You Found Me

6. The In-Between

THE ENCHANTED FOREST, TEN YEARS AGO.

"You're Cinderella?"

The woman's eyes narrow and flash her well-cloaked nervousness. "You know me?" she queries slowly and carefully, but alarm seeps from every pore in her face. She'd already dismounted, but she begins stepping backward, away from the rather impressive fire Henry had succeeded in poking and prodding.

He places a careful hand in front of him, palm up, and does his best to give a reassuring, charming smile--one that he knows likely comes off as more of a grimace. "No, no - it's a 'my realm' thing. You're kinda popular there."

Her eyes widen in curiosity, and she takes a careful step towards Henry. "What do you mean?"

"It's nothing, it's just a movie," he shakes his head, biting his cheek in an attempt to remain serious.

She draws closer, eyebrows knitted together. "Movie?"

"Yeah, like a --" he begins, then frowns when he realizes he has no idea how to go about explaining the topic to a woman who grew up in a completely different world, one whose life is more than likely much different than the stories he's used to; and especially to a woman who is so beautiful he can hardly form a coherent sentence. "-- you know what? Never mind. Sorry."

She cocks her head to the side, then shrugs with a small laugh. "You're very strange, Henry. Henry ...?"

Henry looks towards her with wide eyes before realizing her question. "Oh. Uh -- Mills."

She smiles, sitting on the opposite side of the fire and gazes at him through the flickering flames. "Henry Mills."

---

"Tell me about your realm, Henry Mills."

Henry glances at her from his reclined position on the other side of the charred wood where the fire had been burning an hour or two ago. The sun was low in the sky before he had worked up the nerve to suggest they camp here for the night, with plenty of fresh grass for Kaladian to graze and the shelter of tall evergreen trees. To his surprise, she had only taken her pack from Kaladian's saddle and began clearing a space for her body as a way of expressing her agreement.

Dusk now paints the sky and brings a coolness that refreshes them from the hotness and humidity of that afternoon. He shrugs and brings his hands behind his head to get more comfortable. "Oh, god. I dunno--there's more buildings and roads, way less green spaces and nature. There's more 'headless horses' like my bike, lots of restaurants and bars," he sighs, rattling off whatever comes to mind. Then he catches her eye and smirks. "And movies."

They share a laugh and Ella smiles in wonder and curiosity. "That sounds very strange. Strange, but interesting."

Henry tosses a stone up into the air, catches it, then tosses it again. "It's different, but people are the same pieces of shit they are over here."

She snickers softly and flops onto her back to mimic his position. "I see. So, not so different, hm?"

He turns his head towards hers and smiles. "Guess not."

The silence is broken by the sound of hooves thundering down the path, becoming closer and closer as the seconds tick past. Henry can feel the sensation on the hard ground and in his core as he scrambles to a stand. Ella has already sprung up and begun fumbling with the knot in her horse's reigns against the tree trunk. When Henry's eyes meet hers, he finds pure, unbridled panic in every inch of her expression.

"Mierda! They'll find me," she breathes out in a terrified whisper, already one foot in the stirrup to mount. Then, casting another glance at Henry, she shakes her head, her curls swaying with the movement. "I've stayed too long."