All right, readers...you got me. There is no way in hell this story will be through by the New Year. I admit, part of the reason I want to rush it is because the next one is brewing in my head and it's feeling rather epic so I'm in a hurry to get there, but there's also still some trickery and fun and steamy, sexy stuff to get through on this one and the story deserves to be treated with respect. So we've got another few weeks (depending on the rest of my writing schedule), easily, then it's on to our next adventure.
Now let's get back to our story...
Robin groaned, rolling over. then he spit out a mouthful of dirt and coughed hard.
"Does he need water, Mama?"
"What did I say about coming in here, Roland?"
Roland!
Robin sat up glancing wildly behind him, his face lighting up when he saw his son. Then Roland's words registered in his mind. His startled eyes shifted to Regina, who was standing with her hand on Roland's back.
"Mama?" Roland asked again, looking up at her.
"Sleepy needs help getting water. Why don't you go along?" she suggested, giving him a quick kiss on the head. She watched him go fondly, and Robin felt an odd sensation in his chest, just watching the two of them.
"Hello," he said carefully, shifting his legs to get his feet under him.
"Not so fast," Regina cautioned, drawing her dagger and holding it on him. "Snowy thinks you might be a spy."
Robin gave her a grin as he wiped the rest of the dirt out of his mouth. "Snowy is entirely too suspicious and wields stones with extreme prejudice," he said, rubbing the side of his head. He extended his hand. "Prince Robin."
"Of Sherwood?" Regina couldn't hide her surprise.
"The same. And I gather you're Regina, the bandit queen?" he asked, getting to his feet and brushing himself off.
She inclined her head. "That's what they call me now. I suppose you've heard that I lost my kingdom?"
"Not lost," he said. "Just misplaced. Perhaps I can help with that."
"So you weren't thrown into God-knows-where along with everyone else? Oh, hold on..." she poured him a cup of water from a nearby pitcher and handed it to him. "Sorry for the mouthful of dirt. Snowy gets a little overzealous."
"Well, I did bend the rules of grammar in a terribly bold way."
Regina raised her eyebrows. "Brave man. So you were spared whatever it was that happened to all of us?"
Robin drained the cup, handing it back to her. "No. I was thrown onto a ship in a neighboring kingdom, alongside Prince Killian. We later met up with Prince Archie and one of his soldiers. They should be on their way here shortly."
"That explains why I couldn't find you," she said. "I wasn't thrown far from home, but Roland and I came to in a coach, on the road outside the castle. When we tried to make our way back home, we encountered George and his troops. They'd taken over the castle and now I'm working to find my way back in."
"I wasn't aware you had a child," Robin said, watching her carefully.
"I know." Regina said, crossing her arms and obviously uncomfortable. "My father didn't want you to know. I had actually planned to journey out and meet you the day all of this happened. I felt like you deserved the truth, in case you wanted to back out."
"Back out?" Robin's brow creased into a frown.
Regina blew out a stream of air, lifting her hair off her forehead.
"I know you weren't expecting my son," she said. "And I want you to know that you don't have to honor our betrothal if you don't want to."
###
"Mrs. Reynolds?"
"You can call me Angela, if you want," she said over her shoulder as she removed the laundry from the dryer. "What's up, Henry?"
"Do you need a hand?" he asked.
"You can fold," she said, smiling. "And you must really want whatever it is, if you're volunteering to do extra chores."
"Actually, that's what I'm here to ask about," Henry said, grabbing the other end of a sheet and helping her fold. "I was wondering if you had some extra chores around here that I could do. You know...for money."
"Okay. Who is she?" Angela put her hands on her hips.
"What do you mean?"
"Which one of the girls are you trying to impress? You know you can't date someone in the same house, right?"
"No, it's nothing like that," Henry said, waving a hand. "I promise."
"What do you need the money for, then?" Angela looked at him suspiciously.
"Books."
Angela gave him a slightly patronizing smile. "Public library is two blocks down," she said, pointing a thumb over her shoulder. "Get a library card and you can read to your heart's desire."
"Yeah, but see, that won't work for me," Henry said. "I like to read a bunch of different books all at the same time - sometimes just to contrast different viewpoints if I'm reading on the same subject, and sometimes because I just like the variety." He gave a shrug. "What I'd really like is a Kindle, and I know those cost money, but I could load dozens of books on there. I could even get some on loan from the library, I think."
He looked at her expectantly, eyes shining, and Angela bit her lip, thinking.
"I do have that overgrown area on the side of the shed in the backyard. The weeds need to get pulled, and I've been wanting to cut down that ugly bush and dig up the roots. Maybe plant some rosebushes or something."
"I can do that," Henry said, nodding.
"And Aidan can really use some extra tutoring in math."
"Okay," Henry agreed. "When can I start?"
"You can tutor tonight," Angela said. "And then hit the weeds first thing after school tomorrow. We'll dig up the bush on Saturday."
"Thanks. Thanks, Angela." Henry gave her a smile, then picked up the laundry basket. "I can take this upstairs for you."
Henry walked the basket up the stairs, setting it down at the foot of his bed. He knelt down, reaching under the bed and pulled out his back pack, setting it on the pile of laundry in the basket. Then he gave a quick look around before unzipping the bag and reached inside, pulling out his notebook and a pen. He thumbed the pages, finding what he was looking for, and drew one long, straight line through "Find a way to get money." He was just shoving the notebook in his bag when Vince walked into the room.
"Is that the laundry?"
Henry gave an affirmative nod, picking his bag up with both hands and laying it on the floor. Vince started digging through the basket, pulling things out and stacking them on the bed. He looked over at Henry.
"You haven't seen my Under Armour, have you? I need it for track practice."
Henry shook his head. "I helped Angela fold, but I didn't see it. Are you sure you put it in the laundry?"
Vince glared at him. "I wore it last practice. I definitely put it in the laundry."
Henry sat down on the bed, resting his feet nonchalantly on his pack. "Did you check Jared's drawer?" he asked. "You know how he is. He's more your size anyway."
Vince frowned, stepping over to Jared's drawer and opening it. Unfortunately, Jared picked that exact moment to walk into the room, took one look at Vince rummaging through his drawer and charged. Vince responded by throwing him off through the doorway, and then went after him, both of them yelling and throwing each other into the hallway walls as Angela pounded up the stairs to intervene.
Henry pulled the shirt out from under his backpack, stuffing it into the front of his pants and stepping quickly into the bathroom so he could layer it under his other clothes. He locked the door and paused a moment, listening to the shouts and thuds in the hallway beyond. Then he set his head against the door, closing his eyes, wishing for what felt like the thousandth time that day that he was home.
###
"There," Leroy pointed. "That inlet - it's surrounded by trees. We'll have some good cover there."
"Yes, as will anyone else," Killian replied. "So let's not let our guard down once we make land." He turned the wheel a few notches, rounding the edge of the inlet. He couldn't help but notice Emma, squirming as she stood beside him.
"Problem?" he asked.
Emma had one hand twisted up behind her inside her shirt, and she turned her head to give him a disgruntled look. "Yeah. I've got a splinter in my back."
He arched a brow and gave her a sideways grin. "I'll be more than happy to help you out of that shirt, if you'd like. Just let me park the ship."
She gave him a look. "I can manage."
He lowered his voice. "You managed quite well last night. Never let it be said that you don't have an adventurous spirit, love."
"I am a pirate, if you recall."
"Oh, I recall, all right," he said enigmatically. "I rather miss the lascivious pirate wench."
"She's still in there, somewhere. I've been practicing for a couple of weeks now."
"You were practicing long before you landed here," he said. "I knew there was pirate in you from the very beginning."
She leaned in, giving him a sultry look. "I'd like some pirate in me right now," she murmured, before turning and walking with a deliberate sway of her hips toward the bow. Killian stared after her, open-mouthed. He realized he was about to ram into a rock outcropping and made a quick course correction, bringing them into the inlet.
He scanned the shoreline with his spyglass while Emma, Archie and Leroy managed the excursion boat, and in moments they were pulling up to shore.
"Now would be a great time to have a compass," Emma pointed out. "I have no idea where we're going."
"Oh, not to worry, Emma," Archie said. "My family and I traveled all over the Enchanted Forest. I know exactly where we are. There should be a road just over there - " he extended his hand, pointing toward a break in the trees, but didn't get to finish his sentence. Instead, he broke off with an agonized sound as an arrow impaled his hand. Leroy turned with a shout and Killian plowed into Emma, throwing her down into the dirt as an arrow whizzed over her head.
They both drew their cutlasses, but it was too late - more than a dozen troops stepped out of the woods, crossbows trained on them, and behind the group, a horse pulled a black carriage. The door opened, and George stepped down and out of it.
"So I see you've found your princes," George smirked, as Emma regained her feet. She gave Killian a warning glance as he stood up slowly next to her.
"You could say that," she answered. "What brings you to the Enchanted Forest?"
"I live here," he answered coldly. "And I'd like to keep it that way. Now, where is my compass?" He held out a gloved hand, and Emma stared him down.
"You mean the compass you used to open a portal back in Storybrooke - one that sent us scattering between realms? That compass?"
George's eyes narrowed. "So the savior finally came to her senses. I wondered if that might be a possibility."
"Which explains why you were having me followed and then decided to use me to get the compass. You wanted to keep an eye on me."
George smiled, a thin, tight smile that didn't touch his eyes. "I thought you might be useful. That, of course, will depend on if you got the compass."
"She doesn't have it," Killian answered. "But we know where it is."
"Am I to gather that you're back to yourself, as well?" George looked over at Archie and Leroy. "Is it just a temporary condition?"
"It can be," Emma answered evasively. "And I'm betting that has you worried. What was the point of all of this?" she asked, spreading her arms wide. "Why try to move an entire town? Why not just open a portal and head back to the Enchanted Forest yourself without any of us around to challenge you?"
"And rule an empty kingdom?" George asked, his lip curling with distaste. "No, I wanted the satisfaction of having another go at all of you - and it's all worked out beyond my wildest dreams. And once I find your parents, everything will come full circle."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Emma's lips set in a thin line as she eyed him warily.
George raised a hand, signalling with his fingers to someone behind him. The door to the coach was opened again, and a guard reached inside, pulling out a small bundle and carefully passing it over to George. George turned back to Emma, gently peeling back the blanket, revealing the sleeping baby in his arms.
"What? No sisterly affection?" George taunted.
"Neal!" Emma started forward, but the guards closed in, pointing their crossbows at her.
"I'm not sure I'll keep the name," George said, handing the baby back to the guard, who walked Neal back over to the carriage. "I will be raising him as my own," he went on. "I need an heir, and he's technically in succession. So are you, for that matter, but I won't have my kingdom ruled by a woman, let alone a woman like you."
"Leave my brother out of this," Emma bit out, her eyes flashing fire.
"He's my insurance policy," George replied. "If I should happen to find your parents, I'll be sure to let them know that I won't hesitate to slit that child's throat if they - or anyone - should think to challenge me." He walked back over to the carriage, pausing on the step before he ducked inside.
"Kill them all," he ordered.
And Killian let out a shout as an arrow tore into Emma's chest, lifting her off her feet and slamming her into the ground.