Chapter 23
Kid Odette - Danielle Harris
Past
An eight year old Odette stared out in the open and watched the ships sailing into port when she climbed a tree. She smiled happily to see them for she so longed to travel and see what other lands had to offer. It had always been a dream of hers to travel ever since her mother was trading with a fisherman. She couldn't help but be excited when she wondered where the sailors came from. A part of Odette wanted to ask them what the lands they had seen were like by hearing many stories of their grand adventures and looting expeditions.
"Odette, get down here!" She looked down to see her mother, Milah, scolding her, so she made her way down to her mother carefully so that she wouldn't trip and fall. "How many times must I tell you,noclimbing."
"But the ships came. Mama, you have to see them."
As soon as Odette landed on the ground, her mother huffed out, "It doesn't matter. You know how I feel about you climbing after your brother fell and broke his arm."
"I only wanted to see."
Milah practically leaned in to reprimand her daughter, "Listen to me. You won't climb anymore, understood?"
Little Odette bit her lip with her sweet eyes turning sad before turning to the ground. "Yes."
After hearing her daughter's depressing tone, Milah gazed at her daughter as if she was lost in thought. Odette knew that her mother was only looking out for her. After all, she had become much more strict ever since Baelfire was bitten by a snake and nearly died. Odette was relieved to have her twin brother back though as she stayed by his bedside to make sure that he survived. Her little heart clenched when she saw her brother in pain. They had always been inseparable, and their mother knew that.
Not long after, Milah's lips slowly curled up as she told her daughter, "Stop that."
"What?"
"You always look at your feet when you lie."
Odette finally turned to her mother and saw the warm expression on her face, causing Odette to smile too. Milah then wrapped her arm around her daughter's shoulder, bringing her closer to her. They walked through the village together so that Milah could barter with one of the locals. Odette stayed by her side as the old merchant coddled her at first, causing Odette to smile and look away in somewhat embarrassment.
While her mother was making an offer, Odette took the opportunity to look around. She was always interested to see the locals trading their goods for a decent price. Odette never forgot when she went with her mother once to purchase some bread, and the baker gave her a small loaf for her to nibble on a couple of years ago after her mother gave her a couple of copper coins when she saw her daughter eyeing it.
"Odette," she looked to see her best friend, Morraine, with a ball by her feet and a few other children around her, "do you want to play with us?"
She looked up at her mother, who seemed unsure for a moment, but eventually her mother agreed with a defeated sigh. "Not too long."
Odette smiled gratefully at Milah and rushed with the other children to play ball with them. They all chased whoever had the ball and kicked it away from everyone else. The game typically ended when almost all of the children needed to head on home whether they were being called by their parents or if it was supper time.
As soon as Odette kicked the ball, she chased after it with some of the kids trailing behind, but they soon stopped when the ball hit someone's leather boot. Odette was confused at first until she looked up to see a man who practically towered over her. He didn't look like he was from around here, and he was surrounded by a few other men too. The man in front of her though looked at her curiously with his laughing blue eyes. He wore a leather trench coat, a red vest, and a sword at his hip. Odette was even curious when she saw the amount of jewelry he wore. He flaunted off the many rings on his fingers, his skull and bones necklace was bulky and huge, and the black drop earring that he wore made Odette curious since she had never seen a man wear one before even if they were noblemen. At that moment, Odette realized that this man wasn't around from here at all. He must have been a traveler, which piqued Odette's interest even more.
All she did was stare at the him, and when he looked at the other children behind her before noticing the ball by his feet, he knelt down to her level and took the ball as he extended it out to her with a charming and debonair smirk. "I believe this is yours," the man said in a gentlemanly manner.
Odette couldn't help but smile at his kindness as she took the ball back from him. "Thank you."
Just before Odette had a chance to ask him who he was, she heard her mother calling out to her, "Odette, time to—"
When she looked back at her mother, Milah froze and her eyes widened just slightly when she saw her daughter with the traveler. It wasn't until when the man gazed at Milah that made Odette wonder even more who he was since she had never seen her mother act like that before. Even the men behind the kind stranger gave knowing glances at each other, while the man in front of her continued to smirk when Milah made her way over to them.
The traveler greeted her in the same charming demeanor, but for some reason, it felt a little different. His voice was much lower, and there was a certain playfulness in his tone. "This is your daughter, I presume?"
Milah hesitated to say, "yes," before taking Odette's little hand as one of the other children took the ball from her. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we must be on our way."
As Odette was being dragged away, she couldn't help but look back at the man curiously and wondered who he was especially since he couldn't stop staring after her mother, so she turned back to her to ask, "Mama, who was he?"
Milah didn't know what to say for a moment, but she eventually opened her mouth to tell her, "He's no one. Let's head on home now."
Odette knew that wasn't true though. Whoever that man was, he knew her mother. She may be eight years old, but she wasn't foolish. She was a bright and spirited child—one that Milah was proud of since her innocence made anyone's heart be filled with joy. If the man was a traveler though, then Odette didn't think she would ever see him again, which was a shame. She always wanted to ask a sailor what other lands were like after all.
Present
Whenthe purple smoke dissipated, Graham and Nora let go of each other and took in their surroundings. They were perplexed and confused. It was strange how that smoke just appeared out of nowhere. Everything was normal though since they were still in town and they weren't harmed, but they couldn't help but wonder what happened.
"What was that?" Nora asked.
"I don't know. Let's find out."
He took her hand and led her down the street. The first people they encountered were Mary Margaret, David, Ruby, and Granny. They were all hugging each other and laughing as if what they went through was a joke, but realistically, they were all happy to remember each other again. Even Graham and Nora welcomed everyone again since they couldn't believe what they went through and how they found each other again.
The dwarves were the next ones who came as Snow hugged them. Leroy then asked the royal couple if the curse truly was broken, and when they believed so, Ruby asked what they were going to do now. That was when Snow turned to the group with a hopeful expression and told them to find her daughter, Emma.
"So, it's true?"
The group turned to see Emma approaching them with her son, Henry. Nora looked over at Mary Margaret and noticed how she went over to her and apprehensively touched her daughter's face. She then hugged Emma, catching her off guard, with tears escaping her eyes as Snow joyfully told her that Emma found them. Even David went over to them to hug his long lost daughter before turning over to his grandson and gave him the same treatment.
Despite the happy reunion, there was one problem as Grim raised a good point, "She may have saved us, but we're still here."
"That's what we need to find out," David told him.
Her husband was right. They were supposed to be back after the curse broke. The point of the Savior was to help them remember who they were and take them back home after breaking the curse, yet they were still in Storybrooke. It didn't make sense. However, the more Nora thought about it, the more she thought about the strange purple smoke.
"What about that smoke?" Nora brought up. "What was it?"
"Magic." The group turned to see Mother Superior approaching them. "It's here. I can feel it."
"Magic? In Storybrooke?" Henry questioned. "But, you're the Blue Fairy. Do something magical."
"It's not quite that simple, Henry. No wand. No fairy dust. Matters are complicated now."
Leroy immediately believed it was Regina, and the other dwarves seemed to agree too. Even Nora thought for a moment that it may be her after realizing that she lost, so Regina probably was desperate enough to bring magic back since everyone would be after her. After all, she was the reason why they were all here, so everyone would what their revenge.
When the group was ready to go after her, Emma immediately stopped them. "No. Wait. It wasn't Regina."
"Then who was it?" Graham asked.
There was only one other person Nora knew who would bring magic back: her father. It terrified her, because if he was the culprit, then there was no escape. He would keep her with him for good, away from Graham and everyone else. Not necessarily curse her, but she thought that he may surround her with a protection barrier so that she wouldn't leave him.
"My father," Nora uttered, causing everyone to look at her.
"Your father?" Everyone seemed to know who Nora was referring to except for Emma, but eventually Emma quickly realized as she hesitated to ask, "Gold?"
When Nora looked away in embarrassment, Emma knew right then and there that Nora's silence confirmed it as her eyes widened but swiftly turned away as she said, "That explains a lot actually."
Meanwhile, Gold was with Belle by the wishing well. "My darling Belle. You have to tell me what happened to you?"
Belle did just that. She explained that Regina abducted her and locked her away in the asylum for twenty-eight years after the curse was casted. Gold couldn't believe what he was hearing as she told him everything. It was just unbelievable to him how she had been alive all this time.
"All these years, you've been here. Alive."
Belle looked at him skeptically as she questioned, "Is that—Is that why you did this? Why you wanted magic? For revenge?"
He gave her a sickening grin on his face as he told her, "Oh, no, but it might come in handy."
She shook her head, knowing exactly what Gold had in mind. She tried to tell him not to use it on Regina, but Gold was unbelievably relentless. He wouldn't stop until the person who wronged him paid for what they'd done. Rothbart already got what he deserved since everything coincided with Gold's plan back in The Enchanted Forest after the vile sorcerer stole his only daughter away.
If only Gold stepped in, then Nora wouldn't have to suffer so greatly. However, Gold knew that if he saved her so early, then she wouldn't have fallen in love with the hunter. He needed her to be in love with him so that he could use their strands for his plan. That was why Gold made sure he kept them tucked away in a vial in his shop.
When Belle tried to convince him not to go after Regina, Gold couldn't believe what he was hearing. He wanted her to understand that Regina won't stop until someone taught her not to cross them. It was exactly the reason why Gold needed to step in so that he dispense the problem once and for all. If only she hadn't desperately promised him that they would be together if he didn't go after her, then he wouldn't have agreed to her face. However, Gold of course had no intention to do nothing.
Belle smiled and shared a kiss with him after hearing his promise, and just before they left, she stopped him, "Oh, I also forgot to tell you. There was someone who got me out. A man named Amir Khan."
At the mention of his name, Gold gave her a hard stare. The man who took advantage of his daughter and nearly got her killed simmered Gold's core. He wanted to darken his heart more by making Amir pay for what he did. A man like that deserved no mercy.
"Amir Khan?"
After hearing the disdain coming out of Gold's mouth, Belle questioned, "You know him?"
He didn't want to tell her how awful Amir was, but it didn't mean that he couldn't warn her. "He's a pestering insect, but there's no need to worry. I'll never let anyone hurt you again."
As Gold limped away from the wishing well, Belle stopped him since her questions had been raised. "Wait. But, who exactly is he?
"Someone who you'll never come across again, and it is your best interest to never make contact with him, do you understand?"
Belle was a bit hesitant but eventually agreed. "Yes."
Gold nodded his head in acknowledgement and went back into town with her. He was no fool. He knew exactly why Amir let her go. Amir hoped that Gold would be more merciful to him, but if he truly thought that he would forget what he did to his daughter, then Amir was sadly mistaken. For now though, Gold was going to handle one insignificant pest at a time.
Past
Odette sat with her family to eat cabbage stew. Her father, Rumplestiltskin, gave her a small smile when she glanced at him, and her twin brother, Baelfire, shrugged her shoulder playfully, causing her to giggle a bit until their mother scolded them with a single look. Rumplestiltskin tried to remind his wife that they were only children playing, but he shut his mouth as soon as Milah reminded him bitterly that they shouldn't play at the dinner table.
When they heard their mother's tone, the twins glanced at each other for a brief moment before turning back to their food. Whenever their mother scolded their father, they knew it was not a laughing matter since her mother was always serious. As much as Odette loved her mother though, she had a special place in her heart for her father. He was much gentler and incredibly patient with her.
Eventually when they finished their meal, Odette sat on the ground with her brother. She was playing with her straw doll that her father made for her two years ago while Bae stared at the fire. He had always been like this ever since the snake bit him in the forest when their mother was collecting firewood about five days ago. Odette even warned him not to touch it, but her brother couldn't help himself, and he paid the price by getting bit. She was just glad that her parents found a way to save him from death.
By the time everyone went to sleep, Odette was the only one wide awake, or at least, she thought so. When she hugged her doll close to her chest, she heard a rustling noise. Odette turned her delicate head and saw her mother sitting up and staring at her father so pitifully. Odette immediately shut her eyes though when she saw Milah looking at her children. She didn't want to open her eyes and get caught by her mother, so she pretended to stay asleep.
She waited for a moment until she heard her mother moving more and then crept up to the door as she left. When Odette opened her eyes and sat up to look around, she noticed that her mother wasn't there anymore. Odette quickly sprung out of bed and went to the front door to see her mother leaving with a shawl around her shoulders to keep her from getting cold.
Odette thought about waking up her father, but she decided against it. She believed if she woke him up, then he would just send her off to bed and gone after her. Odette, however, wanted to see where her mother was going, so she tossed her cover to the side and put on her shoes before following her discreetly in her cotton nightgown.
Milah went into town, and a part of Odette wanted to stop her and ask where she was heading to so that she could go with her, but she knew how strict her mother was. She would definitely take her back home and wait until her daughter fell asleep. That was why Odette wanted to see where she was going. Odette was always such an adventurous and curious child after all.
When she saw her mother go into the village, she was lost in a crowd of people, causing Odette to panic a bit. Her doe eyes wandered around, desperately trying to find her mother, but she couldn't find her anywhere. There was even a beggar old woman who beckoned for Odette to come closer, frightening Odette as she ran away.
Her small feet carried her to the local tavern where she kept huffing out ragged breaths. Odette never went off on her own at night before. If she did, she always went with one of her parents when they went off to do an errand. Going off on her own was a lot more terrifying than she thought. She thought about going back home, but her determination forced her to stay to find her mother.
When she heard laughter behind her, she looked up to see the window open, but she was too short to reach it. Odette then looked around and noticed a barrel, so she got on one of the boxes and climbed on top of the barrel. It wobbled a bit, so she stopped moving for a moment just so that it stopped before raising herself so that she could look through the window.
There were many sailors being served by bar wenches. They looked like they were having a great time drinking their beers. One of them grabbed a bar wench by hugging around her middle and forced her to sit on his lap. She looked around the room but couldn't find her mother anymore. However, her eyes caught wind of a familiar traveler.
The same man who gave the ball back to her was sitting in one of the tables. He was having the time of his life with his men around him. They were playing some sort of game by throwing dice on the table and cheered after seeing what he rolled before they all drank from their pints. She thought that maybe she finally had an opportunity to climb down from the barrel and ask him what lands he had seen, but Odette needed to find her mother to see where she went off to.
Right before she was about to climb down, she heard someone shouting at her with an unpleasant gruff, "You! You ain't supposed to be here!"
Odette was caught off guard when she got caught that when she turned to see a big, fat man scolding her, she was about to jump off the box, but the barrel wobbled, causing her to fall and scrape her knee. Her frail body ached, and for a moment, she thought she couldn't move her body, but she slowly did. It wasn't fast enough though as the man came over and grabbed her elbow, jolting her up to her knees as she yelped.
His grip was rough, and when he opened his mouth it stunk of something most foul. "Get lost 'ere, ya understand?"
She wanted to escape from this man. No one ever spoke to her in such an awful manner before. Odette didn't understand how someone could treat her so coldly. Her lip quivered, and her body shook while she felt her tears welling up but didn't fall just yet. She wanted her mother there to protect her from this man.
Before Odette knew it, a hand clamped the man's shoulder, and Odette looked to see the same kind man she met earlier in the day, except that he didn't have the kind expression as he glowered at the man in front of him. "That's quite enough of that. You're frightening the young lass."
When the man let Odette go, he turned to the mysterious traveler and threatened him, "And what're you gonna do?"
As soon as the man pushed him back, Odette watched the traveler carefully as he seemed lost in thought for a second by looking up and saying, "Well..."
Before Odette knew it, the traveler punched the man square in his jaw, causing the man to fall over and get knocked out. Odette even winced when his fist collided with the rude man. She was a bit surprised when the traveler came over to her with a warm smile after he looked like he was ready to kill someone. He even treated her so gently by kneeling down to her and asked if she was alright. All Odette did was nod and tell him, "yes."
He then noticed her scrape and put his arm around her petite body. "Put yours arms around me."
Odette hesitated but eventually brought her arms around his neck as he lifted her with ease before carrying her into the tavern. His men looked at him oddly, but the traveler didn't care. He just ignored them as he set young Odette on the table before lifting her nightgown a bit to look at the scrape.
"Fetch me some bandages," the traveler ordered sternly to his men as they rushed to do what they were told.
From the way he sounded, he acted like he was in high authority, and it made Odette's eyes widened as she soon uttered, "You're a captain?"
When he heard her sweet voice, his heard turned to her, and a warm smile soon graced his lips as he told her, "Captain Killian Jones at your service, and who have I had the pleasure of rescuing?"
His gentle tone made her smile back at him as she told him his name, "Odette."
"And,...Odette, I take it that your mother and father don't know you're here?" Odette's silence confirmed it, and when Killian received the bandages, he looked at her and saw her bring her head down in disappointment. "Well, aren't you full of surprises."
She was surprised when she heard him, and when she looked back at him, he was smirking at her. He then took a bottle and poured rum on her scrape, causing her to hiss and clench her teeth before jerking her leg back to her, but Killian kept it steady. He even looked back at her with his smirk growing even more as he had a toothy grin on his face before getting back to work by wrapping the bandage around her knee.
"Come on now. You're a tough lass," Killian stated when he noticed her discomfort. "Any child wouldn't make it so far in the dark, but you did."
"Well, I...I try to be brave." When Killian looked at her with a playful smirk for a moment before getting back to his work, she had the courage to ask him, "Have you been all over the world?"
As soon as she finished her question, he finished bandaging her injury with his hands lingering there before he slowly raised his head to meet Odette's eyes. "Not just this world, but many others."
Odette's eyes grew in fascination as she questioned, "There are other worlds?"
Killian explained with a grin, and he stayed down low so that she was raised above him to talk to her level. "There are many paradises that are worth dreaming about. A paradise where women are lifted on jeweled chairs and worshipped for their beauty and an array of spices in the air that will make your mouth water to try them."
The more he spoke, the more Odette smiled. She wanted him to continue speaking, and he did just that. He not only was proud by going to the places he'd been, but he was happy as he continued to explain what they were all like. Killian was even amused when he saw her bright smile. Odette was clearly marveled at his descriptions. It reminded her of stories that her mother used to tell her at night before she went to sleep.
"I want to see them!" Odette cheerfully told him.
The made Killian's smirk grow even more. "I have no doubt you will. Perhaps you'll join my crew someday."
Odette was beyond excited when she heard him. She couldn't believe that he was offering her a place to go on his ship. Her little heart hardly contained the joy. "Can I really go?"
"One day you may."
Before Odette had a chance to thank him, she heard, "Odette!" Both Killian and Odette looked to see Milah coming down from the stairs, and Odette knew she was going to be in trouble when she made her way over to her while Killian stood to face her when Milah noticed her daughter's bandaged knee. "Odette, what happened? And, why are you here? You should be asleep."
"I wanted to see where you went."
"What about your knee? What happened?"
"I fell, but Killian here carried me in and bandaged it."
At the mention of Killian, Milah turned to him, perplexed by his action. All he did was smirk at Milah and waited for her to thank her. Odette didn't understand why they were staring at each other. It was like her mother was trying to figure out what to say.
Not long after though, her mother lifted her off the table and took her hand. "We're leaving now, Odette."
"But Killian—"
"Don't argue with me," Milah cut her off with an unpleasant scowl before dragging her daughter away.
Odette looked back at Killian and saw him with a smile on his face as his eyes met Odette. She thought what her mother did was rude. She even felt the need to say something, but with her mother this angry, then there was no way Odette was going to win the fight. That was why she just let her drag her away from the scene and took her back home.
By the time they reached their little house, Milah got down to her level and took her shoulders. "Do you have any idea how disappointed I am? What if you had gotten kidnapped or even received a worse injury?"
"Sorry, Mama."
Milah's grip on her daughter's shoulder loosened as she let out a defeated sigh before telling her, "Listen to me. I don't ever want you to go near that man again, do you understand me?"
Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she questioned, "But he's a sailor." When her mother didn't answer and looked away from her, Odette pressed, "I thought all sailors are good men."
"Not everyone has a kind and tender heart like yours, and you don't know him. He's a stranger." When Odette didn't say anything, Milah stared at her and finally said, "Here."
Odette watched her mother take out her swan necklace as she unclipped it around her neck before putting it on her daughter, and Odette stared at it in awe as she told her, "Your necklace."
"My mother gave it to my sister, who passed it onto me, and now,...it's yours. Can you take really good care of it?"
"Yes, Mama," Odette answered with a grateful smile before her mother rose back up to take her hand and tucked her into bed without waking Baelfire or Rumplestiltskin.
Present
As the entire group walked down Main Street, Mary Margaret was asking Emma if she had any questions for her. There was no doubt in Nora's mind that Emma did since it was a shock to find out that her parents were fairy tale characters. However, they still had a mission to complete—not stop and ask questions. They needed to find Gold so that he could answer what he did.
When the group heard a commotion, they stopped to see a herd of people marching down the street. They all looked determined, and they were being led by Dr. Whale. Nora had a pretty good idea where they were heading, and sure enough, she was right.
Archie ran over to them and panted out, "There you are. Come with me. Dr. Whale's whipped everyone into a frenzy. They're going to Regina's house. They're gonna kill her."
"Great. Let's watch," Leroy said.
"No, we can't."
After hearing Archie, Graham got annoyed with him by saying, "And why not? After what she put us all through, you want to help her?"
"We cannot stoop to her level. No matter who she is or what she has done, killing her is wrong."
Even though Nora believed that Regina should pay for her crimes, she didn't want them to resort to killing. It would turn them into something horrible, and Nora knew all too well how ugly a person became when they sought after revenge. Rothbart was proof of it, and Nora couldn't help but somewhat pity him since she knew that he couldn't be saved. That was why Nora wished that her husband didn't want Regina death, but then again, he hadn't been through what she had been through.
Thankfully, Henry pleaded to them that they needed to save Regina since she was still his mother. Despite who she was right, Henry was right. She still raised him. However, there was another problem that was raised as David pointed out that if magic was here, then Regina may have it and use it to kill all of the people marching towards her home. That was when the group was in agreement by taking off down the street to stop them.
The group followed after them as they headed towards Regina's house. Not long after, they made it to find Dr. Whale shoving Regina into a column at her house. Nora didn't understand why Regina didn't use her magic. That was when she quickly realized that Regina can't use her magic. She was powerless. If she had her magic, then she would slaughter the entire mob.
Right before Dr. Whale was about to choke Regina, Emma stopped him by grabbing his arm. He clearly didn't like that as he confronted her by asking why he should still listen to her. Her excuse was that she was still the sheriff, but David stepped in by saying that she saved everyone in town. Mary Margaret even made a point that Regina's death does not justify this, but Whale argued that they're not from this world.
Graham then let his wife go as he stood between Emma and Whale. "That's enough, Whale."
"Back off. You can be the prince and the princess's guard dog, but I don't take orders from them especially from you, huntsman."
Graham stared at him long and hard before questioning, "Who are you, Whale?"
"That's my business."
His answer made Graham take a step towards him so that he could get in his face to confront him head on as he spoke to him lowly, "Well my business is making sure that this town doesn't go to hell, so whether or not I'm their guard dog isn't the issue."
"He's right," David agreed as he defended his friend. "We have a lot to figure out, and this isn't the way to do it."
"And Regina's death won't provide any answers," Mary Margaret jumped in by standing by Regina's side. "She needs to be locked up. For her safety, and more importantly, for ours."
The entire town all agreed to take Regina to the sheriff station where Graham dragged Regina to the sheriff's station. Nora knew that her husband wanted nothing more than to cut Regina's throat. He probably had more reason than anyone to kill her since she made him her slave.
There was something off at the sheriff's station though as Emma quickly noticed someone was missing, "Where's Amir?"
It took a moment for Graham to say, "Isn't it obvious? He escaped."
Nora felt a chill run down her spine. After everything Amir did to her, he still managed to run away. She shouldn't be surprised since Amir was a survivor, but she still was. He was a problem that needed to be taken care of now that he was on the loose.
"We'll find him later. Right now, we need to figure out what's going on here," David told them.
After hearing David, Graham shoved Regina into an empty cell and locked it. "So, I'm a prisoner now?" she asked Graham coldly.
Instead of answering her question, he interrogated her, "If the curse is broken, why didn't we go back to our world?"
"Because there's nothing to go back to. That land is gone."
Graham leaned in to the bars and stared at her hard. "No. I refuse to believe that."
"Believe whatever you want, Graham, but it's hopeless."
When Nora saw how stiff and rigid her husband got, she stepped in to calm him down. "It's okay. We'll go talk to—" She froze when she noticed Regina smirking at her, and Nora didn't want Regina to know her connection to Gold, so she addressed him as "Gold."
"You mean your father?" Regina scoffed, causing Nora to look back at her with her eyes slightly widening. "That's right. I know you're The Dark One'spreciousdaughter."
Nora wanted to know how she found out. She thought that maybe Amir told her, but he only exposed people's secrets if it was convenient for him. Then again, what reason would he have to tell Regina. It didn't make much sense for him to tell her. That was why Nora believed that Regina figured it out on her own.
"Come on, we should get to Gold," Mary Margaret told them.
With Regina smirking at Nora, she had a puzzled expression on her face as she wanted to continue talking to her. However, they needed to find Gold first. Regina was locked in a cell and powerless, so she couldn't go anywhere.
Past
Odette was at the pier and sitting on a crate with her shawl over her shoulders to protect her from the cold. She couldn't stop staring at the necklace her mother gave her. It was a beautiful carving of a swan, and it fascinated her. Odette even wondered where her mother obtained real gold. It was an awe to imagine how her grandmother had it in the first place.
"Come to see the ships?" She looked to see Killian making his way over to her and sitting on the crate beside her, but Odette quickly looked down to the ground to avoid him, to which he noticed as he stared at her with a puzzled expression. "Everything alright, lass?"
A part of Odette wished that he went away to make it easier for her, but she also didn't want to be rude to him, so she told him the truth, "Mama doesn't want me to talk to you."
Killian stared at her for a moment and gave her a playful smirk to Odette's surprise. "Now, why would your mother say that?"
"Because you're a stranger."
Instead of being upset to hear that, his smirk only grew as reminded her, "Well, we're not exactly strangers now, are we?"
Finally, Odette looked at him and saw an amused expression on his face. In a way, Killian was right. This was the third time they encountered each other now. She then thought back what her mother said about everyone not having a tender and kind heart like hers, but then again, Killian had been nothing but nice to her. She didn't understand why her mother was so against her to speak to him.
Odette smiled back at him and looked at the many ships docked at port, and she felt the need to ask, "Which one is yours?"
He was so proud to point out his ship as he leaned in and told her, "Right there. It's been through many adventures with me. Any captain would do anything to have such a fast vessel like The Jolly Roger."
"The Jolly Roger?"
"Well, every ship has to have a name."
At the mention of his ship, Odette stared at it in marvel. She imagined what kind of lands it reached and what dangers it faced in open water. Odette's smile stretched from ear to ear just by imagining herself on the ship and sailing forth to unexplored territory. Her heart hardly contained the excitement as she wanted to go one day.
When Killian observed her carefully, he asked her, "Would you like to see it?"
That forced Odette to turn to him as her lips parted in surprise and she sat there in stunned silence before finally opening her mouth to ask in an excited manner, "Can I really?"
His smirk grew even more as he told her, "If you'd like."
Odette wasted no time jumping off the crate with her shawl falling off her shoulders, but neither Killian or Odette noticed as Killian led her up the plank and headed to his ship. His crew immediately noticed him with her, and they greeted their captain with respect before Killian barked orders at them to continue what they were doing. Odette wasn't fazed at all by his authoritative tone since she was too distracted looking around the ship in marvel.
"You there!" Odette nearly flinched at Killian's tone when he went over to one of his crew members and took the rope from him as he eyed it skeptically. "Is this how you tie knots?"
"Is it not to your liking, Captain?"
"No, it is not durable, sailor. It's nothing but anabomination," Killian scolded him like a child before throwing the rope back at him. "Now, go make yourself useful and check the gunpowder before you have us sail away from the dock for not securing the bowline properly."
The sailor put his head down in shame and walked away as he muttered, "Yes, Captain."
As soon as the man left, Killian beckoned Odette over, and she did with little hesitation. "Do you know the purpose of the bowline, Odette?" She smiled nervously and shook her head as she admitted that she didn't know. "No? Well, the idea of it is to ensure that the rope holds the edge of the sail towards the bow of the ship, preventing it from being taken aback. Let me show you."
He then grabbed the rope and Odette watched him carefully as he explained what he was doing while Killian explained what he was doing. Killian then laid the rope across his left hand with the free end hanging down before forming a small loop in the line of his hand. After bringing the free end up to and pass through eye from the under side, Killian wrapped the line around the standing line and back down through the loop. Finally, he tightened the knot by pulling on the free end while holding onto the standing line as Odette admired his handiwork.
He then took her towards the helm of the ship as he told her what it was before lifting her up so that she was sitting on a barrel next to it. "I wish I could go with you," Odette admitted in her sweet voice without any shame. "I want to see what you've seen."
"And you will one day," Killian told her with a warm smile. "As long as you have the heart and spirit for it, then you can do anything you want."
Odette really wanted to travel so that she could see what was out there and actually see the places that Killian told her stories of when she met him at the tavern. However, Odette doesn't think she could ever leave her family behind. She would even want them to go with her so that they could witness the extraordinary lands with her. That was why she admired Killian. She loved to hear his stories and how much he'd seen. She wanted to be like him.
"Can Mama come too and my brother, Bae?" Odette asked.
"Of course."
Odette's smile even grew when she heard him, and she asked him, "And Papa too? He can't walk so well, but I know he'd love to see them too."
At the mention of her father, Killian's smile wavered and soon turned into a tight smile as he told her, "Whoever you like." Odette's smile grew and she thought about sailing for a moment before she subconsciously took out her swan necklace and clutched it. "What are you holding, lass?"
Odette smiled as she proudly took out her necklace and showed it to him to which he took and observed it carefully. "Mama gave it to me."
He smirked as he said, "Very generous of her to give you such a gift."
When Odette looked back at the sun and noticed that it was setting, she turned back to Killian and tucked her necklace away. "I need to go. Mama wants me for supper."
Killian gave her a small smile before helping her down and led her off the boat with her hand clutching onto his so that she wouldn't trip. It caught Killian a bit off guard when she grabbed his hand, but his expression turned warm when he saw how much the little girl depended on him. She really did whatever she liked. It was why many people enjoyed her company since she was such a spirited child.
As soon as they made it onto the dock, she let him go and said, "Bye, Killian."
"Goodbye, little lass," he told her in a charming fashion.
Odette then rushed out of the dock and headed straight home. She passed by many of the villagers, including her best friend's mother, who waved at her, to which she waved back. She eventually made it back home to find her father stitching some clothes.
"Hi, Papa," Odette greeted him as she made her way over to him and sat by his side.
"Odette," he smiled when she hugged his side, causing him to smile at her warmly before reminding her, "Careful. I wouldn't want you to prick yourself."
When she let him go, she saw the needle in his hand and his work in a basket. "You always work, Papa."
"Well, it is to make money. That way we have food on our table."
"I can't wait 'til I grow up."
Rumplestiltskin shook his head and told her, "Oh, you don't wanna grow up, Odette. It's too much work for you."
"But, Mama says Bae and I should help."
"Yes, but you're only children. Don't you find it better to play with your friends?" Odette nodded her head as she admitted she liked playing with Morraine, her twin brother, and the rest of her friends. "Look here." He paused for a moment to show his hands to her, and Odette saw the amount of scars etched across his skin. "Feel them." When she did, she felt how rough they were. "This shows how hard one works, and your hands are smooth and perfect. I'd never want you to go through something like that, Odette."
Odette didn't feel the need to tell him that when she grew up, she wanted to travel and see many lands. She was worried that he may tell her that she needed to stay home. On top of that, if her father told her that he didn't want her to do hard work, then he may not be too happy to be out on sea one day. It was going to be a lot of hard work, and Odette knew that. That was why she kept it to herself.
"Where did you go to by the way?" her father asked before getting back to work.
Odette froze since she also didn't want to tell him about Killian since she was worried that he may tell her mother, so she kept her meeting with him a secret. "I was with Morraine."
Her answer made him stop what he was doing as he looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Bae went to her home. Did you see him there too?"
"Yes," Odette answered too quickly, causing her father to look at her skeptically, so Odette told him, "He'll be back soon."
Not long after, her mother came through the door with a basket of fungus, and she immediately noticed her husband and Odette. "Oh good. I was about to ask some of the villagers where you were, Odette." Odette then wondered why Milah froze when she looked at her, but Odette looked at her shoulders when her mother pointed out, "Where's the shawl that I made for you?"
"Oh, I left it at Morraine's. I'll go get it."
"Oh, well then, I'll go with you."
Odette felt like her heart was ready to burst out of her chest as she questioned, "Why?"
"Because I need to deliver some bread to them after they gave us some of their left over cabbage so that I could make the stew." When Odette made no motion to move, her mother looked at her skeptically as she saw through her daughter's innocent facade when she put her hands behind her back and looked to the ground like she was guilty of something. "Odette?"
"I told a lie," Odette admitted with shame.
"What?" Milah questioned. "What lie have you told?"
Odette needed to think of something quick, and when her mother pressured her to tell the truth, Odette knew that she couldn't be honest since her mother would be furious if she found out she spoke to Killian, so she lied and tried to be convincing as she could with a smirk slowly grooming her face as she said, "I lost my shawl...climbing trees."
Both Rumple and Milah looked at their daughter. Odette thought it was the best lie she could come up with since her mother already didn't like it whenever Odette climbed trees. However, it wouldn't be so bad as her speaking to Killian. And sure enough, she was right as her mother smirked, causing Odette to smile at her.
Milah then grabbed her daughter's face before kissing her head and smacked her bum as she told her, "Go on and fetch the water from the well." As Odette grabbed the pail, she heard her mother call out while Odette ran out the door and headed towards the well. "And have someone help you!"
Present
When Nora and Graham parked near Gold's shop, the rest of the group came out of Ruby's car, but Henry stayed inside as Emma told Ruby to keep her son safe. With that, Ruby drove off.
Next thing they knew, Mary Margaret stopped Emma as Emma asked if they were ready to face Gold. She was insistent that she wanted to talk to her by knowing everything about her life and if Emma had any questions for her. Mary Margaret even admitted that she had a one-night stand with Whale, which shocked David, but her excuse why she slept with him was because they were cursed. Eventually, Emma told them that they would have at least been together if the curse was casted, stunning her parents.
"Come on, let's go see my father," Nora said.
Graham immediately stopped her by grabbing her arm. "Maybe you should stay here."
"What? Why?"
"Regina doesn't have her magic here, but Gold might. That's why I want you to stay out here so that he doesn't try anything on you."
Nora understood her husband's concern, but this was something she needed to do. "I'm not afraid of him, Graham, and he's my father. I know he would never hurt me. He's not like Rothbart."
"She's right," David stepped in. "And besides, Gold may be much more lenient if she's in there with us."
Graham looked at her long and hard until he finally agreed when he remembered how stubborn his wife was. "You stay close to me."
Nora smiled as she replied, "Always."
The group then wasted no time heading inside Gold's shop as the doorbell jingled, catching his attention. He stood by the counter, pouring a hot cup of tea. He looked at each and every one of them, but his eyes lingered on his daughter. She was even caught off guard to see her father again after regaining her memories. Sure, she may have had so many encounters with him in her cursed life, but that was because she couldn't remember him. Now that she remembered who she was, it made their meeting awkward.
"Well, what can I do for you?"
Nora heard how stiff his tone was, which meant that he showed no interest to speak to them, but it didn't stop Emma from saying, "What you can do is tell us what you did."
"I'm sorry, you're gonna have to be more specific."
So, they did. They reminded him how he double-crossed Emma and stole the potion from her and did who knew what to the town. There was a split second where Gold's eyes flicked over to Nora, and she couldn't help but stare back at him. It wasn't until when Emma told him that he nearly risked Henry's life that caused him to turn back to her so that he could meet her head-on.
"Well, that is quite a litany of grievances, now, isn't it?" Gold said to her in a dismissive tone.
"Maybe I don't need answers. Maybe I just need to punch you in the face."
Gold laughed at that and limped his way from behind the counter. "Oh. Really, dearie? Allow me to answer your questions with some of my own, all right? Did your dear boy, Henry, survive?"
"Yeah."
"Is the curse broken? And let's see here, Miss Swan, how long have you been searching for your parents? Looks like you're reunited. Seems like rather a punch in the face, I deserve a thank you."
Even though everything her father said was true, Nora knew that there was still some unexplained questions that needed to be answered. Her father may act this way towards them, but if Nora stepped in to reason with him, then he may provide what they wanted to hear. Graham advised her against it, but Nora needed to say something. Sure enough, she did.
Nora went over to Gold, unafraid as Emma was a bit surprised to see Nora step up while Graham tried to call her but stopped when she reached her father. "Papa, you have to tell us right now. What was that purple haze you brought into town?"
It took a moment for him to finally admit, "You know, magic."
Her eyes widened a bit when she heard his confession, and when he refused to answer Mary Margaret's question as to why he would bring it here, Nora speculated it was because he wanted power. She shook her head, not believing this. Storybrooke was a place where her father would be just like them, but with him bringing magic back, it showed how much he was obsessed with, and it angered Nora.
"You'll never stop having more power, will you?" Nora asked with disappointment, causing Gold to stare at his own daughter long and hard as she pressed, "Haven't you already done enough damage?"
Before Gold had a chance to say anything, the store rumbled, jerking everyone back. Nora had to hold onto the counter to keep herself steady. When she looked back at her father, his smirk never wavered. At that moment, she knew that he had something to do with this.
"What the hell was that?" Emma asked.
Graham and David rushed towards the door while car alarms wailed on the street. The wind roared and electricity sparked from the headlights. When Nora turned back to her father, he still carried the same expression, which had her worried.
"That is my gift to you." Everyone turned to Gold as he continued, "That is gonna take care of Regina."
When another explosion sounded off, alerting them except for Gold, Mary Margaret and David urged Emma to go, while Nora couldn't stop staring at her father as she wanted to stay to find out what he'd done, but Graham came over and took her hand, causing Gold to stare at the couple. "Nora, let's go."
Against her judgement, she followed Graham, while Emma glared at Gold and reminded him, "We're not done here."
"Oh, I know. You still owe me a favor."
With his final word, Nora looked back at him with a pitiful expression. After everything she had been through, her father went back to his old ways. She wished that he was the same as he was before he had his powers. At least when they were cursed, he treated her so kindly. Now, he was much colder, and Nora didn't know how to fix it. Right now though, they needed to save Regina.
The group rushed back to the station as quickly as they could. They made their way inside with the wind strongly blowing against them, but they managed to push their way through. Graham ran ahead of them with David trailing behind. The lights flickered on and off, and not long after, they saw a floating, hooded figure extending its hand out as a rush of light flowed from Regina into the creature's palm.
"Hey!" David shouted before grabbing a chair and threw it at it.
The chair, however, flew across the room with a single hit, and the creature didn't take any damage. Even Graham tried to stab it with the American flag after ripping it off a pole so that it posed as spear, but it had no effect either. The creature then whipped around with a ferocious roar before whacking them both as they were sent flying across. Mary Margaret, Emma, and Nora tried to help them, but the creature moved its arm to send a desk back, causing them to split apart as Nora fell to the ground with a grunt.
It then sent the desk towards David who dodged just in time before turning back to Regina to use its powers on her as she choked. Nora needed to do something to stop it, and when she saw a canister of spray paint, an idea came to mind. Nora rummaged through one of the cabinets and found a lighter before grabbing the canister.
She headed over to the creature with daunting footsteps and shouted out, "Over here!"
Using the lighter, she ignited a flame by directing the canister directly at the creature. It roared and stopped what it was doing to Regina as Regina fell. Nora continued to burn it until it fled away by smashing through the window.
When it was gone, she stopped the flames and looked over at the group to check in on them while Emma rushed over to Regina's side. "What the hell was that thing?"
"A Wraith. A soul sucker."
"Did I..."
"Kill it?" Regina turned to Nora, cutting her off. "No. It's regenerating. It'll be back. It doesn't stop until it devours its prey." She paused for a moment to show the mark on her hand. "Me."
"So, how do we kill it?" Emma asked.
"There's no way. Can't kill something that's already dead."
"Then we have a problem."
Nora immediately turned to her husband when she heard him say coldly, "No, we don't. Regina does."
Most of the group tried to reason with Graham, but he wasn't having it. Nora would never take this route by doing nothing to let Regina be killed ever since she had been treated so cruelly by Rothbart. She didn't want him to go down this path of revenge.
"Graham, please!" Nora pleaded. "We can't just let her die."
Everyone was shocked except for Graham when they heard David say, "Maybe Graham's right. The Wraith's after her, not us. It'll go away, and then we'll all be safe."
"That's quite the example you're both setting for your families," Regina said, sneering at Graham and David.
Nora knew she couldn't stop Graham after Regina scolded him since he couldn't stand even the sight of her, so when she told him off, it triggered him as he got in her face. "No.Youdon't get to judge us!"
"Let me ask you something, where do you think that thing came from? Gold."
Emma then intervened by speaking over to Graham's shoulder, causing him to look at her. "I made a promise to Henry. She's not dying."
Regina was shocked for a moment when Emma said that, but she quickly composed herself when Mary Margaret turned to her. "If it can't be killed, what do you suggest?"
"Send it somewhere it can't hurt anyone."
Past
It had been a few days since Odette had seen Killian at port. She was sitting with Baelfire at night. For some reason, their mother wasn't home to make supper for them. In fact, she had been like this for a couple of days now. She always came home late for some reason, and Odette didn't understand why.
Odette and Baelfire just sat on the ground, waiting for either their mother or father to come back. Their father was still out delivering his work to some of the villagers after he weaved all day.
By the time their father came home, he called out to his family. "Milah? Bae? Odette? I'm home." When he only saw his children and not his wife, he asked the twins, "Where's Mum?" When they didn't answer him, he seemed a bit perplexed, but he tried reassuring them. "Well, she probably just lost track of time. Grab your cloaks. We'll find her."
Odette and Baelfire grabbed their cloaks so that they wouldn't get cold and followed their father into the village. The twins made sure they stayed close to each other so that they wouldn't separate while their father was ahead of them. He made sure that his children were nearby though by looking back a few times to see if they caught up with him even though he had a limp.
As soon as they reached the same tavern that Odette had been in, her father told her and her brother to wait outside, but the twins couldn't help themselves as they went inside a little while later. Odette clutched onto her brother's hand as she took the lead and ventured further inside.
Not long after, she immediately noticed her mother sitting across from Killian and scowling at her father before hearing Rumplestiltskin addressing Milah, "Please, you have responsibilities."
"You mean like being a man and fighting in The Ogre Wars? Other wives became honored widows while I becamelashedto the village coward. I need a break," Milah said as she poured herself a drink. "Run home, Rumple. It's what you're good at."
Odette didn't understand why her mother was so angry at him. She didn't understand what she was even referring to. It didn't make any sense to Odette. She just wanted her mother and father to stop fighting, but Odette was too frozen on the spot to stop them.
Baelfire, however, got their attention by calling out to his mother. "Mama?"
Their parents quickly noticed them, and Odette just stared at her mother, wanting her to say something, but she had nothing to say. Milah was at a loss for words when she glanced over at her children, which was shocking to Odette. Her mother always had something to say.
"Bae. Odette. You both were supposed to stay outside," Rumple said.
It took a moment before Milah finally got up and took her children away from the scene. Odette couldn't help but turn her head back at Killian to see him drinking so pitifully as he looked away from them. She didn't understand why her mother was even with him. She thought at first maybe it was to scold him to not go near her daughter ever again, but that didn't seem to be the case since she was enjoying a drink next to him. What she really wanted to know was why her mother was so upset at her father, but she didn't think she would ever know, and sure enough, she had no idea she was never going to see her mother again.
The next day came by, and Odette hadn't seen her mother all day. She didn't understand what was going. First, snuck out late at night while her family slept, then she didn't make supper for her family by going out drinking instead, and now, she was gone completely. Around noon, Rumple told his children that he would be back to find their mother since one of the women in the village told him that she was taken, alerting the twins.
Both Odette and Baelfire waited as the day rolled by. Odette sat on her straw bed, clinging onto her doll before eventually finding her necklace as she clutched it tight to her. She prayed silently that her mother would return safely. Odette even swore to God that she would give up her dream of exploring if it meant that her mother came back, but Odette had yet to learn what happened to her mother.
Her father soon came through the door with his head hung low until he caught his children staring at him. Their eyes widened when they realized that their mother wasn't with him. Odette's lips trembled after having a bad feeling. She was right of course when her father beckoned his children over as he sat by his daughter's side and held her close to him.
"Where's Mama?" Odette asked.
He looked over to her with his eyes flickering to mixed emotions, and his words immediately felt like someone pierced her heart. "Pirates came and took her. I tried to...defend her, but it was no use. She's dead."
Tears glossed over Odette's eyes and quickly fell at her father's announcement, and not long after, Baelfire cried. Odette buried her face in her father's chest and let everything out. He didn't care that she sobbed onto his tunic. In fact, he held her close, while Bae went over to hug him too. All they heard was their father apologizing by saying that he wished he could do more for them.
Present
Regina led them into the city hall after she obtained Jefferson's hat. Even though there was no home to get back to, if the Wraith was sent through a portal through the hat, then it would be banished into oblivion. It was the best idea Nora heard since they needed to find a way to get rid of the Wraith for good.
David and Graham wasted no time lighting the brooms so that they had torches to fend themselves from the Wraith and to buy Regina enough time to activate the hat. It seemed a little difficult for Regina though since she kept spinning it only for it to not work. Not long after, the lights flickered before shutting off, and the winds whirled in the hall, alerting the group. Emma tried to tell Regina to hurry, but there wasn't much Regina could do since magic was different here.
The door then bursted open, and the group prepared themselves when they heard the Wraith. Graham handed Emma and Nora torches, and David gave Mary Margaret hers as the Wraith flew inside. David and Graham tried to fend the Wraith off, but it was no use. It wasn't fazed by their attacks. Mary Margaret then had an idea by pouring liquor on the railings as she tossed a bottle towards Nora who caught it so that she could work on the other side.
When they finished, Mary Margaret called out to them, drawing the men's attention. Graham then immediately pulled the railing together while David used his torch to set it ablaze by creating a fire barricade. Nora then shouted for Regina to hurry, but no matter how many times Regina spun the hat, a portal wasn't opening.
"What's the problem?" Emma kneeled next to Regina.
"Magic. It's different here."
Nora looked over to see Emma touching Regina's arm, and her eyes widened a bit to see the wind swirling over the hat as the hat spun on its own. The portal opened slowly, and Nora smiled after seeing what they did. They were finally going to banish the Wraith. However, her body whipped around when she heard Graham and David grunt when the Wraith knocked them across the room. The Wraith then flew towards Regina as David warned them.
To everyone's surprise though, Emma pushed Regina out of the way so that the Wraith wouldn't take her only for Emma to be pulled in. With quick thinking, Nora grabbed Emma's arm and shouted for her to hold on, but the Wraith kept a good hold on her, and the portal was too strong. Nora felt her body being pulled inside, and not long after, Nora was dragged with Emma. Graham, David, and Mary Margaret shouted after them, and only Mary Margaret managed to go through the portal before it closed while Graham and David missed their chance when they attempted to jump through.
Here's the first episode of S2! I hope you all enjoyed the flashback with Hook. Looks like Odette/Nora knew him pretty well. And, now Nora's with Emma and Mary Margaret in The Enchanted Forest. Let me know what you guys think and what your expectations are. Stay tuned for more chapters heading your way!