Chapter 34
The Next Right Thing
(Daniella's POV)
I waited in the corridor, facing the door to the principal's office. Snow had gone inside to talk about the situation. I leaned my head against the wall and gulped. Should I have gone that far? I sighed and crossed my arms. Soon, the principal's door opened and Snow walked out with Ms Cummings. "Daniella, please come in."
I followed Ms Cummings into her office. She gestured for me to sit down on one of the armchairs in front of her desk. When I sat down, she smiled and said, "How would you like me to call you?"
Frowning, I stuttered, "I'm sorry?"
"I know that royals are particularly fussy with what they're called-"
"Daniella's fine."
"Alright then. Daniella, just tell me in your own words what happened."
I played with the hem of my dress as I answered, "I was walking down the block when Leyton and his gang came up. I didn't want to avoid them cos it'll just show them that I was afraid so we met up in the middle. I tried to walk around them but they circulated me and started saying things-"
"What things?"
I sighed, "The same taunts they used in the Enchanted Forest."
"Did the taunts affect you?"
I shook my head, "Not really, until they pushed me onto the ground. After that, the commotion must have attracted attention since I got up to find that a crowd had gathered around us. After that, he tried getting to me again and..." I took a breath and fidgeted. Then, in a quiet voice, I muttered, "He deserved what he got."
I looked up to see Ms Cummings' eyebrows knitted together. So, I asked, "Are you going to expel me?"
"No I won't. Nor will I send you home because I'm aware of your situation right now."
"You...know?"
"Well, Snow and David has reassured the town many times that the Queen is safely locked away. I could only assume that you're put under their care now."
Hearing those words from another person's lips felt strange. I slumped back onto the armchair and looked down. I won't cry. Not here. I won't-
Ms Cummings came around the desk and sat down on the armchair next to mine. She grabbed the tissue box and offered it to me. I reluctantly took it and instead of wiping the tears that had clouded around my eyes, I balled the tissue in my fist.
"You didn't hit Leyton just because of what he did in the Enchanted Forest, am I correct?"
I shook my head slowly. "No."
"Well, whatever other reason or reasons you had, you did a pretty good job on him. He won't be coming to school for the next week probably."
That created a tiny smile on my face. I sniffled and asked, "Then what are you going to do with me?"
"Nothing."
"What?!"
"If you attack another student again, then I'll do something. But I'll let you go this time. You were just trying to protect yourself, even though I have to admit, I'm quite shocked at the degree of damage you managed to inflict on Leyton."
My cheeks flushed red but Ms Cummings continued, "Anyway, I will speak to everyone about this incident. I believe that the school needs to be reminded of what respect means."
My heart hammered, but I finally gave the principal a small smile. Then, I tilted my head and asked quietly, "Why are you helping me?"
"One of my students got harrassed and bullied-"
"Then why are you helping the bully?"
"Who said that you were the bully?"
I muttered quietly, "I wish they would think like that about Mama."
"Mmm."
I frowned. "You...you agree with me?"
"I can't say I don't."
"But, why? She's the Evil Queen."
"Is that what you believe?"
"No, of course not! She's my mother! She hasn't taught me to hate, like what Snow says. I mean, she's taught me magic but she's taught me to control it!" My voice shook as I continued, "She's the only family I have left and I don't...I don't understand how Snow could be so cruel to take me away from her. I mean, I know that the saviour was separated during the curse, but it was Snow's choice to put her into the wardrobe! It wasn't mother's choice that I was separated from her when I was a child, nor whatever Snow's planning to do right now!"
"Daniella, who's your father?"
I froze. Maybe I shouldn't have said so many things in my outburst. I quietly murmured, "Not the King."
"I thought so."
I didn't know how to react. Seeing my expression, Ms Cummings smiled and said, "Don't worry, I've known for quite some time. We've speculated that the pregnancy was too short for you to have been conceived after marriage."
I frowned. "Wait, what? How do you know so much about-"
"I worked in the palace."
"You did?"
"Before your mother's reign, I was part of the kitchen staff but as you may or may not know, the Queen replaced many servants when she ascended the throne."
I nodded. "So you were fired?"
"Yes, but I found a job at a boarding school and became a teacher there. And I have to say, I do enjoy teaching."
"Well, you're a principal now."
"I guess."
I hesitated for a second before asking, "What was mother like, when she was pregnant with me? Did you get to see her often?"
"Yes, I did see her from time to time. I was in charge of retrieving the supplies that was brought into the palace each morning and sometimes I would catch a glimpse of the Queen at her balcony. She smiled a lot more often ever since the King announced that his wife was pregnant. I think you were the only joy in her life. You gave her hope. I know it's not exactly my place to say but...I believe she was lonely. I remember wondering to myself how the King could have possibly gotten such a young girl to marry him. I don't believe, well...I think that when your mother lost you, it put her in a dark place."
"Yeah."
"So I could only imagine that she was forced to leave whoever your father was, to marry the King."
I nodded. "My father's dead. Mother named me after him. She said that it was lucky that I was a girl, since the King would have chosen a name for me if I was a son."
Ms Cummings smiled and got up from her chair to give me a quick hug. "I'm afraid there's not much I could do to help you, but if you ever feel like talking, my office door is always open."
Under my breath, I whispered, "I don't get it."
"Get what?"
"Why you're nice to me."
Ms Cummings sat back on her chair and chuckled. "You're not a mean girl, Daniella. I don't think what you did to Leyton demonstrates who you really are. It's just, the world hasn't been overly kind to you recently."
I played with the hems of my dress and avoided the principal's gaze. Then, there was a knock as the door. Ms Cummings called out, "Yes?"
The door clicked opened and I turned around to see Snow walk into the office with David following behind her. I must have visibly tensed for Ms Cummings put a hand on my arm and smiled. Then, she faced the two and asked, "What can I do for you?"
"We would like to speak to Daniella."
Ms Cummings smiled and replied, "Alright."
"Sorry, could we speak to Daniella alone?"
I gave Ms Cummings a look. She gave me a pat on the back and left the office under Snow's commands.
"Daniella, I want you to say sorry to Leyton."
I balled my fists together and kept them at my side as I glared at her. "Why? He was the one who rallied up the crowd"
"He didn't deserve to be treated so poorly-"
"Neither did I!"
"Daniella-"
"No! I won't do it. Do you know what Leyton and his gang did to me in the Enchanted Forest?"
"I'm sorry for what has happened but we're in Storybrooke now, and physically attacking Leyton to such an extent is not tolerable."
I stood up from the chair and spat, "He pushed me over first. He kicked dust into my mouth!"
To my annoyance, Snow continued in a calm voice, "Daniella, I want to teach you how to deal with issues in a better way. An alternative to revenge. You might not have realised but when you hurt Leyton, you've hurt yourself too. How long will it take until you feel guilty for your actions?"
I scoffed and replied almost immediately, "Never-"
"No, trust me, you will. I'm not telling you that it was wrong to protect yourself in the situation that had just occurred, but I'm telling you that it was wrong to keep going especially when Leyton was clearly already in no position to harm you. Daniella, do you understand?"
I looked down and bit my lip. Maybe I understood what Snow was implying. But it didn't give me comfort. Snow continued, "Now since you're under my care, I'm going to make sure that you choose to do good, instead of retaliating. I don't want you to fall to your own downfall, like Regina did."
At the mention of my mother, I looked up. An ice cool wave of emptiness rushed through my heart. David stepped out from Snow's side and gave me a small smile. One that I didn't return. "Come on, we'll make the apology quick and get it over and done with. How does that sound?"
The tick of the clock on the wall wavered my thoughts. "Well?"
I dipped my head. "Fine." Then, I followed Snow and David to the healthcare unit of the school. When we arrived, a school nurse was tending to Leyton who lay still on his bed. At the patter of our footsteps, the nurse looked up and greeted Snow who whispered something to her. The nurse gave a nod and left the room. Snow crouched over and asked Leyton, "How are you feeling?"
Seeing Leyton in such a vulnerable state felt strange. I urged my lips to not lift up into a triumphant smile. I heard him reply weakly, "I'm fine." If it wasn't for David's stern gaze, I would have let out a smirk.
Snow turned and faced me. "Leyton, I've brought Daniella here to apologize."
His eyes locked onto Snow's gaze. Clearly, he hadn't expected to see me again so soon. He sat up a little on the bed and gave me a glare. I crossed my arms and returned it to him until David prodded me to come forth. Sighing, I averted Leyton's gaze and muttered a quick word of apology. Leyton gave no reply. Snow said something to him and afterwards, we all stood up to leave him. I was nearly at the door of the room when he called my name. I whipped my head around. He sat up on the bed and didn't say a word. I strutted over and crossed my arms. "What?"
"Are you familiar with the North Village?"
"You mean, in the Enchanted Forest?"
Leyton's eyes bore into mine as he answered, "Yes."
My heart started pounding a little. Voice wavering, I continued, "What about it?"
"My mom and I were from the North Village. She died there when the fires scorched the town to ashes. Some of us escaped, like my brother and I, but he didn't make it past the first winter away from home." He paused. "You know who created those fires right?"
I hugged myself, feeling a gust of cold air seize my body. Then, I nodded slowly.
Sensing the silence, I asked, "And your father? What happened to him?"
"He was conscripted into battle. Haven't heard from him ever since. If we were in the Enchanted Forest, I'd say that you'd better be grateful for the sacrifice that soldiers like my father made. King Alrick's kingdom fell to the Evil Queen because of the battle my father fought."
I didn't know what to say. Feeling something heavy in my throat, I gulped and took a breath. This time, I let my frown disappear as I said slowly, "I know I can't fix the past but...I'm sorry, Leyton." I turned away before he could see my expression crumble. He had lost every member of his family because of what my mother had done. I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt, despite my hatred for Leyton.
"Daniella, I-" I heard Leyton's voice pause. Then, it continued, "I'm sorry for whatever went on between us in the Enchanted Forest...but I cannot put it behind me that everyone I cared about died because of the Evil Queen."
I huffed. How I wish that I could simply put the blame on Snow, for everything that has happened to Leyton and myself. But I knew I couldn't. Mother didn't need to burn the North Village down to ashes. She could have reacted differently. I shook my head to rid the thoughts from my brain. I knew Mama wasn't a saint, but I didn't want to think of her with the notorious moniker that the peasants had given her.
After a long moment of silence, I regained my composure and turned around to face Leyton. His face looked so different without a sneer. I frowned and asked, "So you knew who I was, even before I left the orphanage?"
"No, I actually didn't. Although, hearing that you're the Queen's daughter made it much easier to hate you."
I flinched. He continued, "You know, I felt content when I saw that arrow hit your arm as you rode past the village on your horse."
"You-" Leyton's words stung. Quietly, I bit back, "The feeling's mutual. I wanted to come after you when I found out that I had magic."
Leyton let an amused smile cover his face. "Why didn't you?"
My mouth opened but no words came out. Why didn't I go after him? I was the Princess. The Evil Princess. I wouldn't even have to kill him myself. I could have told mother and Leyton's head would be on a plate in front of me in seconds. I exhaled and answered, "I let it go."
"I thought revenge was your family's strong characteristic."
I snorted and shook my head. "You don't know anything about my family."
There was silence. Then, Leyton said hastily, "I won't be bullying you again."
I turned to leave but before I did, I came up to his bed and surveyed the wounds on his face. "If I had my magic, I'd attempt to heal you. I'm sorry."
Leyton said nothing. He turned his back towards me and murmured, "Bye, little freak."
"I hope you get better."
*Evening
Henry and I were sitting in the lounge room and doing our homework when Emma came into the apartment exclaiming, "Jefferson's reunited with his daughter now. He had a chat with me, that's why I'm late."
I perked up at the mention of Jefferson. Emma continued, "He said that he originally wanted to take Grace back with him to the Enchanted Forest, but found Storybrooke not so bad afterall."
I sighed when Emma mentioned that he didn't want to go back to the Enchanted Forest. Mother and I needed to use his hat to go back and regain our magic. However, Emma's next words startled me, "Daniella, do you know where his hat is? He said that Regina had it, but she refused to tell him where it was."
I looked up from my homework. "He saw mother?"
"Yes, but apparently she refused to tell him where she kept the hat, or whether or not its even in town. Do you know anything regarding the hat?"
I wanted to make a smart remark but decided to simply shake my head instead. I didn't need Emma or Snow knowing that I was aware of the hat's whereabouts and existence.
Emma's eyes bore into mine for a few seconds. Then, she asked again, "Are you sure? Can you remember anything?" I shook my head and turned back to my homework. Had Emma sensed that I was lying?
I hope not. Henry suddenly shouted out, "Hey, Gramps?"
David called out from the dining table. "Yes, Henry?"
"Can you teach me stuff that heroes do in the Enchanted Forest?"
"What do you mean?"
"I wanna learn how to ride a horse, or swordfight. Either would be fun."
David chuckled, "I'm surprised Regina didn't teach you horse-riding herself."
I looked up to see Emma's jaw drop. "Regina can ride?"
I bit back a laugh at the saviour's surprised expression. David answered, "Of course she could. We didn't have cars back in the Enchanted Forest. We used horses."
"How about carriages?"
"Well, they're for the wealthy-"
"Wasn't Regina-"
Snow cut in softly, "She rode less and less when I grew up. Until she stopped altogether. I mean, she occasionally went on horseback when she was hunting for me."
Henry closed his maths book and questioned, "Why did she stop?"
"She didn't really need to ride, I guess." Snow looked uncomfortable when she gave this answer. I bit my lip for I knew why. She didn't want to mention that every time mother rode, it would give her memories of my father. Snow continued quietly, "It's a shame she hadn't taught you, Henry. She was probably the best rider in the kingdom." Yes, because she was taught by father.
"Really?" Emma and Henry exclaimed in unison. Then, David asked, "But you've won all those championships. I remember even when I was a teenager, that you've won pretty much every competition that there was. The kingdom was happy to have you as our representative."
Snow gave a sad smile. "I'm sure Regina would have done better than me but-"
"She couldn't enter because she was Queen," I finished. All the heads in the room turned towards me. Emma chuckled and said lightly, "Really? Couldn't she have done whatever she wanted?"
I almost snarled at the naivety that Emma was showing. Snow sighed and said, "I don't think my father allowed her. It wasn't fitting for the wife of a King to be in a championship."
Emma raised her eyebrows. Henry broke the silence as he asked David, "So can you teach me?"
"Ya sure, buddy. But with the sword, we'll have to start with wooden ones. How does that sound?"
"Not very exciting."
"You'll be fencing with a real one soon, I promise."
Emma looked worried at this. "David, Henry won't get hurt will he?"
"Of course he won't. He's a smart boy, plus, he's got his grandparents' genes. I'm sure he'll make a fine hero."
At this comment, Henry grinned and went over to the dinner table to give David fist bump. Biting my lip, I returned back to my homework. Truthfully, I had already finished it, but I didn't want to interact with anyone so I pretended that I was still busy figuring out maths problems on the page.
With my head dipped down, I listened to David and Henry's conversation.
"Can we start tomorrow?"
"Don't you have school?"
"Yeah, after school."
"Um...Well why not? I guess I'll have to take my lunch break to find us a pair of wooden swords."
"Thanks, grandpa."
David chuckled in reply.
*The next day
After school, I followed Henry to the playground near Town Hall so that we could meet David. I hadn't told either of them that I knew how to use the sword, neither did they bother to ask. Whilst Henry and David were busily poking each other, I observed them. They didn't seem to be aware of my presence at all. With my heart pounding, I looked towards Town Hall. Maybe I can sneak into mother's office to find her set of skeleton keys.
After another minute of watching my brother and David, I realised that they weren't going to notice my disappearance that easily. So, I stood up and slowly backed away. Then, I jogged over to the building and pushed open the door. Whilst catching my breath a little, I looked back to see the pair engaged in their activity. It was quiet inside the building. There wasn't even a receptionist. I sped up the stairs to the office and cautiously entered. To my surprise, Mother's office looked untouched. I smirked. Even though she is in prison, people still feared her. Good.
I scanned the room and decided to approach her desk first. The keys weren't there. I checked the drawers but none of them contained the keys either. So, I looked around and searched in the filing cabinets for another minute. I let out a groan of frustration. They must be in here!
I was about to leave when there was a rustle behind me. I stilled for a moment as blood rushed to a stop. Quietly, I closed the cabinet and swallowed. "Who's there?"
After another rustle, footsteps in the direction of the window behind the desk came forth. I turned around.
A shadow stepped out from the curtains. I looked up a pair of black polished shoes to stare at the grinning face of Jefferson.
"Jefferson..." My voice wobbled as I asked, "What are you doing here?"
I stood up slowly as the Hatter chuckled. Then, he locked his eyes with me and whispered, "I was just looking for my hat. I'm sure that your dear mother has it somewhere. Now, I believe that you are aware of it's whereabouts, aren't you?"
I shook my head. "Why would I know where it is?"
Jefferson stepped closer to me and answered, "Because you're planning to return to the Enchanted Forest."
My stance faltered. "What?" There was a moment of silence before I continued, "Where did you get this idea from?"
"Oh, I simply guessed. You couldn't possibly be content in this land. Well, not whilst you have no power or magic."
I narrowed my eyes. "So you're also planning to return to the Enchanted Forest? I thought that you were content here with Grace."
"Content? Well, I guess I could say that. Although, the hat is mine. And I would like to be in possession of my own belongings."
I answered quickly, "I'm not here for the hat."
"But you can get the hat back for me."
"Why would I want to do that?"
The shadows seemed to cast a dark silhouette on one side of the Hatter's face. He lowered his voice and replied, "You will get the hat back for me."
My heart pounded at the change in his tone. I shook my head slowly but Jefferson stepped closer. Then, he slid his hand on the inside of his suit and drew out something shiny. It jingled in front of my face as he held it out. My eyes widened, "The keys!"
Jefferson ignored my remark. "The hat is in the vault isn't it?"
I took a breath and answered, "If you already knew that, why didn't you break in?"
The Hatter shifted on his feet.
"Are you uncomfortable to sneak into my family's crypt?"
"NO!" Jefferson shouted. I stepped back. Then, his voice lowered to a more gentle tone. "Well, it isn't proper to go uninvited into somebody's private rooms."
I crossed my arms to stop my shaking body from becoming visible. Jefferson's eyes grew wider as he articulated clearly, "Get me into the vault, and lead me to the hat. If you don't, I'll alert everyone of it's whereabouts. I'll tell Snow what lies below the mausoleum."
"Hurry up. We don't have all day!"
I glanced nervously behind me. Jefferson's eyes bore down onto mine until I looked away. Then, I muttered quietly, "We're almost there..."
My knees felt like they were failing to move as we walked down the path of the cemetery. I honestly didn't know what was worse. Having the whole town know about the vault, or allowing Jefferson to have full access of my mother's things. Either way, it aggravated me to think of the consequences.
Just when I spotted the vault in the distance, I heard a voice shout, "Dani!"
I turned around to see Henry running towards me. I glanced up at Jefferson to see him frown as if he was worried. Why?
"Dani! There you are! David and I have been looking everywhere for you! You just disappeared! And...you're with Jefferson! Where are you guys going?"
I huffed and glared at Henry. I hoped that Jefferson would see this as a note that I didn't want Henry to know what we were up to. However, he smiled and told him bluntly, "Daniella's going to lead me to my hat. I would very much want it back. Afterall, it's one of my most treasured possessions."
My brother lit up in a smile. "Well that's great! I'm glad that you're helping him, Dani."
"I-"
Henry enveloped me in a hug. One which I didn't return so easily.
To my disappointment, he ended up following us to the mausoleum. He was confused for he didn't know why we were there. When Jefferson pushed aside the coffin, Henry's jaw fell open. "Is this-"
I left his sentence hanging in the air as I descended the steps into the musty air. I entered the small room with mother's mirror and her magic ingredients. Henry immediately rushed over to the mirror and gawked at it whilst making sure that he kept a safe distance away from the surface. Reaching behind a trunk of supplies, I retrieved the leather box that contained the hat. Jefferson gave me a cold smile but his grin didn't disappear so I looked away, unnerved. After a moment of silence, I glanced back up and almost let out a shriek.
"Je..je..jefferson?"
The Hatter's eyes stilled and locked onto my gaze. His smile sent a flush of cold water down my spine. I stepped backwards and bumped into Henry who turned around and gave me a nudge. He however, soon also realised that something was wrong with the Hatter. He quietly whispered, "Jefferson? What's-"
Suddenly, the Hatter disappeared in a puff of sky blue smoke and in place of him, stood the Blue Fairy. She smiled at me and opened the box.
When I recovered from the shock I stammered, "What are you doing?! The...the hat isn't yours!"
Blue paid no attention to my words and put the hat down in the middle of the vault. Silently, she drew out a wand and wielded magic from it, directing it's powers towards the hat. Then, it started to spin. Smoke formed around the vault and I began to feel the gusts of wind in my hair.
Henry exclaimed, "What's happening? Blue? Why did you pretend to be the Mad Hatter?"
Finally, the fairy replied, "It was the only way that I could get my hands on this hat. Did you know Henry, that it's a portal?"
Henry nodded, "Yeah, so what are you doing with it?"
Blue chuckled. Then, her face turned serious and spoke directly to my brother. "Henry, step back. Don't come forth until I tell you to."
I glared at the fairy. Something wasn't right. The nagging feeling in my stomach was confirmed when I felt magic grip me around the waist. That's when I realised that I was being pulled into the portal with no means of protecting myself.
"Henry! Tell her to stop! Tell her-"
As I fell into the darkness, Blue smiled deviously and chuckled, "Goodbye Princess."
I was too afraid to snarl back but before the vault disappeared above me, I thought I heard the fairy's shrill voice shout my brother's name. Then, the cool winds surrounding me took away my consciousness.
My head hit the ground hard. Wincing, I put my hand to the numb spot and looked around. There was a moan behind me. I whirled around to see Henry lying on the ground next to me. I helped him up and he too, glanced around. No...
We were in the middle of a road of moist soil. Around us, tall lusciously green trees towered the scenery. There was a rustle of leaves. Then, a flock of birds took off.
"Are we, are we in the-"
"Yes," I replied as I nodded fearfully. My heart stopped and my face drained of warmth. I took a deep breath and murmured, "We're in the Enchanted Forest."
