Chapter 21

We made camp somewhere in the middle of the forest. I think I’m starting to adapt to this lifestyle. Mulan is watching over Aurora while she sleeps, while Emma and Snow huddled together near a fire. I can’t help but ponder how both of us are sisters, yet Ingrid believes we aren’t. Emma’s hair is more golden than mine, catching the firelight differently. My blonde has a cooler, paler tone, and my eyes carry a sharper edge than hers. Even our expressions differ: her smiles warm and open, mine slightly guarded. Subtle differences mark us as fraternal twins, though no one would notice at a glance.

Since we’ve been in Storybrooke, the distance between us feels heavier. Not to mention this…monster I can apparently turn into now. I’m afraid that one day I’ll lose control.

I get up, wanting some space from the group.

“Where are you going?” Snow calls.

“I’m just going for a walk. I’ll be back,” I say.

“Do you need someone to come—”

“No. I don’t need anyone to babysit me. I’ve been taking care of myself for the past twenty-eight years,” I cut her off.

Snow gives me a guilty look, and the tension in the camp makes me want to leave even more. I look back at my sister, giving me that disappointed expression, but right now I couldn’t care less.

I walk through the forest, thinking about what I’m going to do after this. How can I pretend to be someone I’m not? How do I continue pretending everything’s okay when it really isn’t? My sister isn’t really my sister. I found out I had parents; only to learn they weren’t really my parents.

At this point, I start spiraling, and then a voice shouts in my mind: FEED… FEED…

Suddenly, pain shoots through my fingertips as large claws erupt. The shouting in my head grows louder: FEED!

Up ahead, a herd of deer grazes. Something overtakes me in a flash. Blood fills my mouth. I feel as if I’ve been starved for a century; my throat is dry. I snap out of it and look down at my hands. Blood, fur, and meat cover them. Panic propels me forward, and I run until I can’t anymore, stopping at a lake.

I stare at my reflection eyes glowing red, blood smeared over pale skin, a monster with pointed claws. Memories of the first time I had blood on my hands flash briefly. Not wanting to go down memory lane, I scrub myself until my skin is red, ensuring the others won’t see me like this.

I collapse on the grass, staring at the sky. “Why can’t things ever be simple?” I mutter.

After enough time alone, I try to find my way back. Following broken branches and the faint path I left behind, I hope for the best.

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When I return to the campsite, Aurora is awake, and Emma is confronting her about something. I walk up to Mulan.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

“Aurora had a nightmare about a place surrounded by flames, and a boy named Henry,” Mulan explains.

I look at her, shocked. “What?”

“She’s apparently been having it for a while. I can’t believe she didn’t tell me,” she adds.

“She probably didn’t want to worry you,” I say, trying to reassure her.

“Nevertheless, she still should have told me. How was your walk?” Mulan asks, looking down at my hands.

“It was fine,” I say, putting my hands in my pockets. Seeing her still staring, I decide to walk over to Emma and Aurora.

Emma pulls out a picture of Henry. “The boy you saw in your dream… is that him?”

“Yes. That’s the boy I saw…Henry,” Aurora replies.

“That’s impossible. It was a dream… how could you dream of my son?” Emma says, astonished.

“I have no idea,” Aurora says.

“At this point, should we really be surprised? It probably has something to do with magic, like all our problems,” I say.

“Alex—” Emma begins.

“I’m not wrong. This is how we ended up here in the first place; it’s how all our problems started—with magic,” I say.

“Alex, magic isn’t the source of our problems. It’s the people with it. But I do agree that this may involve magic,” Snow says.

“That room…I’ve been there,” Snow adds.

“When you told me about it, you didn’t say anything!” Aurora accuses.

“You were terrified. I didn’t want to make things worse by telling you—though it might be real,” Snow says.

“So you lied? You do realize something could be happening to Henry, right? All because you withheld information?” I ask, upset at her.

“Alex is right. You should have said something from the start when Aurora told you,” Emma adds.

“The question is… how is it even possible for a room in a dream to be real?” Mulan asks.

“The sleeping curse. It has to be. I went through it. Aurora went through it too,” Snow says, dread in her voice.

“Henry went through it too… I didn’t believe him,” Emma says, guilty.

“Emma, you couldn’t have known. After twenty-eight years of believing it wasn’t real, it’s understandable you didn’t believe Henry,” I say.

Emma looks down, quiet, probably thinking about what she could have done differently.

Suddenly, Aurora speaks up. “What else did you lie about?”

“I wasn’t lying. I was protecting you,” Snow says.

“Was it really protecting her, or protecting yourself from memories?” I ask.

“Alex—” Snow hesitates.

“That doesn’t matter right now. Henry, did he say anything to you?” Emma asks Aurora.

“I’m sorry… all he said was his name before I woke up,” Aurora says.

“Emma, it’s going to be okay,” Snow says.

I roll my eyes at how delusional she’s being, right in the middle of a forest with ogres and probably worse creatures, and we’re trying to hunt down a witch who could probably kill us without breaking a sweat. From Emma’s face, I can tell she agrees with me.

“We are so far from okay,” Emma mutters.

“No, we have a way home,” Snow says.

“We have the compass, and the ashes we need are still with Cora,” Emma replies.

“Any attempt to steal from her would be suicide,” Mulan warns.

“No…now we can stop her,” Snow says, smiling.

I mutter, “A few screws loose in your head… or are we starring in Survivor: Enchanted Forest?”

Everyone looks at me, confused. Emma just shakes her head.

“Right… forgot the group. I’m talking to you,” I say.

“While we’re at it, wise one—how do we beat a witch who could crush us?” I add.

“I don’t know, but I know someone who does,” Snow says.

“Who?” I ask.

“Rumplestiltskin. He’ll know the way,” Snow replies cautiously.

“We can ask Henry. He can talk to him since we now have a way to communicate,” Emma suggests.

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” I say.

“Wait, wait,” Aurora says, backing away a bit.

“Sorry, Princess, but it looks like you’re going back to sleep,” Emma says firmly..

“I don’t know… can’t there be another way?” Aurora protests.

“Right now, we don’t have any other options. Please, Princess, help me get back to my kid,” Emma says.

Aurora thinks for a second and reluctantly agrees. Snow and Emma fix up the makeshift bed while Mulan and I talk to Aurora.

“Are you sure you want to do this? They’ll understand if you’re scared,” I ask.

“I have to. It wouldn’t sit right with me if I didn’t do something,” Aurora says.

Mulan guides Aurora back to the makeshift bed and sits next to her as she tries to fall asleep.

“She asleep yet?” Emma asks, pacing impatiently.

“Well, your pacing isn’t really helping,” I say. “You need to give it a second. You can’t rush someone to fall asleep.”

“Well, we could just knock her out,” Emma says, walking toward Aurora, but Mulan intercepts her.

“Emma, come on, we need to talk for a second. I’m sure we have lots to catch up on,” Snow says, dragging her over to the other side of the campfire.

Mulan goes back to sit with Aurora, who is still struggling.

“Hmm… how about a lullaby? Will that help?” I ask.

“Maybe… what are you going to sing for me?” she asks smugly.

“Only because I can’t deal with someone pacing like a caffeinated squirrel,” I mutter. “Close your eyes. I can’t do it if you’re looking at me.”

She closes her eyes. I take a deep breath and sing, my voice carrying a mixture of reluctant responsibility and careful control:

Where the north wind meets the sea,

There’s a river full of memory

I let the words flow, chest tightening slightly. Singing it brings a strange comfort, even as my mind runs over the forest, the camp, and the danger we’re in.

Sleep, my darling, safe and sound,
For in this river, all is found

Aurora’s body relaxes slightly. My tone softens automatically. Care and focus thread through my voice, despite my usual irritation at her pacing.

In her waters, deep and true,
Lay the answers and a path for you

I glance down at my hands, the claws and blood from earlier still vivid in my mind. The song steadies me, reminding me of something I’ve always carried inside, a small piece of calm I can call on when needed.

Dive down deep into her sound,
But not too far or you’ll be drowned

I grit my teeth, the melody anchoring me even as the monster stirs beneath my skin. The song, familiar and instinctive, keeps me in control.

Yes, she will sing to those who’ll hear,
And in her song, all magic flows

Each note carries a mix of focus, irritation, and quiet protectiveness. It’s not sentimentality, I barely know this girl, but it calms both of us.

But can you brave what you most fear?
Can you face what the river knows?

I swallow, a flicker of something I don’t name rising inside me—maybe care, maybe just instinct.

Where the north wind meets the sea,
There’s a mother full of memory

I finish the song with a soft hum, watching Aurora’s breathing even out. The familiar melody lingers in me, a tool I’ve always had, though I don’t know why it’s so effective. I didn’t bond with her. But I did what needed to be done. That’s enough.