~3 Years Ago~
"Felix!" a 14 year old girl with blonde hair runs up the hill with her friend behind her as they look for her older brother. "Danny, do you see Felix anywhere?"
"Calm down, Faith," Danny says, trying to comfort her. They run a little farther and see a group of boys dancing around a fire. Faith and Daniel look at the group in confusion. Why are all these boys gathered up and dancing?
"Look! It's Felix!" Faith cries, pointing at the figure standing still. They run up to him and Faith begins tugging on Felix's hand. "Big brother please come home! Mother and father will be furious if you don't come back!"
"Who cares about them?" Felix asks, emotionless as he stares at the fire.
"You don't have to care about them, but what about your sister?" demands Danny. "If you anger them, they will take it out on your sister." A look of guilt flashes on Felix's face but it quickly disappears as it appeared.
"You forget, I hate my sister," Felix reminds them, causing Faith to lose her grip on his sleeve. The look on her face gave him so much guilt, but he mentally reminds himself that it's all her fault his life was crap.
"Please return with me," begs Faith, tearing up. "Please don't let them hurt me."
"Why don't you go with her?" a new voice interrupts. The three turn to see a boy with a cape covering his face. "Your sister is quite desperate for you. Besides, if you change your mind, I will always be here waiting for you." Growling, Felix obeys the boy and walks toward his house with Danny following him.
"Thank you," Faith says to the boy before running after the other two. After they leave, the boy takes off his hood and smirks.
"I've finally found you, my loyal one," the boy states, and resumes playing his pipes.
"I'll leave you two now," Danny says as they get closer to Felix and Faith's house. "Before your mom catches you with me." Faith smiles sadly at him and hugs him as Felix leaves, rolling his eyes at the two. Danny and Faith had fancied each other for two years, but her mother refused her daughter falling for a 'pathetic boy with no money'. As a result, they two hid the fact that they are still friends for each other.
"Thanks for helping me find him," Faith whispers, pecking his cheek. "Who knows what she would've done to me?"
"I'll save you one day," he promises. "One day I'll get wealthy and I'll come save you." Crying, the two share a sweet kiss before departing.
"Where were you?!" screeches their mother as they enter the house. Felix ignores her as Faith flinches under her mother's glare. "You!" She points at Faith. "Your dancing and singing lessons are early tomorrow morning! You should be practicing! Not running off to play! How do you expect to marry a rich man if you aren't talented or beautiful?" Their father then enters the living room, walking in drunk.
"It's you, isn't it?" accuses their father, pointing at Felix. "You distracted her didn't you, boy?"
"No, he didn't!" Faith defends, but is dragged off by her mother. She is taken to another room, leaving Felix alone to deal with their father, but he remains emotionless except the hate radiating off his glare.
"Don't you look at your father like that," the man grunts, trying to stand up straight. Felix merely chuckles darkly at his attempt to seem scary.
"Hard to fear a man who can't even stand," Felix retorts. His insult causes his father's anger to rise and his father hits Felix across the face with his glass mug. The sound of breaking glass evokes a scream from the girls as they return to the room just in time to see Felix continuously stabbing his father with the broken glass. Although he does not die from the impact, both Felix and their father were bleeding intensely. Felix had a trail of blood leaking on his face as their father lies on the ground with the bottle still embedded in his stomach, crying for help. A scar is already forming on his face."I've had it in this house. Good riddance, I hope you all rot in hell." With those words, Felix slams the door and leaves, ignoring the cries of his mother and sister.
Faith runs out the house a few seconds later, after their father dies from loss of blood, hoping Felix does not meet the same fate. She sees him just before he reaches the village and grabs him.
"I thought I made it clear that I want nothing to do with you anymore!" he hisses, whipping his arm away.
"Please, it's not too late, you can still come back," Faith pleads. "I don't want to lose you too." Tears well up in her eyes as she stands on her tip toes to wipe away the blood on Felix. Felix allows her to do so, but immediately retracts when she is done. He grips her neck, pinning her against a nearby tree and causing her to gasp in horror.
"Ever since you were born, that old man and wretched wench hated me and called me useless," Felix whispers to her. " I've had it here in this hell hole. You can live an empty life if you want, but I'm done. I'm going to be free." Faith lets out another gasp and falls when Felix releases her and walks away. Instead of getting up and going home, Faith simply sits on the ground, crying over the loss of her brother and her father.
~Present~
Now 16, Faith still lives under her mother's strict rules and pressures. The only changes are her looks, but she is still a scared girl, unsure of what to do without her brother. The brother that hated her and left her, but he was her pillar. Despite the cruel treatment from her mother, she did love her, but sometimes she wondered if the feeling was mutual.
"Faith, darling, get up!" her mother calls. Groaning, she opens her eyes to see sunlight shining right in her eyes. Knowing that her mother is not a patient woman, she ignores the pain in her eyes and gets dressed. When she finishes, she comes to the kitchen to see her mother muttering angrily to herself. "That pathetic beggar, Danny, visited again. I told you to never see him again! I don't care if he says he'll become rich to marry you, he's poor right now! When he's rich he can come, until then, you better stay away from that street rat!"
Sighing, Faith nods and does as her mother said. Ever since Felix left and their father died, her mother had pushed her even more to marry a rich man. She understood that being poor had its down sides, but she was not comfortable with the idea of marrying for money. Especially when she did not love any of them and the men her mother picked are all old enough to be her father. She and Danny had loved each other long ago, until her mother broke them apart. Sure being in love at ages 12-14 seems childish, but she knows what love is when she feels it.
"Tonight's the night," her mother reminds her. "Do you remember what to do?"
"Yes mother," she replies sadly. "Be seen but not heard. Remain graceful and carry the air of a princess."
"That's my girl," her mother giggles. "Mother loves you, now go find a big fish!"
"You go ahead mother, I need a moment of air," Faith replies. This wasn't the first time these moments happened. Every time it was the same. Her mother would remind her how she regretted her marriage to Faith's father. Even if they were deeply in love when they started, over the years the lack of money in their household broke them apart. In return, Faith would frown, then her mother would comfort her before telling her the same words.
"You'll learn one day that love isn't as strong as you think," she repeats to Faith. "Mother loves you, and I want you happy, but you won't be happy with some poor beggar off the street like that Danny kid. Trust me. I'll go in first." Her mother strokes her cheeks before handing Faith her invitation and entering the large mansion.
Faith stands there, feeling as if everything is passing her by as she shrinks. Everyone passed her without so much a glance in her direction.
"Pardon me for asking, but what are you doing out here?" a voice asks, and Faith jumps, startled. She turns to see a boy with light brown hair wearing fine clothes. She checks him out, trying to figure what kind of person this boy is. His clothes implied that he may be rich, but he is certainly no royal or noble. And his eyes, those green eyes... Something about him is so familiar. Despite his innocent face, his eyes held a kind of darkness to them, as if he is the Dark One that everyone feared. "Hello? I was talking to you, love." She blushes at the nickname, causing him to smirk at her in amusement.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude by staring, but I've never seen you around here before," she says, looking down. With her eyes on the ground, Faith can see his feet approaching her and soon his slim fingers slowly and gently tilt her chin up, forcing her to make eye contact with him again. The darkness in his eyes sent fear throughout her body, but she refuses to let him see that.
"I don't step out much," he answers, moving her face around to inspect her. What the hell is he doing? She lets out a sigh of relief when he finally releases her chin with a boyish smirk. "Now I asked you a question, what are you doing out here?" The tone in his voice held amusement from her fear and a slight bit of annoyance.
"I was too nervous to enter," Faith answers quickly, scared of angering him. She mentally slaps herself for allowing a boy only about a year older than her to scare her so much. Her mother's much worse, so why is she trembling so much under his gaze? "What about you?"
"Oh, I think it's pretty obvious what I'm doing," the boy replies sarcastically, holding up an invitation and quirking his eyebrow. The way he speaks to her is enough to make her blood boil. Who does he think he is? Didn't his parents teach him manners?
"I mean why are you standing out here when there is a party inside?" Faith asks again, being more specific as she holds back her anger. Her mother's voice continues chastising her, reminding her to never speak poorly with men. You can never be too careful since you don't know who holds how much power. Until you have power, you should be weary of others.
"You're doing the same thing," the boy retorts, smirking as her anger simply rises the longer she talks to him. At the sight of her glare, he playfully lifts his hands, as if surrendering. "Fine, if you must know, I was on my way to the party and I come across a little lost girl blocking my way." The way he addresses her infuriated her. How dare he treat her like a child when he is about the same age?
"I'm not lost, I know exactly where I am. Now feel free to move along," Faith growls, stepping out of the way and gesturing with her hand. However she only seem to amuse him more. "What?"
"You've got fire," the boy states, chuckling. "I like fire. Therefore, I like you." Faith blushes at his words. No boy's been so open about that to her before. The feelings he gave her made her forget her feelings for Danny for just a bit.
"We don't even know each other," Faith points out, stepping back from the arm that he offered her."My mother wouldn't like that."
"Such a shame, you're one who blindly obeys her parents," the boy sighs sarcastically again, making Faith glare at him. "You really waste your glorious fire, love."
"It's also called stranger danger," Faith retorts, wanting to rip off his head. Even though her mother isn't there, her voice still lingers in Faith's head.
'Stupid girl!' her mother's voice rings. 'Men want pretty girls who close their mouths. Just look beautiful and hold in your emotions until the end of the wedding. Play princess to every man, you never know how rich they might be.' The scolding voice repeats in her mind and she realizes her mistakes.
"I-I'm sorry," she apologizes, holding back her annoyance behind a fake sorry look. Rolling his eyes, the boy hooks their arms together and begins leading her in.
"Peter," the boy states.
"What?" asks Faith, confused. Peter mentally growls, nearly letting his anger show. He is not one who like to repeat himself, but for now he had to hide his true self until he catches his target.
"My name is Peter," he repeats as he thinks of ways to punish her later. Outside, Peter smiles kindly at her.
"Oh, in that case, I'm Faith," she felt strange, how one second he scared her and the next she could feel so comfortable by his side. Her hand in his just feels so right, how they perfectly intertwine amazes her. She and Danny always had to adjust their hands to fit, but here, this stranger's fingers coupled her slender ones just fine.
'This will be much easier than I expected,' thinks Peter as he smirks down at the blushing naive girl next to him.
"I've never enjoyed myself this much at balls," Faith confesses as Peter twirls her. Never had she laughed so much at a ball. She was always just there to catch eyes and attempt to capture the heart of a rich man. Her goal was always to find someone rich, looks and age did not matter as long as his money can make up for it. But here, she finds herself enjoying Peter's company very well even if they danced most of the night and barely talked. He had made her blush so many times she lost count simply by peering into her eyes or moving his eyebrows. His touches make her skin tingle and his voice makes her heart beat so fast.
"Neither have I," he replies. "Maybe it's who you dance with that matters." Peter smiles at her. Yet she couldn't help but blush and smile back. The longer she stares into his green eyes, the more it feels as if she is falling under a spell.
'Maybe this is what love feels like?' she wonders, unknowing that Peter is actually attempting to cast a spell on her. "I've yet to ask you, but where do you reign from?"
"Oh, a place that children would go to in their dreams," Peter answers smoothly.
"Really?" she asks. "Is it that beautiful there?" Her innocence causes him to chuckle.
"Of course, but every place is missing something," Peter reminds her, adding to her curiosity.
"And what is that?" asks Faith, completely interested in seeing this prince's land, if he is a prince.
"A princess," he says, leaning closer to her. Her breath hitches in her throat. He really is a prince! Is this where she will meet her prince charming? "And I believe you would make the perfect princess for me." A blush makes its way onto her face again as he strokes her cheek with the backside of his hand. His rough hand against her soft cheek heats her face up even more.
"Are you proposing to me?" she asks. In this time, it's not unusual for the richer classes to propose on the first meeting, but just in case it would be wise to ask. However her question makes him chuckle again, a darker one this time.
"If that's what you'd like to call it," answers Peter. His mysteriousness induces her interest in him and his land. And he's a prince! Her mother would be so proud!
"Faith!" her voice's mother rings. She quickly turns her head to see her mother's bright yellow gown. "Faith come here!" Faith smiles back at her mother.
"Peter, come meet my mother!" Faith cries happily, still looking at her mother. "She'll be please to..." Her voice trails off when she turns back to him, only to realize he is gone and she is alone in the middle of the dance floor.
"Faith come here right this instant!" her mother commands, temper rising. Knowing not to provoke her, Faith hurries over. "What are you doing?!"
"Mother! I met a prince! His name is Peter," she tells her mother happily. "And he proposed to me! Oh mother, he was handsome and he says his land is like a dream! You must meet him later." Her smile fades when her mother continues wearing a scowl.
"You will not be marrying him, but Lord Erick," her mother states sternly, causing her to frown.
"What? Mother why?" Faith cries in horror. How could she pick such a man?! "Mother, he's four times my age and he's only a lord! The one I met earlier is a prince!" Her mother growls and slaps her, not enough to cause a mark but enough for her to feel pain, before pulling her behind a curtain.
"You stupid girl! What have I taught you?!" she scolds. "Make sure you know who they are! Lord Erick is well known across the land. Have you heard of anyone named Prince Peter? You foolish wench, he might be some stable boy masquerading as a prince to capture idiotic girls like you!" Her words felt like another slap to the face. Her mother is right. How could she have been so foolish? Then she remembers back to her first impression of him.
She turns to see a boy with light brown hair wearing fine clothes. She checks him out, trying to figure what kind of person this boy is. His clothes implied that he may be rich, but he is certainly no royal or noble. And his eyes, those green eyes...
There is no Prince Peter in the Enchanted Forest. Peter might not even be his real name. "We all know who Lord Erick is and we are sure he is a rich man, so you will marry him tomorrow night. Tonight, he's asked for your company back at his estate. Make sure you reel in this shark."
"Yes mother," sighs Faith. This is it. Tonight is her last night as a maiden. Tomorrow she is to be wedded to someone old enough to be her father, possibly even her grandfather. The thought disgusted her, but at least a marriage with such a rich man will ensure her to a luxurious life style and her mother will live the rest of her life well. Even if she won't be happy, at least her mother will be and that is enough, right?
"Come, I will take you to meet Lord Erick right away," her mother urges. "And remember what I taught you. Look pretty, respond only when he asks, but keep your opinions to a minimum." Nodding, Faith always her mother to take her out from under the curtain. "Oh Lord Erick!" A man with graying hair turns to the mother and daughter and waves to them.
'Here we go,' Faith groans inward.
The night and Faith's freedom slipped away rather quickly since all Faith did the rest of the night is walk by Lord Erick's side and allow him to show her off as his new fiance. Now they are arriving at his mansion, which screams wealth, but it feels like nothing to Faith anymore. Before, she would most likely wonder how much jewels or money she can get from marrying such a man, but after meeting Peter, she couldn't help but ask for Peter to really be a prince and come save her. Faith hates the fact that she is being shallow about such a thing, preferring a younger and more handsome boy to an old man, but who can blame her? Imagine waking up next to a man old enough to be your father every day for the rest of your life. She could not even imagine producing an heir for this man. Just the thought causes her to shudder. Maybe this isn't such a good idea after all.
"Layla will bring you to your room," Lord Erick states, waving one of the maids over. "After you change, be sure to come to my chambers." He winks at her and Faith mentally gags, but hides it behind a fake smile and nods. "I love quiet ones like you." His hand runs down her back slightly before he parts ways with her.
"Please follow me, my lady," Layla requests and leads Faith to a dark brown wooden door. As it opens, Faith gasps at the beautiful bedroom. Lord Erick certainly lived up to his name as the richest man in the district. The chandelier in the middle of the room is made of crystals and glass. Her large bed had white silk on it and an amazing mattress. The shelves and other furniture were made with smooth, white wood. "I hope you find your room to your liking, my lady."
"Yes, thank you," Faith replies quietly as Layla exits the room. On the bed is a cotton nightgown with long sleeves and a skirt that ends around mid thigh, so high that it would reveal most of her legs. Knowing it's probably the only piece of clothing that man will give her tonight, she groans and puts it on. "I wish I can escape."
About an hour later, Lord Erick's familiar voice can be heard from outside.
"Let me see my lovely bride!" he cackles and Faith flinches, hearing crashing sounds of the vases outside.
"She is right inside, my lord," Layla states. Hearing the sound of the door opening, Faith immediately stands up and fixes her dress, attempting to cover as much as possible.
"My lord," she greets quietly. Her heart beats faster and faster as he nears her, swaying side to side from his drunk state. However unlike when her heart was beating for Peter, this time it beats from fear.
"Why didn't you go to my chambers like I told you to?" he demands, crashing into a nearby shelf. The fallen furniture causes Faith to shriek, but no one comes in to help. Faith backs up as he stalks toward her until she hits a wall. "No matter, my room or yours, it doesn't matter." In less than five seconds, Lord Erick puts his bottle of wine on a nearby shelf and pins her to the wall, his mouth attacking her neck as she struggles to get him off.
"Please my lord, this isn't right!" she begs, tearing at how dirty it felt.
"It will soon, my dear," he replies, not getting off. Her eyes widen as one of his hands lowers itself to her legs. While it made her feel completely devastated, it also freed one hand. She grabs the bottle and smashes it on his head. He lets out a loud groan and some curses before following to the ground with a bloody head. When she realizes what she did, Faith lets out another shriek and throws the bottle down, accidentally causing it to smash into his head one final time.
"What have I done?!" she gasps, remembering the scene between her brother and her father years ago. "I've killed someone. I'm a horrible person!" Faith lets out a bloodcurdling scream at the fact and falls to the ground. At that moment, she catches a glimpse of the balcony in the corner of her eye. Slowly, Faith walks toward the window in a zombie-like state. 'If I killed someone, I deserve to die too. I killed someone out of selfishness. I killed so I could live. I deserve to die.' Finally she reaches the railings. Placing one foot on the bottom, Faith prepares herself to jump.
Suddenly the door slams open, and a familiar person runs in after slamming the door.
"Peter!" cries Faith. There is the green eyed boy she met a few hours ago, still in his handsome attire.
"Don't do it!" Peter pleads, pulling her back in the room as she cries in his chest.
"I'm a horrible person, I killed someone!" she screams, thrashing around as Peter holds her tightly.
"You didn't kill him! He's still alive!" Peter shouts over her breakdown, causing her to stop fighting and look at him with surprise. "He's still breathing. And even if you killed him, he deserved it. He's an adult!"
"Peter what am I going to do?" cries Faith, tugging at him. "Even if I didn't kill him, he's probably going to have me killed tomorrow!" She shocks Peter by pushing him away and grabbing the balcony's railings again. "I rather die quickly than have him torture me!" But once again, Peter grabs her hand and pulls her back.
"What if I say there's a way?" he asks, a strange glint in his eyes as he smirks at her. "What if I say I can save you? Bring you to a place where no one knows you? Somewhere you can start over?" It all seems like a dream come true to her, but how can she trust him? It can't be any worse than this right? Sensing her hesitation, Peter decides to add, "And you will be my princess there." Those last words got her. Maybe this is her chance at love. Maybe this is her chance to be free. And his voice is so sincere... Instead of asking him any questions like why is he here or where will they be going like she should have, Faith naively agrees.
"Take me away," Faith pleads. Peter wraps his arms around her and before she knows it, they are flying through the sky. She begins thrashing again out of fear. "What's going on?! Why are we flying?! How is this happening?!"
"I'd stop thrashing if I were you, princess, you'd be surprised at how easily it is to slip through my arms," taunts Peter, causing her to stop. The tone in his voice has completely changed. It is no longer the soft, sweet, and sincere tone she heard just a while back, no. Now it sounded menacing, threatening, and simply terrifying to her.
"Peter, where are we going?" she asks, knowing it would be best not to get on his bad side if he knows magic. Smirking, Peter looks down at her and points to the second star on the right.
"We're going to Neverland," answers Peter. He waves a hand over her face and Faith's vision fades to black. The last thing she sees is an evil grin on Peter and the dark look in his eyes.