Once Upon a Time Fanfiction
Family Reunion
Chapter One: Letting Go
Into the Enchanted Forest
Rushing through the pine trees, Gerda tried to catch her breath. But the Queen's knights were reaching her village, and she needed to inform her father. She puffed through her nose and ran all the harder. Reaching her village minutes later, she ran by the bakery, and straight to the main court house.
"Mayor Gardbor!" Gerda called out, trying to catch her breath. "The Queen is on her way here!" Gerda shouted, trying to catch anyone's attention.
The round bellied mayor looked up at Gerda from his desk, and nodded. "Get to your father. We will stall the Queen." He replied to the girl.
Gerda understood, and ran out the door, heading straight for the hill, where her and her father's small house stood. Not bothering to knock, she entered the wooden building, and closed the door.
"Father? Father! The Queen is on her way!" Gerda shouted. She need not have, as her father was sitting at the table, most likely thinking about Gerda's late mother. He looked up at his daughter, panic across his face.
"How long do we have?" He questioned, rising from his chair to grab his cloak. He also grabbed one for his daughter. As he got closer to Gerda, he looked into his daughter's blues eyes, which were placed behind her spectacles.
"I don't know, perhaps three minutes." Gerda guessed, shrugging. "All I know is that the mayor wants us to get to the forest."
Her father nodded, and together they went to the door. As they rushed down to the village, Gerda noticed all the village folk lining up on either side of the main road, awaiting the royal carriage. All except one older woman, who was having a hard time trying to rise off the ground.
Without thinking, Gerda directed her path towards the woman, ignoring her father's warnings. "Gerda! Come, we need to go."
And he was right, as he noticed the Queen's carriage arriving. It was too late for Gerda to get to the woods. She yelled for her father to go ahead, and swallowed deeply as she helped to raise the woman off the ground. Hearing the carriage stop behind her, she hurried to help the woman up.
"Away from the elder." A man's voice demanded, pulling Gerda away from the woman. The woman was very close to being raised from the ground, but without Gerda's help she fell again. The knight pushed Gerda to the other side of the road, placing her among other youth.
As the towns people watched helplessly as the older woman tried to stand, the Evil Queen came out of her carriage, wearing a seductive black dress and cloak. Her hair was in a side ponytail, with her dark hair reached her hip, and her lips were as red as blood. It reminded Gerda of when she had bitten her lip, and the colour of red that dripped onto the ground.
The Queen stopped in front of the older woman, smiling cruelly. "Well well dear, we seem to be having some difficulty here." She stated, smiling. "You need to rise, old woman. And bow to your Queen."
However, the old woman would not bow. Instead, surprising all the towns folk including Gerda, the old woman looked up into the Queen's face, and smiled.
"If I am not able to bow down to true royalty, then I would rather not bow at all." The woman stated.
The Queen looked down at the woman, angry. "Then you may die, and bow down to the king in the next life." Raising her hand, fire appeared, which Gerda had recognized immediately as dark magic. Her father had been teaching Gerda all about magic, because of her strange gift.
Before the Queen could strike, Gerda reached out her hand. "Stop!" She yelled. Big mistake. The Queen turned to where Gerda stood, staring the skinny teenager up and down. The older woman looked at Gerda as well, and shook her head in disappointment. Gerda suddenly realized that the woman was willing to die for her cause, and that Gerda may have just put the whole village in danger.
"What did you say?" The Queen demanded, her white teeth gritted. "What did you say to me, peasant?"
Gerda swallowed hard, and as she faced the Queen, she realized something else. The Queen actually looked-worried? Perhaps, Gerda had given the Queen something to mull over. Not many had defied her, other than the runaway princess, Snow White. This seemed shocking to the Queen.
Forgetting the danger at hand and letting curiosity get the better of her, Gerda stared the Queen straight back in the face, defying the fear that the Queen tried to instill in her heart.
"I said, stop." Gerda stated. The Queen sneered in her direction, and putting out the fire in her hand, walked up to the teenager, slowly and deadly. But Gerda refused to let fear get the better of her. As the Queen stood right up to Gerda's chest, Gerda could feel the impact of dark magic that tried to impale Gerda's heart. But she refused to budge.
"Well well dear, looks like we have a brave child." The Queen sneered. She backed away from Gerda, and looking back, she stood tall. "Bow down girl, and I may forgive you of your wrongdoings. May." The Queen stated.
All the towns people stared at Gerda expectantly. But Gerda was set not to move, until she saw her father in the distance, staring longingly at his daughter. If the Queen knew he was thereā¦..
As if reading her thoughts, The Queen looked behind her back, and saw Gerda's father in the distance. Smiling, she looked back at Gerda. "Well, looks like our little "hero" has a father to protect." Snapping her fingers, Gerda's father appeared in a puff of smoke beside the Queen, binded by ropes.
The Queen stroked the man's beard, and smiling, looked back to Gerda.
"If you want to protect daddy here, do as I say, and bow down. Or else." The Queen stated.
Gerda looked to her father, who looked solemn. What was she to do? She lowered her head, and staring at the ground, she silently prayed. Looking back up, she stared the Queen straight in the face, and shook her head.
"No. I will not bow down." Gerda answered. "But you will not hurt my father, either." Before her father could object, Gerda pulled the glove off her right hand, and raising her hand out to the Queen, she let her magic go.
The Queen fell backward by the power, as well as her guards. Then chaos happened, as the towns folk ran around like crazy. But before Gerda could reach her father, The Evil Queen rose from the ground, and stood to face Gerda.
"Guards, seize the girl!" She screamed, pointing at Gerda. But Gerda's father reacted first and raising himself from the ground, he threw himself at the Queen. He wanted to buy Gerda some time.
"Go!" He yelled at his daughter. "Run!" Wiping tears from her eyes, Gerda did what her father said, and ran into the woods.
