Hey readers, I promise that now Uni's over for the year, I'll have more updates. I hope you enjoy, and leave a review or something, tell me what you think. Usual disclaimer stuff, I don't own OUAT, no profit, and so on. Have fun reading, and thanks to everyone who's left a review, they make my day. You're all so lovely.
Cold. That was the first thing she felt as her consciousness returned. Without enough strength to move yet, she simply breathed, the air freezing her throat and lungs. The warmth of breath on her arm was a relief, a small mercy from the harshness of the cold. Her nose twitched a few times. Wherever she was, it smelled damp. The faint scent of woodland made her smile with fondness. Though as her skin stretched, she winced, pain flaring up across her left cheek. Moaning quietly, she pressed her face to the freezing floor, the hard stone hardly comfortable but the chill eased the sting. Mingling with the damp, there was a dull, metallic smell. One she recognised all too well. Blood.
After a few moments of steady breathing, she opened her eyes. The room was dark, but her wolf eyes allowed her to take in her surroundings – not that there was much to see. From her curled position on the floor, she saw a slightly blurred wall; large, stone blocks piled on top of each other. Water dripped from the cracks in the ceiling, running in rivulets across the gaps in the flagstones beneath her. She raised her head a little, gritting her teeth as her stiff muscles protested. The water crept across a metre of floor, settling in tiny puddles here and there in a dip in the rock, before disappearing under a formidable looking, thick metal door with a massive lock. A small shaft of orange light bled through a small, rectangular gap near the bottom, where a small bowl had been placed on the ground in the middle of the room, barely a foot away from her. Some of the contents had fallen over onto the floor, as if the bowl had been shoved across the floor from the door. Focussing her dulled senses, she could smell oats and something meaty. A shiver ran through her – her jeans and her leather jacket barely keeping the cold at bay. Steeling herself, she placed her palms on the floor and hauled herself into a sitting position. A metallic jangling clashed against her ears as chains fell to the floor, the metal cuffs biting into the flesh of her wrists. She slipped in fright at the noise, the right side of her body slamming against the floor. Her leg erupted in pain. She bit her lip, smothering her cries. Grunting, she continued to move carefully, sweat forming on her forehead until she had dragged herself up against the wall and rested against it, panting. She curled her good left leg up to her chest, wrapping her arm around it, the heavy chains clanking against the floor while leaving her right leg stretched across the cell – she could almost touch the opposing wall with her toe. Her head throbbed as she fought the tears of pain that had formed – Pull yourself together, Ruby Lucas. The ceiling was low and covered in moss, as was the walls. Two large, rusty hoops were embedded into the stone a foot above her head. From there her chains fell to the ground. Reaching up, she swept a lock of dark, matted hair from her face. She felt something sticky on her hand. Squinting in the dim light, she inspected her hand. Blood. Clenching her fist, she moved on to her leg. Everywhere else seemed to be fine, except for a few bruises. But her leg was definitely a cause for concern. She shifted little, inspecting her thigh. A short laugh left her lips as she saw a broken arrow sticking out of her leg – perfect. Just perfect.
Belle, Regina and Mulan quickly finished up the work for the innkeeper and by noon were already on their way. The innkeeper cast a curious eye over their still slightly damp clothing. They ignored it as best they could and left after a quick meal. Mulan was ravenous, wolfing down the plateful in a matter of minutes. Regina managed to refrain from doing so, the years of learning proper dining etiquette preventing her from shovelling it down. But that wasn't the true reason she took so long. The majority of the meal was taken up trying to entice the librarian to eat. Belle sat opposite her two friends at the old, rickety table, running her spoon over the plate, her eyes glassy and far away. They eventually convinced her to eat half of her meagre meal, but with the icy weather outside and the long journey ahead, Regina did not think they were off to a good start. She was reluctant to leave the crackling fire, but Belle insisted as soon as Regina had finished her own bowl of… something. It was edible, at least.
Belle stormed ahead through the small, snow-covered village and into the dense forest, Regina and Mulan following behind on the path. The village was quiet, even in the middle of the day. The few villagers they did see gave them a wide berth – their clothes marked them as outsiders. Silence fell as soon as they strode past the treeline and they walked beneath great grey clouds that loomed over them, threatening more snow. There was a sharp chill in the air, but it was bearable. Regina rubbed her hands together before stuffing them deeper into her warm pockets. The wood was almost picturesque, a dusting of snow beneath the green pine trees, the chorus of birds surrounding them. Belle suddenly came to an abrupt halt next to a massive pine tree. Regina and Mulan froze, looking out for whatever startled Belle.
"Mulan?" said Belle suddenly, turning round and staring at her, tilting her head curiously. Her breath floated in a wispy cloud towards them.
"What?" replied the warrior, her hand darting to her sword, eyes scanning the woods for trouble. Regina did the same, her fists clenched beneath her coat.
"There's something bothering me," said the librarian cryptically, striding up to Mulan. "In Storybrooke, you said you it wouldn't be a problem if we closed the portal." Regina glanced at Mulan to see the warrior's eyes grow wide, her proud face flicker with some deep emotion – shame – before it settled in her hard, emotionless mask again. Belle saw this too, pouncing on Mulan's tiny slip. She brandished a finger at the warrior, stepping closer and jabbing her in the chest. "But if you needed to get back here with the amulet to save them, then why did you say that? Why did you lie?"
"I didn't –" started Mulan, her features pulled together in a deep frown. Regina took a step back, settling beside Belle as she watched Mulan like a hawk, drawing her fists out of her pockets, ready to fight.
"Yes, why did you say that? Those hunters followed you, after all," said Regina, turning the fats over in her head. "How do we know you didn't bring them to Storybrooke? They could have paid you –"
"I have more honour than that!" yelled Mulan, losing her cool. She placed a hand to her forehead, muttering to herself. "Look, I just… I just changed my mind. That's all."
"Why should we trust you?" snapped Regina. "You could have planned Ruby's capture from the beginning! It was you that drove her out –"
"No! I never planned anything! I didn't even know Ruby existed until yesterday!" shouted Mulan, her voice sounding desperate now. She clenched her fists, sighing in frustration. "The only plan I had was to get my amulet back! I swear, I never knew about the hunters! I just wanted the amulet. But I… changed my mind."
"What do you mean?" asked Belle, watching her suspiciously. All three jumped as a flock of birds darted away from them, flying over the woodland.
"I… I gave up, okay?" said Mulan, looking at the trees behind Belle and Regina, not meeting their eyes. "As soon as I reached your land, and saw you again," she said, gesturing to Belle. "I decided… not to go back. Your way of life just seemed… easier." Mulan's voice tailed off quietly at her admission, staring at her boots. Belle and Regina glanced at each other. The transition from fierce warrior to ashamed young woman was astounding. Belle noted a tear streak down Mulan's left cheek.
"But they're your friends. Phillip, and his princess. You said you were close –" started Belle, but Mulan laughed, a bitter, hollow sound that echoed through the woods.
"No," said Mulan, her voice thick. She closed her eyes for a moment, the bitter smile still stretched across her lips. She looked up again. "You're right. I was their friend. I helped Philip on his quest to seek his beloved Aurora," she spat the words out like they were poison on her tongue. "But I grew too close. Once we had found her, I… I thought I could handle it. I buried my feelings deep down inside. But I couldn't… They were…" Mulan stopped, unable to form the words. Belle and Regina were frozen, caught between sympathy and the need to get the full story before they acted. "Do you know what it's like to want something you know you can never have?" asked Mulan quietly, almost whispering. A gentle breeze could have carried her words away. "To love someone so much that it physically pains you to see them with another person, even if they're happy?"
Belle thought over her life. Her times with Rumple; the good and bad. She had loved him so very much, but he was too dark, too set in his malicious ways to ever love her the way she needed him to. Then there was Ruby; sweet, kind, protective Ruby who had never done anything to hurt her. If Belle saw Ruby with someone else, then she'd be heartbroken. A wave of guilt washed over her as she imagined the hurt Ruby must have felt when seeing Mulan in her apartment, even if nothing had happened.
Regina cast her mind back over her past, the memories with Emma being the ones she was drawn to. She knew that seeing Neal and Hook with Emma had caused little pangs of jealousy, but she never let herself be hurt. She always told herself that she didn't want Henry bonding with someone else. God knows his family is messed up enough already with all these relations popping up everywhere. It was ridiculous. But deep down, she knew she was kidding herself. And when she had realised how she felt, she kept quiet. Why would Emma want to be with the Evil Queen, of all people. But miracles can happen, and Regina was grateful for it.
"I gave up on them, until you needed to get back through. Then I decided it was a sign, that I should snap out of it and go get them back. A momentary lapse, that's all it was."
"Mulan, I'm… I'm so sorry," said Belle, stepping closer to the warrior. Mulan took a quick step back, away from the librarian.
"Sorry," she apologised, looking to the trees to her right, avoiding Belle's gaze. "I don't do sympathy well. I just need a minute."
"Mulan, it's okay –" started Belle, but Regina placed a hand on Belle's shoulder. Regina knew how Mulan felt – the need to hold it all in, to not let it show. Regina was an expert at it.
"Come on, we're wasting daylight," said Regina, turning Belle around and walking onwards, giving Mulan a minute to pull herself together. She glanced over her shoulder to see Mulan leaning against a pine tree, her fingers gripping the rough bark tightly, her body shaking slightly.
"I feel bad," said Belle quietly as they walked on, side by side.
"Don't. We had to know if she was with or against us," replied Regina.
"I didn't expect all that though. We must have dredged up some horrible –"
Regina held up a hand to silence her. A sharp sound mingled with the birdsong, a wrangled sob tearing undercutting the cheerful chirping. They ignored it. A solid thump followed, accompanied by a muffled cry. Still they ignored it. "No. Don't think like that," said Regina quietly. They walked on in silence, their boots crunching on the snow, their clothes rustling in the breeze. After a minute, they heard footsteps jogging up to them, Mulan's sword clanking against her belt.
"You walk so slowly without me," she commented with a grin. Belle subtly studied Mulan's face as they walked. Mulan noticed and self-consciously tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Her cheeks were shimmering slightly in the dull sunlight, the remnants of tears wiped away. Her left knuckles were dripping, while her right knuckles were bright red.
"We were giving you time to catch up," replied Regina. Over Belle's head, Mulan mouthed a 'Thank you' to Regina, who waved it away dismissively. "Right, where are we going next?"
Mulan thought for a moment. "There's a town about a day's ride from here. The hunters probably passed through there on their way up. It's pretty busy. They could stock up on supplies. We'll start there. And since Ruby is a wolf, they've probably got her locked up –" Mulan stopped as Belle looked at her, eyes wide. Regina was mouthing at Mulan to shut up over Belle's head. "… They'll have her kept in one location. Even a werewolf in human form is dangerous, so they won't want to move her until…" Again, Mulan paused, thinking over her words. "…Until they have to. We can ask around to see if anyone knows a suitable place to keep dangerous creatures. Once we get a general area, I can track them down and we'll get your friend back."
"Sounds like a plan."