Both Emma and Regina looked down at the young girl, too speechless for words. She could not have been more than nine or ten years old, yet she was sitting here asking for some sort of army, Emma thought to herself. And just what and where was this Westeros place that she spoke of? Emma, laying a hand softly on the girl's shoulder, attempted to ease her.
"Are you sure you're ok, kid?" The girl, Arya, grew angry at this, as she seemed to always be talked down to, no matter where she was.
"My name's not 'kid,' it Arya, and I need your help."
"How do we know you're not just some sort of spy that is trying to destroy us from within?" Regina chimed in, her voice filled with venom. Arya gave Regina a stern look that said something like, 'I hate you' written plainly across her face.
"Because," Arya replied, "I have this." She pulled out a heavy sword that was twice her height, yet Arya was already quite skilled in how to use the weapon. "It's called 'Ice,' my father gave it to me…before…well, never mind that." Arya hastily picked a new subject to speak of, as her father's death at the hands of King Joffrey was still painfully fresh in her memory, as if a sword had been pierced through her own heart.
"Anyhow, like I said, I need an army to accompany me to Westeros. My family, many of them are in great danger." As Emma heard these last words, she was instantly more respondent to Arya's claims, for Emma had lost her own family, and had just now found them all over again. She hated to think that this young girl could suffer the same fate, or even worse.
"What kind of danger are they in, kid?" Emma asked the young girl, intrigued. Even though Arya hated being addresses as a kid, she waved it off this time.
"For one, my sister, Sansa, has been imprisoned by the Lannister family in my world. They were at first going to marry her off to the evil king, Joffrey, but word has it that he has taken a new bride. However, still she is treated terribly at court. As for my two younger brothers, they have been taken hostage in our own homeland, Winterfell. Any day now, the newly claimed Usurper could have my brothers killed. Meanwhile, my elder brothers are fighting from different angles of the land."
After Arya finished, Emma and Regina merely gapped at the young girl. They both barely knew her, yet they both felt so much pity for the young child. However, they still did not understand how they could be of any help to Arya.
"And what do you propose we help you do?" Regina's words, although not meant to be unkind, still had a venomous bite to them; a thorn splitting open a fresh wound. Arya, having experienced worse was not unnerved by Regina's tone of voice in any way. In fact, at times, it could be known that Arya Stark herself could possess quite the temper.
"Well, while working as a servant in Harrenhall, I would read many of my master's books, even though none knew I could even read. But, one day, while reading on the histories of other lands, I came across a tale of people who possessed this rare type of magic, magic so farfetched that it hasn't existed in Westeros for ages. It's almost as if it were the sort of stuff you'd find in fairy tales."
Emma widened her eyes at Arya's last comment, stating sarcastically, "Really now?"
"Anyhow," Arya continued, "I had to see for myself. So a couple of my friends and I stole out into the night, and rode a ship three days to get here." Emma and Regina were both astounded by the small girl's incredible feats. She was no more than a child, yet she had been able to navigate herself to Storybrook with little to no help.
"How were you able to even find this place on your own? It's supposedly hidden by magic," Regina interrogated. Arya gave a smirk before retorting with confidence.
"It was quite simple, honestly. I can read a map much better than most girls my age—hell, I could probably read a map better than most boys."
"Not so likely, Milady." The owner of the voice who had just spoken appeared through the doorway, followed by another. The one who had spoken was tall and muscular, while the one who trailed behind him was much plumper. Arya yelled at the muscular boy, angrily.
"I told you never to call me that, Gendry!"
"Doesn't matter. You are what you are. And right now, you're a liar," Gendry spoke with a slight smirk on his face. He always enjoyed teasing her, much like an older brother would tease a younger sister.
Arya fumed, yet she stilled her tongue, however difficult it might have been. Gendry and the boy behind him, known as Hot Pie, advanced further into the room, meaning to introduce themselves to Emma and Regina.
"I'm Gendry, and this is Hot Pie. We've been traveling quite a long ways to get here. We'd gladly appreciate your help." Gendry paused for a moment. "And by the way, Lady Stark didn't read that map all by herself." He quickly moved out of the way, dodging a blow casted by Arya's hand that was meant for him.
The two of them continued their failing wrestling match until Regina had had enough of their childish behavior, before yelling, "Ok, stop this foolishness this instant, and tell us what exactly you want from us!" Arya and Gendry stopped immediately, seeing Regina's frustration arousing. Arya answered for them.
"I want you all to come back to Westeros with us, basically. Your people's powers are known to be legendary, and with them, Joffrey wouldn't stand a chance against us." She then lowered her head, her gallant flamboyance falling away, as if she was taking off armor. "I want them dead, the Lannisters. I want them all dead. And hell, it wouldn't hurt to slay a few Greyjoys while we're at it." Piqued by curiosity, Emma asked her why.
"The Lannisters killed my father. They have my sister, like I said, and use her as a plaything for their amusement. One day they'll likely kill my brother, Robb too." And in that moment, Emma knew that she wanted to help this girl. Emma herself had been an orphan all her life, never knowing what had become of her parents. But now she had found them by some strange, wonderful miracle, and she would not let them go again. And hell, if anyone, king or no, laid a hand on her son, Henry's hair, there'd be hell to pay. She couldn't image this girl's family dying in such horrible ways.
"We'll help you," Emma uttered, not even glancing towards Regina for an approval.
"We will?" Regina whispered to Emma, slightly befuddled.
"Yes," Emma stated with confidence. And I know just the people who can help us."
Emma dragged her companions over to Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop. As many in Storybrook knew, Mr. Gold, also known as Rumpelstiltskin, was one of the most sly and cruelest people of the town. However, he was also very clever, and Emma was hoping that he could be of some sort of help to Arya Stark and her friends.
"He's not that much further, I promise." Emma yelled back to the others, feeling slightly bad for having to drag them through the now cloudy and rainy weather. But it didn't matter to Arya, Gendry, or even Hot Pie, who was usually accustomed to complaining about something every other day. No, this was light compared to what they were used to living in.
However, a few long strides later, they had all made it to their destination. As they walked through the rusted old door, a bell went off, signaling to the shop owner that customers had arrived. However, what they wanted from Mr. Gold was more than mere merchandise.
"Why hello there, dearies." Mr. Gold's voice rang in a high pitched manner. His greeting was a mixture between friendly and creepy, something that always made Arya uneasy. "Ah, I see you've brought some friends with you Miss Swan." He lowered his head down to Arya, smiling a smile that probably would have scared many other children her age. But not Arya. She had faced so much in her short life, she wondered if she was truly scared of anything anymore.
"Hello, little dear, what can I help you with?"
"Don't call me 'little dear,' she scowled at him. However, while most people would have been offended by Arya's remark, Gold was not in the least. Instead, he offered up a cunning smile, saying, you're a brave one, eh? I like people like you." For a moment, there was a looming silence in the room; dead air circulating about them all. Finally, Mr. Gold shaved back the oppressive weight of the dead air.
"Well, it's obvious you all didn't come to buy anything, so what do you want?"
"Revenge." It was as if Arya knew him, because this single desire allowed them to use Mr. Gold as they please, for revenge was something that Gold was very intrigued by.
"Well, how can I be of service?" He now wore a thin, cunning smile on his face. This was how they all knew that they had hooked him.
"We need your powers. Come to my home land with us. I need you to help me save my family." Mr. Gold considered this for a moment before bluntly stating a sharp 'no.'
"Why not?" Arya was quite startled by his answer. She was almost sure she had had him playing into her hands. However, it did not seem as likely now.
"Little girl," Mr. Gold started, "I'm far too busy with running my shop and all." He paused for a moment, silently walked over to one of his cluttered desks, rummaging through its contents. "Ah, here we go." Gold then handed Arya a small glass bottle which contained a strange dark green liquid.
"What's this supposed to do?"
"It's magic, obviously." This sarcastic remark made Arya narrow her eyes at Mr. Gold.
"I'm not an idiot. But what does it DO?"
"Little girl, if I gave away all of my secrets at once, I'd soon go out of business. Just take it. It will most likely be of use to you." Without question, Arya handed the bottle over to Gendry, who then pocketed it safely away.
"So, what do we do now?" Emma was curious to know their next plan of action. However, before anyone had a moment to speak, a tall, lean girl stumbled into the shop from the back entrance, carrying a huge pile of books in her hands.
"Belle. Back from the library, I take it?" Mr. Gold gave her a smile. Belle seemed to be about the only person that Mr. Gold gave a genuine, happy smile.
"Yes. I've got loads of new adventures to dig into. I'm so excited!" Belle then noticed the party that commenced before her.
"Emma. Regina. Hi! Who are your friends here?" Arya, Gendry and Hot Pie made their introductions to Belle, as well as explained to her why they were in Storybrook.
"Wow, that sounds like such an adventure. I wish I could go with you."
"You could if you wanted, we really need as many people as possible," Arya spoke, hoping to recruit as many as possible to her cause. Although Mr. Gold did not like the idea of Belle embarking on a dangerous journey, he knew he could not hold her back. Once Belle had made up her mind to do something, there was no stopping her.
"Well, if we're all going, we better get a move on." It was Gendry who spoke this time, feeling a bit impatient.
"Ok, I just need to grab a few more people, and we'll be on our way," Emma explained. "Arya, meet Regina and me by the dock, we'll see you soon."