Donkeyskin

Chapter Twenty Nine

It was cold, so cold. The whole court of Frenkilan was standing near a giant ice wall, which was not made by a natural cause. Xantippe and Alcides took the lead and they all started to walk on the road, hoping to be to the town before everything had closed and everyone was asleep. Felix ended carrying Duckling on his back, because the child was exhausted from all what happened a few moment ago. Eunice was walking beside him. She was looking at how Elise was walking, head and chin up, still acting as the queen of her people. She turned to the other teenager.
"So… How are things between you and Elise?" She asked cautiously. "It's totally fine if you don't want to answer!" She added quickly when she saw the face he made.
"Rough and complicated." He told her. "She is acting as if she was ruling the world and that she was the greatest person to ever rule over her kingdom… It's just… I don't recognize her anymore." He confessed to her.
She nodded, in a understanding way. He was right, Elise had much changed since her coronation. It was kind of strange to see her acting like that.
"It's just me or it is getting colder?" Jacques said out loud, as he caught up with them. "These clothes aren't providing any warmth."
Eunice understood this, the young knight was only wearing a jean with red and orange sneakers, a white shirt with a blue and red letterman jacket, with the letter S whereas Felix was wearing black ripped jean, with dark green Doc Marten's shoes, a flannel and a leather jacket.
"Those shoes are uncomfortable." Felix said, wincing.
"Yeah, it's because you are not used to it but don't worry, if you wear them often, it won't be anymore." Eunice smiled to him.
It was weird to be in those clothes again, she was used to her regular sentinel uniform. After twenty minutes of walking, they finally reached the town and they were glad to see many people wandering the streets.
"I thought they were all back in the Enchanted Forest." Xantippe said.
"Me too." Alcides admitted.
"Hey, where do you guys come from?" A blond haired woman asked as she approached them.
"We should be the ones asking you this question, Emma Swan." Elise answered, crossing her arms. "A curse was casted on my kingdom and it's inhabitant are now here. We thought we would be the only ones here." She explained to her quickly as she looked around and tried to warm herself. "What happened? Why is there a giant wall around the town?"
"We will all explain to you but for now, I am sure you guys would want to warm up and eat something. The dinner is till open and Granny as well as Ruby will offer you free meals and drinks."
"My people will need place to stay." Elise murmured to her.
"Don't worry, there are a few unoccupied apartment buildings in the west of the town, they just appeared like that one day. The person who casted this spell must had done this as well." The woman informed her.
"Yeah, thanks anyway."
"You're welcome. Mary Margaret will be here shortly with David. Try to explain what happened to them and tomorrow, we will try to help you out."
After her people ate and drank (Granny didn't seem happy about the fact to give food and drinks freely to people but when she saw the shaking people inside, she quickly accepted and did it with a smile), Elise walked them up the apartments and let the young knights in charge, because she trusted them and she was exhausted as well as cold, hungry and sleep deprived. Before she decided to go back to her old house, she noted that Felix wasn't here, as well as Duckling and she didn't remember seeing the two with them, as she and the knights with the sentinels escorted the people to the buildings so she went back to the dinner, only to see it empty. Then, by looking through some windows, she saw Ruby smiling while giving a key to Felix who was holding a sleeping Duckling in his arms. She groaned in anger and turned away, walking toward her house. She didn't understand why he was in this state. Was it because of their latest argument? The teenage girl had wanted to apologize for her behaviour but she didn't have time for it. She was a queen, with a lot problems to solve, people to help. It wasn't easy for her. So why was he trying to be away from her? Felix must knew that she was busy but he was always there trying to talk to her and to be honest, it was distracting her. So she should be the one taking her distance with him and not the contrary! Anyway, it didn't had any importance for her now. She needed to know how to go back to her realm, where Yves was and how to eliminate him. The teenage girl knew that if she didn't want any more troubles, she needed to find her ex step father and kill him or take his powers away. Elise sighed as she opened the door (who was unlocked, because she never think of locking it) and took off her boots and her jacket. She decided to get some food, then showered and finally went to bed.

Felix woke up, gasping for air, as sweats beaded on his forehead. His eyes darted all around the room, searching for any sign of danger and he sighed in relief, finding no one in the room, except from Duckling, who was sleeping in the bed across the room. It was the morning, but it was still early, the sun was just rising up in the sky. He decided to get dressed and to come downstairs, to see if people were in the dinner. Unfortunately for him, nobody was here but it was still cold.
"What are you doing here? It's too early to be up."
He turned slowly and saw Granny, reading a strange book filled with squares on the pages. Some numbers were inside of the squares and the older woman was writing some of them down in the rest of the squares with a pen.
"I couldn't sleep." Felix told her, curious about this strange book.
"Oh well, then maybe you can help Ruby. She is in the kitchen." The woman said.
The teenage boy nodded as he passed her and entered the grey room. The black haired woman was holding some boxes and didn't seem to need help, Felix was astonished by her strength. Even him couldn't carry such heavy things! The woman put the boxes on a table and wiped her forehead. She smiled when she saw him standing in the kitchen.
"Oh hey!" She greeted him. "How did you sleep?"
"Fine." He lied, because he made a terrific nightmare. "Your grandmother told me I could help you, if you needed assistance."
"Ugh. It's not against you but Granny hates being bothered when she is doing her morning sudokus, that's why she sent you here." Ruby explained to him.
"Oh."
"Yeah, she is quite peculiar and a bit distant with people who she doesn't know really but once she will warm up to you, she will be more friendly!"
"You know I can hear you, right?" The older woman asked from the other side.
Ruby rolled her eyes and scoffed.
"So, how did you guys get back here?" She questioned as she started to get aliments from the boxes and put them in a fridge.
"Yves casted a kind of Dark Curse, but it didn't take any of our memories. His wife, well I guess she still is, warned us." Felix related to her.
"His wife? This man married again? What a prick."
"Yeah, she is an enchantress but she doesn't seem to be on his side. She seemed pretty distraught and shaken by what Yves did those last weeks. He murdered every single servant or guard of the castle then he disappeared." He recalled.
"Wait, so if he was the current king and since he had somehow vanished, does it mean Elise could be crowned queen?" Ruby asked as she continued to tidy the kitchen.
"Unfortunately, yes." Felix sighed.
"You don't seem to think it was a good idea…"
"It was her goal to come back and take back the throne, but a few days after her coronation she… changed. She is more rude, more secret, more dark and thinks everyone, including me, is against her. Which is totally absurd!" He revealed to her.
"Indeed, it is strange. Maybe you should try to talk to her, to question her why she is acting this way." Ruby suggested to him.
"I tried but it didn't really work out."
"Ruby, first clients!" Granny yelled.
"I will make a breakfast for you and the little one." The black haired woman told him with a smile.
"Thanks." He thanked, as he made his way out.
Once he woke up Duckling, and helped him getting dressing up with those strange and new garments. The boy and him ate their breakfasts and Ruby suggested to him to take the small boy to the playground near the beach, so this is what they did after their breakfast. Felix sat on a bench, observing Duckling, as he started to play on his own, then he was joined by other children of his age.
"Well, well, well, who do we have here?" A voice said from behind him.
The blond teenage boy shot up to his foot and turned around swiftly to see who was talking to him. He groaned when he realised it was the pirate captain Hook., who was smirking at him.
"Seems like the little lost boy is enjoying himself and making some friends." The adult said, looking at the children.
"What do you want?" Felix asked, annoyed. "I am not in a mood to have a discussion with you. Where is Miss I save everyone? You are always with her, always following her like a lost dog…"
"Very funny, Felix! Very funny. I should ask you the same about your girlfriend. Where is the young queen?"
Felix didn't answer and just stared at the adult blankly.
"So, things are not really fine with her, right? Don't give me that look, Felix. I know a lot of things about love."
"Sex isn't love."
"Come on, laddie, I'm better than that and I may give you some pieces of advice…"
"I'm not interested. I can take care of my problems." Felix said coldly. "And I know how to solve them, unlike you."
"I was just trying to be kind, you could try to do that, you know." Hook told him.
Felix groaned again and sat on the bench.

Elise was wandering around the town, greeting some people she recognized. She was searching for Felix and Duckling, they were not at the inn and she was a bit worried about them. They didn't really know how things functioned here. She came across an ice cream parlour and decided to eat a little sweet, since she loved ice creams. She opened the door and saw that the room was empty. Maybe the owner forgot to close the door? As she turned to leave, she heard someone approaching her.
"Oh hello there."
It was a woman, with blonde, almost white, hair and dressed with a apron. She seemed kind and maternal so Elise smiled at her.
"I'm sorry if I disturbed you. I didn't think it was closed…"
"It's not closed. People are just sometimes too busy to come here and forget about their problems."
"We can forget our problems by eating ice creams?" Elise asked, surprised.
"Of course! When people spend time here or eat one of my ice creams outside, they are taking pleasure and so they forget their daily troubles." The woman developed, with a smile. "So, do you want an ice cream, my dear?"
"Yes, I would like one, please."
The woman served her and Elise sat a table, the woman sitting across her. As she was eating her ice cream, she asked the woman's name.
"My name is Ingrid and you are Elise Valois, the new and young queen of Frenkilan."
"How do you know that?"
"It's written on your credit card and everybody in town are talking about the new inhabitants of Storybrooke and their leader, the youngest queen they ever seen."
"Oh yeah, right."
Elise felt like an idiot. Ingrid watched her once more.
"So, what seem to be your problem, dear?" The woman asked.
"I… I have a hard time dealing with my new… job, if I can say that. I don't think I can handle ruling and ordering people and having an healthy relationship with my boyfriend and the kid we kinda adopted." The teenager revealed to the woman, who was listening to her attentively.
"If I can give you a advice, you should choose between ruling over your kingdom and helping your people and being with your boyfriend and this child." Ingrid told her seriously as she took the teen's hand.
The teenage girl noted that the woman's hand was very cold.
"I… I can't choose." She muttered.
"You have to. I know it's difficult, but the sooner you will decide, the better you will be. Trust me." The woman told her with a sweet smile.

Felix now had a flat, across David and Snow White's. The short haired woman told him it was because she was worried about him being alone in a city with modern technology and wished to help both him and the small child, to ease up their lives. Of course, Felix accepted, because Duckling needed a real home, not a inn's room. David didn't seem happy with this decision but rolled with him. After eating their first dinner in a real home together, Duckling went to sleep and the teenage boy decided to have some alone time. As he was reading a book and sketching on a new sketchbook (it was Henry who gave him, strangely, the boy knew that he loved to draw). Someone knocked on the door quietly and Felix stood up from the couch. He opened the door and was surprised to see Elise standing there, in front of him. She looked quite disturbed.
"Hey…" She said.
"Hey."
"I… I need to talk to you. Can I come in?" She asked.
"Yeah, you can." He answered with a small smile. Maybe she was going to say sorry for all what she had done and said.
The teenage girl entered the home and looked around.
"It's nice here. Where is Duckling?"
"Sleeping in his new bedroom. He seems to like it here. So, what do you want to talk about?" He questioned.
"I want to talk about us."
Felix stopped smiling and frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"I can't manage ruling over a kingdom and having a relationship at the same time." Elise told him.
"Stop." The blond teenager muttered. "Don't say more."
He could see it was also hard for her but he watched sadly as she went on:
"And we are having a lot of arguments together... Felix, we changed."
"No we didn't." He tried in a whisper.
"Yes we did! Since this night, where you thought I was dead, you moved on! And I moved on too!" She yelled, cursing at herself mentally because she may had woken up Duckling. "We only got together again because… I don't why we did it but it was stupid. Maybe it was because we both get guilty to let the other down. But we have to realise it, we aren't on the same wavelength anymore. So I think it's better for the both of us to break up and just… live our lives separately." She finished, trying to not cry.
Felix was silent and she could see he was struggling really hard to not cry in front of her. He was breathing heavily and gulped.
"So… Is this what you want?"
"Yeah…" She answered, shuffling on her foot.
"Did you think about Duckling or are you going to cut out of your life too?" He asked angrily.
"Felix…"
"No. Maybe you are right, maybe we aren't mean to be together." He stopped for a few moments. "I thought for a long time ago that we were true lovers." He chuckled.
"Okay. I'm… glad that you are taking it this way." Elise said, with a small smile.
"I don't want to sound rude, but you need to leave. I still have a lot to do and I'm sure you do too." He said.
"Yes. Me and the knights are going to help Emma and company around in the town." She explained as she made her way out. "Goodbye Felix." She said as she exited the flat.
"Goodbye." He spoke sadly.
Once she was out of sight, Felix slid against the counter and put his head on knees, sobbing, trying to be the quietest possible, to not wake up Duckling or anyone who could hear him.

Author Note: An another evil scheme brought to you by the Snow Queen herself! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, leave a comment or review, and have a nice day or night! ^^