Hi Everyone! Thank you all so much for the amazing response to this story. You guys inspire me to keep on writing!
Here is Chapter 2!
"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, Lancelot was not convinced.
"No, that's Impossible. I only just had counsel with you this morning concerning the extra forces surrounding the castle grounds to protect against the Evil Queen. You must be an imposter!"
Emma began to frantically glance between her mother and the knight.
"This morning…?" Emma trembled as she clutched her shoulder in pain.
"Save your talk for the King and Queen. I'm bringing you in."
Emma stared at the cold, gray walls as she paced in her cell. The stones glistened with dew in the murky light peaking from the cracks in the ceiling. She had yet to speak a word to her mother. What does one say when you just got arrested by Lancelot and are locked in a castle dungeon?
"Emma, we should talk about this."
Emma groaned.
"Talk about what? The fact that we are prisoners and are just plain stuck here until they decide what to do with us? If you have an escape plan, now's the time to tell me."
"No, I think that we are where we should be right now. We wanted to go to the castle and here we are. Fate just works in funny ways."
"Well, fate's a bitch." Emma said sourly. "If escape isn't on your mind, then what is?"
"Um, well, we never really did get a chance to finish our conversation from yesterday. You know, about you and me…" Mary Margaret trailed off, unsure of how Emma would respond to this request. Her first attempt at a conversation had not gone well the day before, what with the distraction of the topic of one night stands and the looming confrontation with Gold.
"Look, Mare, I really don't want to get into this, okay? All I can possibly stand right now is focusing on getting back to Henry."
"But like you said, we are stuck here until they figure out what to do with us. There is nothing we can do right now. Can't we just look at this as an opportunity to be alone with one another and deal with things?"
Emma sighed. Mary Margaret was right of course. There was nothing they could do far from magic, which they certainly did not have. She might as well get this conversation over with.
"Mary Margaret, I…" Emma trailed off as she tried to find the right words, "...I don't know the right way to react to all of this. My life has been rooted in what I thought was reality for so long. I just can't easily accept that the reason I was alone my whole life was because of a magical curse cast on a bunch of fairy tale characters. I mean, holy crap you're Snow White!" Emma paused. "But I can say with certainty one thing: If you had asked me two days ago to pick one person that I wish could have been my mother, I would have picked you. You are my family. I just need time to deal with the fact that that bond isn't just by friendship anymore; it's by blood. Can you respect that?" Emma pleaded.
"Oh Emma, of course I can. I love you. Whatever you need me to do, you can count on me. I promise," Mary Margaret exclaimed as she brought her daughter into a gentle hug. Emma at first stiffened at the contact, but realized that if Mary Margaret could be patient with her, she could at least meet her halfway. So Emma wrapped her arms around her best friend.
This mother-daughter moment was interrupted when they heard footsteps approaching their cell.
From out of the shadows came forward a face that both women had come to know well. Emma noted his brown leather trousers, a white tunic, and a deep blue cloak. This was not how Emma was used to seeing this person and just this alone rendered her speechless. Unlike her daughter, Mary Margaret couldn't contain her joy of seeing the sight she knew all too well.
"David!" Mary Margaret said breathlessly.
Charming stood in front of the two prisoners Lancelot had reported about. Though he had been warned of the one trespasser's likeness to his wife, he was not fully prepared for the shock of seeing what he perceived to be an exact replica of Snow. Yes, though she was dressed strangely and had a strange haircut, this woman held the most striking resemblance to the queen.
"Who are you? And why did you call me David?" Charming asked as he stared intensely into the doppelganger's eyes.
"Because that's your name; the name you were given when you were still the son of a Sheppard. Charming, it's me, Sno—"
"How did you know about that? There are only a few in the lands who know of that name. Answer my question with no lies this time: Who are you?" Charming accused, his patience wearing thin. This woman knew more than she should and that thought scared him. If she was here to hurt his family, she would pay.
"Look at me, you know who I am. I'm Snow." Snow stated as tears filled her eyes. Seeing the look of cold disdain on her husband's face was breaking her heart. She needed him right now more than ever. He had to believe her. Her and Emma's fate depended on it.
Snow held her hand out towards Charming through the bars of the cell, reaching for the familiar, comforting touch of her husband. Charming was about to push her hand away when he saw the glimmer of a green stone: His mother's ring on the woman's finger. The same ring he had seen on his wife just this morning.
Charming looked up into the woman's eyes once more. He had heard it said that you could see someone's soul by looking through their eyes and perhaps they were right. In this woman's eyes he saw no one but the essence of his true love. He gently took Mary Margaret's hand.
"How-?" Charming asked confused.
"I'm from another time that has yet to pass. We need your help to get home to where we belong."
Charming's forehead burrowed as let this revelation sink in.
"We...?" It was then that he finally noticed Emma standing uncomfortably in the other end of the cell, avoiding his gaze. "Who is she?"
Mary Margaret looked towards Emma and momentarily panicked.
'How much does Charming already know of the curse? Of the daughter he has yet to have? I have to protect Emma and that means, for now, I need to keep her identity a secret.'
"This is Eva. She is my dearest of friends. She can be trusted."
Emma shot a look towards her mother.
'Eva?! What is Mary Margaret up to?'
Snow returned the look as to convey to keep quiet until she could explain later.
"If you trust her, than so do I." Charming said as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a rusted key. He unlocked the cell and led Mary Margaret out, followed by an apprehensive Emma.
"We must meet with the council at once. If we work together, I believe that we can help you." Charming explained. "I promise you, I will get you home."
With that statement, Charming led the future travelers away from the dungeons and up towards the main chambers. What none of them knew, however, was that a certain imp sat in his own cell beyond the stone wall, listening to their exchange with a sinister grin on his scaled face.
Thanks for reading :) Chapter 3 is coming soon!