"What were you doing?" her father asked when Mary Margaret arrived. She gets close for a kiss before answer.
"Stealing..." in a blink she have a little purse in her hand. "See? Easy busy" That purse looked like his own, so Leopold put a hand on his pocket to see if the money purse would be there yet. And it was.
"You are joking, right?"
"Quite"
"Mary Margaret..."
"All right. This is something I picked from Mother Superior. That´s all."
"Why?"
"The girls are planning to go away. And I wanted to go with them."
"My girl... There's no need. You can be with us. I know you and Regina don't go well, but we are family. We must try our best. And not steel from Mother Superior and run away! You must give it back."
"Can't we talk about that later? And tomorrow I will meet her and apologize and give it back, ok? I'm going to my room now"
She turned upstairs, ran until her room, closed the door and finished her pack. Living here is not possible anymore. She was a commoner with a terrible step-mother and a dad blind for everything her step-mother did. He probably knew Regina didn't like her, but he try not to see it. As if that way, nothing would happen.
Belle was running of an arranged married and Ashley from a life of servitude on her own house. Run away is not the solution or how the things should be. They should sit and talk and make things work. However, they are really tired of trying.
That night, they will start being all by themselves. And the purse she stole from her dad and from Mother Superior will be just the beginning. Tonight, Mary Margaret would meet Belle and Ashley at Belle´s stable, disguise and start their journey.
Mary Margaret cut her hair really short, like a pixie. Belle by her shoulders. Ashley didn't. They don't have time to convince her now. They just changed to man's clothing, put the cloak on and went away.
Right to anywhere.

The night in the woods was dark as... it was darker anything they ever behold. But they have to go, and the only way out that village was the woods. And there were no magical light to ease their way. They would only stop briefly when the sun rose, and just after finding a safe place to rest.
Luckily, that forest was only dark, no roots on the way, apparently no walking trees, and if they could talk, they didn't, what was relieving.
They did not make long. Ashley was too tired of a day after a day of work to walk. However, Belle could not sleep and was the first waking up just a couple hours later. The woods would not hide them for too long if they were looking after them.

"Now, what we are going to do?" asked Belle "We run, we must not stop at the same place much longer, we have to steal to live - liking or not - and we must move fast, or someone will get us, probably someone related to my dear betrothed"
"We will be able to set down. Just not now. Some months from now, they will start to get tired, and we will be covered somewhere. No one will ever know who we are." said Mary
"But we will be 3 girls living alone anywhere. That´s not the usual" said Belle.
"We make something out, girls. We already done the hardest part, now on is just peace of cake" said Ashley.
"You can´t be so naive, Ashley. People will not easily take us on their homes. We are going to be thieves. We are in danger because we are girls, and they are in danger because we will steal from them" said Belle.
"You are right, Belle." said Mary Margaret
"Am I?"
"No one will harm us, because we will be too scary for anyone tries anything."


The first option was staying in the wood. And was what the girls did. Never sleeping on the same place and always going east - the easier direction to keep. Just following the sunrise. It would be just for a few days, but days became months - they realized that by their periods - and they were in the woods still. And, thanks gods, no one found the missing girls. They got so connected with that woods that going out started to freak them out. However, as Belle said once "We not ran away from a prison to be trapped in the woods. Our fears are holding us here, and we don't even realize that! We have to plan our actions from now and get out of here."
"Ok. First, we get out the forest; second, we find a small place to live, and last, get new identities. We just have to find out a story to cover us." said Mary "There is something in you mind, Belle?"
"Not yet. But we have time until we find somewhere to live."

They have to keep walking. If they could find the end of the forest... It was harder to get out than to get in. The forest didn't want them to go. All those days they spent there didn't help them to find a way out. Ashley started to get scared, to believe they never could get out. "And if we called Rumpelstiltskin?"
"Are you out of your mind, Ashley? He is dangerous." said Belle
"I don't believe we have a choice. If we want to get out of here, let's ask for help and face any consequences"
"More two days, Ash. Let's try out more. You are town girls, but I can see we are not much further of the end. The forest will let us go and we will not to bind with any deal. Have faith Ash." said Mary. "For everything I've already heard about Rumpelstiltskin, I'm not sure if I can pay his price."
"Be brave girl. As I know you are. We are living like that for a while. Just be patience for a few days." said Belle. "We are scared too. But we must do the brave thing and go on, follow what we learnt until we find a..."
"Big chocolate house?" said Ashley
"It seems a known story..." said Belle.
"Yeah. I've heard that too. Two brothers are trapped into this house and they are safe because the sister, Gretel, had an idea that took them out. Do you guys want to come in and check it out?"
"I'm in."
Ashley looked back to Belle. "You were chosen to be here and look if there is something strange."

They left Belle next a window and really fast, Ashley and Mary tried to find a way in.
"I don't think there's anyone here... The house is all dark. Do you see anyone inside?"
Ashley called Mary with her hand. She found an open window. And made a sign to Mary go inside.
It was dark, but they could see trough it. Everything was made of candy or chocolate and there were cupcakes and lollipops. It seemed so tasty.
"Let's take some, for later" murmured Ashley. "Just don't eat them now... I don't know why. But we can't eat the candies here"
Mary nodded. They crossed the main room looking for nothing in particular.
"Hey... Hey! You two" called Belle. "Come back. I heard something. And if the laws works, we would be in trouble"
"What did you see?" questioned (?) Ashley. Belle point the answer. A bunch of kids, some guards and an opened litter. A well dressed woman was inside. She was looking to nowhere.
"We are too visible here. Come over here to hide." murmured Mary to the other girls.
"Are we going to save them?" enquires Ashley. "We must. They are just children!"
"We don't know what is happening. We have to investigate" answered Mary.