Author's Note: Sorry this is so late. I was struggling the entire time to figure out Anna's voice, and then I got a review from a guest saying that Roland and Liam are annoying, and I thought, "crap, I've written them wrong" so I had to reread the whole thing, and then scrapped what I'd written, and started again. This is my 4th attempt at this chapter, and I'm going to go ahead and call it a draft. It's a real struggle to write a character like Anna, who has to be strong enough that she can reasonably be in a commited adult relationship, but struggling realistically with limitations thanks to her birth defects. I don't know how well it turned out, so please, let me know if she's convincing, or if she needs more tweeks. I might rewrite this again. And as for Roland and Liam being annoying, I'm so sorry Guest, they're not supposed to be! More of their back story comes out here, in bits and pieces, hopefully a calmer Roland will help make him more agreeable as a character.
When she'd become too exhausted to do anything other than lay in Roland's arms quietly, her fingers curled between the buttons of his shirt, they'd taken Anna home. His home. Neal and Apple, left behind to explain things to the rest of the room.
A cloud of magic from his fingertips had deposited them before the salmon colored house on Baelfire Court, and Roland had carried her up the brick steps while he'd open the door. An entryway filled with shattered glass had stunned him, but not Liam, who had rushed up the stairs. By the time the other three were able to follow, he'd opened up the room that Gold had once prepared for a son he thought might be 14 when found.
Anna had been quiet as Roland set her on the bed, and he'd watched as the older man stepped back so that Liam could take the lead. Softly, Liam issued carefully spoken directions until Anna was dressed in nothing but her shift, and then he helped her into the bed before kicking off his own shoes and sliding in behind her, wrapping her up into his arms. His voice had been lulling as he'd whispered to her softly, often pressing his lips to her hair, his thumb constantly rubbing her arm in comfort.
What Liam said to her, he didn't wait to hear. He could sense the anxiety in Roland, who had moved to stand beside him, and with a knowing look, Gold had released the young man to take his place with his chosen family. But watching the other man kick off his shoes and move to the buttons of his shirt proved too much for a confused father to watch, and so he'd closed the door and retreated to his own room.
The fact that it smelled like Belle twisted his insides with furious rage and hopeless longing, as he relived the slightness of Anna in his arms, or the memory of Belle asleep on a distant Sunday morning. A wave of his hand stripped all of her things from the room and deposited them unceremoniously in the Library's upstairs apartment, but as he climbed into bed, world wary and frightened of what fatherly responsibilities awaited him the next morning, he couldn't help reaching for Belle's pillow and inhaling her sweet, lingering scent.
Liam and Roland were both still sleeping, and Anna was tired of remaining silent. She wanted to talk, to anyone really, but the sound of her father's cane rhythmically tapping in the kitchen downstairs drove her to shimmy out from between her two lovers and slip silently out of the room.
Having lived here nearly her entire life, she knew all the squeaky board and smiled to herself as she stepped cautiously from one foot to the other, navigating the bright hallway, illuminated by the picturesque stained glass window. The stairs were accomplished quickly, and on stealthy feet, she maneuvered through the living room and to the kitchen beyond.
Walking cautiously forward, she slid up to the kitchen's archway to peer inside. Her father was standing over the kitchen island staring into a black teacup with gray flecks. It struck her as wrong somehow. He looked sad, and she hated to see him that way.
"Papa?" She asked, stepping away from the archway and into the room. He straightened immediately, and his face transformed to the gentle smile she knew and loved so much.
"Good morning, Sweetheart." But he didn't move, and suddenly his smile dimmed and he looked nervous.
She didn't like that either.
Liam had reminded her last night that Papa wouldn't know how to do things her way, and that she'd have to teach him. It was a little irritating now, remembering how Liam had spoken to her like a child, but she knew enough about herself to know that at the time, it had been the best thing for her.
"Good morning." Smiling she walked around the island. "Did you sleep well, Papa?" Her father often had trouble sleeping, "bad memories" he'd say, and though Anna knew he'd done horrible things in the past to find her brother and avenge him, most of the details weren't shared by him—though the school yard children had more than shared.
His hands moved over the counter top, and for a moment it reminded her of someone playing the piano. Liam played the piano, both he and Bae did. She used to sit for hours doing homework and listening to them practice in her living room while Apple or Roland tried to help her comprehend the material. And sometimes Liam would sing, and he had the best voice that would—"
"Anna?" Her Papa was touching her hand, and she looked up and smiled.
"Did you sleep well, Papa?" He looked confused for a moment before he smiled.
"Yes, thank you. How did you sleep?" He was acting strangely, which was making her nervous.
Walking around him, she went to the cabinet to get a cup and her decaf tea, but opening the cabinet revealed that her mouse cup wasn't in its usual place. Confusion hit her hard, but she remembered what Liam had said, and she took a deep breath, tapping her finger three times on the wooden cabinet door so she wouldn't get upset.
"Papa, my cup isn't here." She stated calmly, turning back towards him. It was soooooo hard to keep remembering that this was the past and things weren't as they were supposed to be. With a sigh, she showed with her hands what she wanted.
"I need a coffee cup, like this, and like this, with a mouse, a fairy, and a bunny. And the bunny ears are the handle. You made it for me last time, and that time I broke it when I didn't use a stepping stool like you told me too. You were so mad at me, because you had just told me to get a stepping stool, and I didn't listen. I had to go to bed without dessert, remember?" He looked pained, and she hated that.
Shaking her head as if that could remind her that it was the past, she tried again. "Well of course you don't remember. That was a long time ago, I was nearly 10. But if you could make it for me again, I'd really like it. I have to stay on my routine and I always have decaf tea in my mouse cup every morning."
Her father nodded, and she smiled, happy he was following her. Sometimes people had a hard time following her, but Papa was always the best at following her twisting mind.
A wave of his hand and a puff of magic revealed he'd gotten her cup exactly right, and she rushed forward to claim it with a hop in her step. "That's perfect, Papa! You did it exactly right! Thank you so much!" Flexing on her toes she kissed his cheek and then moved to the kettle to get some hot water.
"And I slept really well. It was hard to sleep alone for so long, and even though Roland snores, I sleep better when Roland, Liam, and you are in the house too. But I sleep best in Dark Castle. I can't wait until we can go home. The sheets are nicer there because Mel got them for us. I think it was for Roland's birthday, but I can't remember now." A puff of magic had a star covered tea tin next to her hand, and she turned back to him with a beaming smile before opening the tin and portioning out her morning cupa.
When she'd finished and it was seeping, warm, and welcoming in her hands, she turned around carefully, and pointed her chin at the breakfast nook where they took all of their meals. Once situated, she looked up at him and gave a little sigh.
"It's hard for me to keep it all straight, but Roland said we'd answer a lot of questions today, which reminded me that you probably have a lot of questions, and," she looked at him knowingly, "since I can guess what a lot of your questions are, how about I start?"
At his nod, she did as taught and started from the beginning. "I was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. That's why my eyes are so small, and see my upper lip and jar are small, that's because of the FAS. I was late doing a lot of things too, such as walking and talking, and when I went to school we learned that I have a really hard time with school. It takes me a million times longer to learn things than it did the other kids, and that's why I started out a year ahead of Liam, but would have graduated with Apple if I'd finished. I mean," she felt horrified that he might think she was dumb and reached out her hand to cover his, "I did finish. All of my schooling, but you and I finished it together after we moved to Dark Castle. High school was so horrible that when the portal opened, you and I went through right away, and I didn't have to finish Freshman year, which was good because I hated it there." And she had; the kids had been exceedingly cruel, and since Liam had a different lunch than she did, and Apple was still in middle school, she'd had no one to talk too, and lunch was so awful that she spent most of her time eating in the bathroom which was disgusting and-
"Anna?" She looked up to see her Papa looking worried. Why was he—OH!
With a giggle she explained. "Sorry, sorry! I get distracted, really easily. I have ADHD, so usually I'm bouncing off the walls—hence why I have to drink decaf—but since I haven't taken my medicine," she paused thinking about how long she'd been in that room, and suddenly felt so lonely. A squeeze of her hand showed she probably had her emotions all over her face, but it was her Papa's worried expression again that had her leaning over the table and hugging him tightly.
"I missed you so much, Papa. You and Roland and Liam, and Apple and Bae, and Henry and Regina and Mel and just everybody. Well not everybody. I still hate Alexandra, but everybody else." Leaning back she sat down and gave herself a mental shake. She had to try to stay on topic. It was a lot easier when Papa helped, but she could do it, she just had to use the techniques Mary Margaret had taught her.
She tapped her finger three times on the tabletop and then continued when she felt organized. "Where was I, oh yeah, I did finish school, but I didn't pass math, I hate math and it hates me. And I told you that I have ADHD, I also have some pretty crazy learning disabilities, but we never let them keep me from learning, did we?" She beamed at him, and he smiled back, but then she remembered that he couldn't possibly know that, and felt a little more of her growing sense of frustration. Still she pressed forward, "Anyway, I told you I hate math, and I do, and science, which is a stupid subject since it can't explain magic, or Fate. Oh, and I love art, which is good because when I have a vision, if I don't draw it right away it gives me a headache. Back home, we keep paints and paper in every room of the castle. Well except the bathrooms, that would just be silly.
"And I love to spin. You taught me when I was really young, maybe six, and I was so excited because you told me that you tried to teach my brother when he was my age, but Bae was terrible at it and hated it, but I loved it because I like repetitive actions, they make things less chaotic in my head. But Bae hated it, and you were really happy that I liked to do it, so you got me my own wheel and we used to spin together. And then one night you showed me how you spun straw into gold, and it was such a pretty yellow color—even though yellow is my least favorite color—but it was still pretty, and I wanted to spin in pretty colors too, which is when I spun my first Tread of Fate. You got very quiet after I did that, but eventually I learned how to control it and now I usually only do it when someone in our realm is born. Like I had to spin one when Henry's daughter was born, which was really crazy because I also had a vision about Serena sleeping on a stack of mattresses a mile high and being very uncomfortable, which I said in class and everyone made fun of me for not knowing the Princess and the Pea story, but Roland read it to me that night when he was babysitting so the other kids couldn't laugh at me anymore." She chewed her inner lip, "I hate it when the other kids would laugh at me."
"Did," her father interrupted her, "did they do that often?"
She didn't like thinking about school and told him as much. "I never wanted to tell you all the mean things the kids would say. That's why Roland started defending me from the other kids, and then Liam took over when Roland moved to the big kid's school. And then Liam and Apple and Bae would look out for me. I was always doing what the other kids said, you know stupid stuff, because I wanted them to like me." She stopped because her Papa opened his mouth and she knew she'd been rambling again.
"You said," he paused, "that Bae looked out for you?"
She nodded, "Sure, Bae was always really nice to me. That's why I thought it was great when he and App—OH! You think I mean Bae my brother. No, no, Papa, I call Neal 'Bae' because he has the name Bae picked for himself, and he was named after him, and because he's always treated me like I was his little sister anyway. Sorry," she glanced away, "I didn't mean to confuse you. Usually you can keep things straight when I talk, not like other people who get confused. But I know you don't remember, so you're probably confused like everyone else. Will it's not that you don't remember, you just don't know, which is even worse, and it's really very confusing!"
Frustration seeped into her. Of everyone, Papa always knew what she was trying to say, the fact that he didn't now made her bounce her foot on the kitchen floor. She tried her tapping coping mechanism, but her father still looked nervous, and it was starting to get to her.
Standing, she put her hands on the back of the chair, "I-It's just, I mean, y-you," but the words wouldn't come, and she turned and took a step away, before turning right back around and putting her hands back on the chair. "I-I know, its, I know this is all really confusing for you. But, just, it's," but she couldn't continue. Tapping her finger on the back of the chair wasn't work, so she tried counting to three, but Papa just kept looking at her like she was getting more and more pathetic, and she was starting to feel that way.
Suddenly, he stood and rounded the table before taking her hands off the back of the chair and clasping them in his own. He was nearly a head taller than she was, so she had to tip her head back to look up at him so close; but when she did, his expression was serene and comforting. Slowly, so she had time to move into position, he kissed her forehead and then drew her into a tight embrace. His voice was as soothing as always as he rubbed up and down her back with his gentle fingers, "It is confusing, Sweetheart, but we'll figure it out. It's going to be alright."
And she knew it would be, because Papa kept his promises.
"ANNA!" Roland bellowed as he stormed through her childhood home. He knew every inch from the numerous times Anna and the others had forced him into yet another endless game of hide and seek. Now he was grateful as it allowed him to navigate with ease.
"She's not in the bathroom!" Liam called down just as he heard her sweet voice call up from the back of the house.
"I'm in the kitchen!"
Wasting no time with the stairs, he vaulted over the side of the railing as he heard Liam scrambling upstairs, before he devoured the space between himself and the kitchen.
She was standing with a knowing smile on her face a few feet from her father. Relief flashed through him, and he took three massive steps until he reached out and drew her small frame against his and held her tight enough that she could never again leave him.
"Oh thank the gods on Olympus!" Liam proclaimed as Roland turned them so their partner could slide in behind Anna, sandwiching her between them until she giggled a protest.
Reluctantly, he let her go, but leaned down the near foot and a half necessary to come eye level with her. He took her round face into his hands and gave her a playful growl to which she giggled as he tried to fake a stern command, "No more running off in the middle of the night, you damn near gave me a heart attack."
She giggled again, her eyes alight with their playful game, but rolled them anyway at his display. "It wasn't the middle of the night, it's past 10 in the morning. And I didn't run off, I went to talk to Papa, and we've been having a brilliant conversation this morning, haven't we, Papa?"
He glanced over her shoulder to see no smile or smirk on his soon to be Father-in-law's face, instead he wore a more dangers express of neutrality, and Roland knew he was in trouble for something.
Standing, he spun Anna until she was facing Liam and gave her a playful shove that sent her into his long, thin arms. Liam's blond head ducked instantly, smothering her with obnoxious kisses that had her laughing in a fit, but clinging to him. "Stop! Stop! That's not a proper good morning kiss!"
"Well, never let it be said that I don't know how to give a proper kiss," and Liam dipped her low to the ground before aligning their lips together.
He glanced back up at Gold, but he was still the older man's sole focus, and he decided they should clear the air quickly, for everyone's benefit.
Liam brought the two of them up with a flourish before pulling her in tightly. "There! Better?"
With a laugh that lit up his insides with glowing happiness, she nodded, "Much!"
She was pure light and happiness. No one but Liam could compare, which made him the luckiest bastard in all ten realms.
But he was going to be a dead man if he didn't smooth things over with the Dark One.
Casually, he threw his head over his shoulder, "A shower, and then back into that green dress until Apple can bring over something better for her to wear."
Anna turned towards, him, still captured in Liam's arms, but she nodded, knowing he was setting her schedule. "After that, we'll have breakfast and then we'll meet up with Apple and Neal." He lifted his eyes and gave Liam a knowing look, and thankfully, they'd been together long enough, it was understandable.
"Alright, my beautiful, gorgeous, brilliant, humbling, stunning—" Anna laughed, "Adorable, lovely, let's go!"
He watched them leave, knowing Liam wouldn't let her out of his sight for the rest of the day. Of the two of them, Liam worried about her the most.
Turning he indicated the table, and took up what had to have been Anna's seat while Rumplestiltskin took his own at the head of the table.
"Your angry," he began, letting it hang in the air between them.
He watched Mr. Gold mull his words over, before responding. "I have more questions than answers," he stated mildly, but Roland felt the unknown weight behind the words.
Leaning back in his chair, he locked eyes with the Dark One. "Then let's have them, because I'd prefer it if you didn't look at me as if I'm 30 seconds away from being snail slime under your shoe."
Gold, it seemed, had little patience this day. "I'm evaluating your demeanor around my daughter."
That surprised him, and he leaned forward, "What do you mean?"
The older man brushed his hand through the air indicating their earlier interaction, "You more than simply lost your temper yesterday, and today Anna jumped half a food when your bellowing rang through my home. Then you put hands on my child, so be warned that I am more than simply watching you."
The seriousness of Gold's tone was the only thing that kept Roland from giving into the shocked laughter bubbling up in his chest. He shook his head and smiled, "It's good to hear you call her your daughter; Liam and I wondered if you would or not." Then he got back onto the subject at hand, "You're right, I have a tempter, but unlike some, I limit it to inanimate objects and my enemies, which sadly, are numerous when your mother is the Evil Queen and your engaged to the Dark One's daughter. But you have my word of honor, Rumplestiltskin, there are no two safer people in all the realms from my wrath than your daughter and Liam." Then he considered, "Though, you have no reason to trust my word, so I will endeavor to give you no reason to question my honor. Forgive me for worrying, father of my chosen." It was an old world apology, one he knew the Dark One would recognize.
The other man didn't nod, not ready to forgive so easily, but instead sat back into his own chair and considered something hard before speaking, "Tell me about her," then he said hesitantly, "tell me about her limitations."
He nodded, reading between the lines. "What Apple said last night is true, Belle drank heavily while she carried Anna. She'd sequestered herself in this house for seven months before you were able to return to Storybrooke and discovered her pregnancy. By then the damage was done." He shrugged, to him it was simply fact, and he treated it as such. "Anna has many of the typical facial deformities of associated with FAS, small eyes and chin, a thin upper lip, and she was slow in developing, hitting most of her milestones three years behind target. For example, she didn't walk until she was three, or talk until she was nearly five."
Gold seemed to be absorbing things well so he pushed forward. "She suffers from ADHD, and has a lot of trouble with numbers. She's very good spatially and loves to draw and paint. She also loves to sing, dance, buy more dresses than she could ever wear, adores every child she meets, and loves animals so much that you built her a special stable to house her exotic collection—her favorite of which is a dragon she calls Bunny.
"And maybe," he pointed to the cup with the bunny ears for the handle, "you've noticed a pattern." When Gold nodded, he continued. "Anna likes order and repetition. She adheres to a strict schedule that we go over every morning to help reduce her frustration and anxiety. A frustrated or anxious Anna turns into the sobbing mess you witnessed last night, but normally it doesn't come to that." He pointed again at the cup, "She needs things just so, and likes what she likes. Changing her mind is nearly impossible once it's set on something, so don't try. For example, it's not worth arguing with her over pancakes or eggs in the morning, because once she's set on pancakes it'll take 45 minutes to convince her to eat the eggs."
He paused, letting the man digest the information. Upstairs, he heard the water turn on.
"So," Gold began, "last night was," he paused again, "an extreme reaction?"
Roland nodded knowingly, "She can get worked up, but it doesn't happen very often, a few times a year maybe, less now that she's out of her teens. I haven't seen her that bad since she before she got on Dr. Frankenstein's medicine regiment, so maybe since she was 7 or so." He stopped when Gold opened his mouth.
"How old is she?" Then as an afterthought, "Or you, for that matter?"
It was a common question. "She's 21, and I'm 27; Liam's 20." Then he decided to finish off the group, "Neal is 22, and Apple is 18."
A shadow flitted across Gold's face, and Roland watched his hand curl around his cup. "You're six years older than she is, seven more than Liam. According to Anna, you used to watch them both as children."
The accusation hung in the air, silent but deadly, and Roland was having none of it. "I know what you're implying, trust me, you're not the first." And he wasn't, Killian had been much more direct. "Liam and I didn't ask permission to court Anna until she was 19. I can assure you, you had Ursula ripped my mind apart to ferret out any improper thoughts. But while I have always loved Anna, it wasn't until after she turned 19 that I ever considered it more than familial." And he hadn't. Morganna had always acted so young for her age, she was always his kid sister. But over the course of her 18th summer, she matured mentally. He and Liam had taken that summer to travel around Wonderland, and when they'd returned, they'd been shocked to find a much matured Anna. The fact that her maturity of mind had allowed him to see her in a new light had been shocking and uncomfortable. But by Christmas, he and Liam had admitted to their attractions, and decided to seek Rumplestiltskin's blessing.
Remembering the pain of it still set his teeth on edge.
"But apparently you didn't wait as long with Liam."
Roland shook his head, then scoffed. "You have no idea how strange this is to be explaining all of this to you." He sighed, "Liam confessed an attraction to me when he was 15, however, he was still in Storybrooke, living under Earth laws which put him off limits." But not out of his mind. Killian would have been right to have worried about Liam's age, but instead the man had cared only about his gender, which had allowed Roland the moral freedom to keep father and son far apart—at any cost.
"However, his father abused him, and when Liam crossed the portal to the Enchanted Forest, you claimed him under your protection." Roland didn't miss the shock on Gold's face, just ignored it. "Like with Anna, I asked to court Liam when he turned 16 an acceptable age for the Enchanted Forest, and you gave permission as his guardian."
He paused, and then decided to be forthright, "I confess to an early attraction to Liam, but had prepared myself to wait until he was of age before approaching him. His own confession to me was unexpected, and my careless advice to him on the subject of discussing his sexuality with his parents cost him dearly." His mind drifted back to that storming night when he'd torn into Dark Castle at three in the morning to find Liam broken and unconscious by the fire, Rumplestiltskin doing his best to heal his many injuries.
Unprepared and unwilling to discuss things further, he waited, until Gold nodded.
Apparently satisfied with the answers he'd received, he changed the subject. "Tell me about Anna's relationship with Belle."
Unconsciously, his hand curled around the table's edge, his other into a fist. "I can tell you nothing kind about your wife, Mr. Gold. She is a traitor to the crown, and in my opinion, should have been made to suffer as Anna has suffered."
He drew a calming breath, "Belle was forced to cease her drinking when you discovered her pregnancy. My understanding, was that you forced that compliance, but I was too young to remember it. Shortly after Morganna was born, Belle left your home and moved in with Jefferson. She was a pariah around town, but the Hatter found something to love in her, and they carried on an open affair until your divorce was finalized a few years later. I'm sorry to say that she ended up with most of your non-magical belonging." Roland knew he was cutting deeply with his words, as once again, Gold's expression had gone neutral, but he continued, wanting to get the pain over with all at once.
"Anna was endlessly curious about her mother, but all of their interactions ended in tears. Belle was neither patient nor understanding. I remember once throwing her out when I was watching the kids and she came over to give Anna a book and became incensed when Anna couldn't read it." That memory burned brightly in his mind, the weight of the eyes of four children on his back as he'd grabbed the older woman by the arm and thrown her onto the front porch to get her out of the house after she'd refused to leave. The feel of three little bodies pressed tightly against his as he'd rocked a sobbing Anna, and the other children had tried to comfort her. It was a painful, bitter memory that had never left him, and often danced behind his eyes whenever he saw the brunet beauty.
"When Anna was 9, you had the visitation agreement thrown out, and Belle stopped coming by. But Anna was so desperate to see her mother, she would make arrangements to meet Belle at odd times or places. They never ended well, and we always knew when she's snuck out to see her. Then, when the portal opened and we all went back to the Enchanted Forest, Belle and Jefferson went somewhere else—we still don't know where. Belle started working with the Sorcerer, and Jefferson died, that's about all we know."
Gold paled. "Belle and, and that mad man—" he couldn't bear to finish the sentence.
Roland nodded solemnly, "I'm sorry, Mr. Gold, truly I am." He paused to consider before continuing, "but if it is any consolation at all, you do find love again, a woman who treats Anna like a treasure, and whom Anna is deeply attached too."
Gold's eyes rose sharply, but he refused to ask and Roland refused to tell him. There were just some things a man had to discover on his own.
"I need to see her!" Belle was pacing the width of the long room while Emma hovered by the door to keep her from bolting out and searching for Anna.
"That's not a great idea right now, Belle. A lot of people heard that you're pregnant, and apparently the three little pigs running the city dump were more than happy to tell everyone about the contents of your recycling bin." Emma too looked extremely unhappy, and while her past actions broke her heart to think about, she also knew there was hope to undo it all.
"You don't understand, I can fix this, I can fix everything, she told me how!" The headache was getting worse as were the jitters, and she felt like she was losing her mind, which is why she advanced on Emma, and why Jefferson was pulling her back.
"Easy there, rabbit. No sense rushing out to meet the fox just yet. Sit a spell," he pushed on her shoulders and caught his knee under hers causing her to crumple into a high backed overstuffed chair. It was perhaps the most normal piece of furniture in the room, consisting of a pleasant black and white pattern. Everything else looked like the sixties exploded. Jefferson had collected a treasure trove of artifacts that rivaled her husbands!
Rumple. A burning ache filled her chest to bursting. How could something so wrong have felt so right at the time? He'd chosen power and magic over her yet again and this time, it had hurt her too deeply. So she'd done the one thing she'd sworn never to do, but had been doing over and over again, and lifted the dagger and forced him from his home and all he'd ever known. He'd done unforgivable things in his life, but what she had done was far worse, because he'd trusted her. Maybe not in the end, but could she blame him? He'd been a slave to Zelena and it had torn him apart, and she—his wife!—had used that same cursed dagger to strip him of his freedom ever since he'd given it to her. His feelings of betrayal were justified, as was his desire to get out from under the dagger's blinding command. Perhaps he'd gone about it all wrong, people made mistakes, oh how she knew that now.
But she could fix it. Anna—her Anna—had told her how. She just needed to see her, talk to her, explain what they needed to do, and then everything, all of her mistakes, all of them, could be erased!
She just needed to convince the others to let her out, and then she could explain how to get rid of this imposter and bring back her real daughter once and for all!
Author's Note: I'm happy with the Belle piece at the end. I think it's important for Belle to get a taste of her own medicine, and doing bad things for what she thinks is the right reasons, will definitely evolve this story in the right direction. Please let me know your thoughts on Anna, it's important to me that I get her right and I'm still struggling with her "voice".