The Lost Princess - A Once Upon A Time Fanfic

Baelfire // An Enchanted Island

"Not for me. I was abandoned too, by my mother and my father. My father taught me things, he made me clever. I'll get out of here."

She shook her head dismissively. "Believe what you want, kid. Listen, we'll be meeting for dinner in a few. Come and join us," she said, leaving him be. 

She left the cave and walked the familiar path back to the campground. There was a rustling in the bushes near her. Rapunzel's senses went into overdrive and her hands began to warm up, sparks beginning to appear. That's when one of the boys, his right hand, popped out. He smiled eerily at Rapunzel, looking down at her hands. They let up and she let out a deep breath. 

"You're trying to scare me now? I could kill you without even trying," she said, looking at her own hands. She didn't mean it as a threat, she was being serious. 

"I heard you talking to the boy," he said. She shrugged. 

"I was just curious," she answered honestly. "He says he has a home he misses." 

"That's because he does," the boy said. 

"Then why is he here?" She asked, confused. 

He cocked his head to the side and smirked, chuckling. "And here I thought you were all-knowing." 

She rolled her eyes. "You all came up with that. I never confirmed it."

The boy began to circle her. He was trying to intimidate her, but Rapunzel could not and would not be shaken. "He's a part of a bigger plan," he started. "There will come a time when he will need an ultimate power source to continue on his journey. When Baelfire first arrived, we believed he could have been that source, until the prophecy stated that we were incorrect. However, he does play a part in it." 

"And why don't I know about this?" She asked, stunned. 

"He wasn't ready to share this with you, yet. Sure, it's still a long time coming, but come it will."

"What can we do?" She asked, stepping closer to him. He looked her up and down, a smile forming on his face. His eyes locked on her hair. 

"You could save him for a while," he said, letting his fingers graze her hair. She froze. "The healing properties in your hair, that is." 

"That would be enough?" She asked. 

"No. We still need Baelfire to bring us the boy," he answered. "But your hair could do for now." 

"What are you going to do to Baelfire?" She asked after taking a moment to think about it. 

He chuckled. "That's not really your concern, Your Majesty," he said, attempting to be respectful toward her. She looked up, her face hard again. 

"Isn't it?" She asked. 

"He commands that you don't know. Just take care of the other boys, we'll take care of him." 

And with that, the boy disappeared into the wilderness. 

She stood there alone for a moment. In the years that had passed, she learned to control her own emotions and to never let them control her. She stuffed them away in a neat and tidy box, one that was locked and unable to be opened. But something about Baelfire was clinging to her brain.

There was someone that cared about him. Someone who loved him. Someone who would never give him up. Someone he was protecting. 

And she realized that she had always craved that. From Eva to Leopold to Rumplestiltskin, she had hoped for someone to lean on. And she had finally found it. 

There was a part of her, a softer part, that wanted to give that to Baelfire too. But more importantly, she felt a need to protect this boy and shelter him from the darkness that roamed the island, a darkness that had already taken so many captive.

She instantly went to him. 

But he always knew. Which means he knew what she was going to do next. There was, however, nothing that would change her mind. 

She stormed into the cave, startling Baelfire who hadn't moved from his cave drawings. He jumped to his feet, watching Rapunzel carefully. 

"Don't be frightened," she said, slowly walking toward him. "I see you're not coming for dinner." 

He shook his head. "I'm not hungry." 

"Well, I know that must be a lie," she said, looking around the cave. She saw a coconut sitting on top of a rock, assuming he had found it and drank its water. Instead, she saw carvings on it. Stars. "You're tracking the stars," she said. 

"Yes," he answered. "If I'm being honest, I thought it would help my escape." 

Baelfire watched her reaction. He was being as brave as he could muster, but Rapunzel never looked up. She kept her eyes fixed on the coconut. 

"This could work," she said to herself. Using her magic, she lit the fire inside the coconut and showed it up at the cave ceiling, seeing where each star on the island was located in the sky. "This is quite clever." 

"Thanks," he said, sullenly. 

"You know how to track the stars," she stated, "I'm sure Captain Hook taught you that much?" 

"You know Captain Hook?" He asked. She nodded.

"Okay," she said, mostly to herself, "we can do this." 

"Do what?" Baelfire asked. She put the flame out and handed the coconut back to the boy. 

"Get you back to your family. I'm going to get you out of Neverland."