Beane Odette - Reawakened - A Once Upon A Time Tale

— Does he usually ask that many questions? He seems quite… precocious, — the man said.

— What were you doing outside of his house?

— My bike broke down.

— That why you decided to go for a long walk with your mysterious box?

He patted it.

— Who said it’s mysterious?

— Okay. Then what’s in it?

— It’s frustrating not knowing, isn’t it?

— Just tell me, — she said.

— Why? — he asked. — Is it illegal to carry around a box in these parts?

— No, — she said. — Of course not.

He smiled at her, but her lips didn’t even quiver.

— You really want to know what’s inside, huh?

— Yeah, — she said. — I do.

— Well, you’re gonna have to wait, — he said. — You’re gonna have to wait a long time. And watch me carry it around for a little while. Your imagination will make up all sorts of stories about it. Is it a severed head? Is it a magic machine? A stack of secret documents? What could possibly be inside of this box?

— Don’t get cute, — she said. — You’re very suspicious. I could get away with forcing you to show me.

— Or, — he said, — we could do it the easy way. You could let me buy you a drink sometime and I’ll tell you right now.

She looked back at him, trying to gauge how serious he was. She decided to call his bluff and said, — Okay. A drink it is.

— A drink?

— Yup. One drink.

— Okay, — he said. He reached over and opened the top and showed her what he had. A typewriter.

— Really? — she said.

— I’m a writer, — he said. — This place is inspiring to me. That’s why I’m here.

Snow White hurried to the castle and got to its gates the night before the wedding, only hours before Abigail was set to arrive. She snuck inside in the garb of a florist and made her way toward where she guessed Charming’s quarters had to be, hiding from guards along the way. She came close, she truly did, before she stumbled in a dark corridor, and a young guard poked his head around the corner. His face tensed, and he lunged at her with surprising speed. He caught her easily and ignored her stories as he hauled her down to the dungeon, believing her to be a common thief.

The moment she was locked in her cell, she began looking for a way out. Could she pick the lock? Climb the wall? She didn’t know, but she had to get out. She had to stop the wedding.

— Easy there, sister, — came a voice. — You’re stuck until they decide otherwise.

She looked over to the next cell, where a deep-voiced man lounged in the corner, his legs crossed.

He was bearded and bald. He smiled at her, gave a friendly wave hello.

— Good to meet you, — he said.

— I don’t need them to let me out of here, — she said. — I’ll find my own way out.

— Okay, fine, — he said. — Have it your way. You’ll find your own way out.

He watched her pace back and forth in her cell for some time, then said, — What’s your name?

— Snow White, — she said. Did it really matter whether some common criminal knew?

— The Snow White? — he said, suddenly very interested. — As in Wanted-by-the-Queen Snow White?

— One and the same, — she said.

— Well, I’m Grumpy, — he said, getting to his feet.

— I’m sorry to hear it.

— No, no, — he said, waving her off. — That’s my name.

— Your name is Grumpy? — she said, raising an eyebrow. — What kind of name is that?

He shrugged.

— It’s a dwarfs name, — he said. — What kind of name is Snow White?

Snow White just smiled, and the two began to talk as she tried to find a weakness in the cell. An hour passed; they talked about many things as she grew more and more concerned that she was going to spend weeks down here, miss the wedding, miss her opportunity. Grumpy explained how he’d ended up in the cell, as did Snow White (vaguely, cautiously). They discussed love, and lost love, and regret.

Grumpy’s eyes lit up when he spoke of a woman he’d once loved, and how he regretted letting her slip through his fingers.

— But doesn’t love cause too much pain? — she said. — To be worth it?

— It causes pain, indeed, — Grumpy said. — But it’s worth it. It’s a good pain.

— Is there such a thing?

— Yes, — he said. — I guarantee that.

— I could forget my love if I chose, — she said, and told him about the potion she’d gotten from Rumplestiltskin.

He seemed impressed by the idea, but after a moment, he shook his head. — No. It’s not right, — he said.

— Why not free yourself?

— Because that wouldn’t be real, — he said. — Because it would always be deep down in you somewhere, eating at you. You can’t pretend that what is true is not true. Regardless of what you remember. Give me the pain, and what’s honest. I’ll take that any day.

— Huh, — Snow White said, and resumed her attempts at finding a way out of the cell a bit more frantically.

That is, until Grumpy explained to her that she’d be wise to conserve her energy.

— If you really want to get out, — he said, — just relax. Give it ten minutes.

— How would that help me? — Snow White asked.

— You’ll see, — he said. — I got good friends.

She was exhausted, not only from her furtive search for an escape but from the days and days of travel… the deal with Rumplestiltskin, the flight to the castle… She allowed herself to sit down and close her eyes. She fell into a deep sleep almost immediately.

— Hey, sister!

She woke to see Grumpy and another dwarf standing in her cell, both of them smiling at her.

— She’s pretty, — said the second dwarf. The one she didn’t know.

She rubbed her eyes, got to her feet.

— What’s going on? — she said. — Who’s this? How did you open the doors?

— This is Stealthy, my friend, — Grumpy said, pointing at the other dwarf with his thumb. — He came to spring me and now we’re springin’ you. Come on.

She looked over their heads and saw a guard lying on the ground, apparently unconscious.

— But why would you do that for me? — she asked, hurrying out of the cell behind the two dwarfs. She stepped nimbly past the guard, wondering how the two of them had managed it.

— Because I sympathize with your story of heartbreak, sister, — said Grumpy, not looking back. — We’ve all been there. God I hate love. But I love it.

— Quiet you two! — whispered Stealthy. He led them to a grate in the floor and pointed down at a ladder. — Come on. Down into the catacombs. Let’s go.

She hurried down behind the two, wary of guards spotting them. Soon, though, they were below the castle, in the winding tunnels of the crypts, Stealthy out in front, guiding Snow and Grumpy with a torch.

They ran until Snow White could no longer breathe; she had no idea where they were going. But she trusted them, trusted Grumpy to come back for her. They could have left her there in the cell, sleeping, for all of eternity.

They reached an intersection, and Stealthy stopped.

— You’re trying to find the Prince? — he asked her, and she nodded.

— Go that way, — he said, pointing down a long tunnel. — You’ll see a ladder at the end. Take it up. You’ll be at the tower you need. — He patted his companion on the shoulder. — We’re heading this way, — he said. — Out of the castle. Come on!

Grumpy smiled at her.

— Good-bye, sister, — he said. — Good luck!

The two dwarfs ran away, leaving her alone, in the dark.

— Good-bye, — she said, into the darkness.

She didn’t waste any more time.