Chapter 1 'Tigerlily/Lily'
Tigerlily was different.
The brave and beautiful princess of the Sky Eaters tribe was named after a flower, requested by her mother as one final wish before she died.
A Tigerlily was striking and could sorely stick out from a field of flowers. The name matched the baby as well as her fate.
It had been thought by her tribe that she would stay a baby as many often do. The Sky Eaters tribe had mysteriously appeared on Neverland one day and were surprised to discover how time stood still in their new home. Here, the children stayed children, the adults never wrinkle, and the elderly remain at the peak of death. That was the norm until one day, Tigerlily had opened her mouth and uttered her first words.
She was growing.
Days and years went by, the baby's face had lost its velvety touch and soon her legs found the ground then went from there. Her hair, ever so raven black, had grown enough to be tied into braids and her stature proved to be soon taller than the Chief.
The villagers kept their distance, finding the ordeal strange- finding the Chief's daughter strange. The child was different. Her first words were in English. It had taken 4 of the elders to translate the puzzling word, which surprisingly turned out to be "Bad". As she spoke more and more, it became clear to the Chief that English was her primary language, though she often spoke in her native tongue to put her father at ease.
The Chief was determined to make a man out of his daughter. Being the only female successor didn't stop him from raising her as he would a son. She was brought along during the hunts and learned as much as a boy would, if not more. Her hunting skills were exemplary and her running speed was faster than any of the older men. She could sense a fairy's wings beat during a powerful rain and slay a mountain boar by the age of 7.
But with these traits, instead of earning respect and approval by her people, she was viewed as an omen of bad luck.
None of the children would want to play with her, thinking they could catch her "aging disease". The women worried that she would never find a husband for she was stronger, faster, and smarter than the men. The men didn't like to be outdone by their wives. They preferred petite, vulnerable women. And Tigerlily was neither of the two. Her broad shoulders and her bulk stature made it difficult to discern her from the boys.
Because of this, Tigerlily would often go trekking into the jungles alone.
Now in her 13th year, the young Indian princess could navigate the treacherous island blindfolded. The smells and the crunching of the leaves under her feet were all she needed. She was aware of the possible dangers that hid in the thick jungles and was careful enough to avoid the certain areas of the island such as Mermaid Lagoon or Cannibal Cove. But there was one place that was strictly off limits to all life on Neverland and that was Dark Hollow, the darkest part of the island.
Though this island was her home, Tigerlily was always on alert for there could be beasts, Shadows, and him lurking about. The elders would often speak of the menace boy the fairies found on the island one day. He would set traps all around the island, mess with the week's hunt, and steal baskets and jugs from the village. Tigerlily had never seen him before but the elders dubbed him as the 'White Eagle', though she never knew why.
Today, Tigerlily was ordered by her father to lead a hunting party near the ravine. Upon hearing this, the young princess strapped her mother's bow to her back and assembled the men at the center of the village. After dishing out a word of precaution, Tigerlily led the hunting group south of the Indian campground before the sun came up.
Walking ahead of the men, Tigerlily could hear their muttered complaints about obeying a girl and the pace they're moving in.
'She should use this energy to cook dinner. Not hunt it' One man said to another. A stifled laugh didn't go unnoticed by the Chief's daughter.
After hearing this day after day, she grew immune to these types of comments. The men may say these things, but Tigerlily could detect fear in their eyes whenever she turned their way or singled a man out for not properly constructing traps. She let it slide because their quest for food was more important, especially during this time of year.
They arrived at the ravine not long after they left the village. It cut through the western part of the jungle, ending just before the beach in massive cliffs. Tigerlily had never taken the men down the ravine, it was far too dangerous though it was crawling with bountiful food. She wouldn't take any chances. She hoped that her group of hunters would be able to salvage something along the tops of the ravine.
"You men circle the perimeter," she commanded, dividing the men. They had set up traps the night prior so Tigerlily sent the rest of the men to their assigned traps, "You check the traps near the river," Tigerlily shooed them away before stalking off to monitor her traps. She preferred to work alone.
She carefully walked a little ways off from where the other men were sanctioned at. Spotting the area in which she had constructed a trap in, Tigerlily hurried to squat behind a bushel of plants.
It was stealthy business, trapping and hunting. Not for the impatient and the fidgety. One tiny movement could deter any approaching animal, ruining the hunt. The Chief's daughter didn't mind one bit, she could remain in the same position for weeks until she catches her prey. The net was concealed underneath a blanket of leaves. The slightest bit of pressure would activate the net, trapping the animal.
All was calm for the first hour of watching. Then all of the sudden, her ears picked up a rustling in front of her accompanied by thundering footsteps. Tigerlily witnessed a flash of green before standing up from her hiding spot, axe raised.
With a snap, the net shot up and captured the beast.
Tigerlily grinned, despite having witnessed numerous successful catchings in her life. But the satisfaction never grew old. Holding her axe tightly, she tiptoed to the creature struggling against the ropes. She examined the creature. Its skin was clean of fur apart from a chestnut mop on its head. It was clothed in strange fabrics of the darkest green. Clawless appendages curled around the ropes. If this was a creature, then it was a strange one.
Then all of the sudden, it began to grunt. Soon after, Tigerlily heard noises emitting from the creature's mouth. Nonplused, she realized that it wasn't completely foreign, for it was no creature. It was a boy.
"Let me out!" it demanded, "Please!" Tigerlily bit back a gasp. English. She was well accustomed to it with English being her primary language, but she never had the chance to speak in a tongue different from her tribe's before.
"Who are you?" she managed to say. The boy's eyes bore into her own. She detected a hint of aggravation rather than fear in them. Either expression couldn't have surprised her in the slightest, both being the regular reaction the men of her village gave her.
Dismissing the question, he replied with another one, "Are you the one who set this trap?"
Tigerlily nodded, earning a reaction from the boy. He wiggled furiously underneath the ropes, "Then I'm sure you know how to free me- Tink!" His hands flew to his pockets, "Where is that little bugger when you need her?" She has never seen this boy around her village and she doubted he came from one nearby. His skin was pale in comparison to hers and his English was perfect. Different, this one was.
And Tink? As in Tinkerbell? Tigerlily recalled that was the name of a fairy who had helped her once. Then it hit her. This boy was affiliated with the fairies, which meant…
"You," Spitting out the word with distaste, Tigerlily glowered over the thief, "You steal from my village."
Tigerlily was more than aware of the trouble this boy had caused for her tribe. This was the one responsible for causing the women in her village such grief. Having no other way to carry water to the village without the jugs, they were forced to make new ones. The men had blamed the women for their incompetence. It had angered her. Now she had the thief in her grasp, alreadying planning on the different ways to punish him.
"No I haven't!" Denying it only added to her fury, but she masked it. It was something she would do to hide her true emotions. Showing her true emotions posed as a weakness in her eyes, and she couldn't afford to have weaknesses.
"You are the thief," she stated again.
The boy stopped searching for his fairy friend to raise an eyebrow at the princess, "Whether or not I have stolen from a village, I don't think it's any place for a girl to be concerned with the crimes of the village," Then he grinned, look of recognition played his features, "Oh, I know you. You're the Chief's daughter aren't you?"
"Yes,"
"That's all you can say? Come on, let's expand your vocabulary. What's your name?"
"I do not owe you my name. You must be punished for your crimes,"
The grin faded and fear settled in, "Punished? Um..by how exactly?"
"Death," It may sound uncalled for, but Tigerlily would see to it. She was sure her father would not take this lightly for no one should steal from a Sky Eater. Food was scarce and to have their supplies stolen was an immediate death sentence. Neverland could keep you from aging, but there were other ways to die. Like hunger for instance.
"What?" The light behavior was gone. Panic was evident in his voice. Clawing at the net, he begged for mercy, "No. Please. Princess, I'm not ready to die today,"
She winced at the title. She was no princess. For that comment, she was ready to leave the boy for dead, "Then you should not have stolen from me," Tigerlily turned to walk off in the direction of the hunting group.
"Wait! What if I help you hunt? I know where the jaguar habitat is!"
She stopped dead in her tracks. Jaguars were the most agile and fastest animals in the jungles of Neverland. To be able to catch one would bring great honor to her village. And with food running scarce due to the change of the seasons, the Sky Eaters tribe needed food now more than ever. But the boy could be lying. Following the directions of a menace boy- one would be a fool to do so. She faced the boy again, "Where?"
"Not so fast," The boy pressed his face against the ropes, "I have a proposition. You let me down from here and I'll show you."
"No. You tell me where the habitat is and you remain here,"
"Quite fair you are. The fairest of them all," He said wryly, "Let me talk to your father, we could work something out. Clean the firepit, pick the berries-service for a service,"
It was Tigerlily's turn to smirk, though her lips never formed to make the arrogant expression before. It was quite satisfying to have the upperhand, "He does not speak English. There is only one person in my tribe that can speak English,"
"Look, one last chance. Not just for me, but for your tribe too. If I die, so does the secret of abundant food. Enough to last months, maybe years!" he reasoned.
Tigerlily paused to think about it, "You could escape,"
"I will not escape. I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die," He fingered an 'X' on his chest, an odd gesture.
She looked intently into the boy's eyes. The green orbs were lit with mischief but apart from that, his expression was genuine.
She relented. If this boy could help her, then this could save her village. Tigerlily drew out her axe and chopped the line of rope carrying the net. The boy fell to the ground. He jumped to his feet, peeling away the remains of the net. Now, Tigerlily could see that the boy was about a head taller than her and seemed to be her age, if not older.
"Now, let me introduce myself," Thrusting his hand for Tigerlily to shake, he gave a smile bright enough to light the darkest of night, "I'm Peter. Peter Pan."
Lily was different.
The poor and shy orphan from Storybrooke, Maine was different.
Her origins were unknown. It had been said that she had been dropped on the Sheriff's station doorstep and since there was no orphanage, Lily Jacobs was admitted into the foster system, which had been a long and difficult journey in itself. She never stayed in one house longer than a few months and would be sent back to the station for reasons unknown.
On top of her bleak disposition, Lily never received a proper education. Jumping from one foster home to another, she had never stayed long enough to be admitted into school. It was until the Tailors had taken her in. She was two grades behind her peers and still hadn't mastered reading or writing.
Majority of the adults in Storybrooke viewed Lilly as a bad child. Rumors circulated of possible reasons why her foster parents wouldn't want her. Some say that she was stealing from the parents, others said she was mentally ill and would often cry out at night from nightmares, then such stories eventually reached the ears of her classmates. A few kids would bully her and cast her out from playground games and activities. She never had the strength to fight back. She didn't believe she could be strong or fast enough.
Today, Lily sat in the back of the classroom and tried to remain silent as her usual tormentors entered the classroom. She took their hurtful words though grew more tearful as they prodded on with their taunts and jeers. She found salvation in the ringing of the bell, all the children took their seats whilst she buried her head in her arms and sobbed silently.
A screeching of a chair followed the sound of the bell, and a comforting hand rested on the crying girl's shoulder. "Lily, are you okay?"
The said girl lifted her head up to see her only friend, Paige. Paige was the daughter of her current foster family, the Tailors. She was the only one in her class ever to be kind to Lily though they were on the opposite ends of the social system. Paige was in the popular crowd but never acted as rambunctious or as cruel as them.
Lily mumbled an "I'm fine," before their teacher, Miss Mary Margaret Blanchard walked into class. Paige left for her seat but still sent a concerned gaze Lily's way.
"Good morning class," Their teacher, Lily thought, was the nicest woman she had ever known. Miss Blanchard was never one to judge people or one to raise her voice. She was graceful in her movements and always had the class's attention, "We're going to do something different today. We will be working on birdhouses."
"Birdhouses?" Manny, one of Lily's bullies, asked, "Why are we making birdhouses again?"
Although Manny's tone made it clear he didn't want to build a birdhouse, Mary Margaret was patient with him. She smiled, "For one thing, the streets of this town look dreary and sad this time of year. I thought maybe a few birdhouses could brighten up the neighborhoods. And maybe, there would be some homeless birds that would sure appreciate shelter from the rain."
"We might as well build a birdhouse for Little Lily," A girl next to Paige snickered. A few laughs followed in suit. Mary Margaret frowned, "That's enough Allison," She scolded, " Now sit tight while I do attendance,"
"Manny Alvarado...Darcy Blakely…" the teacher scanned the seating chart and checked off names as she went along. After a minute of this, she paused and her eyebrows furrowed together, "Henry...Has anybody seen Henry Mills?"
And as if on cue, the said boy came rushing into the classroom, "Sorry Miss Blanchard." he said as he made his way to his seat.
Mary Margaret understood and waved it off, "It's alright Henry. Just be on time from now on," Henry nodded.
Lily bit back the urge to groan. She had something against Henry, who turned out to be the mayor's adopted son. Though he and her had a lot in common, being practically orphans, it was the fact that Henry had been the lucky one who got adopted. Yet it wasn't enough for him, Lily thought.
Henry had arrived back from a little endeavor to find his birth mother, bringing the strange yet intriguing Emma Swan to town. Lily couldn't remember a time when someone new visited Storybrooke, it seemed as though Swan was the first. That was weeks ago and since then Miss Swan became the town's new deputy police officer and established a setting with Miss Blanchard.
Lily had yet to properly meet the woman. Sheriff Graham had visited her recently to check up on her, as he saw it was his responsibility to make sure Lily had a permanent home. She saw Miss Swan peering back at her from the passenger seat of the patrol car. They shared a glance, one that only a life of abandonment and sadness could describe. She had an uncanny feeling that this woman shared the same experiences.
Apparently the Mayor wasn't enough for him, Lily would grumble to herself. She thought of Henry as an ungrateful little boy, never fully appreciating what he had. The Mayor practically handed everything to her son on a silver platter and he was never satisfied.
The rest of the day went on, dull and boring as usual. Lily could not keep up with the curriculum, as always. The bell rang, signaling the end of school. Paige waved a goodbye, "See you at home." she said before joining her other friends. Soon, the classroom cleared out leaving only Lily and Miss Blanchard.
"Are you ready to go Lily?"
Miss Blanchard was given the strenuous task of tutoring Lily after school to help her catch up. The goal was to have her reading comprehension meet the state's standards before the end of the year. So far, Lily hadn't improved much since when she first began tutoring. Miss Blanchard, determined and understanding, would simply not give up on her.
The young orphan nodded before following her teacher out the door. They walked to the apartment where Miss Blanchard lived and once inside, they began the lessons. Lily stared blankly at the book that was placed in front of her. She could barely read the cover, having only deciphered the "The" and the "of".
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" Miss Blanchard clarified. It was a children's book it seemed. Colorful illustrations filled majority of the pages and there were about three to five lines of words on each page, "It was one of my favorite stories growing up,"
She set a gentle hand on top of Lily's, "I know your childhood isn't the same as the other kids'. But fairytales...they're always a good start."
Lily wished she had a good start. She felt grateful to her teacher. None of her past tutors hadn't broken through the first barrier of the many walls she put up. Though she could never be too hopeful. One way or another, Miss Blanchard would leave her, as do many people. She slid her hand away from under Miss Blanchard's before reading the beginning of Snow White. The first few words were the only ones she could say consecutively. A phrase cemented into the hearts of children everywhere and was the easiest to understand.
"Once upon a time…"
A/N: This is my first time writing in this archive. How am I doing so far?
I hope I made the difference between Tigerlily and Lily clear. Tigerlily is courageous, not afraid to stand up for herself and her beliefs. While Lily, on the other hand, is very shy and self conscious.
Don't forget to read and review!
Note: 7/23/20 In the process of changing the name of the Tigerlily's tribe as well as getting rid of any derogatory language and appropriation of Native American culture and language.