A Journey Through Time ~ #Wattys2015

Epilogue: Full Circle

Three Months Later: Storybrooke, Maine

It was difficult to see her around town, especially when she was with him. At first, Daniel wasn't sure he could handle the pain of losing her, but he imagined the pain she must have felt all those years and used that to motivate him. He had to try to move on and try he did.

He was hired immediately at the stables once the owner saw the man's connection with the horses. With the amount of money he'd been able to make he finally bought himself some new clothes, ones that were more appropriate in this realm. He didn't have to worry about rent. He lived at the stables free of charge in his own studio apartment-style house next to the horses. It was quaint and gave him enough privacy when he was off-duty to adjust to this new world.

Daniel made a friend in the stable owner, a tall, tan man with a black beard to match his wavy locks peppered with silver, who went by the name of Harvey. He wore denim overalls nearly everyday paired with worn work boots and a flannel, regardless of the season. Daniel found comfort in the jeans he wore and various t-shirts he bought at a local thrift store. It's what he could afford and he didn't mind it. He enjoyed thinking about the past lives of his wardrobe.

With time, he saved more money and treated himself to brand new clothes for the times he wanted to explore his new home of Storybrooke, Maine. He spent his days off walking through the library, taking guided tours down Main Street, or examining the various artifacts in Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop. Upon meeting the relatively tiny owner of the shop, Daniel soon came to realize he was anything, but tiny. Yes, in height he was below average, but his demeanor had a natural sense of mystery and power in it. The observation had Daniel wondering who this man with the cane was in the Enchanted Forest. He never asked, although the he got the eery sense that Mr. Gold knew exactly who he was.

The months came and went, the season quickly changing from Autumn to Winter with the disappearance of the colorful leaves from the trees and the terrible nip in the air each day. On the First of December, Daniel awoke like he would any other day, but felt a certain change in the atmosphere. Perhaps the idea of a new month, the last month of the year, filled him with excitement for a last chance to mend the downfall of his exceptionally terrible year before a new one began.

He got to work that morning with a skip in his step, whistling while he fed the horses and cleaned the stables. He groomed each horse, his face plastered with a smile the entire day.

"What's got you all chipper on this cold afternoon," Harvey asked, a piece of hay between his teeth and his arms crossed as he leaned against the barn door. Daniel believed this man may have actually been a horse in their land and each time he entertained the thought, he would chuckle to himself.

"I just have a really good feeling about today," he replied, finishing up with Goliath who stared him down, clear skepticism in his dark eyes. He was rather observant for an animal, but he was Regina's horse so he wouldn't expect anything less. Daniel would take Goliath's death stares over Rocinante's tail whipping his face any day.

"You got special plans or something?"

"I suppose you could say that," the stableboy hummed in delight, cleaning his workspace before his shift ended for the day.

Daniel returned to his humble abode for a shower. He became accustomed to showers rather quickly and quite enjoyed them. He also enjoyed that water was not a scarcity in this land so he could bathe as often as he pleased. He soon learned to shorten his time spent under the warm water, however, when he received his first water bill.

After he was dressed, Daniel sat on the edge of his bed reaching under it in search of something very important. When his hand finally came in contact with what he was looking for, he pulled it out and placed the shoebox on his lap. He stared down at it for a moment and took a deep breath, realizing how much this could change his life.