Chapter Thirteen: What Happened to Frederick?

Once upon a time, an evil queen banished every storybook character you've ever known to our world. Who knows the truth and who can break the spell?

It was a beautiful fall day, two white horses were pulling the white carriage, one guard was guiding the horses and the other one was standing on the bar of the carriage, and another two guards on horses were behind the carriage. King George and his men were waiting for the carriage to come to them. When the carriage came closer to King George and his men, King George opened the carriage door open and revealed it was Princess Abigail.

Princess Abigail smiled at King George, he helped her get out of the carriage. "Princess Abigail, your beauty grows with each passing day. It is an honor to have you join my family," King George complimented.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Princess Abigail said with a kind smile.

"Let's go!" said one of the knights in the background while the other knights were shouting in the distance, the knights disburse.

"Is everything okay?" Princess Abigail asked, looking at the knights.

"Just excitement at the royal wedding," King George simply said. "We want to ensure the safety of our guests. So if you'll excuse me—" He walked away from the princess and walked up to one of the guards. "Find him," he demanded.

Prince James was wearing a red thick shawl wrapped around his head, trying not to get noticed by his father or his father's knights. He was on his horse, looking around to make sure that he wasn't followed or heard. He rode down the dirt path in the forest as all of the knights followed Prince James down the dirt path. One of the knights was shooting arrows at Prince James but kept missing him, one of the arrows hit a tree—it was a close one—Prince James looked back at them, he was getting nervous. There was a broken tree—but thankfully it wasn't a big thick tree—Prince James and his horse jumped over the broken tree while the knights hung back. Prince James smiled as he looked back at the knights. "Go around! Go!" said one of the knights to the other knights as they all went around. As soon as they went the other way they didn't find Prince James at all. "Split up!" said the knight. As three went in one direction and the other three went in the opposite direction. Prince James was on top of the hill with bushes and trees hiding along with his horse, he pushed down the thick red shawl and two different knights walked behind Prince James and puts a bag over his head.

David and Kathryn were sitting at the kitchen table, eating dinner and they weren't looking at each other. David kept glancing up at Kathryn. "Chicken's delicious," he muttered.

Kathryn looked over at him for a moment then she set her fork and knife down on her plate. "David, there's something we need to discuss," she said seriously.

"Okay," he agreed, setting his own fork and knife down.

"I applied to law school," she announced.

"That's amazing. Why didn't you ever tell me?" he asked, smiling.

"I don't know. Maybe because I didn't think I could actually do it," she said, shrugging. "But I did. I got this today." She grabbed the letter from under her leg and handed it to David. "I got in," she said softly while he opened the letter.

David's eyes widen. "It's in Boston," he stated, looking over at Kathryn.

"I know things have been hard between us. But maybe a fresh start is what we need. Maybe we've been fighting too hard to recapture old memories when we should have been making new ones instead," said Kathryn, pleading.

David watched her for a second before he looked down at the letter with a smile on his face.

One of the knights took the bag off of Prince James' head and the other took out a knife from his belt. "Who are you? What are you waiting for? Do you think I fear you?" Prince James asked the two knights. The knight with the knife in his hand cut the rope that held Prince James' hands bound.

Princess Abigail came walking toward him along with her horse, she handed the rope and handed it to one of the knights.

"Abigail?" Prince James breathed out in disbelief, he rose to his feet. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to get my hands on you before your father ripped you to shreds," said Princess Abigail.

"How did you know I was going to be...," said Prince James.

"Because I have ears in the King's court," said Princess Abigail. "And despite everyone's best efforts to shield me from it, I know the truth. You love Snow White. And you have no intention of marrying me."

"I won't marry someone I don't love," admitted Prince James. "Or give the despot the satisfaction that I helped him. And if that means suffering the consequences, so be it."

"You're prepared to lay down your life. How charming," said Princess Abigail with a smile. "But I didn't come here to see you die. I came here to help you escape."

"Why would you do anything to help me?" asked Prince James.

"Because I don't want to marry you, either," confessed Princess Abigail.

Mary Margaret got out of her car and looked over at David. "What did you tell her?" she asked.

"That I needed to take a walk. Clear my head. Think about it," said David.

"I'm guessing you didn't tell her that the walk was with me," said Mary Margaret sadly.

David sighed, looking over at Mary Margaret. "No. No, of course not," he admitted to her.

"Why is that our default?" asked Mary Margaret. "Lying."

"Because, I don't...," David started saying.

"We're not being honest. I know it's hard. But we have to tell her the truth. About everything. About us." Mary Margaret confessed as she kept walking but then looked back at David who stopped walking.

"I don't know if I can," admitted David.

Mary Margaret looked at David for a long couple of seconds. "You have to," she urged. "If we can't be honest with other people, how can we be honest with each other?"

"Is it really the best plan?" asked David.

"What's your plan?" asked Mary Margaret.

David shrugs, looking down to the side for a moment then he started walking along with Mary Margaret.

Mary Margaret looked at him. "Moving to Boston?" she asked.

"No," said David gently.

"The only way no one gets hurt here is if we don't want to be together," said Mary Margaret. "Is that what you want?"

David and Mary Margaret stopped walking and David stood in front of her. "No," he said gently.

"Well, then we have to stop hiding and do something. It's better she hears it from you than from someone else. You have to make a choice," said Mary Margaret pleading.

David sighed, smiling. "I choose you," he breathed.

Mary Margaret looked away and smiled, she looked back at David. "Then it's time to tell Kathryn," she said.

David nodded and Mary Margaret smiled and walked away from him while David watch her walk, he was thinking that she was right and that he needed to tell Kathryn about him and Mary Margaret. But he also didn't want to hurt Kathryn. He wasn't in love with Kathryn but he did care for her.

Emma was walking past a familiar bike on the street as she walked was about to walk into Granny's, Emma and August met in the middle up to Granny's.

"I've been meaning to bump into you," said August. "Matter of fact, I was hoping we might grab that drink you promised."

"Is that you asking me out?" asked Emma.

"If putting a label on it makes you more comfortable, sure, let's call it a date," said August.

"I thought you came here to write. Find inspiration," said Emma with a smile.

"Well, I'm optimistic about our date," said August.

"See, I have a policy. I won't go out with guys who won't tell me their names. I find it weeds out the ones who like to keep secrets. Like they're already married or they store body parts in their freezer. It's nice talking to you," said Emma then she walked away.

August stood there for a moment. "It's August," he said. He turned around to face Emma. "August W. Booth."

Emma stopped walking to look at him. "Really? With the middle initial?" she teased.

"W is for Wayne," he explained. "So there goes your reason for not meeting me here after work." He walked away and onto his bike while Emma watched him for a moment then she went inside Granny's. Emma walked over to Mary Margaret and sat down across from her.

Mary Margaret watched them through the window. "Who was that?" she asked.

"I don't know yet," answered Emma.

"Yet. So you're going to find out?" asked Mary Margaret.

"It's nothing," said Emma, rolling her eyes.

"Nothing with you means something," said Mary Margaret, squinting her eyes slightly. "Because if it were nothing, we wouldn't be talking about it."

Emma leaned forward on the table. "I'm sorry, I thought you called me here to talk about you."

"Yeah, but talking about you is easier right now," said Mary Margaret with a straight face.

"What is it? What's going on?" asked Emma in concern.

Mary Margaret leaned in, whispering. "Remember when you told me to stay away from David and I agreed?" she asked.

"Yes," whispered Emma.

"I didn't," whispered Mary Margaret, shaking her head.

"Yeah, I know," whispered Emma.

Mary Margaret was taken aback by Emma's answer. "You do? How?" she whispered.

"Because I'm sheriff and you are a lovesick school teacher," said Emma in a lowered voice. Covering your tracks is not exactly your strong suit."

"I've been discree...," said Mary Margaret, her voice rising a bit. "Discreet," she said in a lower voice.

"Two tea cups in the sink. New perfume. Late nights, plunging neck lines," comforted Emma. "It was not hard to connect the dots."

"Plunging?" asked Mary Margaret, eyebrows raised.

Emma smiled. "When I met you, you were a top button kind of girl," she said.

Mary Margaret sighed gently. "Why didn't you say anything?" she asked.

"I'm not your mother," said Emma.

"No. According to Henry, I'm yours," said Mary Margaret, picking up her coffee cup and taking a sip.

"I just figured that you would let me know when it was time. I'm assuming it's time?" said Emma.

"He's telling Kathryn," said Mary Margaret.

"Everything?" asked Emma.

"Everything," said Mary Margaret.

Kathryn was at home and on her laptop, David walked into their home. "David," she called out to him. "David, come take a look. I found a whole bunch of great apartment options." David walked into the room where Kathryn was. "I have no idea which neighborhood to look at, but..." She took a breath in. "Have you ever been to Boston?" She looked over at David.

"No. No, I've never been," said David, looking at the laptop and then at Kathryn.

"Maybe we should ask the sheriff, Emma, she's from there. She could probably...," said Kathryn. She stopped and looked up at David.

"Kathryn," said David. "I can't go to Boston with you."

Kathryn looked away for a moment then back up at David. "Can't or won't?" she challenged.

"I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry," said David, getting on one knee beside Kathryn. He shook his head and looked down at the floor. "I don't know what to say."

"Try the truth," said Kathryn, not looking at David.

They looked at each other for the longest moment, not saying a single word.

"David, is there something going on that I don't know about?" Kathryn asked.

David looked into his eyes, deciding on whether or not to tell Kathryn the truth or not, and he quickly decided. "No," he whispered, not telling her about Mary Margaret. "I don't know. Something happened." Kathryn slumped into the wooden chair as David stood up and turned his back to his wife. "I don't what it is." He turned to look at her. "There is something that's preventing me from connecting. And it's not fair to you to let that screw up your life. You're right. You need a fresh start. Just not with me."

Kathryn looked at him in disbelief, she sighed softly and covered her eyes, trying to hide the tears that were forming in her eyes.

Prince James, Princess Abigail, and her knights were riding in the Enchanted Forest, they reached Princess Abigail's father's realm and they stopped. "We've reached my father's realm. We should be safe here," said Princess Abigail. Prince James and Princess Abigail got off their horses, while the knights held onto their horses. "I have provisions waiting for you," she told Prince James. The horses started to whine. And Prince James looked around for a moment then looked at Princess Abigail.

Princess Abigail grabbed a coffee leather bag and handed it to Prince James snatched it from her hands. "I can't take any of it. Not until you tell me what's really going on," demanded Prince James.

"I told you I'm just—" said Princess Abigail.

"Stop playing games!" shouted Prince James, gripping her wrist. "If you have no feelings for me as you've said, why show me any kindness at all?" He paused for a second. "What haven't you told me?"

Princess Abigail yanked her wrist out of his grip. "This isn't about you, James," she said. "It's me. I don't want to marry you because my heart also belongs to another. A man I was once to wed, a man named Frederick." She looked down, trying not to full-on cry.

"What happened?" asked Prince James.

"We all have our own tragedies. Lost love is the worst. I thought reuniting you with yours might grant me some consolation," explained Princess Abigail.

"Well, I'm afraid I'm not able to help you, then. My love told me in no uncertain terms that she does not feel for me as I do for her. Can't fight for something that doesn't exist. So, there's my tragedy."

Princess Abigail scoffed as she shook her head. "That's no tragedy. Come," she said. She stuck her hand out for Prince James to take and he took it. "Follow me," she whispered.

Prince James and Princess Abigail walked to a brick platform, that was guarded by two guards. A gold statue was in the middle of that brick platform. "A moment, please?" asked Princess Abigail. The guards left the two royals alone with the golden statue. "This is where my beloved Frederick sacrificed his life."

"I'm sorry," said Prince James. "Did he die in battle?" He was completely oblivious to what she was saying. He hung back while Princess Abigail walked onto the platform.

"We were traveling with my father, King Midas, when our caravan was ambushed. Frederick bravely defended us. And was cut down saving my father's life," explained Princess Abigail.

Prince James walked onto the platform, admiring the craftsmanship. "It's a fitting tribute. The craftsmanship is remarkable," he commented. "I've never seen anything quite so lifelike." He started touching the gold arm gently, still in awe.

"That's because the arm you're touching is actually Frederick's," Princess Abigail confessed.

Prince James looked up, baffled by her statement. "Excuse me?" he asked.

"It's not a statue," she muttered. Prince James quickly looked at the golden statue. "Frederick saw the attack when no one else did and threw himself in front of my father, knocking him to safety. Because of my father's curse, he was instantly turned to gold."

"All curses can be broken," said Prince James, he gripped the stone pole and swung himself over, just like Princess Abigail did. "Have you tried true love's kiss?"

"Until my lips bled," said Princess Abigail, walking closer to Frederick.

"The gold got in the way," said Prince James, he shook his head trying to figure out how to help her. "There must be something else to do."

Princess Abigail looked at Prince James, thinking of only one way to free Frederick from the golden curse. "There is a legend of a lake, Lake Nostos," she said, turning her back to Prince James. "Its waters are said to have magical properties that can return to you something that was once lost."

"And yet you haven't tried it," Prince James assumed.

"Of course I have. But the lake is guarded by a ghastly creature that downs its victims. No one who's ever faced it has lived to return," explained Princess Abigail.

"Don't give up hope just yet. I will face this guardian and return with the water that will undo this wretched curse," said Prince James.

"None have succeeded," said Princess Abigail.

"None have my fearless bravery," said Prince James.

"Or fearless disregard for their own safety," said Princess Abigail.

"Either way, one of us should have our happiness," said Prince James.

"And if you die, neither of us will," said Princess Abigail in a panic.

"No, not true. Don't you understand? If I succeed, you will be reunited with Frederick and your misery ends. If I fail, the misery that ends will be mine," said Prince James.

Princess Abigail scoffed at Prince James' words and looked back at her beloved Frederick, thinking over the words that Prince James had said. She may not love him like Frederick but she did care for him and did not want to see any harm come to him.

August was in a shed and he placed the pages into a bin with some type of liquid and he turned it over gently, placing the pages on a rope that went straight along with the shed with other pages that he dipped into the liquid. Then he took different pages off of the line and placed them into the book, sewing them back together with just a simple needle and thread.

Henry and Regina were sitting in Regina's office, Henry was a silver present in his lap and he was looking at it. He wasn't sure why his mother gave him a present and he was getting suspicious of her. "Go on. Open it," Regina encouraged him with a smile.

"What's the occasion?" Henry asked, looking over at his mother.

"The occasion is I love you," Regina simply said. "Go on."

Henry looked down at the present, he opened the lid and revealed a game controller.

"Now, I know you miss your book. But with this, you can do the heroics," said Regina, while Henry rolled it in his hands. "You can save the princesses. You can be the hero." She breathed in. "Henry, you have to believe me, when I tore down the playground, I did it for your safety." She placed a hand on his arm. "Please don't be upset with me. I really didn't mean to destroy your book."

Henry placed the game controller back into the box and putting the blue tissue paper on top of it along with the tin lid, he looked over at her. "It's not just the book," said Henry.

"Okay, then what is it?" asked Regina.

"It's Emma," said Henry. "I want to see her."

There was a knock on the door and a female opened the door. "Regina, you got a... I'm sorry," said Kathryn, she was red-rimmed around the eyes and her nose was also red.

"Don't worry about it," said Regina. "Henry, why don't you get home and start your homework. I'll be there in a bit and we can have dinner."

Henry nodded and stood up, taking the present with him as he walked out of Regina's office, passing Kathryn along the way, and closing the door behind him. Kathryn hugged herself as she placed a hand over her mouth she sobbed into it.

Regina stood up and walked over to Kathryn. "Oh, Kathryn, what is it?" she asked.

Kathryn sighed, closing her eyes. "It's David," she said. "He's leaving me."

"That little home wrecker," said Regina, not looking at Kathryn.

"Excuse me?" Kathryn asked, confused.

"She just couldn't stay away, could she?" asked Regina.

"What are you talking about?" asked Kathryn, even more confused.

"Why, Mary Margaret, of course," said Regina, looking at Kathryn.

"What's Mary Margaret got to do with this?" asked Kathryn. "What's Mary Margaret got to do with any of this?" she yelled, taking a step in front of Regina. "Regina, do you know something?"

Regina wasn't sure if she could tell Kathryn. "They've been having an affair," she blurted out.

Kathryn exhaled deeply and placed her hands on her face as she started sobbing into her hands, pulled her hands away, and looked at Regina. "How do you know this? How? Did you see something?" she asked.

"I saw pictures," said Regina. "Sidney was always looking for scandal. It sells papers. He showed me." Kathryn breathed out and walked away from her friend. "I buried them, of course."

Kathryn sniffled, crossing her arms over her chest. "Show me," she said.

"Kathryn...," Regina pleaded.

"Show me," Kathryn demanded.

Regina walked over to her desk while Kathryn followed her, she lifted up a black, leather booklet and lifted a vanilla envelope, and handed it to Kathryn. Kathryn took it and opened it straight away, taking out the pictures of Mary Margaret and David. They were kissing, holding hands, and looking at each other being in love. Kathryn's tears fell down her cheek and looked at Regina, shaking her head. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

"Because I thought you two were working it out," said Regina. "I wanted you to work it out. Believe me, I want you two together."

Why? Why do you care about any of this?" asked Kathryn.

"Because I'm your friend," said Regina.

"No, you're not," said Kathryn, shaking her head. "A friend wouldn't do this. A friend wouldn't lie. Everyone is lying to me." She started sobbing once again, placing the photos down on the desk as she walked out of Regina's office.

Princess Abigail and Prince James came across sight and a few candles burning in the night and a few items that were spread across the area. "What's this?" asked Prince James, sounding and looking confused by the sight.

"It's a shrine to the Guardian of the Lake," answered Princess Abigail. "Every man who faces it leaves an offering here first. Asking for the creature's mercy."

Prince James picked up a helmet and poured out water, chuckling to himself then looked beyond the shrine. "I'll go the rest of the alone," he said.

"No, this is for me. You have to let me come with you," said Princess Abigail.

Prince James looked at her. "No. The only life I want to my hands is my own," he said firmly.

Princess Abigail looked at the shrine. "Good luck, then. And don't forget...," she said, nodding to the shrine.

"A lot of good it did them," said Prince James, tossing the helmet to the shrine. He walked away from the shrine and Princess Abigail as she watched him up the dirt path of the Enchanted Forest.

David was at his home, he sat on the couch with pictures of Kathryn in his hand, thinking about her and how much he cared for her even though he doesn't really remember much about their marriage. He sighed as he set the pictures down on the coffee table and took out his cell phone, dialing a phone number as he got up from the couch.

Mary Margaret's phone started ringing, she was descending downstairs from inside of the school, she answered the phone. "Hey, did... Did you do it?" she asked.

"Yeah. It was bad," said David, sighing.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"No, it was... It was really bad," he said, rubbing his eyes while walking into the kitchen.

"But you told the truth. So now we can pick up the pieces. We can start over from a real place," she said, sounding hopeful.

"Hey, I want to see you. Can I come by when you get done at school?" asked David.

"Of course. I'll see you, then," said Mary Margaret. "And, David? You did the right thing."

David smiled and hung up the phone, putting it into his pocket. Mary Margaret did the same and Kathryn was walking toward her. She was angry and she was ready to give her a word. She bumped into the gym teacher with soccer balls in the bag that was over his shoulder. "Oh! Hey, watch where you're going!" he yelled at her.

Mary Margaret looked up from her phone and her face went from happy to scared. "Kathryn? I'm sorry...," she started to say. Kathryn shook her head at her and when she came closer to her, she slapped her across the face. Everyone that was in the hallway gasped and watched what would happen.

"Screw you're sorry," said Kathryn.

Mary Margaret looked over her shoulder as she held her cheek then she looked back at Kathryn. "I understand you're upset, you have every right to be," she said.

"Thank you for that insight," said Kathryn, narrowing her eyes at Mary Margaret.

"Can we please talk somewhere private?" she asked.

"Private? Why do you get any consideration at all? You have shown none for me. Either of you. All you did was lie," yelled Kathryn.

"We should've talked to you sooner, but we've been completely honest. We didn't lie," said Mary Margaret.

"You didn't lie?" asked Kathryn. Mary Margaret shook her head. "You snuck around. You have him break up my marriage with a pack of lies. With some crap about not being able to connect? He didn't have any trouble connecting with you."

"David didn't tell you about us?" asked Mary Margaret. She knew just then that David didn't Kathryn at all.

"No, of course not. That would have been the honorable thing to do," said Kathryn.

"But he said he would tell you," said Mary Margaret with disbelief.

"Well, then he lied to you, too," said Kathryn, chuckling to herself. "Good luck making it work. You two deserve each other." She turned her back and walked away from her and out of the school, leaving Mary Margaret stunned, in disbelief, and in heartbreak.

Prince James finally arrived at Lake Nostos, it was a beautiful lake, for sure. He took off his red scarf and then his cape, set them on the ground, and started walking toward the lake. He leaned down while taking off his jug and dipped it into the lake and the waves of the lake started to go further into Lake Nostos but then he looked up at the water. Then throwing the water jug to the side and stood up. "Where are you? Make yourself known to me!" he yelled. He looked around when an animal rustled in the forest, taking out his sword. "Beast! Show yourself."

A woman slowly surfaced from Lake Nostos, and she was beautiful too; with long bleach blond hair; clear, round, blue eyes; porcelain color skin. She was also wearing a beautiful dress as well; it was a long sparklingly dress with long sleeves along with a small train behind her; on top of her head was a small crown with seaweed and pearls. "Here I am," she said in a sweet voice.

Prince James looked at her in complete awe, forgetting all about Snow White and the mission he was supposed to do. He was staring at her beauty.

August rode his bike to Granny's Diner, he parked his bike in front of the diner while Emma walked out as she stood a few feet away from him. "You gonna come in? I thought you wanted that drink," yelled Emma, pointing to the building behind her.

"I do. But I didn't say here. Hop on," said August.

"You want me to get on the back of that bike?" Emma questioned.

"That's what 'hop on' means," said August, being a smartass.

"How about if we go somewhere I drive?" Emma suggested.

"How about you stop having to control everything and take a leap of faith?" said August. "You owe me a drink. Hop on. I know a good watering hole."

"If you don't, I will," said Granny, who was leaning against the emerald green fence.

Emma looked back at Granny with a surprised look on her face when she looked back at August. She sighed softly as she walked over to August while he took out another helmet from under the seat and handed it to Emma. She puts on the helmet and wrapped her arms around August's waist as Granny watched and smiled.

August drove into the forest, there was a small well that was next to a large tree with many, many branches on this tree. He parked next to the tree, kicking the kickstand that held up the bike while Emma got off of it while taking off the helmet.

Emma looked around for a moment then she spotted the well. "A watering hole? Literally?" she said, trying not to laugh.

August got off the bike as well, taking off his helmet and setting it on the bike. "Well, say what you want about me, but I always tell the truth," he said.

Emma stood next to the well. "I just thought a drink was like wine or whiskey," she said.

"What, you want me to get you drunk?" joked August.

"No."

"Next time."

"You are optimistic."

August turned around and dug up some tea cups from his bag, he walked over to Emma at the well. "They say there's something special about this well. There's even a legend." Emma raised an eyebrow at the legend part. "They say that the water from the well is fed by an underground lake." He gripped the rope that held a bucket, rolling it up. "And that lake has magical properties." He finally got the bucket from the well.

"Magic? You sound like Henry," said Emma.

"Smart kid," said August with a smirk. "So this legend, it says that if you drink the water from the well, something lost will be returned to you."

"You know an awful lot about this town for being a stranger," said Emma.

August was pouring the water into the two tea cups, he stopped and looked at Emma. "And you know very little for being the sheriff," said August.

"How do you know all this? You've been here before?" asked Emma.

"I know all this for one very simple reason," said August mysteriously, Emma was leaning in. "I read the plaque."

Emma chuckled to herself as she walked to the plaque, looking at it. the plaque said Wishing Well.

WISHING WELL: For centuries, local legend has claimed that mystical waters run beneath this great land. It is said that these waters possess the power to return that which is lost to its rightful place. If you have lost something precious to you, drink from this well and bear witness to this miracle as what is missing shall be returned.

Emma read the plaque and looked up at August. "You actually believe that?" she asked.

"I'm a writer. I have to have an open mind," said August.

"Yeah, but magic?" asked Emma, suspiciously.

"Water is a very powerful thing. Cultures as old as time has worshiped it. It flows throughout all lands, connecting the entire world. If anything had mystical properties, if anything had magic? Well, I'd say it'd be water," August explained.

Emma walked to stand next to August. "That's asking a lot to believe in faith," she said.

"If you need evidence for everything, Emma, you're gonna find yourself stuck in one place for a long time," said August.

"Maybe," said Emma. "Or maybe I'll just find the truth before anyone else." She smiled at August.

"Well, Miss Skeptic, there's one thing I can tell you for sure that requires no leap of faith, and I know you'll agree with me," said August, handing her one of the tea cups and taking a sip of the water.

"What's that?" asked Emma.

"It's good water," August said simply, clinking his cup against hers and she finally took a sip from the cup.

Mary Margaret was walking down the sidewalk, she was wearing her long blue jacket with her gray beanie hat along with her purse that was on her shoulder. There were two women that were about to pass her—a blond and a brunette.

"Yeah, did you hear what happened?" asked the blond.

"Yeah," answered the brunette, the two went into a shop together.

Mary Margaret rounded the corner as a couple; a man and a woman. "That's her," said the woman. "I know," said the man as they passed her. She looked back at them and bumped into Granny. "Gosh! I'm sorry. I didn't...," said Granny.

"Excuse me, I must not have been looking," said Mary Margaret and Granny looked up.

"You," said Granny.

"Excuse me?" said Mary Margaret, confused.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," said Granny, she walked away as Mary Margaret watched her leave.

Mary Margaret stood there for a few seconds as tears pooled in her eyes, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them, and walking across the street and onto the sidewalk again.

The Lady of the Lake walked across Lake Nostos toward Prince James, she was just a few feet away from him now. "Would you like to know mine?" she asked. "Because I can be anyone you want me to be."

Prince James held up his sword in front of her, a foot away from her throat. "Stop. I know what you are, you're a Siren," he said. She smiled. "And your deceitful words are a spell meant to lure me to my death."

"I would never hurt such a brave and powerful man like yourself," said the Siren, pushing the sword away as she walked closer to him, placing a hand over his heart. "Not when there are so many other things we could do."

Grabbing her hand and pushing it away from her from his chest. "I said stop. I will not fall prey to your deceptions," said Prince James.

"Really? You're immune to me?" said the Siren with a playful smile, yanking her hand away as she slowly backed up away from him. The Siren kneeled down and cupped her hands into the water then stand up as she poured the water over her face. She changed into Prince James' true love; Snow White. Prince James looked at Snow White and he couldn't believe what he is seeing. He wanted to go to her and be with her. But he knew that it was just a trick and that he could die. "Like me more now, Charming?" she asked.

Prince James shook his head but kept his eyes on her. "No, you're not really her. It's an illusion," he breathed out. "I know it's not real."

The Siren takes a few steps forward. "Sometimes illusions are better than truth. Everything you want that you can't have, I can give it to you," she whispered in close for him to hear, her hand running over his chest. "All you have to do," she walked around him slowly as her hands felt his muscles then she went to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck, "is kiss me. I know you want to. I can feel it."

"No," Prince James whispered. After a second, they both leaned in and shared a passionate kiss, he dropped the sword into the lake. They pulled back after, the Siren smiled as she pulled him further into the lake and he followed for a couple of seconds. "No. I don't want an illusion I want reality or nothing," he said before stopping in his tracks.

The Siren placed a hand on his shoulder. "And this doesn't feel real?" she asked and pulled him close, kissing him deeply and passionately.

They pulled back and he looked down at the person who looked like Snow White. "Snow...," Prince James breathed out.

"That's right," said the Siren with a smile. "It's me." She kissed him once again and then pulled away, whispering, "I love you." She kissed him again.

Prince James pulled away, shaking his head. "No. It's not you," he said.

"Yes, it is. I love you," said the Siren.

"No. This is not real love," said Prince James. "I've felt it. And this isn't it. I know the difference." He pushed the Siren away from him.

"Congratulations, Prince Charming," said the Siren, smirking. "You're the first." The Siren paused just a fraction of a second before pushing Prince James into the water, she gripped his arm and started swimming down to the bottom of Lake Nostos, she let him go and turned to look at him as she moved her arms toward her. But Prince James looked at her for a moment then looked down at all of the skeletons at the bottom of the lake, he started to swim up as fast as she could but a seaweed came straight toward Prince James's ankle and wrapped it around his ankle, tugging him down. He tried to pull and tug on it to get free while the Siren came swimming toward the Prince. He had stopped fighting because the water was getting inside of his lungs but then he noticed a small knife that wasn't too far from him. The Siren turned him over, pulled him close by his jacket then she kissed him roughly. All of a sudden her eyes shot up and pulled away from him as he stabbed her in the stomach, blood was coming out into the water. She stayed there in the same spot while changing back into what she originally looked like. He cut the seaweed off of his ankle and swam to the surface, gasping for air once he resurfaced.

David was outside of his car with a bucket of water and soap, he dumped the brush into the soapy water and was trying to scrub off the word Tramp that was in red paint on the windows.

Mary Margaret walked up to David and stood a few feet away from him. "Who did this?" she asked, looking at the word.

"I don't know," David admitted as he stopped. "I'm sorry. I don't know how any of this happened."

"You don't know. Really?" asked Mar Margaret.

David looked around then put the brush into the soapy water, walking toward Mary Margaret. "Mary Margaret, I can't control what other people do," he said, pulling her toward the sidewalk.

"No, but you can control what you do. And you lied. And now everyone is calling me a tramp," said Mary Margaret with tears in her eyes.

"Who told her?" asked David.

"That is exactly the wrong question," she said, smiling through the pain. "The real question is why didn't you do what we discussed? Why didn't you tell her?"

"I thought we could spare her feelings," answered David.

"Right. You thought. Not we. You. And we discussed this," she whispered.

"I didn't want anyone to get hurt," said David.

"Now everyone is hurt," she whispered. "We had an understanding. We had an agreement. But you not only lied to her, you lied to me."

"Mary Margaret, please. Listen to me. If we want to see if this, if what we have, is love, we have to do what you said. We have to pick up the pieces and we gotta move on," David tried to explain to her.

Mary Margaret shook her head while a few tears went down her cheeks. "David, this isn't love," she said gently.

"What?" David whispered.

"What we have is something else entirely. What we have is destructive. And it has to stop," she said.

"Can we...," David whispered. He was about to place his hand on her cheek but she pulled back. "What are you saying?"

"That we shouldn't be together," she said, looking at David in the eyes.

David stood there, looking at her as a single tear escaped from his as he couldn't believe what he was hearing from Mary Margaret. He didn't want to end the relationship of end with Mary Margaret and he knew that he screwed it up with Kathryn but he didn't want to screw this relationship up with Mary Margaret and it was too late.

Emma walked toward her yellow bug of a car and started wiping the leaves off of her hood on the car then the roof and the back of her car. Then she spotted a familiar red tin box that was next to her back tire. She got her foot and dragged it out from under the tire and picked it up while brushing off the leaves from the metal box, she sighed in relief as she opened the box and revealed Henry's book. She took it out and stood up, she was confused for a moment. Something wasn't right. She knew something was off and she was going to figure it out.

August was on his motorcycle on another road as he hid from Emma, he watched her find Henry's book.

Regina was watering her white orchids, Kathryn walked in and admired the flowers. "It's beautiful," said Kathryn. Regina stopped watering the flowers. "I had no idea you were so good with plants." She walked in a few steps with an envelope.

"Well, better than with people, it would seem. What are you doing here?" Regina asked, taking a few steps toward her. "I thought after what happened yesterday, I'd be the last person you'd want to see."

"So did I," Kathryn agreed. "And then, I thought about it, and I realized I owed you an apology."

Regina scoffed. "Kathryn, you don't...," she started to say.

"I know you would never do anything to hurt me. I was just so angry and confused and I snapped. I'm sorry. I've just been fighting so hard to hold onto David, I've never stopped to ask myself why," said Kathryn.

"He's your husband. You love each other, you always have," said Regina with a smile.

"No. We haven't," said Kathryn softly. She took out a picture of Mary Margaret and David from the envelope, showing Regina the picture. "See the way he looks at her? He's never looked at me like that. Not even before his accident."

"Kathryn, relationships take work," said Regina firmly. "You can't give up so easily."

"Have you ever been in love?" asked Kathryn.

Regina smiled and nodded once. "Yes," she answered. "Once."

"Then you're lucky," said Kathryn. She walked away from Regina. "Because what I'm coming to understand is that I haven't." She turned to look at Regina. "What they is real. It's true." She looked down at the picture, and she sighed. "My marriage to David, it just was like an illusion. I don't know how it happened, but it was never real. I know that now. The way David loos at Mary Margaret, that's what I want for me." She looked up at Regina. "And I'm gonna go out there and I'm gonna find it."

"What are you talking about?" asked Regina.

"I'm sticking to my plan and moving to Boston. Alone." Kathryn smiled. "If I stay here, I'll never be happy."

"And what about David?" asked Regina.

"I wrote him a letter. Him and Mary Margaret," said Kathryn. "I told them they should be together."

"I'm sorry. You did what?" Regina stammered.

"I can't see him. Not now. It's just too painful," said Kathryn. She moved forward and hugged Regina tightly. "Mmm. I'm gonna miss you, Regina. You've been a good friend to me."

"Hmm." Regina hugged back, giving her a tight smile. "You're really going?" she asked.

Kathryn pulled back, smiling. "You know, it's funny. I've always had this irrational fear of leaving Storybrooke. Like something just holding me back. Is that crazy?" said Kathryn.

Regina chuckled. "No. Change is always frightening. But you know what, Kathryn? This just may be what you need," said Regina. Kathryn chuckled. "Maybe you'll find what you're looking for." They both smiled at each other, Regina has something up her sleeve but Kathryn was just thinking she was just being a good friend.

Princess Abigail was looking at Prince Frederick when she heard footsteps behind her, she quickly turned around as her eyes widen at the surprise that Prince James made it out alive and not dead. They both laugh because they were both thinking the same thought.

Prince James ran toward her while taking out a jug of water from the lake. "Water from Lake Nostos. As requested," he said, handing it to her.

"Remarkable. But how did you manage to slay the beast?" asked Princess Abigail, taking the jug of water.

"Well, the date of your true love was at stake. I knew it was a battle I couldn't afford to lose," said Prince James. He waved his hand toward the golden Frederick and Princess Abigail smiled and walked toward Frederick, twisting the cap off the jug of water, she lifted it up her arm and poured the water (from Lake Nostos) down on Frederick's helmet. The gold melted away and Frederick grunted and gasped, once the gold had officially melted from his armor, he fell to his knees.

Princess Abigail got down on her knees and took off his helmet and laughed because she was thrilled to have her Frederick back to her. Prince Frederick is a handsome Prince; he has sandy blond hair; brown eyes; a slender nose; an angular face; olive-colored skin; and his body was athletic. She grabbed his face and kissed him passionately.

"Abigail, what happened to me?" he asked.

"You were trapped. But now you're freed," she said, kissing him once again before pulling away from him. Frederick looked over at Prince James and she followed his gaze. "Thi is James," she introduced him, they both slowly stood up. "He's the one who freed you."

Frederick walked to him and James met him in the middle, shaking hands. "I am forever indebted to you," said Frederick.

"Pay me back by walking down the aisle with someone you truly belong with," said Prince James. Frederick looked back at Princess Abigail, who smiled at him. "And perhaps giving me a horse and supplies for a journey as well."

"Done," said Frederick.

"Thank you so much," said Princess Abigail, taking Prince James' hand and squeezing it gently. "Where will you go?"

"To find Snow White," he answered.

"You are going after her," she said, smiling.

Prince James sighed. "True love isn't easy," he simply said. "But it must be fought for. Because once you find it, it can never be replaced." He started walking away from the happy couple. "How will you know where to find her?" she yelled out to him.

"Well, a bird helped me track her down once. Hopefully, it can again," Prince James explained.

"Well, then good luck," said Princess Abigail. He was about to walk away again. "Oh, and, James, please make haste. When King George discovers that the union of the kingdoms has been ruined, he will come after you. Some people will stop at nothing to destroy the happiness of others." Prince James nodded once and started walking away from them again.

Regina has the keys on the rusted golden circle ring, she used one of them to unlock the door and slowly went inside the house, closing the door behind her. She puts the keys inside her purse. She walked into the kitchen of Kathryn and David's kitchen, upon seeing the letter on the kitchen table and it was against the vase of flowers. She took it and smirked at it, placing it in her purse.

The school bell rang for the children, letting them know that school has ended, and most of the kids went to the buses. Henry sat down on one of the benches and started playing the game that Regina had given him.

"Wow. I love that game. Space Paranoids, right?" Emma asked, sitting down next to him.

Henry paused the game and looked up at Emma. "Yeah. my mom got it for me," he said.

"I used to play that all the time when I was a kid," said Emma. "Relax, it's all in the wrist."

Henry lost the game, he sighed softly then he looked over at Emma. "My mom's picking me up in, like, five minutes," he said warning her.

"All right, I'll be quick, then," said Emma. "I just have something I'd like to give you." She took the book out of her bag and handed it to Henry.

Henry's eyes widen at the book and took the book out of Emma's hands. "You found it! Where did you get it?" he asked.

"I found it in a gutter," Emma replied. "It must've fallen off the dump truck on the way to the junkyard and got tossed around in the rain and somehow made its way back to me."

"Wow, that's crazy," said Henry.

"What other explanation could there be?" Emma asked.

"I don't know," said Henry, looking back at the book.

"Well, whatever happened it came back to me," said Emma, smiling at him.

"Maybe, it means our luck is changing. Operation Cobra is back on," said Henry. "It's a sign. Things are gonna be better."

"I hope you're right, kid. I gotta go." Emma nudged him playfully before getting up from the bench and walking away.

Henry looked at the book with pure happiness and watched her leave. He opened the book to a page to Prince James on a worse on the edge of the forest.

Prince James was on a white horse, he was just exiting out of the forest and looking around. "Snow!" he yelled out. "Snow White!" He saw a small house over the flower field. "Snow! Are you there?" he yelled out again.

"She's gone," said Red. Prince James turned around to look at Red. "She never came back after she went to find you." She walked closer to him.

Prince James nodded while watching her. "Then I'll find her. I will always find her. And I will convince her that we belong together. I will always fight for her, no matter what comes between us," he said.

"It won't be much of a fight," said Red.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, a bit confused.

"Snow wants to be with you more than anything," said Red.

"Don't mock me," said Prince James, getting a bit annoyed. "Snow told me that we can't be together because she doesn't love me."

"She left here to break up your wedding because she's in love with you," said Red, pausing for just a moment. "Unless something changed her mind along the way."

David sighed irritably. "Not something. Someone."

"James!" Red said, her voice getting scared as she heard men shouting in the distance. "Who are they?"

"That's 'someone.' King George," said Prince James.

"Bring me his head!" yelled King George to his men.

"Come on!" yelled James, getting on his horse as he helped Red get onto his horse.

One of King George's men shot an arrow but missed as it hit the ground and the pair rode off, trying to get away from the men.

Mary Margaret was laying in her, hugging the pillow as she stared off into space and thinking about David. Emma walked in as she took off her jacket, she noticed Mary Margaret on her bed. She felt for her friend and she wanted to make her feel better. She set her jacket on the ledge of the stairs and walked to the end of the bed, looking at Mary Margaret.

"You feel like talking about it, yet?" asked Emma.

"Nope," answered Mary Margaret.

"You wanna be alone?"

"Nope."

Emma stood there for a second then she laid down next to Mary Margaret, not saying a word. She wished that she could make her feel like she wasn't alone in this and wished she could tell her something inspirational to get up and moving but she knew that it probably wouldn't work anyhow.

There's a can of red spray paint in the filing cabinet and it was on top of the letter that Regina stole she took it out under the red spray paint, closing the filing cabinet while she grabbed a lighter.

Kathryn was in her car, waiting for the light to turn green. She looked in her rearview mirror and smiled to herself then the light turned green and started driving out to Storybrooke, finally getting out of this town and starting fresh.

Regina lit the letter on fire with the lighter in her hand.

Kathryn was getting closer to the Storybrooke line.

Regina was watching the letter catch fire and she threw it into the fireplace with a satisfying smirk on her face.

Jim—the Gym Teacher at the school Mary Margaret teachers at—was in his car and saw Kathryn Nolan's car on the side of the road, near the sign. He parked just a couple of feet behind her car, he got out and walked over to the car. When he opened her car door of Kathryn's, no one was in it and the airbag has opened up. He backed up and looked around to see where the person was and to see if they were okay or not.

Regina stood in front of the fireplace with a smirk on her lips as she watched the letter burn.