Disclaimer: Property of A&E and ABC. Not Mine.
Hades jolts awake shortly before dawn, alert but unsure why. He scans the room, listening, but there's only Caden, wrapped in his blankets like a burrito, his breathing slow and steady. It may have been another nightmare, but any remnants are now wisps in his mind, rapidly fading. For a brief moment, Hades wonders what the squire might dream about. Power? Money? Love and a family? Or is he content to just be a squire, and subsequently a knight? Is honor enough? Maybe for mortals it is.
Regardless, Mother Nature is calling. Perhaps that's what woke him. The first rays of daybreak are casting fingers of light across the floor. Hades suspects it won't be long before the teen is awake. It's entirely too early for conversation, so he tiptoes into the elaborate modern-day bathroom, gathering up a set of undergarments from the small bureau along the way. After showering and another shave, Hades is ready. He studies his reflection in the mirror over the pedestal sink. Today starts a new life for him. But this body – it's just not right. There's strength in it, but it is older and a tad out of shape. And that coarse dark hair. It's just so different, so unrefined. Hades sighs. It could be worse – he could be scrawny and weak. Or missing teeth. He shudders at the thought. Yes, at least he has all his teeth.
The rustling outside the bathroom door confirms his suspicions - Caden is a morning person. Still feeling anti-social, Hades exits quickly, acknowledging the boy with a cursory nod. The rest of the house is quiet - a perfect time to do some ad-hoc investigating. There are six distinct rooms off this hallway – the majority housing knights and squires. Some knights are doubled up; others are bunking with their squires like he is. Another hallway houses the servants; he can hear them stirring in their rooms. He walks quietly through the upper floor, getting his bearings. At the end of the servants' hallway is a solid wall, but at the end of his own hallway there is a bedroom. Hades is sure this is Godric's room – there's a soft snoring coming from behind the door. That really should be his room, but perhaps Godric does deserve it. The leader of the Knights Templar did negotiate with Hyde to ensure they all had adequate living conditions in Storybrooke. Chatter at the dinner table last night indicated the majority of the citizens from the other realm were sent into the forest. They were stuck there until more suitable housing could be found. Hades could be sleeping in a tent, getting eaten alive by Maine mosquitos. Yeesh.
He returns to his own room to find the Caden clean, dressed, alert and animated. Both beds have been made, and the teen is currently shaking out the chain mail so it will lay evenly once Hades puts it on.
"A glorious morning to you, Sir Rhye," he chirps.
There is absolutely something wrong with this kid. "Don't get any ideas. I'm not a morning person."
Caden's dismissive snort does little to change Hades' opinion. The boy is in for a world of hurt if he wakes him up at dawn tomorrow. A significant world of hurt.
He allows his squire to help him dress formally again, but refuses to wear the chain mail hood over his head. The lad frumps, but Hades is adamant. They both make their way downstairs, and as expected, the staff is now awake. He sniffs for the telltale aroma of coffee, but it is missing. In fact, there's no smell of food at all.
"Apologies, Sir Rhye. We don't have much in the way of breakfast yet," says Renault, once they are in the kitchen. "There are sweet breads and some cold meats available, but we ate most of the food last night."
Caden leaps forward to snag a blueberry muffin – the manservant's idea of a sweet bread. Hades just needs coffee. Desperately. He knows where to get it too – at the diner in town. But he can't tell anyone that – because there is no way Sir Rhye should know his way around Storybrooke.
Renault's deep voice exudes optimism and loyalty. "We're hoping Sir Godric will advise us of where to get food and supplies in this world."
Ugh. He needs to cut the cord with these knights. They are cramping his style. Chafed at having to wait, he passes the time imagining creative ways to use chain mail as a torture device until Godric, Trefast and the young Scandinavian knight, whose name is Nathaniel, appear. The knight who ate the lamb with him that night at the tavern is Alfonse, and he shows up minutes later with the fifth knight with the heavy accent. Hades still hasn't figured out that guy's name. But it doesn't matter, because finally, they can get this show on the road.
ooooooooooooooooo
It's another forty-five minutes before Hades is sitting contently on the stool at the diner's countertop, slurping down a pretty decent cup of coffee. All his brethren are lined up next to him, marveling at the diner, at the infamous Granny, and at the various Storybrooke citizens dressed in their normal American clothing. Conversely, the knights are receiving quite the number of stares in return. Guess no one warned the locals of their arrival. Boy are they in for a surprise when the full regime from the woods shows up. Snow White and the rest of the heroes are going to have their hands full.
It's odd that none of them are around. Not even the Savior or her son. Hades is certain she'll show up soon for breakfast, all mopey and sad that her beloved pirate is still rotting in the Underworld. She and Regina probably sit in one of the booths and pine over their dead men. Maybe Zelena joins in too, but somehow Hades doubts it. That would mean she was mourning his death, and he can't quite picture what that would look like.
The front door swings open, and there is an immediate tension in the air. Something flutters across Hades' heart, and he knows even before she speaks.
"What the bloody hell is this? A Renaissance Faire?"
No. It can't be. Not so soon. He isn't ready to face her. What is she even doing here? Shouldn't she be at home with her daughter, doing the whole baby breakfast thing? Yet here she is, mere inches away and it is taking every fiber of his being to remain calm. Unresponsive. To not look her in the eye and scream at her. To demand an explanation for why she had to kill him. His white-knuckled grip on his coffee mug is betraying him, but he dare not let go.
To make matters worse, Godric takes it upon himself to be diplomatic. He stands from his seat next to Hades and approaches her. "Greetings, milady. We are the Knights Templar from…"
"I don't care," Zelena snarls. "Just get the hell out of my way."
Waving her hand, she shoves the startled Godric out of her way and heads towards the double doors of the kitchen. A chorus of gasps echo out from the various horrified patrons within the diner. Interesting. It seems Zelena hasn't quite won over the town with her new heroic ways. Dear old Granny must have heard the commotion, as she comes barreling through those doors just seconds later. Zelena's demeanor softens as she approaches the older woman. Hades strains to listen without being obvious.
"Where is my daughter?"
"She's with Mother Superior at the convent. I believe you know where it is?" Granny's tone is a tad snide, and Hades waits for Zelena to rip the old lady apart. But she doesn't.
"Yes," she replies calmly. "I do." There's a pause before she says, "Thank you for taking care of her. For keeping her safe and out of that portal."
Portal? Which portal? The one that brought them here?
Granny straightens herself and nods. "You're welcome."
Zelena turns and leaves without another word, her head held high. Hades watches her go, staring at the closed door long after she's gone. In his mind, taking her down was a simple matter. Torture her, kill her and be done with it. Seeing her in person reminded him she's actually a force to be reckoned with. And he's powerless. He needs to think about this.
He snaps out of his trance when Godric calls out to the other knights. Something in his tone leads Hades to believe the little incident with Zelena might have ruffled the brawny man's feathers. "I believe a tour of our new town might be in order, men. Do you agree?"
The chorus of "aye's" is muted, but it's enough to rally the troops. Hades follows behind Sir Nathaniel as they parade their way out of the diner to the streets of Storybrooke. He's rumbling with pride as they march along – he really did get it right when he created Underbrooke. Right down to the last minute detail. A truly nice bit of work, if he does say so himself.
They're strutting down Main Street, side-by-side, and Hades is quite amused, imagining 'Kashmir' by Led Zeppelin playing in his head. The majority of the townspeople are staring and whispering, but Hades thinks it is due to their attire rather than any level of intimidation. However, no one is going to convince Sir Godric of that. It's obvious this is meant to be a show of strength, and perhaps of his own leadership. Getting pushed around by a female in front of your crew can do that to a man. Poor Godric. He's got a lot to learn about Storybrooke and its inhabitants. There's more than one woman in this town that could wipe the floor with him.
It's inevitable that the heroes would learn of their slow walk montage, and sure enough, after ten minutes – Snow White and her Charming are tromping towards them. Godric stops, which halts the rest of their little troupe, and bellows towards the duo.
"Greetings! I am Sir Godric, leader of the Knights Templar. I, my knights and our servants arrived yesterday into your town."
"Welcome to Storybrooke," Charming replies with an outstretched palm. "I'm David and this is my wife, Snow."
Godric has the good sense to shake the hero's hand and he gives a slight bow to Snow White. "Milady."
Snow apparently isn't into chivalry, as she asks, "What exactly are you and your companions doing, wandering around town?"
"We've gotten a couple of calls," David adds.
"We mean no harm – we are just exploring our new home." Godric doesn't skip a beat over the mention of 'calls', piquing Hades' curiosity. Crusaders don't use telephones.
"Oh? Are you comfortable, wherever it is you are staying?" Snow is ever-so-polite in her tone, but Hades knows she's fishing.
Sir Trefast chimes in. "Oh yes, we are, milady. It is beyond expectation. Do you know the large house on the outskirts of town? Up on the hill near the lake?" He points towards it, accurately. Hades is impressed. Seems one knight has a good sense of direction.
Snow and Charming share a quick glance. Hades can almost read their pitiful hero minds. He can't help but tweak them a bit further. "The arrangement is legitimate, if that is your concern. It was offered to us by the man who brought us here."
Snow tries to fish again. "Oh? And who exactly was that?"
Godric is polite, but vague. "The terms of our arrival were negotiated with a wizard from your world."
David casts his own line into the conversation. "Just where did you say you were from?"
Hades sneers. "We didn't."
Godric shoots him a nasty look before answering, "I'm not sure if you are aware of our realm. It was a place where people found themselves when they had nowhere else to go."
"The Land of Untold Stories?"
The fact that Snow knows this seems to distress Godric. "Yes, I've heard it called that by some of the inhabitants."
David is scowling rather intently. Hades has seen that look before. "Did a man by the name of Hyde arrange this for you?" Charming's voice grows serious. "Mr. Hyde."
"Yes, he did. We are here to ensure the safety of the newest residents of Storybrooke." Godric is mirroring David, in posture and in tone. Hades tries to subdue his grin. This might get interesting.
"That won't be necessary. There is an existing law enforcement team already in place. Any problems that arise will be dealt with by myself or my staff." David straightens himself. "I am the sheriff."
"I see."
"Good. Then I'm sure you and your companions won't mind returning to the Sorcerer's mansion… er… the house where you're staying."
"Is there a law against walking in your town, Sheriff David?" Godric's tone is icy and Hades can hear the metallic clink of the knights around him as they shift their weight. Excellent. Let the games begin.
"There's a law against vigilantes, and right now I'm not certain where your loyalties lie."
"They lie with the people of my realm."
Snow gestures around them. "We understand, but as you can see, no one from your land is here, and you certainly aren't in any danger from us."
"That's good to hear… Snow. We aren't looking for trouble with you or any other member of this town." The chill in Godric's words hasn't diminished. If anything, it's intensified.
"Well then, I'm glad that's settled. So, perhaps it's best you be on your way." David loops his thumbs into his pockets, and Hades tries not to laugh. Does Charming think he's a cowboy now?
"Perhaps it is. Men, you heard the local lawman. Time to head home."
The knights around him stiffen into military stance and Hades rushes to echo their posture and salutation of "Yes, Sir Godric."
Sir Trefast leads the way and Hades falls into line behind Nathaniel as they walk away from the heroes. Godric follows behind him, and Hades hears him mutter softly to David as he brushes past, "See you around, Sheriff."
ooooooooooooooooo
Hades is no fool, and he's not afraid to do what's necessary as a means to an end. His non-encounter with Zelena, as well as the standoff with the heroes, spurred him into action. He spends the next two weeks in his own intense version of boot camp. Each morning he wakes at dawn, contrary to what he told Caden, and prowls around the mansion, searching for anything that can help him regain his body and his power. He knows now he's going to need some type of magic to face Zelena. Yet he learns early on that it's damn near impossible to find magic without actually using it. Nothing calls to him, and even if he were to touch something useful, this body wouldn't recognize it. It wouldn't know magic if it bit him on the ass. Unwilling to throw in the towel, he refocuses his efforts on the vast array of books, scanning each for any type of spell or reference to reanimation. Sadly, he finds little in the ways of the supernatural. The majority are reference manuals. Improving his gardening skills is not on his list of To-Do items. Neither is the complete thirty-volume history of the American Civil War.
But research is only half of the equation. The other half is this damned mortal body. It needs to shape up, and fortunately for him, their fearless leader has demanded it of all of them. After his not-so-positive incident at the diner and with the Charmings, Godric had a nice long chat with Hyde. Regrettably, Hades wasn't privy to that conversation. But he did get the general gist of it the next morning. Right after breakfast they were called out to the grassy courtyard behind the mansion, where Godric plaintively informed them that they needed to prepare for a potential altercation with the locals. Hence, the daily training regiment began.
They all start each morning with a three-mile run around the outskirts of town and through a section of the forest. Afterwards they practice their combat skills – a different weapon each day of the week. Hades desperately wants to burst their bubble and tell them about modern day weaponry, as all the sword fighting, ax wielding, and knife throwing they've been practicing will amount to a hill of beans against the slug of a .32. However, he's enjoying the refresher course. His skills with the weapons have improved, but really – it was something he already knew. He and his brothers learned all forms of combat back in the day, and of course they excelled at each and every one of them. Hades isn't quite what he'd consider battle-ready, but he is getting used to his new body and how to make it work with some semblance of the grace and poise he used to have.
There's a routine forming within the mansion, and within Hades himself. However, it's not ideal, as his efforts so far have been fruitless. He's on the fast track to nowhere, and one grey morning he decides to break from the pack and take his run into town.
He jogs up and down the various streets, examining the shops and buildings. Rumple's shop must have something in it – perhaps he can find a way in. He stops and peers through the smudged windows. Hundreds of different items line shelves and cabinets; it's a giant, cluttered mess. A scary thought hits him. Hades could pick up something, not recognizing its power, and vaporize himself. Knowing Rumplestiltskin, that's a viable outcome.
He needs an ally. This brings Zelena to mind, and his offer of alliance from so long ago. She comes to mind far too frequently now, and he is forever telling himself that she is the enemy. His mortal heart, however, has an annoying habit of recalling the happy fluttering when she was near, and reminding him of memories he'd rather forget. The feel of her lips on his. The light magic coursing through him the moment she broke his brother's curse. The joy and trust in her eyes when they first arrived in Storybrooke as she handed over her daughter to him.
Dammit, he doesn't want to think about any of that. Scanning the street, he looks for something, anything that could help him. But there's nothing. Frustration mounting, he returns to pounding his new Nike sneakers against the pavement.
An hour later, sweaty and panting, he's back at the mansion. The knights are with Godric out back, running through speed drills. He doesn't have the patience for that nonsense today. Irate, he slams the front door, and seconds later there is a metallic clink against the polished wood floor.
Curious, Hades looks and finds multiple keys hanging on pegs behind the main door. Each has a meticulously penned label in obvious feminine script. 'Front Door', 'Kitchen Door', etc. He searches for one that says 'Gold's Shop' but comes up empty.
The key that fell to the floor however, has some potential. It is labeled 'Library'.