NEVERLAND
Felix escorted the prisoners, Neal and Nichole, through the jungle as he said, "Feels like just yesterday I welcomed you and Bindi to Neverland the first time, Baelfire. Gotta say, hoped I'd never see you two again."
"Then maybe Pan shouldn't have taken my son," Nichole retorted.
"Maybe you and your brother should've left well enough alone. "
"I'm gonna get him back. "
"You really believe that? You were a lost girl and your brother was a lost boy. You know Peter Pan's not be to trifled with. You know how long he's been searching for the heart of the truest believer. Do you really believe he'll just... give him up?"
"Maybe, if I ask nicely."
Felix chuckled. "You and Baelfire may have grown up, Bindi, but it would appear you have grown up stupid."
"I have grown up. I don't know if I'm stupid or not, but I do know I know how to tie an overhand knot. "
"Uhh!" He panted.
"I'm not a girl anymore, Felix. Bae isn't a boy anymore. I sure as hell ain't lost."
THE ENCHANTED FOREST - PAST - BEFORE THE FIRST CURSE - RUMPELSTILTSKIN'S HOVEL
"Bae, Bindi," Rumpelstiltskin called. "A present. Something to sharpen your coal with."
"Where did you get it?" Baelfire asked.
"Oh, from a man who no longer needed it."
"You mean taken from a man who couldn't pay you."
"Bae..."
"Papa, Bindi and I told you, we don't want any more gifts from the people you terrorize." A thud sounded.
"Then what do you want? Tell me, son. What would make you and your sister happy?"
Baelfire and Bindi shared a look before the latter said, "Leaving this place. Bae and I are tired of staying in this hovel all the time."
"Well, that's easy to fix. How about a castle, huh? I could build you a palace so magnificent its shadow would blanket the countryside."
"That's not what I mean. Bae and I wanna go out, have friends, see the world beyond these four walls. Papa, why can't you just trust us to do that?"
"I do trust you and your brother, Bindi. It's... It's others that I can't. You see, I have many enemies beyond that door. And once you two leave, any one of them could hurt you."
"You sure that's the only reason? Maybe what you're really worried about is if Bae and I leave, we might never come back."
"No, no. I... I... I'm worried about your safety. This is the best place for you both. I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you two."
NEVERLAND - PRESENT
Mr. Gold put on war paint. A scraping sounded and a fire crackled.
"You always felt more comfortable behind a mask," Belle said.
"You were the only one who could ever see past it, past the mask of the monster," Mr. Gold told her.
"Then why put it back on now?"
"I need the monster, Belle. It's the only way I can save them. And that's what I've decided. I'm gonna save Henry."
"The prophecy states that Henry will be your undoing. To save him, you ensure your own death."
YOU ARE READING
Rise Above
FantasyEmmett and his family, alongside a few others, are on a quest to save his son. But a threat they know not is lurking, and it won't be as easy as they think. And just when they think they've settled everything, new faces appear and new threats emerg...
