The Enchanted Forest -- Meadowpeak

Levi ducked underneath the sword as its edge neared his head. He could see clearly that they were losing. What had happened? What had gone wrong? Rumplestiltskin promised that the victory would be theirs!

He raised his foot and kicked one of the knights in the stomach that advanced towards him. A hand grabbed his wrist startling him. He flung himself around, his sword tight in his grasp, ready to slice through whoever tried to stop him.

He froze when he saw the worried face of his best friend. "Levi, run! You have to get out of here!"

He gripped her hand tightly in his as the battle ranged on around him, the marble columns began to shake as they started to crumble. "No, I'm not going anywhere without you, Elyssa!"

She shook his arms as she desperately tried to get him to run. "You have to go! Snow White won't stop until you're dead. You're the key to stopping her. You have to run so she can't find you!"

A loud bang sounded from a nearby wall as it was blown into a million pieces. A woman stepped through the opening, her white shirt and brown pants stained with blood, and her long black hair was matted. "You! Stop!"

Levi's heart sank at the sight of the Princess. He couldn't let her get to him. Not if he was going to save his mother.

"Levi, go!"

He hated the idea. He hated the thought of leaving Elyssa. He didn't want to see her die, and that's exactly what would happen if he left her in the hands of Snow.

"Go now! I'll hold her off!" Elyssa took off after the Princess.

"Elyssa, no!" He reached out for her, but she was already too far gone. He gritted his teeth and huffed in anger as he turned and sprinted to the door. He jumped over numerous pieces of stone, and turned around to get one final glimpse of Elyssa. His best friend who was sacrificing herself for him.

Elyssa stood her ground fighting valiantly, but she wasn't strong enough against Snow White. The Princess had no doubt been trained to use a sword while Elyssa had taught herself.

As Levi turned back around to run away, he bumped up against someone tall and strong. He looked up with wide eyes into the face of Prince Charming, Snow White's betrothed.

Levi was struck in the stomach by the Prince, and tumbled backward down large pieces of ceiling until he landed on the granite floor. He couched and grimaced as pain roared through his ribs.

Charming reached down and gripped Levi's wrist, dragging him over to Snow White.

"Let me go!"

Levi was yanked off his feet, and forced to his knees.

Snow White held his best friend by her hair, Elyssa trying desperately to escape the witches grasp.

"Good job, Charming," Snow said with a quick smile. Her face turned to hatred as she held a sword up staring directly at Levi. "Now, I'm going to make you watch your little friend here as I run her through." Again she smiled. "Then it's your turn."

"No, wait! Please!" Levi stared into the eyes of his best friend as tears began to form. "Kill me! Let her live! I'm begging you!"

Snow giggled. "She's been plotting with you to try and kill me. Anyone who betrays their Princess doesn't deserve mercy." With those final words, she raised the sword, and pierced it through Elyssa's back, the front of the blade sticking out from her abdomen.

"No!" Levi tried screaming, but he felt so numb he wasn't even sure if he did. He couldn't hear anything. The world around him stopped as he watched a single tear trickle down Elyssa's cheek before she slid off the blade onto the ground lifeless.

He looked up from his friend into the eyes of her murderer. Hatred boiling in his blood. He wanted to slaughter Snow where she stood. Give her the same kind of mercy she had given Elyssa. "This isn't over, Snow," he stated through his gritted teeth.

Snow White laughed loudly. "Of course it is!" She gestured toward her surroundings. The air began to pick up around them as the last remaining windows busted. "You're too late! The curse is already here!"

He shook his head. "No, you're wrong!" He jumped to his feet, thrust his elbow backward ramming it into Prince Charming's face, and grabbed the Prince's sword as he fell to the ground. He then pointed it directly at the Princess.

"I will defeat your curse!" he said confidently. "And when I do, I will do everything in my power to stop you."

Snow White raised a brow. "We'll see about that."

Black fog burst through every opening in the large room and began encircling the four. Snow White laughed as she raised her arms into the air allowing her curse to swallow her up. "It'll be hard to defeat me when you can't even remember who you are. Only the Dragon King can save you now."

Levi knelt down beside Elyssa and gritted his teeth. There was no Dragon King! He had abandoned them years ago letting them fall into the hands of Snow's family. This was all his fault!

She wasn't going to get away with this! He wasn't going to let her rip everything he held dear away from him. He jumped to his feet and shouted, raising the sword before charging on Snow.

With a quick raise of her hand, Snow White broke off a piece of the castle ceiling.

Levi looked up just as it came crashing down on top of him. His vision blurred, but he wasn't unconscious yet. He tried helplessly to wiggle his way free, but he was trapped underneath the marble.

A warm liquid began to pour from his head. He reached up and touched whatever it was. When he pulled his hand away, he found his fingers coated in blood. His vision was beginning to blacken, but he couldn't let that stop him.

He looked up one last time to find Princess Snow had vanished. He turned his head to his left to notice that so had Prince Charming and Elyssa, along with the bodies that littered the throne room's floor.

In a flash, his surroundings changed. He no longer laid trapped under the marble, but instead stood upright in a lush forest. What had happened?

The blood began to ooze heavier causing his mind to scramble. He stumbled forward through some bushes until a woman's voice rang in his ears.

"Drop the sword! Put your hands in the air?"

Snow? But it wasn't her voice. What was going on? His eyes laid hold on the woman who spoke. She looked very odd. What was she wearing? And what weapon did she hold? Was it even a weapon at all? He had never seen anything like her. It was so small, but the way she spoke, he knew it had to be very dangerous.

"Drop your weapon, son!"

He turned his head a little ways to the right to find a man dressed exactly the same with the same weapon standing beside her. Maybe they would know what was going on. Maybe they could help him.

"Please." He took one step forward, but felt so weak as he continued to lose blood. He wouldn't be able to fight Snow even if they had seen her, but he wouldn't give up now. He wouldn't let her win. Not when the kingdom needed him. Not when his Mother needed him. "Snow White. Tell me where she is!"

His head began to ache terribly, and the world around him began to fog. He panted heavily as he staggered toward these strange people, but his vision blackened causing him to collapse to the ground, panting.

He felt two pairs of hands flip him onto his back, and he laid there as these people laid their hands on him. Were they searching for something? What? Were they the enemy? Were they going to kill him? He heard them calling to him, asking him if he was okay, but he found no strength to answer them. He continued to lay there thinking the worst.

These strange people had to work for Snow White. It would only make sense why they would draw their weapon on him. Nearly everyone in Meadowpeak knew him.

Every fiber in his body wanted to get up and fight, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Whatever energy he had left in him, was sucked out. Instead, he laid there as his mind began to drift.

Alright, Snow. You've won.

***

Riverton

Levi's eyes slowly fluttered open. The sound of beeping echoed in his ears, and he felt a prick on his arm. A prick that wouldn't go away. He glanced around his blurry surroundings trying to figure out where he was. It was very bright, he knew that much.

As his vision cleared, he saw all kinds of strange things. Machines bleeped beside him, a long, skinny tube wrapped around his arm and he traced it with his eyes until he found a needle stuck in his arm, something odd rested on his ears pumping air into his nose, and something clamped around his pointer finger.

Where was he, and what was all this stuff? His mind was foggy, but he knew immediately that it had to be Snow White's doing. What else could this strange magic be? Was she putting poison into his body? Making him suffer slowly?

His heart began to quicken as he glanced around the white room, the bleeping in his ear getting a bit quicker. He wasn't going to lay here and let Snow kill him. What was she pumping into his blood?

He bolted upright, ignoring the ache in his head, and began ripping out the needle, pulling off whatever was on his face, and throwing the thing that trapped his finger aside. The machines beside him began to beep louder. Was it an alarm? Now she'd know!

Levi quickly threw himself out of the bed, stumbling to the cold tile. He looked down at his clothes to find he was wearing a strange blue gown. Why would Snow White try to make him look like some girl?

He rose to his feet as people barged into his chamber. They all wore the same blue pants and shirts. Who were these people? They began grabbing hold of his arms, but he fought against them. "Let me go!"

He raised his bare right foot and jammed it into the woman holding his right arm causing her to fly over the bed. He did a swift twirl sending the man on his left into a roll hitting a nearby table.

"I won't let her win." He balled his hands into fists and took off out the glass door. "Snow White will not get the best of me."

He looked around to see many beds with people lying in them and curtains pulled on some to give them privacy. "What is this place?"

He found a metal door to his left off to the side, and pushed it open. He dashed off into a few trees as he ran far away from that torture chamber. He had to find Snow! She did something to him and all the people he cared about. He would find her, and he would kill her.

As he ran through the trees, buildings came into view. He ducked into the shadows in between two of them, and stopped for a moment, panting. He placed his hands on his knees as he leaned over touching his forehead. It was beginning to ache more and his mind felt like a cloud was settling over it. He was having a hard time remembering what he was here to do. He shook his head trying to chase the fog away, but instead it only began to consume him.

A loud sound filled his ears that was coming from the other side of the alleyway. It was a sound he was unfamiliar with. He dashed out from between the house and glanced around, his eyes wide in fear.

Strange contraptions drove on a black road. They were like carriages, but covered in metal with no horse leading the way. The buildings didn't look like anything he'd seen before. They weren't the little huts of a village from Meadowpeak. No, these buildings were taller, and long with odd colors painting them.

Another loud and startling sound came from behind him making him jump out of his skin. He swung himself around as one of the metal carriages raced rapidly turned him. He stood there frozen unsure of what to do.

A hand suddenly grasped a hold of his shoulder, and yanked him out of the way. Levi bumped into the person who had saved his life. He watched as the carriage continued on. "Thank you for saving my life." He turned around to face his rescuer, and hatred immediately filled his heart.

With a quick swing of his right hand, he sent his rescue to the ground. He knelt down on top of the man, gripping his collar. "What kind of wicked magic is this?" Levi leaned in close to the mans face. "Where's your bride, Snow White?"

"Look, boy, I think you're confused," the man replied. "My wife's name is Olivia."

"Don't play dumb with me, Prince Charming!" Levi shouted back. "This is all about your bride's Dark Curse. Even now I can feel myself slipping away." He shook Charming by his collar. "I won't let her take who I am away from me! I will stop her! I will stop you!" He balled his hand into a fist, and slammed it into Charming's cheek once more.

Strong arms suddenly wrapped around Levi's torso, pulling him off. He kicked and screamed as he tried to free himself. "Get off! Charming deserves to pay for what he did! You stood there and did nothing as Snow killed her!"

"I'm sorry, Officers," Charming said as he rose to his feet, wiping away some blood from the cut on his cheek. "The boy is obviously confused. Looks like an escapee from the hospital."

"You will pay, Charming!" Levi continued to shout. "You and Snow both will die for what you did to my family! To all our families!"

Something sharp jabbed him in the neck, and he cringed at the sudden poke. Not even a second later, his vision blurred in and out, and he felt his body going limp in the arms that held him tight. His head pounded harder as the familiar darkness flooded over him once again.