part of me will always be waiting for you - for berefts

[an_openbook]

[ Emma Swan always had held onto things in her life that meant something. Either little tokens from places she'd been, or otherwise meaningless items that belonged to people who crossed her path during the more formidable years. Not that she ever believed they'd taken something of hers with them when they left. She wasn't as important to them, she was sure. But, little mementos served reminders; some good, others simply a keepsake to jog particular lessons learnt.

Such was the case of the shoelace she kept wound around her left wrist that belonged to one such person that walked into Emma's life. A person who somehow managed to see into her soul, past the fortress she'd built to protect herself from any and all who would inevitably hurt her like the rest had done time and time again. It was how she wanted it. No, in the name of self preservation, it had to be that way.

But Graham Humbert did what only one ever had the patience to do before. He broke a section of that fortress in and saw her. Her. And in a very short time, Emma found herself daring to believe everything was going to change. She could finally trust again.

Only things are never truly set and just like everyone Emma ever found herself crossing paths with their road split with her going one way once more, and Graham down a path that would never intertwine with hers again. Yet, this time it was different. This time she felt him take something of hers that she would never, ever get back.

A part of her heart.

It had been two very long years since she sat on the floor of the sheriff's station, holding his body in her arms as she grieved for him, and what could have been. And since then, she'd spent so many endless quiet moments thinking about Graham. None of which anyone ever knew about. Moments that if caught drifting off to, would be excused as merely distracting thoughts of in-the-moment circumstances. It had been so long since his passing, no one thought the wiser.

Fate, however, one day decided to pull a few strings in Emma's favor.

After finding herself pulled through a time travel portal that took her back to the Enchanted Forest, the Savior was suddenly faced with a spur of the moment decision once her original adventure shifted unexpectedly and altogether surprisingly down a path that she hadn't been on for quite some time; one that seemed to present itself purposely after she made sure her mothers ring was safely in Snow White's hands, preventing the future from changing.

But in the midst of that, the Savior found herself arrested and sitting in a cell bellow the Dark Palace when a whisper echoed through her mind. One she never thought she'd hear again. One that also alerted her to the wooden spoon wrapped in wire so she pick the lock. From there, her instincts led her through the dank tunnels until she eventually found herself climbing a back staircase.

When the guards realised she'd broken from her cell, a frantic search was sent out in every part of the palace to find their prisoner. When they got closer, Emma was pushed further into the more remote areas until she found herself in a room. And just as a guard found her, the sounds of a growling animal sounded before it appeared. A wolf. But one she recognized.

Ruby.

More guards hollered closer and without a proper way out, Emma backed against a bookshelf to think. Within seconds it clicked and slid open to expose a vault filled with columns and rows of small boxes. Ruby appeared beside her, letting out a soft whine. She didn't understand any of this as she looked at the boxes. Yet, as her eyes drifted across them, one in particular caught her attention.

Then it came to her.

Narrowly escaping recapture, Emma held the box securely in both hands and ventured out into the woods..

Hoping by some strange twist of fate that she, too, could give someone else a second chance. ]

Comments

[berefts]

[ He did not know her - blonde woman Regina had him throw into a cell - nor could she really see his face. The uniform of the black knight concealed much about him. Not that it mattered to him who she was. The Huntsman couldn't know what that woman would mean to him one day. All he knew was that she was just another soul lost to Queen's evil whim. Which was why he didn't order a particularly heavy guard on her. The slightest bit of spite that he could manage against his mistress. He could never outright let a prisoner go, but he won't make it difficult if one should get out.

And it seemed as though this one had. That fact alone had garnered some admiration for the woman. Not everyone was brave enough to risk an escape, to risk angering the Queen even more, yet she had. Whoever this woman was, Regina was furious over her escape, furious enough to send him to track her down. Her rage was so consuming that he hadn't realized that he didn't feel the compulsion to obey her that he usually did. By now it was like muscle memory to follow her orders. Nothing else had existed for him for years, why would he think it would be different now?

So here he was in the first following after the escaped prisoner. He'd shed the armor of the black knights in favor of ease of movement. The clothing was still the pitch black signaling him in the service of her majesty, but it was at least closer to his own choice.

The woman was fast, but poor at hiding her own tracks. The Huntsman could not feel any real sorrow for her, that was beyond his capabilities, but he didn't wish to capture her. He did not want to be responsible for one more death. There was so much blood on his hands already directly and indirectly, he didn't want anymore.

It didn't take long for him to catch up to her, silent as he moved through the underbrush. It wasn't until the prisoner was making her way into a clearing that he let himself be known, purposefully stepping onto a stick, it cracking loudly under his boot. ]

You know there isn't any use running. I don't know what you've done to anger the Queen, but she has ever able man looking for you. [ Including her Huntsman - her right hand man. Yet his mind raced with how he could let her go. How could he work around the rules that Regina had set down for him. How could he let this woman go, without disobeying? ] You escaped the castle, but you won't escape these woods.

[an_openbook]

[There's a part of her that risks everything by being so careless in hiding the trail she took. On one hand, Emma knew there was the very real possibility that she could lure the wrong guard. On the other hand, there was also the distinct reality that the Huntsman could find her. At least she knew that going deeper meant more chance of also running into a wild animal. Yes, she had her powers. But when the element of surprise took hold, anything could happen.

Yet, it was a risk she was willing to take.

As soon as she stepped into that clearing, and heard the snap of that branch, her eyes abruptly flashed to where the noise came from only to see the form of him standing tall. Though his face was slightly blurred by distance, she knew right then and there who he was. And just as she said his name, it was taken by an exhale; a breath she hadn't realised was being held.]

I know this is going to sound crazy, but I know you. Or, know who you are.

[No. He was more than just someone she knew. He was the reason she was being hunted. He was the reason she went to the lengths she did. It was his heart that she held in her hands.]

There's not much time to explain everything. [She can already hear men through the forest trees beckoning to each other that 'she' would have to be found by dusk by the Queen's command.] But I'm Snow White's daughter and I have something that belongs to you.

[berefts]

[ Well it would be crazy if the whole of the Enchanted Forest didn't know who he was. They all knew the Queen's Huntsman. So that part really wasn't so crazy. In fact he just raised his eyebrow at her waiting to see if there was more or if that was the crazy part. ]

Everyone knows who I am, it is not such a crazy thing.

There wasn't a lot of time. The men were closing in all around them. While he had enough control not to call to them, the Huntsman didn't to send them away. Whatever this woman needed him to hear she had better spill it fast.

Which she did. And it sounded every bit as crazy as she had told him it would be. In fact that would be enough for in him most situations to just put an end to the whole ordeal, except that he got one good look at the box in her hands, and that was enough to still him completely. And for the first time in their encounter he showed some twinge of emotion. But this time it was squashed by his will, and not his broken state or the Queen's desire. ]

You can't be Snow White's daughter. [ This woman was crazy, yet she held in her hands the only thing that was important to him. The only thing in all of the realms that he truly wished to have in his possession. ] She is too young to have a daughter your age.

[ He tried not to stare at the box in her hands, but this was his chance. Maybe he could finally get his freedom back. Or he could lose it to an entirely different person. Finally he let his gaze linger on the box before he caught woman's gaze with his own.] What do you want from me? You wouldn't have that box if you didn't want something from me. [ Because it was just too unimaginable that someone would want to help him rather than use him. ]

[an_openbook]

[Yes, it could be since she didn’t exactly elaborate. Funny thing was she was going to have to and it was going to sound absolutely insane to him. She had to prove it, and there was nothing Emma could do to convince him of the truth.

Her eyes scurried to the brush where another voice was heard before bouncing back over to Graham when he’d told her she couldn’t be Snow’s daughter. In all fairness, she looked nothing like her mother if her hair could give anything away. Suddenly, Emma wasn’t sure how she was going to do this and the look on her face suggested as much.

At least until the Huntsman noticed the box she was holding to her stomach, one hand clasped to the bottom while the other secured over the top of it.

Emma looked down at it quickly, nodding a little before she looked back up with a sad expression.]

I know what I’m telling you makes no sense. But, please, can we go somewhere so I can at least explain..

[Urgency floods her words, and her face turns compassionate because this is her one and only chance to get his heart back to him so Graham can hopefully come back with her. Her reasons are selfish, but she knows what she wants.

Emma just wants to be with him.]

[berefts]

[ No, none of it makes a bit of sense. Yet, she has his heart. In that box is all that she needs to control him. There is no reason for her to ask him to go with her. No reasons to plead. All she needs do is order him and the Huntsman has no choice but to obey her. Doesn't she realize the power that she has over him?

He studies her for a long moment as the voices start to come closer. This is his moment. His one moment to be free. The Huntsman may not trust freely, but this woman isn't using the power that is literally right in her hands. That is enough to get him to risk this. ]

Follow me.

[ That is all the he gives her before he is darting into the denser forest. Hopefully she is smart enough to follow. Or that she will risk trusting him to lead her to safety.

He knows this forest better than anyone. Even if the Queen has made it her home, she doesn't know a thing about it. Neither do the other knights. It's easy for him to lead her far away from the others. Traveling until he is sure they are safe, protect by the way the trees grow closely together. He doesn't stop them until they are far away. ]

Now, what do you want from me?

[an_openbook]

[ But Emma doesn't do that, despite knowing that he could very adamantly reject the request and she could be killed within the blink of an eye. It's a risk she's willing to take because he's the man that hasn't left her thoughts since he died. He's the man she desperately wants to have back in her life.

No, she doesn't want to control him for anything and her own life.. well that's in his hands right now.

At his answer, Emma let go of a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding and gave a nod before taking the steps cautiously to go with him. When they hit the dense thicket of forest and come to a stop, she turns to face him, expression soft and hopeful. She knows this is going to be hard. Getting him to agree to allow her the chance to explain was one thing. Convincing him to go with her would be another thing entirely. ]

I'm from another world; another time. But a place where you existed. You and I knew each other and.. [ Perhaps that part didn't matter. It seemed unimportant at the moment. All she wanted was to make this quick. ] .. we were friends.