As much as Ruby expected to despise the Enchanted Forest, she was hit with wonder when they entered the village nearest to where they appeared through the portal. Switching clothes had been easy, she just hoped that whomever owned the clothes wouldn't miss them them too much. In no time at all, she and Will seemed to blend in with everyone else. They walked hand in hand down a dirt road, soon surrounded by various flea market stands and shoppes. People were still out and about, despite the chill that was in the air.
"Babe- they have lamb kabobs! We have to get some!" Ruby exclaimed, feeling like a child again.
"The rich woman's lunch," Will replied, giving her a playful smile. "We don't have any money, but that hasn't stopped me before."
She observed through eyes of fascination as Will approached the street vender's wooden booth, acting with such casual ease as he began to barter with the man. Fishing something small out of his pocket, Will soon returned to her with two kabobs in his hand.
"For you, m'lady."
She curtsied playfully before taking one in her hand, taking a bite and moaning at the taste. "I really forgot about how good the food can be here. What'd you give that guy?"
Will gave her his matter-of-fact grin. "Dental floss. Knew it would come in handy for something."
They began walking down the street, eating and observing the villagers as they went. There was a smoky, earthy smell that hung in the air around them.
"We have to get an idea on where they are," Ruby said covertly, making Will feel like they were on a top secret mission. In a way, they were. "The only way to do that is to ask around, see what these locals know."
Will finished off his kabob and tossed the wooden stick off to the side. "Or, you could transform into a werewolf and... sniff them out. That's how it works, right?"
She jabbed his side with her elbow. "It isn't that easy. I need something to go off of."
Taking her hand in his, he tugged her off the dirt path and towards a small cluster of villagers. "Good morning," he announced cheerfully, receiving some odd looks, "my partner and I are on a quest to find a woman with magic around this realm. Have any of you heard rumors about where she is?"
Their eyes sparked with interest as soon as he said the word magic. "Oh, everyone's talking about it!" Someone responded, the voice belonging to a teenage girl. "My friend who lives in the nearby village says people there are too terrified to leave their house. We should be worried too, but people here love the spring festival too much to have it cancelled."
"Do you have any idea where she is?"
"Not a clue- she's slowly going to freeze us all to death, with the luck we have."
Will narrowed his eyes. "Doesn't really sound like something Zelena would do..."
"People are calling her the Ice Queen." Another villager chimed in, "and she better not stay- the last thing we need is another ruler with magic terrorizing everyone into submission."
Will and Ruby exchanged quick glances of confusion. "In what direction is Rumplestiltskin's castle?"
"About a days journey from here, due north. Why on earth do you two want to go up there?"
"Top secret information." Ruby said with a sly smile. "Thanks for the help."
She had to pry her boyfriend away from the group of villagers, knowing he could have chatted for hours about everything and nothing.
"Ice Queen?" She said the name urgently, noting how silly the name sounded out loud, "is this someone different than the Wicked Witch?"
They were soon distanced from the bustle of the marketplace, walking through a clearing towards the forest.
"I have no idea," he admitted, "but for Caroline's sake, I hope not."
It was oddly a relief, waking up in his own bed. After days of switching between different family member's houses, always unsure of how the day will go, seeing the familiarity of his bedroom brought an unexpected sliver of happiness. But then, Roland remembered that his mom was millions of miles away from him, most likely suffering.
Instead of going to school, he spent the morning slowly mulling about, the silence not as deafening as it first was. Time alone actually felt like a breath of fresh air to the teenager. If he tried hard enough, he could put his worrisome thoughts in the back of his mind, even if just for a moment.
Still in his pajamas, Roland entered the kitchen, noticing the dishes that were still piled in the sink from Killian's cooking venture. He started on making a fresh pot of coffee, then found himself wandering around the house as if he were seeing it from a completely new perspective. Time had become so lucid since all the terrible things began; nothing seemed to really matter. He was in a liminal state, emotionally paused and floating aimlessly.
He found himself staring at one of their old family pictures hanging on the wall, one that was taken right before Henry graduated from high school. His father's arm hung casually around his shoulders, the other around his mother's waist. Henry was kneeling down at Caroline's height, and she had her arms thrown around him like she would never even consider letting go.
The faint smell of coffee filled the air, bringing Roland back to the present. He walked over and poured himself a cup, taking a sip and checking his phone. Surprisingly, no one had messaged him about any updates. He wondered how his uncle was doing in the new realm.
Soon Roland found himself at the doorway of his parent's bedroom- as much as he wanted to take a break from stressing about the situation, he couldn't seem to stay away.
She appeared exactly the same as she had the last time he checked up on her, the heart monitor softly beeping at a normal rate.
"I really miss you, Mom." He said softly, sitting at the base of the bed. "Apparently Emma was able to contact Dad late last night, she said he seemed okay. I really wish I could've been there to talk to him, but I'm sure we can get through to them again."
The thought of seeing his dad and sister again thrilled him. He had no idea what their situation was like over there. Any sort of assurance that they were alive and managing was all he needed.
"Granny told me the other day that I should go back to school and try to focus on myself- it sounded insane at the time, but I understand why she suggested it." Roland's eyes began to gloss over with tears as he looked down at her. "Not doing anything is tearing me apart. I can manage for a second, and then it all comes back. It's a weight on my chest and it keeps getting heavier."
He thought about what her feedback would be, probably along the lines of Granny's right, taking care of yourself is important. However, school was definitely out of the question- even the thought of everyone knowing his family dilemma made him feel sick. But maybe there were smaller steps he could take.
"I could see if Alex or August could come by and talk," he spoke, mostly talking to himself. "They deserve to hear what's happening from me."
In all honesty, Roland was nervous about contacting them- anyone outside of his family for that matter. They would definitely ask lots of questions and probably look at him differently. Being in isolation would only make him more miserable.
He then left his mother with a hopeful smile and a kiss to her forehead, winding up his room with his phone in hand. Dialing Alex's phone number proved to be harder than he thought, probably because of the awkward interaction between the two of them on Valentine's Day. After multiple rings, he figured she was busy. Or ignoring him. Calling August was far less nerve wracking; he had been his closest friend for the entirety of his childhood. Although he was two years older than him, the two were inseparable. Until his family abruptly fell apart, that was.
"Roland! I've been worried about you!" August's voice sounded on the other end of the phone.
"Hey! Sorry I kind of disappeared without saying why. Things have been... really crazy lately."
"It's okay, I'm just glad I'm hearing from you now. How are you doing?"
It felt so good to know that someone outside his family cared about him. "Fine, I guess- I've been stressed out of my mind, but fine."
"Well, school hasn't been the same without you," August said, pausing for a moment. "Do you... want me to come over? I'm not doing anything right now."
Roland smiled. "Please do, I've been alone in this house all morning. It's been nice, but I could use the company."
About twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the front door. Roland was relieved to see his old friend again- he looked exactly as he remembered with his black leather jacket and wavy red hair that needed to be cut. His motorcycle was parked in the driveway. Seeing him again almost made all the bad things in his life seem distant and forgotten.
"It feels like it's been forever!" He exclaimed, letting him inside and giving him a hug.
"Crazy, it only seems like a few days for me." August sighed, glancing upstairs. "Is your mom...?"
"Yeah- just don't think about it."
Roland tensed a bit, figuring he might want to go up and see her for himself; so many people had been in and out of her room lately. Thankfully, his friend shrugged it off and headed for the kitchen, helping himself to some snacks in the pantry like he was used to doing.
Soon, the two were relaxing on the couch and eating pizza rolls just like old times. "How's Alex doing?" Roland asked, "I tried calling her, but she didn't answer."
August gave him an awkward look. "She's uh... dating Brandt Morris now. They've been all over each other lately."
He suspected that. Still, it hurt- he had a crush on her during all of sophomore year. "Hopefully she doesn't drop me completely. I mean, we've been friends since we were five years old."
"I'm sure she won't," August reassured, "just talk to her. Everyone's been in their own world lately."
Sticking another pizza roll in his mouth, Roland changed the subject. "What have you been up to?"
"Oh, you know, helping my grandpa with his woodworking," he said distastefully, "I still can't bring myself to tell him that I hate it. Watching him work makes me happy, though."
"I hope the teachers don't have me make up all the work I'm missing," Roland groaned, "I can't handle any more stress right now."
August studied him for a second, choosing how to approach such a sensitive topic. "Do you want to talk about it? All I know is that your dad and sister wound up in the Enchanted Forest with a crazy witch- that's basically what I got out of Belle's emergency town hall meeting."
Roland sighed. "That crazy woman manipulated Caroline into thinking she was her friend. She also told her that she had magic, which is something my parents hid from her and I all this time."
His eyes widened. "Your family always has so much drama compared to the rest of us. She's ten and she can do magic?"
"I know, right?" Roland rolled his eyes, "the witch also happens to be my mom's sister."
August's amazement only grew. "Damn, so she's your aunt?" The concept seemed absolutely ludicrous. "She... did that to your mom, then? Why?"
He was still trying to come up with an answer himself. "I guess she despises her for some reason, something to do with their mom... I'm not sure. My mom never talked about her childhood because of how terrible it was. I justified that because it was all in the past- we had a good life here, as a family. Look at us know."
Emotions began to arise within him; he tried shoving them down, but he could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks. "I just... I hate that I'm the only one left behind. Caroline and my mom have magic, my dad is out there protecting Caroline... what do I have?"
Silence came between them for brief moment before August put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Someone needed to stay back and hold down the fort, right? That sounds pretty heroic to me. Look, Roland, because you're not out there slaying the Wicked Witch doesn't mean you're not helping to get them back. Everything will work out in its own time, I promise."
He quickly wiped away a tear that ran down his face, hating himself more for crying. All of his jumbled thoughts were resurfacing; the anxiety, worry, pain. August's hand on his shoulder was the only thing keeping him grounded. Locking eyes with him, Roland abruptly leaned forward and kissed him. He then realized what he had done and froze. August seemed just as mortified as he did. For a second, the both of them stared at one another.
"Shit. I, uh-" Roland stuttered, standing up abruptly. August did the same.
"I'm gonna go," he said briskly, running his hands through his hair and walking quickly for the front door.
Roland stood in place, unable to move. He heard the door slam shut and the motorcycle roaring outside, then it was silent once again.
Amidst all the bad things happening to the Hood family right now, I thought I'd bring some romance back into the story! Can anyone think of ship names for these two?