She was not going to let him stop her and talk her into staying here - the worst place in all the worlds, a sorry haven to the victims of a continuing curse. She was not going to beg him to let her pass. She was not even going to try to be quick.

She would simply run into him with the greatest speed she could manage, and knock him on the ground. That he wouldn't expect. Even if he didn't fall, or if they both did, she would still have the advantage of surprise.

The wind was howling, and it slapped snowflakes in her face. At least the world had dropped its mask tonight, finally letting it show that it was just as cruel as it was beautiful.

The man had noticed that she was running towards him so he stopped running. By now he was close enough for her to take note of the typical way he narrowed his eyes at the wind.

It was Robin Hood.

She gritted her teeth and braced herself for the impact, while all the rage she felt at Rumple now turned on Robin. She had saved his life! His wife's, too, and their stupid little child's! Was this any way to repay her?! Standing in her way when she desperately needed to get away?! The bastard. She should have let Rumple skin him. She was afraid to look in her heart and find out if she really meant it.

'Belle, what's-'

'Get out of my way!' she yelled at the thief. He looked completely taken aback, but – or precisely that's why – he didn't move.

Seconds before she would have reached him Robin suddenly flew up into the air and was thrust sideways by a huge invisible fist.

This she hadn't expected.

He landed a good ten meters off, and although she was hugely surprised she couldn't prevent a sly smirk that decided to steal itself on her lips.

For the tenth of a crazy second she thought that it was the wind but then she realised that it could only have been magic. For once, her thoughts returned again; her mind offered a number of possibilities on who could have cast it. The Ice Queen was nearby… Rumple had come after her… It was Regina, The Blue fairy, Emma, Tinkerbell… But they weren't there, none of them, there was no one here but her and Robin Hood…

But surely, Robin wouldn't have done this to himself, even if she boldly assumed he was able to do magic.

And that left no one but her.

Even if deep down she sensed that it was so, even if it was the only explanation, even if she had done it before when she had protected Storybrooke, she refused to believe that she had cast a spell.

She didn't understand herself. She didn't understand her anger, or her smirk, and most of all she didn't get this spell cast by no one. She had never been like this… but then, how could she have been so foolish as to fall in love with the Dark One and think that it wouldn't leave a mark on her mind?

She glanced back. Robin had gotten up and was running after her with all his might. Too fast. He kept shouting, too, but the wind was whizzling so madly by then that she supposed she couldn't have heard him even if she wanted to.

At one point it seemed that he could catch her, but then he stumbled and fell down on his knees... 'Hey, where do you think you're going?!'

She didn't look back again, or bother to answer.

Her steps were blessedly swift.

Away.

No, he couldn't allow this to happen! He tried to keep up, shouting, „you cannot do this!", but the snowstorm blew his words away like arrows, never to hit the target, never to be heard. And he was heavier than Belle; while she ran swiftly on the top of the stiffened snow his feet were swallowed up by each step, and the faster he tried to run the more he stumbled.

The wind cut right through him, dead straight, as if he came out here naked and not in his warmest coat. Hell, it was supposed to be October! The world was spinning and he couldn't decide whether it was him turning or the blizzard that raged round and round with a dizzling speed.

The only reason he could still locate Belle was the fact that she was wearing black – had it been any other colour, it would have simply been swallowed up in all this white.

He couldn't believe he was unable to catch her. He had to help her! She had saved his life once; if not for her, his whole family would long have been gone. He hadn't forgotten; he would return the favour.

Could she have already crossed the town line? How many steps were left for her? Two, or ten, or twenty? And for him?! It was impossible to tell in all this snow.

He fell down again. 'Belle, DON'T!' he shouted as loudly as he could, and he was sure that this time, she heard it.

But it didn't make her stop. Nothing would make her stop.

The loud crack of a frozen branch breaking rang above the land, and it seemed to Robin, here at the end of the world in the howling wind, like the silent crack of four haunted hearts.