Happily Ever After

Prologue

The 18-year-old girl took a deep breath as she stepped onto the bus. She walked along until she reached the back of the bus, silently sitting in the corner. Her clothing was a little... odd for the time. A long robe-like dress with fabric that pooled at her bare feet covered her body and her hair was pulled back in a gentle half up half down. Anyone who saw her would almost assume she'd gotten back from a medieval-themed party or something, or that she worked at the strip club down the street (minus the slutty outfit)

One by one, people left the bus until, eventually, it was only her and the driver. The bus driver continued along the route until he finally arrived at the last one. "Look, are you going to get off or not? Cos, I can't keep driving you along anymore."

Wordlessly, the female stood up, walking to the end of the bus and then slowly descended the stairs, careful not to trip on her dress.

She entered the apartment block ahead of her, her breathing slow, and uneven as she tried to calm down. This was his home. The Author's home. Raising a shaking fist, the female rapped her knuckles on the wooden door, once, twice, three times before dropping it so it now dangled uselessly by her side.

Hearing the footsteps, she lifted her head, a little straighter, trying to seem confident despite the swelling fear inside her. Breathe. She reminded herself. The footsteps stopped and for a moment that seemed to last forever, she was surrounded in complete silence. Finally, she heard the handle twisting open and then her eyes met with the all too familiar multi-coloured eyes.

After an entire week of saying nothing, she took a deep breath, and forced a smile onto her perfect features. "Hi, dad."

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Henry Mills had not expected his day to go like this. He was a 22-year-old without a proper job and half a manuscript written for his story: Once Upon a Time. He'd also tried to get various different jobs but when that hadn't worked out, he went back home and stared at the blank page under the chapter heading The Final Battle.

He lifted his fingers to the keyboard to begin typing as a soft tapping sound echoed throughout his apartment. With a grumbled sigh, he lifted himself from his seat and walked, cautiously, towards the door. Who would be visiting him? Visitors was extremely uncommon for Henry, especially this late at night.

The door clicked open. A voice spoke, softly. Hazel eyes met brown ones and familiarity coursed through his brain as she spoke. As tears stung the grown man's eyes, he fell to his knees, crying as his daughter wrapped her arms around him and sat, emotionlessly beside him.