Henry spent hours telling me stories from the storybook, trying to trigger something but nothing seemed to do the trick. We only stopped when ever Da called to check up on me. I found it irritating to be completely honest, hearing some of these stories, I wondered why Henry did not just bring the book. Hearing the tales, I felt in the back of my mind as though something should be coming back.
"Anything yet?" asked Henry.
"Nothing," I said, rubbing my temples, "Not even in the slightest." I reached back for the paper bag I got at Granny's and pulled out a sandwich. "Want half?"
"Sure," said Henry. I gave him half of the sandwich.
"Are you sure I am in the book?" I asked taking a bit of my half.
"Yes I am sure," said Henry, "This boy in the book has to be you."
"Are you sure, stuff must be missing from this book then?" I said reading Henry's notes again, "Because I do not think I could figure out how to do magic, and even if I could I doubt I would be the lackey for this Dark One dude, I mean I am not a bad guy."
"Never said you were," said Henry, "Maybe we should give up for now."
"I agree." I said looking at the notes one last time, "All I seem to be getting now is a headache and I do not think it is because I am remembering anything."
"I am sorry Jack, maybe your right maybe some parts are missing from the book" said Henry closing the note book, taking it back, and stuffing it back into his backpack, "I just thought things would start to change when I got my mom to come here, maybe if they did she would believe in it."
"Maybe it just needs some time?" I offered, "I mean 28 years that is a long time, you cannot expect it to disappear like that."
"Yeah I suppose." Said Henry half-heartedly.
We did not speak for awhile, we just sat in silence eating our sandwich. The sun would start to set on the horizon soon. I looked back briefly towards the sea, imagining it at sunrise and sunset my favorite times to look at, as it turned to a brilliant shade of orange. The color of fire, the way water moved even made seem to dance like flames upon a torch.
That thought, flames dancing on a torch, set my mind off. Like last night the world around me seemed to vanish, replaced, by cold stone walls, cave like. Lit only by torches. I saw more of this cave than I did last night, it seemed to be an old mining shaft. I was outside of some sort of jail cell at the end of a tunnel.
I was crouched down on the ground, my hands above the ground. As time passed dirt and rock from in front of me was removed, I was somehow digging a hole without digging…if this is a memory then apparently I did figure out how to do magic.
"You do not have time for this you know." Commented the high pitch male voice.
"Yes I do, I am going to get you out of here." I said looking into the cell no one was in there, "You said the Queen is going to enact her curse soon. I am not having you be in jail in that land."
"There is no need to worry," said the voice, "I can see that her majesty is coming to visit us soon, I will arrange our living conditions then."
I put my hands to my side, "Even so I did not spend weeks trying to find this place just to let you rot here until then."
"When we reach the cell, stay out of the light." Said a man's voice from somewhere down the tunnel, "And whatever you do, do not let him know your name. If he knows you name he will have power over you."
"Someone is coming," said the voice, "You better hide or you will be in here with me."
I got up from my position on the floor and placed myself flat against a wall of the cavern. Waving my hand I saw my small hole get covered with a large rock, as my body began to blend in with the wall. It was only three people, a guard with a torch in his hand followed by two other whose faces were hidden by the hoods they wore.
"Rumplestiltskin," said the guard with authority as the group approached, "Rumplestiltskin! I have a question for you."
The man inside of the cage, the voice I was talking to climbed down using the bars of his cell, It was too dark, from my position against the wall, I could not properly see the man. "No, you don't" He flipped himself right side up, "They do." His tone changed to one of mocking, "Snow White and Prince Charming!" He laughed, "You insult me. Step into the light and take off those ridiculous robes."
The cloaked figures removed their hoods, Rumplestiltskin was right, I recognized them from the brief time I had seen their pictures in the storybook that day at Granny's. Prince Charming and Snow White who was heavily pregnant.
"That's much better." Said Rumplestiltskin
"We've come to ask you about…" started Charming
"Yes, Yes! I know why you're here," exclaimed Rumplestiltskin slipping himself into the light giving me my first look at him. Brown hair, creepy amber eyes, dry skin that seemed almost reptilian, I felt no fear towards him I did not even find him strange to look at., "You want to know about the Queen's threat."
"Tell us what you know!" demanded Snow White.
"Oh, tense aren't we?" commented Rumplestiltskin, "Fear not, for I can ease your mind but it's gonna cost you something in return."
"No. This is a waste of time." Said the Prince trying to hold his wife back."
Snow White pushed past her husband and marched right up to the cell, "What do you want."
"The name of your unborn child?" Rumplestiltskin offered.
"Absolutely not!" said Charming immediately.
"Deal!" said Snow not even a second later, I felt myself smile my eyes narrowing. Something in my gut told me there was something ironic in this deal, and I was angry about it, "What do you know?"
"The Queen has created a powerful curse. And it's coming. Soon you'll all be in a prison, just like me, only worse." Explained Rumplestiltskin, "Your prison, all of our prisons, will be time. The time will stop, and we will be trapped. Someplace horrible, where everything we hold dear, everything we love, will be ripped from us, while we suffer for all eternity, while the Queen celebrates, victorious at last! No more happy endings."
"What can we do?" asked Snow White.
"We can't do anything," Rumplestiltskin explained.
"Who can?"
"That little thing growing inside your belly," said Rumplestiltskin extending his hand. Charming took a small dagger an slashed at Rumplestiltskin. I moved a fraction of an inch feeling as though I needed to attack the Prince, only Rumplestiltskin seemed to notice that I moved for I noticed his eyes briefly shifted towards me.
"Next time, I cut it off." Threatened the Prince angrily.
Rumplestiltskin clicked his tongue a few times, "The infant is our only hope." He informed, "Get the child to safety. Get the child to safety and on its 28th birthday, the child will return, the child will find you and the final battle will begin!" he laughed maniacally.
"I've heard enough, we're leaving," said the Prince wrapping his arm around Snow's waist and leading her away.
"Hey, no!" cried Rumplestiltskin angrily as the group walked away back down the tunnel, "We made a deal! I want her name! We had a deal! I need her name! I want her name"
The Prince looked back at him "Her? It's a boy."
"Missy! Missy!" called Rumplestiltskin almost sweetly, "You know I'm right. Tell me. What's her name?"
Snow White turned back at him, "Emma. Her name is Emma."
"Emma." Rumplestiltskin repeated. I waited until I was sure that the group had exited the mine, before I got off the wall. With a wave of my hand my camouflage faded away and the rock above my small hole disappeared.
"They must be desperate." I commented crouching back down on the ground, "If they came to you for help."
"You know desperate souls are my best costumers," he said.
"Why did you want to know the child's name so badly?" I asked continuing to magically dig that hole.
"You will see in good time Jack," he explained, "All in good time."
I began to fade back into reality, coming back to the old playground, still next to Henry. I shook my head a little, remembering that was much better than last night. Wait I need to tell Henry, wait till he hears this! Gonna have to apologize for the whole crazy thing.
Just as I turned to talk to Henry, a woman with blonde hair in a red leather jacket sat down next to Henry. She had his storybook with her. Somehow I already knew who she was, Emma Swan, Henry's birthmother…the one who was going to break our curse.
A/N: I like being able to post a lot of new chapters at once, may up load chapter 7 later today. I am happy to say that on my end of writing I am past episode 1, well into episode 2 and am around chapter 12! YAY for Jack's first non-painful memory from the Enchanted Forest! The reason why the first memory was painful will be revealed later. Now some of you may ask, Why is Jack so willing to believe the fairytale thing? That my friends is done to show how close Henry and Jack are in terms of friendship despite their age difference. Also theses visions he has been having are also a reason for his belief. AND OMG THIS CHAPTER IS OVER 1,000 words! Hope everyone had a merry Christmas. See you all soon!