Chapter 5- The Swan in Flight
Present Day: Storybrooke
…
"So this evil sorcerer is trying to kill her?"
Snow shook her head at her daughter. "From what she told me, his goal was to marry her and take her kingdom, not to kill her."
Hook spoke up, "Well whatever was after her at the sheriff's station was clearly frightening enough that she needed to leave—" he flinched, "— by whatever means necessary." He glanced at the blood-stained piece of glass shard that lay on the table.
Emma nodded grimly. It was the lunch hour and the three of them were meeting in Snow's loft, trying to figure out what their next move was, or if there even was a next move. Emma had leafed through Henry's storybook but found no clues, no illustrations, nothing that might have aided them. Clearly the previous Author had not considered the story of the Swan Princess to be of the upmost importance. One thing that had come to light was that at the end of the original story, the swan princess and her lover had both died. That had puzzled Emma because she had always assumed fairytales had happy endings. Clearly that grim fate had not yet happened to Odette but that did not mean that the story might not play itself out.
And Emma was determined to make sure that did not happen. "I'll ask Dad to put an APB out on her. He's at the station on duty now so we can do it right away." She turned to her mother. "Will you check the animal shelter after school today and see if anyone has reported an injured bird? It's a long shot but maybe somebody has found her already and turned her in."
Snow nodded firmly. "I will. And what about you?"
Emma straightened. "I'm going to pay a visit to this Bart fellow again. Something tells me it was no coincidence that Odette used her precious time as a human to attack him." She frowned as a million possibilities of what his fairytale identity could be turned in her head, none of them good and the most logical a very forbidding one.
Her husband seemed to have come to the same conclusion for he stood as well. "If he is indeed this sorcerer that cursed this poor woman into a swan, he could be dangerous. I will accompany you on that love."
Emma smiled at her pirate. "I would not have it any other way, Deputy."
The two of them drove in Emma's bug to the outskirts of the Northside of town, where the wealthiest and most influential inhabitants of Storybrooke lived. The beat-up bug passed mansion after mansion, stopping in front of a huge, brown lodge complete with an extravagant garden, an array of marbled statues, and an iron gate that swung open automatically to admit them onto the lavishing grounds.
As the sheriff and the pirate made their way up the graveled path, Emma sharp eyes noted the security cameras angled every which way on the property, including towards them. He will know we are here, she thought. He will have already prepared a statement. She could not help but smile a little; this was her old, familiar territory as a bail bonds woman. Time to rattle the skip. This was what she had missed and she was finally able to do her job again; finally able to be a Savior and help this woman find her happy ending.
At her brisk knocking the front door swung open as one of the richest men in all of Storybrooke opened the door. He smirked at the sight of the two of them standing at his threshold. "Ms. Swan, Captain Hook, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
Emma let her hackles up a bit, metaphorically speaking. "Sheriff Swan Mr. Bart and I have some follow-up questions regarding last night's incident."
"Of course, of course. Come in." The personal-injury lawyer stepped aside and the two walked into a grand, well-lit entrance hall filled with gilded entrance tables, extravagant lighting, and polished marble floors.
The hallway led to a larger living area, with plush leather furniture and expensive rugs. Emma and Hook sat without being invited to and the Savior deliberately crossed her legs so that one of her boots was tapping casually on the luxurious mahogany coffee table. Hook caught onto her technique and made sure his left arm, with its hook, was settled onto the couch and digging into the expensive material carelessly. Rothbart settled himself across from the two, his lips tightening at the sight of the two of them being so careless towards his very expensive possessions.
Emma took out her police recorder and switched it on, placing it on the table in front of them. "So Mr. Bart, you included thievery in your list of complaints from last night's incident. However, according to the police report this morning, nothing was missing. Are you sure this woman wanted to take your possessions?"
Rothbart sneered, "Clearly that was the motive of that mad woman. Why else would she have broken into my home and threatened me?"
Emma shrugged carelessly. "That is what we are here to find out. Why she broke in. Did she say anything to you?"
Now she was really pushing his buttons. "Nothing discernible Officer." His reckless and rash mind suddenly realized it would not be in his best interest to reveal to the Savior that he was the one who had laid the curse on Odette, all those years ago. "She was screeching loud enough to raise the dead and I could not understand a word she was saying," he said, attempting to be vague.
"Sheriff Mr. Bart," she quickly corrected, "it's really not that hard to remember. You claimed last night she had made threats against your life and now you are saying that you could not understand what she was saying?"
"Of course I was being threatened with my life! She held a knife to my throat!"
Now it was Hook's turn. "So a skinny, homeless wench who hadn't had a decent meal in days was able to overpower you?" He let out a humph of disbelief while enjoying the change in color of the pallor of the lawyer/sorcerer.
Now Rothbart was very angry and he let it show, "Certainly not! I could have handled her in an instant if my daughter hadn't…"
"Where is your daughter Mr. Bart?"
The question came so suddenly from the sheriff it threw the sorcerer off completely. He managed to stammer out, "Excuse me?"
"Your dau-ghter," Emma enunciated deliberately as if speaking to a very slow-minded person. "Your daughter Mr. Bart. The one who hit that poor woman on the head with a poker last night?"
Rothbart's eyes narrowed. "I haven't the foggiest idea. She and I are not on close terms."
Hook smirked; this man was a terrible liar. Emma caught the lie too. She tapped her foot loudly against the coffee table, showing herself to be completely at ease and irking the sorcerer further.
"We will want to talk to her right away to take her statement as well so when you see her again,—" Emma leaned forward, narrowing her eyes and glaring, "—tell her to come down to the station."
"I'll not have my daughter dragged to a filthy police station and treated like a common—!"
"That will be all Mr. Bart." Emma picked up the tape recorder, switched it off, and stood up abruptly to leave. Hook did as well, although he shot a puzzled look to his wife. Hadn't they had the man dangling at the end of a fishing hook and now it was time for the kill?
Fortunately, Emma had an ace up her sleeve and was just the kind of Savior who liked dramatic exits. Just as the two of them were about to leave the mansion, she whipped around and then faced her "skip" head-on. "One last question Mr. Bart, do you recognize this?" She held up her drawing of the swan necklace she had seen around the neck of the swan in the city lake. Was that only a few of days ago? It seemed like weeks.
The sorcerer's face blanched at the sight and his upper lip quivered ever so slightly. Hook could not help but grin; his fair swan could not have timed it more perfectly. The man stuttered out, very unconvincingly, "I,—I have never seen that before in my entire life!"
Savior Emma Swan smiled in a very satisfied kind of way as she folded the paper carefully and pocketed it in her red leather jacket. Her suspicion had been confirmed. Then, her face very threatening, she leaned closer to Rothbart and practically breathed into his face. "I know who you are and I know what you did back in the Enchanted Forest, sorcerer." Her voice had an intimidating note that was rarely heard. Rothbart was so overwhelmed he did not say a word. "You stay away from Odette or you will have to deal with me. And trust me—" she eyed the man up and down as if he was no consequence to her "—you do not want war with the Savior."
With that, the sheriff and the pirate turned and sauntered out the front door, shutting the door onto the stunned face of the flustered sorcerer.
"Well that was...pathetic papa."
Rothbart whipped around to see his daughter leaning in the hallway, concealed in the shadows.
He was furious and embarrassed all in one. "You heard everything and you just stood there!?"
She shrugged carelessly and her leather skin-tight dress made a small noise to the effect. "I think you pretty much told the Savior what she wanted to know so I decided not to interfere."
"I told her nothing, she was just—!"
"We'll have to step up our plans," she walked past her father towards one of the gilded mirrors in the hallway. Lightly brushing back her blonde hair, she consciously touching the blot on the side of her face, and studied her reflection. "The swan is back and she is going to want to contact every ally that she can to help her. So it is our job to make sure she has none."
Rothbart was further puzzled but tried hard not to show it. "Of course, of course. We'll need to kill that Savior and then that stupid—"
"Oh please papa," Odile sneered at her father. "You would do best to stay away from her. You would not last one minute against the Savior." She smirked at her father's disbelief. "Besides, I have someone better in mind."
Inside the bug, unaware of the conversation taking place inside the mansion, Emma fastened her seat belt then waited for Hook to do the same. "If that doesn't make him stay away from Odette, nothing will. He is a coward and not going to do a thing without help from his daughter." She glanced out the window towards the mansion. She had a funny feeling that their interrogation of the sorcerer had been overheard. "Something tells me it's her we should be worried about and not him."
Killian tilted his head. "Why is that love?"
Emma frowned. "He is too rash to have planned a revenge for almost 30 years. You saw how he reacted to us in there; he is too compulsive and not patient enough to have placed the curse on Odette then waited this long to exact his revenge. Even if she has only started turning back into a swan now, something tells me he would have done something drastic by now." She smirked. "Especially if she went to his house and almost cut his throat."
Killian nodded with a smile, "Aye. A brave lass indeed."
As the two were sitting in the yellow bug the sunlight surrounding the area started to fade into the beautiful sunset that Storybrooke was known for. They both turned to take in the sight but for once, they were not entranced by it.
Emma quickly turned the bug over. "Let's get going. I want to check the lake again."
…
Snow felt an odd feeling of foreboding as the sun was setting that afternoon. She had spent the entire day half-distracted, which was not a good idea when teaching a bunch of 12-year olds the importance of biology, but had managed to dismiss class a little bit early so she could investigate the local animal shelter. The children did not complain; they had all scrambled out of the classroom as if they were fearful she would change her mind and call them back. Five minutes afterwards she was in her car resuming the search for her lost friend. She pulled her vehicle into the animal shelter just before closing time.
She has to be alright, she kept telling herself. But it was getting harder and harder to convince herself. Honestly, if it had been Ella or Aurora who had been cursed to spend the day as an animal she would be less worried, they were both very strong and highly capable. Ella had grown up as a hard-working servant girl and Aurora was a formidable Dreamwalker. But Odette…well, Odette had spent her entire life a polished princess and Snow was not sure how she would take to living during the day as a bird and being on her own in this Land Without Magic.
But now was not the time to give up hope. She has strength, she can handle this, she tried to persuade herself. Snow lurched out of her car and stepped quickly into the shelter. The building was deserted except for one customer browsing the reptile aisle. The princess walked briskly up to her old friend Dr. Ameyew the town vet behind the counter and explained the dilemma, discreetly of course.
"I'm sorry Snow," he said apologetically once she had finished. "No one has turned in an injured swan and I have not heard any reports of people sighting one."
"Are you sure?" Snow could not help but ask again. "She is large and white, has a golden streak on the feathers of her head, a big black beak and…"
"Snow," The friendly veterinarian interrupted her ravings with a comforting smile. "I think I know what a swan looks like and I assure you, I have seen no such beast around here as of yet."
Snow sighed. Yet another dead end then. Still one should be polite. "Alright," she said disappointedly, "thank you anyway. If you do happen to see her, please call the sheriff station right away. It is an urgent matter."
"Excuse me."
Snow turned to see the customer who had been browsing earlier was now standing next to her, an armful of turtle food, and apparently having heard every bit of the conversation she had just had.
"Why are you inquiring about a swan?" he asked.
Snow was immediately on guard. Based on how her friend had broken out of the cell early this morning Odette was running from someone in this town and, for all Snow knew, this stranger could be the reason. "Oh it's nothing of importance," she said nonchalantly as she shouldered her purse and turned away from the counter to the exit. "Have a good day," she called out to Dr. Ameyew.
Quickly stepping outside onto the curb, she glanced west down Main Street to the setting sun on the horizon. Won't be long now, she thought.
"Excuse me miss!"
Snow jumped a little. The other customer had followed her outside, his arms empty now. Apparently he had hurried enough to drop the turtle food and chase after her. He breathlessly walked right up to her. "This swan you described with the golden streak on its head—how do you know about that?"
Snow's hand strayed casually inside of her purse as if seeking her car keys, but in reality brushing against the knife she always carried for protection. "This is really none of your business so if you will excuse me—"
She tried to step towards her car again, when the stranger sidestepped in front of her. "What do you know about her? Why are you asking about a swan?"
"Her?" Now Snow was more interested than wary. "Why did you say 'her'? Who are you?"
"Derek, my name is Derek," he said quickly. His eyes looked desperate. "What do you know about my swan princess?"
…
"Dopey, could you please take the trash out to the dumpster? We're getting kind of full in here," the head chef called out to one of his kitchen aids.
The youngest of the seven dwarves nodded his head and put down the bread pans he had been carrying to the washing sink, without spilling any of them thank goodness! He was not the most coordinated of his brethren but none faulted him for wanting to help during the night shifts at the local food co-op.
Before the first Dark Curse had broken he had been a wandering transient, never having much of a home or not knowing where or when his next meal would come. Because of his gentle and quiet nature, the homeless shelter was not a place that he enjoyed and had avoided it as much as possible. However, the co-op had taken him in and given him a bed and a part-time job which was a life-changer for him. At least until the Savior had broken the curse and reunited him with his brothers. His generous, simple heart felt the need to give back to the people who had been so kind and helped him, all those lonely years he was separate from his dwarf family. So now he volunteered during the nights in addition to his daily toils in the diamond mines. His brothers did not know about it and he preferred it that way, not wanting to be accused of a goody-two shoes or a slacker in the diamond mines.
Trash bag in hand, he skipped merrily down the alley to where the city dumpster was. Raising the lid, he carefully placed the bag inside and closed it just as carefully. He was returning to the kitchen back door when he paused. Were his eyes playing tricks on him? Like that time back in the Enchanted Forest he had playfully put some diamonds on his eyelids and had seen dozens of Docs standing in front of him?
He turned back, blinking his eyes hard to make sure. No he had not seen things. Sitting on the cold, hard ground and leaning against the dumpster was a woman; she had her legs spread out in front of her and her eyes closed; at first he could not tell if she was alive or not. It frightened him for a minute thinking he was looking at a corpse, but then he saw that she was breathing lightly.
He knelt next to her, staring for a minute because he was uncertain as to what to do. It looked like she had passed out from exhaustion; he glanced down at her ragged shirt and saw through the holes she was cut up and bleeding alongside her abdomen and forearms. Tentatively, he reached out and gently touched her shoulder. There was no response. When he tried it again, this time giving the shoulder a bit of a shake, he saw her eyelids flitter a bit before sliding open painfully slowly. Her eyes were haunted but beautiful, being an unusual grey color that the dwarf had never seen in eyes before. She looked up at him, without any expression on her face, before her head collapsed to the side and she passed out again.
Dopey frowned, his simple but kind mind racing and attempting to find a solution. What could he do to help her?
…
Emma quickly pulled her bug into the sheriff station parking lot, swerving a little in her hast. As she exited she noticed all of the lights were on inside. At this late hour, that could only mean something was up.
She quickly trotted into the holding cell and office area. "Mom!" she called out as she rounded the corner. "I got here as soon as I could." She stopped, breathless. "Did you find her?"
Snow was standing next to David in the station desk space area, both huddled as if conversing in hushed tones just prior to her arrival. Snow turned at the sound of her daughter's inquiries and fixed her with a worried expression. "No, I am afraid not."
Emma was exasperated. "Then why did you call and ask me to come here as soon as possible?!" She was frustrated beyond belief. "We need to be out there searching for Odette!"
Snow was not sure how to proceed. This was very big news. "Emma, I um, found—that is he found me—" She side-stepped and Emma noticed for the first time a stranger standing behind her parents. A large guy in working-man's boots and denim jacket with longer, dark brown hair and eyes.
Snow mumbled an introduction as best she could, given the unusual circumstances. "Emma, this is Derek."
Emma still failed to see the significance. "Yeah?" she asked impatiently.
The stranger stepped forward and offered his hand. "In this realm I am called Derek but I was known as Prince Derek of Chamberg back in the Enchanted Forest." Emma did not take his hand; she was in too much shock. "I was…am, Odette's true love."
Emma's jaw just dropped. "What?!"
…
"We need some more bread over here please!"
The insistent shouting, the banging of pots on pans, and other sounds typically associated with a busy kitchen woke Odette up first. The pain in her sides came later. Blinking her eyes to the onset of bright, fluorescent lights she slowly became aware she was lying on her side on a small bed in the corner of a kitchen of some sort. Not that it looked like any kitchen she had ever seen in the palace; there was far more metal and less animals running around.
As she elbowed herself upward, turning her head this way and that to take it all in, she became aware of a short man sitting on a stool in front of her. He had on a white apron and a purple hat that slung down the back of his head in an odd shape. He did not speak but held out a bowl of stew to her with one of the friendliest, most genuine, smiles she had ever seen.
Odette grabbed the bowl and shoveled the food into her mouth as fast as she could, not bothering to slow down and check herself for her un-princess-like behavior. At this point, she was beyond that. Once satisfied she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and asked the first question that came to mind. "How did I get here?"
The short man in front of her smiled wider and tapped his chest a few times. Then he raised both hands over his head as if carrying an object.
Odette understood perfectly. "Thank you." She had never meant those two words more in her entire life.
Dopey nodded, a smile still on his face.
As she emptied the bowl and slowly chewed her food her thoughts turned to the question that she could not ask out loud. How did I transform into a human when I was not on the lake? She clearly remembered escaping from the Sheriff's station after that great, bat-like creature had appeared. The same one that had abducted her, all those years ago, in the Enchanted Forest and had carried her to Rothbart. She remembered that, but she was puzzled beyond compare as to how she got to be human. She had little to no memories of the 30 years she spent as a swan, when this small town was apparently under some kind of Dark Curse and she had been caught up in it, but she could clearly remember the past few days since she was able to become human again.
Perhaps Magic does not work the way it should in this land, she mused as she finished the last of her meal. The little information she had been able to snatch by listening to the inhabitants of Storybrooke informed her this was a land without magic, yet the town itself did have magic. Perhaps that was why her transformations were more painful in this realm vs the Enchanted Forest.
Odette set down the empty bowl on a kitchen table next to her bed then tried to use its support to stand, flinching at the feeling of the cuts on her sides. They had been cleaned and bandaged, probably by the dwarf, but were still extremely painful. The dwarf seemed to notice her discomfort for he quickly rose as well and grasped her right arm to help her up.
She eased slowly to a standing position, then studied her rescuer. "Why do you not speak noble dwarf? Have you no tongue?"
As an answer, Dopey playfully stuck out his tongue to show her that he did indeed have one. Then he gestured to his throat, shook his head, and shrugged. His brothers had told him he had never tried to speak his entire life so why start now? Odette managed a small smile, her face muscles feeling as if they were cracking at the effort. When was the last time she had actually smiled?
While the dwarf and the princess were conversing, the other kitchen occupants had glanced curiously over at the newcomer. They all remembered taking in Dopey at a time when he most needed it so they thought it only reasonable he would do the same for another homeless vagabond. The regal and proud way she stood up gave several of the kitchen workers a pause however; she did not look like someone who had been on the streets for long and she had the manner of royalty.
Heavy footsteps resounded from one of the kitchen's entrances and Odette looked up to see a tall, intimidating-looking man step into the busy room and glance questioningly at her and Dopey. At the sight of him, the other kitchen aides scurried to appear busy so he was clearly a man of some authority around here.
"And who are you miss?" he directed a steady gaze to Odette.
She ducked a little behind Dopey. "No one. Only a poor soul who has lost her home and her family," she replied meekly as her hands tucked her dirty hair behind her ears in an attempt to look presentable.
Dopey sensed her discomfort so he immediately 'spoke' up on her behalf. He pointed to her a few times, gestured towards the bed in the corner, then placed his folded hands on his cheek and tilted his head as if sleeping. Then he cupped his right hand together and tilted it towards this mouth as if he was drinking, then mimed using a spoon to eat something.
"No."
Dopey clutched his hands together in front of his body, pleading.
"No Dopey," the kitchen master spoke firmly but not unkindly. "I cannot afford to keep taking in more hungry mouths to feed." He seemed a reasonable fellow so Odette did not fault him for his decision.
Dopey however was not giving up. He glanced around the busy kitchen then grabbed a large wooden spoon from the nearest counter, using it to stir an imaginary substance in an empty pot. Then he pretended the spoon was a broom handle and used it to mime sweeping the floor. He opened his arms wide, gesturing to the expanse of the kitchen, his face the very picture of a suggestion.
"A kitchen maid?" the head asked. "In that outfit?"
Dopey glanced at Odette and she felt her face flame with embarrassment. She was filthy and ragged. Her hands unconsciously tried to brush the dried mud from her once-white shirt, hid the blood-stains, and straighten her sleeves. The too-large pants were filled with holes at the knees from her scrambling in the lakeside brush after she transformed and her feet were the filthiest she had ever seen. Surely if she was in charge of this kitchen house she would not want to hire a filthy-looking waif such as herself. A few awkward seconds past as Dopey looked back up to his boss, pleading with his eyes.
The head chef sighed, taking in the piteous look of Dopey. He seemed to already be changing his mind, solely out of concern for the dwarf he had taken in so long ago. His face softened. "I could use an extra hand for special events such as meetings and weddings, and she could help out around the kitchen during the night shift and do some dishwashing." He stepped forward and tapped Dopey on the shoulder briskly. "Find her some proper clothes and get her to work." He stepped out of the kitchens.
Dopey nodded, looking extremely pleased with himself as he turned to Odette. She was mulling the new situation and its possibilities over in her mind. A place to sleep and a job would certainly be helpful. After she transformed she could report here, hid out until the next morning, and then transform again out of sight. It would certainly help to not have to duck into alleyways scrounging for food, as well as keep her out of Rothbart's sights.
And the sheriff's, she reminded herself. She had escaped her jail cell and was likely a wanted fugitive now; she would have to avoid the sheriff as well in this realm. So long as she transformed discreetly from swan to human, and stayed in the kitchens working at night, she should be fine. She had never worked for a living in her entire life but she would be willing to try.
She smiled at the dwarf that had helped her. "Thank you my friend."
…
