(Aurelie's POV)

Whilst walking to the castle, I took note of the horses that the brother and sister were leading. "They're beautiful," I murmured softly.

Daniella gave her mare a stroke. "You think so?"

"Yeah. My dad works with horses, so I know how to ride but I'm just not that good with it."

The amusement on Daniella's face turned into a sad kind of expression as if she was reminiscing on something. Quietly, she replied, "That's interesting. My father worked with horses too."

"Worked?" I murmured. Immediately, Henry nudged me and gave me a look as he mouthed 'don't'. I turned red with embarrassment as I realized what she meant. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"It's ok, and in any case, if there's one thing that our family has come to learn, is that we cannot dwell on the past," she said rather hastily. Henry gave his sister a reassuring smile before changing the topic. I knew he was trying to direct the conversation away from what could possibly turn into another awkward interaction.

I started to talk about my life in New York, which seemed to engage the siblings. Soon however, we arrived in a little clearing and as the trees gave way to the bright light, I saw the castle for the first time in all it's splendour. It loomed over me like a huge skyscraper, only more incredible as there were people rushing in and out of it dressed like they were part of a fairytale. Just as I was thinking about that, Daniella said to Henry, "You should go to find Snow and David, they said they wanted to see you after we return, remember? I'll take care of Aurelie."

He nodded and bid me goodbye with a cute smile and wave of the hand. He then handed his sister the horse's leash and left. I tried to take it from her but she waved me off and said, "It's ok, I've got this." A young boy came towards us as we walked closer to the castle. He bowed to Daniella and said, "I'll lead the horses back to the stable. I was informed to tell you that the Saviour is picking out a dress for the ball tonight. She hopes that you will join her."

When he had left I literally had to hold back my tongue from asking my companion questions about everything he had just said. She must have seen my troubled expression as she laughed and explained in a hushed whisper, "My mother is the saviour that he mentioned."

"Oh," I replied with raised eyebrows. "Why...why is she referred to in such a way? And who's Snow?"

A frown suddenly fell over Daniella's face. She took my hand and led me over to one side. Quietly, she said, "Look, I hope that by telling you some kind of truth, you'll feel more at ease. I know what it's like to be in a land where you feel alone because you don't know anybody."

"I...I don't know how to respond to that but umm, thanks," I stammered as I tried to conceal a grin.

Daniella gave me a gentle smile and began in a hushed voice, "Now promise me that you won't tell anybody what you know ok? I mean, if you're talking to one of us, then it's ok, but don't tell anybody in Camelot."

"I promise, but how will I be able to tell?"

Daniella winked and said, "You'll figure it out. Just be careful for now." Then, she explained, "Henry and I are not from Camelot as you might have figured. We're from another land called the Enchanted Forest. Now, you just need to understand that there's two different kinds of magic; light and dark. Powerful dark magic managed to break free from the person who usually wielded it and now it has penetrated into Henry's birth mother. She is who we call a Dark One. The thing is, we're in this land to figure out a way in which we could get rid of the darkness within her...are you following?"

I took a deep breath and replied in a wobbly voice, "Yeah, I think so...what you're saying is that the people in Camelot do not know that Henry's birth mother is the 'Dark One', right?"

She nodded, "Yes, and it must stay that way! King Arthur of Camelot is determined to hunt down practitioners of Dark Magic and as we have just met him and are unsure of his motives, we do not trust him enough to let him know the truth. Anyway, in order to hide what we're doing, my mother is pretending to be the 'saviour' who Arthur believes to be part of a prophesy to save Camelot. The thing is; Emma, Henry's birth mother, has always been known as the saviour back in our land. Anyway, Henry was raised by my own mother since Emma gave him up when he was a baby. So basically, he has two mums now."

"Wow, that must be interesting for him. But yeah, I think I get you. I mean, I still can't believe I'm in Camelot with somebody who actually understands me when I mention New York."

Daniella chuckled. "Trust me, everyone who came with us from the Enchanted Forest here to Camelot is well aware of your land." Then, she straightened up and inclined her head towards the castle. "Come, I'll bring you to my mother. She'll have some idea of how to bring you back."

As we started walking through the large drawbridge entrance, I gasped in bewilderment before coming to the realization that my parents were aware of this fantastical land and were hiding it from me. That's when I asked Daniella, "Wait, so does everybody have magic here?"

She shook her head, "No, I would imagine that it would be chaotic if everyone had magic. Excluding magical creatures that kind of vary from land to land, there are only a few who are gifted with magic. Fairies possess light magic, as well as anybody born from true love between their parents. Elves possess dark magic as well as witches and wizards I suppose. However, there are many more witches compared to male practioners of magic. The previous Dark One, Rumplestiltkin is male of course, and being the Dark One makes you the most powerful practioner of the dark arts. Normally, dark magic is hereditary so it's passed down."

There was a pause as I tried to soak in all that information. I was growing more excited by the second despite Daniella's attempt to hint at the possible dangers of magic. "You mentioned Snow. You don't mean Snow White do you? And Rumplestiltkin, wasn't he the imp who spins straw into gold?"

Daniella's face lit up in an amused kind of way. "I was going to get to that. You might recognise some people here as characters in your traditional fairytales. The twist is that their stories are very different from what you've been brought up to believe."

"Seriously?" I questioned as I raised my eyebrow. "So what's the deal with Snow White then? Did she really eat a poisoned apple and got woken up by her prince by true love's kiss?"

I didn't expect the strange reaction that I got from Daniella. She looked away and swallowed before replying quickly, "Oh, yeah that happened, but I guess they got the part of the Queen horribly wrong."

"How so?"

"It's complicated..."

I sucked in my breath upon hearing those words again. However, I let Daniella continue as she said simply, "I don't think the Queen was jealous of Snow's beauty at all. It's an absurd reason to have someone killed. Besides, I think the Queen's really pretty."

"You know her?!"

Daniella smirked and said, "We've met, yeah. But don't tell Snow that I think she's not as pretty as the Queen. She might get mad at me for that."

"I won't. But woah, are you some kind of princess or something? How do you know the Evil Queen and Snow White?"

My companion's cheeks reddened slightly as she said, "Well I do have some ties with royal blood."

My eyes widened, "Wow, that's so cool! Hang on, am I supposed to address you in a certain way or?"

Daniella chuckled, "No, don't worry about it. You can call me Daniella or Dani."

We made our way up a flight of stairs and into a hallway. As there were several servants walking around, I was glad that I was engaged in a conversation with Daniella because I suddenly felt as if all eyes were on me. "I look ridiculous in these clothes, don't I?"

"Well it's true that you stick out a bit, but it's fine. Everyone working here knows that I'm from a different land so seeing you in different clothes won't be that weird after all. Besides, when we arrived here yesterday, I was wearing something different to the clothes that they wear here in Camelot."

"Really? What did it look like?" I asked with curiosity. Daniella shrugged and replied, "Well, the dresses are more elaborate than the ones worn in court here actually."

My mouth nearly gaped open at that remark, "Seriously?! But the dress you're wearing right now is so lovely. It's even fancier than what we'd wear to prom."

"I doubt it is," she replied before saying, "In any case, I would have to agree that sometimes I miss wearing the clothes that you're wearing at the moment."

"Wait, how did you get the opportunity to wear a t-shirt and sweatpants?"

"Oh, I was in Maine for a while, remember?"

I was growing more intrigued by what Daniella was telling me. "You could literally be a character in a novel. Seriously though, one day I might even find your story on !"

"Really?" Daniella replied with an interested smile.

"Does that sound bad?"

"No, not at all!" She said quickly. Then, she added, "Oh and we're here!" whilst pointing to a set of closed doors. Before we went in, she turned around and said quietly, "Just let me do the talking for now."

I nodded as she rapped her knuckles against the door. A silky voice called out, "Come in."

Daniella opened the door just a smidge so that she could slide in. I followed carefully and stood behind her. As she started to speak, I couldn't help but stare at Daniella's mother. It was really scary how alike they looked. There were subtle differences of course, as her mother seemed to carry around a whiff of regal poise and style. She was wearing one of those typical medieval dresses but it hugged her figure very well. The dress was crimson in colour, with long sleeves and a sparkling silver belt that matched the trimming around the edges of the garment. As it sparkled a little, I could only assume that those were diamonds sewn onto the dress itself. I tried to avoid looking into the lady's gaze for I couldn't help but feel as if those eyes were just a little threatening, unlike Daniella's.

"Mama, when Henry and I were exploring the castle perimeters, we rode into the King's forest for a little trip on horseback. We came across Aurelie who says that she's from New York-"

"New York? My dear, how did you manage to get here?" The lady asked as she narrowed her eyes slightly at me. I steadied myself and tried to hide the shakiness in my voice as I answered, "I think I fell into a portal. I don't know how it happened, but I just found myself here. I was lost in the forest, until Daniella and Henry found me."

I could tell that she didn't fully trust me and I sensed that Daniella felt that too. She quickly said, "Mama, I've talked with her. I was wondering if you could open a portal to send her back home?"

After a long silence, the lady turned to me with a sigh and said, "Alright, I will help you find your way home again. However, I'm not sure if my daughter has mentioned, but we're in a pressing situation right now and that must be dealt with first. Besides, I do not trust King Arthur enough to ask him for a magic bean-"

Daniella stepped forward and said quickly, "But don't you have the wand with you? Can't you use that to summon a portal?"

"It can only open portals to lands with magic. Given that magic does not exist in New York, I cannot help Aurelie. I'm sorry my dear, but you'll just have to wait."

My mouth dried up but the lady continued, "Don't worry because sometimes time works differently between realms. You might not have been gone for a very long time. If that's the case, you'll be back before your parents even realized that you were missing."

Daniella spoke up, "Wait, but doesn't time in the land without magic run the same way as it does in the Enchanted Forest or here in Camelot?"

"I don't believe so. Remember when we returned back to the Enchanted Forest to find Aurora with child? Believe me, that girl hasn't aged much since I saw her last, despite the 28 years when we were away." Seeing my blank confused expression, Daniella's mother laughed and said, "Have you explained anything to this poor girl?"

"I have...just not about the different timelines yet."

"Alright. Well my dear, given that you're going to be spending time with us for a little while, why don't you come with Daniella and I? Snow has alerted me that the servants have laid out several gowns for us to pick to wear tonight to the ball."

My heart stopped a little, as I tried to comprehend what was happening right now. After a little reassuring prod from Daniella's finger, I stuttered, "Thank you so much. You're very kind. Oh and umm, what shall I call you?"

"Regina," she said with a smile.

I nodded and let Daniella take my hand as we followed Regina out into the hallway.

(Daniella's POV)

We entered a large room that was conjoined with the chambers where the Charmings were staying at. On a table, an array of gowns and outfits for the ball were laid out, Snow, Emma and Henry were already there. Mama dropped her voice and said to us, "Aurelie, do you mind if you give Daniella and I a moment? We'll explain to the others."

She nodded and stepped to a side as we walked over to the Charmings. Mother glanced back just to make sure the girl was out of earshot before asking, "Has Henry told you about her?"

Snow replied, "Only that she's from New York and you're going to help her find a way home."

Mother nodded. Then, she asked me, "Firefly, how much have you told her about our land?" Sensing the discomfort that has overtaken me, she added quickly, "You're not in trouble, we'd just like to know so that we don't slip something that may surprise her in an...unhelpful way."

I took a breath and began, "Well, she is aware of why we're here-"

"Daniella!" Emma immediately exclaimed. However, mother shushed her and put an arm on me, telling me to continue.

"I briefly explained about the Dark One, because I figured if she found out what we're doing here and accidentally told anybody in Camelot, it'll be an issue. She's promised me she wouldn't tell. Anyway, I also explained magic briefly, because she's guaranteed to see it in some form or another. And...umm, she also knows that there are people she might associate with as 'fairytale' characters." Then, I looked at Snow and said, "Since she heard me mention your name when I was talking to Henry, she made the connection."

Mother then questioned under her breath, "So does she know who we all are? That could be dangerous..."

I shook my head, "No, I haven't told her who anyone else is. She doesn't know the rest of our identities and..." I dropped my voice and whispered, "Currently, she believes that I'm just somebody with royal ties."

Mother raised her eyebrow at my words before turning to the others and saying, "Snow, you'll inform the dwarves and Granny about this I presume?"

She nodded and left. Emma however, stayed behind as mother gripped her arm before she could move further. In a low voice, she whispered, "I'd like you to use your superpowers on her."

"What? Regina I-"

"Although I sense that there is no magic surrounding her, I want you to make sure that she has no hidden agenda."

Emma nodded and left as I swallowed. Mother gave me a look and said simply, "I'm just taking precautions. Anyway, let's choose something to wear for tonight."

As we made our way down the line of dresses that were displayed on the table before us, I was only half tuned into the comments that Mama was making. I glanced across the room at Emma and Aurelie every so often. When Emma came back, I was anxious for her answer. "You can relax Regina, she had no idea what I was talking about when I mentioned the dark curse, or fairy dust or-"

"You mentioned the dark curse?!" Mother hissed. Emma quickly responded, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't think much about it."

Mother sighed and said, "Well what's done is done." As Emma walked away, I gave Mama a look before heading to Aurelie. She looked up from the dresses and said, "Hey."

"Hey, have you found anything to your liking?"

She fingered a white lacy gown and I got the memo immediately. I took it from the table and put it against Aurelie. "It does look quite pretty on you."

"Have you chosen one?"

I scanned the dresses and a one of them caught my eye. I took it out to show Aurelie. It was pale blue in colour, and had floral lacing on the sleeves and neckline.

"Oooh, that's beautiful. So should we get dressed?"

I nodded and said, "I'll take you to my room. You'll probably be staying with me anyway."

Once we're back in my room, Aurelie remarked, "Woah. Why is everything here in fairytale land so pretty?"

I chuckled, "This is Camelot, not 'fairytale land'." In reply, she gave me a grin and replied, "Well, it's close enough. Anyway, Emma mentioned some things to me. Can I ask you what they meant?"

My breath stopped. Please don't ask me about the dark curse...please don't-

"What's the dark curse?"

I must have failed at hiding my facial expressions as Aurelie added, "Oh, you don't have to answer, but umm, I'm just curious because I have a feeling that my parents are hiding things from me."

I raised my head. "What do you mean?"

"Well," she began slowly, "I just have a feeling that they're from this land. They've always reacted strangely whenever the word 'fairytale' or even 'fantasy' is mentioned. Which is kind of strange, given that anybody in my world would believe that it's all just fake and made up."

I frowned and whispered, "That's impossible. Nobody should have crossed realms into the Land Without Magic."

"It's just my observations, but I could be wrong," Aurelie said quickly.

I sighed and put my dress onto the bed before explaining, "The Dark Curse took us to Maine, that's how we got to the Land Without Magic."

"Oh, that sounds..."

"Well it's meant to sound horrible if you're thinking along the lines of that," I joked, hoping to pull away any possibility that Aurelie may think I was involved.

"So was it cast or something?"

I averted my gaze and tried to level my voice as I replied, "Yes, the Queen cast it."

"You mean, the Evil Queen?"

I nodded and Aurelie commented, "That...that must have been terrible! Were you all hurt?!" However, she must have caught my expression for she mistook it and added rapidly, "Sorry, I'm horrid aren't I? I really shouldn't be asking these questions."

I shrugged, "It's alright. For some, the curse was good, for others, not so good. Anyway, when the curse broke, we all returned back to the Enchanted Forest. That happened around five years ago and since then, all is well."

"So what happened to her, the Evil Queen?"

I stuttered, "Oh, she's still around, but you needn't worry about her."

Aurelie gave me a long stare so I raised my eyebrows and as expected, I could see her shaking off the thought. Then, she reached inside her pocket and pulled out something. It was a velvet pouch and whilst undoing the string, she said softly, "Thanks for telling me all that and helping me too. I hope it's not too selfish of me but I'd just like to show you something."

I chuckled, "No it's fine. You can show me."

She gave me a grateful smile and continued, "Well, I actually found this in my dad's possessions. I was just wondering if you know what this is." Then, she drew out something shiny and glittery. She held it out towards me and looked at me with a hopeful gaze.

My breath evaporated from my lungs into thin air. My chest suddenly ached and I felt as though my head was spinning. I took the medallion from her hands and observed it very carefully, my fingers tracing over the diamonds. Finally, I managed to ask in a soft whisper, "This was your father's?"

"Yes, look. There's initials on the front. DC. Daniel Colter."

I stroked the front of the medallion as I felt tears well up in my eyes. Then, I turned over to the back and saw mother's royal crest staring back at me. I didn't know how to respond to Aurelie. She cannot know.

"Daniella? What is it? Do you recognise this?"

Carefully, I lied, "It looks familiar but I can't place it to a name, sorry."

"But it's a medallion of sorts isn't it? Something that only high ranking people in society would wear?"

My eyes brushed over the tiny script that Aurelie clearly skipped over or failed to see. HRH. His royal highness.

(Flashback, 3rd POV)

5 years ago...

The whole room stood to acknowledge the stable master-to be prince as the large doors opened on the end of the hall. Standing at the front, was the Queen, and sitting on one of the thrones behind her, was young 11 year old Princess Daniella. This ceremony excited many, mainly out of curiosity. It was clear for all the peasants in the realm that this man was the Princess' father, considering that they not only share similar names, but similar facial features. However, they couldn't imagine why he had only made an appearance now. No matter, they all came to witness the Evil Queen's lover being crowned a prince. They were all sure a wedding would happen sooner or later as they had never seen the Queen in such high spirits.

Finally, the man made a stop at the Queen's feet and bowed down. Two knights of a distinguished rank came forth. They handed her a sword in it's sheath and she put it onto the man's belt.

The Princess came forward and one of the knights handed her something from a velvet cushion. It was a gold medallion, studded with hundreds of tiny diamonds arranged to resemble the sun's radiating rays. She took the medallion and pinned it onto her father's coat before stepping back to allow her mother to hand him his sceptre. Finally, the crown was brought to them and put onto his head. As he stood, the Queen announced in a clear voice, "From henceforth, my fiancé shall be known as 'His Royal Highness, Prince Daniel of the Northern Kingdom'."

Then, they made their way to the thrones at the front. The Queen took her place in the middle, on an elaborate throne used during her reign prior to the curse. After the Princess sat down, the man did the same. Then, the sea of guests bowed including Queen Snow and her family.

(Daniella's POV, present day)

"Daniella?"

I shuddered as I came out of my daze. I quickly handed the medallion back to Aurelie and changed the topic, "Yes, I was just trying to remember where I might have seen that symbol. Sorry, I don't believe I recognise it. Anyway, how about I go into my mother's room to change? You can use this one."

Aurelie nodded and after cocking her head to the side, asked quietly, "Are you...ok?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" I replied a little breathlessly before lifting the edges of my mouth to give her a smile. Then, I took the dress from the bed and left the room. Halfway through climbing up the tower to the landing where mother's room was, I stopped and leaned against the stone turret walls.

Could Aurelie really be my sister? But she must be at least 14 years old. I bit the inside of my cheeks when I remembered what mother said. Time runs differently between realms. I breathed heavily. The last time I saw my half sister, was five years ago. She was a new-born infant back then. Mother had nearly ordered her to be killed upon finding out what father did. I felt a rush of cold air down my spine.

Mother cannot find out! What if she refuses to help Aurelie get back to her parents? Aurelie cannot know either! Father and Lena obviously wanted to keep all this away from her knowledge. I took a deep breath and tried to steady my tears.