Chapter 2

Camelot, long long ago

Eighteen-year-old Morgana Le Fay was destined for greatness. She had known that from the time she was old enough to know what it meant to be great. Though she was a lowly commoner, an orphan and the sole support of her sixteen-year-old brother, Mordred, Morgana had instinctively known that one day she would be queen.

"Quit yer confounded dreaming girl," the healer ground out, "and go fetch some herbs from yon garden."

Morgana shot the old, ugly hag of a woman a filthy look, gathered her skirt in one hand, and majestically swept from the small cottage. Dreaming, was it? All her life she'd been accused of being a dreamer. She vividly remembered the village boy who had named her "Le Fay."

"Morgana has her head in the clouds again," he had taunted, "She thinks she's a fairy. Thinks she can do magic. Morgana Le Fay!"

Perhaps she was a dreamer, but her head was anywhere but in the clouds. She had no intention of simply dreaming. She was more than willing to do whatever it took to make her dreams a reality. If that meant she had to steal, torture, kill, or sell her soul to the devil himself, she would do it!

Morgana knelt at the edge of the garden, swept back her magnificent jet black hair and began sorting through the herbs, looking for those at their peak of ripeness. Her gray skirt would be covered in grass stains again at the knees, but it couldn't be helped. It wasn't as though she was trying to impress anyone anyway.

How was she to achieve her plans? The thought of marrying into a fortune had its merits. She was uncommonly beautiful, there was no use denying that. With her long black hair that softly curled at the ends, her soft blue eyes, and her flawless peaches-and-cream complexion, she received more than her fair share of admiring…or lecherous glances. But none of the young men of means were interested in marrying a dirt-poor girl with no prospects, no family, no dowry. She had thought she had snared one amorous young swain a couple of years back. The man had spoken so sweetly, declared his undying love. But as it turned out, he had no intention of pursuing marriage. He was interested in nothing more than a quick romp in the hay. When it became clear where his intentions lay, Morgana had mixed him up a goblet of spiced wine mixed with a particularly vicious poisoned herb. She was sure he wouldn't soon forget the clawing, blinding pain in his gut over the next week or so.

Morgana's mind spun off once again into a haze of beauty and elegance and power. She was looking forward to the power most of all. When she became queen, she would show all the naysayers, all those who mocked her, all the royals and nobles who walked past her with their noses in the air. She stood still for a moment imagining in vivid detail all the ways she would get her revenge on her enemies.

"Girl," the healer called to her from the cabin door, "get thee back in here this moment. You know full well we haven't time to lollygag. With the sickness in the village, we've more work than we can handle."

Morgana folded up her white apron around the herbs she had picked and began walking back to the healer's cabin. When both of her parents had died of the fever three years past, Morgana had been left to care for herself and Mordred. She had apprenticed with the healer to make ends meet. Though she quickly found she had a talent for healing, she hated this job. It was tedious dealing with complaint after complaint, runny nose after toothache after headache.

But the job had its advantages. She had learned much about herbs and medicines and the intricacies of human physiognomy. She knew how to heal…but it also insured she knew how to injure. She had patiently studied, looking for the best and most effective ways to inflict pain. One day, when she had achieved the fame and success and power she so richly deserved, she would hunt down each and every one of the people who had tried to clip her wings. And when she found them, she would wring every last drop of agony out of them before ultimately ending their worthless lives.

Morgana dropped a handful of fragrant herbs into a small bowl and began grinding them with a pestle. She added a few drops of the potion the healer had brewed the night before, and then added another handful of herbs. She didn't envy the poor soul who would have to injest this tonic tonight. She knew full well it tasted as noxious as death itself.

"Morgana! Morgana!" her brother shouted as he burst through the door into the healer's one-room cabin. "You'll never guess what just happened!"

Morgana smiled tenderly at the young man who still had his fair share of boyish enthusiasm. "I wouldn't even try, my lad. What has you so worked up."

"The sword!" Mordred answered, breathless after his long run. "Excalibur has been pulled from the stone! Camelot has a new king!"

Morgana caught her breath. Excalibur had been retrieved? She hadn't thought it was possible; she'd thought it was nothing more than a myth that it would one day be drawn by the rightful king of Camelot.

"Well," she asked excitedly, "who is this new king? One of the 'great nobles,' no doubt." Morgana couldn't quite keep the scorn from her voice.

"Nay!" Mordred said, "'Tis no noble. 'Tis none other than Arthur!"

"What?" Morgana asked in surprise. "Arthur from our village? The squire of Sir Ector? The scrawny boy that brutish Sir Kay likes to torment?"

"Aye," Mordred said, "the very one."

Well this was a development! Victory bubbled up inside of Morgana. If someone as weak, as insignificant, as uninspired as Arthur could become king, there was no limit to the greatness she would one day achieve!

New York, present day

The alarm clock blared, and Emma reached blindly over to turn it off. Sitting up she stretched and opened her mouth in an enormous yawn. Climbing from the bed, she stepped out into her slippers and then threw on her fluffy white bath robe.

Emma shuffled into the kitchen and started the coffee pot. She was going to need coffee and lots of it to wake up this morning. It hadn't been a restful night. Not at all. She had had dream after dream, most little more than a quick succession of images. But one thing was consistent throughout every dream. They all featured the stranger who had shown up at her door yesterday morning.

Why was she still thinking about him? Why was she still plagued by the feeling that she should know him, that she should remember him?

As Emma opened the cabinet and retrieved two cereal bowls, the memory of her last dream, the one she had just before the alarm went off, came vividly to mind. She and the man in black were climbing some sort of vine. A beanstalk. A beanstalk? Where the hell had that thought come from?

Anyway, she and the man were on some sort of a mission. They had to find…something, but first they had to get past a giant. A giant? Emma shook her head in exasperation. What had she eaten before bed last night? She needed to lay off the snacks if they were going to result in dreams this messed up!

But it wasn't a bad dream…not really. There was an undeniable attraction between her and the man. She hadn't quite trusted him, but there was something about him that made her think he would do his best to help her retrieve the…whatever it was they were looking for.

This was ridiculous! She'd spent, what? Two minutes, tops with the man in her doorway? Explosive kiss or no explosive kiss that wasn't nearly enough time to make her obsess about him the way she was! For heaven's sake, she'd likely never even see him again. When she and Henry had left the apartment early yesterday afternoon, the man was gone. Not a trace of him was left.

"Morning, Mom," Henry called as he ambled into the kitchen and sat in his favorite chair at the table.

"Hi, kid," she answered passing him a bowl of his favorite cereal and a glass of orange juice. "You got a busy day today, don't you?"

"Yeah," Henry answered around a bite of cereal, "I've got three tests during school, and then it's tryouts for the football team."

Emma heard the nerves in her son's voice. "Don't worry, buddy," she said tussling his already messy hair. "I know how much you've studied and practiced. I'm sure you'll do fine on everything."

"I hope so," Henry answered.

"You sleep well?" Emma asked taking a sip of her scalding coffee.

"Kind of," Henry answered with a look of confusion. "I kept having this weird dream, though."

"Really?" Emma answered, reaching for a piece of toast. "What was it about?"

"You know that guy that came to our apartment yesterday morning?"

Emma chocked on the sip of orange juice she'd just taken. She coughed for a moment, took another swig of juice and then looked over at Henry. "Yeah, what about him?"

"Well, he was in my dream," Henry said. "We were in this kind of jungle, and someone had kidnapped me. You and that guy and all these other people were trying to get me back."

"Hmm," Emma answered trying to keep the surprise from her voice. That sounded vaguely similar to one of the dreams she'd had last night.

"What do you think it means?" Henry asked, looking gravely over at her.

"Means?" Emma asked. "No idea. Probably nothing. Dreams are weird. You better hurry up, kid. You don't want to be late for the bus."

Henry shoveled the last couple bites of cereal into his mouth, pushed away from the table and ran back to his room. Emma cleared the table and put the cereal bowls in the dishwasher. What was the deal with that man? He hadn't only invaded her dreams he'd invaded Henry's as well. It just didn't make sense!

Half an hour later, Emma pushed the building door open and walked the block with Henry to his bus stop.

"What are your plans today, Mom?" Henry asked as he walked along.

"Don't know," she answered with a shrug. "I suppose I ought to start looking for another job."

The accounting firm where she had worked for the past ten years had fallen on tough times. Just the week before, her boss had called her into his office, apologized profusely, and laid her off. Emma should be upset, she knew she should. New York was an expensive place to live, and she needed a good job to support her and Henry. But the fact was…she was almost relieved. Accounting was such boring work. Emma always thought she would have a more…exciting career. She'd thought about being a bounty hunter, or a law enforcement officer.

But then she'd had Henry. What she would have done had it been just her, she didn't know. But with a son depending on her, Emma had to do the responsible thing and get a stable job…and one where Henry wouldn't have to worry about whether his mom would come home at the end of the day.

They turned the corner and Emma gasped. He was there!

Hook paced nervously along the sidewalk. He had determined this was where Henry's bus would pick him up for school, and he had decided this is where he would make his next attempt with the lass.

He saw the two of them turn the corner and head straight for him. Ah, but the lass was beautiful with her silky blond hair and flashing eyes! Eyes that were shooting a decidedly unfriendly glare in his direction. So clearly the lass still didn't remember him. He sighed and began walking toward her. This was going to be far more difficult than he had anticipated.

"Stop right there, buddy!" Emma growled pushing her lad behind her and holding up her other hand as though to ward him off.

Hook stopped abruptly and put his hands up in surrender. "Ye've nothing to fear from me, Emma. I would never harm either you or Henry."

The lad tried to peer at him from behind his mother's back, but Emma roughly shoved him back.

"Yeah, that's just it," Emma said in a hard voice. "How do you know my name…and my son's name?"

"As I said before, love," Hook said in his silkiest, most soothing voice, "I am an old friend."

"The thing about 'old friends'," Emma drawled sarcastically, "is that people tend to remember them. Before yesterday, I'd never seen you before in my life."

Hook sighed. He had known she wouldn't remember him. He had known Regina's memory charm was strong enough that it would take him some time to break it. But it still hurt, that hard, distrusting look in the lass's eyes. It was every bit as strong as it had been when they'd met in the Enchanted Forest. It had amused him back then. He had appreciated her fire and her no-nonsense approach to life. He had enjoyed their verbal sparring matches more than he had enjoyed anything in years.

But then he had craved so much more. They had grown so close in Neverland. That kiss had been pure heaven! And then there was their farewell at the town line. The look the lass had given him, and her murmured "good", had been enough to keep him going through the past year that had seemed so never ending.

Hook took a step closer to her and laid his good hand onto her arm. "Please, love," he pleaded, "look into my eyes. I'm telling you the truth. You told me yourself that you're pretty good at telling when someone is lying to you."

She viciously ripped her arm from his hand and took a step back.

"Look buddy," she said angrily, "I don't want any trouble. Just leave me and my family alone, and stop stalking me!"

Hook stepped forward one time more. This time he moved both hands to her shoulders. "As I said before," he began earnestly, "it is because of your family I am here. Your parents are in grave danger. It is a danger only you and I together can stop."

She raised her foot and stomped as hard as she could on his instep. He instinctively let go of her and grabbed at his aching foot. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the lass flagging down an approaching car.

"Over here, officer!" she called. The police car pulled to the curb and turned on its lights.

"What seems to be the problem, ma'am," the grizzled officer asked, stepping out of his car.

"This man," Emma said pointing at him. "He's been stalking me. He showed up at my door yesterday, and now he's here at my son's bus stop!"

The uniformed man turned toward Hook. His look was far from friendly. "That true, buddy? You bothering the lady?"

"No!" Hook answered angrily. "She doesn't remember me, but I desperately need her help!"

"Um-hm," the officer said skeptically, "I'm sure you do. Put your hands behind your back. We're going to take a little trip downtown."

The man roughly turned Hook around and tried to grab his arms. Hook instinctively fought back. The man's partner was out of his squad car in the blink of an eye, and after a short scuffle, the two officers had successfully handcuffed him and were pushing him toward the backseat of their car.

Hook was desperate. He had to make one last attempt; it might be his last chance.

"I told you the absolute truth, lass!" he said, his voice raw with emotion. "There was not a day that went by that I didn't think of you!"

He didn't know what made him say it; it had just come out of his mouth with no thought on his part. He knew right away that his statement hit home. The lass gasped and her eyes widened. She trained her beautiful green eyes on him, and the look she gave him was one of shock.

Hook smiled as the officer roughly pushed him into the squad car. The Emma he knew and loved was still in there. Her memories may be locked tightly within, but he was a pirate. No door or lock had ever before kept him from collecting the prize that he sought!

Notes:

-A quick note about the geography of my imaginary world. The Enchanted Forest and Camelot are both parts of the larger entity, Fairy Tale Land, in the same way that France and Germany are both part of the larger entity, Europe. Camelot is west of the Enchanted Forest, and the two are separated by a substantial amount of no-man's-land.

-I've always been fascinated with the middle ages, and it is the setting of most of my non-fan fiction writing. I thought Camelot would be a particularly interesting legend to explore. For those of you who know the Arthurian Legend, you will recognize some elements, but I also plan to take plenty of liberties.

-So, Morgana Le Fay is my story's main villain. I'm a fan of villains BEING villains. I am hoping I can manage to make Morgana sufficiently nasty that everyone will be rooting for her defeat. As you can see, she has delusions of grandeur, and she has a particularly brutal streak. I wouldn't want to get on her bad side!

-Up next: We follow the Storybrooke residents just after Regina destroys the curse. They return to the Enchanted Forest and find it distinctly worse for wear. In the present, Emma is waiting for Hook when he is released from the police station. His last statement triggered something in her mind, and she decides she has to meet with the handsome stranger and try to get to the bottom of it.