Chapter 9
Past
As Grim and Derek are at the training grounds at the break of dawn, Derek still couldn't believe when he saw Grim hitting the target every time. "I still don't get how you're so good at that. Have you ever missed your target?" Derek asked with amazement.
"No."
When Grim took note of Derek shaking his head, he smirked and continued on with his archery practice. He soon stopped though when the guards around him were looking past him, so both Grim and Derek turned to see Odette making her way through the training grounds. Her long, flowing, brown hair was tied behind her back. Instead of a dress, she wore dark trousers, black leather boots, a leather vest, and a white blouse with a sword at her hip.
She had a pleasant smile on her face as she made her way over to Grim and Derek with her guard stationed a few feet away from her. Derek gave Grim a warning look as he nudged his shoulder to see the other guards staring at them as Odette approached them. It wasn't as if Grim and Derek didn't like her; they just didn't like all of the attention they were receiving, especially Grim, as he knew about the rumors circulating throughout the castle.
"Why are you here, Nora?" Derek asked, but he soon regretted what he said from the way it came out as she rose a quizzical brow. "I'm sorry. I mean...don't you want to get some sleep. You don't want to be here so early in the morning with us."
She then smiled at him as she told him, "I'm fine. I've had plenty of restless nights before. This isn't any different."
"Still," Grim began with a stern tone. "This is no place for you here."
"And why is that?"
She seemed almost insulted by the question, which aggravated Grim even more as he believed that her stubbornness and her willfulness was going to get her killed one of these days. He wished that she was a lot more mindful of her actions, because he already believed that Rothbart didn't have any good intentions with her. Grim certainly wouldn't want to see her situation grow worse. It was better for her to keep her head down and not draw much attention to herself just like what Grim was trying to do with Regina.
"Because you could get hurt."
It was a lame excuse since he knew Odette was already careless enough as it was, and even Odette was unfazed by it as she gestured to the sword at her hip. "You don't have to worry. I won't get hurt so easily."
"Just because you have a sword, doesn't mean you know how to wield it," Grim pointed out.
She nodded her head then and agreed with him. "You're right, but who says I don't know how?"
Grim wanted to convince her to go back, but it was already too late as Sinbad made his way through the soldiers and noted each one that was present, but his smirk grew when he saw Odette as he stopped walking and stared her down to which she did the same by giving him a cold stare. "Lady Nora, shouldn't you be practicing your embroidery instead of coming here? Would be a shame if you broke one of your delicate bones."
She smirked then, taking in his challenge. "Oh, I can handle myself just fine with a sword."
"Hmm, let's see how good you are then," Sinbad said as he drew his sword, while the men gathered around to watch the fight.
Odette was ready to draw her sword, but Derek was the one who warned her. "Sinbad has only ever been beaten by one man. He's practically untouchable. You don't want to fight him."
As calm as can be, she said confidently, "if one man beat him before, then that means someone else can."
Grim felt the need to pull her back and tell her to go back to her room, but when he saw the look in her eyes, he realized that she was determined to fight him. To be honest, Grim didn't blame her. After everything Sinbad had done while she stayed here, she wanted to show him that she wasn't afraid of him. It was if she had something to prove to him, and when she looked up at the balcony, Grim did too and was surprised to see Regina and Rothbart staring down at the scene before them.
"What is your betrothed doing there?" Regina asked with very much disdain as she stared at her like a dangerous insect that needed to be squashed.
"I haven't the faintest idea," Rothbart replied.
Grim then turned back to Odette and saw a smirk crossing her face as she continued to stare at Rothbart, and at that moment, Grim knew that she came down here on purpose to show Rothbart that she wasn't going to submit to him so easily as she unsheathed her sword and made her way over to the center of the ring.
Both Derek and Grim were amazed how she held the sword with one hand and twirled it around so effortlessly as she slowly approached her opponent. Sinbad couldn't help but chuckle seeing her move. He wanted to teach her a lesson. He just didn't expect her to get the best of him when he lunged his sword at her only for Odette to quickly dodge out of the way and repeatedly smack his blade from top to bottom with little effort as she caught him off guard before pointing her blade against his neck. Sinbad's smile quickly faded when he realized how skilled she really was.
Sinbad clearly underestimated his opponent as she was not willing to back down from him, but Sinbad was not the type to be intimidated so easily. However, if Odette was playing this game, then he was going to do the same by not holding back either. That was why he lunged again only for her to step to the side to avoid his attack before he swung at her, causing her to kneel to the ground before using the side of her blade to touch his stomach as he grunted when he felt the steel blade against him.
She was very close to cut him open, but she was careful not to make him bleed. As the men whispered more about Sinbad in front of him, he was growing more and more irritated that she was actually beating him at his own game. Even Derek told Grim that he never imagined for Odette to be so good before. Enough was enough though as Sinbad wasn't going to let her get away humiliating him.
When she stood up again, he swung at her when her back was turned only for Odette to bring her arm up as her sword blocked it. Their blades clashed and clanged against each other, and when they collided with their swords meshed together, he gritted his teeth when he saw that Odette was struggling to match his strength but still held on, so he moved his sword a bit by bringing it down so that he could kick her hard in her abdomen as she fell backwards and grunted in pain, causing Sinbad to smirk by seeing her on the ground like a dog.
Grim wanted to step forward to stop this by wiping the smug look off Sinbad's face, but his eyes soon widened when he saw Odette glare at Sinbad before she brought her legs up and whirled around to flip herself back on her feet with her crouching down and holding her sword by her side, causing Sinbad to be caught off guard again for a brief moment but soon grew serious when she charged at him as their sword clashed and clanged again only for Sinbad to knock her sword away.
Odette, however, wasn't going to let him get the best of her. Just because she no longer had a weapon in her hand, it didn't mean that she wasn't going to stop fighting. When he tried to slash at her, she moved out of the way and reached for the dagger on his belt as she unsheathed it and brought it to his neck while his sword pointed at hers. They were both huffing out quick breaths, and when Odette handed him his dagger back. He stared at it for a brief moment before putting it back in its sheath while she went to pick up her sword.
When she looked back at Sinbad, the smile that he wore wasn't exactly pleasant as he told her, "Clearly one of us underestimated their opponent." When he noticed that the guards around him were still in amazement by Odette's skills, he snapped, "Shouldn't you all get back to train?"
The knights wasted no time as they rushed to follow Sinbad's order. Odette then glanced back at Rothbart and saw that he was still glaring at her which didn't bother Odette since she proved that she wasn't going to submit to him so easily. Rothbart then walked away when he saw enough, leaving Regina perturbed as she was trying to figure out who his betrothed really was. Still, she wasn't going to allow Odette to take what's hers as she saw her approaching Grim and Derek again.
"That was amazing, Nora! I don't even think Sinbad had ever been so angry before whenever he fights someone."
As Odette thanked Derek for his compliment, it left Grim wondering as he spoke up, "Where did you learn to fight like that?"
She smirked as she replied, "A old friend taught me. He was a traveler, but no one in my village liked him because he was a foreigner. He was kind, smart, and fast. He even had me chasing cats one day as part of my training."
"Cats?" Grim rose a quizzical brow as he seemed unimpressed by the lesson her teacher gave her.
"He said that every swordsman should study cats. They're as quiet as shadows and light as feathers. You have to be quick to catch them."
"You must've been young then when you learned, Nora," Derek asked.
"Fifteen years old," Odette admitted proudly. "If it hadn't been for his teachings, I wouldn't have survived for so long."
"He must have been that good then. What happened to him though?"
"He was hurt so bad protecting me from soldiers, but he soon came to my window as a cat." Both men were confused, so Odette brushed it off by telling them, "Long story." Grim noted the sadness behind her tone, but he was soon caught off guard when he heard her ask, "Anyway, how's Akela doing? Did you feed him yet?"
Grim was actually surprised that she held concern for Akela, and it made him pleased to hear that she cared for his friend. "He's fine. I was just going to feed him after training." He paused for a moment and thought about her kindness. Against his better judgement, he asked, "Do you want to come with me after training to feed him?"
Her smile was so genuine because he wanted to include her, and Odette believed that maybe he wanted to get closer to her as he enjoyed being in her company. "I'd love to."
"Meet me at the wall later."
As Odette left, Derek then turned to Grim to ask him, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
Grim also admitted that it may seem dangerous, but being with Odette was actually refreshing than being with Regina. "She's a lot smarter than what people here think. She'll be fine."
Present
As Emma made her way inside Granny's Diner, she saw Ashley, Ruby, and Nora talking to each other after Ruby handed Nora her to go cup of coffee. "I still can't believe you got enough money for a new sewing machine," Ashley turned to Nora with a bright smile.
"Yeah. Amir's full of surprises."
Her comment didn't satisfy Ruby as she scowled and grabbed a rag to clean up one of the tables. "That's one word to put it." When Ruby finally noticed Emma, she acknowledged her, causing Nora and Ashley to turn to her, "Hey, Emma."
"Hey guys."
"Emma, I still didn't get a chance to congratulate you on being sheriff," Ashley said.
"Don't worry about it. I'm pretty sure you've been busy with work and your baby." Emma then turned to Nora to ask her, "So, Amir got you enough money to get a new sewing machine. Why would he do that?"
"Well, I told him that it wasn't working, so I was doing everything by hand for a while, and he gave me the money after I took his measurements."
Emma raised a skeptic brow when she heard Nora's explanation, finding it suspicious that Amir would give her a lot of money out of the kindness of his heart. "And, he just gave it to you without any strings attached?"
"Yeah." Even though Nora told Emma that Amir did it out of generosity, Emma wasn't buying it, and Nora could tell since Emma was rather suspicious of almost everyone, which was why Nora continued to say, "I know he may seem bad, but he really isn't what the rumors say about him."
"What rumors?" Emma pressed.
At that moment, Ruby cut in to say with a deceitful smile yet her eyes expressed hate as she spoke about Khan. "Oh that he's got this entire town wrapped around his finger. He knows everything about everyone's business, and no one has any idea how."
"Don't forget about all of the crimes." Emma was getting more invested in the story as Ashley continued, "There are plenty that talk about thefts, burglaries, and assaults, but the one everyone's invested in is what's going on in his bar. Everyone thinks something's going on in the back."
"Like what?"
"No one knows, but he usually disappears there."
"No one can ever prove whatever he's up to," Ruby chimed in with a pitiful scowl.
Nora didn't like the fact how Ashley and Ruby were painting an awful picture to Emma since Nora saw Amir as someone who was misunderstood, which was why she dismissively told them, "Can we please stop talking about him?" She then looked at the clock on the wall as she told the girls, "I'm sorry. I gotta go."
Emma watched Nora leave with her coffee before turning back to Ashely and Ruby. "Looks like Nora doesn't believe these rumors if she was walking out like that."
"Don't take it personally," Ruby reminded her as she explained, "Nora likes to see the good in people even if that person can be a complete scumbag, but...it shows how much heart she has. It still amazes us how she can even see something good in Gold."
That caught Emma's attention as she questioned, "Mr. Gold?"
"She considers Gold a friend," Ashley chimed in, "and the only reason why is because he always helped her out without giving her a price. He always extended her rent deadlines if she couldn't come up with the money, he repaired her shop, and he gave her a great deal on her apartment. She pays less than pretty much all of the tenants there, including yours and Mary Margaret's."
"Why would he do that?" Emma asked with speculation.
"No one knows," Ruby answered, "but this whole town thinks that Gold's in love with her, so he he wants her to love him back by going out of his way for her."
As Emma listened to Ruby, she then thought about Gold. He was a very interesting character, but it was to the point where Emma knew she needed to be wary of him from the moment she met him, and the way how she won the election was proof of it as Gold planned it all. That being said, she still had no idea why Gold assigned her this case with Amir. Why does he desperately want him behind bars?
Meanwhile, Nora went to Amir's bar with a box in her hand. She was fascinated to see how dedicated he was with his work by ordering his employers to do their job properly. He showed them that the bar wasn't completely clean or how he reminded them to stop over pouring drinks so that they wouldn't lose any more money.
When he finally noticed Nora, she approached him with a small smile blooming her face, so he gave her his signature smirk as he saw the package in her hand. "That for me?" he asked.
"The suit. I managed to finish it two days before the deadline." As she handed him the package, she told him, "Just be sure to let me know if anything needs to be adjusted properly."
He smiled and took the box from her as he set it in the countertop of his bar before thanking her and giving her the money for the job she did. As soon as she took the money, her fingers brushed against his, and for a brief moment, she was transported back to her memories of the nightly encounter they had. Even though it was nice to be with someone else to take away the frustration and pain that Nora was going through, she regretted the decision she made. She didn't want anyone to find out about her one night stand with Amir since it would not only show how unprofessional she was but also how she was not willing to wait to listen to Graham's excuse.
She needed to let Amir know that it must not be repeated to anyone, which was why she did, "Hey, Amir." That caught his attention as he raised a brow. "Does anyone know about what we did? I mean, you didn't tell anyone, did you?"
A flash of disappointment crossed his eyes, but it quickly changed into something stoic, yet he had a smile on his face as he told her, "No. It'll be our little secret." Nora was relieved that he didn't tell anyone, but she was caught off guard when he asked, "Was it really that bad for us to be together?"
Nora was completely perturbed by his question, so she let him know. "Amir, I honestly wasn't thinking what I was doing. I wanted to get over Graham, and I realized I made a mistake after it happened when I got home."
"Except you're not with Graham anymore, so why should you care?"
His argument made sense. However, what she did with him felt wrong. She wanted to get over Graham, but the way how she went about it wasn't right. She completely moved on right away by sleeping with Amir. If her emotions didn't get the better of her, then she would have much more self-respect.
"I shouldn't, should I?" Amir's smile quickly faded when she continued, "But, what we did was wrong. As soon as I broke up with Graham, I was with you, and I wasn't even thinking."
He looked so down, avoiding her eye contact as he said, "That's a shame, and I actually thought that maybe there was something there, but you really played me for a fool, didn't you?"
Amir actually sounded hurt, and it made Nora feel even worse about the situation. "Amir, I'm sorry."
"Save it." His biting tone practically caught her off guard. "I've got work to do, so please leave."
As he moved past her, she didn't want it to end like this since she believed she saw good in him. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Amir."
He finally turned around to tell her off as he sneered at her, "It's a little late for that, don't you think?"
Nora really didn't mean to hurt his feelings, but she felt terrible over this whole ordeal. She knew the damage was done, and she wasn't sure if she could mend the relationship. That was why she walked out of his bar, knowing that Amir wasn't going to hear her out. She was just going to have to wait another day to talk to him.
After she left, Amir watched her until she walked out the door, and all Amir did was smirk to himself, knowing that he had the recording of her. If there was one thing Amir was good in, especially in his previous life, was having predictable allies. They weren't a threat to him, and he could easily pretend to be a friend to them so that if he had something on them, then he could use it against them. That was why he was definitely going to teach Nora a lesson to not trust others so easily. He just had to wait when the time was right.
Past
Odette and Grim met at the woods, and she sat by the tree stump, watching Grim in amazement as he fed Akela. It was still fascinating to see how he could approach a wolf. She even thought of the way how he grew up. Akela was all Grim had left, which explained why both Akela and Grim trusted each other so much.
Her smile stretched from ear to ear when the wolf practically gnawed at the meat on the ground. It may be a great animal that many people feared, but Odette couldn't help but think how majestic it was. To be so close to a wolf was unbelievable. She never would've thought about it until it happened.
Grim clearly noticed Odette's reaction as she continued to watch his furry companion. He then stared at the meat in his hand and wondered for a moment. He never allowed anyone to approach Akela before since he thought all humans were complete fools and evil by nature with the exception of Derek. However, Odette was completely different. She almost reminded him of Snow White after he read her letter and spared her life. That was why Grim felt like helping her too since he knew that she had a good heart even if she was stubborn to listen to him at times.
"Do you want to feed him?"
Her smile slowly fell, but it quickly turned into an awkward smile when she processed his question. "No. It's okay."
He knew she was nervous, so he assured her, "You don't have to worry. Akela would never hurt you if he sees you as a friend."
"He's only ever seen me once. How could he think I'm his friend?"
"If you trust me, then feed him," he said stretching out his hand to give her the piece of meat.
She was hesitant to take it, but with Grim's insistence, she got up from the tree stump, and slowly took the meat, feeling the blood coating her hand. Odette then froze when she finally noticed Akela staring at her. When she tried taking a step forward, he snarled at her, forcing her to take a step back and swallowed the small lump in her throat. Grim assured to keep trying, so she made sure to keep her head down as she practically lowered her back to offer the meat to Akela but made sure to keep herself a distance away so that he wouldn't snap at her and that he would approach her instead.
Akela stretched out its neck to sniff the meat before it cautiously pressed its paws against the dirt to bring its snout closer to her hand. Odette dared not to look at him in the eye, because she didn't want to aggravate it. It was a little nerve wracking to see him sniffing the length of her arm. Eventually, though, it went back to her hand to sniff the meat again.
When she noticed it wasn't making anymore movement or noise, she couldn't help but spare a glance at the wolf and stared at him as it slowly opened it mouth to take the meat from her hand and eat it on the ground in front of her. Her arm was still extended out since she was bewildered that Akela actually took the meat from her hand and was eating it.
She slowly brought her hand back, but she froze and nearly gasped when Grim came up behind her and took the back of her hand. She had no idea what he was doing until he stretched her hand out, causing her to panic a bit as her hand slowly inched closer to Akela while he was eating. However, Odette trusted Grim. She knew that he would never put her in danger, so she let him do what he wanted despite her being afraid. Then again, Odette encountered much more dangerous creatures in her youth, so this wasn't really anything to her.
Odette was amazed again and practically laughed to feel Akela's fur as she slowly stroked it with Grim's hand on top of hers. She was even more amazed that Akela was alright for her to pet him as he continued to eat. She would have never thought she would feed and pet a wolf on the same day.
"I told you," Grim said softly. "If you trust him, then he'll see you as a friend."
Odette slowly turned her head to face Grim and noticed how close she was to him. Her heart leapt a few beats when he stared at her intently. She's only ever had this feeling once a long time ago with a man who broke her heart. She never thought she would ever feel this way again. However, Odette didn't want to feel this way towards him since she wanted to escape from the castle.
Odette finally pulled away from Grim as she smiled awkwardly at him and looked away since she didn't want him to see her face practically flushing. "I'm jealous of you, Grim. You have people whom you're close to. Everyone I've ever loved is gone."
Grim gave her a puzzled expression as he couldn't believe that she would just admit that. "You don't have a family anymore?"
She shook her head before showing the swan necklace around her neck to him. "This is all I have left of my mother. She died shortly after she gave it to me."
"And the rest of your family?"
Grim was astounded to hear her continue her confession as she trusted him so easily, but when she spoke about her father, she was hesitant to answer, "My father became something that my twin brother and I didn't recognize anymore. He used to be kind, but something took root in him-something evil. That was why my brother left. One day, I'm going to find him though, and I won't let anyone get in my way."
Grim had a hunch when she spoke about her father and her brother. It was a long shot, but he couldn't think of any other explanation. That was why he asked her, "Is that why you're with Rothbart? He helped you run away from your father, didn't he?" When she didn't answer, he pressed, "If your father was so bad, then why didn't you try to run away on your own? Why do you need Rothbart?"
She didn't want to tell him that she was cursed by her father as the diamond on her head reminded her of it containing her curse so that she could roam free in her human form rather than be a swan. However, she was too ashamed to admit it to Grim since she knew that he would think that she was too desperate to follow Rothbart's plan without knowing his true intentions. She also knew that she could never tell anyone that her father was The Dark One. She wasn't sure what Grim would think of her if she told him about her parentage. He probably wouldn't believe her. Still, though, she couldn't take a chance, especially with how many enemies her father made. Now, Rothbart and Sinbad were aware of the weapon that could control and kill him. Despite everything her father did to her, she didn't want to see him get hurt, which was why she was willing to stay here at the castle so that she could ensure that they didn't go after her father.
Odette decided though that she would hold the complete truth from him as she explained, "Well, Rothbart claimed that he loved me, and he promised he would help me keep me away from him."
"But you don't love him?"
She shook her head, admitting, "How could I love someone if I don't trust them?"
Now that she finally confessed his suspicions, he knew that she needed to be careful. If she was not saying who she truly was, then it would leave dangerous people like Regina wondering who she really was. That was why Grim would look out for her to make sure that she would be alright and not taken advantage of.
"We should head back," Grim said. "We don't want to stay here too long."
Odette agreed as she wished Akela well by scratching behind his ear as Akela looked up at her before he turned to Grim as he knelt down and told him to take care of himself. They then left Akela as he watched them go, and Odette couldn't help but look back while muttering how she wished she could take Akela with them so that he wouldn't so lonely. Grim assured her that he would be alright as they continued down the path and headed towards the wall.
Unbeknownst to them, Regina looked through her looking glass and glared menacingly at Odette as she watched her with Grim. After hearing everything out of her mouth, it left her wondering even more who she was, but it also left her to deal with her and Grim's relationship. She wasn't going to allow Odette to take what was hers. That was why she was going to make sure that she taught Odette a valuable lesson to never steal anything that didn't belong to her.
Present
After the whole incident with Ava and Nicholas, Emma decided to drive them home since she didn't trust them. Both of the kids said that their mother died, but that they were living with their father, so Emma wanted to take them. It seemed strange though how Ava and Nicholas acted after Emma asked them for their father's number. That was why she said she would take them home since something wasn't right about them.
It wasn't until Emma drove up a dirt path that led to a bunch of old, rookie houses that Ava told her, "You can stop here."
Emma stared at the broken down house and didn't like the look of it. "This it?"
When the kids nodded, Emma was about to get out of the car only to stop when Ava jumped in, "Please, no. If our Dad sees you, he'll be so embarrassed."
The way how she jumped in like that made Emma suspicious even more. "Did Henry tell you about my superpower?"
Ava shook her head, answering, "We just met him."
"I have the ability to tell when anybody is lying. Tell me the truth. Money problems aside, is everything okay at home?"
Emma didn't trust Ava when she heard her say, "Yeah, we're great. Can we go?"
"Alright."
She watched them get out of the car and waited for them to go inside the house. They seemed hesitant though going inside. As soon as they were inside though, Emma hid her car nearby and waited. She was about to step out, but she saw Ava and Nicholas peeked out of the door and looked around. Ava then told Nicholas to go as they rushed into the woods, leaving Emma wondering what was going on, so she followed after them.
They practically ran, leaving Emma chasing after them while making sure she was at a safe distance away so that she wasn't caught to see where they were going. Eventually, she was led to a log cabin in the middle of the woods. Emma hid behind a tree and watched Ava pull a key out of her pocket to unlock the door before heading inside.
When they shut the door, Emma then walked towards the door and listened in to their conversation when Nicholas spoke up. "He's not here?"
Ava then assured her brother by saying, "Don't worry. He'll be back. He probably just went for a walk or something."
At that moment, Emma knew she needed to go in there since they lied about where they lived. The problem though was that she didn't understand why. If their father was really in there, then they would allow Emma to follow them to their actual home. It only meant that they were living with someone else.
Emma knew she needed to step in, and she most definitely did when she barged through the door, catching the brother and sister by surprise. "Why did you guys lie to me?" Emma asked. "Where's your father?"
They both stood in numbed silence, but Ava was quick to compose herself by saying, "He'll be here. You have to go."
"I just need to talk to him."
As soon as Emma said that, they heard wood creaking outside, so Ava and Nicholas froze when Emma turned to the door to meet their father only for her eyes to widen when Graham came walking through the door as he stood there surprised too to see Emma. "Graham?"
"What are you doing here?"
The way Graham spoke was very accusatory, and Emma didn't like it one bit. "Why am I here? What are you doing here...with kids?" He was conflicted to say something, so Emma asked him, not caring that her tone was biting towards him, "Does Nora even know that you have a son and a daughter?"
"They're not mine, Emma," Graham finally admitted before sighing. "Sit down. I'll explain everything."
Graham then admitted to Emma everything about Ava and Nicholas. He told her that they had been living in the cabin for years after him and his previous deputy caught them stealing food from this cabin. He also admitted that Ava and Nicholas didn't have parents as Derek and Graham researched them. Their mother's name was Dory Zimmer who died a few years ago as Graham explained it to Emma while making her coffee and watched Ava and Nicholas across the room playing cards.
"What about their Dad?" Emma asked.
"I don't know. I tried to do a little investigation to find out about him, but when I found more information on the mother, I was worried I was going to get caught since there's too many eyes and ears in town. I know what it's like to be alone, and that's why I didn't want them to be put in the system. I even promised them that i wouldn't let anyone separate them."
"Graham, I get it. You wanna look out for them, but if their father's out there, then we need to go find him." Graham then turned to her when he heard her say, "I know exactly how they're feeling, and I'm not letting them go through what I went through."
"Good luck then," Graham scoffed as he got up, "but just so you know, if their father really wanted them, then he would be there for them in a heartbeat. Now, please leave."
Emma wanted to say something to him, but she realized that Graham made a point. However, it didn't mean that she would just give up. Emma was determined to make it right by finding their father even if Graham wasn't going to help her.
Past
When Grim and Derek followed the soldiers in the woods, Graham glanced over at Rothbart. After everything Odette told him, he knew that Rothbart was up to no good. He had no idea what he wanted with her, but Grim didn't like the situation at all. He really shouldn't care much about her too since he should only look after himself, but after everything he's been through with her, he couldn't help but be concerned about her. Even if she knew how to fight, a sword was no match against magic.
Donna's then came over to him. "Rothbart wants to speak to you."
"For what?"
Hearing his tone, Sinbad gave a cold smirk as he retorted, "Since when do you question the authority? Now, go see what he wants."
Without any choice, Grim went to Rothbart unwillingly as he walked by his side. Rothbart didn't say anything to him. In fact, he didn't acknowledge him by looking his way, and it actually unnerved Grim. He didn't understand what Rothbart was waiting for until about a few more paces in for Rothbart to ask, "Tell me. What do you think of my betrothed, Grim?" Grim snapped his head at him as he couldn't believe what he asked him. "You've both been spending a lot of time together from what I've been hearing, and she seems fond of you."
Grim had no idea what Rothbart was getting at. For him to speak about Odette was strange. He seemed almost possessive of her for some reason, but then again, this wasn't the first time where he talked about her like this. Rothbart seemed pleased when Grim saved her from Sinbad as he told him that she needed someone to look up to. Grim still had no idea why Rothbart approached him then and now, but it couldn't be gone if it was Rothbart.
"She's kind, and she has spirit much more than what I've seen in others."
His answer seemed to have amused Rothbart as his lips curled into a sly grin. "Well, I'm glad to hear that."
Grim wanted to say something to him until he heard someone cry out, "Father! Father!"
He took out his bow from his shoulder and an arrow by pulling it back against the string and rushed over to the sound while keeping his weapon by his side. He was soon surprised to see two young children—a boy and a girl out in the woods alone. They were startled when Grim came out and pointed his arrow at them only for him to lower his weapon so that they wouldn't be scared.
"Who are you?" Grim asked with a gruff.
"Gretel," the little girl answered before gesturing to her brother. "This is my brother, Hansel."
He didn't want the soldiers to find them, so he warned them, "Go home."
"We can't. Our father hasn't returned since last night. We came out this morning to find him."
"It doesn't matter. You have to leave before the soldiers find you here."
As soon as he warned them again, an arrow flew towards them and hit the ground just inches away from Hansel's feet, causing the children to be in distress. Gretel backed away with her brother, holding him close to her, while Grim whipped around to find Sinbad a few feet away from him.
Grim narrowed his eyes at Sinbad when he heard him say with a wicked smirk as he stared at the children, "Well, what do we have here?"
Before Grim could even process that Sinbad was here, the other soldiers didn't take long as they rushed over to see the commotion. Derek was with the other soldiers, and he was surprised to see Grim there with children. Grim nearly froze though when Rothbart made his way to the front and realized the situation as he smirked wickedly.
"Hello, children." Hansel and Gretel tried running away from him when they realized how dangerous he was, and Grim just stood there when Rothbart's hands glowed a burnt orange before extending them out as vines slithered from the trees and flew towards Hansel and Gretel by restricting their legs, causing them to yelp and fall to the ground before turning to Rothbart with frightened expression. "Now, now. That's rather rude of you to run away from me."
Grim couldn't stand it whenever the soldiers attacked women and children, so he stepped forward to protect them. "They're just children. Not rebels."
"Perhaps you're right." Grim was relieved when Rothbart used his magic to let them go until the soldiers grabbed them, causing Gretel to suck in a breath while Hansel stared at them with perturbed fear. "I want to see what their worth is though, and you're going to assist them, Grim since you seem rather protective over these children." He then handed Grim a small vial of red liquid. "Use this on yourself when you reach the door. It'll allow you to go through the barrier."
Grim though didn't trust Rothbart. On top of that, he was too vulnerable protecting two children. They would just be in his way. That was why he needed someone else with him.
"I ask for one thing though." Rothbart stood there with a snug look on his face before turning over to Derek when Grim pointed to him. "Let me bring him."
Derek was a little caught off guard that Grim had the nerve to ask Rothbart for a condition as Rothbart pondered on the thought but soon agreed. "Fine. Best pray you know what you're doing."
As Derek made his way over to them, Rothbart gave them instructions on where to go and what to steal from a blind witch. The more Grim listened to Rothbart, the more he tried to understand what Rothbart was planning. It seemed strange for Rothbart to involve children, but then again, Grim remembered that Rothbart hardly did his own bidding. He tended to have others do it for him, and if that was the game Rothbart was playing, the. grim was going to win the game. He wasn't going to allow him to have his way by putting children in danger.
Present
After finding out that Regina contacted social services about Ava and Nicholas, Emma needed Graham to cooperate with her. She came up with an idea by taking her baby blanket with her to his log cabin. She dauntingly went over to his door and knocked on it before Graham opened it. He didn't let her inside though.
"What are you doing here, Emma?" he asked gruffly.
"Regina contacted social services. Those kids are going to be separated unless you let me help them."
His eyes narrowed at her as he looked back at the kids before shutting the door behind him to tell off Emma lowly, "You told her?"
"I was looking through their birth certificates to see who their father was."
"You don't think I tried that?"
"Graham, I get it. You want to protect those kids, but so do I. I don't want them growing up not knowing who their father was like me." That seemed to have caught Graham's attention as he stared at her so intensely as she added, "I know what it's like growing up without parents, but if their dad's still out there somewhere, then we need to find him before their taken into to the foster system."
Graham breathed in deeply, listening to every word she said. He processed everything that came out of her mouth. He realized that there wasn't time to waste. If they were going to help these kids before social services took them away, then they needed to act fast. That was why Graham opened the door and told Emma before allowing her to go inside, "Do what you need to do for them."
As Emma made her way over to Ava and Nicholas, she caught their attention by calling out their names before showing her baby blanket. "I want to show you guys something."
"What's that?" Nicholas asked.
"It's my baby blanket, something I've held onto my whole life. It's the only thing that I have, from my parents. I've spent a lot of time with a lot of kids in your situation. And all of them, all of us, we hold onto stuffs. I want to find your father, but I need your help. Is there anything of his, you've held onto?"
"I might have something," Ava said, "But if I give it to you, you'll make sure we stay together, right?"
"Right." Emma saw her take out a small, broken compass from her pocket. "A compass?"
"Our mom kept it. She said it was our dad's."
"Thank you."
Before Emma had a chance to leave, Graham stopped her outside. "Emma, wait. Thank you...for what you did in there. If there's a chance for them to have a better life, then they should have it. I also went through foster care. My parents didn't want me, and I thought if their father didn't want them, then I thought that maybe I could help them."
As Emma listened to him, she realized something important as she asked, "Why'd you leave and make me sheriff?"
"Honestly? You do a better job looking out for this town than what I did. I only came here to be away from everyone else. There's something I have to take care of anyway, and being in town didn't help. Too many people not minding their own business."
Emma realized exactly who he was referring to as she asked, "People like Amir? Is that what your case is about?"
He raised a skeptic brow at her then. "What case?"
"I know you're investigating him, Graham," Emma admitted. "I don't know what exactly, but Gold wanted me to finish what you started when I won the election."
"Gold? He said that to you?"
"Apparently, he wants to get rid of Amir too just as much as you," Emma nodded. "He even gave me a file about him."
Graham clearly was outraged by this as he confronted Emma. "But why would he give it to you if he had all of this before you became sheriff? Why now?"
"I don't know. That's something you need to ask him."
And Graham sure was going to confront Gold about this. He didn't understand why Gold decided to help Emma when he knew that Graham was investigating Amir for a few years now. He found it incredibly unfair, and there was no way he was going to let Gold get away with it.
Past
After Grim and Derek left with Rothbart, Sinbad, and some of the other soldiers, Odette thought she would use the opportunity to keep training. She didn't even care that one of the Queen's henchmen's was watching her. Odette wanted to practice her archery skills. She may have been much better with a sword, but at least she hit the target as opposed to some of the other soldiers here. She then thought what would Grim do to make her better.
The feel of his leather gloves on her as he took her hands to steady her arms and guided her just like when he told her to pet Akela. She wanted his touch again, and it made her heart pound excessively against her ears just from thinking about him.
When she released another arrow, it barely hit the outer circle as she sighed before turning over to see the Queen when she heard her, "Not quite as impressive as your swordsmanship skills."
Odette bowed and greeted her, "Your Grace."
"I have to say watching you fight Sinbad was a sight to witness. How is it that a mere peasant learned such a skill?"
Odette nearly froze since she knew that the Evil Queen was suspicious of her, but she quickly composed herself. "A friend taught me, Your Grace." When Regina didn't say anything else to comment, Odette added, "I didn't want anyone to see me as weak, so I wanted to learn how to defend myself."
"Rather extraordinary I think. None of my soldiers have ever beaten Sinbad before, not even my most loyal knight,...Grim." Odette didn't understand why she would just bring up Grim's name all of a sudden as she listened to her intently, "I understand how hard it must be for you to know where you stand between your betrothed and Grim, but you see, Grim has much more important business than to fool around after I called him into my bedchamber the night before."
Her lips parted a bit in stunned silence, not believing what the Queen confessed. Her heart clenched thinking about Grim with Regina. She didn't want to imagine him with any other woman. Oh, how Odette was a fool to believe that she could ever love him when he was already with someone.
"Oh? He hasn't told you, has he?" Even though the Queen seemed sympathetic by revealing this to Odette, she no sooner broke into a condescending smirk. "It is rather bold of you to chase after another man who was never yours in the first place while you were betrothed to another. It must be quite difficult for you though that the man you love has been tugging onto your heart all this time."
Odette was frustrated and hurt by the Queen's confession. She didn't want to believe that Grim would be with someone like her. Then again, he was one of her soldiers. She should have known that he would be loyal to her. It even made her wonder if he ever told Regina about their conversations together. It made her even more uneasy since she was in her commanding presence. However, she still didn't want her to know that she was in love with Grim.
"Forgive me, Your Grace, but I don't love Grim."
Regina was no fool though as she told her firmly, "If you truly love Rothbart, then prove it." She took daunting steps towards Odette and warned her lowly, "Stay away from Grim if you know what's good for you."
As Regina walked away with a satisfied smirk on her face, Odette clenched onto her bow, and her jaw tensed just thinking about her threat. She still couldn't believe that Grim has a romantic relationship with the Queen. It was just unbelievable to her. She used all of that pain to fire another arrow at her target only to miss completely, causing her to look at the ground in disappointment while her vision was getting blurry from the tears ready to spill her face.
Meanwhile, Grim and Derek continued trekking through the woods after Rothbart instructed them where to go with the children, Hansel and Gretel in front of them. It was clear that they still didn't trust them fully as they looked away from Derek when he caught them staring at them. Grim then wondered what Derek was doing when he went over to an apple tree to juggle three apples after picking them up.
Hansel and Gretel just stared at him in somewhat wonder before smiling at each other. Grim just smirked and shook his head at his friend's behavior as Derek kept juggling while doing some tricks like how he threw them in the air one by one before catching two of them and put his arms behind his back as he bent over to catch the third one.
The children laughed at Derek's antic and grinned from ear to ear when he tossed two apples at them before offering his friend one, but Grim shook his head, so Derek shrugged and took a big bite out of it. "Alright. We need to get moving," Grim said. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we get back."
"You're sure the witch's house is this way?" Derek asked before taking another big bite out of his apple.
"That's what Rothbart said, so that's where we're going." When Grim noticed Gretel staring at a compass around her neck, he asked, "Why do you keep fiddling with that thing?"
"It belonged to my father. He gave it to me so that I can find him, but now it's broken."
Derek tried cheering them up by saying that they would reunite with their father soon, and he promised that Grim and him would make sure that nothing would happen to them. Grim wished that he didn't make such promises though since Grim was sure that Rothbart was up to his tricks to ensure harm came to these children.
By the time they reached the witch's house, Hansel and Gretel marveled at the sight. Nothing but sweets coated the house. Hansel even took a step forward towards the sweets, but Grim stopped him by grabbing his shoulder and pulling him back. "You can't be tempted, remember? Don't eat anything." He then turned over to Derek to tell him, "Stay outside to be a lookout. If I'm not back and they get out, take them away from here."
Grim then let Hansel and Gretel go with him to the window. They were able to go through, but Grim was stopped by a protective magical barrier. He then remembered the red potion that Rothbart gave him, so he took it out and put it on himself as Grim glowed red for a brief moment. Grim then extended his arm out and realized that the potion worked as he could now climb through the window.
As soon as he made it inside though, the room was completely enamored by sweets, causing Hansel and Gretel to be amazed by the glorious sight, so Grim focused their attention back on him as he whispered, "Don't touch anything. We're here for a reason."
They all then noticed the witch sleeping on a chair beside a fireplace, so Grim brought a finger to his lips, telling them be quiet. They then looked around for the leather satchel—the one that Rothbart told him to find. Grim had no idea why it was so important, but he had no choice but to follow his orders if it meant for those children to be safe.
Grim finally found the satchel and told Hansel and Gretel to stay there while he went to get it. It was close to the witch, so Grim crept ip to it, careful not to wake her. When the witch snored, Grim froze and steadied his breathing so that she wouldn't wake. When she slept peacefully again, he continued forward and succeeded on grabbing the satchel.
"Hansel, no," Gretel warned.
Grim turned around to see Hansel eating a cupcake with frosting all over his mouth. Grim wanted to tell him to put it away, but it was too late. The Blind Witch woke up. The fire roared in the fireplace, causing them to look to see small bones inside. Grim then realized that she eats children, so they needed to leave.
"Run!" Grim yelled out, turning to them.
Hansel and Gretel tried leaving first with Grim following behind out the door, but the Blind Witch used her magic in time to slam the door in their faces. They then tried for the windows, but the windows soon shut too before they even had a chance to get to them.
"I smell dinner." the witch smiled as she turned to them.
Present
Graham was still furious that Mr. Gold had a file on Amir and never bothered to help him, so he decided to confront him. He didn't care that some people in town looked at him and whispered to themselves. Grim knew it would happen sooner or later when he made his way back.
When he entered Gold's pawn shop, the bell alerted Gold as he looked up and smirked to see Graham standing there before approaching Gold. "Sheriff Humbert, or I should say, Mr. Humbert since you are no longer sheriff."
As soon as Graham reached the glass case, he put in his hands on it and leaned in while glaring daggers at Gold who was unfazed by him as his smirk stayed on his face. "What do you know about Amir, Gold?"
"I'm afraid you have to be much more specific."
"The file." Graham blurted out. "Emma told me you gave her a file on Amir Khan."
His smirk never left his face, and it infuriated Graham even more as Gold argued, "Well, she is the sheriff. I was only doing what needed to be done to help her with the investigation, and Amir has done more harm than good in this town."
"I don't believe it," Graham told him, shaking his head. "If you really cared about the good of this town, then why did you wait until now to say something if you had information on him?"
"Because he wasn't after what was mine before."
Even though Gold's tone was calm, Graham saw how determined he saw based on his expression. At that moment, Graham saw how serious Gold was, and he knew that Gold hated Amir just as much as he did, but there was something was puzzling what Gold said as Graham brought up, "And what's that?"
Instead of saying anything, Gold just stared him down as he told him, "That is my concern. Not yours."
As Graham continued to wonder what Amir was after from Gold, he still couldn't believe that Gold didn't help him before. It made him wonder if he knew anything else about Khan. If he had any proof against him, then Graham was going to find out.
"Do you have any other proof against him?" Graham asked.
"Now, why should I tell you anything?" Graham froze as Gold reminded him again, "You're no longer the sheriff, and Miss Swan—Sheriff Swan will certainly do a much better job than you in her investigation to expose Mr. Khan."
Graham looked away in disappointment. He could just threaten Gold, but then again, he wasn't the type to get intimidated so easily. It really frustrated Graham that Gold was doing this now. If only he had a file on Amir sooner, then maybe he would be quicker to send Khan to jail where he belonged.
"Let me ask you this, Humbert. Why do you think Amir Khan has never been locked away?"
Gold caught Graham's attention as he asked sarcastically, "Because you withhold information?"
Now Gold got serious as he told him, "Because there's never been any crucial evidence against him. No matter how serious the crime is, he always finds a way to ensure that he's not behind bars, so in order for us to get what we want, then we need that evidence quickly."
Graham wanted to say something more to Gold, but he knew that Gold was right. They needed to find anything on Amir as quickly as they could. Even though Graham still had no idea what Amir was after to make Gold help now, but whatever it was, Graham wasn't going to waste the opportunity. Sometimes, he had to use his enemies to take down his enemies.
When Graham left Gold's shop he froze when he saw Nora coming out of her shop, but she didn't seem to notice him, so he crossed the street and chased after her when her back was turned to him, still not noticing him. "Nora. Nora!"
Nora finally turned around, and her eyes widened to find Graham approaching her. "What are you doing here?"
Graham was a little taken aback by her tone, but then he remembered that she probably still hasn't forgiven him for not giving her an explanation as to why he was with Regina. On top of that, he abandoned her instead of facing her to tell her that he was leaving Storybrooke to take time for himself—away from everyone else.
"Nora, I know you're mad at me, but let me explain-"
"Explain what?" Nora cut him off. "You think that you can just leave without an explanation?"
"I know how frustrated you are, but I am sorry for what I did. I realized it was a mistake what I did with Regina."
"Fine. Since we are on the subject, why were you with her then?"
He really wanted to tell her why, but he didn't want to involve Nora. The more she knew, then she was a threat to Amir, and he knew that she would never look at him the same again. He couldn't risk that.
"I'm sorry, but...I can't."
Nora shook her head and looked away from him, and he knew right then and there how much he hurt her when she told him off, "All I ever wanted was the truth, Graham, but you can't even give me that. You're nothing but a coward."
As he watched her storm off, Graham couldn't help but think how his relationship with Nora became worse. He wanted to mend it someway, but he didn't know how without hurting her even more. There had to be a time to tell her about Amir, but he had no idea when that would be. It needed to be when they were alone, without anyone overhearing them, but he didn't know if she was willing to go with him.
When Graham's phone rang, he checked the caller ID and saw that it was Emma before he picked it up as she told him, "We got a problem."
Meanwhile, Amir was on the phone as he called Regina until she picked up, "Looks like Humbert's back, and one of my men followed him into the woods. He's staying in a log cabin away from town. He's harboring those children you want to send away."
Regina grimaced at the thought of it as she told him before hanging up, "I'll take care of it then."
Past
The blind witch used her magic to throw Gretel and Grim in a cell made out of candy canes. They were so thick, and they could hardly squeeze through since they were so close to each other. As soon as she locked the door, she leaned in through the bars and sniffed Grim. "Hmm. Not my ideal choice, but you'll do eventually when I deal with those brats."
Grim tried reaching out for her to grab her only for to stop him using her magic as she threw him back, causing him to grunt in pain. Gretel went over to him to ask if he was okay, and he told her that he was fine. The witch then left with a satisfied smile as she headed up the stairs to eat Hansel.
Gretel grabbed the bars and tried to break them, but they were too thick. "We need to save my brother!"
"It's hopeless. There's no way we can get out of here."
"No! I don't believe that. You think that, but I'll never give up. I'll do whatever it takes to save my brother."
Grim was surprised to see how determined this little girl was to figure a way out of here. It showed how far she was willing to go to save her brother. It almost reminded him of Odette. She too was trapped just like Gretel was. He wanted to help her though, and when he looked at Gretel, for a brief moment, he saw Odette. In that instant, he was not going to allow Gretel and her brother to get hurt.
Grim looked around the room until he noticed the key to their cell perched on a nail just a few feet away from them. He then took out an arrow, causing Gretel to look to see what he was doing before he fired when he pulled it back against his bowstring. It just hit the key, knocking it over until it fell to the ground, but now, there was another problem.
When Grim tried reaching for it, he couldn't get to it, so he looked around his cell to see if there was anything that could help, and there was when Gretel pointed out, "Look."
He noticed one of the candy canes in his cell was cracked nearly halfway, so Grim grabbed the bars and kicked repeatedly with such force. His foot was hurting the more he did it because he gave it more power every time he kicked it. He was determined to keep going though. There was no way he was going to give up.
When the candy cane cracked nearly halfway, Grim then squatted to lift the candy cane to break it off. He clenched his teeth and grunted, struggling to break it, but when he felt it wiggling, he was going to keep pulling it until his arm came off if he had to. Gretel then smiled victoriously when he broke the candy cane off. Grim then got on his knees to grab the key using the candy cane he just broke off before bringing it back to himself.
He then used the key to quickly unlock the door, "Let's go!" Grim told Gretel as they rushed out of the dungeon.
As soon as they made it into the halls, they ran out and went to the front entrance where Hansel had icing all over his mouth and coated his fingers as the witch tried pulling him into the oven. It became clear to Grim that she stuffed Hansel with sweets so that he was stuffed enough for her to eat so that she could cook him up.
"No!" Gretel yelled out as she charged over to the witch and pushed her inside the oven before shutting the door on her.
While Gretel and Hansel held the door as the witch struggled to get out, Grim grabbed a broom and barricaded it by sticking it through the door's slot so that she couldn't get out. He then gestured the kids to follow him as they ran out the door before Grim remembered to grab the leather satchel on the shelf. The last thing they heard was the witch screaming to let them out.
Derek smiled when he saw them come out, and they headed back to the rest of the soldiers where Rothbart and Sinbad patiently waited for them. Rothbart smirked when he saw them return as Grim handed him the satchel back. They all observed to see Rothbart dig his hand inside to pull out a bright red apple.
"Our Queen will certainly be pleased with this," Rothbart said before putting it back in the satchel and handed it to another soldier to guard it.
"We did all of that, for an apple?" Hansel asked.
"Not just any apple, boy. It's a weapon. A weapon to bring down one of the Queen's greatest enemies."
"Whatever your plan is, we did what you asked," Gretel said, "Now let us go home and find our father."
When Rothbart turned back to the children, he smirked wickedly before turning to Sinbad, "Assist them."
Grim didn't like this at all since he didn't trust Rothbart as he narrowed his eyes and stepped forward. "I'll take them back."
"You?" Rothbart's smirk wavered but remained.
"I am the best tracker here. I can help them find their father much better than Sinbad."
Rothbart stretched his hand out to stop Sinbad from challenging Grim when Sinbad tried taking a step towards him. "You have served your purpose aiding the children. There is no need for you anymore. Now, go back."
Grim looked over at the children and saw how afraid they were as they clutched onto each other's hands and pleaded for Grim to help them. He truly wants to them by making sure they reunited with their father, but one look at Rothbart, and Grim knew he couldn't win. He was no match for a sorcerer, especially with all of the other soldiers surrounding them as they waited to take action if Grim disobeyed Rothbart.
He glared at Rothbart one last time before following the rest of the soldiers, leaving Sinbad with the children. Grim looked back at Hansel and Gretel, and saw them glancing back at Grim, almost as if they were begging for him to help them, but Grim had to keep reminding himself that there was nothing else he could do as he walked by Derek's side and went back to the Queen's castle.
Present
After Emma called Graham, he met up with her on the street. She explained that she found Ava and Nicholas's father, which shocked Graham. He couldn't believe that she actually did it after using Ava's compass to go to Gold who told her about it. However, there was a problem with their father.
"He doesn't want the kids? What are we going to tell them then?" Graham asked.
"I can't tell them that their father doesn't want all I'll be telling them is that false hope I gave them is exactly that."
"I understand how painful the truth is, Emma, but it can also be cathartic."
"I agree on the painful part." Graham wanted to argue with her when she added, "Look. Maybe we just hide them in your cabin just until we could find a family to take care of them."
Both Graham and Emma froze when they heard, "Sheriff, shouldn't you be on the interstate?"
"What are you doing here?" Emma asked.
"Seeing to it that you do your job."
Graham was not going to allow Regina to take those kids away as he defended them, "No. Regina, they deserve better than being sent away and separated from each other."
Regina narrowed her eyes at him and told him lowly, "You no longer have jurisdiction when you gave up your title, Graham, and harboring children from social services is a serious offense. Sheriff Swan, arrest him."
Graham and Emma just looked at each other as Graham wondered if Emma really was going to follow through with the arrest, but Emma turned back to Regina, "Alright, Regina. I'll take them to Boston. Just let Graham go."
Regina gave them a victorious smirk as she allowed it, and all Graham thought was how he failed at protecting Ava and Nicholas.
Past
After Grim made it back to the castle, he waited at the training grounds until Sinbad came back. Grim had a horrible feeling that something bad was going to happen to them. Seeing them helpless reminded him of Odette's situation. He too wanted to help her even if he knew that it may not be good for him since he believed that he should look out for himself. It soon changed when he read that letter that Snow wanted him to deliver to the Queen only for him to lose his heart.
"Hey, you alright?" When Grim didn't answer Derek, he added, "They'll be fine, Grim. Come on. Let's train. It'll take your mind off it."
As soon as Grim got up to spar with Derek, Sinbad came back, who smirked at Grim when he noticed him, causing Grim to narrow his eyes at him as he approached him. "Did you find their father?"
"Their father?" Grim wanted to strangle him when he heard him say, "Oh, that's right. I took them back home alright, only for their father to not be there. They pleaded with me to help them find their father, but I told them to wait home."
"You told them to wait?"
His grin couldn't get any wider as he answered, "They were rather suspicious too. A shame they don't know that he won't be returning. He was imprisoned last night, and when he told me about the Queen about his children, it was a golden opportunity for her to get what she wants, and now, she has it."
Grim's nostrils flared furiously at the revelation. He couldn't believe that they all planned this from the beginning. They all knew that Hansel and Gretel went out to search for their father, yet they had no idea that their father was a prisoner all this time. Grim couldn't stand these games that Regina, Rothbart, and Sinbad played. Someone needed to teach them a lesson, and Grim refused to back down when he went over to punch Sinbad in his face, causing the soldiers to step forward to defend their captain of the guard only to stop when Sinbad raised a hand.
Sinbad chuckled lowly when he saw him unsheathe his sword, so Sinbad did the same. Grim was not going to let Sinbad get the better of him. He was going to take out all of his anger on him. Sinbad may be a great swordsman, but Grim was too. Sinbad managed to dodge out of the way when Grim tried slashing him, and Grim's sword clanked against Sinbad's. They stood there in a standoff with their swords against each other, and when Sinbad pushed Grim away from his sword, Grim tried getting up only for Sinbad to slice left arm.
Grim grunted in pain and tucked his arm against him while he reached out for his sword only for Sinbad to swing at Grim. Grim, however, caught it in time using his other hand, and Sinbad gave a wicked smirk when he brought his sword back, cutting Grim's hand. Grim then lurched forward and grabbed his sword in time before Sinbad lunged at him as Grim used his sword to swing it down at Sinbad's sword before swinging it again and slashing Sinbad's face.
Sinbad gave a curling scream as he held his face, and when he let it go, Sinbad bared a huge cut from his temple to his chin. Everyone around him whispered since Sinbad boasted how only one man managed to leave a scar on him, and now, Grim was the second person to do it. They all seemed marveled at Grim for scaring Sinbad.
Before Sinbad had a chance to attack him again, his hand stilled, and everyone turned to see Rothbart extending his hand out and used his magic to have them stop fighting. "Enough."
Sinbad threw his sword to the ground like a child as he glared at Rothbart for not letting him have another go at Grim, but Grim already knew that this was far from over when Rothbart turned to one of his soldiers and ordered, "Take him to the dungeons. Have him be whipped as punishment."
"How many times, my lord," a soldier asked.
Rothbart couldn't take his eyes off of Grim as he grinned maliciously before answering, "Let's say...until the message sinks in."
As the soldiers came to drag Grim away, all Grim thought about were Hansel and Gretel. He truly wanted them to be happy by finding their father. He then promised himself that he was willing to do better for them and to Odette as he didn't want her to be helpless in this world. He was going to help her no matter what.
Present
AfterEmma helped Ava and Nicholas reunite with their father, she told Graham everything that happened. Graham was relieved to hear that they were going to be happy now. If only his own situation with Nora was better, then he would be over the moon. For now, he was just happy that Ava and Nicholas got their happy ending.
"Hey, I know you gave sheriffing and everything, but I still don't get why you made me sheriff," Emma said.
Graham raised a quizzical brow as he reminded her, "I told you already in the letter. You care more about the people in this town."
"And you don't care about them all? You clearly cared about those kids."
Graham was speechless since he knew she was right. He couldn't explain it, but ever since he met them, there was a sort of familiarity with them. He had seen them around, but as soon as he spoke to them face-to-face, there was some sort of connection. It was similar to Nora's but a little different. He thought maybe that was why he wanted to help them at first, but then after listening to their story, he didn't want them to go through what he went through in the foster care system after his foster father used a belt to leave horrible marks on his back that he could never get away from.
"You know, I could use a deputy," Emma said.
It was a tempting thought, but Graham couldn't-not yet-not when he still had more work to do. "I can't. There's something I still have to do."
"Does it have to do with your investigation into Amir?" Graham stayed silent, confirming it. "What exactly are you looking into him? I know there's a lot of these rumors going on, but how serious is this case?"
Now that Emma had Amir's file, he thought about it carefully. To be fair, Emma has done a lot of good in this town. She changed so many lives for the greater good. Maybe he could have Emma help him. It was risky because he didn't want Emma getting hurt, but he knew that Emma was not going to get intimidated by Amir so easily.
"He did something a few years ago, and I'm trying to prove that he did it."
"Did what?"
Graham beat around the bush by saying, "Derek wasn't just my deputy. He was my friend. We grew up in the same foster care home. We became brothers, but then he was found dead a few years ago in the woods."
Emma's eyes widened right at that moment. "You think Amir killed him?"
"I don't think," Graham snapped. "I know he did it. I can't explain it, but I feel it in my gut, and I won't stop until I find the evidence that he did so that I could lock him away for good."
Sorry for the long wait. I have been working on one of my other fanfictions since I started rewatching The Walking Dead. Check out Hollow Humans if you are into that show. My stories are also on Wattpad if you like to read them there too. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the little twist I did with Hansel and Gretel and how we finally saw Sinbad getting a taste of his own medicine. Wait until you see what I have planned for Nora and Graham. What is it you're wondering? Well, you'll just have to wait and see. Stay tuned!