A/N: Sorry for the continued delay! There's so much more coming, and I'm working so I (hopefully) won't disappoint! - Ah, Roland. I had a lot of ideas for him, but so far, he's only here as a reminder of the curses' consequences.

~Damn Wolves~

Belle wanted to yell, scream, throw things, punch something. Just a few hours into her own journey, a journey she had no idea how she got roped into, she could barely stand being around those two and their damn loop.

Flirt.

Argue.

Silence.

Repeat.

The only thing that kept her sane, were the moments after their arguments which were blissfully silent.

At the moment, they were in another argument. All Belle wanted to do was chuck the compass at them, at either one. She wasn't particularly picky at the moment. They were only a few paces behind her, she was sure to hit one.

"No, not at all, wolves do not eat vegetables!" Graham was saying.

Red groaned. "Ugh, I am a wolf! I think I would know!"

He sighed heavily. "Then you agree with me, they only eat meat."

"No, not when they're desperate! They scrounge for vegetables when-

"Oh for the love of Pete," Belle yanked the reins of her horse, controlling the beast to spin on a dime so she could face them. "If you two don't quit it, I will turn back towards the castle, and I'm taking the compass with me!"

Red blinked a few times too quickly, while Graham looked a little stunned.

"Apologies, milady."

"Sorry, Belle."

Belle glared between the two, feeling quite appeased at their forlorn faces.

"Thank you." she said after a few moments.

She shook her head at them, turning the horse back around, checking the compass once more. They weren't following any roads, just a line on a compass. They'd managed to stay on a few paths as they lined up with the compass, though it was only for short spurts at a time.

After her outburst, the arguments stopped before they were started. Though the flirting was still a bit much for her, Belle could ignore it better than the shouting. She had no idea how long it would be before they arrived at the dwelling of the fates, but she certainly wasn't going to deal with these two and their sexual tension for the entire trip.

She distracted herself, momentarily, by thinking of her new friend. The story had spread like wildfire in the castle. She'd woken alone, in Emma's room, as Emma's lady in waiting arrived to wake her, telling her the news, as she had already heard it from Mary from the kitchen who heard it from…

Well, that wasn't important, but the lady's maid certainly thought the entire list was. The guards Followed Emma for some extent, Roland had seen her running from her mothers room, Snow's ladies maid had been quietly organizing their closets when Snow broke the news to David. All these little bits and pieces from all over the castle, and wagging mouths made a full story to deliver to Belle, by Emma's lady's maid.

Belle laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. She remembered living in her own castle, with her own staff, and all their gossip. Nothing ever escaped the rumor mill in a castle, and nothing traveled as fast.

Belle had been wondering all day how Emma could have been so careless, only leaving a note, running off on a potentially dangerous quest with that man. Belle couldn't help but think about the first time she met him, when he struck her.

And Emma, carrying some very important cargo, was alone with him in the woods. This fact terrified Belle. Though she hadn't lied when she had told Emma she could see the side of him who was caring and cautious when the princess was around, she really couldn't forget that image. He scared her, and he was with Emma.

She hoped the better side of him took over during this trip, for both Emma… and her secret.

They pressed on a few hours, stopping to let the horses rest and refill their canteens. Even Belle joined into their regular conversations. Eventually, they came across a cliff overlooking the ocean.

And the compass was pointing forward. They had to find a ship.

Thank you for reading!