After Henry (Once Upon a Time)

Chapter Ten: Let Go

Ivy: I lost Henry Mills. That was the noisiest thought I ever had on my mind, crashing the inside of my brain with guilt and despair, as the waters did the same and took me to their bottom.

It was shortly after spending an hour or so stranded in the middle of the sea. The jet ski went out of gas, and the waves magnetized by the moon were stronger than most, cutting my little body into pieces as it fell and drowned.

I fought valiantly, but clearly, it didn't take, and the waters took me to the deep, where oxygen was nothing but a long distant memory.

Even as I died out, my biggest concern was Henry. I saw him invading my mind's eye, as I touched the End's lips.

Salvation came from the surface. She had two beautiful blue eyes which illuminated the darkness taking over the water, her lips were red, the same as hair. Focusing on the rescue, the girl with the shining fishtail, wrapped her hands around my sleepy numb body and took me to shore, away from that sargasso coffin.

"Wake up!" My savior screamed, while her voice seemed so distant and all I could hear were waves crashing on the rocks, sea birds screaming. I felt the sand all over my body, it was like being trapped inside Egypt's pyramids and I was mummified with sand. "Wake up!" The woman screamed again, lacking the gentle touch she used to save my life, for now she hit me in the face with a hard slap.

"Ouch! Seriously?!" I asked, opening my eyes to gaze upon the blueish ones belonging to the mermaid who saved me. "Aren't you a long way from home, little mermaid?"

"Yeah, if I wasn't, who would save your ass?!" She asked me, rudely. I heard tales of the sweet Ariel who lived with her prince in an island and rescued people from the furthest seas, not this fish girl with a bad attitude. "Now that you're awake, we can start discussing some things, like why are you on a date with Snow White's grandson?" She asked me, sitting on a rock with her arms crossed.

"Okay, first things first!" I rose my numb body from sand and tried to piece myself together on the reality that drew in front of me, a beach far away from Malibu, it would seem. "Where is Henry?!"

"He's fine, I saved him shortly after I saved you..." She explained, with a frown.

"Thank God..." I whispered as I closed my eyes and hands lifted high like I was praying.

"Drizella, how come you are with Henry? I thought he was married to Cinderella!" She was a die-hard fan of Henry's sickly sweet fairytale, my eyes just rolled in boredom, as I tried to find the energy to explain her everything. "Yes, you're right, Henry was in love with Cinderella, but then the curse brought us here and things are different."

"They can't be. Look, I get it, you two seemed pretty happy back there, but I came from Hangman's island to give you this." She showed me a small seashell with a little bottle inside it.

"What's this?" I asked, wrinkling my eyes and showing her my most bitchy face.

"You know very well." She looked at me, impatiently, as her eyes rolled. "It's a memory potion. I brought it from our realm, you clearly remember everything, but Henry doesn't. You must give it to him so he can find his family and stop the curse."

As my eyes looked upon bittersweet salvation, I never in my life wanted to live under a curse so much. I was trapped, if Henry got back his memories and the curse was broken, he would be safe, we all would, but I'd lose my chance to be with him. What was worse?

Being conflicted with duty and desire was a terrible fate and I hated myself for it, but the truth was that I just wished there was no apparent solution to the curse problem, that way Henry and I could be together.