I do not own Once Upon a Time.
Scared? Worried? Curious? Good. Brace yourself! So the next few chapters are flashbacks to the Enchanted Forest. If anyone missed bounty Hunter Bernadette, here she is in all glory! I really missed writing her. I am super excited for these flashbacks, I really poured my heart and soul into them. Hope you enjoy them.
Bernadette took her usual mug of ale and looked for an empty table in the crowded tavern. There were none, they all had large rowdy groups. She spotted a table that was only half taken. She walked up to the man and tapped him on the shoulder. He was currently occupied with the woman on his lap and ignored Bernadette. That was until he felt a sharp blade at the back of his neck.
"There are plenty of rooms close by for those kinds of activities. She deserves better." Bernadette barely raised her voice. Usually she was good at hiding disgust.
The couple broke apart to look up at her. The woman scrutinized the bounty hunter. "You're not half bad looking, care to join?"
Bernadette only raised an eyebrow. "I'll pass but thank you for the offer." She didn't mean a word of it.
"Too bad, with your looks, you could make a killing." The woman commented before moving on with her partner.
Something crossed Bernadette's face that might resemble a smirk. "I'm already doing that." She said to herself.
She finally sat down and prepared to immerse herself in the tavern's conversations. This was where the best jobs came from. Bernadette had trained herself to pick up the slightest voice and block out everything else out.
She listened to each and every conversation in turn, if it wasn't interesting, she moved on. Tales about family or lovers didn't interest her; those were issues she didn't have to deal with anymore.
"That's right, that's what he's offering. We had always been told it was just a legend, a story to send men mad. But according to him, it's real and in his possession."
Something of legend now that certainly her attention. Bernadette leaned back in her chair to listen better.
"Didn't your mother teach you it's rude to eavesdrop, Bernadette? Just come join us." A familiar voice was suddenly directed at her.
A small smile crossed her face as she stood up to face the table. "I wasn't sure there was room for me."
There were five questionable looking men sitting there, Bernadette had a professional relationship with four of them.
"There's room for you right here, darling." She did not have a working relationship or any relationship with that man, the man who patted his knee. Clearly he had a death wish.
Before Bernadette could retort back or pull out a dagger, the man was hit in the back of the head so hard he fell out of his seat.
"You of all people should know not to make enemies of dangerous people. Get out and hope I don't see you again, Edgar." A voice had a strong sense of authority; he was used to being obeyed.
Edgar, the thin man who Bernadette knew was employed as a butler in some rich man's house, picked himself off the floor with a growl. Of course he risked a glance at the woman he offered his lap to.
She only gave him a dangerous smirk in return. No need to waste words. Bernadette sat down in his seat. "That wasn't needed but…" She raised her mug to Claude. That was the extent of her thanks.
"Saying thank you won't kill you." Sykes commented.
"Now you're asking too much. So what does who have and is it really that amazing?"
"Where are your manners, Bernadette? First you ask us about our lives then we get to business." Pierre gently scolded her.
Bernadette rolled her eyes. She needed better friends, friends who were less civil. Was this really her life now? "Sorry, I seemed to have left my manners at the door." She huffed but did take their advice. "How is life treating all of you?" She directed her question, hoping it was simple and general.
"Much better." Pierre basically congratulated her. "You know if you were a bit nicer, you wouldn't have to hang out with us."
"You would miss me too much." Bernadette touched her mug to his. There was an acknowledgement around the table. As questionable as these four men there, they had a soft spot for Bernadette. They liked to make sure she was safe and knew she could take care of herself, but of course they would always lend a helping hand. "Now answer my question then we can get down to business."
"The courts are filling up thanks to you." Claude directed his comment to Bernadette. He was a judge who wasn't above taking one or two or ten bribes. He had a habit of putting people behind bars and never letting them out.
"Anything I can do to get the scum of the earth behind bars. Just doing my part." Bernadette had never told them, or anyone why she felt so strongly about the guilty paying for their crimes. She never liked to get personal. "Anyone else want to add to this soul searching conversation?"
"We have souls?" Sykes asked, jokingly. He was crime lord who had a large amount of men at his disposal to do his dirty work.
Pierre leaned forward on the table, making it seem he had something interesting to say. "Nothing interesting recently. If something comes up, I'll let you know." Pierre told her. They had done business on the black market before. Those were good pay days. As much as Eleanor had taught her about healing, there were some things only a voodoo witch doctor could teach you. "So how is life going for you, Bernadette?" Pierre asked.
"I can talk about myself now? You all are done? Can't really complain." Actually she could complain to kingdom come, but she chose not to. Now she was ready to change the conversation. "Are we done with the pleasantries, can we move on? I doubt we have all day."
"She doesn't waste any time, does she?" Percival looked around the table. "He is the Horned King and what is a magical tonic." He paused for dramatic effect. He didn't get exactly what he was looking for. Little did he know, Bernadette was hiding all of her emotions at the moment. "Supposedly it's made from the leaves of the wormwood plant, among other things. It is said to show the drinker a different life…" He told her. He was a poacher. Percival was the reason Bernadette joined a handful of people who had seen a live griffin.
"One where a certain event didn't happen. A death, a wrong choice on your part or something else." Sykes finished.
"Sounds like a dream." Bernadette mused; she kept her curiosity to herself. Curiosity and longing. She could use an alternate life. One where her parents weren't killed, or she hadn't accepted the job from Theresa's father.
"That's all it is, dear. A dream, nothing more." Claude told her, noticing a far off look in her brown eyes, a look he, or anyone for that matter, rarely saw.
"That's fine." She responded, saying it more into her mug than to him.
"We were hoping you would go to find out what he's asking for and report back to us." Sykes stated.
"So I'm the canary in the mine? I feel honored." She raised her mug.
"Well, you are the only one crazy enough to willingly to go to Horned King's castle." Percival told her.
"Because I do crazy things all the time?" Bernadette fell back into her comfort world of sarcastic banter.
"We have businesses to run." Sykes said honestly.
"Or look at it this way, we trust you." Claude added.
"And what devil did I trade my soul for that trust?" She asked mockingly.
"The Dark One." The four men said at once.
At least Bernadette was able to hide her visible shudder. The Dark One was the only man who unnerved her. "Well, the Horned King doesn't scare me."
"Have you actually seen the Horned King?" Pierre asked.
"No, just heard stories…" There weren't many stories, not many people survived seeing him, it, whatever he was. But a good handful of them existed. And they honestly scared the ever living daylights out of her. But she would never share that.
"Well the stories don't do justice." Percival said. Silence fell over the table. As ruthless and terrifying as each of the five people were, the Horned King was a whole other level.
"The Horned King isn't in this realm; I need to go to Prydain. Looks like a trip is in my very near future. I need money for a portal jump." The men exchanged looks and Sykes handed Bernadette a small sack. She held it in her hand, weighting it. "Seriously, there's isn't enough in here to cover my drink."
Sykes waved his hand at her. "Open it up."
She emptied the content of the bag into her hand. A magical bean stared up at her. "How did you come across this? Magic beans cost a fortune. Who did you steal from?" Bernadette asked confused but grateful.
"At times like this, you don't ask questions. You simply say thank you. Darling, we care about you and we will have your back no matter what. You just have to find your own way home."
"That's not a problem." She knew she had transport. Bernadette finished her ale and stood up. "Any words of advice before I go off to face the Horned King?"
"Don't die." Sykes told her.
"Don't do anything stupid." Percival added.
"Don't kill anyone." Claude finished.
"Thank you, gentleman for your words of wisdom." Bernadette patted Sykes and Percival on the back before turning to leave.
"Bernadette…" Pierre called after her, she turned around. "Good luck."
At least they slightly cared about her. She nodded and almost smiled. Then she went home to make a plan. And pray she could survive this meeting.
Bernadette picked a random deserted spot in the middle of the forest. She was dressed in a travel outfit, or as she liked to call it, a working outfit. Pants, tucked into high boots, a long sleeve top under a laced corset. A long coat finished off the outfit. In her pack had the pieces of another outfit, one that was if she ran into a situation that called for a woman's touch. Not her preferred style, but whatever would get the job done.
Part of her couldn't believe she was doing this, something about the whole thing felt wrong. But here she was, she had a mission, a challenge, and Bernadette never backed down from a challenge.
Bernadette looked at the bean in her hand for a moment. There were many ways to travel realms. The magic beans, though rare, were the easiest way to get from one realm to another. There were flying ships, magical hats, magical shoes and… wishing stones.
She finally dropped the bean on the ground and a swirling portal appeared at her feet. She took a deep breath and jumped in.
Bernadette landed in a different land not as graceful as she had planned. She pulled herself to her feet, looked around, inhaling a scent that was clearly Prydain.
"I'm home." She said to herself.
And we finally know where Bernadette came from! Surprised or not?
Ok, so Bernadette's friends are Disney villains- Percival is from The Rescuers Down Under, Claude is from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Sykes is from Oliver and Company and Pierre is from The Princess and the Frog.
Reviews?