Snow got there two hours before the execution was going to take place. She knew now that there was no chance for her to free him while he was still in the dungeons, so her only opportunity was when they brought him out to be executed. It was to be a beheading, apparently. The mere thought of it made her sick. David. . . Charming. . . the man that she loved, the father of the child she had and lost. . . it was too much to bear. But if she was successful, she would have him out of there before anyone could lay a hand on him.

Her plan was simple, but it wasn't going to be easy. First, she would shoot the executioner; not enough to kill him, but to make him unable to do anything more than lie on the ground in pain. While he was still falling, she would shoot any other guards she saw, then run toward the platform where David would be, toss him a dagger to loose his binds, then a sword to fight off anyone trying to stop him. Then together, they would leave. But not before she loosed an arrow into George's flesh.

The only problem was that George would undoubtedly be expecting her presence, and she was utterly alone. She could have asked the dwarfs for help, but they wouldn't have been able to make the distance in time. All she could do was hope that all the luck in the world would be on her side. Because without it, she was lost. More lost than she cared to admit.

But she wasn't afraid. Not anymore. She'd spent the last two years of her life constantly being afraid of one thing or another, whether it had been from losing the love of her kingdom or Regina. Now, she had nothing left to lose and somehow she was numb to any pain. The closest thing she felt to fear was if she failed and David died because of it, but if anything happened to him, she didn't intend on escaping alive either. She would go down, taking every single one of her enemies that she could before she died.

A while before the execution was going to take place, people started arriving to watch. Initially, she was angry at them all, but then realized that they didn't all come necessarily because they wanted to watch her husband die, but they were curious. She couldn't fault them for that. After all, George wasn't exactly the most beloved king, and seeing his greatest enemy, especially the man George called "son," was a sight to see indeed.

She blended with the crowd easily enough, and soon became lost in a sea of people. It would be hard for George to spot her now. After a while though, she retreated to the back near a stable. It would be a good place to shoot from since she could take cover.

In the dungeons, David opened his eyes slightly when he heard his cell door open and saw a guard step in. "I see you took my advice and ate. Good. Hopefully you can make the journey," he said, and made move to unlock his chains. "Please don't fight it. If you do, they'll drag you through the streets like I said before. Best to go down with a little dignity."

David nodded, but wasn't sure if he had even noticed. The man unlocked his binds, and helped him up. Although he had eaten the day before, he was still dreadfully weak from malnutrition and lost his balance. The guard caught him and swore under his breath. "Come on, mate, get it together."

Gritting his teeth, he stood on his own and nodded. The man led him down a long winding path of tunnels. He knew now that even if he had tried, he would have never been able to escape. He wondered how long the man had been working here. His thoughts turned to Snow. Sweet, beautiful, wonderful Snow. She had been worth it. Even if his defiance against George had gotten him here, he didn't regret any of it. Knowing her, getting to be her friend and husband. . . it was worth it. He only hoped that she would be alright, that she wouldn't let this harden her heart and become bitter about it. He wanted her to be happy, to smile again. As much as it broke his heart to think about it, he even wanted her to marry again and have children.

But he didn't want to be forgotten. Had she known how much he had loved her? How he would have given up anything and everything in the world for her? She was his whole life, his whole existence. If he had failed in showing her how much he loved her, then he was a failure indeed.

When he stepped into the daylight, he winced and brought his hands up sharply to ward off the sunlight. He'd lost count of long he'd been locked up, and the sunlight was harsh on his eyes. Before he had the chance to recover, the guard grabbed his arm and pulled him along. He kept walking until his feet came to a step, and he stepped up. Then another. And another. By the time he'd gotten to the top, he felt ready to collapse. It hadn't even been that far of a climb; seven steps at the most, but he was exhausted. It was a moment before he realized that he was on the platform where he would die.

He squinted as he scanned the crowd quickly, searching for any sign of his wife. Would she be there to witness his last moments? He closed his eyes. He didn't want her to remember him like this.

Snow's breath caught the moment David came into view. She barely recognized him. His torn and battered clothes did nothing to hide the fact that he was sorely underfed, and his face was covered with swollen bruises and cuts, and a slight beard had been growing. But it wasn't just that. His entire manner was different. The man she knew walked with his shoulders back as though he was going to take on the world. This man walked sluggishly, as though he was accepting his fate.

George stood in front of the block to address the crowd. "My people," he said with his arms raised. "I know many of you have been wondering why I am sentencing my son to die. Know that I love my son more than anything else. But in the years of late, my beloved son has turned into someone I do not know. He has defied me time and time again, but I forgave him. He has shamed and rejected King Midas and his daughter Abigail, but I forgave him for that too. But he has since then murdered people in cold blood and has aided and abetted the treasonous Snow White. Then when I found him, he even tried to kill me. I love my son, but what kind of king would I be if I did not punish my own son for the same transgressions I would punish anyone else? How can I in good conscience allow him to keep hurting and causing pain in this world just because I love him?"

David closed his eyes. So this was how the whole world was going to remember him.

"I sentence my son, my beloved James to die this day for his actions against not only me, but to the world," he said, and retreated to his seat. He motioned to the executioner, who started making his way up the stairs.

Snow's heart started hammering as she pulled her bow out from her cloak where she'd been hiding it and took an arrow.

She raised her bow slowly and focused like David had taught her so long ago. She held her breath as she aimed it at the executioner.

David fell to his knees before the block, and rested his head on the groove. He had expected to be afraid, or at least feel something, but all he felt was extreme calm. He still had so much he wanted to do, but he knew now that it would never be. He accepted his death.

Snow pulled the arrow back against the bowstring and let out her breath. Before she could release the arrow, she felt a hand on her mouth and saw another hand force down her bow from behind. She knew better than to scream since attention was the last thing she wanted, but she still struggled. She elbowed her attacker twice in his stomach and raised her foot up behind her to catch him between his legs, but he moved in time and picked her up from behind, carrying her to the stables. She kicked with all her might, ignoring his silent commands to be quiet.

When they got to the stables, he threw her down. Moving quickly, she drew out a dagger and got up to face him. She hesitated for only a moment when she realized it was the Huntsman, and ran toward him, the dagger aimed for his shoulder. He caught her arm before she could stab him, and forced her against the wall. "Stop fighting me," he rasped.

Crying out as quietly as she could manage, she jerked her arm free, but he grabbed her wrist and twisted it until she dropped the dagger in pain. "Stop!" he said again. She raised her knee to hit him low and hard, but he blocked it with his own leg and shoved her against the wall, grabbing both of her hands and pushing his body against hers so she couldn't fight him. "Stop fighting me! I'm trying to help you."

"Let go of me," she said raggedly, struggling with all her might. "My husband—"

"Nothing is going to happen," he said earnestly, but not releasing her yet.

"Let go!"

"Your majesty—"

The title roused her already heightened anger and she managed to free herself and push him back sharply. She snatched her bow off from the floor and took a few steps before he tackled her from behind. She kicked him in the chest and scrambled up, but he grabbed her foot and tripped her before she could go any further. He got up first this time and grabbed her roughly by her shoulders. "Look," he said harshly, forcing her to the doorway so she could see the execution.

When she saw the executioner raise his axe, she cried out, but not before the Huntsman planted his hand against her mouth firmly. "Look!" he rasped.

Regina strode through the crowd, enjoying the sight of the people part before her quickly. Her arrival even caught the attention of the masked executioner, and he lowered his axe slowly. "There will be no execution today," she said loudly.

George stood up quickly from his large seat against the wall. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I've come to stop this madness."

"You have no right. He is my prisoner."

"And as I seem to remember, you had my prisoner in your custody and let her escape. It seems only fair that you suffer the same. A prisoner for a prisoner," she smirked slightly.

George bristled. "No, I have waited too long for this moment," he said before he thought he better of it. "I have to punish him even though it pains me. I cannot allow him to get away with this any longer," he amended.

Regina walked toward him until she was mere inches away. "Let me put it this way, George. If he comes with me, I'll give you enough money to last two lifetimes. But the best part? Your David won't get a quick and easy death. He'll suffer, far more than he ever would have at your hands."

George looked tempted at the offer, but didn't budge. "No, I have to do this once and for all."

Regina moved even closer. "Do I really have to speak so plainly? Unless you hand him over now, I'll kill you," she said in a low voice.

George paled and took a step back. He cast a glance toward David, who was watching them from the block, and felt bile rising in his throat. "Fine," he growled. "But he had better suffer."

Regina smiled. "Oh he will," she practically cooed. "He will."

Snow watched from the doorway of the barn, and jerked herself free of the Huntsman. "What's going on?" she whispered.

"Regina is taking him. She's going to use him to find you."

"No," she whispered, and took a step outside.

The Huntsman jerked her back inside. "What are you doing?! Stay inside or she'll see you."

"I don't care."

"If you go out there now, it's over. She'll have what she wants and she will kill him. Don't let her do that."

"If I don't help him—"

"You're alone, you fool," he said, his frustration rising. "I'm of no use to you because she'll just control me. Wait until you have more people your side. You have no chance now. Wait. If you love you husband, you have to wait."

Snow's face crumpled as she looked outside at Regina, who was now having David taken with her. "I can't lose him again."

"If you go now, you'll lose him forever."

It took every ounce of willpower in Snow's being to remain in the stables. Seeing her husband, a few mere yards away, was maddening. "What do I do?"

"I can't tell you what to do because Regina can make me tell her. But you must go now. Go and get help. You're not alone. The people hate Regina; they'll side with you for sure."

Snow raked her hands through her hair and bent over in frustration. She couldn't do this anymore. Her husband was in the hands of her greatest enemy. What more would he have to suffer before she could muster enough people to free him? Would she take his heart as well?

"There is more I must tell you. Something you should know."

More? "What is it?" she asked, not sure if she even wanted to know.

"Do you remember the Genie of Agrabah?"

"Of course," she said slowly. "He was a guest of mine for months. What's happened to him? Did Regina find his bottle?"

"No. Well, yes, but not recently. Your majesty, he's been with her all along. For years. From what I understand, she found him a long time ago and tricked him into thinking that she loved him, and has since used that to get him to do whatever she wants. And it works. Even after everything she's done to him, he still follows her loyally in hopes that she will one day be with him."

Snow's jaw grew rigid. After everything she had done for him, he was plotting against her the whole time? She had freed him! Her heart stopped when she thought about her second wish. Making the land fertile. The genie had told her that it would take time, and it wasn't until the next day that it started raining. It all made sense now. He had used that wish to bring the worst upon her, finding any loophole he could to use it against her. How could she have been so blind? "What use is he to her now, though? I freed him."

"There's more."

Not again. "What is it this time?"

"One day she got angry with him and somehow trapped him in a mirror. Because of that, he is able to sift through any mirror in the world to gain more information she desires. You must be careful, or he will find you."

Snow turned away in frustration. What was she going to do now? She felt the Huntsman's hand on her shoulder. "Go. Now."

She straightened and looked at him through her tears. "Why are you helping me?" she asked.

His face showed full sorrow and regret. "Because I have done you an unspeakable wrong and must do what I can to make it right. Because you are the true queen, and I will follow you in whatever way I can. Because I want to see you happy."

Snow averted her eyes. "Red told me what Regina has done to you."

He looked down, ashamed, and she grabbed his hands. Now that she was seeing him in the flesh, Snow ached for him now more than ever. She kissed his cheek softly and squeezed his shoulders. "No matter what, if I defeat Regina, I will do whatever I can to get your heart back. I promise."

His eyes filled, and he nodded slightly. "I must go. Good luck, your majesty," he said thickly, then left the stables.

Snow sat down roughly on the hay, and buried her face in her hands. How long was she going to have to go before she was with her husband again? Suddenly, she couldn't see them together again. The chances were slim before, but now they were nearly nonexistent.

When she heard someone enter the barn, she looked up sharply. A soldier saw her and his eyes widened. "She's here!" he called.

Not wasting a single moment, she got up quickly and tore out the other entrance, barely managing to avoid being caught. She stole a backward glance and saw three men running after her. She may not have been the strongest of them all, but if she was one thing, she was quick. She ran down the streets of the town, throwing down barrels and crates behind her to create obstacles for her pursuers.

She gasped when she saw an arrow whiz past her, and turned right sharply, running down another street. She didn't know how long she weaved her way around the city, but she never let up. Casting a look behind her, she rounded a corner and ran along the street. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a soldier running toward her from the front, and she quickly ran to her right to avoid him.

ooOoo

Regina looked at David boldly as he sat diagonally across from her in her carriage. Transporting them all back would have been much easier, but she couldn't do that now. She'd been using magic far too heavily lately, and needed to take a rest from it for now. It angered her immensely that it drained her so; Rumpelstiltskin never seemed to lose any strength from all of his use, and she considered herself just as powerful or even more so than he. He only had magic because of a curse and was only so good at it because he'd had centuries of practice, whereas every single spell, incantation, and curse she was capable of performing was because of her own learning. She had worked long and hard to perfect her skills, and she was proud of it. She just wished she didn't grow so weary after she used it so much. How was she supposed to be powerful if she could only use her magic some of the time? It made her feel utterly vulnerable, and she hated it.

She smiled slightly as she stared at David, glad that at least someone looked weaker than her. This wasn't how she'd remembered him last time she saw him. He looked weak and weary, and his face was covered in welts and a beard. She could almost forget her own weakness when she looked at his. "How mighty the fall," she mocked.

He didn't look at her. He just stared at his bound hands. "What do you want from me?"

"Aside from the fact that you kidnapped my son," she said in a deceitfully calm voice, "you, my friend, are my greatest weapon against my greatest enemy."

He scoffed at that. "What are you going to do, kill me?"

"No," she smiled. "I have much in store for you, little Charming." She relished the way he glared at her. It made her feel in complete control.

"Halt!" her carriage driver said.

A man on a horse sped toward them and slowed when he was alongside her carriage. She looked out the window. "Who are you?" she said in a low voice, irritated at his interruption.

"Your majesty, King George said to inform you that they've spotted Snow White." She cast a glance at her prisoner, who now was giving them his full attention. "Go on," she said.

"What shall we do?" he asked.

"Find her. Use any means necessary."

The man nodded and turned his horse around. When she looked at David, his eyes narrowed. "I don't know what your plan is, but you better not hurt her."

"Why do you think you're here, Charming? Because I wanted to save your life?" she scoffed. "The only reason you're here and not in the Glades with your head mounted on a spike is because you're more use to me alive than dead. The sole purpose for your existence right now is to hurt her."

"Why can't you just leave her alone?"

"She killed my husband and kidnapped my son," she said in a furious tone.

"You killed him yourself and gave us no choice but to take him. How could we in good conscience leave the boy with someone like you? You'd corrupt even him if you had the chance." He expected some form of retaliation, but she just stared at him as though she hadn't heard a word he said.

"When I get through with you both, you'll wish you'd never said those words to me."

ooOoo

On and on she went, and nearly got caught three times. She ran until she was near the docks and saw dozens of ships in port seeing she had no further to go, she saw a small inn and ran behind it to hide. She leaned over, gasping in air. It must have been over two hours that she'd been going nonstop, because the sun was now beginning to set, and her legs were trembling in exhaustion. She hoped and prayed that they would give up the search, because she wasn't going to be able to make it another two hours.

After remaining there for fifteen minutes, she took a peek around the corner to see if there were any guards among the crowd. Satisfied, she saw none. But what was she going to do now? The Huntsman had told her that she would have to get more help if she planned on saving David, but how was she going to? The only two people she knew of who could help her were Red and Lancelot, and who knew where they were. Even when they did come, how would they find her? She could always go back to the dwarfs' cabin, but she wasn't sure if she'd be able to make it. By now, the way back was probably crawling with all of George's guards. But she had to try. She'd take the long way around if she had to.

She gasped when a sack was thrown over her head, and closed around her neck not enough to choke her, but enough to hinder her from being able to rip it off. Someone forced her to her knees, and she writhed in anger and began punching in the air, trying to hit her unseen attacker. They tried to hoist her over her shoulder, but she was struggling too hard for them. Something hit her head hard, and she felt all of her strength ebb away as blackness filled her mind.

When she awakened, she was blindfolded and bound in a cold, dank room. She could hear voices somewhat close, but was still disoriented enough so that she couldn't make out what they were saying.

". . .find her?"

"Caught 'er. . .Seafearer's Inn"

". . .valuable. . .searching everywhere. . ."

"Master. . . pleased indeed."

Master? Who was the master? King George? That was the only thing that made sense. Who else would have taken her?

Unless there was a reward on her head.

"How much is the reward anyway?"

"Enough to keep us all well and fed for a couple lifetimes."

"You think he'll split it with us?"

"He better; we're the ones who found 'er."

"I found her, idiot."

"I helped you carry her here."

"Coulda done it without you easily enough."

"That doesn't matter," a smaller voice said. "All that matters is that she is here, and he's going to be mighty pleased to see what we brought him."

"He'll probably enjoy her first."

"Better share, she looks like she'd be fun."

"If you want to lose your manhood, go right ahead."

"I love a good fight."

They kept talking, and Snow nearly panicked. She couldn't see anything through her blindfold, and didn't want to move in case they saw her. It was better if they thought she was still sleeping. She took a few calming breaths, but it did little good. She had come much too far to go down like this!

"Winsby told me you found something," she heard a voice say.

"Yes sir, and I imagine you'll be pleased," one of them said.

The man scoffed. "How many times do I have to tell you that I don't want any more mermaid rope? Last time you paid nearly a fortune on it, it turned out to be nothing more than regular dyed rope bought at a market."

"It's not that—look." He said excitedly.

There was a long pause. "Is that. . . ?"

"Snow White? The one and only. I found her hiding behind the Seafearer's Inn and brought her to you. Do you know how rich we could get off this little wench?"

"Are you sure it's her?"

"I'll show you," one of them said, and she heard footsteps coming toward her. She felt two sets of hands on her arms, lifting her up. They were about to remove her blindfold when the other man called out.

"Careful you fools, she's awake."

When they cautiously removed her blindfold, she didn't bother pretending anymore. It took her a moment to get used to the darkness. She saw a man standing a few feet away. He walked slowly toward her, then grabbed her chin and forced it up. "Snow White, eh?" he said, bringing his face close.

Growing angry, she tried to ram her head into his, but he stepped back quickly enough. Frustrated, she spit at him, and he drew his sword and held it against her neck. "Feisty one, isn't she?" he said, smiling slightly. "Ah yes, she'd get me a load of pretty coins, wouldn't she?"

"Of course, you'd split it with us since we found her, wouldn't you?"

He cast them an annoyed glance. "You'll each get your due, as will the rest of the crew." He looked at her again. "As for you, princess, welcome aboard the Jolly Roger."