Chapter 1: Escape

The noise of the scissors echoed in her ears as she felt the weight on her head decreasing. Strand after strand of thick blond hair fell down, covering the dirty cabin floor. Emma closed her eyes trying to hold back the tears.

"Hold on, darling. I'm nearly done." Ruby's voice was calm, like always. And, like always, it made Emma feel safe. She exhaled deeply and let Ruby finish what had to be done. Fortunately there was no mirror available, so she didn't have to see herself. Touching her head felt like stroking the cropped coat of a sheep.

"Stand up," Ruby commanded and Emma obeyed. Not wearing a dress still felt strange, though she had to admit, that pants were far more comfortable, even though the fabric was rough. Her large linen shirt hid her more feminine shape, not that she had the curves Ruby was graced with.

Ruby circled her once before showing her typical wolfish grin. "Perfect," she decided. "You look like a lad."

Emma wasn't convinced but she had to trust Ruby with this. She had experienced street life when she had fled out of her village. If anyone knew how to escape from a desperate situation, it was Ruby. She was the reason Emma was still alive. At the very last moment, the wolves of the forest, who had the ability to smell darkness and fear, had warned them of the coming danger. It hadn't been time left to find the Charmings, who had been out of reach, visiting the villages with their newborn son. So, as her bodyguard, Ruby had to make a last minute decision. Against Emma's will, she had brought her protégé into the forest and figured out a safe passage to the north.

Emma hadn't understood what was happening, or who had been attacking the castle. Disoriented and confused, she had followed her protector. Ruby knew what to do in these kinds of situations, so everything would be alright again. That was what Emma told herself time and time again.

The gravity of the situation had hit Emma when they had entered the first village, after spending over a week in the wilderness, only living of Ruby's friends' provisions and what the forest could give them. Actually, they weren't the only ones on the run. The refugees who managed to leave the region with them had terrified Emma. Never in her life had she experienced anything like this. A lot of them were in very bad shape, injured, hungry or in ripped clothes with crying children in their arms. But what was worse was the traumatized look on their faces, and the ones who still were able to talk...

Well, Ruby had tried to keep Emma away from their stories but she had heard them anyway. Some people had told the Evil Queen had conquered the royal family's palace but nobody could actually confirm that.

Regina had disappeared a few years earlier, after an unsuccessful attempt to regain her hold of the kingdom. The evil that was descending on them now was much more terrifying than Regina could ever be. The Dark Ones. Every child of the country knew the story of the Dark One. The demon who could only be killed with his own dagger and who held the power to destroy entire kingdoms. The rumors going around made no sense. Apparently a whole army of Dark Ones was assaulting the Enchanted Forest. Some people said that they were coming from the underworld. Emma refused to believe what they told. It sounded like insanity! But there were consistent voices, too. And after a few days Emma couldn't deny the facts anymore. They royal palace was occupied and had been partly destroyed by enemies, whoever they were. There was no sign of her parents or her baby brother, so people had started to consider them dead. But the same people considered her dead as well, which was definitely not the case. Her parents couldn't be dead because they were clever, surely they had escaped like her. Emma had to cling to that straw.

Ruby had managed to gather some old clothes and had dragged Emma back into the forest. Away from all those people who confused her so much. Then, two days ago, they had found the cabin, in which they were staying now.

"Look Emma," Ruby said and took Emma's pale face in her hands. "I know the last weeks have been horrible for you but you have to pull yourself together. We have to be strong now. We have no idea how far of a reach this new enemy has. All we know is that they have the power to trigger a bloody mass migration. We have to leave the country as soon as possible. When we'll arrive in Arendelle, Elsa will help us. Until then no one can know who you are. So tell me again. Who are you?"

"I'm Emmet Nolan. Son of a poor peasant family. Father David Nolan, mother Mary Margaret Nolan, born Blanchard. You are my older sister Ruby. We lived in a small village named Snowing."

"Good. How old are you?"

"Eighteen, I guess," Emma suggested.

"No way. Sixteen. Let's say you are a little backward."

"Excuse me?"

"Only in body development. And your voice sounds a little girly but I'm sure you can practice it to be deeper. Talk like you are hoarse."

"This will never work," Emma resigned. "Why do we have to do this? There are so many refugees on the streets. Nobody will care about two girls."

"You can't be careful enough," Ruby responded, "If these Dark Ones want the Royal Family dead they will come after you, so traveling as a boy is safer. You just have to keep it up until we find a ship to Arendelle. When we are on board, it doesn't matter if people find out that you're a girl. It is just for a few weeks." Ruby scratched her nose, thinking, "And maybe you should pretend to be slow-minded. Then you don't have to talk too much. They won't expect it of you anyway."

After resting one more day in the abandoned cabin, they continued their journey to the north. Because the Royal Harbor was blocked, they had to take a detour to the heartland, deeper into the forest before they could head back northwest. Emma followed Ruby's advice and stayed in the background whenever they had to interact with other people. Her friend had been right. People didn't take notice of the dirty farmer boy. No one doubted they were two siblings running away from the Dark Ones. Though Ruby decided to avoid the villages now. She didn't want Emma to hear any more rumors about how her parents could have died.

Even so, Emma's mood got worse with each day that was passing. She complained about everything: Her aching back, the blisters on her feet, the scratchiness of her cheap clothes.

Ruby usually was a relaxed person, but sometimes it was too much for her, too. She told Emma not to behave like the princess and her famous pea*, to which Emma responded that she couldn't change the fact that she was a princess and did know said princess personally.

That was when Ruby lost it the first time, and threatened, with dry sarcasm, to forgo the chains during the next full moon. After that she had to deal with a crying Emma.

That happened a few times over the next weeks and after a while, Ruby decided to ignore Emma's outbursts of self-pity because calming her didn't seem to work anymore. After all, Emma wasn't the only one who was suffering. Hundreds of people were losing their homes and families right now. Maybe Emma's parents weren't even dead. At least she hadn't killed her own boyfriend by accident and hadn't been chased by an angry mob of villagers away from her home.

As time went by, Emma's anger turned into sobs, until she stopped her lamenting entirely. Boys didn't cry. But they did curse. Ruby could live with that. She understood that the girl needed an outlet to not become crazy. In addition, that did fit to the behavior of an uneducated farmer boy.

Another week passed. By then, Emma was too exhausted to whine. Walking constantly had built calluses on the soles of her feet; her muscles ached when they lay down to sleep. They had to use the forest floor as a bed with only their coats to cover themselves. Luckily the nights weren't too cold yet. Since they had to ration their provisions, hunger was a constant companion and both of them had lost weight.

The next full moon was a week away (if Ruby had counted the remaining days correctly) when they reached the coast.

Emma was twenty yards behind when Ruby passed the last tree.

"Emma look!" Ruby said.

Emma approached slouching. "Oh," she muttered.

Ahead of them lay the ocean. It was a calm day and the water was a navy blue color. They heard seagulls cry. The smell of soil and wood was replaced by salty air. A gust of wind disheveled Emma's short locks. Ruby smiled and covered her head with her red hood.

"See there!" Ruby pointed down to a small bay between the cliffs. "The North Harbor."

The harbor was bordered by a small fishing town. Thatched-roof houses lined the roads. The streets were dirty. A putrid smell hung in the air and Emma could see rats. It was so different from the beautiful Royal Castle. People didn't pay attention either. They kept bumping into Emma or stepping on her toes. She wasn't used to that kind of behavior. At home, the crowd parted as she approached. Emma shuddered. The people here smelled like rats, too.

Suddenly she felt so homesick that she almost started crying again. At the last moment, she remembered that she was a boy now. Boys didn't cry!

They weren't the only refugees who were traveling north and soon they discovered that most of the inns were full and the passages to Arendelle had sold out. The town was not prepared for such an amount of people. The North Harbor was a trading point for merchants. Travelers usually used the Royal Harbor. To save money Ruby insisted to spend another night outside.

But this time Emma didn't obey. "Under no circumstances will I sleep between stinking barrels!"

Ruby rejected her complaints with a shrug. "We've spent almost one month in the forest. You will survive it."

"You can't do this to me. Not after all I've lost!"

Ruby sighed but didn't answer.

"You can't give me orders anyway. I'm the princess!"

Ruby turned around and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. "YOU," she growled, "are Emmet Nolan. A poor farmer's boy. And you will pay your older sister some respect. Understood?"

Emma trembled under Ruby's angry glare. "Okay," she whispered.

"What did you say?"

"Yes, I understand."

Ruby released her and started walking again.

"I could sell my valuables. I still have my mother's necklace and some earrings in my pockets", Emma suggested meekly.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "You really want to sell your mother's necklace?" But her voice sounded softer now.

Emma lowered her head, of course she didn't. "Can we just go to the harbor and ask if there are two tickets left? Maybe we'll get lucky."

"Emma you know that the next full moon is a week from now. We can board a ship afterwards."

"But you have the cloak."

"To risky. I want to be in the forest. After next week we can go on board. Then we travel three weeks and at the next full moon we'll be in Arendelle."

"But we can just take a look? We may find a ship for next week."

"Alright fine," Ruby relented. "But let me do the talking. Like always."

The sun was low in the sky when they arrived at the harbor. Ships swayed with a cool breeze. The wharf was covered in bird-droppings and was a bit slippery. Sailors were busy transferring cargo. It smelled like fish and salt. In narrow alleys Emma caught the sight of dark shapes, their faces were hidden in the dark. It gave her the shivers. Though, Ruby seemed to ignore them and dragged her along.

There were other refugees at the harbor, obviously with the same goal in mind. Unfortunately, they didn't find a passenger ship that could take them in. Apparently there wasn't even a possibility to make reservations. A sailor on break advised them to camp at the harbor and wait for an incoming ship to purchase a ticket immediately.

"I can help you folks to get it cheaper," he said as his gaze wandered over Ruby's body. He took a pull on the cigarette in his mouth and grinned. "You know, I have connections."

"Well, no thank you", Ruby answered with clenched teeth. She grasped Emma's arm. "Let's go."

By then, Emma regretted looking for a ship right before nightfall. To sleep between the barrels seemed to be the better option than staying here for one more second. They turned around and almost crashed into a group of sailors.

"Why so fast, wench?" They were clearly drunk. "Are you lost?"

Ruby pulled Emma behind her. But they didn't take notice of her anyway. Their eyes lingered only on Ruby.

The leader of the group stepped forward. "Need a place to stay for the night?" The smell of booze gave Emma the shivers. Without a word Ruby tried to sidestep them but the man grabbed her. "Come on, darling. We all know that the decent girls don't hang around here."

Forcefully, Ruby yanked her arm free. She tried to walk away with Emma at her side. Only to recognize that the men were following them. Ruby quickened her pace. When another man tried to grab her, things threatened to get out of control.

"Run!" Ruby shouted suddenly.

They didn't get far because one of the men had taken a short cut.

"Turn around," Ruby screamed. Emma obeyed, panicked. She didn't recognized the area. "Turn right!" Emma heard, and obeyed again. Somehow, they had managed to gain some distance. They were on the pier now. It was a dead end. "Shit!" Ruby cursed. She took a look around. They were standing between some tall sailing ships. "Look there!" Emma pointed to a rope ladder that was hanging down to the left. "Up! Quickly!"

Emma's palms were slippery with sweat as she climbed upwards. Her heart was pounding, she was so terrified. She was not made for these kinds of adventure! Exhausted, they rolled over the rail. Fortunately, the deck seemed to be empty.

"Did they follow us?" Emma panted.

Ruby shook her head, letting out a deep breath. "Finally! Now do you understand why I didn't want to come here in the first place? There's always rabble in these places. However let's …"

She paused in the middle of sentence, pressing her finger on Emma's mouth to keep her quiet.

"Were are those little brats? Weren't they here a moment ago?" It was the leader's drunken voice. Emma's fear returned in full force. Why didn't they pull up the ladder? Would the men follow? Then there were more voices. The imperious, deep one of a stranger. Sudden apologies and clatter. The drunken voices faded. But there were new ones.

"Shit, shit, shit," Ruby mumbled. "I think the crew is coming back. I really don't want to meet them. We have to get off the ship!"

Frantically, they looked around. A few feet away there was a hatch in the floor. Emma started crawling towards the opening.

"No, no, no!" Ruby called. "Not down there. Emma, come back!" Ruby had seen the gangway a few yards away from her. Unfortunately, the crew was entering the ship.

There were three options now: Running into the crew's open arms, jump off the ship into the dark waters below, or hide somewhere under deck until they could sneak out during the night. However, Emma made the decision for them by disappearing down the hatch. Ruby had no choice but to follow her.

Now, they were trapped.

*Reference to 'The Princess and the Pea' a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen.

Notes: Thanks to FirstmateSwan, musicalfreak22 and odd-gelato for helping me with this fic and to IrishSwan for helping me getting started.

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