Chapter 5: The Escape

"How could you do this?" Anna asked with tears in her eyes. It was late, well past midnight; the festivities of the wedding had ended almost an hour before, with most of the guests fleeing to their rooms to sleep off the copious amounts of wine and food they had consumed. Anna had tried to keep a smiling face for the rest of the night, despite her shock towards her father's announcement, but as soon as the reception wound down, she asked, no, demanded to speak with him in his study.

Liam sat at his desk holding a glass of wine in one hand and his head in the other as he listened to her talk.

"Anna, calm down," he tried. "This should be a joyous occasion. Your brother has just gotten married, and now you're engaged as well."

"Don't you think I should have been the first to know about my engagement? When Charles actually proposed to me himself?"

"I thought you liked Charles," Lord Liam said.

"I do," Anna replied softly, falling limply onto the lounge by the fireplace.

"Then why are you so upset?"

"Because I don't love him," she sighed. "Not yet. It's…too early."

"Anna, be reasonable. Every time he comes to Corwyn, you're practically inseparable. It might be too early for love, but the first signs are there."

Anna closed her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks uncontrollably. Her thoughts were travelling at light speed and she was barely able to keep up with them. Liam sighed and stood, placing his glass down, and crossed the room. He knelt in front of Anna and felt his heart break at the sight of her tears. He didn't understand why she was so sad. Charles was a kind young man with good intentions and a bright future; they got along splendidly—exponentially better than he and Isabel had when they were courting.

"What are you thinking, dove?" he asked his daughter.

"I…" Anna hesitated and sighed. "I don't know what to think. Even if I had wanted to say no, you've taken that choice away from me. Now I'll have to leave here, leave everything I love, and go to River's Bluff. I've only begun to experience what life has to offer…and it's being taken away from me."

"Oh, don't think of it that way. Think of it as an opportunity. Maybe you don't think this a good idea…but once you're married, you'll see. You'll love each other, be each other's best friend, and keep each other safe. You'll be happy."

Happiness isn't always found in the safest places, a phantom voice echoed in Anna's head. Anna slowly opened her eyes and stared into the fireplace, flames jumping and crackling.

"He's right," she whispered.

"Ah see," Liam cheered, taking her words to mean that he was right. He helped her to her feet, smoothing back her hair so he could kiss her forehead. "Now, off to bed; it's been a long day, and we all need rest. Tomorrow will be a new one. A happy one."

"Yes father," Anna replied, lost in her sea of thoughts. With that, she began the long walk to her bedroom, her steps instinctive rather than conscious.

Could I really do it? Anna bit her lip in contemplation. I would get caught, surely. Unless…

Happiness isn't always found in the safest places. The words echoed in her head again and she smiled.

Charles was the first person to greet her late the next afternoon; so late, it was almost nightfall by the time he found her. He had sat outside of her room for hours after waking that morning, thinking and worrying but too scared to actually knock on her door for fear that he would wake her or upset her more than she already was. He saw the shock in her eyes at the wedding reception and it killed him to know that he was the cause of it.

After a while, he gave up and picked himself off the floor, figuring he looked a sight after running his hands through his hair so many times. It was then that he heard the soft sound of footsteps approaching and he turned to see Anna slowly turning the corner at the end of the hall.

"A-Anna!" Charles called out, startling her. The leather knapsack she had been carrying fell to the ground silently as she jumped.

"Good afternoon Charles," she greeted with a small nod, fingers playing with her corset strings.

"I'm sorry. So sorry," he apologized, hastening towards her.

"Whatever for?" she asked.

"For last night," he replied, bending over to pick up her knapsack. "I hadn't…hadn't planned for that to happen. I had only asked your parents for your hand in marriage, but I wasn't planning to propose to you. Not yet. But I wanted to know that I had their blessing. Your mother, though…she insisted—"

"My mother," she laughed lightly. "I should've known."

"I just assumed that she knew what you wanted best," he continued.

"It's alright," Anna sighed, wishing that he would just leave her be. "You don't have to explain."

"I care for you Anna. Deeply. I never intended to hurt you."

"I'm not hurt, Charles," she told him.

"Really?"

"Shocked, of course. Angry, yes, but not at you. Not hurt, though," she replied.

"I'm glad," he beamed. "You will make a wonderful wife." She forced a small smile at his words.

"And you'll make a wonderful husband," Anna told him quietly, thinking, just not mine. "Now I'm afraid I must go. Errands to run and such."

"Would you like some company?" Charles asked.

"No," Anna laughed. "I wouldn't want to bore you to death. Enjoy your day; I'm sure you don't get a chance to relax much in River's Bluff."

Charles took one of her hands and raised it to his lips. The action reminded Anna of a similar one, long since lost in the world of her dreams.

"I shall see you at dinner then," Charles grinned and began on his way.

"Oh, Charles," she stopped him.

"Hmm?"

"My bag," she said, nodding to the knapsack that he still held by the straps.

"Oh," he chuckled and handed it to her. "I had forgotten. Seems full."

"Not quite, but almost," Anna agreed nervously.

"I hope you aren't planning on going anyplace," he teased and then left, looking over his shoulder at her once more before he turned the corner and started for the library where he hoped to get some reading done.

Once she was sure she was alone, Anna let out a shaky breath and leaned back against the cold stone wall behind her.

"That was close."

It was incredibly late by the time Anna left her room again. She had skipped dinner, faking a headache so her mother would leave her be, but then hastily changed into the clothes she usually wore while training with her brother. Funny, she thought as she tightened the laces on her boots. They're not as uncomfortable now that I'm wearing them for something I want to do. She then went over every object in her bedroom, taking extra care in positioning them in certain places and roughing the bed sheets and pillows just so, so that her disappearance wouldn't be noticed immediately.

With one last look at the room filled with everything that made her Annaleigh Bowen, she grabbed the knapsack she had packed that morning and left. Every step became a memory she was leaving behind—listening to her grandfather's stories, arguing with her mother, playing hide-and-seek with Devlin when they were children, exploring every room, every staircase and every corridor—and as much as she felt reluctance to continue her escapade creep up on her, she stayed resolute in her decision. As soon as she set foot outside, she would became Anna. Just Anna. She became no one. And it would be liberating. She was sure of it.

"Anna?" A tired voice halted her in her steps as she neared the door leading out to the courtyard. Anna turned around and saw Devlin in his night clothes, holding a cup with one hand and rubbing his eyes with the other. "What are you doing up this late? I thought you weren't feeling well."

"I'm…not," she tried. "Headache. I figured a bit of fresh air would do me good."

"So you're going to take a walk?" he asked. "Now?"

"Yes."

"It's…the middle of the night." Devlin looked at his sister with bewilderment; he wanted nothing more than to return to his and Tess' room, to his bed, to his wife, to his sleep, but he also wanted to know if his sister had lost her mind. There she stood, dressed in her training clothes, her hair pinned and clipped up in a curly, messy mass upon her head, about to take a walk in the middle of the night. He didn't know if this was real or just some insane dream.

"Yes, I know," she muttered. "But I'll sleep better."

"Anna," he sighed.

"Dev, can you just…" Anna sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Let me do what's best for me; I think I know what that is better than anyone."

"I…" Devlin paused and considered her words. "Alright. But please, be careful and don't stray too far. Mother will have a fit if you get hurt."

"I promise," Anna smiled and nodded.

"Goodnight," Devlin replied.

"Wait, Dev," Anna stopped him before he could get far.

"Yes?" he asked, turning back to face her, only to be attacked in a hug that almost caused him to drop the cup of water he had gotten for Tess.

"Goodnight," Anna muttered. She backed away from him and then watched as he waved towards her and shook his head as he retreated down the hall, unsure of whether or not it would be the last time she ever saw him.

Just in the few short hours since she had left the manor, since she left Corwyn, Anna had experience more than she had her entire life. Her plan was to travel to the next closest town, Cithara—which, while still under her father's oversight as Lord of the region, was far less safer since she had never been there and would not be recognized—and buy passage out of Doria. She knew travelling by foot was a safer bet, as she knew suspicions would rise quickly if the guards saw her horse missing and then found that she was as well. She was beginning to have doubts, though. No, she didn't want to go home, and she wasn't worried about money—she figured that she had brought enough gold with her to buy passage on a dozen ships—but while walking along the road towards Cithara, she considered staying in Doria just for the purpose of exploring.

The forest was beautiful. Anna had never noticed the little details before as she was never given the opportunity to explore while traveling by horseback. Every leaf and every petal would tremble with every shift in the wind, however small; rabbits would jump happily from their nests to find food; and the day's first sunlight filtered through the canopy of branches high above, creating perfect beams that highlighted the pollen floating in the air. She wondered if her great-great-grandfather had felt the awe and wonder she felt now when he travelled to other kingdoms.

Perhaps, she pondered, it didn't matter how many terrible things there were in those lands if there were also things as beautiful as this forest.

Knowing that she would find out herself soon enough, a smile bloomed on her face…and stayed there until she smelled something strange. Smoke? Was that…smoke that she smelled? Was she imagining it? Where was it coming from?

Curious, Anna strayed off the road and pushed through the dense foliage to follow the strange smell. She found a small clearing that, indeed, had the smoky remains of a campfire with a few logs and rocks positioned around it as places to sit. It wasn't a strange occurrence—she knew many children camped out in the forest to tell scary stories and play games; Anna had been invited to some herself when she was younger, but had never gone—so she was about to continue on her way to Cithara, until she saw something glint in the morning light. With a frown, she stepped over one of the logs and picked up the object; a bottle.

She dusted the dirt off of the bottle and turned it over in her hands. "Rum," she muttered, reading the label. "Hmm."

"Well well," a gruff voice sounded in her ear and Anna felt arms encircle her waist and lift her off the ground. "Look what we have here. Curious little girl, isn't she? Snooping in places she doesn't belong."

"Let me go," Anna shrieked, struggling to get free. "Let…go!"

"Looks more like a rabbit though, wouldn't you say? So skittish." A scruffy-looking man came into view, then another, and another. One with long hair tied back, one with a shiny bald head, one with a few teeth missing, and even one with an eye patch. Anna was frightened; she had to get away.

"And look at this," one of the men grabbed her ankle as she flailed her legs to get free. He plucked a knife out of her boot and smirked. "She even has a little knife. How sweet?" Suddenly her world brightened; she had forgotten that she had tucked the knife into her boot before leaving the manor. The others were in her knapsack, sure, but if she could get her hands on that knife, she might get free. And if she could get free, she was sure she could run fast enough to get away from these men.

"What do you have a knife for, love? To cut string while you're sewing?" the man holding her knife asked, waving it in the air carelessly as the other men laughed. Anna smiled bitter-sweetly and used what momentum she had to swing her foot up and kick him in the face. The man fell to the ground, and while the others were frozen in shock, Anna threw her head back, wincing as it knocked against the face of the man holding her. Thankfully, he wasn't holding her too much longer, and Anna fell to the ground.

"Oh no you don't, sweetheart," the bald one grumbled as she got to her feet, grabbing her arm as she tried to run. She let out a startled shriek and swung at him with her free hand, slapping him right across the cheek. "Ah! You little—" Anna slapped him again and he finally released her.

Everything was a blur. Hands were grabbing her, she was hitting them with slaps and punches and kicks whenever she could. She fell to the ground once as one of them tugged her knapsack off and again to her knees when someone grabbed her ankle. Eventually, she did gain possession of her knife again, but the adrenaline of the encounter was causing reality to become one big blur. She slashed clumsily at someone who grabbed her and got to her feet. She turned around and found the long-haired one right in front of her with an alert expression on his face; he grabbed her by the shoulders and held her still.

"Let me go. Let me go."

"Calm down, miss," he said frantically. "They didn't want to hurt you. They're just a little drun—" He didn't get another word in as her fist hit his cheekbone and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Anna grabbed her knapsack and was about to run when she felt something very solid hit her head; she stumbled a few steps and her vision blurred. She fell backwards and saw a shadowy silhouette tower over her.

"You!" The voice belonging to the silhouette was distorted and fuzzy. Anna frowned, wondering what had happened, but soon, everything faded to darkness.

Author's Note:

PrincessOfSilence: I'm glad you like Anna and the last chapter, and I hope you liked this chapter as well. Thanks for reviewing.

Guest: I'm glad you like Anna and the story so far. No Killian in this one, but he may or may not be in the next one. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well; thanks for reviewing.

Eline: Here it is! I hope you liked it. Thanks for the review!

princessyuki08: Yeah. Definitely no Anna/Charles. Not that he's a bad guy…but this is a Hook/OC. I think it would be weird if the OC didn't end up with him; but he did say that he had many a man's wife in the show. That could've been an interesting twist. Haha. Anyways I'm glad you like Anna and the story so far, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter too. Thanks for reviewing.

luvdamon: Oh, she was not pleased. At all. Haha. I'm glad you like Anna and the story so far, and I hope you liked this chapter too. Thanks for the review.

Who else saw the winter finale of OUAT? Oh! So good. I love sexy, evil Captain Hook, even if he's evil for a reason. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited after Chapter 4. Feedback is always welcome. Thanks for reading!