𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 || Once Upon a Time

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄

Warning: This story will contain mild violence and occasional swearing, to the extent that's depicted in the show. Please don't read if this makes you uncomfortable. Any future chapters containing potentially triggering topics/events will have a warning at the start. 

Now, on with the story...

THE CURSE WAS HERE

Daciana hadn't planned for this. She made a promise to Snow that she would help them and all because of a simple slip-up, she let her heart get in the way and may have cost the Kingdom greatly. Though it was not a topic to dwell on at the present moment, for with a deep thundering crackle she became exceptionally aware of the looming threat on her heels. 

With her heightened strength, she was able to push herself further, moving faster than a mere human and the impending curse could. Upon her entry to the palace, her steps halted to listen in on an indication as to where she needed to go.

From the disarray of the palace courtyard, she assumed the Queen's black knights, and her herself, were already within the castle walls. Tuning into distant battle sounds, she unsheathed her sword from its place by her left hip and advanced towards the north wing of the castle. Her brown leather lace up boots softly tapped on the stone floors, footsteps mindful as she navigated the debris. 

The spiral staircase at the end of the hall guided her swiftly to the floor where the nursery of the new Princess was located. Her nose crinkled at the strong metallic smell of blood as she manoeuvred around the fallen knights. Silently, she hoped that the Prince had come out on top and the innocent Princess, their Saviour, had been able to get to safety. 

Two black knights walked out from a corridor to the left of her, presumably on their way to where the Evil Queen and Snow White were. Daciana swiftly repositioned her sword, clearing her throat to gain the knights' attention.

"Well, well," the guard spoke mockingly, "If it isn't the Huntress." His sword raised, steady steps echoed as they advanced towards her. "We may have lost the child, but the Queen's going to enjoy seeing you again."

An almost silent breath of relief slipped past her lips with the reassurance the child had survived, all hope had not been lost. "I'm sure she will," she muttered, mostly to herself as she promptly stepped forward and their swords met with a welcomed clang. 

Soon, the quiet corridor was once again filled with battle sounds and the distant rumbling of the impending curse. Daciana stepped back, narrowly missing one guard, and used his momentum against him to send him to the ground.

Swinging around she swiftly met the other knight's sword as he swung at her from behind. "Don't you know it's rude to sneak up on a lady," she muttered, shoving him back a few paces. 

Part of her concentration faded as a section of the ceiling above her crumbled away causing her to stumble back. She cried out when she felt the sharp tip of a sword slice her forearm, her sword falling to the floor with a clatter.

A second blade rapidly pierced her side, forcing a sharp breath in. 

"That's enough. We need her alive," the guard in front of her said, both of them returning their swords to their sides.

With laboured breaths she forced herself to straighten, applying pressure to the large wound on her right abdomen. Her eyes flickered down briefly assessing the scratch up her forearm, it had already ceased bleeding and was slowly closing up. Unfortunately, in her exhausted state the other wound wouldn't so easily heal.

"It's a shame," the guard smirked down at her, his eyes meeting hers through the slit on his helmet. "Would've been nice to be the one to finally put an end to this abomination."

Daciana held his gaze, simply raising her arm. "Well, are you going to take me to the Queen or not?"

The guards chuckled between themselves. "With pleasure," said the guard from before as he took hold of her arm, deliberately placing his hand over the previously inflicted cut.

With a guard on each side she attempted the hold her head high as the dragged her into the nursery. Her eyes softened when she saw Snow crying over an unconscious, hopefully not dead, Charming who suffered a fatal strike. His white shirt now stained a crimson red. The Evil Queen stood over them gleefully. She had won.

"The child?" questioned the Evil Queen. Her gaze held steady on the guards, barely sparing the woman, who had become more of a thorn in her side than an allie, a glance. 

Nervously, the guards stood tall tightening their hold on the woman strung between them. "Gone," he relented. "It was in the wardrobe, and then it was gone. It's nowhere to be found."

A brief smirk tugged at the corners of Daciana's lips, both gleeful that the child had indeed escaped and the fact the guards thought they could use her as some sort of human shield.

To their relief, the Queen's attention snapped sharply back to Snow. "Where is she?" she seethed.

"She got away..." Snow breathed. Her hold on her beloved Charming tightened, a ghost of a smile creeped onto her face. "You're going to lose. I know that now. Good will always win."

Impulsively, the Evil Queen stalked over to Daciana, who had become increasingly exhausted and let the majority of her weight be held up by the two guards. "We'll see about that," she said, digging her hand into Daciana's chest to swiftly remove her heart. 

How strange...

A second or two passed as the Queen inspected the heart in her hand. The organ glowed a vibrant red encased in a golden aura without a single drop of darkness.

The young woman made little protest, simply lifting her eyes to level a glare with the Evil Queen as she inspected the heart gleefully. "I may not be able to kill you, but that doesn't mean that you can't be useful in this new land," the Evil Queen said, forcefully grabbing her chin with her free hand. "Huntress."

"Where are we going?" Snow raised her voice above the noise as the ceiling shattered and the curse took its hold on the room.

Harshly releasing the young woman the Evil Queen walked to the centre of the room, relishing in the smoke slowly filling the space. "Somewhere horrible. Absolutely horrible. A place where the only happy ending will be mine."

Daciana's head dropped as she felt the cold darkness of the curse wrap around her. She had hope, the child got away and one day when fate dealt its cards, she'll return. For now, the curse was here.

Whisking them far away from their world.

To one without happy endings and without magic.

◦ ✧ ☾ ✧ ◦ 

A/N: So it begins! If you're a returning reader from one of the many rewrites, welcome back and apologies for my indecisiveness. Honestly, the biggest roadblock was not knowing how to tackle canon Graham/Regina's relationship. It's so messed up and I promise you this story will not go the way the show did with that plot point. I'll aim to get the other chapters back up soon. For now, why don't you pop over and have a look at our new MC aesthetics :)

As always, don't forget to vote and comment your thoughts/questions/suggestions. I love reading them!

Thank you for reading!!