Chapter 2: A Newcomer
A/N: Here is the second Chapter, I hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or any of its characters. If I did, I probably wouldn't be writing this.
Danny rolled her eyes at the topic that Emma, Mary Margaret and Aurora were discussing. She didn't really care that much about what they told the survivors when they returned to the safe haven, she mused silently, if Danny had her way they would just tell everyone to buckle down and shut up. Cora is a problem that needs to be dealt with and they couldn't be babysitting a bunch of villagers while trying to deal with the problem. But then again that was why many people didn't like Danny very much. They considered her to be too blunt and tactless. Emma and Mary Margaret felt that being delicate would spare the survivors feelings.
Danny laughed dryly at that, we should tell them the truth, she thought, anyone who lives in this place should be strong enough to handle the truth and all its gory little details.
Mulan who was at the front stopped suddenly, motioning for the others to do the same, "Wait," she said urgently, "The tower; we always have sentries guarding the entrance." She drew her sword as she finished, "Stay close."
Danny crouched slightly into a fighting position and drew the two daggers she had hanging at her hips. Moving quickly, Danny stayed a few paces behind Mulan in order to make sure that her back was protected. Aurora followed closely behind which left Emma and Mary Margaret in the back of the group.
Running warily into the campsite, the five women discovered a gruesome scene. Someone, or something had murdered every single person in the camp. Bodies lay everywhere, smoke billowed up from the fires that had burned there just hours ago.
"Oh my God," Emma cried staring at the bodies in horror.
Danny was quick to hide her disgust as she started searching the mass for any survivors, knowing that if there were any, they would likely need first aid.
As the group dispersed looking for survivors, Mulan demanded angrily, "This can't be. Our land; we were protected here, hidden. How did the ogres find us?"
Mary Margaret looked at the bodies slowly putting it together, "Ogres didn't do this."
"What?"
"Cora did." Danny cut in quietly. "She ripped out their hearts. This is her magic, same as Regina's. Twisted and evil."
"We have to stop her!" Mary Margaret cried.
"We are too late," Mulan said resigned. "She killed them, she killed them all."
"We have to stop her before she hurts anyone else!" Mary Margaret grew in volume, anger apparent in her voice.
Emma stopped suddenly, looking down at one of the bodies, "Hey! Hey! There, look!"
"There's someone under there," Aurora cried, moving quickly to where Emma had been pointing.
Mary Margaret and Mulan both rushed to help Emma and Aurora uncover the man who was hidden under the bodies of others.
"Please," she heard a man cry, his voice accented, "Please help me!" He turned over and looked up at the four women, fear in his eyes.
"You safe now, we won't hurt you," Mary Margaret said softly, so as not to startle him.
"Thank you," he whispered, eyes widening with relief, breathing heavy from the trauma.
Danny looked on at the scene, face impassive as she observed the handsome newcomer. His hair was an inky black, disheveled and shaggy, he had facial hair framing his mouth and chin, stubble covering the rest of his strong jaw. But what startled Dani the most were his eyes; they were a beautiful blue, the color of the sea. His eyes projected a myriad of different emotions, the force of which took Danny's breath away.
Immediately, she was suspicious. She would remember eyes like those, and while they hadn't spent much time in the camp earlier, Danny was sure she would have remembered those eyes.
"Emma," she beckoned quietly, knowing that Emma of all people would understand her reservations. Her voice, quiet as it may have been, drew the attention of everyone, including the handsome stranger who had yet to notice her. When their eyes met, Danny was once again startled by how blue his eyes were. Yes, she thought to herself. I most certainly would remember those eyes.
Danny pulled Emma to the side, "Em," she murmured urgently, "there's something fishy about him... I don't remember seeing him at all when we were here."
Emma looked at her incredulously, "Danny..." She hesitated, "We weren't here for very long, and most of the time we spent here we were locked in a cell."
"Emma, please," she stressed. "At least be cautious... Use your superpower that you love so much." She added with a slight smirk.
Emma's lip quirked up into a small smile, "I was planning on it, sis."
Emma took Danny's arm and led her over to where Mulan was walking, "Have you seen him before?" Emma asked.
"Yes, I've seen him around. He is a blacksmith. Came to our camp a couple months ago. He said he lost his hand in an ogre attack." Mulan replied.
"Why would Cora leave a survivor? It's messy. Doesn't make sense," Emma mused to herself.
"He's got to be working for her!" Danny said forcefully, "He has to be a spy, Emma!"
"Calm down, Danny, we don't know that yet for sure." Emma said calmly.
"You think he lying?" Mulan asked, concerned.
"I think Cora has tricked us before," Danny said rationally.
"And we don't want that to happen again. So let's just be cautious," Emma intervened. Turning to the man she offered a cup of water she had retrieved, "Here you go."
The man turned to the trio that approached and smiled gratefully up at them, "I-I can't thank you enough for your kindness. Fortune, it seems fit to show me favor," he breathed.
Danny raised her eyebrows, fortune indeed, she thought as she watched him drink from the cup.
"An island full of corpses and you're the only one to escape?" Danny says disbelievingly. "How exactly did that happen?"
Emma turns abruptly at Danny's sharp tone, giving her a look that says, 'Shut the hell up and let me handle this.'
Danny scoffs and looks back at the man expectantly.
He looks in between the two quickly before answering hesitantly, "She attacked at night. Slaughtered everyone in one fell swoop. When she started ripping out peoples hearts, I hid under the bodies of those that had already been killed," he shifted uncomfortably and looked in between the women before looking back at Danny. "I pretended to be dead myself. Mercifully the ruse worked." he said, a pleading look on his face, imploring them to believe him.
"So much for favoring the brave," Emma stated.
"It was all I could do to survive," the man replied.
As Danny observed the man speaking, she noticed that when he had shifted in his seat, the rags he was wearing appeared to be covering up some type of leather jacket or vest. Nudging Emma, she nodded minutely to where she was looking.
Emma leaned down to get a better look while lowering her voice to the man, "I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I'm pretty good at knowing when someone is lying to me."
"I'm telling you the truth," he replied just as quietly.
Emma smiled sadly at the man, now knowing that Dani's suspicions were true. He was lying about something and she would find out what it was.
"We should leave here," Mulan said loudly, "In case Cora decides to come back."
"We should start searching for a new portal back to Storybrooke," Mary Margaret added. "I only got about five minutes with my husband. Not to mention my grandson."
The man looked over at her last comment, "You have a grandson?" he asked face contorted with surprise.
"Long story," she sighed.
"I know this land well, I can guide you-"
Emma who had slowly been moving behind the man quickly withdrew her dagger and placed it up against the man's neck, "You are not going to guide us anywhere until you tell us who you really are!"
