Once Upon a Walker

Chapter 4

"Just wait until we get back to the enchanted forest," Ruby said, "...you're going to love it there, I just know it." Daryl already had his arm around her shoulder but she wiggled just a little closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "...and if you don't like it, we can always go back to Storybrooke," she added.

"I'm sure I'll like it fine," Daryl assured her. After his upbringing, living in his car, and most recently living in a run down prison, he wasn't too picky about where he hung his hat. "As long as yer there, I'll like it," he clarified. Daryl was trying to keep his voice down. But clearly he wasn't talking quietly enough, because from the other side of the small campfire he heard Merle's loud grunt of indignation. Daryl ignored him, hugging Ruby closer to his side. Merle could huff and snort all he wanted. He wasn't going to be able to bully or shame Daryl into forgetting his feelings. Not this time.

We'll kill anyone that tries to take her from us.

Daryl grinned, snickering slightly at the new addition to his inner monologue. He started hearing the voice shortly after he transitioned back into his human form after his first shift. Ruby explained to him that the voice belonged to his wolf. Which made sense, because the owner of the voice seemed quite feral. The mental interloper had yet to introduce himself. From what Daryl could tell so far, the beast's main focus seemed to be on Ruby and making sure Daryl stayed as close to her as possible. His mind was calmest if he was touching her. Preferably some sort of skin on skin contract. But since that wasn't always possible, Daryl learned quickly that he had to at least keep the woman in his line of vision. She stepped away for a moment, when they were gathering wood for the fire. Daryl wasn't sure where she went and his wolf became so irate that he forced himself out, shifting so suddenly that Daryl scared the piss out of Glenn, who had the misfortune of having been walking past him at the time. After that, Daryl was careful to keep close to her.

The sound of a small animal scurrying nearby caught Daryl's attention. Even when he was in his human form, his hearing and vision were sharpened. Ruby smiled when the small chipmunk darted past her and scampered into the clearing. It got on his hind legs and looked around, spotting Beth warming her feet by the fire. It scampered in her direction and hopped up onto her knee, chittering at her. She stared at the small animal as though she could understand what it was saying to her.

"Do we have any extra food?," she asked. Mary Margaret nodded, grabbing a slice of bread and handing it over. Beth smiled, handing the bread to the little chippy.

"Will this help?," Beth asked. The animal took her offering, making more of the excited chattering noises. "You're very welcome," Beth said, smiling after the little chipmunk as it ran back the way it came, dragging the bread slice along with it. When Beth looked back at her companions, she noticed that people seemed to be giving her strange looks.

"Everyone could hear that chipmunk talking to me right?," she asked. The animal was speaking in plain english. And after getting attacked by flying monkeys and watching Daryl turn into a giant black wolf, a talking chipmunk didn't seem that strange. But she could see people shaking their heads. The animal's request for a small something to eat just sounded like normal animal noises to them,

"I could hear it," Mary Margaret said. "...but I'm surprised you could. That must mean…" Her statement tapered off, as though she was considering the implications of her words.

"What does it mean?," Beth asked, her voice rising with concern.

"Oh! Nothing bad," Mary Margaret assured her. "It's just that, only princesses have the ability to talk to forest animals." Beth tucked a stray curl behind her ear as she stared at the woman. Unlike her, Mary Margaret looked the part of a princess. She had perfect skin and a beautiful smile. But it was more than that, there was a gentle grace about her. A kindness that seemed to shine from within. And she had another thing that was essential to being a princess. She had her prince by her side.

"I'm not a princess," Beth said, "...my dad's a veterinarian."

"My mom was a farmer," David said, giving her a big smile. "...There's more than one way to become a princess. You can be born one, like Snow was." He ticked his head towards his wife, turning his smile on her.

"Or you can marry a prince!," Henry chirped, finishing his grandfather's explanation. "Maybe that's why you came through in the tornado. Maybe you're here to meet your prince."

"Oh!," Beth exclaimed. She let this strange new idea roll around in her head for a moment. Beth supposed she wouldn't mind meeting a handsome young man, no matter his lineage. Especially if he looked at her the way David and Mary Margaret looked at each other. Seeing them together was like having every romantic movie she'd ever watched come to life. "Do you really think I could meet a prince?," Beth asked. Beth directed her question to Merle, who she considered to be the skeptic of the group. He didn't seem to realize for a moment that she was talking to him. When it finally dawned on him that he was not being expected to take part in what was about the most idiotic conversation he ever heard, he gave another loud snorting grunt.

"I don't flippin' know," he told her, yanking in frustration at the strap that held his arm piece on. "Kiss a few frogs," he suggested, "...see what happens." Beth rose from her spot by the fire, moving in and loosening the strap for him before he ripped his arm apart. She gently pulled on the strap, making sure it wasn't going to pull or tear at his skin before she grabbed the metal piece and gently tugged. He let out a sigh of relief as he scratched at his arm.

Mart Margaret sucked in her breath at the sight of his wrist. His arm ended in a gnarled mass of red angry scar tissue. It healed without serious infection. But it didn't heal well. And she could tell just from looking at it that there was no way the area wasn't still causing him pain and discomfort.

"Were you in an accident?," she asked. Merle shook his head, his eyes flicking briefly towards Rick.

"Got stuck on a roof. Had to cut my own arm off with a saw to escape," Merle said, deciding to leave out Rick's involvement for the time being.

"Oh my," Mary Margaret said, sucking in another hard breath. What she did next surprised Merle. She leaned towards him and rested her hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry that happened to you," she told him. His first instinct was to make a rude remark. But her total sincerity and empathy for him showed plainly in her voice and the expression on her face. He realized at that moment that no one ever apologized to him for what happened. Not even his own brother. Unsure of what to say, Merle simply nodded his head to acknowledge her words. When she pulled away, he felt someone else tugging on the hem of his shirt.

"I'm sorry too," Beth whispered. Merle was focused on her and missed whatever silent communication happened between Emma and Mary Margaret. But he assumed there must have been one, because the next thing he knew, Emma was crouched down next to him.

"I've been practicing this regeneration spell…," she said, the offer clear in her voice. Merle wasn't sure if he liked the idea of someone practicing magic on him.

"I won't turn into a dog will I?," he asked, glancing at Daryl. Emma laughed.

"I'm not a DOG," Daryl hollered from across the fire. "I'm a wolf!"

"Yeah?," Merle spit back. "I bet ya got two wolves inside you. Fightin' fer dominance. One of 'em is retarded. The other one's retarded too. 'Cause yer a RETARD!" Carl and Henry both exploded into laughter. And since he now had a cheering section, Merle opened his mouth to shout out a few more of his choice opinions. He couldn't swear. But that didn't mean he had to be nice. Before he could say anything else, Emma thumped him in the chest. Then she snapped her fingers in his face to make sure she had his attention.

"The spell?," she asked, "You want me to try it or not?" Merle gave her a pointed glance. She tried to keep a serious look on her face when she sighed and added, "...it won't turn you into a dog." Merle held up his wrist stump, looking at the painful twisted mass of scar tissue.

"What the hay," he said, "...it's not like it can get any worse."

Emma nodded. She knelt down, sitting on her heels. Then she gestured to Merle, reaching for his bad arm. She wrapped her hands around his wrist, getting as close as she could to the stump where his hand should be without touching it. Then she closed her eyes. She took a few deep breaths. And for a moment, Merle didn't think anything was going to happen. But then he started to feel a weird tingle. Almost like his fingers were tingling. But they were the fingers that weren't there. His wrist began to glow. And there was light shining from Emma's palms. But since she was gripping his arms, it looked like the end of a flashlight when someone put their fingers over it. The light and the tingling increased. And then there was a blast of energy that knocked both of them back and away from each other.

"Holy cracker," Merle hollered.

"Are you okay?," Emma asked, pushing herself up off the ground. Merle sat up, holding his hand out in front of him and staring at it in total disbelief. He clenched it into a fist, then released, stretching his fingers out before wiggling them around.

"It worked," David said. Carl and Henry started clapping their hands, applauding not only Emma's good work but the great entertainment all of this was for them.

"I can't flocking believe this," Merle said, staring at his hand for another moment before he turned to Emma and thanked her. "That was the best flickering thing that's ever happened ta me!" Emma laughed, rising to her feet and giving Merle a pat on the back before she headed back to sit by Rick and the boys.

"That was really something," Rick said, feeling like anything he said after that display would sound lame.

"Stick around," Emma teased back, "...you'll see some more."