahead pulled a little knife from the opening of her coat.
"I promised I would come alone and unarmed. It's a parley. There are rules."
"You're too noble for your own good." said Red as she pulled yet another knife from her lased leather boots.
"I'm not. But enough of you have risked your lives because of something that's between The Queen and me. I will not let anyone else get hurt because of me."
"Except you." argued Red.
"Thank you for your concern, but this ends today." she said to Red and she began to walk to the door before the dwarfs steped in front of her.
"We can't let you go." said Grumpy firmly.
"I'm not asking. Thank you for your support." she looked around at them. "I love each and every one of you. But this is something I have to do." she put her hand on Grumpy's shoulder. "Alone." she shuffled her way through then and walked quickly to the door.
Red tryed to run after her but stopped. "I don't like this. I don't trust that Queen."