The Valiant, the Believer & the Curse

Chapter 1: Henry's Missing

~The Valiant, the Believer & the Curse~

Location~Storybrooke, Maine
Year~2011

The sound of an alarm fills the air. Lacey yawns as her eyes open. As she sits up and turns off her alarm, Lacey glances at the time, now six-thirty, and she wipes her eyes.

As Lacey readies herself for the day and heads to the kitchen, she notices her father sitting at the table, reading a newspaper.

"Hello Papa," she sighs, a bit unenthusiastically.

"Hello dearie," he replies, turning to look at her. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes." Lacey opens the refrigerator and carefully takes out two eggs. She turns on the stove, and with exceptional grace, cracks the eggs into the pan. After scrambling her eggs, to precisely the right temperature, she skillfully slides the eggs to her plate in one motion, and then glides into the seat at the table with her father.

"So Lacey, how has it been, working for the mayor? Are you enjoying being a nanny?" Her father asks in curiosity.

"I don't know," she sighs. "Henry is a good kid, great really, but Regina is so hard to deal with. It feels like I do everything wrong in her eyes." Lacey frowns, "The other night, I let Henry stay up an extra five minutes, and it was like she had it out for me! It's if she purposely tries to find reasons to be angry at me. I don't know about you, but I think she lives a miserable life."

"You know darling, perhaps you should try and talk with her, stand up for yourself," Lacey's father suggests. "Take it from me. I am Tobias Gold, the richest man in town, and you, you are my daughter." he chuckles.

"I know Papa," Lacey assures him. "But, every time I try to, Regina threatens to dock my pay."

"You know, I can say something to her if you want me to. She shouldn't be treating you like that." Tobias watches as his daughter takes a few bites of her eggs.

Moments later, her phone rings. She picks it up, and answers the call.

"Hello.....Okay, I'll be right there." Lacey hangs up the phone, and quickly takes her plate to the sink. She rinses it off, and places it in the dishwasher.

"I'm going to assume that was Regina on the phone?" Tobias observes as he raises an eyebrow.

"Yes it was," Lacey rushes to grab her things. "I have to go, she's angry." Lacey grows frantic as she attempts to leave. Tobias takes her arm gently.

"Lacey, please don't let Regina walk all over you," he pleads. "You don't deserve to be treated like this."

"Papa, I'll be fine," Lacey assures Tobias. "Seriously, I have to go." She grabs her purse and car keys and rushes out the door.

~The Valiant, the Believer & the Curse~

Location~Enchanted Forest
Point in Time~Past

Finding herself in a bedroom, Lucy wakes up, blinking several times, pulling herself from a deep sleep.

She glances around in confusion, she does not recognize the room at all. Suddenly, a man with green, scaly skin and brown, curly hair hanging down to his neck, appears in front of her. Lucy gasps, jumping up quickly.

"Hello dearie," the man chuckles.

"Who are you?" Lucy raises an eyebrow, unsure of who or what she is looking at.