Mulan is drawing a Sundial in the sand. Aurora is watching her.
"What is that?"
"Keeps the time."
Snow walks over to the two. "Do you have some place to be?"
"We can mark watches. Take turns sleeping. We'll most likely have to walk through the night again so we should rest while we can.
"I'll take first shift."
"I'll stay up with you
"Ok"
Mulan leaves the two to find Katie standing near the beanstalk. Mulan says nothing as she watches Katie touch the stalk having no effect on the child.
"Thought this was enchanted?" Katie looks over at her.
Mulan walks up and tries to touch the beanstalk. An unseen force pushes her back.
"I guess it is." Katie laughs.
Mulan annoyed stands up and brushes the dirt off her clothes. Mulan pulls out her sword and points it at Katie. "I thought that was you. Took me a bit to get use to you grown up."
"Lady, I don't know who you think I am?" Katie's tone turns to challenging one. "but seriously you gonna slash me with your little sword?" Small amounts of smoke can be seen coming from Katie's hands.
Before Mulan can say anything, Snow appears.
"What is going on here?" Snow looks at the scene confused and senses the tension between the two. Snow instinctively puts herself between Mulan and Katie to protect Katie.
"Just a little misunderstanding." Katie replies not taking her eyes off Mulan. Katie shakes her hands feeling some heat. As she shakes them the smoke clears. "I'm gonna go lay down."
Katie walks away from the two women. Snow turns her attention to Mulan.
"What is going on with you two?"
"Do you know who that is?" Mulan asks looking a bit tense and worried.
"Yes, she's my sister." Snow replies trying to figure out who Mulan thinks Katie is.
"Maybe in that world. Here she's the one that brought down Camelot."
"And what makes you think that? She grew up in Storybrook." Snow replies. "If she was in this land she was only a child.
Land of Camelot after the curse
Morgana is standing in the middle of the Village just outside of Camelot's walls. Huts, animal feeding stations and carts are on fire. People are running around scared; some solders have surrounded the young child.
"Bring me my papa." Morgana yells as she sends one of the soldiers flying into the fire. A younger woman walks towards the child.
"Morgana." A calm voice says through all the chaos. "Your papa will be back, I promise." The woman opens her arms.
"Not this time Gwen." Morgana says in a quiet voice. "My papa is dead and I know it."
"Guineverewhat are you doing?" King Arthur rides up behind Guinevere. "You have to get to safety." King Arthur looks towards the child. "Morgana. Your papa is safe he's in our castle as our guest."
Cora standing off to the side holding Morgana's tiny heart whispers in to it. "They are lying child."
Morgana looks King Arthur dead in the eyes with great defiance. "You're lying." She throws a fireball towards Guinevere. King Arthur jumps off his horse and deflects it with his shield, saving Guinevere.
King Arthur raises his sword. "I give my command…" He pauses and looks at the young girl with sorrowful eyes. "Morgana Le Fay is an enemy of the kingdom. She is being charged with treason." Arthur lowers his sword and a group of knights takes after the girl. Morgana disappears in a cloud of purple.
Two Days Later
Tavern Bar. Mulan is sitting in watching everyone. When a Knight of Camelot enters the Tavern becomes quiet. The Knight holds up a drawing of Morgana. "This child is wanted for the destruction of Camelot and the attempted murder of Queen Guinevere She is to be brought to King Arthur alive, or dead." There is quiet chatter among the patrons.
"How do we tell her apart from any other child?" A patron yells.
"She's just a child." Another patron yells laughing. "How can a child be that difficult to catch?"
"She is marked by the Queen of Hearts. There is a heart birth mark on her arm." The Knight looks across the tavern. "Do not be off guard of her youth, she is very deadly."
The Knight puts the wanted posted in the tavern, next to the Snow White wanted poster. Mulan stands and walks over to the posters and stares at them.
Enchanted Forest Present
Aurora woke up having a nightmare. Katie is laying staring up at the stars as Snow and Aurora talk
"It was the same as last time. I was in the room this red room. Bright blood red curtains. There was no windows no doors so it didn't make sense….
As Aurora continues to tell about her dream, Katie drifts off to sleep. As she falls deeper into her sleep, sweat begins to drip off her body.
What seems just like minutes that pass are hours. Mulan looks at the Sundial and draws her sword, walking over towards the beanstalk. Snow is immediately alerted.
"Whoa wait what are you doing?" Snow gets up from having Aurora sleeping on her lap.
"Stay back." Mulan points the sword at Snow. "Emma gave me ten hours, she may already be dead.
No no no wait
You're just going to leave her to die
It's been ten hours, she may already be dead.
Mulan swings her sword at the beanstalk cutting into it. Snow yells "Nooo" and runs and tackles Mulan before another swing.
"This was your daughters wish."
The commotion wakes Katie. She stands to see Aurora yelling stop, Snow struggling on top of Mulan. A fiery feeling overcomes her. She stands and yells. "Stop" When she puts her hand up, a fireball is released landing next to Mulan. All three women stop and look at Katie, who is staring at her hands in disbelief. Mulan stomps the fire out before it spreads. She raises her sword and points it towards Katie, who is standing still in disbelief about what happened. When she sees the Mulan and the sword, another wave of fire over comes her and her hands begin to smoke.
"Stay away from my sister." Katie runs up and tackles Mulan herself. Her hands still smoking.
"Stop!" Emma yells falling from the beanstalk.
Snow runs towards Emma and helps her up. "You okay?"
"Two earthquakes and a jump from the bean stalk I think my brain is rattling around a little." Emma dusts herself off.
"I did what she ordered. Nothing more than that." Mulan looks from Snow to Katie, then turns to Emma "Did you get it?" Mulan puts her sword away, keeping Katie in sight.
"Yep." Emma holds up the compos.
"Where's Hook?' Katie asks looking at Emma with her hands behind her back. Mulan puts a hand on her sword, not taking her eyes off Katie.
'He's detained. Go. Get your stuff we got ten hours before he follows us."
Mulan and Aurora begin to pack up everyone's belongings. Katie stands not wanting to go towards Mulan.
"What how?" Snow looks confused at Emma.
"I got a friend looking after him till then."
Snow pulls Emma off to the side. "You told her to cut it down."
"Yes, I couldn't…."
Snow cuts her off before she can finish. "We go back together, all of us." She looks at Katie as well and then back to Emma. "That is the only way. Do you understand?"
Emma gives snow a hug and whispers. "Yeah."
"Good." Snow says continuing to hug Emma.
"When are you going to tell me what happened here?" Emma asks not letting go of Snow while looking at Katie who is still shaken up over what had transpired.
"When I figure it out ok?" Snow says squeezing Emma harder. "Let's go get that dust from Cora."
"Yeah and go home."
The two finally let go of each other. Emma looks at Katie and walks over to her.
"You okay kid."
"Yeah." Katie lies. She looks over at Mulan and Aurora extremely uncomfortable with the way they are whispering. "I just want to go home."
TBC