Chapter Four - The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
Season 1 - Episode 7
There was an Enchanted forest filled with all the classic characters we know.
Or think we know.
One day they found themselves trapped in a place where all their happy endings were stolen.
Our World.
This is how it happened…
The Evil Queen and Octavia look over the balcony of Regina's castle, and she sees Snow White on the lower level, placing a white rose on top of her father's coffin. "Goodbye, Father." Snow White mutters, and the Evil Queen touches her shoulder.
"I'm so sorry, Snowie," Octavia comforts her step-niece, moving her away from her older sister.
"I loved him so much," She whispers in heartache.
"So did I, dear." Regina replies. "So did I. The loss I feel for my husband must be nothing compared to the loss you feel for your father."
"If there is anything we could do, please, let us know." Octavia tells her.
"Agreed. I may only be your mother through marriage, but we're here for you, dear. Truly and forever." She adds, and Snow White moved by their words, hugs the Evil Queen and the Cruel Princess.
The Evil Queen and Cruel Princess return to Regina's chambers, escorted by several guards and the vanity in the corner next to the Mirror on the wall. "Congratulations. Your revenge is almost complete." Mirror comments, poking his head out of the Mirror on the wall, and Regina walks to the vanity, sitting on the stool while Octavia goes to the table and chair in the centre of the room. "She has no idea, does she?"
"That I'm responsible for his passing? She sought comfort with us. Sickening. I could've ended her miserable existence right there. Believe me - it was tempting." Regina muses, looking at the Mirror.
"It would have sated your soul, sister." The Cruel Princess remarks, summoning a tea set that magically pours itself.
"The kingdom's still loyal to her. They would turn on me. They don't know the wretchedness inside her as I do. They don't know what she did to me. We must be delicate in this next phase. Her demise must be handled with care." She replies and, gets up, walks toward the exit.
"Perhaps, one of your knights, Your Majesty?" Mirror suggests.
"No. I need someone adept at murder. Bereft of mercy." The Evil Queen argues, thinking it over.
"Someone with no heart." Octavia sighs, sipping at her tea.
"Now you understand," Regina smiles, looking at her younger sister and joining her at the table.
"Well, in that case, you need a huntsman." Mirror announces, gaining the sisters' attention.
The Evil Queen watches the Huntsman through her Magic Mirror with her sister and several guards. "He's perfect. Bring him to me." Regina demands, smirking, and the soldiers run out of the room,
A few days later, the guards soon return with a guard who leads the Huntsman into the Queen's chambers, with the Evil Queen lounging on the couch while the Cruel Princess plays on the piano in the corner. "Do you have a name?" Regina questions, looking at the man, who seems exceptionally uncomfortable. "Or shall we just call you 'The Huntsman'? You're a tortured one, aren't you, Huntsman? Is this because your parents abandoned you to the wolves?"
"Those weren't my parents." Huntsman argues. "All they did was give birth to me. The wolves are my family."
"I can relate," Octavia mutters, thinking of her own family.
"Wolves, indeed. I always felt there were two kinds of people -." Regina remarks, getting to her feet and walking past him. "- wolves and sheep. Those who kill, and those who get killed. And you, Huntsman, you are most certainly a wolf."
"Why am I here?" Huntsman asks her, looking at the Queen.
"I'd like you to kill someone for me. Can you do that?" She questions, looking back at him.
"I kill for me. Why would I do anything for you?" He argues, glaring at the woman.
"Because I have so much to offer. A place at my court." The Evil Queen retorts, trying to entice him.
"That'll work." Octavia mutters, keeping a sweet, calming tune as she plays.
"You will become my official Huntsman." Regina adds.
"I'm not interested in being a pet. This place is a cage." Huntsman growls, looking at the luxurious castle around them.
"You'd be awash in luxury - wanting for nothing." She corrects him.
"You have an army at your disposal. What do you need of me?" He asks her, looking at her with a frown.
"My prey is beloved by all the kingdom. I need someone who won't be blinded by that. Someone without compassion, someone who'll have no qualms about carving a heart out and bringing it back for my collection." Regina informs him, getting close to him and touching his chest, making Octavia roll her eyes.
"That's me." The wolfman agrees.
"As I suspected. Now tell me - what will it take? Hm? What do you want? There must be something." She wonders, looking into his eyes and stepping away.
"Everyone wants something." Octavia mutters, upping the tempo a little.
"Outlaw the hunting of wolves. They are to be left alone. They are to be protected." Huntsman demands.
"Simple enough," She agrees, looking at her older sister, who nods.
"So, who do you want me to kill?" He asks them.
A day later, one of the Queen's guards escorts the Huntsman back into her chambers. "Wait here." He orders the man before leaving, and the Evil Queen and Cruel Princess enter.
"I see you're still in mourning and something else." The Huntsman remarks, looking at the Queen dressed in black and the Princess in a black a yellow dress.
"The time for mourning is over. I simply found that black suits me." Regina replies, strolling toward him.
"And I am trying something." Octavia adds, walking behind her sister.
"Now, tell us - is Snow dead?" She demands.
"The young girl's heart, as you requested." Huntsman replies, guesting to the bag at his side, and she goes to grab it, but he pulls it out of reach. "First, there's something I must do." He takes out Snow White's letter.
"What's this?" Octavia asks him, and he holds out another, giving it to her before the Queen can see.
"Read it later." The wolfman whispers, and she nods. "The girl wanted you to have it." He turns to the Evil Queen.
"Read it to me." Regina orders him in boiling anger.
"Dearest Stepmother - by the time you read this, I will be dead." The Huntsman begins reading. "I understand that you will never have love in your life because of me," Octavia sees the conflict and heartbreak on her sister's face, "so it's only fitting that I'll be denied that same joy as well. For the sake of the kingdom, I hope my death satisfies your need for revenge - allowing you to rule my father's subjects as they deserve. With compassion and a gentle hand. I know what you think you're doing is vengeance - I prefer to think of it as sacrifice for the good of all. With that in mind, I welcome the end. I want you to take my last message to heart. I'm sorry, and I forgive you." The Evil Queen boils with rage, rips the letter from his hands, and storms over to the roaring fire, throwing it into the flames.
"Don't tell me you're becoming a sheep!" Regina growls in a fury.
"She put others before herself, and yet, you hate her. What did she do to you?" He asks her.
"I shared a secret with her, and she couldn't keep it. And that betrayal cost me dearly. Now, show me her heart!" She demands, turning to face him again, and he gives her the bag containing the heart. The Evil Queen strolls through her chambers, pushing through the pair of doors leading into a smaller room as the Cruel Princess and the Huntsman watch as she takes out the heart from inside the bag, placing it into a box on the pedestal in the centre of the room before closing it and walking over to the wall made up of multiple drawers. She holds the box up to the wall, waiting, but nothing happens. "It should open." The Evil Queen takes the heart out of the box, stalking toward the Huntsman. "This isn't her heart! This isn't a human heart! What did you do?"
Emma and Graham enter the crypt in the graveyard, and there's a sarcophagus in the centre with several urns on shelves lining the walls. "It's got to be in here. Somewhere," Graham mutters, looking around with the light of his flashlight. "There's got to be a hidden door. A lever." He checks one of the urns on the side. "Something."
"Graham. Hey. Graham, there's nothing in here." Emma tells him, looking at him worriedly.
"There has to be. If there isn't, then -." He mutters in despair.
"It's okay. It's going to be okay." She soothes him as Regina and Octavia stand outside, seeing them inside.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Regina demands, making the two trespassers exit the crypt.
"What are you two doing here?" The blond woman asks them,
"Bringing flowers to our father's grave like we do every Wednesday." Octavia informs them, holding up the white flowers in her hand.
"Don't blame her. It's my fault. I wanted to look in there." Graham tells the Mills sisters.
"Really? Why? What were you looking for?" Regina asks him, growing nervous.
"Nothing. It was, uh… It was nothing." He mutters, feeling downcast at not finding what he was looking for.
"You don't look well, dear. Let's take you home." She suggests, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him with her, but he breaks free of her grasp.
"Regina, I… I don't want to go home. Not with you." The Sheriff tells her, not looking her in the eye.
"Oh? But you'll go with her." The Mayor sneers, looking at the blond Deputy at his side.
"Hey. This is between you two – leave me out of it." Emma holds her hands up, and Octavia nods, not wanting to get involved too.
"She's right – it's between us. And things have to change." Graham informs her.
"And I wonder why that is all of a sudden." Regina sneers angrily.
"It has nothing to do with her. You know, I've realised that I don't feel anything, Regina. And I know now it's not me – it's you." He tells her, looking at the woman.
"So, you're leaving me for her?" She asks in surprise and rage.
"I'm leaving you for me." The man corrects her.
"Graham, you're not thinking straight." The dark-haired woman tries changing his mind.
"Actually, for the first time, I am. I'd rather have nothing than settle for less. Nothing? Is better than what we have. I need to feel something, Regina, and the only way to do that is to give myself a chance." Graham retorts, needing to escape the woman and her manipulative ways.
"Graham -." Regina mutters.
"I'm sorry. It's over." He announces, surprising all the women.
"I don't know what I ever did to you, Miss Swan, to deserve this. To have you keep coming after everything I hold dear." The older Mills sister snaps, glaring at Emma, who looks like a deer in headlights.
"I told you – it's not her." The Sheriff reminds her.
"None of this happened until she got here." Regina sneers and Octavia sees the heartbreak on her sister's face and rushes to her side, hugging her quickly.
"I'm sorry. Did you ever stop to think that maybe the problem isn't with me, but with you?" Emma retorts, angering the dark-haired woman.
"Excuse me?" Regina questions and Octavia tries to keep her sister close.
"Henry came and found me. Graham kissed me. Both were miserable. Maybe, Madam Mayor, you need to take a good hard look in the Mirror and ask yourself why that is. Why is everyone running away from you?" She pushes it too far as the Mayor wrenches her sister's arms away from her, punching the blond in the face, who falls into Graham's arms.
"Regina!" Octavia and Graham shout as Emma recovers from the hit and jumps back to her feet, punching Regina in the face before grabbing her and pushing the Mayor against the side of the crypt. Graham and Octavia try breaking it up, taking each woman, and splitting them up. "Stop! Stop! Stop!" Octavia pulls her sister away from the blond, and Graham holds Emma away.
"Not worth it." Emma sneers, starting to leave, walking away from the others.
"Graham." Regina mutters, and Octavia sighs.
"I need to get to work." Octavia groans, leaving them alone.
The Evil Queen and her sister stand in the smaller room with the wall of drawers full of hearts with the Huntsman, and she slams the heart down onto the pedestal in anger. "Did you think you can fool me with the heart of a stag?" Regina growls, waving her hand and slamming the doors shut. "You're not going anywhere."
"She doesn't deserve to die," The Huntsman argues.
"That's not up to you. I wanted a heart, and a heart I shall have." Standing close to him, sneering at him before Magically sticking her hand through his chest.
"Regina! Stop!" Octavia shouts as the Queen draws back, holding the Huntsman's heart.
"What… What are you going to do to me?" The Huntsman gasps, and Regina kisses him, making Octavia look away.
"You're now mine, my pet." The Evil Queen replies, walking over to the wall made of drawers and holding up the heart, allowing one of them to pop out containing a box. "And this is your cage. From this moment forward, you will do everything that I say. And if you ever disobey me, if you ever try to run away, all I have to do is squeeze." She warns him, squeezing the heart in her hand, making him double over in pain. "Guards!" Two guards enter the room, grabbing the Huntsman by the arms. "Your life is now in my hands – forever. Take him to my bed chamber." The guards take the man with them, leaving the sister alone in the room, and the Evil Queen puts the man's heart in the box before closing the drawer.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Rainy." Octavia warns her sister before walking out of the room, leaving the Evil Queen alone.
Emma walks over to Graham, and they kiss, making him have another flashback to his life in Fairy Tale World, seeing the wolf with two different coloured eyes, the fight at the tavern, meeting the Evil Queen and Cruel Princess, Snow White, the dagger, the whistle, the deer, the symbol, him reading the letter, the stag heart, and the Evil Queen taking his heart. Graham pulls away from the kiss, finding himself back in the present and staggers backwards. "Graham?" Emma questions, looking at him. "Are you okay?"
"I remember." Graham announces, growing misty-eyed.
"Graham?" She calls him, seeing tears falling down his face.
"I remember." He repeats.
"You remember what?" The blond woman asks him, and he holds her face in his hands.
"Thank you." The Sheriff smiles happily, but it soon changes as Regina squeezes his heart that she still has in her secret lair under her father's crypt. Emma and Graham go to kiss, but he falls to the floor; she repeatedly shouts his name, trying to wake the man, but is unsuccessful and the blond dashes for the phone, calling for help, while Regina crushes Graham's heart to dust.
Chapter Four - Desperate Souls
Season 1 - Episode 8
There was an Enchanted forest filled with all the classic characters we know.
Or think we know.
One day they found themselves trapped in a place where all their happy endings were stolen.
Our World.
This is how it happened…
A few weeks after Graham's demise, Regina and Sidney stand in her office in front of several news reporters, and Octavia stands at the back, hating being there because of why the papers are there. "Everyone deserves to feel safe in their own homes. That's why Sidney Glass is my choice for the post of Sheriff. This man has put the needs of Storybrooke above his own for as long as any of us can remember as chief editor of the Storybrooke Daily Mirror. Please welcome your new Sheriff!" Regina announces and goes to pin the Sheriff's badge on Sidney when Emma enters dramatically.
"Hang on a second." Emma says, gaining their attention.
"Oh, Miss Swan, this is not appropriate." She retorts, glaring at the blond.
"The only thing not appropriate is this ceremony. She does not have the power to appoint him." The blond woman argues, glaring back at him.
"The town charter clearly states the Mayor shall appoint -." The Mayor argues, trying to remain professional.
"A candidate. You could appoint a candidate. It calls for an election." Emma corrects the dark-haired woman.
"The term 'candidate' is applied loosely." Regina replies slyly.
"No, it's not. It requires a vote. And guess what, Madam Mayor? I'm running." She argues, and Octavia hides her smirk, loving the power struggle between her sister and Emma.
"Fine. So is Sidney." The older Mills sister announces.
"I am?" Sidney questions, making Regina turn around, giving him a look. "I am."
"With my full support. I guess we'll learn a little something about the will of the people." Regina retorts.
"I guess we will." Emma smirks, and Octavia pushes herself off the wall.
"I'll be backing her, she needing to worry." Octavia announces, shocking everyone in the room.
"Now that's news," Sidney mutters, earning a glare from Regina.
Regina and Emma are in the burning Town Hall as the blond goes to leave, but the Mayor grabs her arm, stopping her. "You're going to leave me, aren't you?" Regina asks pleadingly, and Emma breaks from her grasp, leaving to the next room, and jumps through the flames. Regina tries getting up alone, but the blond returns with a fire extinguisher to extinguish the flames. Emma puts Regina's arm around her shoulder, helping her through the building outside with reporters waiting, taking pictures of them leaving the burning building as sirens can be heard in the background. "Oh, ow, ow! My ankle! Set me down gently!" The Mayor complains, standing funny on her injured ankle, and Octavia runs to her sister's aid.
"Seriously? You're complaining about how I saved your life?" Emma asks her, and Octavia checks her sister.
"The firemen are here. It's not like we were really in danger." She retorts, holding onto her sister.
"Fine. Next time I'll just… I'll just…" The blond snaps, going to leave, but stops. "Ah, you know what? Next time, I'll do the same thing. And the time after that because that is what decent human beings do. That's what good people do." Emma walks away from Regina as Octavia leads her older sister to the ambulance that pulls up, and Emma stands by the fire truck as Henry talks to one of the firefighters.
"Did Emma really rescue my mom?" Henry asks, and Regina sits on a stretcher with an oxygen mask, overhearing her son and throwing the mask away in anger.
"Enough!" Regina snaps angrily.
"Regina," Octavia warns her.
"I'm fine." She snaps at her sister, and Sidney runs up to her with a camera, taking a picture.
"Nice shot of the victim?" Sidney asks, looking at her.
"Sidney? What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to hand this election to her?" The Mayor sneers at him, pushing the camera away.
"But it's news." He argues lightly.
"She's the competition, you fool." Regina growls while Emma and various townspeople talk.
"Did you really rescue Regina?" Mary Margaret asks her roommate.
"She did! The fireman said it. They saw it." Henry exclaims in glee.
"You are a hero." Ruby beams.
"We should see if they have a picture of the rescue." Mary Margaret suggests, looking around.
"We could make campaign posters." Granny adds happily.
"Oh, people would love that! That's a great idea. Wait, so…" Archie exclaims, and the group walk away still talking, leaving Emma and Henry alone.
"This is how good wins. You do something good, and people see it, and then they want to help you." Emma smiles at her son, looking at him, trying to give him some hope.
"Maybe you're right." Henry agrees with her, smiling too.
"You see, Henry? We don't have to fight dirty." She tells him but sees something she recognises in the pile of debris as the same fabric Mr Gold was preparing in his shop earlier when she spoke with him.
The following day, behind the scenes at the town hall, Sidney gets ready for the debate, and Archie practices his opening speech. "Citizens of Storybrooke. Uh, we welcome you to, uh… Welcome, citizens of Storybrooke, uh… Uh, we welcome you, citizens of Storybrooke. Welcome, uh…" Archie mutters, pacing the floor as Emma waits by the podium, looking through the crack in the curtains and spotting Henry sitting between the Mills sisters. Mary Margaret steps over to Emma and hands her a piece of paper, snapping the blond out of her daze and then hands her a bottle of water.
"I'm not going to win," Emma mutters.
"What are you talking about? Everyone's talking about what you did in the fire." Mary Margaret assures her.
"No, Henry's right – I can't beat Regina at this. Not the way she fights. Watch and see." She tells her.
"Is this really just about beating Regina." The sweet teacher questions.
"It's just…." The blond woman says, looking at her son again.
"Henry." Mary Margaret sighs, looking at him.
"I want to show him that good can actually win." Emma replies.
"That's why you want to win it for him, but why do you want to win the election for yourself?" She tells her.
"That is why. I want to show him that a hero can win. And if I'm not… If I'm not a hero and I'm not the saviour, then what part do I have in his life? Okay. There it is." The blond argues, feeling doubt.
"There it is." The dark-haired woman tells her, and the debate begins as the curtains draw, with Archie giving his opening speech to the crowded room while Emma and Sidney sit on either side of him.
"Tragedy has brought us here, but we are faced with this decision. And now, we ask only that you listen with an open mind and to please vote your conscience. So, without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to the candidates – Sidney Glass and Emma Swan. Glass. Swan. Sounds like something that a decorator would make you buy. Wow, crickets. Okay, uh… Uh, Mr Glass – your opening statement." Archie says for his seat and stands back away, letting Sidney walk up to the podium first.
"I just want to say that if elected, I want to serve as a reflection of the best qualities of Storybrooke. Honesty, neighbourliness, and strength. Thank you." Sidney keeps it, shouts and sits back on his chair, and Archie calls upon the next candidate.
"And Emma Swan." He announces, moving back, and Emma approaches the podium next.
"You guys all know I have what they call a, uh… Troubled past. But, you've been able to overlook it because of the, um… Hero thing. But here's the thing – the fire was a setup. Mr Gold agreed to support me in this race, but I didn't know that that meant he was going to set a fire." Emma announces, shocking everyone within the crowd. "I don't have definitive evidence, but I'm sure. And the worst part of all this was – the worst part of all this is – I let you all think it was real. And I can't win that way. I'm sorry." She adds, and Mr Gold gets up from the audience, leaving the town hall.
Later that day, Emma finishes a drink at Granny's Dinner with Ruby behind the counter, looking at the blond's empty glass. "Another?" Ruby asks.
"Oh, hell yes." Emma agrees, and the red-clothed woman grabs another drink for the sulking blond when Henry enters the diner with Octavia, sitting on either side of Emma. "Hey, Henry, Tava." Henry pulls a walkie-talkie out of his bag and hands it to her. "What's this for?"
"You stood up to Mr Gold. It's pretty amazing." Henry comments, smiling at her.
"Well, he did something illegal." She argues, smiling back at him.
"That's what heroes do – expose stuff like that. I shouldn't have given up on Operation Cobra." He tells her, and Regina and Sidney enter the diner.
"I thought I might find you here. With a drink. And my son. And my sister." Regina remarks, looking at them.
"Here to card me, officer?" Emma asks, looking at Sidney.
"Well, not at all. In fact, I think I'll join you." Sidney replies.
"Here? I don't know. I think they're setting up a back room for the victory party." She comments, glancing at them.
"Oh, well, you'll have to tell me what that's like." The reporter replies, hinting.
"Congratulations. …Sheriff Swan." Regina announces, pulling out the badge and placing it on the counter.
"Wait, what?" Henry questions, and more people come filing into the diner.
"It was a very close vote, but people really seem to like the idea of a Sheriff brave enough to stand up to Mr Gold." She announces, grimacing.
"Are you joking?" Emma asks him.
"She doesn't joke." Octavia jokes.
"You didn't pick a great friend in Mr Gold, Miss Swan, but he does make a superlative enemy. Enjoy that." Regina remarks, warning the blond woman.
Chapter Four - True North
Season 1 - Episode 9
There was an Enchanted forest filled with all the classic characters we know.
Or think we know.
One day they found themselves trapped in a place where all their happy endings were stolen.
Our World.
This is how it happened…
A while after Sheriff is appointed, Henry stands in the convenience store by the comic books, flipping through one when a girl, roughly his age, approaches him. "Whatcha reading?" Ava asks him, making him look up from the comic book.
"The Hulk versus Wolverine." Henry answers, blushing a little.
"I'm Ava. I think I've seen you around school. You're in Miss Blanchard's class, right?" She asks him, and he nods when another boy close to their age walks up to the girl.
"Almost ready, Ava?" Nicholas asks his sister.
"This is my brother, Nicholas," Ava tells Henry with a friendly smile.
"Hi. Come on – let's go." He tells his sister.
"You want to come hang out?" She asks the Mayor's kid/
"Sure!" Henry beams, and the three kids go to leave the store but get stopped by the owner.
"Where the hell do you think you're going? Open up your bag." Mr Clark demands, sneezing into his arm.
"What?" He asks, looking confused.
"Don't think I didn't see you rob me. Open your bag." The shop owner snaps.
"I didn't take anything." The Mayor's kid argues, and Mr Clark takes Henry's bag, looking through it, and pulls out a fistful of candy.
"And a liar, too." Mr Clark snaps.
"That's why you were talking to me. So your brother could put that stuff in there." Henry questions, looking at the other kids.
"Henry… I'm shocked. And you two – just who do you think you are?" He asks, looking at them.
Hansel and Gretal collect kindling for their father while the boy slingshots, shooting rocks into the forest, growing bored. "It's getting late. We should go." Gretel announces and takes the slingshot away from her brother.
"Hey! Give it back. Come on, Gretel! Give it back." Hansel yells, trying to take it back.
"No, Hansel. We need to get back to Father." She tells him, taking the wheelbarrow and moving through the forest.
"Fine." He sighs.
"Follow me." The blond girl tells him and leads her brother to where their father was cutting down trees, but no one is there. "This is where we left him."
"So why isn't he here?" The dark-haired boy questions, looking around.
"Father!" Gretal shouts into the woods.
"Father!" Hansel shouts, and they hear a noise in the distance, and they look at each other before running in that direction.
"Father! Father! Father!" She shouts, and the siblings come to a road cutting through the woods. When they turn to head down it, they encounter several of the Evil Queen's guards on horseback and the Evil Queen's carriage. Two guards drag Hansel and Gretal to the carriage as the Evil Queen steps out and the Cruel Princess peeks her head out.
"What are you doing in my forest?" The Evil Queen asks, looking at the children.
Mr Clark stands before Octavia and Henry as she hugs her nephew as their held in the convenience store with Ava and Nicholas. "Well, I'm sorry, Doctor Mills, but your nephew was shoplifting." Mr Clark argues, earning a glare from Octavia.
"Were you?" Octavia asks Henry, who shakes his head.
"Look for yourself." He tells her, showing the bag he confiscated.
"My nephew doesn't eat candy. And he knows better than to steal. It was obviously those two. We're going." She tells him and leads him to the door when Emma walks in just before they get the chance to leave.
"Henry, Tava. What happened?" Emma asks them.
"It seems someone was trying to use Henry as a mule, and it's all taken care of." The Doctor informs her.
"Don't forget I'm here because I'm the Sheriff." She reminds her.
"I know. Make sure the kids are taken care of." Octavia tells her and leaves the store, not before glancing back at the two kids.
Hansel, Gretal, the Evil Queen and Cruel Princess stand on the road in the middle of the forest. "Please forgive us. We didn't mean to bother you; we just… We just lost our father." Gretal informs the sisters.
"Two helpless children. Lost and alone. A family torn asunder. Such a sad and moving story. Guards – seize them!" The Evil Queen orders, and the young blond girl takes Hansel's slingshot.
"Hansel, run!" She shouts, and Hansel runs into the forest as the girl flings a rock at the approaching guard, which disorientates him enough for her to run after her brother. Gretal follows Hansel into the forest as the guard starts chasing after them, but the Evil Queen stops him. Hansel and Gretal run up a hill when the Mills sisters dissipate, suddenly appearing before them.
"Running from us is foolish." The Cruel Princess warns them, and the siblings attempt to escape, but Regina summons a group of vines, catching Hansel and Gretal and wrapping around them, leaving the children immobilised on the ground.
"Foolish but also brave. And that bravery may just have saved you and your family's lives." The Evil Queen tells them, vanquishing the vines.
"You… You're letting us go?" Gretal asks the sisters.
"Oh, we're doing so much more than that. We're going to find your father." Octavia tells them.
"You are?" Hansel asks the royal sisters.
"Why?" Gretal questions.
"Because you two are going to do something for us." The Evil Queen tells them, smirking.
"And then, you'll take us home?" She asks, not fully trusting the Queen, but maybe the Princess.
The Mills sisters, Hansel and Gretal, walk through the woods as the girl fiddles with her compass from their father. "What is that?" Octavia asks her, looking at the compass.
"My father's compass. He gave it to me so I could find him, but now it's broken. When are you going to tell us where we're going?" Gretal answers, her eyes never moving from the gift her father gave her.
"This is close enough." The Evil Queen announces, stopping.
"Close enough to what?" She asks her.
"The home of the Blind Witch." The Cruel Princess informs them.
"That doesn't sound good." Hansel comments, looking at the sisters.
"She has something of mine. And I need you to get it back." The Queen tells them, lying a little.
"What is it?" Gretal asks her, not trusting the woman.
"Something I need to defeat a very wicked and powerful enemy. It's kept in a black leather satchel inside her house." Regina informs them.
"Well, why don't you get it yourself? How come you need us?" She questions, looking at the house.
"Because the house is protected by Magic. We can't enter. But luckily, the spell doesn't work on children. You'll have to wait here until nightfall. And then, once the Witch is asleep, you can sneak in." Octavia instructs the children.
"And if we do this, you promise you'll find our father?" The girl asks pleadingly at the Princess.
"Oh, indeed, I will. But there's one more thing – the Witch's house is…unique. And because of this, you have to take special precaution once you're inside." The Evil Queen warns the young siblings.
"Like what?" Gretal wonders, growing scared.
"No matter what you do, no matter how you're tempted – don't eat anything." The Cruel Princess warns them, and the Evil Queen pulls back a branch, revealing the Blind Witch's gingerbread house.
The Blind Witch locks Hansel and Gretal in a cage within her gingerbread house kitchen before sticking her arm through the bars, trying to feel around for them. "Where are you?" The Blind Witch wonders, grabbing Hansel's arm. "Oh, yes. Nice and tender. A succulent roast, you'll make." She walks from the cage to the oven, opens the door, and sticks her hand inside to test the temperature. While in the cage, the siblings whisper to each other, devising a plan to escape.
"Gretel, she's going to cook me! We've got to do something – quick!" Hansel whispers in a panic.
"Stay calm. When she opens the cage to get you, don't try to fight. And while she's carrying you to the oven, grab the key that's in her pocket and toss it to me through the bars." Gretal instructs her brother.
"She's coming. She's coming – I can't do it! I'm going to die!" He panics as the Blind Witch approaches the cage.
"Gravy or butter? Which shall it be?" The Blind Witch questions, sticking her hand through the bar and feeling Gretal's face, who kicks her brother, making him yell in pain, causing the Blind Witch to think Gretal is Hansel, and she unlocks the door, pulling Gretal out. "Come with me, little boy." Gretal quickly steals the key to the cage from the Witch's pocket and throws it to Hansel, who catches it before unlocking the cage, freeing himself. Hansel runs up a short set of stairs, grabbing a pole to use as a weapon, but ends up tripping on the stairs, alerting the Blind Witch. "Gravy or butter? Gravy or butter? How shall I baste you?" She wonders, and Hansel raises the pole in his hands, but the Witch Magically whisks it away while approaching the boy. "Butter it is. Time to cook." The Blind Witch grabs Hansel and drags him towards the oven, but Gretal manages to undo the rope around her wrists, pushing the Witch onto the cooking tray as the siblings slide her into the oven, shutting the door.
"Quick, Gretel! Lock her in!" Hansel shouts, grabbing the leather satchel from its hook and the two run towards the exit.
"Let me out!" The Blind Witch screams as Hansel and Gretal escape the gingerbread house. "Let me out! You come back right now! Let me out! Let me out!" She yells, and the Mills sisters watch from the comfort of their castle through the Magic Mirror, and the Evil Queen casts a fireball through the Mirror, burning the Blind Witch.
"I would've gone gravy." The Evil Queen sneers.
"I would've gone butter." The Cruel Princess argues.
A guard escorts Hansel and Gretal to the Evil Queen's castle chambers. "My dear children. Were you successful in your task?" Regina asks the children.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Though, we were almost made into dinner." Gretal informs them, and the look on their faces almost makes Octavia melt.
"Oh. How barbaric." The Cruel Princess sighs and makes the guards leave.
"Now, if I could have my satchel." The Evil Queen requests, and the girl hands her the bag. "I've waited a very long time for this. Let's hope you didn't let me down." She opens the bag, pulling out an apple. "You did it."
"Yeah, we did." Gretal smiles.
"You've got a strong heart, girl. You remind me of myself at your age." Octavia smiles, looking at the girl.
"We did all that for an apple?" Hansel questions, looking at the item.
"Oh, trust me, dear boy. This is not just an apple. It's a weapon. A weapon for a very particular and devious enemy. One who's still under the illusion that she's safe." The Evil Queen replies, walking over to the vanity, where she puts the apple in a box.
"Whatever your plan is, we did what you asked. Now you have to keep your promise and find our father." Gretal demands lightly, defying the Queen.
"Of course. To reunite your family, so you can live happily ever after. You were left alone in the woods. You deserve better than a father who would abandon you." She comments, looking at the children.
"But he's all we have." The girl argues.
"Perhaps, he doesn't have to be," Regina suggests.
"What do you mean?" Gretal questions.
"You and your brother have impressed me. You aren't the first boy or girl that I've sent into that…sticky sweet house. But, you are the first to emerge. And as a reward, I've decided to invite the two of you to live with us. Here." She tells them, and Octavia sighs, knowing where this is going.
"You mean that we get to live in a castle?" Hansel asks, looking around.
"Yes. You would have your own rooms, of course. Personal carriages – valets, too. All of your dreams could come true." The Evil Queen tells them, trying to entice the children.
"No. We want our father back. He would never abandon us. And even if he did, we would never want to live with someone as terrible as you." Gretal demands but only looks at Regina, knowing that Octavia is a better option than her.
"Is that so?" She questions, musing on what to do.
"Yes. We're going to find him, with or without your help. And when we do, we're going to prove you wrong." The girl snaps, looking at her.
"We'll see about that." The Evil Queen sneers, casting a spell in her anger, creating a purple tornado around Hansel and Gretal.
"Gretel? What's happening?" Hansel panics, and Octavia blows on the storm, ensuring the children are safe.
The Evil Queen watches Snow White through her Magic Mirror; a little while later, the young girl appears in the forest with several dwarves. "Now she's cavorting with dwarves? When did that happen?" Regina muses and Octavia giggles as she sits, drinking tea and stitching herself a new dress.
"Your Majesty. The prisoner you requested is here." A guard announces, entering the room.
"Bring him in." The Cruel Princess demands, and two other guards drag the children's father in shackles.
"I demand to be released. My children are in that forest that you took me from – alone. They could be in great danger." The father demands, trying to escape his iron chains.
"Yes, I know all about your children. That compass you gave sweet, little Gretel… Well, I'm afraid it didn't help her find you now, though, did it?" The Evil Queen teases him.
"What have you done with them? You tell me where they are!" He demands, growing angrier.
"Gone. I told them you abandoned them, leaving nothing but a compass to find their way. But I didn't bring you here to answer your questions. You're here to answer mine. I offered your children everything – whatever their hearts desired – and they still chose uncertainty because of their blind faith in you. Tell me why. Hm? Why did your children refuse me?" She questions, leaning in closer, and Octavia sighs, getting up from her chair and leaving the room.
"Because we're a family. And family always finds one another." The man answers truthfully, devastating the woman on the inside.
"Release him," Octavia orders the guards.
"You're letting me go?" The children's father questions, looking at them.
"You can all be together, as a family, as soon as you all find one another." The Evil Queen sneers gleefully.
Emma at night sits in her car reading her file, flicking through the articles after happily reuniting a family as she looks through the newspaper clippings. 'Still no leads on deadbeat parents baby Emma remanded to foster system', and another reads '7-year-old boy finds baby on side of road'. Henry and Octavia walk up to the car, surprising the blond woman. "Uh, what's that?" Henry asks, looking at the file.
"Just an old file. What's up?" Emma replies, looking at them in surprise.
"Pumpkin pie." Octavia tells her.
"I… I thought you'd like some. It was pumpkin, right?" Henry questions.
"Right." Emma smiles and exits the car, meeting them on its hood. "Henry, about your father…"
"Yeah?" He asks her.
"I'm glad I told you." She replies, hating lying to him.
"Me too." The boy grins, hugging the woman.
"Give me that." The blond woman says, taking the box from her son and sharing a look with Octavia.
"What you did – with Ava and Nicholas – you really are changing things." Octavia comments when the sound of an engine comes from the distance, growing closer as a man on a motorcycle turns the corner and parks across from them. A large wooden box is on the back of his bike, and the man takes his helmet off before approaching them.
"Hi." The stranger greets them.
"Hey." Emma greets him back, suspicious of him.
"Is this Storybrooke?" He asks, looking at Octavia longer, seeming to know who she really is.
"Yeah." Octavia answers.
"Any place to get a room around here?" The man questions, looking around the deserted street.
"Uh, you're staying?" Henry asks him.
"That's the plan. Just looking for a bed." The stranger tells them.
"Granny's Bed and Breakfast is just up the road – another two blocks," Emma informs him.
"Thank you." He smiles before turning around and walking back to his motorcycle.
"Hey, we didn't catch your name." Octavia calls after him.
"Well, that's because I didn't give it." The man shouts back jokingly and drives off, leaving them alone.
"I thought you said strangers don't come to Storybrooke?" Emma questions, looking at her son.
"They don't." Henry tells her, and they share looks.