Graham woke in room of bright white light. The thumping of his heart, pounding in his chest. It rhythmic beats was like listening to music for the first time. He was greated by a beautiful woman, dressed in a white dress, reminiscent of the early 1960s. "Hello, good to see you up most people have a hard time waking up from their death."
"I'm dead?" Graham asked, the shock hitting him like being hit by a train. The woman laughed as if he had said something funny.
"I need to get back to Emma and help her overthrow Regina and-" Graham was cut off from finishing the sentence. As the 'woman' grabbed his cheeks, giving him a fish like appearance. Then she giggled once more before explaining, "Foolish mortals always wanting to do something out of your control." Looking sternly, "Now hear me once because I am saying this only…once. You…Are…D…E…A…D." The final syllable resonated with Graham like a gong going off in his head.
"Besides…" The woman continued, "Your soul has no veasel, no heart to reside in. Even if there was heart compatible the pain would be so unbearable that you'll beg death." She said as a sofa appeared out of nowhere as she took a seat.
"What about Emma? She needs to realize her destiny."
The woman laughed as if Graham had said something funny again. "Ah yes the mortal to save her mother and father and the rest of your lot." The Woman in White giggled some more, "How long do you think you have been here, Huntsman?"
"I don't know a minute or two?" Graham replied with a look of confusion so plainly evident.
"Try a year."
"A YEAR!"
The woman plopped down to a sofa that just seemingly apeared out of no wear.
"You see, this room is in the afterlife. Between Paradise and the Inferno, mortals from different universes or 'realms' have called these three locations differently." She paused to take a sip from a glass that appeared out of nowhere. "Mortals have called it different names but the mortals from the realm you came from call it many names. Heaven, Hell, Purgatory. Or as the Ancient Greeks called them the Elysian Fields, the Asphodel Meadow, and the Fields of Punishment." She paused to take another sip. "Anyway, an hour here is an actual year down in the mortal plain, and a day is a decade." As she finished she looked at Graham seeing her words affecting him. Then something happened to her for the first time in her entire existence. She'd pitied the mortal, as if she wanted him to be alive.
Graham meanwhile was aghast. 'A year, Gods I hope Emma was able to break the curse.' He thought, but knew in his heart, that she will if she didn't do it already. "There is a way for you to return to the realm of the living." Graham looked up as if she knew as what he was thinking. "But it is more dangerous, and more deadly."
"I don't care if I must face off the god of the underworld himself." The woman just laughed, "That's not good enough, you see the only way to survive this journey is staying true to your true love." She struts towards Graham as she continues. "At every turn you'll be tempted to stray from the path, and if you do not only do you cease to exist but you become apart of the temptations for all eternity."
"What must I do in to succeed?"
The woman just smiled thinking, 'he might have a chance.' Before she replied.
"First, you must escape the forest of illusions, there you'll be shown a life that could've been yours, as the trees try to devour you." She pauses to let it sink into him before she continued. "Then you must fight the Demons of Lust, for they will use every trick in the book in order for you to succumb to the desires of men, and if you do. You'll become one of them." Again she pauses but now she has pushed him back up an invisible wall. Before she continued. "Then finally you must show leaps of faith between the two of you. Once you've completed the trials a new heart will be forged and it will transport you back to the mortal plain, into your body, alive."
The woman said inches from Grahams mouth as if she was testing him herself to see if he was worthy or not for the quest that he was embarking.
"Do I get some kind of weapon?" Graham said, as he pushed the woman away.
"Yes, yes you do." She replied, betraying no emotion her voice, as if she expected his answer.
Suddenly all of a sudden racks of swords, bows, axes, maces, and armor appeard in rows, behind Graham and the woman.
"Choose, and choose wisely." The woman said.
Graham was in awe, in front of him were swords of every type, as if there was one for every person in known universe. From the very practical, to the very unusual. Also from the very simple to the very extravagant and highly ceremonially. He then gazed towards the bows from crossbows, hand crossbows, small bows, composite bows, to long bows. Like the swords, they too ranged from the very practical to the very unusual.
'Focused Huntsman, you don't need a lot.' Graham thought as was browsing through the armor behind the woman in white. He soon chosed a simple hand and a half longsword, a long bow with about three dozen arrows, a buckler with a wolf's head in the center. For armor, Graham selected a leather ensamble, and a leather chainmail cuirass.
When he was done Graham went back to the Woman fully dressed and equipped. The woman just grinned, "I see that you are prepared." With that the weapons and equipment dissolved as if they were mearly dust. Then all of a sudden an opening apeared leading into darkness. Before him a lantern in the shape of a teardrop appeared out of no were. "This lantern is fueled by one thing, purity. The more Pure your heart the brighter lantern will be." The woman said, as Graham passed her by.
But before he entered into the darkness, he paused and asked. "Are you expecting me to succeed?"
"No, I'm expecting you to fail." She said not facing him.
"Then why are you helping me?"
"Because I pity you."
"Oh, then may I know your name."
"Death, is my name."
With that Graham went down into darkness and into the forest of illusions. Beginning his quest to return to the realm of the living.
A/N: This is my explanation of how Graham could comeback. And yes I know that the creators would just love to tease us fans about bringing back a character. Anyways if you get the matrix reference good for you. Also I don't care if you review but if you do thank you.