Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or any of its related characters. All rights of Once Upon a Time belong to Disney and ABC Studios and its creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz . This is a work of fan fiction, intended only for entertainment, and outside of the original canon. I am not making profit from this story.
AN:
Hello!
Welcome to The Portrait of Elijah Mills!
(POEM for short)
Rated MATURE for Safety.
This is my second OUAT Fanfic (What can I say? I freaking love it!). This is a OC X Emma story, my own character(s) that I've created, and his adventures/ encounters with other characters in the show.
It was slightly inspired by the only other OC X Emma fic that I'm aware of, but my own version (of course).
The face claim for the main OC Elijah Mill's is:
Daniel Gillies (The Vampire Diaries Season 2) as Elijah Mills.
As the title of the story implies and his name, my OC is the younger brother of the Evil Queen/ Regina.
He is inspired by a classic novel, but you'll have to guess and keep reading to find out who. Some may have already guessed from the title. Also by my face claims performance as his character in a couple of popular CW series(s).
No spoilers! to those who have already guessed. Haha.
Hope you all enjoy and let me know what you think.
Just to say, I am fully focused on my first main story, so this my get a tiny bit neglected update wise. But this has been stuck in my head for so long, I've needed to at least write the first couple of chapters down.
But if you're completely new to my stories/ profile;
Hi!
Once Upon A Time
There was an enchanted forest filled with all the classic characters we know.
Or think we know.
One day they found themselves trapped in a place where all their happy endings were stolen
Our World.
This is how it happened….
Prince Charming's red cloak billowed behind him as he charged towards love on his steed hoping to win his race against time. As he rode further into the forest, he came upon the sight of his true love, Snow White, the woman he truly loved, lying in a glass coffin under a sleeping curse surrounded be seven weeping dwarfs. Snow fell upon the him as he jumped off his horse to run.
"You're too late" Doc informs him before the dwarfs parted to allow the prince see his love in the glass coffin that were entwined in tree branches.
"No" he cries out in despair seeing her lying there motionless "No!" he add rushing forward to see her pale face and long dark hair trailed on her shoulders as he set his eye's upon her closed ones through the glass "Open it" he asks the dwarfs around him.
"I'm sorry. She's gone" Grumpy tells the man in sorrow.
"At least let me say goodbye" he pleads with the Princesses friends. Looking towards his brother's the dwarfs silently agree to grant the man's wish to say goodbye to the woman he loved, removing the glass that covered Snow's body.
Leaning down Prince Charming placed his lips upon her's one last time only for a wave of light magic to erupt from the True Love's kiss, breaking the curse she had been struck with. With a loud gasp the Princesses eye's shot open as taking in a breath of fresh air to see the man she loved above her with a joyous smile upon his face as the dwarfs around them mirrored his smile.
"You… You found me" she breathed out seeing Charming above her.
"Did you ever doubt I would?" he playfully asks her as he helps her to sit up.
"Truthfully? The glass coffin gave me pause" she happily replied.
"Well, you never have to worry." He reassures her "I will always find you".
"Do you promise?" she asks him.
In a blink of an eye months went by as Snow White and her Prince Charming stood at the alter as they were married in front of the whole kingdom.
"I do" Charming lovingly respond's as he gazes down at his bride like they were the only two people in the whole room.
"And do you, Snow White" the priest continues beside them "Promise to take this man to be your husband and love him for all eternity?".
"I do" she says smiling like never before, not taking her eye's off her true love.
Priest: I now pronounce you husband and wife" the clergymen declared to the room as the crowd full of their closest friends cheer at the top of their lungs. But as they about to seal their vow with a kiss as husband and wife a voice they both knew too well stopped them
"Sorry I'm late" looking towards the voice the newly married couple look towards the Evil Queen who is stood in all her glory at the open doors. The crowd parted in fear as she made her way towards the couple as two guards attempt to stop her, only for her simply wave them away with her magic.
"It's the Queen. Run!" Doc cried out in fear as Snow reached for her husband's sword at his waist pointing it threateningly at her stepmother.
"She's not the Queen anymore" Snow cried out to the crowd "She's nothing more than an evil witch".
"No, no, no. Don't stoop to her level. There's no need." Charming tries to coax his swords from his wife hand to take it for himself, before speaking to the Queen directly "You're wasting your time. You've already lost. And I will not let you ruin this wedding".
"Oh, I haven't come here to ruin anything. On the contrary, dear, I've come to give you a gift" the Queen tells the couple.
"We want nothing from you" Snow snaps at the Evil Queen.
But you shall have it" she retorts turning to pace the floor as the crowd cower from her "My gift to you is this happy, happy day. But tomorrow, my real work begins. You've made your vows, now I make mine" she stops to face the couple "Soon, everything you love, everything all of you love, will be taken from you. Forever. And out of your suffering, will rise my victory. I shall destroy your happiness…if it is the last thing I do".
With nothing more to add to her threat, the Evil Queen sharply turns to make her way out of the castle only for Prince Charming to cry out to her from behind her.
"Hey!" he yells after her, making her stop and turn back to face them. Throwing his sword towards the Queen, the sword nearly made it's intended target before purple smoke engulfed to disappear in an instant.
Having watched the scene from the comfort of the palace, Elijah Mill's grabbed the book he dropped to watch his sister threaten the newly weds from her magic mirror, quickly seating himself in his chair with the book opened at a random page in his lap for his older sister to return.
An instant later, Regina was back in her castle along with the sword that was thrown towards her as the weapon impaled itself in the wall behind her. Huffing to herself the Queen sharply turned as she slicked her long dark hair around her neck as she sauntered back into the room to see her younger brother sat in his brown leather high backed chair still engrossed in the book she had left him reading when she left earlier.
"So.." her younger brother spoke up from his place in the high back chair "How was the Wedding?" he casually asked her from over his book she constantly found in his hands.
The man, only a year or two years younger than herself sat with his short dark brown hair neatly parted at the side with no hair out of place, his face was clean of any stubble as he sat in his pristine formal gentleman day-wear attire that consisted high waited cream breeches, a blue waistcoat and matching frockcoat. The wide- open collar of the coat and waist coat allowed for the white scarf that was neatly tucked into place around his neck to be seen.
His sister simply scoffed at him in response making him smirk to himself as their father approached her with a silver tray with two glasses of wine on it.
"Would you like something to drink" the elder Mill's asks her.
"Do I look like I need a drink?" she snaps at the man making Elijah look up from his book with a curios eye.
"I was only trying to help" the older man tells his daughter. Taking a glass or herself she meekly looks at the man almost apologetically.
"Thank you" she adds as she calms down, before the older man goes to find his son in his seat.
"That was an awfully big promise you made to them sister" Elijah drawls out as he gratefully takes the glass of wine from his father "Think you can deliver?" he asked her over the rim of the glass as he takes a gulp of the wine, putting his book to one side for the time being.
"I can and I will!" she hotly replies to her little brother. "You don't think I can, do you?".
"If I know you as well as I do know you sister, I'd imagine it's something delightfully gruesome" he couldn't help the corner of his lips twitching up that was quickly mirrored by his sister "But out of curiosity, I must ask. How exactly do you plan on taking their happiness away?".
"The Dark Curse" she answered with a smirk of hers as she drank her wine.
Storybrooke, Maine
Twenty-Eight Years Later
The day began like it usually did for Elijah Mill's as he woke up in the large home he shared with his older sister and ten-year old nephew. Waking up at dawn, the principal of the local school his own nephew attended dusted the sleep of the previous night as he pulled on a pair of running shorts, vest top and running trainer's as he let himself out of the white door on Mifflin Street to start his morning run of the sleepy town.
Passing through town, he was the one of the very few awake at this hour as his trainer covered feet methodically hit the pavement as he focused himself to keep his pace up as he ran through the wildlife preserve, the docks, Granny's diner, Mr. Golds Pawn Shop and the clock tower the stood over the town with its metal hands permanently stuck at 8:14.
As he ran past the diner, his eye's caught the eye's of the young granddaughter that ran the diner along with her grandmother as they argued once again. He couldn't help but mirror the flirty smile she would always give him every morning run. The same smile she would give him for the last twenty-eight years.
Making his way back home, he ran the up the pathway to the large white house as he let himself in as he heard the first murmurings of his sister waking up along with his nephew, Henry, as he made his way back up to his room and to the en-suite bathroom to wash away the workout ready for the work day ahead.
As he looked through his walk-in closet full of pristine clean suit's all hung from hangers next to the other. Taking his time, he chose which one he would wear that day. Hung in order from the lightest color to the darkest about fifteen or so suit's with matching trousers with fresh dress shirts on the wall behind him to choose from and polished shoes neatly stacked in shelves.
Making his way back downstairs he found his sister and nephew in the dining room like he usually did each morning in a fresh clean suit that fitted his slim but strong form.
"Good morning" he greets his small family with a warm smile as he fixes the cuffs of his shirt sleeve under the suit jacket. Stood over her son with a hand on her hip the Mayor of Storybrooke looks up to see her younger brother having only heard him form the confides of her own bedroom returning from his morning run.
"Good Morning Elijah" she greet him with a small smile as he looks to the young boy who hadn't spoken to him like he usually did.
"Good Morning Henry" he repeats himself to the ten-year old. Things hadn't been the same since his nephew had found out he was adopted. He should've seen it coming from the lesson plan he had signed off for his teacher Miss Blanchard. Family Trees. But he supposed it hadn't crossed his mind as he had signed the same lesson plan off by the same teacher for the last twenty-eight years.
"Morning Uncle Elijah" he glumly says into his bowl of cereal without making any eye contact to his Uncle.
Accepting the answer with a nod, the man heads to the kitchen to fix himself something to eat before leaving to start his day at the school. Snatching a red apple from the bowl that sat in the middle counter as he made his way round as he heard a pair of high heel's follow him in.
"Leave him be sister" he tells her sister already knowing what she was about to say "I'll take Henry to his session with Dr. Hopper after school. Then I was thinking on taking him to Granny's afterwards for a hot cocoa if that's satisfactory of course".
"That's fine" she tells him. She knew how guilty he felt for how the boy felt.
"Then it's settled" he says rounding the counter to place a brotherly kiss to her cheek "Have a good day Madam Mayor" at that he grabs his leather briefcase from the living room to take it with him to start his day that wouldn't go as planned.
Once he was settled in his office in the school a knock was heard from his closed office door during morning recess only to reveal Miss Blanchard on the other side to ask him how Henry was, thinking he was at home sick only to tell her he wasn't. Calling his sister to confirm his absence, panic struck his chest when he heard he wasn't at home either.
Dropping everything at the school the principle hurried out of the building to search the entire town himself for any sign of the young boy only to come up with nothing. Losing his tie and unbutton the top two button of his dress shirt didn't help the brick he felt in his throat as he returned home to find Sheriff Graham there already with his sister.
Informing the pair of his failure to find his nephew, his sister threw herself into his taller frame wrapping her arms around him as he held onto her to give her as much comfort as he could placing a gentle kiss on her head as her tears soaked into the shoulder of his jacket.
The hours dragged as the sun dipped into the horizon, and day turned into night was when Graham started to ask the serious questions. But neither Mill's siblings said a thing as they watched the window next to the front door. It wasn't until well after midnight that their relief came as Regina spotted movement in the front yard. Wrenching the door open with all her strength, Elijah followed his sister as she ran to her son on the path leading up to the house with a blonde woman wearing a red leather jacket.
"Henry!" she cried out as she ran out of the door in her heels "Are you okay? Where have you been? What happened?" she asked in quick succession as Elijah watched from the porch as his sister wrapped her around her ten-year old son that wasn't mirrored.
"I found my real Mom!" Henry yelled at her as he pulled himself out of her arms to run into the house completely ignoring his Uncle Elijah and Sheriff Graham.
Looking at the woman in question the Mill's siblings paused to get a good look at the woman that had given birth to their son and nephew. He felt like the air had been sucked out his lungs as he stared at the woman he knew existed but never thought he would ever meet.
"You're Henry's birth mother?" Regina was the one to ask the woman.
"Hi" the blonde woman meekly replied to the pair having heard all about his Evil Mother and Uncle on the way to Storybrooke.
"I'll just go…check on the lad" Graham tells them "Make sure he's alright".
"Yes" Elijah gulped out "You go do that Sheriff" he instructs the sheriff as he keeps his eyes on the blonde woman in front of him. At man's 'order' the sheriff of Storybrooke turns to head into the house to deal with the woman that their son and nephew had brought back with him.
"How would like a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted?" Regina offered the woman.
"Got anything stronger?" the blonde asked. At that Regina led the woman into the house only for the blonde to briefly stop when she met a man that she assumed was Elijah. Henry's Uncle.
"Hello" he greets Henry's birth mother, mustering a warm smile as best he could. Reaching out a welcoming hand to her as he stands just a little straighter than before "I'm Elijah" he introduced himself as Emma get a look at the Evil Uncle. Clean shaven face, his dark brown hair parted in the middle with long-ish, neat bangs that fell like curtains past with side of his head, stood tall in a dark dress shirt and pants.
Glancing down at the offered 'welcome' hand she saw how strong he was from the muscles that were in full view from the way the long-sleeved dress shirt was rolled up to the elbow. Nothing screamed out Evil to her, he was just another man off the street. With maybe a hint of OCD from the way how his polished his dress shoes were.
Hesitantly the blonde takes his hand into hers with a firm shake "Swan. Emma Swan" she tells him as the corner of his lips twitch up.
"Pleasure to meet you Miss Swan. Please do come in" with his free arm he allowed her to enter the home behind her sister as he took as second the shock in the last few seconds of information as he closed his eyes and breathed in the cool night air around him before quickly gathering his thoughts to follow the women inside.
Closing the door behind him, the younger Mill's sibling quickly rolled down his sleeves of his dress shirt before grabbing his suit jacket off the coat hanger he had left it on to quickly fasten the two top buttons of his shirt back up.
Pulling the suit jacket onto his body and buttoning it up, he felt like a new man as he walked pass the blonde woman hovering in the hallway outside to meet his sister coming out of the kitchen with three crystal tumblers in her hands. Taking one from her he followed her to fill the glasses with the much-needed drink.
"How did he find me?" Emma asked the siblings seeing the way they worked together to pour the drinks.
"No idea" Regina answered her "When I adopted him, he was only three weeks old. Records were sealed. I was told the birth mother didn't want to have any contact" she continued.
"You were told right" Emma answers them.
"And the father?" Elijah approached the subject as he poured out a glass for himself.
"There was one" she answered simply.
"Do we need to be worried about him?" he continued his line of questioning.
"No. He doesn't even know" Emma tells them as Regina picks up two glassed from the table.
"Do I need to be worried about you, Miss Swan?" Regina asks next as she approaches the blonde, handing her glass to her as she rounded her in a way that the blonde woman's back meets the doorway like she's trapped in a corner as Elijah walks into the hallway.
"Absolutely not" she tells the siblings. Regina nods accepting the answer for now as the younger of the pair tries to find any hint of lie in her words.
"Madam Mayor. Principle Mills, you can relax" Sheriff Graham make his presence known as he makes his way down the stairs "Other than being a tired little boy, Henry's fine".
"Thank you, Sheriff" Elijah stiffly tells the man quickly dismissing him from the home. Taking the hint from the man of the house the Sheriff leaves as Regina leads Emma and her brother into the study to speak privately.
"I'm sorry he dragged you out of your life. I really don't know what's gotten into him".
"Kid's having a rough time. It happens" Emma says as Elijah shuts the door behind them.
"You have to understand. Ever since I became mayor and with my brother being the principal of the local school, balancing things has been tricky" Regina tells the woman from the mantelpiece of the fire place as Elijah makes himself comfortable on the edge of his high back chair "You have a job, I assume?".
"Uh, I keep busy, yeah" Emma says placing her drink on the coffee table as Elijah put his on the same.
"Imagine having another one on top of it" Regina replies taking a seat on the sofa opposite the blonde "That's being a single mom" she adds glancing towards Elijah as the blonde follows "Having my younger brother with us has helped immensely. But he has his own life, his own career as Henry's Principle to prioritize at times. So, we push for order. Are we strict? I suppose. But we do it for his own good. We want Henry to excel in life. I don't think that makes us evil, do you?".
"I'm sure he's just saying that because of the fairy tale thing" Emma replied picking up her glass to take a sip of the cider.
"What fairy tale thing?" Elijah speaks up from his seat, his eye's narrowing in confusion.
"Oh, you know. His book" the blonde goes on "How he thinks everyone's a cartoon character from it. Like his shrink is Jiminy Cricket".
"I'm sorry. I really have no idea what you're talking about" Regina replied, as she looked to her brother who subtlety shook his head at her.
"You know what? It's none of my business. He's your kid. And I really should be heading back" she says taking a gulp of the drink in her glass as Regina stands from her seat to guide the blonde woman out of the door.
"Of course" she replies ready to see the back of the woman who gave birth to her son only for Elijah to stop Emma from leaving just yet.
"Please, allow me to walk you to your car" Elijah quickly offers as he shoots up from his chair, re-buttoning his suit jacket.
"That's not necessary" Emma tells him.
"I insist. It's the least I could do for returning my nephew home safely" he replied putting a friendly tight-lipped smile of his face hoping she would accept is offer.
"O-okay" she accepts.
Walking out of the large white house, Emma was the one to lead the pair down the wet pathway to the metal gate sat between the green hedgerows that bordered the private home of the mayor and her family.
"What exactly is it that you do that keeps you busy Miss Swan" Elijah inquired with the woman next to him.
"Bail bonds person" she confidently tells the principle.
"You find people for a living then?" he summarized her profession.
"Only those you don't want to be found" she replies.
"Then I guess I'm safe from your searches" he says with an impish smile as they both feel eye's on them. Looking behind them they both see Henry at his bedroom window watching his mother leave with his uncle at the metal gate ready to see his blonde mother off before switching his light off.
"Might I give you a bit of advice Miss Swan" he begins gaining Emma's attention back seeing the cogs work in her mind.
"Uh sure" she nervously accepts.
"Don't come back" he tells her without a beat and straight face "Strangers don't do well in towns like Storybrooke. Especially those you have met my dear sister. She'll go to whatever means necessary to protect those she loves the most and so would I" he tells her as a small grin grows on his lips "A quality we both share I'm afraid. Family above all" he quotes opening the gate for the blonde woman in front of him "Have a safe drive back to Boston Miss Swan. It was nice to meet you" at that the blonde took the man's hint and walked through the gate onto the sidewalk.
As quickly as the gate was open, she heard it shut behind her making her whirl around to see the man's back to her retreating back into the house.
Henry running away from home was becoming an all-too-common occurrence as he and his sister stormed into the sheriff's station the next morning. Returning from his run that morning he was quickly cornered by his older sibling to tell him that his nephew wasn't in his bed when she went to wake him up that morning. Without getting a chance to change into a suit, the man felt a little exposed only in his running gear and jacket he had grabbed on the way back out to find the Sheriff once again.
Storming towards the station Regina took charge as her little bother trailed in behind her as her heels hit the tiled floor as she called for the Sheriff's attention "Graham!" she yelled out as they entered "Henry's run away again. We have to…" she trails off as she and her brother come to a stop seeing Henry's birth mother still in Storybrooke, but inside one of the small cells situated at the far end of the bullpen.
Elijah simply narrowed his eye's at the woman in the cell after his silent threat the previous night.
"What is she doing here?" the dark-haired Mayor asked the Sheriff as she made her way towards the cell to question the blonde "Do you know where he is?".
"Lady, I haven't seen him since I dropped him at your house" Emma tells her and her bother who's stood in the middle of the bullpen in a pair of long shorts and vest with a pair of sneakers on his feet "And, I have a pretty good alibi" she adds pointing out the cell she was currently locked inside.
"He wasn't in his room this morning after Elijah went out for his morning run" she tells the blonde and the Sheriff. That explains the man's outfit Emma thinks to herself.
"Did you try his friends?" Emma asks Henry's adopted mother.
"He doesn't really have any" Elijah informs them from his place. His nephew was a like him in nature. Something he must've picked up in the decade they had been family. Quiet. Keeps to himself. Would often sit in the study with him with a book in each of their laps "Kind of a loner" he adds.
"Every kid has friends" Emma retorts as she thinks "Did you check his computer? If he's close to someone, he'd be emailing them" the blonde tells the trio.
"And you know this how?" Regina snaps at her.
"Finding people is what I do" Emma tells the woman "Here's an idea. How about you guys let me out and I'll help you find him" she offers the siblings and Sheriff in front of her.
"Deal" Elijah speaks up on behalf of his sister and himself taking his sister by surprise as she whirls around to look at him in disbelief "Sheriff, if you would be so kind as to let Miss. Swan out of her cell and then we can proceed to finding my nephew. Let see if she's as good as she says" at that the man walked out of the station more than ready to see if Henry's birth mother was up to the task of finding his nephew once again.
Returning to the large home for the blonde bail bonds person to look through his nephew's computer, gave the younger Mill's sibling to change out of his running gear into a suit. Feeling more comfortable than before he found his sister in her son's room with Emma sat at the small desk at his computer with Sheriff Graham crouched down next to her as he watched her go through the emails.
"Smart kid – cleared his inbox" Elijah heard the blonde comment from his place in the doorway "I'm smart too" Emma adds showing Graham her small USB drive on her set of keys "A little hard disk recovery utility I like to use" she says inserting it into the machine.
"I'm a bit more old-fashioned in my techniques" Graham tells her as Elijah watched his sister rifle through her son's things trying to find something herself with a worried hand on her hip "Pounding the pavement, knocking on doors, that sort of thing".
"You're on salary. I get paid for delivery. Pounding the pavement is not a luxury that I get" Emma tells the man in uniform as she recovers information from his nephews computer.
"Huh. His receipt for a website. . It's expensive. He has a credit card?" Emma asks Regina and Elijah who she heard come back after excusing himself.
"He's ten" Regina simply answers her.
"Well, he used one" Emma informs her finding the next piece of information for the Mill's siblings "Let's pull up a transaction record. Mary Margaret Blanchard" she reads off the screen gaining Elijah's attention "Who's Mary Margaret Blanchard?".
"Henry's teacher" Elijah speaks up knowing where they had to go next.
In classroom at the local school, the timid fourth grade teacher Miss Mary-Margaret Blanchard was in the middle of her lesson about the birdhouses they were currently making to go outside their classroom window for all the feathered creatures to use as shelter as she held a small blue colored one gently in her hands. She spoke as the children listened to one of the popular teachers in the school Elijah Mill's managed.
"As we build our bird houses, remember – what you're making is a home, not a cage. The bird is free and will do what it will. This is for them, not us" she reminds her students as she turns t allow the small bird to leave her hand and fly up to a birdhouse outside her window before turning around to speak to her class "They're loyal creatures. If you love them and they love you, they will always find you".
At that the bell ring indicating morning recess for the school as the children start to stand from their places as their teacher shouted over the excitement of recess "We'll pick this up after recess" she tells her class as they made their way out to go outside "No running!".
"You heard Miss Blanchard class. No running" an authoritative but gentle voice said from the doorway that she recognized straight away as he made his way into her class room. Dressed in his usual pristine suit and tie the man greeted every child that said hello to him as he finally made it through to the other end to be greeted by his teacher.
"Principle Mill's" the pixie haired teacher greeted her boss and friend with a sweet smile as he made his way into the classroom. She had to admit she always had a small crush on the man that held himself so well. He was polite, well-tempered and would always fight for the children if the budget came under threat of being cut by his sister. He cared for this school as mush as he cared for his nephew "I wasn't expecting you in school today".
Some days he wouldn't be in the building as he attended various meetings with the school board and the Mayor's office.
"That's partly why I'm here Miss Blanchard" he starts "I'm afraid-" he wanted to deal with matter in a calm and cordial way as it was his place of work and his employee they needed to speak to, but his hopes were dashed as his older sister shoved herself through the children to speak to his employee herself as Emma trails in after her.
"Miss Mills" Mary Margaret brow's furrow in confusion seeing both Henry's Guardians there "What are you doing here?".
"Where's my son?" the mayor demands out of the younger woman with a hint of viciousness behind her words.
"Henry? I assumed he was home sick with either of you" she answers looking between the pair.
"You think I'd be here if he was?" the older Mill's sibling snaps at her "Did you give him your credit card so he can find her?" she asks indicating to Emma who shyly walked into the tense room.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Miss Blanchard asks the blonde stranger.
"I'm his… I'm his…" Emma stuttered.
"The woman who gave him up for adoption" Regina bluntly tells the teacher. At this the teacher takes her purse off her shoulder to take out her wallet.
"You don't know anything about this do you?" Emma asks the teacher.
"No, unfortunately not" Mary Margaret says looking inside her wallet to see her wallet missing "Clever boy… I should never have given him that book".
"What in the hell is this book I keep hearing about?" the mayor asks the woman.
"Just some old stories I gave him" Mary Margaret defends herself "As you well know, Henry is a special boy. So smart, so creative, and as you might be aware, lonely. He needed it".
"What he needs is a dose of reality" the mayor tells her "This is a waste of time" turning to leave the mayor knocks down a pile of books onto the floor much to her brother's exasperation "Have a nice trip back to Boston" the mayor tells the blonde on her way out before she called for her bother before he could stay and help "Elijah!".
Clearing his throat, the principle gave his teacher an apologetic look before speaking "Excuse me" at that he follows his sister out of the class room leaving Emma behind with the pixie haired teacher.
"Sorry to bother you" the blonde tells the teacher as she goes to help her pick the books back up from the floor.
"No it's… It's okay. I hear this is partially my fault" the teacher tells her as she piles the book sup on her lap.
"How's the book supposed to help?" Emma inquires with the pixie haired teacher.
"What do you think stories are for?" Mary Margaret retorts depositing the books on a nearby table "These stories are classics. There's a reason we all know them" she explains as the pair make their way out of the classroom "They're a way for us to deal with our world. A world that doesn't always make sense. See, Henry hasn't had the easiest life".
"Yeah, she's kind of a hardass" Emma says referring to Regina. She wasn't sure what Elijah was yet. The silent warning the previous night still sat in her mind and yet he would follow his older sister every beck and call, even in the place he worked. Having the mayor as an older sibling growing up probably didn't help.
"No, it's more than her" Mary Margaret corrects her as they turned into the hallway "He's like any adopted child. He wrestles with that most basic question they all inevitably face – why would anyone give me away?" she continues having realized what she had said and in front of who as she turns to turn to face Henry's birth mother "I am so sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean in any way to judge you".
"It's okay" Emma tells her.
"Look, I gave the book to him because I wanted Henry to have the most important thing anyone can have. Hope. Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing".
"You know where he is, don't you?".
"You might want to check his castle" she tells the blonde with knowing smile "Elijah's probably already found him".
Leading the charge into Snow White and her Prince Charming with the purple smoke of the Dark Curse following them. Elijah was the first one to enter the castle grounds with Dark Knights behind him. With a simple wave of his hand the knights left his side to cut down anyone who got in their way of getting to the supposed 'savior' that would break his sister's curse. That was his mission on their final assault of the castle.
In a set of dark armor and cape that was attached to his shoulders, the younger Mill's sibling struggled to push down the grief he felt in that moment build up in his chest for having to lose one of the people he loves the most for the curse to be enacted. But he loved his sister more. His promise to his father was more important in that moment. Her redemption. And if it took devastating an entire population to find that for her, then so be it.
Pulling his word out of its sheath at his waist, the Queen's brother quickly disposed of the defending knights that tried to slow him down as he found his way towards the nursery, he and another knight found the Prince stand back up from the enchanted wardrobe he had heard so much about.
The two men's gaze met as they lifted their swords to fight the other only for the knight with him to attack first opening the already injured Princes stance for Elijah to simply stab the prince with the end of his sword into his gut.
At the near fatal blow, the prince wobbled on his feet as Elijah simply stepped away to let the man fall to the ground at his feet.
"GET THAT THING OPEN!" Elijah barked at the faceless knight seeing the Prince down on the floor. At the order the knight turns using the pommel of his sword to force his way into the locked wardrobe. After a few blows the knight opens the crafted doors and steps back to allow the Prince and Elijah to see the wardrobe empty and the babe gone.
Stumbling into the nursery the Princess found her Prince Charming on the floor with blood stains on his doublet seemingly dead as she tried to make herself move faster to get to him.
"No" she sobbed seeing her true love "No,no, no" she repeats throwing herself onto the floor next to him trying to shake him awake only to get no response from the man she loved "Please. Please come back to me" she begged cupping his face in her hand. Leaning down she placed her lip on his hoping true love kiss would wake him up only for nothing to happen.
She kissed him again, but it didn't work. Hearing footsteps come closer she looks up to see the Evil Queen striding into the room in victory.
"Oh, don't worry, dear" the Queen purrs out with a grin on her face seeing the royal couple on the ground defeated "In a few moments you won't remember you knew him, let alone loved him".
"Why did you do this?" Snow asked with tears in her eyes.
"Because it's my happy ending" the Evil Queen sneered at her, before two knights entered the room with her brother, Elijah, heading the trio in a set of dark armor and sword in hand.
"The child?" the Queen asks her knights and brother.
"Gone" Elijah reports to his sister "It was in the wardrobe, then it was gone. It's nowhere to be found" hearing this the Queen turned to the Princess on the floor.
"Where is she?" she demanded out of Snow.
"She got away" Snow said smiling to herself before looking at the Queen "You're going to lose; I know that now. Good will always win".
"We'll see about that" the Queen retorted as the ceiling above them started to crumble until it it was sucked into the purple storm above them. The wind whipped around them encircling the four as the Queen stood triumphantly in-front of them.
"Where are we going?!" Snow asked the Queen over the swirling winds.
"Somewhere Horrible" the glass window shattered into the room as the curse grew in strength by the second.
"Absolutely horrible, a place where the only happy ending will be mine" the Evil Queen says as the rest of the window's caved in, the purple smoke of the dark curse engulfing the room taking them to the Land of No Magic.
Arriving at the playground that had seen better day on the coastline of the town, the blonde found the wooden castle- like jungle gym structure that Mary Margaret had been talking about to find Henry sat there with his backpack as she saw another figure stood by their own car as they kept his distance between himself and his nephew.
"Miss Swan" Elijah greets her as he keep a close eye on the ten-year old sat on his castle. With Henry's storybook in her arms the blonde left her car to approach the man watching his nephew.
"How long did you know he was here?" the blonde questioned the man in the suit.
"Not long" he answers her as he "He likes to think I don't know him as much as I actually do".
"Then why don't you talk to him?".
"I feel that's something you need to do Miss Swan" he says to her "Please, forgive me for my words last night. I was only trying to look out for what little family I do have".
"Family above all?" she quoted his words back to him.
"Exactly" he replied with a grin "All I ask is that you return him home in one piece, even if that is possible on that thing".
"I can do that" the blonde promises him.
"Good" he states as he opens his car open to climb in and leave "Than you might just survive staying here after all" he adds climbing into the driver's seat closing the door shut.
"Who says's I'm staying?!" the blonde asked the man through his window making a tight lipped smirk tug on his lips.
"Henry is" Elijah replies to himself that went unheard by the blonde woman as he drove back home knowing the woman would make the right decision int he end. He would enjoy his sister deal with the woman's presence in their lives.
It was time a hero came to town.
After seeing his nephew safely back home, the youngest Mill's sibling found himself alone in his room out of the suit jacket and his dress shirt unbuttoned at the top as he nursed a glass of amber liquid in his hand as he searched for something in his bedroom as his eye's caught sight of the silver wall mounted stag head that had been mounted about his bed. The Noble Stag.
The irony. He wasn't always Noble. And he had proof of that.
Stacks of paper and books littered on every surface available to him to store them as he made his way through the slight mess depositing his glass in it to find the closet that held his suits. Going straight to the back of the closet the man pulled out part of the shelving to open a hidden compartment that was big enough to keep the only picture that ever existed of him in all the realms.
The canvas portrait had gathered dust over the years as he forgot about it existence as he slid out of of it's place, lifting it's heavy frame to take it out of the closet carefully moving around his room to take it to the widow. Turning the heavy frame around the man balanced the frame against the sill of his widow to swipe away the thick layer of dust that had settled upon the canvas to reveal his own face looking back at him, but it was full of deep set in winkles as the skin on his face sagged from age.
The picture had taken the brunt of the overindulgence of his pleasures in life in his youth while his sister was Queen. The Dark Curse had come just in time for him as his curse had started to catch up with him. The Land of No Magic was the only place to save her baby brother from his own early demise.
As he gazed upon the picture he saw something move in the corner of his eye from out of his window that made him look up as his eye's found the yellow clock tower in the distance.
The long minute hand had moved from its frozen position of 8:15 for the first time in 28 years.
AN: Hope you enjoyed the very first chapter of The Picture of Elijah Mills.
Would love to get some feedback for this story to see if it's something worth carrying on, while I'm working on the Evil Queen's Black Widow.
Thank you so much for reading!
- 06bromleys
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