After the Portal...

Chapter 9

Neal's POV:

I was coming out of the forest when I heard someone giggling behind me. I quickly turned around & saw a man. A man who I called "papa." he looked different, yet the same. He looked like the man who left me fall down the swirling green portal decades ago.

"Hello, Bae!" He said to me.

"Papa," I began, "you look... different."

"Back to the same old magic." he explained.

"How did you get here?"

"A magic bean, everyone is here."

It hit me. That woman I saw, probably was Emma!

"I need to go find Emma & Henry!" I exclaimed, turning the horse around.

"Wait! Bae, wait!" He called.

"What? What could you possibly want right now?! My son is put there with his mother in a strange land! I need to go to them!" I yelled louder than intended.

"It's about sundown, Bae. Come to my palace. I'll take you to go see Emma in the morning." He offered. I thought about it for a minute.

"Alright, but if you try anything. I will find your dagger & I will kill you." I said sternly.

"I would never hurt you, Bae." He said.

We approached his palace.

"What happened to our home?" I asked him.

"That old shack is probably destroyed." He said. I accepted it, & we walked inside. I sat down & he walked into the next room. He brought me a cup of tea, for some reason my papa was never one for coffee. He tried using that moment of time to apologize for letting me go. I laughed & shook my head.

"Oh, Papa. you think it's that easy. You let go for magic. I let go Henry. See the difference? Now. It's one thing to apologize & walk away & it's another thing to do something about it. There you are now, still with magic!" I let the last phrase sink in I him. He started crying & I walked into a bedroom. I was so exhausted. I fell asleep as soon as I pillowed my head.

The next morning I awoke & went to the room where I drank tea with my papa earlier. There was a tray with bacon & eggs on it.

"Made without magic, just the way you like it." His voice said from across the room. I sat down & ate. This is the first real meal I've had since I left Philip & Aurora's castle.

"Ready to go to find your son?" He asked. I wanted to tell him that I wanted to go alone but then it dawned on me that maybe I can get him to make a castle. He's got nothing better to do.

"I've always been ready." I say. And we left on our journey.

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Will Neal find Emma? You're gonna have to wait & see! Only about 4-6 chapters left so keep watching for when I update! Xoxo