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There was an enchanted forest filled with all the classic characters we know. Or think we know. One day they found themselves trapped in a place where all their happy endings were stolen. Our world.

This is how it happened...

"When we reach the cell, stay of the light, and whatever you do, do let him know your name. If he knows your name, he will have power over you." The guard explained to Snow White and Prince Charming, stopping at a cell, "Rumplestiltskin. Rumplestiltskin! I have a question for you."

"No, you don't- do- Snow White and-" The Dark One spoke up in a mocking voice, "Prince Charming." He laughed. "You insult me. Step into the light and take off those ridiculous robes." Snow and Charming slid off their hoods and stepped forward. "Ah. That's much better."

"We've come to ask you about the-" Charming started.

"Yes, yes! I know why you're here. You want to know about the Queen's threat." Rumplestiltskin cut him off in amusement.

"Tell us what you know!"

"Ooh. Tense, aren't we? Fear not, for I can ease your mind, but it's gonna cost you something in return." Rumplestiltskin said with a nod.

"No. This is a waste of time."

"What do you want?"

"Oh... The names of your unborn children?"

"Absolutely not-" Charming started just as his wife cut him off and told the Dark One, "Deal. What do you know?"

"Ah. The Queen has created a powerful curse and it's coming. Soon you'll all be in a prison, just like me only worse. For your prison, of our prisons will be time. For time will stop and we will be trapped someplace horrible, where everything we hold dear, everything we love will be ripped from us, while we suffer for all eternity, while the Queen celebrates, victorious at last! No more happy endings." Rumplestiltskin explained, enjoying every second of their time conversing.

"What can we do?" Snow asked.

" can't do anything." Rumplestiltskin answered.

"Who can?" Snow quietly asked.

"Those little things growing inside your belly." Rumplestiltskin answered while reaching out of his cell to touch her pregnant stomach.

Charming held the hilt of his sword and unsheathed it, slapping the Dark One's hand away with the blade. "Next time I cut it off."

Rumplestiltskin clicked his tongue and looked at both of them. "The first-born child is our only hope. Get the child to safety, get the child to safety and on its... twenty-eighth birthday, the child will return. The children find you and the final battle will begin!" He let out a laugh.

"I've heard enough. We're leaving." Charming spoke up while leading his wife out of the cell.

Rumplestiltskin protested, "We made a deal! I want their names! We had a deal! I need those girls' names! We had a deal! I need their names! Th-th-their names!"

"Girls? We're having boys." Charming started.

"Missy. Missy, you know I'm right. Tell me, what is the girls' name?" Rumplestiltskin said.

Snow closed her eyes and then reopened them, facing the Dark One again. "Emma and Astrid. Their names are Emma and Astrid." She turned and walked away, followed by Charming.

"Emma, Astrid. Ah." Rumplestiltskin murmured in satisfaction.

***

Snow White's pained screams echoed throughout the stone hallways of the castle; Charming sat beside his wife, dabbing her forehead with a dampened cloth with one hand, and with the other, held one of her hands reassuringly. Tears streamed down her face as Snow wept, "I can't have the twins now!"

Charming had said something to Doc, one of the dwarves, but Snow didn't catch what he was saying because of the pain she was in. "It's going to be okay. The wardrobe's almost finished, just- just hold on." Charming assured his wife, wiping away the tears.

Gepetto stepped to the door and looked at the couple. "It's ready." He confirmed about the magical wardrobe. Charming only breathed out a light chuckle and turned back to his wife once more, a sad smile upon his face, and softly repeated, "It's ready."

Charming began to lift the woman off of the bed just as Snow let out a cry of pain and he stopped, laying her back on the bed. Doc moved back over to them and said, "It's too late. We can't move her." Snow was soon going into labor. A minute passed and an infant's cry echoed throughout the room, and soon, Snow held their first-born girl in her arms comfortingly.

Tears of joy fell down the woman's face just as another round of pain washed over the woman; Charming easily took the baby from her arms and wrapped the girl in a white, knit blanket with a name in purple letters embroidered on it- Emma.

He kissed his wife's temple, still holding baby Emma in his arms, one hand on the back of her head supportingly. Snow then had the second daughter and soon was holding baby Astrid in her arms. The second born was wrapped in an identical white, knit blanket but had a name in red letters embroidered on it- Astrid.

Snow smiled at the girl in her arms as the baby immediately stopped crying once she gazed into her mother's eyes, a soft, innocent cooing sounded from the baby. Astrid moved one small hand across her mother's cheek, a light laugh sounding from her.

Charming looked from Emma to Astrid and smiled happily; The couple switched babies to each hold both of them then. Charming had his hand on the back of Astrid's head like he had done with Emma, supporting it carefully, while Astrid gazed into her father's eyes and immediately innocently smiled at him. He quietly laughed, tears of joy in his eyes.

Snow glanced up at her husband holding Astrid in his arms while sadness crept into her eyes. "The wardrobe... It only takes one..." Realization slowly dawned on the woman as Charming looked over at his wife, realization dawning on him as well.

Charming sadly replied, "Then our plan has failed." He glanced back down at the twins in their arms and added with a sad smile, "At least, we'll be together."

Snow wanted that to be true, but she knew she had to give their children the best chance at surviving the Dark Curse. She knew she had to have hope that they would return to them someday. Emma, the firstborn, was the one who was going to break this curse because that's what Rumplestiltskin had said.

A witch then appeared into the room and stepped towards them, restraining them still with her magic. "I'll take a baby off of your hands." She commented while snatching the baby girl, Astrid, out of the twins' father's arms.

"No, don't do this!" The parents protested in angst, "Don't take our child from us." Emma and Astrid now started to cry.

"Tell this little one goodbye." The witch said while holding up the little girl wrapped in a white blanket with the name 'Astrid' embroidered in red. The witch disappeared with the child, releasing Snow and Charming.

"You have to take her. Take Emma to the wardrobe." Snow started, distraught about her Astrid being taken from them while also calming Emma and soothing her.

"Are you out of your mind?" Charming cried softly, not wanting to give up his daughters. He didn't want to lose his kids already, especially after just losing Astrid. Snow continued with a sad but hopeful look, "No. This is the only way, you have to send her through."

"No, no, no. You don't know what you're saying." He sadly argued back, his eyes watery.

Snow glanced from him to Emma in her arms and murmured, "No, I do. We to believe that both of them will come back to us. We have to give her her best chance."

"I can't. We already lost Astrid... I just-" Charming began as he looked at his wife desperately.

Snow looked at him, holding in the sobs as best as she can. She cut him off gently, "Charming, we must have hope." She kissed her firstborn's temple and murmured, "Goodbye, Emma." She handed the child over to her husband who held her close to him.

Charming kissed his wife, both of them putting all of their love that they could muster up into that kiss, before he withdrew his sword and ran out of the room and to the nursery with two cribs.

The prince fought off three guards and getting cut and then kissed the baby's head and placed her inside of the wardrobe, Emma disappearing as well. "Come back to us." He murmured.

Now, both twins are somewhere else and away from the curse.

***

"It's okay. You don't have to be afraid of me." Astrid murmured softly, her green hood of her cloak covering her head. She moved forward towards the hurt bird and knelt beside it quietly, picking it up carefully.

"Aw, you hurt your wing. Don't worry, I can fix that." The girl hovered her fingers over the sprained wing as both of her fingers and the bird's wing glowed blue. "There you go. Be free. Fly back to your flock." Astrid whispered and lightly threw the bird into the air as it flew away and towards his flock in the air.

Astrid heard rustling in the bushes not too far from her as she turned and looked in the direction, hand on the hilts of her twin swords that was sheathed around her hips. She moved towards the bushes cautiously and move them aside, noticing a bunny.

The blonde haired girl laughed lightly and sighed, picking up her quiver of arrows off the ground and strung it on her back while picking up her bow as well, and putting her black mask back over the bottom half of her face.

The Enchanted Forest is pretty deserted, well, most of the people. Astrid had heard that it was the Evil Queen who had casted an evil curse on the land and sent the people away to another realm.

She was just a baby when it had happened, so the girl had only heard stories. Astrid had found out that she was born in the Enchanted Forest but was dropped off in a viking village in another realm, a realm of dragons. Astrid has travelled many lands and continues to just look for any kind of information on who her family is.

Astrid moved over to her horse and was fixing to hop on the stallion until she heard movement in the bushes a few feet behind her again. She turned after taking her double-edged battle axe from a pack strapped on her horse's side. She stood ready just as a Chinese woman and a prince stepped out of the bushes, only looking at the masked girl in confusion yet quickly withdrew their swords also.

"Who are you?" Mulan questioned as Astrid smirked underneath her mask and answered, "Who are you two? I thought it was just me on this island."

"This part of the land wasn't affected by the Dark Curse, so the people here are still here." Prince Phillip answered, informing the girl in front of the two people.

Astrid placed her battle axe back inside of its pack on her horse and glanced back at them. "So, who are you two anyway?"

"I believe I asked that question first. Who are you?" Mulan answered her with another question. Astrid looked from the woman to the prince in front of her and introduced herself finally, "People have taken to calling me Artemis for my "perfect shot" archery skills and certain traits of mine, but my real name is Astrid. Your turn."

"I am Prince Phillip and this is Mulan." Phillip also introduced the two of them to the girl who only nodded. "You're not from here, are you?"

"Actually, I'm from the Enchanted Forest because I was born there. I grew up in another realm, though, and now... I am right back here, searching for answers on who my biological family could be." Astrid briefly explained while also not going into full detail about her story.

"We can help you, but after we help my love wake up from a sleeping curse." Phillip said as Mulan nodded in agreement and added with a single nod, "You are welcome to come back to our home with us."

"Thank you, you two are very kind." Astrid commented and agreed, following them back to their home where the other survivors of the Dark Curse was at.

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Sabrina Carpenter Astrid

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And I only own my character and her storyline in the OUAT story.

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All rights belong to the creators of this wonderful show called Once Upon A Time.

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You know the rest of the disclaimer, so blah, blah, blah. 😂

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