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CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
OPERATION MONGOOSE, PT. 2
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HENRY WOKE WITH A GROAN, HIS ENTIRE HEAD POUNDING. As he moved his nose, where the pain seemed to be originating from, he could feel dry, crusted blood stretch under his one nostril. His nose had stopped bleeding, but the pain was still very much there.

When his dizziness disappeared, Henry found that he had been tied to an overturned wagon. He pulled on his restraints, just as Isaac spoke.

"So now we're both trapped in the book. Congratulations. Let me tell you something about this place — it's cold, there's no running water, and things are always trying to kill you."

Henry struggled against his restraints. "Let me go!"

"Not a chance. This book we're in — it's worked out quite nicely for me. I don't need you running around changing things. This is my story, and no hero gets a happy ending."

Henry continued to struggle against his ropes while staring at Isaac. "Why? Would that somehow destroy the book?" Isaac remained silent, giving Henry the answer he was hoping for: yes. "That's what you're afraid of, isn't it?"

"Doesn't matter. You've brought us into the final chapter?"

"How do you know?"

"I know because I wrote it. And I know how it ends — with the loud tolling of bells at sunset," Isaac said. "When you hear that sound, it'll mean we've reached the last page. The book will end, and everything will remain exactly how I wrote it." 

Suddenly, a loud roar and the sound of enormous footsteps could be heard coming toward them. Henry looked up to see some sort of large creature on a rampage; his eyes widened in alarm.

Isaac smirked. "There we are. Right on time."

"What is that?"

"Oh, the inciting incident of this chapter — an ogre attack. And you know what they say: You don't have to be faster than the ogre. You just have to be faster than the next guy." That being said, Isaac dashed away as the ogre drew nearer.

"Wait!" The ogre got closer, causing Henry's heart to race in fear. When it screeched at him, it only further horrified him. "Help! Help me!"

Suddenly, Henry's knight in shining armor arrive. Literally. A man had galloped in on a horse, clad in golden armor. The masked man used a powerful blast of white magic, which instantly killed the large ogre.

The villagers, who Henry knew could have helped him when he was yelling for help, emerged from their homes and began to make their way over to the dead ogre.

"The monster is dead," said a woman. "The ogre slayer saved us! Thank you. If there is anything my family and I can do to repay you — "

The man removed his helmet, leaving Henry in shock. It was his grandfather, Mr. Gold, as known as Rumpelstiltskin.

Gold smiled to the woman. "Good deeds have their own rewards. This comes with no price." With a wave of his hand, his light magic made Henry's bindings disappear.

Henry continued to stare at his grandfather in shock. His grandfather that was supposed to be the Dark One, not some knight with light magic.

He rode over to Henry, a worried expression plastered on his face. "Are you all right, boy? What's your name?"

Stunned, Henry replied. "Uh, Henry."

"I am Rumplestiltskin, a knight at your service. You have any family around here?"

Henry let out a breathless laugh. "Y-Yeah. I think so. Yeah."

"Then I suggest you run home for your supper, Henry, because I, I have another village to save." With that, Henry watched his grandfather gallop away ok his pure white horse.

➳

Henry walked through the woods with the paperback copy of Heros and Villians in his hands; he was reading out loud. "Many deadly traps were set to protect the forest hideaway. A pit trap under the cedar tree..."

Henry looked up from the book and a tiny smile appeared on his face when he caught sight of a cedar tree in front of him with leaves arranged to hide a trap. Henry walked around the trap. "A falling log just beyond..." Henry eyed the next trap and walked around the trip-wire with ease. "And finally, at the center of the willow forest, there was a rustic version of...home."

Henry eyes looked look up from the pages containing Isaac's words and they landed on a hollow log large enough to fit a person. He shoved the book back into his coat pocket and took a step forward. "Hello? Is anyone here?"

"Turn around slowly." Henry froze at the sound of the all-too-familiar voice. Mom.

He slowly turned around and found his mother Regina, wielding Teresa's bow and arrow. She was also clad in Teresa's clothing. Henry's eyebrows furrowed, wondering what Teresa was in this new world if Regina was meant to he her.

"Who are you?" Regina asked, the nouched arrow deadly close to his face. "What do you want?"

"My name is Henry, and I'm your son."

➳

"But I'm telling you — "

"That we're trapped inside a book," Regina cut him. She had heard enough of this strange boys lies. His story sounded insane to her.

Henry nodded. "Yeah."

Regina laughed. "And I'm supposed to live in a place called Maine? Where I became your adopted mother after someone named Emma gave you up?"

"Come on, Mom," Henry pleaded. "You can remember."

Regina paused for a moment. "Well, now that I think about it, this does make me wonder one thing." She rose from her seat across from him and moved around the table. Henry's eyes lit up with hope, but that hope disappeared as soon as a knife was shoved against his throat. "Who sent you?!"

"Mom, please, no one sent me — "

"Stop calling me that! Are you working for the Queen or her little hitman, well hitwoman."

"No, I'm trying to help you."

She narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion. "Help me what?"

"Find your happy ending. In my world, we called it Operation Mongoose."

Regina paused, and Henry began to wonder if she actually remembered, until she started to laugh. But at least she did lower the blade. "That is a very silly name."

"Well, it was your idea," Henry retorted.

"You actually believe this," Regina said. "So you're crazy."

"I'm not, and I can prove it." Henry reached into his coat and takes out Heroes and Villains, which he then hands to her. "This is a copy of the book we're trapped in."

"Let me see." Regina opened the book and began reading. Soon she burst out laughing. "This — This says that I'm going to rob a royal tax carriage today to buy passage out of the kingdom." Her eyes are swimming with confusion and shock as she slams the book shut. "How did the book know all of that? It can see my future?!"

"Something like that."

"Then I don't want any part of it," Regina replied. She then turned and tossed the book into her fireplace.

Henry's eyes widened and bolted forward to try and salvage the book. "No!" It was useless, the book was burning too quickly. It was gone, and now he didn't know what was going to happen or where he could find everyone else.

He got up and quickly followed after his adoptive mother as she exited her hideaway.

"Ugh! Don't follow me!" She groaned. "Whatever world you think you're from, go back there."

"I can't. Not until you find true love."

"Ha! Then you're stuck. Never gonna happen for me."

"His name is Robin Hood," Henry revealed. "I think the only way for us the escape this book is for you to find him at a tavern and kiss him. True love's kiss — it can fix anything."

Regina laughed humorlessly. "Wow. You are crazy. If I ever meet Robin Hood in person, the only thing he gets is a broken nose."

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Wait, what are you talking about?"

"He's my competition. Every robbery I plan, he beats me to it. He's the reason I'm stuck in this kingdom. Why am I still talking to you?"

"'Cause I'm your son."

Regina groaned. "Look, kid, if you read about me in that book, you know I gotta go. The Queen wants me dead. She thinks I ruined her life. She even has a hitwoman on my tail, she's that desperate."

"Did you?" Henry asked.

Regina's eyes were filled of emotion as she replied, "Yes. So if it's happy endings you're after, look someplace else."

A/N: Next chapter will be a lot longer than this one! What do you think Isaac's version of Teresa will be like?