Everything around her seemed hazy, the light on the island seemed too bright at times, flickering between normal and fluorescent. Blinking she tried to get a hold of her bearings. She recognised the place as the neverland jungle but everything seemed so unfamiliar, off in colour. She stepped forward and hearing a twig snap beneath her; darted her eyes down to the ground. Her feet were wrapped in embroidered slippers. She continued walking through this strange place feeling herself drawn to the voice that rested in the warm breeze. She found herself by the jungle creek and caught her reflection in the crystal waters.
There was someone else staring back at her, a stranger who just happened to share her eyes and her smile.
The reflection was beautiful, a crown of intricate braids adorned with colourful jewelled pins sat on top of her head whilst the remainder of her hair cascaded far past her shoulders and waist.
And then their was her clothes, layers and layers of silk and lace coloured by a sunset in blues and pinks and oranges. She was transfixed for a moment, reaching out for the girl to see her reaching back; and then Bebelle realised it was her.
A second reflection appeared in the water and Bebelle spun around, finding herself alone, except for the white fox that was watching her from behind the trees.
Frowning deeply she glanced back at the creek then to where the figure should have been, beginning to feel uneasy. Her mood reflected on the scenery around her as the brightness of the island faltered, dimming dramatically.
"Bebelle."
Searching all directions she tried to identify where this mysterious voice was coming from.
"Bebelle."
Her name was whispered once more and instead of following the voice she found herself running through the jungle, desperate to try and run away from it.
It was as if the island was changing around her as she ran, trying to prevent her escape as each vine, tree and leaf became an obstacle.
When she was unable to hear the voice any longer Bebelle stopped, and there was that fox again, tilting it's head and watching her from a distance. She stepped forward to head towards it, hugging her arms as she felt a sudden chill.
"Bebelle!" The voice scolded, this time it came from behind her and she turned, though again no one was there.
Just who did the voice belong to?
Fear had left her, and in it's place she was left with curiosity, this time instead of running, she found herself following the voice.
She was back at the creek, where she found a figure stood by the water.
But it was odd.
No matter how hard she tried to focus on the woman, Bebelle was unable to, as if the woman was there but she was also not. When she was looking away, Bebelle could see bright colours and long dark hair in her peripheral vision, but then when she lifted her head to look at the woman, all she could see was light and she ended up with a splitting headache.
To alleviate her headache, Bebelle gave up trying to see and instead kept her eyes on her feet.
"Bebelle." The woman said, though this time it was a warm greeting.
"Who are you? What are you?" Bebelle asked, trying not to lift her head as she did so.
"Something's coming."
"What? What do you mean." She lifted her head as she questioned, before lowering it quickly at the starting of a migraine.
"Something bad." The voice was urgent, and Bebelle shivered, feeling an uneasy chill.
"Bad magic happens."
Bebelle felt a hand curl around her wrist and in panic pulled out of the womans grasp to cradle the bracelet against her wrist.
"Don't take that bracelet off yet." The woman whispered, disappearing from Bebelle's sight.
Bebelle looked back at the spot where the woman's apparition once was, and then shortly after everything faded to black.
Bebelle shot up out of bed with a gasp, shaken up by her dream. To clear her head she stepped outside into the night. It was chilly tonight and the cold winds froze her form, making her shiver. Curling up by the fire she focused and lit it, basking in the warmth. Still feeling cold she edged closer to the fire and intensified its heat. She supposed she could have changed the nature of the wind, but Bebelle quite liked the feeling of the cold being ebbed out slowly by a replacing warmth. She felt a presence approach her but did not call out to them, instead drawing her knees up under her chin and gazing into the burning embers, remembering how Peter had said when she got really angry her eyes looked like burning fire. A blanket was placed around her shoulders and Bebelle squeaked, surprised by the action. Turning to Felix, who was moving to sit beside her she smiled at him.
"Thank you."
Felix nodded accepting the thanks and sent a small smirk her way.
"You can light a fire with your mind yet you can't figure out how to get a good night's sleep." He teased and Bebelle glared at him before she sighed.
"You know it was different this time."
"It was?" Felix raised his eyebrows with intrigue.
"Uh huh, this time she said something."
"What did she say?"
"It was probably nothing." Bebelle trailed off, hoping Felix would drop it-she didn't want to worry the boys.
"What did they say Bebelle?"
"They said something's coming, something bad and then they said something about magic too." Bebelle chewed her lip waiting for Felix to say something.
"Anything else?" he prodded, sensing there was something she wasn't telling.
Bebelle fixed her eyes on her bracelet.
"It was weird, I couldn't see who it was but I felt like I knew them somehow, like i've met them before- but then why did I feel so uneasy?"
"We'll figure it out." Felix said, seeing the obvious look of distress on Bebelle features.
Bebelle smiled at Felix before turning back to her bracelet and tracing the grooves in the woven thread and metal.
"I'm scared Felix, I can't help but have this bad feeling."
Bebelle found herself admitting her fears to Felix, since she was the only one she could tell them to, she didn't like Peter knowing she was afraid but Felix was okay, because he always found a way to help her get around it.
"You know you don't need to be scared Dolly."
Bebelle grinned.
"Why because you'll protect me?"
Felix shrugged, muttering 'depends' and she stuck her tongue out at him. Distracted by sudden activity on the island Bebelle cocked her head to the side then rose to her feet.
"Baelfire, he's here."
Felix nodded then ordered Bebelle to stay while he went to inform Pan. Soon enough the two joined Bebelle.
"Felix, go find Baelfire, Bebelle you're staying here." Pan said almost instantly not giving her time to plead her case.
"But-"
Bebelle was about to protest but Peter put up a hand shushing her.
"I need you here for when the real fun starts."
Bebelle grumbled, folding her arms over her chest as she sulked, settling with the decision to paint instead of whatever it was Peter would want her to do. She felt Peter's presence behind her but ignored him, focusing on inking her brush and setting it against the pieces of parchment.
"Dolly."
"I'm busy" She said, waving her brush before angrily creating strokes.
Peter Pan rolled his eyes at her pettiness.
"You're not busy, you're just keeping busy."
Bebelle shrugged.
"Same thing is it not?"
Peter let out a laugh and quickly snatched the brush from her, creating a smeared line on her work in the process.
"Come for a walk." He told her and she looked at her painting with a sad sigh.
"You ruined it."
Lifting her head she glared at him before her resolve to ignore him fell apart.
"I'll come for a walk...but only because I don't want to look at this now that it's ruined."
Standing up from her stool Bebelle stumbled, as a sudden wave of dizziness threw her off balance. Peter was quick to catch her, stopping her fall and looking her over with concern.
"Everything okay?"
Blushing at the close proximity Bebelle nodded, peeling Peter's arms from around her and clutching her pounding heart as she felt a tightness in her chest.
"I'm fine really," She said, offering a smile to convince him, despite her sudden breathlessness.
"I just stood up too fast, the dizziness will pass soon." Bebelle continued to say, though at this point it was more to convince herself because she was starting to panic as her vision began to blur.
Blinking away the fogginess she inhaled deeply holding out her hand to Peter.
"Let's go for that walk."
He watched her for a moment and she smiled again, unsure if he would buy it, but he took her hand either way and started to lead her out of camp.
The words of warning from her dream looped through her mind; and then she felt everything shatter.
Bebelle sank to her knees with a scream, one hand tight like a vice around Peter's whilst the other clutched at her heart where she felt burning and then emptiness.
Peter was in front of her but she couldn't see him, or hear whatever it was he was saying to her.
The lost boys were frozen in panic.
"I can't feel it, I can't feel any of it." Tears flooded from Bebelle's eyes and she shrieked again, doubling over as another wave of pain hit her.
This time when she closed her eyes she saw a flicker of Emma and Regina, chanting and using magic against her.
"Why are they doing this to me? Why?" She cried out, each scream that left her turning the island darker and dimmer.
With her throat hoarse from screaming and her lungs suffocated she started to cough, falling into Peter who could do nothing at the moment but hold her.
"Make it stop! Please it hurts, tell them to stop." She begged, praying for an end to the pain because it was becoming unbearable.
Her bracelet glimmered and she heard an all too familiar voice as her limbs became heavy.
"Bebelle." The voice said, soothing like a lullaby and suddenly feeling sleepy, Bebelle's eyes fluttered shut.
"Bebelle dear."
Bebelle blinked looking around to survey her furrowed her brows then turned to the voice that had called her.
It was a woman, quite young, she looked barely that much older than Bebelle herself actually. Her hair was piled up on the crown of her head in a braid secured by golden floral pins while the rest of it spilled down her shoulders in an impressive length that sat just below her waist.
Bebelle noted that the woman's eyes were the same curved and rounded doe shape and colour as her own; though they lacked the bright naivety of a child. Bebelle was in awe of the woman dressed in rich pinks and oranges with long billowing sleeves; she looked like a Princess, or a Queen for that matter. Stood next to this women Bebelle felt like the simplicity of her silvery white nightdress was inadequate.
There was a sense of uneasiness that felt like inferiority.
"Who are you?" She mustered up the courage to ask, receiving an amused smile.
"I think you know me." The woman said and Bebelle pulled her brows together in a frown as she tried to think it over.
"You're the woman from my dreams."
The woman nodded, smiling softer this time.
"I finally found you." She murmured and Bebelle wasn't sure if she was supposed to have heard it; but she had.
But what did she mean?
Bebelle wondered for a moment trying to make sense of everything, her eyes widening when a sudden possibility entered my mind.
"You're my mother?"
"Yes, I only wish we could have known each other in better circumstances." The woman nodded once, and Bebelle stepped backward and away from her in aversion.
"You gave me away."
"Wrong. You were taken from me."
"What?"
Bebelle shook her head, having never thought of this possibility before, she had always thought she had been unwanted.
"I was taken?."
The woman nodded gravely.
"There was a woman jealous of my relationship with your father, she thought she could win his affections but then you were born and she realised she had no chance, because there was now one thing your father loved more than himself, more than his kingdom, more than his wife. You."
"But if he loved me, why didn't he try to find me?"
The woman sighed, an unhappy frown marring her features.
"He fell extremely ill the night you were taken, the woman had slowly been poisoning his wife's drink, but unknowingly he had been taking the cup in her place. Luckily it didn't kill him but...it made him so weak."
Bebelle's shoulders dropped, her features looking dejected after hearing of such sad new of her father, she had always hoped wherever he was, that he had been alive and well, despite her own circumstances.
After a moment of silence, she questioned.
"How are you here, all these years you've only been in my dream, Why are you here now?"
The woman motioned with her hand for Bebelle to follow her, and begrudgingly she did, realising they were walking back into camp.
A few lost boys ran right past them, paying no attention to Bebelle or the woman beside her. Bebelle frowned at the oddity, expecting them to make a fuss- the boys weren't exactly fond of adults.
"They can't see us dear."
Bebelle bristled slightly, unused to the term of endearment from the woman after finding out she was her mother.
"Why not..." Bebelle started to ask, trailing off when she saw Peter and a large amount of lost boys crowding around a slumped figure wearing white silk.
Clasping her hands against her mouth in horror Bebelle let out a squeak.
"Is that...am I dead?"