Morning broke and Jefferson found a blanket atop him that had not been there before. He looked over, jubilant to see color returned to her soft pink cheeks. He saw Grace, still soundly sleeping with her stuffed bunny under her arm.
"Eilonwy" he called out softly as he took her hand. She slept on "Eilonwy" he repeated touching her cheek with his thumb. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at him, smiling. She sat up and they embraced. He was so relieved to see her mending, to see her eyes open. "I was afraid we might have lost you last night" he said looking at her, his strong blue eyes full of emotion.
She smiled and tried to get up, but her leg was still weak.
"I'll make you a crutch, unless you don't feel up to moving today?" he asked.
She shook her head "No, I want to go home. I don't know if my parents are yet living, and if they aren't my kingdom needs me." He nodded, thinking for the first time about the responsibilities she would be taking on with the return to her kingdom. She would be a princess, possibly a queen. Would she even care to spend time with him and Grace anymore? He brooded on that question as he searched for a stick of the right proportions to work as a crutch to get her across the forest to her home. He came back in to Eilonwy helping Grace pack a little bag of things that she didn't want to leave behind. Bits of her and her papa's old life in this shabby house that she wanted to keep. He smiled.
"I found something that might work, try it out" he helped her up to her feet and handed her the walking staff. It made movement easier but still he knew it would take them longer than expected to reach the sea with her injured. He hoped some happy accident would speed their trip. A cart or a horse or something.
They packed up the few things from the house that Grace insisted they take and with one arm supporting Eilonwy and the other hand carrying Grace's little pack. They progressed for most of the day without incident, stopping for lunch by a cool brook where Eilonwy soaked her leg and they ate on various safe berries and mushrooms. Poverty had taught Jefferson how to find food in the forest. They ate and then went to go on as far as they could, or until they could find shelter. Eilonwy was lighthearted considering how bad of shape her leg had been in. She lifted the spirits of Jefferson with Grace's help.
They walked through the forest looking forward to their journey's end. Enjoying the feel of being home in their own world when they stepped forward. A snap that sounded mechanical instead of like a natural twig underfoot sounded and a net went down over them. Then four men appeared out of nowhere from the trees. They all had brutish looks about them. The one bald with an eye-patch and a hook for a hand, another lean and hard and something of the leader of the band, one was cloaked up with long draggled brown hair and a sharp look in his eye, the third was silent and dullwitted.
"Three, not a bad load for the day" the lean man said with a snicker as he and his comrades worked to tie the hands of the three captives. When Jefferson was pulled from Eilonwy's side she let out a cry, her leg having not been used to bearing her full weight, she fell onto her bottom and after her hands were tied was forcefully yanked to her feet and drug to a wagon, unable to walk for herself at the pace of the large men who were abducting them. The bulky silent one threw her into the cart that the one with the dark matted hair ahd driven over from it's hiding place in some bushes. She slid with a thud against Jefferson's side. They both looked in sickening rage as Grace was tossed into the cart like a bag of flower. Jefferson's eyes were nothing but sheer raw anger and outrage. Were he not bound he would have found a way to destroy those men. Grace scooted herself up the cart so that she was beside Eilonwy and they both leaned against Jefferson. He leant down and kissed the back of Grace's head.
"I will find us a way out" he whispered. He watched as Eilonwy turned her eyes to meet his and there was fear and pleading in them. She had just wanted to go home. This was too unfair. He gave her a reassuring smile she leaned back against his chest, seeking solace in his proximity. Maybe this was the true price of the magic she had expended to get them here. Magic, she thought. Where was her orb? she remembered it being there when the wolves had set upon them last night, remembered it leading them towards shelter. Where was it now? Darting between the trees she saw it following and nudged Jefferson to get him to notice. He nodded and Grace looked back at the two of them excitedly. Hoping it would find a way to free them.
Night fell and the three of them were tied to a tree and a guard was set. The rope that linked the bonds on all three of their hands trailed around to the man's ankle to prevent their escaping. Grace sat quietly sobbing. Jefferson had been tied too far away from her for them to touch and she felt scared and alone without being able to have her papa around. On the other side of the large oak Jefferson's face was utter agony, to hear his child cry and be able to do nothing.
"Scoot closer" Eilonwy said softly to the frightened little girl. She did and lay her head down on the princess' lap. She smiled and with her bound hands stroked the child's hair to soothe her heartache. Softly, as quiet as the dew landing on the leaves in morning she began to sing.
"Lavender's blue, dilly dilly Lavender's green.
When I am King, Dilly dilly, You shall be Queen.
Who told you so, Dilly dilly, Who told you so?
T'was my own heart, Dilly dilly, That told me so.
Call up your men, Dilly dilly, Set them to work.
Some to the plow, Dilly dilly, Some to the fork.
Some to make hay, Dilly dilly, Some to cut corn.
While you and I, Dilly dilly, Keep ourselves warm.
Lavender's green, Dilly dilly, Lavender's blue.
If you love me, Dilly dilly, I will love you.
Let the birds sing, Dilly dilly, Let the lambs play.
We shall be safe, Dilly dilly, Out of harms way.
I love to dance, Dilly dilly, I love to sing.
When I am Queen, Dilly dilly, You'll be my King.
Who told me so, Dilly dilly, Who told me so?
I told myself, Dilly dilly, I told me so."
She finished and Jefferson listened, Grace's sobbing had stopped.
"Sing it again please?" she asked Eilonwy, who obliged. Her nursemaid had sang it to her as a child, and as she sang it again the line 'when I am Queen, dilly dilly, you'll be my King' stuck out to her as she thought about the man around the bend on the tree. Grace was silent and Eilonwy moved herself to kiss the girl's slumbering forehead, but when she leant back afterward the angle was different and she slipped down the side of the tree. Her head on the ground and she looked up to see the nearer side of Jefferson. He smiled sadly at her.
"Thank you" he said moving close enough for her to use his leg as her pillow.
"For what?" she whispered back.
"For taking care of Grace" he said and used his bound hands to help her head to comfortably rest on him.
"How could I do anything else?" she asked "I care about you both very much" she confessed.
"And we you" he said smiling gently "now get some rest" he urged. He looked up at the stars, wondering what would become of them. This was not how he had planned for things to go. Perhaps remaning in Storybrooke would have been the better choice after all.