Hello fellow Oncers! So this is my first attempt at an Once Upon a Time fanfic. I originally just wrote this out to appease the plot bunny in my head. However, I am surprisingly pleased with it so I figured I would share it.
Happy reading dearies!
The first thing Emma noticed was the throbbing in her head.
She was lying on the cold ground. Emma's head pulsed in pain as she vaguely remembered the events that got her into this position.
'Goddamn magical hats'
Emma squinted her eyes open and immediately regretted the action. The surrounding world was bright, green, and overwhelming to the growing pain in her head.
She felt the fabric of her sleeve pulled and slowly reopened her eyes to see a arm grasping her that belonged to no other than Mary Margaret.
Her best friend. Who was also her mother.
Closing her eyes again, Emma inwardly groaned. The other events of the past day came flooding back to her: The poisoned turnover, Henry laying on a hospital bed, Regina's reveal that the curse was real, fighting a dragon, Gold's double crossing, and Henry's death.
Henry was not dead though. He was very much alive. Emma's tensed muscles relaxed at the thought. To think it was only hours ago she was telling Henry that she needed to leave Storybrook behind.
But that didn't happen. She broke the curse and she really was the savior.
Emma stared at her best friend's form lying on the ground beside her. It warped Emma's mind to think about the school teacher's true identity.
'Princes and princesses? Dragon's and evil witches? Snow White and Prince Charming? This is insane. I didn't ask for any of this. I don't WANT this,' Emma cringed, 'I really do need those bottles of wine.'
What she wouldn't give for just one more day of normalcy; a day where she didn't need to use a sword or battle mythical creatures. She would much rather kick some typical human ass and then go home and drink hot cocoa. Still, Emma knew that a day like that was most likely far on the horizon.
It was Mary Margaret's stirring that broke Emma's trail of wishful thinking, bringing her back to reality. Emma fought the pain from the bump on her head as she sat up and began to shake her friend's shoulders in an attempt to awaken her.
"Mary Margaret, wake up. Please, I need you to wake up," Emma pleaded. Mary Margaret eyes fluttered open and focused on the one thing that mattered to her: Emma.
"Emma! Are you alright?" Mary Margaret gasped.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just have one bitch of a headache. What the hell just happened?"
"You fell into the portal. I was so scared, Emma. I couldn't let you go through this alone. I had to come with you."
"You...came through on purpose?"
"You're my daughter," Mary Margaret said with the hint of a grin on her face. "I would do anything to keep you safe."
"Well, last time that same philosophy led to me being alone for 28 years" Emma said with a snap. Snows face fell and Emma immediately felt guilty for the comment. This was no time to play the abandoned daughter. There were more pertinent problems at the moment.
'Like figuring out where the hell we just landed so I can get back to Henry.'
"Look, why don't we just focus on where we are," Emma reasoned.
Snow still looked like she had been slapped in the face, but she knew that Emma was right. The two paid close attention to their surroundings for the first time. Emma realized that the green hazy light that blinded her at first was in fact the green of nature. They were in a dense forest meadow filled with trees and flowers. The whole area was filled by the sunlight of the mid-day afternoon.
"I know this place," Mary Margaret said in an almost whisper, "I've been here before." Mary Margaret's forehead squinted in thought until her eyes laid place on a non-distinct tree hidden behind some shrubbery. She slowly placed one foot in front of the other until she stood before the tree and pushed back the weeds.
Mary Margaret did not hear Emma's frustrated pleas for an explanation. All she saw was a name carved into the tree in the handwriting of a little girl.
Snow White
"Mare…does that say what I think it says?" Emma asked hesitantly.
"Yes…oh my! I remember this tree. I used to play here in this meadow as a young girl. When the second Ogre War hit my father forbid me to wander from the castle. I carved my name here as a goodbye to this place…" Mary Margaret trailed off as she approached the brush beside the carved wood. She pulled the branches and leaves back and gasped when she saw what came into sight.
Just off into the distance stood a behemoth structure with turrets, high towers and stone walls.
"Is that what I think it is?" Emma asked, wishing she didn't already know the answer.
"If you're thinking it's a castle then yes, it is. It's our castle. Our home."
Mary Margaret met Emma's gaze and the unspoken truth rang between them. They shouldn't be standing in this meadow staring at the place where they would have created a lifetime of memories. They shouldn't be in the Enchanted Forest period.
"I thought Regina said that this place didn't exist anymore?" Mary Margaret pondered.
"The day when I trust a single word out of Regina's mouth is the day when pigs fly..." She hesitated, "Wait, please tell me that doesn't actually happen here?" Emma asked with a sickened look on her face.
Mary Margaret shot Emma a smirk, "I assure you, you're safe from flying pigs. However, we may not be safe from what else is out here besides us. We should get moving towards the castle. Whatever happened to us when we fell through the portal, the answer to getting us home may be there."
Emma shot Mary Margaret an apprehensive look. The last thing she wanted to do was visit a fairy tale castle that doubled as her infant home.
"Emma," Mary Margaret said softly looking into Emma's eyes, "I know that the events of the past day have been overwhelming for you and I am so sorry for that. But if you want to get back to Henry, we need to move forward. And that means going to the castle."
The sound of her son's name gave Emma all of the resolve she needed.
"Okay. Let's go."
Mary Margaret gave Emma's hand a quick squeeze.
"We'll need to double back a little and follow the outskirts of the sea before we hit the bridge that will lead to the castle. Follow me"
"I hate to be the five year old in the backseat of the mini-van, but are we there yet?" Emma groaned. The 'nature hike' routine was getting old fast.
"Actually, yes. See that bridge up there? That's the main entry way into the castle compound." Mary Margaret explained. "How are you holding up out here? Do you need to take a rest?"
"No. We're already here at the bridge gate. The sooner we get to the castle the sooner we get back to Henry," Emma said as she stumbled over a tree root. Mary Margaret shot her daughter an equally bemused and concerned look.
"Really Mare, I'm fi—"Emma's straight up lie was interrupted by the snap of a branch and the sound of footsteps. Mary Margaret's head whipped in the direction of the noise.
"Emma, get down, NOW!"
Emma barely had time to process the command before an arrow shot past her, grazing her shoulder slightly before hitting a tree behind her.
"EMMA!" Mary Margret screamed in a panic.
"I'm fine," Emma said with a cringe as arrows continued to fly over their heads. "It's just a scratch. What the hell is going on?"
Before Mary Margaret could answer, the onslaught of arrows halted. The booming voice of a guard came from across the field.
"You are trespassing castle grounds. Identify yourselves."
"What the hell is this? Shoot first—"Mary Margaret cut her daughter off.
"We apologize. We did not realize that there were others in the area. We were told that this land was abandoned. Please, we are just looking for some help."
After a few moments of hesitation, the guard stepped closer into view.
"Lancelot?!" Mary Margaret exclaimed.
"Snow White?" Lancelot was confused. The woman standing before him had the face of Snow White as well as the fair skin and the raven hair. However, this was not the Snow he knew. He was not convinced.
"No, that's impossible. I had counsel with Queen Snow this morning concerning the extra forces surrounding the castle grounds to protect against the Evil Queen. You obviously tell lies. You must be working for Regina" Lancelot growled.
Emma began to frantically glance between her mother and the knight.
"This morning…?" Emma trembled as she clutched her shoulder in pain. How could have this guy had talked to the fairy tale version of her mother just this morning? Where the hell did that stupid hat drop them?
"Save your talk for the King and Queen. I'm bringing you in."
So that's chapter one! Stay tuned for chapter two! Reviews are always welcome :)
