Chapter 35

So Very Far Away

(Daniella's POV)

Henry asked fearfully, "Is there any way to get back?"

I sighed. "Of course. It's just..." I looked down at the cuff on my wrist and spat, "Damn that stupid fairy! I'll rip out her heart when we get back!"

"Dani!"

"Why?!" I roared. Henry shut his mouth as I screamed, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill her! She's separated me from Mama, she's taken away my magic and she's sent me back to this place with the intention of getting rid of me!"

Henry quietly ignored my screams and said, "We'll get back. We just need to find someone to help us or something..."

I scoffed, "Who would help us? If anyone recognises me, we're both dead."

Henry gulped and took a second to think before replying, "Can you lead us to a village or something? Maybe I can go in and ask for help whilst you wait someplace you can't be seen?"

I inhaled and bit my lip in thought. "Maybe we should go to the palace instead. I'm sure mother has something in her possession that we could use to create a portal back to Storybrooke."

"But Dani, we don't even know where we are!"

I sighed. "We've got to start walking to the nearest village. After that, I'll be able to tell where we are and hopefully, I'll get us onto a road that leads to the palace."

Henry nodded and followed me as I started walking down the path. "Are there still inhabitants in the Enchanted Forest?"

"I believe so...I mean, it's a large realm. Everyone couldn't possibly have been sent to Storybrooke. I'm sure there's still people around."

"Are you sure they will recognise you? You've been gone for twenty eight years."

I took in a sharp breath. "I'm not sure, but hopefully not. I can't defend the both of us without magic. I mean, if we manage to find a sword or bow-"

"You can use a sword?"

I lifted an eyebrow. "Of course. Mother wanted me to learn."

"Why didn't you mention that you knew how to use a sword?" Henry commented.

I shrugged and gave him no reply. A cool breeze had accumulated and I shivered. However, we soon heard the sounds of a village draw near. I smiled and took Henry by the arm, prompting him to walk in front of me in case anyone recognised my face. When we entered the village, Henry gasped in awe. It was all new to him and I could tell that he was enjoying every minute of this even though we were technically not in a very good position to be sightseeing. I whispered in his ear, "Come on, we're not here to be tourists. We need to get back to Storybrooke."

Henry replied, "I know. So, what do we do now?"

"We stick out like a sore thumb. We needa change our outfits first."

"But we don't have clothes! Or money for clothes!"

I gave Henry a look. He understood what I meant and whispered harshly, "No way am I going into someone's home to steal."

I sighed. "We have no choice. Please Henry? I don't want to risk doing it myself as I could get caught. Besides, that'll make it worse for you, cos I actually know my way around here...sorta."

"True." After that moment of hesitation, Henry nodded.

"Good. I'll be waiting down the road, where we came from. Good luck."

"You're leaving?"

I nodded. "If someone notices you, you've gotta run. Hopefully, they'll lose you amongst the trees in the forest. I'll be waiting a little further away in case that happens."

"So do I just go into someone's ho-"

I smirked and shook my head. Perhaps I should be the one doing this. But no. I'm not up for theft. "Go to any cottage and at the back, there should be a little courtyard space. Since the sun is still up, the washing should be hanging on the line for now. Quick, do it before they start to collect it and take it down."

Henry nodded and ran off. After making sure he was going in the right direction, I walked away from the village and hid behind a tree trunk that allowed me to have a good view of the road leading away from the last visible cottage. I hope that Henry succeeds. If he's caught, it'll just make matters more complicated than it already is.

I waited for a long time, almost long enough to make me get up and walk towards the village to investigate. However, I soon spotted Henry briskly walk through the trees. Smiling, I ran up to him. "Did you do it?"

Henry puffed when he came up to me. There was a smile on his face as he grinned and replied, "Yes. Here. I think these should fit you."

I took the bundle from Henry's hands and examined it. "Not bad. Apart from the stays, it's similar to what I wore in the orphanage."

"So do you think we'll blend in?"

I nodded. Then I looked around and pointed towards a tree. I'll get changed behind that.

When we both emerged from the trees to look at each other in the stolen clothes, I couldn't help but smirk at Henry's appearance. He did the same to me. "So this is what you looked like."

I shrugged. "I can assure you, I looked better with my clothes from the time I lived in the palace," I replied as I arranged the shawl over my head.

Henry chuckled and said, "Alright. So, do you know where we are? How to get to the palace?"

I sighed. "I have to go back into the village I'm afraid. I don't know this area particularly well."

"Ok. Lead the way."

This time, entering the village was much less daunting. We were wearing clothes that blended in and I had a shawl over my head. I nudged Henry and whispered, "I guess we'll just have to ask."

After a nod of agreement, I approached a young man who was playing a fiddle in the middle of the square. He had temporarily stopped so with my head down low, I asked, "Excuse me sir, my brother and I come from another village but we've gotten lost so we've ended up here. May I ask what's the name of this place?"

The man looked up from his instrument and replied, "Why it's the North Village."

Wait, what?! Did the village rebuild itself again after, well, after mother destroyed it...?

I felt my breath get knocked out of my body. I glanced at Henry. He too, seemed to be shocked. The man spoke up at my reaction, "Are you alright, girl? You seem a little pale..."

I waved him off and said, "Oh, I'm fine. I'm just quite tired because of having walked all day."

"Ok. Maybe you and your brother would like to stay at the inn for a night then...you know, to rest before you continue your journey home."

I frowned. "Inn?"

"Ah yes. My family owns the inn in this village."

I glanced at Henry and replied, "Thank you so much for your hospitality but I think my brother and I should really be going."

The man chuckled and answered, "Suit yourself then but you won't be going far with an empty stomach. Our village is quite far from others so you'll be walking for some time. It's a miracle you've managed to stumble here."

I gave him a half smile and quietly whispered, "I don't think I can pay you. But thanks for the offer anyway."

The man put his instrument away into a case and stood up. "I'm sure my mother and father won't mind giving you a piece of bread each. Come, we'll help you locate yourselves."

I smiled in gratitude. Henry came up to me and said to the man, "Thank you, we really appreciate your help."

Then, the man gestured for us to follow him. Soon, we arrived at the inn. Inside, the man who introduced his parents to us. Luckily, they were kind enough to even allow us to stay for the night. I wanted to reject the offer but Henry convinced me to agree. According to him, it'll be better if we set off in the morning since the sun had already started to go down. Whilst Henry and I were eating our dinner, I tuned into the conversation of others in the tavern. To my disappointment, they were talking about mother. However...

"No, we don't have enough people to do this," one man suspiciously mentioned to those sitting around him.

Another replied, "We do. We have enough people to overthrow her. Just think about it, practically everyone in the kingdom is against her! We can kill her and restore the throne to Princess Snow."

I felt blood rush out of my head. I nudged Henry and pointed in the direction of the talking men.

"But angry villagers are no match for her black knights. Have you seen them kill? They're ruthless! Besides the Evil Queen has magic herself!"

"I know, but if we-"

I faced Henry who slowly whispered, "Did we go back in time?"

I shakily stood up and strode over to the reception at the doorway where the man who helped us, sat. Henry followed my footsteps hurriedly. I asked quickly, "I know it's a little strange to ask but what date is it today?"

"The 3rd of May."

I frowned and nodded before walking out of the inn. Henry came up to me and asked, "What was that about?"

I turned to him to reply only to catch something at the corner of my eyes. Plastered on one wall of the inn was a poster. A wanted poster. I came up to it and gasped. On the yellow paper, was Snow White's face with the all-too-familiar words written below it. Could it be...

It almost felt stupid to ask what the year was, but I couldn't take any chances. I took Henry's arm and lead him across the village square. "Dani, what are you doing? What's wrong?"

I didn't reply so he insisted, "Dani! Dani! Why are you so worried all of a sudden?"

I turned to Henry and whispered in a hushed tone, "I'm afraid that we might be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"What?! What do you mean?"

My heart pounded as I looked up at the darkening sky. "We need to get out of here."

"What do you mean-" Henry paused. I saw a realisation rush over his eyes. He looked around and stuttered, "You believe that this is the night when, when...the Queen slaughters the village."

I nodded and hastily added, "We need to get out of here, in case it really happens."

"Yeah, we-" Henry was interrupted by a pounding sound of horse hooves on the slightly moist earth. I closed my eyes and grimaced. No... After an initial split second of dread, I glanced at Henry and said, "We have to go. Now!"

I started running across the village square, away from the direction of the main road. I didn't know the area well, but after running around for a while, I figured that the only exit from the village was the road. Unless we used the forest.

Henry pointed towards the dark tangle of trees and I nodded. We ran into it with only light from the moon and stars guiding us. There was mist in the forest and beneath the crunch of leaves, Henry and I were weaving through the branches as fast as we could. After a while, we had lost sight of the village. However, before Henry could go any further, I called out softly for him to stop. He came up to me and we both panted, trying to catch our breaths. Then, I whispered, "We can't go too far. When mother leaves, she'll go in the direction of the palace right? We need to catch on, whilst not being seen. It's the only way in which I can orient ourselves."

Henry widened his eyes, "So we have to run after her when she leaves?"

After another pant, I replied, "Yeah. We'll place a distance between us of course. The black knights are trained to sense any abnormal movement in the forest, they'll see us if we get too close."

Henry sighed and leaned his head against a tree. In the thick silence that hung in the air, I listened intently for any signs of a massacre. I hoped that I was wrong. I hoped that this would simply be another visit, not a mass murder. Henry spoke up quietly, "If we're in the past then...where were you at this point?"

I closed my eyes. "I believe I'm still in Wonderland. At least we know for a fact that there won't be two of me running around at the same time." I chuckled at the thought of this.

"Yeah, but that makes it worse doesn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, just saying...but if mom catches you, she won't know that you're her daughter."

I exhaled and glanced down at the cuffs on my wrist. "Yeah. The worst thing is not being able to use my magic."

I looked at Henry and saw that he was sporting an uncomfortable expression on his face. So, I added, "It's not your fault. You wouldn't have been able to stop them."

"But I could have convinced Snow to not put that on you. Now we're in trouble."

I chuckled, "Neither of us knew that we would end up back in the Enchanted Forest. In the past. And to be honest, I believe Snow would still have put this cuff on my hand even if you tried to convince her otherwise."

"What does it feel like?"

"To have this cuff on my wrist?"

"Yeah."

I pulled at the thick leather band and sighed. "It makes me feel weak. It's like...as if part of your body has been taken out and hollowed away."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I guess, magic's a large part of me." I wanted to tell Henry about magic but I was interrupted by a shrill scream in the air. I whipped my head in the direction of the village.

"Dani-" Henry's voice shook and diminished as quickly as it came.

The screams suddenly escalated. They grew louder, clawing their way into the dark night. I looked up onto the sky to see a flock of birds escape from the village. I swallowed as I heard more screams fill the air. Henry covered his ears with his hands and leaned against the tree that he was standing next to. My heart started beating faster at each shout that pierced through the air. Then, orange light radiated from the village. I looked in the direction of the light and hugged myself. Straining my eyes, I could see that the thatched roofs of cottages had been set on fire.

The sounds of the massacre continued for perhaps twenty more minutes. When the last scream was thrust into the air, my body shook. I looked at Henry who had tears in his eyes. He was biting his lip as he glanced at me. My shoulders fell as I whispered, "We should go now. Mother would have left when it's done."

Henry seemed to refuse to get up. I held out my hand towards him but he didn't take it. "Henry-"

In a wavering voice, he began, "Everyone we passed in the village...they're all dead?"

I took a sharp intake of breath. Then, I nodded slowly. It didn't surprise me when Henry glared into my eyes and accused, "Don't you feel remorse?"

I stared at him, not knowing how to reply. Then, I quietly whispered, "We can't change the past. Come on, we have to go home remember?"

"Yeah I do."

It took Henry another minute to bring himself to stand up. When he did so, he was about to speak again when I heard thumping footsteps come in our direction. I quickly pulled Henry and I behind a thick tree trunk. Motioning for him to keep quiet, we both waited, with the sound of hammering heartbeats between us.

Before I knew it, there was a sword right under my eyes, ready to cut the heads off Henry and I. The knight whom the sword belonged to, then stepped into view. He wasn't wearing black netting under his helmet so I was able to see his face. The knight spoke, "You think you could get away, did you?"

I swallowed and shakily took a breath before forcing my voice to give a calm reply. "If you take off my head, show my blood to the Queen and she'll have yours, Rivers."

There was a look of astonishment on the face of the knight. I could literally hear Henry pant beside me in the silence that hung in the air. Then, Rivers continued, "How do you know my name, girl?"

Trying to keep my calm allure, I replied, "It's complicated."

The knight chuckled deeply in a tone that would strike fear in the eyes of any others. However, I was used to that chuckle. Despite Rivers' stoic face, he was respectful to me in the past. Well to be fair, none of the knights would dare offend me. If they did, gods know what punishment they'll receive from mother.

"Are you a witch?"

I nodded. "You can't kill me for being a witch. The Queen has given practitioners of dark magic protection in this realm."

Rivers sneered, "True..." Before he could continue speaking, there was another set of heavy footsteps. At the corner of my eyes, I saw Henry visibly tense up beside me. Then, Berkley appeared beside him. He grunted at Rivers, "What's this you've got here?"

Rivers replied, "A witch, and her friend I suppose."

Berkley looked at me and grunted, "Come on, kill her and get this over with."

There was a pause. Then, Rivers said, "We can't kill her. If we do, the Queen will have our heads."

Berkley chuckled, "Says who? The witch?"

"Yes."

Berkley frowned and turned towards me. He stepped closer and examined me. My grandfather had once told me that when I got annoyed, my face resembles my mother's, so I gave him a glare. It must have done something, for he stepped back as if something passed his mind. Then, he declared, "We'll take her to the Queen."

Rivers nodded and took me roughly by the arm, leading me through the forest. Berkley grabbed Henry and we walked together back towards the village. As we weaved through the ground that was littered with dead bodies, I heard a gasp behind me. I looked back and saw Henry's shocked face squint past smoke that hung in the air. My nose twitched at the rising scent of charred flesh. Soon, we approached an assembly of knights in the village courtyard. In the middle of the circle of men, was Mama. Well, a past version of her.

She was wearing a wine red riding jacket so when she turned around to face us, it pooled around her feet like the blood currently staining the village. Her face still sported the same rage that must have caused the deaths of the villagers. She seethed, "What is this? I told you to kill them all."

I didn't break eye contact with mother. I shouldn't be showing fear...not now. Beside me, Rivers answered, "The girl's a witch, Your Majesty. She said that you'll have our heads if we take off hers."

I expected the laugh that came from my mother straight afterwards. Then, she asked, "And why would you say such a thing, girl?"

I knew that I couldn't lie to my mother. Especially since she's on the verge of killing us. In addition to that, I have no magic whatsoever to defend myself. Calmly I replied, "Because we fell into a time portal; we're from the future."

Mother frowned. "You're lying. Time travel hasn't been achieved-"

Henry suddenly cut in, "It doesn't mean that it couldn't happen!"

I closed my eyes just as Berkley barked out, "Don't interrupt the Queen, boy."

In the awkward silence that hung afterwards, I glanced at my mother who ignored Henry and walked closer to me. Then, she said, "Fine. If you're from the future, then tell me something. Is Snow White dead in your time?"

I swallowed and slowly shook my head. Seeing the look on my mother's face, I quickly added, "But you've made her, and her loved ones suffer."

Mother narrowed her eyes and bit out, "How?"

After a moment of contemplation, I replied, "A curse."

There was a slight change of expression in my mother's eyes. She didn't speak for a few seconds as if caught in her thoughts. Quietly, Rivers prompted, "What should we do with her, Your Majesty?"

Mother came out of her faze and looked at me curiously. "How old are you?"

I was taken aback by the change in topic. Deciding to avoid explanation of the time differences and curses that have plagued my life, I responded with the year of my birth. After I did so, I felt my stomach drop. I knew better than to change the past...and if mother figures out that I'm her daughter, things will change perhaps for the worse. To my disappointment, there seemed to be a glimmer in my mother's eyes. However, she quickly shook it off and whispered, "I don't kill children." Then, she raised her voice and spoke to the knights who had Henry and I in their arms. "Release them."

Henry immediately stepped closer to me once we were free. I glanced at him worriedly. I knew that he was trying his best to not shake with fear.

After releasing us, I thought that my mother would leave us alone...but she didn't. In a curious tone, she asked, "You said that you were a witch and yet there are very few children with magical abilities with the age as young as yours. Show me what you can do."

I felt my stomach drop. Slowly I raised my wrists and revealed the cuffs latch onto them. "I can't."

Mother's reaction surprised me. She came up to me and examined the leather bands. Her eyes scanned mine as she asked, "Who put these on you?"

Quietly, I huffed, "The blue fairy."

"And why would that annoying gnat restrain you, dear?" Then, mother put her hand onto my forehead and frowned. After a moment of hesitation, she stated, "You're cold as ice dear. That cuff is taking away your life, not just your magic."

My heart stopped. I widened my eyes as the horrid realisation sunk into me. They're trying to kill me and my mother back in Storybrooke. They're trying to get rid of us in a way that would not be suspicious or obvious. Another wave of horror sunk into my chest. There's no way that I could take the cuffs off without the blue fairy's magic. My head warmed up and I suddenly felt unwanted thoughts invade my mind. What if I couldn't get back to Storybrooke in time? Does mother know that the cuff is killing her? What if I never get to see her again?

My vision started to blur. I had completely forgot about the past version of my mother until she spoke softly, "There's no need to cry dear, I can remove those cuffs."

Then, she took my hand into hers. However, nothing happened when she waved her hand over the cuff on my wrist. She frowned and muttered under her breath, "What-"

I replied in a cracking breath, "Your magic can't take it off."

In a gentle voice that I didn't expect to associate with the version of my mother in front of me, she replied, "Why can't it?"

I bit my lip. I didn't know how I should reply. Henry saw my silence and stepped up to me. Then, he said quickly, "You've probably already said too much by now. Just tell her. Maybe she'll help us go back."

I whipped around and in rage, shouted at Henry, "Why would I want to go back to a land where they want to kill me? Haven't you just been paying attention? This cuff is killing me and mother!"

"But you'll want to go back for mom right?"

I spat, "They don't even let me see her! If I stay here, at least I'll be with a version of her until I die!"

"Daniella-" Henry suddenly paused and clamped his hand over his mouth, realising that he had dropped my identity. As Henry looked up at the Queen in front of us, I closed my eyes. Oh great, we've seriously stuffed up this timeline.

There was a moment of silence, followed by mother's shaky voice, "What did you say, boy?"

I opened my eyes to see Henry look fearfully at mother. He gave no reply so she turned to me instead. She bent down and whispered, "Who...who are your parents, dear?"

Author's note:

Hey! Thanks for keeping up with my story. I've seen the reviews that you've given me, and I'm really grateful for them! Glad to see that you guys seem to be enjoying the narrative. I'm not very good around so please bear with me for now, in terms of replying to those messages. Anyway, have a great day and please stay home and stay safe to fight this virus together. :)