He knew the second he drove off his street that he'd made the right decision by keeping Belle home. She'd been scared of the garbage disposal, he imagined she'd be absolutely terrified if she saw this.
The sunlight unveiled the extent of the Wraith's damage. There was a hole in the road just outside of Granny's big enough to swallow a car whole, trash cans were on fire, power lines were downed, cars overturned, the siding on buildings was gone, windows were broken, and more than a few fire hydrants were broken with water shooting upward like an uncontrollable fountain. But what baffled and shocked him the most was the people.
They were everywhere. And yet, nowhere. Some streets, like his own, appeared to be like a ghost town, abandoned, no people, little damage. Other streets were busy. People milled about in the middle of the road, talking and embracing, in some cases crying. They made it difficult to drive at any kind of decent speed. People looked at the damage, but no one seemed to be moving to do anything about it. In fact, he passed by a field that children had often used to play tag or other games in during the day. There was a large bonfire-like blaze that had been set. A few people stared at it, but there was no sign of a firetruck or ambulance on the way. In fact, there were no school buses out for children, no crossing guards around Main Street, no morning rush hour at all. It was eerie, even for him, and that was saying something.
His shop was untouched. Though there were people on Main Street wandering around as if they had nowhere to go and nothing to, they stayed clear of his shop. And that was just fine with him. Inside, he had other things to do besides worrying about people trying to make a name for themselves by breaking in. Like, think about where to go from here, how to get his Baelfire back…and what other secrets the shop might hold now that it had magic.
The first thing he did when he returned was set a new protection spell over the shop. The one he'd set yesterday had been weak. He'd reabsorbed it during the day and placed only the barest of spells over it before he left with Belle. It held through the night, but he could see the places that it had frayed and weakened in the hours that passed. He was getting stronger now. He could feel when he used his magic that he was using less and less time to recover; even the voices in his head were getting louder. That was a good sign. His magic wasn't restored as it had been, but in another day or two, with a bit more experimentation, he might be back to full strength. Until then, what he had to work with would do just fine.
Once the Protection Spell was set, he went into the back room. His basement finally opening had given him an idea. It had reminded him of something that he needed to check, something he'd been unable to check while there was no magic in this world. Belle's chipped cup sat exactly where they'd left it yesterday, and he quickly picked it up and examined it. Whole, beautiful, perfect, even with its chip. He smiled at his memories of last night, of everything that had followed Belle's realization that he still had it. He never wanted to forget last night as long as he lived.
But he hadn't grabbed this cup to relive last night, though he happily would all day, he hadn't even grabbed it because he'd wanted to be reminded of Belle. No, he'd grabbed it now because it wasn't just Belle's chipped cup; it was the key to finding a very powerful, very dangerous item; one that he hoped was stored in this very shop.
It should be. He'd marked it with the intention of bringing it over because he hadn't wanted it to be in anyone's hands but his own, but because of how he'd hidden it in the Enchanted Forest, he couldn't actually tell if it had worked. Until now.
Gingerly, he took the cup, stepped up to a cabinet he had in his shop that had originally been in Belle's kitchen, and opened it. He fit the teacup into the matching saucer. To anyone else, it would have looked like he was simply putting the dishes away, but he alone knew he'd just fit the key into its lock. Magic sparked from it, around it. It shimmered off the couple and cascaded down onto the floor beside him, a place he'd always hoped he could feel a void. And then it was there, a small niche in the floor covered by a simple door. He carefully made his way down to the floor, pulled the door up, and…
Pandora's Box.
Safe and sound. Perfect.
He covered the hole in the floor once more, then reached into the cabinet and pulled the teacup off its saucer. The hole in the floor dissolved. The box was safe again. Hopefully, it would stay that way.
The next step was to check the dagger. He'd been storing it in the safe since last night, but he was going to need to find a new place to hide it, especially with magic back. In the good old days, he'd hidden it easily in his boot. Unfortunately, that kind of fashion wouldn't work for him here. He'd have to come up with something a bit more creative here. For now, a protection spell around the safe as an extra safeguard would-
Before he could swing the picture over the safe open, he heard a crash behind him as the bell chimed loud.
"'Playing a long game?' 'Breaking our chains?' This is what we were doing?!"
He turned just in time to see Dove striding threateningly toward him, his hands balled into fists he was ready to swing, probably into his head.
Not today.
On instinct, he held his hand up and used magic to suspend the shapeshifter in the air, halting his progress. He struggled, kicked his feet, and waved his hands about as if he could swim through the air or fly without his wings. Not likely.
"Let me go!"
He shrugged. "Calm down, and I will."
"'Calm down'?" he roared. "'Calm down'?! Is this what we were doing? All those years in the Enchanted Forest?! For this place?! For what's happening outside right now?!"
"No, all those years in the Enchanted Forest were to get here," he corrected. "These past few months have been for what's happening outside right now."
"Why?!"
"Come now, Dove…we know each other well enough at this point that you know I'm not going to tell you that."
"Put. Me. Down!"
"Can you keep your hands to yourself?"
Dove glared at him, but his hands were slack at his sides, his body gone still as he stopped fighting. He knew better than to try something with him. He knew who was stronger.
He lowered the bird down onto the floor again and lifted his eyebrows, watching him, preparing for an outburst. The man kept to his place on the other side of the glass case.
"Why did you do this?" he asked again.
He shrugged. "Why not? Perhaps I was fulfilling your wishes. Did I or did I not promise that you'd get your wings back? That you'd be able to fly again?"
"You didn't do this for me. Not if you made this happen in the first place. You were the one who grounded me to begin with!"
"And what did it feel like to take to the skies again? To feel that rush of air beneath your wings?"
Dove sneered, his nostrils flared in anger, and a nerve twitched in his jaw. "It doesn't work," he bit out.
Ah…and so they'd arrived at the real issue. He smirked. "Having some difficulties, are we?"
"Magic isn't right here. It doesn't belong, and neither do we!"
"Oh, it's not the magic," he laughed. "It's you. It's me. It's the way we use it that has changed. It's like working a new muscle, Mr. Dove. The more you flex it, the more you'll be able to use it."
"My name is not Remy Dove!" he shouted across the space, a vein in his forehead pulsing. "My name is Pirithous. And I'm not your spy or your muscle or your rent collector or a member of your own personal mob. I'm a prince."
"Of what Kingdom, your Highness?" he shouted back, rounding the glass case to better face the man. He didn't move from where he stood, just kept silent as he stared at him. "Face it, dearie, you are in the exact same position as everyone else, perhaps even a little better if you're smart. Your relationship with me puts you ahead of the curve."
"I don't want-"
"Think before you finish that statement, Mr. Dove. There is no way back to our world; there is no going back. You've had a good life in this world, a good life that I've provided for you, for your parents. You are a prince without a Kingdom and no marketable skills in this world except for being my rent collector, so before you so quickly scoff at the idea, you might want to consider your future."
"You took away my future. You took away everyone's future when you cast that Curse."
"I didn't cast it. That would be the Evil Queen, any complaints about how she made you should be taken up with her. But as for you and me, I need you to start answering some questions, starting with: where is Emma."
"You know what, I don't have to answer that! Because you may not have cast this curse, but I know you're behind it. And you are crazy if you think I'm going to continue working for you."
He chuckled. "Well, you haven't a choice in the matter. Magic is back, which means the deal your father made, the deal your family made with me, is still in place. You can run, dearie, but you can't hide."
Dove narrowed his gaze at him. "Watch me!" he shouted, then turned back to the door as if to go, but he still had a point to prove and information he'd like to possess.
"Where is Emma?" he asked calmly as he put his hand on the knob.
He watched as the man stopped, as his back expanded and contracted with the labored breathing of a man that was obviously trying to reign in his temper. He didn't panic. And he didn't press. Magic was a beautiful thing.
"Why should I know?" he finally muttered. "You sent me and my cousin's home before the Curse broke. The royal family wasn't being watched."
"Ah, but old habits die hard, Pirithous. You've done nothing but gather information for me for twenty-eight years, and I doubt a little magic in the air is going to change that. So I'll ask you politely again, one more time, before I invoke the magic that binds you to me. Where is Emma Swan?"
With heavy footsteps, he let go of the door and turned to face him. "Gone," he spat out unhappily.
Gone. Emma Swan was gone? Where in the hell could she have gone to in the midst of all this?
"Where?"
The bird sighed. "Through a portal with her mother last I heard."
"A portal?"
"That's all I know," he laughed with a satisfied grin. "I wasn't there. All I know is that David is out walking around with Henry at his side, and no one has seen Mary Margaret or Emma since last night. Rumor is they got sucked into a portal when some creature came sweeping through the city."
"Wraith."
"What?"
"The creature…it was a Wraith."
Dove huffed. He snorted and looked around the shop. "Of course, you would know. You probably summoned the thing yourself."
He shrugged. "Not one of my better plans, I'll admit-"
"Stop!" Dove shrieked. "I don't want to know. I don't want to have anything to do with you! Leave me alone and leave my family alone!"
He let Dove leave the store. He had what he needed from him. Emma and Mary Margaret were gone. Through a portal, he'd said. But they'd be back. He knew that just as well as he knew that Belle was safe at his house. How? David and Henry. If they were here, he was certain that both mothers would fight to the death to get back to their family. He knew better than anyone that, with time, all things were possible. In the meantime, Emma wasn't the only one that could get him to his son. There was another, one that he'd made a deal with.
August Wayne Booth.
This is once again a setup chapter, allowing me to put in place a few things for future seasons as well as this storyline. Obviously, we see Pandora's Box finally. Just as we had a couple of chapters after Rumple "woke up" where he assesses his shop and property, we have to sort of do it again now that magic is back, checking on a few of the things, like Pandora's Box, he couldn't check on without magic. He's got to reset the protection spell. And of course, we have Dove, or should I say Pirithous. I mean, you didn't think I'd forget about Dove, did you? And you didn't think that after their relationship in the Enchanted Forest, he was going to be happy with Rumple when he woke, right? They sort of have their own little relationship to work through for the series, especially before Dove gets to the "we are both" acceptance stage. And I do love that relationship and hope that you do, too. It's so unique and important going forward.
Many thanks to Alarda and Grace5231973 for your reviews on the last chapter! Glad you enjoyed the fluff as much as I did! Fair warning, these next few chapters, what I consider the end of 2x01, they're going to get...not weird, but not usual either. We'll talk a bit about them in the next chapter because they are probably not the sort of thing you'd expect to read in Chronicles. But there is a story behind why the chapters are there, awkward as they may seem (not to mention as much as they draw out the 2x01 section). Just...try not to be too shocked when you read the next chapter and allow me to explain. And now, if you are ready, onward we go! Peace and Happy Reading!