Believe

32. the backstory

Cora Heart—the Queen of Hearts—was a very malicious woman. She expected respect and if she didn't get it, it was off with your head. She didn't have an ounce of goodness in her, so no one believed it when they heard that she gave birth to a baby girl that she adored.

Belladonna Heart was born on May the fourteenth, the same day as Benjamin Florian—the son of King Adam and Queen Belle. In Cora's mind, the fact that two children were born to the two most powerful leaders in the world on the same day meant one thing: that they should rule together.

Upon hearing the news, Cora sent a letter to Adam and Belle, offering an arranged marriage between her daughter and their son, an offer that was refused. Furious, the rose obsessed queen came up with a plan that revolved around her daughter.

Captain James Hook turned out to be a family man. He retired from chasing Peter Pan and the Lost Boys years before being banished to the Isle of the Lost. At the time, he had a two year old son—Henry—with his wife Maria. They went on to have a set of twins—Harry and Hannah—who were born a month early. Maria died unexpectedly, leaving behind her husband, her four year old son, and her one month old twins.

But everything wasn't picture perfect for the Hook family. Hook had been spending a lot of time around Cora; Bella was the result of that. Nonetheless, Cora stepped up and helped Hook with his own three children, calling them her own along the way.

When Bella was four, Cora decided to finally let her daughter and her husband in on the plan she made years ago. Hook immediately disagreed with Cora, claiming that their lives were fine and there wasn't a need for her to use their daughter to interfere with the King's wishes. Appalled by his reaction, Cora banished him and told their children that he left on his own terms.

Henry was the oldest of the four and he was very close with all of his siblings; especially his youngest sister. Henry would always help his mother by tucking Bella in at night, taking his siblings out when Cora needed to get work done, and finding food for the family to eat. All of this admiration for his siblings—especially Bella—changed after Henry found out that she was the chosen one.

Every day, Bella's life was the same. She would run around the island and cause chaos with her four best friends before returning home, where Cora would yell at Henry for not watching the little girl. One day when they were ten years old, Bella, Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay found themselves by the barrier, where they were pretending to sneak over and were causing trouble with the guards who were sent to deliver necessities to the Isle's residents. Growing tired of the immature behaviors of the five children, the guards were about to call the King when Cora appeared and whisked them away.

"What are you five doing? Are you trying to get us all killed?" Cora asked after she got in between the kids and the aggravated guards.

"No, Mother! We weren't trying to do anything!" Bella denied as her friends coward behind her.