Lies & Truths

(Aurelie's POV)

I looked at mum with tears but hers weren't glistening at all. In fact, she had a deadpanned kind of expression. "Mum?" I breathed shakily. Her gaze finally snapped to me, yet there was nothing but defeat etched in her irises. Before she could say anything, I stammered in disbelief, "You hid all of this!"

"It was for your own good. Besides, look what danger you've put yourself in! You should have never touched-"

I argued back immediately, "Well I have a right to know what's going on! I heard you and dad argue yesterday, something about the fact that somebody might be out there to kill me! Why did you hide all of this?! Don't you think I should know if my life is in danger?"

"Aurelie!" mum yelled. I swallowed as she continued, "Please, sweetie, calm down for a moment. We were trying to protect you!"

"By not telling me that my parents are actually from fairytale land? What else have you hidden from me? The fact that my grandfather is Santa?"

"Aurelie, your father and I both decided that it was best if you didn't know about this. In fact, it's extremely upsetting that you've also been caught in this mess now."

I crossed my arms and spat, "I'd rather find out the truth and be caught up in whatever's happening than never know where I was from." Then, after a moment of hesitation, I stammered, "Is she...is she really my sister?"

Mum glanced at Dad as he slept on the bed before standing up and grabbing my arm roughly. Then, she pulled me into the conjoining room and said in a hushed voice, "You are not to use that word when addressing her. In fact, you may as well forget that you both share the same blood."

"What?!" I nearly shouted, as I felt my heart drop. "What the hell do you mean?"

"She's NOT who you think she is. In fact, neither is her mother."

I shook my head in defiance and replied, "No. I met them both and they were kind to me! Daniella and Henry found me when I appeared in the forest. Actually, Regina agreed to help me find my way home-"

Mum placed her hands on my shoulders and squeezed them tightly. Then, she spoke sternly, "You will listen to me very carefully ok? You cannot trust them. They both possess dangerous magic which can seriously injure you. Whilst Daniella shares your father's blood, she will do whatever her mother tells her to. She'll kill you, if that's what Regina wanted."

My heart thumped, "Kill?! You can't be serious!"

"You don't know them like I do. Trust your mum, please. I've had more experience than you when it comes to seeing what they're capable of. Once your father is well enough again, we have to find a way back to New York. It is unsafe for us to linger for longer than we already have."

"Not until I understand everything," I replied defiantly. Then, I asked her back harshly, "If Regina and Daniella really wanted to kill me, why wouldn't they have done so earlier? Ok, I know you might have a grudge against them, but they don't seem like the people who would kill."

"Aurelie, how would you know in the few hours you've spent with them. Please listen to me. The more you get involved with them, the more likely you'll end up dead the next minute!"

I was starting to get annoyed at the strong words mum was using so I screamed, "Well at least tell me who they are! Are they a fairytale character I'd know?"

A silence fell between us. Then, she glanced behind her as if she was paranoid that somebody would be watching or listening to our conversation. Then, she said, "I thought you'd work that out by now."

My brain was in such a state of shock that I couldn't process what mum was hinting at. She crossed her arms and scoffed as she said, "She killed her husband, the King, and tried to frame her stepdaughter for the murder. Then, she had the whole kingdom hunt that poor girl down. They say that she's jealous of her stepdaughter's youth, beauty and popularity- something that the Queen will never have."

My heart thumped when the realisation finally hit me. The magic, the way that servants bowed before Daniella and addressed her with 'Your Highness', when mum said that Regina's not her 'queen' anymore. In a quiet voice, I breathed, "But the Evil Queen doesn't have a daughter, does she?"

"She does," mum said simply.

I stepped back whilst shaking my head. "No, that doesn't make sense! That isn't-"

"I know, it's not the story you're used to but it's true. And so is everything that I have told you. The Queen's dark magic has taken many innocent lives in the Enchanted Forest before Snow White defeated her. And even after, she cast a curse, banishing us all to the land without magic for 28 years. I know you might want to think that Daniella cares about you, but she doesn't! She's been there every step of the way to ensure that her mother gets her revenge on Snow White."

Perhaps it was the way that mum spoke to me, but instead of fearing Daniella, her words just made me more intrigued and confused. I cut in and argued, "But that doesn't justify why, despite knowing about me, she didn't do anything to harm me!"

A sudden silence fell between us. Then, mum asked slowly, "What do you mean 'she knows about you'? What did you do?" With a flushed red face, my hand reached for the medallion in my pocket. I kept it with me at all times because I had believed that it would tell me what was going on. Taking a deep breath, my fingers closed around the cold metal and fished it out. I turned it around in my palm as I watched my mum's reaction. Her eyes widened slightly before settling into a frown. "Mum?" I whispered. "What is it?"

"I didn't know your father took it with him," she replied in a voice that was barely audible. "I found it in the same place that the bean was though..." Sensing the uncomfortable look on her face, I quickly changed the topic and said, "Ok, but my point was that she hasn't shown a trace of her magic abilities in front of me."

"I can give you examples of people she's killed."

"What?!" I yelped. Then, I shook my head, "No, Daniella wouldn't have done something as horrible as that!" I got no response from mum other than a sympathetic look. I hated it so I spat, "Fine then, who did she kill?"

"Well, back in the days before the Dark Curse, there were rumours that she had killed the Blind Witch. You would know her as the witch from Hansel and Gretel."

I bit my lip and said, "Rumours. They could have just been rumours." However, mum paid no attention to my words and elaborated, "She ripped the witch's heart out and crushed it. When you take out somebody's heart using dark magic, it becomes enchanted. The sorcerer or in this case, the sorceress can control that person to do anything in their bidding. They can torture them, force them to kill loved ones and other horrific things. But worst of all, your life could be ended at anytime once the heart is crushed. The villagers found the Witch in the oven-"

"No, that's not right. Hansel and Gretel pushed her in, right?" I countered, not entirely sure what to believe anymore.

"They didn't. It was the Queen. To hide all traces that she had forced her daughter to kill the Witch."

I frowned with an indignant expression and argued, "How do you know that this is true?"

"Hansel and Gretel told the villagers what happened. But Aurelie, this isn't just the first instance when Daniella has killed somebody. We've all heard stories, of how her mother would train her in the dark arts, to continue her legacy." I frowned at this new image of my sister that was invading into my mind. I didn't want to believe it at all so I replied, "You've heard, but have you seen?"

"If I had, I wouldn't be here right now. But sweetie, I worked in the palace, I knew what was going on."

I shook my head and ran back into the room where Dad was resting. I heard mum shout my name so I whipped around and said poignantly, "If they're really that terrible, why did Dad jump in front of the sword to save Regina?"

Mum looked lost for words. Her mouth twitched but nothing came out. Before she could prevent me from doing anything, I pushed past her and ran out of the room. I heard her shouting frantically, "Aurelie! Aurelie come back now!" However, I ignored it and continuing running out of the tower. I didn't really know what I was doing, but I wanted to talk to her, my...sister. After finding out what my parents have hidden from me, only one thing was clear; they could possibly be hiding more. And the last person I could trust at the moment is mum.

After circling the castle twice, I nearly gave up until I was passing by the gardens and there, under a tree, was Daniella with her dress pooling around her. She didn't notice that I was walking towards her until I cast a long looming shadow. She looked up quickly with red eyes. Then, she sighed and glanced down. "Did she tell you?"

I sat down next to Daniella and asked shakily, "Did mum tell me the truth? Well, she..." I paused, not wanting to elaborate.

Then, my sister said quietly, "You don't believe her. That's why you're here." My response rolled out of my mouth slowly, "I'm here because I know nothing."

Daniella didn't reply.

"So um, your mum...is it true that she's the Evil Queen?"

Daniella took a deep breath before answering, "Yes." Then, she added quickly, "Before you ask, the true version of events did involve an apple and a mirror, but my mother could not care less about Snow's appearance."

I decided not to pursue the topic further for the time being so I added quietly, "And how about dad?" Unfortunately, Daniella did not answer right away so I pushed impatiently, "My parents have kept me in the dark for fourteen years. Please, I sense that you're the only one who will tell me the truth."

Daniella looked around for a second with a worried expression before softening it slightly as she turned back to me. Carefully, she began, "Our father was a stableboy who worked in my mother's estate when she was growing up. She had not always been a member of the royal family, but it was my grandmother who was determined to make it so. I was conceived secretly when mother was eighteen, but before she knew that she was pregnant, she saved a girl from a runaway horse. That girl was Snow White-"

"Wait your mum saved Snow White?!" I practically yelped. Seeing the look on her face, I immediately shut up and apologized softly. However, she didn't take it as bad as I imagined for she chuckled and said, "Yeah...she really regretted that later. Anyway, going back to the story, Snow's father, the King, proposed to mother and my grandmother accepted for her. Before moving into the palace however, mother wanted to run away with father. Grandmother found out and since she...well, you might have guessed that magic runs in my family by now I suppose."

I nodded as she continued, "Since she couldn't have mother lose that chance of gaining power and climbing up the social ladderer, she killed our father by crushing his heart."

My mouth dried, "But he's...he's alive!"

"Yes, because mother preserved his body and managed to keep it in a condition that allowed her to try and find ways to resurrect him. It never worked for a long time but as you have heard, a long time passed and we found ourselves in the Land Without Magic, AKA Storybrooke, Maine. That's when someone resurrected him, allowing us to break a curse and return to the Enchanted Forest. Shortly afterwards, father began seeing a childhood friend of his..."

"My mum," I whispered. Daniella nodded as I asked, "How did I end up in New York though?" A silence fell between us and although I was planning to interrupt it, my sister spoke first with a stoic tone, "Well, my mother found out that your mum was pregnant with father's child and it was pretty obvious that they were in love with each other.

Quietly, I commented, "That doesn't explain why New York, of all places."

Daniella chuckled lightly as she averted my gaze. Then, she replied, "First, you have to understand that my mother had a kind of reputation to uphold." After a short pause, she explained, "She banished father and your mother from the kingdom. They could have technically gone to any other place in the Enchanted Forest but I suppose they agreed that taking you to a land free from this drama would be beneficial to you. But Aurelie, I swear; I wanted to be able to see you! I guess I wasn't one to really voice my opinion at that time."

I nodded my head to my sister's words until logic came into play and made me question, "But you're only two years older than me, so how could you have known?"

Daniella smiled and answered, "Time runs differently in each realm. I was already 11 years old when you were born...and technically, I had grown up in Wonderland which means that by the time I was 9 years old, 16 years had already passed in the Enchanted Forest."

I initially widened my eyes in bewilderment but the confusion soon set in. "Wait...so that means you're...no, I'm bad at maths...so how old are you?"

"In terms of Enchanted Forest years?" Then, she blushed and said, "Very old, but that doesn't really change anything because I've only lived through 16 years of my own time."

"That's...amazing," I breathed, before mentioning, "You also said you grew up in Wonderland?"

I desperately wanted to hear this part of the story but my sister shook her head with a suddenly darker gaze and said, "Another time." Nonetheless, I was already overwhelmed with what she has told me. Whilst she had lived through all of that, for 14 years, I've only ever been complaining to my parents about my life in New York.

As if my sister miraculously knew that I was contemplating my own self worth, she murmured, "I know you probably think that I have everything in control now, but that's not the case. It's just that...that I can't afford to look otherwise. I know that the popularity of mother's reign has changed a lot over the past years, but she did make a legacy, and sometimes I don't know if I can live up to it."

As I surveyed her I slowly began, "You've already proven multiple times that you can do it." Daniella simply shrugged and answered quietly, "Maybe...but I've always felt like I'm lacking something, and I've yet to find it." After a moment of silence, she took a deep breath and changed her tone as she said, "Anyway, I'm sorry that everything has been suddenly thrust upon you. I remember when I first found out the truth about my past as well. It took me a long time to figure out how to deal with my feelings."

"It'll probably be the same for me," I mused.

(Daniella's POV) The next day

After our conversation yesterday, Aurelie and I agreed to meet up whilst everyone else was preoccupied. I wasn't sure if Lena would continue watching over Aurelie but earlier in the morning, Henry told me that she had been eager to help Snow on the quest to free Merlin. Once everyone had disappeared to carry on with their tasks, I snuck into the passageway that lead to father's room. There, I met up with my sister. "How's father?"

"Doing better. Still on bed rest, but I think he was pretty eager to help everyone."

I nodded, replying, "That sounds like him. Actually, I want to see him, do you think that'll be ok?"

Aurelie gave me a surprised expression and said, "Of course, why would I stop you?" I wanted to mention that Lena would be extremely displeased if I was lurking around him, but I kept my tongue behind my teeth. As we walked closer to his bedroom however, it became obvious that there were agitated voices inside. My heart beat faster as I whispered quietly to my sister, "He's not alone."

She gave me a worried expression and replied, "Who is with him? Is it my mum?"

I crept to the door that was ajar and listened. It was my mother's unmistakable voice that I heard first. "You should have never come back. Now I have to fix the mess that you've made."

"What mess?"

"The fact that your wife and daughter are here in this land! Whilst your daughter seems to be somewhat relieved that she's finally told the truth, your wife clearly is clearly mortified by that idea. In fact, I think you should entertain her wishes and focus more on returning to New York."

There was a pause before father ignored mother's remark and said, "I came back because something wasn't right, and I turned out to be correct! That man was about to slice you clean in half."

I could picture mother's haughty expression when she replied, "I know how to take care of myself, thank you very much. I don't need you to be my knight in shining armour. Why should you come for me now, when you haven't been there for me back then hmm?"

"Fine then, I came back for Daniella alright? You can choose to take it that way. Or, you can listen to me and-

"You're absurd. You've made your choice. You've left my daughter and I for some lowly palace staff! You've refused to look at me with love, and here you are, pretending that you care?"

I held my breath and gave Aurelie a quick glance, which was returned with an uncomfortable look on my sister's face.

"I DO care," father exclaimed. "Regina, I have been thinking about this for...for 15 years-"

"Yes well perhaps you should have thought that through before you fucked with Lena!"

"Oh, stop it. I know you want me to apologize to you. Just let me-"

"Apologies mean nothing, dear. Apologies didn't bring you back from the dead, nor does it change the fact that our daughter has grown up without the love she should have gotten. You know what will make a difference? Actions." After a pause, she continued rather quickly, "Except all you people ever seem to do is criticise me for overreacting when it comes to making sure that those responsible for your death and Daniella's suffering are avenged."

"Do you honestly still believe that what you did was right..?!"

"I didn't say that it was right, but the fact that you continue to use it against me. Well, at least your pretty little wife thinks that. For goodness sake, speak to her about her attitude!"

"You do realize, that before you banished us, you had ordered her execution along with our unborn child."

Crap, father shouldn't have said that. I didn't even dare look at my sister, as I feared her reaction.

"Well how else could I have reacted? I've already been publicly humiliated because of the revelation that the one whom I was going to marry, had committed adultery! I'm a queen, Daniel, not some peasant on the street."

"Regardless of status or not, you could have reacted differently. Anyway, I see that you aren't going to listen to anything I say."

"You didn't listen to me all those years ago. You didn't believe in me back then, so why should I trust you now?"

There was a pause. "Regina I just want you to-"

"No, I will not accept whatever excuse you've chosen, as a means of settling the guilt in your gut. I've given you the choice. The choice to choose me. And you've let that go. Once this whole dark one and Camelot ordeal is over, you're going back to New York with your family."

"You can't force me to go wherever you please-"

"I do believe I had the power to banish you last time."

"Lift it, please. I've thought about this for quite some time now. The Enchanted Forest is my home. It's my family's home."

There was a very audible sigh that came from my mother. I could hear her take a few steps before replying, "If you don't wish to leave for my sake, then leave for the sake of your wife who evidently hates this place, and for your daughter who grew up in a land without magic. Have you even thought about how your choices will rub off on them? You need to forget about me, as much as I need to forget about you."

I was shocked at how quickly the yelling had died down. Now, they were speaking in a normal volume, which made me have to creep closer to the doorway in order to hear them. The castle walls were certainly quite soundproof.

Father's hollow voice replied, "We both know that cannot happen."

I clamped my hand over my mouth. What had I drawn Aurelie into? Indeed, I saw her stand up without giving me a second glance. As she started to walk away, I grimaced and hissed, "Aurelie!" She sped up a little but before I could go after her, the cool tone of my mother's voice sent a shiver up my spine. "Daniella!"

I turned around to see her hands placed on her hips. "Come here right now." I avoided looking into her eyes but it wasn't much help as she tilted my head up herself and asked "How much did you hear?"

Father's voice called out, "What was that?"

Mother put her hand on my back and lead me into the room. I faced father sheepishly and gave him a smile. He merely said, "I should have known you would be there to listen. Seems like you somehow appear at the most unfortunate of moments."

"So I gather Aurelie heard everything?" Mother asked, with her arms crossed in contemplation.

I mumbled back, "I didn't mean to bring her here to hear all this! I didn't even know that-"

Mother interrupted me, "That's enough for now". Then, after a pause that gave her time to pace around the room for a moment, she said, "I have a job for you."

I blinked. "A...job?"

"Yes. You will help me undo your mess by giving your sister a memory potion."

Both father and I reacted at the same time. "What?!" I let father speak first. "No, you will not wipe away her memories! It's unnatural!"

"Oh, so you would rather worry that she'll leak what we've said between ourselves to your wife? No thank you. We both know that there can be nothing between us so we need to make sure that it stays that way."

I swallowed, and it seemed like momentarily, mother forgot that I was standing there. I quietly said, "I can make it if you want, daddy. You know I won't hurt Aurelie."

I regarded his expression carefully and his words only confirmed the anxiety etched on his face. "Umm I don't want to discourage you, but how much experience do you have with memory potions?"

Mother cut in before I could say anything. "She has had more than enough experience, but I'll supervise her. After it's made, she can deliver it to her sister."

He gave a nod and with that, mother took me by the arm and lead me out of the room. I shrugged it away as we walked up stairs that lead to the top of the tower, where Merlin's personal work space was. When we got there, mother slammed the door shut immediately. Then, she let out a breath and said, "You should have left when you realised where the conversation was going. If you were to eavesdrop, I beg of you, don't do it to your parents. And at least be more tactical. You could have used a mirror, or someone else to do it for you. A queen never lets herself get involved with the dirtywork."

I felt the edge of my lips lift up in a grin as I replied, "You mean, you prefer that I eavesdrop in style?"

"I never said that."

"Sometimes I have to love the fact that my mother's not a hero," I said under my breath.

"I heard that."

"That's the point," I replied whilst getting out some of the ingredients needed for the potion from the cabinet that stood in the corner. I could tell that the argument did not have a good effect on her. I looked up and saw that she was trying not to cry. I put down the vial in my hand and went over to give her a hug but she walked away to the turret window. I mentally prepared myself before saying daringly, "You were happy that he said those things."

"Don't be absurd," she whispered, as she put her fingers through my hair. That was a paradox in itself.

"Why didn't you tell him the truth then? Maybe that will help?"

"Daniella darling, I know how much you would want your mama and daddy to be together again, but it's not in the cards. He has chosen his path, and I cannot appear as the ex who wants to steal someone's husband. We're not talking reality television here."

"That's what Lena did," I muttered under my breath. I never thought I would say it aloud, but there was still a small part of me that wished she hadn't appeared. Everything would be simpler; my parents would finally be wed, and although I have nothing against Aurelie, I would most likely be father's only child.

"Daniella, stop it. If you would like me to refrain from erasing your memories as well, don't talk about this again."

"You're threatening me?" I asked playfully. Mother chuckled. "No dear, I only threaten enemies. I'm asking you to co-operate."

When I was finished with the potion, I poured some of the liquid into a tiny glass vial and handed it to mother. "Does this look right?"

She held it up into the light and swayed it. Then, she waved her hand over it and it glowed a sparkly orange colour before fading into clear liquid again. "My, my, you're getting good, firefly. You really are, a talented witch."

I replied quickly, "No one wants me to be a witch."

"Doesn't matter what people think. Now, I suggest you slip this into your sister's mouth before she accidentally leaks what she has heard to anybody. Would you like me to locate her for you?"

"She wouldn't have gotten far," I reasoned, but mother had already magicked her compact mirror into her hand. "Or you could use your mirror I suppose..."

"I'm not about to send my daughter on a wild goose chase. We can approach this more delicately." As the surface of the mirror cleared, I peered in and saw that Aurelie was in the gardens, in a secluded nook. I sighed and gave mother a glance before teleporting to Aurelie.

She noticed my presence immediately and stood up to run away but I froze her with my magic. I glanced around me, just in case anybody was around but it seemed as if we were alone. I turned back to my sister and observed her tear streaked face. I knew she could hear me, so I whispered, "I'm sorry Aurelie. I know you'll probably be mad at me for doing what I'm going to, but it's for the best; I promise." I held up the vial and continued, "This potion erases memories. It will take away your knowledge of what had happened just then. Don't worry, it doesn't hurt. I'll be gentle with you."

Then, I plunged my hand into her chest and took out her heart. At that moment, the mobilising spell broke and my sister fell back a little. However, I kept a tight grip on her heart just to ensure that she wouldn't run away from me. She backed away with a fearful expression on her face. "What are you doing?" she stammered.

I quickly replied, "Please, I'm not trying to hurt you. Just trust me. This will all be over." I gave her the vial and said, "Drink this."

She croaked, "No way am I drinking that! I'm not going to forget the truth just because you or your mum wants me to! I deserve to know what's going on, and all you people ever seem to do is hide it from me!"

I grimaced at her raised voice and said a little forcefully, "Aurelie, don't make me force your hand."

"You're already forcing me." After a moment, she shakily raised the vial to her lips and took a sip. I exhaled in relief as she entered a trance. Then, I quickly put her heart back in. When the trance begun to fade off, her eyes widened. "Oh, Dani, you're here! Didn't you want to go see dad?"

I nodded.

(3rd POV)

The alarmed servant girl stepped back in horror from the balcony after watching the saviour's daughter pull out the heart of the younger girl. As far as she knew, the only explanation to this could be dark magic. She didn't know who to tell, but she was too scared to go to the King for the time being. When she went back into the castle, it was almost by chance that she collided with the younger girl's mother.

"My apologies, Lady Lena," she said quickly as she curtsied. To her surprise, the Lady simply chuckled and said, "Oh, there's no need for that."

The young servant girl looked up in shock to see Lena looking rather amused.

"Don't be so alarmed. I was in a position very much like you not so long ago."

"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand, m'am."

"I was never a noble, but it seems like my husband has got himself into quite the predicament here."

"Yes, I guess so..."

Lena had turned to leave but she stopped suddenly in her tracks when she heard the maid's reactions. "What?"

Alarmed, the maid tried to dodge the question but Lena pushed, "What do you mean by 'you guess so'?"

"Oh, it's nothing." With that, the servant girl hurried away, not wanting to tell the Lady how even amongst the servants in Camelot, it was clear that the man who had saved the saviour at the ball had only one motive...love.