Chapter Fifty Four: The Caucus Race.
"Now, keep running!"
The girl blinked, watching the scene before her.
Animals were running around a post sticking up from the ground, obvious from some broken mast of a ship. There were all sorts of different animals there, racing around the post as one stood perched on top. The waves kept crashing up against them, but none of them seem deterred. Alison spotted the mouse that had saved her, running around with short breaths. The mouse shrieked as she shouted, "You lazy bird! If this is the real way to get dry, then get down here and run yourself."
"No, no, my mouse, I assure you," the bird said, lazily, "I do not mind remaining wet, I do it so the lot of you can get dry. Someone must make the sacrifice to motivate the greatest of the group! I shall make that sacrifice so you may all get dry!"
"What a wonderful leader!"
"Wonderful my behind!" the mouse shrieked, "He speaks like any figurehead, twisting his fallacies with words! Much like William the Conqueror-!"
"Excuse me!"
All of them looked towards Alison bumping into one another. They all screeched as the bird above them shouted, "Ahoy, stranger. Have you come to join us in getting dry?"
"I'm afraid I don't understand," Alison said, "If you are trying to get dry while standing in the water, it won't ever work."
"Ahh but exercise is good for thee, my dear!" The bird said happily, "It is a very good method for getting oneself dry."
"I agree, it is good for you," Alison said, getting closer to them as the animals stood up, "But not for getting oneself dry."
"Quite illogical my dear, that is what you are!" the bird said with a laugh, "But my rudeness, I am the Dodo bird. What brings you this way then?"
"I'm looking for a way back to my father," Alison said, "I need a way back up the Rabbit hole!"
"Don't listen to a word she says!" the mouse said rushing forward. The mouse proudly puffed out its chest as she said, "That girl has a good ferocious beast of a cat that will eat us up!"
"I have nothing of the sort," Alison shrieked, quite mad now, "And you can speak English! How mean, confusing me for no reason!"
"She speaks well for a young girl," one animal said with suspicious eyes, "Maybe she is a witch."
"I am not a witch," Alison said, hurtfully, "My father taught me how everything I know!"
"Then he is also a witch!" the mouse said, pointing to her skirt, "Look! Look at her skirts! The beast's fur is upon her!"
The animals fled towards the forest, shrieking as they went. Alison chased after them saying, "Wait! Please wait! I want to go home."
But by the time she climbed out of the water and onto the land of the forest, they were gone. Alison allowed her shoulders to slump as she began to cry.
"I'll never get home," Alison said, trying to stop her tears.
The laugh that she had heard before echoed across the skies, making Alison scream. She looked up terrified as she saw dark clouds coming at an alarming speed. She moved back into the forest as she heard, "Run, run, as fast as you can. I will catch you because I am the Magic Man!"
Alison fled.
She screamed as she fled, hitting tree branches as she went further. His laugh did not grow farther away as she ran, frightening her more. Alison looked back to see if he could be seen only for her to fall on air. Alison fell down crying some more. She hit, smacked, and finally rolled down to the flat brick path bellow. She was quite knocked out, her body still. The laughter grew thunderous as he said, a mist descending upon her.
"Out like a light, this little lam'. Scared of me, of what I am. Now her memories come to me, so I can be as mean as can be."
The mist went into her mouth, her body glowing briefly. However, when his presence disappeared, so did the glow. The girl was still for hours upon hours, no one coming upon her. It was until the sky began to clear up that the young girl awoke.
Blinking, she stared around at her surroundings that she was not familiar with. The sky was swirling with blue and white while the plants were as tall a she was. Walking down the brick path, she stared around trying to figure out how in the world she got there. There was no wind but the weather wasn't unpleasant.
"Are you lost?"
The girl looked behind her as she saw what she felt to be a peculiar sight. A cat was relaxing on a tree branch with the biggest smile she had ever seen. The cat was larger than she and was staring at her with curious feline eyes. She walked back towards him and said, "I suppose so, I don't remember where I am."
"I see," the cat said kindly. He disappeared in a puff of smoke, making the girl looked around in confusion. Why would he disappear if she had told him she was lost? Tears almost sprung into her eyes and she turned to walk away when he appeared before her in a similar fashion to leaving. She jumped in shock as he floated in mid air around her saying, "I see, it such a terrible thing to be alone and lost. What do you call yourself?"
"I-," the girl frowned in concentration, "I don't know."
Kathryn awoke in bed, feeling rather comfortable. Her blonde hair was spread out over the pillows as she laid there. The sun was already shining into her bedroom, casting a golden light about the room. Her room was nice and clean, having a very fresh soothing tone to it. Sighing, Kathryn sat up in her bed realizing there was a form next to her in the bed.
"Alison," Kathryn whispered ever so softly, her eyes gentle and serene.
She had momentarily forgotten. Last night, Alison had come home looking slightly upset. Unfortunately, she was very good at her poker face as she was able to put on a smile for dinner with Frederick. In fact, she had been quite convinced that she was imagining things until Alison woke up screaming and sobbing. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't figure out what was wrong. Alison just babbled in a language she couldn't even understand. It took a good hour and a half to get her to go back to sleep. Much to Kathryn's annoyance, August wasn't even there to help.
It had become a strange occurrence. At the beginning of the summer, there had been much grieving over losing Baelfire. However, he was there to help her through it. August had taken his Uncle-like duties very seriously until about a month ago. Then he started disappearing and letting her go off on her own. Kathryn didn't even know how to approach him on it because the last thing she needed was to be mother to a thirty-something year old man. But it hurt Alison, and that wasn't something Kathryn liked.
Alison shifted slightly, her face holding a small frown upon it. Kathryn watched for a moment, wondering if she would wake. She didn't and Kathryn frankly was not surprised. Alison looked tired, so tired that it looked as if she had gotten no sleep. Her brown hair was fanned out over the pillow as she cuddled up into the blankets. It was sad that any of the times she was so snuggly was when she was extremely upset … What Kathryn wouldn't give for this poor girl to have a good night sleep.
Creeping away from the bed, Kathryn quietly went to her drawers. Pulling out clothes, Kathryn quietly walked out of the room. Heading towards the bathroom down the hall, she went inside before locking herself entirely inside. As she got changed, she pondered a conversation she had with her father last night.
"So what happens when you and Frederick get married?"
Kathryn looked at her father in surprise, holding her glass of lemonade in her hand. Frederick and Alison were off in the living room where Frederick was telling her tales about his adventures. Alison seemed totally enthralled, asking him questions and chatting up a storm with him. She clearly was preoccupied so Kathryn wasn't as reluctant in answering, "I'm not sure what you mean."
"You know what I mean," Midas said sternly, but not unkindly, "She cannot keep living here after your married."
"And why are you asking about this," Kathryn said wearily, "Is this not between Frederick and I?"
Midas pulled his daughter out of the door way of the living room, taking her towards the stairwells to the upper floors. His face was serious as he said, "It would be if it wasn't for that child sitting in the other room."
Kathryn looked surprised and slightly outraged. Opening her mouth, Kathryn went to speak but was cut off quickly.
"I'm not saying anything bad about Alison," Midas said, "In fact; she is a lovely child who loves you quite dearly. In fact, if it wasn't for the current situation, I would suggest adopting her."
"And why can't I?" Kathryn said, softly but with a sharpness that he didn't think possible, "If she loves me how I know she does, why can't I?"
"How painful do you want this poor girl's life to get?" Midas asked firmly, "She already has family; two men that I gather will soon end up in a custody battle over this. Do you seriously want to make this a three way battle?"
Tears sprung into Kathryn's eyes as she heard Alison laughing along with Frederick. Shaking her head, Kathryn mouthed the words, "No…"
Midas noticed her distress as he quickly wiped her tears. Leaning in, Midas said sincerely, "If you love her like I know you do, keep to what your role is. I reckon she'll need her confidant soon."
"Confidant," Kathryn said softly, "That's not the word she uses…"
There was a knock at the door as Alison's voice rang through, "The phones for you!"
"Alright, give me a second," Kathryn said hastily. Finished getting dressed, Kathryn opened the door to take the phone from the girl's hand. Putting it to her ear, Kathryn said, "Hello?"
"It's Mr. Gold."
"Gold," Kathryn said as she watched Alison quickly ducked under her arm to get into the bathroom. Kathryn watched Alison turned on the cold water and begin splashing her face with it. "What is it you want?"
"I actually had a request," Gold said, "I've been trying to talk to Mr. Booth all week and haven't been able to pin him down to ask."
"Yes, he's been out a lot," Kathryn said, a little more shortly than she intended to, "What is your request?"
"Belle and I were talking," Gold hesitated a moment, "We wanted to know if Alison could stay with us until the wedding. We figured since we would be gone for a few weeks that we would spend time with her before we left."
"Of course!" Kathryn said, sounding cheerful. Alison peered over at her curiously as Kathryn turned away from her saying, "I think it's a wonderful idea. I'm sure she's not going to say no either."
"Excellent. By the way, did you get a call from Miss Swan last night?"
"No, I didn't," Kathryn said, surprised, "Was I supposed to?"
"No, no. I wasn't sure; her message was a bit strange. That's all; have a good day Kathryn."
"You too." Kathryn said simply. She hung up the phone as she turned back to see Alison still watching her.
"You're going to love me," Kathryn said cheerfully.
"I don't already?" Alison said, raising her brows. Kathryn walked behind her as she pulled a brush out of a basket on the counter. Kathryn tenderly and gently began to brush the girl's hair. She looked at Alison through the mirror as she said, "Well, I think more so. You'll be stay at your Grandfather's until the wedding."
Alison suddenly jerked her head, looking up at Kathryn in surprise. Kathryn stopped her action for a moment as Alison said, "Really?"
"Really," Kathryn said, "After all they will be going on their honey moon for a few weeks so they'll be gone a while."
Alison made a face, and said, "Right…"
"You know," Kathryn said continuing to brush Alison's hair, "They are going to be married. You're going to have to get used to them being together."
"Doesn't mean I have to like the mush," Alison said with a huff as Kathryn laughed softly. Running her fingers through the young girl's hair, Kathryn said, "You and your cynicism. One day, that mushiness will seem less gross."
"Never," Alison said darkly, before walking out of the bathroom, "It will always be gross."
"Miss Swan."
Emma looked up to see Gold coming in. He was without his cane, as he so often was now. Walking into her part of the office, he stood in the door way looking just as business like as he usually was. Leaning forward in her chair, Emma watched him as he said, "I believed you wanted to see me?"
"Yes," Emma said, hesitatingly, "I would have just come over last night, but I thought it would be best to wait until morning."
"And this little meeting is about what exactly?" Gold asked.
"It's about when I went to see Alison yesterday," Emma said, "I asked her for a locator… thing for finding a suspect that had stolen her file."
"I'm sorry," Gold said, his voice slightly dangerous, "Her what?"
"Her file," Emma said, her voice nervous, "Her file starting from her time in the foster system to now. I had it under lock and key but he still managed to get it."
Gold's look was dangerous as he asked, "Did you apprehend him?"
"Yes, but something strange happened," Emma said, pulling something out of the file, "He turned into this… He told David that the papers wouldn't matter soon. A war is coming."
Gold took it and examined the playing card. A dark glitter of anger crossed his eyes as Emma fidgeted slightly. He flipped it in his fingers as he let it glide onto her desk. He then looked at Emma saying, "Did you retrieve her file?"
"Yes," Emma said, her voice somewhat rejected.
"I want it," Gold demanded.
"Fine," Emma said, "You have to follow procedure. File the paper work and I will give it to you."
"Miss Swan," Gold said dangerously, "If you are going to play that card, I hope you are ready for the repercussions that follow it. You haven't exactly been doing anything by the book and frankly I wouldn't give a damn. But if are going to use that against me, I will make you regret it."
Emma leaned forward, her face going from uneasy to angry. She spoke in a voice so calm that anyone would know that it was forced, "I am only trying to keep Alison's painful reminders of the past to a minimum. If you take this file and start questioning her on the information inside it, she might view it as a betrayal."
"Betrayal," Gold said with a slight scoff. Emma gave him a look as she said, "It's her life Gold. Parts of her life she'd be very happy not to talk about every again. Taking it, reading it, it might leave her uneasy you're not waiting for her to open up about it."
"And you think what? That I'm going to flaunt that I know this information in her face?" Gold said incredulously, "I am taking it because I want to prevent another person from taking it and distributing it. I vividly remember this happening once, and I have no intention of watching her life splattered in the paper again."
Emma's eyes softened a bit, but she still looked generally displeased. Turning in her chair, she pulled the file out from its hiding place and gave it to him. Gold put it under his arm as he said, flicking his fingers up, "But just in case someone does ask questions. There is your said paperwork."
Emma watched as Gold turned to leave. He paused at the door way, looking back at her saying, "Oh and one more thing."
Emma watched him turn around as he said, "I don't want Alison using magic. You can't use her, find someone else."
And with that Gold walked away, making Emma feel extremely annoyed. He disappeared all together, leaving her quite alone. Leaning back in her chair, Emma ran her hands through her golden hair. He was beyond irritating, yet his actions seem rather reasonable. He was her grandfather; of course he was going to be protective of her. And yet…
"Well wasn't he a big ray of sunshine."
Emma spun her chair around to see Regina walking into her office. She was wearing her usual suit, her grey coat wrapped tightly around her waist. Her face was sour as she said, "Alison has all that magic in her, and he thinks she's going to just not use it? It's a waste of potential!"
"Yeah well," Emma said, making a face, "Apparently it's what he wants."
"It doesn't matter what he wants," Regina said bluntly, "Alison is the Mage of Wonderland. If she doesn't keep using her magic, or this supposed anti-magic abilities for that matter, she's going to get herself killed or worse. Speaking of which…"
Emma looked at her as Regina said, "Have you thought about my proposal?"
Emma nodded as she said, "I have… I accept."
Regina looked proud, almost a little smug. Nodding her head, Regina said, "We'll start after Henry starts school. I don't want him near when we do it."
"I got it," Emma said, slightly impatiently. Regina took her leave, walking towards the exit. As she did so, she bumped into Piper. Piper looked at her, bowing his head slightly as he said, "You're Majesty."
Regina nodded curtly before leaving, in which he rolled his eyes too. Instead of pursuing it, Piper walked into Emma's office. Putting the bag of bagels on the table, Piper was then free to hand Emma her coffee saying, "Here you are."
"Thank you," Emma said, sounding grateful, "I'm already off to a bad start today."
"I take it the meeting with Gold didn't go well," Piper said.
"He took the file," Emma whined, "I was hoping he wouldn't."
"Is it such a terrible thing?" Piper asked, before taking a swing of his own coffee.
Emma gave him a pained look as she said, "It would be like if Mary Margaret and David took and read mine."
There was an empty silence between them for a while. Emma's face was unreadable as Piper's face looked grave. The subject was obviously uncomfortable, if not downright unnerving. Rubbing the back of his head, Piper asked, "I don't need the details… but is hers that bad?"
"Yeah," Emma said, her voice was low, "It's bad."
Piper nodded and said, "Well, if it makes you feel better, I overhead a couple of thugs saying they were going to break into a store down on Maple Street at noon. Want to go ruin their day?"
"And how did you find this out exactly?" Emma said, looking thoroughly amused, "That doesn't sound like breakfast at Granny's talk."
"I might have taken the long route to get here," Piper said, "Crossed a couple dingy alleys. So, what do you say?"
Emma grinned and grabbed her keys of the desk saying, "I say I'll drive."
"So, Your Majesty, what is this revised plan?
Cora walked upon his ship, holding her parcel as she did. The sun was shining brightly, casting full light on the ship. However, neither of them were concerned with being caught. As Cora glanced up, she saw the glimmer of the shield that protected them from view. Looking back towards the front of the ship, Cora said, "Well, originally the plan was based around my darling Pet being dead. However, much to my pleasure, she is not."
"Much to your pleasure?" the Captain said, with a sarcastic scoff, "I'm sorry, were you not the woman that tried to kill her?"
Cora's blank face failed a moment, looking out towards the sea as she said, "Regardless, she is alive. And it much better flows into my plans in certain ways. But first we need to keep gathering information on her."
"Majesty, I'm not sure I understand your inaction," Hook said, "Didn't the Professor gather and report the information on her?"
"Yes, and some of it was quite troubling," Cora said, frowning, "Troubling enough to use to an extent but not enough to have her join us."
"Join us?" the Captain said surprised.
"Yes," Cora said, "Her magic is powerful. And with the right training, she would be of great value to us."
The Captain was quiet and Cora noted it well. Turning, she faced him and said, "I hope no past feelings shall get in the way?"
The Captain smiled a grim smile as he said, "None at all Majesty. So what is the plan?"
"While we are gathering information, I want to especially watch Regina train the Savior. I want to see how and I want to know how she progresses. So I will be hiding to make sure no one is aware that I am living yet."
"And what of me?"
Cora looked at him sharply and said, making and envelope appear, "I want you to find a way to get rid of someone for me. Kill them, incapacitate them, make them hate her to their hearts content; but make sure that the only people there for the little one to love is Gold and his new little fling."
"Why? Wouldn't it be more difficult to have her join us?" the Captain asked, his voice a little unsure. He took the envelope, tucking it away into his vest.
"Trust me," Cora said, triumphantly, "Gold will have secrets hidden well from her, and those secrets will destroy her. She'll practically come running into my arms."
"And what of the Siren and her…. Companion?"
"Neither of them are our concern," Cora said, "They are here merely because they want Alison for whatever reason they have. They already said they would not interfere and I'm GOING to make sure they hold true to that."
"And what of her father?" Hook said, "If he's got that blasted mirror Jane gave him and finds me with you, he'll make sure we suffer for our ill intent for his daughter."
"Don't you worry about that," Cora said, walking over to the edge of the ship, "Just know that ice isn't as dead as you think it is."
Alison was bothered.
She had been walking about the forest for quite some time. She was most likely in the forest behind Jefferson's house by now… or somewhere near there. However, Excalibur was nowhere to be seen. She had been wandering around all morning looking for him. She had been following the hoof prints but she could have sworn she had been walking around in circles. Something had to be wrong for he'd never leave her alone in the woods this long.
"Alison, are you sure these tracks are his?"
"I'm positive!" Alison said, turning back to see Ava come out of the forest thicket. Brushing off her coat, Ava made her way over to her. Alison looked back down at the tracks as they continued to walk saying, "I don't understand it. We've been following them forever. It's like we've been walking in circles."
"I know, but we haven't," Ava said, pulling out some rather large blue beads, "I have been dropping these as we've been walking for the past half an hour. We'd have seen them again."
Walking along, the girls soon found themselves near a rather steep slope. Ava glanced back, frowning as she looked at their trail. Alison went to step to walk away from the slope when she felt the ground give out under her feet.
Letting out a scream, Alison tumbled down the hill. Ava yelled her name, allowing herself to slide down the hill. Feeling a pop in her wrist, Alison groaned as she finally hit the bottom of the hill with a thud. Groaning, Alison went to push herself up. Letting out a gasp, Alison gingerly touched her wrist. She could see a bruise forming there, knowing she had probably knocked it up good. Ava made it to the bottom of the hill as she asked, "Are you okay?"
"I think I've banged up my wrist." Alison muttered, getting up on her knees fully.
"Is everything alright?"
Alison looked up in surprise to see a man standing there. He was dressed rather nice, a scarf tucked into his sweater. His pants and shoes where black as he held onto a cane. His brown hair was pushed back, his face unshaven. His facial hair wasn't terrible long; in face it looked neatly trimmed at a short length. He wore simple sunglasses as he stared in her general direction, but not directly at her.
"I'm fine!" Alison said jumping to her feet, "We've been searching for a friend of mine. I lost my footing on the hill…"
"Please, I've never been up it. Nevertheless I've been told it's steep. Come rest awhile at my home. I'll have my caretaker make sure you alright."
"Umm, that's really not necessary," Ava said taking a few steps but Alison let out a small gasp as she felt her wrist throb in pain. The man beckoned his hand saying, "Please, my conscious wouldn't allow me to let you both go wandering around hurt. At least let her bandage it up for you."
Alison bit her lip, wondering whether she should or not. Ava seemed just as unsure as she was. He seemed harmless, although Alison was unnerved at he wouldn't look at her straight on. It wasn't until he turned to walk towards the opening in the forest that she realized.
He was blind.
"Is it you're leg that hurts?"
"Wha-no. Just my wrist."
"Then follow me. My home is right over here."
Alison made a face before looking at Ava. Ava bit the inside of her mouth but nodded softly. They reluctantly followed him. It didn't take too long to catch up as he was slowly making his way towards the rather clear back yard. His house was rather large but all one story. An older woman who looked much like a nurse, had come out as they approached. She hurried over to them and said, "Master Flinn, did you hear that scream just no- Who is this?"
"She fell down the hill," Mr. Flinn said, indicating behind him, "I believe she's hurt herself."
"Oh dear!" The woman hurried over to Alison, noticing her wrist, "Please come with me, that'll need bandaging."
"I- no really," Alison started only to get swept away in the house. Ava gave the man a bit of a suspicious look before she followed after them. The man followed, gripping his cane tightly. He made his way in, shutting and locking the door behind him.
"Are you Professor Avenant?"
Avenant looked up from his work in surprise. A man stood in his doorway with dark hair blue eyes. He wore a black leather jacket, jeans and boots. Giving an uninterested expression, Avenant said, "Are you here for an appointment? Last I checked I didn't have any today."
"No, you met with Kathryn Nolan the other day about Alison Kinsleigh?" he asked, as if hoping to jog his memory.
"Indeed," Avenant said, dropping his music sheets on the desk, "I would be correct to assume you're her uncle. August Wayne Booth?"
"Yes, that's me," August said, walking into the classroom more, "I hate to bother you, but I wasn't able to meet with you the day of."
"Of course," Avenant said, indicating towards an empty chair. August came and sat down promptly as Avenant asked rather promptly, "What did you wish to speak with me about?"
"I just wanted to ask you a question in regards to your program," August said, a little offset by his quick attitude, "I understand it isn't a regular school music program?"
"Not my advanced program, no," Avenant said, "Although the elementary music teacher and I do work together. Usually junior high and high school students are chosen for this program, however as in your niece's case, there are exceptions… which brings me to something I would like to question you about."
August looked at the teacher, who looked at him with fierce eyes. August shifted in his seat as Avenant said, "She has a particularly strange custody arrangement. You have every sort of release form in the world, as per her father's request. Kathryn Nolan and Gold have temporary custody for the time being. I have to know if there is something about to occur that would have her quite upset."
"Nothing will get her upset," August said cheerfully, "The permanent custody assignment in the works will go through smoothly."
"Mhm," Avenant said, "Well, if she gets accepted, we meet three times a week for about two hours. She will have lessons with me during the day the same amount of times and will be expected to doing our events on the weekend as they are scheduled. In the beginning of October a calendar will go out with events. I trust you will be in attendance."
"Yes, yes," August said, standing up and holding out his hand, "Well, I don't want to take up more of your time… it was very nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you as well," Avenant said, standing up enough to shake his hand. August gave him another nod of the head before walking out of the room. Any trace of civility left Avenant's face as he turned in his chair. Grabbing the phone, Avenant dialed a few numbers. Letting it ring a moment, Avenant finally said, "Mrs. Potters, its Professor Avenant. I would appreciate that there be no more surprise visits from parents today. I don't appreciate being a last-minute thought."
"Alison, I don't like this."
The living room was large; white in color and the furniture simply modern. The couches were black and the coffee table made of a dark metal. It was pushed off to the side instead of being in middle of the couch and chairs. There was a lot of open space in the living room as it created plenty of walking space. Alison and Ava stood by an empty fire place, staring at all the pictures hanging on the wall above. Alison examined a small statue of a decorated elephant saying, "I know, but we're not going to be here long. Just enough to convince him I'm fine."
"I don't trust him," Ava said, hushed, "We should leave now."
"He's blind, what is he going to do?" Alison said a little stubbornly as she looked at her friend. Ava gave her the dirtiest look ever, crossing her arms. Alison looked away, a click of realization in her mind as she said, "That's right, the blind witch. Who knew that would make you prejudice?"
"I am no-!" Ava said, elbowing her friend only to be interrupted.
"I have tea!"
The nurse came in with a tray as she said, "We also have just water if you like."
"Thank you Miss," Ava said quickly, "But we really should get going-!"
"Please, take a rest," the woman said, "The master is quite worried. I don't think you've hurt your wrist too much, just enough for bruising. But the master is quite kind and he always worries for others."
"You are too kind, Eliza."
They looked over to see the man enter the room, using his hand and cane to guide him. He made his way over to the couch, sitting down on the end. Eliza smiled at him warmly as she said, "No kinder than you, Your Majesty. If you need anything else I will be in the study attending to the paper work."
"Majesty?" Ava questioned, as Eliza left promptly. The man smiled wryly as Alison looked at him with narrowed eyes. He fiddled with his cane, twirling it around as he said, "In another life… long ago… I was a Prince in the Western Kingdom. But that is not a story for now. I would like to know why you were wandering around the woods. You said you were looking for a friend?"
"Yes, well," Alison promptly went over and sat on the chair. In doing so, she earned a look from Ava that she promptly ignored. Alison took one of the tea cups and said, "I'm looking for a horse. He's black as night and as fast as lightning. I would ask if you've seen him but…"
Alison took a sip to silence herself only to have the man chuckle. Ava eventually wandered over to the chair and sat down near her friend. He reached out, taking a few moments to grasp the cup right in front of him. Taking a small sip, He pulled it away from his mouth as he said, "No, I imagine I wouldn't be able to tell you. Luckily, Eliza saw a horse like that two days past. He was wandering up that same hill you fell down. She said he was a splendid stallion…"
Mr. Flinn seemed to stare off in another direction, as if day dreaming. Ava and Alison exchanged glances as she said, "Yes well… he's my childhood friend actually. I've been looking for him for a few days but we seem to be going around in circles."
"I see," Mr. Flinn said sipping his tea as Alison put her cup down. As he leaned forward to put his cup down, Alison noticed scars under his scarf. A sense of dread filled her stomach as she leaned back promptly, making Ava look at her in surprise.
"I'm sorry if this sounds rude," Alison said, "But we really need to go. After all, I'd really hate for something to be wrong with my friend… Thank you for your hospitality and care."
"Yes of course, and it's no trouble," Mr. Flinn said, "Pardon me if I don't escort you to the door. It's right out at the end of the hallway. There is a path a mile down the road to go back up the slope without risk of further harm."
"Thank you," Ava said, standing up and following her friend out of the room. They hurried out of the house and down the road. Ava looked back before looking over at her friend and asked, "What's wrong? I thought you said he seemed okay."
"The scars on his neck," Alison said, frowning, "It was hard to tell, but they looked a lot like the scar Jefferson has around his neck."
"Like-Like beheading and reattaching?" Ava said surprised.
"Yes," Alison said, "There's really only one person I know who does that, and she only ever reattaches people's heads if it's worthwhile to her."
"So you think he's a criminal?"
"I'm not sure," Alison said, "But I'm not willing to risk it either way, not until I'm sure that's what it is. I don't need a grudge matc-!"
A neigh made both of them freeze.
Alison looked up through the forest before darting into the woods after it.
Ava had called to her, saying something. However, Alison did not hear her as she raced into the woods, following the cries of the horse with a blind ambition. Ava was not too far behind her as she followed Alison what she thought was deeper into the woods. However the neigh's got quieter as Alison became more panicked. Finally screaming, Alison yelled, "Excalibur!"
The neighing stopped.
Alison finally stopped, looking around for any sign of him. Ava stopped behind her and looked down at the ground. Bending down, she felt the ground saying, "He went off down here!"
The two girls took off down the hill, their shoes sliding in the damp ground. However, they soon found them back at the road, the tracks quite gone. Alison growled as Ava bent down again. Turning around and grabbing her hair, Alison heard Ava get up saying, "The tracks are all mushed together. I can't tell where he's gone now."
"Ava!"
Ava and Alison looked ahead to see Jefferson wandering down the road. Both girls exchanged glances as they hurried over to him. Jefferson slowed down as they approached, wrapping crossing his arms to hold his jacket closed. Alison and Ava finally came to a stop as Jefferson said, "You're Father just called. He wants you back home to help him with something.
Ava let off a small growl, obviously annoyed by something. Giving Alison an apologetic look, Ava said, "I'm sorry. I have to go. Call me if you find him."
"I will," Alison said as Ava took off down the road. Jefferson watched after her a moment before looking over Alison. He narrowed his eyes at the sight of her bandaged wrist. Alison was distracted though not noticing Jefferson picking up her wrist gingerly saying, "What happened?!"
"I fell down the slope," Alison said, wincing as her friend pulled her wrist, "its fine, the man down the road wrapped it."
"Man down the road?" Jefferson's voice sounded confused, "I didn't know anyone else lived on this road."
Alison looked back, but could no longer see the house in view. Alison squeaked as Jefferson suddenly swept her up in his arms. Alison threw her arms around his neck as he began to walk back down the road saying, "You surely are a klutz. Falling into stranger's yards, you would think you would learn!"
"Put me down! I have to find Excalibur and I've already seem to have been going in circles all day!"
"Then it is time for a rest," Jefferson said cheerfully, "After all, you wouldn't want to continue this caucus race in the rain that will soon come!"
"I want her to come see you again."
Archie sighed, pouring the tea into the cup on the table. Kathryn and him were sitting in his office, the door closed tight. Archie looked tired as he said, softly, "I don't know what good it will do. Alison is very resentful in getting any help from me."
"I know," Kathryn said, her voice sounding desperate, "But her nightmares are getting worse. She's going as far as waking up screaming in a foreign language or not getting any sleep at all. She won't open up to me about her past, shutting down faster than you could say chicken!"
"When you say opening up about her past," Archie asked slowly, "Do you mean her time in the foster system… or her time in Wonderland?"
"Both," Kathryn said, shaking her head, "She won't talk about both. She says she doesn't remember these dreams, but I know it has something to do with one of the two…"
Archie bit his lip, obviously concerned at this new piece of information. Archie watched as Kathryn stood up and walked over to the window. She noticed the dark clouds gathering outside as Archie said, "What about Gold? Or August? Have they noticed this behavior?"
"Gold has commented that she's been sleeping in later but perceives it at just being tired. He hasn't seen her screaming from nightmares," Kathryn said wearily, "And August… if he stuck around when he says he's going to, he would be able to tell you…"
Archie looked at her as he asked tentatively, "But he's not?"
"No…" Kathryn said wearily, "As of lately no…."
Kathryn rubbed her temple, obviously quite upset. Archie sat back in his chair pondering. Looking at Kathryn sadly, Archie then asked softly, "Do you think this custody arrangement is working?"
"No…" Kathryn said, "I hate saying this but no…"
Kathryn sniffed as hot tears came rolling down her face as she said, "I don't know what to do… I love her with all my heart and soul. But no matter how I look at this, something is going to break and she is going to get hurt…"
"I agree," Archie said, "I've been worried about this arrangement since it started actually."
Kathryn looked back at him in surprise, crossing her arms as she did so. Archie let out another shaky sigh as he said, "Look, I'm going to be honest. Splitting the child among three different families is never a good idea. Inconsistency happens all over the place and the child gets stuck in the middle on more than one occasion… but separating you from her is not exactly going to be easy. She has grown attached to you... and frankly until I've had more time with her, I can't even begin to tell you how to begin to ease you away so a more permanent situation can settle in."
Archie sighed and looked up saying softly, "Twice a week, starting Friday. We'll give her time to adjust into school before overwhelming her. After all..."
Archie took a sip of his tea as Kathryn watched him say with a heavy heart, "This is going to be far from easy."
The lightening cracked something awful outside.
It lit up the entire sky, thunder following closely behind it. The tree's swayed dangerously, the branches creaked loudly. However, to those inside, they remained completely unbothered by this but spoke of something else…
"You're mean."
Jefferson looked down at her, watching Alison lying on the floor in front of the fireplace. Her brown hair was splayed out along her back. She had her tea cup in hand as the fire kept them warm. Jefferson was sitting lazily against the armchair, his own tea cup in his hand. Rolling his eyes, Jefferson said, "Yes, I'm terrible, horrible for not letting you go chasing after the fastest horse in the realms in the worst storm we've had this year."
Alison stuck her tongue out at him, before take a sip of her tea. She looked down into her cup sadly as she said, "He's never run away from me before…"
Sighing, Jefferson put down his tea cup before falling down next to her. Alison couldn't help but smile a bit as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Jefferson then murmured into her ear, "I'm sure he's not running away from you… simple just running to the places you're not going to."
Alison narrowed her eyes playfully as she said, "Are you paraphrasing me?"
"Something along those lines," Jefferson taunted, "Now, tell me something…that man down the road..."
Alison looked at him blankly before staring down into her cup again. Tracing the rim of her cup, Alison murmured, "He had scars around his neck, they looked a bit like yours..."
Jefferson narrowed his eyes but then said, "Well...I'm pretty sure if he was one of hers, he wouldn't have let you leave. But just to be sure, I'll go see him."
The girl nodded her head slightly, not looking up at him. Jefferson remained propped up on one arm as he watched her, obviously irked by something. Reaching out to stroke her hair, Jefferson finally watched her look up at him curiously. Alison watched him as he leaned down, forehead to forehead. Jefferson then murmured, "Why did you run off to Wonderland without telling me?"
Alison grinned and taunted saying, "Someone was having a daddy-daughter day. I had to entertain myself somehow."
"It seemed more like you were entertaining that smug Cheshire Cat," Jefferson with a scoff.
"So he tattled on me," Alison said with a huff, "I'll have to remind him what it means to keep a secret."
"Ha!" Jefferson said, "I will tip my hat to you if you can manage such a feat. But until then, I will continue to ponder why I am still being excluded."
"You hate Wonderland, as you keep repeating to everyone but me," Alison said with a scoff, "Why would I bring you to a place that you hate?"
Alison stared back into the fire, her finger tracing the tea cup on the floor again. Jefferson narrowed his eyes as he promptly sat up. Grasping her hand, he gave Alison a pointed stare as she turned to look at him. She looked surprised at his stare and became uncomfortable as she identified the anger behind it. Sitting up, she watched him as he said, "Perhaps it's because I don't wish to lose you to that world."
Alison gaped, the surprise taking over her face once more. Jefferson's look was dark as he inhaled deeply. Alison looked down, her face looking solemn as she reached over to lazily take the cup. Staring into its contents, Alison next words were spoken in a language that held a degree of roughness to it. Many would not understand it, but Jefferson heard it as he would have heard the English translation.
"Will you too not understand the bond Wonderland shares with me?"
Jefferson watched her, the anger slipping away from him. Instead, he spoke in the very same language she did, his words just as fluent as hers.
"I remember running, the screaming, the desperate attempts to keep the knights from our heads."
"That battle was conquered by us," Alison whispered softly, her voice sounding hurt, "Even the Queen of Heart no longer lives…"
Jefferson's facial expression flickered as Alison said in the rough but eloquent language, "But I suppose you already knew that…"
"The Queen bragged much," Jefferson said dismissively, the memory obviously bothering him, "However, that doesn't stop you from being harmed by the other dangers in that world."
Alison stared at him, her eyes glassy as water. Her form tensed as she gave Jefferson the most wounded stare he had ever seen her give. Jefferson's face went from dark to concern as she said, her accent slightly broken by her sadness, "And you would condemn me to live in this lie called Storybrooke?"
Jefferson was mute, and she broke eye contact with him. Alison was obviously troubled as she continued on with a tremble in her voice, "Many people here wish that they could stay here, that there are more opportunities in this land… But the longer I stay here, the more painful it gets. I love everyone here… but it would be a lie if I said I wanted to remain in this world…"
Jefferson felt all of his heart strings as she looked up at him with a vulnerable expression that she rarely ever used. In the midst of her blue eyes, he could see the flecks of amber within them. It was like glitter, glitter of magic that was sparkling dimly. So dimly that he feared it might extinguish, something he knew was very much possible. Letting his mouth fall open, Jefferson listened as she spoke the next words that would pierce him through.
"It's cold."
To most, the statement was strange but to Jefferson, he knew very well what she meant by it. Jefferson dismissed his tea cup, cupping Alison's cheeks as he leaned in to kiss her nose lightly. The storm was swirling outside, threatening to cause terrible damage. However, it was not the storm outside that made Jefferson fearful. Stroking her cheeks to get rid of her tears, Jefferson murmured, "I'd forgotten… your pain in this world was unforgivable."
Alison was mute, holding onto her cup gingerly. It was a comfort, holding onto such a fragile thing. She finally looked into Jefferson's green eyes, seeing the understanding that was in them. Pulling her into an embrace, Jefferson whispered softly, "You suffered much at the hand of this world… and you know better its cruelness and the reality that is in already in you… you will always and forever be our Magesteria…. The future Königin."
Jefferson kissed the top of her head, whispering softly, "I would follow you to the ends of the earth. Don't ever forget who is loyal to you."
The Siren hissed.
To any human coming across her lake, they would have seen her and only her. The small pool of water was linked to many rivers that flowed away into the depths of the forest. The forest was dark, the tree's being the only thing one could make out. However, the Siren sat upon the rocks, quite aware of something else dwelling in the darkness. Narrowing her eyes, her blond hair fell down in wavy curls that contrast greatly with the black corset of her dress.
"Come out," the Siren said, coolly, "Come out where ever you are."
Nature was still, stiller than stone.
Until lips crashed into hers.
The Siren attacked without mercy, using water to send the intruder back towards the shore. The water continued to press him into the tree, attempting to choke him. Her eyes narrowed, looking quite disgusted as she said, "I don't appreciate your antics, Death."
The water finally let up as the man straightened himself up. His attire was strange, his face white than ash. A black and red mask covered his eyes and his grin was inhuman. His clothing was all in red, the mantle attached to his button up wool jacket. His boots were black with what looked like dried blood upon them. His hands were concealed with gloves as the hat upon his head was strange. It held a brim that was wide on one end and narrow on the other. The top held three sharp edges with a raven's feather sticking from it. His laugh echoed unnaturally as he said, "What a greeting, what a greeting. I was hoping your kiss would be far from fleeting."
"You're poetry is truly horrific," the Siren said, smoothly as she climbed down from the rock and stood upon the water like it was ice.
"And your form truly terrific," the man she called Death cackled. Smirking, the Siren let out a soft laugh as she said, "What brings you here, Death? Did the Cheater spite your further?"
"Oh, no, no," the man cackled, "She forever spites me as long as she breaths. No, I came with happy news, news that will make you seethe."
The Siren raised her brows as he said wickedly, "I have found my new Mage."
"What?!" The Siren said as the man waved his hand. A portal seemed to have opened in the water, showing a girl wandering the woods with a Cheshire Cat. She was quite young, quite adorable. But the Siren frowned as she watched, glancing up at Death with a doubting look.
"Are you sure that's she's the one?"
"Not at all!" the man said with a laugh, "She's quite apt to fall! I wouldn't ever choose her to be, which is why I say the Mage she'll be."
The Siren looked down as the wind began to pick up. There were whispers on the wind as the Siren smirked. Looking up at him, The Siren said with a smile, "Well, well, it looks like for once, you found the right person…"
The man cackled as he disappeared in a bunch of dead leaves, the leaves floating away in the wind. His voice could still be heard as he said:
"Alison Kinsleigh, her name be. But has she earned it? We shall see. She'll have to fight me, step by step. Or Red Death might catch her in its web."
Temperance Tales: Well, that was fun. So… Bizzarieve character: Red Death, and he will have been contributing some idea's for some themes going on this season. Some very musical ones… and that is all the hint I am giving you. Please read and review.
I do not own Once Upon A Time and I give full credit to its creators. I do not own any fairytales… or I would not be a fanfiction writer on here hahaha. I give the fairytale's owners their full credits such as The Nutcracker and Howls Moving Castle and stories that Once Upon a Time hasn't done or is just plain different from mine.
