Charming: Once Upon a Time - 3. Chapter Three

Cindi drove us to a small, discreet bar in only four minutes, parking on the side of the street before turning off the engine. During the ride, I was able to change into dry clothes, which I knew I needed after my meeting with that sea witch. Cindi told me that she would meet me inside the bar after she changed out of her police get-up.

Inside the bar, I managed to locate a small table at the corner of the musty area. I sat down and checked my phone for any new messages, keeping a low profile. The place wasn’t that busy, which I was grateful for since the less people, the less attention I was going to attract. Being a prince, especially one who had been all over the news recently, didn’t garner me much privacy when I was outside. Almost everyone recognized me, wanting a picture with me or an autograph. My life wasn’t always like this. My two older brothers were the ones who got the brunt of the attention, while I remained under their shadows and worked on my passion for fixing classic cars. Life wasn’t perfect, but it was less complicated back then, and I would give anything to return to that state of being.

Looking up from my phone, I saw Cindi enter the bar, and I waved my hand to her. Dressed in regular attire, she blended in with the other patrons of the establishment with her denim jeans and hair in a messy bun. No one would’ve guessed she was a princess, but then again, she never was into wearing ornate clothing. Part of this was because of her personality, another was caused by her upbringing.

Living under her authoritarian stepmother who only gave her the basic necessities for survival, while spoiling her stepsisters definitely left an impact. Though, I believed this became Cindi’s strength, able to overlook the superficial aspects of our world to focus on making this cruel existence a better one. My brother was very lucky to have encountered her instead of her evil stepsisters who were still living with mommy the last time I remembered.

“Did you order anything yet?” Cindi asked as she sat across from me.

“Not yet. It’s kind of slow here,” I said, looking around the bar for a waiter or waitress but to no avail.

“Well, I already called Cheri and informed her about the situation. We can see her after her shift at the clinic is over which is in a couple of hours.”

“Eh, I’d rather take a break for now… Thanks for you and Cheri’s help though,” I said as I played with some crumbs left on the table’s surface.

“You sure? I can also look for more leads when I return to my agency tomorrow,” Cindi kindly offered.

“That’s okay. I don’t want you to waste your time or resources on me. I’m not the best person for the job when I think about it. I mean, when I believe I’ve found something substantial that could lead to breakthrough for my mission, I just end up several steps back from where I began… I’ll never find where Lilith is at this point.”

“Don’t say that,” Cindi said and placed a gentle hand on mine. “I’ve been in the business of finding people for a long time now. There are plenty of moments when I think I won’t be able to accomplish the mission, but eventually there will be a lead that breaks the case. I just have to remain hopeful and be very determined, which I believe you are too. Don’t give up, okay, Lucky. You’ll find the woman who’s responsible to what happened to your mother, and when you do, I know you’ll do the right thing afterwards.”

I smiled a little and said, “Thank you, Cindi. I really needed that.”

“No problem. And with me and Cheri by your side, I’m sure we’ll find that lead.” Cindi patted my hand.

“Hello. Sorry for the wait,” a waiter said, finally arriving to our table. “What can I get for the both of you?”

Cindi and I both ordered beer with a main entre of double-patty burgers and a load of fries. The waiter quickly returned with our orders, and we chowed down. The cold-ice beer helped calm my nerves, and the burger with fries filled me up completely. I only indulged myself occasionally since a prince of my status didn’t get away with any pudginess from too many greasy meals. Though, I remembered a time when I was just a child and loved the cooking of my mother that caused me to be a little chubby, much to the dismay of my father who always cared about image and the public’s perception of his family. He wanted me to exercise, join a sports team to lose the extra pounds. Even when I did, my mother would always sneak me extra cookies after dinner, which only strengthened our bond.

“You okay, Lucky?”

I looked at Cindi who had a concerned expression on her face. “Oh, yeah. Just thinking is all.”

“Just thinking?” Cindi asked with a raised eyebrow.

I sighed and then said, “Well…more like looking back at the memories of my mother.”

“I understand. Though I didn’t have a close relationship with my stepmother, far from it, I did have fond memories of my father before he passed away.”

“Do you still miss him?”

“I do... I don’t believe a person truly moves on from the death of a loved one. However, I also believe we can cope by remembering the good times we’ve had with them rather than focus on just their deaths. I still cherish the memories of when my father and I took care of the large tree at the backyard of our home. We made sure that tree grew healthy and tall. And after he passed away, I kept taking care of that tree as a way to respect my father.” Cindi smiled. “Who would’ve thought that later my stepmother burning some of its fallen branches into the fireplace would summon the spirit of my real mother and would be the catalyst to me eventually meeting your brother at the ball.”

I smiled back. “Love has a funny way of introducing people, doesn’t it?”

“Indeed,” Cindi said, raising her beer bottle.

I raised my own and clinked our bottles together.

After an hour of eating and chatting, we got the bill from the waiter, which we split evenly. I needed this time with Cindi since it gave me a break from the mission as well as from my college where I studied business which was insisted by my father. I also had to join the fraternity that he was in as well, which I reluctantly agreed to with the exception that I have my own apartment. Living with a bunch of frat boys wasn’t my idea of fun, and thankfully my father agreed since he didn’t want to spend my entire college experience partying all the time. If I had my way, I would’ve gone to an auto-mechanic school instead; my true passion. But that wasn’t a reality for me. At least I had my royal steed which was my one and only pride.

“Ready to leave?” Cindi asked.

“Yup. Let’s go,” I said and stood up.

We left our table with a generous tip for the waiter, and as we crossed a group of young women, I bumped shoulders with one of them. I apologized, and the woman looked annoyed for a moment but then her eyes widened upon gazing at my face.

“Oh, Godmother! You’re…You’re…”

I swore mentally, not wanting to deal with any public recognition; however, I just smiled and said, “Yeah. It’s me. Lucian.”

The woman along with her group of friends all shrieked in excitement. I glanced at Cindi who just rolled her eyes before returning my sights at the women who were all pulling out their phones from their purses. I braced myself for the worst.

“Goodness! I can’t believe it’s you. I’m so sorry but can I get a picture with you?”

“Me as well!” one of her friends begged.

The women were alerting the other bar patrons who all turned their heads to look at me, and I just wanted to get out and go back to my apartment. It was already past midnight, and I needed to get enough sleep if I were to have enough energy for my morning college classes.

So, I suggested, “How about I take a group photo with you all?”

All five women nodded, and I stood in the middle of the group, while they all squeezed close to me. Several pictures were taken in quick succession with me donning my signature lopsided smile that seemed to win many of my fans.

After that, all the women thanked me, a couple of them grabbing either of my arms as they all looked at the pictures that were just taken. Cindi was just standing by the bar counter, and I silently apologized to her as the women huddled close to me.

“So, Prince Charming, what is a man like yourself doing at a place like this?” one of the women asked as she gazed at me with sparkling eyes.

“Well, I—”

“Yeah, I would like an answer to that question as well.”

I frowned at that foreign, yet familiar deep voice which caused me to look up. My heart dropped upon seeing the same police officer who just over an hour ago arrested me. Zev. He had his arms crossed and was looking completely menacing as he glared at me with those dark eyes of his.

“What…What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?” Zev said before stomping towards me. “I’m sorry ladies, but this prince is under arrest for escaping police custody.”

The women backed away as Zev grabbed me by the wrist and bent me over, slamming my face down onto an empty table. I then felt the cold touch of metal handcuffs being snapped around my wrists.

“What are you doing?” Cindi asked furiously.

“What does it look like? I’m arresting this brat, and unless you want to join him, you’ll stay out of this,” Zev warned as he tightened the handcuffs behind me.

“How the hell did you find me?” I asked, squirming under Zev’s hold on me.

“It wasn’t hard, being a wolf that can track a person’s scent.” He then snickered. “And the fact that your car was parked across the bar was a dead giveaway.”

Cindi cursed, demanding that Zev release me, but I didn’t protest. How could I? Zev was the same person who arrested me and escorted me to the police station. I wondered how long it took for him to notice that I wasn’t in the holding cell. It didn’t matter, though. I was going back to the police station, and I doubted Cindi could get me out this time.

Zev then guided me out of the bar with Cindi following right behind. I stumbled a couple times with the women and other patrons watching the scene with shock on their faces. And with a few of them taking pictures with their phones, I knew there was no way this wasn’t going to end up in the media. My father was going to be pissed.

Outside the bar, Cindi was yelling at Zev to stop when I noticed a group of people surrounding my car. Zev seemed to have noticed this spectacle as well, stopping and looking at them with furrowed eyebrows. A scraping sound instantly signaled to me that they were trying to break into my baby.

“They’re breaking into my car,” I said.

“Yeah, no shit.” Looking around, Zev then cursed before releasing his hold on me and saying, “You stay here. I’ll be back.”

I just nodded and watched as the angry police officer approached the group of men with long strides across the street. Zev called out to them, causing all of them to turn around. He demanded to know what they were doing, and one of the men who had a cigarette hanging from his mouth said they were just checking the car out. That was a lie though since I could see the man had some kind of metal tool that he was using to forcefully open the car door.

“Yeah, and I’m the Godmother,” Zev quipped. “I suggest you all scatter now, or I’ll arrest you all on the spot.”

The same man laughed and said, “Oh, yeah. There’s ten of us, and you’re just one cop.” The man then took a step forward and sniffed the air before saying, “Holy shit… You’re a wolf, aren’t you?”

I knew I was supposed to stay where I was, but I felt danger approaching as I walked closer to the scene with Cindi by my side.

“Yes, and so?” Zev said.

The man bared his teeth and growled. “I can’t believe one of our own kind is serving with the pigs. You’re a fucking traitor, you know that?”

Zev stood his ground, leaning forward with crossed arms and said, “I highly recommend, for the health and safety of you and your friends, that you all step away now before you piss me off further.”

The man laughed again, turning to face the other men who all looked amused as well. His fist then collided with Zev’s face, causing the man to stumble backwards. I then watched as the assailant pulled a small knife from his pocket and launched towards Zev. I called out to him when the police officer threw his fist back, and the man fell backwards onto the cold concrete below.

This action signaled to the rest of the men to throw themselves onto Zev as well. I couldn’t believe this was happening. I was a witness to a brutal fight where the wolfish police officer was defending himself against nine other people, all filled with rage as they all tried to attack him. And at first, Zev seemed to be handling himself, blocking the men’s fist before firing his own and striking its intended target every time. Then one man used the metal tool and struck him from behind. He stumbled from the attack, and all of them started wailing at him. I couldn’t let this continue.

Turning to Cindi, I said, “Grab the handle of my sword from my back pocket. I need to help him!”

Cindi quickly pulled out the item, and with one verbal command from my mouth, a large blade extended from the handle. I then told her to cut the chain of my handcuffs. With one quick swipe, the handcuffs broke, and I grabbed my sword from her before running towards the scene of violence.

I yelled out for the men to stop, and a few of them locked their crosshairs at me. They must’ve saw my sword, but they didn’t back away. Instead, a few of them ran towards me, and I had no choice but to fight back. With a swing of my sword, I slashed the chest of the men who howled out in pain before falling to the ground. I then struck my weapon downward, stabbing the man in the chest and defeating him.

I looked at the other men who seemed to be hesitant, but then another came towards me, and I slashed my sword, gashing his neck and causing him to fall to the ground as well. I continued the fight, using my swordsmanship that took years to develop to combat these thugs who all met the same fate.

Soon all the men were on the ground, all suffering various degrees of injuries caused by my sword. I directed my attention to Zev who was on his hands and knees. I approached him and extended my hand out to me. However, he lifted himself back up and then shoved me hard.

“What the hell were you doing?” Zev spat out.

“Helping you! What else?” I said, offended by his lack of appreciation. “Those men were beating on you!”

“I had it handled!”

I was about to yell back when I sensed movement. Turning around, I saw one man slowly rising back to his feet, and another did the same. Then I saw one of the men’s faces, and I knew this was far from over. With bared teeth, they then turned sharp as his mouth began jutting outwards into a snout. His eyes began growing in size, and his ears got pointier as his entire face became hairy. The other men were showing the same transformation, and when one of them howled loudly into the night, I gripped my sword tightly as a pack of pissed-off wolves started descending towards Zev and me.